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Rating: 
Summary: So he ISN'T Ernest Newman....
Review: I've dipped into rather than completely read this book -- and it IS made up of Sir Denis' opinions, but so what? So far, the only real quarrel -- and it's a big one -- was his ending comments on Tristan und Isolde, which I found to be egregiously out-of-line and clearly demonstrates that Sir Denis has little knowledge of love-death or mythologies.Other than that and so far, I'd recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, helpful -- can be read through for sheer pleasure.
Review: If you've got opera tickets, spend the half hour before you go checking out the title in Forman's book. You'll laugh yourself silly, and enjoy the opera three times as much as you might have otherwise. Forman writes like an opera-besotted Bertie Wooster -- and knows whereof he speaks. This is a reference book you can read through, or dip into for pleasure. I got it out of the library, now I'm buying it to own and refer to whenever necessary. I wish I had it when I was in my early twenties, and just getting acquainted with the world of opera. It's at once appreciative of the form and de-mystifying. Reading Forman's comments about an opera, then getting the CD and reading them again, is a great way to learn an opera. If I had time, I read about, and listen to all 17 -- make it a summer project or something. I recommend this book
Rating:
Summary: The one where the author explains . . .
Review: Ingenious, imaginative, sometimes irreverent. Of all the books on opera I have read, this is the one I keep close at hand. It is subtle humor with full orchestra accompaniment, plus a brief yet comprehensive abstract of the the opera's libretto. Forman is a brilliant opera analyst. Now, when is volume II going to be published?
Rating:
Summary: Great, though irreverant, guide to opera
Review: Much more than just a collection of synopses of the great operas, A Night at the Opera provides a great starting point for learning about any major opera. First, you'll learn about how the opera came to be written and the story behind the story. Then, there's a full synopsis of the opera. Next is a musical description of the numbers, with a system of noting the highlights to watch out for. Finally, there's an essay by the author, Covent Garden's Denis Foreman and his rating. There's about five pages or so per opera, with longer ones getting much more (there's a whole introduction to The Ring). The style is breezy and colloquial. Foreman writes in a very tongue in cheek way that obviously some people don't get or like. Still, unless you despise dry English humor, it's a lot of fun. The synopses can get a little hard to follow with some of Foreman's jokes at times, however. Also, there's a large glossary in back with lengthy dissertations (again, very tongue in cheek), and composer/singer/conductor bios. All in all a great resource, even if you already have a book of opera synopsis.
Rating:
Summary: Worth a look unless you're already a true Opera snob
Review: Sarcasm and intellect unite! (Oh, and there's opera too.) The genius that is Sir Denis Forman, former deputy chairman of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, has compiled a book of synopses and commentary on the world's most recognized operas. He is a marvelous writer with marvelous opinions. His dastardly witty remarks are priceless: I laugh out loud with each turn of the page, constantly going back to re-read my favorite segments with pure delight. I once was a mere opera enthusiast, wandering lonely as a cloud and listening to famous arias without a care in the world; I discovered this dazzling book and now opera is my greatest love. That's just me, of course. This book isn't going to magically make you feel passionately about opera if you don't already, nor is it going to inspire you to put on your tux and sit through an entire night at the Met without sort of dozing off until the big number jumps in. But, if opera interests you, I mean really interests you, then this book will make you hungry for all the fascinating plots and histories and news & gossip it has to offer. Forman's is the intellectual's guide through opera; instead of using the term "glossary," for example, he says "Words words words." Sometimes it reads like a novel, I swear it does. But there is one flaw: where does it talk about recordings? Am I blind? This is not a guide to opera recordings and those in league for actual recommendations should definitely look elsewhere. But it's definitely irreverent when it comes to Plots, Singers, Conductors and Composers. A great book for discussion and, in the end, the handiest and most enjoyable reference I own.
