Visual Arts

Standard surveys of art imply a continuity between Rembrandt and Koons, between Caravaggio and Hirst.

They are all wrong. There is no such continuity. This book explains why these claims are false, and how we arrived at this point of great confusion about the arts.

Once regarded as a great figure of music, with an impact as great as Rossini’s, Daniel-François-Esprit Auber is now neglected. The time has come to reassess his life and work, especially his collaboration with master librettist Eugène Scribe, and hear his elegant music again.

Based on a popular Russian fairy-tale, The Little Humpbacked Horse tells of the spectacular deeds of Ivanushka with the help of a magical horse. Created by Arthur Saint-Léon with music by Cesare Pugni, it was the first ballet based on Russian folklore.

Beyond his famous operas, Giacomo Meyerbeer wrote extensively for the voice in other genres. This volume presents the texts for his non-operatic stage works, occasional public pieces, sacred music, and songs, in the original and in English translation.

Russian composer Alexander Glazunov was a master of classical ballet. Sharing Tchaikovsky’s passion for melody, his scores for Raymonda and The Seasons are inventive and beautifully orchestrated, reflecting a glamorous, glittering world.

Prolific 19th-century composer Cesare Pugni worked with the era’s greatest choreographers to create renowned ballets. His works include Esmeralda, based on Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris, and Le Violon du diable, a tale of a violinist given irresistible power.