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105th out of 120 books
—
30 voters
Death and Transfiguration (Daniel Jacobus Mystery #4)
by
Gerald Elias
The fourth book in the series featuring the irascible but loveable amateur sleuth Daniel Jacobus
Vaclav Herza, the last of a dying breed of great but tyrannical conductors, has been music director of Harmonium for forty years. The world famous touring orchestra was created for him when he fled Czechoslovakia for America during the political turmoil in Eastern Europe in 1956...more
Vaclav Herza, the last of a dying breed of great but tyrannical conductors, has been music director of Harmonium for forty years. The world famous touring orchestra was created for him when he fled Czechoslovakia for America during the political turmoil in Eastern Europe in 1956...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 19th 2012
by Minotaur Books
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3 1/2 stars
All is not as congenial or collegial among musicians, conductors and other orchestra personnel as audiences at a classical music concert might think. The author mines the personalities, jealousies, rivalries, love-hate relationships among these professionals to create a mystery that involves a renowned (fictitious) symphonic orchestra, a tyrannical conductor and murder.
This is the fourth book in the Daniel Jacobus mystery series involving the blind, crotchety, amateur detective, Danie...more
All is not as congenial or collegial among musicians, conductors and other orchestra personnel as audiences at a classical music concert might think. The author mines the personalities, jealousies, rivalries, love-hate relationships among these professionals to create a mystery that involves a renowned (fictitious) symphonic orchestra, a tyrannical conductor and murder.
This is the fourth book in the Daniel Jacobus mystery series involving the blind, crotchety, amateur detective, Danie...more
Death and Transfiguration by Gerald Elias
I think I’ll never look at a Thursday the same way again. Not after reading Death and Transfiguration by Gerald Elias. The story begins on a Thursday, when Daniel Jacobus, retired violin virtuoso and sometime sleuth, receives a visit from an up and comer at a world-famous touring orchestra. She’s being tormented by her Maestro and asks for his help, but he largely dismisses the young woman’s complaints. The legendary Vaclav Herza, one of the last great co...more
I think I’ll never look at a Thursday the same way again. Not after reading Death and Transfiguration by Gerald Elias. The story begins on a Thursday, when Daniel Jacobus, retired violin virtuoso and sometime sleuth, receives a visit from an up and comer at a world-famous touring orchestra. She’s being tormented by her Maestro and asks for his help, but he largely dismisses the young woman’s complaints. The legendary Vaclav Herza, one of the last great co...more
An interesting way for a reader to get exposed to some Classical music 'inside baseball.' Not a bad story, but a good editor would not have gone amiss. Pedantic early chapters are followed by several interesting plot threads about halfway through. Unfotrunately, because the author got such a late start, these subplots are rushed and the subcharacters are just names on a page. Then, the threads all come together in a series of phone calls to the protagonist all in one night. Puh-leeze.
If you lov...more
If you lov...more
I was intrigued by the title and have not read the earlier books in the Daniel Jacobus series. I was fascinated by the blind violin teacher hero and his various connections with musicians around the world--the two young women vying to be concert-mistress of a professional orchestra, a nasty director, prima donnas and musicians just trying to make a living, contemporary life, post-W.W. II Europe, and bits of Japanese culture. I'm looking forward to reading the earlier books in the series and appr...more
An inconclusive ending bumps this to a two-star rating. Famous conductor Herza is known for mistreating his orchestra. When a violinist comes to blind teacher Daniel Jacobus for help, he tells her he can't do anything for her. So naturally he feels guilty--his default mode--for the ensuing tragedy. He decides that he must research Herza's background, as she had asked him to, and finds unexpected flaws in the conductor's respectable facade. This series is a strange combination of depressing and h...more
PROTAGONIST: Daniel Jacobus, blind violin teacher
SETTING: Tanglewood Music Festival
SERIES: #4 of 4
RATING: 3.5
Daniel Jacobus is a classical violinist who was about to assume the role of concertmaster for a major orchestra when he became blind. Since that time, he has been a violin teacher. The image that may come to mind is that of a gentle, grandfatherly figure—nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, Jacobus is cantankerous and difficult. And those are the traits that serve to make hi...more
SETTING: Tanglewood Music Festival
SERIES: #4 of 4
RATING: 3.5
Daniel Jacobus is a classical violinist who was about to assume the role of concertmaster for a major orchestra when he became blind. Since that time, he has been a violin teacher. The image that may come to mind is that of a gentle, grandfatherly figure—nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, Jacobus is cantankerous and difficult. And those are the traits that serve to make hi...more
I have read both, The Devil's Trill and Danse Macabre, by Gerald Elias. I liked them both. This one, however, totally misses the mark. I was disappointed that with all the investigative information discovered about the famous and dictatorial tyrant orchestra director, Vaclav Herza, not much of it mattered in the end. Jacobus, the protagonist, who in earlier books is portrayed as a likable curmudgeon, seemed to be experiencing varying levels of a nervous breakdown. For some reason, Elias diminish...more
I've enjoyed all of Gerald Elias's books so far. This one started out great as I learned more about the inner workings of orchestras and such but it turned out as the least favorite of mine after all. Still extremely well written but I just didn't care for this one as much--maybe because it took me so long to finish it or maybe the bad guy was just too nasty a piece of trash and I was glad of his comeuppance.
Jun 13, 2012
George
marked it as to-read
WOW! Won this book on GOODREADS GIVEAWAY! Thank you Gerald Elias and GOODREADS for having this book available for giveaway. Will leave a review upon the completion of reading.
Interesting hero dealing with his blindness. Fascinating background of symphony music an politics. Mystery is so so.
The only thing I liked about this book was the inside information on the behind-the-scenes machinations of orchestras. Learning more about their inner workings was fascinating.
Find it at Kennedy Library
Excellent, but as with Elias' other books this is particularly interesting if one is a musician or is very interested in classical music.
I felt compelled to finish the series--
Jun 12, 2013
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A graduate of Yale, GERALD ELIAS has been a Boston Symphony violinist, Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony since 1988, Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of Utah, first violinist of the Abramyan String Quartet, and Music Director of the Vivaldi Candlelight concert series.
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“Most people, including yourself, apparently, think The Moldau is about a river. It is not. It is a metaphor. It is about the progress of life, from its fragile beginnings through its joys and turbulence and on to its end, its magnificent end.”
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