Muisc for Wind Octet

On this CD:

1. Music for Wind Octet, Op. 123
Composed by Herman D. Koppel
Performed by Danish Wind Octet with Klas Sjoblom, Aksel Trige, Lee Morgan, Tejre Aadne, Piet Castillo, Klaus Frederiksen, Henrik Goldschmidt, Signe Haugland

2. Catch, for wind octet
Composed by Sven Erik Werner
Performed by Danish Wind Octet with Klas Sjoblom, Aksel Trige, Lee Morgan, Tejre Aadne, Piet Castillo, Klaus Frederiksen, Henrik Goldschmidt, Signe Haugland

3. Octet for Winds, Op.34
Composed by Asger Lund Christiansen
Performed by Danish Wind Octet with Klas Sjoblom, Aksel Trige, Lee Morgan, Tejre Aadne, Piet Castillo, Klaus Frederiksen, Henrik Goldschmidt, Signe Haugland

4. Divertimento for Wind Octet
Composed by Svend S. Schultz
Performed by Danish Wind Octet with Klas Sjoblom, Aksel Trige, Lee Morgan, Tejre Aadne, Piet Castillo, Klaus Frederiksen, Henrik Goldschmidt, Signe Haugland

5. Summerscapes (7)
Composed by Lars Graugaard
Performed by Danish Wind Octet with Klas Sjoblom, Aksel Trige, Lee Morgan, Tejre Aadne, Piet Castillo, Klaus Frederiksen, Henrik Goldschmidt, Signe Haugland

Tracks:

Symphony No.1 In C Minor, Op.11
Octet In E Flat, Op.20
Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op.21
The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave)
Meeresstille Und Glkliche Fahrt, Op.27
Symphony No.2 In B Flat, Op.52 - "Hymn Of Praise"
Symphony No.3 In A Minor, Op.56 - "Scottish"
Overture "The Fair Melusine", Op.32
"Trumpet Overture", Op.101 - Allegro Vivace
Ruy Blas, Op.95 - Overture To Victor Hugo's Play
Symphony No.4 In A, Op.90 - "Italian"
Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.107 - "Reformation"
Overture For Wind Instruments, Op.24 (F Harmoniemusik)

Customer Reviews:

Real class.......2007-06-24

Abbado has created an excellent anthology of Mendelssohn's symphonic output - rich, lush and balanced. A+

Great set.......2007-05-18

By my calculations, this is the single best set of Mendelssohn symphonies out there today. Though better versions of the "Reformation," "Scottish," and "Italian" Symphonies exist in other disks, I still like the interpretations offered by Abbado and the LSO.

For the "Reformation", and "Italian" Symphonies, I'd recommend John Eliot Gardiner and the Vienna Philharmonic's DG set.

For the Scottish Symphony I'd go with Karajan's recording with the BPO (that CD also comes with the best "Hebrides Overture" recording available, and a pretty good "Italian Symphony" interpretation, too).

All of the overtures in this set are performed very well, both in technical execution and musical interpretation. The Hebrides (a work far ahead of its time), in particular, is a fine recording. So is "Overture 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'." I really have grown fond of the "Ruy Blas" overture as well.

Another reviewer complained that the interpretations in this set are "too Classical." I think they are correct in saying the set is Classically performed, but I think that works with Mendelssohn, as he was "the Romantic Mozart."

Overall this is a great set, and a good way to become familiar with the music of Felix Mendelssohn, or build your Mendelssohn library.

MENDELSSOHN: 5 Symphonies/7 Overtures (LSO/Claudio Abbado) DG 471 467-2.......2006-07-13

Unlike many all-digital compilations offered by one orchestra and conductor, this collection of Mendelssohn favorites is outstanding in performance and interpretation throughout. Maestro Abbado shows a genuine affection for the composer and his genius by the sequence of selections on each disc, and I find no weak performances anywhere in this remarkable recording.

Charlie Hastings
Falls Church, VA

Great Concept but Not So Great Execution!.......2006-06-14

First, the good: Great box design for packaging, great booklet in various languages describing the history of all the performed works, great value for money, excellent representation of the great Mendelssohn's best works.

