Books for the Opera on Screen The following are recommendations for reading. Vocal Images does not have commercial affiliations with publishers of the recommended titles or recordings. The Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen By Ken Wlaschin Yale University Press; 872 pages, Hardcover, ISBN 0-300-10263-1 The author of this, the only comprehensive index of all the operas, operettas and zarzuelas, etc., and any film or video containing excerpts since the first one in 1896, is Creative Director and vice chairman of the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute. The book is the only one of its kind, and to quote Tom Lehrer from the back cover, useful for settling bets. All the titles, the artists, directors, conductors, singers, stage directors and composers are cross-referenced, so all you need is one fact to start your search. It's also fun to browse through, with Mary Garden sharing a page with Judy Garland and John Eliot Gardner. The entries are concise and helpful. The book will be the Opera bible, and I look forward to updates, as new performances come out. A thank you to the author for a great service to ardent fans of good singing, and film buffs. Use it as a buying guide to find ways to tempt new audiences, and find hours of pleasure and instruction in the titles described here. It will be on the shelf of every library and deserves a place in yours as well. Back to Top