Opera Overtures & Preludes

1. King and Charcoal Burner (Král a uhlív), concert overture, B. 21a
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

2. Jakobin, opera (2 versions), B. 159/B. 200 (Op. 84) Act I: Prelude
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

3. Jakobin, opera (2 versions), B. 159/B. 200 (Op. 84) Act II: Prelude
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

4. Jakobin, opera (2 versions), B. 159/B. 200 (Op. 84) Act III: ballet Music
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

5. The Devil and Kate (Cert a Káca), opera, B. 201 (Op. 112) Overture
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

6. The Devil and Kate (Cert a Káca), opera, B. 201 (Op. 112) Act II: Prelude
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

7. The Devil and Kate (Cert a Káca), opera, B. 201 (Op. 112) Act II: Infernal Dance
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

8. The Devil and Kate (Cert a Káca), opera, B. 201 (Op. 112) Act III: Prelude
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

9. Rusalka, opera, B. 203 (Op. 114) Overture
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

10. Rusalka, opera, B. 203 (Op. 114) Polonaise
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

11. Dimitrij, opera (2 versions), B. 127/B. 186 (Op.64) Overture
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

12. Armida, opera, B. 206 (Op.115) Overture
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

Tracks:

Air 'On the G String' - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Morning - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Canon In D - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Gymnopedie No.1 - City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
II. Andante - Stephen Hough
Viens, Mallika - Mady Mesple
In Paradisum - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
II. Andate - Yehudi Menuhin
The Swan - Osian Ellis
II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
II. Andantino - James Galway
II. Largo - Yehudi Menuhin
Nimrod - London Symphony Orchestra
Blow the Wind - Pie Jesu - Jocelyn Pook
Variation 18 - Cecile Ousset
Pavane Op.50 - Gareth Morris

Tracks:

Zion Hort Die Wachter Singen - South German Madrigal Choir
Adagio In G Minor - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Minuet - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
Meditation - Hans Kalafusz
I. Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour (Barcarolle) - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
II. Andante - Nigel North
II. Adagio - Jack Brymer
Intermezzo - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Moderato - London Chamber Orchestra
O Mio Babbino Caro - Montserrat Caballe
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - Sinfonia Of London
II. Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
Nocturne - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
II. Adagio (Opening) - Julian Bream
Adagio For Strings Op.11a - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Entr'acte To Act III - Orchestre National De France

Amazon.com

You want relaxing classical music that'll soothe your soul but won't lull you into sleep? Here's a double CD for you. The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World ... Ever! does its best to cover both well-worn classical favorites (Bach's "Air on the G String," Pachelbel's "Cannon," Debussy's "Clair de Lune") and some eclectic left-field choices (an excerpt from Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Jocelyn Pook's "Blow the Wind," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. The performances of most of these excerpts are top-notch--artists include Sir Neville Marriner, James Galway, Jacqueline du Pré and the Philadelphia Orchestra--and there's enough variety here for everyone. --Edward Garabedian

Customer Reviews:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's........2007-02-04

This CD is a great way to enjoy a large variety of Classical Composers & many of their best known pieces. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," is an all time favorite. There are vocals, Piano pieces, & some fine Violins. I found the latter the most enjoyable. Here you can find Rodrigo & Pachelbell. Samuel Barber's haunting Adagio will make your skin tingle. This may not be to everyones taste, but if you wish to relax? Give this a couple of listens.

Good for relaxing pregnant women.......2007-01-17

I stumbled onto this album whilst searching bit torrent websites for classical music. I don't normally listen to classical music but thought it might be relaxing for my pregnant wife. After hearing the quality of the performances, the arrangement, and the recording I decided to buy the album from amazon. All the songs you would expect from a "best album in the world" are there and they are not boring to listen to like a lot of other classical albums. I now play this album in the car constantly and the wife requested it be played at the hospital during the birth.

Too much opera.......2007-01-10

If it wasn't for the opera this would be a great CD.

Does what it set out to do, very well.......2006-11-15

So i'm a classical music veteran, someone who prefers to collect a complete work, rather than classical compilations. I probably would not have listened to this album at all if my dad didnt buy it for me as a gift. By now, i own the complete works that over half of the excepts on this disc come from. I am a purist if ever there was one.

That said, i totally adore this set because i have learned to take it on its own terms. These discs weren't meant for expert classical listeners, so a review from that sort of mindset is useless. This set was meant for pure, easy listening, and for a basic starters kit for classical newbies. Most of all, it was just meant to do what the title says, to relax the average human being. classical expert or not.

Yes, some of these pieces have been altered or shortened, like Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto Andantino, but they have been edited for a good enough reason: the full versions would have been too long to flow with the rest of the album. And also, the full versions contain so much development that they don't become easy listening anymore. The shortened versions work in the context of the album. Most essentially, the shortened versions on the discs still convey the main flavor the composers were going for. The melodies and themes remain unchanged.

To sum up, it is true that when i want to actually listen deeply to classical music, this album would never be a choice. I would want to hear the complete works like the composers intended. But at certain times when i simply don't mind about that stuff, when i just need to loosen up and free my mind of stress with some nice melodies, this set does the job well enough.

Last but not least: being a purist and a classical buff, i am very particular about performance quality. I was very glad to find that EMI did not get lazy about this. All the artists are world-class, and all the performances are at least exceptional. Some performances are even quite excellent, like the Clair De Lune, which is one of the best i've heard. (Credit to Dame Lympany, the pianist.)

So once again, recommended for its stated purpose, to relax. I am a purist, a classical buff, and i still enjoy this disc. That says something.

TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written........2006-11-10

This album along with Volume 2 are now the two most valued albums in my music collection. I have all of the songs contained on these two albums but they are scattered through at least a dozen different albums and several are not performed by artists such as those that recorded this album and Volume 2.
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

A well-kept secret
Essential Wagner
Excellent Wagner from a surprising source ... or maybe not!
Go For Boult
Memorable and dramatic- A must have for Wagner fans

Wagner: Overtures & Preludes

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde/Parsifal/Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg/Lohengrin/Tannhäuser
The Best Of Wagner
Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol; Russian Easter Overture
Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words

ASIN: B000002S08
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

Tannher: Overture
Tannher: Grand March
Der Fliegende Holler: Overture
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 1
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 3
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Overture
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act 3
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1

Tracks:

Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 3
Parsifal: Prelude to Act 1
Parsifal: Act 1 Transformation scene
Parsifal: Prelude to Act 3
Parsifal: Good Friday Music
Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods
Die Walkure: Ride of the Walkyries
Siegfried: Forest murmurs
Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Funeral March

Customer Reviews:

A well-kept secret.......2007-05-18

Everyone wants to have a crack at the "bleeding chunks" eventually, and while I love the flashier Stoky and Furtwangler approach, I wouldn't want to be without the Boult. He's a great Wagnerian, strange as it may seem. Who could blame him for not wanting to go down in history merely as the finest Holstian? As long as this stays in print, Ormandy will still be considered the least sexy conductor. (I heard CBS researchers found an Ormandy fan once!)

Essential Wagner.......2006-06-17

As a child, this set was my first experience of Wagner's music, and it made quite an impression on me. However, as I grew older and began to collect the full operas I felt I could surely do better than Adrian Boult and the British for a collection of the preludes, overtures, and orchestral music from the operas. I was wrong. I have yet to here any recordings that can match the power and intensity as demonstrated in these discs from Boult and the LSO (and LPO). The Meistersinger prelude alone is worth the price, and the only version of the prelude to Tristan which outdoes the one here is Bohm's live 1966 Tristan. The Solti, Karajan, and Klemperer highlight discs have their moments (and truthfully, I do prefer Solti and Karajan for the "Ring" highlights), but their contributions are greatest in the full operas, and overall, they simply can't muster the power and intensity that Boult brings to these preludes, overtures, etc.

Even if you have other compilations of Wagner's music in "bleeding chunks", I can assure you they don't come close to this one; and with two discs (the second containing mostly music from Parsifal and the "Ring") at 14 bucks, there is absolutely no excuse not to have this essential recording. So go ahead and buy this disc, never buy another Wagner compilation again, and with the money you save get started on the more important task at hand: the full operas.

Excellent Wagner from a surprising source ... or maybe not!.......2004-09-27

Does Sir Adrian Boult conjure up of images of Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughn Williams, but not Wagner? You're not alone! Nevertheless, this is a double CD set not to be missed! Many years ago, I was listening to a classical radio music station in NYC that was playing the music of Wagner. The performance was so good, that I wouldn't leave the radio until I found out the name of the conductor. When the announcer said the conductor was Sir Adrian Boult, I was quite surprised. I had recordings of English music from Sir Adrian on Angel/EMI, but I never associated that conductor with Wagner. Having been blessed with a friend who had knowledge of classical music way beyond his years, I gave him a call to find out more about the recording. He told me that, Boult had solid expertise in the area of Germanic music, but, in England, had been overshadowed in that repertoire by Otto Klemperer. He told me not to be surprised about Boult's very fine Wagner, it was an excellent recording to purchase and, indeed, search out Sir Adrian's wonderful performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (now available on Vanguard). Fast-forward many years and I find myself browsing through Amazon for a recording of Wagner's Overtures and Preludes. Like everyone else I know, I foolishly jettisoned my LPs in the 1990s and have been "back-filling" ever since. Well, I was able to obtain this splendid set for less than $7 per CD! There are a total of 18 selections covering most of Wagner's operas including five excerpts from the Ring Cycle. The performances are excellent coming from no less than three British orchestras, and the sound is top-shelf EMI. Sir Adrian's pacing is measured and his vision is broad and sensitive, highlighting the beauty and grandeur --rather than just the fire-- of this glorious music. I heartily recommend this two-CD set, and at this price, I think it's a steal.

Go For Boult.......2003-07-08

Sir Adrian Boult is best known for his recordings of the British repertoire, and his performances, particularly of Holst's "The Planets" and Elgar's Symphonies and Orchestral Works, are legendary. But Boult was also an excellent conductor of Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner, and this 2-CD set collects the Overtures and Preludes of the latter German titan. These stereo recordings from the early to mid-1970s with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras are truly first rate. EMI's set compares nicely in terms of price, quality and musical offerings with competing sets by DG (Bohm, Kubelik, et al) and Sony (Ormandy & Szell). You might have reservations about getting German music conducted by a Brit, but you really can't go wrong with Boult.

Memorable and dramatic- A must have for Wagner fans.......2000-03-20

I bought this cd for the following reasons: 1 I'm a Wagner fan, 2 the cover looks exquisite and 3 I wanted to hear a "prelude" since it sounds fancy and never heard one. The result is great cd. The Tannhauser overture, Tristan and Isolde prelude and Lohengrin Prelude to act 3 are all very excellent. Excerpts from the Ring of the Nibelunge aren't as good as I had anticipated but are still enjoyable. The music speaks the tales of Wagner's operas. Just hear it, as slow and irksome as they maybe, these preludes make you feel the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde, the epic odyssey of Lohengrin and the holy, heavenly spirit in Parsifal as he discovers the Holy Grail. Buy this CD and you won't regret it. Except that one bit from Gotterdammerung, Siegfried's Funeral March. It does'nt quite have the feel of grand disaster as it did in John Boorman's film Excalibur. If you're hoping to find that version(which is better) stick with the Classics Go To The Movies Vol 2 cd. But all the other pieces on this CD are excellent. Go and buy this CD- now !

Average customer rating:

Fabulous
Andre Rieu "Fiesta"
Fiesta
Not the best versions available
This is a great album!

Fiesta
André Rieu , Johann Strauss Orchestra , Georges Bizet , Gioachino Rossini , Mikis Theodorakis , Pascual Marquina , Vincent Youmans , Leo Ferré , E. Ramirez , Filippo Marchetti , Emmerich Kalman , Jacob Gade , P. Shott , Gerhard Winkler , Louis Louiguy , Glanzberg , Vincent Scotto , Luigi Denza , Scottish Traditional , Friedrich Schroder , and Anonymous
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Vienna I Love, Waltzes From My Heart
Andre Rieu in Concert
At The Movies
Roses from the South
Tuscany

ASIN: B000031WXB
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Tracks:

Clavelitos
Espana Cani
Cielito Lindo
Seventh Heaven Of Love
Carmen: Ov
Hava Nagila
Tea For Two
Moulin Rouge/Paris Canaille
Sirtaki (Zorba's Dance)
Fascination
The Gipsy Princess Medley: Love, Love, Love!/The Swallow Song/How Could I Know?/Love, Love, Love!
William Tell: Ov
Jalousie
The Canals Of Amsterdam
Let's Go To Varasdin
Chianti-Lied
La Vie En Rose/Padam Padam/Sous Les Ponts De Paris
Funiculi Funicula
Auld Lang Syne

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous.......2005-10-23

This DVD is spectacular. Andre Rieu is absolutely fascinating to listen to and the costumes of the orchestra as gorgeous. Well worth every penny.

Andre Rieu "Fiesta".......2005-09-20

This CD is absolutely fantastic. There is no musician quite like Andre Rieu. His music does indeed lift the spirit.

Fiesta.......2005-09-12

The music lifts my spirits! It is fun and lighthearted. I sincerely recommend this CD by Andre Rieu.

Not the best versions available.......2002-02-12

First of all, why call this recording
"Fiesta"? only for the first four latin-american
works? because the rest of the cd is of
German music.I you want a real "Fiesta"
disc, I recomendation is that disc
of Keith Lockhart, is much more fun and
much more in a fiesta spirit than this one.

This is a great album!.......2002-01-02

I highly recommend this album. Andre Rieu is a great violinist. If you buy this album you will not be dissappointed. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Average customer rating:

Great Teaching Tool
Donna Diana
William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures
Blockbuster demo disk!
Fantastic!

William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Famous Overtures
25 Thunderous Classics
Rossini: Overtures (14)
Orchestral Spectaculars
Symphonic Spectacular

ASIN: B000003CTP
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Light Cavalry
Daniel-Francois Auber
Zampa
Poet And Peasant
Donna Diana
Orpheus In The Underworld
William Tell

Customer Reviews:

Great Teaching Tool.......2007-05-29

The pieces on this disc represent some of the more intersting and dynamc overtures, very suitable for music appreciation classes to point out use of classics and neo-classical music in contemporary culture

Donna Diana.......2005-07-28

This CD has a nice mix of the familiar and unfamiliar --- but all are upbeat and fun to listen to. Well worth the price.

