A Young Person's Guide to Music

MIDDLE UPWARDS You need a good CD player to get the best out of this one, for, stuck in the front cover is a 65-track disc round about which the book revolves. It's an anatomised performance of Poul Ruders' 'Concerto in Pieces', first played straight through by the BBCSO and then dissected with friendly comments by Andrew Davis. Later there is a musical index showing the sound of each instrument solo. Throughout the rest of the book, which is a competent exposure of mainstream 'serious' music making, its structure and history, the text refers to relevent sections of the recording - most useful when dealing with individual instruments. I found the history bit particularly good, for it shows that music has always developed in parallel rather than in series. The A-Z of composers is a help, too, with a delightful picture of Olivier Messaien, complete with bebop beret, notating birdsong, as one of its many bonuses. This is a fine and appropriate way to celebrate 50 years of Britten's original 'Young Person's Guide'.