Description:
According to Peter Davis, music critic for New York magazine and author of The American Opera Singer, American opera singers have always faced somewhat of an uphill battle in their quest for artistic recognition. Opera has never been an art form that Americans considered their own, and thus a repertory of pieces written and performed in English are few and far between; add to this the problems early opera pioneers had in finding appropriate vocal coaching, familiarizing themselves with a wide variety of languages and musical styles, and overcoming a peculiarly American aversion to stage performers, and you can see that--for aspiring opera stars--singing in America has truly been a challenge. The American Opera Singer is a combination history and critique: Davis first traces the evolution of opera in North America and then comments on its practice today. Throughout the book he artfully limns the larger-than-life personalities of such stars as Beverly Sills, Frederica Von Stade, Leontyne Price, and Richard Tucker in entertaining, perceptive prose. For opera lovers of any nationality, The American Opera Singer makes for a stimulating reading experience.
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