Scenes from a Scene

1. Where Has My True Love Gone?

2. Pearly Blues

3. No Baby

4. Legacy

5. Fly on a Plane

6. Day Is Done

7. What Could I Add to That?

8. My Two Cats

9. Is It Wrong to Feel So Good?

10. Down the Dream

11. I'm Wondering Why

12. Children Go Where I Send Thee

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.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Richard Strauss: Scenes from Salome & Elektra [Hybrid SACD]
Average customer rating:

One of the best

If You Own A SACD Player, Buy This Hybrid SACD. If You Have A Normal CD Player, Buy The Earlier Plain CD "Living Stereo" Version

Barnstorming in the Concert Hall!

Hair raising Strauss!!

Richard Strauss: Scenes from Salome & Elektra [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | 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:

César Franck: Symphony in D Minor; Igor Stravinsky; Pétrouchka [Hybrid SACD]

Brahms, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos [Hybrid SACD]

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD]

Rhapsodies [Hybrid SACD]

Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Debussy: La mer [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0009U55S8
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Customer Reviews:

One of the best.......2007-05-15

Fantastic. Different as I remember foim initial release in Australia in early 80s. I think many cuts were made for political reasons.

If You Own A SACD Player, Buy This Hybrid SACD. If You Have A Normal CD Player, Buy The Earlier Plain CD "Living Stereo" Version.......2006-11-08

Hey there, fans of Strauss and Reiner, this is a phenomenal recording no doubt, but I have to warn people that this Hybrid SACD doesn't sound as good in a standard CD player as the earlier version of this recording.

Of course if you have a SACD player, you should buy this thing, but if you are like most people who have standard stereos, the original release will sound superior in your normal CD player than the Hybrid SACD. Trust me on this one, I am a perfectionist and an audiophile.

Barnstorming in the Concert Hall!.......2005-12-21

These performances are amazing! The soundstage simply disappears out both sidedoors of the auditorium. If you don't like singing the Dance of the Seven Veils is so good it justifies the cost. One of the great performances of all time!

Hair raising Strauss!!.......2005-08-05

This is a great issue in this SACD series. Borkh has just the right sound for Elektra and Salome. Reiner backs her up perfectly. The CSO is in top form. Listen to the brass and you can be in heaven or hell.(Depends on your taste for his operas.)
Absolutely outstanding. The DSD remastering is phenominal!!

In A Monastery Garden: The Immortal Works Of Ketelbey

Average customer rating:

Ketelbey must have influenced the great film soundtrack composers
Buy This

In A Monastery Garden: The Immortal Works Of Ketelbey

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Albert W. Ketélbey: In a Persian Market; In a Monastery Garden; etc.
Waldteufel: Famous Waltzes
Ketelbey: In a Persian Market; In a Monastery Garden; In a Chinese Temple Garden
Lehár: Waltzes
Viennese Violin: The Romantic Music of Lehár, Kreisler & Strauss

ASIN: B000004279
Release Date: 1996-01-08

Tracks:

In A Monastery Garden - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
Wedgwood Blue - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
In The Mystic Land Of Egypt - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
Bells Across The Meadows - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
In A Chinese Temple Garden - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
Sanctuary Of The Heart - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
'Appy' Ampstead - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
The Phantom Melody - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
In A Persian Market - Royal Philh. Orch. & Chorus
Hejre Kati - London Festival Orch
Berceuse De Jocelyn - London Festival Orch
Valse Sentimentale - London Festival Orch
Fetes Tziganes - London Festival Orch
Meditation - London Festival Orch
Im Chambre Separee - London Festival Orch
Garden Scene - London Festival Orch
None But The Lonely Heart - London Festival Orch
Czardas - London Festival Orch

Customer Reviews:

Ketelbey must have influenced the great film soundtrack composers .......2006-09-02

I can see how this music might have been used as accompaniment to a showing of the silent film "Thief of Baghdad", or "The Sheik", or any one of those swashbucklers. Not that the exotic was all that Ketelbey indulged in, as this CD will reveal. I recommend it highly. And for those interested in historical recordings, try the 1921 Peerless Orchestra recording of "Monastery Garden", which is part of the Library of Congress archive and which is available to listen to or to download for free as a .wav file at [...]. This is the website for Birmingham, England, the composer's birthplace.

Buy This.......2006-07-11

This music helped me to be totally relaxe and completely entertained.
Of particular interest for me was "Wedgewood Blue" and "Meditation", both performed beautifully.
I highly recommend this imported German CD and add that, due to the rarity of some of the tracks, it is a good idea to not delay.

