American Aria: Encore (Amadeus) - Softcover

Milnes, Sherrill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 157467160X ISBN 13: 9781574671605

Publisher: Amadeus Press, 2007

Synopsis

What's it like to grow up on a small farm in Illinois only to find yourself, some 20 years later, performing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House? And then to travel the world, singing in historic theaters from La Scala in Milan to Vienna, Paris, London, and beyond? Former Met star Sherrill Milnes tells all in this completely updated edition of his very successful biography.

About this title

Review:

A funny thing happened to Sherrill Milnes along his way to becoming one of the best American Verdi baritones of the 1960s and '70s. In fact, dozens of funny things happened; he took careful note of them and poured them into an autobiography that will appeal to his many fans and anyone who relishes backstage opera gossip. The anecdotes are the best part of this book: they are abundant, sometimes mildly malicious, and often very funny--at least to those readers who are familiar with operatic plots, personalities, and music. For casual readers, Milnes explains why the story is funny--for example, why a tenor should have been executed after making a mistake in Puccini's Turandot. Milnes must be read skeptically when he calls himself shy--his ego is healthier than his voice--but he writes well of the anxieties of an opera star's life, particularly in discussing the vocal problems that hit him in the 1980s and that (whatever he may think) were never entirely cured. He is indignant about the Metropolitan Opera's failure to renew his contract in 1997. They could have been more sensitive, but he should have known that he had stopped singing reliably at the Metropolitan Opera level years before. The book has a useful discography and a list of his most notable performances. --Joe McLellan

About the Author:

Sherrill Milnes is universally acclaimed as the foremost operatic baritone of his generation and one of the most popular and electrifying performers before the public today. In 2000, Mr. Milnes, with his wife Maria Zouves, founded VOICExperience, a not-for-profit organization that helps young singers develop and pursue their careers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Amadeus Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 157467160X
• ISBN 13: 9781574671605
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 410