The Opera Album

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Dôme épais (Flower Duet from Lakmé): Nathalie Dessay and Delphine Haidan

2. E lucevan le stelle (Tosca): Placido Domingo

3. Ebben? ne andrò lontana (La Wally): Maria Callas

4. Suzel, bon di (Cherry Duet from L' amico Fritz): Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni

5. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour (Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann): Ann Murray, Jessye Norman

6. Song to the Moon (from Rusalka): Lucia Popp

7. Recitar!...Vesti la giubba (from I Pagliacci): José Carreras

8. Ecco! respiro appena. Io son l'umile ancell (from Adriana Lecouvreur): Kiri Te Kanawa

9. O soave fanciulla (from La bohème): Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna

10. Un bel di vedremo (from Madama Butterfly): Montserrat Caballe

See all 19 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2

1. Casta Diva (from Norma): Maria Callas

2. Canzonetta sull'aria (from Le nozze di Figaro): Anna Moffo, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

3. Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida (from Aida): Placido Domingo

4. Vissi d'arte (from Tosca): Angela Gheorghiu

5. Che gelida manina (from La bohème): Roberto Alagna

6. Sì, Mi chiamano Mimì (from La bohème): Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda

7. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera from Carmen): Victoria de los Angeles

8. Va, pensiero (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco): L'Orchestra et Coro del Teatro alla Scala

9. Dove sono (from Le nozze di Figaro): Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

10. Un aura amorosa (from Così fan tutte): Placido Domingo

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is a remarkable collection: two and a half hours' worth of opera arias, duets, and a couple of choruses, and nary a dud among them. All the stars are here, from Alagna to Schwarzkopf, with stops at Gheorghiu, Callas, Bjoerling, Dessay, Gedda, Carreras, Popp, Domingo, Norman--and a bunch of others. And the repertoire is wisely chosen: the gorgeous Flower Duet from Lakme, de los Angeles singing Bizet's Habanera from Carmen, the famous Pearl Fishers duet (Gedda, Blanc), Wally's exit into the snow from La Wally (Callas), the Barcarolle from Tales of Hoffmann (Jessye Norman and Ann Murray), "Largo al factotum" with an energetic Thomas Hampson as The Barber of Seville, Domingo in "Celeste Aida," countertenor David Daniels in a Handel aria, the heavenly "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka, sung as in a dream by Lucia Popp, Caballe as Madama Butterfly, and many more--37 tracks in all. Even if you already own some of these, having them all in one place makes for breathless, glorious listening. --Robert Levine

Tracks:

Carmen: Act 1: Prld - LPO/Sir Georg Solti
La Traviata: Brindisi: Libiamo, Ne'lieti Calici - Luciano Pavarotti/Joan Sutherland/London Opr Chor/Terry Edwards
La Boheme: Che Gelida Manina - Luciano Pavarotti
Lakme: Flower Duet: Dome Epais Le Jasmin - Joan Sutherland/Jane Berbie
Fedora: Amor Ti Vieta - Jussi Bjorling
Carmen: Habanera: L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle - Tatiana Troyanos/John Alldis Chor/John Alldis
Nabucco: Chor Of The Hebrew Slaves: Va Pensiero - Chicago Sym Chor/Margaret Hills
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sono - Kiri Te Kanawa
Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Luciano Pavarotti
Lohengrin: Bridal Chor: Treulich Gefuhrt Ziehet Dahin - Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor/Walter Hagen-Groll
Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro - Renata Tebaldi
Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Largo Al Factotum - Leo Nucci
La Wally: Ebben?... Ne Andro Lontana - Angela Gheorghiu
Madama Butterfly: Humming Chor - Wiener Staatsopernchor/Norbert Balatsch
Carmen: Flower Song: La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee - Placido Domingo
Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Barcarolle: Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'Amour - Joan Sutherland/Huguette Tourangeau/Chor De La Radio Suisse Romande, Pro Arte De Lausanne Et Du...
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Placido Domingo
Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di - Mirella Freni
Les Pecheurs De Perles: C'est Toi... Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Gregory Cross/Gino Quilico

Tracks:

Die Walkure: The Ride Of The Valkyries - Wiener Phil/Solti
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Voi Che Sapete - Cecilia Bartoli
Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti La Giubba - Luciano Pavarotti
La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla - Mirella Freni/Luciano Pavarotti/Roland Panerai
Il Trovatore: Anvil Chor: Vedi! Le Fosche - Chicago Sym Chor/Margaret Hillis
Manon Lescaut: Donna Non Vidi Mai - Jose Carreras
Don Giovanni: La Ci Darem La Mano - Lucia Popp/Tom Krause
Mattinata - Andrea Bocelli
Faust: Soldiers' Chor - Ambrosian Opr Chor/John McCarthy
L'elisir D'amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Roberto Alagna
Turandot: Signore, Ascolta! - Montserrat Caballe
Don Giovanni: Champagne Aria: Finch'han Dal Vino - Bryn Terfel
Cosi Fan Tutte: Trio: Soave Sia Il Vento - Renee Fleming/Anne Sofie Von Otter/Michele Pertusi
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira - Luciano Pavarotti/Joan Sutherland/London Opr Chor/Terry Edwards
Tosca: Vissi D'arte - Kiri Te Kanawa
Carmen: Toreador Song - Jose Van Dam/Tatiana Troyanos/Norma Burrowes/Jane Berbie/Thomas Allen/Pierre Thau/John Alldis...
Madama Butterfly: Love Duet: Vogliatemi Bene - Mirella Freni/Luciano Pavarotti
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Nat PO/Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Rusalka: O Silver Moon - Renee Fleming
La Boheme: Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi - Angela Gheorghiu
Turandot: Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti/John Alldis Chor/John Alldis

Amazon.com

The labels that are now gathered under the Universal Classics umbrella have a pretty impressive scorecard in the area of classical compilations. We've seen The Greatest Opera Show on Earth, The Yellow Guide: Classical Music, Best of the Millennium, and now there's The No. 1 Opera Album. But that's no surprise, since Universal has some of the finest interpreters in its catalogue to draw from. This two-CD set (at the price of one), for example, brings together the likes of Cecilia Bartoli, Renée Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Georg Solti, Herbert von Karajan, and many more. Yet the other key to a successful compilation is canny anthologizing, and here again, you have a nice selection to give you a smattering of opera's heavyweights from the Italian, German, and French repertory (there's even a step outside the standard framework with an aria from Dvorák's lovely Rusalka). Ranging from 1959 to 1997, the choices from back catalogue will doubtless be the entry ticket for many into this grandest of the arts. --Sarah Chin

Customer Reviews:

The beautiful gift of opera..........2007-07-17

This 2-CD set is absolutely wonderful! You can close your eyes and feel like you're actually at the opera, listening to those beautiful voices bringing tears to your eyes. Nessun Dorma still stirs up emotions in me, no matter how many times I hear it. Great examples of opera to give someone wanting to get interested in this style of music.

