Favourite Tchaikovsky

1. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66 Act 1: Waltz
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Efrem Kurtz

2. Nutcracker, ballet, Op.71 Act 1: Miniature March
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Efrem Kurtz

3. Piano Concerto No. 1, for piano & orchestra (or 2 pianos) in B flat minor, Op. 23 1st Movement
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
with Philip Fowke
Conducted by Wilfried Boettcher

4. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20 Act 2: Dance of the Little Swans
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Andre Previn

5. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24 Act 2: Waltz
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Andre Previn

6. Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions)
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Andre Previn

7. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20 Act 3: Mazurka
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Andre Previn

8. Slavonic March, for orchestra, Op. 31
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Arthur Davison

9. Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 Valse (3rd Movement)
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Sian Edwards

10. Capriccio Italien, for orchestra (or piano duet), Op. 45
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Paul Kletzki

11. Andante cantabile (arr. of 2nd mvt. from String Quartet No.1), for cello and string orchestra in D major
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Neville Marriner

12. 1812 -- Festival Overture, for orchestra in E flat major, Op. 49
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
with Welsh Guards Band , King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery
Conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras

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:

Concerto In A Minor, Op.54: 1. Allegro affettuoso
Concerto In A Minor, Op.54: 2. Intermezzo. Andantino grasioso
Concerto In A Minor, Op.54: 3. Allegro vivace
Warsaw Concerto - Richard Addinsell
Concerto No.1 In B-flat, Op.23: 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito
Concerto No.1 In B-flat, Op.23: 2. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I
Concetrto No.1 In B-flat, Op.23: 3. Allegro con fuoco

Tracks:

Concerto In A Minor, Op.16: 1. Allegro molto moderato
Concerto In A Minor, Op.16: 2. Adagio
Concerto In A Minor, Op.16: 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Quasi presto - Andante maestoso
Concerto No.2 In B-flat, Op.83: 1. Allegro non troppo
Concerto No.2 In B-flat, Op.83: 2. Allegro appassionato
Concerto No.2 In B-flat, Op.83: 3. Andante
Concerto No.2 In B-flat, Op.83: 4. Allegretto grazioso - Un poco piu presto

Customer Reviews:

Meh..........2006-03-28

This collection serves as a descent introduction to some great piano concertos, but the performances are not the best and the recording quality of most of them leaves much to be desired for me. I learned my lesson with regards to the 'best of' classical collections. Personally I'd rather have gotten great recordings of great performances of great classical pieces for a little more money.

Stellar playing in a generous coupling of famous pieces! .......2005-04-15

This 2 CD set is a dream come true. Martha Argerich playing the Tchaikovsky concerto #1, Stephen Kovacevich playing the Grieg, Schumann, and Brahms Concertos, Misha Dichter playing the Addinsell. Argerich has a complete mastery of the Tchaikovsky concerto, having it recorded it 3 times (w/ Dutoit, Kondrashin, and Abbado); she is a virtuoso who plays with great passion and fire, which makes for such an exciting recording. This recording here is with Kondrashin. Stephen Kovacevich's performance of the Grieg / Schumann is one of the finest interpretations on CD (on par with Murray Perahia and Leif Ove Andsnes). Colin Davis complements Kovacevich well, having conducted the orchestra for Murray Perahia as well on these pieces. Misha Dichter does not disappoint with the Addinsell Concerto, and Kovacevich's performance of the Brahms is also great in musicianship, tempo, and tone. As another reviewer noted, the Brahms is one of the hardest pieces to play.

Years ago, I payed full price for Stephen Kovacevich's version of the Grieg / Schumann on a single disc. Just recently, I discovered this CD collection; for a few bucks more, you can have Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Addinsell as well! This is an outstanding bargain that you cannot pass up -- just for Argerich and Kovacevich. The sound quality is excellent!

Kovacevich is the hero, but Argerich nearly steals the show.......2004-03-29

These are arguably the four most important (or at least the most popular) piano concertos written after Beethoven's five momentous works in the genre. This 2 CD set contains definitive performances of all four. The Schumann and Grieg were praised in Gramophone magazine "Who would have thought the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos could come up as fresh as paint, as alive with both opulent and delicate emotional fervor as on the day they were written? Stephen Kovacevich's Philips recording, dating from 1970-1, has been tirelessly celebrated for its freshness and poetic vitality, and it remains a benchmark offering." And the BBC Symphony under the direction of Sir Colin Davis does a stunning job adding color behind the soloist and carrying the tutti parts.

Of the several recordings of the Tchaikovsky that feature the stellar Martha Argerich (with Maestros Abbado, Dutoit, and Kord) this is the one to own, and almost worth the price of the whole set: a 1980 live recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at their home base in Munich. (In its original release it is paired with Argerich's Rachmaninoff Third). As frequently as the Tchaikovsky is played, Argerich points out new wonders through the thick chords and piano textures each time you listen. I promise you'll hear hidden lines and counter melodies you never heard before. Tchaikovsky asks the soloist to make a lot of noise in this piece, but Argerich treats the solo part with real finesse and shapes it nicely under her fingers. Wow!

Brahms 2 is certainly the most musically difficult of any piano concerto ever written: its four movements clock in at about 50 minutes of Brahms' best music. Kovecevich is up to the task and this performance rivals those by Serkin, Fleisher, Richter, and Backhaus. There is not a phrase or note out of place; it is immensely satisfying. The Addinsell Warsaw concerto is a nice bonus to bring the total timing on this set over the two-and-a-half hour mark.

Even if you already own one or two of the concertos on this set, you'll be rewarded by the fine interpretations here and the other new additions to your collection. Kovecevich is the real hero of this compilation, but Argerich nearly steals the show. It's too bad that most of Kovacevich's other Brahms recordings have been deleted, but look for more recordings of his such as the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas on EMI. For any classical music lover!

A Great Buy!.......1999-12-20

A bargain price for 2 CDs and 150 minutes of excellent music! I bought these CDs looking for good recordings of the Schumann and Grieg piano concertos. Well, I was not disappointed. Kovacevich's playing is tremendous in both of these pieces, with fine support from Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. I would have been satisfied with just these two recordings for the price I paid, but three other excellent pieces were included as well. None of these recordings is as highly recommendable as the Schumann or the Grieg, but they are good recordings nonetheless. All these things considered, this set of CDs includes some of the best piano concertos along with some excellent performances, so don't pass it up. It's a must buy!

Average customer rating:

A nice collection
GREAT CD REISSUE of a timeless VaughanWilliams's classic !

Favourite Encores for String Quartet

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000J7ZB
Release Date: 1999-06-08

Tracks:

String Quartet In F Major, Op. 3 No. 5: Serenade - Andante
String Quartet In C Major,Op. 33, No. 3 (The Bird): Ronda (Presto)
Crisantemi
Sally In Our Alley
Cherry Ripe
String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 11: Andante Cantabile
String Quartet In A Minor: Scherzo
String Quartet No. 2 In D Major: Nocturne
Meditation On An Old Czech Hymn 'St. Wenceslas'
Itanian Serenade
Night
String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 12: Canzonetta
Waltz In A Minor, Op. 54 No. 1: Waltz In A Major, Op. 54 No.1
Waltz In D Flat Minor, Op. 54 No. 4
String Quintet In C Major, Op. 28 No. 4 (G310): Rondo

Customer Reviews:

A nice collection.......2003-11-19

I've always had an attraction to classical music, however, I've always been so overwelmed by the vast variety of classical music out there, I've really never known where to start. I decided to finally purchase a CD of various pieces to start with, and started previewing albums on top of albums. After finally coming across this CD, I have to say it does have a nice collection (of what I could hear). Not too harsh, not too drowsy. I gave this CD 4 out of 5 stars because it doesn't feature as many of the true classic composers as I wanted, but I would recommend this CD for anyone who wants to buy a first Classical Cd.

GREAT CD REISSUE of a timeless VaughanWilliams's classic !.......1999-11-04

At last Hyperion records (U.K.) have released a cd reissue on their current Helios sublabel of the Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and Tudor Portraits. Wetton (a surprisingly competent conductor for these days) and his huge orchestra are backed by wonderful choral parts (glimpses of what Heaven could be?); the soloist vocal parts are superb, thanks to Sarah Walker and Henry Herford's - two of England's greatest voices. The recording is quite good (don't expect the best from Telarc or Mercury, but it ain't bad either, especially in the way dynamics of the percussion and massive vocals are right there - rightly!). Certainly, a Vaughan Williams disc that is worth investigating. To me, these works represent sort of an 'overview' of the whole V.W.s' works. A plus, the Helios Series from Hyperion are amazingly inexpensive - considering the actual cost of a majority of CDs. Other great recordings of these works include the reference version by Sir David Willcocks, yet this one isn't far behind. We aren't far from Heaven, too.

