Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

La Scala, Luciano Pavarotti, Sweeney Todd, Maria Callas, Le Nozze di Figaro. These are just a few of the more than 1000 profiles on musical figures, 700 entries on famous works, and 200 important locales found in The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Covering everything from composers, individual operas, well-known arias, and principle characters, to technical terms, librettists, and opera-houses, this is the most comprehensive one-volume reference work on all aspects of opera.
Here opera buffs will have at their fingertips opera synopses and first performance details, bibliographies of works about opera, entries on singers (including their debuts and career highlights, with notes on voice type, style, and reputation), definitions and discussions of technical terms and operatic styles, and surveys of the history of opera worldwide. The editors include not only the basic information one would expect to find in an authoritative reference, but also many colorful asides that make browsing a pleasure. For example, we learn that Tristan und Isolde (Munich, 1865) was an outcome of Wagner's reading of Schopenhauer, how Verdi referred to the years between 1844 and 1859 (during which he was commissioned to write nineteen operas) as his "anni di galera" (his prison years), and how Toscanini resigned his directorship at La Scala over political tensions with the Fascists (he had previously refused to conduct the Fascist anthem at performances). In an entry on China, we learn that, unlike European opera, Chinese opera incorporates acrobatics (and often mime), and that before the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), there were over 300 regional styles of opera throughout the land. We even find an entry that lists the multitude of operas (over 300) that have been written based on Shakespeare's works. Other entries provide information on the different subdivisions of voice (from the soprano dramatique to the bariton-Martin), Russian Opera in Uzbekistan, and the definition of "Kravattentenor" (a tenor whose tone suggests he is being strangled by his neckwear).
The Oxford Dictionary of Opera comes at a time when opera has reached unprecedented levels of popularity, enjoying well-filled opera houses, public television broadcasts, and huge record sales. Fully cross-referenced and packed with information, this tremendous reference is a must for all opera lovers.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

With more than 4,500 entries, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera follows a plan similar to that of Harold D. Rosenthal and Warrack's The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (2nd ed., 1979; 1st ed., CH, May'64). The majority of entries can be found in the earlier title, here revised and updated (e.g., "Russian Federal Republic" instead of "Russia"). Articles are informative, accurate, and scholarly and many new entries have been added. Names of cities, countries, operas, opera companies and houses, and established singers are well covered, as are special terms and general topics, (e.g., television opera). Useful but brief bibliographies are often included, famous arias are identified, and literary references expanded. US readers will notice that younger singers, conductors, producers, designers, and directors are not so well covered (Thomas Hampson and James Conlon are not included, for example). One might question the need for extended plot summaries (Der Ring des Nibelungen, 3.5 columns) that are readily available elsewhere. Briefer summaries would provide more space for famous productions, singers, conductors, and additional articles on new topics of interest, perhaps African Americans or women in opera. Quibbles aside, this is the best such dictionary available and should be purchased by most libraries, who might want to retain the older version also for entries that have been dropped from the new edition. J. S. Sauer; SUNY College at New Paltz

Booklist Review

Opera has been a popular form of entertainment for the last 400 years and shows no sign of going out of style. Today, exposure to this elaborate art form comes through television productions, videos, and recordings as well as live performances. Traditional favorites are joined by such new compositions as Dominik Argento's Aspern Papers (1988) and John Corigliano's Ghosts of Versailles (1991). Both standard and locally written operas are performed to enthusiastic audiences worldwide. The Oxford Dictionary of Opera appears at an opportune time to serve this interest. The authors are music scholars associated with Oxford University, and Warrack also wrote The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (2d ed., 1979). This new work has more than 4,500 entries and covers "all aspects of opera's historical development and present standing." Included are articles on approximately 750 individual composers, 600 operatic works with brief synopses and premier details, 900 singers, and 85 characters from literature and legend, such as Antigone, Faust, and Don Juan, who have been used in many operas. Opera in various countries and cities around the world, mentioning individual theaters, is covered. Also listed are authors of literary works that have inspired operas, conductors, opera companies, arias, and such topics as Bel Canto and Medieval Liturgical Drama. Entries range in length from a few lines to four pages for Wagner, Richard. Some items conclude with bibliographies, and "select worklists" are included for composers. Two other recent one-volume opera dictionaries are The Harper Dictionary of Opera and Operetta [RBB Ja 15 91] and A-Z of Opera [RBB Mr 1 91]. The latter work, intended for opera novices, is much shorter than Oxford (at 223 pages) and excludes entries for opera characters and arias. The strengths of the Harper Dictionary, comparable in length to Oxford, are its coverage of operetta and its supplementary tables and lists. For topics covered by both works, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera provides more in-depth information, directed toward serious users and music lovers. It is a recommended purchase for public and academic libraries. (Reviewed Feb. 15, 1993)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

About the Editors:
John Warrack is Lecturer in Music at the University of Oxford and co-author of The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, second edition. Ewan West is a Research Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford, and Director of Studies in Music at Somerville College, Oxford.