Octet

Track Listings
1. Allegro Moderato Ma Con Fuoco    
2. Andante    
3. Scherzo- Allegro Leggierissimo    
4. Presto    
5. Allegro Con Brio    
6. Adagio Cantabile    
7. Tempo Di Menuetto    
8. Tema Con Variazioni- Andante    
9. Scherzo- Allegro Molto E Vivace    
10. Presto    

Octet, Music, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Vienna Octet, Classical, Classical Music
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Real class
  • Great set
  • MENDELSSOHN: 5 Symphonies/7 Overtures (LSO/Claudio Abbado) DG 471 467-2
  • Great Concept but Not So Great Execution!
  • More of Mendelssohn to Love
 Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Schubert: 8 Symphonies
  2. Schumann: The 4 Symphonies
  3. Dvorák: The Symphonies
  4. Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies
  5. Mahler: The Complete Symphonies

ASIN: B00005ONMP
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Tracks:

  1. Symphony No.1 In C Minor, Op.11
  2. Octet In E Flat, Op.20
  3. Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op.21
  4. The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave)
  5. Meeresstille Und Glkliche Fahrt, Op.27
  6. Symphony No.2 In B Flat, Op.52 - "Hymn Of Praise"
  7. Symphony No.3 In A Minor, Op.56 - "Scottish"
  8. Overture "The Fair Melusine", Op.32
  9. "Trumpet Overture", Op.101 - Allegro Vivace
  10. Ruy Blas, Op.95 - Overture To Victor Hugo's Play
  11. Symphony No.4 In A, Op.90 - "Italian"
  12. Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.107 - "Reformation"
  13. Overture For Wind Instruments, Op.24 (F Harmoniemusik)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Real class.......2007-06-24

Abbado has created an excellent anthology of Mendelssohn's symphonic output - rich, lush and balanced. A+

5 out of 5 stars Great set.......2007-05-18

By my calculations, this is the single best set of Mendelssohn symphonies out there today. Though better versions of the "Reformation," "Scottish," and "Italian" Symphonies exist in other disks, I still like the interpretations offered by Abbado and the LSO.

For the "Reformation", and "Italian" Symphonies, I'd recommend John Eliot Gardiner and the Vienna Philharmonic's DG set.

For the Scottish Symphony I'd go with Karajan's recording with the BPO (that CD also comes with the best "Hebrides Overture" recording available, and a pretty good "Italian Symphony" interpretation, too).

All of the overtures in this set are performed very well, both in technical execution and musical interpretation. The Hebrides (a work far ahead of its time), in particular, is a fine recording. So is "Overture 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'." I really have grown fond of the "Ruy Blas" overture as well.

Another reviewer complained that the interpretations in this set are "too Classical." I think they are correct in saying the set is Classically performed, but I think that works with Mendelssohn, as he was "the Romantic Mozart."



Overall this is a great set, and a good way to become familiar with the music of Felix Mendelssohn, or build your Mendelssohn library.

5 out of 5 stars MENDELSSOHN: 5 Symphonies/7 Overtures (LSO/Claudio Abbado) DG 471 467-2.......2006-07-13

Unlike many all-digital compilations offered by one orchestra and conductor, this collection of Mendelssohn favorites is outstanding in performance and interpretation throughout. Maestro Abbado shows a genuine affection for the composer and his genius by the sequence of selections on each disc, and I find no weak performances anywhere in this remarkable recording.

Charlie Hastings
Falls Church, VA

3 out of 5 stars Great Concept but Not So Great Execution!.......2006-06-14

First, the good: Great box design for packaging, great booklet in various languages describing the history of all the performed works, great value for money, excellent representation of the great Mendelssohn's best works.

Now, the bad: the problem with compilations like this is that the material tends to have been recorded at different times and places and frequently by different personnel on various recording equipment of varying quality. What this means is that some tracks within each disc sound much better then others and even whole discs come in varying sound qualities.

Fortunately, the best disc, disc one starts out very well with the great first symphony and ends with the composer's best Overtures and the quality of the sound recording is very good. Then we get to disc 2 and the sound quality can only be described as abysmal. The difference in the sound is like night and day when compared with the first disc. The third disc sounds much better but is still not as good as the first disc while the last disc comes somewhere in between the second and third.

There's no doubting the quality of the performances though by Claudio Abbado and the LSO and of course the choice of material but too bad about the inconsistency of the sound quality from track to track and from disc to disc.

Still, the 3 stars are for the good points listed above and for the great disc 1.

5 out of 5 stars More of Mendelssohn to Love.......2005-11-08

I had heard all the music on here before interpreted by other conductors and other symphonies but Claudio Abbado proved to be the most efficient for me. Thanks to the world's leading classical music label- Deutsche Grammophone -we are able to hear a complete set of Mendelssohn's symphonies and overtures with the acclaimed London Symphony in a beautiful and surprisingly afforadable album. For music that is this good, I was surprised that it wasn't a little more expensive. But good, right ? Just more of Mendelssohn to love. On this album: his symphonies 1-5, Scherzo in G Minor from the Octet for Strings, the Overture to A Midsumer Night's Dream incidental music and Hebrides Overture. These are the most famous Mendelssohn creations. His Fourth Symphony is the "Italian" symphony, with lyrical, bouncy rhythms and classical harmony. The Midsummer Night's Dream overture encompasses romanticism at its peak, with sprightly strings representing the mischievous fairies that figure prominently in the Shakespeare comedy. The Hebrides Overture is evocative of wintery landscapes and sea breezes, a fine example of a tone poem and musical painting at its best. Its haunting melody is instantly recongizable. Abbado is clearly suited for this kind of music and it's refreshing to see him stray from the usual Italian repertoire he is most famous for. Still, inescapably, his Italian soul stands out but this gives this music more color, more volume and lyricism than what can often succumb to stale, cold English interpretations like Andre Previn's conducting. No offense to Mr. Previn, who has produced some brilliant music.






Instruments of the Orchestra
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
  • Beginner or Expert
  • Very Informative and Enjoyable
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  • Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra
 Instruments of the Orchestra
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Manufacturer: Naxos
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Similar Items:
  1. Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
  2. What to Listen for in Music
  3. Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
  4. The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
  5. The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

  1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
  3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
  4. Hungarian Dance No.7
  5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
  6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
  7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
  8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
  9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
  10. Csardas Music
  11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
  12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
  13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
  14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
  15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
  16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
  17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
  18. Tzigane
  19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
  20. Caprice No.24
  21. 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.
  22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
  23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
  24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
  25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
  26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
  27. The Violin Muted
  28. Clair De Lune
  29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
  30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
  31. The Pizzicato Violin
  32. Pizzicato Polka
  33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
  34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
  35. 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...
  36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
  37. 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
  38. Hungarian Dance No.4
  39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
  40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
  41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
  42. Bolero
  43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
  44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
  45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
  46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
  47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
  48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
  49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
  50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
  52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
  53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
  54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
  55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
  56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
  57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
  58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
  60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
  61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
  62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
  63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
  64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
  65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
  66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
  67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

  1. Introduction To The Viola
  2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
  3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
  4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
  5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
  6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
  7. 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.
  8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
  9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
  10. Cypresses (No.9)
  11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
  12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
  13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
  14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
  15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
  16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
  17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
  18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
  19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
  20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
  21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
  22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
  23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
  24. Elfentanz, Op.39
  25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
  26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
  27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
  28. Flamenco
  29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
  30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
  31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
  32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
  33. 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.
  34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
  35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
  37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
  38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
  39. 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.
  40. Capriccio Di Bravura
  41. 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)
  42. 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....
  43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

  1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
  2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
  3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
  4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
  5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
  6. Sa'Dawi
  7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
  8. Chamber Music No.II
  9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
  10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
  11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
  12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
  13. A Variety Of Techniques
  14. Chamber Music No.II
  15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
  16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
  17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
  18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
  19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
  20. Naelden, Naelden
  21. The Bachian Oboe
  22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
  23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
  24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
  25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
  26. The Swan Of Tuonela
  27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
  28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
  29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
  30. Bolero
  31. 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...
  32. 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)
  33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
  34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
  35. 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).
  36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
  37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
  38. ...And Quite Low.
  39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
  40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
  41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
  43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  44. Introduction To The Saxophone
  45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
  46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
  47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
  48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
  49. Bolero
  50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
  52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
  53. Sax-O-Phun
  54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
  55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
  56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
  57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
  58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
  59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
  60. Bolero
  61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
  62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
  63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
  64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
  65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
  66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
  67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
  68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
  69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
  70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
  72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
  73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
  74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
  75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
  76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
  2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
  3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
  4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
  5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
  6. Fanfare For The Common Man
  7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
  8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
  9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
  10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
  11. 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
  12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
  13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
  14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
  15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
  16. Billy The Kid
  17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
  18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
  19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
  20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
  21. The Birth Of The Trombone
  22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
  23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
  24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
  25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
  26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
  27. 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.
  28. Hosannah
  29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
  30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
  33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
  34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
  35. The Horn And The Hunt
  36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
  37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
  38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
  39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
  40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
  41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
  42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
  43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
  44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
  45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
  46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
  47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
  48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
  49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
  50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

  1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
  2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
  3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
  4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
  5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
  6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
  7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
  8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
  9. Den Hoboecken Dans
  10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
  11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  12. 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.
  13. Gymnopedie No.2
  14. 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...
  15. 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)
  16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
  17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
  18. 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.
  19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
  20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
  21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
  22. The Birth Of The Bongo
  23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
  24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
  25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
  26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
  27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
  28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
  29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
  30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
  31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
  32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
  33. 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.
  34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
  37. Ravel And The Xylophone
  38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
  40. Introducing The Vibraphone
  41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
  42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
  44. Folk Dances
  45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
  46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
  47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
  48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
  49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
  50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
  51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  52. Introducing The Celeste
  53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
  54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
  55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
  56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
  57. 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
  58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
  59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
  60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
  61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
  62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
  63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 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!

5 out of 5 stars 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!

5 out of 5 stars 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!

3 out of 5 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • First Rate Performances
  • Fantastic
  • Beautiful Performances
  • LIKE WATER FROM A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN
 Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
Felix Mendelssohn , and Emerson String Quartet
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

OctetsOctets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Emerson String QuartetEmerson String Quartet | ( E ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MendelssohnAll Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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  3. Intimate Voices
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  5. William Bolcom - Songs of Innocence and of Experience (William Blake) / Slatkin, University of Michigan School of Music

ASIN: B0006TN9G2
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

  1. I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
  2. II. Adagio Non Lento
  3. III. Intermezzo: Allegretto Con Moto
  4. IV. Presto
  5. A Tempo Ordinario
  6. I. Adaigo Non Troppo - Allegro Non Tardante
  7. II. Canzonetta: Allegretto
  8. III. Andante Espressivo
  9. IV. Molto Allegro E Vivace

Tracks:

  1. I. Allegro Assai Appassionato
  2. II. Scherzo: Allegro Di Molto
  3. III. Andante
  4. IV. Presto Agitato
  5. I. Allegro Vivace
  6. II. Scherzo: Assai Leggiero Vivace
  7. III. Adagio Non Troppo
  8. IV. Molto Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

  1. I. Molto Allegro Vivace
  2. II. Menuetto: Un Poco Allegretto
  3. III. Andante Espressivo Ma Con Moto
  4. IV. Presto Con Brio
  5. Andante con Moto - Allegro Fugato, Assai Vivace
  6. I. Allegro Vivace Assai
  7. II. Allegro Assai
  8. III. Adagio
  9. IV. Finale: Allegro Molto
  10. Andante Sostenuto
  11. Allegro Leggiero

Tracks:

  1. I. Allegro Moderato, Ma Con Fuoco
  2. II. Andante
  3. III. Scherzo: Allegro Leggierissimo
  4. IV. Presto
  5. I. Allegro Moderato
  6. II. Adagio Non Troppo
  7. III. Minuetto
  8. IV. Fuga

Amazon.com

Trust the Emerson Quartet to do nothing by halves. This 4-CD set presents all of Mendelssohn's quartets, including one written at 14, the five pieces Op. 81, as well as the Octet. This set should disprove the assertion that Mendelssohn, a sensational prodigy, blossomed young and never developed further. The difference in compositional skill and emotional depth between the early and late quartets is unmistakable; the miracle is that he could write the Octet at 16. The quartets are of uneven quality: Op. 44 No. 3 is distinctly inferior to the more-familiar Nos. 1 and 2; of the two Fugues Op. 81, the later one is far better. The quartets Op. 12 and 13 (written in reverse order) pay homage to Beethoven in Mendelssohn's very own romantic voice. Op. 80 is masterful although perhaps less disciplined: written just after his beloved sister Fanny's death and shortly before his own, it is a turbulent, heart-rending outcry of anguish. Some of the most-magical moments occur in the inimitable Scherzi and Intermezzi. The performances are vintage Emerson: impeccable individually and together, beautiful in sound, clear, carefully worked out. Although generally a little cool, they can rise to considerable warmth and passion. Not surprisingly, the best pieces elicit the most involved, exciting playing. As always, the violinists switch parts, but the whole group also alternates old Italian and modern American instruments, for the players have a surprise in store: they give the Octet a new twist by "doubling" on all eight parts through a complicated process of over-dubbing (a documentary video of the recording process is included). Here, using the different instruments is intended to combine the old and the new and to give the voices more-distinct timbres. However, the differences throughout are imperceptible. The idea of playing the Octet with themselves, so to speak, is intriguing, but the result is disappointing. Hearing four rather than eight individual voices is disconcerting, and worse, the balance is completely awry, especially in the corner movements. The busy tremolo accompaniment makes the middle register thick and heavy, the tone gets rough, important lines are obscured, and the Quartet's customary admirable textural transparency is lost. And even a cellist as splendid as David Finckel cannot save the opening of the Fugue from sounding like a growl. This may be a triumph of recording technology, but it adds nothing to the music or the performance. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars First Rate Performances.......2006-09-18

This is a series of first rate performances by the outstanding Emerson String Quartet. They include all the Mendelssohn quartets, including rarely heard juvenile work, and as a bonus, the very enjoyable Octet. This is a good deal of lovely music. The Mendelssohn quartets, however, are generally excellent as opposed to outstanding chamber music. Well worth owning and listening to but a step below the pinnacles of the chamber literature.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic.......2006-07-01

I never have cared much for Mendelssohn, nor have I cared much for String Quartets, but after listening to the Emerson String Quartet's Shostakovich cycle and finding that I enjoyed it immensely, I undertook listening to the Mendelssohn cycle.

In the privacy of my living room, on several occasions I stood up and cheered! Absolutely magnificent. Enough said.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Performances.......2005-09-10

Mendelssohn's string quartets are very appealing, tuneful works that engage the listener completely. Chamber music was an important part of Mendelssohn's output and one does not gain a full picture of his growth as a composer by only being familiar with his orchestral works. This 4-CD set by the Emerson String Quartet brilliantly explores not only the six numbered quartets but includes the shorter Op. 81 works (published after Mendelssohn's death), the student quartet (written when the composer was 14) and the stunning Octet for strings.

Naturally, the early quartets (written in 1827 and 1829 but published in reverse order in 1830) reflect the influence of other composers, most notably Beethoven. The movements of these quartets were linked by thematic ideas. The quartet in A minor uses Mendelssohn's song Frage (Question) as the musical link. The quartet in E-Flat (Op. 12) was composed during Mendelssohn's trip to the British Isles, which also inspired his Scottish Symphony and Hebrides Overture.

When Mendelssohn next turned to the form he was the director of the Gewandhaus and a famous composer. The composition of the three quartets Op. 44 (number 3, 4 and 5) occurred after his marriage to Cecile Jeanrenaud in 1837 and were composed during his two month long honeymoon. These quartets reflect the composer's maturity and accessible style. The sixth quartet was published after Mendelssohn's death and was written following the sudden death of his sister Fanny in May 1847. It follows that the quartet is darker than the others and is agitated and dissonant in tone; the first movement begins with dark tones from the cello then proceeds with a beautiful melody punctuated with tremolos. The scherzo is characterized by an unusual tempo that has a frantic quality to it. The Adagio allows Mendelssohn to fully express his grief and the Finale has the syncopated rhythm of the scherzo.

The five pieces collected as Op. 81 contain what probably are two movements for an unfinished quartet - a Theme and Variations in E major and Scherzo in A minor. It was reported by the composer Ignaz Moschelles that Mendelssohn was at work on a new string quartet before his death and of these two pieces the Theme and Variations is closest to the description of the work. The earliest of Mendelssohn's quartets appears last on the CDs and is a pleasant work written under the influence of Mozart and Haydn.
The Octet receives a marvelous performance with the Emerson playing all of the parts with each member playing different instruments and seated in different positions during the recording sessions.

The performances are impeccable with beautiful and clear sound. I purchased the set anticipating a performance of three of the quartets by the Emerson. As I have listened to the set the warmth and sensitivity of the playing makes this the Mendelssohn quartets to own. I have only become interested in chamber music in recent years and Mendelssohn was a natural choice for me because of his gift of melody. I think this music would appeal to someone getting to know chamber music.

5 out of 5 stars LIKE WATER FROM A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN.......2005-05-12

That was Wagner's dismissive description of the music of Mendelssohn. In the later 19th century there was a critical reaction against both of the great Germans who had dominated English music for a century and a half overall, Handel and Mendelssohn. As is usual with such debunking, much of it was trivial and petulant. However Handel has recovered strongly over the last 50 years and by now is probably almost as familiar as Bach is, whereas Mendelssohn has not. The popular favourites among his compositions have never ceased to be that, but opportunities to hear most of his chamber music and songs are still rare. I am myself in the happy position of having attended two years ago a festival dedicated to those sides of his output, and consequently I know the works on this distinguished set fairly well.

The performers are the Emerson Quartet, and the quality of their work is well known. In every imaginable respect it is superlatively good. Technically these accounts are flawless, and in terms of comprehension of the music and insight into the spirit of the composer I prefer to learn from them rather than to pass otiose comment. There are 7 complete quartets here, plus 5 isolated movements. Being moderately familiar with the music I would advise newcomers that the approach taken throughout is `normal' in the best sense and free from idiosyncrasies - if you are looking for `model' performances of these works this would be where to look. Mendelssohn's tempo markings, unlike those of greater composers such as Beethoven Schubert and Brahms, are almost invariably clear and unambiguous. In the one case where a bit of interpretation is called for, the central two movements of the D major quartet op44/1, I am convinced and delighted by the solution adopted. The Emersons take the minuet slowly and the following `andante con moto' at a very flowing pace, almost like an andante in Handel, so that the minuet seems like the slow movement and the andante like an intermezzo in moderate tempo.

I love Mendelssohn and I love these quartets. However I can't get it out of my mind that Wagner had a bit of a point. Shaw complains of Mendelssohn's `kid-glove gentility' and he is uncomfortably near the bone. Mendelssohn is truly unique, and what he does best he does better than anybody. At the age of 16 or 17 he turned out the octet, the rondo capriccioso for piano and the Midsummer Night's Dream overture, all of them truly astounding. However by age 20 he was only one precocious prodigy among a larger number who had caught up by then and went on to surpass him. There is a definite sense of development as between the quartet he wrote at age 14 (contemporary with the string symphonies, which I commend strongly to those unfamiliar with them) where the unmistakable personal idiom has not yet quite emerged and the op12/13 quartets and then the op44's and later in which it has. However it's development within a narrow range of expression, and his early death means we can never know whether he had it in him to raise his game drastically, as Wagner and Verdi so spectacularly did when older than Mendelssohn lived to be.

The Emersons have also taken it into their heads to record the octet played by themselves only. People with their amount of talent must be tempted to such brilliant but completely dotty schemes at times. There is an enthusiastic contribution to the liner-note by Eugene Drucker, and the disc will run on a pc to show the process of recording. I can confirm that it actually does this, but I have no sound-card nor any wish for one, so all I can attest is the visual aspect, and only a little of that. I must also warn that I had difficulty in getting the exit-button to obey me. As a performance it is really very good, with the finale fully up to speed as I like it, and I would never have known what nonsense they were getting up to. However something goes wrong with the recording, which is very bottom-heavy in the first movement in particular.

Otherwise the recording is excellent. The main liner-note is fine if a little lengthy. When I began to think it didn't really say a lot, that brought me back to the question - how much, really, is there to say?
Baby Cello: Soothing Music from 24 Cellos
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • We love this C.D.!
  • Glorious sound
 Baby Cello: Soothing Music from 24 Cellos

Manufacturer: Cala Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0006UYOO2
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Tracks:

  1. The Swan
  2. Ave Maria
  3. Greensleeves
  4. Black Orpheus
  5. The Dove
  6. Vocalise
  7. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
  8. El Condor Pasa
  9. Begin The Beguine
  10. A Child's Folksong
  11. Farewell To Cuba
  12. Songs My Mother Taught Me
  13. Blessing
  14. Satin Doll
  15. The Girl From Ipanema
  16. Coventry Fantasy

Product Description

Baby Cello CD. Soothing Music From 24 Cellos 1. The Swan 2. Ave Maria 3. Greensleeves 4. Black Orpheus 5. The Dove 6. Vocalise 7. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 8. El Condor Pasa 9. Begin the Beguine 10. A Childs Folksong 11. Farewell to Cuba 12. Songs my Mother Taught Me 13. Blessing 14. Satin Doll 15. The Girl from Ipanema 16. Coventry Fantasy

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars We love this C.D.!.......2005-04-03

We received the Baby Cello C.D. as a gift, and my husband and I just love it. The music is truly moving in the most uplifting way, and the songs chosen are just beautiful; not at all stuffy. The true test was when our two-year-old, who had not had a nap all day, got completely wired and still would not go to sleep after 10 p.m. She screamed for 20 minutes as we tried to get her down, until I put Baby Cello on, and the screaming stopped instantaneously! She went to sleep to the C.D. without another wimper! We highly recommend Baby Cello for parents and babies alike, and have bought it for other parents with babies that we know. It uplifts, as well as soothes, depending upon what time of day we put it on, and it serves as wonderful dinner music as well. We can't imagine anyone not loving this C.D.! A.and J. Pieri, Albany,CA

5 out of 5 stars Glorious sound.......2005-01-23

I am so pleased with Baby Cello. The sound of this music is utterly glorious. Soothing doesn't begin to describe it. My 2 year old and I love listening to it at all times of day.
Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A terrific compilation
 Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Liszt: Greatest Hits
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  5. Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000002A9I
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

  1. Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90 'Italian': I. Allegro vivace
  2. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61 (Excerpts): Scherzo
  3. Wedding march
  4. Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: III. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace
  5. Spring Song, Op. 62, No 6
  6. IV. Symphony No. 4 In A Major, Op. 90 'Italian': Saltarello. Presto
  7. Athalie, Op. 74: War March Of The Priests
  8. Songs Without Words, Op. 67, No. 4: Spinning Song
  9. Symphony No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 56 'Scottish': II. Vivace no troppo
  10. On Wings Of Song, Op. 34, No. 2
  11. Octet In E - Flat Major, Op. 20: III. Scherzo. Allegro leggierissimo
  12. Octet In E - Flat Major, Op. 20: IV. Presto
  13. Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72: I. Allegro non troppo
  14. Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72: II. Andante sostenuto
  15. Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72: III. Allegretto
  16. Six Children's Pieces, Op 72: IV. Andante con moto
  17. Six Children's Pieced, Op. 72: V. Allegro assai
  18. Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72: VI. Vivace
  19. Symphony No. 5 In D Major, Op. 107 'Reformation': IV. chorale 'Ein feste burg ist unser Gott!'

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A terrific compilation.......2002-06-08

The idea of a greatest hits album for a classical composer is nearly an absurdity,but the selections for this package are almost perfect.The signature magic sound of Ormandy and his great Philly Orchestra open with Symphony 4 movement 1.Ormandy and crew reappear later with the war march from Athalie-a true crowd pleaser.Not to be missed is the On wings of song piece sung by Elly Ameling in all her pristine glory.The song is simply beautiful beyond words.Movements 3&4 of the Incomparable Octet for strings are included. At the tender age of 16 Mendelssohn may have reached his peak with this work.The 6 Children's pieces are delightful,if insubstantial.The 4th movement of the 5th Symphony is a force of nature,perhaps the highlight of the disc.The only quibble is the inclusion of the hackneyed Wedding March instead of the achingly gorgeous Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream.Even for the Mendelssohn fan there are performances here you'll want to add to your collection.At such a low cost you cannot go wrong.
The Story of Schubert
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • inspired performance !!!
 The Story of Schubert

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

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  1. Story Of Chopin In Words And Music
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ASIN: B000001KCT
Release Date: 1994-02-28

Tracks:

  1. Rosamunde, D. 797: Overture
  2. Mozart: String Quartet In B-Flat Major, K. 172
  3. Marche Militaire, D. 733, No. 1
  4. Hark, Hark, The Lark!, D. 889
  5. Mass No. 5 In A-Flat Major, D. 678: Credo
  6. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: Allegro
  7. Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, D. 417 'Tragic': Finale: Allegro
  8. Moment Musicaux No. 3 In F Minor, D. 780
  9. Piano Sonata In A Minor, D. 845: Moderato
  10. The Erl King, D. 328
  11. Symphony No. 2 In B-Flat Major, D. 125: Allegro
  12. Symphony No. 6 In C Major, D. 589 'Little': Andante
  13. Symphony No. 6 In C Major, D. 589 'Little': Scherzo
  14. To Music, D. 547
  15. The Trout, D. 550
  16. Piano Quintet In A Major, D. 667 'Trout': Theme And Variations
  17. Octet In F Major, D. 803: Finale
  18. Impromptu In B-Flat Major, D. 935 No. 3
  19. String Quintet In C Major, D. 956: Allegro ma non troppo
  20. Wanderer Fantasy In C Major, D. 760
  21. Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, D. 759 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato
  22. Symphony No. 9 In C Major, D. 944 'Great': Andante-Allegro ma non troppo
  23. Mass No. 6 IN E-Flat Major, D. 950: Gloria
  24. String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': Andante con moto
  25. Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, D. 759 'Unfinished': Andante
  26. Ave Maria, D. 839
  27. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Allegro
  28. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Andante con moto
  29. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Menuetto: Allegro molto
  30. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Allegro vivace

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars inspired performance !!!.......2001-09-02

this collection deserves more than 5 stars.peter maag and the philharmonica hungarica are in top form.this is the best ever of schubert's fifth and eigth i have ever listened to.it is not karl bohm or leonard bernstein or george szell or lorin maazel.
truly the hungarians inspired by maag easily beat all the other top orchestras.
the orchestral texture is transparent with a perfect balance among the string sections ,the woodwind and the brass sections.peter maag obviously loves this music and brings out the heavenly beauty ,the pathos and the monumental dramatic quality of these works.
just listen to schubert's fifth second movement which ends with a heart rending cello phrase.
it is a shame that the well established record companies have not thought it fit to record more of peter maag.in my opinion he is one of the greatest ever conductors.
i will not exchange these performances for any other!
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 1, 2, 5 & 9 / ORTF National Orchestra, De Los Angeles
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The composer is different!
  • Fond memories
  • Interesting fusin
  • Excellent
  • The best record of Bachianas
 Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 1, 2, 5 & 9 / ORTF National Orchestra, De Los Angeles
Victoria De Los Angeles , and Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Villa-Lobos: Complete Music for Solo Guitar
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  5. Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-14

ASIN: B00000GCAG
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

  1. Bachianas Brasileras No. 5: Aria (Cantilena)
  2. Bachianas Brasileras No. 5: Danca (Martelo)
  3. Bachianas Brasileras No. 2: Preludio (O Canto do Capadocio)
  4. Bachianas Brasileras No. 2: Aria (O canto da Nassa Terra)
  5. Bachianas Brasileras No. 2: Danca (Lembranca do Sertao)
  6. Bachianas Brasileras No. 2: Tocata (O Trenzinho do Caipira)
  7. Bachianas Brasileras No. 1: Introducao (Embolada)
  8. Bachianas Brasileras No. 1: Preludio (Modinha)
  9. Bachianas Brasileras No. 1: Fuga (Conversa)
  10. Bachianas Brasileras No. 9: Preludio
  11. Bachianas Brasileras No. 9: Fuga

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars The composer is different!.......2007-06-24

This is of course an unusual relic of a dead conmposer conducting his own signature works. And with a top-notch soloist too, albeit a second-rate
orchestra. As such it has great value per se.

First, be warned (again) that this is mono. It's well miked mono, but unfortunately not well balanced, as if the orchestra was not properly placed for recording with a single mike, and sounds like a hack at the editing console has had a go at it to try and fix some of this. The results is, among other things, screeching violins.

But what an ususual mix of sound comes through all this! This is not the usual recording of any of the very familiar B. B.'s! Orchestral balances (as opposed to recorded balances ... you can tell the difference if you listen for the difference between overall sound and that of single instruments) are unusual and so is phrasing and articulation.

Highly recommended to the specialist, not so otherwise. These are fine,
if idiosyncratic, performances and if some newbee were to "imprint" on this recording, they might never enjoy a live modern performance or recording.

Doug McDonald

5 out of 5 stars Fond memories.......2007-01-04

I was thrilled to find a CD copy of the vinyl album I bought in about 1964! I had bought another rendition of these Villa-Lobos pieces but it just didn't do it for me. De Los Angeles has a wonderful soprano and the Bachianas Brasilleiras need a great voice.

3 out of 5 stars Interesting fusin.......2006-03-21

This was new music to me so I listened with an open mind. I enjoyed the fusion of Brazilian with classic.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2005-04-08

I spotted this in a music store and bought it because I'm a fan of Villa-Lobos' compositions for guitar. Honestly, I was not familiar with the music on this disc at all. But wow, what a pleasant surprise. I downloaded it to my mp3 player last night so now I can listen to it anywhere.

5 out of 5 stars The best record of Bachianas.......2005-01-03

During his life, Heitor Villa-Lobos recorded almost all his orchestral works, mainly in France with ORTF Orchestra.

I see some customers saying this Bachianas collection isn't a wonderful recording quality (it was recorded in the 50's), this is mono, etc, etc.

I think some listeners are bad accustomed with digital recording, with technologically perfect sounds, superb mastering, and things like that, and they seems forget the principal: the quality of music, of the composition. How many Cds are so "perfect" in recording quality, and the recorded music is a trash, with no artistic value?

So, in my opinion this Bachianas recording is one of the best classical music recording of the XX century, because it has the own composer direction. A few classical composers got the opportunity to record their music with their own interpretation. At this point, Villa-Lobos was probably the most successful composer of all times (neither Stravinsky nor Richard Strauss recorded so many works during their lives).

In this collection, we have the rare opportunity to listen the music as the composer imagined.

About the music, I can say Bachianas Brasileiras has a melancholic taste at all. I agree with the review that say "this isn't happy, sunny day, birds, etc". Just the third movement of the Bachiana 8 (Catira Batida, an old brazilian folk dance) has a happy feeling. Even so, the middle of this movement is a melancholic valse in the old style of Rio de Janeiro serenaders (chorões).

But the "Trenzinho do Caipira" ("country train" of Bachiana 2), the Martelo dance (second movement of the famous Bachiana 5), and all the other dance movements have a pinch of melancholy, a characteristic of the neo-romantic style.

If you want to listen some more animated Villa-Lobos music, search for the "Choros" serie, "Mandú-Çarará", "Prole do Bebê" (Baby's Family), "Momoprecoce" (Carnival of the Brazilian children), and more of his early compositions, which has more freshness, vivid colors and stronger rhythm, including exciting percussion instruments.
Varèse - The Complete Works / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra · Asko Ensemble · Chailly
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Superb with just one reservation
  • Go ahead, test your intelligence...
  • The definitive recordings.
  • Sound Splitting Music
  • An aural knockout
 Varèse - The Complete Works / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra · Asko Ensemble · Chailly
Edgard Varese , Riccardo Chailly , Mireille Delunsch , Sarah Leonard , Royal Concertgebouw Orhcestra , and Asko Ensemble
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
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  4. Xenakis: Orchestral Works & Chamber Music
  5. Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra

ASIN: B00000AFR8
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

  1. Tuning Up
  2. Amques (Original Version)
  3. Po ectronique
  4. Arcana
  5. Nocturnal
  6. Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Orchestral Version)

Tracks:

  1. Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Original Version)
  2. Offrandes: Chanson de laut
  3. Offrandes: La Croix du Sud
  4. Hyperprism
  5. Octandre: Assez lent
  6. Octandre: Trvif et nerveux
  7. Octandre: Grave - Animt jubilatoire
  8. Intales
  9. Ecuatorial
  10. Ionisation
  11. Density 21.5
  12. Drts: 1st Episode
  13. Drts: 1st interpolation of organized sound
  14. Drts: 2nd episode
  15. Drts: 2nd interpolation
  16. Drts: 3rd episode
  17. Drts: 3rd interpolation
  18. Drts: 4th episode
  19. Dance for Burgess

Amazon.com essential recording

For a composer who is (now) recognizably part of the 20th-century classical canon, the French émigré Edgard Varèse's output was astoundingly meager. Just 15 compositions from his entire life (he destroyed the compositions from his early years, and was a merciless editor of his own material in general) made it out to the listening world. Varèse was caught in the chasm between the music of yesterday and the music of tomorrow: scoring music for modified theremin, steamboat whistles, or air sirens, all balanced with the force of a large orchestra; writing pieces based on the flows of water and wind because that's what shapes the earth; using the concepts of chemical reactions and specific gravity as a basis for his music. Using extremes of contrast, dissonance, and variety in sound, Varèse's pieces had power in the way he attacked and shaped the sound he imagined. From Ionisation (1929), scored almost entirely for unpitched percussion, to the electronic-only, three-dimensionally produced Poeme Electronique (1958), he's provided a foundation that many genres, musicians, and composers were to build from not only for the next 40 years, but inevitably beyond. --Robin Edgerton

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Superb with just one reservation.......2006-11-10

This complete works of Varèse, superbly performed and recorded, is a fine accomplishment. My only disappointment was its version of Poème Elèctronique being the sole representation of that ground-breaking work that still holds up for me today as one of the finest pieces of electronic music yet created. It is interesting to be able to hear the version in this collection, which appears to be a loving restoration of what must have been primarily the raw, performing version, to be further enhanced during its performances in a very large space? What I miss in the present version is the more clearly heard textures of its huge sound palette; the resonant and often humerous interplay between them, and its dramatic sweep as it was presented on a sparcely documented stereo mix that first appeared on a Columbia Records LP, later reissued on a CD, now out of print. That one is surely more like an actual performance, presumably mixed to re-create as well as possible then what it might have sounded like over its four hundred loudspeakers in the Philips Pavillion. I hope there will be further reissues. To me the CBS version's drama and energy are more like that of the performances of the other pieces in this wonderful Complete Works set. -Curt Wittig

5 out of 5 stars Go ahead, test your intelligence..........2006-06-18

Frank Zappa used to play Varese to test the intelligence of his friends, and most of them used to look at him like he was "out of his f---ing mind" as he put it. As a major Zappa fan, I bought this compliation, and I love every minute of it. This 2 CD set contains all of Varese's work (needless to say, Edgar wasn't very prolific). You really hear Varese's influence in Zappa's work. Some favorite pieces are Deserts, Poem Electronique, and Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Original Version). Varese's music reminds me of universes being created, in all their violence, beauty, and glory. Instruments crashing down upon one another. This music is reminiscent of Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh and his orchestral work especially. Varese is one of the great American composers, like Aaron Copland, John Cage, and Conlon Nancarrow. Superb....




5 out of 5 stars The definitive recordings........2005-11-09

Riccardo Chailly once said Varèse was going to be the Brahms of the XXI Century. I really don't know if he will be right or wrong, specially because of the very conservative auditoriums we have all around the world, but it should be this way, as the french composer has died too many years ago and his music should be understood but most of the public. It's sad to know that composers, like the own Mahler said, use to be years, decades, even centuries in advance to the general public .

Anyway, it's very important for the popular knowledge of this composers to have recordings like this, in which everything works perfectly as if it was a clock. After many years having some good recordings conducted by Boulez (Sony) and Nagano (Erato) mainly, we have now the possibility of listening one of the most musical and technical orchestra & baton of this time: The Concertgebouworkest and Riccado Chailly.

Most of the versions in this 2CDs set are the best I know, specially the orchestral works, played with conviction and precision by the Concertgebouworkest, an orchestra that had some problems with Mr.Chailly when they begin to play this, for them, `rare' music. The way Arcana sounds its incredible, full of power, mistery and perfection, the performing of Ameriques is breathtaking and I can only compare it with the truly outstanding version by Pierre Boulez with the CSO for DG. Deserts is a new dimension in Chailly's hands, really terrible and full of dark emotions.

Of course, there are little things that could be a bit better, like the Spanish sung in Ecuatorial, better sung in Nagano's version, but generally the performing is marvellous and the instrumental and ondes Martenot's playing in this piece is perfect in Chailly's version.

The ASKO Ensemble versions are outstanding too, showing a very modern Varèse. The performing of Ionisation, that great jewel, listened with a good Hi-Fi system is a experience not to be lost.

The recordings are very good, not outstanding, as it sounds like distant sometimes, but clear and with good definition, of course better with good electronics.

Booklet and presentation of the box is marvellous too; as it has to be in real event in recorded music in the last decades.

4 out of 5 stars Sound Splitting Music.......2002-06-25

First, let me state that I am a long-time Varese fanatic. I first heard Ionisation live at a contemporary music concert in my town when I was 12, and I was hooked. I immediately bought the old Robert Craft double album on Columbia and played it until there were scratches on the scratches. So I was overjoyed to see a modern "complete" recording with up to date sonics. For the most part, I haven't been too disappointed with the performances either.

Chailly is great on much of this music. Ameriques and Arcana are sonic extravagazas. And this is the best recording I've heard of Nocturnal and Ecuatorial. Chailly does a good job with the chamber pieces of the 20s and 30s, though I agree with other reviewers, Boulez is much clearer on Ionisation. Chailly misses some of my favorite parts, and I find it hard to hear the first snare drum theme. (I'm also quite partial to Craft's version, but I don't think it's available anymore.)

I also must add to the chorus of exceptions on the questionable material. The orhestrated version of the solo song has no place on this CD. It doesn't sound like Varese, more like Debussy, and though the song is quite impressionistic, I think we presume too much to orchestrate it and pass it off as "complete" Varese. And neither Tune Up nor Dance for Burgess really add much to our understanding of Varese, and are of questionable value. I suspect that Varese would have destroyed them completely had he been able. Much better to have a recording of the revised version of Ameriques. The revision is so extensive, that a side by side comparison would be illuminating.

All in all, I like this CD. Chailly's take on Varese is big and passionate, something that I think both Boulez and Craft miss. Abravanel comes close to this passion, but Chailly wins because of the gorgeous sonics. I highly recommend this CD to those interested in exploring the unique sound world of Varese.

5 out of 5 stars An aural knockout.......2002-02-01

Here are two discs with some of the most exciting 20th-century music around. Chailly and the Concertgebouw give definitive readings of Varèse's complex pieces, some written for a huge orchestra, and recorded in typically opulent London sound.

My favorites are, without a doubt, "Ameriques" and "Arcana," two explosive showpieces that will give your sound system quite a workout. But far from being merely loud, the scores have many beautiful textures (including quiet ones) scattered throughout the orchestra, and Chailly captures much of the glittering detail.

I even like "Tuning Up," which may seem like a less substantial work to most ears. To be fair, if the piece is not the last word in Varèse's imagination, it is clever enough for its short duration, and as with everything on this disc, the orchestra sounds superb and totally undaunted. Their virtuosity is both satisfying and thrilling, especially in such seldom-performed music.

Make sure your neighbors are away before turning up the performance of "Ameriques," though - the last few pages will blow your roof off.

I suspect Varèse would have loved this collection.
Mendelssohn In Words And Music
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Mendelssohn In Words And Music
    Felix Mendelssohn , Johann Sebastian Bach , Louis de Froment , Aaron Rosand , and Arthur Hannes
    Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    OctetsOctets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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    Similar Items:
    1. The Story of Schubert
    2. Story Of Chopin In Words And Music
    3. The Story Of Brahms
    4. The Story of Tchaikovsky
    5. The Story Of Handel

    ASIN: B000001KCR
    Release Date: 1995-05-01

    Tracks:

    1. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Op. 21
    2. Concerto For 2 Pianos In A-Flat Major: Allegro vivace; Presto
    3. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Op. 61: Scherzo
    4. Song Without Words No. 30 In A-Major, Op. 62 No. 6 'Spring Song'
    5. Octet In E-Flat Major, Op. 20: Scherzo
    6. St. Matthew: Chorale
    7. Hebrides Overture ('Fingal's Cave'), Op. 26
    8. Symphony No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 56 'Scottish': Vivace non troppo
    9. Symphony No. 4 In A Minor, Op. 90 'Scottish': allegro vivace
    10. Symphony No. 4 In A Minor, Op. 90 'Scottish': Con molto moderato
    11. Overture To 'Calm Sea And Prosperous Voyage,' Op. 27
    12. Symphony No. 4 In A Minor, Op. 90 'Scottish': Saltarello-presto
    13. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Op. 61: Wedding March
    14. St. Paul, Op. 36: Dir Herr, Dir Will Ich Michs Ergeben
    15. Piano Concerto No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25: Molto allegro con fuoco
    16. Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: Allegretto non troppo
    17. Song Without Words No. 23 In C Major, Op. 67 No. 4: 'Spinning Song'
    18. Symphony No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 56 'Scottish': Allegro un poco agitato
    19. Overture To 'Ruy Blas,' Op. 95
    20. 'On Wings Of Song,' Op. 95
    21. A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Op. 61: Scherzo
    22. Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: Allegro molto appassionata
    23. Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: Andante
    24. Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: Allegro non troppo; allegro molto vivace
    Mendelssohn: Octet; Quintets Nos. 1 & 2; Quartet No. 2
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Precision and elegance, awsome quintet
    • Outstanding - Wonderful Scherzo and Presto in the Octet
    • Mendelsohn:Octet, Quintets, Quartet
    • Great value period performance with depth and commitment
    		 Mendelssohn: Octet; Quintets Nos. 1 & 2; Quartet No. 2

    Manufacturer: EMI Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    Similar Items:
    1. Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Op. 49 & Op. 66
    2. Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 - 23
    3. Telemann: The Six Paris Quartets
    4. Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos
    5. Mendelssohn: String Quartets, Vol. 1

    ASIN: B00004TQQU
    Release Date: 2000-10-10

    Tracks:

    1. Str Qt No.2 in a, Op.13: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
    2. Str Qt No.2 in a, Op.13: II. Adagio Non Lento
    3. Str Qt No.2 in a, Op.13: III. Intermezzo: Allegretto Con Moto
    4. Str Qt No.2 in a, Op.13: IV. Presto
    5. Str Qnt No.2 in B flat, Op.87: I. Allegro Vivace
    6. Str Qnt No.2 in B flat, Op.87: II. Andante Scherzando
    7. Str Qnt No.2 in B flat, Op.87: III. Adagio E Lento
    8. Str Qnt No.2 in B flat, Op.87: IV. Allegro Molto Vivace

    Tracks:

    1. Str Qnt No.1 in A, Op.18: I. Allegro Con Moto
    2. Str Qnt No.1 in A, Op.18: II. Intermezzo: Andante Sostenuto
    3. Str Qnt No.1 in A, Op.18: III. Scherzo: Allegro Di Molto
    4. Str Qnt No.1 in A, Op.18: IV. Allegro Vivace
    5. Oct in E flat, Op.20: I. Allegro Moderato Ma Con Fuoco
    6. Oct in E flat, Op.20: II. Andante
    7. Oct in E flat, Op.20: III. Scherzo
    8. Oct in E flat, Op.20: IV. Presto

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Precision and elegance, awsome quintet.......2006-03-13

    I agree with the other reviewer, the Scherzo from the Octet is wonderfull, there aren't many recordings out