Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fresh and engaging new series, June 16, 2005
This review is from: Notes on Schubert: 20 Crucial Works (Paperback)
This series of small but dense guide books on the Top 20 major works of the great composers is a welcome addition to the music literature. It is difficult for the average person to find many decent "guides to major works" beyond Mozart and Beethoven that is not like 30 years old. Enter this new series by the talented music writer Conrad Wilson, written for the new or average music lover. It makes interesting and educational reading with the freshness of a 21st century perspective and format. His selection of Schubert's top 20 would likely be on most classical fan's list and are all masterpieces that were never recognized until decades after Schubert's death.
I found Mr. Wilson's commentary quite in-depth and thought provoking. Here's a good example: in his analysis of the great Octet, the author goes against the mainstream view that this work was merely an innocent, lyrical work to make the case of a more personally-involved composition with several movements revealing a troubling and sometimes dark undercurrent - based likely on Schubert's deep sadness and illnesses at the time. I also liked having a few comparisons of the author's favorite recordings though, while not exhaustive of course, helped further elaborate on the music and give guidance for those looking to buy a reliable performance on CD. In short, a refreshing and well recommended series with new releases due Oct. 2005 including Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn and others. An alternative guide of similar temperment would be "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical Music Collection," which lists most major composers, their most significant works by category (Symphony, concerto, chamber, piano, opera/vocal) and recommended recordings in an entertaining writing style.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good survey of Schubert, October 25, 2005
This review is from: Notes on Schubert: 20 Crucial Works (Paperback)
Conrad Wilson has put together a series of brief introductions to major composers and their works. Already published books include Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, with more volumes on the way. These are put out by Eerdmans, one of the great scholarly publishing houses. This is a good series both for the music lover and for those starting out in learning about music; the books assume no particular technical training or knowledge about music, but do not 'dumb down' the material for the reader. Wilson will use the occasional musical term, but this is kept to a minimum.
The concept of the text is fairly simple - composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven produced hundreds if not thousands of pieces; how does the average music listener start to learn about these? Wilson uses the 'top twenty' device - the 'top ten' would be too limiting, particularly for prolific composers, and any more most likely ends up being less of a selective process. However, this is not a true 'top twenty' in terms of hierarchical ranking, but rather a representative twenty works from the range of the composer highlighted.
In the Schubert text, Wilson includes the following twenty:
- 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200
- Piano Quintet in A major ('The Trout'), D667
- Symphony No. 7 (8) in B minor ('Unfinished'), D759
- Wanderer Fantasy, D760
- Die schone Mullerin, D795
- Octet in F major, D803
- String Quartet in A minor, D804
- Piano Sonata in D major, D850
- Symphony No. 8 (9) in C major ('Great'), D944
- String Quartet in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D810
- String Quartet in G major, D887
- Four Impromptus, D899; Four Impromptus, D935
- Piano Trio in E flat major, D929
- Winterreise, D911
- Fantasy in F minor for piano duet, D940
- Piano Sonata in A major, D959
- Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960
- String Quintet in C major, D956
- Schwanengesang, D957
Each of the essays included is in the terms of programme notes, the kind of piece one might find in a concert or opera programme booklet at a performance. Wilson intersperses brief, one-page pieces on Schubert with three to four-page pieces on the works themselves; while things are arranged chronologically, this isn't really meant to be taken as a definitive biographical treatment, but rather biographical sketch to place the music in context with Schubert's overall life.
Wilson provides suggestions for particular recordings/performances of the pieces, and provides a glossary of terms at the end of the text. Wilson is a good writer, and keeps the reader engaged. This is a very good series for those who want a quick, ready reference or a brief survey of a composer's life.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good survey of Schubert, December 17, 2005
Conrad Wilson has put together a series of brief introductions to major composers and their works. Already published books include Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, with more volumes on the way. These are put out by Eerdmans, one of the great scholarly publishing houses. This is a good series both for the music lover and for those starting out in learning about music; the books assume no particular technical training or knowledge about music, but do not 'dumb down' the material for the reader. Wilson will use the occasional musical term, but this is kept to a minimum.
The concept of the text is fairly simple - composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven produced hundreds if not thousands of pieces; how does the average music listener start to learn about these? Wilson uses the 'top twenty' device - the 'top ten' would be too limiting, particularly for prolific composers, and any more most likely ends up being less of a selective process. However, this is not a true 'top twenty' in terms of hierarchical ranking, but rather a representative twenty works from the range of the composer highlighted.
In the Schubert text, Wilson includes the following twenty:
- 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200
- Piano Quintet in A major ('The Trout'), D667
- Symphony No. 7 (8) in B minor ('Unfinished'), D759
- Wanderer Fantasy, D760
- Die schone Mullerin, D795
- Octet in F major, D803
- String Quartet in A minor, D804
- Piano Sonata in D major, D850
- Symphony No. 8 (9) in C major ('Great'), D944
- String Quartet in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D810
- String Quartet in G major, D887
- Four Impromptus, D899; Four Impromptus, D935
- Piano Trio in E flat major, D929
- Winterreise, D911
- Fantasy in F minor for piano duet, D940
- Piano Sonata in A major, D959
- Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960
- String Quintet in C major, D956
- Schwanengesang, D957
Each of the essays included is in the terms of programme notes, the kind of piece one might find in a concert or opera programme booklet at a performance. Wilson intersperses brief, one-page pieces on Schubert with three to four-page pieces on the works themselves; while things are arranged chronologically, this isn't really meant to be taken as a definitive biographical treatment, but rather biographical sketch to place the music in context with Schubert's overall life.
Wilson provides suggestions for particular recordings/performances of the pieces, and provides a glossary of terms at the end of the text. Wilson is a good writer, and keeps the reader engaged. This is a very good series for those who want a quick, ready reference or a brief survey of a composer's life.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
