The Bjorling Sound: A Recorded Legacy
I devoured The Björling Sound with unashamed greed and great pleasure. --F. Paul Driscoll, editor in chief, Opera News  His passages on Gounod's Faust and Roméo et Juliette are a masterpiece of sensitive analysis.  NEWSLETTER OF THE SWEDISH JUSSI BJOERLING SOCIETY (Stefan Johansson)  Remarkable new book. . . . Insightful scholarship and freshly evocative writing that will send Bjo"rling's fans back to their favourite recordings and will win the tenor many admirers. ***** (Highest ranking, and book of the month)  BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE (John Allison)    (Hastings's) analyses are detailed, well written, and clear. . . . _The Björling Sound: A Recorded Legacy  has become a standard work, like The Callas Legacy of John Ardoin. OPERA NEDERLAND Full review at http://www.operanederland.nl/Boeken%20Bjoering.htm  Comparison between recordings and live performances . . . give great insight into the reasons why particular interpretations of the same piece can vary to an enormous degree. . . . Listing the recordings by composer is a stroke of genius and means that the reader can dip in and out without losing any continuity to the progression of Björling's career. . . . Should be devoured by anyone interested in the art of singing.  VOCALIMAGES Full review at http://vocalimages.com/?page_id=1097   An impressive documentation of Björling's sound. . . . Lively language gives good flow to the many details in the book.  KLASSISK MUSIKKMAGASIN (Ida Habbestad)   Uncommonly successful. . . . Hastings is always specific, never resorting to vague poetics in passages of praise to describe work he likes, . . . Enrich(es) his findings by comparison with recordings of the same material from all ages(, e.g., Caruso, Pavarotti, and Alagna).  GRAMOPHONE (Mike Ashman, noted opera director)   An exciting read about a beloved artist. . . .For the neophyte, it supplies an education in vocal terminology and history, and an unerring understanding of the voice and how it functions. . . . Compelling.  OPERA NEWS (Ira Siff)  By a long way the best critical discography of anyone I have encountered. . . Eloquent, jargon-free and incisive prose.  Many acute remarks about conductors. . . . Illuminating (on Schubert songs). . . . Truly an education. OPERA (Michael Tanner)