The Great Opera Composers

1. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 Act III: Prelude
   Composed by Richard Wagner
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
2. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 Bridal Chorus
   Composed by Richard Wagner
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
3. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Einzug der Gaste (Freudig Begrussen Wir die Edle Halle)
   Composed by Richard Wagner
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
4. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Pilgrim's Chorus
   Composed by Richard Wagner
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
5. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, opera, WWV 96 Wach Auf
   Composed by Richard Wagner
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
6. Der Freischütz, opera, J. 277 (Op. 77) Hunter's Chorus
   Composed by Carl Maria von Weber
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
7. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera Bridegroom's Chorus
   Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
8. Don Pasquale, opera Servant's Chorus
   Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
9. La forza del destino, opera Rataplan, Rataplan
   Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
   with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
   Conducted by George Richter
   
   
10. Aida, opera Triumphal March and Chorus
    Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
    with North German Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conducted by George Richter
    
    

The Great Opera Composers,Gaetano Donizetti,Giuseppe Verdi,Richard Wagner,Carl Maria von Weber,George Richter,North German Philharmonic Orchestra,Compose Records,Classical,Classical Music,German/Austrian Romantic Opera,Italian Romantic Opera,Miscellaneous Music,Opera

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Average customer rating:

The Story of Mozart Manufacturer: Vox (Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Divertimentos | Serenades & Divertimentos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Austria | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs Under $7 | Requiems | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Requiems | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs Under $7 | Sonatas | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs Under $7 | Symphonies | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Symphonies | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Symphonies | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 International | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Story of Beethoven The Story of Bach The Story of Tchaikovsky The Story Of Handel Story Of Chopin In Words And Music ASIN: B000001KCN Release Date: 1994-02-28

Tracks:

1. Serenade In G Major, K. 525 ' Eine Klein Nachtmusik': Allegro
2. Minute For Piano K. 1
3. Serenade No. 35 In D Major, K. 385 'Haffner': Allegro
4. Piano Sonata No.11 In A Major, K 331 'Turkish': Alla Turca
5. Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K. 425 'Linz': Finale: Allegro
6. 'Bastien un Bastienne': Overture
7. Organ Sonata In E-Flat Major, K. 67
8. Piano Concerto No.15 In C Major, K 545: Allegro
9. Serenade No. 13 For Woodwinds In B-Flat Major, K. 361: Finale: Presto
10. Concerto For Flute And Harp In C Major, K. 299: Allegro
11. Symphony No. 40 In G Minor, K. 550: Molto Allegro
12. Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor, K 466: Allegro
13. Clarinet Quintet In A Major, K. 581: Allegro
14. Violin Concerto No.5 In A Major, K. 219 'Turkish': Allegro
15. Mass No. 14 In C Minor, K. 427: Et Incarnatus Est
16. Symphony No. 40 In G Minor, K. 550: Adante
17. 'The Marriage Of Figaro,' K 492: Overture
18. 'Don Giovanni,' K. 527: Overture
19. 'The Magic Flute,' K. 620: Of Loveliness Beyond Compare
20. Symphony No. 41 In C Major, K. 551, 'Jupiter': Allegro
21. String Quartet No. 17 In B flat Major, K.458 'Hunt': Allegro vivace assai
22. Requiem In D Minor, K. 626: Kyrie
23. Piano Concerto No. 21 In C Major, K.467: Andante
24. Requiem In D Minor, K. 626: Lachrymosa
25. Symphony No. 40 In G Minor, K. 550: Allegro - Complete
26. Serenade In G Major, K.525 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Allegro
27. Serenade In G Major, K.525 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Romanze. Andante
28. Serenade In G Major, K.525 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Menuetto: Allegretto
29. Serenade In G Major, K.525 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Rondo: Allegro

Average customer rating: If only we had more "tyrants" like this one. This orchestra really is a cut above "White"/Background Noise Problem Fritz Reiner Conducting- Chicago Symphony Wicked!