Meditation: Classical Relaxation (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Relaxing music at its finest!
Get it for $9.99 at Sam's Club!
Beautiful, moving music! You'll recognize many of the pieces
Meditative, But Not Boring
A Bargain and Beautiful

Meditation: Classical Relaxation (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | 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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)
Chopin For Relaxation
Classics for Relaxation and Meditation
Beethoven for Relaxation
Vivaldi for Relaxation

ASIN: B000001VUT
Release Date: 1991-10-11

Tracks:

Canon
Andante From Piano Concerto No. 21: Elvira Madigan
Coppelia: Notturno
String Quintet In C: Adagio - Schubert
Orchestral Suite No. 3: Air - Bach
Clarinet Concerto: Adagio
Symphony No. 8 'Unfinished': Andante con moto - Schubert
Concerto, Op. 9 No. 2: Adagio
Orpheus And Eurydice: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits

Tracks:

Thais: Meditation
Romance In G, Op. 26
The Last Spring
Minuet
Serenade, Op. 3 No. 5
Poeme, Op. 41 No.6
Elegiac Melody No. 1
Serenade For String Orchestra: Elegia
I Love You
La Gioconda: Dance Of The Hours

Tracks:

Adagio
Romance In F Minor, Op. 11
Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
Romance For Violin No. 2 In F, Op. 50
Rosamunde: Ballet Music In G
Symphony No. 5: Adagietto

Tracks:

Peer Gynt: Morning
Standchen (Serenade)
Mozartiana Suite: Preghiera (Ave Verum)
Moonlight Sonata: Adagio sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A: 2nd Movement
Rosamunde: Intermezzo
Violin Concerto In E Minor: 2nd Movement
Serenade For String Orchestra: 1st Movement
L'Arlesienne, Suite No. 2: Intermezzo
Concierto De Aranjuea: 2nd Movement
Trout Quintet: Theme And Variations

Tracks:

The Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarolle
Valse Triste
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
Minuet
Oboe Concerto In D Minor: Oboe Concerto In D Minor (Excerpt)
Piano Sonata No. 8: Pathetique: 2nd Movement
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo sinfonico
Christmas Oratorio: Sinfonia
Ave Maria
Horn Concerto No.3: 2nd Movement
Symphony No. 1: 3rd Movement
Traumerei
Peer Gynt: Ase's Death
Xerves: Largo
Symphony No. 9: From The New World: 2nd Movement

Tracks:

Swan Lake
Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Romance
Nocturne In B Major, Op. 9 No. 3
Madama Butterfly: Humming Chorus
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Notturno
Symphony No. 35: Haffner: Andante
Carmen Suite No. 1: Intermezzo
Piano Sonata In B-Flat Major, D.960: Andante sostenuto
Sinfonia Concertante In E Flat Major: Andante
Piano Concerto No. 2: Larghetto

Tracks:

Impromptu In G Flat Major
Evening Song
Serenade No. 1: Adagio non troppo
The Merry Peasant
Flute Quartet In G Major
Symphony No. 7: Allegretto
Cradle Song
Quartet in G Major: Theme And Variations
Barcarolle: The Seasons: June
Symphony No.36 'Linz': Poco adagio

Tracks:

Prelude In C Minor - Meditation
Piano Concerto In A Minor: Adagio - Meditation
Flute Concerto No. 2: Adagio non troppo - Meditation
Andante - Meditation
Impromptu In B Flat Major - Meditation
Clair de lune - Meditation
Divertimento In D, K.251: Andantino - Meditation
Caro mio ben - Meditation
Piano Concerto No. 9: Jeunehomme: Andante - Meditation
Theme And Variations - Meditation

Tracks:

The Sleeping Beauty: Panorama
Waltz, Op.39 No.15
Flute Concerto In G Minor: Andante
Impromptu In A Flat
Violin Concerto No. 5: Adagio
Symphony No. 3: Allegretto
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: Andante
Piano Sonata No. 3: Largo
Suite No. 1: Intermezzo
Piano Concerto No. 3: Largo

Tracks:

La Traviata: Act 1: Prelude
Kinderscenen: Foreign Countries And People
Chanson triste
Symphony No. 5: Andante
La Campanella
Flute Concerto in B Flat: Adagio
Piano Sonata No. 2: Funeral March
Symphony No. 94: Surprise: Andante
Concerto for Flute and Harp: Andantino
Symphony No. 6: Pathetique: Adagio lamentoso

Customer Reviews:

Relaxing music at its finest!.......2005-10-14

This is a GREAT 10-CD set!The performances are top-notch, the music is varied, and the feelings engendered are wondrously beautiful.

