In these vivid and anecdotal memoirs, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, one of the twentieth century's most successful impressarios, tells of his long reign in the most famous houses of the opera world: a decade at La Scala, followed by twenty-seven years at the Metropolitan opera. With an inimitable tone he relates an astonishing wealth of wisdom from an impressive cast of personal friends numbering Verdi, Puccini and Debussy. Gatti's memoirs are totally unimpeded either by time or by their sheer content, recollecting in extra ordinary detail his earliest musical experiences that led to a lifelong inspiration.
Most remarkable is Gatti's never-failing self-awareness, always appreciative of his role in cultural history, but never boastful of his talents. He commits his memories of opera's golden age to paper, he says, only for posterity, and they serve posterity well.
