Brahms' symphonies are often treated somewhat like medicine, as something 'good for you', but otherwise lacking in purely sensual pleasure. This book takes the reader beyond the jargon and pedantry and unlocks the mystery (and the joy) contained within Brahms' symphonies.
Aids listeners in getting beneath the surface of Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth 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.
Studies of concert life in nineteenth-century America have generally been limited to large orchestras and the programs we are familiar with. This book reveals that audiences of that era enjoyed far more diverse musical experiences than such focus would suggest.
Presents the story of one of the most high-profile and enduring institutions in British cultural life: the Proms. This book describes the Proms history by focusing on how changes in society have influenced its development, and how the Proms itself has been responsible for shaping the tastes and listening habits of a whole nation.
Focusing on responses to the symphony in the age of Beethoven, this work draws on contemporary accounts and a range of sources - philosophical, literary, political, and musical - to reveal how this music was experienced by those who heard it first. It is a reinterpretation of the causes and effects of a revolution in listening.
The mute choreography of great conductors has fascinated and frustrated musicians and music-lovers for centuries, from Toscanini to Karajan, from Carlos Kleiber to Gustavo Dudamel. This book offers an insight into the rehearsal rooms of some of the most inspirational orchestral partnerships in the world.
The Halle was formed in 1858, a full five years after the Liverpool Philharmonic's committee papers show that it first engaged its professional band. This book charts the history of the Phil from its foundation by a group of Liverpool music lovers in 1840 onwards, where it remains very much at the heart of Liverpool's cultural life.
Bringing together young musicians from Palestine, Israel and the other countries of the Middle East, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is both one of the most acclaimed youth orchestras in the world and a powerful ray of hope in a war-torn region. This book explores the orchestra's journey through the remarkable stories of its members.