Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today [Paperback]

A critical triumph, Simon Morrisons sweeping and authoritative (In this incredibly rich ( The title means what it says. Theres plenty of scandal here: arson, double suicide, dead cats flung at curtain calls. At the same time, the book is energetically researched, beautifully written  fun, relaxed, sophisticated  and full of serious ideas, boldly stated. The insider look in Morrison turns to the past in order to unpack the conundrum of the Bolshoi within the enigma-wrapped, mystery-obscured riddle of the Russian state&All of this makes for good, even great, fodder&Sex scandals, double-suicide pacts, bribery, arson, executions, prostitution rings, embezzlement, starving orphans, dead cats in lieu of flowers, and ballerinas refusing to shave their armpits. Masterful. . . . Simon Morrisons A sweeping, grandly intriguing story at the interface of art and power. . . . Morrison frames his story, always readable and brimming with curious anecdotes, with the recent, newsworthy acid attack on artistic director Sergei Filin, a strange episode that exposed not just clashes of individual personalities, but also competing views of what the Bolshoi should be, some of which may have emanated from inside the walls of the neighboring Kremlin. A must for ballet buffs . . . . [and] a look backstage that is both lively and learned. Charming and astonishingly detailed&The Bolshois dancers, ballets, and composers, its administrators and detractors and supportersall are tantalizingly depicted here... Balletomanes will drool and sigh, music lovers will be fascinated&A riveting history. Another marvelously informative book from Simon Morrison, dishing this time on Russias great musical theater, onstage and off. It is a wonderful read, full of intriguing spectacle and spectacular intrigue. Simon Morrison has written an engrossing history of one of Russias most enduring cultural institutions. A colorful and erudite view on Russia through the tumultuous history of the sumptuoulS%