An old gravedigger recites the story of Nicolo Paganini, the 18th-century Italian violinist whose extraordinary skills and eerie stage presence made him a musical legend.

Civil War ghost returns with the help of young couple and music.

Reviewing the first volume of Opera Scenes for Class and Stage, Walter Ducloux wrote in the Opera Journal: "If you can come up, within five seconds, with an operatic excerpt involving two sopranos, four mezzo-sopranos, two tenors, and a bass, you don't need this book. Otherwise hurry and buy it. I keep it on my night table." In More Opera Scenes, the Wallaces have reviewed 100 additional operas and have chosen over 700 scenes. The popular "Table of Voice Categories" providing more than 300 combinations is also featured in this volume.

Opening with the long-awaited wedding of Mister Walton, Fiddler's Green follows Mister Walton's aide-de-camp, Sundry Moss, as he embarks on a Good Samaritan mission. What seems like a harmless journey soon turns into a nearly fatal scrape as he finds himself in a strange rustic netherworld, caught between two feuding--and fantastical--families who are determined to cover up a dark secret no matter what the cost. Full of romantic yearning, knockabout comedy, and touching drama, fans and newcomers alike will be pleased to keep company with the honorable Gentlemen of the Club. This is a worthy successor to its wonderfully reviewed predecessor, Mrs. Roberto.

An aspect of dying in opera, rarely observed or commented on, is Sudden Unexpected Death. There are many deaths in this melodramatic genre: most follow expected causes like murder, suicide, or old age. This book explores those deaths which occur without obvious natural causes. These are often central to the overall drama of the opera, representing denouements forming the epiphany of the story and the apotheosis for the audience. The book identifies 50 operas where such events occur, exploring the role of the dramatis personae, the circumstances of their dying, and specific themes that emerge. These include a preponderance of females, especially in the 19th century, who die mainly at the end of the operas, often in the context of tragedy. It charts the growing awareness in the medical sciences of the unconscious forces driving human behaviour, including liminal mental states and trances, which influenced these operas and continue to affect human behaviour to the present day. In addition, the changing philosophies that are intertwined with operatic narratives, in particular stemming from Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, are important in the book’s exegesis, as is the special role of Wagner’s compositions. This leads to the exploration of recurrent concepts such as the Liebestod, the ewig Weibliche and redemption itself.

Includes music.