{"product_id":"four-last-songs-linda-hutcheon-9780226255590","title":"Four Last Songs: Aging and Creativity in Verdi, Strauss, Messiaen, and Britten","description":"Aging and creativity can seem a particularly fraught relationship for artists, who often face age-related difficulties as their audience's expectations are at a peak. In \u003ci\u003eFour Last Songs\u003c\/i\u003e, Linda and Michael Hutcheon explore this issue via the late works of some of the world's greatest composers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Olivier Messiaen (1908-92), and Benjamin Britten (1913-76) all wrote operas late in life, pieces that reveal unique responses to the challenges of growing older. Verdi's \u003ci\u003eFalstaff\u003c\/i\u003e, his only comedic success, combated Richard Wagner's influence by introducing young Italian composers to a new model of national music. Strauss, on the other hand, struggling with personal and political problems in Nazi Germany, composed the self-reflexive \u003ci\u003eCapriccio\u003c\/i\u003e, a \"life review\" of opera and his own legacy. Though it exhausted him physically and emotionally, Messiaen at the age of seventy-five finished his only opera, \u003ci\u003eSaint François d'Assise\u003c\/i\u003e, which marked the pinnacle of his career. Britten, meanwhile, suffering from heart problems, refused surgery until he had completed his masterpiece, \u003ci\u003eDeath in Venice\u003c\/i\u003e. For all four composers, age, far from sapping their creative power, provided impetus for some of their best accomplishments. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With its deft treatment of these composers' final years and works, \u003ci\u003eFour Last Songs\u003c\/i\u003e provides a valuable look at the challenges--and opportunities--that present themselves as artists grow older. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Linda Hutcheon,Michael Hutcheon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 022625559X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226255590\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/22\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.30w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/15\/2015 pg. 91\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2015","brand":"Linda Hutcheon","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086398861567,"sku":"9780226255590","price":99.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b05b7483-81b0-4f4e-baea-07f44a31de46.jpg?v=1769094454","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/four-last-songs-linda-hutcheon-9780226255590","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}