Feel Well + 16 (Bonus DVD) [Import]

1. Over Soul

2. Don't Be Discouraged

3. Single Rain

4. Lost In You

5. Trust You

6. Brave Heart

7. Unsteady

8. Tokyo Boogie Night

9. Feel Well

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2002 release from Megumi Hayashibara, her first full-length album in nearly two years. Contains plenty of anime theme songs. This initial press special limited edition comes with two bonus audio tracks (written in Japanese) and a bonus DVD (zone 2/ntsc) containing the 'Tokyo Boogie Night 500th Anniversary' event, filmed in January, 2002 (14 tracks). The two discs are packaged in a unique double jewel case with heavy-duty plastic slipcase.

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.

Feel Well + 16 (Bonus DVD)
Average customer rating:
Feel Well + 16 (Bonus DVD)

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Binding: Audio CD

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Sakura Saku

ASIN: B000066O40
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

Over Soul
Don't Be Discouraged
Single Rain
Lost In You
Trust You
Brave Heart
Unsteady
Tokyo Boogie Night
Feel Well

Album Description

2002 release from Megumi Hayashibara, her first full-length album in nearly two years. Contains plenty of anime theme songs. This initial press special limited edition comes with two bonus audio tracks (written in Japanese) and a bonus DVD (zone 2/ntsc) containing the 'Tokyo Boogie Night 500th Anniversary' event, filmed in January, 2002 (14 tracks). The two discs are packaged in a unique double jewel case with heavy-duty plastic slipcase.

Deutsche Grammophon Centenary Collection, 1978-1987 (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Superb Schumann, etc.
Who says there was nothing good in the 1980s?

Deutsche Grammophon Centenary Collection, 1978-1987 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DI2R
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Tracks:

Vn Con No.5 in A K.219: 1. Allegro Aperto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Vn Con No.5 in A K.219: 2. Adagio - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Vn Con No.5 in A K.219: 3. Rondeau: Tempo Di Menuetto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Vn Con No.1 in g Op.26: 1. Vorspiel: Allegro Moderato/Attaca - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Vn Con No.1 in g Op.26: 2. Adagio - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Vn Con No.1 in g Op.26: 3. Finale: Allegro Energico/Presto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Fant De Conc Sur Des Motifs Del L'Opera `Carmen' Op.25: Intro: Allegro Moderato - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Fant De Conc Sur Des Motifs Del L'Opera `Carmen' Op.25: I. Moderato - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Fant De Conc Sur Des Motifs Del L'Opera `Carmen' Op.25: II. Lento Assai - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Fant De Conc Sur Des Motifs Del L'Opera `Carmen' Op.25: III. Allegro Moderato - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Fant De Conc Sur Des Motifs Del L'Opera `Carmen' Op.25: IV. Moderato - Anne-Sophie Mutter

Tracks:

Vn Con in D Op.35: 1. Allegro Moderato - Gidon Kremer
Vn Con in D Op.35: 2. Canzonetta: Andante - Attaca: - Gidon Kremer
Vn Con in D Op.35: 3. Finale: Allegro Vivacissimo - Gidon Kremer
Ser Melancolique in b flat Op. 26 - Gidon Kremer
Con in d: 1. Allegro - Gidon Kremer/Martha Argerich
Con in d: 2. Adagio - Gidon Kremer/Martha Argerich
Con in d: 3. Allegro Molto - Gidon Kremer/Martha Argerich

Tracks:

Sym Espagnole Op.21: 1. Allegro Non Troppo - Daniel Barenboim/Itzhak Perlman
Sym Espagnole Op.21: 2. Scherzando: Allegro Molto - Daniel Barenboim/Itzhak Perlman
Sym Espagnole Op.21: 3. Intermezzo: Allegretto Non Troppo - Daniel Barenboim/Itzhak Perlman
Sym Espagnole Op.21: 4. Andante - Daniel Barenboim/Itzhak Perlman
Sym Espagnole Op.21: 5. Rondo: Allegro Non Troppo - Daniel Barenboim/Itzhak Perlman
Sym No.3 in c Op.78 'Organ Sym': 1. Adagio - Allegro Moderato - Poco Adagio - Daniel Barenboim/Gaston Litaize
Sym No.3 in c Op.78 'Organ Sym': 2. Allegro Moderato - Presto - - Daniel Barenboim/Gaston Litaize
Sym No.3 in c Op.78 'Organ Sym': 2. Maestoso - Allegro - Daniel Barenboim/Gaston Litaize
Conc Paraphrase On The Qrt From Giuseppe Verdi's Opr `Rigoletto': Preludio: Allegro - Andante... - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Pno Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: 1. Grave - Doppio Movimento - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: 2. Scherzo - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: 3. Marche Funebre: Lento - Attaca: - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: 4. Finale: Presto - Ivo Pogorelich
Gaspard De La Nuit: 1. Ondine: Lent - Ivo Pogorelich
Gaspard De La Nuit: 2. Le Gibet: Tres Lent - Ivo Pogorelich
Gaspard De La Nuit: 3. Scarbo: Modere - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.6 in A, Op.82: Allegro Moderato - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.6 in A, Op.82: Allegretto - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.6 in A, Op.82: Tempo Di Valzer Lentissimo - Ivo Pogorelich
Pno Son No.6 in A, Op.82: Vivace - Ivo Pogorelich

Tracks:

Falstaff: Act I, Part One: 'Falstaff!'/'Ola!'/'Sir John Falstaff' - Michael Sells/Renato Bruson/Francis Egerton/William Wildermann
Falstaff: Act I, Part One: 'Sei Polli: Sei Scellini' - 'So Che Andiam, La Notte' - Renato Bruson/Francis Egerton/William Wildermann
Falstaff: Act I, Part One: 'Ma E Tempo D'Assotigliar L'Ingegno' - Renato Bruson/Francis Egerton/William Wildermann
Falstaff: Act I, Part One: 'L'Onore! Ladri!' - Renato Bruson
Falstaff: Act I, Part Two: 'Alice'/'Meg'/'Nannetta' - Brenda Boozer/Katia Ricciarelli/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Barbara Hendricks
Falstaff: Act I, Part Two: 'Fulgida Alice!' - 'Quell'otre! Quel Tino!' - Brenda Boozer/Katia Ricciarelli/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Barbara Hendricks/Michael Sells...
Falstaff: Act I, Part Two: 'In Due Parole: L'enorme Falstaff Vuole' - William Wildermann/Michael Sells/Leo Nucci/Francis Egerton/Dalmacio Gonzalez/Barbara Hendricks...
Falstaff: Act I, Part Two: 'Pst, Pst, Nannetta'/'Labbra Di Foco!' - Dalmacio Gonzalez/Barbara Hendricks/Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer/Lucia Valentini Terrani
Falstaff: Act I, Part Two: 'Udrai Quanta Egli Sfoggia' - Francis Egerton/Leo Nucci/William Wildermann/Michael Sells/Dalmacio Gonzalez...
Falstaff: Act II, Part One: 'Siam Pentiti E Contriti' - 'Reverenza!' - Francis Egerton/William Wildermann/Renato Bruson/Lucia Valentini Terrani
Falstaff: Act II, Part One: 'Alice E Mia!...Va', Vecchio John' - Renato Bruson/Francis Egerton
Falstaff: Act II, Part One: 'Signore, V'Assista Il Cielo!' - Leo Nucci/Renato Bruson/Francis Egerton/William Wildermann
Falstaff: Act II, Part One: 'C'e A Windor Una Dama' - Leo Nucci/Renato Bruson
Falstaff: Act II, Part One: 'E Segno? O Realta' - Leo Nucci/Renato Bruson

Tracks:

Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Presenteremo Un Bill'/'Giunta All'albergo' - Katia Ricciarelli/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Brenda Boozer/Barbara Hendricks
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Gaie Comari Di Windsor!' - Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Barbara Hendricks
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Alfin T'ho Colto, Raggiante Fior' - Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Quand'ero Paggio' - Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli/Lucia Valentini Terrani
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Mia Signora!' - Lucia Valentini Terrani/Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer/Leo Nucci...
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'Vien Qua, Che Chiasso!' - Barbara Hendricks/Dalmacio Gonzalez/Michael Sells/Leo Nucci/William Wilderman/Francis Egerton
Falstaff: Act II, Part Two: 'C'e, C'e, Se T'Agguanto! Se Ti Piglio!' - Leo Nucci/Michael Sells/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Brenda Boozer/Francis Egerton/William Wildermann...
Falstaff: Act III, Part 1: 'Ehi! Taverniere!' - 'Mondo Ladro' - Renato Bruson
Falstaff: Act III, Part 1: 'Reverenza. La Bella Alice...'/'Quando Il Rintocco Della Mezzanotte' - Lucia Valentini Terrani/Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli/Leo Nucci/Barbara Hendricks/Brenda Boozer...
Falstaff: Act III, Part 1: 'Brava. Quelle Corna Saranno La Mia Gioia!' - Leo Nucci/Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer/Dalmacio Gonzalez/Barbara Hendricks/Michael Sells...
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Dal Labbro Il Canto Estasiato Vola' - Dalmacio Gonzalez/Barbara Hendricks/Katia Ricciarelli/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Brenda Boozer
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Una, Due, Tre, Quatro' - Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!' - 'Sul Fil D'un Soffio Etesio' - Barbara Hendricks/Los Angeles Master Chorale/Roger Wagner/Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Alto La!' - 'Pizzica, Pizzica' - Francis Egerton/William Wildermann/Renato Bruson/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Katia Ricciarelli...
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Ogni Sorta Di Gente Dozzinale' - Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli/Brenda Boozer/Lucia Valentini Terrani/Leo Nucci/Michael Sells...
Falstaff: Act III, Part 2: 'Facciamo Il Parentado' - 'Tutto Nel Mondo E Burla' - Leo Nucci/Katia Ricciarelli/Barbara Hendricks/Brenda Boozer/Lucia Valentini Terrani...

Tracks:

Sym No.4 in A Op.90 'Italian': 1. Allegro Vivace - Philharmonia Orch/Giuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.4 in A Op.90 'Italian': 2. Andate Con Moto - Philharmonia Orch/Giuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.4 in A Op.90 'Italian': 3. Con Moto Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Giuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.4 in A Op.90 'Italian': 4. Saltarello: Presto - Philharmonia Orch/Giuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.2 in C Op.61: 1. Sostenuto Assai - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo - Vienna PO/GIuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.2 in C Op.61: 2. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace - Vienna PO/GIuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.2 in C Op.61: 3. Adagio Espressivo - Vienna PO/GIuseppe Sinopoli
Sym No.2 in C Op.61: 4. Allegro Molto Vivace - Vienna PO/GIuseppe Sinopoli

Tracks:

Candide: Ov - LSO/Leonard Bernstein
Candide: The Best Of All Possible Worlds - Adolph Green/Jerry Hadley/June Anderson/Kurt Ollmann/Della Jones
Candide: Glitter And Be Gay - June Anderson
Candide: Nothing More Than This - Jerry Hadley
Trouble In Tahiti: 'Doo - Da - Day - Day -' - Louise Edeiken/Mark Tomsen/Kurt Ollmann
Trouble In Tahiti: 'How Could You Say' - Edward Crafts/Wendy White
Trouble In Tahiti: 'Yes? Oh, Mr. Partridge!' - Edward Crafts/Louise Edeiken/Mark Tomsen/Kurt Ollmann
Trouble In Tahiti: 'I Was Standing In A Garden' - Wendy White/Edward Crafts
Trouble In Tahiti: 'Well, Of All People' - Edward Crafts/Wendy White
West Side Story: Prologue - Leonard Bernstein/Orch
West Side Story: Jet Song - Kurt Ollmann/Chor
West Side Story: Maria - Jose Carreras
West Side Story: Balcony Scene (Tonight) - Jose Carreras/Kiri Te Kanawa
West Side Story: America - Tatiana Troyanos/Louise Edeiken/Chor
West Side Story: I Feel Pretty - Kiri Te Kanawa/Tatiana Troyanos/Louise Edeiken
West Side Story: Ballet Sequence (With 'Somewhere') - Marilyn Horne

Tracks:

Vc Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: 1. Adagio - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: 2. Allegro Ma Non Tanto - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: 3. Andante - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: 4. Allegro Moderato - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Con in a, RV 418: 1. Allegro - Mischa Maisky
Vc Con in a, RV 418: 2. [Without Tempo Indication] - Mischa Maisky
Vc Con in a, RV 418: 3. Allegro - Mischa Maisky
Vc Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: 1. Adagio - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: 2. Allegro - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: 3. Andante - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: 4. Allegro - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Con in b, RV 424: 1. Allegro Non Molto - Mischa Maisky
Vc Con in b, RV 424: 2. Largo - Mischa Maisky
Vc Con in b, RV 424: 3. Allegro - Mischa Maisky
Vc Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: 1. Vivace - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: 2. Adagio - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich
Vc Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: 3. Allegro - Mischa Maisky/Martha Argerich

Tracks:

Son in E K.380 (L.23): Andante Comodo - Vladimir Horowitz
Pno Son in C K.330 (300h): 1. Allegro Moderato - Vladimir Horowitz
Pno Son in C K.330 (300h): 2. Andante Cantabile - Vladimir Horowitz
Pno Son in C K.330 (300h): 3. Allegretto - Vladimir Horowitz
Prld in G, Op.32 No.5: Moderato - Vladimir Horowitz
Prld in g#, Op.32 No.12: Allegro - Vladimir Horowitz
Etude in c#, Op.2 No.1: Andante - Vladimir Horowitz
Etude in d#, Op.8 No.12: Patetico - Vladimir Horowitz
Soirees De Vienne: Valse-Caprice No. 6: Allegro Con Spirito - Vladimir Horowitz
Sonetto 104 Del Petraca: Agitato Assai - Adagio - Vladimir Horowitz
Mazurka in c#, Op.30 No.4: Allegretto - Vladimir Horowitz
Mazurka in f, Op.7 No.3 - Vladimir Horowitz
Kinderszenen: Traumerei - Vladimir Horowitz
Etincelles Op.36 No.6, Morceau Caracteristique: Allegro Scherzando - Vladimir Horowitz
Polka De W. R.: Allegretto - Vladimir Horowitz

Tracks:

Ballade No.1 in g, Op.23 - Krystian Zimerman
Ballade No.2 in F, Op.38 - Krystian Zimerman
Ballade No.3 in A flat, Op.47 - Krystian Zimerman
Ballade No.4 in f, Op.52 - Krystian Zimerman
Pno Con No.1 in E flat: 1. Allegro Maestoso - Krystian Zimerman
Pno Con No.1 in E flat: 2. Quasi Adagio - Allegretto Vivace - Allegro Animato - Krystian Zimerman
Pno Con No.1 in E flat: 3. Allegro Marziale Animato - Presto - Krystian Zimerman
Dance Macabre (Totentanz): Andante - Allegro - Allegro Moderato (Var. I & II) - Molto Vivace... - Krystian Zimerman

Amazon.com

This is the decade when Deutsche Grammophon discovered America. Though the label's motherland is still well represented by Herbert von Karajan's unveiling young Anne-Sophie Mutter in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 (both played with the freshness of youth), Carlo Maria Giulini brought the yellow label to Los Angeles in a much-heralded return to opera with Verdi's Falstaff. The mellifluous though not always dramatically attuned dream cast features Barbara Hendricks (Nannetta), Katia Ricciarelli (Alice Ford), and Renato Bruson as the most poetic Falstaff on record. Leonard Bernstein's all-star but problematic Candide and West Side Story recordings are heard in well-chosen excerpts, and the one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti is reconstituted from his opera A Quiet Place (in which it was dispersed and imbedded). Elsewhere, Ivo Pogorelich's early Chopin Sonata No. 2, Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit," and Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 show a musician of staggering imagination limited by unrefined technique. Horowitz in Moscow, Krystian Zimerman's Chopin Ballades and Daniel Barenboim's Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 have all aged well, though Gidon Kremer's Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and Giuseppe Sinopoli's Mendelssohn "Italian" Symphony paired with Schumann's Symphony No. 2 have surprisingly little to say. Mischa Maisky's Bach and Vivaldi recordings (many with Martha Argerich on modern piano) have lots to say, but not to the historically informed performance crowd. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Superb Schumann, etc........2000-11-08

Seven years ago I was in a Vienna music shop and passed on the opportunity to buy the original Sinopoli recording of the Schumann Second - my favorite musical work - with the Vienna Philharmonic. Until this collection was released, I had never heard this particular 2nd Symphony recording which is now truly my favorite (and I have them all). It even led me to find the original release (which includes the Manfred Overture) by searching the Internet for used CDs. Sinopoli and Vienna beautifully convey the struggle and ultimate triumph of this great symphony.

The other recordings are also among DG's best and helped to fill in several repertoire gaps in my collection. I highly recommend the entire set. Thanks to DGG for reissuing these great recordings, especially Sinopoli's Schumann.

Who says there was nothing good in the 1980s?.......2000-04-09

Not enough can be said for this marvellous compilation of some of the finest recordings from 1978-87! Nevertheless, I will try to do some justice and start at the beginning. Anne-Sophie Mutter's Mozart concerto and stellar Bruch set the tone for this set. Very few recordings have the depth of insight into the Mozart that she does, and for such a young woman! The next disc is dedicated to another violinist par excellence: Gidon Kremer, whose Tchaikowsky concerto will blow you out of your chair, even compared with the Perlman recording of the same work. Disc three focuses on Daniel Barenboim the conductor, although the last track features one of his finest recorded piano works, the paraphrase of Rigoletto by Liszt. The two recordings featured are (brace yourself), the Perlman/Paris recording of the Lalo Symphonie Espagnole, the likes of which have not been known before or since, and the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony with Chicago and the organ of Chartres. The little catch in the Saint-Saens is that the organ part and orchestral work were recorded a month seperate from each other and across the Atlantic, but if you didn't read the liner notes, it would be impossible to tell; the editing is so well done! Ivo Pogorelich's Gaspard de la Nuit gives the work new meaning, not to say any less of his Chopin Second sonata. Giulini's conducting of Verdi's Falstaff is a force not to be reckoned with, with flawless casting to boot. I would expect more from Sinopoli than the Schumann delivers, however this is partly DG's fault for picking one of his least successful recordings. The Bernstein disc is all of his own music, including highlights from the splendid Candide and Trouble in Tahiti. Have a laugh over Carreras' pronunciation in West Side Story (why cast him as the American! ) and the other thoroughly inappropriate voices for this work, but remember that Bernstein was given the cold shoulder on this work and was trying to make it appeal to the classical crowd that had unfortunately shunned it on Broadway.

Maisky's cello playing is next, with the three sonatas originally for harpsichord and viola da gamba being played on modern cello with Martha Argerich at the piano. These are excellent recordings if inauthentic, but are certainly the best modernizations available, as are the two Vivaldi concerti with Orpheus. Saving the best for last, Vladimir Horowitz's landmark 1986 return to Moscow is no less breathtaking on the 1000th listening than on the first. There may be no better single CD of piano music in existance; the simplest track "Träumerei" from Schumann's Kinderszenen is utter perfection and emotion molded into one. Zimerman holds his own beautifully, though, with some of the best Chopin Ballades to be had. True, they lack some of the momentum and drive of the Rubinstein recordings, but the sheer technical ability displayed along with absolute control (and they're not at all skimpy on the emotion either!), they are in the top five recordings of these works ever. Add to this his recording of the Liszt E-flat concerto with Seiji Ozawa/Boston Symphony, which is flawless. The cherry on top (!) is the Liszt Totentanz, which is so often played as an overly flashy, bangy, loud and raucous showpiece. Not so here, even in such a murderously difficult and crashing work, Zimerman displays control, even if it means wrestling the work to the floor. This set is pricey, no doubt, but well worth it (and the sore arms you'll get carrying it home, another good reason to mail-order it) for the unmatched brilliance.

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