MOLTO AGITATO's subtitle says it all: "The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera." Fiedler is a witty, clever writer who keeps the pace going and although she has some obvious likes and dislikes among the stars and the office and backstage workers, she seemingly keeps her opinions on the back burner and tries, often successfully, to tell the facts. But, let's face it: the Met is a performing arts organization and, therefore every civilian who watches or listens to even one opera from the Met, becomes a financial and artistic critic.
Conductor James Levine, one of the Met's treasures, and, in fact, one of the world's musical treasures, gets the lion's share of attention and adoration, but Fielder is "relatively fair" to more famous names like Marian Anderson and Placido Domingo, Cecilia Bartoli and Beverly Sills, Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso, et al. For snide laughs, start with the gossip surrounding the firing of Kathleen Battle; for grim adventure, there is the real murder of violinist Helen Hagnes; if you believe that the Met, to survive, has got to hire more experimental directors, read about John Dexter and his defeat at Lincoln Center; if you believe that the Met, to survive, must continue to hire more lavish directors, read about Franco Zeffirelli and his opera-as-spectacle policy; if you, like most, get your only opera experience from The Three Tenors, there are pieces on all three of them and an extra long chapter on the, arguably, most famous singer of all time, Luciano Pavarotti.
Granted, there's not much dirt on the people involved, but enough to keep your interest. What really makes this a must read, though, is the inside info you won't find in any other books. For example, I had no idea that the Schuyler Chapin administration was the almost complete failure described by Ms. Fiedler (Head of the Met Press Department for many years, regular panelist on the Opera Quiz, and Arthur Fiedler's daughter), nor had I ever read this much inside info on James Levine, a man who's always prided himself on keeping his public and private lives seperate.
I could go on, but let me just say that, whether you're an opera buff in particular, or just interested in classical music in general, you'll find "Molto Agitato" a fascinating read. I know I did. And I know I'll be re-reading it often.
Fiedler has long been associated with the Met, and people who listen to the Saturday afternoon broadcasts will be familiar with her name since she is often a quiz panelist. Her name should be familiar to anyone who knows music since she is the daughter of Arthur Fielder, the late legendary conductor of the Boston Pops. Her volume contains many stories about the great legends of yesteryear including Enrico Caruso, Nellie Melba, Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior to name a few, as well as the tales of Rudolph Bing, his altercations with Maria Callas, the antics of Kathleen Battle, Renata Scotto, and Luciano Pavarotti. This volume also has quiet a bit about James Levine which any story of the Met would have to include.
Ms. Fiedler has a great mind for detail and rather than giving a chronological history, she tells a story with great historical events. She can be both humorous and catty, but this adds to the overall flavor of the book. She also has a great understanding of the people involved, perhaps due to the fact that she was exposed to great musical personalities most of her life.
The paperback version has one great advantage over the hardcover. It includes a chapter that tells of the effect of September 11th on the company as well as current events up until 2003.