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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Didn't think I would like an interview formatted book and I pretty much hated reading it at first. However, the book slowly started to grow on me and by the end, I learned a lot.
This nonfiction title centers on various discussions held between an author and a music director about...well, music. They talk about how different composers interpret music and express it through their orchestras, venue, etc. My absolute favorite parts of the book are when they discuss intentional silence in songs and when Murakami compares writing words to creating music and rhythm. There is definitely some great writing here even though it all came from an ordinary dialogue between two gentlemen.
I didn't know anything about Ozawa before I started reading this - I wouldn't even have been able to name a Japanese conductor. The lack of a higher rating is down to my own poor timing in reading this book, as I was unfamiliar with a lot of the music discussed and wasn't in a situation to be able to listen to any of it while I was reading.
It's probably best to be at least passingly familiar with the music mentioned; I think you'd probably get a lot more out of it that way. It's not as if there isn't anything there for you if you're not, though - it's just that I know I didn't read this in ideal circumstances and although it's not really fair for my rating to reflect that, here I am anyway.
There is a lot here and it is very interesting; the interplay between Ozawa's knowledge and Murakami's is really weird and wonderful. There are also all these off-hand comments about food scattered throughout, which lightened the tone of some of the conversations considerably.
It's probably best to be at least passingly familiar with the music mentioned; I think you'd probably get a lot more out of it that way. It's not as if there isn't anything there for you if you're not, though - it's just that I know I didn't read this in ideal circumstances and although it's not really fair for my rating to reflect that, here I am anyway.
There is a lot here and it is very interesting; the interplay between Ozawa's knowledge and Murakami's is really weird and wonderful. There are also all these off-hand comments about food scattered throughout, which lightened the tone of some of the conversations considerably.
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Very easy read and helpful when exploring classical music
slow-paced
3.5 stars. There were a lot of thought provoking conversations here and I definitely learned a lot about the inner workings of orchestras and conducting. However, I think this book might be better appreciated by individuals with more knowledge about classical music and symphony performances, etc. When Murakami refers to himself as a “layman” in the books introduction, I thought the book might be more my speed as someone with minimal knowledge in this area, but he was such a liar. That being said, I could still appreciate this book as a true layman.
I'm not the target audience for this book. I'm not someone that listens to classical music. I don't listen to much music at all really. I read this simply because I am a completionist. Especially when it comes to Murakami.
That being said there are some fantastic phrases here. And some interesting thoughts on more than music. So well worth a read if you enjoy this topic or if it sounds interesting to you.
That being said there are some fantastic phrases here. And some interesting thoughts on more than music. So well worth a read if you enjoy this topic or if it sounds interesting to you.
If you are familiar with most or all of the pieces of music discussed in this book or have a working knowledge of / interest in conducting, you'll probably enjoy this.
I usually find books about people who are completely dedicated to being at the top of a profession pretty fascinating and there were little morsels of these conversations that were really interesting, but everything just seemed to come back to talking about pieces of music which just was not interesting to me having little to no knowledge of those pieces ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I usually find books about people who are completely dedicated to being at the top of a profession pretty fascinating and there were little morsels of these conversations that were really interesting, but everything just seemed to come back to talking about pieces of music which just was not interesting to me having little to no knowledge of those pieces ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
relaxing