5 comments about Bach: Greatest Hits.

1. Good good CD with all Bach's greatest hits in good arrangements.
   The different songs give a good impression of Bach's great works.



2. I purchased this for track #10, which I'd happened to hear on the radio...it stayed in my head until I tracked down the CD. I have a relatively basic working knowledge of classical music, so this long playing collection was an excellent and surprising introduction to several of Bach's diverse works...both well known and more obscure. Certainly a worthwhile addition to your classical collection.



3. This CD is an excellent introduction to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. It's certainly not exhaustive, but it's a start. It also includes pieces from Johann Michael Bach, as well as another composer (whose name escapes me at the moment) whose work was once mistakenly attributed to JSB. This entire series of CDs is perfect for those who wish to learn more about the Classical Masters. Start with this series, and then by all means, delve deeper into their respective repetoires. You won't be disappointed.



4. I don't want to repeat what has been said already but this is a great indroduction to Bach. The variety on this release is good, but like has been said numerous times before, the amount of variety fails to set a single mood. But with a low price and a great deal of variety this is a great CD for those who want to start getting into Bach. Recommended.



5. A smattering of short excerpts -- many not on their native instruments -- to introduce the great literature left to us by J.S. Bach. Some of the versions are truly inspired, a few are not.

   If you like what you hear here, by all means seek out the full-length, original instrument versions!

5 comments about 25 Classical Dance Favorites.

1. This disc reminded me of Leonard Bernstein's conducting: somehow many of his conducting session became marches. Many tracks on this disc is like that. I am a novice when it comes to classical music, so part of allure of this disc was that it contained many titles I didn't recognize, so it wasn't a total loss. I guess I should have read the track listing more carefully... what is Washington Post by Sousa doing on dance compilation?



2. There are quite a few tracks on here that do well for recital music. THere's different ones from the unoriginal swan lake's and nutcracker..my students loved to hear what came next....it gets better towards the end of the cd!



3. For those who would enjoy a fast, fun, and cheerful kind of classical music, I guess this cd is a very good choice. Also, if you want to make your kids a classic music lover, you could start with this fun, lighthearted music.



4. I agree that this is indeed absolutely beautiful light classical music. It is indeed a perfect beginning to a lifelong passion to have classical music playing in the background or to turn up the volume and immerse yourself in it. But it consists of mostly ballet music, several marches, polkas, an entrance of the gladiators, a gavotte and just to show that he can-can, a delightful little march by Beethoven of all people (Turkish March). Or can you dance to the continuous hypnotic rhythm of Ravel's Bolero? Quite tiring, I would think. Nevertheless, great music at an astounding price. Consider buying all or most of the "25 Favorites" series. You will not regret it



5. If you like to dance and you like classical, this cd is a must have. Who says you can't dance to classical? This CD proves those who think so wrong. Highlights include Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, Mendhelsson's Midsummer Night's Dream, Gounod's Dance of the Slave Girls and Faust, Dvorak's Slavonic Dance, Offenbach's can-can (yeah!) Katchaturian's Sabre Dance and Ravel's Bolero. All these are excellent. Sousa Marches are here too. You must get this CD if you are a serious lover of the classical. In fact, this was my first Classical CD. Make it a part of your life and dance to the great beats of the classics ! Yeah I'm serious.

4 comments about Suite for Chamber Orch and Jazz Piano Trio.

1. A classically trained jazz musician creates a very interesting chamber music recording. Perfect for a person like myself that is starting to love classical after many years of enjoying the creativity of jazz. Mr Bill



2. If you have any liking at all for Jazz and/or Classical, or even if you simply love music in general, then this release will leave you wanting for more. I mean, WOW! What a fantastic blend! I could gush on and on, but the bottom line is that this is a great recording of some great music and it will almost certainly make you smile.



3. I'm a pianist who will be performing this wonderful piece in a couple of weeks (5/5/01). The more I work on it the more I like it. Against a baroque background, Bolling has ingeniously and unapologetically superimposed every kind of jazz you can think of -- blues, ragtime, Latin, stomp, waltz, modern, and on and on. I know of no other composer who could have put together such a tour de force. This piece deserves a much wider hearing. Buy it!



