Bøker av David Hurwitz

Veteran music critic David Hurwitz provides an accessible, comprehensive, and fresh survey of Beethoven''s symphonies, overtures, concertos, theatrical music, his single ballet and other music for the dance, and several short pieces worth getting to know.Beethoven''s orchestral works include some of the most iconic and popular pieces of classical music ever written. This book offers chapters on Beethoven''s handling of the symphony orchestra and his contributions to its evolution, as well as his approach to musical form in creating large, multi-movement works. The musical descriptions provide helpful strategies for listening that invite both beginners and experienced enthusiasts to treat even the best known pieces as something fresh, new and relevant.In addition, Hurwitz provides extensive lists of recommended recordings of all of the music surveyed, highlighting the wide range of issues in Beethoven interpretation and performance, as well as the history of his music. He encourages readers to listen actively and critically, as they build their own Beethoven discographies according to their personal tastes and preferences. The book is accompanied by online audio tracks of Beethoven works selected by Hurwitz.

"The greatest musical prodigy since Mozart (some would say he was even greater), Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) excelled in everything he did, musical or otherwise, and during his brief life became Europe's most respected and beloved composer. Yet no musician suffered more drastic swings in his posthumous reputation, and as a result Mendelssohn's music was obscured by a host of extra-musical factors: changes in taste, the rise of nationalism, anti-Semitism, and contempt for Victorian culture. This "owner's manual" offers a guide to Mendelssohn's musical output, major and minor, providing points of entry into a large body of work, much of which remains far too little known. There's much more to Mendelssohn than the "Italian" Symphony and the "Midsummer Night's Dream" Overture, and a whole creative world of vivid, expressive, and fantastical music is ready for exploration."--

Aids listeners in getting beneath the surface of Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth symphonies, revealing that however disparate the expressive message, the language and style remain Beethoven's - a symphonic voice as powerful in struggle and victory as in relaxation and meditation.

Of all the biggest-name composers Handel probably wrote the most truly great music that no one knows about. This book takes the curious listener through his entire output from his earliest works in Italy through his more than 40 operas and including the famous English oratorios on which his reputation largely rests. Along the way it examines his orchestral music the pieces he wrote for England''s lavish royal ceremonies and his surprisingly limited production of sacred music. Just as important the book surveys and recommends recordings of all of the music discussed so that listeners can acquire a music collection of whatever depth suits them best while the included CD features top-notch recordings from the Harmonia Mundi label of a wide range of Handel''s music in all of the major media in which he worked both vocal and instrumental. Few composers cared more than Handel about pleasing his listeners and creating a body of work that was both entertaining and fun. It''s time to blow away the Victorian cobwebs that have dogged his reputation and discover just how much there is to enjoy.

In The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga Srivatsa Ramaswami presented the full breadth of yogasana teachings as taught by Sri. T. Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) — the father of modern yoga. Now, for the first time, Ramaswami imparts his vast yoga experience and knowledge of Krishnamachara''s distinct vinyasa krama system in an accessible question-and-answer format with experienced California yogi David Hurwitz. In a beautifully clear and conversational style, Ramaswami and Hurwitz delve deeply into various general and specific topics relating to yoga philosophy and practice, shedding light on even the most confusing concepts. The nearly 240 questions are drawn directly from Hurwitz''s private study with Ramaswami, and include: Does yoga lead to happiness? How do we achieve the famous ahimsa (non-violence)? How does the yogi "see" his soul? What is the role of breath in Asana? Where does willpower come in? and Was Krishnamacharya happy? Yoga Beneath the Surface is the next best thing to studying directly with one of yoga''s true gurus — and a must-read for every serious yoga student.

Brahms' symphonies are often treated somewhat like medicine, as something 'good for you', but otherwise lacking in purely sensual pleasure. This book takes the reader beyond the jargon and pedantry and unlocks the mystery (and the joy) contained within Brahms' symphonies.