The Library Journal recently ran a prepublication review of Piero Melograni’s new book Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Biography commending Melograni’s work as both insightful and apropos. From the review:
“Melograni, an Italian historian who writes principally on nonmusical topics of the 20th century, has made a valuable contribution to the crowded field of Mozart studies published this year, the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The author draws extensively from letters and notes of the Mozart family, and thus his conversational, chronological account of the composer’s life is unusually rich in detail.”
The review also cites Melograni’s engaging commentary on the historical events he recounts, making of particular note Melograni’s provocative “case for the removal of the Requiem from the Mozart canon, [which argues] that this masterpiece is mainly the work of others and is not up to par with Mozart’s final works.”
Written with a gifted historian’s flair for narrative and unencumbered by specialized analyses of Mozart’s music, Melograni’s is the most vivid and enjoyable biography available.
At a time when music lovers around the world are paying honor to Mozart and his legacy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be welcomed by his enthusiasts—or anyone wishing to peer into the mind of one of the greatest composers ever known.