Preparing an Operatic Role

by Marie Myerscough and Sir Colin Davis

I chose this book because the man it’s about, Ubaldo Gardini, was a tremendously important influence on my life. He was the dominant influence in British opera between 1970 and 1985. Conductors fell at his feet. He had an extraordinarily vibrant personality, and an absolute passion for Italian opera. He taught the singers how to sing them in a traditional Italian fashion. He did it in London, New York and the Far East. The book is a series of interviews with people (many of them famous singers) that he has worked with and there’s an interview with him. It gives you a glimpse into the real entrails of the opera world, which is something outsiders usually don’t have any access to, and makes this a completely unique book.