Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society

by Daniel Barenboim, Edward W. Said

This fascinating exchange between two of the most prominent figures in contemporary culture, Daniel Barenboim, Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and Edward W. Said, the eminent literary critic and scholar and a leading expert on the Middle East, grew out of the acclaimed Carnegie Hall Talks. A unique and impassioned discussion about politics and culture, it touches on many diverse the importance of a sense of place; the differences between writing prose and music; the conductors Wilhelm Fürtwangler and Arturo Toscanini; Beethoven as the greatest sonata composer; the difficulty of playing Wagner; the sound at Bayreuth; the writers Balzac, Dickens, and Adorno; the importance of great teachers; and the power of culture to transcend all national and political differences——something they both witnessed when they brought together young Arab and Israeli musicians to play at Weimar in 1999.

Although Barenboim and Said have very different points of view, they act as catalysts for each other. The originality of their ideas makes this a book that is both accessible and compelling for anyone who is interested in the culture of the twenty-first century.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Art, Essays, Philosophy, History, Memoir

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Argentine-Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim performed widely with Jacqueline du Pré, his wife and the cellist.

He previously served as music director of the symphony orchestra of Chicago and the Orchestre de Paris. He served as general music director of la Scala in Milan, the state opera of Berlin, and the Staatskapelle. People also know work of Barenboim with the Seville-based west–eastern Divan orchestra of young Arab musicians, and he a resolutely criticizes the occupation of Palestinian territories.

Barenboim received many awards and prizes, including an honorary knight commander of the order of the British Empire, Légion d'honneur of France as a commander and grand officier, the German Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz and Willy Brandt award, and, together with the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, prince of Asturias concord award of Spain. He won seven Grammy awards for his work and discography. Barenboim, a polyglot, fluent in Spanish, Hebrew, English, French, Italian, and German.

Reviews

[Bagus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I knew little about the extent of Edward W. Said’s friendship with Daniel Barenboim. Said’s biography Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said, which was written by his disciple Timothy Brennan, only mentions tiny bits of information about the friendship between the two individuals. In the biography, Barenboim was quoted as saying, “Edward was one of the few people who really believed and understood that the development of music was one organic process that started with the Gregorian chant, the pre-Baroque, the Baroque, the classical chords, the Romantic movement, chromaticism, which led evolutionarily and naturally to atonal music.” But at least, the biography does justice in mentioning Said’s interest in classical music and his musical tutelage under pianist Ignacy Tiegermann in Egypt. Reading Parallels and Paradoxes, I feel envious of the friendship that Said and Barenboim had, the connection that the two had was beyond description. There’s something musical about their dialogues (no puns intended).

In 1999, Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said organised a workshop in Weimar for young musicians, mainly Israeli and Arab, together with members from Turkey, Iran and Spain to promote intercultural dialogue. They called the workshop and the orchestra that was formed from it the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s collection of poems East-West Divan which is central to the concept of world culture. The friendship between the two is unique. Daniel Barenboim is a descendant of Russian Jewish emigrants who was born in Argentina and migrated to Israel at the age of 10. Whereas, Edward Said was a Palestinian Arab who grew up in Egypt and later spent his formative years in the United States. It’s easy to see the two as polar opposites given their different cultural identities and the state of conflicts between Israel and Palestine in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Yet they could be friends, had interesting exchanges of dialogue and even organised an orchestra composing musicians from both Israel and their Arab neighbours. They managed to show that the fate of Israelis and Palestinians are inextricably linked, despite no military solution being reached to solve the conflict as yet.

The six dialogues between Barenboim and Said that are recorded in this book and took place between the late 1990s and 2000 are mostly about music but there is an element of interplays in their dialogues and discourses. Barenboim said, “Music can be the best school for life and at the same time the most effective way to escape from it.” Music is central to human existence – yes, I even listened to music as I was writing this review – that even children who haven’t acquired languages could understand. There is an element of universality to music, of how it could bridge cultural differences. Despite how music is often attached to cultural identifiers, i.e., German music, French music, German ways of playing music, and French ways of playing music, there is an accessibility to understanding music. We don’t need to understand German to be able to appreciate Beethoven’s Symphonies.

