Dvorak: Sextet / Quintet

On this CD:

1. String Sextet in A major, B. 80 (Op. 48)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
Performed by Vienna String Sextet

2. String Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas, & cello in E flat major ("American"), B. 180 (Op. 97)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
Performed by Vienna String Sextet

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracks:

String Quintet In E Flat Major Op. 97: Allegro non tanto
String Quintet In E Flat Major Op. 97: Allegro vivo
String Quintet In E Flat Major Op. 97: Larghetto
String Quintet In E Flat Major Op. 97: Finale: Allegro giusto
String Sextet In A Major Op. 48: Allegro moderato
String Sextet In A Major Op. 48: Dumka (Elegie): Poco allegretto
String Sextet In A Major Op. 48: Furiant: Presto
String Sextet In A Major Op. 48: Finale: Tema con variazioni: Allegretto grazioso, quasi andantino

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully done.......2006-10-30

I had been accustomed to another recording of these pieces (Malacek) and hearing the Raphael Ensemble recording was like hearing entirely new compositions, the caliber of performance and recording is so much superior. What a lovely and remarkable CD! One hearing spoiled me for life.

...Having now listened for several weeks, I can say this is one of the most beautiful recordings I have ever heard.

A Magical Recording.......2006-05-18

It's amazing to me that I've never put in a good word for this CD because it has always been one of my favorite, and maybe even my all-time favorite, chamber music recordings. The reasons are three. First, there's the inclusion of two ripely romantic works for strings by Dvorak. The Op. 97 Quintet is one of the finest products of Dvorak's years in America, a work of smiling good humor, great lyricism, and energy as well, thanks to the influence of Native American music on the piece. The Sextet is a work of Schubertian charm and eloquence. It fairly bursts with memorable melodies and incorporates the wonderful Czech musical forms--the dumka and furiant--that Dvorak celebrated throughout his career.

Second, there is the Raphael Ensemble, which turns in performances that are for me the apogee of chamber music playing. Many chamber groups seem to get one thing right, either the lyricism or the dynamism of a composition. Here, the surpassing beauty of Dvorak's Larghetto (Op. 97) and Allegro moderato (Op. 48) is conveyed every bit as effectively as the fire of the Furiant (Op. 48) and vitality of the Allegro vivo (Op. 97). In fact, while I'd concede that other performances of the great Op. 97 may have their points, for me, the Raphael Ensemble's will always be the benchmark.

Third, the recording, made by the should-be-legendary Tony Faulkner, is one of the finest I've ever heard. The timbre of the instruments is so true, the acoustic so congenial, that if you have a fine playback system, you really will think you're listening to a string ensemble playing in a fairly lively hall. Just close your eyes and let the magic happen.

Wonderfully lyrical and moving........2003-12-14

For a non-Czech group, the style of play exhibited here by the Raphael Ensemble is about as idiomatically Bohemian as one could wish for. It is sensitive, energetic and never less than consistently musical. The earlier String Sextet clearly has the stamp of Dvorak's emerging characteristic individuality. Especially in the last movement, there is more than a hint of the spirit of the opus 46 Slavonic Dances. The final passages are rendered with a familiar exhilarating flavor. Also noteworthy is the assertive and noble quality the Raphael brings to the second movement elegie... The more mature opus 97 String Quintet is one of those supremely tuneful inventions brought forth by the composer as part of his experience in visiting America. It brims with nostalgia, and this feeling is conveyed by the Raphael with warmth and sensitivity. But they add to the mix a sense of rhapsodic abandon. How gloriously songful is the violin in the second movement ! And it is followed by the most deliciously playful dance-like rhythms of strings playing in unison. In the third movement, the group displays most touchingly the composer's bittersweet longing for home. What shines forth is some of the most absolutely gorgeous and affecting combinations of string sounds you will ever hear. The final movement, full of mirth and exuberance, is presented also in marvelous fashion. As usual, Hyperion's sound is very fine. Without doubt, another first class disc from this outstanding group.

Average customer rating:

FABULOUS SELECTION OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Classics for Relaxation and Meditation

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Meditation: Classical Relaxation (Box Set)
Most Relaxing Classical Piano Music in the Universe
Bach for Relaxation
Rachmaninoff for Relaxation
Chopin For Relaxation

ASIN: B000000LOH
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

BWV 992: Jeusus Is Always My Gladness
Concerto In B Flat Major: Adagio
Organ Concerto In G Major: Largo
Moonlight Sonata In C Sharp Minor Op. 27-2: Quasi Una Fantasia (Adagio Sostenuto)
Mass In E Minor: Kyre Eleyson
Piano Concerto No. 26 In D Minor K537: Larghetto
Symphony No. 8 In Minor D 759: Andante Con Moto
Fantasy Op. 73: Tender And With Expression
The Moldau: Sympohic Poem
Valse Triste: Op. 44, 1 From 'Kuolema'
Oboe Concerto In C Major K314: Adagio - Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 21 In C Major K467 'Elvira Madigan': Andante

Tracks:

Souvenir De Florence In D Minor Op. 70: Adagio Cantibile - Tchaikovsky
Raindrop Prelude In D Flat Major Op. 28 - 15
Symphony No. 4 In A Major Op. 90 'Italian': Andante con molto
Love Dream No. 3 In A Flat Major Op. 62
Lullaby - Berceuse Op. 105
Berceuse: Lullaby Op. 57 - Chopin
Wind Quartet In E Flat Major Op. 88-2: Andante grazioso
Cello Concerto In G Major: Romance
Concerto For Flute, Harp And Orchestra In C Major K299: Andantino - Mozart
Sonata In C Minor Op. 13 'Pathetique': Adagio cantabile - Beethoven
Divertimento No. 1 In B Flat Major 'Chorale St. Antoni': Andante - Haydn _

Tracks:

Stabat Mater Op.58: Virgo Virginium Praeclara - Dvorak
Divertimento No. 1 In B Flat Major: Chorale - Haydn _
Consolation In E Major - Liszt
Symphony No. 5 In D Major, Op.107 'Reformation': Finale
Execution Transcendante: Evening Harmony - Liszt
Overture In D Major: Air BWV 1068 - Bach
Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits - Gluck
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major Op. 15: Largo - Beethoven
String Quartet No. 62 In C Major, Op.76, 3 'Emperor': Adagiop cantabile - Haydn _

Customer Reviews:

FABULOUS SELECTION OF CLASSICAL MUSIC.......2001-05-16

Whether or not you are a fan of classical music, the truth is that everyone enjoys a few hours of peace and relaxation. This CD provides a wide selection of music from famous composers like Mozart to lesser known classical composers, which makes it the perfect CD to play on your stereo during those rare moments of peace. Play it while reading a favorite novel, or just simply sit down and meditate with the help of this classical CD. Beethoven's widely popular "Moonlight Sonata" for the piano and Chopin's extraordinary "Raindrop" are just two examples of musical pieces that will not only calm but enrich your life. With a total of three discs included at a phenomenal value, this is one CD that you cannot afford to pass up.

Average customer rating:

The Glitter of Brass

Manufacturer: Multisonic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000034GE
Release Date: 1996-03-12

Average customer rating:

You'll get what you pay for--a letdown
The performances and recordings disappoint
Op. 1 is a wonderful work, performly wonderfully

Dvorak: The Complete String Quintets
Alfred Malecek , Rudolf Hartmann , Rainer Zepperitz , Peter Steiner , Giusto Cappone , Ferdinand Mezger , Stephen Bishop Kovacevich , and Berlin Philharmonic Octet
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Antonín Dvorák: Complete Piano Trios
Dvorák: The String Quartets
Rachmaninov: His Complete Recordings
Grieg: Complete Piano Music / Einar Steen-Nkleberg
Shostakovich: Complete Concertos

ASIN: B00000HY8J
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 1. Adagio - Allegro ma non troppo
String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 2. Lento
String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 3. Finale. Allegro con brio
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 1. Allegro con fuoco - Piu mosso
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 2. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. L'istesso tempo, quasi allegretto
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 3. Poco andante
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 4. Finale. Allegro assai
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 1. Allegro moderato
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 2. Dumka. Poco allegretto

Tracks:

String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 3. Furiant. Presto
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 4. Finale. Tema con variazioni: allegretto grazioso, quasi andantino
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 1. Allegro non tanto
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 2. Allegro vivo
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 3. Larghetto
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 4. Finale. Allegro giusto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 1. Allegro, ma non tanto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 2. Dumka. Andante con moto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 3. Scherzo. Furiant. Molto vivace
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 4. Finale. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

You'll get what you pay for--a letdown.......2004-04-10

Philips' "twofer" CD releases include some genuine bargains, classic performances at budget prices, such as Colin Davis' 1966 "Messiah." At first glance this compilation seems like a contender, with two and a half hours of some of Dvorak's most beautiful chamber music, along with lesser-known but equally worthy works, performed by an ensemble with a famous name, along with a distinguished guest artist, pianist Stephen Kovacevich.

In the event, only Kovacevich's beautifully shaped contribution to the Piano Quintet, Op. 81 lives up to expectations. The other performances are uniformly marked by scrappy, out-of-tune playing and thin, shrill tone from the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet. It's hard to tell how much of the acoustic stems from the actual performances, how much from the possibly poor sound of the original analog recording, and how much might be due to the CD transfer. It doesn't really matter. Better, if more expensive, versions of all of these pieces are available on CD, particularly of the delightful Quintet in E-flat and Piano Quintet. Spend a little more and get performances that will stand the test of time, as these have not.

The performances and recordings disappoint.......2000-12-19

This inexpensive two CD set presents four wonderful Dvorak quintets and one sextet. I own the original Philips LP performances of the piano quintet and a late string quintet. The string players did not attain those idiomatic Czech cross rhythms and phrasing required for my fullest listening pleasure. The fine piano performance of Stephen Kovacevich (he was known as Stephen Bishop on the LP) was closer to this ideal. Unfortunately, serious sonic flaws of the LP persist on the CD. The upper register of the violins remains thin and unpleasant, and the balance between the strings and piano levels in the opus 81 quintet is not good. The piano sound is far too dominant. My suggestion is to look elsewhere for recordings that better capture these beauties of Dvorak.

Op. 1 is a wonderful work, performly wonderfully.......1999-02-04

I first heard this version of the Sextet and Quintet in a, op. 1, years ago on vinyl. I immediately fell in love with both pieces. The Op. 1 Quintet is a work that shows the depths of Dvorak's chamber ability. It is not just a work that foreshadows Dvorak's great late string quartets, but one that stands alone, with passionate slow passages that match Schubert's late string quartets, but a vocabulary totally of Dvorak's own.

I have not yet heard the interpretation of the other two sextets offered here, but as interpeters of Dvorak, the Berlin Philharmonic Octet members have proven themselves completely on the first two pieces. The pieces themselves are among Dvorak's best compositions, wonderfully moody and completely accessible.

Amazon.com

This two-disc set commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont by several distinguished European musicians, including violinist Adolf Busch; his brother, cellist Herman Busch; and his son-in-law, pianist Rudolf Serkin. Marlboro, a unique community of artists of different generations and backgrounds who inspire and teach one another, has opened the world of chamber music to many young musicians and become a breeding ground for fledgling ensembles. Many of the participants on this recording are now renowned soloists, chamber musicians, and orchestra principals. And the playing is fabulous. In the Beethoven Concerto, Serkin plays with a beautiful sound, great expressiveness, and freedom, taking all the time in the world to caress every note and nuance; his transitions are miracles of poise, his climaxes are grand. In the slow movement, a supplicant pleads with a stern deity; in the finale, humanity's joy of life is restored. Schneider's conducting is sympathetic, but not always synchronized with the soloist.

Serkin's son Peter conducts the Choral Fantasy, a piece hastily written for a special occasion and its performing forces, not unlike those at Marlboro. Together with its message of musical uplift (no text is included), this makes it singularly appropriate for the Festival, though with its bombastic beginning and somewhat trite Theme and Variations, it depends on the performers' enthusiasm to make it work. The second disc features the strings and winds. Dvorák's Quintet Op. 77, an early work despite the late opus number, adds a bass to the string quartet, enhancing the sonority and allowing the cellist free use of the upper register. The performance, which includes the second movement Dvorák later removed and recast as an orchestral Nocturne, is beautiful, making the most of the work's youthful exuberance and lovely Bohemian melodies, and almost concealing the composer's still imperfect command of developing his material. By contrast, Janácek wrote his wind sextet Youth when he was 70, at the peak of his mature skill, yet it, too, has an amazingly fresh, buoyant vitality. Vigorous, mournful, spooky, lyrical--its mercurial moods and beguiling melodies make it irresistible, and the performance is terrific. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A historical musical register!.......2006-01-14

Consider this fact: the Fourth Piano Concerto was made as part of a Pablo Casals memorial concert, recorded live at the Marlboro Music Festivakl in Marlboro, Vermont on July 7. 1974.

Serkin made a fabulous reading about this work. The very slow introduction of the First movement is splendid. The spirit of the Maestro seems to surround this musical encounter.

The Coral Fantasy is simply mesmerizing, Serkin plays with such level of playing out of this world, the balanced musical accompaniment, the admirable baton of Peter Serkin and the Chorus singing with sidereal conviction, make of this performance an absolute treasure.

I acquired yesterday night and my recommendation is total. Try to get it as soon as you can.

Another Marlboro fan checks in.......2005-11-13

I wouldn't dare to claim the authority of Christopher Serkin's note, but I too went to Marlboro when Rudolf Serkin was in his long, distinguished prime. Christopher captures the joy and spontaneity of the summer's finale when Serkin and half the chamber musicians at the festival played the Choral Fantasy. It was a bumptious family affair that we, the audeince, were allowed to overhear--a firend of mine from college even got to conduct one year.

This 2-CD set is invaluable as a testment to those years, but I'd like to emphasize that Peter Serkin leads a great performance, the equal of another outstanding version, the one that Rudolf Serkin made with Leonard Bernstein and the NY Phil., also on Sony.

That said, the best thing in this set is the Beethoven Fourth Concerto. Serkin made two other commercial recordings, one in the Sixties with Eugene Ormandy (Sony), in which he shows off more technical power than here but is let down by Ormandy's conventionally dull accompaniment, and the second on Telarc with Ozawa and the BSO, recorded too late in Serkin's career--his technique is constrained, and Ozawa is no lion of the podium.

Which leaves us with this lovely version from Marlboro in 1974. Serkin's great friend, violinist Alexander Schneider from the Budapest Quartet, leads a measured reading--at 20 min., the first movement is especially slow. But that hardly matters. In terms of musicality, I've never heard a perforamnce of the Fourth Concerto to equal this, and it's all due to Serkin, who plays with incredible integrity and touch--you think you're hearing a carefully wrought Beethoven sonata, so personal is Serkin's attention to every phrase. The orchestra also plays without a routine note, and even though one notices that Serkin can't build big climaxes any more (or is holding back because of the chamber music size of the affair), this performance stands alone. Five stars.

Marlboro's History & The Choral Fantasy.......2000-08-11

Amazon's review of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy on this CD does not mention the significance of the piece for the Marlboro Music Festival. For almost 40 years, the Choral Fantasy was the last piece in the last concert of the summer. Especially in recent years when Marlboro has been exclusively a chamber music festival, the Choral Fantasy was the one time during the summer when all of the chamber musicians would come together into an orchestra, and the results were invariably magical. In any given year, the orchestra would include a mixture of some of the great luminaries of the musical world playing alongside brilliant younger musicians -- soloists and chamber musicians briefly forming an orchestra. For that one moment, it could be the greatest orchestra in the world.

Tracks:

Canon In D Major - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Sarabande, Giga And Badinerie - The Soloists Of Zagreb
Adagio In G Major - Garcia Navarro
Tpt Voluntary - Frank Shipway
Spring (Allegro, Largo, Allegro) - Rainer Kussmaul
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor BWV 565 - Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss
Air - Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss
Overture-Peace - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Allegro-Air-Hornpipe - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
(Andante, Allegro Di Molto) - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Menuet In a - PCO Zagreb/Tonko Ninic

Tracks:

Allegro - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Andante - Svetlana Stanceva
Allegro Con Brio - Anton Nanut
Adagio Sostenuto - Josef Bulva
Final Chorus 'Ode To Joy' - William Bolden
Overture William Tell - Alfred Scholz
Waltzes: Op. 9 - Peter Schmalfuss
'Unfinished': Allgro Moderato - Anton Nanut
'The Trout': Thema Con Variazioni - Casper da Salo Quintet

Tracks:

Wedding March - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Alfred Scholz
Raindrop Prelude - Ida Cernicka
Nocturne #2 - Peter Schmalfuss
Allegro Vivace - Marian Lapsansky
Love Dream - Josef Bulva
- The Valkyrie - Southwest Studio Orchestra
La Traviata - Nuremburg Symphony Orchestra
The Moldau - Libor Pesek
The Blue Danube - Vienna Opera Orchestra
Hungarian Dances - Louis Ablazzo
Les Toreadors - Loic Bertrand
Nutcracker Suite - Alberto Lizzo

Tracks:

Largo - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Solveig's Air - Libor Pesek
Tosca - Alander Von Pitamic
Moonlight - Peter Schmalfuss
Prelude In C Sharp Minor - Sylvia Capova
The Planets - Venus - Symphonic Orchestra Berlin
Transfigured Night - Martin Sieghart
Bolero - RSO Ljubljana
Love The Magician - Anton Nanut
Allegro Barbaro - Bianca Sitzuis
The Rite Of Spring - Philharmonic Orchestra
Rhapsody In Blue - Libor Pesek

Customer Reviews:

3 stars for classical buffs, 5 for beginners!.......2002-12-08

I bought this collection several years when I was just starting out my classical collection and have since replaced a good portion of the pieces with more complete works.

Connoisseurs probably won't find much here: the performances are mostly quite good, but not inspiring.

For beginners, though, interested in getting started in the wonderful world of classical music, this is a great value: an amazing range of music for just a terrific price. Recommended.

3 stars for classical buffs, 5 for beginners!.......2002-12-08

I bought this collection several years when I was just starting out my classical collection and have since replaced a good portion of the pieces with more complete works.

Connoisseurs probably won't find much here: the performances are mostly quite good, but not inspiring.