Daniel Hope (1) (1973–)

This is a book of anecdotes about things that can go wrong for classical musicians. As usual, the anecdotes themselves are sometimes interesting, and sometimes not. Being in a long series of similar anecdotes does not improve matters.

If you like classical music and are trying to learn German, you could do worse than to work your way through these anecdotes, one at a time.

Wann darf ich klatschen? I picked this up second hand recently, thinking that at least the title was good (When may I clap?). The violinist takes a few beginners through their first classical concerts, explaining the etiquette, but also what goes on behind the scenes, finally convincing his friends that they don't need to be afraid of live music.

4 1/2 stars for this one. Informative and lightly humorous.

I would have read this book a lot faster if Hope's descriptions hadn't kept sending me to the web to listen to the songs and movies he described.