A long time ago, somebody at Time-Life had a simple, brilliant idea:
take the zillions of photos in the library, package them in topical books,
and make them pay for their storage cost.  Thus was born "World Library,"
"The World We Live In," and dozens of other series.  The cost was minimal
(including my salary), the income all gravy - and the resulting books were
mostly interesting and educational.

The same idea has resurfaced at EMI Classics, which scoured its own
library, along with those of Angel, Virgin, etc.), and put together
a double CD, to be published next week, called "The Opera Album."

The emphasis is on the known, the popular, the famous.  EMI's own pitch
is to represent opera, which "transcended its traditional venues to enter
all of our homes though TV, radio and film."

The 37 selections range from the "Hoffmann's Tales" Barcarolle (with
Jessye Norman and Ann Murray), to an affecting "Song to the Moon" from
"Rusalka," sung by Lucia Popp, to a Jose Carreras "Vesti la giubba" and
"Nessun dorma," leaving Placido Domingo with arias from "Cose fan tutte"
and "Aida," and Luciano Pavarotti with the "Ingemisco" from the Verdi
Requiem.

Several generations are represented, from Victoria de los Angeles'
Carmen, Joan Sutherland's Donna Anna, Jussi Bjorling's Rodolfo, Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf's "Le Nozze" Countess; to the more contemporary David Daniels
"Ombra mai fu," Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu in several Puccini
selections, Anne Sofie von Otter's Eurydice.

"Program notes" consist of a list of selections, hard to read in white
type on dark paper.  Time-Life Books looked a lot better, provided far
more information, and cost less.  Seriously, "The Opera Album," marketed
to people who "want to hear that great tune again," could have used this
package to do a bit of education, if only for selfish reasons, to help
raise an audience of the future.

Janos Gereben/SF
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