The good opera guide : an irreverent guide to the plots, the singers, the composers, the recordings

Here is an excerpt of what The Good Opera Guide has to say about Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur: "The one about the star of stage and screen whose rival sends her a bouquet of poison gas violets. She sniffs it: snuffs it." The Good Opera Guide is not only for regular operagoers but also for people who are new to the world of opera, or indeed people who want to bluff their way through a performance! It is written with humor and is entertaining as well as informative. Where else would you find a "dagger count" for La Gioconda, and have Hansel and Gretel categorized as a "Gingerbread Opera"? From A.;Title Page; Dedication; Contents; How to Use This Guide; The Operas; Adriana Lecouvreur: Cilea; Aida: Verdi; Andrea Chenier: Giordano; Angelica, Suor (Sister Angelica): Puccini; Ariadne on Naxos: Richard Strauss; Attila: Verdi; Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball): Verdi; The Barber of Seville: Rossini; Bluebeard's Castle: Bartok; Boccanegra, Simon: Verdi; Le Bohème: Puccini; Boris Godunov: Musorgsky; Butterfly, Madam: Puccini; Carlos, Don: Verdi; Carmen: Bizet; Cavalleria Rusticana (A matter of honour): Mascagni; La Cenerentola (Cinderella): Rossini; Cesare, Giulio: Handel. Title Page Dedication Contents How to Use This Guide The Operas Adriana Lecouvreur: Cilea Aida: Verdi Andrea Chenier: Giordano Angelica, Suor (Sister Angelica): Puccini Ariadne on Naxos: Richard Strauss Attila: Verdi Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball): Verdi The Barber of Seville: Rossini Bluebeard's Castle: Bartok Boccanegra, Simon: Verdi Le Bohème: Puccini Boris Godunov: Musorgsky Butterfly, Madam: Puccini Carlos, Don: Verdi Carmen: Bizet Cavalleria Rusticana (A matter of honour): Mascagni La Cenerentola (Cinderella): Rossini Cesare, Giulio: Handel. Chenier, Andrea: GiordanoCinderella: Rossini La Clemenza Di Tito (Tito the Magnanimous): Mozart Così Fan Tutte (Never trust a woman): Mozart Dido and Aeneas: Purcell Don Carlos: Verdi Don Giovanni: Mozart Don Pasquale: Donizetti Dreigroschenoper, Die (The Threepenny Opera): Weill Dutchman, the Flying: Wagner Elektra: Richard Strauss L'elisir D'amore (The love potion): Donizetti Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail, Die (The Escape from the Seraglio): Mozart Ernani: Verdi Eugene Onegin: Tchaikovsky Falstaff: Verdi La Fanciulla Del West (The Girl of the Golden West): Puccini Faust: Gounod. Fidelio: BeethovenFigaro: Mozart Die Fledermaus: Johann Strauss The Flying Dutchman: Wagner La Forza Del Destino (The Force of Destiny): Verdi Freischutz: Weber Gianni Schicchi: Puccini La Gioconda (The Street Singer): Ponchielli Giovanni, Don: Mozart Giulio Cesare: Handel Girl of the Golden West, the: Puccini Godunov, Boris: Musorgsky Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods): Wagner Hänsel and Gretel: Humperdinck Idomeneo: Mozart Iphigenia in Tauris: Gluck L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl): Rossini Julius Caesar: Handel Khovanshchina: Musorgsky Lakmé: Delibes. Lecouvreur, Adriana: CileaLescaut, Manon: Puccini I Lombardi: Verdi Lucia Di Lammermoor: Donizetti Luisa Miller: Verdi Macbeth: Verdi Madam Butterfly: Puccini The Magic Flute: Mozart Manon Lescaut: Puccini Maria Stuarda (Mary Stuart): Donizetti The Marriage of Figaro: Mozart A Masked Ball: Verdi Miller, Luisa: Verdi Meistersinger: Wagner Norma: Bellini Onegin, Eugene: Tchaikovsky Orpheus and Eurydice: Gluck Otello: Verdi I Pagliacci (The Comedians): Leoncavallo Parsifal: Wagner The Pearl Fishers: Bizet Pěcheurs De Perles, Les (The Pearl Fishers): Bizet. Pelléas Et Mélisande: DebussyPorgy and Bess: Gershwin I Puritani (The Puritans): Bellini Rigoletto: Verdi The Ring: Wagner Rhinegold Valkyrie Siegfried Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods) La Rondine (The Swallow): Puccini Rhinegold: Wagner Rosenkavalier: Richard Strauss Salome: Richard Strauss Schicchi, Gianni: Puccini Sicilian Vespers, the: Verdi Siegfried: Wagner Il Seraglio (The Escape from the Seraglio): Mozart Simon Boccanegra: Verdi La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker): Bellini Stuarda, Maria: Donizetti Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica): Puccini. Here is an excerpt of what The Good Opera Guide has to say about Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur: “The one about the star of stage and screen whose rival sends her a bouquet of poison gas violets. She sniffs it: snuffs it.”The Good Opera Guide is not only for regular operagoers but also for people who are new to the world of opera, or indeed people who want to bluff their way through a performance! It is written with humor and is entertaining as well as informative. Where else would you find a “dagger count” for La Gioconda, and have Hansel and Gretel categorized as a “Gingerbread Opera”? From Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, for each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are “worth looking out for,” “really good,” or, occasionally, “stunning.” He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma, and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion. The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as “Operatica,” or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience's applause (and boos) to the use of subtitles. Here is an excerpt of what The Good Opera Guide has to say about Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur : "The one about the star of stage and screen whose rival sends her a bouquet of poison gas violets. She sniffs it: snuffs it." The Good Opera Guide is not only for regular operagoers but also for people who are new to the world of opera, or indeed people who want to bluff their way through a performance! It is written with humor and is entertaining as well as informative. Where else would you find a "dagger count" for La Gioconda , and have Hansel and Gretel categorized as a "Gingerbread Opera"? From Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte , for each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are "worth looking out for," "really good," or, occasionally, "stunning." He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma,...