Glass: Violin concerto

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Philip Glass's signature doom-and-gloom minor sonorities and shifting rhythms scintillate and eddy under the touch of Adele Anthony and the Ulster Symphony. The solo line in the Violin Concerto is at odds with a unified orchestra throughout, and Anthony's romantic tone draws the listener in for an exploration of the texture, grain, and fiber of Glass's structural minimalism. The Ulster Symphony's rendering of Company and Akhnaten, under the leadership of Takuo Yuasa, forms brilliant darts of tonal color. As a musical adaptation of Samuel Beckett's prose of the same name, Company's dark ruminations are appropriate for the text's depiction of a solitary figure lying on his back in the dark. The orchestra seems aware of their repetitious mechanical task in performing these works, yet this human awareness is what makes Glass's orchestral work so compelling. --Alexis Odell

Album Description

Mozart Edition: The Complete Works will make a great gift this Holiday season for the music lover in your life or someone who is hard to buy for. This collection contains 170 discs of completed works by Mozart in one beautiful package. Also included is a cd-rom containing essays on his works, artist bio's, text and libretti's. At this super low price all music lovers will enjoy the Symphonies - Concertos - Serenades - Divertimenti - Dances - Chamber Music - Church Sonatas - String Ensembles - Violin Sonatas - Keyboard Works - Sacred Works - Concert Arias - Songs - Canons and Operas in this collection.

Customer Reviews:

a surprising offer.......2007-07-05

Complete works of Mozart for such a price is a surprising offer. We are pleased of the good quality, and the availability of otherwise difficult to find works of Mozart

Welcome to Perfection.......2007-06-28

Dispite what anyone else says, if god ever tried to talk to humanity it was through Wolfgang because his music is absolute perfection.It is the most beautiful music i've ever heard in my life( and this is coming from a 21 year old metal-head ).If one has second thoughts about buying this collection dispell them right now because this is probably the first item i've bought in a long time that i have not regreted.

Buy this as an encyclopedia of Mozart, then add other recordings..........2007-06-22

Brilliant Classics Complete Mozart edition, released for the 250th anniversary year of Mozart's birth (he was born in 1756), has much to recommend it. It contains almost all the works of Mozart, and has many fine performances: the piano sonatas by Klara Wurtz, Piano Concertos by Derek Han, Paul Freeman/Philharmonia, The Magic Flute, conducted by Charles Mackerras (licensed from Telarc), String Quartets by the Franz Schubert Quartet (Licensed from Nimbus) each stand out. The Symphonies, by the Amsterdam Mozart Academy/ Jaap ter Linden, are "So-so": I don't like the small period ensemble, but Symphonies 20, 40 (both versions: one with clarinets and the other without), 23, 24, and 34 are pretty good. Symphonies 1:I, 25 and 41 are sub-par: scrappy playing and weak violins make for a pretty rough experience. I would supplement this with the complete Mozart Symphonies by Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic (DG), among the best recordings of these works, and the best complete set of Mozart's Symphonies, completed in 1968.

The Requiem, conducted by Nicol Matt (2001 recording) has had better performances, and for this I would recommend Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (DG) and Colin Davis/London Symphony (Philips), which use a larger choir and orchestra, and have more drama where it is needed. The other choral works conducted by Nicol Matt are better, especially "Exsultate Jubilate" motet, the short Masses, and "Ave Verum".

Also worthy of mention are the "Posthorn" and "Haffner" Serenades, by Colin Davis/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, licensed from Novalis for this release.

This is a great overview, and Brilliant Classics are to be commended for making it available at a low price, to get Mozart's music out to the mass public. It's a great buy, but I would get the Bohm Symphonies, and also Piano Concertos by either Ashkenazy/Philharmonia (Decca), Perahia/English Chamber Orchestra (Sony) or Anda/Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg (DG) for supplements. Also, Karl Bohm's recordings of the operas: The Magic Flute, the Marriage of Figaro, Idomeneo, and La Clemenza di Tito (all DG) are required listening, too. Recommended, but not as the only recording of Mozart's works.

Great value..Cant beat this deal at all!!!.......2007-06-13

As others have reviewed the product and highlighted that there are a few poor pieces... But who cares when there is 170 discs.. if you had have 10 cds that are poor quality and had a 160 disc set of good cd's and you paid $90 for the set.. would you be happy? I would think so... So don't get frustrated and just buy the set.. Enjoy the music for the price.. I am not going to go into details like others did but just buy the set!

Incredible Bargain.......2007-06-10

This offer is an incredible bargain at just over 50 cents a CD. The price jumps around often - you can sometimes get it for $4 or $5 less. but still at 50 cents. Mine arrived in excellent shape - it's hard for them to do otherwise. The way they are packaged they are either in good shape or some major disaster has happened destroying a whole bunch. Those I have played sound great. It will probably take a life time to play them all. Meanwhile we can just revel in our riches and feel all warm and fuzzy.
I also own the Bach set and am wildly happy with that as well.

Average customer rating:

"Come In" -- Must Listening
Easy & not-easy, but all profound, moving & rewarding
A minimalist delight.
If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Silencio
Silencio is Superb!

Silencio
Arvo Part , Philip Glass , Vladimir Martynov , Gidon Kremer , Eri Klas , and Kremerata Baltica
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tango | Latin Music | Styles | Music
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Lamentate
Alina - Arvo Part
Arvo Pärt Sanctuary
Tabula Rasa
Arvo Pärt: De Profundis

ASIN: B00004YR5P
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Tabula Rasa: I. Ludus - Con Moto - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Tabula Rasa: II. Silentium - Senza Moto - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Company: Movt I - Kremerata Baltica
Company: Movt II - Kremerata Baltica
Company: Movt III - Kremerata Baltica
Company: Movt IV - Kremerata Baltica
Come In!: Movt I - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Come In!: Movt II - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Come In!: Movt III - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Come In!: Movt IV - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Come In!: Movt V - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Come In!: Movt VI - Gidon Kremer/Tatjana Grindenko/Reinut Tepp
Darf Ich... - Gidon Kremer/Andrei Pushkarev

Amazon.com

Violinist Gidon Kremer and his ensemble, Kremerata Baltica, have tackled repertoire that ranges from Baroque to contemporary, but they seem to shine on the newer stuff. The group has an obvious ear for the music of the Baltic region, and Kremer's icy precision and passionate playing are tailor-made for the modern masters. On Silencio, Kremer delivers another stunning recording, this one featuring meditative music by a trio of composing mavericks: Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, and Vladimir Martynov. Martynov may be the least-known of the three, but his work marks the disc's highlight composition, "Come In!" The moving piece for violin and orchestra--which features plenty of Romantic, lyrical playing (and the occasional sound of a door knocking)--is mystical but also tender and sweet. A string orchestra arrangement of Glass's String Quartet No. 2 ("Company") is almost as intense as the original played by Kronos. A short Pärt world premiere rounds out this disc: "Darf Ich" is a glorious piece for violin and orchestra reminiscent of Pärt's sublime "Summa". This is a gorgeous disc you'll get lost in; another gem from Kremer. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

"Come In" -- Must Listening.......2005-01-26

I'm a fan of Glass and Part, but I have to confess that their music on this CD more or less went in one ear and out the other. That's not a bad thing, because I like their work and listen to plenty of it. I just, wasn't bowled over, is all.

(I was using the CD as background music; their works here may grow on me in time.)

I had to rush here to recommend this CD, though, because I was so moved by Vladimir Martynov's "Come In."

At first I was put off by it, because I had purchased the CD exactly because I am fans of Glass and Part, and I expected the CD to consist of music in their minimalist style.

Martynov's "Come In" struck me, at first, as being more Romantic, and I just wasn't sure what to make of it.

Soon, though, I completely forgot about style, and about the (annoying) work-related task I was attempting to perform while listening to this CD. "Come In" seduced me like I haven't been seduced by a piece of new music in a long time. I was close to tears in parts.

I lack a sophisticated vocabulary to discuss classical music, but I can tell you that "Come In" struck me as sweet and beautiful, but also complex, deep, and never cloying. I did feel that I was being invited into a numinous experience.

Later, when I read the liner notes, I was even more moved. What Martynov said about his piece and his goals, the ideas and sensations he wished to convey and evoke, worked perfectly for me.

Needless to say with Kremer, the musicianship is first rate.

Easy & not-easy, but all profound, moving & rewarding.......2001-07-02

A fascinating combination of "modern" works to appreciate on this disc. All quite different, powerful juxtaposition of styles and moods. Tabula Rasa, the "lead-off" composition by Arvo Part, packs stunning intensity of a dark, melancholy sort in Part's minimalist, yet melodic vein. Next is Glass's "Company" for string orchestra. Pardon my simple mind, but I really do enjoy the regular/irregular pulsing, throbbing undercurrent of his works. The style is highly characteristic, yet, within that signature framework, he pulls in just enough complexity and variation in my opinion to make this highly worthwhile fare. Then, "Come In" by Martynov. What can I say, this is easy listening, but a real deep "easy" at that. Positively brought a lump to my throat and then some! Tell you the truth, I was so drained after these first three pieces, that I had to take a break before the final item, Darf Ich by Part. Listen again & again when you're in a bit of a heavy mood that deserves musical concordance. The performance/performers work these treasures to the hilt. I'd pare my CD collection from 1200 down to 12, and "Silencio" would remain.

A minimalist delight........2001-02-17

First of all, why silence? And how?

After all, one has to agree with John Cage when he points out that "There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot."

What then does it mean to call an album "Silencio"?

I think what it means is that the music in this album tries not to communicate something to its listener, but rather aims at helping one communicate with one's Self. This lack of intentional outward interaction, and the parallel promotion of introspection, I think, is intended to be thought of as a silence. Indeed, the emotional landscape it allows us to observe is, perhaps, the closest thing to silence, for it is a still and timeless picture, void of any matter, absorbed in a heartbeat alone.

Technically this album is superb, with Gidon Kremer and his disciples proving to be, as always, up to the highest of expectations. The prepared piano in Arvo Pärt's Tabula Rasa deserves praise as well - I have never heard the piano sound so beautiful, evocative and majestic at once. As for Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass and Vladimir Martynov, they are, of course, a handsome lot to be found combined in one CD, with 68 minutes of music at a reasonable price by Nonesuch's standards. The nature of these composers, however, is what makes this album a product that not everyone is likely to care for. I feel quite certain that anyone who likes minimalist music - in the style of Gorecki or Kancheli, for instance - will find this album enticing. On the contrary, I recommend those who believe simplicity to be a symptom of stupidity to spend their money in a different way, for the music in this album is indeed a minimalist delight.

If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Silencio.......2000-12-19

Musically the Twentieth Century is like the month of March. It came in like a lion, with monumental orchestral masterpieces like the Mahler Symphonies, the Strauss Tone Poems, and Stravinsky's ballet scores. But as the artistic, political, and economic climate changed, the monumental became increasingly rare. Most living composers today will never have a performance of one of their works by a major professional symphony orchestra. And so, for the most part, the Twentieth Century goes out like a lamb, with the intimate replacing the enormous. And Gidon Kremer, with his string ensemble the Kremerata Baltica, reflects this aesthetic change in his new CD Silencio. Certainly one wouldn't expect heart-on-your-sleeve emotion and drama from a CD with this title, and there is none to be had here. I have to totally disagree with the writer who says this recording is full of drama--I found scarcely any at all. This CD contains four pieces; of them, only the first, Arvo Part's Tabula Rasa even attempts an aesthetic involving drama, and that only in the first movement. The title of this piece comes from the term for the pure, naive and innocent mind before it receives the impressions gained from experience, and this idea pervades the entire CD. In place of traditional liner notes with information about the composers and their works, we are given obtuse and somewhat ominous quotations by the performers and composers, such as the following from Kremer himself: "Our despair: a drop in an ocean. Death--the final bill, in which the challenge turns into a phantom. Ambitions, hopes, enchantment. All this finds its peace there in the world beyond. Words irritate. Gestures mislead. Emotions dissolve. Only sounds speak a language that might be understood. If one opens the heart, would there be someone receptive enough? But who is listening? Who is able to feel it? Often I do ask myself, where does a heartbeat identical to mine exist? And the attempt of an answer is: out there, on the other end of my own sound."

