4 comments about Dinner Classics: The Italian Album.

1. Elegant, soothing and graceful. I recently moved into a work-at-home situation and had to get away from my rock-and-roll standards if I were to get any work done. I find the rich sounds of this album perfect for me. It isn't distracting and seems to steer my creative energies effortlessly. I love it.



2. I place a high priority to the selections made for my dinner party, and although this is still a good CD, it did not meet my expectations to play for dinner guests. I was disappointed. It is marketed as "Dinner Classics", but not a good mix in my opinion.



3. I heard this album for the first time at a restuarant in Florence during my trip to Italy. I was surprised it was from the US beacause it has captured the very soul of Italy. After 7 years it has remained my favorite of all Puccini cds I own. I especially like the fact that it is instumental and can be played for many occassions. It never fails to stir the wanderlust for a trip back to Italy! A must for every romantic!



4. I have been a music lover for years. This CD introduced some Italian music to me that I was not familiar with. I listen to this music very often...it is almost theraputic in effect. I have never heard more beautiful music together on one CD. You won't regret getting this one!

5 comments about Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder.

1. This CD contains the classical music that baby boomers recognize from movies and TV when we were young. It is a fun listen when you don't want to hear the chatter on the radio or to sing along. When you hear the William Tell Overture you can see Hopalong Cassidy riding his horse, or savor memories from 2001, the Space Oddyse. I don't listen to it everyday- but it's fun for a break.



2. Every selection on this CD is wonderful. I can't get enough of it. My 22 year old son loves it, too, so I bought another copy just for him.



3. I bought this album years ago, and it continues to blow me away. Be aware that this album truly consists of classical thunder, without any charming little Baroque pieces. I love "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," but you won't find that sort of thing on this collection. Instead, this is song after song that is loud and boisterous. The selection is marvelous, including some of my personal favorites like Rossini's "William Tell Overture," Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," Orff's "Carmina burana" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." But many lesser known masterpieces are here, as well, like Rimsky-Korsakov's "Procession of the Nobles" and Tchaikovsky's "Marche slave." Regardless of the familiarity of this music, it's all good stuff. The performances are stellar, and I'd recommend this album to anyone to wants to hear some of most rambunctious music ever composed!!



4. I remember when I was little, I had this cd, but i lost it. I bought a similiar type of one through TIme Life and decided to try the Classical Thunder one. I have like it so far.



5. This two CD set is magnificent. I got the set in the early 1990's when it was advertised on television, along with other releases in Time Life's set. I was struck by the interpretations of the conductors. Whenever I hear these pieces now, I judge them against this recording. Amazing selection as well. There are staples of orchestra repetoire, like Beethoven symphonies, but also gems that are not heard very often, like the Rimsky-Korsakov "Procession of the Nobles." A very impressive recording.

5 comments about Concertos From My Childhood / Perlman, Foster.

1. There's a lot of composers who wrote pieces especially suited for students. Many of those pieces are relatively "easy" to play, but are also very beautiful compositions. These pieces, and their composers, deserve to be discovered by a larger public. Thanks to Ytzhak Perlman.
   I recommend this album to any violin student of any age.
   Caroline Lapointe



2. I thought about to purchse this cd when I daughter was playing most of the pieces few years ago, but I never did. However, I just bought it now and I found it is really worthy if you have a young player at home. Perlman recorded this cd to encourage young players to play violin with fun. I think he did a wonderful job!



3. Obtained this CD to hear "Scene de Ballet." Perlman never fails to deliver. The entire CD has wonderful pieces throughout that you will really enjoy!



4. Absolutely delighted with this buy! It is wonderful to have such a good recording by a maestro for student concertos. Although there is absolutely no way my son can play as well as Perlman, it is very helpful and important that he gets to listen to how beautiful the concertos can sound.



5. My students love listening to this recording and get lots of inspiration from it. Big thanks to Mr. Perlman for making this recording.

5 comments about The Complete EMI Recordings 1946-1984, Vol. 1: Orchestral [Box Set].

1. Not only is this conductor first class, the recordings are of good quality. The cost is less than $2 per hour of music.



2. El sello EMI nos presenta las grabaciones de Herbert Von Karajan, el más carismático Director de Orquesta del s. XX, en el período de su máximo esplendor. Yo tengo los DVD con las Sinfonías de Beethoven y el Concierto para Violín (Op. 61)que son mucho más recientes, pero la intensidad de estas producciones no es igual, pues muestran a un Karajan cansado, ya en el ocaso de su vida, no tan dinámico como en los primeros tiempos, aunque, claro, estas producciones se benefician de los avances tecnológicos.
   Esta colección de EMI, en la que una gran parte es monofónica, es importante por su valor histórico. El precio es muy razonable.



3. EMI has been releasing a great many ambitious box sets lately, some devoted to specific composers with as many as 30 CDs, but this dwarfs them all (except for the Maria Callas tome), and I'm just talking about volume one, the orchestral collection. Was i glad to see it done? Certainly! Do I wish that a little more care had gone into the planning and execution? Heartily!
   
   The idea is a fine one, assembling all of Karajan's official EMI orchestral recordings in one package, and remastering many of them once again. But the execution is amateurish -- the paltry booklet giving the tracklist for each CD has no index, so if you are, say, only interested at a particular moment in hearing Karajan's interpretations of Johann Strauss II or Liszt, or even Bruckner (or any other composer, for that matter), get ready to turn a lot of pages and make lots of notes of disc numbers. Second, given that this is a 2008 release, the CDs aren't even title readout encoded (or whatever they call the function that displays the title of the piece as you play it, along with running time etc.), which is now pretty much standard.
   
   And finally -- and I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this problem with this or any other of these EMI mega-sets, of Karajan, Callas, Vaughan Williams etc. -- a third of the CDs among the first dozen in this box (and the Vaughan Williams set) would not boot-up/scan/play properly in my player; some were perfect, but four of the first twelve cycled and cycled and spun a while but would not play, and two would only start in the middle of the disc (though they all did work fine on my Mac and in my all-region DVD player, but that's not what I have them for, or where I want to use them); I had two other box sets on my listening shelf the same evening from Universal, both Europe and Japan; and one from Sony US (an "original jackets" box), and every one of those discs played perfectly, without a hitch or a glitch.
   
   Maybe at a retail price point of under $3 a disc it's too much to expect that this kind of box is much more than an ornament for a living room, the CD equivalent of a coffee table book -- "a set for people who don't listen to CDs" is how the best classical retailer I know in New York describes it.
   
   Oh, and I will admit that the sound on what I've heard is fine, with the early Vienna recordings a marked improvement over some prior issues. But the producers of this set still have a very long way to go to fulfill its promise and potential; and as is all-too-often the case with these big CD (and DVD) sets, someone in the art department is making life very difficult for the purchaser -- in this instance, someone should have told the appropriate people at EMI, yes, keep it simple but don't neglect the bloody obvious, either! Meanwhile, I still listen to the late mono and the stereo parts of the Karajan EMI library on my late 1980's CDs of this same material, organized conveniently on a normal shelf, easy-to-find etc.



4. I can only echo the extravagant praise of my fellow Amazon.com reviewers. This box, which contains literally everything Karajan recorded for EMI in Vienna, London and Berlin from the 1940's through the early '80's, and its companion volume, which features all of Karajan's opera/vocal recordings for this label, provide a unique opportunity to hear, enjoy and assess the developing career of a great artist. Karajan was arguably the most important conductor since Furtwängler and Toscanini, and we are fortunate that he made so many recordings on various labels. The EMI recordings, many of them from relatively early in his career, are arguably his finest from an interpretive point of view. It is quite instructive to compare the leaner and more incisive sound Karajan elicited from his ensembles in the earlier phase of his career, with the more bloated textures he created with the BPO (and, to a lesser extent, from the VPO) during his later period. Though no admirer of von Karajan would want to be without his greatest efforts for DG, the early EMI recordings convey an elemental vigor and cogency that are only fitfully recaptured in his DG recordings. Interestingly, many of the later EMI recordings included here (such as the Sibelius symphonies from the late stereo/early digital era) are superior both sonically and interpretively to his DG recordings from the same period, further confirming my hunch that Karajan did his best work for EMI.
   
