Liszt & Schumann: Organ Music

On this CD:

1. Fantasia & Fuge über den Choral "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", for piano, 4-hands, S. 624 (LW B8)
Composed by Franz Liszt

2. Präludium und Fuge über das Motiv B.A.C.H. (I & II), for organ, S. 260 (LW E3)
Composed by Franz Liszt

3. Variationen über das Motiv von Bach: Weinen, Klagen, for organ, S. 673 (LW E17)
Composed by Franz Liszt

4. Sketches (4) for pedal piano, Op. 58
Composed by Robert Schumann

Tracks:

II: Andante - Stephen Hough
I: Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring) - Dame Moura Lympany
Nocturne No. 2 In E Flat - John Ogdon
Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
II: Adagio - Cecile Ousset
Tango - Dame Moura Lympany
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat - John Ogdon
Waltz No. 9 In A Flat - Dmitri Alexeev
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini - Cecile Ousset
Traumerei - Dame Moura Lympany
La Maja Y El Ruisenor - Magda Tagliaferro
Nocturne No. 5 In F-sharp Minor - Maurizio Pollini
Gymnopedie No. 1 - Aldo Ciccolini
Fur Elise - Dame Moura Lympany
Etude In E 'Tristesse' - John Ogdon
Fruhlingslied - Daniel Adni
II: Andante - Dmitri Alexeev

Tracks:

II: Adagio Cantabile - Walter Gieseking
II: Romanze - Annie Fischer
Aria - Maria Tipo
II: Romance (Larghetto) - Garrick Ohlsson
Granada - Gonzalo Soriano
Waltz No. 15 In A Flat - Maura Lympany
II: Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
An Den Fruhling - Daniel Adni
Nocturne No. 10 In A Flat - Daniel Adni
II: Adagio Un Poco Mosso - Walter Gieseking
La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin - Dame Moura Lympany
Cancons I Dansas No. 1 - Gonzalo Soriano
II: Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
Prelude No. 15 In D Flat 'Raindrop' - Dmitri Alexeev
Gnossienne No. 1 - Aldo Ciccolini
Berceuse - Jean-Philippe Collard
Minuet In G - Dame Moura Lympany
Berceuse In D Flat - Peter Donohoe

Customer Reviews:

something to have.......2007-03-14

These CD's are filled with all the awesome relaxing songs for the evening when you need it. It is just one of those must have items in your CD collection.

Excellent Music.......2007-02-19

This album was a "try and see" purchase but I love it. It makes great dinner music, great music to drift off to sleep with, or just nice background filler during social events needing a softer tone. It is not all solo piano music if that s what you are after; the other instruments blend very well however and don't challenge the piano playing. It is a piano album after all!

buy now.......2006-09-01

Want to know why I think the piano is the best musical instrument ever invented? Because no matter how the piano is played, it will always sound good. Whether the music is fast, slow, quiet or loud, it ALWAYS delivers with an appealing sound. This is something you need to buy.

Lovely.......2006-02-22

This is a beautiful calming cd. The playing is excellent and the pieces are well chosen.

Aesthetically Pleasing.......2005-09-14

I simply love piano music. If you're looking to relax, enjoy a peaceful time, then you must check out this album. If you truly enjoy piano music, this album is by far one of the best you can purchase.

As it says....it is the "Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever..." Well, I haven't listened to all piano albums in the world, but I don't need to, this one is just perfect for me, and I think you will agree!

I would say the pianists' are extremely accomplished. At times, I would admit-it's a bit 'spine tingling'!

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

Average customer rating:

the most relaxing classical music in the university
Relaxing Classical Music
Stress-freedom
Greatly enjoy!
the most relaxing classical music in the universe

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe
Johann Sebastian Bach , Ralph Vaughan Williams , George Frideric Handel , Gustav Holst , Samuel Barber , Edvard Grieg , Jean Sibelius , Antonin Dvorak , Franz Liszt , Charles Gounod , Fryderyk Chopin , Alexander Borodin , Maurice Ravel , Antonio Vivaldi , Satie, Erik , and Various Artists
Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mozart for Relaxation

