King of Tango

1. Adios Muchachos

2. Ramona

3. Por Una Cabeza

4. Arrabal Amargo

5. Mi Noche Triste

6. Mi Buenos Aires Quiero

7. Caminito

8. Muchacha del Circo

9. Noches de Montmartre

10. Violeta

11. Compadron

12. De Flor en Flor

13. Araca Paris

14. Solo de Quiere Una Vez

15. Misa de Once

16. Parlez-Moi d'Amour

17. Recuerdo Malevo

18. Soledad

King of Tango,Carlos Gardel,Pmf Music Factory,Argentina,Int'l & World Music,Latin,Latin Continuum,Latin Pop,Tango

Average customer rating:

Just perfect
CD The Very Best of James Galway
Not for the serious flautist
The Very Best of James Galway
Lightweight

The Very Best of James Galway
James Galway
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Wind Beneath My Wings
James Galway - Greatest Hits
James Galway ~ Meditations
James Galway - Dances for Flute
The Best Of Jean-Pierre Rampal

ASIN: B000068773
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

Canon - James Galway and the Munich Radio Orchestra
Gayane: Sabre Dance - James Galway and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Concertino for Flute and Piano, Op. 107 - James Galway
Song of the Seashore (Hamabe No Uta) - James Galway and the Tokyo String Orchestra
Thais: Meditation - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: Minuet and Badinerie - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Dolly Suite, Op. 76: Berceuse - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Carnival of Venice, Op. 77 - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Suite bergamasque: Clair de Lune - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Concerto No. 2 for Flute & Orchestra, K. 314 in D: Rondeau: Allegro - James Galway and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Sonata in E-Flat, BWV 1031: Siciliana - James Galway
Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits - James Galway
Peer Gynt, Suite No.1: Morning - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
The Tale of Tsar Saltan: The Flight Of The Bumblebee - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From ''Titanic'') - James Galway and the London Telefilmonic Orchestra
El Condor Pasa (If I Could) - James Galway and the Galway Pops Orchestra
I Will Always Love You - James Galway
Ashokan Farewell - James Galway
The Girl from Ipanema - James Galway
Wind of Change - James Galway with Peter Willison & His Sinfonia Strings
Annie's Song - James Galway and the National Philharmonic Orchestra
The Wind Beneath My Wings - James Galway and the Galway Pops Orchestra
Memory (From ''Cats'') - James Galway
Riverdance - James Galway and the Tranquility Strings
Tango del Fuego - James Galway
Beauty and the Beast - ames Galway and the Galway Pops Orchestra
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? (From ''The Lion King'') - James Galway and the London Telefilmonic Orchestra
Shenandoah - James Galway and the Nashville String Machine / Shelly Kurland Strings
Waltzing Matilda - James Galway and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Danny Boy - James Galway with The Chieftains and the National Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Just perfect.......2007-01-12

The CD case was in perfect condition; no cracks. The CD plays great and the product came just on time

CD The Very Best of James Galway.......2007-01-10

This was a gift and the receipant loves it. Amazon responded to my order in above average time and I will continue to buy through their website.

Not for the serious flautist.......2006-06-10

Most of the tracks on this CD consist of saccharine fluff, such as Disney, show-tunes, etc. If I buy a flute recording, I want to hear some serious music, not this ghastly schmaltz. And I hate to say it, I'm not a huge fan of Galway's playing style. It's too light and airy, just on the edge of going into overtones. He overuses his vibrato, especially on the higher notes. When you want them to just smoothly soar with rich tone, they just sort of flutter about. He does have impeccable technique and speed, but his tone leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Seek out another artist!

The Very Best of James Galway.......2005-09-23

Really is one of the best of James Galway, if not the very best. Easy listening, soothing, relaxing - easy to enjoy

Lightweight.......2005-08-24

Admirers of James Galway as a superb classical flutist, of whom I am one, should be forewarned that this 2002 release has been packaged by the mass merchandisers for the "crossover" crowd and the mass market: there's slim pickin's here for serious music lovers. The first CD contains brief, lightweight classical "hits" in "arranged" versions, basically encore bonbons, while almost the entire second CD is devoted to ephemeral, forgettable pop fluff. There's not much of substance here; given Galway's vast (over 50 recordings) discography, the classical music lover would be well advised to look elsewhere.

Average customer rating:

Great western soundtrack
a very memorable cd
a very memorable cd
a very memorable cd
Truly Incredible

All the Pretty Horses (2001 Film)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

All the Pretty Horses
The Straight Story: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Street Talk
Think a Second Time
Gladiator: Music from the Motion Picture

ASIN: B000056KYJ
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Tracks:

Cowboy's Dream
Canyon Sonata
All the Pretty Horses
Purty Dad Gum Good
After the Rain
Mild Cello Blues
Malarki Opus in D Major
John Grady's Angel
Edge of the World
Get My Boots
Strawberry Tango, Pt. 1-2
King of Horses
Far Away (Alejandra's Phone Call)
Porque
Love Montage
Ain't That a Drag
My Last Days on Earth/What's It Like to Be Dead?
Long Journey Home
Candles and Lies
Rainy Room
Far Away
Far Away (Reprise)
Cowboy's Dream/All the Pretty Horses [Medley]

Amazon.com

Novelist Cormac McCarthy's literary vision of the wild west is given wide-screen treatment by maverick director Billy Bob Thornton and a cast that includes Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, and Bruce Dern. Professional country music journeyman Marty Stuart has performed with father-in-law Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, and Doc Watson, in addition to a successful solo career. In his soundtrack scoring debut, he provides short, meditative instrumental pieces that are subtly explosive--rife as they are with strains of old-school country and bluegrass. Cinematic strings and orchestral percussion add a welcome menacing edge, augmenting the rustic approach without crossing over into a compromised "countrypolitan" sound. If anything, it might be nice to hear these themes extended. As it stands, the 23 listed tracks are covered in a little under 50 minutes, with many of the cuts barely lasting more than a minute or two. They stand as a new genre of cinematic country minimalism. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

Great western soundtrack.......2004-02-28

This is a must buy for fans of western soundtracks.It mixes beautifully symphonic music with Guitar music and spices it up all together with a south of the border flavor. Haunting music that will make you want to never take it out of your cd changer. It also
Features two vocal pieces, the first a spanish song sung by the very talented Raul Malo of the country group the mavericks, the second song is a beautiful ballad sung by Marty Stuart. Though I never owned any cd's of Marty Stuart he earns my respect with composing this film score.(cowboy hats off to you Mr.Stuart)

a very memorable cd.......2003-07-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack cd. It soars high on ambiance, romance, and easy listening.

a very memorable cd.......2003-07-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack cd. It soars high on ambiance, romance, and easy listening.

a very memorable cd.......2003-07-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack cd. It soars high on ambiance, romance, and easy listening.

Truly Incredible.......2003-03-12

This album is a masterpiece. Within the first strums of the guitar, you feel as though you are among the southwestern hills. It has immediately become one of my favorites of all-time. The songs are filled with beautiful imagery, enchanting tunes, and haunting melodies. The shortness of the songs in unnoticable, as each song blends into the next, and the album itself serves as one epic journey. It is not meant to be listened to a song at a time, but as a whole. As I said, it is truly incredible. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.

Average customer rating:

A well chosen album title
Happy Birthday by Gidon Kremer
A perfect birthday gift
Jest with Zest
I want to play the variations myself!

Happy Birthday
Gidon Kremer , and Kremerata Baltica
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Kremerland
Vivaldi and Piazzolla: Eight Seasons
From My Home: Music from the Baltic Countries
Silencio
After Mozart

ASIN: B00006JP2B
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Tracks:

Polka
Thema
Variation Nach Joseph Haydn
Variation Nach Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Variation Nach Ludwig Van Beethoven
Variation Nach Johannes Brahms
Variation Nach Robert Schumann
Variation Nach Antonin Dvorak
Polka/Valse
Variation Im Stil Von Filmmusik
Ragtime
Tango
Czardas
Adagio
Allegretto
Ad Libitum
Allegro. Presto
Variations Brillantes Et Concertantes Sur L'air 'God Save The King,' Op.38
Elegy
McMozart's Eine Kleine Bricht Moonlicht Nicht Musik
I. Eine Kleine Nichtmusik
II. Moonlight Concerto
III. Chaconne A Son Gout
IV. Hommage To Shostakofiev
Souvenir

