If the opera world is full of ldquo;intrigue; double meanings; and devious dramatics;rdquo; then no place exemplifies this more than the world-famous Metropolitan Opera; where politics; ambition; and oversized egos have traditionally taken center stage along with some of the worldrsquo;s richest music. Drawing on her fifteen years as its press representative; Johanna Fiedler explodes the traditional secrecy that surrounds the Met in this wonderfully entertaining account of its tumuluous history.Fiedler chronicles the Metrsquo;s early days as a home for legends like Toscanini; Mahler; and Caruso; and gives a fascinating account of the middle years when haughty blue-bloods battled stubborn adminstrators for control of a company that would emerge as Americarsquo;s premiere opera house. She takes us behind the grand gold-curtain stage in more recent years as well; showing how musical superstars like Luciano Pavarotti; Plaacute;cido Domingo; and Kathleen Battle have electrified performances and scandalized the public. But most revelatory are Fiedlerrsquo;s portrayals of James Levine and Joseph Volpe and their practically parallel ascendanciesmdash;Levine rising from prodigy to artistic director; Volpe advancing from stagehand to general managermdash;and their once strained relationship. Weaving together the personal; economic; and artistic struggles that characterize the Metrsquo;s long and vibrant history; Molto Agitato is a must-read saga of power; wealth; and; above all; great music.From the Trade Paperback edition.
#906758 in eBooks 2003-09-09 2003-09-09File Name: B000FBJAR8
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Must readBy TanaiaMy boyfriend recommended this book and I was hooked. I love the ending and the story plot.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Read it for yourselfBy Chaniqua C.Got for my boyfriend and he loves this book; he has read it before and lost his first copy so I purchased him another3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. One of the best books I have ever readBy MatthewI want to commend Heru for his novel. I just finished the book and I feel emotionally attached to it. The last time I have ever felt an attachment to a piece such as this was a novel I read in my "Crime and Punishment in American Literature" class. I did not have much knowledge of the hip-hop industry; but now I think I have a better understanding. I think however that the back cover of the novel is misleading; but in a good way. After reading this novel to just simply say it is a love story really does not capture how magnificient this story is. Micah to me is the most interesting character. I believe he is the Flawless Erika fell in love with. As flawless kept saying in repsonse to Micah "this name"; he never acknowledged him as a person when he was around or when Erika was explaining her love for him; I think his character was not meant for human existence but rather for a loving spirit that took on likeness to Flawless. I respect Hannibal the most; and I fell in love with Flawless. Truely an excellent book; much success in the future with the movie. Might I suggest DMX to play Hannibals character?