Joy Smith
Got Beethoven is Paul Cassidy's very entertaining and lively record of forty years as the viola player in the Brodsky string quartet. In a very engaging way he conveys the experience of being a musician on the road while musing on the particular difficulties and delights of being part of a quartet. His serious comment is enriched with some hilariously realised anecdotes of near disasters and happy coincidences and meetings with a whole range of fascinating and often famous characters. And then there's the music itself including all the imaginative and innovative creative projects which are the hallmark of the Brodsky approach. And being reminded of the big names in the quartet repertoire really made me want to listen to stuff I"d never heard before and revisit the familiar and unfamiliar works for which Paul Cassidy has such enthusiasm. It is no mean feat to use words to convey the experience of music and he has a talent for doing so. As he says, all music is song and dance. If you're a fan of the Brodsky Quartet you'll love this book. If you are a fan of any kind of music even if you've never listened to a classical quartet you may still find Got Beethoven a page turner.
