Things in Life

Amazon.com
As a teenager in West Virginia in 1945, Stover heard Earl Scruggs on the radio and immediately began to decipher Scruggs's revolutionary three-finger banjo style. However, Stover never abandoned the traditional clawhammer (strummed) style he learned from his mother, and eventually he became one of the few bluegrass musicians to truly master both concepts. After 20 years with the Lilly Brothers, Stover recorded this 1972 album, his first as a solo artist, with a young David Grisman on mandolin. Things in Life offers classic Stover originals, such as the poignant title track and the instrumental "Rockwood Deer Chase," along with fiddle tunes reworked for banjo and a series of charming old-time numbers Stover learned from his parents. Charlie Monroe's "Valley of Peace" features strong vocal harmonies from Stover and Dave Dillon, although Stover's versatile and innovative banjo techniques always get top billing. --Marc Greilsamer

Things in Life,Don Stover,Rounder Select,Bluegrass,Country,Pop,Traditional Bluegrass

Average customer rating: They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!! One of the best cds I ever bought. Never Sounded Better Somewhere Over The Rainbow "Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us"

Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals Various Artists Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ultimate Broadway Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need The Best Of Broadway (Cast Recording Anthology) Greatest Hits: Broadway That's Entertainment!: The Best Of The M-G-M Musicals - Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology ASIN: B000066RO5 Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

1. Singin In The Rain - Gene Kelly
2. Theres No Business Like Show Business - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern
3. 'S Wonderful - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary
4. Thats Entertainment! - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant
5. Stranger In Paradise - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone
6. Easter Parade - Judy Garland & Fred Astaire
7. Lullaby Of Broadway - Winifred Shaw, Dick Powell & Chorus
8. Get Happy - Judy Garland
9. Night And Day - Fred Astaire
10. True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
11. Honeysuckle Rose - Lena Horne w/ Benny Carter & His Orchestra
12. They Cant Take That Away From Me - Fred Astaire
13. Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet - Nancy Walker & The M-G-M Studio Chorus w/ Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
14. Baby, Its Cold Outside - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban
15. For Me And My Gal - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
16. Puttin On The Ritz - Clark Gable & Co.
17. Hallelujah! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs & Co.
18. Bless Yore Beautiful Hide - Howard Keel
19. Taking A Chance On Love - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
20. As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson w/ Elliot Carpenter (Bonus Track)
21. Laras Theme (Main Title) - The M-G-M Studio Orchestra (Bonus Track)

Tracks:

1. Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland
2. Its A Most Unusual Day - Jane Powell
3. Wunderbar - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel
4. Cant Help Lovin Dat Man - Ava Gardner
5. Going Hollywood - Bing Crosby
6. The Trolley Song - Judy Garland, The M-G-M Studio Chorus
7. Gigi - Louis Jourdan
8. I Got Rhythm - Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney & Co.
9. Aba Daba Honeymoon - Debbie Reynolds, Carleton Carpenter & M-G-M Studio Chorus
10. The Lady Is A Tramp - Lena Horne
11. The Best Things In Life Are Free - June Allyson & Peter Lawford
12. Cheek To Cheek - Fred Astaire
13. A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Louis Armstrong
14. Put 'Em In A Box - Doris Day & The Page Cavanaugh Trio
15. If Swing Goes, I Go Too - Fred Astaire
16. Almost Like Being In Love - Gene Kelly
17. Lets Face The Music And Dance - Fred Astaire
18. Be A Clown - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
19. Embraceable You - Connie Francis
20. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe - Judy Garland & Co.
21. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - Fred Astaire

Amazon.com

The "Golden Age" referred to here spans The Jazz Singer and the advent of the talkies to the death throes of the old studio system in the 1960s. So vast was the era's musical landscape that even this 42-track, double-disc anthology can't encompass all its peaks. Not surprisingly, the bulk of this collection originated with the Tiffany's of the screen musical, M-G-M, a body of work whose riches here encompass both pop-cultural bedrock ("Over the Rainbow," "Singin' in the Rain," "There's No Business Like Show Business," etc.) and some less familiar, if equally delightful star turns: Clark Gable gamely "Puttin' On the Ritz"; the sassy, 1948 original of "The Lady Is a Tramp" by Lena Horne; and a loopy duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. Fred Astaire's elegant, epochal reign at RKO and M-G-M is represented by "Night and Day," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and three others, while Metro mainstays Gene Kelly and Judy Garland share equal time and billing. It's not perfect--Cagney's "Yankee Doodle Boy" and/or some Sinatra seem more logical choices than the odd "bonus" duet of Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" and "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago that close out disc one--but it's a stunning, surprisingly comprehensive primer on the Hollywood film musical nonetheless. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!!.......2006-11-18

Everything that happens in life
Can happen in a show
You can make 'em laugh
You can make 'em cry
Anything
Anything can go....

The clown with his pants falling down
Or the dance that's a dream of romance
Or the scene where the villain is mean
That's entertainment!

The lights on the lady in tights
Or the bride with the guy on the side
Or the ball where she gives him her all
That's entertainment!

The plot and the hot simply teeming with $ex
A gay divorcee who is after her ex
It could be Oedipus Rex
Where a chap kills his father
And causes a lot of bother

The clerk who is thrown out of work
By the boss who is thrown for a loss
By the skirt who is doing him dirt

The world is a stage,
The stage is a world of entertainment!

This two CD set amply proves that the musical melodies and lyrics from the golden age of the Hollywood musical remain unsurpassed to this day. This generous two CD set offers 42 incredible songs from Hollywood classic musicals. Most of these fine numbers are indeed from MGM, as Amazon correctly notes; but there are some RKO numbers and even a little from Warner Brothers. Thank goodness, though, that most of these songs came from MGM movies; MGM was the only studio that could boast that it truly had "more stars than there are in the heavens."

