Ensho Hyakuseki V.55 [Import]

1. Japanese Title

2. Japanese Title

3. Japanese Title

4. Japanese Title

5. Japanese Title

Tracks:

O mio babbino caro (from 'Gianni Schicchi')
The Girl With Flaxen Hair (from Preludes, Book I; La fille aux cheveux delin: Prelude for Piano L 117/8)
Nocturne in C sharp minor (Op Post)
The Swan (from Carnival of the Animals)
Serenade (from 'Schwanengesang' song cycle for voice and piano, D 957
Casta Diva (from 'Norma')
Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467
Nocturne from Quartet for Strings No. 2 in D Major: 3rd movement
Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from 'Orfeo ed Euridice')
Songs My Mother Taught Me, song for voice and piano B104/4 Op 55/4
Pur ti Miro (from 'L'incoronazione di Poppea')
Elegie (Elegie 'O doux printemps d'autrefois' for voice and piano)
Traumerei ('Kinderszenen' for piano, Op 15, No. 7 'Dreaming')

Amazon.com

Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding tranquility. "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opens the disc, with Bell delicately accompanied by a harp and spinning the long melody with great sensitivity. Bellini's "Casta diva" from Norma lives up to its reputation as the epitome of bel canto in Bell's hands; his violin sings. The middle movement of Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto takes well to the violin, and Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is played with great warmth and sensuality. It would be easy to turn a recital like this into treacle, but Bell is wise enough to realize that the music is already sweet enough and he plays with great reserve and a minimum of sentimental slides. The light accompaniments always support, with woodwinds prominent but used with grace. This CD, in short, is a beauty: a fine gift, a lovely mood setter. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Romance of the Violin.......2007-07-16

While it's not my very favorite Joshua Bell CD, this is a pleasure to listen to!

End of the Day.......2007-06-08

I am a Joshua Bell fan, and this album is the one that I enjoy with my dessert, it calms me at the end of the day, and makes me think of my 6 year old granddaughter's visit. She has to have music on during meals at her home. Usually it is some kid stuff, but I do not have anything like she has at home, so I chose to play Joshua Bell during our dinner. When I placed the dessert before her, she looked up at me and said: "This music is so beautiful, I want to play the violin just like that". What more could I say.
He is inspiring, and she is right. This album is beautiful.

Wonderful!.......2007-05-30

I play this for my grandson to nap by. It is so relaxing and wonderful!

Over and over and over...........2007-05-17

That's how I want to play this CD! It's a wonderful line-up of rich, mellow, captivating compositions played with a warmth and vibrancy that is seldom heard. Joshua at his very best. You won't be disappointed.

Non-standard CD format.......2007-04-22

The music on this CD deserves five stars, but the CD itself is a non-standard format that doesn't work on all players. There's a tiny warning on the back of the CD. You won't notice the warning until you discover that the CD doesn't work on your player. My Macintosh computer wouldn't read the non-standard format so there was no way for me to listen in my office or put the music on my iPod.

A friend's PC was able to read the CD and make a copy in standard format that can be read on any player, including my Mac. The story had a happy ending, but I can not comprehend why the publisher chose the oddball CD specification.

The music is excellent and worth the trouble of making a copy, but the publisher really shouldn't make you go to that effort just to listen to a CD that you paid for.

Average customer rating:

good, bad, ok...
Secret Doors and Delicate Whispers
Like father, like mother, like daughter...!!
KAY ARE A PEE
5:55 Charlotte Gainsbourg

5:55
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Manufacturer: Vice Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

French Pop | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Reminder
Momento
Pocket Symphony
Keren Ann
Back to Black

ASIN: B000NQR7UC
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

5:55
AF607105
THE OPERATION
TEL QUE TU ES
THE SONGS THAT WE SING
BEAUTY MARK
LITTLE MONSTERS
JAMAIS
NIGHT-TIME INTERMISSION
EVERYTHING I CANNOT SEE
MORNING SONGUS BONUS TRACKS
SET YOURSELF ON FIRE
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN WAKING AND SLEEPING

From Amazon.co.uk Review

Even without Charlotte Gainsbourg's musical heritage, the prospect of an album written and performed by Air, with lyrics by Jarvis Cocker (ex-Pulp) and Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) would be enough to entice most sensible music fans. But as a combination, 5.55 is far better than probably even the participants imagined it would be.

The combination of Air's trademark glide complements Gainsbourg's voice (which is less singing and more melodic, breathy recitation), to the point where, had the lyrical input been less than stellar, this could easily have sent the listener to sleep. Instead, the emotional detachment in Gainsbourg's delivery acts as a foil to the passion presented in the lyrics. For their part, Cocker and Hannon excel with their trademark darkly humourous input- the passenger on a doomed flight in "AF407105", the surgery/seduction metaphor in "The Operation", or the venomous "Jamais" being particular standouts.

Even though 5.55 bears all the hallmarks of its creators (if so inclined, one could see this as a new Air album, or imagine Cocker or Hannon singing the lyrics), it's even more than the sum of its parts and is almost certainly one of the best albums you'll hear in 2006 or beyond. --Thom Allott

Amazon.com

This collaboration has produced a perfect result, wherein all involved have raised the finished work to spectacular heights. Interspersing her recordings into her acting career, Charlotte Gainsbourg has come out with her second full-length release. The music was written and performed by Air, with lyrics by Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon. All 13 tracks (two more than on the European release which appeared in 2006) are finely wrought in every regard, with the arrangements and production moving liquid-like across the set, making for a gorgeously seductive whole. Though significantly different-sounding, Gainsbourg shares with her father Serge an approach to singing that uses speaking tones and timbres. Her whispered voice adds a powerful intimacy to the songs, while Air's musical structures create landscapes and cityscapes through which she wanders, purposefully, suffused with mystery and secrets. The melodies, built for her voice, move with ethereal precision. Gainsbourg's human-scaled singing and Air's unassumingly grand settings create an emotional tension throughout. The album offers atmospheric reveries, pop smarts, and sly invention. --David Greenberger

Album Description

International movie star, fashion icon, and music royalty (daughter of French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg) makes her US debut. Already platinum in France with worldwide sales of over 500,000. The US CD release includes two previously unavailable bonus tracks, two music videos, and a video interview with Charlotte. Music by Air, lyrics by Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, and produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck).

Customer Reviews:

good, bad, ok..........2007-06-08

Some really horrifyingly great songs with catchy riffs, ambient sounds, mildly interesting instrumentation. Some mediocre singing that doesn't bother me all that much. Overall pretty O.K.

Secret Doors and Delicate Whispers.......2007-06-02

"I feel you all around me
You are everything I cannot see
As the ocean crawls onto the shoreline
So you lap at the edges of me"

Charlotte Gainsbourg's vocals are whispers of silky perfection. With a delicious French sensuality, she merges breathy lyrics by Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon and AIR with music by AIR. It is true to say she could sing anything and sound sexy.

