Prokofiev: War & Peace [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The genesis of Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace reads like a microcosm of the stranglehold of Stalinist cultural control--this, despite the composer's choice of a subject so powerful in allegorical resonance following Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, and so musically accessible in its profusion of melody and stirring choruses. Prokofiev never got to see the work performed in its entirety, and the frequency of performances today remains extremely rare (although for logistical, and not political, reasons). Yet, for all the opera's epic dimensions--four hours of music, over 60 roles, frequent scene changes, and scoring for enormous chorus and orchestra--Prokofiev paints his vast canvas with extraordinary economy and coherence. Together with his partner Mira Mendelson, Prokofiev achieved a selective, cinematic compression of Tolstoy's masterpiece, featuring clearly delineated principal figures and dramatic throughlines. This recording (like the only other competitor currently in the catalog, Gergiev's account with the Kirov opera) comes from a live, uncut, Russian-language performance; it was given at the 1999 Spoleto Festival, but the sound is relatively encumbered by the chaos of stage noise. Richard Hickox presides over an impressively architected sense of flow and connection among the opera's 13 scenes, divided into two parts ("Peace" followed by "War"). While perhaps not as drivingly, urgently manic as in Gergiev --especially in the battle scenes--the drama never fails to emerge, and Hickox effectively brings out the score's many musical glories, instead of letting them get buried among its less inspired stretches. The excellent chorus is a linchpin for the crucial ensemble work of the war scenes, but strong characterizations are provided by Roderick Williams's passionate Prince Andrey (deeply moving in his death scene), ENO stalwart Alan Opie's Napoleon, and Alan Ewing's heroic, Mussorgskian Kutuzov. Soprano Ekaterina Morozova's vocal phrasing tends to lack variety, but her youth gives a touch of convincing vulnerability to her portrayal of Natasha, one of the key figures of the story in Prokofiev's rendering. The orchestra plays with lots of color, bringing out the score's many fine miniature tone poems (the dance sequences depicting high society in Part I, the burning of Moscow in Part II). The box comes with a full libretto containing multiple translations, including the original (as well as transliterated) Russian text next to the English text. --Thomas May

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:

Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 In D Major - London PO; Solti, G.
Karelia Suite: Alla marcia - Philharmonia Orchestra
Jubel March - Vienna PO; Boskovsky, W.
Funeral March Of A Marionette - Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Tannhauser: Grand March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble; Howarth, E.
Rinaldo: March - English Chamber Orchestra
Saul: Dead March - English CO; Bonynge, R.
Aida: Grand March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Radetzky March - Vienna PO; Boskovsky, W.
Marche militaire - Wiener Philharmoniker
Athalia: War March Of The Priests - Vienna PO; Dohnanyi, C.v.
The Nutcracker: March - National Philharmonic Orchestra
The Love For Three Oranges: March - London PO; Weller, W.
Le Prophete: Coronation March - London Philharmonic Orchestra
La Damnation de Faust: Hungarian March - Chicago SO; Solti, G.
Persian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Aladdin Suite: Oriental Festive March - San Francisco SO; Blomstedt, H.
The Ruins Of Athens: Turkish March - Carlo Curley
The Occasional Oratorio: March - San Francisco SO; Blomstedt, H.
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 In G Major - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

Crown Imperial (Coronation March) - London PO; Norrington, R.
Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary: Funeral March - Baroque Brass Of London
Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) - London PO; Norrington, R.
March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Marche triomphale - London PO; Norrington, R.
Egyptian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Joyeuse March - Swiss Romande Orch; Ansermet, E.
Napoleon March - Wiener Philharmoniker
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March - Montreal SO; Dutoit, C.
Russian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Carmen, Suite No.2: Marche des contrebandiers - Montreal SO; Dutoit, C.
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: March - London Symphony Orchestra
Mlada: Procession Of The Nobles - Kingsway Orch; Camarata, S.
Spanish March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Things To Come: March - National PO; Herrmann, B.
Washington Post - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Entry Of The Gladiators - National PO; Herrmann, B.
Colonel Bogey - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
The Dam Busters - National PO; Herrmann, B.
The Stars And Stripes Forever - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble

Customer Reviews:

Solid Basic March Collection.......2006-08-07

Great solid basic collection, a real bargain with mostly outstanding performances. Having played several in bands and orchestras and sung one (the Rimsky Mlada), I have a good idea how they should go. As other other commentators say, there are better individual recordings, such as anything by Fennell and the Eastman band. The organ pieces just don't do this music justice, although a real cathedral organ can come close, but that's beyond these discs. The Nielsen Aladdin March is the new one for me. Berlioz by Solti is great! Buy it!

Bold and brassy mixes well with the rest.......2004-08-14

I am impressed most by the variety in 40 Famous Marches on 2 CDs, a Double Decca release. The performers include Philharmonic Orchestras, a Brass Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, organ, Symphony, and for nine selections, the Wiener Philharmoniker. I am not sure if the word schmaltzy ought to be applied to any of this, but the Wiener Philharmoniker often exhibits a unique sound which is not quite the same as any of the other selections. The final five selections are all performed by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble under Elgar Howarth in ADD/DDD format in 1983 and 1985. Two of those five are rousing marches by John Philip Sousa, another called `Entry of the Gladiators' is typical of songs played by live bands at circuses, and the remaining two are from movie soundtracks. `Colonel Bogey' is famous from the movie about British prisoners of war building a railroad bridge for the Japanese in World War Two, the Bridge over the River Kwai.

The major source of variety in these 40 selections is that many of them are taken from operas and even a ballet, Tchaikovsky's famous `The Nutcracker--March.' I originally found this collection when I was searching for `Funeral March of a Marionette' by Charles Gounod (1818-1893) which has a theme that is famous from its use by a television series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. If you can't remember how that goes, you ought to buy this collection and listen for it early: it is selection 4 on the first CD. The main theme was fun to play and easy to learn in a book of piano lessons, but the rest is quite whimsical and worth listening to, and people who play organ with pedal notes might still be able to find music for playing the entire arrangement, difficult though it is for someone like me, who becomes confused when too many things are going on at the same time.

There was something on this CD that sounded weird, and I had to check to see what it was, and it was just someone playing the organ, but he was trying to play `The Ruins of Athens -- Turkish March' by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).

Something by Handel sounds so much like the beginning of a movie that I expect someone to start singing, `The hills are alive with The Sound Of Music,' but this CD is something else. The first CD starts and ends with marches from `Pomp and Circumstance' by Edward Elgar, so people who have been to a lot of graduation ceremonies will be expecting plenty of familiar music. The 6:32 time is slightly longer than the Wagner's `Tannhauser -- Grand March' on the first CD, but long graduation ceremonies may play it even longer, until all the diplomas are handed out.

Verdi, Strauss, Schubert, Prokofiev, Berlioz, these famous composers might be recognized by people who know music, but the `Wedding March' by Felix Mendelssohn is famous with everybody for what it is used for. If you haven't heard it lately, maybe you should hear it a few times so you won't be so nervous the next time it comes around.

40 Famous Marches - a great collection!!.......2003-11-21

This is a wonderful collection. What a wide collection of exciting pieces, all in one affordable package!! It encompasses so many composers and styles, from the majesty of Elgar and Walton, to upbeat Sousa to schmaltzy Strauss. It also includes such classic marches as Meyerbeer's Coronation, a pinnacle of the French opera style, the timeless Wedding March of Mendelssohn, and the brilliant organ piece, Marche Triomphale of Sigfrid Karg-Elert. There are also some interesting oddball selections like the mysterious Things to Come of Bliss (composed for the H.G. Wells film), the jaunty Chabrier marche, and oriental flair of Nielsen's Aladdin.
In reading some of the other criticisms, it is true that the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble perhaps is not the best or most noted ensemble. However, overall, the pieces they play are either Sousa or patriotic-sounding tunes. Their only forays into the true classical realm are the Grand Marches from Tannhauser and Aida, and they are not half bad. So don't let those pieces keep you from buying the CD - 1) because most of the songs they do play are great and 2) they only play in 1/4 of the music....

Classics on Parade.......2003-05-01

If you're looking for a collection of marches from classical music, this would be a fine one to get.
It contains recordings made from 1958 to 1996 by some of the world's great orchestras, plus several numbers by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, and four arranged for organ.
The first 35 marches include many of the best-known classical marches, plus three "coronation" marches, written as far back as the end of the seventeenth century (The Prince of Denmark's March) up to 1954 (The Dam Busters). The last five pieces are "popular" marches played by the Jones Ensemble.
The liner notes give a nice history of marches, including where most of the ones in this collection fit into that scenario.
A great collection of marches by classical and popular music "masters".

Too, too much Philip Jones Ensemble.......2003-04-17

A mixed bag of music, 40 FAMOUS MARCHES compiles a good many marches - some not too common.

The CD has it's high points:
1. Chicago Symphony (under Solti!) playing Berlioz's Hungarian March (love that trombone excerpt - BAM!)
2. London Philharmonic playing Prokofiev's "The Love for Three Oranges" March
3. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 (also London Philharmonic)

BUT... There's some real stuff on here, too. I must concur with a prior reviewer: FAR TOO MUCH Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Case in point - Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever, as played by PJBE is completely devoid of the energy and fire it needs. The trombone countermelody at the end is just NOT THERE (you'll strain to hear it). There's just no way this is right. PBJE is great in their setting, but this is just not it.

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 2. Moderato ben accentuato
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 3. Toccata - Allegro con fuoco (piu presto che la prima volta)
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 4. Larghetto
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 5. Vivo
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 1. Andante dolce - Allegro moderato - Andante
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 2. Andante songando
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 3. Vivace - Allegro ben marcato - Andantino - Vivace
Visions fugitives op.22: No. 3, No. 6, No. 9

Amazon.com essential recording

Sviatoslov Richter was a friend of the composer, and he played all of this music in Prokofiev's presence. His performances have since acquired almost cult status among pianists--a reputation they richly deserve. The Fifth Piano Concerto is a pithy, technically difficult work in five short movements, which Richter plays as though he had composed them himself. The Eighth Sonata, by contrast, was composed during the Second World War, and the contrast between simple lyricism and horrifying violence leaves no doubt whatsoever as to what the composer was attempting to describe. These mid-price reissues sound better than ever, and artistically speaking, they are priceless. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 / Sviatoslav Richter.......2006-08-31

excellent recording. prompt service frm amazon

Concerto Not Quite Perfect.......2006-03-11

Don't get me wrong these performances, esp. the ones forom the keyboard have all of the energy, stength and heart that you would expect from Richter. I can not find one fault with his playing here. It is the recording itself that I have an issue with. The recording balance in the concerto is way off. The piano is always (incorrectly) projected as being louder than the orchestra. If you've ever been to a paiano concerto concert, you know that this is simply not true. Therefore, I give it 4 stars.

Prokofiev and Richter's pianistic magic.......2002-11-23

Prokofiev considered his 5th Piano Concerto to be unjustly neglected at the expense of his ever-popular 3rd. On the evidence of this September 1958 recording, he was right! Richter and the Warsaw National Philharmonic are flawless and sparkling with the spirit of Prokofiev, a light, urbane wit seldom heard since Mozart. The 8th Sonata is another spirit entirely, perhaps Prokofiev's most profound and complex work. There are gentle passages following turbulence and darkness that are of the utmost beauty, and Richter's playing is a marvel.

Other than his 2nd Symphony, Prokofiev's modernist impulse is clearest in his works for piano. The 7th and 8th Sonatas especially are masterworks of the early 20th century, and Richter's is THE 8th!

Definitive Eighth.......1999-12-25

I usually have in mind a list of the ten greatest piano recordings of all time. Luckily, having no particular label affiliation, I am compelled to make my choices solely by personal preference, Millenial Collections notwithstanding. The Fifth Concerto is rarely if ever, played. Richter's version is superb. But the Eighth Sonata receives the most excruciatingly beautiful performance. The lyricism, drama, colour are all qualities in this performance that have remained with me for decades. An essential recording for anyone who loves the piano.

The Great War: Classical And Popular Selections From The Time Of World War I (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium)

Average customer rating:

Music and the Great War
How a Century Has Change Our Perception of War
Excellent Recording!
Good music, bad title

The Great War: Classical And Popular Selections From The Time Of World War I (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Great War
Over There - Songs From America's Wars
Words and Music of World War II
The Roaring Twenties
Songs That Got Us Through WWII

ASIN: B00000HXKX
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

Military March No. 1 In D Major, Op. 39: Pomp Ad Circumstance
Waltz Fom Der Rosenkavalier Suite
'Von der Schonheit' From Das Lied von der Erde
'De l'aube a midi sur la mer' From La Mer
Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 'Classical Symphony': III. Gavotta. Non troppo allegro
L'histoire du soldat Suite - IV. The Royal March
L'histoire du soldat Suite - V. The Little Concert
Le tombeau de Couperin - V. Menuet
Le tombeau de Couperin - VI. Toccata
Sinfonia From Pulcinella Suite
Walzer From Funf Klavierstucke, Op. 23
Interlude From Wozzeck, Act III
Prologue From Music Ffor The Theatre
'Shine On Harvest Moon'
'Alexander's Ragtime Band' - Irving Berlin
'Over There'
'How You Gonna Keep'em Down On The Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?'
'The Man I Love' From Stride Up The Band
'West End Blues'

Amazon.com

The first two-thirds of this disc is a fascinating cram course in concert music around the time of World War I. The programmer has put together some fascinating juxtapositions--for example, Strauss's Rosenkavalier leads almost seamlessly into Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, and Schoenberg sounds out of context with everybody (including Berg). The selections are all short, and performance quality runs from great to mediocre, but this is still a thought-provoking educational experience, even though Bartók and Ives are conspicuously missing. The popular selections are less interesting, often campy, and although vintage recordings are used, they aren't always the right vintage. And someone missed a point by separating Copland's jazzy "Music for the Theatre" from Louis Armstrong, who could have followed immediately. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Music and the Great War.......2007-05-14

This is a fascinating compendium of popular and classical music from the World War One period. It evokes all the turmoil, anguish, and also humor, of the age, and is a vital CD to own if you have an interest in the Great War and the music it inspired or was inspired by.

How a Century Has Change Our Perception of War.......2005-10-29

War. Tough subject these days - tough subject since the beginning of time. Yet Americans tend to mend wounds and gradually allow the atrocities of yesteryear to fade into coated cases that signal more memories of 'how things used to be' rather than learning from the tragedies with which war has scarred the planet. National Public Radio issued this excellent memoir at the turn of the millennium and one wonders if it now has the same response that greeted it in 1999.

Linda Kobler reconstituted this mix of classical and popular music with a keen sense of history. The CD is twice divided (in both the classical and the popular music) into 'Before the War' 1901 - 1917, 'During the War' 1917 - 1922, and 'After the War' 1922 - 1928. In the first era are the works of Elgar ('Pomp and Circumstance'), Strauss (a waltz from 'Der Rosenkavalier'), Mahler (excerpt from 'Das Lied von der Erde'), and Debussy ('La Mer') joining the songs 'Shine On Harvest Moon' and 'Alexander's Ragtime Band'. The War period is represented by Prokofiev's 'Symphony No. 1', Stravinsky's 'L'histoire du soldat', and Ravel's 'Le tombeau de Couperin' in tandem with 'Over There'. After the war include Stravinsky ('Pulcinella Suite'), Schoenberg (Waltz from 'Five Piano Pieces'), Berg (excerpt from 'Wozzeck') and Copland ('Music from the Theatre') with popular songs 'How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm', 'The Man I Love', and 'West End Blues'.

The excerpts selected for this survey are exceptionally good: orchestras include NY Phil, LA Phil, Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony, and the Columbia Symphony under such batons a Ormandy, Bernstein, Salonen, Tilson Thomas, Schippers and Stravinsky; soloists include Glen Gould, Robert Casadesus, Lili Chookaskian, Louis Armstrong, et al. The sonics are very fine and the performances are each from significant full recordings remaining in the catalogue.

The booklet accompanying this concert of memories is written by Linda Kobler who uses each selection as a pivotal point in the atmosphere of the globe that accompanied the Great War: it is very well written and informative. This is one of those recorded collections that goes far beyond an accumulation of bits and pieces and instead gives food for thought about how our political and social actions intertwine with the arts in a prophetic way. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

Excellent Recording!.......1999-03-13

(It was called The "Great" War, because nobody knew about WWII at the time and it was the biggest war anyone had ever seen.)

I think this CD may be a bit choppy to "easy" listeners, but for anyone who has a sincere interest in delving into the musical senses of earlier generations it's VERY good! I recommend the entire NPR Milestones of the Millennium series to such aficionados.

Good music, bad title.......1999-02-11

Since when is war great? Life in the trenches waiting for the germans to attack you worrying about whether mustard gas is gonna loft your way isn't exactly like sipping chablis.

Average customer rating:

Gergiev is strongest in the "Peace" scenes
War and peace Gergiev
Buy the DVDs instead
Remarkable performance, and Complete too
Recorded sound quality not up to Phillips standards

Sergei Prokofiev: War And Peace
Mikhail Chernykhovsky , Evgeny Fedotov , Ludmilla Filatova , Tatjana Filimonova , Slava Fomin , Nikolai Gassiev , and Valery Gergiev
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride
Prokofiev: Love for Three Oranges
Tchaikovsky: Mazeppa
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Iolanta

ASIN: B00000414A
Release Date: 1993-09-14

Tracks:

War And Peace: Overture
War And Peace: Scene 1 - 'Svetlaje vesenneje neba' (Andrei)
War And Peace: Scene 2 - 'Hor! Pust' nachinajet hor!' (Akhrossimova, Helene, Anatol, Dolokhov, Andrei)
War And Peace: Scene 3 - 'Nevesta maladova kn'az'a' (Marya)
War And Peace: Scene 4 - 'Maja prelesnaja' (Helene, Anatol)
War And Peace: Scene 5 - 'Vecheram v des'at' chisov' (Anatol, Dolokhov)
War And Peace: Scene 6 - 'Oj, baryshn'a, galubushka' (Anatol, Dolokhov, Akhrossimova)

Tracks:

War And Peace: Scene 6 - 'Eta samyj rassejannyj i smeshnoj chelavek' (Akhrossimova)
War And Peace: Scene 7 - 'Padumajte, grafin'a' (Helene, Anatol)
War And Peace: Epigraph - 'Sily dvunades'ati jazykov Jevropi'
War And Peace: Scene 8 - 'Pashla, rib'ata!' (Andrei, Kutuzov)
War And Peace: Scene 9 - 'Vino atkuporena' (Napoleon)
War And Peace: Scene 10 - 'Itak, gospoda' (Kutuzov)

Tracks:

War And Peace: Scene 10 - 'Mech nam y plamen' nisut neprijatili' (Kutuzov)
War And Peace: Scene 11 - 'Maskva pusta!' (Napoleon)
War And Peace: Scene 12 - 'T'anetsa, fs' o t'anetsa' (Andrei)
War And Peace: Scene 13 - 'Karabli sazheny' (Dolokhov, Kutuzov)

Amazon.com essential recording

Valery Gergiev's version of this long and involved opera demonstrates one of the benefits of an ensemble system (particularly when the ensemble members have no place else to go). It offers a huge and generally outstanding cast, including the luxe casting of the remarkable Olga Borodina in the minor role of Helene. The Kirov edition is uncut, although the listener may discover that there are often pretty good reasons for traditional excisions. The sound is quite good. Gergiev and company may also be seen and heard in good form in their video presentation of this opera in the stark production by British director Graham Vick. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

Gergiev is strongest in the "Peace" scenes.......2006-05-27

The two contenders for the best "War and Peace" are this 1993 Gergiev set (on 3 CDs) and Rostropovich's 1989 recording (on 4 CDs) for ERato. The lines seem evenly drawn with the critics. Those who favor Rostropovich (whom the dying Prokofiev entrusted with the opera) like his impassioned conducting and Vishnevskaya's ardent portrayl of Natasha, despite the fact that she was twenty years too old for the part. Those who favor Gergiev point to the evenness of his singing cast and the psychological refinement of each character. I can accept both viewpoints. If you have the resources, you might buy the Gergiev for the "Peace" scenes in the drawing rooms and ballrooms, the Rostropovich for the "War" scenes that occupy the second half of the opera. In that regard Gergiev has the advantage of better music, since Prokofiev originally intended to portray only the personal, romantic parts of the novel. War came as an afterthought when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.

The work itself continues to have problems. No one should come ot it expecting Tolstoy's novel and its moving wisdom. When Prokofiev was composing the opera in the mid-Forties, his inspiraiton was variable. The great Fifth Sym. had just been written in the sumemr of 1941, but that was his last indisputable masterpiece. "War and Peace" contains a feeble Overture, included here by Gergiev but omitted whenever he stages the opera. There are patriotic choruses straight out of Soviet wartime propaganda, clearly aimed at Hitler more than Napoleon. And in general the melodic inspiration falls well short of Romeo and Juliet--the more delicate music, of which there is a lot on CD 1, sounds like outtakes from Prokofiev's fitfully inspired Cinderella ballet.

War and Peace works best if you have seen its epic spectacle onstage, so I sympathize with the reviewers who recommend the DVD instead. Coming to the work cold, with no visual memories of Moscow burning, Natasha's delirious dancing at the ball, Napoleon in retreat with half an army onstage, a listener may get fairly bored. Prokofiev found a middle-of-the-road idiom that has few pinnacles, presumably because of the daunting four hours of stage business he had to compose for. As a work of craft, War and Peace is admirable, but without the epic spectacle, its musical thinness shows thorugh.

War and peace Gergiev.......2004-06-04

Good but not the best. Try rather the Chandos version. Voices are better. Another great version (not complete) is the Melik-Patchayev one. A good old version.

Martin Pitchon

Buy the DVDs instead.......2004-01-02

I wrote the first of the customer reviews here, warning potential buyers about the sound. As it is now possible to buy Gergiev's Kirov performance on DVDs, I would recommend doing that, if you must have a Russian version, or buying the TDK DVDs of the outstanding Paris production. In consequence, I re-rate these over-priced Philips CDs 3 stars.

Remarkable performance, and Complete too.......2002-02-25

Although the recording level is too low as established by others reviewing this work/recordings, I have to point out that the dramatic quality is stronger than others. I have the Hickox and like it a little less than this. The Rostropovich is very fine, BUT the singing/acting is weak, the orchestral playing is great. The Bolshoi sets ie: Alexander Melik-Pashaev and Mark Ermler are outstanding in performance and recording, but they are edited versions. Although I have heard the Janssen set I haven't analyzed it clearly, since I do not own it. For a complete version I strongly recommend the Gergiev performance. The acting and conducting is superior to the Hickox performance if one can forgive the low sound recording. I found myself a bit bored at times while listening to the Hickox upon its broadcast before the CD issueing. I did buy it since it is stronger than the Rostropovich, but it lacks a solid continuity of drama between soloists. The Gergiev performance treats every scene with care and understood performance which I don't always find in other performances. It is live and does fail on the attempts of the engineers, but what does that have to do with the artists performance? It is all round complete and more satisfactory than its rival Spoleto performance under Hickox.

Recorded sound quality not up to Phillips standards.......2000-09-21

I would like to amplify upon a point made by a previous reviewer. The performance does indeed have the mentioned extraneous noises associated with the live performance, but I find that the real shortfall is simply the recorded sound quality, which is somewhat lacking in clarity, spaciousness, and dynamic range. Apparently the engineering used for the recording was not the best. Recorded sound quality of live performances can be marvelous even with footfalls and the occasional audience noises (I am thinking of Elektra with Behrens/Ozawa-Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Phillips label). But this one disappoints to a degree. I give it a few stars anyway for the fine performance.

Average customer rating:

Good job
Masterful!
Great CD of Classical music's power pieces!

Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder

Manufacturer: Time Life Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Thunderous Classics
Thunder & Lightning
25 Thunderous Classics
Classical Thunder II: Time Life Library of Classical Favorites
Simply the Best Classical Anthems

ASIN: B00081U6XC
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

Introduction
Ride Of The Valkyries
Mars, The Bringer Of War
Montagues And Capulets
Sabre Dance
William Tell Overture (Conclusion)
In The Hall Of The Mountain King
The Hut On Fowl's Legs
The Great Gate At Kiev
Fanfare For The Common Man
Allegro Con Brio
Marche Au Supplice (March To The Scaffold)
Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One)
Circus Maximus
Les Toreadors
Finlandia, Op.26
1812 Overture, Op.49 (Conclusion)

Tracks:

Procession Of The Nobles
Rakoczy March
Ritual Fire Dance
The Hero's Battlefield
Pines Of The Appian Way
Dies Irae
Allegro Con Brio
Allegretto
Air Et Danse Bacchanale
Farandole
Infernal Dance Of King Kastchei
O Fortuna
The Wedding Of Kije
Hurricane
Marche Slave, Op.31

Customer Reviews:

Good job.......2005-08-26

I remember when I was little, I had this cd, but i lost it. I bought a similiar type of one through TIme Life and decided to try the Classical Thunder one. I have like it so far.

Masterful!.......2005-06-15

This two CD set is magnificent. I got the set in the early 1990's when it was advertised on television, along with other releases in Time Life's set. I was struck by the interpretations of the conductors. Whenever I hear these pieces now, I judge them against this recording. Amazing selection as well. There are staples of orchestra repetoire, like Beethoven symphonies, but also gems that are not heard very often, like the Rimsky-Korsakov "Procession of the Nobles." A very impressive recording.

Great CD of Classical music's power pieces!.......2005-06-07

I got this CD when I was around 16 because I loved a lot of the music on this double CD set. As a student pursuing a Music Education major, it has been a great asset for my musically, and just great for listening to. I will drive on short trips and take this with me and blast it louder than the guy in the next car blasting rap music. I also take it skiing as it sets a great tempo down the mountain. This is a great CD for anyone that loves music.

Mikhail Pletnev - Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas nos. 2 - 7 - 8

Average customer rating:

I don't know who's listening, but this is a lovely record
An interesting

Mikhail Pletnev - Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas nos. 2 - 7 - 8
Sergey Prokofiev , and Mikhail Pletnev
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Chopin - Pletnev
Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10
Grieg: Lyric Pieces; Sonata; 7 Fugues
Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2; Ravel: Gaspard De La Nuit; Prokoviev: Piano Sonata no. 6 [Germany]
Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 4 & 6

ASIN: B000006NXO
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major, Op. 83: 1. Allegro inquieto - Andantino
Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major, Op. 83: 2. Andante caloroso
Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major, Op. 83: 3. Precipitato
Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: 1. Allegro, ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: 2. Scherzo: Allegro marcato
Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: 3. Andante
Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: 4. Vivace - Moderato
Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major, Op. 84: 1. Andante dolce - Allegro moderato
Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major, Op. 84: 2. Andante sognando
Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major, Op. 84: 3. Vivace - Allegro ben marcato - Andantino - Vivace, come prima

Amazon.com essential recording

There are two sides to Pletnev's character: the wayward virtuoso pianist, and the stiff, metronomic conductor. As a pianist Pletnev is fascinating; as a conductor, boring (at least usually). The reason for this dichotomy is simple: he hasn't a clue how to make an orchestra do what his fingers accomplish so effortlessly at the keyboard. Take the music of Prokofiev: he has recorded the ballet Cinderella, a performance of no particular distinction. But these sonatas are another matter entirely. Brilliant, rhapsodic, exciting, and powerful, Pletnev turns in magnificent performances, ones that stand comparison (in the 7th and 8th sonatas) with Richter, Pollini--you name it. It doesn't get any better. And as great Prokofiev sonata discs aren't exactly thick and furious in the current catalogue, this disc is a mandatory acquisition. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

I don't know who's listening, but this is a lovely record.......2006-08-31

Scriabin and Prokofiev are staples of the Russian piano literature on native soil, but in the U.S. one rarely hears them in recital. It's good to have this thoughtful CD from Pletnev, because his relaxed, lyrical, inward manner is rarely heard in Prokofiev. Most pianists approach his keyborad idiom as percussive and disjointed. Pletnev keeps those features to a minimum. As a result, it's not exhausting to listen to him performing three sonatas in a row. The opening movement of Sonata #2 is almost debussian in his hands, Sonata #7 for once isn't a brittle assault, and Sonata #8 is as balletic as an out take from Romeo and Juliet.

Collectors of this music are already wedded to great performances from Richter (above all), Gilels, Graffman, Bronfman, and ohters, but Pletnev is the most original interpreter I've heard--as always, he goes his own way.

An interesting.......2000-03-11

Pletnev's renditions of these sonatas has a melodic, sometimes dream-like quality that works best on the slower movements and works against him somewhat in the fiery, mechanistic parts. The complex layering in the 3rd movement seems to get a bit muddled and lost but overall it's not a bad version. A wonderful gem on this CD is the Scherzo from the 2nd sonata. It is very entertaining and I'd say the 2nd sonata is the best thing on the disc. By the way, my favorite rendition of the 7th is by Anthony di Bonaventura, but it's apparently no longer available.

Average customer rating:

Great Classic Themes
Simply Wonderful!
Simply Wonderful!
Halloween!!!!!!

Most Frightening Music in the Universe

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

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Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Classics from the Crypt
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More Of The Most Relaxing Classical Music In The Universe
The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

ASIN: B0002W4V0G
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Tracks:

Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Hermann - Suite From "Psycho": I. Prelude / II. The City / III. The Swamp / IV. The Murder / V. The Cellar / VI. Discovery
Wagner - Flying Dutchman Overture
Mussorgsky - Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus / Catacombs / Babi-Yar's Hut On Chicken's Legs
Berlioz - Symphony Fantastique: IV. March To The Scaffold / V. Dream Of The Witches Sabbath
Stravinsky - Firebird, IV. Infernal Dance Of The King Kashchei
Shostakovich - Cemetary (from The film "Five Days And Five Nights")
Holst - The Planets, Mars Bringer Of War

Tracks:

Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathrusta: I. Sehr Breit (Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey) / IX. The Song Of The Night Wanderer
Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain
Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet, The Montagues and the Capulets
Xenakis - The Pleiades, First Movement
Vivaldi - Four Seasons, Summer, III, Presto, Tempo Impetuoso D'Estate
Bernstein - The Grifters
Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring: III. Mock Abduction / XIII. Sacrificial Dance
Shostakovich - Symphony No 5, IV. Allegro Non Troppo
Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (From Fantasia)
Bernstein - Ghostbusters

Customer Reviews:

Great Classic Themes.......2006-09-11

This is an awesome collection of unsettling melodies from the masters, not just some horror movie themes (though it does have some Psyco). You will end up playing a round of "Where have I heard that score before?" because these melodies are very iconic.
The only complaint is that the track listing is somewhat occult. One has to use amazon.com's track listings and fill in the numbers.
Still, this is a great buy!!

Simply Wonderful!.......2006-05-18

I would like to begin my review of this wonderful CD by stating that I am not a "kid." (unless you consider a 14-year-old to still be a child) I am, however, too lazy too start a new Amazon.com account before typing about this great CD.

Now then... In my eyes, this CD recieved 5 stars because of (what else!) the music. The quality of the music to be more specific. The sound of it was great and the selection of the pieces was pure genius. My personal favorite would have to be a three-way tie between Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Dukas' Sorceror's Apprentice, and Stravinsky's The Right of Spring.

I will leave you tonight with one final thought... Is it just me, or are most of the pieces from "Fantasia"? At least 7 (!) of the pieces are from that age-old classic. I think it's funny that they are on a collection such as "The Most Frightening Music in the Universe". And could the cover art be any worse?!

All in all it is a great CD to add to any collection. (and cheap!) Thanks!

-Smith

Simply Wonderful!.......2006-05-18

Halloween!!!!!!.......2006-04-02

This Is Great i love Classical and halloween is my favorite holiday its great!! great collection

Live from the Concertgebouw, 1978 & 1979

Average customer rating:

If you only get one Martha Argerich disc...
DON'T YOU WISH YOU'D BEEN THERE?
Argerich's strengths and weaknesses
Great Chopin Nocturne
Not Martha's Best

Live from the Concertgebouw, 1978 & 1979
Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Frédéric Chopin , Alberto Ginastera , Sergey Prokofiev , Domenico Scarlatti , and Martha Argerich
Manuf