3 comments about Tone Poems in Full Score, Series I: Don Juan, Tod Und Verklarung, & Don Quixote.

1. Richard Strauss knew how to make symphonic music with great drama as well as humour. The three grand symphonic masterpieces of this edition just has it all. Dare I say that some of the music in Tod Und Verklarung is some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking music ever written? And how about the great humor revealed in Don Quixote? Richard Strauss truly is a master of the orchestra. If you don't believe me, have a look yourself. It just hardly get any better than this. Thank you Dover for this excellent book!



2. A great score, with no errors and very large, readable print. Great companion for listeners, music students, and conductors alike.

   The score is very large (9 3/8 x 12 1/4) and lays flat on a stand or table. Highly reccommended!




3. No music truly exists in a book. The composer puts his directions on paper, and the musician tries his best to do what the composer has directed to do. Play this note high, this note low, this note long, this note short, etc. Music is an art that really doesn't exist until it comes to life through the time it takes to perform it. Like a seed, the score of an orchestral work lies dormant until the musician(s) plant it, nurture it through performance.

   For the few that can read a score like the rest of us read a newspaper, the music can come alive in the imagination of their inner ear. For the rest of us mortals, following the score while the music plays can help us 'see' the tree come to life with our ears and revel in all of the life and vitality it contains.

   The tone poems of Richard Strauss are like vast, sprawling trees. There is no need to follow a score to admire the beauty of the trees. If that were so, symphony orchestras would pass out copies of the score to the audience and keep the lights on. But following the score is like climbing right up into the tree. You can see the diversity, the details, and even look down at the ground and realize where you are.

   So to be able to appreciate these masterpieces on a different level, following the score can be a revelation. Dover's edition of these tone poems is inexpensive, of good quality, and I especially like the large format. If you try to follow a miniature score of these works, you best have really great eyes or a magnifying glass. These are vast, romantic works, and Strauss uses a very large orchestra. So the large format is much easier to read and follow.

   So if you ever have the urge to get closer to these masterpieces, then by all means let the Dover edition of the scores be your guide. Your efforts to climb the tree will be well rewarded!

5 comments about The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD).

1. Hurwitz breaks down Mahler's nine symphonies plus his song cycle "The Song of the Earth" into their parts as these contribute to the whole; and the parts too are broken down for their development, tone, and instruments. Analyses and commentary mingle with frequent metaphoric, near-poetic, evocations of musical passages. In the Fifth Movement of Symphony No. 5, "Horn and woodwinds unfold a series of perky little tunes...." In the Second Movement, "As this climax dies away trailing clouds of strings and horns, the woodwinds slither back in with sinister whirring scales." Hurwitz also gives attention to the spiritual ideas and the emotions embodied in Mahler's music. The author of "Beethoven or Bust: A Practical Guide to Learning About and Listening to Great Music," Hurwitz writes about music in a style that is suitable for readers of all ages from young adults and up.



2. ... and hopefully Mr. Hurwitz's words strenghen the fact that Mahler is one of the greatest composers of all time (and he is my top favorite composer) - not just through vastness and complexity, but also through "representing the world", being universal, escorting humanity through music like Beethoven.
   
   Just reading certain passages which seems to coincide what I exactly thing about Mahler's remarkable musical messages (especially in the triumphant Symphony No. 2 and the apocalyptic Symphony No. 9) put me to tears.
   
   Whether you're obsessed with Mahler, or want to understand his musical words, buy it!!!



3. David Hurwitz has written a marvelous guide for the classical music listener who wants to get more out of Mahler's symphonies but: a) lacks the ability to follow the music him/herself, or make sense of it; and b) finds that CD and program notes do not provide sufficiently detailed description, or are too technical to be understandable. The author provides lengthy but non-technical descriptions of the music as it progresses, keeping the listener on track and ready for what comes next. Major melodies or tunes are identified by ad hoc names (the "kletzmer," the "Alma," etc.). Major rhythms are identified for the reader-listener in the most basic terms (i.e. "dum dum dadum dum"), but it works! Hurwitz eschews biographical background in favor of discussion of the form and content of the music itself. Even if the author fails to convert you to a Mahlerian (and he certainly seems to be one himself), his book will deepen your appreciation for this formerly "much abused" composer.
   
