Böcker av Julian Rushton

Presents musical connections between Britain and the continent of Europe, and Britain and its Empire. This book uses approaches and methods that recognize the integral role of music within a wider culture, including religious, political and social life. The topics range from Italian opera in Dublin to British musicians in Canada, and more.

A vivid portrait of Mozart, combining a well-reserched account of his life with an introduction to his works: symphonic,chamber, sacred, and theatrical.

This book is an analytical and critical study of Berlioz's unique musical style. It does not undertake to analyse all his works, but rather to separate characteristic elements and observe them in action. Berlioz's writings and those of his critics are called upon to help focus the discussion.

Idomeneo, by common consent Mozart's greatest opera seria, is a rich synthesis of the dramatic potentialities of Italian opera seria, French tragedie lyrique, and recent German opera. It was composed for the finest orchestra in Germany and some excellent singers. Mozart's relish of the challenge and his problems with some performers and the bureaucracy are uniquely documented in his letters home and these form the basis of a vivid account of the genesis of the opera. A detailed synopsis relates the musical and dramatic action of the opera. Further chapters trace the historical development of its subject matter 'from myth to libretto' and chart the opera's performance history, including a description of Richard Strauss's 1931 reworking. Later chapters consider the opera's general structure and the musical forms, and analyse passages of particular interest.