Debussy: String Quartet, Ravel: String Quartet

On this CD:

1. String Quartet, L. 85 (Op. 10)
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Quartetto Italiano

2. String Quartet in F major
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Quartetto Italiano

3. String Quartet No. 12, Op. 252
Composed by Darius Milhaud
Performed by Quartetto Italiano

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Philips 50 series here revives one of the classics of the LP era, the Quartetto Italiano's splendid pairing of the two masterpieces of the French string quartet idiom. The Quartetto Italiano was known for its rich, cello-based sound, technical perfection, and probing readings. Those qualities are much in evidence here. They differentiate between the two composers, bringing structural clarity to their readings. In the Debussy, for example, we are more aware than usual of his varied use of the opening theme throughout the work. Both pieces feature delectable pizzicato passages, here done with accuracy and panache. Recorded in 1965, the sound is as full-bodied and vibrant as ever. Despite the many pairings of these quartets, this one is still among the very best. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Vivaldi: Concerto in D Major, "Largo" -- Sharon Isbin
Ravel: Piano Cto. in G Major, "Adagio Assai" -- Anne Queffelec
Vaughan Williams: Greensleeves -- Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra
Satie: Gymnopedie No. 1 & 3 -- Sado/Orchestre Des Concerts Lamoureux
Beethoven: Piano Cto. No. 5, "Adagio Un Poco Mosso" -- Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Ravel: Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte -- Nagano/lyon National Opera Ochestra
Puccini: Chrysamthemums -- Helsinki Strings
Mozart: Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E Major -- Thomas Zehetmair
Chopin: Piano Cto. No. 2, "Larghetto" -- Maria-Joao Pires
Resighi: Villanella -- Scimone/I Solisti Veneti
Faure: In Paradisum -- Corboz/Berne Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, "Aria" -- Jill Crossland
Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile -- Alexander Kniazev
Debussy: The Girl With The Flaxan Hair -- Lily Laskine
Mozart: Piano Cto. No. 21, "Andante" -- Karl Engel
Chopin: Nocturne In E flat Major -- Elisabeth Leonskaja
J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Cto. In F Minor, "Adagio" -- Sharon Isbin
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, "Larghetto" -- Karl Leister
Saint-Saens: The Swan -- Gennadi Rojdestvenski
Albinoni/Giazotto: "Adagio" -- Sharon Isbin
Faure: Pavane Pour Orchestre -- Jordan/Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14, Moonlight "Adagio Sostenuto" -- Nikolai Lugansky

Album Description

Created to meet the needs of more than 40 million sleep sufferers and light-eyars beyond lullabies, Bedtime Beats: The Secret To Sleep is the first classical music collection available as a true sleep remedy, an effective alternative to medication and sleepless nights. Carefully programmed in accordance with recent research from Case Western Reserve University--which discovered that classical and soft jazz music played at 60-80 beats per minute induces sound sleep.

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly...........2007-05-14

This cd wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it does not really help you fall asleep. Some of the music can be annoying and it could have been more soothing.

Not what I expected........2007-04-26

I should have paid attention to the two negative reviews. This CD doesn't put me to sleep at all--in fact, it keeps me awake. I find myself listening to the music instead of going to sleep.

One of the pieces has irritating and dissonant passages mingled with relaxing, soothing passages. Also the music changes tempo and volume quite often, which would wake me up if I did start to drift off.

Since I expected something that would put me to sleep, listening to this is upsetting, because I wasted my money.

However, since it works well for most reviewers, I figure I must hear things differently, or have a harder time falling asleep than most. Maybe if I listened to it enough to get used to it, it might work better.

I would like to find something totally soothing and relaxing--maybe I need actual recordings of water or rain, but I prefer music. Any suggestions?

Excellent relaxing music and sleep aid.......2007-04-10

This CD collection is so effective that I still have not made it through the first CD to listen to the second one. It's very relaxing music and helps me fall asleep every night.

nice try..........2007-02-06

but no silver bullet. FOR ME. Lovely selection of tunes, and I find them quite enjoyable and relaxing, but they just don't "knock me out". I own a variety of "sleep CD's" but real music seems to be just too stimulating when I am having trouble sleeping. I do better with guided imagery. Yesterday, though, I brought it over to my mom's place and laid down to listen to it with her, because she was so stressed out. She was asleep before the third number!

Bedtime Beats: The Secret to Sleep.......2007-01-29

My son has a hard time falling asleep at night. The CD's have helped significantly in allowing him to have a good nights sleep. Highly recommended!

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

Average customer rating:

the most relaxing classical music in the university
Relaxing Classical Music
Stress-freedom
Greatly enjoy!
the most relaxing classical music in the universe

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe
Johann Sebastian Bach , Ralph Vaughan Williams , George Frideric Handel , Gustav Holst , Samuel Barber , Edvard Grieg , Jean Sibelius , Antonin Dvorak , Franz Liszt , Charles Gounod , Fryderyk Chopin , Alexander Borodin , Maurice Ravel , Antonio Vivaldi , Satie, Erik , and Various Artists
Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mozart for Relaxation

ASIN: B00008RH16
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

Canon - Pachelbel
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik-Andante - Mozart
Fur Elise - Beethoven
String Quartet #1 - Tchaikovsky
Clair De Lune - Debussy
Idyl for Strings - Adagio - Janacek
Adagio in G Mnor - Albinoni
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Debussy
Air on a G String - Bach
Greensleeves - Vaughn Williams
Largo from Xerxes - Handel
Prelude in C - Bach
The Planets - Venus - Holst
Goldberg Variations - Aria - Bach
Adagio for Strings - Barber

Tracks:

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Debussy
Fur Elise - Beethoven
Holberg Suite - Sarabande - Grieg
Valse Triste - Sibelius
Concerto in F Minor - Largo - Bach
Serenade for String - Moderato - Dvorak
Liebestraume - Liszt
Ave Maria - Bach/Bounod
Etude in E Major - Chopin
String Quartet No 2 - Nocturne - Borodin
Arabesque - Debussy
Pavane for Dead Princess - Ravel
The Four Seasons - Largo - Vivaldi
Gymno0pedie 1 - Satie
Moonlight Sonata - Adagio - Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 21 - Andante - Mozart "Elvira Madigan"

Customer Reviews:

the most relaxing classical music in the university.......2007-05-12

All my favorites. I can start the CD player, which is wired to speakers in every room of my house, and just let it play, along with "The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the World" and "The Most Relaxing Classical Guitar in the World." I enjoy an awareness of familiar and beautiful strains of my favorites all day long and never get tired of it.

My brother visited me recently and noticed it right away. That will be another order for this fabulour music.

Relaxing Classical Music.......2007-01-08

I was not really a classical music fan but I am now. I purchased this cd for my 14 year old grand-daughter, not knowing we would both enjoy the music so much. She has always enjoyed classical music along with all of the other teen music, rap, rock, country, etc.
Also, it really helped being able to listen to parts of the music before purchasing.

Stress-freedom.......2006-03-14

Perfect music to end the work day. After listening to this I can face the evening. If the morning is hard, a little at lunch time gets me through the afternoon.

Greatly enjoy!.......2006-02-23

I first developed a taste for this music a number of years ago when my daughter started playing in the orchestra. The reason I made this purchase however, was because I have a great deal of difficulty with anxiety and I was looking for ways to find help. I love these CDs. It helps so much to sit and close my eyes and enjoy the music. The CDs are full of beautiful music.

the most relaxing classical music in the universe.......2005-09-21

it's the best next to the first one...

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

String Quartet In G Minor Op.10: I. Anime et tres decide
String Quartet In G Minor Op.10: II. Assez vif et bien rythme
String Quartet In G Minor Op.10: III. Andantino, doucement expressif
String Quartet In G Minor Op.10: IV. Tres modere - Tres mouvemente et avec passion
String Quartet In F Major: I. Allegro moderato
String Quartet In F Major: II. Assez vif - Tres rythme
String Quartet In F Major: III. Tres lent
String Quartet In F Major: IV. Vif et agite

Customer Reviews:

simply AMAZING music........2005-12-31

i have less to say about the emerson string quartet's performance in comparison to others, but rather i'm writing to say that these two string quartets are some of the most amazing, sublime pieces of music i've ever heard. any classical music aficionado, esp. of the music of the 19th and 20th centuries, would love them, and i highly recommend them. i discovered them first through a friend, and then bought the album when, having started out on a long car drive i realized i had no CDs to accompany me. i was practically crying driving down the highway, the first movement of the debussy is so moving! (oops. i didn't mean to pun.) it is definitely cathartic music, as an earlier reviewer said. and virtuosic, brilliant, refined, elegant, emotional and intellectual at the same time, full of wit and shimmering beauty. sigh.

ok i'm going to add just one comment of comparison. the version my friend had of this is by the juilliard quartet, and at the beginning of the debussy's first movement debussy their playing is a bit less soft, a bit more incisive. that's the one thing i like wish was different about the emerson's playing. everywhere else, i think their lushness is justified and successful.

great bargain.......2005-10-08

This excellent version of these two impressionist masterpieces is one of the best bargains you can find. The Emersons do a great job with these pieces and the sonics are superb.

this is THE one!.......2005-03-21

These two glorious works of French chamber music, both from early on in their composer's careers are made to go together. The sometimes gruff and gnarly Debussy Quartet is a perfect foil to the serenity and Gallic elegance of the Ravel.

