Descriptions of the major houses in Munich, Vienna, Venice, Milan, Parma,
Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Genoa, Turin, Paris, and London.
The approach is historical but popular (no footnotes). It is a pleasant introduc-
tion to many of opera’s greatest homes. With 13 illustrations, bibliography,
and index.- Krause, Ernst. Die grossen Opernbühnen Europas.Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1966.
251p. ML1720 .K73.
A photo album of halls in Berlin, Vienna, Milan, Rome, Venice, Paris, London,
Glyndebourne, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw,
Stockholm, Zurich, Barcelona, Munich, Dresden, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Frank-
furt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Bayreuth, Salzburg, and Halle. Most of the
views are exteriors, but some are scenes from productions. Index of persons
and opera titles. - Beauvert, Thierry. Opera Houses of the World. Trans. Daniel Sheeler. New
York: Vendome, 1996. 277p. ISBN 2-8766-0004.8. ML1700 .B27.
A splendidly illustrated coffee-table book, showing views of 50 theaters. Many
floor plans, cross sections, and accounts of construction. Also miscellaneous
facts (including quite a few errors) and chronologies. Much space goes to
singers. With no documentation and a weak index. The author is director of
exhibitions and publications, Bastille Opéra, Paris. - Burian, Karel Vladimir. Svetová operní divadla. Prague: Supraphon, 1973.
222p. ML1700 .B935.
Although the Czech language may present a barrier, this is a useful gathering
of facts and pictures (59 plates) on the world’s opera houses. Dimensions, his-
tory, and persons associated with 149 theaters are given, in city sequence.
Index of names and theaters. - Sachs, Edwin O., and Ernest A. Woodrow. Modern Opera Houses and The-
atres.London: Batsford, 1896–1898. 3v. Reprint, New York: Benjamin Blom, - NA6821 .S22.
Two volumes review the architectural history and dimensions of important
19th-century structures in Europe; the final volume is a treatise on theater
planning and construction, with attention to stage machinery. Cities covered
are Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Dresden, Halle, Berlin, Bayreuth, Worms, Lon-
don, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Bristol, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Stock-
holm, Odesssa, Tiflis, Leningrad, Paris, Monte Carlo, Palermo, Milan, Turin,
Bilbao, Salzburg, Laibach, Frankfurt, Rostock, Essen, Bromberg, Stratford-
on-Avon, Leeds, Cambridge, Athens, Rotterdam, Bucharest, Geneva, and
Zurich. Photographs and plans, index. - Zietz, Karyl Lynn. Opera! The Guide to Western Europe’s Great Houses.
Santa Fe, N. Mex.: J. Muir, distributed by Norton, 1991. vi, 287p. ISBN
0-945465-81-5. ML1720 .Z53.
Covers 92 theaters, giving historical background and current directory infor-
mation. Seating plans are shown, with other material of interest to persons
planning to attend a performance.
32 Opera