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Opera Performance Essays

Opera Guild of Rochester writes short articles about the operas and publishes them before local performances, such as MET HD Broadcasts. Click on the PDF icon link to read, download and print.

Verdi's La Traviata - The Original Traviata: The True Story of Marie Duplessis
By Art Axelrod

Traviata.pdf

L'Elisir d'Amore - Mixing an Elixir: A Bubbly Cocktail of "Upper-Attic" Fun

By Rachel Stuhlman

Elixir.pdf

Tosca - Tosca and Napoleon
By Carol Crocca

Tosca-Napoleon.pdf

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart's Magic
By Carol Crocca

Zauberflote.pdf

Bellini's Norma Words Set to Music: The Inspired Collaboration of Bellini & Romano
By Rachel Stuhlman

Bellini-Norma.pdf

Pushkin, Tchaikovsky and Eugene Onegin
By Rachel Stuhlman

Eugene-Onegin.pdf

Mozart's Idomeneo - Idomeneo's Vow
By Carol Crocca

Idomeneo.pdf

Dvořák's Rusalka
By Art Axelrod and Carol Crocca

Rusalka.pdf

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette - Religious and Romantic Sensibility
By Carol Crocca

Romeo&Juliet.pdf

Verdi's Nabucco
By Art Axelrod

Nabucco.pdf

Don Giovanni - Mozart: The Man and the Myth
By Carol Crocca

Mozartflyer.pdf

Tristan und Isolde
By Peter Dundas

TristanFlyer.pdf

Elektra - Richard Strauss, Hugo von Hofmannstahl, and a Change of Style
By Peter Dundas

Elektra.pdf

Donizetti's Roberto Devereux - The Myth of Donizetti’s Three Queens
By Rachel Stuhlman

Roberto-Devereux.pdf

Puccini's Madama Butterfly
By Carol Crocca

Madama-Butterfly.pdf

Giacomo Puccini and Giulio Ricordi: An Opera Partnership
By Carol Crocca

Puccini-Ricordi.pdf

Puccini’s Turandot - The Persecuted Servant Girl & the Opera That Didn’t Get Finished By Art Axelrod

Turandot.pdf

The Pearl Fishers - Georges Bizet - Independent But Troubled Spirit
By Carol Crocca

Pearl-Fishers.pdf

Alban Berg's Lulu
By Carol Crocca

Lulu-Flyer.pdf

Wagner's Tannhäuser
By Peter Dundas

Tannhauser-Flyer.pdf

Verdi's Il Trovatore
By Art Axelrod

Trovatore-Flyer.pdf

Verdi's Otello - Iago: Portrait of Deception
By Carol Crocca

Otelloflyer.pdf

Rossini's La Donna del Lago - Isabella Colbran: Rossini's Muse
By Rachel Stuhlman

LaDonna-del-Lago.pdf

Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle
By Carol Crocca

Iolanta-Bluebeard.pdf

Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann
By Peter Dundas

Hoffmann-Flyer.pdf

Lehar's The Merry Widow - A Night at the Operetta

Merry-Widow.pdf

La Mogador - Was “La Mogador” Carmen?
By Carol Crocca

La-Mogador-Flyer.pdf

Verdi's Macbeth - Verdi Sets Shakespeare’s Play
By Carol Crocca

Macbeth-Flyer.pdf

Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Background to the Composition of the Opera By Peter Dundas,

Meistersinger-Flyer.pdf

Rossini's The Barber of Seville - Evviva l’opera buffa! (Hurray for buffa!)
By Carol Crocca

Barber-of-Seville-Flyer.pdf

ATTEND • LEARN • JOIN • DONATE • VOLUNTEER

Opera Performance Essays

Opera Guild of Rochester writes short articles about the operas and publishes them before local performances, such as MET HD Broadcasts. Click on the PDF icon link to read, download and print.

