Publisher, Naxos (September 2002)

Opera Explained presents the plots and music of major operas, communicating with enthusiasm the joys of a great art form.

Each title includes:

• Principal arias and choruses

• Background to the composer and his works

• Ideal preparation for a visit to the opera-house, and an entertaining revision afterwards

"If you feel you are forever standing outside the palace of opera, with your nose pressed against the window but uncertain how to find the front door, you could do a lot worse than pick up one or more of these entertaining and enthusiastic audio guides." --CLASSIC FM

"There is simply no better introduction to the intricacies and structure of opera than this series from Naxos..." --AD-LIB

"Naxos continues to add jewels to their crown with this fine series (Opera Explained) of educational recordings...." --MUSIC WEB

Madama Butterfly really does run the gamut of operatic emotion. The fate of Madame Butterfly--married to an American sailor and then abandoned--engages our emotions, as it obviously did Puccini's, to a degree equaled by few other opera heroines. The oriental setting and the exquisite orchestral and choral writings are treasured bonuses.

About the Author: Thomson Smillie began his career in the early days of Scottish Opera and has been artistic director of the Wexford International Festival, general manager of the Opera Company of Boston and general director of Kentucky Opera. He now makes a career as a writer, speech-writer and public speaker. He has a strong belief that people mature into a love of opera and travels the world encouraging a love of the art form. His other passions are travel, languages and friendships.

About the Performer: David Timson studied acting and singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has performed in modern and classic plays through the UK and abroad, including Wild Honey for Alan Ayckbourn, Hamlet, The Man of Mode and The Seagull. Among his many TV appearances have been roles in Nelson's Column and Swallows and Amazons. For Naxos AudioBooks, he has recorded, to date, three volumes of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and directed Twelfth Night as wall as playing Feste. On Naxos, he takes the part of the Narrator in Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale.