Conducts Russian Masters

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

2. Slavonic March, for orchestra, Op. 31
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Hermann Scherchen

3. 1812 -- Festival Overture, for orchestra in E flat major, Op. 49
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conducted by Hermann Scherchen

4. Russian Easter Festival Overture (Svetlïy pazdnik), for orchestra, Op. 36
Composed by Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Conducted by Hermann Scherchen

5. Scythian Suite, for orchestra, Op. 20
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Conducted by Hermann Scherchen

6. Lieutenant Kijé, film score and suite for orchestra, Op. 60
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Conducted by Hermann Scherchen

Tracks:

Introduction And Rondo Capriccioso For Violin And Orchestra - Itzhak Perlman
Violin Concerto No.2 In D Minor, Op.22: Romance (Andante) - Gil Shaham
Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 - Ruggiero Ricci
Violin Concerto No.2 In B Minor, Op.7: Rondo A La Clochete 'La Campanella' - Salvatore Accardo
Thais: Meditation - Joshua Bell
Partita No.3 In E, BWV 1006: Preludio - Nathan Milstein
Partita No.3 In E, BWV 1006: Gavote And Rondo - Gidon Kremer
The Four Seasons: Concerto No.2 In G Minor, RV 269 'Summer': Presto - Pinchas Zukerman
Sonata No.4 In G Minor, Op.1 'The Devil's Trill' - Gil Shaham
Violin Sonata No.3 In D, Op.9 No.3: Tambourin (Presto) - Henryk Szeryng
Minuet In G, WoO 10 No.2 - Arthur Grumiaux
Songs Without Words: Spring Song, Op.62 No.6 - Christian Ferras
24 Caprices For Solo Violin: Caprice No.9 In E Major - Shlomo Mintz
24 Caprices For Solo Violin: Caprice No.17 In E-Flat Major - Ruggiero Ricci
24 Caprices For Solo Violin: Caprice No.24 In A Minor 'Tema Quas' - Salvatore Accardo

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D, Op.35: Canzonetta (Andante) - Nathan Milstein
Polonaise No.1 In D, Op.4 - Leila Josefowicz
Ave Maria, D 839 - Christian Ferras
Hungarian Dance No.1 In G Minor - Samuel Sanders
Humoresque, Op.101 No.7 - Arthur Grumiaux
The Legend Of Tsar Saltan: Flight Of The Bumblebee - Henryk Szeryng
Hebrew Melody, Op.33 - Ruggiero Ricci
Salut D'amour, Op.12 - Phillip Moll
Waltz 'La Plus Que Lente' - Henryk Szeryng
Three Old Viennese Dances: Liebesfreud - Joshua Bell
Three Old Viennese Dances: Liebesleid - Phillip Moll
Baal Shem: Nigun - Arthur Grumiaux
Berceuse, Op.16 - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Tzigane - Concert Rhapsody For Violin And Piano - Gerhard Oppitz
Danzas Espanola, Op.37: Andaluza (Dance No.5) - Arthur Grumiaux
Hora Staccato - Christian Ferras
Six Romanian Folk Dances, Op.Sz 56 - Henryk Szeryng

Customer Reviews:

Perfect.......2005-02-15

I love classical music but I dont own very much of it, so I thought I would start my collection with Masters of the Bow. What a beautiful selection it was. I just love the sound of a Violin, Joshua Bell is my favorite,I would love to hear more from him. This collection really helps you get to know the masters. Lovely Lovely!

Outstanding.......2004-08-17

I love the violin and this collection is one of my favorites. A great choice for someone like me who doesn't know enough about music and never knows what to buy. It has introduced me to some artists and pieces that I knew nothing about and will help me know what to look for in violin music in the future. This is my favorite but I would also recommend The Cello and Voice CDs in the "Masters of" series. I can't wait for more in this series.

Average customer rating:

A good deal, but a little skimpy

Masters of Classical Music 6-10

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Masters of Classical Music, Vols. 1-5 (Box Set)

ASIN: B000001W10
Release Date: 1990-10-09

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1: Allegro non troppo - Peter Tchaikovsky
String Serenade: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto: Andante - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Ballet Suite: Introduction - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Ballet Suite: Pas d'action - Adagio - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Ballet Suite: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Capriccio Italien Op. 45 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Scene No. 10 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise - Peter Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

The 4 Seasons: Spring: Concerto No. 1 In E Major - Antonio Vivaldi
Siciliano - Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto In D Minor: (Allegro assai) Cologne Concerto - Antonio Vivaldi
The 4 Seasons: Summer: Concerto No. 2 In G Minor - Antonio Vivaldi
Oboe Sonata In B Flat Major - Antonio Vivaldi
The 4 Seasons: Autumn: Concerto No. 3 In F Major - Antonio Vivaldi
Oboe Concerto - Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto In D Minor: (Largo e spiccato) Cologne Concerto - Antonio Vivaldi
The 4 Seasons: Winter: Concerto No. 4 In F Minor - Antonio Vivaldi

Tracks:

Scherzo No 1 In B Minor, Op 20 - Frederic Chopin
Three Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 3 In B Major - Frederic Chopin
Twelve Etudes, Op. 10: No. 5 In G Flat Major - Frederic Chopin
Twelve Etudes, Op. 25: No. 10 In B Minor - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 In F Sharp Major - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 In E Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 In D Flat Major 'Raindrops' - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 16 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 17 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 18 In F Minor - Frederic Chopin
Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31 - Frederic Chopin
Waltz In E Flat Major, Op. 18 - Frederic Chopin
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. posth. - Frederic Chopin
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 3 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 4 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Schubert, Franz
Impromptu In E Flat Major - Schubert, Franz
Budapest Strings: Standchen - Schubert, Franz
Trout Quintet: Tema con variazioni - Schubert, Franz
Entr'acte No.1 From 'Rosamunde' - Schubert, Franz
Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Schubert, Franz
Entr'acte No. 2 From 'Rosamunde' - Schubert, Franz
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor - Schubert, Franz
Ballet Music No.2 From 'Rosamunde' - Schubert, Franz
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato - Schubert, Franz

Tracks:

Nabucco: Overture - Giuseppe Verdi
Nabucco: Va Pensiero, sull'ali Dorate - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Prelude - Giuseppe Verdi
II Trovatore - Gypsie's Chorus: Vedi! le fosche notturne - Giuseppe Verdi
Il Ttrovatore - Soldiers' Chorus: II Trovatore: Or co' daddi, ma fra poco - Giuseppe Verdi
Aroldo: Overture - Giuseppe Verdi
La Traviata: Prelude - Giuseppe Verdi
La Traviata: Noi Siamo zingarelle - Giuseppe Verdi
La Traviata: Libiamo ne' lieti calici - Giuseppe Verdi
La Traviata: Di Madride noi siam mattadori - Giuseppe Verdi
La Forza del destino: Overture - Giuseppe Verdi

Customer Reviews:

A good deal, but a little skimpy.......2001-05-25

This is a good deal for 10 cds, but there are nno complete pieces except for the Four Seasons by vivaldi, and some shorter piano works. The recording quality is a little bit less than perfect, and it doesn't have teh full vollume of other cds i have. Overall, I recomend buying it, there are some nice pieces on it.

Original Masters: Leopold Stokowski: Decca Recordings 1964-1975 [BOX SET]

Average customer rating:

My own life is behind these recordings
Don't go for broke unless you're a die-hard Stokowski fan
More Sensational Stokowski

Original Masters: Leopold Stokowski: Decca Recordings 1964-1975 [BOX SET]

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Decca Recordings, 1965-1972 (Limited Edition)
CARL SCHURICHT Decca Recordings 1949-1956
Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967
Clara Haskil: Philips Recordings, 1951-1960
Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964

ASIN: B00067R3BQ
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

My own life is behind these recordings.......2007-06-10

I can assure that one of the reason I love music is due to these recordings of Mr. Stokowsky. My father had the record of Scherezade and, though my father was an ignorant about cultivated music, he knew very well what to appreciate. We never argued when I played Beethoven's first symphony so loud, however, he always did when I played Rolling Stones so loud. I adore that he taught me to appreciate Rimsky-korsakov's music as well as Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Spagnolo so young. He was wise, on his way. I can't help to cry for him, listening to Borodin's Palatsovian dances, because, it is great music, and, having into account that I used to love it by Mr. Stokowsky's work, it doubles my crying and my remembrance. He loved the record so much. I love you, daddy.

Don't go for broke unless you're a die-hard Stokowski fan.......2006-09-22

When Stokowski began to make Phase 4 recordings for Decca in 1964, he was already 82, but he hadn't lost his energy or his tendency to shape music in outlandish ways. I mostly love him, but this box set duplicates recordings that can be found on the Cala label, which has been releasing everything Stokowski in the world, and on Decca single CDs if you go to the used market.

I mention this because the whole box set, Vol. 2 in the Original Masters series, continas some forgettable performances, in particular the rhythmically slack Beethoven Sym. 5 and 7, the over-highlighted Schubert 'Unfinished,' and a live Brahms First that seems manic and forced too much of the time. However, if you think of Stokowski having little to offer in the German classics, here is an exceptional Beethoven Ninth, one of the best things from his late career and wonderful in every way.

Decca knows that the crowd-pleasers are the gaudy, multi-miked Phase 4 versions of Scheherazade, as bombastic as you could imagine, and lots of Russian fare, including Stoki's signature synthesis from Boris Godunov. The 1812 Over., by the way, isn't over the top and yet needed to be. Finally, this German-Russian collection contains a thrilling disc of Wagner excerpts, much of it grossly over-miked, but at its core containing very impressive, vital interpretations.

In all, I'd select the Wagner, the Beethoven Ninth, and the legendary Scheherazade as the best things here. Buy them separately or take the plunge for this whole box, your choice.

More Sensational Stokowski.......2005-06-08

It took me a while to purchase this six-disc set in UNI's "Original Masters" series, but I finally did this past weekend. Classical music fans seem to either love or hate Leopold Stokowski (I, of course, love him), and unfortunately much of "Decca Recordings 1964-75, Volume 2" will be old news to serious devotees of the conductor. While I'm not familiar with the complete Decca back-catalog, at least three full discs worth of material have been previously available in the old "Weekend Classics" series -- Beethoven's 5th & 7th, Beethoven's 9th, and the Wagner selections. (I'm pretty sure the Rimsky-Korsakov material on disc five, and the Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky pieces on disc six have been issued prior too.) This is good news for those who came to collecting classical CDs late (like me) because while the Wagner is still available individually, the Beethovens have been fetching absurd prices in the Amazon Marketplace. The only material receiving its first international release is contained on disc 3 -- a Schubert "Unfinished" with the London Philharmonic from 1969 and a rousing live performance of the Brahms 1st with the London Symphony on the occasion of the conductor's 60th anniversary leading that body. The original instruments crowd will surely turn up their noses at these legendary performances, but me, I'll just sit back and listen to some more sensational sounding Stokowski.

Average customer rating:

Marvelous

Igor Stravinsky: The Composer, Vol. IX

Manufacturer: Music Masters Jazz
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Fireworks: Fan
The Firebird/Ballet: Introduction
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Kastchei's Enchanted Garden
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Firebird Enters, Pursued By Ivan Tsarevich
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Firebird's Dance
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Ivan Tsarevich Captures The Firebird
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Firebird Begs To Be Released
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Entrance Of The Thirteen Enchanted Princesses
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Princesses Play With The Golden Apples (Scherzo)
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Ivan Tsarevich Appears
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Princesses' Khorovod (Round Dance)
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Daybreak
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Ivan Tsarevich, Entering Kastchei's Palace, Sets Off Its...
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Entrance Of Kastchei The Immortal
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Dialogue Between Kastchei And Ivan Tsarevich
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Princesses Plead For Mercy
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Firebird Enters
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Dance Of Kastchei's Retinue Under The Firebird's Magic Spell
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Infernal Dance Of kastchei And His Subjects Under The Firebird's...
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: The Firebird's Lullaby
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Kastchei Awakens
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene I: Kastchei's Death
The Firebird/Ballet, Scene II: Kastchei's Spell Is Broken, His Palace Disappears, And The...
Canon For Orch On A Russian Popular Tune
Four Etudes For Orch: Dance
Four Etudes For Orch: Eccentric
Four Etudes For Orch: Canticle
Four Etudes For Orch: Madrid
Vars For Orch - Robert Craft/LPO
Con For Strings In D: I. Vivace - Robert Craft/LPO
Con For Strings In D: II. Arioso Andantino - Robert Craft/LPO
Con For Strings In D: III. Rondo Allegro - Robert Craft/LPO

Customer Reviews:

Marvelous.......2004-04-06

This entire disc is a pleasure to listen to, though admirers of the Firebird should be warned that the Variations in memoriam Aldous Huxley (the latest work on the disc) are stylistically a wide leap from the Dukas-flavored Feux d'artifice (the earliest). Everything is competently and musically presented; and the stylistic variety only underscores the tour-de-force. The Concerto in D for strings, particularly, used to be one of the odd works in the Stravinsky catalogue which left me inexplicably cold; Craft's recording here brought the piece to life for me.

I've always love the complete Firebird, I've never understood how the concert world could for so long have insisted on presenting this work only in its abbreviated Suite (though, to be fair, the Suite is for a slightly smaller orchestra; not many community orchestras, for example, can trot out two contrabassoons and three harps). Much of the ballet which did not "make the cut" of the Suite, is of a more Romantic vein more readily linked to Stravinsky's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov; the whole work is nonetheless completely Stravinsky -- indeed, the work is much more closely motivic and 'cellular' than Rimsky-Korsakov, which is apparent on hearing the ballet in its entirety. This, apart from the plain logic that the complete ballet has an entire dramatic sequence which sets up the vigorous Danse infernale, which, separated from that context, comes out of nowhere in the Suite. Craft does a great job with the whole work; there was a time when I had never suspected Craft to be capable of making such a sumptuous sound with the Firebird.

The brief Canon, on the Russian folk tune quoted in the finale of the Firebird, is written in a bright brassy mode which recalls the Symphony in Three Movements. It makes a colorful little "encore" to follow the ballet. This is a fabulous disc.

Having a new Ur-text ought theoretically to mean, all the corrections have already been baked in. But this is a rich score, and while the Suites have gotten lots of play over the years, perhaps the full ballet has been a little unfairly insulated from the need for rapid correction, through its comparative (and undeserved) neglect for so long. The Craft recording here is therefore not only (and, naturally, most importantly) a glowing rendition of a shimmering score; but his liner notes are informative, detailed, and include a list of selected errata for the new Ur-text. Some of these are cosmetic, Augenmusik matters (the relative placement of the piano and harp on page 31, e.g.), but largely these are entirely useful pointers: the Ur-text neglects to mark the trumpets "con sordino" (muted) for their first entrance in measure 8, e.g..

One question I have, which may not have made Craft's necessarily incomplete errata list, since it is, simply, something one hears perfectly clearly (as opposed to subtleties such as the six bars to be struck from the violas on a certain page, for which the guidance is crucial) ... in the Finale, at the end of measures 1282 & 1284 (that is, the partial-measures immediately before rehearsal marks 207 & 208), there are aggressive crescendi driven by the timpani ... an exciting effect, but it isn't in the score, and I should be curious where it comes from in the sources.

Craft writes of restoring to the Finale (indeed, claims that this is the first recording to include this) two on-stage trumpets which play a sustained perfect fifth against the rhythmically-punched-out tune (the passage which, in retrospect, Aaron Copland spent so much effort imitating) for the few measures when it is in C major. My slightly mischievous quibble here is, that actually there are three on-stage trumpets, though (to be fair) not in the specific bars Craft referred to. But the score does have the three playing octave (concert) B's against the immense chorale in the rest of the brass at the close; and the three on-stage trumpets also figure in the chirpy tritones of Daybreak.

All this is really in gratitude to Craft, for this marvelous recording of his has really been the occasion to get this wonderful score much better.

Tracks:

Five Bridal Folk Songs From The Voronezh District: Now, Little Grey Duck
Five Bridal Folk Songs From The Voronezh District: Good Day, My Fair One
Five Bridal Folk Songs From The Voronezh District: Oh Mother, My Little Head Hurts
Five Bridal Folk Songs From The Voronezh District: Oh, Come To Me (Lament)
Five Bridal Folk Songs From The Voronezh District: Indoors, Outside
The Wedding: The Tresses
The Wedding: The Bridgegroom's House
The Wedding: The Departure Of The Bride
The Wedding: The Wedding Feast
Four Russian Peasant Songs: In Our Saviour's Parish In Chigisakh Beyoond The Yauza
Four Russian Peasant Songs: Ovesen
Four Russian Peasant Songs: The Pike
Four Russian Peasant Songs: Master Portly
Four Russian Peasant Songs: In Our Saviour's Parish In Chigisakh Beyond The Yauza
Four Russian Peasant Songs: Ovsen
Four Russian Peasant Songs: The Pike
Four Russian Peasant Songs: Master Portly
Our Father
Blessed Virgin
Symbol Of Faith
Tres sacrae cantiones: Da pacem Domine
Tres sacrae cantiones: Assumpta est Maria
Tres sacrae cantiones: Illunina nos
Tres sacrae cantiones: The Dove Descending Breaks The Air
Tres Sacrae: Introitus: T S Eliot IN Memoriam

Amazon.com

James Woods and the New London Chamber Chorus and Chamber Ensemble provide a performance of Stravinsky's Les Noces--considered by many to be the composer's finest work--that is careful and well balanced, even if it never reaches the Apollonian sublimity of Bardon Eötvös's recording. And it's wonderful to hear engaging renditions of lesser-known vocal music by the composer, including the Four Russian Peasant Songs and several Slavonic works. Stravinsky's arrangements of music by the infamous Renaissance composer Gesualdo and a modernist homage to T.S. Eliot round out this record. --Joshua Cody

Customer Reviews:

Superb Stravinsky Selections, excellently performed........2006-06-01

'Les Noces and other choral music' is centered around Igor Stravinsky's scoring of five Russian folk pieces done for weddings (the translation of 'Les Noces'). The selection is interesting for so many reasons, not the least of which is the similarity of this material to the great 'The Rites of Spring' as well as a really superior realization of the great Russian tradition in choral performances.

I have heard Stravinsky's 'Tres Sacrae Cantiones' done on other recordings and these are much better, and they fit in well with the other material on the disk.

This disk easily passes the single most important test of a CD. Not only do I enjoy listening to it at least once a year, I really look forward to it, much as I look forward to 'Rubber Soul' as I work my way through Beatles' recordings.

A truly superior recording and selection of choral material.

Stravinsky Gems.......2001-07-20

This disc is worth owning and listening to many times. I love Les Noces, but I remember how odd it sounded to me when I first heard it a couple of decades back. The first tracks on this disk are five Russian wedding songs. These provide a WONDERFUL education and context for Les Noces. Even if you are familiar with the piece, these are worth hearing for context.

The other pieces are also not commonly had outside the big collections of Stravinsky works. They are worth hearing and knowing.

These are very good performances done in interesting ways.

A Stravinskian treasure trove.......2000-09-24

This disc is one of two released by Hyperion in exploration of Stravinsky's choral music. It contains many gems, familiar and otherwise, and makes for a tremendously valuable addition to any collection.

An excellent ploy is the use of two experienced choirs for the recording: the New London Chamber Choir and the Voronezh District Chamber Choir, with James Wood and Oleg Shepel as respective conductors. Whilst some may find the latter choir a slightly odd-sounding group, their presence adds a wonderfully authentic flavour to the music, most of which dates from Stravinsky's early period - commonly described as his 'Russian' period. Indeed, they open the disc with Four Bridal Songs from the Voronezh District itself, complete with tambourines and dancing (although of course only the tambourines are evident in the recording). These are a superb appetiser for what follows.

