Signed 1st Edition THE RING ANATOMY OF AN OPERA by Stephen Fay Michael Kennedy
SIGNED 1st EDITION THE RING ANATOMY OF AN OPERA By STEPHEN FAY and ROGER WOOD Here we have a very sought after book, this book is signed and dedicated by Stephen Fay. However the dedication is to the late Joyce and Michael Kennedy.
His wife, Joyce Kennedy, was also active in music circles, sometimes editing or co-authoring with him. "To Joyce and Michael Kennedy With regards, both Kind admiration Stephen Fay Many years later" The 1983 production of Wagner's Ring at Bayreuth was one of the most expensive, ambitious and controversial ever. Wagnerians like Bernard Levin hailed it as a triumph, others came to mock. But few would contest the claim that it was the production closest to Wagner's original intention, and that it was staged with more ingenuity and spectacular effect than any recent Ring. Stephen Fay, former arts editor of the Sunday Times, and Roger Wood, one of the world's most experienced opera photographers, have combined to produce a book which will itself make opera history.
They followed the production of the'English Ring', as it was known, from its very inception, attending planning meetings, observing casting and design first hand. They had the full co-operation of the two "sirs" - Peter Hall and Georg Solti- in gathering their material. The result is a book which takes the reader into the very heart of a major opera production. The clash of temperaments on and off the stage in Bayreuth in 1983 was as spectacular as anything portrayed in the operas themselves.This is an account of how that clash forged a major and unforgettable production. Stephen Fay was educated in London and Canada.
He worked as a journalist on the Sunday Times for twenty years, finally writing its Atticus column, and reporting from Washington. He has written five previous books, the last of which concerned an attempt to corner the silver market. Roger Wood first became famous for his ballet photographs in 1944. Since then he has worked extensively in all forms of theatre, including opera. Widely travelled, he now has an international reputation as a specialist in books illustrating the antiquities and museums of the Middle East. Born in India and educated in England, Roger Wood now lives in London and in France.