At times the music does overtake her velvety vocals and in "Night-Time Intermission" she almost seems invisible except for giggles and silken nuance. At times the moods of her voice seem more important than the lyrics. The highlight is "Tel Que Tu Es" which is breathtaking.

Wistful and creative poetic lyrics make Charlotte Gainsbourg seem wise beyond her years and at times she reminds me of her mother, Jane Birkin on her Fictions album. Charlotte's shyness in singing, which is very attractive in a delicate way, will in no doubt give way to a full range of vocal ecstasy in future albums.

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. If you love electronica you may also want to check out
the debut album by Evening Ocean - The Attraction.

Like father, like mother, like daughter...!!.......2007-05-16

Her mother Jane Birkin added her breathy, orgasmic tones to her father Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus".

And the family resemblances are unavoidable in Charlotte's album, that voice hesitant, barely a whisper at times, but shimmering with sexiness.

What saves this album from being a lot of Gallic mumblings bound up in its own self-importance is the heavweight help the family name commanded.

Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon are involved in the writing, those Parisian maestros of wafting electronica "Air" are on board, as is "Radiohead" producer Nigel Godrich and Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen, lauded by Brian Eno as "the greatest musician on the planet".

We get the mildly erotic, such as the teasing "Beauty Mark", and we get something like beat poetry in "AF607105", with its stark lines about air travel.

There's also big helpings of the kind of wistful balladeering only the French can muster.

4 * * * * and 1/2.

Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg
The Originals
Songs That We Sing
L'Effrontee

KAY ARE A PEE.......2007-05-10

Um, hello? Has anyone noticed that this woman doesn't know how to sing? Most songs are an over-baked litany of melodramatic metaphors that add up to ... what? Others appear to be some sort of short story told in the past tense. All are whisper-talked by the artist in her faux Gallic/Brit accent that wears poorly as the CD progresses. The few times when the producers require her to actually hit a note are cringe-inducing.

I wanted to like this record and spent $15 of hard-earned cash on it. But I guess there's a good reason why she's only dragged out of storage every ten years.

5:55 Charlotte Gainsbourg.......2007-05-07

What a great album!!! I never knew she sang as well. I have seen her in French movies and enjoyed greatly her acting in those movies. Now I even adore her more, because not only can she act, but she can sing as well!!!
Go Charlotte Go!!!! Can't wait for her next album.

Average customer rating:

Great for the road
Beethoven 25 Favorites
25 Beethoven Favorites
bEtHoVeN mAnIaC
Great Price...Not so good itself

25 Beethoven Favorites

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

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ecossaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | 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
Similar Items:

25 Mozart Favorites
25 Bach Favorites
25 Tchaikovsky Favorites
25 Vivaldi Favorites
25 Classical Favorites

ASIN: B0000058HX
Release Date: 1996-08-20

Tracks:

Egmont Overture - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 21 In C Major - Alfred Brendel
Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor - Jerome Rose
Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor - Jerome Rose
Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor - Jerome Rose
Symphony No. 6 In F Major - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 7 In A Major - Ludwig Van Beethoven
'The Creatures Of Prometheus' Ballet - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Violin Concerto In D Major - Susanne Lautenbacher
Sonata For Violin And Piano No. 5 In F Major - Aaron Rosand
Piano Trio In B Flat - Mannheimer Trio
Fse - Various Artists
Quintet In E Flat For Piano And Winds - Abbey Simon
'Chorale Fantasy' In C Minor For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra - Walter Klien
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat - Alfred Brendel
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G Major - Alfred Brendel
Piano Concerto No. 5 In E Flat - Alfred Brendel
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat - Ludwig Van Beethoven
'The Ruins Of Athens,' - Ludwig Van Beethoven
'Corolian,' - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Ecossaise For Piano - Alfred Brendel
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

Great for the road.......2007-05-11

I found this to be a nice collection of favorites, especially to keep in the car and listen to. It is a variety of well known compilations. Although not encompassing, it is perfect as a review for driving, relaxing, and enjoyment. Plus, the price is right!

Beethoven 25 Favorites.......2006-11-21

Very good! I ordered it especially for Piano Sonata No. 8 Pathetique

25 Beethoven Favorites.......2006-11-05

Good overview of his works----an introduction into his depth as a composer

bEtHoVeN mAnIaC.......2005-11-03

[...] Honestly, it isn't THAT THAT great, but its good enough for its price. I'd say that your $ pays off, for a while. I've noticed how after a long time, it gets aggrivating at times. No harm meant, "Beethoven lover". I just mean don't plunge into this cd with all the hopes in the world. Besides, it's just my opinion, so you may like it more than me. All i can say is; a) listen to some samples before you buy, b)know this is not REALLY the great Beethoven himself, and c) enjoy YOUR music, whatever it may be.

Great Price...Not so good itself.......2005-05-19

This a great priced cd, but the content is why it is so cheap. It's a true-amateur album. Beethoven Lover is over her/his head. This is the real world, not a fantasy-everyone-likes-every-type-of-music world. Deal with it and agree with me. It isn't so great.

Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Toscanini's last Beethoven cycle -- a unique, bargain glimpse of the performing rite
i can't take it anymore
Classic circa 1950 Beethoven Symphony Cycle
Beethoven's symphonies
Great Historical Collection

Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer) , Arturo Toscanini (Conductor) , and NBC Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Brahms: The Four Symphonies
Vaughan Williams: The Nine Symphonies
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol; Russian Easter Overture
Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos
The Verdi Recordings

ASIN: B0000CNTLU
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Customer Reviews:

Toscanini's last Beethoven cycle -- a unique, bargain glimpse of the performing rite.......2007-06-30

This set's insighful and irresistable, especially at the 'Amazon' price. 5 stars from me!

Imagine being able to hear works played by musicians with direct links to performers who've remembered what the composer wanted in performance of his/her works during his/her lifetime. Such opportunities arise through listening to recordings made by maestros like Arturo Toscanini (born 1867, began orchestra conducting 1886) whose musicianship -- not just in terms of scholarship and technical powers -- take us to a view of the contemporary Beethoven performing rite that seems to have dimmed with successive generations. Not that every Toscanini performance of a work is the same -- indeed there's noticeable evolution -- but his basic underlying approach remained sufficiently consistent for it to be captured in recordings, like this set, made quite late in his career (it ended in mid-1954, he died early 1957).

This Beethoven cycle is ADD mono and may not be any sonic improvement over either RCA's "74321", or "GD", series CDs of the same cycle; and it's unlikely to be sonically better than the superb LP transfers in the 100-disc set released (in the late 1970s) by RCA Japan (n.l.a.). But if you don't already own this latest RCA CD package, then, at the 'Amazon' price, it'll be an indispensible part of your Beethoven cycle experience.

The NBC Symphony is in great form (Toscanini reportedly said it didn't really become a top symphony orchestra until around its 1950 continental US tour and these discs are from that period) and the recorded sound, for the most part (say except for the Seventh's last movement) captures the dynamics and unique, chrystaline fabric of the Toscanini orchestral sound.

