Book Description
During the performances of fashionable operas in an unidentified but "civilized" town in northern Europe, the musicians (with the exception of the conscientious bass drummer) tell tales, read stories, and exchange gossip to relieve the tedium of the bad music they are paid to perform. In this delightful and now classic narrative written by the brilliant composer and critic Hector Berlioz, we are privy to twenty-five highly entertaining evenings with a fascinating group of distracted performers. As we near the two-hundredth anniversary of Berlioz's birth, Jacques Barzun's pitch-perfect translation of Evenings with the Orchestra —with a new foreword by Berlioz scholar Peter Bloom—testifies to the enduring pleasure found in this most witty and amusing book.
"[F]ull of knowledge, penetration, good sense, individual wit, stock humor, justifiable exasperation, understanding exaggeration, emotion and rhetoric of every kind."—Randall Jarrell, New York Times Book Review
"To succeed in [writing these tales], as Berlioz most brilliantly does, requires a combination of qualities which is very rare, the many-faceted curiosity of the dramatist with the aggressively personal vision of the lyric poet."—W. H. Auden, The Griffin
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant! Absolutely, positively brilliant!.......2003-12-13
Two hundred years ago this week, Louis-Hector Berlioz was born. This, then, is a time for me to comment on a few of his works, some of them "favorites by acclamation" and others simply those in which I find special merit.
When Berlioz died, in April, 1869, an obituary in the Musical Times read, in part, "...there can be little doubt that he will be remembered by his able and acute contributions to musical criticism than by any of the compositions with which he hoped to revolutionize the world."
Anyone familiar with Berlioz's "Memoirs" already knows that he could write with flair, and often with a trenchant sense of humor as well. And, while no one these days takes that Musical Times obituary notice seriously, in terms of evaluating his compositional vs. his critical contributions to music, it is true that Berlioz was a significant contributor to the art of musical criticism. He lived and wrote during a time when the feuilleton (an essay often bathed in scathing wit) was the main in-print vehicle for criticism in the arts, and he was one of its most able and knowledgeable practitioners, using the medium for rendering his critical judgements on the musical matters of the day. (As a side note, credit for the feuilleton is often - but mistakenly - given to Heinrich Heine, the German poet, who wrote many such essays when in Vienna. But Heine had earlier been a friend of Berlioz's while in Paris, and it seems clear - at least to this writer - that the feuilleton migrated from Paris to Vienna, with Heine as its means of transport.)
"Soirées de l'Orchestre" (the original French title of these works) can be variously translated as "Evenings with the Orchestra" or "Evenings in the Orchestra." The latter seems more accurate and appropriate, notwithstanding the expertise of Jacques Barzun, one of a handful of true Berlioz experts working today: Berlioz - in the form of an alter ego for purposes of commenting on concert and opera performances - places himself IN the orchestra, as a participating musician in the evenings' events. He utilizes this "second party" vehicle, with some connective narrative, to tie together a number of his most famous feuilletons that "reached print" in the arts journals and newspapers of his day.
Never one to mince words, Berlioz makes clear his personal preferences of composers he knew, and either admired or despised. Of the former (including, inter alia, Beethoven, Gluck, Mozart, Spontini and Weber), his feuilletons would invariably speak to the strengths of these composers. On the other hand, of the latter (including, inter alia, Bellini, Cherubini, Donizetti and Rossini), an evening in the orchestra while performing such works provided him the opportunity to take imaginative flights of fancy as a means for writing about anything BUT the music (which he personally abhorred).
It is in these latter feuilletons that Berlioz hits his stride. And what an imaginative stride it is! Edgar Allen Poe and H. G. Wells (to name just two), had they been aware of Berlioz's writings, would well know that they had a worthy competitor in terms of his ability to write tales about the bizarre and the fantastic and, even, science fiction. But with a "gallows" humor that neither Poe nor Wells possessed. And this gallows humor, it turns out, is - at its best - screamingly hilarious. Two examples will have to suffice, lest I run over my allotted space.
Consider the Eighteenth Evening, during which a German opera (likely one by Meyerbeer) for which the pit musicians have little interest, so that a series of tales is spun amongst them, concluding with "The Piano Possessed," a sly and barely disguised dig at Felix Mendelssohn. The piano takes on a life - and even an afterlife - of its own while thirty-one pianists in a competition are required to play the Mendelssohn work, one after the other.
