Ernst Von Dohnanyi: A Song of Life

Rating:
Summary: A touching biography of a great musician
Review: This year, I came across Naxos recordings of the work of Erno Dohnanyi, sometimes known as Ernst von Dohnanyi. Dohnanyi was one of the foremost musicians of his age. He was a great musician. He was a great pianist, a marvelous composer, and a wonderful teacher. Bartok was a friend and student of his, eventhough their attitudes towards music differed greatly. He influenced a whole generation of Hungarian musicians through his work as director of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

This book is a touching tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Before World War II, he was hailed as a great musician. He enjoyed great celebrity and toured the world as a concert pianist. He was the central figure in Hungary's musical life before World War II. During, and at the end of World War II, he and his third wife (the author of this work) became refugees in Austria. Two of his sons died in concentration camps in Hungary and in Germnay. He was falsely accused of being a war criminal, an accusation which haunted him his whole life. Finally settling in the US, he regained something of his former reputation.

To all those interested in musicians an earlier age, I recommend it highly. Some musical background will be helpful, but really it is a book for everyone. Having lost some of his family members and permanently exiled from his beloved homeland, he still retained his optimism, even after having undergone terrible persecutions and privations. His story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Rating:
Summary: A touching biography of a great musician
Review: This year, I came across Naxos recordings of the work of Erno Dohnanyi, sometimes known as Ernst von Dohnanyi. Dohnanyi was one of the foremost musicians of his age. He was a great musician. He was a great pianist, a marvelous composer, and a wonderful teacher. Bartok was a friend and student of his, eventhough their attitudes towards music differed greatly. He influenced a whole generation of Hungarian musicians through his work as director of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

This book is a touching tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Before World War II, he was hailed as a great musician. He enjoyed great celebrity and toured the world as a concert pianist. He was the central figure in Hungary's musical life before World War II. During, and at the end of World War II, he and his third wife (the author of this work) became refugees in Austria. Two of his sons died in concentration camps in Hungary and in Germnay. He was falsely accused of being a war criminal, an accusation which haunted him his whole life. Finally settling in the US, he regained something of his former reputation.

To all those interested in musicians an earlier age, I recommend it highly. Some musical background will be helpful, but really it is a book for everyone. Having lost some of his family members and permanently exiled from his beloved homeland, he still retained his optimism, even after having undergone terrible persecutions and privations. His story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.