Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story

Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story
Average customer rating:

Insightful and Frustrating

Really wanted this book

Their honesty is refreshing.

Painful, poignant, and hilarious: a rocky road to love

An intelligent and thoughtful perspective on life, love, and Asperger Syndrome

Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story
Jerry Newport , Mary Newport , and Johnny Dodd
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 074327282X

Book Description

A riveting and inspiring memoir about a couple who fell in love, fell apart, and finally overcame the pressures of fame, family, and Asperger's syndrome to build a life together.

When Jerry and Mary Newport met, the connection was instant; neither had ever felt more comfortable. A musical genius and a mathematical wonder, the two shared astronomical IQs, but they also shared something else -- they both were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that affects millions of Americans and makes social contact painfully unbearable. Finding each other after a lifetime of loneliness was a miracle. When Jerry and Mary married, they were catapulted into the limelight. They appeared on 60 Minutes and soon were known as "superstars in the world of autism," shining examples of two people who refused to give up in the face of their mutual challenges.

But just when it appeared that their lives would enjoy a fairy-tale ending, their marriage fell apart. The Hollywood feeding frenzy was too much to handle, and they divorced. After years of heartache, soul searching, and personal growth, Jerry and Mary remarried. Today, with their union stronger than ever, they have dedicated themselves to helping countless other people with Asperger's and autism lead lives of dignity. Mozart and the Whale is an unforgettable love story, the incredible chronicle of their journey together -- and apart.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful and Frustrating.......2007-08-26

"Mozart and the Whale" is the story of two people with Asperger's. Despite their areas of competence and even brilliance (Jerry and mathematics), they fail to rise above entry-level jobs such as taxi-driver, librarian assistant, cashier, etc. due to being held back by lacking normal career drive and planning, unpredictable and uncontrollable rages, inability to form normal social relationships and emotional connections, not answering the phone at times, and self-focus, as well as inappropriate job behavior.

The authors take us through their early lives, meeting and marrying, splitting, and finally joining up again. The bad news is that both come close to suicide, and the good news is that they eventually find happiness together.

What is the solution? Jerry suggests understanding adults during one's early life are very helpful, but that marrying Asperger's people together is not a solution - eg. the male/female ratio is about 4:1.

My "frustration" with the book? That so much is lost due to a slightly different DNA, internal brain wiring and/or chemical balance.

Really wanted this book.......2007-04-12

After seeing the movie and meeting Jerry and Mary Newport really wanted and needed the book. Usually like books over the movies. So glad to have and I am reading it right now. Good to have it.

Their honesty is refreshing........2007-04-09

This book is an honest account of growing up autistic. The authors do not, as many authors on the spectrum do, attempt to force-fit their lives into some sort of mold. They describe their lives as they were, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

In doing so, they have made a book that's easier for me as an autistic person to identify with, than a lot of the books in which people fit themselves to a mold. I loved reading about Mary's increased trouble in school during adolescence, I had the same problem, and some of the same responses to it. While it was a confusing and horrible time in my life as far as my own experience of it goes, it might have been less confusing if I'd had a book like this at the time. If Mary Newport reads this, I want to thank her for writing about that.

I also like their unflinching looks at their flaws. The ability to look at oneself honestly without shying away from the bad parts is something I have admired, and wanted to emulate, for some time.

The most important thing that I got out of this book, more than the many complex details in the lives of the authors, was the honesty, the ability to tell it like it was to the best of the authors' ability. I am glad they wrote it, and glad to read it: It is a refreshing change from a lot of what's out there in the world of autism literature.

Painful, poignant, and hilarious: a rocky road to love.......2007-03-06

Jerry and Mary were both adults before they learned there was a name for the way they were - Asperger's Syndrome - or "autism-lite" as Jerry dubs it. They met in middle age after a lifetime of no relationships (him) or destructive relationships (her), and their moving, painful and funny memoir starts out at their nadir - apart and suicidal.

But even as Jerry lies miserable, waiting for the 60 pills he took to do their job, he's distracted. "For an instant, I started to obsess about the number sixty, mulling over what an interesting number it is and how I never imagined I'd die because of it. Sixty is the product of 2 times 2 times 3 times 5. Sixty is the number of degrees of arc covered by the side of a hexagon inscribed inside a circle. Each side equals the radius, and the hexagon is made of six equilateral triangles linked together. Fold them all outside and you get six more, forming a total of twelve which makes a Star of David with one equilateral triangle for each tribe of Israel...."

Jerry is a numbers savant who aced an actuarial exam without the prerequisite education, but couldn't get through the interview. He's worked mostly as a courier and a cab driver. Mary is an artistic savant. Painting and music are her passions and she, too, has had a series of jobs, including cook and hairdresser.

