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New Music Book Publications - 11th October 2021
11th Oct 2021by James Longstaffe
A companion to Bach's Cello Suites by cellist, Steven Isserlis; a paperback edition of a biography of Schumann; an exploration of the religious, political and cultural contexts surrounding the life and music of Franz Liszt; a collection of musical puzzles and games from Classic FM; the history of Fazioli grand pianos; a discussion of the musical and cultural identities of Russian composers abroad; and a guide for teachers on the world of musical theatre.
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New Music Book Publications - 27th September 2021
27th Sep 2021by James Longstaffe
A paperback edition of Alex Ross's best-selling book on Wagnerism; reflections on music from twenty-six contributors in a variety of artistic, scientific, and political fields; an analysis of works depicting the soundscapes of American places; a new approach to music teaching from Paul Harris; a theory of the power of musical motives; reflections on the music of Milton Babbitt; and a dissection of the music and lyrics of Bob Dylan.
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New Music Book Publications - 13th September 2021
13th Sep 2021by James Longstaffe
Texts and translations of the complete Lieder of Hugo Wolf; an introduction to Sibelius and his cultural environment; an analysis of Beethoven's String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131; an examination of recently-discovered fragments of medieval polyphony in Dorset; an exploration of opera in postwar Venice; and a guide to music copyright in the digital age.
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Víkingur Ólafsson performs piano music by Mozart and contemporaries
3rd Sep 2021by James Longstaffe
For his fourth album on Deutsche Grammophon, the Icelandic pianist presents a sublime, intelligent programme of works by Mozart alongside pieces by Haydn, Galuppi, Cimarosa, and CPE Bach.
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New Music Book Publications - 30th August 2021
30th Aug 2021by James Longstaffe
An analysis of Charles Ives's Concord Sonata; essays exploring the relationship between music and romanticism; a history of music for children; an examination of the reception of Bartók's music in fascist Italy; paperback editions of books on Brahms, Schoenberg, singing in Renaissance Italy, and self-referential elements in late medieval music; a handbook of contemporary ballet; a discussion of African music in Brazil; and a guide for teachers on instilling wellness in musicians.
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New Music Book Publications - 16th August 2021
16th Aug 2021by James Longstaffe
Paperback editions of books on Brahms and Chopin; an encyclopedia of the life and works of Stravinsky; the history of Erard pianos; an examination of the origins of the coloratura soprano in nineteenth-century opera; ideas for making music with very young children; strategies for using cognitive science to optimise practice and performance; and a collection of essays discussing the professional challenges facing ethnomusicologists.
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Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla: The British Project
13th Aug 2021by James Longstaffe
The Lithuanian conductor and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra present evocative and dramatic accounts of four works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten, and Walton.
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New Music Book Publications - 2nd August 2021
2nd Aug 2021by James Longstaffe
A history of the piano as explored through the lens of 100 pieces; a guide to the music of Hector Berlioz; an examination of the film music of John Williams; an exploration of the role of music in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds; a look at how differing performance venues have helped to shape the history of jazz; and a memoir of the singer Amy Winehouse by her childhood friend.
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Beethoven Piano Concertos from Krystian Zimerman and Simon Rattle
16th Jul 2021by James Longstaffe
Zimerman, Rattle, and the London Symphony Orchestra present expressively exuberant performances of Beethoven's five piano concertos that are full of joy, wit, and drama.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th July 2021
5th Jul 2021by James Longstaffe
Books on composers including Benjamin Britten and Ernest Moeran; a re-evaluation of how to write music history; an exploration of the importance of operettas in early twentieth-century Viennese life; analyses of musicals including Spamalot and The Music Man; and collections of essays on the drum kit and music in video games.
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Andris Nelsons conducts symphonies by Shostakovich
25th Jun 2021by James Longstaffe
The latest instalment in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's cycle of Shostakovich symphonies juxtaposes the First and Fifteenth Symphonies, alongside expressive performances of the Fourteenth Symphony and the Chamber Symphony in C minor.
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New Music Book Publications - 21st June 2021
21st Jun 2021by James Longstaffe
Several books on Beethoven including a paperback edition of Laura Tunbridge's award-winning volume focusing on nine pieces from the composer's output; a biography of opera singer, Maria Callas; an examination of the ways in which Ravel's music is often described as magical and illusory; the first comprehensive biography of Ivor Gurney; and a handbook to forging a career as a conductor.
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New Music Book Publications - 7th June 2021
7th Jun 2021by James Longstaffe
The official guide to the 2021 BBC Proms; a collection of letters to and from Gerald Finzi; a biography of Ravi Shankar; a consideration of the importance of liturgy and music during the reign of Louis XIII; an examination of the role that music played in the writings of E.M. Forster; a subversive history of music from the point of view of social outcasts; ideas on teaching composition in the secondary classroom; and an exploration of the musical history of modern Black Britain.
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András Schiff performs piano concertos by Brahms
4th Jun 2021by James Longstaffe
The Hungarian-born pianist is joined by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for a recording of Brahms's two piano concertos that strips away performance traditions to present refreshingly original accounts of both works, full of detail and character.
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New Music Book Publications - 24th May 2021
24th May 2021by James Longstaffe
A biography of Russian composer, Nikolay Myaskovsky; the memoirs of Austrian conductor, Franz Welser-Möst; an updated edition of Ted Gioia's classic history of jazz; a critical companion to motets of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; an analysis of the shepherd's melody from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde; an examination of the historical role of the clarinet; and an intrepid tale of the booming sound of the foghorn.
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Vasily Petrenko conducts Russian and Austrian symphonies and orchestral works
21st May 2021by James Longstaffe
A double bill from the Russian-British conductor, with the Oslo Philharmonic performing symphonies by Prokofiev and Myaskovsky, and tone poems by Zemlinsky and Schreker with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
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New Music Book Publications - 3rd May 2021
3rd May 2021by James Longstaffe
Books on composers including Berg, Fauré, and Gluck; a study of musical polystylism in the final decades of the Soviet Union; an exploration of choral singing in Ancient Greece; an examination of the ways in which Baroque composers notated tempos in their scores before the invention of the metronome; an account of Chinese street music and its impact on the local community; and several books celebrating the eightieth birthday of iconic musician, Bob Dylan.
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François-Xavier Roth conducts Beethoven's Eroica Symphony
23rd Apr 2021by James Longstaffe
Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth return to the music of Beethoven with a dramatic, illuminating account of the Third Symphony, coupled with an energetic performance of an overture by Méhul.
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New Music Book Publications - 19th April 2021
19th Apr 2021by James Longstaffe
An examination of the appeal and power of music in times of crisis; an exploration of how the musical press in France affected the notion of a "canon" of works; a discussion of the interaction between music and its listeners in the digital age; a biography of the early life of Bob Dylan; and a collection of iconic covers from the Blue Note label.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th April 2021
5th Apr 2021by James Longstaffe
Volumes on composers such as Brahms, Charles Ives, and Arthur Sullivan; an analysis of the depictions of musical instruments found on a sumptuous piece of Elizabethan furniture; examinations of Jewish music in Germany after the Second World War and of the effect that jazz had on Europe after World War One; a history of how the human species has listened to music through the ages; and a paperback edition of Philip Clark's biography of Dave Brubeck.