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.

5 comments about Mozart for Meditation.

1. I was expecting this to be true to its title"Meditation".
   Though nice it's really just a random selection of music
   not necessarily soft or meditative.



2. Well, as far as music for meditation goes, I'm not so sure about this product for that purpose. When I meditate, I tend to need more monotonous sounds to do it by - however, this CD is GREAT for relaxation and sleeping. So I still give it 4 out of 5 stars even though I won't be using it for its stated purpose. Still well-worth the money.



3. All the pieces are the perfect ones for the relaxation. As a collector I am impressed of the selections chosen for this album.



4. When I am working and I need to block out sounds to concentrate on what I am doing, I always put on this CD. Besides the fact that it is easy to listen to, it doesn't distract me from my work, and I never get bored or tired of the music. I'm reluctant to purchase a similar album in the fear that it won't be as good as the Mozart Meditation.



5. I'm a licensed massage therapist, and I absolutely adore using this CD during my sessions! It's a great alternative to the new age-y music styles that are so pervasive in the relaxation music scene -- my clients find this CD soothing & relaxing, and not at all "weird". This music suports a "relaxed but focused" atmosphere -- it serves as excellent white noise in the lobby area, and I even use it at home as a soothing backdrop for reading/ sewing/ paperwork/ etc. Excellent arrangements & clarity -- DON'T MISS!

5 comments about Baroque Guitar.

1. Great listening when you want to relax or even when you're working. Anyone into classic guitar and of course, the wonderful period of Baroque music, I highly recommend this.



2. I have most of these pieces on a book of Essential Classical Guitar, as I'm picking up the instrument again. This is not only an enlightnening CD, it's just great music, very well played. I can compare some of the pieces to other recordings in compilations, also very well played. But Julian Bream breathes, does not put the accent on virtuosity but more on musical phrasing, takes a slightly slower tempo sometimes (the lovely Bach prelude in d). I love playing it on my iPod in the background, it soothes me while I'm doing mechanical work. All the CD is worth it, esp. at this price. I would've paid full price for it. Unlike other reviewers, I'm not at all bothered by the recording quality, it's perfectly adequate; although there is no attempt to dissimulate the hiss due to shifting between positions, there isn't as much of it to disrupt listening, and the sound is otherwise rich and full with harmonies. In fact, the (very occasional) hissing enhances the "real" aspect of the recording so I don't mind. I hear them too when I play (although I'm not an advanced player by any means). The most dynamic pieces (Sanz' Canarios, Bach's Prelude and fugue, Weiss' Fantasy, Bach's suite allemande, bourree and gigue) alternate with more pensive, almost lethargic pieces by de Visee. Overall, this is a great CD that I put among the top five or six in my classical guitar collection. Also "Essential Guitar" compilation has some of these pieces and more romantic and 19th century pieces, if you want to compare. I also highly recommend that CD.



3. Bream was one of the best guitarists in the history of the instrument (was, since he retired a few years back). This may sound extreme, but nearly all his recordings bear witness to this. In addition to impeccable technique and musicianship, he shows a control of color and shading second to none. He is somewhat less romantic than Segovia, but his range of expression is just as varied. In some later recordings, Bream sounds as if he chooses beauty of sound at the expense of using slightly deliberate pacing, but in all earlier outings (like this one), he combines tonal beauty with perfectly chosen tempos (or tempi if you prefer), a great sense of enjoyment, even of fun when appropriate. Bream always reveals something remarkable in the music that goes beyond nearly all other players.



4. This is a CD that is not only unusual - Guitar but well worth having in your collection.



5. When Julian Bream came to the San Francisco conservatory in the early 1980's he began by addressing the masterclass of eager guitarists by saying "I am not a guitarist. Rather, I am a musician who plays the guitar."
   
   This album demonstrates the high standard of truth of his statement.
   
   Originally released in 1965 by RCA, this recording is one of the finest ever made. Bream was at one of the several heights of his musical mastery.
   
   Of the opening tracks by Gaspar Sanz, both the stately Pavanas and the famous Canarios are models of exquisite phrasing, dynamic rhythmic energy and dramatic character.
   
