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
Joan Carden sang a concert repertoire including Verdi's "Requiem", appearing with Sydney Philharmonia and other ensembles. Overseas, she sang Gilda ("Rigoletto") at Covent Garden in 1974, Donna Anna ("Don Giovanni") at the 1977 Glyndebourne Festival (in the production by Sir Peter Hall) and with the Metropolitan Opera in 1978. Her American debut, however, was as Amenaide with the Houston Grand Opera opposite Marilyn Horne in Rossini's "Tancredi". She also appeared as Constanza ("The Abduction from the Seraglio") with Scottish Opera in 1978. In 1980, she performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She sang the four