Romantic Approach [Box set]

On this CD:

1. Quiet City, for English horn, trumpet, & strings (from the incidental music)
Composed by Aaron Copland
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields with Michael Laird, Celia Nicklin
Conducted by Neville Marriner

2. Dance Episodes (3) from "On the Town" Lonely Town (Pas de deux)
Composed by Leonard Bernstein
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

3. Hymn & Fuguing Tune No 2 for strings Hymn
Composed by Henry Cowell
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Serge Koussevitzky

4. Elegy for string quartet
Composed by Elliott Carter

5. String Quartet, in B major, Op. 11 Adagio
Composed by Samuel Barber

6. Dream, for piano
Composed by John Cage
Performed by Maria Newman

7. Lullaby, piano version
Composed by George Gershwin

8. A Night Piece, for flute & strings
Composed by Arthur Foote

9. Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello & piano 3rd Movement
Composed by Peter Schickele
Performed by Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble

10. The River Village of the Virgins
Composed by Edward "Duke" Ellington
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi

11. Grand Canyon Suite for orchestra Painted Desert
Composed by Ferde Grofe
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Antal Dorati

12. The Unanswered Question (I & II), for trumpet, winds & string orchestra, S. 50 (K. 1C25)
Composed by Charles Ives
Performed by Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Lukas Foss

13. Cavalleria rusticana, opera in 1 act Intermezzo
Composed by Pietro Mascagni
Performed by Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Conducted by Alexander Rahbari

14. Clair de lune, for piano, L. 75/3
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Conducted by Keith Clark

15. Preludes (6) for string orchestra Prelude No. 5 for strings
Composed by Jean Francaix
Performed by Transylvanica Camerata
Conducted by Gyorgy Selmeczi

16. Berceuse, for violin & piano (or orchestra) in D Major, Op. 16
Composed by Gabriel Faure
Performed by Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Conducted by Keith Clark

17. Sonata a quattro (String Symphony) No. 1 in G major 2nd movement
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Budapest Rossini Ensemble
Conducted by Andras Kiss

18. Mandolin Concerto, for mandolin, strings & continuo in C major, RV 425 Largo
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Transylvanica Camerata with Geza Imre
Conducted by Gyorgy Selmeczi

19. La boutique fantasque, ballet after Rossini, P. 120 Nocturne
Composed by Ottorino Respighi
Performed by Transylvanica Camerata
Conducted by Gyorgy Selmeczi

20. Crisantemi, elegy for string quartet
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Failoni Orchestra
Conducted by Geza Oberfrank

21. String quartet in E minor 2nd movement
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Failoni Orchestra
Conducted by Geza Oberfrank

22. Notturno for piano (or orchestra) No. 1 in G flat major, Op. 70/1
Composed by Giuseppe Martucci
Performed by Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice)
Conducted by Johannes Wildner

23. String Quartet, L. 85 (Op. 10) 3rd movement
Composed by Claude Debussy

24. Thais, opera Meditation
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Transylvanica Camerata with Janos Selmeczy
Conducted by Gyorgy Selmeczi

25. String Quartet in F major 3rd movement
Composed by Maurice Ravel

26. Gymnopedie for piano No.1, for piano
Composed by Erik Satie
Performed by Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Conducted by Ondrej Lenard

27. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ("Moonlight"), Op. 27/2 Adagio sostenuto
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

28. Work(s) Fantasia
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber

29. Romance for violin & orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

30. Song without Words for piano No. 41 in A major, Op. 85/5
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn

31. Kol Nidrei, for cello & orchestra, Op. 47
Composed by Max Bruch

32. Work(s) Unspecified Fantasie~Langsam getragen
Composed by Robert Schumann

33. Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 Adagio
Composed by Johannes Brahms

34. Siegfried Idyll, for small orchestra in E major, WWV 103
Composed by Richard Wagner

35. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis per due cori) Agnus Dei
Composed by Pietro Francesco Cavalli

