‘Soundscapes’ - a musician’s journey through life and death
About the Book
In 2008, the renowned violinist Paul Robertson suffered a ruptured aorta. After dying momentarily on the operating table, he remained in a coma for many weeks. During this time, he experienced visions which afforded him a profound insight into the relationship between music and the mind. When he awoke, he found his understanding of the world – and beyond – fundamentally altered.
This surprising and rewarding memoir offers a singular perspective on creative endeavour: the rigours of learning, the challenges of performance and the spiritual nourishment that drives us on. It is a poignant and wise book that draws on a lifetime’s experiences, in both life and death.
ISBN 9780571331888 Format Hardback Published 18/08/2016 Length 288 pages
About the Author, Prof Paul Robertson (1952 - 2016)
Paul Robertson was born in 1952 and grew up in a caravan in Oxford. His father was a radical Marxist and his mother the daughter of Russian-Romanian Jewish immigrants. His lifelong passion for the violin began when he was eight years old, and he went on to lead the Medici String Quartet, of which he was a founder member.
He explored the connection between healing and music in the Channel 4 series, Music and the Mind, and formed unique collaborations with the pianist Sir Clifford Curzon, Sir John Tavener and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others. He has been recognised with numerous honorary degrees and was a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
Robertson died in 2016 less than a month before his book was released. He is survived by his loving wife Chika and three children, Thaïs, Caspian and Calista.
Paul Robertson Remembered
Please click here to listen to Tom Service’s beautiful tribute to Paul on his BBC3 show ‘Music Matters’…
Radio
Neville Marriner tribute, Matthew Kaner in Lucerne, Paul Robertson remembered, Music Matters - BBC Radio 3
Tom Service presents a tribute to the late Sir Neville Marriner.