Halina Rodzinski

While Artur Rodzinski career ended before the advent of high fidelity orchestral recording, he deserves to be remembered for the work he did to raise American ensembles such as Los Angeles, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York to new artistic achievements. He was not an easy man to live with and he had numerous personal quirks and professional challenges. He dealt masterfully with musicians but never got on well with administrativers.

This memoir, written by his wife, is an excellent summary of show more his career as well as an intriguing portrait of life with an internationally famous artist. The asides are as valuable as the main details. Mme. Rodzinski gives marvelous details about such figures as Toscanini, Rachmaninoff, and Rubinstein. She is a gifted storyteller and she has crafted an honest and memorable memorial to her husband and their marriage. show less