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glinka | Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Kabalevsky | Kabalevsky, Dmitri | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Kabalevsky, Dmitri | ( K ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Respighi: Pines of Rome, etc Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol; Russian Easter Overture Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka / Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Chicago Symphony Borodin: Symphony No.2/In The Steppes Of Central Asia/Prince Igor Holst: The Planets ASIN: B000003FMY Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

1. Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
2. Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus
3. Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
4. Pictures At An Exhibition: Il vecchio castello
5. Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
6. Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries
7. Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo
8. Picutres At An Exhibition: Promenade
9. Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells
10. Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenburg and Schmuyle
11. Pictures At An Exhitibition: The Marketplace at Limoges
12. Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombae, sepulchrum romanum
13. Picturest At An Exhibition: Con mortuis in lingua mortua
14. Pictures At An Exhibition: The Hut on Fowl's Legs
15. Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gate at Kiev
16. Marche miniature (From Suite No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 43)
17. A Night On Bald Mountain
18. Prince Igor: Polovtsian March
19. Marche Slave
20. Colas Breugnon, Op. 24: Overture
21. Russian And Lucmilla: Overture

Customer Reviews:

If only we had more "tyrants" like this one........2007-05-16

The only comparable orchestra to Reiner's late fifties Chicago Leviathan was another Midwestern ensemble a few hundred miles to the east in Cleveland (also commanded by an expatriate Hungarian Jewish maestro).

It's a toss up over which orchestra was better, but this disc features ensemble playing of such overwhelming strength and authority that I can hardly think of a Szell/Cleveland recording that tops it, especially since the RCA Living Stereo sound is far better than the shabby sonics of Columbia/Sony.

Glinka's "Russlan and Ludmilla: Overture" alone is worth the unbelievably low admission price. The orchestra is simply on fire and it was captured in fabulous fifties sound that hasn't aged.

If a little tape hiss puts you into a hissy fit then by all means avoid this disc. (And also avoid those musty old paintings in the Prado and the Metropolitan.) Otherwise just buy it and crank up the volume to something approaching the hundred-plus decibels Reiner heard as the CSO burned onto tape one of the finest recordings in the history of classical music.

This orchestra really is a cut above.......2007-03-06

From the moment the brass open the Promenade, it's instantly apparent just how flawless and precisely this orchestra plays. This is the most perfect intonation I have heard on any recording, ever. I have to agree with other reviewers in saying that even being 50 years old, this recording sounds better than a lot of recent CDs I own. Everything is unbelievably crisp and clear. Congratulations to Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for an amazing job.

I should mention though, the previous reviewer is right, there IS tape hiss throughout the CD. It isn't loud and I for one don't find it irritating, but it is more noticable than on other recordings I have. The liner notes also explain it- "to preserve the quality of the source material during transfer, we rejected any process by which tape hiss or other minor imperfections in the source material could be minimized at the expense of the original musical program's sonic integrity". I am glad at this choice.

All in all, an absolutely fantastic version of one of the great masterpieces of the 19th century. At the absurdly low price of $7.95, I don't see any reason to pass this one up.

"White"/Background Noise Problem.......2007-01-15

I was very excited when I found this recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition," however I have been slightly disappointed. Musically the performance is amazing, and is without a doubt the best that I have ever heard. Unfortunately, there is a lot of background/"white" noise in the recording that becomes very noticeable especially in the softer moments of the piece. It's almost like hearing nails on a chalkboard.

This "white" noise goes away by turning the volume down, however the music suffers from this as well. I have not had this problem with other CDs/recordings.

Fritz Reiner Conducting- Chicago Symphony .......2007-01-05

Fritz Reiner brings out the best in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition with full clear presentations of each section of the piece. The clarity of the recording is just great.

Wicked!.......2006-09-27

im doing the ' pictures at an exhibition ' in music and its a fabulous peice of music ! so peaceful but exciting at the same time !!! 100 *'z lol x

Average customer rating:

The Story Of Haydn Manufacturer: Vox (Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music French Horn | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Trumpet | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Baryton | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Story of Beethoven The Story Of Handel The Story of Mozart The Story of Bach The Story of Schubert ASIN: B000001KD1 Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 104 In D Major 'London': Menuetto - Allegro
2. Harpsicord Concerto In D Major: Vivace
3. Symphony No. 100 In G Major 'Miltary': Allegretto
4. Mass No. 2 In E- Flat Major: Great Organ Mass
5. Symphony No. 82 In C Major 'The Bear': Vivace assai
6. Keyboard Sonata No. 48 In C Major: Allegro con brio
7. Symphony No. 45 In F-Sharp Minor 'Farewell': Allegro assai
8. Violin Concerto No. 1 In C Major: Allegro moderato
9. Allegro con spirito
10. Symphony No. 96 In D Major 'Miracle': Allegro
11. Symphony No. 96 In D Major 'Miracle': Andante
12. Baryton Divertimento No. 107 In D Major: Minuet and Trio
13. Music Clock
14. Trumpet Concerto In E-Flat Major: Adagio
15. Symphony No. 45 In F-Sharp Minor 'Farewell': Adagio
16. Symphony No. 82 In C Major 'The Bear': Vivace
17. Symphony No.11 In G Major 'Miltary': Excerpts
18. Philemon And Baucis: Tenor Aria 'Nemo'
19. Symphony No. 104 In D Major 'London': Allegro spiritoso
20. Horn Concerto No. 2 In D Major: Allegro
21. Symphony No. 101 In D Major 'Clock': Presto; Menuetto (Allegretto)
22. Symphony No. 94 In G Major 'Surprise': Andante
23. Symphony No. 96 In D Major 'Miracle': Vivace assai
24. Symphony No. 101 In D Major 'Clock': Andante
25. Symphony No. 104 In D Major 'London': Andante
26. Mass in D-flat Major: Gloria
27. String Quartet in C Major, Op. 76 No. 3 Emperor
28. The Creation: Chrous: 'The Heavens are Telling'
29. Austrian National Anthem
30. Cello Concerto In D Major, Hob. VIIb, No. 2: Moderato
31. Cello Concerto In D Major, Hob. VIIb, No. 2: Adagio
32. Cello Concerto In D Major, Hob. VIIb, No. 2: Allegro molto

