Organ History

On this CD:

1. Sinfonia for organ "Omaggio a Bellini"
Composed by Saverio Mercadante
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

2. Gloria versets for organ on themes from Verdi's "La traviata," Op 50/3
Composed by Carlo Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

3. March for organ from Verdi's "Aida," Op 185
Composed by Carlo Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

4. Offertory for organ from Verdi's "La traviata," Op 50/4
Composed by Carlo Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

5. Elevation for organ from Verdi's "La traviata," Op 50/5
Composed by Carlo Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

6. Sinfonia for organ on themes from Verdi's "La forza del destino"
Composed by Francesco Almasio
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

7. Transcription for organ of the duet 'Quando contemplo' from Verdi's "Giovanna di Guzman"
Composed by Gaetano F. Foschini
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

8. Transcription for organ of 'Di tale amor' from Verdi's "Il trovatore"
Composed by Gaetano F. Foschini
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

9. Transcription for organ of 'Ah! fors'è lui' from Verdi's "La traviata"
Composed by Gaetano F. Foschini
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

10. Transcription for organ of 'Squilla, echeggia la tromba guerriera' from Verdi's "Il trovatore"
Composed by Gaetano F. Foschini
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

11. Overture to Manna's "Preziosa," for organ
Composed by Morris Albert
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

12. Transcription for organ of the overture of Weber's "Der Freischütz"
Composed by Polibio Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

13. Transcription for organ of the overture of Weber's "Euryanthe"
Composed by Polibio Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

14. Transcription for organ of Beethoven's overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus"
Composed by Polibio Fumagalli
Performed by Arturo Sacchetti

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:

Ma Tovu
Ahavat Olam
Hashkiveynu
R'tzey
Shalom Rav
Grant Us Peace
Kiddush
L'dor Vador
Yosl Klezmer
A Nign
Avinu Malkeynu
Kaddisch
Ana Dodi
Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee
Cantor Garfein's Greeting to the Audience
Shehecheyanu
Yismechu

Album Description

Berliners say New York's Rebecca Garfein is causing a revival of Reform Judaism in Germany; this mezzo-soprano is making history with her music, recorded in the country where her great -grandmother perished in the Holocaust. In 1997, she became the first female cantor to sing in a synagogue in Germany; where she performed as part of Berlin's International Jewish Cultural Festival; and this exquisite 1998 release captures that ground - (and stained-glass ceiling) - breaking moment. It contains Jewish songs and prayers in Hebrew and Yiddish, selections from the Book of Ruth and Song of Songs - liturgical music previously only chanted my male clergy - operatic in character, performed in what was once the women's gallery in the Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue before its destruction. This live performance was attended by Jews and non-Jews, women and men, together, shattering the historical separation of faiths and genders. Beautiful, significant, and highly recommended!

Customer Reviews:

Not at all what I expected.......2006-01-21

Hmm... Ok, maybe it was not the best reason to want to buy this CD, but I heard one of the songs on it, Hashkiveynu, performed (partially) during an episode of the West Wing, and it sounded AMAZING (it was NOT the same cantor as on this CD). I am not Jewish and not even very spiritual, but I wanted to have that song in my collection.
I immediately searched the web for the info, got the name of the chant and found this CD. I almost purchased it without listening, when I found a different site, where they actually have rather long excerpts (2 min.) of most tracks, so I listened to them.
Boy, was I relieved and disappointed at once! Relieved that I didn't buy the CD and disappointed that I couldn't get the song I wanted (I was willing to buy a whole CD for just 1 song, that's how much it impressed me).
The song sounds very little like the one from the West Wing, although I do believe that the site where I found the info speficially pointed to this CD as having a recording of the same song used in the show. And I'm sorry to say it but the voice also doesn't hold a candle to the one used on the show - way too "operatic", as mentioned by many, and harsh and even unpleasant-sounding to me. It took all the charm and candor right out of the song (in the show, they had a much more natural voice do the song). I also agree that the choir does not mesh well with the soloist.
If anyone knows where and if I can purchase a recording of this song done by a different singer (if it can be the one from the West Wing, I'll be thrilled), please, let me know. In the meantime, I'm passing on this CD...

