Fifty-Five Years In Five Acts: My Life in Opera
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.35 (506 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1555534554 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 363 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-04-21 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
klavierspiel said Engrossing musical memoir. In the pantheon of twentieth-century Wagnerian sopranos, Astrid Varnay ranks very high, though she is woefully underrepresented on available recordings today. Through the efforts of friends and supporters, detailed in the preface, her autobiography has been made available in English, and music and opera fans everywhere should be grateful.Varnay's story, told calmly but with frequent flashes of wit, begins with the tale of how her parents, both opera singers, met, married, and made their careers in Europe before coming to the U.S. and settling in New York. Young Violet Varnay, as she was dub. Five Stars for operatic legend Astrid Varney's memoir Astrid Varney was born in Stockholm to two Hungarian opera singers. As a child she lived in South America prior to the family's immigration to New York. Varney was trained as a singer by her talented mother and an older teacher whom she later married. Varney premiered with the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 6, 19Five Stars for operatic legend Astrid Varney's memoir C. M Mills Astrid Varney was born in Stockholm to two Hungarian opera singers. As a child she lived in South America prior to the family's immigration to New York. Varney was trained as a singer by her talented mother and an older teacher whom she later married. Varney premiered with the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 6, 1941 as Sieglinde in Wagner'smonumental "Walkure.' Since thay day Miss Varnay has traveled the world singing in great opera palaces and in regional companies. Her comments on the life of a classical singer; various colleagues in the field and the various locales her craft has taken her to. 1 as Sieglinde in Wagner'smonumental "Walkure.' Since thay day Miss Varnay has traveled the world singing in great opera palaces and in regional companies. Her comments on the life of a classical singer; various colleagues in the field and the various locales her craft has taken her to. I hated to see it end I'm not especially interested in biographies of performers. Especially not autobiographies - these tend to be long lists of how wonderful the subject/author is/was and a bit of score settling to liven things up.Varnay is not above score settling (in her genteel way, she eviscerates Rudolf Bing and she details her feud and glorious reconciliation with Karajan - a Salzburg Elektra that everyone should hear), but her narrative is quite gracious and restrained overall.It's also engrossing to read. Although Varnay spends a little more time than perhaps she needed telling us what a hard worker an
She traveled with her parents to Norway and Buenos Aires before the family settled in New York City. . A native of New York City, he now lives in Germany and Malta. Astrid Varnay was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1918. Donald Arthur is an actor, writer, and lyricist. Wolfgang Wagner, grandson of Richard Wagner and great-grandson of Franz Liszt, has been exe
This candid view of the world of opera should appeal to both fans and aspiring singers.. In this memoir, Varnay reflects on her remarkable life in opera, discussing her signature roles and performances, vocal preparation and technique, interpretive acting style and her seamless transition from leading soprano to character roles, including her switch from Elektra to Klytemnastra in Strauss's "Elektra". Her fascinating account is filled with frank, often critical, observations about many of the most significant vocal artists, conductors and directors of the 20th century. The daughter of coloratura soprano Maria Javor and dramatic tenor Alexander
Varnay describes her method of probing a character, offering insights into each of her major roles. She felt a kinship with Wieland Wagner, in many of whose productions she appeared at Bayreuth during the 1950s and '60s, and whose pursuit of dramatic truth mirrored her own. Her career had three phases: principal dramatic-soprano parts (Wagner's Brünnhilde and Isolde, Beethoven's Leonore, Strauss's Elektra); character roles, frequently with a villainous tinge (Klytamnestra, Herodias); and finally--stretching into her late 70s--cameo appearances as maids or grandmothers. If you're looking for bitchy gossip, this memoir will disappoint you. Rudolf Bing and Herbert von Karajan are pointed exceptions. Varnay was 23, and the role wa