36. O Magnum Mysterium, motet for 4 voices
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria

37. Crucifixus a 8 Voix
Composed by Antonio Lotti

38. Psalm 23 for chorus & organ: The Lord is my Shepherd
Composed by Charles Hylton Stewart

39. Chorale prelude for organ ("Jesus, meine Zuversicht"), BWV 728
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Peter Herford

40. Expectans Expectavi
Composed by Charles Wood

41. Sacred Pieces (4), for chorus & orchestra (Quattro pezzi sacri) Ave Maria
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi

42. Consolation, for piano No. 4 in D-flat Major "Quasi adagio", S. 172/4 (LW A111a/2/4)
Composed by Franz Liszt
Performed by Peter Planyarsky

43. Ave verum Corpus, motet for chorus, strings, & organ, K. 618
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Alastair Roberts, Peter White

44. Nouvelles Pièces (3) for organ/1-03 (complete), Op 87 No.2, Mystique
Composed by Charles-Marie Widor
Performed by Jane Parker-Smith

45. Requiem, for 2 solo voices chorus, organ, & orchestra, Op. 48 In Paradisum
Composed by Gabriel Faure
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Conducted by George Guest

46. Requiem for soprano, baritone, chorus, organ, & orchestra, Op. 9 Lux aeterns
Composed by Maurice Durufle
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Hickox

47. Le banquet céleste, for organ, I/1
Composed by Olivier Messiaen
Performed by Simon Preston

48. Ein deutsches Requiem (German Requiem), for soprano, baritone, chorus & orchestra, Op. 45 Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Suisse Romande Orchestra
Conducted by Ernest Ansermet

49. Organ Sonata No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 65/4 Andante Religioso
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Roger Fisher

50. Matthäuspassion (St. Matthew Passion), BWV 244 O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Conducted by Karl Munchinger

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
A Mix of French, Italian and American Styles all which Explore the Origin of Musical Romanticism. Features Such Well Known Artists as George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and More.

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracks:

When Your Lover Has Gone
All The Things You Are
I'm Glad There Is You
Say It Isn't So
Imagination
Sweet And Lovely
Fools Rush In
You're Mine, You
Once In A While
Moonlight In Vermont
I Understand
Oh! You Crazy Moon
But Beautiful
Darn That Dream
It Might As Well Be Spring
Moonlight Becomes You
How Do I Look In Blue
You Stepped Out Of A Dream
How Long Has This Been Going On
Memoirs Of A Lady
Time After Time
Easy To Love
My One And Only Love
Like Someone In Love

Album Details

Both Albums Feature the Unique Kenton Mellophonium, a Cross Between a Trumpet and a Trombone. On "The Romantic Approach" the Music is Slow Paced and as the Title Suggests Has a Romantic Mood. Considered by Many as One of Kenton's Best Albums. Features Kenton's Unique Arrangements of Classic Songs Including "All the Things You Are", "oh You Crazy Moon", "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Say it Isn't So". "The Sophisticated Approach" was Arranged by Lennie Niehaus but Still Has a Very Similar Sound to "Romantic Approch". Outstanding Tracks Here Include "Time after Time", "Might as Well Be Spring", "Moonlight Becomes You" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream".

Customer Reviews:

Pure Kenton.......2007-01-03

A cross between big band and jazz at it's finest. This wil put you in the mood, no matter what your mood is. From the period before he went a little over the top. A must for every Kenton lover.

The Romantic Approach/Sophisticated Approach.......2006-07-27

I have literally loved Stanley Newcomb Kenton's music since I was a kid. I had "lost touch" over the years and decided to rebuild my Kenton collection when I saw all of the CDs you had available. I am thoroughly delighted with this album as well as the other three I purchased (Kenton in Hi FI, The Stagedoor Swings, and Cuban Fire). Thank you.

Ron Brenz

Stan Kenton playing ballad standards.......2006-02-28

Beautiful arrangements of ballads with a instrumentalists from mostly the UK where this was recorded.