Marvelous.......2006-01-11

What a voice...!

A Brilliant Cantorial Performance.......2004-01-27

Cantor Rebecca Garfein has a magnificent voice which expresses the oft-overlooked nuances in the music she has chosen for this recording. Able to perform equally well in the metzo soprano and soprano ranges, the cantor delights the listener with thrilling high notes and sultry lower registers.

Organist-Choirmaster Arnold Ostlund, Jr. skillfully chooses registrations which enhance both the cantorial performance and the superb choral blend.

Jewish songs and prayers beautifully sung!.......2004-01-18

Cantor Rebecca Garfein's Sacred Chants is a memorial tribute to the cultural and spiritual greatness of the pre-war German Jewish synagogue. Some of the numbers were composed by Jews on Jewish themes -- for example, Mah Tovu by Cantor Meir Finklestein or Ahavat Olam by Cantor Morris Barash. Other numbers were composed by non-Jews, but they express traditional Jewish values. Throughout, Cantor Garfein sings with love and passion in the spirit of her tradition. Additionally, the beautiful organ music is wonderful to hear for those of us who have enjoyed hearing organ music as part of our Reform Jewish liturgy.

Good but is this Jewish?.......2004-01-07

I have to admit, it am in the process of converting and wanted a contemporary collection of Jewish music in the house. I was especially excited because it featured a female cantor. Unfortunately, I played this CD and it...reminded me of church not synagogue! Lovely for what it is though, with the opera voice, choir and organ music. Not quite what I expected.

The Great History of Austrian Classical Music

Average customer rating:

Has anyone seen Bob in here?
Ignore the other other reviewer
ignore the other reviewer
Huh?

The Great History of Austrian Classical Music

Manufacturer: Columbia River Ent.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Harpsichord Concerto: Allegro Moderato
String Quartet In D Major: Vivace
Largetto - Allegro - Largo-Allegro
Symphony No. 7: Allegro Moderato
'Mass' in E Minor: Kyrie
'Mass' in E Minor: Gloria
'Mass' in E Minor: Agnus Dei
Piano Concerto op. 204: Variations and Rondo
Harp Concerto in A Major: Allegro molto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 104 in D Major: Adagio - Allegro
Symphony No. 94 in G Major: Andante
Quartet op. 3/5: Serenade
Emperor Quartet: Poco Adagio cantabile
The Seasons: Finale - 'Dann bricht der grosse Morgen an'
String Quartet in A Major: Presto
Ave maris stella
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor: Allegro Moderato
Viel Larm um nichts: Stage music op. 11
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid

Tracks:

Tarantella Galop
Paganini: Liebe - du Himmel auf Erden
The Count of Luxembourg: Unbekkant - doch nicht minder interessant
The Czarevitch: Hab' nur dich allein
Quintetto concertante in F Major: Menuetto
Adagietto
Das Lied von der Erde: The Drunken One in Spring
Der Bettelstudent: Und da soll man noch galant sein
Der Bettelstudent: Nur das ein bitt' ich dich
Gasparone: Anzoletta's Song - 'Komm - mia bella'
Gasparone: Dunkelrote Rosen
Harpsichord Concerto: Allegro
Piano Concerto op. 14: Allegro
Symphony No. 40 in G minor: Molto Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 21: 'Elvira Madigan' Andante
Sonata No. 11 in A Major: Rondo alla Turca

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Serenade No. 13 - Allegro
'Der Holle Rache'
Boys trio: :Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkunden'
'In Diesen heil'gen Hallen'
O zittre nicht
Ave verum corpus
Requiem: Domine Jesu Christe
Laudate Dominum
Franz Lehrndorfer; organ: Hallelujah por la Resurrectione
Dance of the Elves
Tafelmusik: Intrada
Intermezzo from Notre Dame
Desire Waltz: Allegro Moderato
Desire Waltz: op 9a in A flat Major
The Trout Quintet: Andante - Theme with Variations

