Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

This is a very good book. It is easy to read,and you can dip in and out of it. It gives a good overview of Opera in general and then goes on the examine a few Operas from each style. It also gives recommendations for which recordings to listen to. It is not a synopsis of each opera, but if you love the genre and want to learn more and appreciate it better this is an excellent book.Update: my dad now uses this to prepare for his U3A Opera Appreciation Group.

This book is an excellent starter guide to opera.The style is very accessible and the author covers everything I need to know as a complete newcomer to this art form.I have had my nose buried in it since it arrived yesterday.

Useful

I bought it to read.

Everything as anticipated. thank you.

I have just purchased 'Opera 101' (June 2009), after reading the previous 5 reviews. I found the book extremely disappointing as it was to replace an ancient, yellowing copy of 'Stories of Famous Operas',which actually gave a synopsis of the story, act by act, of 58 operas; this is in a pocket sized yellow paged ancient paperback - Signet book 1955.Opera 101 is definitely NOT for anyone just basically wanting the stories of operas. This book is very detailed, almost verbose with what I consider a misleading title - "A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera". There is a history of opera, becoming an opera 'cognoscente, it tells you how to buy tickets, going to the opera, how long an interval is likely to be and other 'gripping stuff! There are details of recordings and then rambling breakdowns of 11 operas with various artistes who have performed the roles. The telling of the story of the operas are not straightforward. The book gives you lists of Opera Houses round the world.I had read several reviews of other guides to opera as well as this one and feel that I was misled by the previous reviews of this book. I will be hanging on to my Signet book as the Opera 101 gathers dust on the shelf. I think it was a waste of money.

The reader will benefit from a simplified overview of the evolution of the performing arts outlined in a timeline from the ancient Greeks to the 20th century.The chapter “Becoming and opera cognoscente” should have be re-titled as it has a very negative connotation that could be taken for advice on how to be an operatic snob without a requisite formal training in classical music.There are valuable insights to be gleaned in this chapter, as is the case with most of the book, so it should not be ignored.However, with that being said, the most glaring omission in this book is the lack of a comprehensivecompendium of technical terminology defining operatic vocal techniques and definitions.“Opera 101” is grounded in a perspective of a bygone era of singers and production styles, although this is by no means a negative attribute.The so-called “golden era” of opera is the resource to which most (if not all) 21st century singers gravitate towards by necessity as an essential guideline for refining their vocal techniqueand formulating a springboard for their career goals.This is a reality of all human endeavors, we cannot move forward by ignoring what has come before; a point of reference is essential.I suggest that there is not any one publication that will inspire anybody to purchase a ticket or subscription to an opera (house) without the reader having first attended a performance or viewed one by way of a streaming venue.A case in point is the fact that this book is available for purchase at the Met. Opera's gift shop, which presupposes that you've already attended at least one live performance.Without that experience, this and any other book is useless.Taking all this into account, I highly recommend the Metropolitan Opera's streaming service which is a priceless resource and by far, offers the most comprehensive selection of video and audio operatic recordings in comparison to other major opera houses. Search YouTube by title and singer exhaustively and you'll be amazed at what you'll find and have the benefit of comparative study at your fingertips at all times.I question some of the operatic selections highlighted by Mr. Plotkin as illustrative of the various stylistic genres, but this again is purely a matter of personal taste.Overall, this is a very good book with a great deal of knowledge from which to glean valuable insights, although some of these points are glossed over and easily overlooked for lack of emphasis.

A great book for anyone looking to dive into world of the Opera, casual or hardcore, this is the place to start.

Ottimo libro ricco di particolari riguardanti la nascita dell'opera e dei vari compositori. Tutto il volume è in lingua Inglese.

Es muy viejo. No había vídeos ni streaming. En este libro de aprende sólo con los CD de la música de las operas. Creo qe hay mejores formas de aprender actualmente.

Una introducción muy buena al mundo de la obra. Un poco antigua, pero que enseña, entretiene (como el libro Gordo de Petete) y puede ser una puerta de entrada a un mundo excepcional: el de la reina de las artes escénicas.