Concerning Herve Blandin's request about the out-of-print Monteux
biography--Let me guess:  if that book is "It's All in the Music" by Doris
Monteux, then I read it during a Cape Ann, MA vacation in 1975.  It's a
fairly lightweight, admiring and generally upbeat read, as one could expect
from a devoted and uncritical spouse...no tales of extramarital affairs,
backstage gossip, or scoops about famous artists or orchestras (although
Marian Anderson is singled out for praise), plus lots of chatty details
about hotels, ships, planes, and train travel, plus the bliss of coming
home to Hancock, Maine.  To these eyes, it's a far cry from the more
detached and rigorous biographies of Mahler, Bruno Walter, or the
just-released letters of Toscanini.  I'd say $30 is a bit much for
this very light volume of memories.

The final third has its moments of insight and feeling, as Mrs.
Monteux conveys the Maestro's disappointment with the stereo recording
sessions during the last years of his life; in particular, he questioned
Decca's commitment to record the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique with the
Vienna Philharmonic, and only authorized its release with great hesitation.
Apparently, he was also frustrated by the hold Munch and RCA held on many
of the French masterpieces and his beloved Boston Symphony.  Although the
book notes a rushed quality to the Monteux LSO sessions for Philips in
1961-2, I believe those performances captured him in top form with Debussy,
Ravel, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky--a fitting finale.  And her chapter on his
last months in London, his death, and burial in Maine are poignant and
heartfelt.  She clearly feels his passing, and immediately set out to put
a very polished patina on his memory.

And now today's trivia item:  Bill Patrick, a familiar cable sports
announcer in the U.S, is the Maestro's grandson.  His recent wedding
notice in the NY Times said he was born in Hancock, Maine as Claude
Monteux, Jr.  He graduated from the University of Maine and has been
a print and broadcast sports journalist ever since.  An interesting
crossover...

Dick Claeys