Evening of Strauss

On this CD:

1. Champagner-Polka, musical scherzo for orchestra, Op. 211 (RV 211)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

2. An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

3. Unter Donner und Blitz (Thunder and Lightning), polka schnell for orchestra, Op. 324 (RV 324)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

4. Kaiser-Walzer (Emperor Waltz), for orchestra, Op. 437 (RV 437)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

5. Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka (Chit-Chat Polka), for orchestra, Op. 214 (RV 214)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

6. Wiener Blut (Vienna Blood), waltz for orchestra, Op. 354 (RV 354)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra with John Georgiadis
Conducted by John Georgiadis

7. Pizzicato Polka for orchestra, Op 234
Composed by Johann II and Josef Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

8. Wo die Zitronen Blüh'n! (Where the Lemons Bloom), waltz for orchestra, Op. 364 (RV 364)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra with John Georgiadis
Conducted by John Georgiadis

9. Radetsky-Marsch for orchestra, Op. 228
Composed by Johann I Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

10. Perpetuum Mobile (Perpetual Motion), Ein musikalischer Scherz, for orchestra, Op. 257 (RV 257)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by John Georgiadis

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.

Average customer rating:

excellent entertainment

The Christmas I Love

A Christmas Collection That Is Just Plain Fun

Wonderful; marvellous

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL

The Christmas I Love
Andre Rieu , and Johann Strauss Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Pop Instrumental & Easy Listening | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Pop Instrumental & Easy Listening | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

Tuscany

At The Movies

The Homecoming

The Vienna I Love, Waltzes From My Heart

Romantic Moments

ASIN: B0000041OB
Release Date: 1997-10-21

Tracks:

O Daughter Of Zion
White Christmas
Sleigh Ride
From Heaven High I Come To You: Tomorrow's The Day Children/Gloria In Excelsis Deo...
Ave Maria
Transeamus
Softly Falls The Snow: Ring Out Little Bell/O Come Al Ye Faithful
Evening Prayer (From Hansel & Gretel)
Jingle Bells
Lullaby: O Sweet Child Jesus/Let Us Be Happy And Jolly
Mille Cherubini In Coro (Lullaby)
Christmas Rose
The Four Seasons: Winter: Largo
O Christmas Tree: The Little Drummer Boy/Lullaby
Every Year A New: Oh, How Joyfully/Never Have The Bells Sung More Sweetly
Dearest Believe Me
Come Little Children
The Christmas Concert: Pastorale
The Holy City
Silent Night

Customer Reviews:

excellent entertainment.......2007-01-20

I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas DVD . I want to buy more of Andre Rieu.

The Christmas I Love.......2007-01-10

I was very pleased with the CD and would recommend it to everyone.

All of Andre Rieu's music is very enjoyable to listen to.

A Christmas Collection That Is Just Plain Fun.......2005-11-19

Sometimes I think the only person who is happy that Public television is financially challenged, other that certain legislators who believe that it is too liberal and the culmination of all that is evil, is Andre Rieu. Now don't get me wrong, this happy Dutch musician who models himself after Johan Straus is not a cruel or vindictive person. At least from what I can tell he's not, but let's face it. If PBS did not have financial woes, Andre Rieu, one of its favorite stars, would not have received the exposure he has, and his sales in the United States would probably be next to nothing. Of course for anyone who has ever seen one of his extravaganzas, we would be missing something enjoyable. He's musically sound and he knows how to entertain, and quiet frankly, though some classical purists may cringe at his name, I don't believe the composers whose music he uses are rolling in their graves because it's become popular once again.

Of all his concerts and CDs, I enjoy THE CHRISTMAS I LOVE the most. The jitterbug version of "Jingle Bells" shows that an old tune can produce new tricks. His arrangement of "The Holy City" (a.k.a. "Jerusalem") is almost as moving as when it is performed with a vocalist. The recording has a number of medleys that include favorites from all over Europe show how Christmas has such an international flair. For me, however, this album provides true variety. Many of the carols are not familiar to Americans, so we hear something different yet also authentic to the holiday season.

