Absolutely on music: conversations

Description

A deeply personal, intimate conversation about music and writing between the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author and his close friend, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Haruki Murakami's passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and from The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" to Franz Liszt's "Years of Pilgrimage," the aesthetic and emotional power of music permeates every one of his much-loved books. Now, in Absolutely on Music, Murakami fulfills a personal dream, sitting down with his friend, acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa, to talk, over a period of two years, about their shared interest. Transcribed from lengthy conversations about the nature of music and writing, here they discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from record collecting to pop-up orchestras, and much more. Ultimately this book gives readers an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of the two maestros. It is essential reading for book and music lovers everywhere. From the Hardcover edition.;Mostly on the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto -- On manic record collectors -- Brahms at Carnegie Hall -- The relationship of writing to music -- What happened in the 1960s -- Eugene Ormandy's Baton -- On the music of Gustav Mahler -- From Chicago blues to Shin'ichi Mori -- The joys of opera -- In a little Swiss town -- "There's no single way to teach. You make it up as you go along."