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The world of classical music gets turned on its head in this absurdist, irreverent chronicling of the fictional Stonehaven Symphony, a befuddled and mismanaged Colorado music ensemble plagued with funding woes, workplace romance, private liaisons, and the occasional badminton-related catastrophe. Following the various members of the orchestra in their fizzling triumphs and disgruntled frustrations, the story is framed by the archeological unearthing and discovery of their tragic and fatal bus crash ten years prior. What follows is a collection of interviews, text messages, sticky notes, and even legal depositions that show the hapless artistry of people simply trying to carve out a meager living doing the thing they (mostly) love: making music. The jokes and quips come at a sustained and constant pace and knock the rarified and mystified world of the symphony off its pedestal to reveal the human layer of its players underneath.
Coming from a background as a concert violinist, the author of this book presents a ridiculous and hilarious, yet hopefully entirely fictional, backstage look at the world of a concert musician. It is impressive how densely packed the humor in this book is, not just with its frequency but its presentation that pivots and reimagines itself so as not to overstay its welcome. Chapters are constantly presented in different formats, switching the visual look and storytelling devices that keep each scene fresh and funny. No farcical group in the periphery escapes unscathed. Debauched college student slackers, rap stars performing in pop concerts nobody wants to be a part of, and self-important Nazi-sympathizing music bloggers alike are properly lampooned and serve to send the Stonehaven Symphony on one terrible performance after another. Readers with a darker sense of humor and a love of imaginative, even silly predicaments will be smiling throughout this riotous read.