Komponister og sangskrivere

Den russiske komponist Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakov forvandler i Scheherazade sultanens hustru til en soloviolin, der tryllebinder den hævnlystne ægtemand med 1001 nats eventyr. Hans landsmand, Modest Musorgskij, inviterer med fantasifuld musik lytterne til en kunstudstilling i Udstillingsbilleder. Franske Hector Berlioz maler med hele symfoniorkestrets farvepalet, når han i Symphonie fantastique fortæller, hvordan en kunstner bliver ulykkeligt forelsket, tager opium i fortvivlelse og siden med grotesk marchmusik bliver en hallucineret tilskuer til sin egen henrettelse.I Når musikken fortæller guider Leif Balthzersen lytteren og læseren igennem 75 klassiske værker og sørger for en endnu større musikoplevelse i koncertsalen eller derhjemme. Udvalget strækker sig over 200 år af musikhistorien – fra forårets fuglekvidder i Antonio Vivaldis udødelige violinkoncerter De fire årstider over Bedřich Smetanas strømmende flod i tonedigtet Moldau til George Gershwins jazzede oplevelser i En amerikaner i Paris.Leif V.S. Balthzersen er mag.art. i musikvidenskab og tidligere musikchef for Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester og Aarhus Symfoniorkester og har udgivet bøger om Mozarts operaer og Richard Strauss’ orkesterværker. Han er en efterspurgt foredragsholder på Folkeuniversitetet og højskoler samt i oplysningsforbund over hele landet og har arbejdet med musikformidling i over 30 år.

The first-ever authorised book from Oasis, one of the biggest bands on the planet.

Den legendariske singer-songwriter Bob Dylan fortæller om sit liv og sin fyrre år lange karriere i sine længe ventede erindringer. Bogen, der er på ca. 300 sider og særdeles velskrevet og underholdende, er den første i en serie på tre hvori Bob Dylan selv skriver om sit liv og sin karriere. Den omhandler bl.a. den unge Hibbing-drengs ankomst til New York og skildrer beatniks og bohemer på folkemusikscenen i begyndelsen af 60'erne.

Mozarts operaer er en guidebog, skrevet til alle dem, der gerne vil have noget ud af at lytte til Mozarts vidunderlige operaer. Mozart skrev operaer lige fra han var barn og til sin død, og bogen gennemgår disse mange operaer, hvoraf flere hører til de mest elskede og mest spillede i operarepertoiret verden over, ikke mindst Figaros Bryllup, Tryllefløjten, Don Giovanni og Così fan tutte. Guiden giver tillige læserne en musikhistorisk introduktion til operatraditionen på Mozarts tid i 1700-tallet og giver et billede af Mozarts særlige forhold til operagenren. Mozarts operaer giver læseren gode muligheder for at fordybe sig i den smukke, dramatiske og lyriske musik – enten i forbindelse med DVD, TV eller CD eller som en grundig forberedelse eller opfølgning på en opførelse. I de fyldige tekster om musikken gives der løbende referencer, således at det hurtigt er muligt at finde de omtalte steder enten på internettet eller på en CD.

At slå børn var engang en del af dansk kultur.Kamma Laurents forsvarede i sangen om Spørge Jørgen retten til det. Robert Storm Petersen illustrerede. Men i stedet for at tage teksten på ordet, tog han den ved vingebenet og tegnede modbilleder. Dementerede og parodierede.Således kom en af Danmarks mest populære børnebøger til verden.Hvorfor? Storm P, Spørge Jørgen og kampen om retten til at stille spørgsmål placerer Spørge Jørgen i en litteraturhistorisk, pædagogisk og kulturel sammenhæng samtidig med at den giver et helhedsbillede af Storm P., denne kunstneriske altmuligmand, hvis lune og alvor er en uafviselig del af dansk kultur.Asger Albjerg, forfatter, mag.art. og fil.dr., har været højskolelærer i Sverige, leder af Nordens Institut på Åland og lektor i dansk ved Helsingfors universitet. Han har blandt andet skrevet en række videnskabelige artikler og tre børnebøger.