4. I have most of Claude Bolling's Suites. This one to date is my favorite. The pieces on this CD contain many enjoyable melodies. I think this CD merges the classic and jazz sound the best. The transition between the piano and orchestra are very smooth. It is perhaps a little more classical sounding then the others I have. Bolling seems to develop his theme a little bit more then the other suites.

   1: Gracieuse (7:15) about 4 minutes into the piano takes the lead, but the orchestra is in a dialogue.

   2: Sereine (7:55) My favorite on the album. It starts off with a very mellow classical piano. Oboes start to play the lead. The Chamber orchestra and piano then take up a dialogue; Most of the different instruments are featured somewhere in the piece.

   3: EnJouee (6:48) The music starts off with a melody that I enjoy a lot.

   4: Aria, Animee: (15:18) Starts off very soft and quite. Then about 8 minutes into the tract there is a Jazz piano solo- ad lib. That serves as the transition. Animee picks up the speed a little. Overall a very mellow piece.

   5: Brillante (10:40) Starts off with a light classic violin sound. Then the orchestra builds with French horns. The jazz piano kicks in but blends nicely with the classical sound. People who might like this CD

   1. People who like the other Bolling Jazz Suites

   2. People whom like classical chamber orchestra music.

   3. Those who enjoy long extended pieces.

   People who might not care for this CD

   1. Classical or Jazz purest.

   2. Those who don't like any music over 4 minutes long

   3. People who limit themselves only to the most POPular music styles

1 comments about The Story Of Brahms.

1. This CD along with the others in the series is very good. So far we have collected about ten different ones. They are thorough and interesting. I homeschool and it has been a great additon to our teaching materials and tools. The narrarated history format interspersed with the composer's music is key to keeping the interest of the children. A must-have for introducing classical music with historical background to your kids and at a great price on Amazon!

5 comments about Russian Divine Liturgy.

1. Ortodox liturgic music is sometimes as difficult as it can be considering the fact it belong to a very different liturgy no matter how christian it is.
   This little gem can be helpful to understand not only this very important part of russian music but the soul of russian religiosity, guided by the superb performance of Novospassky Monastery Choir, that reminded me other great effort in the same way: the Choir of Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery.
   Not always Naxos is the best choice, but in this case is definitely a must for those interested on religious music.
   Five stars.



2. This cd is balanced with the melodic strains of the choir, and the rich, deep solos above it. It is an inspiration and I highly recommend it.



3. RUSSIAN DIVINE LITURGY is a performance by the Novospassky Monastery Choir of the Russian Orthodox liturgy celebrated by a bishop. The music of the Russian Orthodox liturgy consists only of the human voice singing in the Russian Church Slavonic language (a redaction of Old Church Slavonic made easier for speakers of Russian to pronounce). No instrumentation is included.
   
   There is a great deal of passion in this performance as in the "Trisagion". There is also grace and sweetness, as in the "Great Litany" or the recitation of the Nicene Creed. This recording portrays those aspects of Orthodox worship which have wowed members of other denominations with their beauty and profound sincerity.
   
   Though the performance was fine, the sound quality of this recording is unimpressive. Though a DDD studio recording, the engineers did not really explore the space of the venue and the voices are often muddled and indistinguishable. This probably would have sounded better in a church than in a studio with these engineers.
   
   The liner notes are also of rather poor quality, as is unfortunately quite common with Naxos discs. There is no libretto, just excepts from several of the portions and descriptions. Church Slavonic text is missing entirely. The names of the Ukrainian cities Kyiv and Lviv are spelled according to the (often considered offensive) Russian manner of Kiev and L'vov. The commentary, which do not appear professionally edited, are uncredited.
   
   If you are interested in Church Slavonic liturgy in music, I would recommend Arvo Part's setting of the "Kanon Pokajanen" penitence text. The disc released by ECM New Series features a detailed libretto with the Church Slavonic, fine translations, and an essay about this portion of Orthodox liturgy. Naxos has released here an authentic and sincere performance of the liturgy, but the poor liner notes and sound quality do little to recommend it.