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Greatest Hits Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Impromptus | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cleveland Orchestra | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music New York Philharmonic Orchestra | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Symphonies | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Cleveland Orchestra | ( C ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music New York Philharmonic Orchestra | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits Liszt: Greatest Hits Chopin: Greatest Hits Beethoven: Greatest Hits Debussy's Greatest Hits ASIN: B000002A29 Release Date: 1994-08-09

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato
2. Marche Militaire, Op. 51, No.1
3. Ave Maria
4. Serenade
5. Erlkonig
6. Rosamunde Overture
7. Impromptu In E-Flat Major, Op. 90, No. 2
8. Death And The Maiden String Quartet In D Minor: IV Presto
9. Moment Musical In F Minor Op. 94, No3
10. Trout Quintet For Piano & Strings In A Major: III Scherzo Presto
11. Symphony No. 9 In C Major 'The Great': I Andante - Allegro ma non troppo

Average customer rating: The best opera album ever Beautiful Music, Nice price

Puccini: Great Opera Arias Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: The Ultimate Puccini Collection The Most Famous Opera Arias Puccini Without Words Puccini: Arias Nessun Dorma ~ 20 Great Tenor Arias / Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo, Bergonzi, Aragall, Björling, Di Stefano, Kollo, Corelli, Del Monaco... ASIN: B00005YQLA Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

1. Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
2. Gianni Schicchi: Firenze e come un albero fiorito
3. La Rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
4. La Boheme: Si, mi chiamano Mimi
5. La Boheme: Quando m'en vo
6. Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo
7. Madama Butterfly: The Flower Duet
8. Madama Butterfly: The Humming Chorus
9. Madama Butterfly: Tu? tu? Piccolo iddio
10. Tosca: Dammi i colori
11. Tosca: Vissi d'arte
12. Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
13. Turandot: Signore, ascolta!
14. Turandot: In questa reggia
15. Turandot: Nessun dorma
16. La Fanciulla Del West: Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano
17. Suor Angelica: Senza mamma, o bimbo
18. Le Villi: Se come voi piccina io fossi
19. Manon Lescaut: In quelle trine morbide
20. Manon Lescaut: Sola, perduta, abbandonata

Customer Reviews:

The best opera album ever.......2007-01-26

I have listened this album almost every day for the past 4 years. For begginers and amateurs in this kind of music, the album rocks in every song with the exception of track 2 and 5.

Beautiful Music, Nice price.......2007-01-04

I purchased this CD for my daughter while searching specifically for arias. She was very pleased and I find myself enjoying it as well.
A wonderful collection for a terrific price, super fast shipping too- as always.

Average customer rating: Sheer Beauty for the Ears Authenticity can sound great as well! a little world of baroque sound Wonderful relaxing music. -

Casanova Manufacturer: Hollywood Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Albinoni | Albinoni, Tomaso | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Corelli | Corelli, Arcangelo | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Paisiello | Paisiello, Giovanni | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rameau | Rameau, Jean Philippe | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Harpsichord | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Casanova Memoirs of a Geisha Pride & Prejudice Mrs. Henderson Presents Match Point ASIN: B000BYR9YK Release Date: 2005-12-20

Tracks:

