The Courage to Be

The Courage to Be

Track Listings

1. Collective

2. Gentleman's Penny-Farthing

3. Neurosis

4. When Penelope Dreams, Pt. 1

5. When Penelope Dreams, Pt. 2

6. From the Mine Shaft to the Bike Shed

7. Fundamentalist

8. Spanner Omlette

9. Home From Home

10. Age of Reason

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Seventh album and 2000 release for the influential Scottish rock act who's been covered by Metallica (3 times), Gamma Ray, Six Feet Under and The Meat Puppets. 10 tracks with lyrics included. Edgy Records.

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.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 / Mass in G Minor / Six Choral Songs - Richard Hickox Singers / London Symphony Chorus / London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox
Average customer rating:

Superb! Definitive.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 / Mass in G Minor / Six Choral Songs - Richard Hickox Singers / London Symphony Chorus / London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 / Valiant-for-Truth / The Pilgrim Pavement / Hymn-Tune Prelude on Song 13 / Psalm 23 / Prelude & Fugue in C minor - London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox

Vaughan Williams: Five Tudor Portraits / Five Variations of "Dives and Lazarus" - Richard Hickox / London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar

ASIN: B0000640BK
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Symphony No.4 In F Minor: I. Allegro - Meno Mosso - Largamenet - Lento - London Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No.4 In F Minor: II. Andante Moderato - Tranquillo - London Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No.4 In F Minor: III. Scherzo. Allegro Molto - - London Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No.4 In F Minor: IV. Finale Con Epilogo Fugato. Allegro Molto - Lento (Non Troppo) - Tempo I - Con Amima - Meno Mosso - London Symphony Orchestra
Mass In G Minor: Kyrie. Slow - Richard Hickox Singers
Mass In G Minor: Gloria. Lento - Allegro - Andante Con Moto - Richard Hickox Singers
Mass In G Minor: Credo. Allegro Con Moto - Lento - Allegro Con Moto - Andante - Richard Hickox Singers
Mass In G Minor: Sanctus. Andante Con Moto - Piu Mosso- Osanna I. Moderato Maestoso - Richard Hickox Singers
Mass In G Minor: Benedictus. Moderato Tranquillo Osanna II. Moderato Maestoso - Richard Hickox Singers
Mass In G Minor: Agnus Dei. Moderato - Richard Hickox Singers
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: I. A Song Of Courage. Allegro Moderato - London Symphony Chorus
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: II. A Song Of Liberty. Andante Alla Marcia - London Symphony Chorus
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: III. A Song Of Healing. Andante Con Moto - London Symphony Chorus
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: IV. A Song Of Victory. Andante Con Moto - London Symphony Chorus
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: V. A Song Of Pity, Peace And Love. Andante Moderato - London Symphony Chorus
Six Choral Songs - To Be Sung In Time Of War: VI. A Song Of The New Age. Andante Moderato - London Symphony Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Superb! Definitive........2003-08-13

AT LAST!! A near-definitive RVW 4th, in wonderful sound.

First, the performance. It's wonderful, to my ears the best since RVW's own some 70 years ago, but in rather better sound (!!). It's driven, tense, urgent, magnetic, mesmerizing, angry, powerful, searing, gut wrenching (literally) and disturbing. For the first time since you could first apprehend its power in RVW's and Mitropoulis recordings, this fourth comes across as being as motorific as Prokofiev, as visionary as Nielsen and as angry as Shostakovich, but adding the two qualities RVW's great teacher, Parry enjoined him to display, the temperament of an englishman and a democrat. The result is that the fourth finally takes its rightful place as a great 20th century symphony rather than a "fine" `or an "interesting" one. This is what RVW meant!!

I have owned the Mitropoulis, Previn and Handley recordings and heard the RVW, Boult and Thomson. I found Mitropoulis energetic and compelling, Handley a little light-on, to be honest (certainly compared to his marvellous 3rd and 5th), the Boult and Previn fine but ultimately unconvincing and the Thomson close to the best but a little rough. But this, ---- this is complete!!

The LSO plays brilliantly for Hickox, who gets more out of them in this piece than other fine conductors. Despite my words about energy, the LSO and Hickox also bring a subtlety to this recording which enhances the stature of both symphony and performance. Hear the "chill and eeriness" (to quote the Penguin guide yearbook) in the second movement and you'll get a taste for the range of their achievement here. And everywhere, even in the midst of the anger and passion, are the great tunes VW couldn't help but write, all played sublimely.

No wonder the Penguin guide awards this a Rosette.

