On "Wagner Nights," sponsored by the Seidl Society, the three-thousand-seat music pavilion was filled to capacity. That most Wagnerites were women was a distinguishing feature of American Wagnerism. Indeed, America's Wagner cult constituted a vital aspect of fin-de-siecle ferment, anticipating the New American Woman.
How Refugees from Twentieth-Century War and Revolution Transformed the American Performing Arts
The book explores the impact of decades of war and revolution in Europe that led to a significant "intellectual migration" of artists and thinkers to the United States. It highlights the experiences of premier European performing artists who found America to be a unique yet promising new home, navigating the challenges and opportunities that arose in this unfamiliar landscape.
As America's symbol of Great Music, Arturo Toscanini and the "masterpieces" he served were regarded with religious awe. As a celebrity personality, he was heralded for everything from his unwavering stance against Hitler and Mussolini and his cataclysmic tantrums, to his "democratic" penchants for television wrestling and soup for dinner. During his years with the Metropolitan Opera (1908-15) and the New York Philharmonic (1926-36) he was regularly proclaimed the "world's greatest conductor ." And with the NBC Symphony (1937-54), created for him by RCA's David Sarnoff, he became the beneficiary of a voracious multimedia promotional apparatus that spread Toscanini madness nationwide. According to Life, he was as well-known as Joe Dimaggio; Time twice put him on its cover; and the New York Herald Tribune attributed Toscanini's fame to simple recognition of his unique "greatness." In this boldly conceived and superbly realized study, Joseph Horowitz reveals how and why Toscanini became the object of unparalleled veneration in the United States. Combining biography, cultural history, and music criticism, Horowitz explores the cultural and commercial mechanisms that created America's Toscanini cult and fostered, in turn, a Eurocentric, anachronistic new audience for old music.
An account of Antonin Dvorak's 1890s stay in America, where he took the essences of Indian drums, slave spirituals, and other musical forms and created from them a distinctly new music.
Set in 1907 New York City, the novel explores the complex marriage of Gustav and Alma Mahler as they navigate their new life after relocating for his role at the Metropolitan Opera. Despite the excitement of their new environment, the couple struggles to escape their tumultuous pasts, revealing the challenges of personal and professional aspirations intertwined with their relationship. Joseph Horowitz's debut offers a rich portrayal of love, ambition, and the weight of history.
JFK, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and the Cultural Cold War
The book examines the notion that only artists in free societies can create great art, a belief endorsed by John F. Kennedy during the Cold War. It critiques the CIA-funded Congress for Cultural Freedom and its anti-totalitarian stance, rooted in the experiences of figures like Nicolas Nabokov and Igor Stravinsky. Through the lens of Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich, it delves into the complex interplay of personal, social, and political influences on creativity. Additionally, it evaluates the Kennedy administration's arts initiatives and their relevance to contemporary American identity.
"Die Mahlers in New York" von Joe Horowitz bietet eine eindringliche Biografie von Gustav Mahler und seiner Frau Alma, eingebettet in das komplexe Gefüge von Reichtum und Intrigen in New York. Das Buch zeichnet Mahler als einen faszinierenden, menschlichen Künstler und offenbart neue Perspektiven auf seine Musik. Ein Muss für Mahler-Fans!