   Of course any anthology of this kind will have its ups and downs, both from an interpretive and a sonic point of view. So, for instance the heady excitement of his early Mozart recordings with the VPO is somewhat dulled by indifferent monaural recordings. Nor is Karajan's first Beethoven cycle with the Philharmonia as perceptive as his classic 1963 cycle with the BPO for DG, superbly played though it is. But one should not make too much of these comparisons in light of the consistently high standard of excellence found in this 88-CD set, to say nothing of its status as one of the most extraordinary bargains ever offered by a major label (less than two dollars per CD from many sellers on this website). Certainly there are many great performances here, including at least four which in my estimation have never been surpassed: a monaural Vaughan Williams "Tallis Fantasia" and Britten "Frank Bridge Variations" with the Philharmonia, a Bruckner Seventh with the BPO from 1971 and an early digital Sibelius Sixth, also with the BPO. Some of the early VPO performances are particularly incandescent (Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth, for instance).
   
   In addition to symphonic repertoire this box also contains numerous overtures and lighter fare, all done to a turn. Concertante works abound, featuring such estimable soloists as Dennis Brain (in his famous account of the Mozart Horn Concerti), Dinu Lipatti (in Mozart's Concerto no. 21), Alexis Weissenberg (in the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos), Oistrakh Richter and Rostropovich (in the Beethoven "Triple Concerto"), James Galway (in the first Mozart flute concerto), etc. But of course it would be impossible to list everything of merit in this set. I have owned at one time or another, in various formats, about half of these recordings. I am gradually making my way through those with which I am unfamiliar, and am finding that my appreciation of Karajan is enhanced with virtually every new acquaintance. I am also impressed by the quality of the digital transfers of material which I had previously heard only on LP (or in previous CD incarnations). I'm not certain whether EMI has gone to the trouble of securing new remasterings in every case, but the sound seems better focused overall, with minimal tape hiss and a better sense of space around the instruments than before. Of course, nothing much can be done to improve the dry string timbres in some of the earliest mono recordings.
   
   In sum, then, this collection is unmissable-- whether you are a Karajan fan or a listener interested in the history of conducting and twentieth-century orchestral performance practice. Since the range of repertoire is extraordinarily broad--from Vivaldi to Bartók-- this box could also serve as something like a comprehensive introduction to the standard repertoire for a beginner in classical music. Purchase it as a gift for a music student, or donate one to your local public or college library.
   
   And while you're at it, don't forget to order the companion box containing dozens of operas ranging from Mozart to Strauss, plus a number of choral masterpieces (Bach Mass in B Minor, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Haydn's Seasons, Brahms's German Requiem). You can obtain both boxes for less than it will probably cost you to keep your SUV on the road for a month. Walk, ride a bicycle or carpool--and then save the money for this extraordinary opportunity before it fades from view.



5. Although it will take me weeks to finish listening to this set, I am very glad that EMI issued this set at such a low price. Many of these recordings are legendary, others are von Karajan's first recordings of symphonies that he would record again and again. While I have his complete Bruckner, Beethoven and Brahms on DG, in is interesting to hear his earlier thoughts--and they are often splendid.
   I am not bothered by the mono recordings; they were produced by Walter Legge and are warmer than many a digital recording that I have purchased. Legge was initially opposed to stereo and lavished they same detail on his mono productions as on his later, stereo recordings.
   What I have enjoyed most so far are some of the discs which were unavailable in the US, and some of the discs that I may not have considered had they been full price. But at $1.50 a disc, this set allows me to explore discs that I would not normally acquire. Given the overall quality of the conducting, recordings and the Philharmonia Orchestra, it is the CD bargain of the decade.

5 comments about Shostakovich: The Complete Symphonies - Mariss Jansons (10 CD).

1. Mariss Jansons,Latvian conductor,who was a protege of legendary Evgeny Mravinsky,finally completed his Shostakovich cycle 20 years after starting.Jansons had magnificent orchestras at his disposal.Not to mention first class sound quality by EMI.So eveything was set for Jansons to score the perfect Shostakovich cycle.He could not manage to do that (5th symphony)but he came very,very close.
   
