Download or read book The Rise and Fall of a La Scala Diva written by Marjorie Wright and published by Janus Publishing Company Lim. This book was released on 2006 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An autobiography charting Marjorie Wright's career in opera. At the height of her career, Marjorie Wright bathed in the limelight of the operatic circle, as a renowned opera diva. Then her world fell apart. The 'politics' and back-stabbing in this operatic circle finally saw her falling from grace, to the lowest ebb one could imagine.
Download or read book From Farquhar to Field Day written by Dr Nuala McAllister Hart and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2011-11-30 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derry~Londonderry has a distinctive cultural history which reflects its unique position in the history of Ireland. This ground-breaking book examines three centuries of music and theatre in the city highlighting the key figures and turning points in its cultural life. It documents the rich diversity of drama and concerts played out in the city's theatres and concert halls, from the birth of playwright George Farquhar in 1677 to performances by the Field Day Theatre Company and the cultural revival of the 1990s and beyond.
Download or read book The Diva the Rancher written by Jennifer Hamblin and published by Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. This book was released on 2006 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Big dreams, dashed hopes and romance are at the heart of this biography of Norma and George Pocaterra. The story begins in 1903 when George Pocaterra left Italy and came to the Canadian Rockies with hopes of striking it rich. George is best known for establishing the Buffalo Head Ranch in the foothills of Alberta. He developed a close friendship with members of the Stoney Indians, and was one of the first non-Natives to explore much of what is now called Kananaskis Country. In 1933, he returned to Italy, where he met and fell in love with Norma Piper, a young Calgary singer who had moved to Italy to study opera. They eventually married, and George took over the management of Norma's rising operatic career. World War II forced a return to Canada in 1939. In Calgary, Norma became part of the local music scene, giving concerts and teaching singing at Mount Royal College. In 1955, she started her own studio and over the next 25 years became one of Calgary's most loved music teachers. George, meanwhile, continued with his coal-mining ventures, although he suffered bitter disappointments. Drawing on personal diaries and correspondence, the authors have created an intimate portrait of these remarkable Albertans who became, each in their own way, legends in their lifetimes.
Download or read book The Rise Of Napoleon Bonaparte written by Robert Asprey and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-08-06 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since 1821, when he died at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a two-volume cradle-to-grave biography, Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human being. Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.
Download or read book The Rise of the Diva on the Sixteenth Century Commedia dell Arte Stage written by Rosalind Kerr and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rise of the Diva on the Sixteenth-Century Commedia dell’Arte Stage examines the emergence of the professional actress from the 1560s onwards in Italy. Tracing the historical progress of actresses from their earliest appearances as sideshow attractions to revered divas, Rosalind Kerr explores the ways in which actresses commodified their sexual and cultural appeal. Newly translated archival material, iconographic evidence, literary texts, and theatrical scripts provide a rich repertoire through which Kerr demonstrates how actresses skillfully improvised roles such as the maidservant, the prima donna, and the transvestite heroine. Following the careers of early stars such as Flaminia of Rome, Vincenza Armani, Vittoria Piissimi, and Isabella Andreini, Kerr shows how their fame arose from the combination of dazzling technical mastery and eloquent powers of persuasion. Seamlessly integrating the Italian and English scholarly literature on the subject, The Rise of the Diva is an insightful analysis of one of the modern world’s first celebrity cultures.
Download or read book The Diva s Gift to the Shakespearean Stage written by Pamela Allen Brown and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-11-25 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Diva's Gift traces the far-reaching impact of the first female stars on the playwrights and players of the all-male stage. When Shakespeare entered the scene, women had been acting in Italian troupes for two decades, traveling in Italy and beyond and performing in all genres, including tragedy. The ambitious actress reinvented the innamorata, making her more charismatic and autonomous, thrilling audiences with her skills. Despite fervent attacks, some actresses became the first international stars, winning royal and noble patrons and literary admirers in France and Spain. After Elizabeth and her court caught wind of their success in Paris, Italian troupes with actresses crossed the Channel to perform. The Italians' repeat visits and growing fame posed a radical challenge to English professionals just as they were building their first paying theaters. Some writers treated the actress as a whorish threat to their stage, which had long minimized female roles. Others saw a vital new model full of promise. Lyly, Marlowe, and Kyd endowed innamorata parts with hot-blooded, racialized passions, but made them self-aware agents, not counters traded between men. Shakespeare, Jonson, Webster and others followed, ringing changes on the new type in comedy, tragedy, and romance. Like the comici they recycled actress-linked theatergrams and star scenes, such as cross-dressing, the mad scene, and the sung lament. In this way, the diva's prodigious virtuosity and stardom altered the horizons of playmaking even on the womanless stage. Capitalizing on the talents of boy players, the best playwrights created bold new roles endowed with her alien glamour, such as Lyly's Sapho and Pandora, Marlowe's Dido, Kyd's Bel-Imperia, Webster's Vittoria, and Shakespeare's Beatrice, Viola, Portia, Juliet, and Ophelia. Cleopatra is not alone in her superb theatricality and dazzling strangeness. As this book demonstrates, the diva's gifts mark them all.
