In the style of the phenomenally successful 1001 series this is an essential guide and gift for anyone with a passion for music. 1001 CLASSICAL RECORDINGS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE is the key to understanding and appreciating the entire body of classical music. Beguiling sonatas, moving arias and operas, uplifting choral works and dramatic symphonies are all described in reviews that also explain why certain recordings of each one are the most inspiring, artistically successful and satisfying. You can browse in any number of ways through the 1001 reviews, discovering new types of music, new composers and individual works to explore. Unlike many classical music guides, 1001 CLASSICAL RECORDINGS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE features album cover illustrations, highlights recommended releases and includes quotations that shed light on the composers and their works. For the novice and seasoned concert-goer alike, the passionate reviews, indepth biographical information and unexpected insights make this a unique and indispensable companion to the best of classical music.

A thick and informative guide to the world of classical music and its stunning recordings, complete with images from CD cases, concert halls, and of the musicians themselves.

1001 Classical Recordings is a guide concerned with excellence in every field of classical music. The reader becomes familiar with the Gregorian chants of the Medieval age (pre-1400), the madrigals and more secular music of the Renaissance (1400-1600), the intricate ornamentation of the Baroque era (1600-1750), the structured pieces of the Classic period (1750-1820), and the emotionally charged Romantic works (1820-1900), right through to the innovative and sometimes challenging composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.From the great and inspiring Masses, choral works, symphonies, concertos, and operas, to the intimacies and subtleties of chamber music and pieces written for small ensembles and soloists, the reader builds up a full understanding of the variety of music in the classical genre, and is guided to the most outstanding recordings of each masterpiece. Each entry is potentially a gateway to exciting new territories of music for the reader to explore.

‘A terrific blow for freedom. Richly comic’ Boris Johnson. 'Properly funny. I've put it in a seldom-used toilet.' Jeremy Clarkson We are forever being ordered around – 100 things to do before you're 30; 50 albums you must own; change your life in two weeks. Why – is this an increasingly desperate search for happiness? Perhaps you can in fact attain happiness not by going anywhere or doing anything but instead by actually reducing your ambitions. This is the philosophy behind '63 Things Not To Do Before You Die'. Each chapter begins with a diatribe, followed by a detailed look at the alternative side of the most frequently cited must do's, giving off-putting facts and statistics to quote at holier-than-thou thrillseekers. Wish-fulfillment lists take heed...

'Legacies of Ancient Greece in Contemporary Perspectives' provides readers with opportunities to reconnect with the origins of thought in an astonishingly wide variety of areas: politics, economics, art, spirituality, gender relations, medicine, literature, philosophy, music, and so on. As the chapters in the book show, Classical Greek thought still informs much of contemporary culture. There are countless books and articles that deal with ancient Greece historically, and a similar number that focus on Greece as a contemporary travel destination. There is both a lot of interest in Greece as a place now, and in Greece’s history and culture, which formed the early origins of much of Western civilisation. The distinctive attraction of 'Legacies of Ancient Greece in Contemporary Perspectives' is that it brings together, by means of fascinating examples, the two areas of interest: Greece’s past in relation to its, and our, present. In addition to the general interest factor, the book suggests questions for re-examination: the individual chapters provide abundant original research on their subjects, and in most cases offer critiques on the assumptions about, and the interpretations of, Greece’s ancient and contemporary cultural practices. These challenges themselves stimulate far-reaching thought and discussion, a feature highly attractive to readers (and students) wishing to develop a more in-depth understanding of the legacies of ancient Greece.

What did Time magazine consider the twentieth-century's greatest album? Which anthem by Prince was an attempt to emulate Bob Seger? And what links Count Basie and Batman? If you thought you knew your music, then think again. 1001Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, is totally revised and fully updated for 2013, and is the definitive guide to accompany your interest in music. Written by top UK and US music journalists, and includes a preface by Michael Lydon, the founding editor of the Rolling Stone magazine. It celebrates the great and ground-breaking albums throughout the eras - from the genesis of Fifties rock 'n' roll to the technological and electronic innovations of the 2000s. Each entry includes key tracks and explains exactly why each of these albums deserved to be included in the list, offering an insight into the process of their creation, development, and success. With albums from Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Sex Pistols, ACDC, Ray Price, the Beach Boys, Sonic Youth, P J Harvey, Jack White, Green Day, Christina Aguilera, and the latest from David Bowie, as well as new cutting-edge entries such as Kendrick Lamar and Django Django, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die covers all the works that have formed part of the soundtracks to all our lives, at one point or another. Illustrated with more than 900 iconic images of album covers, bands and artists, as well as photographs from many legendary gigs, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, covers from the 1950s to the present and is the single most comprehensive list of music that changed the world, an absolute must-have for all the musically inspired.

An inspiring selection of the most iconic songs ever released, covering all the genres for nearly a century of memorable music.