Reviews (24)

Hallo-wha?
Let me start by saying I've never listened to Steamroller before picking this up. I am a big fan of Halloween and have quite a collection of music/sound fx so naturally, this was a must buy when I saw it.
An interest take on the usual
I wasn't sure what I'd think of this from reading other reviews, but I really did like it.I'm not really familiar with Mannheim's other stuff (but if the rest of the Autumn cd is anything like Harvest Dance, I'm looking forward to getting it), so I didn't have any preconceived ideas.I have a lot of the classical pieces on other cds, but I like the different twist given to them here. And I did like the sound effect cd.Nicely spooky (I have enough other sound effects cds with screaming and muching ghouls, etc).

Could have been great but . . .
As a big Steamroller fan, perhaps my hopes were set a little too high.I envisioned more original music (perhaps a more scarier vibe than the silly one this CD has to it) and maybe a few covered tunes.Chips originals (from the Fresh Aire series)found on this CD outshine the weak efforts put forth on the covered and rearranged tracks.The sound effects disc sets a great(and creepy)mood, that should had been followed through with some new and equally scary compositions.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    3. Classical Crossover    4. Classical Pop    5. Contemporary Instrumental    6. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    7. Halloween    8. Halloween Item    9. Instrumental Pop    10. Keyboard    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. New Age / Meditation    14. Novelty    15. Opera    16. Orchestral    17. Pop    18. Romantic Orchestral Music    19. Romantic Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem for Orchestra    20. Scherzo for Orchestra   

Editorial Review

This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's Read more

Reviews (23)

The closest thing
This is a marvelous CD, especially the Pearl Fisher's duet with Gedda and Blanc.I would rank that performance second all time, just below the
The Most Famous Opera Duets
The quality of the recording is good. The variety of artists used is good

Great value for the money
This is literally the CD that sparked my love for opera. The duet from "The Pearl Fishers" is just stunning. I'm buying another copy of this because my husband accidentally tossed the old one along with our old (nonfunctional) CD player. Can't do without this CD! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Music    3. French Romantic Opera    4. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    5. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    6. Italian Romantic Opera    7. Opera    8. Opera / Operetta / Oratorio    9. Opera/Operetta Collections    10. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

The labels that are now gathered under the Universal Classics umbrella have a pretty impressive scorecard in the area of classical compilations. We've seen Read more

Reviews (31)

Bought This & Kid's and I Love It - a review of "The # 1 Opera Album"
We just purchased this 2 CD set so we'd have something to listen to in the car (other than The Wiggles and Barney - lol) and we couldn't be happier.The offerings are great and include so many of the 'popular' arias that I wanted to introduce to our children:boy and girl; 4 and 6 y.o. respectively.
#1 Opera Album
Great collection of performances by some true legends in the opera world. The entire album is very well done.

Wonderful Compilation
A wonderful compilation of some of the most beautiful music in the world. One reviewer panned the selection of voices, but that sounds like sour grapes. While you might be disappointed if your favorite artist is not included, there's no doubt that this collection will entertain the listener for many hours. You'll enjoy this music over and over again. Buy it and enjoy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art Song (General)    2. Classical    3. Classical Music    4. Czech Romantic Opera    5. French Romantic Opera    6. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    7. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    8. Italian 20th/21st Century Opera    9. Italian Romantic Opera    10. Opera    11. Opera / Operetta / Oratorio    12. Opera/Operetta Collections    13. Vocal   

Editorial Review

When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Read more

Reviews (122)

Andrea Bocelli-Sacred Arias
Excellent listening.Voice quality and tone is superb.Brings tears to my eyes when I envision listening to this in a church setting.

