Rating: 
Summary: Excellent NearPerfect Music Guide!
Review: Truly, all the ROUGH GUIDES are top notch! This beautifully designed book will give you not only the basic pieces of just about every leading composer through the present, but also picks the top CD performances. Plus there are short bios on leading players and conductors. Did you know there is a collection of about 94 CD's by Toscanini, for example, (who, I did not know, lived in to his mid 90's). Browsing thru, say, Mozart on Beethoven, you get a terrific rundown on their top pieces and performances, plus bios and place in musical history. Plus there are many relative unknowns who I never knew! One very small criticism..Where are the 2 American composers, Edward MacDowell, and Amy Beach? (Maybe in later editions. Mine is dated 1994).In sum, a very fine book, even with these monir flaws!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent place to start
Review: Whether or not this book is *right* about what recordings are the best of a particular work, I have yet to be disappointed purchasing a disc recommended here. It is quite strong on 20th century composers, which is unusual in books of this kind. The writing is thoughtful, readable, and intelligent, too. I think this is the ideal book for someone who wants to know more about classical music, and is more than useful for those who already know a bit. Also, I've never had trouble tracking down any of the recordings, but maybe I've just been lucky.
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