For anyone who has been intimidated, overwhelmed, or just plain confused by what they think opera is, WHO’S AFRAID OF OPERA? offers a lively, readable guide to what author Michael Walsh describes as "the greatest art form yet invented by humankind." From opera's origins in Renaissance Italy to The Who's rock odyssey “Tommy” and Stephen Sondheim's “Into the Woods,” Walsh explores what opera is and what it's not, what makes a great singer, and why it takes Tristan so long to die. So curtain up! It's time to settle into your seat, close up your program, and watch the house lights go down. And get ready for the musical ride of your lives.

Opera is very much in the public eye--and ear. Here is a lively and readable guide to this inspiring branch of classical music--for anyone who has already discovered the joy of opera and anyone who would like to.

Time magazine music critic Michael Walsh has created for the rock ‘n roll generation a complete and totally irreverent guide to listening to, collecting, and enjoying classical music. If rock ‘n roll just isn’t enough for you anymore; if you loved the music from Amadeus, 2001 and Ordinary People and want to know how to find more; or if you can’t wait to take full advantage of your new CD player with the music it was made for, here is a complete and totally irreverent guide to listening to, collecting, and enjoying classical music. It gives you: -The basic beginner’s repertoire, from Bach partitas to Philip Glass operas -The inside story of the great composers as real people with real foibles -Suggested tunes for Sunday brunch, highway driving, morning jogs, and nighttime seductions -And even de-mystifies the dreaded “o” –word (opera)! Who’s Afraid of Classical Music? shows that when you know how to listen, this stuff can be as much fun as the Rolling Stones—and maybe more!

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