ASIN: B00008RH16
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

Canon - Pachelbel
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik-Andante - Mozart
Fur Elise - Beethoven
String Quartet #1 - Tchaikovsky
Clair De Lune - Debussy
Idyl for Strings - Adagio - Janacek
Adagio in G Mnor - Albinoni
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Debussy
Air on a G String - Bach
Greensleeves - Vaughn Williams
Largo from Xerxes - Handel
Prelude in C - Bach
The Planets - Venus - Holst
Goldberg Variations - Aria - Bach
Adagio for Strings - Barber

Tracks:

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Debussy
Fur Elise - Beethoven
Holberg Suite - Sarabande - Grieg
Valse Triste - Sibelius
Concerto in F Minor - Largo - Bach
Serenade for String - Moderato - Dvorak
Liebestraume - Liszt
Ave Maria - Bach/Bounod
Etude in E Major - Chopin
String Quartet No 2 - Nocturne - Borodin
Arabesque - Debussy
Pavane for Dead Princess - Ravel
The Four Seasons - Largo - Vivaldi
Gymno0pedie 1 - Satie
Moonlight Sonata - Adagio - Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 21 - Andante - Mozart "Elvira Madigan"

Customer Reviews:

the most relaxing classical music in the university.......2007-05-12

All my favorites. I can start the CD player, which is wired to speakers in every room of my house, and just let it play, along with "The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the World" and "The Most Relaxing Classical Guitar in the World." I enjoy an awareness of familiar and beautiful strains of my favorites all day long and never get tired of it.

My brother visited me recently and noticed it right away. That will be another order for this fabulour music.

Relaxing Classical Music.......2007-01-08

I was not really a classical music fan but I am now. I purchased this cd for my 14 year old grand-daughter, not knowing we would both enjoy the music so much. She has always enjoyed classical music along with all of the other teen music, rap, rock, country, etc.
Also, it really helped being able to listen to parts of the music before purchasing.

Stress-freedom.......2006-03-14

Perfect music to end the work day. After listening to this I can face the evening. If the morning is hard, a little at lunch time gets me through the afternoon.

Greatly enjoy!.......2006-02-23

I first developed a taste for this music a number of years ago when my daughter started playing in the orchestra. The reason I made this purchase however, was because I have a great deal of difficulty with anxiety and I was looking for ways to find help. I love these CDs. It helps so much to sit and close my eyes and enjoy the music. The CDs are full of beautiful music.

the most relaxing classical music in the universe.......2005-09-21

it's the best next to the first one...

Average customer rating:

Music to my ears!
Legend!
Probably the Best Piano CD ever!
An exquisite recording...read on!....
BRILLIANT!

The World's Favorite Piano Music

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Piano Favorites

ASIN: B000003F8F
Release Date: 1992-07-14

Tracks:

Liebestraum No.3
Prelude In G Minor
Fur Elise
Turkish March
Prelude In E-flat
Reverie
Prelude In C-sharp Minor
Prelude In G
Waltz In A-flat
Consolation No. 5
Moment Musical No. 3
Intermezzo In E-flat Minor
Kinderszenen opus 15 Tramrei
Barcarolle
Intemezzo In C-sharp Minor
Prelude In C-minor
Fantasie-mpromptu

Customer Reviews:

Music to my ears!.......2007-04-04

I bought this CD as a "treat" for my 16 year old son, who has just finished a homeschool music course for one of his electives. The last part of the course required listening to music from all the great composers, Baroque through contemporary periods, and identifying the more famous pieces by name and composer. He not only enjoyed the course, he now actually listens to this CD for his own enjoyment (when he's not playing 80's rock). What more could a mother ask for? (I'll tell you. I ask him to borrow it, it's lovely.)

Legend!.......2006-10-11

This is the greatest compilation of recordings ever made by the legendary pianist Van Cliburn. Although I am a cellist, I wear this cd out on a regular basis both at the office and home. I actually have an extra copy to play at the office. All of these recordings are superb in sound quality, performance and incredibly inspiring. The Schumann, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt pieces are stellar and my personal favorites. I only wish there were dvd's with Cliburn's performances for those of us too young to have seen him perform live. CD is a must-have for any classical music lover's collection.