   Jansons seems to love Shostakovich with every single aspect of his composing.He understands and shares the point behind each symphony.His interpretations are full of inner fire,tension,drama and purpose.That puts him head and shoulders above the competition at the unknown symphonies;1,2 and 3.At the fourth Jansons delivers a hypnotic experience.Top notch execution by Symphonieorchester des BR.Fifth is far from Russian.The only problematic interpretation of the set is the fifth.It is odd really,charming and delicious fifth was really enjoyable but i expected more.Jansons tries to put tension and high drama on it but gorgeous Viennese sound -though the execution is simply put perfect- was not a good choice for this bitter masterpiece.Sixth alongside with 9th are however Russian in sound,perfect in climax and exemplary as a whole.Seventh is not exaggerated like Bernstein's Chicago version but wonderfully dark and Russian,wonderfully played by Leningrad Philharmonic.8th symphony matches the magnificence of Mravinsky's definitive BBC account with a better sound and without a cough brigade.Under Jansons' baton the tension never drops.10th is also magnificent.The famous Scherzo which is said to be the dances over Stalin's grave or a musical portrait of bloody tyrant never sounded more demonic than this(Mravinsky however sounded as demonic).Eleventh is full of drama and tension.Jansons sent me to that bloody Sunday morning in 9th of January 1905 and brought tears to my eyes.I never cared for the 12th like i care for 11th but it seems Jansons does.Again he is dramatic, builds climaxes superbly and gives a definitive account.13th is a hair-raising account.Symphonieorchester is full of commitment and Aleksashkin is unbelievably dark and emotional as soloist.14th and 15th shows the obsessive genius's fear of death so clearly and closes this superb cycle greatly.
   
   So this cycle is worthy of a 20 year waiting.These are definitive recordings of 14 Shostakovich symphonies.Fifth is also delicious but not Russian.In its full of tension and dramatic ways the music in these 10 cds definitely reaches the cosmos(Jansons stated in an interview:"In a concert or in a recording the aim should be reaching the cosmos.Players should be thinking about that only.They should not think about if they should play more crescendo.Rehearsal is the time for that.)just like his earlier cycles of Rachmaninov's orchestral works and Tchaikovsky's symphonies.



2. This set is a true bargain. The performances are uniformly excellent, as is the recorded sound. The liner notes are informative and well-written. What I particularly like about this set is the variety of orchestras recorded. It's amazing to hear the St. Petersburg orchestra do the Leningrad symphony, with appropriately pungent woodwinds and brass throughout, then switch to the more "mainstream" 10th done with the super-slick Philly orchestra, etc. Jansons makes excellent cases for the lesser-known works, with sharply defined rhythms and consistently excellent balance throughout all works. The works with chorus or solo voices work extremely well. I wish EMI would have included all of Jansons' couplings (the piano concertos w/ Rudy, cello concertos w/ Mork, etc.) to give a truly unprecedented Shostakovich set, but that's a very minor complaint. The price is right here - don't miss this set.



3. This set deserves 5 stars based on the performances. But my set contains a CD number 6 that has problems. I arranged for a replacement set from Amazon, but that set had the same poor CD 6. Thus I have concluded that all current CD sets have a defective CD 6. Some players I used could not access the disc. Those that could produced sounds with pops and clicks: sounded like an old LP record. I have written to EMI, but no results so far.



4. I am being a little stingy not granting Jansons' complete Shostakovich cycle four stars, but I can't escape feeling disappointed. Over the long years and many orchestras that have come to pass since he started, Jansons has promised a successor to Haitink's acclaimed Decca cycle with the Concertgebouw and London Phil. of the Eighties. Yet nothing has much improved. I know both cycles fairly well, and Jansons hits no definite home runs. Despite his musical pedigree -- both Mariss and his father Arvid were associated with Mravinsky and the Leningrad Phil.--Jansons tends to be more cautious and even faceless compared to Haitink, who is no firebrand.
   
