Saint-Saëns: Music for Violin

On this CD:

1. Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 1, in D minor, Op. 75
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

2. Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2, in E flat major, Op. 102
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

3. Triptyque, for violin and piano, Op. 136
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

4. Elegy No. 1, for violin & piano, Op. 143
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

5. Elegy No. 2, for violin & piano, Op. 160
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

6. Berceuse, for violin & piano in B flat major, Op. 38
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Pascal Devoyon, Philippe Graffin

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Saint-Saëns's violin music is performed relatively rarely, except the First Sonata, whose rhythmic and formal originality, dramatic opening, and brilliant perpetual-motion finale have endeared it to virtuoso performers. The Second Sonata is less effective, but contains much passion, songful lyricism, and gracious charm; the opening movement's romantic ardor has some kinship with Schumann; the scherzo is spicily pointed, its trio a three-part canon. Violinists are always looking for short pieces to round out their recital programs, and the six included here should be a welcome addition to anybody's repertoire. Triptyque, Op. 136, consists of three contrasting pieces: one lyrical and singing, one an habanera, one brilliantly exuberant. The two elegies, Opp. 143 and 160, flow, float, sing, and soar; in the Berceuse, Op. 38, the violin and piano alternate playing a lovely, simple melody over a rocking accompaniment.

All these works are well worth hearing, but what really makes the record unique is the playing. These two French artists not only have all the elegance characteristic of their native idiom, they are altogether superb in technical polish and brilliance, impeccable phrasing, balance, ensemble, and, perhaps most of all, in sound. Graffin's tone is invariably pure and ravishingly beautiful, warm and glowing in the low register, soaring and radiant up high; he can vary it with infinite colors, nuances, and inflections. His expressiveness flows spontaneously from an innate affinity and feeling for the music and never gets sentimental or exaggerated. This is violin playing of a rare and special quality that makes the record a must for lovers of the instrument and its practitioners. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

O mio babbino caro (from 'Gianni Schicchi')
The Girl With Flaxen Hair (from Preludes, Book I; La fille aux cheveux delin: Prelude for Piano L 117/8)
Nocturne in C sharp minor (Op Post)
The Swan (from Carnival of the Animals)
Serenade (from 'Schwanengesang' song cycle for voice and piano, D 957
Casta Diva (from 'Norma')
Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467
Nocturne from Quartet for Strings No. 2 in D Major: 3rd movement
Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from 'Orfeo ed Euridice')
Songs My Mother Taught Me, song for voice and piano B104/4 Op 55/4
Pur ti Miro (from 'L'incoronazione di Poppea')
Elegie (Elegie 'O doux printemps d'autrefois' for voice and piano)
Traumerei ('Kinderszenen' for piano, Op 15, No. 7 'Dreaming')

Amazon.com

Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding tranquility. "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opens the disc, with Bell delicately accompanied by a harp and spinning the long melody with great sensitivity. Bellini's "Casta diva" from Norma lives up to its reputation as the epitome of bel canto in Bell's hands; his violin sings. The middle movement of Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto takes well to the violin, and Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is played with great warmth and sensuality. It would be easy to turn a recital like this into treacle, but Bell is wise enough to realize that the music is already sweet enough and he plays with great reserve and a minimum of sentimental slides. The light accompaniments always support, with woodwinds prominent but used with grace. This CD, in short, is a beauty: a fine gift, a lovely mood setter. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

End of the Day.......2007-06-08

I am a Joshua Bell fan, and this album is the one that I enjoy with my dessert, it calms me at the end of the day, and makes me think of my 6 year old granddaughter's visit. She has to have music on during meals at her home. Usually it is some kid stuff, but I do not have anything like she has at home, so I chose to play Joshua Bell during our dinner. When I placed the dessert before her, she looked up at me and said: "This music is so beautiful, I want to play the violin just like that". What more could I say.
He is inspiring, and she is right. This album is beautiful.

Wonderful!.......2007-05-30

I play this for my grandson to nap by. It is so relaxing and wonderful!

Over and over and over...........2007-05-17

That's how I want to play this CD! It's a wonderful line-up of rich, mellow, captivating compositions played with a warmth and vibrancy that is seldom heard. Joshua at his very best. You won't be disappointed.

Non-standard CD format.......2007-04-22

The music on this CD deserves five stars, but the CD itself is a non-standard format that doesn't work on all players. There's a tiny warning on the back of the CD. You won't notice the warning until you discover that the CD doesn't work on your player. My Macintosh computer wouldn't read the non-standard format so there was no way for me to listen in my office or put the music on my iPod.

A friend's PC was able to read the CD and make a copy in standard format that can be read on any player, including my Mac. The story had a happy ending, but I can not comprehend why the publisher chose the oddball CD specification.

