David Cairns Libri

No artist's achievement connects more directly with early experience than that of Berlioz. David Cairns draws on a wealth of family papers to recreate in authentic and intimate detail the provincial milieu of Berlioz's boyhood, showing how the son of a village doctor was already transforming himself into the composer of the Fantastic Symphony. Berlioz's desperate attempts to win his father's approval for his vocation, his struggles to establish himself on the Parisian musical scene, and his passionate pursuit of love are all brought vividly to life in this first volume of David Cairns's award-winning biography.

Berlioz was one of the towering figures of Romanticism: not only was he a great and revolutionary composer, but also the finest composer of his day and an outstanding critic and writer. Yet throughout his life he struggled for money and his music was persistently reviled in his native France. With exceptional insight and sympathy, David Cairns draws together the major strands of Berlioz's life: his tempestuous marriage to the actress Harriet Smithson; the genesis of his famous works, including the Requiem, Romeo and Juliet and his crowning masterpiece The Trojans; his friendships with Mendelssohn, Liszt, Princess Wittgenstein and Wagner; and, finally, his last years haunted once again by personal tragedy. Here, as never before, is Berlioz the artist - and the man.

David Cairns's exploration of Mozart's life, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, offers a unique perspective through his operas. Moving beyond traditional biography, Cairns provides insights into Mozart's creative process, revealing the revolutionary aspects of his music during his time and its enduring brilliance. He chronicles Mozart's journey from a child prodigy to a mature composer, dispelling myths that portray him as a dichotomy of artist and clown; instead, he presents a more human and miraculous figure. The narrative follows the evolution of Mozart's musical style, starting with "Idomeneo," which Cairns identifies as his most romantic and forward-looking opera, commissioned for the Munich Carnival in 1781. It then delves into the trio of comic operas created with Lorenzo Da Ponte—"The Marriage of Figaro," "Don Giovanni," and "Cosi fan tutte"—which showcase his full mastery. Finally, the discussion culminates with "The Magic Flute," regarded as his most complex achievement. Cairns subtly examines the interplay between the operas and his instrumental works, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the operas enriches our appreciation of Mozart's entire artistic legacy.

The book delves into Rudolf Bultmann's theological ideas, presenting the challenges they pose for contemporary preaching. David Cairns makes these complex concepts accessible, highlighting their significance for modern preachers seeking to engage with Bultmann's thought. Through this exploration, readers gain insights into how Bultmann's theology can inform and enrich their preaching practices.

David Cairns' writings have significantly contributed to the recognition of Berlioz as a pivotal figure in western classical music. "Discovering Berlioz" compiles a range of articles, lectures, and texts spanning decades, offering fresh insights into the life and work of this quintessential Romantic composer. Through Cairns' advocacy, readers gain a deeper understanding of Berlioz's impact and significance in the musical landscape.

These are poems for every man and woman, poems you will keep going back to. You will read them again but you may not be sure why. Maybe you will recognise a little bit of yourself in them. This poetry will challenge your certainties, make you laugh, make you cry but, above all, offer an appreciation of life being for living regardless of what fate delivers. The message is simple: make the most of the life you have, if you can't change it.

This book explores various forms of highly skilled mobility in the European Union, assessing the potential for this movement to contribute to individual and societal development. In doing so, the authors illustrate some of the issues arising from the opening up of Europe’s borders, and exposing its education systems and labour markets to international competition. While acknowledging the potentially positive aspects of mobility, they also reveal many of the negative consequences arising from flaws in mobility governance and inequalities in access to opportunities, arguing that when the management of mobility goes ‘wrong’, we are left with a heightened level of precariousness and the reproduction of social inequality. This discussion will be of interest to those working within Europe’s mobility infrastructure, as well as policymakers in the mobility field and students and scholars from across the social sciences.

This book takes an in-depth look at the European Commission’s Erasmus programme. In its current Erasmus+ format, the programme supports international exchange visits among students, trainees, volunteers and academic members of staff with a view to enhancing employability and encouraging intercultural understanding. Against the backdrop of the 30th anniversary of Erasmus, the authors explore the successes of the programme, most prominently the undergraduate exchange programme, as well as areas of on-going development, including the incorporation of short duration mobility projects focused on specific social issues into the initiative. Through integrating perspectives from authors in a number of European countries, all of whom have knowledge regarding various aspects of Erasmus, the book provides insight into the challenges facing the programme as it moves into its fourth decade. Mobility, Education and Employability in the European Union: Inside Erasmus will be of interest to students and scholars from a range of disciplines, including geography, sociology and European politics.