   J.S. Bach's Prelude in D minor is much superior to Andres Segovia's earlier recording. It is a bit slower in tempo, yet has a fabulous pulse that underlies the arpeggio figurations. The following fugue in A minor is a still miraculous model of contrapuntal clarity, drama, rhythmic drive and sheer exuberance. All the many guitarists of my generation measured their own efforts in relation to this rendition.
   
   Fernando Sor's Fantasie and Minuet are completely captivating in the 19th century style. Bream had an affinity for Sor's music and also the taste to record only the small handful of Sor's opus which stood above the mundane.
   
   Bream's recordings of the lutenist S. L. Weiss works take us back to the baroque. Weiss was a friend of Bach and the Passacaille, Fantasie and Tombeau chosen here remain among the greatest recordings ever made. The transcription is especially tricky since the baroque lute used a very different tuning and had 13 courses. Bream was the first to really make a definitive case for playing Weiss on the guitar, and these renditions demonstrate why.
   
   The Suite in D minor of Robert de Visee is by far the best for the transcription he used. Later Bream revisited the original sources and made better editions for his recordings. (See his re-recording of Sanz's Canarios in his album Guitarra)
   
   Finally, the recording of the Lute Suite in E minor of J.S. Bach was a landmark in 1965. Today there are many recordings to choose from, but for my taste, nothing surpasses the total beauty, passion and realization of this recording.
   
   I thank Mr. Bream everyday for this recording.
   
   Buy this recording ASAP. Many of Breams great recordings are no longer available, so get it while you can.

5 comments about Debussy for Daydreaming.

1. Claude Debussy had been one of my favorite composers even before I knew how to write and behave like a big kid. Growing up my mother would play his tunes on the piano and flute and later I got to follow her footsteps and enjoy his dream like compositions. The French composer has been called the Impressionist and no surprised here, along with another favorite of mine, Ravel, dominated the turn into the twentieth century with his ethereal and magnificent creations. His unusual, radical harmonies have influenced artists that shape the world of music to this day.
   
   This album has all of my favorite pieces, the melancholy Syrinx, bright and almost as if from a magical movie - Maiden with Flaxen hair, silky and soothing Reverie, Clair de Lune -something that sounds like star sprinkled night sky , Deux Arabesques - which I can play but not as well as my mom does - fantastic piano piece with waves of sound and floating chords. Other than Chopin no one else compares to Debussy when it comes to elegance and piano that touches me. This is perfect in the morning, afternoon or night, anytime I need soft, charming but never boring background music. Sometimes it's easy to forget that I'm listening to classical music, it simply sounds the way music should, without labels, taking my mind far away into a happier state. Those who like piano or harp compositions will enjoy this disc; it's really deliciously dreamy and cozy, very yum yum.
   
   - Kasia S.



2. 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.)



3. 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.



4. 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



5. 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 comments about Bach for Babies.

1. This is absolutely my favorite CD that we bought for our baby! We've bought quite a few classical-music-for-baby compilations, and this is far and away the best. The music is fun, flirty, stimulating, sweet, and beautifully performed. It's not syrupy, dumbed-down, or played on electronic instruments like some of those other compilations. We listen to it all the time. I now buy this as a baby shower gift for everyone I know!



2. You can't beat Bach. If classical music is the thing you want for your baby, get this CD. If you are single and have no kids, but classical music is your thing, get this CD. This is fantastic reading music, study music (regardless of what you're studying), and just plain relaxing music. I also highly recommend the CD, BUILD YOUR BABY'S BRAIN 1.



3. She's one-year-old now, and she's been listening to this CD since she was 1 month old. Recommend it for those new parents that can't come up with any other way to lay their little ones to sleep.



4. Very soothing. Calms my baby everytime I play it! And yes, they actually do listen to music and enjoy it! I recommend this as an essential item for any new baby!



5. This is a versatile collection in terms of composition, performance and layout. Comparing to most of CD with classical selections for baby, this edition is more nutritious and rich on musical experience. Genre wise, the piano solo, concerti, chamber and opera are all included. Performance wise, it is absolute a feast -- Sir Neville Marrier conducting Academy of St. Martin-in-the fields, Jazz Pianist John Lewis delivering the charming and uplifting variation, and Kiri Te Kanawa's heavenly creamy voice. The combination of these musicians and recordings is a decision with great artistic sensibility. The layout is perfectly arranged -- from the waking up, playtime and to the bed. This is not just another CD juggles some pieces together from a brandy composer. For a more serious editing of baby music, this shall be something as a guideline.