I never thought I would hear a recording that would replace the Philips performance of the Quartetto Italiano in my affections, but this one by the Emerson Quartet is it. Splendidly played, beautifully recorded, it is just about beyond reproach. Definitely recommended for anyone who loves great quartet playing, French music, or just music of beauty and substance.

The Cream of a Very Good Crop !.......2002-11-17

For me, these readings by the Emerson Quartet constitute one of the finest available couplings of these two staples of the string quartet repertoire. Comparing them with other highly touted versions by the Julliard, Tokyo, Cleveland, Kodaly and Guarneri Quartets, the Guarneri (Surroundedby Entertainment 1004---yes, that's the label) seems to enjoy the richest and best recorded sound, and I would place their characterful interpretation in the second spot among these other ensembles. The Cleveland is not among the best recorded. Sometimes the strings sound relatively thin; moreover, I consider their view of these two very personal works to be a little superficial relative to the others. The Kodaly on Naxos gives a good interpretation but is somewhat outclassed by the others. Both the Julliard and Tokyo Quartets provide finely crafted versions, however I'm not particularly enamored with the manner in which they render certain phrases. Obviously, since we're dealing strongly with matters of taste, others might respond differently. In closing, the Emerson Quartet's performances not only display a superb level of technical execution but also paint a marvelous canvas of vivid tonal colors, poignant inflections and stylistic dynamics. There's also a sense of freedom and spontaneity here the other groups don't match. The overall effect is cathartic. For another outstanding combo of these two pieces, try the Keller Quartet on the Apex label. Its performances possibly might be even more musical than those of the Emerson.

Monuments of French Chamber Music.......2002-01-17

The string quartet is a wonderful medium; the tone is warm, vibrant, and capable of rich variety.

The history of music owes Beethoven, Bartók and Shostakovich a lasting debt, for the dramatic heights to which they took the string quartet. But I like the Mozart quartets, too, and these are often light, easy. I think there is room for light and easy on the heights, too.

Enter Debussy and Ravel. Their respective quartets are not so intense and "purposeful" as those of Bartók and Shostakovich; yet the sound of the pieces is no less rich. So, not quite so light-hearted as the early Mozart quartets, either; yet, they often dance in a welcome playfulness, which recalls that quality, which has sometimes been lost in the centuries since Mozart.

This is an inexpensive disc, of a fine ensemble, playing lovely, turn-of-the-last-century, French chamber music.

Tracks:

Franck - Sonata For Violin And Piano: I. Allegretto Ben Moderato
Franck - Sonata For Violin And Piano: II. Allegro
Franck - Sonata For Violin And Piano: III. Recitativo - Fantasia
Franck - Sonata For Violin And Piano: IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Debussy - Sonata For Violin And Piano: I. Allegro vivo
Debussy - Sonata For Violin And Piano: II. Intermede: fantasque et leger
Debussy - Sonata For Violin And Piano: III. Finale: Tres anime
Ravel - Introduction And Allegro
Debussy - Sonata For Flute, Viola and Harp: I. Pastorale
Debussy - Sonata For Flute, Viola and Harp: II. Interlude
Debussy - Sonata For Flute, Viola and Harp: III. Finale

Amazon.com

Radu Lupu recorded batches of Mozart and Schubert violin sonatas with the great violinist Szymon Goldberg (regrettably unavailable at present, but watch for them). This seems to be his only other recording of violin sonatas with someone else. Kyung Wha Chung is a powerful virtuoso who can play all the great showpieces, but she scales down her approach to express the muted beauty of the Debussy. Of course, she gives a powerful, extroverted reading to the Franck Sonata, which demands such an approach. Lupu collaborates all the way in both expressive worlds. The additional Debussy and Ravel, from a 1962 LP, are tasty bonuses. --Leslie Gerber