In addition to "Tabula Rasa", there is another work by the Estonian composer Part, "Darf Ich" (or "May I"), "Company" by Philip Glass in an arrangement for string orchestra, and "Come In" a piece commissioned by Kremer from the little known Russian composer Vladimir Martynov. But aside from the opening Part work, I find that the intimate tone of the CD is too consistently bland for my taste. There are better quiet works out there, that reach into a deeper place beyond the mere superficiality of Martynov's lengthy but unengaging "Come In". Although he began his career in an interesting way, moving from early efforts involving serialism, to electronics, to the composition of a religious Russian rock-opera, at some point he embraced the ideas of "holy minimalism" and from my perspective seems to have eliminated all traces of interest in his work. It is difficult to appreciate a composer who comes out of the soviet oppression with the attitude Martynov expressed when discussing another of his works, "I was once told that man touches the truth twice. The first time is the first cry from a newborn baby's lips and the last is the death rattle. Everytthing between is untruth to a greater or lesser extent. So why not try to go all the way from the death rattle to the first cry, from the last opus to the first? But that might lead us to see Stalin standing on the Mausoleum as innocent and lofty as a swallow, and a swallow gulping a mosquito in flight would seem no less nightmarish and monstrous than Stalin, who destroyed millions of lives. All this is terribly confusing and it is much better to forget all the conundrums and sink into sweet melancholy. And let this melancholy last as long as possible; I suppose that's the only answer to the question of reality." In the work presented here, Martynov sinks into sweet melancholy again, which is pretty enough, but to my ear as bland as wallpaper. For the three or four minutes any single movement lasts it is fine, but the entire 6 movement work lasting 27 minutes is all exactly the same, without any contrast. Why would a composer in this century be composing music like this? Where is the artistry, the vision, the craftsmanship? All of the great Romantic composers, from Beethoven to Mahler, did this same thing long ago and so very much better. And of the Glass piece presented here, the less said the better. Even the fabulous performance by the Kremerata Baltica, surely one of the finest string orchestras around, cannot raise my interest in a piece (written as incidental music to a Beckett play) which simply rehashes the same Glass harmonic and rhythmic formulas he has been working on for 40 years now. As I listen to this, I can't help but think that Glass forgot to write the melody. To be honest, I find the piece so lacking in any artistic merit that I will not even play an excerpt for you. I hate to be a Grinch about this, but this is a CD that I hope I don't find in my stocking this Christmas. I know it is not popular here at Amazon to be critical of the CDs one reviews, but there is so much better music out there, even with this same introspective aesthetic, that I cannot recommend this at all except as a superb performance of the Part Tabula Rasa, which has in fact been recorded by Kremer before. It's not that I dislike contemporary music, or minimalism, or intimate introspective music; quite the opposite--it's that I find these pieces very poorly done, and extremely disappointing examples of their ilk.

Silencio is Superb!.......2000-11-06

Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica deliver another excellent recording in "Silencio", on the Nonesuch label. Featuring music of three twentieth century composers, this CD contains performances which are moving and dramatic.

Arvo Part's "Tabula Rasa" gets its most spacious recording yet on disc. The first movement, "Ludus", is performed with long pauses of silence between the dramatic utterances of strings and prepared piano. At 10:21, this is longer than any of the other three performances I own of this piece. The second movement, "Silentium", times at 18:24, including about a half-minute of recorded silence at the end of the movement. This is over five minutes longer than Neeme Jarvi's fine recording for Deutsche Grammophon. But length alone is not the measure of the caliber of this performance - orchestra and soloists give wonderful, broad performances, letting this great work breathe calmly and fully.

The four short movements of "Company" by Philip Glass are rich with color and rhythmic energy. Fans of Richard Einhorn's "Voices of Light" will enjoy this brief work.

"Come In" by Vladimir Martynov was a revelation. I found a single reference to this composer on the web - it mentioned stylistic similarities with Arvo Part and an output of predominantly sacred vocal music. "Come In" is a meditation on a hymn-like tune; the tune is restated in each of the six movements with slight changes in structure. Each restatement is followed by a variation for two violin soloists. The music is sweet, romantic without becoming sickening, and gives the effect of joyful anticipation frozen in sound. You will not want this piece to end, and when it does you will have to supply the closure. Whether or not the door is opened will be for you to decide.

The program concludes with a premiere recording of "Darf ich..." by Arvo Part. It shares harmonic similarities with "Kanon Pokajanen" and is once again superbly performed by Kremer and the Kremerata.

Tracks:

Company: I - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa
Company: II - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa
Company: III - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa
Company: IV - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa
Vn Con: I - Adele Anthony
Vn Con: II - Adele Anthony
Vn Con: III - Adele Anthony
Akhnaten: Prld - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa
Akhnaten: Act II, Scene III: Dance - Ulster Orch/Takuo Yuasa

Amazon.com

Philip Glass's signature doom-and-gloom minor sonorities and shifting rhythms scintillate and eddy under the touch of Adele Anthony and the Ulster Symphony. The solo line in the Violin Concerto is at odds with a unified orchestra throughout, and Anthony's romantic tone draws the listener in for an exploration of the texture, grain, and fiber of Glass's structural minimalism. The Ulster Symphony's rendering of Company and Akhnaten, under the leadership of Takuo Yuasa, forms brilliant darts of tonal color. As a musical adaptation of Samuel Beckett's prose of the same name, Company's dark ruminations are appropriate for the text's depiction of a solitary figure lying on his back in the dark. The orchestra seems aware of their repetitious mechanical task in performing these works, yet this human awareness is what makes Glass's orchestral work so compelling. --Alexis Odell

Customer Reviews:

like a never ending horse ride.......2007-07-11

if you're looking for music that sounds like a soundtrack for a movie you'll forget in 5 minutes, buy this disc. this music is really bad. at one point a violin line sounds like a vivaldi rip off, and you know what stravinsky said about vivaldi: "vivaldi was a very boring man who wrote the same concerto over and over." in a nutshell, glass's compositions sound like a second year piano student playing appegiated triads over and over and over and over............

Theatrical and Accessible.......2007-01-03

Albeit Glass is not for everyone (my girlfriend says he sounds like an alarm clock) but his minimalism (or more accurately, as he prefers, "theatre music") is accessible, simple and passionate. Glass provides marvelous music that sustains emotions for long amounts of time. His works are ideal for creative work (such as writing or painting) and I find that they are extremely inspirational and motivate me to draw or write sonnets.

A good showcase of Glass' virtues - and vices! .......2006-03-14

Glass' violin concerto is the core of this selection and the reason why I bought it. Glass can be magnificently meditative at his best and Tasmanian Adele Anthony pulls this out brilliantly with the sort of pure tone and crisp playing this piece needs.

The problem is with the accompanying pieces. Company, which precedes and the two excerpts from Akhnaten, which follow, are fine in their way. In fact the Prelude to Akhnaten is one of the finest pieces of one of the finest operas of recent times. It's just that the trouble with Glass is that be can be so... well, repetitive. The filler works sound too much like the Violin Conerto to be paired successfully with them. If Naxos were to pair this off with something suitably mellow by another contemporary composer - say Rutter or Pärt - they'd have a much stronger proposition.

As a Belfast man born and bred, I might be biased, but the Ulster Orchestra and their principal guest conductor Takuo Yuasa gave a good enough account of themselves here, and given the super budget price of this CD, the competition would have to be something special to justify the extra cost.

