Top C-Turvy: An Olla Podrida of Opera Anecdotes : AuthorHouse UK : 9781728387796 : 1728387795 : 05 Jun 2019 : Covent Garden 1947. After acknowledging the applause following her spectacular debut performance of Salome, Bulgarian soprano Ljuba Welitsch made her way back to her dressing-room. As she was changing her costume there came a knock on the door: a small group of male admirers had gathered outside to pay their compliments. Taken completely by surprise the startled diva, whose English at the time was, to say the least, somewhat limited, called out: "Don't come in yet poys: I'm still dressed!" It's anecdotes like these that add sparkle and fun to the topsy-turvy world of opera - hence the title. The author has spent about three years collecting more than three hundred anecdotes about operas, singers, composers, conductors and impresarios. Arranged from A to Z for easy reference, the reader will find an amusing account of the man who, after seeing a performance of Aida in Parma,