Absolutely on Music

Author(s): Haruki Murakami; Seiji Ozawa

Music

'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.

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"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 "The novelist flatly states that "you can't write well if you don't have an ear for music", and that all good prose "has to have an inner rhythmic feel that propels the reader forward." ... 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 "Murakami is Japan's greatest living writer" Washington Post

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 and The Strange Library. His work has been translated into more than 50 languages, and the most recent of his many international honours is the Jerusalem Prize. 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.

General Fields

  • : 9781846559181
  • : Penguin Random House
  • : Harvill Secker
  • : 0.494
  • : December 2015
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : 256
  • : good-very good
  • : 780
  • : en
  • : hardback with dustjacket
  • : Haruki Murakami; Seiji Ozawa