100 Great Operas And Their Stories: Act-By-Act Synopses - Softcover

Simon, Henry W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385054483 ISBN 13: 9780385054485

Publisher: Anchor, 1989

Synopsis

An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and aficionados, 100 Great Operas is perhaps the most comprehensive and enjoyable volume of opera stories ever written.
 
From La Traviata to Aïda, from Carmen to Don Giovanni, here are the plots of the world’s best-loved operas, told in an engaging, picturesque, and readable manner. Written by noted opera authority Henry W. Simon, this distinctive reference book contains act-by-act descriptions of 100 operatic works ranging from the historic early seventeenth century masterpieces of Monteverdi to the modern classics of Gian-Carlo Menotti.
 
In addition to highlighting the most important aspects of each opera, the author discusses the main characters, the famous turnings of plot, and the most significant arias. Here, too, is a wealth of anecdotes concerning literary background, past performances and stars, and production problems of the great operas.

About this title

From the Publisher:

An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and afficionados, this volume contains act-by-act descriptions of operatic works ranging from the early seventeenth century masterworks of Monteverdi and Purcell to the modern classics of Menotti and Britten. Written in a lively anecdotal style, entries include character descriptions, historical background, and much more.

About the Author:

Henry W. Simon (1901–70) was an author, editor, educator, and music critic and served as chairman of the Music Critics Circle of New York. His other books include the Pocket Treasury of Great Operas and The Victor Book of the Opera(revised edition).

About this edition

• Publisher: Anchor
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0385054483
• ISBN 13: 9780385054485
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 554