Nigel Simeone Livres

Focusing on Messiaen's role as a significant twentieth-century artist, this volume explores recent research that clarifies misconceptions about him. It addresses prevalent myths while uncovering remarkable truths about his life and work. Through a series of essays, the book delves into the complexities of Messiaen as an individual, his artistic vision, his faith, and his contributions to music, shedding light on the enigmatic aspects of his character and creativity.

Olivier Messiaen, the influential French composer, remains a largely enigmatic figure despite his extensive body of work and teachings. Most insights into his life and music come from his lectures and a comprehensive seven-volume treatise, yet these sources often obscure the deeper motivations and complexities behind his compositions. Additionally, Messiaen's private life was marked by a similar reticence, leaving many aspects of his personal and artistic journey still to be explored and understood.

By the time of his death in 2010 at the age of 84, Sir Charles Mackerras had achieved widespread recognition, recorded extensively and developed into a conductor of major international significance. A detailed narrative account of his life is complemented by chapters written by performers and scholars who worked closely with Mackerras: as well as interviews with his family. The book is illustrated with photographs and documents, and it includes a comprehensive discography along with listings of many of his concert and opera performances. While Sir Charles' whole life is considered, emphasis is given to his final quarter century, a period in which so many important projects were realized

Leos Janácek was a pivotal figure in Moravian and Czech culture, renowned for his multifaceted contributions as a composer, folksong collector, journalist, educator, and nationalist. His work reflects a deep engagement with the cultural identity of his region, showcasing his dedication to preserving and promoting Czech folk traditions while also making significant strides in classical music.

"Leonard Bernstein was a charismatic and versatile musician-a brilliant conductor who attained international super-star status, and a gifted composer of Broadway musicals (West Side Story), symphonies (Age of Anxiety), choral works (Chichester Psalms), film scores (On the Waterfront), and much more. Bernstein was also an enthusiastic letter writer, and this book is the first to present a wide-ranging selection of his correspondence. The letters have been selected for the insights they offer into the passions of his life-musical and personal-and the extravagant scope of his musical and extra-musical activities. Bernstein's letters tell much about this complex man, his collaborators, his mentors, and others close to him. His galaxy of correspondents encompassed, among others, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, Thornton Wilder, Boris Pasternak, Bette Davis, Adolph Green, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and family members including his wife Felicia and his sister Shirley. The majority of these letters have never been published before. They have been carefully chosen to demonstrate the breadth of Bernstein's musical interests, his constant struggle to find the time to compose, his turbulent and complex sexuality, his political activities, and his endless capacity for hard work. Beyond all this, these writings provide a glimpse of the man behind the legends: his humanity, warmth, volatility, intellectual brilliance, wonderful eye for descriptive detail, and humor"-- Provided by publisher