Magic of the Guitar [Original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Canon in D Major

2. Ave Maria in a Major

3. Ave Maria in C Major

4. Greensleeves

5. Bourre in E Minor

6. Sonata in a Minor

7. Pavane in E Minor

8. Serenade in D Minor

9. Prelude in a Minor

10. For Elise in a Minor

11. Waltz in C Major

12. Recuerdos de la Alhambra in a Minor

13. Malaguena in E Major

Tracks:

Andante
Andantino
Lento
Romance De Los Pinos
Madronos
Serenata Burlesca
Variations On A Theme From Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'
Mesto E Calmo
Theme, Variations & Finale
Cancion Mexicana No.X
Sevillana, Op.29
Sarabanda
Capriccio Diabolico, Op.85
Tonadilla For Guitar On The Name Of Andres Segovia
No.1 In E Minor
No.3 In A Minor
Guitarreo
Segovia, Op.29

Tracks:

If My Complaints
Now, O Now I Need Must Part
Sarabande
1. Prelude (Transposed In D Major)
4. Tempo Di Bourree
Courante
3. Gavotte En Rondeau
Aria E Corrente
Moderato
Menuet In G Major
Andantino Variato
No.7 In A Major
2. Canzonetta
2. Quasi Lento (Preludio)
1. Andantino Poco Allegretto (Allegretto)
2. Il Vecchio Castello
Allegretto
Tres Calme Et Doucement Expressif
No.4 In E Flat Minor
5. Asturias. Leyenda - Preludio
7. Zambra Granadina
Estudio Sin Luz
Allegro Con Brio

Amazon.com

DG has put together a fascinating compilation of Segovia's art that reminds us what a protean figure he was. Segovia single-handedly put the instrument on the map by making classical guitar concerts popular events, broadening the instrument's repertory through commissions and transcriptions, and convincing even doubters that it could be a vehicle for serious music. He's heard here in brief pieces recorded between 1952 and 1969. Even in those made when he was well into his 70s, his fingers remain nimble and interpretations lively. Listening straight through, one hears many all-time Segovia favorites as Turina's Sevillana and Albeniz's Asturias and Zambra Granadina and renews appreciation for path-breaking composers like Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He wrote extensively for Segovia and his Capriccio diabolico and Tonadilla are pieces of real substance. Disc two is largely made up transcriptions and it's amazing how well so many of them work on the guitar, at least under Segovia's magic fingers. Thus the transformations of Bach's violin music and even a Chopin Prelude sound idiomatic, and the gorgeous melodies of the Canzonetta from Mendelssohn's Op. 12 String Quartet are irresistible here. An entrancing set. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A Man and His Art - Magnificently Captured.......2007-04-06

This 2-CD set produced by Deutche Grammmophon and first released in 2002 is one set of the hundreds that could have been or the dozens that actually have been made and sold successfully all over the world. The exceptional feature of this particular collection is not, of course, the performer. Quite to the contrary, the miraculous consistency of stylings and performance are amongst the most remarkable aspects of the man who was, arguably, the 20th Centry's virtuoso supreme of the classical guitar, Andres Segovia (1893-1987.) Rather, it is the collection itself - the pieces chosen to be produced on this one set - this, to steal a German word, gestalt. While his style did not remain constant throughout his long life and career, by the time he had developed his most masterful skills that included doing his own arrangements - the era represented on this particular set (1951-1960) - his playing had become completely his own - unchallenged and unmatched by even other clearly great guitarists with whom he shared this era.

There are a total of 31 pieces played on these CDs and while a playlist would be an unnecessary use of space here, a list of the composers represented is not. More than the specific pieces Segovia gives us here, the range of composers chosen by the compilers and editors - with each piece rearranged by Segovia himself, tells us a great deal about his interests, talents and musical range. These composers include:
Isaac Albeniz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, John Dowland, Manuel de Falla, Cesar Franke, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Edvard Grieg, George Frederic Handel, Felix Mendelsohn, Frederico Moreno Torroba, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolo Paganini, Felipe Pedrell, Manuel Ponce, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Joaquin Rodrigo, Albert Roussel, Domenico Scarlatti, Alexander Scriabin, Segovia's own composition of Estudio sin luz, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tarrega, Joaquin Turina and Heitor Villa-Lobos. A truly magnificent and broad ranging collection held together by Segovia's unique personal style, approach and sound.

Largely self-taught, Andres Segovia did things with a guitar that others only imagined. He didn't just play Bach, for example - music written for an entirely different type of instrument (keyboards.) He went a step further, and recorder Bach's keyboard lessons written for his students (the Two and Three Part Inventions) and made them sound as if they had been written for the guitar! His artistry is evident to even the casual listener and in this collection, any devote of classical guitar and/or of Segovia as an individual artist, will not be disappointed.
Perfect listening for anytime. Hypnotic and, simply, unsurpassed. A necessary addition to any serious classical guitar collection.