Tracks:

Der Erlkonig (Goethe)
Heindenroslein
Ungeduld
Rastlose Liebe
Die Winterreise: Der Lindenbaum
Carmen Quadrille
Radetzky March
The Blue Danube Waltz
Medley from 'Die Fledermaus': Champagne Polka
Medlef rom 'Die Fledermaus': So muss allein ich bleiben
Oje oje wie ruhrt mich dies
Medley from :Die Fledermaus': Klange der Heimat
Intermezzo from '1001 Nights'
Souvenior Polka
Galop of the Bandits
Boccaccio March
6 pieces for Orchestra, No. 1 - Langsam, No. 2 - Bewegt
Sei nicht bos
Faschingskinder

Customer Reviews:

Has anyone seen Bob in here?.......2006-05-23

Hey, has anyone seen my friend Bob in here? He said he'd meet me here. Oh well...

Ignore the other other reviewer.......2004-03-21

Five stars, one star, has anyone actually heard this recording? The first reviewer makes it pretty clear he's reviewing the search engine; the second reviewer is reviewing NOTHING.

ignore the other reviewer.......2004-03-19

I haven't heard this recording; I just wanted to give to something to boost its rating because obviously the other reviewer was writing a review of amazon's search engine and not this recording. I really don't know what rating it deserves, but seeing a recording w/ Wunderlich on it that gets one star just seems wrong.

Huh?.......2003-12-26

Oddly enough, Amazon's search engine brought me here when I was searching for "Blue Man Group"....unfortunately, the closest we get is the Blue Danube. Wonderful though it might be, it's NOT Blue Man Group.

Let me reiterate, there is NO Blue Man Group at all on this CD. Not even one track. None. Niente. Nada.

Heck, they aren't even Austrian. Or Australian, for that matter.

Tracks:

Mary Had a Little Lamb - Thomas Alva Edison
I Am Dr. Brahms - Johannes Brahms
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - Emile Berliner
Drinking - George Graham
Vigan Vannak (They Are Merry) - Pege,
Die Kleine Witwe (The Little Widow) - Carl Michael Ziehrer
Aida: Celeste Aida - Enrico Caruso
Stars and Stripes Forever - Sousa's Band
Otello: Esultate - Francesco Tamagno
Phe de Racine - Sarah Bernhardt
Partita No. 1 in B Minor BWV 1002: Bourr- Joseph Joachim
Komm, Lieber Mai: K.596 - Joseph Joachim
Chant Venitien - Dame Nellie Melba
Faust: Jewel Song - Adelina Patti
Put Me Among the Girls - John Wakefield
Danse Hongroise No.5 - Orchestre Cologne
Thoughts from the Book "For Every Day" - Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
To Anthea - Sir Charles Santley
Magnetic Rag - Scott Joplin
Actual Recording of the Gas Shell Bombardment - Royal Garrison Artillery
"What Is Soviet Power?" - Vladimir Ilich Lenin
"Abide With Me"/Kipling's "Recessional" - Grenadier Guards
St. Louis Blues - Original Dixieland Jazz Band
National Anthem
Waterboy (Convict Song) - Paul Robeson
Mefistofele: Son Io Spirtro Di Nega - Fyodor Shaliapin
Oh, For the Wings of a Dove - Choir of the Temple Church
Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Phonovision Record
Etude Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary" - Ignace Jan Paderewski
His Spiritual Message - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Flight of the Bumblebee - Jascha Heifetz
Ansprache F BDer Wehrmacht - President vonHindenburg
Turkish March from the Ruins of Athens - Josef Hofmann
Prime Minister, The RT. Hon. Neville Chamberlain - Neville Chamberlain
Der Freischverture - Sir Henry Joseph Wood
Tonight, As the Nazis Look Out: Passo a Sei - Winston Churchill
William Tell: Passo a Sei - The NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscannini

Average customer rating:

Walton:In Honour of the City of London

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000AO4
Release Date: 1992-10-28

Tracks:

A Queens Fanfare
In Honor Of The City Of London
Crown Imperial
Anniversary Fanfare
Orb And Scepter
March For The History Of The English Speaking Peoples
4 Christmas Carols: Make We Joy Now In This Feast
4 Christmas Carols: What Cheer?
4 Christmas Carols: All This Time
4 Christmas Carols: King Herod And The Cock
Where Does The Uttered Music Go?
Antiphon
Jubilate Deo

Average customer rating:

Organ History

Manufacturer: Arts Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005AQ3
Release Date: 1997-07-01

Tracks:

Fugue
Choral Variee
Prld Pastorale Op.54
Fant Op.110
Chant Cherubique
Prld Et Fugue A La Russe
Fugue
Intro And Fugue
Katerina Izmaylova: Passacaglia Op.29

Average customer rating:

Superbly recorded and enterprising CD for a modest price

Spain & Portugal Organ History

Manufacturer: Arts Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IO6F
Release Date: 1999-04-20

Tracks:

Tento No Modo De Mi, III Tom
Fant Quinti Toni
Pange Lingua More Hispano
Diferencias Sobre El Canto Del Caballero
Tiento De Octavo Modo
Tento De VI Tom Por Gesolreut
Segundo Tiento De Quarto Tono
Tento Por Delasolre, Fa E Ut No Mesmo Signo
Batalla (VI Toni)
Intermedios Para 'La Messa Degli Angeli'
Toccata De Contras Quinto Tono
Fuga
Son Para Clave in e
Ofertorio Sobre El Himno 'Ave Maris Stella'
Prld
Interludio
Tiento

Customer Reviews:

Superbly recorded and enterprising CD for a modest price.......2005-01-24

Goodness only knows what the other volumes in this ORGAN HISTORY series are like, but if they are all as impressive and enterprising as this one, they will give Naxos serious competition in the budget-CD stakes. Arturo Sacchetti's playing is next to flawless. The only slight fault with any of it is the unduly slow tempo with which he starts Antonio de Cabezon's CABALLERO variations (easily the most often played piece by this composer, who died in 1566); and even that mild complaint can soon be forgotten amid the delightful choice of stops with which he emphasizes the cantus firmus each time it comes back.

Some splendid music has turned up here, a little of it probably known to students of baroque organ literature - who could well have noticed the names of Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1576?-1654) and Juan Cabanilles (1644-1712) in other contexts - yet much of it utterly obscure. Who in the world, for instance, was Joaquin de Oxinagas (1719-1789)? Whoever he was (the pretentiously written booklet note is unforthcoming), he must have been a formidably talented polyphonist, with - as the booklet points out in one of its few intelligible statements - a Germanic rigor at his command.

Three of the last four tracks disappoint, because of their intrinsic content rather than because of the player. Someone called M.H. Eslava y Elizondo (1807-1878) treats the magnificent plainsong melody AVE MARIS STELLA to a stuffy and shop-worn meditation; it seems to last far longer than the 5'54" timing given on the jewel-box; his contemporaries in France, Belgium and Germany were writing much finer music than this. Compare this effort to the organ compositions of Saint-Saens, Liszt, Franck, Mendelssohn, or Brahms, and it becomes embarrassing. The INTERLUDE by Jesus Guridi (1886-1961) is at best slightly attractive; the TIENTO by Ernesto Halffter (1905-1989, though this CD describes him as being still alive) sounds interminable, rather like an undergraduate's attempt at mimicking Messiaen. Augusto de Oliveira Machado (1845-1924), apparently director of the Lisbon Conservatoire in his later life, contributes a PRELUDE neatly written but too short to give listeners much idea of him.

In engineering terms, the disc is superb. No record company is reproducing organ tone more faithfully, or more vividly, than this label manages to do. If you find the contents list appealing, why hesitate?