L`italiano con l`opera: Lingua, cultura e conversazione

Imagine learning Italian through opera. This publication seeks to help students do just that. Designed to supplement intermediate level programmes, the text can be used in courses emphasizing language, conversation, and/or culture. Six operas are examined: "Il barbiere di Siviglia", "La Boheme", "Pagliacci", "Otello", "Tosca" and "La traviata". The volume aims to be fun for students, familiarizing them with great operas through discussion of well-known characters, plots, settings, themes, criticism and interpretation while they acquire vocabulary, accuracy and fluency. Each detailed opera unit contains many interactive speaking activities, reading comprehension, contemporary vocabulary, grammar, and writing activities as well as a section focusing on a specific aria or duet. Students are encouraged to tell stories, interpret characters, express and react to opinions, use appropriate vocabulary, and analyze themes using modern Italian. The book includes recommended lists of high-quality opera recordings on videocassette, DVD, audiotape, and CD. Units of study are designed to be used with excerpts from English-subtitled opera videos or DVDs.