The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna's Progress. This item is unavailable.The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna's Progress

A book for the true fans of the great Australian prima donna, one of the finest sopranos of all time, and one of the most hard-working and professional singers to appear in recent decades.

Opera superstar Dame Joan Sutherland gives an exhaustive account of her performing and recording career over four decades. From her early years in Australia and with the Covent Garden company in London, to her daunting schedule at most of the major opera houses of the world, we read endlessly of where, when, and with whom she sang which roles. We're shown a sensible woman and a hard-working artist, with a healthy ego tempered by a sense of humor that is often self-deprecating. She quotes extensively from positive reviews of her performances, but she is frustratingly vague about her training and vocal technique. There are few backstage stories about the many famous singers, directors, and conductors with whom she worked and little insight into her professional or personal relationship with husband Richard Bonynge. There is remarkably little controversy of any type, and she fails to answer any of the critics who have faulted her diction and her acting over the years. Her many fans will welcome this book, but for a more revealing look, try Quaintance Eaton's Sutherland and Bonynge: An Intimate Biography (Dodd, 1987. o.p.).?Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.