   My complaints are few. In his enthusiasm the author has a tendency to confuse the words "literal" and "figurative" such that, at one point in the book he describes the orchestra as "literally falling over a cliff" or words to that effect; which, for the sake of the musicians' health and casualty insurance premiums I hope did not happen. I wish that discussions of form and interpretations of meaning had been reserved for the front of each chapter, directly following the introduction, so the chronological description of the music had not been interrupted. Strangely, the author, who is not bashful about expressing his opinions, seems surprisingly hesitant to divulge his extra-musical interpretations of the music. Finally, Hurwitz is a most uncritical critic, defending Mahler from every criticism, even those that, to my ears, are justifiable.
   
   In addition to the book the purchaser receives a CD with one-movement excerpts from four Mahler symphonies (#'s 1, 2, 5 and 7). The guides to these four movements contain exact time references to these CD performances for greater ease in following along.
   
   Buyer beware: you'll find you'll want to acquire CD's of Mahler symphonies you don't presently own (I bought #'s 6 and 7), or purchase other versions if yours don't reveal all the twitters, birdcalls, or cowbells itemized in the book.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. Good book, only gripe is that the author goes into too much detail describing the music itself (for example telling what instruments are doing what) I think what I am looking for is more of an analysis of the symphonies. Hope this helps



5. David Hurwitz's THE MAHLER SYMPHONIES is aptly subtitled "An Owner's Manual." The book is intended for people who already know they like Mahler's music, and want to know more about it.
   
   Have you ever met a birder--one of those unusual people so devoted to the study of birds that they can look up into the trees and spot several different birds, where you and I would be lucky to see even one? Well, that's what Hurwitz is for Mahler devotees. He looks beyond a simple introduction to each symphony, and tells us what is going on--from the instruments involved, to the ideas or feelings being painted in sound.
   
   At first I thought it might be "kinda hokey" that the book comes with a CD inside the back cover. But bless his soul, Hurwitz was right to do it this way. Using the CD tracks, he points to things like "a sinister little tremolo (18:36)" that might have been overlooked without the CD accompaniment to illustrate the written word.
   
   What really delighted me were the tables at the end of the book's discussion of Mahler's symphonies. In these tables, Hurwitz categorizes the symphonies according to their content of:
   
   "Marches and Dances,"
   "Screams, Crashes, and Thuds,"
   "Appearances of the 'Aspiration' or 'Redemption' Theme
   "Mahlerian Humor"
   "Large-scale Structure"
   
   If you are an admirer of Mahler's music, these tables will indicate to you that David Hurwitz "gets it"--he understands that Mahler's music is much more than sounds, or a simple concert performance by an orchestra. Mahler left behind the form-fitting rules of "Classical Music" because he had something bigger to say about life. David Hurwitz will help you appreciate Mahler even more than you already do!

3 comments about Sonatina Album for the Piano (Book & CD) (Alfred CD Edition).

1. This has become my favourite music book. The pieces are arranged for the intermediate piano student. It is a great introduction to some of the lesser known composers whose music you have heard, but never knew what it was! I love the plastic ring binder. The pages stay open. You won't have to break the spine of the book for it to stay open.



2. Excellent book and CD. Beautiful relatively easy to play musics. Love to have one.



3. I have the same Sonatina album , but a different edition without the ring binding. It is really difficult to open flat.The ring binding is really useful. The CD recording is not too clear though. The sound is a little fuzzy.

5 comments about Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) in Full Score.

