Fairy Tale [Import]

1. Fairy Tale

2. Feel Fine!

3. Ride On Time

4. Key To My Heart

5. Winter Bells

6. Loving You

7. Can't Forget You Love

8. Trip In The Dream

9. Not That Kind Of Girl

10. Like A Star In The Night

11. Japanese

12. Fantasy

Fairy Tale,Mai Kuraki,Giza,World Music

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings
Average customer rating:

wedding

Great CD

Simply romantic and beautiful...

Wedding Bliss

Very romantic atmosphere this album brings!

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings
Disney
Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Wedding Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Disney | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Disney Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Wishes! ~ Walt Disney Presents

Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth

Disney's Love Songs

Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic

Disney Spectacular

ASIN: B0007TKH0W
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast
Some Day My Prince Will Come - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
If I Never Knew You - Pocahontas
So This Is Love - Cinderella
Bella Notte - Lady and the Tramp
Love Is a Song - Bambi
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - The Lion King
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Cinderella
A Whole New World - Aladdin
Endless Night - The Lion King: Original Broadway Cast Recording
Part of Your World - The Little Mermaid
Something There - Beauty and the Beast
Lavender Blue - So Dear to My Heart
When You Wish Upon a Star - Pinocchio

Customer Reviews:

wedding.......2007-06-08

Very good music to play before a wedding and some for flower girls. We used Beauty & the Beast for Flower girls and Ice Castles for seating the Mothers. Great!!

Great CD.......2007-01-12

I bought this CD because I am getting married in April and I love anything Disney. It's wonderful. All the songs are very soft and perfect to have as much playing while your guests are arriving... at least that's what I'm going to use it for. I'm sure I'll listen to it even after the wedding. It's very relaxing but fun too because it's all Disney songs!

Simply romantic and beautiful..........2007-01-09

5 stars for this wonderful collection of orchestrated Disney love songs! I am planning on having a fairy-tale themed wedding. My fiance didn't want me to play songs directly from Disney movies; we both agreed that they were too "kiddy" for a wedding. This CD is exactly what I was looking for. It contains nostalgic, mature (and purely instrumental) renditions of beloved Disney love songs. Very romantic -- couldn't be more perfect for a wedding!

And if you're not looking for wedding music, this CD is perfect for relaxation. My personal favorites are the renditions of "Beauty and the Beast," "Bella Notte," and "Something There." The only downside of this CD is that I wish they included more songs! (i.e. "Once Upon a Dream," "Kiss the Girl," etc.)

Otherwise, well worth your money.

Wedding Bliss.......2006-11-07

As a wedding coordinator you do what you can to please the bride your working with. My bride wanted a princess theme for her wedding. This CD fit perfectly for what she wanted. The instrumental Disney songs set a great mood for her entrance.

Very romantic atmosphere this album brings!.......2006-06-20

This is really a romantic music collection. Almost all the most romantic songs of Disney were in this album, though there were no lyrics to sing, but it's still so romantic, or even more romantic than the vocal versions! Where I first heard this album was a restaurant, this album made the atmosphere so romantic and magical. Then I have decided to buy this album.
I think "Beauty and the Beast" is the best track in this album, I love the sound of piano. "Something There" was my favorite song in the movie, and this instrumental version is so beautiful too! At the first few seconds of the track "Love Is A Song", I could hardly recognize this, it was a little different from the original in the movie. But it's beautiful indeed! "Part of Your World" is one of my favorite Disney songs, and its instrumental version hasn't maken me disappointed, it made me feel very dreamy. I didn't like the song "Someday My Prince Will Come" so much before, but its instrumental version made me love it. However, the CD I bought from the music shop was not so good, I couldn't listen to the track "When You Wish Upon a Star" which I loved very much.
My father love light music very much, and I want to introduce this album to him in summer holiday, I'm sure he'll love this very much.

Average customer rating:

Children's Favorites a solid purchase
The perfect package
A Wonderful Introduction to the Classics

Children's Favorites

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

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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

All Bargain Titles | Children's Music | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music

Classical Music for Children: A Toddler's Introduction to Classical Music
Classics for Kids
Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy-My Favourite Opera For Children
Bernstein Favorites: Children's Classics
World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English!

ASIN: B00004Y6T3
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Tracks:

March Of The Tin Soldiers - Leon Jessel
Variations On 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' - Walter Klien
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Reed Flutes - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
The Sorceror's Apprentice - Paul Dukas
Peter And The Wolf (Extract) - Brandon de Wilde
Invention No. 8 In F Major - Christiane Jaccottet
Invention No. 11 in G Minor - Christiane Jaccottet
Invention No. 13 in A Minor - Christiane Jaccottet
Prelude And Fugue No. 21 In B Flat Major (Book 1) - Christiane Jaccottet
Sonata For 2 Pianos In D Major, K. 448, 1st Mvt. - Rudolf Firkusny
III. Allegretto - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Of Strange Lands And People - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Curious Story - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Entreating Child - Walter Klien
Kinderszenen: Perfect Happiness - Walter Klien
Introduction And Royal March - Marylene Dosse
The Elephant - Marylene Dosse
Kangaroos - Marylene Dosse
The Aquarium - Marylene Dosse
Cuckoo In The Woods - Marylene Dosse
Birds - Marylene Dosse
Fossils - Marylene Dosse
The Swan - Marylene Dosse
Finale - Marylene Dosse

Customer Reviews:

Children's Favorites a solid purchase.......2006-03-09

This CD mostly delivered what was expected of it. The only critique I have is that some of the tempos could have been cleaner, and that it should be cross-referenced by the other composers besides J. S. Bach.

The perfect package.......2005-10-23

This is the most wonderful collection to have on 1 CD. Children from birth on up can benefit from this musical collage.
Songs from the "Nutcracker" are familiar and comfortable for many children. What child wouldn't love "March of the Tin Soldiers?"
Selections from Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" is a must in my creative movement library. Every child should be exposed to this music. Well,I believe every age should be.

A Wonderful Introduction to the Classics.......2003-03-11

With total playing time clocking in at 78:04 minutes of music, you'll be paying about 6-cents/minute, which is a better bargain than long distance phone calls, and often more rewarding!

This disc is far superior than most other "Classics for Kids"-type recordings I've sampled for a number of reasons:

1) This album was expertly engineered. The production quality on this disc is first-rate from start to finish with crisp, clear sound.

2) The pieces were expertly picked. There is wonderful sonic variety here, spanning hundreds of years of wonderful melodies. There are orchestral pieces, harpsichord pieces, solo piano, and a piano concerto, capped off with Saint-Seans whimsical Carnival of the Animals. What kid (or adult) wouldn't love that?

3) The performances are, without exeption, expert! The pieces were definately screened for quality as well as content. Many are simply a joy to behold. Walter Klein is a particular stand-out, almost giddily prancing through Schumann's pieces. Believe it or not, he sounds even more impressive when backed up by the always inspiring Minnesota Orchestra on Mozart's Piano Concerto #17.

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.

Zanna, Don't! - A Musical Fairy Tale (2003 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating:

great recording of a great show!

Not musically great, but impossible to not smile at

Good . . . but there's better

LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE

Soooo energetic!

Zanna, Don't! - A Musical Fairy Tale (2003 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Tim Acito , and Jai Rodriguez
Manufacturer: P.S. Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

[title of show] (2006 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

The Wild Party (Lippa) (2000 Off-Broadway Cast)

Altar Boyz (2005 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B0000C23I7
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

Who's Got Extra Love? - Jai Rodriguez & Company
I Think We Got Love - Enrico Rodriguez & Jared Zeus
I Ain't Got Time - Anika Larsen & Company
Ride 'Em - Shelley Thomas, Anika Larsen & Company
Zanna's Song - Jai Rodriguez
Be A Man - Jai Rodriguez & Company
Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Shelley Thomas & Jared Zeus
Fast - Darius Nichols, Robb Sapp & Amanda Ryan Paige
I Could Write Books - Enrico Rodriguez
Don't You Wish We Could Be In Love? - Anika Larsen, Enrico Rodriguez, Shelley Thomas, Jared Zeus& Jai Rodriguez
Whatcha Got? - Anika Larsen & Company
Do You Know What It's Like? - Enrico Rodriguez, Jared Zeus, Shelley Thomas & Anika Larsen
'Tis A Far, Far Better Thing I Do - Jai Rodriguez
BLOW WINDS - Jai Rodriguez & Company
Straight To Heaven - Robb Sapp & Company
Someday You Might Love Me - Jai Rodriguez
Straight To Heaven (Reprise) - Company
Sometime, Do You Think We Could Fall In Love? - Robb Sapp & Jai Rodriguez
Finale - Company

Amazon.com

Zanna, Don't! takes place in a topsy-turvy world in which homosexuality is the norm and the minority heterosexuals must battle anti-straight prejudice. Set in a high school, the plot revolves around a teen fairy matchmaker (Zanna) and the hell that breaks loose when a boy and a girl dare fall in love with each other. Thankfully forgoing preachiness, creator Tim Acito manages to deliver a message of tolerance through a whole bunch of poppy, catchy songs, hearty dollops of humor (there's cheering--for a chess match), and, of course, a dab of magic (shades of the 1980 Olivia Newton-John vehicle Xanadu). While the show can be a little too nice at times, it's hard not to be won over by its impish exuberance. Fittingly, in the fall of 2003, Jai Rodriguez, who played the title role, transferred from the show's Off-Broadway run to TV, gaining fame as the "culture vulture" on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

great recording of a great show!.......2007-05-07

I saw the show in NYC and am so grateful to have it on CD.

Not musically great, but impossible to not smile at.......2005-10-16

I got this album on a whim, having heard of its unique premise, and planned to listen to it a time or two, then let it migrate to the back of my CD case. That was three weeks ago, and I haven't gone two days without listening to a few songs.

It's not that Zanna, Don't! is that impressive in terms of its actual music. With a few exceptions, notably "I Think We Got Love" and the surprisingly poignant "I Could Write Books," the show relies on novelty and a quick turn of phrase for its entertainment. This would make the show seem trivial if it weren't for its most noticeable chracteristic: its utter, total, overwhelming niceness.

Visit the show's website and you're greeted with a bubble-gum-colored, sparkly vision that makes the average person feel like vomiting. This show is that sensation's musical equivalent, in a more tolerable dose. It's almost too knowing that Zanna's accomplice in the show is a chirping bluebird. The entire show, the singers do nothing but sing peppy, chirruping songs that mention love every other word. I may seem to be criticizing, but the truth is that I can't stop listening to this show.

It may be a harmless, sugary slice of inoffensive pie, but it's irresistable. You will not be disappointed after listening to Zanna, Don't, as long as you don't expect musical genius.

