Tim Page on Music Views and Reviews (Hardcover) [Hardcover]

Tim Page (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

In 65 perceptive pieces, including some of the work that earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1997, Page offers what he calls "a collection of illumined moments," now gathered in a single volume for the wider audience who will treasure their insights.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A welcome addition to the classical music library, [a] book one can dip into at random for enlightenment and delight." -- Ann McCutchan, The Bloomsbury Review

"I heartily recommend Tim Page on Music . . . . This Pulitzer Prize-winning critic is wise, humanistic, well-rounded and direct in his prose." -- Joan Peyser, The Washington Post , August 18, 2002

"Tim Page on Music picks up where his 1992 collection left off. . . . Page's youthful enthusiasms—and outrages—are still in place." -- Ken Smith, Gramophone

"What makes this collection so enjoyable . . . is the way Page approaches his wide-ranging material. . . .The opinions are strong yet instructive." --Jonathan Rabb, Opera News, February 2003

About the Author

Tim Page won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for "his lucid and illuminating music criticism" in The Washington Post. His books include Dawn Powell: A Biography and a previous collection of his music criticism, Music from the Road, among others. As a boy, Page was the subject of the documentary A Day With Timmy Page 1967), which chronicled his activities as a 12-year-old filmmaker growing up in Storrs, Connecticut. He has served as a radio producer on WNYC-FM, as the founder and executive producer of BMG Catalyst, and as the artistic advisor for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he has recently rejoined the Post.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 364 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157467076X
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670769
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books I've read in a while..., November 27, 2002

By 

Christopher Ingalls (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tim Page on Music Views and Reviews (Hardcover) (Hardcover)

I've been gaining a greater appreciation for classical music over the last year or two, so this book could not have come at a better time for me. I first heard of Tim Page back in September, when I heard his 1982 Glenn Gould interview on the bonus disc of the new "State of Wonder" CD, which brings together Gould's 1955 and 1981 recordings of Bach's "Goldberg Variations." While that interview sounded a bit awkward and overly pre-planned, it did reveal some wonderful things about Gould the performer and music fan. I decided to find out more about Mr. Page.

This book is what I discovered, and boy am I glad I did. I covers a variety of writings by Page, mostly about classical music, some of them essays, some concert reviews. I loved his chapter on Sibelius -- it made me drag out my hardly-ever-played copy of Symphony #4 and gain a huge appreciation for it. His chapter on Messiaen made me a Messiaen fan. His article on Kevin Oldham, the composer who contracted AIDS, was deeply moving. He may not have won any conservative classical fans with his candid observations about Vladimir Horowitz, but I for one appreciated the dissenting view. I loved the chapter "Radical Music That Will Remain That Way." With all the corny how-to guides to "accessible" classical music, it was nice to see somebody write about the hard stuff.

Page doesn't stop with just classical music. He also expresses a love for rock music, albeit the more daring and exciting of the genre. He writes about Captain Beefheart, Magnetic Fields, Frank Sinatra and the High Llamas, among others. In his mind (as it should be), non-classical music shouldn't be looked down on by classical fans -- unless it's the paint-by-numbers stuff that you hear so much on the radio. Page acknowledges true originals, regardless of their musical leanings.

I could go on and on. There's so much about this book to love. Anyone with a budding interest in classical music who would like to expand their horizons would gain much from reading this book.

Thank you, Tim Page.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential views and reviews by one of the great art music critics of our time, August 24, 2005

By 

C. Ita "Sumiko" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tim Page on Music Views and Reviews (Hardcover) (Hardcover)

More provocative and insightful food for thought by Tim Page, whose "Music from the Road" remains one of my all-time favorite music reads.