Andrew Crumey [Scotsman, 15 January 2006]

Mozart And His Operas

David Cairns
Penguin, £20

WOLFGANG Amadeus Mozart was born 250 years ago this month, and a spate of new books marks the anniversary. Given the abundance of new biographies, David Cairns - who won the Whitbread Award for his massive study of Berlioz - opts for a more specialised approach, focusing on Mozart's operas, which have long been regarded by many as his greatest achievement.