The Opera-Lover's Companion

by Charles Osborne (Author), Charles Osborne (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2004

  $15.73

  This is a work on 175 operas by 63 different composers. The selected operas are those most frequently encountered in opera houses or on recordings. Each entry will set the opera within the context of its composer's career, outline the plot, discuss the music and give relevant background information on the provenance of the libretto, for example. Details of the first performance, and subsequent performance history will be given, as well as guidance on the relative quality of available recordings. The Yale Companion to Opera targets the regular opera-goer and the committed newcomer, rather than the academic specialist or the oneoff attender. It is not an encyclopaedia, covering every known opera, but only those with a realistic chance of public performance. It is equally concerned with the music, the plot, the libretto and the staging, and seeks to enhance the appreciation of the intelligent opera-goer.

• Used

  paperback
  

  $5.92

  Every opera lover enjoys a performance more when accompanied by a knowledgeable friend. In this indispensable guide, well-known opera critic Charles Osborne provides exactly that. Osborne fills in the details on 175 of the world's most frequently performed operas, including facts about the composer and the music, a plot outline, accounts of famous performers, and much more. This book is exactly what the title claims: an opera lover's companion. Reading it is like going to the opera with a knowledgeable friend who tells you enough to make you want to see the piece but not so much you're drowned in superfluous detail. --Richard Fawkes, Opera Now What this invaluable book contains is the ideal rundown on 175 operas from Auber's Fra Diavolo to Zimmerman's Die Soldaten, in each case putting the work in context within the composer's development, with a list of characters, a short synopsis and pointers towards the most imortant arias, duets and ensembles, all in a personal congenial tone, like unto an operatically wise and loving uncle. --Denby Richards, Musical Opinion An erudite, instructive and unpretentious guide. --Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph It's hard to imagine any other book on the subject more informative and helpful to the average enthusiast...This book is one you'll cherish. --Books in Canada

• New

  paperback
  

  $24.32

  Every opera lover enjoys a performance more when accompanied by a knowledgeable friend. In this indispensable guide, well-known opera critic Charles Osborne provides exactly that. Osborne fills in the details on 175 of the world's most frequently performed operas, including facts about the composer and the music, a plot outline, accounts of famous performers, and much more. This book is exactly what the title claims: an opera lover's companion. Reading it is like going to the opera with a knowledgeable friend who tells you enough to make you want to see the piece but not so much you're drowned in superfluous detail. --Richard Fawkes, Opera Now What this invaluable book contains is the ideal rundown on 175 operas from Auber's Fra Diavolo to Zimmerman's Die Soldaten, in each case putting the work in context within the composer's development, with a list of characters, a short synopsis and pointers towards the most imortant arias, duets and ensembles, all in a personal congenial tone, like unto an operatically wise and loving uncle. --Denby Richards, Musical Opinion An erudite, instructive and unpretentious guide. --Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph It's hard to imagine any other book on the subject more informative and helpful to the average enthusiast...This book is one you'll cherish. --Books in Canada