1. An Untold Story: Assaggio No.1 In G Minor - Johann Helmich Roman
2. The Legend Of Casanova: Tambourins I/II From Daro - Jean-Philippe Rameau
3. I Yield To Love: Cello Concerto No.3 In D Minor - Leonardo Leo
4. Eternal Damnation: Overture From Les Fetes De Polymnie/Overture From Platee/Overture From Zoroastre - Jean-Philippe Rameau
5. The Doge's Decree: Concerto In C Major - Antonio Vivaldi
6. A Venetian Virgin - Alexandre Desplat
7. San Cremori At Dawn: Concerto In C Major For Harpsicord And Strings - Giovanni Paisiello
8. A Lover's Duel: Overture From La Madrilena - Vicente Martin Y Soler
9. A Terrible Mistake: Concerto A 5, Op.9, No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
10. A Secret Lover?: Sinfonia From The Opera Farnace - Antonio Vivaldi
11. Marriage Is A Safe Haven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
12. Trailing Guardi: Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.11 In E Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
13. The Noble Pig: Concerto Per Quartetto No.8 - Francesco Durante
14. Paprizzio's Arrival: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.2 In D Minor - Tomaso Albinoni
15. Inquisitor Pucci - Alexandre Desplat
16. : Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
17. A Big Idea: Harpsicord Concerto In B Flat Major - Francesco Durante
18. A Nom De Plume/Carnivale!: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.6 In G Major/Bouree From Les Plaisirs Champetres - Tomaso Albinoni
19. The Plume's Nom Is Casanova! - Sonny Kompanek
20. Dancing At The Doge's Ball: Riguadon From Water Music Suite, No.3 In G Major/Bouree From Music For Royal Fireworks/Loure From Tafelmusik1 - George Frideric Handel
21. One Step Closer To Heaven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni
22. Casanova's Confession: Sonata Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
23. The Hanging: Violin Concerto 'Il Cimento Dell'Armonia E Dell'INvenzione' Op.8 No.11 In D Major - Antonio Vivaldi
24. A Great Escape: Overture From Zais/Overture From Nais/Overture From Achante Et Cephise Ou La Sympathie - Jean-Philippe Rameau
25. My Place Is With Casanova: Overture From Le Temple De La Gloire/Overture From Zais/Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
26. All's Well...:Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni

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The action in this tale about the 18th century adventurer and (at least in popular lore) seducer is set in Cassanova's native Venice in the mid-1700s, so it makes sense that the soundtrack would be loaded with Baroque pieces. The Venice-based Tomaso Albinoni is featured prominentaly, along with heavyweights such as Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Baptiste Rameau, and George Frideric Handel, and lesser-known composers such as Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Durante, and Alexandre Desplat. Er, actually Desplat is a contemporary French film composer who also released his score for the couldn't-be-more-different Syriana shortly after Casanova came out. Of the two pieces he penned here, "A Venetian Virgin" is in pure Baroque style, while "Inquisitor Pucci" betrays a more modern film-music vibe. Meanwhile, orchestrator Sonny Kompanek rearranged a couple of the tracks and authored the tense "The Plume's Nom Is Casanova," which doesn't sound embarrassing sandwiched between pieces by Albinoni and Handel. Overall, it would have been nice to get longer excerpts from the pieces--many feel chopped into too-small fragments--but the music's innate grace and elegance can't be beat for a period film. Or for any film, really: Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major ("The Doge's Decree") will be familiar to buffs, who will remember it featuring prominently in the Dustin Hoffman-¬Meryl Streep showdown Kramer vs. Kramer back in 1979. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Sheer Beauty for the Ears.......2006-07-25

For those that purchased this CD, I need not get into how masterfully infectious the movie was. After the first viewing, I found it charming, but after the second, I was hooked by the witty, clever story holding fun twists all along the way. So while I could go on and on about the movie and all of its wonderful aspects, the score was simply priceless. Apt in every scene, and all done with incredible baroque music that I had never had the opportunity of hearing before the film.

The disc walks you through the movie with no changes that I could tell from the original score. The only omission I found was that the song dubbed "Casanova's Theme" is played in much greater length in the closing credits, and that didn't seem to make it to the CD. Not a terrible loss.

Authenticity can sound great as well!.......2006-07-11

As an avid baroque music listener and performer, I can attest to the delightfully pleasing performances on the soundtrack as well as the painstakingly accurate performance practices utilized in the recording of this soundtrack.

The producers of this film fortunately went to the trouble of hiring some of the top period performance musician-specialists in the country (perhaps in the entire world) to record the soundtrack to Casanova. I know, because several of them were faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute who went AWOL to Hollywood in June 2005 for the recording sessions. We all forgave them, and were actually quite excited that period music performance was having its day on the silver screen.

