Maestros, Masterpieces & Madness by Norman Lebrecht

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This is the story of the rise and fall of the classical music recording industry over the course of the 20th century, although its tone is anything but funereal. Lebrecht leads us into a world populated by the charismatic, the power-crazed and the mentally unbalanced, from which unlikely combinations sprang an art form which spread beauty and promoted civilisation throughout the electrified world. The end of this great era was hastened by new technology and a desire for greater commerciality, which led to the dubious delights of the crossover album. The author's scorn for this latter phenomenon makes for exhilarating reading. The second half of the book is devoted to lists: 100 recorded masterpieces and 20 records that should never have been made. Herein is classical music with attitude.

Synopsis by Foyles.co.uk

Inflated egos, corporate insanity, slave labour, sexual excess, dazzling genius. Welcome to the world of classical recording. "Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness" is a sparkling expose of the strange truth and sheer brilliance behind the classical music recording industry. Leading music critic Norman Lebrecht charts its rise since the great Caruso's first gramophone bestseller of 1902 and predicts the industry's imminent doom in the face of schmaltzy crossover albums and new technology. From the imperious Karajan to the perfectionist Toscanini and charismatic Bernstein, the leading figures are all here, depicted in witty, incisive pen portraits. Including Lebrecht's own selections of 100 recorded masterpieces and twenty that should never have been made, this is a compelling story of flamboyant maestros, lifelong alliances, disastrous personality clashes and entrepreneurial masterstrokes.