Rating:
Summary: Nutty, profound, and extremely enjoyable
Review: Suppose you had an eccentric, British uncle who was absolutely nuts about opera. You're a tyro yourself, so whenever you go CD shopping or attend a live performance, he entertains you with a humorous summary of the libretto (not too hard to do with an opera if it's not "Wozzeck"), tells you which bits to really listen for, and provides a critique of singers. He's an expert---after all he was the deputy chairman of one of England's great opera houses---but he's not a snob. Listen to what he has to say about death in the mystic land of Oprania: "Death is extremely common and has an almost universal characteristic unknown in our world, namely a period of Imminence during which the doomed person suffers a compulsion to sing. There are few known cases in Oprania where death has occurred without an aria, or at least a cavatina, being delivered during Imminence. The period of Imminence for long deaths can last for up to a whole act. Not even decapitation can ensure an aria-free death..." If you think bursting into song at death's door is highly unlikely, listen to what the author--I mean your uncle--has to say about Valentin's death (he was stabbed by Faust with the help of the devil) in Gounod's "Faust:" "Valentin is found dying in the street by a respectful and horrified chorus. He makes the customary brave gestures of a soldier in the face of death and turns on Marguerite [his sister who is Faust's lover] rather nastily (first in recitative and then in a short aria) saying that the only course open to her now is to become a hooker for the rest of her life." Valentin curses his sister and dies, and for all his musical effort is only awarded one star (out of a possible three) by Sir Denis. "Faust" itself is rated a 'beta' (on a scale where 'alpha-plus' is reserved for truly great operas such as "The Marriage of Figaro", and 'gamma or less' for truly forgettable operas such as "La Rondine"). I almost subtracted a star from my review because Sir Denis awarded 'betas' to two of my favorite operas (Handel's 'Caesar' and Verdi's 'Forza'), but "A Night at the Opera" is way too good and funny and idiosyncratic (in the grand style that only British authors seem to be able to carry off) to be anything but a five-star book. The eighty-three operas that were chosen to appear in this book all had three or more versions listed in the "Gramophone" CD catalogue of December 1992, from Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur" to Berg's "Wozzeck." Each opera's libretto is lovingly (and somewhat whackily) described. There is a "Look Out For" section that describes and rates the opera's arias, preludes, choruses, intermezzos, etc. with one to three stars. Example: "Si adempia il voler" from Puccini's "Tosca": "The final scene [of Act II]: Scarpia sits down to write the phoney letter of safe conduct to a sweeping melody,** calm but full of menace, giving us a breathing space between the storms past and the storm to come: then the 'kiss of Tosca' [she stabs Scarpia] with all the stops out--and the calm melody plays the scene out (All Rome trembled before him) ending with a sonorous funereal version of Scarpia's theme accompanied by a death rattle of drums. Stupendous." Stupendous, indeed, even though Sir Denis only gives it two stars. The final two sections describing each opera are "News and Gossip"--background on how and why the opera was composed, and "Comment"--the author's summary of where the opera fits in the repertoire (plus any other remarks he chooses to make). This is a grand old book, all 959 pages of it. I read the whole thing, even the penultimate "Words Words Words" dictionary, and the final page of acknowledgements, "Friends, Supporters, Colleagues and Minders." Please, just one more quotation from the final page: "I would like to thank: Bamber Gascoigne for giving me the idea in the first place (and let it be noted that this handsome acknowledgement in no way affects the author's title to 100% of the copyright)." I loved this book and you will too, even if you only have a sneaking fondness for the 'Queen of Music'.
Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: This guide is one of several books that I purchased to learn about opera (so, beginners, listen up - opera experts go elsewhere). This guide is unique, witty, and entertaining. The "irreverent" style of the synopses is fun at first, but if you read several in a row it can wear thin. Read the synopsis of Adriana Lecouvreur that Amazon furnishes online to see if you appreciate the style - it is fairly typical except that some of the others have more of a British accent. The British slang sometimes goes over my head which means that I miss the point that is being made so cleverly. However, the real plus of the irreverent style is that it helps to cast the story in more contemporary light (which makes suspension of disbelief easier). I like that there are real opinions about the works, not just descriptions. Some guides are so brief and sterile that you don't really get any flavor - not so here, there is flavor everywhere. What you may not be able to tell from the Amazon exerpt is that the four-page synopsis they show for Adriana Lecouvreur is only about half of the coverage of that opera. Following the synopsis is a scene-by-scene description of the action with what to look for at each point, then followed by a news and gossip and a comments section. Very comprehensive. The synopsis is only about half the coverage of each opera. The appendices at the back of the book also are good study material. They include: operatica (an elementary who's who and what's what at the opera house, about 55 pages); composers (brief biographies, about 40 pages); artists (again bios, about 25 pages); and a glossary (about 15 pages). To learn about opera you need several references. This one is so unique that I say you should get it just for variety. Other good considerations: "Opera 101" for the absolutely best overall introductory study of opera in general. "100 Great Operas" for a more garden variety, shorter, simpler, and easier-to-read synopsis of individual operas. I also like the "Rough Guide to Opera". All of these are very different.
Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: This guide is one of several books that I purchased to learn about opera (so, beginners, listen up - opera experts go elsewhere). This guide is unique, witty, and entertaining. The "irreverent" style of the synopses is fun at first, but if you read several in a row it can wear thin. Read the synopsis of Adriana Lecouvreur that Amazon furnishes online to see if you appreciate the style - it is fairly typical except that some of the others have more of a British accent. The British slang sometimes goes over my head which means that I miss the point that is being made so cleverly. However, the real plus of the irreverent style is that it helps to cast the story in more contemporary light (which makes suspension of disbelief easier). I like that there are real opinions about the works, not just descriptions. Some guides are so brief and sterile that you don't really get any flavor - not so here, there is flavor everywhere. What you may not be able to tell from the Amazon exerpt is that the four-page synopsis they show for Adriana Lecouvreur is only about half of the coverage of that opera. Following the synopsis is a scene-by-scene description of the action with what to look for at each point, then followed by a news and gossip and a comments section. Very comprehensive. The synopsis is only about half the coverage of each opera. The appendices at the back of the book also are good study material. They include: operatica (an elementary who's who and what's what at the opera house, about 55 pages); composers (brief biographies, about 40 pages); artists (again bios, about 25 pages); and a glossary (about 15 pages). To learn about opera you need several references. This one is so unique that I say you should get it just for variety. Other good considerations: "Opera 101" for the absolutely best overall introductory study of opera in general. "100 Great Operas" for a more garden variety, shorter, simpler, and easier-to-read synopsis of individual operas. I also like the "Rough Guide to Opera". All of these are very different.
Rating:
Summary: Best for (actually ONLY for) for the intermediate opera fan
Review: This is a cool book, and I imagine its author is a suave, charming, James Bond kind of guy. But this book is really only appropriate for people at the intermediate phase of opera-loving. The book gives in-depth, clever, witty analyses of 83 operas, covering probably 95% of what you might see at your local opera house. The problem is that Denis Forman's approach assumes that the reader is already a suave, charming, James Bond kind of opera fan, so he leaves out pretty much all of the basics. So... ...if you already know as much, or nearly as much, as Sir Forman (he's a real "Sir," I'm not being sarcastic) does about opera, then you don't need the book. ...if you know nothing, or next to nothing, about opera, then this book is too advanced for you, so skip it. ...if you've seen 5 or 10 operas in your life and want to see more, and/or if you've been building a little nest of cherished opera CDs and you want to take your opera knowledge to the next step, this will be a great book for you. The book has a few neat little appendices. One is a thumbnail sketch of the greatest conductors of the last 100 years, and another is the same for the greatest singers. Plus, there's a handy little guide to terminology. The first two are brilliant, the last one prioritizes wittiness over clarity. "A Night at the Opera" would be a great gift for anyone who is a casual, reasonably well-versed opera buff and might be itching to take it to the next level.
Rating: 
Summary: boy did i make a mistake
Review: What can we expect form the man who was responsible for giving us tv series like "The Jewel in the Crown"? Nothing less than an Alpha plus of a book on opera. An alpha plus book it is. Bravo Sir Denis.
There are not too much I can say since all the wonderful reviews especially those by Paul Creamer and "starmoth" covered almost everything. The book is like having an eccentric, worldly uncle giving you personal talks and pointers on different operas. Believe me, you wish Sir Denis was your uncle. It helps tremendously if you have a little knowledge about opera, so you can get the jokes. Even you don't have any prior knowledge, it is a great book to read and not to mention so much fun reading it with Sir Denis' witty comments (imaging Oscar Wilde writing an opera guide). Hopefully, after reading it, you will be inspired to explore the wonderful and crazy world of opera.
By the way, if you like Sir Denis' writing, his autobiography "Son of Adam" may interest you too. It was made into a film "My Life So Far" with a great cast including the very talented Mr. Colin Firth. It is worth to check it out.
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