From Leonard Bernstein to Benjamin Britten, Andre Previn and Igor Stravinsky, Edward Greenfield had the privilege of getting to know some of the 20th century's greatest composers, conductors and performers. His lifelong career as a music critic for the Guardian and Gramophone has taken him around the world and left him with an endless source of fascinating material. Here for the first time he has brought together a lifetime of memories in this absorbing and fascinating memoir. Greenfield has worked with such renowned singers as Joan Sutherland and Elizabeth Schwarzkof, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti; he has interviewed luminaries including Yehudi Menuhin, George Martin and Colin Davis; and he has forged enduring friendships with the likes of Jacqueline du Pre, Daniel Barenboim and Edward Heath. His is a career steeped in classical music and his Portrait Gallery brings that vividly to life.

"One of the most entertaining and 'un-put-downable' publications on classical music and records for many years... This is a lovely book, enthusiastically recommended, which will engage Ted's many admirers and followers as keenly as his criticisms have over the years" --Musical Opinion Quarterly

Edward Greenfield is one of Britain's most eminent music critics and broadcasters. He joined the Manchester Guardian in 1953, rising to become music critic from 1977 onwards, until his retirement. He has contributed to Gramophone magazine since 1960. A regular broadcaster on the BBC, he presented classical music programmes on the World Service, including The Greenfield Collection, and was a regular contributor to Radio 3's Record Review (subsequently CD Review) for many years. He has written monographs on Puccini, Joan Sutherland and Andre Previn, and continues to act as co-editor on the renowned Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music. In October 1993 he was given a Gramophone Award for Special Achievement and in June 1994 received the OBE for services to music and journalism.