This is a guide to the 83 most popular operas recorded on CD (criterion for inclusion: any opera that has three or more versions available on CD). It gives the plots, what to listen out for in the music, news and gossip about the way each opera was composed and first produced, plus a trenchant critique of each one. The book includes a Who's Who of today's leading singers and conductors giving views, not always complimentary about each. There is also a glossary of technical words about opera.