Taking off from the lowest point, they alternate chapters, tracing their lives from childhood and the frustrations and loneliness they felt trying to fit in. Much of it is painful; attempts to cope with confusion and alienation, bullying from other children, intense family dynamics. But there are joyous moments of epiphany and accomplishment - usually alone. And there is humor throughout.

Their early relationship is wildly joyous. They delight in each other's talents and eccentricities. But when they move in together things change. Jerry is regimented and insecure; Mary is spontaneous and unpredictable. Jerry is given to terrible tantrums, Mary is plagued by depression.

By the time they marry their relationship is hanging on by sheer will, rather than compromise and understanding. Neither of them are any good at reading non-verbal cues or putting themselves in the other's place. But neither wants to be alone and there are enough good times to put off the inevitable crash and burn.

The alternating chapters illuminate one another. There are surprises - things that loom large for one go unmentioned by the other, for instance, and the honesty, brutal at times, is both disarming and uncomfortable.

We know from the beginning that they reconcile. The learning curve as they begin to manage their demons and consider one another more deliberately is affecting and admirable.

The Newports' memoir offers an intimate window on life and love with Aspergers. Their quirks and brilliance enliven the narrative and show the reader a different perspective on the world. An eye-opening, heart-wrenching read, leavened with humor and hope.

An intelligent and thoughtful perspective on life, love, and Asperger Syndrome.......2007-02-20

Jerry Newport and Mary Meinel Newport's Mozart and the Whale is an honest and engrossing account of two adults on the spectrum who meet, fall in love, and don't necessarily live happily ever after. This affecting memoir manages to be both bluntly candid and romantic: while the Newports clearly love each other, love is not at first enough for two such complex people. One of the most valuable contributions this book makes is its demonstration of the social and emotional learning that can go on well into adulthood, learning that makes the Newports' second try at marriage more successful.

My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements

Average customer rating:

First classic Piano Book
Great Book
Great Supplement!
My daughter likes it!
My first Book of Classical Music: 29 themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and other Great composers in Easy Piano Arrangements

My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements
Bergerac
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486410927

Book Description

Fun-to-play, pedagogically sound piano arrangements include themes from Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata and Haydn's Surprise Symphony, along with such favorites as Schumann's "Träumerei," Brahms's "Lullaby," Chopin's "Prelude," Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave," Moussorgsky's "Promenade" (from Pictures at an Exhibition), and many more. Includes 20 piano arrangements.

Customer Reviews:

First classic Piano Book.......2007-09-11

The book arrived in perfect condition. I am anxious to have my granddaughter try it out. It is one of her upcoming birthday presents.
Thank you.

Great Book.......2007-09-03

This is a great book for beginners to get aquainted with the classics. I teach piano lessons and I'll use this one over and over for recitals! I usually like to see the music before I buy but I took and chance on this one and it paid off. I hope to try other Bergerac books.

Great Supplement!.......2007-05-12

I purchased this book some time ago as a "promise" to my little girl that she would one day have piano lessons. We now have a wonderful piano teacher who encourages us to explore other pieces besides what she assigns us and was happily surprised when we showed her this book that she hadn't seen before. The title is a little misleading; our teacher says that it's more appropriate for a level 3 child student, but it works well for us (a teenager and her middle-aged mom in their 2nd year of study.) What I really appreciate is the way that the pieces can dovetail with the material that we're studying. For example, while I was working on the 1st inversion of the C Major chords, I serendipitously found in this book "Beautiful Dreamer", an arrangement that utilizes the very chords I was studying. Our teacher calls this "an excellent little book" and I recommend it to those who would like to play something more than the pieces found in their lesson books.

My daughter likes it!.......2007-03-30

My daughter is a beginner -- but she loves classical music. This book is probably a bit advanced for her but she is already playing Fur Elise and Ode to Joy...

My first Book of Classical Music: 29 themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and other Great composers in Easy Piano Arrangements.......2006-08-28

I would have preferred a sample page of the music to preview prior to purchase. The pieces are too simple for me.

Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential

Average customer rating:

Underwhelming
Summer holiday reading
The exercises in this book are really useful
Good inforamtion and technique.
Good concepts.... takes time to implement

Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential
Richard Restak
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609810057
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Book Description

In Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, eminent neuropsychiatrist and bestselling author Richard Restak, M.D., combines the latest research in neurology and psychology to show us how to get our brain up to speed for managing every aspect of our busy lives.

Everything we think and everything we choose to do alters our brain and fundamentally changes who we are, a process that continues until the end of our lives. Few people think of the brain as being susceptible to change in its actual structure, but in fact we can preselect the kind of brain we will have by continually exposing ourselves to rich and varied life experiences. Unlike other organs that eventually wear out with repeated and sustained use, the brain actually improves the more we challenge it.