Good . . . but there's better.......2005-03-13

I really like Zanna Don't, the music is fresh and brings a new life into musical theater, but so does Avenue Q. The story of Zanna Don't is something that even if you're not gay, you can relate to. The message is simple, love yourself, then others can love you. The stand-out track is "Someday You Might Love Me" which sums up the basic emotion of the whole musical. There are a few songs that lack a certian something, but most of the tracks are good, and for the most part the whole cast is very talented.

LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE.......2005-01-25

I got this a couple of weeks ago, and I cannot stop listening to it! There is NO ONE in the cast who is weak, and the premise is very clever. I LOVE it. Jai and Anika and Enrico are AMAZING, and it is hillarious. Warnings: Don't expect genius lyrics, it IS supposed to be a very pop-ey score. Otherwise, I like all the ballads, especially the beautiful "I Could Write Books," and "Do you Know what it's Like?" You cannot listen to this without smiling, so get ready to fall in love!

Soooo energetic! .......2005-01-05

Definitely a good cd to have in your Broadway collection. If RENT was rock on the stage, ZANNA is pop on stage. Sometimes it is too campy, but it seems to mock its own craziness. Loved the message of the show and it comes across on the cd. Jai Rodriguez sounds nice on "Someday You Might Love Me" and Anika Larson has a killer belt. You know that this cd is contagious and silly as soon as you see its bubble gum pink cover.

DEBUT - Alisa Weilerstein & Vivian Hornik Weilerstein ~ Works for Cello and Piano

Average customer rating:

Hear Her Live
Weilerstein Debut
powefull
Florida Music Lover
Love it or hate it!

DEBUT - Alisa Weilerstein & Vivian Hornik Weilerstein ~ Works for Cello and Piano
Niccolo Paganini , Antonin Dvorak , Alberto Ginastera , Felix Mendelssohn , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Gabriel Faure , Leos Janacek , Camille Saint-Saens , Manuel de Falla , Alisa Weilerstein , and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | 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

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

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

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Dvorak Trios; Weilerstein Trio
Folklore
Gounod: Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile; Petite Symphonie for wind instruments
Starker Encore Album
The Road To Cello Playing

ASIN: B00003ZKRO
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Tracks:

Variations On One String On A Theme By Rossini
Forest Quietude, Op.68 No.5
Pampeana No.2, Op.21
Lied Ohne Worte, Op.109 (Posth.)
Pezzo Capriccioso, Op.62
Apres Un Reve, Op.7, No.1: After A Dream
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: I
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: II
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: III
The Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan
Popular Spanish Suite: I. El Pano Moruno (The Moorish Cloth)
Popular Spanish Suite: II. Asturiana
Popular Spanish Suite: III. Jota
Popular Spanish Suite: IV. Nana (Lullaby)
Popular Spanish Suite: V. Cancion (Song)
Popular Spanish Suite: VI. Polo

Customer Reviews:

Hear Her Live.......2006-12-19

You must witness Alisa Weilerstein live. I fell in love with her playing at the Spoleto festival where she played the basso continuo part of a Bach Brandenberg Concerto as if it was the Dvorak Cello Concerto. She has a passion for music that i have not heard or seen. And in her early 20s. Oh my gosh what a performer she will eventually be!

Weilerstein Debut.......2006-01-21

I've been playing the cello for almost 40 years and I agree about the complaints about the vibrato and phrasing: overdone! I also agree with the question about "aristocratic" playing: why all of the exaggeration? Instrument playing should ideally be like that of a vocalist, where one is not limited by one's technical abilities. I doubt that Ms. Weilerstein would sing these phrasese the same way she plays them. There is still time for her to develop, however. If you want to hear more refined playing, listen to Gendron, Rose, Fournier or Rostropovich.

powefull.......2005-12-18

I am a cellist of 15 years on the breakthrough of becoming a renowed cellist. This cellist tone is so powerfull and clear.she tells a story this is so clear to understand because the music speaks. alisa should watch the slurs from the f to b and be more gracefull. The apres un reve was ok i guess. she really should of tooken more time. like floating on a dream cloud. when i play this piece i take the music from the begining as a fuzzy dream and play the pitch so the music tells a story and becomes more clear every measure. The elgar is somenthing she might not want to touch because no one plays it better than du pre.

Florida Music Lover.......2002-10-12

I have been fond of the cello for years. I have enjoyed Casals even though he was somewhate austere. I love Rostropovich's tone and color but have felt that no one has ever played with the passion of Du Pre until I heard Weilerstein on, I believe, NPR when they played an unreleased tape of the Elgar Concerto by Weilerstein. I missed the intro and would have bet the farm that I was listening to Du Pre until the announcement at the end. I immediately ordered this disc and it has me wondering about re-incarnation. Is Du Pre back? This disc is a wonderful sample of the immense talents of this new young artist. I can't wait for Alisa to record the my favorite Elgar for EMI.

Love it or hate it!.......2002-05-21

SUCH PRESENCE! This is cello playing without apologies. She is always secure in what she is saying whether that is what you wanted to hear or not. She is the real thing. May she go onto continue to create controvery through her playing!

Cinderella: Songs from the Classic Fairy Tale (1998 Studio Compilation)

Average customer rating:

Back to when I believed in fairy tales....
The Glass Slipper Fits!
Magical collection fit for a princess!
Fabuloso!!!! A must have!!!!