An "experience" of sacred arias more than "listening" of sacred arias
I bought this CD's special edition with DVD, and I am impressed by bocelli's singing in this album. I have heard many voices singing sacred songs, and christmas songs, but very few singers can achieve the "sacred atmosphere" that bocelli devotes when he sings. He may not have a "strong" voice as opera singers, but I think singing these sacred songs, devoting the "sacred atmosphere" to the audience is much more important, the voice actually is just a tool that helps a singer to achieve the result. For real, I have heard some CD by some chorus that perform sacred arias, but they did not move me as much as this CD does, mostly not even close. Personally I like "O come all ye faithful", "silent night", all "ave maria"'s, "domine deus", "cujus animam" the most. When I listen Bocelli's singing I focus on what he tries to devote in singing more than his voice color, because in terms of voice color he surely cant be compared with pavarotti or domingo, so why compares? The way of listening him and listening real opera singers is different man. But the reason I gave only this CD four stars is that I have heard several sacred arias from this album performed by his voice teacher, the legendary tenor Franco Corelli. I tried not to compare both...but I cant, not because Bocelli sings bad, he is already excellent, just Corelli is TOO excellent that cant be described by human language (well I think even Pavarotti is not even close to Franco Corelli, but this is just my opinion). Anyway if you want to "experience" the true beauty of sacred arias, this CD is highly recommended. And this is also a very good sacred aria album for beginning listeners who want to broaden their musical taste to sacred arias.

amazing talent
worth the price the songs are breathtaking and talent is indescribable ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Christmas    3. Christmas Music    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Crossover    7. Classical Music    8. Classical Vocals    9. Holiday    10. Italian Baroque Opera    11. Italian Romantic Opera    12. Italy    13. Mass    14. Miscellaneous    15. Miscellaneous Music    16. Motet    17. Opera    18. Oratorio    19. Requiem/Requiem Section    20. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (11)

Preview your wedding day
This CD was inexpensive, and provided a great way to preview songs for my wedding.The CD had a good song selection.My fiance and I were able to get a better idea of how the songs would be at our wedding. Definitely an inexpensive tool that is worthwhile.

25 WEDDING FAVORITES
My daughter had to move her wedding 3 weeks before the event and the music she had arranged could not be there.I purchased this CD and we were thrilled with the price, the selections on the cd and how quickly it arrived.Thanks for providing the music for a beautiful wedding.
25 Wedding Favorites
This is an excellent CD for a formal wedding, so-so for a casual one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    2. Cantata    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music & Recitals    5. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    6. Choral    7. Classical    8. Classical Music    9. Concerto    10. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    11. Italian Baroque Opera    12. Keyboard    13. Keyboard Concerto    14. Keyboard Music    15. Opera    16. Oratorio    17. Orchestral    18. Quartet for Keyboard and Three String Instruments    19. Romantic Incidental Music for Orchestra    20. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Kristin Chenoweth won a Tony for the supporting role of Sally Brown in the 1999 revival of Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Classical Music    3. Concert/Brass/Marching Band Music    4. Film    5. Film Music    6. Miscellaneous    7. Miscellaneous Music    8. Music Theater    9. Musical Theater    10. Pop    11. Pop Vocals    12. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    13. Vocal    14. Vocal Music   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (21)

An excellent introduction to classical music
This is an excellent introduction to classical music.Well performed and presented.

Very Beautiful!!!!!1
If you are a fan of classical music then you better get this set. Not only is it very cheap, 10 Discs for about 2$ per disk. Now where are you gonna find a deal like this. I actually found mine chaper, $20.00 even and the music is outstanding. If you had a very bad day and very stressed out, just put in one of these cds, lay down, dim down the lights and just relax. It really helped me out.

Still Stuck on Beethoven
I just recently started listening to classical music so I'm certainly not one to compare or critique the quality of this set. However, I do have a few comments...
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Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. Cantata    5. Chamber    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Choral    8. Choral Music    9. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    10. Clarinet Concerto    11. Classical    12. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    13. Classical Music    14. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    15. Classical Period Symphony    16. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    17. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    18. Collection of Etudes, Studies, or Exercises for Keyboard    19. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    20. Concerto   

Reviews (7)

Great Intro to Operas
THE WORLD"S VERY BEST OPERA FOR KIDS is a collection of fourteen of the best loved arias in the world. The whole family will enjoy this CD, which is a unique version of these famous arias in that these are all sung in English so your child (and you) can appreciate and imagine the story that it illustrates.It is a wonderful introduction to opera and will have the whole family humming the memorable melodies, which are sung by some of the best of famous voices. You will be inspired to read the storylines of the operas to your children for a wonderful educational and delightful family hour. The CD includes an insert with the words so you can sing along