Amazon.com

Kyung-Wha Chung and Radu Lupu collaborate on the most musical account of the Franck sonata in the catalog, one that restores to the work its Gallic elegance, a quality that rarely survives the passion of most performances. Their reading is intimately expressive, almost fragile, and in Chung's playing the dreaminess of the score is beautifully evoked. With his brilliant technique and sparing use of the pedal, Lupu manages an extraordinary revelation of detail in the piano part, transforming what usually sounds like a furnace going full blast--lots of heat and noise, but not something you'd want to get too close to- -into a source of poetry. The recording, made in 1977, is warm and approachable, like the performance. At mid-price, and generously filled out (with Ravel's Introduction and Allegro, and Debussy's Sonatas for Violin and Piano and for Flute, Viola, and Harp) this is as basic as a disc can get. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

a nice collection well played.......2005-10-03

This group of works of French Impressionism is enjoyable from begining to end and can be highly recommended. The sound quality given its vintage is excellent. I have competing versions of the Ravel and Debussy and this version more than holds its own. The Franck is one of those works any fan of western art music should not be without. I purchased this after reading about it in the NPR guide which also recommended it highly.

Fabulous!.......2005-08-19

Possibly my favorite classical music CD. I have listened to this more times than I could count, and I still love it.

Solid performance.......2004-04-01

A good solid recording, but not as exquisite as Anne-Sophie Mutter's or as warm as Josh Bell's.

No regret to bring it to an island!.......2001-01-16

Tom Hanks won't have a regret on what CDs he should have brought to the island in the movie "Cast Away", only if he had this Chung & Lupu sonata!

Marvellous (but slightly mislabelled).......2000-09-27

This CD unites two sets of classic performances: The Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas by Kyung Wha Chung and Radu Lupu, dating from 1977, and two 1962 recordings by the Melos Ensemble (Ravel's Introduction and Allegro and Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp). At the time of thisreview,it is listed Kyung Wha Chung as a performer on the latter Debussy Sonata, which is not the case, though the fault probably lies with the way the disc is labelled and documented (you have to read the fine print to see exactly who is performing what). But all four of these are classic performances, with excellent sound (though analogue recordings), and there is no better buy in the catalog than this disc for chamber music lovers!

Average customer rating:

Excellent Service

Transcriptions 2

Manufacturer: Naive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Accentus Transcriptions
Antonio Meneses Plays Schumann & Schubert
Carl Nielsen, Orchestral Music
Piano Concertos by Tchaikovsky & Medtner [Hybrid SACD]
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3; Works for solo instrument and orchestra

ASIN: B000H0MH36
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Amazon.com

Accentus, the superb French choir, follows up its successful Transcriptions disc with a second one of 19 inventive transcriptions of works by composers ranging from Vivaldi to Ravel. Some are of keyboard works, others, of orchestral pieces, still others, of songs. In each the arrangers have used the original texts or poetry that fits the music, a striking example being Franck Krawczyk's arrangement setting the text of the Requiem to the Winter concerto from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Like others in this collection, it proves surprisingly appropriate in its choral guise, the transcription closely following the original score. Perhaps even more impressive is the way pieces by Scriabin, Debussy and Ravel are fitted with texts that fit the music with uncanny exactitude. What might seem like a far-fetched exercise is transformed into an exciting exploration of choral sonorities that add a new dimension to the originals. The result is an enjoyable and thought-provoking disc that will delight lovers of choral music. -- Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Service.......2007-05-12

My purchases came in excellent condition and very quickly. I'd use this vendor again.

Average customer rating:

If stranded on an island and had one disc...
Truly inspired collection
Encore! Encore!
Encore! Encore!
Surprised and ... inspired

Classical Dreams: Music to Inspire

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Cathedral Dreams: Music to Inspire
Williams: The Five Sacred Trees (Bassoon Concerto) / Takemitsu: Tree Line / Hovhaness: Symphony No. s, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain" / Picker: Old and Lost Rivers
The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
Modern Times

ASIN: B00005Q467
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Antiphon: Ecce Annuntio Vobis - Dominique Vellard
Symphony No. 5: Adagietto - Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Gymnopedie No. 1 - Paul Tortelier
Pavane - Paul Tortelier
The Planets: Venus - Sir Charles Mackerras
Old And Lost Rivers - Christoph Eschenbach
Prld To The Afternoon Of A Faun - Dmitri Kitaenko
Summer Pastorale - Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Masques Et Bergamasques: Pastorale - Jean-Bernard Pommier
Summa - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Old Castle - Sir Charles Mackerras
The Wounded Heart - Jonathan Rees
Ser in e: Larghetto - Andrew Litton