An excellent introduction to Glass' music.......2006-02-27

I am a huge Philip Glass fan. At the same time, I realize that his work is not for all tastes. Working in the minimalist style, Glass' music is a unique sound experience. For those who are not familiar with his music, Naxos publication of Company, his Violin Concerto, and the overture and dance from Akhnaten, is a great, nonthreatening introduction to this composer. Company is a collection of four short pieces that are meditations on death, played by a string quartet. His Violin Concerto is the highlight of the CD, and the Second Movement is to date one of my favourite pieces of his.

a good place to begin if you've never heard any Glass.......2005-12-29

My first encounter with the Glass Violin Concerto was in the form of a dance piece devised by the fringe choreographer Mavin Khoo.The Glass worked brilliantly within this context but i doubted it would stand on it's own without the marriage with movement.
I was proven wrong as i've found the whole piece arresting from start to finish.Glass's trademark minor key arpeggiations sound marvellously idiomatic on the soloist and the slow movement is deeply affecting without being sickly sweet in any way.
Quite unexpectedly (I generally go for the more hard line modernist stuff)i've been won over so this Naxos CD is definitely a good place to start if you've never heard a piece of this guys music.
'Company' and the 'Dance' from Akhnaten are rather plodding by comparison with the Violin concerto but the Akhnaten prelude has a mysterious aura which immediately alerts ones attention.

Average customer rating:

LETTER PERFECT CLASS(ICAL) ACT!
Great Tracks -- Great Value -- Great Book, Who Can Complain?
At this price, how can one complain?

A to Z of Classical Music

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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A - Z of Opera (includes 762 page booklet)
The Arts: World Themes
Rise to Globalism
Walden and Other Writings (Modern Library Classics)
Twentieth-Century World History

ASIN: B00004YYRT
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Tracks:

De Profundis - Nova Schola Gregoriana
Alleluia - O Virga Mediatrix - Oxford Camerata
Gloria - Oxford Camerata
Pavane - Red Byrd
Canon - Capella Istropolitana
Vivace - Grave - Capella Istropolitana
Prelude - Laurence Cummings
Allegro - Takako Nishizaki
Adagio - Miroslav Kejmar
Air On The G String - Capella Istropolitana
Hallelujah Chorus - Scholars Baroque Ensemble
Menuetto: Allegretto - Capella Istropolitana
Andante - Failoni Orchestra
Allegro - Capella Istropolitana
Adagio - Jeno Jando
Andante - Ernst Ottensamer
Quis Est Homo - Hungarian State Opera Chorus

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Ingrid Kertesi
Un Bal - Pinchas Steinberg
Wedding March - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Minute Waltz - Idil Biret
Larghetto - Alexander Rahbari
Ride Of The Valkyries - Uwe Mund
Prelude - Alexander Rahbari
Hungarian Dance No.3 - Budapest Symphony
Scene - Ondrej Lenard
Slavonic Dance No.1 - Balazs Szokolay
Nimrod - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Clair De Lune - Keith Clark
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Opening) - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Prelude In C Sharp Minor - Idil Biret
Fountain Of The Villa Medici At Sunset - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Overture - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
O Fortuna - Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Playful Pizzicato - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Violin Concerto - Adele Anthony

Amazon.com

Is it a two-CD set with a particularly thick booklet, or a 562-page book with a compilation album attached? Either way, the unpretentious text by Keith Anderson offers an introduction to the lives and works of dozens of composers, together with recommended recordings from the Naxos and Marco Polo catalogs. Anderson includes a useful 59-page glossary of musical terms and an extensive listing of classical pieces used in films. The odd thing about the 36 extracts and complete pieces on the CDs is that they do not form an A-to-Z at all. Rather, they are arranged chronologically, from 1,000-year-old Gregorian chant to the opening movement of contemporary composer Philip Glass's Violin Concerto. Between these two points is the early music of Palestrina and Byrd; the Baroque glories of Vivaldi and Bach; the 19th-century Romantic masters, from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky; and such 20th-century greats as Rachmaninov and Stravinsky. Opera, song, and chamber music are barely represented, but only so much can fit into 151 minutes. Essentially a deluxe sampler of the vast Naxos catalogue, the discs offer a good introduction to some of the most famous and melodic music ever composed, while the book will be very useful to newcomers to the potentially confusing world of classical music. --Gary S. Dalkin

Album Description

A-Z of Classical Music is a remarkable 562-page, illustrated bok, detailing the lives of all the great composers as well as many less known, but equally fascinating, musical masters. Like the Naxos range of recording itself, A-Z of Classical Music is a rich source of inspiration for anyone either just embarking on a lifetime of musical enjoyment or for whom classical music has long been a way of life. Included within is an extensive glossary of musical terms plus a unique guide to classical music used in acclaimed films. Two-and-a-half hours of the finest music from across the centuries are contained in the accompanying CDs.

Customer Reviews:

LETTER PERFECT CLASS(ICAL) ACT!.......2003-01-19

It's only natural we sometimes hit the high seas....make that Cs. This is one box set about which we sing praises. This set features more than two hours of the finest music from across the centuries by such composers as Schubert, Chopin, Mozart, Handel, Stravinsky and Glass. The set also comes with a 562-page illustrated book, detailing the lives of hundreds of composers, a
glossary of musical terms and a unique guide to the classical music used in 360 top films.

Great Tracks -- Great Value -- Great Book, Who Can Complain?.......2002-08-30

Naxos is a fabulous label -- you will not get samples of the best classical music through the ages at no better price. These tracks are as good as any of the over-priced major orchestras and in some cases better. This is a great starter set for a beginner or anyone who just wants to "taste" the classics. If you prefer Opera I would suggest the A to Z of Opera -- most of the tracks on A to Z Classical are orchestral. I was so impressed with this collection that I purchased the Discover the Classics Vol's 1-3 which will give you a more detailed look at the great classics. Take a look at the Naxos web site at NAXOSUSA.COM -- what you will see will blow your mind -- there are literally thousands of pieces that you could listen too!

At this price, how can one complain?.......2001-09-30

This is pretty much a CD version of a mini-Naxos and Marco Polo catalog. All the pieces and extracts are ordered chronologically on the 2 CDs and are of very acceptable quality, but don't expect excellence in every track. Personally, I was particularly disappointed with one of my favourite Pachelbel pieces. The Naxos Canon & Gigue lacks all the emotion of my favourite versions.

Still, any possible weaker performances are of little importance after you get your hands on the fat booklet with over 500 pages. The booklet offers a short intro about the great composers, a glossary of musical terms, a list of works used in films and dozens of illustrations of several composers.

Overall, at this price, this is a must-have pack for any beginner, and might be useful for the occasion "quick check" of the work of many composers. Do not expect many detail, nor references to all the works of some composers; I often got frustrated with the lack of detail in some cases, but in general, the booklet is very effective for a quick reference.
You will need more titles that offer more complete information, and you won't truly learn to love classical music just by reading it, but it is small and compact.

