His exceptional good looks made him a matinee idol, and for 20 years, Franco Corelli was dubbed "Mr. Sold-Out." In 1958, just seven years after beginning his career, he was already the highest paid tenor in Italy. Following his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1961, he was celebrated as the greatest tenor in the world.His charismatic performances in such operas as "La Vestale" and "Fedora" (both in collaboration with Maria Callas), coupled with a formidable mystique, as well as a number of notorious and colourful incidents - including a real-life sword fight with Boris Christoff, the beating up of an audience member in Naples, and his alleged biting of Brigit Nilsson - created a worldwide mania for Corelli.Based on nearly a decade of research into theatre archives and interviews with the stars friends, family, and colleagues, this is the definitive biography of one of opera's greatest stars.
