New York, NY: Vintage Books (2017)

Paperback. As new.

A deeply personal, intimate conversation about music and writing between the internationally acclaimed, bestselling author and his close friend, the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Haruki Murakami’s passion for music runs deep. Before turning his hand to writing, he ran a jazz club in Tokyo, and from The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” to Franz Liszt’s “Years of Pilgrimage,” music permeates every one of his much-loved books. Now, in Absolutely on Music, Murakami fulfills a personal dream, sitting down with his friend, renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa, to talk about their shared interest. Transcribed from their lengthy conversations, here they discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from Bartók to Mahler, and from pop-up orchestras to opera. They listen to and dissect recordings of some of their favorite performances, and Murakami questions Ozawa about his career conducting orchestras around the world.

A reflection on the essential nature of both music and writing, Absolutely on Music is an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of two maestros—and essential reading for book and music lovers everywhere.