The Silent Musician: Why Conducting Matters by Mark Wigglesworth There have been previous volumes on the art of conducting, but few have shown the insight and understanding that Mark Wigglesworth demonstrates in this concise and fascinating volume. The fact that the writer is one of the most nuanced and communicative of modern conductors does not, of course, mean that his skills would necessarily translate into articulating his craft on the page but, thankfully, that is exactly what happens. The book, however, is not a manual for conductors (although they will benefit from reading it), but is aimed at the intelligent listener – and the insights contained here will enrich the experience of those entranced by the men and women wielding a baton at the head of the great orchestras.  The Silent Musician: Why Conducting Matters by Mark Wigglesworth is published by Faber

Berlioz: Volume 1: the Making of an Artist & Volume 2: Servitude and Greatness by David Cairns  David Cairns’ magisterial two-volume life of Berlioz needs no recommendation for admirers of the composer and this editions of these award-winning books marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Berlioz. Straddling the worlds of romanticism and modernism, Berlioz was a revolutionary figure, and his astonishing life – almost as striking as that he furnished in his own heavily finessed memoirs — is given a lucid examination by Cairns in prose that is as elegant as it is analytical.  Berlioz: Volume 1: the Making of an Artist & Volume 2: Servitude and Greatness by David Cairns are published by Penguin