Customer Reviews

The Musical Dialogue - Thoughts on Monteverdi, Bach and Mozart (Paperback)

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This is a very educational read for lovers of the music of Monteverdi, Bach, and Mozart who are interested in 'how' they are performed and what is 'period-consistent' ... according to the legendary conductor.

It is not an easy read... quite technical and require that you can at least read music score and have at least some understanding of classical composition. Herr Harnoncourt discusses what he deduces from what 'is not' written in the score of these composers (ex: when there're markings that seem redundant or unnecessary, they're there to cancel out something else that was so taken for granted as 'traditional way of playing' in those times that the composers didn't feel they needed to put it on the score, etc). He also discusses some specific works like Monteverdi's 'L'incoronazione di Poppea', Mozart's 'Idomeneo', and Bach's 'St Matthew's Passion'.

Very well written (and translated)... thought provoking and helps me understand Herr Harnoncourt's style of conducting these music better. But you've gotta do your homeworks and know something about music composition before trying this book (at the very least, know how to read music and about harmony and musical structure). I'd have loved it if he had included some photos of autograph scores by the composers... or a CD. But then I think the book was written for his musical colleague rather than to the general public.

Superb study focusing on interpretation/performance of the works of the three named composers. Familiarity with the works discussed, and some knowledge of music notation, will be helpful - having records, CDs, or DVDs of Harnoncourt's performances of course adds an extra dimension. Highly recommended.