Beyond the Notes: Journeys with Chamber Music - Tapa dura

We knew from her recordings that Susan Tomes is a superb chamber player; now we know that she's a superb writer too. Michael Church, INDEPENDENT Professional musicians will sigh with recognition at page after page; readers...will have their eyes opened to the realities of the performer's life. I found the book absolutely enthralling. CLASSICAL MUSICPianist Susan Tomes puts across her ideas about her art in writing with the same expertise and sensitivity as in her playing. In a world where musicians are often misunderstood, this book provides insights into the multifaceted life of a performing musician; sometimes inspiring, often beautiful, and occasionally depressing. . Tomes picks apart the dynamics of a chamber ensemble with the delicacy of an expert surgeon. A fascinating volume. ***** (five stars, Best Buy of the Month, August 2004). CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE As probing and honest an account as you will read of the cross-currents and creative tensions of making music in a small group. CAMThis book reveals (Tomes') talents as a writer, too, one with a capacity for imaginative enquiry and a gift for the telling phrase... as natural and compelling a communicator in words as she is in music. BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

"This work describes the life of the dedicated professional musician more vividly and honestly than any other work I've read." Alan Rusbridger. Susan Tomes, a rare example of a leading musician who writes about the craft of performance, describes her experience of twenty years of rehearsal, concerts and recording. Her performing life has been centred on chamber music and the need to communicate it fully to an audience hungry for meaningful musical experience. Susan Tomes was a founder member and the pianist of both Domus and the Florestan Trio, award-winning groups at the top of their field. Part One is a series of diaries describing their travels and performances: Domus in the 1980s with its own portable concert hall, struggling to create the conditions for informal but intense concert performances, and the Florestan Trio, currently one of the world's finest piano trios. Part Two is a collection of thought-provoking essays about teachers, making records, practising and rehearsing, audiences, earning a living, and the particular challenges of being a concert pianist. "Beyond the Notes" gives an unusually candid view of the complexities of a life in music. Susan Tomes, alongside her packed concert schedule, is a frequent contributor, on music and other subjects, to the "Guardian".