Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #452787 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Booklist
From the early 1950s until Stravinsky's death in 1971, Craft, awriter and conductor, accompanied the famed composer on his concerttours and even coconducted his concerts. Between 1958 and 1969 theypublished five books together, known collectively as theConversations. This new work is a one-volume version of those five andwas compiled by and contains new material by Craft. Entries arepresented in order following the stages of Stravinsky's life: Russian,Swiss, French, and American. At Craft's prodding, Stravinsky talksabout his early musical experiences as a pianist and accompanist, hismemories of other composers, the creation of the Firebird andother works, and his relationship with his family. He recalls hisfriendships with such celebrated people as Matisse, Picasso, Rodin,Debussy, Monet, and others. The book's final section deals with thecomposer's life in California and the music he created there, and whatCraft calls "perspectives of an octogenarian." This is a fascinatingportrait of the composer and the geniuses in his circle offriends. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"These dialogues between the composer and Robert Craft are nearly as irresistible as Johnson's with Boswell." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

"This book is a must for every fan of Igor Stravinsky. Robert Craft's collection, which is finally published together in a single volume, is highly informative and witty. It reads like a novel and at the same time is an important guide to the multi-faceted mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest geniuses. Every professional musician, student and music lover should read it." --James Conlon

"In an increasingly dumbed-down world, where the cultured past is fading forever, it is a relief to rediscover Stravinsky's unique conversations with Robert Craft. Nothing a great man says is inconsequential; all that Stravinsky says is, in fact, consequential. He tells us, in words, what music is, and he does this by reviving (in words) every piece he ever composed. Of course, nothing a composer explains about his own music is as explicit as the music itself-except how it came to be made. In this Stravinsky is a marvelous historian, reanimating Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Thomas Mann and Ansermet, Varese and Auden . . . . This . . . collection is a masterpiece of nostalgia, instruction, originality, and intellectuality of the highest order."
--Ned Rorem

"These conversations, deftly edited by Robert Craft, confirm that Igor Stravinsky had the most fascinating mind and the sharpest tongue of any classical composer-and perhaps any artist-of the twentieth century."
--Howard Gardner, author of Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi

"Stravinsky was a fascinating thinker, and in Memories and Commentaries he lives brightly and pungently, while providing a cultural history of Music's last grand epoch. Thank goodness the master had Robert Craft in his life." --David Dubal

"Memories and Commentaries is the fascinating story of the journey of a genius. Stravinsky is here revealed not only as one of the most original gifts of the twentieth century, but as a witty, erudite, and profound observer of his remarkable confreres, of himself, and of his life and times." --Leon Kirchner

"Stravinsky's reminiscences and reflections, engagingly introduced and ingeniously reassembled by Mr. Craft in biographical order, reemerge as an irresistibly readable record of the composer's life and views-and the closest thing we have to a full "Autobiography" by him. Like his music, formal yet bracingly (sometimes bitingly) direct, shot through with joy, poignancy and poetry, brimming with immediacy, Stravinsky's words rivet the reader's attention on every page and contain an entire education's worth of literary, artistic, musical and intellectual references. From its opening memories of a Saint Petersburg childhood and the Diaghilev years to the closing comments on Beethoven's symphonies and late quartets, the book is a gold-mine of personal recollections, indelible human portraits created with telling detail, and fascinating musical observations drawn from an astonishing life." --Allen Shawn

Praise for the original Conversations series:

"Craft is the ideal chronicler of Stravinsky's life, times, and ideas."
--Simon Karlinsky, The New York Times Book Review

"These books are a treasured contribution to the documentation of music in our time."
--David Drew, The New Statesman

"A series of books of extraordinary interest." --David Dubal

"Stravinsky . . . has a remarkable eye for human singularity and a gift for making it vivid in a few quick strokes."
--Alfred Frankenstein, The New York Times Book Review

"An absolutely scintillating series."
--Nicolas Slonimsky, The Christian Science Monitor
-- Review

