Britten: Peter Grimes [Import]

Track Listings

1. Peter Grimes

2. You Sailed Your Boat Round The Coast

3. Peter Grimes, I Here Advise You

4. Truth.... The Pity....And The Truth

5. Interlude I: Onthe Beach

6. Oh Hang At Open Doors The Net, The Cork

7. Hi Give Us A Hand

8. I Have To Go From Pub To Pub

9. Let Her Among You Without Fault Cast The First Stone

10. Look, The Storm Cone

11. And Do You Prefer The Storm

12. What Harbour Shelters Peace

13. Interlude Ii: The Storm

14. Past Time To Close

15. We Live And Let Live

16. Have You Heard The Cliff Is Down

17. Now The Great Bear And Pleiades

18. Old Joe Has Gone Fishing

19. Bridge Is Down We Half Wam Over

20. Interlude Iii: Sunday Morning By The Beach

See all 45 tracks on this disc

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:

Le nozze di Figaro: Porgi, Amor
Le nozze di Figaro: E Susanna Non Vien!...Dove Sono I Bei Momenti
Eugene Onegin: Nu, Zaboltalas Ya!...Puskai Pogibnu Ya (Letter Scene)
Rusalka: Mesicku Na Nebi Hlubokem (O Silver Moon)
Otello: Era Piu Calmo?...'Piangea Cantando Nell Erma Landa'... Ave Maria
Peter Grimes: Peter Seems To Have Disappeared...Embroidery In Childhood Was A Luxury Of Idleness
Daphne: Ich Komme - Ich Komme (Transformation Scene)

Amazon.com essential recording

As the possessor of one of the great lyric soprano voices of our time, soprano Renée Fleming is in demand in the world's great opera houses. (It doesn't hurt that she's also lovely and a fine actress.) This album is an outstanding collection of great arias, ravishingly sung. It shows something of Fleming's range, including as it does music by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Dvorák (the sumptuous "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka, the best part of the entire opera, and sung here in definitive fashion), Verdi, Britten (an effective "Embroidery Scene" from Peter Grimes), and Richard Strauss. This disc is a good starting point for someone seeking to learn more about operatic singing, and a valuable addition to the library of anyone already converted. Fleming is given strong support by mezzo-soprano Larissa Diadkova, baritone Jonathan Summers, and by the late Sir Georg Solti in one of his last recordings. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

what a voice...........2006-09-14

I love this recital which is my first introduction to a solo album by Fleming.
Her voice , with its richness and dusky timbre and beautiful, strong higher notes is a treat to hear.
She did sound expressive too but has not yet touched a chord in me when it comes to emotion and feeling.
Call me a helpless Callas fan, but I couldn't help but wonder how La Divina would sound if she sang Russian and played Tatyana in the "Letter" scene; what a great vehicle for acting!
But it does take voices a while to grow on me and that might be it.
I do plan on buying more of her CDs.

Amazing!!.......2005-09-28

This may be one of my favorite albums of all time. Renee Fleming is of course amazing with Mozart...but there are other gems on this album. The scene from Otello is truly astounding!! My personal favorite on this album is the Embroidery Scene from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten...WOW!!! And of course we all know that the Song to the Moon from Dvorak's Rusalka is amazing. The Tchaikovsky is so wonderful!! The scene from R. Strauss's Daphne is awesome! Brava Renee!!!

Renee Fleming - Signatures-Great Oper Scenes.......2005-08-11

I gave this item as gift so I cannot review it.

BEAUTIFUL CROSS SECTION OF STYLES.......2004-11-22

I really loved this CD, mainly however due to "Mesicku Na Nebi Hlubokem" as it was the first version I had ever heard. Her phrasing, emotion, and tone were a perfect match for Dvorak's lone mermaid. I was also surprised to find Richard Strauss's Daphne here. It is not a common opera or aria so it was all I could do to listen to the beauty of the music that was not a real aria as it was vocal renderings controlled by the orchestra. It may not ever be common but it shows Richard Strauss in a more lyrical way verses his usual more heavy and harsh operas including "Salome" and "Elektra". Now if only we could get Fleming to record "Daphne" in it's entirety. Her other pieces were rich and warm as I have always adored her in the Countess road and she has always does Desdemona proud even if it is just a literary character. This CD is Renee Fleming at her best!

Renee Fleming's greatest recital ever!.......2004-04-16

What can I say that hasn't been said already? The great Solti (Who adored Fleming btw) and Renee Fleming made magic here. One of the greatest recitals in operatic history. Brava Renee!

Average customer rating:

A robust and idiomatic performance of this key opera
Maybe not what Britten imagined, but definitive in its own way
Paul Bunyan agonistes
A great performance that rivals the composer's own
WOW

Britten: Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten , Colin Davis , Jon Vickers , Heather Harper , Covent Garden Orchestra of the Royal Opera House , John Dobson , Richard van Allan , John Lanigan , Anne Pashley , Patricia Payne , Forbes Robinson , Jonathan Summers , Elizabeth Bainbridge , and Teresa Cahill
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Britten - Peter Grimes / Pears · C. Watson · Pease · Brannigan · J. Watson · Elms · Studholme · Kells · R. Nilsson · Lanigan · G. Evans · D. Kelly · ROH Covent Garden · Britten
Britten - Billy Budd / Keenlyside · Langridge · John Tomlinson · LSO · Hickox
Britten - Peter Grimes / Davis, Vickers, Harper, Bailey, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Gounod: Romeo Et Juliette
Verdi - Falstaff / Gobbi · Schwarzkopf · Moffo · Karajan

ASIN: B00000J9GQ
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Tracks:

Prologue: `Peter Grimes!` (Hobson, Swallow, Grimes)
Prologue: `You sailed your boat` (Swallow, Grimes, Mrs. Sedley, Hobson, Ellen)
Prologue: `Peter Grimes, I here advise you!` (Swallow, Hobson, Grimes)
Prologue: `The truth... the pity...` (Grimes, Ellen)
Prologue: Interlude I
Act I. `Oh, hang at open doors` (Auntie, Boles, Balstrode, Rector, Nieces, Mrs. Sedley, Keene, Swallow)
Act I. `Hi! Give us a hand` (Grimes, Boles, Balstrode, Keene, Auntie, Hobson)
Act I. `I have to go from pub to pub` (Hobson, Ellen, Keene)
Act I. `Let her among you` (Ellen, Hobson, Mrs. Sedley, Keene)
Act I. `Look, the storm cone!` (Balstrode, Keene, Boles)
Act I. `And do you prefer the storm` (Balstrode, Grimes)
Act I. `What harbour shelters peace` (Grimes)
Act I. Interlude II
Act I. `Past time to close!` (Auntie, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode, Boles, Nieces)
Act I. ` We live and let live` (Balstrode)
Act I. `Have you heard?` (Keene, Auntie, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode, Nieces)
Act I. `Now the Great Bear and Pleiades` (Grimes, Nieces, Boles, Balstrode, Auntie)
Act I. `Old Joe has gone fishing` (Keene, Auntie, Grimes, Hobson, Ellen, Boles, Nieces)
Act II. Interlude III
Act II. `Glitter of waves` (Ellen, Rector)
Act II. `Let this be a holiday` (Ellen, Grimes)
Act II. `This unrelenting work` (Ellen, Grimes)

Tracks:

Act II. `Fool to let it come to this!` (Auntie, Keene, Boles, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode)
Act II. `What is it?` (Swallow, Nieces, Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode)
Act II. `People!... No! I will speak!` (Boles, Balstrode, Rector, Auntie, Ellen)
Act II. `We planned that their lives` (Ellen, Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Boles, Keene, Swallow, Nieces, Auntie, Balstrode, Hobson)
Act II. `Swallow! Shall we go` (Rector, Swallow, Balstrode, Mrs. Sedley, Nieces, Keene, Hobson, Boles)
Act II. `Now is gossip put on trial` (Mrs. Sedley, Boles, Rector, Keene, Swallow)
Act II. `From the gutter` (Nieces, Auntie, Ellen)
Act II. Interlude IV
Act II. `Go there!` (Grimes)
Act II. `Now!... Now!` (Boles, Rector, Swallow, Keene, Grimes)
Act II. `Peter Grimes! Nobody here?` (Rector, Swallow, Keene)
Act III. Interlude V
Act III. `Assign your prettiness to me` (Swallow, Nieces)
Act III. `Pah!` (Swallow, Keene, Mrs. Sedley)
Act III. `Come along, Doctor!` ( Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Ellen, Balstrode)
Act III. `Embroidery in childhood` ( Ellen, Balstrode)
Act III. `Mr. Swallow!` (Mrs. Sedley, Auntie, Swallow, Hobson)
Act III. `Who holds himself apart` (Swallow, Hobson)
Act III. Interlude VI
Act III. `Grimes! Grimes!` (Grimes)
Act III. `Peter, we've come to take you home` (Ellen, Grimes, Balstrode)
Act III. `To those who pass the Borough` (Swallow, Auntie, Boles)

Customer Reviews:

A robust and idiomatic performance of this key opera.......2005-11-16

This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes a real human dimension. I confess to a personal feeling that Vicker's is the better of the two interpretations. His singing in key scenes such as "The truth... the pity..." and, particularly, "Now the Great Bear and Pleiades" simply makes more of the score than does Pears. Clearly, to judge by the Decca recording by the composer, Britten did not intend this though.

Heather Harper should also be mentioned as a beautiful, compassionate and thoroughly believable Ellen Orford. Her "Let her among you" and "Glitter of waves" are wonderful. The Chorus is superb too. And finally, the orchestra plays immaculately to provide stalwart backing to the singers as well as offering up excellent Sea Interludes.

The sound here is superb. There are one or two noticeable edits, but nothing too serious. This version comes without a libretto, but that's easy enough to find electronically. So, if you're after a Peter Grimes, then it's down to Britten or Davis and you can't go far wrong with either. Those who love the opera will want both since the interpretations are so different.

Maybe not what Britten imagined, but definitive in its own way.......2005-10-19

Benjamin Britten, as composer and conductor, clearly preferred the lighter-toned and more shaded Peter Grimes characterization of his muse and partner, Peter Pears, as can be heard in the classic late '50s recording on Decca/London. Light-toned Jon Vickers is not; nor is he especially English-sounding in the role of an outcast fisherman in 19th century coastal Britain. But for psychological (and physical) tension, Vickers' Grimes is in a class by itself. Among other things, Vickers conveys a sense of barely concealed menace that makes the villagers' ostracization of him understandable, if not defensible. A very strong argument can be made for preferring this harder-edged "Grimes" over the composer's own, and Vickers' portrayal is not the only reason. All of the elements in this performance--and particularly the incisive conducting of Sir Colin Davis---coalesce into a galvanizing whole. The more "theatrical" production of the Britten/Pears set, with sound effects such as one would hear in the opera house, may be missed here, as is a libretto. However, these omissions are easily overlooked as you're caught up in the net this "Grimes" casts over the waters.

Paul Bunyan agonistes.......2005-09-29

I can imagine why the composer walked out on a performance of his seminal opera by Jon vickers. Vickers is so impolite, so un-English to the core. In the original conception, the character and motivation of Britten's hero--or is it anti-hero?--are shadowy, ambiguous to the end. There are elements of anti-social behavior, heroic isolation, mental illness, enormous determination in the face of Nature, and a suggestion of unwholesome sexual inclinations. This distrubing outsider is never fully explained--and that's problem in the theater.

It's hard to find a straight dramatic line in this work, and too often the audience loses interest despite the wonderful music. In this instance Vickers cuts through the shadows. His Grimes is a giant in agony, a raw, disquieting force that no society could contain. Vickers throws away the careful shading of Peter Pears' performance and makes Grimes a tough customer whose perpetual mood is inward agony and seething rage.

It's a great performance on its own terms, which aren't exactly the composer's, but then, Vickers did much the same with Siegmund and Otello, Rhadames and Florestan. No one has suffered better in opera.

A great performance that rivals the composer's own.......2005-08-18

Britten was said to have hated Jon Vickers' performance as Grimes and one can see why. Nothing (and no tenor since) could be further from Peter Pears, for whom he had written the part. Let's face it, for all his usual beauty of tone and heady high notes, Pears sounds just too urbane, too sophisticated, too intellectual, too smooth for the rough, tough character as written in Crabbe and in the libretto.

Vickers, on the other hand, is a huge brute of a man (aurally even more than physically). We are left in no doubt that his treatment of apprentices can be rough and bullying, easily leading to the 'accidental circumstances' of their deaths. ("To lose one apprentice...etc.") And his descent into madness is truly terrifying. Which is not say that he misses out on the dreamer in Grimes, the side of the character that could be said to be Pears' strength. The scene in the clifftop hut sees Vickers lurch absolutely credibly from anger and violence and frustration to his all too human dreams of a better life with the schoolmistress, Ellen Orford, all within the space of just a few bars.

I grew up with Pears' Grimes and love it to this day. But Vickers' fisherman is a different beast - almost as viscerally exciting on disc as he was in the theatre. And, perhaps a mark of a great opera, the part will sustain both interpretations, whatever the composer thought. I wouldn't part with either.

The rest of the cast are no slouches either. Heather Harper was probably the best of all Ellens and the smaller parts are in the more than capable hands of the likes of Thomas Allen, Richard van Allen and the venerable (as he was by then) and much missed John Lanigan. Colin Davis's conducting is exemplary, perhaps with an ounce more energy and drive than on his more recent LSO performance, but perhaps with a gram less depth as well.

The opera is an unbelievable 60 years old now - about as far from us as Grimes was from late Wagner and Verdi! It deserves to have two classic performances such as this and the composer's own. And any collection deserves to have both on its shelves.

WOW.......2005-03-05

There isn't really a way to sufficiently extol this recording.

'Peter Grimes' is arguably Benjamin Britten's greatest opera...not bad when you consider the high stature of many of his other operas. The first British opera to achieve repertory status since Purcell's Dido, 'Peter Grimes' is an arresting, jarring tale in which the orchestra is as much a character as any of the vocal roles.

The supporting cast are all excellent, singing with great confidence and a sure understanding of the music. Heather Harper projects beautifully, resonant yet immediate. Patricia Payne makes a delightfully irritating town gossip, and Forbes Robinson's Swallow is commanding and, at times, sinister.

Sir Colin Davis and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, take on a role themselves, with the chorus overpowering in their larger numbers, while the orchestra occasionally threatens to overwhelm the chorus and soloists completely...witness, for example, the power of "Look, The Storm Cone!"

The jewel in this crowning recording, however, is Jon Vickers' heart-wrenchingly powerful Peter Grimes. In sharp contrast to Peter Pears' more lush, lyrical approach, Vickers brings out the angular, sharp brutality of Grimes, creating a powerfully compelling portrait of madness and delusion. He attacks the role of Peter Grimes with such convincing tragedy that you might just find yourself sympathizing with the sadistic fisherman!

Vickers' reading of Grimes is mighty and magnificent, his sometimes shrill voice penetrating over the full chorus and orchestra. Britten's writing (of which I haven't heard much) alternates between moments of great complexity, with several musical ideas being juggled about, and periods of arresting simplicity, such as Grimes' soliloquy, "Now the Great Bear and Pleiades."

Regarded as one of the seminal recordings of this great masterpiece, the Philips offering has been recommended alongside (and, in some cases, in place of) Britten's own recording.

While the opera is in English, be aware that the Philips notes do NOT include a libretto. That small omission, however, pales in comparison to the magnificent performance here. I must agree with the Amazon.com editorial, this is a TRUE bargain!

Average customer rating:

Bernstein steps into the pantheon
No more stars to give
5 stars for Beethoven; 0 stars for Britten. WORTH IT BUY IT
there will never be another Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein: The Final Concert

Bernstein: The Final Concert

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Ode to Freedom: Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Berlin
Beethoven: String Quartets Op 131 & 135 / Bernstein
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in E minor/Fantasy Overture "Romeo and Juliet"
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 (Pathétique)
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

ASIN: B000001GEY
Release Date: 1992-08-18

Tracks:

Peter Grimes Op.33: I - Dawn - Lento e tranquillo
Peter Grimes Op.33: II - Sunday Morning - Allegro spiritoso
Peter Grimes Op.33: III - Moonlight - Andante comodo e rubato
Peter Grimes Op.33: IV - Storm - Presto con fuoco
Symphony No.7 In A Major, Op.92: 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace
Symphony No.7 In A Major, Op.92: 2 - Allegretto
Symphony No.7 In A Major, Op.92: 3 - Presto
Symphony No.7 In A Major, Op.92: 4 - Allegro con brio

Customer Reviews:

Bernstein steps into the pantheon.......2005-09-18

Like one of the earlier reviewers, I bought this CD as a memorial and expected the performances to sound as frail as Bernstein looks on the cover. It's a tragedy that emphysema and a lifetime of smoking could cause such deterioration in someone just past seventy. But musically this is first-rate Bernstein, somewhat slow in the Beethoven, but no more so than Klemperer and with much better playing from the BSO than Klemperer ever got from the Philharmonia. Nothing in even the slowest passages is ponderous and much is deeply felt. The Britten is searingly emotional and elevated the Four Sea Interludes into an expressive realm I had never experienced, even from the composer himself. In all respects the two pieces on this splendid and moving CD exemplify why Bernstein, among all American conductors, is the only one to enter the pantheon.

No more stars to give.......2005-08-25

I have only just discovered this recording and am stunned by the quality of the playing.

OK the recording is slightly marred by the shuffling and coughing of a live performance but what magnificent playing.

Having read the earlier reviews I was expecting the Beethoven to be a dirge and bought the CD as a 'homage' to Lenny, but I think it is probably one of the most intense recordings of Beethoven's 7th I have heard - full of tension and vitality.

Don't be fooled, despite his physical frailty this Beethoven is inspired both in terms of conducting and instrumental playing. The orchestra knew this was Lenny's final appearance at Tanglewood and absolutely played their socks off - and Lenny knew exactly what he was doing with the slower tempos. There are so many phrases that leap out a bring new light and shade.

The Britten is wonderful to - but the Beethoven recording should be heard by everyone (at least once).

5 stars for Beethoven; 0 stars for Britten. WORTH IT BUY IT.......2005-03-23

The Beethoven 7th is worth the whole audio-CD.
Go straight to LvB; don't mess with any Britten.
You are NOT wasting your dough to splurge on the
CD with only one track being the target. Leonard
Bernstein did NOT go 'too slow' with Beethoven's
7th symphony; rather, it's an amazing chance to
explore a beautiful work IN DETAIL. What's the
blessed rush to admire and savor a masterpiece?
Skip Britten (Fahrenheit 451 for his MSS); home
in on the 7th by LvB, and don't dwell on the
BS about this recording being the swan-song of
Lenny: he'll get a special niche in Heaven for
this musical soundbite. Southern time ANY time.

there will never be another Leonard Bernstein.......2000-06-01

Due to the historic and sentimental impact of this recording, done at a live concert, I think it would be pretty mean-spirited to give it anything less than a full recommendation, although under other circumstances one might reconsider. Unlike other reviews, I found the Beethoven more successful than the Britten. The Sea Pictures from Peter Grimes were atmospheric but due to the slow tempi the horn parts tended to blare somewhat in the storm section. I find this music needs a quicker pulse to be completely effective, and would have to say this is not the equal of Previn's recording in London, or that of the composer, both of which were admittedly done under studio conditions.The central Pictures were very effective. It was nonetheless an individual interpretation, well worth hearing. The Beethoven 7th, as also noted elsewhere, is among the slowest recordings available, due to the basic tempo and the observance of all repeats. The Allegretto sounded more like an Adagio, which some purists would find objectionable, but its tempo fit in with the rest of the score. The Scherzo was slow too but Bernstein conducted the sforzandi very literally, which hit me with a jolt more than once - as surely Beethoven intended. Quite frankly I was surprised to read Bernstein was feeling so poorly he leaned against the podium for support during this movement, the playing doesn't give that impression. The finale has just enough of an increase in tempo to give it extra lift and sparkle, without losing symphonic strength. The orchestra plays with excellent rhythmic pointing and the horns blaze in the coda without sounding frenetic, as many other performances do. The immediate and boisterous ovation was gratifying and heart-warming. The digital recording is excellent, as is the detailed documentation. Overall, this recording is a valuable document, and its inevitable flaws make it none the worse for that. Strongly recommended.

Leonard Bernstein: The Final Concert.......2000-05-25

Even though this CD contained few orchestral mistakes and soft murmers of the audience during the performance, the program doesn't bother me much.

What I care about this CD is that it was a sort of a "good-bye" concert of my very favorite conductor of all times, Leonard Bernstein.

The performance was a little slower than other performances, but fairly neat.

Britten's Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes" gave me plenty of oceanic imagination and mood.

I was nearly touched by the final movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony and the final bursts of applause and cries of the audiences.

Tracks:

Grieg: Morning Mood
Dvorak: Waltz From Serenade For Strings
Faure: Pavane, Op. 50
Bach: Air
Holst: Finale (The Dargason) from St. Paul's Suite
Debussy: Prelude To "The Afternoon Of A Faun"
Faure: Sicilienne from Pelleas et Melisande
Bach: Sleepers, Awake
Debussy: En Bateau
Grieg: Anitra's Dance
Britten: Sunday Morning By The Beach
Williams: Seventeen Come Sunday From English Folk Song Suite
Strauss: Morning Newspapers

Customer Reviews:

I recommend it highly.......2005-10-05

I have yet to grow tired of this CD. I listen to it at work several times per week.

Pour yourself some tea, get the paper and put on this CD.......2002-02-14

This truly is a great album for a Sunday morning. I bought it after a recent morning I spent with my boyfriend; we made tea, ate breakfast, cuddled and napped, but I wanted some relaxing classical tunes to put on. I stumbled across this, and it certainly fits the bill.

I also liked that it had a good mix of familiar songs and ones I hadn't heard before. Selections include "Morning" and "Anitra's Dance" by Grieg, "Serenade for Strings in E Major" by Dvorak, "Sunday Morning" by Britten, "Pavane" by Faure, "Seventeen Come Sunday" by Vaughan Williams, "Air on a G String" by Bach, "Morgenblatter" by Strauss, "The Dargason" by Holst, "Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune" by Debussy, and "En Bateau" and "Sicilienne" by Faure.

Customer Reviews:

Decent Alternative Sibelius.......2007-07-08

Leonard Bernstein's series of "Indian Summer" recordings for DG included the beginnings of a second go-round with the symphonies of Jean Sibelius -- the First, Second, Fifth, and Seventh. They're all marked by often exaggeratedly expansive tempos, rubatos, and other indulgences; especially the popular Second, a bloated, belching affair I found hard to digest on first listen. However, Lenny makes a beautiful case for the First, probably the most Tchaikovskian of the lot in most performances, but here given a unique treatment which makes it sound distinctly Sibelian. Still, it's difficult to recommend these recordings for a novice listener.

Not Great To Very Good Sibelius From Leonard Bernstein.......2007-06-21

Deutsche Grammophon has selected wisely from its vaults in re-issuing classic recordings in its special Collectors Edition series. Whether these recordings made by Leonard Bernstein, primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Wiener Philharmoniker), truly qualify is an interesting observation which I will leave to others. However, I will note that for my own personal tastes, I have enjoyed more Sibelius symphony recordings from Karajan, and especially, Colin Davis. Here Bernstein merely reaffirms for some what an intriguing, idiosyncratic conductor that he had become by the close of his life, with "mannered" performances, of which the Sibelius 2nd Symphony is the most egregious example. And yet I can still rate this box set highly for the very fine performances of Sibelius's 1st and 5th symphonies, and for the poignant performance of Britten's "Sea Interludes" recorded live at Tanglewood in 1990 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in what would be his last concert performance ever. Devoted fans of Leonard Bernstein's celebrated career as a conductor will find much of interest to hear and enjoy in this box set.

A Great Sibelius 2nd.......2007-03-24

Bernstein was an interpretive conductor. This is a performance which makes an event out of the 2nd symphony. The Breitkopf and Hartel score includes a duration of 45 minutes under the scoring page. Bernstein's performance is not far off. As personal as his intrepretation is (including a few changes in dynamics), most of Sibelius' tempo markings are meticulously followed. Molto largamente, Andante sostenuto, Poco allegro, Allegro, are tempo markings which appear in the 2nd movement - all are followed. Bernstein rigorously applies the 'Tempo Andante, ma rubato' to the eight-note (3/8), not the quarter. As a result, the 2nd movement is taken at a slower pace. But the pacing is entirely logical within that context. Careful listeners will also notice that one measure of the 3rd movement Vivacissimo (taken in 1 - one of the fastest on record) equals exactly one quarter note of the tempo in the finale. These correspondences (and there are many) give cohesiveness to the structure of the work.

The 2nd movement, one of the great tragic symphonic utterances, and the finale, one of the most uplifting in the repertoire, are perfectly realized in this great performance. Absolutely not to be missed.

Self indulgence controversy.......2006-06-26

Some reviewers, especially British ones, promotioning Northern values of controlling your passion and never wearing your "heart on the sleeve" etc, have criticized heavily Bernstein's No 2 as being "self-indulgent".
I feel the discussion is meaningless. Are there not enough standard performances available on CD, full of "poise", "dignity", self-restraint, and moderation ? Presumably, one more bland run-of-the-mill recording is more attractive than something extraordinary and personal.
Try to open yourself to the excitement of interpreting Chopin as if he were Beethoven, Ravel as if he were Bach. You will discover new areas of emotional and intellectual stimulus.
I heartily recommend Bernstein's DG Indian Summer self-indulgent recordings, of Sibelius, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky.
The slow movement of Sibelius' Second from Bernstein may be "tasteless" but a hell of a listening experience. Like yin and yang, we humans need romantic passion as well as classical intellect.

A great bargain if you know what you're in for.......2006-03-18

Fifteen years after his death, DG has decided to give us ultra-bargain box sets of Bernstein's late recordings. As is well known, he could be eccentric in this period, often too slow and self-indulgent. Those flaws are at their worst here in the Sibelius Sym. #2 form Vienna and the Elgar from London. But the other Sibelius, particularly Sym. #7, shows real depth of feeling and justifies Bernstein's expressive indulgences. The Four Sea Interludes are moving for being part of the last public concert he gave in Tanglewood with the BSO, and the orchestra plays wonderfully for him. The rest of the performances fall somewhere in between these extremes. They will all remain controversial, I imagine, but there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had here if you know what you are in for.

Average customer rating:

Some truly outstanding performances
Do-Re-Me-WOW!

Masters of the Voice: Tenor

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Masters of the Voice: Soprano
Masters of the Bow: Cello
Masters of the Keyboard
Masters of the Guitar
Masters of the Trumpet

ASIN: B0001XANOO
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Tracks:

La Donna E Mobile - Luciano Pavarotti
Una Furtiva Lagrima - Placido Domingo
Nein, Langer Trag' Ich Nicht Die Qualen...Durch Die Walder - Peter Schreier
Non Mi Lasciar...Corriam! Voliam!...O Muto Asil - Luciano Pavarotti
Ach, So Fromm - Placido Domingo
Ah! Mes Amis, QUel Jour De Fete! - Luciano Pavarotti
Le Camarade Est Amoureux! - Luciano Pavarotti
Gott! Welch! Dunkel Hier! - James McCracken
In Des Lebens Fruhlingstagen - James McCracken
Il Mio Tesoro - Gosta Winbergh
Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon - Fritz Wunderlich
Ombra Mai Fu - Jose Carreras
Che Faro Senza Euridice? - Andreas Scholl
Vi Ricorda, O Boschi Ombrosi - Anthony Rolfe-Johnson
Comfort Ye, My People - Stuart Burrows
Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted - Stuart Burrows
Puisqu'on Ne Peut Flechir Ces Jalouses Gardiennes - Vainement Ma Bien Aimee - Alfredo Kraus
Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti

Tracks:

Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi!...Celeste Aida - Placido Domingo
Che Gelida Manina - Jerry Hadley
Vois Ma Misere, Helas! - Placido Domingo
Rachel, Quand Du Seigneur - Leopold Simoneau
Vesti La Giubba - Mario Del Monaco
Ingemisco - Jussi Bjorling
Come Un Bel Di Di Maggio - Carlo Bergonzi
Ye People, Rend Your Hearts...If With All Your Hearts - Anthony Rolfe-Johnson
Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond - Jon Vickers
Morgenlich Leuchtend In Rosigem Schein (Prize Song)
Pourquoi Me Reveiller? - Jose Carreras
E Lucevan Le Stelle - Placido Domingo
Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante (Brindisi) - Carlo Bergonzi
E La Solita Storia Del Pastore (Lamento Di Federico) - Jose Carreras
O Vaterland...Da Geh' Ich Zu Maxim - Rene Kollo
Di Rigori Armato Il Seno - Luciano Pavarotti
Now The Great Bear And Pleiades - Peter Pears
Here I Stand - Ian Bostridge
Maria - Jose Carreras

Customer Reviews:

Some truly outstanding performances.......2004-07-11

This two CD set from Deutsche Grammophon does as it states: it offers some of the greatest tenors of our time in some truly outstanding performances. Thirty-seven arias all told, take a little getting used to as most "all tenor" recordings do. But overall it's a worthy and worthwhile effort. As those who read these reviews know I have a clear preference for CDs that have and maintain a theme throughout, so when I sit down to listen I don't have to keep the clicker nearby. Here, because the CD's represent a collection of favorites, the emphasis also has to be on consistency of musical reproduction, and with the exception of one or two songs, the consistency in the latter regard is good throughout. So, on these two criteria: theme and sound quality, "Masters" gets high grades. As far as selection goes, I might have suggested a change or two, but only one or two. The tenor voice can grate and on occasion it does just that. Still, there are more standouts than drawbacks: Pavarotti's "Le camarade est amoureux" from Donizetti's "La fille du regiment", for its rich, rousing chorus and full orchestration; Jose Carreras "Ombra mai fu" from Handel's "Serse" for its soulful melody - and there are many more. I had to listen to this CD three or four times before writing this review because I didn't want to miss what was occurring here, and I'm glad I did. It grows on you and stands as a truly remarkable assemblage of some powerful, moving music. These are the strengths of this set and why I would recommend it. There are some curiously abrupt endings (4 fade-outs) on side two - maybe the producers were counting minutes and realized that some songs just had to be cut - bad idea. These are noticeable and annoying, as in Juse Bjorling's "Ingemisco" in Verdi's "Requiem" and Carlo Bergonzi's "Come un bel di di maggio" from Giordano's "Andrea Chenier" and at least two more. Where did the endings go? Lastly, a personal recommendation on when best to listen to this set: no kids, no phone calls, no group discussions. I took it in the car for a few rides and then after I got used to it moved indoors -- and now listen to it when I am sitting and relaxing. I recommend it. (PJW)

Do-Re-Me-WOW!.......2004-05-15

This is a fantastic new collection of different classical music styles, languages, and singers. The production quality is excellent. If you are interested in singing or love opera then you would probably enjoy this CD. You may find some excellent singers you haven't been exposed to. I can't wait until they release Bass, Alto & Soprano.

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem; Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes

Average customer rating:

First rate Britten orchestral music
Quintessential Britten Works in Fine Performances

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem; Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Britten: Simple Symphony; Temporal Variations; Suite on English Folk Tunes
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ASIN: B0008JEKC2
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Tracks:

The Tournament
The Lute Song
I. March
II. Coranto
III. Pavane
IV. Morris Dance
V. Galliard
VI. Lavolta
VII. March
Gloriana Moritura
I. Dawn
II. Sunday Morning
III. Moonlight
IV. Storm
Passacaglia
I. Lacrymosa
II. Dies Irae
III. Requiem Aeternam

Customer Reviews:

First rate Britten orchestral music.......2006-03-05

This has been very well-reviewed already...and sometimes the main point of a review may be to join in the critical consensus. As reported, the Symphonic Suite: Gloriana is a very charming and, at the same time, not insubstantial work. It is a work of Britten's maturity, and this listener, at least, is likely to come back to it more often that the Sinfonia de Requiem.

The Four Sea Interludes has been one of my favorite 20th Century orchestral pieces for years. With it, Britten demonstrated in a striking fashion that tonally-centered music was very much alive at the time (1940's), and, that there was much yet to be explored within the tonal language (including, as here, unique and very effective ways to tug at the edges).

It's a hard piece to pull off because of its unusual and somewhat fragmentary structure. Bedford does a nice job here, and the sound is very good. However, he doesn't quite maintain the tension of my favorite performance by Colin Davis, which hasn't made it to CD, that I'm aware. In the interim, Bedford will do fine.

Overall, this is another welcome and hard-to-beat bargain from Naxos. If all the Britten you know is the Young Person's Guide and the Frank Bridge variations, I would call this a must-have release.

Quintessential Britten Works in Fine Performances.......2005-06-05

Most people think of Britten primarily in terms of his operas, but he was an undisputed master of orchestral composition as well, and this CD taken from a 1990 release of the now-defunct Collins Classics is one of the really good ones in their Britten series conducted by supreme Britten conductor Steuart Bedford. It contains the suite from his coronation opera 'Gloriana,' the 'Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia' from 'Peter Grimes,' and the 'Sinfonia da Requiem.' Amazon does not as yet seem to note that this CD contains the 'Gloriana' Suite, which is probably the least-recorded of the music here, and it's a corker. Assisted by Imogen Holst, Britten concocted the suite about a year after the disappointing première of the opera before an uncomprehending audience during Elizabeth II's coronation season. It contains 'The Tournament' (a fanfare-y section full of vigor), 'The Lute Song' (a lovely Dowlandesque piece that in this recording features the inimitable harpist Osian Ellis and oboist Keiron Moore), a set of 'Courtly Dances' from Act II, and 'Gloriana Moritura,' Elizabeth I's death. The suite is a marvelous concoction because on the one hand one could not hear more than a few bars before realizing it to be Britten, and yet it is a very skillful pastiche of Elizabethan music. It is played brilliantly by the London Symphony.

The set of pieces from 'Peter Grimes' are surely among Britten's most popular works and they have been recorded many times. They are tours de force of brilliant orchestration as well as aptly setting the emotional tone for their particular scenes in the opera. Bedford and the LSO give us a marvelous performance. I honestly can't find anything to quibble about here, but recognize that many musiclovers will already have at least one recording of the 'Grimes' set.

The 'Sinfonia da Requiem' has an interesting history. It was commissioned in 1939 by the Japanese government as part of their celebration of the 2600th anniversary of the founding of Japan's imperial dynasty. In the event, it was turned down by the Japanese owing to its basis in Christian ritual. It is assumed that Britten, a staunch pacifist, knew what he was doing in writing a work that implies divine judgment (there is a section called 'Dies irae') at a time when war clouds were gathering. It was finally given its première by John Barbirolli and the New York Philharmonic in 1941. Never one of my favorite Britten works, nonetheless this committed performance by Bedford and the LSO makes a strong case for this stern and minatory work.

Although the Collins Classics issue can still be found in various places (including here at Amazon) a full price, this superbudget issue trumps it and I would suggest that anyone wanting good performances of any of these pieces, or combination of pieces, would be rewarded if they obtained this excellent reissue.

TT=72:10

Scott Morrison

Britten - Peter Grimes / Pears · C. Watson · Pease · Brannigan · J. Watson · Elms · Studholme · Kells · R. Nilsson · Lanigan · G. Evans · D. Kelly · ROH Covent Garden · Britten

Average customer rating:

STILL A CLASSIC AFTER 50 YEARS
Unmatchable performance of a masterpiece
Britten and Pears - unmissable!
Definitive Grimes
an essential first recording of a Britten masterpiece

Britten - Peter Grimes / Pears · C. Watson · Pease · Brannigan · J. Watson · Elms · Studholme · Kells · R. Nilsson · Lanigan · G. Evans · D. Kelly · ROH Covent Garden · Britten
Benjamin Britten , Peter Pears , Claire Watson , James Pease , Owen Brannigan , Janice Watson , and Marion Studholme
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000041QP
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Peter Grimes: Prologue: 'Peter Grimes!' (Hobson)
Peter Grimes: Prologue: 'You Sailed Your Boat Round The Coast' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Prologue: 'Peter Grimes, I Here Advise You!' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Prologue: 'The Truth...The Pity...And The Truth' (Peter)
Peter Grimes: Prologue: Interlude I
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'Oh! Hang At Open Doors The Net, The Cork'
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'Hi! Give Us A Hand!' (Peter)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'I Have To Go From Pub To Pub' (Hobson)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'Let Her Among You Without Fault Cast The First Stone' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'Look, The Storm Cone' (Balstrode)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'And Do You Prefer The Strorm' (Balstrode)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: 'What Harbour Shelters Peace' (Peter)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 1: Interlude II
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'Past Time To Close!'
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'We Live And Let Live' (Balstrode)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'Have You Heard? The Cliff Is Down'
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'Now The Great Bear And The Pleiades' (Peter)
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'Old Joe Has Gone Fishing'
Peter Grimes: Act I, Scene 2: 'The Bridge Is Down, We Half Swam Over' (Hobson)

Tracks:

Peter Grimes: Act II: Interlude III
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'Glitter Of Waves And Glitter Of Sunlight' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'Let This Be A Holiday' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'The Unrelenting Work' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'Fool To Let It Come To This!'
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: ' What Is It?'
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'People!... No! I Will Speak!'
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'We Planned That Their Lives Should Have A New Start' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'Swallow! Shall We Go And See Grimes In His Hut?
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'Now Is Gossip Put On Trial' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 1: 'From The Gutter, Why Should We Trouble At Their Ribaldries?
Peter Grimes: Act II: Interlude IV (Passacaglia)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 2: 'Go There!' (Peter)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 2: 'Now!...Now!...' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Act II, Scene 2: 'Peter Grimes! Nobody Here?'

Tracks:

Peter Grimes: Act III: Interlude V
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: 'Assign Your Prettiness To Me' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: Pah! Ahoy!' (Swallow)
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: 'Come Along, Doctor!'
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: 'Embroidery In Childhood Was A Luxury Of Idleness' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: 'Mister Swallow! Mister Swallow!'
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 1: 'Who Hold Himself Apart, Lets His Pride Rise'
Peter Grimes: Act III: Interlude VI
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 2: 'Grimes! Grimes!'
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 2: 'Peter, We've Come To Take You Home' (Ellen)
Peter Grimes: Act III, Scene 2: To Those Who Pass The Borough'

1. Peter Grimes
2. You Sailed Your Boat Round The Coast
3. Peter Grimes, I Here Advise You
4. Truth.... The Pity....And The Truth
5. Interlude I: Onthe Beach
6. Oh Hang At Open Doors The Net, The Cork
7. Hi Give Us A Hand
8. I Have To Go From Pub To Pub
9. Let Her Among You Without Fault Cast The First Stone
10. Look, The Storm Cone
11. And Do You Prefer The Storm
12. What Harbour Shelters Peace
13. Interlude Ii: The Storm
14. Past Time To Close
15. We Live And Let Live
16. Have You Heard The Cliff Is Down
17. Now The Great Bear And Pleiades
18. Old Joe Has Gone Fishing
19. Bridge Is Down We Half Wam Over
20. Interlude Iii: Sunday Morning By The Beach