Baroque: The Eroica Trio

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The most arresting aspect of this disc is the playing. The members of the Eroica Trio are splendid technically and tonally, and their ensemble is impeccable. Musically, the recording is misnamed and misguided. There is nothing baroque about it, except the names of the composers. The trio's intense, throbbing, driven style is appropriate for the lush, romantic music with which it made its name, but is far removed from the pristine purity of the baroque. Not surprisingly, the players choose the most romanticized, overloaded editions available; moreover, many of the pieces are of dubious authorship or not written for their instruments. Their justification is that baroque composers themselves made countless transcriptions of their own and others' works, and that later virtuoso arrangers created their own tradition, but the former preserved the originals' style, while the latter are now widely frowned upon. Their most unfortunate selection is an arrangement of Bach's famous chaconne by an English film composer: blown up with newly invented material and grandiose cadenzas, it simulates a full orchestra. The packaging of the disc makes one wonder whether these fine players are being promoted for their talent or their glamorous good looks: credit is given to the photographer, the make-up artist, hair and clothing stylists, and providers of the dresses. Is there a message here about the status of women musicians? --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

Sonata In C Minor, F.16 No.1: I. Allegro - Eroica Trio
Sonata In C Minor, F.16 No.1: II. Largo - Eroica Trio
Sonata In C Minor, F.16 No.1: III. Allegro - Eroica Trio
Sonata In B Minor: I. Largo - Jean Baptiste Loeillet
Sonata In B Minor: II. Allegro con spirito - Jean Baptiste Loeillet
Sonata In B Minor: III. Adagio - Jean Baptiste Loeillet
Sonata In B Minor: IV. Allegro - Jean Baptiste Loeillet
Partita In D Minor: Chaconne - Johann Sebastian Bach_
Sonata In D, Op. 2: I. Adagio-Allegro - Dietrich Buxtehude
Sonata In D, Op. 2: II. Arietta & Variations - Dietrich Buxtehude
Sonata In D, Op. 2: III. Largo-Vivace - Dietrich Buxtehude
Sonata In G Major: I. Largo - Antonio Lotti
Sonata In G Major: II. Allegro - Antonio Lotti
Sonata In G Major: III. Adagio - Antonio Lotti
Sonata In G Major: IV. Vivace - Antonio Lotti
Adagio In G Minor - Tommaso Albinoni

Amazon.com

The most arresting aspect of this disc is the playing. The members of the Eroica Trio are splendid technically and tonally, and their ensemble is impeccable. Musically, the recording is misnamed and misguided. There is nothing baroque about it, except the names of the composers. The trio's intense, throbbing, driven style is appropriate for the lush, romantic music with which it made its name, but is far removed from the pristine purity of the baroque. Not surprisingly, the players choose the most romanticized, overloaded editions available; moreover, many of the pieces are of dubious authorship or not written for their instruments. Their justification is that baroque composers themselves made countless transcriptions of their own and others' works, and that later virtuoso arrangers created their own tradition, but the former preserved the originals' style, while the latter are now widely frowned upon. Their most unfortunate selection is an arrangement of Bach's famous chaconne by an English film composer: blown up with newly invented material and grandiose cadenzas, it simulates a full orchestra. The packaging of the disc makes one wonder whether these fine players are being promoted for their talent or their glamorous good looks: credit is given to the photographer, the make-up artist, hair and clothing stylists, and providers of the dresses. Is there a message here about the status of women musicians? --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2007-07-02

This is one of the few classical CDs I have that I can listen to over and over again. I love it and think it is fantastic. Anyone who likes classical music but doesn't always feel inclined to listen to it should buy this. It's wonderful.

An imaginative and brilliant version of this material.......2007-03-07

I'll join those who are more favorable about this disc than Edith Eisler. I agree that this is certainly an unconventional approach to Baroque material, but the results are wonderful -- very lush and expressive. The eminent Ms. Eisler expresses an opinion that is not strictly musical concerning the CD's packaging. Query whether this opinion colored her view of the music.

Some excellent baroque music, exquisitely performed.......2006-01-17

Yes, it's the Eroica Trio! And for those who care, pianist Erica Nickrenz's hair looks just great these days, better than back in 1999 when the trio made this recording. Violinist Adela Pena is as good as ever, and the ringleader of the trio is, as always, cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio. They're versatile, with a fine repertoire. And in this album, they try some interesting Baroque works. I think they handle them superbly.

The works by Loeillet, Buxtehude, and Lotti may not be all that familiar even to lovers of classical music. But that's not true for the well-known Albinoni adagio, which the trio plays extremely well. Nor the Vivaldi C-minor sonata, which gets a terrific and spirited performance.

Much as I love the Vivaldi work, my favorite piece on this disc is surely the Anne Dudley arrangement of Bach's famous D-minor Chaconne. That Chaconne originally closed the Second Partita for Unaccompanied Violin. But pianists will know it for the versions by Ferruccio Busoni, Leopold Godowsky, and Johannes Brahms. These are challenging arrangements, with maybe Brahms' (for the left hand alone) being the most notorious. Of the piano versions, I like Busoni's the best, and I think Dudley (the composer of the score for "The Full Monty") may have been influenced by this version. In any case, I think Dudley did a great job with her arrangement and I applaud the Eroica Trio for their wonderful performance of it. I hope this performance will stimulate more chamber musicians to learn this arrangement as well.

Beautiful especially to a non-purist--4.5 sounds good to me.......2005-12-03

I heard the trio in person in Washington--they were awesome. This CD may not be the most "baroque" of CDs, but it's very, very lovely. Yes, they had to adapt the music to a trio & for their instruments. Somehow, I think that's been done before--again, & again...So, I'm not a purist. Interestingly, the Albinoni Adagio (a very famous piece indeed) was not (according to the accompanying booklet) really his--but mostly the work of his biographer Remo Giazotto. I have 3 other recordings of it, & I like this one best. Richard Kapp's "Greatest Hits of 1720" (B00000258Y) is 10:17 minutes long but elegant; Essential Classics' "Baroque Masterpieces" (B00005YQL6) is 8:24; & "The Best of the Eroica Trio" (B0006SSOQS) is 6:57. This version is 6:58. Quite a variety! The "new setting, devised by the group's members" works for me. I only wish they'd try some Telemann & maybe Handel! I like this CD better than "The Best of the Eroica Trio" probably because I like Baroque.

Beautiful & Haunting.......2005-10-21

I love this cd. If passion were put to music, it would be this cd. I have given it 3 times as gifts and played my own copy so many times it broke in half. I'm going to get a new copy in the morning.

Average customer rating:

Book Lovers Companion

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

For Book Lovers Only
Debussy for Daydreaming: Music to Caress Your Innermost Thoughts
Tchaikovsky At Tea Time: A Refreshing Blend For Body And Spirit
Bach for Breakfast
Liszt for Lovers: Piano Dreams of Love and Passion

ASIN: B00000AFQB
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

Violin Sonata No. 1 In G: Vivace ma non troppo - Various Artists
Clarinet Sonata No. 1 In F Minor: Allegretto grazioso - Various Artists
Serenade No. 1 In D: Menuetto 1&11 - Various Artists
Violin Sonata No. 2 In A: Andante tranquillo - Vivace - Andante - Vivace di piu - Andante vivace - Various Artists
Piano Trio No. 3 In C Minor: Andante grazioso - Various Artists
Clarinet Sonata No. 2 In E-Flat: Andante con moto - Various Artists
Violin Sonata No. 2 In A: Allegretto grazioso - Various Artists
Clarinet Trio In A Minor: Andante grazioso - Various Artists
String Quartet No. 1 In C Minor: Romanze. Poco adagio - Various Artists
Piano Quintet In F Minor: Andante, un poco adagio - Various Artists
Clarinet Quintet In B Minor: Adagio - Various Artists

Tracks:

Sonata No. 5 In F ('Spring'): Adagio molto espressivo - Beethoven
Sonata No. 10 In G: Adagio espressivo - Beethoven
Sonata No. 2 In A: Andante piu tosto allegretto - Beethoven
String Quartet No. 16 In F: Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo - Beethoven
Sonata No. 7 In C Minor: Adagio cantabile - Beethoven
Sonata No. 8 In G: Tempo di minuetto, ma molto moderato e grazioso - Beethoven
Sonata No. 3 In E-flat: Adagio con molt' espressione - Beethoven
String Quartet No. 6 In B-Flat: Adagio ma non troppo - Beethoven
'Archduke' Trio In B-Flat: Andante cantabile, ma pero con moto - Poco piu adagio - Beethoven

Tracks:

Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No.1 In C
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No.9 In E
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No.17 In A-Flat
Piano Concerto No. 5 In F Minor: Largo
Concert In D Minor For Oboe, Violin & Strings: Adagio
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor: Rondeau
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor: Sarabande
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor: Menuet
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No.7 In E-Flat
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No.12 In F Minor
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No.4 In C-Sharp Minor
Italian Concerto In F: Andante
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Courante
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Gavotte I - II
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Forlane
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Menuet I - II
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Bourree
Orchestral Suite No.1 In C: Passepied I - II
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No.19 In A
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No. 21 In B-Flat
BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO. I IN F: Adagio
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 In B-Flat: Allegro

Average customer rating:

500 Classic Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00008FZWM
Release Date: 1992-11-04

Average customer rating:

Not great variety
Great Collection!

Adagios (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Adagio in g - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.1 in B flat, Op.10: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.2 in g, Op.10: Andante - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in d: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.3 in C, Op.10: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.4 in G, Op.10: Andante - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in F: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.5 in A, Op.10: Andante - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.6 in D, Op.10: Larghetto - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in C: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.7 in F, Op.10: Andante - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.8 in g, Op.10: Largo - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in G: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.9 in C: Larghetto - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in B flat: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.10 in F: Larghetto - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in F: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.11 in C, Op.10: Larghetto - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con in B flat: Adagio - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
Con No.12 in B flat, Op.10 - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
3 Syms: Larghetto in g - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
3 Syms: Adagio in C - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone
3 Syms: Andante in G - I Solisti Veneti/Claudio Scimone

Tracks:

Orchestral Ste No.3 in D: Air On The G Str - Jean-Francois Paillard CO/Jean-Francois Paillard
Son in E flat: Sicilienne - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall
Con in d: Largo Ma Non Tanto - Monica Huggett/Alison Bury
St. Matthew Passion: 'O Haupt Voll Blut Und Wunden' - Ens Vox De Lausanne
Brandenburg Con No.1 in F: Adagio - Monica Huggett/Ku Ebbinge/Michel Henry/Paul Dombrecht/Michel Garcin Marrou/Joe Konings
Con in d: Adagio - Cyprien Katsaris
Magnificat: Suscepit - Ens Vox De Lausanne
Trio Son No.2 in c: Largo - Marie-Claire Alain
Vn Son No.4 in c: Adagio - Lars Fryden/Gustav Leonhardt
Ste No.1 in G: Prld - Jorg Baumann
Son in C: Adagio - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall
Brandenburg Con No.4 in G: Andante - Ricardo Kanji/Reine-Marie Verhagen/Monica Huggett
Vn Con in E: Adagio - Monica Huggett
Mass in b: 'Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi' - Ens Vox De Lausanne

Tracks:

Con in f: Largo - Cyprien Katsaris
Prld in C - Marielle Nordmann
Con in a: Andante - Monica Huggett
Brandenburg Con No.6 in B flat: Adagio Ma Non Tanto - Jan Schlapp/Trevor Jones/Christophe Coin/Sarah Cunningham/Jaap Ter Linden
St. John Passion: 'Ruht Wohl, Ihr Heiligen Gebeine' - Ens Vox De Lausanne
Vn Son No.5 in f: Adagio - Lars Fryden/Gustav Leonhardt
Son in G: Adagio - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Alain Marion/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall
Son in G: Adagio E Pno - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Alain Marion/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall
Brandenburg Con No.2 in F: Andante - Ricardo Kanji/Alison Bury/Ku Ebbinge/Crispian Steele Perkins
Cant No.208: 'Sheep May Safely Graze' - Elisabeth Von Magnus
Son in b: Largo E Dolce - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Robert Veyron-Lacroix/Jordi Savall
St. Matthew Passion: 'Erbarme Dich' - Ens Vox De Lausanne
Cant No.147: 'Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring' - Scottish Chm Chor

Tracks:

Moonlight Son: Adagio - Maria-Joao Pires
Sym No.9 in d: Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Staatskapelle Berlin/Daniel Barenboim
Vn Son No.5 in F: 'Spring': Adagio Molto Espressivo - Thomas Zehetmair/Malcolm Frager
Sym No.6: 'Pastoral': Andante Molto Moto - New Philharmonia Orch/Guschlbauer
Mass in C: Kyrie - Audrey Michael/Lilia Bizimeche-Eisinger/Markus Schaeffer/Michel Brodard
Pno Trio in B flat: Adagio - Trio Fontenay
Spt in E flat: Adagio Cantabile - Berliner Solisten
Romance in F - Thomas Zehetmair
Pno Con No.3: Largo - Till Fellner

Tracks:

Pno Con No.5 'Emperors': Adagio Un Poco Moto - Stefan Vladar
The Creature Of Prometheus: Adagio - Andante Quasi Allegretto - COE/Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Vn Con in D: Larghetto - Gibon Kremer
Son No.8 'Pathetique': Adagio Cantabile - Jean-Bernard Pommier
Sym No.7: Allegretto - Bamberger Sym/Joseph Keilberth
Pno Con No.2: Adagio - Till Fellner
Triple Con in C: Largo - Orch Nat De L'Opera De Monte Carlo/Armin Jordan
Son in A: Adagio Cantabile - Janos Starker
Sym No.3 'Eroica', Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai - Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg/Joseph Keilberth

Customer Reviews:

Not great variety.......2004-03-27

The information for this collection is not clear about composership. I thought I was getting a collection of adagios written by a *variety* of composers. Instead it is only:
- Albioni (1 CD)
- Bach (2 CDs)
- Beethoven (2 CDs)
Now, I really like these composers, but I thought this collection included more of a variety. So I'm disappointed in the CD set. The only place you can see for sure who the composers are is if you blow up the image of the cover you can see the composer list.

The music is fine....

Great Collection!.......2001-02-09

I loved this wonderful collection of relaxing and romantic pieces. It includes a wonderful rendering of Albinoni's famous adagio, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Great for listening to while working or just daydreaming!