Cinderella: Songs from the Classic Fairy Tale (1998 Studio Compilation)

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Cinderella (1965 Television Cast)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Cinderella (1957 Television Cast)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production)

ASIN: B00005KBB1
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Tracks:

Overture
In My Own Little Corner
Spread A Little Happiness
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
Raise A Ruckus
Impossible/Suddenly It Happens
The Ball
What Has Love got To Do With Getting Married
A Lovely Night/Ten Minutes Ago
Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?
Midnight
On the Steps Of The Palace
Once I Was Loved
If The Shoe Fits
Tell Hm Anything
The Stepsisters' Lament
Finale

Customer Reviews:

Back to when I believed in fairy tales...........2002-09-30

If you could, just for a moment, return to the days when fairy godmothers were real, when you really could turn four white mice into four white horses - then just buy this CD for a few smiles, a lot of memories, and the original Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes. This CD took me way back to when magic was there, and now it makes me wonder, everytime I listen to it, if maybe the magic isn't still there? Maybe I should just call on my fairy godmother..... A true heirloom of a CD.

The Glass Slipper Fits!.......2001-04-21

This is an excellent compilation of songs that express the longings, fears and exuberance of the Cinderella story. Rather than just relying of the romantic side of the myth, producer Bruce Kimmel adds depth to the story by including songs from The Slipper and The Rose and Sondheim's Into the Woods as well as the Disney and Roger & Hammerstein Cinderella versions.

When Susan Egan plans her strategy in "Promise Him Anything" and Pamela Winslow expresses her fear in "On the Steps of the Palace," the listener becomes aware of Cinderella's human side. Likewise, when Christa Moore shares her fantasy world "In My Own Corner" and Christina Noll expresses her thrill of her dream coming true in "Impossible/Suddenly It Happens," the listener is reminded of the powerful message of Cinderella's theme: dreams DO come true.

Fortunately, the compilation does not exclude humor as well. "The Stepsister's Lament" by Farah Alvin and Alet Oury is hilariously poignant; the lyrics "Why would a fellow want a girl like her? A frail and frocky beauty!" could be the alltime wallflowers' lament. And Jonathan Freeman's "What Has Love Got to Do with Getting Married?" is a droll piece of practical cynicism to his Prince son. (The song reminds me of the film Moonstruck. When Olympia DuKakis asks her daughter Cher, "Do you love him?" When Cher answered affirmatively, her mother muttered, "That's bad.")

Also, the musical bridges add to the suspense of the Cinderella story. "Midnight", "The Ball," and "If The Shoe Fits" from Prokofiev's ballet are beautifully orchestrated and remind the listener that the Cinderella myth is adaptable for many forms of entertainment.

I was a little disappointed that "So This is Love" and "The Work Song" was not included, but I guess I'm partial to the Disney version. The 1950 cartoon was my first introduction to Cinderella, and to my delight, my nephew enjoyed it as well thirty years later.

Nevertheless, this CD shows the timeless appeal of the Cinderella myth. Its beauty, humor and suspense is contained here in this magnificent collection.

Magical collection fit for a princess!.......1999-04-13

I was thrilled to come across this collection. One of my favorite movies, The Slipper and the Rose, had been out of print for many years. This CD includes 4 of the songs from that movie and though not by the original artists, just as good. The songs range from the whimsical to the romantic to a few comic gems, all from various stage and film Cinderella scores. "Tell Him Anything" from the Slipper and the Rose, a powerful song filled with longing and despair is sung movingly by Susan Egan, a nice change of pace from the cheerier, more sparkling numbers.

The score from Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is so charming and catchy it's fun to hear it again by new artists. The performers, all apparently Broadway singers (?), are all beautifully performed with exuberance and style. The orchestration is lush and appropriate to the material.

Fabuloso!!!! A must have!!!!.......1998-08-11

This is an AWESOME cd. It has songs from the original Rodgers and Hammerstein version, the Disney version, and Into the Woods. This is a faboulos collection of songs. Definetly buy it. NOW!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Great CD
~*IT's Pure CLASSICAL*~
Poor Compilation

#1 Classical Album

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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

The #1 Opera Album
#1 Piano Album
Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits
Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits
Grieg: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B0000667S0
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Opening - Berlin Philharmonic
William Tell Overture: Finale - Riccardo Chailly
Peer Gynt, Op.23: Morning Mood - Vienna Philharmonic
'O Sole Mio - Luciano Pavarotti
Suite No.3 In D Major, BWV 1068: Air - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Suite No.2 In B Minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K 467: Andante - Andras Schiff
Radetzky March, Op.28 - Vienna Philharmonic
Violin Concerto No.1 In G Minor: Adagio - Kyung Wha Chung
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro - Vienna Mozart Ensemble
Chants D'Auvergne: Bailero - Kiri Te Kanawa
Waltz In D Flat Major, Op.64 No.1 'Minute' - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Cantata No.28: Sheep May Safely Graze - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
The Flight Of The Bumblebee - Philharmonia Orchestra
Bolero: Finale - Charles Dutoit
Les Contes D'Hoffman: Barcarolle - Richard Bonynge
Adagio In G Minor - Martin Haselbock
Pizzicato Polka - Vienna Philharmonic
Das Land Des Lachelns: Dein Ist Mein Mein Ganzes Herz - Placido Domingo

Tracks:

Carmina Burana: O Fortuna - Radio-Symphonie-Chor Berlin
Jazz Suite No.2: Waltz II - Riccardo Chailly
Adagio For Strings - David Zinman
Fantasia On Greensleeves - Sir Neville Marriner
The Four Seasons: Spring: I. Allegro - Alan Loveday
Trumpet Voluntary - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Canon - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Casanova: Nuns' Chorus - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Piano Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': I. Adagio Sostenuto - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Rome & Juliet: Fantasy: Love Theme - Vienna Philharmonic
Warsaw Concerto - Cristina Ortiz
Symphony No.9 'From The New World': II. Largo (Excerpt) - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Concierto De Aranjuez: II. Adagio (Excerpt) - Carlos Bonell
Solomon: Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba - Sir Neville Marriner
Hungarian Dance No.5 In G Minor - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Thais: Meditation - Nigel Kennedy
Turandot: Nessun Dorma - John Alldis Choir

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2003-01-24

This is good CD for casual Classical listening, new comers to classical music or the car! I love it. It has a good variety of pieces, something to suit every mood.

