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

This book is EXCEPTIONAL. One of my very best references -- and there are other good ones -- for top-rated operas. First of all, it is not easy to pick 100 "Great" operas to build the list on. Secondly, his research is astounding. I learned things about operas I thought I knew pretty well. Third -- his writing style is delightful. Fourth - he does a good job of briefly telling the story of how the opera came to be, and of how it has fared since premiere.I am a lifelong fan of the Milton Cross book "Complete Stories of the Great Operas" - a wonderful book, but in many respects Simon's book is better. More conversational, a bit more current, more readable, more concise on the synopsis, and a bit more background information. Both books are quite dated. If I were to recommend just ONE of these to come out in a new edition, it would be Simon's -- with about 50 more operas included. The one downside of the book IMHO is that it is limited to only 100 operas, and of course they were all in the repertoire before the 1960 publication date.GIving this book five stars is a very easy decision for me. Thanks to Amazon.com for leading me on to it in the first place.

This is a neat book for newcomers and seasoned listeners alike. If you need a light paperback to take with you while you are travelling or use it as a reference material at home before or after viewing an opera on DVD/Blue ray, this is it.This is not your gigantic coffee table book of operas, chock a block with picture etc.; it is a modest paperback with no photos. The author writes with a wry humour and provides 100 operas with a synopsis of the work, how the work came to be composed, and the circumstances etc. - followed by an act by act explanation. Each opera is a chapter and is explained in about 4 to 5 pages. I found the author's writing style engaging, injecting humor on several occasions. The author also writes in a casual and easy to read style. No pedantic paragraphs or complex musical terminology is used to show off the author's authority.I am a big opera enthusiast who just started out some months ago. The greatest way for me to get know the repertoire is to buy DVD and blue rays (if I relied on going strictly to opera performances in my city -not having the advantage of being in New York - aka MET, I 'd probably only get to know 3 operas a year and I have 100's to get to know). So I watch operas in the comfort of my home, getting acquainted with the stories, the singing and the music. What I noticed consistently is that the DVDs/Blue rays I order come with a very small booklet which at times have very little write up in terms of synopsis. So I started relying On Wikipedia for the story and details of the act till I checked out this book on Amazon. Since I like to see the first viewing of an opera without knowing anything about it so that I have no plot spoilers, I do not look up the plot in this book if it is the first time I am seeing that opera. After seeing it once on DVD/Blue-ray, I refer to this book and read the story and it makes a lot more sense to me. I found myself re-reading certain opera chapter on any given day with no apparent reason, but to browse through and read something. Each reading gets me more interested in the opera. Some opera chapters require reading and re-reading (esp. if you start seeing 3 operas a week, you can get your stories and characters mixed up). Some operas like Berlioz's Les Troyens have a long story arc and it helps to refresh your memory quickly by reading that chapter if you have 10 minutes to kill. You can have the book by your side while watching the Blue-ray or even take it to opera performance as it is not too heavy.Just don't expect each chapter to be an exhaustive essay on the opera because the author has to cover 100 operas in over 500 pages. Some operas take more pages case in point, Wagner's ring cycle due to the amount of material to cover. For subjects like the ring, you are better off buying separate books which analyses all of Wagner's 4 operas, since there is so much to read up on. I think this is a great book, although it may seem modest and unglamorous; but Henry W Simon's writing is great. In other words, no pomp and splendor type coffee table book with glossy photographs etc., but packs a punch and gives you the information you need to the point. Get this book and enjoy your operas.

Nice portable paperback presenting operas alphabetically and written for all levels of opera buffs. It has 555 pages. It is easy to follow and an easy read. For this price level, I would recommend it. I use it after I see a performance just to see if I understood it correctly. I also use it before watching a performance so I don’t get lost as to what is happening. It is a nice reference book and does not have the weight of a hardcover.

Bought this as a birthday present for an opera lover she was very pleased when she opened her present.

I knew very little about operas because Herman would never take me to one. I love the music but I wanted to know more about the actual opera and the characters in them. I selected this book because it appears to have all the information one would need to understand and enjoy an opera. It goes so far as to give you the character's vocal ranges and some history on the librettos to boot. This book is timeless, just like me!

great reference book on opera. This book was slightly used and very clean.

To the point concise description of each operaI Not a coffee table book of Lustrous photographs and that’s perfectly OK!! It definitely serves by purpose for quickly learning about a specific Opera before I attend.

the book itself was actually full of holes. How it could've been sold is beyond me.

I love this book! The way it’s written is casual almost, so it’s easy to understand for someone not well versed in opera or opera styles. Each chapter (one opera) starts with the cast of characters, where and when it’s supposed to take place, with a brief introduction of the times or composer-a kind of context. The synopses are easy to understand and brief. Highly reccommend!

This is a fabulous book for learning about opera and opera plots. From Tosca to Carmen, many popular operas are here.

Bought as a gift for my mum and she loves it

Replaces an earlier issue I owned - Love it!

A very fine collection of summaries, a realy fine book, which lives up to its title.I bought this as gift for a newcomer to opera for whom it has been a tremendous success. I feel it has just the right amount of detail and provides a balanced critique where necessary.All in all a very very good book which I thoroughly recommend. It is certainly more accessible than many other similar volumes, not being burdened with endless reviews of past performances and recordings.So why only 4 stars?Well there are only 100 operas and inevitably the one story line you want to check up on is missing. Also the contents is arranged in slightly quirky manner and the book suffers from the lack of an index or system of cross referencing.However, don't let these minor criticisms put you off. It is probably still the best buy amongst the available titles.