4. As someone new to choral sacred music, the price of this CD allowed me to experiment without risking to much financially.
   I have never heard Russian Orthodox music before. It is more exuberant in many ways than western massesbut also has moments of serenity. This CD contains an amalgam of music from different cenuries which all fits together surprisingly well. The choir sings powerfully from start to fini. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the music of other cultures.



5. Beautiful version of the Orthodox Liturgy. If you aren't Orthodox, this might convert you. If you already are, it will bring tears of joy to your eyes.

5 comments about Barber: Orchestral Works Vol. 1 - School for Scandal/Symphonies 1 & 2.

1. This is a fine Barber disc...with a few reservations about detachedness. I'm in a position to say that for the Orchestral Essay...Alsop seems more detached, and the music suffers for it. It doesn't suffer interpretatively, however...and this is an all-around grreat disc to get for your Samuel Barber collection.



2. The first 3 works on this CD are pretty standard Barber fare (assuming Barber is really all that "standard" in concert halls). So, given the dozens of recordings of these works, it's pretty clear that the School for Scandal Overture here is pretty weak, and the Symphony #1 and Essay #1 are very average. The School for Scandal opening should be strong, coherent, and driving despite its heavy wind orchestration -- it should invite attention to listen to the rest of the work. Here, we get a muddled mess. It gets a little better as it bounces along, but it never catches the zip this music should have.
   
   The Symphony #1 and Essay #1 do a little better, but the climaxes are never as big as they should be. Listening to performances by Slatkin or Zinman or Schippers or any top-notch orchestra under a strong conductor shows that Barber really constructed some overwhelming mountains of sound into his music. The gigantic end to the first section of the Symphony illustrates this: what Slatkin gets as a pile-driver of force, Alsop gets a mere regurgitation of notes on a page.
   
   But all of that is forgiven because of the monumental Symphony #2 that's on this disc. Why Barber decided this work should be withdrawn is beyond me. A very bittersweet wartime symphony that at times captures the image of tanks and troops marching down a street or the loneliness of flying at night, it is in my opinion his finest work. It is atypically dissonant and brittle for good-natured Barber, but is also the only work of his that truly has a dark core to it. Alsop really brings this work to life and given there are almost no other recordings of this symphony, this CD automatically is a must-have.



3. Barber's School for Scandal Over. is an effervescent, saucy piece, a gem of its kind along with Bernstein's better known but not better Candide Over. For some reason, Marin Alsop misses most of its fun and sparkle, and her pleasant reading is no more than that. How well will the more difficult works proceed? We get a canny selection here, because Sym. #1 is well enough known to attract a wider public than the almost unplayed Sym. #2 and First Essay for Orchestra--there's somethig for the general listener and serious collector both.
   
   Things improve considerably once we get past the overture, but one misses better orchestral playing--the haunting oboe solo in the First Sym's slow movement is just passable--and there's only intermittent inspiration from Alsop. She is a puzzling conductor, having recently won a MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant,' while at the same time inspiring such lack of confidence at her new job with the Baltimore Sym. that the musicians voted by 96% against her appointment.
   
   Her Barber series is a landmark, and she is helped by having such strong pieces to start it off with--the First Essay and much of the First Sym. are totally engaging. It will take stronger advocacy to win an audience for Sym. #2, but even here Alsop does a lovely job with the slow music, where Barber is always at his best. I will continue to enjoy this CD but also to wonder about the future of Ms. Alsop's career.
   
   Her Brber series has won



4. I love Barber's First Symphony - in my opinion one of the finest symphonies of the 20th century in spite of its modest proportions. Its lushness and dramatic emotions are made all the more powerful by the succinct pacing and tightly cohesive structure. The second symphony is not quite as perfect and organic, but is nevertheless an excellent American symphony; a Barber with slightly harder edges and glassier surfaces, making this wartime symphony a bit more than the government-tailored propaganda some detractors have labeled it.
   
   Having both pieces together on one inexpensive disc in very good performances by a rising female star conductor who has become a stalwart champion of American music is well worth the 8 or 9 bucks you'll pay for it. However, as I recommend this, I would also recommend the Slatkin/St. Louis recording of the First on BMG. I find it has just a little more spark and crackle to it, as well as the excellent performance of the Piano Concerto by its original dedicatee, John Browning.



