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A review by kevinpearce
The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power by Norman Lebrecht
2.0
This was an interesting read, but I wouldn't call it a real "page turner." It's basically mini-biographies of famous conductors up to the point at which this was first published (1991 maybe?). It portrays most of these people as not very admirable human beings, i.e. how many of their marriages fell apart, etc. It's a bit dated and perhaps has been updated since. It does portray a few of them, such as Simon Rattle, as decent.
It also describes, similarly to Mozart in the Jungle, how much conductors' fees have increased over the last few decades, and that this is a problem for the classical music industry. It's also dated, as so much has happened with the conductors who were still alive at the time of its publication (most obviously Levine). It's interesting for serious classical music fans, but not super engaging.
It also describes, similarly to Mozart in the Jungle, how much conductors' fees have increased over the last few decades, and that this is a problem for the classical music industry. It's also dated, as so much has happened with the conductors who were still alive at the time of its publication (most obviously Levine). It's interesting for serious classical music fans, but not super engaging.