Le Sacre Du Printemps

On this CD:

1. Concerto for Orchestra, for orchestra, Sz. 116, BB 127
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Conducted by Eduard Van Beinum

2. Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Conducted by Eduard Van Beinum

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:

Into
Marriage Of Figaro
Sym No.4
Sym No.9
Vn Cto. (1st)
Vn Cto. (2nd)
Vn Cto. (3rd)
Sym Fantastique (4th)
Sym Fantastique (5th)
La Gazza Ladra
Una Furtiva Lagrima
Sym No.4 (1st)
Sym No.4 (2nd)
Sym No.5 (1st)
Sym No.5 (2nd)
Sym No.5 ( 3rd)
Sym No.6
Scheherazade
Till Eulenspiegel
Ein Heldenleben
Bolero
Alborada Del Grazioso
Rapsodie Espanol
Pno Con in G (1st)
Pno Con in G (3rd)
Firebird
Rite Of Spring
Con
Sym No.1
Sym No.9
Closing

Customer Reviews:

A MUST HAVE.......2003-06-03

Every serious bassoon player should be required to own this cd, especially anyone considering auditioning for an orchestra. McGill explains how to play the excerpts in order to give them that special touch the judges are looking for. He also plays each example with such ease-- it almost sounds easy! This cd gives you something to strive for as an aspiring bassoonist.

Not just for bassoon players !!.......2000-10-16

I first heard of this recording from an article by Owen Lee in DOUBLE BASSIST magazine, in an article on Bach's Suite No. 3 (the 4th in a series on Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello on Double-Bass) - a piece that I keep in my practice folder, and take out periodically. Lee said this CD is "the finest dissertation on musical phrasing that I have come across." Since I'm working on a guitar-bass duet arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero" and this is one of the excerpts, I figured I'd check it out.

I play primarily jazz bass, but have practiced "classical" music to get a better perspective on my weaknesses in intonation, phrasing, and overall style. And although I have never been one to disregard the other instruments in the orchestra (I have always enjoyed a well-played woodwind line), I have never got around to actually practicing these excerpts on my bass. Until now, of course. Anymore, I feel I am robbing myself of some incredible musical opportunities if I limit my vocabulary to double bass recordings.

Tracks:

Overture la Cenerentola - Thomas Schippers
Symphony No. 4 in a ''italian'', I. Allergro Vivace'' - David Zinman
Scherzo [From Midsummer Night's Dream]
Scherzo [From Symphony No. 9 ''Choral''] - Alberto Lizzio
Finale to Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major - Richard Kapp, Michael Ponti
Presto [From ''Summer'']
Toreadors - Alfred Scholz
Sabre Dance
Slaconic Dance Op. 46 No. 8 in G Minor - Antal Dorati
Petrouchka: Shrove Tide Fair
Petrouchka: Russian Dance
Rite of Spring: Augurs of Springs, Dances of the Young Girls
Concerto for Orchestra: Finale
Piano Concerto No 2 in BB, III Rondo - Alfred Brendel,

Average customer rating:

A fascinating compendium of Boulez' versatility.

Pierre Boulez: Artist's Album

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004R9F1
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Parsifal: Overture
LULU: Interlude Verwandlungsmusik (Act 1, Scene 2)
LULU: Ragtime: 'Seit ich fur die buhne arbeite' - English Waltz: 'Noch Etwas Bitte'
Iberia (Image pour orchestre no. 2): Le matin d'un jour de fete
The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
Concerto For Orchestra: Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto
Raposidie espagnole: Habanera
La Ville d'en haut (For Wind, Brass, Piano and Percussion)
Symphony No. 7: Scherzo: Schattenhaft - Trio
Moses Und Aron: Erotische Orgie (Act ll)
Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14: Un Bal Valse: Allergro non troppo
Repons: Introduction
Herzgewachse Op. 20: Herzgewachse Op. 20 (For soprano, Celesta, Harmonium and Harp)
Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte: Lent

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating compendium of Boulez' versatility........2000-06-10

Compilations of classical music usually bring a bite-sized, dumbed-down view of the music at hand, but in the case of a musician of the stature and insight of Pierre Boulez, this is a compilation to be applauded. You will hear Boulez' amazing versatility in music from Berlioz to his own masterpiece Repons, with a powerful, unsentimental Parsifal Prelude, a charming, wonderfully grotesque Lulu excerpt, some ferocious, charged Stravinsky, ecstatic Messiaen, and luminous, gorgeous Ravel and Debussy in between. The playing is uniformly outstanding, and one can only hope that a collection like this will spur neophytes on to the riches of Boulez' discography. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Orchestra!

