A TREASURY OF OPERA LIBRETTOS

The English translations chosen for this book all have high reputations for singability. But a libretto's ""singability quotient"" is important primarily for singers -- who cannot get along without scores. Recordings are as yet rarely done in English, and the book will be a bit bulky to lug to performances. Opera telecasts will be easier to follow -- if the same translations are used. Original-language texts parallel the English (except Boris Godunov, which in all fairness is rarely done here in the Russian). True, these translations have a simple readability advantage, being less dated stylistically than their forebears. Legerman has reckoned that 21 operas qualify for inclusion among the most popular and/or most frequently performed in this country. Lamentably, the translators are not identified on the Contents page; they include the Martins and John Gutman of the Metropolitan, among others.