Customer Reviews

Mozart - Simplified Piano Solos: 57 Selections from Symphonies, Concertos, Operas and Piano Works for Piano Solo (World's Greatest Classical Music)

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I'm enjoying this treasury of favorite Mozart themes. It's exactly what the title says, and more. Somewhat simplified (obviously) but Mozart's clear, sparkling sound isn't lost. Some pieces, like the lovely "Ave Verum Corpus" are easily within reach of beginners, and there's a terrific arrangement of that all-time chestnut,"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - all three movements! The arias can be a challenge, but it's great fun to play the famous "Queen of Night" aria with its coloratura and high B flats (without having to sing them!)
The arrangements can be long, as they are complete and not watered down, such as "La ci darem la mano (from Don "Giovanni) seems to go on and on. I would say most of this book is a comfortable intermediate level, and easy to read. My only quibble is - as with most new music books - it's a pain to keep open without fussing with clips for every page turn.
That's a minor complaint. This is a MAJOR pleasure!

The painting on the front of this book is charming but rather odd - the boy being tossed into the air has contorted limbs. But once you open it up, you'll fall in love with it. Eggshell colored paper and beautiful engraving make this a treat to play from. There's really a fairly wide range of difficulty in this book - songs an advance player could sight read and others that will take some practicing. But the melodies are familiar and the arrangements retain the integrity of the originals. Try it out!