Out of Balance

Label Comments
"Their instrumental blend is so tight it's frightening"-FishNet Indie Review

"...a collaboration of various musical elements that has made people stand up & take notice of this band (including me),...One of the Best bands I have heard in a long time & I highly recommend buying this"-Inner Dimensions Magazine

"The past and the present all blend together, making exlporation Acumen's strongest forte, ...The word 'innovative' and Acumen go hand in hand..."-The Glass Eye

"They execute their ideas musically, with more than mere mastery of the craft-with vision and exultant emotion. Did I mention I love this disc?..."-Screed Magazine

"...an enjoyable spin with each listen..."-Expose`

"...percussive, rhythmic acoustics and catchy, song-oriented compositions."- Progression

"...soaring compelling, and multitextured, Acumen's offerings has intelligent lyrics, '60's sensibilities, and Strong possibilities."-L.A. Times

Product Description
EXTREMELY UNIQUE Progressive Pop/Rock Very much "their own thing" stylisticaly. Incorporating elements of Jethro Tull, Kansas, Moody Blues, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane,CSNY.

Out of Balance

Out of Balance,Acumen,Holographic,Alternative Pop/Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Progressive pop for fans of Jefferson Airplane and Jethro Tull.,Rock

Average customer rating:

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

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

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Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD)
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Black Is...
Average customer rating:

Fertile Ground is one of the best soul jazz spirtual groups today!!!!!!

DAMN!

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

big props for being original AND good...

Absolutely peerless

Black Is...
Fertile Ground
Manufacturer: Blackout Studios
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | R&B | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Seasons Change

Spiritual War CD2

Field Songs

Perception

Too Much Woman

ASIN: B0002ZAZGC
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

Spirit World
Light Shed'n
Live in the Light
Another Day
An Artist Prayer
Shout
Changing Woman
A Blues for me
Yellow Daises
Black Is
Naked
You
On this day
Reprise

Album Description

Still ironically considered new artists, Fertile Ground has seven years, countless performances, and dozens of recordings to their credit. After 2 years of extensive touring, writing and recording, the group has unveiled their fourth full-length masterpiece, simply entitled Black Is… the highly-anticipated CD, is the sequel to the acclaimed 2002 release Seasons Change. This fourth full-length album, which will be internationally released and supported by an extensive world tour, contains a range of ethereal classics such as the title track, Black Is…, a soulful jazz waltz ballad full of affirmation, the joyful noise of Live In the Light; and the introspectively revealing song Naked, which gives us an example of how to truly connect with and reflect each other.

Customer Reviews:

Fertile Ground is one of the best soul jazz spirtual groups today!!!!!!.......2007-02-15

Believe the hype, this is a masterpiece true soul for the lovers of soul music. Thoughtful lyric's Wonderful sound from start to finish. Will not disappoint.

DAMN!.......2006-08-08

FERTILE GROUND IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE OF ALL THAT HAS LIVED AND THRIVED BEFORE IT...A COSMIC BLEND OF JAZZ, R&B, HIP HOP, BLUES, SOUL, FUNK FUSION...DAMN!! AND WHAT DISTINGUISHES FG FROM SO MANY OTHERS PAST AND PRESENT IS ITS PURITY AND WHOLESOMENESS...CLEAN AND UNTAINTED, UNCOMPROMISED, FREE SPIRITED AND CONVICTED, COMMITTED TO EXPRESSING THE GREATNESS OF THE ONE, THE ALL AND NOTHING, THE MOTHER, FATHER, SON, DAUGHTER ENERGY OF THIS GREAT METAVERSE AND BEYOND...DAMN!!! GET ALL OF THEIR CD'S...ALL OF THEM!!! AND PREPARE FOR SELF EXPLORATION...EACH AND EVERY CUT HAS DIFFERENT MEANINGS AT DIFFERENT TIMES...YOUR FAVORITES WILL CHANGE FROM WEEK TO WEEK...DAY TO DAY...DAMN!! FG REIGNS RIGHTEOUSLY!!!

