The great composers of classical music have achieved exalted status because their music has universal appeal, but approaching them for the first time -- or trying to understand them in the context of their lives and times -- can be a daunting task. Great Classical Composers solves both problems for eight giants of classical music. Each of these composers -- Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi -- was an innovator in his time. This collection intersperses musical vignettes with scenes from their lives, charting the struggles and glories they encountered and the public's response to their creations. Each cassette is devoted to a single composer, and offers background details and dramatizations from composers' lives, along with examples from their most famous works.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This work focuses on Bach, Verdi, Beethoven, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Strauss the Younger, and Tchaikovsky. Each tape consists of a narration (by Gary Hope, Kevin Flood, Marcia Warren, and others) combined with brief dramatizations, portions of the composers' oeuvre, and some information about everyday life during that particular era. Basic biographical data are included, along with lesser-known facts, e.g., Bach's arrest and imprisonment for one month and Beethoven's one opera that was not well received at the time of its debut. While the dramatizations add to what could be an otherwise dry narrative, those sections of this reviewer's copy were prone to a slight distortion and distracting echo when heard on a small portable player, though there was no noticeable problem on a large stereo system. The background music is dubbed at a volume level that does not overwhelm the narration. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Laurie Selwyn, San Antonio P.L.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Written by radio and television writers and musicians, this anthology is so much more than music to the ears. These eight tapes, each covering a different composer, provide the listener with the biography of the man's life and the social and historical context in which his works were written, all interspersed with beautiful music. Each snapshot is artfully narrated with actors playing the parts of the composers and their contemporaries. The production is so polished and exceptional that each composer--from Bach to Beethoven, Handel to Strauss--comes to life in full stereo. The only shortcoming to the package is that only eight composers are covered in too short a time! H.L.S. 2002 Audie Finalist © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Time,
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This review is from: Great Classical Composers: Appreciating Their Lives and Music (Audio Cassette)
"Great Classical Composers" is nearly seven hours in length, but you'll find the time well spent if you are interested in classical music. Beginning with Bach in the 17th century and ending at the dawn of the 20th with Verdi, Strauss and Tchaikovsky, the tapes cover over two hundred years and arguably the greatest composers who ever lived.
The stories are a combination of narraration, actors reading quotes from the composers, and excerpts from some of their most famous compositions. You will hear Handel's "Messiah," Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," Beethoven's 5th and 9th Symphonies, Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and much more. In addition, you will also learn the stories behind the works, often revealing details not commonly known. Overall, this was a very good program. There was a slight echo when some actors were quoting the composers, but this does not detract much from the overall excellence of the production. Four stars. Good stuff!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enteraining way to learn about 8 great composers featured,
By
This review is from: Great Classical Composers: Appreciating Their Lives and Music (Audio Cassette)
If you want to learn about these composers but don't feeling like reading about them, then this is for you. Each tape has 2 sides, containg information on a certain composer. Different voices are used to portray different people, and excerpts from some of the composers' most famous works are included on the tape.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Waste of Money,
By
This review is from: Great Classical Composers: Appreciating Their Lives and Music (Audio Cassette)
This book is boring. Reader speaks in monotone. Does not hold attention and runs in circles. More informative books available on this subject.
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