Every opera lover enjoys a performance more when accompanied by a knowledgeable friend. In this indispensable guide, well-known opera critic Charles Osborne provides exactly that. Osborne fills in the details on 175 of the world's most frequently performed operas, including facts about the composer and the music, a plot outline, accounts of famous performers, and much more. "This book is exactly what the title claims: an opera lover's companion. Reading it is like going to the opera with a knowledgeable friend who tells you enough to make you want to see the piece but not so much you're drowned in superfluous detail."-Richard Fawkes, Opera Now "What this invaluable book contains is the ideal rundown on 175 operas from Auber's Fra Diavolo to Zimmerman's Die Soldaten, in each case putting the work in context within the composer's development, with a list of characters, a short synopsis and pointers towards the most imortant arias, duets and ensembles, all in a personal congenial tone, like unto an operatically wise and loving uncle."-Denby Richards, Musical Opinion "An erudite, instructive and unpretentious guide."-Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph "It's hard to imagine any other book on the subject more informative and helpful to the average enthusiast. . . . This book is one you'll cherish."-Books in Canada

Nabucodonosor, one of the early Verdi operas, is the third work to be published in The Works of Giuseppe Verdi. Following the strict requirements of the series, the edition is based on Verdi's autograph and other authentic sources, and has been reviewed by a distinguished editorial board--Philip Gossett, Julian Budden, Martin Chusid, Francesco Degrada, Ursula Gunther, Giorgio Pestelli, and Pierluigi Petrobelli. Nabucodonosor is available as a two-volume set: a full orchestral score and a critical commentary. The score, which has been beautifully bound and autographed, is printed on high-grade paper in an oversized, 10-1/2 x 14-1/2-inch format. The introduction to the score discusses the work's genesis, sources, and performance history as well as performance practices, instrumentation, and problems of notation. The critical commentary, printed in a smaller format, discusses editorial decisions and identifies the sources of alternate readings of the music and libretto.

This book presents in comprehensive fashion the extraordinary development of Ariadne auf Naxos from its conception to the final operatic version. The unique collaboration of Hofmannsthal and Strauss is examined and the classical myths that served as a basis for the libretto are investigated. The detailed analysis and interpretation of both the text and the music demonstrate that this work is epochal in the history of early nineteenth-century opera and commands central importance in the overall production of its authors.