Submitted by anthony, Oct 31, 2007 10:55

This review seems miss the point that Nyiregyházi's peccadilloes, failures and affairs are what make him, and so many other musicians, interesting as people. Rather than live out the pre-scripted role of the prodigy turned stuffy, well-behaved performer, you have someone who never quite managed to get his life in normal order, despite all the talent he had working for him.

If, as the article suggests, Nyiregyházi willfully rejected conventional success, which he allegedly could have had, why judge him by those standards? I think it's fascinating that he chose to burn his bridges and squander his talent in brothels, that he couldn't contain his drinking and philandering within conventional limits..

As far as I can tell, asking that 'petty man' to get out of the way is silly. It's a biography. Isn't part of the point to try and see the man in his own terms, not just as another prodigy who could have been?

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