Stravinsky: Rite of Spring/Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 [Import]

Track Listings

1. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Andante)

2. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Marcato)

3. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Adagio)

4. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Giocoso)

5. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction

6. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Les Augures Printaniers-Danses Des Adolescentes

7. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeu Du Rapt

8. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Rondes Printanieres

9. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeux Des Cities Rivales

10. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cortege Du Sage

11. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Adoration De La Terre-Le Sage

12. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse De La Terre

13. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction

14. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cercles Mysterieux Des Adolescentes

15. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Glorification De L'elue

16. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Evocation Des Ancetres

17. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Action Rituelle Des Ancetres

18. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse Sacrale ( L'elue )

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:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

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

Most Frightening Music in the Universe

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Classics from the Crypt
Very Scary Music: Classic Horror Themes
Fright Night: Music that Goes Bump in the Night
More Of The Most Relaxing Classical Music In The Universe
The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

ASIN: B0002W4V0G
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Smith

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Minneapolis Symphony Shines Again
Dorati's MLP Gems Are Back!

Antal Dorati Conducts
Isaac Albeniz , stravinsky , Aaron Copland , richard strauss , George Gershwin , Modest Mussorgsky , Sergey Prokofiev , Gunther Schuller , Bedrich Smetana , de falla , bloch , Antal Dorati , London Symphony Orchestra , and Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Paul Paray Conducts French Orchestral Music
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6
Bartok: Orchestral Works; Bluebeard's Castle
Paul Paray Conducts Dances of Death
Dorati Conducts Satie, Milhaud, Auric, Françaix & Fetler

ASIN: B000A5DLPG
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Customer Reviews:

Minneapolis Symphony Shines Again.......2005-11-11

This box set of recordings by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (known today as the Minnesota Orchestra) is a dream come true for anyone who grew up hearing this magnificent group either live or on LP. Listeners cannot help but be impressed by their remarkable clarity, rhythmic vitality, and artful precision (dare I call it the "Minneapolis Sound"?)- especially when you consider that these recordings were made in the 50s and 60s on the stage of Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota.

Antal Dorati had a keen ear for orchestral color, and this collection is a lasting testament to his instincts. Anyone who reveres the old recordings by such conductors as Ormandy, Bernstein, Reiner, Szell, et al., are highly encouraged to check out this collection. The hauntingly exotic "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee" by Gunther Schuller (commissioned by the Orchestra) is an all-too-rare gem that deserves to be heard - a modern-day "Pictures at an Exhibition".

Dorati carried his concepts of color over to his recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, as the Stravinsky and Prokofiev selections will attest.

I encourage audiophiles to discover one of those "other" orchestras from "back then". I think it will be a "sound" investmment.

Dorati's MLP Gems Are Back!.......2005-10-03

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know of my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing, and while the single disc SACD Hybrid titles are unfortunately listed at full-price, it is wonderful to see the various multi-disc sets basically being sold at budget line. With this 5CD reissue, some of Antal Dorati's legendary MLP recordings are restored to the catalog, as all of the original single issue CDs of these titles had all gone out-of-print over the last few years. To illustrate how prized these recordings are by collectors, if you wanted to buy these five titles just a few months ago in the Amazon Marketplace it would have cost you four times the price of this new set! Buying this collection for Dorati's accounts of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Petrouchka alone is worthwhile, as they are two of those works greatest performances. Of course getting memorable recordings of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel, Don Juan, Death & Transfiguration and the conductor's own Suite from Der Rosenkavalier; Prokofiev's 5th Symphony and Suites from Scythian and Love for Three Oranges; Albeniz' Iberia Suite along with Falla, Moussorgsky and Smetana excerpts; and Gershwin's American in Paris, Copland's Rodeo Dances, and some wild Schuller and Bloch compositions (whew!) is just more to get excited about. Overall, it makes for quite an attractive package -- glorious golden age stereo recordings returned to the catalog at a very reasonable price. Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

Average customer rating:

