I’m an enormous fan of the pianist James Rhodes, even more so as I’m reading his remarkable memoir that encompasses abuse, breakdown and addiction. A tribute to the healing power of music, his book is poignant and painful but has continuous flashes of dark wit, even lines that made me laugh out loud (as does his concert banter.)
In addition to heart-wrenching details from his own life, he shares so much fascinating information about the great composers, both funny and tragic and everything in between.
I never knew that Beethoven took his father to court at 16 to wrest control of his musical earnings (presaging Beyonce and her manager dad by two centuries).
Or that Brahms grew up playing music in brothels which screwed up his relationships with women, although he did rush to Robert Schumann’s wife’s side at her husband’s deathbed in order to destroy their love letters.
Or that Rachmaninov was “a giant, 6 foot 6, manic, miserable, bipolar, millionaire virtuoso pianist and composer” referred to by his contemporaries as “a six foot scowl.”
For example, when discovering a piece of Bach he’d never heard while in a mental institution:
AS A GIFT FOR YOU, I’ve created a 5 hour Spotify Playlist (in chapter order) of not just that piece but of each track James Rhodes recommends (95% Rhodes’ favorite recordings with some educated guesses on the rest) that I’m happy to share.
ENJOY THE MUSIC HERE!
