100 Great Operas and Their Stories

From La Traviata to Aida, from Carmen to Don Giovanni, here are the plots of the world's best-loved operas, told in an engaging, picturesque, and readable manner. Written by noted opera authority Henry W. Simon, this distinctive reference book contains act-by-act descriptions of 100 operatic works ranging from the historic early-seventeenth century masterpieces of Monteverdi to the modern classics of Gian-Carlo Menotti. In addition to highlighting the most important aspects of each opera, the author discusses the main characters, the famous turnings of plot, and the most significant arias. Here, too, is a wealth of anecdotes concerning literary background, past performances and stars, and production problems of the great operas. 100 Great Operas is perhaps the most comprehensive and enjoyable volume of opera stories ever written.Simon, Henry W. is the author of '100 Great Operas and Their Stories', published 1989 under ISBN 9780385054485 and ISBN 0385054483.