Otto Klemperer was one of the great conductors of the century, best known for his performances and recordings of the classical symphonic repertory from Mozart to Mahler. Peter Heyworth's biography has become established as a classic account of the conductor, one of the crucial figures in the musical life of the early twentieth century. Volume 1 and the long-awaited sequel, volume 2 are now available as a set. Volume 1 of Peter Heyworth's biography follows the conductor's career from early days in Prague through his appointment as director of the Kroll Opera in Berlin, to his abrupt departure from Germany in 1933. The second volume of the biography follows the conductor's fortunes from his frustrating and unhappy time as an émigré in the United States to his final years as conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'This is a proper book, immaculately researched and lucidly written, a warts-and-all biography that none the less abides by the rule that, whatever a great man's foibles, he deserves, in the final analysis, to be judged by the strongest links in his chain. In Klemperer's case, some links, some chain.' Richard Osborne, Gramophone
'... superb and meticulously researched ... It is a powerful and sobering tale, told with lucidity and force.' The Sunday Times
'Mr Heyworth tells Klemperer's heroic and tragic story with a fitting sense of drama and full human understanding and sympathy. It is difficult to see how any musical biography could be done better, and impossible to see how this particular one could.' Bernard Levin, The Observer
'... this fine and detailed study leaves us in no doubt as to Klemperer's heroic stature.' The Guardian
'He could not have hoped for a more devoted and percipient chronicler than Peter Heyworth. Always alive to the broader political and cultural context, Heyworth's biography is a landmark contribution to the story of musical life in our century. It would be hard to imagine a fairer assessment of the conductor; here we have the triumphs and disasters, the idiosyncrasies and even some of the elusive greatness of Klemperer's conducting.' Patrick Carnegy, The Times Literary Supplement
'... one of the finest accounts of a musician ever written. Heyworth's prose is unaffected and precise, his scholarship impeccable, his judgements fair and humane.' Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph
'... superb and meticulously researched ... It is a powerful and sobering tale, told with lucidity and force.' The Sunday Times
'Mr Heyworth tells Klemperer's heroic and tragic story with a fitting sense of drama and full human understanding and sympathy. It is difficult to see how any musical biography could be done better, and impossible to see how this particular one could.' Bernard Levin, The Observer
'... this fine and detailed study leaves us in no doubt as to Klemperer's heroic stature.' The Guardian
'He could not have hoped for a more devoted and percipient chronicler than Peter Heyworth. Always alive to the broader political and cultural context, Heyworth's biography is a landmark contribution to the story of musical life in our century. It would be hard to imagine a fairer assessment of the conductor; here we have the triumphs and disasters, the idiosyncrasies and even some of the elusive greatness of Klemperer's conducting.' Patrick Carnegy, The Times Literary Supplement
'... one of the finest accounts of a musician ever written. Heyworth's prose is unaffected and precise, his scholarship impeccable, his judgements fair and humane.' Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph
Book Description
Peter Heyworth's biography has become established as a classic account of the conductor Otto Klemperer, one of the crucial figures in the musical life of the early twentieth century. Volume 1 and the long-awaited sequel, volume 2 are now available as a set, Volume 1 covering the years 1885-1933 and volume 2 covering 1933-73.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, readable 2 volume biography of a fascinating man.,
By
This review is from: Otto Klemperer 2 Volume Hardback Set: His Life and Times (Vol.1) (Hardcover)
If you have an interest in classical music, then the name Otto Klemperer will be well known to you. Here is a beautifully presented two volume biography, very much a labour of love on the part of the author. A great read, and I particularly like having the notes at the foot of the page, not in an appendix.Both volumes can be bought separately, but together come in a handsome slipcase. I have read many biographies of famous conductors, and this ranks alongside Richard Osborne's book on Herbert von Karajan, and (best of all) Michael Kennedy's masterly and moving 'Barbirolli, Conductor Laureate', which I fear may be out of print.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
Otto Klemperer was about nine years old when he first saw the man who was to be the central inspiration of his entire life as a musician. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
see biographical glossary, theatre commission, theatre file, orchestral pit, der staatsoper, musical sympathies, manic condition, vocal standards, operatic life, repertory opera, theatre conductor, labour tribunal, first conductor, court opera, spoken theatre, orchestral playing, manic periods, young conductor, slow tempi, opera director, musical press, spielt auf, unanimous praise, most conductors, artistic policies Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
State Opera, New York, Don Giovanni, Grosse Volksoper, Otto Klemperer, Ida Klemperer, Weimar Republic, Soviet Union, Buenos Aires, Der Rosenkavalier, Universal Edition, Elisabeth Schumann, Herr Klemperer, The Ring, Berliner Tageblatt, Die Meistersinger, Johanna Geissler, Nathan Klemperer, Philharmonic Chorus, Alma Mahler, Bruno Walter, Ilse Fromm, Oedipus Rex, Third Reich, National Socialist New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Otto Klemperer was about nine years old when he first saw the man who was to be the central inspiration of his entire life as a musician. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
see biographical glossary, theatre commission, theatre file, orchestral pit, der staatsoper, musical sympathies, manic condition, vocal standards, operatic life, repertory opera, theatre conductor, labour tribunal, first conductor, court opera, spoken theatre, orchestral playing, manic periods, young conductor, slow tempi, opera director, musical press, spielt auf, unanimous praise, most conductors, artistic policies Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
State Opera, New York, Don Giovanni, Grosse Volksoper, Otto Klemperer, Ida Klemperer, Weimar Republic, Soviet Union, Buenos Aires, Der Rosenkavalier, Universal Edition, Elisabeth Schumann, Herr Klemperer, The Ring, Berliner Tageblatt, Die Meistersinger, Johanna Geissler, Nathan Klemperer, Philharmonic Chorus, Alma Mahler, Bruno Walter, Ilse Fromm, Oedipus Rex, Third Reich, National Socialist New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 53
books:
See all 53 books this book cites
16
books
cite this book:
See all 16 books citing this book
- Der Rosenkavalier: English National Opera Guide 8 (English National Opera Guides) by R. Strauss on 14 pages
- Don Giovanni in Full Score by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 11 pages
- Tristan and Isolde: English National Opera Guide 6 (English National Opera Guides) by Richard Wagner on 7 pages
- Gustav Mahler (Encounters) by Bruno Walter on 4 pages
- Conversations with Klemperer by Otto Klemperer in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 53 books this book cites
- Composers of the Nazi Era: Eight Portraits by Michael H. Kater on 5 pages
- The Twisted Muse: Musicians and Their Music in the Third Reich by Michael H. Kater in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Music, Theatre And Politics in Germany: 1848 to the Third Reich by Nikolaus Bacht on page 198, page 207, and Back Matter
- Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex (Cambridge Music Handbooks) by Stephen Walsh in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ernst Bloch by Vincent Geoghegan in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 16 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
