A Bit of Light Reading: Powerful Figures

Dear Miss Purdy,

Life has been throwing us a whole bunch of twists and turns lately. I’m sure there’s no need to reiterate what’s going on in the world, but Miss Purdy, we’d like to tell you what’s happening in the world of classical music.

Our summer programs have been cancelled. Every summer, opera singers are either hired for a small sum or pay LARGE sums to do training programs and put on beautiful operatic performances. We spend all of our part-time job savings, loan disbursements, and barista tips to pay for plane tickets to travel across the states or over to another continent. We stay in home stays with locals, Airbnbs, hostels, apartments, and schools for several weeks and meet the most marvelous people. In our house, we’ve met musicians from all around Europe and the states, a coach from Royal Opera House, a conductor from the Metropolitan Opera, famous singers, renowned teachers, and you know, really awesome friends.

However, with our tuition money gone, musicians being unemployed and furloughed, we need to find other options for our time. While some programs are offering online courses and productions, we have been finding our own projects in this quarantine. We have been READING. Like, A LOT. We’re over the textbook lives of famous people, we want the real stories and we’ve found them. We’re going to start leaving books on your door step. Is that okay with you, Miss Purdy?

Puccini Without Excuses: A Refreshing Reassessment of the World’s Most Popular Composer by William Berger

If there was ever an argument for the most popular or well-loved opera composer of all time, Giacomo Puccini’s name would definitely at the top of the list among others probably including Mozart (1756-1791, Classical Era), Bizet (1838-1875, Early Romantic Era), and Verdi (1813-1901, Early-late Romantic Era). But, when it comes to Post-Romantic opera composers, Puccini would definitely be the victor.

“In this witty and informative guide for beginners and fans alike, William Berger sets the record straight, reclaiming Puccini as a serious artist. Combining his trademark irreverent humor with passionate enthusiasm, Berger strikes just the right balance of introductory information and thought-provoking analysis. He includes a biography, discussions of each opera, a glossary, fun facts and anecdotes, and above all keen insight into Puccini’s enduring power. For anyone who loves Puccini and for anyone who just wonders what all the fuss is about, Puccini Without Excuses is funny, challenging, and always a pleasure to read.”

If you aren’t well-versed on the musical stylings of Puccini, here is just a taste of the BIG CAKE that is his compositional style:

 

Here’s the finale from Puccini’s last ever opera. He passed away before completing the score and it was finished by Franco Alfano. The story tells of a handsome Prince Calaf falling in love with the beautiful, yet cold, Princess Turandot. Any suitor of hers must answer three riddles, resulting in death if they are wrong. Calaf answers them correctly, but she still refuses to marry him. He counters her with his own game; if she can guess his name by daybreak he will agree to die for her. This story is so intense, it has us all on the edge of our seats, sobbing from its beauty clear until the amazing finale which we hope you will enjoy.

Find Puccini without Excuses at Amazon for $10.99 here.

Malevolent Muse: The Life of Alma Mahler by Oliver Hilmes

First and foremost, if Gustav Mahler isn’t a composer that is immediately recognizable to you, Miss Purdy, I suggest you treat yourself to a couple of his symphonies including his second symphony which is famously known as the “Resurrection Symphony” and features the unforgettable “Death Shriek.” The ending of the symphony is so powerful, it makes composers do this…

 

The ending of the last movement of the symphony marks the end of the long journey of man meeting death. The last moments of human experience with a ginormous orchestra, so large it rattles your ribcage and vibrates your sternum. The death shriek happens not once, BUT TWICE. This symphony is the DEFINITION of an emotional roller coaster and at the end, you’re greeted by an angelic, triumphant chorus … and it makes us do this…           

 

A lesser known part of Gustav’s life was his marriage to the aspiring composer, Alma, a beautiful and highly sought after woman. She had a long line of lovers and married three prominently known men, an architect, a writer, and one of the most well known composers of the 19th/early 20th centuries. What factors of this world helped create and mould this woman into her fully scandalous and seductive self? I mean, just LOOK AT HER.

“It Had to be Her” Book Review by Cathleen Schine

She is confident, stunning, and gorgeous! Her life has captured the attention of so many musicologists and authors, there are multiple books being written on her extraordinary life. For starters, here is a well-researched biography that includes her own writings. Learn about her upbringing, the discovery of her feminine power, and how she became the inspiration for art and music during her time.

Find Malevolent Muse at Amazon for $40 here.

So, here you have it!

Miss Purdy, we hope you enjoy these books as much as we have. We didn’t want to give TOO much away, but the lives of these two people were so awesome. We can’t wait until there are Netflix docu-series on both of their lives.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

The Unemployed-But-Always-Fabulous opera singers next door