Norman Lebrecht Books

Beethoven’s life and legacy in 100 recordings

In a hundred-year period, a handful of men and women changed the way we see the world. Without Karl Landsteiner there would be no blood transfusions or major surgery. Without Paul Ehrlich, no chemotherapy. Without Siegfried Marcus, no motor car. Without Rosalind Franklin, genetic science would look very different. What do these visionaries have in common? They all had Jewish origins. They all had a gift for thinking in wholly original, even earth-shattering ways. In 1847 the Jewish people made up less than 0.25% of the world's population, and yet they saw what others could not. Starting with the death of Mendelssohn and the birth of political anti-Semitism, Lebrecht takes us through the Jewish experience. The result is a celebration of Jewish genius and contribution

A unique chronicle of the hundred-year period when the Jewish people changed the world - and it changed them

In this highly original account of Mahler's life and work, Norman Lebrecht - renowned writer, critic and cultural commentator - explores the Mahler Effect, a phenomenon that reaches deep into unsuspecting lives, altering the self-perceptions of world leaders, finance chiefs and working musicians.

Martin Simmonds’ father tells him, “Never trust a musician when he speaks about love.” The advice comes too late. Martin already loves Dovidl Rapoport, an eerily gifted Polish violin prodigy whose parents left him in the Simmonds’s care before they perished in the Holocaust. For a time the two boys are closer than brothers. But on the day he is to make his official debut, Dovidl disappears. Only 40 years later does Martin get his first clue about what happened to him. In this ravishing novel of music and suspense, Norman Lebrecht unravels the strands of love, envy and exploitation that knot geniuses to their admirers. In doing so he also evokes the fragile bubble of Jewish life in prewar London; the fearful carnival of the Blitz, and the gray new world that emerged from its ashes. Bristling with ideas, lambent with feeling, The Song of Names is a masterful work of the imagination.

Nearly ten years after its original publication, The Maestro Myth continues to enthrall readers with its insightful look into the lives and careers of the world's most celebrated conductors. Now updated and including two new chapters, this volume portrays the politics and inflated economics surrounding the podiums of today's international classical music scene, and the obstacles faced by blacks, women, and gays. From Richard Strauss to Herbert von Karajan to Leonard Bernstein to Simon Rattle, The Maesto Myth examines the world of classical music and the mounting crisis in a profession where genuine talent grows ever scarcer. It is a must-have resource for music aficiionados as well as anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes lives of these music masters. Book jacket.

David Rapoport, polski chłopiec cudem uratowany z Holokaustu, wychowuje się w Londynie, w zamożnej, żydowskiej rodzinie, gdzie zaprzyjaźnia się z Martinem Simmondsem. Chłopców łączy niesamowita więź są sobie bliżsi niż bracia. Pod okiem ojca Martina David rozwija niezwykłe zdolności muzyczne. I nagle, w dniu pierwszego koncertu chłopiec znika Z tej zachwycającej powieści o muzyce i bólu, wyłania się wyjątkowy obraz miłości i zazdrości, przyjaźni i zemsty. Pieśń imion to mistrzowskie dzieło wyobraźni. Powieść zdobyła nagrodę Whitbread Book Award i została zekranizowana. W role bohaterów wcielili się m.in. Magdalena Cielecka, Tim Roth i Clive Owen. Zdjęcia do filmu powstały w Londynie, Nowym Jorku, Montrealu, Budapeszcie oraz w obozie zagłady w Treblince. Film jest dostępny na platformie VOD Cineman.pl Wyśmienita Pokazuje ogrom wiedzy autora, jego inwencję i pasję Piękna książka. The Telegraph