Elgar: Cello Concerto/Sea Pictures [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
The Cello Concerto of Edward Elgar is One of the Most Openly Emotional of his Works, and the Final Piece of Orchestral Music He Ever Wrote. Performed by the Incomparable Li-wei and Accompanied by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under the Baton of Nicholas Braithwaite, this Recording Sings of Unequivocal Heartbreak. Also Featured is the Song Cycle Sea Pictures for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra, which Evokes the Beauty and the Excitement of the Sea, Along with the Prelude from the Kingdom, an Oratorio of Great Lyrical Splendour.

Tracks:

Concert Overture: Cockaigne (In London Town) Op.40 - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Adagio - Moderato - Jacqueline Du Pre
II. Lento - Allegro Molto - Jacqueline Du Pre
III. Adagio - Jacqueline Du Pre
IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo - Jacqueline Du Pre
I. Sea Slumber-Song - Janet Baker
II. In Haven (Capri) - Janet Baker
III. Sabbath Morning At Sea - Janet Baker
IV.Where Corals Lie - Janet Baker
V. The Swimmer - Janet Baker

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful performances and remastering.......2007-02-19

This legendary Du Pre recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto is certainly one of the titles I've been waiting to see in the Great Recordings of the Century. Du Pre gives a passionate reading of the concerto, capturing all the pathos in this immensely tragic work, with able support from Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra, drawing upon his expertise in this music. Barbirolli and the LSO also ably support Dame Janet Baker in her rendition of the Sea Pictures. Dame Janet sings with a light touch and a tonal beauty that befits the music, and one can hear everyone making the most of this underrated Elgar work and unearthing the many nuances in his depiction of the sea.

You'll wonder what the Cello Concerto and the Sea Pictures have in common besides boasting great performances in this disc. Well, from my reading of it, they both harbour sentiments of unpredictability in life. The Cello Concerto is laden with yearning for a lost world, a world torn apart by the First World War, and the Sea Pictures features some depictions of how the sea destroys love.

As expected, this reissue in the Great Recordings of the Century series offers the best remastering that these performances could ever deserve. They emerge as if they were clean, full and vibrant recordings that sound like they were only recorded yesterday. My only quibble is that the CD producers decided to throw in the Cockaigne Overture, which is a rather frivolous piece in relation to the deep, sober mood of the original record. I know that we must get bang for our dollars with the capacity of a CD, but the Cockaigne really spoils the mood of the other two pieces. Thankfully the listener can programme it out and get to the Concerto and the Sea Pictures.

But don't let this deter you from grabbing a copy of this legendary recording that surely deserves its coveted place in this superb EMI series.

DuPre at her best.......2007-02-19

The Elgar belongs to no other. Jackie may have been a bit high-strung, but there's more emotion in this recording that one can find in any other recording of anything in the universe.

Don't even think about buying another performance!.......2006-09-28

... unless you already have this one and want to appreciate it even more!

This is Du Pre's signature piece and she OWNS it.

And Janet Baker, knowing she is dying of cancer, sings Sea Pictures like there is literally no tomorrow.

This is one of those rare recordings where the planets perfectly align to give you music, performers, recording and MOMENT that together exceed the sum of the parts.

Sea Pictures, a life changing event, Lord Elgar, I worship thee!.......2006-01-01

Hello my name is Marcus. You may remember me from such films as the Flintsto... well I'll save my Troy McKlure impersonation for later. Right now its all about Elgar. Or should I say "SIR" Edward Elgar.

The rules for entry into my own "Immortal Composers Club" are insanely strict. I myself a music instructor, composer recording artist have not even been allowed in the club officially as a member yet. I'm like an apprentice to these masters. Or dare I say I am a "padawan learner" still learning.

The Yoda master of the club is of course J.S. Bach, the Obi-Wan of the club, easily Elgar. Myself a practitioner of the archaic non-commercial art of "Art Song" have been moved to tears a few times by both Elgars Sea Pictures and the flawless mezzo performance on this awesome recording. Everything on the CD is of course great but in my opinion the Sea Pictures is one of the greatest art song cycles in human history.

Myself just completing my first modern art song cycle called " Harmonious Haiku " (which you can check out with any basic Google search,) can greatly appreciate the unfortunately to unappreciated form of Art Song.

