A is for Oboe: The Orchestra's Alphabet, Auerbach/Nelson

Authors: Lera Auerbach, Marilyn Nelson
Illustrator: Paul Hoppe
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages
Publisher: Dial Books (2022)
ISBN: 9780525553779

Two widely acclaimed poets — one a composer and classical pianist as well — have come together to create this extraordinary portrait of the orchestra in all of its richness and fascination, using the structure of the alphabet in a way that is entirely new and delightful. A is for the first note you hear as you take your seat in the concert hall, played by the headstrong oboe. B is for the bassoon, “the orchestra’s jester, complaining impatiently through his nose.” And C is for conductor, “like the captain on the bridge of a great ship, navigating the composer’s musical charts.”

Onward the text goes, soaring in reverie and making thought-provoking observations while not taking itself too seriously — illuminating all the various details that flow together to create the nourishing experience of playing or listening to music.

About Lera Auerbach:

Lera Auerbach is a poet, visual artist, composer and concert pianist. She holds degrees in composition from Juilliard and a piano degree from Hanover University in Germany. She has composed numerous works for opera, ballet and orchestra that have been performed throughout the world. Her first English-language poetry collection, Excess of Being, was published in 2015.

About Marilyn Nelson:

Marilyn nelson is a three-time National Book Award finalist, has won a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor and several Coretta Scott Kings Honors, and has received countless prestigious poetry awards.