Wood Work

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Having grown up in Lubbock, Texas, Beth is classically trained in piano, violin, harp and voice. After spending two years studying voice at Brevard College in North Carolina, Beth moved on to The University of Texas, where she picked up a degree in Literature and her first guitar. Teaching herself guitar, she joined a band and became part of the Austin music scene. After a few years of playing around Austin in her band, and then in a duo, Beth returned to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, and there became a stand-out in the Asheville songwriters’ community. Now an established singer/songwriter, she occasionally resides in Arlington, Texas, while continuously touring to support her four independent releases, WOODWORK (1996), NEW BLOOD (1998), LATE NIGHT RADIO (1999), and the newly released GHOSTWRITER (2001).

Beth is the complete package: a thoughtful creative songwriter, a talented multi-instrument musician, a gifted and well-trained voice, a work ethic learned early in life, and an unassuming charm and humility that defines charisma. Beth has been embraced by both pop and folk critics and fans. Her writing has a diverse range of influences, but her lyrical and melodic hooks give her songs a real pop element.

She has performed at numerous festivals: Music Midtown, Bele Chere Festival, SXSW, Kerrville Folk Festival, Nectarfest, Mandarin Folk Festival, Cottonwood Arts Festival, Dogwood Festival, Grapefest and Riverbend Festival.

While touring throughout the country, Beth has played with such artists as Steve Winwood, David Crosby, John Gorka, Shawn Colvin, Sara Hickman, Pierce Pettis, Jennifer Kimball Jonatha Brooke, Amy Ray, Ellis Paul, Freedy Johnston, Chris Whitley, David LaMotte, Chris Rosser and many other great artists.

Album Description
Texas songwriter delivers mixture of folk, pop, blues and poetry with a powerfully expressive voice in her debut album.

Tracks:

Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Op. 214
Voices Of Spring, Waltz Op. 410
Moulinet Polka, Op. 57
Kaiser Waltz, Op. 437
Cachucha Galopp, Op. 97
On The Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltz Op. 314
At The Hunt Polka, Op. 373
Morning Papers, Waltz Op. 279
Entrance March - Thy Gypsy Baron, Op. 422
Without Worries Polka, Op. 271
Tales From The Vienna Woods, Waltz Op. 325
Radetzky March, Op. 228
March Potpourri
Sports Palace Waltz
Blaze Away
In The Saloon Potpourri
Horlepiep
Funiculi, Funicula
Medley
The Jolly Widow Potpourri
Souvenirs de Paris Potpourri
Tulips From Amsterdam
Die Hände zum Himmel
Die Kleine Kneipe
Am Aschermittwoch ist Alles Vorbei
Auld Lang Syne
Miene Vogel is Trök
Radetzky March

Album Description

ANDRÃ‰ RIEU 2CD Collection CONTAINS CD: 32 493 - The Strauss Gala CD: 32 494 - Carnival!

Customer Reviews:

great music.......2007-04-11

My Wife & I, just enjoy Andre Rieu spectacular shows we watch & listen to his music a great deal of time , very excelarating,plus it was very easy to purchace this pruduct at Amazon

Stupendous.......2007-02-19

It is hard to put into words how one feels about Andre Rieu DVD's enough to say that I have purchased all of them bar one .... at the Music Hall in the United States..... and this was only due to inavailablity. The Entertainment factor of all his DVD's are beyond ANYTHING I have ever purchased. All who visit my home and watch one of his DVD are mesmorised by the sheer pleasure this person brings and go out and purchase their copies.
For sheer pleasure, entertainment, and romance one needs not go further then Andre Rieu DVD.
I cannot recommend them highly enough.
I only have one criticism....and that is the he has not toured Australia.

Andre Rieu Collection (2CD).......2007-02-07

This recording has nice music that I enjoy, however when listening with the Sennheiser headphones to get a true depth of the sound, it is not there. It sounds flat and the orchestra does not sound any better than a non professional (high school, etc) orchestra. It may be fine for some lively outdoor concerts, but for a recording,in and out of studio location it fails. I would now reconsider purchasing any other recordings and I do have many.

If those responsible for making the recording would take the time needed for a professional recording, it would make for a vast improvement and to me this is just an attempt to get as many recordings out to the public. If you want to get people, who enjoy music, to return and buy additional recordings, make the recording you would want to hear again and again. After hearing this once, I will probably not listen to them again and go for some good orchestras.

