Category: Music

A Little Book Of The Orchestra – The Violin by Mary Auld and Elisa Paganelli

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The Blurb On The Back:

Luli loves playing the violin in an orchestra.  She is so excited when she hears that her orchestra will play outdoors in Tragalgar Square.  It’s a midsummer concert for everyone!

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA reveals the world of a large orchestra in a story of one of its musicians and their instrument.  In this book, find out about the violin and what it is like to learn and play.  As you read, you can listen to the amazing music the violin creates both on its own and within the orchestra.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA – THE VIOLIN was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2023.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA – THE VIOLIN by Mary Auld and Elisa Paranelli from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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A Little Book Of The Orchestra – The Clarinet by Mary Auld and Elisa Paganelli

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The Blurb On The Back:

Ed loves playing the clarinet in an orchestra.  He is delighted to share his music with a group of enthusiastic school children – and to invite them to his orchestra’s next concert.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA reveals the world of a large orchestra in a story of one of its musicians and their instrument.  In this book, find out about the clarinet and what it is like to learn and play.  As you read, you can listen to the amazing music the clarinet creates both on its own and within the orchestra.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA – THE CLARINET was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2023.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA – THE CLARINET by Mary Auld and Elisa Paranelli from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

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Symphony For The City Of The Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M. T. Anderson

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The Blurb On The Back:

In September of 1941, Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history – two and a half years of bombardment and starvation.  More than a million citizens perished.  Survivors recall corpses littering the frozen streets, the relatives of the dead having neither the means nor the strength to bury them.  Desperate citizens burned books, furniture, and floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and – eventually – even one another to stay alive.

Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a symphony that roused, rallied, eulogised, and commemorated his fellow citizens – the Leningrad Symphony.  This testament of courage was copied onto microfilm, driven across the Middle East, and flown over the deserts of North Africa to be performed in the United States – where it played a surprising role in strengthening the Grand Alliance against the Axis powers. 

This is the true story of a city under siege: the triumph of bravery and defiance in the face of terrifying odds.  It is also a look at the power – and layered meaning – of music in beleaguered lives. 

You can order SYMPHONY FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD: DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH AND THE SIEGE OF LENINGRAD by M. T. Anderson from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

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