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!.......2006-03-17

Fertile Ground is outstanding and uplifting. I went to one of their live concerts without knowing too much about them. I am forever more a fan. "Black is" is a CD that will make you move and drift into meditation all at the same time. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! Spiritual War is also good as well; I haven't purchased yet, BUT I WILL!!!!

big props for being original AND good..........2005-07-26

i love these folks.
pointblank.

no sexually suggestive lyrics over-scored by gratuitous production work...

no pre-teen/pop-minded/filthy-fleen-flarth... (sorry... channelin a lil bill cosby. my bad/wont happen again, i swair!)

but this is just a good, grownfolk's album...

equal parts billy holiday, earthwind&fire and curtis mayfield...

if you're here, readin this, then you already know or have already heard a little bit about them... dont be scurred now...

commit yourself...

...fulfill your 'rite of passage' into adulthood.

Absolutely peerless.......2005-06-03

I bought this CD after having seen Fertile Ground perform live in April. All I can say is Wow! Their music is spiritual, yet fun and lively -- they had people dancing in the crowded aisles of the theater. This is real music folks.

Fertile Ground's style encompasses jazz, reggae, samba with a little hip hop for good measure. And what can I say about Navasha Daya's voice? This vocalist sounds a lot like Phyllis Hyman to me, but far from being a soundalike, Daya is definitely a unique talent. She is a commanding presence not just because of her powerful set of pipes, but she has a way of engaging the audience that makes you want to watch this group all night. And the band does not play second fiddle to her voice because they can all hold their own. That is the hallmark of a good group -- when the musicians get to shine as much as the vocalist. As good their live show is, the CD is even better because you get to hit repeat as often as you like.

"Black Is" features 10 tracks along with some interludes and an instrumental. The title song is a love song to Black people that speaks to inner beauty and strength and exhorts the listener to remain steadfast. "Changing Woman" is a song that upholds the woman's various roles in life and is billed as a tribute to a native spirit. This is a balanced CD with some uptempo music that will make you groove, as well as some slower thought-provoking tracks.

This is definitely music for those of us with more on our minds than the latest dance step and material goods. I recommend it.

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out Of Balance (1983 Film)

Average customer rating:

You have to see it live!!!
The Grid was better in this recording
Leaves out one of the best pieces
A teaser at best...
Get the Re-Recording!!!!

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out Of Balance (1983 Film)

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Naqoyqatsi (Score)
Powaqqatsi (1988 Film)
Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance
Koyaanisqatsi / Powaqqatsi (2 Pack)
Koyaanisqatsi (1998 Re-recording)

ASIN: B000001F4L
Release Date: 1995-04-17

Tracks:

Koyaanisqatsi
Vessels
Cloudscape
Pruit Igoe
The Grid
Prophecies

Amazon.com

The striking time-lapse imagery of Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisquatsi was really an accompaniment to Philip Glass's music, rather than the other way around. Think of it this way: You can listen to the music without the film, but you'd never watch the film without the music. OK, maybe you didn't leave the theater humming the tunes (although I do remember going around chanting that thrillingly deep-throated "Koyaanisqatsi" for a while); this is some of Glass's most dramatic and powerful music-- essential for anybody interested in modern film music, or just modern music in general. --Jim Emerson

Album Details

Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance - Music by Phillip Glass.

Customer Reviews:

You have to see it live!!!.......2005-10-29

This CD was my introduction to Philip Glass since then it has been a long down hill slide to poverty by feeding my addiction for more Glass.

If you think the VHS and DVD are good you need to see it live. I first saw Koyaanisqatsi live at Santa Monica College on the outdoor field, the second time was at Royce hall at UCLA then in 2001 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle each time seemed better than the previous. Now that all three films are done I am hoping to see them each live in a three day marathon.

The Grid was better in this recording.......2005-03-12

The Koyaanisqatsi music is simply fantastic.

Both the original soundtrack recording, and the newer re-recording, are very good, but they are different, each with its own strengths and relative weaknesses compared to the other.

