and obituaries relating to the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer demonstrates the range of his talents and considers his many friendships. 15,000 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Ned Rorem at times has seemed to be everywhere in the theatrical and musical scene of the last 70 years: collaborating with Jean Cocteau, writing on the music of Schoenberg and Bartok, producing Noel Coward's plays. These occasional essays contribute a set of personal reflections and reminiscences of these and other artists rather than a sustained critical analysis. Rorem is a highly versatile and idiosyncratic writer, and this is a highly personal collection by someone with a unique view on 20th century high culture.
From Publishers Weekly
Rorem describes himself as a composer who writes rather than a writer who composes, but given the state of the audience for serious music, it's a good bet he is known to more people as a writer, particularly of often sensational diaries and more recently of a lively autobiography, Knowing When to Stop. That title is rather ironic in view of this collection, which is a pretty random assemblage of pieces that nearly all appeared elsewhere and don't add much to Rorem's record as a writer. Among the book reviews, he is particularly good on the diaries of Benjamin Britten and decidedly waspish about Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel. In addition, we find a long talk with critic John Simon on the latter's hostile remarks about gays; some eloquent obituaries of a range of friends; and a few fragments, of which a personal essay on his home in Nantucket has great charm. In a frank foreword, Rorem writes that looking over the pieces, he was impressed by how often he repeated certain obsessions and jokes, and hoped the editor would "weed them out." If the editor has, it doesn't show; this is a perfunctory volume, even if it is by a man who is always worth reading.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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