Product Description

“Pogue is a wonderful teacher… He can teach anybody.”
— Gay Talese, bestselling author of Honor Thy Father

“Scott Speck is a great communicator of classical music…. Concert audiences and readers alike can’t help getting caught up in the joy of his subject.”
— David Styers, American Symphony Orchestra League

Opera is weird. Everybody wears makeup and sings all the time. Even when they’re singing your language, which is rare, you still can’t understand the words. Women play men, men play women, and 45–year–olds play teenagers. All the main characters seem to get killed off. And when somebody dies, he takes ten minutes to sing about it. Yet, for all its weirdness, an operatic experience is an experience in breathtaking beauty. When you hear a soprano float a soft high C, or a tenor singing a love song, or a full–throated chorus in the climax of a scene’s dramatic finale, you can’t help getting goosebumps.

Want to experience all that beauty for yourself, but don’t know where to begin? Opera For Dummies is an excellent place to start. Written by an acclaimed conductor and a musical director, this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to:

• Understand opera from the Baroque and Roman periods through today
• Interpret characters, orchestra, chorus, and other players
• Understand what’s happening, both on stage and off
• Choose the best seats
• Identify famous operas
• Build a great collection of opera recordings
• Locate opera sites and chat groups online

Whether you’re interested in attending a live opera, want to build a collection of recordings, or just want to be able to talk about opera intelligently, Opera For Dummies is for you. Among other things, you’ll explore:

• The words, the music, and the people who sing it
• The history of opera and the lives of the great composers
• Going to the opera — including tips for getting tickets, preparing for the opera, dressing for the opera, and more
• Musical and theatrical conventions used in opera
• In–depth synopses of the world’s most beloved operas

On the bonus CD you’ll find:

• More than 60 minutes of music compiled especially for the book
• A multimedia piece for PC or MAC

Wonder what it is about opera that can make a grown person cry like a baby? Find out in Opera For Dummies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87613 in Books
• Published on: 1997-08-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 356 pages

From the Back Cover
"Pogue is a wonderful teacher. . . . He can teach anybody."
—Gay Talese, bestselling author of Honor Thy Father

Includes lively summaries of 74 popular operas

"Scott Speck is a great communicator of classical music."
—David Styers, American Symphony Orchestra League

If you think opera is only for snobs, think again! This friendly guide brings opera down to earth, demystifying opera–speak, walking you through opera’s greatest hits, and explaining what all the fuss is really about –unforgettable tunes, racy plots, eye–popping spectacles, and fat ladies singing their hearts out.

Discover:

• Opera lingo explained in plain English
• Opera’s top sopranos and tenors
• The story of opera over the centuries
• Fascinating summaries of famous operas
• Tips on attending an opera

All this on the enhanced audio CD:

• 60 minutes of opera highlights, including excerpts from EMI Recordings of . . .
  Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s A Masked Ball, Puccini’s La Bohème, Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, and Bizet’s Carmen
• Interactive features, including a history of opera with pictures and an excerpt from a Verdi score that you can follow as the music plays

About the Author
David Pogue had a musical career on Broadway before he became one of the nation’s top technology gurus.
Scott Speck has conducted orchestras around the world and is coauthor of Ballet For Dummies. Together, they also wrote Classical Music For Dummies.

Customer Reviews

Pleasure to read and along with the CD very enlightening.
Being new to the opera and having enjoyed a few of the operas without the help of inside knowledge of this form of entertainment I went out and purchased this book and already feel in a better shape to enjoy my next operas. Thank you David and Scott for the light hearted way you have introduced the opera. The anecdotes and the accompanying CD makes a huge difference. a book I would reccomend for anyone who is interested in the Opera.

Simple and effective.
Yet another genius publication from these people, that is simple and instructive without being patronising - buy it without hesitation.

Essential for anyone who loves music (all music)
If you want to enjoy while learning to appreciate Opera, this is your book.

Listen to the CD provided before reading the book and then listen to it again when you arrive to the chapter where the authors provide all the keys needed to apreciate each piece.

That's when you will know it's been too much time living without this book.