Amazon.com

To celebrate its sixth anniversary as an ensemble, Kremerata Baltica presents a light, loving, and musically interesting confection. After an opening polka by Schnittke (who knew he could be so frothy?), we get 11 variations on the song "Happy Birthday" by Peter Heidrich, à la Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and some dance movements. Delightful. Elsewhere, Franz Waxman's Variations on "Auld lang syne" are as clever as they are unexpected and charming. More variations--this time on "God save the King" by the 19th century composers Ghys and Servais--afford Kremer and cellist Marta Sudraba a fine time, and Teddy Bor's brief riff on Mozart's omnipresent "Eine kleine nachtmusik" is a hoot. There's more, but the point is made: Classical music can be fun and sophisticated, and Kremer and his group remain virtuosi, one and all. --Robert Levine

Album Description

These young Baltic musicians possess a vivid spectrum of string color, thoroughly polished execution, and a direction of effort in service to the composer... There is no violinist with greater versatility and commitment to musical truth than Kremer. Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

A well chosen album title.......2007-01-10

I was desperately looking through the internet for a tango "happy birthday" and the tune was there, in this album. After I purchased the cd, I read the booklet included and there I found mentioned that "the album's title is not merely a reference to the popular tune, but a celebration of the ensemble's anniversary". So, I was happy to have finally found a tango "happy birthday" but I was also disappointed because this was not the playful album I was looking forward to listen to.
But this is a bit unfair for this excellent orchestra.
If what you are looking for is innovations on the romantic classicals... well this could be it. The point is that this is an album for listeners who know their way into classical music.
Other than that I should suggest that innovation regarding any classical music "playful" album would be to capture the listener's interest with more daring ways than that.

Happy Birthday by Gidon Kremer.......2007-01-09

This is a nice "classic" touch for any birthday celebration--great musical treatment of a most familiar tune!

A perfect birthday gift.......2006-01-26

I bought it out of my own devotion to Gidon Kremer and another one for a food friend's birthday. Kremer never let me down. This is another outstanding CD and a perfect birthday gift, even for non-classical lovers. However, to be very honest, I am not totally satisfied with all the tracks but still it's highly recommended. I would say it is an almost-must-have for your CD shelf. The variation of the traditional 'Happy Birthday' is fantastic if not too commercial.

Jest with Zest.......2005-11-26

If you enjoy parodies, this will be the perfect album for you. The jokes played on the various composers are amusing and refreshing, especially for music students who bore their brains out analysing these composers. Take a fresh view and enjoy! Even though they may seem meaningless initially, they grow onto you soon enough; and you will start asking - why not?

I want to play the variations myself!.......2004-07-22

My God...I will be too grateful to anyone who can show me where I can get the printed music of the "Happy Birthday" variation ....

Kurt Weill: Life, Love, & Laughter--Dance Arrangements, 1927-50

Average customer rating:

SAIL ON, KURT!
Not at All Vile Weill
ELEVATOR MUSIC

Kurt Weill: Life, Love, & Laughter--Dance Arrangements, 1927-50
H.K. Gruber , and Palast Orchestra
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ein Freund ein Guter Freu
Krokodile und Andere Hausfreunde
Wochenend und Sonnenschein
Superhits Präsentiert Vom Palast Orchester
Superhits V.2

ASIN: B000055YBR
Release Date: 2001-02-12

Tracks:

Mile After Mile
Bilbao Song
Stay Well
Life, Love And Laughter
My Ship
Green-up Time
The Little Gray House
Blues Potpourri
September Song
All At Once
Le Roi d'Aquitaine (Waltz)
Foxtrot Potporri
Alabama Song
Lied Der Jenny
Speak Low
It Never Was You
What Good Would the Moon Be
Tango Ballade
Kanonen-Song

Amazon.com

Here's a disc of 19 familiar and unfamiliar Kurt Weill songs arranged for dance band and played by an expert group of specialists in Roaring Twenties band music. They're led by singer-conductor-composer H.K. Gruber, whose previous recordings include Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper. The result is a start-to-finish delight. From the first notes, you're beamed back in time to one of those sleek transatlantic passenger liners, sitting in an art deco ballroom watching elegant couples in tuxedos and ball-gowns swirl by while the band plays hits from Weill's German and Broadway triumphs. Sure, the venom is leached from the originals, but who needs agitprop when you're on a dance floor? The arrangements are by a variety of hands, hired by Weill's European and American publishers with his approval to get more mileage from his musical theater works. They're delightfully square rhythmically and formulaic in transferring Weill's music to conventional dance bands, but the music still holds up and is fun to hear in its new clothes. A special treat is the eight tracks with Max Raabe, whose light tenor and falsetto singing preserve the spirit of Weill's songs, as well as perfectly mimic the boy band singers of times gone by. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

SAIL ON, KURT!.......2006-04-23

I wouldn't take offence here oh, Weill purists! These reconstructions are charming and harmonically reverent to their originals, more than could be said for many versions of the Weill Songbook through the decades, including Lou Reed's friendly `adaptation' of the September Song's chord progression and melodic line!