I love so many songs on these two CDs. Of course, there's the unforgettable classic "Over The Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland; she also performs "Easter Parade" and "Get Happy" on this two CD set and she carries most of the tune for "I Got Rhythm" even though Mickey Rooney helps her a little. I love "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for its' romantic overtones; and Lena Horne's "The Lady Is A Tramp" is flawless! We also get a rare chance to hear Clark Gable sing in "Puttin' On The Ritz;" and Bing Crosby's "Going Hollywood" may be brief but it's a fun song anyway.

There are two "bonus" tracks on the first CD: "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca and "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago. "As Time Goes By" is a good choice; it is another unsurpassed classic song that brings back memories and touches even the hardest of hearts. "Lara's Theme," however, is from the mid 1960s and I don't consider this period to be part of the "golden age" of Hollywood musicals.

The liner notes are excellent and they offer wonderful photos of the stars as well. The cover art is well done and the reverse cover art tells which movie each song is from and who is performing each song. Moreover, the quality of the sound is excellent especially when you consider that these numbers were recorded quite a few decades ago.

In short, this superlative two CD highlights the glory of the Hollywood musical when a certain type of sophistication dominated professional movie production. I highly recommend this CD for fans of Hollywood musicals, classic pop vocals and fans of the artists and actors who perform on this two CD set.

One of the best cds I ever bought. .......2006-06-07

What an amazon collection of songs! This is bar none my favorite cd just because of the variety and the quality of songs on it. I love music from this era, and this cd is the perfect companion to my life. Love it! Buy it, you won't regret it for a moment!

Never Sounded Better.......2006-03-16

Apart from the great selection of soundtracks, what really makes this compilation top value is the quality of the sound processing. Executed with finesse, these tracks sound better than when first issued and many are unedited, fuller versions: like "Singing In The Rain", for example. Throw in the great price, and this double disc set is a "must have" for all lovers of classic movie music.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow.......2006-02-24

A Sensational CD with Lots of Showtunes that Keep You Happy and makes You Want To Sing Along With!!!

"Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us".......2005-07-13

Rhino Records and Turner Classic Movies Music present - "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS", some of the long ago musicals and stars that will never be forgotten...a 2-CD-Set covering several decades from 1935-1965 with many of the show stoppers of that time...some rare moments from entertainers that you haven't heard or thought of in sometime.

The lineup is fantastic and gives the listener a variety of what musicals were all about in the "Golden Age of the Hollywood Musicals"
June Allyson, Kay Armen, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Ann Blyth, Jack Buchanan, Louis Calhern, Bing Crosby, Vic Damone, Doris Day, Nanette Fabray, Connie Francis, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Kathyrn Grayson, Georges Guetary, Lena Horne, Betty Hutton, Louis Jourdan, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Peter Lawford, Oscar Levant, Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, Page Cavanaugh Trio, Debbie Reynolds, Winifred Shaw, Nancy Walker, Ethel Waters, Esther Williams, Dooley Williams and Keenan Wynn.

On Disc One 21 Classic Songs from great musicals with songs in alphabetical order:
AS TIME GOES BY - Dooley Wilson with Elliot Carpenter, pianist (1942)
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban (1949)
BLESS, YORE BEAUTIFUL HIDE - Howard Keel (1954)
EASTER PARADE - Fred Astaire & Judy Garland (1948)
FOR ME AND MY GAL - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland (1942)
GET HAPPY - Judy Garland (1950)
HALLELUJAH! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs (for Russ Tamblyn) (1955)
HONEYSUCKLE ROSE - Lena Horne with Benny Carter & His Orchestra (1943)
LARA'S THEME (MAIN TITLE) - M-G-M Studio Orchestra (1965)
LULLABY OF BROADWAY - Winifred Shaw & Dick Powell (1935)
MILKMAN, KEEP THOSE BOTTLES QUIET - Nancy Walker with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (1944)
NIGHT AND DAY - Fred Astaire (1934)
PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - Clark Gable & Company (1939)
'S WONDERFUL - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary (1951)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - Gene Kelly (1951)
STRANGER IN PARADISE - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone (1955)
TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (1943)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant (1953)
THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern (1950)
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME - Fred Astaire (1949)
TRUE LOVE - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly (1956)

On Disc Two more memorable performances from the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals:
A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON - Louis Armstrong (1951)
ABA DABA HONEYMOON - Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter (1950)
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE - Gene Kelly (1954)
BE A CLOWN - Judy Garland & Gene Kelly (1948)
BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - June Allyson & Peter Lawford (1947)
CAN'T HELP LOVIN' DAT MAN - Ava Gardner (beautiful woman, who my youngest grandaughter is named after...Avalon) (1951)
CHEEK TO CHEEK - Fred Astaire (1935)
EMBRACEABLE YOU - Connie Francis (1965)
GIGI - Louis Jourdan (1958)
GOING HOLLYWOOD - Bing Crosby (1933)
I GOT RHYTHM - Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney (1943)
IF SWING GOES, I GO TOO - Fred Astaire (1946)
IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY - Jane Powell (1948)
LADY IS A TRAMP - Lena Horne (1948)
LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE - Fred Astaire (1936)
ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE - Judy Garland & Company (1946)
ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD) - Fred Astaire (1943)
OVER THE RAINBOW - Judy Garland (became her theme song for the rest of her life) (1939)
PUT 'EM IN A BOX - Doris Day & the Page Cavanaugh Trio (1948)
THE TROLLEY SONG - Judy Garland & MGM Studio Chorus (1944)
WUNDERBAR - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel (two of MGM's favorite singing duos) (1953)

It was once said by the songwriters of that era - "There are two artists you want perform your songs on the big screen, they are Fred Astaire and Judy Garland they sing it just the way we wrote it, for which you will have a guaranteed hit on your hands"...well, this collections certainly has some merit to that statement...because with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire performing seven songs each, there must be something to it.

This collection of musicals still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years...but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten...hats off to Rhino Records, George Feltenstein (producer) and Doug Schwartz (engineer) and Turner Classic Movies for sharing those 42 selections from 42 films...celebrating decades of the tunes and artists that gave it their all...from what it commonly called "The Hollywood Dream Factory"...The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals is still among us...gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-CD-Set ~ Rhino Records 78323 ~ (6/02/2002)

Average customer rating: Three Cheers for the Irish!!! Ellis Island song brings tears to my eyes How Are Things In Glocca Morra? How Are Things In Glocca Morra? The Best Historical CD Ever!

