With the help of dozens of extracts on the accompanying music CD, Alexander Waugh examines the different categories of voice and how to recognize them, and explores the relationship between the words and the music. He looks at the elements of live performance - from the star singers and producers to the chorus and orchestra - before taking a unique look behind the scenes at an opera house, following the preparations for an opera through rehearsals and set-building to the opening night. The heart of the book explores eight of the world's best-loved operas, including Mozart's action-packed Don Giovanni, Bizet's sensuous Carmen, and Puccini's impassioned Tosca. A key song from each opera is featured on the CD and analyzed moment-by-moment on an annotated "timeline," while the text discusses the musical and dramatic importance of the opera as a whole and looks at other celebrated operas by the same composer. With a listeners' guide to a further fifty essential operas, Opera: A New Way of Listening provides everything you need to know to enjoy the drama and beauty of this rich art.