Average customer rating:

Favourite Waltzes

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Lehár: Waltzes

ASIN: B00005RHI8
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Tracks:

The Blue Danube, Op.314 - Vienna Johann Strauss Orch/Willi Boskovsky
The Skaters Waltz, Op.183 - Monte-Carlo Opr Orch/Willie Boskovsky
Sleeping Beauty, Op.66: Waltz - LSO/Andre Previn
Emperor Waltz, Op.437 - Vienna Johann Strauss Orch/Willi Boskovsky
Masquerade: Waltz - Philharmonia Orch/Efrem Kurtz
Invitation To The Dance, Op.65 - VSO/Willie Boskovsky
Music Of The Spheres, Op.235 - VPO/Rudolf Kempe
Gold And Silver, Op.79 - VPO/Rudolf Kempe
Faust: Waltz - VSO/Willi Boskovsky
The Nutcracker, Op.71a: Waltz Of The Flowers - LSO/Andre Previn

Average customer rating:

Favourite Violin Concertos...
Buy It for the Beethoven
Buy It for the Beethoven
Not as impressive as his Mozart...
Brilliant Tchaikovsky Concerto

Favourite Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Favorite Violin Encores
Mozart: Violin Concertos
Complete Violin Sonatas Volume1
Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos
Legend: David Oistrakh [CD & DVD]

ASIN: B00000419A
Release Date: 1994-04-12

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: Allegro ma non troppo
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: Larghetto - Beethoven
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: Rondo. Allegro - Beethoven
Violin concerto In D, Op. 35: Allegro moderato
Violin concerto In D, Op. 35: Canzonetta. Andante - Tchaikovsky
Violin concerto In D, Op. 35: Finale. Allegro vivacissimo - Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 1. Allegro molto appassionato
Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 2. Andante
Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Allegretto non troppo. Allegro molto vivace
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 77: 1. Allegro non troppo
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 77: 2. Adagio
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 77: 3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace - Poco piu presto - Brahms
Romance No. 2 In F, Op. 50 For Violin And Orchestra: Romance No. 2 In F, Op. 50 - Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

Favourite Violin Concertos..........2005-10-28

This is truly a worthy collection of timeless music. I myself, can only wonder what Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky were "on" when they put out these violin concertos. Their command of solo (violin) and orchestral music is just amazing. The quality of the recordings vary as the music is from 1960, 1972, 1974 and 1976. Overall, very good - but it is the reason why I only gave the collection 4 stars. Still, if you can get a copy at a good price, buy it! You won't be sorry!

Buy It for the Beethoven.......2001-07-01

The Beethoven and Brahms concerti and worth twice the price, the P.T. concerto is expendable, being a childish toy (nonetheless good in its own way) in comparison. I have enjoyed this recording of Beethoven (and Brahms) for about 20 years now, since the neanderthalish days of vinyl inscribing, and yet I still find beautiful little phrases in the Beethoven that pop out as never having been noticed before. Grumiaux was in a poetic mode when he recorded this with Colin Davis and the best word for his delivery is lyrical. Davis brings out a powerful force from the orchestra and every single note is perfectly on key (a rarity). This is music for people who really listen to every note, every feeling. The orchestra all by itself is truly stunning; the violin playing of Aurthur G. is charming and enticing and depending on your mood, way beyond sublime. And way beyond many other words too !

A good friend of mine used to say how he was absolutely convinced that Beethoven intentionally put little surprises in his music, and he said Ludwig could never stay too serious for too long. He suggested that Beethoven contrived quick mood changes and sudden outbursts of energy to keep those upscale audiences of the 1800s in Vienna, who tended to be smug, self-satisfied, and sometimes drowsy, on the edge, that is, attentive. I find many such surprises in the Beethoven work, and Davis and Grumiaux have played with every nuance and brief excursion into and out of melodrama and they also brought out many other miniscule timing changes that many recordings have apparently missed. Arthur Grumiaux was an artist like few others in the 20th century, and many of his recordings are full of beauty and strengths, but this delivery of the Beethoven Concerto is a lyrical masterpiece. I am still spellbound going into my third decade of hearing this recording. And the Brahms, ah the Brahms, well, thats a different story. It is just as good. And there's a bonus ! See if you can hear the truck driving by (no doubt just outside the recording hall) during the first movement, its a momentary giggle and does not detract from the whole. Otherwise, another pure-gold Grumiaux delivery. Oh, if only I had seen Mr. G. play a live performance before he departed this earth ! Alas, my friends, alas !