Ellis Island The Irish Tenors , Brendan Graham , Chauncey Olcott , Irish Traditional , Johnny Cash , John Francis Patterson , Dermot MacMurrough , C. Kirkham , Eric Bogle , Burton Lane , Thomas Osbourne Davis , Irving Berlin , and Frank McNamara Manufacturer: Music Matters ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Irish Tenors | ( I ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music Ireland | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Tenors | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Celtic | Europe | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of The Irish Tenors The Irish Tenors / McNamara, McDermott, Kearns, Tynan Live in Belfast Home for Christmas Heritage ASIN: B000059TBG Release Date: 2001-03-06

Tracks:

1. Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
2. My Wild Irish Rose
3. Love Thee Dearest
4. Forty Shades of Green
5. Courtin' in the Kitchen
6. The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door
7. I'll Tell My Ma
8. Macushla
9. Slievenamon
10. The Green Fields of France
11. Trasna Na Dtonnta (Over The Waves)
12. Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile (Long Life to You on Your Homecoming)
13. An Poc Ar Buile (The Mad Goat)
14. The Rose of Tralee
15. The Old Bog Road
16. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
17. The Croppy Boy
18. A Nation Once Again
19. Let There Be Peace
20. Danny Boy
21. God Bless America

Product Description

1. Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears
2. My Wild Irish Rose
3. Love Thee Dearest
4. Forty Shades Of Green
5. The Courtin Medley
A. Courtin, In The Kitchen
B. The Stone Outside Dan Murphy s Door
C. I ll Tell My Ma
6. Macushla
7. Slievenamon
8. The Green Fields Of France
9. The Irish Medley
A. Transna Na Dtonnta (Over The Waves)
B. Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile (Long Life To You On Your Homecoming)
C. An Poc Ar Buile (The Mad Goat)
10. The Rose Of Tralee
11. The Old Bog Road
12. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
13. The Croppy Boy
14. A Nation Once Again
15. Let There Be Peace
16. Danny Boy
17. God Bless America

Format: CD

Amazon.com

The Irish Tenors' fourth album sees the trio of Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan, and Finbar Wright paying a sentimental musical tribute to Ellis Island, the hallowed landmark that met the majority of immigrants entering the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Needless to say, the Tenors' repertoire this time around is full of reflective ballads of love, loss, and homesickness, including the original "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears" that opens this disc. Throughout this studio recording, the Irish Tenors are in fine form and backed by a soft-hued orchestra that never interferes with their soaring vocals. Traditional tunes include "My Wild Irish Rose," "How Are Things in Glocca Mora," and, of course, "Danny Boy" (the last sung by all three tenors, with refreshingly simple solo piano accompaniment). Thankfully, the threesome didn't forget that the immigrants had fun, too, as evidenced by some lighthearted fare; "The Courtin' Medley" features the Tenors at their most upbeat and comical. Ellis Island is a moving aural portrait of the struggles and triumphs of the Irish émigrés and a must-have for fans of the threesome. Newcomers may enjoy the Tenors' debut disc even more, as the earlier live album is a slightly more upbeat and spirited affair. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Three Cheers for the Irish!!!.......2007-05-30

A glorious concert in a historic setting, with all involved in top notch form. Finbar finds a great old Johnny Cash number, Ronan sings a Glocka
Mora to end all, and Anthony Kearns sings murderously difficult versions
of Macushla and The Croppy Boy like an angel. And their Courtin' and Irish
Medleys, and their "Nation Once Again" trios are simply glorious glees.

With the benefit of a grand theme, this is perhaps the best, and best balanced, of all their programs.

Ellis Island song brings tears to my eyes.......2006-03-17

This magical album crosses oceans and centuries and puts me in touch with my Irish ancestry. The title song tells a story similar to my greatgrandmother's and even though I've heard it many times now, I still weep for her.

How Are Things In Glocca Morra?.......2004-04-16

Long a fan of Irish music, I have turned to a series of artists to satiate my appetite. Bing Crosby and John McCormick have been succeeded by the Irish Tenors.

This CD has a bit more of an Irish American theme as "Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears" and "God Bless America" illustrate. Interspersed among these tunes are traditional Irish tunes such as "Macushla" and "Croppy Boy", along with newer songs, such as "The Green Fields Of France" and "How are Things In Glocca Morra?"

The singing is excellent, the words understandable. I appreciate the inclusion the lyrics of the songs contained on the insert of the cover. These are songs you will want to learn, whose stories you will want to research. I have. Listen again and again!

How Are Things In Glocca Morra?.......2004-04-16

Long a fan of Irish music, I have turned to a series of artists to satiate my appetite. Bing Crosby and John McCormick have been succeeded by the Irish Tenors.

This CD has a bit more of an Irish American theme as "Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears" and "God Bless America" illustrate. Interspersed among these tunes are traditional Irish tunes such as "Macushla" and "Croppy Boy", along with newer songs, such as "The Green Fields Of France" and "How are Things In Glocca Morra?"

The singing is excellent, the words understandable. I appreciate the inclusion the lyrics of the songs contained on the insert of the cover. These are songs you will want to learn, whose stories you will want to research. I have. Listen again and again!

The Best Historical CD Ever!.......2003-11-21

I think this is best CD since Live in Belfast! it also has 2 songs not included on the video! it's a unique album of how the immigration to Ellis Island and New York turned out. It also has songs of the war such as The Green Fields Of France (The Best One) or, the croppy boy. I would recommend this to anyone!

Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 What to Listen for in Music Study of Orchestration, Third Edition The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. 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.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. 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...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. 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
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. 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.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. 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.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. 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.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. 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)
42. 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....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. 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...
32. 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)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. 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).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. 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
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. 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.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. 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.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. 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...
15. 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)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. 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.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. 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.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. 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
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. 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.

