Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera | 
 enlarge | Author: Fred Plotkin
Creator: Placido Domingo
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $2.00
You Save: $14.95 (88%)
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Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 19133
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 0786880252
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.1
EAN: 9780786880256
ASIN: 0786880252
Publication Date: December 1, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: cover edge wear ; minor scratches on cover ; minor smudges on edges ; 494 pages; (c) 1994
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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.
Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 Grand Intro to Opera November 2, 2008
P. J. Paulin
Takes an opera novice through understanding what opera is all about with discussions of key operas throughout history. Also enjoyable for anyone who wants to understand even more about this art form.
Night at the Opera Fun and Informative December 18, 2007
Lynne D. Maggiore (Illinois, USA)
A great overview of over 100 operas - the plot, composers, artists, background news and gossip in a vey interesting and sometimes humorous style. It's fun to read and be informed at the same time.
 Great book, but there are hidden costs. January 26, 2006
Wish Monster (Washington, DC)
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
"Opera 101" is well written, easy to understand, and very informative. I wish every subject had a reference book so excellent.
That said, there is one problem with the book. The included discussion of eleven key operas is most beneficial if the reader can get ahold of certain recommended recordings. To purchase those recordings is extremely expensive. I bought "Opera 101" because I didn't know anything about opera, and one of the first things I learned as result of buying this book is that a single opera recording can cost more than $50. Unless you have a well stocked public library, a friend with an extensive opera collection, or money to burn, you will not get the most out of "Opera 101".
Glad to see this book well-received December 21, 2004
John C. Wood (Washington, D.C.)
26 out of 29 found this review helpful
It is most heartening to see that opera lovers and novices almost universally agree that this book is excellent, informative, and illuminating. I was maybe 14 when I asked a salesperson in a bookstore "do you have a book that will teach me about opera?" Without hesitation, I was directed to "Opera 101".
I was skeptical. However, I am no longer!
Mr. Plotkin is experienced, informed, and well-read. So as not to belabour the structure of the book (since there are many descriptions of it) I'll say that the idea of walking someone through 11 operas is excellent. That Mr. Plotkin picks a particular recording (with commentary per track) is an indespensible fusion with the book.
That is to say Mr. Plotkin has carefully chosen themes, operas, and what he believes to be superior recordings of the above mentioned as illustrations of what opera can be to the average listener. His decisions on recordings are in no way arbitrary, and he takes special care to choose recordings more easily found than those that might be "better" but are less easily found outside of major metropolitan areas.
Let's remember, the original version of this book was written before the internet made just about any recording available in any area. He admits that sometimes he's arbitrary (especially with his recommendation for Il Barbiere di Siviglia...YUCK) but he always explains his good reasons for choosing inferior performances on disc. His are not "Gospel" recommendations, but those he thinks best illustrate the power of opera in recorded form, customs, and the sheer beauty of the human voice.
Beyond that, Mr. Plotkin performs a yeoman's task of qualifying the different kinds of voices in opera, provides an 90+ page history of opera, and gives the average American a primer in the esoteric "etiquette" of attending an opera performance.
Invaluable for its tutorial format, universal as a detailed introduction; "Opera 101" is a MUST for an opera lover's collection.
Highly Recommended for a Newcomer to Opera November 20, 2004
L. Bloomstein (NY, NY)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you are on the fence and want to dive into opera, but feel intimidated or confused by it, this book is essential. Mr. Plotkin writes in an engaging style that is neither preachy nor simple. While he certainly has his opinions, he tempers them by offering arguments in favor of other interpretations and other recordings. Before reading his book, opera to me was inpenetrable and perhaps something to be tackled years from now when time would be more available. Yet, because he did such an effective job in his book of introducing and explaining opera, i am now an ardent fan and one who makes the time to listen to and see operas. Bravo Mr. Plotkin!! Encore!
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