Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera [Paperback]

Fred Plotkin (Author), Placido Domingo (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1900

Written by an opera insider and featuring an introduction by Placido Domingo, here is a thorough, friendly, and truly complete guide to learning how to love and appreciate the opera. After a brief history of opera, the book includes a guide to operatic terms, a minute-by-minute listener's guide to 11 central works, a list of recommended books and recordings and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Just as the title says, this is a basic primer on what opera is, what to look for and what to listen to. There is nothing stuffy in Plotkin's style, which is clear and idiomatic. The book also boasts a foreword by supertenor Placido Domingo.

Review

Newcomers to opera receive a fine guide to learning about opera appreciation, written by a performance manager for the Metropolitan Opera. Eleven famous operas are reviewed in a step-by-step listener's guide which covers the basics of learning about the opera's form, style, and scene challenges. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786880252
• ISBN-13: 978-0786880256
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Opera
  • #55 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Reference
  • #70 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great way to learn opera!, September 28, 2000

By 

dcreader (Washington DC area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera (Paperback)

This book is in effect a great "do it yourself" course on opera.

The first chapter is a history of opera. The second discusses the mechanics of opera - the various types of singers and concepts involved in opera. Next is a chapter on the mechanics of attending an opera, buying tickets, what to beware, etc.

The real heart of the book, though, is the eleven chapters covering eleven different operas. As you progress through them, you learn about new concepts such as the use of music to evoke emotion, french opera, grand opera, etc. By carefully choosing the sequence, Plotkin is careful to reveal opera's mystery in a way that will bring listeners in rather than turning them off. Plotkin also suggests a particular recording for each opera as a way of introducing different singers and conductors as well. In contrast to others, Plotkin uses the entire opera - not merely highlights.

As a companion, I'd suggest Denis Foreman's A Night at the Opera, which is a highly informative, although highly opinionated, reference guide to all the major operas.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction for the serious beginner., April 14, 2003

By 

John P. (Kennett Square, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera (Paperback)

*Opera 101* should be the perfect book for you if you know you want to learn more about opera but are having trouble "getting" it. The book is written by an opera expert in a light but intelligent style, and it assumes that the reader comes to it with nothing more than a genuine desire to learn and some money to spend on recordings. After a short intro chapter, Fred Plotkin begins with a 90-page history of opera that even seasoned opera-goers (of which I am one, I suppose) should find instructive. Plotkin then provides an excellent chapter on opera singers and the nuts-and-bolts of attending an opera. Almost all of the rest of the book is taken up with in-depth "lessons" on eleven key operas, each chosen to expand the reader's understanding in a certain direction. Although each of these lessons is designed for you to use while studying a particular recording of each opera, they are highly instructive if you have a recording other than the one Plotkin recommends, or even if you have no recording available at all. I would recommend this book to any serious beginner.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Operating manual for opera attendance, January 14, 2004

By 

Judge Knott "judge_knott" (Upper West Side, NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera (Paperback)

Having read about a dozen books that tout themselves as introductions to opera, I found "Opera 101" to be perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch. In an ever-so-slight way, it is at times a bit preachy and a bit overobvious. You will feel occasionally like you are in a high-school music appreciation class, or reading an operating manual. On the other hand, Plotkin leaves absolutely nothing out, and no stone unturned, and for that he is to be commended. Every possible question is answered, and answered thoroughly. In addition, the appendices are chock full o' valuable information (a list of all the major and mid-major opera houses all over the world; books for further reading; recommended CD recordings and DVD filmings; etc.). And you have the feeling at all times that Ploktin knows what he's talking about.

This is the PERFECT book for any adult who knows absolutely zilch about opera but who wants to learn it all, and learn it all out of a single source.