The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera [Hardcover]

Paul Gruber (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 1993

This practical and up-to-date Guide to Recorded Opera, the only such volume authorized by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, offers a wealth of invaluable information for the opera lover.

Whether it is used for recommendations on which recording to buy, or for a bird's-eye view of the recording history of a specific opera, the Guide to Recorded Opera will prove an indispensable addition to the opera lover's library.

Casts, dates, and compact disc availability for all the complete recordings of 150 different operas.

Critical evaluation by an outstanding authority of each complete recording of each opera.

Recommendations for the best recordings of every work.

Access to the reviews facilitated by two tables of contents: one organized alphabetically by composer, the other by title.

A detailed index by artist.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Buying a recording--particularly of the average opera, which requires more than one compact disc--is an investment of sorts; the big sets usually aren't cheap. If you walk into the classical music section of one of the better record stores, you'll be confronted with a wall of jewel-toned boxes of operatic recordings. How do you choose between them? The problem is particularly acute for newcomers, who may know that they want a particular opera, but know the names of only one or two performers. The record companies have put their trust in brand names (such as Pavarotti and Domingo), but unless you're already a major fan of one of these high-profile singers, you don't need to seek only the CDs on which they are featured if you shop with the aid of a good guide. The Metropolitan Guide to Recorded Opera is written by people dedicated to opera who listen to recordings with practiced and critical ears, and who know--and can either recommend or trash--almost every recording available of any given opera. The volume lists 150 operas in chronological order, with the oldest first, then provides a roundup recommendation at the end. Having a single authority/critic for each score offers a consistent viewpoint for that particular opera, and much of the writing is lively as well as informative. As a bonus, the text is studded with "favorite recordings" recommendations of various operatic luminaries. These starred recordings aren't listed or indexed, though, so finding them is a matter of serendipity. The only problem with The Metropolitan Guide to Recorded Opera is that it isn't entirely current. Because it was published in 1993, it doesn't contain reviews of recordings published since that time.

About the Author

Paul Gruber is the executive director for program development at the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 782 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (October 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393034445
• ISBN-13: 978-0393034448
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A splendid opera reference tool needing urgent update, January 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera (Hardcover)

Anybody who collects opera on CD (or other formats) should own this tome; mine has long since separated into maverick fascicles from constant reference and casual browsing. Each contributor reviews, in some detail, virtually all recorded versions of a single work (then, incidentally and almost superfluously, offering recommendations). Standards of knowledge and of writing are gratifyingly high, and the thinking is refreshingly independent; I've been led to some wonderful disks that, going by received opinion, I wouldn't have poked with a ten-foot pole. But the book stops short in the early 90s; for anyone interested in state-of-the-art sound (not to mention some extraordinary performances), the Guide has quickly become seriously deficient. Also, it's time to rethink the operas included. Ginastera's Bomarzo, Argento's Postcard from Morocco and Musgrave's Mary Queen of Scots -- all unobtainable in any format -- can go, making room for, say, Schreker, Respighi, Chausson and Chabrier, Zemlinsky and Glass, among many others. Some composers need broader representation: Cherubini, Weber, Bellini (no Pirata!), Gluck (neither Iphigenia, no Alceste). Other commentators have suggested either a thorough-going update, or a second volume. I'd buy either without a second's pause.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, April 29, 1998

By 

David A. Kemp (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera (Hardcover)

No one who buys and enjoys recorded opera should be without this book, which I have owned and used since its publication. I consult it regularly and regard it as indispensable to any serious lover of recorded opera. To quote from the dustjacket, "a corps of experienced music critics and discophiles evaluate all the complete recordings of 150 operas by 71 composers"-all, that is, through 1992. It is unique-the only book of its kind in print and I believe the only one that has been attempted on so generous and comprehensive a scale. EVERY complete opera recording of the covered operas (including all the standard repertoire and many more esoteric operas), from the earliest days of complete opera recordings through 1992, receives a paragraph-length review, succinctly summarizing its strengths and weaknesses. (Opera buffs should note that "pirated" live recordings are not included, except in a few cases of legitimized "pirates.") The roster of participating critics is distinguished and the standard of criticism is high, as is the standard of wit, style, and general intelligence and perceptiveness of the reviews; inevitably there are some reviewers and some reviews one doesn't agree with, but where that happens, the grounds of disagreement will generally be clear. Overall the book represents an ambitious conception and quite a successful execution. I've spent many happy hours in this book, and it will quickly repay you for its modest cost simply in terms of the mediocre and worse recordings it will prevent you from wasting time and money on. Strongly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Older and more mature sister of the "Video Guide"..., May 1, 2000

By 

Izolda (North Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera (Hardcover)

This book is an older sister of the "Metropolitan Opera Guide to Opera on Video". Both are edited by P.Gruber, which at least partly explains their similar design, but feature different teams of reviewers (only few names overlap) and maybe this is the reason why this guide reads so much better than its video sequel. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to imagine that the main reason for this discrepancy is the medium itself: recordings play much greater a role in our musical lives than video (or DVD) and that's probably why it is easier to write about them with fondness. The reviews collected here are very human and it is clear that their authors not only lived with the reviewed recordings for quite a while, but were quite eager to share their comments with the broader public - I didn't have that impression while reading the MET team's generally sour video guide. This is a very likeable book! Most of the reviews are written with sympathy and warmth, not very common in this kind of critical writings. There is also a tendency to emphasize the good even in seriously flawed recordings. These are highly subjective reviews and there is no attempt at concealing it: the language is always very personal and leaves no doubt that in many cases some high emotions were involved - again a feature that I found missing in the video guide. To make the book even more "human", the editors thought about including some dozen charts presenting favorite opera recordings of some celebrities (for whatever it is worth to know Joan Rivers's tastes in operatic matters; other choices are less problematic since most of the people are to some degree professionally involved with opera or theater). This guide is of course outdated but this shouldn't make it less attractive to true opera lovers. What is very important with this kind of publications - apart from its obvious practical value - is the fact that they preserve in a compact form a selection of well written essays not only on opera recordings, but also on our musical life and they give the lie to a generally felt impression that music criticism is a dying art. However, on the strictly practical side, the MET's guide will never be quite outdated, since the reviews collected here apply NOT only to CDs, but also to vinyl discs, at the time of printing still a popular medium. Many of then LPs (some transferred from 78s) are being reissued now in all sorts of series of "legendary recordings" launched by the record companies. As to the new releases, we can only wish that the guide will be updated from time to time. A large section on baroque opera recordings would be an important feature of this imaginary "new edition" (I have to admit that in its current form, the guide doesn't have much to offer for the fans of early opera) But even without these changes, the MET's guide is a very important addition to the music library of any record collector - if not strictly as a guide, then simply as a collection of wonderful musical essays. One can agree with them or not, but they never leave the readers with an impression of having been written by people bored with the topic. Enjoy!