5 comments about 25 Tchaikovsky Favorites.

1. He is one of my favorite classical composers. This cd contains some of his best and well-known works. While not every selction is a favorite, there are more than enough to make getting the cd worthwhile



2. Muy buena adquisición. Excelente opción para escuchar mientras estoy en la oficina, en el auto, leyendo o simplemente disfrutando de buena música clásica.



3. definitely not the best rendition of the popular suite.on the other hand,try finding another one.
   stuff is edited,bludgeoned,rather.
   tempos verge on comical.
   rather disapointing,I really needed a nice version of the sugar plum faerie dance.
   will probably stick to Wendy Carlos's,cheesy,runningly cheesy,blue cheese smelly,even,as it might be,still holds the original pace and campy pomp.
   
   ...not nuch of a cheese shop is it?
   -it's fairly clean.
   certainly not contaminated by Cleese!



4. This is a good introduction to Tchaikovsky for the beginner that gives a broad sampling of his work. Considering the price, it's a good value if someone is just wanting to begin exploring classical music or Tchaikovsky in particular.
   However, the sound quality on this albumn is quite poor and there are much higher quality Tchaikovsky recordings available.



5. Here are some of Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky's greatest works. His Nutcraker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty ballets are the most famous in the repoirtaire. The Symphony No. 5 and 6 are very excellent symphonic orchestrations. However, despite all the good stuff in here from the Russian master, the performers and conductors cannot surpass the beauty and artistry that such Tchaikovsky music masters as Dorati, Markevitch and Ormandy are. So if you want quality Tchaikovsky, get those conductor renditions. However, for a Tchaikovsky beginner, these pieces will get you hooked. This is a good cd to begin with for a Tchaikovsky listener. I am a Tchaikovsky listener ever since a friend recommended his glorious works to me. I am a Mozart fan but Tchaikovsky is undoubtedly the greatest Romantic composer of all time. He combines Russian melodies (Russian dances, mazurkas, waltzes) and gives them a definite Western romantic feel. He was friends with such noted Romantic composers as Camille Saint Saens, known to create such marvelous music of the era- Carnival of the Animals (now popular through Dysney) and Danse Macabre, to name only a small portion. Tchaikovsky also adored Mozart and although he is not exactly a Classical composer, he greatly admires the beauty of Mozart's works. Three cheers for Tchaikovsky !

5 comments about The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Greatest Hits: 22 Best-Loved Favorites.

1. The CD was received within the alloted time and was in excellent condition. I highly recommend the album to anyone who is interested in their music.



2. Exactly what we looking for..nice sounding arrangements of great music.



3. I've loved hearing the Tabernacle Choir since birth when my mom played their hymns on vinyl a lot.

   If you like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, then you'll love the Treorchy Male Choir, of Rhondda Valley, Wales (www.treorchymalechoir.org). They are also very inspiring.




4. I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and I just can't get enough. This also goes to show that they don't always have to sing hymns or religious music. And after all, who doesn't love this choir? This cd is beautiful.



5. We were fortunate to watch a rehearsal and when I returned home I looked up all of their recordings and bought 2 CD's and they are both "magnificent!" It's so patriotic, especially "God Bless America, and this one is exceptional with wonderful show tunes etc. I recommend this to everyone!

5 comments about Debussy for Daydreaming.

1. Definitely for daydreaming, or for putting the little one down at bedtime. Good start to those wanting to see if they like Debussy. Includes many of his most famous works (Clair de lune, etc.)



2. This is an excellent collection of interpretations of Debussy's works. This collection is a "must have" for those who want to lose themselves in some of Debussy's most touching compositions.



3. This CD is just pure magic. I know that is such a cliche' thing to say, but it really is. Of course, it really won't appeal to those people who are into EXTREME LIVING...whatever the hell that means, because to me, extreme living is living close to the soul, close to the spirit, close to the Invisible Source that makes and creates all things in and out of Itself.
   
   Debussy was a composer who lived very close to this Invisible Stream. His music reflects a gentleness and yet a strength that flows throughout each composistion. The arrangements are dreamy and mystical and allows one to go into their "inner chamber" and pray in secret to the One who knows their heart as well as their soul.
   
   As much as I love this CD, I tend not to listen to it in the car. I once listened to it while making a routine drive to Santa Monica. The CD stopped and I had somehow missed all of my exits and ended up in Ventura...talk about being in dreamland!
   
   It's a great CD to put in your walkman and go to an outdoor cafe' where you can sip a cafe latte and write poems to an unknown lover whose face you cannot remember, but whose gentle breath is the scent of lavendar...oh, I wax poetic...so sorry...
   