Most of us incorporate some kind of physical exercise into our daily lives. We do this to improve our bodies and health and generally make us feel better. Why not do the same for the brain? The more we exercise it, the better it performs and the better we feel. Think of Restak as a personal trainer for your brain—he will help you assess your mental strengths and weaknesses, and his entertaining book will set you to thinking about the world and the people around you in a new light, providing you with improved and varied skills and capabilities. From interacting with colleagues to recognizing your own psychological makeup, from understanding the way you see something to why you’re looking at it in the first place, from explaining the cause of panic attacks to warding off performance anxiety, this book will tell you the whys and hows of the brain’s workings.

Packed with practical advice and fascinating examples drawn from history, literature, and science, Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot provides twenty-eight informative and realistic steps that we can all take to improve our brainpower.

Customer Reviews:

Underwhelming.......2007-09-01

Basically a book of memory and brain exercises, with a few anecdotes thrown in. I was expecting more about brain function in diverse areas of human endeavor. The title is one of the best things about the book. The exercises are probably effective, but seem so tedious I can't imagine doing them (physical activity has shown this need not be the case with exercise).
Worth a magazine article, perhaps, but not an entire book. Disappointing.

Summer holiday reading.......2007-01-23

In "Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot" Dr. Richard Restak extends in his capacity of acting as an intermediate between knowledge of brain functions and the people in general. If it were not for the title it is difficult to think about how to sell the book and spread that knowledge. The book describes in simple words and in short chapters, sites of brain activity as well as its functions combined with advises as to stimulate those areas and functions in order to maintain the nervous tissue activity. This combined with personal anecdotes and experiences. I found the whole book a very nice experience although some of the advises were somewhat difficult to follow due to personal circumstances (I agree with that of writing down). A remarkable paragraph is that where Restak cites the writer Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentinian as myself, as an example of making notable associations (and Borges' erudition). Indeed, that paragraph cites a painter from Uruguay, who I did not know till that moment but for the fact that I was in the beach, in Uruguay, and had seen that name at a Hotel one day before! This is indeed an astonishing coincidence which yet is to be explained by Restak himself. This was a summer vacation reading which I really enjoyed and although I did with Mozart citation I was not able to find that referring to the "Fighter Pilot".
Dr. Ricardo Drut
patologi@netverk.com.ar

The exercises in this book are really useful.......2006-03-21

Want to know why listening to Mozart could improve your brain? Check out this book. The author, a successful neuropsychiatrist, demonstrates (among other things) an exceptional awareness of the intricacies of the human brain. Based on his knowledge and professional experience (which includes decades of successfully treating numerous patients), he's come up with 28 suggestions that if followed can not only improve memory and mental alertness, but also expand cognition and prevent brain cell degradation (avoid dementia and Alzheimer's disease - read the book!).

For those interested in a summary of these suggestions, take a look at the book's `Table of Contents' (this way you can pretty much get the feel of what's examined in the work). However, the suggested mental exercises deserve a special consideration (and that's why I advise you to check out the book). Additionally, the author presents valuable details about the capacity of the human brain and effectively links it with its evolutionary development (another reason why the book is worth exploring).

Finally, I tried a couple of the proposed exercises (they truly work!!!) and came up with some good results, which I've posted in my other Blog "What Is The Meaning Of Life?". Dr. Rastak's language is smooth and easy to comprehend, the examples are quite useful and so I highly recommend this book.
- by Simon Cleveland

Good inforamtion and technique........2006-01-25

The book was a bit different than I was expecting. Whereas I though it would be more of an overview of brain function with games and tools to explore those areas it's more of a game plan for keeping your sanity. I agree with other reviewers that the writing was not always clear and most of the concepts were presented without argument. There is an assumed plasticity to brain function that is still under a lot of debate. The basic idea of the book is to keep thinking. Then think some more. The single thing that differentiates the book from others of this ilk is that Restak explains particular brain functions and then devises games to take advantage of the process. I like, too, that the author recognizes the confounding nature of the brain: he includes a chapter titled "Train Your Powers of Logic" and follows it with one titled "Develop a Tolerance for Uncertainty and Ambiguity."

A good book to keep and read through periodically

Good concepts.... takes time to implement.......2006-01-15

"Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot" is about how to increase your brain's productivity from being able to focus better, remember things longer, and how to keep your brain healthy and strong.

I found the first 5 chapters to be absolutely useless as author Richard Restak goes through different parts of the brain and how they interact. This information was interesting, but not useful for the rest of the book. If anything, he could have just summarized this into a single page.

The rest of the book gets more useful however. Restak suggests certain activities, such as puzzles, reading, and music, increase the brain's capacity for learning. Restak also suggested different memory increasing activities such as looking at a shape and trying to recreate it from memory or memorizing a list of words.

