Molto Agitato

Weav[es] telling vignettes and interseting interpretations into a rich tapestry that vividly describes what goes on behind the great gold curtain. [Fiedler] deserves an ovation. --The Dallas Morning News Elegant. . . . It's the opera book that tells you what you really want to know, not by gossiping, but by sensitive discussion of facts long-hidden behing [the Met's] Kremlin-like facade. --The Philadelphia Inquirer High-toned dish. . . . [The Met is] creepy one minute, transcendentally beautiful the next, but never, ever boring. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch Compelling. . . .Lively, in-depth. . . . Fiedler doesn't stint in her tales about those temperamental artists who make the business of running an opera company unlike any other. --The Wall Street Journal Provides a unique perspective not only on the opera scene, but on the changing landscape of American society since the Met's opening in 1883. . . . It also serves up some pretty spicy dish. --The Boston Globe The juicy survival saga of a leaky vessel that has managed to stay afloat despite constant threats of disaster and a passenger list out of Ship of Fools. --The New York Observer Evenhanded. . . . Brings an emotional immediacy to events. --The New York Times Opera buffs looking for a chatty, informative and basically fair take on the Met will enjoy the book. --The New York Times Book Review There's plenty of gossip. . . . Digs into power struggles, plus diva dramas, even a murder. --USA Today A great pleasure to read. Simultaneously thoughtful, well-written and trashy . . . an ideal beach read for opera buffs. --Time Out New York Fiedler succeeds in exposing all the dirty linen that she used to work so hard to conceal: the affairs, the squables, the nasty memos. --The New Yorker High-toned dish. . . . [The Met is] creepy one minute, transcendentally beautiful the next, but never, ever boring. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch A rare, gossipy, behind-the-scenes look into the life of New York's Metropolitan Opera, where passions are as dramatic offstage as on. --Town and Country A facsinating survey of the misdeeds going on in the back. . . . A must-read for all operaphiles. --The State (Columbia, SC) Breezy. . . . Fiedler makes old scandal as intriguing as topical news about its current Artistic Director James Levine and General Manager Joseph Volpe. -The Austin Chronicle A thorough-going, eyeball-rolling institutional history. . . . One couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable guide to the inner wrokings of the Met. --Kirkus Reviews Fiedler delivers the goods. . . . By the time I finished Molto Agitato, I was ready for more. --John Griffin, San Antonio Express-News