5 comments about The 5 Browns.

1. This family of pianist is single (as a whole) handedly boosting the a renewed interest for classical music for people of all ages. Their musical education is heard and seen in the videos and on the cd portion.



2. The Browns are a bunch of over-hyped musicians in today's media-oriented society (aka. Charlotte Church). The recordings are nothing to write home about -- Their musicianship is average at best. Many of the pieces lacked depth of though and some of the interpretations were a bit odd. Ok, if you like "popular" classical music. I say skip this one.



3. It's a treat to become acquainted with the music of the Five Browns! Wonderful selection of titles on the CD. So glad to have it!



4. The 5 Browns are quite a family. Their musical choices are fun, engaging and a little sassy! Watching 5 young people play on 5 grand pianos all at once in one room is quite wonderful. Inspiring for a youngster taking piano lessons, this CD/DVD is also just great music to listen to.



5. I can't help but thinking that this is just another group of virtuoso kids that is being used for the fame of another. The music lacks fullness and invention, and tends to be a doubling of a lot of standard voicing. There is some ornamentation, and there's no doubt that each of these kids is a giften pianist, but as a group, I was not all that impressed. Cute group, though.

2 comments about Lehár: Waltzes.

1. The previous reviewer has hit the nail on the head. This is lovely , melodic music--not to be missed.



2. Franz Lehar is most famous for his operetta "The Merry Widow," but he wrote several other tuneful operettas -- including "The Count of Luxembourg" -- as well as many delightful waltzes, the most famous of which is the great "Gold and Silver Waltz." This CD presents the "Gold and Silver Waltz," plus a collage of tunes from "The Merry Widow" and another from "The Count of Luxembourg," and other waltzes. The performances are by the Johann Strauss Orchestra conducted by the great waltz conductor Willy Boskovsky. If you love fine waltzes or simply are one of the few people who still appreciate the great music of the Romantic era, please get this delightful bargain CD while it's still available. Unfortunately, EMI CDs are often withdrawn shortly after their release. Please don't let this one get away from you.

3 comments about Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin.

1. If I was required for the most unerring performances of this legend of the violin, I would pronounce myself for these recordings about Bartok. And this very fact seems incredible because as all of us are aware, Menuhin's refinement was feutred by a mellow and romantic taste.
   
   As long I remember, I should cite to Isaac Stern and obviously Szekely as the only two memorable contenders in this exigent requirements.
   
   Both violin Concertos as well as the two Rhapsodies stand aloof in what interpretative supremacy concerns.
   
   It would be fair to remark the famous recordings made by Sandor Vegh with his 44 duos for violin that still remain as unique in its style and visceral approach.
   
   But, this set well deserves from all who love Bartok
   
   In what concerns to the performance of the famous Sonata for violin nobody has reached the stature of Ivry Gitlis.



2. Menuhin with his strongly creative imagination plays these concertos with characteristic nobility of feeling during much of the Hungarian dance-rhythms. There is a comparably earthy, peasant manner in Menuhin's playing of the two Rhapsodies, and it is match by Boulez's approach, warm and passionate rather than clinical. The soloist is rather close. However, the balance responds to the controls, and this remains on the Menuhin's most worthwhile reissues.



3. First you have to like Bartok. Not everyone enjoys the 20th century extention of classical music. If you do like Bartok and want to hear his violin compositions - then buy this CD and hear a true master at work.

5 comments about Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits.

1. This set is really a must have for anyone who enjoys good music.
   We are on our 3rd copy- we scratched the first and lost the second in a move.



2. Watch out for the volume leveling mentioned in another review. Surely the compliers could have come up with a better sort order than by composer. The change in tempo/volume between pieces makes it impossible to enjoy. My two CD's ended up in the trash.
   
   Ken



3. This is a great CD full of many songs that you will recognize and enjoy. If you are someone who likes classical music but doesn't necessarily know which songs or which composers you like, then this CD is for you. You will likely recognize many of the songs as the classical songs you would have picked out to be your favorites.



4. Most of the tracks were chopped down to 3-4 minutes so some of the best parts of the compositions are missing. I don't know what I was thinking trying to buy 40 classical songs on two CD's. If you really want to enjoy the music you would do better to purchase a CD with fewer, but better quality tracks.



5. In my years of experience teaching Fine Arts to high school students, I know that the majority, if not all, of the music included on this album is commonly used in collge music appreciation courses. This is an excellent sample of truly all the "greatest hits" of classical music. My students enjoy listening to the music and have later told me when take their required music apreciation courses in college that they "already know it all" because of this CD! The recordings are clear, the selections are passionate, and the listener will gain a familiarity with all of the most commonly heard classical music used in tv commercials, movies, etc.
   I recommend this album, along with the boxed set, "Age of the Classics" for anyone who is interested in becoming familiar with the most famous staples of classical music.