I'm surprised that there have not been other Rieu Christmas discs. He's an original musician and a consummate showman, so I'm sure there's more he could do with holiday music, but maybe he knows he has a classic with this collection and it will stand the test of time.

Wonderful; marvellous.......2000-09-30

Andre Rieu proves again he is the best of the best! I bought this CD in october 1997, a few weeks before Andre's concert In Quebec city. In this CD, you'll find all the classics of Christmas. They are well played because Andre and his orchestra know how to bring us the atmosphere of Christmas. The desing of the CD is well done. If you,re looking for good music, please try this CD You'll enjoy it. If you have the occasion to see his Christmas concert on TV, watch it. It's very beautiful.

This his not the first CD made by Andre. In 1992, he released "Spielt Die Schonten Weihnachtslieder".

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.......1999-08-18

Another wonderful Andre Rieu CD. All the Rieu recordings and videos are a breath of fresh air - a joy to the soul.

Average customer rating:

It contains songs not on other CD.
The Best Of The Mantovani Orchestra
The Best of the Mantovani Orchestra (vol 1 & 2)
Poor Recording
Top of the "Beautiful Music" Heap

Best of the Mantovani Orchestra

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

Mantovani's Golden Hits
Many Moods of the Mantovani Orchestra
The Best Ever Mantovani Collection
The Ultimate Collection
Melodies of Love

ASIN: B000000L5X
Release Date: 1994-09-12

Tracks:

Some Enchanted Evening
Three Coins In The Fountain
The Impossible Dream
More
Send In The Clowns
Charmaine
Somewhere My Love
Elizabethan Serenade
Carnival Of Venice
Overture-Die Fledermaus
Merry Widow Waltz
Summertime In Venice

Tracks:

The Shadow Of Your Smile
The Sound Of Music
Italian Fantasy
For Once In My Life
Swedish Rhapsody
I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
The Entertainer
For Once In My Life
Skater's Waltz
Tales From The Vienna Woods
Londonderry Air
Autumn Leaves

Customer Reviews:

It contains songs not on other CD........2007-01-01

I am pretty happy with the CD I have. I noticed that these songs are not on other CD. Summer Time in Venice, Three Coins in the Fountain, The Impossible Dream, Send in The Clown, Somewhere My Love and Elizabethan Serenade. The sound quality is acceptable.

The Best Of The Mantovani Orchestra.......2004-04-13

This cd is an ok collection of tunes from Mantovani.It's not the best but it's ok.This 2 cd set features songs such as three coins in a fountain,send in the clowns,skater's waltz,for once in my life and others.This isn't the only version of for once in my life Mantovani did.This version is light strings.Manti's other version is with a harpsicord and heavy strings.It is on Mantovani Scene/Mantovani Sound which has just come out from Vocolion.It also has such songs as dear heart,both sides now,honey and a lot of others.Amazon doesn't have this yet but I have just recieved my copy from another website.Like the other viewer said unfortuanly the sound quality is bad on the best of collection.I even heard somebody coughing on one track and there is some tape hiss from the transfer.I would like to recommend a 2 cd set by John Fox going under the name of the starry night orchestra that is put out by yestermusic(good music group)and has 30 tracks by Mr.Fox.Every song has a heavy string contingment and it states that these were played on beautiful music stations.John Foxes Strings are so beautiful.
The John Fox I'm talking about isn't the same John Fox that is a commedian that is sold on this site.

The Best of the Mantovani Orchestra (vol 1 & 2).......2002-09-14

The Madacy Label has betrayed Mantovani's genious, and substituted poor recordings in these 2 CD's. I have immediately
cancelled all Madacy Label orders with everyone, and will investigate all future items with a Canadian origin prior to purchase.

Joseph C. Jernigan

Poor Recording.......2002-09-05

The quality of the recording is poor. You can hear flutter in the string passages, which is 90% of Mantovani's music! There is also hiss noise, and pops in piece transitions... Amateur transcription from tape to CD's, is my guess. Someone else made bad reviews regarding the poor recording on the same record label, so my suggestion is to stay away from the label Madacy Records.

