{"product_id":"first-nights-9780300091052","title":"First Nights","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis text takes a look back at the debut performances of five famous musical compositions: Monteverdi's Orfeo, Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps. It aims to recapture the atmosphere of these events.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFirst Nights \u003c\/i\u003eis\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ea brilliant essay in synthesis, continuously alert to those extramusical pressures, exerted by everything from snobbery and bureaucracy to sex and ambition, that added their burdens of stress to the birth of these musical masterpieces. . . . With its abundant portfolios of documents and sensitively chosen illustrations, this is the kind of book that has us crying, 'Oh, that we were there!'\"—Jonathan Keates, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFirst Nights\u003c\/i\u003e presents\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ea mass of technical information in an unusually accessible way. The book is always enjoyable.\"—Judith Weir, \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Kelly . . . is something of a rarity—an academic who can tell a good story. . . . Kelly’s inclusion of relevant documents—letters, newspaper clippings, long-ago interviews, ticket counts—and the list of recommended recordings help make \u003ci\u003eFirst Nights\u003c\/i\u003e a\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ebook that should prove engrossing to general reader and specialist alike.\"—Tim Page, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A unique and extremely attractive account of the premieres of five musical masterpieces spanning from 1607 to 1913. . . . Kelly paints a vivid and fascinating picture of each premiere by combining information taken from a number of sources, including letters, archival documents, and observations of the music itself. This should appeal to all music lovers.\"—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (\u003c\/i\u003estarred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This is a beautiful book (and, incidentally, a reasonably price one), whether it is approached as a textbook or as enjoyable reading for educational amateurs. . . . \u003ci\u003eFirst Nights \u003c\/i\u003ewill\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eserve as a fine resource for professors and graduate students and, perhaps more important, as a strong example of a different approach to music appreciation: it is a model of context-based, rather then the more traditional theme-harmony-and-form-based, understanding. I know of no other work that seeks to combine music appreciation, source readings in music history, and program notes in this way, and it is a lively mix indeed.\"—Jonathan Bellman, \u003ci\u003eNotes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamed a Notable Book for 2000 by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Kelly’s engaging, fast-paced narrative makes music, an ineffable art, come alive for the general reader. This is a book that anyone with an interest in the arts can read and enjoy.\"—Craig Wright\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Yale University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49401497092439,"sku":"9780300091052","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/first-nights-9780300091052","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}