Shoenberg and Webern expressed their disdain of Weill's music; curiously, Arnold had also disclosed a secret wish of having his own audiences walk back home "whistling his tunes", oh, don't ask why... You can certainly whistle, hum and sway your partner now, as the transatlantic's bouncy dancehall sails on just as Kurt, Lotte and the lot of them did when escaping the lethal hounds of early 30s Berlin.... the-next-little-dollar bound.

Not at All Vile Weill.......2001-08-13

The ever versatile HK Gruber has done it again digging up these gorgeous dance arrangements for Weill's music--proving, if anything, Weill's versatility. Anyone familiar with the Capriccio historical Weill recordings will be aware of the long tradition of dance bands taking Weill's music as the lead for dance music or pop music incarnations (all the way up through the more obvious appropriations familiar to Americans: Mack the Knife and September Song). Hardly MUZAK arrangements (listen to the delicate violin in track 17's "What Good Would the Moon Be" to hear what I mean), this generous helping of 19 songs offers a chance to see Weill through a delightfully different but entirely compatible lens. Max Raabe provides the ideal vocal compliment on 8 of the tracks, his tenor floating effortlessly into his head voice suggesting a "period" sound reminiscent of Bing Crosby. The import title for this disc is "Charming Weill," and that modest adjective expresses the least of its virtues.

ELEVATOR MUSIC.......2001-05-23

This is a very strange CD: why would anyone want to take the quirky rhythms and melodies of the great Kurt Weill and "tame" them into dance arrangements? Certainly one has listened to (& even perhaps admired) dance arrangements of composers from Victor Herbert to Cole Porter to Jerry Herman, but these are all, if you will, main stream composers-- men whose music sounds good in original Broadway or Hollywood arrangements and just as good (or almost as good) as played by a dance band...think "Begin The Beguine" as done by Fred Astaire on film or "Begin The Beguine" done by Jo Stafford with the Paul Weston Orchestra.

But Weill was an innovator: a man who can still be listened to experiencing the thrill of something fresh and new. One immediately thinks of his collaborations with Bertolt Brecht in Germany: "Threepenny Opera" and "The Rise & Fall Of The City of Mahagonny" or "The Seven Deadly Sins", etc. his American opera, "Street Scene" with Langston Hughes or his American musical plays: "One Touch of Venus" with Ogden Nash or "Love Life" with Alan Jay Lerner, etc. The songs on this CD all deserve great recordings from the "Alabama Song" to "September Song" but they turn into a kind of flattened elevator music instead of having fresh interpretations or even more traditional ones. What happens is that the longing in "What Good Would the Moon Be" and the romance of "Speak Low" and the raucousness of "Bilbao Song" are all much too similar and much too easy.

Tracks:

Gallant And Gay We'll March Away - Let's Hurrah!
The Pathfinder Of Panama
El Capitan
Ancient And Honorable Artillery Company
The Gladiator
The Gliding Girl (Tango)
Foshay Tower Washington Memorial
Who's Who In Navy Blue
King Cotton
The Presidential Polonaise
The Liberty Bell
With Steady Step
The Stars And Stripes Forever!
Sabre And Spurs
La Reine De La Mer (Valses)
Mikado March
George Washington Bicentennial
Manhattan Beach
With Pleasure (Dance Hilarious)
The Fairest Of The Fair
Here's To Your Health, Sir!
The Washington Post

Customer Reviews:

A terrific collection of Sousa pieces.......2006-06-09

John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was one of America's best known composers. And he composed a wide variety of works, mostly for wind band. As a wind band member, I've played many of his marches.

You won't have any difficulty finding albums of Sousa's marches. But what about the rest of his works? This fine album includes a few and the Nonpareil Wind Band, under the direction of Timothy Foley, does an excellent job of playing them.

