The Toughest Show on Earth is the ultimate behind-the-scenes chronicle of the divas and the dramas of New Yorkrsquo;s Metropolitan Opera House; by the remarkable man who rose from apprentice carpenter to general manager.Joseph Volpe gives us an anecdote-filled tour of more than four decades at the Met; an institution full of vast egos and complicated politics. With stunning candor; he writes about the general managers he worked under; his embattled rise to the top; the maneuverings of the blue-chip board; and his masterful approach to making a family of such artist-stars as Luciano Pavarotti; Placido Domingo; Teresa Stratas; and Renee Fleming; and such visionary directors as Franco Zeffirelli; Robert Wilson; and Julie Taymor. Intimate and frank; The Toughest Show on Earth is not only essential for music lovers; but for anyone who wants to understand the inner workings of the culture business.From the Trade Paperback edition.
#404457 in eBooks 2009-11-11 2009-11-11File Name: B002WJM5KU
Review
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful. Good and thorough if a bit uncriticalBy B. I SIMPSONIve always liked the music of Yes. and this is a good. informative book with a lot of information and a massive amount of interviews with all the members of the band. past and present.The major "problem" with the book is that Mr. Welch is clearly a fan of the band. and the writing tends to be geared more toward a press release. with very little critical view of either the personalities or the music. Almost every album is mooted as "their best yet." and highlights of the various songs are then presented. Each musician to come and go is praised for contributing. but rarely is that contribution put much into the context of what "Yes music" might all be about. and whether that contribution was really what the band needed. Someone left. someone came in to replace him. and its all to the good.Yess music has always been very forward-looking. life-affirming. spiritual and positive. so its entirely possible that all the members are just wondrous chaps who delight in each others respective companies. but the various cracks and hints here and there argue that it isnt always so. None of these cracks. hints and arguments are explored with any great depth; we do hear about Rick Wakemans disappointment with "Topographic Oceans" and the fact that no one--no one--seemed to like the "Union" album. Bill Brufords frustration with the Yes direction is explored. and though Jon Anderson was sometimes referred to as a "Hitler" or a "Napoleon" theres not a lot here why people would call him that--he comes across as a nice guy who wants the music to be good. (Who would object to the music being good?) Otherwise they just meshed perfectly and created the "Yes sound" each and every time.I dont want to sound too critical of this book; its well written. I enjoyed it and it is remarkably thorough as a history of the band and its fortunes. Mr. Welch was there when many of the events in Yess career actually happened. so theres no third-hand filter. It just seems a little too smooth. a little too hesitant to probe. a little too much like a bio a record company might release in advance of a tour.Recommended for its impressive arsenal of facts. insider knowledge and interviews with a band thats always seemed very private. even when they were conquering the world.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. averageBy keith richardsIm a YES fan of many years. hence downloading the e-version. I didnt enjoy the constant eulogising of each album individual tracks. I would have preferred more about the individuals. and there were many. their lives and interactions.This e-book needs proof reading to resolve the countless errors where words are sp lit. Annoying isnt it?Overall I enjoyed the book and would suggest if youre a Yes fan. give it a go.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is really terrible writing. Its all over the place with sequence ...By slipjigThis is really terrible writing. Its all over the place with sequence and he keeps repeating things with slightly different wording. Was there even an editor? Lots of typos too. He keeps trying to sound clever and ends up misusing words. Theres no excuse. everyone has access to dictionaries. Really clunky stuff and the awful puns on lyrics are annoying. Nothing particularly revealing in terms of the info you get in this book too. It would be nice to see a good book about Yes but this isnt it.