William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures.......2002-09-10

Suppe's Light Calvary and Poet and Peasant Overtures were absolutely grand, as were Daniel-Francois Auber's Fra Diavolo, Herold's Zampa, Reznicek's Donna Diana, Offenbachs Orpheus in the Underworld, and the magnificent William Tell Overture by Rossini. One word of caution: this CD will really test your stereo, the bass actually thunders, and will blow your socks off. Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Orchestra did a fine job, I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves the thunderous music of an orchestra, you cannot go wrong buying this CD, I love it on the car stereo and at home.

Blockbuster demo disk!.......2000-09-22

The Telarc label does it again. This is the perfect disk for showing off your sound system. Great recordings and great selection of overtures. I've been listening to this CD for about 15 years now and the Orpheus in the Underworld track still sends chills up my spine.

Fantastic!.......2000-05-26

Couldn't ask for anything more from a CD full of famous overtures. Kunzel and co. rock my world yet again.

Average customer rating:

perfect selection for commencement/ graduation
Great Starting Point for Classical Music Novices
**An Exquisite Album**
Samples
Great Sampler!

Simply the Best Classical Anthems

Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | 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

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | 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

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Thunderous Classics
Thunder & Lightning
25 Thunderous Classics
Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder
Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

ASIN: B00004SUVI
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

Requiem: Dies Irae
Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
The Planets: Mars
The Ride Of The Valkyries
Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves
Fanfare For The Common Man
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1
Aida: Grand March
Summer - Four Seasons: Presto
Te Deum: Prelude
The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Symphony No. 5: First Movement
Spartacus: Adagio
Sabre Dance
Symphony No. 40: First Movement
Zadok The Priest
Turandot: Nessun Dorma

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathoustra
Romeo And Juliet: Dance Of The Knights
Requiem: Dies Irae
1812 Overture
Piano Concerto
Spring - Four Seasons: Allegro
Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
The Royal Fireworks: La Ruissance From Music
Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Symphonie Fantastique: March To The Scaffold
Carmen: Overture
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Jerusalem
The Planets: Jupiter
Symphony No 9, 'Ode To Joy'
Swan Lake: Scene
Enigma Variations: Nimrod
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini [Variation 18]
Pictures At An Exibitions: Promenade
Symphony For Organ No 3: Finale, Symphony For Organ No 3

Customer Reviews:

perfect selection for commencement/ graduation.......2007-06-11

We were concerned after reading some other reviews that this version of Pomp and Circumstance wouldn't be the correct movement or the full length version. This selection has the song for graduation AND the extended length, so it gives plenty of time for processionals. If this is what you need, this is the CD to get.

Great Starting Point for Classical Music Novices.......2004-08-13

"Simply the Best Classicial Anthems" is exactly what the title indicates. This is a collection of what the CD says are "36 of the most powerful classics on Earth". My review of this CD comes from someone who is a Classical Music Novice. I'm familiar with some of the composers, musical styles, musical periods, and some of the terminology that is key to understanding Classical Music. By no means am I an expert. I have basically popped in this two CD collection into my player and have enjoyed the sounds it produces. If you are in the same category as I am or maybe just wanting to be introduced to Classical Music - this is going to be a very good CD to have in your collection. For the more seasoned Classical Music fan, this could be either enjoyable or overkill.

The CD contains 36 songs composed by the legends of Classical Music Composers from the past. The bulk of the works come from Composers in the the 19th and 20th century, but there are works from the Romantic and Classical eras of the late 18th and early 19th century (such as Beethoven and Mozart). In general you will find most of the major names of Composers you would expect to find - names such as Tchiakovsky, Handel, Verdi, Strauss, Elgar, and Bach are all there. The only major composer who I would have expected to see on this CD that I don't see is Frederic Chopin. The composers of the late 20th century are not included on this collection - so you won't see Leonard Bernstein or John Williams on this set. While these Composers are excellent, I do think style of the tracks on this collection pre-date their style.

The recordings themselves are done by the great Orchestras around the world. For the most part, European Orchestras were used to deliver the tracks. There are a few exceptions: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra delivers "The Ride of the Valkyries"; The Toronto Symphony Orchestra delivers "Dance of the Knights"; and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra delivers Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Some of the European Orchestras that are well known include: BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Choeur Philhamonique de Strasbourg, and more. Also included are performances by well known names in the Classical space such as Marie-Claire Alain (Bach's "Toccate and Fogue in D Minor" and Saint-Saens' "Symphony for Organ No 3"), Piero Toso (Vivaldi's "Allegro From Spring - Four Seasons"), and Placido Domingo appears on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma".