Probably the Best Piano CD ever!.......2006-04-13

If you like Piano music, this is the CD for you. Van Cliburn is at home with great songs that anyone will recognize. It is a masterfully performed set of songs for anyone.

An exquisite recording...read on!...........2005-03-13

Contains a masterful rendition of Beethoven's "Fur Elise", which happens to be one of my favorite classical pieces -- I have a smooth-jazz-pop-dance version of this tune on my own album, "Classy Cool: Classical Favorites, Made Cool" (Google keyword "Motionizer" to find it)

BRILLIANT!.......2004-12-01

usually i don't listen to classical music that much.. i'm 14! but i really enjoy piano so when i saw this music i started to listen to it and i cant beleive how fantastic it is! It is a must have for piano lovers, because the mood of the music varies so much that there is something to suit every mood! My personal favourite is track 2 i can't stop listening to it! I really recommend this cd it is so good.

Average customer rating:

Volodos the Artist
Arcady Volodos, plays Franz Liszt + SACD = Liszt reincarnate?
Fabulous Liszt
Beyond Stunning
More thrilling Liszt would be hard to imagine

Volodos Plays Liszt

Manufacturer: Sony Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000MGB0JW
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Tracks:

Années de pèlerinage I - Suisse, S 160; No. 6 La vallée d'Obermann
Années de pèlerinage II - Italie, S. 161; No. 2 Il penseroso
St François d'Assise, S. 175; No. 1 La prédication aux oiseaux
Bagatelle sans tonalité, S. 216a
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13, S. 244/13
Années de pèlerinage II - Italie, S. 161; No. 1 Sposalizio
Prelude in F minor after Bach "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen", S. 179
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173; No. 7 Les Funérailles
La lugubre gondola (Trauergondel) No. 2, S. 200/2
En rêve (Nocturne), S. 207

Customer Reviews:

Volodos the Artist.......2007-05-31

When Liszt was made Director of the new Musical Academy of Budapest, he insisted that all piano students study composition and improvisation. Very few pianists these days have ventured to mix composition and piano playing; the last known few were Busoni, Rachmaninoff, and even Horowitz. All legends of the pianoforte. When Volodos released his first CD, Piano Transcriptions, he set himself apart from the new age of piano virtuosos. He was a singer and conductor before venturing into piano playing. His Turkish March and Cello Paraphrases are musical gems that are rarely seen in this day and age. He has no fear of including his own cadenzas to the pieces that the composer suggests.
After 3 years of complete silence, Volodos returns with an all Liszt CD. And not the commonly known pieces: Valle d'Oberman, Sposalizio, and the atonal Bagatelle. All played perfectly and evocating the deepest memories of Liszt's emotions. Volodos does not need to struggle with such things as technique, he works directly with the sound and the images they convey. He would have been a perfect pupil of Liszt.
After having purchased all of his discs, I'd recommend the Transcriptions and Rach 3 concerto CDs for further Volodos listening. Let us hope more CDs from the blessed hands of Volodos.

Arcady Volodos, plays Franz Liszt + SACD = Liszt reincarnate?.......2007-05-27

Listening to this SACD in multiple channels, I felt faint.

For starters, a listener simply has to hear this recital quite a few times before it even begins to sink in, as music. Like some deity with multiple arms, Volodos exhibits a sheer and athletic physical command of the Steinway keyboard so high and effortless that few players, indeed, could even move into a nearby technical neighborhood. His playing somehow seems to evoke combined associations with Alpine glacier skiing, luge, Houdini-like death-defying escapes, myth about King Midas golden touch, the finest possible human or animal gymnastics, ballet, modern dance, and maybe even the ancient Greek myth of Icarus.

Whew.

After a few spins, I stopped sitting in my listening room, jaw dropped and mind completely numbed by the sheer, vertiginous physical presto-chango of it all. Letting my ears and mind and heart seep past those outer flash barriers, then I could begin to get an inkling of this Liszt recital as music.

Whew, what music.

We continue to have an vaguely fond and enduring image of Franz Liszt - part genius, part virtuoso, part charlatan. Like one of those extremely well-read figures that used to pop up in novels or theater, an itinerant alcoholic (more often than not) who knew Shakespeare exhaustively without erring from memory, but who couldn't resist hamming it all up, every single time. We have grown a tad wary and cautious these days when Liszt gets programmed into a recital or concert. We rather regularly anticipate that one part genius to two parts glitz and blitz will be par for the musical course.