5. This recording for quality and price, is perfect for anyone who is curious about Sam Barber's stuff. The whole Alsop/Barber series on Naxos is worth having!

5 comments about Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"); Three Olden Style Pieces.

1. "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" is one of the most beautiful music pieces ever composed! If you can listen carefully, and let yourself be swept up by the piece, you will be very effected! While listening to the music, my heart started racing at one point, and I felt flushed from the reaction to the music! Beautiful!



2. It is rare when a composition has consistent appeal from beginning to end and one with such quality makes Gorecki's Symphony #3 a very rare find.
   The beginning is unusually understated. For those with home theaters or a bass speaker, it will heighten the beauty of the string instruments. At a moderate volume, the introduction can vibrate the house. The first movement has a slow crescendo that cumulates to a very profound point. The second and third movements have such emotional beauty that I can justifiably claim that the vocal soloist is seraphic and sublime and it is as close to angelic singing that mortals can achieve. As one who does not care for opera, I want to stress that this music is not like opera in any way . For those who enjoy Beethoven's 9th, Ode to Joy, or In Trutina from Carmina Burana, this symphony can't disappoint.



3. Poland has been always a land of courageous and untamed spirit; stubborn to any single bit of domination. This territory has given sublime artists. Gorecki is one of the last exponents; even he was born just in the final of the WW2.
   
   His famous Third Symphony is widely known all around the world and constituted definitively a mass phenomena, its consecration and full acceptation. Gorecki employed an admirable sense of the musical texture inviting us to imagine an enormous birch's forest with astonishing austerity of means economy in what orchestration concerns. This music suggests me the kaleidoscopic awakening of slept centuries under the history 's carpet. Ancestral sorrows, delirious visions with that contemplative gaze in the mirror 's memory. In this Christmas, it is a magnificent chance to listen it once more.
   
   This is possibly the most idiomatic version recorded until this date. Wit made no concessions of any kind. The reading is marvelous and heartfelt; emotion and epic have been magnificently blended and besides, supported by an inspired ensemble. Zofia Kilanowicz is simply bewitching as Soprano. The Second Movement is perfect.
   
   Go for this spelling recording.



4. I can't waste time comparing versions, as I have only heard the other bargain version with the same soprano, which lacks the lusciousness of this CD in my humble opinion. I see no reason to look beyond this version anyway, which is a sublime offering from artists clearly steeped in the emotional heartland it surveys.
   
   Others have said it all, this is music (and indeed a performance) that elicits tears on almost every listen. To a Buddhist as myself, who can see unresolved suffering and sorrow even on the faces of those encountering temporal happiness, this music is a vivid portrayal through sound of our human birthright of disquiet and dissatisfaction, which can be transformed only through connection with our divine nature. Compassion, which can only be generated through our encounters with suffering - how can we hope to wish others to be free of it if we have never met it face-to-face? - radiates from this CD from opening note to close.
   
   The review below that gave this album 5 stars, but only because of the performance, rather than the music itself, is one of the most pathetic offerings I have seen among Amazon reviews. How can any performance be divorced from the piece itself? To compare this glorious piece of music with a relaxation tape merely highlights the ignorance of the reviewer. Did you actually LISTEN to this album? I doubt it!
   
   THERE ARE FEW 'CLASSICAL' OFFERINGS THAT OFFER THE EMOTIONAL RANGE OF THIS CD. IT STANDS AS A LANDMARK OF BOTH 20TH CENTURY COMPOSITION AND PERFORMANCE - A MUST BUY!



5. I own several other recordings of the haunting "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs", a masterpiece which doesn't need the explanatory "modern" in front of it. Górecki's works have aroused intense criticism from some music critics who feel that modern music must eschew lyricism, cease to be enslaved to the major/minor tonality of the "past", and tread bravely into the waters of atonality, arhythmicality, and a-beauty.
   