4 comments about Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (ballet suite)/Swan Lake (excerpts)/Sleeping Beauty Waltz/ Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.

1. First let me say, I am a huge fan of Leonard Bernstein. I have some outstanding recordings of his that match no other. He has contributed greatly to keeping classical music alive and to my personal library as well. But I have to say that I have better recordings than these of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Overall, if you listen to this CD it's fine with some impressive sound that you get from a large tight orchestra such as the NYP (after all, Bernstein was the one who directed them to be as closely knit as they are). The overall interpretation is big and loud with swift movement through the pieces. I personally like the music to sound a bit more expressive and intimate. That's not to say that these lack any emotion. But they are slightly off in tempi and expression to my liking.
   
   For the Nutcracker, Karajan puts more depth into it and the orchestra is just as large. As for the Swan Lake, the interpretation by Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orch. (EMI) is richer and brighter than this Bernstein recording. It also happens to be the complete work and not just the highlights which, now that I have heard it in its entirety, there is no reason to have highlighted excerpts which take away from this phenomenal work by Tchaikovsky. It happens to be a low budget CD which is just an added bonus. So if you really want the highlights version, burn the same pieces from the Bernstein excerpts and there you go! Sorry Lenny.



2. I purchased this CD for my six year old grandaughter who was dancing in the local production of The Nutcracker for the second year, and she loved it. It contains the best pieces of the three ballets without being so long as to cause little listeners to lose interest, and is a good quality production as well. We enjoyed it throughout the Christmas season.



3. Crisp and lively! This CD offered all my favorites from the Nutcracker Suite, Swan Lake along with Sleeping Beauty. What more could I ask? Sound quality is supurb!



4. This is the best composed music I've heard in my life. It is relaxing and enchanting. Everyone should listen to it, at least once in their lives.

5 comments about Shostakovich: The Jazz Album.

1. Good price, item arrived as described and very promptly. I would buy from this merchant qgain.



2. An excellent rendition of Shostakovich's two jazz suites plus his Piano Concerto #1. However, I've heard Rostropovich conduct all three in person, and would welcome a recording of his, since he was a great friend of Shostakovich's. It hasn't been done, and until it is, this will suffice as a fine addition to any classical library.



3. If Shostakovich had decided to write in the Russian folk idiom, this CD would probably be the best glimpse into that genre.
   
   Intending to raise the level of Soviet jazz, we now have two jazz suites scored for orchestra, but featuring instruments used in a way we don't normally hear in Shostakovich. Using xylophone, twangy guitar, accordion, harmonica, and saxophones, we are treated to various "dance forms" such as waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, and marches. Shostakovich goes from the militant, to the humorous, to the sensual, each with an engaging and "catchy" Russian melody and unusual orchestration. He also orchestrates the famous "Tea for Two" into a short fantasia, which is rather whimsical.
   
   The 1st piano concerto is a kind of odd fit on this CD in my opinion. More in the vein of what we are used to hearing from mainstream Shostakovich, he is rather melodic and often quotes from other works. The bare bones orchestration of piano, trumpet, and strings gives this work a very transparent feel. The first movement has an ominous opening theme. The slow second movement is very exciting in its own right with its sense of drama, rarely dwelling in lugubriousness, carrying the sense of dread from the first movement. The third movement is a sort of recitative to the last movement. The last movement has an unusual string mode mixture, the piano goes into a dance feel and the trumpet has some fanfare licks. Both piano and trumpet work together very well as separate soloists in this movement. He ends in a fury with piano and string poundings, the piano has some raucous quotes, and the trumpet ends with fanfares.
   
   Overall, the performances are stellar. The jazz suites have natural Russian flair, the slow with great sumptuousness, the fast never taking itself too seriously and never careening out of control. The piano concerto doesn't fit the program in my opinion, but a very fine performance indeed. This CD is a must for any collection and an easy introduction to the lighter side of Shostakovich.



4. Who knew Shostakovich had such a sense of humor? This disc is delightfully entertaining and sparkles a the turn-of-the century cosmopolitan sound that is simultaneously reminiscent of Milhaud, Gershwin, and Ibert. The result is something supremely different. It's certainly worth a listen or two.



5. Although he was much better known as a composer of symphonies, fifteen in all (the most of any major composer since Beethoven), many of them large and bold, Dmitri Shostakovich had moments where he could be light-hearted. Given that he worked under the watchful eyes of the Soviet Communist Party and that tyrant of Iron Curtain political correctness Joseph Stalin, this is nothing short of a miracle. This album of "jazz music", all of which was composed in the 1920s and 1930s, demonstrates Shostakovich's more "light-hearted" side.
   