What can you say - it's Segovia!.......2007-02-10

I saw Segovia perform live in my youth. What a treat! Anyone who loves Classical Guitar should love this collection.

EVERYBODY KNOWS.......2007-01-13

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT ANDRES SEGOVIA WAS/IS THE WORLD'S GREATEST CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYER. THIS CD IS A COMPILATION OF HIS RECORDINGS FROM THE THE EARLY 50'S TO THE LATE 60'S. HIS GUITAR MASTERY IS UNQUESTIONED AND HE IS AN INSPIRATION. I WISH I COULD PLAY GUITAR LIKE ANDRES SEGOVIA (BUT I CAN'T AND I NEVER WILL!).

Immortal guitar.......2006-08-02

Two CD's with Segovia's immortal music - an incredible treat at a great price!

WOW.......2006-02-23

Even though there is hiss from the original analog recordings this one is a must. Segovia! What more can you say. Anyone who likes classical guitar will love this.

Average customer rating:

A great introduction to the art of Placido Domingo
This is really the best.
If you like Placido at all, you must have this CD.
Rare And Great Domingo Classics
A real Bobby Dazzler

Very Best of
Placido Domingo
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Placido Domingo: A Love Until The End Of Time
Bravo Domingo
Perhaps Love
The Domingo Songbook
The Best of the Three Tenors

ASIN: B000083GOJ
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

Ill Mio Tesoro
Un'aura Amorosa
Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon
La Ci Darem La Mano
Vani Sono I Lamenti...Svegliatevi Nel Core
Pays Merveilleux...O Paradis
Quel Trouble Inconnu Me Penetre...Salut ! Demeure Chaste Et Pure (Faust, Act III)
Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini... O Souverain, O Juge, O Pere (Le Cid, Act III)
None But The Lonley Heart
Lensky's Aria
Donna, Non Vidi Mai (Manon Lescauy Act, II)
Ah, Manon, Mi Tradisce
Dammi I Colori...Recondita Armonia
E Lucevan Le Stelle (Tosca, Act III)
Ch'ella Mi Creda (La Fanciulla Del West, Act III)
Dai Campi, Dai Prati (Mefistofele, Act I)
Virgini Muse...Quando Al Soave Anelito
O Sink Hernieder, Nacht Der Liebe
Was Am Besten Er Kann...Hoho! Hohei!

Tracks:

Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi!...Celeste Aida
Su, Profetessa...Di Tu Se Fedele
Forse La Soglia Attinse...Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti
O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
Su, Cacciator...Fontainebleau!...
Niun Mi Tema
Ach, Wie So Herrlich Zu Schau'n
Sckenkt Man Sich Rosen In Tirol
Gern Hab'ich Die Frau'n Gekusst
O Vaterland...Da Geh'ich Zu Maxim
Dein Ist Mein Ganzes Herz
Mi Aldea
Cancion Del Sembrador
No Puede Ser
Serenata
Copillas De Belen
Coplas Del Pastor Enamorado
En Aranjues Con Tu Amor
Jealousy Tango
La Golondina

Amazon.com

Placido Domingo is a phenomenon, and every aspect of his artistry is on display in this 2-CD compilation, which includes arias from his signature roles in Italian, French, German, and Russian operas, and songs from Viennese and Spanish operettas. The original recordings range from the early 1970s to the present and show that though over the years his bright golden voice has taken on a darker, more burnished glow, it has retained the melting lyricism, the heroic ring, the thrilling top notes, and the focused intensity that make it instantly recognizable. (Comparing the Verdi arias included here with their counterparts of later vintage in the all-Verdi set The Tenor Arias bears this out.) The program demonstrates his stylistic and expressive versatility and his ability to instantly establish character and mood, from Lenski's sorrow (in Eugene Onegin), Cavaradossi's heart-rending despair (in Tosca), Otello's shattering agony, to Tristan's passion, Siegfried's exuberance, Faust's ardor (first in French by Gounod, then in Italian by Boito). In three Mozart arias, Domingo spins endless, perfectly shaped phrases with incredible breath control, then adds an oddity: the famous duet between Zerlina and Don Giovanni, a role he has not performed. Five Viennese operetta songs, one of which he also conducts, are delightful; there is a smile of pleasure in his voice, but not a hint of kitsch. By contrast, Tchaikovsky's "None but the Lonely Heart" is spoiled by an orchestration that is pure Hollywood. In the final Spanish group, he is on home ground and incomparable. This is a glorious record, a must for all lovers of great singing. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A great introduction to the art of Placido Domingo.......2007-07-04

Placido Domingo, of course, is one of the finest tenors of the latter part of the 20th century. This 2 CD set well captures his talent, showing the range of his singing. We hear cuts from Puccini and Verdi to Tchaikovsky and Wagner to Strauss and Handel. And even a traditional Spanish sung and some operetta thrown in for good measure!

