Great Shakespeareans offers a systematic account of those figures who have had the greatest influence on the interpretation, understanding and cultural reception of Shakespeare, both nationally and internationally. In this volume, leading scholars assess the contribution of Berlioz, Verdi, Wagner and Britten to the afterlife and reception of Shakespeare and his plays. Each substantial contribution assesses the double impact of Shakespeare on the figure covered and of the figure on the understanding, interpretation and appreciation of Shakespeare, provide a sketch of their subject's intellectual and professional biography and an account of the wider cultural context, including comparison with other figures or works within the same field.

Daniel Albright is Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature at Harvard University, USA. His books include Modernism and Music (Chicago, 2004) and Berlioz's Semi-Operas (Rochester, 2001). He is General Editor of Border Crossings: Modernism in Music, Literature, and the Visual Arts (Garland Publishing).

Series Preface \ Introduction \ Hector Berlioz Peter Bloom \ Giuseppe Verdi Daniel Albright \ Richard Wagner David Trippett \ Benjamin Britten Seth Brodsky \ Index