Now, the bad: the problem with compilations like this is that the material tends to have been recorded at different times and places and frequently by different personnel on various recording equipment of varying quality. What this means is that some tracks within each disc sound much better then others and even whole discs come in varying sound qualities.

Fortunately, the best disc, disc one starts out very well with the great first symphony and ends with the composer's best Overtures and the quality of the sound recording is very good. Then we get to disc 2 and the sound quality can only be described as abysmal. The difference in the sound is like night and day when compared with the first disc. The third disc sounds much better but is still not as good as the first disc while the last disc comes somewhere in between the second and third.

There's no doubting the quality of the performances though by Claudio Abbado and the LSO and of course the choice of material but too bad about the inconsistency of the sound quality from track to track and from disc to disc.

Still, the 3 stars are for the good points listed above and for the great disc 1.

More of Mendelssohn to Love.......2005-11-08

I had heard all the music on here before interpreted by other conductors and other symphonies but Claudio Abbado proved to be the most efficient for me. Thanks to the world's leading classical music label- Deutsche Grammophone -we are able to hear a complete set of Mendelssohn's symphonies and overtures with the acclaimed London Symphony in a beautiful and surprisingly afforadable album. For music that is this good, I was surprised that it wasn't a little more expensive. But good, right ? Just more of Mendelssohn to love. On this album: his symphonies 1-5, Scherzo in G Minor from the Octet for Strings, the Overture to A Midsumer Night's Dream incidental music and Hebrides Overture. These are the most famous Mendelssohn creations. His Fourth Symphony is the "Italian" symphony, with lyrical, bouncy rhythms and classical harmony. The Midsummer Night's Dream overture encompasses romanticism at its peak, with sprightly strings representing the mischievous fairies that figure prominently in the Shakespeare comedy. The Hebrides Overture is evocative of wintery landscapes and sea breezes, a fine example of a tone poem and musical painting at its best. Its haunting melody is instantly recongizable. Abbado is clearly suited for this kind of music and it's refreshing to see him stray from the usual Italian repertoire he is most famous for. Still, inescapably, his Italian soul stands out but this gives this music more color, more volume and lyricism than what can often succumb to stale, cold English interpretations like Andre Previn's conducting. No offense to Mr. Previn, who has produced some brilliant music.

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

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

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.

Tracks:

Fireworks, Op.4 - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Danse Infernale De Tous Les Sujets De Kastchei - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Berceuse (L'Oiseau De Feu) - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Reveil De Kastchei - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Mort De Kastchei - Profonds Tenebres - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Disparition Du Palais Et Des Sortileges De Kastchei, Animation Des Chevaliers Petrifies Allegresse Generale - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Opening - Philharmonia Orchestra
The Shrove-tide Fair - Philharmonia Orchestra
The Charlatan's Booth - Philharmonia Orchestra
Russian Dance - Philharmonia Orchestra
Petrushka's Room - Philharmonia Orchestra
Introduction - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Les Augures Printanieres (Danse Des Adolescentes) - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Jeu Du Rapt - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Rondes Printanieres - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Jeux Des Cites Rivales - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Cortege Du Sage - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Adoration De La Terre (Le Sage) - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Danse De La Terre - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
I. Andante - Members Of The CBC Symphony Orchestra
II. Napolitana - Members Of The CBC Symphony Orchestra
III. Espanola - Members Of The CBC Symphony Orchestra
IV. Balalaika - Members Of The CBC Symphony Orchestra
Ragtime For 11 Instruments - Toni Koves
Marche Royale - Columbia Chamber Ensemble
Petit Concert - Columbia Chamber Ensemble
Piano Rag Music - Igor Stravinsky
Sinfonia (Ouverture) - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Gavotta Con Due Variazioni - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
I. Sinfonia - London Sinfonietta
III. Allegro - Philippe Entremont

Tracks:

Part I. Exaudi Orationem Meam - London Symphony Chorus
IV. Capriccio - Cho-Liang Lin
Chant Sants Paroles - Israel Baker
Premiere Donne - Cleveland Orchestra
I. Tempo Giusto - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
III. Allegretto - London Symphony Orchestra
The Star-Spangled Banner - The Festival Singers Of Toronto
I. Intrada - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Circus Polka (For A Young Elephant) - CBC Symphony Orchestra
Scherzo A La Russe - Philharmonia Orchestra
III. Con Moto - London Symphony Orchestra
I. Allegro Moderato - Benny Goodman
Good People, Just A Moment - Colin Tilney
Tango - Columbia Jazz Combo
Greeting Prelude (For The Eightieth Birthday Of Pierre Monteux) - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
II. Ma Tu, Cagion Di Quella - Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Elegy For J.F.K. - Charles Russo
Fanfare For A New Theatre - Robert Nagel
II. Exaudi - Donald Gramm
III. Dies Irae - Donald Gramm
IV. Tuba Mirum - Donald Gramm
The Owl And The Pussycat - Robert Craft
Stravinsky In His Own Words - John McClure

Customer Reviews:

A Fabulous Introduction to Igor Stravinsky!!.......2004-05-19

Sony Music's "The Essential Igor Stravinsky" truly lives up to its title. This double-CD set includes nearly every important piece of work (either in part or in whole) by the great Russian composer. The set also presents the pieces in chronological order beginning in 1908 with "Fireworks" and ending in 1966 with his final piece, the short but simple "Owl and The Pussycat". In between, there are excerpts from Stravinsky's most famous works including the first part of "The Rite Of Spring" and highlights from the "Firebird" and "Petrushka" ballets. There are also lesser-known works included as well as his harmonically rearranged version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (a rendition which caused a stir in the early 1940's). The entire collection concludes with a rare recorded interview with Igor Stravinsky himself in which he remembers the infamous premere of "The Rite Of Spring".
The CD booklet includes detailed liner notes as well as a written tribute by Trey Anastasio of the band Phish. The sound quality of the recordings is amazing (even on the historic 1934 recording of "Piano Rag Music"). All in all, this an excellent collection of works by the great Igor Stravinsky. In a sense, this compilation gives the composer the 'rock musician' treatment. It's a 'greatest hits' album and a career-spanning retrospective that serves as an ideal introduction to Igor's music. Even if your not a fan of Classical music, it isn't difficult to listen to the works of Stravinsky and not be stirred.
Definitely The Essential Igor Stravinsky!!!

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments, etc.

Average customer rating:

Neoclassicism in Chamber Music with Multicultural Overtones
Fine Performances of Stravinsky's Chamber Pieces for Winds

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments, etc.

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Tangos | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Stravinsky: Works for Piano
Stravinsky: Three Greek Ballets (Apollo, Agon, Orpheus)
Berg: Kammerkonzert; Stravinsky: Dumbarton Oaks / Boulez, Barenboim
Le Chant du Rossignol/L'Histoire du Soldat
Stravinsky: Chamber Works & Rarities

ASIN: B000001SGL
Release Date: 1996-07-02

Tracks:

Symphonies Of Wind Instruments
Septet (1953): I. Movement I
Septet: II Passacaglia
Septet: III Gigue
Octet For Wind Instruments: Sinfonia
Octet For Wind Instruments: Tema con variazioni
Octet For Wind Instruments: Finale
Tango For Piano
Piano-Rag-Music
Concerto For Piano And Wind Instruments: I. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Wind Instruments: II. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Wind Instruments: III. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Neoclassicism in Chamber Music with Multicultural Overtones.......2003-12-11

These offerings of Stravinksy portray his interest in exploring Neoclassical clarity and notation in these wind and keyboard offerings.

I truly enjoyed the Octet, with its nice double bassoon work and nice texture.

This style of compostion obviously is foreign to many lay listeners' ears, as Stravinsky himself predicted.
Especially the Wind Symphony comes off that way, with a style that has little in its litanies of different instrumental groupings playing off each other. It certainly is interesting for the performers.