Average customer rating:

André Rieu [Special Collectors Edition]

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Roses from the South
Andre Rieu Collection (2 CD)
Romantic Moments
Fiesta
At The Movies

ASIN: B000NA239I
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Tracks:

Without Worries Polka, Op.271
On the Beautiful, Blue Danube, Waltz Op.314
Entrance March
Lagoon Waltz
Carnival Of Venice
Love Songs, Waltz Op.114
Funiculi, Funicula
Tales From the Vienna Woods, Waltz Op.325
Blaze Away
Emperor Waltz, Op.437
Horlepiep
Vienna Bon-Bons, Waltz Op.307

Tracks:

Voices Of Spring, Waltz Op.410
Sports Palace Waltz
Morning Papers, Waltz Op.279
Cachucha-Galopp, Op.97
Radetzky-March, Op.228
Roses From the South, Waltz Op.388
Miene Vogel Is Trok
Medley: Bel Canto Suite: Vorpsiel/Barcarole/habanera/Toreador/Gefangenenchor/Soldatenchor/Triumphmarsch
Moulinet Polka, Op.57
Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Op.214
Die Hande Zum Himmel
Die Fledermaus Waltz, Op.367

Album Description

2CD Set Special Collectors Edition

André Rieu

CD 1 1. Without Worries Polka, Op.271 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 2. On The Beautiful, Blue Danube, Waltz Op.314 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 3. Entrance March - The Gypsy Baron, Op.422 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 4. Lagoon Waltz (from One Night In Venice), Op.411 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Norbert Neukamp, cond.) 5. Carnival Of Venice (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 6. Love Songs, Waltz Op.114 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Joseph Francek, cond.) 7. Funiculi, Funicula (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 8. Tales From The Vienna Woods, Waltz Op.325 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 9. Blaze Away (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 10. Emperor Waltz, Op. 437 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 11. Horlepiep (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 12. Vienna Bon-Bons, Waltz Op.307 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Norbert Neukamp, cond.)

CD 2 1. Voices Of Spring, Waltz Op.410 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 2. Sports Palace Waltz (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 3. Morning Papers, Waltz Op.279 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Joseph Francek, cond.) 4. Cachucha-Galopp, Op.97 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 5. Radetzky-March, Op.228 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 6. Roses From The South, Waltz Op.388 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Joseph Francek, cond.) 7. Miene Vogel Is TrÃ¶k (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 8. Bel Canto Suite: Vorspiel from La Traviata, Barcarole from Hoffmann's Erzählungen, Habanera from Carmen, Toreador from Carmen, Gefangenenchor from Nabucco, Soldatenchor from Faust, Triumphmarsch Aida André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 9. Moulinet Polka, Op.57 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 10. Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Op.214 André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra 11. Die Hände Zum Himmel (Live) André Rieu with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra 12. Die Fledermaus Waltz, Op.367 André Rieu with the Vienna Strauss Orchestra (Norbert Neukamp, cond.)

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:

Oltre La Tempesta
Siempre Adorarla
Odissea
Il Volo
Fantasma D'Amore
Dovunque Sarai
Solo Amore
Maria
Son Gli Occhi Tuoi
Je Crois Entendre Encore
Mia Per Sempre
Viaggio
Vita Mia
Au Fond Du Temple Saint
Beyond The Storm (Oltre La Tempesta)

Amazon.com

The Italian Salvatore Licitra and the Argentinian Marcelo Alvarez are, arguably the two most exciting, promising (they're in their 30s), big-voiced, bread-and-butter (or steak-and-potatoes) "Italian" tenors around. Yhey have proved themselves on the stages of the great opera houses of the world and on recordings. This CD is designed to present them to a wider audience--it is clearly meant to appeal to Three Tenors and Andrea Bocelli fans. And, in fact, it succeeds. These guys have glorious voices: Licitra's is darker and somewhat heavier than Alvarez's, but the latter's shine is irresistible; one might compare them to Domingo and Pavarotti, respectively, to make that point. Neither has any problem throughout his entire range; each has big, secure top notes, and there's an innate musical intelligence at work at all times. Opera fans will relish the fantastic singing--listening to them trade high B naturals in the CD's third song, "Odissea," is thrilling--but will probably be disappointed by the music. It's soupily arranged, sentimental background drivel with catchy melodies (parts of "Salut demeure" from Gounod's Faust show up in something called "Son gli occhi tuoi," complete with a stellar high C from Alvarez), and even the gorgeous duet from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles (one of two "classical" pieces on the CD, if one doesn't count an instrumental piece by Bach to which trite lyrics have been added) has been re-arranged to include a tinny chorus, when singing it as written would have been a magnificent treat. Their voices are bathed in a phony-pop glow which will please the Bocelli market while continuing to horrify purists. Yet it is impossible not to be bowled over by the singing--a few off-pitch-at-low-volume moments and a mess of a "Je crois entendre encore" aside. In short, two high-power, world-class operatic tenors in their prime, singing, for the most part, music in which the treacle level is obnoxiously--even dangerously--high. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Great CD and Voices........2005-10-18

