The New Grove Book of Operas

Rating:
Summary: The Best One Stop Shop
Review: The New Grove Book of Operas is the best single-volume opera reference available in English. The term "reference" deserves careful emphasis. The New Grove Book does not read like a textbook, and is best suited for individuals seeking details about specific operas rather than opera in general. It is to some extent the "Reader's Digest" version of the massive New Grove Dictionary of Opera, which is acknowledged as the end-all, be-all tome of operatic scholarship. I own both, and while the Book borrows some material from the Dictionary, most of the entries have been modified to reach a broader audience.

PROS:
* Thoughtful selection of operas. The truly greats, and should-be greats are all here
* User-friendly organization
-operas are listed alphabetically
-includes an index of operas by composer
-includes an index of role names to operas
-includes a surprisingly comprehensive index of incipits/arias to operas
* Provides illustrations, many in color, of historical as well as modern productions
* Entries read like listening notes rather than mere plot synopses. Overtures and motifs are described and linked to plot elements
* Entries provide comprehensive history of composition and first performance
* Entries include a detailed dramatis personae including vocal ranges and, where applicable, alternate translations of role names
* Contributors widely considered to be the pre-eminent scholars in the operas / composers they survey

CONS
* Compilation format from multiple contributors creates some inconsistency in the style and accessibility of entries
* Entries tend to be more technical than in comparable guides
* Many entries lack specific recommendations as to good recordings, singers, or conductors
* All entries are opera specific. There is no background material on opera in general, individual composers, genres, or historical periods

Readers who categorically loathe the "notes" found in playbills at the symphony or the opera should look elsewhere. If plot summaries will suffice, I recommend John Freeman's 2-volume "The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas" series. His entries are less technical, and are in most cases easier to follow. One disadvantage of that set is that the selection of operas and background material are Met-specific.

I believe most readers will find this volume indispensable as either a season companion or to launch/manage a recording collection at home. It is built-to-last and will withstand being frantically thumbed through for many years to come.