MixedThe New York Journal of BooksIf Morley’s book is a meta-playlist, it includes some fascinating tracks ... Though Morley is naturally limited for composer interviews to those still living, it’s during these interviews that \'history\' shines ... Since Morley comes from the world of pop as an expert, and to classical music as a more recent expert, there are times when he relies on comparisons that only someone as well-versed as he is in both worlds might understand. Many classical musicians know Frank Zappa’s music but trying to examine it through the lens of others such as Hawkwind, Kevin Ayers, and Tenacious D, something is lost. It’s a good question for the musical writer: how much knowledge does the reader have to come to the table with? How common is a common denominator? Stretching your knowledge is good; being lost at sea isn’t ... For all Morley’s examples of vivid writing, there are also many dense word forests which will leave the reader in a desperate, Faulknerian search for a period ... because Morley refuses to choose what to emphasize, these descriptions have the feel of words flung at a wall, with the hope that a few will stick ... His writing is more powerful when he edits.
Robin Wallace
PositiveNew York Journal of BooksOccasionally, life can weave together a professional and personal story in a way that is so fantastic as to seem fated rather than coincidental ... By including Barbara’s story, the mythology of Beethoven as brooding composer expands to include the more heartbreaking story—that of Beethoven the socially isolated human being ... Wallace includes fascinating examples of how Beethoven’s diminishing hearing might’ve influenced his compositions ... Robin Wallace’s book not only humanizes one of the most famous composers in the history of Western music, it serves as a beautifully written love letter to his late wife, Barbara.