1. This complete musical score to one of the greatest works of art by mankind comes in quality paper and print that I find quite satisfying. The lack of an English translation is no problem for me personally, because I have separate libretti with translations I can refer to when needed, and I use this book when I want to follow the musical score and sing along with the original Italian verses. One disappointment is that the German verses are in normal print, directly underneath the musical score, while the original Italian is in italics and under the German (therefore harder to read and follow), almost as if the book is intended more for people who want to follow the German, not the Italian. Since the opera is originally in Italian, it makes more sense to me that the German text and Italian text should be switched in terms of location and font. Nevertheless, I'm highly satisfied with the overall quality of this book, and it is definitely one of my favorite books within my music-related library.



2. The performers in this opera are excellent, as well as the orchestra. The problem lies in the fact that the "recitativi" are missing. As a result, you are not actually listening to the opera, but rather a series of highlights from the opera. It is very difficult to follow the opera as it develops, since the recitativi provide the opportunity to develop the plot line.
   If you are interested in hearing highlights from this opera, then you will be pleased with this CD and booklet. However, if you would like to listen to the complete opera as composed by Mozart, please look elsewhere.



3. As a newbie to opera I was looking to be educated by a publication that was attractively presented and informative.
   However, I was sorry to find that the recordings - described as complete - are in fact NOT what they seem.
   The recitatives are missing.
   For a newbie this is quite disconcerting, when trying to follow the libretto(which is complete).
   You find yourself racing over pages, trying to just keep up with the arias.
   Aside from that, the concept of book and cd is good. I also have Tosca and that is great.



4. The score is very clear printed and contains reherasl numbers. It's definately a good edition to have.



5. Full score is clear and reasonably accurate and easy to read. Words for vocal parts don't always line up clearly, and the choice to place German on top, with Italian below and italicized was a poor one. Reading the original language musically is thus a challenge, and non-German or Italian speakers won't have a meaningful translation close at hand either as there is no english through the score.

2 comments about Robin Hood.

1. I am an adult and I loved it.
   Much better than listening to talk radio while driving.



2. I bought this audioook for our girls (aged 7 and 9) to listen to on long journeys. We enjoy listening to it also and it certainly does make the journeys more bareable. Our [...]particularly loves this audiobook, in her words "it's awesome, even though it's a bit sad at the end when he dies."
   I feel it's better than simply watching a DVD all the time. At least they are using their imaginations to visualize the images and they are often inspired to sit and draw what they have imagined. I heartily recommend this audiobook.

2 comments about Anthology of Baroque Music.

1. Like the other books in the Norton Series, this anthology is designed to go along with the textbook by the same author. Similar to the other anthologies, this is much more helpful when used in conjunction with the textbook.
   
   This Anthology contains 130 excerpts by all sorts of Baroque composers. There are several aspects about the Anthology which I really like: there are a number of interesting, lesser known compositions by great composers here. I also appreciate the word for word translations in most of the vocal works which appear just above the musical staves. The cover picture is also fantastic, by the way. There is a website which evidently supplements this resource (wwnorton.com/college/music/hill), but I have not actually checked it out for myself.
   
   The major beef I have with this anthology, however, is its landscape layout. While this may mean that the Anthology fits together nicely with the book when it sits on the shelf, it poses a number of problems. First, if the shelf is not very deep, the Anthology juts out like a sore thumb. But the biggest problem is evident on the excerpt from Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Because the orchestral score is too long to fit on the short side of the page, it has to be set sideways. The reader must therefore flip through the pages as if flipping through an art sketchbook.
   
   Despite this nuisance, I think any purchaser of Hill's textbook should break down and get this Anthology as well. It helps illustrate Hill's points and is a useful guide to the varied music of the Baroque Era.



2. Dr. Hill's international reputation as one of the foremost experts in Baroque Music is well deserved. His Anthology is wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated. This book is a must for any serious student of music history and sets a new stadard for excellence in the field.

5 comments about Gramophone Classical Music Guide 2008 (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide) (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide).

