2 comments about 25 Handel Favorites.

1. This a wonderfull Handel CD, a great mix of his songs both uptempo and sacred. I don't really know much about his works but i thought this cd as a casual fan of the artsist was a very good mix of songs.



2. Absolutely what I expect of Handel! Good stuff, if this is your "bag".

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 Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies.

1. Bruckner è sempre stato il compositore che mi affascinava di più sebbene
   fino a poco tempo fà avessi sentito solamente la nona sinfonia all'interno di una raccolta della Reference Recordings. Ho successivamente comprato la nona appunto (RR) e la sesta che ho trovato ad un prezzo stracciato (Edizioni Telarc diretta da Jesus Lopez-Cobos). Se la nona della RR è veramente superba sia dal punto di vista dell'esecuzione che dell'incisione la sesta della Telarc è sicuramente superiore in quanto dinamica rispetto l'incisione che stiamo analizzando della EMI ma la qualità della ripresa e l'esecuzione sono assolutamente sotto tono!
   Devo riconfermare ciò che ho letto più volte su Eugin Jochum e la sua maestria nel riprodurre il messaggio musicale di Bruckner.
   Sono rimasto veramente stupito dalla qualità generale dell'incisione EMI anche considerando il prezzo a dire poco incredibile, in Italia penso sia impossibile trovare un cofanetto di nove sinfonie di questo valore musicale ed artistico ad un simile prezzo. Assolutamente consigliatissimo!



2. I have listened to Bruckner for more years than I'd care to admit, but these recordings by Eugen Jochum are like hearing him for the first time. It is startling how good these recordings are, and what freshness Jochum brings to the more familiar Bruckner offerings...the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th. Electrifying is not too strong a word to describe them. In addition, these EMI recordings are an astonishing value. Buy and listen for yourself. I dare you not to be transfigured by the music-making.



3. Bruckner fans can find other recordings of certain symphonies that might reveal some aspect of the music that this set does not. But I think those recordings are far and few. I know there are Jochum fans (and I am one)who find his DG recordings to be superior. Except for the Fourth with the Berlin Philharmonic I have not listened to any of them.So they may be better. But it is a little hard for me to conceive of that being the case because I have found that Jochum has pulled off something nearly miraculous here.I first bought this set back in the very early Nineties when it first was released on CD. I was swept up in the sheer passion,exuburance and religous devotion that is on display. Like other reviewers I think a lot of the credit goes to Staatskapelle Dresden.I find them so involved with Bruckner's music and the thought world he inhabited that any point of criticism would be nearly useless. "The petty cavils of petty minds",as Samuel Johnson said of some of Shakespeare's critics.Yes this will be a set I could live with for some time( I already have!) And I would still recomend getting this remastered version because it is superior to the first version and the box takes up far less room. I don't have the same problem that some people have with the Nowak versions. I do prefer the 1877 version of the 3rd symphony to be superior to Nowak's. But I find Georg Tintner's recording on Naxos to be interesting but it is too ungainly and sprawling. So I would prefer the Nowak,though I don't care for some of the cuts. But even if you have reservations about versions I would still urge you to check out Jochum. I think he will convince you.Enjoy!



4. The other complete set of Eugen Jochum conducting Bruckner's symphonies, of course, is the series he recorded for DG in stereo between 1958 and 1967 with the Bavarian RSO or (in Symphonies 1, 4, and 7-9) the Berlin Philharmonic, following a number of recordings of individual symphonies he made in the pre-LP days. Although Jochum's basic conceptions remained consistent over the years, that earlier set finds Jochum more consistently alert and a shade more vibrant than in this valedictory go-round with the canonical Bruckner symphonies, taped in the late 1970s. By comparison, the overall impression here is of slightly lower voltage, although the flip side is that this cycle is also just that much more serene, and aptly so (Bruckner's music has been described as "blazing calm").
   
   Even so, this boxed set has a lot to recommend it, whether or not in preference to the DG cycle. There is the burnished and responsive delivery of the great Dresden orchestra, perhaps the oldest in Europe. There is EMI's warm and atmospheric sound, which in this remastering is considerably better focused and more detailed than in the first CD incarnation of this cycle. This cycle's Seventh and Ninth Symphonies arguably make a deeper impression than their counterparts in the DG series--even if the DG cycle compensates with more successful readings of the Fourth and Eighth. Above all, there is Jochum's lifelong identification with Bruckner's music (but NOT, as another reviewer suggested, due to a personal relationship between the conductor and the composer, who had died six years before Jochum was born!). Personal preference will dictate whether you go for the DG or EMI cycle; either way, you will hear Bruckner via one of the last exponents of a more flexible, less "monumental" (and also less stolid) approach to this composer's music.



5. This box set of Bruckner symphonies, on EMI, conducted by Jochum, receives a lot of praise, and, due to its very low price, is a first choice for listeners who are just beginning to get into Bruckner. These new listeners, having little basis for comparison, add their own praises, and so the cycle continues. An incautious purchaser might really believe that they are buying "the best of the best" for only $[price]. Well, perhaps, in their case, they might be. After all, once we can take technical competence for granted, we can only really argue based on our personal tastes. Can Jochum's (or anyone's) performances _objectively_ be called "the best"? No.
   
   Though you'd hardly know it from the reviews below, not everyone rates Jochum at the top of Bruckner interpreters, and even if they do, they may not rate these recordings as representing his best work. My own feeling is that Jochum is a terrible Bruckner conductor: his rhythms are weak, his phrasing is haphazard, his rhetorical gestures are all wrongheaded (speeding up when he should slow down and vice versa) and lack emotional conviction, and his performances lack the "magic" that other conductors can bring to these transcendent works. Also, the Dresden brass in these recordings often sound like a chorus of kazoos (!), and there is definite weakness in the trumpets.
   
   Jochum's admirers will strongly disagree, but I think they _might_ agree that, for listeners whose tastes will not tolerate these performances, there do exist valid (albeit more expensive) alternatives. Karajan's box set is rightly called a landmark, with B6 the only weak link. Haitink's set is a classic. Wand is certainly worth listening to. Tintner's performances of rarely-heard versions are of more than academic interest. Barenboim's Berlin set is a bit of an acquired taste but undeniably sounds great. Solti is energetic and enjoyable. There are others I haven't mentioned - and then there are discs of individual recordings, unavailable in box sets, which are arguably where the real Bruckner gold is to be found.
   
   So you may agree or disagree with my assessment of Jochum's EMI set. But before you put your hard-earned money into this purchase, at least compare a few of the samples available here at Amazon. You may find that other performances are more satisfying to you. Or perhaps less satisfying. Either way, you owe it to yourself to check these things out yourself, and not just rely on popular opinion.

5 comments about The Best of Erik Satie.

1. I love piano music and had been looking for a good one for years. I bought this without knowing much about Erik Satie and I'm very happy. It's a great collection.



2. If you love piano music, you'll Erik Satie! A wonderful mix of contemporary sounds, as well as some more modern atonal pieces. Can't get enough of this CD.



3. The reason I bought this product, is because I was familiar with the 3 Gymnopedies of Erick Satie and also another of his work: The Gnosiemme (I'm not sure about the spelling) No. 4. After listening to the CD I felt very happy with it because include both versions of the Gymnopedies, the Orchestral and the one for piano and of course the Gnosiemme No. 4 which I now like it very much. The pianist makes justice to Satie's work and if you like his work is a good buy.



4. Satie is a forerunner to minimalism. Each piece of his music is a beauty. He also had great influence on many famous composers and musicians in his age. This album is one of the best piano classical.



5. Just a great collection from Erik Satie. I would highly recommend this one!

5 comments about Bach: Concertos.

1. There are nineteen concertos in this collection, twelve of which are for one or more harpsichords. The remaining seven are concertos for various other instruments including violin, oboe, etc. A potential buyer should be aware that many of Bach's harpsichord concertos are re-arranged versions of these other concertos - and in some cases both versions are in this collection. For example, the three violin concertos (including the "double" concerto) are presented in both their original and harpsichord arrangements. Two oboe concertos, whose original versions have been lost, are reconstructed from harpsichord concertos that Bach arranged from those originals. Both the reconstructed oboe and harpsichord versions are in this set. So the listener should not be surprised to hear the same tunes repeated on different CDs in this collection. (It's because of this repetition that I rated the collection four stars instead of five.) One concerto for harpsichord and recorders is even a re-arranged version of Brandenburg #4 - although the Brandenburg concertos themselves are not present.
   