Average customer rating: The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan Pure delight Delicious G&S samplings abound here. Fine Intro to G&S

Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury Nicholas Folwell , Arthur Sullivan , Marie McLaughlin , Rebecca Evans , Anthony Rolfe Johnson , John Mark Ainsley , Alwyn Mellor , Anne Howells , Barry Banks , Eric Garrett , Felicity Palmer , Gareth Rhys Davies , Janice Watson , Julie Gossage , Neill Archer , Pamela Helen Stephen , Peter Savidge , Richard Stuart , Richard Suart , Richard Van Allan , Sir Thomas Allen [baritone] , Sir Charles Mackerras , and Welsh National Opera Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Allen, Thomas | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures ASIN: B000003D1Y Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

1. A Wandering Minstrel I
2. Behold The Lord High Executioner!
3. Three Little Maids From School Are We
4. Braid The Raven Hair
5. The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring
6. On A Tree By A River, A Little Tom-tit Sang, 'Willow, Tit-willow'
7. For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
8. We Sail The Ocean Blue
9. I'm Called Little Buttercup
10. My Gallant Crew
11. When I Was A Lad
12. Things Are Seldom What They Seem
13. Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
14. Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
15. Poor Wand'ring One
16. How Beautifully Blue The Sky
17. I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
18. When The Foeman Bares His Steel
19. Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
20. With Cat-Like Tread
21. Is Life A Boon?
22. I Have A Song To Sing, O!
23. Were I Thy Bride
24. Oh, A Private Buffoon Is A Light-Hearted Loon
25. When A Wooer Goes A-Wooing
26. When I, Good Friends, Was Called To The Bar
27. A Nice Dilemma We Have Here
28. Oh, Joy Unbounded

Customer Reviews:

The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan.......2004-03-15

At the end of the 19th century (1870's, 80's and 90's) the compatible duo of librettist and composer Gilbert and Sullivan popularized the pre-Broadway entertainment of Savoy opera. These were light operas or operettas whose content was satire and comedy, full of bouncy melodies and beautiful singing, highly entertaining theatrical works staged at London's Savoy theatre. Gilbert and Sullivan did not always get along and in fact there was a time when they ended their professional relationship because personal conflicts surfaced. But they managed to create the world's most beloved light operas, over 40 of them. Their most famous are what I call the Big Three- The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance and The Mikado. Other works include their first hit Trial By Jury, The Yeomen Of The Guard, Princess Ida, The Gondoliers, Patience and several others. A standard signature of Gilbert and Sullivan was in the colorful cast- a comic actor with a special kind of baritone voice, a canary-like and sweet-voiced coloratura or lyric diva, a mezzo soprano with strong chest register and a lyric tenor as the romantic hero. On this album, English conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, a popular figure in the classical music scene and opera, guides the Chorus and Orchestra Of the Welsh National Opera in generally well-delivered performances of excerpts from the operas The Mikado, The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance, Yeomen Of The Guard and Trial By Jury. Although I feel that the recordings made by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with Isodore Godfrey conducting and starring the best cast of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire- the singers of the 60's and 70's- tenor Phillip Potter, soprano Valerie Masterson, baritone John Reed, Donald Adams and mezzo soprano Christine Palmer. Their version of the Pirates Of Penzance and the Mikado far outshine the Welsh National Opera in technical mastery and vibrant tone color.

But these are fine excerpts. Especially appealing is the famous and cheerful "Three Little Maids From School Are We", a trio that imitates Japanese style melody. Most of the Mikado does this, for it was inspired by Japanisme or the new fashion in Victorian England- everything Japanese, from prints to paintings to poetry. Gilbert and Sullivan simply "Japanized" their English operettas. The Finale "For He's Gone To Marry Yum Yum" is an ebullient and pleasant finale. Not featured here is the domineering and powerful Katisha, a figure who stands out in the Mikado.

The H.M.S. Pinafore is Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular work. The sea chanty "We Sail The Ocean Blue" opens the opera with appropriate atmosphere and it seems to fit perfectly with the other scene in which the Captain greets his crew and they sing his praises "My Gallant Crew..I am the Captain Of The Pinafore". A beautiful melody that seems to come out of a romantic Offenbach tune is "I"m Called Little Buttercup". The finale, not featured here, is also very engaging "For He Is An Englishman" which can almost resemble a British national anthem. The Yeomen Of The Guard was Gilbert and Sullivan's "serious opera" eventhough it remains very Savoyard. The plot deals with Tudor England and takes place at the London Tower. "I have a song to sing" makes use of what can be taken for an English ballad of the Renaissance. Trial By Jury, about the eccentric and hilarious activity of a court trial, has a sextet that although different in composition, has the sextet "Che Mi Frena" from Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor in mind. All in all, an excellent recording sure to delight young and old.

Pure delight.......2003-08-02

--Gilbert & Sullivan--
William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were a match made in heaven, yet on earth their pairing seems even with hindsight a most unlikely coupling. Both were destined for other things, Gilbert in fact for decidedly non-musical careers. Introduced by a mutual friend, Fred Clay, the fledgling lyricist Gilbert met the military-band-leader's son Sullivan and together continued to conspire to inspire the delights of audiences from high Victorian times down to the present, as their work in musical theatre comedy continues to provide merriment throughout the English-speaking world and beyond.

--The Music--
This collection includes highlights from five of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operettas: The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Yeoman of the Guard, and Trial by Jury. The arrangements and orchestrations are delightfully energetic and clear; the characterisation and vocal qualities of the leads are perfect for their roles. The haughty if misplaced Lord of the Admiralty has the perfect combination of insecurity and pompous officiousness. The Plaintiff and the Defendant in the Trial are perfectly cast. This is a collection of highlights - at least three but no more than seven songs each, but this gives a good flavour of the music. The recordings on this collection come from complete performances by Mackerras and the WNO.

