Synopsis:
This is an opera reference covering four volumes, with over 1300 contributions. The 11,000 articles are cross-referenced and deal with all of the varied aspects of the operatic experience, from the composer, librettist and their cultural background, through singers, conductors and directors, to cities, opera houses, costume, choreography and set design. The dictionary features: over 1750 articles on operas; over 2500 articles on singers and conductors; over 3000 articles on composers; more than 400 articles on cities; and further articles covering producers, designers, patrons and impressarios, and history and terminology of opera. The work includes indices of character names and first lines of arias and ensembles.
Review:
Although not for every opera lover (or every opera lover's budget), this massive four-volume set--each volume coming in at around 1,300 pages--is indispensable for the opera educator, writer, or major fanatic. While in any encyclopedia the quality of writing and the critical viewpoint must of necessity be somewhat varied, the standards in the Grove series of reference works are always high and the level of usefulness enormous. Almost any opera that debuted before 1992 is to be found within these pages, making it especially useful in this age of obscure revivals; most singers of any note who had established careers before that date are also included. Although somewhat Anglocentric in its inclusions, this remains an invaluable reference work.
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