PARALLELS AND PARADOXES: EXPLORATIONS IN MUSIC AND SOCIETY

New York City, NY: Pantheon Books, 2002. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Pantheon Books, 2002. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 186 pages. Collection of essays and interviews. One of the most important and valuable books on music of - and for - our time. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, of which there are many. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Daniel Barenboim's and Edward Said's "Parallels And Paradoxes: Explorations In Music And Society". Sweeps across and delves into a wide expanse on music and culture. Edited with a Preface and an Afterword by Ara Guzelimian. Introduction by Edward Said. The still-controversial essays, "Germans, Jews, And Music" by Daniel Barenboim and "Barenboim And The Wagner Taboo" by Edward Said are reproduced at the end. "Renowned pianist and conductor Barenboim, concurrently General Music Director of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin and Principal Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, comes from a Russian-Jewish family transplanted to Argentina and Israel. Said, Columbia Professor of English And Comparative Literature and an accomplished pianist, is a Palestinian who grew up largely in Cairo in an Anglicized Christian-Arab family. Their differing but entwined histories have led to a friendship and a number of public and private conversations about music, culture, politics, and the parallels as well as the paradoxes of their lives. The two agree on the importance of music in uniting people of conflicting political views. In 1999, they collaborated in setting up the Weimar Workshop, which brought together Arab, Israeli, and German musicians to form an orchestra" (Publishers Weekly). Which workshop eventually became the legendary West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the greatest youth orchestra in the world, to whom the book is dedicated. The importance of setting aside national identity in favor of a larger ideal, namely civilization, is emphasized throughout the book. Daniel Barenboim remains a central figure in the West. Edward Said, the greatest Arab intellectual of the 20th century, died of leukemia in September 2003 at the age of 67. An absolute "must-have" title for Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said collectors. This title is a great collection. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Almost ALL copies available online have serious flaws or are in multiple subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. Two of the greatest cultural and intellectual figures of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER DANIEL BARENBOIM AND EDWARD W. SAID TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0375421068.