Probably most interesting was how Restak gets us to think in terms of brain geography. Certain activities, such as reading and writing utilize only certain parts of the brain. Therefore Restak suggests we switch to different tasks, such as something that involves music or patterns to work different areas of the brain and give the original areas a break.

I also liked the idea of a "reading journal". I read a lot of books but I really wish I could retain more knowledge. The concept of a reading journal involves writing down the date you finished the book, and then writing down everything you remember from the book. Then you can look over your notes with previous notes from other books and see connections and linkages.

Restak also gives a useful index of the games, books and activities he likes to use/read. I really liked the idea of the software program "Inspiration" for creating mind maps. I had been looking for something like that... and while it is older and could use some work, it is an interesting tool.

My only beef is that the exercises take a lot of time and work. While the exercises are definitely useful, it can be hard to fit all of these suggestions into a normal life.

Regardless, this is a good book to read if you are looking to "sharpen the saw" and increase your brain's potential. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Cambridge Companion to Mozart (Cambridge Companions to Music)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Summary of Mozart Studies

The Cambridge Companion to Mozart (Cambridge Companions to Music)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mozart and His Operas

ASIN: 0521001927

Book Description

Bridging the gap between scholarly and popular images of Mozart, this volume provides comprehensive coverage of all of his important works; the reception of his music since his death; the contexts which inform his work and his significance as a performer. It paints a rounded yet focused picture of one of the most revered artists of all time and enhances readers' appreciation of his extraordinary output.

Download Description

The Cambridge Companion to Mozart paints a rounded yet focussed picture of one of the most revered artists of all time. Bringing the most recent scholarship into the public arena, this volume bridges the gap between scholarly and popular images of the composer, enhancing the readers' appreciation of Mozart and his extraordinary output, regardless of their prior knowledge of the music. Part I situates Mozart in the context of late eighteenth-century musical environments and aesthetic trends that played a pivotal role in his artistic development and examines his methods of composition. Part II surveys Mozart's works in all of the genres in which he excelled and Part III looks at the reception of the composer and his music since his death. Part IV offers insight into Mozart's career as a performer as well as theoretical and practical perspectives on historically informed performances of his music.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Summary of Mozart Studies.......2004-09-26

This excellent collection of 17 essays by the leading contemporary (as of 2003) American and British Mozart scholars covers four major aspects of his life and work: The historical context, the works, reception, and performance. This is not a detailed analysis of the works themselves. Rather, it summarizes currently scholarly thinking and reviews the main trends in Mozart studies, with brief comments on major works, a bibilography, and extensive footnotes with citations pointing toward further study and research. Highly recommended as a supplement to other standard works. Especially fascintating is the discussion of the role of the movie "Amadeus" in stimulating interest in him.

The Librettist of Venice: The Remarkable Life of Lorenzo da Ponte Mozart's Poet, Casanova's Friend, and Italian Opera's Impresario in America

Average customer rating:

A Passionate Life
Everything you Wanted to Know about Lorenzo DaPonte and More
Great for music lovers
Engrossing.
Great Adventure

The Librettist of Venice: The Remarkable Life of Lorenzo da Ponte Mozart's Poet, Casanova's Friend, and Italian Opera's Impresario in America
Rodney Bolt
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mozart and His Operas

ASIN: 1596911182
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Book Description

The operatic life of the librettist for Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro.

In 1805, Lorenzo Da Ponte was the proprietor of a small grocery store in New York. But since his birth into an Italian Jewish family in 1749, he had already been a priest, a poet, the lover of many women, a scandalous Enlightenment thinker banned from teaching in Venice, the librettist for three of Mozart’s most sublime operas, a collaborator with Salieri, a friend of Casanova, and a favorite of Emperor Joseph II. He would go on to establish New York City’s first opera house and be the first professor of Italian at Columbia University. An inspired innovator but a hopeless businessman, who loved with wholehearted loyalty and recklessness, Da Ponte was one of the early immigrants to live out the American dream.

In Rodney Bolt’s rollicking and extensively researched biography, Da Ponte’s picaresque life takes readers from Old World courts and the back streets of Venice, Vienna, and London to the New World promise of New York City. Two hundred and fifty years after Mozart’s birth, the life and legacy of his librettist Da Ponte are as astonishing as ever.

Customer Reviews:

A Passionate Life.......2007-02-25

Lorenzo da Ponte defied his time, and later, his age. In his era, most people stayed put, and if they moved, they stayed in the new place. People generally had one career- that of their father(s). Having relocated and reinvented himself, several times, da Ponte lived two generations beyond his contemporaries. At his death he was more than twice Mozart's final age. He outlived his wife by a generation, and he was a generation her senior!

He was busy every moment with optimistic plans and schemes. When things worked out he had high highs. He had low lows when they didn't. Nothing deterred him - ever. He died a risk taking octogenarian. Something about his personality garnered great friends and stirred up enemies.