5 comments about Beethoven for Babies.

1. I Bought this for my 18 year old Autistic son. He loves music. Sometimes he gets wound up so I thought this would be good to help him unwind at night before he goes to bed. He seems to like it a lot. I know I do. It is good to add the classics to our collection.



2. My baby and I really enjoy this CD. It is so fun to feel the baby get excited when I play it. I have a pillow speaker and just place it right up against my stomach. It evens helps me to get in a nap or just rest for a while.



3. This is a very pleasant CD to listen to, and I think the quality of the music is excellent. I enjoy listening to this with my 10 month old son, and we also listen to the radio and lots of modern music. I recently purchased 5 of the classical "Baby Einstein" CDs and I consider them to be inferior to this Beethoven for Babies CD. The Baby Einstein are very synthesized sounding and I think they are annoyingly mellow and kind of dopey. This Beethoven CD is beautiful. In fact I'm going to buy 1 or 2 more from this series.



4. The actual reason I bought this cd is for "Fur Elise" but it turned out to be much more than I bargained for. Before road rage sets in while sitting in a traffic jam during rush hour, play this. If you need to take it easy and escape from your reality, play this. Need something to play at work that's not explicit or offensive, play this. Of course, it's not Beethoven himself, but if you need some quiet time, play this. Even while you read, you could play this. If you want some authenticity to your collection, get Beethoven for Babies.



5. The 3 stars is only because the hucksters that put this together at least had the decency to tracks featuring Arrau & Richter on this CD. A lot of these "turn your baby into a genius with classical music" CDs and tapes feature only lousy musical performances from hack musicians you have never heard of.

   That having been said, if you are stupid enough to believe any of this "Mozart Effect" horse manure --- which continues to have no support in any sort of controlled test environment --- then your babies will probably inherit your limited intellectual capacities & no amount of Beethoven & Mozart will ever be able to help them.

   If, on the other hand, you are introducing Junior to classical music, you could do worse --- but you could also do better. Go get Arrau's complete Beethoven sonatas & concerti, get the Berg Quartett's complete Beethoven quartet cycle, and get John Eliot Gardiner's complete Beethoven symphonies --- just for a start. Also, don't stop with Beethoven & Mozart. My 9-month old daughter gets a diverse exposure to a thousand years of music, and very little is off limits. She got acquainted with the Bartok Quartets within her first couple of months, and it doesn't look like we have created an axe murderer or anything like that.

   Anyway, if you want to create a classical music lover, do it right and go the distance, rather than doing it piecemeal with CDs like this. Your baby may still be a moron, but at least will be a moron with exquisite taste.

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

1. Excellent product. I strongly recomend that anyone seeking for peace of mind buy this product.



2. 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.



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



4. 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.




5. 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 comments about Chiller.

1. I bought this Cd two years ago, and I have to say that it is full of creepy classical music. When I heard this, I was happy to hear the song of "Dance Macabre". It was very creepy. The other tracks were good as well as "Night On Bald Mountain". I think the song "Dance Macabre" should be great for the reading of the Edgar Alan Poe story called "The Mask Of The Red Death". The song would fit the story pretty well, because it provides the dark, and spooky atmosphere of the story. This Cd is great for Halloween. Highly recommended.



2. I was very pleased with this purchase. Most of my Halloween/Spooky CD's have movie theme songs or just plain sound effects. This CD delves a bit deeper into the foray of frightful, classical compositions. It may be a bit slow for the younger crowd... possibly even a little dull for them. But for those who enjoy the more macabre classical selections then I definitely recommend this collection.



3. This is a fine collection of mostly classical themes.
   Some of them have nice creepy moments, but on the whole, it's just some solid music. Not something to buy if you want really "spooky" music, but worthwhile for some interesting listening.