If I had to choose just eight of Sousa's pieces in order to introduce an audience to Sousa, here is what I would select:

El Capitan
Sound Off
With Pleasure
The Crusader
The Free Lance
The Gladiator
Semper Fidelis
The Fairest of the Fair

As you can see, half of these eight pieces are on this disc. You'll have to look elsewhere to find the others.

I highly recommend this excellent album.

A Grand Sousa Concert, Indeed.......2005-01-31

I'll come right out and say it. I love John Philip Sousa. I find his work addictive, joyous, and often very surprising. This is an album that explains why - it's perfectly arranged and performed, and the selections included could not be any better.

First of all, it's important for folks new to Sousa to understand that no, sir - he didn't compose only marches. Rather a shame that nowadays those are almost exclusively what he's legendary for - they are gems, indeed, but there's far more to the man than what we so often hear in high school bands, hometown parades and national events. Sousa could charm us with playful foxtrots, delight us with unique tangos, caress the ears with heavenly waltzes, and humor us with whimsical cakewalks. Thank goodness this album proves this truth.

Appropriately, the Great American Main Street Band plays each piece with strength, elan and respect - it doesn't get any better. The finest selections include "The Pathfinder of Panama" - a truly rousing march; "The Gliding Girl" - a tango, dedicated to his daughter, Priscilla); "The Presidential Polonaise" - a most noble dance; "La Reine de la Mer" - one of my favorite waltzes, so lovely; and "With Pleasure" - a cakewalk in the most deleriously fanciful fashion. Of course, each piece amongst these stong points is just wonderful, as well.

In all, this is just a flat out great album. Required listening for newly-minted Sousa fans, as well as members of the Old Guard - that would include me. It's a joy to hear, and will become a frequent resident in your CD shuffler - I guarantee that.

Thumbs up.......2003-02-05

Good, crisp rendering of a fine selection of Sousa pieces. Conductor Timothy Foley is well respected.

Average customer rating:

I wanted zero stars..

Best Of Stravinsky

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Best of Shostakovich
Best of Prokofiev
Best Of Rimsky-Korsakov
The Best of Bartók
The Best of Fauré

ASIN: B0000014I0
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

Pulcinella: Ouverture
Pulcinella: Scherzino
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Andantino
Pulcinella: Allegro
The Firebird: Round of the Princesses
The Firebird: King Kastchei's Infernal Dance
The Firebird: Berceuse
The Firebird: Finale
The Soldier's Tale: March Royale
Trois Danses: Tango
Trois Danses: Valse
Trois Danses: Ragtime
Petrushka: The Shrove-Tide Fair
Petrushka: Russian Dance
Petrushka
Petrushka: The Blackamoor
The Rite Of Spring: Part 2: The Sacrifice - Introduction - Mystical Circle Of The Adoleschents - Glorification Of The Chosen One - Evocation Of The Ancestors - Ritual Of The Ancestors - Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One)

Customer Reviews:

I wanted zero stars.........1999-11-26

What! Only Part 2 of Le Sacre Du Printemps! That's sacrilegious and this cd will burn in all eternal Hell!

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky the Composer, not Stravinsky the Conductor
Staggering! All the Stravinsky I'll ever need!
Magnificent!
Where's my Petrushka?
legendary

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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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

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Arnold Schoenberg: Chamber Music for Strings
Stravinsky: Works for Piano
Memories and Commentaries: New One-Volume Edition
Antal Dorati Conducts
Original Jacket Collection: Vladimir Horowitz

ASIN: B000031X11
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Customer Reviews:

Stravinsky the Composer, not Stravinsky the Conductor.......2006-09-18

It is a pretty good collection, lots of music from Stravinsky's entire carreer, but one must keep in mind that Stravinsky was a brilliant composer, and not a commanding maestro. You will not necessarily be getting the best recordings of these works. For example, something like the Boulez/Cleveland Rite of Spring is far superior to those in this collection. He is a vastly better conductor, and is much more capable of making the orchestra perform Stravinsky's intentions than Stravinsky is. All in all, however, I am more than glad I own this set.