   I cant' argue with admirers who point to the fine execution and excellent balances, the discipline and the good engineering here. But Shostakovich needs fire and inspiration to overcome his weaknesses, which are severe. The music often sprawls, relies on banal themes, dips into depressive melancholy, or at the other extreme indulges in insincrere jollity that seems politically motivated. Whatever your position on these issues, Shostakovich is an enigma looking for someone to unlock it. As steady and purposeful as these readings are, I don't think Jansons holds that key.
   
   If I were collecting the fifteen symphonies individually, which is still the best way, I'd go for the relatively unknown ones from Jansons, such as #2, #3, and #4, which bring out the best in him. He doesn't excel at the famous Fifth and is middle-of-the-road in the Sixth and Seventh (his live Seventh with the Concertgebouw is another story--I would place it among the very best). At a high standard but not keeping up with the legendary Mravinsky are Jansons' Eighth, Nintth, and Tenth. I don't much care what happens in the windy Eleventh and Twelfth, but the final trio, #13-15, greatly interest me. In these works I found Jansons steady and reliable but not riveting or inspired.
   
   On the whole, then, this is a consistent cycle that keeps up with Haitink's without cresting over it.



5. Great collection of the Shostakovich symphonies. Recording is clear; orchestra is dynamic. Great program notes, too. One of the best recordings of #15 that I have heard in a while.

2 comments about Elgar: The Collector's Edition (30 CDs).

1. It's hard not to like Elgar -- his music is tuneful, bombastic in all the right ways, and has an air of ceremony that somehow perfectly fits what British music should sound like. I guess it's just that Elgar defines "British" music.
   
   There are certainly highlights in this set -- Falstaff and the Cello Concerto are so good that I think any other performance I'll ever hear of either of them will be ruined because they won't compare. The oratorios The Dream of Gerontius and The Apostles as presented are widely considered the best out there. And I haven't heard better. There's plenty more here to enjoy even if they're not absolutely authoritative.
   
   I don't like Barbirolli's interpretation of the symphonies -- he takes the "noble" themes in both symphonies and slows them down, probably thinking that stretching them out emphasizes their gloriousness. He does this in the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, too. It's pretentious and doesn't work. The momentum is disrupted to the point that the music is painfully dragging.
   
   I also take issue with the remastering job. Most of the digital remastering was done 15 to 20 years ago, and it shows. The sound is not as crisp as it should be, especially among the strings. It's not terrible, but it really sticks out in the later discs (20 and beyond). It's all of the non-famous stuff, so I don't know if many people will care; some may never work their way all the way to the end.
   
   One reason why many may get turned off by this set and never get through it is that the booklet included just lists the tracks. There's no text, libretto, biography, or explanation of the works. I recommend going to the Elgar Foundation's website to get more information about the compositions and Elgar's life. But with the exception of Gerontius, you're going to have a tough time finding libretti. It's painful to listen to 20 hours of choral works when you can't follow along.
   
   Semi-major works like Caractacus and Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf are hard to appreciate when there's limited information about them online. They're 2 hour blurs to me -- I can't focus on them because I don't know what all the singing is about and there's virtually no way to know because the diction is so-so and the sound quality isn't crystal clear. Maybe others don't share this problem, but I get the feeling I'm not alone.
   
   There's plenty of good here, especially in the orchestral side, to justify the price. The packaging is satisfactory -- paper sleeves for the discs in a shelf-saving format. For $50, it's what you should expect. But EMI fails to grasp that Elgar's works aren't just about the recording legacies Groves, Barbirolli, and Handley -- it should also be about Elgar himself. With a composer who wrote so much vocal and choral music, the lack of texts and biographical information is enough to take away a significant amount of appeal of this box set, regardless of its price point.



