THE TENORS

by Herbert -- Ed. Breslin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1974

A feast of anecdotal tidbits; the heavyweights profiled here are Pavarotti (over 300 pounds and still swelling), Placido Domingo, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker and John Vickers. Each star is interviewed by a separate writer, who does not so much puff up his subject as try to define character, career and vocal chords without unnecessary deification. Restraint is difficult when you describe success upon success in starring vehicles that call forth Niagarific curtain calls. But glorious egos make for engagingly catty, sometimes surprising, reading. The piece with most guts is John Ardoin's on Vickers, a tremendously dramatic tenor with keen intellectuality. Vickers, who lives on his farm in Canada, talks about his craft: ""You cannot sing unless you do it with absolute seriousness. It's your job; you have trained yourself for a standard. It's a wrench to your whole system, your whole way of thinking, your whole way of feeling to sing unless you have prepared yourself emotionally, vocally, and physically to open your mouth."" That says a lot about the five tenors and their fine weighing of every note. Great company!

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1974

Categories: NONFICTION