American Aria: From Farm Boy to Opera Star

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Opera that makes us want more.
Review: A touching portrait of life and career. We have to focus more on what has not been said, especially on the feelings hidden in-between-lines. The chapters about childhood and farming background, successfully build an ambience that allows the reader to learn more about him and feel closer. Milnes is just politically correct where it regards to his marriages and family. The Opera anecdotes are insightful and, by offering them, the book gets quite attractive not only to fans, but to the regular Opera lovers. To fans, it offers the chance to "hear" more from Milnes after a long "drought". The reason why I started listening to Opera here in Brazil was because of the popularization of the genre which came with the tenors' many audio recordings since the 1970's. The reason why I love Opera has much more to do with Sherrill Milnes. I never managed to see him on stage (as he himself never saw Warren). During my visits to the Met, I always failed to get to see him perform. Finding new or old recordings, even in New York, proved to be difficult as well since the late 1980's. I had but a few news about him, who used to be claimed the "leading baritone in the World" and I wondered... I heard about illness. Even early RCA recordings were discontinued while many others from poorer performers could still be found. The book, then, becomes a strong emotional opportunity to fill in the many blanks of explanations searched for years, if not really all of them! Now I learned why Milnes is not at the Centennial Gala Concert or why we don't have until Today a good Video of "Rigoletto" (don't talk about Mr. Wixell, please...), since Milnes couldn't make the 1981 scheduled TV performance. It is true that his ego (and he is certainly forgiven to have one) prevents him from really acknowledging some of the deterioration of his vocal talents since the 1980's as a result of the several subsequent broken capillaries and two laser surgeries, the reason why his voice seemed to turn somehow smaller. If one goes through his video "live" performances in chronological order, it is not difficult to notice that. From a wonderful "Ernani" in 1983, to a correct "Fanciulla" in 1992, we can see his voice sounding progressively tired and always a little hoarse, getting more and more difficult to hear than the rest of the cast, as Milnes seems to try to pump more air up his pipes. His Amonasro in "Aida", 1989 is already less than perfect, especially when you used to listen to the duet in the early RCA recording with Leontyne Price. The big Milnes is always there, but you can no longer avoid thinking of the past. Milnes should comprehend, not forgive, the critic who wrote the "Limelight fades..." article in 1994. I myself, as big a fan as can be could no longer prevent from thinking of the "old indestructible Milnes". Just one word to Sherrill Milnes: "Don't worry that whole much! It doesn't really matter! What you gave us for so many years - and still do, as technology is here to stay - was bigger-than-life singing and the World is grateful to you...You ARE the best!!!" As the 1978 Lincoln Center concert of the Rachmaniniff's Concert #3 with Horowitz was released after the success of the movie "Shine", who knows, though it may involve more agents and artists, Milnes's book won't encourage Video producers to engage in negotiating and releasing some of the old Met simulcasts on Video? Who wouldn't want to see and hear Milnes' Tonio in "Pagliacci" again, or Iago, or Miller in Verdi's "Luisa Miller"? We'd just love to see that: Milnes at his best! There are frustrating unanswered questions, though! Maybe the book was written too soon after the insensitive way the Met refused him, that Milnes was not prepared to talk about some issues. Milnes tells us about having new roles (Falstaff, for instance) and exploring the rest of his career to the best of it, but sometimes he sounds as if it has ended as a singer... what really happened since 1997? What were the reactions of the Met fellow artists to this book? Did they came to discuss the Met dismissal situation more openly?... Jim Levine for example? How supportive was Domingo? Milnes sang a lot on stage and studio with Domingo... he writes about many of his friends and colleagues along the book... Domingo has no special place there. A few shallow words. There are Domingo's comments on the back-cover, but it really seems that he never read the book. It is simply not natural. What really happened to this long-time fellow singers who many times referred to each other as friends? In spite of Kemplerer's back-cover comments, Milnes never sang at La Scala. Not that I know of. There is no explanation to it all over the book! Won't we ever have the chance to know the answers to those questions? Who knows Mr. Milnes or his publishers won't read this review and use Amazon.com to clarify us? I sincerely hope so to hear from Sherrill Milnes again.