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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
ASIN: B00000E4OQ
Release Date: 1991-04-05

Tracks:

Con Grosso, Op.6 No.11: II. Allegro - Dudley Moore
Brandenburg Con No.3: I. Allegro - Dudley Moore
Sym No.99: II. Adagio (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
The Marriage Of Figaro: Ov - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
'Choral' Sym: IV. Fant (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
'Unfinished' Sym: I. Allegro Moderato (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Pno Con: I. Allegro Affetuoso (Exc) - Dudley Moore
Sym Fantastique: The March To The Scaffold - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Prld - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn: Var V. (Pno Duet Version) - Sir Georg Soli/Dudley Moore
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn Var V. (Orchestral Version) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn: Var VII (Pno Duet Version) - Sir Georg Soli/Dudley Moore
Pno Con No.1: Allegro Non Troppo (Exc) - Dudley Moore
Don Juan - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
La Valse: Conclusion - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Music: II. Allegro (Exc) - Dudley Moore
The Rite Of Spring: Dance Of The Earth - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Sym No.3: Conclusion - Dudley Moore

Average customer rating:

Van Beinum's Artistry in First-Class Transfers
Van Beinum's "Cool" Approach

The Artistry of Eduard van Beinum

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003OO0J
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Tracks:

Sym Fantastique, Op.14: I. Passions. Largo/Allegro Agitato E Apassionato Assai
Sym Fantastique, Op.14: II. A Ball. Valse Allegro Non Troppo
Sym Fantastique, Op.14: III. Scenes In The Country. Adagio
Sym Fantastique, Op.14: IV. March To The Gallows. Allegretto Non Troppo
Ser, Op.48: II. Walze. Moderato: Tempo Di Valse
Untitled
Four Sea Interludes And Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Op.33: Interlude I. Lento E Tranquillo
Four Sea Interludes And Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Op.33: Interlude III. Allegro Spiritoso
Four Sea Interludes And Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Op.33: Interlude V. Andante Comodo E Rubato
Four Sea Interludes And Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Op.33: Interlude II. Presto Con Fuoco
Four Sea Interludes And Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Op.33: Passacaglia. Andante Moderato

Tracks:

Sym No.7 in E, No.65: I. Allegro Moderato
Sym No.7 in E, No.65: II. Adagio. Sehr Feierlich Und Langsam/Moderato
Sym No.7 in E, No.65: III. Scherzo/Trio. Sehr Schnell/Etwas Langsamer
Sym No.7 in E, No.65: IV. Finale. Bewegt, Doch Nicht Schnell
Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: I. Entree. Tempo Di Marcia
Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: II. Colombine. Adagietto (Molto Tranquillo)
Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: III. Harlequin. Vivace
Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: IV. Pierrot Und Pierrette. Larghetto

Tracks:

Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: V. Valse D'Amour. Sostenuto
Eine Ballett-Ste, Op.130: VI. Finale. Presto
Pno Con No.24 in c, K.491: I. Allegro - Kathleen Long
Pno Con No.24 in c, K.491: II. Larghetto - Kathleen Long
Pno Con No.24 in c, K.491: III. Allegretto - Kathleen Long
The Rite Of Spring: I. Intro
The Rite Of Spring: II. Augurs Of Spring
The Rite Of Spring: III. Ritual Abduction
The Rite Of Spring: IV. Spring Rounds
The Rite Of Spring: V. Ritual Of The Two Rival Tribes
The Rite Of Spring: VI. Procession Of The Oldest And Wisest One
The Rite Of Spring: VII. Kiss Of The Earth
The Rite Of Spring: VIII. Dancing Out Of The Earth
The Rite Of Spring: IX. Second Part: The Exalted Sacrifice. Intro
The Rite Of Spring: X. Mystic Circle Of The Young Girls
The Rite Of Spring: XI. Naming And Honoring Of The Chosen One
The Rite Of Spring: XII. Evocation Of The Ancestors
The Rite Of Spring: XIII. Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
The Rite Of Spring: XIV. Sacrificial Dance

Tracks:

Con: I. Intro
Con: II. Giuoco Delle Coppie
Con: III. Elegia
Con: IV. Intermezzo Interrotto
Con: V. Finale
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: Thema
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: I. L'istesso Tempo
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: II. Poco Agitato
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: III. Con Moto
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: IV. Vivace
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: V. Quasi Presto
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: VI. Sostenuto
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: VII. Andante Grazioso
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: VIII. Molto Sostenuto
Vars And Fuge On A Theme by W.A. Mozart, Op.132: IX. Fuge. Allegretto Grazioso

Customer Reviews:

Van Beinum's Artistry in First-Class Transfers.......2002-11-23

The very special sound of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, wonderfully transparent yet warm, with a pronounced bias toward the woodwinds, was the invention of the orchestra's second music director, Willem Mengelberg. Eduard van Beinum succeeded Mengelberg in the mid 1940s, and you couldn't imagine a greater contrast of conductor personalities. Where Mengelberg constantly pushed his own flamboyant, brilliantly assertive personality onto every score he performed, van Beinum more modestly interpreted music according to what was printed in the score. At least, that's what van Beinum claimed to be doing. Mengelberg was quite literally irreplaceable, but van Beinum's more modest talent resulted in subtle and memorable performances, and his technical ability as leader helped ensure that the Concertgebouw remained one of the world's great orchestras in the years following the older man's exit. And it has always retained that special sound. I grew up on van Beinum's Decca recordings in the 1960s, when many of them were reissued on "Richmond" Lp reprints that sold for about $2.00. Although mono-only, these Lps beautifully conveyed the Amsterdam sound in ways that even impressed my assertively skeptical younger self. I recently heard some of these same van Beinum performances re-issued as CDs on the British Dutton label. I had high hopes that I would once again hear that fabulous Decca/Amsterdam sound, but I was bitterly disappointed. The Dutton CDs, remastered to sound aggressively "hi-fi," are bright and edgy and shallow-sounding. The orchestra you hear could be any one of a score of today's faceless, pasteurized symphonic bands. Music and Arts, on the other hand, attempts a much less total reprocessing of the Decca source material (from 78s and Lps) and manages to rescue the wonderful sounds I heard from those old Richmond Lps. There are trade-offs, of course. You will hear surface noise on the M&A set that you won't hear on the Dutton CDs. You will also hear real music and the unique Amsterdam sound that lives on in Mengelberg's orchestra. As for the performances, sometimes a simple, direct approach can work wonders to bring a sense of freshness to overly familiar scores. I think van Beinum's performances of the Bartok Concerto and the Berlioz and Bruckner symphonies are among the freshest-sounding (and loveliest) you will hear. The Reger performances are, simply stated, the best I have ever heard (especially the "Ballet Suite"). These derive from German wartime Polydor originals, but they also sound quite fine. The Mozart and Britten performances are also cherishable. Only the Stravinsky "Rite" recording presents major problems, and these derive from the original recording (variable sound quality; somewhat shrill overall). All told, van Beinum's gifts have never been put on better display than in this set, beautifully re-engineered by M&A's great engineer Maggi Payne. Buy these discs, unless you are completely put off by surface noise.

Van Beinum's "Cool" Approach.......2001-03-11

One can might usefully think of conductors as "hot" or "cool." Furtwängler and Mengelberg belonged to the "hot" category: Each one poured his life's blood into every performance and, so to speak, immolated himself on the altar of artistic sublimity. Weingartner and Toscanini belonged to the "cool" category: Each one stood back from the music for the sake of a kind of abstract perfection in getting the notes right. We need both types, although every listener will have his preference. (I like it "hot.") Eduard van Beinum (1901-1959) played it "cool," but he could hardly have distinguished himself from Mengelberg, whom he succeeded at the helm of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, without doing otherwise. The situation required contrast, especially given the alleged political affiliations of the "hot" precursor. Let us post a proviso, however: That "cool" does not necessarily mean unexciting or unappealing. Both Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky were "cool" conductors, but both also left behind a raft of fascinating playback versions of their own music. "Coolness" entails scientific precision, studiousness in articulation, even an attitude of mild irony toward the task at hand - and these things can (and do!) illuminate an oft-heard score. So it is as we listen through the varied repertoire in this fascinating boxed set from Music and Arts. Van Beinum leads a Bruckner Seventh (1947) that constitutes a matter-of-fact tour of the work's main points; it resembles a reading of the Bruckner Fourth led by Klemperer, also with the Concertgebouw, from the same year and available recently on Tahra. A break from the "hot" Bruckner of Furtwängler and Knappertsbusch cleanses the palette and permits us to remember that an objective basis does indeed exist beneath the Teutonic pilings-on that, to some extent, distort this score in its best-known interpretations. The "cool" approach works quite well in the cases of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, recorded in 1948 and, like the Bruckner symphony, in fine sound. Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart absolutely requires the kind of careful articulation that van Beinum brings to it, for it otherwise tends to disappear into its own complicated counterpoint. Like Reger's Ballet-Suite (also on the program), the Variations comes from studio sessions in 1943, or during the Nazi occupation. Again, Britten's Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia respond congenially to the "cool" approach. Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" (recorded in 1946) needs more fire than van Beinum lends it, stressing as he does the composer's classical side. Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," on the other hand, despite its expressionistic moments, does well by a "cool" reading. (Like the Berlioz, the Stravinsky comes from 1946.) The listing on the back of the jewel-box fails to list a snippet of Tschaikovsky tucked away between Berlioz and Britten, leading to some some confusion in the tracking on CD 1. The sound, as one expects from the DG (Polydor) and Decca engineers who made many of these recordings, is fine, impressive even for the vintage. In the Bruckner symphony especially the strings achieve great luminosity and the brass find just the right subdued burnish. The production-values please in every wise, with an attractive booklet and good notes. Serious collectors will likely be the ones to take an interest in this, which is a shame, as these recordings deserve to be widely known.

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Average customer rating:

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Manufacturer: Dutton Laboratories
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JPYM
Release Date: 1999-08-10