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Listening to Mendelssohn
The greatest musical prodigy since Mozart (some would say he was even greater), Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) excelled in everything he did, musical or otherwise, and during his brief life became Europe’s most respected and beloved composer. Yet no musician suffered more drastic swings in his posthumous reputation, and as a result Mendelssohn’s music was obscured by a host of extra-musical factors: changes in taste, the rise of nationalism, anti-Semitism, and contempt for Victorian culture. This “owner’s manual” offers a guide to Mendelssohn’s musical output, major and minor, providing points of entry into a large body of work, much of which remains far too little known. There’s much more to Mendelssohn than the “Italian” Symphony and the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” Overture, and a whole creative world of vivid, expressive, and fantastical music is ready for exploration.
Bernstein's Orchestral Music
Accompanying compact disc contains performances of three Bernstein compositions (Symphony no. 1, Jeremiah; Symphonic dances from West Side story; Serenade, after Plato's Symposium), with the composer conducting the New York Philharmonic.
Exploring Haydn
(Unlocking the Masters). No composer has ever achieved the amazing progression that Haydn has. He invented the string quartet as we know it today, became "the Father of the Symphony," and founded the greatest school in the history of music. His life was one of ceaseless experimentation and invention, of problems surmounted and challenges met. In this book, No. 6 in the Amadeus Press Unlocking the Masters series, David Hurwitz acquaints readers with Haydn's innovative melodic creativity, his revolutionary use of musical form, and important characteristics of his personal style, including his genius for writing in minor keys and creating comedy in his music. In addition to Haydn's principal instrumental works, Hurwitz explores Haydn's vocal music and instrumental masterpieces that fall outside the mainstream. Four appendixes list all of his symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and piano trios. Two Universal Records CDs provide over two and a half hours of music keyed to pieces described in the book.
Brahms' Symphonies
"Brahms was a famously complex character: an irascible curmudgeon, and a famously learned composer who took tremendous pride in composing tuneful, expressive melodies of great popular appeal. This accounts at least in part for the enduring esteem that his symphonies enjoy among musicians, scholars, and the listening public alike. This duality between the learned and the popular sides of Brahms' musical personality has made his music as difficult to analyze and discuss as was his singularly complex and mysterious personal life. This book attempts to aid the general listener in bridging the gap between these two seemingly irreconcilable aspects of Brahms' character, aspects that are particular...
Beethoven's Orchestral Music
Beethoven's orchestral works include some of the most iconic and popular pieces of classical music ever written. David Hurwitz surveys all of his symphonies, overtures, concertos, theatrical music, his single ballet and other music for the dance, and several short pieces. It also features extensive discographies and recommended recordings.
Dvo_k
(Unlocking the Masters). The music of Antonin Dvorak defies fashion. He is one of the very few composers whose works entered the international mainstream during his own lifetime, and some of them have remained there ever since. The pieces that historically define his international reputation, however, represent only a small fraction of what he actually composed. They comprise just one facet of his complex and remarkably rich artistic personality. This book/2-CD pack invites readers to celebrate his extraordinary achievement and experience the pleasure of getting to know more than 90 of his most important works. The two full-length CDs from Suprahon Records include 22 works.
Sibelius
(Unlocking the Masters). Jean Sibelius was not only Finland's greatest composer, he was one of the most distinctive and appealing musical voices in the first half of the 20th century, especially renowned for his characterful handling of the romantic symphony orchestra. His example has led directly to an unprecedented cultural flowering in his homeland, making this small country of 5 million people a powerhouse in the world of classical music composition and performance. Sibelius The Orchestral Works An Owner's Manual considers over 80 individual orchestral pieces, from songs and choruses to symphonies, tone poems, overtures, and theatrical music. Along the way, readers are invited to identif...
Richard Strauss - An Owner's Manual
(Unlocking the Masters). The life and music of Richard Strauss (1864-1949) span what was arguably the most turbulent period in human history, encompassing the Franco-Prussian War, the unification of Germany, and two world wars. He was one of the very last composers to have started his career in service to the old European aristocracy, but near the end of his life, the continent lay in shambles, and he faced financial ruin even as he remained Germany's greatest living composer. Virtually from the day they were written, Strauss's tone poems from the late nineteenth century works such as Don Juan , Till Eulenspiegel , Also Sprach Zarathustra , and Death and Transfiguration have been repertory s...
Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh Symphonies
Composers often write pieces in highly contrasting moods in very close proximity. But no composer took this process further than Beethoven. His famous Fifth Symphony, with an opening any child knows, became the standard for the Romantic, tragedy to triumph, "victory symphony." The sunny Seventh however represents a high-water mark of relaxed lyricism and painting in tones. On a superficial listening, they couldn't sound more different from one another. Yet by examining them more closely, they have more in common than their emotional trajectories might suggest. This book aids the listener in getting beneath the surface of these two beloved symphonies, revealing that however disparate the expressive message, the language and style remain Beethoven's--a symphonic voice as powerful in struggle and victory as in relaxation and meditation.
Listening to Handel
This book takes the listener through Handel's entire output, from his earliest works in Italy, through his more than 40 operas, and including the famous English oratorios Along the way it examines his orchestral music, the pieces he wrote for England's lavish royal ceremonies, and his surprisingly limited production of sacred music.
