The Grove Book of Operas

The Grove Book of Operas is the ideal reference for the opera lover. First published in 1996 to great critical and popular success, it provides succinct yet insightful synopses of more than 250 operas. This second edition brings the book up to date with several recently composed operas, including John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer, Poul Ruders's A Handmaid's Tale, and Mark Adamo's Little Women. The widely differing literary and musical styles represented by these works is testimony that opera continues to thrive and grow. The second edition features a new, more readable design, and is richly illustrated in both color and black and white. New images cover the history of opera from reproductions of the earliest libretti, to portraits of singers from the earliest days of photography, to productions staged in 2005. And in a fascinating new introductory essay, scholar and dramaturg David Levin surveys contemporary trends in opera performance, identifying their ancestors in early and mid-20th century performance and examining the current intellectual and cultural context in which they flourish. Each entry includes a wealth of information about the opera under discussion. In addition to a full synopsis of every plot, there is a cast list and information about the first production, as well as a discussion of the opera's history and its literary and social background. The index first lines of arias will help you find your favorite, and the index of role names will come to your rescue when program notes or reviews tell you that 'he sang Colline at the Met in 1992'. Ranging from Monteverdi's Orfeo to Maw's Sophie's Choice, The Grove Book of Operas remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, and readable resource on opera, an indispensable companion for both casual opera-goers and serious opera aficionados. - Jacket flap.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.