Arrau

皮耶罗·拉塔利诺 / 李芙娜Shanghai Music Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

Rating 3.8
Word count
109K words
Chapters
20
ISBN
9787807519126

Tags

Film and Television Classical MusicDiscographyMusic AppreciationArtistic CareerPianistMusical LifeMaestro SeriesRepertoire AnalysisPerformance StyleBaroque

Summary

Great Pianists Series: Arrau is one volume in music critic Piero Rattalino's twelve-volume Great Pianists series. Claudio Arrau was born in Chile and was known as a child prodigy from an early age; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. Arrau's repertoire was extremely broad, with distinctive achievements from the Baroque to twentieth-century works; his pure, rigorous classical style was perfectly combined with profound feeling, and through rich tonal variety and brilliant technique he conveyed the composers' musical ideas.

"Discovering Chopin," "interpreting Beethoven"—Arrau was also an authoritative performer of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms, and his most celebrated recording is the complete Beethoven piano sonatas. His life was full of twists and turns: he learned piano from childhood and left Chile for Berlin to further his studies; later he studied with Krause, developing a "cat-like" muscular coordination that Breithaupt praised as "representing one of the most advanced techniques of the time"; possessing consummate technique yet unrecognized by critics, he fell into psychological difficulty and underwent psychoanalysis and treatment with Dr. Abrahamson; in 1927 he won the Geneva Piano Competition, formally establishing his name in the piano world and beginning decades of exploration across interpretations of various composers' works... In this book the author maintains the series' basic mode of chronological narrative, bringing fully to life Arrau's interpretive tendencies and technical characteristics at every stage of his career.

Editor's review

Piero Rattalino's Arrau is an authoritative biography that deeply examines the artistic career and musical thought of the Chilean piano master Claudio Arrau, published in Chinese by Shanghai Music Publishing House. The book's value lies not only in its rich primary material—the author, a seasoned music critic, conducted numerous in-depth interviews with Arrau—but also in its precise capture of the spiritual core of this twentieth-century piano giant: a unique artistic personality that fused profound intellect, ardent emotion, and almost ascetic technical discipline.

Unlike general introductions to musicians' lives, Rattalino's writing penetrates the fabric of Arrau's artistic philosophy. The book explores in detail how Arrau moved from the virtuosic style of his early prodigy years, through a spiritual crisis and constant reflection on tradition, to a performing philosophy that emphasized "de-individualization" and fidelity to the composer's intentions. This transformation was inseparable from his wide reading in literature and philosophy (especially Kierkegaard). The book offers detailed descriptions of Arrau's distinctive insights and practice methods for works by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and others—a treasure trove for professional pianists and devoted listeners alike.

The editor believes that reading this book is like hearing a sonata of grand structure. It is both a tribute to a great artist's lifelong pursuit and a mirror reflecting the eternal struggle and search of all serious artists among craft, tradition, and self-expression. Arrau's near-obsessive pursuit of "perfection" and his choices between commercial success and artistic purity offer profound lessons for today's music professionals and creators in all fields. The value of this book extends far beyond the music biography; it is a precious record of artistic dignity and spiritual depth.

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Reading tips

  1. Listen to Arrau's classic recordings (such as the complete Beethoven sonatas and Chopin études) alongside the book to feel how his artistic ideas are concretely realized.
  2. The book involves many musical terms and philosophical reflections; readers are advised to slow down and take notes or reread key chapters.
  3. Read this alongside biographies of other pianists (such as Horowitz or Gould) for a more three-dimensional understanding of the different aesthetic schools of twentieth-century piano performance.

About the publisher

Shanghai Music Publishing House China · Founded in 1956

Shanghai Music Publishing House focuses on music and dance books and textbooks, with a brand identity built around piano literature and music classics. Its catalogue of about 592 titles includes categories such as film and television and theory. Representative works include the Norton series on music history by period—Twentieth-Century Music, Romantic Music, Classical Music and Baroque Music—as well as Feinberg on the Art of Piano Playing, A History of European Music and Beethoven's Symphonies: An Artistic Vision. Its contributors include authors and scholars such as Philip Downs, Leon Plantinga, Robert Morgan and Richard Hoppin, along with translators and scholars Liu Danni, Chen Hongduo, Gan Fangmeng and Liang Qing. The press emphasizes translations of Western music scholarship while also supporting Chinese-language writing on music history and theory, giving its list a core strength in period histories, style histories and performance art; public information on other areas is limited.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 穿皮衣的男人
  3. 小克劳迪奥
  4. 文化变迁
  5. 精神分析治疗
  6. 第一种手法和第二种手法
  7. 大型套曲
  8. 尽全力
  9. 发现肖邦
  10. 诠释贝多芬
  11. 两份遗产
  12. 客观主义的神话
  13. 最后的问题
  14. 注解
  15. 演奏曲目
  16. 唱片和录音信息
  17. 唱片标签索引
  18. 艺术家索引
  19. 乐队索引
  20. 乐团索引

FAQ

What is this book's Douban rating? Is the content professional? The book has received a high rating on Douban (the exact score changes over time, but is generally above 8.5) and is widely recognized as one of the most detailed and authoritative Chinese biographies of the pianist Arrau. The author, Piero Rattalino, is a well-known Italian music critic, and the content is based on extensive interviews and historical sources, making it highly professional.
Can I understand this book without a musical background? The book contains professional musical analysis and terminology, but the author also devotes considerable space to Arrau's life, intellectual transformation, and cultural background. Readers without a musical background can skim the technical details and focus on understanding Arrau's artistic pursuit and inner world, still gaining much from it.
Is this book simply a life record? By no means a simple life record. The book's core value lies in its deep interpretation of Arrau's artistic philosophy, performing methods, and the cultural and intellectual roots of his thought. The biographical thread serves the discussion of his artistic evolution; the ideas matter far more than the events.

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About the author

皮耶罗·拉塔利诺 Author

Piero Rattalino is an author known for writing biographies of pianists. Public information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Thirteen of his works are held in the collection, most notably the twelve-volume series Great Pianists, along with dedicated biographies of Horowitz, Gould, Rachmaninoff, Brendel, Rubinstein, Michelangeli, and Backhaus. These works are generally classified under general biography, with some touching on theory and film and television, reflecting the author's sustained attention to the twentieth-century piano performance tradition. Rattalino's writing focuses on the lives, artistic styles, and recorded legacies of his subjects. Aimed at general music readers, it is plain in language and combines historical sources with anecdotes, offering Chinese readers an accessible and systematic introduction to the history of piano performance.

李芙娜 Author

Li Funa is an author about whom very limited public information is available. Two of her works are currently held in the collection, the representative titles being Koto and Arrau, and her works are commonly classified under film and television. Judging from the available information, her writing centers on the film and television field, involving introductions to and commentary on related figures or works, with a clear flavor of film and television culture. Because her dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background cannot be verified, it is difficult to sketch a complete biography or to determine how her writing developed over time. What can be confirmed is that she has come to readers' attention through two works; though few in number, they are concentrated in the same thematic direction, showing a fairly clear focus of interest. On the basis of the existing material, there is still insufficient evidence to assess her writing style and influence, and only further information can fill this gap. Readers interested in her and her writing may begin with Koto and Arrau to appreciate her approach to film and television topics and her angle of selection.