The piano pieces are nice with Baroque flourishes and jazz overtones.

Nicely played and deserves more listening to understand its composition and place in this composer's library.

Fine Performances of Stravinsky's Chamber Pieces for Winds.......2002-07-06

These are fine performances of four of Stravinsky's chamber pieces for winds. Because the piano is used in the Septet and Cin the Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments we also get the Tango for Piano and Piano Rag Music.

I am especially grateful for the recordings of those solo piano works because they are so seldom performed or recorded. Toco does a very good job with them. I wish they were performed more because they really are a lot of fun.

Tracks:

Tango
Suite No.1: I. Andante
Suite No.1: II. Napolitana
Suite No.1: III. Espanola
Suite No.1: IV. Balalaika
Suite No.2: I. Marche
Suite No.2: II. Valse
Suite No.2: III. Polka
Suite No.2: IV. Galop
Concerto In D: I. Vivace: Dotted Quarter Note = 126
Concerto In D: II. Arioso: Andantino
Concerto In D: III. Rondo: Allegro
Concertino
Octet: I. Sinfonia: Lento - Allegro moderato
Octet: II. Tema: (Andantio) con variazioni - Var. A - Var. B - Var. C - Var. D - Var. A - Var. E - Moderato (Quarter Note = 116) attacca
Octet: III. Finale: Tempo giusto (Quarter Note = 116)
Three Pieces For String Quartet: Quarter Note = 126
Three Pieces For String Quartet: Quarter Note = 76
Three Pieces For String Quartet: Half Note = 40
Praeludium For Jazz Ensemble
Ragtime
Duet For 2 Bassoons
Fanfare For A New Theatre For 2 Trumpets
Scherzo a la Russe

Amazon.com

One of the earliest recordings by Orpheus was a Stravinsky LP of the works Orpheus and Danses concertantes for the Pro Arte label, still available as Deutsche Grammophon 459644 and still a sparkling example of Stravinsky style. This new collection includes works for such diversified scorings as pairs of bassoons or trumpets, wind octet, and full string orchestra. The alert, heads-up style of Orpheus's playing makes all the music come alive, through such a diversity of moods and styles as the early, lightweight Suites for Small Orchestra, the bubbling neo-Baroque cleverness of the Wind Octet, and the serious, thoughtful demeanor of the Concerto in D. Since there is such a variety of Stravinsky moods and styles on this disc, it's equally recommendable as a library supplement for a diehard Stravinsky lover or as an introduction for a Stravinsky neophyte. And it is highly recommended. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Stravinsky conquers all..........2006-02-03

This CD won a Grammy for Best Small Ensemble Performance at the 2001 Grammy awards. If for whatever reason you can't sit through Stravinsky's longer compositions, but you want to hear what he has to say, you will find this album to your liking. Most songs are under 3 minutes long; short and sweet.

This album is a compilation of short Stravinsky songs composed over a 6 decade period. If you want a snapshot of the different points in his musical career, purchase this album. However, I highly recommend you do not stop here and buy more of his music. You'll always be addicted to at least one of these songs; that will keep you coming back (I've been listening every day since I purchased back on 1 Oct. 2005).

Further, it's the little quirks that heighten the beauty of each piece. For instance, in "Tema" (Track 15) the music gradually declines into a beautiful 10 second flute solo, just before the horns begin the intro to the next track; a very nice contrast to the tone of the song.

Another example is "Arioso," (Track 11). This is one song which is somewhat outside Stravinsky's "norm". It does not contain melodies like you heard in "Rite of Spring" or "Petrushka" (both of which are fantasic). It's a soft, slightly soppy, string piece. It could easily placate the two or three individuals alive today who consider Stravinsky harsh. Hearing it on the radio, you could mistake it for a piece by Schubert.

This music will stay in the back of your head and leap into your mind at the most peculiar moments. You'll find yourself humming a few bars in the shower months after you've heard one song, or perhaps one night Stravinsky will provide the background score in a dream (or nightmare?). What is certain: you need time to digest these songs; Stravinsky is a very clever composer and we men of "the herd" sometimes don't understand what his music says at the first go. When your mind opens and you REALLY hear Stravinsky, the power of it all may bring tears to your eyes. Stravinsky does that.

One extra note: Shortly after buying this album, I became inspired to learn the trumpet & horn; I only later learned that Stravinsky had a special love of wind instruments and he expresses this love in his pieces. That Stravinsky can inspire a layman like myself proves his genius. In the words of William Ward: "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

This CD will satisfy all tastes, and leave you craving more.

Perfection.......2002-11-18

This collection of twelve short pieces by Stravinsky is beautifully performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the recorded sound is glorious. The various compositions are for quite a variety of instruments and ensembles, ranging from string quartet to chamber orchestra. The two qualities that are shared by all of the pieces are genius and a brilliantly upbeat mood. This is a CD to play when you're feeling down in the dumps or mad at the world.

Kissing the joy as it flies.......2001-08-10

This album is a rare delight. You cannot listen to this album without feeling this incredible 'joie de vivre' that infuses it. Orpheus has taken Stravinsky's chamber music into a whole new and ethereal realm. The ensemble's enthusiasm is downright contagious. There is nothing to criticise; it is all sweet bliss! If you've ever doubted Stravinsky's genius, this recording will dispel those doubts forever. This will easily become one of the best-loved recordings of any classical music collection. Don't miss it!

Light, Likeable Stravinsky.......2001-03-22

I can't believe Stravinsky wrote these. I appreciate his other music even though I do not necessarily care for it. This is a Stravinsky recording I really like. The pieces are fun and light. I believe the Tango is worth buying the c.d. for. The whole c.d. is fantastic. Orpheus, as always, does a great job playing this. They are extremely versitle. I highly recommend this to even skeptics of his music. This is wonderful.

So You Thought Stravinsky Was "Serious?".......2000-08-13

This cd showcases Stravinsky's lighter side. But don't mistake this to mean simple. Stravinsky writes demanding, yet transparent passages that only virtuoso musicians can play with such ease. Intonation is excellent with snappy tempos, sensual ensemble work, and, the Orpheus gang is having fun through the most difficult Stravinsky-an passages! "Shadow Dances" by Orpheus reveals a Stravinsky seldom heard. This cd is a definite MUST BUY for anyone even remotely serious of music. It's one of the few no-brainer purchases.

Average customer rating:

NOT JUST FOR BABIES!

Beethoven: Build Your Baby's Brain 3

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

CDs $7 - $10 | Children's Music | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music

All Bargain Titles | Children's Music | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Build your baby's brain through the power of Mozart: Brain 2
Build Your Baby's Brain
Bach:Build Your Baby's Brain 4
Build Your Baby's Brain 5
UltraSound - Music for the Unborn Child

ASIN: B00003WGNR
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Tracks:

'Pastoral' Symphony (Allegro ma non troppo)
The Ruins Of Athens: Turkish March
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.1 IN C Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.2 IN A Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.3 IN D Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.4 IN B-Flat Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.5 IN E-Flat Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.6 IN C Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.7 IN E-Flat Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.8 IN C Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.9 IN A Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.10 IN C Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.11 IN G Major
Twelve Contredanses, Wo0 14: NO.12 IN E-Flat Major
Fur Elise, Wo0 59
Minuet In G Major, Wo0 10, NO.2
Violin Concerto (Larghetto)
'Pathetique' Sonata (Adagio cantabile)
Rondino For Wind Octet, Wo0 25
Quintet For Piano And Winds, Op.16 (Rondo)
Overturn To Fidelio
Symphony No. 8 (Allegretto scherzando)
'Razumovsky' Quartet, Op. 59, No.3: Menuetto grazioso
'Razumovsky' Quartet, Op. 59, No.3: Allegro Molto

Customer Reviews:

NOT JUST FOR BABIES!.......2004-06-02

This is a beautiful CD, and my husband and I (fortyish and empty nesters) listen to this CD every night when we go to bed. It is gentle and very soothing and puts us right to sleep. I primarily bought this album because of "Turkish March/Ruins of Athens." I am writing a children's book and that particular piece embodies my little pixie heroine just right! I recommend this CD to everyone...not just babies!