   But music is primarily audio rather than intellectual. It is there to be listened to, which means that AT LEAST one of the criteria for music ought to be how it sounds. It's all very well creating an incredibly clever tone row and patting oneself on the back for writing a concerto for a gravedigger's spade, an electric blender and a toilet being flushed, but who is going to listen to such a work, over and over? A hundred years from now, it will probably be rightly regarded as a curiosity rather than anything else.
   
   Górecki has composed some works which are so extraordinary that the listener is spellbound, mesmerised by the almost elegaic quality of it. Is it non-intellectual? By no means! It is a strange point of view which considers intellectual quality to be discerned only as the inverse of listenability.
   
   There are, of course, several recordings of this remarkable work currently available. All of them are good. But this one... well, it's beyond good, because the singer, soprano Zofia Kilanowicz, is so immersed in the words, and immerses the listener so completely into the words, that the heartbreak becomes our own. We feel as never before the terrible pity of it - Mary in front of the cross; the words of the young girl written on the wall; the woman looking for the body of her son fallen in battle. It is no shame to weep in listening to this recording, because the sorrow transcends the personal, although it never becomes LESS than personal. But it reaches out to touch the core of human understanding. This is a lament for all loss, all death, all grief, all injustice. It is simply... heartbreaking... and very, very beautiful.
   
   That a listener is able to come away with a sense of hope as well as intense grief is due to the music, which shimmers and shines in the dark places of the heart.
   
   Other versions of this work, while lovely, do not have the same plangent quality as this. I was surprised that I did not feel more intensely when listening to the Susan Gritton recording of this, as I consider her a superb singer with a wonderfully expressive quality, but strangely she did not quite achieve the colour of tears that the work requires. The Yvonne Kenny recording is lovely, but it's more about sound than meaning. I can feel Yvonne Kenny being careful about making the right sounds - I DON'T feel her twisting my heart with the meaning. The Dawn Upshaw recording is lovely but bland in comparison, as well.
   
   In every respect - the incredibly cheap price, the exquisite orchestral playing, the wonderful singing - this is the version to have.

3 comments about Mozart:Solemn Vespers/Dixit & Magnificat.

1. The Naxos label is famous for bringing great music to the masses at a great price. One should buy this recording for that reason alone. It is a quality recording with accurate tempi and above average performers. Though I have heard more moving performances of this work, this recording can be quite fulfilling for those who appreciate classical music and for those wishing to increase their music library.



2. One of the best collections of Mozart around. Anyone who likes Monteverdi's Dixit Dominus collection should have this classic Mozart take on Dixit and Magnificat.



3. I bought this album a little over a year ago, but I've only just come to love it as much as I should. The performance itself is absolutely superb. Each voice in the chorus is vibrant, colourful, and has is easily distinguishable from all the others while still blending into perfect harmony. The instruments are present throughout and never drowned out by the voices, as is a problem with other similar recordings. Obviously, the recording- from a technical standpoint- is flawless. It's just you and the music. Nothing to distract or annoy in this recording! But that doesn't mean it lacks atmosphere- quite on the contrary.

   The music is the real gem here, as good as the direction and performers are. Mozart makes every second of your time worth it. He takes you through every mood and feeling you can imagine. In one movement it's jubilant and glorious, the next it's foreboding, and the next wistful. There's something here for you, no matter what you're in the mood for.

   In summation: Worth every red cent! It's a must-have for anyone and everyone.

5 comments about Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76, Nos. 4, 5 and 6.

1. When Naxos started releasing the Kodaly Quartet's series of the Haydn string quartets I was pretty excited. These are some of my favorite works and I'm always amazed that he could write so many works in one genre that were so consistantly good. The Op. 76 quartets were written in the last phase of his compositional life, a time when he had well deserved fame and was generally regarded as the greatest living composer. The fame seemed to drive him to even greater heights, writing some of his very finest work including the London Symphonies, the last six Masses, The Creation and the later string quartets, including the Op. 76 quartets. These are quite simply some of the finest chamber works ever written. The Kodaly Quartet's interpretations are clear and lively, definitely doing justice to the music and effectively evoking the spirit of the period they were written in. If you can afford it, buy all the discs in the series, but this one is a good start.