Better yet, consider the Twenty-Fifth Evening, arguably Berlioz's crowning achievement in the genre and titled "Euphonia, or the Musical City." This might well be called "Hector's Revenge," as he uses the feuilleton to settle a few scores with Camille Moke, a lady - and musician - to whom he had once been engaged and who had betrayed that engagement with the able assistance of her mother. The three characters, so barely disguised that Berlioz might well have used their proper names, are interwoven in a tale of intrigue and betrayal that is beyond fantastic and bordering on the morbid. Berlioz's alter ego exacts his revenge on the two women in a most poetic, if equally grotesque, way. And you'll laugh your way right through to the final word.
There is much about these Soirées that is autobiographical, and those familiar with Berlioz's life and times will likely not have much difficulty finding the autobiographical needles in the various haystacks that make up these Evenings. At the same time, the genre of the feuilleton permits Berlioz the luxury of commenting on matters musical (and otherwise) in a wholly unique way and style. And he had no shortage of style.
This is truly a "lost art"; no one seems to have been successful in duplicating Berlioz's ability to combine trenchant humor with critical commentary since his time. In modern times, only the name of Norman Lebrecht comes to mind, and he is far too buttoned down to challenge Berlioz in the genre. And more's the pity, now that we live in the time of Andrea Bocelli, Charlotte Church, Sarah Brightman, Russell Watson and - sakes alive! - Britney and JLo. I think Hector would have a field day with the likes of these.
Bon anniversaire, M. Berlioz!
Bob Zeidler
Brilliant but dated.......2003-02-01
Hector Berlioz was one of the finest composers and writers of his day, and so when one reads "the rise and fall of a tenor," the biographical sketch of Spontini, or some of the other pieces here, one understands and sympathizes with him. The only real problem is that so much of this describes a musical world now long dead and gone, whose heros and villains no longer matter in the realm of history, so that there are some pages one skims through. But if you are musical in your blood and soul, by all means get it...."Suicide by Enthusiasm" alone will put you right in the thick of the Romantic era!!
Unusual, eccentric, hilarious and historic.......2001-10-28
Berlioz was a man of great ideas - his music abounds with fresh approaches to form, to orchestration, and to melody. And mostly he succeeds. It was a surprise when I first encountered this book to discover what a great writer the man was with words too - and this book is so diverse with its historical accounts, its unscrupulous critiques of the then currently popular music, its humour (don't miss the story about the piano contest), its reporting of the musical world of the time, its insights about great works (Mozart, Gluck - but also Spontini!)..... It's a sort of Decameron of music!
I have subsequently read the Memoirs and these are not to be missed either. Berlioz was an extraordinary man and so neglected in his native France.
For music lovers generally, I would also draw your attention to Jan Swafford's biography of Johannes Brahms - it is very insightful and wonderfully well written.
Fascinating and entertaining.......2001-07-02
This book will appeal to both music lovers and lovers of witty and incisive writing.
Buy it and enjoy.
This is the funniest book in the world!.......1999-09-15
Just the funniest book on earth
Average customer rating:
- Perfect for any concertgoer and giant classical music fan!
- An easy, accessable guide to concert-going & classical music
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Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concertgoers (First)
D. Kern Holoman
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
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Guide to Symphonic Music
ASIN: 0393029360 |
Customer Reviews:
Perfect for any concertgoer and giant classical music fan!.......2003-02-25
I've had this book with me ever since I was a child. The reason being is because I listened to a lot classical music as a kid. In this book there are dozens of composers listed from Bach to Webern and it tells you about their lives, shows some of their greatest compoistions, when they were written, published, written for, and how long they are and tells stories about each composition, too. This is what the bulk of the book is. It also includes musical theory, the proper behavior and apparel for a concert and some famous orchestras and conductors. This is something you must have if you're a big classical music fan. The only flaw this book has is not every composer is listed, for example Fernando Sor and the ones who didn't compose numerous pieces like Haydn, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and the countless others. Definitive!
An easy, accessable guide to concert-going & classical music.......1999-06-06
Writing as a librarian, former music major, and classical music lover, I believe I can honestly say that "Evenings with the Orchestra" is one of the best, most readable guides to the whole classical music experience I've ever read. Everything, from proper concert hall behavior, to the great composers and their most often-heard works, to profiles of the great orchestras and conductors, is discussed in a straightforward, fascinating style. If you're a beginning classical music lover, this book will be an invaluable guide. If you're experienced with the classics, this book will only serve to enhance your enjoyment. Highly recommended!
Book Description
This is a new edition of Karl Mannheim's classic work in which the concepts of "ideology" and "utopia" are examined as opposing and dominant societal influences.
Average customer rating:
- Trelane returns!
- Pretty much strictly for Trek nerds
- "Tally-Ho!!!"
