Customer Reviews

Lost Divas

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What a moving and beautiful experience to see these collection of great portraits of almost and totally forgotten divas of Opera from the early twentieth century and hear some of their voices (16 cuts on a specially produced CD , cleverly selected and well remastered, mounted on the inside of the back cover). With a big size and stylish design. printed with great care on high quality paper, this is a rare book, absolutely unmissable if you love Opera or just great Photography. So sad to think how little of that old grace and style can be found on the pathetic divas of showbiz today.

Thank you, Andre Tubeuf. By scouring second-hand shops and flea-markets in Paris, he managed to collect a remarkable record of opera singers who were famous in their day, and now are largely unknown. Some are more famous than others (for example, Mary Garden, who was the first Melisande in Debussy's opera, or Rosa Ponselle) but in many cases, the more obscure divas are the most pleasurable to see here. Like Marie Gutheil-Schoder, who sang under Mahler at the Vienna Opera, or the terrifying Anna von Mildenburg (another Mahler discovery). The book thoughtfully includes a CD so we can hear as well as see these astonishing creatures. If you've read Wayne Koestenbaum's The Queen's Throat (and if you haven't read it, you should!), this book could function as illustrations for his chapter on "Codes of Diva Conduct."

This is a gorgeous oversized book which opera buffs will like to have on their coffee tables to impress other opera buffs. The black-and-white pictures of divas of yesteryear are stunning. There is a mesmerizing picture of Mary Garden as Thomas' Ophelie that is beyond amazing! It is particularly thrilling! The pictures of Anna von Mildenburg must be seen to be believed: Ortrud and Klytemnestra in the most fabulous costumes and poses. The CD gives each diva a chance to be heard. (Some are very obscure; others are well-known.) There is an introduction and a brief tribute to each diva, but this is where the big problems start.

The prose was originally written in French, but the translator (or editor) did not have enough knowledge of opera or English to get things right. The result is that you might end up reading not for information, but to see what bizarre error you will encounter next. If you are going to have a tribute to Maria Cebotari, don't give her name as Ceborati in your introduction. Don't give some of the titles of German operas in French. (Don't change Maria Malibran's name to Marie.) Don't confuse the name of an opera (Massenet's Roma) with the name of the opera's heroine. In fact, there are some very strange uses of the word "role" that suggest somebody doesn't know what "role" means in English. Don't break up words between lines in impossible places; break them at the proper syllable break.

And I question whether mezzo/contralto Sigrid Onegin really sang Zerbinetta. (If she did, I apologize to the author, but I suspect the author meant to say that she sang Dryade in "Ariadne auf Naxos" with Margarethe Siems as the Zerbinetta.) I am totally baffled by the word "iflifted" on page 14. I find it strange that the Marschallin is called The Marshall's Wife. She's the Marschallin! Leave it at that.

Gabriel Pierne is credited with giving Marthe Chenal "the opportunity to sing Camille," which set me to wondering if he composed a rival "Traviata" called "Camille" or if he convinced management to book her in a French "Traviata" in which the heroine was called Camille. More explanation please.

The prose that is error-free is still a little too art nouveau hothouse. There is too much gushing about how this or that diva was the greatest, the most beautiful, wore the best costumes, received the most acclaim, could outstare and outpose silent film sirens. A little of it goes a long way, and that's what the author has provided: little bits of bizarre text to accompany huge gorgeous pictures.

This is a treasure-trove of poetic, ethereal photographs! Fascinating,
mysterious, beautiful faces of the opera stars of our past. What
a gift to have preserved these great memories for generations to come.
Thank you Andre Tubeuf!
Highly recommended. If you love real beauty, you will LOVE this book.

I saw this book, at a used book store for $45, Lost Divas. It was at an excellent condition and arrived in a timely manner. Thank you very much!