Pretty darn good.......2007-07-04

This CD set has a lot of familiar music on it, so if you're a newbie, you might want to try starting with this. There are some great pieces on the first CD. I usually don't even make it to the second.

The Opera #1 Opera Album.......2007-06-07

The music is wonderful. The production is terrible!! The sound fades in and out and is very scratchy in some places.

Excellent assortment.......2007-05-12

I'm not a big opera fan but I wanted to expose an assorted selection for my kids. This was perfect since it included several recognizable selections.

Great Selections.......2007-03-31

This Cd, has the very best of Opera
covering mainly from the classcal
to the to the romantic periods, a most
memorable selection here is Leo Nucci
in a lagendary performance of Rossini's
"Largo al Factotum" from "Il Barbiere di Seviglia"
also Andrea Bocelli in his performance of Leoncavallo's
memorable "Matinatta" here in an orchestrated version.
Indeed some of opera's most loved arias are in this recording
various conductors, orchestras, and soloists. All in their
very best. Indeed a five-star recording...

Average customer rating:

"Sickness Will Surely Take the Mind Where Minds Can't Usually Go" (* * * * 1/4)
Tommy revisited
it started here
been there done that go for it....
A Classic

Tommy (1969 Original Concept Album)
The Who
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Supergroups | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Who's Next
Quadrophenia
The Who Sell Out
Live at Leeds
Who Are You

ASIN: B000002OZY
Release Date: 1996-03-12

Tracks:

Overture
It's A Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
Christmas
Cousin Kevin
The Acid Queen
Underture
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
Pinball Wizard
There's A Doctor
Go To The Mirror!
Tommy Can You Hear Me?
Smash The Mirror
Sensation
Miracle Cure
Sally Simpson
I'm Free
Welcome
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It

Amazon.com essential recording

Tommy had the dubious distinction of being the first-ever rock opera; however, it's none the worse for that, Ken Russell's adaptation notwithstanding. Due largely to Pete Townshend's skill as a songwriter and composer, Tommy tells a coherent story and includes quality rock and roll at the same time, an impressive feat by itself. While surprisingly more linear than the later Quadrophenia, Tommy boasts several songs that stand up well on their own, including the classic "Pinball Wizard," "The Acid Queen," "I'm Free," and "Sally Simpson." Much of the rest doesn't make much sense lyrically unless you listen to the entire album, but you'll probably want to do that anyway, preferably with the lights low and the stereo cranked. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

"Sickness Will Surely Take the Mind Where Minds Can't Usually Go" (* * * * 1/4).......2007-06-13

The Who's Tommy had been foreshadowed lyrically by "A Quick One, While He's Away" - which Pete Townshend referred to as "Tommy's parents" on Live At Leeds - and musically by the two-part "Rael" from The Who Sell Out. (Although I am not sure about the continuity between "A Quick One" and Tommy.) Granted, the foreshadowing was subtle, but clearly Townshend had big things in mind as The Who's stature grew. But as a "rock opera", if we are to use that term, Tommy was not an entirely original creation. It was presaged by The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow in 1968. Moreover, word had apparently leaked to Townshend that Ray Davies was working on Arthur, or: the Decline and Fall of the British Empire. So just as The Kinks had influenced The Who's early sound, eg, "I Can't Explain", so too would they appear to have influenced them in the middle period of their heyday.

The centerpiece of Tommy is "Pinball Wizard", whose strummed chords are among the most recognizable in rock, and which serve as a motif throughout the record. However, I should note - as others have - that it is not too far removed from the chords heard on "Old Man Going" from the previously mentioned S.F. Sorrow. (But hey, even the opening to "Stairway To Heaven" had a precursor in "Taurus" by the band Spirit.) Of the two dozen tracks on the album, this is probably the only one known to a wider audience, and rightfully so. This is an excellent single which stands well on its own, and serves as one of the pillars for an album that also includes three instrumentals ("Overture", "Sparks", "Underture") and several under one-minute adhesive pieces, which are at times reminiscent of the fake commercials on Sell Out. Among the other solid, free-standing songs are "Amazing Journey", "Christmas", "Go To the Mirror!", "Sensation", "Sally Simpson", and "I'm Free". Pete Townshend wrote all of these songs, and most of the others on Tommy. But there is also the smartly chosen cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight To the Blind (The Hawker)". Plus, John Entwistle's two tracks introduce the unsavory characters one would expect from him, in this case the bully "Cousin Kevin" and the alcoholic, sexually abusive Uncle Ernie ("Fiddle About").

Tommy is surely to be praised for its great songs and ambition, but also for the fact that the story holds together quite well. It is easy to criticize it for being sketchy, but no libretto can serve to illustrate every scene of an opera perfectly. Townshend obviously expected it to be presented on stage. I will not go too deeply into the plot, but it is worth pointing out the highlights. Tommy witnesses the murder of his mother's lover by his father, long thought to have been killed in World War I ("1921"). Terrified by his father's insistence that he saw and heard nothing, and that his never to tell anyone about it, he is psychologically struck deaf, dumb, and blind. His parents, bereft of hope, first seek to heal him first through a strange spiritual leader ("Eyesight To the Blind") and then hallucinagens ("The Acid Queen"). Both fail, but in the meantime Tommy discovers he has an uncanny talent for pinball, which catapults him to fame. Soon after this, his parents find a doctor who discovers that Tommy's symptoms are psychosomatic ("There's A Doctor"). The refrain of "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me" comes from Tommy, who is aware of what is happening even though he cannot express himself. Tommy is healed when his mother destroys the mirror into which he perpetually stares, and through which he saw the murder happen ("Smash The Mirror"). Thought by many to have been the recipient of a miracle, he acquires legions of followers, who too hope to have their senses revived figuratively the way Tommy's were literally ("Sally Simpson", "Welcome".) Alas, like most so-called gurus, Tommy insists that his followers gain enlightenment the same way that he did. This, coupled with the fact that Uncle Ernie is heading up the camp, cause his followers to abandon him ("We're Not Gonna Take It"). Fortunately, Tommy does not abandon himself as the latter half of "We're Not Gonna Take It" - released in single form as "See Me, Feel Me" - indicates.