Sea Pictures is one of my favorites of the Genre. Forget the movies, forget drug store fiction, put on some Sea Pictures, close your eyes and experience what song writing could have been if not for the L. A. Record companies and the well I can't say "Fab" but you know, those four guys with the hair.

Elgar is how a real Englishman makes music! Ride on Brother! Ride on!

Thank you,
Your friend in great music
~ MarcusUnlimited :)

The Definitive Elgar Cello Concerto.......2005-05-04

This performance is hands down the single best recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto. Other accounts are good -- Tortelier, Navarra, Yo-Yo Ma -- but only one stereo reading was good enough to replace the composer's own historical recording with Beatrice Harrison and that is this one by Jacqueline du Pre. Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra accompany the cellist in this definitive 1965 performance, which for all intents and purposes, launched her career. Du Pre's playing has the quality and delivery of a great singer, so it is only fitting that the Concerto be coupled with another legendary performance -- Janet Baker's "Sea Pictures" again with JB and the lads from Manchester. This CD has been available for years as a full-price title, but it is great to see it now at midline in the "GROTC" series. In fact, for more in depth reviews of these performances, including one from esteemed music critic David Hurwitz, you should consult this reissue's predecessor.

Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures; Jacqueline Du Pre

Average customer rating:

A piece of music and the woman who owned it
Now that's what I call songwriting! Art songwriting that is!
Elgar ... Cello Concerto + Sea Pictures.
At Last !
Legendary Stuff

Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures; Jacqueline Du Pre
Jacqueline Du Pre , Dame Janet Baker , Edward Elgar , Sir John Barbirolli , and London Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002RX7
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: I: Adagio Moderato
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: II: Lento Allegro Molto
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: III: Adagio
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: IV: Allegro Moderato Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: I: Sea Slumber Song
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: II: In Haven
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: III: Sabbath Morning At Sea
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: IV: Where Corals Lie
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: V: The Swimmer

Amazon.com essential recording

This is rightly regarded as the finest recording of Elgar's attractive and elegiac Cello Concerto. It's held in almost irrationally high esteem in the UK, largely because of the universal affection for Jacqueline Du Pré, the wife of Daniel Barenboim, whose early death from multiple sclerosis cut short what would have been a stellar career. This disc is equally noteworthy for Janet Baker's magnificent singing of the Sea Pictures, the composer's only orchestral song cycle. It's not Elgar's fault if the tune of the last song sounds like an excessively inflated version of "Hello, Dolly!" A classic then, even if neither work is a raging masterpiece. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A piece of music and the woman who owned it.......2007-06-06

When I say Jacqueline DuPre owned the Elgar Cello Concerto, I mean that once you have heard it by her, it will be hard to find another musician who plays it in the same way. It may be that the quiet sad strains of this piece so echoed the sad life which Du Pre experienced that it became part of her soul. All I know is that once you know her story and hear her playing the Concerto, it is hard to hear anyone playing it again without thinking of her.

Now that's what I call songwriting! Art songwriting that is!.......2006-02-10

This recording may have ruined me. Sea Pictures is what songwriting could be. It is so funny to hear all the recent awards given out at the grammies.

The people they hold in high esteem as musicians is laughable at best.

Elgar is excellence personified. This recording glows with his enigmatic prowess.

Janet Baker is perfect. The whole album is great but Sea Pictures is an amazing, soundscape, imagination opening, mind altering, life changing experience.

Listening to the Sea Pictures is a cinematic experience that no movie could ever capture.

Long live Elgar, long live the King!

Thank you for your work. I hope you can hear that, where ever you are!

Next to the throne of God perhaps. Surrounded by the likes of J.S. Bach, Caccini, and...

Thank you Lord Elgar!

Your young apprentice, Marcus "Harmonious Haiku" Unlimited

Elgar ... Cello Concerto + Sea Pictures........2003-12-18

Incredible ... incredible. You get the classic 'Cello Concerto in E minor' of Elgar, with du Pré (cello) and Barbirolli conducting the London Symphony Orchestra + 'Sea Pictures,' (also Elgar, of course) with Dame Janet Baker as mezzo-soprano.

While those two works are classics (certainly the concerto), they are also treated with utter care and respect by certainly one of the best conductors ever, and may I say legendary du Pré? and the superb Dame Janet Baker. Couldn't go wrong, you would almost say; and it didn't.

And so EMI Classics has this wonderful CD to offer, at a most friendly price. I believe Penguin Guide showered it with rosettes, proof that you almost can't go wrong.