   If you are into quiet and stillness, get this CD...it's truly a breath of fresh air in this noisy, crowded, extreme world we have to be in but not necessarily of...
   
   Peace & Blessings



4. This music evokes both emotions and images of life waking up in spring, even being in a magical forest where anything can happen, or floating on clouds. You can just enjoy the music and let your imagination soar or the music can take you into that trance-like state where you can access creative ideas and creative solutions to any problems - and maybe they just dissolve of their own accord.



5. If you like Debussy - whom I have heard called one of the progenitors of ambient music - you will love having his most inspiring and beautiful works together on one cd. These works are tranquil and serene, and yet they don't fade into the background - no matter what you are doing - because they are true art. When this cd is playing you can't help but listen and sigh. My cats love this cd, too.

5 comments about Rock of Ages: 30 Favorite Hymns.

1. The very best choir in the world sings the best songs in the world. Turn up the volume and just enjoy it.



2. I received the order the second time round, first order got lost. Music however is brilliant.
   
   Thank you



3. I've now played this CD several times and am always left wondering whether someone is fielding a back-up choir because it has none of the usual majesty of the real Tabernacle Choir.
   
   The recording is a bit "thin" and I've only kept it because I know the MTC can do and has done so much better.



4. This CD is fantastic. The music selections are great!
   My favorite is How Firm a Foundation.
   But others are great as well.
   I just love how it invites the spirit into my life, and send shivers of peace up by spine when I listen to this CD.
   A great CD!



5. Steve Cumming played this version of God Be With You Till We Meet Again on his last broadcast show for classical WRR radio in Dallas. If there was a dry eye in the listening audience, I would be surprised. In addition to the song he chose, this recording has all of your favorites performed with beauty and majesty.

5 comments about 25 Vivaldi Favorites.

1. This the worst CD I've ever had...terrible doesn't begin to describe it. There was nothing even remotely enjoyable..soothing to the ear would NOT be a description that I would give it.



2. If you're reading this, you already know Vivaldi and how influential he has been on all music over the past few centuries. I have no complaints about this CD.



3. Can you believe the price on this? This is probably the best Vivaldi collection for the price available. The sound quality is superb.



4. Vivaldi 25 favourites is marvelous ,it has been digitally enhanced and is certainly a keeper.Really am pleased with anything i have purchased from Amazon



5. This CD is decent but does NOT sweep you off your feet into a soaring concert hall with your heart beating loudly and your breaths coming in faster. Why? I think its the quality of the recording and the caliber of the musicians maybe? But hey, $4.98 does not buy much more than a fast food meal- so no harm done! Happy Listening!
   -Rupa

5 comments about Mozart for Relaxation.

1. A nice collection of Mozart arranged and performed as the title says - to relax.
   
   It is not a definative collection as others have mentioned, but it the melodies are familiar and are things you know.
   
   This leads to a good CD to put on, sit down and listen to with your eyes closed. One of the things I have been trying to do to help relax and calm down and I am very happy I bought this. I will be buying other titles in this series.



2. Many, Many great takes here and it is just a great collection of some of his work. Not for official fans perhaps trying to collect a lot of his music, but for the money this one is not a bad one to get. These are both elegant and relaxing and I feel I got a great deal for the price! There are more of these kind in terms of the relaxing style series so check them out!



3. I love this CD! I listen to it every time my world feels like it's about to spin out of control because I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Very calming and serene. My 12 year old daughter now knows who Mozart is and can recognize his music on the radio!



4. I've been a massage therapist for seven years, and I have lots and lots of relaxation music. I have owned this c.d. three different times because I have listened to it to the point of wearing it out several times over. It is so beautiful and rich in perfection, and if your smart its really easy to time your massage to. If your not an M.T. just get it to have in your collection when you'd like to relax, you won't be sorry.



5. This is a terrific collection of many of Mozart's best known and most beloved pieces. You will probably recognize many of the melodies - and with this CD, of course, you'll learn their names. This CD is really aptly named - it is a very 'relaxing' collection of beautiful music. One reviewer said that its great for the car - but also after that long, grinding day at work - you know, the kind of day where you feel especially eaten-up. You just want to go home and sit in your favorite chair and put on some music... It is also an excellent album to get the kids started on lovely classical music. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Symphonie Fantastique.

1. This is a beautiful piece of music and I am proud to own it at a great rate. My CD was new and I have had no problems with it. Thank you for great service!



2. I really enjoyed this performance as much as wonderful sound quality, clear and clean on most subtle dynamics. Everything is in place nothing is overemphasized.



