Customer Reviews

The Great Caruso

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This biography about the best tenor of them all, Enrico Caruso,is very well written and - what is already much in the collection of the hundreds of Caruso biographies - the facts are well researched. The best is the discography at the end, if you are a collector or just a fan -that's the one to get! If you look for an even more comprehensive biography, get yourself "my father and my family" in the unabridged version by Enrico Caruso jr.

I was given this book by a friend who knows of my love for Caruso's music. The industry reviews on this page talk about the "exhaustive research" done by the author. I had to put the book down after page one: within three paragraphs, the author repeats one of the most preposterous lies about Caruso's life, that his mother had 17 previous children who died within a year of their birth. Then I flipped back to the dust flap, where it claims that Caruso performed "an astonishing 37 major roles each year" at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Newsflash: Caruso's mother did not lose 17 children: Enrico (Errico) was the third of seven children. And no tenor every performed 37 different roles in one year, let alone EVERY year. To accomplish the latter, the Met would have had to run performances 52 weeks a year, with Caruso changing roles every 10 days for 17 years. How can one trust a book that makes mistakes like that before you even get to page 2?

The Great Caruso is a rare and wonderful exploration of the personal and professional life of one of the finest tenors of our age - Enrico Caruso. The reader is carried along in a surge of opportunities and performances too numerous to list here. At his height, Caruso handled a blistering appearance and performance schedule, one which would have done in a lesser tenor. His incredible talents shone brilliantly in operas both in the United States and overseas, in between brief and cherished weeks or months spent in his Italian retreat.

I found the tale of his personal life most engaging. Caruso's first marriage was a little rocky, but eventually he found wedded bliss and it is clear that he adored his children. Family always came first for him and my heart was so touched by Enrico's tragic end, a death which might have been avoided if the signs had been correctly interpreted and his demanding schedule lightened. Nevertheless, for all too brief a time, Enrico Caruso dazzled and inspired audiences worldwide, his star burning brightly whether it was within the intimate setting of a friend's parlor or upon the lofty boards of the Met. For anyone who adores music, this book is a treasure.