The Opera Lover’s Companion

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Charles Osborne

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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

Charles Osborne is a well-known writer, critic, and opera specialist who has been London music critic of the New York Times and chief drama critic of the London Daily Telegraph. The author of many books on operas, he lectures regularly in the United States, attends the major opera festivals around the world, sits on award panels, and broadcasts extensively.

"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

"He is the informed, enthusiastic companion whose comments will help all opera goers, whether old hands or first timers, to enjoy the experience more."—Richard Fawkes, Classical Music

"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

 

"This book is exactly what the title claims: an opera lover's companion. Reading it is like going to the opera with a knowledgable 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

 

“An erudite, instructive and unpretentious guide.”—Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph

"...this is just the right level for anyone who likes listening to opera and would like to know a bit more or, indeed, a good place for newscomers to opera to start." --- The Good Book Guide

"…lucid, humane, expressive, scholarly without pomposity. The book covers nearly 200 operas, singling out musical high points and placing each work in the context of its composer’s career."---The Sunday Telegraph

 "A loving and expert guide to the great operas in the repertoire, written from many years of experience. A must for all opera lovers young and old. I love it."—Dame Joan Sutherland

Received rating of "Outstanding" from 2005 University Press Books Committee
ISBN: 9780300123739
Publication Date: April 11, 2007
640 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4