Get it for $9.99 at Sam's Club!.......2005-06-22

Very nice set of CD's, very beatiful and relaxing, but don't pay $27, get it for $9 at Sam's Club. I know this will be censored but come on, how can you guys charge those saps that much! Amazon should try to find the best price for its customers, even if it sends them to different vendors. Censoring this message is a crime, DON'T DO IT. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Beautiful, moving music! You'll recognize many of the pieces.......2004-02-24

John Cheng's review, below, said it's "an undeniable bargain," and I whole heartedly agree! I especially LOVE Volume 5. I have a Typing/Resume business, and I listen to Volume 5 ALL the time on my computer while I'm doing my work. It inspires me to be creative and calms me down when I'm stressed.

I would say I've _easily_ listened to Volume 5 at least 100 times, and I'm still not tired of it. That's amazing for me, because I'm also a musician (singer/pianist) and I get bored easily. I actually found the Volume 5 CD at a Thrift store, and loved it so much that I bought the whole set recently. So I've only listened to a few of the other CD's in this set, so far, and they're also great.

This is NOT boring music. My clients and family have heard it also, and they've also mentioned how soothing and wonderful these pieces are. Most of you will probably recognize a lot of these songs! You'll be saying, "OH! I remember THIS one! I haven't heard this for YEARS!!!"

It's well worth the money for 10 very full CD's!!! Try it! You won't be disappointed!

Happy listening!
Betty, Owner of Betty's Desk Typing Service and Quality Resumes

Meditative, But Not Boring.......2002-06-21

Here's the deal: If you check out the individual CDs of this collection, you'll pay way too much. That said, compare this price, and realize it is a steal at twice the price.

The list of selections is immense. 101 selections. Most of it you've heard before, but that's OK. Despite the various cute names -- quite creative -- "Vol. 9"!... you can load your CD player and enjoy them without feeling a transition of style.

It's true these aren't meditative in the sense of a Gregorian chant. Anyone familiar with classical music will recognize the composers and various movements to know this. What is true is that you can sit down and write Amazon reviews with it in the background quite comfortably. No weird interpretations, just the music as you know it.

It is also meditative in the sense of popping on it your portable player as you go for a Sunday afternoon walk. The music has just the right pacing: no quite aerobics class, but not ready for the office elevator either.

The box and jewel cases are not that flimsy kind of thing often associated with box sets. It sounds silly to review the jewel cases, but I'm frustrated with the ones I've received lately that have no meat to them. This'll do the job.

I fully recommend "Meditation: Classical Relaxation, 10 Volume Set [BOX SET].

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

A Bargain and Beautiful.......2002-02-28

This is a wonderful collection of some of my most favorite classical selections. Most I already own, but still like having these all together. I could only wish that the recording level was the same for all selections. Yes, some are written to be softer, but I found it often necessary to turn the volume up or down for different selections. But aside from this minor preference, the quality, the choices, and the price are all super.

Alexander Kipnis: Arias from "Boris Godunov" and Other Operas

Average customer rating:

Alexander Kipnis: Arias from "Boris Godunov" and Other Operas

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | 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
ASIN: B00000E6MC
Release Date: 1991-05-10

Tracks:

Boris Godunov: Coronation Scene: Glory To Czar Boris - Alexander Kipnes/Victore Chorale/Robert Shaw
Coronation Scene: I Am Oppressed - Alexander Kipnes/Victore Chorale/Robert Shaw
Boris Godunov: Varlaam's Song - Alexander Kipnes/Ilya Tamarin/Anna Leskaya
Boris Godunov: Boris' Monologue - Alexander Kipnes
Boris Godunov: Boris-Shuisky Duet - Alexander Kipnes/Ilya Tamarin
Boris Godunov: Clock Scene - Alexander Kipnes
Boris Godunov: Boris' Farewell And Prayer - Alexander Kipnes
Boris Godunov: Death Of Boris - Alexander Kipnes/Victore Chorale/Robert Shaw
Prince Igor: Galitsky's Recitative and Aria - Alexander Kipnes
Song Of The Flea (After Goethe's Faust) - Alexander Kipnes
Sadko: Song Of The Viking Guest - Alexander Kipnes
Eugene Onegin: Gremin's Aria - Alexander Kipnes
Rusalka: MIller's Aria - Alexander Kipnes
Slumber Song - Alexander Kipnes/Celius Dougherty
My Homeland - Alexander Kipnes/Celius Dougherty
O Cease Thy Singing, Maiden Fair - Alexander Kipnes/Celius Dougherty
Tilim-Bom (Trois histoires pour enfants: No.1) - Alexander Kipnes/Celius Dougherty

Average customer rating:

It's not just music!

