Ethan Manning
4.5. This feels silly to rate. This book was a complete joy to read, learned a lot about conducting orchestras and classical music in general.
Really though the candid stories that bring alive or introduce figures in classical music you didn't know about made this book a complete joy. It brings you through the past, to the 60's the 70's and so on, and manages at every point to make you think of music or an instrument, or the act of studying music from a new angle, or introduces something you had never thought of in an engaging way.
I found so many symphonies and musical pieces to look up, conductors to search for, and it was so fun to listen to certain music and try to hear a bit of what Seiji Ozawa and Haruki Murakami were hearing.
The book was so eye opening and informative and the format was such a joy it makes me wish other books on various subjects could somehow replicate this format. But so much of the books charm and welcoming feeling probably came from the relationship between the two writers which is not an easy thing to plan and arrange. Fantastic Book I recommend it to anyone starting to become interested in classical music or famous symphonies.
4.5. This feels silly to rate. This book was a complete joy to read, learned a lot about conducting orchestras and classical music in general.
Really though the candid stories that bring alive or introduce figures in classical music you didn't know about made this book a complete joy. It brings you through the past, to the 60's the 70's and so on, and manages at every point to make you think of music or an instrument, or the act of studying music from a new angle, or introduces something you had never thought of in an engaging way.
I found so many symphonies and musical pieces to look up, conductors to search for, and it was so fun to listen to certain music and try to hear a bit of what Seiji Ozawa and Haruki Murakami were hearing.
The book was so eye opening and informative and the format was such a joy it makes me wish other books on various subjects could somehow replicate this format. But so much of the books charm and welcoming feeling probably came from the relationship between the two writers which is not an easy thing to plan and arrange. Fantastic Book I recommend it to anyone starting to become interested in classical music or famous symphonies.
Yup, he's still got it.
Simply a revelation.
Simply a revelation.
My 2nd Dostoevsky novel, the first was TBK. The characters in this explode off the page, there's an exuberance that I'm never quite ready for but always draws me in. I loved this book, it's moral (the pensive reflection that is contagious), there are great characters and monsters at times, great foils, and the ending. THE ENDING. Just so beautiful, honest and perfect.
My 2nd Dostoevsky novel, the first was TBK. The characters in this explode off the page, there's an exuberance that I'm never quite ready for but always draws me in. I loved this book, it's moral (the pensive reflection that is contagious), there are great characters and monsters at times, great foils, and the ending. THE ENDING. Just so beautiful, honest and perfect.
