Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

2. Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

Tracks:

Canon In D
'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 3: Allegro
The Four Seasons - The Winter: Largo And Allegro
Fanfare ('Masterpiece Theatre' Theme)
Camerata Romana: Air For The 'G' String
'Eine kleine Nachtmusik': Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 21 ('Elvira Madigan' Theme): Andante
Introduction To Symphony No. 5
'William Tell' Overture: Finale
'Aida': Triumphal March
On The Beautiful, Blue Danube Waltz
'The Nutcracker': Waltz Of The Flowers
'1812' Overture: Finale

Tracks:

Sabre Dance
'Light Cavalry' Overture: Finale
Carmen: The Toreadors
' Midsummer Night's Dream': Wedding March
Radetzky March
Symphony No. 9, 'Choral': Finale
'Prince Igor': Polovstian Dance No. 17
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
Sleepers, Wake
Water Music: Hornpipe
Symphony No. 9, 'From The New World': Largo
Emperor Waltz
'Emperor' Quartet: St. Anthony's Chorale
'The Tales Of Hoffman': Barcarolle
L'Arlesienne: Farandole
'The Nutcracker': Dance Of The Mirlitons
'The Nutcracker': Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy
'Rhapsody In Blue': Highlight
'Orpheus In The Underworld': Can-Can

Tracks:

Introduction To 'Also sprach Zarathustra'
Symphony No. 4, 'Italian': Saltarello: Presto
Piano Concerto No. 20: Romance
'The Valkyrie': Ride Of The Valkyries
'The Four Seasons' - The Spring: Allegro
Toccata and Fugue
Trumpet Voluntary
'Royal Fireworks Music': la rejouissance: Allegro
'Moonlight' Sonata: Adagio Sostenuto
London Festival Orchestra: Overture To 'The Barber Of Seville'
Piano Concerto No. 2: Adagio Sostenuto

Tracks:

Carmina Burana: Introduction To 'Carmina Burana'
Peer Gynt: Dawn From 'Peer Gynt'
Lohengrin: Prelude To 'Lohengrin'
'Lieutenant Kije': Troika From 'Lieutenant Kije'
Adiago For Strings
'Carmen': Habanera From 'Carmen'
'Double' Concerto: Allegro From 'Double' Concerto
The Marriage Of Figaro: Overture To 'The Marriage Of Figaro'
(Rondo) Alla Turca
Xerxes: Largo From 'Xerxes'
Symphony No. 5: Allegro vivace From Symphony No. 5
'Swan Lake': Scene: Enchanted Lake From 'Swan Lake'
Clair De Lune
Bolero

Customer Reviews:

CD set is misnamed.......2007-06-08

They should have titled this "classical music for people who love classical music" because most of the selections are typical classical music. The title suggests it would be lively selections of "light classical" music that is more upbeat, i.e. Sabre Dance, etc. I really don't hate classical music at all and have many classical CDs in my collection but I really wanted to hear more exciting selections. I won't be purchasing any more of this set but if you like traditional classical music these are good one.

Do not Buy.......2007-02-21

I do know it says classical music for people who hate it, but serioulsly you would have better luck never listening to classical music again. The recordings are awfull and do not do justice to any of the composers. Buy something else.

Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music.......2007-01-30

We love this set of CD's. I just got a new copy because my kids keeping taking our first copy with them so that they can listen at work or in their bedrooms but then I can never find them.

Seek better versions.......2006-12-09

If you are fairly new to classical purchases then compilation CD's can be useful for deciding what to buy next. Sometimes you only need a small taste of a piece to inspire you to buy a release with the whole performance on. The problem with this compilation however is that most of the versions are poor in performance or recording quality (or both) when compared to the best versions and the fact that the conductors aren't even credited on the track listing made me suspect that this would be the case. One of my favorite classical pieces is Tchaikovsky's 1812 festival overture but if the first CD version I had heard had been the finale excerpt that is on this compilation I may not have gone on to buy the whole thing. Luckily I heard Adrian Leaper's version first and Adrian's version is rather good.
My classical CD buying experience is limited to only a couple of dozen discs but I have found that the Naxos and Deutshe Grammophon releases are fairly safe. Avoid any release which does not name the conductors on the track listing or sleeve notes.

It Is What It Is.......2006-10-27

It's fitting that this page is fraught with the same kind of silly snobbery that turns people off from classical music (and necessitates collections like this) in the first place.

Any criticism of this compilation, which focuses on the quality of the performances or the fact that many tracks are excerpts, misses the point. This is not a collection for people who consider such things, nor does it purport to be. The idea is to package as many ultra-famous classical melodies as possible in one affordable collection and market it to people who have never purchased a classical recording. As such, top-tier performances are likely too expensive to be sold so cheaply and are unnecessary anyway. Those of us who already know and love a piece or two can forgive the compilers the inclusion of sub-par recordings, when we are exposed to so many other beautiful pieces for the first time.

