Russian Images

On this CD:

1. How sweet it is to be with you (Kak sladko s toboyu mne bït'), for voice & piano, G. x197
Composed by Mikhail Glinka
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

2. Bolero, for piano in D minor, G. vi208
Composed by Mikhail Glinka
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

3. Night Zephyr Stirs the Air, The, for voice & piano
Composed by Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

4. Miller, The, for voice & piano (Melnik)
Composed by Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

5. How well I remember, for voice & piano
Composed by Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

6. For the Shores of Thy Far Native Land (Dlya beregov otchiznï dal'noy), song for voice & piano
Composed by Alexander Borodin
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

7. Embrace Me, Kiss Me
Composed by Mily Balakirev
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

8. On the Hills of Georgia (Na kholmakh Gruzii), song for voice and piano, Op. 3/4
Composed by Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

9. La statue de Tsarskoïe Selo, Op 57/17
Composed by Cesar Cui
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

10. Forgotten (Zabïtïy), ballad for voice & piano
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

11. Mephistopheles' Song of the Flea, for voice & piano or orchestra, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

12. I bless you, forests ("The Pilgrim's Song"), song for voice & piano, Op. 47/5 No 5, "I bless you, forests"
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

13. Amid the noise of the ball, song for voice and piano, Op. 38/3 No 03, "In the midst of the ball"
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

14. Don Juan's Serenade, song for voice & piano, Op. 38/1 No 1, "Don Juan's Serenade"
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

15. Romances (6) for voice & piano, Op 27 Autumn Op 27/2
Composed by Anton Stepanovich Arensky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

16. Romances (3), Op.3 no 2, I have outlived my desires
Composed by Nikolay Medtner
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

17. Poems (7), for voice & piano, Op.28 No 5, Spring Solace
Composed by Nikolay Medtner
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

18. Captive, The, Op 20 No. 04
Composed by Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

19. Songs, Op 37 No 1, Dawn
Composed by Boris Mykolayovich Lyatoshyns'ky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

20. Songs, Op 37 No 2, Supreme Happiness
Composed by Boris Mykolayovich Lyatoshyns'ky
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

21. She is as lovely as the noon, song for voice & piano, Op. 14/9 No 09, She is as beautiful as noon
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

22. Tis time, song for voice & piano, Op. 14/12 No 12, "It is time"
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Alexander Blok, Vassily Savenko

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:

Dance Of The Green Devil
Fantasy On Little Russian Songs
Serenade, Op.54, No.2
Air From Suite No.3 In D, BWV 1068
Standchen (Serenade)
Die Biene (The Bee)
Intermezzo From Goyescas
Tarantella From The Gadfly, Op.97
Habanera
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
Allegro Spiritoso
Cantilena, Op.48, No.24
Boulevard De Garavan
Danse Bohemienne, Op.28
Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
Short Story

Customer Reviews:

A Great cd!.......2006-12-15

I love it. To me, every note of this sounds gorgeous. There is a really wide variety of songs. Every track is like the title says, a "virtuoso cello encore". Her playing is very expressive and beautiful but also has a flawless, effortless quality. This CD is over 75 minutes long and was recorded in only a couple days. Her concerts must be amazing.

Average customer rating:

"Superb Recital exploring a wide repertoire"
Savenko presents a fine selection of Russian art songs.

Russian Images

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Russian Images, Vol. 2
Balakirev: Piano Concertos No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor and No. 2 in E-Flat Major / Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor
Glinka: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B00000JLKE
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Customer Reviews:

"Superb Recital exploring a wide repertoire".......2000-02-04

Enthusiasts of Russian Song may be interested to note the comments of British reviewers. Classic CD called it a "Superb recital" and commented on Savenko: "He has a genuine bass-baritone voice slightly lighter, more lyrical and wide-ranging than the typically cavernous Russian bass, but with a particularly thrilling quality" Classic FM Magazine placed it within their recommended recordings section and called it "A debut recital of great quality", and Gramophone pointed out "To listen to this carefully chosen recital is to be reminded how consistent the tradition of the lyrical song, or romans, is in Russia" Savenko responds "eloquently and vigorously, and without caricature to such as that old Chaliapin stalwart, Mussorgsky's 'Song of the Flea'. BBC Music Magazine chose to highlight that a decade ago, the songs of the composers chosen here were little-known outside Russia, "but the past few years had seen an abundance of recordings. With so much competition, the quality of the performance and programme is critical, but happily both these discs come up trumps" The other disc referred to is Savenko's recording on another label entitled Russian Vocal Masterpieces Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov Songs.

Savenko presents a fine selection of Russian art songs........1999-07-23

Vassily Savenko is not as well known in the U.S. as his colleague Dimitri Hvorostovsky, but both of them are worthy successors to a long line of Russian bassos going back to Feodor Chaliapin. On this CD, "Russian Images", Savenko is accompanied by the young pianist and composer, Alexander Blok. As Russian art songs share many of the charms of German lieder, including their reliance on the piano's role in the overall schema, Blok's contribution is vital. The disc contains works by a galaxy of Russian composers, including Borodin, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky- Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky, many of them in settings of poems by Alexander Pushkin. Although some knowledge of Russian is helpful in gaining a full appreciation of these vocal gems, the disc is accompanied by a free, but serviceable, English translation.

Average customer rating:

500 Classic Masterpieces

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

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00008FZWM
Release Date: 1992-11-04

Debussy: Images; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnole; Borodin: Prince Igor

Average customer rating:

Excellent vintage sound, minimal documentation, low price.

Debussy: Images; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnole; Borodin: Prince Igor

Manufacturer: T-Rax Basic Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00004T0KR
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Customer Reviews:

Excellent vintage sound, minimal documentation, low price........2005-12-22

This is one of a large series (at least 50) of European reissues on the "Basic Classics" label put out by T-rax. The performances and recordings are of high quality--I'm listening to the Debussy on this disk as I write, and it is clean and clear, with a very polished performance of at least the quality you would hear on a good night from a major symphony orchestra. The analog recordings on this particular disk appear to come from the EMI back catalog (as do many in the series), but I haven't been able to track down when the recordings were made or the format in which they were originally released.

The minimal liner notes are in German, English, and Spanish (two pages for each language). Oddly, more information is given about the early 20th-century painter Vasily Kandinsky, whose paintings seem to be used on all (or at least most) of the Basic Classics covers, than about the composers or the works on the disks. (The series could almost be an elaborate PR campaign by a gallery representing Kandinsky's heirs.) The notes also include a very brief, half-column biography of Debussy, and another half-column about the works (with the Capriccio Espagnol and Polovtsian Dances given a sentence apiece). Nothing about the performers or the recording, except for the names of the conductors and the orchestras on the track listing.

If you depend on liner notes to enhance your listening experience, these are probably not the disks for you. If, however, you're already a pretty sophisticated listener and don't need the notes, or just want the disks to listen to in the car, or as an inexpensive way of trying out unfamiliar music, they're a great choice. I found mine in a clearance bin for $2.99 each, and I'm going to go back, buy out the bin, and give away small collections of the disks to friends. The series does in fact represent the "basic classics" of western music for the past 300 years (there's even a disk of Gershwin, although the other composers I've found are all European), and most lovers of classical music will find a lot to enjoy with these releases. And you can't beat the value--70 minutes of music for $7 or less.

Average customer rating:

Cluytens comes away with a lot better than average
Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st

André Cluytens

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Rafael Kubelik
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Hermann Scherchen
Otto Klemperer
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Evgeny Mravinsky
Pierre Monteux

ASIN: B00005V33G
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

Symphony In C Major: I. Allegro Vivo
Symphony In C Major: II. Adagio
Symphony In C Major: III. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace
Symphony In C Major: IV. Finale. Allegro Vivace
Images Pour Orchestre: No. 1: Gigues / No. 2: Iberia
Images Pour Orchestre: I. Par Les Rues Et Par Les chemins
Images Pour Orchestre: II. Les Parfums De La Nuit
Images Pour Orchestre: III. Le Matin D'Un Jour De Fete
Images Pour Orchestre: No.3: Randes De Printemps
La Valse: Poeme Choregraphique

Tracks:

Manfred Overture, Op.115
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14: Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste: I. Reveries-Passions: Largo-Allegro Agitato E Appassionato Assai
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14: Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste: II. Un Bal: Valse. Allegro Non Troppo
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14: Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste: III. Scene Au Champs: Adagio
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14: Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste: IV. Marche Au Supplice: Allegretto Non Troppo
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14: Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste: V. Sange S'Une Nuit Du Sabbat: Larghetto-Allegro-Allegro Assai-Allegro-Dies Irae-Ronde Du Sabbat-Dies Irae Et Ronde Du Sabbat Ensemble
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act III
Boris Godunov: Coronation Scene (Prologue, Scene II): Solemn Procession - Prince Shuisky: 'Long Live Tsar Boris Feodorvich!'
Boris Godunov: Coronation Scene (Prologue, Scene II): Boris: 'My Soul Is Sorrowful'
Boris Godunov: Coronation Scene (Prologue, Scene II): People: 'Glory, Glory, Glory!'

Customer Reviews:

Cluytens comes away with a lot better than average.......2005-11-20

I can't agree with the reviewer below that Andre Cluytens was a great conductor. He certainly had his chances to prove otherwise, being one of EMI's house favorites for French music in the 50s and 60s; most unusually for a French conductor, he made a Beethoven cycle with the Berlin Phil. (readily available on the used CD market and beloved by fans) and regularly conducted Wagner at Bayreuth. None of it really stuck; Cluytens was a good, reliable stick man with no special ideas.

The Great Condcutors series has done well by him, however. Perhaps becasue the bulk of his many recordings wee with EMi--the main source for this series--the compilers oculd pick and choose. CD 1 contains a lively Bizet Sym. in C (1953 mono), far from the most sparkling ever done but nice and in good sound. Even better is his Debussy Images (stereo 1963), which greatly benefits from the idiomatic playing of the Paris Conservatoire orchestra. It doesn't rival Boulez for detail and finesse, but that's not the point here. CD 1 ends the French trifecta with Ravel's La Valse with the Philharmonia (even better stereo, 1958) that exchanges impact for swoony atmospherics--no perfumed ironies allowed.

CD 2 mixes in a bit of German and Russian with the French. A 1957 Schumann Manfred Over. with the Berlin Phil. is respectful and clean. The major work on this CD is a live 1964 Symphonie fantastique from Tokyo, again with the Paris Conservatoire orchestra--a memorable souvenir in decent radio stereo. The Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin is unusual for featuring the Paris Opera orchestra; it's straightforward and full-sounding. Finally, we get 10 min. of the Coronation scene from boris Christoff's well-known EMI recording of Boris Godunov from 1962. It's cleanly Gallic rather than moodily Russian. The best part is Christoff's appearance and the real Kremlin bells rather than Cluytens' leadership. Overall, Clutens is well represented without surprises or any risk of inspiration. Four stars.

Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st.......2003-05-27

It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more notice on Amazon.com and in other places, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 6, features the great Andre Cluytens. Throughout the 1950s and early 60s Cluytens recorded frequently for Walter Legge at EMI, and there are no shortage of Cluytens CDs currently available. Notables include his Ravel Piano Concertos with Francois, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (see my review), and Shostakovich's Piano Concertos with the composer himself on the ivories. Sadly his brilliant Beethoven cycle, which was available at budget line in the first EMI Seraphim series, is now out of print. But enough about his other recordings, let's talk about what is contained in this collection. The highlights here are the French works -- a 1963 Debussy's Images, Bizet's Symphony in mono from 1953, and a live recording of Symphonie Fantastique (different from the one mentioned above and from the mono recording on Testament) from 1964 in Tokyo. Some of the material in this set has been issued before though. The Ravel La Valse has been available on an EMI Import of Cluytens conducting Ravel's Orchestral Works. The excerpts of Boris Godunov are available in the full opera on EMI's GROTC set, but since I'm not an opera fan, I don't own that set anyway. Finally, the Wagner Prelude from Lohengrin has just recently been reissued on a Testament disc of Cluytens conducting Wagner (see my review). However, these works account for less than 20% of the music on this collection, and having the same great music on two different discs is easy to swallow in this case.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances previously unreleased on CD (or ever!) doesn't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor may not be in your collection, and that would truly be a shame.

