Review by Booklist Review
When first approaching any art, nothing enhances the experience like encouragement from a friend in love with the work, and that's the role played here by concert pianist Rhodes in this vibrant introduction to classical music. His love is palpable, sure to infect anyone who gives classical music (and this book) a chance. Great lengths have gone into presenting the stereotypically unappealing subject through terms that will appeal to modern teens, from the book's design including dynamic typography and O'Neill's lively punk-psychedelic collage work, all set in the dimensions of a record jacket to Rhodes' conversational text that often utilizes pop-culture references to make the material more relatable. Seven of the most notable classical composers are presented Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. Each section begins with The Facts of Life, two pages covering all the pertinent and colorful details of the artist's life. From there, readers are encouraged to listen along (via a free Spotify playlist) as Rhodes spotlights two of the composer's works, contextualizing each piece and describing the music in terms both metaphorical and technical. Challenging vocab is set in bold and defined in a glossary, while supplemental sections educate further. More than just a gift book, this provides an easy and entertaining launchpad for music lovers curious about classical but unsure where to start.--Ronny Khuri Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
To counter the idea that "classical music is... dull irrelevant," Rhodes, a pianist, constructed a guided introduction to a Spotify playlist featuring pieces by seven composers: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Schubert. (The introduction, noting that "classical music is and has been overwhelmingly white and male," also mentions Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Fanny Mendelssohn.) Structured like souped-up liner notes, each composer's section outlines their biography, work, and influence. Rhodes then breaks down the history of the specific compositions featured, the performance, and his way of understanding it: Bach, for example, uses rhythm "to create this rocking, undulating quality, almost like that of a small boat." He leans a bit hard on of-the-moment cultural references (Banksy, Lil Wayne, and Twitter all appear on a single page), but his enthusiasm is infectious. O'Neill's pleasingly trippy Sgt. Pepper-esque collages slyly reposition bewigged men as psychedelic revolutionaries. Ages 12--up. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Pianist Rhodes (Fire on All Sides, 2018, etc.) makes classical music accessible, relatable, and exciting for teen readers who may believe that it's "dull, irrelevantand about as interesting as algebra."The book contains an irreverent introduction (including a lament about the overrepresentation of white men and suggestions of talented women and composers of color), the life stories of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel; descriptions of two works by each; and information about music theory and history. The book is slim (with the dimensions of an LP) but is chock-full of details. It is hard not to be swept upRhodes writes with such enthusiasm and thoughtfulness that readers will be dying to listen to the Spotify playlist he shares. He describes Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto as sounding "a bit like a conversation between two people who are dear friends but discussing some sad news." Dies Irae, from Mozart's "Requiem in D Minor," combines instruments and voices "into one hundred seconds of pure magic [that] takes my breath away every time.HE OWNS IT." Using colloquial language, pop-culture references, and even an emoji, Rhodes makes history and music come alive. Surreal, psychedelic collages by artist O'Neill (Unthinkable, 2018, etc.) reminiscent of Monty Python intros make the book an eye-popping visual experience as well.This dynamic and infectious introduction to classical music is sure to capture a new generation of musicophiles. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