Rating:
Summary: An American Divo
Review: As a bass-baritone singer, I came to this book wanting to learn from it as much as I have learned from his Met performances and Master classes at Juilliard. And the book does not let you down in that regard at all. In many ways it can be seen being even more exclusive in its readership solicitation than one would expect; written for the professional singer even more than just the opera buff. The anecdotes and informative stories about the perils and joys of a career on the rise, the things a singer must know but can't learn in the studio, the sacrifices made for a lasting art, the joy of being in a safe, supportive place to learn your craft, and of course the funny stories about the legends of the business, keep you turning the page.

Unfortunately there are times where I felt as if I am reading a story so specifically designed to highlight certain areas of his life- or to put his life in its entirety in a narrow, safe-for-discussion context- that he wrote it with the same preconceptions of a professor writing a college textbook. It's as if he made a point of not making it literary or dramatically potent to prove a point and to be honest when, as an opera singer, he knows that more often than not in drama is where the real spiritual truths are. At first I figured it is simply his personality to be so deadpan in print when I read some of what he glossed over like a journalist writing headlines, combined with having no intention of being a professional writer of novels or anything else; just wanting to tell his story. But so many fascinating and illuminating events in his life- and the corresponding psychology of the man that had to produce most of them- were summed up in sentences and paragraphs, where they could have and probably should have bloomed into pages and chapters. Again, as a singer I couldn't stop reading about his perception of various operatic roles and his performances of them, and how events in his life were put to use by him in them. But as a man, who has had failed relationships before for reasons both related and unrelated to being a performing artist, he had to tell me more than he just grew apart from both of his wives over time to keep me interested. (I have to admit though, the story of his young son seeing him do an ELIJAH with symphony orchestra soon after he and his wife's divorce, and the child, overwhelmed with pride, love and grief over his absence yelled to him, "Why won't you come home?", broke my heart.) In other words, one of the overarching themes of the book, along with his love of music, his love of women that is not out of control but is almost as powerful, and the obvious subtitle of his rise out of the farm to the houses of Paris, La Scala, Covent Garden, Vienna, and of course the Met, is one that seems to be unstated but equally there. And that for me was unsettling: his unwillingness in life still to subject himself completely to the revealing of the actual architecture of his soul, in both its beauty and ugliness, to gain a greater wisdom and understanding of who he has been and still, with the same voice he had in 1975 or not, singularly is. To some degree he hides his truest self behind the music and career that has revealed him. God only knows what roles he took early on in his career and the perofmance and rehearsal habits that over many years could have built up and contributed to his unexpected vocal trauma in the eighties. We'll never know. God only knows what kind of husband he must have been during the traumatic times he talks about, and during his rise to success beforehand, and if there were any affairs with any of the many great sopranos and mezzos he has workes with. We'll really- unless his ex-wives, God help us, decide to write tell-all books- never know. And God only knows what other personalities within each of his wives he had to contend with before the divorces, as very often women without a recognizable talent that their families would support (or the world would forgive their strange issues for) are attracted to men with similiar issues but an unkillable talent and spirit to match, and find themselves overtaken with envy instead of unconditional love when the honeymoon is over. God only knows which of all his many operatic roles performed he secretly relates to the most. The effect the above forces alone can have on an artist's self-expression, and his emotional/spiritual/professional life, is the stuff of legend. And regardless of what National Enquirer thinking may lead us to believe about their validity, they are extremely important parts of an artist's life story, if it is to be told. He in large part left them out, in such a way as to say to me that they and their implications are known by him implicitly, but left out purposely.