A Sampler of Greatest Hits and Karaoke, Too
It really doesn't get much better than this CD. The primary benefit of the music is that it is a terrific selection of funny and touching arias from the classical genre. I am an opera lover and bought this for myself to memorize the words in English, as prompts when I listen to the pieces untranslated.I started listening to the CD while I was driving, and within a week had bought about a dozen CDs to distribute to family members and friends, with kids (and without). Everyone loves it. And at the end of the CD are several tracks of just the music, so you can sing along, which is a hoot. Your friends and colleagues, who hear you barking along to beats, will think you have taken leave of your senses. The lyrics (in English) are in the liner notes. I would suggest not reading the liner notes while driving.
World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English
I listen to this with my 3 year old and we both enjoy it. I am not an operatic expert and to my lay ears the performances here sound great, and my daughter likes hearing the words to some of her favorite music ("Play the Torreadores again Mommy!") Its a nice break from some more traditional kids songs that we listen to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Childrens    2. Classical    3. Classical Music    4. French Romantic Opera    5. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    6. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    7. Italian Baroque Opera    8. Italian Romantic Opera    9. Opera    10. Opera/Operetta Collections    11. V/A Compilations   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (6)

Good selection
I bought this CD to use in my classroom as listening examples.I'm not just a super big fan of some of the performances, but they are all good and for the price you can't beat it.That's why I gave it 5 stars.It's worth more than it costs by far.

thunderous applause

Good Music at a Great Price
I bought this CD mostly for "Entry of the Gladiators," which everyone will recognize as classic circus music. The performance on this CD(by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops) is the best available version of Entry of the Gladiators. The rest of the CD offers mostly excerpts of classical music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. Ballet    3. Band    4. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    8. Classical Music    9. Concert/Brass/Marching Band Music    10. Etude for Keyboard    11. French Romantic Opera    12. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    13. Italian Romantic Opera    14. Keyboard    15. March for Band    16. Opera    17. Orchestral    18. Orchestral Music    19. Polka for Orchestra    20. Romantic Orchestral Music   

Reviews (4)

Opera for Children
This is an excellent CD to introduce children to some of the more familiar operas.I would highly recommend this CD for children and also for adults who want to become familiar with opera.

Great Opera for Children
This CD is an excellent compilation of opera for children and adults alike. The operas that are represented on this disc are: Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Faust, Il Trovatore, Madama Butterfly, Die Walkure, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Aida, Die Zauberflote, and Hansel und Gretel. People love the Children's March, as well as the Toreador Chorus, from the opera Carmen. The well known Toreador Song is performed on this CD by great bass- baritone Jose van Dam. Children who watch Bugs Bunny will recognize "Largo al factotum" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Sherrill Milnes performs the role of Figaro expertly, and his falsetto is evident in Figaro's famous patter aria. Great choruses, like the Soldier's Chorus from Faust, the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, the Triumphal Chorus from Aida, and the Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly make appearences on this CD. The Doll Song from Les Contes d'Hoffmann is performed by soprano Joan Sutherland. She uses her voice to rise up and down, like a mechanical doll. My favorite German baritone, Hermann prey, performs Papageno's entrance aria from Die Zauberflote, as well was the duet with Papagena. Choruses from Hansel und Gretel round the CD.

My six-year old liked it!
My six year-old son enjoyed hearing this CD. We like to sing together, so we found many of the pieces quite alot. But to be honest, when we discovered the more recently released CD, The Classical Child AT the Opera, he went wild because all the pieces have been translateded into English, so it's much more enjoyable for us to sing along. So I would recommend it, but check out the other one as well -- your kids will be glad you did. All the best, Steven ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Music    3. French Romantic Opera    4. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    5. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    6. Italian Romantic Opera    7. Opera    8. Opera/Operetta Collections   

Reviews (8)

What, you call this scary music?
I'm familiar with most of the pieces found in this CD, and I can say I don't think they are frightening at all. They're great and highly enjoyable in their own right (the 'Danse Macabre' by Camille Saint-Saens is lovely dance music), but if one's intention is to bring together a collection of pieces of truly scary classical music, then this anthology hasn't done the job.
Music Is Very Good, However.........
The music on this CD is all very good, but as I play it, I don't really feel that "Bump in the Night" sensation throughout. Since it appears to be marketed for fun Halloween gatherings, I cannot honestly say that it will jumpstart the mood for the average party-goer. While "Funeral March For a Marionette" is extremely creepy and sets the mood (for those of you baby-boomers who don't recognize the title---this was the theme music to the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series), other tunes kind of pull the plug on the momentum. Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" might ring Seasonal for classical music buffs, but I think your everyday Joe will picture helicopters soaring over Vietnam and the cry "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
Good Classical type Halloween music anthology
While this CD might cover most of the standard "creepy classics", there are a few more it could have covered, but frankly, the only song on the whole thing I didn't care for was Ives "Halloween". Some people may think that completely discordant music is great, but I do NOT! Otherwise, everything else was a great selection, and very entertaining. Definitely worth having, esp. if you like classical music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    3. Classical    4. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    5. Classical Music    6. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    7. Keyboard    8. Music for Organ    9. Opera    10. Orchestral    11. Romantic Orchestral Music    12. Romantic Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem for Orchestra    13. Scherzo for Orchestra    14. Strings and Keyboard    15. Suite for Orchestra    16. Symphonic    17. Symphony   

