Absolutely on Music
Conversations
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A deeply personal, intimate conversation about music and writing between the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author and his close friend, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Haruki Murakami's passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and from The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" to Franz Liszt's "Years of Pilgrimage," the aesthetic and emotional power of music permeates every one of his much-loved books.
Now, in Absolutely on Music, Murakami fulfills a personal dream, sitting down with his friend, acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa, to talk, over a period of two years, about their shared interest. Transcribed from lengthy conversations about the nature of music and writing, here they discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from record collecting to pop-up orchestras, and much more. Ultimately this book gives readers an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of the two maestros.
It is essential reading for book and music lovers everywhere.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
On the surface, this collection of transcribed conversations between writer Haruki Murakami and legendary conductor Seiji Ozawa are beautiful, articulate reflections on classical music. But the hidden joy of Absolutely on Music lies in the easy intimacy between two masters of their forms. Playing the role of attentive student, Murakami asks questions that elicit an unguarded self-portrait from the maestro. Classical music fans will relish anecdotes about Ozawa’s apprenticeship with Leonard Bernstein and love for Louis Armstrong, but his simplest statements will speak to anyone who’s dedicated to the craft of creation: “The work itself changes you.”