As to the sound, I loved it. This 24 bit, PCM, 96 khz recording sounds wonderful. It captures the proper relationship of the instruments to each other and to the themes they're given.

One of my bugbears with all-DSD recordings has been that although dynamic range is wide, what we tend to get given is a differentiation between loud and soft, with even soft passages and soft playing still crystal clear and sometimes even "spotlit". That's fine when the theme or the instrument playing it is meant to be dominant (as opposed to just heard as part of the fabric) but, for me, can distort musical balances, presenting a crystal clear but fairly monochromatic picture.

What I like about this (and Hickox's recording of the "London" )is that instruments are present in context, - and are sometimes dominant and at others deliberately subordinate (not just "soft"). They are truly part of an orchestra and an orchestral sound and the internal emotional balance of the composition in a way which some (i hate to say this, Telarc) DSD recordings aren't. There is more to orchestral sound than dynamic range and there are good reasons why we use the word "sonority" instead of just "sound".

Anyway, I felt that the recording brings out the best of PCM and DSD with the result being a very natural orchestral sonority. At times the strings may be silkier and the brass may not blare as much as in some DSD derived recordings, but when the brass is meant to call out, it does, and when the strings are meant to sing out in visionary fashion in the middle of anger and betrayal, they do too!

I've over-run my usual self-imposed review length and still haven't mentioned the other 2 works, the lovely Mass in G minor and the six songs "In time of War", so I'll be brief. The Mass is sharp and dramatic as well as lovely, with, thankfully, women's voices instead of boys' (a purely personal taste, I know, but I HATE pre-pubescent boys' voices, and consequently, most recordings of English choral music). The songs are intense and lyrical. They are both also, to again quote the Penguin Guide, "given superb Chandos sound".

Tracks:

Palazzo dell'Amore: La Luna- Cupid and Psyche Duet - Eberhard Schoener
TOSCA: Dammi i colori...Recondita armonia - New Philharmonic Orchestra
The Magic Flute: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon - Artur Rother
Martha: M'appari tutt'amor - Enrico Caruso
Il coraggio di ti amo (Testa-Renis)
Non ti scordar di me (de Curtis-Furno)
La Traviata: Lunge da lei...De miei bollenti spirti
Premiere carresse (deCresenzo-Marinier) - Enrico Caruso
I Love Thee [Ich Liebe Dich] (Grieg)
L'elsisr d'amore: Una furtiva lagrima
The Toast Of New Orleans: Be My Love
Aida: Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida
Il Trvatore: Ah, si, ben mio
Giuditta: Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert
Carmen: Le fleur que tu m'avais jetee (Flower Song)
La Favorita: Spirto gentil
La Boheme: Che gelida manina
TOSCA: E lucevan le stelle
Das Land des Lachelns: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz
Turandot: Nessun dorma

Average customer rating:

Courage to Be
Holocaust
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000254INI
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Album Description

Seventh album and 2000 release for the influential Scottish rock act who's been covered by Metallica (3 times), Gamma Ray, Six Feet Under and The Meat Puppets. 10 tracks with lyrics included. Edgy Records.

Average customer rating:

Let There be praise
Martin Adu
Manufacturer: Courage Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00022AEGG
Release Date: 1999-12-12

Tracks:

Let There Be Praise
His Eye is On the sparrow
He looked beyond my faults
Make me an instrument
God and God Alone
I Am
Name above all Names
Bethlehem Morning
Lion of Judah
How Great thou Art

Album Description

Easy listening, laid back gospel, contemporary with large background and a tinge of great orchestal music but delivered with a powerful passionate voice. Mature, meaningful, even to reflect on at Christmas

Average customer rating:

Courage to Be
Holocaust
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Visi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000BRHWTE
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Average customer rating:

Arias, Duets, Songs

Manufacturer: Guild
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000TWAE0
Release Date: 2005-01-17

Average customer rating:

Ten Tenors in Love

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Ten Tenors in Prayer
Here's to the Heroes
Tenology - the Best of So Far
Larger Than Life

ASIN: B000003FP1
Release Date: 1995-09-12

Tracks:

