Although most people agree that Mozart's music sparkles brilliantly, no one knows for sure how Mozart created those majestic glimmering sounds. Today, scholars are investigating Mozart's life and work, not only to assess and admire how great a composer he was, but also to find why his music is so outstanding and intricate on one hand and so appealing to all including the common man at the same time. Mozart's best music has a natural flow and irresistible charm, and can express humor, joy or sorrow with both conviction and mastery. His compositions, especially his later efforts, are brilliant examples of a pure art form; even his lesser compositions and juvenile works feature much attractive and often masterful music. Despite such fervor and brilliance, Mozart's life was tormented by many difficulties and mysteries which have not yet been completely revealed. This work aims to offer some reflections about the most debated aspects of his intense existence.

LUCA ANDREA GIORDANO lives in Italy. He holds doctorate degrees in Foreign Languages, Modern Philology, Vocal Performance (Opera and Chamber music) and Oboe. He dedicates his time equally as a linguist and interpreter assisting professional departments at various Italian Music Conservatories in English and French, and as author of extensive analytical works in musicology, linguistics and composition for important publishing houses. He has been associated with the Opera House "Giuseppe Verdi" in Salerno, as chorus member, since 1999. He also performs frequently as classical singer and oboist at national and international levels.

The Struggle of the Magicians. Choreographed and staged by Georg Gurdjieff for the first time more than a century ago, this ballet became a magnet attracting thousands of spiritually disillusioned men and women to performances in Europe and the U.S. after WW I, then it simply vanished from sight after WW II. Its reappearance in print commemorates the birthday of Mr. Gurdjieff 131 years ago (Jan 13, 1872)

The history of classical music is littered with murder, adultery, bigamy, fraud, sado-masochism, riches, poverty, gluttony, nervous breakdowns, bizarre behaviour and terrible, terrible toilet humour (Mozart was the prime exponent of the latter). Classical music - nice? Not at all. It's the most immediate expression of mental and emotional extremes- often deceptive, sometimes dangerous and frequently a discomforting revelation. Swooning documents the all too human flaws in the lives of the great composers by loosely following the sequence of emotions as experienced in a love affair - one that doesn't work out, of course. In this fully revised and updated edition, Christopher Lawrence leads us through the listening experience, from anger and Beethoven to sadness and Tchaikovsky, triumph and Wagner and freedom and Mozart - it's all here in this whimsical guide to the conduct of a romance, with some handy hints on how to make it more, well, harmonious. One of Australia's favourite radio personalities, Christopher Lawrence boasts a career spanning more than 40 years of broadcasting. He is best known for his work with ABC Classic FM, presenting the network's Breakfast and Drive programs between 1994 and 2001. Three of the Swoon CDs that evolved out of his Breakfast program broke sales records in the Australian classical music industry, each achieving Platinum status. As an orchestral and opera recording producer Christopher has been awarded an International Emmy for Performing Arts, three ARIA Awards, a Churchill Fellowship, and the Editors' Choice Award at the Cannes Classical Awards in France. Christopher has written three best-selling books- Swooning; Hymns of the Forefathers, based on his documentary series about the history of hymns seen on ABC TV; and Swing Symphony. He can be heard on ABC Classic FM from 9 a.m. to midday presenting Mornings.