Romance of the Opera

On this CD:

1. Aida, opera Se quel Guerrier io fossi/Celeste Aida
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

2. Rigoletto, opera Questa o Quella
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

3. Rigoletto, opera Ella mi fu rapita/Parmi veder le Lagrime
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

4. Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts Le fleur que tu M'avais Jetee
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Enrico Caruso

5. L'elisir d'amore, opera Una Furtiva Lacrima
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Enrico Caruso

6. Fedora, opera Amor ti vieta
Composed by Umberto Giordano
Performed by Enrico Caruso

7. Le duc d'Albe (Il duca d'Alba), opera Angelo casto e bel
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Enrico Caruso

8. Iris, opera in 3 acts Apri la tua Finestra
Composed by Pietro Mascagni
Performed by Enrico Caruso

9. Un ballo in maschera, opera Di tu si Fedele
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

10. Manon, opera Chiudo gli occhi e nel pensier
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Enrico Caruso

11. Otello, opera Ora e per Sempre Addio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

12. La forza del destino, opera O tu che in seno Agli Angeli
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

13. Manon Lescaut, opera Donna non vidi mai
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Enrico Caruso

14. Il Trovatore, opera Mal Reggendo all'aspro Assalto
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

15. Il Trovatore, opera Miserere...Ah! che la morte Ognora
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

16. I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, opera Qual volutta trascorrere
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

17. Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts Je crois Entendre en core
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Enrico Caruso

18. Manon, opera Je suis seul...Ah! Fuyez douce Image
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Enrico Caruso

19. Pagliacci, opera No Pagliaccio non son
Composed by Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Performed by Enrico Caruso

20. L' Africaine, grand opera in 5 acts O Paradiso
Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performed by Enrico Caruso

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:

Build Baby's Brain through Classics Vol 1
Wonderful stimulating music for baby
The greatest CD!!
Forget baby, it's mine?
Love this CD--why all the complaints?

Build Your Baby's Brain

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000AE72
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro - Philadelphia Orch; Ormandy, E.
Fse
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from "Solomon"
Alla Turca
Quintet in a Major for Piano and Strings, Op. 114 "Trout"
Concerto No. 1 in E Major, RV. 269 "Spring" (From the Four Seasons)
"Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" from Cantata No. 147
Canon in D
Quintet in a Major for Piano and Strings, Op. 114 "Trout"
Air ("On the G String") From Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068
Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata No. 208
Water Music, HWV 348-350 (Wassermusik)
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 "Elvira Madigan"
Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K. 525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"
"Dove Sono" from le Nozze Di Figaro, K. 492
"Li Darem la Mano" from Don Giovanni, K. 527
Bist du Bei Mir, BWV 508

Amazon.com

Hundreds of compilation recordings have been thrust on the market in recent years on the theory that classical music makes a nice, non-threatening accompaniment to everything from working out to making love. And here we have one compilation promising to make your baby smarter. It's offensive enough that the music featured on these compilations is spliced up so that the most you hear of any work is a single movement; what's really annoying is the poor quality of so many of the featured performances. So it is some consolation that the artists here include such 20th-century legends as the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell and the Budapest String Quartet with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Of course if these folks were alive, one can imagine their violent objection to this presentation of their work. --Gwendolyn Freed

Customer Reviews:

Build Baby's Brain through Classics Vol 1.......2006-07-25

I am a true fan of Classical music and this was purchased as a gift for a co-worker who is adopting a child from China. Therefore I did not open it nor listen to it. The recipient is now overseas picking up their daughter so I know they haven't had the opportunity to listen to it. I think it's a great idea, though, and purchased a used set for my Grandson.

Wonderful stimulating music for baby.......2006-06-23

I am sorry for the previous review who said that intelligence is hereditary. If that is true, all mankind would have been doomed from the start.

Intelligence is not hereditary, but rather a result of stimulation during infancy and birth. Sure, it isn't a guarantee that your child *will* become a genius if you attempt to educate them from birth, but there is no doubt that real educational stimulation of a young mind is a powerful indicator that the child will be more advanced than the average child.

Music is not just notes played. Music--real music--is everything. Though the music of today will fade, classical music will always be around because it is classic. It fits no matter what era you place it in. There is always a home for it. The artists are timeless just as the beautiful melodies are.

I certainly believe that babies who listen to music will become more familiar with and more easily understand music and instruments. Therefore, they will be quicker of mind. It is just a fact that people who play instruments are usually of higher intelligence.

I don't think that people are destined to be stupid or geniuses. I believe it is a question of environment. I feel I'm a great mother but I haven't done everything I could have been doing to help my son's mind expand as an infant. Now that he is a toddler (18 months) I am teaching him to read and exposing him to the magic of classical music in hopes that it will help mold him and set him apart from the rest.

Minds are trainable. You just have to work at it. This CD compiled of beautiful pieces composed by instrumental geniuses will help you do just that.

The greatest CD!!.......2006-01-17

I received this CD free when I had my first baby and it instantly became my fav cd of all time. I have it on my computer and I had another copy made because I just can not imagine not having it.
And as for the comment that the music has nothing to do with intellingence, you stand alone on that front. Besides, what does it hurt? It's great, soothing music and the babies enjoy it.

Forget baby, it's mine?.......2005-09-01

I love my child, but the first time I heard this CD, It immediately went from her recorder to mine. I take it practically everywhere I go. I know it's technically "Her" CD, but the selections are so soothing; and you need that type of comfort when stuck in traffic. Honestly, we both enjoy it - and I'm glad someone thought enough to give it as a gift.

Love this CD--why all the complaints?.......2004-08-30

I'm not sure what people were expecting when they purchased this. For one thing it tells you exactly what is on the CD. Its not a mystery!! If you buy it on amazon it has listed every title on it so I"m not sure about the people who said they were dissapointed because they already own those titles. Obviously you should glance at the list of titles on this CD if you have a large classical collection already. However if you don't already have a classical collection this is by far excellent .I'll be honest and admit I listen to one of the volumes daily regardless of who is in the room. It's marketed for babies but it is really for anyone. There are SO many classical pieces out there. What they have done is to take the best of the best and also the ones that are known to appeal to babies. For some reason many reviewers thing they just took a random sampling of classical music. In reality they have put together those that appeal most to children. I can tell you that my 1 year old daughter actually dances to these. She really likes them a lot. I consider the whole collection a must have for any household.

Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

Average customer rating:

Two-and-a-half hours of bliss
not what i expected
excellent guitar performances
Essential Guitar...
Lives up to its Name!

Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000069KIT
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Customer Reviews:

Two-and-a-half hours of bliss.......2007-04-04

This may be the best money I've ever spent. I got 2-1/2 hours of bliss for less than what I'd usually pay for one CD -- and you know how it is with music. You buy an album because of a song or two that you love, and you find that you like maybe half the songs on it. There's not a single selection in this one that I would've left out. It includes Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by Pepe Romero on the guitar with the Acadamy of St. Martin in the Fields. I needed to replace my old LP recording of that. But I also get 30 other classical compositions and traditional Spanish pieces, each special in its own way.

Have you ever heard music that you wanted to last forever, maybe even to dive inside and live there for a while, immersing yourself in sound? That's how I feel about this collection. The only problem I have with it is that I bought it thinking it might be nice to listen to while I write. Not so. It's terrible for that. I'll sit with my hands poised above the laptop keyboard, assuring myself I'll get some work done while I listen. The music takes hold and carries me away.

I'm not expert at describing this or any type of music. I just know what I love. You might too, if you enjoy classical or Spanish guitar -- unless you have absurd expectations about combining listening with work.

not what i expected.......2007-03-26

This CD for me was a waste of money. Its just not what i thought it would be. Others may enjoy it but for me..it wasnt what i was hoping to hear.

excellent guitar performances.......2006-07-27

Outstanding guitar performances. I gave it only 4 stars because I do not personally like some of the compositions.

Essential Guitar..........2005-07-26

Up until this collection, I'd never heard the "Cavatina" played in the Deer Hunter movie. After hearing it, I could play it all day and not tire of it! It moves me that much, considering that it's almost "not" a classical guitar selection. The rest of the music is first rate! Excellent playing, but the "Cavatina..."
Buy it and enjoy!!!!

Lives up to its Name!.......2005-06-10

If you only bought this double CD set, you'd have a good starter collection of classical guitar music. It includes most of the standards, as well as rarer pieces. In addition to the many solo pieces, there are several excerpts from orchestral works, with Rodrigo's indispensible Adagio from "Concierto de Aranjuez" topping the list. There are also several flamenco numbers included, complete with heel taps and castanets.

The recording quality is uniformly good, even on the tracks by Segovia. I don't know if they were remastered or recorded late in his career, but they're free of the surface noise present in so many of his recordings. The set clocks in at a generous 2 1/2 hours - one of the greatest deals in instrumental music; this is not a "bargain" quality set. Listen to the samples online - great stuff.

My only mild criticism is in the marketing. The advertising features John Williams and Julian Bream. Each contributes exactly one track. I would have enjoyed more pieces by them for stylistic comparison. But the less well-known (at least to guitar music neophytes like me) artists are every bit as good, and I intend to obtain more of their work.

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

Average customer rating:

Love Vaughn Williams
Ralph!
Good readings lacking passion in good sound
Vaughn Williams: Serenade to Music
Tolkien, a cup of Darjeeling by the fire, and this CD

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

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002S2R
Release Date: 1991-10-11

Tracks:

Serenade To Music
English Folk Song Suite: I. March (Seventeen Come Sunday)
English Folk Song Suite: II. Intermezzo (My Bonny Boy)
English Folk Song Suite: III. March (Folk Songs From Somerset)
Norfolk Rhapsody No.1
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves'
In The Fen Country
The Lark Ascending

Customer Reviews:

Love Vaughn Williams.......2007-02-22

I bought this because Vaughan Williams has so many wonderful compositions. This particular recording contained many favorites including, but not exclusively the English Folk Song Suite conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and performed by the London Symphony... very moving!!!

Ralph!.......2007-01-09

Ralph Vaughn Williams at his best; lush, sometimes-inspiring presentation of a well-chosen collection of his works.

Good readings lacking passion in good sound.......2006-11-07

Many years after his death, Sir Adrian Boult continues to be admired as one of the linchpin -- and perhaps the archtype -- conductors of the music of his friend and countryman, Ralph Vaughan Williams. This recording, made in the autumnal years of Boutl's life, is a generous collection of bucolic English music from Vaughan Williams.

While these performances are lovely, as the other reviewers here have reported, they pale in comparison to the passion Boult provided earlier in his career. On a recording made from a Westminster LP, Boult provided more passionate and committed versions of the English Folk Song Suite, Greensleeves Fantasia and Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 linked to a dramatic reading of the Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, one of Vaughan Williams most popular and enduring tunes.

Like the comparison between his early mono recordings of Vaughan Williams' symphonies and his later stereo recording, Boult was simply older and more at ease with the music in the later recordings. While they are still wonderful, the later stereo recordings lack some of the mystery and passion of his earlier work, especially his "Antartica" symphony. People that search the Internet relentlessly can locate the earlier recordings including a CD restoration of the old Westminster record.

For those not interested in that, these renderings of Serenade to Msuic, English Folk Song Suite, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1, Fantasia On 'Greensleeves', In The Fen Country and violinist Hugh Bean's The Lark Ascending are beautifully done at a lower voltage. Either gives you the ethereal Boult although his earlier recordings, sometimes in mono, give life and breadth to these works not reflected here.

Vaughn Williams: Serenade to Music.......2006-11-03

Fantastic recording. Having a British conductor (especially Sir Adrian Boult), with a British Orchestra, playing works composed by a British composer, brings an exhuburance and attention to detail not found in other recordings.

Tolkien, a cup of Darjeeling by the fire, and this CD.......2006-07-17

I laughed when I read one reviewer here who admitted that he liked to play this lovely CD while reading Tolkien. And why not? It's the magic of art to make those of us who live in the desert Southwest (or midtown Manhattan) believe we are atually in an English thatched cottage around the time of WW I, nourishing our English souls with the comforting music of Vaughan Williams.

There have been better, certainly more modern composers, but VW had the rare ability to evoke an entire culture. Every work here speaks of his total union with the English spirit, and these readings by Boult are beyond reproach. I don't traffic in "best recording ever" talk, and there are versions of the Serenade to Music that I cherish from Matthrew Best and (above all) Leonard Bernstein at the opening of Philharmonic Hall in 1962. Yet this would probably be the one CD I'd give a young friend to win him or her over to one of the most lovable and accessible of great composers.

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants

Average customer rating:

Iona Brown was very special
Superb
this England!
tallis and lark
smooth as silk

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000004CVM
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
Fantasia On Greensleeves
The Lark Ascending
Five Variants Of 'Dives And Lazarus'

Amazon.com

Marriner's evergreen 1972 recording of favorite shorter works by Vaughan Williams has yet to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. The soloists in these accounts (among them William Bennett in the Greensleeves Fantasia and Iona Brown in the Lark Ascending) are all first-rate, and the Academy's strings play with polish and great beauty of sound. The analog recording is excellent, and Marriner's remarkable empathy for the music comes across effortlessly. Some listeners may prefer the richer sonority and arrestingly mystical manner of Marriner's 1993 digital remake of the Tallis Fantasia for Philips, but this disc offers the most desirable coupling of other works and remains a first choice for those interested in getting to know the composer's finest short essays. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Iona Brown was very special.......2007-06-11

The Iona Brown recording of "Lark" here is famous in Britain and justifiably so. Brown, who died in 2004, grew up in the English countryside and had a deep experience of what Vaughan Williams was trying to capture. The rest of the CD is lush, crisp and wonderful -- the Academy's renowned strings at their early 70s peak. It's an analog recording (1972) and the sound is terrific. I don't think this recording has ever been out of print -- how many thousands of us owned the LP and bought the CD as soon as it came out.

Superb.......2007-03-16

This is an essential recording for any classical music collection. I've probably played this CD a thousand times, and I never grow tired of it. Wonderful music beautifully played - buy it.

this England!.......2006-12-14

It is perhaps impossible to hear Vaughan Williams' short works performed more beautifully and unforgettably than in this 1972 ADRM/Argo recording. Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields acquit themselves above reproach. Vaughan Williams - you love him or hate him - must be loved for his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, that haunting and almost religiously uplifting setting of Medieval plainsong that is capable of shifting a driver to the side of the road in open-jawed amazement at the sheer evocative beauty of it.

Greensleeves is emblematic of the English countryside and its melody, easily dismissed as the primped-up stuff of 'Rule Brittania' shops but so much more worthwhile than all that. Iona Brown's violin on 'The Lark Ascending' sounds as though crafted to play this piece once - enduringly- and then tossed like unused Eucharistic wine.

How, one wonders in aesthetic and rationally unguarded moments, could a nation that produced such music have lost an Empire? Or, more accurately, how could a people capable of such lyricism have done otherwise than believed - for an historical blink of an eye - in its own superiority?

That a coterie of *English* musicians should produce the definitive recording of these works is poetically appropriate.

That listeners of many tongues should listen and wonder at Williams' temperamental genius is simply a musical fact on the ground.

Begin Vaughan Williams with this recording. The rest are derivative.

tallis and lark.......2006-10-06

Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis was a piece of music John Williams discovered in a house of sorts during the war in a dresser.He loved to visit small villages to hear local music. This piece and Lark Ascending are, in my mind, the finest music ever written. I love Beethoven, Willie and Lobo, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone, Pat Metheny, Patrick O'Hearn, John Lee Hooker, I can go on. But it's these 2 pieces that completely consume the listener, pull you in and stop you dead in your thoughts....to dream. Lark Ascending was literally a piece of music written with the author watching a lark(bird) in a small, cozy valley rising up from the floor, singing all the way up. I have given away these CD's 6 and 7 times over because guests at my house are so touched after the music is over, especially after a jug of wine. Thank you for reading, Greg-Fresno, CA.

smooth as silk.......2006-09-30

I too fell for this music in college long ago, and carry it inside me everywhere I go. I have listened to Lark and Tallis many times when I was worried about school or work, and hum them in my mind when I need an emotional lift. Interesting comment about the Japanese connection -- when listening to Lark I sometimes imagine an English countryside with stream, and sometimes a Japanese.

Marriner is a genius at small orchestra. I like the famous Barbirolli version of Tallis too, but it was Marriner's I fell in love with. A great collection to own. If you love this, don't miss RVW's Serenade to Music on Hyperion - an awesome musical setting of Shakespeare that is as satisfying as Lark and Tallis.

Average customer rating:

masters of classical music
A good basic collection
An excellent introduction to classical music
Very Beautiful!!!!!1
Still Stuck on Beethoven

Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Piano Concerto In A Major, K 488: Adagio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Flute Concerto In D Major, K 314: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphony No. 40 in G minor: Molto allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Clarinet Concerto KV 622: Adagio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Serenade, K 375: Menuetto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Turkish March - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Violin Concerto, K 216: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Divertimento, K 334: Menuetto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Horn Concerto, K 447: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Cassation, K 99: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Tracks:

Overture No. 4 In Major: Rejouissance - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 3 In D Major: Air - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 In F Major: I. Allegro - J.S.Bach
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 2 In B Minor: Menuet & Badinerie - J.S.Bach
Prelude In C Major - J.S.Bach
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor - J.S.Bach
Prelude In C Minor - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 1 In C Major: Passepied - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F Major: II. Adagio - J.S.Bach
Kommst du nun, Jesu vom Himmel herunter, Chorale - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major: II. Allegro - J.S.Bach
Violin Concerto In E Major: I. Adagio - J.S.Bach
St. Matthew Passion: Finale Chorus: 'Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder' - J.S.Bach

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5: Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fur Elise - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Violin Romance No. 2 - Ludwig Van Beethoven
'Moonlight' Sonata: Adagio sostenuto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Minuet - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major: Allegretto scherzando - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Coriolan: Overture - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 2: Adagio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor: Allegro - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Egmont: Overture - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

Die Fledermaus: Die Fledermaus (Excerpts) - Johann Strauss
Wine, Woman And Song - Johann Strauss
Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Johann Strauss
The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss
The Gypsy Baron: Introduction - Johann Strauss
Annen Polka - Johann Strauss
Vienna Blood - Johann Strauss
The Gypsy Baron: Einzugsmarsch - Johann Strauss

Tracks:

Tannhauser: Overture - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Dance Of The Prentices - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude Act 3 - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Aufzug der Meistersinger - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Der fliegende Hollander: Overture - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Lohengrin: Prelude - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude And Liebestod - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Tannhauser: Arrival Of The Guests At Wartburg - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1: Allegro non troppo - Peter Tchaikovsky
String Serenade: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto: Andante - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Pas d'action - Adagio - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Capriccio italien Op. 45 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Scene No. 10 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise - Peter Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 1 In E Major: Spring - VIVALDI, Antonio
Siciliano - VIVALDI, Antonio
Concerto In D Minor:: (Allegro Assai) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 2 In G Minor: Summer - VIVALDI, Antonio
Oboe Sonata In B Flat Major, RV 34: Adagio - Allegro - Largo - Allegro - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 3 In F Major: Autumn - VIVALDI, Antonio
Oboe Concerto: Allegro non tasto - Largo - Allegro non molto - VIVALDI, Antonio
Concerto In D Minor: (Largo e spiccato) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 4 In F Minor: Winter - VIVALDI, Antonio

Tracks:

Scherzo No 1 In B Minor, Op. 20 - Frederic Chopin_
Three Nocturnes, Op. 9: No 3 In B Major - Frederic Chopin_
Twelve Etudes, Op. 10: No 5 In G Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
Twelve Etudes, Op. 25: No 10 In B Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 In F Sharp Major - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 In E Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 In D Flat Major 'Raindrops' - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 16 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 17 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 18 In F Minor - Frederic Chopin_
Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31 - Frederic Chopin_
Waltz In E Flat Major, Op. 18 - Frederic Chopin_
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. - Frederic Chopin_
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 3 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 4 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Franz Schubert
Impromptu In E Flat Major - Franz Schubert
Standchen - Franz Schubert
Trout Quintet: Tema con variazioni - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 1 - Franz Schubert
Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 2 - Franz Schubert
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Ballet Music No.2 - Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato - Franz Schubert

Tracks:

Nabucco: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
Nabucco: Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate - Verdi, Giuseppe
Aida: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
II Trovatore: Verdi! le fosche notturne (Gypsies' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
II Trovatore: Or co' daddi, ma fra poco (Soldiers' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
Aroldo: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Noi siamo zingarelle - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata:: Libiamo ne' lieti calici - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Di Madride noi siam mattadori - Verdi, Giuseppe
La forza del destino: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe

Customer Reviews:

masters of classical music.......2007-03-26

A nice collection for the classical listener. Great variety of composers and the music quality of the cds are very good.

