Declassified

A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music

By: Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch

Narrated by: Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch

The best masterclass in classical music you never knew you needed.

Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch’s life-long fascination with classical music has taken her through Juilliard and into the shiny world of symphony halls and international concert tours. She’s loved classical music her whole life. But she’s also hated classical music her whole life. After all, if you can like Beyoncé without liking Bieber, you can certainly like Brahms without liking Bach—especially since they were born 148 years apart and the thing we call “classical music” is really just centuries of compositions shoved into one hodge-podge of a genre.

In Declassified, Warsaw-Fan Rauch blows through the cobwebs of elitism and exclusion and invites everyone to love and hate this music as much as she does. She offers a backstage tour of the industry and equips you for every listening scenario, covering: the 7 main compositional periods (even the soul-crushingly depressing Medieval period), a breakdown of the instruments and their associated personality types (apologies to violists and conductors), what it’s like to be a musician at the highest level (it’s hard), how to steal a Stradivarius (and make no money in the process), and when to clap during a live performance (also: when not to). Declassified cheekily demystifies the world of High Art while making the case that classical music matters, perhaps now more than ever.

* This audiobook edition comes with an awesome downloadable bonus PDF containing listening lists, lists of notable composers, a comically disturbing poem by Mozart (in the original German), and other resources from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch (P)2022 Penguin Audio

I loved the book, but…

I loved the book and the narration. My only complaint is I would have liked to have had some musical excepts included rather than having to stop and access the pdf.

Wonderful Amusing Classical Music Insights

This is a must listen/read for classical music lovers, particularly those who want an insiders view of the classical music performance business. The story is fascinating and told in a very authoritative and yet at the same time very entertaining manner. The PDF is quite comprehensive, and is a strong reference for this book.

It also provides some perspective for those of us who struggle with performing a piece of classical music "just right."

I'm very partial to audio books which are narrated by the Author because I find they are able to add a great deal to the text. Arianna does a beautiful job presenting her story.

Insightful and Approachable

Not only does Arianna achieve her stated mission (to demystify Classical music through her own personal story), she does so with a wonderful sense of humor and - considering she is the author - a very pleasant speaking voice. Highly recommended.

Cool intro to the world of classical music

A flyby fun look at classical music intertwined with the autobiography of the author. Recommend if you are a novice to the music.

Classical music can be fun

The author has succeeded in her mission – her humor is amazing and the information she impart is priceless!

Not what I expected

There was too much about her grievances and biases and own life and not enough about music.

A absolute delight!

This was a fantastic listen and a great book overall! Being read by the author adds a layer of charm that I especially loved. This felt like a fun conversation about classical music with a brilliant and absolutely hilarious friend. Highly recommended to any who might consider listening.

Disappointed by profane language, etc

I was very disappointed by this audiobook— didn’t even finish it. It felt like I was listening to a teenager talking to her friends about school and her life. The casualness of language and profanity suggested someone who was at a loss for decent descriptors or adjectives. The author spoke in a way that just seemed unprofessional. She could have told her story and presented her ideas in a much better way that would have kept my interest. But, after a few chapters, I gave up. Maybe this appeals to millennials but it sure didn’t appeal to me. I often listen to books while cooking in the kitchen, etc but this book had so much profanity and material that was presented in bad taste that I didn’t want to offend family members. Very disappointing, as I really was interested in hearing more about classical music and there was good content hidden in the chapters. Too bad there wasn’t a good editor working with the author. What a waste.

Personal story interesting

Being an amateur musician, I was curious to read about a lifestyle I never aspired to. I skipped much of the rest. The love lives of the composers? Give me a break.

Vastly overrated

I liked it in spots, but on the whole found this audiobook wanting. Not much original or new, and the author’s voice takes on a singsong quality that I found unpleasant.