Not here and not with Arkady Volodos.

Vallee d'Obermann erupts at times from the Steinway keyboard as if we were reliving Vesuvius and the ancient panoramas of Pompeii. But Volodos' high-minded focus on the immense scale of the musical narrative never falters. He always finds the lyrical through lines of even the most complex or animated passages. Hearing him do this so consistently is a bit like being able to ride lightning, thanks to an Oppo touch of a button. Suddenly the arch-Romantic Era notion of the soul as an angel of embodied fire seems entirely less far-fetched and fanciful than before I put this SACD on for the first of many spins.

Whew, what a composer.

Could any number of later, great musical figures have dug so deep into musical color, musical electricity or magnetism or atonal dark matter - without Franz Liszt cracking open all these doors, just so? Note to Sony BMG marketing: Volodos must do the Scriabin piano sonatas as soon as he can manage recording them. Unless he says, No and has other fish to fry.

Pensoroso moves into other realms. The fires in this piece are completely banked, transforming all the extrovert mad feeling of the preceding work into something so sad and inward that it is difficult to grasp intellectually, and probably the only way to hear it is to let it take hold of you as you listen, and make you feel ethereal atmospheres which cannot quite be apprehended. Is this thought really a thought? A sensation? A perception? A mood? A feeling? Before one can figure it all out, the work is finished, and we are on to the next track.

Saint Francis preaching to the birds opens yet another, distinctive and fantastic musical vision. Volodos has his incredible way with the birds speaking, and perhaps under this magic spell a listener may be forgiven for believing that, like Siegfried after he has tasted Fafner's spilled blood, we really do hear and understand something Nature is saying to us, utterly beyond practical words rooted in socialization and culture. The religious overtones are clear - but never render the saint's sermonizing in any religiously amateurish or overly sentimentalized manner. Imagine Franz Liszt glimpsing realms within which modern French composer Olivier Messiaen would later take mystical and musical wing.

The Bagatelle without Tonality simply shows us how easy it already was in music by the composer's era to start floating free of the received legacy tonal hierarchies. The ability of the piece's harmonic aura to shift gears, turning deftly on a single note reminds one of Beethoven's abilities in this regard; but Liszt is reaching far beyond Beethoven's enharmonic or other key changes. A sprite breathes upon us in this seemingly improvised encounter. Can we trust our eyes or ears? Do we partly realize how wispy and homespun the brain's perceptions really are, of a constantly-changing and transforming world that is not at all solid?

Hungarian Rhapsody 13 returns us to the culturally rooted Franz Liszt, proud of his Hungarian ethnic heritage. Volodos has made his own arrangements of the original, suited ever so artfully to his own special high abilities. Now it takes a certain respect and technical reputation to get away with this sort of thing, at minimum, and Volodos obviously in this regard is the closest living performer who could stand without the slightest glare or embarrassment in the lineage of, say, Vladimir Horowitz.

Unlike even Horowitz, however, Volodos yields not a moment's sense of strain or effort. He manages the rhapsody so well that when he lets his fingers rise to break free of Planetary Gravities, we feel that freedom is the inevitable fulfillment of the earthbound restraint and pull that makes things cohere. What keeps this rhapsody from being nothing but a tasty bon-bon is the immense fun and joy that Volodos has in his way with it. Like running outside on a very fine Spring day, with the breezes let loose and the saps of Nature running, full flow. One feels very green, very young, juiced.

Oops. Space is running out for comments. Get this disc now unless you are terribly allergic to the piano or to Liszt.

The rest of the SACD is every bit as wonderful as the first has been.

Fabulous Liszt.......2007-05-08

This is without question the best recording of Liszt's piano music I have ever heard. Many of the selections are late works that tend to be rarely played, and certainly not played with this amount of skill. I now find myself appreciating these pieces much more than I had before. Volodos makes this music sound beautiful and visionary. While I hope in the future to hear Volodos' take on the Sonata and the Petrarch sonatas, and other of the more popular Liszt works, I think this CD is a magnificant achievement, a landmark recording.