Editorial Review

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was certainly one of the greatest singers of her own, or indeed any other time. An obsessive perfectionist, her flawless technique and intonation over a huge range, vocal flexibility, breath control, phrasing, stylistic versatility, and above all her focused, radiantly beautiful sound were matchless and incomparable. All these are on full display on this generous 2-CD set, which features over a dozen arias, songs by Schubert, Wolf and Richard Strauss, and some lighter fare. The recordings were made between 1950 and 1967, and the singing becomes better and better, the voice richer and more varied, the expression deeper and more immediate. Not surprisingly, the peaks come in the arias from her signature roles in Mozart's Read more

Reviews (6)

RIP DAME ELIZABETH (1915-2006)
This set is a fine tribute to this extraordinary singer and musician.I was saddened to read about her passing.She had a long life (90 years) and inspired a whole generation of singers and music lovers throughout the world.

SCHWARZKOPF ----- ONE OF THE GREATS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's career is what legends are made of.She is every bit as fundamental to classical singing in the twentieth century as is Maria Callas.Schwarzkopf sang with refinement, polish, beauty of voice, and meticulous articulation.She was the greatest Mozart and Strauss soprano of her day; her ability to sing the operetta music of Lehar, Suppe',and Johann Strauss has not been equalled; she performed with distinction orchestral compositions of Mahler, Brahms, Bach, and Handel;her Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, and Mahler lieder were exemplary.She sang many operatic roles, far more than many people realize, and was certainly the definitive Marshallin in "Rosenkavalier" throughout the 1950's and 1960'. I saw her many times in recital in Chicago, and even at the time of her farewell (which I was fortunate enough to see), she was sublime. All of the superlative qualities of Schwarzkopf are generously demonstrated throughout these two wonder CD's.Virtually every item is magnificent (though obviously some will prefer some to others) and has the detailed Schwarzkopf imprint stamped right into the music. This CD, great as it is, represents only a very small part of the greatness of Schwarzkopf. I already own tons of her operas and recitals, from which many of the items here come from.But for the sake of completeness, I will probably add it.A person who loves great singing can never have too much of the art of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.She's a vocal icon.

�PERFECT!
I only want to say that you can hear, in this double cd, one of the great singers of all time. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Why? Because she sings all the arias and lieder with pure of tone, brilliance, perfect inflexion, modulation, excellent control breath, measured vibrato, and, all above, great emision of colours. She is master in this art. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Classical Period Music for Voice and Keyboard    7. Classical Vocals    8. Czech Romantic Opera    9. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    10. German/Austrian Operetta    11. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    14. Opera    15. Operetta    16. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    17. Solo Voice and Continuo    18. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    19. Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano    20. Vocal   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

Marvellous!
I don't play violin, and I can't even read music, but as a classical music amateur I find this CD outstanding. Even an incompetent like myself can easily understand why Perlman is regarded as one of the greates violinists ever. This is a marvellous collection of pieces. The rendition of "Chanson Russe" by itself is, in my opinion, worth more than the price of the CD. If you listen to the audio samples on Amazon's pages and you like violin you will surely understand why I like this CD so much. I am grateful to People like Perlman, who make this world a better place to live in.