Russian Orchestral Masterworks

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Sym No.5 in e, Op.64: I. Andante - Allegro Con Anima - LSO/Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos
Sym No.5 in e, Op.64: II. Andante Cantabile, Con Alcuna Licenza - LSO/Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos
Sym No.5 in e, Op.64: II. Valse: Allegro Moderato - LSO/Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos
Sym No.5 in e, Op.64: IV. Finale: Andante Maestoso-Allegro Vivace - LSO/Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos
Ser, Op.48: Pezzo In Forma Di Sonatina Andante-Allegro-Andante - English Strs Orch/William Boughton
Ser, Op.48: Waltzer: Moderato - English Strs Orch/William Boughton
Ser, Op.48: Elegie: Larghetto Elegacio - English Strs Orch/William Boughton
Ser, Op.48: Finale: Thema Russo Andante-Allegro - English Strs Orch/William Boughton

Tracks:

Scheherazade Sym Ste, Op.35: Largo E Maestoso - Allegro Non Troppo - Bradley Creswick/George Ives
Scheherazade Sym Ste, Op.35: Lento - Andantino - Bradley Creswick/George Ives
Scheherazade Sym Ste, Op.35: Andantino Quasi Allegretto - Bradley Creswick/George Ives
Scheherazade Sym Ste, Op.35: Allegro Molto - Bradley Creswick/George Ives
Russian Easter Festival Ov, Op.36 - Bradley Creswick/George Ives

Tracks:

Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: I. Montagues And Capulets (Ste 2, No.1) - Philharmonia Orch/William Boughton
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: II. The Child Juliet (Ste 2, No.2) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: III. Dance (Ste 2, No.4) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: IV. Dance Of Antilles Girls (Ste 2, No.6) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: V. Morning Dance (Ste 3, No.2) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: VI. Romeo & Juliet (Ste 1, No.6) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: VII. Romeo At The Grave Of Juliet (Ste 2, No.7) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Ballet Ste, Op.64: VIII. Death Of Tybalt (Ste 1, No.7) - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Romeo & Juliet - Fant Ov - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka

Tracks:

Sym No.2 in e, Op.27: I. Largo - Allegro Moderato - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Sym No.2 in e, Op.27: II. Allegro Molto - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Sym No.2 in e, Op.27: III. Adagio - Martin Ronchetti
Sym No.2 in e, Op.27: IV. Allegro Vivace - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka
Vocalise, Op.34, No.14 - BBC National Orch Of Wales/Tadaaki Otaka

Tracks:

The Firebird Ste: Intro And Dance Of The Firebird - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Firebird Ste: Adagio (Pas De Deux) - Entreaty Of The Firebird - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Firebird Ste: Scherzo - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Firebird Ste: Rondo (Khorovod) - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Firebird Ste: Allegro - Infernal Dance - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Intro (Harbingers Of Spring) - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Dances of The Adolescents - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Mock Abduction - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Spring Rounds - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Game Of The Rival Tribes - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: I. Adoration Of The Earth: Dance Of The Earth - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Intro - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Mystical Circles Of The Adolescents - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Glorification Of The Victim - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Evocation Of The Ancestors - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Ritual Of The Ancestors - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
The Rite Of Spring: II. The Sacrifice: Sacred Dance - The Victim - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

Tracks:

Petrouchka: First Scene: The Shrovetide Fair - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Petrouchka: Second Scene: Petrouchka's Room - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Petrouchka: Third Scene: The Moor's Room - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Petrouchka: Fourth Scene: Grand Carnival - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym In Three Movts: 1st Movt - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym In Three Movts: 2nd Movt - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym In Three Movts: 3rd Movt - LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1, Op.35: I. Allegro Moderato - Martin Jones/Graham Ashton/Michael Bouchmann
Pno Con No.1, Op.35: II. Lento - Martin Jones/Graham Ashton/Michael Bouchmann
Pno Con No.1, Op.35: III. Moderato - Martin Jones/Graham Ashton/Michael Bouchmann
Pno Con No.1, Op.35: IV. Allegro Brio - Martin Jones/Graham Ashton/Michael Bouchmann
Pno Con No.2, Op.102: I. Allegro - Martin Jones
Pno Con No.2, Op.102: II. Andante - Martin Jones
Pno Con No.2, Op.102: III. Allegro - Martin Jones
Chm Sym, Op.110a: I. Largo - ESO/William Boughton
Chm Sym, Op.110a: II. Allegro Molto - ESO/William Boughton
Chm Sym, Op.110a: III. Allegretto - ESO/William Boughton
Chm Sym, Op.110a: IV. Largo - ESO/William Boughton
Chm Sym, Op.110a: V. Largo - ESO/William Boughton

Average customer rating:

GRRRREAT!!!
Great introduction!

