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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Unique Guide to Recoded Opera,
By Charlus (NYC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Opera on Record (Paperback)
The first of THREE volumes.A different critic treats a specific opera in each chapter, giving his views on the general aspect of recordings from that opera, from the dawn of commercial recording (1890s) to the date of publication. Sometimes the outlook is desperately British with a vengeance, but, if recorded opera is your thing, this book is for you. You don't have to agree with everything that's said, but just as a guided survey of what is actually available (lots!!) this is unique and irreplaceable. Editor Alan Blyth's chapter on Wagner's Ring is a supreme joy in and of itself, and other chapters by people like Andrew Porter, Lord Harewood, J B Steane, Edward Greenfield, Harold Rosenthal, etc offer a privileged tour of a huge world of beauty and fun. The only problem with Opera on Record is that its first volume is already 25 years old! (Where did the time go?) Nobody would pretend that the last 25 years were the most exciting or fruitful in operatic history...far from it. But an update is certainly needed. Alan Blythe did partially oblige with Opera on Cd: The Essential Guide to the Best CD Recordings of 100 Operas (1992.) But this only goes into complete recordings, mostly post-1960. We need not only an update on completes for 1992-2004, but also a deepened and widened survey of excerpt recordings, 1895-2004. Meanwhile, enjoy the three volumes of Opera on Record. They are FUN!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For Certain Readers Most Valuable,
By
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This review is from: Opera on Record (Paperback)
This book has long been out of print and the authors are most unlikely to reprise it. It is thirty years out of date and of no use to those interested in post 1970s recordings of opera. It will be of some use to those who want to know about the past. It does, however, confirm a couple of useful truisms: there are virtually no perfect opera sets, (nearly all are curate's eggs); and, there are virtually no definitive recordings of arias because our tastes vary so much. In this book you will find one reviewer say so-and-so had beautiful voice and in another chapter someone else will say that their's was not a particularly beautiful voice.The only sensible advice anyone can give you about which opera recordings to listen to is: "Listen to what you like and don't worry what other people say". Of course, it doesn't hurt to expose yourself to alternatives just in case you may like them better. The other truism that tends to poke its ribs through these pages is that opera listeners generally fall into two camps: the admirers of the songbird,(think Sutherland), and the admirers of the singing actor, (think Callas). I have to admit that I regard opera as performance art that embraces many things including singing. However, on record, a good voice and clear diction go a long way to satisfying the needs of most listeners. Whatever interests you, there is useful information here, although, not entirely exaustive. Some artists of the past are overlooked as the real enthusiats will tell you. Volumes 2 and 3 of this book cover the less popular operas which are not mentioned here.
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