Before the War

About the Artist
David Rothenberg's previous releases include "nobody could explain it" (Accurate/Ryko 1992), "On the Cliffs of the Heart" (New Tone, 1995), and "Unamuno" (New Tone, 1997). He also produced the acclaimed "Music From Nature" CD and book/CD (Terra Nova/MIT Press, 1998). His music has been praised for "the integrity with which he joins manmade and natural, electronic and acoustic, cultural and horticultural" and called "hauntingly beautiful", "a world music that continues to surprise, setting the clarinet free into uncharted waters", and 'brimming with emotion."

Dougla Quin has released two CDs of natural soundscapes, "Antarctica" and "Madagascar: The Fragile Land" (both Wild Sanctuary, 1998), as well as two full CDs of his unique approach to composition which blends natural voices, electronics, and improvisation, "Oropendola" (Apollo Records, 1994) and "Forests: A Book of Hours" (EarthEar, 1999). He helped develop innovative museum sound installations at the Pequot Museum and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and has received numerous commissions from WDR (German Public Radio) for extended compositions. His National Science Foundation funded field expeditions to Antarctica have been featured by NPR. He has been praised as "the Audubon of audio" and "the best of the next generation of soundscape composers."

Band members: David Rothenberg: Clarinets, Words, Keyboards
Douglas Quin: Field Recordings, Guitar, Samplers, Synthesizer
Bill Douglass: Bass, Assorted Flutes
Russ Gold: Percussion
Mari Jarvinen: Jouhikko, Voice

Product Description
This "earth jazz" ensemble blends the indigenous energy of the world's primal cultures with the exploratory spirit of improvisation, all built around and within the powerful soundscapes of a living earth. Douglas Quin's stellar field recordings from around the world provide a foundation for improvisation that does not simply echo nature's tones, but moves from a deeper resonance, attuned to the ways nature moves, ebbs, and flows.

There are echoes of Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and North African melodics, with an ECM-like tone of atmospheric virtuosity; these grooves seem to be momentary glimpses of conversations that have no real beginning or end. Three of Rothenberg's spoken word pieces act as islands of reflection, two inspired by folk takes and one drawn from a woman telling him on the Italian Rivera that he knew nothing about life before the war. These musings on the eternal dance of life and death address the piercing of the connection between humanity and creation. The result is an invigorating blend of exotic textures and deep heart that speaks equally to lovers of world music and jazz.

Before the War,David Rothenberg,Douglas Quin

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

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Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. 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.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. 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...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. 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
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. 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.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. 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.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. 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.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. 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)
42. 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....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. 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...
32. 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)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. 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).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. 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
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. 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.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. 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.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. 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...
15. 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)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. 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.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. 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.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. 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
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. 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.

Average customer rating: Great Portland Band great album, great concert

Centuries Before Love and War Stars of Track and Field Manufacturer: Wind-Up ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Into the West Sound of Silver The Good, the Bad & the Queen The Reminder We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank ASIN: B000KKO0E2 Release Date: 2007-01-16

Tracks:

1. Centuries
2. Movies Of Antartica
3. With You
4. Lullaby For A G.I./Don't Close Your Eyes
5. Real Time
6. Arithmatik
7. U.S. Mile 5
8. Say Hello
9. Exit The Recital
10. Fantastic

Customer Reviews:

Great Portland Band.......2007-02-23

Probably my favorite local band. They are amazing in concert, I've seen them twice at the Doug Fir in Portland. I have another 5 track cd from them that is pretty hard to find.

great album, great concert.......2007-02-07

My wife and I went to a Twilight Singers (Greg Dulli from the Afghan Whigs) concert in Nov. 06 w/ special guest Mark Lanegan. The Stars of Track and Field opened. And while the Twilight Singers were good, SOTAF totally blew the Twilight Singers away. I had no idea who they were and were thinking they were a cross between The Postal Service and Sunny Day Real Estate. Of course it turns out they've toured with members of Sunny Day previously. The Postal Service comparison is due to some of the electronic elements in the music, Sunny Day Real Estate due to the structure of the songs, moments of intensity and moments of quiet. The songs all build into a crescendo or climax that is incredible.

