Classical Books

Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story

Lang Lang, David Ritz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

“Number One” was a phrase my father—and, for that matter, my mother—repeated time and time again. It was a phrase spoken by my parents’ friends and by their friends’ children. Whenever adults discussed the great Chinese painters and sculptors from the ancient dynasties, there was always a single artist named as Number One. There was the Number One leader of a manufacturing plant, the Number One worker, the Number One scientist, the Number One car mechanic. In the culture of my childhood, being best was everything. It was the goal that drove us, the motivation that gave life meaning. And if, by chance or fate or the blessings of the generous universe, you were a child in whom talent was evident, Number One became your mantra. It became mine. I never begged my parents to take off the pressure. I accepted it; I even enjoyed it. It was a game, this contest among aspiring pianists, and although I may have been shy, I was bold, even at age five, when faced with a field of rivals.

Born in China to parents whose musical careers were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, Lang Lang has emerged as one of the greatest pianists of our time. Yet despite his fame, few in the West know of the heart-wrenching journey from his early childhood as a prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to his difficult years in Beijing to his success today.

Journey of a Thousand Miles documents the remarkable, dramatic story of a family who sacrificed almost everything—his parents’ marriage, financial security, Lang Lang’s childhood, and their reputation in China’s insular classical music world—for the belief in a young boy’s talent. And it reveals the devastating and intense relationship between a boy and his father, who was willing to go to any length to make his son a star.

An engaging, informative cultural commentator who bridges East and West, Lang Lang has written more than an autobiography: his book opens a door to China, where Lang Lang is a cultural icon, at a time when the world’s attention will be on Beijing. Written with David Ritz, the coauthor of many bestselling autobiographies, Journey of a Thousand Miles is an inspiring story that will give readers an appreciation for the courage and sacrifice it takes to achieve greatness.

Violin Dreams

Arnold Steinhardt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"A rapturous, witty, and passionate memoir ... Violin Dreams is not only the story of a man becoming an artist, it's a history of twentieth-century music." — John Guare, Tony Award–winning playwright

Arnold Steinhardt, for more than forty years an international soloist and the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, brings warmth, wit, and fascinating insider details to the story of his lifelong obsession with the violin, that most seductive and stunningly beautiful instrument. His story is rich with vivid scenes: the terror inflicted by his early violin teachers, the sensual pleasure involved in the pursuit of the perfect violin, the charged atmosphere of high-level competitions. Steinhardt describes Bach's Chaconne as the holy grail for the solo violin, and he illuminates, from the perspective of an ardent owner of a great Storioni violin, the history and mysteries of the renowned Italian violinmakers.

Violin Dreams includes a remarkable CD recording of Steinhardt performing Bach's Partita in D Minor as a young violinist forty years ago and playing the same piece especially for this book. A conversation between the author and Alan Alda on the differences between the two performances is included in the liner notes.

Il Divo: Our Music, Our Journey, Our Words

Il Divo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Il Divo: Our Music, Our Journey, Our Words 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book is well written and the individual stories of each Il Divo singer brings the reader closer to a better appreciation of their music.

Best Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book as these 4 guys are the best. I have all there CD'S and Videos and this book was very interesting. I hope to be able to go see them in person when in the USA. I have to say that this is the best idea Simon Cowell ever came up with. I would recommend the book and vidoe's to everyone.

Phyllis Rutkowski
Westland Mi

Editorial Review:

In late 2004 Il Divo burst onto the music scene with their unique blend of opera and popular music. The group has since conquered the hearts of fans and the charts of nations around the world, selling 18 million albums worldwide and scoring an incredible 36 number-one records. This insider’s account features exclusive and intimate interviews with each member, as well as stunning, previously unreleased photographs. Rounded out by an afterword from the group's founder, Simon Cowell, this is an account no fan will want to be without.

Silence: Lectures and Writings

John Cage

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Essential 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 26 people found this review helpful.

Not just for musicians, but for anybody who is interested in music or philosophy. Cage's ideas presented in the work are fascinating in and of themselves, but even the manner in which he physically notates his thoughts on paper is amazing to see.

There's a common argument that his ideas (and this book) are overrated. I find this difficult to digest, especially when one considers the enormous impact Cage's writings and compositions have had on countless composers (basically anyone composing after 1950 has most likely taken a thing or two from the ideas in this book).