2. Like Sony's Stravinsky set, this Elgar set from EMI seems to want to challenge the Brilliant Classics label by providing lots of music for little money. This costs more than the Stravinsky, but you get 30 cds here as opposed to the 22 in the Stravinsky set. On the average, you are paying $2 a disc, as opposed to the seperate issues listed on Amazon that are going for about $20 in some instances.
   What about the performances? I have many of these works already in my collection and most are digital recordings. Two are bonafide classics: Jaqueline du Pre's Cello Concerto and Janet Baker's Sea Pictures. Problem is, many people might already have these already-this remastering was in 2004 and released as a "Great Recordings of the Century" for $12.98. Most of the orchestral works are conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. The symphonies are impressive, but I can think of better ones to use as supplements-Solti, Previn, Colin Davis and George Hurst in No.1 and Solti, Previn, Downes in No.2. Barbirolli's interpretations are rather mellower than the ones listed above and I feel that one should get to know these works through their recordings first. The smaller works fare better: Introduction and Allegro, Elegy, Sospiri, Cockaigne Overture, Serenade in E Minor. Falstaff and Froissart come in competition with Simon Rattle on EMI and Mark Elder on the Halle Orchestra's label. The Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches will be much appreciated for those who like the old school way of performing these works. Also note that the Barbirolli recordings are analog stereo and the quality varies from work to work. Hugh Bean's recording of the Violin Concerto was chosen instead of both of Nigel Kennedy's and Menhuin's recordings-and this was a great idea, because there is no duplication involved with my collection! Bean's recording is on the slow side which seems to be the norm nowadays. Anyone used to this should really enjoy his interpretation. He also plays the Violin Sonata. Cd 7 includes Sir Charles Groves conducting Suites: Nursery, Severn, Crown of India (with it's swaggering March of the Mogul Emperors) and Coronation March. The rest of the set has relatively unknown Elgar compositions that have been recorded sporadically, therefore upping the desirableness of this set. There are some very good digital recordings here. Although I have not listened to all of it, here are some highlights: the Coronation Ode (with its end using "Land of Hope and Glory", Gordon Jacob's orchestration of the Organ Sonata, a illustrated talk on The Apostles and The Kingdom narrated by Sir Adrian Boult, Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf, The Spirit of England, and a Elgar conducts Elgar sampler for cd 30. Even if there is duplication, this cd set has much repertoire that is hard to find, although you will be missing texts and program notes, which may be more of a detriment in the choral works with orchestra. If you already have those on other recordings you can use their texts along with this set. Maybe EMI will post texts on their web site. I will continue to sample and discover new works of Elgar as well as appreciate these performances of works that I already am familiar with.

5 comments about World's Greatest Polka Package.

1. This is for polka lovers. Some of the selections sound like they were recorded at real dances but close your eyes as they play and you can almost imagine you're there, too.



2. This collection is assembled with very little, if any, thought to editing. The CD has a very wide variety of polka styles, eras of recordings and quality level of recordings. If you're looking for music to assign to playlists, you will find more songs to discard than ones to keep from this CD. For nine bucks, I don't mind the gamble, but I certainly will not revisit most of the tracks. The recordings on this CD from Whoopee John were probably recorded shortly after Whoopee was discovered.



3. I can't believe how inspirational this CD has been to me. I have spent countless nights with it on repeat just listening in amazement. It's because of this CD that I've given in to the powers of POLKA! Everyone should buy a copy, and then, a BACK-UP copy just in case some cat eats the first one. VIVA LA POLKA! OLE!



4. Well its finally happened. I've given up my Allegiance to the Dark Night (Ozzy), and its all this album's fault.

   This album made me fall in love with a music gendre all over again.

   I remember Dancing to these songs at my family weddings. The dancing, the tickeling, the good and awkward times. Getting to know my family in ways that didn't seem possible. It all seems like a dream. But I'm not waking up screaming anymore!!

   The too fat polka really brought back a flood of memories. Memories that I've been suppressing for a long time and now have the courage to deal with.

   I say thank you to the World's Greatest Polka Package.....Thank you.

   John




5. This CD might as well be called Polka Dance Party, Volume 5. Like Volumes 1 through 4, which have also been named Polka's Greatest Hits, this collection of old, probably public-domain material leaves a lot to be desired. The sound is weak in both the volume and bass departments, and the Whoopee John tracks sound as though they were recorded directly from shellac 78's recorded in the 1940s. Stick to the better Frankie Yankovic releases, such as Songs of the Polka King Volumes 1 and 2.

No comments about Mediterranean Nights.

3 comments about Ravel: Greatest Hits.

1. Since this is a selection of works played by various orchestras, it's not really a comprehensive piece of work. But really, Ravel is not one of the "great" composers. Bolero is a fun piece and I enjoy it. For the rest, but for the dates of composition I would swear it was a movie soundtrack.



