No artist's achievement connects more directly with early experience than that of Berlioz. David Cairns draws on a wealth of family papers to recreate in authentic and intimate detail the provincial milieu of Berlioz's boyhood, showing how the son of a village doctor was already transforming himself into the composer of the Fantastic Symphony. Berlioz's desperate attempts to win his father's approval for his vocation, his struggles to establish himself on the Parisian musical scene, and his passionate pursuit of love are all brought vividly to life in this first volume of David Cairn's award-winning biography.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
One of the very few truly great musical biographies, which indeed matches the eloquence of Berlioz's own writing -- Michael Berkeley * Private Passions, BBC Radio 3 * Magnificent ... one of the great feats of literary sympathy with an artistic genius, filled with a love, knowledge and understanding of his subject that flame up on every page -- Max Loppert * Financial Times * There is not a dull or redundant page in the whole book. Mr Cairns has lived, breathed and dreamt Berlioz for more than twenty years. He has visited the places Berlioz visited and read the books Berlioz read -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph * Essential reading, not only for the ardent Berliozian but for anyone with an interest in the history of Romanticism ... unquestionably one of the most important composer biographies of our time -- Hugh Canning * Guardian * David Cairns has a wonderful story to tell and he tells it superbly well ...rich in detail and imbued with imaginative insights that stem from love. It is also written with an enviable blend of grace and energy -- Peter Hayworth * Observer *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Dateigröße
ISBN-13
978-0-14-199140-5 (9780141991405)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
David Cairns was chief music critic of the Sunday Times from 1983 to 1992, having earlier been music critic and arts editor of the Spectator and a writer on the Evening Standard, Financial Times and New Statesman. He has been Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of California at Davis, a visiting scholar at the Getty Center and a visiting fellow of Merton College, Oxford. In 2013, in recognition of his services to French music, he was made Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
