Erich Leinsdorf on music

the long version

As music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conductor and music consultant to the Metropolitan Opera, and guest conductor of the great orchestras of Europe and America, Erich Leinsdorf (1912-1993) served as a conscience for two generations of musicians. This book of previously unpublished essays is a quilt of his thoughts, opinions, and experiences. In his last years, he came to reflect ever more ardently on musical matters, including the decline of musical literacy and the impending crises facing orchestras, their musicians, and their audiences. These thoughts, together with his final reflections on problems of musical interpretation and on the great composers whose works he had championed, form the core of this book.