The first time I heard her record was in high school. It was Elgar. I didn’t know anything about classical music, but, that particular cello concerto captivated me. And this very beautiful musician on the front cover with big, beaming smile. And awesome long hair. I was in love, well, sort of.
I liked the author’s writing style. Very lucid and flowing narratives without too much musical technicalities kept me going.
She succeeds here in recreating this remarkable artist as a human being through extensive interviews.
The fact that her siblings and husband Daniel Barenboim declined to do so adds an extra poignancy to this story.
It’s really heartbreaking towards the end of her life.
One can only be thankful to think that this wonderful person ever existed, achieved highest standard of musicianship and lived a life to the fullest. Although it was cruelly cut short.
It’s fascinating to know that she once lived in Chepstow Villas, near Notting Hill Gate. I was living a couple of blocks from there a decade later.
This clip is another my favourite. Dvořák. Pure and subliminal. Lovely to see them together.
The book tells us that he risked his life for this charity concert.
His political stance on current Israeli-Palestinian issues and his friendship with late Edward Said are very interesting, too.
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