Old Russian Ballads, Symphony of Images
Average customer rating:
Old Russian Ballads, Symphony of Images

Manufacturer: Boheme music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002G1DYE

Product Description

Old Russian Ballads symphony-concert for soloists and mixed choir without accompaniment in six parts. Based on the poems of I. A. Bunin. I. Svyatogor and Ilya II. Why so murky, bright moon?.. III. The Execution (male parts of a choir) IV. Yester eve for me... V. Saint Peter's Day (female parts of a choir) VI. The Ballad of the Maid Allsafia and Brave Yegori Symphony of Images for soloists and mixed choir without accompaniment in four parts on the poems by A. N. Maikov, A. A. Akhmatova, K. K. Romanov, A. Bely I. The Vision of the Holy and Righteous Prince Alexander Nevsky II. The Dormition of Saint Yevfrosinia of Moscow III. Saint Elizaveta Fyodorovna IV. Saint Seraphim Greater Choir of the Russian Academy of Choral Art Soloists: D. Korchak (2, 6, 9), V. Ladyuk (3), T. Fedotova (4, 5, 6), S. Sizova (5, 8), E. Khoroshenina (5), S. Lukhmanova (5), A. Bashkov (7) Conductor: Victor Popov

Average customer rating:

"The Riches of Russian Vocal Art"
"The Riches of Russian Vocal Art"

Russian Images, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Russian Images

ASIN: B00004VXCW
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Travel Song (A Farewell To St. Petersburg 1840)
Stanzas
Doubt - Vassily Savenko/Alexander Blok/Alexei Kropotov
A Tear Trembles, Op.6 No.4
My Genius, My Angel, My Friend
Frenzied Nights, Op.60 No.6
A Dream, Op.17 No.3
I Have Seen Death, Op.27 No.6
Was It So Long Ago To Enchanting Strains, Op.49 No.5
Dense Forests, Op.26 No.5
And The Foes Stood Trembling, Op.26 No.8
Winter Journey, Op.32 No.4
Twilight, Op.24 No.4
Unexpected Rain, Op.28 No.1
Invocation (The Call), Op.29 No.7
Do Not Sing, My Beauty, Op.4 No.4
The Muse, Op.34 No.1
Arion, Op.34 No.5
Three Romances: Recollection
Three Romances: Desire
Three Romances: To The Sea

Customer Reviews:

"The Riches of Russian Vocal Art".......2000-12-12

Following on from the success of the first "Russian Images"disc.Vasily Savenko and Alexander Blok have again come up with a selection to suprise and delight lovers of Russian Romans. The excellent sleeve notes put into perspective this kaleidoscope:"The spectrum is broad,both chronologically,ranging from the 1840s to the 1940s, and stylistically,comprising works by composers of Russian Nationalist school,the romantic era,the rich Silver Age immediate preceding the revolution,as well as the years of the soviet regime.The choice of songs has been designed to include both well-loved favourites and such unfamiliar material as the Mosolov settings of Pushkin,composed in 1949 but not receiving their premier in the West until Vassily Savenko and Michael Dussek gave the first performance almost fifty years later. To those unfamiliar with the artistry of the bass-baritone Vassily Savenko and his distinguished pianist,Alexander Blok,this disc is sure to be a revelation-both for its exquisite songs and thrilling performance by a singer who has few equals in this genre.Savenko uses his powerful,operatic voice to great effect in Rachmaninovs "Arion",in Medtners "Invocation"and Taneyevs "And the foes stood trembling",but commands expression and nuance of the utmost delicacy in Tchaikovskys "my genius,my angel,my friend" and in Arenskys "Was it so long ago to anchanting strains".In Taneyevs beautiful,evocative setting of Baudelaires "Dense Forest",Savenko displays his depth of tone and phenomenal breath control,but the whole selection affirms him an artist of great eloquence in the service of music.Alexander Bloks Accomplished support at the piano makes this a must- have disc!