2. I do not like Bolero. I have never liked Bolero. I don't think I will ever enjoy Bolero. I say this only to offer a reason for my lack of mention of that piece (beyond this, obviously). In fairness, Ravel at least once described Bolero as trivial, "a piece for orchestra without music". Fortunately, I did not let my feelings for Bolero sour my appreciation for the remaining works of Ravel.
   Ravel was the master of transcriptions; reworking most of his works from piano to orchestra or vice-versa, which basically means that his output was virtually doubled because he wrote the majority of his pieces for orchestra and solo piano. He was a master of the French Impressionist era and an innovator in the move to modern 20th century classical composition.
   
   Ravel's catalogue of work is astounding and his influence on composers that followed him, astounding. He began playing the piano a little later in life than some of the well known composers who were "prodigies" and playing before they could write. Ravel began playing the piano when he was 7 and, with his ability apparent, ended up at the Conservatoire de Paris where his art would be refined.
   While at the Conservatoire, he composed [track 2] Pavane pour une infante defunte (Pavane for a dead Princess), a pavane being a processional dance played slowly. This piece was composed when Ravel studied under another of France's greatest composers, Gabriel Faure. The piece was written for piano as a tribute of sorts to the customs and rhythms of the Spanish, whom Ravel (along with other French greats) respected greatly. The piece is staggeringly beautiful and is, perhaps, my favorite by him. The version offered here is the orchestrated transcription by Ravel as published by Ravel 11 years after his original piano piece was composed.
   Alborada del gracioso (The Comedian's Aubade) is, like Pavane, heavily influenced by Ravel's appreciation for the Spanish musical form. The gentle pluck of the strings at the opening of the piece is reminiscent of Spanish guitar and gently gives way to woods and brass that are light and airy, until there is a sudden flourish of woods, brass and percussion that is exhilarating. The piece is lovely and is, again, provided in the orchestrated version, rather than the original form as composed for piano as a piece of the work of 5 movements for piano called "Mirroirs" or Mirrors.
   Rhapsodie Espagnol (get the feeling that Ravel loved the Spanish? Ravel's mother was Basque, Spanish, and heavily influenced the Frenchmen's work) was one of Ravel's first major works for orchestra. As with most of his works, this piece was written for piano; two actually, for four hands; but was transcribed for orchestra before its first performance. It consists of 4 short movements and the work as a whole is sweeping in its ability to move so gracefully from the somber to the uplifting.
   Rigaudon comes from what began, again, as a work for Piano. In its original composition, Le Tombeau de Couperin was a suite for solo piano in six movements. Years later, Ravel would transcribe the work in to 4 movements for orchestra, this being the final movement. The orchestrated version of the suite is far more popular now and sees heavy rotation in the repertoires of Symphonies throughout the world. The sweeping movement is a dance that harkens back to the Baroque dance suites of old whilst still providing Ravel's signature innovative harmonies that relied on classical structures that were traditional, allowing him to mask his creativity.
   La Valse (or La Valse, un poeme choreographique) is a tribute to the history, the rise, the pinnacle, and the fall of the waltz. Although truncated throughout with punctuated and harsh chords from the entire orchestra which, ironically, make it very difficult to be viewed as a waltz at all; though it is still particularly appealing in that it was bombastic in a way that Ravel rarely was. Interestingly, the piece was transcribed by Ravel for piano, but the orchestrated version remains the popular piece for performance.
   Piece in the form of a Habanera is, again, a tribute to the music of Spain, a habanera being a rhythm like the tango. This is a short piece that focuses on strings and woods. It is haunting, airy and light with a feel of open space where there could be more music, but is not. It is minimal in a marvelous way.
   The Mother Goose Suite was 5 pieces composed for piano duet for close friends. As the title implies, the pieces were written as tone poems to the tales of Ma Mere l'Oye. The Fairy Garden was the 5th piece from this suite. Ravel, as with most of his work, transcribed the piece for orchestra and created, in this piece 4 minutes of orchestral magic. It is a joy to hear.
   Lever du Jour (daybreak); what a great title. This piece evokes the mental picture of a sunrise, birds and wildlife rising to a new day. This is a wonder. I don't know what else to say to describe it. The piece was composed for the ballet Daphnes et Chloe; the first piece from the second suite in a 3 suite ballet.
   Pantomime, again from Daphnes et Chloe, again from the second suite, this being the 2nd piece, is much in keeping with the feel and theme of daybreak before it. It is a beautiful piece which evokes many possible pictures, but more importantly, showcases Ravel's gift for composition as the piece is widely regarded as one of his best.
   General Dance closes the disc (the 3rd and final movement from the second suite of Daphnes et Chloe). It is much more animated in its use of the orchestra and the play between the instruments is both uplifting and disconcerting because it translates a feel of general uneasiness and, again, tends to border on a slight bombast, even adding a chorus toward the end of the piece.
   
