Product Description

Charles Frieth, pre-eminent composer, conductor and prodigious womaniser, is preparing for a performance of one of his early works, and the world premiere of Demonic Aubade. Obstinate and myopic, he is oblivious to the growing turmoil around him; his wife's poor health and dissatisfaction; the exhausted efforts of his secretary; and, the disquieting diligence of his housekeeper, Maria. As the first performance draws near, the maestro is suddenly awoken to the chaos, and as Charles struggles to regain control of his life, a terrible tragedy begins to unfold. "For You" is a beautifully wrought and compelling libretto - It is Ian McEwan at his very best.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9357 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 80 pages

About the Author
Ian McEwan is the author of two collections of stories and eleven previous novels, including Enduring Love, Amsterdam, for which he won the Booker Prize in 1998, Atonement and On Chesil Beach.

Customer Reviews

Short but excellent
This libretto is the text for the opera For You which opened earlier this year. Not knowing exactly what this was, I bought it because McEwan is one of my favourite writers and I have read almost all of his books. This is a VERY short read - only about 60-plus pages with very few words on each page - but it is nonetheless excellent and well worth reading. The story and quality of writing are classic Ian McEwan, but the opera format gives this another dimension beyond that of his novels in that the language has a real poetic and melodic quality. I have already booked tickets to see the opera. Highly recommended.