There's apparently some confusion over whether the set's 'Eroica' is the 1949 "studio" or 1953 "live" (broadcast) performance, but the insert-booklet's per-movement timings indicate it's the 1953 one (which is broader and differently inflected compared to the '49, and some earlier, Toscanini Eroicas; the 1949 one is included in RCA's "GD" CD series). Anyhow, this kind of issue is more for discographers than those out on a journey of important musical discovery.

Buy this set, especially at the price, the performances shouldn't fail to stimulate and inspire!

Some suggested references:-

'The Toscanini Legacy' by Spike Hughes (pub. 'Dover')
'Toscanini and the Art of Conducting' by Robert C. Marsh (pub. 'Collier Books') (in UK, titled 'Toscanini and the Art of Orchestral Performance' (pub. 'Allen & Unwin'))
'Arturo Toscanini - The NBC Years' by Mortimer H. Frank (pub. 'Amadeus Press').

i can't take it anymore.......2007-06-02

i'm tired of aficionado's bashing toscanini around while praising furtwangler as the ultimate interpreter of beethoven. just as an average "uneducated" listener is likely to praise karajan, an average "uneducated" aficionado is likely to praise furtwangler as the only viable option of beethoven performance.
which is just utterly not true!
don't get me wrong - i love furtwangler. he is one of the conductors i revere most, and i DO think that his beethoven is rarely surpassed. but there are a million ways to perform a piece! and most likely than not, this is not a matter of the cliched "subjective vs. objective" argument that most people put forward.
to argue that beethoven would not have conducted his music a la toscanini is absurd. very presumptious, of you ask me. actually, comparing beethoven's metronome markings with furtwangler's and tostanini's recordings, toscanini actually is closer to the norm. furtwangler actually disregards a lot of beethoven's instructions regarding tempi, phrasing, development, dynamics, etc.
many people, including me, would argue that furtwangler is not disregarding beethoven's intentions at all. beethoven's intention when, for instance, composing the first movement of the eroica, was not, as toscanini has said, "allegro con brio." it was the expression of beauty, the expression of the human soul. beethoven might've heard in his head the movement much faster than is usually performed. but music that occures in the mind and in the physical is significantly different (think of printing - the blue on your computer screen doesn't really turn out to be the blue you want when you print it out!). if furtwangler's performances best achieve this end (which i do believe they do), he has serviced beethoven immensly.
but who is to judge that furtwangler expressed what beethoven intended? perhaps beethoven intended a different kind of beauty? a different kind of soul? and this is why people who love music often have more than one record of the same music.
toscanini was a supreme maestro in his own right. he might not have the ability to direct a mind towards musical epiphany like furtwangler, or to steadily provoke the mind and heart to a state of climax like klemperer, but he does have a supreme sense of orchestral control. no one makes tuttis sound like tuttis as toscanini. he also has an insuperable talent of conveying musical excitement: not even erich kleiber, who in my opinion had one of the most powerful rhythmical senses amongst all the great conductors, can imbue a performance with as much explosive propulsion.
i must admit that i was also infected with the "toscanini-hate" for a while, particularly because sergiu celibidache, absolutely one of the greatest conductors, derided him as being a "note-factory." compared with celibidache or furtwangler, toscanini is a note factory. but this is merely because he prefers a more "absolute music" approach. to him, music is not an emotional, or spiritual language. it is just music. what the audience feels from the music is because of the innate quality of the notes themselves, not because the conductor tries to express them. one might say that people who prefer the first chords of the fifth symphony to be blatantly like "fate knocking on the door" would be disappointed by toscanini. but in a sense, such expectations are naive. to some performers and listeners, fate knocking on the door does not have to take on the gothic melodrama that most modern performances aim to achieve.
surely, there are sets out there that please me more - and this is not a collection of toscanini's best performances. there is a particularly noteworthy seventh on naxos coupled with an equally compelling fifth. this collection, however, serves as a worthy exponent of the virtues of toscanin's art.
for catharsis, look to furtwangler. for a sense of musical consummation, look to klemperer. elegance and liveliness, to erich kleiber. rough-edged and fiery, hawk-eyed execution, to schuricht. weingartner, walter, carlos kleiber, bohm, scherchen, and kempe also provide heartwrenching accounts. amongst the HIP performers, only gardiner had me convinced. actually, toscanini wouldn't be on top of my list of favorite beethoven conductors. but for others, he surely is, and it is more than a proper position.

Classic circa 1950 Beethoven Symphony Cycle.......2007-05-30

Toscanini was born in 1867, the same year as my great grandfather. According to RCA, his first gig as a conductor was in 1886! These recordings were made at Carnegie Hall between November 1949 and November 1952 except symphonies 4 & 5 which were taken from NBC broadcasts.

After seeing a great performance of Verdi's La Traviata, I bought Toscanini's rendition of the preludes from this opera. This was in 1978. Toscanini's music were on budget lps at the time. And being in college, I was on a budget. I have several of his budget lps plus this Beethoven Symphony cycle on the RCA plum dog label from the 1950s that I bought used. I have always enjoyed the performances and have always had misgivings about the at best AM radio like fidelity of the recordings.

I recently listened to Toscanini's Brahms Symphonies at Rhapsody and the remastering has almost brought the sonics into the space age. WOW! The Beethoven symphonies too are at Rhapsody. They sound pretty good, but far from the great Analog of the late 50s to when digital kicked in circa 1980. When the music intensifies, it seems to my ear to start to distort a little and get a little shrill. Kinda like a movie theater where you can enter and egress with abandon as long as no one yells "Fire!!"

If we look at the fidelity coming from the 1930s and 40s, all complaints would be dropped and instead our astonishment would be given at just how great they sound. For historical recordings, they do sound GREAT. I enjoyed listening again to them.

Toscanini has gone from being the best thing since sliced bread to being regarded as an out of favor commissar who is now commissaring in outer Siberia. By listening to these recordings I would hope that your perspective will improve and that you would realize that Toscanini was a pretty good conductor, who brought great classical music to the masses, who had wide influence that is still felt thru his understudies, and that he was not the boogie man!

Beethoven's symphonies.......2007-05-12

When the master conducts the master, you will get nothing but a superb rendition of excellent musice. A must for classics lovers

Great Historical Collection.......2007-05-07

Any collection of all nine Beethoven symphonies is likely to have some great recordings and some not-so-great ones, and this collection is no exception. On balance, however, if you appreciate the Toscanini style (generally fast paced), this group ranks very close to the 1963 Karajan with the Berlin SO and right there with Walter and the Columbia SO. Plus, this is the most economical way to get Toscanini's recordings of the third, seventh and ninth, so the others are a "bonus."

Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos

Average customer rating:

Great Performance
Great Analog Beethoven Cycle
An essential collection
The best value in classical music on CD at the moment...
Wonderful Performances

Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Mozart:The Complete Piano Sonatas and Variations
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas / Daniel Barenboim
Dvorák: The Symphonies
Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore

ASIN: B00004YA0S
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Tracks:

I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II: Andante Cantabile Con Moto
III: Menuetto & Trio: Allegro Molto E Vivace
IV: Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
I: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II: Andante Molto Mosso
III: Allegro - In Tempo D'allegro - Tempo I
IV: Allegro
V: Allegretto

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai
III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro Vivace
IV: Finale: Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
Gross Fuge

Tracks:

I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II: Larghetto
III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro
IV: Allegro Molto
I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Andante Con Moto - Piu Mosso - Tempo I
III: Allegro -
IV: Allegro - Presto

Tracks:

I: Adagio - Allegro Vivace
II: Adagio
III: Menuetto: Allegro Vivace - Trio: Un Poco Meno Allegro
IV: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
I: Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
II: Allegretto
III: Presto - Assai Meno Presto
IV: Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

I: Allegro Vivace Con Brio
II: Allegretto Scherzando
III: Tempo Di Menuetto
IV: Allegro Vivace
Overture
Overture
Overture
Overture

Tracks:

I: Allegro Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso - Christa Ludwig
II: Molto Vivace - Presto - Christa Ludwig
III: Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato - Christa Ludwig
IV: Presto - Recitativo - Allegro Assai - Alla Marcia - Christa Ludwig
Overture - Christa Ludwig

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Largo
III: Rondo: Allegro Scherzando
I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Adagio
III: Rondo: Molto Allegro

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Largo
III: Rondo: Allegro
I: Allegro Moderato
II: Andante Con Moto
III: Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra
I: Allegro
II: Adagio Un Poco Mosso -
III: Rondo: Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

Otto Klemperer's Beethoven is one of the towering achievements in the history of recordings. By today's standards, these performances are hopelessly old-fashioned: dark, heavy, and frequently very slow. But they are also the grandest, most unsentimental, most purposeful versions in the catalog. In addition, the relatively slow tempos (only in the fast movements--the slow ones are pretty swift) and forward wind balance permit more detail to be heard than in most original-instrument performances. At budget price and with the entire piano concerto cycle thrown in for good measure, this is greatness incarnate. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Great Performance.......2007-07-07

There are many different ways to perform Beethoven and each one is valid.
If you like it fast - go to Toscanini or Norrington. If you prefer slow, powerful and majestic, this is your set. Towards the end of his distinguished career, the great Otto Klemperer set down his final views of the performance of these symphonnies. The set is a coherent whole and will give great pleasure for ever. The challenging mix of the young Barenboim and the aged Klemperer worked surprisingly well and thus the concertos may also be recommended. There are odd additional items which add to the pleasure. Finally do not forget to purchase his memorable set of 'Fidelio' to complete your traversal of a great conductor giving great performances of a composer that he loved. Finally the price is ridiculously low and provides quality and quantity at a great price. Thus you should be able to buy the opera set from the savings made!

Great Analog Beethoven Cycle.......2007-05-07

This Klemperer cycle is just one of a dozen or so GREAT analog Beethoven symphony cycles that were recorded during Analog's golden age starting about 1958. These cycles are easily a match for digital and they should still be around for another 1,000 years, if the Lord tarries. These sets include: Karajan (twice, early 60s and late 70s) Bohm, Krips, Jochum, Bruno Walter, Leinsdorf, Rene Leibowitz, Szell, Ormandy, Bernstein, Steinberg, and Solti. This morning I listened to the Klemperer recordings of Beethoven's symphonies 5, 6, & 7. Very enjoyable, I got my Beethoven RDA fix.

Of all these Analog sets, I most enjoy the Leibowitz Spring 1961 cycle with the Royal Philharmonic. I have this cycle on an audiophile early 90s European import Edition Phoenix label special pressing "on extra virgin vinyl." These are by far the best analog symphonic lps I have ever heard from a recording standpoint. BY FAR! And they will rock your house.

You can almost justify Karajan's 4 recorded Beethoven cycles and one video based upon improvements in recording technology. Thru Rhapsody, I have listened to his mid 50s cycle and the orchestra sounds great, but the recording quality is sub par compared to Analog's golden age. So the rational for 4 cycles would be, (1) recent great improvements in recording technology (early 60s), (2) it has been 15 years and he has grown as an artist (late 70s), (3) we now have digital! Let's do one of the first Beethoven digital cycles (80s).

Klemperer is a no-brainer. I do not have to think twice about plopping one of his lps onto my turntable or hitting the play button at Rhapsody. When the music starts, the listening pleasure begins. Don't miss his Bruckner symphony recordings!

An essential collection.......2007-04-25

How best to describe Otto Klemperer's perspective on Beethoven's symphonies: grand, heroic, intense, insightful, stubborn, obstinate, detailed, dramatic, monumental, granitic, deeply emotional, never sentimental. This boxed set of the complete symphonies and concerti embodies all of these elements as stands as one of the great achievements of recorded music.

These performances were recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra at its peak, in the sumptuous acoustics of Kingsway Hall in London and in fine and detailed sound, and mostly in the mid-1950's during one of the brief charmed periods of Klemperer's life. EMI's impresario Walter Legge had made him permanent conductor of the Philharmonia, and when Klemperer embarked on this project in his 70's, he was in relatively good mental and physical health (Klemperer could show symptoms of manic depression and survived many health crises - brain tumor, broken bones, paralysis - which would have stopped most people).

By this time Klemperer had slowed the tempi of the fast movements of the Beethoven symphonies (listen to his early 1950's recordings of the 5th and 6th on Vox to hear by how much). This tendency is more pronounced in these studio recordings than in the live performances which were recorded during that era. The slowness is mostly saved by Klemperer's use of "sprung" rhythms, which keep the slow tempi from feeling laggardly.

Klemperer's earliest recordings in this series - symphonies 3, 5 and 7 - predate stereo and were recorded in excellent monaural sound. He rerecorded all three of these symphonies in stereo, but those recordings were made after he burned himself by falling asleep while smoking in bed. All three performances feature slower tempi than the earlier ones (whether this was the conductor's preference or the result of physical incapacity is open to conjecture). In particular, the rerecorded 7th suffered from lax phrasing, inattentiveness and perverse tempi. That is NOT the version contained in this set: fortunately, EMI had simultaneously recorded the earlier version of the 7th in "experimental" stereo, and it is that earlier version which is released here (and in remarkably good stereo). The versions of the 3rd and 5th are the rerecorded stereo ones.

