..". a joy to read." -- Choice

..".spiritedly written... " -- Music and Letters

Although theRussian piano concerto had inauspicious beginnings, its development during the19thcentury laid superb artistic foundations for the monumental concerti of the 20thcentury. Insights gained here will help performers and teachers to understand laterdevelopments in concerto writing.

The story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq is here told by its musical director from its inception to its eventual end. The NYOI came through the most difficult and dangerous of times to produce fine music not only in Iraq but also in Britain, Germany, France and the United States. A beacon of hope and achievement the young musicians and their tutors made bridges across their own ethnic divisions, made great music in the most trying and tragic of circumstances, and became their country's best ambassadors in 5000 years.

The BBC Proms Guides provide all the background and information you need about some of the most exciting works in the repertory. As one of the world's leading music festivals, the BBC Proms has over the years published unrivalled, highly praised programme notes by today's leading writers on music. This volume provides an accessible guide to the some of the most familiar and best-loved concertos in the repertory. From Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons', through Mozart's glorious piano concertos and the great virtuoso display-pieces of the nineteenth century by Brahms, Tchaikovsky and many others, this volume brings us musically right up to date with the modern masterpieces of Prokofiev and Britten, Lutoslawski, Ligeti and John Tavener. The thrilling duel between soloist and orchestra which is at the heart of concerto form has remained constant through centuries of change and many different musical languages. If you want to know more about how the great concertos were written and what to listen out for as you encounter these remarkable pieces, this is the place to start.

Originally intended as the first piece in a cycle of four impressions entitled In the New Forest, Burley Heath was written in 1902 but never finished. The manuscript represents a 168-bar fragment, which James Francis Brown, the editor of this edition, has completed by inserting a recapitulation of the initial material. Marking the first publication of this previously little-known early work, this edition also contains an introduction by the editor. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental form the hire library or appropriate agent.

This book is the first full biography of George Szell, one of the greatest orchestra and opera conductors of the twentieth century. From child prodigy pianist and composer to world-renowned conductor, Szell's career spanned seven decades, and he led most of the great orchestras and opera companies of the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the NBC and Chicago Symphonies, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and Opera, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. A protege of composer-conductor Richard Strauss at the Berlin State Opera, his crowning achievement was his twenty-four-year tenure as musical director of the Cleveland Orchestra, transforming it into one of the world's greatest ensembles, touring triumphantly in the United States, Europe, the Soviet Union, South Korea, and Japan. Michael Charry, a conductor who worked with Szell and interviewed him, his family, and his associates over several decades, draws on this first-hand material and correspondence, orchestra records, reviews, and other archival sources to construct a lively and balanced portrait of Szell's life and work from his birth in 1897 in Budapest to his death in 1970 in Cleveland. Readers will follow Szell from his career in Europe, Great Britain, and Australia to his guest conducting at the New York Philharmonic and his distinguished tenure at the Metropolitan Opera and Cleveland Orchestra. Charry details Szell's personal and musical qualities, his recordings and broadcast concerts, his approach to the great works of the orchestral repertoire, and his famous orchestrational changes and interpretation of the symphonies of Robert Schumann. The book also lists Szell's conducting repertoire and includes a comprehensive discography. In highlighting Szell's legacy as a teacher and mentor as well as his contributions to orchestral and opera history, this biography will be of lasting interest to concert-goers, music lovers, conductors, musicians inspired by Szell's many great performances, and new generations who will come to know those performances through Szell's recorded legacy.

In 2004 the London Symphony Orchestra celebrated its hundredth birthday. The centenary finds the orchestra acclaimed as one of the best in the world, making music with the most charismatic conductors and soloists on the planet. In this compelling and highly praised biography, leading columnist Richard Morrison examines all sides of the LSO: from the notorious playboy era of the 1970s and the disastrous early years at the Barbican to the remarkable transformation into one of the most dazzling and ambitious arts organisations that Britain has ever produced. 'Richard Morrison has done a splendid job for the LSO. The historical facts are all here, laced with saucy criticism and spiced with anecdotes . . . a fine achievement.' Sunday Telegraph 'Owned and organised by its players, the LSO is a glorious example of teamwork in an industry of prima donnas. Richard Morrison writes enjoyably about the telepathy that binds a string section, the gesticulations that distinguish a great conductor and the schoolboy humour that enlivens rehearsals.' Observer 'Contains all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster . . . The fact that Morrison's book is non-fiction does little to detract from the glitzy, compelling, moving and fascinating story.' Scotland on Sunday

Bringing together young musicians from Palestine, Israel and other countries of the Middle East, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is both one of the most acclaimed youth orchestras in the world and a rare note of hope in a war-torn region. Founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said in 1999, it aims to promote Arab-Israeli understanding through music. In An Orchestra Beyond Borders, Elena Cheah, a professional musician and assistant to Daniel Barenboim, explores the orchestra's journey through the remarkable stories of the musicians that comprise it. These youthful testimonies are a window into the life of the region. Together, they communicate the musicians' ambitions and hopes, their varied and conflicting views on life and politics, and above all the orchestra's transformative ability to create an atmosphere of musical cooperation away from the implications and hardships of a world full of division and conflict.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has been a part of the arts scene in Toronto for eighty years. Richard Warren, the orchestra's archivist since 1976, uncovers taped interviews and other documentation of the orchestra's musicians, visiting artists, music directors, and administrative personnel, to present an insider's view of the orchestra, and by doing so makes the history of this great cultural institution come alive.

In describing the challenges, achievements, and trials of the orchestra, Warren includes the stories of artists who performed with the orchestra and who then went on to become outstanding performers on the world stage, including Seiji Ozawa, Sir Andrew Davis, Jon Vickers, Lois Marshall, Maureen Forrester, Zara Nelsova, and Ben Heppner, among many others. He also recounts the orchestra's tours through China, the United States, Britain, Japan, Australia, and Europe, and their performances in the renowned theatres of London, New York, Sydney, Vienna, and Berlin. The symphony has become an icon of Canadian culture and enriched the lives of Torontonians and all Canadians as an important part of our heritage.

From Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring to Gustav Holst's The Planets and Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps, Masterworks of 20th-Century Music collects over 100 of the most celebrated and frequently played compositions by world composers. Based on the author's survey of dozens of American orchestras, these are works that we all recognize, but whose history we may not know. Each entry gives the reader a wealth of information about: the composer, when and where the piece was first performed, the "style" of the composition, and a basic analysis of the music. From the general reader to the music scholar, this book will prove a source of valuable information and a constant pleasure.

World-wide in scope and focusing on the second half of the 20th century, this work provides biographies and discographies of 500 composers and conductors of light and popular orchestral music, including film, show, theatre and mood music. The book is arranged in two sequences: the first, "Biographies and select discographies", both arranged alphabetically, of the well-known and better-known conductors and composers. These entries include a list of suggested reading for those wishing to further their studies; and secondly "Select discographies" of conductors about whom little or no biographical information is available. The select bibliography at the end of the book covers discographical sources, popular music and film music.

Before his death in 1994, Norman Del Mar was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost authorities on the orchestra. "Anatomy of the Orchestra" is written not only for fellow conductors, players, students, and professional musicians, but also for everyone interested in the performance of orchestral music.

This is a study of Saint Saens's concertante works - five concertos for piano, three for violin, two for cello, and shorter works.

Before his death in 1994, Norman Del Mar was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost authorities on the orchestra. "Anatomy of the Orchestra" is written not only for fellow conductors, players, students, and professional musicians, but also for everyone interested in the performance of orchestral music.