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Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: Seeking the Infinite

Seeking the Infinite

If ever there was a comprehensive chronicle of a contemporary musician's journey, Frederick E. Harris Jr.'s vividly compelling biography fits the bill. The Polish-American composer-conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, captivatingly active at the age of 88 as this book, entitled Seeking the Infinite, is published, must be considered something of an icon on three continents. He was music director of the Minnesota Orchestra (formerly Minneapolis Symphony) for longer than any conductor in that ensemble's history; and principal conductor of England's Hallé Orchestra and Japan's Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra; and a frequent guest with professional and conservatory orchestras throughout the world. One of the foremost authorities on Bruckner—he has recorded all of the symphonies—he is equally acclaimed for his unique performances of the standard repertory as well as his championing of the music of our day. And he has created a sizable canon of original works as well as orchestral transcriptions that continue to be performed in the U.S., in Europe, and in Japan.

But, like any great biography, Fred Harris's mammoth study portrays more than the achievements, stunning as they are, of a unique musician, but pivots biographical elements so as to, at the same time, sketch the historical canvas of an era. For Skrowaczewski's journey, begun in his native peacetime Poland, soon darkened into years of turbulence and hardships. During his transitional years in France, he was in close contact with the most celebrated musicians, both performers and composers, and, honing his skills as both composer and conductor, the young Skrowaczewski had already made an impressive reputation by the time his surprise appointment came to lead an American orchestra with a great musical tradition, his predecessors including Bruno Walter, Henri Verbrugghen, Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Antal Dorati.

Reading Harris's book, one cannot fail to note the principal qualities of his subject: his self-deprecating modesty, wit, intellectual curiosity, scholarship, and—always—his total dedication to his art. The result of nine years of research and some 230 interviews, Seeking the Infinite is a riveting portrait of a 20th and 21st century man, musician, and his contribution to our world. The excellent foreword by Gunther Schuller concisely tells the tale of the admiration and affection in which he is held by his fellow musicians.

Published by CreateSpace, Seeking the Infinite: The Musical Life of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski is available from Amazon or directly at www.seekingtheinfinite.com.

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