Instead of following the traditional chronological order in studying the Beethoven piano sonatas, Kenneth Drake places them in categories that reflect certain qualities of the music. Approaching the sonatas as an interpreter's search for meaning, he begins with the Classic composers' expressive treatment of the keyboard - such as touches, articulation, line, color, silence, and the pacing of musical ideas. He then analyzes individual Beethoven sonatas,...

With the same authority, insight, and unique ability to bring music to life on the printed page that he brought to his Guide to Chamber Music, the author gives us an indispensable guide to the sonata form. Comprehensive, analytical, and historical, including descriptions in nontechnical language of over two hundred of the best best-known sonatas, this book is designed to help all music lovers--casual listeners, experienced concertgoers, performers,...

Authoritative, inexpensive volume contains all 19 sonatas and 4 fantasies, ranging from the relatively easy Sonata in C Major, K.545 to the profoundly moving Fantasy in D Minor, K.397. Reprinted from the reliable Breitkopf & Härtel's Complete Works. Indispensable for serious pianists at all levels.

Famous artists from the world of classical music take children on a journey through the 'Classical Wonderland:' Jonas Kaufmann, Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, Plácido Domingo and many other artists have each selected and recorded a short piece for this album. In this way they hope to entice young people into the enchanted world of classical music.