IN this age of director-driven opera, the original context of the work is rarely considered, either because it is unknown, forgotten or ignored. It is our loss, says Mark A. Radice, a professor of music, history and literature at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He lays out his argument in a novel and enlightening way in Opera in Context--Essays on Historical Staging from the Late Renaissance to the Time of Puccini. It's a collection of 10 essays; Radice contributed one and edited ...