The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824

The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824

by HarveySachs (Author)

Synopsis

A decade after the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had given way to an era of retrenchment and repression, 1824 became a watershed year. The premiere of the Ninth Symphony, the death of Lord Byron - who had been aiding the Greeks in their struggle for independence, Delacroix's painting of the Turkish massacre of Greeks at Chios and Pushkin's anti-tyrannical play Boris Godunov all signalled that the desire for freedom was not dead. And all of these works and events were part of the flowering of the High Romantic period. In The Ninth, eminent music historian and biographer Harvey Sachs employs memoir, anecdote and his vast knowledge of history to explain how the premiere of Beethoven's staggering last symphony was emblematic of its time - a work of art unlike any other - and a magisterial, humanistic statement that remains a challenge down to our own day and for future generations.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Published: 08 Sep 2011

ISBN 10: 0571221467
ISBN 13: 9780571221462
Book Overview: In The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, Harvey Sachs takes an absorbing look at Beethoven's towering Ninth Symphony, and its vibrant historical context.

Media Reviews
All music lovers should run, not walk, to purchase The Ninth . --San Francisco Chronicle An inspiring examination of one of music's supreme masterpieces. --Pittsburgh Tribune Review Insightful . . . Reading this book, you feel for the composer, trying to bond with others through an astonishing symphony. --The New York Times Sachs' enthusiasm is infectious, his knowledge impressive. --USA Today A revelatory ride through a creative time and four symphonic movements. --The Dallas Morning News Will send readers to their CD players. --The Washington Post
Author Bio
Harvey Sachs is a writer and music historian. His many books include standard biographies of Arturo Toscanini and Arthur Rubinstein, Music in Fascist Italy and Virtuoso. He assisted Placido Domingo and Sir Georg Solti with their memoirs and has written for many journals and newspapers including the TLS, the Guardian, the Observer, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.