The Encyclopedia Of Opera

More than 3,000 alphabetically arranged entries cover more than 700 operas, with information on composers, librettists, singers, conductors, plots, opera houses, stage designers, and other subjects.

“This wondrous encyclopedia is an invaluable boon to all movie and opera buffs. I shall be referring to it frequently to slake my curiosity and to settle bets.”--Tom Lehrer This bountiful book is a comprehensive guide to the thousands of films, DVDs, and videocassettes featuring operas and opera singers from 1896 to the present. From ABC Television to Franco Zeffirelli, the encyclopedia is a storehouse of fascinating information for film and opera aficionados and casual browsers alike. Find answers to such questions as: * What were the first operas filmed? * Why did they make silent films of operas? * Why was a pseudo-opera written for Citizen Kane? * What was the title of Maria Callas’s only film? Organized alphabetically with more than 1,900 fully cross-referenced entries, the book casts a wide net that covers not only expected topics--operas, operettas, zarzuelas, composers, singers, conductors, writers, and film directors--but also the unexpected and offbeat--animated opera, first operas on film, puppet opera films, silent films about opera, and many other lesser-known topics. Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen illuminates the many intersections between opera and film as never before.

Covering a broad range of styles, this comprehensive volume includes entries for more than 450 operas that have been performed over the last four centuries. Organized from A to Z for easy reference, it's a complete guide that's certain to inform and entertain any opera buff. 500 photos.

An elegant gift and comprehensive reference for opera lovers, The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia draws on the talents and resources of the world's greatest opera house. Describes singers, composers, operas and more. 250 black-and-white photographs.