Celenza, Anna Harwell

After learning that he is going deaf, Beethoven is determined to write a great symphony and thinks he has found his inspiration in the heroic deeds of Napoleon. Includes an audio CD.

A children's story based on real events that shows how the death of one friend and the encouragement of another led to nineteenth-century composer Modest Mussorgsky's creation of the piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition." Includes piano and orchestral versions of the piece on audio CD.

The story behind Camille Saint-Saens's composition of Danse Macabre, a waltz of the dead featuring dancing skeletons. CD recording included.