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Puccini: Turandot
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
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Puccini: Turandot
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Editorial reviews
You will recognize Puccini's melody immediately. Turandot is known for its enchanting and influential sound. It is also famous for being one of the last operas that was viewed as popular entertainment. And even now Puccini's melodious Turandot remains one of the most well-known tunes, and it continues to fill us with emotion. Smillie's study of this early 20th-century opera is thorough and endlessly interesting. This audio is made even more appealing by David Timson's energetic and heartfelt narration. You'll be moved and engaged.
Publisher's summary
Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.
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- Narrated by: Corey Feldman
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,806
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,532
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,527
In this brave and moving memoir, Corey Feldman is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Didn't like the Two Coreys, but liked this.
- By ricketsj on 04-29-14
By: Corey Feldman
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Lucy
- By: Erica Schmidt
- Narrated by: Brooke Bloom, Lynn Collins, Charlotte Surak
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 1,024
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 968
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Story2.5 out of 5 stars 966
Ashling is every busy parent’s dream: a professional nanny with experience and a warm, sunny attitude. But from the moment Mary hires her to look after her young children, things start to feel just a little...off. Are Mary’s stressful work schedule and lack of sleep playing games with her own sanity, or has she welcomed an unstable troublemaker into her home?
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not sure what the point was
- By Kari on 09-21-23
By: Erica Schmidt
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Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon
- Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
- By: David McGowan
- Narrated by: Bill Fike
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 774
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 646
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Story4 out of 5 stars 649
The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place where a dizzying array of musical artists congregated to create much of the music that provided the soundtrack to those turbulent times. But there was a dark side to that scene as well. Many didn't make it out alive, and many of those deaths remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
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5 out of 5 stars
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My first review. This book changed me.
- By Robert on 06-30-19
By: David McGowan
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Ayoade on Top
- By: Richard Ayoade
- Narrated by: Richard Ayoade
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,206
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,070
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,066
At last, the definitive audiobook about perhaps the best cabin crew dramedy ever filmed: View from the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow. In Ayoade on Top, Richard Ayoade, perhaps one of the most 'insubstantial' people of our age, takes us on a journey from Peckham to Paris by way of Nevada and other places we don't care about. It's a journey deep within, in a way that's respectful and non-invasive; a journey for which we will all pay a heavy price, even if you've waited for the smaller paperback edition. Ayoade argues for the canonisation of this brutal masterpiece.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Listened for an hour and a half, didn't laugh once
- By Wesley on 12-13-19
By: Richard Ayoade
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Little House in the Hollywood Hills
- A Bad Girl's Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X, and Me
- By: Charlotte Stewart, Andy Demsky
- Narrated by: Charlotte Stewart, Andy Demsky
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 124
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 114
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 114
Charlotte Stewart is known by millions of fans worldwide for her role as the beloved schoolteacher, Miss Beadle, on the iconic TV show, Little House on the Prairie, currently broadcast in syndication in more than 100 countries around the world. Here for the first time an adult cast member writes about the experience of making the show - the challenges, the joys, and the sometimes-turbulent behind-the-scenes relationships.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent and Entertaining
- By Fla on 09-18-17
By: Charlotte Stewart, and others
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Center of the YOUniverse
- By: Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski
- Narrated by: Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 75
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
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Story4 out of 5 stars 72
Center of the YOUniverse is an out-of-this-world spectacle starring Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski with music, laughter, and (probably) the salvation of humanity from its self-inflicted doom. Unaware of just how brightly the other one shines, Tituss and Jane will attempt the impossible: a double-booking. In a unique blend of song and storytelling, they’ll stop at nothing to upstage each other and steal the spotlight…until they realize the true purpose of being ridiculously attractive and having immeasureble talent: to unite and heal the world.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Yikes, it had potential but…
- By Chantal Noordeloos on 12-27-23
By: Tituss Burgess, and others
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Music Theory: from Absolute Beginner to Expert
- The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Learning Music Theory Effortlessly
- By: Nicolas Carter
- Narrated by: Bryan Howard
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 336
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 286
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Story4 out of 5 stars 283
Have you ever been put off by music theory or thought that is too hard to learn? If the answer is yes, then this book is the answer for you. It covers everything that anyone who plays (or wants to play) music, and wishes to become better as a musician, should know. This is the most comprehensive book on music theory that you can find today. Not only that, but this book is written in a way that is really easy to follow, understand and internalize all the concepts explained.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Title is misleading & no audio examples
- By JS on 02-25-17
By: Nicolas Carter
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The Way I See It
- A Look Back at My Life on Little House
- By: Melissa Anderson
- Narrated by: Jane Pfitsch
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 532
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 496
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 493
From age 11, in 1974, until she left the show, in 1981, Melissa Anderson literally grew up before the viewers of Little House on the Prairie. Melissa, as Mary, is remembered by many as the blind sister - and she was the only actor in the series to be nominated for an Emmy. In The Way I See It, she takes listeners onto the set and inside the world of the iconic series created by Michael Landon, who, Melissa discovered, was not perfect, as much as he tried to be. In this memoir she also shares her memories of working with guest stars like Todd Bridges, Mariette Hartley, Sean Penn, Patricia Neal, and Johnny Cash.
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3 out of 5 stars
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self serving
- By Tina L. on 02-24-20
By: Melissa Anderson
What listeners say about Puccini: Turandot
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adeliese Baumann
- 12-05-13
Fire and ice, hope and blood
Turandot is Puccini's last opera. He died while composing the third act, leaving the work unfinished.
The plot is based on an ancient Persian legend, and the setting that of imperial Peking. Turandot is the daughter of the emperor. He wants her to marry but she resists, so the emperor agrees to her terms: any suitor who wishes to marry her must answer three riddles. If he cannot, he will be executed.
As if the story is not dramatic enough, there is the reimagining of ancient China, the evocation of place through pentatonic elements and unusual instrumentation, the costuming, and demanding roles for the performers.
For all that, some parts are silly. For example, ministers named Ping, Pang, and Pong. And the violence and drama feels relentless after a point. Still, other parts are transcendent, most famously, the "Nessun dorma."
The author explains the story, staging, and production very well. David Timson's narration is, as always, simply perfect. For that, five stars.
But I won't be going to a production or purchasing a recording of Turandot. Puccini wrote so much that puts this opera in the shade.
That's just my opinion. Decide for yourself. That is one of the many benefits of the "Opera Explained" series. If you're unfamiliar with an opera, as I was with Turandot, listen and see what you think. You might hate it, or you might become a devoted fan. Either way, it's time well-spent if you love classical music.
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