The shared passion for music between Barenboim and Said also breeds many more interesting ideas about music’s position in our society today. Among others, I mostly like their discussions on Richard Wagner, which is a controversial topic in itself given Barenboim’s position as a Jew who had been conducting Wagner operas in Bayreuth, while at the same time also recalling Wagner’s anti-Semitism and how the Nazis misused Wagner’s works to advance their political agendas in the 1930s. Barenboim has a unique view of Wagner’s works and why they should be separated from Wagner’s anti-Semitic personality. It challenges conventions and probably also reminds us that there are multitudes inside a person and their works of art, that sometimes manifest as contradictions. I think the key takeaway from their discussions is: “Humans are full of contradictions, yet we could always hold dialogues to resolve differences and minimise those contradictions.”

[Martha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because I've long admired Edward Said and didn't realize he had interest or expertise in music. But perhaps I'm not enough of a musician to appreciate the details--it seemed a rather self-indulgent and meandering series of conversations esp since they weren't presented in chronological order. The discussions of music making were abstract and almost mystical rather than describing the practical details of performing and interpreting music I would expect from a soloist and conductor like Barenboim. Maybe it was b/c Said wasn't a musician. I rapidly began to feel as though they were on a different plane from me and we weren't getting anywhere.
Further I get annoyed when people start talking, as they did early in these conversations, about getting Israeli and Arab kids together to (activity of your choice here--make music, do sports, study computers) in the hope that this will bring a solution to the war in Palestine. There will be peace there when the adults stop killing each other (and their children) and when the Israelis give back the land they stole which will be done when the US stops bankrolling Israeli aggression at $3B plus a year. Summer music camps aren't going to cut it. And Said knew that very well.

[Abdulslam · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب جميل للمهتم في الموسيقى وفهمها من الناحية النقدية، حديث إدوارد سعيد دائما مثير للإهتمام بالنسبة لي مهما كان الموضوع، تغاضى عن فكرة تحقيق السلام بالشرق الأولى بالموسيقى فهي بالنهاية فكرة جانبية في الحوار بين إدوارد ودانيال، التكاملية بين الإثنين هي ماجعلت الحوار متنوع المفاهيم، إدوارد يتحدث عنها كناقد واستاذ للأدب والفنون، بينما دانيال كموسيقي بحت، لذلك نجده يتكلم احيانا عنها تقنيا اكثر منها كحالة تحليلية مجازية كما هو الحال عند إدوارد.





إدوارد سعيد:
في الأدب الكلمات مشتركة للجميع. الجميع يستخدم اللغة.الكلمات التي تراها في قصيدة أو مسرحية أو رواية هي الكلمات ذاتها المستخدمة في الحياة اليومية، لكنها منسّقة بطرق مختلفة مايعطيها ملمسا فنيا عاليا. أجد الموسيقى فاتنة جزئيا لأنها تكتنف الصمت، رغم أنها مكونة طبعا من الصوت. لاتفسّر الموسيقى نفسها بالطريقة التي تفسّر فيها الكلمة نفسها في علاقتها مع الكلمات الاخرى.

[Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of deeply thoughtful, provocative conversations between Barenboim and Said. I suspect I will be returning to this now and then for years to come.

[Lynn Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about cultural differences, "home" and the healing power of music to bring all of us together. A dialogue between two men with great minds.

[HAMZA AL-AMEER]

ذا الحوار الساحر بين اثنين من أبرز شخصيات الثقافة المعاصرة، دانيال بارنبويم، مدير الشؤون الموسيقة لاوركسترا شيكاغو السيمونية ودار الأوبرا الألمانية، وإدوارد سعيد الناقد الأدبي البارز والعالم الأخصائي والقيادي حول الشرق الأوسط، نشأ من حوارات قاعة كارنغي الشهيرة. إنه نقاش فريد من نوعه وملتهب حول السياسة والثقافة، ويتطرق إلى مواضيع مختلفة جداً: أهمية الإحساس بالمكان، الفرق بين كتابة النثر والموسيقى، بتهوفن مؤلفاً أعظم للسوناتا، صعوبة عزف فاغنر، الصوت في (مسرحية مدينة) بايرويت، الكتاب بالزاك وديكنز وأدورنو، أهمية الأساتذة الكبار، وقدرة الثقافة على تجاوز جميع الفوارق القومية والسياسية.

