- 417 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
The
Guardian editor and amateur pianist's account of a remarkable musical challenge during an extraordinary year for news.
As editor of the Guardian, one of the world's foremost newspapers, Alan Rusbridger lives by the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle. But increasingly in midlife, he feels the gravitational pull of musicāespecially the piano. He sets himself a formidable challenge: within a year, to fluently learn Chopin's magnificent Ballade No. 1 in G minor, arguably one of the most difficult Romantic compositions in the repertory. With pyrotechnic passages that require feats of memory, dexterity, and power, the piece is one that causes alarm even in battle-hardened concert pianists.
Under ideal circumstances, this would have been a daunting task. But the particular year Rusbridger chooses turns out to be one of frenetic intensity, beginning with WikiLeaks' massive dump of state secrets and ending with the Guardian's revelations about widespread phone hacking at News of the World. "In between, there were the Japanese tsunami, the Arab Spring, the English riotsĀ .Ā .Ā . and the death of Osama Bin Laden," writes Rusbridger. The test would be to "nibble out" twenty minutes per day to do something totally unrelated to these events.
Rusbridger's subject is larger than any one piece of music: Play It Again deals with focus, discipline, and desire but is, above all, about the sanctity of one's inner life in a world dominated by deadlines and distractions.
Praise for Play It Again
"An absorbing, adroitly crafted tale of humility, discipline and the sheer love of musicĀ .Ā .Ā . [Alan Rusbridger's] triumph is an inspiration." āKatie Hafner, The New York Times Book Review
"A unique mĆ©lange of political and musical reportageĀ .Ā .Ā . [Alan Rusbridger] illuminates not only print media in this digital age but also the changing role of the music within." āIain Burnside, The Observer (London)
As editor of the Guardian, one of the world's foremost newspapers, Alan Rusbridger lives by the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle. But increasingly in midlife, he feels the gravitational pull of musicāespecially the piano. He sets himself a formidable challenge: within a year, to fluently learn Chopin's magnificent Ballade No. 1 in G minor, arguably one of the most difficult Romantic compositions in the repertory. With pyrotechnic passages that require feats of memory, dexterity, and power, the piece is one that causes alarm even in battle-hardened concert pianists.
Under ideal circumstances, this would have been a daunting task. But the particular year Rusbridger chooses turns out to be one of frenetic intensity, beginning with WikiLeaks' massive dump of state secrets and ending with the Guardian's revelations about widespread phone hacking at News of the World. "In between, there were the Japanese tsunami, the Arab Spring, the English riotsĀ .Ā .Ā . and the death of Osama Bin Laden," writes Rusbridger. The test would be to "nibble out" twenty minutes per day to do something totally unrelated to these events.
Rusbridger's subject is larger than any one piece of music: Play It Again deals with focus, discipline, and desire but is, above all, about the sanctity of one's inner life in a world dominated by deadlines and distractions.
Praise for Play It Again
"An absorbing, adroitly crafted tale of humility, discipline and the sheer love of musicĀ .Ā .Ā . [Alan Rusbridger's] triumph is an inspiration." āKatie Hafner, The New York Times Book Review
"A unique mĆ©lange of political and musical reportageĀ .Ā .Ā . [Alan Rusbridger] illuminates not only print media in this digital age but also the changing role of the music within." āIain Burnside, The Observer (London)
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Yes, you can access Play It Again by Alan Rusbridger in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Journalist Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Introduction
- Part One
- Part Two
- Part Three
- Part Four
- Part Five
- Part Six
- Part Seven
- Part Eight
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Score and Commentary
- Acknowledgements
- Further Reading
- Index
- Also by Alan Rusbridger
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
- Contents
- Copyright