Who killed classical music?

by Norman Lebrecht

Here is the start-to-finish history of the classical music business: its heroes, villains, lions, and legends. Controversial, polemical, and rich with inside information, this is a successor to Lebrecht's widely acclaimed The Maestro Myth, in which the author illuminated the hidden crisis in the conducting profession. In unfolding this current tale, the author has tracked down the first concert agent and the man who invented hype. He highlights the forces behind the career of megastar Luciano Pavarotti and exposes the double dealings of record master Walter Legge, the follies of Leonard Bernstein, and the networks of Isaac Stern. In revealing detail the author lays bare the poignant fate of classical music, an art that has sold its soul and lost control of its future.