Sarah Caldwell: The First Woman of Opera [Paperback]

The book is enthralling and provides insights into a person about whom little is available; recommended for all collections.Sarah Caldwell was a unique force in the world of opera  inspired, inspiring, bold, idealistic, unconventional and almost indomitable. Daniel Kessler's fascinating exploration of her life and work is sensitive, cool-headed, delicately balanced, elegantly written and splendidly researched.Kessler provides eyewitness testimony for each scene's mise-en-scene, backed up by production stills and the sole studio recording Caldwell made (for EMI). Kessler's dilligent research probably cannot be bettered.There are many telling anecdotes in Kessler's fast-paced, honest, and very thorough chronicle of Sarah Caldwell's career.This new opus by Daniel Kessler, highlighting the ever-enigmatic Sarah Caldwell, starts off much more promising than Caldwell's self-penned memoirs....This book is more detailed, more deeply researched and promises to give a less subjective account of the elusive icon.important and valuable historical survey.This is the first biography of the musician, conductor, and director Sarah Caldwell, an indomitable force for opera in America, and the first woman to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera.Sarah Caldwell: The First Woman of Opera is the first biography of this significant musician, conductor, and director and documents Ms. Caldwell's genius as an indomitable force for opera in America. Caldwell mounted many U.S. premieres and brought rare editions of standard works to her audiences. At the height of her career, she raised her baton over four of the top five orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and conducted orchestras in such cities as Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Antonio, Atlanta, Mexico City, and Puerto Rico. She conducted ensembles in Canada, Sweden, South Africa, and Russia; was a musical director for Wolf Trap; and was the first woman to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera. She founded ló¦