“…we’re observing it from a safe distance…” #MusicLessons #20BOS26 Book 22

Back in 2018 I was lucky enough to cover a marvellous book from Notting Hill Editions, “How Shostakovich Changed My Life” by Stephen Johnson. A powerful and personal book, it touched on some big topics: wide ranging discussions of history and philosophy; touching encounters; compelling autobiography and personal experience; and a powerful belief in the transformative power of music. This all had a profound effect on me, and so when I saw that NHE were issuing a new book by Johnson, “Music Lessons: Seven Composers and What They Taught Me”, I knew I had to read it. And the book turned out to be just as affecting as the first. The book is described as being about the cathartic power of music, and it’s just as personal as the first one. The composers featured. for reference, are: Anton Bruckner, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lili Boulanger, Richard Wagner, Jean Sibelius and Ludwig van Beethoven. Taking a specific piece of music by each composer, Johnson explores the…