100 Great Operas and Their Stories

100 Great Operas is an attractive and informative resource for both casual opera enthusiasts and specialists. From La Traviata to Adas, Carmina Burana to Don Giovanni, the storylines of the world's most popular operas are described in an exciting and approachable manner. Written by acknowledged opera scholar Henry W. Simon, the book offers act-by-act explanations of 100 operatic works, spanning from Monteverdi's early seventeenth-century masterpieces to Gian-Carlo Menotti's modern classics. The author examines the key characters, the notable narrative twists, and the most essential arias, in addition to spotlighting the most crucial components of each opera. A variety of tales about the literary background, prior performances and stars, and production issues of the great operas may also be found here.