FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

After releasing Michael Scott's fine Maria Meneghini Callas ( LJ 8/92) only last year, the same publisher has come out with another biography of the celebrated soprano. One would be apt to consider this step redundant were it not for the superb insights and total command of his material displayed by the author, who is the head of Stern Magazin' s cultural department. In addition to providing a chronological narrative, the new volume begins with four fascinating essays that approach the Callas phenomenon from several perspectives, placing her in context. An 80-page discussion of Callas's recorded legacy is obviously based on careful and reflective listening. Somewhat in the manner of Harold Schonberg's new biography of Vladimir Horowitz, Kesting is at times openly partisan, quibbling with some bad reviews the soprano may well have deserved. Nevertheless, the book is well worth acquiring. Recommended for most collections.-- E. Gaub, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.

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