[ebooks] Lana'i (Images of America) by Alberta de Jetley in Arts-Photography

Description

Bruno Walter; one of the greatest conductors in the twentieth century; lived a fascinating life in difficult times. This engrossing book is the first full-length biography of Walter to appear in English. Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky describe Walters early years in Germany; where his successes in provincial theatres led to positions at the Berlin State Opera and the Vienna State Opera. They then tell of his decade-long term as Bavarian music director and his romantic involvement with the soprano Delia Reinhardt; his other positions in the musical community until he was ousted from Germany when the Nazi Party came to power in 1933; and his return to Vienna; where he was artistic director of the Opera House until he was again forced out by the Nazis. Finally they trace his career in the United States; where he led the New York Philharmonic and other orchestras and in his last years made numerous recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra; an ensemble created especially for him. Ryding and Pechefsky are the first biographers to make extensive use of the thousands of unpublished letters in the Bruno Walter Papers; now in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.In addition to interviewing more than sixty people who knew Walter; they examined countless reviews to assess the popular and critical impact he had on his time. Authoritative and even-handed; this biography sheds new light on Walter; one of the great formative influences in musical interpretation.