Buy It for the Beethoven.......2001-07-01

A good friend of mine used to say how he was absolutely convinced that Beethoven intentionally put little surprises in his music, and how he could never stay too serious for too long. He said Beethoven implanted quick mood changes and then sudden outbursts of energy to keep those upscale audiences of the 1800s in Vienna, who tended to be smug, self-satisfied, and sometimes drowsy, on the edge, that is, attentive. I find many such surprises in the Beethoven work, and Davis and Grumiaux have played with every nuance and brief excursion into and out of melodrama and they brought out many other miniscule timing changes that many recordings have apparently missed. Arthur Grumiaux was an artist like few others in the 20th century, and many of his recordings are full of beauty and strengths, but this delivery of the Beethoven Concerto is a lyrical masterpiece. I am simply spellbound going into my third deceade of hearing this recording. And the Brahms, ah the Brahms, well, thats a different story. It is just as good. And there's a bonus ! See if you can hear the truck driving by (no doubt just outside the recording hall) during the first movement, its a momentary giggle and does not detract from the whole.

Not as impressive as his Mozart..........2001-01-19

Though I am sort of a fan of Grumiaux, loving his Bach's sonatas & partitas and Mozart's concertos, this disc didn't impress me. Grumiaux's sheer virtuosity is not there or sometimes working against the music. I simply think he is not a good match for Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Those works needs stability, balance, and relatively sticky lyricism. Comparing to Oistrakh's Brahms and Tchaikovsky, Grumiaux sounds weak. Heifetz is different even though he also lacks in lyricism, because his Brahms and Tchaikovsky have an amazing force and stability. If you are loooking for concerto done by Grumiaux, try his Mozart, Vieuxtemps and Sant-Saens. Or if you are looking for those major concertos, try Oistrakh, Heifetz, Kyung-Wha Chung, or sometimes Perlman.

Brilliant Tchaikovsky Concerto.......2000-11-20

I am reviewing this two-disc set only for the Tchaikovsky concerto. I had heard Grumiaux's solo Bach, but never any recordings of him playing major concerti. A friend of mine had this disc and just for interest I flipped over to the 3rd movement of the Tchaikovsky. I sat there stunned. Grumiaux's virtuosity and tone were magnificent, and he tossed of this very, very difficult movement with seeming ease. This set will soon be in my collection, and you should buy it too, because you can't beat playing this great on two cds for 16 dollars with a stick.

The Life and Works of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

Average customer rating:

A fascinating look at a tortured genius

The Life and Works of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Antoni Wit , Gerhard Markson , Kenneth Jean , Michael Halasz , Ondrej Lenard , Philippe Entremont , Stefan Sanderling , CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra , National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland , National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television , National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine , Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra , Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra , Wiener Kammerorchester , Bernd Glemser , Oxana Yablonskaya , Takako Nishizaki , and Vladimir Grishko
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Life & Works
Life & Works of Verdi
The Life and Works of Franz Schubert
Life & Works
The Life and Works of Antonín Dvorák, Narration with Musical Excerpts

ASIN: B0000669V2
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Tracks:

Tchaikovsky In Early Childhood
Music: Glinka: Overature To A Life For The Tsar
Enforced Separation From His Mother
Music: Tchaikovsky: Dumka, Op. 59
Death Of His Mother
Music: Reverie Du Soir
Early Manhood: The Spendthrift Civil Servant
Music: Minuet From Mozartina
Dismissive Opinions Of Other Composers
Music: The Storm
Journey To A Breakdown
Music: First Symphony
Abortive Engagement
The Advent Of Balakirev
Music: Romeo And Juliet
Travels And A Wounded Friendship
Music: First Piano Concerto

Tracks:

Reforming The Ballet
Music: The Rose Adagio From The Sleeping Beauty
Bizet's Carmen Has A Major Effect On Tchaikovsky's Music
Music: Francesca Da Rimini
A Compositional Paradox
Music: Rococo Variations
The Struggle Of Despair And Hope: He Decides To Marry
Music: The Tempest
The Advent Of Nadezhda Von Meck
Music: The Sleeping Beauty Waltz
The Disastrous Road To Matrimony
Music: Romeo And Juliet
Marriage, Trauma, And A Fairy Tale Annuity
Letter To Mme Von Meck
Music: Romeo And Juliet

Tracks:

Recorvery And Creativity
Music: Fourth Symphony
The Creation Of His Favorite Opera
Music: Lensky's Aria From Eugene Onegin
The Return To Compositional Health
Music: Violin Concerto In D
He Experiences Distressing Relapses
Music: Capriccio Italien
Psychological Disturbances And A Long Fallow Period
Music: Piano Trio In A Minor
Sufferings For Mme Von Meck; He Decides To Settle Down
Music: Manfred Symphony
Conducting Tours And Domestic Bliss
Music: Fifth Symphony
More Conducting Tours, And A Working Holiday In Italy
Music: Souvenir De Florence

Tracks:

The Rift With Mme Von Meck
Music: Sixth Symphony (Second Movement)
His Obsession With 'Bob' Davydov; Adventures In America
Music: Fifth Symphony
Further American Adventures
A Trip To Niagara
Music: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker)
A Darker Episode
Music: Voyevode
Portrait Of A Conductor
A Hero's Return
Music: Sixth Symphony
The Mystery Surrounding His Death
Music: First Piano Concerto

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating look at a tortured genius.......2002-08-21

Naxos continues to do a wonderful job with its "Life and Works" series. Quite some time ago, we had a Life/Works of Mozart, one of Chopin and then two more, Liszt and Beethoven. he latter are even better packaged than are the earlier sets, with a thick booklet that offers us essays on the historical background, the position of the composer in his time, a look at the major works, a listening plan, recommended readings, personalities, a calendar of the artist's life, a glossary, and a discography. This booklet is worth the price of the set alone.

Now we have two more entries in this amazing series, again written and narrated by Jeremy Siepmann: "Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky" (8.558036-39) with a playing time of 4 hrs. 5 min. and "Johann Sebastian Bach" (8.558051-54) with a playing time of 4 hrs. 34 minutes. (Please see my comments on the Bach set on its webpage.)

Was there ever a sadder composer than Tchaikovsky? Siepmann practically introduces us to the child in his cradle and covers his 53 or so years of torment over his music, his sexuality, his impossibly hopeless marriage his strange relationship with Mme von Meck, and above all his music.

Tracks:

Adagio - Xavier Darasse
Kbd Con in d, BWV 1052: Adagio - Andrei Gavrilov
Sym No.36 in c, K.425 'Linz': Poco Adagio - ECO/Jeffrey Tate
Con Grosso in c, Op.6 No.8: Adagio - Bath Festival Orch/Yehudi Menuhin
Sym No.2 in C, Op.61: Adagio Espressivo - Staatskapelle Dresden/Wolfgang Sawallisch
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125: Adagio Molto E Cantabile - SWF-SO/Michael Gielen
Faust (Ballet Music): Adagio - Philharmonia Orch/Herbert Von Karajan
Sym No.5: Adagietto - New Philharmonia Orch/Sir John Barbirolli
Adagio, Op.11 - Leopold Stokowski & His SO
The Sleeping Beauty, Op.66: Rose Adagio - John Brown

Average customer rating:

Amoroso, Favourite Pieces

Manufacturer: Opus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Wedding Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009MDN
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Favourite Orchestra Pieces. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. Neville Marriner (EMI)

Average customer rating:

Favourite Orchestra Pieces. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. Neville Marriner (EMI)

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000MNNBL0

Product Description

Aus Carmen-Suiten No. 1 & 2 / Georges Bizet -- Barcarole : No. 6 aus Die Jahreszeiten ; Polonaise aus Eugen Onegin / Peter Tschaikowsky -- Barcarole aus Les contes d'Hoffmann -- Meditation : aus Thais / Jules Massenet -- Blumenwalzer : aus Der Nussknacker / Tschaikowsky -- Hummelflug : aus Das Marchen von Zaren Saltan / Nikolai Rimsky-Korssakoff -- Konzertwalzer : aus Faust -- La berceuse : aus Jocelyn / Benjamin Godard. EMI Digital 7 49229