As for the works under review, the concerto can be described most efficiently if I say it's 'sad'; and the song cycle Sea Pictures is just powerful.

At Last !.......2002-03-16

... It's the Elgar Sea Pictures part I want to talk about here ! I've been looking for this recording for a long time, but it was discontinued I was told. This is just a great masterpiece magnificently interpretated by Janet Baker, who devoted part of her carreer to make English Music better known. And Coupled with Dupré, you have to buy it !

Legendary Stuff.......2002-03-15

Writing a review for this album is a bit like preaching to the converted, but for those unfamiliar with Jacqueline Du Pré and Dame Janet Baker, these selections are legendary among their output. Conductor John Barbirolli ties the two performances together with the usual warmth and vigor. The Elgar Cello Concerto speaks a much different language than the composer's grand Violin Concerto. While the Violin Concerto exudes a bold, magical quality, the Cello Concerto is a prolonged and severe lament. What Du Pré brings to her performance here is a kind of sad ecstasy. As David Hurwitz once wrote, it gives most English folk "the weepies," as it is universally considered among the signature performances of her youthful heyday. This recording in part explains why the Cello Concerto is somewhat better known than the amazing (and don't forget grand) Violin Concerto. The excellent film Hillary and Jackie has helped its status quite a bit as well. Any single performance that can lift a work to such heights has to be worth hearing, right? The Sea Pictures are comprised of rather pungent lyrical poems, including one sweet number written by Elgar's wife, and another that chronicles the plight of a seafarer who is saddened that he can't spend Sunday on land in church. These poems, coming as they do from a distinctly Victorian sensibility, may bring a quizzical smirk to many faces. The music once again lifts them to another level, and Baker is an important part of that. So, for those unfamiliar with these works, here is a great place to start.

Elgar: Symphonies 1 & 2; Enigma Variations; Sea Pictures; Etc.

Average customer rating:

Elgar: Symphonies 1 & 2; Enigma Variations; Sea Pictures; Etc.

Manufacturer: London Philharmonic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs Yearbook 2006/07 Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds Yearbook)
The Complete Peanuts 1963-1964

ASIN: B000NOIWVW
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Elgar: Orchestral & Choral Works; Concertos

Average customer rating:

Super collection of Elgar's major works

Elgar: Orchestral & Choral Works; Concertos

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000759Y6
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Super collection of Elgar's major works.......2004-06-28

Most compilations of composers works usually only feature, at best, maybe one or two works in recordings that are of outstanding quality, especially if different artists are featured. Such is absolutely not the case with this collection, one of the finest of its sort ever issued.

This box makes a perfect one stop shopping choice for the major, most-well-known works the British composer Sir Edward Elgar. The title is misleading though. The box, on 8 CDs at an incredible price, contains both Orchestral AND Choral works.
Since Amazon does not list the contents, I will :

Symphony Nos. 1 & 2 -- LPO , Solti
Serenade for strings - ASMF , Marriner
Intro and Allegro - ECO , Britten
Cello Concerto - Webber , RPO , Menuhin
Enigma Var. -- CSO , Colti
Cockaigne Over -- LPO , Solti
Violin Con -- Chung , LPO , Solti
Falstaff -- Montreal , Dutoit
Dream of Gerontius -- LSO , Britten
Sea Pictures -- RPO , Mackerras
In the South -- LPO , Solti
Pomp and Circumstance -- LPO , Solti
Imperial MArch -- Band of Grebadier Guards , Bashford
Sospri -- ASMF , Marriner
Elegy -- ASMF , Marriner
Wand of Youth -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Starlight Express -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Dream Children -- Welsh NO , Mackerras

Look up almost any of the individual works and you should be able to find these recordings in their individual issues, many with several 5 start ratings.

I won't elaborate on any of the specific recordings, just take my word for that there isn't a dud in the box.

Tracks:

Pomp And Circumstance March No.1 in D, Op.39 - LPO
Dorabella From Enigma Variations, Op.36 - LPO
Cello Con in e Op.85: 3rd Movt (Adagio) - Robert Cohen/LPO
Moths And Butterflies From The Wand Of Youth Ste No.2, Op.1b - RLPO
Chanson De Matin, Op.15 - Halle Orch
Where Corals Lie From Sea Pictures, Op.37 - Bernadette Greevy/LPO
Elegy For Strs, Op.58 - LPO
Salut D'Amour, Op.12 - Northern Sin Of England
Serenade For Strgs in e, Op.20 - LPO
Chanson De Nuit, Op.15 - Halle Orch
Serenade Lyrique - Northern Sin Of England
The Wild Bears From The Wand Of Youth Ste No.2, Op.1b - RLPO
Nimrod From Enigma Vars, Op.36 - LPO
Vn Con in b, Op.61: 2nd Movt (Andante) - Nigel Kennedy/LPO
Pomp And Circumstance March No.4 in G, Op.39 - LPO

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Centenary Edition 1958-1967

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Nilsson, Birgit | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Scotto, Renata | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002SAE
Release Date: 1997-07-08

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; The Kingdom Prelude [Australia]

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Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; The Kingdom Prelude [Australia]
Li-Wei
Manufacturer: ABC Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000B9O9CU
Release Date: 2005-08-15

Album Details

The Cello Concerto of Edward Elgar is One of the Most Openly Emotional of his Works, and the Final Piece of Orchestral Music He Ever Wrote. Performed by the Incomparable Li-wei and Accompanied by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under the Baton of Nicholas Braithwaite, this Recording Sings of Unequivocal Heartbreak. Also Featured is the Song Cycle Sea Pictures for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra, which Evokes the Beauty and the Excitement of the Sea, Along with the Prelude from the Kingdom, an Oratorio of Great Lyrical Splendour.

Average customer rating:

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

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
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The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
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The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
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The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
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Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
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The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
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Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
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Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
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Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
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Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
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Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
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Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
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Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
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Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
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The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
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A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
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Introduction To The Double-Bass
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Elegy No.1 In D Major
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The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
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Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
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L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
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The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
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The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37
Average customer rating:

Channeling Elgar

Not The Only Way

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000002RO0
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: I. Adagio-Moderato - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: II. Lento-Allegro molto - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: III. Adagio - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: IV. Allegro-Moderato-Allegro, ma non troppo - Jacqueline du Pre
Sea Pictures Op.37: I. Sea Slumber-Song - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: II. In Haven (Capri) - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: III. Sabbath Morning at Sea - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: IV. Where Corals Lie - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: V. The Swimmer - Dame Janet Baker

Amazon.com

The passionate reading from Jacqueline DuPré and Sir John Barbirolli is one of the classics of the catalog. [Barbirolli had played in the cello section of the Queen's Hall Orchestra when the first recording of the work was made, with the composer on the podium, in 1919.] Both the pain and the tenderness of this valedictory work are captured in full by the performance--and, fittingly, there is always gentleness in the pain, always an edge to the tenderness. The sound, while somewhat grainy, has remarkable presence and weight; and the balances are ideal. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Channeling Elgar.......2005-07-21

This 1997 EMI re-release features the 1965 recording of the cello concerto, performed by a twenty-year-old prodigy and conducted by a cellist who performed in the orchestra in 1919 when the composer conducted the premiere. The music reflects Elgar's great melancholy depression brought on by World War One, of which he wrote "Everything good & nice & clean & fresh & sweet is far away, never to return". We don't have the benefit of a recording of the premiere, but I can't imagine it surpasses the beauty of this rendition. Du Pre's performance reflects both a technical and emotional mastery of the music that is hard to find in performers twice her age. The LSO's accompaniment is both well-balanced and well-executed, keeping time fluently throughout the soloist's numerous tempo changes; in particular, the last movement's challenges are well met by the woodwinds. I do not know why cellists continue to record this concerto; it's been done to perfection.

In contrast to the concerto, the Sea Pictures, written at the turn of the last century, are much more optimistic and, well, British. Sea Pictures is better understood as a collection of songs, with changing moods and styles. As in all songs with English lyrics, one of the greatest challenges is ensuring that the words are actually understandable. This challenge is met redoubtably by Dame Janet Baker, one of the great British operatic stars of her time. The emotions, while less shaded and ambivalent than the cello concerto, are carried well by both soloist and orchestra. Sea Pictures is a worthy accompaniment to the concerto.

I recommend this recording for anyone interested in the cello, or the Elgar Cello Concerto.

Not The Only Way.......2001-09-09

to hear the Elgar, but surely the best way. The Casals performance is feisty, the Ma is ultra-smooth. But Du Pre's passsionate rendition and hot tone will have you hallucinating. You'll love having the Sea Pictures with its burnished fin-de-siecle glow!

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