P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 3: Pelleas and Melisande, Salome, Cavalleria Rusticana

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Overview

This collection of Russell’s classic adaptations concludes with Pelleas & Melisande by Maeterlinck and Debussy, Salome by Richard Strauss and the all new The Godfather’s Code from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni.

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Overview

This collection of Russell’s classic adaptations concludes with Pelleas & Melisande by Maeterlinck and Debussy, Salome by Richard Strauss and the all new The Godfather’s Code from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
This final book in its series adapts Pell as & M lisande, Salome, Ein Heldentraum and Cavallieria Rusticana, introducing each opera with an educational text on the work and its author. The first, Pell as & M lisande, tells the story of a girl whom readers meet weeping in a forest, and the ensuing love triangle between her and brothers Pell as and Golaud, which destroys them all. Russell's new interpretation of the metaphysical fantasies of Maeterlinck and Debussy is ravishing. The beautiful illustrations and dream-like colors (evoking light, sea and stars) make this tortured story of love and grief even more epic. The short Ein Heldentraum is a single song, and Russell's art and coloring provide a unique reinterpretation of the lyrics and add an additional layer of meaning. Cavallieria Rusticana ("The Godfather's Code") is another story of cuckoldry; it contrasts vengeance with the sunny rebirth of an Easter morning. Lastly, Salome, based on the Oscar Wilde play, decadently contrasts spiritual and physical virtue. Russell channels Aubrey Beardsley's original illustrations while giving the story his own spin. His ambitious plan to adapt the great works of opera into comics form is audacious, but his flowing, poetic lines and fanciful colors are an art in and of themselves. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
VOYA
Russell continues his Opera Adaptations series with the four operas, Pelleas and Melisande, Salome, Ein Heldentraum, and Cavalleria Rusticana (called The Godfather's Code). For the uninitiated, this collection is difficult to grasp. The opening opera, Pelleas and Melisande, is beautiful to look at, but there are moments of puzzlement as things are left unexplained in what appears to be part of a side-story of the opera. Once past the first adaptation, the stories pick up the storytelling slack. If readers are going to be familiar with any of these adaptations, it will be Salome, an opera based on a Biblical character, or The Godfather's Code, which was portrayed in the movie, Godfather Part III. The more acquainted with the operas, the more the reader will get out of these adaptations. What Russell does wonderfully are the characters and his art. Salome is a beautiful enchantress who is refused by John the Baptist. Melisande is a wounded woman who slowly begins to love again. Santuzza, a woman in love, is betrayed by her lover. Readers will be sympathetic to the main characters. Whether it is the gray of dreariness or greens for jealousy, Russell excels in his use of colors to exude a scene's moods. Pelleas and Melisande is skillfully done, radiating many different colors throughout the panels to produce the different tones of the opera. Few teen readers will ever be interested in reading this title, but Russell's art is something to be admired. VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P S A/YA G (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults; Graphic Novel Format).2004., NBM, 144p., Ages 15 to Adult.
—Kristin Fletcher-Spear
School Library Journal
High School/Adult-This oversized volume contains Pelleas & Melisande, Salome, Ein Heldentraum, and Cavalleria Rusticana. The adaptations, in graphic-novel format, stay very close to the originals: some are almost transcribed to the page word for word. Detailed color illustrations define the settings effectively. It might be argued that without the music, an essential part is lacking, but told this way the stories become central and are brought out in a new, welcoming light that may interest comics lovers in opera. What seems more likely, however, is that the book will stand as a high-quality work that, if not promoted, may be a shelf-sitter. Nevertheless, the talented Russell does an admirable job lending credibility to both opera and graphic novels.-J. M. Poole, East Rochester Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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Product Details

Meet the Author

P. Craig Russell is one of the most respected artists in comics and is well-known for his many stunning adaptations. He lives in Kent, Ohio.

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