Diderik Buxtehude (1637-1707) er en af den europæiske barokmusiks vigtigste komponister. Hans kunstneriske fantasi satte nye musikalske standarder, og med sin fusion af det eksperimenterende, det legende og det lærde blev han et forbillede for Johann Sebastian Bach, der beundrede ham højt. Buxtehude var født i Danmark og begyndte sin karriere i Helsingør og Helsingborg. Som 31-årig tiltrådte han et af Nordeuropas vigtigste organistembeder i Mariakirken i Lübeck, og resten af sit liv boede og arbejdede han i den nordtyske by. Desværre er sporene efter hans liv ret utydelige. Der findes kun et enkelt billede af ham, og flere af hans hovedværker er gået tabt. Men i dag, hvor barokkens musik er mere populær end nogensinde, er Buxtehudes musik genstand for stor international opmærksomhed, og han er i dag nok den danske komponist, der er mest udbredt på verdensplan. I denne bog, den første af sin art på dansk i mange år, præsenterer komponisten og forfatteren Karl Aage Rasmussen os for et af Danmarks største musiknavne nogensinde.

A leading music journalist's riveting chronicle of how beloved band Pearl Jam shaped the times, and how their legacy and longevity have transcended generations.Ever since Pearl Jam first blasted onto the Seattle grunge scene three decades ago with their debut album, Ten, they have sold 85M+ albums, performed for hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, and have even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack Of A Generation, music critic and journalist Steven Hyden celebrates the life, career, and music of this legendary group, widely considered to be one of the greatest American rock bands of all time. Long Road is structured like a mix tape, using 18 different Pearl Jam classics as starting points for telling a mix of personal and universal stories. Each chapter tells the tale of this great band - how they got to where they are, what drove them to greatness, and why it matters now.Much like the generation it emerged from, Pearl Jam is a mass of contradictions. They were an enormously successful mainstream rock band who felt deeply uncomfortable with the pursuit of capitalistic spoils. They were progressive activists who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Ticketmaster monopoly, and yet they epitomized the sound of traditional, male-dominated rock 'n' roll. They were looked at as spokesmen for their generation, even though they ultimately projected profound confusion and alienation. They triumphed, and failed, in equal doses - the quintessential Gen-X tale.Impressive as their stats, accolades, and longevity may be, Hyden also argues that Pearl Jam's most definitive accomplishment lies in the impact their music had on Generation X as a whole. Pearl Jam's music helped an entire generation of listeners connect with the glory of bygone rock mythology, and made it relevant during a period in which tremendous American economic prosperity belied a darkness at the heart of American youth. More than just a chronicle of the band's career, this book is also a story about Gen- X itself, who like Pearl Jam came from angsty, outspoken roots and then evolved into an establishment institution, without ever fully shaking off their uncertain, outsider past. For so many Gen-Xers growing up at the time, Pearl Jam's music was a beacon that offered both solace and guidance. They taught an entire generation how to grow up without losing the purest and most essential parts of themselves.Written with his celebrated blend of personal memoir, criticism, and journalism, Hyden explores Pearl Jam's path from Ten to now. It's a chance for new fans and old fans alike to geek out over Pearl Jam minutia-the B-sides, the beloved deep cuts, the concert bootlegs-and explore the multitude of reasons why Pearl Jam's music resonated with so many people. As Hyden explains, "Most songs pass through our lives and are swiftly forgotten. But Pearl Jam is forever."

"The first and only Estate-authorized biography of the legendary artist, Tupac Shakur, a moving exploration of his life and powerful legacy, fully illustrated with photos, mementos, handwritten poetry, musings, and more. Tupac Shakur is one of the greatest and most controversial artists of all time. More than a quarter of a century after his tragic death in 1996 at the age of just twenty-five, he continues to be one of the most misunderstood, complicated and prolific figures in modern history. Tupac's unapologetic lyrics, for which he was villainized by many at the time, read in these pages as prophecy. His cry of outrage in a country that repeatedly told Black men and women that their lives did not matter, continues to inspire his fans around the world. In Tupac Shakur, author and screenwriter Staci Robinson-who knew Tupac as a young man and who was entrusted by his mother, Afeni Shakur, to write his biography-peels back the myths and unpacks the complexities that have shadowed Tupac's existence. With exclusive access to his private notebooks, letters, unpublished lyrics and uncensored conversations with those who knew and loved him best, Robinson tells a powerful story of a life defined by politics and art, and a man driven by equal parts brilliance and impulsiveness. It is a story of a mother and son bound together by a love for each other and for their people, and the relationship that endured through their darkest times. It is a political story that begins in the whirlwind of the 60's Civil Rights Movement, and takes you through a young artist's awakening to rage and purpose in the nineties era of Rodney King. It is a story of dizzying success and its devastating consequences. And, of course, it is the story of his music, his timeless message that will never die as it continues to touch and inspire past, present and future generations"--

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Sofia Coppola. The New York Times bestseller that reveals the intimate story of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, told by the woman who lived it. Decades after his death, millions of fans continue to worship Elvis the legend. But very few knew him as Elvis the man. Here in her own words, Priscilla Presley tells the story of their love, revealing the details of their first meeting, their marriage, their affairs, their divorce, and the unbreakable bond that has remained long after his tragic death. A tribute to both the man and the legend, Elvis and Me gives Elvis fans the world over an unprecedented look at the true life of the King of Rock 'N' Roll and the woman who loved him.

VAGN HOLMBOE er den store danske komponist i generationen mellem Carl Nielsen og Per Nørgård. Carl Nielsen fik ham ind på musikkonservatoriet i København. Per Nørgård blev hans berømte elev. Men selv om Vagn Holmboe blev efterkrigstidens store nordiske symfoniker, og selv om han som komponist af strygekvartetter er blevet sat på niveau med Bartók og Sjostakovitj, har afgørende sider af Holmboes musik og privatliv indtil nu været ukendte for offentligheden. Thomas Michelsen har som den første fået adgang til Holmboes private breve og dagbøger. Med dem åbner sig en verden af buddhistisk inspireret filosofi og en indsigt i et ekstremt fokuseret og determineret menneske, der allerede som teenager planlagde, hvad han skulle nå som kunstner i løbet af sit liv. Vagn Holmboes musik har været opfattet som nordisk i traditionen fra Carl Nielsen. Men den har sine rødder så langt væk som i arabisk musik, og for komponisten var det allerede i hans ungdom klart, at man kom nærmere det sande i tilværelsen, jo mere man nærmede sig Tibet. Dette og meget andet åbnes der for i fortællingen om Holmboes liv og musik. Fra han kom til verden i Horsens, over hans ungdoms musikalske dannelsesrejse til Rumænien og frem til komponisten efter voldsomme indre og ydre kampe trak sig tilbage fra sin stilling på toppen af dansk musikliv, hvor han var professor ved Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium, for at leve i fred med sin musik i den naturidyl, han havde skabt i Ramløse Bakker nord for Arresø i Nordsjælland.

Tonight It's a World We Bury explores a range of tendencies centralto black metal and uncovers their potential as critiques of capitalism.

Backstreet Boys: 30th Anniversary Celebration is an illustrated tribute to of one of the most prolific and iconic groups in pop music today.

Faith, Hope and Carnage is an enthralling work by the renowned author, Nick Cave. Published in 2023 by Canongate Books Ltd., this book is a remarkable addition to the literary world. The genre of the book is not explicitly mentioned, but knowing Cave's previous works, one can expect a blend of gripping narrative and profound thoughts. The title itself, Faith, Hope and Carnage, suggests a tumultuous journey, possibly a struggle between belief, optimism, and destruction. Cave, with his exceptional storytelling skills, is sure to take readers on an unforgettable ride. Canongate Books Ltd., known for its diverse and quality publications, has once again proved its discerning eye for excellent literature by bringing this book to the public. This book is a must-read for those who appreciate thought-provoking literature.

Madvillain's Madvillainy is a captivating book penned by the talented Will Hagle. Published in 2023 by Bloomsbury Academic, this book delves into a unique genre that keeps the readers hooked from the first page to the last. The book is a testament to Hagle's prowess as a wordsmith and his ability to weave narratives that are as compelling as they are intriguing. The book was published on March 9, 2023, marking a significant milestone in the literary world. Bloomsbury Academic, the publisher, has a reputation for bringing forth books that challenge the status quo and inspire readers, and Madvillain's Madvillainy is no exception. The book is available in English, making it accessible to a broad spectrum of readers across the globe.

Featuring exclusive interviews with key figures, from Napalm Death vocalist Barney Greenway to guitarist Bill Steer of Gentlemans Pistols, Carcass, and Napalm Death, this is your guide through the history of death metal.Guitars playing abrasive, discordant riffs, the thunderous double-kick of the drums acting like an accelerated heartbeat, and porcine, guttural vocals pummeling twisted lyrics. Courting controversy from inception to its modern day iteration, death metal presents a number of contradictions: Driven and adventurous musicians compete to make uncomfortable noises; it is crude and far beyond parody and yet consistently popular; and the music is pig-headedly uncommercial despite making a few labels, albeit briefly, wealthy. This book explores the history and methodology of the genre, charting its aims and intentions, its crossovers to the mainstream, successes and failures, and tracks how it developed from the bedrooms of Birmingham and Florida to the near-mainstream, to the murky cult status it enjoys today.

