Interchanging Idioms

Book review Typically this blog is about music, but there is more to my life than just music. So, today I branch out into discussing a book I just finished Redshirts by John Scalzi. It is a wonderful read, even for people who aren't Science Fiction fans, those who have no knowledge of Star Trek and the related issues with unexplained deaths of those who wear red shirts, and even people who prefer reading gritty crime novels, present day character studies or sappy romance books. Redshirts is a thought-provoking romp, with lots of comedy, philosophical questions and the appropriate number of tugs on the heart strings. In the end, the "Redshirts" win in more than just they get their own story — they get a back story we care about. Redshirts are the people on the television show Star Trek who, for one reason or another (and often really lame reasons) end up dying, to give a sense of potential danger to the situation. "What's going to happen to the main charac...

Mark O'Connor will unveil the third book in The O'Connor Method, his original and rapidly growing new approach to string instrument instruction, in February. Method Book III will teach students the traditional songs and O'Connor compositions found on the accompanying CD, 'American Classics,' a collection of new recordings arranged for violin and piano and performed by O'Connor and pianist Rieko Aizawa. 'American Classics' will also be released February 14 as a stand-alone album on O'Connor's own label OMAC Records. This is O'Connor's first collection comprised solely of traditional American tunes and songs he has released since 'Soppin’ the Gravy,' from his teenage years. The O'Connor Method, which The New Yorker calls, "an American grown rival to the Suzuki method," includes great folk songs, fiddle tunes and classic themes culled from 400 years of traditional American violin playing. It pulls from all regions of ...

Michael Rabin: America’s Virtuoso Violinist (Amadeus Press, $22.99) by Anthony Feinstein is the poignant story of the life and career of one of history’s greatest violinists. As a child prodigy, Rabin had the classical music world at his feet. Notable successes included a coveted EMI contract, recording the soundtrack for an Elizabeth Taylor movie, and guest appearances on “The Milton Berle Show” and “ The Bell Telephone Hour.” But, no sooner had Rabin taken his place alongside such illustrious contemporaries as Heifetz, Milstein, and Stern than he abruptly and inexplicably disappeared from the concert stage. For three years, the public saw and heard little of him. In the mid-1960s, Rabin resurfaced and painstakingly began rebuilding a once-great career. Then one morning, in January 1972, the music world awoke to news of his sudden, mysterious death at age 35. For the first edition of this biography, Feinstein had unprecedented access to Rabin’s private papers and medical histo...

Have you been eying a new novel? Do you have textbooks you need to purchase for class? Do you just love books in general? Visit your local Barnes & Noble this Saturday, March 19th and a portion of your purchases go to The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City , a non-profit community orchestra which provides high quality classical performances at an affordable cost. Please mention bookfair ID 10419166 at check out so we get credit for your purchase! If you live locally in KC, you're invited to join us from 1 pm - 6 pm for a variety of live music ensembles at the Zona Rosa B&N. We will be set up in the children's section.

James Levine: 40 Years at The Metropolitan Opera , an extraordinary insider’s view of the legendary conductor’s Met career, illustrated with vivid historic photographs, will be published by Amadeus Press, an imprint of Hal Leonard, on May 3, and available for $32 at the Met Opera Shop and national retailers. Marking the 40th anniversary of Met Music Director James Levine’s company debut on June 5, 1971, the book celebrates his unparalleled artistic achievements through commentary by the maestro himself, as well as anecdotes and tributes from many of the great artists who have performed with him. In James Levine: 40 Years at The Metropolitan Opera , readers will be taken behind the scenes as Levine shares his many artistic triumphs, the singular low point of his career in 1980, and challenges he has faced over four decades at the Met, including introducing works to the Met repertoire and developing the company’s orchestra and chorus. He reminisces about remarkable moments such as t...

A book for anyone who listens to music Bridge of Waves is the latest book by W.A. Matheiu, written by a musician for anyone who listens. It is a journey in re-discovering music and the effects music has on us as humans. While there are numerous books on the topic, ranging from everything about how the synapses of the brain fire while listening to music to the psychological responses of patients undergoing music therapy, Bridge of Waves is more a journey along the lines of Illusions by Richard Bach. Bridge of Waves isn't a story, but it does take the reader on a journey, exploring what music is and the effect it has on the world. As an educated musician there are parts of the book where Matheiu is explaining the physics of music in laymen terms. Still, the way he describes them and the little exercises he has the reader explore are eye opening, as if looking out the window in your home and seeing the vista in a whole new light. It's not a quick read, even though th...

The Doctor And The Diva is a lush historical novel filled with vivid imagery and meticulously detailed settings. The story centers around Erika von Kessler, an opera singer in turn of the 20th century Boston. Based on a member of the author's family tree, The Doctor and the Diva rises above formulaic historic romance to give us a glimpse into another world - one filled with conflicting desires, expectations and overwhelming ambitions. Unusually for a story in this setting, one of the primary characters is an obstetrician who is a specialist in conception. This subject matter, combined with a reverence for opera and the power of the music set up a conflict between a woman's desire for motherhood and career. I do not know if Adrienne McDonnell sings, but she has very effectively captured the 'voice' of opera and the otherworldly aspects of singing this glorious music. Erika von Kessler is torn between the pull of her art and the responsibilities of motherhood, and thr...

Tom Service of the Guardian wrote a review of the book " The Danger of Music - and Other Anti-Utopian Essays " by Richard Taruskin. According to the review: The book is full of broadsides against the lazy thinking of musical establishments: the modernist juggernaut that Taruskin sees as hijacking critical thinking about music in the academy in the mid-century, the sort of kneejerk reaction that, "if it's difficult and nobody likes it, it must be good"; the emerging practices of early music, and the idea that what Roger Norrington and John Eliot Gardiner were up to in the 80s amounted to "authenticity" - Taruskin's elegant and brilliant rebuttal is that they are modernists, performers whose Beethoven and Mozart is of our time, not of the 18th or 19th centuries; and above all, the facile assumption of music's much-vaunted universality, and its supposed status as the highest and most ethereal of the arts. On every page, Taruskin reminds you how m...

Peter Keepnews reviewed the book for the New York Times today. The prime focus of the review is what the book is trying to say, "not just that music is more important than it used to be, which is hard to argue with, but also that it has become the most important, or at least the most dominant, of all the arts, which is more debatable." While the review is luke warm about the book, somewhat positive but not wholeheartedly sold on its value - the premise is one I think bears some weights as the Classical Music world struggles for relevance (if not dominance) in the music market of today. Understanding how important music is leads to the realisation that we are at a place where music affects the profits of films, beverage companies pay millions of dollars (or pounds) to stars to share associations and downloaded music is available from dozens of sources that have little to nothing to do with music other than wanting to get in on perhaps the most influential items on the marke...