International Dictionary of Opera

Larue, C. Steven, Shrimpton, Leanda

This beautifully illustrated guide contains 1,075 signed one-to-four-page critical articles on composers, librettists, performers, conductors, designers, directors, producers, and individual operas, including many recent and/or lesser-known works (e.g., Ethel Mary Smyth's The Wreckers ). Each entry includes a brief biographical outline, composition and production information, selected primary and secondary bibliographies, and a critical essay, which can be especially provocative when considering a performer's debits. Although not as extensive as the new five-volume New Grove Dictionary of Opera ( LJ 2/15/93), this high-quality tome deserves a spot in all music collections.
- Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.