What people are saying about this book...
Media Reviews
"Indeed a necessary book."
— Joanna Guinther, Opera News
"The book, may be a tribute to Gergiev, but it is also proof of a consummate critic’s skills and passion for musical art. In addition, it contains a generous array of photographs of the theater in all of its historical guises, and of the dancers and singers who have graced its stage. Music lovers, particularly opera buffs, will find this volume hard to resist."
— Ann McCutchan, Bloomsbury Review
"It is an atmospheric read and really gets you feeling for the theatre's uphill struggle against an eternally unstable backdrop. . . . The story of the Kirov Opera is indeed a remarkable one and here it is engagingly told."
— Antonia Couling, Classical Music
, December 8, 2001
"Extremely well-researched and beautifully illustrated. . . . Providing marvelous — and essential — insights, this book is for all who study or love Russian performing arts."
— Choice
"Ardoin's gifts as a musical critic — able to describe in words the peculiar power, majesty, or delicacy of each singer — make this a real treat for the inquiring musician and critic . . . . An additional bonus to this extraordinary book is Ardoin's capacities, previously unknown to me, as a critic, appreciator, and describer of ballet performance. "
— Alexander Coleman, The New Criterion
"I found the book most absorbing, and one which I would highly recommend."
— The Massenet Society
, February/March 2002
"The book is at once a portrait of the conductor, a history of the theater, and a look at its current artistic standing."
— Dallas Morning News
, September 18, 2001
"Opera and ballet fans will enjoy the rare, behind-the-scenes view of this venerable institution and its occupants. "
— Library Journal
, October 15, 2001
"Handsomely illustrated, the book includes a bibliography, a discography, and a foreword by Sir Peter Ustinov."
— Chester Lane, Symphony
"Furnishing lively reading on music and the intrigues behind more than two centuries of its performance, Ardoin brightly illuminates Russia’s premier opera and ballet companies."
— Alan Hirsch, Booklist
"Valery Gergiev . . . is a riveting subject. And if you love music and dance, St. Petersburg and Russian culture, then John Ardoin's Valery Gergiev and the Kirov, with its well-researched text and its pages of beautiful illustrations, amply illustrates why."
— Selwa Roosevelt, Washington Post
, January 6, 2002
"A fine addition to anyone’s library who is interested in Gergiev, ballet, or opera. It is beautifully produced. There are splendid photographs, some in fine color; a valuable bibliography; a discography/videography; and a helpful Index of Names and Works."
— Lou Camp, Penn Sounds
, spring 2002
"A feat of literary courage and clever balance...Careful and generously informative, if not quite factually perfect, history of Russia's preeminent opera-and-dance theatre...An important, indeed a necessary book.
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— Leighton Kerner, Opera News
"A fascinating if hybrid volume, lavishly illustrated and chock full of home truths."
— Stephanie von Buchau, Bay Area Reporter
, September 27, 2001
"The author has done a vast amount of research on the theater's history, but he is never pedantic or boring when writing about the past, and his portraits of some of the fabled artists . . . are fetching and memorable . . . the book is a must-read release."
— Willard Manus, Lively-Arts.com
"I could not possibly overstate the importance and overall interest of this book. Ardoin's superb writing style makes reading a pleasure . . . . Ardoin's [book] . . . provide[s] the first informative text in English on opera in St. Petersburg. It thus offers great value as a useful reference book."
— Tom Kaufman, The Opera Quarterly, 120.2
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