Chicago’s love affair with opera began early, in 1850, when the frontier town welcomed its first traveling opera singers. A full house applauded the opening performance, but during a repeat performance the next day, the theater burned to the ground. Nonetheless, Chicago had been bitten by the opera bug, and it has never lost its enthusiasm for the art.
More than sixty years—and many visiting opera companies—would pass before the city established an opera company of its own. Robert Marsh recounts the trials and triumphs of the entrepreneurs and the colorful international artists who brought opera to Chicago and staged it in a number of different theaters. In the first half of the twentieth century, seven opera companies were started in Chicago—and failed. Finally, in 1954, three friends launched the company that became Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the city gained a company that not only thrived but earned recognition as one of the nation’s great cultural institutions. This book also details the history and fortunes of the Chicago Opera Theater from its inception in 1974 to the present.
Singers, musicians, enterprising impresarios, richly decorated opera houses, and performances that held audiences spellbound all figure into Marsh’s lively account of opera in Chicago. The story also provides an overview of changes in the operatic repertoire, audience development, and approaches to production as opera grew from a “stand-and-sing” event to its full flowering as enriching musical drama.
Enlivened with nearly a hundred illustrations, 150 Years of Opera in Chicago embraces its subject enthusiastically. This broad and engaging over view is supplemented with a list of professional opera performances in Chicago, from 1850 to 2005.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Fact-packed, lively.... 150 Years of Opera in Chicago radiates the affectionate and comprehensive knowledge of [Marsh and Pellegrini] about the most glamorous and expensive of the performing arts."—Illinois Heritage
"A fine book. With the unusual stylishness of the writing and its fascinating subject ... every line that you read demands that you keep going, and makes you read on and on."—Opera Today
"Essential reading."—Chicago Tribune
About the Author
Robert C. Marsh (1924–2002) served for 35 years as music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. At home in most of the major opera houses of the world, he saw Chicago opera against the background of the international world of music. He authored a number of books and hundreds of articles related to music.
Norman Pellegrini, who completed and edited this book, served for more than 40 years as program director of Chicago fine arts radio station WFMT.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good coffee table book and reference,
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This review is from: 150 Years of Opera in Chicago (Hardcover)
I have not thoroughly perused the book as yet. Rather than containing the specific information I am looking for, it is a beautifully crafted Overview of the general subject. It should be a superb introduction to the subject for anyone looking for that kind of material. In other words, it rates as many stars as there are in your system! The chosen photographs are excellent, the chapter breakdown logical and pleasing.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive history of opera in Chicago, and great insights into the business of nonprofits,
This review is from: 150 Years of Opera in Chicago (Hardcover)
Readers of Robert C. Marsh -- for 35 years music critic of the Chicago Sun-Times -- will see this as a capstone to a marvelous career, but it is more than that. This is an original work, not a collection of critical pieces. It combines scholarship and judgment, not only on the artistry of opera in Chicago over 150 years, but also on the business of the arts: "both filled boxes and a packed gallery are essential for a firm base of operations." For those who agree with Marsh that "an opera house is a constant invitation to personal growth and discovery," the book will offer fresh insights. The listing of all the operas offered at Chicago's major opera companies from 1850 - 2005, both by composer and by year, is an important new reference tool.
3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have for those Interested in Chicago History,
By Carol Green "Average buyer" (Midwest) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 150 Years of Opera in Chicago (Hardcover)
For those who love history, Opera and Chicago this book is a must have on your bookshelf. It was especially interesting to me because my family has lived in Chicago for 4 generations. It is also very interesting to see how the development of a city parallels social trends like immigration, economic development etc. I have put this book on my bookshelf next to a broader history of Chicago and a history of the Chicago mafia.
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