Dvorak (Life & Times) Paperback – 1 May 2004

This short biography only skims across the composer’s life and works, but it is very well written. The man himself and his personal life are barely explored. We do learn, however, that he was a moody character, a keen train-spotter, and kept doves for a while. Typically, the magnificent Stabat Mater, and the drama that led to its creation, barely get a couple of paragraphs. However, if the reader makes the effort to listen to each of Dvorak’s compositions as they appear in the text, the book becomes very rewarding indeed. There is a full catalogue of Dvorak’s compositions in annex, and the author explains how his subject gradually evolved and excelled in a much wider variety of music genres than his well-known contemporaries. If only this book had been three times longer.

I bought this because I had recently bought a set of 40 Dvorak CDs but knew very little about the composer. It is well written but it has to be said that compared with the current trend for biographies to contain lots of intimate detail not to mention scandal it is all very tame stuff. Likewise the illustrations whilst ok do not bring us very close to the man. All in all then this comes across as if it is the "official" biography rather than make Dvorak come alive.

I Bought this for a Christmas present for my brother who is a music professor - he really liked it!

Un livre extrêmement intéressant,d'autant plus que je n'ai pas trouvé l'équivalent en français. Incidemment la présentation est très agréable et donne envie d'acheter d'autres biographies dans la même collection.

An excellent book!

the cover is glued on upside down and back to front when I received it. Irritating. Content is fine, but it badly translated into English from German. You can read the English and can imagine the words being spoken in German.

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