You will find no finer studio versions of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th or 8th. All are insightful, beautifully detailed and powerful. The 2nd clearly looks forward to the 3rd and not back toward Hayden, the 4th is boisterous and vital, the 6th bucolic and sumptuous (not a quality normally associated with Klemperer), the 7th gains in drama what it loses in swiftness and lightness, and in the 8th in particular we see the conductor's empathy to Beethoven's sense of humor. Klemperer had a deep affinity for the "Eroica", and the rerecorded version here, while slower than the 1955 recording, was dubbed by "High Fidelity"'s Harris Goldsmith (no Klemperer fan, he) as "the best Eroica going slow" and is a monumental masterpiece (the second movement is shattering). The 1st, while leisurely, is a lovingly crafted.

That leaves the 5th and 9th. There is no doubt in my mind that the earlier, mono 5th is superior to the remake in this set. We lose that sense of an inevitable onslaught, especially in the outer movements. And the 9th, while similar in conception to the live versions recorded around the same time (on Testament with the Philharmonia and on Music&Arts with the Concertgebouw), suffers from diffuse sound and occasional lack of focus. I emphasize that these recordings of both symphonies are still head and shoulders above most of the competition; we're talking about different levels of greatness here.

Are there superior Klemperer recordings of these symphonies? Yes; but all are live, and despite the relatively good reprocessed sound, they don't reveal the same level of detail that these studio recordings do. Klemperer was a very different conductor in front of an audience, and there is more vitality and drama in the live versions of the 3rd (Testament, with the Danish Symphony), 6th 7th and 8th (Music&Arts with the Concertgebouw) and the 9th (see above). Music&Arts' set of the complete symphonies, recorded live in Vienna in 1960, is long out of print and had cramped sound with poor detail - a supplement to this set, not a replacement.

As to the piano concerti: they are better than one might expect. Barenboim, although steeped in the Germanic performance tradition, is more naturally aligned with the Furtwangler and Edwin Fischer than with Klemperer. However, the two of them actually work together extremely well and this is a fine, insightful set.

Any complete cycle of Beethoven, symphonies or concerti, will have drawbacks. There will be unevenness in the performances, as there are here. But there are advantages to hearing one musician's perspective on the works, especially when (as here) the performer has depth of understanding, integrity of vision, and a structural understanding of the pieces.

The digital remastering is excellent and the sound barely shows its age. This may not be your only complete set of Beethoven's symphonies, but it should be one of them. And at a price this low, it's a bargain too.

The best value in classical music on CD at the moment..........2007-01-02

What is the best value in classical discs available today ? Who knows, but I defy anyone to beat the EMI compilation of Klemperer' recordings of the complete Beethoven Symphonies, Piano Concertos (with Barenboim), several overtures the Choral Fantasia etc etc. 9 discs for only $44 ( well that was the price I paid). You have got to be kidding... I only had two concerns with buying this. First on the age of the recordings, all more than 40 years old. No worry at all. This is a masterpiece of reconstruction. The sound quality indistinguishable from any modern recording. Secondly , the performances themselves. I had been warned that Klemperer notoriously chose rather slow tempi. Again I needn't have worried. I immediately went to the slow movements of the 2nd piano concerto and the fourth symphony, where many slow tempists have in the past come unstuck. The piano concerto was an absolute revelation. The combination of the youthful Barenboim and the Philharmonia's masterful playing time and gain had me on the edge of my seat. " Yes,go on, well...." Slow it may have been. Boring, never. The same applies in spades to the slow movement of the fourth. Right from the eerie opening, which is yes, very slow indeed, I knew this movement would be a revelation and I can honestly say I have never hear it better played. Follow this with a scherzo bounding in energy and thumping finale and you will never get a better performance of this, one of Beethoven's "lesser" symphonies. And I haven't even got round to the "biggies" yet! The box set looks unattractive and the portrait of Klemperer makes him appear a first class nerd. Pay absolutely no attention to this....

Wonderful Performances.......2006-04-07

I have admittedly not made it through the entire set as of yet, but feel sufficiently blown away by the First Symphony and the Eroica - particularly the second movement of the latter - to weigh in here. With respect to the tempo issue, I must - at least so far - argue in favor of Klemperer's decision to slow things down a bit. I think the effect is, as someone else has observed, a clearer and more visceral experience of Beethoven's composition. It brings out the feeling. The sound comes up a little short on the low end, but it isn't a major distraction. My only problem lies in EMI's inexplicable lack of any discussion of the performances. The notes are bland, dry descriptions of the pieces themselves, with some basic history thrown in. Given the fact that there are probably hundreds of different CDs of Beethoven's symphonies out there, all with similar explanatory notes, it is infuriating that nothing is said about these particular performances. This is in contrast with the EMI Bach set (with Yehudi Menuhin) in which there is a wonderful essay that discusses Menuhin's work in historical context.

Average customer rating:

Why are you waiting?
Chopin: Favorite Piano Works
Chopin: Favorite Piano Works (London 2 CD)
chopins Mazurkas
REST FOR THIS WEARY SOUL

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes And Impromptus
Beethoven: Favourite Piano Sonatas / Vladimir Ashkenazy
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 1
Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces
Liszt: Favourite Piano Works

ASIN: B00000427J
Release Date: 1996-02-13

Tracks:

Grande Valse brillante, op. 18
Fantaisie Imprpmptu, Op. 66
Nocturne In E flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
Waltz In A Minor, Op 34 No. 2
Mazurka In D Major, Op. 33 No. 2
Scherzo In B Flat Minor.D Flat Major, Op. 31
Waltz In A flat Major, Op 69 No. 2
Nocturne In F Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2
Waltz In B Minor, Op. 69 No. 2
Ballade In G Minor, Op. 23
Mazurka In B Flat Major, Op. 7 No. 1
Waltz In G Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 1
Nocturne In B Major, Op 32 No. 1
Polonaise In A Flat Major, Op. 53

Tracks:

Ballade No3 In A Flat Major Op.47
Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 45
Waltz In D Flat Major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute'
Waltz In C Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No.2
Etude In C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12 'Revolutionary'
Etude In G Flat Major, Op.10 No.5 'Black Key'
Nocturne In F Minor, Op. 55 No.1
Polonaise In A Major, Op. 40 No. 1 'Military'
Barcarolle In F Sharp Major, Op. 60
Prelude In D Flat Major, Op.28 No. 15 'Raindrop'
Etude In A Minor, Op. 25 No. 11 'Winter Wind'
Etude In E Major, Op. 10 No. 3 'Tristesse'
Scherzo No.3 In C Sharp Minor, Op.39

Customer Reviews:

Why are you waiting?.......2006-12-16

Ashkenazy is one of the titans of Chopin. Davidovich and Arrau are the other two. They're all you need. Get Davidovich for the concertos, (inlcuding the Krakowiak--Op 14), Arrau for the nocturnes and a few micscellaneous pieces. Ashkenazy handles everything else.

(Btw, Ashkenazy vs. Davidovich re. the impromptus is a toss up. But since the impromptus aren't on this disc, you can make that critical decision another time.)

Ashkenazy's scherzo #2 (op. 31) IS the best. Period. Other interpretations that your favorite classical music station may substitute are downright lame.

