Adolf Busch: The Life of an Honest Musician (Two Volume Set) [ハードカバー]

Adolf Busch (1891-1952) was not only an all-round musician; he was also a moral beacon in troubled times. Now remembered as the first violin of the Busch String Quartet, which he founded in 1912, he was the greatest quartet-player of the last century and also the busiest solo violinist of the inter-War years, regularly performing the great concertos with such conductors as Toscanini, Walter, Furtwangler, Boult, Barbirolli and many others. He was, moreover, an outstanding composer whose works enjoyed performances both at home in Germany and further afield. But at the peak of his popularity his profound sense of decency and his simple human dignity brought about a dramatic reversal in his fortunes. His courageous decision to boycott his native country from April 1933 - despite Hitler's efforts to persuade 'our German violinist' to return - drastically reduced his income and damaged his career as soloist and composer. In 1938, because of Mussolini's race laws, he imposed a similar boycott on Italy, where he had been one of the most popular of classical performers. The following year he emigrated with his quartet colleagues to the United States, where he was not fully appreciated, although he had many successes with his chamber orchestra and founded the Marlboro summer school. This biography, based on more than thirty years' research, documents Busch's life, examining his exemplary behaviour in the context of the tumultuous period in which he lived. 'Adolf is a saint', declared Arturo Toscanini. And Sir Ernest Gombrich said of Busch: 'He was exactly as he played - there was not a false tone in him'. Two volume set including two CDs.

Cette biographie en anglais, fruit d'un recherche passionee, retrace la vie d'un home aux talents multiple. (...) Monumental et fascinant, une reference! DIAPASON The book is a barn-burner, impossible to put down, as the musical world of the era flashes by. To those who would say that 1,432 pages are too many, I would reply: Show me a paragraph that is less than necessary. this is a magnificent achievement, one to challenge all future biographers of any musician. FANFARE (T)ully Potter has seen his magnum opus through to completion. This is indeed something to celebrate. As innumerable booklet notes attest, Potter has always been at his best writing about violinists and other chamber musicians and he seems to have interviewed almost every Busch family member, not forgetting the offspring of those who knew the man intimately. (...) Adolf Busch: The Life of an Honest Musician deserves wider circulation in its own right, as an evocation of a tumultuous era in which right and wrong were plainly discernible yet all too rarely acted upon. INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW If you are looking for the definitive repository of material on Adolf Busch and/or a near-exemplary biography of a great musician that combines restrained interpretation and explanation with factual discourse so well-conceived and written that it's likely to become a classic, then this will fit the bill without reservations. As a contribution to musical scholarship in an area central to the development of twentieth century performance too, Adolf Busch: the Life of an Honest Musician is sure to succeed and earn a place at the top of the list. Recommended without hesitation. CLASSICALNET Every great musician deserves his or her Tully Potter. ... The variety of sources quoted is dizzying, from personal interviews... to little-known books and journals. ... Rare photographs are plentiful... . GRAMOPHONE (A)t once a stirring tale and a disturbing one. WALL STREET JOURNAL A meticulous narrative of over 900 pages...perhaps even more compelling are the remaining 400 pages of interpretive essays and source materials. BBC MUSIC (5 stars)A splendidly lucid, abundantly well-judged tribute. NEWARK STAR-LEDGER