John Suchet

An ideal introduction to understanding the famous composer. Rich with wit and warmth, this compact biography is thoroughly enchanting. We think we know the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life. Austrian-born to a tyrannical father who worked him fiercely; unhappily married to a spendthrift woman; a child-like character ill at ease amid the aristocratic splendor of the Viennese court; a musical genius who died young thus depriving the world of future glories. Yet only that last point is actually true. In this comprehensive biography, John Suchet examines the many myths and misunderstandings surrounding the world's best-loved composer. From his early days as a child prodigy performing for the imperial royal family in Vienna to the last months of his short life, driven to exhaustion by a punitive workload, one thing remained constant: his happy disposition. Through trials and tribulations, grand successes and disheartening setbacks, Suchet shows us the real Mozart—blessed with an abundance of talent yet sometimes struggling to earn a living. His mischievous nature and earthy sense of humor, his ease and confidence in his own incredible abilities; these were traits that never left him. His music has brought comfort to countless generations; his life, though brief, is no less fascinating.

Mozart

The ultimate life story of one of the greatest composers the world has ever known

The Man Revealed

Beethoven

Beethoven: The Man Revealed

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful composers that Russia has ever produced, but his path to success was not an easy one.A shy, emotional child, intended for the civil service by his father, Tchaikovsky came late to composing as a career, and despite his success he was a troubled character. Doubting himself at every turn, he was keenly wounded by criticism. The death of his mother haunted him all his life and his incessant attempts to suppress his homosexuality took a huge toll.From Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage to his extraordinary relationship with his female patron, his many amorous liaisons, and his devotion to friends and family, Suchet shows us how the complexity of Tchaikovsky’s emotional life plays out in his music. A man who was by turns quick to laugh and to despair, his mercurial temperament found its outlet in some of the most emotionally intense music ever written.

Tchaikovsky

A tortured genius, a sensitive soul, and a great composer burdened by the weight of his private desires, Tchaikovsky’s life is explored in full by the incomparable John Suchet. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful composers that Russia has ever produced, but his path to success was not an easy one. A shy, emotional child, intended for the civil service by his father, Tchaikovsky came late to composing as a career, and despite his success he was a troubled character. Doubting himself at every turn, he was keenly wounded by criticism. The death of his mother haunted him all his life and his incessant attempts to suppress his homosexuality took a huge toll. From Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage to his extraordinary relationship with his female patron, his many amorous liaisons, and his devotion to friends and family, Suchet shows us how the complexity of Tchaikovsky’s emotional life plays out in his music. A man who was by turns quick to laugh and to despair, his mercurial temperament found its outlet in some of the most emotionally intense music ever written.

Think you know Mozart? Think again. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, child genius, revered composer, bringer of joy and comfort to countless generations of music lovers? Well, yes - and no. Exploring and unpicking the many legends about the much-loved and brilliant composer, John Suchet reveals a richer, more in-depth portrait of Mozart: blessed with a happy disposition yet suffering from bouts of depression, successful from a young age yet often struggling financially as he struggled to make his way in the world under the shadow of his domineering father. Naturally mischievous and obsessed with toilet humour, this is not the divine like figure we have come to expect. This is Mozart the man, as you may never have seen him before. 'Rich with wit and warmth, this compact biography is thoroughly enchanting' Kirkus Reviews 'Splendidly written... this captivating story will make a wonderful addition to anyone's library and is a must read for music lovers' NY Journal of Books

Mozart: the Man Revealed

A masterly novel of genius, passion and anguish, Passion and Glory is the final volume in John Suchet's remarkable telling of the life of Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven's last years were a time of great artistic triumph, yet unrelenting personal torment. With his 'Eternal Beloved' now in the past, Beethoven returns to Vienna in 1812, a city celebrating the defeat of Napoleon. This is the era of Symphony No. 7, the 'Battle' Symphony, and of Symphony No. 9 with its 'Ode to Joy'. Monumental pieces composed in solitude and performed with ferocious energy. As the story culminates in Beethoven's epiphany at the moment of death, John Suchet invests him with a tragic grandeur missing from conventional biographies and completes a tale as immortal as the music itself.

John Suchet

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