Sometimes he can be a little tough to follow in the book, as properly constructed sentences are not high up on Cage's list of priorities. However, this book has so much to offer that it is worth wading through the occasional slow spot.

So give it a whirl. Even if you don't like Cage's music, reading this book will give you insights into what he did that may change your mind or at least instill a newfound respect. At its best, this is inspiration of the highest sort.

Editorial Review:

Silence, A Year from Monday, M, Empty Words and X (in this order) form the five parts of a series of books in which Cage tries, as he says, to find a way of writing which comes from ideas, is not about them, but which produces them. Often these writings include mesostics and essays created by subjecting the work of other writers to chance procedures using the I Ching (what Cage called writing through).

Leonard Bernstein: American Original

Burton Bernstein, Barbara Haws

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the most gifted, celebrated, scrutinized, and criticized musicians in the second half of the twentieth century, Leonard Bernstein made his legendary conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic in 1943, at age 25. A year later, he became a sensation on Broadway with the premiere of On the Town. Throughout the 1950s, his Broadway fame only grew with Wonderful Town, Candide, and West Side Story. And in 1958, the Philharmonic appointed him the first American Music Director of a major symphony orchestra—a signal historical event. He was adored as a quintessential celebrity but one who could do it all—embracing both popular and classical music, a natural with the new medium of television, a born teacher, writer, and speaker, as well as a political and social activist. In 1976, having conducted the Philharmonic for more than one thousand concerts, he took his orchestra on tour to Europe for the last time.

All of this played out against the backdrop of post-Second World War New York City as it rose to become the cultural capital of the world—the center of wealth, entertainment, communications, and art—and continued through the chaotic and galvanizing movements of the 1960s that led to its precipitous decline by the mid 1970s.

The essays within this book do not simply retell the Bernstein story; instead, Leonard Bernstein's brother, Burton Bernstein, and current New York Philharmonic archivist and historian, Barbara B. Haws, have brought together a distinguished group of contributors to examine Leonard Bernstein's historic relationship with New York City and its celebrated orchestra. Composer John Adams, American historians Paul Boyer and Jonathan Rosenberg, music historians James Keller and Joseph Horowitz, conductor and radio commentator Bill McGlaughlin, musicologist Carol Oja, and music critics Tim Page and Alan Rich have written incisive essays, which are enhanced by personal reminiscences from Burton Bernstein. The result is a telling portrait of Leonard Bernstein, the musician and the man.

The Voice: A Memoir

Thomas Quasthoff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Voice is the profoundly inspiring memoir of one of the most sought after and admired classical singers in the world--a man who has arrived at the summit of his artistry by overcoming extraordinarily daunting odds.

Thomas Quasthoff, the German bass baritone, stands a shade over four feet tall, his severely underdeveloped arms and hands the result of thalidomide poisoning while he was in his mother's womb. But through stunning determination enlivened by an impish sense of human, Quasthoff has overcome his physical limitations and Dickensian childhood, cultivating his musical genius and thrilling classical music lovers with his sublime voice.

What shines through Quasthoff's astonishing story is his staunch refusal to wallow in self-pity, to see himself as a victim. Whether he is evoking a harrowing childhood marked by multiple agonizing surgeries, relating folksy family anecdotes, expressing his devotion to his students as a professor of voice, expounding on his love of jazz and American popular music (he is a great admirer of Stevie Wonder), or unburdening himself of his wickedly outspoken views on art and disability, Quasthoff's unerring sense of humanity, boisterous conviviality, and fierce honesty are always on display.

The Voice is utterly winning--a memoir to both marvel at and enjoy.

The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer

Renee Fleming

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

All The Things I Wish I Had Known 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I only wish I had the opportunity to read this book as a young voice student. It concisely answers so many of the questions that young singers want and need to have answered. It's also an alert to carefully monitor the manner in which one is being taught. This book is not the glorification of Renee Fleming, it is a practical guide to music students interspersed with interesting anecdotes about the singer's life and career.

Editorial Review:

One of the most celebrated talents in today’s music scene, soprano Renée Fleming brings a consummately beautiful voice, striking interpretive talents, and compelling artistry to bear on performances that have captivated audiences in opera houses and recital halls throughout the world. In The Inner Voice—a book that is the story of her own artistic development and the “autobiography” of her voice—this great performer presents a unique and privileged look at the making of a singer and offers hard-won, practical advice to aspiring performance artists everywhere. From her youth as the child of two singing teachers through her years at Juilliard, from her struggles to establish her career to her international success, The Inner Voice is a luminous, articulate, and candid self-portrait of a contemporary artist—and the most revelatory examination yet of the performing life.

