Reviews (8)

Mellow, Sleepy, Wonderful
I bought this CD for myself, a 60 year old.I have trouble sleeping and have been buying CDs by this company.They are all wonderful.I'm asleep in about 15 minutes!

Soothing Bach
It would probably help to first clear up a potential misconception in the unfortunate subtitle which refers to "lullabies" - a term that brings to mind for most people simplistic, sing-songy music hummed to babies in a crib.Lullabies are wonderful and have their place, but the music on the CD is not this (and Bach would probably have cringed a bit at the thought of his music here being called "lullabies.")What is here is a most wonderful, high-quality collection of Bach's Baroque music that is most condusive to creating a quiet, peaceful mood. The selections here include many famous pieces from Bach played by an impressive, all-star line up of notable musicians.Some listeners might take comfort in knowing that all selections have a similar, gentle tempo and mood without those unwanted changes in loudness from soft to LOUD that can startle one (the baby?) from sleep or quiet contemplation.The sound quality is good for the purpose of this collection - to provide relaxing background music or Rx for insomnia.I listen to this CD often if I wake up at night.
Great for kids!
I bought this CD for my daughter when she turned six.It's been a year and she still listens to it a lot.Yes, she also listens to Britney and Christina, but on many nights she will request Bach (aka: that one with no words).It's great to know that they selected soothing, relaxing pieces.It's a wonderful way to broaden my daughter's horizons while also getting her to sleep. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    2. Cantata    3. Cello Solo    4. Chamber    5. Choral    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Classical Music    9. Concerto    10. Concerto Grosso    11. Concerto for Two String Instruments    12. Keyboard Concerto    13. Oratorio    14. Orchestral    15. Single String Instrument with Keyboard/Continuo    16. Violin Concerto    17. Violin Solo   

Editorial Review

Josh Groban fans who caught the singer's 2004 Read more

Reviews (41)

Crossover violin fusion from a rising, young star!
With a sweet, wavery tone that's full of grace and heart, violin virtuoso Lucia Micarelli is showcased in a variety of genres ranging from classical and Broadway to new age, world fusion, Celtic and rock.Produced by singer Josh Groban and with many arrangements by Paul Schwartz, "Music From a Further Room" has the combined feel of their work, and the lush, full instrumentation of the arrangements holds the album together despite the disparate musical styles from piece to piece.Micarelli soars above it all, as at home playing Sibelius' "Violin Concerto in d minor" as she is playing David Bowie's beat-driven "Lady Grinning Soul" and a powerfully mournful Celtic lament with singer Leigh Nash.The result is a CD that is both stirring and relaxing, and just beautiful to listen to.Other guest artists include Samir Chatterjee on Indian tabla, vocalist Lisbeth Scott, and pianists Lang Lang, Lee Musiker and Zachary Provost.For more classical crossover music, try the operatic interpretations of the Opera Babes and Amici Forever, and of course the many popular forays of the adventurous and irrepressible flutist James Galway.And for some more beautiful violin playing, try James Newton Howard's hauntingly gorgeous soundtrack to the movie "The Village," featuring violinist Hilary Hahn.
Eclectic song selection; exquisitely talented.
I heard this music on NPR ("Lady Grinning Soul" was the song) and am extremely please with the quality of the performances.I have a number of violin players in my family and this one is a favorite.

Wow
I just saw her in concert with Ian Anderson. All I have to say is wow! She was wonderful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop Vocals    2. Chamber    3. Chamber Music    4. Classical Crossover    5. Classical Pop    6. Concerto    7. Miscellaneous    8. Miscellaneous Music    9. Pop    10. Quartet for Four String Instruments    11. Rock/Pop    12. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    13. Violin Concerto    14. Vocal    15. Vocal Music   

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    3. Adagio for Orchestra    4. Anthem    5. Ballet    6. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    7. Baroque Variations for Keyboard    8. Cantata    9. Chamber    10. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    11. Choral    12. Clarinet Concerto    13. Classical    14. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    15. Concerto    16. Concerto for Two Solo Instruments    17. Concerto for Two String Instruments    18. Czech Romantic Opera    19. Film    20. Film Music   

Editorial Review

This seminal disc now almost seems like the manifesto for a whole new strain of minimalism that has found an enormously receptive audience. It represented a breakthrough for Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, whose music--like that of his European colleagues John Tavener and Henryk Górecki--pursues an austerely beautiful simplicity that suggests spiritual illumination. Read more

Reviews (18)

