{"title":"Christopher Lawrence","description":"\u003cp\u003eChristopher Lawrence offers a captivating exploration of classical music through a lens that intertwines art with emotion. His books delve into the lives and passions of composers, illuminating the timeless allure of their work and the deeply human stories behind symphonic masterpieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect a rich tapestry of culture and romance, where music becomes a guide to life, love, and the follies of the heart. Lawrence’s writing invites you to experience classical music not just as sound, but as an intimate narrative of desire and inspiration.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"symphony-of-seduction-the-great-love-stories-of-classical-composers-by-christopher-lawrence-9781863958400","title":"Symphony of Seduction: The Great Love Stories of Classical Composers","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Love cannot express the idea of music, while music may give an idea of love.' Romantic composer Hector Berlioz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBerlioz should know. He didn't just hear the symphony when he fell in love with an Irish actress back in 1827, he wrote it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat was love like for the people who could really feel that song coming on? \u003cem\u003eSymphony of Seduction\u003c\/em\u003e tells of the romantic misadventures, tragedies and occasional triumphs of some of classical music's great composers, and traces the music that emerged as a result.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the eccentric Erik Satie, love came just once - and even then, not for long. Robert Schumann had to take his future father-in-law to court to win the right to marry. Hector Berlioz planned to murder a two-timing fiancée while dressed in drag, and Richard Wagner turned the temptation of adultery into a stage work that changed the course of music while rupturing his own marriage. Debussy's love triangle, Brahms' love for the wife of his insane mentor - all find expression in works we now consider to be some of the summits of creative achievement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristopher Lawrence takes what we know about these love-crazed geniuses and adds a garnish of imagined pillow talk to recreate stories that are ultimately stranger than fiction - and come with a great soundtrack.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428164354284,"sku":"9781863958400","price":38.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781863958400.jpg?v=1774767062"},{"product_id":"swooning-a-classical-music-guide-to-life-love-lust-and-other-follies-by-christopher-lawrence-9781863957502","title":"Swooning: A Classical Music Guide to Life, Love, Lust and Other Follies","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this fully revised and updated edition, Christopher Lawrence leads us through the listening experience, from anger and Beethoven to sadness and Tchaikovsky, triumph and Wagner and freedom and Mozart. It's all here in this whimsical guide to the conduct of a romance, with some handy hints on how to make it more, well, harmonious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe history of classical music is littered with murder, adultery, bigamy, fraud, sado-masochism, riches, poverty, gluttony, nervous breakdowns, bizarre behaviour and terrible, terrible toilet humour (Mozart was the prime exponent of the latter). Classical music—nice? Not at all. It's the most immediate expression of mental and emotional extremes—often deceptive, sometimes dangerous, and frequently a discomforting revelation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSwooning\u003c\/em\u003e documents the all too human flaws in the lives of the great composers by loosely following the sequence of emotions as experienced in a love affair—one that doesn't work out, of course.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of Australia's favourite radio personalities, Christopher Lawrence boasts a career spanning more than 40 years of broadcasting. He is best known for his work with ABC Classic FM, presenting the network's Breakfast and Drive programs between 1994 and 2001. Three of the Swoon CDs that evolved out of his Breakfast program broke sales records in the Australian classical music industry, each achieving Platinum status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs an orchestral and opera recording producer, Christopher has been awarded an International Emmy for Performing Arts, three ARIA Awards, a Churchill Fellowship, and the Editors' Choice Award at the Cannes Classical Awards in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristopher has written three best-selling books—\u003cem\u003eSwooning\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eHymns of the Forefathers\u003c\/em\u003e, based on his documentary series about the history of hymns seen on ABC TV; and \u003cem\u003eSwing Symphony\u003c\/em\u003e. He can be heard on ABC Classic FM from 9 a.m. to midday presenting Mornings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47432767799532,"sku":"9781863957502","price":38.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781863957502.jpg?v=1774556712"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/christopher-lawrence.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}