Bolt is wonderful in describing places da Ponte lived in their time. In Vienna, through the largesse of the Emperor Joseph, a theater could operate independent of the crown, a privilege easily rescinded. I read and re-read the different parts about how the words of Thomas Jefferson resounded in Europe. Like the descriptions of late 18th century Vienna, Prague, the Italian cities and London, the descriptions of early 19th century Philadelphia and NYC are marvelous.

Don Giovani played here in Hawaii to a sold out crowd last week. I wonder how many of those in attendance knew the librettists' name? How many this wonderful story of his life?

Everything you Wanted to Know about Lorenzo DaPonte and More.......2006-11-10

My initial interest in this book was to learn more about the person who wrote those exquisite librettos for Mozart's Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Cosi Fan Tutte. I was initially somewhat disappointed that the author did not dedicate more space to his relationship with Mozart, but this disappointment dissipated after reading about the rest of DaPonte's life and how he reinvented himself over and over again, in Venice, in Vienna, in London, and finally in New York City. He was a man born way before his time and certainly someone we should read about in admiration, despite his many flaws. The book is very well written and holds your interest from beginning to end.

Great for music lovers.......2006-11-07

I got this for my parents, who are opera fans and know classical music, and they really enjoyed this book.

Engrossing........2006-11-06

Lorenzo Da Ponte was an early Venetian librettist well known in the late 1700s: he was Mozart's poet, Casanova's friend, and would serve as librettist of three of his friend Mozart's most controversial operas. He went on to become the first professor of Italian at Columbia University: THE LIBRETTIST OF VENICE traces a varied, involving life but also provides a fine history and set of social insights of his times, recreating the politics and world of early Vienna through the changing career of a remarkable man. Engrossing.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Great Adventure.......2006-11-04

Da Ponte was an amazing character. His story is told in a funny, understated style that is informative and entertaining. A great read.

The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro): Vocal Score

Average customer rating:

Great Service
I love it!
I love it!
You can never go wrong with Mozart

The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro): Vocal Score
Ruth and Thomas Martin
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793512085

Book Description

Italian/English. Translated by Martin.

Customer Reviews:

Great Service.......2007-01-10

I received the Ruth and Thomas Martin English translation edition of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" in a timely manner. Both English and Italian are present. In case someone is unaware, some musical notes may seem to be extra when in fact they are necessary when singing in Italian. One of the greatest operas ever written!

I love it!.......2002-08-04

As a big fan of G Schirmer opera scores I prehaps should not be allowed to be able to review this, but I will any way.

The english translation is not the best, but with it there you can get a little bit of a good idea on what you are saying, that is if you are singing the italian version.

I plan on using this in my concert comming up, and I just adore the arrangement of the "Deh Vieni, Non Tardar" is great. (I love the part of Susanna!) So enough said. If you are an opera company or an opera singer, or even an aspiring opera singer like myself, then you really need this book. Nuff' said.

~Adele

I love it!.......2002-08-04

As a big fan of G Schirmer opera scores I prehaps should not be allowed to be able to review this, but I will any way.

The english translation is not the best, but with it there you can get a little bit of a good idea on what you are saying, that is if you are singing the italian version.

I plan on using this in my concert comming up, and I just thin the arrangement of the "Deh Vieni, Non Tardar" is great. (I love the part of Susanna!) So enough said. If you are an opera company or an opera singer, or even an aspiring opera singer like myself, then you really need this book. Nuff' said.

~Adele

You can never go wrong with Mozart.......2000-06-21

This is a commonly used edition among members of the opera community. You really can't go wrong with it.

Mozart: His Character, His Work (Galaxy Books)

Average customer rating:

A Delight for Mozart Lovers
Essential, but slanted.
One of the essentials in Mozartian scholarship.

Mozart: His Character, His Work (Galaxy Books)
Alfred Einstein
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mozart: A Cultural Biography
Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters
Classical Music: The Era of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven (Norton Introduction to Music History)

ASIN: 0195007328

Book Description

Written by one of the world's outstanding music historians and critics, the late Alfred Einstein, this classic study of Mozart's character and works brings to light many new facts about his relationship with his family, his susceptibility to ambitious women, and his associations with musical contemporaries, as well as offering a penetrating analysis of his operas, piano music, chamber music, and symphonies.

Customer Reviews:

A Delight for Mozart Lovers.......2007-06-01

Trans by Arthur Mendell and Nathan Broder. Three-quarters of Einstein's book is given over to a discussion of the works in layman's terms. Einstein had the knack of being able to write for the masses yet keep the attention of the musical scholar. I see it as one of the classics on Mozart's works for everyman. His biographical secion at the beginning is charming as well. Overall, a delightful treat for Mozart lovers, a MUST read. He opens his text with "There is a strange kind of human being in whom there is an eternal struggle between body and soul, animal and god, for dominance." You know you are in for a good time.

