The Metropolitan has stood among the grandest of opera companies since its birth in 1883. Tracing the offstage/onstage workings of this famed New York institution; Charles Affron and Mirella Jona Affron tell how the Met became and remains a powerful actor on the global cultural scene. In this first new history of the company in thirty years; each of the chronologically sequenced chapters surveys a composer or a slice of the repertoire and brings to life dominant personalities and memorable performances of the time. From the opening night Faust to the recent controversial production of Wagnerrsquo;s "Ring;" Grand Opera is a remarkable account of management and audience response to the push and pull of tradition and reinvention. Spanning the decades between the Gilded Age and the age of new media; this story of the Met concludes by tipping its hat to the hugely successful "Live in HD" simulcasts and other twenty-first-century innovations. Grand Operarsquo;s appeal extends far beyond the large circle of opera enthusiasts. Drawing on unpublished documents from the Metropolitan Opera Archives; reviews; recordings; and much more; this richly detailed book looks at the Met in the broad context of national and international issues and events.
#3734399 in eBooks 2014-07-29 2014-07-29File Name: B00M8QGOMM
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. this isnt bad; it just relies too heavily on interviews with ...By tremspeedIf youre going to read one book about Sonic Youth; let it be Goodbye 20th Century. If youre going to read every book about SY; this isnt bad; it just relies too heavily on interviews with a couple of B-players in the SY story; as well as the authors own interviews. Its definitely better than Confusion is Next; which for a long time was the only book about SY there was. Now we have a handful; including a good 33 1/3rd; two books by Kim Gordon; Lees tour diaries; and so on. Hardcore fans will find something in all of these books; including this one.0 of 9 people found the following review helpful. BURNIN CHEERBy gcdi remember the days of listenin ta da youth and findin meaning in the subtle exuberence of a melody that droned on for 20 minutes. then i read a book about them that confirmed the worse. no more.