Do not miss this exquisite potpourri of wonderful baroque composers' works performed as closely as humanly possible to the way that they heard their works during their lifetimes! The film may not have been intended to be historically accurate (part of the fun), but the music certainly ended up that way. Not only that, but it sounds heavenly (unlike Casanova's antics) and up-to-date, not musty and old as if it were sealed in a museum case.

a little world of baroque sound.......2006-02-26

Lots of interesting baroque music unknown to me and
put together in dramatic sequences that add zest and
class to the listening experience. Also wonderful to
play in auto while driving thru boring country or in
slow moving traffic!
This CD will get a lot of play from me.
5 Stars!

Wonderful relaxing music........2006-02-25

Saw the movie and had to have the soundtrack. Great music to relax by. When you need to get away from the cares of the day the classics can't be beat. The producers of this movie certainly chose wonderful music to accompany it.

-.......2006-02-18

Good music but each is too short.
The original version of each may be better.

Average customer rating: Mad about Baroque The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes Brilliant Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames). Brilliant Purcell Disc

Essential Purcell Henry Purcell , New College Choir Oxford , King's Consort , Robert King , Roy Goodman , Charles Daniels , John Mark Ainsley , James Bowman , Peter Buckoke , Jane Coe , Rogers Covey-Crump , Gillian Fisher , Michael George , Miles Golding , Jane Norman , Barbara Bonney , Mark Caudle , William Carter , King's Consort Choir , Helen Gough , Paul Nicholson , Angela East , Barry Guy , Tessa Bonner , Jerome Finnis , Rupert Bawden , Lucy Howard , Richard Campbell , Susan Addison , James O'Donnell , and Stephen Saunders Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bonney, Barbara | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Bonney, Barbara | ( B ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort Purcell: The Fairy Queen Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ Music ASIN: B000002ZDU Release Date: 1995-04-10

Tracks:

1. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 5: Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn. Symphony And Opening Chorus
2. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 3: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
3. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: Oh, Fair Cedaria
4. The Choir Of The King's Consort: Hear My Prayer, O Lord
5. Great Baroque Arias: When I Am Laid In Earth ('Dido's Lament')
6. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.1: Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears (Part 1)
7. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.4: The Sparrow And The Gentle Dove
8. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: If Music Be The Food Of Love (First Setting)
9. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.5: Rejoice In The Lord Always ('The Bell Anthem')
10. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Hosanna To The Highest
11. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.7: Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts
12. Mr. Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composures: Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling
13. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.6: Mark, How Readily Each Pliant String
14. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: Sound The Trumpet
15. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.3: She Loves And She Confesses Too
16. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: O How Blest Is The Isle
17. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
18. Complete Anthems And Services Vol. 11: An Evening Hymn
19. Complete Church Music Vol.2: Vouchsafe, O Lord, To Keep Us This Day
20. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.2: With Rapture Of Delight... Hail Bright Cecilia

Amazon.com essential recording

The "Essential" Purcell? Well, you could get a bunch of critics to argue about that for a few days, but in the meantime, here is a sampler of highlights from the King's Consort's three admirable Purcell series: the Complete Odes and Welcome Songs, Complete Anthems and Services, and Complete Secular Solo Songs. There are, of course, some of Purcell's most-performed pieces (which probably are "essential"): Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, "Sound the trumpet" from Come, ye sons of Art, Rejoice in the Lord alway (the "Bell Anthem," named for the string figure at the opening that sounds like pealing bells), the gently patriotic "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" (sung by a miscast James Bowman), and a selection from the funeral music for Queen Mary. There are also some delightful surprises--particularly among the little-known secular songs and church music. The plaintive "O fair Cedaria" gets a lovely performance by Barbara Bonney (a singer not usually associated with Purcell); tenor Rogers Covey-Crump (possibly the ideal high tenor for Purcell) sings the enchanting "If music be the food of love"; the church anthems "Let mine eyes run down with tears" and "Remember not, O Lord, our offences" have some startling harmonies as daring as any Monteverdi ever wrote. If you're unfamiliar with Purcell, this reasonably priced disc is a good place to start exploring without a big initial investment. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Mad about Baroque.......2007-02-12

This is a terrific CD. The music is breathtaking. Just buy IT !!!!!

The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes.......2002-08-21

Absolutely beautiful baroque music! The arrangament, singing and instrumentation is superb. It is too bad that Henry Purcell is not as widely known as Bach, because he should be recognized equally well."The Sparrow and the Gentle dove" is alone worth the price of the album! I can not stop playing it!