   The works featured here include the composer's First Piano Concerto (with pianist Ronald Brautigam and trumpeter Peter Masseurs), the famous Tahiti Trot, and the two Jazz Suites that Shostakovich composed in 1934 and 1938 respectively. Each of the four works gives us the knowledge that Shostakovich knew how to be wickedly subversive and humorous under severe conditions, though it is not necessarily "jazz music" the way Americans might think. There are twists in these works, as well: for example, the jaunty Foxtrot of the Jazz Suite No. 1 incorporates what sounds like a Dobro (more commonly associated with American bluegrass and country music).
   
   The Jazz Suite No. 2, of course, contains the famous Second Waltz in the key of C Minor that director Stanley Kubrick used for his final film, the psychosexual drama EYES WIDE SHUT, in 1999. In fact, this very recording, by Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, is the one that Kubrick used. It has a salon feel to it, and has as much in common with Johann Strauss' classic waltz style as it does with Shostakovich's own individualistic approach to things.
   
   Both Brautigam and Masseurs are brilliant in the Concerto, and Chailly and the Concertgebouw demonstrate the kind of orchestral brilliance that serves them as well in this lesser-known Shostakovich collection as it does in their Bruckner and Mahler sojourns. It comes highly recommended as an unusual look into how great music with humor could be created under extreme circumstances.

No comments about Stories Of Schumann And Grieg.

3 comments about Satie: Orchestral Works.

1. I was looking for the Gymnopedie No. 1 specifically with a ochestra, but just got piano. :/
   
   Still nice.



2. Although Satie's orchestral output was dwarfed by the number of his works for piano, it's unfortunate that these compositions have not been recorded more. "Parade" stands out in its use of sound effects (gunshots, typewriter) in addition to conventional orchestra. Bravo to Naxos for allowing us the opportunity to hear these pieces.



3. This record, a recommendation by Gramophone, is one of the best bargains, even from Naxos.

   Parade is fun to listen as Gymnopédies in one of the best performances I have heard.

   Th ballets are bizarre, and the music is so sugestive that you can "see" them.

   Mr. Kaltenbach makes a correct reading and the Nancy orchestra rises to the top.

   Bravo!

1 comments about David Russell: Art of the Guitar.

1. Another great recording from David Russell and Telarc. Just listen Grieg pieces and Galeron by Sojo. No more words needed. Every year a new David Russell CD....... Thank you Telarc.......

3 comments about BRAHMS: Edition - Complete Works.

1. A wonderful CD collection indeed! I have bought all of the Brilliant Classics Complete Collections and have not been upset with any set. The only thing I didn't like about this set (and only because I can compare with my others), the information was on the outside instead of the inside. Meaning that all of the works were located on the outside box instead of on the flap like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.
   
   The set is much more colorful than the last couple also. You can see how much time they spend on making it look "brilliant". Definitely a wonderful deal for the price... and you should not even give it a second thought.



2. As with Brilliant's Mozart, Bach and Chopin complete sets, the 60 CD Brahms set represents excellent value, particularly if you can land it from one of Amazon's European sites, which often offer Brilliant sets for far less than shown here. I obtained mine in early 2008 from Amazon's French site, at a considerable discount (as a foreigner I didn't have to pay sales tax, which offset most of the shipping costs).
   
   The quality of the performances is generally high, comparable to Brilliant's complete Beethoven set. But unlike the Beethoven set, where Brilliant reached back to the 1950s to fill out some of the piano and chamber music repertory, these Brahms recordings are all modern. Some of the concertos are weak spots, but these are among the works you're most likely to already have in your library. The symphonies come in the form of recent recordings by Jaap Van Zweden and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (replaced in the Second by the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra of Holland). These interpretations have been highly praised by some (Christopher Howell's review at MusicWeb) and more modestly praised by others (Michael Cookson's review on the same site). Do read those reviews. I'll add that I find the performances quite interesting, with the Third and Fourth the most compelling, and the Second suffering somewhat from the inferior intonation of its performers (e.g., the wind chord concluding the third movement). There are some interesting points of emphasis. For example, Van Zweden takes the opening of the First Symphony notably faster than most conductors -- justifiably so, since it's marked "un POCO sostenuto" (not "molto maestoso"). Somewhat odder is the contrabassoon fetish evidently possessed by either the engineer or the conductor (its entrances in soft woodwind passages are often quite prominent). The bottom line: it's a worthy addition to some well worn territory, perhaps not definitive (after all, you're up against the world's best with this repertory), but you'll definitely hear a few new things in these interpretations.
   
   I find the chamber music to be quite good. The string quartets are handled by the Tokyo String Quartet (the Vox recordings from 1986). The all-important piano quintet and horn trios are compelling (Nash Ensemble). A nice inclusion is the original two-piano version of the piano quintet (Op. 34b), which I had not heard previously. The solo piano works shouldn't disappoint either. The most important of these (the Ballades, Rhapsodies, Op. 76 pieces and late masterworks Opp. 116-119) are handled by Håkon Austbø, who is also featured on Brilliant's Grieg Centenary Edition set. They are to be praised for making quality performances of all of Brahms' incredible chamber and piano music available at this price.
   
