Re: The Red Violin WAS Re: playing outdoors

Hi, Jon,

I remember this book by Hersey. I reviewed it for the San Francisco
Chronicle when it first came out way back before I had such an interest in
the violin. When the Red Violin came out the first thing I thought of was
that it reminded me of the Hersey novel. If I remember correctly (I still
have the review copy around here *somewhere*, part of the story is told in
the voice of the violin, which I found rather annoying. But now I want to
read it again and must track it down. I'd completely forgotten about the
Mozart chapter and (since I am now working on writing an historical novel
about the Mozart family) I absolutely must reread it. Thanks so much for
reminding me.

An Equal Music is by Vikram Seth, one of the most extraordinary and
versatile young writers I know of. (For example, he's written an epic novel
set in India and a novel told entirely in sonnets set in San Francisco.) I
loved AEM and gave a copy of it to one of my kids' teacher who rather
solipsistically said, after reading it, that the details in the book were so
good that it seemed inconceivable to him a nonmusician could have written
it. I've never quite forgiven him that (being a nonmusician who writes
fiction about music.)

Anyway, I strongly recommend An Equal Music to anyone on this list. In fact,
thanks for reminding me about this one, too. I'd like to reread it.

Karen

in article [EMAIL PROTECTED], J. Teske at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote on 11/27/03 11:14 AM:

> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 09:23:25 -0500, The Devil's Interval
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> 
>> 
>> What a great story! Thanks for sharing it. Last night our family rented a
>> DVD of The Red Violin (when the movie first came out my 2 youngest
>> daughters, now 9 and 11, were too small to watch it. I was afraid they would
>> be too bothered by the death of Kaspar (sp?).) But after watching Josh Bell
>> play the Corigliano concerto with the Philly orchestra on Tuesday, we
>> decided to rent it and let them see it. I remember now what I didn't like
>> about the movie (namely, the absurd, campy elements of the story) but it was
>> also funny to note how the violin kept emerging unscathed, in perfect tune,
>> even, from graves and beneath floorboards, over a period of centuries. Your
>> story, Turloch, seems more remarkable (truth being stranger than fiction.)
> 
> If you liked the "Red Violin" story, you (and your kids) might like
> the last novel of John Hersey...I believe it is called "Antoinetta".
> It is a fictional account of a violin Stradivari made to honor his
> second wife (Antoinetta) and it traces the violin's history in much
> the same manner as the Red Violin (to the extent that I check to see
> if their was any credit given to Hersey...there wasn't).  The novel
> was published just before Hersey died which I believe was late 80's
> early 90's.  BTW I loaned the book to someone and never got it
> back..and can't remember to whom I loaned it.)  Hersey's device was
> that the story of each successive possesser of the violin is told with
> a different literary device.  Mozart, for example, owned the violin
> (fictionally of course) and that is told in the form of his mildly
> off-color letters to his sister and father (not too off color though
> for early teens.) Stravinsky's era is told in the form of Robert
> Craft's interviews with the composer late in his life. Another is a
> screen play etc.etc.
> This novel didn't gain too much notice as Hersey was rather passe'
> when he died and the subject matter was a bit specialized for the
> general reader, but for an active violinist, the story was fascinating
> and Hersey did meticulous research in writing it.  Another such story
> of interest to musicians is "An Equal Music."...a fictionalized
> account of a London based string quartet, I don't remember the author.
> I'd save this until your girls are old enough to read Danielle Steele
> sorts of things...a little too much sex for the average grade
> schooler. (Then again, I may be too much of a fuddy duddy to know what
> average grade schoolers read these days...my own daughter is 36 :-).
> 
> Jon Teske
>> 
>> Karen 
>