Roll Over, Beethoven: New Edition of Book--And Movie Coming to NYC!

UPDATE #3  Now comes word that the film (I am associate producer) will open in NYC in October after playing maybe 20 others cities.  Next major screening is in San Luis Obispo on July 10.  Another rave from local paper there.

UPDATE #2  Of all the ironies, Kerry's film debuts on the 24th anniversary of the attack in Tiananmen Square in China--and one of the four segments of his film covers how Beethoven's Ninth was used by students there to rally their spirits and resolve.


UPDATE  Rave review for Candaele's film, as premiere arrives in Santa Barbara this week on June 4.  "In addition to accomplishing the important task of bringing these four inspirational stories to light, Following the Ninth succeeds on another level, that of brilliant filmmaking."

Earlier:  Just out today in print and e-book editions (for Kindle, iPad etc.  and the Nook):  An expanded new edition of  Journeys With Beethoven: Following the Ninth, and Beyond , which I wrote with film director Kerry Candaele, published by Sinclair Books.   It's just $3.99 for the e-book and $11.99 for print.  It includes an exciting new chapter on the role Beethoven played when the Berlin Wall fell (with Leonard Bernstein in a key role).   

Kerry has a great documentary Following the Ninth, which I helped a little on--and earned some kind of producing credit--premiering in a cool theater in Santa Barbara on June 4  (see trailer below).   Both the book and the film  follow the Ninth Symphony and it's enormous cultural and political influence around the world today.  So they take us from Chile to China and Japan and Germany, plus a stop in London for a full chapter with Billy Bragg, and then back in the USA.

In the "Beyond" section of the book I explore my own obsessive "travels" with Ludwig, as a longtime rock 'n roller, in recent years, via concerts and movies and CDs -- but also through new "Beethoven delivery systems" (YouTube, web forums, Twitter, etc.)  I also interview at length pianist Jeremy Denk. 

Those who know me from my infamous Crawdaddy and Springsteen days might be a bit...surprised?  Maybe it's now, "Roll Over, Chuck Berry."  In any case, it's a totally unique book on Beethoven--a Beethoven for our time, at last.  Again, e-book here and print here.  And here's Kerry's trailer: