The Tragedie of Coriolanus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is Shakespeare's greatest tragedy in my opinion.Everybody talks about Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet, but Coriolanus for some reason is mostly, and unjustly, ignored.I feel that Coriolanus is the only pure tragedy among Shakespeare's works.Macbeth was a sociopath who brought all his troubles on himself;Hamlet was a confused young man who couldn't make a decision and who waited too long to get the job done; King Lear was an old fool who played games with his daughters and brought most of his problems on himself; Othello could have avoided his problems if he simply sat down and had a real conversation with his wife; and Romeo and Juliet were just a couple of immature kids who simply needed a few hard kicks in their butts.Coriolanus is different.Coriolanus was simply an honest, hard-working soldier who got the job done and told the truth, but was brought down by the guile of his enemies.That, in my opinion, is the greatest tragedy of them all.
It seems that people either love or hate this play.Many consider Coriolanus to be a very unlikable character because he is supposedly arrogant, but I disagree.Coriolanus just worked hard, told the truth, was a straight shooter, and refused to play silly games by telling people what they wanted to hear.I guess I see something different in this play than most critics and readers of Shakespeare.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Tragedie of Coriolanus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts)

Get 10% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Tragedie of Coriolanus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) now ?

Mary Stuart (Applause Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A brilliant psychological drama.Schiller begins with presenting Mary as the epitome of passion and misguided sincerity, with Elizabeth as the epitome of rational calculation and statecraft.With superb plotting, he stages their confrontation to emphasize their common features and with elements of role reversal.The confrontation essentially purifies their original characters, heightening the contrast between passion and calculation.I don't read German but this translation contains a great deal of eloquent language and an appropriately Shakerspearean flavor.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mary Stuart (Applause Books)

Product Description:
Many have told the tragic tale of Mary Queen of Scots - it is irresistible - but none more powerfully than Friedrich Schiller. Like Mary Stuart herself and the legends which pursued her to her death, Schiller's drama continues to captivate the modern imagination nearly two centuries later. Eric Bentley's lean, forceful rendering of the German masterpiece will command the attention of theatre audiences for years to come.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Mary Stuart (Applause Books) now ?

Classical Comedy - Greek and Roman: Six Plays (Applause Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Robert W. Corrigan has complied a wonderful balance of Greek and Roman comedies.The collection is ideal for anyone interested in an overview of classical comedy or wishing to explore the roots of modern comedy.
Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" and "The Birds," andMenander's "The Grouch" represent the Greek plays."TheMenaechmi" (sometimes called 'The Brother's Menaechmi') and"Mostellaria" (sometimes called 'The Haunted House' or 'TheGhost')" by Plautus and "The Self Tormentor" by Terencerepresent the Roman plays.
The plays themselves are a wonderful study ofcomedy from it's dramatic origins to the Roman's translations of Greek"New Comedy."Students of Shakespeare and renaissance drama willfind this book especially useful as "The Menaechmi" is the sourceof Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" and plays like "TheGrouch" and "The Self Tormentor" greatly influenced theFrench comic playwright, Jean-Baptiste Moliere.
The introductions scribedby Corrigan are outstanding.A master of ancient drama, he has a passionthat creeps into all his essays.Unfortunately, the introductions by thetranslators sometimes fail to relate to the boarder subject of comedy andleave a little to be desired.
Regarding the translations themselves, fourdifferent authors have translated the six plays and some are better thanothers.Walter Kerr's translation of "The Birds" is the best ofthe collection.Palmer Bovie's translations of the three Roman plays aresolid and reflect Plautus' word-play well (which also influencedShakespeare).
My only criticism of the book is that some of theintroductions are now dated by references to several Hollywood comedies andBroadway plays that might be obscure unless you have a background in thesesubjects.However, the book is for the plays themselves and the playsthemselves are delightful.Overall, I recommend this collection asintroduction to ancient comedy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Classical Comedy - Greek and Roman: Six Plays (Applause Books)

Product Description:
Rich anthologies of dramatic art and critical insight - varied, stimulating, broad in its view and deep in its perceptions...exciting variety of translations...enlightening essays from some of the most stiumlating minds of the century.- Leonard C. Pronko, author, Theatre East and West, Chair, Dept. of Theatre, Pomona College
Includes: Aristophanes: Lysistrata, translated by Donald Sutherland; The Birds, translated by Walter Kerr; Menander: The Grouch, translated by Sheila DÕAtri; Plautus: The Menaechmi, translated by Palmer Bovie; The Haunted House, translated by Palmer Bovie; Terence: The Self-Tormentor, translated by Palmer Bovie.

Get 22% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Classical Comedy - Greek and Roman: Six Plays (Applause Books) now ?

The Second Part of Henry the Sixt: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) (Pt. 2) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Henry V" and "Richard III" seem to be the most popular history plays of Shakespeare. But I myself lean towards this one. The play starts with the wedding of King Henry VI and Queen Margaret. At this point in the war between France and England, France has gained the upper hand, but England does still control Calais, Anou, Maine, Normandy, and some areas around Bordeaux. Well, the virtuous Gloucester (and the only remaining son of King Henry IV) is shocked that Anjou and Maine have to be returned to france as well. This angers York, and he thinks this is just reason to act on his claim to the crown. (In history, York was VERY LOYAL to Henry VI, and it was SEVERAL things including some threats from Margaret that made him take up arms.)

Moving on, we later see that Glouceter's wife has her eyes on the crown. Meanwhile, Margaret is growing weary of King Henry VI, and her affair with Suffolk becomes more prevalent. Act 1 ends with the dramatic scene of Pagan Prophecies and Lady Glouceter's arrest.

Act 2 begins with the comical scene of the false miracle. Though the comedy breaks when Gloucester learns of his wife's treason. York gathers his alies Salisbury and Warwick and plans his moves to seize the crown. In one of his stronger moments, King Henry VI orders the execution of those who plotted against him. Though he is smart and treats Lady Glouceter more gently. (Public Penance)

Later, we learn that England has lost all of its land in France. (Thoughin history they still held Calais, and would continue to do so even in the later reigns of King Henry VIII and his son Edward VI.)

Moving on, York, Somerset, the Cardinal, Suffolk, and Queen Margaret all accuse Gloucester of treason. He defends himself with dignity, but is arrested. King Henry VI is often rebuked for his weakness here, but he does recover to banish the vile Suffolk. Perhaps one of the greatest scenes is 3.3 when the Cardinal dies in the midst of insanity (quite possiblyover the guilt of Gloucester). Yet King Henry VI forgives him: "Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."

Act 4 is dominated mostly by the rebel Jack Cade. He has launched an uprising against the king, and is quite theatrical and offers some comical moments. He gets far, but is eventually defeated by Buckingham and Clifford. Cade escapes, but is soon killed by Iden.

Onto the final act. York returns from Ireland in arms, but Buckingham convinces him that King Henry has consented to his demands and imprisoned Somerset. This proves not to be, and York and his sons Edward and Richard take up arms, and the war begins. York does gain the advantage here, but things aren't over. King Henry VI and Margaret escape. And Young Clifford finds his father killed by the Yorks. (And now Clifford wants revenge.) This passage on revenge combines hatred, beauty, and sorrow well.

Overall, this is arguably the strongest of the history plays.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Second Part of Henry the Sixt: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) (Pt. 2)

Product Description:
If there ever has been a groundbreaking edition that likewise returns the reader to the original Shakespeare text, it will be the Applause Folio Texts. If there has ever been an accessible version of the Folio, it is this edition, set for the first time in modern fonts.
The Folio is the source of all other editions. The Folio text forces us to re-examine the assumptions and prejudices which have encumbered over four hundred years of scholarship and performance. Notes refer the reader to subsequent editorial interventions, and offer the reader a multiplicity of interpretations. Notes also advise the reader on variations between Folios and Quartos.
The heavy mascara of four centuries of Shakespearean glossing has by now glossed over the original countenance of ShakespeareÕs work. Never has there been a Folio available in modern reading fonts. While other complete Folio editions continue to trade simply on the facsimile appearance of the Elizabethan "look," none of them is easily and practically utilized in general Shakespeare studies or performances.

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Second Part of Henry the Sixt: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) (Pt. 2) now ?

Applause First Folio of Shakespeare in Modern Type: Comedies, Histories and Tragedies (Applause First Folio Editions) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A Crazy Scheme?
The Applause First Folio of Shakespeare should not be confused with a facsimile of the 1623 folio published by Applause in the 1990's. In the earlier facsmile, Applause used the images from
the Norton Facsimile without permission. W. W. Norton sued, and Applause withdrew the facsimile. In 2001 Applause published another edition of the first folio, this one being in modern
type. It's not specifically a facsimile edition, but it does present the Shakespeare's plays in the order they were presented in the 1623 folio. Though this edition is in modern type the spelling and punctuation of the first folio have been for the most part retained.
In his acknowlegements Freeman thanks his publisher for persisting with such a crazy scheme. Crazy? Perhaps. Audacious? Certainly. You see, Freeman is an actor, not a textual scholar and he rejects the work of textual scholars. For example, he proposes that the punctuation marks of the folio are rhetorical signals. They are the cues for the actors. This controversial proposition has been roundly criticized by many scholars, but Freeman is undaunted. I applaud his audacity. The great value of this edition is that it retains so much of the spelling and punctuation of the 1623 folio. Finally we have an original spelling edition of most of Shakespeare's plays in print.
It is important to note that this is not a complete edition of Shakespeare's writings. The narrative poems, the sonnets, the occasional poems, "Pericles," and "Two Noble Kinsmen" are not included.
It should be stated that this edition does not in every instance reproduce the spelling of the 1623 folio. Freeman's treatment of abbrivations is unsatisfactory. For example it was common practice in the 17th century to represent certain words by a special kind of abbrivation. On page lviii Freeman explains that "y" with an umlaut was usually short hand for "you," "thee," "thou,""thy," "thine," or "yours." The 1623 folio usually spells these abbrivations differently from the way Freeman describes it. The word "thou" could be represented by the letter "y" with the superscript "u" directly on top of it. The word "that" could be written with the letter "y" with the superscript "t" directly over it. The word "the" could be written with the letter "y" with the superscript "e" directly over it and so on. In Freeman's edition all the superscript letters are replaced by umlauts, so there is no way of telling what the superscript letter was, and hence no way of knowing what the word is. So when you come across the line "Thou do'st then wrong me, as (y/with umlaut) slaughterer doth" (page 441, col. 2, line 1) are you supposed to read:
"Thou do'st then wrong me, as thou slaughterer doth," or
"Thou do'st then wrong me, as thee slaughterer doth," or
"Thou do'st then wrong me, as that slaughterer doth"?
You'll have to go to a facsimile edition to find out that that the third line is the correct reading. It is also interesting to note that the word "that" doesn't appear in Freeman's list of what "y with umlaut" could stand for.
The edition should be used with caution.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Applause First Folio of Shakespeare in Modern Type: Comedies, Histories and Tragedies (Applause First Folio Editions)

Product Description:
This landmark publication is printed in clear, legible type. Each play has its own comprehensive introduction as well as extensive, expert annotations. Highlighted areas show where lines have been altered over time and also shows where verse has been changed to prose in the past (but not here!) The original compositions are marked and folio clues are highlighted.

Get 37% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Applause First Folio of Shakespeare in Modern Type: Comedies, Histories and Tragedies (Applause First Folio Editions) now ?

Year of the King: An Actor's Diary and Sketchbook - Twentieth Anniversary Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Year of the King" is a fine opportunity to watch an actor prepare for a role.In this case, the actor, Antony Sher, on the verge of leaving the Royal Shakespeare Company, is offered Richard III, one of Shakespeare's most complex and twisted characters.The book is Sher's journal, filled with a mixture of backstage anecdotes, evocative illustrations by Sher, and moments when the acting process becomes clear, inspired, and thought-provoking. Sher opens his life to the reader, taking us from the initial speculation ("Will they ask me to play Richard?") to the rehearsal processes and character work to the performances.Sher's writing is compelling, honest, and comfortably readable, without even the tiniest bit of ego that so often plagues this kind of journal. It is a glimpse into the process, both artistic and personal, that an actor endures in pursuit of a character.I have used "Year of the King" as a textbook in an acting class, as an example of how one can use a journal, and as a foundation for a course in theatre criticism. I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in theatre and classical acting.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Year of the King: An Actor's Diary and Sketchbook - Twentieth Anniversary Edition

Product Description:
In 1984 Antony Sher, hailed as "the most exciting actor of his generation" by the Observer, made his debut - on homemade crutches - as the infamous Richard III in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play. He would go on to win the Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for best actor. In his own words and sketches, he chronicles his personal and professional journey to this award-winning performance, from the moment he was offered the role to opening night, in the critically acclaimed book Year of the King, now available in this special 20th anniversary edition. From his brainstorm to use crutches to bring the king's deformity to life, to his research for the role, which included watching interviews with psychopaths, reading about mass murderers, and speaking with doctors and physically challenged individuals, to his visit to his homeland of South Africa, to his experiences in working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the reader is given a front-row seat to Sher's physical and mental preparation - or rather transformation - for his landmark performance as "the bottled spider."

Get 10% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Year of the King: An Actor's Diary and Sketchbook - Twentieth Anniversary Edition now ?

Elizabethan Drama: Eight Plays (Applause Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great collection of Elizabethan plays beyond Shakespeare.There were other playwrights besides the one and only Will writing at the time, and their best efforts are worth perusing.....

Click Here to see more reviews about: Elizabethan Drama: Eight Plays (Applause Books)

Product Description:
Boisterous and unrestrained like the age itself, the Elizabethan theatre has long defended its place at the apex of English dramatic history. Shakespeare was but the brightest star in this extraordinary galaxy of playwrights. The stage boasted a rich and varied repertoire from courtly and romantic comedy to domestic and high tragedy, melodrama, farce, and histories. The Gassner-Green anthology revives the whole range of this universal stage, offering us the unbounded theatrical inventiveness of the age.
Elizabethan Drama is designed to provide the modern reader with complete access to the plays, as well as the beguiling Elizabethan world which was their backdrop. John GassnerÕs classic introduction is supplemented by his and William GreenÕs superb prefaces to the individual plays. Marginal glosses and footnotes throughout keep the immediacy of the Elizabethan stage within easy reach.

Get 1% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Elizabethan Drama: Eight Plays (Applause Books) now ?

The Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Now that the film "Titus" is about to open, I thought I had best hear a recorded version of the complete play to keep my mind clear during what is bound to be a perversion. Of course, many consider "TitusAndronicus" a perversion anyway; and to tell the truth, I do get alittle queasy during the various mutilations that make the deaths at theend a relief rather than a shock.But accepting the play on its ownterms, you will find the reissue on tape of the 1966 Caedmon recording of (CF 277) possibly the best directed of the entireclassic series. Howard Sackler has a bunch of professionals onhand and helets them (with one exception) tear up the scenery. Poor Judy Dench, whohas so little to say as Lavinia before the plot makes her say no more, canonly make pathetic noises for most of the play until her final death cry.The evil brothers, played here by John Dane and Christopher Guinee, are notonly evil but sarcastically so--and this works on a recording as it mightnot on the stage.Perhaps Maxine Audley's Tamora is a bit too WickedWitch of the West now and then; but her co-partner in evil, Aron the Moor,is brought to life by Anthony Quayle in a role he made famous on stage,going even further in the outright enjoyment of his ill-doing. Yes, thisplay can easily raise laughs and takes an Olivier to keep the audience inthe tragic mood. (Reports are that he did it so well that some audiencemembers became ill and had to leave.)
Which brings us to MichaelHordern's Titus. Hodern is a fine actor but not a great one. He sufferswell but not grandly. I am surprised that his Big Moment--"I am thesea"--is lost among all the other images in that speech. But anyonecan direct someone else's play.This recording, soon to be rivaled byone in the Arkangel series, is definitely worth having for Quayle'sperformance alone.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts)

Product Description:
If there has ever been a groundbreaking edition that likewise returns the reader to the original Shakespeare text, it will be THE APPLAUSE FOLIO TEXTS. If there has ever been an accessible version of the Folio, it is this edition, set for the first time in modern fonts. The Folio is the source of all other editions. The Folio text forces us to re-examine the assumptions and prejudices which have encumbered over four hundred years of scholarship and performance. Notes refer the reader to subsequent editorial interventions, and offer the reader a multiplicity of interpretations. Notes also advise the reader on variations between Folios and Quartos. Prepared and annotated by Neil Freeman, Head, Graduate Directing Program, University of British Columbia.

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: Applause First Folio Editions (Applause Shakespeare Library Folio Texts) now ?

Shaw on Shakespeare (Applause Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you like Shakespeare and Shaw, this is a wonderful book. Shaw, who was for more than ten years a theatrical reviewer, mostly for The Saturday Review, was exasperated that the world thought Shakespeare a better playwright, but nevertheless took up his cudgel when someone mounted a brainless and/or wrongheaded production of a Shakespeare play. (This sometimes happens, even today.) Shaw is not kind or gentle, but he is very, very funny. The book was out of print for years; we owe thanks to Glenn Young's Applause Books for making it available again. When people are feeling gloomy I have them read the first page of Shaw's review of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Even if they know nothing about Shaw or that play, they generally burst out laughing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Shaw on Shakespeare (Applause Books)

Product Description:
"With the single exception of Homer, there is no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I despise Shakespeare when I measure my mind against his." - From SHAW ON SHAKESPEARE Celebrated playwright, critic and essayist George Bernard Shaw was more like the Elizabethan master that he would ever admit. Both men were intristic dramatists who shared a rich and abiding respect for the stage. Shakespeare was the produce of a tempestuous and enlightening era under the reign of his patron, Queen Elizabeth I; while G.B.S. reflected the racy and risque spirt of the late 19th century as the champion of modern drama by playwrights like Ibsen, and, later, himself. Culled from Shaw's reviews, prefaces, letters to actors and critics, and other writings, SHAW ON SHAKESPEARE offers a fascinating and unforgettable portrait of the 16th century playwright by his most outspoken critic. This is a witty and provocative classic that combines Shaw's prodigious critical acumen with a superlative prose style second to none (except, perhaps, Shakespeare!).

Get 10% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Shaw on Shakespeare (Applause Books) now ?

The Custom of the Country: Based on Edith Wharton's 1913 Novel (Applause Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Her most "modern" novel.Undine Spragg is the heroine (?)'s name.She seems ripped from the headlines rather than a product of 1913. Wharton is such a brilliant wordsmith, a real pleasure to read.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Custom of the Country: Based on Edith Wharton's 1913 Novel (Applause Books)

Product Description:
This brilliantly crafted stage version of Wharton's sprawling novel dissecting the New York social scene focuses on the beautiful, but predatory, Undine Spragg and the men in her life. Representing a world motivated by a heartless desire for power and status, Undine takes on lovers and husbands, discarding them when her whims of iron move her. Hitchcock has captured the satiric brilliance of the original work, while managing to transform a narrative of over 500 pages into a tightly-wrought stage piece. In the process, she provides a finely-drawn portrait of an unforgettable heroine against the background of a cruel social milieu dominated by rigid class distinctions and deeply-ingrained prejudices."A luminous adaptation."- Boston Globe

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Custom of the Country: Based on Edith Wharton's 1913 Novel (Applause Books) now ?

The Bacchae (The Applause Classical Library, Featuring New) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"The Bacchae" was written by Euripides when he was living in Macedonia in virtual exile during the last years of his life.The tragedy was performed in Athens after his death.These factors are important in appreciate this particular Greek tragedy because such plays were performed at a festival that honored the Dionysus, and in "The Bacchae" he is the god who extracts a horrible vengeance.The tragedy clearly demonstrates the god's power, but it is a terrible power, which suggests less than flattering things about the deity himself.
Pentheus was the son of Echion and Agave, the daughter of Cadmus, the founder of the Royal House of Thebes.After Cadmus stepped down the throne, Pentheus took his place as king of Thebes. When the cult of Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus resisted the worship of the god in his kingdom.However, his mother and sisters were devotees of the god and went with women of the city to join in the Dionsysian revels on Mount Cithaeron.Pentheus had Dionysus captured, but the god drove the king insane, who then shackled a bull instead of the god.When Pentheus climbed a tree to witness in secret the reverly of the Bacchic women, he was discovered and torn to pieces by his mother and sisters, who, in their Bacchic frenzy, believed him to be a wild beast.The horrific action is described in gory detail by a messenger, which is followed by the arrival of the frenzied and bloody Agave, the head of her son fixed atop her thytsus.
Unlike those stories of classical mythology which are at least mentioned in the writings of Homer, the story of Pentheus originates with Euripides.The other references in classical writing, the "Idylls" written by the Syracusean poet Theocritus and the "Metamorphoses" of the Latin poet Ovid, both post-date"The Bacchae" by centuries.On those grounds, the tragedy of Euripides would appear to be entirely his construct, which would certainly give it an inherent uniqueness over his interpretations of the stories of "Medea," "Electra," and "The Trojan Women."
I see "The Bacchae" as being Euripides' severest indictment of religion and not as the recantation of his earlier rationalism in his old age.The dramatic conflicts of the play stem from religious issues, and without understanding the opposition on Appollonian grounds of Pentheus to the new cult readers miss the ultimate significance of the tragedy.This is not an indictment of Appollonian rationalism, but rather a dramatic argument that, essentially, it is irrational to ignore the irrational.As the fate of Pentheus amply points out, it is not only stupid to do so, it is fatal.Consequently, "The Bacchae" is one of the most important of Greek tragedies.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Bacchae (The Applause Classical Library, Featuring New)

Product Description:
THE BACCHAE was not only the last and greatest of EuripidesÕ tragedies, it was very close to the last of the great Greek tragedies. The story of the play is in part about this cultural dissolution in Athens. ItÕs also about the theatre itself, and how a sane society needs strong, intelligent theatre to survive. THE BACCHAE makes a perfect first entry in the new Applause series of classic dramas, because it argues so passionately and beautifully and convincingly for the need for such a theatre, in our era as much as in EuripidesÕ. Herbert Golder in his new translation has turned an ancient play into a new one, one just as potent for an applicable to our troubled times as EuripidesÕ own.

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Bacchae (The Applause Classical Library, Featuring New) now ?

Parsifal in Full Score Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Wagner's Parsifal, his "last" opera, is also in many ways his most moving on an intellectual and spiritual level. Full of Schopenhauerian resignation which rises beyond the pessimism of The World as Will and Idea into the world of Buddhist renunciation, Parsifal uses Christian metaphor to show the futility of striving and the peace to be gained from release.

However, this review will obviously be of the Dover edition of the full score, not the opera itself. Also, I won't comment on the previous negative review, except to add that the reviewer should do Wagner and the world a favor and read Macgee's The Tristan Chord: Wagner and Philosophy, and give the slanderous and bizarre Wagner-Hitler link a well-deserved rest. Wagner was an anti-semite, but to somehow link this to Hitler is a classic example of the genetic fallacy (where did this idea ever come from, anyway? The Nazis loved Beethoven far more than Wagner's left-wing revolutionary aural madness,it never really fit with their style....)