1. To have the perfect selection, I use this guide in conjuction with The Penguin Guide to CDs and DVDs.



2. I find the Gramophone Classical Music Guide an eminently useful companion when searching for recordings to add to my cd want list. While the editors do lean a shade heavily on the side of English perfomers and orchestras (one should not be surprised,) their ratings & observations are always insightful & informative. True, on occasion the reviews can be a trifle overly opinionated, but very much like Simon Cowell, they always end up being rather correct once I've had a chance to hear the cd in question, any abrasive tendencies aside. This publication, along side the Penguin Guide, is a must have help for the discerning classical music buyer.
   Purchase with ultimate confidence!



3. The Gramofone Classical Music Guide (2008) is the best source of Classical Music information that I have found in recent times. Highly recommended. I am still looking for good information and I will take suggestions.
   
   reader1



4. Anyone wanting to use this guide should be aware that I have found it very quirky. For example I looked up Kurt Weil and thought I would find some reviews for the Three Penny Opera. To my surprise there was nothing. Also it does lean heavily to the english side of things for performers and composers. Overall, its good and that you could say it has personality and is individualistic.



5. I thought it would be interesting to have alternate opinions on classical music, but I still find myself picking up the Penguin guide. It is better written and more comprehensive. The authors of Gramophone seem stuck in the past and don't consider more modern recordings as much. Penguin does better comparisons as well. While I do not always agree on their evaluations, for the most part, it is a very reliable guide.

3 comments about Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes and Other Works for Piano.

1. I think this book is a "must-read" for whom likes Erik Satie's musik and new tendencies "modern music". The book price is really interesting, and as says Descartes: "L'on fait mieux des oeufs avec de l'eau qu'un hydrocéphale".



2. This is a very nice and large collection of Satie's works for piano. All of the pieces are reproduced from the original publications and Satie's comments in the original French are included and translated on the bottom of the pages. All three versions of Gymnopedies are there, but only the first 3 Gnossiennes. Many of Satie's compositions aren't divided into measures and it is very interesting to see how he actually wrote the music with his comments. Pieces like the Gnossiennes should be listened to before you actually play them. A good interpretation of all 6 is the CD Satie, 3 Gymnopedies and other piano works by Pascal Roge. Mr. Roge interprets the music beautifully. Then you can play them. Some of the other works included in this book are Sarabandes, Pieces froides (very interesting music), Embryons desseches, Morceaux en frome de Poire and there are 3 pieces written for 4 hands.



3. I have tried to find such a compilation for so long that I almost quit, until I tried amazon. It is very easy to read and the translation is very nice.
   Very recommended for any Satie fan and player.

5 comments about Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music.

1. Like many of the other reviewers I found this book to be disjointed and not a work of insight to classical music. This is a autobiography of a non-famous person, which also is the best review and description I can give of this work. If you like hearing the intimate details of someone you don't really know that well or care about, this would be appropriate. However, if you were looking for more information about the saucy world behind classical music, you would be gravely disappointed.



2. I am a flutist pursuing a performance career. I have had a couple of teachers who made choices in their lives similar to the sleeping around that Blair Tyndall did as a freelance oboist in NYC. These teachers did not have decent morals in the way the interacted with their students and had a negative effect on me; I left their studios very little respect for them as both musicians and as people.
   In addition, I have had the good fortune of having great teachers who are amazing human beings as well. These people developed their careers through intelligent, hard work, winning auditions, legitimate networking (not the sleeping around Blair claims she did to win gigs and eventually lose them)and guiding fine students along the way. I have tremendous respect for them and they have set a fine example as to how to create a fulfilling life for oneself.
   In music school, I knew a colleague who was going down essentially the same path as Blair. This colleague eventually dropped out of school and disappeared. She had talent, but because of her lack of control over her personal life, drug problems, immaturity, and lack of responsibility she did not make use of her talent.
   These examples demonstrate that Mozart in the Jungle serves as a recipe as to how not to pursue a career in classical music. Although, some of the anecdotes about the lack of finances for the arts are definitely worth noting. How shameful Blair does not have the creativity or insight to devise some possible solutions to the problems classical music is facing in North America.
   Blair, it is time for you to realize that you had a huge role to play in the hardships you suffered in your life. Did you honestly think you could sleep with colleagues, jilt them, and never face any consequences? Bashing an industry in which you never truly wanted to have a career will not do you or anyone any good. Nor will exposing all of your personal dramas and sexual encounters.
   No Vivaldi in the Garage by Sheldon Morgenstern is a much better book for learning about one's experience in classical music and to learn about how create new opportunities for the genre in our world.



