Boydell & Brewer

We are fortunate to have Dean's erudite and enthusiastic advocacy of these splendid works. Handel's Operas provides essential reading for scholars, a warning for directors, information for opera-goers...and... — Musical Times More…

These essays, some the result of this new access, include...Kevin Salfen's very fine chapter on No drama...Jenny Doctor on Britten's wartime radio work and Byron Adams on the little-explored... — BBC Music Magazine More…

This totally absorbing account, fluently narrated and minutely documented with the help of the prolific letter-writing Wesleys, guarantees a sympathetic hearing for the troubled Samuel. It deserves... — Musical Times More…

Simon Holt is a leading presence in contemporary music...With a generous array of colour-plates and numerous musical examples, the book is a richly-textured resource — BBC Music Magazine More…

The documentation is wonderfully rich — The Times More…

Britten was uncomfortable in front of a camera, at best hiding his true self behind an 'enigmatic smile'. [...] but [these pictures] reveal a more relaxed, happier man to set against the tense,... — BBC Music Magazine More…

All is admiration for a study which, as well as fulfilling those old cliches 'essential' and 'important', is most readably written. More than being just a guide to the songs, it becomes en route... — Gramophone Magazine More…

The reader is treated to a wide-ranging discussion that is stylishly written and invitingly presented — Musical Times More…