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FRANCO CORELLI & A REVOLUTION IN SINGING

FIFTY-FOUR TENORS SPANNING 200 YEARS, VOLUME 3

Strictly for opera connoisseurs, but for those in the know, a treasure trove of information on tenors, methods, and...

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This third volume of an opera series on tenors gathers interviews with Franco Corelli—along with accounts of peers, rivals, and possible successors—with a focus on techniques, teaching, and booing.

The author, an accomplished singer, former host of Columbia University’s radio show Opera Fanatic, and a pre-eminent scholar, shares transcripts of salon-style interviews in the 1990s with Corelli, the “prince of tenors.” The Italian superstar answers a variety of questions regarding his technique, teaching—which he rarely did—and the stage appearances of fellow tenors. On the subject of evaluating performances, the controversial topic of booing artists is raised with Corelli, with numerous positive opinions on it from hard-core fans, singers, ushers, and even Miss Manners herself, presented practically in sports terms. Moving beyond Corelli, interviews on methods with the likes of tenors Roberto Alagna (who sang through the pain of a tumor and blood clots) and Alfredo Kraus, renowned voice teacher Bill Schuman, and others speak at length about larynx-lowering, glottal attacks, and diaphragmatic breathing. There is a wealth of operatic terminology that will go over uninitiated readers’ heads, but fans of this series will likely be properly informed. Modern singers are evaluated by the author with an eye toward who might be the next great tenor. Unlike the first two installments, Zucker (Franco Corelli & a Revolution in Singing: Fifty-Four Tenors Spanning 200 Years, Volume 2, 2018, etc.) feels a bit freer to editorialize here. This welcome development, coupled with Corelli’s own wit and wisdom, makes the interviews with the other performers pale in comparison. They just don’t have the same charisma or enthusiasm as Corelli and the author. As with the other volumes, the photographs included here, particularly those featuring singers in full costume, are quite stunning, capturing the visual glamour alongside the work’s deep, rich dissection of methods. The wide array of interview subjects and the concentration on teaching, techniques, and booing—along with the ending’s look at modern tenors—make this book slightly more piecemeal than the previous ones. But, in the name of comprehensiveness, leaving any of it out would have been a huge misstep.

Strictly for opera connoisseurs, but for those in the know, a treasure trove of information on tenors, methods, and performances.

Pub Date: April 26, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-891456-01-5

Page Count: 347

Publisher: Bel Canto Society

Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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NUTCRACKER

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

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