I loved reading this affectionate, elegant and informative biography of one of the greatest figures in British musical history. - Sir Stephen Hough
Throughout World War II, Dame Myra Hess, Britain's greatest concert pianist, ran lunchtime concerts at London's National Gallery. They became the stuff of legend, proving music's power to support the human spirit in the darkest of times. This biography, the first in nearly five decades, follows Hess's transformation from rebellious young musician into inimitably powerful woman and national heroine. She was born into a religious Jewish family in Victorian north London and studied at the Royal Academy of Music with the renowned pedagogue Tobias Matthay. Nevertheless, as a woman seeking to build a performing career before World War I, she faced a struggle for recognition. At home, a clash with her father led her to seek alternative ways of building a substitute family of friends.
Stardom ensued when she reached the US in 1922. Soon, with America at her feet from coast to coast, her beloved transcription of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring capturing public imagination, and British artistic luminaries, politicians and royalty flocking to her UK performances, Hess seemed unstoppable. During the war and through the National Gallery concerts, she became an unsung activist, helping refugee musicians from Nazi-occupied countries to find their feet in Britain and personally endeavouring to aid young British musicians faced with wartime deprivations.
Myra Hess - National Treasure offers previously unpublished extracts from her correspondence and postwar American tour diaries, full of insights into her collaborations with towering musicians of her day, including Arturo Toscanini, Pablo Casals, Bruno Walter and Kathleen Ferrier. Interviews with her former pupils shed light on Hess's rigour, intensity and warmth, her dislike of recording and her special way of building her connection with her audience when on stage.
Hess encountered innumerable personal challenges nonetheless, including some disastrous medical misdiagnoses. A sociable woman who disliked being alone, she sacrificed her personal life in her determination to dedicate herself entirely to music. And though warm and giving, she did not hold back when faced with betrayal, cruelty or deception, or when others failed to meet the ferociously high standards she set for herself. Dame Myra Hess emerges at last from behind the myths: a unique personality full of generosity, courage, humour and sheer, unfailing 'chutzpah'.
Publisher: Kahn & Averill
ISBN: 9781068776205
Number of pages: 380
Weight: 840 g
Dimensions: 234 x 156 x 36 mm
I loved reading this affectionate, elegant and informative biography of one of the greatest figures in British musical history. - Sir Stephen HoughMyra Hess was not only a major artist and a riveting personality; she also lived through uniquely fascinating times. In this eminently readable biography, Jessica Duchen brilliantly evokes both a powerful and attractive character, and the eras she inhabited. A sympathetic and thoroughly researched study of a musical legend. - Steven IsserlisAn engrossing read bringing fresh perspectives on a remarkable musician and on the 20th century cultural backdrop from which she emerged. - Fiona Maddocks, Author and Music CriticPacked with colourful anecdotes and musical insight, this biography is a tour-de-force, revealing the real Myra Hess beyond the myths. - Tasmin LittleJessica Duchen writes with a great depth of musical understanding and genuine empathy for the neglected National Treasure that is Myra Hess. At last here is the biography she so richly deserves as Jessica Duchen gives Myra Hess a concert platform for a new audience. It's a terrific achievement. Surely Hess, who did so much in wartime London to bolster courage and culture by giving concerts at the National Gallery, should now be on the fourth plinth opposite the Gallery? - Anne Sebba, Author, presenter & lecturerJessica Duchen's biography of Myra Hess restores to us a great pianist in all her complex glory, complete with her dedication, her struggles with nerves, her probing musicianship, her personal courage in the face of illness, her gift for friendship, and her sense of fun. A sympathetic, balanced and rounded portrait. - Susan Tomes, Pianist, writer and educator
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