   Despite the repetition of material, the performances themselves are superb. I typically find the work of the English Concert to be top notch and this set is no exception. My favorites are the violin concertos BWV 1042 and BWV 1043, which are so well presented I consider them the best versions of these works I have yet heard. In some recordings by other orchestras, the violinists play with too much vibrato. A single note can quiver so much it sounds like it hovers between two notes. But here Simon Standage restrains the vibrato and lets his notes sing out with a delightful precision, as do the other players.
   
   There are more concertos for harpsichord here than concertos for other instruments. I actually prefer the latter over the former. To me the harpsichord is a somewhat weak instrument for concertos. Although its sound is charming and evokes the feeling of the old world orchestra, it can sometimes seem overpowered by the accompanying instruments. But this is not to criticize the playing of Trevor Pinnock or the others. They produce the authentic sound they are looking for with grace and precision. Perhaps the feeling I get of the harpsichord being weak comes from comparing the harpsichord versions of the violin concertos with the violin originals, which are so magnificent.
   
   When all is said and done, I am happy I purchased this music. Listening to it is like being transported back to the early 18th century, when these pieces were fresh and new. I'm sure Bach would be pleased if he could hear what a wonderful job the English Concert did with his work.



2. I purchased these recordings nearly 20 years ago, when Deutsche Gramophone was still selling them as five individual discs, and at over $20 per disc. With the re-release of the set of all five discs in a single, price-reduced "Collectors Edition" box set, the price has fallen by more than half, making this one of the outstanding values for high-quality Bach recordings on today's market.
   
   But what about the performances? Here's the best way I can sum it up. Having listened to these disks for some two decades, in the car, on the main home stereo system, on portable equipment, on the boom box, and etc., etc., it is, I imagine, inevitable that one ends up memorizing nearly every note. And with that familiarity comes the ability to detect flaws in the performance, missteps, missed beats, the occasional off-tone instrument. Here's the rub: it is difficult to locate any significant flaw in the performances. These performances are about as perfect as one can get, but having said that, there is more. The sound reproduction of this recording remains near or at the top of any Bach recordings with which I've become familiar, and remains in my own thinking the de facto standard by which other performances should be measured.
   
   Sound too good to be true? Pick up a set and see for yourself. And then relish the thought that you paid $40 for a set worth far more.



3. ...and cheap to boot. This, paired with the Brandenburg Concertos/Overtures compilation from Arkiv (also featuring Pinnock and the English Concert), gives any new Bach fan a fairly complete account of Bach's instrumental orchestral output. This particular package includes all of Bach's keyboard concertos (played exceptionally well by Pinnock), all of his violin concertos, and also his Triple Concerto (Harpsicord, Flute and Violin), several works for Oboe and Oboe D'Amour, and several double concertos (2 violins, and oboe and violin). Highlights are the D Minor Harpsicord concerto BWV 1052, the C Major concerto for 2 Harpsicords BWV 1061, the Oboe D'Amour concerto BWV 1055, the double concerto BWV 1060, and the violin concertos.
   This set sounds fantastic and is a great value to boot. Strongly recommended for those who loved Bach's Bradenburg concertos and Overtures and are looking for something new to sink their teeth into.



4. This is undoubtedly the best Back box set I have heard. These Concerto's for Harsichord, Violin, Flute and Oboe are among the finest in classical music. Although the Harpsichord volume level could have been a bit higher overall the recordings are very good. I am very pleased with this CD set with so much music at a very good price. This is truly a collectors gem.



5. Pinnock is good performer...I drop one start because BWV 1052-58
   Might sound better when it's played piano.

2 comments about Story Of Chopin In Words And Music.