Beyond Stunning .......2007-05-02

Arcadi Volodos is the pianist to watch. He seems to believe the 88 keys of the piano are not enough. This recording is gorgeous - beyond stunning. I have been a fan of the wide range of Liszt's keyboard and orchestral music for decades: this recording is the finest I have ever heard - beyond Bolet, Arrau, Horowitz, Brendel, Richter, Nyiregyhazi, Wild. Only Cziffra is close, in interpretation. Volodos mingles passion, introspection, technical brilliance and a sense of Liszt's importance to the musical traditions from which he emerged and which drew from him. Liszt is rare in that his life (from 1811 - 1886) enabled him to reflect and influence generations of composition. You can hear the stirrings of Debussy, Gershwin and Rachmaninoff in his music.

Volodos plays pieces from various parts of Liszt's career. These selections are most judiciously chosen. For those who like their Liszt at white heat, with fireworks and brio, the disc is a delight: Volodos is amazing. He has superlative command of the keyboard. But Liszt, a true Romantic and an abbe in the Catholic Church, was also capable of rare sensitivity, calm, introspection, and humility. His religious music, though sometimes simple and sweet, is profoundly moving. Volodos again reaches depths many pianists have not plumbed, with an effect that gives this music a power far beyond words. It is overwhelming how much emotion, experience and insight are found in this single recording. It will take several sessions to sit and listen to these pieces and let them sink in. Playing it all at once is simply too much to absorb. I had to put it aside for a day to let it sink in but I am eagerly awaiting the chance to be transported again by any of these mesmerizing works. Volodos is the greatest thing to happen to the piano since Horowitz and Richter, rolled into one. He is in his 30's. There should be much more from him. Already his recordings sound like more. I have simply been amazed at his recordings of Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Schubert and Scriabin, among others. And the sound - ! This is a hybrid super audio CD. It is exquisite even if you do not have a super-audio CD player and the added speaker(s). I agree entirely with the other reviewer. You will not regret buying this.

More thrilling Liszt would be hard to imagine.......2007-04-18

Volodos made a huge impact with his first CD ten years ago, an unknown ?Russian of 24 who had acquired a technique equal to Horowitz. All the more remarkable was the fact that he had started seriously studying the piano at age 16, his previous background being in singing and conducting. There's such a plethora of Russians with lightning fingers that something more is nee4ded, and Volodos offered sensitive musicanship, a natural ability to phrase, and gorgeous tone. He has remained at the top of the profession form the day he first appeared.

Here Volodos leans into strength with Liszt, whose Second Hungarian Rhapsody was one of the knockouts on his first CD. The program includes a cluster of Lidzt's gnomic, terse late works, three great pieces taken from the Annees de pelerinage series, and a scatterig of showpieces and rarities. It's a very agreeable mix, and Volodos plays with enormous sonority, captured extremely well by the vivid close-up recording that takes us into the heart of the instrument. Pianists could only dream of such sonic realism even a few years ago--the thundering octaves of Vallee d'Obermann send chills down the spine.

Vallee d'Obermann opens the recital, and Volodos makes a triumph out of its long, long melodic lines and spare fingering. This is one of the most convincing versions I've heard in years. As much as I hate to disparage Kissin, Volodos in many ways has gone where Kissin should have gone--inward. Both have technique to burn, but Volodos makes you think and feel in a way that only the younger Kissin did. Perhaps Volodos is a touch too serious; he wants to convince us that Liszt's music isn't flash and fireworks, which qite often it is, even in the best pieces. But I doubt anyone will have complaints. It would be hard to imagine a more thriling recital.

Average customer rating:

Martha shows up
WOW! Absolutely stunning!
Undeniably Argerich
You have to listen to this Lizst sonata
Unbelievably Amazing...

