A review by sohnesorge
Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment by James R. Gaines

5.0

What sounds, when describing it to friends, like the most boring book in the world, turns out to be a thoroughly engaging and entertaining look at a fairly eccentric ruler and an artist brilliant enough to understand his own staggering talent, but too much ahead of his time to be truly appreciated. In describing their encounter, the author explains the fundamental shift in philosophy between the Baroque and the Enlightenment, and the good and bad that came out of both eras. Fascinating, intelligent, and highly readable.