1. Chopin is the most famous composer for the piano. Did you know that Chopin is Polish and that he created the modern piano style! He also change the nature of the piano, making the piano what it is today. Mr. Chopin wrote over 200 pieces for the piano. Chopin is the true classical pioneer of the piano. As the CD says, Chopin kept the spirit of the Polish people alive through all the wars and invasions from Russia and Germany and others. Chopin was a gentle intellectual musician, and would help his beloved Poland with his music, as it has done to this day.
   
   The story is mixed with his story and music. As you listen, you'll say, "I didn't know Chopin wrote that!" At the end of the story, some of Chopin's greatest pieces are played by Ingid Haebler; soooooooooo moving and beautiful! This is a superb learning tool and a very classy gift idea. Classy, academic, fun learning and just superb! Vamos a Escuchar!



2. The music is so wonderful, perhaps a better description is that the music is so beautiful that it almost seems surreal - Wow! So breathtaking, so Chopin!!! Add to the music, a great written biography on Chopin's life and you've got one incredible hour of enjoyment/learning. The first 1/2 hour mixes Chopin's story with his music; the second 1/2 hour is some of Chopin's greatest works! Great for that long drive in the car, or doing stuff around the house - you are learning! The whole family will have fun learning about Chopin's music, history, Poland, France, Liszt Etc. Just a wonderful way to learn. The CD and music are well done and recorded. Chopin's music is performed by world renowned pianist Ingrid Haebler(Chopin would be very pleased). A must for every piano teacher and Chopin enthusiast! It's just amazing what Chopin went through, and still be able to become: "The greatest composer for piano in the world!" Well done; Bravo!!!

5 comments about Mozart for Morning Coffee: Freshly Brewed to Perk Up Your Day.

1. This is a nice, easy way to wake up in the morning. Don't get it if you need high energy--this isn't it! But if you're having a morning where you just want to sit and linger a bit, this is great.



2. If you don't buy this you are missing out. It rocks! (in a classical sort of way) (laugh) It has become one of my favorites.



3. just like it so rightly says "freshly brewed to perk up your day" was perfect. I enjoyed all the CD. Its selections are very relaxing and you start your day and continue with a cheerful very uplifting melodies to get your day going lovely while you enjoy your cup of java..Just perfect!



4. I wanted something light and interesting to listen to during the day. Not overwhelming or depressing, but that perfect cup of music to keep you going. Cute title, too.



5. Why do they keep making these "Mozart (and other composers) for..." CDs? I know I know. For idiots to buy them of course so the record company can make tons of money. But I feel it's an insult to classical music. No offense but Mozart wasn't thinking of you sipping a cup of joe when he wrote this music. He couldn't care less "how perky" your Starbucks is to tell you the truth. I think he'd be pretty mad seeing how his music is being commercially exploited these days. Why can't people just buy and listen to classical music as it was intended? Buy a set of Mozart's violin concertos or maybe Don Giovanni if you're so inclined. Don't be afraid - Mozart didn't write anything less than great. You won't be disappointed even if you go out on a limb and even buy one of his lesser known works. But don't get this "potpourri excerpts from his music" trash. Gosh, these kinds of CDs have gone too far. What's next - "Tchaikovsky for Taking a Dump"? Sheeesh....Don't suport this if you care about preserving art...

1 comments about The Stories Of Vivaldi And Corelli.

1. This CD is one of the Music Masters series of classical music history. I highly recommend it. Great value for the money. This will primarily be used for homeschooling.

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 Lanza: Greatest Hits.

1. Excellent product. CD just as described and fast delivery. Love Mario Lanza and his voice.



2. The 4 stars are for the song selection, and not for Mario's Voice.
   Mario Lanza voice will always be a 5 star.
   There are great signers in this world, and he was one of them.
   Bravo Mario.



3. Mario Lanza's music brings back memories of when I was a little girl. He introduced me to classical/opera music which I enjoy now. Great CD!



4. I have not received this poroduct I am stillwaiting I have wrote the seller and with no results. Ana Kirk



5. Great product!! It was a gift for mom and she absolutely loves it and lisens to it often. Also, prompt delivery.