Edgard Varèse: Composer, Sound Sculptor, Visionary (Paul Sacher Foundation)

Should go a long way to restoring the status of this composer who is, frankly, as often misunderstood as he is nevertheless alluded to. (...) What's remarkable about the book is that specialists and experts are likely to find much material of interest to them as are newcomers genuinely curious to understand why such an apparently "retiring" figure as Varèse is considered so important. Indeed, the editors, Felix Meyer and Heidy Zimmermann, have done a remarkable job in contextualizing and weighing then setting into relief the contexts and proportional importances of the aspects and phases on Varèse's work and life. (...) All in all, Edgard Varèse: Composer, Sound Sculptor, Visionary is now the source for all matters concerning this... highly influential composer, sculptor of sound and - obviously - visionary. CLASSICAL.NET What... should be emphasized is the enormous contribution this volume makes to our understanding of a composer increasingly recognized as central to the timbral, technological, and aesthetic developments of twentieth-century music. MUSIC & LETTERS This book will likely impel readers to immerse themselves in the forceful, pioneering music of Varese. Recommended. CHOICE This large and handsomely-designed volume... encapsulates a mass of fresh information, letters and tributes from Varese associates all the way from Debussy... to Boulez and Frank Zappa. No-one interested in this composer, or indeed the 20th century modernist adventure as a whole, should be without it. BBC MUSIC (Bayan Northcott) Lavishly illustrated... this publication becomes, at once, the first port of call for information about the composer and his music. There are discoveries everywhere. TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT (Paul Griffiths) The volume includes analyses of many of his important works... supported by beautifully reproduced examples from scores and sketches. (...) Boydell has raised the standard for completeness, annotation, and presentation in retrospective volumes on contemporary composers. SIGNAL TO NOISE