The title work "Les Noces," also known as "Svadebka" or even just simply "The Wedding," is without a doubt one of Stravinsky's most celebrated works. As with the Russian Songs, it is a pity that in listening to it we cannot also enjoy the accompanying choreography, although Stravinsky called for a large array of percussion instruments in the score and these add an almost aural choreography to the work. The two featured choirs join forces for this together with four outstanding soloists (including John Potter) and four deft pianists, resulting in a colourful, gripping and explosive performance.

Stravinsky's "Four Russian Peasant Songs" for women's choir deserve to be better known, and here we get the opportunity to listen to both versions: one for unaccompanied voices, the other for voices and four horns. These show as well as anything that part of Stravinsky's mastery lay in his ability to evoke a chosen style whilst remaining completely true to his own: if you can programme your CD player to play these and the opening traditional songs in sequence, you will see for yourself just how successfully this music works.

Westminster Cathedral Choir have recorded Stravinsky's "Three Sacred Choruses" in Latin for Hyperion; on this disc you can hear the original Slavonic versions. They are entrusted to the Voronezh Choir under Oleg Shepel, and he does some rather surprising things to the music (for instance, it is sung at more flexible speeds and with a curious degree of vibrato and 'swoopy' phrasing than on other recordings I have heard). Still, it is good to have them in sequence, presented as Stravinsky might have heard them upon returning to his homeland after nearly a whole lifetime in exile. The New London Chamber Choir follows these with three sacred pieces of a different kind: these began life as unfinished motets by Carlo Gesualdo. Stravinsky was fascinated by them and elected to finish them, but in the process his own musical thumbprints were placed on the music and what we thus hear is a curiously compelling mixture of flavourful Italian polyphony and twentieth century idioms. It is not hard to imagine these being sung in worship.

The programme closes with two fruits of Stravinsky's final years - his serial period. "The Dove Descending" is an eerily beautiful setting of a well-known poem by T. S. Eliot (another figure greatly admired by the composer) and provides further demonstration that Stravinsky could still sound like himself whilst under the influence of Schoenberg's twelve-tone discipline. The "Introit in memory of T. S. Eliot" which closes the disc is a more obviously serial work, setting the opening text of the Requiem Mass for male voices and a small ensemble (viola, double bass, piano, harp and percussion). This is Stravinsky at his grittiest, yet the music - right down to the timbre of the instruments combined - expresses the mood of the text in a wonderfully sublime manner.

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1: Allegro Non Troppo
String Serenade: Waltz
Violin Concerto: Andante
The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction
The Sleeping Beauty: Pas D'action - Adagio
The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz
Capriccio Italien, Op.45
Swan Lake:Ballet Suite: Scene No. 10
Swan Lake:Ballet Suite: Waltz
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise

Customer Reviews:

Tchaikovsky.......2007-05-14

If you like Tchaikovsky-you will enjoy this CD. Came quickly-in good condition and totally enjoyable, as expected.

Stravinsky The Composer, Vol.V - Renard, a burlesque in one act / Concerto for Two Pianos

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky The Composer, Vol.V - Renard, a burlesque in one act / Concerto for Two Pianos

Manufacturer: Music Masters Jazz
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000FRK
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

Ste No. 1: Andante
Ste No. 1: Napolitana
Ste No. 1: Espanola
Ste No. 1: Balalaika
Ste No. 2: Marche
Ste No. 2: Valse
Ste No. 2: Polka
Ste No. 2: Galop
Four Etudes, Op.7: Con Moto
Four Etudes, Op.7: Allegro Brillante
Four Etudes, Op.7: Andantino
Four Etudes, Op.7: Vivo
Four Norwegian Moods: Intrada
Four Norwegian Moods: Song
Four Norwegian Moods: Wedding Dance
Four Norwegian Moods: Cortege
Con: Con Moto - Mark Wait/Tom Schultz
Con: Notturno - Mark Wait/Tom Schultz
Con: Quattro Variazioni - Mark Wait/Tom Schultz
Con: Prld E Fuga - Mark Wait/Tom Schultz
Ode (Triptych For Orch): Eulogy
Ode (Triptych For Orch): Ecologue
Ode (Triptych For Orch): Epitaph
Ragtime For Eleven Instrs
Pno-Rag Music - Mark Wait
Renard: A Burlesque in One Act - Thom Baker/Drew Martin/David Evitts/Wilbur Pauley

Amazon.com

The most important work on this fifth volume of the Musicmasters exhaustive portrait of Stravinsky: The Composer is Renard, an irreverent operatic farce. It's a small masterpiece, hilarious, tending toward an almost bawdy exuberance. The rest of the tracks are mainly engaging minor works: the Concerto for Two Pianos, Ragtime for Eleven Instruments, Four Norwegian Moods, and two Suites for Small Orchestra. As is always the case in these discs, conductor Robert Craft is dynamic and sensitive. --Joshua Cody

Earl Wild Plays the Russian Romantic Masters

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Earl Wild Plays the Russian Romantic Masters

Manufacturer: Ivory Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

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Earl Wild at 88

ASIN: B00000IGPU
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

-12. Tchaikovsky: The Seasons Opus 37b
Medtner: Improvisation in B-flat minor Opus 31,No.1
-28. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Amazon.com

Except for the Medtner, which seems to be previously unreleased, these recordings were made for Reader's Digest: the Tchaikovsky in 1976, Mussorgsky in 1966. In the Tchaikovsky series (here, as usual, mislabeled The Seasons), Wild plays beautifully, characterizing each piece with complete conviction and his usual range of pianistic resources. The Medtner is also very well played. Unfortunately, the Mussorgsky performance is a disaster. Most of the sections are sluggish and uninteresting, except where Wild tries to whip up some excitement by rewriting the music and adding meretricious effects. Stick with Richter for Pictures. Otherwise, this is a very fine CD. --Leslie Gerber

Album Description

Earl Wild is the last living link to the grand tradition of piano playing. Called by his peers, "The Romantic Master", Wild's interpretations of Russian piano masterpieces are second to none. Gramophone magazine praised Wild's performance of Tchaikovsky's music: "Relatively few pianists, past, present or future, could play like this." Mussorgsky's monumental score is equally stunning. This extraordinary Russian recital by Wild also contains the rarely heard, virtuoso Improvisation, Opus 31, No.1 by Nikolai Medtner. For lovers of great Russian piano music -- this is the choice! Remastered by Ivory Classics using 24-bit HDCD technology.

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At Work with Power Clasics

Power Classics! Volumes 1-10

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Carmen: Les Toreadors - POWER CLASSICS!
Slavonic Dance No.8 In G Minor, Op.46 - POWER CLASSICS!
L'Arlesienne: Farandole - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.3: 3rd Movement, Ziemlich schnell - POWER CLASSICS!
Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Death And Funeral Music - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.3 In E Flat, Op.97: Rhenish: 1st Movement - POWER CLASSICS!
Piano Concerto No.1 In B Flat Minor, Op.23: 3rd Movement: Allegro con fuoco - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.1: Titan: 2nd Movement - Kraftig bewegt - POWER CLASSICS!
The Prophet: Coronation March - POWER CLASSICS!
Hungarian Rhapsody No.1 - POWER CLASSICS!

Tracks:

Toccata In D Minor
Symphony No.5 In C Minor: 1st Movement: Allegro con brio
Swan Lake: Mazurka
Mastersingers Of Nuremburg: Overture
Coppelia: Czardas
Faust: Allegro vivo
Symphony No.4 In A Major: 1st Movement: Allegro vivace
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op.16: 1st Movement: Allegro molto e marcato
The Damnation of Faust: Rakozy March
The Rhine Gold: Entry Of The Gods Into Walhalla

Tracks:

Ride Of The Valkyries
Hungarian Dance No.5 In G Minor
Sylvia: Cortege de Bacchus
The Nutcracker: Trepak - Russian Dance
Bartered Bride: Overture
William Tell: Soldiers' Dance
Symphony No.1: 3rd Movement: Scherzo
The Flying Dutchman: Overture
Espana
Totentanz

Tracks:

Lohengrin: Prelude To Act 3 - POWER CLASSICS!
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March - POWER CLASSICS!
Marche Slave, Op.31 - POWER CLASSICS!
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 - POWER CLASSICS!
Swan Lake: Danze hongroise Czardas - POWER CLASSICS!
Flight Of The Bumble Bee - POWER CLASSICS!
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.9 In E Minor 'New World': Third Movement, Scherzo - POWER CLASSICS!
Tannhauser: Arrival Of The Guests At Wartburg - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.5 In E Minor: Finale. Andante Maestoso - POWER CLASSICS!