Essential, but slanted........1999-12-18

For anyone seriously interested in the life and work of Mozart, this is a must read. One must keep in mind, though, that the author is wandering out, lost, in left field sometimes when attempting to capture a real human: a slightly mythic presentation still.

One of the essentials in Mozartian scholarship........1999-10-27

One should be fairly familiar with the life of Mozart before embarking on this book. Full of technical insights, it gives the reader some idea of what was going on in the composer's mind. Chapters which talk about Mozart's compositional influences and the factors which helped cultivate his musical consciousness are particularly informative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is rather familiar with the story of the man and wants to understand why he was so great.

Average customer rating:

leads you backstage into places opera don't know
Opera on the Couch

Opera's Second Death
Slavoj Zizek
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Strauss - Daphne / Güden · Wunderlich · King · Little · Schöffler · Böhm

ASIN: 0415930170

Book Description

Operas are about the meaning of love and life, and also very much about the meaning of death. Opera as a form, however, might even be dead itself. The last great operas are said to be those written around 1900.
But, the psychoanalytic critic and philosopher Slavoj Zizek is quick to point out, 1900 is also the year in which Freud 'invents' psychoanalysis. Can this be a coincidence? Opera's Second Death is a passionate exploration of opera---the genre, its masterpieces, and the nature of death. Using a dazzling array of tools, Slavoj Zizek and coauthor Mladen Dolar explore the strange compulsions that overpower characters in Mozart and Wagner, as well as our own desires to die and to go to the opera.
Mozart's understanding of psychoanalysis and Wagner's sense of humor are but two of the many surprises in Zizek and Dolar's operatic tour de force. Opera's Second Death is an extended aria on a subject that is far from dead.

Customer Reviews:

leads you backstage into places opera don't know.......2005-05-01

Opera is perhaps the most perfect subject for Zizek's gaze with Hegelian negations and Absolutes Lacan's "object petit a,"Four Discourses" in the Master Signifier, the divided self,desire, don't be scared away for the cloistered world of opera can use such insights to help clarify its own anxieties self-indulgences and excesses throughout its histories. In fact opera now cannot live without someone speaking about it deeply as Zizek does, especially the self-conscious dimensions in Wagner's dramas, the negations of the negations(from Hegel) as "Parsifal" a redeemer redeeming the redemption,or dealing with "Other" those aspects that we wish we could do without but are there anyways, like feminist extremism not wanting man to be around,as in Carmen, or Tosca, or Wotan not wanting to be responsible for his pacts carved on his staff. Zizek and Dolar both bring a formidable array of concepts to opera to make some illuminations clearer I think. If you simply want opera to go on as it is without comment, simply sit back and let it wash over your brain, well this is not a book for you.

Opera on the Couch.......2002-04-02

To those who love opera and know nothing about psychoanalysis or philosophy this book will be challenging and probably incomprehensible. Still, if anyone can get an Opera Queen to think, it might be Slavoj Zizek and Mladen Dolar. Dolar's is a more conventional and comprehensive treatment of the history of opera as a history of ideas. It is excellent and one can almost read the copious notes as a separate and equally enjoyable experience. Zizek uses particular operas to explain profound and fascinating ideas about love and death, narcissism and self-destruction, through the ideas (among others) of Lacan and Hegel. Ever since Zizek's seminal books explaining the complexities of Lacan and Hegel through popular entertainment he has accrued fame in intellectual circles without ever becoming pompous or complacent. He makes for enjoyable and provocative reading and chances are, after you've read him, you'll be keeping an eye out for his next book.

Average customer rating:

Spiritual Vs. Material
Well, then, there it is...
Brilliant
Excellent!
Great play, entertaining reading.

Amadeus: A Play by Peter Shaffer
Peter Shaffer
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060935499
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Book Description

0riginating at the National Theatre of Great Britain, Amadeus was the recipient of both the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award. In the United States, the play won the coveted Tony Award and went on to become a critically acclaimed major motion picture winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture.

Now, this extraordinary work about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is available with a new preface by Peter Shaffer and a new introduction by the director of the 1998 Broadway revival, Sir Peter Hall. Amadeus is a must-have for classical music buffs, theatre lovers, and aficionados of historical fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Spiritual Vs. Material.......2007-10-02

Peter Shaffer's award-winning and highly popular play AMADEUS is in many ways a morality play but seen through the eyes of a complicated postmodern villain. The play is called AMADEUS but the chief character of the story is Antonio Salieri. Salieri is the Court Composer for Emperor Joseph II of Austria during the end of the 18th Century. He is held in esteem not only by the Emperor and Court, but by the masses as well. Then Amadeus Mozart makes his way to the Austrian Court at Salzburg and Salieri recognizes in the young man a musical genius superior to anything musical he has ever heard. He becomes enraged with bitter jealousy. Feeling that God has abandoned him and given the talent that he has trained to develop and possess his entire life, Salieri declares a war against God that he will fight on the battleground that is Amadeus Mozart.