If any band were to make the rock opera legitimate, The Who was surely the big band who could. Although S.F. Sorrow deserves its share of credit, and although Arthur is a better album, Tommy is the one that everyone knows about. Obviously such a large project ran the risk of being overblown, but Townshend's penchant for graceful but powerful singles and longer pieces prevented this from happening. Tommy may not be a Great album, but it is a very good one, and is worthy of its status as a major breakthough in the history of rock.

Tommy revisited.......2007-05-30

Tommy came out my freshman year in college and I listened to it continuously. The Dayton Ballet just did an awesome ballet version of Tommy in April, so I bought this for my daughter's 13th birthday, she loves it!

it started here.......2007-05-26

The music of Tommy is where I first began really appreciating rock and roll, way back in 1988 when I was only 7 years old. That was a very important day in the life of me. There's no telling which direction my taste in music would have gone had I not heard some of the wonderful tunes from Tommy. I fear it would have eventually gone towards Limp Bizkit and other similar unenjoyable bands.

The music on this album is simply incredible. It's one thing to make a concept album and tell a good story. It's another when you can take a story and wrap *extremely* memorable music around it, which is what Tommy does so well.

I didn't really appreciate Keith Moon's drumming when I first heard this album, or Daltrey's emotional roller-coaster ride of a voice, going from convincingly angry to touching and sad. He's very good at going back and forth between those two emotions.

Still, I can't help but think back to my childhood. The line "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me" has stuck with me all these years, and there's a feeling when I listen to how that melody is sung that strucks me on a personal note. The "Right behind you, I see the millions" vocal line is another hook that has always stood up well, and will probably continue to do so.

I admit, Tommy is probably not my favorite Who album these days, because I've familiarized myself with other Who albums in the last decade. Denying the influence this album had on me would be ignorant and wrong, because Tommy is where my rock and roll obsession took off. The rest is history, my friend.

been there done that go for it...........2007-05-15

Tommy some great guitar work here. Do you play you do I thought so you've heard of this album 'till you're looking here and well you should be there what's it about?

Somebody has it rough to begin with and somehow makes it out without falling down all the way to oblivion. Tommy gets it from the beginning parents not so together and a family that almost defies merit still the songwriter seems to have an uncanny insight into the whole outcome of such things if you have a little savvy of your own.

Nice music sometimes it's like you just stepped off the bus from home and set foot in the garden othertimes you're in a tractor's nuts with no place to go for a headache.

This may or not be intended as an opera but I don't know if you expect a full blown orchestra wallowing in the waters of oblivion you won't find it here just some very snappy rock and roll... or pop rather.

Tommy opens with an overture I don't know it's not strictly speaking a full symphonic movement but it 's got some french horn right where it counts sort of makes you wonder what next from an album called Tommy.

There's no Thomson machine gun jokes in Tommy in fact it's not in there.

Something deeper something a little closer to home. Kid has a rough childhood and makes good.... That's it. Okay so you can go too far and maybe that's the point of writing 24 songs all at once having made your point take what comes from that and PROCEED to the nearest exit.

There's an underture the opposite of a movement in formal music theory called an Overture strange place to be if you're one of those lucky people that don't want anything for themselves.

All the Who albums are pop music at it's best but I say Tommy is the first stop to make if you're on your way to the record man. It's a long album two albums actually the best of the bands diverse talents is brought to completion in this very pop record of a story about a boy that rises to the top and has it all and I mean all.

The web can put you straight on who's who and what's what after all with this record but they don't even ever have a personal review of their own encounter and there's the rub. I like rock and roll and this album provides.

Very nice record well done and to the point. Masterpiece in spite of what they tell you on page one!

A Classic.......2007-04-11

Tommy is Pete Townsend's classic rock opera. It tells the story of a boy born deaf, dumb, and blind, and his eventual coming out and triumph. The music is tremendous with great soaring pieces, well crafted lyrics, and an interesting story line. Plus, it's the WHO; probably the best rock band ever. This is the album the include I'm Free, Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, and We're Not Gonna Take It. Actually, I really like the Overture.
This was one of the first albums I bought. It was my introduction to the WHO. And, I play it quite frequently.
It is a classic album, and well worth the listen.

Average customer rating:

The Who's best album....
Out of my brain on the 5:15
Better than Tommy!
Mods and Sods ( * * * * 1/3)
Quadrohenia

Quadrophenia

Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Supergroups | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Tommy (1969 Original Concept Album)
Who's Next
The Who Sell Out
Live at Leeds
Who Are You

ASIN: B000002P1P
Release Date: 1996-07-02

Tracks:

I Am The Sea
The Real Me
Quadrophenia
Cut My Hair
The Punk And The Godfather
I'm One
The Dirty Jobs
Helpless Dancer
Is It In My Head?
I've Had Enough

Tracks:

5:15
Sea And Sand
Drowned
Bell Boy
Doctor Jimmy
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me

Amazon.com essential recording

An excellent and frequently astonishing album, Quadrophenia is both more ambitious and less accessible than Tommy, the first and most well known rock opera. At its simplest level, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age story with an awesome soundtrack. The album features some of the Who's finest material, in songs like the enraged "Real Me," the cynical "Punk Meets the Godfather," the wistful "5:15" and "Sea and Sand," and the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me." The songwriting (courtesy of Pete Townshend) is top-notch, as is the production (the Who actually managed to use synthesizers in an original manner, something few rock bands can aspire to). The mix of powerful songwriting and skillful composition makes this one of the Who's finest moments. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

The Who's best album...........2007-07-06

This is my favorite Who album, and their last great album. There were moments of brilliance on later albums (most notably Face Dances, the best of the Who's post-Quadrophenia output), but this is the last album where they really were The Who. This is a grand epic that is much more coherent and far more down to Earth than the rather pretentious Tommy. This is Pete Townshend's masterpiece. He wrote all the material (the only Who album in which he did), and I love the credits on the album where it says Townshend plays "remainder". The CD booklet is now restored, with a series of great photos, and the short story that accompanies it. Townshend is a pretty good prose writer, and I would like to see a book or two by him, if he's ever inclined. The synthesizers here work very well, Daltrey's vocals are some of the best of his career, and this is the last Who album where Keith Moon was Keith Moon. He is on fire throughout the entire album. His playing on The Real Me makes puts all modern drummers to shame. The Who would slowly deteriorate after this (drugs, more drugs, the road). This album rarely gets mentioned in the arena of great rock albums, which is horrible, as it is one of the best albums ever made. It's very underrated, and it's my favorite Who album.