Staggering! All the Stravinsky I'll ever need!.......2006-05-20

While I had heard some Stravinsky compositions prior to my purchase, this was the first (and only) Stravinsky material I have ever owned. As a young music enthusiast, the draw to me was to hear these pieces as Stravinsky conducted them and to get so many of them at such a great price, not to have the original jackets for the purpose of reminiscing. So, as someone who needed a good jump start into the works of Stravinsky (by Stravinsky), this set has proven totally invaluable. And while more information could have been packed onto these cds, I do appreciate how closely these discs have stuck to the original releases. I don't know about the portion of Petroushka which some reviewers claim is missing (as I don't know any other version), but I was totally blown away at hearing this version of Petroushka anyhow. In all, for whatever faults some sticklers may find here or there with this set, the value of this material collected in such a way (and at such a price) by far outweighs any possible faults.

Magnificent!.......2006-03-02

A great collection. There is simply no substitute for hearing Stravinsky as the great composer wanted to have his music played. Here is so much and also so varied a collection. I have been enjoying this set a great deal. One of the 20th century's greatest composers conducting his own compositions.

Where's my Petrushka?.......2003-08-01

The main reason I bought this box is because I was introduced to Stravinsky's Petrushka in the spring of 2003, and I loved it.
Along with Rite of Spring I think it's the most brilliant music Mr. Stravinsky ever wrote...so, I've been listening to the 34-minute long 1960 CSO recording of it at least once a day since I first heard it, naturally sort of memorizing it, but it didn't fit when I made this CD spin. The recording of Petrushka in this box is the VERY SAME RECORDING (1960) that I'd listened to, but it's cut to a suite! It's only 24 minutes long. You can tell it's obviously cut at certain points if you're familiar with the uncut version. 10 WHOLE MINUTES ARE MISSING FROM "PETRUSHKA!" I was (and still am) very disappointed by this.
Familiarizing myself with the rest of the discs was very fulfilling, though; I love the Ebony Concerto with the Columbia Jazz Combo featuring Benny Goodman...but the "suite-cut" of Petrushka made me paranoid...I can't be sure if anything else is edited or not...
There are 75 pages of notes in the booklet about the recordings but only 1/3 is in English.
The special multimedia feature disc is nothing much. With awful graphics it features the same notes as in the booklet, and there are lyrics for those who want to use the box for karaoke.
These 400 minutes of music (an average of 45 minutes per disc) could fit on only 5 CD's instead of 9, but it seems that this collection is made for nostaligs who will love watching and touching these tiny LP-jackets - after all, it is called the "Original Jacket Collection."
Incidentally, all of Stravinsky's recorded work which he conducted himself is not in this box. It is not at all complete; aside from the missing part of "Petrushka," his own reading of "Symphony in Three Movements" is missing (but available on CBS.)
Hats off to the man himself anyway. The music is brilliant, and considering that these recordings are 40+ years old, the sound quality is very good. Excellent stereophony on Rite of Spring!
It's a good thing that his music is still available and that people are offering refurbished products thereof. But if you love Petrushka like I do...buy the real thing...this just might disappoint you...
The 3 stars is a compromise of the music and the package; (5 stars for the music & its quality - 1 star for the package, choice of discs and--considering the price--somewhat weak linear notes.)

legendary.......2002-06-30

This 9 cd set is an historical one...more than half of Stravinsky's works are collected in this set. i clearly can say that there isn't any better recording for Stravinsky's works. especcialy first released USA's national anthem and a 12 tone work "Fanfare for two Trumpets" are remarkable.and we can also mention that some noises during the recording procces (i.e: Stravinsky's turning the page of the partition) gives a different taste to the listener. This is a real golden box of music.

Average customer rating:

It's not what it appears to be
I never knew classical could sound like this
a necessary, and excellent, sampler

Released: 1985-1995
Dumisani Maraire , Astor Piazzolla , Ben Johnston , Steve Reich , Henryk Gorecki , Terry Riley , George Crumb , Arvo Part , King of Navarre Thibault IV , Tigran Tahmizyan , Samuel Barber , Raymond Scott , Anonymous , Michael Daugherty , Jimi Hendrix , Djivan Gasparian , I.F. Stone , Larry Caballero , Patty Manning , John Taylor , and Performer: Kronos Quartet
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Short Stories
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass
White Man Sleeps
Rosa: The Death of a Composer
Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)

ASIN: B000005J3V
Release Date: 1995-10-24

Tracks:

Mother Nozipo
Five Tango Sensations: Asleep
String Quartet No. 4 (Amazing Grace)
Different Trains: America - Before The War
Quasi una Fantasia - String Quartet No. 2: Arioso: adagio cantabile
Salome Dances For Peace: (Excerpt From) The Ecstasy
Black Angels: God-Music
Fratres
String Quartet No. 5: Movt. III
A Cool Wind Is Blowing
Adagio

Tracks:

Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals
How It Happens - The Voice Of I.F. Stone: It Raged
Elvis Everywhere
Purple Haze

Amazon.com essential recording

For all its wide stylistic span and just plain good listening, Kronos's Released 1985-1995 is problematic in that it doesn't acknowledge the group's decade-long pre-Nonesuch history with so much as a footnote. That aside, Released, which celebrates the first ten years of the group's association with Nonesuch, is like a great mix tape, stringing pop-song-length selections from 11 albums to wonderful effect. It opens with a joyous Zimbabwean cross-cultural composition; segues into a brief tango by Astor Piazzolla; and goes on to comprise classic minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Reilly, Philip Glass), a broader palette of 20th-century classical (Samuel Barber, Henryk Gorecki, George Crumb, Arvo Part), and work truly unique to the Kronos repertoire (Ben Johnston's arrangement of "Amazing Grace"). A second CD includes a live recording of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," a catchy rendering of a wacky Raymond Scott hodgepodge, a novelty homage to Elvis Presley, and a selection from Scott Johnson's extraordinary musical setting of readings by historian I.F. Stone. A great starter kit for Kronos newcomers. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

It's not what it appears to be.......2006-07-17

A sampler should be priced at sampler prices to get you to sample the label or artist, usually around $10. On this set, the first CD is 77 min. but the second is only 23 and mostly worthless, except for the Hendrix piece (Purple Haze) which they claim is unreleased though it appears in nearly identical form on the "Sculthorpe, Sallinen, Glass..." album, released 5 years before this one. The first CD is excellent, however, and merits a $2 marketplace purchase.

I never knew classical could sound like this.......2005-06-22

I bought this CD with no knowledge of what Kronos Quartet was all about. I don't have a sophisticated taste in classical music, with my preferences running more to Copeland, Dvorak, Handel, Barber, and Holst.....accessible music for many people. I bought this to expose myself to a different approach to classical music and for the most part have loved the ride. The track America-Before the War alone is worth the price of the CD....its meditation on a society just emerging with optimism from economic stagnation but simultaneously rushing into war is incredibly powerful.

There are obviously many old favorites like Amazing Grace, Barber's Adagio, and a classic rendition of Jimmy Hendrix. When you listen, though, you will appreciate the diversity of classical music....there's so much more to the catalog than most writers Top Fifty lists.

a necessary, and excellent, sampler.......2000-10-09

I've been aware of the Kronos Quartet since WHITE MAN SLEEPS, but never took the plunge until now. What to do, when they've "released" so many records in the meantime? This sampler is the (near) perfect answer. It contains selections from 10 different albums. This serves both to give a sense of the breadth of the group's work (as well as the breadth of 20th century composition!), and also the flavor of some of their records if you decide to hear more. It is astounding music --RELEASED works as a unified whole, with two exceptions in my opinion, and those are the excerpts from the Reich and Glass albums. I don't like Glass at all, and the Reich piece is underwhelming, so I simply edit those selections out. Most of the other tracks are nothing less than stellar: Johnston, Gorecki, Riley, Crumb, Part, Tahmizyan, and Barber. The second disc ("Unreleased") is where my more serious dissatisfaction lies, and hence only 4 stars. You pay a 2-disc price, but this is not a full disc of music, and only 2 of the 4 selections really bear repeated listening. The Johnson track with sampled vocals by the great critic of U.S. imperialism I.F. Stone is fantastic (in a very '80s style), but the last two pieces are more novelty numbers. With all the material available, the second disc could easily contain many more cuts from the voluminous Kronos catalog. But with that caveat, I recommend this record. It sounds great in its own right, and it works quite well as a sampler.

(Since I wrote the original review I've added BLACK ANGELS, NIGHT PRAYERS, and SHORT STORIES to my collection, and all are superb -- see my reviews of all three, and my "Kronos, Reviewed and Unreviewed" list -- 9/5/04.)