More on Bel Canto
Tracked down an analysis of the novel in sparknotes which refers to the operatic links
also mentions Rusalka references - as I don't know the work I hadn't picked up on this one in my suggestions
Opera suffuses Bel Canto, the title of which comes from opera and means “beautiful song.” Roxanne Coss sings, Tetsuya Kato accompanies her, and a star is born in the person of Cesar, who has an angelic voice. Opera connects the characters in the novel, giving them a source of joy during their captivity. The novel borrows its structure from operas, which typically feature beautiful scenes and songs and end in tragedy. Like operas, Bel Canto is about an idyllic world eventually shattered by death.