"The Riches of Russian Vocal Art".......2000-12-12

Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (2-Disc)

Average customer rating:

More music than original LP release, but no Takemitsu!
EL MEJOR SOUNDTRACK
Great music from Cosmos, wish there were no interruptions.
A musical analogue of the TV series
The Music of Cosmos - To Buy - or Not to Buy

Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (2-Disc)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Cosmos Studios / BMG
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the PBS Television Series Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Cosmos: Carl Sagan (7 DVD Set)

ASIN: B00006HCVP
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Tracks:

Heaven & Hell, Part 1 - Vangelis
Symphony No.11 In G Minor, Op.103 'The Year 1905' - Shostakovich
Alpha - Vangelis
(Depicting) Cranes In Their Nest - Yamaguchi
Clarinet Concerto In A Major, K.622 - Mozart
Pachelbel: The Pachelbel Canon - Galway
Metamorhposis - Boydstun
The Sea Named 'Solaris' - Bach
Partita For Violin Solo No.3 In E - Bach
The Four Seasons: Spring - Vivaldi
Sonata D-Dur Fur Trompete, Oboe Und Basso Continuo - Finger
Concerto For Mandolin & Strings In C Major - Vivaldi
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: Suite, Op.57 II - Rimsky-Korsakov
Legacy - Fast
Russian Easter Festival Overture - Rimsky-Korsakov

Tracks:

Pulstar - Vangelis
'Vishnu' Symphony No.19, Op.217 - Hovhaness
Melancholy Blues - Bloom
Aquarius - MacDermot
Beaubourg, Part 2 - Vangelis
The Planets - Mars - Holst
Alien Images 1 - Boydstun
Fly...Night Bird - Roussel
Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer? - Vangelis
The Rite Of Spring - Stravinsky
Prayer Of St. Gregory - Hovhaness
Bulgarian Shepherdess Song - Traditional
Comet 16 - Vangelis

Customer Reviews:

More music than original LP release, but no Takemitsu!.......2007-07-14

Unfortunately, this 2-CD set appears to be unavailable now. But if you can find it, don't hesitate to purchase it. If you loved the 80s TV series, this captures many of the musical moments that made the series so unique.

As many reviewers have mentioned - yes, Age of Aquarius does not fit in well; the segues between selections range from being odd to downright annoying; and yes there is much more music represented here than on the original LP, including the Vangelis track that he composed for the second Special Edition of Cosmos that aired as a mini-series several years after the original series aired.

One thing that reviewers so far have overlooked is that one track from the original LP somehow did not make it onto this 2CD set - Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu's short track "Inside the Heart of the Universe". A brief and somewhat odd piece of music, it still has a mystical beauty to it. It also gave me reason to know Takemitsu's name when I was six or seven years old, growing up watching the Cosmos series and enjoying the original LP. I grew up to be a professional musician, and tried to find out just where this track came from. It took a lot of research, but I found that it was from a soundtrack called Legacy For the Future. It was released on LP in the early 1970s, and was only briefly released on CD by Deutsche Grammophon in 1996 and I was lucky to find a copy (the whole CD is wonderful!). Anyway, this probably more info than most readers care for, but for any who remember this cool piece of music and lament that it did not make it to this 2CD set - you aren't the only ones who noticed this!

There is a CD release of the original LP tracks - right now there appear to be several copies available from Marketplace sellers. So those who are dissatisfied with the 2CD release, or wish to experience both on CD, can purchase it while supplies last. The artwork is different from, and not as breathtaking as the original LP, but the music is the same. And the Takemitsu piece is on that one!

