Description: The artist, Andras Kaldor, has been a lover of opera since childhood. He trained as an architect, then took to painting but his love of the opera finally proved the strongest influence and he has spent the last twelve years painting all the major opera houses in Europe. The facade of each opera house is illustrated in all its magnificent detail without the distractions of surrounding buildings and street scenes which often detract from even the best photographs. Each opera house has been personally visited by the artist. The drawings are first done in pen and ink in an architectural style with scrupulous attention to detail, and are then coloured in in gouache. The effect is stunning and allows the viewer to experience fully the complexity and exuberance of these flamboyant 18th and 19th century buildings. In addition to the facades Andras Kaldor has added many detailed drawings of particular aspects of both the exteriors and interiors of the buildings.

The accompanying text is written, in many cases, by celebrities such as David Hockney, Bernard Levin and Sir Georg Solti. Background details of the history, architecture, composers, operas, and singers are given and, where appropriate, there are personal anecdotes.

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