MOZART The Reign of Love

As an audiobook, this richly detailed biography takes listeners beyond what we know about Mozart. Composer and academic Jan Swafford writes about the musical giant with uncommon depth, empathy, and musical sophistication. Narrator Tim Campbell delivers descriptions of Mozart's enmeshed family, his youthful compositions and performances, his playful relationships and often crude sense of humor, and the challenges he encountered while touring professionally in eighteenth-century Europe throughout most of his childhood. Campbell renders Swafford's colorful writing with uncommon vocal clarity and grace. Never fumbling a pronunciation or misplacing emphasis, he adds vocal flair that makes listening a highly rewarding experience. His measured enthusiasm, along with the author's exhaustive scholarship and smooth writing, will surely make this a classic and a definitive reference on the great composer. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2020]