Carl F. Flesch grew up in Berlin surrounded by some of the most famous musicians of the day. This is his account of the men and women behind the famous names.

Carl F. Flesch is the son of the famous German violinist Carl Flesch [1873-1944] and grew up in the Berlin of the 1920s and `30s. He thus came into almost daily contact with some of the foremost musicians of the century - Furtwängler, Kreisler, Schnabel, Heifetz, Thibaud - including, of course, his father's pupils - Rostal, Haendel, Neveu, and many others. `And do you also play the violin?' was a question he was frequently asked as he grew up, and it explains his intention in writing this book: he had, in his words, `a ringside seat' to observe these musicians from close quarters and writes about the men and women behind the famous names; examining, often with some humour, the relationship between teacher and pupil, the pressure on public performers, life as the child of a famous parent, and the effect on German musical life of the Nazis' accession to power.