The Metropolitan Opera: Stories of the Great Operas

For anyone who has tried to unscramble the plot of Mozart s The Magic Flute by skimming through an incomprehensible synopsis in a rapidly darkening hall, this compact, well-written, well-designed collection of stories of the great operas will be a boon. The book, published jointly by the Metropolitan Opera Guild and W. W. Norton, contains the plots of 150 of the world s most popular operas; there are also short, informative biographies of each of the 72 composers represented, and historical background material pertinent to each work. For those of who have enjoyed the The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas, the highly successful companion to this volume, Guide to Recorded Opera, allows the music lover the luxury of choosing a particular recording of a favorite work on the basis of description and recommendation by a well-informed expert. How would you compare the Callas and Tebaldi Toscas? Is there a good recording of Boris Godunov available on CDs? Did Joan Sutherland ever record Micaela? These and hundreds of other questions are answered in this Guide, in which a corps of experienced music critics and discophiles evaluate all the complete recordings of 150 operas by 71 composers.