I picked up the album at the concert when it was with a very minor label and have listened to it extensively. The one weak track is With You due to a weak chorus and ending. Every other track is strong, especially Centuries, Movies of Antarctica, Real Time, Arithmatik, and Say Hello.

Do try to check them out live. These guys are incredible.

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 All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by George Crumb | Crumb, George | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Daugherty, Michael | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glass | Glass, Philip | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Riley, Terry | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Kronos Quartet | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | 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:

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

Tracks:

1. Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals
2. How It Happens - The Voice Of I.F. Stone: It Raged
3. Elvis Everywhere
4. 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.)

Average customer rating: Nu-gaze Masterpiece great music

Centuries Before Love and War Stars of Track and Field Manufacturer: Sidecho Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: A Lesson in Crime The Trials of Van Occupanther The Good, the Bad & the Queen Carnavas Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks) ASIN: B000FBFTIM Release Date: 2007-01-16

Tracks:

1. Centuries
2. Movies Of Antartica
3. With You
4. Lullabye For A G.I./Don't Close Your Eyes
5. Real Time
6. Arithmatik
7. U.S. Mile 5
8. Say Hello
9. Exit The Recital
10. Fantastic

Customer Reviews:

Nu-gaze Masterpiece.......2007-04-20

I wish I could have given this CD 4.5 stars. I absolutely love it. I was unfamiliar with SOTAF prior to hearing them at SXSW. Their performance was very moving, and the recorded representation is equally beautiful. I had read a few reviews that compared them to other bands that I like, but was surprised at who they actually made me think of after hearing the CD.

Simon and Garfunkel.

Yeah, that's right. The vocals reminded me a lot of classic S&G harmonies.

Hello darkness my new friend :)

There isn't really any need to mention various other bands that their music may remind you of. Just know that all of those other bands are great.

This CD is a wonderful listen. Very powerful in all the right places. It's kinda dark (in a good way), kind of peaceful, and full of imagery.

I got the CD, plus a t-shirt, for .05 (yes, five cents) off of a well know online auction website. Plus shipping (which was still an insane deal).

Although some of my friends/bandmates don't share my love for this CD.....they're all lame, pretentious dorks.....so I feel confident in my declaration.

Being a guitarist, I love the guitar work on this CD. It is soaring in places and minimal in others. Quite tasteful in my humble opinion.

great music.......2007-02-06

I bought this cd marked down at a local record store and couldn't be more impressed. The timing of the harmony within the bridges and choruses are f'n perfect. Check out #8 "Say Hello". I love it, but I'll probably just burn a copy for myself and give the other to someone special :!

Average customer rating: Forbidden Colours Brilliant! Essential Sylvian / Sakamoto collaboration This is still No.1 in my list of favorite music Beautiful, complicated and haunting

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence: Soundtrack From The Original Motion Picture Manufacturer: Milan Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Sakamoto, Ryuichi | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: The Last Emperor Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence ASIN: B0000015IO Release Date: 1994-10-11

Tracks:

1. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
2. Batavia
3. Germination
4. A Hearty Breakfast
5. Before The War
6. The Seed And The Sower
7. A Brief Encounter
8. Ride, Ride, Ride (Celliers' Brother's Song)
9. The Fight
10. Father Christmas
11. Dismissed
12. Assembly
13. Beyond Reason
14. Sowing The Seed
15. 23rd Psalm
16. Last Regrets
17. Ride, Ride, Ride (Reprise)
18. The Seed
19. Forbidden Colours

Album Description

Actor and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the world's best musicians. He creates music with a unique style that combines western, classical, symphonic composition, Japanese traditional sounds and experimental electronic music. Out of print for many years until now, the soundtrack also contains a vocal performance by David Sylvian, best remembered as leader of the popular U.K. rock band Japan.