Sherrill I'm sure tried his best to keep it from sounding like a tell-all, Hollywood dish-the-dirt biography that wouldn't be worth a damn. AMERICAN ARIA doesn't devolve into that at any time, as far as I'm concerned. But he took too much of his Verdian baritone personality out of it, and played it too safe when speaking of his personal emotional issues the difficult and unexpectedly joyous moments in his development and professional life, and the dramas they- as they do to all of us- made out of his existence. And of course, how he overcame them all to create, WITH them (and his craftsmanship), as opposed to vice versa, the superstardom and honorable life he has lived...

Rating:
Summary: Opera and the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate
Review: For about two-thirds of its length, this biography is neither better nor worse that most books of its ilk: so-so writing, episodic organization, lots of anecdotes (what we opera lovers really read these books for), a generous treatment of most colleagues, and a sympathetic portrait of the author.

What sets this book apart, and what makes it truly compelling, is the searing honesty of the chapters dealing with Milnes' vocal crisis in the early 1980's. I don't recall another operatic biography that conveys so vividly the panic, confusion and fear of a singer confronted with the sudden loss of The Voice. No doubt every opera singer's worst nightmare is to wake up one morning - or worse yet, to be in the middle of a performance - and find that The Voice has simply gone. This is exactly what happened to Milnes, at the peak of his career as the finest Verdi baritone of his generation, the successor to Tibbett, Warren and Merrill. Milnes takes us through the entire traumatic experience: the sudden onset of vocal problems, the initial confusion and panic, the search for explanation and diagnosis (a recurring hemmorhagic capillary on the underside of the vocal cords), and the long and arduous process of recovery. Milnes also shows the insidious operation of the operatic rumor mill, which in his case included reports that he had throat cancer and was being treated for it at Sloan-Kettering. (I remember hearing this rumor back in 1981, when I was working at the Dallas Opera.)

Milnes' book shows how fragile is the career of even the most established and renowned of singers. As a result of his vocal crisis, Milnes had to cancel numerous performances. This, combined with the false rumors being spread about his condition, quickly led to a reputation in the profession for unreliabilty and a consequent falling-off of engagements and recordings. This, in turn, led to fewer opportunities to show that he could still sing well and magnified "off" nights into major mishaps. His relationship with the Metropolitan Opera, once so solid, was damaged and never really recovered. One of the most painful chapters in the book chronicles the deterioration of his relationship with the Met. To many outside the profession, it seems incredible that in the space of just a few years, a singer can go from being an established star of the Met to persona non grata in that same house, unable to secure even token engagements. The callousness with which Milnes appears to have been treated by the Met management is infuriating, especially in light of the fact that there was not exactly a long line of outstanding Verdi baritones to replace him. But it reflects a reality of the opera business, which is frequently unsentimental, unkind and ruthless. A singer is only as good as his last few performances.

In the end, one comes away from this book with a deeper appreciation of those who give us opera lovers so many memorable evenings of great singing, but whose fame and career depend entirely on (as Marilyn Horne put it) a tiny piece of gristle in the throat. No wonder some of them sometimes act a bit crazy. It could all vanish overnight, thanks to the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate.

Rating:
Summary: Opera and the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate
Review: For about two-thirds of its length, this biography is neither better nor worse that most books of its ilk: so-so writing, episodic organization, lots of anecdotes (what we opera lovers really read these books for), a generous treatment of most colleagues, and a sympathetic portrait of the author.

What sets this book apart, and what makes it truly compelling, is the searing honesty of the chapters dealing with Milnes' vocal crisis in the early 1980's. I don't recall another operatic biography that conveys so vividly the panic, confusion and fear of a singer confronted with the sudden loss of The Voice. No doubt every opera singer's worst nightmare is to wake up one morning - or worse yet, to be in the middle of a performance - and find that The Voice has simply gone. This is exactly what happened to Milnes, at the peak of his career as the finest Verdi baritone of his generation, the successor to Tibbett, Warren and Merrill. Milnes takes us through the entire traumatic experience: the sudden onset of vocal problems, the initial confusion and panic, the search for explanation and diagnosis (a recurring hemmorhagic capillary on the underside of the vocal cords), and the long and arduous process of recovery. Milnes also shows the insidious operation of the operatic rumor mill, which in his case included reports that he had throat cancer and was being treated for it at Sloan-Kettering. (I remember hearing this rumor back in 1981, when I was working at the Dallas Opera.)

