What an interesting read! I found the author's style a bit overblown and felt he took some liberties (actually maybe a lot) asserting what was going on in the minds and hearts of both Sartre and Nietzsche, though interestingly not Barthes. Setting that all aside, the exploration of consistent, long-standing, yet amateur piano playing among dedicated intellectuals was fascinating. The dimension that was most surprising to me was the love of Romantic music, which is a love I share, but was not what I would have expected to find at least with Sartre and Barthes (it makes lots of sense with Nietzsche). I wish that the author had let go of the need to "save" Sartre through lots of convoluted, political gymnastics about aesthetics and simply cut to the chase embracing the contradiction--it is not revolutionary music in any analytical sense, but it's breathtakingly beautiful and profoundly human, and playing it, almost regardless of your skill level, is a transcendent experience; if that doesn't fit well within a political vision of a just and equitable world, then maybe our vision is a bit clouded. (There's an Emma Goldman tie-in here, but I'll leave it alone...). I found myself most drawn to Barthes' attitude--thumbing through pieces to find what he could play, playing until the super hard passages came up then moving on, and creating playlists of music based simply on what he found lovely and moving.
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A refreshing intellectual palate-cleanser, about how three great European thinkers escaped the discontents of a life of the mind through a physical relationship with music. In prose that is academic without being dull or obscurantist, Noudelmann, a piano player himself, traces how each man's relationship to the piano informed, acted as a counterpoint to, refuge from (or all of the above) his contributions to the world of ideas. ( )

The Philosopher's Touch bubbled with interest. I maintain an interest in two of the three thinkers profiled. Barthes never resonated for me. I liked S/Z but largely I think for the wrong reasons. Anyone writing about (around? towards?) Balzac deserves some attention, don't they? It was also an interesting point that Sartre and Nietzsche were the subjects of biographies by Ronald Hayman. I love both of those books. Figurative warts are prominent. Noudelmann's project is very specific, the task of private piano playing as a reflection of a philosophical project; I know, cool, innit? There much digression and speculation: any effort about such a an activity will likely require some meandering and/or padding. I thought the examples noted are successful. It does tempt some reflection on Nietzsche's and Sartre's thoughts and actions.
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