Orchestral Excerpts for English Horn

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Plaintive Melody : Music for English Horn
20th Century Music for English Horn and Oboe
Fantasies and Partitas
Orchestral Excerpts for Oboe

ASIN: B00005RGI3
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

Symphony No.9
Cantata No.1
St. Matthews Passion #60
St. Matthews Passion #65
Rob Roy Overture
Roman Carnival Overture
Symphonie Fantastique
La Mer
Nocturnes
Three Cornered Hat
Concerto In G
Ma Mere L'Oye
Rhapsodie Espagnol
Pines Of Rome
Concerto De Aranjuez
William Tell Overture
Symphony No.8
Don Quixote
Ein Heldenleben
Le Sacre Du Printemps
Un Ballo In Maschera
Tristan Und Isolde

Customer Reviews:

It's not just music!.......2006-11-28

I was sorely disappointed...the entire CD is littered with commentary about the music by the English horn player. While the information she provides is potentially interesting to some listeners, I was wanting a music selection of dedicated English horn music. I found the (lengthy) verbal excerpts distracting and irritating to the point that I never listened to the CD again after it's initial run.

The music is great, though, when it's actually playing, despite the fact that you don't get the entire piece...

Switched on Classics: Classics With a Beat

Average customer rating:

You call this electronic? BULL!

Switched on Classics: Classics With a Beat

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Hooked On Classics

ASIN: B000000LDT
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Flight Of The Bumble Bee, Hungarian Dance No. 5 - Light Cavallerie, Carmen: Flight Of Carmen
The Moldau, Sheherazade, Nabucco: Soul And Sound
Umbra Mai Fu, From Xerxes: Largo For Lovers
Air, Pathetique, Solveig's Song: Solveig's Air
Sonatas In C Major, A Major (Rondo Alla Turca): Amadeus Up To Date
Nocturne In E Flat Major, Prelude In A Major, Mazurka In A Flat Major Op. 9,2 - 28,7 - 24,3: Blue Hour With Frederic
Poem, Ave Maria: Mary's Poem
Etude In A Major Op. 10,3 - Moonlight Sonata Op. 27,2: Moonlight Fantasy
Trumpet Voluntary, Trumpet Tune In B Flat Major: Old Trumpet Sound
Ave Verum KV 618: Mozart's Prayer
Porgy And Bess: Summertime
West Side Story: America

Tracks:

Swan Lake, Capriccio Italien, Romeo & Juliet (Overture), Pathetique, Nutcracker Suite (Trepak, The Sugar Plum Fairy, The Reed Flutes), Romeo & Juliet (Finale): Russian Sounds
Preludes In C Major And Minor, Italian Concerto BWV 846, 847, 971: The Well - Tempered Bach
Emperor Waltz, Hunters Polka, Perpetuum Mobile, Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Pizzicato Polka, Thunder & Lightining Op. 437, 373, 257, 214, 324: Vienna In Rhythm
In C Major, A Minor, B Flat Major BWV 772, 784, 785: John Sebastian's Inventions
Inpromptu In A Flat Major Op. 142,2: Always All Ready
Aida (Temple Scene & Romance) Rigoletto (Violetta): Aida In The Background
Aria In F Minor, March From 'Sciplo', Allegro In F Minor: Festive Baroque
Song Of India
Can't Buy Me Love
It Ain't Necessarily So
Nabucco Slave's Chorus, Gefangenchor - Tannhauser
For Elise, Symphony No. 9, Ode To Joy

Tracks:

A Fifth Of Beethoven
Reverie (Traumerei)
Serenade KV 330, Serenade From Sonata KV 284, Turkish March KV 331
Largo From Symphony No. 9: New World
Symphony No. 40 In C Minor
Can Can, Thunder & Lightning (Polka), Hungarian Dance, Galop, Medley, Staccato, Orpheus In The Underworld
Moonlight Sonata: Blue Moon
A Little Night Music
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Waltz In A Minor Op.39
From Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarole
Toccata Spectrum
Melody In F
Fantasy
Serenade

Customer Reviews:

You call this electronic? BULL!.......2003-01-26

I think I know what electronic classical music is, considering I made an album called Kulture. This does not sound electronic, if it does, it uses drums = not good. It sounds way too classical.