Review
"These dialogues between the composer and Robert Craft are nearly as irresistible as Johnson's with Boswell." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post"This book is a must for every fan of Igor Stravinsky. Robert Craft's collection, which is finally published together in a single volume, is highly informative and witty. It reads like a novel and at the same time is an important guide to the multi-faceted mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest geniuses. Every professional musician, student and music lover should read it." --James Conlon"In an increasingly dumbed-down world, where the cultured past is fading forever, it is a relief to rediscover Stravinsky's unique conversations with Robert Craft. Nothing a great man says is inconsequential; all that Stravinsky says is, in fact, consequential. He tells us, in words, what music is, and he does this by reviving (in words) every piece he ever composed. Of course, nothing a composer explains about his own music is as explicit as the music itself-except how it came to be made. In this Stravinsky is a marvelous historian, reanimating Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Thomas Mann and Ansermet, Varese and Auden . . . . This . . . collection is a masterpiece of nostalgia, instruction, originality, and intellectuality of the highest order." --Ned Rorem"These conversations, deftly edited by Robert Craft, confirm that Igor Stravinsky had the most fascinating mind and the sharpest tongue of any classical composer-and perhaps any artist-of the twentieth century." --Howard Gardner, author of Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi"Stravinsky was a fascinating thinker, and in Memories and Commentaries he lives brightly and pungently, while providing a cultural history of Music's last grand epoch. Thank goodness the master had Robert Craft in his life." --David Dubal"Memories and Commentaries is the fascinating story of the journey of a genius. Stravinsky is here revealed not only as one of the most original gifts of the twentieth century, but as a witty, erudite, and profound observer of his remarkable confreres, of himself, and of his life and times." --Leon Kirchnerd"Stravinsky's reminiscences and reflections, engagingly introduced and ingeniously reassembled by Mr. Craft in biographical order, reemerge as an irresistibly readable record of the composer's life and views-and the closest thing we have to a full "Autobiography" by him. Like his music, formal yet bracingly (sometimes bitingly) direct, shot through with joy, poignancy and poetry, brimming with immediacy, Stravinsky's words rivet the reader's attention on every page and contain an entire education's worth of literary, artistic, musical and intellectual references. From its opening memories of a Saint Petersburg childhood and the Diaghilev years to the closing comments on Beethoven's symphonies and late quartets, the book is a gold-mine of personal recollections, indelible human portraits created with telling detail, and fascinating musical observations drawn from an astonishing life." --Allen ShawnPraise for the original Conversations series:"Craft is the ideal chronicler of Stravinsky's life, times, and ideas." --Simon Karlinsky, The New York Times Book Review"These books are a treasured contribution to the documentation of music in our time." --David Drew, The New Statesman"A series of books of extraordinary interest." --David Dubal"Stravinsky . . . has a remarkable eye for human singularity and a gift for making it vivid in a few quick strokes."--Alfred Frankenstein, The New York Times Book Review"An absolutely scintillating series." --Nicolas Slonimsky, The Christian Science Monitor

Customer Reviews

heady stuff!
What consolations are found in Robert Craft's amazing conversations with Stravinsky. For artists, Stravinsky comes through as a living colossus sitting next to you. The span of his intellect does impress, and with apparently blithe effort on his part, for it never flashes. It only glows. Stravinsky can open his world with a few chosen sentences; entering those tall doors one can only be subsumed in a vast arc of modern art in the person of one man, one great being. Craft's ardent intellect (wonderful queries all, leading the master in) relaxes within his affection for Stravinsky, not only respect but love too. That fusion of intellect and heart marks the book with a perfect pulse. Stravinsky's words come as unfussy and decisive as his music. His remarks on his time in Ustilug before returning to Petersburg offer loads of insight - Firebird was to come shortly - and throughout the book he leads Craft patiently with, typically, a largesse of economy. I'm struck by the providence of their remarkable relationship, the evocative noble aspects of it - how we've all benefitted! The chemistry that undergirds all the Craft-Stravinsky dialogues indicates Stravinsky knew well the worth of their venture, and saw to it that we might profit. Recommended without reservation.

Wonderful insights into Stravinsky's youth, views on music, and his own operas
This is a most interesting set of conversations between Craft and Stravinsky. In many ways it is more personal than the earlier books by Stravinsky and quite frank in his assessments of the artists he knew and current trends in music and art. I cannot say that I agree with all of the master's judgments, but he is Stravinsky and I am not. He is always interesting and amazingly well read in his own art and in others.

His anecdotes from events in his career are always interesting and usually enlightening. The photographs reproduced here are especially interesting because of the people Stravinsky is with and what they say about the time and places when the were taken.

The book first takes us into his childhood, again, but this time in a most personal way. He then recounts various people he knew and provides us his portrait of them and often includes letters. He then gets directly into questions about music. For music lovers this is the most vital portion of the book. The last section talks about Nightingale, Persephone, and The Rake's Progress. Stravinsky also includes the outline he and Auden developed during their first ten days together working on the opera. Fascinating stuff.

A must read for all who love Stravinsky's music and for any general music reader who wants to know about one of the great musical figures of the twentieth century. That it can be had so inexpensively is a real plus!

Domination of intellect
The book provides an incredible value for those interested in artistic developments in Paris, under Diagilev's "Ballets Russes" leadership. I was impressed by the broadness of Stravinsky's thinking, by his incredible intellect and by his constant quest to explore the new - the ultimate attribute of creativity. The book is full of interesting memories on many famous people.