3. I concur with what other reviewers have said on this page: this is one of the most exciting versions of Berlioz's classics around. The Philadelphia Orchestra, whose beauty of tone is often praised, can also get whipped up to a lather by the right conductor and score, and having heard Muti in concert many times with the Orchestra, I can say he had that effect more often than did (and do) the Orchestra's other august music directors. A comparison of this performance and the fine old recording with Ormandy on Sony shows just how much more energized the players are here for Muti. The last movement has some truly hair-raising moments in it, moments in which ensemble might have slipped if a lesser body of musicians were involved.
   
   The "Marche au supplice" fourth movement, however, shows even better what kind of performance this is. The tempo speeds up ever so slightly about halfway through; something that doesn't accord with reality, maybe--after all, a march to the scaffold would proceed with military precision--but the accelerando bespeaks a live-performance kind of rush on the part of the musicians that rarely happens in studio recording sessions. There are lovely sounds, of course, in the second-movement ball scene and the third-movement tone painting of the countryside. But let's face it: most music lovers can't wait for the last two movements, which are the real payoff in this symphony. And in this performance.
   
   The recording, very full and lifelike, is one of the best EMI made in Philadelphia. At the price, this is clearly the best "Sinfonie Fantastique" available, and it's worth more than many (many!) full-priced recordings.



4. Even after hearing this symphony constantly growing up, I never once found myself notably drawn in by the music. While I liked to listen to it and was impressed by its historical significance, it never struck my fancy as anything other than background music. Sure, the music itself is loaded with plenty of stuff to enjoy, but I never heard any interpretation of it that showcased it enough and really delivered some actual substance to the hype of this Romantic masterpiece.
   
   However, this recording slams it in your face.
   
   This is by far the most intense reading of the work to date. Dynamics are finally maximized here and Muti layers the voices of the orchestra with perfection. The brass playing is incredible throughout and when they really bring the heat in the March and the Witches' Sabbath, you will literally be set aflame. I can't imagine a better recording of these last two movements as they bring complete death and destruction here. And as one reviewer has already pointed out, Charlie Vernon delivers a performance here that you will not hear on any other recording of this work. He comes bearing many bass trombone gifts and all we can do is calmy sit back and bask in his generosity. Listening to him destroy the pedals in the March will never get old. Thank you Charlie Vernon, thank you.
   
   As far as comparing them to other recordings goes, I much favor this to the famous Ormandy recording on Sony Classics that I just frankly find bland and rather uninspiring. I also don't understand why they split up the last movement into four tracks on that CD. Trivial yes, but it is just very annoying to me. I also prefer this Muti recording to the Davis/Concertgebouw, which is taken with a much lighter approach. However, some people like that approach better and there is nothing wrong with preferring it that way, so if you are looking for a more pastoral sound for this music, I would definitely look into the Davis recording, now a part of the Philips 50. But let's be real here kids. If you want a recording that will melt steel, look no further than this disc.
   
   Buy immediately. Perhaps you did not hear me, but I said immediately.
   
   (Also, it is ridiculously inexpensive.)



5. I can't say enough good things about this piece. It has quickly become one of my favorites.

5 comments about Copland: Appalachian Spring/Fanfare For The Common Man/El Salón México/Danzón Cubano.

1. I really think that this cd has one of the best recorded and orchestrated renditions of Appalacian Spring. I really enjoyed this album and would highly recomend it to any avid Copland fan.



2. I bought this CD --- expressly for this piece of music by Aaron Copland.
   
   While it isn't as bold, with the beautiful piano renditions, which are found on the soundtrack of the movie "Fiesta", Bernstein manages to capture the spirit, and intent of the piece.
   
   It's wonderful listening.



3. Maybe it is just a matter of taste. I don't feel this cd carries the Copland that could match what I thought it should be.



4. This recording, aside of bringing back great memories of a live performance of Mr. Bernstein more than 25 years ago directing Mexico State Philarmonic Orchestra playing Salon Mexico, is of grand quality and Aaron Coplands music selection is escellent as is performed and recorded. My mom (77) and my daughter (8) enjoy it just the same.



5. When I was in the fifth grade, there was a district-wide competition called music memory, and one of the pieces I had to memorize for the competition was the last movement of Appalachian Spring. And I fell in love with that song. I went and bought the cassette of Appalachian Spring with Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic, and I listened to it almost every night before going to sleep. I even remember that one night I was listening to that final movement through my walkman as I was laying in bed. Evidently, I was humming along without realizing it, and I woke my parents, who slept downstairs and across the house, with my humming. Anyway, that's how good this recording is. And I'm still amazed at what great taste I had at that age. Now, eleven years later, I have upgraded to a CD, but I still listen to Copeland's masterpiece just about as much. I've heard a lot of great music in those intervening years, but I've still never heard anything quite this perfect. I doubt I ever do.