The 2 Disc collection contains a total of over 2 hours and 6 minutes of music. The selections that are included in the set will sound very familiar to you when you play them. You probably have both heard and seen the names of tracks such as: Oref's "O Fortuna"; Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"; Beethoven's "First Movement from Symphony Number 5" and "Ode To Joy"; Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Many of the other tracks will also sound familiar, but maybe not so much by name - such as Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries", Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathoustra"; Grieg's "Piano Concerto", and "Dies Irae" (versions included by Mozart and Verdi - you can compare the two and judge for yourself). As for the Discs themselves, I think most of the casual fans will like the selections on Disc Two better, but Disc One is still very good. On a sidebar, the Israel Philharmonic's version of "1812 Overture" is by far the best you will hear - particularly at the end, the booming drums create almost a 3 dimensional vision of fireworks being launched into the air.

There one big negative on this collection is some of the recording quality. The clarity of the recording is there, but some of the recording levels leave a lot to be desired. On some of the softer parts, it is barely audible without significantly turning up your volume. This is very evident on "O Fortuna" where you will hear almost dead silence during from the 30 second to 1:30 mark of the track unless you crank your volume up. Same with the first few seconds of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathoustra" and Tchiakovsky's "1812 Overture". When the volume is cranked up you will hear them - but then the other sections will be way too loud. I'm surprised with modern technology that this couldn't be addressed better.

The liner notes are pretty thin. You do get the Composers, Performers/Orchestras, and recording dates. There isn't any more details than that and you won't learn anymore insight on the tracks than this information. Despite some of the shortcomings of the liner notes and recording volume, I still think this is an excellent place to start and do recommend this CD if you are a novice to Classical Music and are looking for a great place to start listening to what the Classics have to offer.

**An Exquisite Album**.......2004-02-21

Simply The Best Classical Anthems

Simply The Best Classical Anthems is a compilation album of `36 of the most powerful Anthems on Earth'. But, it is also said to be something else. It is said to be a gateway. A gateway to another world. A world where our imagination can run free without being shackled down by any borders or boundaries or rules or limits. A world that we have all seen or perhaps more accurately have all heard of but for many of us a world that we have never dared to enter. Never dared to enter because of fear. The fear of being ostracised and shunned by our community.

THE MYTH
`Classical Music!', I can hear some of you cry. `That isn't another world. That's just music for the upperclass, the high-brow, and the pompous.' Surprisingly, I too felt this way for a long time until I accepted the invitation made to me by Simply The Best Classical Anthems. I always felt that Classical Music was nice to listen to as background music for a Levis ad or a Car ad but I would consider people strange if they chose to hear it on its own. However, after having listened to this album I realised how wrong I was in my assumptions.

THE TRUTH
Music as with all forms of amusement helps to take you away from where you are now. It helps to relax you when you are stressed with anger; it helps to give you strength when you are vulnerable; it helps to keep your spirits up when you have faced tragedy or loss. It helps. And, for me the type of music that best conjures up the most passionate emotions (love, hate, courage and anger) at our most testing times is Classical Music.
How? I don't know.
Why? I don't know.
I can only promise you that in my experience it does.

THE CHEST
The album, in visual terms, is very difficult to overlook amongst the plethora of records that may surround it. This is because the album has a very distinct purple sleeve cover. Not any kind of purple mind you but the Cadbury's kind of purple. The kind of purple that carries with it an invitation. An invitation that if accepted promises you a treasure inside.
And since, I have always enjoyed the treasure within the purple Cadbury's Dairy Milk wrapper, I asked myself why would an album carrying the same invitation promise to be anything different? Thus, I parted with my tuppence worth and went back home to open this purple chest of promised treasures.

THE PROMISED TREASURE
As you may have guessed, the contents of the album are somewhat different to the contents of a Cadbury's bar. When I opened the album, I was presented with two compact discs. At first glance, there did not seem to be anything special about them. They were just your average, everyday, run of the mill compact discs. To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed because I suppose I had hoped for something more.
However, looks can be deceptive. (Afterall, a Cadbury's Dairy Milk does not seem very appetising until you taste it!) And, also come November each year, I am always bemused and surprised at how the shabby contents of a cardboard box can both light up the sky and light up the faces of the neighbourhood. Thus, I pushed aside my assumptions and I ignited the discs (not literally of course, I just pressed the play button on the CD player). And, I let the fireworks begin.

THE KEY
From the very beginning, you will feel like you have unlocked the doorway to something special. And, after a full two hours of listening to both discs, you will feel like you have been taken out of this world and transported to another. Welcome to the world of Classical Music.

GUIDANCE
In the beginning, continue to listen to both discs in one go (i.e. one after the other). After a while, you will know which tracks you enjoy listening to the most. For those tracks you enjoyed the most make a promise to yourself that you will listen to the whole of the piece from which that track came from.
Good Luck on your quest if you choose to accept it.
Ride amongst the Valkyries, listen to the Flight of the Bumblebees, and use The Planets to keep you on the path.

I am not a good reviewer because as with all of my reviews I refuse to comment too much about what is inside the product but rather more about what effect the product has had on me. (Me, me, me. Vain & Egotistic, I know, so my friends and family keep telling me). But, I just want to cause a raucous about the product, enough not to spoil but enough of a raucous to let you experience it for yourself.

So my final words are:
Simply The Best Classical Anthems is an invitation. An invitation to the world of classical music. A world where you can begin a never-ending quest of curiosity. A curiosity that will always be rewarded with fulfilment.

Do you accept such an invitation?

Hope you found this review helpful.

Samples.......2003-11-23

The samples are too short and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Having said that the choices are wonderful and the price is great. If you're looking for a overview of the best of classical music then this is for you. However if it's quality you're looking for then spent the extra money and look at other choices.

Great Sampler!.......2002-03-20

This is a good sampler, since it covers what you would want in a classical music CD. Looking at the tracks, it has the classic hits, such as "Ride of the Valkyries," "Toccata and Fugue," "Fanfare for the Common Man," "'Jupiter' from `The Planets,'" "Eine Klein Nachtmusik," and "Hallelujah Chorus."

There are also some new pieces that I have fallen in love with, such as "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," "'Promenade' from Pictures at an Exhibition." The compilers did an interesting double take by including both Verdi's and Mozart's "Dies Ire." I'm not sure which is better.

This music is good for the brain and good for the soul. There is a power and passion that the blaring and glaring music that makes up most of the FM band. I'm reminded of the religious man who said that there is no music in hell. Probably because they wouldn't appreciate it there.

Tracks:

The Marriage Of Figaro, K. 492
The Magic Flute, K.620
La Clemenza Di Tito, K.621
Lucio Silla, K.135
The Abduction From The Seraglio, K.384
Don Giovanni, K.527
Idomeneo, K.366
Cosi Fan Tutte, K.588
Der Schauspieldirektor, K.486

Customer Reviews:

Joyous Mozart.......2005-03-08

I bought this cd in 1982 when it was first released at a much higher price. It quickly became one of the family's favorite recordings. It's Mozart at his most social and a mature and self-assured Sir Neville giving an energetic and upbeat interpretation of these works.

Average customer rating:

Well-recorded, jolly music
excellent value

Suppé: Famous Overtures

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Franz von Suppé: Marches, Waltzes, Polkas
Suppe: Overtures
Waldteufel: Famous Waltzes
Lehár: Waltzes
Rossini: Overtures (14)

ASIN: B0000014FP
Release Date: 1997-02-04

Tracks:

The Beautiful Galatea
Light Cavalry
Fatinitza
Bocaccio Marsch
Fortune's Labyrinth
Morning, Noon And Night In Vienna
Jolly Robbers
Queen Of Spades
Gay Blades
Poet And Peasant

Customer Reviews:

Well-recorded, jolly music.......2006-06-19

Yet another Naxos jem. This collection of famous operetta overtures by Austrian composer Franz von Suppe is not only an exceptional value, but the music included is just plain fun.

While his complete operettas are rarely performed, much of the music Suppe wrote for them has become famous, in particular LIGHT CAVALRY (which we've all heard in countless cartoons) and POET AND PEASANT. Suppe's overtures brim with good humor and infectiously catchy tunes; I would challenge anyone not to be uplifted by this recording.

The over-all technical qualities of this album are excellent. Not only does the (very talented) Slovak State Philharmonic play with enthusiasm, but audiophiles will appreciate the roudy brashness of the sound.

excellent value.......2000-05-29

This is an excellent value [...]. The Slovak Philharmonic is quite good. Recording quality is very good. Many of these Suppe' pieces are hard to find. It you like the composer, you will like this recording. Suppe' wrote many operettas and Slovak Philharmonic has recorded several volumes of the Suppe' overtures. I plan to purchase more in the series.

Average customer rating:

classical music

Classical Evolutions: Famous Overtures
Mozart
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$5.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

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Classical Evolution: Waltzes
Classical Evolution: Famous Piano Works II
Classical Evolution: Famous Piano Works I
Classical Evolution: Spanish Guitar Music
Classical Evolution: Requiem / Laudate Dominum

ASIN: B000065APP
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

The Magic Flute KV 620
The Marriage Of Figaro KV 492
Ascanio In Alba KV 111
Idomeneo
The Impresario KV 588
Cosi Fan Tutte KV 588
The Abduction From The Seraglio KV 384
La Finta Giardiniera KV 196
Lucio Silla KV 135
La Clemenza Di Tito KV 621
Don Giovanni KV 527

Customer Reviews:

classical music.......2007-04-04

The orchestra captures the artistic beauty of Mozart's music. And the price of the CD was very reasonable!

Average customer rating:

King of overtures on display
Dynamic Rossini
High Excitement
Amuse-Bocuse for the Ears!
All the Rossini I need!

Rossini: Overtures (14)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

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Famous Overtures
William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures
Suppé: Famous Overtures
Suppe: Overtures
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

ASIN: B00000425N
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

Overtures: Guillaume Tell - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il signor Bruschino - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il viaggio a Reims - G. Rossini
Overtures: La scala di seta - G. Rossini
Overtures: La gazza ladra - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il turco in Italia - G. Rossini
Overtures: L'Italiana in Algeri - G. Rossini

Tracks:

Overtures: Il barbiere di Siviglia - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Torvaldo e Dorliska - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: La cambiale di matrimonio - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Otello - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Semiramide - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: La Siege de Corinthe - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Tancredi - Gioacchino Rossini

Amazon.com essential recording

Rossini's Overtures are absolute jewels of the Classical period. He used them as his musical "calling cards," and with the exception of William Tell, there's absolutely no relationship between the overture and opera it introduces. The famous Barber of Seville overture, for example, was used previously for two tragic operas, including one called Elizabeth, Queen of England! All they were supposed to do was entertain the audience and let them know that the real business was about to begin. And that's just what they've been doing ever since. This comprehensive collection, at two discs for the price of one, will keep you in Rossini for a good, long time. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

King of overtures on display.......2007-03-07

This 2-disc set contains 14 overtures by the master of this musical form himself, G. Rossini. The music quality is good - standard for digital, the orchestration is clear, and each CD provides about 1 hour of good, lively music. The choice of music is also great, making this set a great buy.

Dynamic Rossini.......2005-04-26

For Rossini lovers, this album gives you a sample of Rossini at his best. The dynamic range of the composer, his verve and vitality delivered in the most popular overtures ever written.
The quality of the recordings is very good, and should satify any and all Rossini fans. I love to kick back, with a set of ear phones and absorb the incredible sound and muscularity of Rossini. Well worth the price of admission.

High Excitement.......2005-03-02

I originally bought the LP versions way back before CDs were introduced. High excitement is the best way I can describe the performances. I have heard nothing since to equal Chailly's energetic read. I haven't gotten this CD version yet, but the first volume one did have better quality miking then the second volume. The price makes it worth just buying the CD instead of trying to digitize my LPs.

Amuse-Bocuse for the Ears!.......2004-09-10

Just as amuse-boche is meant to entertain and tempt the tastebuds for the coming courses in a gourmet meal, so does the overture function in the operatic banquet.

Rossini is one of the greatest overture composers, and here is collection of fourteen of his best!

They are soaring and delightful. Especially captivated by some that were new to me, causing one to want to followup with the opera-- a brilliant way to cause interest in operatic world. These included the likes of Otell, Semiramide and Le Siege de Corinthe.

Amazing and vibrant double CD collection!

All the Rossini I need!.......2003-06-30

As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to search the field for any other Rossini overture CDs--this 2-CD set has it covered. Chailly's interpretations of these pieces are wonderfully exuberant, and the National Philharmonic plays with precision and flair. These CDs have become the standard I use to judge other recordings of Rossini overtures. Granted, they're not perfect: As another reviewer pointed out, Chailly takes some passages differently than we're used to hearing them (the end of the Barber of Seville overture is faster than usual, for example). However, the orchestra is so competent and the conductor so assured that these small, occasional differences are refreshing rather than annoying. As well, there are (very) occasional moments where the orchestra slips a little out of synch, but only because they're having so much fun playing the music. This is Rossini the way it was meant to sound--playful, melodious and energetic to the end.

Average customer rating:

Sheer Beauty for the Ears
Authenticity can sound great as well!
a little world of baroque sound
Wonderful relaxing music.
-

Casanova

Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

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Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Casanova
Memoirs of a Geisha
Pride & Prejudice
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Match Point

ASIN: B000BYR9YK
Release Date: 2005-12-20

Tracks:

