Classical Music's Strangest Concerts and Characters: Extraordinary But True Stories from over Five Centuries of Harmony and Discord

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Portico, Sep 17, 2015 - Music - 256 pages
Extracted from five hundred years of musical history, this is a fascinating collection of stories about classical music's most unusual concerts and characters. Tales such as that of the organist caught with his trousers down or the orchestra that played faster and faster so that its members could catch the last train home, the sad story of the composer who committed suicide while conducting, the completely silent piece of music and the stone deaf composer who insisted on conducting will delight all lovers of classical music. Many famous names are here, as well the less eminent music performers, in this fascinating and revealing look at what really goes on in the world of classical music.

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Contents

Introduction
Slipup in the Sistine 1515
On the Fiddle 1672
Old Bach Pays Tribute 1747
Last Chance for the King 1788
The Disappearing Orchestra 1833
Franz Liszt and the Big Tours 183847
The Battle of the Champ de Mars 1845
Ennio Bolognini 18931979
A Timely Disagreement 1899
Mad About the Beat 1932
A Matter of Life and Death 1944
The Frocks the Star 1953
The Pianist Who Came a Kropper 1967
A Fishy Tale 1977
Hove Too 1993

Vladimir de Pachmann 18481933
Waiting for Gottschalk 1862
Liebling Look What Theyve Done to Our Tune 1870
The ThousandYear Reverberation 2000
Heard Instinct 2000
Eat Your Instruments Theyre Good for You 2004

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About the author (2015)

Brian Levison has a lifelong interest in cricket and played club cricket for several years. His books include the highly acclaimed cricket anthology All in a Day's Play (Constable, 2012) and Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Cricket (David & Charles, 2012). He was one of six writers and commentators selected for the MCC's 'Cricket's Crown Jewels' exhibition in the Lord's Museum celebrating 150 years of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2014.

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