This is a wonderful introduction to his artistry, and shows that he can sing well across a variety of styles and eras. Let's sample some cuts:

"Il mio Tesoro" (from Mozart's Don Giovanni) is a difficult aria to sing well. And Domingo is up to the challenge. He displays a smooth and rich voice. His is one of those distinctive tenor voices, like Tucker's or Pavarotti's, that is quickly recognizable. This is, as noted, a challenging piece and Domingo handles it well, showing off considerable vocal agility in the process.

From the same opera, "La ci darem la mano," a sweet duet with, in this instance, soprano Susan Graham. This seductive work is sung well by both parties and is a ravishing version.

From Puccini's "Tosca," "Recondita armonia." At the close, his voice rises above orchestra and chorus. Overall, well and richly sung.

And now for something very different. . . The "Forging Scene" from Siegfried. One may not think of Domingo as a heldentenor, but he does a serviceable job here. His voice sometimes appears a bit light, but, overall, he does estimable work. He catches Siegfried's spirit as he forges the shattered remains of his father's sword, "Nothung." When he sings the name of his sword at the close, with the leitmotif ringing out from the orchestra, it is an affecting moment.

Then, "Celeste Aida" (from Verdi's opera). A stentorian voice well deployed to meet the challenges of this wonderful aria. Some tenors scoop as they move from those lower to the higher notes; Domingo's voice is well controlled here. The final high note is well hit.

Strauss (Junior's) "Ach, wie so herrlich zu schau'n" is a romp! A fun piece and well sung by Domingo. He demonstrates, as before, excellent vocal agility.

Lehar's "O Vaterland" is also fun. It is a sprightly tune sprightly sung.

Finally, he ends the second CD with a traditional Spanish tune--"La Golondrina." He does not overpower this work with operatic technique. He sings it well and affectingly.

So, all in all, if one wants a good introduction to Placido Domingo's vocal oeuvre, this is a very strong starting point.

This is really the best........2007-05-16

I have many of Mr. Domingo's recordings but I really love this one. He seems to get better with age. Some of the songs are on some of my other recordings but they seem new and fresh on this CD. I really think this is the best of Placido Domingo.

If you like Placido at all, you must have this CD........2005-04-06

Placido Domingo has been around for so long, it is easy to take this great artist for granted. I totally agree with the previous reviews of this album; I can also say that I had the opportunity to hear him live in concert on April 2, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and his voice is still stunning. His opening aria that night was the prayer from El Cid, "O Souverain," which he dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II. This piece is the 8th selection on CD 1, and is from a 1997 live recording. His thrilling finish blew me away when I listened to it the first time, and and the crowd on the recording reacts the same way the Mississippi audience did when we heard him. That aria alone is worth the price of this CD set.

Rare And Great Domingo Classics.......2005-03-08

EMI's "The Very Best Of" series is a wonderful way for the opera lover/novice or even connoisseur in training to get acquainted with the great singers of opera in the 20th century. It is possible that in a few years, the great singers of today (from the 90's up to now and further into the future) will grace the album covers of The Very Best Of...The Very Best Of Renee Fleming, The Very Best Of Salvatore Licitra, etc. This is not exactly the best of Domingo. It is more of a collection of rare and wonderfully expressive arias from operas that range all over the map- Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Massenet. Now, here's the reason why so many people adore Domingo, myself included - Domingo is a Renaissance Opera Tenor. He has sung almost every tenor role in the opera universe. Even if he is, to some, the "tenor who sang with Pavoratti in the three tenors" he proves he's the strongest of the bunch, the most dedicated, the most prolific and most artistic. Domingo has a beautiful voice, with secure high register and dark, masculine middle chest voice and exciting dramatic electricity! He's sung more than 50 operas, in addition operetta and Spanish Zarzuela (the Spanish equivalent to musicals or operetta which is where he got started and his parents sung in Zarzuela) and he has also recorded Spanish mainstream love songs for Latin audiences. A winner of Grammies, an actor in movies about operas that he starred in (Tosca, La Traviata, Otello) and the most active tenor on tv broadcasts, he is just incredible and powerful.
He is a great force in opera.