Customer Reviews:

Forbidden Colours.......2004-10-19

My college roommate bought this when it was released. I have always loved the Forbidden Colours version with David Sylvian's vocals. A real gem of a song.

Brilliant!.......2004-05-20

This is the soundtrack to the 1983 feature film "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence". Sakamoto, who was in the now-legendary New Wave/synth group Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed and performed the entire evocative score. Addtionally, Sakamoto starred as a Japanese POW camp commandant, along with British POW's Tom Conti and David Bowie (as an Australian commando). The movie, while a disappointment at the box office, is quite an experience; a strange drama set in a Japanese-run POW camp in the Dutch East Indies in World War II, but worth watching. The ending is emotional; you may shed a few tears at the end!

As good as the film is, the soundtrack is stunning, especially the title track; it's haunting, mesmorizing, and powerful. (The only clunker is the David Sylvian vocal on the "reprise" at the end, which was not on the film's soundtrack.)

At the very least, get this brilliant soundtrack!

Essential Sylvian / Sakamoto collaboration.......2003-09-03

This CD disappeared for some time, I remember hunting for years to find it again. This re-release gives fans of the movie and the two artists another chance to listen to a fine Sakamoto piece. Sakamoto was in Yellow Magic orchestra, Sylvian in Japan and then on his own. The collaboration with Sylvian is one of many: Bamboo Music/Bamboo Houses and Sylvian's first 3 solo albums -- all amazing when Sakamoto adds his unique keyboard touches. "Forbidden Colors" stands away from the rest of the album, I think, a wonderful song, one of my favorites.

Buy the movie, it's still available, enjoy Bowie against Sakamoto and Tom Conti's fine performance. Then, you'll need this album.

This is still No.1 in my list of favorite music.......2003-08-12

I watched the movie for the first time when I was 21.

I listened to the entire soundtrack for the first time when I was 18.

I have known the melody of the title theme....since I was in elementary school.

I always whistled this melody without knowing what the music was called or who it was by.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence was the soundtrack of my life.

PS.
I have recently noticed the track #2 on disc #2 of the compilation Clicks & Cuts 3 (on Mille Plateaux), by Antonelli Electr., starts with a melody that is very remniscent of one of the short tracks on Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. It made me really excited...

Beautiful, complicated and haunting.......2003-04-12

close your eyes and enjoy this work of art

Average customer rating: MUSIC IS FIRST, AND SO IS THE PIANO. WONDERFUL !!!

Prokofiev, Volume IV Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000007EV Release Date: 1995-01-17

Tracks:

1. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: I. Folk Dance (Village Dance)
2. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: II. The Street Awakens
3. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: III. Arrival Of The Guests
4. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: IV. The Young Juliet (Juliet)
5. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: V. Masks
6. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: VI. The Montagues And The Capulets
7. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: VII. Friar Laurence (Father Lorenzo)
8. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: VIII. Mercutio
9. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: IX. Dance Of The Girls With Lilies
10. Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: X. Romeo Bids Juliet Farewell
11. Cinderella, Op.95: I. Pavane
12. Cinderella, Op.95: Gavotte
13. Cinderella, Op.95: III. Valse Lente (Waltz)
14. Cinderella Op.97: I. Spring Fairy
15. Cinderella Op.97: II. Summer Fairy
16. Cinderella Op.97: V. Crickets And Dragonflies
17. Cinderella Op.97: III. Autumn Fairy
18. Cinderella Op.97: IV. Winter Fairy
19. Cinderella Op.97: VI. Orientalia
20. Cinderella Op.97: VII. Passapied
21. Cinderella Op.97: VIII. Capriccio (Rubyshka's Variation)
22. Cinderella Op.97: IX. Bourree
23. Cinderella Op.97: X. Adagio (Pas de deux)
24. Three Pieces For Piano, Op.86: I. Grand Waltz From War And Peace
25. Three Pieces For Piano, Op.86: II. Contredanse Intended For Lermontov
26. Three Pieces For Piano, Op.86: III. Mephisto Waltz Intended For Lermontov