Milnes' book shows how fragile is the career of even the most established and renowned of singers. As a result of his vocal crisis, Milnes had to cancel numerous performances. This, combined with the false rumors being spread about his condition, quickly led to a reputation in the profession for unreliabilty and a consequent falling-off of engagements and recordings. This, in turn, led to fewer opportunities to show that he could still sing well and magnified "off" nights into major mishaps. His relationship with the Metropolitan Opera, once so solid, was damaged and never really recovered. One of the most painful chapters in the book chronicles the deterioration of his relationship with the Met. To many outside the profession, it seems incredible that in the space of just a few years, a singer can go from being an established star of the Met to persona non grata in that same house, unable to secure even token engagements. The callousness with which Milnes appears to have been treated by the Met management is infuriating, especially in light of the fact that there was not exactly a long line of outstanding Verdi baritones to replace him. But it reflects a reality of the opera business, which is frequently unsentimental, unkind and ruthless. A singer is only as good as his last few performances.

In the end, one comes away from this book with a deeper appreciation of those who give us opera lovers so many memorable evenings of great singing, but whose fame and career depend entirely on (as Marilyn Horne put it) a tiny piece of gristle in the throat. No wonder some of them sometimes act a bit crazy. It could all vanish overnight, thanks to the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate.

Rating:
Summary: An American Divo
Review: In 1965, I was 13. I was dragged kicking and screaming to the opera at the Old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Little did I know that evening would change my life. I saw Faust and the debut of two singers - Monserrat Caballe and Sherrill Milnes. Now I have to tell you, I didn't know much about voice at that time, but the young Milnes sure looked good to me! And when he sang Avant de Quitter ces Lieux - well, I was hooked. His voice was a remarkable thing. Terribly American in quality and that was a wonderful thing. Here was a big strapping lad from the Midwest, singing like an American and filling the house with a remarkable sound.

Okay, so this crush I had hasn't dwindled any since '65. I still have an infatuation for the guy. When his biography appeared I ran to the bookstore to buy a copy. I read it from cover to cover and (sigh) it's okay. I think I would rather Milnes wrote about technique or style. He is a wonderful teacher. I have seen several of his master classes and the difference he makes in just a few minutes of coaching is amazing.

Sherrill Milnes brought a sexiness to the opera stage. He gave America its first born and bred baritone (he had no European training). He legitimized the American-sounding voice. These are no minor accomplishments. What this stalwart fan would like is for him to share his knowledge about music. I have seen his Master Class video and the tape he made about Verdi. PBS should snatch him up and have him do a series on opera for young people, teaching singing maybe! That's what I'd love to see.

Rating:
Summary: The realities of the opera world as told by Sherrill Milnes
Review: In his exciting and mesmerizing biography, Sherrill Milnes candidly reveals the realities of the opera world, an environment which sometimes can be glamorous and wonderful, but it also can bring times of frustration, anger, and adversity. Having been fired from the Metropolitan Opera House without rhyme or reason has been the greatest injustice for him ever, since the Met was a place where he worked hard giving the best of his angelic, Orpheus' lyre-like voice for more than thirty years. To be honest, I'm very, very, very sick at heart at the way he has been treated by the Met, which is by no means fair, and I don't blame him for the way he expresses his feelings about it all, feelings that are impossible to conceal upon suffering such an injustice like that. Nevertheless, his angel-like voice will continue to be heard. I must point out that I have communicated with him before, and I hope I will soon have an opportunity to communicate with him again, for only one purpose: to let him know that I share his feelings at one-hundred percent since nine years ago I too suffered an injustice upon being fired from a promising job for banal, stupid reasons, which banned me from the employment world for almost two years. I would also tell him that if a door has closed in the professional aspect a thousand others will open, for his voice remains intact despite the vocal adversities during the decade of panic. In short, Sherrill Milnes has opened his heart to the whole wide world with his fine, enjoyable, easy-to-read book. P.S.: If I ruled the world, I would make the Metropolitan Opera House ready to receive Sherrill Milnes back with open arms!

