Sarah Caldwell : the first woman of opera / Daniel Kessler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kessler, Daniel, 1934-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Caldwell, Sarah, 1924-2006.

Caldwell, Sarah.

Conductors (Music)--United States--Biography.

Conductors (Music).

Opera producers and directors.

United States.

Opera producers and directors--United States--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

vii, 317 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2008.

Summary:

Sarah Caldwell: The First Woman of Opera is the first biography of this significant musician, conductor, and director, documenting Ms. Caldwell's genius as an indomitable force for opera in America. Caldwell mounted many U.S. premieres and brought rare editions of standard works to her audiences. At the height of her career, she raised her baton over four of the top five orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and conducted orchestras in such places as Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Antonio, Atlanta, Mexico City, and Puerto Rico. She conducted ensembles in Canada, Sweden, South Africa, and Russia; was a musical director for Wolf Trap; and was the first woman to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera. She founded the renowned Opera Company of Boston, as well as the outreach effort Opera New England and a nationwide touring enterprise, the American National Opera Company. Caldwell's undeniable zeal was evident in whatever she undertook, and her accomplishments invite reflection, showing what an opera company could and should be in America.

Daniel Kessler presents Sarah Caldwell's life in flashbacks and explores her 1978 landmark production of Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale, which serves as a prime example of how she engaged with her creative muse. He describes her personal and professional life, including her experience with the impresario Boris Goldovsky, her ability to create her own brand of "stage wizardry," and her moments of overreaching and hubris, such as her unorthodox fundraising methods and her experience with Imelda Marcos. Complete with several illustrations, a bibliography, an index, and the comprehensive annals of her three opera companies, Sarah Caldwell demonstrates what one person of genius, imagination, and passion can accomplish single-handedly.

Contents:

Sarah Caldwell, Boston finale

The early years

Sarah, the improviser

Getting the show on the stage

Sarah, the musicologist

The golden years

Sarah, touring, and the ANOC

The nomadic years

More feats of derring-do

Seizing the moment : Opera New England

Working with Sarah

Other artistic worlds to conquer

A home, at last

Sarah and the Imelda Marcos connection

Understanding Sarah

Sarah's indian summer

Sarah in exile

Sarah the enigma.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-304) and index.

ISBN:

9780810859470

0810859475

9780810861107

0810861100

OCLC:

181072621