Grove Book of Operas [Paperback]

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. While the Book borrows the bulk of its material from the Dictionary, its scope is less ambitious. Only entries relating to specific operas are included, and the "Book" focuses (mostly) on operas that might appeal to opera enthusiasts and not merely specialists.

PROS:
* Thoughtful selection of operas. The truly greats, and should-be greats are mostly here, and the inaccessible and and never-will-be-accessible are mostly not 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.

The prior "customer reviewer" wrote a great review in MOST respects. HOWEVER, he stated the following:

"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."

Huh?! I, too, own Grove's four-volume edition. And, as I randomly select and compare any of its "opera" entries with the analogous entries in this smaller, single-volume edition (a copy of which I've checked out from my public library), I see, again and again, that virtually all such entries are roughly "98% IDENTICAL". In other words, virtually all of the entries (i.e., opera synopses with commentaries) that ARE included in this single-volume edition were (almost) simply copied VERBATIM from the four-volume edition. That's not a bad thing, but just don't be misled by the above-quoted remark from that other reviewer.

So, why would anybody ever bother buying the MUCH costlier four-volume edition? Well, it depends on your needs. If ALL you need are "story synopses" and commentaries for the approximately 250 operas that happen to be included here, then look no further.

But if you want coverage of Berlioz' "Damnation of Faust" (not to mention "hundreds and hundreds" of still less popular yet noteworthy operas--a goodly number of which are available as CD recordings, new or used), you won't find it here. Moreover, this edition includes ONLY opera synopses and commentaries, not biographies of the composers or discussions of operatic terms, performers, venues, techniques, and much else.

My own justification for considering purchasing the single-volume "Book" edition [specifically, its 1997 "first-edition" version (whose "more tastefully restrained" cover art, and many of whose color illustrations, I happen to prefer to those of this 2006 edition)] is that it could prove handy, now and again, to have this much more wieldy book at hand while I'm casually lounging and preparing to view an opera DVD. (This hardcover book is about 9.5 inches tall and weighs "only" about 3 pounds & four ounces. By contrast, EACH softcover volume of the complete "Dictionary" edition is significantly taller, wider and thicker; and the weight is about 6.5 pounds!)

If you just can't afford the four-volume Grove "Dictionary" edition but you'd like succinct synopses for far more than just "250" operas, consider either "The NEW Penguin Opera Guide" (specifically the "2001" edition!) OR, better still, its original 1993 incarnation, namely, "The Viking Opera Guide" (IF you can find the latter for a reasonable price via the used-book market!). I happen to own the "Viking," too, btw.

If you're still unsure which book to buy, well, compare and contrast all these books at your nearest public library branch that has happens to have 'em.

The book distinguishes itself with the unusual inclusion of rare works (eg I DUE FOSCARI), which almost all other guides of the same size totally ignore: it isn't - as the previous reviewer claims - 'leaving out content [ie lesser-known works] that only the most committed afficionado [sic] would demand and actually use'. I just wish that the editorial board got rid of the indices: the 60 pages wasted on merely role names and excerpts could have covered many other unfamiliar operas (eg DIE AEGYPTISCHE HELENA). One slightly bothersome inconsistency is that (for some strange reason) only particular roles are mentioned in connection with their famous interpreters: eg while there are long lists of well-known performers of Parsifal, Brunnhilde, and Wotan, we're not told which singers made parts like Leonora (IL TROVATORE), Don Giovanni, and Falstaff their own. Another inconsistency is that the Introduction focuses only on contemporary production: what about the pre-modern periods? The absence of a discography isn't a disadvantage: like the indices, it is as unnecessary as the missing chronology. But the cover is depressing, so are the accompanying pictures taken from 'updated' productions. Though this is a welcome addition to any opera library, I can't part with KOBBE'S COMPLETE OPERA BOOK (Harewood and Lascelles), THE VIKING OPERA GUIDE (Holden, Kenyon, and Walsh), THE PAN BOOK OF OPERA (Jacobs and Sadie), OPERA GUIDE (Westerman), 50 FAVORITE OPERAS (England), 100 GREAT OPERAS AND THEIR STORIES (Simon), as well as THE OPERA COMPANION and THE COMPANION TO 20th-CENTURY OPERA (Martin).

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