   The entire CD is performed, recorded and mixed beautifully. I have no complaints about this CD (except for the inclusion of Bolero, which I have attempted to justify above). Buy this disc with confidence. Unless you are looking for the piano works. This disc does not contain the piano works of Ravel; which I do highly recommend anyone out there reading this should definitely hear as well.
   Enjoy!



3. Listen to the genuis of Ravel on a clean sounding recording that you can enjoy time and time again without deterioration.Be advised the recording levels are not dampened so dinner guests and headset wearers will certainly be awokened especially at the end of Bolero.If you listen closely the music pages can be heard turning ,nice sense of being there ,get the cd they dont make em like this anymore.

3 comments about A to Z of Classical Music.

1. It's only natural we sometimes hit the high seas....make that Cs. This is one box set about which we sing praises. This set features more than two hours of the finest music from across the centuries by such composers as Schubert, Chopin, Mozart, Handel, Stravinsky and Glass. The set also comes with a 562-page illustrated book, detailing the lives of hundreds of composers, a
   glossary of musical terms and a unique guide to the classical music used in 360 top films.



2. Naxos is a fabulous label -- you will not get samples of the best classical music through the ages at no better price. These tracks are as good as any of the over-priced major orchestras and in some cases better. This is a great starter set for a beginner or anyone who just wants to "taste" the classics. If you prefer Opera I would suggest the A to Z of Opera -- most of the tracks on A to Z Classical are orchestral. I was so impressed with this collection that I purchased the Discover the Classics Vol's 1-3 which will give you a more detailed look at the great classics. Take a look at the Naxos web site at NAXOSUSA.COM -- what you will see will blow your mind -- there are literally thousands of pieces that you could listen too!



3. This is pretty much a CD version of a mini-Naxos and Marco Polo catalog. All the pieces and extracts are ordered chronologically on the 2 CDs and are of very acceptable quality, but don't expect excellence in every track. Personally, I was particularly disappointed with one of my favourite Pachelbel pieces. The Naxos Canon & Gigue lacks all the emotion of my favourite versions.

   Still, any possible weaker performances are of little importance after you get your hands on the fat booklet with over 500 pages. The booklet offers a short intro about the great composers, a glossary of musical terms, a list of works used in films and dozens of illustrations of several composers.

   Overall, at this price, this is a must-have pack for any beginner, and might be useful for the occasion "quick check" of the work of many composers. Do not expect many detail, nor references to all the works of some composers; I often got frustrated with the lack of detail in some cases, but in general, the booklet is very effective for a quick reference.
   You will need more titles that offer more complete information, and you won't truly learn to love classical music just by reading it, but it is small and compact.

   It really puzzles me why Naxos did not include a full index of composers, a serious omission. To find a particular composer you will have to look for it yourself in over 500 pages. Also, the separation of the text is not so good, making the search even a bit slower. The lack of the index is truly annoying and I am sure it will be corrected in future editions.

   Even with a few weaker pieces and the lack of the index, at this price, there isn't much to argue about. This is truly a bargain that you should not miss. I would also recommend the A-Z of Opera, which offers a bigger booklet with over 700 pages, focusing on opera works and mentioning several composers that are absent from the A-Z of Classical. That other booklet has a very complete index, and much clearer text layout and separation, that's the way both booklets should have been designed.

   The two sets complement each other very well. Highly recommended.