The rest are basically sublime. The first and 4th ballades will send shivers up your spine by Vlad's sheer technical ability. His artistry is second to none.

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works.......2006-07-25

An excellent complilation of Chopin works which includes 3 of the pieces I am currently learning. Definitely has encouraged me to improve my piano skills and allow me to better appreciate his style of music.

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works (London 2 CD).......2006-02-24

Beautifully done 2 CD of Chopin works. I've played it every weekend since I got it, loving every track. It's well performed and recorded, and is an excellent collection for anyone interested in Chopin or his adopted homeland of Poland. And, of course, you can't often go wrong with the London Label.

chopins Mazurkas.......2005-08-08

this is a wonderful collection of the mazurkas but Ashkenazy plays a lot of them too fast my music teacher played these with more pathos he seems like he cant get done fast enough with some of them some introductions should be slower with more feeling otherwise all the mazurkas i wanted are in this disc just wish i had got better artist like Claude Arrau

REST FOR THIS WEARY SOUL.......2005-03-09

On vinyl I owned Ashkenazy's complete recordings of Chopin's piano works. Prior to purchasing this CD of what I call "highlights from Vladimir's Chopin Recordings", I had not replaced them in this format. What a joy it is to hear Vladimir Ashkenazy play these works again. I'm reminded of how much I loved his playing of Chopin on vinyl looking forward to each "new release" with great anticipation. Being, what is referred to, as a "senior citizen" , Chopin's music means ever so much to me offering rest for this weary soul. Vladimir Ashkenazy's performances on these discs are first rate and ones I truly love. As a previous reviewer pointed out, this compellation is a bargain-great price, great music, great sound and great performances by a master of Chopin's music.

If you love Chopin, as I do, buy this recording it will sooth your soul as only great music can.

Average customer rating:

Those who ignore repeats should be taken outside and shot
One of the best cycles out there - if not the best!
Excellent set of Beethoven's 9 Symphonies
SACD set is better
one of the best beethoven cycles

Beethoven: 9 Symphonies
Ludwig van Beethoven , Herbert Von Karajan , Gundula Janowitz , Waldemar Kmentt , Hilde Rossel-Majdan , and Berlin Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 35-41
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO
Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque
Brahms: The Complete Symphonies / Karajan, Berlin PO
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 2

ASIN: B000001GBQ
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

Symphony No.1 in C major, Op. 21: 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No.1 in C major, Op. 21: 2. Andante cantabile con moto - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No.1 in C major, Op. 21: 3. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No.1 in C major, Op. 21: 4. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op.55 Eroica: 1. Allegro con brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op.55 Eroica: 2. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op.55 Eroica: 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op.55 Eroica: 4. Finale. Allegro molto - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 2 D-dur Op.36: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 2 D-dur Op.36: Larghetto - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 2 D-dur Op.36: Menuet & Trio: Allegro Molto E Vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 2 D-dur Op.36: Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 4 B-dur Op. 60: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 4 B-dur Op. 60: Adagio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 4 B-dur Op. 60: Allegro Vivace: Un Poco Meno Allegro - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 4 B-dur Op. 60: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 5: 1. Allegro Con Brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 5: 2. Andante Con Moto - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 5: 3. Allegro - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 5: 4. Allegro - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 6: 1. Erwachen Heiterer Empfindungen Bei Der Ankunft Auf Dem Lande (Allegro Ma Non Troppo) - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 6: 2. Szene Am Bach (Andante Molto Mosso) - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 6: 3. Lustiges Zusammensein Der Landleute (Allegro) - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 6: 4. Gewitter - Sturm (Allegro) - L.V. Beethoven
Symphonie No. 6: 5. Hirtengesang, Frohe Und Dankbare Gef Hle Nach Dem Sturm (Allegretto) - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphony 7: 1 Poco Sostenuto - Vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 7: 2 Allegretto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 7: 3 Presto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 7: 4 Allegro Con Brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 8: 1 Allegro Vivace I Con Brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 8: 2 Allegretto Scherzando - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 8: 3 Tempo Di Menuetto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony 8: 4 Allegro Vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9: Molto vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9: Adagio molto e cantabile - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9: Presto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9: Presto. - - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Amazon.com essential recording

By general consensus, Herbert von Karajan's first (1963) Beethoven cycle for Deutsche Grammophon is the best of the four (!) that he recorded. The Berlin Philharmonic was in top form, and they had not yet made an artistic fetish out of the bland smoothness that typified the conductor's later recordings of this music (and just about everything else). Karajan's squeaky clean, emotionally cool Beethoven will always be something of an acquired taste, but this set makes the best possible case for it. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Those who ignore repeats should be taken outside and shot.......2007-06-07

Karajan shows no respect for the balance of Beethoven's score. Overall, there is little here to laud or hate......a bonus second star for spectacular execution by the Berlin Phil, without actually playing any music. Glossy, zero rubato, zero sforzati, continuous mezzo forte.

In 20 years, music notation software with masterful samples will sound exactly like this: the most perfect and beautiful sounds a computer can generate. These performances are soulless.

Give me Bernstein/VPO or Solti/Chicago any day over this rubbish.

One of the best cycles out there - if not the best!.......2007-05-05

The 9 Symphonies play a great role in my life because of their sheer beauty and touching deepness. So I have obtained a lot of recordings of these pieces through the years, some of them on CD, some on casette, some on LP. And there are the concerts, of course. As a natural consequence, I have listened to a lot of different interpretations of these masterpieces. All interpretations (well not all but a great majority) have their moments but when I listen to Maestro Karajan's recordings of these, I always discover something that wasn't there the last time I heard. Karajan has always been critiqued for being too mechanical, too much in control but he always introduced something new to the music through his interpretation... The artistical point of the 1963 Karajan cycle has already been talked about a lot, I've got nothing more to say about it, I can only repeat that this cycle is perpahs the best cycle you will ever find. It is one of those works which become to be the yardstick for the later recordings to be compared with.

I was most pleasantly surprised to discover that the sound quality is phenomenal for a 1963 recording, it is better than more recent ADD records. The sound engineering is also very good, it is like having the full orchestra play for you in youor living room. The deep notes of the double basses go right through you while the violins tease your ears in a most pleasent way. So, the sound quality is just great.

I also would like to talk about the CD design, which is something very important for me. I know it is strange but I like to own CDs that have good design. Of course the included material is a lot more important but... Anyway, there are two CD cases with the first one including the first 6 symphonies on 3 CDs, and the other presenting the remaining three on 2 CDs, with the last CD contains the 9th. CDs have mirror surface with the classic DG logo and the contents are listed on the CD itself as well as the booklet. The booklet offers a good read on the 9 symphonies and the cycle presented with the set.

I hope you will enjoy the set as much as I do...

Excellent set of Beethoven's 9 Symphonies.......2007-04-12

I have only one complaint: the first part of both the 5th and 6th
symphonies feel a bit rushed in my view, the tempo seems just a
little fast. Other than that, this is an excellent set of
Beethoven's 9 symphonies, well worth it.

