Start-Up at the New Met - (Amadeus) by Paul Jackson (Paperback)

About the Book

In this new work, Paul Jackson examines the decade that saw the move from the old house uptown to the technological marvel at Lincoln Center. There Rudolf Bing's final six years give way to four seasons of management turmoil until 1976, when James Levine was named music director and took hold of the Met's artistic future.

Book Synopsis

When the first two books of Jackson's groundbreaking chronicle were published, critics hailed them as "historical gold" (Denver Post), "a thorough and thoroughly entertaining history" (Boston Globe), and "an opera-lover's dream" (Opera News).

In this new work, Paul Jackson expands his survey of the broadcasts by examining the decade that saw the move from the old house uptown to the technological marvel at Lincoln Center. There Rudolf Bing's final six years give way to four seasons of management turmoil until 1976, when James Levine was named music director and took hold of the Met's artistic future. 140 performances, beginning with the controversial opening night premiere of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, are vividly recaptured by Jackson, a musicologist with an ability to combine narrative history with musical analysis and criticism. The legendary creations of Tebaldi and Corelli, Sutherland and Tucker, of Caballé, Crespin, Price, Bergonzi, Gedda and others are explored in depth. Conductor luminaries like Bernstein, Böhm, Krips and Karajan spell the efforts of more mortal colleagues. And Domingo and Pavarotti enter upon the scene that they will dominate for decades to come. Featuring 100 photos (the majority courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera Archives), this book will delight both seasoned devotees of the broadcasts and new listeners alike.

About the Author

Paul Jackson is dean emeritus of the College of Fine Arts and professor emeritus of music at Drake University. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford. During the 1950s and '60s, he toured as pianist for many Metropolitan Opera singers and served as opera house manager for the Central City Opera and Drama Festivals in Colorado. In 1964 he began his long tenure as dean at Drake. A contributor to Opera News, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, he now enjoys writing and living in the Green Mountains of Vermont.