Losing the Plot In Opera

The world of opera is a mystery to some and a comedy to others, but it is deadly serious to the people who live and breathe it. Opera conductor Brian Castles-Onion has seen opera from all sides, and in this book steps back to reflect on the great operas and on the people who bring them to the stage. He offers lighthearted accounts of some of the best-known operas, spiced with anecdotes and behind-the-scenes gossip, as well as his impressions of the famous stereotypes of the operatic world: emotional sopranos, bitchy tenors, incompetent choruses and rebellious orchestras.

The operas may be tragic, but Brian’s re-tellings of ‘Tosca’, ‘La Bohème’, ‘Turnandot’, ‘Carmen’, ‘Madama Butterfly’, ‘La Traviata’ and more are hilarious — and strangely informative. The specialised worlds of Wagner and Gilbert & Sullivan do not escape his acid wit, and he also casts a wary eye over some of his fellow-conductors. Altogether, this is a book that will delight both the seasoned opera buff and the opera virgin: settle in your armchair and prepare to be entertained.


Brian Castles-Onion is one of Australia’s most exciting and best-known conductors. He has worked with Opera Australia for many years and has made regular appearances throughout Asia, New Zealand and elsewhere. His operatic repertoire is enormous, and with his witty stand-up style, he is in high demand as a compere and conductor for such major events as Opera in the Park and Opera in the Vineyards. He has also made recital and concert appearances as conductor and pianist for Kiri Te Kanawa, Sumi Jo, Pacido Domingo, José Carreras, Geraldine Turner and other international celebrities. Brian’s reputation as an international recording artist, record producer, orchestral arranger and broadcaster is legendary and he has appeared in cabaret in New York, Berlin, London and throughout Australasia. He is also a regular pianist/presenter on ABC children’s television ‘Play School’ — a position he adores!