100 Great Operas and Their Stories: Act-by-Act Synopses

by Henry W. Simon

An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and aficionados, this volume contains act-by-act descriptions of operatic works ranging from the early seventeenth century masterworks of Monteverdi and Purcell to the modern classics of Menotti and Britten. Written in a lively anecdotal style, entries include character descriptions, historical background, and much more.

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction, History, Plays, Art

554 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 1989

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful if someone wanted to prepare for some kind of syndicated trivia program where they routinely ask opera related questions

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great reference for opera viewers.

What to expect from this book:
-Character names (helps you keep everybody straight in those operas with big casts)
-General background information (setting time and place, first performance date, who wrote the music and libretto, and the literature it is based when applicable)
-Some background information about the opera, its creation, its composer and/or librettist(s)
-Act-by-act synopses that help you follow or prepare for the plot
-Brief historical notes when applicable
-Some very light criticism of the score or libretto (I found this insightful and overall agreed with his comments

What NOT to expect from this book:
-Biographies of composers or librettists
-In depth analysis of theme, political or historical context
-Advice about which operas are worth your time and which to skip
-Reviews of peformances or singers
-Reviews of recordings

So basically, this is a good bare-bones book that will get you the information you need to understand the plots. Whether you just always wondered what Aida was about or you are preparing to see a production in person or on video, this guide will be a good addition to your experience. It seems like with 100 operas, you'd find every one you'd want to see and that is overall true but of the 50-odd operas I've seen, 14 were not in the book. (This is largely because what is in the standard reportoire is ever changing with society's tastes).

Even though this book was first copyrighted in 1957, the writing has not aged AT ALL surprisingly enough. I completely recommend this book.

[julie]

I return to this book frequently as a reference; it's a wonderful refresher for familiar operas and an enormous help for works into which I'm venturing. It will probably remain on my "currently-reading" list and, obviously, I'm not ever truly "on" any page in particular.

[Meltha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're even attempting going to an opera, for pity's sake, read the plot first! This actually makes everything very understandable and interesting.

[Castiron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summaries of many popular and less well-known operas.

[Greg Hovanesian · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I new ALMOST NOTHING about opera. As I was competing in a national trivia competition in Las Vegas, however, I felt it was important to learn about.

And WOW...this is such a wonderful book! Opera has never been a genre of music that I've been able to really get into, but I absolutely loved reading these brief summaries by Henry W. Simon, who was an opera critic in the 1950s.

His writing style is entertaining, humorous, informative, thorough, concise, and most importantly, easy to understand. If anyone is interested in learning about past operas...this is ABSOLUTELY the book to read about it.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect mix of interesting historical, biographical, and behind-the-scenes stories of these operas, plus the tiniest bit of personal author commentary that endears you even more to these classic works.

I saw my first opera, "Carmen", last month, and was so inspired, I picked up this book. I greatly enjoyed flipping through and reading random synopses of operas I have heard of and ones that were completely unknown to me. I've learned so much about the opera from this book!

[Ashleigh Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome breakdown of a bunch of operas some of which are household names (The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, The Valkyrie) and some of which I've never heard of.

I was expecting the book to read more like a novel, but the stories are told in a more informational way than anything. It was worth reading; it wasn't what I was expecting.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolute must for opera lovers and theatre lovers alike. The plot thickens with each opera we all learn that there is nothing new in the world as far as plots go! (and this goes for Shakespeare as well) so use this as a great resource when your head runs dry! Or you want to feel really smart and well educated!

[Pamela Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book - one that I will never really "finish". I love the Opera, and it is so much more enjoyable to understand the story of what you are seeing acted out on stage. This book helps a great deal in addition to library lectures prior to a performance.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just another book that reviews opera stories. Not too much stands out in this book. This book gets just 3 stars from me, anything less is considered having stolen my time to read it.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for any opera lover

[Gregory Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great basic resource.

One-stop shopping!

[Megan Hudnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have watched many operas and have also done an abundance of research on their composers. I receive this book as a gift. I read it and now use it if I ever need a reference or if lethologica strikes and I need help recalling something related to this topic. This is a must have for anyone that wants to learn about operas or who knows operas and wants to maintain that knowledge. Simon breaks it down so a savant or newcomer could grasp the plots of the operas. Highly suggested, five stars, hands down.