- An Excellent Audio Book
- Some fun stuff here, but ultimately fails
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Q-Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Peter David
Manufacturer: Star Trek
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0671891510 |
Book Description
In all of his travels Captain Jean-Luc Picard has never faced an opponent more powerful that Q, a being from another continuum that Picard encountered on his very first mission as Captain of the Starship Enterprise™. In the years since, Q has returned again and again to harass Picard and his crew. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes merely obnoxious, Q has always been mysterious and seemingly all-powerful.
But this time, when Q appears, he comes to Picard for help. Apparently another member of the Q continuum has tapped into an awesome power source that makes this being more powerful than the combined might of the entire Q continuum. This renegade Q is named Trelane -- also known as the Squire of Gothos, who Captain Kirk and his crew first encountered over one hundred years ago. Q explains that, armed with this incredible power, Trelane has become unspeakably dangerous.
Now Picard must get involved in an awesome struggle between super beings. And this time the stakes are not just Picard's ship, or the galaxy, or even the universe -- this time the stakes are all of creation...
Download Description
Captain Picard's powerful opponent Q reappears. But instead of causing trouble, Q asks the captain for help, placing him in the middle of an awesome power struggle between superbeings. At stake is not just the Starship Enterprise, the galaxy, or even the universe--this time the stakes are all of creation.
Customer Reviews:
Trelane returns!.......2007-06-16
Greetings and felectations! It's wonderful to see Trelane back again. The paralles between the Q and Trelane are uncanny. David has done a wonedrful job of bringing together two Trek generations.
Pretty much strictly for Trek nerds.......2005-12-20
But you knew that already, right? It follows three different alternative timelines. One is the "normal" one, one is an alternative where Jack Crusher is alive, and Picard is his first officer on the Enterprise, and one is the alternate from "Yesterday's Enterprise," in a losing war with the Klingon Empire. Along comes Trelane, of an original-series episode, to mess things up. Turns out that Trelane is a young Q, and Q himself is his guardian, trying (with very limited success) to guide Trelane to adult Q-hood. Trelane becomes petulant (as he was with Kirk), and all hell breaks loose as he crashes the timelines together and sends Q into near-oblivion. Sorting it all out is a fun ride, but this is definitely a book I feel no need to keep after reading it.
"Tally-Ho!!!" .......2005-08-13
General Trelane (retired) returns in this book. The former Squire of Gothos is a Q, as it turns out. And Guess who is Trelane's mentor? That's right, that lovable imp known as Q. This is a blending of The Orginal Series and of The Next Generation, as it has James Kirk in it, albeit briefly.
A must for any Star Trek fan.
An Excellent Audio Book.......2005-04-19
This review refers to the audio book version, 3+ hours, two cassettes. John De Lancie does a really great job in reading this book. My one wish is that he had changed his voice so that the various characters would have been easy to pick out. Peter David's story is one of his best, and I really liked how he portrayed the first generation's Trelane, very true to character. Picard, and Q were also very well rendered. The story line bounces around a bit, but is not too distracting (or confusing). Sound effects and music are well done. The audio is quite legible when listening in a car. All-in-all a great audio book. I highly recommend it!
Some fun stuff here, but ultimately fails.......2005-01-15
Trelane (of the TOS episode "Squire of Gothos"), who turns out to be a young member of the Q-Continuum, taps into the ultimate energy source and uses it-or is used by it-to tamper with the nature of reality and the flow of time. Q and the crews of the starship Enterprise from three parallel universes find themselves right in the thick of the action.
Three things seem apparent about this novel. First, author Peter David had fun writing it. It's clever, if a bit too convoluted at times, and has fun making unexpected connections and arcane references to Trek history. He has a firm grip of the characters and writes their dialogue and interactions well. Second, he wrote it fast, much too fast. The prose is very sloppy, becoming at times unreadable. Third, this book is much too long. Most, if not all, of the sequences written from the perspectives of Q and Trelane should have been cut out. That would have improved the novel a great deal, because those scenes are truly awful.
Here's the problem: how can anyone, much less a guy dashing off a Star Trek novel, convincingly inhabit the perspective of an omnipotent, omniscient being? A masterful novelist might pull it off with great thought and effort, but Peter David isn't up to the task. That's not a knock against him, since almost nobody is up to that task, but he should have realized his limitations. He gives us beings who, rather than existing on a plane beyond our understanding, have mothers and fathers just like we do, act from very human motivations, and even derive their names from Latin root words! The TV series managed (just barely at times) to present the character successfully because it was always made clear that the version of Q and his universe that we saw was dumbed down to make human comprehension possible. David mistakes the dumbed down version for the real, unvarnished thing.