Tracks:

Apollon Musagete: The Birth Of Apollo - Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Adagio for Strings - City Of London Sinfonia
The Swan Of Tuonela - Paavo Jarvi
Enigma Vars: Nimrod - RPO/Andrew Litton
Petite Ste: En Bateau (Orch. Busser) - Jean-Bernard Pommier
Holberg Ste: Air - Jonathan Rees
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - Christopher Warren-Green
Gymnopedie No. 3 - Paul Tortelier
Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte - Jukka-Pekka Saraste
The Last Spring - Jonathan Rees
Thais: Meditation (From Thais) - Paul Tortelier
Vocalise - Andrew Litton
Mother Goose: The Fairy Garden - Dmitri Kitaenko
Antiphon: Ecce Annuntio Vobis - Dominique Vellard

Customer Reviews:

If stranded on an island and had one disc..........2006-01-23

I'd be tempted to make this the one, and I own over 2,000. I agree with what has been said above, but have a few thoughts of my own. I live near a major city with a known orchestra. Why are classical audienced declining? Maybe they're overplaying hackneyed works, and not playing some neglected masterpieces. In this double album there are some well known works, but some exquisite finds, like Picker's Old and Lost Rivers, Honegger's Pastorale, Arvo Part's Summa (!!!). Most highly recommended, with a good bottle of red wine.

Truly inspired collection.......2004-12-07

I came upon this compilation while researching a somewhat obscure piece called "Summer Pastorale", which is contained in the collection. One look at the play list and I was sold - here were most of my favorite tone poems, adagios, and assorted short works, all on one CD (OK, two CD's...)

Another gem here that I had never heard before is Pick's "Old and Lost Rivers". Ravel's final movement from Mother Goose is one of his best orchestrations and at the top of my 'A' list.

About the only pieces I missed here were Debussy's Engulfed Cathedral and Respighi's fourth church window, St. Gregory the Great. Perhaps they would be a bit too dramatic for this collection, though.

The only shortcoming of this collection is the lack of liner notes, but this is a minor issue. The music is superb.

Encore! Encore!.......2004-06-17

Like a few other reviewers here, I purchased this disc for Tobias Picker's "Old and Lost Rivers." But from the Gregorian chants that open this two-CD set to the closing strains of Ravel's "Mother Goose: The Fairy Garden," I was absolutely captivated by the beauty and cohesiveness of this compilation. Producer Robert Laporta has created a disc that passes muster with neophytes and long time classical music lovers alike. I humbly suggest -- make that BEG -- that Virgin Classics turn "Classical Dreams" into a series. I would love to hear a second volume featuring such favorites as the BBC Symphony Orchestra's interpretation of Delius' "On Hearing the 1st Cuckoo In Spring," the Royal Philharmonic's version of Vaughan Williams' "Fantastia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" and the London Symphony's recording of Vaughan Williams' "Symphony No. 3 Pastoral" (Andre Previn conducting both Vaughan Williams' selections). By far, this is the finest classical collection I have yet heard. Encore!

Encore! Encore!.......2004-06-17

Like a few other reviewers here, I purchased this disc for Tobias Picker's miraculous (and criminally underrated) "Old and Lost Rivers." But from the Gregorian chants that open this two-CD set to the closing strains of Ravel's "Mother Goose: The Fairy Garden," I was absolutely captivated by the beauty and cohesiveness of this compilation. Producer Robert Laporta has created a disc both neophytes and long time classical music lovers can approve of. I humbly suggest that Virgin Classics turn Classical Dreams into a series. I would love to hear a second volume featuring such favorites as the BBC Symphony Orchestra's interpretation of Delius' "On Hearing the 1st Cuckoo In Spring," the Royal Philharmonic's version of Vaughan Williams' "Fantastia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" and the London Symphony's recording of Vaughan Williams' "Symphony No. 3 Pastoral" (Andre Previn conducting both Vaughan Williams' selections). By far, this is the finest classical compilation I have yet heard. Encore!