Average customer rating:

Classical Chill

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005Y0MS
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Suo (The Marsh) - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Approach Of Autumn - English Northern Philharmonia
Adagio - Maggini String Quartet
Violin Concerto: II - Adele Anthony
Romance: Andante Tranquillo - Robert Plane
Valse Triste, Op.44 No.1 - Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
Om Manga Ar - Niklas Sivelov
Andantino - Andrew Penny
Des Pas Sur La Neige - Francois-Joel Thiollier
The Night - Petri Alanko
Mazurka, Op.50 No.3 - Martin Roscoe
Ludus - Rebecca Hirsch
Landscape: Lento - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Song For Athene - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
Sancta Maria - Thomas Bloch

Tracks:

Adagio Assai - Francois-Joel Thiollier
Prelude For Strings - David Lloyd-Jones
Sospiri, Op.70 - English Northern Philharmonia
The Blue Bird, Op.119 No.3 - Oxford Camerata
Kyrie - Noel Edison
Chelsea Reach - John Lenehan
Des Abends - Benjamin Frith
Felicissima Quest'Alma - Olga Pasichnyk
Adagio - Capella Istropolitana
Adagio - German Wind Soloists
Romance - Okko Kamu
Sheperd's Boy - Richard Edlinger
Andante Assai - Tedi Papavrami
The Lord's Prayer - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge

Average customer rating:

Fire from Lindholm

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Abridged)

Manufacturer: Bella Voce Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003A9QS
Release Date: 1999-12-01

Customer Reviews:

Fire from Lindholm.......2001-11-17

This set contains four records with two abridged live performances. I have as yet only listened to the performance from 1974. This is one of the first pirated records to appear with the Swedish dramatic soprano Berit Lindholm. Let us hope that recordings from the Ring conducted by Sir Colin Davis at Covent Garden will appear soon! Meanwhile this Tristan from Amsterdam 1974 fills the gap with a truly amazing dramatic force. You can feel the amazement and tension among the public, crying out their "bravos" at the end. This is Lindholm's evening and a great one ideed. Totally involved in her part she becomes Isolde and everything catch fire... No Wagnerian or other opera lover can be without these records. The first two CD's concentrates on the part of Isolde (1974).The performance from 1979 (not with Lindholm)concentrates on the tenor, Spas Wenkoff - more comments will follow when I have listened to that. For the moment, the 5 stars are for the 1974 recording.

The Romantic Approach: A Special Collection of 20th Century American Music

Average customer rating:

The Romantic Approach: A Special Collection of 20th Century American Music

Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocalists | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000007XT
Release Date: 1994-09-01

Tracks:

Quiet City - Aaron Copland
On The Town - Three Dance Episodes: Lonely Town (Pas De Deux) - Leonard Bernstein
Hymn And Fuguing Tune No. 2: Hymn - Henry Cowell
Elegy - Elliott Carter
String Quartet: Adagio - Samuel Barber
Dream - John Cage
Lullaby - George Gershwin
A Night Piece - Arthur Foote
Quartet For Violin, Clarinet, Cello And Piano: 3rd Movement - Peter Schickele
'Suite From The River': Village Of The Virgins - Duke Ellington
Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert - Ferde Grofe
Two Contemplations: The Unanswered Question - Charles Ives

Album Description

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:25)

A lone man serenades his lover while standing underneath her window. A couple is dancing cheek to cheek while their favorite song is playing on the radio. Former lovers lock eyes across a smoky room to the strains of a tinny piano. These common romantic images show the important link between music and romance, a link that movie producers have been aware of for a long time. Music is able to express the ecstasy and despair of romance without having to awkwardly describe these emotions in words. That is why The Romantic Approach is a unique recording - it includes music written by some of America's finest composers that expresses the full range of emotions felt while being in or merely wanting to be in a romance.

For example, Duke Ellington is a master at conveying the first rush of heat felt when meeting the gaze of an attractive person for the first time. His jazz-influenced Village of the Virgins is a very sophisticated and passionate piece. In contrast, George Gershwin's Lullaby expresses a more innocent attraction, reminiscent of shy glances rather than bold stares.

