Simon Rattle: From Birmingham to Berlin [Paperback]

Nicholas Kenyon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2003

The biography of Simon Rattle, the new music director of the Berlin Philharmonic, updated for paperback publication.

Still in his mid-forties, Simon Rattle is a musician for the new century: he is equally at home conducting Beethoven symphonies, the twentieth-century repertory with which he made his reputation with the City of Birmingham Orchestra, new works he has commissioned, jazz by Ellington and Bernstein, or baroque opera with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. His range is unique, his achievements already remarkable. As Rattle takes on the music directorship of the Berlin Philharmonic, Nicholas Kenyon talks to him as well as to his friends and colleagues about what has made Rattle one of the most powerful musical communicators of our time--and looks at the challenges that await him in Berlin.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tells Rattle's story thoroughly and compellingly . . . as an introductory guide to the musical politics of the concert world, the record industry, and post-unification Berlin, Kenyon is unsurpassed. Above all, we discover a conductor who believes as passionately as ever that great music and music-making really matter to humankind--for that alone, much thanks."
--BBC Music Magazine

From the Publisher

Still only in his mid-forties, Simon Rattle is a musician for the new century, equally at home conducting Beethoven symphonies, the twentieth-century repertory with which he made his reputation with the City of Birmingham Orchestra, new works he has commissioned, jazz by Ellington and Bernstein, or baroque opera. Nicholas Kenyon charts the whole of Rattle's career as this master musician prepares to take on the music directorship of the Berlin Philharmonic, perhaps the most prestigious position in all of classical music, and looks ahead to the challenges that await him in Berlin.

Nicholas Kenyon has been director of the BBC Proms since 1996 and was formerly a music critic for The New Yorker, The Times (London), and The Observer (London). He lives in London. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (October 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571212441
• ISBN-13: 978-0571212446
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Classical

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a biography, January 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Simon Rattle: From Birmingham to Berlin (Paperback)

This book is a continuation of a previous book also written by Nicholas Kenyon. The previous book was written earlier in Rattle's career and was in need of an addendum considering Rattle's enormous progress as a conductor.

Those looking for a book that reads well and provides one with the detail and information about the rise of Simon Rattle's career will find it here. It begins with his present postion as chief conductor of the berlin Philharmonic and covers his birth and musical upbringing, citing the influences that led Rattle to his career as a conductor. It also outlines both the triumphs and defeats (though few and far between in the "defeats" coumn) of his ascent.

While all this is of course interesting and fascinating, I found the greatest strength of this book is the attempt at explaining what makes Rattle a conductor sought out by the world's top orchestras. There is a careful analysis of his method of studying a score (courtesy of his old teacher John Carewe), his thinking about programming, and his approach to rehearsing an orchestra, as well as his loyalty to the City of Birmingham orchestra despite the calls from much larger and more prestigious orchestras. This is a book that is much more than a mere biography. It has something to share with the casual reader and the professional musician.

Conductors will find this particularly interesting reading.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One who cares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, November 24, 2007

By 

Edward A. Nelson (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simon Rattle: From Birmingham to Berlin (Hardcover)

This fantastic bio of Sir Simon Rattle gives all aspects of his personal and professional life. He is one of the very few conductors, or person in authority, who places his people before personal gain as denoted with his status with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. This is trait of true leader. A must read for all who are interested in the classical music arena.