--Sir Charles Mackerras--
Mackerras is one of the geniuses of the twentieth century musical scene. Having a conducting career that includes the Hamburg Opera, the English National Opera (formerly Sadlers Wells Opera), and the Welsh National Opera (the performers for this piece), he has also conducted major orchestras on the continent of Europe and in the United States. The holder of many major awards and honourary doctorates, he has devoted much time and energy to the preservation and performance of eighteenth and nineteenth century music, as well the restoration of historical musical venues, such as the Estates Theatre in Prague, scene of the original production of Don Giovanni (Mackerras conducted the opera there to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Mozart).

--Welsh National Opera Orchestra and Chorus--
The seeds of the WNO were planted in Cardiff during World War II by music lovers; the first performances occurred a year after the war's end, with Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci on the bill, with Faust the next night. Popular appeal was so great that the WNO was established, later adding choruses in both Cardiff and Swansea. The professional chorus was established in 1973, with a strength that matches the orchestra. They continue an ambitious performance schedule for recording and live events; Mackerras remains the Conductor Emeritus, as the WNO continues under the direction of Carlo Rizzi. The list of awards the WNO has won over the years is staggering - they are a world class institution by any measure.

--Other performers--
Notable singers such as Richard Stuart, Rebecca Evans, Felicity Palmer, John Mark Ainsley and Anne Howells lead the chorus with stunning vocals and clever characterisations of the parts they play. Many (such as Stuart and Evans) play the leading roles across several of the pieces of the disc.

--Liner Notes--
The liner notes give a good introduction and biographical information about Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as synopses of the five pieces presented here. It does not, unfortunately, include any information about Mackerras, the WNO Orchestra and Chorus, or the other special performers. It also does not include the lyrics to the songs. Were the quality of the CD not so great, this might cost it a star in rating.

--Overall Impressions--
I play this CD in my car, in my home and in my office frequently. It is a great sing-along work and a great comedic relief from the stresses of the day. The music is bubbly and clear; the recording quality is excellent and crisp. I recommend this to any Gilbert & Sullivan lover, any fan of musical comedy, opera and operettas, and anyone who delights in good music.

Delicious G&S samplings abound here........2003-05-06

The first thing I should be saying is "What an infectuous G&S CD." Indeed this is, with this fine sampling of the peppy and bright Mackerras series. I know I have praised its "Mercedes-Benz quality" elsewhere on these pages, but that doesn't stop me from saying that everyone is in fine voice. This generously filled CD may only focus on five operas, but at least you can savour a reasonable choice sampling of delights from each one. Of particular interest is Richard Suart's patter-baritone parts and the soaring lyric soprano of Rebecca Evans. The selection on this disc is filled with a mixture of familiar favourites and lesser-known gems such as the female choruses in Mikado and Pirates. Mackerras is a true G&S conductor, but one who always springs rhythms crisply, and adopts peppy tempo for the fast bits. The one drawback is that this selection is far too infectuous that you'll want to shell out money to buy the full 5-CD Mackerras cycle - an incredible bargain with most of the operas fitted onto one disc each. But still, this is at least a decent G&S sampling for beginners, capped with Steven Ledbetter's copious liner notes. It will leave you wanting to say "dammit I'm going to play it again."

Fine Intro to G&S.......2000-12-30

This is the perfect CD for those who may not be familiar with G&S, or for the initiated who want a smattering but don't have the mother of all CD changers. The difficulty with any G&S Greatest Hits CD is determining which pieces to leave off; while one could easily point to any number equally good bits, it would be difficult to argue about the quality of the choices included. The only problem, such as it is, is that after listening to it I am usually induced to go back and listen to the whole opera anyway. The Mackerras recordings are uniformly excellent. I have read elsewhere the criticism that they are too 'operatic' for light opera. If by this it is meant that the singers are too good, then I leave it to the discretion of the listener when the singing becomes too good to be enjoyable.

Average customer rating: Only half the songs of the original set!! Its all Christmas A Good Basic Collection cd reviews Poor Quality

The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas Manufacturer: Time Life Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Holiday Music | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Pop Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Classic | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Pop Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: Time-Life Music: Treasury of Christmas - Holiday Memories Ultimate Christmas A Christmas Festival Now That's What I Call Christmas! Now That's What I Call Christmas! The Signature Collection ASIN: B00005NOZH Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

1. Home For The Holidays - Perry Como
2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3. Jingle Bells - Ella Fitzgerald
4. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Andy Williams
5. Carol Of The Bells/Deck The Halls - The Robert Shaw Chorale
6. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Harry Belafonte
7. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
8. My Favorite Things - Eddie Fisher
9. Joy To The World - Julie Andrews
10. Here We Come A-Caroling - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
11. March Of The Toys - The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
12. O Holy Night - Luciano Pavarotti

Tracks:

1. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
2. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams
3. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Roger Whittaker
4. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy - The Boston Pops Orchestra
5. Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Elvis Presley
7. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
8. Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis
9. Tennessee Christmas - Alabama
10. Baby's First Christmas - Connie Francis
11. The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
12. Auld Lang Syne - Guy Lombardo

Customer Reviews:

Only half the songs of the original set!!.......2007-01-17

Although I love the CDs, I was disappointed that there were only about half of the songs I thought there would be. I bought the original double cassette set back in the early 90's and when I found the CDs with the same name and cover, I thought I was getting the same thing only on CD. But the Cassettes had twice as many songs, including Let it Snow,Have Yourself a merry Little Christmas,The First Noel, Jingle Bells by Jim Reeves, The Christmas song by the Carpenters and so many others!!

Its all Christmas.......2007-01-09

It reminded me of Christmas as a child. I played this all throughout the holidays.

A Good Basic Collection.......2006-02-11

This is a good, basic collection of Christmas Music. As a general rule, Time-Life has selected what is probably the definative artist/arangement of each song.

My only complaints are that there are only 24 songs on two disks and one or two of them are not ones that I would have picked (not my style).

Overall, it's a good set that I would recommend to anyone who wants to start a collection.

cd reviews.......2006-01-15

this cd was very good, much recommended

Poor Quality.......2005-12-05

The only good thing about this collection is the inclusion of so many Christmas standards. I was very disappointed in the quality of the recordings, they obviously need digital inhancement.