4. This is an awesome album. It starts off with thunder crashing, running footsteps, a gate creaking, the wind howling, a cat screeching, a door opening, a woman crying that she needs help....and then SCREAMING! And then straight into track 2, the overture to 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Wow! The rest of the cd also features 'creepy' music from various sources, such as Alfred Hitchcock films, like Psycho, various classic works like Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Night on Bald Mountain', and also some other creepy sound effects. A good album not only for Halloween but I dare you to listen to it during a dark night with a thunderstorm raging outside.



5. I've owned the "Chiller" CD since it's release in '89. At the time, I was working for a local Audio/Video/Music dealer, and was looking for 'demo' CD's containing not necessarily heavy bass, but ones displaying incredible dynamic range, and sharp transient peaks. I already owned a copy of "Time Warp", also on Telarc, and was intrigued when I read about "Chiller. Needless to say, I was extremely pleased with this disc. Not only did I get a disc containing some great treatments of classics, but the re-make of the "Psycho" suite is wonderful (the shower sequence is very faithful to the original)! A word of warning.....the dynamic range of this disc is not to be underestimated.....I drove an older amplifier into thermal shutdown VERY quickly with track #1. I haven't tried it since I've upgraded my home system....hmmm....might have to scare the neighbors tonight (or at least rattle a few dental fillings)!

5 comments about Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain.

1. Although I'm happy to have the music, I'm a little disappointed with the quality of the re-mastered CD. The newer recordings have so much more depth. I'll choose more carefully next time.



2. I enjoy classical music and this is one of the best produced and directed by the best. Totally great value.



3. Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic quite miss the mark on this recording. In addition to consistently ponderous tempi, Bernstein's bass and percussion driven sonorities lead to a severe--at times lifeless--interpretation. This piece wants for light and shade, and Bernstein obsesses over the latter without quite capturing the former.
   
   The Promenade gets off to an inauspicious start with decidedly mannered intonation in the brass. Fluttering tone works well in Gershwin, but to my ears it comes off sounding unpolished rather than stylish here. This manner of playing is shed for the "Great Gate of Kiev" which begins quite gloriously, but gets stuck in the mud in the string and woodwind interludes punctuating the main theme.
   
   With so many electrifying recordings of the Ravel orchestration on the market (my favorite being Lorin Maazel's digital recording with the Cleveland Orchestra, Reiner with the CSO running it a close, both available on SACD remasters at this point), there is no reason to settle for this one, which is neither inspired in conception nor distinguished in execution.
   
   The "Night on Bald Mountain" fares better, though by no means stands head and shoulders above other recordings (and they are myriad) of this evergreen crowd pleaser.



4. I love Bernstein. Both the Mussorgsky's Pictures at Exhibition and A nigth in the Bald Mountain are masterpieces, and so is Ravel's orchestration of the pictures. I think Bernstein's direction excellent, so beautiful as, for instance, that (famous) by Toscanini.



5. I had attended a SF Symphony performance which included "Pictures At An Exhibition" as orchestrated by Ravel. I was pleasantly suprised by how much I liked that piece taken as a whole. I have always thought highly of Bernstein's interpretation, and believed I would hear a nicely played and interpreted version of 'Pictures..' Indeed, the piece is executed as I thought it would. I like Bernstein's interpretation of 'Pictures At An Exhibition', and the album, on the whole, is worth the suggested price.

5 comments about 25 Thunderous Classics.

1. I love this cd. The majesty and power of the music is overwhelming.
   
   If you like a strong, powerful melody, you'll like this cd



2. I bought this CD to use in my classroom as listening examples. I'm not just a super big fan of some of the performances, but they are all good and for the price you can't beat it. That's why I gave it 5 stars. It's worth more than it costs by far.



3. 
   This is a who's-who of great pieces of music you have heard all of your life, and never knew the names and stories! I listened to it over and over in the car and had my own concert! A friend borrowed it to add music to his Home Movies and it was perfect!



4. I bought this CD mostly for "Entry of the Gladiators," which everyone will recognize as classic circus music. The performance on this CD (by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops) is the best available version of Entry of the Gladiators. The rest of the CD offers mostly excerpts of classical music.



5. I had purchased an abundance of the "Favorites" collection and some were better than others.

   This CD is at the top of them all. They may be short, but not that short. Wondrous music.

   I can almost guarantee that you will like this music.
   Well worth the price!