Surprised and ... inspired.......2002-05-10

What a pleasant surprise this double CD turned out to be. I bought it used just for Picker's gorgeous and poetic "Old and Lost Rivers" but fell in love with the whole thing. I'm not usully one for "Best Of ---" or themed classical collections, but this one's in a class by itself. The selections are unusual and achingly lovely in themselves and as a whole. This is my new favorite disk. It's a relaxation or concentration tool... hell, it's a companion - it goes wherever my laptop and headphones go. You get over two hours of gorgeous and lyrical - never mushy, sentimental or tired - classical music, the perfect backdrop for everything from dinner dates to writing code. This CD has added sustained moments of beauty and poise to a busy life - which is more than I could have asked for!

Average customer rating:

Harp for meat lovers.
A full 145 minutes of wonderful harp and orchestral music
Classic Performances, aging but still good sound

Great Works For Harp

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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The Harmonious Harp
Harp Concertos
Music for Solo Harp
The Magic Of The Harp
Romantic Music for Flute and Harp

ASIN: B000001GLD
Release Date: 1995-03-14

Tracks:

Concerto pour flute, harpe et orchestre en ut majeur, K.299 (297c): 1. Allegro - Mozart
Concerto pour flute, harpe et orchestre en ut majeur, K. 299 (297c): 2. Andantino - Mozart
Concerto pour flute, harpe et orchestre en ut majeur, K.299 (297c): 3. Rondeau. Allegro - Mozart
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur: 1. Allegro brilliante - Boieldieu
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur: 2. Andante - Lento - Attaca
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur: 3. Rondeau: Allegro agitato
Concerto-Serenade pour harpe et orchestre: 1. Estudiantina. Allegro - Rodrigo
Concerto-Serenade pour harpe et orchestre: 2. Intermezzo. Molto tranqillo - Rodrigo
Concerto-Serenade pour harpe et orchestre: 3. Sarao. Allegro deciso - Rodrigo

Tracks:

Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en si bemol majeur, op.4 no. 6: 1. Andante Allegro
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en si bemol majeur, op.4 no.6: 2. Larghetto
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en si bemol majeur: 3. Allegro moderato
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur: 1. Allegro moderato
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre: 2. Adagio
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre: 3. Allegro
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en la majeur: 1. Allegro molto
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en la majeur: 2. Larghetto
Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en la majeur: 3. Rondeau : Allegretto
Introduction et Allegro pour harpe, quatuor a cordes, flute et clarinette: Ravel - Allegro
Danses pour harpe et orchestre a cordes: 1. Danse sacree - DeBussy
Danses pour harpe et orchestre a cordes: 2. Danse profane - DeBussy

Customer Reviews:

Harp for meat lovers........2007-04-26

This is a weighty and meritorious collection of orchestral works featuring harp. As someone who has always loved harp, a begginning harpist, looking for a broad base of serious harp music this is essential listening for me.
This collection is transporting. Styles and preferences come and go in the classical music world and the world of record production, but this collection is solidly timeless. A great overview, resource, and tremendous listening pleasure.

A full 145 minutes of wonderful harp and orchestral music.......2005-10-16

I certainly realize that this is an older recording but this is also an absolutely wonderful collection of some outstanding works for the harp played by Nicanor Zabaleta. There are 8 composers represented, each with an outstanding composition for harp and orchestra. I have never tired of listening to this CD over the last 20 years, it is rich and varied.

Georg Friedrich Haendel's Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en si bemol majeur, op. 4 no. 6 has been a favorite of mine for over 20 years. It immediately transports me into a state of serenity. It is utterly beautiful with the wonderful support for the harp with the string instruments of the orchestra. The movements remain light, floating, and flowing.

Johann Georg Albrechtberger's Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur is a perfect piece to follow the Handel piece since it has more integration of the orchestra into the piece but the harp holds its own amongst the orchestral textures. The influence of Handel seems evident, but this is not meant as a negative comment. On the contrary, the for six movements of this CD moving from Handel to Albrechtsberger is seemless.

Karl Ditters Von Dittersdorf's Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en la majeur has a Mozart sound with flowing harp scales supported by the orchestra. The piece ends with Rondeau: Allegretto that is upbeat energetic and fun. This is a great movement to have in the very center of the CD side 1 to keep the guest awake at your next party.

Maurice Ravel's Introduction et Allegro pour harpe, guatour a cordes, flute et clarinette is very different from the three composers that preceed him on the CD. They are baroque, full of flourish and fun. When we hear Ravel, the mood changes to lush romance.

Claude Debussy's Danses pour harpe et orchester a cordes is less lush and moody romantic like the Ravel piece that preceeds it. However the first movement, Danse scree, is somewhat minimal and almost experimental in its lack of flourishes. In the second movement, Danse profane, I thought of Aaron Copeland compositions for the ballet.