~*IT's Pure CLASSICAL*~.......2002-08-14

I dont own this cd yet, but i will. I listened to samples and this is a beautifull, famous, pure classical music... if there's anyone who doesn't agree with me they probably are not familiar with classical music or (maybe can't read!!) You will enjoy this cd though!

Poor Compilation.......2002-06-14

After just one listening to this cd, I had to stop. It is just such a poor compliation of music, the flow, the rythm, it is terrible. Unlike the #1 Opera album, which I enjoyed, this one is a throwback.

Average customer rating:

I love this CD!
Disappointment and irritation

Cartoons Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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

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

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

Mad about Cartoons
Bugs Bunny on Broadway
Mad about The Classics
The Carl Stalling Project, Volume 2: More Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons 1939-1957
The Carl Stalling Project: Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1936-1958

ASIN: B0000029PS
Release Date: 1996-05-14

Tracks:

Powerhouse (excerpt) (Bugs Bunny In 'Bugs Bunny Cartoons')
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1: Morning Mood (Ralph Wolf & Sam Sheepdog in 'A Sheep In The Deep')
Spring Song (Op. 62 No. 6)
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Suger-Plum Fairy (In 'Fantasia', Ren & Stimpy In 'Haunted House & Ren's Toothache')
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2: Friska (Bugs Bunny In 'Rhapsody Rabbit')
Overture To 'The Barber Of Seville' (Bugs Bunny And Elmer Fudd In 'The Rabbit Of Seville')
In An 18th-Century Drawing Room (Bugs Bunny In 'Bugs Bunny And The Three Bears')
La Gioconda: Dance Of The Hours
Willaim Tell Overture: Morning And Finale (Mickey Mouse In 'The Band Concert'; Ren & Stimpy In 'Fire Dogs')
Grand Canyon Suite: On The Trail (In 'The Mighty Hunters')
Flight Of The Bumble Bee (In 'Melody Time')
The Blue Danube (Tom And Jerry In 'Johann Mouse')
Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries (Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd In 'What's Opera, Doc?')
Gayne: Sabre Dance (Ren & Stimpy In 'The Cat That Laid The Golden Hairball')
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 (In 'Fantasia'; Ren & Stimpy In 'Haunted House')
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Mickey Mouse In 'Fantasia')

Customer Reviews:

I love this CD!.......2001-09-13

I have been searching for a CD to accompany my balloon mime show for a long time, and when I found this, it was a dream come true. The songs are happy sounding, chirpy and fun, especially the souped up version of the PowerHouse. Comes with a burp in front that I could react to! If you like happy sounding instrumental music, this would be it!

Disappointment and irritation.......2000-08-01

This CD contains 16 tracks, some from Walt Disney "Fantasia" and one (track #11) presented as the recording of "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" from the full length cartoon-movie "Melody Time". Beware: it has got nothing to do with that enthusing performance, in boogie-woogie rhythm, by an excellent piano soloist (Freddie Martin? Teddy Wilson?) accompanied by a string-and-winds orchestra. It is, rather, a very banal rendition of Rimsky-Korsakoff's piece. Considering that I ordered this CD just for this piece (I have all others of classical music, from "Fantasia" in excellent recordings, I was disappointed and irritated when I tried to listen to the jazzed-up rendition of RK's music. This is a misrepresentation on part of the label (Sony). I don't think it's casual that the title of this piece, presented on the detail page as track #11 in the "List to Samples" section, disappears altogether from the following section ("On This CD"). If you are keen on Bugs Bunny and other rabbits, go ahead and buy this record. I'll be grateful to anybody (to the tune of $10) who can tell me where I can find a recording of the piece, such as I heard it on "Melody Time".

Average customer rating:

Gripping music and monumental interpretations
Ouch!!!
One of the most vitally played recordings I own...
Virtuoso Performance

Boris Berezovsky

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Liszt: Transcendental Studies
Rachmaninov: Préludes
Rachmaninov: Preludes, Moments musicaux
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Khachaturian: Piano Concerto
Chopin, Godowsky: Études

ASIN: B000000SP2
Release Date: 1996-05-07

Tracks:

Night On The Bare Mountain: Allegro feroce
Etudes - Tableaux Op. 39: Allegro molto op. 39, No. 3
Etudes - Tableaux Op. 39: Allegro assai op. 39, No. 4
Etudes - Tableaux Op. 39: Lento op. 39, No. 7
Etudes - Tableaux Op. 39: Allegro moderato op. 39, No. 9
Preludes: Moderato op. 57, No. 1
Preludes: Allegretto op. 40, No. 2
Preludes: Allegro impetuoso op. 39, No. 4
Fairy Tales: Allegro cantabile e leggiero op. 34, No. 2
Fairy Tales: Allegro con espressione op. 20, No. 1
Fairy Tales: Allegretto tenebroso op. 34, No. 3
Romantic Sketches For The Young: Tale (scherzo) op. 54, II, No. 2 - Allegro vivace
Fairy Tales: Allegro molto vivace op. 51, No. 1
Islamey: Presto con fuoco

Customer Reviews:

Gripping music and monumental interpretations.......2007-03-06

Boris Berezovsky is truly a great artist. In addition to being a robust virtuoso, he has a great knack for plunging the depths of these pieces and expressing more than the composer even had in mind. Those who are familiar with Berezovsky's Liszt TE renditions, which left me disappointed myself, I must implore you to forget his failures there and witness the milestone he has recorded here. Look at the line up: Mussorgsky-Tchernov's Night on Bald Mountain, the most colossal of Rachmaninov's Op. 39, some rarities from Liadov and Medtner, and as a marvelous finale, the indefatigable Islamey fantasy.

Tchernov's transcription of Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain is one of the most satisfying piano arrangements I've heard in a long time. The piano is completely indomitable here, leaving the orchestral version behind. Berezovsky's wicked fingers accomplish unbelievable feats: he evokes the sinister shades of tone, the eerie tremolos and still achieves technical perfection in the fiendish virtuoso passagework. His passion is only matched by his pianistic tactic of drawing as much power and sonority from the piano as possible. The most tragic revelation on this disc is that Berezovsky didn't record Rachmaninov's entire Etudes-Tableaux. I believe he has produced the greatest interpretations of these pieces. That Russian fervor, melancholy and wild abandon is completely in him. Each Etude-Tableaux is treated with the utmost degree of musical feeling. Consider these his glorious testaments: his tempo and ignited passions in No. 3; his muscular and dynamic rendition of No. 9; his procurement of the pathos in No. 7, and the clarity of the labyrinthine No. 4. Ashkenazy and Shelley are somehow lackluster after hearing these full-blooded executions from Berezovsky.

Anatoly Liadov (1855-1914) was a new discovery for me. I hadn't heard any of his music before this and I'm quite impressed. From the fragile Chopinesque beauty of the Moderato and Allegretto, to the rousing Lisztian flare of the Allegro impetuoso, what a sensational trio of gems this is. Not only is this music quite engaging, but Berezovsky showcases a flexibility in mood and a skill with pianissimo nuance that wasn't able to show its face until now. Continuing on, the Medtner pieces featured here are masterful miniatures of complexity and gorgeous melody. I'm not that familiar with Medtner at all, so it was a delightful surprise once I heard these fascinatingly original works. I'm sure Berezovsky is in his prime here, even though I haven't other interpretations for comparison. He manages a crisp articulation and tasteful bravura in the Allegro cantabile and Allegro con expressione. In the Allegretto tenebroso, he establishes a meticulous conception and technically superb delivery, making for a mind-blowing expedition of music.

Lastly, Berezovsky tackles Balakirev's Islamey fantasy, one of those war-horses that is either overplayed to the point of dense cacophony, or is underplayed by a pianist incapable or afraid of flinging himself through the demanding sections. Berezovsky easily accepts the virtuosic challenge while striving also to evince the passionate music that is sometimes buried beneath the swirls of notes.

Bottom line: This is a precious recording with both old war-horses played to perfection and new gems illustrated with the utmost musicality. Berezovsky's inexhaustible virtuosity and potency of phrasing has to be heard to be believed. Unfortunately, Amazon no longer sells this, so I would recommend getting it used while it's still available.

Ouch!!!.......2004-06-26

This is the sort of musicianship that reaches out a slaps you in the face!!! Berezovsky not only shreds the keys, he also finds that happy medium that needs to exist between taste and virtuosity. His charisma never gets in the way of the music and he provides a sense of spontaneity desperately needed to keep the listener involved. The sound quality is very good indeed. The engineers obviously give the instrument a rather forward balance; however this is a rather complimentary approach for this type of repertoire.

One of the most vitally played recordings I own..........2000-01-17

This recording by Berezovsky is arguably his very best, which is saying something. As the First Prize winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition of 1990, his talent is a given, but sometimes he seems to breeze through pieces without the kind of fire that is a trademark of Russian pianists--in particular his recording of the Liszt Transcendental Etudes, while technically solid, lacks the kind of oomph and pizazz that befits the composer and the music.

The music in this program, however, seems to ignite Berezovsky's passions, perhaps since the composers are all fellow Russians. The Night on Bare Mountain has the kind of epic scope, if not the length, of the Liszt B Minor Sonata, and Berezovsky does full justice to the little tinkering trills as well as the quadruple forte chord passages, both tender and merciless at a whim. In his playing on some other discs it sometimes seems as if Berezovsky has a "soft" left hand, that is, that he cannot generate the kind of bass that, say Richter or Gilels managed regularly. Here we find that it is within his grasp to conjure some real thunder--although it is still fairly clear that his right hand is much stronger than his left.

What makes this a particularly attractive buy is the inclusion of the relatively rare Liadov and Medtner pieces, lively and evocative shorts which are played with such conviction that one wonders why these composers aren't more popular. Apparently, Berezovsky has a particular interest in Medtner--according to liner notes, he organized a festival of Medtner's piano music in Moscow, 1995.

The final encore piece, Balakirev's Islamey, is notoriously difficult, and I have heard no one play it better, or for that matter as well as Berezovsky (this includes Pogorelich and Bronfman). It has been a specialty of his since he was at least sixteen, and having completely mastered the technical aspects he is free to concentrate on expression. In fact, when I hear him play this piece I am never aware of technique or get any sense of effort,which would distract from my appreciation of the music. All in all, a disc with no weak spots. Highly recommended. It's a pity that some of this pianist's best recordings are out-of-print or scarce. If you can find them, I also recommend his recording of Ravel's piano music as well as his disc of the Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto and selected preludes--there is a budget re-issue of the concerto, but it is coupled with a recording of the 2nd with a different pianist and doesn't include the preludes...oh, and FYI, in his Rach 3 he plays the version with the heavy chordal solo section in the first movement.