Top of the "Beautiful Music" Heap.......2001-02-19

This CD has a nice collection of Mantovani's work. The combination of older standards with "newer" (such as Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life")is great. This is the stuff that is usually mocked as "elevator music" but also considered by many good romancing background music. Many of these arrangements were heard on a local Beautiful Music FM station where I live before the format change. The only negative I have is for a "box set" there is no write-up on the Orchestra. It would have been nice to read about Mantovani and what inspired his arrangements, and the orchestra personnell. My copy was made in Canada by Madacy. Maybe someone who has contact with that company could recommend a booklet for any future copies made.

Excellence: The Artistry of Karita Mattila

Average customer rating:

Soaring Lyric Soprano at Her Best in Diverse Compilation

Excellence: The Artistry of Karita Mattila

Manufacturer: Ondine
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Karita Mattila Live in Helsinki
Karita Mattila - Arias & Scenes / Yutaka Sado, LPO
Karita Mattila: German Romantic Arias
Wild Rose
The Very Best of Lucia Popp

ASIN: B0002MPQKK
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Tracks:

Dedication
The Nut Tree
You Are Like A Flower
My Love Is In Bloom
Vain Serenade
The Path To The Beloved
When The Sun Shines
Miriam's Song I
Miriam's Song II
Morning Song
Autumn Mood
To Evening
Did I Just Dream?
The First Kiss
The Tryst
Black Roses
Hail Mary
Song To The Moon
Return, Victorious!
I Have Live For Art
Csardas
Somewhere
I Could Have Danced All Night

Customer Reviews:

Soaring Lyric Soprano at Her Best in Diverse Compilation.......2005-05-08

I was fortunate enough to see the magnificent soprano Karita Mattila perform the title role in Janácek's "Kát'a Kabanová" at the Metropolitan Opera last December. A striking blonde and a charismatic presence onstage, she lifted me from my upper balcony seat by the sheer volume of her voice. As this best-of compilation proves, Mattila is an accomplished singer who knows how to wrap her voice around the most challenging of measures and still display a rare communicative gift to all who listen. This wide-ranging collection (recorded from 1995 to 2001) shows how she effectively uses the timbre of her voice to gauge the emotional terrain of a song. It's a testament of her interpretive artistry that you never hear her reaching for an unnecessary flourish.

Mattila's versatility within the Romantic movement is showcased to strong advantage in the Schumann and Brahms selections, where she handles the delicacy of the melodies with lovely economy. Then there are a series of pieces by master composers from her homeland, Finland - Oskar Merikanto, Erkki Melartin, Toivo Kuula and the most famous, Jean Sibelius. It helps that so many of these selections invoke the haunting, desolate beauty of Nordic landscapes, which are ideally infused by the cool radiance of her vocal tone. Especially in the Sibelius sections, you hear how Mattila captures his very powerful modal implications drawn out over a number of notes. Ilmo Ranta accompanies on piano with immaculate skill on all the Romantic and Finnish selections.

From that point, the disc goes into more familiar programming starting with a lovely version of Schubert's "Ave Maria" and an ethereal performance of Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" from "Rusalka" with a rich string accompaniment. More dramatic interpretations follow with her one-two punch of Italian arias: a rousing "Ritorna vincitor" from Verdi's "Aida" and the bitter melancholy she expresses in Puccini's "Vissi d'Arte" from "Tosca". For all intents and purposes, the disc should have ended with the high-flying dramatic runs she displays in her impressive live performance of Strauss' "Klänge der Heimat" from "Die Fledermaus". Jukka-Pekka Saraste masterfully conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra on all these selections.

Alas, the last two tracks highlight Mattila's ability to crossover to Tin Pan Alley. It's arguable as to whether their inclusion is necessary - a harp-introduced rendition of "Somewhere" from Bernstein and Sondheim's "West Side Story", which she sings with thankfully elegant simplicity, and more frustratingly, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed version of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Lerner and Lowe's "My Fair Lady", where her Finnish accent betrays her only when she enunciates "dance" with the roundest of o's. Regardless, Mattila is a lyric soprano with powers of expansive generosity, a mature and warm tone in the middle register, and an upper register that effortlessly releases the excitement of an emotional climax. Even with the Broadway tunes, she displays a sophisticated gift for phrasing. Strongly recommended.