Verdi's La Traviata - The Original Traviata: The True Story of Marie Duplessis By Art Axelrod

Heavenly Lunacy: La Bohème and Moonstruck By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Aida By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Madama Butterfly By Art Axelrod

Surrealism at the Opera: Thomas Adès The Exterminating Angel By Art Axelrod

Dvořák's Rusalka By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Turandot - The Story of the Story By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West) By Art Axelrod

L'Elisir d'Amore - Mixing an Elixir: A Bubbly Cocktail of "Upper-Attic" Fun

By Rachel Stuhlman

Tosca - Tosca and Napoleon By Carol Crocca

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart's Magic By Carol Crocca

Bellini's Norma Words Set to Music: The Inspired Collaboration of Bellini & Romano By Rachel Stuhlman

Pushkin, Tchaikovsky and Eugene Onegin By Rachel Stuhlman

Mozart's Idomeneo - Idomeneo's Vow By Carol Crocca

Dvořák's Rusalka By Art Axelrod and Carol Crocca

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette - Religious and Romantic Sensibility By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Nabucco By Art Axelrod

Don Giovanni - Mozart: The Man and the Myth By Carol Crocca

Tristan und Isolde By Peter Dundas

Elektra - Richard Strauss, Hugo von Hofmannstahl, and a Change of Style By Peter Dundas

Donizetti's Roberto Devereux - The Myth of Donizetti’s Three Queens By Rachel Stuhlman

Puccini's Madama Butterfly By Carol Crocca

Giacomo Puccini and Giulio Ricordi: An Opera Partnership By Carol Crocca

Puccini’s Turandot - The Persecuted Servant Girl & the Opera That Didn’t Get Finished By Art Axelrod

The Pearl Fishers - Georges Bizet - Independent But Troubled Spirit By Carol Crocca

Alban Berg's Lulu By Carol Crocca

Wagner's Tannhäuser By Peter Dundas

Verdi's Il Trovatore By Art Axelrod

Verdi's Otello - Iago: Portrait of Deception By Carol Crocca

Rossini's La Donna del Lago - Isabella Colbran: Rossini's Muse By Rachel Stuhlman

Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle By Carol Crocca

Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann By Peter Dundas

Lehar's The Merry Widow - A Night at the Operetta

La Mogador - Was “La Mogador” Carmen? By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Macbeth - Verdi Sets Shakespeare’s Play By Carol Crocca

Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Background to the Composition of the Opera By Peter Dundas,

Rossini's The Barber of Seville - Evviva l’opera buffa! (Hurray for buffa!) By Carol Crocca

Verdi's La Traviata - The Original Traviata: The True Story of Marie Duplessis
By Art Axelrod

Heavenly Lunacy: La Bohème and Moonstruck
By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Aida
By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Madama Butterfly
By Art Axelrod

Surrealism at the Opera: Thomas Adès The Exterminating Angel
By Art Axelrod

Dvořák's Rusalka
By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Turandot - The Story of the Story
By Art Axelrod

Puccini's Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West)
By Art Axelrod

Tosca - Tosca and Napoleon
By Carol Crocca

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart's Magic
By Carol Crocca

Bellini's Norma Words Set to Music: The Inspired Collaboration of Bellini & Romano
By Rachel Stuhlman

Pushkin, Tchaikovsky and Eugene Onegin
By Rachel Stuhlman

Mozart's Idomeneo - Idomeneo's Vow
By Carol Crocca

Dvořák's Rusalka
By Art Axelrod and Carol Crocca

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette - Religious and Romantic Sensibility
By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Nabucco
By Art Axelrod

Don Giovanni - Mozart: The Man and the Myth
By Carol Crocca

Tristan und Isolde
By Peter Dundas

Elektra - Richard Strauss, Hugo von Hofmannstahl, and a Change of Style
By Peter Dundas

Donizetti's Roberto Devereux - The Myth of Donizetti’s Three Queens
By Rachel Stuhlman

Puccini's Madama Butterfly
By Carol Crocca

Giacomo Puccini and Giulio Ricordi: An Opera Partnership
By Carol Crocca

The Pearl Fishers - Georges Bizet - Independent But Troubled Spirit
By Carol Crocca

Alban Berg's Lulu
By Carol Crocca

Wagner's Tannhäuser
By Peter Dundas

Verdi's Il Trovatore
By Art Axelrod

Verdi's Otello - Iago: Portrait of Deception
By Carol Crocca

Rossini's La Donna del Lago - Isabella Colbran: Rossini's Muse
By Rachel Stuhlman

Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle
By Carol Crocca

Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann
By Peter Dundas

La Mogador - Was “La Mogador” Carmen?
By Carol Crocca

Verdi's Macbeth - Verdi Sets Shakespeare’s Play
By Carol Crocca

Rossini's The Barber of Seville - Evviva l’opera buffa! (Hurray for buffa!)
By Carol Crocca