32 audio discs (approximately 1440 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in. + 4 course guidebooks (22 cm).
Great courses (Compact disc)
Compact discs.; In 4 containers.
pt. 1: lecture 1-2. Introduction and words and music --; lecture 3-4. A brief history of vocal expression in music --; lecture 5-8. The invention of opera and Monteverdi's Orfeo --; pt. 2: lecture 9-12. The growth of opera, the development of Italian opera seria, and Mozart's Idomeneo --; lecture 13-16. The rise of opera buffa and Mozart's the Marriage of Figaro --; lecture 17-18. The bel canto style and Rossini's the Barber of Seville --; lecture 19-22. Verdi and Otello --; lecture 23-24. French opera --; pt. 4: lecture 25. German opera comes of age --; lecture 26-27. Richard Wagner and Tristan und Isolde --; lecture 28. Late Romantic German opera: Richard Strauss and Salome --; lecture 29-30. Russian opera --; lecture 31-32. Verismo, Puccini, and Tosca.
The history of opera is traced from its beginning in the early 17th century to around 1924. The lectures examine landmark operas; musical, cultural, and social developments that influenced opera's growth; and the influence of national languages and cultures on opera.