The Music Shelf

Magnifico!: The A to Z of Queen
Mark Blake
https://permutedpress.com
9781637585900, $32.00, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Magnifico-Z-Queen-Mark-Blake/dp/163758590X

Synopsis: Addressing the phenomenal success of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody,=
music journalist Mark Blake builds on the legend of Queen and their enduri=
ng audience appeal. Providing a fresh, unparalleled take on Queen's music, = story, and legacy, Blake's complete portrait covers not only the major hits=
and bestselling albums, but also the inside stories behind the music. Via =
a series of essays, interviews, and biographies, Blake shares a wealth of l= esser-known details (drawn from over thirty years of original material) and=
explores what the songs of Queen say about their creators.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the readers with the inclusion of a tw= o-page Bibliography, "Magnifico!: The A to Z of Queen" is organized and pre= sented alphabetically and a 'must' for the legions of Queen fans. While unr= eservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic l= ibrary Rock Music History & Criticism collections, it should be noted for s= tudents, academia, and Queen fans that "Magnifico!: The A to Z of Queen" is=
also available in a paperback edition (9781788705738, $15.04, Amazon) and =
in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

Editorial Note: Mark Blake (www.markrblake.com) has been writing about popu= lar music and culture since 1989 and was a former Assistant Editor of Q and=
regular contributor to MOJO and CLASSIC ROCK magazines. He can be followed=
on Twitter @markblake3

Riders Of The Purple Sage: The Making Of A Western Opera
Zane Grey, author
Craig Bohmler, composer
Kristin Atwell Ford, director
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
www.firstrunfeatures.com
B0BDVSXJ87, $17.99, DVD, 1 disc (1 Hour, 22 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Riders-Purple-Sage-Making-Western/dp/B0BDVSXJ87

Synopsis: "Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera" follow=
s a classically trained composer as he adapts a dime novel masterpiece into=
a grand opera. In 1912, Zane Grey's 'Riders of the Purple Sage' flew off b= ookshelves around the world and today is recognized by the Library of Congr= ess as "One Hundred Books that Shaped America."

A century later, composer Craig Bohmler takes shelter in Zane Grey's cabin = during a rainstorm. There, amidst posters from Grey's Hollywood Westerns, B= ohmler discovers a story with the grand dimensions of opera; he decides the=
n and there to mount the legendary frontier novel for the operatic stage.

Alongside a team of designers, musicians, singers, and fine art painter Ed = Mell, Bohmler translates America's cowboy culture and sprawling beauty of t=
he West into the realm of Puccini and Verdi.

Critique: "Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera" is a D=
VD that will have special appeal to fans of musicals, westerns, and behind = the scenes production insights into the making of a musical adaptation of o=
ne of a legendary western novel by one of the best known western and enduri= ngly popular authors of westerns. Simply stated, this DVD edition of "Rider=
s of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera" from First Run Feature=
s is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, co= mmunity, and academic library Music Documentary collections.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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Midwest Book Review
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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