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Octet

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Octet

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Stravinsky: Works for Piano
Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra
Stravinsky - Pulcinella · Octet · Renard · Ragtime / Kenny · Aler · N. Robson · Tomlinson · Wilson-Johnson · London Sinfonietta · Salonen
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No1; Die Jacobsleiter
Piano Music by Del Tredici, Perle and Thorne

ASIN: B000005Z6H
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Tracks:

Mavra: Overture
Mavra: Oh, My Dearest...
Mavra: Zing-A-Ling!
Mavra: What A Pity Now...
Mavra: Oh No, I'll Not Forget...
Mavra: Good Morning...
Mavra: Why Have You Been So Long?
Mavra: Parasha!
Mavra: Parasha!
Mavra: Alone, I Wait Alone...
Mavra: The Table Wobbles...
Concertino
Symphonies Of Wind Instruments
Octet: 1. Sinfonia
Octet: 2. Theme And Variations

Brian Ferneyhough: Fourth String Quartet; Kurze Schatten II; Trittico per g.s.; Terrain

Average customer rating:

An excellent Ferneyhough compilation

Brian Ferneyhough: Fourth String Quartet; Kurze Schatten II; Trittico per g.s.; Terrain

Manufacturer: Disques Montaigne
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Brian Ferneyhough: Flurries; String Trio; In nomine a 3; Streichtrio; Incipits
Tristan Murail: Gondwana; Désintégrations; Time and Again
Music for Flute
Brian Ferneyhough: Funérailles
James Dillon: East 11 Street 10003 NYC

ASIN: B0000AKO6P
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Album Description

A critical synthesis of the works of the past, Brian Ferneyhough's post-modernism confronts new aesthetic challenges, in the alternation of reversed and dislocated movements of Quartet No. 4, in the shimmering surface of Kurze Schatten II, where the cast shadow vacillates under the strings of the guitar (in reference to a phrase of Walter Benjamin), or in Terrain, a virtual symphonic poem in the form of a violin concerto, bristling like the eruptive, chaotic geology of the landscape that inspired it, the "land art" of Robert Smithson.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent Ferneyhough compilation.......2003-11-19

Brian Ferneyhough, adopted father of the 'new complexity' movement, is often written of as one of the most significant composers of our time. However, comparatively few of his recent works are available on disc, so this reissue of pieces from the late 1980s and early 1990s is very welcome.

The Fourth String Quartet was written as a companion piece to Schoenberg's Second Quartet (the one with the soprano solo in the last two movements). Accordingly, this work also has a four-movement form and a solo soprano--though she sings in the second and fourth movements in this work. Stylistically, this quartet is largely similar to the two preceding quartets, though Ferneyhough has to some extent clarified his style, eliminating some excess detail without impairing expressivity. It is a very emotionally intense work--Schoenberg taken to the nth degree--and phenomenally virtuosic, particularly in the vocal line. Based on Jackson MacLow's deconstructions of Ezra Pound, the soprano part regularly falls apart into a hyper-Expressionist babble, which perfectly matches the overheated intensity of the string quartet writing. Towards the end, the solo voice has a long quasi-cadenza, before the strings rudely cut it off. This is an extreme work in almost every way--even within Ferneyhough's oeuvre--but I think a great one.

The rest of the disc is rather less intense, but still well worth hearing. Kurze Schatten II, a somewhat dry seven-movement suite for solo guitar, based on the writings of Walter Benjamin, explores the idea of approaching moments of revelation--without ever reaching them. Accordingly, the guitar starts off entirely microtonally tuned and gradually approaches normal tuning, but the work ends before this process is complete. Musically, the work is fractured, sudden bursts of activity being fragmented by fierce plucking where the strings slam off the guitar fingerboard.

Trittico per G. S., dedicated to the memory of Gertrude Stein, is written for solo double-bass. An expressive piece, with aggressive and dynamic writing that only occasionally falls into stasis, this is amongst the best works I have heard for this instrument.

