I really appreciated the quality of this book. Mr. Davis presents American singers in such a way that encouraged me to stick with the book and read the passages carefully. I carried it with me everywhere for three weeks, genuinely excited to read story after story. What I like the best is that I did not feel for a moment that he was insulting my intelligence as a reader (like lots of popular books on opera do) but rather...
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Peter G. Davis' definition of "American" in this volume is quite broad, encompassing singers born abroad who made a significant contribution to the American operatic scene, as well as native-born artists who, for one reason or another, spent much of their artistic lives overseas. Thus, he discusses singers as diverse as Callas and Sills, Astrid Varnay and Helen Traubel, Claire Watson and Roland Hayes. With singers whose most...
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This book is not for the faint-hearted, nor is it for those who cannot abide anything other than unadulterated praise for their pet singers. Peter G. Davis has long been one of most brutal, but often insightful, of American critics, as those who read "New York" magazine will know. Both the brutality and the insight are on display here.Davis provides a fascinating and comprehensive review of the "American" singer - which...
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This book provides both the seasoned opera fan and newcomer the inside information on the stars of American Opera. It's comprehensive, funny and thought provoking.The only additions I can recommend would be the inclusion of a glossary of opera terminology, placement of the photos near the stories and a cronology of American opera singers (listing) by their career dates and birth/death dates.Highly recommend this for...
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It is generous of Mr. Dizikes to review this book so favorably, since his own (Opera in America) is so much better. Nevertheless, the focus of the two is different. Dizikes focuses on institutions, Davis on individual singers. The popular press has overplayed Davis's assessment of today's singers (less than 100 pages). It's a solid history by one who has listened carefully to many records and read (it appears) every contemporary...
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