3. Like some others who have offered reviews, I was also a musician in New York during some of the time Blair Tindall writes about in her book. I was a student at Juilliard from 1975 to 1979 and stayed in New York until 1980, when I left to work in Caracas, like many other young American conservatory graduates.
   
   It's fascinating to read a memoir which repeatedly mentions people I knew or at least met, and describes a world I recall vividly. The book is right on the mark, and what makes this such an amazing read is its honesty. You simply will not find a memoir that is LESS self-serving than this one, and that alone is reason enough to read it. If you are not of the classical music and musical theater world, this book will be amusing and eye-opening; for the rest of us, from this world, the experience will be that plus tired familiarity with the horrible situation that confronts those of us that try to make a living this way.
   
   I have also experienced much of what she did -- at the Beacon and Bretton Hall, not the Allendale; drinking, coke, dope, and black beauties in the stairways of Juilliard rather than the Manhattan school; showing up at the Juilliard prom ripped on amphetamines and wearing a gorilla suit; streaking around the Beacon Hotel at 2am on a cold February morning; parties that lasted days, not hours, and my Juilliard confreres approaching me in wonder (some knew I was part of this circle of demented composers and pianists) asking "is that party STILL going?". But classical musicians, as Ms. Tindall points out, are no different than bankers, stockbrokers, housewives, clerks, etc etc. We all did crazy and stupid things. Some of us did go to Plato's Retreat (pre-AIDS, of course). That was life in New York around 1980.
   
   And Blair, if you're reading this ... sorry I didn't meet you or work with you. I met Lionel down in Caracas, as I used to play chamber music with Peter, his lover. Great book! I hope you write more, maybe on the L.A. scene.



4. To begin with, I found Tindall's writing style awkward and amateurish, and I became tired of reading this book very quickly.
   
   This memoir has probably convinced many non-musicians that her life is typical. As a professional musician for over 25 years, I can assure everyone that many of us (such as myself), have stable marriages and families, don't take drugs, get drunk or have impulsive sex to get work.
   
   Blair, you made some bad and unnecessary choices in your life. A female musician does not need to sleep around to get work as a freelancer. If you play at a high standard, work well with other musicians and do not show up at work drunk or stoned you're more than half way there. Yes, you need to practice endlessly and work very hard on reedmaking; plenty of excellent female oboists do!
   
   If you didn't like the Manhattan School of Music, why not transfer out? If your teacher was bad, why did you stick with him at two schools for eight (!) years? You had the freedom to leave! An outstanding, hard working oboe student could have been accepted to any number of superior music schools.
   
   After failing to make the cut in several professional auditions, perhaps an earlier career change was in order? Or, maybe more practicing and less whining?



5. As an oboist married to another musician, I have a hard time believing anything she writes in this book. Not once in my career (or my husband's) have we come across any of the sex, drugs and nepotism that she suggests. I also have a hard time believing her, as she played with the New York Philharmonic and then goes on to review the New York Philharmonic later in her career. Conflict of interest much? This was a disgusting read. The only reason why I gave it two stars instead of one was because it was entertaining.

No comments about Challenges: A Memoir of My Life in Opera.