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Got the new John Irving just a bit ago.
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A book I bought a while ago and never got round to reading, but one which has taken on new significance given the London bombings nearly a week ago now:
'DEFENDING THE REALM - Inside MI5 and the War On Terrorism.'
Sounds a bit like British Intelligence is still stuck in the Cold War era..... 
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I'm getting mine on the weekend. The N.Y.Times did not like the book in it's review today. Doesn't matter to me though. But it's over 800 PAGES! That's more commitment than I'm used to!
These days if it has bad reviews it's probably pretty good.
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Posted: |
Sep 13, 2005 - 10:57 PM
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By: |
Bill Finn
(Member)
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I just finished reading Louis Kaufman's memoirs "A Fiddler's Tale". Very interesting read. I wanted to read it because I knew that Kaufman was concertmaster with the 20th Century Fox orchestra, and much earlier had played that role at Warner Brothers as well.
I did not realize what a musically complete life he had however. He spent eight years kind of on the road in Europe, playing concerts (not film scores). He edited several first editions of Vivaldi concertos, literally discovering them again for new listeners.
There is really not more than 20 pages devoted to his film score work, but what he does talk about is quite interesting to read. He seemed to have had a high regard for that time in his life and had respect for the composers that he played for (Steiner, Korngold, Rozsa, Newman).
It's just that Kaufman doesn't really make a big seperation between good film scores and the rest of classical music, so it is all kind of woven together.
But he was also enough of a violinist that he not only performed such war horses as the Mendlessohn concerto, but actually premiered a number of twentieth century works, most of this in Europe.
His wife Annette, took it upon herself to have his memoirs published. She was also a pianist and Kaufman's accompanist for many of his solo recitals.
The book comes with a partial listing of films for which Kaufman played violin. As well as a number of other indexes. Also a CD of some of his recordings. One of the Vivaldi concertos is on it, along with Korngold's "Much Ado About Nothing". Kaufman actually made the first LP of the "Four Seasons" by Vivaldi, in the late 1940's. It won Grand Prix du Disque in France in 1950.
He seemed to have had a long happy and healthy life and was one of those happy folks who never have a harsh word to say about their peers.
He remained lifelong friends with Herrmann, for example, when a number of Benny's other friends had deserted him. But a lot of Kaufman's comments about Herrmann's music are more to do with "Wuthering Heights" for example, than with the film scores.
Since Kaufman was a lifelong art collector and connosieur, I kind of bogged down in those parts of the book, being somewhat uneducated in that field.
I really enjoyed this book a great deal.
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Posted: |
Sep 13, 2005 - 11:55 PM
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By: |
Greg Bryant
(Member)
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Manifold: Space by Stephen Baxter.
Baxter is an SF writer, in the mode of Arthur C. Clarke. He has a background as an engineer.
This is the second in his "Manifold" trilogy. Each one follows the same characters, but in different realities. So if one character dies off in a previous book, they may be back in the next. Or vice versa.
In each book in the trilogy, Baxter explores exploration of the solar system, evolution, time travel, colonization of the galaxy and alien contact with detailed scientific accuracy. Most of his books take place over decades, if not centuries and millenia. He also explores the social issues and consequences of change brought about by man's new discoveries, both technological inventions and discoveries of the universe around us. And he tells a crackling good story too.
I've read several others, including Titan, Manifold: Time, The Light of Other Days, all highly recommended from a modern SF writer.
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