Verdi and Wagner – contemporaries who were worlds apart

Verdi and Wagner. Born in the same year each took opera to unprecedented levels in keeping with their national identities. There the similarities grind to a very definite end.

Thames and Hudson has recently published a book on the lives and works of these giants of music drama. The author, Tasmanian born Peter Conrad, taught English Literature at Christ Church Oxford from 1973 till 2011, after moving to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar in 1968. He has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Observer and has written books on a number of topics, including opera and contemporary life, art and culture.

The book is 384 pages long with 51 illustrations, 24 of which are in colour. The links below will take you to the publishers description of the book, followed by a review in the Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.thamesandhudson.com/9780500515938.html

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/a-climactic-duet-of-individual-genius-20120217-1tdn8.html