The gilded stage : the social history of opera

The Gilded Stage is a comprehensive tour of the world of opera. From its origins in the courts of northern Italy, to its internationally recognised position in modern culture, Snowman explores the social history of opera houses and impresarios, composers and patrons, artists and audiences. Even the most flamboyant composers could scarcely have imagined the global reach of opera in our own times. More opera is performed, financed, seen, heard, filmed and broadcast than ever before, and the world's leading performers are worshipped and paid like pop stars. Yet the art form is widely derided as 'elitist' and parts of the classical recording business appear close to bankruptcy. Pinpointing the scandals, forgotten history and key revolutions in the form with light erudition and a brilliant anecdotal eye, Daniel Snowman reveals that the world of opera has always known crisis and uncertainty - and the resulting struggles have often proved every bit as dramatic as those portrayed onstage. The Gilded Stage is a comprehensive tour of the world of opera. From its origins in the courts of northern Italy, to its internationally recognised position in modern culture, Snowman explores the social history of opera houses and impresarios, composers and patrons, artists and audiences. Even the most flamboyant composers could scarcely have imagined the global reach of opera in our own times. More opera is performed, financed, seen, heard, filmed and broadcast than ever before, and the world's leading performers are worshipped and paid like pop stars. Yet the art form is widely derided as 'elitist' and parts of the classical recording business appear close to bankruptcy. Pinpointing the scandals, forgotten history and key revolutions in the form with light erudition and a brilliant anecdotal eye, Daniel Snowman reveals that the world of opera has always known crisis and uncertainty - and the resulting struggles have often proved every bit as dramatic as those portrayed onstage. History "From its origins in the courts of northern Italy, to its internationally recognised position in modern culture, the author explores the social history of opera houses and impresarios, composers and patrons, artists and audiences. From its beginnings in the Renaissance cities of northern Italy opera has permeated through Europe, America, and beyond, becoming a global business in the digital age. This history unwraps the story of opera from the charm and chaos of Mozart's Vienna to Frederick the Great's Berlin. It covers the lure of fin-de-siècle Paris, the rough and tumble of the Australian outback, and the new world of the Americas--colorful backdrops to the always dramatic, sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious episodes that make up this rich and fascinating story."--The publisher Fascinating and highly readable, this is the definitive social history of the world's most romantic, flamboyant, glamorous, and politically influential art-form: opera From its beginnings in the Renaissance cities of northern Italy opera has permeated through Europe, America, and beyond, becoming a global business in the digital age. This history unwraps the story of opera from the charm and chaos of Mozart's Vienna to Frederick the Great's Berlin. It covers the lure of fin-de-siècle Paris, the rough and tumble of the Australian outback, and the new world of the Americas—colorful backdrops to the always dramatic, sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious episodes that make up this rich and fascinating story. This title unwraps the story of opera in the contexts in which it has developed, throughout history and around the world, from Handel's London to the glamour of the Parisian opera via Venetian carnival