The final work on the disc is a miniature concerto. Terrain is written for violin and wind octet (the instrumentation is intended to evoke Varese's Octandre--the first piece of 'modern' music that Ferneyhough heard). The violin plays almost continuously throughout, with extremely virtuoso writing for almost the whole work. After a long opening solo, the accompanying ensemble gradually enters, providing a more slow-moving landscape beneath which the violin's incessant scurrying flutters through. Towards the end, the violin's music is drawn more and more towards the orbit of the ensemble part, and the work is rounded off with a superb throwaway ending. If not quite the equal of the slightly earlier clarinet concerto La Chute D'Icare, this is still a significant achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Stravinsky the Composer, not Stravinsky the Conductor.......2006-09-18

It is a pretty good collection, lots of music from Stravinsky's entire carreer, but one must keep in mind that Stravinsky was a brilliant composer, and not a commanding maestro. You will not necessarily be getting the best recordings of these works. For example, something like the Boulez/Cleveland Rite of Spring is far superior to those in this collection. He is a vastly better conductor, and is much more capable of making the orchestra perform Stravinsky's intentions than Stravinsky is. All in all, however, I am more than glad I own this set.

Staggering! All the Stravinsky I'll ever need!.......2006-05-20

While I had heard some Stravinsky compositions prior to my purchase, this was the first (and only) Stravinsky material I have ever owned. As a young music enthusiast, the draw to me was to hear these pieces as Stravinsky conducted them and to get so many of them at such a great price, not to have the original jackets for the purpose of reminiscing. So, as someone who needed a good jump start into the works of Stravinsky (by Stravinsky), this set has proven totally invaluable. And while more information could have been packed onto these cds, I do appreciate how closely these discs have stuck to the original releases. I don't know about the portion of Petroushka which some reviewers claim is missing (as I don't know any other version), but I was totally blown away at hearing this version of Petroushka anyhow. In all, for whatever faults some sticklers may find here or there with this set, the value of this material collected in such a way (and at such a price) by far outweighs any possible faults.

Magnificent!.......2006-03-02

A great collection. There is simply no substitute for hearing Stravinsky as the great composer wanted to have his music played. Here is so much and also so varied a collection. I have been enjoying this set a great deal. One of the 20th century's greatest composers conducting his own compositions.

Where's my Petrushka?.......2003-08-01

The main reason I bought this box is because I was introduced to Stravinsky's Petrushka in the spring of 2003, and I loved it.
Along with Rite of Spring I think it's the most brilliant music Mr. Stravinsky ever wrote...so, I've been listening to the 34-minute long 1960 CSO recording of it at least once a day since I first heard it, naturally sort of memorizing it, but it didn't fit when I made this CD spin. The recording of Petrushka in this box is the VERY SAME RECORDING (1960) that I'd listened to, but it's cut to a suite! It's only 24 minutes long. You can tell it's obviously cut at certain points if you're familiar with the uncut version. 10 WHOLE MINUTES ARE MISSING FROM "PETRUSHKA!" I was (and still am) very disappointed by this.
Familiarizing myself with the rest of the discs was very fulfilling, though; I love the Ebony Concerto with the Columbia Jazz Combo featuring Benny Goodman...but the "suite-cut" of Petrushka made me paranoid...I can't be sure if anything else is edited or not...
There are 75 pages of notes in the booklet about the recordings but only 1/3 is in English.
The special multimedia feature disc is nothing much. With awful graphics it features the same notes as in the booklet, and there are lyrics for those who want to use the box for karaoke.
These 400 minutes of music (an average of 45 minutes per disc) could fit on only 5 CD's instead of 9, but it seems that this collection is made for nostaligs who will love watching and touching these tiny LP-jackets - after all, it is called the "Original Jacket Collection."
Incidentally, all of Stravinsky's recorded work which he conducted himself is not in this box. It is not at all complete; aside from the missing part of "Petrushka," his own reading of "Symphony in Three Movements" is missing (but available on CBS.)
Hats off to the man himself anyway. The music is brilliant, and considering that these recordings are 40+ years old, the sound quality is very good. Excellent stereophony on Rite of Spring!
It's a good thing that his music is still available and that people are offering refurbished products thereof. But if you love Petrushka like I do...buy the real thing...this just might disappoint you...
The 3 stars is a compromise of the music and the package; (5 stars for the music & its quality - 1 star for the package, choice of discs and--considering the price--somewhat weak linear notes.)

legendary.......2002-06-30

This 9 cd set is an historical one...more than half of Stravinsky's works are collected in this set. i clearly can say that there isn't any better recording for Stravinsky's works. especcialy first released USA's national anthem and a 12 tone work "Fanfare for two Trumpets" are remarkable.and we can also mention that some noises during the recording procces (i.e: Stravinsky's turning the page of the partition) gives a different taste to the listener. This is a real golden box of music.

Beethoven: Chamber Music for Winds (box Set)

Average customer rating:

Beethoven's complete music for wind ensemble
Best available

Beethoven: Chamber Music for Winds (box Set)

Manufacturer: Cpo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 14: Misc. Chamber Works
Complete Beethoven Edition Vol. 6 - Piano Works / Demus, Alder, Gilels, Mustonen, Kempff, Barenboim
Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 2: Concertos
Beethoven: Complete Chamber Music for Flute
Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra

ASIN: B00000JMZ0
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Customer Reviews:

Beethoven's complete music for wind ensemble.......2006-01-13

It might be hard to believe that the same composer who wrote such monumental and daunting works as the Fifth Symphony, the Hammerklavier piano sonata or the late string quartets also wrote such light and airy tunes like the duet for two flutes (WoO 26) featured in this 4-CD collection. Indeed, such light, galante music was written early in Beethoven's career in Bonn or his early years in Vienna (1794-1800) where he established himself as a serious new composer to watch. In fact, the wind Octet (Op. 103) was composed as "pleasant dinner music" for the Elector of Bonn who had a prized wind ensemble (high opus number but early work). But, after composing many of these delightful pieces, Beethoven never returned to them and focused on more substantial compositions for symphony, string trio and quartet and, of course, the latest, most fashionable instrument to arrive in Vienna - the pianoforte. The rest is history.

The influence of Mozart is clearly evident in these works for wind ensemble with their charm and untroubled qualities. Yet, with these well-crafted works, even the great Beethoven could not quite achieve the wonderous sonorities, transcendent sublimity and luminescent beauty of Mozart's wind serenades (such as #10 'Grand Partita'). But, Beethoven's early wind compositions clearly reveal a talented, young composer who could easily model the style and form of his peers (Haydn and Mozart) and produce music of universal appeal.

If you are looking for a complete set of Beethoven's early (divertimento) music for wind ensemble (wind only, no strings), then this is a fine set and reasonably priced. Both Penguin and Third Ear guides gave high ratings to this recommended set. Highlights would include the Sextet Op. 71 and the Octet Op. 103 along with Beethoven's most famous work of the era - the Septet Op. 20 (but here transcribed for wind ensemble). Other "fillers" include lovely duos and trios for bassoon, horn, oboe, clarinet or flute which are played with much love and care by the German Consortium Classicum. Not so special perhaps are the transcriptions to winds of the opera, Fidelio. Regardless, all of which make for ideal, non-intrusive music for quiet moments like dinner, entertaining or late night reading. After all, the purpose of such divertimento music was "pleasant background music." Overall, the playing is rich and attractively musical while the sound quality full and clear. While the box set is comprised of four, individual CD cases in one large, outer box (not space saving), one very nice bonus are the wonderfully detailed notes with each CD, covering the history and musical form - along with chronological timelines of each work's composition in the overall scheme. This set can be heartliy recommended for collectors wanting a complete set of Beethoven's wind music. 4.5 stars.

Best available.......2001-07-26

Klocker and his fine team give us a refreshing rendition of these negleted gems. Recommended without reservation.

Music Review: