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From:
Roger Hecht <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 7 Mar 2005 14:31:43 -0500
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I'm not as fond of this (though it's very good for what I believe is a
first novel). It had plenty of authority, but as with most novels that
I'd expect to find these days with a classical music background, it
wasn't "enough" as far as the music aspects were limited.  As it seems
to be always, a lot of "story" had to be thrown into the blender, and
this distracts from the musical aspects.

I found the Seth more limited.  Ford has a musical background, I think.
I don't believe Seth does--if he does, it doesn't really show.  The book
goes so far into the musical angle then has to pull back.  And again the
side stories didn't appeal.

For a much more blatant example of this problem, try Solo Variations,
about a free lance oboist.  The "original" may have been interesting,
but this smacks of a book watered down and soaped up by an agent.

I could not get through Dr.  Faustus by Thomas Mann.  I never tried Jean
Christophe by Romain Rolland.

There is another novel with I believe Concerto in the title.  Not sure
what it is.  And another very interesting one is Winter Fire by Robert
Trotter, about Sibelius, the "Eighth" Symphonies, and WW II on the Finnish
Front.

Paul Myers, who I think worked for EMI, wrote a series of espionage
novels.  The hero is a classical record producer.  Think murder during
a Mahler Fourth in the Musikverein.

Janice Weber, the pianist, written a few. I don't like her style, so I
never tried them.

Dectective novelist Jonathan Valin did a great pas de deux on compulsive
record collectors in The Music Lovers.  At least for the first 1/3.
AFter that it becomes a standard, albeit quite decent mystery.  Just
about every character's name is a composer.

That's off the top.  For more, go to a public library and ask for the
Fiction Catalog.  Or use the data base, NoveList.

Roger Hecht

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