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Description of  Absolutely on Music: Conversations

A deeply personal, intimate conversation about music and writing between the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author and his close friend, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Haruki Murakami's passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and from The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" to Franz Liszt's "Years of Pilgrimage," the aesthetic and emotional power of music permeates every one of his much-loved books. Now, in Absolutely on Music, Murakami fulfills a personal dream, sitting down with his friend, acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa, to talk, over a period of two years, about their shared interest. Transcribed from lengthy conversations about the nature of music and writing, here they discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from record collecting to pop-up orchestras, and much more. Ultimately this book gives readers an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of the two maestros. It is essential reading for book and music lovers everywhere. “Fascinating. . . . Ozawa is a beloved figure, known more for his modesty, preparation and smiling-hippie looks than for breaking batons. In Absolutely on Music, he appears in conversation with his countryman, the renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. Their discussions are prompted by listening to recordings together and range from musical personalities to the nuts and bolts of running an orchestra. Mr. Murakami is a non-musician who is nevertheless quite well-listened. . . . Murakami stays in the background of these conversations, but his preparation and curiosity draw out Mr. Ozawa wonderfully.” —The Wall Street Journal “Absolutely on Music is an unprecedented treasure, valuable if for no other reason than that these conversations mark the first time that Ozawa has reflected at length on his 50-plus years of conducting. . . . Talking about music is like dancing about architecture, it’s often said, but what joy to watch these two friends dance. . . . One of this book’s central pleasures is that of watching a kind of translation at work. With an enthusiast’s brio, Murakami sallies forth with his idiosyncratic, often fanciful ideas about Ozawa’s music.” —The Guardian “Refreshingly honest and enthusiastic, a mental sampler from both the writer and the musician. . . . The subject matter veers and twirls, from the philosophy of education to the phrasing of a specific passage, to the bringing out of an inner voice. And perhaps therein lies the charm of this book—material that only a music wonk could love, some spicy ‘Real Housewives of Vienna’ type dish, intellectual probing of the most arcane musical subjects, and personal expressions of amazement and sheer joy.” —The Buffalo News “Fascinating. . . . Enthralling. . . . What comes through in these conversations is the devotion both men feel for music the degree to which every detail of a work matters to them and the strength of their yearning to connect to great symphonies and concertos (and the composers who penned them).”—The Seattle Times “Irresistibly seductive.” —Evening Standard “A strange and delightful book. Murakami and Ozawa sit sipping hot hojicha tea, snacking on persimmons, and discussing in riveting detail works by Mahler, Bartok, Beethoven, Brahms, and many other central figures in the history of Western music. . . . While he defers to Ozawa on technical matters, [Murakami] describes music with rich and suggestive metaphors and images that capture something essential about the spirit of the music.” —The Christian Science Monitor