Out of my brain on the 5:15.......2007-07-05

I think that this is my favorite Who alblum/CD. It follows up the Rock opera theme from Tommy with a Mods vs. Rockers thing. My favorite tracks 1. 5:15 2. Dr. Jimmy 3. Love Reign over me. I have to admit that I was pulled in by the use of this music in the Adam Sandler/Don Cheadle movie 'Reign over Me'. But hey, I don't smoke cigarettes (any more) because they smoke -em in the movies. It's ok to buy 40 year old music they include in soundtracks.

Better than Tommy!.......2007-06-27

While Tommy is instantly enjoyable, Quadrophenia is the one you will keep coming back to. The music very much reflects the darkness of the story and gives it a timeless feeling. This is one of those discs that your favorite song constantly changes because there are so many good ones. Townshend at his most introspective and for me his best work.

Mods and Sods ( * * * * 1/3).......2007-06-22

Writing this review in June 2007, I realize that I became the fan of The Who that I am now just over one year ago. I am not sure how I managed to keep them on the periphery for so long. I think that I always found several of their best-known songs - such as "Magic Bus", "Squeeze Box", and "Who Are You?" - to be skimpy and uninspired, while albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia seemed self-indulgent and overblown. Who's Next seemed perfect to the point of being the exception that proved the rule, so it was pretty much the only Who CD that I kept around (along with a cassette of greatest hits). Although I will probably always feel the same about the previously mentioned singles, I have recently decided that The Who's two rock operas are more ambitious than self-indulgent, and more fully-realized than overblown.

In 1973, The Who were huge, and not just in terms of popularity. Sure, Quadrophenia was their fourth consecutive top five album in the US. More importantly, however, their musical scope had grown immensely since their debut in 1965. Having finally recorded an entirely consistent record in 1967 with The Who Sell Out, Townshend began to think in terms of expanding the limits of rock 'n roll, rather than working within them. Having done so with Tommy - which made the rock opera respectable - and Who's Next - which did the same for synthesizers - he had plenty of momentum. Still, attempting a second rock opera meant taking quite a chance. (Jethro Tull, another one of the most popular English bands of the early 70s, had recently suffered a severe backlash for releasing two LPs in a row consisting of a single album-length piece.) But as with Tommy, if any band could pull it off, then The Who could.

Quadrophenia, like Tommy, told the tale of a young man struggling with psychological problems. In this case, it is Jimmy, who suffers from a four-way split personality. As a young mod, he very well may have run with the type of guys who would become The Who, and subsequently became a fan of them. Thus, the songs on this album serve not only to tell the story of Jimmy, but of the band itself, as the songs "The Punk and the Godfather" and "Helpless Dancer" reference Who songs which were mod anthems. Jimmy tries desperately to keep up with fashion while living in his parents' house ("Cut My Hair) in order to avoid living one of the workaday lives of those he sees around him ("The Dirty Jobs", "Helpless Dancer"). Eventually, he tires of being disappointed by all the things that he hopes will make him happy ("I've Had Enough"), so he takes trip, literally and figuratively, to the beachside town of Brighton ("5:15").

Alas, he discovers that "here by the sea and sand/nothing ever goes as planned". He hits bottom when he encounters a former mod whom he admired so greatly years before who is now working as a bell boy. Thus, he has to spend each day licking the boots and running at the heels of the authority figures he once rebelled against. Despondent over the idea that what happened to the now bell boy could also happen to him, he sinks into the quicksand of drugs and alcohol ("Dr. Jimmy"), and starts to behave without regard to rules and consequences: "What is it? I'll take it/Who is she? I'll rape it". Quadrophenia ends with Jimmy's fate uncertain, as he stands on the beach in the rain, arms stretched upward to the sky, one imagines ("Love Reign O'er Me").

Musically, Quadrophenia and Tommy have similarities and differences. Both include three instrumentals, but none on Quadrophenia is as long as Tommy's 10-minute "Underture". Tommy features the leitmotifs of "See me, feel me..." and the "Pinball Wizard" chords, and Quadrophenia's songs are tied together by the "love reign o'er me" lyric and the beautiful synthesizer that underscores it. One important difference is that Quadrophenia consists entirely of full-length songs, whereas Tommy included several songs that were less than a minute long. This was also the first album in which Pete Townshend wrote every single song. Although John Entwistle's occasional contributions had always been a nice touch, they certainly aren't missed here. Rather, he concentrates on his bass, which bubbles near the surface of each song and sometimes even boils over. Keith Moon clobbers his drums as usual. Roger Daltrey sounds magnificent on the album's more bombastic numbers, while Townshend sings lead on the album's more tender moments, "Cut My Hair" and "I'm One". Who albums were always group efforts, and Who's Next had found the band performing as rock 'n roll musicians rather than simply players. Quadrophenia continued this trend.

Quadrophenia's story isn't developed quite as well as Tommy, and also not quite as entertaininng or interesting. The songs and the music, however, put it just a notch above their first rock opera. It is a downright majestic piece of work, and although it may be tough to take in a single listen, it is well worth doing so. But even if and when one doesn't, s/he will still find several great Who songs to return to regularly. Although Quadrophenia is not their best album, it does show that The Who were still in brilliant form two years after the release of their masterpiece.

Quadrohenia.......2007-05-11

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ROCK ALBUMS OF ALL TIME.IN MY BOOK IT IS#1
ALL TIME EVER.THE TITLE SONG PROBABLY ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS EVER.
IF YOU LOVE TO ROCK OUT AND GET ALITTLE LOSE THIS IS A PERFECT CHOICE.

Average customer rating:

The album which forever immortalised Queen
Another Good one
On a desert island
The album that made Punk necessary
Simply Amazing!