Tosca: Recondita armonia - Luciano Pavarotti
The Magic Flute: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon - Fritz Wunderlich
Marta: M'appari tutt' amor - Enrico Caruso
Il corragio di dire ti amor (Have I The Courage To Say I Love You?) - Placido Domingo
Non ti scordar di Me - Mario Lanza
La Traviata: Lunge da lei...De' miei bollenti spiriti - Richard Tucker
Premiere caresse - Enrico Caruso
I Love Thee - Jan Peerce
L'elisir d'amore: Una furtiva lagrima - Placido Domingo
The Toast Of New Orleans: Be My Love - Mario Lanza
Aida: Se quel guerrier...Celeste Aida - Jussi Bjoerling
Il Travatore: Ah, si, ben mio - Richard Tucker
Giuditta: Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert - Fritz Wunderlich
Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jetee (Flower Song) - Jan Peerce
La Favorita: Spirto gentil - Placido Domingo
La Boheme: Che gelida manina - Jussi Bjoerling
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle - Luciano Pavarotti
The Land Of Smiles: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz - Francisco Araiza
Turandot: Nessun dorma - Ben Heppner

Average customer rating:

Very Good
Heavy Metal Classic! Totally rocks my world

The Courage to Be
Holocaust
Manufacturer: Edgy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

British Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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The Nightcomers

ASIN: B000050F6C
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Tracks:

Collective
Gentleman's Penny-Farthing
Neurosis
When Penelope Dreams, Pt. 1
When Penelope Dreams, Pt. 2
From the Mine Shaft to the Bike Shed
Fundamentalist
Spanner Omlette
Home from Home
Age of Reason

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

Very Good.......2005-09-02

Nicely Packaged made it here one week from the day i ordered it...

Heavy Metal Classic! Totally rocks my world.......2001-02-03

To anyone who loves heavy,earlier Metallica You may know of Holocaust, the British band who wrote the awesome "The Small Hours"-and Metallica is greatly influenced by this band. On "The Courage to Be" Holocaust rocks harder than ever, but with killer melodies, and awesome intricate arrangements. The brooding "Neurosis, with a chugging riff that begs you to crank it louder. If you're sick of all the NEW METAL crap and want to hear a truly awesome piece of work, pick this CD up Immediately!It makes me realize why this 40 year old fan loved heavy metal in the first place. Great!!!!!!

Her Majesty's Music: Music For The British Royal Family

Average customer rating:

Her Majesty's Music: Music For The British Royal Family

Manufacturer: Griffin
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00022TPK2
Release Date: 2002-01-01

Tracks:

I Vow to Thee My Country [Royal Duty] - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Love Divine (Blaenwern) [Royal Duty] - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Wash Me Throughly [Royal Maundy] - Westminster Abbey Choir
Lord for Thy Tender Mercy's Sake [Royal Maundy] - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
Give Rest, O Christ (Kontakion) [Rememberence Day]
O God, Our Help in Ages Past [Rememberence Day]
I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes [Princess Margaret's Wedding]
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Welsh National Anthem) [Prince's Investiture]
Investiture Anniversary Fanfare [Prince's Investiture]
Rhapsody for a Prince [Prince's Investiture] - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
Gwyn a Gwridog, Hawddgar Iawn (Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise) [Princ] - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
Fanfare: Arrival: [Prince's Investiture] - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
God Bless the Prince of Wales [Prince's Investiture] - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
Set Me as a Seal [Prince Andrew's Wedding] - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Abide With Me (Eventide) [Royal Funerals] - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir

Tracks:

Trumpet Tune
I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Behold, O God Our Defender
Let My Prayer Come Up
Zadok the Priest - Westminster Abbey Choir
Be Strong and of Good Courage (Confortarte) - Westminster Abbey Choir
Rejoice in the Lord Alway - Westminster Abbey Choir
Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace - Westminster Abbey Choir
All People That on Earth Do Dwell - Westminster Abbey Choir
Sanctus (From the Communion Service in G Minor) - Westminster Abbey Choir
O Taste and See - Westminster Abbey Choir
Gloria in Excelsis - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Te Deum Laudamus - Westminster Abbey Choir
Fanfare and National Anthem - Westminster Abbey Choir
Orb and Sceptre [March] - Westminster Abbey Choir
Crown Imperial [March] - Westminster Abbey Choir

Tracks:

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - Westminster Abbey Choir
Bridal March [From the Birds] - Westminster Abbey Choir
Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven - Westminster Abbey Choir
We Wait for Thy Loving Kindess - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
God Be Merciful Unto Us and Bless Us [Chant] - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Lord's My Shepard - London Brass, Westminster Abbey Choir
Blessed Be the God and Father - Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Michael Smith, Welsh National Opera Brass
Wedding March [From a Midsummers Night's Dream]
Te Deum in C
Jubilate in C
Air [From Water Music Suite]
Fanfare
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
Put Thou Thy Trust in the Lord
Fanfare and National Anthem

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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