Stravinsky / Bach

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This record represents an interesting combination of styles: two works by Stravinsky, one neo-classical (Duo concertante--1932)and one quasi-baroque (Suite Italienne--1933), based on themes by Pergolesi and taken from his ballet Pulcinella, both for violin and piano. There are also two authentic baroque works: Bach's G-minor Sonata and B-minor Partita for unaccompanied violin. The program alternates the two composers, beginning with the least-accessible work, the Duo, which, with its wildly conflicting textures, cross-rhythms, meters and accents, sometimes sounds as if the performers were playing two different pieces simultaneously. Ferociously difficult, its three fast movements are dissonant, abrasive, and percussive, but the two slow ones are beautiful, sustained outpourings of songful lyricism. In the Suite, Stravinsky seems to be poking fun both at Pergolesi and himself, superimposing his own irregular rhythms and dissonances on the comparatively simple, innocent classical Italian opera melodies, and ending in an avalanche of hammered-out chords. The playing is terrific. Kavakos, a multiple first-prize winner, is a stunning but unobtrusive virtuoso with a gorgeous, variable, intense, expressive tone. He and Nagy, a splendid pianist and empathetic partner, clear all technical hurdles with easy aplomb, and bring out the Duo's dramatic contrasts and the Suite's sly humor and charm.

In the Bach, Kavakos goes semi-baroque, tuning his strings a half-step low and playing with sparing vibrato (but perfect intonation and a flawlessly pure tone), clear voice leading, incisive articulation, and often double-dotted rhythm. He arpeggiates all the chords, breaking them upward even if the voice to be sustained lies elsewhere. The Partita is a string of real dances: stately, austere, and brilliantly exuberant, but never excessively fast. In the Sonata, the sound is strangely over-reverberent, which helps sustain the chords, but minimizes the dynamic contrast. The first movement has a free, improvisatory feeling, but is surprisingly restless; the others are admirable. --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:

J.S. Bach: Capriccio in B-flat Major On The Departure of a Brother, BWV 992 - Arioso: Adagio - His friends try to persuade him not to undertake the journey. 2:07
Fughetta - They tell him of the various misfortunes that may befall him abroad. 1:08
Adagissimo - The general lament of his friends. 2:57
Andante - His friends come, since they see that it must be, and take leave of him. :23
Postilions Aria: Allegro poco - 1:20
Fugue in imitation of the posthorn - 2:14
Mozart: Sonata in E-flat Major, K. 282 - Adagio - 7:48
Menuetto I-II - 4:26
Allegro - 3:01
J.S. Bach: Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903 - Fantasy - 7:40
Fugue - 4:46
Chopin: Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op. 57 - 4:53
Stravinsky: Serenade in A - Hymne - 3:43
Romanza - 3:16
Rondoletto - 2:50
Cadenza finala - 3:50
Beethoven: Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor Fse, WoO.59 - 3:32

Tracks:

Bob Edwards Interviews Leon Fleisher on XM Radio's The Bob Edwards Show

Amazon.com

Leon Fleischer is the extraordinary pianist who lost the use of his right hand to a neurological ailment in 1964 at the height of his career. Undaunted, he took up teaching, conducting, and performing the left-hand literature so brilliantly that it was hard to believe he was using only one hand. When he returned to two-handed playing after years of medical treatments and determined, arduous rehabilitation, the public greeted him not only as a great artist but a conquering hero. This disc is his second two-handed recording (the first, Two Hands, was released in 2004). The title refers to the journey of life which, Fleischer says, "matters more than the destinations." The program features works Fleischer had performed regularly before 1964 but never recorded. Now in his late 70s, Fleischer plays with patrician authority and an unfailing sense of structure and style. His technical mastery seems fully intact, his tone is beautiful and variable, his youthful vigor remarkable. His Bach is especially striking for its simple directness and the clarity of its texture and counterpoint. In the Capriccio "On the Departure of a Brother," a piece of real "program music," he brings out the lamentation and the humor; in the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue the build-ups are very dramatic, the runs carefully shaped. Chopin's "Berceuse" is dreamy and singing. Stravinsky's "Serenade" alternates percussive passages with sardonic "melodies," and includes a marathon perpetual motion. An early, relatively unfamiliar Mozart sonata is fussy and unspontaneous, but Beethoven's very familiar "Für Elise" is beautiful. Is Fleischer demonstrating how this lovely piece, all too frequently heard on student recitals and telephones, should really sound? --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Special 2 disc set! (In addition to the album cd and an interview disc, a free Vanguard Classics sampler will be included in an initial Limited Edition run.)

"The Journey" is the follow up to Leon Fleisher's extraordinary Vanguard Classics release "Two Hands." Where "Two Hands" chronicled Fleisher's triumphant return to performing two-handed repertoire after 35 years, "The Journey" tells the rest of the story.

The works performed on "The Journey" are the pieces of music that Fleisher was preparing to perform in solo recitals at the time that dystonia began to affect his performing career in the early 1960's.

"The Journey" matches solo piano works rarely recorded, like Stravinsky's 'Serenade in A,' with the beautiful, melancholy touch that Leon Fleisher brings to popular works such as Chopin's 'Berceuse' and Beethoven's 'Für Elise.' The technical ability of a great pianist meets the poetic touch of a master in Bach's 'Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue' and Mozart's 'Sonata in E flat,' K. 272.

Mr. Fleisher is interviewed on Disc Two by Bob Edwards of XM Radio's 'The Bob Edwards Show.'

Customer Reviews:

Overall sublime, some drawbacks, but still rates a 5.......2006-12-29

I love Leon Fleisher for his lyrical interpretations of Bach and his amazing ability to perform Chopin. On this particular album there is a lot of Bach and a taste of Chopin. The Chopin is very reminiscent of Arthur Rubenstein and this is something I like very much about this artist.

In general, Fleisher brings an amazing sensitivity to his piano playing whatever the particular piece. His tone is simply gorgeous and it really shines through on every piece. Playing Mozart is not necessarily his strength, but this album does not devote a lot of time to this composer. His interpretations of Beethoven and Stravinsky are very well done.

Fleisher is certainly not a minor player on the concert stage even after his extensive layoff. Both this album and "Two Hands" are excellent even if you have recordings all of these pieces already. I play the piano seriously myself and I am thoroughly satisfied with this purchase.

A worthy successor to "Two Hands"!.......2006-10-19

Glad to note the recording's just that touch less distant and reverberant than "Two Hands" (far from dry!) that makes this sound so much like Fleisher does in concert, if closer, perhaps more ideally intimate than in real life. If anything Fleisher's playing now sounds even more technically secure again (jaw-dropping, actually, given his life "journey"), musically of course, I've become so partial to anything he's recorded at any stage in his career, I dare not say much: I can see why one critic has already referred to his interpretation of Mozart's K. 282 Sonata as "fussy" - it is indeed intricately detailed. So what? The better the stereo system one uses to listen to this, the more it becomes apparent no grace note's running against the flow - nothing wrong with seeing old warehorses in a new light, or is there? As to the Bach pieces, comparing the 'Traumatic' (!) Fantasy and Fugue to recordings by Edwin Fischer and Wilhelm Kempff (live on BBC Legends), I can only say that hearing it in another great interpretation is again improving my appreciation of what has always been one of the most fascinating, if never the easiest Bach to me to fully grasp. It's fascinating that Fleisher manages once again (as on "Two Hands") to set a mood for the whole disc (right away with Bach's "Arioso: Adagio" from the "On the Departure of a Brother" Capriccio, the whole of which he plays with genuine simplicity) and yet give each of these diverse compositions its due. The Bagatelle wrongly titled "Für Elise" receives one of its finest interpretations here (right now comparing it to Bruce Hungerford's more "daring" reading), for example. As happens to me so often with Fleisher, I'm also increasingly impressed with Stravinsky's Serenade, a piece I may so far not have taken seriously enough. In short, the riches here are once again far too many to enumerate...

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Average customer rating:

Who, What and Why.
nice
Appealing Junction of Master Oboists & Composers
Really masters...

Masters of the Oboe

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bach: 3 Oboe Concertos
Italian Oboe Concertos

ASIN: B000FGG6GG
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Tracks:

Andante E Spiccato - I Musici
Adagio - I Musici
Presto - I Musici
Allegro Aperto - John Mack
Adagio Non Troppo - John Mack
Rondo.Allegretto - John Mack
Allegro Moderato - Herbert Von Karajan
Andante - Herbert Von Karajan
Vivace - Allegro - Herbert Von Karajan
Rondo Pastorale - The Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields
Minuet & Musette - The Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields
Finale - The Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields

Tracks:

(Allegro) - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Adagio - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Allegro - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Allegro - Stephen Shingles
Adagio - Stephen Shingles
Rondeau. Allegro - Stephen Shingles
Prelude From Le Tombeau De Couperin - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Finale. Presto - Heinz Holliger
No.1 Nicht Schnell - Hansjorg Schellenberger
No.2 Einfach, Innig - Hansjorg Schellenberger
No.3 Nicht Schnell - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Pan - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Phaeton - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Niobe - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Bacchus - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Narcissus - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Arethusa - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Elegie - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Scherzo - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Deploration - Hansjorg Schellenberger
Pastorale - Joseph Silverstein

Customer Reviews:

Who, What and Why........2007-05-30

I recommend this cd for the listener who would like to hear a large sampling of oboe repertoire at a reasonable price. That said, I believe your money is better commited to other recordings of the pieces represented in this collection that highlight the individual mastery of oboe that these artists have achchieved.

For examlple:

Le Tombeau de Couperin: James Caldwell with The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia, conducted by Anshel Brusilow. This recording is by far the most artistic, and lyrical recording of Tombeau I have ever heard. It was rereleased on the cd "Building Castles in the Sky". (which also contains quintessential Baroque recordings of Telemann and Handel)
Building Castles in the Sky

Richard Strauss, Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra: Alex Klein with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barenboim. a definitive recording. grammy winner.
Strauss: Wind Concertos

Marcello in D min. : John de Lancie, Ray Still
Concertos for Oboe

Mozart k314: John Mack, Conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi (Cleveland Orchestra Mozart: Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon Concertos.) strong recording of a pivotal repertoire piece.
Chicago Symphony released two recordings of the mozart, one with Ray Still and one with Alex Klein. Released on The Chicago Principal Reocrdings volume 1 and 3.
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Oboe Concerto; Bassoon Concerto /F Cohen * Mack * McGill * Cleveland Orchestra * Dohnanyi
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3; Bassoon Concerto; Oboe Concerto; Haydn: Trumpet Concerto

I recommend these recordings for all listeners who desire the most artistic and expressive recordings possibly available. They are also an essential addition to any music collection.

nice.......2007-01-11

Received in a few weeks, probably because it was shipped with another oboe cd. Both are excellent cd's and were in very good condiiton.

Appealing Junction of Master Oboists & Composers.......2006-12-14

This two CD set brings together eleven great composers: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Marcello, Vaughan Williams, Ravel, Schumann, Britten, Poulenc and Stravinsky with their compositions for oboe. These are played by eight oboists: Black, Gomberg, Holliger, Koch, Mack, Nicklin, Schellenberger and Still. This is all world oboe team from Europe as well as states.

For many like me you will find both some familiar pieces and performers and some new ones to discover and delight in as well. New in this set for this reviewer was Strauss' Concerto in D Major for Oboe and Small Orchestra, played here wonderfully by Lothar Koch backed by Berliner Philharmonic. The Andante and Vivace were moving pieces! However, my favorite track which is also new is the Finale/Presto to Beethoven's Trio in C Major for 2 Oboes and English Horn.

This collection also allowed me to be acquainted with an oboist previously not known to me, Celia Nicklin. She performs Vaughan Williams Concerto for Oboe and Strings, ably backed by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Sir Neville. This pastoral work is dreamy and flowing, and Nicklin's playing enhances this with clarity and clear tonal sound.

Black's stylistic playing is very evident and carrys the day on Mozart's Quartet in F Major for Oboe and Strings, especially his fine delivery on the Rondeau.

Such a nice collection of composers and oboists that should be purchased, given and listened to with joy.

Really masters..........2006-11-04

I recommended this CD not only for oboists. It can be really helpful for peoples, who study music or just interested about oboe. But it is not CD for «phone».
Of course, all oboists are marvelous. And when they strike up, I go away from my listening-room.

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

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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

Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967

Average customer rating:

A memento of a conductor lost in the golden age
Remembering Ansermet in style
Ansermet is Awesome, and...

Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies

ASIN: B000JU7N7Y
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Customer Reviews:

A memento of a conductor lost in the golden age.......2007-06-20

This 6-CD set gives uninitiated listeners a fair introduction to a conductor they never knew while he was alive or in his heyday. Ernest Anserment (1883-1969) was born in Switzerland and was a contemporary of both Furtwängler and Klemperer, although he was of a far different school of music than either German. Originally a mathematician, Ansermet founded Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Swiss Radio Orchestra) during World War I, toured with them worldwide after the war, and rose to prominence after World War II when he and the orchestra developed a recording contract with Decca Records.

Ansermet was most at home in coolorful scores, 20th century French music, in the works of his countrymen Honegger (born French but spent time in Zurich) and Frank Martin, and in the Russians Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. But, as represented here, his expertise began with Bach and went well into the 20th century.

Ansermet's strengths were clarity in execution and delivery, strict adherence to original scoring (he opposed Stravinsky's tendency to revise his own works), and a romantic bent that was in vogue in the postwar years. Stated another way, Anserment's work captured the essence of what today might be characterized as a "romantic period performance" style whose chief proponent may be Martin Perlman in Boston.

For me, Ansermet's conducting in the mainstream German classics was equally engaging. He was expert in capturing the full blown romance of Brahms, Beethoven and other romantics through the rigors of exposing every instrument in the orchestra and ensuring all contrapuntal lines could be heard. His Beethoven set included a dazzling performance of the Symphony No. 2 and a draft of the "Choral" symphony most collectors would enjoy today (it's still avaiable in Japan).

While recordings of Ansermet's Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky have rightly stayed in the catalog and been hailed by critics for decades, his greatest recording of romantic repertoire, in my opinion, is neither included in this box nor avaialable anywhere worldwide. That is his pairing of the Franck D Minor Symphony and the St. Saens "Organ" Symphony which Decca paired early in the CD era on a Weekends Classic recording. It has been out of print everywhere for some time and is a great loss for all of us.

Still today, I treasure Ansermet's box of Beethoven symphonies (also out of print everywehere; No. 4, is represented here) for its clarity, romance and elocution. I will never forget buying this box at my local LP store about 1972; what a revelation it was after exposure to the Beethoven of all the high cholesterol German romantics! Ansermet's combination of score adherence, clarity in orchestral detail, and blooming romance in interpretation led to my most satisfying performances of the most recorded symphonies in history during the period when the greatest conductors of the recording era were all represented in this repertoire.

The latter point is, I believe, the linchpin to Ansermet's career. I don't think there's any question that, if a conductor came along today with his combination of skills, sensitivity and technique, he or she would be regarded as a wunderkind combining the best traits of the current and bygone eras. In his lifetime, however, Ansermet was never regarded in this way. I think that's because he existed on a plane or two below all the acknowledged giants of the podium that were active or in their prime in his day.

While Ansermet was making the recordings in this box, Wilhelm Furtwangler was conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, dying, and being replaced by an up and coming German named Karajan that would go on the become the most recorded conductor in history. Klemperer was one of the giants in Germany with Bohm, Jochum and others sharing the spotlight. Among Europe's rising stars of the day were Colin Davis and Bernard Haitink, who had recently taken over for Beinum in Holland. Elsewhere, Leonard Bernstein was in the midst of his titanic career on the other side of the Atlantic and other American orchestral posts were manned by Ormandy, Szell, Solti, Mehta, Monteaux and another young, up and coming condcutor, Lorin Mazzel. Stokowski was in his prime making stereo recordings in this era, too.

This was the epoch of Ansermet's maturity. He was in the same position as a number of great conductors of his era such as Rudolf Kempe -- great men at the podium cast in the shadow of giants. While Ansermet was a member of the Decca stable, he nonetheless was cast in a secondary role as Decca also had new recordings by Solti and Maazel that were outselling anything Ansermet put forth. Simultanously, collectors could also find all the recordings of legendary conductors including Toscanini, Bruno Walter and Beecham. It was surely a crowded time in the record business and the most difficult time in history for a conductor to make his name.

In baseball terms, Ansermet had some of the affect of Sammy Sosa, whose 600 home runs came in the shadow of Mark McGwire's record-breaking season in 1998 and while Barry Bonds would first break the all-time single season record and, second, chase Hank Aaron's home run record. The metaphor may not be competely satisfactory for Ansermet was probably not the third greatest conducting home run hitter of his day.

But he was one of the great conductors with his own orchestra, a unique style, a broad repertoire, and a delivery mechanism underrated due to the shadow cast on him by other greats of the day. We are fortunate, living in the late digital era, to have this testament of his work before us. Now a new generation of listeners can hear what many did a half-century ago with new ears developed in the period performance practice era.

Of the contents of this set, my favorites are the Haydn Symphony 22, Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite, the orchestrated Schumann Carnaval (which I had never heard before), both Resphigi suites -- Pines of Rome and Rossiniana -- Honneger's Pacific 231 and Frank Martin's Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion and String Orchestra, an interesting, powerful and lively 20th century concerto. I agree with an earlier reviewer that said this set cherry picks certain pieces, teasing you with portions such as the Borodin Polovtsian Dances and Dukas La Peri selections. Still, there's enough here to satisfy both Ansermet enthusiasts and newcomers to the conductor.

Remembering Ansermet in style.......2007-03-01

Ernest Ansermet was one of Decca's most prolific artists, to whom they consigned dozens of Stravinsky works, the standard Russian repertoire, and all French music. We've been steadily getting reissues of this output, and here's the latest batch. Newcomers may be surprised at how good even the earliest sound is, but they should also expect less than virtuosic playing from the Suisse Romande orchestra; the lack in execution is made up for by the special tang of French winds and brass, a constant pleasure throughout.

CD 1: Ansermet conducted very good Bach and Brahms but is little known for that. Here we get a sampling of his skill in German music. The snippet of orchestral music from Bach's Cantata #31 is a prelude to a fresh, lively Haydn Sym. #22 "The Philosopher" (named for its sober opening Adagio) that's performed in the same gentle, loving style as Bruno Walter's Haydn. The same soft-grained approach applies to the Beethoven 4th Sym., but in this case the scrawniness of the string section compares badly with great German and American orchestras, and one also feels that Ansermet really should dig in more. But if you want a feminine reading of a symphony often called feminine by older critics, this is a fine one. This generous disc ends with three overtures many listeners won't already own: Weber's Ruler of the Spheres and Preciosa Over., plus the more familiar Mendelssohn Ruy Blas. The performances are lively to the point of brashness, and very enjoyable.

CD 2: This disc is Russian and Finnish. For many French conductors Russian music comes as second nature, and this is true for Ansermet. His suite of Polovtsian Dances from Borodin's Prince Igor is light, fast, and pointed. Rendering a pops staple with such detailed delicacy really refreshes it; Ansermet's version is worthy to stand beside Beecham's minor classic. In the same vein is Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite, which as Mr. Richman points out, is different from the complete score performed by Ansermet on Decca's box set of his Stravinsky recordings. The stereo sound is rather narrow and thin, but this Pulcinella is a model of how to avoid heaviness and over-emphasis in this music. Nobody would expect the Sibelius Fourth to follow, nor is Ansermet noted for being a Sibelian. His reading is super-clear, lean, and light-textured. It works very well in this pastoral music, although for intensity and better execution one has to look elsewhere.

CD 3: From here on out the music is primarily French, the area of Ansermet's greatest renown. Decca has kindly provided some rarities to everybody but committed collectors. This disc starts out with pops chestnuts, however, including one excerpt each from Coppelia and Sylvia (why bother?) and then the more unusual Saint-Saens Chasseur Maudit tone poem. Given that the ballet snippets are sparkling, as always from this conductor, while the Saint-Saens lacks atmosphere and panache, the choice is dubious. After bits of Chabrier and Faure we arrive at a curiostiy, an orchestration under the title of Coquette (for ballet) of Schumann's Carnaval. Nobody plays these transcriptions anymore, but I msut confess to being delighted with this one, which is full of vivacity and sounds like Offenbach--you'd swear a can-can or two has been thrown in.

CD 4: When Faure's orchestral music gained a flurry of popularity in the Sixties, Ansermet led the way. This version of Masques et Bergamesques is all that anyone could desire. The mock-classic idiom isn't that far removed from Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin, music I usualy don't have much patience with--it sounds dainty and precious--but Ansermet's reading is winning in its directness. I was quite ready to leave wispy Gallic nostalgia behind, but next comes more of the same--Debussy's Petite Suite and other atmospheric bits from him. This disc was the first to lose my atention, even though on its own terms the musicmaking is expert, if not as charismatic as Beecham's way with trifles. The disc ends with a light, bright reading of Respighi's Fountains of Rome blessedly free of vulgarity.

CD 5: Honegger gained wide popularity with two religious oratorios, Joan of Arc at the Stake and this King David, even though both works have slipped out of the repertoire outside France. King David uses cinematic Orientalism and modal harmonies to describe ancient Jerusalem, a style that seems a bit cheap and slithery nowadays. But the combination of spoken narration, vocal soloists, and choruses, all in highly accessible music that never challenges the first-time listener, has its appeal. Ansermet's was one of the classic versions in stereo, and here it is, elegantly displaying Honegger's dramatic intentions. However, for me the total effect was like kindergarten Stravinsky.

CD 6: Dukas' admireres point to his opera La Peri as a minor masterpiece, and here we get a hint via the Fanfare and one dance, followed by a pops march from Rimsky's Dubinushka, a rare item for certain. More familiar is the suite of Rossini excerpts known as Rossiniana (antoher ballet), and I can't imagine anyone doing it with quite the same elegant polish of Ansermet. The recorded sound is extremely detailed in its transparency, which made it an early audiophile classic. Back to Stravinsky for a colorful but fairly leaden Scherzo a la russe, not a striking effort. But what follows is striking and perhaps the best thing in the set, Frank Martin's Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Percussion, and Strings, a nod to the orchestra's Swiss-ness. The playing is pointed and eager, and Ansermet conducts so well that the work is jsutified as being a minor masterpiece of Poulenc-inspired whimsical elegance.

What to say overall? This box set has no bad performances and many striking ones. I think judgment comes down to one's tastes in music. Mine don't tend toward ballet and French pops, or to Honegger's religious crossover style, so I'm not the best one to recommend what is in any case a very enjoyable listen from beginning to end.

Ansermet is Awesome, and..........2007-02-22

Generally I am a big fan of the Original Masters box sets, but with this latest collection Decca/UNI has gone too far. Don't get me wrong there are some wonderful rare recordings on "Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967" -- Haydn's 22nd Symphony, Beethoven's 4th, Sibelius' 4th, Respighi's Fountains of Rome, an entire CD of Honegger performances, and even Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite, a different version from the full account contained on Ansermet's Stravinsky box (see my review). But way too much of the rest of this set is just repackaged previously available material. In fairness much of it has been out of print, or only available in Japan, but that won't do much to satisfy the serious collectors to whom this series is aimed, and who have gone to great lengths to track down those previous CD incarnations. What makes matters worse is the sampling is so far and wide that not only is the sequencing haphazard, but it is infuriating for those of us that have purchased other Ansermet titles in the past. For example, reprised from his "Double Decca" Rimsky-Korsakov title we get one lousy four minute selection, "Dubinushka." Why bother to include it? Just go buy the two-fer!!! They mention Ansermet's pioneering stereo recording of "Antar" in the liner notes, so why not include that here instead. The only other way to currently get the "Antar" is with an often reissued account of Scheherazade as a Decca Legend import, which no one buys because it duplicates their collections. Another example is the Debussy Six Epigraphes, which was recently reissued on Testament -- why include it? For that matter why tack on Borodin's Polovtsian Dances when they are already on his great CD with Borodin's 2nd & 3rd Symphonies? Why include another four minute track -- Stravinsky's Scherzo a la Russe -- when it is on the aforementioned Stravinsky box? I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the Delibes, Franck, Faure, Ravel, Martin and other Debussy selections have all been available elsewhere. Of course, since Decca/UNI has only picked a couple of tracks at most from those original titles, it's not like you can just discard or sell the old CDs you own, or burn the remaining selections you need. With so many other rare Ansermet recordings lingering in the vaults or only on expensive imports -- Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, Brahms, Lalo, Roussel, Schumann, etc. -- surely a more cohesive reissue strategy could have been applied by Decca/UNI. If you plan on eventually giving us the "Complete" Decca Ansermet recordings over time, through various OM volumes, all of my fussing is moot, however I seriously doubt that is in their marketing plans. Next time, instead of making us an expanded "Great Conductors of the Century" title or some sort of awkward "Greatest Hits" collection, concentrate on the rare performances that a connoisseur would want, and stick them all on one limited edition box, with fewer discs if necessary.

Average customer rating:

Love It!
Best of the Best
GREAT compilation!!!
Very well organized
The greatest parts from all your favorites

Mad about The Classics

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Opera Goes to the Movies
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Mad About Mad About
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Mad About Guitars

ASIN: B000001GKR
Release Date: 1993-08-10

Tracks:

Thus Spake Zarathustra: Sunrise
Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
Carmen Suite: March Of The Toreadors
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
Orpheus In The Underworld: Can Can
Peer Gynt (Suite No. 1): Morning Mood
William Tell Overture: Finale
Symphony No. 9 ('From The New World'): Largo (Theme)
Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries
Prince Igor: Flowing Dance Of The Polovtsian Maidens-Men's Dance
Hungarian Dance No. 6
The Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan
The Four Seasons: 'Spring' - Allegro
Jesu, Joy Of The Man's Desiring - Bach
Canon In D
Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro
Symphony No. 5: Allegro con brio
Peer Gynt (Suite No. 1): In The Hall Of The Mountain King
The Firebird Suite: Finale
1812 Overture: Finale - Tchaikovsky

Customer Reviews:

Love It!.......2005-08-11

I first received this CD as a Christmas present more than 6 years ago. My old copy was too scratched to play any more. I was so happy to see that Amazon carried this CD, it has all the best classics on it!

Best of the Best.......2005-05-11

I listen to a variety of music from Cajun to classic rock, to classical---depending on my mood or the situation. This clasical ensemble truly encompasses some of the most hauntingly beautiful music ever to have been written by our civilization's most talented people. I never tire of listening to it.

GREAT compilation!!!.......1999-07-27

I can only wish that popular music (rock, rap, dance) compilers could take a hint from this album, and include only the GOOD songs. This has all of the well-known classical songs. I really wanted to get the title of a particular classical song, and I looked for 4 weeks on the Internet until I remembered I had this album. I put it in, and the second song, "O Fortuna", was it.

Very well organized.......1999-06-25

I really like to llisten your these MAD ABOUT series. However, I could not buy these series in Japan. Please let me now how to buy these series. And tell me what kind of albums you have in stock, and how much if I need air persel. Thanks.

The greatest parts from all your favorites.......1998-10-18

From 2001: A Space Odyssey's theme, to Beethoven's fifth, this CD has the all time best compilation of Classical and Romatic music I have ever heard. The only thing that comes close is Polygram's Really Mad About the Classics.

Average customer rating:

McFerrin as a Conductor, not a Vocalist
Don't miss this gem!
Basic yet entertaining
Gorgeous recordings, favorite version of Boccherini's minuet
Bobby McFerrin can do it all

Paper Music

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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The Mozart Sessions
Hush
Play
Beyond Words
The Voice

ASIN: B000002A9Q
Release Date: 1995-07-25

Tracks:

Overture
Menuet From String Quintet No. 1 In E Major, Op. 12, No. 5, G. 275: Menuet
Pavane, Op. 50: Pavane
Minuetto And Finale From Pulcinella Suite (rev. 1949): Minuetto & Finale
Concerto In G Minor For 2 Cellos, Strings And Continuo, RV 531: I. Allegro
Concerto In G Minor For 2 Cellos, Strings And Continuo, RV 531: II. Largo
Concerto In G Minor For 2 Cellos, Strings And Continuo, RV 531: III. Allegro
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61, No 1: Scherzo
Concerto In A Minor For Violin, Strings And Continuo: First Movement
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525: I. Allegro
II. Romance. Andante
III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio
IV. Rondo. Allegro
Andante Cantabile for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. Posthumous

Customer Reviews:

McFerrin as a Conductor, not a Vocalist.......2007-02-12

I enjoyed but was disappointed by this CD- It highlights McFerrin's abilities as a conductor. I looked to this music to hear him as a vocalist. Do not let my disappointment detract from this excellent work.

Don't miss this gem!.......2006-12-14

I was first familiar with Bobby McFerrin as the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" guy, but he is also an extremely talented classical musician, both conducting the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and vocalizing some of the instrumental parts on this CD. Whether singing Faure, Vivaldi, Bach, or Tchaikovsky, McFerrin "becomes" a violin or cello, demonstrating his amazing vocal range and virtuosity. The pieces without his vocal addition are also a delight, due to McFerrin's skillful interpretation of these classics. I love this CD!

Basic yet entertaining.......2003-08-08

Nicely done. A great vocal performence by Bobby McFerrin (as usual,) but a choice of very basic "classics."
There's a lot of weight put on the music of Mozart, amongst which "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is included. I think no one alive haven't heard it already, and I personaly think it's starting to taste like wood, no matter how good the orchestra is. The piece is 17.5 minutes long, and does not feature McFerrin's voice (nothing revolutionary.)
What made decide to purchase "Paper Music" was that I'd heard this version of Faure's "Pavane" - which here, with McFerrin's voice, is beautifully performed (almost reason alone to get the CD.)
After having heard this version of the piece and having read somewhere that a version of Stravinsky's Minuetto & Finale from "Pulcinella Suite" also is included I ordered the CD immediately...but McFerrin doesn't sing on the piece and it's not as satisfying, to me, as listening to the piece conducted by Stravinsky himself (or better yet - by Yoel Levi.)
There could be more pieces featuring vocals (only five tracks do,) because every time McFerrin sings here "something new is brought to old music" (in lack of a better way of putting it.)
Tchaikovsky's "Andante cantabile for cello and string orchestra," which closes the album, is another high-light that also features McFerrin's vocals.
Get this disc if you like well performed classical music.
I, myself, enjoy the modern classical music of Varèse and Stravinsky et al, where there are constant surprises (and "new" sounds by only an element such as unorthodox instrumentation.) I do not, however, regret having spent a few dollars on this CD - it is worth giving a leave of absence from the old dust collector every now and then.

Gorgeous recordings, favorite version of Boccherini's minuet.......2002-03-03

Amazing...the result of his voice added to some of these scores is so gorgeous. He doesn't overdo it, so that it adds to the music without taking away from it. This is a positive review from a very conservative classical enthusiast who usually doesn't tolerate adding anything to the original score. One of my favorite CD's. I think many children who like to hum to music would also like this CD as an intro to classical music. His conducting of Mozart though wasn't to my taste, try Sir Neville Marriner and the Orchestra of St. Martin in the Fields.

Bobby McFerrin can do it all.......2000-01-13

I listen to artist such as Bootsy Collins, Jimi Hendrix, and Funkadelic. I never listened to classical or even considered it. I just happened to pick up this cd and give it a try. I remember Bobby McFerrin from "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and decided to buy this cd. Man! This cd has added another demension to music for me. I don't know much about classical music but thanks to this cd I plan on learning and listening to much more. This cd kind of has a jazzy essence to it. Its like McFerrin added some of his own jazzy grooves to the classical writings. Bobby McFerrin is a very talented musican, vocalist, and conductor.

Average customer rating:

Orchestral Trumpet Player's Bible:
Essential Recording for Any Trumpet Player
Most Excellent
Awesome!
Excellent for aspiring trumpet players, otherwise...

Orchestral Excerpts For Trumpet

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

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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David Hickman, Trumpet
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Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos

ASIN: B0000038JG
Release Date: 1995-02-07

Tracks:

Trumpet concerto: Brandenburg Concerto No.2 - Trumpet Concerto
Petrouchka
Pictures at an Exhibition
Leonore Nos. 3&2
Ein Heldenleben
Symphony No.5
Scheherazade
Don Juan
Fetes
Piano Concerto In G
Piano Cto. No. 1
Pines Of Rome
Concerto For Orchestra
Carmen Prelude
Firebird Suite
Parsifal Prelude
La Mer
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 3 (Post Horn)
Capriccio Espagnol
American In Paris
Magnificat

Customer Reviews:

Orchestral Trumpet Player's Bible:.......2003-05-08

I carry this recording around with me in my case, and listen to it before auditions, concerts, rehearsals, etc. It's simply how the excerpts (along with trumpet playing in general) should sound. Smith's virtuostic playing, coupled with his vast orchestral experience, really teach the parts. All trumpet players, top to bottom, have something to learn from this CD--and while the entire work (with orchestra) and part should be studied (Smith actually recommends this), it is still very useful to hear one of the finest players on earth performing just the trumpet part.

Essential Recording for Any Trumpet Player.......2001-05-24

If any principal orchestral trumpet player has succeeded Adolph Herseth as the "state of the art," the probable consensus among his peers would be Philip Smith of the New York Philharmonic. His virtually flawless technique, gourgeous sound, rarified musicianship and exceptional leadership make him virtually unique in his field, and his more than 20 years with the Philharmonic (plus his early years with the Chicago Symphony) have firmly established him as one of the greats in the history of orchestral brass performance.

Measured simply as a documentation of his skills, this recording would be an extraordinary document - the playing throughout is stupendous. But this is much more than that; Mr. Smith proves to be as articulate (mild "New Yoahk" accent and all) as he is talented, and his performance suggestions are truly helpful, even for those of us without his superhuman abilities. The recorded sound is superb, and overall this is a joy to listen to at every level. I recommend it without reservation for any trumpet player aspiring to a higher level of musicianship and performance - and if you play it at full volume shortly after your warmup, your neighbors will be very impressed.

Most Excellent.......1999-12-13

As a trumpet player, I must say that Phil Smith's comments during each track are immensely beneficial. His thoughts have produced profound understanding in my trumpet playing, and despite the fact that this CD is intended as a grouping of Phil Smith's insights into common Orchestral Excerpts and his following demonstration, I have countless times listened out of pure enjoyment than to gain expert insight. His tone is the most beautiful I have ever heard, and it shows on this CD. I recommend this particularly for any aspiring trumpet student.

Awesome!.......1999-10-25

The previous reviewer of this CD missed the point of the CD. Lets say your working on the Carmern Prelude or Stravinsky Pétrouchka you buy this CD, and learn how Philip Smith (one of the greatest symphonic trumpet players in the world) would interpret and play it. Thats why its entitled Orchestra Trumpet Excerpts.

Excellent for aspiring trumpet players, otherwise..........1999-05-31

This CD would be excellent for aspiring orchestral trumpeters and soloists; although Philip Smith conveys his expertise exceptionally well, this short snips of music on this CD are no substitute for the actual full-orchestra recordings.

Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964

Average customer rating:

Innate Musicality
An easy way to get some of Monteux's greatest recordings in one box
More Magnificent Monteux, Lots of Duplication

Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Arthur Grumiaux: Philips Recordings, 1955-1978

ASIN: B000G6BJKS
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Tracks:

Ouverture: Grave - Allegro
Rondeau: Allegro
Sarabande
Bourrees I & II
Polonaise
Menuet
Badinerie
Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
I Allegro Aperto
II Andante Ma Non Troppo
III Allegro
I Adagio - Presto
II Andante
III Menuetto E Trio: Allegretto
IV Finale: Vivace

Tracks:

Tragic Overture
Academic Festival Overture, Op.80
I Allegro Non Troppo
II Adagio Non Troppo - L'istesso Tempo, Ma Grazioso
III Allegretto Grazioso (Quasi Andantino) - Presto Ma Non Assai
IV Allegro Con Spirito

Tracks:

Prelude A L'apres-Midi D'un Faune
Nuages
Fetes
I Gigues/II Iberia
Par Les Rues Et Par Les Chemins
Les Parfums De La Nuit
La Matin D'un Jour De Fete
III Rondes De Printemps
Le Cour De Lys
Danse Extatique Et Finale Du Ier Acte
La Passion
Le Bon Pasteur

Tracks:

Introduction
Dance Of The Firebird
Round Dance Of The Princesses
Infernal Dance Of King Kastchei
Berceuse
Finale
La Valse
Prelude
Danse Du Rouet Et Scene-Interlude
Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant
Interlude
Les Entretiens De La Belle Et De La Bete
Interlude
Petit Poucet
Interlude
Laideronnette, Imperatrice Des Pagodes
Interlude
Apotheose: Le Jardin Feerique
Bolero

Tracks:

Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op.56A
Introduction
No.1:Marche/No.3:Pas De Six
Introduction
Variation IV:Fairy Of The Canaries
Variation V: Violente
No.6:Valse/No.8:Pas D'Action
A)Rose Adagio
C) Aurora's Variation
D) Coda
No.9: Finale
No.13:Farandole
No.17:Panorama
No.22:Polacca/No.23:Pas De Quatre
Intrada
Variation II: The Silver Fairy
Variation IV:The Diamond Fairy
Coda/No.25:Pas De Quatre
A) Adagio
Variation I:Cinderella And Prince Fortune
Variation II: The Bluebird And Princess Florine
Coda/No.26:Pas De Caractere
A) Red Riding Hood And The Wolf/No.28:Pas De Deux (Aurora And Desire)
B)Adagio
Coda/No.30:Finale
Mazurka
Apotheosis

Tracks:

I Allegretto
II Tempo Andante
III Vivacissimo
IV Finale: Allegro Moderato
Theme (Enigma): Andante
I C.A.E.:Andante
II H.D.S-P.:Allegro
III R.B.T.:Allegretto
IV W.M.B.:Allegro Di Molto
V R.P.A.:Moderato
VI Ysobel:Andantino
VII Troyte:Presto
VIII W.N.:Allegretto
IX Nimrod:Adagio
X Dorabella (Intermezzo):Allegretto
XI G.R.S.:Allegro Di Molto
XII B.G.N.:Andante
XIII *** (Romanza):Moderato
XIV E.D.U. (Finale):Allegro

Tracks:

Tableau I:Fete Populaire De La Semaine Grasse
Tableau II:Chez Petrouchka
Tableau III:Chez Le Maure
Tableau IV:Fete Populaire De La Semaine Grasse (Vers Le Soir)
Introduction
Les Augures Printaniers
Jeu Du Rapt-Ritual Of Abduction
Rondes Printanieres-Spring Rounds
Jeux Des Cites Rivales-Ritual Of The Rival Tribes
Cortege Du Sage-Procession Of The Sage
Danse De La Terre-Dance Of The Earth
Introduction
Cercles Mysterieux Des Adolescentes-Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls
Glorification De L'Elue-Glorification Of The Chosen One
Evocation Des Ancetres-Evocation Of The Ancestors
Action Rituelle Des Ancetres-Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
Danse Sacrale:L'Elue-Sacrificial Dance:The Chosen One

Customer Reviews:

Innate Musicality.......2007-06-02

Pierre Monteux belonged to a generation of conductors that prized musicality over careerism. Not that he didn't have an illustrious career: after all, he was the conductor chosen to premiere Stravinsky's *Rite of Spring* and subsequently directed and helped to build world-class orchestras here and abroad. But Monteux's first priority was to communicate -- with a geniality and effortlessness nearly unique among his peers -- both the letter and the spirit of the score. He was a great poet among conductors, and there are few even in his own generation who approached musicmaking with such exuberance.

The Decca compilation under review is a veritable treasure trove of Monteux's late work with three orchestras -- the LSO, the VPO and the Paris Conservatoire. Oddly it is his confederates from Paris who seem to let him down; the three Stravinsky Ballets featured here could use greater precision of execution as well as emotional vehemence. One might not have guessed from this somewhat etiolated *Rite of Spring* that Monteux was associated with this work, and with the composer, from the beginning of his career.

Apart from this caveat, however, there is some wonderful music-making here: including an exquisitely shaped Bach and Mozart (featuring the composer's son as the virtuosic flute soloist), an athletic Brahms Second and Haydn Variations, a uniquely poised, gallic account of Elgar's "Enigma Variations," and a generous sequence of excerpts (long unavailable) from *The Sleeping Beauty* (to remind us of Monteux's credentials as a ballet conductor). Best of all are the Debussy and Ravel items, with which one senses a total identification of conductor with composer. Not even Münch or Ansermet surpassed Monteux's accomplishment in "Impressionist" repertoire. Compared with Monteux, Münch seems hot-headed and Ansermet downright chilly.

A strong recommendation then, except for the Stravinsky (which Monteux recorded more sucessfully with other orchestras both earlier and later in his career -- perhaps Decca can be persuaded to give us those performances in any subsequent Monteux Anthology).

An easy way to get some of Monteux's greatest recordings in one box.......2007-04-23

He was great, lovable, and lived forever. Pierre Monteux left nothing but good memories behind (even if the BSO did walk out on him in the 20's in an unsuccessful attempt at a strike), and he spanned the very heart of the twentieth century, premiering The Rite of Spring in 1913 (he was already 38) and then surviving into the era of the Beatles before he died in 1964. Decca and Philips recorded him in his last decade when Monteux headed the London Sym., and he was not always at his best. Yet in this 7-CD box set there are many cherishable performances (as Mr. Richman points out, serious collectors will have to put up with considerable duplication of material already available on CD).

CD 1 begins with a romantic Bach Suite No. 2 that is nevertheless bright, airy, and vividly recorded. The same spirit imbues the Gluck Dance of the Blessed Spirits, but the Mozart Flute concerto #2 seems a trifle leaden. I found my attention wandering during this CD and would account only the Haydn Sym. 101 "The Clock" as first-rate Monteux--it's a warm, lyrical reading without a trace of stodginess.

CD 2 should be Exhibit A in any argument that a Frehnch conductor can do justice to Brahms. Actually, Monteux's reputation for Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky overshadowed his linfelong devotion to the German classical tradition. All three works here---the Tragic Over., Academic Festival Over., and Sym. #2--show that Monteux's Brahms was basically untroubled and sunny but never glib. You may miss Brahms's turmoil (and wonder how anyone could find less tragedy in the Tragic Over.), but the pastoral Sym. #2 was just th right choice for Monteux's style and has been a collector's staple for years. Like the Haydn, it has the benefit of the golden-voiced Vienna Phil., here sounding a little too casual, perhaps.

CD 3 plays to Monteux's great strength in French music of his own era, since he was, after all, a near-contemporary of Debussy. This all-Debussy CD with the London Sym. is self-recommending and well recorded, fuly up to today's standards. The Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun moves surprisingly swiftly, with no patience for fussy longueurs. The Trois Nocturnes are shorn of the third movement (no doubt someone was too cheap to pay for the women's chorus) and is again surprisingly direct. The primary work here are the Images. There are rival recordings (by Karajan and Levine, for example) that make more of the music's magical atmosphere and pinpoint virtuosity. by comparison Monteux is dramatic, direct, and without fuss. I am no admirere of Debussy in religious mode, but the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian Suite goes well.

CD 4 plays to strength again with Stravinsky and Ravel. These are also self-recommending recordings, but in truth the Firebird comes off a bit to relaxed compared to the composer's reading, and less virtuosic than we've become used to. I found my attention wandering, but I sat up for Monteux's all but definitive Ravel (Bolero, La Valse, Ma Mere l"oye), where everything seems jsut right, evoking the composer's magical abilities at orchestration while avoiding his neurotic and precious tendencies. Healthy Ravel from a conductor who seemed the picture of psychological health himself.

CD 5 takes us back to Brahms with a set of Haydn Variations, then on to Tchaikovsky with a generous suite from the Sleeping Beauty. These LSO recordings have been widely available. The Brahms fits Monteux's extrovert, cheeful style with this composer; I liked it very much. Having owned the Sleeping Beauty excerpts several times, I think it's a bit hampered by Philips' none-too-impressive sonics, and Monteux hasn't got anything special to say so far as I can hear. He's even a little peremptory at times and doesn't swell with romantic excess when the composer asks for that.

CD 6 begins with the Sibelius Sym. #2, another reminder that Monteux was wiling to go where few other French musicians followed. It would be hard to imagine a more un-Gallic composer, and one's reaction to Monteux's interpretation will depend upon expectations. It isn't grand like Karajan, sober like Colin Davis, or propulsive like Bernstein. I'll damn it with faint praise by saying that this reading is straightforward. But the filler, Elgar's Enigma Variations, is one of the miracles of Monteux's late career and one of his most illustrious readings. How an antiquated Frenchman managed to capture the Edwardian spirit of Elgar defies belief, but here it is, a committed, powerful, inspired performance in vintage Decca sound. The only gripe is that anyone who loves Monteux alreadyy owns it.

CD 7 should be a high point but is, frankly, unnecessary. Monteux had already had his say in Le Sacre and Petrushka with the BSO, and these latter-day London Sym. recordings don't really add anything new. Granted, he had not made Le Sacre in stereo before, so that may be a deciding factor for some. Certianly the playing comes off a bit too rough and ready, lacking the finesse of the Boston ensemble. Monteux is mostly vigorous enough, however, and his histroci association with Stravinsky may justify the inclusion of these two readings, which in all honesty exhibit Monteux's natural, lyrical way with the scores. No one on the podium today would have the nerve to be this romantic.

At bargain price, this is a great box set for anyone coming to Monteux for the first time; he really was a great conductor who continues to be undervalued. For those of us who have known him all our lives, I'm not so sure there is enough here to merit the outlay, but at the very least I was glad to renew acquaintance with a cherished old friend.

More Magnificent Monteux, Lots of Duplication.......2007-01-29

Like many of the recent "Original Masters" reissues, this 7CD set of music conducted by Pierre Monteux has been available since last July as an import, and now has finally been released in the U.S. As most of his discography has been readily available for years, serious collectors would probably have to question whether there were indeed enough unissued Monteux performances to comprise a set of this nature. And while there are many items contained on this set that have been reissued previously in the U.S. on CD (and lots more overseas), "Pierre Monteux: Decca & Philips Recordings 1956-1964" offers some real treasures. First the stateside duplicates -- the Ravel selections have appeared in the "Philips 50" series, Haydn's Symphony 101 and the Brahms Haydn Variations in the old "Classic Sound" series, and the Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty highlights in the "Great Conductors of the Century" series (see my reviews for the latter two items). Additionally, all of the Brahms on CD2, the Sibelius 2nd Symphony and Elgar Enigma Variations on CD6, and all of the Stravinsky scattered throughout the set, have been available as imports for years. Combine the aforementioned performances, and nearly five of the seven CDs here have been previously issued somewhere, despite the back cover's claim that so many items are receiving their "first international release." But those issues aside there are some magnificent performances here, including Monteux's first stereo "Rite of Spring" from the man who of course conducted the infamous premiere. Another treat was the Mozart Flute Concerto with Pierre's son Claude as soloist, and an entire CD of first rate stereo Debussy orchestral works. In all, this is another fine set in the "Original Masters" series, just be warned serious collectors that you likely already own much of this material.