The Toughest Show on Earth: My Rise and Reign at the Metropolitan Opera
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.91 (630 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1400096758 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-01-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Joseph Volpe was born in Brooklyn. . He joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1964 and was its general manager for sixteen years. He collaborated with Robert Evans on The Kid Stays in the Picture and was coauthor with Peter Duchin of Ghost of a Chance. He lives in New York City with his wife, the former ballet dancer Jean Anderson Volpe, and their daughter.Charles Michener was senior editor for cultural affairs at Newsweek and senior editor at T
The Toughest Show on Earth is the ultimate behind-the-scenes chronicle of the divas and the dramas of New York’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.
evensong said A classic American success story. My husband and I are both avid opera buffs(He is a chorus member and I am a supernuminary for a regional opera company)and Italian Americans. We found Volpe's story of how he worked his way up from a(not so)humble carpenter building sets at the Metropolitan Opera to actually running one of the world's most famous opera houses, a very interesting and inspiring read. It makes one belive that with hard work, perseverence and passion, one can still work their way to the top in virtually any profession.. Thumbs-up for Brecht; thumbs-down for Streep Doc Opera This documentary does a good job of providing an overview of the aims, theories and greatness of the iconoclastic German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. As a music professional with only cursory familiarity with Brecht, I found it useful toward that end. Unfortunately, I also found myself greatly annoyed by the performance of the celebrated actress Meryl Streep. Her approach to the title role of "Mother Courage" is so mannered and "actor-y" that I grew impatient. I have enjoyed Ms. Streep in other projects, but here I thought she was miscast, which surprised me.. Kristin S. Orlando said A Fun Tell All. A fun tell all book with lots of engaging stories for anyone in the theatre. He really includes all of the gorey details about life behind the scenes at the Met. A fun read.
“Engaging delightful A classic American success story.” —The New York Times“This engaging volume will delight readers for whom opera is not only an art but also an endless fount of good gossip. A rarity–one of those much-ballyhooed ‘insider books’ that actually delivers the goods.” —The Washington Post Book World“Fascinating. Volpe’s story has the golden glow of the American dream.” —The New York Sun“A gripping journey of personal and professional discovery.” —Opera News