Heavy Classix, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Heavy Classix
25 Thunderous Classics
Thunder & Lightning
Living In Oblivion : The 80's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder

ASIN: B000002SOM
Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

O'Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) - Phil Chor
The Alien God and the Dance of the Evil Spirits (from Scythian Ste, Op.20) - Simon Rattle/City Of Birmingham SO
Circuses (from Feste Romane) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Symphony No.5 in d, Op.47: IV. Allegro non troppo (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Danse de la terre (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Night on Bald Mountain (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Finlandia (exc) - Herbert von Karajan/Berlin PO
In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) - Ambrosian Singers
Die Walkure (Prelude to Act I) - Bernard Haitink/Bavarian RSO
The Miraculous Mandarin (exc) - Eugene Ormandy/PO
Le Chasseur Maudit (exc) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Glorification de L'Eleu (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Danse generale (from Daphnis et Chloe, Ste No.2) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Dance of the Mountaineers (from Gayne Ballet) - Yuri Temirkanov/Royal PO
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': I. Allegro non troppo (exc) - Riccardo Muti/PO
Sinf: I. Allegretto - Simon Rattle/PO
The Death of Tybalt (from Romeo and Juliet) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Sym No.10 in e, Op.93: II. Alllegro - Simon Rattle/PO
Danse sacrale (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Manfred Sym, Op.58: I. Andante (exc) - Riccardo Muti/PO

Customer Reviews:

GRRRREAT!!!.......2006-10-25

This CD and the first Heavy Classix are some of the greatest compilations of powerful brassy classical music ever! None of that wussy string concerto stuff, just plain gusto, the kind of music you want to play at top volume with the windows rolled down so everyone will know what kind of god you are. (IMHO) I LOVE this cd and so will you...they're hard to find nowadays...so get yours while you can!

Great introduction!.......2000-04-14

The Heavy Classix CDs were my introduction to classical music, and it was a very successful introduction. Beginning with 'O Fortuna' (which you might recognize from any one of several movies including Excalibur) and continuing through a number of high-powered tracks, some of which (Finlandia, Sorcerers Apprentice) might be familiar to you, Heavy Classix 2 and its companion Heavy Classix are great places to learn about classical music and dispel yourself of the notion that classical music is boring.

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring/Prokofiev: Symphony No.5

Average customer rating:

The Prokofiev Symphony Is Definitive, The Stravinsky Rite Of Spring Is Unique
Five stars is for the Prokofiev--Le Sacre seems wrong all the way

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring/Prokofiev: Symphony No.5
Karajan , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5
Jean Sibelius: Symphonies No. 4-7, Tapiola etc.
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.8 - Wiener Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
Schostakowitsch: Symphonie No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93

ASIN: B00004R7X4
Release Date: 2000-03-01

Tracks:

Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Andante)
Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Marcato)
Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Adagio)
Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Giocoso)
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Les Augures Printaniers-Danses Des Adolescentes
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeu Du Rapt
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Rondes Printanieres
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeux Des Cities Rivales
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cortege Du Sage
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Adoration De La Terre-Le Sage
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse De La Terre
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cercles Mysterieux Des Adolescentes
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Glorification De L'elue
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Evocation Des Ancetres
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Action Rituelle Des Ancetres
Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse Sacrale ( L'elue )

Customer Reviews:

The Prokofiev Symphony Is Definitive, The Stravinsky Rite Of Spring Is Unique.......2006-09-01

Karajan does it again. The Prokofiev 5th is another of the great conductor's famous recordings. He labored for years, refining and perfecting his interpretation of this perennial favorite. It's one of the most played of 20th-century symphonies. Unlike many other works, Karajan recorded this symphony just once and he got everything right the first time. It's my experience with Karajan that when the man records only once, it's usually quite an accomplishment. Check out his lone recordings of Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica and Alpine Symphony or Mahler's Sixth to know just how masterful Karajan can be when he zeroes in and makes a near perfect record of a piece of music. This Prokofiev 5th is in that elite class. The beautiful strings of the Berlin Philharmonic, the swirling woodwinds and the breathtaking cymbal crashes at the end of the first movement in particular are just some of the icing on the cake. Amazing performance, no doubt.