ورغم أن لكل من بارنبويم وسعيد وجهة نظره المختلفة جداً، إلا أنهما يعملان كمادة حفازة للآخر، أصالة أفكارهما تجعل هذا الكتاب سهل المنال ويفرض نفسه بقوة على كل من يهتم بثقافة القرن الحادي والعشرين.

[Declan Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich, concise, and extremely readable. Two titans in their own fields, equally at ease in discussions of music, politics, society, and so much more.

[Yaser Maadat · Rating 3 out of 5]

حوارات الموسيقى "وحدها" الشيقة

[Jordan Kinsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But I think that every great work of art has two faces: one toward its own time and one toward eternity. In other words, there are certain aspects of a Mozart symphony or a Mozart opera that are clearly linked to their time and have no relevance today. The droit du seigneur of the count in Figaro is so totally time-bound. But there is something that is timeless about this music, and that aspect of it has to be performed with a sense of discovery." -Daniel Barenboim

"There is a contradiction in the fact that we live in an age that considers itself extremely critical but does not require of the individual to have the means to criticize." -Daniel Barenboim

"I've often thought: What is the difference between a politician and an artist? A politician can only work and do good if he masters the art of compromise: tries to find the areas where the different parties are able and willing to compromise, bring them as close as possible together, and then hope that with the right momentum and the right time, it will become seamless; whereas the artist's expression is only determined by his total refusal to compromise in anything- the element of courage." -Daniel Barenboim

"But I think that unless you are able to digest the piece to the point where you feel it is part of you, even though it may be incomplete, then you shouldn't perform it." -Daniel Barenboim

"And if you try to objectively reproduce what is printed and nothing more, not only is this not possible to do - and, therefore, there's no fidelity - it is also a complete act of cowardice because it means that you haven't gone to the trouble to understand the interrelations and what the dosage is, to speak of nothing else - and I'm speaking at the moment only about volume and about balance, let alone the question of the line and the phrasing and all that." -Daniel Barenboim

[Aya Mtoori · Rating 3 out of 5]

يمكن للموسيقى أن تكون أفضل مدرسة لمواجهة الحياة وبنفس الوقت أفضل وسيلة للهرب منها.

يفتتح آرا غوزيمليان الكتاب بذكر خلفية مقتضبة عن حياة كل من إدوارد سعيد الناقد الأدبي البارز والعالم الأخصائي والقيادي حول الشرق الأوسط ودانيال بارنبويم مدير الشؤون الموسيقية لأوركسترا شيكاغو السيمفونية ودار الأوبرا الألمانية، وتجربتهم الجريئة التي جمعت موسيقيين اسرائيليين وعرب في ڤايمار في المانيا كجزء من الاحتفال السنوي بالذكرى المئتين وخمسين لميلاد غوته.
إدوارد "لا أعتقد إن عملية انقاذ السلام كانت هدفنا الرئيسي، كانت الفكرة في ان نرى ماذا سيحدث ان جمعنا هؤلاء الشباب ليعزفوا في فرقة اوركسترا في ڤايمار بروح غوته، الذي كتب مجموعة هائلة من القصائد انطلاقاً من حماسته للأسلام ..."

يُفرد غويزيليميان فصلاً من الكتاب للحديث عن فاغنر، الموسيقار العبقري الذي احدث ثورة في الأوبرا، والمؤلف الموسيقي كاتب نصوص أوبراته، مبتكر فكرة حفرة الأوركسترا المغلقة ومفهوم العمل الفني المتكامل موسيقياً وتمثيلياً (Gesamtkunstwork).
إدوارد"خلال عملك كعازف يادانيال، وخلال عملي كمترجم يجب علينا ان نتقبل فكرة وضع هويتنا على الرف كي نستطيع اكتشاف الأخر"
يوضح بارنبويم ان شخصية فاغنر المعادية للسامية ضلت بمعزل عن أعماله، الا إن النازيين أساؤوا استخدام أفكاره واستغلالها، حيث اعتُبرت أوبرا "المطربون" عملاً أيدلوجياً نازياً لسنوات طويلة.

