Author(s): Rupert Christiansen

Biography / Memoir

Prima donnas have always provoked extreme reactions - branded as spoilt and manipulative, hated and resented. This book examines the truth behind the myth, seeking the real women behind the stereotypes. Women over 300 years from Pasta and Patti to Norman and Bartoli are put into historical and musical context. He reveals their vital creative contribution to the development of opera and the intense personal struggles that were often the price of success.