A Night at the Opera
Queen
Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

British Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Supergroups | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Arena Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

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

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

A Day At The Races [+2 Remixed]
News of the World
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen II
Jazz

ASIN: B000000OAN
Release Date: 1991-09-03

Tracks:

Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
I'm In Love With My Car
You're My Best Friend
'39
Sweet Lady
Seaside Rendezous
The Prophet's Song
Love Of My Life
Good Company
Bohemian Rhapsody
God Save The Queen
I'm In Love With My Car (Remix)
You're My Best Friend (Remix)

Amazon.com essential recording

Nothing succeeds like excess--at least that's the case with Queen's breakthrough classic, A Night at the Opera. On one level, the title is a reference to the band's operatic pretensions, best in evidence here on the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was championed by headbangers a generation before being revived by the Wayne's World set. Of course, A Night at the Opera was also the title of a Marx Brothers movie, and the reference isn't lost on Queen, who seldom scaled the heights of pomprock without a knowing wink. The album is remembered for its meticulously produced bombast, but the truth is that there's a wide variety of material here, from the gorgeous piano-based "You're My Best Friend" and the McCartneyesque "39" to the music-hall-style "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and the pedal-to-the-metal rockers "Death on Two Legs" and "I'm in Love with My Car." A Night at the Opera is viewed by most as the quintessential Queen album, and justifiably so. --Daniel Durchholz

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.

Customer Reviews:

The album which forever immortalised Queen.......2007-06-16

A Night At The Opera (1975.), Queen's fourth studio album

Throughout their career, Queen would always challenge themselves musically and would create a musical spectacle that would win over millions of fans. The band were especially innovative in their early career; powering out a blistering hard-rocking debut with `Queen I' and experimenting with more progressive ideas in `Queen II'. With their third release, `Sheer Heart Attack', the band got everything together to produce a `70's classic. However, the musical train definitely didn't stop there as a year later Queen released `A Night At The Opera'; an album you just may have heard quite a lot of press about over the past 30 or so years...

...Indeed, as most reviewers for this album will have stated, this is a seminal hard rock classic and in many ways marks a creative peak in the great career which Queen enjoyed. The album, filled with operatic harmonies and memorable tunes has influenced countless other bands down the years and across the genres. At a first listen, this album strikes you as a crazy operatic charade and in many ways it is! Queen here create an album which is based on the theme of an opera performance with all the crazy twists and turns thrown in. However it works brilliantly and is a truly innovative display that also rocks hard (in some parts at least!). An argument I've often heard with this album is that the whole thing is only made coherant by the one song `Bohemian Rhapsody'. Many agree that the song is the centrepiece of the album. However, I would not hesitate to say that a large number of the tracks stand up on their own two feet. Tracks like `Death On Two Legs' and `You're My Best Friend' are timeless classics in their own right. All in all, `A Night At The Opera' is definitive Queen; there is the pomp, excess, craziness and creative genius all fully featured on this disc. The album also marks a continuation of each member of the band contributing their own material. Brian May's compositions make up the more guitar driven works on the album such as `Sweet Lady' whilst Freddie Mercury contributes the more operatic and quirky songs such as `Seaside Rendezvous', `Love Of My Life' and not to mention the all time famous `Bohemian Rhapsody'. Roger Taylor and John Deacon also leave a clear statement on the album too.

`Death On Two Legs' opens this great album. This is one of Queen's best album openers and one of their best songs, period. Written as a cynical tribute to their previous band manager, Freddie Mercury spews venom in the lyrics in an amusing fashion over some great guitar harmonies and melodies from May. The grand piano work, which is synonymous with early Queen is there as well in this blistering opener too. `Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' is next; a catchy one minute song with some amusing lyrics. There is more piano and overblown guitar lines and as a listener you can feel the operatic stylings in the album building. Then, enter Roger Taylor for `I'm In Love With My Car'. I've always been a big fan of the Roger Taylor songs in the Queen catalogue and this one is no exception. This song rocks hard and Taylor gives a great vocal performance, expressing his love for his car. `You're My Best Friend' is a beautiful song; John Deacon, the quiet man of the band really pulls out the stops in this song of his. A timeless Queen classic, the keyboards work a treat and Freddie Mercury delivers some fantastic emotive vocals. `'39' is an excellent semi-acoustic song about a couple being split up due to the beginning of World War II. `Sweet Lady' is another really cool song. With it's waltz like rocking guitar riff and strong vocals, this is a strong closer to the first half of the album.

`Seaside Rondezvous' keeps the operatic nature of the album going. The song has the excess and hilarity which a number of the tracks on the album exhibit and it again works a treat. `The Prophet's Song' is the epic of the album, clocking in at 8 minutes. Here we see what the sound Queen pioneered is all about, there are vocal harmonies and operatic squeals galore in this one. Although the track is a littel drawn out in parts, there is no denying the significance of this particular song. `Love Of My Life' is a Queen fan favourite; a calm and serene song, Freddie gives another brilliant vocal performance in this excellent ballad. `Good Company' is another amusing song, this time a Brian May composition. May performs the vocals and plays the ukelele to create a unique sounding song which I personally think is great. Next is a track I need not say too much about. `Bohemian Rhapsody' is a track everyone knows, whether you know this album or not - it is 6 minutes of pure craziness and genius. For it's time, it was the most expensive single ever made - the number of vocal layers on this song show this. Following this masterpiece, the album closes with Brian May rockin' out to the tune of `God Save The Queen'. Again we see the opera theme and Queen's joking around it, as operas traditionally had the song played at them after a performance.

`A Night At The Opera' is definitive Queen. If you want a showcase of what Queen is all about then this is the album to get hold of. The vast praise this album has been given over the years is completely deserved and this album is a milestone album in music. `A Night At The Opera' has aged extremely well and as aware as everyone is that this album dates back to '75, it still sounds fresh and lively. This album and it's predecessor `Sheer Heart Attack', for me marked the creative peak for Queen. This album is a must for any rock fans collection or for any fan of great music in general.

MY RATING: 9.5/10

Another Good one.......2007-05-23

Another versitile recording showing their mastery as muscians and artists. Their hit "You're My Best Friend" is just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to their ability to write just about any kind of music.

On a desert island.......2007-03-30

If I were stuck on a desert island and could only have 10 cds to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be one of them.

The album that made Punk necessary.......2007-02-27

I enjoy parts of this album---the guitar solo at the end of Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon has a tendency to grab hold of my brain and not to let go, though I love actual music hall too much to enjoy the verse and the fake old-timey sound used.

Still, I can't add much to the negative reviews here: pretentious, sententious, overblown, overserious, overdone....all-in-all, an adolescent's idea of what "important" means. I'll still listen, but will chase it with a shot of "Pretty Vacant" (or even "Get Off the Air, Rodney") to still my gut.

Simply Amazing!.......2007-02-24

This albums is so powerful that I have no words to describe how incredible it is. Freddie Mercury was a god, he is the mastermind behind Bohemian Rhapsody, probably the world's most famous song. I just can't stop listening to this album and to Queen's music in general. Thank you Freddie for your music!

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

Average customer rating:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's.
Good for relaxing pregnant women
Too much opera
Does what it set out to do, very well
TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written.

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
Johann Sebastian Bach , Léo Delibes , Gabriel Fauré , Erik Satie , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Edvard Grieg , Johann Pachelbel , Claude Debussy , Felix Mendelssohn , Camille Saint-Saens , Henryk Gorecki , Antonio Vivaldi , Edward Elgar , Jocelyn Pook , Sergey Rachmaninov , Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni , Luigi Boccherini , Jules Massenet , Ludwig van Beethoven , Jacques Offenbach , Pietro Mascagni , Antonin Dvorak , Giacomo Puccini , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Alexander Borodin , Joaquin Rodrigo , and Samuel Barber
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | 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

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Caballe, Montserrat | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

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

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever!
The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe
25 Classical Favorites
Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

ASIN: B00000I93Z
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

Air 'On the G String' - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Morning - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Canon In D - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Gymnopedie No.1 - City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
II. Andante - Stephen Hough
Viens, Mallika - Mady Mesple
In Paradisum - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
II. Andate - Yehudi Menuhin
The Swan - Osian Ellis
II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
II. Andantino - James Galway
II. Largo - Yehudi Menuhin
Nimrod - London Symphony Orchestra
Blow the Wind - Pie Jesu - Jocelyn Pook
Variation 18 - Cecile Ousset
Pavane Op.50 - Gareth Morris

Tracks:

Zion Hort Die Wachter Singen - South German Madrigal Choir
Adagio In G Minor - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Minuet - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
Meditation - Hans Kalafusz
I. Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour (Barcarolle) - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
II. Andante - Nigel North
II. Adagio - Jack Brymer
Intermezzo - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Moderato - London Chamber Orchestra
O Mio Babbino Caro - Montserrat Caballe
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - Sinfonia Of London
II. Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
Nocturne - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Adagio (Opening) - Julian Bream
Adagio For Strings Op.11a - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Entr'acte To Act III - Orchestre National De France

Amazon.com

You want relaxing classical music that'll soothe your soul but won't lull you into sleep? Here's a double CD for you. The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World ... Ever! does its best to cover both well-worn classical favorites (Bach's "Air on the G String," Pachelbel's "Cannon," Debussy's "Clair de Lune") and some eclectic left-field choices (an excerpt from Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Jocelyn Pook's "Blow the Wind," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. The performances of most of these excerpts are top-notch--artists include Sir Neville Marriner, James Galway, Jacqueline du Pré and the Philadelphia Orchestra--and there's enough variety here for everyone. --Edward Garabedian

Customer Reviews:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's........2007-02-04

This CD is a great way to enjoy a large variety of Classical Composers & many of their best known pieces. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," is an all time favorite. There are vocals, Piano pieces, & some fine Violins. I found the latter the most enjoyable. Here you can find Rodrigo & Pachelbell. Samuel Barber's haunting Adagio will make your skin tingle. This may not be to everyones taste, but if you wish to relax? Give this a couple of listens.

Good for relaxing pregnant women.......2007-01-17

I stumbled onto this album whilst searching bit torrent websites for classical music. I don't normally listen to classical music but thought it might be relaxing for my pregnant wife. After hearing the quality of the performances, the arrangement, and the recording I decided to buy the album from amazon. All the songs you would expect from a "best album in the world" are there and they are not boring to listen to like a lot of other classical albums. I now play this album in the car constantly and the wife requested it be played at the hospital during the birth.

Too much opera.......2007-01-10

If it wasn't for the opera this would be a great CD.

Does what it set out to do, very well.......2006-11-15

So i'm a classical music veteran, someone who prefers to collect a complete work, rather than classical compilations. I probably would not have listened to this album at all if my dad didnt buy it for me as a gift. By now, i own the complete works that over half of the excepts on this disc come from. I am a purist if ever there was one.

That said, i totally adore this set because i have learned to take it on its own terms. These discs weren't meant for expert classical listeners, so a review from that sort of mindset is useless. This set was meant for pure, easy listening, and for a basic starters kit for classical newbies. Most of all, it was just meant to do what the title says, to relax the average human being. classical expert or not.

Yes, some of these pieces have been altered or shortened, like Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto Andantino, but they have been edited for a good enough reason: the full versions would have been too long to flow with the rest of the album. And also, the full versions contain so much development that they don't become easy listening anymore. The shortened versions work in the context of the album. Most essentially, the shortened versions on the discs still convey the main flavor the composers were going for. The melodies and themes remain unchanged.

To sum up, it is true that when i want to actually listen deeply to classical music, this album would never be a choice. I would want to hear the complete works like the composers intended. But at certain times when i simply don't mind about that stuff, when i just need to loosen up and free my mind of stress with some nice melodies, this set does the job well enough.

Last but not least: being a purist and a classical buff, i am very particular about performance quality. I was very glad to find that EMI did not get lazy about this. All the artists are world-class, and all the performances are at least exceptional. Some performances are even quite excellent, like the Clair De Lune, which is one of the best i've heard. (Credit to Dame Lympany, the pianist.)

So once again, recommended for its stated purpose, to relax. I am a purist, a classical buff, and i still enjoy this disc. That says something.

TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written........2006-11-10

This album along with Volume 2 are now the two most valued albums in my music collection. I have all of the songs contained on these two albums but they are scattered through at least a dozen different albums and several are not performed by artists such as those that recorded this album and Volume 2.
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Great for young children. Many Thanks!
EXCELLENT CD to introduce kids (& adults) to classical music!
Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer, declares my [...].
Truly fun AND educational
My kids' hands-down favorite classical CD

Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
Beethoven's Wig
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven's Wig, Vol. 2: More Sing-Along Symphonies
Beethoven's Wig 3: Many More Sing-Along Symphonies
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage
Mr. Bach Comes To Call

ASIN: B000060OLA
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Tracks:

Beethoven's Wig (5th Symphony, Beethoven)
Franz Liszt the Famous Pianist (Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Liszt)
Please Don't Play Your Violin at Night (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Mozart)
Can You Can Can? (Can Can, Offenbach)
Just For Elise (Fur Elise, Beethoven)
Haydn's Great Surprise (Surprise Symphony, Haydn)
Kings and Queens of England (Trumpet Tune, Purcell)
Drip, Drip, Drip (Pizzicato from Sylvia, Delibes)
Harmony (The Merry Peasant, Schumann)
Hey Guitar Teacher (Bouree, Bach)
Tchaikovsky's Cannonball (1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky)

Amazon.com

Inspired and wildly imaginative, Beethoven's Wig is one of the best introductions to classical music you could give to your children. Featuring snippets of 11 classical music staples--Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, et al.--the disc and its creators, Richard Perlmutter and friends, pour on the silly lyrics the first time around to familiarize young ears to the old masters. Then in the last half of the record, the orchestra plays the same "serious" music pieces instrumentally. You might cheerfully recall Alan Sherman's popular spoofs of old classical works in Wig and you'll again chuckle at pieces like "Drip, Drip, Drip," which adapts Delibes's "Pizzicato from Sylvia." You'll also marvel at the expertise throughout the CD, with all the pieces well played yet thoroughly fun. Beethoven's Wig is an orchestral treasure with a sense of humor as old or as new as its listeners (and the fun questions that run throughout the CD's liner notes are almost as entertaining as the zany musical interludes). Highly recommended. --Martin Keller

Product Description

GENERAL FEATURES: Beethoven's Wig Sing Along Symphonies are zany stick-in-your-head lyrics set to the greatest hits of classical music. Filled with fact and fancy about the world's most notable composers and their masterpieces, each Sing Along Symphony opens the door to "serious music" in a way that's fun. As a bonus, the orchestral performance of each classical piece is included without lyrics. Educational entertainment for all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Great for young children. Many Thanks!.......2007-07-16

I bought this one for my son since he was 2. We listen to it from time to time. Now at 3-1/2 he recognizes the music and melody. We dance, sing, and play with his toys or little instrument. We loves every songs especially Can Can, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Hungarian Rhapsody #2 which is also in "Cat Concerto" Tom & Jerry. It is a great way for every kids & parents to enjoy classical music. Thanks for making this CD happened.

EXCELLENT CD to introduce kids (& adults) to classical music!.......2007-07-08

This CD is a must for every child. It is so important for children to appreciate the great composers. This CD is a wonderful introduction and a fun way for children to learn the facts and names to go along with the tunes. The selection of pieces for this disk are also wonderful. It is nice that the songs are also to where you can listen to them without the lyrics. My children love it and my husband loves to hear just the music (& he is more of a oldies rock n roll & country music man).

Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer, declares my [...]........2007-06-15

We originally received Beethoven's wig from a friend. My two year old and eight year old loved it so much that I had to buy #2 from www.amazon.com and got the third one used on www.ebay.com. Now I have them all on a playlist on my Ipod, and we play them non-stop in the car, and at home. (putting all three on my Ipod makes it more bearable since it is not always the same songs). Too bad www.Itunes.com hasn't caught on yet.

The best part was when my daughter told her Music Camp teacher, " Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer!" I thought she was going to faint.

Truly fun AND educational.......2007-06-01

We play this probably once a day in our home and my kids (one is almost 5, and 2 yr old twins) all enjoy it! Definitely appealing to kids, but also not offensive to the adult ear. I even find myself humming the words when I hear these classical pieces at other times of the day. I recommend for any household with small kids - it introduces classical music in a very fun, upbeat way.

My kids' hands-down favorite classical CD.......2007-05-18

My kids take piano lessons, and I was hoping that listening to classical music would help them enjoy their lessons a bit more, since many of their lesson pieces are variations of classical melodies, and, for whatever reason, they don't naturally enjoy classical music.

I had heard rave reviews about the Classical Kids series of CDs (where a story is set to a composer's music), and, while my children enjoyed them, they didn't really want to hear the stories repeatedly, so the melodies didn't stick.

We got this CD from the library, and the minute they heard the first line of this CD, they were in hysterics. They just LOVED the silly lyrics, and they've listened to the CD repeatedly. They begged me to buy our own copy and to get the 2nd and 3rd CDs in this series. They ask questions about the music and the lyrics, trying to figure out what play on words and reality the creator of the CD was thinking about. They remember the music and who composed it. And they are much more interested in playing the pieces they know on the piano!

So, for our purposes, this CD has been perfect.

And yes, I put my money where my mouth is and purchased all three CDs in this set :) This one is still our favorite.

Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

Average customer rating:

Two-and-a-half hours of bliss
not what i expected
excellent guitar performances
Essential Guitar...
Lives up to its Name!

Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

300 Years of Guitar Masterpieces
Spanish Guitar Music
Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar
Art of Segovia
Baroque Guitar

ASIN: B000069KIT
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Customer Reviews:

Two-and-a-half hours of bliss.......2007-04-04

This may be the best money I've ever spent. I got 2-1/2 hours of bliss for less than what I'd usually pay for one CD -- and you know how it is with music. You buy an album because of a song or two that you love, and you find that you like maybe half the songs on it. There's not a single selection in this one that I would've left out. It includes Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by Pepe Romero on the guitar with the Acadamy of St. Martin in the Fields. I needed to replace my old LP recording of that. But I also get 30 other classical compositions and traditional Spanish pieces, each special in its own way.

Have you ever heard music that you wanted to last forever, maybe even to dive inside and live there for a while, immersing yourself in sound? That's how I feel about this collection. The only problem I have with it is that I bought it thinking it might be nice to listen to while I write. Not so. It's terrible for that. I'll sit with my hands poised above the laptop keyboard, assuring myself I'll get some work done while I listen. The music takes hold and carries me away.

I'm not expert at describing this or any type of music. I just know what I love. You might too, if you enjoy classical or Spanish guitar -- unless you have absurd expectations about combining listening with work.

not what i expected.......2007-03-26

This CD for me was a waste of money. Its just not what i thought it would be. Others may enjoy it but for me..it wasnt what i was hoping to hear.

excellent guitar performances.......2006-07-27

Outstanding guitar performances. I gave it only 4 stars because I do not personally like some of the compositions.

Essential Guitar..........2005-07-26

Up until this collection, I'd never heard the "Cavatina" played in the Deer Hunter movie. After hearing it, I could play it all day and not tire of it! It moves me that much, considering that it's almost "not" a classical guitar selection. The rest of the music is first rate! Excellent playing, but the "Cavatina..."
Buy it and enjoy!!!!

Lives up to its Name!.......2005-06-10

If you only bought this double CD set, you'd have a good starter collection of classical guitar music. It includes most of the standards, as well as rarer pieces. In addition to the many solo pieces, there are several excerpts from orchestral works, with Rodrigo's indispensible Adagio from "Concierto de Aranjuez" topping the list. There are also several flamenco numbers included, complete with heel taps and castanets.

The recording quality is uniformly good, even on the tracks by Segovia. I don't know if they were remastered or recorded late in his career, but they're free of the surface noise present in so many of his recordings. The set clocks in at a generous 2 1/2 hours - one of the greatest deals in instrumental music; this is not a "bargain" quality set. Listen to the samples online - great stuff.

My only mild criticism is in the marketing. The advertising features John Williams and Julian Bream. Each contributes exactly one track. I would have enjoyed more pieces by them for stylistic comparison. But the less well-known (at least to guitar music neophytes like me) artists are every bit as good, and I intend to obtain more of their work.

Average customer rating:

Love of her home land
beautiful music
Great CD.
I love it when she sings in Russian!!
beauty and the beast

Russian Album
Anna Netrebko , Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre , and Valery Gergiev
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Anna Netrebko: Opera Arias
Sempre Libera
HOMAGE: The Age of the Diva
Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper
The Mozart Album

ASIN: B000IZK4YE
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Tracks:

Iolanta: "Otago eto preide ne znala ni toski ya" (Iolanta)
Twelve Songs op. 21: No. 7: "Zdes' khoroso" ("How beautiful it is here")
Six Songs op. 4: No. 4: "Ne poy, krasavica" ("Oh, do not sing to me")
The Tale of Tsar Saltan: Aria: "Tï, carevic, moy spasitel" (Swan Princess)
The Snow Maiden: Scene and Aria: "A-u, a-u!" - "Akh, bednaya Sneguroaka,
The Snow Maiden: Finale: "Velikiy car'! Sprosi menya sto raz" (Snow Maiden, Tsar, Misgir, Chorus)
The Tsar's Bride: Scene and Aria: "Ivan Sergeyic, khoces'" (Marfa)
Six Romances op. 38: No. 6: Pimpinella - Florentine Song "Yesli tï
A Life for the Tsar: Cavatina and Rondo: "V pole, pole, cistoye glyazu" (Antonida)
War and Peace: Aria: "Cudo, kak khorosa ona" (Natasha, Anatol, Sonya, Count Rostov)
Francesca da Rimini: "O, ne riday, moy Paolo, ne nado ..." (Franceska)
Eugene Onegin: Letter Scene: "Puskay pogibnu ya, no prezde" (Tatyana)

Amazon.com

This is a collection of well-to-lesser-known Russian arias by composers from Glinka to Prokofiev, with stops along the way for Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninov. The lovely Anna Netrebko remains a glamorous singer, pure of voice, with always-musical phrasing and some exquisitely high soft singing. Particularly fine are a little-known Tchaikovsky Romance with castanets, bassoon, and piccolo adding color; the vivid, Italianate selection from Glinka's A Life for the Tsar; two lyrical Rachmaninov songs (here scored for orchestra); and the Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin, which is delivered with the drama of a true singing actress. Otherwise, many of the arias here are slow and have a certain sameness about them. Netrebko sometimes just sings instead of getting inside them. Netrebko's Italian output so far has been far more exciting, but it's great to have this Russian repertoire sung so beautifully on CD. --Robert Levine

Album Description

After astonishing debuts as an unknown young singer, Anna Netrebko is now one of the world's favorite opera heroines. Now, for the first time, she's ready to lavish her pure, powerful voice on composers from her homeland, in a program of some of the most beautiful arias and songs in the Russian repertoire. Russian Songs is a deeply personal recording, made in the opera house where she first found stardom, St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, and conducted by Anna's mentor and friend who has championed her from the start: Valery Gergiev. This collection includes Anna in her signature role, Natasha from Prokofiev's War and Peace - which launched her career at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002. In addition. Anna gives listeners a taste of roles yet to come with Tatiana's letter scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Anna Netrebko has made it her mission to bring opera to a wider public. Following the huge success of her last solo recording Sempre Libera and the acclaimed Salzburg La Traviata releases, Anna will show once again that she knows how to captivate audiences.

Album Description

2006 album from this Russian Opera singer who has stunned critics and audiences alike with her good looks and heart-stopping voice. Features Netrebko tackling some of Russia's most esteemed musical works from composers such as Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov and more. Universal.

Customer Reviews:

Love of her home land.......2007-05-23

Here at last is the Anna Netrebko that has been some what missing from previous encounters on CD.This is a woman whose deep love and regard for her homeland are much in evidence from the first to the last notes .Often in reviews comments are made a the darkness of her voice ,here it is perfect and at home with the somber tones of the great land that has so much to offer the world of music .
The beautiful warmth of her vocal range gives a brilliant tapestry of sound to the album, bringing to life the various characters she portrays ,with her penultimate portrayal of Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace,we can only hope to see her preform it one day for western audiences.
Many feel that Anna Netrebko lacks substance ,this I feel is unfair as she has many years to go to reach her peak ,this album shows that she has the range, the talent and the intelligence to make herself one of the greatest sopranos of all time

beaut

1. Dôme épais (Flower Duet from Lakmé): Nathalie Dessay and Delphine Haidan
2. E lucevan le stelle (Tosca): Placido Domingo
3. Ebben? ne andrò lontana (La Wally): Maria Callas
4. Suzel, bon di (Cherry Duet from L' amico Fritz): Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni
5. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour (Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann): Ann Murray, Jessye Norman
6. Song to the Moon (from Rusalka): Lucia Popp
7. Recitar!...Vesti la giubba (from I Pagliacci): José Carreras
8. Ecco! respiro appena. Io son l'umile ancell (from Adriana Lecouvreur): Kiri Te Kanawa
9. O soave fanciulla (from La bohème): Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna
10. Un bel di vedremo (from Madama Butterfly): Montserrat Caballe

1. Casta Diva (from Norma): Maria Callas
2. Canzonetta sull'aria (from Le nozze di Figaro): Anna Moffo, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
3. Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida (from Aida): Placido Domingo
4. Vissi d'arte (from Tosca): Angela Gheorghiu
5. Che gelida manina (from La bohème): Roberto Alagna
6. Sì, Mi chiamano Mimì (from La bohème): Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda
7. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera from Carmen): Victoria de los Angeles
8. Va, pensiero (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco): L'Orchestra et Coro del Teatro alla Scala
9. Dove sono (from Le nozze di Figaro): Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
10. Un aura amorosa (from Così fan tutte): Placido Domingo