Even in his old age, he does'nt seem to be slowing down or call it quits. Recent performances (2000-2005) include Eugene Onegin, the lead in Queen of Spades, Rasputin in Debra Dratell's Nicolas and Alexandra, Idomeneo and his next role Parsifal. He is the singular tenor who mastered every repertoire- Mozart (Don Ottavio, Tamino...unfortunately Domingo as Don Giovanni is a miscast because he is too noble and romantic and GOOD to be a bad guy)..to Puccini heros (Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Dick Johnson in Fanciualla Del West, Rodolfo in Boheme, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Calaf in Turandot) Verdi heroes (Radames in Aida, Don Carlos, Stiffelio, etc) to the French repertoire...Gounod (Faust, Romeo) Meyerbeer heroes, Massenet hero (Des Grieux, Le Cid) and Saint Saens (Samson) the list goes on and on. When this man dies, an era will die with him. His legend will live on because he will leave behind dozens of albums, movies and memories......

A real Bobby Dazzler.......2004-02-19

Fans of Mr. Domingo would be lucky to find a selection of music that more profoundly explores and exhibits the diversity of his vocal ability and interpretation than is offered on these two discs. Delicious displays of Mozart, ringing renditions of the most challenging high Italian roles, powerfully rounded accounts of some of the heavy German/Russian repetoir, and some noticably nostalgic songs from the light Spannish tradition provide an impressive catalogue of the great man's rich, focussed, technically impecable and singularly beguiling vocal talent. Those who are yet to form an opinion on any particular genre of the operatic spectrum would do well to start here, so eclectic is this album. Also, you might be reassured to know that, should you become an admirer of P.D.'s talent as a result of listening to this compilation, (it is difficult to resist), you will have no trouble finding other recordings by him. A record-breaker with more than 110 roles to his repetoir (40 is a respected total for an opera singer), he is the most recorded tenor in history, leaving more than 80 complete accounts to date of operas in the Italian, French, German and Russian traditions.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

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:

Fugue From Violin Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001 - J S Bach
Estudio brillante
Etude No. 1 In E Minor
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Leyenda
Romance
Rumores de la Caleta
Capricho Arabe
Cantata 147: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 1
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 6
Cantata 140: Sleepers Awake
Prelude, Fugue, And Allegro: Allegro
Cantata 208: Sheep May Safely Graze
Les Barricades mysterieuses
Preambulo & Allegro vivo: Preambulo And Allegro vivo
Passacaglia
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
Gymnopedie No. 1
Empress Of The Pagodas
Afro-Cuban Lullaby

Tracks:

Fourth Lute Suite: Praludium
Fairest Lord Jesus
Praise Ye The Lord, K. 339
Simple Gifts
Hymn Of Christian Joy
Cantata 29: We Thank Thee, Lord
Cantata 156: Arioso
Cantata 99: What God Hath Done
Canon
Dolly Suite: Berceuse
La Vida breve: Spanish Dance No. 1
Terezinha De Jesus
Prelude (In The Baroque Style)
Goyescas: Intermezzo
Prelude & Fugue No. 4 In E: Fugue
Evening Dance
Variations On A Theme Of Mozart
Canarlos
La Maja de Goya
El Noi de la Mare
Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio - J. Rodrigo

Customer Reviews:

Excellent recording.......2007-05-12

If you are a fan of classical guitar than this is a must own set. I enjoy every moment.

Highly Recommended!.......2006-12-23

I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves music--period! Christopher Parkening is unquestionably one of the greatest classical guitarists of all-time. He embodies personal excellence like no other and is a brilliant artist. This CD is a must-have for any classical enthusiast. My favorite pieces include: Tárrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra," "Romance," Bach's "Prelude No. 6," and Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez." There are other versions of these pieces as well, but I always prefer Parkening's renditions, as they are oh so extraordinary--especially the recording of Aranjuez!! Other guitarists never seem to capture the essence of Rodrigo's musical masterpiece (e.g., Göran Söllescher in "Mad About Guitars"). But Parkening did! And the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was a perfect accompaniment.

This CD is definitely worth buying. Included is a CD booklet, which illustrates the history of Parkening's illustrious career, interesting tidbits about all 25 recorded pieces, and several photos of his early life to his "breathtaking performance" at Rodrigo's 90th birthday celebration at the Royal Festival Hall in London, 1992.

Amazing.......2006-05-08

I am not going to go into great detail. I am working on a degree in classical guitar and I can say this is something to strive for. His musical interpretation of the peices represented here are some of the best I've heard. His tone,color, and phrasing is incredible.

A gentleman musical agreement! .......2006-03-16

In guitar ` s playing there have been many renowned performers, gifted of exuberant technique. But curiously the Apollonian playing is not by itself strictly enough. The guitar is the instrument which is closer to heart as any other one. It demands from you passion and sentiment. There have been three well known guitarists, one of them from England and the other one from Spain and the third one from Japan whose sensibility was totally absent in their performances.