The music is excellent and worth the trouble of making a copy, but the publisher really shouldn't make you go to that effort just to listen to a CD that you paid for.

wonderful surprise.......2007-04-13

This recording has quickly become a most favorite cd in my collection. My personal preference had always been for opera and not symphony concert. To hear the violin replace the voice and line of the opera singer (in two of the excerpts) was a wonderful surprise for me, and has enhanced my enjoyment of all of this recording.

Average customer rating:

Pure Listening Pleasure
Appassionato
Deep, Serious and diverse
Yo-Yo Ma's Appassionato
A soulful compilation

Appassionato

Manufacturer: Sony Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Essential Yo-Yo Ma
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Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

ASIN: B000KWZ7DS
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Tracks:

Going To School featuring John Williams
IV. Allegretto poco mosso from Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano
II. Andante con moto e poco rubato from Three Preludes
II. Largo from "Winter", Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297 from the Four Seasons
Doce de coco
II. Largo from Concerto No. 1 in G minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 49
Cinema Paradiso: Nostalgia from Giuseppe Tornatore Suite
The Swan from Carnival of the Animals (Chamber Version)
Yanzi (Swallow Song)
II. Andante from Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor,
Soledad
No. 4 Mikin Pekko from Five Finnish Folk Songs
First Impressions featuring Edgar Meyer; Mark O'Connor
Song Without Words, Op. 109
Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission featuring Ennio Morricone

Amazon.com

Any new compilation CD starring Yo-Yo Ma is certain to please. This master of the cello takes the listener through so many types of music that the ear and mind never tire. The present selection is billed as a sort of "musical autobiography," and, indeed, it gives us a tour of Ma's musical life. The Silk Road Project is represented by Zhao's "Swallow Song," with its eerie, fascinating soundscape (specially re-recorded for this CD). We also accompany Ma on his excursions into the world of the baroque cello with Vivaldi or of the Finnish folk song (by Mamiya, a first recording). There are Gershwin's languid Second Prelude, with its intimations of the song "Summertime," and an all-new recording of a nine-minute heart-breaker by Astor Piazzolla ("Soledad"). Ma also gives us more familiar Brahms, Franck, and Saint-Saens. The compilation's mellow 65 minutes offer relaxing, beautiful music, all exquisitely played. Ma is joined by the best: Emanuel Ax, Kathryn Stott, John Williams (who plays piano on his own "Going to School" from Memoirs of a Geisha), Isaac Stern, and Claudio Abbado. This is a veritable Who's Who of superb musicians. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Pure Listening Pleasure.......2007-05-18

There is no pretension in this collection - just the pure, simple pleasure in Ma's performance and in our enjoyment.

Appassionato.......2007-05-18

With a little help of some of his friends Yo Yo Ma offered us another of his masterpieces. No other title could define better the tracks selection, pleasant and inspired.

Deep, Serious and diverse.......2007-04-26

Yo Yo Ma is simply fantastic, and has arrived as such a height of recognition that any production he is invovled in will be top of the line, as this is.

This is a darker collection than I expected. And like a serious, reserved friend, it can take a little longer to appreciate than the bubbly outgoing ones. I now find I like it very much, but it is serious "conversation."

There is great variety here as well, and I gave it to a friend's teenager who is considering whether she wants to learn the cello. Her response was much the same as mine. Initially not so sure, but over time, has really come to like it, too. This collection has great depth.

Yo-Yo Ma's Appassionato.......2007-04-13

For those who share Yo-Yo Ma's passion for music, and especially his passion for diversity in music, and for connecting with the spirit of global humanity, this recording has a prominant place in your library.

A soulful compilation.......2007-04-13

I love this album for the diversity of music and the great programming. I especially love the collaboration with Isaac Stern, no longer with us in body, but always in music. Thanks YoYo.

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

Average customer rating:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's.
Good for relaxing pregnant women
Too much opera
Does what it set out to do, very well
TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written.

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
Johann Sebastian Bach , Léo Delibes , Gabriel Fauré , Erik Satie , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Edvard Grieg , Johann Pachelbel , Claude Debussy , Felix Mendelssohn , Camille Saint-Saens , Henryk Gorecki , Antonio Vivaldi , Edward Elgar , Jocelyn Pook , Sergey Rachmaninov , Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni , Luigi Boccherini , Jules Massenet , Ludwig van Beethoven , Jacques Offenbach , Pietro Mascagni , Antonin Dvorak , Giacomo Puccini , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Alexander Borodin , Joaquin Rodrigo , and Samuel Barber
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
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The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe
25 Classical Favorites
Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

