Molto Agitato

If the opera world is full of "intrigue, double meanings, and devious dramatics," then no place exemplifies this more than the world-famous Metropolitan Opera, where politics, ambition, andoversized egos have traditionally taken center stage along with some of the world's richest music. Drawing on her fifteen years as its press representative, Johanna Fiedler explodes the traditional secrecy thatsurrounds the Met in this wonderfully entertaining account of its tumuluous history.

Fiedler chronicles the Met's early days as a home for legends like Toscanini, Mahler, and Caruso, and givesa fascinating account of the middle years when haughty blue-bloods battled stubborn adminstrators for control of a company that would emerge as America's premiere opera house. She takes us behind the grandgold-curtain stage in more recent years as well, showing how musical superstars like Luciano Pavarotti, Plaaacute;cido Domingo, and Kathleen Battle have electrified performances and scandalized the public. But mostrevelatory are Fiedler's portrayals of James Levine and Joseph Volpe and their practically parallel ascendancies-Levine rising from prodigy to artistic director, Volpe advancing from stagehand togeneral manager-and their once strained relationship. Weaving together the personal, economic, and artistic struggles that characterize the Met's long and vibrant history, MoltoAgitato is a must-read saga of power, wealth, and, above all, great music. "From the Trade Paperback edition."