Download or read book Roses for a Diva written by Rick Blechta and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2014-10-11 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Opera singer Marta Hendricks discovers she has an mysterious admirer who leaves her roses. But it turns out this fan is a actually a stalker with deadly intentions.
Download or read book La Sheridan Adorable Diva written by Anne Chambers and published by Wolfhound Press (IE). This book was released on 1989 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The life of the great Irish prima donna revered by opera lovers around the world.
Download or read book Open the Cage Murphy written by Paul O'Grady and published by Random House. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'With typical razor-sharp wit and candour, Paul tells of his rise to fame as Lily Savage . . . Riveting.' Daily Mirror From Britain's most beloved TV star, Open the Cage, Murphy is an action-packed roller-coaster ride through a decade of Paul O'Grady's life, stuffed full to the gunwales with hilarious stories, extreme situations and outrageous one-liners. A must read for any Paul O'Grady fan, Open the Cage, Murphy follows his brilliant comic creation Lily Savage as she embraces success and world domination beckons. From being involved in a plane crash, to getting caught up in the LA riots and a close encounter with Madonna, the stories come thick and fast. Paul takes us with him to a gay-themed weekend in Butlin's in Skegness, on a rowdy tour with Prisoner Cell Block H - the Musical and into the depths of the Australian rainforest, where he befriends a rare bird that can disembowel a man with a single kick. The dramatis personae include a family of dolphins, Charlton Heston and the ghost of Joan of Arc - and there's a starring role for a certain remarkable dog, Buster Elvis Savage. But whether he's writing about star-studded Hollywood parties, the devastating loss of close friends to AIDS, or late night shenanigans at the end of Blackpool Pier, Paul's wit and humanity never desert him. Open the Cage, Murphy is a genuine delight - all the more so for being delightfully genuine. Readers love Open the Cage, Murphy! 'I couldn't put it down . . . Paul comes across as a very intelligent man . . . with a heart of gold under that naughty exterior.' ***** 'This is such a great read, Paul is excellent when describing things makes you feel as though you are there with him. His humour warmth and caring comes out in abundance.' ***** 'An excellent read. He takes you through the highs and lows of his life, you laugh and cry with him.' *****
Download or read book Maria Callas written by Anne Edwards and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling biographer Anne Edwards comes the irresistible true story of the lives and loves of the great opera diva, Maria Callas. Maria Callas continues to mesmerize us decades after her death, not only because she was indisputably the greatest opera diva of the 20th century, but also because both her life and death were shrouded in a Machiavellian web of scandal, mystery and deception. Now Anne Edwards, well known for her revealing and insightful biographies of some of the world's most noted women, tells the intimate story of Maria Callas—her loves, her life, and her music, revealing the true woman behind the headlines, gossip and speculation. The second daughter of Greek immigrant parents, Maria found herself in the grasp of an overwhelmingly ambitious mother who took her away from her native New York and the father she loved, to a Greece on the eve of the Second World War. From there, we learn of the hardships, loves and triumphs Maria experienced in her professional and personal life. We are introduced to the men who marked Callas forever—Luchino Visconti, the brilliant homosexual director who she loved hopelessly, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, the husband thirty years her senior who used her for his own ambitions, as had her mother, and Aristotle Onassis, who put an end to their historic love affair by discarding her for the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy. Throughout her life, Callas waged a constant battle with her weight, a battle she eventually won, transforming herself from an ugly duckling into the slim and glamorous diva who transformed opera forever, whose recordings are legend, and whose life is the stuff of which tabloids are made. Anne Edwards goes deeper than previous biographies of Maria Callas have dared. She draws upon intensive research to refute the story of Callas's "mystery child" by Onassis, and she reveals the true circumstances of the years preceding Callas's death, including the deception perpetrated by her close and trusted friend. As in her portraits of other brilliant, star-crossed women, Edwards brings Maria Callas—the intimate Callas—alive.
