John Amis My Music in London

STRING QUARTETS: New Talent at Wigmore Hall: MEWTON-WOOD: Wigmore Hall Recital; MOZART FESTIVAL: Sir Thomas Beecham at Glyndebourne ; TURANDOT - WITH EVA TURNER: Puccini's Last Opera; THE ELGAR FESTIVAL: Jascha Heifetz and Pierre Fournier ; PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA ; PELLEAS ET MELISANDE ; NEW BRITTEN OPERA: An Entertainment for Young People Cheltenham Festival ; COUNTER-TENOR: Alfred Deller's Recital ; BORIS GODUNOV AND BORIS CHRISTOFF: Covent Garden Production ; A MOZART MEETING: Der Schauspieldirektor ; MORLEY COLLEGE CONCERT
etc etc

An entertaining book, racily written with many anecdotes and indiscretions, an account of London musical life by a nonogenarian writer with a vast experience to draw upon. A prolific commentator, he continues to have regular columns in Musical Opinion and to be seen in garish apparel at opera Press Nights.

Being myself only half a decade his junior, Amis covers the concert life of my younger days, with reviews and stories about many of the characters who were important to us both.

Recommended.

Peter Grahame Woolf

Another review, from Amazon: "Very informative and amusing, in general. Most satisfactory section is the opening one made up of post-war reviews, mainly from the 'Scotsman'; also, gossipy anecdotes throughout. Later extracts less well-written - perhaps showing signs of haste? - - "

and q.v tribute CD to mark John Amis's 70th birthday recorded 1992, including recitation of Babar the Elephant "by singer, whistler, chronicler, raconteur, friend and associate of the great and the good" Music Web