Evenings with the orchestra

the long version

"In this narrative by the brilliant composer and critic Hector Berlioz, we are privy to twenty-five highly entertaining evenings with musicians who tell tales, read stories, and exchange gossip to relieve the tedium of the mediocre music they are paid to perform. Jacques Barzun's pitch-perfect translation brings out the graceful satire of Berlioz's Evenings, while a new Foreword by Peter Bloom testifies to the enduring pleasure found in this witty and amusing book."--BOOK JACKET.