   Interestingly, over one-third of the set consists of vocal and choral music, including more than a dozen CDs devoted to songs with piano accompaniment, a genre that was well worn by Romantic composers eager to supplement their income streams, but which in Brahms case ended up being completely overshadowed by his orchestral, chamber and piano music. Aside from the famous Lullaby, none of Brahms's songs are well known in North America. The bulk of his a cappella choral music, which occupies several more CDs, is likewise obscure, perhaps understandably given their didactic origins (to be "sung, not listened to"). The recordings of these vocal and choral works make up perhaps the most consistently praised part of Brilliant's set. Most of this music isn't vintage Brahms, but you won't regret the performances.
   
   All this said, there are some unfortunate flaws that I hope don't presage a slackening of Brilliant's production standards. Missing from the "Complete Works" are the arrangements of the horn and clarinet trio for violin/viola/piano and viola/cello/piano respectively (note the unusual piano trio configuration with a viola replacing an expected string instrument). Then there's the following:
   
   1. CD 4, Track 1 (Academic Festival Overture): two bad glitches at 4:04 and 4:07, at the entrance of the bassoon theme. These sound to me like clipping at the mastering stage (they don't register as errors on my CD playback equipment)
   2. CD 9, Track 1: glitch right at the opening of the Violin Concerto. This sounds like dropout rather than clipping, so I'm guessing this is a duplication error
   3. Most embarrassing of all: on CD 22, the last four tracks purport to be Brahms long-lost A major piano trio (Op. Posth.). In fact what's presented is Schumann's F major trio, Op. 80. Ouch
   
   Perhaps these technical flaws will be corrected in a subsequent release. Per the comments received to this review, others have noticed these flaws too, so they're not confined to my copy of the set (and I've not gotten a response from Brilliant Classics).
   
   So where does that leave us? Lovers of Brahms and art music, and CD collectors, will be interested in this set, even if only to fill out gaps in their libraries. At a bargain price like this, you could reasonably throw away half the CDs and keep the rest if you're so inclined. If you haven't yet heard much of the music in the set, including the more obscure vocal music, then it's certainly worth the price. The packaging is attractive: you get color-coded stiff cardboard sleeves like in the Bach complete edition, rather than the paper sleeves of the Mozart edition. Points off for a few lame recordings (e.g., the string concertos), and the technical flaws. I'll give it four stars. Snap up this set, and enjoy a few weeks with the man who is possibly the 19th Century's second greatest composer.



3. Having spent additional time with this set, I'm updating my review. I'd say I've listened to about half of it.
   
   Orchestral music: The symphonies are okay, although there's better performances out there. The Double Concerto isn't bad... but the rest of them are uneven, especially the Violin Concerto, with sluggish playing. I'll be supplementing the concerti with other recordings. The smaller orchestral works were hit and miss, with the overtures coming out the worst. The Haydn Variations were lovely though.
   
   Chamber music: The Cello Sonatas are the weak link in this set but the rest are very solid, especially the the Piano Quintet, Horn Trio and Piano Quartets. There's some additional two-piano/four handed material at the end which sounded fine to my ears (although none of it is really top-drawer Brahms).
   
   Piano music: Mostly good. The piano sonatas are all a little sloppy but everything else is well-performed (especially the sadistically challenging Variations).
   
   Vocal music with orchestra: I didn't listen to much of the Requiem but it sounded okay (aside from a shrill soprano soloist). My favorite Brahms work (the Alto Rhapsody) was taken at a tempo far faster than I prefer but I'm slowly getting used to it and the soloist is good. The smaller choral works are good, if just a tad under-reheared.
   
   Choral music: This set has been released separately and it is *very* strong. No complaints here.
   
   Lieder: Aside from the EXTREMELY irritating way this music has been programmed (completely out of order, with duets and solo songs interspersed randomly through 13 CDs), these mostly underrated pieces come off pretty well. There are undoubtedly finer performances with bigger name singers (and pianists) but no one embarrasses themselves (admirable given that *ALL* of these songs were recorded very quickly last year). As a sidenote, there are a few songs that are missing and I'm not sure why as otherwise, this set is very complete (including a fair amount of the works without opus number).
   
   Organ Works: Just one disc for these. They sounded okay but I'm not the best one to judge, as organ music isn't my forte.
   
   Overall, I don't consider this set as consistent as the complete Mozart edition... but as a performer, I've always found Brahms harder to pull off and none of these performances are ghastly. For the price, it's a great deal and you can supplement the performances you don't like with other ones.