The Rite of Spring is a different animal altogether, Karajan is not the right conductor for this work. He moulds and caresses the musical lines in the high-romantic German fashion, not the angular, abrasive, pre-civilization Russia that Stravinsky wanted to convey. Stravinsky was very critical of Karajan's earlier Rite of Spring recording so Karajan obviously wanted to take up the challenge of this consummate 20th-century masterwork again. He does it better this time, it is a well played, sleek account which makes it unique and it is well recorded, just like the accompanying Prokofiev, but what works in Prokofiev's 5th does not work in The Rite of Spring.

I'm still on the look out for a near perfect recording of The Rite of Spring. I've heard Stravinsky's own version from the 60's, Haitink from the 70's and others but I think most downplay the barbarism inherent in the music. ( More barbaric versions include Riccardo Muti with the Philadelphia Orchestra on EMI, Zubin Mehta with the New York Philharmonic on Sony Essential Classics and most recently Valery Gergiev with the Kirov Orchestra on Philips. )

Be that as it may, buy this disc for the Prokofiev, Karajan's mastery of the piece is apparent throughtout, the Berliners are outstanding! Deutsche Grammophon remasters both recordings wonderfully, very detailed and with plenty of bass. The earlier DG Galleria CD of the Prokofiev is not remastered and lacks bass, so even though this DG Originals CD is more expensive, it is surely worth every penny! Buy it today.

Five stars is for the Prokofiev--Le Sacre seems wrong all the way.......2006-07-28

I don't know why nobody at Amazon has reviewed this DG Originals issue of Karajan's famous Prokofiev Fifth from 1968. The remastering polishes up a recording that was already good on analog LP and early CD. The real question is one of value. DG's former issue of the Fifth comes with Karajan's Prokofiev Classical Sym. from 1981, an outstanding recording, while this Originals CD comes with his peculiar Le Sacre.

Stravinsky, in one of his witty and often malicious books of conversations with Robert Craft, went out of his way to deride Karajan's efforts. My curiosity aroused, I bought the recording anyway, and indeed it seems glib and out of touch with Stravinsky's idiom. As David Hurwitz points out, you get the feeling that the Berlin players are carefuly counting out every bar.

Personally, I've never quite gotten myself to buy this CD simply for the Prokofiev remastering when the older CD sounds just fine.

Average customer rating:

Standing back to view Levine's greatness
Full-blooded Levine
Absolutely stunning!

A Celebration in Music

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000942ML
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Customer Reviews:

Standing back to view Levine's greatness.......2005-11-03

With almost forty years before the microphones, it's time to assess James Levine as more than "Maestro at the Met." These four CDs at bargain price reveal nothing less than his stature as the greatest American symphony conductor after Leonard Bernstein.

His eminence began early, perhaps too early, with some phenomenal recordings in his twenties and early thirties, mostly for RCA, including some extraordinary Mahler. But Levine moved so young to the Met and did such an outstanding job there that for thirty years record companies have not been able to sell Levine adequately to the public as a great symphonic maestro.

This box set of outstanding performances from every period (Mozart to Webern) gives us a chance to see how superlative Levine was with four great orchestras. I would judge the least successful to be his partnership with the Chicago Sym., even though he served for a decade as music director of their summer festival at Ravinia. The CSO sounds brash, virtuosic, and unstylish too much of the time, as witness the Prokofiev Fifth in this set. He also had mixed results with the Berlin Phil. Despite the thoroughly detailed and impeccable Sibelius Fourth in this set, it lacks the gorgeous style that Karajan brought to this composer with the same orchestra.

However, once we come to the MET orchestra we are on home turf. This is Levine's baby, of course, without a doubt the greatest opera orchestra in the world behind the Vienna Phil. And with that orchestra, the fourth represented in this set, Levine had a special kinship: they play sweetly and with incredible style and energy for Levine, as witness the Mozart Haffner Sym. here--but really almost every recording Levine made in Vienna is superb. The MET can't support Levine with two centuries of European tradition; they sound plainer, more straight-faced, yet perfectly balanced and always in sync with him.

