An intimate conversation about music and creativity, between the internationally bestselling writer and a world-class conductor.
`My only purpose in this book was for me, as a music lover, to have a discussion of music with the musician Seiji Ozawa that was as open and honest as possible. I simply wanted to bring out the ways that each of us (though on vastly different levels) is dedicated to music.'
Haruki Murakami's passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and 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 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 two maestros.
Recenzijos
"Absolutely on Music is an unprecedented treasure Talking about music is like dancing about architecture, its often said, but what joy to watch these two friends dance." * Guardian * "Hardly a soul writes of the listening and playing of music with such insight and tenderness" -- Patti Smith * New York Times Book Review * "Their words tessellate perfectly, forcing the neurons in your brain into a brave new quest for artistic divinity A book for people transfixed by the minutia of creativity." * Shortlist * "High Fidelity for classical music fans." * Publishers Weekly * "These dialogues...add up to a sprawling feast of Mahler-style polytonality - or, alternatively, the sort of protean jam-session that Monk and Parker relished." -- Boyd Tonkin * Arts Desk *
| Introduction My Afternoons |
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vii | |
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First Conversation Mostly on the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto |
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3 | (70) |
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Interlude 1 On Manic Record Collectors |
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69 | (4) |
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Second Conversation Brahms at Carnegie Hall |
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73 | (30) |
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Interlude 2 The Relationship of Writing to Music |
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99 | (4) |
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Third Conversation What Happened in the 1960s |
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103 | (48) |
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Interlude 3 Eugene Ormandy's Baton |
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149 | (2) |
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Fourth Conversation On the Music of Gustav Mahler |
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151 | (90) |
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Interlude 4 From Chicago Blues to Shin'ichi Mori |
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235 | (6) |
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Fifth Conversation The Joys of Opera |
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241 | (33) |
| In a Little Swiss Town |
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274 | (14) |
| Sixth Conversation "There's No Single Way to Teach. You Make It Up as You Go Along" |
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288 | (39) |
| Afterword |
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327 | |
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Haruki Murakami (Author) Haruki Murakami is the author of many novels as well as short stories and non-fiction. His books include Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, The Strange Library and Wind/Pinball. His work has been translated into more than 50 languages, and the most recent of his many international honours are the Jerusalem Prize and Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.Seiji Ozawa (Author) Seiji Ozawa served as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for twenty-nine years, and was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Ravinia Festival, and Wiener Staatsoper. With Kazuyoshi Akiyama, he formed the Saito Kinen Orchestra and is the director of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival. Ozawa has been deeply involved in musical education through his work with Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy Okushiga, Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland and as founder of the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Opera Project, organizations which provide opportunities to outstanding students in Asia and Europe. Among his many honours, Ozawa has been awarded the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur in France, the Japanese Order of Culture, the Kennedy Center Honors, and a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
