A Is for Oboe: The Orchestra’s Alphabet by Lera Auerbach and Marilyn Nelson, Read by Thomas Quasthoff

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Narrator Thomas Quastoff’s voice has a musicality perfectly suited to this rich alphabet book with a symphonic score, A Is for Oboe. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the joy of hearing the orchestra come alive through lyrical poems by Lera Auerbach and Marilyn Nelson, narrated beautifully by Quastoff. His German-accented baritone moves through alliterative phrases, describing singing piccolos, mournful English horns, and trilling woodwinds. The audiobook is educational but also delves into the emotions of hearing orchestral music—and listeners are treated to representative music for each letter. There’s no better way to experience this book than to hear it.

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