Wagner - Scenes and Duets from Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Die Walküre / Varady, Seiffert; Fischer-Dieskau

Average customer rating:

Flowing lyricism, warm intimacy, radiant beauty ...
Lightweight Wagner, musical but not much oomph
The Wonder Varady

Wagner - Scenes and Duets from Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Die Walküre / Varady, Seiffert; Fischer-Dieskau
Richard Wagner , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Julia Varady , Peter Seiffert , and Bayerisches Staatsorchester
Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
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
ASIN: B000002RWG
Release Date: 1996-09-10

Tracks:

Tannhauser Act II.: Prld: - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Michael Glasser
Tannhauser Act II.: Scene I: Dich, Teure Halle, Gruss' Ich Wieder - Julia Varady
Tannhauser Act II.: Scene II: Dort Ist Sie: Nahe Dich Ihr Ungestort - Julie Varady/Peter Seiffert/Dietrich Ficher-Dieskau
Tannhauser Act II.: Scene II: Den Gott Der Liebe Sollst Du Preisen - Julie Varady/Peter Seiffert/Dietrich Ficher-Dieskau
Lohengrin Act III: Prld - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Michael Glasser
Lohengrin Act III: Scene I: Treulich Gefurht Ziehet Dahin - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Michael Glasser
Lohengrin Act III: Scene II: Das Susse Lied Verhallt - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Michael Glasser
Lohengrin Act III: Scene II: Wie Hehr Erkenn' Ich Unsrer Liebe Wesen - Julia Varady/Peter Seiffert
Lohengrin Act III: Scene II: Atmest Du Nicht mit Mir Die Sussen Dufte - Peter Seiffert
Lohengrin Act III: Scene II: Ach, Konnt' Ich Deiner Wert Erscheinen - Julia Varady/Peter Seiffert
Lohengrin Act III: Scene II: Hochtes Vertrau'n Hast Du Mir Schon Zu Danken - Peter Seiffert
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: Ein Schwert Verhiess Mir Der Vater - Peter Seiffert
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: Schlafst Du, Gast - Peter Seiffert
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond - Peter Seiffert
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: Du Bist Der Lenz - Peter Seiffert
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: O Susseste Wonne! Seligstes Weib! - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Michael Glasser
Die Walkure Act I: Scene III: Siegmund Heiss Ich Und Siegmund Bin Ich! - Peter Seiffert

Customer Reviews:

Flowing lyricism, warm intimacy, radiant beauty ..........2006-02-01

From what I gather, this album is a wonderfully refreshing look on Wagner's music. The overall approach is rather lyrical, maybe even Italianate in style, in its flowing lyricism, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, on the contrary! It was Wagner himself who said that his music should be played and (especially) sung with Italian sense of flowing lines. So in that sense, this album is a complete success, and very especially when the singers are such wonderful artists as Julia Varady and Peter Seiffert. They both convey all the emotions with intelligence and with complete sincerity and conviction, and their fresh, clear and ringing voices blend wonderfully with the lyrically flowing conducting of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: true musicianship of the highest order everywhere. I believe that there has never been such an astutely sensible and intelligent Siegmund as that one here by Peter Seiffert (but all of the same goes for Julia Varady's Sieglinde!); his projection of text and musical lines must be one of the most astute and intelligent one ever heard. Together with his beautiful timbre, this makes it a winning combination. Again I must say that there have IMHO been few characterizations of Sieglinde which are as wonderful as that of Julia Varady here.
All in all, this recording - to this particular listener at least - works as balm to the ears. This album is for those people who like their Wagner most of all to sound, well, beautiful.

Lightweight Wagner, musical but not much oomph.......2005-10-18

As the previous reviewer notes, Julia Varady's voice is fresh and appealing here despite her age, and Seiffert is a musical Wagnerian tenor, though by no means gifted with even half the vocal heft needed for Siegfried or Tristan. As recorded, he sounds even a bit light for Lohengrin and Tannhauser, but his tone is very appealing and blends lyrically with Varady--no artificial beefing up a la Windgassen.

Fischer-Dieskau seems to view Wagner as a lightweight composer, also, and he takes pains to avoid any heaviness or pomposity--as a result, everything moves along very pleasantly, if not exactly with any suggestion of heroism. On another day I oculd easily rate this CD three stars.

