Seraglio palace, the other (in the sense of enclosure for wild animals) from Late Latin: "", derived from "serare", to close, which comes from "sera", a door-bar. In the context of the "turquerie" fashion, the seraglio became the subject of works of art, the most famous perhaps being Mozart's Singspiel, "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"). In Montesquieu's "Persian Letters", one of the main characters, a Persian from the city of Isfahan, is described as an occupant of a seraglio. "The Seraglio" may refer specifically to the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the former Ottoman Sultans in
Robert Lloyd (bass) period 1988-2008. He has sung leading roles at Glyndebourne and with other British opera companies, and has appeared in major opera houses throughout the world. He sings roles in British, German, Italian, French and Russian works (Claggart and Superintendent Budd in Benjamin Britten's "Billy Budd" and "Albert Herring", the Priest and Angel of Agony in Edward Elgar's "The Dream of Gerontius"; Sarastro in "The Magic Flute", Osmin in "The Abduction from the Seraglio", Rocco in "Fidelio", Seneca in "The Coronation of Poppea", Gurnemanz in "Parsifal", Fasolt in "Das Rheingold"; Don Basilio in "The Barber of Seville", Fiesco in "Simon Boccanegra",