John Kendall Bailey

EL MEJOR SOUNDTRACK.......2006-11-13

Este es sin duda alguna uno de los mejores soundtrack de todos los tiempos.Incluye, ademas de la musica seleccionada para la serie televisiva de Carl Sagan, algunas piezas de las que estan a bordo de la nave espacial Voyager.Si usted quiere pasar una noche disfrutando de una buena seleccion musical no dude en colocar estos dos discos ya que tienen una variedad y balance estupendamente escogidos.Esta dedicado a todos los musicos del planeta Tierra como tributo.

Great music from Cosmos, wish there were no interruptions........2006-08-16

This newer two CD soundtrack of Carl Sagan's Cosmos has more music than the old vinyl LP, which I liked, but I thought the old record arranged the selections in a more logical, listenable order. The "environmental" sound effects are not all musical The crane was the only bird's call I heard and unfortunately no songbirds were included, though the sounds of other not so musical animals were included (e.g., the lion and zebra). The saw and bulldozer were annoying. There was certainly an attempt at convey an environmental message, but why permit noise to intrude on the music?

There's a moving version of "Pachelbel's Canon", J. S. Bach's "The Sea Named Solaris", selecions from Holst's "The Planets" and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". and many of the other classical music tracks used in the series. These works sound even better than they did on the old LP. This makes the album well worth owning, though it would have been better if those who designed it had followed the concept of the old LP more closely.

A musical analogue of the TV series .......2005-04-08

I am astounded that everyone who disliked the track segues on this release apparently didn't read the any of the liner notes or apparently watch the COSMOS TV series itself. Like the TV series, this soundtrack musically covers the origins of the Universe, the development of stars, planets, life, evolution, civilization, scientific discoveries and meditations on humanity's fate and place in the universe. A quick glance at the back cover and liner notes clearly illustrate this.

Perfectionists are advised that if they really want the actual soundtrack music to the series, simply purchase the DVD box set. There is a music only track on each DVD for each program. As broadcast, most of the pieces were multiply re-arranged, cut, trimmed and even made into different versions, so you'll not hear exactly what was broadcast even with an original recording. Besides, many pieces were omitted from the CD due to copyright, time constraints, etc.

That having been said, the Age of Aquarius cut is awful, regardless of whether it was in the TV show or not. Omitting Beethoven for that? Ugh. That alone makes me give it a 4/5.

The Music of Cosmos - To Buy - or Not to Buy.......2004-12-26

I want to buy this album badly, but some of the previous comments on the 'in-between effects' scares me off. I will probably buy it anyway, but if I hated the extra stuff, I would transfer the CD's to my computer, then burn each track back onto new CD's. If I did this, would it get rid of the effects, or are they integral to the tracks. Has anyone tried to do this?

Angel of the White Town - Images of Byzantium Chants Disk 1

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Angel of the White Town - Images of Byzantium Chants Disk 1

Manufacturer: Tretij Rim
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0009Y8P90

Product Description

1. Khristos voskrese. Tropar' paskhi, glas is. 1. (5). 2. Voskreseniya Den'. Katavasii paskhal'nogo kanona, glas 1. 3. Voskresnaya stikhira, glas 2. 4. Ispovedajtesya Gospodevi. Ps.: 135. glas 1, is. 4. (8.), is. 2. (6.), tezhak (7.) i 1. 5. Yazyka, ego zhe ne vedyashe. Bogorodichnaya stikhira Blagovecsheniya, glas 4. 6. Vozbrannoj Voevode. Kondak Blagovecsheniya, glas is. 4. (8) 7. Voskresenyj Alliluarij, glas is 1. (5) 8. Kheruvimskaya, Petr Lampadarij, glas 4. 9. Tebe poem. Nikola Popmikhajlov, glas 4. 10. Dostojno est'. Triandafil Georgiadis, glas 2. 11. Voskresnye tropari po neporochnym, glas is. 1. (5.) 12. Kto Bog Velij. Velikij prokimen, glas (7.) 13. Puti vvodyacshego v zhizn'. Tropar' Sv. Savvy Serbskogo.

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