Niels Viggo Bentzon (1919-2000) var en ener. Han blev uddannet som klassisk pianist i 1941 og komponerede sidenhen sine egne værker. Endda i stor stil. I sine mest produktive perioder skrev han 15-20 af slagsen om året. Han var heller ikke ræd for at kaste sig ud i nye genrer eller eksperimenter. Bentzons værkliste rummer alt fra klavermusik, kammermusik, operaer, symfonier til happenings, hvor han smed kålhoveder i hovedet på publikum eller delte chokolade ud.I Bentzon tegner Toke Lund Christiansen for første gang et mangefacetteret billede af den farverige og fandenivoldske Bentzon. Gennem sit virke som solofløjtenist i DR SymfoniOrkestret var Lund Christiansen med til at opføre en lang række af Bentzons værker og fik også lejlighed til at opbygge et nært venskab med ham. Dette unikke kendskab giver en sjælden indsigt i drivkraften bag en af Danmarks vigtigste komponister i det 20. århundrede. For Bentzons liv var ikke bare fyldt med stor musik og kunstneriske opture, men også med store nedture og alvorlige psykiske lidelser.Biografien henvender sig både til den musikkyndige og den alment kulturelt interesserede læser. Og selv om nogle af os muligvis ikke har hørt om Niels Viggo Bentzon før nu, har vi alle sammen nok spidset ører til mindst et af hans værker. I 1984 komponerede Bentzon nemlig DSB’s velkendte lydsignal ud fra tonerne D-Es-B.

Knudåge Riisager (1897–1974) var en af sin samtids mest fremtrædende danske komponister og kulturpersonligheder. Efter som ung at have komponeret en række kammer-musikværker og sange rejste han i 1923 på studieophold i Paris. Her stiftede han bekendtskab med tidens nye musik af bl.a. Satie, Stravinsky, Varèse, Prokofiev, Milhaud og Poulenc, og impulser herfra satte sig stærke spor i hans værker. I 1930’erne mødte han koreografen Harald Lander og skabte med ham en lang række balletværker, af hvilke Etudes, bygget over Carl Czernys klaveretuder, har gået sin sejrsgang over store dele af verden.Et generelt træk ved Riisager var hans åbenhed over for tidens nye strømninger. Den gav sig udslag i nogle originale balletter, som han udarbejdede sammen med Birgit Cullberg: Månerenen og Fruen fra havet. I sine sidste 10 år komponerede Riisager flere værker med modernistiske træk. Det gælder korværket Sangen om det Uendelige og Til Apollon for orkester. Han skrev også populære sange som »Nord og syd og øst og vest«, »Mor Danmark« og »Danmarks Frihedssang«.Riisager var cand.polit. og i en årrække kontorchef i Finansministeriet. I 25 år var han formand for Dansk Komponistforening og fra 1956 til 1967 direktør for Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium.Livet igennem var Riisager en markant skribent og debattør. Hovedparten af hans kronikker, artikler og debatindlæg drejer sig om musikalske emner som fx diskussionen om Musikradioen i 1963. Det stærke engagement kombineret med en nøgtern og saglig udtryksform gav ham gennemslagskraft og gjorde ham til en kendt og respekteret skikkelse også i offentligheden. Riisager optrådte således flere gange i tegneserien »Radiserne« og Politikens »At tænke sig«.Claus Røllum-Larsen er mag.art. og ph.d. i musikvidenskab fra Københavns Universitet og siden 1997 forskningsbibliotekar og seniorforsker ved Det Kongelige Bibliotek. I 1990 udgav han Kong Frederik IX og musikken. Musikhistoriske studier i det danske kongehus og i 2002 Impulser i Københavns koncertrepertoire 1900-1935. Studier i præsentationen af ny, især udenlandsk instrumentalmusik.

After more than three decades and 150 million albums, AC/DC has established itself as much more than just a great rock band. For millions of fans spanning several generations across the world, they are an ear-bleedingly loud, sweat-soaked religion.Now, in a book of astonishing breadth and scope, comes the complete story of AC/DC. Everything you ever wanted to know and plenty more you never dreamt of is all here, the ultimate balls-out adventure, laced with sex, drunken escapades, and brawls?topped off with rare intimate photos to create the ultimate portrait of the ultimate rock band.

