Susan Larson 1st edit/1 print American Abstract Artists The Language of Abstraction 1979 [Paperback] Larson, Susan [Paperback] Larson, Susan

by Susan Larson

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Paperback

Published January 1, 1979

About the author

In the course of my life I have been an opera star, an actress, a music teacher, a journalist, a novelist and an easel painter. While deciding what I will do next I live and tend the garden with my brilliant and beloved husband, in the leafy suburbs of Boston.

Of all the composers I sang, I have always loved Mozart best. Mozart opera roles I have sung include: Fiordiligi (Cosí Fan Tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro).

I started singing his opera arias and songs in high school. I felt that I had found a musical mentor. I read his correspondence in college and fell in love with his high ideals, his low humor, his vitality, curiosity and love of humanity. I almost felt he was talking to me personally.

I wrote “The Murder of Figaro” so I could talk with Mozart and his friends, and pretend I was sitting in Viennes cafés with them cracking jokes, talking about all the changes happening in the world, and eating gooey desserts. I used the mystery form because historical murder mysteries had just become popular and I hoped a murder mystery would lure people into reading the book; and because Mozart loved puzzles and riddles, pranks and crazy plot twists.

A bit of advice: if you haven’t heard the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” you should do so before reading the book. It’s not obligatory, but you will catch on to more of the jokes if you do. If you want to hear me singing in it, search out the video on London Records directed by Peter Sellars. (1990).