Amazon.com: Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves (9781594489273): Helene Grimaud: Books

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves [Hardcover]

Helene Grimaud (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback, Bargain Price --  
Mass Market Paperback --  

Book Description

September 7, 2006
A celebrated French pianist's poignant story of her journey from her early days as a student in Paris to her life as the founder of a wolf conservation center in upstate New York.

A gifted pianist from a young age, Hélène Grimaud made her first recording at the age of fifteen and won the French equivalent of a Grammy at sixteen. She is a classical music star whose concerts continue to draw sellout crowds all over Europe and North America. But it wasn't until she met her first wolf that she discovered there was something missing in her life.

Late one night in 1991, Grimaud encountered a wolf-dog hybrid in Florida and felt an immediate, instinctual connection to the animal-one that the wolf also seemed to share. Determined to do what she could to protect this threatened species, she committed her time and resources to becoming certified to found her own wolf preserve on the grounds of her home in New York State. Today, the master pianist acts as a tireless advocate for wolves, a species she believes has been unfairly demonized throughout history. In turn, the animals have given her a sense of freedom that she has never before experienced, even as an artist.

In a beautifully rendered personal story that weaves the tale of a musical prodigy's rise to stardom with one of an animal lover learning to communicate on a level as primal as music, Hélène Grimaud touches, astonishes, and delights with her remarkable insight and passion.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A renowned classical pianist, Helene Grimaud explores life with passion, stating, "I have never had the feeling of a paradise lost, but of a paradise to be found." Her islands of bliss are classical music and the sanctuary she created for wolves. Growing up in France, her talent for the piano was evident early on, and at 13 she became the youngest student at the National Conservatory of Music. A determined prodigy who shouldered responsibility for her path even when she stumbled, she shaped her musical gift in her own way. She met her first wolf in Florida, and the intense recognition seemed to be mutual. Grimaud's deep friendship with the wolf and her owner, Dennis, inspired her to establish a wolf sanctuary in upstate New York and to become a wolf advocate. As Grimaud celebrates both the transcendental power of music and the beauty, spirit, and significance of wolves, her eloquent and inspiring reflections embody her love for and total involvement in her work and nature. Pamela Crossland
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Born in Aix-en-Provence, Hélène Grimaud was accepted into the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris at the age of thirteen. Her international concert career began in 1987, and she performs regularly worldwide. She lives with her husband and four wolves.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (September 7, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594489270
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594489273
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #673,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Pianiste Sauvage / Untamed Pianist, November 24, 2006
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves (Hardcover)
Horowitz once said that a great musician must first of all be well read and liberally educated. Hélène Grimaud not only satisfies those requirements but even writes her own books! Although she was a prodigy she is not of the machine-like version. Her aesthetic philosophy springs from personal experience and development which informs and enriches her music immeasurably!
She weaves her interest in animals (she has a wolf preserve in upstate NY), culture and music into a single fabric. She could be a beauty who loves wolves and plays well but she is not a packaged gimmick. Her words take us from the nature of animals to the nature of man and how these are all relate to music as a cultural expression. Her music takes us on mythical forays in search of the mystery of what music is and what it does to us. (Elle "nous laisse devant l'absolu.")
Do yourself a favor, get her book and spend the entire night reading her and then have a long breakfast sipping on tea and listening to her.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars emotion is everything, September 30, 2006
By 
Bernd Kotz (Essen, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves (Hardcover)
She is looking for the right place in her life. Most of the people are looking for a meaning to live for.
Helene Grimaud wants to capture this feeling with her book. She decided to be in the music. It is her religion to keep on going. The balance lies in the symmetry of life, music and nature. It is her way to cope with her life. In this harmony she finds her relief and strength. She explains her love for the music, witch touches her soul, her love for the animals and her free dealing with nature. These are the real balances in her life.
The book describes her childhood in Aix, her studies at the conservatory in Aix and Paris. In her early years she showed her rebellion behaviour against her parents and her classmates. These examples show her unrestrained nature, her passion for the music and the strength to carry on in her life. For the most people who work with her, this attitude makes her moody and unpredictable. In the last chapter she explains her love for wolfs, her first meeting with Alawas. The early years in America were very difficult. She describes the foundation of the Wolf Conservation Centre.
I read the book with pleasure because the connection between the stories and her musical career is very powerful. This book shares a common feeling. It is to be positive in the things to come and to accomplish your goals what ever it takes.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


25 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars insightful delightful, but not easy to read "Un" autobiography, September 10, 2006
This review is from: Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves (Hardcover)
WILD HARMONIES is an insightful delightful "Un" autobiography that breaks the rules of chronological order most books in that genre follow. Instead, the renowned French pianist is all over the place yet contains enough discipline so that the reader can follow her story. Most interesting is the combining of a love for music with a love for wolves. The music started as an unmanageable and unpredictable child in France while the love of wolves began as an adult in Florida when she met her neighbor's she-wolf. As she did with the piano Helene Grimaud became an obsessed fanatic who has opened up a wolverine conservatory in Upstate New York.

Readers will appreciate the sidebar reflections as Ms. Grimaud relates her life with music freeing her from a dull un-life though she has always refused to perform anyway but her style. The isobar lateral entries on the history of wolves in Europe and America add to the feel of a deep zealous uncompromising autobiography that is not for everyone from an author who would say so what as long as Ms. Grimaud believes she has remained true to her essence. Not an easy memoir to read, but well written and worth the time to comprehend the odd passionate combination of a "Life of Music and Wolves".

Harriet Klausner
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Pierre Barbizet, Jacqueline Courtin, Leon Fleisher, Second Concerto, United States, Jorge Bolet, Wild Harmonies, Daniel Barenboim, Great North, Gidon Kremer, Héléne Grimaud, Martha Argerich, Greg Gleasner, Hélène Grimaud, National Conservatory of Music, Orchestre de Paris, Aix Conservatory, Dominique Merlet, Hélène Griniaud, Isaac the Syrian, Jacques Rouvier, Kurt Sanderling, North America, Paul Cézanne
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

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
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject