The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas
Even with the advent of surtitles and Met titles, intelligent operagoers have an idea of what's  going to transpire on stage before they attend a performance.The Metropolitan Opera: Stories of the  Great Operas, by veteranOpera Newswriter-critic-editor John W. Freeman, is a good way to pick up such knowledge. Freeman offers brief composer biographies (72 of them), relevant background, and the basics on who's who and what happens in each of 150 operas. His writing is unambiguous, succinct, and informative.The Metropolitan Operawill prove useful to  both operatic newcomers and experienced opera attendees.--This text refers to an alternateHardcoveredition.