Greatest Stars of the Opera: The Lives and Vocies of Two Hundred Golden Years

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Tribute to the Greatest Opera Stars
Review: This is definitely a must for all opera lovers. Enrico Stinchelli gives an entertaining and informative account of some of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. After an insightful introduction, the author divides the book into categories: tenors, sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, baritones and basses. On each category, the author gives a description of the voice category, its categories and repertoire, and then gives insightful profiles of the greatest names on each category. All the profiles discuss the voice, repertoire and career of each singer. Therefore, in the same book you can have profiles and excellent photographs of such greats as Alfredo Kraus, Franco Corelli, Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland, among many others. The photographs are both black and white and wonderful color. Of course, you will probably miss some of the younger stars today (Fleming, Alagna, Gheorghiu, Jo, Cura) probably because they are still young and beginning their careers. However, the selection of singers has almost all of the greatest singers. And the book ends with a real jewel: a singing lesson from the great Alfredo Kraus from a master class held in Rome in 1990. It is a great souvenir to understand the late tenor's singing technique and the reason of his miraculous vocal longevity. A great way to finish a book that pays tribute to great singing.

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Tribute to the Greatest Opera Stars
Review: This is definitely a must for all opera lovers. Enrico Stinchelli gives an entertaining and informative account of some of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. After an insightful introduction, the author divides the book into categories: tenors, sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, baritones and basses. On each category, the author gives a description of the voice category, its categories and repertoire, and then gives insightful profiles of the greatest names on each category. All the profiles discuss the voice, repertoire and career of each singer. Therefore, in the same book you can have profiles and excellent photographs of such greats as Alfredo Kraus, Franco Corelli, Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland, among many others. The photographs are both black and white and wonderful color. Of course, you will probably miss some of the younger stars today (Fleming, Alagna, Gheorghiu, Jo, Cura) probably because they are still young and beginning their careers. However, the selection of singers has almost all of the greatest singers. And the book ends with a real jewel: a singing lesson from the great Alfredo Kraus from a master class held in Rome in 1990. It is a great souvenir to understand the late tenor's singing technique and the reason of his miraculous vocal longevity. A great way to finish a book that pays tribute to great singing.