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'In this remarkable memoir, Anna Goldsworthy recalls her first steps towards a life in music, from childhood piano lessons with a local jazz muso to international success as a concert pianist. As she discovers passion and ambition, and confronts doubt and disappointment, she learns about much more than tone and technique. This is a story of the getting of wisdom, tender and bittersweet.
'With wit and affection, Goldsworthy captures the hopes and uncertainties of youth, the fear and exhilaration of performing, and the complex bonds between teacher and student. An unforgettable cast of characters joins her: her family; her friends and rivals; and her teacher, Mrs Sivan, who inspires and challenges her in equal measure, and who transforms what seems an impossible dream into something real and sustaining.' (From the publisher's website.)
Adaptations
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Piano Lessons
2011
single work
drama
'"Piano Lessons" will take the audience inside a musician's journey through a unique real-life performance. Concert pianist Anna Goldsworthy's deeply-felt memoir Piano Lessons comes to glorious musical life in this Queensland Music Festival world premiere. Goldsworthy's award-winning book, which recounts her musical awakening as a young girl, struck a deep chord with critics, readers and music lovers on its 2009 release.
Goldsworthy herself stars in the stage adaptation, which, like the book, elegantly illustrates the intriguing relationship between the young pianist and her Russian teacher. This charismatic enigma inspires and challenges her young charge in equal measure as they work through a program of sublime piano pieces, including selections from Mozart, Liszt and Chopin.
Part theatrical production and part concert, "Piano Lessons' will provide insight into the lives and inspirations of the great masters to expose the process of learning, interpreting and creating music.' Source: http://qmf.org.au/ (Sighted 17/06/2011).
Teaching Resources
This work has teaching resources.
Notes
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Dedication: For Eleonora, and for my two Ruebens, who bookend these memories.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
Works about this Work
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What I’m Reading
2017
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2017; -
Making the Sentences Sing : An Interview with Anna Goldsworthy
Gillian Dooley
(interviewer),
2017
single work
interview
— Appears in: Writers in Conversation , February vol. 4 no. 1 2017; 'Dr Anna Goldsworthy is one of Australia’s foremost concert pianists, a founding member of the Seraphim Trio, and a Research Fellow of the J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice at the University of Adelaide. She is also a distinguished writer, the author of two books: Piano Lessons (2009), a memoir of her musical education and her relationship with her teacher, Eleonora Sivan; and Welcome to your New Life (2014), a memoir describing the arrival of her first child. She has adapted Piano Lessons for the stage, and also co-written a play with her father, Peter Goldsworthy, based on his novel Maestro (1989). She has also written many essays, including cultural and literary criticism. Given my own interests in music and literature and how the two art forms intersect and overlap, Anna’s dual career has always been an inspiration for me. I met her in her office at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide in November 2016.' (Publication abstract) -
Music to Our Ears
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: Writing Queensland , November no. 202 2010; (p. 13) -
Memoirs of a Hard-Won Success
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , November vol. 54 no. 11 2010; (p. 24-27) -
Undercover
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 February 2010; (p. 26) A column canvassing current literary news including a comment on Australian 'literary dynasties', particularly Peter Goldsworthy and his daughter Anna Goldsworthy.
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Journey along a Classical Road
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11 October 2009; (p. 31) The Age , 10 October 2009; (p. 27)
— Review of Piano Lessons 2009 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 10 October 2009; (p. 24)
— Review of Piano Lessons 2009 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , October no. 356 2009; (p. 36)
— Review of Piano Lessons 2009 single work autobiography -
Keys to a Musical Journey
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 31 October 2009; (p. 16)
— Review of Piano Lessons 2009 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , October no. 50 2009; (p. 70)
— Review of Piano Lessons 2009 single work autobiography -
Invaluable Lessons in Broken English
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 10-11 October 2009; (p. 2) -
Page Turners
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , January no. 359 2010; (p. 27) -
Undercover
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 February 2010; (p. 26) A column canvassing current literary news including a comment on Australian 'literary dynasties', particularly Peter Goldsworthy and his daughter Anna Goldsworthy. -
Memoirs of a Hard-Won Success
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , November vol. 54 no. 11 2010; (p. 24-27) -
Music to Our Ears
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: Writing Queensland , November no. 202 2010; (p. 13)
Awards
- 2012 finalist Melbourne Prize — Best Writing Award
- 2011 shortlisted National Biography Award
- 2010 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian Newcomer of the Year
- 2010 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian General Non-Fiction Book of the Year
- 2010 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction
