Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

The novel that inspired the Lon Chaney film and the hit musical. "The wildest and most fantastic of tales ."--New York Times Book Review .

Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gunwielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening... (more)

Cry to Heaven

by Anne Rice

In this mesmerizing novel, the acclaimed author of THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES and the LIVES OF THE MAYFAIR WITCHES makes real for us the exquisite and otherworldly society of the eighteenth-century castrati, the delicate and alluring male sopranos whose graceful bodies and glorious voices brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe, men who lived as idols, concealing their pain as... (more)

Discworld: Book 18

Maskerade

by Terry Pratchett

It's not over till the fat lady sings There's a Ghost in the Opera House of Ankh-Morpork. It wears a bone-white mask and terrorizes the entire company, including the immortal Enrico Basilica, who eats continuously even when he's singing. Mostly spaghetti with tomato sauce. What better way to flush out a ghost than with a witch? Enter the Opera's newest diva, Perdita X. Nitt, a wannabe witch with such an... (more)

Death at La Fenice

by Donna Leon

There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died... (more)

The Reluctant Heiress

by Eva Ibbotson

Being an heiress in 1920s Austria with nothing but a broken-down castle to your name and nary a penny in your purse could be frustrating for anyone but the Princess Theresa-Maria of Pfaffenstein. “Tessa,” however, is thrilled with her situation, as it allows her to concentrate on her love of the arts—and no one in the Viennese opera company need know that their delightful and charming under-wardrobe mistress is... (more)

The Inner Voice : The Making of a Singer

The Inner Voice : The Making of a Singer

by Rene?e Fleming

One of the most celebrated talents in today’s music scene, soprano Renée Fleming brings a consummately beautiful voice, striking interpretive talents, and compelling artistry to bear on performances that have captivated audiences in opera houses and recital halls throughout the world. In The Inner Voice —a book that is the story of her own artistic development and the "autobiography" of her voice—this... (more)

Diva

by Alex Flinn

For most people, the word "diva" means brilliant and over–the–top. Caitlin, however, seems to be trapped in a not–so–glamorous life with serious ex–boyfriend issues and a permanent yo–yo diet. But when she auditions and gets into the performing arts high school, everything changes. Caitlin can sing like an angel, but it will take more than her voice to help her overcome her past and shape her future. In this... (more)

Opera Cat

by Tess Weaver

From a brand-new author-illustrator team comes a humorous, heartwarming story about a special relationship between a cat and her owner. Alma the cat lives with Madame SoSo, an opera diva. When Madame rehearses, Alma softly sings along. Madame doesn"t know Alma"s secret—in fact, she doesn"t pay Alma much attention at all. But on the night of the big performance, Madame comes down with laryngitis . . . and at last... (more)

THE NEW MILTON CROSS' COMPLETE STORIES OF THE GREAT OPERAS; REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITIONKarl [editor] Kohrs

THE NEW MILTON CROSS' COMPLETE STORIES OF THE GREAT OPERAS; REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION

by Karl [editor] Kohrs

Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

by Fred Plotkin, Fred Plotikin

Written by an opera insider and featuring an introduction by Placido Domingo, here is a thorough, friendly, and truly complete guide to learning how to love and appreciate the opera. After a brief history of opera, the book includes a guide to operatic terms, a minute-by-minute listener's guide to 11 central works, a list of recommended books and recordings and much more.

Cinderella and Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli

Cinderella and Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli

by Manuela Hoelterhoff

A wickedly funny look at opera today--the feuds and deals, maestros and managers, divine voices and outsized egos--and a portrait of the opera world's newest superstar at a formative point in her life and career. In Cinderella & Company, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manuela Hoelterhoff takes us on a two-year trip on the circuit with Cecilia Bartoli, the young mezzo-soprano who has captured an... (more)

Great Singers on Great Singing: A Famous Opera Star Interviews 40 Famous Opera Singers on the Technique of Singing

Great Singers on Great Singing: A Famous Opera Star Interviews 40 Famous Opera Singers on the Technique of Singing

by Jerome Hines

Jerome Hines has interviewed 40 singers, a speech therapist, and a throat specialist to provide this invaluable collection of advice for all singers. This collection includes the commentary of Licia Albanese, Franco Corelli, Placido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Birgit Nilsson, Luciano Pavarotti, Rose Ponselle, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland and many others. "Probably the best book on the... (more)

Once Upon a Time

Sunlight and Shadow

A Retelling of The Magic Flute

by Cameron Dokey

A new spin on "The Magic Flute" by an acclaimed author! In a time when the world was young and many things were quite commonplace that are now entirely forgotten, Sarastro, Mage of the Day, wed Pamina, the Queen of the Night. And in this way was the world complete, for light was joined to dark. For all time would they be joined together. Only the ending of the world could tear them apart. In other words, in the... (more)

An Invitation to the Opera

by John Louis DiGaetani

This invaluable primer will introduce the uninitiated to the mysteries of opera and help more experienced buffs to expand their understanding and deepen their appreciation of the art form. An Invitation to the Opera provides an accessible and completely comprehensive look at opera's rich heritage.

What's Your Opera I.Q.?: Over 100 Quizzes for Opera Lovers

What's Your Opera I.Q.?: Over 100 Quizzes for Opera Lovers

by Iris Bass

Maria Callas: The Woman behind the LegendArianna Stassinopoulos

Maria Callas: The Woman behind the Legend

by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington

Legendary soprano Maria Callas, whose singing was as sensational as her life, is the subject of this biography by author and columnist Huffington. Huffington tells of Callas' transformation from a shy, chubby girl into one of the greatest opera singers of

100 GREAT OPERAS AND THEIR STORIES: Act-by-Act Synopses

100 GREAT OPERAS AND THEIR STORIES: Act-by-Act Synopses

by Henry W. Simon

An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and afficionados, this volume contains act-by-act descriptions of operatic works ranging from the early seventeenth century masterworks of Monteverdi and Purcell to the modern classics of Menotti and Britten. Written in a lively anecdotal style, entries include character descriptions, historical background, and much more.

Domino

by Ross King

Ross King’s delightful, Rabelaisian novel recounts the adventures of young George Cautley, an aspiring artist who, as he makes his way through London’s high society, finds that nothing is as it seems and everyone wears a disguise. Moving from masquerade balls in London to the magnificent and mysterious opera houses of Venice, Cautley is drawn into a web of intrigue and murder spun by the seductive and... (more)

The Grove Book of Operas

by Stanley Sadie

First published in 1996 to great critical and popular acclaim, the Grove Book of Operas, is a collection of synopses and descriptions of over 250 operas. Each succinct yet insightful entry is written by a leading authority on the opera and includes a full synopsis of the plot, a cast list, a note on the singers in the original production, and information on the origins of the work and its literary and social... (more)

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Tags: opera