Classical Waves

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Cantata No. 147: Herz und Mund und Tata und Leben: Jesu, Joy of Man's D

2. Prélude in D Flat, Op. 28/15 "Raindrops"

3. Swan Lake, Ballet: Excerpts

4. Fur Elise

5. Greensleeves

6. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: 2nd Movement, Romance

Disc: 2

1. Nocturne in E Flat, Op. 9/2

2. Concerto for 2 Violins, BWV 1043: 2nd Movement, Largo Ma Non Tanto

3. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, "Pathetique" (Excerpts)

4. Ave Maria

5. Aube

6. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor: Ode to Joy

Classical Waves, Music, Anonymous, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fryderyk Chopin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, English Traditional, Bagatelle for Keyboard, Ballet, Cantata, Choral, Classical Artists, Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento, Concerto, Concerto for Two String Instruments, Easy Listening, Keyboard, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Nocturne for Keyboard, Orchestral, Pop, Prelude for Keyboard, Renaissance Polyphonic Song, Romantic Ballet, Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard, Romantic Symphony, Symphonic, Vocal

Average customer rating:

See Other Andrea Bocelli Review

Emotional therapy!

Great music!

Cieli di Toscana

LOVE IT!!!!

Cieli di Toscana
Paolo Gianolio , Margherita Graczyk , Gary Miller , John Reid , Luis Jardim , Francesco Sartori , Mauro Malavasi , and Massimo Guantini
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bocelli, Andrea | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Romanza

Andrea Bocelli - Amore

Andrea

Sogno

Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias / Myung-Whun Chung

ASIN: B00005OWJV
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

Melodramma
Mille Lune Mille Onde
E Ara 'A Settembre (Someone Like You)
Chiara
Mascagni
Resta Qui
Il Mistero Dell 'Amore
Se La Gente Usasse Il Cuore
Si Volto'
L 'Abitudine
L 'Incontro
E Mi Manchi Tu
Il Diavolo E L 'Angelo
L 'Ultimo Re

Amazon.com

Not content with the simplistic "crossover" formula, superstar tenor Andrea Bocelli has been pursuing alternative paths since he emerged as a vocal phenomenon in the mid-1990s: operatic classics and contemporary popular song. The singer's last few albums have showcased his love for the former (including homages to his beloved Verdi: the Requiem and Verdi aria collection). But Cieli di Toscana ("Tuscan Skies") marks a triumphant return to the pop idiom last explored on Sogno, offering a highly varied series of the kind of beautifully crafted contemporary melodies that initially won Bocelli acclaim.

The familiar cast of songwriter-collaborators (including Francesco Sartori, responsible for the smash success "Time to Say Goodbye") mixes with new blood; Bocelli himself unveils his songwriting talents on "Il Diavolo e l'Angelo." It's a highly produced affair, but behind all the gloss, Bocelli sings with a newfound, relaxed, even mellow quality. There are intimately touching moments--"L'Incontro," a tribute to his first son featuring Bocelli's own poetry as read by U2's Bono--as well as soaring flights of lyricism (the duet "L'Abitudine" with Italian singer Helena). And on "Mascagni," with its quotes from that composer's operas, Bocelli makes another nod to his classical affinities. But whatever the style, Bocelli is a singer who knows how to go straight to his listeners' hearts. --Sarah Chin

Album Description

Exclusive UK version of Bocelli's third pop release includes the exclusive bonus track 'Tornera La Neve' and CD-ROM. The album also features 'L'Incontro' a duet with Gerard Depardieu. David Foster co-composes some of the tracks on this album as well. 2001.

Customer Reviews:

See Other Andrea Bocelli Review.......2007-07-06

Just what it says. See my other Andrea Bocelli reviews to get the idea I really like this guy.

Emotional therapy!.......2007-05-14

"He is all heart; there's no pretense. You can feel it." No kidding. These were my mom's last comments about Bocelli two months before she left earthly existence.

This album helped me process a lot of emotional residue affiliated with the strain of difficult dynamics between my mom and myself.

Don't get me wrong. The music isn't sad; it's pure heart and emotion, so it may evoke emotions. The last cut, "L'Ultimo Re" is gorgeous with the way his voice soars!

E.A. Davis, author: Waiting for Wings: Accompanying a Parent to the Edge of Life

Great music!.......2006-12-18

I bought the album before listening to any of the songs, because i'm a Bocelli fan. I was not disappointed. Wonderful melodies, beautiful voice.My personal favourites are Melodramma, Chiara and Resta Qui, but this is a great cd overall.

Cieli di Toscana.......2006-08-25

There is no other voice quite like Andrea's voice. I keep listening to this CD over and over as some of the songs just touch my heart, both with his voice and the written arrangements. One of my very favorites from Andrea. He has the same qualities to his voice with popular songs as he does with opera. When following the English translations in the CD case, the message of each song becomes very clear through the inflections and tonal quality of his voice.

LOVE IT!!!!.......2006-08-25

What more can I say once agian a total great cd, that will sure to become my favorite and my kids love it too!!! Ages 5, 8, and 15. WOW>>>>> Pleases all ages,LOVE IT LOVE LOVE IT

Average customer rating:

So I'm just learning violin...
Joshua Bell...

The Essential Joshua Bell

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Voice of the Violin
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Violin Favourites & Virtuoso Showpieces

ASIN: B000A8AXUY
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Allegro Molto Appassionato
II. Sicilienne
II. Adagio
IV. Allegro Quasi Presto
III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace
Caprice Viennois
Toy-Soldiers March
Waves At Play - Samuel Sanders
II. Andante Assai
Spanish Dance - Samuel Sanders
Nigun (Improvisation)
Zigeunerweisen, Op.20

Customer Reviews:

So I'm just learning violin..........2006-09-21

and I can not play like Joshua Bell. For this, he better consider himself damn lucky as the world could not handle two of us Joshua Bells.

This was my first exposure to this phenom. Sorry, I had never heard of him until I got my first issue of STRINGS magazine and he was on the cover. My wife liked the cover and wanted to know if I got better would I not only sound like him but would I also look like him? I guess we'll never know how that will actually turn out. Safe to say, I'll end up not looking like him as I can never be quite as good as him. Again, damn lucky for Josh as I don't think the world could handle two of us.

This disc is an absolute gem not only for the Joshua Bell and violin fan, but the arrangements and the sound quality is superb. What this disc made me realize is that there are truly only a few out there that have complete and total control of their craft. It also made me decide that I would like to perhaps pick up a few more Joshua Bell recordings. For my wife, I guess I'll just duplicate them and give the copies to her in a blank cd case. I can tell her it's me playing. That ought to heat things up!

Joshua Bell..........2005-12-05

This CD is a wonderful CD to see how Joshua Bell interprets some of the standard repertory of violinists of this century. The only thing I was dissapointed in slightly was that it included music from other CD's already produced by Bell, but otherwise, a wonderful gift for someone who has never heard Bell before.

Average customer rating:

beautiful ,beautiful
Great Recording

Violin Favourites & Virtuoso Showpieces

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Romance of the Violin
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Tchaikovsky, Wienawski, Brahms, Schumann: Violin Concertos
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0007WQHVW
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

Variations on an original theme, Op.15
Romance, Op.78, No.2
Mazurka, Op.81, No.1
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor-Transcr. Joseph Joachim
Cantabile, Op.17
Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op.16
Nigun (Improvisation)
Perpetuum mobile
The Prophet Bird
Spanish Dance No.1
Waves at play (Wellenspiel)
Carmen Fantasy, Op.25 - Arr. Waxman

Tracks:

Praeludium and Allegro
Schosmarin
Tambourin chinois
Caprice viennois op.2
La Preuse (in the style of Louis Couperin)
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid
La Gitana
Berceuse Romantique (Caprice)
Polichinelle (Snade)
Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven
Tempo di menuetto (in the style of Pugnani)
Toy Soldiers' March
Allegretto (in the style of Boccherini)
Marche miniature viennoise
Aucassin and Nicolette (canzonetta medievale)
Menuet (in the style of Porpora)
Sicilienne and Rigaudon (in the style of Francois Francoeur)
Syncopation

Customer Reviews:

beautiful ,beautiful.......2007-05-27

I am not a music critic nor do I "know" much about music but if you love lovely violin music you will love this.

Great Recording.......2007-01-04

The Kreisler pieces are played exceptionally well. The one disc alone is worth the price of the double disc collection. Great playing.

Average customer rating:

FAVORITE WALTZES
Dream Away
What a wonderful CD!!!
Wonderful Waltzes
[poor quality]

Favorite Waltzes

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Strauss Waltzes
Strictly Dancing: Waltz
Strauss: The Best of Vienna
Let's Dance! : The Best Of Ballroom Foxtrots & Waltzes
Fox-Trot

ASIN: B000000UVT
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

The Blue Danube
Tales From The Vienna Woods
Artist's Life
Voices Of Spring
You And You (From Die Fledermaus)
Vienna Life
Emperor Waltz
Live, Laugh And Love
Skaters Waltz
The Waves Of The Danube
Waltzes (From Der Rosenkavalier)

Customer Reviews:

FAVORITE WALTZES .......2007-05-12

I ENJOY THE CLASSICS AND IF YOU DO, OR JUST BEGINNING TO LISTEN, THE OLD MASTERS ARE GREAT. TO ENJOY THIS MUSIC ONE MUST DEVOID YOUR MIND OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. THEN LISTEN TO THE INSTRUMENTS AND PLACE YOURSELF THERE. IT WILL TAKE YOU AWAY TO A PEACEFUL PLACE.

Dream Away.......2007-02-16

Nice relaxing music with a good sound and orchestra containing an assortment of famous waltzes.

What a wonderful CD!!!.......2006-10-24

Like the last review, I am not sure what the first person was thinking when they gave this CD only 1!!! star. I just received this and sitting here with tears in my eyes. This is exactly what I have been looking for. I have been looking for specifically the "Skater's Waltz" for some time now and finally found it!! I can't believe that anyone who listens to this Wonderful CD could give it anything less than 5 stars! I purchased one for my mom for Christmas and one for myself.
I had to add to this because I just purchased my third CD of this!! I have already given away two as gifts. This is so delightful and you really listen on a headset in a quiet room. You will be swept away by the beauty of these waltzes!!!

Wonderful Waltzes.......2005-05-04

I don't know what the previous reviewer is talking about (maybe he did spend too much of his money on cheap beer), but this is a wonderful CD of Waltzes. The original EMI Seraphim series featured some of the greatest recordings of the golden age of stereo at absurdly low prices. The titles that are still readily available like this one, for many are out-of-print and fetching prices ten times their original price, are among the best values in the history of classical music. This CD in particular features Felix Slatkin and Milos Rosza both leading the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra in memorable renditions of Strauss Family, Waldteufel and Ivanovici classics. All the nuggets are here -- The Blue Danube, Emporer, Skaters and Der Rosenkavalier Waltzes -- in legendary performances. Don't be fooled, this is a great buy!

[poor quality].......2003-02-25

Take your $... and spend it on some cheap beer instead of this CD, You will enjoy it more. However, If you want to hear what "Quality High Fidelity" sounded like on a very low grade record player in the late 1950's, go ahead and buy this CD. It sounds as if it was recorded from a neighbor's 78 rpm player using an inexpensive microphone held up to the speaker.

Tracks:

'The Merry Widow': Strauss Party: Radetzky March - William Tell Overture - Light Cavalry Overture - Grisette Can Can From 'The Merry Widow' - Aviators March - Can Can From 'Orpheus In The Underworld'
The Veleta
Petersburg Sleigh Ride
Volga Song
The Skaters
Egyptian March
Gypsy Fiddles Playing
Barcarole
Emperor's Waltz
Anne's Polka
Meditation
Morning Papers
Carnival de Venice - Drinking Song - Carnival Of Venice - Estudiantina 1 - Estudiantina 2 - Over The Waves - The Bat

Amazon.com

If Rieu is not the most outstanding purveyor of Viennese waltzes and similar light-hearted fare, he is certainly the most popular and well-known. There are plenty of fun pieces on this album, although, to be just a tad pedantic, more of it is Italian and French than remotely Viennese. But it's all fun, and it's all well-played. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

Music different from title.......2007-05-26

The title of this CD was misleading. I wanted an entire CD of Viennese waltzes to play at a party, and was disappointed that there were marches, etc. on the CD. A better title would've been "The Vienna I Love, Music From My Heart".

André Rieu - The Vienna I love - Waltzes From My Heart.......2006-07-17

The music is so upbeat and you are automatically in a good mood. It is a real pleasure listening to this CD and it is done frequently.

Excellent choice.......2006-05-03

I am really a rock music fan but I enjoy this version of light classical music. It may not be for the serious classical music enthusiast, but it is still considered excellent light entertainment. What a way to introduce classical music to a wider audience!

Pop Strauss, et al.......2004-04-30

I was looking for truly Viennese renditions of Strauss waltzes. Though unrelentingly upbeat, this isn't it. There are medleys of Strauss, Offenbach, Rossini, and everyone else imaginable. It's a pop version of what was once pop on its own. I know Strauss isn't serious classical fare, but this trivializes it.

Depressed? Listen to this!.......2002-09-25

Having one of those ho-hum days just like that little round guy on the Zoloft commercial? Place this on your CD, press start, and don't fight it! You will be dancing around the living room (provided you don't fight it, just let it go!). Musically, it is a very fine piece from a very fine artist. It can totally transport you. So many of the tunes you will know from TV commercials, (Rheingold Beer) etc. It is a solid beautiful collection of tunes that can stir the soul. I know it sounds schmaltzy, but if it can make you feel better,why not try it?

Average customer rating:

Three Cheers for the Irish!!!
Ellis Island song brings tears to my eyes
How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
The Best Historical CD Ever!

Ellis Island
The Irish Tenors , Brendan Graham , Chauncey Olcott , Irish Traditional , Johnny Cash , John Francis Patterson , Dermot MacMurrough , C. Kirkham , Eric Bogle , Burton Lane , Thomas Osbourne Davis , Irving Berlin , and Frank McNamara
Manufacturer: Music Matters
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of The Irish Tenors
The Irish Tenors / McNamara, McDermott, Kearns, Tynan
Live in Belfast
Home for Christmas
Heritage

ASIN: B000059TBG
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Tracks:

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
My Wild Irish Rose
Love Thee Dearest
Forty Shades of Green
Courtin' in the Kitchen
The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door
I'll Tell My Ma
Macushla
Slievenamon
The Green Fields of France
Trasna Na Dtonnta (Over The Waves)
Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile (Long Life to You on Your Homecoming)
An Poc Ar Buile (The Mad Goat)
The Rose of Tralee
The Old Bog Road
How Are Things In Glocca Morra
The Croppy Boy
A Nation Once Again
Let There Be Peace
Danny Boy
God Bless America

Product Description

1. Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears
2. My Wild Irish Rose
3. Love Thee Dearest
4. Forty Shades Of Green
5. The Courtin Medley
A. Courtin, In The Kitchen
B. The Stone Outside Dan Murphy s Door
C. I ll Tell My Ma
6. Macushla
7. Slievenamon
8. The Green Fields Of France
9. The Irish Medley
A. Transna Na Dtonnta (Over The Waves)
B. Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile (Long Life To You On Your Homecoming)
C. An Poc Ar Buile (The Mad Goat)
10. The Rose Of Tralee
11. The Old Bog Road
12. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
13. The Croppy Boy
14. A Nation Once Again
15. Let There Be Peace
16. Danny Boy
17. God Bless America

Format: CD

Amazon.com

The Irish Tenors' fourth album sees the trio of Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan, and Finbar Wright paying a sentimental musical tribute to Ellis Island, the hallowed landmark that met the majority of immigrants entering the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Needless to say, the Tenors' repertoire this time around is full of reflective ballads of love, loss, and homesickness, including the original "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears" that opens this disc. Throughout this studio recording, the Irish Tenors are in fine form and backed by a soft-hued orchestra that never interferes with their soaring vocals. Traditional tunes include "My Wild Irish Rose," "How Are Things in Glocca Mora," and, of course, "Danny Boy" (the last sung by all three tenors, with refreshingly simple solo piano accompaniment). Thankfully, the threesome didn't forget that the immigrants had fun, too, as evidenced by some lighthearted fare; "The Courtin' Medley" features the Tenors at their most upbeat and comical. Ellis Island is a moving aural portrait of the struggles and triumphs of the Irish émigrés and a must-have for fans of the threesome. Newcomers may enjoy the Tenors' debut disc even more, as the earlier live album is a slightly more upbeat and spirited affair. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Three Cheers for the Irish!!!.......2007-05-30

A glorious concert in a historic setting, with all involved in top notch form. Finbar finds a great old Johnny Cash number, Ronan sings a Glocka
Mora to end all, and Anthony Kearns sings murderously difficult versions
of Macushla and The Croppy Boy like an angel. And their Courtin' and Irish
Medleys, and their "Nation Once Again" trios are simply glorious glees.

With the benefit of a grand theme, this is perhaps the best, and best balanced, of all their programs.

Ellis Island song brings tears to my eyes.......2006-03-17

This magical album crosses oceans and centuries and puts me in touch with my Irish ancestry. The title song tells a story similar to my greatgrandmother's and even though I've heard it many times now, I still weep for her.

How Are Things In Glocca Morra?.......2004-04-16

Long a fan of Irish music, I have turned to a series of artists to satiate my appetite. Bing Crosby and John McCormick have been succeeded by the Irish Tenors.

This CD has a bit more of an Irish American theme as "Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears" and "God Bless America" illustrate. Interspersed among these tunes are traditional Irish tunes such as "Macushla" and "Croppy Boy", along with newer songs, such as "The Green Fields Of France" and "How are Things In Glocca Morra?"

The singing is excellent, the words understandable. I appreciate the inclusion the lyrics of the songs contained on the insert of the cover. These are songs you will want to learn, whose stories you will want to research. I have. Listen again and again!

How Are Things In Glocca Morra?.......2004-04-16

Long a fan of Irish music, I have turned to a series of artists to satiate my appetite. Bing Crosby and John McCormick have been succeeded by the Irish Tenors.

The Best Historical CD Ever!.......2003-11-21

I think this is best CD since Live in Belfast! it also has 2 songs not included on the video! it's a unique album of how the immigration to Ellis Island and New York turned out. It also has songs of the war such as The Green Fields Of France (The Best One) or, the croppy boy. I would recommend this to anyone!

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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Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

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.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony
Average customer rating:

An excellent version for the poetry

Music of Power, Majesty, and Melodic Beauty

Vast, Fresh and Wild as the Sea Itself

Behold ! The Symphony itself . . .

Actually 4.75 Stars is what I wanted to give

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Vaughan Williams, Ralph | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica/The Wasps

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

Vaughan Williams: An Oxford Elegy/ Flos Campi/ Sancta Civitas/ etc.

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

ASIN: B000002S2N
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Tracks:

A Sea Symphony: Behold, The Sea Itself
A Sea Symphony: Today A Rude Brief Recitative
A Sea Symphony: Flaunt Out, O Sea, Your Separate flags Of Nations!
A Sea Symphony: Token Of All Brave Captains
A Sea Symphony: A Pennant Universal
A Sea Symphony: On The Beach At Night, Alone
A Sea Symphony: Alone A Vast Similitude Interlocks All
A Sea Symphony: III. Scherzo: The Waves (Allegro Brillante)
A Sea Symphony: O Vast Rondure, Swimming In Space
A Sea Symphony: Down From The Gardens Of Asia Descending
A Sea Symphony: O We Can Wait No Longer
A Sea Symphony: O Thou Transcendent
A Sea Symphony: Greater Than Stars Or Suns
A Sea Symphony: Sail Forth
A Sea Symphony: O My Brave Soul!

Customer Reviews:

An excellent version for the poetry.......2005-10-04

I admire this recording as much as all the other reviewers, but it has a special quality that isn't present on, for example, the Slatkin version on RCA. You can understand the poetry sung by the soloists. This clarity results because EMI has put the singers far forward, a wise decision. When the soprano and baritone are imbeddded sonically halfway betwee the chorus and orchestra--the usual practice--the vast forces arrayed against htem drown out the words.

Not here. VW had a deep feeling for Walt Whitman, nad it's crucial to hear the verses. Try the second movement "On the Beach At Night, Alone," where the sensitive singing of John Carol Case can be deciphered word for word without a libretto. Now listen to Thomas Allen on the Slatkin recording, and barely a word can be heard at times. (Because of her ample vibrato, Sheila Armstrong, sadly, is not nearly as clear, but putting her forward at least allows her to sing without strain.) As a lover of Whitman's verse, I consider this an important feature of the Boult reading.

Music of Power, Majesty, and Melodic Beauty.......2002-09-01

I fell asleep at a performance of Vaughan Williams' "A Sea Symphony" some years ago. It is a LONG piece. I would not recommend it as a first Vaughan Williams purchase, unless you are a particular fan of choral music.
On the other hand, I couldn't ignore it. Robert Shaw (America's "Mr. Choral Music") described this symphony on the radio as "the most beautiful piece of choral music written in the 20th century". Wow! That covers 100 years, you know. And I deeply enjoy other pieces by RVW, including his Four Hymns and Five Mystical Songs.
So I bought this CD and now, instead of listening to this 70-minute symphony in one very long sweep, I listen to songs and sections.
The symphony is a setting of poems by Walt Whitman that celebrate human daring, and RVW matched that by writing an immense symphony. If you have not heard this symphony before, you could not imagine the sonic images Vaughan Williams creates for ships, sailors, and the sea. The first notes at the music's very beginning have the full chorus and orchestra at top voice
singing "Behold, the Sea itself!" It is startlingly majestic, and yet it is followed by an almost vulgarly pop and spiky little tune for male voice (baritone) and bassoon that I now sing everyday while shaving "today, a rude brief recitative about ships sailing the sea ..." The diversity is wonderful - Vaughan Williams must have oozed all kinds of music, since he composed the hushed hymn-like Tallis Fantasia at about the same time.
If you are new to Vaughan Williams, I would suggest you purchase Boult's wonderful collection of short RVW compositions first. It is also in EMI's British Composers series. It has the lovely and songful "Serenade to Music", the tune-filled and simple "English Folk Song Suite", and the lovely beyond words and soul-filled "The Lark Ascending." As a first symphonic purchase, the "London Symphony" (#2) is wonderful. But if you know Vaughan Williams already and just don't know "the Sea Symphony", fear not: It is a great score. The quality and variety of the melodies is deeply satisfying; the rhythms swing and stride at one moment and are raptly processional at another; the harmonies are rich and can be colorful or strange and foreboding; the orchestra is used idiosyncratically. The sonic range is enormous: the baritone sings quietly in meditation of the sea at night at one point, and at another the entire chorus calls out in joy, "Sail forth!"
There are several recordings of this symphony. Which to choose? You cannot go wrong with this CD. This performance has been admired for a generation. I might prefer Thomas Allen's "rude brief recitative" for Leonard Slatkin, but the composer himself admired John Carol Case's singing (in "The Pilgrim's Progress") and Adrian Boult had been performing Vaughan Williams' music for 40 years when this recording was made. He premiered major pieces. He knew Vaughan Williams' music as few others and he captures every mood. He sings and dances, meditates and exults.

Vast, Fresh and Wild as the Sea Itself.......2002-07-11

The combination of Whitman's wonderful poetry with Vaughan Williams' music is one of the happiest of artistic events; they each own the freshness of the outdoors, and a voice as strong as sunshine, and an effortless candor which must speak to any soul on the planet. Whitman's poetry WORKS in a way that all too little free verse works; think of it not as poetry, but as a poet singing his soul to you, and hear the music in the ideas and in the words, a music that runs deeper than simple meter and rhyme.

It were hard to imagine a performance which could do Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony better justice than this one under Sir Adrian Boult (hard to imagine, but if it's out there, reserve me a seat). The immensity of the opening chorus, the plain honest sea-shanty which John Carol Case makes look easy, the purity of Sheila Armstrong's voice - a choir and orchestra whose love for the music shines through every bar ... "All lives and all deaths, all of the past, present, future, / This vast similitude spans them, and always has spanned, / And shall forever span them and shall compactly hold and enclose them."

Behold ! The Symphony itself . . ........2002-03-27

THE FIRST SYMPHONY created by the great British musician, arranger, conductor and composer, is a complete choral symphony. It was perhaps the first of it's kind since Sibelius's earlier `Kullervo', a choral symphony of 1892 (often referred to as a "symphonic cantata" or "symphonic poem"), and Beethoven's Ninth---taking into account that the latter is a "choral" work in part, not entirely. It was in 1910 that the first performance of A Sea Symphony took place. The English composer Granville Bantock conceived the bold idea of symphonies "for voices only" ; he wrote his unusual "choral symphonies" in 1911 and 1913. Gustav Holst's First Choral Symphony (with words by Keats) was given its premiere in Leeds Town Hall on 7 October 1925. It was created for soprano solo, chorus and orchestra, but was admittedly of lesser scope than that of his counterpart. In fact, Vaughan Williams---like Holst---was an innovator in his use of the materiau on the symphonic terrain, fusing large choral parts with the prevalent forms of orchestral music---in any case, this could serve also to reveal how both were partially indebted to Parry and Elgar. In an immensely interesting article, Dr. Jack Sullivan wrote of A Sea Symphony : "Like the poetry, the music has a little of everything. It is part symphony, part oratorio, part opera, and part `fantasia' (a favorite Vaughan Williams form). The slow movement and Scherzo have traditional ABA formats, but the huge outer movements (even with the hidden sonata form in the first) seem to invent their forms as they proceed, echoing the `organic' principle of Whitman's free verse. The hymn-like finale, aptly subtitled `The Explorers', is almost a symphony in itself, one without closure. Refusing to end, it fades `farther' and yet `farther' out to a sea whose depths are subliminally suggested by whispers in the lower strings". (Please note that ABA is symbolizing ternary form in which the first section A precedes and follows a second section B, a form so common in classical song that its also called 'song form' -or sonata form- while AB is a musical form that has two sections, A followed by B, and is known as 'binary form')

For a very first attempt at writing a symphony, in such a huge scale, the result was far from a failure. Quite to the opposite, the fascinating verses of Whitman are well integrated to the orchestral element ; by means of almost seamless musical procedures, what i am tempted to term "the sailcloth of the symphony," VW developed a singular way in constructing an orchestral edifice. Thanks to the lyrics, the work has a mystical feel to it---since Whitman's poems are like the footpath to a sort of initiation, much like a ritual, a "rite of passage" for the soul pointing perhaps `toward the unknown region' of immortality :

Darest thou now O soul,
Walk out with me toward the unknown region,
Where neither ground is for the feet
nor any path to follow.

- Excerpts from Toward the Unknown Region (1906) ; from `Leaves of Grass'.

I think it is significant that VW took inspiration from the great American writer, for not only did he used texts for A Sea Symphony and Toward the Unknown Region, but also for `Dona nobis pacem' and some songs such as `Nocturne', `A Clear Midnight' and `Joy, shipmate, joy'. Perhaps i should quote a reviewer for classical.net : "Here is a composer who apparently loved Whitman. He used Whitman's works as a basis for his First Symphony - `The Sea' and `Toward the Unknown Region'. It is interesting that this English composer seems to so deeply understand the poetry of Walt Whitman. [...] The music flows from the rhythm inherent in the language." Incidentally, in the same tone is the poem `A Clear Midnight' - excerpt from `Leaves of Grass' (1900) :

This is thy hour, O soul,
thy free flight into the wordless . . .

Attempts at describing the composer as either a "visionary" or a sort of "seer", not quite in conformity with his humble and candid personality, fits a lot more with the mystic literary works of Whitman. Therefore, we can assume a kind of complementary connection took place between Whitman and VW, binding together unrelated (though neighbored) art forms in the best interest of both---such was the case, to great effect, with A Sea Symphony.

If i'd have to point toward the unknown regions of favorite traversals of this symphony, i'd go for Thomson and Boult. Bryden Thomson with the London Symphony brought what i hear as a tightly refined, let's say "well-balanced" reading. His opening, 'A Song for all Seas, all Ships', is resolute and really provides a subjective impression of huge waves and sail-ships. Other than Thomson's brilliant rendering, sir Adrian Boult's glorious account with the LPO (the EMI album), remains a grand interpretation. The very opening reveals poignant, mellifluous sounds that proclaim the greatness of seas through a sort of hymnic fanfare---a common trait of the "lyrical" Boult of the 1960's. This is a strong presentation. Vernon Handley with RLPO (EMI) offers an enticing version, still somewhat on the lower side of the chorus performance but otherwise excellent. Robert Spano's direction (Telarc) is one of the finest, and sound quality excels : Clearly a serious challenge for Boult's version. Spano's strength resides especially in his high-magnitude finale, probably unmatched on record. Paul Daniel (Naxos) offers a very good account on it's own but, still, not with quite the best sonics---at least when put side-by-side with the records i've mentioned earlier. Here, the Bournemouth and their conductor have taken a "safe" approach, managing adequately the orchestral balance and handling with care the numerous climaxes and contrasts of the score. Notwithstanding there are quite a few inspired moments, performance and sound aren't exactly on par with their gorgeous reading of the Fourth Symphony (also on Naxos).

There's a great deal of value in this reading from Boult, not to mention the almost unparalleled singing of Sheila Armstrong and John Carol Case. The London Philharmonic chorus is effective, and it is audibly more immersing than most other choruses (i've been a bit deceived by Andrew Davis's rendering of this symphony, mainly because of that). Needless to say, A Sea Symphony is very demanding on both musicians and singers. In a certain way, the work shares some features with the `Sinfonia antartica', even though there's no profound similitude pertaining to the "cinematic quality" of the latter ; instead, it is in terms of a bold, at times grandiose-sounding music where a connection exists. Boult's rendering portrays vividly those facets of the symphony.

Considering that there's a variety of very good recordings on cd's (i recommend you check out Slatkin, by the way), i think you cannot go wrong with any of them. Although it isn't the strongest record of A Sea Symphony, Andrew Davis (with the BBC, Teldec) has done a very good job ; his orchestration is refined (i like the way he dealt with the vocal quality of the music in 'On The Beach At Night Alone', in particular). And, perhaps, you shouldn't overlook Previn, as it is a very good account indeed (RCA). In order to get the best you should perhaps consider first Thomson, Spano, Handley and this fine version from Boult. If you don't mind monophonic sound, then the younger and perhaps tauter Boult on Decca should satisfy on its own : "Walt Whitman's soulful evocation of Man's relationship to the sea is fully realized. There is sincerity, commitment, adulation--but not vain self-importance. The chorus is especially fine."

A Sea Symphony was---and still is---a truly unique musical venture. Whitman's words sit perfectly on the surprisingly mature score, which is a fairly complex composition for a "first" symphonic essay. You'll hear the influence of Elgar somewhere (think about parts of Gerontius) as well as many other "flashes" that hark back to so many things. On the one hand, this is certainly a major symphonic work of the 20th century, not to mention that this could be one of the greatest choral works in history ; on the other hand, the work appears to age very well and the different recordings i've referred to have just proven how fresh and vital that work of art can appear today.
*****

Actually 4.75 Stars is what I wanted to give.......2000-02-05

Sir Adrian Boult.......he knew his Vaughn Williams. It is quite apparent when the chorus proclaims, "Behold, the Sea itself....." that this recording will bring a sense of fulfillment to the listener. There is something about the music of Vaughn Williams that says, "I am one of the most important composers of the 20th century. There are still valid things to say. The symphony is not dead, and I will prove that". This symphony demonstrates that even in the 20th century important music was being written. This recording demonstrates that important music was being performed and captured for future generations beautifully.

Average customer rating:

It doesn't get better than this.
starting over
starting over
excellence
Cornet Favorites

Cornet Favorites

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Herbert L. Clarke: Original Recordings 1907-21
Carnaval
The Legendary Trumpet Virtuosity of Rafael Mendez
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ASIN: B000005IYD
Release Date: 1992-05-27

Tracks:

From The Shores Of The Mighty Pacific: Rondo Caprice
Sounds From The Hudson: Valse Brillante
Willow Echoes
The Carnival Of Venice: Fantaisie And Variations
At The Beach: Concert Waltz
The Debutante: Caprice Brillante
Slavische Fantasie
The Bride Of The Waves: Polka Brillante
Cousins
Exposition Echoes: Polka
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The Cascades: Polka Brilliant

Customer Reviews:

It doesn't get better than this........2001-08-01

I first bought this recording on vinyl back in 1975. Gerard Schwartz has since moved on to a career in conducting, but as this recording shows, he's a true Master of his craft. I'm a trumpet player and I know what a good sound is. This guy's got it!

More than technical perfection, the tunes are delivered with delicacy, grace and power.

starting over.......2001-07-03

This is a very good cd for a trumpet player. Many songs of Herbert L. Clarke and Jean Babtiste Arban are there in their familiar versions. If you get this cd, you ought to get Cornet Favorites also. The solos on both cd's stick to the versions found in Arban's Complete Conservatory Method and Clarke's 24 Charateristic Studies, so you can follow them note for note. Carnaval has wind symphony accompaniment and Cornet Favorites has piano accompaniment.

starting over.......2001-07-03

If you have the Arban Complete Conservatory Method and Herbert Clarke's 24 Characteristic Studies, then you have the versions of the solos that are played on this cd, and can benefit from hearing them played. All songs use piano accompaniment so you will have no trouble hearing the cornet. Carnaval (Winton Marsalis) has some of the same songs, but the cornet is harder to hear because of the wind symphony accompniment.

excellence.......2000-05-30

This is the best verison of Carnival I have heard. Classic Wynton also provides a fantastic interpretation on the most difficult trumpet solo of all time. But Schwarz shows amazing control, fantastic percision, and baffling dexterity. The Debutante and the Bride, etc. are also impressive. Its a shame Schwarz gave up trumpet to conduct. Having played these songs myself, I definitely recommend it to any classical trumpet enthusiast/student

Cornet Favorites.......1999-12-28

I enjoyed the cd because of the literature being performed. However, Schwarz's performance is mediocre and lacks luster. The sound is dull and uninviteing.The tempos were unusal and it felt there was no ensemble with the trumpet and piano performance.
I felt there was not a musical product produced in this recording.

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Second Symphony/Musica Celestis

Manufacturer: Phoenix USA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Aaron Jay Kernis - Colored Field · Musica Celestis · Air / Truls Mørk · Minnesota Orchestra · Eiji Oue
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Kernis: Chamber Music
John Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur/My Father Knew Charles Ives

ASIN: B000BNMDLU
Release Date: 2005-09-15

Tracks:

Alarm (SYMPHONY NO.2)
Air/Ground (SYMPHONY NO.2)
Barricade (SYMPHONY NO.2)
MUSICA CELESTIS
INVISIBLE MOSAIC III

Product Description

While working on the Second Symphony, Kernis recalls the collective national fixation on images of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. For the composer, these "exerted a kind of fascination and sense of horror at what seemed to be a purely technological war, one that was heavily manipulated by the government for the media." One specific image that haunted Kernis came from the cover of The New York Post, which documented the accidental bombing of an apartment building in Iraq. "Something about the immediate annihilation without warning gave me the sonic image of pulverizing and obliteration" an image with which the Symphony reaches its climax. Kernis describes an overarching narrative structure to the three-movement work, centered on a metaphor of humanity facing the brutalizing machine: "The work is very linear, with the long line put forward in three different contexts in each movement. In the first, the line is set against an unyielding mechanical, rhythmic profile, giving the sense of a wave threatening to overtake the melody. The second movement winnows essentially to melody and accompaniment (with some areas of counterpoint), while in the third the stark line is mostly exposed alone against the wave of percussion. Equally important is the gradual stripping away of layers as the piece goes on." The String Quartet No. 1 takes its name from the subtitle of its slow second movement: "musica celestis." This is also the name Kernis applies to what has become perhaps his best-known work to date. In the tradition of Samuel Barber's similarly extracted Adagio for Strings, Musica Celestis is an arrangement of that Quartet movement for string orchestra (with double bass added), completed in 1991. Kernis ascribes his inspiration to the medieval concept of the music of the spheres, "which refers to the singing of the angels in heaven in praise of God without end." He cites his discovery of Hildegard of Bingen, yet Musica Celestis evinces a broader range of influences: from English pastoralism and the Barber Adagio to the radical simplicity of Beethoven's Heiliger Dankgesang from Op.132 all framed by a sonority reminiscent of Lohengrin's "silvery blue" A major harmonies.

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