ASIN: B00000I93Z
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

Air 'On the G String' - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Morning - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Canon In D - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Gymnopedie No.1 - City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
II. Andante - Stephen Hough
Viens, Mallika - Mady Mesple
In Paradisum - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
II. Andate - Yehudi Menuhin
The Swan - Osian Ellis
II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
II. Andantino - James Galway
II. Largo - Yehudi Menuhin
Nimrod - London Symphony Orchestra
Blow the Wind - Pie Jesu - Jocelyn Pook
Variation 18 - Cecile Ousset
Pavane Op.50 - Gareth Morris

Tracks:

Zion Hort Die Wachter Singen - South German Madrigal Choir
Adagio In G Minor - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Minuet - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
Meditation - Hans Kalafusz
I. Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour (Barcarolle) - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
II. Andante - Nigel North
II. Adagio - Jack Brymer
Intermezzo - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Moderato - London Chamber Orchestra
O Mio Babbino Caro - Montserrat Caballe
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - Sinfonia Of London
II. Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
Nocturne - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Adagio (Opening) - Julian Bream
Adagio For Strings Op.11a - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Entr'acte To Act III - Orchestre National De France

Amazon.com

You want relaxing classical music that'll soothe your soul but won't lull you into sleep? Here's a double CD for you. The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World ... Ever! does its best to cover both well-worn classical favorites (Bach's "Air on the G String," Pachelbel's "Cannon," Debussy's "Clair de Lune") and some eclectic left-field choices (an excerpt from Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Jocelyn Pook's "Blow the Wind," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. The performances of most of these excerpts are top-notch--artists include Sir Neville Marriner, James Galway, Jacqueline du Pré and the Philadelphia Orchestra--and there's enough variety here for everyone. --Edward Garabedian

Customer Reviews:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's........2007-02-04

This CD is a great way to enjoy a large variety of Classical Composers & many of their best known pieces. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," is an all time favorite. There are vocals, Piano pieces, & some fine Violins. I found the latter the most enjoyable. Here you can find Rodrigo & Pachelbell. Samuel Barber's haunting Adagio will make your skin tingle. This may not be to everyones taste, but if you wish to relax? Give this a couple of listens.

Good for relaxing pregnant women.......2007-01-17

I stumbled onto this album whilst searching bit torrent websites for classical music. I don't normally listen to classical music but thought it might be relaxing for my pregnant wife. After hearing the quality of the performances, the arrangement, and the recording I decided to buy the album from amazon. All the songs you would expect from a "best album in the world" are there and they are not boring to listen to like a lot of other classical albums. I now play this album in the car constantly and the wife requested it be played at the hospital during the birth.

Too much opera.......2007-01-10

If it wasn't for the opera this would be a great CD.

Does what it set out to do, very well.......2006-11-15

So i'm a classical music veteran, someone who prefers to collect a complete work, rather than classical compilations. I probably would not have listened to this album at all if my dad didnt buy it for me as a gift. By now, i own the complete works that over half of the excepts on this disc come from. I am a purist if ever there was one.

That said, i totally adore this set because i have learned to take it on its own terms. These discs weren't meant for expert classical listeners, so a review from that sort of mindset is useless. This set was meant for pure, easy listening, and for a basic starters kit for classical newbies. Most of all, it was just meant to do what the title says, to relax the average human being. classical expert or not.

Yes, some of these pieces have been altered or shortened, like Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto Andantino, but they have been edited for a good enough reason: the full versions would have been too long to flow with the rest of the album. And also, the full versions contain so much development that they don't become easy listening anymore. The shortened versions work in the context of the album. Most essentially, the shortened versions on the discs still convey the main flavor the composers were going for. The melodies and themes remain unchanged.

To sum up, it is true that when i want to actually listen deeply to classical music, this album would never be a choice. I would want to hear the complete works like the composers intended. But at certain times when i simply don't mind about that stuff, when i just need to loosen up and free my mind of stress with some nice melodies, this set does the job well enough.

Last but not least: being a purist and a classical buff, i am very particular about performance quality. I was very glad to find that EMI did not get lazy about this. All the artists are world-class, and all the performances are at least exceptional. Some performances are even quite excellent, like the Clair De Lune, which is one of the best i've heard. (Credit to Dame Lympany, the pianist.)

So once again, recommended for its stated purpose, to relax. I am a purist, a classical buff, and i still enjoy this disc. That says something.

TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written........2006-11-10

This album along with Volume 2 are now the two most valued albums in my music collection. I have all of the songs contained on these two albums but they are scattered through at least a dozen different albums and several are not performed by artists such as those that recorded this album and Volume 2.
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!!

Jacqueline du Pré - a lasting inspiration

Average customer rating:

cello lover
99% perspiration
Immortal Legend
Epitome of Cello
Ooo! Samples!

Jacqueline du Pré - a lasting inspiration
Antonin Dvorak , Franz Joseph Haydn , Edward Elgar , Maria Theresia von Paradis , Robert Schumann , Felix Mendelssohn , Gabriel Faure , Johann Sebastian Bach , Camille Saint-Saens , Manuel de Falla , Max Bruch , Ludwig van Beethoven , Johannes Brahms , Cesar Franck , Chicago Symphony Orchestra , London Symphony Orchestra , Daniel Barenboim , Sir John Barbirolli , Jacqueline du Pré , Pinchas Zukerman , Roy Jesson , Gerald Moore , John [guitar] Williams , and Osian Ellis
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Jacqueline du Pre - Favourite Cello Concertos ~ Boccherini, Dvorak, Elgar, Haydn, Monn, Saint-Saens, Schumann
Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait
Jacqueline du Pré - Chopin: Cello Sonata in G minor, Franck: Sonata in A / Barenboim
Cello for Relaxation
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman & Jacqueline du Pré - Beethoven: Piano Trios

ASIN: B00000K4F9
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Cello Concerto In B Minor Op. 104: I. Allegro - Dvorak
Cello Concerto No.2 In D: I. Allegro moderato
Cello Concerto No.2 In D: II. Adagio
Cello Concerto No.2 In D: III. Allegro
Cello Concerto In E Minor: I. Adagio - Moderato
Cello Concerto In E Minor: II. Lento - Allegro molto
Cello Concerto In E Minor: III. Adagio
Cello Concerto In E Minor: IV. Allegro, Moderato, Allegro ma non troppo

Tracks:

Sicilienne
Three Fantasy Pieces: I. Zart mit Audruck
Three Fantasy Pieces: II. Lebhaft
Three Fantasy Pieces: III. Rasch und mit Feuer
Sing Without Words in D, Op.109
Elegie In C Minor, Op. 24
The Toccata: Adagio
The Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan
Suite populaire espagnole: Jota
Kol nidrei, Op. 47
Piano Trio In B-flat 'Archduke', Op.97
Cello Sonata No.2 In F, Op.99
Sonata in A

Customer Reviews:

cello lover.......2007-05-31

Absoluty the best. It is no wonder she was the world premier cello artist!! Can't say enough. If you love cello, and classical music, this is a must have. Her whole collection is worth every penny!!!

99% perspiration.......2006-11-08

(4.5/5 stars) This is a two-disc collection of musical works, in which the great cellist Jacqueline du Pre plays. The first disc consists of three cello concerti by three different composers: Dvorak (Romantic), Haydn (Classical) and Elgar (Romantic). Very good music, though it might leave you wondering what all the fuss is about. Not to worry: just pop in Disc Two to find out. The second disc contains shorter works by a wider variety of composers. It also might just leave you breathless by its beauty. Saint-Säens' "The Swan" (from "Carnival of the Animals") is nearly indescribable in its elegance, with du Pre's cello dancing with a harp. This haunting recording should not be missed. Bruch's "Kol Nidrei" is magnificently gorgeous as well. Three fantasy pieces from Schumann, one of Mendelssohn's "Lieder Ohne Wörter" and a stunning Brahms sonata infuse this collection with genuine grace. Since these were recorded prior to the advent of digital recordings, you might hear a very slight hiss on some of the recordings. This is barely audible and really does not detract from the pleasure of listening to it. Each disc runs 75 minutes, making this inspiration last long indeed.

Immortal Legend.......2006-10-07

As a cellist, I grew up listening to Jacqueline Du Pre's recordings. Even now as a 35 year old, I'm still enthralled by her amazing talent. This is a great cd if one is looking for a wonderful introduction to this superb cellist or simply wants to savor her most well known recordings. Du Pre owned the "Elgar" concerto. No other words can summarize this fact. Other beautiful and moving pieces are here on this disc: Bruch "Kol Nidrei", Haydn "Concerto No.2", Faure "Elegie", Brahms "Concerto No.2". The cello is a difficult instrument to play due to the strength required in both hands. Du Pre's playing touches the heartstrings with both emotion and depth. The tone that she coaxes from her cello is amazing. Jacqueline Du Pre is a legend.

Epitome of Cello.......2006-06-23

As a cellist, I absolutely love du Pré's work. I actually found this CD when I was looking for a modern recording of "A Jacqueline du Pré Recital", a record compiled of pieces done between July 15, 1962 and April 1, 1969. The second CD in this set contains the same songs as that record.

The concertos on the first CD are spectacular, especially her rendition of the Elgar concerto which has defined the piece since she first performed it. The second CD, however, is just as wonderful as a collection of some of the most loved cello pieces. No cello recording complete without Saint Saen's "The Swan" and du Pré's version is the only one I've ever heard that I actually like. "Elégie in C minor" (composed by Gabriel Fauré) is one of my personal favorites especially since her rapport with the pianist is obvious and the two instruments blend in a way that makes the piece even more poignant.

Overall, this CD is a must-have for anyone who loves cello as a perfect sample of Jacqueline du Pré's work.

Ooo! Samples!.......2005-11-29

As far as the romantic period goes, Jacqueline Du Pre is my personal favorite 'cellist. Her sensitivity to put expression of the musical idea always outweighed the desire to appear impressive. There is a difference in being just a virtuoso and being a musician. A virtuoso has the capability to dazzle and amaze, but music is more than just being impressive, and Du Pre succeeds in becoming, in every sense, a musician first and foremost. The only complaint I have of this album is the fact that you only get one movement of each piece! Even so, this a wonderful "sample dish" of Du Pre's extraordinary playing, mainly meant to get you hooked so you can get more.

Average customer rating:

soothing
great gift idea
Everyday Cello
75 minutes of meditative music

Cello for Relaxation

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005KCH1
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Tracks:

Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan - Steven Isserlis/Michael Tilson Thomas/Dudley Moore
Canzone, Op.55 - Ofra Harnoy
Sicilienne, Op.78 - Steven Isserlis/Pascal Devoyon
Caprice & Elegy: Caprice - Janos Starker
Die Zelle In Nonnenwerth - Steven Isserlis/Stephen Hough
Chant - Steven Isserlis
Adagio & Allegro, Op.70: Adagio - Steven Isserlis/Christoph Eschenbach
Concerto Militaire in G: Andante - Ofra Harnoy
Ste No.6 in D, BWV 1012: Allemande - Janos Starker
Son in g, Op.65: Largo - Ofra Haynoy/Cyprien Katsaris
Con in g, RV 417: Andante - Ofra Harnoy
Funf Stucke In Volkston, Op.102: Langsam - Steven Isserlis/Christoph Eschenbach
Con in C, H.VIIB:1: Adagio - Steven Isserlis
Morceau De Concours - Steven Isserlis/Thomas Ades
From The Bohemian Forest: Silent Woods, Op.68 No.5 - Ofra Harnoy

Customer Reviews:

soothing.......2007-05-28

It's not a bad CD, although I believe there has got to be a better rendition of The Swan somewhere out there. The problem with this version is that the piano overwhelms the cello playing.

The rest of the CD is pretty nice and relaxing. Worth what I paid for it.

great gift idea.......2007-01-13

My wife is a lover of a good cello, so when I gave her this disc for Christmas, she loved it!

Everyday Cello.......2004-03-23

I bought this CD solely based on the fact that I love the cello. I do not pretend to know classical music - I buy what I like to hear, and this CD exceeded my expectations. It is such a pleasure to listen to this disk; it is soothing and every track is worth it!

75 minutes of meditative music.......2001-12-13

The cello is almost always the instrument I turn to for relaxation. It meditates upon a deeper, slower spectrum of emotion than say, a harp or violin.

I put this CD to the ultimate test and took it to the hospital with me, to see if its music could counteract the threat and ultimate deployment of needles---and it was indeed much less painful to be poked while in a state of relaxation, as induced by these (mainly 19th century) compositions.

My two favorite selections from "Cello for Relaxation" are Camille Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" from "Carnival of the Animals," and John Tavener's "Chant," which is an unaccompanied melody, "without barlines or meter, shaped as a palindrome." Steven Isserles performs as the cello soloist for both of these compositions.

Tracks:

Samson et Dalila: Bacchanale
Carnival Of The Animals (Chamber Version): No. 13. The Swan
Carnival Of The Animals (Chamber Version): No. 14: Finale
Dance Macabre, Op.40
Suite algerienne, Op. 60: Marche militaire francaise
Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Op.28
Samson et Dalila: 'Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix'
Concert Piece For Horn & Orchestra, Op.94
Romance, Op.37
Piano Concerto No.2 In G Minor, Op.22: III. Presto
Symphony No.3 In C Minor, Op.78 'Organ': II. Allegro moderato - Presto - Maestoso - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

the most sensetive music ever.......2005-10-26

This music take me away from every day troubles and brings my soul to a beutiful world of music.Saint-Saent's vision of music is different, his creations are sensitive and intence. He is agreat talent.

Cool Camille.......2003-03-06

I think that the sound of Saint Saens Music is very unique. I think that anyone out there wanting to listen to some excellent writing I assure you that Saint Saens has written it. On behalf of Amazon I would definitely rate this music 5 stars. I thank Amazon for a perfect portrayal of his works. You shoppers out there might want to take a look at buying this.

RIGHT AWAY!!!
-Nick

Astounding!!!.......2000-10-06

I have come accross very few CD's that have 74 minutes of music that I enjoy. This CD is one of those. Mason Jones does a great job on Morceau, everyone likes danse bachannalle, the piano concerto is great, it's just a really enjoyable CD to own. I recommend it highly, it's one of my favorites.

Great Selections, So-So Collection.......2000-06-23

As all good elementary school music teachers know, Saint-Saëns could evoke emotions from a rock. I don't know if it's his masterful command (or creation) of the idioms of music, or whether it's the formal structure of his compositions, but there's never any confusion about how one feels when listening to this Apollo.

This Sony recording supposedly collects his best. It does and it doesn't. The "Danse Macabre"--a perennial Saint Saëns fave--is definitely better than any others on the market--crisper, livelier, and ... er... creepier. And the Bacchanale is also superbly done. (Don't take my word for it though--you can compare these yourself from the various samples.) But as great as these individual pieces are, Sony failed to bring to the "Swan" the rest of the zoo from "Carnivale des Animaux," and, worse, they forgot the "Aquarium," too! Plus, the "Organ Symphony" *must* be heard in its entirety to sound like the serious piece of music that it is.

I haven't found the noumenal Saint-Saëns collection yet. But this one surely isn't phenomenal.

Classical is the best.......2000-06-22

It's composition very good. Thanks Sony for this great album.

Average customer rating:

Selection of Songs?
If you are a violin lover, buy it
This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman
This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection.

Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
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ASIN: B000002RZO
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Salut D'amour, Op.12
Songs Without Words, Op.19: Sweet Remembrance
Humoresque
Berceuse, Op.16
Flight Of The Bumble-Bee
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
The Swan
Cavatina, Op.85, No.3
The Old Folks At Home
Liebesfreud
Moto perpetuo, Op.11
Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
String Quartet Op.11, No.1: Andante cantabile
Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op.55, No.4
Guitarre, Op.45, No.2
Romance In A Major, Op.94, No.2
Nocturne In E Flat, Op.55, No.2
Zapateado, Op.23

Customer Reviews:

Selection of Songs?.......2006-07-02

Perlman is a man of extraordinary clarity and tonality also one of my favorite violinists. After I finish practicing a piece I usually find a recording to listen to different interpretations. Most of them are by Perlman and Heifetz. Unfortunately this album has some obscure songs and the songs itself do not do justice to Perlman what some other songs may have done. Still it is important to broaden the scope, so I would recommend this to all music connoisseurs :). btw i'm only 16 so...don't take this review too literal huh?

If you are a violin lover, buy it.......2003-01-19

It's beautiful. Simply put.

This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman.......2000-12-03

Perlam is already a great player like the whole world knows. But the music selection couldn't better! I espacily like the piano accomplimant. Perlman pays the pieces with true style. The working realtionship between Perlman and the Pianist is truly incredible. Before geting any of Perlman's other greatest hits albums, get this one!

This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection........1998-11-12

This collection of familiar tunes will provide a relaxing hour with one of the world's premier violinists. However, the combination of "The Old Folks at Home" and "Motto perpetuo" is somewhat difficult to assimilate. At any rate, Perlman is a listener's joy!

Average customer rating:

Elegance and precision
Did not buy this item
Mysterious, magical, and a little bit maudlin
Hypnotically Beautiful
THE ART OF THE THEREMIN

The Art Of The Theremin
Manuel de Falla , Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov , and Henryk Wieniawski
Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lost Theremin Album
Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey
Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin
Day the Earth Stood Still (Score)
Glass Harmonica

ASIN: B0000006U6
Release Date: 1992-12-14

Tracks:

Vocalise
Song Of Grusia
The Swan
Pantomime
Hebrew Melody
Romance
Berceuse
Piece en forme de Habanera
Berceuse
Valse sentimentale
Serenade melancolique
Chant du menestrel

Customer Reviews:

Elegance and precision.......2007-06-30

The theramin is, without question, the most difficult instrument in the world to play. Consider: since its invention in 1928 and commercial release in the early 1930s, only one musician - Clara Rockmore - has been able to produce any real music on it. Her performances are spellbinding and, if one sometimes years for, say, a whole sonata or something more substantial than encore pieces, think of how difficult it is to play ANYTHING on this instrument and be glad that we at least have this much.

A one-of-a-kind disc of a one-of-a-kind performer. If you like the samples you can hear on this site. by all means buy it.

Did not buy this item.......2007-05-03

Don't know why this is here as I never purchased this item.

Mysterious, magical, and a little bit maudlin.......2007-03-08

I recently went through a theremin phase after seeing the documetary "Theremin: An Electronic Oddysey" which featured Clara Rockmore prominently. That led me to buy this recording, which seems to be the traditional standard of classical theremin artistry. The story around the instrument is even more bizzare than the music it makes: spooky Cold-War intrigue, sudden disappearances in New York and the USSR, spy gadgets, dead men found alive, old friends reuniting after decades of separation and obscurity... it all fits the eerie ethos of the music. So to really "get" the instrument, you need to know the story behind it. That's the maudlin part.

While the rest of my family violently disagrees, this is indeed lovely music. A careful listening to Mrs. Rockmore's technique reveals, I think, that she's fascinatingly far beyond waving her hands up and down in front of antennas. She makes glissandos and runs happen with discrete pitches in a way that is hard for me to picture on an instrument that can generate any pitch, and every pitch in between. She developed a way to "finger" an instrument you don't touch. That's why it's magical.

A note on the recording: the timbre of the theremin seems to land in a resonant frequency range on most systems/speakers on which I have listened to this recording, leading to the solo instrument badly overbalancing the piano accompaniment.

PS: I have given on someday owning a theremin. Phase over.

Hypnotically Beautiful.......2007-02-28

Classical music, and specifically Theremin music, is not normally my favored listening. But I took a chance on this disc and am very glad I did. Clara Rockmore's mastery of her instrument is astonishing. The music is tastefully chosen and very beautiful. She often mimics violin or human voice in her phrasing, but subtly gives the theremin its own voice and proves its suitability for classical.

I knocked a star off for the lack of arrangement-diversity, but I have to admit that I usually listen to this disc from start to end. Its lyrical qualities are very transfixing and hypnotic. A welcome diversification to my music collection!

THE ART OF THE THEREMIN.......2007-02-24

I HAVE HAD THIS CD FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER GOTTEN TIRED OF HEARING IT, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE RIGHT MOOD TO REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ARE HEARING. THIS IS THE PREEMINENT THERMEIN RECORDING, BY THE PREEMINENT THEREMIN PERFORMER, CLARA ROCKMORE. HAUNTING, STRANGE, HYPNOTIC, YET MELODICAL, THE THERMEIN IS A VERY DIFFICULT INSTRUMENT TO PLAY, AND CLARA ROCKMORE WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER REALLY "MASTER" IT. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THEREMIN MUSIC, I GUESS THIS IS THE ONE CD YOU NEED TO GET.

Average customer rating:

badly remastered
Rachmaninov is the master
A Master of Musical Love
Classic Historic Rachmaninoff.

Rachmaninov: His Complete Recordings

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000A2AD2S
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

badly remastered.......2007-06-25

"The Complete Rachmaninoff', at 2-3 times the price is a better deal. This version is re-mastered in a way that reduces surface noise, but, at the same time, removes much of the pianists' tone quality that comes through so well on the original LP release, as well as the more expensive set. Also, this album is lacking the documentation of recording dates that the LP and 'The Complete Rachmaninoff' provide. For the neophyte, the re-mastering reduces the magic of Rachmaninoff's tone. I would expect the connoisseur to be even more disappointed. There are bargains out there, but for this album, you get what you pay for.

Rachmaninov is the master.......2007-05-15

Some people like the recordings and some dont, but as a fan of Rachmaninov it would be a shame not to own these recordings. To hear a master composer from history play his own works is not that common. Just put the cd in your player put your headphones on and watch the black and white images appear in your mind as though you were at a concert in the 1930's looking on at the man sitting at the piano carefully but with feeling pounding each note into the air of time. If you don't like the scratchy recordings then obviously you are a spoiled brat who doesnt appreciate fine art.

A Master of Musical Love.......2007-01-18

There have been other brilliant composers and genius pianists as Rachmaninoff lived and afterwards. Yet, in my opinion, he is the real central figure of his days and, as far as I can feel, what there is of most modern up to now in classical music. I do not think it exaggerated to say that, after all these decades, someone is still to pick up the torch from his hands at that level of inspiration, just as he picked it up from Tchaikovsky. It is true that a few of his compositions seem quirky and cerebral: but more than a few are the masterpieces. His second Concerto is the concert of the century. And where do we find, for instance, a match for his etude tableau 39/5 in one hundred years? Or a simply revolutionary piece as his prelude 32/12 is?

One could go on with a list of marvelous compositions either created or played by him and many reviewers already pointed so much of great in his recordings. So a good thing to do here is what a previous reviewer also did: to say something special about one favorite piece of the box-set. My forerunner pointed to Rach's rendering of Haendel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" and I agree with each word he wrote about it. Now I should like to declare my amazement about his version of "Leise flehen", initially a Swansong written by Schubert and later transcribed by Liszt.