2. For me it is the late Haydn string quartets, more so than the late symphonies, that afford us a full demonstration of his consummate compositional mastery. For as good as the London Symphonies are, if you listen to them alongside Mozart's great symphonies they really do not quite measure up; but the late quartets are second not even to Mozart's best works in the genre, endowed as they are with magnificent complexity, ingenious subtlety, and profound sophistication.
   
   The Op. 76 quartets are the place to start in listening to Haydn's quartets. He sometimes equaled these exemplary compositions, in earlier works as well as later ones, but he never bettered them. Op. 76 belong to that rarefied list of powerful, progressive masterworks written at the end of his life that includes the Trumpet Concerto, The Creation, Paukenmesse, and, yes, the aforementioned London Symphonies.
   
   (Especially beautiful on this disc is the adagio of the E-flat quartet: harmonically adventurous, mysterious, and captivating, I've returned to it more than once.)
   
   I have elsewhere stated my preference and conviction for authentic, "period instrument" performances of these works; while I do prefer the accounts of the Quatuor Mosaïques to these readings, then, I at the same time insist that these are interpretations not to be missed. Readings of the Baroque and Classical literature on modern instruments can still be very effective, if an awareness of the character and function of timbre and sonority in those historical musical languages is incorporated into playing of skill and good judgement (the academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Neville Mariner, for example, have committed excellent performances of the late Mozart symphonies to disc on modern instruments). The Kodály Quartet are a first-rate ensemble and they dig into these pieces with expertise and enthusiasm. And for only ten dollars per disk on Naxos, you really mustn't pass on these recordings.



3. This is general review of the Naxos series of Haydn's string quartets.
   
   You know the old saying, "you get what you pay for." This is usually true for sure ... but once in a while in life something comes around whose quality and value far exceed the price. Such is the case with the Naxos recordings of the Kodaly Quartet. These are performances of top caliber recorded with very good to excellent sound quality.
   
   But, where to start with so many Haydn quartets? One suggestion is to get the Naxos SETS of these works which are an even more stellar bargin. You can get them at rediculously low prices used on Amazon usually. But, if you are buying one CD at-a-time (which perhaps allows for more appreciation and slower savoring), you might focus on what is known as "Haydn's Top 30." This is a list of Haydn's quartets that are recognized by many experts as his finest: Op. 3 (no. 3,5) - Op.9 (no. 2) - Op. 17 (no. 5) - Op. 20 (no. 4,5,6) - Op. 33 (No. 2,3,6) - Op. 50 (no. 6) - Op. 54 (no. 1,2,3) - Op. 64 (all) - Op. 74 (no. 1,2,3) - Op. 76 (all) - Op. 77 (no. 1,2).
   
   Quartets prior to Op. 17 have more of a simpler, pleasant "galante" style ... Op. 20 sees Haydn fully in his "Storm & Stress" period with bold harmonies and dynamic rhythms ... By Op. 33 Haydn had moved on from the pre-Romantic-era emotive composing of Op. 20 and adopted a more lyrical style .... the quartets of Op. 64 have a really gorgeous and relaxed style ... then in Op. 76 & 77 we see the pinnacle of Haydn's quartet craft late in his life with quartets rich in intelligent form, complex part writing and more grand 'symphonic' harmonies - part due to his writing for large London audiences. A good place to start is to get one CD each from Haydn's early, middle and late periods - like Op. 3, Op. 33 and Op. 76 - and see the development that occured as Haydn literally gave birth to the modern string quartet.



4. Joseph Haydn wrote the six string quartets of opus 76 in 1797 when he was at the height of his powers. The quartets were dedicated to Haydn's patron, Count Edody, and are known as the "Erody" quartets. The first three quartets of opus 76 appear on a separate Naxos CD by the Kodaly Quartet. In fact, the Kodaly Quartet has recorded the entire series of Haydn quartets at a budget price. The opus 76 quartets in particular are music-making at its highest level. These quartets are engaging and accessible to hear and to play (they were composed to be played) and are yet filled with imagination, inventiveness, and musical content. In describing the opus 76 quartets, Karl Geiringer writes in his "Haydn: A Creative Live in Music" (p. 321) that "[e]verything here is condensed and intensified, the expression more personal and more direct." This award-winning CD by the Kodaly Quartet includes the 4,5, and 6th quartet and is a joy.
   