In many romances, feelings of love are not returned or there are obstacles to be overcome. John Cage's Dream conveys all the longing of an unfulfilled romance. The piece begins slowly, almost as if the musician is too weak to perform, but at times accelerates in a flurry of notes as some memory comes rushing back to the dreamer. Similarly, the solitary blare of the trumpet on Quiet City by Aaron Copland imparts a lonely quality to the piece. This song will make you hold your lover close as you imagine a city full of anonymous people looking for the relationship you and your lover share.

The feeling of being swept away is also a part of every good romance, and Elliott Carter's Elegy is the perfect manifestation of this experience. When listening to this beautiful work, great historical romances such as that of King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson are called to mind. The intense beauty and power of love are also excellently portrayed in Samuel Barber's Adagio. There is a sad element to this piece as one remembers that romance is precarious and fragile.

Tracks:

Quiet City - Celia Nicklin/Michael Lair
On The Town: Three Dance Episodes: Lonely Town (Pas De Deux) - New York PO/Leonard Bernstein
Hymn and Fuguing Tune No.2: Hymn - Boston SO/Serge Koussevitzky
Elegy - Arditti Str Qt
Str Qt: Adagio - Manhattan Str Qt
Dream - Maria Newman
Lullaby - Manhattan Str Qt
A Night Piece - Diane Gold/Alard Qt
Qt: III. Movt - Viklarbo Chamber Ens
Ste From The River: Village Of The Virgins - Detroit SO/Neeme Jarvi
Grand Canyon Ste: Painted Desert - Detroit SO/Antal Dorati
Two Contemplations: The Unanswered Question - Milwaukee SO/Lukas Foss

Tracks:

Cavelleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Czecho-Slovak RSO/Alexander Rahbari
Clair De Lune - Czecho-Slovak RSO/Keith Clark
Prld V - Camerata Transylvanica/Gyorgy Selmeczi
Berceuse - Czecho-Slovak RSO/Keith Clark
Son No.1: II. Movt - Rossini Ens, Budapest/Andras Kiss
Con in c, RV.425: Largo - Geza Imre
La Boutique Fant: Nocturne - Camerata Transylvanica/Gyorgy Selmeczi
Crisantemi - Failoni Orch/Geza Overfrank
Str Qt: II. Movt - Failoni Orch/Geza Overfrank
Notturno, Op.70 No.1: Celestial Harmonies Adagio I: - Czecho-Slovak State PO Of Kosice/Johannes Wildner
Str Qt: III. Movt - Kodaly Qt
Thais: Meditation - Janos Selmeczi
Str Qt: III. Movt - Kodaly Qt
Gymnopedie No.1 - Czecho-Slovak RSO Bratislava/Ondrej Lenard

Tracks:

Pno Son No.14 in c# Op.27, No.2: Adagio Sostenuto - Jeno Jando
Cl Qnt in B flat Op34: Fant - Kalman Berkes/Auer Str Qt
Romance No.2 in F, Op.50 - Takako Nishizaki
Songs Without Words No.41 in A, Op.85 No.5 - Peter Nagy
Hebraic Melodies Op.47: Kol Nidrei Adagio - Maria Kliegel
Fant in C, Op.17: Langsam Getragen - Denes Varjon
Qnt in b, Op.115: Adagio - Jozsef Balogh
Siegfried Idyll - Polish National RSO/Johannes Wildner

Tracks:

