Limestone Concerto from Mudbug Press

AVAILABLE Now!

272 Pages $17.95 US 6x9 Paperback
ISBN 0-9778197-9-5

News:

Applause for the Concerto

"Westfeldt writes with ease, and "Limestone Concerto" is engaging reading, made compelling by its contemporary relevance." "... a master of narrative counterpoint."

— Wes Blomster, Daily Camera, Sunday June 25 page 5E, full page (pdf), text only (pdf)

"Limestone Concerto is a masterful work that evokes both fond and chilling memories of my home state of Indiana. Set in 1963, the political tension of that time seems eerily familiar in this gripping and delicate tale."

— B. J. Sears, Professor of Film and Television, Savannah College of Arts and Sciences; Sound Editor for the movie Amadeus

"Instead of musical notes Mr. Westfeldt uses words in this concerto that describes cultural and personal conflict during a time of great political upheaval. Limestone Concerto is a virtuoso performance that will keep you reading through its thrilling finale."

— Sue Levine, Executive Director, Boulder Philharmonic

"Against the backdrop of assassinations, the Cold War and Civil Rights, Mr. Westfeldt composes a contemporary speech-song about classical musicians in the Crossroads of America. Read this smart up-tempo thriller with vintage champagne and a Bach Partita."

— Molly LeClair, Coauthor of Thinking and Writing in the Humanities; Instructor of Writing and Rhetoric, University of Colorado

"The author displays keen insights into the mind-sets and quirky personalities of those who inhabit the stages and boardrooms of America's symphony orchestras."

— Tom Akins, Principal Timpanist, Indianapolis Symphony 1965-91

SYNOPSIS

The year 1963 was book-ended by two tragic events. The first one, which is never remembered, was the loss of the nuclear submarine Thresher. The second one is never forgotten and took place on November 22 when President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. It was a year of political upheaval beginning with great liberal optimism versus conservative paranoia and ending with conservative optimism amongst liberal paranoia.

In a state best known for basketball, corn, and car racing, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra leverages that optimism and prepares for some of the best concerts of its existence. The opportunities to improve its world wide ranking culminate with the hosting of the American debut of an internationally acclaimed pianist from the Soviet Union. The debut, which was arranged by the US State Department, does not sit well with certain members of the local community. The result is a thrilling performance, sabotage, and dire consequences for those most closely connected to the success and failure of the orchestra.

The pressure of success while performing to sold-out audiences and hostile reviewers summons the loftier aspects of the human spirit while revealing the rich artistic and political sub-cultures that exist in any symphony orchestra and its community.

The principal figures of this political thriller are Leon Zellingari, the magically magnificent conductor of the orchestra; Micaela Miklos, the recently acquired and voluptuous first cello, who is a refugee from Czechoslovakia; and Jed Norton, a viola player from southern Indiana, who is a member of a rightwing extremist organization. Limestone Concerto follows the intriguing tale of the conductor, the cellist, and the viola player as they struggle to survive the ambition, romance, and violence so pervasive in that watershed year of America.