A good basic collection.......2006-11-10

With selections from numerous composers, it is an easy way to familiarize oneself with some of the most popular classical works and excerpts. A pleasant listen for the initiated too.

An excellent introduction to classical music.......2006-10-18

This is an excellent introduction to classical music. Well performed and presented.

Very Beautiful!!!!!1.......2006-10-05

If you are a fan of classical music then you better get this set. Not only is it very cheap, 10 Discs for about 2$ per disk. Now where are you gonna find a deal like this. I actually found mine chaper, $20.00 even and the music is outstanding. If you had a very bad day and very stressed out, just put in one of these cds, lay down, dim down the lights and just relax. It really helped me out.

Still Stuck on Beethoven.......2006-08-22

I just recently started listening to classical music so I'm certainly not one to compare or critique the quality of this set. However, I do have a few comments...

My interest started in this genre of music because I'm researching my ancestry in Prussia and this is the music of those times. Never mind my ancestors were poor peasants who probably never got the chance to hear such wonderful music... when listening to these CDs, I'm taken back in time... to a royal court in Europe... to another place in time. The music is inspiring, relaxing, invigorating.

I have yet to listen to all the CD's in the set. I'm stuck on Beethoven! Wasn't he AWESOME!?!

I think this set is a wonderful introduction to classical music!!!!!

Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music

Average customer rating:

CD set is misnamed
Do not Buy
Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music
Seek better versions
It Is What It Is

Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music

Manufacturer: Compendia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits
25 Classical Favorites
25 Romantic Classics
The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

ASIN: B000003QWH
Release Date: 1994-06-09

Tracks:

Canon In D
'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 3: Allegro
The Four Seasons - The Winter: Largo And Allegro
Fanfare ('Masterpiece Theatre' Theme)
Camerata Romana: Air For The 'G' String
'Eine kleine Nachtmusik': Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 21 ('Elvira Madigan' Theme): Andante
Introduction To Symphony No. 5
'William Tell' Overture: Finale
'Aida': Triumphal March
On The Beautiful, Blue Danube Waltz
'The Nutcracker': Waltz Of The Flowers
'1812' Overture: Finale

Tracks:

Sabre Dance
'Light Cavalry' Overture: Finale
Carmen: The Toreadors
' Midsummer Night's Dream': Wedding March
Radetzky March
Symphony No. 9, 'Choral': Finale
'Prince Igor': Polovstian Dance No. 17
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
Sleepers, Wake
Water Music: Hornpipe
Symphony No. 9, 'From The New World': Largo
Emperor Waltz
'Emperor' Quartet: St. Anthony's Chorale
'The Tales Of Hoffman': Barcarolle
L'Arlesienne: Farandole
'The Nutcracker': Dance Of The Mirlitons
'The Nutcracker': Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy
'Rhapsody In Blue': Highlight
'Orpheus In The Underworld': Can-Can

Tracks:

Introduction To 'Also sprach Zarathustra'
Symphony No. 4, 'Italian': Saltarello: Presto
Piano Concerto No. 20: Romance
'The Valkyrie': Ride Of The Valkyries
'The Four Seasons' - The Spring: Allegro
Toccata and Fugue
Trumpet Voluntary
'Royal Fireworks Music': la rejouissance: Allegro
'Moonlight' Sonata: Adagio Sostenuto
London Festival Orchestra: Overture To 'The Barber Of Seville'
Piano Concerto No. 2: Adagio Sostenuto

Tracks:

Carmina Burana: Introduction To 'Carmina Burana'
Peer Gynt: Dawn From 'Peer Gynt'
Lohengrin: Prelude To 'Lohengrin'
'Lieutenant Kije': Troika From 'Lieutenant Kije'
Adiago For Strings
'Carmen': Habanera From 'Carmen'
'Double' Concerto: Allegro From 'Double' Concerto
The Marriage Of Figaro: Overture To 'The Marriage Of Figaro'
(Rondo) Alla Turca
Xerxes: Largo From 'Xerxes'
Symphony No. 5: Allegro vivace From Symphony No. 5
'Swan Lake': Scene: Enchanted Lake From 'Swan Lake'
Clair De Lune
Bolero