Nelson Eddy: Operatic Arias and Concert Songs

Average customer rating:

Nelson Eddy-Operatic Arias & Concert Songs
Eddy Sings Opera!...Mozart...Haydn...Wagner..and More!..Fabulous Find For Fans
Nelson Eddy's operatic recordings
Nelson Eddy : The Opera Years

Nelson Eddy: Operatic Arias and Concert Songs

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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The Artistry of Nelson Eddy
The Old Refrain
Through the Years
Sweethearts:The Timeless Love Affair -- On-Screen and Off -- Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, updated edition
Ah Sweet Mystery of Life: Anthology (1931-1938)

ASIN: B00004WZTF
Release Date: 2000-11-28

Tracks:

The Marriage Of Figaro: Non Piu Andrai
The Marriage Of Figaro: Se Vuol Ballare
The Creation: Rolling In Foaming Billows
The Creation: Now Heaven In Fullest Glory Shone
Die Meistersinger: Jerum! Jerum! (Cobbler's Song)
Tannhauser: Evening Star
Allerseelen (All Souls' Day)
Zueignung (Devotion)
Schwannengesang No.4: Ser (Standchen)
Ave Maria, Op.52 No.6
Faust: Song Of The Flea
The Nursery, No.5: Child's Evening Prayer
Hopak
Legend: Christ Had A Garden, Op.54 No.5
Pilgrim's Song: O Bless You Forests, Op.47 No.5
None But The Lonely Heart, Op.6 No.6
Don Juan's Ser, Op.38 No.1
Danse Macabre
Herodiade: Vision Fugitive (Fleeting Vision)
Carmen: Chanson Du Toreador

Customer Reviews:

Nelson Eddy-Operatic Arias & Concert Songs.......2006-08-22

A very good sampling of Nelson Eddy's operatic and concert work.
DVD in good condition.

Eddy Sings Opera!...Mozart...Haydn...Wagner..and More!..Fabulous Find For Fans.......2006-07-20

Fans of Nelson Eddy's classic musical films, will be in heaven when they hear his golden tones on this collection of the Operatic Arias and Concert Songs recorded between 1939 and 1944.
Eddy was not what you would call a booming Baritone, but wow, what a voice. Sweet, smooth, breathtaking. Gorgeous!

His masterful rendition of the Arias, and Concert Songs in Italian, English, German and French are impeccable. Whatever the emotion, sadness, joy, etc, Eddy captures it. You will feel the story in the words.Some are very solemn and moving, others are upbeat and will leave you smiling. Enjoy 2 from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro"(Non Piu Andrai/Se Vuol Ballare), Haydn's "The Creation",2 from Wagner("Jerum! Jerum"/"Evening Star") ,Moussorgsky, several from Tchaikovsky including "Don Juan's Serenade. You can see the complete list of 20 tracks in the buying info, but some of the other highlights, I thoroughly enjoyed are Schubert's "Serenade" and "Ave Maria", "Chanson Du Toreador", Bizet(from Carmen)and "Hopak"(Moussorgsky).

The original recordings are over 60 years old. This CD is a wonderful digital transfer. The album will give you over 70 minutes of enjoyment. It also come with a nice little bio booklet, detailing the singing career of Nelson Eddy, and the track listings, with the composer and the year Eddy first recorded it. The only thing it is missing, is the credits for the fine orchestras and musicians accompanying Eddy. I would have liked to have known who they were. None the less a fabulous and 5 star find for fans of Nelson Eddy, and a nice taste of some familiar Operatic pieces.

Enjoy....Laurie

Nelson Eddy's operatic recordings.......2004-01-07

This CD contains all of Nelson Eddy's recordings of classical music. However, given that he recorded over 200 songs, this is a small amount of his recorded legacy. Also note that, other than the Mozart (Italian), the Strauss (German), and the last 4 selections in French, the rest of these selections were recorded in English, although Eddy could and did sing them in the original languages. Despite what the previous reviewer said, these recordings are not from "the early years", when Nelson Eddy was an opera singer. These recordings are from the 1940's. Nelson Eddy had performed in his last operas in 1935, and he was almost never associated with actual opera on film. He performed yearly in concerts, solely of classical repertoire, from before his national fame, until the early 1950's. He was a very popular radio performer in the 1930's and 1940's. He sang many more operatic pieces/classical songs on radio (usually in their original language) which he never recorded. I, for one, regret that he did not record more from his classical repertoire, because that essential part of appreciating his art is mostly gone forever. My point is, that these songs do not give a full sense of the wide range of Eddy's work in the non-popular areas of song.
The liner notes are pretty good, although there are some errors in them.

Nelson Eddy : The Opera Years.......2001-10-01

Ah Sweet Mystery. A trip back in time. Is there any music medium Nelson Eddy did not excel in? First opera, concerts, movies, radio, tv, nightclubs. He was the master of them all. This is a great introduction to the early years when he was opera's leading and most exciting baritone.

Average customer rating:

Charmaine

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000Y37E2
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

Charmaine
Jealousy
Sous Les Toits De Paris
La Cucaracha
Wyoming Lullaby
Pavanne
Diane
Warsaw Concerto
Caribbean Calypso
Serenade
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Adios, Muchachos - Concert Tango
Mexicali Rose
Holiday For Strings
Greensleeves
Hear My Song, Violetta
Symphony
Ramona
Gypsy Legend
Dreaming
The Legend Of The Glass Mountain
Village Swallows From Austria
La Mer
I Live For You
Some Enchanted Evening

Average customer rating:

Bravo!

Vienna Waltz Ensemble

Manufacturer: Denwa
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ecossaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006CCR
Release Date: 1998-02-14

Tracks:

Gioachino Rossini-Anton Diabelli (1781-1858)
~8. V.R. Dubsky a.k.a Vojtech Rihovsky (1871-1950)
Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825-1899)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Kapellmeister Silberbauer (circa 1850)
Neue Ungarische Tanze/12 New hungarian dances.10'00"

Customer Reviews:

Bravo!.......2003-05-14

This CD is smooth listening from beginning to end. You may not know much about some of the composers on this CD, but the music is definately worth the price you pay. The last composer, Ferdinand Kauer, is represented by his 12 New Hungarian Dances. This music alone makes this CD worth buying... Actually, I heard Kauer on my local classical music station found that music on this CD. In fact, a flood destroyed almost everything he had when he was close to 80! It is hard to find anything by him that survives. Another recording of Kauer is by the Budapest Strings on Capriccio, which is equally as good as the Vienna Waltz Ensemble.

Tracks:

Waltz No. 1 (Blue Danube Op. 314)
Lyric Pieces Op. 12 Arietta
Danse des Mirlitons (Nutcraker Suite)
Lyric Pieces Op. 38 Berceuse
Danse Arabe (Nutcracker Suite)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Adagio
Lyric Pieces Op. 12, Vigilante Song
Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64, Andante
Waltz in a Minor
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Op. 46)

Tracks:

Appalachian Lullaby
Winter Light
Safe and Warm in My Arms
Bedtime
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Starlight, Starbright
Goodnight
Sweet Dreams
Moment I Saw You
With You in My Arms

Ritorna vincitor! - The Legandary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)

Average customer rating:

Return to Valhalla OhValhalla Goddess
Birgit Nilsson Now Sings In Heaven
Ave Atque Vale, Birgit Nilsson
RIP BIRGIT NILSSON - 5/17/1918 - 12/25/2005

Ritorna vincitor! - The Legandary Birgit Nilsson (2 CDs)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Wagner: Opera Arias & Duets
Nilsson Sings Verdi

ASIN: B00008MLU4
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

Ritorna Vincitor! - John Pritchard
O Don Fatale - Aregeo Quadri
Pace, Pace, Mio Dio! - Argeo Quadri
Nel Di Della Vittoria Io Le Incontrai... Ambizioso Spirto... Vieni T'affretta! - VIRGILIO CARBONARI
Vissi D'arte - Lorin Maazel
Einsam In Truben Tagen - Edward Downes
Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort - Sir Georg Solti
Allein! Weh, Ganz Allein - Sir Georg Solti
Ein Handwerk Verstehst Du Sicher Nicht - Walter Berry
Ah! Du Wolltest Mich Nicht Deinen Mund Kussen Lassen, Jokanaan!... Sie Ist Ein Ungeheuer, Deine Tochter... Ah! Ich Habe Deinen Mund Gekusst - Gerhard Stolze

Tracks:

Dich, Teure Halle - Edward Downes
Mild Und Leise Wie Er Lachelt - Hans Knappertsbusch
I Der Engel - 'In Der Kindheit Fruhen Tagen' - Sir Colin Davis
II Stehe Still! - 'Sausendes, Brausendes Rad Der Zeit' - Sir Colin Davis
III Im Treibhaus - 'Hochgewolbte Blatterkronen' - Sir Colin Davis
IV Schmerzen - 'Sonne, Weinsest Jeden Abend Dir Die Schonen Augen Rot' - Sir Colin Davis
V Traume - 'Sag', Welch Wunderbare Traume' - Sir Colin Davis
Var Det En Drom? (Was It A Dream?) - Bertil Bokstedt
Flickan Kom Ifran Sin Alsklings Mote (The Tryst) - Bertil Bokstedt
Svarta Rosor (Black Roses) - Bertil Bokstedt
Sav, Sav, Susa (Sigh, Rushes, Sigh) - Bertil Bokstedt
Diamanten Pa Marssnon (The Diamond On The March Snow) - Bertil Bokstedt
Hostkvall (Autumn Evening) - Bertil Bokstedt
Varen Flyktar Hastigt (Spring Flies Fast) - Bertil Bokstedt
En Svane (A Swan) - Bertil Bokstedt
Fra Monte Pincio - Bertil Bokstedt
Varen (Spring) - Bertil Bokstedt
Melodi (Melody) - Bertil Bokstedt
Bon Till Natten (Prayer To Night) - Bertil Bokstedt
Skoldmon (Valkyrie) - Bertil Bokstedt
En Gammal Dansrytm (An Old Dance Rhythm) - Bertil Bokstedt
I Could Have Danced All Night - Herbert Von Karajan

Customer Reviews:

Return to Valhalla OhValhalla Goddess.......2006-03-11

Birgit Nilsson was without a doubt the most powerful soprano of the 20th century, even a greater singer than Maria Callas, despite the fact that audiences loved Callas a lot more. Since her death on December 25th, 2005, I've listened to many of her recordings (and there are plenty, she was well-documented on recording). Nilsson was a versatile singer, and not just a Wagnerian specialist. This recording album of various arias represent her versatility and flexibility and even with all these arias of diverse repertoire, it's still not enough to capture her vast prowess. Not featured on here are her accounts of the Baker's Wife in Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten and Minnie in Puccini's La Fanciulla Del West, or Agathe from Weber's Die Freischutz, not to mention her interpretation of Beethoven's heroine Leonore in Fidelio and Venus from Tannhauser. She was known for her ability to sing both Elisabeth (soprano) and Venus (mezzo-soprano) in Tannhauser!!

What we have here are wonderful accounts of arias from diverse operas. Let's analyze some of them, in hopes you can get hooked on Nilsson and check out her full-length opera recordings.

Wagner: Ring Des Nibelungen: Every opera connoisseur knows that Birgit Nilsson was the heir to Kirsten Flagstad's throne when it came to singing Brunhilde. Possessing a superhuman and radiant voice, she found a bit of her Swedish self in the mythic character of the Valkyrie Brunhilde. To me, there is no greater Brunhilde. She had a heroic voice so that the Immolation Scene in Gotterdammerung (featured here) is by far the best account. She appears in the Karl Bohm recordings of the Ring and the studio engineered Ring under the baton of George Solti. TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: Her debut role at the Metropolitan Opera was as Isolde. She masters the role, which is possibly the most difficult in Wagner opera, and essays the high tessitura with great aplomb. Not featured here is the great Curse Aria. The Liebestod was a piece of cake for Isolde, and it is featured here. She sings this well, no doubt, but her only fault is that she could never quiet her voice the way some sopranos could. If anyone had trouble hearing Nilssons' mega voice, something was wrong with their hearing! TANNHAUSER: She was able to sing Elisabeth and Venus, and she got into the character's romantic nature. The Hall Aria is on here and it's great.

STRAUSS: As excting as her Wagner heroines were, her Strauss heroines were just as impressive. She understood the intensity of the music and delved into the character's psyches, even more so than the Wagner roles. As such, her SALOME is largely regarded as the best on record. While she could not physically convince us as a teenage nubile princess who inflammes the passions of her pagan father, she was able to sing the role with electrifying power and frightening madness. If you listen to the Solti recording, you will note how she could get into Salome's twisted mentality starting from the scene in which she asks for Jochanaan's head and the finale in which she kisses the severed head. This final scene is on here, thank God. Her interpretation of ELEKTRA set the bar high for all subsequent sopranos. She once again got into the character's depravity and lunacy. The intensity of the role never took its toll on her and she tirelessly sings the part in a combo of dramatic power and beautiful singing. Please check out her Elektra recording under Solti again, where she is paired with Regina Resnik.

PUCCINI: Yes, Birgit Nilsson sang Puccini and she did a damn good job of it too. Very few critics gave her credit for her superb Puccini heroines. At the Met in the 60's, audiences saw her stage performances of Tosca, Turandot and Minnie from La Fanciulla Del West. Her TOSCA is powerful, unsubtle but dramatically compelling. In the Lorin Maazel recoding opposite Franco Corelli, she was able to make her voice sound more round, warmer and more "Italian". Here we have her "Vissi D'Arte" but she could really deliver in such moments as the Death of Scarpia, the Torture/Interrogation Scene and the Finale. In fact her cry "O Scarpia Avanti Addio!" is possibly the best on record. She sang TURANDOT at the Met opposite Franco Corelli in riveting performances, rivaling any other soprano who sang Turandot at the time. The size of her voice, her regal presence (fashion designer Cecil Beaton made a Chinese Empress costume, complete with a decorative crown, especially for her) and her command of the music made for a stunning Turandot. Check out the EMI recording with Corelli and Scotto.

Verdi: She sang Verdi, though it was not a repertoire she followed up on extensively. Audiences saw her as Lady Macbeth, Princess Eboli, Elisabeth Di Valois (from Don Carlos) and Leonora from Forza del Destino. And of course as AIDA. Her Aida is not the most beautifully sung or the warmest, but in sheer volume and grandness she takes the crown. There is a studio recording she sang opposite Franco Corelli and Grace Bumbry. At the Met, audiences saw her paired with Jon Vickers' Radames. Ritorna Vincitor! Aida's first great aria in Act 1 is on here and it's the title of the album. Her LADY MACBETH is by far her greatest Verdi role. The cold, icy, unfeeling way she sings the part makes her Lady Macbeth by far the most wicked and dramatically convincing. Even without the Italian fire in the belly, she could get into character as good as the rest of them.

SWEDISH SONGS, BROADWAY AND MOZART: Her account of her native Swedish folk songs are lovely, and in her time, legendary, and even in her heyday as an opera singer she would sing Swedish songs on Swedish radio. As a girl growing up in her father's farm, she sung these folk songs which eventually drew the attention of Conservatory instructors and operatic voice coaches. Broadway ? I'm sorry. This is cute and experimental of her to sing "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady but this is not her forte. Her voice is too big for the role of Liza Doolittle and the waltz-like/operetta song is way out of her league. On a final note, Nilsson sang Mozart, namely the part of Dona Ana in Don Giovanni, which is found on at least two studio recordings, the famous one being the one with Cesare Siepi as Don Giovanni and Leontyne Price as Elvira under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf. Her Dona Ana is neither beautiful nor mannered, she sings with the usual Nilsson bravura and attempts to soften her voice but she shows no real command for the Mozart reperotire and again this was purely experimental for her.

LONG LIVE BIRGIT NILSSON! I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER HER AS BRUNHILDE, SINGING WITH SUPERHUMAN POWER AND PASSION IN THAT CLIMATIC IMMOLATION SCENE AT THE END OF GOTTERDAMMERUNG. NO ONE CAN MASTER THAT GRAND SCENE "Fleight Hom, Ih Rabens (Fly home you Ravens!) .."GRANE..MEIN ROSS (Grane My Horse!) HER VOICE GETS STRONGER, HIGHER AND MORE INTENSE, FLYING, FLYING EVER UPWARD TO VALHALLA.

Birgit Nilsson Now Sings In Heaven.......2006-01-22

On December 25th, 2005, the great soprano Birgit Nilsson passed away, and an era went with her. She was singing at a time in the mid 20th century just after World War II when other golden-age singers had made it big at the Met- among them Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi and Victoria De Los Angeles, the latter two which also died only recently. Nilsson will forever be remembered for her Wagnerian heroines- the Valkyrie Brunhilde, Isolde, and for her outstanding Turandot. But Nilsson sang a variety of repertoire, though critics snubbed her in such terrific roles as Beethoven's Leonore in Fidelio, Verdi's Lady Macbeth and Puccini's Tosca, roles which I think suited her well and she sang wonderfully. She also sang Mozart's Dona Anna, though this role for me was not suited to her voice. This album is a tribute to her supreme artistry. Here we have Aida's great aria Ritorna Vincitor! - an aria which is more stentorian and heroic sounding than the lush, lyrico-spinto renditions of such fine Aidas as Renata Tebaldi and Leontyne Price. The aria " O Don Fatale" belongs to Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo and should rightly be sung by a dramatic mezzo soprano. Nilsson handles the music to this quite well, however. Although she never performed Leonora in Forza Del Destino, the "Pace Pace Mio Dio" in this album is sublime. The rest of the arias include arias from Strauss' Salome, Elektra and Wagner's Gotterdammerung and Tristan And Isolde. Her distinctive voice is well captured on this album and any true fan of the late diva will want to buy this.

Ave Atque Vale, Birgit Nilsson.......2006-01-13

Every opera lover in the world met the news today of the December 25, 2005 passing of Birgit Nilsson with sadness. She was surely one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century, and in Wagnerian roles alone she was the equal of the great Kirsten Flagstadt. From her beginnings as a simple farm girl in Sweden she rose to the top of all of the international opera houses in the three decades when her voice was in full bloom. Her last public performance was in 1984 but she continued her legend in her masterclasses. She was a phenomenon whose glorious voice and presence will be much missed, but at least she has a huge recorded legacy that adds to her immortality.

This 2 CD set is a gathering of excerpts form many recordings and while it does not have the impact of, say, a full performance as Isolde or Brunnhilde or Turandot or Salome, it does offer a generous sampling of the many roles she mastered. Included on this set are arias form 'Macbeth', 'Aida', 'La Forza del Destino', 'Don Carlo', 'Tosca', 'Lohengrin', 'Die Götterdämmerung', 'Elektra', 'Salome', 'Die Frau ohne Schatten', 'Tannhäuser', 'Tristan und Isolde' and songs by Wagner ('Wesendonk Lieder'), Sibelius, Grieg, and Ture Rangström, and yes, even Frederick Lowe! She performs with various orchestras and conductors and pianists.

Not usually one for these 'best of' albums, this one is special, especially with the news that this extraordinary artist whose voice could reach the heavens is gone. An aptly titled memento -Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

RIP BIRGIT NILSSON - 5/17/1918 - 12/25/2005.......2006-01-12

The opera world mourns the passing of the great dramatic soprano. I never had the fortune to experience her performances live, but her many complete opera recordings and recitals are part of my CD library. This set is a perfect introduction to this diva's art and versatility.

Thank you for the music, Madame Nilsson.