Details
| Size | | Length: | 506 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 32.0 oz |
Industry Reviews
A former music critic for the Boston Globe, Steinberg (The Symphony: A Reader's Guide) here gathers some 122 essays, some of which began as notes to programs given by the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra, among others. Now based in Edina, Minn., Steinberg generally focuses on the most-often played concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and other popular composers. Although this is not the book to open if you're looking for data on a rare item by the likes of Nikolai Miaskovsky or Vagn Holmboe, it is nevertheless a worthwhile introduction for readers shy of technical matters. Steinberg intersperses his essays with plenty of commentary about various concertos from musicians, who generally have more pertinent things to say than a good many musicologists. Although there are musical examples, they need not scare off readers who have never studied music. Inevitably, in a collection of articles such as this, there will be some painful omissions: thus, although Witold Lutoslawski's great Cello Concerto merits an article, none is devoted to his equally great Piano Concerto. Modern composers such as Henri Dutilleux, Bohuslav Martinu and Darius Milhaud are not discussed here, nor are there any entries about popular classical works such as Haydn's Cello Concertos. While this book not an all-inclusive or encyclopedic guide, this collection of articles has a relaxed, easy charm that will most likely win over readers unfamiliar with the subject. (Oct.)
Bukey
Similar to Steinberg's earlier volume The Symphony: A Listener's Guide (LJ 9/1/95), these essays were originally written for the program books of the Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and other orchestras. The 117 concertos chosen represent an interesting cross-section of works by the most popular composers (Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart), some less popular ones (Schoenberg, Sessions), and a few surprises (Perle, Nielsen, Zimmerman). A wide range of material facts about the composers' lives, notable circumstances surrounding the first performances of the work punctuate his discussion of each composition. The entries are all clearly written, although it is assumed that the reader has a fairly good knowledge of the standard musical repertory, and technical information is included. For the amateur with a musical background, this is a valuable and very interesting collection. Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto
Leuchtenburg
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