Brilliant.......2001-10-31

Like in his renditions of Handel's oratorios, Robert King manages to bring a freshness and strenght to Purcell's music that I had seldom heard before. This CD also features some of the best performers of early music in the world. My favourite tracks are Oh, Fair Cedaria, sung by the multi-talented Barbara Bonney; Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher; She Loves and she Confesses too, sung by the wonderful Susan Gritton; and Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn, sung by Rogers Covey-Crump. The only track I didn't find absolutely wonderful is Fairest Isle, sung here by James Bowman. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Mr Bowman, I think that his performance in Mr Purcell's Most Admirable Composures (also conducted by Robert King) makes it another essential Purcell recording; but I find that Fairest Isle was much better done elsewhere, particularly by Christopher Hogwood and Barbara Bonney.

These songs aren't only beautiful, they're also poignant, sweet and unpretentious. I think that it will be very clear to anyone who listens to this recording that Mr Purcell was one of the finest composers that ever lived.

Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames)........2001-10-20

If anyone has benefitted from the reversion in the last three or so decades to period instruments and historical reconstruction, it is Henry Purcell. Before, he was merely great, the peerless word-setter in the English language, a virtuoso of boundless range, a professional composer whose offical commissions were always imbued with personality and invention. But period instrumentation has added to this a greater depth, an other-worldly texture of sound. With his intricate, multi-part vocal writing, his preference for low, rumbling instruments such as the bass viol and the strange and remarkable theorbo, as well as his often sombre and low-key subject matter and treatment, Purcell creates a round, glowing, humming sound as pregnantly full as dub reggae.

This has an extraordinary effect on the listener. Whereas Bach, with his mathematical abstractions, sounds universal and timeless, Purcell's music takes the listener back 300 years, back to different ways of thinking about, feeling about and addressing things we still think etc. about today - death, love, friendship. The emotion is timeless, but the music's beauty is alien, THEIRS, hence its preciousness.

A lot of intelligence has gone into the unity of this compilation, beginning with two Welcomes (to the dawn and to the listener, in this case a King), and ending with thoughts of evening, death and a Baroque 'Thank you for the music'. These are bright, fanfare-like works, but the predominant mood is slow, ruminative, quiet. The selection covers the wide range of Purcell's oeuvre, from opera and funeral marches to secular songs and odes, and includes his most famous vocal works - Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher, and never more evocative of pagan loss and death; the massive 'Bell Anthem', with its ingenious opening symphony and joyful antiphon; and a miraculously serene 'Evening Hymn', Dido's opposite, death indicating hope, the treble voice swirling over the heavy ground bass like the soul released from the inert body.

it might seem quixotic to choose highlights from an exemplary collection of highlights, but the entry of the strings washing over the serene repetition of 'Be Welcome then, great Sir' always makes my heart stop still, while the musical picture of 'Bold Honour', the 'noisy Nothing, stalking shade', blocking the poet's amorous intentions in 'She loves and confesses too', adds a chilling hint of life's transience to a bouyantly bawdy song.

Brilliant Purcell Disc .......2000-11-30

With this album director and Purcell expert Robert King provides the listener with an excellent introduction to the composer's vocal works. The pieces presented here were taken from Mr. King's recordings of 'The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs', 'The Complete Anthems and Services', 'The Complete Secular Solo Songs' and diverse anthology discs. King, his wonderful soloists and musicians do the brilliance of Purcell's music fully justice. Whether he was commissioned by royalty, the church or theatre, Purcell shone in all areas. This disc certainly demonstrates the variety and originality of his craft, not to speak of his uncanny ability of setting words to music.

An outstanding Purcell offering. With a beautiful perfomance by Barbara Bonney of 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. Susan Gritton is equally captivating in 'She loves and she confesses too'. Gillian Fisher's rendition of the famous 'Dido's Lament' is haunting and poignant. Further an intelligent and brilliant 'Hosanna to the highest' by Michael George. James Bowman and Michael Chance sparkle in the countertenor duet 'Sound the trumpet' (from 'Come Ye sons of Art away'). And I should not forget to mention the joyous, luminous performance of the beautiful 'Bell Anthem'. To name but a few favourites, only James Bowman's 'Fairest Isle' was a disappointment.

Those who are familiar with Purcell's music will get an excellent disc with some of his most beloved works. If you are new to Purcell, this is, as already said a great introduction. Which might be the incentive to further explorations of Purcell.

by stardustraven

Average customer rating: Alan Hovhaness and some very big friends M.M. version mediocre; St. Gregory performance Excellent. Entering the Realm of Alan Hovhaness A Stimulating Hovhaness Sampler Hovhaness Is An American Original

Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain/And God Created Great Whales Manufacturer: Delos Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hovhaness, Alan | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Trumpet | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto Hovhaness: Celestial Gate and Other Orchestral Works Hovhaness: Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53; The Prayer of St. Gregory Music of Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig ASIN: B0000006ZD Release Date: 1994-04-12

Tracks:

1. Mysterious Mountain-Symphony No.2: I. Andante con moto
2. Mysterious Mountain-Symphony No.2: II. Double Fugue
3. Mysterious Mountain-Symphony No.2: III. Andante espressivo
4. Prayer of St. Gregory
5. Prelude & Quadruple Fugue
6. And God Created Great Whales
7. Alleluia & Fugue
8. Celestial Fantasy

Customer Reviews:

Alan Hovhaness and some very big friends.......2007-02-04

This is a brilliant work combining the compositional artistry of Alan Hovhaness with the music from the orchestra of the sea, the great whales themselves. To be listened to over and over again as there are always some new nuances that won't have been heard on previous visits.

M.M. version mediocre; St. Gregory performance Excellent........2006-07-21

Of the two pieces I care most about on this recording, my ears received them very differently.

On a positive note, the performance of St. Gregory's Prayer is transcendentally beautiful... liquid joy... outstanding.

I'm less enthusiastic about the Seattle Symphony's reproduction of the Mysterious Mountain here. Perhaps I am biased in favor of Fritz Reiner's Chicago interpretation, having heard that many times first. Regardless, I think a lot of listeners would have to agree with me that this Seattle production truly rushes through the suite, barely sampling the incredible potential of the composition. They simply move through it much too fast. So much of the power of Mysterious Mountain is intimately linked to its cadence, and to rush a piece like this is to drain it of most of its glory. The rendition excels technically, but the spirit comes out flat.

St. Gregory's Prayer is worth the purchase of this disc, but for a better Mountain, get the Chicago recording.

As for Great Whales, there's something good in hearing a symphony with the Pacific Ocean at its doorstep waxing Cetacean. Unfortunately this poetic justice does not suffice to make this piece worth frequent listening. It does succeed as a curiosity and a nice jog of the ear if you've fallen into a rut.

Entering the Realm of Alan Hovhaness.......2006-06-16

Like other reviewers here, I flipped on the radio one night & caught the tail-end of "Mysterious Mountain" and was thunderstruck by the beauty pouring out of my speakers. I strained to catch the name of the composition and the composer: Alan Hovhaness...Mysterious Mountain. That night was a revelation to me and the beginning of my explorations into the musical realm of Mr. Hovhaness. Several CD's later, I still return to this one. All of the selections here are wonderful with the possible exception of the composition, "And God Created The Great Whales"... I have never been able to latch onto that one, but that is just me. Otherwise, this CD is absolutely superb; the music is richly textured and satisfying. Highly recommended.

A Stimulating Hovhaness Sampler.......2006-05-04

Boy, it's amazing how different sets of ears hear things differently! I was just musing on the purity of sound that the Seattle strings are able to produce on this disc, nimble and without the heaviness that some more famous string bodies under certain conductors (say, Philadelphia under Ormandy or Sawallisch) would proffer. And I was further thinking that Delos' clean, clear recording was a big help, especially in the "Prayer to Saint Anthony," where the lonely sound of solo trumpet is etched against the accompanying strings. Then I read the comments by others on this page and am amazed to read that some think the sound on this disc "tinny...muddy." Obviously, I don't agree.

As to the performances, Schwarz seems to me a master Hovhaness interpreter, as other performances from Seattle and elsewhere have proved. I, too, recall the classic recording of "Mysterious Mountain" with Reiner, and I think Schwarz yields nothing to Reiner in terms of depth of feeling or any other musical criteria. Schwarz's is a lovely performance, with all the required mystery and majesty of this seminal piece intact.

In other hands than Hovhaness's, "God Created Great Whales" could have emerged as a one-trick pony of a piece. I happen to think that Rautavaara's "Cantus Arcticus," mentioned by at least one other reviewer, comes far closer to this downfall. I find that Rautavaara's music is no more or less interesting than, nor does it shed special light on, the recorded bird sounds in his piece. As you can guess, I'm not a great admirer of the Finnish composer. But Hovhaness manages to mirror the sounds of the whales, in both the strings and brass (hard feat!) in such a way that we come to appreciate the remarkable communicativeness of these great beasts of the sea. At least I do. Plus, the technique that Hovhaness employs--a rare foray into aleatory music--is in the service of the work's program: the emergence of the earth from primordial chaos.

Of the other pieces on this disc, I find "Prelude and Quadruple Fugue" the most memorable. A dry, pedantic name perhaps, but not a dry piece: the fugue manages to be both very traditional and very modern, which is true of Hovhaness's best music. As I say, Schwarz, Seattle, and Delos all do Hovhaness full justice on this CD.

Hovhaness Is An American Original.......2006-03-27

Alan Hovhaness is probably one of the most underrated, unappreciated composers this country has ever produced. How unappreciated? I've been a passionate lover of classical music for fifteen years, took a few courses in my undergrad years on music theory and the history of music in the West, have been a season ticket holder in more than one city's philharmonic/orchestras, and it was not until about five years ago that I heard of Hovhaness--and even then it was only because I so happen to listen to his Symphony No. 2 (`Mysterious Mountain') on a local public radio station during classical music hour.

The first time I heard `Mysterious Mountain,' I almost mistook it for Dvorak or Smetana. Hovhaness might have lived in the 20th century, but his compositional approach and philosophy was very much in the mold of the 19th century romantics. It is grandiose in style, haunting and yet beautifully majestic in sound, and it never ceases to amaze me every time I listen to it.

The remaining pieces of music, particularly the Prayer of St. Gregory and Alleluia and Fugue, betray Hovhaness's earlier work as a composer of music (and organist) for the Armenian Church. It surprises me still that more of his music is not played, although he is best known for Mysterious Mountain (a symphony that was composed and premiered in 1955). This CD itself is an excellent addition to any classical music collection and a must for anyone wanting to discover more about American composers.

Average customer rating:

Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set) Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concerto Grossi | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Trio Sonatas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Flute | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Recorder | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Brilliant Classics | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set) Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set] Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set] Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set] Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set] ASIN: B00062FLI8 Release Date: 2004-11-30

Average customer rating: Totally infectious Surprisingingly enjoyable stuff

Shostakovich: Waltzes Manufacturer: Delos Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Shostakovich: The Jazz Album Shostakovich: The Film Album Shostakovich: Ballet Suites Nos. 1-4 Shostakovich: Cheryomushki, The Bolt, The Gadfly (The Dance Album) Jazz Suites 1 & 2 ASIN: B00001IVR2 Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

1. Shostakovich Waltzes

Customer Reviews:

Totally infectious.......2003-01-07

Shostakovich is mostly known for his serious works, his symphonies and string quartets, however he wrote a large number of film, incidental, and ballet music. This CD compiles many of his waltzes and some other pieces from these. While this is mainly what could be considered "light" music, many of the pieces have wonderful melodies and coloful orchestrations.

Some of my favorite waltzes include the one from Return of Maxim, the one from Golden Hills, and the one from The First Echelon (aka Waltz #2 from the 2nd Jazz Suite). Beyond the waltzes there are some other pieces, including the famous Polka from The Age of Gold and Folk Festival (Spanish Dance) from The Gadfly.

The only caveat is that some of the pieces don't reference their original source (rather they are listed as being from various ballet suites, when they in fact come from The Limpid Stream and other sources), but this is a very minor complaint. The performance and sound is wonderful, and unless you are one who can't stand this sort of compilation, it gets my highest recommendation.

Surprisingingly enjoyable stuff.......1999-10-04

After years of my hearing and not thinking very much of Shastakovich's symphonies, this Delos delight came as a total surprise. Containing just under an hour of mostly waltzes mixed with some polkas, a galop, and even setting of "Tahiti Trot" (inspired by "Tea for Two" of all things), this concert gives us a rare chance to hear a good deal of music this composer wrote for films seldom if ever seen outside of Russia as well as some more familiar stuff from his ballets. Not one really great piece, nor not really boring one. Just a boxful of what Thomas Beecham used to call "Bonbons" from a very unexpected source. Lots of fun from Delos.

Meditation Music:

1. The World's Greatest Arias
2. Thomas: Mignon
3. Top Twenty Operatic Scenes and Arias
4. Verdi: Aida
5. Verdi: Aida
6. Verdi: Arias
7. Verdi: Ernani
8. Verdi: Falstaff (recorded Wien 5/1980)
9. Verdi: Highlights From Aida
10. Verdi: I Lombardi

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

The Best of Creation [Import]

Twisted Tutu Play Nice [Explicit Lyrics]

Suite for Piano / Pictures at an Exhibition

Music: Homogenic [Import]

Transatlantik Lounging [Import]

Untouchable Outcaste Beats

Soundia : The Sound of India

The Tracks of [Enhanced]

Title Tk [Import]

Tyr

The Dreamer

Serie Retratos, Vol. 1 [Limited Edition] [Import]

Ultimate Bass Challenge, Vol. 3

Laid Back

Not So Quiet Please