دانيال "سررت كثيراً عندما علمت ان بتهوفن لم يكن يحب كثيراً الاستماع الى اعمال موتسارت لأنه كان يخشى إنها ستحد من إبداعه".
كيف يمكننا ان نصغي دون ان نسمع؟!
هل صحيح ان العازفين كالمترجمين لهم اسلوبهم الخاص في تعاملهم مع النص الذي يحاولون ترجمته؟!
وهل صحيح ان المقطوعة الموسيقية تولد عندما يتم تحويلها الى صوت ..؟!
هذا ماسيوضحه بارنبويم في نقاش فريد من نوعة حول الثقافة والسياسة والفن.

يختتم غويزيليميان سلسلة حواراتهُ المنتقاة والمركزة والتي كانت حصيلة ٥ اعوام، بمقال
"بارنبويم وتحريم فاغنر" لإدوارد سعيد ومقال "الألمان واليهود والموسيقى" لبارنبويم، لينتهي بنا هذا الحوار الشيق والمتكافىء بايماننا بقدرة الثقافة على تجاوز جميع الفوارق القومية والسياسية.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Finally finished the book!! Was a wonderful read. Definitely worth the work to get through it, but it also was so intellectually stimulating that I feel like I am still on a learning "high", two days after finishing it. It is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it for anyone that wants to see the parallels and paradoxes between music, society, religion, and culture.***

**UPDATE** - Putting this book back on my Currently Reading List, because I have recently picked it back up again, and it is still as fascinating as it first was...*****

I started this book a while ago and have never finished it. But it is the most fascinating and spectacular book, given the interweaving of dialogue between Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim and their attempts to discuss and solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of intellectual and musical pursuits. Music and society influence each other on a degree and level that most people don't see, and I am enthralled by the subject. It is hard to get through though because you have to be in the right mindset to digest all that these two men are saying.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Busoni said, says Barenboim on one of his last pages: 'Music is sonorous sound.'
The could have left it at this. They, Barenboim and Said, didn’t. Said tries to bring the conversations to a higher abstract level by attempting to make connections between music on the one hand, the chapter Barenboim ‘conducts’ concretely, and other art forms and society as a whole on the other hand, the complementary parts where Said stays in all kinds of vagueness.
I am glad that Barenboim didn’t let Said seduce him to say untrue ideological things about Wagner’s music-on-itself.
From halfway the book, I focused on the utterings of Barenboim, they interest me far more than what his counterpart has to say; in that way the (rest of the) book was bearable. JM

[Rana Aref · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome dialogues between two of the world's most remarkable people. The translated version in Arabic was not so good, though. Planning to re-read it in English once I find it.

[Torresdale Branch · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I was in constant touch with him. I think I spoke with him every day, sometimes to the consternation of our wives..."

Daniel Barenboim descended from Russian Jews that emigrated to Argentina before his family moved to Israel when he was a child. He has since become one of the leading conductors in the world and a leading proponent of modern classical music. Edward Said was born in Jerusalem to an Arab-Christian family before moving to Egypt as a child and eventually to the United States as a teenager. He has since become a Columbia University professor of literature and a leading voice on the Middle Eastern Peace Process. A chance meeting in a London hotel lobby in the early 90s led to an intimate friendship that lasted until Said died in 2003.

The gestation of this book began with the Carnegie Hall Perspectives Project where they were interviewed by Ara Guzelimian. Over the years, Ara further contacted the two friends leading to more in-depth conversations. The book was compiled and edited from those sources. Neither man can be pigeonholed. Of Said, Barenboim writes that, “Edward did not fit into any single category”, but the same can be said of both. They are considered leaders in their individual disciplines, but they were also dedicated students of culture, philosophy, and politics. Despite their differing backgrounds, it was art that drew them together.

Said states, “…Anybody who communicates, whether a musician, or a writer, or a painter is obviously trying to have a certain amount of power not only over the material, but of the craft itself.” From Proust and Dickins to Verdi and Wagner, their interpretations led to fascinating discussions between the two friends. In particular, the dialogue about Wagner is extremely interesting. There is a two-fold “difficulty” in performing Wagner. The complexity, scope, and majesty of his music is often at odds with his personal anti-Semitic beliefs – a cognitive dissonance of the music and the man. Yet, Barenboim fought against the ban on Wagner’s music in Israel and sponsored performances by a collective of Israeli and Palestinian musicians.

