Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singers chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls...

"Thea Kronberg, daughter of a Swedish Methodist minister, grows up on Moonstone, Colorado, a dreary prairie town. She has a wonderful singing voice and uses her talents to leave her home and find fame and fortune." -- cover, page 4

Irreverent and passionate, this book is an ideal introduction for people who are convinced that opera is soley for those refined few who were born listening to arias. Written in short, humorous, and informative chapters, and laced with some of the opera world's juiciest anecdotes, this guide is sure to convert even the most ambivalent of music lovers. Line drawings.

Venetian detective Guido Brunetti swings into action when the curator of Venice's most prestigious museum turns up dead, bludgeoned by a priceless artifact, and an American archaeologist and close friend narrowly escapes the killer.

The Politics of Opera" takes readers on a fascinating journey into the entwined development of opera and politics, from the Renaissance through the turn of the nineteenth century. What political backdrops have shaped opera? How has opera conveyed the political ideas of its times? Delving into European history and thought and an array of music by such greats as Lully, Rameau, and Mozart, Mitchell Cohen reveals how politics--through story lines, symbols,...