Play It Again

An Amateur Against the Impossible

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Instruments & Instruction, Piano & Keyboard, General Instruments, Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book Play It Again by Alan Rusbridger, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alan Rusbridger ISBN: 9780374710620
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: September 17, 2013
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Alan Rusbridger
ISBN: 9780374710620
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: September 17, 2013
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

As editor of the Guardian, one of the world's foremost newspapers, Alan Rusbridger abides by the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle. But increasingly in midlife, he feels the gravitational pull of music—especially the piano. He sets himself a formidable challenge: 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. He gives himself a year.

Under ideal circumstances, this would have been a daunting task. But the particular year Rusbridger chooses turns out to be one of frenetic intensity. As he writes in his introduction, "Perhaps if I'd known then what else would soon be happening in my day job, I might have had second thoughts. For it would transpire that, at the same time, I would be steering the Guardian through one of the most dramatic years in its history." It was a year that began with WikiLeaks' massive dump of state secrets and ended 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 riots . . . 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 the above.

Rusbridger's description of mastering the Ballade is hugely engaging, yet his subject is clearly larger than any one piece of classical 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.

What will you do with your twenty minutes?

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As editor of the Guardian, one of the world's foremost newspapers, Alan Rusbridger abides by the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle. But increasingly in midlife, he feels the gravitational pull of music—especially the piano. He sets himself a formidable challenge: 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. He gives himself a year.

Under ideal circumstances, this would have been a daunting task. But the particular year Rusbridger chooses turns out to be one of frenetic intensity. As he writes in his introduction, "Perhaps if I'd known then what else would soon be happening in my day job, I might have had second thoughts. For it would transpire that, at the same time, I would be steering the Guardian through one of the most dramatic years in its history." It was a year that began with WikiLeaks' massive dump of state secrets and ended 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 riots . . . 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 the above.

Rusbridger's description of mastering the Ballade is hugely engaging, yet his subject is clearly larger than any one piece of classical 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.

What will you do with your twenty minutes?

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book High Cotton by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book Find Me by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book The Horseman on the Roof by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book As Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book The Zabajaba Jungle by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book The Chicago Cubs by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book The Volcano Lover by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book On the Run by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book Desire Street by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book Homage to Mistress Bradstreet by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book Atlantic Fever by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book Moonbound by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book In the Shadow of the Law by Alan Rusbridger
Cover of the book You Don't Know Me by Alan Rusbridger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy