The final word
The cover art says it all. OPERA AS OPERA in big capital letters. The first “OPERA” in the title is given a pristine graphic treatment, the second resembles crumbling marble. It’s perfect imagery to sum up the impetus behind this book—that the operatic art form today is in serious decline, if not in imminent disintegration.
Conrad L. Osborne, elder statesman among is formidable, a veritable treasure trove of operatic/cultural observations from the last fifty plus years. While it’s impossible to cover all the details here, I will address Osborne’s main points, many (not all) of which resonate with this reviewer.