The best violinist ever!
All I can say to this CD is it's the best I've ever heard. In this CD, Itzhak Perlman truly demonstrates his best performances of the past years. I have always been a great admirer of Perlman, but since I own this CD, it's all I've listened to for the past three months. I myself play the violin and Perlman has become an inspiration to me, almost a musical idol. For any of those violinists out there, especially young musicians, who don't feel any excitement about playing the violin, listen to this CD and I promise you, you will strive to being able to play like this man does. He is truly the best musician I've ever known. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Chamber    3. Chamber Music    4. Chamber Music & Recitals    5. Classical    6. Classical Artists    7. Classical Music    8. Concerto    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Music    11. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    12. Trio for Keyboard and Two String Instruments    13. Violin Concerto    14. Violin with Keyboard    15. Vocal   

Editorial Review

If you like your Wagner served up in bleeding chunks or if you're simply in a hurry to hear the tunes, then this compilation is for you. The performances, drawn from the Polygram (mainly Deutsche Grammophon) back catalog, are for the most part authoritative. They feature the likes ofHerbert von Karajan,with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Karl Böhm, with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (and chorus), in extracts from recordings of complete operas, and conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli, Otto Gerdes, and Antal Doráti in some of the more familiar overtures and preludes. Singing, without which it is impossible to get the full flavor of Wagner's work, is skirted whenever possible: this is an unapologetic tribute to Wagner the orchestral genius. At times the salesmanship is a little overblown--the glitzy packaging includes a cover shot of the helicopters from Read more

Reviews (27)

A great addition to my music collection
This CD takes the place of all my other Wagner music. VERY well done. Somehow I didn't realize that there were two cds in the package--what a pleasant surprise! Of the two cds, I like the first one best, but they are both good. I listen to this cd daily on my way to work. Stirring! I am so glad that I purchased this. Some purists might have a problem with the fact that some of the selections are not there in their entirety.I have no problem with that though. I recommend this to anyone who loves Wagner.

Quintessential Wagner
Okay, so I like Wagner.I LOVE "Ride Of The Valkyries".Do I want to go out and buy every single stinkin thing Wagner did?No.If you are a die-hard Wagner fan you probably will not think much of this collection.
100 STARS, If possible...
Fellow listeners, this CD collection is a real treat. I think of it as a "teaser" for one of the greatest romantic composers. Some of the other reviews here criticize this CD set for "chopping up" Wagner. While I realize that this takes place, it in no way compromises a single chord of the wonderful playing on these CDs.
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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    5. Miscellaneous Music    6. Opera    7. Orchestral    8. Orchestral & Symphonic    9. Romantic Orchestral Music   

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (4)

Classic - Hold the Chills
This is a fine collection of mostly classical themes.
Packed with creepy stuff
This is an awesome album. It starts off with thunder crashing, running footsteps, a gate creaking, the wind howling, a cat screeching, a door opening, a woman crying that she needs help....and then SCREAMING! And then straight into track 2, the overture to 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Wow! The rest of the cd also features 'creepy' music from various sources, such as Alfred Hitchcock films, like Psycho, various classic works like Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Night on Bald Mountain', and also some other creepy sound effects. A good album not only for Halloween but I dare you to listen to it during a dark night with a thunderstorm raging outside.

A real work-out for your system......
I've owned the "Chiller" CD since it's release in '89.At the time, I was working for a local Audio/Video/Music dealer, and was looking for 'demo' CD's containing not necessarily heavy bass, but ones displayingincredible dynamic range, and sharp transient peaks.I already owned acopy of "Time Warp", also on Telarc, and was intrigued when Iread about "Chiller.Needless to say, I was extremely pleased withthis disc.Not only did I get a disc containing some great treatments ofclassics, but the re-make of the "Psycho" suite is wonderful (theshower sequence is very faithful to the original)!A word ofwarning.....the dynamic range of this disc is not to beunderestimated.....I drove an older amplifier into thermal shutdown VERYquickly with track #1.I haven't tried it since I've upgraded my homesystem....hmmm....might have to scare the neighbors tonight (or at leastrattle a few dental fillings)! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    2. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    3. Choral    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Conductor    8. Electronic/Computer/Tape Music    9. Film    10. Film Music    11. Instrumental Pop    12. Keyboard    13. Miscellaneous    14. Miscellaneous Music    15. Music Theater    16. Musical Theater    17. Orchestral    18. Orchestral Pop    19. Romantic Orchestral Music    20. Romantic Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem for Orchestra   

Editorial Review

For those who want the most remembered passages of classical music's best-loved works, here's a package for you. On this bargain priced double-CD, you'll find music from 40 different classical composers; for the most part, the recordings excerpted here are some of the very best. Of course, you only get one Bach sampling (Read more

Reviews (26)

Waste of money
Watch out for the volume leveling mentioned in another review. Surely the compliers could have come up with a better sort order than by composer. The change in tempo/volume between pieces makes it impossible to enjoy. My two CD's ended up in the trash.
Great Music Compilation
This is a great CD full of many songs that you will recognize and enjoy.If you are someone who likes classical music but doesn't necessarily know which songs or which composers you like, then this CD is for you.You will likely recognize many of the songs as the classical songs you would have picked out to be your favorites.

If you like classical music don't buy this CD.
Most of the tracks were chopped down to 3-4 minutes so some of the best parts of the compositions are missing.I don't know what I was thinking trying to buy 40 classical songs on two CD's.If you really want to enjoy the music you would do better to purchase a CD with fewer, but better quality tracks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    2. Adagio for Orchestra    3. Cantata    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    7. Choral    8. Classical    9. Classical Composers    10. Classical Music    11. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    12. Concerto    13. Film    14. Film Music    15. French Operetta    16. French Romantic Opera    17. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    18. Italian Romantic Opera    19. Keyboard    20. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title   

Reviews (8)

Plesantly surprised...
I don't remember how I found this CD the other day surfing through the "Amazon" such as it is, but I did. I listened to a few clips provided & on the strength of that, I purchased this CD.
Absolutely Agree About Corelli
Franco Corelli's "Nessun Dorma" is still the best of them all - clear, passionate, and exciting. (And those final two notes...! Gives me chills just to think of it.) I was fortunate enough to see him live in both "Turandot" and "Romeo and Juliet" a year before his retirement, and he was still a Calaf and a Romeo to die for... as, of course, Liu and Juliet did!As it is, I tend to buy compilations depending on how much Corelli they include - though Bjorling is a strong second, and I have happy memories of Domingo. Long live the Golden Age of Operatic Tenors!

Good but not enough Corelli!! Terrie Lackawanna, NY

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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    3. Classical Music    4. French Romantic Opera    5. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    6. Italian Romantic Opera    7. Opera    8. Opera / Operetta / Oratorio   

Reviews (14)

Most Chosen Selections
As a wedding officiant, my wife and I are often asked to assist the couple with other services for their ceremony, such as music. For this, we have a very large selection in our music library to choose from. We have put together a catalog of cd's that we loan out to the couple for their review, and most often, their selections come from BRIDE'S GUIDE TO WEDDING MUSIC.
Another Great Reference CD
This is a great compilation, CD, along with Bride's Guide to Wedding Music Volume 2, to use as a reference for some of the more popular wedding songs; just about everything on here is standard fare for weddings. All of the musicians are generally superb, and the sound quality is very good. However, this is most useful if you are playing the CD at your wedding, or using it as a reference CD to talk over potential music selections with an organist, a string quartet, etc. Like my review for Volume 2, I only gave it four stars based on practicality, not on quality. If it were just quality, I would give it five stars. I purchased this CD since I am in the process of making my own wedding CD (I am a professional, freelance violinist), and this was nice to listen to, even just as background music for dinner. BTW: beware of reviewers who don't use their names, especially "A music fan." This is most likely the producer of the "Wedding Traditions" CD and he slanders other CDs so his will look better. You'd think that in the wedding music business people would have better ethics, but unfortunately, that's not always the case. The best advice I can give, as a classical musician myself, if to take time to listen to the sound clips, and if possible, try to find them on iTunes where they might sound higher quality. This is the only real way of knowing whether the CD is right for you.

A Nice CD
This is a very nice CD.
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Subjects:  1. 90's    2. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    3. Cantata    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Choral    7. Classical    8. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    9. Classical Music    10. Concerto    11. Concerto Grosso    12. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    13. Keyboard    14. Keyboard Music    15. Miscellaneous    16. Miscellaneous Music    17. Opera    18. Oratorio    19. Orchestral    20. Quartet for Four String Instruments   

Editorial Review

Donald Runnicles leads this fine program of shadowy, late-Romantic music with an assured hand. His Prelude to Read more

Reviews (3)

La Brewer on the rebound....
This is the history of my aural relationship with Christine Brewer:I first bought the Chandos CD of Barber's 'Vanessa' hoping that all the critical chatter would reveal a recording finer than that of Steber or of exerpts by L. Price or R. Fleming or C. Van Ness.DISAPPOINTED!!!
Magnifi