Debut Recital / Martha Argerich

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GQJ
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

No. 3 C Sharp Minor, Op.39: Scherzo No. 3 In C Sharp Minor, Op.39
Rhapsody, Op.79: No.1 Agitato In B Minor
Rhapsody, Op. 79: No. 2 Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro In G Minor
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Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Quasi Adagio
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Amazon.com essential recording

Classical music people, critics in particular, have a reputation for being grumpy, and this disc illustrates why. It's called Martha Argerich Debut Recital. Now, what does this tell you about it? Nothing, that's what. And the title isn't even correct! Actually, there's more material here than appeared on her debut recital, not the least of which is a stunning Liszt Sonata in B minor, which is the major work on the disc. When one of the two or three greatest living pianists turns in a performance of a major work like the Liszt Sonata that has been generally acclaimed, you would think that her record company would somehow get that piece of news into the title of the recording. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Martha shows up.......2007-07-22

If you are a piano afficionado, especially solo piano, you're gonna wanna hear Martha play.

WOW! Absolutely stunning!.......2007-01-16

I just bought this disc and was blown away by it. It was everything I thought it would be and then some. It has to be one of the great piano recital CDs of all time. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this.

Undeniably Argerich.......2006-11-08

Any one interested in knowing how piano should be played and can be played should get this CD. When I first heard the CD, I was surprised already by her debut recital Argerich has mastered such a distinctive style. I must disagree with the reviewer below who describe this as not imaginative, for nothing could be further from the truth. Argerich's playing is clearly her own, and no one else's. If one wants to hear a technically perfect but emotionally empty playing of Chopin, many of the newer artists would happily fill that bill. And for the record, Horowitz can make plenty of mistakes too, but that doesn't take the charm away from listening to his playing.
That being said, this is one of the most turbulent, drenching rendition of Chopin there is. I love it.

You have to listen to this Lizst sonata.......2006-07-05

Before this performance I thought that I did not like the sonata because no other pianist could keep its many parts and segments together from the beginning to the end. This is the only performance that does that for me. When I listened to it for the first time, I broke up in tears. Argerich's interpretation is mezmerizing. Buy it! Any serious music collector should have this CD.

Unbelievably Amazing..........2006-06-16

I've never paid attention to the Liszt Sonata until I heard this recording. I canNOT BELIEVE some people are calling her without soul or "muddy"... This is the single most inspiring and shocking CD. Really gives you chills when you listen to it. Makes your heart beat faster.

Average customer rating:

A Joy to Hear!
Musical Perfection of the First Order!
Rhapsodies to snap you out of your doldrums
Pity the poor piano!
An Excellent 20th Century Piano Player

Liszt: 10 Hungarian Rhapsodies

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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$7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos; The Piano Sonata
Brahms: Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-21
Liszt: Favourite Piano Works
Liszt: Piano Concertos; Totentanz; Hungarian Fantasy
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances

ASIN: B00005AVML
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.2 in c#
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.6 in D flat
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.8 in f#
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.9 in E flat 'Carnival In Pest'
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.10 in E
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.11 in a
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.12 in c#
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.13 in a
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.14 in f
Hungarian Rhaps, S.244: No.15 in a

Customer Reviews:

A Joy to Hear!.......2006-06-19

Most people are familiar with at least Rhapsody 2 from watching Warner Brothers' cartoons, if for no other reason. That delightful piece is included but there is so much more! This is a wonderful album to enjoy.

Among my favorites is the short but delightful number 11 in A minor. It is a joy to hear but, then again, all of these are.

Do not expect orchestral arrangements. This is for the piano by itself.

Listen and enjoy!

Musical Perfection of the First Order!.......2006-01-11

I've heard many Hungarian Rhapsodies and basically bought this CD
to see if he could outdo Horowitz's performance of the #2 Rhapsody. But after buying it, I realized Horowitz dressed up the original score to create the ultimate Hungarian Rhapsody #2, namely his own. He engineered a truely mind-boggling Showpiece. But to my knowledge, he didn't create a more complex variation with any other of Liszt's works. However, I now truly believe and feel (literally) after hearing Cziffra, that he wins first prize in regard to absolute mastery on all levels for these 10 Rhapsodies choosen to be recorded. And why not? He's playing from his soul literally, being that his parents were both Hungarian gypsies. In the excellent linear notes is written the following - "More succinctly, for Marcel Dupre, Cziffra was 'la reincarnation de Liszt'". I don't doubt that for a moment.

Rhapsodies to snap you out of your doldrums.......2005-10-26

Don't listen to much classical anymore, but this was
one of the uptempo, renegade pieces that always satisfied.

Pity the poor piano!.......2005-10-25

Cziffra plays these pieces as if they had to bring in a new piano between each one. Percussive? My God, he's playing with a sledgehammer.

Cziffra makes a joke of these pieces. This becomes evident when listening to others play them, particularly Szidon and Hofmann.

I know that Cziffra can be restrained; he plays Liszt's piano concertos beautifully. Why he chose to takes these so lightly I'm not sure.

An Excellent 20th Century Piano Player.......2005-05-01

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies have never sounded better than on this CD. Georges Cziffra was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century, and it is proven on this CD. On this CD, Cziffra performs Rhapsodies 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. He performs each piece with his trademark brillant technique, and virtuoso skill. While listening to this CD, you can hardly believe the skills of this man; a man who was imprisoned and tortured by the Communists in power in Hungary after World War II. After hearing each piece, espically Rhapsodies 2,3,and 15, you really feel that he deserved the "Choc du Monde de la Musique" award for this CD.

Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

Average customer rating:

Waste of money
Great Music Compilation
If you like classical music don't buy this CD.
A must for anyone wanting the staples of classical music
A great compilation

Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

Manufacturer: Utv Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music
25 Classical Favorites
The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

ASIN: B00004GOZA
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Tracks:

Adagio In G Minor
Jesu, Joy OF Man's Desiring
Moonlight Sonata - Adagio sostenuto
March Of The Toreadors (Carmen)
Celebrated Minuet
Polovtsian Dance No. 1 (Prince Igor)
Cradle Song
'Minute' Waltz
Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune
Largo
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1
Rhapsody In Blue - Andante And Finale
Peer Gynt Suite: Morning
Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
Liebestraum
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March
'Masterpiece Theater' Theme: Rondau (First Symphonic Suite)
The Great Gate Of Kiev

Tracks:

Eine klein Nachtmusik - Allegro: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Allegro
Orpheus In The Underworld: Cancan
Carmina Burana - O Fortuna
Canon In D
Lietenant Kije Suite - Troika
Turandot: Nessun dorma
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini - 18th Variation: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini- 18th Variation
Bolero - Conclusion
The Tale Of Czar Sultan: Flight Of The Bumblebee
William Tell Overture - Finale
Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan
Gymnopedie No. 3
Ave Maria
Blue Danube Waltz
Thus Spake Zarathustra - Sunrise
Firebird Suite - Finale
1812 Overture - Finale: 1812 Overtune - Finale
Fantasia On 'Greensleeves'
Anvil Chorus (II Trovatore)
The Four Seasons - Largo From 'Winter'
Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries

Amazon.com

For those who want the most remembered passages of classical music's best-loved works, here's a package for you. On this bargain priced double-CD, you'll find music from 40 different classical composers; for the most part, the recordings excerpted here are some of the very best. Of course, you only get one Bach sampling (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, played by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) and one Mozart (A Little Night Music conducted by Herbert von Karajan), but this is still a nice collection--perhaps the starting point for a budding collection of classical music. This set's downfall? Unfortunately, though the liner notes discuss the evolution of classical music chronologically, the tracks are programmed in alphabetical order by composer's last name. This makes for some startling transitions! Emil Gilels's reflective performance of the Adagio from Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata is followed by the crashing cymbals and bombast of Carmen's "March of the Toreadors," a recipe for a heart attack if there ever was one. Still, there's something here for everyone and the liner notes even explain what movies this music can be found in. A nice touch. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Waste of money.......2006-01-12

Watch out for the volume leveling mentioned in another review. Surely the compliers could have come up with a better sort order than by composer. The change in tempo/volume between pieces makes it impossible to enjoy. My two CD's ended up in the trash.

Ken

Great Music Compilation.......2005-08-15

This is a great CD full of many songs that you will recognize and enjoy. If you are someone who likes classical music but doesn't necessarily know which songs or which composers you like, then this CD is for you. You will likely recognize many of the songs as the classical songs you would have picked out to be your favorites.