Building upon these performance, Said and Barenboim collaborated to form the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, named after a collection of poems by Goethe. This orchestra is made up of young Israelis and Arabs working together despite their differences to create something moving, beautiful, and - ultimately – unifying. Neither friend would become teary eyed and argue that this will somehow solve the crisis in the Middle East, but there is a deep-seated belief that separation is also not a solution. The orchestra is a melting pot where collaboration is rewarded. This juxtaposition of musicians working together is like the parallels and paradoxes that sits at the heart of Said and Barenboim’s friendship.

“The eternal value of Beethoven… is because the works are of a certain duration, and when they are finished, the sound disappears and does not live in our world. Where does this sound disappear?”, states Barenboim. Considering Said’s death, one could argue that the sound does not disappear, but reverberates into time as it is reshaped by each generation – like ripples on a pond. Their friendship, like a work of art, will endure beyond the "sound".

This is a compelling work and will be of interest to those with an abiding passion for music, literature, and culture.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of conversations about music between two brilliant men. Said and Barenboim were leading public intellectuals of their era at a time before Ted Talks when being a public intellectual was a serious thing that meant more than brand image and sound bites. The music part of it is deep and intriguing, but these conversations are about far more than music. There is discussion about the connections and differences between words and music, the social implications of music, the nature of performance, the philosophy of education, the role of extremes and far more. Of course, since Said was Palestinian and Barenboim was Israeli, the conflict between those two groups and the close relationship of these two men on opposite sides of the struggle is a backdrop for everything in the book. Said and Barenboim were both insiders and outsiders in the Western European intellectual tradition. The Western European tradition gives them a common framework and shared vocabulary which becomes the basis for a broader perspective. They show how we can redirect our understanding of Western European thought to keep the good parts while we simultaneously strive to appreciate diversity and world culture. Another important theme that comes through at every level is the humanity of these two men. Ideas are great, but I felt throughout that it was people first for both of them.

Often when I read this kind of book, I think about how much I would love to be able to personally participate in the conversation. In this case I'm not sure whether I would have had enough to offer to justify being an active participant. These men were giants, and, if I had had the luck to be there in person, I would have been content to sit in silence and absorb their wisdom.

As I read this book, I couldn't help thinking about another fine book of conversations about music - "Absolutely on Music" which delivers a series of conversations between Seiji Ozawa and Haruki Murakami. It has been a few years since I read that one, but I remember loving it. My sense is that it is very different from this book, but it might be interesting to reread the two books together to get a greater sense of their parallels and divergences.

[Theodoros Vassiliadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole volume is a series of recorded conversations between two loyal friends- Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim - and their formation in total under the auspices of Ara Guzelimian.
The focal point was music and the connection as arts' work with literature.
The accord was that art in general requires one to establish himself as a personality that creates amidst conflict ( the nature of being) , while being anti-establishment himself in the process of finding forms in a dialectical and essential way.
The path is rather painful ( excellent paradigm from Said about the fading coal of Shelley that always performs further attempts to reach to finalities / which it knows that won't be accomplished) ,but the great spirits defying the politicaly correct try in a Platonic way to bring the hues of light to their piece , while they know that every part of it while played or recited or read will be directed to a past ,a history that is not elseway but revived and rendered reminiscent.
Common thought is that contemporary specialization- whether it's states or individuals or other institutions- applies an introversion and following isolation which is supported by the feeling of self-preservation, so that the emotion of otherness that gives a great gravity and body of theory to one is merely absent
This identifies as the road towards mediocrity , lack of sympathy , monomany and narrower width of intellectual property.
Brilliant parallels can be withdrawn from the book and the task doesn't miss out in criticism over the present political analysis and it's reasons of continued misshaps ( divisions due to short-sight vision , inability to reconciliate … )
Both project a wide intellectuality that is not carrying any petty-hearted feelings while their cosmopolitan world image assist in understanding the man notion beyond any parochial bias

[Jared Rosamilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short collection of conversations between Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim focusing on Beethoven, Wagner, and the German Romantic tradition - and further backgrounded by the breakdown of the Oslo peace process. There's a great discussion of Wagner as the final juncture before the "loss of tonality", as well as the implications of the turn toward atonality for the status of music in contemporary society.

