At the Crossroads of Temporariness and Mobility

Abstract

In 1901, the great Enrico Caruso was visiting his native town of Naples in the South of Italy. Talking to his father’s old friend about his professional achievements, Caruso proudly noted that he had become an international star employed by the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and Mariinsky Theater. To his greatest shock, the response he heard was, ‘All this is very well – but seriously speaking, what do you do for living?’