"Bruce, you have to understand, opera is baseball for sissies." That was my friend Bruce's friend Arnold, not Bernard Williams. But the fans of each share certain qualities - a passion for the art, a passion for the lore and a disagreement about who is the greatest. Bernard Williams offers his opinions in this book in a manner similar to Moses descending from Cambridge, or was it Oxford. I must say I disagree with most of his opinions but I share his love of opera and I found the book interesting.

Williams loves music but is happier discussing drama. I can relate to that.

Again I am not qualified to measure this work but I most certainly enjoyed lazily reading the pieces in this fine anthology. Professor Williams knew this subject. He loved opera. He thinks about it in comprehensive, innovative, and even provocative ways. I don't recall precisely when I read this but it was over a decade ago.

If you love opera or are intrigued by it, this is a fine work to enhance your apperception of it.

There is no more important twentieth century philosopher than Bernard Williams. His love of opera is on full display, with brilliant insights. He was delighted to be appointed to the Board of the English National Opera. Williams died of cancer in 2003 and had not completed the work. His wife finally brought it to fruition. Williams is a difficult philosopher to read, but not like Heidegger or Derrida where style and obfuscation sometimes overrode thought. Williams was dealing with difficult subjects, in moral theory, but he made a real effort to bring human life into philosophy. He focuses on the "Great" operas, and there really is such a category of Handel, Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and Wagner. With the exception of Handel I am in full accord.