Average customer rating: Really, really, REALLY BAD! Deceptive Title & Trade Dress This was a major disappointment Not worth your money LOTR meets New Age

Themes from Lord of the Rings: Trilogy Annie Lennox , and Fran Walsh Manufacturer: Music Club International ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Soundtracks | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Music from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy The Lord of the Rings 3 CD Set May It Be The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ASIN: B0001GDRH6 Release Date: 2004-03-29

Tracks:

1. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: The Prophecy
2. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Concerning Hobbits
3. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Theme for Aragorn and Arwen
4. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Lothln
5. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf's Lament
6. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Darture of Boromir
7. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: In Dreams
8. Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: May It Be
9. Suite from the Two Towers: Foundations of Stone
10. Suite from the Two Towers: Smol's Theme
11. Suite from the Two Towers: The King of the Golden Hall
12. Suite from the Two Towers: Evenstar
13. Suite from the Two Towers: Breath of Life
14. Suite from the Two Towers: Samwise the Brave
15. Suite from the Two Towers: Gollum's Song
16. Suite from the Return of the King: A Storm Is Coming
17. Suite from the Return of the King: The Steward of Gondor
18. Suite from the Return of the King: Twilight and Shadow
19. Suite from the Return of the King: The Black Gate Opens
20. Suite from the Return of the King: Use Well the Days
21. Suite from the Return of the King: The End of All Things
22. Suite from the Return of the King: The Return of the King ...
23. Suite from the Return of the King: The Grey Havens
24. Suite from the Return of the King: Into the West

Album Description

Full Title - Themes From The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. 2004 compilation featuring three separate suites of music from the movies, 'The Fellowship Of The Ring', 'The Two Towers', & 'Return Of The King'. Music Club.

Album Details

Features Three Separate Suits of Music from the Movies, "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King".

Customer Reviews:

Really, really, REALLY BAD!.......2006-11-22

Bought and returned it with the first few minutes after sliding it into the player. The cover art is nice. As for the, um, muzak, I expected something less...fuzzy. Even the player hated it, spitting it out within seconds after tasting the first track.
If any of the original movie scores rate 5 stars, this rates a solid 10 black holes, IMHO.

Deceptive Title & Trade Dress.......2006-07-27

The title line of this product says Enya (Composer), Roma Enya / Ryan (Composer), Annie / Walsh, Fran / Shore, Howard Lennox (Composer), Howard Shore (Composer), Fran Shore Howard / Walsh (Composer). Had I read the descriptions more closely, I would have seen that the composers were listed in a way that made no sense. Rather, the list merely is composed of the names of the writers, musicians, and composers of the music in Peter Jackson's trilogy, so that someone who is familiar with the music of the trilogy would be deceived into buying this subpar and inadequate product. The trade dress is deceptive enough that it might border on trademark/trade dress infringment of the real stuff.
If you are a fan of the LOTR soundtracks and/or Howard Shore, I would avoid this product and opt for: 1) the official soundtracks of the trilogy; and 2) The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring The Complete Recordings. Let's hope they follow up with the Two Towers and the Return of the King Complete Recordings.

This was a major disappointment.......2006-06-21

Too bad I can't give this one no stars. This disk is really bad. The performance is by a bland synthesizer "orchestra" without any of the depth or emotion you can find on the movie soundtracks. I would sell this CD back to the music store where I bought it, but then somebody else might be tempted to buy it. No; this disk is headed for the trash bin.

Not worth your money.......2006-05-14

Simply put, this album corrupts Howard Shore's music in the same way the ring tried to corrupt Frodo. The more you listen to it, the more you realize you should have bought the original soundtrack.

LOTR meets New Age.......2005-10-01

I wish I had read the other reviews before buying. 78 minutes of meandering through (and maiming) Howard Shore's fantastic work. No focus, no edge to the playing, themes apparently put together at random. The horns are poorly synthesized and sound pretty cheezy. Spend your money on the movie soundtrack. I wish I had.

Average customer rating: Great, but no prize Xena;Warrior Princess volume six Great Collection Exceptional A MIX OF THE BEST, THE WORST AND THE MISSING

Xena: Warrior Princess, Volume Six : Original Television Soundtrack Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Xena: Warrior Princess, Volume Four - Original Soundtrack Xena: Warrior Princess - Original Television Soundtrack Xena: Warrior Princess - Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire: Original Television Soundtrack Xena: Warrior Princess - The Bitter Suite: A Musical Odyssey - Original Television Soundtrack Xena: Warrior Princess - Original Television Soundtrack, Volume Two ASIN: B00005LMK2 Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

1. With the Angels
2. Battling Archangles
3. Go to Them
4. Body Snatch
5. Resistence
6. Gab's Trial
7. They're Coming
8. Back from the Dead
9. She'll Be Here
10. Callisto in Hell
11. Way of Pain
12. Kee Coming
13. End of Coming
14. Ring
15. Valhalla
16. On a Cow
17. Up the Rhein
18. Rhein Maidens
19. Out of Options
20. Kiss
21. Return of the Rheingold
22. Pas de Deux Femmes
23. You Will Dance

Tracks:

1. Sounds of War
2. To the Rising Sun
3. Sounds of Life and Death
4. Snow Falling on Cedars
5. Burning Higuchi
6. Die Demon
7. Reality of Dreams
8. Xena Vs. Yodishi
9. Return to Chin
10. Power of the Book
11. Secret of the Powder
12. Haulin' to the North
13. Mausoleum
14. It's Over
15. Love Is a Weapon
16. United in Love
17. Joxer the Mighty
18. Play's the Thing
19. Woman's a Natural Thing/Miss Known World
20. Day in the Life
21. Catching Fish
22. Up in the Trees
23. Things in Common
24. Down the Valley
25. Neighbor Lady
26. Smelling Mortality
27. Chasin' Chickens
28. Quill Is Mightier
29. Here Girl
30. Xena Main Title

Customer Reviews:

Great, but no prize.......2002-03-31

The selections from the Ring trilogy, Friends in need and Fallen Angel were excellent, however, some of the special request such as joxer the mighty, seemed a little bit rushed. Wasn't that song on Volume 2 already? Where was M'Lila's song from Destiny, or the music played During the first Kiss in "The Quest"
The cd has its good points, personally "It's Over" from "THAB" with its haunting melodies portraying the consequences of war.