An Untold Story: Assaggio No.1 In G Minor - Johann Helmich Roman
The Legend Of Casanova: Tambourins I/II From Daro - Jean-Philippe Rameau
I Yield To Love: Cello Concerto No.3 In D Minor - Leonardo Leo
Eternal Damnation: Overture From Les Fetes De Polymnie/Overture From Platee/Overture From Zoroastre - Jean-Philippe Rameau
The Doge's Decree: Concerto In C Major - Antonio Vivaldi
A Venetian Virgin - Alexandre Desplat
San Cremori At Dawn: Concerto In C Major For Harpsicord And Strings - Giovanni Paisiello
A Lover's Duel: Overture From La Madrilena - Vicente Martin Y Soler
A Terrible Mistake: Concerto A 5, Op.9, No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
A Secret Lover?: Sinfonia From The Opera Farnace - Antonio Vivaldi
Marriage Is A Safe Haven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
Trailing Guardi: Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.11 In E Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
The Noble Pig: Concerto Per Quartetto No.8 - Francesco Durante
Paprizzio's Arrival: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.2 In D Minor - Tomaso Albinoni
Inquisitor Pucci - Alexandre Desplat
: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 - Tomaso Albinoni
A Big Idea: Harpsicord Concerto In B Flat Major - Francesco Durante
A Nom De Plume/Carnivale!: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.6 In G Major/Bouree From Les Plaisirs Champetres - Tomaso Albinoni
The Plume's Nom Is Casanova! - Sonny Kompanek
Dancing At The Doge's Ball: Riguadon From Water Music Suite, No.3 In G Major/Bouree From Music For Royal Fireworks/Loure From Tafelmusik1 - George Frideric Handel
One Step Closer To Heaven: Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni
Casanova's Confession: Sonata Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
The Hanging: Violin Concerto 'Il Cimento Dell'Armonia E Dell'INvenzione' Op.8 No.11 In D Major - Antonio Vivaldi
A Great Escape: Overture From Zais/Overture From Nais/Overture From Achante Et Cephise Ou La Sympathie - Jean-Philippe Rameau
My Place Is With Casanova: Overture From Le Temple De La Gloire/Overture From Zais/Sonata For Violin And Bassocontinuo, Op.5 No.7 In D Minor - Arcangelo Corelli
All's Well...:Concerto A 5, Op.9 No.4 In A Major - Tomaso Albinoni

Amazon.com

The action in this tale about the 18th century adventurer and (at least in popular lore) seducer is set in Cassanova's native Venice in the mid-1700s, so it makes sense that the soundtrack would be loaded with Baroque pieces. The Venice-based Tomaso Albinoni is featured prominentaly, along with heavyweights such as Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Baptiste Rameau, and George Frideric Handel, and lesser-known composers such as Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Durante, and Alexandre Desplat. Er, actually Desplat is a contemporary French film composer who also released his score for the couldn't-be-more-different Syriana shortly after Casanova came out. Of the two pieces he penned here, "A Venetian Virgin" is in pure Baroque style, while "Inquisitor Pucci" betrays a more modern film-music vibe. Meanwhile, orchestrator Sonny Kompanek rearranged a couple of the tracks and authored the tense "The Plume's Nom Is Casanova," which doesn't sound embarrassing sandwiched between pieces by Albinoni and Handel. Overall, it would have been nice to get longer excerpts from the pieces--many feel chopped into too-small fragments--but the music's innate grace and elegance can't be beat for a period film. Or for any film, really: Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major ("The Doge's Decree") will be familiar to buffs, who will remember it featuring prominently in the Dustin Hoffman-¬Meryl Streep showdown Kramer vs. Kramer back in 1979. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Sheer Beauty for the Ears.......2006-07-25

For those that purchased this CD, I need not get into how masterfully infectious the movie was. After the first viewing, I found it charming, but after the second, I was hooked by the witty, clever story holding fun twists all along the way. So while I could go on and on about the movie and all of its wonderful aspects, the score was simply priceless. Apt in every scene, and all done with incredible baroque music that I had never had the opportunity of hearing before the film.

The disc walks you through the movie with no changes that I could tell from the original score. The only omission I found was that the song dubbed "Casanova's Theme" is played in much greater length in the closing credits, and that didn't seem to make it to the CD. Not a terrible loss.

Authenticity can sound great as well!.......2006-07-11

As an avid baroque music listener and performer, I can attest to the delightfully pleasing performances on the soundtrack as well as the painstakingly accurate performance practices utilized in the recording of this soundtrack.

The producers of this film fortunately went to the trouble of hiring some of the top period performance musician-specialists in the country (perhaps in the entire world) to record the soundtrack to Casanova. I know, because several of them were faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute who went AWOL to Hollywood in June 2005 for the recording sessions. We all forgave them, and were actually quite excited that period music performance was having its day on the silver screen.

Do not miss this exquisite potpourri of wonderful baroque composers' works performed as closely as humanly possible to the way that they heard their works during their lifetimes! The film may not have been intended to be historically accurate (part of the fun), but the music certainly ended up that way. Not only that, but it sounds heavenly (unlike Casanova's antics) and up-to-date, not musty and old as if it were sealed in a museum case.

a little world of baroque sound.......2006-02-26

Lots of interesting baroque music unknown to me and
put together in dramatic sequences that add zest and
class to the listening experience. Also wonderful to
play in auto while driving thru boring country or in
slow moving traffic!
This CD will get a lot of play from me.
5 Stars!

Wonderful relaxing music........2006-02-25

Saw the movie and had to have the soundtrack. Great music to relax by. When you need to get away from the cares of the day the classics can't be beat. The producers of this movie certainly chose wonderful music to accompany it.

-.......2006-02-18

Good music but each is too short.
The original version of each may be better.

Track Listings: