Eight Symphonic Masterworks of the Twentieth Century

Summary

Based on his decades of experience conducting these works, Leonard Slatkin delves into eight of the most beloved orchestral pieces of the twentieth century and tackles problems conductors face before stepping onto the podium. These works are:

• Claude Debussy’s La Mer

• Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

• Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

• Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)

• George Gershwin’s An American in Paris

• Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite

• Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings

• Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Each essay includes some history, what to understand before the first rehearsal, and an almost bar-by-bar guide to the pieces. It goes into what conductors need to know during the score study process, as well as in rehearsal and performance, to bring a work to life. Slatkin also shares many tricks of the trade aimed at making rehearsals as efficient as possible and includes engaging anecdotes useful for learning the works.

These essays will open up the world of score study to conductors, other musicians, and students interested in expanding their knowledge of these eight works.

Keywords

Search publication

Bibliographic data

Edition

1/2024

Copyright Year

2024

ISBN-Print

978-1-5381-8679-4

ISBN-Online

978-1-5381-8681-7

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

Language

English

Pages

192

Product Type

Monograph