A French courtier, secret agent, libertine and adventurer, Beaumarchais (1732-99) was also author of two sparkling plays about the scoundrelly valet Figaro - triumphant successes that were used as the basis of operas by Mozart and Rossini. A highly engaging comedy of intrigue, The Barber of Seville portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man's attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. And The Marriage of Figaro - condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege - depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure.

A complete, newly translated LIBRETTO of Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO featuring Music Highlight Examples and Italian/English translation side-by-side.

Opera and Ideas is a study of the connections between music and intellectual history. Through lucid analysis of six operas and two song cycles, Paul Robinson shows how operas give musical and dramatic expression to ideas about the self, society, and history.

A comprehensive guide to Puccini's MANON LESCAUT, featuring Brief Story Synopsis, Principal Characters, Story Narrative with Music Highlight Examples, a complete, newly translated libretto with Italian/English translation side-by-side, an in depth and insightful Commentary and Analysis, a Discography, Videography and Dictionary of Opera and Musical terms.

A comprehensive guide to Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO featuring STORY SYNOPSIS, PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS, STORY NARRATIVE with MUSIC HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLES, and insightful COMMENTARY and ANALYSIS about the opera and its composer.