Mozart's Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music

Jane Glover

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Mozart from an other angle 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jane Glover, a well known conductor and Mozart expert does not claim that she has written an original book on her admired and adored composer genius. She admits: "The Mozart field has been enormously well mined, and for this book I have done no original research". It is a new angle that she presents on Mozart, looked at through the eyes of the women who brought him up, grew up with him, loved him and with whom he worked in the world of music.

After reading many books on Mozart this book still gave me a lot of pleasure and a new insight to the life of this likeable genius of music.

The book is divided in to two major parts. The first on Mozart`s life with his two families, the second on the singers of Mozart`s operas and how the composer created music, blending and integrating the individual talents and capabilities of these singers with his music.

This analysis is highly technical, but never boring and can contribute to the better understanding and enjoyment of Mozart`s music.

The end of this second part tells the reader about the lives of Mozart's women after his death. It is a good ending, satisfying the readers curiosity about how Mozart, the penniless, ignored and poorly treated composer, at the time of his death, suddenly became the most durable and popular composer, generating a handsome income, that was denied to him in his lifetime, - for his widow and two sons. This, interestingly, had a lot to do with his widow's business talents.

This well written book will bring satisfaction and a new insight on Mozart's life and works, even to those who are familiar with the large Mozart literature

Editorial Review:

Throughout his life, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was enchanted, amused, aroused, and betrayed by women—his mother, sister, wife, sisters-in-law, female patrons, friends, lovers, and fellow artists—and he was equally complex to them. But ultimately the great composer loved and respected the women he knew intimately and those whom he admired from afar. In this fascinating, evocative, and compellingly readable biography, Jane Glover, acclaimed conductor and acknowledged expert on Mozart's life and work, brings these remarkable ladies vividly to life—the real women who shared the composer's tumultuous world and inspired some of his greatest musical achievements, as well as those he dramatized in his magnificent operas.

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician

Christoph Wolff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A landmark biography of Bach on the 250th anniversary of the composer's death, written by the leading Bach scholar of our age. Although we have heard the music of J. S. Bach in countless performances and recordings, the composer himself still comes across only as an enigmatic figure in a single familiar portrait. As we mark the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, author Christoph Wolff presents a new picture that brings to life this towering figure of the Baroque era. This engaging new biography portrays Bach as the living, breathing, and sometimes imperfect human being that he was, while bringing to bear all the advances of the last half-century of Bach scholarship. Wolff demonstrates the intimate connection between the composer's life and his music, showing how Bach's superb inventiveness pervaded his career as musician, composer, performer, scholar, and teacher. And throughout, we see Bach in the broader context of his time: its institutions, traditions, and influences. With this highly readable book, Wolff sets a new standard for Bach biography.

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945

Wladyslaw Szpilman

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Total reviews: 102 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

FINALLY: TRUTH & OBJECTIVITY ON THE HOLOCAUST FOR POLES AND JEWS. GOOD POLES,JEWS,GERMANS,AS WELL AS, BAD - PERIOD!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Polish filmaker Roman Polanski who was born and raised in Poland by Catholic parents, was there to see what it was really like, unlike many others who were never there, but make ignorent anti-Polish judgements. It's funny how those who were actually there, like Wladislaw, tell a completely different story that the Hollywood/Media tells. Wladyslaw told the truth. Read the book, and see the movie. Get this book and movie to your schools and libraries - Please. This story has healing qualities that brings people together, and not apart.

Editorial Review:

Named one of the Best Books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times, The Pianist is now a major motion picture directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody (Son of Sam). The Pianist won the Cannes Film Festival’s most prestigious prize—the Palme d’Or.

On September 23, 1939, Wladyslaw Szpilman played Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor live on the radio as shells exploded outside—so loudly that he couldn’t hear his piano. It was the last live music broadcast from Warsaw: That day, a German bomb hit the station, and Polish Radio went off the air.

Though he lost his entire family, Szpilman survived in hiding. In the end, his life was saved by a German officer who heard him play the same Chopin Nocturne on a piano found among the rubble. Written immediately after the war and suppressed for decades, The Pianist is a stunning testament to human endurance and the redemptive power of fellow feeling.