The Toughest Show on Earth
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4.3 • 4 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this brash, captivating memoir, Volpe, the Metropolitan Opera's outgoing general manager, writes, "o be a successful leader in an opera house, you sometimes have to behave operatically." The son of a men's clothing maker, Volpe rose from being a carpenter's apprentice making scenery in 1963 to preside over the Met a few decades later. He describes a learning curve powered by ambition, shaped by mentors such as Rudolph Bing and bent by infamous conflicts, most notably with diva Kathleen Battle, whom Volpe fired. Along the way, Volpe impresses readers with numbers (the main stage of the Met is 100 feet wide, for instance), and he portrays himself as a problem-solving David overcoming various Goliaths of snobbery, budgets and ego, aiming only to keep the Met successful and solvent. It's a cagey, entertaining strategy that allows him to sound off on topics ranging from Lincoln Center politics and the particular difficulties of staging a production to the current state of the arts in America. Volpe focuses on his achievements and his relationships with artists like Pavarotti and gives short shrift to his home life, marriages (two failed) and family, while concluding that "making opera is a job for the human spirit." Photos.
Customer Reviews
Boring and slow read
Instead of allowing the reader into the many intriguing backstage events, star personalities and operas, Mr. Volpe gives a labored account of his many achievements during his long career at the Met. While well written, his life and professional story aren't interesting. I expected to read about his encounters with the stars of the stage and the many controversial events that have made the Met what it is. He only scantly touches on a few singers but even then it's all very general.
If the technicalities and budget issues and labor union trials of running the Met are a point of interest to anymore then this will be a good book but for most, who are purchasing this for a deeper insight into the stars and events that define the house, this will be a slow, tedious and uninspiring read.