Polish by birth, Fryderyk Chopin made his name in post-Revolutionary Paris and is often depicted as the archetypal Romantic artist–blessed with extraordinary talent but consumed by the flame of genius, tormented by intense and tempestuous relationships and doomed to an early death. But how much of this story is based on fact? This account of Chopin’s life and times separates myth and reality and, illustrated with numerous musical examples, takes us from his youthful beginnings as ‘a second Mozart’ to the darkness and light of his life and the brilliance of his work.

The music of Bohemian composer Antonín Dvořák is suffused with natural nobility, fluency and freshness, and embodies the spirit of his native land. This revealing biography portrays Dvořák as a complex and wide-ranging composer, and explores the creation and performance of his music as well as its reception on both sides of the Atlantic, tracing his art in all its richness and variety.

Claude Debussy is regarded by many as the quintessential French composer, with music that invited both warm applause and frosty criticism in his day. While our ears no longer hear him as controversial, his works heralded the dawn of an artistic period founded on innovation and experiment, and a desire to break with the past in search of new expressive means. With never a dull moment, Debussy went from being a musical misfit at the Paris Conservatoire to bohemian life amongst the Symbolist poets and some scandalous love affairs.

Madama Butterfly runs the gamut of operatic emotions. The title heroine has a fragility wonderfully expressed in her entry music, deep sexual instincts as shown in the love duet, and immense tragic stature in her last hours. The fate of Madama Butterfly - married to an American sailor and then abandoned - engages our emotions to a degree equaled by few other opera heroines. The oriental setting and the exquisite orchestral and choral writings are treasured bonuses.

アルクの月刊誌『English Journal』2015～2020年に掲載されたインタビューから、大物ミュージシャンのインタビューを選りすぐってオーディオブック化。

Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation. Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.

■人気書籍、アルク「キクタンTOEIC Test Score990」の例文音声 本コンテンツには、書籍に収録の全1,120単語を使った例文が収録されています。書籍と合わせて学習すると学習効果が高まります。 ■TOEICに出る単語・熟語を厳選 制作にあたっては、まずTOEICに出題される英単語から成る膨大なデータベースを構築。それを分析することにより、990点を獲得するために必要な単語をセレクト。公式問題集や競合商品も分析し、「本当にTOEICに必要な語彙」だけを厳選しています。 ■多様なライフスタイルに合わせて取り組める学習モード 現代人のライフスタイルは多様です。1回の学習語彙が16語に設定されているので、1日最低2分から学習に取り組むことが可能です。スキマ時間を有効に活用して、いつでもどこでも手軽にできる英単語学習を実現しました。 ◆対象レベル◆・英語初級以上 ・英検準1級/TOEIC(R)スコア730点程度 から ※本商品にテキスト情報は含まれておりません。

Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.

長めの英文を聞いた後に、内容やシチュエーションに関する問いと、4つの解答選択肢がいずれも日本語で出題される問題です。英文を聴きながら、ロジックやストーリーを理解し、シチュエーションを想像しましょう。

An idiom is a group of words with a special meaning of its own that is not clear from the meanings of the individual words. Idioms such as "think out of the box" and "a long shot" are used extensively in English in e-mail, newspapers, and conversations. When you don't understand idioms, you can feel left out of a conversation or miss the point of a story. This audiobook focuses on 100 frequently used idioms.

Many opera-lovers would name The Marriage of Figaro as their favorite opera. It appeals to the most intellectual listener, but also to music-lovers seeking great melodies and ensembles (while it remains accessible through its fascinating plot and memorable characters) and to those seeking only entertainment. One of three operas by Mozart to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte, it represents one of the pinnacles not just of operatic but of human achievement.

日本文を聞いた後に、英語訳が流れる簡単な聞き取り問題です。まずはここから学習を始めて、英語に耳を慣らしましょう。

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises. The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles.

英長文一つを聞いた後に、2?3の問いが日本語で出題される問題です。長文の理解力が試されます。中・上級編です。

This book builds vocabulary by presenting the fascinating histories behind those words we need for more effective communication and comprehension. Focusing on a core of 100 words and their background stories, the author links these words with hundreds of synonyms and antonyms. Greek and Latin word parts introduce additional words. Informative and amusing exercises reinforce the vocabulary entries.