   The quartet no. 4 in B-flat major is known as the "Sunrise" after the running, rising theme in the first violin, set over heavy chords, with which it opens. The first movement, marked allegro con spirito, is a movement of contrasts. As do several other movements on this CD, it features alternating sections of fast and slow sections, rising and falling solo themes, and ensemble and solo playing. The second movement, marked adagio, continues to alternate solo passages for the violin with intricate playing for the entire ensemble. There is also a lovely theme deep in the lower register of the cello. This is a slow, sad movement. The third movement is a minuet which features echoing falling two-note figures heavily accented at the end of each phrase. The trio continues the pattern established in the earlier movements by having a solo theme sing out over chords in the remainder of the ensemble. The final movement is a rondo which opens with a whimsical, song-like theme played in the ensemble. As the movement progresses, the tempo increases, and the quartet ends humorously with a whirwind version of the rondo theme.
   
   The fifth quartet in D major is unique in that each of the four movements develop essentially the same thematic material. The opening movement is an allegretto which opens quietly and lyrically in the violin. Here again, the movement dramatically picks up in tempo near the conclusion. The second movement of the work marked "Largo cantabile e mesto" (very slow, singing, and troubled) is the highpoint of this work. The slow movement is substantially longer than the opening movement, which is itself highly unusual in a composition of this period. The movement opens with a slow stately theme followed by an intense middle section in different harmonies and then a return of the opening material. The minuet opens in the alto voice of the strings, but the most striking feature of this movement is the ruminative, running solo for the cello in the trio. The finale, marked presto, consists of a running theme over a brushing figure in the strings. It reminded me of a Russian folk tune and of Beethoven's middle quartets.
   
   The sixth and final quartet of opus 76 is in E-flat major and brings an extraordinary end to the set. The first movement, marked allegro-allegretto, is a set of variations based on a call and response theme. The variations feature solo instruments embellishing the theme as played by the ensemble. Again, this movement masterfully alternates fast and slow sections and ensemble and solo playing. There is a great deal of counterpoint throughout. The second movement marked "Fantasia:Adagio" is full of adventurous harmonic writing based upon rapid and ambiguous movements from one key to another. In much of this movement, Haydn dispensed with the use of a key signature, giving both the music and the notation a strikingly modern flavor. The third movement, a minuet, opens with a theme with many turns and twists for the violin in its upper register. But, again, the striking portion of this movement is in the trio. Haydn writes it in an old form called the Alternativo. The pattern is a rising heavily rhythmic passage in the cello playing the major scale, followed by a descending passage playing the scale. This is a delight to follow when one is prepared for it. The finale, allegro spirituoso, is based upon a falling figure. It is light and rapid and shows Haydn's mastery of counterpoint.
   
   The music of these quartets, and of the earlier three quartets of opus 76 is inexhaustible. This CD is an outstanding introduction to chamber music and to the music of Haydn.



5. I certainly agree with the other reviewer on this page: With the possible addition of Op. 77 No. 1, the three quartets on this Naxos CD represent the greatest, and most appealing, quartet music that Haydn produced. And that's saying a lot because there are many other treasures among Haydn's string quartets.

   Finest of all is the "Fifths Quartet," so called because of the first violinist's widely spaced intervals at the start of the first movement. Haydn is not always congenial when he writes in the minor key, but here he creates a movement of great drama and energy that is unique in his oeuvre. The other movements are just as fine, especially the remarkable canonic scherzo, a bewitching witches' dance.

   But then the other quartets are no also-rans. The "Emperor" features lovely variations on Haydn's own hymn to the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ("Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken") and a last movement of great dash and sparkle. And the "Sunrise" has that wonderfully evocative rising figure at the beginning of the movement that gave the quartet its name.

   The Kodaly Quartet, as throughout their Haydn cycle, show they are to the manner born. They caress those lovely variations with a much tenderness, then throw themselves with great abandon into the fiery "Fifths" quartet. All of which makes for just about the best performances of these quartets on disc. Naxos adds a warm yet clear and detailed recording to top off a highly distinguished release.

