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Following on the success of the Story of Classical Music, Darren Henley and Aled Jones combine forces again to tell, in more detail, the lives of six key composers: Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini and Shostakovich. Their colourful lives and their love of music is told against the backdrop of some of their finest works - an idea combination. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
Audio CD
Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (October 11, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9789626343685
ISBN-13: 978-9626343685
ASIN: 9626343680
Product Dimensions: 5 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #323,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #15 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > Religion #22 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > History #23 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > Music
This is a delightful audible book on the lives of 6 famous composers for grades 3-6. Along with a biography of the artist there are samples of the composers works to introduce young people to classical music.The composers are:1.Vivaldi 2.Bach 3.Mozart 4.Beethoven 5.Dvorak 6.ShostakovichEach section explains the challenges and eccentricities of the famous composer and it will keep children entertained. Marin Alsop does a wonderful job of narrating along with the occasional sound effects thrown in for good measure.I recently took a classical music course for adults and it awoke in me a new love of classical music and I believe this book could do the same for young people.
My 10-year-old son LOVES listening to these CDs, and I have to admit that my husband and I both enjoy them as well. Many hours in the car have been pleasant because my son is engaged in listening. The accounts of each composer are tastefully done and give quite a bit of interesting detail into the composer's life and personality. We have checked them out from our library many times and my son would now like us to purchase them because he enjoys listening to them so much. I only wish they would make more as there are many more composers still to study.
This is clearly a presentation intended for children, but it is not indicated what age group is being targeted. The narration assumes no sophistication on the part of the listener, nor does it attempt to broaden or encourage more focused listening skills on the part of the child. Among the musical selections played are the most un-Shostakovichian work of the composer's, the variations on "Tea for Two" and the Romance from the film Gadfly, evidently in an attempt to sweeten the presentation. A portion of the Second Piano Concerto is played, and then the child is asked if the quote of the song, "What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor" was heard in the score. Why in the world would a child be familiar with this somewhat esoteric World War II era song? A recording of the song outside its compositional context should have been played, which would have made the concerto example more meaningful. But this opportunity was overlooked. At the end of the presentation, it is pointed out that one of Shostakovich's songs, "Motherland Hears", was the first to be sung in space. Fine. But we never hear a note of the song. Instead, a Russian translation of some of its verses is presented. One has to wonder how this translation would benefit a child's understanding of the music of Shostakovich. It again points up the lack of thought that went into this hastily assembled, ultimately condescending script. The narration, which provides a very cursory overview of Shostakovich's life and troubles with authorities, is dumbed down to the point that would embarrass a seven year old (and in the process, the speaker mispronounces the name "Mtsensk" as in the composer's well-known opera). As Leonard Bernstein had shown in his well-known series of lectures, young people are capable of far more musical sophistication and absorption than this ill-conceived production assumes. I would be embarrassed myself to present it to a child of any age.
My kids (4 and 7) enjoy listening to this CD. We have listened to it several times already. They frequently request it in the car.The best part is that my husband and I enjoy it also!
Famous Composers John Lennon (Famous People, Famous Lives) Greatest & Famous DRUM BEATS, Grooves & Licks (Greatest & Famous Drum Beats, Fills & Solos Ever Book 1) Stories of the Great Composers: Book & CD (Learning Link) Secret Lives of Great Composers: What Your Teachers Never Told You about the World's Musical Masters Easy Classical French Horn & Piano Duets: Featuring music of Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner and other composers Flute Music by French Composers for Flute and Piano Easy Classical Bassoon Solos: Featuring music of Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Handel and other composers Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! Ludwig Van Beethoven (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Frederic Chopin (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Johann Sebastian Bach (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Peter Tchaikovsky (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Why Beethoven Threw the Stew (And Lots More Stories about the Lives of Great Composers) George Handel (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Igor Stravinsky (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Great Composers (Dover History Coloring Book) Johannes Brahms (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the Scenes with Composers, Cast, and Crew