Book Description
It is increasingly recognized that policy design for attacking poverty requires an approach that makes best use of the relative strengths of qualitative and quantitative analytical tools, applied to the situation at hand. This volume brings together the world leaders in analysis from both sides of the divide to push the dialogue forward. In brief and pointed expositions they characterise the main strengths and weaknesses of each approach, discuss these with concrete examples, and propose a way ahead for combining the two approaches fruitfully.
Average customer rating:
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Q-Squared
Peter David
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUPJGW |
Average customer rating:
|
Q-Squared
Peter (Star Trek) \ David
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000GLKAL2 |
Product Description
This Audiofy audiobook chip packs John De Lancie's full 2 hour reading of "Q-Squared" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or low-cost adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... In all of his travels Captain Jean-Luc Picard has never faced an opponent more powerful that Q, a being from another continuum that Picard encountered on his very first mission as Captain of the Starship Enterprise? In the years since, Q has returned again and again to harass Picard and his crew. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes merely obnoxious, Q has always been mysterious and seemingly all-powerful. But this time, when Q appears, he comes to Picard for help. Apparently another member of the Q continuum has tapped into an awesome power source that makes this being more powerful than the combined might of the entire Q continuum. This renegade Q is named Trelane -- also known as the Squire of Gothos, who Captain Kirk and his crew first encountered over one hundred years ago. Q explains that, armed with this incredible power, Trelane has become unspeakably dangerous. Now Picard must get involved in an awesome struggle between super beings. And this time the stakes are not just Picard's ship, or the galaxy, or even the universe -- this time the stakes are all of creation...
Customer Reviews:
And you thought Q was bad!.......2007-03-17
Trelane, erstwhile Squire of Gothos (of the TOS episode of that name), returns. Here we learn that Trelane is nothing less than a juvenile Q. Q, mentoring Trelane, brings him to the Enterprise for educating. Things begin to unravel when one Trelane embraces the unlimited power of chaos, and decides to take revenge. First Trelane annihilates Q (!), and then begins to unravel the barriers that separate parallel universes, bringing on a war of all against all. How can Picard overcome the demons of what might have been (and are in other realities), and defeat the most powerful being in the whole multiverse at the same time? And, what of Q?
This book is an absolute masterpiece! The author masterfully runs first two and then three storylines (three parallel universes), examining the same people in very different situations. As the story reaches its crescendo, and the characters begin to cross between universes, it becomes positively gripping.
And, I must say that I love listening to John De Lancie's voice. He does a masterful job with this audio book. I love this audio book and can't recommend it enough.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from World Development, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The turn to the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative (Q-Squared) methods in the analysis of poverty is a welcome development with large potential payoffs. While the benefits of mixing are not in doubt, the tensions involved in so doing have not received adequate attention. The aim of this paper is to address this gap in the ''Q-Squared'' literature. It argues that there are important differences between approaches to poverty which operate at the levels of epistemology and normative theory. These differences have implications for the numerical transformation of data, the selection of validity criteria, the conception/dimension of poverty adopted and interpersonal comparisons of well-being.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from World Development, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
This paper examines poverty and vulnerability by using a multidisciplinary approach in which household survey data and poverty analysis were applied in interaction with open-ended qualitative research methods. The study uses a variety of quantitative survey-based methods in combination with qualitative Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods to explore key issues concerned with poverty, risk, and vulnerability in some of India's poorest regions. It documents poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon and the poor as a highly heterogeneous group; efforts to reduced poverty in its many dimensions must recognize this diversity and how it is reflected in constraints and opportunities for rising out of poverty. Poverty reduction policies and programs must be designed accordingly.
Average customer rating:
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Q-Squared Star Trek the Next Generation
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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ASIN: B000I6UWMW |
Book Description
For the past three decades, the Shelly Cashman Series® has effectively introduced computers to millions of students, consistently providing the highest quality, most up-to-date, and innovative materials in computer education. We are proud of the fact that our series of Microsoft Office 4.3, Microsoft Office 95, Microsoft Office 97, Microsoft Office 2000, and Microsoft Office XP textbooks have been the most widely used books in computer education. With each new edition of our Office books, we have made significant improvements based on software changes and comments made by both instructors and students. Our Microsoft Office 2003 books continue with the innovation, quality, and reliability that you have come to expect from the Shelly Cashman Series.
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The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz (Everyman's Library (Cloth))
Berlioz: Volume One: The Making of an Artist, 1803-1832
Berlioz and His Century: An Introduction to the Age of Romanticism
Berlioz: Volume Two: Servitude and Greatness
A Critical Study of Beethoven's Nine Symphonies
