Schumann

Over the course of some three dozen volumes Amadeus Press' highly acclaimed Unlocking the Masters series has drawn readers into the worlds of the greatest composers and their music. Curated pairings of critically minded introductory texts and companion CDs loaded with tracks selected from the world's foremost libraries of recorded classics the series truly brings the sounds and stories of its legendary subjects to life. Its latest entry Victor Lederer's ÊSchumann: A Listener's GuideÊ is an essential portal to the musical works of and tempestuous life of this little-understood genius. Many if not most major composers improve over the course of their careers. For Schumann however the opposite was true: plagued throughout his life by physical and mental illnesses he helplessly ä and consciously ä endured the gradual diminution of his prodigious talent until his premature death at age 46. Throughout ÊSchumann: A Listener's GuideÊ Lederer provides unflinching critiques of the weaknesses that plagued Schumann's style contrasting them with the brilliance of his earliest triumphs. This eminently accessible account explores the full spectrum of the master composer's oeuvre from his popular early music and lieder to his works for chamber ensembles composed in 1842 to his four beloved if flawed symphonies. It also accounts for Schumann's dramatic works particularly ÊGenovevaÊ his only opera and ÊIncidental Music to Byron's Manfred Ê a bewilderingly unappreciated musical score. As with all volumes in the UTM series ÊSchumann: A Listener's GuideÊ is accompanied by a CD containing two of the master's most daring imaginative flights both explored in detail in the text: the ÊDavidsbðndlert¢nzeÊ for piano and ÊDichterliebe (A Poet's Love)Ê one of the all-time greatest song cycles and works for voice. Geared toward fledglings but written with an eye turned to aficionados the book is a must-have for Schumann buffs and classical music fans young and old.