Disappointing. Dry.

I felt like I was at a dinner party listening to the author talk about random things in the conducting and music world. He didn’t go into enough depth or detail about specific things - just snippets about this and that. It was hard to stay interested. He should have coauthored with a writer or journalist to make it more engaging.

For example he mentioned the conductor Muti a couple times, but he didn’t say anything meaningful about Muti. Was Muti good or not good, and why? Tell me something interesting about Muti. And the same with other conductors, give me some opinions.

The author briefly mentioned that Petrillo in Chicago was a key figure behind unionizing musicians. Petrillo claimed recorded music took jobs away from musicians. Petrillo was also against something about small musician groups. I was confused. I wanted to know more about Petrillo - how were things before and after him, but it was just sort of mentioned in passing.

Slightly annoying was the way the author frequently said “I was asked to conduct ...” It felt egotistical. I would have preferred hearing him say “I conducted ...”

ONE THING I REALLY LIKED AND I LEARNED SOMETHING:
I was interested in the following comment about Maria Callas. The author was giving his opinion and judgment. I wish he did more of that on other subjects.

“Anyone who attended the farewell performances of Maria Callas in recital with tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano will know precisely what I mean. By 1974 Callas was barely Callas - her voice having shrunk in size, her vibrato having curdled into a wobble in its upper register, and her sound clouded and covered. But every now and then something happened, a fiery flash in her eyes, a gesture of vulnerability, a perfectly turned phrase, and memories were awakened of when she was great and members of the audience were young. Respect, sadness, mortality, curiosity and a desire to stop inevitability, fueled the public’s emotions during the performances and buoyed them and Callas through each evening. It occasionally felt as if the audience were giving her the strength to carry on, and probably it did.”

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
The author narrated his own book. He was good as a narrator.

DATA:
Book copyright: 2017. Genre: nonfiction, memoir.

5 people found this helpful

I loved it. What is conducting all about.

I think this book will appeal to muso's or people who wonder what a conductor actually does. It is not technical but it is a behind-the-scenes view of a conductor's role and what it probably takes to be a good conductor. John Mauceri writes it and performs it very well. It makes me want to study the score of my favourite pieces more closely and I will now be listening for differences in the performance of orchestral works with fresh insight.

Insightful stories of world renowned conductors

This should be part of every musicians education about the history of conducting and how many world renowned conductors have developed the art of conducting. It is a fascinating memoir that John Mauceri has so graciously shared with us in this fascinating book. It will forever change my perspective of every performance I see or hear.

Loved it

If you are a fan of classical music, this book is a MUST!!! I enjoyed every word of it.