This is one for everybody
I'm not completely dug on classical and contemporanean music, ECM stuff included. Lygeti, Xenakis they make me sense, all along american minimalists like Reich or Cage. Electro-acustic is more ear-friendly for me (Ferrari, Parmegiani) but...All this speech just to say that thsi is one ECM record I own - the 1977's Tabula Rasa. The great Gidon Kramer (check out "Silence" from Nonesuch who has another version of tabula rasa) is here with all his magic, even the world-piano-star K. Jarrett plays piano, and everything makes sense. The music is so cold and complex, ethernal yet listenable for the common of mortals. Give a try, i did and i'm inloved with.

should be accepted by any rational person as strong evidence for God's existence.
arguably, it was THIS music by THIS composer that Manfred Eicher's label, ECM, was meant for. If an album was released on ECM, no doubt it sounds lovely, but when purpose is paired so perfectly with sound, even ECM attains something angelic and beyond. Arvo Part's non-modulating approach to harmony, great care and attention with so few notes, and the reverent spirit that carries through his efforts encompasses a catalogue of works so great and beautiful I'm not sure any 20th century composer can remotely compare.
Fill in your blank slate with some innovative music...
This CD started it all. In 1984 it introduced the then little known Arvo Pärt to a new western audience. Pärt had long before made his "tinntinnabulation" discovery (around 1976). Before this pivotal epiphany, the majority of Pärt's work fell into the serialist category. His early work shows all of the grinding atonal experimentation of the 1950s. It thus lies in stark contrast to his later work as presented on this CD (he shares this same evolutionary path with the Polish composer Górecki).
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Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Concerto    5. Concerto for Two String Instruments    6. Jazz Music    7. Multiple String Instruments without Keyboard    8. Music For String Orchestra    9. Orchestral    10. Orchestral & Symphonic    11. Violin with Keyboard   

Reviews (19)

Life Is But A Dream...
This CD is just pure magic. I know that is such a cliche' thing to say, but it really is. Of course, it really won't appeal to those people who are into EXTREME LIVING...whatever the hell that means, because to me, extreme living is living close to the soul, close to the spirit, close to the Invisible Source that makes and creates all things in and out of Itself.
Beautiful, dreamy
This music evokes both emotions and images of life waking up in spring, even being in a magical forest where anything can happen, or floating on clouds. You can just enjoy the music and let your imagination soar or the music can take you into that trance-like state where you can access creative ideas and creative solutions to any problems - and maybe they just dissolve of their own accord.

Fabulous collection !
If you like Debussy - whom I have heard called one of the progenitors of ambient music - you will love having his most inspiring and beautiful works together on one cd. These works are tranquil and serene, and yet they don't fade into the background - no matter what you are doing - because they are true art. When this cd is playing you can't help but listen and sigh. My cats love this cd, too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Descriptive Title    2. Chamber    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Concerto    7. Flute Solo/Sonata    8. Keyboard    9. Keyboard Music    10. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    11. Orchestral    12. Orchestral Music    13. Prelude for Keyboard    14. Quartet for Four String Instruments    15. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    16. Trio for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    17. Waltz for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Volume I of the immensely popular Mozart Effect series of music attempts to do no less than "strengthen the mind." One thing is for certain: the music chosen on the disc by author and scholar Don Campbell--excerpts from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 1; Violin Concerto, No. 3; Read more

Reviews (17)

Music for the Mozart Effect
This CD is a compilation of various tunes geared to stimulate the mind. I really enjoy listening to it!

Mozard Effect... Which Songs?
It's also important to remember that the Mozard Effect... was mostly studied using Mozart's Sonata in D for two pianos.Although all classical music may have good side effects when it comes to learning and concenrtration and stimulating of the mind, most studies used Mozart's two pianos sonata.Which isn't on this album.And the reasoning behind it's benefits are possibly due to the nature of having "dueling" pianos making complex harmonics.Just remember to buy this because you like Mozard, not because you think you are going to make your children geniouses.That's just a bunch of hype.

