Emilie Alcock

LIS 701
October 18, 2011
SUBJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Introduction
This subject bibliography is intended to be used as a source to update the music
collection in a public library with a focus on opera. The titles reflect the needs of adults with a
general interest in opera for basic research.
Annotated Bibliography
Georges Bizets Carmen (from The Royal Opera House). Dir. Francesca Zambello. Prod. Nicolas
Jol. Films Media Group, 2010. DVD.
This classic opera has been chosen because it is one of the most well-known operas, even
amongst those with not much knowledge of the subject area. This recent production of Bizets
Carmen includes a stellar cast and stunning visuals.

Green, Geoffrey. Voices in a Mask: Stories. Evanston, IL: Northwestern UP, 2008. Print.
Although fiction, this collection of short stories features real people mixed with imagined
characters (some straight out of operas) paint a realistic picture of the opera world. Ranging from
funny to peculiar to grand and dramatic, this book stands alone with its unique content.
Publishers Weekly
Library Journal

Jampol, Joshua. Living Opera. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

Interviews with conductors, stage directors, and performers make up the bulk of this
biography of opera. The reviewer notes that this volume has a broader focusfor more general
readers than other similar books.
Library Journal (3/1/2010)

Kennedy, Joyce Bourne. A Dictionary of Opera Characters. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
This source is a compilation of opera characters, their creators, and people who
originated the roles using English translations, with minimal plot summaries and other details. It
is valuable for its concentration away from just the plots of the operas.

Reference Reviews (2010)

Murray, William. Fortissimo: Backstage at the Opera with Sacred Monsters and Young Singers.
New York: Crown, 2005. Print.
This non-fiction book follows twelve aspiring opera singers in the 2003-2004 season of
Chicagos Lyric Opera training program. The books author is a journalist, novelist, and former
opera singer who skillfully incorporates details about vocal training and opera as a profession in
addition to narrating a year in these young performers lives.
Library Journal (8/15/2005)
Publishers Weekly (7/18/2005)
Kirkus Reviews (7/1/2005)

Netrebko, Anna, Patrick Summers, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Valeri

Gergiev, Sylvain Cambreling, Mariusz Kwiecie, Simone Alaimo, Juan Diego Flrez,
Maurizio Benini, Nancy Fabiola. Herrera, Eric Halfvarson, Asher Fisch, Roberto Alagna,
Plcido Domingo, Ildar Abdrazakov, Michael Meyers, Marco Armiliato, Joseph Calleja,
James Levine, Piotr Beczala, Gerald Finley, Vincenzo Bellini, Sergey Prokofiev,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Gounod,
Charles Gounod, Charles Gounod, Gaetano Donizetti, Gaetano Donizetti, Jacques
Offenbach, Giacomo Puccini, and Giacomo Puccini. Anna Netrebko, Live at the
Metropolitan Opera. Deutsche Grammophon, 2011. CD.
This recording showcases excerpts of operas not only from the featured singer Anna
Netrebko, but also from many other performers with whom Anna has performed in the past ten
years. Since the recording spans the past ten years, this CD is the most up-to-date representation
of current opera trends.
AllMusic

Driscoll, F. Paul. Opera News. Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc., 1936-present. Print journal.
A complete journal focused on current and historical operas and operatic facts.
Library Journal

Pappano, Antonio. Rossini: William Tell. 2011. CD.

A 2010 recording of Rossinis classic opera. Although not oft-produced, this production
shows evidence of the works value in opera repertoire with an excellent cast and quality
recording.
AllMusic

Russell, P. Craig., Richard Wagner, Paul Dukas, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, and Gustav Mahler.
Adaptations of Parsifal, Ariane & Bluebeard, I Pagliacci, & Songs by Mahler. New
York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine, 2003. Print.
A unique fiction title, this book brings together classic opera stories with contemporary
graphic novel illustrations. The author succeeds in telling the stories of operas as without music
but with a secondary element, the beautiful visual aspect.
BookList (2/1/2004)
Publishers Weekly (1/26/2004)

Sadie, Stanley, and Laura Williams. Macy. The Grove Book of Operas. Oxford: Oxford UP,
2009. Print.
Based on the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, this source is a wealth of information on
opera. It is both accessible to many readers and true to scholarly study.
Library Journal (6/15/2009)

See, Lisa. Peony in Love: a Novel. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.
This novel portrays the parallels between wealthy 17th-century Chinese girls and the
characters in the opera The Peony Pavilion. Highly recommended, groundbreaking, and
compelling, this novel is an excellent fiction addition to the opera subject.
BookList (5/15/2007)
Publishers Weekly (4/23/2007)
Library Journal (5/15/2007)
Kirkus Reviews (5/15/2007)

Wlaschin, Ken. Encyclopedia of American Opera. Jefferson (N.C.): McFarland, 2006. Print.
This encyclopedia contains over 1700 articles on American opera from the 1700s to the
present. It not only includes composers, works, and performers like many encyclopedias about

opera, but also entries for specific arias and state-by-state lists of opera companies and premieres
associated with each.
BookList (10/15/2006)

Professional Resources
ARBA Online
Book Index with Reviews
Choice Reviews Online
Librarians Internet Index: Book Reviews
NovelList Plus
Reference Reviews