5 comments about Beethoven: Piano Sonatas.

1. In some places, the playing seems rushed and in others, it sounds uncoordinated. There are better versions of these sonatas out there.



2. This is an excellent recording of the three most well-known and well-loved piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. As an aspiring Beethoven expert (I'm a college student and just recently began really discovering Beethoven), I wanted to hear a masterful, even "definitive" if you will, recording of these sonatas. I listened straight through the entire album, enjoying every minute of it. I smiled as I recognized a piece that I finally got to hear in its proper context, and the whole time I was in awe of Beethoven's work coming through Claudio Arrau. The Pathetique and Moonlight sonatas were especially wonderful to hear, since I've heard parts of them hundreds of times in other arrangements--from Trans-siberian Orchestra to Dance Dance Revolution and other music video games to Schroeder of the Peanuts gang at his piano. Nothing compared to hearing Claudio Arrau play the pieces as Beethoven intended: it was magical. Delightful, masterful, beautiful, fun, timeless...you will love Beethoven's three great piano sonatas.



3. What more can I say....
   I dont really know much about classical, and I wont pretend that I do, but to me, this is perfection!
   Excellent service to as item arrived in good time!



4. First of all I would like to say, I have to disagree with a reviewer that says Arrau plays "too slow" this I can handle although I consider his speed is fine... but mostly when he says something like "he gives a romantic touch to these sonatas that were dedicated to men".
   
   That is a huge blasphemy and here's why: Beethoven was a passionate man, I guess every Beethoven fan and student knows that, and if you still don't believe it just listen to his piano, violin and cello trios to see how much passion and romance there is involved. So it doesn't matter if he dedicated these sonatar (or any of his works) to a woman, a man or an alien, it is quite clear that whoever it was intended to, Beethoven would have probably execute it with passion and romance.
   
   The execution of the Appassionata sonata is the ultimate execution. I need more words from other universe to describe how you can easly breeze into the composer's mind and actually feel what he felt and thought when he composed this piece. The 3rd movement is to me the best around and the best I've heard (from dozens of dozens), especially the last two minutes when it's clear the composer went drive mad. With other performers you will see that in these two minutes (when the piece reachis its climax) they will normally slow down which obviously a clear mistake and not what Beethoven intended). The last two minutes are to be played with madness, more madness, anger, more anger and all the passion you can put into those 88 keys. You can't slow down the climax of the piece ! That's why it is called Appassionata ! Such a beautiful piece.
   
   The moonlight execution is the best I've heard too (with the exception of the 1st movement). Each one of the three movements take you to a mind state where you can feel how and what Beethoven felt about countess Giuletta Giucardi: love, joy and then hate, respectively. Just like the appasionata, the 3rd movement's performance is stunning. By the time you reach half of it, your mind will think you're listening to Beethoven.
   
   Patetique is a good execution. I haven't really heard a notable performance, probably due to the fact of being one of Beethoven's earlier -more Mozartian/classisist- works. Still it is very good, and the movement that impresses me the most is the second.
   
   Do your self a favor and get this CD. You will trash any other Beethoven Piano sonatas CD, and you will eventually look forward to buy the 32 piano sonata box set by Claudio Arrau -to listen to the man himself playing all his works-, which I proudly own and just like this disc, it is worth every single penny.



5. Claudio Arrau is not always an easy pianist to listen to. His playing is sometimes very irritating and at times can seem boring. Not everyone will agree with his Beethoven playing, and his playing in general, but many will be fascinated by his complex intellectuality. His Beethoven playing, particularly the sonatas, are some of his best and most interesting work. If anyone was to own one recording of Arrau's playing, I would surely suggest a Beethoven recording. His interpretations of these three popular sonatas are unorthodox but are given very passionate and interesting performances. Anyone studying or interested in these sonatas should listen to Arrau, the Appassionata especially is given an excellent performance.

   This CD is highly recommended, it's an excellent lesson in Arrau's Beethoven playing.

1 comments about The Story of Bach.

1. We are using this series of CDs in our homeschool music program - they are fantastic! We especially love this one about Bach - what an awesome man! The story of his life is told in a way that is very interesting and holds the children's attention while also using various pieces of his music in the narration. It is done VERY well! My children are gaining a tremendous amount of knowlege and appreciation for music through this CD and so are my husband and I!