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MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ

Name: MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ
Author: Robert Pullen
ISBN: 1-55553-228-4

CASTA DIVA

by Robert Pullen & Stephen Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1995

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Everything you always wanted to know (and perhaps a bit more) about the legendary Spanish soprano—a sensible, readable biography. Baptized Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepci¢n CaballÇ i Folch, CaballÇ is still singing in her early 60s, to the enjoyment of music lovers worldwide. The authors, both London-based opera buffs, cover her distinguished ancestry (a family that declined from national prominence to genteel poverty), Catalan childhood and musical study, early theatrical experiences, rise to superstardom in the world's major lyric theaters, repeated illnesses that earned her a reputation as someone likely to cancel performances, and long, happy marriage to BernabÇ Mart° (an average tenor but above- average domestic and professional partner), all leading up to the recent rejuvenation of her career symbolized by her 1992 appearance at the opening of the Barcelona Olympic Games. Given the inevitable difficulty of writing about a performer whose art contains more drama than her life (hearing a five-minute snippet of CaballÇ's magic pianissimo conveys more of her essence than any descriptive volume), it is hard to see how the book could be bettered, offering as it does a full and thoughtful narrative of CaballÇ live and on disc. The authors conclude with a lengthy and excellent ``critical discography,'' by itself worth the price of admission for CaballÇ's many admirers. Although they engage in some pardonable diva-olotry, they also make needed corrections to record, as when they point out that since her debut in 1956, the reputedly erratic CaballÇ has given some 3,800 performances—considerably more than Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland combined—and withdrawn from 200. Since Pullen and Taylor obviously have access to CaballÇ and her entourage, they should now give us a follow-up volume devoted solely to the soprano's breathtaking vocal technique. A fine addition to the opera lover's shelf. (16 pages b&w photos)

Pub Date: April 1, 1995

ISBN: 1-55553-228-4

Page Count: 464

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.