Our critics cast their eyes over this month’s selection of books on classical music
The Bach Cello Suites – A Companion
Steven Isserlis
Faber 215pp (hb) £12.99
Particularly in the case of Bach’s Cello Suites, when wanting to investigate further the works’ background and creative process, it is easy to become bogged down in academese that no matter how meticulously researched, fails to convey the magic one feels as soon as the music actually starts. This is where Steven Isserlis’s companion really comes into its own, as it is written from a player-listener’s perspective. For many of us, Isserlis’s 2007 recording of the Cello Suites (Hyperion CDA67541/2) redefined what this glorious music is all about, and now you can savour the thinking (and feeling) that lay behind it.
As Isserlis outlines the background to the suites with a deftness of touch reminiscent of his actual playing, one is constantly reminded what is truly essential from a performer’s perspective. Yes, there are many differences between the surviving sources, but as Isserlis points out, none affect the music’s meaning as deeply as discrepancies in articulation, which can alter a whole movement’s essential character. Most cherishable of all is his movement-by-movement survey of the entire opus, which by some subtle osmosis reminds us why we fell in love with the finest of all cello works in the first place. Julian Haylock ★★★★★
The Film Music of John Williams – Reviving Hollywood’s Classical Style Emilio Audissino
Wisconsin 376pp (pb) £22.95
If you’re looking for a biography of Hollywood’s greatest living composer then this isn’t really it. Though there are some rather nice insights into the man behind the music, they are fairly few and far between. This is, rather, an analysis of Williams’s contribution to the art of film music and, specifically, how he brought about a resurgence of the ‘classical’ Hollywood style in narrative film scoring – through scores like Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977). Audissino makes a strong, and passionate, case and clearly knows his stuff. Some of his arguments are perhaps a little laboured, and though he declares his analysis won’t be musicological, the detailed breakdowns of certain themes and passages will test the average reader. The final section on the current state of film music is sobering and perhaps a little too bleak. While there’s no questioning that Williams is the last living
(and working) connection we have to Hollywood’s classical idiom, there are still talented composers who understand the symphony orchestra working in film today. They’re just at the mercy of directors’ taste and current trends. Michael Beek ★★★
Jean Sibelius –
Life, Music, Silence
Daniel M. Grimley
Reaktion Books 248pp (hb) £25
‘My soul hungers and thirsts for music,’ wrote Sibelius in his diary in 1910. Even in his youth, sound itself held a profound fascination for the Finnish composer: he was mesmerised by the timbre of his violin; he imagined the chord produced by the hum of urban factories. This quest to compose drove his life, yet as Grimley notes, much else about him is hard to pin down. He was ‘a nature poet; a bardic seer; a caring father; an ardent lover; an errant husband; a symbolist visionary; a rugged modernist; a bilious bon vivant; and a seemingly silent enigma’.
This complexity is embraced in a wide-ranging yet taut narrative, in which the musical works are balanced with the life story. And while this is far from the first
Sibelius biography, the British academic adds something new by meticulously drawing on relevant cultural, artistic, historical and political context. Broad ideas are interrogated, whether that’s the complexity of national identity or the vision of the Finnish forest composer. The insightful musical analysis makes a wonderful case for the rarer songs and theatre music. Rebecca Franks ★★★★
Musics Lost and Found – Song Collectors and the Life and Death of Folk Tradition Michael Church
Boydell 272pp (hb) £25
‘What is folk music?’ asks Michael Church in this appealing account of folk song collectors around the world. Louis Armstrong purportedly once gave the answer that all music is folk music because ‘I ain’t ever heard no horse sing it’. Church, however, leans towards a ‘still serviceable’ definition published in 1954: ‘folk music is the product of a musical tradition that has evolved through the process of oral transmission’.
In this ‘informal history’, Church charts the work of individuals who have made it their mission to gather, document and record folk songs. He explores everything from the work of 17th-century Jesuit priests in Beijing to contemporary Persian musician Elshan Ghasimi’s exploration of Azerbaijani modal systems. Church writes with a journalist’s ear for an engaging story but the book lacks crucial anthropological nuance in places. A section on Balinese music reiterates colonial-era ideas of ‘disappearing’ genres being preserved unproblematically by Westerners, without the necessary critical commentary. However, Church is a convincing and passionate advocate both for folk song and its enthusiasts, and the breadth of this colourful and absorbing book is commendable. Kate Wakeling ★★★
Which features? So, do you need a CD player? Will internet radio be OK, or do you want DAB/ FM? Is hi-res streaming (Wi-fi) important to you, or will Bluetooth be acceptable? Will you be connecting to a TV (optical or HDMI) and will you be plugging anything like a turntable in? The good news is, you’ll almost certainly find a system that ticks every box.
Speakers You may have these already, or be looking to buy – either way, it’s important to check the impedance levels (ohms) of the amplifier and speakers. Most popular systems are happy driving an 8-ohm ‘load’. If you’re looking to drive a low-impedance speaker (2-4 ohms), check with the retailer first. Budget This month’s recommendations are all quite premium – and you do get what you pay for – but if you have a more limited budget, check out the impressive Denon DM-41 at £399 (denon.co.uk).