Xena;Warrior Princess volume six.......2002-01-09

I am so happy that the last and final cd has come out, now my collection is complete. I am very sad for the show ending, but I am glad to still collect things.

Great Collection.......2001-12-25

Well, I have them all by now, but this last one is a great collection, with the added bonus of the music from A Friend In Need.
Just another fine addition to my Xena collection!

Exceptional.......2001-11-30

I am a fanatic and devoted Xenite.I have a huge problem:i can't stop listening to that cd,since the first time i listened to it,which means 1 month!That cd is really exceptional and i think that every true and genuine Xenite should buy it!It's really good!I was moved when i heard the Fallen Angel part.I was passioned when i heard the Ring Trilogy!I was astonishing when i heard the bonus cues that were included,especially the cue from The Quill Is Mightier(fishin part),oh,i was completely satisfied!
Though,there is a complain:i can't understand,why after 6 cd's,the producers don't do a cd including cues like:M'laila's song,the cues from the Bacchaen festival,music from Deja Vou All Over Again,where in the end,Gabrielle says to Xena those wonderful words,or even the scene of the kiss in The Quest!That,i can't understand it!
Last, i believe that whoever likes LoDuca's music style,should buy this cd.
Pay attention to the 22 cue:Pas De Deux Femmes.It is one of a something and whoever remembers what's the scene of this song,will agree with me!Mmmm!

A MIX OF THE BEST, THE WORST AND THE MISSING.......2001-11-29

To all truly Xena fans this CD is a must-have but have some lacks... Fun (comedy episodes music) scores destroy the the great combination of FALLEN ANGEL, THE RHEINGOLD TRILOGY AND I FRIEND IN NEED. In the first selections LoDuca creates spectacular high level music good enough to be played in a Symphony orchestra concert. The others selections have easy-to-fill-space western cowboy music instead of put M'Lilas song of DESTINY, Amazon's climbing trees of ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE and NAJARA vs XENA music that would be gladly accepted by us. I doubt the company will launch a next CD but if they'll do this track and another valuable more must be there and the adittion of some famous characters quotes like "I have many skills" from Xena.

Average customer rating: Great vocal virtuosity Confuzzled An American Composer of Art Song more German than Rorem delightful art songs

Ned Rorem: Selected Songs Ned Rorem , and Carole Farley Manufacturer: Naxos American ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Susan Graham - Songs of Ned Rorem Rorem: The End of Summer, Book of Hours, Bright Music Rorem: Three Symphonies Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 1 ASIN: B00005QISU Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

1. The Waking
2. Root Cellar
3. My Papa's Waltz
4. I Strolled Across An Open Field
5. Memory
6. Orchids
7. The Serpent
8. Night Crow
9. Snake
10. Lilltel Elegy
11. The Nightingale
12. Nantucket
13. Lullaby Of The Woman Of The Mountain
14. Love In A Life
15. What If Some Little Pain...
16. Visits To St. Elizabeth's
17. Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
18. Spring
19. See How They Love Me
20. Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
21. I Am Rose
22. Ask Me No More
23. Far-Far-Away
24. Early In The Morning
25. Alleluia
26. Such Beauty As Hurts To Behold
27. Sally's Smile
28. Youth, Day, Old Age, And Night
29. O You Whom I Often And Silently Come
30. Full Of Life Now
31. As Adam Early In The Morning
32. Are You The New Person?

Customer Reviews:

Great vocal virtuosity.......2005-04-07

This is a great recording, by two great artists. Carole Farley is the ideal singer for Ned Rorem's songs. She spell out every
word and every nuance, giving each song and every poem their full character. The songs are a revelation. I recommend this recording without hesitation.
Christoph (Berlin, Germany)

Confuzzled.......2004-01-03

While these song are GREAT...I cannot get over Carole Farley; her voice is so affected (kind of like a sprechstimme; overly dramatic...). I love the fact that Rorem himself is playing the piano, and as a singer, the catalogue of songs is good to have...but cant say I could ever manage getting over Farley's affectation. There are far superior recordings out there.

An American Composer of Art Song.......2003-04-02

American popular song, whether standards, show tunes,jazz, blues, or rock, is one of our country's most visible artistic achievements. American classical (or Art) songs are much less known. Ned Rorem (b. 1923) is probably the greatest American composer in this unfamiliar medium. Rorem is sometimes dubbed the "American Schubert."

This disc features 32 of Ned Rorem's songs for voice and piano. Soprano Carole Farley is the accomplished singer, and Ned Rorem himself plays the piano. The disc is special because it features settings of the works of American poets. The CD begins with 9 settings of poems by the mid-twentieth century poet, Theodore Roethke, and concludes with settings of 5 poems by Walt Whitman. The disc also includes settings of poems by William Carlos Williams, Gertrude Stein, and Paul Goodman, among others. Thus the disc combines in a special way American creative effort in poetry and in music.

Rorem's songs are declamatory in style. Typically, the voice line delivers the text of the poetry in a sort of chant. The relationship between the voice line and the piano is far from Schubertian. Generally, the piano takes a separate line and accentuates the voice by means of large chords or by runs or by other comments and punctuation on the voice. The texts are well set and the music is effective. There are some unusual harmonies with jazz and blues influences. Rorem's piano accompanyment on this disc gives the recording a sense of authenticity -- we get a good idea of how the composer wants his songs to be conveyed.

The disc includes excellent program notes and texts of all the songs. Naxos has received deservedly high praise for its "American Classics" series which makes much music written by Americans available on CD at a low price. This disc includes some lovely, little-known songs. It is an excellent introduction to the American art song and to the music of Ned Rorem.

more German than Rorem.......2002-07-20

I've been a Rorem fan since hearing a highschool friend perform some of his work in her college recital. His startling, atonal songs were an instant revelation. For years there were few reliable CDs of his vocal work. A scandal considering his reputation rests more on his art songs and chamber music than on his orchestral pieces. This Naxos entry of a wide overview of his best songs is thus quite welcome, due largely to its availability, wide distribution and professional packaging (he's had some shoddy issues before with incorrect liner notes, etc.; the challenge of the low budget).

I can't call myself an unalloyed fan of soprano Carole Farley however. Her delivery here recalls the speak-singing style of German 12-tone composers (a specialty of hers), and can sound melodramatic, especially when she rushes the more delicate passages.

I prefer Rorem's softer, more melodious French side, the one that descends from Impressionism and is more warmly emotive. While Farley loses the shading of some of the more fragile songs, she is well-suited to the longer, more forceful pieces. I've heard many readings of "Early in the Morning" (one of Rorems most popular songs) by male and female vocalists, and its tale of wistful nostalgia is muted by Farley's direct approach. However, she nails "My Papa's Waltz," a fractured setting for a Roethke poem about a frightened child forced to dance with a drunken father. Here her acting skills come to the fore, and she perfectly captures the tipsy madness of the song. Rorem can be quite theatrical himself on occasion. She does almost as well with "See How they love me," a ballad with a regular pace that allows her assertive style to breathe.

At any rate it's great to hear these lovely songs in a recent (2000) recording, accompanied (rather emphatically, but perhaps he's matching his theatrical singer) by Rorem himself.

The similar Susan Graham album is more to my taste, but this is a more than competent bargain set.

delightful art songs.......2002-01-02

rorem's songs are amazing, and naxos has done well
to group them by poet. the complete settings of roethke
are particularly compelling and edgey.

carole farley's voice is lovely, but her phrasing
and willingness to push her voice seems
a big departure from the styling of art songs i've
heard by poulenc and somers.

this takes some getting used to- at least 3 or 4 complete
listen-throughs in my case. her voice is almost jazzy,
kind of like early recordings by holly cole.

anyway, rorem accompanies her on piano so obviously
this reading fits with his intent; his playing is also delightful.

one small quibble- although there are 32 songs, the CD is
57 minutes- brief by naxos standards.

Average customer rating:

Better Things in Life/Cookin' Jerry Reed Manufacturer: One Way Records Inc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music Rockabilly | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Smell the Flowers/Jerry Reed Hot A' Mighty/Lord, Mr. Ford When You're Hot You're Hot/Ko-Ko-Joe Pickin' Flyin' High ASIN: B00004TEVE Release Date: 2000-05-09

Tracks:

1. Roving Gambler
2. Pride Today
3. Like of Me
4. Blues Land
5. Coming up Roses
6. Johnny Wants to Be a Star
7. There's Better Things in Life
8. Oh What a Woman!
9. Patches of Blue
10. Swingin 69'
11. Somebody You'll Call My Name
12. I'm a Happy Man

Tracks:

1. Turn It Around in Your Mind
2. How Many Tomorrows
3. Sometimes Feelin'
4. Just to Satisfy You
5. Plastic Saddle
6. I Shoulda Stayed Home
7. Alabama Jubilee
8. Aunt Maudie's Fun Garden
9. Semi-Great Predictor
10. My Next Impersonation
11. Gomyeyonyo

Average customer rating: I expected good music from one parent to another parent A truly gifted artist who has an unbelievable voice It's a beautiful album Great if you are a new parent... lovely years, voice, lyrics and music = er, lovely!

The Lovely Years Fisher Manufacturer: Iris Records Label ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: One Uppers & Downers True North Angels & Demons Bleeding Heart Graffiti ASIN: B0008G2IH4 Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

1. Beautiful Life
2. Biggest Fan
3. All I Ask
4. The Lovely Years
5. Be Here
6. Now I Know
7. Sleepy Head
8. Turn Around
9. So Much
10. Surrender
11. You

Customer Reviews:

I expected good music from one parent to another parent.......2007-05-03

While her vocals are great (and very reminiscent of a blend of Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan) and I did expect a collection of songs from the heart of a parent, I was disappointed to find language that would require a bar of soap in a household of children. I can't play this when my kids are around! What's the point in that?

A truly gifted artist who has an unbelievable voice.......2006-01-30

I discovered Kath Fisher on itunes and fell in love with her album "One". Her voice is truly her instrument, so controlled and multi-layered, soulful and capable of long notes and belts. She has a good range, with shades of Tori, Alanis, but with a deep tone that makes her truly unique. Her lyrics are cool, with an enunciation that makes them understandable. Her tunes are catchy, but not your typical radio pop, though I have heard her on San Diego radio. Standouts include "I will love you" on ONE; I love "Beautiful Life" which you may recognize from the Toyota commerical; and "The Lovely Years" from the new album of the same name. I actually have all of her albums, and all songs are just great. UPPERS AND DOWNERS is an album of 1/2 quick tempo songs and 1/2 slower songs, with lots of covers, including a cool version of "Dream On". If you are looking for a great, but for some reason undiscovered in the mainstream true talent, you can't go wrong with Fisher. Why isn't this girl famous?

It's a beautiful album.......2005-07-20

If you like Sarah, Tori or the Indigo girls you will love this album

Great if you are a new parent..........2005-06-15

I love Fisher's music, and bought this the day it came out. The music is good, but I was a little disappointed that the theme for the album was about how wonderful it is to be parents. Not that babies aren't wonderful, they are, but if you aren't a new parent you may not relate well to this album and True North would be a better pick.

lovely years, voice, lyrics and music = er, lovely!.......2005-05-07

new moms will be particularly attracted to the pretty songs. the lullaby "you" is especially nice -- one of only two Lullaby songs to actually make me weepy-eyed thinking about my wee one (who is now 8) (the other song was "baby mine" by alison krauss)

her voice is as lush and memorable as ever, and the music and arrangements are even better than on previous works.

stand outs other than "you": "all i ask" "beautiful day" "sleepy head" "lovely years" "turn around" and "be here".

good stuff! cd universe has the cd for $3 cheaper. i guess amazon gets their shipping cost one way or another.....

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