But fortunately for us, there have been notable interpreters that have been maintained a desired balance and contrast between brain and heart, achieving great distinction and total acknowledgement around the world. I would name seven primordial names along the instrument `s story. First of all: the mythic soloist Andres Segovia, Regino Sainz de la Maza, John Williams, Alirio Diaz, Manuel Berrueco, Siegfried Behrend and Christopher Parkening, among the most representative ones of a great list.

Christopher Parkening `s career has made a brilliant colorist, an impeccable and sensitive interpreter of this well reduced repertoire. His profound artistic conviction and convincing phrasing has been a perpetual motive of constant invitations and presentations around the world.

Extreme virtuosity.......2005-09-25

CP has become my chief inspiration to improve as a classical guitarist. His performances here are, without exception, phenomenal. He makes the most difficult pieces sound effortless. I prefer CP over John Williams because, while Williams is also unquestionably a master, he sounds a bit robotic to me at times. CP, on the other hand, never sacrifices musicality to precision. He sublimely maintains both.

Lady of the Spice Lands - music for relaxation, massage, yoga, for the love of music...

Average customer rating:

not very relaxing
Absolutely beautiful music!!!
Wonderful relaxing music
Good if you like acoustical guitar
Sounds to Soothe and Uplift Your Soul

Lady of the Spice Lands - music for relaxation, massage, yoga, for the love of music...
Chris Brenne
Manufacturer: Magic Brew Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00009IMZE
Release Date: 2003-03-19

Tracks:

Awakening
After Dreams
Lady of the Spice Lands
Arctic Light
One Afternoon on Rue Labrador
The Long Sands
Dusty's Girl
Heather, Weeds and Rushes
International Connection
The Maiden and the Hunchback
Sonnen Allee
Home Again
Lilacs
Your Eyes, Your Hands
That Day Would Come
Transcendental Railway Station
Vermont
Wiggly Bridge
Pastoral in D

Album Description

Perfect for acoustic guitar buffs, healing arts practitioners and passionate new music fans, Lady of the Spice Lands effortlessly weaves evocative yet calming music. Chris Brenne takes you on a journey with instrumental solo guitar pieces, creating sounds that inspire emotion and breath. Brenne is a Cambridge, Massachusetts artist and a native of Sweden, whose music grounds listeners with beautiful, lyrical melodies that are naturally relaxing and spiritually uplifting.

Customer Reviews:

not very relaxing.......2007-07-17

I was surprised to hear how fast many of the tracks are- not very relaxing in a massage environment.

Absolutely beautiful music!!!.......2006-11-06

This is one of the nicest musical CD's I've ever played for my massage clients! Some of the songs are a little faster than I normally like to play, but all in all, this is some great music!!!

Wonderful relaxing music.......2006-08-31

I bought this cd for my husband who is a massage therapist. It's one of his favorites. Clients enjoy it also. It has a variety of styles that are wonderful variations for guitar.

Good if you like acoustical guitar.......2006-08-03

I enjoy this one for relaxation to acoustical guitar. Not quite as relaxing or long as a CD I bought specifically for massage background music.

Sounds to Soothe and Uplift Your Soul.......2004-04-06

The magical music on this CD will touch the very core of your soul. Brenne's fingers dance over the strings, creating sounds that could only be created by a master guitarist. The songs are beautiful pieces of work; truly inspiring. I use this CD as an accompaniment to my work commute, background music for dinner parties (both group dinners and private dinners for two ;-), and as part of my meditation.

Tracks:

Castles Of Spain: Rumor de copla
Castles Of Spain: Siguenza
Castles Of Spain: Manzanares del real
Castles Of Spain: Romance de los pinos
Castles Of Spain: Turegano
Variations On A Theme Of Mozart
Tonadilla
Suite espanola: Espanoletas
Suite espanola: Rujero y paradetas
Suite espanola: La Minona de Cataluna
Suite espanola: Folias
Suite espanola: Passacalle de la cavalleria de Napoles
Suite espanola: Canarios
Villanesca
Torre bermeja
Estudio sin luz
Remembranza
Suite In D Minor: Preludio
Suite In D Minor: Allegro
Suite In D Minor: Zarabanda
Suite In D Minor: Gabota
Suite In D Minor: Despacio
Suite In D Minor: Giga
Suite catalan: La Filadora
Suite catalan: La Filla del marxant
Suite catalan: La Nit de nadal
Suite catalan: El Noi de la mare

Customer Reviews:

Awesome guitar work.......2007-01-12

Parkening sets the standard for others to compare to. Enjoyable tribute to Segovia. The type of guitar mastery that one can relax to after a hard days work. Enough said.

Have been loving this for over ten years!!.......2003-09-26

I bought this cassette over ten years ago (1992) when I started taking classical guitar lessons. Would listen to it on the way home from work, then had a baby nine years ago and have used it for lullaby music (works like a charm) for afternoon naps and nighttime. Still listen to it in the car when the kids fight and they mellow out instantly.

Finally buying it on CD because I think I wore a spot out on the cassette! I have listened to this masterpiece at least a thousand times and have never, ever tired of this most excellent work of art.

If you are a classical guitar fan, you will absolutely adore every single note played on this album/CD. I promise!! :)

sonic rapture..........2003-06-03

If anyone knows of a better sonically intoxicating cd than this please let me know. Possibly only Julian Bream's unreal 1982 Granados and Albeniz cd would top this one for me. Anyway just thought I would pass this thought along to anyone who may visit here. The tone is absolutely magical on this cd. This is the cd to listen to at night to chill out and get mellow while being enchanted to the max. Peace. I must go on... the tone, the tone. My god the tone.

Not just a tribute.......2001-07-31

Parkening shows how much he learned from Segovia. I have many of these pieces played by the Master. Parkening plays with a similar timbre, simlar dynamics and with a musicality just as deep as Segovia's. IF you like classical guitar you should own this one.

Wonderful, relaxing music.......2001-01-27

This cd will spend much time on my player. It is so lively, yet comforting music to listen to.

Parkening provides wonderful tribute to Segovia with Spanish compositions especially loved by the master, even some of them performed on one his Segovia's guitars.

Customer Reviews:

The classical heritage .......2006-04-16

The visible embellishment of this noble instrument was enriched still more by the Spanish composers, who following the traces of his contemporaries. In the case of Fernando Sor, Haydn was his musical guide, where as Aguado, could establish himself with major vehemence, due its particular style, based in the notable right-hand articulation, eschewed the classical patterns, being able to print his own music a flamboyant and refined character.

In the particular case of Fernando Sor, we have a wisdom blending of the counterpoint technique, an evocative mood from his own that, added the well known influence of the Italian composers (Domenico Cimarrosa and Giovanni Batista Pergolesi) and his beloved love for the Operatic genre, allowed him to enrich still more the lyrical possibilities of the guitar. Besides, unlike Nicolo Paganini, for instance fortunately did not transform the guitar in a simple device to show his overwhelming gifts. He used the guitar to play music, on the opposite approach of Paganini who used the music as mere device to play his instrument.

In the guitar genre there has not been most deserved and superb tribute to Mozart that this Variations Op. 9 based on a motive of The most famous Mozart ?s Magic Flute. Loaded of such imaginative freshness and enraptured inspiration you may notice that one of the Variations conserves an undeniable Italian flavor; this is one of the most beloved hidden treasures the guitar can offers us, which raise with special charm in the hands of this formidable soloist.

Aguado on the contrary acquired due his personal state of things, a notable adroitness who excelled by far, to Sor, so his musical approaches rode in opposite directions, trying to exploit at maximum levels the technical possibilities of the instrument.

Julian Bream makes a colossal tribute to both composers in this egregious and golden album.

Average customer rating:

Brings back visit to Hawaii
I judge all my other slack key cds against this one...

Slack Key Guitar
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Palm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Slack Key Guitar Volume 2
Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters
Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters Collection, Vol. 2
Black Sand
6 & 12 String Slack Key

ASIN: B00000J10I
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

Give a Lei, Bryan Kessler
Island Style, Randy Lorenzo
Dolphin Days, Charles Michael Brotman
Kiho'alu Jam, Sonny Lim
Hi'ilawe, Sonny Lim
Milili'i Slack Key, Ken Emerson
Mehameha, Sonny Lim
Kaulana Na Pua, John Keawe
Saddle Road, Kevin Teves
Pu'uanahulu, John Keawe
Hapuna Sunset, Charles Michael Brotman

Album Description

"Ki ho'a lu," or slack Key guitar, refers to the altered tunings of the acoustic guitar that are unique to the musical heritage of Hawaii. The beautiful slack Key sound is synonomous with the majic of the Hawaiian Islands. This collection of solo performances features 7 well known slack key guitarists.

Customer Reviews:

Brings back visit to Hawaii.......2005-12-10

I had no idea what Slack Key Guitar was until finally took the wrapper off this CD and played it. Love this CD. Very relaxing. Great backgound music-can let it play all day. Brings back the memories of our visit to Hawaii.

I judge all my other slack key cds against this one..........2000-06-02

Bought it on May 17. Ended up buying 11 (and counting) other slack key music cds. But still my favorite overall. I can't sing, but do want to learn to play slack key, so this instrumental cd of solo (no other instrument) slack key inspires me. You will not go wrong buying this one!

The mellow performances match my personality, and bring to mind images of balmy breezes and swaying trees.

I've been looking for another instrumental cd of solo slack key performances, but have yet to find one that matches this one...except maybe Ozzie Kotani's, and Ledward Kaapana's live CD.

If you are wanting to play slack key, listen to this one and hear what can be achieved, without being distracted by other instruments.

The Magic Box
Average customer rating:

perhaps my favourite jw

Perfect for a quiet, cloudy Sunday Morning

Well intended, but...

lovely

Expanding the Horizon

The Magic Box
Martin Loveday , and Anthony Pleeth
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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El Diablo Suelto - Guitar Music of Venezuela

Places Between: Live in Dublin

Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar

Spirit of the Guitar: Music of the Americas

Spanish Guitar Music

ASIN: B000065APV
Release Date: 2002-04-16

Tracks:

O Bia
Township Kwela
Maki
Engome
Malinke Guitars
Masanga
Musha Musiki
Mitopa
Triangular Situations
Guitar Makossa
The Magic Box
Omby
Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika
Djandjon
Sangara

Amazon.com

With his crystalline articulation and extraordinary rhythmic prowess, John Williams ranks among the greatest solo voices the acoustic guitar has ever known. Now, with the joyous evocations of the African guitar tradition, Williams has hit upon his most emotionally satisfying crossover recital to date. Though both chief soloist and arranger, Williams nevertheless avoids shining the spotlight on his virtuosic skills--even his solo showcase, "Masagna," places greater emphasis on the tune's folkish incantations. He allows plenty of melodic space for the likes of steel-string player John Ethridge, while guiding listeners through the idiomatic flora and fauna of the pan-African experience: from the hornpipelike airs of Madagascar ("Mitopa") and kora-styled arpeggios of Mali ("Malinke Guitars") through to intimations of South African vocal traditions with a lovely children's chorus on the anthem of the African National Congress, "Nikosi Sikelel'I Africa." Simply expressive and deeply felt, Magic Box exudes a universal vibe that transcends borders and nationalities. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews:

perhaps my favourite jw.......2004-10-20

you gotta give it to john, he tries new stuff. and traditionalists may snob his later recordings, he has a gift of bringing life to guitar music.

the repertoire is different, cute and enjoyable.

my only critisicm is that the steel string solos get a bit monotonous in some of the pieces, but this is only because its not to my taste.

Perfect for a quiet, cloudy Sunday Morning.......2003-11-16

I have Magic Box playing and a small water sculpture flowing as I type this and the combination is just about perfect. I wouldn't call myself a sophisticated listener, even though I bought my first Segovia recording as a teenager in the early 1960s and, over the years, have accumulated quite a few recording by Segovia, Isbin, Williams, Parkening, and others. I never tire of listening to these superb guitarists playing Rodrigo and Bach and the other standards but, every once in a while, it is a pleasure to hear something a little out of the ordinary. It takes a special talent for a classically trained musician to handle pop or folk material with any success - as it does for pop/folk musicians to go the other way. Williams does it with ease.

Well intended, but..........2002-12-21

Being quite close to some of the sources for some of these pieces, I was both thrilled that they had been recognized, while a bit disappointed in the actual music treatment on Magic Box, which I found rather tepid and polite compared to the originals.

Paul-Bert Rahasimanana is much better known as Rossy, and he has many albums, most available on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, the links on this page don't tell you that. I have produced him, and toured and performed with him. He's an amazing musician. I hope people take the time to listen to his music.

Another source musician, Ralanto, is on the cover of an album called Moon and the Banana Tree, a 1995 compendium of acoustic guitar players in Madagascar which I produced for Shanachie. Omby, the piece John Williams covers, is on that album, and again, I hope people will take the time to seek that album out as well. Williams recently referred to it in an interview as a real eye-opener. I wish he could have heard Resting Place of the Mists, the companion CD which is already out of print.

Africa (including Madagascar, which is more properly associated with Indian Ocean culture than with Africa) has some of the most astounding guitar players on earth. Hearing an admittedly superb classical guitarist attempt to do that material justice requires that the listener either be unaware of the source, or willing to ignore it and judge the extremely European treatment he offers, which is dramatically inside the limits of the source. With all due respects, I truly hope it will draw some folks to listen to the real thing.

lovely.......2002-11-02

Classical guitarist extraordinaire John Williams has never been afraid to set out on little side-trips, away from the mainstream of the classical guitar literature. Beyond taking part on occasion in big orchestra-backed 'pops' excursions, he has regularly immersed himself in avant-garde, jazz, and even rock projects (for example the band 'Sky'). "The Magic Box" therefore does not really represent Williams doing anything unusual for him, but it does expand his repertoire within the world of folk and international music, in this case the traditional music of Africa. I find most of this material very attractive, but somehow a little less involving than when it is played on native instrumentation (perhaps simple beauties just cannot be improved upon...). Nevertheless, as always Williams executes each item in the program with grace and understanding, and with a level of gentleness and respect that one expects from a classical musician of his calibre. Call it a worthwhile experiment--though I'm not sure I would clamor for an encore.

