Lera Auerbach

Forever Music is a thought-provoking reverie written from the perspective of a child who is discovering the world through music. A mosaic of dreamy recollections, a glimpse into paradise gained of early childhood, this collection of short poems envelopes the reader with its hidden magic. Concerned with all that is sempiternal - music, memories, dreams, Auerbach's writing is fraught with vulnerable openness, throbbing with the pulse of its time. Ferociously tender, these reveries leave you thirsty for more of their fresh intelligence and intuitive grace. Auerbach's language has effortless virtuosity in its illusory simplicity, always remaining at the very core of experience. Lera Auerbach has developed a fine-tuned voice that captures and distills dreamlike recollections into memory snapshots on the crossroads of poetry and music. Inspired in part by the Japanese form of Zuihitsu (running brush), this book is an invaluable addition to anyone interested in language, memory, intuition, creativity, and child's psychology.

This deeply imaginative and entertaining poetry collection details the pleasures of the orchestra, from strong-willed A to satisfied Z. Two widely acclaimed poets--one a composer and classical pianist as well--have come together to create this extraordinary portrait of the orchestra in all of its richness and fascination, using the structure of the alphabet in a way that's entirely new and delightful. A is for the first note you hear as you take your seat in the concert hall, played by the headstrong oboe. B is for the bassoon, "the orchestra's jester, complaining impatiently through his nose." And C is for the conductor, "like the captain on the bridge of a great ship, navigating the composer's musical charts." Onward the text goes, soaring in reverie and making thought-provoking observations while not taking itself too seriously--illuminating all the various details that flow together to create the nourishing experience of playing or listening to music.