Hopefully Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other singers will not mind my saying this, but Rachmaninoff unveils and exposes such a treasure in this song that now its original lyrics only seem to obstruct the inestimable wealth in piano notes below them at all other known recordings: the piece is infinitely more beautiful when left to the pianist alone. Rach's playing is warm and generous, just like Schubert's creative Geist, and the result is light-years ahead of the usual rough, squared, catacomb mood with which people bring the composition along with singers.

Impossible not to love, but there is more to that. After listening so many times to this piece that never ceases to stun me, I came to conclude that in fact very few people could manage to play the `leise flehen' like this, even among good pianists. As expressed here, its notes speak to their listener in such frank, open, and direct way - like a true friend making an important confession - that only a man with Rachmaninoff's `heart of gold' could manage to convey its meaning.

Ahhh, maybe we're talking about technique... To have a most noble heart, then, is THE decisive technical prerequisite for communicating these notes, otherwise they will simply not come out at all.

Notes: Here are a few opinions about the pieces mentioned above; hopefully they will be helpful for persons who don't know Rachmaninoff's works and stimulating for those who already know them. 1) As far as I am aware, besides Rachmaninoff only Valentina Lisitsa recorded the Leise flehen in a solo version. It can be found in her 2005 DVD with the Swan Songs program. 2) The etude tableaux 39/5 is not in this box set; many performers have played it, but none as Van Cliburn, who simply operates a miracle in the CD "My Favorite Rachmaninoff". His playing and the vertigo sensation it leaves behind are so powerful that I am sometimes afraid to listen to him. 3) Horowitz, the wizard, masters the prelude 32/12 in his CD "Horowitz Plays Scriabin" and in his legendary 1986 Moscow recital; the prelude is also in Rach's box-set. 4) About the second concerto, there are so many recordings, most of which I have not heard; my favorite performer is Benno Moiseiwitsch, a sublime piano poet much admired by Rachmaninoff himself. None of the recordings I've heard of the concerto, including the two available by its own composer, reach the climax of its third movement as Moiseiwitsch does in a 1944 movie called "Battle for Music". It is only a short excerpt from one of his wartime presentations with the LSO, but long enough to show how it sounds when perfectly done. The excerpt is also in the movie "The Art of Piano", in which the entire footage involving Rachmaninoff and Moiseiwitsch is simply a gem (however much historically unprecise).

Classic Historic Rachmaninoff........2006-01-14

If you're a tad bit confused between this boxed set and "The Complete Recordings" boxed set from 1992, fear not. Both this and "The Complete Recordings" are exactly the same. The only difference is in the cover art and packaging. Also, the price of this recent reissue is half as much as the original edition. If you have the original edition, there's no need to buy it again. If you don't own this already, then this present edition is the one to get mainly because of its reduced price tag.
With this out of the way, onto the music itself:
The Rachmaninoff Complete recordings collection includes everything the great Russian composer/pianist recorded between the years 1919 and 1941. Besides recording historic versions of his own classic Piano Concertos, his "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini" as well as conducting his own Third Symphony and Isle of the Dead, Rachmaninoff also recorded arrangements of works by such great composers ranging from Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert to most importantly, Chopin. These recordings are also included in this mammoth set alongside more obscure works by Mussorgsky, Daquin, Henselt and Dohnanyi.
The sound quality varies throughout the set ranging from highly listenable to sounding as if it were transferred by placing a microphone directly into the horn of an old grammophone. Despite the variants of sound quality, one cannot deny that this music as well as these recordings are important and historic.
The CD booklet gives a brief insight to Rachmaninoff's history as a recording artist as well as a breakdown of the tracks themselves. The only major flaw with this present edition is the fact that there are no recording dates listed anywhere in the liner notes. Considering that these are historic recordings dating from the very birth of the recording age, it would've definitely been helpful to be able to identify the year in which each work included here was recorded. Considering that I do not own the original edition of this set, there's a good chance that the first edition included the dates of the recordings. Not so here though. This is the reason why this reviewer docked this set one star.
Apart from this, this present edition or Rachmaninoff's complete recordings is a must for the die-hard Rachmaninoff fan. You get to hear the genius at work not only with his own material but with works by others as well. There are also a few note worthy collaborations such as a full disc of duets with legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler, an appearance by mezzo soprano Naddejda Plevitskaya on the arrangement of the traditional tune "Powder and Paint" and a fabulous four-hand piano rendition of Rachmaninoff's own "Italian Polka" with his daughter Natalie as second pianist (which actually sounds like a homemade wax-cylinder recording).
With this said, if you can get around guessing when these recordings were made, this is some great and historic music from one of the very best composer/musicians of our time - the one and only, the great Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Average customer rating:

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

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

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The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
What to Listen for in Music
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The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Music Track:

Music Track

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