Tracks:

Ruslan And Ludmilla - Overture
The Bartered Bride: Polka
Symphony NO.4 In E Minor: 3rd Movement: Allegro giocoso
Coriolan Overture, Op.62
Symphony No.4 In A Major: Italian: 4th Movement - Saltarello presto
Bocklin Suite: Bacchannal
The Valkyries: Magic Fire Music
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat Major: 3rd Movement: Allegro marziale animato - Presto
Symphony No.2: 3rd Movement: Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace
Symphony No.9: From The New World: Finale - Allegro con fuoco

Tracks:

The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction
Snegurochka: Dance Of The Tumblers
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21, No.3: Allegro vivace
Symphony In G Major, No.4: Allegro ma non troppo
Chowanschtschina: Dance Of The Persian Slaves
Coppelia: Slavonic Folk Melody
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Dance Of The Apprentices & Entrance Of The Masters
The Bartered Bride: Furiant
Symphony No.6: Tragic: II. Scherzo. Wuchtig
The Nutcracker: Waltz - Finale & Apothese

Tracks:

Mlada: Cortege
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat Major: I. Allegro maestoso
The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz
Soroshintsy Fair: Gopak
Symphony No.0 In D Minor: Ill. Scherzo. Presto
Organ Concerto Op.137: Ill. Finale. Con moto
Symphony No.7 In D Minor: Ill. Scherzo. Vivace
L'Arlesienne: Pastorale
Nocturnes: Fetes
Symphony No.1 In C Minor: IV. Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

Tracks:

Slavonic Dance No. 1 In C Major
Symphony No. 3 'Scottish': III. Vivace non troppo - Mendelssohn
Homage March
Swan Lake: Dance Espagnole - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 98: Ill. Allegro giocoso
Coppelia: Festive Dance And Waltz Of The Hours
A Night On Bald Mountain
A Life For The Tsar: Krakoviak
Slavonic Dance No. 3 In A Flat Major
Symphony No. 4: Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Tracks:

The Marriage Of Figaro: Overture
Symphony No.3 in D Minor: IV. Presto vivace
Sylvia: Prelude - Les Chaseresses
Prelude On 'B - A - C - H'
Symphony No.8 In C Minor: II. Scherzo. Allegro moderato (excerpt)
Sheherazade: I. Lento - Allegro non troppo
Euryanthe: Overture
Swan Lake: Waltz
Symphony No.2 In C Major: II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
Piano Concerto No.2 In A Major: Allegro deciso - Marziale - Allegro animato

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1 In G Minor: I. Allegro non troppo - POWER CLASSICS!
Hungarian Dance No.1 In G Minor - POWER CLASSICS!
Carmen: Bohemian Dance - POWER CLASSICS!
Chowanschtschina: Intermezzo - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphony No.3 'Rhenish':: IV. Lebhaft - POWER CLASSICS!
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Major Op.83: II. Allegro Appassionato - POWER CLASSICS!
L'Arlesienne: Carillon - POWER CLASSICS!
Symphonie Fantastique: IV. Allegretto non troppo - POWER CLASSICS!
Eugen Onegin: Waltz - POWER CLASSICS!
Husitska: Overture, Op.67 - POWER CLASSICS!

Customer Reviews:

At Work with Power Clasics.......2000-01-20

Using the 10 CD set of Power Classics over the past five years while "working" daily on Nordic Trak has been a great help. The relatively short segments break up the workout and provide a welcome support for my efforts. The variety of selections available relieve boredom although, I must admit, when one selection finishes I can now mentally hum the next intro. I recommend this set highly for any strenuous workout program.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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