Customer Reviews:

MUSIC IS FIRST, AND SO IS THE PIANO. WONDERFUL !!!.......2003-05-09

Mr. Chiu offered this listener arguably the most gratifying recorded music experience. He approaches Prokofiev ( and other great composers ) first as a musician, with a depth of expression that left me breathless! But because his piano technique is flawless, his instrumental skill is almost a distraction, but Mr. Chiu somehow allows his fingers to feel every nuance. If you have ever loved the music of Prokofiev, this is a recording which will bring tears to your eyes with it's beauty. Mr. Chiu is equally understanding and expressive with Vol. 9 which I also have. Why this superlative pianist is not yet recognized among the top 3 pianists ever to record, along with Glenn Gould and Rubenstein puzzles me.I don't understand how any human being can be so gifted ! Thank you, thank you, Frederick Chiu.

Average customer rating: Historical Time Capsule

The Civil War Douglas Jimerson Manufacturer: Amerimusic ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Flotow | Flotow, Friedrich von | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | 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 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 | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | 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 Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music ASIN: B00004SU99 Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

1. Tenting on the Old Camp Ground
2. Wait for the Wagon
3. Clari: Home, Sweet Home
4. Oh! Susanna
5. The Bonnie Blue Flag
6. Do They Miss Me at Home?
7. Yellow Rose of Texas
8. Goober Peas
9. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
10. Aura Lee
11. Marching Through Georgia
12. Just Before the Battle, Mother
13. That's What's the Matter
14. We are Coming Father Abraham
15. Gentle Annie
16. I'll be a Sergeant
17. Dixie
18. Tramp, Tramp, Tramp "The boys are coming"
19. For the Dear Old Flag I Die
20. Battle Hymn of the Republic
21. The Battle Cry of Freedom
22. America
23. The Bonnie Blue Flag
24. My Maryland
25. Yellow Rose of Texas
26. Woodman, Spare that Tree
27. Juanita
28. Green Grow the Lilacs
29. Lorena
30. Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
31. Rock'd in the Cradle of the Deep
32. How Firm a Foundation
33. Blue Bell of Scotland
34. Storming of Monterey
35. Joys that We've Tasted
36. Polly Hopkins and Tommy Tompkins
37. Drummer Boy of Shiloh
38. Roll, Alabama, Roll
39. Weeping, Sad and Lonely
40. Vaccant Chair
41. Goober Peas
42. All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight
43. Dixie
44. Oh! Susanna
45. Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground
46. Old Folks at Home
47. Camptown Races
48. Beautiful Dreamer
49. Nelly Bly
50. Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair
51. Gentle Annie
52. Hard Times Come Again No More
53. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
54. Deep River
55. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
56. If You've Only Got a Moustache
57. Old Dog Tray
58. The Glendy Burk
59. My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night
60. Some Folks
61. When This Dreadful War Is Ended
62. Was My Brother In The Battle?
63. Nothing, But a Plain Old Soldier
64. Battle Hymn of the Republic
65. America
66. Barbara Allen
67. Skip to my Lou
68. Kathleen Mavoureen
69. Adam and Eve's Wedding Song
70. Old Sister Phoebe
71. Oh! Susanna
72. Twenty Years Ago
73. The Ship on Fire
74. Silver Bell Waltz
75. Your Mission
76. Dixie
77. Go Down Moses
78. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
79. Free at Last
80. Martha: Ach, so fromm
81. Die Zauberflote, K 620: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
82. Faust: Salut! demeure chaste et pure
83. Faust: Gloire immortelle [Soldiers' Chorus]
84. Hail, Columbia
85. We are Coming Father Abraham
86. Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean
87. Taps

Customer Reviews:

Historical Time Capsule.......2000-08-12

This is the most comprehensive recording I've found of songs popular during the Civil War period. The performances are a time capsule of Civil War music.

