Classical Opera category: 1804 books

The BBC Proms is the world's biggest and longest-running classical music festival and one of the jewels in the crown for the BBC. It is one of the strongest brand names in the music world and attracts a glittering array of artists and orchestras from the UK and around the world in over 150 concerts,...

Forced by a hand injury to abandon a career as a pianist, Robert Schumann went on to become one of the world's great composers. Among many works, his Spring Symphony (1841), Piano Concerto in A Minor (1841/1845), and the Third, or Rhenish, Symphony (1850) exemplify his infusion of classical forms...

`The use of high male voices in the past has long been one of the most seriously misunderstood areas of musical scholarship and practice. In opening up this rich subject (to readers of all sorts) with refreshingly clear perspectives and plenty of new material, Simon Ravens' well-researched book goes...

Classical composers seeking to create an American sound enjoyed unprecedented success during the 1930s and 1940s. Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, Howard Hanson and others brought national and international attention to American composers for the first time in history. In the years after World War II, however,...

The zheng zither is one of the most popular instruments in contemporary China. It is commonly regarded as a solo instrument with a continuous tradition dating back to ancient times. But in fact, much of its contemporary solo repertory is derived from several different regional folk ensemble repertories...

String players face a bewildering array of terms related to their instruments. Because string playing is a living art form, passed directly from master to student, the words used to convey complex concepts such as bow techniques and fingering systems have developed into an extensive vocabulary that...

Spanish émigré guitarist Celedonio Romero gave his American debut performance on a June evening in 1958. In the sixty years since, the Romero Family—Celedonio, his wife Angelita, sons Celín, Pepe, and Angel, as well as grandsons Celino and Lito—have become preeminent in the world of Spanish...

Despite pervasive intolerance, Dean Dixon became in 1941 the first Black American to conduct the New York Philharmonic. Yet the acclaim that followed in his wake could not prevent him from departing his home country eight years later for Europe. There Dixon moved to a full roster of prestigious guest...

Italian-born Ludovico Einaudi's Piano music has struck a chord with audiences across the world, and his distinctive meditative style has confirmed his place in the music industry. His albums have soared high in the classical charts and his recitals have been sell-outs. This is Ludovico Einaudi's...

This wonderful work by Maurice Ravel contains a score for the solo piano. It is a fine example of the composer's work and a fantastic addition to any classical musician's repertoire. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce. We are...

With the same authority, insight, and unique ability to bring music to life on the printed page that he brought to his Guide to Chamber Music, Melvin Berger gives us an indispensable guide to the sonata form. Comprehensive, analytical, and historical, including descriptions in nontechnical language...

Classical music and DADGAD tuning work amazingly well together, as Rob MacKillop's latest book shows. You might be surprised how easy it is to play tunes by Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and others on the steel-strung acoustic guitar. These brilliant arrangements start easy, then gradually...

The German Baroque period featured three virtuosi—Biber, Westhoff and Johann Jakob Walther. Walther (1650-1717) performed as a violinist in the orchestra of Cosimo III from 1670 to 1674 (Medici dynasty) and served as concertmaster at the court in Dresden. Walther’s compositions are contained...

Samba is a French comedy-drama film directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. The Original Soundtrack (PVG) features 12 songs from this critically-acclaimed film, including five pieces by Ludovico Einaudi, all arranged for Piano, Voice and Guitar. The soundtrack is the true star of Samba....