Customer Reviews:

CD set is misnamed.......2007-06-08

They should have titled this "classical music for people who love classical music" because most of the selections are typical classical music. The title suggests it would be lively selections of "light classical" music that is more upbeat, i.e. Sabre Dance, etc. I really don't hate classical music at all and have many classical CDs in my collection but I really wanted to hear more exciting selections. I won't be purchasing any more of this set but if you like traditional classical music these are good one.

Do not Buy.......2007-02-21

I do know it says classical music for people who hate it, but serioulsly you would have better luck never listening to classical music again. The recordings are awfull and do not do justice to any of the composers. Buy something else.

Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music.......2007-01-30

We love this set of CD's. I just got a new copy because my kids keeping taking our first copy with them so that they can listen at work or in their bedrooms but then I can never find them.

Seek better versions.......2006-12-09

If you are fairly new to classical purchases then compilation CD's can be useful for deciding what to buy next. Sometimes you only need a small taste of a piece to inspire you to buy a release with the whole performance on. The problem with this compilation however is that most of the versions are poor in performance or recording quality (or both) when compared to the best versions and the fact that the conductors aren't even credited on the track listing made me suspect that this would be the case. One of my favorite classical pieces is Tchaikovsky's 1812 festival overture but if the first CD version I had heard had been the finale excerpt that is on this compilation I may not have gone on to buy the whole thing. Luckily I heard Adrian Leaper's version first and Adrian's version is rather good.
My classical CD buying experience is limited to only a couple of dozen discs but I have found that the Naxos and Deutshe Grammophon releases are fairly safe. Avoid any release which does not name the conductors on the track listing or sleeve notes.

It Is What It Is.......2006-10-27

It's fitting that this page is fraught with the same kind of silly snobbery that turns people off from classical music (and necessitates collections like this) in the first place.

Any criticism of this compilation, which focuses on the quality of the performances or the fact that many tracks are excerpts, misses the point. This is not a collection for people who consider such things, nor does it purport to be. The idea is to package as many ultra-famous classical melodies as possible in one affordable collection and market it to people who have never purchased a classical recording. As such, top-tier performances are likely too expensive to be sold so cheaply and are unnecessary anyway. Those of us who already know and love a piece or two can forgive the compilers the inclusion of sub-par recordings, when we are exposed to so many other beautiful pieces for the first time.

It probably comes as a shock for some to hear that most people are not familiar with these classics. We may hear snippets on TV or movies, but are left with no idea as to the composer or historical context. With that in mind, it is extremely intimidating to begin buying classical. I suppose those among us, who so thoroughly dismissed the very notion of a boxed set like this, would have us begin by buying full albums by reputable interpreters. Surprisingly enough though, the majority of people would consider that a tad cost-prohibitive.

To conclude, this is a STARTER collection. It will either affirm a listener's feelings about classical music or lead to an interest in purchasing better recordings. Ideally, I suppose the interpretations would be better, but, for reasons mentioned above, that just isn't in the cards for a collection of this nature. If you're familiar with 50 different recordings of "The Ring" series, or have season tickets to the New York Philharmonic, then this probably isn't for you. For us cretins with limited foreknowledge of classical music though, it serves as a succinct introduction with little to complain about.

Average customer rating:

customer
WONDERFUL CD
Good upbeat working music

Very Best of Hooked on Classics

Manufacturer: Double Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Hooked on Classics 3: Journey Through the Classics
More Hooked On Classics
Hooked on Christmas
Hooked On Classics
Hooked On Classics 2: Can't Stop the Classics

ASIN: B000028CJX
Release Date: 1998-09-28

Tracks:

