Grand Opera The Story of the Met

The Metropolitan has stood among the grandest of opera companies since its birth in 1883. Tracing the offstage/onstage workings of this famed New York institution, this title tells how the Met became and remains a powerful actor on the global cultural scene.

"Drawing on vast and intricate research, Grand Opera lays out the entire history of the Metropolitan Opera—its triumphs and its catastrophes, its labor squabbles and its architecture, its impresarios and its stars. For anyone who cares about opera, this book is an essential reference guide and companion."—Wayne Koestenbaum, author of The Anatomy of Harpo Marx

“The history of America's foremost opera company has been in need of refreshing, and the Affrons have done it well. For readers new to the story, they have given a highly readable and informed account. For those familiar with earlier tellings, theirs is an invaluable complement. And it brings us all up to date, especially in the increasingly Byzantine areas of management and patronage, and their effects on artistic policy. An important contribution.” —Conrad L. Osborne, critic and author

" Grand Opera is the latest and certainly one of the most fascinating literary explorations of the colorful history of the Metropolitan Opera. In this thoroughly documented narrative, rich with succulent detail, Charles and Mirella Jona Affron provide the reader an engrossing account of the genesis of America's premiere opera company and its oft-tumultuous journey through time, proving in many ways the old adage that 'there's nothing new under the sun.' This is a great read, and an essential addition to my library."—George I. Shirley, J. Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Music, University of Michigan; tenor, Metropolitan Opera, 1961–1973

The Metropolitan has stood among the grandest of opera companies since its birth in 1883. Tracing the offstage/onstage workings of this famed New York institution, Charles Affron and Mirella Jona Affron tell how the Met became and remains a powerful actor on the global cultural scene. In this first new history of the company in thirty years, each of the chronologically sequenced chapters surveys a composer or a slice of the repertoire and brings to life dominant personalities and memorable performances of the time. From the opening night Faust to the recent controversial production of Wagner's "Ring," Grand Opera is a remarkable account of management and audience response to the push and pull of tradition and reinvention. Spanning the decades between the Gilded Age and the age of new media, this story of the Met concludes by tipping its hat to the hugely successful "Live in HD" simulcasts and other twenty-first-century innovations. Grand Opera's appeal extends far beyond the large circle of opera enthusiasts. Drawing on unpublished documents from the Metropolitan Opera Archives, reviews, recordings, and much more, this richly detailed book looks at the Met in the broad context of national and international issues and events.