Soundscapes

For nearly forty years Paul Robertson performed throughout the world as First Violinist of the internationally renowned Medici String Quartet, of which he was a founder member. In 2008 the main artery to Paul's heart ruptured, leading to him dying on the operating-table, and then being resuscitated. Paul subsequently hovered in a deep coma for six weeks, close to death and experiencing visions, affording him profound insights into the relationship between music and the subconscious When he came to he felt he had been reborn - fundamentally, a different person - and not just because the left side of his body was partially paralysed. Instead, he woke with a completely new acceptance of the meaning of death, and a belief in life beyond. Now 64 years-old, Paul has decided not to undergo any more surgery, facing a very uncertain future and living on borrowed time. In this book Paul reflects on his musical training, his insights into the difficult realities of ensemble playing, and about the possible meaning of his experiences in both life and near-death. This extraordinary and poignant memoir will be for all musicians, spiritual thinkers and musical laymen who have engaged with the rigours of learning music.

Paul Robertson was born in 1952 and grew up in a caravan in Oxford. His father was a radical Marxist and his mother the daughter of Russian-Romanian Jewish immigrants. His lifelong passion for the violin began when he was eight years old, and he went on to lead the Medici String Quartet, of which he was a founder member. He explored the connection between healing and music in the Channel 4 series Music and the Mind, and has formed unique collaborations with the pianist Sir Clifford Curzon, Sir John Tavener and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others. He has been recognised with numerous honorary degrees and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts.