Quand Smetana, en 1876, termine son Quatuor en mi mineur sous des couleurs tristes et sombres, il est déjà atteint par la surdité. Quel musicien ne connaît pas ce passage fatidique du 4e mouvement, où Smetana symbolise par une note ultra-aiguë au violon le début de sa maladie? Les mouvements précédents sont consacrés aux stations plus heureuses de sa vie - la préface de notre édition cite un passage détaillé d'une lettre consacré à ce sujet. Smetana, qui à l'époque avait reçu de son éditeur des honoraires ridicules pour son quatuor, ne pouvait pas prévoir que cette oeuvre compterait un jour au rang des quatuors à cordes les plus célèbres. / Quatuor A Cordes

The Library Of Romantic Music is a comprehensive collection of the greatest works of the Romantic period. Featuring composers like Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré, the works represented here truly some of the most beautiful ever composed. Now they're all in one conveniently spiral-bound volume, arranged for solo Piano for your sheer playing pleasure.Like the Baroque and Classical periods before it, Romantic music existed within a broader artistic, intellectual and literary movement. Emerging in the early 19th century it reflected a time of preoccupation with things mystical, spiritual, legendary and supernatural. This collection comprises fantastic original Piano works and beautiful arrangements from all the greatest composers of this era, including: Albéniz, Berlioz, Bizet, Brahms, Chopin, Dvorák, Debussy, Elgar, Fauré, Grieg, Mahler, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Puccini, Ravel and so many more.Spanning the 19th century, the Romantic movement was a reaction to what had come before. Music proved to be a particularly rich medium of expression for a new Zeitgeist that prized individualism and spirituality. Drawing together composers whose background was as diverse as the music they created, the period proved to be a very broad church indeed. This makes The Library Of Romantic Music particularly exciting, because the extraordinarily rich and expressive music is collected here in a single volume that is durable, convenient and is sure to be a mainstay of your music stand.For a simply stunning compendium of some incredible pieces of music composed by the masters, The Library Of Romantic Music is essential. The greatest compositions from such a fantastically rich period have been collected in this single volume, perfect for pianists looking for beautiful additions to their repertoire. / Piano

This superb 2CD collection of 40 masterpieces by 10 great composers features performances by the world's leading soloists and orchestras, including The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Philharmonic Orchestra. The audio CDs are accompanied by a specially produced book containing the same pieces for solo piano. Here is an opportunity to enjoy some of the world's most beautiful classical music, and to then sit down at the Piano and play them yourself using the accompanying folio. So if you're one of those people who feel like playing as well as listening, this is the collection for you! / Piano