AMADEUS is a fantastic play. Author Peter Shaffer has revised the play several times since its first performance in 1979 and this version of the show (written twenty years later in 1999) is in my opinion the best because it is the one that portrays Salieri more than just an evil man, but as a human being that the audience and readers can relate to and actually understand somewhat. A must see play that anyone who enjoys theatre should be familiar with.

Well, then, there it is..........2006-11-22

Like a newspaper article, theatre has to convey its story with an economy of words.

In this way, great playwriting is a rare skill much like land the penny toss at the carnival and Shaffer is that rare playwriter who accomplishes his task so seemingly effortlessly.

Deftly, Shaffer tosses his Amadeus and Saliere together and in so doing plays each against their type rendering his Amadeus into the simple squeezebox which provides the background for the languid single note of Saliere's mournful jealousy.

What's so amazing is that in telling us the story of Amadeus' art, Shaffer shares important insights about his own. Don't have too many or too few notes but just the right number. Don't be so flashy in being good that people concentrate on the flashiness instead of the point.

And don't become so engrossed in your art that you lose sight of the ultimate ends it was meant to service in the first place.

Whether we are each more Amadeus or more Saliere we can connect with this play.

Brilliant.......2006-10-15

The film version of "Amadeus" is perhaps my favorite movie of all time. So I was a little nervous when, after picking up the play, I read that it would be very different from the movie. But I needn't have feared because, while there are several key differences, the heart of the story and the genius of its telling are equally prevalent. There is an intriguing alteration to the character of Salieri here in that he feels remorse for what he does to Mozart when confronted with the results of his machinations -- making him much more human and layered than his celluloid counterpart. The truly wonderful thing is that both forms are spectacular -- F. Murray Abraham's Salieri a brazen and histrionic devil to the printed Salieri who becomes horrified by what he has been reduced to in his quest for glory. As drama goes, you can't do much better than the exquisite "Amadeus". Shaffer's labor and its myriad incarnations have only served to deepen the play's message and painstakingly evolved it into the brilliant work presented here. It is undoubtedly one of the great masterpieces of theater, and will surely stand the test of time in future generations.

Excellent!.......2006-03-21

Whether one reads the play or watches the movie, Amadeus is quite a fun, intriguing, and thought provoking look into the music genius, and also that of the man who thought that he killed him. From watching the movie so many times to reading the play (finally!), I don't think there's any reason to really compare the two. They are both, on their own, excellent pieces of work. Both exemplify the spirit, wit, and grotesque passions and lives of all the characters in the play and the movie. They both bring justice, and yes, it's entertaining! Enjoy!

Great play, entertaining reading........2005-12-25

I am a big fan of the movie, so I decided to sit down and read the play. The play is a lot different then the 1984 motion picture, but just as good. It especially gives us another look at Salieri's character, where Saleri in the movie is very stiff and serious, Salieri in Amadeus in full of personality, and even a bit lewd and humorous, a side of him in the movie you can only see in the director's cut. I would deffinatly recommend this play to any fan of the movie, or just a fan of plays in general.

Average customer rating:

Great introduction for kids!
Mozart's The Magic Flute
The Definitive Magic Flute
A great way to learn about opera, suitable for young or old.
Wonderful story-telling

The Magic Flute
Anne Gatti
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0811810038

Amazon.com

Mozart's last opera, the simultaneously comic and serious fairy tale The Magic Flute (Die Zauberfloete), is as problematic as anything in the medium. Some deplore it for its perceived sexism and racism; some deplore it for its arguably goofy plot. "Depending on your perspective," writes David Foil in his essay in this book, it "is either the silliest opera ever written or a work of profound insight that happens to be dressed in the trappings of a cartoon." That it is Mozart's sublime music that ennobles something meant to be merely a short-lived popular entertainment is not in question.

This volume, issued by Black Dog Opera Library, puts together Foil's essay, lots of pictures, a complete libretto (with running commentary) in English and German, and a classic recording on two compact discs in one comfortably priced hardcover package. It is a fine introduction to what remains a great opera, goofy plot or no. (And Bellini's plots aren't even goofier?) It is worth buying just for the now out-of-print EMI/Angel 1972 (remastered in 1987) recording, contained on two very long-playing CDs, found inside the front and back covers of the book. The dialogue portions work better in this version than in most recordings. Anneliese Rothenberger is an appealing Pamina, and Walter Berry is a delightful Papageno. Edda Moser nails the difficult music of the Queen of Night, while Kurt Moll is our day's definitive Sarastro. Wolfgang Sawallisch, brisk and never lugubrious, conducts his soloists and the Bavarian State Opera Chorus and Orchestra with total certainty.

Book Description

Enter a magical world of monster serpents, mysterious ladies, and flying machines where giant flowers and butterflies the size of birds abound. It is here, amidst a lush wood and within a dark labyrinthine castle that an unforgettable cast of characters gathers and a magical story of good versus evil unfolds. Readers will thrill as Prince Tamino strives to save Princess Pamina from the wicked Queen of the Night and the Chancellor Monostatos. Accompanied by Papageno, the birdcatcher, and a magic flute to ward off evil, Tamino and Pamina must overcome thundering waterfalls and walls of fire to save their kingdom from darkness and live happily ever after.

Illustrated with the glorious paintings of Peter Malone, this enchanting retelling of Mozart's famous opera paired with an audio CD is sure to delight lovers of fairytales and music alike.

Awards and honors for The Magic Flute:
School Library Journal, starred review
1998 Bookbuilders West Award 1998 Parent Council Ltd. - Outstanding

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction for kids!.......2007-03-08

This is a great opera introduction for kids. The story is really easy to follow and the CD is a great addition. I highly recommend this for anyone.

Mozart's The Magic Flute.......2007-02-14

This was a wonderful story well written for a young audience. We bought it for our six-year-old son who began studying violin a year ago, and this was his one-year anniversary present. Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacht Musik was his inspiration to learn the violin, and he has since taken interest in other Mozart music. The illustrations are also very beautiful.

The Definitive Magic Flute.......2005-04-12

I'm usually dismissive of most Die Zauberflotes because I find the overall quality of the singers and recording lacking. Then I came upon this recording...I have to say that it is simply the most amazing Die Zauberflote I've ever heard! The orchestrations to the singers to the conductor himself...everything is mind-blowing! I'm not a Mozart person, but if I really like a recording of his I will buy it. This is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the Flute, especially since there is such a wonderful introduction accompanying this extremely famous opera. And the Queen of the Night-Edda Moser!!! Amazing! Simply amazing! No other Queen has conveyed that much drama into her singing. This is the Flute. I would suggest Marriner's version if I hadn't seen this one, but then here is a Flute with all the greats in it! Get it now!

A great way to learn about opera, suitable for young or old........2004-04-21

I received this as a gift from a mislead but well-meaning relative. Needless to say, I have never been a fan of opera. However, I was surprised that I was actually able to enjoy this book and accompanying CD. The book begins with a brief biography of Mozart, and then offers a prose overview of the story (extremely helpful for understanding!). The second half of the book contains the libretto, or text, of the opera. The original German forms one column on the left-hand side of each page, and the English translation is printed on the right. This way one can follow along with the story while listening to the music, even if you don't know a word of German. Throughout the entire book there are pictures from different stage performances of The Magic Flute. The musical recording is of high quality, contained on two disks that fit into pockets on the inside front and back cover of the book.

This would be a wonderful book for anyone interested in learning about opera, young or old. However, I must disagree with the reviewer who said this was geared toward children between three and seven. A 3-year-old would never be able to read the text, and a 7-year-old, unless very advanced, would no doubt struggle with it. The book is better suited for slightly older children all the way up through adults of any age. While I'm still not a fan of opera, I did gain some appreciation for it from this book and CD. I'm sure the only way to truly experience an opera is to see it performed live (just listening to a recording removes the entire visual element), but I would nevertheless recommend this product.

Wonderful story-telling.......2004-03-15

P. Craig Russell's drawing style seems especially apt for stories of enchanted lands and beings. His lines are light and airy, and he sets a mood nicely with color. In other words, he is ideally suited to illustrate this story.

He does a delightful job of it, too. He amplifies all of the characters theatrically beyond the believable, and has one small advantage over true opera - he is never at the mercy of the set designers, costumers, or other effects.

I am very glad to see this classic of western culture (and the others coming soon) made available in this format. I confess, I have not fully acquired the taste for opera, or the ability to derive the story from the way it is sung. I do, however, want to know at least a bit of the story, and this is a very digestible form. Russell's drawing makes it more than digestible, it's a real confection. I also appreciate the fact that Russell has adapted the story, and not created a new one from fragments of the classic.

Opera buffs - I hope you can accept this for what it is. One way to look at this is opera appreciation on training wheels, a painless entry into part of the operatic art. It's also a way to spread some knowledge of this classic across a generation that might not have been exposed to the story otherwise - certainly a good thing.

If nothing else, it's a well-drawn comic by a very capable artist. It's that "else" that makes this comic stand out. I'm looking forward to the next Russell operas.

(This reviews the book without the CD.)

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