Opera Houses of Europe

Of the three dozen buildings described and illustrated in this book I have (alas!) been to performances in only a very few; my envy of Kaldor’s visits to them is therefore unbounded. And so is my admiration of his draughtsmanship: the coloured plates of the exteriors of most of the opera houses and of some significant details are beautifully executed. They are mostly in what I take to be watercolour which is perhaps not the most suitable medium for reproducing the richer hues of many of the interiors ‐ none of them is shown, at any rate.

Kaldor gives a...