Important to remember it's not proven
It's important to remember that the Mozart effect has not been proven. The behavioural consequences of listening to Mozart is not unique, and can be achieved with any classical music, since the mozart effect has nothing to do with behavioural consequences, but subtle changes in the brain. The pattern of Mozart's music is thought to correspond to a coding mechanism of brain cells that created more dynamic circuits...but remember, it's not proven. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    5. Classical Music    6. Classical Period Orchestral Music for Orchestra    7. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    8. Classical Period Symphony    9. Concerto    10. Orchestral    11. Piano Concerto    12. Symphonic    13. Violin Concerto    14. Violin with Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

Baby Galileo Review
I love all of the Baby Einstein DVD's, so the music CD has been just as good as the DVD's. I play it all the time when my son is in the car and it seems to calm him and keep his attention. I even listen to it in the car when my son is not with me.It is relaxing and soothing.I definitely recommend the CD's for the car. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Children's    3. Childrens    4. Clarinet Concerto    5. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    6. Classical Period Symphony    7. Classical Period Variations for Keyboard    8. Concerto    9. Educational    10. Keyboard    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Nocturne for Keyboard    14. Orchestral    15. Piano Concerto    16. Pop    17. Prelude for Keyboard    18. Romantic Ballet    19. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    20. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Mstislav Rostropovich is the world's greatest cellist, andhe has actually made at least five recordings of this greatest of all celloconcertos. I have a certain preference for his later version, with Seiji Ozawaand the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Erato. This version has long been a prime recommendation,and in this new remastering at mid-price, it's an even better deal now. Herbertvon Karajan accompanies with his usual expertise, and the Tchaikovskyperformance is quite simply the finest around. This concerto is one of thosepieces of which you'll want to have five or six copies. Just make sure this isone of them. Read more

Reviews (24)

high-end audio equipment may be required
This is a beautiful recording, but I cannot listen to it on my stereo unless I constantly adjust the volume, up for the cello, down for the full orchestra.If I leave the volume at a level where the full orchestra will not be too loud, then I miss everything that makes this recording really special.But if I leave the volume where I can hear the cello clearly, then the full orchestra is painfully loud.Just be aware, if you are not an audiophile, this CD may not be right for you.

The Cellist, Concerto, Maestro, Orchestra
This was my first recording of the Dvorak and my overall, general image of the piece has always been nothing short of a masterpiece.
Very good, but not the best.
In my opinion, the Du Pre recording of the Dvorak is the definitive one. The Rostropovich, while technically excellent, lacks emotion at times.
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Subjects:  1. Cello Concerto    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Concerto   

Reviews (3)

A Lot of Fun for Playtime
This CD is a lot of fun.The music is bubbly and upbeat and makes you want to get up and dance or just jump around.It's a great way to spend some play time with your kids.And the classical music exposure is a bonus.

Synthesized dreck
Why did the producers use synthesizers for this music?It's awful.It's possible to hook kids on classical music using the actual instruments written for it - that's how I got hooked.That's what Mel Blanc and Disney did in their cartoons, Bugs Bunny and Fantasia.I do NOT recommend this CD to anyone.It was a shower gift.If you are not familiar with classical music, then I recommend "Baby Needs Beethoven", which is a collection of music using real instruments (albeit shortened - no full length symphonies here).

fun to listen to with your baby
My three month old loves this cd.It calms her down when fussy and we love to dance to it together! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Children's    3. Childrens    4. Czech Romantic Opera    5. Italian Romantic Opera    6. Keyboard    7. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    8. Lullabies    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Opera    12. Orchestral    13. Orchestral Music    14. Pop    15. Romantic Ballet    16. Romantic Orchestral Music    17. Romantic Symphony    18. Scherzo for Orchestra    19. Suite for Orchestra    20. Symphonic   

Reviews (1)

A New Favorite in My Musical Library
I became a fan of Alison Balsom after hearing her exceptional Bach CD.I've since purchased her debut disc and was equally impressed.So it goes without saying that I've been eagerly awaiting the release of "Caprice" since I'd heard it was coming out.She most certainly delivered, both in her playing and in Julian Milone's excellent arranging that compliments her wonderfully.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Artists   

Editorial Review

If Rieu is not the most outstanding purveyor of Viennese waltzes and similar light-hearted fare, he is certainly the most popular and well-known. There are plenty of fun pieces on this album, although, to be just a tad pedantic, more of it is Italian and French than remotely Viennese. But it's all fun, and it's all well-played. Read more

Reviews (9)

André Rieu - The Vienna I love - Waltzes From My Heart
The music is so upbeat and you are automatically in a good mood.It is a real pleasure listening to this CD and it is done frequently.

Excellent choice
I am really a rock music fan but I enjoy this version of light classical music. It may not be for the serious classical music enthusiast, but it is still considered excellent light entertainment. What a way to introduce classical music to a wider audience!