It probably comes as a shock for some to hear that most people are not familiar with these classics. We may hear snippets on TV or movies, but are left with no idea as to the composer or historical context. With that in mind, it is extremely intimidating to begin buying classical. I suppose those among us, who so thoroughly dismissed the very notion of a boxed set like this, would have us begin by buying full albums by reputable interpreters. Surprisingly enough though, the majority of people would consider that a tad cost-prohibitive.

To conclude, this is a STARTER collection. It will either affirm a listener's feelings about classical music or lead to an interest in purchasing better recordings. Ideally, I suppose the interpretations would be better, but, for reasons mentioned above, that just isn't in the cards for a collection of this nature. If you're familiar with 50 different recordings of "The Ring" series, or have season tickets to the New York Philharmonic, then this probably isn't for you. For us cretins with limited foreknowledge of classical music though, it serves as a succinct introduction with little to complain about.

Average customer rating:

Great Prokofiev. Bravo Testament!

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6

Manufacturer: Testament UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 3
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet; Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Prokofiev: The Piano Concertos; Violin Concerto No. 1
Beethoven Symphony No 03~Eroica
Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments"' Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"

ASIN: B000A7XJX8
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Customer Reviews:

Great Prokofiev. Bravo Testament!.......2006-11-25

Two remarkable readings of Prokofiev available at long last. The 6th Symphony had a brief run on vinyl - unfortunately Dynagroove - and the 2nd never released. These go straight to the top of the class. Check out the 5th and 3rd Symphonies also on Testament. The 5th is in my opinion as good as it gets, 8 minutes longer than the highly regarded Jansons reading on Chandos but well worth the extra time. The detail in these recordings is remarkable. Richard Mohr - on the liner notes to the reissue of the Mahler 1st (with the 3rd) on RCA implies that no small part of the 9 hours recording time was taken up moving the 4 mikes an few inches here and then a few there until Leinsdorf heard what he wanted and the same care of placement can be heard here. It's not often one hears this far into an orchestra without losing the whole. Great stuff!

Average customer rating:

Superb Prokofiev!
One of the Best

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003FGR
Release Date: 1994-12-13

Tracks:

Sym No.1, Op.25 'Classical' in D: Allegro
Sym No.1, Op.25 'Classical' in D: Larghetto
Sym No.1, Op.25 'Classical' in D: Gavotte
Sym No.1, Op.25 'Classical' in D: Finale
Sym No.1, Op.25 'Classical' in D: Chout, Op.21 Bis: Danse Finale
Romeo And Juliet: Ste No.2, Op.64Ter: 1. Montagues And Capulets
Romeo And Juliet: Ste No.2, Op.64Ter: 2. Juliet, The Young Girl
Romeo And Juliet: Ste No.2, Op.64Ter: 4. Dance (Vivo)
Romeo And Juliet: Ste No.2, Op.64Ter: 7. Romeo At Juliet's Grave
Sym No.5, Op.100 in B-Flat: Andante
Sym No.5, Op.100 in B-Flat: Allegro Marcato
Sym No.5, Op.100 in B-Flat: Adagio
Sym No.5, Op.100 in B-Flat: Allegro Giocoso

Customer Reviews:

Superb Prokofiev!.......2002-02-09

Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave the American premiere of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony during the Second World War, when the symphony was "hot off the presses." In fact, the recording was made only days after that 1944 premiere and it still sounds spectacular. Yes, the recording is old and scarcely 'hi-fi,' but RCA's engineers achieved a near miracle in getting sound that is still impressive for its solidity and three-dimensional sheen. The performance itself is unbelievably intense and menacing, even ferocious, with the great string section of the BSO singing out as only they could under their greatest music director. The performance of the second suite from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" ballet is in the same league, but the recording of the Classical Symphony isn't. Made when the BSO was on tour at Carnegie Hall, the sound quality is up-close and dry, and the magnificent tonal lustre of the orchestra just doesn't register as it does in the other recordings. Never mind; it's still a very fine performance and the disc itself fully rates 5, maybe 500, stars. Some listeners will avoid this disc because it isn't hi-fi, let alone digital stereo. That's too bad because they are missing something really special: the great Boston Symphony Orchestra at its absolute peak, playing music virtually composed to order for its very special, very beautiful sound. A sound that Serge Koussevitzky invented and brought to perfection in recordings like this.

One of the Best.......2000-08-07

This and a Karajan recording are supposed to be the best performances of the 5th, although I don't particularly like the composition. The Romio and Juliet suite is the best I have heard-- nothing I have listened to comes close. It is hard to imagine how it could be improved. The classical symphony is good. Although the recordings are old the sound quality is good enough to enjoy the music.