'It is a beautifully produced volume. Rickards' text does a magnificent job in interweaving the lives of these composers against the background of the calamitous history of their homeland, using a good deal of material not otherwise available in English.' (London Magazine)

'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 enthusiatically musical...' (The Scotsman)

Guy Rickards is a freelance writer on music. He contributes regularly to numerous publications including Gramophone, Contemporary Music Review, BBC Music Magazine and the Guardian.