Synopses & Reviews
Available now, for the first time, is this single volume of opera reference with selections carefully extracted from the classic four-volume set of
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera--the most comprehensive dictionary of opera in the world.
The New Grove Book of Operas presents the most popular entries from the four-volume encyclopedia and combines the meticulous Grove scholarship with a lightness of touch and readability that will delight any opera-goer. The selections have been made by editor and world-renowned musicologist Stanley Sadie.
The New Grove Book of Operas includes over 250 operas performed around the world, in major opera houses, for the past quarter of a century, from the very earliest operas still in production to the most recent works of the twentieth century. A handful of additional works has also been chosen as having particular interest, merit, or historical significance.
Listed alphabetically by opera, the entries range from Handel's Acis and Galatea, to Verdi's Macbeth, to Britten's Peter Grimes, to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Each includes a full synopsis of the plot described by the leading authority on either the opera itself or the composer, a cast list, a note on the singers in the original production, and information on the origins of the work and its literary and social background. Contributions conclude with a brief comment on the particular opera's place in operatic history. The stunning color and black-and-white illustrations throughout bring a fascinating and often amusing dimension to the text and show how the staging of opera has changed from its original to its most modern "deconstructed" productions.
Fully cross-referenced with a listing of operas by composer, an index of characters, an index of first lines of arias, and a complete glossary, The New Grove Book of Operas is both remarkably easy to use for the novice and comprehensive enough in its scholarship to satisfy even the most sophisticated opera buff. It is the essential, must-have guide for a season at the opera.
Review
"The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition offers more detail for the seasoned operaphile... A versatile tool for research."--Opera News
"The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition, should be on every opera-lover's short list of indispensable reference books. Highly recommended."--Gary Hoffman, Opera Today.
PRAISE FOR FIRST
Synopsis
First published in 1996 to great critical and popular acclaim, the
Grove Book of Operas, is a collection of synopses and descriptions of over 250 operas. Each succinct yet insightful entry is written by a leading authority on the opera and includes a full synopsis of the plot, a cast list, a note on the singers in the original production, and information on the origins of the work and its literary and social background. Contributions conclude with a brief comment on the particular work's place in operatic history. A glossary offers brief and accessible definitions of terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader. And indices of role names and of arias and ensembles allow the reader to find operas containing their favorite aria or a well-known character.
The second edition brings the book up to date with several recently composed operas and a fascinating introductory essay by David Levin on opera performance in the 21st century. Recent additions to the operatic repertory included for the first time in this edition include Nicholas Maw, Sophie's Choice; Poul Ruders, A Handmaid's Tale; John Adams, Death of Klinghoffer; and Mark Adamo, Little Women.
Covering all operas in the current repertory along with some less-well-known early and very modern ones, this is an ideal volume for the general opera lover.
Synopsis
Synopses and descriptions of more than 250 operas are covered in this collection of entries that are written by leading authorities on the opera and include information on musicians and performers, performance style, operatic history, literary and social background, and more.
About the Author
Stanley Sadie is one of the world's leading musicologists. Educated with a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, he became a music critic at
The Times of London in 1964 and was then editor of the
Musical Times from 1967-1987. He is the co-editor of the twenty-nine volume
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.