Opera : a new way of listening

Supplied with a CD produced in association with EMI Classics, this book offers an introduction to opera which includes advice on listening and responding to it.

Some of the major operas are explored through the use of visual "timelines" which decode key passages, moment by moment, and there is discussion of aspects such as the voices and how to recognize them, the orchestra, and the producers.

Plot summaries of over 100 great operas are included, as well as a guide to opera houses and festivals around the world.