I think The Grid was much more exciting and intense, in this original version. Especially the bass; I miss the driving throbbing power of the basslines in this version, when I listen to the re-recording, where the bass is laid back in the background, in comparison.

Leaves out one of the best pieces.......2005-02-20

This is powerful music if you like Philip Glass, but this compilation lacks what I consider the most moving track. It's about 8 minutes long and I think of it as the "Desert sequence." It starts with a slow string progression over aerial views of orange canyons and Monument Valley. It's immediately followed by "Cloudscape" after the scene with the caves and steam vents. I can listen to it over and over and the power doesn't fade. It lacks the frantic harshness of some Glass material.

They re-issued the soundtrack in 1998 and may have included this track (I haven't heard it) but reviews say it's not the original stuff and sounds watered-down. I extracted and converted the Desert sequence from my DVD, so I'm happy, but they could have easily fit it on the CD since the other tracks consume just 46 minutes. I don't know why they left so much off unless they did it as an LP first and were too lazy to re-make it. CDs were introduced to the market shortly after Koyaanisqatsi was released.

A teaser at best..........2002-10-31

I've had the VHS for a number of years and watched it several times through a low end audio/video setup. It was satisfactory. This CD gave me the highlights I missed on the low end VHS tape.

I bought the DVD but haven't watched it yet because I was saving it to see the movie on the big screen. This past weekend I got to see the movie on the big screen but, to my surprise and profound glory, I got to see it not only on the big screen but I got to see it live with Philip Glass and company performing the soundtrack in person. Oh my what I've been missing.

I have since recorded the DVD onto tape and never realized just how much I missed and how profound the recording is. Of course I may be biased having seen it live and the images of the movie emblazened into my brain when I hear the score but I absolutely love this composition.

The reason it only gets four stars is that you must get the DVD; you must have the entire score. Anything less is to your loss. It's as if I never heard it before.

My recommendation is to see it with the film but the soundtrack stands on its own as an amazing piece of music. The score for Powaqqatsi is also brilliant but perhaps because, as noted on the 'extras' on the DVD, no one was waiting for this movie, this stands out as an inspired piece, moreso than Powaqqatsi (which is also brilliant but in a different way).

Invest in the DVD and don't tease yourself with this album alone. As an independent piece of music or as accompaniment to a brilliant piece of filmmaking, it's awesome.

Get the Re-Recording!!!!.......2002-01-26

Although any album by Philip Glass is worth the money, honestly, if you are craving the music from the movie "Koyaanisqatsi", then the 1998 re-Recording will please you a hundred-fold more than this one. The new one is longer and not merely a "soundtrack", it IS the movie, sans images. But you make up your own images, if you like.

Average customer rating:

Classics Explained: Rite of Spring
Stravinsky , Rahbari , and Brt Po Brussels
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Classics Explained: Pastoral Symphony
An Introduction to Ravel's "Boléro" and "Ma mère l'oye"
Classics Explained: Brandenburg Concertos 4 & 5
An Introduction to Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2
Symphony 9: Introduction to Dvorak

ASIN: B00007FPFN
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Average customer rating:

In Other Words
April
Manufacturer: April
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAFDAK
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

Dare You to Love
Walk Me Home
Fine with Me
Impossible Escape
Mystery
After Me
You Don't Fake It
Lovely Edge
Make Me Brave
It's Not Easy
Losing

Average customer rating:

My Hero

Manufacturer: Hydropants Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000271ZX2

Average customer rating:

BEWARE! NOT THE REAL ACUMEN
AWESOME!!!!!!!! SIMPLY AWESOME
WOW!!!!!!!!

Out of Balance
Acumen
Manufacturer: Holographic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Out Of Balance
Forever
All Behind Me
Hawk
Faces
World Gone Mad
Between Us
Now
My Gods
All Of My All
Gypsy
I Wonder

Album Description

EXTREMELY UNIQUE Progressive Pop/Rock Very much "their own thing" stylisticaly. Incorporating elements of Jethro Tull, Kansas, Moody Blues, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane,CSNY.

