Lost Divas Hardcover – 17 Aug. 2005

Why on Earth is Rosa Ponselle (and some other famous singers) included among the lost divas? Anyone who has some serious interest in the art of opera knows her name and has surely listened to her recordings. Why aren't Italian female singers included in the album? It seems absolutely impossible to understand. The typographic quality is sometimes very poor, which is really a bid deception.On the other hand, some of the photos are very rare. This book might be interesting for real real opera fans.

Thank you, Andre Tubeuf. By scouring second-hand shops and flea-markets in Paris, he managed to collect a remarkable record of opera singers who were famous in their day, and now are largely unknown. Some are more famous than others (for example, Mary Garden, who was the first Melisande in Debussy's opera, or Rosa Ponselle) but in many cases, the more obscure divas are the most pleasurable to see here. Like Marie Gutheil-Schoder, who sang under Mahler at the Vienna Opera, or the terrifying Anna von Mildenburg (another Mahler discovery). The book thoughtfully includes a CD so we can hear as well as see these astonishing creatures. If you've read Wayne Koestenbaum's The Queen's Throat (and if you haven't read it, you should!), this book could function as illustrations for his chapter on "Codes of Diva Conduct."

J'ai un faible pour Andre Tuboeuf apres avoir lu L' Offrande Musical, et surtout la Quatorzieme Valse, un petit chef d' oeuvre comme on n' en fait pas de nos jours, sur la vie du grand pianist Dinu Lipati. Mais les Divas a quelque chose d' unique: Le cd avec toutes ces voix passees mais encore si vivantes et emouvantes! La recherche de l' ecrivain nous mene chez nous quelque chose de si rare et difficile a trouver. Des photos sublimes aussi. Un vrai cadeau pour ceux qui aiment la voix humaine (avec tous ces qualites et defauts en etat pur sans "correcteurs" techniques) et les contes de fees. Pour ceux qui aiment la perfection du son d' aujourd'hui le cd ne leur dira peut etre pas grand chose mais le livre les recompesera tout a fait.

What a moving and beautiful experience to see these collection of great portraits of almost and totally forgotten divas of Opera from the early twentieth century and hear some of their voices (16 cuts on a specially produced CD , cleverly selected and well remastered, mounted on the inside of the back cover). With a big size and stylish design. printed with great care on high quality paper, this is a rare book, absolutely unmissable if you love Opera or just great Photography. So sad to think how little of that old grace and style can be found on the pathetic divas of showbiz today.

Who knew these incredibly relevant historical figures even existed?! I first discovered this book at the Union Station Hotel, in Nashville Tennessee, and had to have a copy of the book for myself. Wish the stories of these women's lives were a bit longer, but it was enough to get me started on researching some of them, delving into their worlds to see what other interesting facts there are to discover.

IN ALL SENSES, this book is beyond expectations ! They were really forgotten and now we can see them again, on wonderfull photos!!The book came to Brasil in a few weeks. And the price is good too, here is much expensive to buy it. Thanks a lot!