Mozart's Concerto pour flute, harpe et orchestre en ut majeur, K. 299 is well done with Karlheinz Zoeller on the flute in all movements. The second movement, Andantino, is sublime. The third movement, Rondeau Allegro takes off like a rocket, with the harp and flute taking turns in center stage.

Francois-Adrien Boteldieu's Concerto pour harpe et orchestre en ut majeur offers the most pensive piece on the CDs in the second movement Audante-Lento-Allaca. Reverent and well constructed, the piece is only a bit melancholy.

Joaquim Rodrigo's Concerto-Serenade pour harpe et orchestre is upbeat and fun in the first and third movements and pensive in the second, with wonderful compliments between the harp and woodwind instruments.

This is an amazing collection of music, 8 composers are included, and the range of works is impressive and enjoyable. I would strongly recommend this CD.

Classic Performances, aging but still good sound.......2001-06-23

Nicano Zabaleta was perhaps the first of the superstar virtuoso harpists of the stereo era and his recordings remain touchstones of unhurried virtuosity coupled with elegant musicianship. These performances are beginning to show their age a bit in sound, but the performances are luminous. The Boieldieu Concerto is seldom encountered in concert, but what a lovely, melodic and enchanting work. Today, Marielle Nordman and Marisa Robles both have very fine recordings of the concerto, but Zabaleta's is still worthy, and in this package, quite a bargain. The Albrechtsberger concerto is equally unfamiliar to many listeners and also a charmer, and the performance of the Handel concerto offered in a warm style that may seem a bit old fashioned by today's Original Instrument crowd, but it is highly persuasive. The Debussy and Ravel pieces are given appealing performances, again somewhat large scale compared to some of the chamber performances in the catalog, but brilliantly played.

Tracks:

Petite Ste: En Bateau - Detroit SO/Paul Paray
Gymnopedie No.1 - ASMF/Sir Neville Marriner
Clair De Lune - Orch De La Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Orch Dell'accedemia Di Santa Cecilia Roma/Tullio Serafin
Reverie - Zoltan Kocsis
Pavanne For A Dead Princess - Royal Concertgebouw Orch/Bernard Haitink
Pavane, Op.50 - ASMF/Sir Neville Marriner
Gtr Con in D: Largo - Celin Romero
Ob Con in d: Siciliano - Heinz Hollinger
Canon in D - ASMF/Sir Neville Marriner
Pno Con No.21 in C, K. 467: Andante - Mitsuko Uchida
Adagio in g - I Musici/Maria Teresa Garatti
Orch Ste No.3 in D: Air - English CO/Raymond Leppard
Moonlight Son: Andante Sostenuto - Claudio Arrau
Cl Con in A, K. 622: Adagio - Karl Leister

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely perfect.......2003-02-04

This is a wonderful collection of some of the most beautiful, relaxing classical music composed by the greatest artists of our history. My personal favorites, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Gabriel Faure, are well represented here. The selections are made based on their ability to relax, and transport you to another place. They certainly succeed. In these troubled and stressful times, we need to return to another period, to music that had the ability to transform and to heal. I feel that once this CD is playing, I don't need anything else to relax me. This is beautiful, timeless music, that will never go stale.

A Wonderful Relaxing CD!.......2001-01-04

This CD had much more than I bargained for when I bought it. I recognized many of the pieces, and was quite happy with my purchase. This CD does not lie. It is very soothing and is wonderful to listen to after hours.

Chausson: Concert; Ravel: Piano Trio; Fauré, Debussy, Franck: Violin Sonatas

Average customer rating:

French Romantic Chamber Music

Chausson: Concert; Ravel: Piano Trio; Fauré, Debussy, Franck: Violin Sonatas
Joshua Bell , Ernest Chausson , Claude Debussy , Gabriel Faure , Cesar Franck , Maurice Ravel , Jean-Yves Thibaudet , and Steven Isserlis
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Prokofiev: Violin Concertos & Sonatas; Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2
Violin Favourites & Virtuoso Showpieces
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole; Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3; Chausson: Poème
Tchaikovsky, Wienawski, Brahms, Schumann: Violin Concertos
Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart: Violin Concertos

ASIN: B0007XZUFK
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

I. Allegro Molto
II. Andante
III. Scherzo: Allegro Vivo
IV. Finale: Allegro Quasi Presto
I. Allegro Vivo
II. Intermede: Fantasque Et Leger
III. Finale: Tres Anime
I. Allegretto Ben Moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben Moderato
IV. Allegretto Poco Mosso