I love tenors and Italian music. Groban, Safina, Bocelli, Frangolis. These two men are in their category, and one of them even sounds like Safina. Very pleasant to listen in the car and in my office. I can listen more than once a day. You have to listen more than once. Don't expect to fall in love from the first sound.

Some critisizm:
a)One of the tenors is using to much vibrato, since it's popera... otherwise it's sounds great.
b)Duetto needs to be a Tenor - Soprano. These two guys should make separate CDs with two ladies. Groban does it very well!

The young tenors........2005-09-12

The amazing part of this album is that two young tenors can make as much music as three tenors (Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti) have in the past. Salvatore Licitra and Marcelo Alvarez are the future - there is a balance in how they sing together, adding strength to rather than competing with one another.

UNEXPECTED.......2005-08-09

I bought this CD on suggestion from Amazon.com...I am thrilled with the music. The songs are emotional, beautiful, and well done. It was a great choice.

Pop Op.......2004-05-15

Their voices blend well and the opera duets are a little out of the ordinary. Unfotunately,they have been orchestrated with a Hollywood flair and sung with synthetic flamboyance. What a pity that it is only nice background music. I had hoped for excitement.

Fabulous!.......2004-02-24

I LOVED this CD. I'm a fan of tenors, but not a serious student of their voices, so I can't attest to the flawlessness of phrasing, etc. However, I found the music to be soulful and stirring, and Licitra and Alvarez's voices full and rich. I have given this CD to everyone I know - my parents, cousins, great aunts and friends, even my massage therapist, and everyone has enjoyed it. I listen to it often, pretending to sing along!

Average customer rating:

Beautiful
If you like experiments...

African Rhythms

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard at Carnegie Hall
Debussy: Images; Études
Ligeti: Mechanical Music
György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

ASIN: B00008UVCD
Release Date: 2003-06-17

Tracks:

Bossobe
Clapping Music
Bobangi
Etude No.4, Fanfares
Yangissa
Etude No.8, FEM
Anduwa
Etude No.12, Entrelacs
Banga Banga
Etude No.16, Pour Irina
Zoboko
Etude No.17, A Bout De Souffle
Etude No.18, Canon
Mohunga
Music For Pieces Of Wood
Mai

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2005-02-07

The Aka Pygmy group was recorded in Teldex Studio Berlin, rather than in the field as usual, and thus the recording features the clearest and most beautiful Pygmy music I have heard.

Aimard's performance of Ligeti's Etudes is also amazing, and would be highly preferable to Frederick Ullen's recordings if complete.

Reich is somewhat neglected for lack of piano works, with Music for Pieces of Wood being adapted to piano.

The liner notes, by musical director Simha Arom, Aimard, Ligeti, and Reich are far more imformative than most, explaining the conception of the disc and features of all three musics.

If you like experiments..........2003-06-24

...then this is the right place to start. And if you like cross-overs, this is one of the more laudable efforts to consider.

The basic idea behind this CD is brilliant: An exciting confrontation really, a comparison, between contemporary culture and rhythms, and indegenious ones from a thousands of years ago...! Little has changed, the cynic would say, however, but we all know,so much has changed. Pierre-Laurand Aimard plays Ligeti and Reich very dark, like a rich french coffee, but with tempo and a kick, and still with mysticism which is very very black. It's hard to imagine, but the piano actually CAN do these things, and it requires a master like him here to drive it to its full potential. Ligeti's comments range from the extravagant to the funny.

Tracks:

IV. Bourrees 1 & 2 - Elaine Schaffer
V. Polonaise & Double - Elaine Schaffer
VI. Menuet - Elaine Schaffer
VII. Badinerie - Elaine Schaffer
II. Siciliano - Michel Debost
Ouverture - David Munrow
Les Plaisirs - David Munrow
Sonate Pour 2 Flutes En Sol Majeur, Op.2 No.1: II. Andante - Allegro - James Galway
I. Largo - Bruno Cavallo
II. 'Fantasmi' Presto - Bruno Cavallo
III. Largo - Bruno Cavallo
IV. Presto - Bruno Cavallo
V. Largo 'II Sonno' - Bruno Cavallo
VI. Allegro - Bruno Cavallo
I. Allegro - Michel Sanvoisin
Concerto Pour Flute, Harpe & Orchestra En Ut Majeur, K.299: II. Andantino - James Galway
Romance Pour Flute & Piano En La Majeur, Op.94 No.1 - Jean-Pierre Rampal
L'Arlesienne: Menuet - Michel Debost
Carmen: Entracte (Acte III) - Michel Debost
L'Oiseau Des Bois, Idylle Pour Flute & 4 Cors, Op.21 - John Solum
Casse-Noisette: Danse Des Mirlitons - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Adagio - London Symphony Orchestra
L'Oiseau Bleu Et La Princess Florine - London Symphony Orchestra
Le Carnaval Des Animaux: Voliere - Francois Laurent
Pelleas Et Melisande: Sicilienne - Patricia Nagle
Daphnis Et Chloe: Pantomime - Michel Debost

Tracks:

Syrinx Pour Flute Seule - Michel Debost
Danse De La Chevre Pour Flute Seule - Jonathan Snowden
Entr'acte - Roger Bourdin
I. Allegro Malinconico - Eric Le Sage
II. Cantilene - Eric Le Sage
III. Presto Giocoso - Eric Le Sage
Density 21/5 Pour Flute Seule - Michel Debost
I. Pan - Raymund Havenith
Ballade Pour Flute, Orchestre A Cordes & Piano - Aurele Nicolet
Le Merle Noir - Karlheinz Zoller
Vermont Counterpoint - Ransom Wilson
I. Allegretto - Kathleen Chastain
II. Andante - Kathleen Chastain
III. Anime - Kathleen Chastain
Sequenza Pour Flute Seule - Karlheinz Zoller
Chant De Linos, Pour Flute & Piano - Eric Le Sage

Customer Reviews:

Review of Flute Passion CD.......2004-08-08

I came across this CD while looking for recordings of music that I could play to Flute Students. This CD is a winner, as it contains music at the Grade -7 level (Australia) and makes a wonderful purchase for both teachers and students. The various artists represented on the CD's are amongst the best flautists in the world. An excellent choice for anyone passionate about the flute.

Average customer rating:

Just awful
Some really Great Holiday music
Virtuousity on Wood

Bach on Wood

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bach Beat
Distant Drums

ASIN: B000002629

Tracks:

The Four Seasons: Allegro non molto from 'Winter' - Vivaldi
Allegro - Third Movement - Bach
'Grave' & 'Adaigo' - Corelli
Concerto In A Minor For 4 Harpsichords & String Orchestra, BMV 1065: Allegro - First Movement - Bach
Cantata No. 147: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Bach
'Canon In D Major' - Pachelbel
Children's Medley: Musette in D Major - Menuett in G Major - The Spinning Song - BRIAN SLAWSON
Concerto In D Minor For Strings And Continuo, RV 129 'Concerto madrigalesco': 'Adagio - BRIAN SLAWSON
Solomon: 'Entrance Of The Queen Of Sheba' - Handel_
Medley: Gavotte & Gigue From French Suite No. 5, BMV 816 - Variation No.30' From The Goldberg Variations, BMV 988 - BRIAN SLAWSON
Bicentennial - BRIAN SLAWSON

Customer Reviews:

Just awful.......2005-02-24

This record is a complete waste of your money. This guy can play the notes but has no clue what the music is about. I believe he was considered a "promising young musician", but good luck finding anything else by him. Terrible.

Some really Great Holiday music.......2004-11-12

Great holiday music for all ages. My favorite holiday cd of all time. Bravo Brian! You should make a few more of these. Very highly recommended.

Virtuousity on Wood.......2000-04-14

This is one of my favorite disks. Slawson playing all the percussion gives the opportunity to listen over and over again, hearing the finer details of how he's knit together traditional and unique percussion effects. Great for in the car on a long trip!

Luciano Berio: Sequenzas I-XIV for Solo Instruments

Average customer rating:

Spectacular Playing of Extraordinarily Virtuosic Solo Works

Luciano Berio: Sequenzas I-XIV for Solo Instruments

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Berio: The Complete Sequenzas, Alternate Sequenzas & Works for Solo Instruments
Berio: Recital I for Cathy / Folk Songs / 3 Songs by Kurt Weill
Berio: Sinfonia; Ekphrasis
Henze: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 3; Five Night Pieces

ASIN: B000F6YWS0
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Tracks:

Sequenza I For Flute - Nora Shulman
Sequenza II For Harp - Erica Goodman
Sequenza III For Female Voice - Tony Arnold
Sequenza IV For Piano - Boris Berman
Sequenza V For Trombone - Alain Trudel
Sequenza VI For Viola - Steven Dann
Sequenza VIIa For Oboe - Matej Sarc

Tracks:

Sequenza VIII For Violin - Jasper Wood
Sequenza IXa For Clarinet - Joaquin Valdepenas
Sequenza X For Trumpet In C Major And Pianoresonance - Guy Few
Sequenza XI For Guitar - Pablo Sainz Villegas

Tracks:

Sequenza XII For Bassoon - Ken Munday
Sequenza XIII For Accordion (Chanson) - Joseph Petric
Sequenza XIV For Cello - Darrett Adkins
Sequenza VIIb For Soprano Saxophone - Wallace Halladay
Sequenza IXb For Alto Saxophone - Wallace Halladay

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular Playing of Extraordinarily Virtuosic Solo Works.......2006-05-23

I thought I'd never say anything like this, but this music, from my relatively conservative perspective, is extremely thorny, even ugly, but I couldn't stop listening to it, it was so fascinating. And that's a lot of listening when you're talking about three CDs, sixteen tracks, over three hours of music. My only prior exposure to any of Berio's 'Sequenza' series was at a musical house party years ago when the principal trombone of the St. Louis Symphony, Bernie Schneider, played Sequenza V. I was entranced (and impressed with his playing) but never sought out any recordings nor heard any of them in recital. I have to say that I have been more or less obsessed with this recording since I got it. Mostly I am fascinated by the ungodly virtuosity and extended techniques required by the solo instrumentalists but there is also something hypnotic about the music itself as well. I usually am interested to figure out form in new music, but in this case I'm completely stumped. I have not seen scores and perhaps that would help, but I suspect that the serial procedures and new instrumental techniques required by Berio's music would simply leave me confused. Still, I listened on, puzzled, fascinated, repulsed, awed and completely engaged.

From David Osmond-Smith's article on Berio in the online Grove Dictionary: "The 'sequence' of the title is, broadly, that of harmonic fields: fixed pitch resources that are each explored for their melodic and harmonic potential in turn. The ways in which this conception is realized vary widely from one Sequenza to the next. They serve a virtuosity that, as Berio often emphasised, is not merely that of flying finger or agile tongue. The composer also required a virtuosity of 'sensibility and intelligence' that often entails a thoroughgoing understanding of the history of the instrument: most explicitly in Sequenza VIII for violin (1976-7), but also, for instance, in the characterization of registers in Sequenza XII for bassoon (1995). Indeed, the piece may become an essay in the instrument's social history, as in Sequenza XIII for accordion (1995-6), which creates an amalgam of echoes from tango, work-song, cabaret and other forms of popular entertainment. In certain cases, where history has consigned to an instrument an excessively constricted range of characteristics, Berio may write à rebours. Both Sequenza II for harp (1963) and Sequenza VI for viola (1967) invest their instruments with an unwonted ferocity."

Berio wrote fourteen Sequenzas, but two of them have alternate versions (VIIa for oboe and VIIb for soprano saxophone; IXa for clarinet [given a really luscious performance here by Joaquin Valdepenas] and IXb for alto saxophone); hence sixteen tracks. (They are not played in the order in which they were written.) Most of the musicians are Canadian and all the recordings were made in the same venue, St. John Chysostom Church, Newmarket, Ontario, over a period from November 1999 to May 2004. The sonics are excellent with enough room ambience to give a 'real' sound to the recordings. Some highlights: The incredible vocal (dare I call it singing?) rendition by Tony Arnold of Sequenza III; the fiercely hypnotic viola of Steven Dann in VI; the unearthly, often microtonal, bassoon (how does he make it sound like an air raid siren?) of Ken Munday in XII. But then there is not a weak performance here. I wish I could comment more about the music itself but my music-analytical arsenal simply doesn't allow me to do much more than describe it in the most general, and mostly non-technical, terms.

