Lessing, Doris:
The Cleft - hardcover
2007, ISBN: 9780060834869
Knopf. Very Good. 6.5 x 1 x 9.75 inches. Hardcover. 1998. 259 pages. dj has small rip. Price clipped.<br>A wickedly funny l ook at opera today--the feuds and deals, maestros and man… More...
Knopf. Very Good. 6.5 x 1 x 9.75 inches. Hardcover. 1998. 259 pages. dj has small rip. Price clipped.<br>A wickedly funny l ook at opera today--the feuds and deals, maestros and managers, d ivine voices and outsized egos--and a portrait of the opera world 's newest superstar at a formative point in her life and career. In Cinderella & Company, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manuel a Hoelterhoff takes us on a two-year trip on the circuit with Cec ilia Bartoli, the young mezzo-soprano who has captured an adoring public around the world. Rossini's Cenerentola is Bartoli's sign ature role, and Cinderella & Company tells the fairy-tale story o f her life, which started on a modest street in Rome where the Fi at was the coach of choice. The lucky break, the meteoric rise, t he starlit nights and nail-chewing days are all part of a narrati ve that shows Bartoli rehearsing, playing, traveling, eating, and charming us with her vivacity and dazzling virtuosity. Along th e way, Hoelterhoff gives us an unusually vivid, behind-the-scenes look at the opera world. The first stop is Houston, where Bartol i brightens a droopy Cenerentola production; later scenes follow her to Disney World and to the Metropolitan Opera, where a fidget y cast awaits the flight-phobic mezzo's arrival for Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. Traveling to Santa Fe, Paris, Rome, Venice, and Londo n, Hoelterhoff drops in on opening nights and boardroom meetings, talks to managers and agents, describes where the money comes fr om, and survives one of the longest galas in history. Here too a re tantalizing glimpses of divinities large and small: Kathleen B attle's famously chilly limousine ride; Plácido Domingo flying th rough three time zones to step into the boots of an ailing Otello ; Luciano Pavarotti aiming for high C in his twilight years. And we meet the present players in Bartoli's world: Roberto Alagna an d Angela Gheorghiu, a.k.a. the Love Couple; Jane Eaglen, the Wagn erian web potato monitoring her cyberspace fan mail; the appealin g soprano Renée Fleming, finally on the brink of stardom. At onc e informed and accessible, Cinderella & Company brings the world of grand opera into sharp focus--right up to the last glimpse of Cecilia Bartoli waving triumphantly from Cinderella's wedding cak e. Editorial Reviews The author defines her style at the begin ning of this bright, gossipy book about one of opera's youngest s uperstars. Manuela Hoelterhoff starts off by discussing Rossini's Cinderella opera, La Cenerentola, which she then uses as a recur ring metaphor throughout the book. Her description is accurate wh en she calls it music that dances, whispers, charms and dazzles f rom beginning to end. But if one substitutes prose for music in t hat quote, she might well be writing about Cinderella & Company. Hoelterhoff's style is deliciously appropriate for her chosen su bject, the world of mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli. It is even mor e suited to the story's background: the larger-than-life style of the world's great opera houses and the colorful personalities of many people found there--onstage, backstage, and even in the aud ience. In terms of eccentricity, Bartoli does not stand out; she has a fair share of phobias (flying, computers, microphones), and she cancels performances more frequently than her fans would lik e, but her primary interest is musical: a voice, not very powerfu l but beautiful, which she uses with a fine sense of bel canto st yle, considerable acting skill, and a careful choice of the right music. Much of the book's appeal lies in its descriptions of pe ople, which tend to be short, pungent, and devastatingly on targe t: Maria Callas, the queen of whatever opera company she wasn't f euding with; conductor Herbert von Karajan, who had a reputation, entirely deserved, as a voice killer; baritone Bryn Terfel, a gu y with the body of Meat Loaf and an exuberant performing style; a gent-publicist Herbert Breslin, a motor-mouthed, bullet-headed .. . egomaniac ... I used to go through the obituary section of the Times looking for his; Luciano Pavarotti, a crumbling monument; a nd lots more. --Joe McLellan From Publishers Weekly There aren' t many books about opera?or anything else, for that matter?that m ake you laugh out loud, but this is one of them. In her first boo k, Hoelterhoff, who won a Pulitzer for her cultural criticism at the Wall Street Journal, had the bright idea of following superst ar Bartoli around for a time to take the temperature of the conte mporary opera world. Bartoli herself isn't all that interesting?s he's pretty and charming, has a superb coloratura mezzo but a tin y repertoire, and has made her reputation mostly by showy recordi ngs?but it really doesn't matter. She is just a box-office name o n which to hang as witty and bitchy a picture of this rarefied wo rld as the gossipiest opera lover could ask for. Divas struggling with their weight and declining reputations; grasping managers; brutally cynical opera officials; Pavarotti fighting for his lost top notes and the adrenaline of ovations; and excuses for missin g performances that make the dog ate my homework seem inspired?al l are recurring elements in Hoelterhoff's delicious portrait. She seems, in the two years she followed Bartoli, to have been every where and talked to everyone who counts in the opera world; but e verything she is told gets filtered through her scintillating sen se of the ridiculous. Only one quibble: It may be her WSJ backgro und, but she seems never to have encountered a musicians' union s he didn't hate, whereas the ludicrous sums paid to some stars see m to warrant only a dismissive shrug. 