Virtuoso Performance.......1999-02-12

Berezovsky simultaneously shows off his astounding talent and moves listeners with his sheer brilliance and performance. Pay special attention to Mily Balakirev's Islamey. I promise you, you will not fail to gasp at the touching interpretation and virtuoso in which Balakirev plays.

Medtner: Complete Piano Sonatas, Forgotten Melodies / Hamelin

Average customer rating:

Wow!
Medtner's piano music is a strong, major addition to the piano standard repertoire, for both listener and performer. Beautiful.
but it IS unjust;
the war is Iraq is unjust
contra drollere

Medtner: Complete Piano Sonatas, Forgotten Melodies / Hamelin
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Alkan: Symphony for solo piano
Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music
Marc-André Hamelin Live at Wigmore Hall
Godowsky: Sonata; Passacaglia
Kaleidoscope

ASIN: B00000DG21
Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

Sonata In F Minor Op. 5: Allegro
Sonata In F Minor Op. 5: Intermezzo: Allegro
Sonata In F Minor Op. 5: Largo divoto
Sonata In F Minor Op. 5: Finale: Allegro risoluto
Zwei Marchen Op. 8: Andantino
Zwei Marchen Op. 8: Allegro
Sonaten-Triade Op. 11: No. 1 In A Flat Major
Sonaten-Triade Op. 11: No. 2 In D Minor (Sonata-Elegy)
Sonaten-Triade Op. 11: No. 3 In C Major

Tracks:

Sonata In G Minor Op. 22: Tenebroso, sempre affrettando - Allegro assai - Interludium (Andante lugubre) - Allegro assai
Sonata-Skazka In C Minor Op. 25 No. 1: Allegro abbandonamente
Sonata-Skazka In C Minor Op. 25 No. 1: Andantino con moto
Sonata-Skazka In C Minor Op. 25 No. 1: Allegro con spirito
Sonata In E Minor 'Night Wind' Op. 25 No. 2: Introduzione: Andante - Allegro
Sonata In E Minor 'Night Wind' Op. 25 No. 2: poco e poco Allegro molto sfrenatamente, presto

Tracks:

Sonata-Ballada In F Sharp Major Op. 27: Allegretto
Sonata-Ballada In F Sharp Major Op. 27: Introduzione: Mesto
Sonata-Ballada In F Sharp Major Op. 27: Finale: Allegro
Sonata In A Minor Op. 30: Allegro risoluto - Allegro molto
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 1 Sonata-Reminiscenza: Allegretto tranquillo
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 2 Danza graziosa: Con moto leggiero
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 3 Danza festiva: Presto
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 4 Canzona fluviala: Allegretto con moto
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 5 Danza rustica: Allegro commodo
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 6 Canzona serenata: Moderato
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 7 Danza silvestra
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) Op. 38: No. 8 Alla Reminiscenza: Quasi coda

Tracks:

No. 1 Meditazione: Introduzione, quasi Cadenza - Meno mosso - Meditamente
No. 2 Romanza: Meditamente
No. 3 Primavera: Vivace
No. 4 Canzona matinata: Allegretto cantando, ma sempre con moto
No. 5 Sonata tragica: Allegro non troppo
Sonata In B Flat Minor 'Sonata Romantica' Op. 53 No. 1: Romanza: Andantino con moto, ma sempre espressivo
Sonata In B Flat Minor 'Sonata Romantica' Op. 53 No. 1: Scherzo: Allegro
Sonata In B Flat Minor 'Sonata Romantica' Op. 53 No. 1: Meditazione: Andante con moto
Sonata In B Flat Minor 'Sonata Romantica' Op. 53 No. 1: Finale: Allegro non troppo
Sonata In B Flat Minor 'Sonata Minacciosa' Op. 53 No. 2: Allegro sostenuto
Sonate-Idylle In G Major Op. 56: Pastorale: Allegretto cantabile
Sonate-Idylle In G Major Op. 56: Allegro moderato e cantabile

Amazon.com

Nikolai Medtner's chums at the Moscow Conservatory included Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. Like them, he was a brilliant pianist. Also like them, he composed an extensive body of distinguished piano music, most of which is relatively unknown. Its style resembles that of Rachmaninoff (who greatly admired it), although it lacks the latter's memorable melodies. Technically, it is just as difficult, requiring not only great fluency and endurance but also a wide range of colors. Marc-André Hamelin's prodigious technique makes him an ideal interpreter of Medtner's strong, clearly chiseled structures. His ability to play even the most complex and difficult passages at an even pace helps delineate and clarify them. Excellent recorded sound. --Paul Turok

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2007-07-14

Excellent (if you like Medtner's music). the piano is clear and wonderful.

Martin

Medtner's piano music is a strong, major addition to the piano standard repertoire, for both listener and performer. Beautiful........2007-05-02

When this 4CDs-album came out in 1998 I was one of the first in the states to purchase a copy, and even without knowing whether Medtner is my taste or not. I loved Hamelin's Scriabin-sonatas album so I didnt care about the high price of this Medtner-sonatas album. And I was right. With the first scanning of each disc I fell more and more in love with this gorgeous, rich, imaginative, romantic, melodic&rhythmic, intense, serious, profound, passionate...simply *beautiful* music. Medtner does not seem to strive for creating something extraordinary, innovative, modern, interesting per se but for pure musical intent. What you hear is pure (and absolute?) music by a genuine musician (Medtner) as natural and pianistic as one could imagine, with nothing else intended or presumed.
For comparative listeners, Geoffrey Tozer's boxed Medtner-sonatas set includes the complete Forgotten Melodies (I-III), not only I and II (Hamelin), but in the sonatas Hamelin plays with much more verve, drive, energy and speed. However, in the past years I tend to listen more of TozerPlayingMedtner...simply because he has been recording the complete Medtner solo music (prospected 9 volumes on Chandos) and I really enjoy the wealth of non-sonata music by Medtner which is less complex, of lighter content and much easier to understand. Many pianophiles whom I borrowed the Hamelin album thought that these sonatas were way too dense and heavy, yet in the end they fell in love with Medtner, too, when listening to his non-sonata pieces (Fairy Tales, etc.). They have become Medtner fans, yes!
As for my part, after having listened to Medtner sonatas for almost ten consecutive years, I somehow obtain the feeling that his other solo piano music is more enjoyable on a long-term basis. I cant listen to the sonatas nearly any more but I experience still lots of pleasure, fun and enjoyment listening to his other pieces. So thanks Hamelin for the convincing introduction to Medtner's world, and even more thanks to Tozer on Chandos (and Hamish Milne on CRD) for making this world my new home.

but it IS unjust;.......2006-10-03

that such beautiful music should be ignored! i never understood why rachmaninoff enjoyed more popularity than his more ingenious colleague, scriabin. i similarly don't understand why rach is deemed greater than medtner. perhaps it was sergei's larger-than-life presence as a pianist and conductor? i deem rachmaninoff one of the greatest pianist-conductors in history, but as a composer he ranks below both scriabin and medtner.
listen to medtner's music and be blown away by the intricacy and intimacy of his music. the density, the poignant lyricism. counterpoint unfolds and reveals music that is ten times more dense than rachmaninoff's (possibly excluding rach's 2nd and 3rd piano concerto).
you hear explosive genius, innovations, and emotions. a different trajectory from scriabin's music - not apocalpytic, but more rustic. more pastoral and fairy-like, if not as charged with pathos.
if you are a fan of piano music, or just keyboard music as a whole, if you're looking for something sexy, medtner's sonatas are the answer.
and hamelin's playing, i presume, does not need my vouching.

the war is Iraq is unjust.......2004-09-08

Medtner is a trult great composer and Hamelin is a truly great pianist, not just a technician.

contra drollere.......2004-06-23

Just a few words for those of you who are considering this set but have been given pause by the dissenting opinion in drollere's review, below.

I can understand that on first listen this music (like a great deal of classical music) may be difficult to parse -- to break into meaningful paragraphs and sentences, so to speak. And I know first-hand that when one can't yet hear the phrase structure in a piece of music, it tends to sounds like, yes, a long drum solo; it sounds like the music is attempting to express itself solely through superficial, local effects. drollere's review is actually a lovely, well-written description of the experience of listening to music without knowing how to parse it. One hears only "chords," "scales," "arpeggios," "melodies," and is aware that things seem to "change...every 20 seconds or so." In fact, listening to music this way - a bit like listening to the rise and fall of an actor's voice without being able to make out the words - often tends to give one an exaggerated impression of the surface effects, which I think must account for drollere's belief that this music is best characterized as "virtuosity for its own sake." Assessments like "the kinetic equivalent of serialism" and "a musical rubik's cube" really have nothing to do with Medtner - they just describe the general phenomenon of a piece of music being meaningless to a listener, in the truly musical sense of the word "meaning."

I was struck by these things, reading drollere's review, because they were so familiar to me: I am often frustrated by how long it takes me to come to terms with the form (and through it, substance) of a new musical work; sometimes it seems like I can listen to a piece 20 times and not yet know how to parse it. Frustrating indeed, because I, unlike drollere, know that at that point I'm still not qualified to form an opinion of the music. In a very real sense, I still haven't heard it. I might form an opinion about the fact that the music is still opaque to me (e.g. "I'm putting in an attentive, good faith effort to make sense of this music, so I declare that if I still don't know what's up after 20 listens, the composer isn't doing his/her job") but I'm simply not in a position to say anything about the composer's musical or aesthetic intentions or accomplishments. The composer didn't write the "drum solo" that I hear - it's just the raw data stream, not yet decoded by my brain, and as such isn't a work to be reviewed.

The irony of drollere's review is that the most outstanding aspect of this music, in exact opposition to what drollere says, is its "emotionally or imaginatively involving musical structure." Medtner's handling of sonata form is astounding - if you don't believe me or can't hear it, get a copy of the score and give yourself the assignment of breaking down the structure of one of the longer movements - the first piece I encountered was Op. 22, which is a good warm-up for the really sprawling ones, Op. 25/2 and Op. 53/2. I promise you that by the time you've gone through the purportedly tedious task of actually identifying the different themes and their recapitulations, noting thematic relationships, etc. etc., you'll realize how strong these pieces are, how exquisitely they fuse profound, heartfelt emotion with ingenious development - and then you'll be ready to listen again and hear it all. Or at least more of it. "What are the rewards of repeated listening?" indeed. Perhaps since July 28, 2003, drollere has found out the answer to that question, in which case I hope s/he will return and clean up around here. I just hate to think that anyone will be turned off to Medtner by a well-written but utterly rash review. Trust me: this is the real thing. The music is, if anything, better than the hype. Do not be dissuaded.

Pop Music:

Pop Music