It really puzzles me why Naxos did not include a full index of composers, a serious omission. To find a particular composer you will have to look for it yourself in over 500 pages. Also, the separation of the text is not so good, making the search even a bit slower. The lack of the index is truly annoying and I am sure it will be corrected in future editions.

Even with a few weaker pieces and the lack of the index, at this price, there isn't much to argue about. This is truly a bargain that you should not miss. I would also recommend the A-Z of Opera, which offers a bigger booklet with over 700 pages, focusing on opera works and mentioning several composers that are absent from the A-Z of Classical. That other booklet has a very complete index, and much clearer text layout and separation, that's the way both booklets should have been designed.

Tracks:

Son in F: Adagio - Tracy Scott Silverman & Thea Suits-Silverman
Con in C, 'Elvira Madigan': Andante - Henry Adam Curtis
Zaide: 'Ruhe Sanft' - Richard Schoenherz
Requiem: Lacrymosa - Steve Erquiaga
Con in A: Adagio - Val Gardena
Cosi Fan Tutte: 'Love So Sincere' - Eugene Friesen
Ser No. 13 in G, 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik': Romanza - Modern Mandolin Quartet
Con in E: Adagio - Chris Botti
Adagio for Glass Harmonica - Todd Boekelheide
Son in A: Rondo - Bela Fleck
Ser No. 12 in c: Andante - Paul McCandless
Rondo In a - Philip Aaberg
Ser No. 10 in B flat: Adagio - Tim Story

Customer Reviews:

Quirky Mozart album winds up charming me.........2006-12-24

This is definately not your grandfather's versions of Mozart. The artists change up the instrumentation and creatively put new life in such classics of "Elvira Madigan", "Ruhe Sanft" and "Eine Kleine Nachmusik". Good enough for a listen if you want to hear someting new.

Original Mozart Style.......2003-04-05

i receive this cd form amazon.com, i love the first clip, the arranged for the music of Mozart are beautyful, very inspirational, nice version of very artist like Bela Fleck, his version of this sonata are magnificent, very original, and other way to hear mozart music, maintenance the essential of the music author, buy this Cd if you love the classic music, and the jazz music same, the fussion are excellent and for sleep moment is nice hear this album

Mozart as you never heard it before........2002-06-14

Just when you think there is nothing more that can be done with Mozart, along comes this album. The interpretations are so fresh and different that I felt I was relearning Mozart. I think he would be very proud.

A Different Mozart -- The right title for a delightful CD........1999-12-16

If you love Mozart, try this album. Interpreters such as Bela Fleck give us a chance to appreciate the enduring beauty of the music, and all of the selections are beautiful in their own way. Each of the pieces is too short for my taste, but that does allow for many different interpreters on the CD. I'll definitely buy the follow up to this album.

This More-zart CD should be 10 stars out of five........1999-08-07

I have been listening to this CD for quite a while and I still like it. It never bores me. First, the transcriptions are done ingeniusly. Second, all the works are done by different musicians and thus the the play styles are all different. This is really QUITE A DIFFERENT More-zart. For example, Ruhe Sanft is an aria in 3/4, but it is beautifully transcribed in 4/4. At first listening, I didn't know what it was, but it sounded like I heard it before, and I couldn't figure it out. Only after I checked the song list and tried second careful listening, I was able to be aware that it was indeed "Ruhe Sanft mein holdes Leben". Every piece in this CD is beatiful. I am sorry that I can give only five stars. I will definitely give it 10 starts out of five. I wish there would be "A Different Mozart II".

Average customer rating:

Enjoy it very much

Music to Die For

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000DD78R
Release Date: 2003-10-21

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Customer Reviews:

Enjoy it very much.......2007-03-27

I really enjoy classical music. I heard one of the pieces on the radio and had to have it.

Average customer rating:

Magnificent
Amadeus is a great movie and an equally great soundtrack!
Amadeus rocks!
It is miraculous!
24K Gold & 24 High Bit Remastering = the definitive edition!

Amadeus [Soundtrack] [Gold Cd]
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Fantasy
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Amadeus - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Amadeus: More Music From The Original Soundtrack Of The Film Amadeus
Immortal Beloved / Sir Georg Solti (film 1994)
Amadeus: The Complete Original Soundtrack Recording
Amadeus: Original Soundtrack Recording

ASIN: B00005Y1SV
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Tracks:

Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K. 183: 1st Movement (As Used in the Film,
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Serenade, K. 525: 1st Movement (As Used in the
Stabat Mater: Quando Corpus Morietur & Amen (As Used in the Film, ...) - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Salieri's March into Mozart's Non Pirai, For - Simon Preston
Serenade for Winds, K. 361: 3rd Movement (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail, K. 384: Chorus of the Janissaries ...
Ich Me Wohl (Ein Deutsche Krieglied), K. 539: As Used in the Film,
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail, K. 384: Turkish Finale (As Used in ...)
Mass in C Minor, K. 427: Kyrie (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Concerto for Flute & Harp, K. 299: 2nd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Concerto for Flute & Harp, K. 299: 2nd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Symphony No. 29 in a Major, K. 201: 1st Movement (As Used in the Film,
Adagio in C Minor for Glass Armonica, K. 617: Adagio (As Used in ...)

Tracks:

Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Symphonie Concertante, K. 364: 1st Movement (As Used in the Film, ...)
Symphonie Concertante, K. 364: 1st Movement (As Used in the Film, ...)
Zaide: Aria: Ruhe Sanft (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Zaide: Aria: Ruhe Sanft (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Zaide: Aria: Ruhe Sanft (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Zaide: Aria: Ruhe Sanft (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Caro Mio Ben (As Used in the Film, Amadeus) - Giuseppe Giordani
Piano Concerto in E Flat, K. 482: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Piano Concerto in E Flat, K. 482: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Piano Concerto in E Flat, K. 482: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Piano Concerto in E Flat, K. 482: 3rd Movement (As Used in the ...)
Nozze Di Figaro, K. 492: Ecco la Marcia (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Nozze Di Figaro, K. 492: Ecco la Marcia (As Used in the Film, Amadeus)
Nozze Di Figaro, K. 492: Ah Tutti Contenti (As Used in the Film, ...)
Buband Hungaricus [Early 18TH Century Gypsy Mus] - Anonymous Composer

Amazon.com

The Academy Award®-sweeping film Amadeus wisely pinned much of its dramatic thrust on Mozart's gloriously eternal music, and its soundtrack remains a concise yet rewarding introduction to Wolfgang's spectacular oeuvre. This newly remastered "Director's Cut" edition is a companion to the expanded DVD and features 24-bit encoding on two 24-karat-gold discs, sharpening the sonic clarity of the performances of Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields to near perfection. The performances (which, Marriner notes, crucially served as templates during actual production) have also been augmented to match the expanded new video edition and include a new, 2001 recording of the Adagio in C Minor for Glass Armonica, K. 617. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent .......2007-01-04

This soundtrack is an excellent review of some of Mozart's most beautiful works. His compositions are timeless and moving. No personal media library can be complete without him.

