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Article Published: 13 Oct 2026

Anthony Roth Costanzo’s autobiography and a live Breaking the Waves among opera’s newest books and recordings

A compilation of new books and recordings from the opera field in 2026.
Books

Countertenor
Farrar, Straus and Giroux: Oct. 27; $30

Author and star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo explores the history of this rare voice type, sharing autobiographical details along the way.

Authors Michael Webb and Thomas Aujero Small provide a stunningly illustrated tour of 80 of Europe’s leading concert halls.

This collection, edited by Jingyi Zhang, captures a range of first-hand perspectives from practicing operatic composers, librettists, directors, and others.

The Republic of Love: Opera and Political Freedoms
Oxford University Press: April 16; $30

Philosopher and author Martha C. Nussbaum explores opera’s contributions to political thought, beginning with the works of Mozart and Verdi and finishing with Jake Heggie.

Sensorium Ex: An Opera in Verse
(Knopf: July 21; $22)

Librettist and poet Brenda Shaughnessy distills her libretto for the opera Sensorium Ex (composer Paola Prestini) in script format, preserving the opera’s dystopian tale of an all-consuming AI.

Recordings

Breaking the Waves
Houston Grand Opera/LSO Live: Aug. 6; Houston Grand Opera; Missy Mazzoli, composer; Royce Vavrek, librettist

Captured from the work’s 2025 run in Houston, this opera is based on the film by Lars von Trier, which explores tensions between religious dogma and personal sacrifice.


Complications in Sue
BCM+D: Aug. 21; Opera Philadelphia; Multiple composers; Michael R. Jackson, librettist

Complications in Sue unfolds in 10 vignettes, each set in a different decade in the life of the main character, named Sue, performed by cabaret icon Justin Vivian Bond.  


What Belongs to You
Bright Shiny Things: June 26; Alarm Will Sound; David T. Little, composer and librettist

Composer David T. Little penned both the music and libretto for What Belongs to You, based on the award-winning novel by Garth Greenwell about the search for self and a desire to belong.


Leonardo Vinci: Artaserse
Cedille: March 13; Haymarket Opera; Leonardo Vinci, composer; Pietro Metastasio, librettist

Haymarket Opera’s studio recording of Artaserse details a deadly royal conspiracy in ancient Persia that pits family members against one another.