Taken altogether, Levine emerges, in my mind, as an updated George Szell, his early mentor in Cleveland. He has the older conductor's sharp mind, critical ear, and disdain for atomospherics and cheap emotion. Both men display a self-effacing dedication to precision ensemble--Levine is tireless in rehearsal and deeply repsected by his musicians. He can at times be as faceless as Szell, but never as cold or abrupt.

There's no doubt that Levine never aimed to be a "personality" conductor: when you hear even his best performances, you don't immediatley say, "That must be Levine," the way you can with Bernstein or Karajan. This impersonality has hurt Levine among record buyers, I think, because he does everything so well, yet so similarly in terms of steady tempos, extroverted virtuosity, and the absence of inward reflection. One forgets another great conductor--Toscanini--who had the same virtues. Once you wake up and notice Levine, the thing he has perfected--finding incredible detail and nuance at high energy--becomes immensely exciting. It's th key to his greatness, I think. Without casting a spell a la Karajan, Levine draws you into the inner texture of music, its driving logic, and holds your attention without the slightest lapse in concentration.

I must admit that it took me too many years to notice this. I took Levine for granted, and like many other collectors, I rarely picked his CDs as first choice, opera aside. Now I see how wrong I've been. Having heard him under symphonic condiitons in Boston and New York about eight times in the past three years, I'd say that Levine has grown enormously as an interpreter and now exceeds Szell by quite a distance, not to mention lesser compatriots like Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, James Conlon, David Zinman--all gifted conductors but none remotely in the same league as maestro Levine. He really desrves, after all these years, to be called that.

Full-blooded Levine.......2005-04-17

This set is a great bargain and showcases the work of a conductor who has spent too little time in the studio. Believe it or not, on the basis of most of these performances, I feel Levine has been underestimated. He is a greater, even more passionate conductor than Barenboim, another maestro with a similarly full-blooded, emotional approach.
There are four CDs in this commemorative set, with a different orchestra apiece. My favourites are the American bands, particularly the Chicago Orchestra's big, gutsy Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, and the MET Orchestra's punchy Rite of Spring.
The Berlin Philharmonic in Sibelius' Fourth Symphony are also very special with stunningly recorded string sound. Levine brings out a Romantic, emotional undertow in this music- usually referred to as "cold"-which really works. The piece seems less forbidding and stronger as a result.
Great performances of late 19th early 20th century repertoire are contained in this set (the live Schoenberg Transfigured Night is very lush) and it is well worth tracking down. Why isn't Levine recording nowadays? Is he too busy in the opera house? Companies claim the costs of recording opera are prohibitive, but that isn't true (yet!) of the concert repertoire. This set shows us what we're missing.

Absolutely stunning!.......2003-11-28

This is a collection of some of Levine's greatest recordings for DGG. The Brahms 1 and the Sacre are 'to die for.' (Actually all of the recordings in this set are quite spectacular. One only wishes the set had even more discs....

The disc includes 4 CD's - one each of the four orchestras Levine has been closely associated with:

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Bartok: Music for Percussion Strings and Celeste

VIENNA PHILHARMONIC
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Mozart: Symphony No. 35
Smetana: Overture from "The Bartered Bride"

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht
Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra

METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA
Stravinsky: Le Sacra du printemps
Strauss: Tod und Verklarung
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod

Average customer rating:

Ultimate Classic Performances

Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

1. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Andante)
2. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Marcato)
3. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Adagio)
4. Serge Prokoefiev (1891-1953 )Symphonie Nr.5 B-Dur Op.100 (Allegro Giocoso)
5. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction
6. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Les Augures Printaniers-Danses Des Adolescentes
7. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeu Du Rapt
8. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Rondes Printanieres
9. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Jeux Des Cities Rivales
10. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cortege Du Sage
11. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Adoration De La Terre-Le Sage
12. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse De La Terre
13. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Introduction
14. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Cercles Mysterieux Des Adolescentes
15. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Glorification De L'elue
16. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Evocation Des Ancetres
17. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Action Rituelle Des Ancetres
18. Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971) Danse Sacrale ( L'elue )