Rating:
Summary: Not quite what it could have been
Review: Now that Sherrill Milnes' career is winding down after four decades, it appears that the long line of twentieth-century American baritones with the vocal amplitude and stamina to tackle the great Verdi roles (Lawrence Tibbett, Robert Merrill, Leonard Warren et al.) is indeed coming to an end.

Opera singer memoirs are a literary breed unto themselves. This one has many points of interest, especially early on. Milnes' recounting of his ancestry, youth, family and upbringing gives a fascinating picture of how a great operatic voice arose out of the farm town of Downers Grove, IL. His early tales of life as a student musician, itinerant opera singer and band member make funny and sometimes harrowing reading. There are many of the usual backstage anecdotes, some very funny, with names discreetly veiled at appropriate moments.

Milnes courageously tackles the issue of the vocal crisis that began in 1981 and dogged him for much of the succeeding decade head-on in a separate chapter, the best in the book. His recounting of the terror that overtakes a performer who sees his entire artistic life and livelihood endangered pierces the reader's heart. These pages are written with an honesty and a willingness to put aside ego that is absent elsewhere in this volume.

The reader who picks up _American Aria_ hoping for any penetrating self-analysis or significant thoughts from Milnes about the music and operatic roles he sang so well will ultimately be disappointed. About the callous termination of his long and distinguished Met career in 1997 he is justifiably indignant; still, one wishes for some sense that perhaps his abilities had changed and that it was necessary to turn his career in a new direction. Though it is fashionable to denigrate ghostwritten autobiographies, a perceptive co-writer or interviewer in this case might have drawn more insights and revelations from Milnes than he appears willing to give of his own volition.

Rating:
Summary: An American Aria
Review: Sherrill Milnes is indeed a hero of mine. I am in college, and when my voice teacher first mentioned his name to me a few years ago, I have since been enthralled with his talents. I am a young baritone, nothing exceptional, but it was exciting for me to read how Mr. Milnes life progressed from nothing exceptional, as well. In earlier years (i.e. high school and college) he wasn't perceived as the "hot stuff," as he calls it. However, holding onto and trusting the technique of vocal art allowed him to flourish.

Various operatic anecdotes are told throughout the book, and they are quite amusing. Unlike other reviewers, I want to make the comment that I feel this book is not disjunct. Milnes does not jump around; he simply tells his life as it is-- and that is what makes this book so great.

I recently saw Milnes in a master class in New York City. I got my book signed, but I didn't say anything about the book because I didn't read it yet. However, I hope Mr. Milnes is able to read these reviews online, so he is able to know what an inspiration he is. And to all those who are considering buying this book, my only advice is to get it! It is the story of a good work ethic getting you places; it is the story of walking the darkened valley of vocal problems; it is the humorous account of life in the opera world; it is the inspiring story of a distant dream becoming a reality. Such is the life of Sherrill Milnes.

Rating:
Summary: An honest and down to earth autobiography
Review: Sherrill Milnes is one of the last of a glorious pantheon of great singers who came up and flour- ished during a "golden age" of singing from the immediate post-World War II years into the 1970s. There are many very good and even wonderful sing- ers performing and recording now, but Mr. Milnes and his many famous - and sometimes less well- known colleagues - are a breed apart, in my opin- ion. Read his book for his many stories about them - a couple had me laughing for days! I am very pleased to have heard Mr. Milnes in person several times. He is one of those fortunate art- ists who sound as wonderful live as on his many recordings. Long may he thrive!

Rating:
Summary: An American Aria
Review: This "biography" chronologically jumps all over the place...tired old anecdotes, many not even involving Milnes...poorly written...this one is bad even for a celeb biography....nuff said.