Download or read book Opera written by Alan Riding and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience the passion and drama of the world’s greatest operas with this sumptuously illustrated visual guide. Immerse yourself in more than 400 years of the world’s most celebrated operas and discover the fascinating stories behind them. Explore the lives of singers such as Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, and Jonas Kaufmann. Meet composers like Mozart, Wagner, and Britten, and the librettists with whom they collaborated to create the magical blend of words and music that make up opera. From its origins in the 17th-century courts of Italy to live screenings in public spaces today, Opera: The Definitive Illustrated Story follows the history of opera from Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo in 1607, to Cosi fan Tutte, La Bohème, and modern operas such as Brokeback Mountain. It explains musical terminology, traces historical developments, and sets everything in a cultural context. This awe-inspiring opera book further features: -Includes all of the most important operas from the Renaissance to the 21st century -Profiles the key composers, librettists, performers, and companies, with details of their lives, works, and influence -Arranged in chronological order to show the evolution of the genre -Clear, informative explanation of musical terminology and different types of opera This book revels in the sets and costumes that make up the grand spectacle of opera. It also explores the great opera houses of the world, such as La Scala, Milan, the Met in New York, and the Sydney Opera House. Opera: The Definitive Illustrated Story is the essential book for anyone who wants to understand and enjoy the constantly evolving world of this beloved art form. Did you know that there are more than 25,000 opera performances per year worldwide? Opera: The Definitive Illustrated Story can be regarded as the most lavishly illustrated history of opera currently available, covering all of the most important operas from the Renaissance to the 21st century, and is completely global in scope. A must-have volume for opera buffs, whether as a gift or self-purchase, if you’re a music lover looking for an accessible introduction to opera, then this is the book for you!
Download or read book Cond Nast s Traveler written by and published by . This book was released on 1993-07 with total page 1106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Dying Time written by Anthony Carragher and published by Book Guild Publishing. This book was released on 2024-04-28 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Architect Kate O’Connor appears to have it all. A lighthouse home, a successful politician husband and an eight-year-old daughter. Yet everything is not as it seems. A snowstorm approaches, and with it arrives a menacing stranger whose presence will change everything. A haunted man, driven by destiny, set to wreak havoc on Kate’s carefully constructed life. Over the course of twenty four hours, as intersecting paths tragically entwine, Kate discovers that everything she holds dear is in peril. Isolated by the unrelenting storm, in a desperate race against time, Kate and her family face a battle of wits with the highest stakes. Their lives.
Download or read book Eyewitness Companions Opera written by Leslie Dunton-Downer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-10-30 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spanning 400 years of musical drama, Eyewitness Companions: Opera is your guide to the musical world. Explore operas and composers from the late Renaissance on, including such classical masters as Verdi, Puccini, and Bizet. Eyewitness Companions: Opera is the complete visual guidebook to the great operas, their composers and performance history. Eyewitness Companions: Opera includes more than 160 operas by 66 composers around the world. This richly illustrated eBook includes act-by-act plot synopses and storyline highlights, plus detailed profiles cover composers, Librettists, singers, and more.
Download or read book Stairways to Heaven written by Geoffrey Macnab and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-12 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What has brought about the transformation of the British film industry over the last few decades, to the beginnings of what is arguably a new golden era? In the mid-1980s the industry was in a parlous state. The number of films produced in the UK was tiny. Cinema attendance had dipped to an all-time low, cinema buildings were in a state of disrepair and home video had yet to flourish. Since then, while many business challenges - especially for independent producers and distributors - remain, the industry overall has developed beyond recognition. In recent years, as British films have won Oscars, Cannes Palms and Venice Golden Lions, releases such as Love Actually, Billy Elliot, Skyfall, Paddington and the Harry Potter series have found enormous commercial as well as critical success. The UK industry has encouraged, and benefitted from, a huge amount of inward investment, much of it from the Hollywood studios, but also from the National Lottery via the UK Film Council and BFI. This book portrays the visionaries and officials who were at the helm as a digital media revolution began to reshape the industry. Through vivid accounts based on first-hand interviews of what was happening behind the scenes, film commentator and critic Geoffrey Macnab provides in-depth analysis of how and why the British film industry has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.
Download or read book Musical Courier and Review of Recorded Music written by and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 1722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Books Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
