125:
He has spent many years in
Italian libraries and archives, uncovering not only neglected opera composers and their scores, but also collections of their letters and papers, contemporary accounts and reviews, thus building up an invaluable picture of their lives and productions.
156:, produced in collaboration with Annalisa Bini and published in Italian in 1997. On his own he subsequently published in 2008 a collection of more than 2000 letters he has transcribed and edited that were written by or to the composer Nicola Vaccaj, a contemporary of
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At various times during his career, he has been commissioned to write essays, introductions and notes by opera companies in various parts of the world including
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Among other forgotten works he has been instrumental in rediscovering, he has edited in collaboration with the
Milanese conductor Daniele Ferrari the opera
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73:
89:
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303:). He mounted the first of these in 1998. Orchestrated versions of all three were presented in 1999. He also collaborated with Buchanan on
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As a producer, Commons has focused on small-scale salon operas, suitable for performance by small groups operating on limited budgets.
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457:
96:
544:
311:
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He was president of the New
Zealand Opera Society from 1981 to 1988, and from 1985 to 1989 he also edited its magazine
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of
Literature from Victoria University for his revival of, and research into, nineteenth-century Italian operas.
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From 1997, he has written libretti for small-scale works in collaboration with several New
Zealand composers.
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Opera
Company (Opera Otago) at the 2004 Otago Festival of the Arts, and was subsequently given at the 2006
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37:. He is an authority on nineteenth-century Italian opera and has published major works on the composers
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period. Since retiring in 1989, he has devoted his attention full-time to opera-related projects.
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187:, which has issued award-winning recordings of neglected nineteenth-century Italian operas.
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430:
Ritchie, Anthony (2004). "Creating an opera - notes on the composition of the god boy".
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as an
Italian Government scholarship-holder studying early nineteenth century opera.
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183:. Since 1975, he has been a researcher and writer for the London-based company
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30:
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In 2002 he established the Sirius Opera label. It ceased operations in 2006.
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and
Donizetti, whose singing exercises are used by singers to this day.
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81:
481:
Jeremy
Commons, Musicologist and Impresario: An Initial Bibliography
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16:
NZ opera historian, scholar, impresario & librettist (born 1933)
141:. The work was given its first modern-day performance at the 2008
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66:
26:
171:. He has worked with leading exponents of Italian opera such as
496:, Summer 2007, Victoria University of Wellington, p. 17
202:
Opera Group (later Opera
Waikato) in presenting operas by
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In 1995, he branched out on his own with a production of
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His first major scholarly work was the 1,652 page volume
72:
He returned to New Zealand in 1959 and worked for the
103:and taught English literature, specialising in the
454:Guide to the Jeremy Commons Letters to Solange Bak
206:, whose works he had found in the library of the
154:The First Performances of the Operas of Donizetti
471:'Don Giovanni' like you've never seen it before
249:. Three other Weckerlin salon operas followed:
179:on articles to accompany their recordings for
57:in 1933. After graduating MA in English from
8:
366:. The resulting opera was premiered by the
145:Festival. The work has been recorded by
419:. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 464.
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137:story written by the Italian composer
7:
95:He joined the English Department at
386:. He remains the society's Patron.
483:, Original Books, Wellington, 2002
225:(1996). He also collaborated with
14:
488:Opera News September–October 2006
417:Merton College Register 1900–1964
301:The Daughters of the Late Colonel
229:Marama Opera on a production of
80:, with postings at New Zealand's
540:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
341:He was the co-librettist with
97:Victoria University Wellington
74:Department of External Affairs
1:
535:University of Auckland alumni
530:New Zealand opera librettists
22:(born 17 December 1933) is a
415:Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964).
314:he has produced six operas:
486:"Jeremy Commons honoured",
362:as a libretto for composer
316:Mr Polly at the Potwell Inn
110:In 2006, he was awarded an
561:
20:Jeremy Paul Axford Commons
520:New Zealand musicologists
198:He collaborated with the
133:(1832), a version of the
121:Research and publications
90:High Commission in London
374:Platform Arts Festival.
243:Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
293:The Woman at the Store
285:Dorothy Quita Buchanan
247:La Laitière de Trianon
169:English National Opera
131:Il convitato di pietra
63:Merton College, Oxford
452:Biographical note in
372:Canterbury University
328:Impersonating Maurice
289:The Mansfield Stories
267:Le Docteur Vieuxtemps
235:Une Education manquée
65:, he spent a year in
545:People from Auckland
466:SOUNZ: Sirius Opera
305:It Began with a Pony
219:Il noce di Benevento
173:Dame Joan Sutherland
167:, San Francisco and
53:Commons was born in
29:historian, scholar,
477:F.W. Nielsen Wright
460:8 July 2007 at the
336:The Genteel Pigeons
261:(2001), as well as
255:Le Mariage en poste
59:Auckland University
347:The Death of Venus
324:Marriage Ă la Mode
320:A Beleaguered City
143:Rossini in Wildbad
213:. These included
204:Giuseppe Balducci
191:Opera productions
39:Gaetano Donizetti
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378:Other activities
352:He also adapted
251:Entre deux Feux!
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462:Wayback Machine
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364:Anthony Ritchie
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177:Richard Bonynge
165:Opera Australia
139:Giovanni Pacini
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49:Academic career
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332:Mrs Windermere
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263:Gustave Nadaud
211:Conservatorium
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175:and conductor
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147:Naxos Records
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99:in 1967 as a
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43:Nicola Vaccaj
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456:, 1984–1994
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438:(46): 56–59.
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389:He lives in
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343:Ivan Bootham
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135:Don Giovanni
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76:as a junior
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19:
18:
525:Impresarios
510:1933 births
490:, p. 8
359:The God Boy
334:(2006) and
257:(1999) and
221:(1995) and
24:New Zealand
504:Categories
494:Victorious
397:References
391:Wellington
384:Opera News
297:Miss Brill
231:Chabrier's
185:Opera Rara
35:librettist
31:impresario
356:'s novel
354:Ian Cross
287:he wrote
259:Carmontel
227:Dunedin's
115:Doctorate
458:Archived
349:(2002).
338:(2006).
330:(2005),
326:(2004),
322:(2002),
318:(2000),
307:(2003).
276:Libretti
269:(1998).
238:(1996).
217:(1993),
215:I gelosi
112:Honorary
105:Augustan
88:and the
78:diplomat
55:Auckland
447:Sources
432:Canzona
368:Dunedin
253:(1997)
223:Scherzo
200:Waikato
158:Rossini
82:Embassy
208:Naples
101:Reader
310:With
283:With
86:Paris
67:Italy
27:opera
345:for
299:and
61:and
41:and
33:and
265:'s
245:'s
84:in
506::
479:,
436:25
434:.
405:^
393:.
295:,
149:.
92:.
45:.
291:(
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