Amadeus is a great movie and an equally great soundtrack!.......2006-07-02

I have to admit, I didn't like classical music before I saw the movie Amadeus. After seeing how they used the music in the movie I had to have the soundtrack. I debated for a day or two over which version to buy, and finally chose this one, since it has Salieri's march to welcome Mozart. Not a huge addition, but it's the complete soundtrack, which is what I was after. Before I received the cds, I was wondering "What's the big deal about them being gold cds?" The sound quality is magnificent, you hear all the music clearly, even the softest strings. These cds capture the sound as it was in the movie (possibly even better...)The booklet that comes with it is full of information and pictures, including a synopsis of the film, and detailed information about the musical selections. I would recommend this to anyone who liked Amadeus, or anyone who loves Mozart's music.

The only negative thing about these cds is that the tracks were labelled incorrectly, repeating the title of one song many times instead of having the correct titles. It was easy enough to fix in my media player but it was frustrating. Don't know if I got a bad copy or not, but the track listing shown on Amazon.com helped me to fix it.

Amadeus rocks!.......2006-02-21

It was a Valentine gift to a friend's boyfriend and he loves it and has been listening to it all the time. Delivery was timely, too. I'm overall very satisfied! Thanx!

It is miraculous!.......2005-06-06

So said Antonio Salieri to Mozart's wife about his music, and this Special Edition Gold Cd set understands this statement. More precisely though, it is Sir Neville Marriner, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the various opera singers who should receive all the praise for this superb achievement. I have never heard such an authentic and high-quality recording of Mozart's music before. Thanks to the 24-bit encoding and the exceptional quality of the recording, the beauty of Mozart's music sounds as I believe it should. You can hear even the slightest or faintest of strings. Other recordings are simply lesser because of the tempo that is either too slow or too fast and the average clarity of the instruments. If you want to discover Mozart's music for the first time or complement your copy of Milos Forman's magnificent film, this is the set you have to get because it quite simply gets it right. The high price is all worth it as you get transported by this awesome music. It's a pity that classical music is now perceived to be reserved for a niche of artsy and boring people. That couldn't be farther from the truth! If people could just take the time to listen, just for a few minutes.

24K Gold & 24 High Bit Remastering = the definitive edition!.......2005-01-25

There are several different editions of Amadeus soundtracks ranging from single-disc to 3-disc sets available all at the same time, and it can be quite confusing at first.

After some research I ended up debating on whether to get the cheaper 1991 3-disc standard edition (ASIN: B000000XBV) or this 2002 2-disc special edition with '24 High-Bit' remastering. I had initial doubts that the latter contain the same 30 tracks, since it is only a 2-disc set, and decided to take a chance only after visiting the label site to confirm that it contains all 30 tracks as well.

Just a few days ago, it arrived from Amazon in a double-cd jewel case with a 30-page well-designed booklet, which has the movie sypnosis, individual narratives of almost all tracks, 2 articles about the movie and interspersed throughout with colourful scenes from the movie.

I discovered that the two '24K Gold' cds are able to contain the same number of tracks as the 3-disc standard edition because each disc is literally jam-packed to the brim, at 78.07 and 79.28 minutes respectively!

Due to the new '24 High-Bit' remastering, the sonic quality is excellent and perhaps die-hard fans of the earlier standard edition may even want to include this in their collection as well.

For those who are thinking of owning only one edition, this is the definitive edition to get if you really enjoyed the music in Amadeus and want the very best quality possible.

Average customer rating:

Flawless, relaxing, uplifting! It will move you!

Euphoric Classics: A Classical High

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000D9WWS
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Tracks:

Sunrise (Also Sprach Zarathustra) (Opening) - David Bell
Montegues And Capulets (Dance Of The Knights) - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Vision - Richard Souther
Toccata & Fugue In D Minor - VANESSA MAE
Ode To Joy - Westminster Choir
Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jolity - Philharmonia Orchestra
The Mission - Ennio Morricone And His Orchestra
Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Nicolai Gedda
The Heart Asks Pleasure First - Michael Nyman
II. Allegretto (Openin) - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Lacrimosa - David Bell
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Opening - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Te Deum - Philharmonia Orchestra
Adagio In G Minor (Realised Giazotto)(Extrac) - Sir Neville Marriner
Song Of Our Homeland (Prince Igor) - Izzy
Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) - Philharmonia Orchestra
Nessun Dorma (Turandot) - Jose Carreras
Celebration (Standing Stone) - Lawrence Foster

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man - Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra
the Ride Of The Valkyries (Die Valkyrie) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor I:Allegro Ma Non Tanto (Opening) - Mikhail Rudy
O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) - Franz Welser-Most
Casta Diva (Norma) - Maria Callas
Adagio For Strings - Eugene Ormandy
The Eternal Knot - Pamela Thorby
Sarabende - Academy Of St Martin In The Fields
A German Requiem - Roger Norrington
Nimrod ('Enigma Variations') - London Symphony Orchestra
Summer (The Four Seasons) III: Presto - Riccardo Muti
Facades - John Harle
March And Canzona (Muisc For The Funeral Of Queen Mary) - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Bolero (Conclusion) - Andre Previn
March To The Scaffold (Symphonie Fantastique) - Andre Previn
'Unfinished' Symphony I Allegro Moderato (Opening) - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Lamb - Jeremy Backhouse

Customer Reviews:

Flawless, relaxing, uplifting! It will move you!.......2005-10-02

So far this my favorite classical CD of the year. I never tire of listening to it (over and over on my iPod). It contains some really beautiful renditions of very moving classical pieces, both modern and ancient. All in all an emotional and dramatic presentation. The overall effect is relaxing but it will definitely never bore you!