If you like classical music don't buy this CD........2005-03-11

Most of the tracks were chopped down to 3-4 minutes so some of the best parts of the compositions are missing. I don't know what I was thinking trying to buy 40 classical songs on two CD's. If you really want to enjoy the music you would do better to purchase a CD with fewer, but better quality tracks.

A must for anyone wanting the staples of classical music.......2005-02-23

In my years of experience teaching Fine Arts to high school students, I know that the majority, if not all, of the music included on this album is commonly used in collge music appreciation courses. This is an excellent sample of truly all the "greatest hits" of classical music. My students enjoy listening to the music and have later told me when take their required music apreciation courses in college that they "already know it all" because of this CD! The recordings are clear, the selections are passionate, and the listener will gain a familiarity with all of the most commonly heard classical music used in tv commercials, movies, etc.
I recommend this album, along with the boxed set, "Age of the Classics" for anyone who is interested in becoming familiar with the most famous staples of classical music.

A great compilation.......2005-02-09

This cd somes up some of the greatest pieces of instrumental (and is some cases choral) music ever written. It is a great starter for a beginning classical music lover or a quick and easy all-in-one for those of us who study classical music for a living. I highly recommend this cd to anyone who wants to love or already does love classical music.

Average customer rating:

Point of Information
Estrellita
Ugly
Carmen
Excellent disc

Beverly Sills

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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The Very Best of Beverly Sills
Art of Beverly
The Great Recordings
Beverly Sills: Made in America
Verdi: La Traviata / Sills, Gedda, Panerai; Ceccato

ASIN: B00000FCKP
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

Parlez-moi d'amour
Ouvre ton coeur
Oh, quand je dors
Waltz From Mireille
Si tu le veux
Les filles de le Cadiz
Les chemins de l'amour
Plaisir d'amour
Villanelle
Goyescas: Interludio
Goyescas: La maja y el ruisenior
Estrellita
La morena de mi copla

Customer Reviews:

Point of Information.......2007-07-06

Folks, please read the recording data! This album does not present merely the "older Sills" of 1975. Tracks 10 to 13 were recorded in February 1961, when Sills was about three months shy of 32 years old. To hear her any younger on disc, you have to go to her splendid recording of *The Ballad of Baby Doe*, released in 1959. (If anyone knows of still earlier recordings, please holler!) So these 1961 tracks alone make the album priceless, especially since it offers vastly better sound than the slightly boomy acoustic of *Baby Doe*.

For me, the initial main attraction here was the Granados, and it was a hallelujah moment when I spotted this CD in the bins almost 10 years ago. While this disc represents the commercial first release of the *Goyescas* selections, they received limited issue around December 1963 on a holiday-bonus LP ("The Sound of Genius 1963") from the Columbia Record Club.

That LP was my introduction to Sills, and it made me fall in love with her voice. It was always a special treat to play her vocal track for those who had no idea it existed and watch their astonishment as Beverly's voice floated through sonic space like the very nightingale she sings about. It is simply some of the loveliest, most haunting singing I've ever heard. To get two additional tracks from the same recordings sessions -- especially "Estrellita" -- was an unexpected blessing.

So get this CD for the last three tracks, if nothing else (track 10 is purely orchestral). They capture Sills at a magical moment. Even if you like nothing else on the disc (and I think you'll like much more), you can claim these three special treasures for a mere pittance. How much more precious are they, now that she has gone on to sing, we pray, in other realms.

Estrellita.......2006-12-07

The incomparable Beverly Sills beautifuly sings here a true bouquet of songs in French and Spanish. A pleasure to the ear.

Estrellita is not a Spanish song as claimed by some commentators, but a Mexican one, whose author is the late Manuel M. Ponce.

Ugly.......2004-05-20

Sills screeching a mezzo-role? She already ruined belcanto with her puny, fake screeching!

Carmen.......2004-04-26

She DID sing Michaela. And it's said that she also did Carmen. But if she did, she was completely miscast. She also did Aida, live-recording of her Aida is...interesting. Anyway, Sills rules in the French rep, esp. as Manon.

Excellent disc.......2004-03-21

This is a fantastic disc and shows Beverly Sills at her interpretive best with zesty, go-for-broke vocalism that is truly wonderful to hear.