This is the only recorded set of Sequenzas that includes Berio's last one, Sequenza XIV for cello, written in 2002 not long before he died. And of course the set's budget price makes it all the more attractive.

Query: Why (pun intended) can't I hear the trombonist's spoken 'Why?' (or 'Warum?', a tribute to the German clown Grock who often ended his routines by saying that single word) at the end of Sequenza V? Is it spoken through the instrument itself? Maybe my ears need a thorough cleaning.

Heartily recommended for the adventurous and for the student of any of the instruments featured here.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Silly Classical Songs

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | 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

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Disney | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Stories | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Sing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Disney Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

CDs $7 - $10 | Children's Music | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music

All Bargain Titles | Children's Music | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
ASIN: B000059T0I
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Your Library
Bake Sale
Window Warshin'
Parents' Lament - Jeff Gunn, , Susan Stevens
Pluto's Waltz
7:18: 12 Overture - Saro Badalian, Terry Wood
Technology
Mouse Like Me
Beethoven's Fifth Helping - Kelly La Croix
Cricket's Life
Oh, Da Joy!
Practice Session
Can Can [Instrumental]
Pizzicati [Instrumental]
Dance of the Hours [Instrumental]
Symphony No. 40 [Instrumental]
Beautiful Blue Danube [Instrumental]
1812 Overture Finale [Instrumental]
Carmen [Instrumental]
Turkish March [Instrumental]
Symphony No. 5 [Instrumental]
Funeral March of a Marionette [Instrumental]
Ode to Joy [Instrumental]
Fur Elise/In the Hall of the Mountain King/Hungarian Rhapsody [Instrume

Average customer rating:

breathless
Beatles Like I've Never Heard Before
Interesting Cover, but Bad CD
Beautiful and Relaxing
Lovely and powerful

Imagine

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Revolution: A Rock Tribute to the Beatles
Beatles
Vivaldi: Complete Cello Concertos
Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney
Beatles for Harp

ASIN: B000003G0A
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Free As A Bird
Eleanor Rigby
Here, There And Everywhere
In My Life
And I Love Her
When I'm Sixty-Four
Michelle
Nowhere Man
Yesterday
Girl
Across The Universe
Here Comes The Sun
Norwegian Wood - For No One
She's Leaving Home
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Octopus's Garden
Imagine
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers - Carry That Weight - The End

Customer Reviews:

breathless.......2006-05-31

The sound from harnoy;s cello is enough to make me cry. she produces such tone and anyone that doesnt agree is uneducated. what can i say elanor rigby the phrassing outstanding ofra has been and still is one of my favorite cellist.

Beatles Like I've Never Heard Before.......2005-02-10

I borrowed this CD from the library out of curiosity and what a delightful suprise. The interpretation of Beatles music is wonderfully simple - I especially love the different variations done with the same tune in some of the pieces giving them a fresh sound. Harmonies between cello and violin in "Norwegian Wood", "Across the Universe" and "Girl" are mesmerising. Mostly played with a slow tempo, this is great soothing music after a stressful day. This CD is definitely worth purchasing for a twist in popular Lennon-McCartney compositions.

4 stars for song selection, otherwise 5 stars for interpretation.

Interesting Cover, but Bad CD.......2004-06-05

I can not believe that Ofra is even famous. Her playing is so stiff and lacks phrasing. Her tone quality is horrible. The only reason that she makes recordings is because her father is rich and he bought her a several million dollar cello and paid symphony orchestras to let her play solos with them. But, it is interesting to hear a cellist play the Beatles. Only buy this CD if you have boughten every cd on this webstite and have a little money left over.

Beautiful and Relaxing.......2004-05-21

The Beatles and Ofra Harnoy! The best of both worlds! What more could you ask for? A friend gave me this CD, and I have enjoyed listening to this right before bedtime every night. Ms. Harnoy, I applaud you for making some of the finest renditions of my favorite Beatles tunes. If you're a semi-professional classical musician like me and you don't have this in your CD collection, you're missing out--Big Time!!! 5 + stars for a wonderful CD!!!!

Lovely and powerful.......2002-01-01

Before you write this off as another attempt to "muzak" the Beatles, listen to Harnoy's lovely playing on "She's Leaving Home," "Across The Universe" and "Girl" and see if you still feel that way once you've heard them. A great set of interpretations by a most evocative cellist.

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Music Album