Customer Reviews

Challenges: A Memoir of My Life in Opera

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As a profesesional woman conductor one generation behind Sarah Caldwell, I enjoyed the book immensely. Through Caldwell's recollections it shows the conductor's view of a performing arts organization...its triumphs, its daily grind, its "challenges." Especially interesting is reading about Caldwell's intensive preparation work before the operas were produced. Also interesting is reading about promising young singers who are now household names in the opera world. A great read for anyone who likes to know what goes on behind the scenes, this one really shows the life of the artist at work and how she feels about it.

Opera is an art form cherished by many Americans, and Sarah Caldwell gives readers a look into the business with "Challenges: A Memoir of My Life in Opera". A conductor and founder of the long running Opera Company of Boston, and the first woman to conduct a Metropolitan Opera, she speaks as her times in the field, and earning many honors and awards along the way. "Challenges" is a must for any opera fan who wants to know more about how one of the most vital people in the orchestra lives her life.

I found this book a thrown together collection of miscellaneous facts about Caldwell, without any but the most superficial insight into the woman, her approach to her work or the enormous impact of that work. She did lots of American premieres, she had troubles finding a home for her company or financing to sustain it, she worked with some of the great names in opera - OK, now tell me something I didn't know.