Book Review: "The New Penguin Opera Guide"

The New Penguin Opera Guide (renamed from its original, 1993 incarnation, The Viking Opera Guide, is really not in the same category as countless other "introductory opera guides" (e.g., Phil Goulding's Ticket to the Opera, Fred Plotkin's Opera 101, or Denis Forman's A Night at the Opera) or "profusely illustrated, casually browsable coffee-table books" (the ultimate manifestation of that ilk being Andras Batta's enormous--albeit somewhat obscure--Opera: Composers, Works, Performers [ISBN: 3829035713]). None of those other books are truly so comprehensive (in their coverage of, specifically, operatic composers and their works) that they merit the label "encyclopedic."

Only two books on opera are actually so comprehensive (i.e., covering approximately 2000 operas and many hundreds of composers) that they are actually unqualified "encyclopedias," not merely run-of-the-mill "guides." Those two books are: (1) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, (an immense, four-volume set covering not only operas and composers but also operatic terminology, performers, venues, and much else); and (2) The New Penguin Opera Guide (or, better still, its original 1993 incarnation, The Viking Opera Guide), which covers primarily operas and their composers (but little else).

If you're seeking a single, fully comprehensive reference on operas and their composers, and if you can't afford (or house!) the oversized, four-volume "New Grove," then your only remaining decision is whether to buy this (circa-2001 softcover) New Penguin Opera Guide or its original 1993 hardcover version (The Viking Opera Guide). The latter is, in my opinion, significantly superior to its successor. Not only is the text of the "Viking" somewhat darker and easier to read than that of the "New Penguin," but also the "Viking" covers significantly more "old-and-obscure, yet musically compelling" composers/operas than does the (somewhat revised) "New Penguin", which, in its own right, covers certain "recent" composers/operas not included in its predecessor.

Moreover, the "Viking" has many more illustrations than does the "New Penguin" (none of the images in either edition are in color). And note that essentially none of the graphic elements were carried over from the "Viking" to the "New Penguin." Thus, the illustrations are totally different in either edition. Essentially all the illustrations in both books are "good," but there are significantly more of them in the "Viking" than the "New Penguin."

The arrangement of the entries is alphabetical according to composers' surnames (hence, to find a synopsis of an opera by Joseph Haydn [yes, he wrote some reasonably respectable operas!], you'd look in the "H" section for "Haydn"). Typically, a separate biography of the composer is initially provided, followed by an assortment of brief synopses of that composer's most famous or noteworthy operas.

The majority of the content composing the "New Penguin" is merely copied (essentially verbatim) from the "Viking." But, again, there are sporadic, noteworthy, exclusive "omissions and inclusions" of certain entries in either edition, with the "Viking" ending up the overall winner in that regard. (Admittedly, my bent is such that I'm somewhat more drawn to the "old or obscure" operatic composers than the "recent or modernistic" ones).

If you can't find a used copy of the 1993 "Viking" at an affordable price (as of this writing, the only available used copy at Amazon Marketplace sells for a whopping $125), then the "New Penguin" should seem "close enough" to satisfy the majority of readers seeking a "comprehensive encyclopedia" of (specifically) operas and composers; however, the "New Penguin" is itself now out of print, and the cheapest copy at Amazon Marketplace sells for about fifty dollars.

Don't be led astray by several other (so-called) "Penguin" opera-guide editions that have appeared since 1995. If you purchase any preceding "Penguin" opera guide without the word "New" in its title, you'll be getting merely an abridgement of the complete "encyclopedia".

Although the scope of each "composer biography" or "opera synopsis" in this "New Penguin" generally is not so great as what you can find in the aforementioned "New Grove", the overall scope of this "encyclopedia" is, nonetheless, admirably extensive. Whereas the four-volume "New Grove" covers over 2,900 composers and over 1,800 operas (from the late 16th century through modernity) in its 5,448 pages, this single-volume "New Penguin" covers approximately 1,500 operas (by an unspecified but large number of composers) in its 1,168 pages. To my knowledge there is no other single-volume work (apart from the original "Viking" edition of this book) that even remotely rivals such comprehensiveness. Amanda Holden and her team of contributing writers merit kudos for creating such a noteworthy tome in the history of opera-reference publications.

Despite the exceedingly lengthy list of contributing authors, the seamless prose of "The New Penguin" is of high quality and appears targeted to intelligent laypersons rather than musicians or academics (not that the latter are likely to be unduly disappointed with any of the content). The vocabulary is decidedly adult, though precocious high school students should likewise find this a fully accessible reference.

Whenever you want the ultimate degree of information about an operatic figure or work (not to mention operatic terminology, performers, or venues), consult a volume of the aforementioned New Grove Dictionary of Opera. But whenever a "quicker yet reasonably thorough" treatment of a composer or composition will suffice, reach for this "New Penguin" (or, better still, its original "Viking" incarnation). For any aficionado wanting comprehensive coverage of operatic composers and works in a single volume, the 1993 "Viking" is the best choice; but its renamed (and modestly revised) 2001 incarnation--The New Penguin Opera Guide--is a very reasonable next-best choice.

***

P.S: If you're not seeking an "encyclopedia" of opera but rather an "introductory guide", do consider numerous other books, including those by the aforementioned Fred Plotkin and Phil Goulding (not to mention Opera for Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck; or the colorfully delightful Opera by Alan Riding and Leslie Dunton-Downer). Most such books could be borrowed via public libraries till you're sure which ones belong on your shelf.