Get the Real Story!You think you know Taylor Swift, but "Taylor's Journey" takes you way deeper. This book is like hanging out with Taylor, hearing her story straight from her - from strumming in her room to lighting up stages worldwide. Taylor Tells It All: Dreams, Drama, and Making a DifferenceDive into her world like never before. It's all here: the early days, the big breaks, and how she stands up for what's right - women's rights, education, you name it. Taylor's not just about hit songs; she's about hitting back at unfairness and speaking up. Grab Your Copy & Join the Squad!This book is for all of us who've belted out her lyrics and felt like she totally gets us. Be quick, grab your copy, and let's keep celebrating Taylor - together!

ABBA’s position i musikhistorien er uden sidestykke. En svensk popgruppe, hvis popularitet ude i verden bare bliver større og større for hvert år, der går.Hvordan er det muligt? Hvorfor bliver vi aldrig trætte af disse sange?"VEMOD UNDERCOVER" lader detaljerne – i musikken, i de involverede menneskers liv, i tiden – forklare helheden, fra bandets første skridt sammen, over det internationale gennembrud med Waterloo i 1974 og til den sidste indspilning. "VEMOD UNDERCOVER" er en kærlighedserklæring, som får os til at se både bandet og tiden med nye øjne.Jan Gradvall har som Sveriges førende popkulturjournalist fulgt de skandinaviske verdensstjerner Agnetha, Frida, Björn og Benny fra første parket i de sidste ti år.Om forfatteren:Jan Gradvall (f. 1963) er en af Sveriges førende journalister inden for musik og popkultur og skriver bl.a. for Dagens Nyheter. I 2013 medvirkede Jan Gradvall i BBC-dokumentaren The Joy of ABBA, og har siden da beholdt kontakten med de fire og interviewet dem løbende.Det første album, Jan Gradvall nogensinde købte, var Waterloo med ABBA.

This Is Hardcore is Pulp's cry for help. A giant, sprawling, flawed masterpiece of a record, the 1998 album manages to tackle some of the most inappropriately grown-up issues of the day - fame, ageing, mortality, drugs, and pornography - and still come out crying and laughing on the other side. The subject of pornography dominates the record - from its controversial artwork to the images conjured up by songs like "Seductive Barry" and the title track - after Pulp's main man, Jarvis Cocker - who'd spent most of his teenage and adult life chasing celebrity, only to be cruelly disappointed when it finally arrived in spades - hit upon the grand notion of using pornography as a metaphor for fame. The album's commercial failure as a follow-up to the band's Britpop-defining, Different Class, also symbolizes a death knell for Britpop itself. Dark, right? Except just like Pulp themselves, Jane Savidge's book is playful and sometimes very funny indeed. Kicking off with an imaginary conversation between Jarvis Cocker and the people who run the Total Fame Solutions helpline, Savidge expertly guides us through the trials and tribulations of an album that begins with the so-called Michael Jackson Incident, when Cocker got up on stage at the 1996 Brit Awards and waggled his fully-clothed bum at the King of Pop. Pulp's This Is Hardcore may be a sleazy run through porn and mental demise, and an album that chronicles Cocker's continuing disillusionment with his newfound lot in life, but Savidge's book assesses the cultural and historical context of the album with insider knowledge and a sharp modern lens, ultimately making a case for it as one of the most important albums of the 1990s.

The true story of beloved Cambodian singer Ros Serey Sothea, whose “Golden Voice” helped define Cambodia’s Golden Age of music until her mysterious disappearance in the killing fields of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. Developed in partnership with Sothea’s family.

In George Michael: A Life,“Gavin’s engrossing biography of the singer takes the measure of a gifted, tragic, and infuriating man” (New York Times Book Review). George Michael was an extravagantly gifted, openhearted soul singer whose work was both pained and smolderingly erotic. He was a songwriter of true craft and substance, and his music swept the world, starting in the mid-1980s. His fabricated image—that of a hypermacho sex god—loomed large in the pop culture of his day. It also hid—for a time—the secret he fought against revealing: Michael was gay. Soon his obsession with fame would start to backfire. As one of the industry’s most privileged yet tortured men began to self-destruct, the press showed little sympathy. George Michael: A Life explores the compelling story of a superstar whose struggles, as well as his songs, continue to touch fans all over the world. Acclaimed music biographer James Gavin traces Michael’s metamorphosis from the shy and awkward Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou into the swaggering, dominant half of the leading British pop duo of the 1980s Wham! He then details Michael’s sensational solo career and its subsequent unraveling. With deep analysis of the creative process behind Michael’s albums, tours, and music videos, as well as interviews with hundreds of his friends and colleagues, George Michael: A Life is a probing, definitive portrait of a pop legend.