"essential purchase" - Alan Blyth, Opera
"monumental achievement" - Richard Fawkes. Opera Now
"highly enjoyable "- Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
"definitive reference source" - Anthony Slide, Classic Images
"encyclopedic coverage" - Peter M. Nichols, The New York Times
"the reference work for all future endeavors" - Joe Pearce, Opera Quarterly
Opera on Screen is a guide to the thousands of films and videos featuring operas and opera singers made in the last century. It describes what was filmed and what it is possible to view and is organized alphabetically with entries on operas, operettas, zarzuelas, singers, composers, writers, conductors and subjects. The net is wide and includes not only opera singers but singers whose only opera career was on the movie screen, imaginary operas composed for the cinema and silent opera films. This is the most comprehenisve book of its kind ever produced and actually fun to read.
Sample pages
Here are some sample sections from the book.
About the book
636 pages - large hard cover 7 ½ " by 9 ½ volume with durable library binding.
413,000 words - organized alphabetically as an encyclopedia with over 1,000 main entries on operas, operettas, zarzuelas, singers, films, TV shows, composers, writers, directors, producers and subjects.
Bibliography - major bibliography, 6,600-word survey of books and articles on opera in film, television and video.
5,000 films & videos - over 5,000 films, videos and TV programs from 1894 to 1997 including silent films, modern movies, TV shows, performance videos, biographies and documentaries.
Operas - descriptions of operas filmed or taped around the world with casts and credits in chronological order.
Operettas - descriptions of operettas filmed or taped in all countries with casts and credits.
Zarzuelas - descriptions of Spanish zarzuelas that have been filmed or taped with casts and credits.
Composers - Entries on all composers of opera, operetta and zarzuela whose work has been filmed or taped.
Singers - major opera and operetta singers who have been filmed or taped. Including film & video biographies.
About the CD-ROM
For Windows PC. Full word search capability. Entries hyperlinked to cross-referenced operas and people. Requires 486 or better, Windows 3.1 or better, l6MB of RAM.
Order by mail with check or purchase order
The book sells for $50.00. The CD-ROM sells for $30.00. Both together are $60.00 plus shipping as requested.
Beachwood Press will accept purchase orders from libraries or institutions via e-mail or letterand checks from individuals. Telephone: 323. 461.3246.
Mailing address: Beachwood Press, 2597 Dearborn Drive, Los Angeles CA 90068
Postage in the U.S. is $5.50 (priority), to Europe $8.00 for surface mail, $25.00 for air mail.
Purchase at these stores in Los Angeles CA and England
About the author
Ken Wlaschin has authored many books and articles on opera and cinema and worked as an arts journalist in Italy, England and America. He has worked for the American and British Film Institutes in exhibition and preservation.
Please email us if you would like to order.