2 comments about Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie.

1. Eine Alpensinfonie dates from a time and place now past when a respected composer could literally write for any orchestral forces he desired. It is scored for a huge orchestra (150 instruments, by one count--although not 150 different instrumental parts) and includes hecklephone, windmachine, thundermachine, tenor tubas, and 20(!) French horns--12 are offstage and play only in 21 measures of the piece, for less than one minute. It is a veritable bible of orchestration--Strauss is a master of handling huge forces, surpassed only by Gustav Mahler, and that arguably. But Strauss's layers of counterpoint and his textural conceptions can suffer at the hands of overenthusiastic performers or an insufficiently aware conductor. Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic prove themselves more than capable, though, and this is an absolutely beautiful performance that always brings tears to my eyes. Following the score while listening to this recording demonstrates an astonishing clarity of performance in such a complex score, and if the low brass tone crests a bit on occasion it is surely Strauss's intention--otherwise he would not have written two trombones and two tubas on a pedal G (!) fortissimo. That passage cannot and should not be played delicately--trust me, I'm a trombonist. Worthier of note are the fantastic performances by the first trumpet, who Strauss treats as almost superhuman; the gorgeous horn/tenor tuba section, and the fantastically lush sound overall. The performance is not without flaws, but the problems are minor indeed and issues of interpretation--for example, at the very ending Previn does not observe Strauss's fermata, and the violins never really glissando noticeably where Strauss indicates to do so. The final interval of a twelfth (a compound fifth, from F at the top of the treble clef staff to Bb below the staff) is marked glissando; what is meant here is a slide from one note to the next, without break, and consequentially the F and the notes before it will likely be played on the G string, resulting in a dark sound very appropriate for the ending of the piece (the ending section is even titled "Night"). But the Vienna Philharmonic, or Previn, or both, see it otherwise. The glissando is inaudible to me, there is no connection between the penultimate and the final note, and the final phrase is not, I believe, played on the G string at all. Still, this is quite a subtle distinction and not one that significantly mars the overall performance of truly deep and powerful music.

   Strauss has been criticized for being overly programmatic and literal, writing trivial music and being derivative of Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler. Whatever truth these criticisms hold, the fact remains that Wagner, Mahler and Strauss revolutionized music. Aside from their already well-known harmonic innovations and orchestral mastery, they freed melody from its primarily vocal conception, which had limited it from its origin. Where most composers before them would follow a large leap with motion in the opposite direction, thereby restricting the melodic line in musical space, these three composed great soaring lines in which a large leap might well be followed by another leap or stepwise motion in the same direction. The resulting themes often surpass the range of a single instrument; a given melody might, for example, begin in the tuba doubled with bassoon, celli and contrabasses, move to French horns and finally end in the upper registers of flutes, oboes, and violins. Orchestration becomes not simply an assigning of instruments to particular lines, but an inseparable part of the composition of a piece. Whatever flaws Strauss's music might have (and I have to admit that the Storm Scene in the Alpine Symphony, with its wind and thunder machines and the portrayal of raindrops in the pizzicato strings is too cliched for my taste), its glories far surpass them.

   It is a bit of a shame that nothing is coupled with the Alpine Symphony--at only 48 minutes this disc is a bit slim; and I think that Death and Transfiguration would have made a stunning companion piece. But perhaps Previn and Vienna have already released a version of that work, at any rate, even alone this is an excellent performance of a glorious piece and well worth owning.




2. I'll agree with the reviewer below that this may not be the most passionate version of the Alpine Symphony available. However, this disc is my favorite of the four Strauss discs recorded by Andre Previn on Telarc. The Symphony speaks for itself. It is a cliffhanger packed full of beautiful, energetic themes. Telarc captures the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra sound as vast as all outdoors. The glassine woodwinds and sumptuous strings descend down the mountain like the cascades of an avalanche. The near presence and dynamic range of the orchestra help promote the travelogue nature of the piece. I feel that Previn's carefully calculated reading allows the listener to absorb Strauss' stunning orchestral effects with the appropriate cold chills.