8 pages of photos not seen by PW. 50,000 first printing. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Infor mation, Inc. From Publishers Weekly There aren't many books abou t opera?or anything else, for that matter?that make you laugh out loud, but this is one of them. In her first book, Hoelterhoff, w ho won a Pulitzer for her cultural criticism at the Wall Street J ournal, had the bright idea of following superstar Bartoli around for a time to take the temperature of the contemporary opera wor ld. Bartoli herself isn't all that interesting?she's pretty and c harming, has a superb coloratura mezzo but a tiny repertoire, and has made her reputation mostly by showy recordings?but it really doesn't matter. She is just a box-office name on which to hang a s witty and bitchy a picture of this rarefied world as the gossip iest opera lover could ask for. Divas struggling with their weigh t and declining reputations; grasping managers; brutally cynical opera officials; Pavarotti fighting for his lost top notes and th e adrenaline of ovations; and excuses for missing performances th at make the dog ate my homework seem inspired?all are recurring e lements in Hoelterhoff's delicious portrait. She seems, in the tw o years she followed Bartoli, to have been everywhere and talked to everyone who counts in the opera world; but everything she is told gets filtered through her scintillating sense of the ridicul ous. Only one quibble: It may be her WSJ background, but she seem s never to have encountered a musicians' union she didn't hate, w hereas the ludicrous sums paid to some stars seem to warrant only a dismissive shrug. 8 pages of photos not seen by PW. 50,000 fir st printing. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Fro m Library Journal Several years ago, mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartol i was the hottest young opera singer around. Hoelterhoff, a membe r of the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, where she re ceived a Pulitzer Prize for cultural criticism, follows Bartoli's career over a two-year period (October 1995 through October 1997 ), talking with the singer and her family, manager, colleagues, a nd rivals. The result is an affectionate if not always flattering look at a charmingly eccentric artist. The title, however, is so mewhat misleading; the Bartoli story in fact functions as a frame work for the author's cynical and witty observations. (Her accoun t of the recent eight-hour gala celebrating James Levine's 25th a nniversary at the Metropolitan Opera is not to be missed.) A grea t deal of attention is paid to other singers, including Renee Fle ming, Luciano Pavarotti (Mr. P.), and Roberto Alagna and Angela G heorghiu (The Love Couple). We learn about singers' fees, the rol e of record companies, and the harrowing life of a manager. The a uthor knows her subject well; hers is a delicious mix of gossip a nd insightful commentary. Highly recommended for public libraries .AKate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, NY Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Wall Street Journ al music critic Hoelterhoff spent two years tracking the career o f Cecilia Bartoli, the Roman mezzo-soprano whose way with bel can to repertoire, Rossini's Cenerentola (i.e., Cinderella) in partic ular, had made her America's favorite younger singer. Because thi s wasn't a matter of journalistic stalking and because Hoelterhof f cultivates friendly relations with the subjects of her critique s, she also dropped in on the careers of such other singers as up -and-comers soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, th e late-blooming Rene e Fleming, the judiciously long-lasting Mire lla Freni, and the fabulous, faltering, fading Fat Man (Pavarotti --who else?). Her reporting on them makes utterly delicious readi ng--and not just for opera mavens--because she is wry and funny, because she loves singing and opera and describes their effects o n good listeners well, and because she is fascinated by these eno rmously temperamental people, whom she sees as justified in their egocentricities by the fact that they do regularly what is flat- out impossible for the rest of us. Ray Olson Review ...a hilario us, revealing, and sometimes malicious book about operatic intrig ue on and off the stage. -- The Boston Globe, Richard Dyer ...a naughtily witty tell-almost-all book (there is, thank God, no sex ) that has the further advantage of being true. -- The New York T imes Book Review, Terry Teachout ...the most perceptive and hila riously honest book on the making and marketing of opera to come along in some time. -- The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini Fro