Crescendo
Set in Paris in the 1950s, this novel has not one protagonist but two—twins Max and Natasha Kitson. Although still a young man, Max, once a child prodigy, now is a world-renowned classical pianist. Natasha is his manager-of-everything who travels with him, well remunerated but resentful about all the attention and adulation Max receives. At a recent concert in Sao Paulo, Max faltered very slightly in his playing. This is unheard of, and both he and Natasha are concerned.
Attending the concert is Henri, Comte de Montaigu, who invites the twins to stay with him in his chateau while Max studies under a celebrated tutor in Paris, hoping to overcome his faltering. The Comte is enthralled and emotionally aroused by Max’s playing and listens often, even at night, as he plays the piano in the chateau. But during the day, Henri courts Natasha, lavishing her with gifts and attention; they become lovers.
This novel, setting long-lasting familial love and jealousy against a love transcending the merely sexual, is richly nuanced throughout. The author has portrayed the intense emotions of both twins as they enjoy the glamorous world of artistic and historic wealth centered on Paris. Yet beneath Max’s genius at the piano, as he bares the emotional depth of each piece, the author reveals Max’s own emotional turmoil.
The prose in Crescendo is intense, conveying the widely differing passionate viewpoints of each twin—the forceful Max as well as the less-regarded Natasha. The author captures the frailty of Max’s genius, contrasting it vividly against the inner strength of his sister. Each struggles with the demands of a relationship with Henri against a background of the requirement—even the need—for artistic perfection. An absorbing novel, emotionally poignant, that rises to a dramatic crescendo.
