Emperors of Song: Three Great Impresarios - Hardcover

Stockdale, Freddie M.

9780719557026: Emperors of Song: Three Great Impresarios

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 071955702X ISBN 13: 9780719557026

Publisher: John Murray Pubs Ltd, 1999

In the Golden Age of Verdi and Puccini, Wagner and Richard Strauss, opera in Britain and the United States was almost exclusively the preserve of individual private businessmen - the impresarios - who made (and lost) fortunes by personally employing the great stars of the day.
King of bombast was 'Colonel' James Mapleson, child-star, wiliest of agents, then grandest and finally most unlucky of showmen. Obsession ruined Oscar Hammerstein I, not once, not twice but three times bankrupted by his determination to conquer Broadway. Great wealth protected John Christie, soldier, schoolmaster and heir to Glyndebourne Manor and estates, when his love for his wife led to his building up the largest private opera festival since Bayreuth.
This book, concentrating on the period 1860-1939, rediscovers their spectacular successes, and their even more spectacular disasters.

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About the Author:

Freddie Stockdale founded Pavilion Opera, a small touring company, in 1981.

From Publishers Weekly:

When asked what he thought of the opera business, Oscar Hammerstein I exclaimed "Opera's not a business. It's a disease." That statement could just as well have been made by Colonel James Mapleson or John Christie, the other impassioned impresarios profiled in this engaging book. Mapleson (1830-1901) was the consummate showman, adept at calming the tantrums of temperamental divas. After the failure of a project to build a National Opera House in London, he came to America and continued his grandiose schemes, which included a performance by Adelina Patti in the 12,000-seat Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Many of his projects failed to pan out, and he died penniless. Hammerstein (1846-1919), the grandfather of the famous Broadway composer, used revenues from various business ventures to build 17 opera houses. Although his stars included Melba, Caruso and Tetrazzini, he, too, always teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. Last-minute rescues by his long-suffering sons only led to further expensive undertakings. By the time he died, all his projects had failed, and only one of his opera houses remains standing today?as a church. Christie (1882-1962), less flamboyant but equally obsessed, used inherited money and a large estate to establish a private opera festival. He, however, managed his enterprise soundly, and the Glyndebourne Festival thrives. Stockdale (Figaro Here, Figaro There) relies heavily on previously published material, but his account of these colorful men who would stop at nothing to fuel their mania for opera is thoroughly entertaining. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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