Overtones, a book of temperaments : $b Richard Strauss, Parsifal, Verdi, Balzac, Flaubert, Nietzsche, and Turgénieff

A richly textured collection of essays, this work invites listeners into the intertwined worlds of 19th‑ and early‑20th‑century music and literature. The author moves fluidly between analysis and biography, offering a conversational guide to figures such as Richard Strauss, Wagner’s mystic drama “Parsifal,” and the literary voices that loved music. The tone is intellectual yet approachable, letting curiosity lead the way through complex ideas without demanding specialist knowledge.

In the first sections the writer unpacks Strauss’s revolutionary orchestration, describing how he broke traditional harmonic sentences and gave each instrument its own voice. Parallel essays turn to Nietzsche’s poetic rhapsodies, Balzac’s unexpected role as a music critic, and Turgenev’s listening habits, sketching a vivid map of artistic temperament. Readers will hear the music of ideas as clearly as the music itself, gaining fresh perspectives on familiar masters without spilling any later revelations.