Tracks:

I. Decide
II. Sicilienne
III. Grave
IV. Tres Anime
I. Modere
II. Pantoum: Assez Vif
III. Passacaille: Tres Large
IV. Finale: Anime

Customer Reviews:

French Romantic Chamber Music.......2006-03-01

The chamber music literature of the French Romantic era is exceedingly rich and rewarding - even if its gems were not so well known through history. This two-CD set showcases five prominent "French Romantic" composers and some of their more delectable works that frequented the aristocratic salons of 19th-century Paris. There was also a strong, interconnected history among these French composers, and many older composers were teachers of the younger generation. The eldest, Cesar Franck [1822-1890] of Flemish birth, was dearly loved by his students which included Chausson [1855-1899]. Chausson later became one of Debussy's [1862-1918] only mentors - quite a compliment given Debussy's fierce independance. Towards the end of the century, Maurice Ravel [1875-1937] studied under Gabriel Faure [1845-1924] at the Paris Conservatoire (where Franck also taught earlier). As composers, many were "late bloomers" who wrote their best works late in life. Franck and Faure are the oldest closest to classicism while the newer generation of Ravel and Debussy developed a completely new language of form and harmonies that paved the way to the "modern era" after the turn of the century.

Each composer was devoted to restoring prominance in French instrumental music which was greatly overshadowed by the fashionable Parisian operas. Franck's Violin Sonata in A-major became his most-loved chamber work - as was Faure's not-so-different Violin Sonata (also in A-major). Both are mainstays in the repertoire today. Yet, during the composers' lifetimes, Faure's and Franck's music was barely known outside France. Perhaps one reason was that (like Ravel) they were quiet, unassuming gentlemen - unlike self-promoting contemporaries like Richard Wagner. Yet, with Chausson, Massenet, d'Indy and later Saint-Saens, they all wrote sensuous, chromatically rich and well-conceived music that was uniquely expressive and innovative. Ravel's Trio is just one of his fascinating, small-scale pieces that has enjoyed great popularity, where the Debussy Trio is an early work rich in sonority and melody.

Into his third decade as a performer now, Joshua Bell usually needs no introduction. His talent is top - technically, lyrically, artistically and tonally - even if some dislike the marketing machine he submitted to. Bell particularly excels in the Romantic repertoire with his deep emotivity and tonal beauty (especially since acquiring the stunningly beautiful and very expensive "Gibson" Stradivarius around 2001). These pieces with French pianist Thibaudet were recorded in 1989/1990 and were re-released in 2005 in this budget, two-CD set.

I think the strength of this set is the program - really excellent pieces and some of the creme. Among these, the Ravel Trio (and perhaps the Chausson Concert) are the stars of the set. Joining the duo on Ravel's Trio is the superb British Cellist, Stephen Isserlis, with the legendary Hungarian Takacs Quartet for the Chausson Concert (a rather unique arrangement that comes off quite nicely). This trio of top-flight musicians brings out Ravel's fascinating tonal nuances and textures with a marvelous touch that makes it a competitive choice among many. The Chausson piece is delectable - a work bathed in French romantic beauty.

As for Thidbaudet's pianism, one would be hard-pressed to fault anything in his support of Bell and unto his own virtuosity. In particular, he shows some crisp and dynamic passage work in the outer movements of Chausson's Concert. However, with Bell on some other pieces - notably the Faure Sonata in A major - his violin sounds unusually "flat" at times to me. But, I think it has more to do with the Decca sound engineering than Bell's ability to shape the music. His violin seems projected too close and without sufficient "breathing space" for the tonal nuances and secondary reverberations to create a fuller, richer sound. This seems more noticable on the first disc (Faure, Franck, Debussy) but may not be apparent just listening to this disc (which sounds clean and crisp) without another reference point. But when compared to other recordings, this Decca recording sounded "stark" to me and lacking "colour." However, once you settle in, such sound nuances for most should not be that big an issue. So, overall, this is a really great collection of French Romantic chamber music - but not really definitive as to the performances or recorded sound quality. Compositions - 5; Performance - 4; Sound Quality - 3.5. Other highly recommended recordings for this era of French chamber music featured here include recordings from Kang/Devoyan (Naxos), Chung/Lupu (Decca), The Florestan Trio (Hyperion) and Gil Shaham's lovely Faure albumn (Vanguard Classics).

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