This third volume of a set that, completed, would be the most exhaustive study to date of the symphony in the Western tradition shares with its predecessors—The First Golden Age of the Viennese Symphony (CH, Apr'03, 40-4510), The Second Golden Age . . . (CH, Mar'04, 41-3953)—a brilliance of detail. It is divided into two parts: all of part A and two-thirds of part B are the work of the late Brown, whose untimely death leaves the fate of the volumes that would complete the survey uncertain. Like earlier volumes, this one includes complete analyses of each symphony, details of first performances, and rich bibliographic resources. Brown discusses formal and technical detail, placing each work in context. He analyzes the works of Franz Berwald, Joseph Joachim Raff, Mikhail Glinka, and other relative unknowns, as well as calling the reader's attention to, for example, the influence of Felix Mendelssohn as a mentor and Sergei Rachmaninoff as a contrapuntalist.Written with both scholarly appeal and wry good humor, this volume uncovers a rich world of previously underappreciated masterpieces. Serious students of music—including conductors, performers, and avid listeners—will find this both informative and readable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.
M. Neil
Choice
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M. Neil
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This work is highly recommended for all larger public and academic libraries, and smaller libraries with specialized music collections. . . . conductors, musicologists, and others connected with symphonic music would certainly benefit from having these volumes in their libraries.
Robert L. Wick
American Reference Books Annual
ChoiceChoiceSeptember 2008
M. Neil
Augustana College