I also loved the conversations on the ephemerality of music and its performance (from silence to silence), music education, and interpretative fidelity.

Barenboim on Said: "Edward saw in music not just a combination of sounds, but he understood the fact that every musical masterpiece is, as it were, a conception of the world. And the difficulty lies in the fact that this conception of the world cannot be described in words - because were it possible to describe it in words, the music would be unnecessary."

[Andrew Kooman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said cover a lot of ground, touching upon music, literature, and society. They explore the legacies of great artists like Mozart and Beethoven, discuss Dickens, Wagner’s anti-Semitism, and the need for “artistic solutions” to the conflict in the Middle East.

If you enjoy reading interviews and conversations between peers who are experts in their fields, you'll really enjoy this! You'll leave the book, as I did, inspired to know more your field and to be more passionate about what you do.

[Nour Shurbaji · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read a book or idea that explored how music and society are linked. However, in many instances, the conversation gets technical about music which makes it difficult to comprehend the full point.
I still recommend the book though.

[Gregory Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of dialogues between pianist/conductor Barenboim and professor/academic Said on the nature and philosophy of classical music. I think I'll have to take another listen to my collection of Beethoven records.

[Juan Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mas allá de la musica

Un libro que nos adentra en el pensamiento filosófico y practico de dos grandes pensadores el uno un gran músico y el otro un escritor de alto vuelo.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically a transcription of conversations. Not particularly interesting.

[Andrew Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discussions between two great 20th century thinkers about music and its connections to other aspects of life.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could marry Said BLESS OUR WEDDING PLS COS THIS BOOK WAS THE MOST PHENOMENAL THING TO EGGSIST! saiD MARRY ME OR I AM DIE

[kira]

very thought-provoking conversations that made me want to revisit my classical music education

thankful to Kei for letting me borrow

[Fanglin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fragmented. Too much on Wagner for my taste.

[Magda · Rating 2 out of 5]

słodkie ale spodziewane było czegoś więcej

[Patrick Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this easier to read than Music Quickens Time (essays by Barenboim). Although in this one I found the Daniel Barenboim sections more interesting than those by Edward Said - maybe because DB has a deeper understanding and wider experience of music than ES.

Reading DB's thoughts, ideas, and exeperiences on conducting Wagner at Bayreuth, Beethoven Symphonies, and German Orchestras was fascinating. I was particularly interested that he singles out the Staatskapelle Berlin as a special orchestra. He attributes this to the fact that music education in Germany is different (or even exists) compared to other countries, and that it is more focused on really undertanding each note of the music than virtuosity.

I am not sure I agree with the view (espoused by DB) that muisc is fundamentally different from literature in that a piece of music does not exist until it is performed, whereas a piece of literature exists as soon as it is written on the page. Surely a Shakespeare play does not exist until it is performed - there are good performances and bad ones - which fail to make sense of the text and miss the point - as there are in music. And when you are read a novel for example, you are hearing it "performed" by an imaginary voice inside your head.

Nonetheless, fascinating thoughts and ideas throught the book.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading (I want to say listening b/c it felt like listening) to the conversations between these 2 guys. They are so interestingly matched in their perspectives: one guy is a writer and thinks about things in terms of literature; one guy is a musician/composer and thinks about things in terms of music; one guy is an Israeli Jew and the other is a Palestinian. And they talk about this broad range of topics that are just humanly interesting: parallels between the different arts, the role of the writer vs. the composer and the performer vs. the reader., peace in Israel, and how the way we respond to art is colored by the artist's history (specifically about Wagner's antisemitism). They both have this sense of openness in the way they talk about things, but they also are really direct in expressing their ideas.

[Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading if you are a fan of classical music or literary criticism (I am more of the former). Though due to limitation of the format (an unchronological juxtaposition of six dialogues), I feel that a lot of ideas and motives could have been developed further and more systematically. Particularly interesting is the "parallels and paradoxes" between the two participants of the dialogues. EWS provided a more abstract and academic perspective and DB echoed, and in a lot of cases, disagreed, using practical and first-hand experiences and observations. Nevertheless both are very thought-provoking in their own rights. I will surely go back to read this book several times in the future as I gain more understanding of music.