Missa Pro Defunctis: Agnus Dei - Louis Halsey Singers/Louis Halsey
O Magnum Mysterium - St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Crucifixus For 8 Voices - St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Psalm 23 - St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Jesus, Meine Zuversicht, BWV 728: Chor Prld - Peter Herford
Expectans Expectavi - Ian Crabbe/St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Four Sacred Pieces: Ave Maria - Los Angeles Master Chor/Roger Wagner
Adagio - Peter Planyavsky
Ave Verum Corpus KV 618 - Peter White/Alastair Roberts/St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Trois Nouvelle Pieces, Op.87 No.2: Mystique - Jane Parker-Smith
Requiem, Op.48: In Paradisum - St. John's College Chor, Cambridge/George Guest
Requiem: Lux Aeterna - Westminster Cathedral Boys Chor/London Sym Chor/Richard Hickox
Le Banquet Celeste - Simon Preston
Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op.45: Selig Sind, Die Da Leid Tragen - Chor O fRadio Suisse Romande And Pro Arte De Lausanne/Ernest Ansermet
Org Son, Op.65 No.4: Andante Religioso - Roger Fisher
Matthaus-Passion BWV 244: O Haupt Voll Blut Und Wunden - Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chor/Gerhard Wilhelm

Album Description

What makes music Romantic? Like beauty, Romanticism is in the eye - or ear - of the beholder. As a musical movement, it is generally associated with nineteenth century Europe though the Romantic movement actually originated in Germany. In this exquisite trilogy of romantic classical music, The Romantic Approach explores the origin of music Romanticism, French and Italian romantic music, and 20th century American romantic music written after the end of the Romantic era.

The first volume in this trilogy, The Romantic Approach: A Special Collection of 20th Century American Music may have surprised listeners who felt that contemporary America has produced very little Romantic art. The diverse roster of this century's finest composers also reflects the diversity in the music, from jazz influence to classical. This collection of works echo the lyrical, tonal style of European classical music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Romantic Approach, Volume Two: A Special Collection of Classical Music from Italy and France showcases the very heart of Romantic literature. Of all the countries in the world, France and Italy have been those most associated with things romantic; even the sounds of their languages are musical, and that songlike quality has certainly colored much of the music of these two countries. Some of the works and composers on this volume will be familiar to opera lovers, a central part of the musical life of these countries. It is rounded out with unjustly neglected masterpieces from several gifted French and Italian composers.

The Romantic Approach, Volume Three: Classical Music from Germany takes us back to the origin of the Romantic movement - to Germany - and to the emotional works of its greatest composers. These composers could move their listeners without having to resort to painting a particular image in sound. This is music that can speak to the emotions without dictating which emotion you should feel; in fact, it can evoke a different vision or story in each listener.

Album Details

A Mix of French, Italian and American Styles all which Explore the Origin of Musical Romanticism. Features Such Well Known Artists as George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and More.

The Romantic Approach, Volume 3: Music from Germany

Average customer rating:

The Romantic Approach, Volume 3: Music from Germany

Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JH8C
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Tracks:

Pno Son No.14 in c# Op.27, No.2: Adagio Sostenuto - Jeno Jando
Cl Qnt in B flat Op34: Fant - Kalman Berkes/Auer Str Qt
Romance No.2 in F, Op.50 - Takako Nishizaki
Songs Without Words No.41 in A, Op.85 No.5 - Peter Nagy
Hebraic Melodies Op.47: Kol Nidrei Adagio - Maria Kliegel
Fant in C, Op.17: Langsam Getragen - Denes Varjon
Qnt in b, Op.115: Adagio - Jozsef Balogh
Siegfried Idyll - Polish National RSO/Johannes Wildner

Album Description

Despite the reputation of such countries as France and Italy, musical romanticism actually originated in Germany, where many of the great composers lived and worked. It is true we don't often think of the Germans as a particularly romantic lot. The precision and intricacy of the Baroque period, the logic and architecture of the great Classical period - these are the traits we expect to find in German musical history. But the fact is that the Romantic movement started in Germany - in German art and literature as well as in German music.

Romantic music is above all emotional music. It attempts to speak directly to the heart. At its best - and in the German Romantics it was often at its best - this music was intellectually satisfying. As this third volume of The Romantic Approach shows, these composers could move their listeners without having to resort to painting a particular image in sound. Most of the works on this recording have fairly generic names - Romance, Fantasy, Song without Words; but we get the feeling that there is more to the music than just one note following another. This is music that can speak to the emotions without dictating which emotion you should feel; in fact, it can evoke a different vision or story in each listener.

