Author McCleery here discusses characteristics of the music of the Romantic era, providing biographical notes about key composers and describing the cultural milieu in which each one worked. Twenty musical tracks totaling two hours and drawn from Naxos's extensive archive of classical recordings accompany the spoken text. Liner notes include performance details for each of the tracks and a summary of the spoken content. Jeremy Siepmann, who has written and narrated the entire "Life and Works" series for Naxos, reads, his clear and precise delivery enhancing the narrative. Excellent as an introduction to Romantic music or as a refresher. [Also in this series: Discover Music of the Baroque Era.—Ed.]—Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL

For some of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries and most of the nineteenth, "romantic" music dominated the concert halls of Europe and America. Ever expanding the scope of musical grammar, it sought to express deeply felt emotional states, tell rousing stories, and evoke beautiful pictures. The works of its composers remain among the most universally enjoyed in the classical repertoire. While Naxos's critical history of the era is cursory, on the plus side, the recording contains spirited musical illustrations. Critical analyses of individual compositions are clearly stated and illuminating. Narrator Jeremy Siepmann has a pleasant, mature British sound. He employs it in a documentary style that is placid but never dull. Y.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine