Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique", Op.74
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Hermann Abendroth

Tracks:

March Of The Tin Soldiers - Leon Jessel
Variations On 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' - Walter Klien
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Reed Flutes - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
The Sorceror's Apprentice - Paul Dukas
Peter And The Wolf (Extract) - Brandon de Wilde
Invention No. 8 In F Major - Christiane Jaccottet
Invention No. 11 in G Minor - Christiane Jaccottet
Invention No. 13 in A Minor - Christiane Jaccottet
Prelude And Fugue No. 21 In B Flat Major (Book 1) - Christiane Jaccottet
Sonata For 2 Pianos In D Major, K. 448, 1st Mvt. - Rudolf Firkusny
III. Allegretto - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Of Strange Lands And People - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Curious Story - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Entreating Child - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Perfect Happiness - Walter Klien
Introduction And Royal March - Marylene Dosse
The Elephant - Marylene Dosse
Kangaroos - Marylene Dosse
The Aquarium - Marylene Dosse
Cuckoo In The Woods - Marylene Dosse
Birds - Marylene Dosse
Fossils - Marylene Dosse
The Swan - Marylene Dosse
Finale - Marylene Dosse

Customer Reviews:

Children's Favorites a solid purchase.......2006-03-09

This CD mostly delivered what was expected of it. The only critique I have is that some of the tempos could have been cleaner, and that it should be cross-referenced by the other composers besides J. S. Bach.

The perfect package.......2005-10-23

This is the most wonderful collection to have on 1 CD. Children from birth on up can benefit from this musical collage.
Songs from the "Nutcracker" are familiar and comfortable for many children. What child wouldn't love "March of the Tin Soldiers?"
Selections from Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" is a must in my creative movement library. Every child should be exposed to this music. Well,I believe every age should be.

A Wonderful Introduction to the Classics.......2003-03-11

With total playing time clocking in at 78:04 minutes of music, you'll be paying about 6-cents/minute, which is a better bargain than long distance phone calls, and often more rewarding!

This disc is far superior than most other "Classics for Kids"-type recordings I've sampled for a number of reasons:

1) This album was expertly engineered. The production quality on this disc is first-rate from start to finish with crisp, clear sound.

2) The pieces were expertly picked. There is wonderful sonic variety here, spanning hundreds of years of wonderful melodies. There are orchestral pieces, harpsichord pieces, solo piano, and a piano concerto, capped off with Saint-Seans whimsical Carnival of the Animals. What kid (or adult) wouldn't love that?

3) The performances are, without exeption, expert! The pieces were definately screened for quality as well as content. Many are simply a joy to behold. Walter Klein is a particular stand-out, almost giddily prancing through Schumann's pieces. Believe it or not, he sounds even more impressive when backed up by the always inspiring Minnesota Orchestra on Mozart's Piano Concerto #17.

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracks:

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro
The Nutcracker: Russian Dance
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Toy Flutes
Flight of the Bumblebee
Cannon in D Major
Sabre Dance
Happy Farmer
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade (Excerpts)
Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet Of The Chickens In Their Shells
On The Beautiful Blue Danube (Excerpts)
Fse
Trout Quintet In A Major (Theme & Variations) - Schubert
The Syncopated Clock
The Typewriter
Rhapsody in Blue (Excerpts)
Spring Song In A Major - Mendelssohn
Lullaby

Tracks:

Peter And The Wolf - Classics For Kids
The Toy Symphony - Classics For Kids

Customer Reviews:

My 3 yr old loves it!.......2007-03-17

This is one of my three year old's top requests for listening. She simply loves it; She hums along and can name most of the songs. I am vey pleased.

My baby loves this CD!.......2006-11-05

Of all the many CDs we were given, this is my baby's favorite. Unlike most CDs of classical music for babies, this isn't just smooth, soft music. It does have some of that, but it also has more exciting pieces like the bouncy Nutcracker music, The Flight of the Bumble Bee, and The Sabre Dance. My baby bounces and dances to this music happily. And once she's a bit older, I'm sure she's going to love "Peter the Wolf," narrated by Jack Lemmon.

A Reasonable Collection.......2004-08-11

This is a reasonable selection of works to start with as a child's introduction to Classical music. There are two main flaws - a handful of the pieces are performed rather poorly and the sound quality is muffled. But keeping the intended audience in mind and the price, it's not a bad value.

Average customer rating:

Orchestra Excerpts for Viola

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Orchestral Excerpts for Viola, with written and spoken commentary
Orchestral Excerpts for Cello
Orchestral Excerpts for Violin
William Primrose: Viola Transcriptions
Romances & Elegies for Viola & Piano

ASIN: B0000038L5
Release Date: 1998-01-27

Tracks:

Intro
Don Quixote
Hary Janos
Concert Variations
Daphnis et Chloe, Ste No. 2
Midsummer Nights Dream
Peter Grimes
Tchaikovsky: Sym No. 6
Sym No. 5
Roman Carnival Ov
Don Juan
Tallis Variations
Sym No. 35
Sym No. 4
Haydn Vars
Sym No. 10
Peer Gynt
Sym No. 5
Mother Goose
Romanian Rhap No. 1
Romanian Rhap No. 2

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6 - Mikhail Pletnev

Average customer rating:

Not a bad conductor
You could do worse...
More Exciting Tchaikovsky from Pletnev
This Sad Pletnev Story
Not the best around; but DEFINITELY not the worst....

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6 - Mikhail Pletnev
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Mikhail Pletnev , and Russian National Orchestra
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos, Symphony Pathetique, The Seasons, & Piano Pieces; Mikhail Pletnev/Russian National Orchestra (4 CD's)

ASIN: B000001GSB
Release Date: 2005-03-21

Tracks:

Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Daydreams On A Wintry Road - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: O Land Of Gloom, O Land Of Mist! - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Finale: Andante lugubre - Allegro moderato - Allegro maestoso - Andante lugubre - Allegro vivo - P.I. Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo
Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Andantino marziale, quasi moderato
Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Scherzo - Alegro molto vivace - Trio
Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo - Presto
Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo
Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Andantino in modo di canzone
Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Scherzo - Pizzicato ostinato - Allegro
Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Finale- Allegro con fuoco

Tracks:

Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Introduzione e Allegro - Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) - Allegro brillante
Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Alla tedesca - Allegro moderato e semplice - Trio
Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Andante elegiaco
Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Scherzo - Allegro vivo - Trio
Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Finale - Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di Polacca)

Tracks:

Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Andante - Allegro con anima
Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo I
Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Valse - Allegro moderato
Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Finale - Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto

Tracks:

Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Adagio - Allegro non troppo - Andante - Moderato mosso Allegro vivo - Andante come prima - Andante mosso
Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Allegro con grazia
Allegro molto vivace
Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Finale - Adagio lamentoso - Andante

Amazon.com

A disaster. These dull, lackluster performances demonstrate conclusively that, however interesting Mikhail Pletnev may be as a pianist, he simply does not yet know how to conduct an orchestra. How can you tell? Because as a pianist he's willful, rhapsodic, eccentric, but full of ideas and never boring. As a conductor, he's metronomic, reserved, inhibited, and simply unable to impress any interpretive character on the music at all. And despite the fact that these are recent digital recordings, they don't even sound that great. Avoid. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Not a bad conductor.......2007-05-18

Oh, please. These are terrible, yes, but Pletnev is (or can be) a wonderful conductor when he is "in the mood." For example, his Tchaikovsky Overtures (on a 3-disc Virgin set) are wonderful, colorful, musical. Same with his Prokofiev Cinderella.

I admit it is interesting to learn about Pletnev's rather flashy religious conversion. It explains a lot about his "sleepiness" at the keyboard post 1990. (For some horrific examples of this bad trait, listen to his two Chopin albums, or his Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto, or his Scarlatti Sonatas - ugh. Where's the color, drive, and music in these performances?)

It also explains strange little comments made by some reviewers about Pletnev, stuff about "his truly human humility," "his deep, unaggressive humility," that sort of thing. If the Russian Orthodox religion is THAT boring - placing a premium on "humility" and "nonaggression" in artistic matters - then we're in for a lot of boring records by Mikhail. It isn't "touching" or "profound" to play the Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev Third as if you haven't had your morning coffee yet.

You could do worse..........2003-03-06

You could do worse'Pletnev isn't as bad a conductor as some make him out to be (his recording of Tchaikovsky's Sixth on Virgin records is actually quite spectacular). Tchaikovsky is my favorite symphonic composer, and while only his later 3 have achieved popularity, his first 3 are very enjoyable. They may lack the intensity of the 4th or 6th, and the poignancy of the 5th, and the form is noticeably sophomoric, but they do contain some fairly ingenious musical ideas and thematic elements. If you are thinking of buying just 2 or 3 of the symphonies, it is undoubtedly worth the money to purchase all 6 (7 if you include Manfred). This set is the best you can get for the under fifty dollars, but it isn't the best set you can buy. Pletnev does am outstanding job with the quieter and less intense moments of the music. His slow movements are absolutely touching (with the exception of the final movement of the final symphony, which, though slow and mournful, requires a more underlying intensity that is lacking here). The second movement's heart stopping opening chord sequence is simply some of the most beautiful music ever written, and Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra make it all the more touching. Unfortunately, the music does lack intensity. The climax of the sixth symphony's first movement is very intense, but other many other points in the music lack that same passion. At times, the balance of the orchestra can be a little off as well. There are actually several themes and motifs that I never knew were there (because they were drowned out) until I looked at the score. So if you don't want to spend to much money on these amazing pieces, this is a good set, but if you a more dedicated classicalist, I would recommend springing for an alternate set.

More Exciting Tchaikovsky from Pletnev.......2000-02-12

Mikhail Pletnev burst onto the conducting scene nearly a decade ago with an electrifying account of Tchaikovsky's 6th with this same orchestra on Virgin classics. Indeed, that recording is the most viscerally exciting account of the 6th ever committed to disc. Though this set of all Tchaikosvky's symphonies does not quite attain the same heights, it is still an exciting traversal of the great Russian's output in this genre. (And, contrary to the opinion expressed by the Russian reviewer below, Tchaikovsky's first three symphonies are also brilliant masterworks.) It is a pity that DG was not more generous, failing to include the fill-ups mentioned by the reviewer from Singapore; nevertheless, this is authentic Tchaikovsky from one of the most exciting Russian conductors (and pianists) alive today. Do not hesitate to hear this!

This Sad Pletnev Story.......2000-02-07

I have to respectfully disagree with the other two gentlemen who left rather excited reviews, and agree with the editorial blurb. Pletnev is no conductor. It's a sad example of this typical trend when every good actor presumes s/he will and, for some reason, should make a good director, just as every other pianist rushes into conducting for the same reasons. This just doesn't work -- Julia Roberts directing and Pletnev conducting... oh, please! -- they only deprive us all and themselves of great performances they could have done in the areas where they are professionals. (Thank goodness Richter was doing what he was doing, and wasn't worried about "conductor's fame"). Think of Ashkenazy, too -- an outstanding pianist but a mediocre conductor. His conducting isn't bad, it's okay, but for every performance of his, there are always at least a couple of other recordings you would unmistakably choose over. The first thing about Pletnev is, his performance (including that of a pianist) has notably worsened over the last 15 years or so (these were the years of his infatuation with conducting, and with Russian Orthodox religion -- the latter has made him duller in every sense). When he was younger, he had a very fresh pianistic style and there was much excitement about him (same story with Kissin, by the way, who is getting duller and duller as the time goes). Then, under Gorbachev, when religion suddenly became a fashion among Russian intellectuals, he started doing these weird things -- he would come to a concert with a huge pretentious cross hanging over his dress (you'd think religion is a personal thing and a cross, if it means something, is to be kept under your shirt). There was much window-dressing in that. I was a student in Moscow at the time, and we would just laugh at the guy when we sat at his performances in Moscow Conservatory. The problem is, not only did he look like a boring Russian Orthodox "pop" (ie. priest), but he eventually started to "behave" like one. What I mean is, this stupid show he put on influenced his entire performing style. He became "slow and dull". He would stand there in front of the orchestra with his head down, his eyes closed and his face depicting some super-tragic emotion without any movement every other minute in the middle of the play, putting both the orchestra and everybody listening asleep. A similar thing happened to his style of a pianist -- a young energetic Pletnev who played Prokofiev's 8th sonata on par with Horowitz was gone; a new boring Pletnev who would sleep over the keyboard was born. That's the whole story. I simply can't listen to Pletnev's late work. As for his conducting in particular, I have to agree again with the editorial opinion -- it lacks any interpretive qualities. It is sour and dull. When I listened to these Tchaikovsky's pieces, I couldn't but vividly imagine Pletnev standing there "asleep" with his head down and the orchestra just going without him. By the way, speaking of the orchestra, the so called "Russian National" is a rather boring collective too (well, I guess, they found each other). It used to be "Moscow State Philharmonic" at the time of the Soviet Union, and it was only good at playing pop arrangements at "gala" kind of events. At about the same time Pletnev took over it, they renamed it "Russian National" but it didn't make it any better -- it never lived up to the standards of, for example, Svetlanov's orchestra (leave alone former Mravinsky's Leningrad Philharmonic...). I wouldn't advise this dull record to anyone -- the only justifiable reason to buy it is: you are a music student and have to learn all pros & contras around. If you are just after a nice performance of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, check the 5th in Gergiev's version and the 6th in Karajan's or even Muti's (or Svetlanov's, if you are into a more "Russian" experience). As for Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies, I don't know why anyone would want to listen to them (the guy was a big phony in his early years). Basically, with the name Pletnev, stay away from everything that was recorded after 1990. Some of his earlier piano stuff is wonderful, though.

Not the best around; but DEFINITELY not the worst...........1999-11-10

Pletnev's Tchaikovsky cycle though not the best around ( c.f Jansons/Oslo PO ; Karajan/BPO) but yet is still very much worth a listen. Sound carries much of a typical Russian orchestra which Tchaikovsky might have intended when writing these works -big and brassy. Carries some unique and memorable moments eg. beginning of Sym. No. 6 1st Movt - the air of mystery and groom before the basoon entrance. Though it might have the sheer white-heat of the same sym. previously recorded under Virgin ( by Pletnev/RSO)previously, interpretation and performance is still marked to be one of the best around...Major minus point is that this set ( which is full-price for 5 CDs) is also available separately in 6 CDs which carries interesting fillers like the Tempest, R&J Overture and Capriccio Italtien just to name a few. Janson with Oslo PO is still first choice ( together with a electrifying performance of the Manfred) but interesting performances as this should not be missed as well...

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At the end...
Nothing Beats Lenny's Performance on Tchaikovsky!

Panorama: Peter Tchaikowsky

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Panorama: Frederic Chopin
Panorama: Joseph Haydn
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No6, Op74; Skryabin: Symphony No4
Panorama: Sergei Rachmaninov
Plays Schubert

ASIN: B00004W3J3
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: 1. Ouverture miniature. Allegro giusto - 2. Danses caracteristiques
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: A. Marche. Tempo di marcia viva
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: B. Danse de la fee dragee. Andante non troppo
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: C. Danse russe (trepak). Tempo di trepak, molto vivace
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: D. Danse arabe. Allegretto
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: E. Danse chinoise. Allegro moderato
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: F. Danse des mirlitons. Moderato assai
The Nutcracker - Suite, Op. 71a: 3. Danse des fleurs. Tempo di valse
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 1. Andante - Allegro con anima
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo I
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Valse. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 4. Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto

Tracks:

Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Overture After Shakespeare: Andante non tanto quasi Moderato - Allegro - Molto meno mosso - Allegro giusto - Moderato assai
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 1. Adagio - Allegro non troppo - Andante - Moderato mosso - Andante - Moderato assai - Allegro vivo - Andante come prima - Andante mosso
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 2. Allegro con grazia
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 3. Allegro molto vivace
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 4. Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante

Customer Reviews:

At the end..........2005-04-12

What makes this recording particular worthwile is the sixt symphony of Tchaikovsky. The 6th is-among other reasons-important as a human document.
The symphony was the last music he composed before he died. Tchaikowsky was never a very happy man. According to some he was homosexual ( inadmissible in the 19th century ), according to others he searched in vain for Platonic love. His music is not really happy or frolicsome either. Even The Nutcracker and Capriccio Italiano have an undertone of tragedy played by cello and contrabass.Only at the end of his compositions, there is always an outburst of energy and optimism.

Not so in his 6th and last symphony. At the end of the fourth mouvement-the Adagio Lamentoso-the music gradually becomes pianissimo (as if Tchaikowsky meant to say: this time I give up) until the music is only a faint whisper of grief. A few weeks later Tchaikowsky commits suicide.

Nothing Beats Lenny's Performance on Tchaikovsky!.......2001-08-18

I simply love this double-decker!!! Nothing beats Lenny's performance on Tchaikovsky! Bernstein's unique and expressive performance provides very profound emotion, so audible that you can almost feel it. Lenny's performance on Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony is DEFINITELY the best Tchaikovsky I ever heard, as well as his 5th Symphony and Romeo an Juliet! It's TRULY worth it for Tchaikovsky lovers, especially the 6th Symphony! You should listen to Lenny's performance on the music once!

Roger Norrington conducts Richard Wagner, Peter Tchaikovsky

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Roger Norrington conducts Richard Wagner, Peter Tchaikovsky

Manufacturer: Hanssler Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3 & 4
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 1 & 5

ASIN: B0009I7OJ8
Release Date: 2004-08-01

CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

Average customer rating:

A Pathetique with intensity (and a devastating finale) but little contrast
Simply the best
Greatness!
I totally agree
The only one

CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tchaikovsky: Symphony 4
CELIBIDACHE: Münchner Philharmoniker - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Mozart: Requiem
CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 & 4

ASIN: B000002RZK
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Applause
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': I. Adagio-Allegro Non Troppo
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': II. Allegro Con Grazia
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': III. Allegro Molto Vivace
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': IV. Finale. Adagio Lamentoso-Andante
Applause

Customer Reviews:

A Pathetique with intensity (and a devastating finale) but little contrast.......2006-07-09

I notice that here on Amazon most of the reviews for Celibidache's posthumous recordings are five-star raves, giving little indication about the actual difference between one recording and the next. Because he had a 'method' that he thought was superior to any other condccutor's, Celi took the same approach to all music. This in itself isn't a sign of genius, but he had so much innate talent that at times his broad, deep, highly emotional approach did become incandescent.

I wouldn't say this was such an occasion. Drawing the first movement of the Pathetique out to 25 min. when Mravinsky takes 17 min. in his classic reading on DG from 1960 brings no gain in depth or intensity. True, Celi is intense; these aren't slack readings, they just miss the spirit of the work. His greatest impact comes in the devastating finale (13 min. compared to Mrvinsky's 9:45), which accomplishes what Bernstein misses in his famous reading on DG with its extremes of pathos and wrenching self-pity (at 17 min. it makes Celi look reasonable).

I'm not sure that one great movement is enough to justify this whole performance. We get a dull second movement waltz and a Scherzo that direly needs speed and excitement. The Munich Phil. plays with total commitment for their adored maestro, and EMI's sound is full and rich. Even so, I'd save this one for Celibidahe fans only.

Simply the best.......2005-09-05

I have listened to this symphony for perhaps 15 years, and over those years collected numerous recordings by all the notable orchestras and conductors. I must say, however, that none of them come anywhere close to matching the intensity and emotion in this recording. The first movement, especially, is almost painful to listen to, it is so gripping. This recording is not for the faint of heart, but if you want to hear the message Tchaikovsky was trying to give, this is the one recording of this piece you must have. All my other copies are gathering dust.

Greatness!.......2004-02-15

Extraordinary music making. Celibidache's Tchaikovsky is on a plateau that is both `spiritual' and visceral. An almost impossible task for our more terrestrial conductors.
An absolute recommendation for the seasoned connoisseur of great music making.

I totally agree.......2003-04-03

Listening to this cd is actually quite a devastating experience. Not for the faint-hearted, I should add. It's all in there... and much more. This recording surpasses time, style and romanticism. A recording from beyond.

Oh Lord, how much I wish I'd been there, that November evening, in Münich.

Buy it without any hesitation at all.

The only one.......2003-02-05

I have listened to Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony since I was twelve years old. During this time I became acquainted with half a dozen recordings of it : Karajan, Bernstein, Mravinsky, Sinopoli, etc. I became even indifferent to this music. At last, came Celibidache's version. Nothing compares to it. It was a new music - and what a music ! What an experience ! Listening to it is one of the most tremendous and impressive experience one can have in his life. It's am undescribible tragedy, ressembling the feeling we have listening to Mahler's Ninth or Tenth. The first mouvement is simply devastating. After listening to it, the best one could do is not to listen to everyone's else version. Last year I listened Termikanov's Saint Petersburg Orchestra, alive, in a theatre. I was right : it sounded simply ridiculous. This recording is, as one can see, simply essencial for those who like Tchaikovsky, Celibidache, or, in one word, music.

Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 68: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Richard Strauss

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Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 68: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Richard Strauss

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003EY6
Release Date: 1991-10-04

Tracks:

Sym in b, No.6 Op.74 'Pathetique': Adagio; Allegro Non Troppo
Sym in b, No.6 Op.74 'Pathetique': Allegro Con Grazia
Sym in b, No.6 Op.74 'Pathetique': Allegro Molto Vivace
Sym No.6, op.74 'Pathetique' in b: Adagio Lamentoso
Death And Transfiguration, Op.24: Largo (Happy Memories Of Childhood)
Death And Transfiguration, Op.24: Allegro Molto Agitato (Life And Death Battle)
Death And Transfiguration, Op.24: Meno Mosso, Ma Sempre All Breve (Dreams Of The Dying; Death)
Death And Transfiguration, Op.24: Moderato (Transfiguration)

Average customer rating:

A great companion to the book

Orchestral Excerpts for Flute

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Orchestral Excerpts for Flute
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Orchestral Excerpts for Clarinet

ASIN: B0000038JW
Release Date: 1996-04-09

Tracks:

Opening Remarks
'Aus Liebe'- St. Mathew Passion
'Domine Deus'- Mass In b
Sym No.3
Sym No.4
Leonore No.3
Entr'acte From Carmen
Menuet From L'Arlesienne
Sym No.1
Sym No.4
Afternoon Of A Faun
Sym No.8
Menuet & Dance From Orpheus
Sym Metamorphoses
Midsummer Night's Dream
Classical Sym
Peter And The Wolf
Bolero
Daphnis Et Chloe'
Russian Easter Ov
Capriccio Espagnol
William Tell Ov
Carnival Of The Animals
Salome
Petrouchka
Chant Du Rossignol
Sym No.4
Closing Remarks

Customer Reviews:

A great companion to the book.......2000-10-28

I own the book of the same title of excerpts, though expensive it was worth it. I was considering not buying this CD since I have recording of the pieces anyway but I am glad I did. Not only is it convienient to have all the excerpts on once CD but Jeanne has a wonderful clear sound makes this a joy to listen to. Having it isolated to better hear what she is talking about is immensely helpful. It's not a fun to listen to recording, it is meant for study, but if you are a flutist learning your major orchestral solos it is just as good as having your teacher walk you through the piece. Perhaps more helpful as a second view is always good to know.

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