Roberts [...] is a distinguished interpreter... An intimate portrait that takes us nearer to the heart of the music than any biography before... With copious quotes from the composer's letters and articles, Roberts charts the unstoppable evolution of his subtly revolutionary art - designed... but defining the course of Western music.-Michael Church, The Independent
Incisive... Roberts meets the challenge of both person and music with empathy and acumen... As for the composer's writings [...], here again Roberts is both sharp and sensible... Generous quotations from letters and memoirs support this elegantly written volume.-Roger Nichols, BBC Music Magazine
Excellent design... Lavish illustrations... Roberts shows virtuosity in putting Debussy's music as a whole in the context of the man. So well does Roberts capture the unconventionality of the man [...] that descriptions of the revolutionary nature of the music seem nothing but natural.-Andrew Green, Piano
it's no surprise that each book is beautifully produced on shiny thick paper and filled with gorgeous illustrations. The texts are excellent too.-Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette
On the 20th Century Composers Series
As a series, Phaidon's 20th Century Composers has brought remarkable variety and a welter of information, both necessary and delightfully trivial. Intended both for the general reader and for the more enthusiastically musical.-The Scotsman