Average customer rating:

The American Indianists, Volume 2 Manufacturer: Marco Polo ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Gilbert, Henry F. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by MacDowell | MacDowell, Edward | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | International | 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 ASIN: B00000463X Release Date: 1996-12-17

Tracks:

1. Before The Sunrise
2. Wolf Song (War Dance)
3. The Sadness of the Lodge
4. 2 Lover's Wooing (Or Blanket Song)
5. Zunian Lullaby: Incantation Upon A Sleeping Infant-Invocation To The Sun-God
6. Kiowa-Apache War Dance
7. From An Indian Lodge
8. Indian Idyl
9. Sun-Dance
10. Scalp Dance
11. Evening At The Lodge
12. The Chattering Squaw
13. On The Jocko
14. Song Of The Deathless Voice
15. Ichibuzzhi, Op. 13
16. Pawnee Horses
17. Dawn, Op. 12
18. Shawnee Indian Huntling Dance

Average customer rating: Exciting Prokofiev and Liszt Scintillating Sonatas, percussive Liszt Deserving of the "Legends" label, if only there were more! Fine Recordings Of Prokofiev's and Liszt's Music

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 7 & 8; Liszt: Mephisto Waltz Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Impromptus | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Ashkenazy, Vladimir | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Chopin: 4 Ballades, 4 Scherzi / Ashkenazy Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 / Ashkenazy, Kondrashin Beethoven: Sonatas Nos. 7, 14 "Moonlight," 22, 23 "Appassionata" Shostakovich: Cello Concerto Nos. 1 & 2 Favourite Spanish Encores ASIN: B00005N572 Release Date: 2002-02-12

Customer Reviews:

Exciting Prokofiev and Liszt.......2007-08-01

It's good to have Vladimir Ashkenazy's only disc of Prokofiev solo works for Decca beautifully refurbished. The 30 year old pianist took a less propulsive view of the Seventh Sonata's outer movements than did his teenage counterpart on EMI (reissued by Testament), taming the music's electrifying edges in favor of lighter gestures and lyrical wit. If he doesn't quite match the sleek accuracy of either Gould or Pollini's leaps in the finale, admirably varied inner rhythms emerge from the music's toccata like patterns. Ashkenazy's classically proportioned approach to the Eighth Sonata has more intense feeling and energy, than can be heard from Richter's cooler, more translucent finger work, and it proves no less convincing. His pedaling and spread chords evoke the sad sensuality of Romeo and Juliet's departure music arranged by the composer from the orchestral ballet. Given his sympathy for this repertoire, it's a shame Ashkenazy didn't explore more of Prokofiev's solo works on disc. The same holds true for the pianist's commanding, idiomatic, and intelligently virtuosic Liszt playing. He makes a veritable tone poem out of the composer's rarely heard F sharp Impromptu.

Scintillating Sonatas, percussive Liszt.......2006-02-09

I really like both of the performances of Prokofiev's Sonatas. Again, I'm not sure why, the tempi of all the movements of the sonatas are beautifully done. Not too fast or not too slow. He calls it "normal". The Seventh is a land-mark recording because it captures the excitement of the piece from beginning to end. I think Pletnev's reading is too academic, while Ashkenazy feels that rush with the fast movements of the 7th that make it a marvelous interpretation. The 8th sonata is also beautifully done, with an emphasis on atonality and a harsh austerity. I wouldnt say it is a introspective reading like others, but it is exciting nevertheless.

All of the Liszt pieces are way too percussive.

Deserving of the "Legends" label, if only there were more!.......2004-04-23

Prokofiev's solo piano compositions, the Sonatas especially, have long been unjustly and shamefully by the recording companies. And by well known artists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy.

