The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera

About this book

Fascinating and highly readable this is the definitive social history of the worlds 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 Mozarts Vienna to Frederick the Greats Berlin. It covers the lure of fin-de-sicle Paris the rough and tumble of the Australian outback and the new world of the Americascolorful backdrops to the always dramatic sometimes tragic sometimes hilarious episodes that make up this rich and fascinating story.