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A review by kumipaul
Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Absolutely outstanding book, especially for readers who are also lovers and students of classical music. It features primarily four composers: Schoenberg, R. Strauss, Britten and Shostakovich and surrounds them in the Great War, giving us a new view of the war and the Jewish genocide through their music. Each of the four was highly controversial in their work, in their beliefs, and in their musical response to that era, and Eichler described each controversy with originality and with a perspective that delivered shock and surprise over and over. I listened to Schoenberg's disturbing Survivor from Warsaw as I read about his commitment to save Judaism; I listened to Richard Strauss' gorgeous and poignant Metamorphosen as I struggled with my feelings about Strauss himself; I listened to Britten's War Requiem and was deeply moved, learning how he brought the music to life; I listened to Shostakovich's 13th and 14th symphonies and could feel the intense sadness and loss. This is not a biography of these four composers, but more like a historical telling of the tragedy and horror of the Second World War through the eyes of these men and through their music. I must say that the final chapter called Coda: Listening to Lost Time was brilliant. In just a few pages, it pulled together all the biggest ideas and philosophies, and it made me want to read the book again immediately.
So can you enjoy this book if you don't know these composers, and other composers who were important but not one of the central four, such as Bach and Beethoven and Mendelssohn? I think, maybe, but I think the text and the music truly hit home for readers with a decent knowledge about these men, their backgrounds, and their music. I am a relative novice in all of this, but I had enough base knowledge and loads of curiosity, and every word and every note moved me.
So can you enjoy this book if you don't know these composers, and other composers who were important but not one of the central four, such as Bach and Beethoven and Mendelssohn? I think, maybe, but I think the text and the music truly hit home for readers with a decent knowledge about these men, their backgrounds, and their music. I am a relative novice in all of this, but I had enough base knowledge and loads of curiosity, and every word and every note moved me.