The Dover editions of Wagner's full scores are the most useful editions available for actually listening to and studying Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerken, and are a bargain at twice the price. Professional musicians will of course recognize that the G. Schirmer editions are the ones most often used for actual performances and rehearsals, particularly the Schirmer piano reductions (either the good old green hardbacks or the orange paperbacks). But even professionals make good use of the Dover editions, since they are ideal for sitting down with a good set of headphones and a cup of coffee to take in the brilliance that was Wagner.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Parsifal in Full Score

Product Description:
Unabridged score of composer's last opera, renowned for splendid music and glowing orchestration. Deeply personal treatment of the legend of the Holy Grail, themes of sacred and profane love, innocence and purity, remorse and sexual renunciation. Reprint of authoritative C.F. Peters edition, including list of characters and contents in both German and English.

Get 34% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Parsifal in Full Score now ?

Jane Austen's World: Evocative Music from the Classic Feature Films Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion - For Piano Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this book and several others that have not arrived yet. It is a lovely book and I'm so happy to have it in my collection. It includes:
From EMMA by Rachel Portman:
Frank Churchill Arrives
End Titles

From SENSE & SENSIBILITY by Patrick Doyle
My Father's Favorite
Devonshire
ALl the Better for Her
Excellent Notion
The Dreame

From PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Carl Davis
Theme
Canon Collins
The Gardiners
Summary

From PERSUASION by Jeremy Sams
Theme
Tristesse
Italian Aria

I purchased this book without really knowing which music was included, but I definitely wanted the Sense & Sensibility pieces.I really enjoy all of them, especially the pieces from Persuasion.Funny, but that soundtrack never stood out to me when I watched this film. I really wouldn't have thought those pieces would be my favorite. Italian Aria, though, is gorgeous and, though simple, even my 11 year old son came over to the piano when I was playing and exclaimed how pretty the music was!The pieces range from cheerful and upbeat to haunting and sad.Additionally, some sound as if they were written during the baroque period, and some sound as if they were written during the Romantic period. A real variety of music is presented here.

I am thoroughly enjoying this book. The transcriptions are really for beginners to intermediate level players.The easier pieces, though, are not "EASY PIANO". It's just easier because the tempo is simple and there are only a couple of sharps or flats at one time.There is nothing too difficult here, but they still sound wonderful.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Jane Austen's World: Evocative Music from the Classic Feature Films Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion - For Piano

Product Description:
Evocative music from the classic feature films "Pride and Prejudice," "Sense and Sensibility," "Emma" and "Persuasion" arranged by Richard Harris for piano solo.

Get 2% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Jane Austen's World: Evocative Music from the Classic Feature Films Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion - For Piano now ?

Pride & Prejudice - Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack - Piano Solo Songbook Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you enjoy the music fom Pride & Prejudice you will love this piano book!!! If you, a friend, a family, etc. is not advanced in piano playing I would advise you to wait on getting this book, but if not... go for it! The songs are:
1. "Dawn" with occasional sharps, naturals, and flats.
2. "Stars and Butterflies" with mostly sharps
3. "The Living Sculputures of Pemberly" with two flats
4. "Meryton Hall" one sharp
5. "Georgiana" three sharps
6. "Arrival at Netherfield" occasional sharps and naturals
7. "Liz on top of the World" two flats
8. "Leaving Netherfield" two flats
9. "Another Dance" two flats
10. "The Secret Life of Daydreams" two flats
11. "Darcy's Letter" three flats
12. "Mrs. Darcy" occasional flats, sharps, and naturals

Overall, this book is positively miraculous in everyway! I hope you will enjoy if you get it! Thank you.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pride and Prejudice - Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack - Piano Solo Songbook

Product Description:
12 piano pieces from the 2006 Oscar-nominated film, including: Another DanceDarcy's LetterGeorgianaLeaving NetherfieldLiz on Top of the WorldMeryton TownhallThe Secret Life of DaydreamsStars and Butterfliesand more.

Get 10% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Pride and Prejudice - Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack - Piano Solo Songbook now ?