These are great performances. Prokofiev had a knack for writing music that was playful, jubilant, and reflecting a positive outlook while still being full of provacativeness and deep thinking. His Sonatas are not as approachable as the popular ballets; you have to listen to them with an attentive ear, and repeatedly at that, to gain an appreciation for them.

Ashkenazy is a master with these sonatas, plumbing the depths or the music but obviously having a great deal of fun doing so. There's seriousness mixed with lightness. The Romeo and Juliet pieces are also unforgettable in Ashkenazy's hands.

The Liszt is equally well played, enjoyable and lively but never over indulgent, played with perfection but without sacrificing the fun.

The sound is among Decca's best piano recordings, brilliantly remastered with the latest technology.

When I finish listening to these pieces, I find myself actually a little depressed as I wonder how much more Ashkenazy would do if he would put down the baton and return to the keyboard with a greater commitment. Had he not picked up the baton of the orchestra conductor, maybe he would have recorded all of the Prokofiev Sonatas by now. And some of the other neglected Prokofiev solo piano pieces too.

Fine Recordings Of Prokofiev's and Liszt's Music.......2002-04-17

These recordings were made by Vladimir Ashkenazy around the time he embarked on his Beethoven piano sonata cycle in the early 1970's. His performances of Prokofiev's sonatas and piano transcription of passages from the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" feature lively, warm playing replete with ample doses of drama. Without question, these are among the most dramatic performances I've heard of Prokofiev's piano music. On the other hand, Ashkenazy tends to emphasize the lyric qualities of Liszt's music in his warm, vibrant performance of the Mephisto Waltz. While these performances may not be the definitive recordings of these works, they will surely please fans of Ashkenazy interested in acquiring fine examples of some of his earliest solo piano recordings for Decca. The sound quality is superb due to the latest digital image-bit remastering.

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Bach's Passion: The Passion of Christ as You've Never Heard It Before Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) ASIN: B0002KVUU2 Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

1. Chorus: Kommt, Ihr Ter, Helft Mir Klagen - Chicago Symphony Chorus
2. Recitative (Evangelist, Jesus): Da Jesus Diese Rede Vollender Hatte - Olaf Bar
3. Aria (Soprano): Blute Nur, Du Liebes Herz - Kiri Te Kanawa
4. Aria (Tenor): Ich Will Bei Mainem Jesu Wachen/Chorus: So Schlafen Unsre Sunden Ein - Olaf Bar
5. Aria (Alto): Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott - Anne Sofie Von Otter
6. Aria (Bass) : Gebt Mir Meinen Jesum Wieder - Tom Krause
7. Recitative (Bass): Am Abend, Da Es Kuhle War - Tom Krause
8. Chorus: Wir Setzen Uns Mit Tranen Nieder - Chicago Symphony Chorus
9. Chorus: Herr, Unser Herrscher - Hymnuschor Stuttgart
10. Aria (Alto): Von Den Stricken Meiner Sunden Mich Zu Entbinden - Dieter Ellenbeck
11. Chorale: Durch Dein Gefangnis, Gottes Sohn - Hymnuschor Stuttgart
12. Chorale: In Meines Herzens Grunde - Hymnuschor Stuttgart
13. Aria (Soprano): Zerfliesse, Mein Herz - Elly Ameling
14. Chorale: O Hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn - Hymnuschor Stuttgart
15. Chorus: Ruht Wohl, Ihr Heiligen Gebeine - Hymnuschor Stuttgart
16. Chorale: Ach Herr, Lass Dein Lieb Engelein - Hymnuschor Stuttgart

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2. Best Collection : Now & Forever [Import]
3. Best of Scottish Dance [Import]
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5. Cada Um Belisca Um Pouco [Import]
6. Canticos Aos Orixas De Candomble [Import]
7. Chansons thematiques pour apprendre la langue CD
8. Ciao Amore Ciao [Import]
9. Collection [Import]
10. Compositores [Import]

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