SACD set is better.......2007-03-30

Beethoven's 5th by Karajan was my first classical record purchase.
Thousands of analogue and digital discs later, I again purchased the same 5th and eight others on this CD set.

Karajan lived through the eternal dilemma of the all artists who came after the great predecessors.
At his last Saltsburg Festival, after conducted "Don Giovanni"He said to his wife,

"Furtwangler would have said it wasn't all that great."
She consoled the Maestro,
"It was! It was!"
Karajan had a life long struggle with legacy of Furtwangler and was not too sure if he won.

Well, his style and interpretations are definitely non-Furtwangler, or to more precisely put non-German.
It seems to me that Karajan tried to avoid playing Beethoven's music in conjunction with German culture and spirituality.

Whether his attempt was successful one or not, has been a topic of many music critics and connoisseurs.

Personally, I have a mixed feeling toward this cycle.
I like No.1, 2 and 7 very much. However, there are some flaws; for instance in the fourth movements of 5th and 9th,
cello, bass, tympani and all lower notes suddenly disappear. All you hear is the first violin all the way to coda with painfully
bright tone.(This is more obvious if you own high resolution Audiophile stereo system)

Wonder if this deletion of bass is a part of Karajan's interpretations or a fault of old analog recorder, which is incapable of
recording loud passages?

In each symphonies, the first violin is always exaggerated over other instruments. I think that is the reason why some people
call these recordings "light" Beethoven.

If you must listen to Karajan's Beethoven Symphonies, I would recommend SACD reissue, which is more expensive and bass is
still thin but tonal quality is somewhat more acceptable.

And if you want to listen to the best Beethoven cycle, do yourself a favor:
Obtain the 9 symphonies by Furtwangler.

This set is not my first choice.

one of the best beethoven cycles.......2007-02-22

generally this set is one of the best beethoven cycles, audio is good considering that this recording was done in the 60's. though the string section of the orchestra was quite dominant, the wind instruments were sonically weak maybe due to placements of microphones during recording( compare with carlos kleiber beethoven symphonies). Last movement of symphony no. 9 seems to be lacking of the high frequecy content of the sound. it seems that there was a cutting of the full audio frequency. maybe they were trying to suppress the noise but the fidelity of the audio was sacreificed. overall this cycle is a must for a beethoven fan.

Beethoven's Wig, Vol. 2: More Sing-Along Symphonies

Average customer rating:

Greatest baby gift ever
Great for the whole family
More Great Fun
One is better but this is still awesome!! Gotta have it!
Absolute joy, and endless fun!

Beethoven's Wig, Vol. 2: More Sing-Along Symphonies

Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Educational | Children's Music | Styles | Music

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

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
Beethoven's Wig 3: Many More Sing-Along Symphonies
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage
Mr. Bach Comes To Call
World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English!

ASIN: B0001I2C8O
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

Stuck In The Saddle Again (Light Cavalry March, Suppe)
Sing Verdi Very Loud (La donna e mobile, from Rigoletto, Verdi)
Its The Same Every Verse (In The Hall of The Mountain King, from Peer Gynt Suite, Grieg)
Musical Bs (Hungarian Dance #5, Brahms)
Dont Play That Violin (Violin Concerto #2, Paganini)
Schuberts Trout (Trout Quintet, Schubert)
Dvorak The Czechoslovak (Humoresque #7, Dvorak)
A Fan of Chopin (Prelude 7, Op. 28, Chopin)
Please Do Not Tease The Viennese (Blue Danube Waltz, Strauss)
Its Spring! (Spring, from The Four Seasons, Vivaldi)
Wow What a Wedding Cake (Wedding March, from A Midsummer Nights Dream,. Mendelssohn)
Instrumental Performances:
Light Cavalry March, Suppe
La donna e mobile, from Rigoletto, Verdi (with vocals)
In The Hall of The Mountain King, from Peer Gynt Suite, Grieg
Hungarian Dance #5, Brahms
Violin Concerto #2, Paganini
Trout Quintet, Schubert
Humoresque #7, Dvorak
Prelude 7, Op. 28, Chopin
Blue Danube Waltz, Strauss
Spring, from The Four Seasons, Vivaldi

Amazon.com

From a pure-pleasure standpoint, the first Beethoven's Wig was nothing to flip over, and the second disc in the series follows suit. However, that is not to say that this is not a valuable and possibly ingenious record. Those unfamiliar with the premise will quickly get the picture: Producer/writer/lead singer/chief clever guy Richard Perlmutter gathers a bundle of important classical works (Paganini's "Violin Concerto #2," Strauss' "Blue Danube Waltz") and makes up silly, catchy lyrics to lay over them, informing the listener about the piece or its composer. Standing out for their offbeat brilliance this time are "Dvorak the Czechoslovak" ("Humoresque #7," Dvorak) and "Wow What a Wedding Cake" (Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mendelssohn). Few stabs at mixing education with entertainment succeed so well. As a bonus, the second half of the CD repeats the symphonies straight up, presenting a neat opportunity to quiz kids 5-12 on what and who they've just heard. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Greatest baby gift ever.......2007-03-15

Both of my grandchildren (and their parents and grandparents) are hooked on this CD and all of the silliness and beauty it brings into our lives. We sing to it, dance to it, and find ourselves thinking about it at odd times. Who can't love singing Verdi VERY LOUD? I've now started giving this as a simple baby gift, especially to those with older siblings. They are already equipped with clothing and nursery gear, and Beethoven's Wig invites the whole family to gather round...even if it is just on short car rides.

Great for the whole family.......2007-01-04

My husband, 18 month old daughter and I all love this CD. It's a staple in the car. One caveat- these lyrics will get stuck in your head and I now find myself singing the "words" to these songs when I hear them in a store or commercial! I'm hoping this means my daughter will recognize these songs as she gets older.

More Great Fun.......2006-03-13

Like the first volume, this CD encourages young children to enjoy classical music. The silly lyrics sometimes impart factual information on the composer or the piece. There are 11 sing-along symphonies and then the 11 symphonies are replayed without the lyrics--total of 22 tracks. Booklet with lyrics and trivia is included. All our children (aged 2-12) enjoy this CD, as do we.

One is better but this is still awesome!! Gotta have it!.......2006-01-10

My children loved Beethovens Wig 1. I checked this one out at the library. Then, we decided we had to have this one too.
Yes, one is the best but 2 is still wonderful.
Save yourself the shipping and order both at the same time.
We all thoroughly enjoy it. My 4 yr old can name these classicals when he hears them elsewhere and he can hum these beautiful songs. Much better than kiddie rhymes and Disney jingles. Culture your children the funniest way!!

Absolute joy, and endless fun!.......2005-11-15

The tunes and word stay with you and before you know it, you are signing them along. My two kids (ages 9 and 7) ask me to put the CD on as soon as we get into the car. What a wonderful and fun way to get them to love classical music!

