Customer Reviews

The Death of David Debrizzi

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This satisfying tale of a has-been pianist who is redeemed by his own student is well worth hunting down and reading.

I push "The Death of David Debrizzi" on anything with two legs that reads. Once a year I reread it myself and still howl like a hyena at its biting wit and surprise end.

The book is about a young pianist-turned-teacher and his prodigy student. Along the way, other musicians join the cast: an eccentric Russian piano prodigy and a scheming, mediocre conductor. Professional back-stabbing, career comebacks, and prima donna pianists with hilarious affectations litter the novel.

One of the funniest episodes in the book concerns Debrizzi's recording of a fictional work of music, "The Death Spiral," described as "beautifully ugly," "a putrid musical stew," and . . . impossible to play.

So much drek gets published and promoted to the heavens. Don't miss this hard-to-find gem.