Glass / Rorem / Bernstein: Violin Concertos / Serenade

Average customer rating:

Modern according to the date of composition, but really a rejection of innovation
Fantastic violin music
Splendid music of our time
3 Talented American Composers and 1 Gifted Violinist

Glass / Rorem / Bernstein: Violin Concertos / Serenade

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00001X596
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Tracks:

Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Quarter Note = 104 - Quarter Note = 120
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Quarter Note = Ca. 108
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Quarter Note = 150 - Coda: Poco meno Quarter Note = 104
Violin Concerto: 1. Twilight: Free And Spacious - attacca:
Violin Concerto: 2. Toccata-Chaconne: Very Fast
Violin Concerto: 3. Romance Without Words: Hardly Moving
Violin Concerto: 4. Midnight: Slow
Violin Concerto: 5. Toccata-Rondo: Very Fast
Violin Concerto: 6. Dawn: Wistful
I. Phaedrus - Pausanias: Lento - Allegro marcato
II. Aristophanes: Allegretto
III. Erixymachus: Presto
IV. Agathon: Adagio
V. Socrates - Alcibiades: Molto tenuto - Allegro molto vivace

Amazon.com

Here are three 20th-century violin concertos written within a 30-year period in three totally different styles, played by a soloist equally at home in all of them. Bernstein's Serenade, the earliest and most accessible work, takes its inspiration from Plato's Symposium; its five movements, musical portraits of the banquet's guests, represent different aspects of love as well as running the gamut of Bernstein's contrasting compositional styles. Rorem's concerto sounds wonderful. Its six movements have titles corresponding to their forms or moods; their character ranges from fast, brilliant, explosive to slow, passionate, melodious. Philip Glass's concerto, despite its conventional three movements and tonal, consonant harmonies, is the most elusive. Written in the "minimalist" style, which for most ordinary listeners is an acquired taste, it is based on repetition of small running figures both for orchestra and soloist, occasionally interrupted by long, high, singing lines in the violin against or above the orchestra's pulsation. Gidon Kremer, well known for his championship of contemporary composers, plays fabulously; his tone soars, shimmers, and glows. His identification with the music is complete. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Modern according to the date of composition, but really a rejection of innovation.......2005-11-05

This disc in Deutsche Grammaphon's "20/21" line of performances of contemporary music collects three violin concertos by three very different American composers with a spotlight on Gidon Kremer, virtuoso of modern violin repetoire. Philip Glass, Leonard Bernstein, and Ned Rorem are all composers enjoying popular acclaim and have been associated with New York, yet their styles have little in common. Philip Glass is well-known for minimalism, Ned Rorem for a rural and pastoral ethic, and Bernstein for his theatrical endeavours

Philip Glass' three-movement "Concerto for violin and orchestra" (1987) is fairly entertaining but unwholly uninsightful. I think minimalism is one of the greatest disasters to befall contemporary music, and has provided more charlatans than any other style (and I would definitely include Glass among such). I prefer the zahlenmystik of Gubaidulina, the frenetic business of Lindberg, or even the academic dryness of the lab coat-wearing composer Boulez. Yet, I can appreciate some works of Reich and Part. The music of Glass, on the other hand, lacks innovation and is so blatantly derivative of the passionate music of yesteryear, and this piece comes from what even many Glass fans consider to have been his darkest days. This piece is performed by the Wiener Philharmonik with Christoph von Dohanyi, who give an unobjectionable go at this dull piece.

The second piece on the disc is Ned Rorem's "Violin Concerto" (1984). Six movements conceived by the composer as songs (but lacking words), the piece could also fairly be called, says Rorem in the notes, a concertino or variations or even a suite. The Romantic first movement "Twilight", sparse with violin above strings, leads to a second movement "Toccata-Chaconne" with admirable use of percussion as a major player in its own right. The brief third movement "Romance without Words" sounds just like what its title suggests, as does "Twilight". "Toccata-Rondo", the fifth movement, is the fastest of all, and pairs the violin first with percussion and then with brass. The final "Dawn" is marked to be "wistful", and slowly ends the piece. I think that the piece as a whole could have been more gripping had percussion been used in more than two movements. While I can't say I'm an admirer of Rorem's work, this is the high point of a generally flat-as-Holland disc.

Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade" (1954) is the oldest of the pieces here. It was inspired by Plato's "Symposium" a dialog in which 4-century Athenian cognoscenti gather for a drinking party and debate the nature of love. It is divided into five movements, each named after a character: Phaedrus, Aristophanes, Erixymachus, Agathon, and Socrates. Fairly tonal, the piece is shackled to the unreasonable demands of the romantic tradition and the music can't breathe. It panders to the conservative audiences that Bernstein was happy with. Dreadful.

All in all this is perhaps the least satisfactory of all releases in the "20/21" line, and the least deserving of a place there, since all three of these composers apparently haven't learned anything from modern progress in music.

Fantastic violin music.......2000-12-20

First of all, Deutsche Grammaphon should be congratulated on their 20/21 series of "new music" recordings. So far all of them I've heard have been superb.

On to this specific disc though. The idea is simple: three violin concertos by American composers in the latter half of the 20th century. The previous sentence will frighten many folks, but rest assured those of you out there that fear contemporary classical music. All three of these works (with the exception of a few moments in the Rorem) are all melodic and beautiful works and shouldn't raise a stir even amongst the most hardline musical conservatives.

The Philip Glass violin concerto is without a doubt my favorite of the three pieces (and if you can believe it, actually the most traditionally structured of the three pieces.) Shimmering and intense (but not in an overbearing way) this lush, gorgeous piece foreces reflection and contemplation in the listener. The beautiful second movement with its longing violin part can evoke tears in the listener. The fast paced third movement has a triumphal sense about it and as always, Gidon Kremer's playing is flawless.

The Rorem piece is the quirkiest of the lot. The little sequences range in sound from primal to drunken cartoon music to sounding like a 1950s American sitcom theme song. Given an open mind the piece can be a lot of fun.

Finally, there is the Bernstein "Serenade" (after Plato's "Symposium.") It is a good piece, but ultimately the least memorable of the three (and ironic considering he is the most well known throughout the world.)

Even if this disc were just of Glass performance, it would be worth picking up. Once again, Gidon Kremer's expert handling of these three distinctly different pieces is a treat as well.

Splendid music of our time.......2000-11-22

The Glass Violin Concerto is one of the best examples of his current "mature" style, that combines Minimalist techniques with surging lyrical flow and mastery of orchestral forces much larger that the Glass Ensemble. It's been called, with a fascinaring oxymoron, Maximalist Minimalism. This evolution implies the use of the traditional classical forms, such as symphonies and concertos, and, in this respect, the Violin Concerto is one of Glass's most convincing essays. Actually, it's the piece which "converted" me me to the appreciation of a composer whose early output I often criticized. This concerto astonishingly reminds me , of all composers, of Sibelius. There's something of that Nordic master in the otherworldly lyricism of this concerto, especially in the magnificent, impossible-to-forget slow movement, yet this is distinctly a Glassian sound-world. All his trademarks are present in new, enriched forms: arpeggios, repetitions, that marvelous "far/close" effect in the strings. In this respect the two exhilaratingly motoric outer movements are more typically Glassian, and they encapsulate splendidly the middle one, the hauntingly lyrical heart of the whole piece. Gidon Kremer is a splendid, silvery-toned soloist (I've heard him live recently just in the Sibelius and he was peerless) and also a most intelligent musician : very sensitively he doesn't overplay his part , which was written to go along with the orchestra and not in opposition to it in the traditional , virtuoso way. The Wiener Philharmoniker and Christoph von Dohnanyi (that's what I call luxury casting!) sound, somewhat unexpectedly, totally into the idiom. Actually, I'd say that the warm, aristocratic Vienna sound is very apt for this music. It does not surprise me that, after this premier recording, this beautiful work has enjoyed two further ones., from Telarc and Naxos: I bought the Naxos (mainly for the couplings) and it's very good, but probably Kremer's is destined to remain unmatched for a while. The recorded sound is excellent, if not quite state-of-the-art. If you liked this I recommend you warmly the symphonies (especially nos.2 and 3) and, less obviously, an undeservedly lesser-known masterpiece: the soundtrack for the "Secret Agent" , a suite of marvelously addictive music. The couplings are kind of unlikely, but very interesting: the Rorem concerto is a rhapsodic, varied work that grows on you on repeated listenings. There's kind of a Rorem re-discovery currently going on : I don't think it's unforgettably personal music, but this composer has been unjustly neglected for all the wrong reasons (too tonal, too fluent, too openly gay), and deserves to be heard more. The Bernstein Serenade is very enjoyable, if not exactly a milestone, but those who usually respond to his music more warmly than me will love its Stravinskian wit coupled with Bernsteinian flamboyance. A highly rewarding disc.

3 Talented American Composers and 1 Gifted Violinist.......2000-05-19

"Kremer playing Bernstein (with Bernstein)" are quite enough to persuade me to buy this album (for me). If that is not enough, I promise you, you'll find the 3 greatest American violin concertos of this century played by maestros. Honestly speaking, I overlooked Ned Rorem untill I encounter Susan Graham's album. After listening to Graham's song, I listened this concerto again to find this talented composer. The episode, friendship between Bernstein and Rorem for over forty years and inviting Kremer for this concerto project are moving (you'll find in liner notes.) I love "adagio" from Bernstein's "Serenade" and "Romance without Words"(what a romantic title!) from Rorem's. (This lyricism reminds me Graham's songs.) You'll be one of the gifted if you have this.

Philip Glass: Concerto For Violin And Orchestra / Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 5, for Violin, an Invisible Piano & Orchestra - Gidon Kremer

Average customer rating:

Terrible Recording of the Glass
Terrible Glass, and not one of Schnittke's better pieces
Two great tastes...
for schnittke and kremers' sake, buy this
A masterful recording of two great works.

Philip Glass: Concerto For Violin And Orchestra / Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 5, for Violin, an Invisible Piano & Orchestra - Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer , Rainer Keuschnig , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Kremer Plays Schnittke
From My Home: Music from the Baltic Countries
Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass
Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie; Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Schnittke: Chamber Music

ASIN: B000001GH8
Release Date: 1993-02-01

Tracks:

Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 104-1/4 = 120 - Gidon Kremer
Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 108 - Gidon Kremer
Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 150-Coda: Poco meno 1/4 = 104 - Gidon Kremer
Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Allegro - Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Without tempo indication - Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Allegro vivace- - Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Lento - Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig

Amazon.com

This is one of the major releases of the 1990s. It begins with Glass's Concerto of Violin and Orchestra (1987), one of the best examples of Minimalism around. The genuine surprise here is Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 5 for Violin: An Invisible Piano and Orchestra (1990), which is actually a violin concerto, or a concerto grosso with violin obbligato. What it has in common with Glass's concerto is its overriding sense of play. Schnittke, for all his daring and his mastery of a wide range of writing styles, is one of the few composers with a sense of humor, or delight. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Terrible Recording of the Glass.......2006-07-21

I can't imagine a worse recording of the Glass. The orchestra, the sound engineers, or both simply did not care. How else does one explain the underheated, tinny performance?

I'm still working on the Schnittke.

Terrible Glass, and not one of Schnittke's better pieces.......2006-06-10

This 1993 Deutsche Grammophon disc contains music for violin by Philip Glass and Alfred Schnittke with Gidon Kremer in the soloist role. Christoph von Dohnanyi leads the Vienna Philharmonic. It should be noted that this disc faces deletion. However, each of the pieces here was reissued in DG's "Echo 20/21" series, with Glass's Violin Concerto ending up on a disc with similar concertos by Leonard Bernstein and Ned Rorem, and Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 5 finding a new home on a disc alongside the Russian composer's Concerto Grosso No. 1 and "Quasi una sonata".

Philip Glass' three-movement "Concerto for violin and orchestra" (1987) is fairly entertaining but utterly uninsightful. I think minimalism is one of the greatest disasters to befall contemporary music, and has provided more charlatans than any other style (and I would definitely include Glass among such). I prefer the zahlenmystik of Gubaidulina, the frenetic business of Lindberg, or even the intellectual struggles and endless curiosity of Boulez. Yet, I can appreciate some works of Reich and Part. The music of Glass, on the other hand, lacks innovation and is so blatantly derivative of the passionate music of yesteryear, and this piece comes from what even many Glass fans consider to have been his darkest days.

Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto grosso no. 5" for violin, invisible piano, and orchestra (1990-91) is typical of the "late Schnittke", music written after his great stroke of 1980. While Schnittke's early "polystylism" work, such as the first four concerti grossi, abound with quotations from Bach and other great masters, this piece is typical of the late style in avoiding quotation. The form is unusual as well, highlighting the violin with elaborate cadenzas, while the piano, "invisible" in that it is placed off stage and amplified, provides only the simplest of supporting roles. Therefore, it is more of a violin concerto than concerto grosso. While some of the rhythmic motifs here are interesting, I find the piece to be as dissatisyingly pessimistic and undramatic as the lesser products of Schnittke's late work, and therefore do not return to this often.

I cannot recommend the disc much, but I would encourage all to sneak out Schnittke, especially the Moscow Studio Archives disc with his Concerto Grosso No. 2 and Viola Concerto, for this composer often showed brilliance.

Two great tastes..........2004-11-29

... That don't go together.

I really enjoyed the Philip Glass, but I think the Schnittke takes a more refined ear than I have. To me, it sounded atonal and disjointed, which I suppose, was the whole point.

for schnittke and kremers' sake, buy this.......1999-09-05

the schnittke leaves one in shock, much like the same impact of his concerto grosso 1. don't know where the "fun" is from. there's cry and dispair, and also kremer's unmistakable tone and techniques, but certainly nothing laughable here. glass is nothing in comparison. but buy this for the schnittke 5. it worths anything.

A masterful recording of two great works........1999-08-02

After hearing the recording of Glass's violin c. on the radio, I bolted to the record store to get my own copy. What a reddition! The third movement is breathtaking. A must for anyone who wants to get familiar with contemporary music. Glass is a major composer, as though we didn't know before.

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