Customer Reviews:

BEWARE! NOT THE REAL ACUMEN.......2003-08-31

In case you're wondering, NO, this is not the industrial band, Acumen.
This is the hippie bulls*** band that caused the real Acumen to change their name to 'Acumen Nation' some years ago.
So, save your hard-earned money or lotto-winnings and avoid this jam-band like the plague.
Instead check out the new Acumen Nation album, 'Lord of the Cynics', available here .

AWESOME!!!!!!!! SIMPLY AWESOME.......1999-07-31

I Love This CD. The words have so much meaning behind them, and the music is awesome as well. It's a wonderfu CD for anyone who loves meaningful music. It's simply wonderful.

WOW!!!!!!!!.......1999-01-16

Listen up world, this is a band with heart! Too many times up and coming bands are all hype and have no diversity from song to song. Acumen have taken the plunge into being true to their music, no matter where it takes them, and that is what makes them special. A must have disc for any TRUE alternative fan.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Collection - Well Worth the Price
Great!!
touching, soulful, moving, gorgeous intonation

Sherry Kloss Plays Forgotten Gems

Manufacturer: Protone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Lost & Found-Treasures of the Heifetz Legacy

ASIN: B000003BON
Release Date: 1997-02-18

Tracks:

Daisies
A La Valse
II Pleure Dans Mon Coeur
Zephyr
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Hurdy-Gurdy (Etchings)
Stimmungen Op.32, No.1
Perpetual Motion Op.21, No.4
Canzonetta Op.6
Humoresque
Berceuse Op.28, No.3
Cortege
Levee Dance Op.26, No.2
Sumare
El Campielo
A Song Son
Der Burger Als Edelmann
Valse Trieste
Berceuse
Sicilienne And Rigaudon
Prld Op.34, No.10
Prld Op.34, No.15
Banjo And Fiddle
Estrellita

Album Description

A charming CD of mostly overlooked miniatures, with a few Kreisler "familiar" vignettes to balance things out.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Collection - Well Worth the Price.......2003-04-30

This is a wonderful collection of the sort of little pieces that used to form the latter part of many violinists' recitals in the early part of the 20th century. They aren't often heard today, and that's a shame. This is a great collection for anyone who loves violin music and likes to hear the violin smile (although it contains a few teary pieces as well). My personal favorite piece on this CD is Jeno Hubay's Zephyr (although I loved many of the others also) and I felt that hearing this one piece was worth the price of the CD.

Sherry Kloss does well to express the feeling in each of these little pieces. They aren't all played in the same style -- she brings out the individual character of each one. Ayke Agus does a fantastic job of accompanying Ms. Kloss at the piano, no doubt due to her familiarity with the pieces. The two of them play as one.

Great!!.......2003-03-19

An excellent CD of mostly overlooked miniatures,
with a few Kreisler "familiar" vignettes to balance
things out. Like several great violinist-teachers
from the Heifetz class, Sherry Kloss has not really
found her own voice on the fiddle. Consequently,
the playing is technically brilliant but the style
is a near carbon-copy of Heifetz's. This doesn't
detract greatly from Kloss's fine musicality and
the excellent support of Ayke Agus at the piano.
This is a great CD to add to any violinst's collection...
forgotten gems such as these deserve to be resurrected.
And fine fiddlers generally unknown to concert audiences
(such as Kloss) certainly deserve to be heard on CD.

For those who desire to look into more pieces that
have undeservedly dropped far out of sight, Aaron Rosand has
pretty well established himself as the king in that
department. He has a few albums out with the
concerti of Hubay, Godard, Joachim, Ernst, and
it's fantastic.

touching, soulful, moving, gorgeous intonation.......1999-11-18

sherry has the sound of Heifetz. While listening to this CD, I had chills up and down my spine. I had to listen to it again. It is rare these days to find an artist who has a uniquely identifiable sound---not just another great talent. She is a keeper.