Beethoven Collection: Symphonies Nos. 1-9, Complete Recording (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Beethoven Collection
Amazing!
An excellent introduction to beethoven's symphonies.
Beethoven Collection
Top music!

Beethoven Collection: Symphonies Nos. 1-9, Complete Recording (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

25 Mozart Favorites
25 Tchaikovsky Favorites
25 Vivaldi Favorites
25 Bach Favorites
25 Beethoven Favorites

ASIN: B000001VVY
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 Op. 67 C Minor: Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 5 Op. 67 C Minor: Andante con motto
Symphony No. 5 Op. 67 C Minor: Scherzo - Allegro
Symphony No. 5 Op. 67 C Minor: Finale - Allegro
Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 B Flat Major: Adagio - Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 B Flat Major: Adagio
Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 B Flat Major: Menuetto, Allegro vivace Trio: un poco meno allegro
Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 B Flat Major: Allegro ma non troppo

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 Op. 55 E Flat Major, 'Eroica': Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 3 Op. 55 E Flat Major, 'Eroica': Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
Symphony No. 3 Op. 55 E Flat Major, 'Eroica': Scherzo-Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 3 Op. 55 E Flat Major, 'Eroica': Finale-Allegro molto
Symphony No. 8 Op. 93 F Major: Allegro vivace e con brio
Symphony No. 8 Op. 93 F Major: Allegretto scherzando
Symphony No. 8 Op. 93 F Major: Tempo di menuetto
Symphony No. 8 Op. 93 F Major: Allegro vivace

Tracks:

Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 F Major: Allegro ma non troppo
Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 F Major: Andante molto mosso
Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 F Major: Allegro
Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 F Major: Allegro
Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 F Major: Allegretto
Symphony No. 2 Op. 36 D Major: Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 2 Op. 36 D Major: Larghetto
Symphony No. 2 Op. 36 D Major: Scherzo Allegro
Symphony No. 2 Op. 36 D Major: Allegro molto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 A Major: Poco sostenuto - vivace
Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 A Major: Allegretto
Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 A Major: Presto - Assai meno presto
Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 A Major: Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 1 Op. 21 C Major: Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 1 Op. 21 C Major: Andante cantabile con moto
Symphony No. 1 Op. 21 C Major: Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace)
Symphony No. 1 Op. 21 C Major: Finale Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9 Op. 125 In D Minor: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 Op. 125 In D Minor: Molto vivace - Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 Op. 125 In D Minor: Adagio molto e cantabile - Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 Op. 125 In D Minor: Presto - Allegro assai - Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

Beethoven Collection.......2007-05-14

I just got this for my brother-in-law as a gift and he loves it!

Amazing!.......2007-01-24

Having Beethoven's Symphonies in one, very affordable, set is heaven! The recordings are clear and crisp. Each symphony is truly a masterpiece from the very soft tones of the woodwinds to the thundering sounds of horns. It is amazing to listen to certain passages of Beethoven and realize the genius and otherworldliness of his talent.

An excellent introduction to beethoven's symphonies........2007-01-11

The sound is excellent, and the musicianship and conducting is excellent.

Beethoven Collection.......2006-07-23

Beethoven is my favorite composer. No matter how upset or tired I am, his music calms me down, just like a big, gentle hug.
But the cheap CDs have poor quality. And the good ones are too expensive for me. When I found this collection, with such a good price on Amazon.com, I couldn't believe it. Shortly after I purchased it, I received it. The quality is great. I am enjoying it. Thank you

Hoda

Top music!.......2006-07-19

Everything else you can get over, but classical music like Beethoven is stuff you just can't get sick of. A whole collection of Beethoven's Symphonies for such a small price, Wow!. Classical music is so relaxing and peaceful that you can't go wrong with spending time chillin out to this pure classic. The symphonies are great but after this you've got to go get the sonata's etc and I guarantee you won't be dissapointed!

Think about it, they don't call it classical for nothing.

Average customer rating:

Yo-Yo Ma is a genius

The Dvorak Album

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | 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:

Simply Baroque
Paris La Belle Époque
Yo-Yo Ma - Simply Baroque II ~ Bach & Boccherini / ABO, Koopman
Vivaldi's Cello
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

ASIN: B0002VEPIU
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Concerto in B minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 104
Klid (Silent woods) for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68, No. 5
Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor, Op. 72
Humoresque No. 7 in G-flat Major, Op. 101
Songs My Mother Taught Me from Gypsy Melodie, Op. 55

Amazon.com

This compilation of music by Dvorak played by Yo-Yo Ma is just beautiful. Ma seems to understand just when Dvorak wants to be super-Romantic and sappy and when he is in fact being merely his usual expressive self. The former comes into bloom with the Slavonic Dance, in which he's accompanied by Itzhak Perlman and "Songs My Mother Taught Me," with Patricia Zander at the piano. But when it comes to revealing Dvorak as one of the most insightful and truly passionate of composers, with a particular understanding of the cello, Ma's playing of the B minor Concerto (under Kurt Masur, with the New York Philharmonic), the latter description comes into play. Ma gets every nuance out of the cello, and the way in which Masur, for instance, leads the winds against the cello at the start of the 2nd movement is just gorgeous. "Klid" ("Silent Woods") is given a deeply affecting reading as well, under Seiji Ozawa. 2004 is the 100th anniversary of Dvorak's death; this CD is fine tribute. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Yo-Yo Ma is a genius .......2004-11-16

words fail me on how to describe performance in this CD.It's very good, one of the best interpretations I have heard in a very long time. I must confess that since i discovered Ma du Pre I have not been able to listen to anything else nor did I attempt to do so. But out of the blue I bumped into this CD by chance & after hearing Yo Yo Ma's phraising especially the 1st movement infact the whole of Dvorak Cello was like something new to me.Ma plays with passion,emotions & strong commitment to the music in a different way.The Ochestra is in top form & allows the solo cello to shine at the right time.I never thought there is another interpretation that could surpass M.Rostropovich(Im sorry to say this I know he is a living legend & the 1969 record with Karajan is held in high esteem). Ma is accompanied by my favourate violinist Itzhak Perlman on "Humosresque no.7 for piano" & "Slavonic Dance no.10 in E minor"- the results are so sweet as many people know Perlman is a romantic specialist his tone with Ma's cello is heavenly.With regard to the "songs my mother taught me" the cello sounds good not best for the track personally im so used to hear the song being played on violin.There's nothing wrong with the cello it's just that it 's tone is a bit too strong for the composition but it's very well interpreted by Ma. They call this transcription in musical terms. Actually Ma deserves an apology as im one of those who have accused him of lacking in emotions &"look at me now i can play anything" attitude.I think those allegations are baseless & unwarranted when u hear this CD u will know u are into something beautiful. Overall grab this very fast before many people realise Yo-Yo Ma 's greatest gift of song.

International Music:

International Music

International Music