A guide to learning and loving Opera

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Product Description

Just as the title says, this is a basic primer on what opera is, what to look for and what to listen to. There is nothing stuffy in Plotkin's style, which is clear and idiomatic. The book also boasts a foreword by supertenor Placido Domingo.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15628 in Books
• Published on: 1994-12-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Amazon.com
Just as the title says, this is a basic primer on what opera is, what to look for and what to listen to. There is nothing stuffy in Plotkin's style, which is clear and idiomatic. The book also boasts a foreword by supertenor Placido Domingo.

Midwest Book Review
Newcomers to opera receive a fine guide to learning about opera appreciation, written by a performance manager for the Metropolitan Opera. Eleven famous operas are reviewed in a step-by-step listener's guide which covers the basics of learning about the opera's form, style, and scene challenges.

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Customer Reviews

Night at the Opera Fun and Informative
A great overview of over 100 operas - the plot, composers, artists, background news and gossip in a vey interesting and sometimes humorous style. It's fun to read and be informed at the same time.

Great book, but there are hidden costs.
"Opera 101" is well written, easy to understand, and very informative. I wish every subject had a reference book so excellent.

That said, there is one problem with the book. The included discussion of eleven key operas is most beneficial if the reader can get ahold of certain recommended recordings. To purchase those recordings is extremely expensive. I bought "Opera 101" because I didn't know anything about opera, and one of the first things I learned as result of buying this book is that a single opera recording can cost more than $50. Unless you have a well stocked public library, a friend with an extensive opera collection, or money to burn, you will not get the most out of "Opera 101".

Glad to see this book well-received
It is most heartening to see that opera lovers and novices almost universally agree that this book is excellent, informative, and illuminating. I was maybe 14 when I asked a salesperson in a bookstore "do you have a book that will teach me about opera?" Without hesitation, I was directed to "Opera 101".

I was skeptical. However, I am no longer!

Mr. Plotkin is experienced, informed, and well-read. So as not to belabour the structure of the book (since there are many descriptions of it) I'll say that the idea of walking someone through 11 operas is excellent. That Mr. Plotkin picks a particular recording (with commentary per track) is an indespensible fusion with the book.

That is to say Mr. Plotkin has carefully chosen themes, operas, and what he believes to be superior recordings of the above mentioned as illustrations of what opera can be to the average listener. His decisions on recordings are in no way arbitrary, and he takes special care to choose recordings more easily found than those that might be "better" but are less easily found outside of major metropolitan areas.

Let's remember, the original version of this book was written before the internet made just about any recording available in any area. He admits that sometimes he's arbitrary (especially with his recommendation for Il Barbiere di Siviglia...YUCK) but he always explains his good reasons for choosing inferior performances on disc. His are not "Gospel" recommendations, but those he thinks best illustrate the power of opera in recorded form, customs, and the sheer beauty of the human voice.

Beyond that, Mr. Plotkin performs a yeoman's task of qualifying the different kinds of voices in opera, provides an 90+ page history of opera, and gives the average American a primer in the esoteric "etiquette" of attending an opera performance.

Invaluable for its tutorial format, universal as a detailed introduction; "Opera 101" is a MUST for an opera lover's collection.