m the Publisher The most perceptive and hilariously honest book o n the making and marketing of opera to come along in some time... .For two years, Ms. Hoelterhoff had enviable access to Cecilia Ba rtoli and her circle: her mother, a former chorus soprano and sti ll Ms. Bartoli's most trusted vocal coach; her worldly Italian bo yfriend; her savvy manager, and a whole cast of recording executi ves and attendant conductors who pass through the story like comp rimario characters in an opera buffa....Happily for readers, Ms. Hoelterhoff introduces us to just about everyone operatic she met during those two years, interspersed with collected bits of wisd om and gossip....Ms. Hoelterhoff is such an interesting observer and beguiling writer that you eagerly follow her anywhere.....Kno wing of Ms. Hoelterhoff's reputation as an unsparing cirtic and r eporter, it's amazing that so many people in the business talked with her so freely, most notably the powerful manager and public relations maestro Herbert Breslin. [His] soliloquy on how he and his prime client, Luciano Pavarotti, showed everyone how real mon ey could be made in opera is breathtaking in its honesty and sham elessness.... The sections on Bartoli are the heart of the book. There is ample evidence of her superb musicianship, determination and unconventionally interesting career choices.....Ms. Bartoli' s career is a juggernaut, and one can only hope she keeps her bal ance. Ms. Hoelterhoff makes few predictions, but it is immensely fun an informative to read her account of the problems. -- Antho ny Tommasini, The New York Times Manuela Hoelterhoff has written a delightful and savvy book about the opera world and Cecilia B artoli--all world-class. It's a wonderful book! --Beverly Sills A naughtily witty tell-almost-all book that has the further advan tage of being true...Cinderella & Company is very good on the cir cuslike aspects of real-life opera: the near psychotic egomania a nd secret insecurity, the cruel inside jokes ('How many divas doe s it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one. She holds the bulb and the world revolves around her.')...No less important is Hoelt erhoff's cold-eyed grasp of the effects big money has on grand op era...Her fang marks can be spotted on nearly every page. ...But what makes Cinderella & Company more than just a book-length bloo dletting is Hoelterhoff's unexpected sympathy for most of the sin gers about whom she writes. --Terry Teachout, The New York Times Hilarious...Opera buffs will munch happily [on] these nuggets. - -Jesse Birnbaum, Time As witty a picture as the gossipiest opera lover could ask for --Publishers Weekly I couldn't put the book down...At its center is a sympathetic, warm-hearted portrait of one of the most gifted singers of today...But Cecilia Bartoli is seen in gossipy context: every big name in the mad world of oper a is here--Pavarotti, Tebaldi, Domingo, Levine, The Alagnas--and few escape Hoelterhoff's eagle eye or her wit, as dry and sparkli ng as the best champagne. --Rodney Milnes, editor of Opera Magazi ne and chief opera critic of the London Times Vastly entertainin g...enormously readable, often hilarious...Hoelterhoff puts her f ormidable critical abilities to work in combination with an unspa ring eye for foibles, a sharp ear for first-rate gossip, and a ra conteur's gift. --John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden From the Inside Flap A wickedly funny look at opera today--the f euds and deals, maestros and managers, divine voices and outsized egos--and a portrait of the opera world's newest superstar at a formative point in her life and career. In Cinderella & Company, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manuela Hoelterhoff takes us on a two-year trip on the circuit with Cecilia Bartoli, the young m ezzo-soprano who has captured an adoring public around the world. Rossini's Cenerentola is Bartoli's signature role, and Cinderell a & Company tells the fairy-tale story of her life, which started on a modest street in Rome where the Fiat was the coach of choic e. The lucky break, the meteoric rise, the starlit nights and nai l-chewing days are all part of a narrative that shows Bartoli reh earsing, playing, traveling, eating, and charming us with her viv acity and dazzling virtuosity. Along the way, Hoelterhoff gives, Knopf, 1998, 2.75, New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 2007. 2nd Printing. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. Second printing. Edges worn, sticker on free endpaper. 2007 Hard Cover. 260 pp. In the last years of his life, a Roman senator retells the history of human creation and reveals the little-known story of the Clefts, an ancient community of women living in an Edenic coastal wilderness. The Clefts have neither need nor knowledge of men; childbirth is controlled through the cycles of the moon, and they bear only female children. But with the unheralded birth of a strange new child—a boy—the harmony of their community is suddenly thrown into jeopardy. In this fascinating and beguiling novel, Lessing confronts the themes that inspired much of her early writing: how men and women manage to live side by side in the world and how the troublesome particulars of gender affect every aspect of our existence., Harper Collins Publisher, 2007, 3<