This volume opens with perhaps music's most celebrated musical painting, Beethoven's Adagio Sostenuto from Moonlight Sonata, followed by the somber darkness of Weber's Fantasia showing the moody, brooding side of the German Romantics. Beethoven lifts our hearts in Romance No. 2 to happier optimistic Romanticism followed by one of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Bruch's most popular work, the weeping Kol Nidrei, is somewhat ambiguous in its key, moving between major and minor. The classic image of the tortured Romantic, pouring out his heart, is captured in Schumann's soulful Langsam getragen from Fantasie in C. Brahms' clarinet, in Adagio from Clarinet Quintet, sketches an intimate portrait of home and hearth, savoring each moment in a reflective mood. Wagner's Siegfried Idyll completes this volume with a musical love letter written for his wife, reflecting on motives from his opera Siegfried.

Tracks:

Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Mascagni
Clair de Lune - DeBussy
Six Preludes For Small String Orchestra: Prelude V For Strings - Romantic Approach
Berceuse - Faure
Sonata For Strings No. I, 2nd Movement - Rossini
Concerto: Largo For Mandolin And Strings - Vivaldi
La Boutique Fantasque: Nocturne - Respighi
Crisantemi - Puccini
String Quartet, 2nd Movement - Verdi
Notturno Op.70, No.1 - Romantic Approach
String Quartet, 3rd Movement - DeBussy
Thais: Meditation - Massenet
String Quartet, 3rd Movement - Ravel
Gymnopedie No.1 - Satie

Album Description

What makes music Romantic? Like beauty, Romanticism is in the eye or ear of the beholder. As a musical movement, it is generally associated with 19th century Europe, but The Romantic Approach, Volume One was a collection of 20th century American works, all of which had some fairly obvious Romantic elements. That first recording may have surprised listeners who felt that contemporary America has produced very little Romantic art. The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, on the other hand, includes the very heart of the Romantic literature. Of all the countries in the world, France and Italy have been those most associated with things romantic; even the sounds of their languages are musical, and that songlike quality has certainly colored much of the music (classical or otherwise) of these two countries.

The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, contains music by some of the greatest French and Italian Romantics: Puccini, Faure' Debussy, Respighi, and numerous others are included. Many of them will be familiar to opera lovers, and that is probably not a coincidence. Opera means high drama, star-crossed lovers, emotions writ large upon a grand stage - the very essence of Romanticism already existed in the opera world, which was a central part of the musical life of France and Italy. The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, reflects this: beautiful melodies from two opera favorites, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Massenet's Thais, are included; and three of the greatest operatic composers, Rossini, Puccini, and Verdi, are all represented by typically soulful instrumental works. But unjustly neglected masterpieces from gifted French and Italian composers Jean Francaix and Guiseppe Martucci are included as well, and the collection is rounded out with emotional, evocative works by Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie.

Like the earlier volume, this collection is centered around the sounds of the instrumental family that is most often associated with Romantic music: the strings. Whether it is singing cellos, soaring violins, or sighing mandolins, the instruments of the string family have an uncanny ability (in the right hands) to express a full range of emotion, and some of the most Romantic music ever written has the sounds of a string quartet or a full string orchestra at its heart.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Supernature (Cerrone 3) [Import]

Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No.8

A Cheerful Noise-Songs and Dances of Medieval and Renaissance Times

All Star Jazz Concert [Live] [Original recording remastered]

25th Hour [Soundtrack]

100 Boleros de Amor

A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra [Live] [Original recording remastered]

2'sday

17 Chansons D'or [Import]

American Master of Sacred Song

A Time for Love

10 de Coleccion [Original recording remastered]

1-900-Get-Some [Explicit Lyrics]

Ockeghem: Missa Caput, Missa Ma Maistresse, 3 Motets / The Clerks' Group, Wickham

Dynamite