Hooked on Classics Pt. 1 & 2: Piano of the Bumblebee No. 1/Fli [Medley]
Hooked on Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat (3rd Movement) [Medley]
Night in Opera: Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat (3rd Movement)/Hall [Medley]
Tales of the Vienna Waltz: Blue Danube Waltz 1, Theme 1/Blue D [Medley]
Hooked on a Can Can: Orpheus in the Underworld (Can Can)/Thund [Medley]
Hooked on Marching: Under the Double Eagle/The Stars & Stripes [Medley]
Journey Through America: The Star Spangled Banner/Oh Susanna/M [Medley]
Hooked on Mozart: Rondo Alla Turca (Turkish March, From Sonata [Medley]
Hooked on Bach: Ave Maria/Minuet [From the Notebook of Anna Ma [Medley]
Symphony of the Seas: The Sailors Hornpipe/Portsmouth/Anchors [Medley]

Tracks:

Hooked on Classics: Wedding March [From a Midsummer's Night's [Medley]
Hooked on Romance (Opus 3): Gymnopedie No. 2/Nocturne Opus 9, [Medley]
Hooked on Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien (Introduction)/Swan L [Medley]
If You Knew Sousa/The Liberty Bell/Blaze Away/The Liberty Bell [Medley]
If You Knew Sousa and Friends: Entry of the Gladiators/Colonel [Medley]
Also Sprach Zarathustra [Medley]
Can't Stop the Classics: Overture 2 Russian & Ludmilla/Czardas [Medley]
Hooked on America: Rhapsody in Blue/Camptown Races/Rhapsody in [Medley]
Hooked on Romance: Air Form Suite No. 3 (Air for G String)/Ave [Medley]

Customer Reviews:

customer.......2007-06-26

cd arrived fast, in excellent shape as promised, well packaged to protect it during shipment. I'd heard the CD during an exercise class and had trouble trying to get it from other vendors so especially appreciated Amazon.

WONDERFUL CD.......2007-05-08

I was so happy to find this on CD I have the original on a cassette from childhood. I loved it then and now and now my children listen and love it.

Good upbeat working music.......2007-03-08

I love these CDS . . what a brilliant idea to add a beat to the most popular classical songs of all time. It is great upbeat music that gets you going. I specifically use it for when I need a boost to get me going on housework. It get you in just the right mood to start working. My kids love it too.

Average customer rating:

Music to your ears...
Very relaxing to listen to
Outstanding program
Andre Rieu's Tuscany
"Tuscany" is one of Andre Rieu's best shows! Excellent CD!

Tuscany
Andre Rieu
Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live In Dublin
Romantic Moments
At The Movies
The Christmas I Love
The Flying Dutchman

ASIN: B0002SXIQ8
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Tracks:

Romance Anonyme - Jeux Interdits
I Love You
Italiana
Barcarolle
La Paloma
Lagune Waltz
Intermezzo From Cavalleria Rusticana
Roses From Tyrol
Chanson d'Amour
O Mio Babbino Caro From Madame Butterfly
William Tell Overture
Opera Medley
Italian National Anthem
Light Cavalry
Ode To Joy From Symphony No. 9

Customer Reviews:

Music to your ears..........2007-04-05

I can't say enough about this musician. The music will sooth your soul. A must have for your car CD player, it will help you through the traffic :}

Very relaxing to listen to .......2007-03-07

I'm a new fan to Andre Rieu. I didn't start getting into his music until I caught his Christmas special on my local PBS station last year. I found his performances highly energetic and playful which is rare in this often serious musical genre. After catching a repeat performance of "Tuscany", I decided to make the cd version my next Andre Rieu purchase. Whenever I listen to "Tuscany", I can easily see Andre Rieu performing with his orchestra. His skills as a violinist is exquisite. He is very subtle and is never out of tune. "Tuscany" begins with three of the most beautiful classical numbers I have ever heard. The beautiful orchestral melodies puts me at ease. I wished that the cd included "The Rose" (the Bette Midler tune) that can be seen on the dvd. I loved the operatic version. It would have been a nice addition to the cd. Of all the operatic numbers my favorite has to be "Ode to Joy". I have to admit though the singers have a terrible tendency to caterwaul on the songs which can be quite disconcerting for these ears. On the other hand the same can be said about a lot of opera singers as well as modern pop singers. There wasn't a single song on the cd that I didn't enjoy listening to. Andre Rieu's love for music really does shine through his music here. I ho