The Wonder Varady.......2003-12-09

Julia Varady has been called the "Wonder Varady" by music critics. Listening to this, it is easy to tell why. She made this recording when she was around 55 years old. It is an age when you normally would make allowances for the soprano. Not so. Varady doesn't need you to make any allowances for her. She's 55 but she really sounds like a young girl, like age 25. Elisabeth is a young heroine - young and pure, and that's how Varady sounds like. Elsa is also a youthful role and so can Sieglinde be youthful. Listening to Varady, you really wonder how she managed to keep her voice is such wonderful condition considering the fact that she started singing in the early 1960s!!! What's the reason for her vocal longevity? Well, to my mind, there's at least one reason - that is, she sang mostly Mozart and Verdi almost all her life. And Mozart and Verdi are the best medicine for the voice. Birgit Nilsson attributed her own vocal longevity to Mozart and Verdi despite singing heavy roles like Elektra, Brunnhilde and Isolde which normally ruins a sopranos voice in a short time. Karita Mattila, who is now only beginning to transform herself into a full-fledged dramatic soprano (she sang a stunning Salome in Paris this year in which she has been compared to Ljuba Welitsch's status as Salome!!), wants to keep on singing Mozart to keep her voice pure and in good shape. Carlo Bengonzi sang until he was 70 over years old - he was a Verdi singer all his life.

Tracks:

Einleitung
Treulich Gefuhrt Ziehet Dahin
Das Susse Lied Verhallt
Wie Hehr Erkenn' Ich Unsrer Liebe Wessen!
Atmest Du Nicht Mit Mir Die Sussen Dufte?
Ach! Konny Ich Deiner Wert Erscheinen
Hochstes Vertraun
Hilf Gott, Was Muss Ich Horen!
Weh, Nun Ist All Unser Gluck Dahin!
Verfluchtes Licht!
Heraus! Was Ist's Mit Dem Furchten?
Sonderlich Seltsam Muss Das Sein!
Dann Schnell! Schaffe Das Schwert!
Nothung! Nothung! Neidilches Schwert!
Er Schmiedet Das Schwert, und Fafner Fallt Er
Was Schafft Der Topel Dort Mit Dem Topf?
Hoho! Hoho! Hohei!
Den Der Bruder Schuf, Den Schimmernden Reif

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully excellent.......2004-04-26

I have to admit, I came to this album completely without any knowledge whatever of those singing, or even of the conductor. What a wonderful surpised awaited me. I have loved Wagner's music since my youth, especially Lohengrin and the Ring cycle. I have many well-known recordings of these works, so listening to this one (I borrowed it first from our public library) was done simply out of curiosity. I was quite prepared to be completely unimpressed.

I must say, I was pleasantly suprised, and quite greatful I decided to listen beyond my usual level of desire. The music is well played and highly romantic under the baton of John McGlinn. I have never listened to anything he ever conducted, and he has never conducted where I live. What a treat! I have to say, he understands this music well. Of course, all the volume and excitement normally found in Wagner's opera recordings are there, and the added bonus of it all sounding incredibly unified and lyrical. Lohengrin is one of Wagner's most lyrical scores, and of course, that helps, but Siegfried is not noted for its lyrical moments, yet, even the forging song and all the forging of the sword have great lyric quality when conducted by this conductor. The flow of the music is wonderful constantly looking forward to what is to come. The orchestra is well balanced and even the loud passages never overpower the singers, who by the way, are not recorded too far forward. McGlinn completely understands Wagner may have been a revolutionary, but he still had his roots in good old fashioned lyricism.

Now to the singers. I have to say to those who are familiar with these singers, forgive my ignorance regarding them. I had heard of neither of them, or actually, none of them (there are three singers on this disk: two tenors and a soprano). Adam Klein's MIME I found quite interesting, very sinister where needed, and not the usual nasal bleating one often hears in this role. The man may be an evil dwarf, but he is not robbed of vocal quality. He portrays his character quite well.

The obvious "lead" in this recording is John Horton Murray. Now, I find his tenor voice simply delightful. It has the lightness and lyrical quality we often associate with voice of the Bel Canto repertoire, and one we NEVER hear in Wagner. His voice is delightful and youthful in sound. It is not a heroic voice like we are familiar with in other well-known Wagnerian tenors, and there is no "dark baritone" in it like is often found. However, even