Expanding the Horizon.......2002-07-18

In pursuing his goal of expanding guitar music beyond the traditional Spanish repertoire, Williams and friends have produced a very enjoyable collection of African style music. The blend of percussion, bass, and wind instruments gives it even more flavor. Particularly delightful is track 3, "Maki," with Williams playing beautiful tremolo and strumming on a bright sounding requinto. Several other pieces give off a similar tropical, mellow, and happy feeling. I'm eagerly anticipating Williams' next project and where he will take us.

Average customer rating:

You could play this CD all day and never get tired of it!
It actually feels like you're in Hawaii listening 2 this CD!
Cure's Post-vacation Blues
Reminds me of moonlit nights at The Royal Hawaiianý

Steel Guitar Magic
Jack DeMello
Manufacturer: Music of Polynesia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Voyager Series: Hawaiian Steel Guitar Favorites
Byrd of Paradise
Legends of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar
Master of the Steel Guitar, Vol. 1
Sounds of Hawaii

ASIN: B000008NU3
Release Date: 1994-09-01

Tracks:

Blue Hawaii
Pearly Shells
Lovely Hula Hands
Maui Chimes
Hawaiian Paradise
Kaimana Hila
Sweet Leilani
I'll Remember You
Beyond The Reef
Mekanani Kaupo
Hawaiian War Chant
Tiny Bubbles
Lahainaluna
Sophisticated Hula
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Aloha Oe

Album Description

Hawai'i's legendary steel guitarists, Billy Hew Len and Barney Isaacs, Jr. team up with legendary ukulele and guitar stylists Benny Kalama, Randy Oness, Herb Ohta, Sonny Kamahele and King Kamahele performing classics known throughout the world.

Customer Reviews:

You could play this CD all day and never get tired of it!.......2006-06-28

This is the ultimate Hawaiian "background" CD! I've had it for over ten years and I always play it when I want to really feel like I'm back in Hawaii. I bought it while I was living in Kihei, Maui because everywhere I went on the islands (from restaurants in Lahaina to shops in Paihia and all the way down to the hidden hotels of Hana) this is the CD they were playing in the background. It truly makes you feel the aloha spirit. As the previous reviewer's mentioned, every single song on this album is good. Don't expect any big Hawaiian hits like you'd hear from IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) or Willie K., this is just laid back new and traditional instrumentals. You could play this CD all day and never get tired of it!

It actually feels like you're in Hawaii listening 2 this CD!.......2003-07-31

Wow! Wow! Wow!!! This is one of those rare moments where not one song on the album is a dud. :) Every song on this CD is just perfect! Perfect I tell you!!! Jack de Mello's music really evokes and inspires some wonderful emotion and it feels as if you have been transported to a secluded beach in Hawaii; waves softly lapping up on the warm sand, palm trees swaying, a pina colada in hand, hula girls dancing in grass skirts, and a beautiful sunset. This is great steel guitar Hawaiian music!!! Perfect for a Luau party or just relaxing. Great stuff!!! Worth every dime!!! You will not be disappointed!

Cure's Post-vacation Blues.......2001-06-03

I picked this album up on the streets of Lahaina, Maui. And, it has been the best best remedy for keeping from selling everything and going back.

This album makes great BBQ, garden party or hanging out on the boat music. It warms San Francisco Bay about 12 degrees. If you like Hawai'i steel guitar music, you will like this one. No clunkers!

Reminds me of moonlit nights at The Royal Hawaiianý.......2000-07-21

If you like Steel Guitar/Hawaiian music this is a great CD. Makes one think of being on the lani at The Royal Hawaiian over looking the beach at night, during a full moon. One can almost feel the luscious ocean breezes that brush across one's skin like heavy silk and, one imagines that just faintly, one can detect the scent of plumeria mixed with the salt air.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Don Everly/Sunset Towers

Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Music

Live in Paris [Live]

Crossfire

Short Sighted [Import]

Let's Ride

Live 65 [Live]

Opera Arias 1973-1981

It's Jack the Lad [Import]

Impending Bloom

Man of the Hour [Amazon.com exclusive] [CD-single]

Fuego

La Segunda Entrega

Chester Baldwin - Sing It On Sunday Morning

Straight Ahead

1. Canon in D Major
2. Ave Maria in a Major
3. Ave Maria in C Major
4. Greensleeves
5. Bourre in E Minor
6. Sonata in a Minor
7. Pavane in E Minor
8. Serenade in D Minor
9. Prelude in a Minor
10. For Elise in a Minor
11. Waltz in C Major
12. Recuerdos de la Alhambra in a Minor
13. Malaguena in E Major