Luciano Pavarotti - The Myth of the Tenor Hardcover Book First Edition

This listing is for Luciano Pavarotti: The Myth of the Tenor Hardcover Book First Edition. 

Title: Luciano Pavarotti: The Myth of the Tenor

Author: Jurgen Kesting (Author), Susan H. Ray (Translator) 

Publisher: Northeastern University Press; First Edition (September 5, 1996)

Language: English

Hardcover: 208 pages

ISBN-10: 1555532829

ISBN-13: 978-1555532826

An English translation of a controversial German work critically assessing Pavarotti's singing career, his stardom, the myth of the tenor, and the commercialization of art. Kesting analyzes the singer's early training, debuts, recordings, and concerts demonstrating how Pavarotti defines the idolization of the tenor a tradition that originated with Enrico Caruso. Though the discussion centers on opera, the author raises serious questions regarding the price of such fame and its consequences on art. Head of Stern magazine's cultural department and author of a respected book on the career and recordings of Maria Callas, Kesting here updates a work published in Germany in 1991. He examines the tenor voice, its evolution, and the changing demands placed on it by major composers. More enticingly, he posits that "Pavarotti is no longer famous because of the quality of his singing, but simply because he is so incredibly famous," and he goes on to consider the conflicts between fame and art. He disputes Pavarotti's claim that his appearances outside the opera house are meant to attract a new audience to the theater. In fact, the tenor has become an industry and as a result is no longer judged by any standard musical or aesthetic criteria. Throughout, Kesting demonstrates an exhaustive knowledge of vocal techniques and repertoire and is able to support his opinions with specific examples. Pavarotti's fans will find much to disagree with, but this is a welcome balance to the many flattering books about Pavarotti. Recommended for most collections.

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