The Mapleson Memoirs, 1848-1888, vol I

An operatic impresario chronicles his progression from student and performer to manager, offering episodic recollections of seasons, productions, and tours. He describes negotiations with singers and colleagues, logistical and financial challenges, theatrical disasters and triumphs, and transatlantic campaigns that tested repertoire, contracts, and company morale. The chapters combine practical managerial tactics, vivid backstage anecdotes about celebrated vocalists and premieres, and reflections on building and running opera seasons and houses, presented as a chronological series of incidents, negotiations, and festival ventures that illuminate the workings of professional opera life in his era.