Mozart Requiem and Beethoven Books

[Andy2112]

Greetings to all. From time to time I have tapped into the vast knowledge that is collected here for recording recommendations, so here I go again. And, in the spirit of BAL, it's a twofer. I'm seeking a relatively recent, as in last twenty or so years, recording of Mozart's Requiem. Must be available as a CD please. And also I'm on the lookout for a book on Beethoven, something combining biographical aspects with a reasonably detailed (as in no more complex than A level music) guide to his works.
Many thanks in advance

[kernelbogey]

Welcome Andy!

I can't help on the Requiem, but I had asked a similar question about Beethoven books here

Anybody read Swafford's biography of LvB? Comments?

and you will find some answers below that.
Best wishes, kb

[Pulcinella]

Welcome Andy!

I can't help on the Requiem, but I had asked a similar question about Beethoven books here

and you will find some answers below that.
Best wishes, kb

kb

It might help Andy (and the rest of us) if you mentioned which thread you asked this on, or gave a link!
You probably thought that your quote would guide us there.


I found this thread about the Swafford book, but don't see a post from you there!

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?12034-Has-anyone-read-this-new-Beethoven-biog&highlight=swafford

Ah!
It's post 124 here:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?21182-Ludwig-van-Beethoven-(1770-1827)&highlight=swafford

[LMcD]

I'm seriously considering buying Jan Swafford's book on the basis of his (to me) insightful contributions to the excellent just-concluded 'Being Beethoven' series on BBC4. The only recording I have of the Mozart Requiem is the 1991 John Eliot Gardiner DVD, which I would recommend without hesitation.

[kernelbogey]

kb

It might help Andy (and the rest of us) if you mentioned which thread you asked this on, or gave a link!
You probably thought that your quote would guide us there.
http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...light=swafford

Ahem! Pulcers - if you (or anybody) click on the small blue icon immediately after kernelbogey in the quoted text, it takes you, by the magic of electronics, straight to my post 124.

(Admittedly, it was a bit optimistic of me to think that a newly joined member would be able to figure that out. .

[LMcD]

Ahem! Pulcers - if you (or anybody) click on the small blue icon immediately after kernelbogey in the quoted text, it takes you, by the magic of electronics, straight to my text.

(Admittedly, it was a bit optimistic of me to think that a newly joined member would be able to figure that out. .

Ahem ... OP joined in 2016.

[kernelbogey]

Ahem ... OP joined in 2016.

[Pulcinella]

And I joined in 2014, but never knew that!
But now, I do!

[kernelbogey]

... never knew that!

Fault of Stravinsky?

[Pulcinella]

Fault of Stravinsky?

Stravinsky's quotes were probably the fault of Robert Craft!

[Joseph K]

I like Lewis Lockwood's book Life & Music of Beethoven.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Greetings to all. From time to time I have tapped into the vast knowledge that is collected here for recording recommendations, so here I go again. And, in the spirit of BAL, it's a twofer. I'm seeking a relatively recent, as in last twenty or so years, recording of Mozart's Requiem. Must be available as a CD please. And also I'm on the lookout for a book on Beethoven, something combining biographical aspects with a reasonably detailed (as in no more complex than A level music) guide to his works.
Many thanks in advance

I think the Master Musicians Beethoven by Barry Cooper pretty much describes what you are after. There's also available secondhand the older Denis Matthews edition. As I said on the other Beethoven thread the biog I enjoyed most is Maynard Solomon's and I also like The Faber Beethoven Companion which is about A level (70's A level that is ) . Thayer in the upated Yale edition is generally considered the definitive biography but it's very long . I havent finished Swafford but what I have read is very well-written and insightful. The one volume Beethoven extracted from the Grove dicitionary is also good.

[Lion-of-Vienna]

There are some good books mentioned here. Lockwood is excellent in that he links Beethoven’s music with his life story and the music is discussed in a non-technical way. The Master Musicians book by Barry Cooper is also good to get an overview of the music but the biography is fairly short at 76 pages.

For basic factual information about the music and other aspects of Beethoven’s life such as his beliefs and opinions, his personality, his contemporaries, performance practice of the time and much else I recommend The Beethoven Compendium ed. Barry Cooper.

Beethoven-A Documentary Study ed. HC Robbins Landon is good for getting you into the world of Beethoven. It contains lots of portraits of the man himself as well as his contemporaries, friends and scenes that he would have been familiar with together with descriptions of Beethoven by his acquaintances at various stages in his life.

Beethoven’s letters are excellent to get an impression of Beethoven’s personality and his relationships with his friends and colleagues. They are available very cheaply from Amazon on Kindle.

I am currently reading Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Schindler. This was published in 1860 by a man who knew Beethoven personally in the last few years of his life.

[Ein Heldenleben]

There are some good books mentioned here. Lockwood is excellent in that he links Beethoven’s music with his life story and the music is discussed in a non-technical way. The Master Musicians book by Barry Cooper is also good to get an overview of the music but the biography is fairly short at 76 pages.

For basic factual information about the music and other aspects of Beethoven’s life such as his beliefs and opinions, his personality, his contemporaries, performance practice of the time and much else I recommend The Beethoven Compendium ed. Barry Cooper.

Beethoven-A Documentary Study ed. HC Robbins Landon is good for getting you into the world of Beethoven. It contains lots of portraits of the man himself as well as his contemporaries, friends and scenes that he would have been familiar with together with descriptions of Beethoven by his acquaintances at various stages in his life.

Beethoven’s letters are excellent to get an impression of Beethoven’s personality and his relationships with his friends and colleagues. They are available very cheaply from Amazon on Kindle.

I am currently reading Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Schindler. This was published in 1860 by a man who knew Beethoven personally in the last few years of his life.

I love the HC Robbins Landon book - great to see so much of the original docs. For that reason I also love Erich Valentin's Thames and Hudson pictorial Mozart complete with (Amadeus and Salieri fans please note ) a manuscript with some crossings-out . He was only 5 though...

[teamsaint]

Can anybody recommend a good book ( or website), on the late Beethoven quartets please?