Pop Strauss, et al
I was looking for truly Viennese renditions of Strauss waltzes.Though unrelentingly upbeat, this isn't it.There are medleys of Strauss, Offenbach, Rossini, and everyone else imaginable.It's a pop version of what was once pop on its own.I know Strauss isn't serious classical fare, but this trivializes it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Concerto    7. French Operetta    8. French Romantic Opera    9. German/Austrian Operetta    10. Italian Romantic Opera    11. March for Orchestra    12. Miscellaneous    13. Miscellaneous Music    14. Opera    15. Orchestral    16. Orchestral Music    17. Polka for Orchestra    18. Romantic Orchestral Music    19. Violin Concerto    20. Vocal   

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   

Reviews (4)

Selection of Songs?
Perlman is a man of extraordinary clarity and tonality also one of my favorite violinists. After I finish practicing a piece I usually find a recording to listen to different interpretations. Most of them are by Perlman and Heifetz. Unfortunately this album has some obscure songs and the songs itself do not do justice to Perlman what some other songs may have done. Still it is important to broaden the scope, so I would recommend this to all music connoisseurs :). btw i'm only 16 so...don't take this review too literal huh?

If you are a violin lover, buy it
It's beautiful.Simply put.

This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman
Perlam is already a great player like the whole world knows.But the music selection couldn't better!I espacily like the piano accomplimant.Perlman pays the pieces with true style.The working realtionship betweenPerlman and the Pianist is truly incredible.Before geting any of Perlman's other greatest hits albums, get this one! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Concerto    8. Duo for Two String Instruments    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Music    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Nocturne for Keyboard    14. Oboe Solo/Sonata    15. Orchestral    16. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    17. Scherzo for Orchestra    18. Song Without Words for Keyboard    19. Violin Concerto    20. Violin with Keyboard   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

Children's Favorites a solid purchase
This CD mostly delivered what was expected of it.The only critique I have is that some of the tempos could have been cleaner, and that it should be cross-referenced by the other composers besides J. S. Bach.

The perfect package
This is the most wonderful collection to have on 1 CD. Children from birth on up can benefit from this musical collage.
A Wonderful Introduction to the Classics
With total playing time clocking in at 78:04 minutes of music, you'll be paying about 6-cents/minute, which is a better bargain than long distance phone calls, and often more rewarding!Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Chamber    3. Children's Collections    4. Childrens    5. Classical    6. Classical Music    7. Classical Period Variations for Keyboard    8. Concerto    9. Invention for Keyboard    10. Keyboard    11. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    12. Miscellaneous    13. Music for Two Keyboards    14. Music with Spoken Words    15. Orchestral    16. Piano Concerto    17. Prelude and Fugue for Keyboard    18. Romantic Ballet    19. Romantic Orchestral Music    20. Scherzo for Orchestra   

Editorial Review

Set the table, open the wine, light some candles. Slip on this disc. Let the gentle sounds of André Rieu's slippery fiddle and fur-tipped orchestra lull you with classical music's most memorable soothers, from "O Mio Babbino Caro" and "Plasir D'Amour" to the largo from Dvorák's Read more

Reviews (18)

Andre Rieu -Romantic Moments
Oh, So beautiful---- every track!!!!! My personal favorite has to be the soothing SERENATA. So, get comfy, put on the headphones so you won't miss a single note......Andre Rieu's violin is magical!!!!!

Decent playing, lousy arrangements
Well, apparently I'm in the minority, but I found this CD disappointing.I bought it because I fell in love with "Song to the Moon" when I heard it on the radio, but this track and possibly the "Londonderry Air" are the only ones worth listening to.Although the melodies chosen for this album are indeed beautiful, the arrangements (Rieu's own) are poorly done.I would much more highly recommend Joshua Bell's Romance of the Violin, which has a similar theme, albeit restricted to classical tunes.

Forget the hype, this is great music
Try not to think about the cheesy "Andre Rieu in Tuscany" PBS special. This is a very pleasing program of selections of great romantic melodies, beautifully arranged. Few people are going to purchase a CD of Dvorak's Rusalka just to hear "Song to the Moon" so this is the place to hear it. And it's even better on Rieu's violin than in the original vocal version. Rieu plays perfectly in tune (not always easy in the higher registers of the violin) and has exquisite phrasing that brings out the musicality of even the most over-recorded selections.
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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Clarinet Concerto    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Concerto    8. Czech Romantic Opera    9. Easy Listening/Vocal    10. Etude for Keyboard    11. Film    12. Film Music    13. Folk Song    14. Italian 20th/21st Century Opera    15. Keyboard    16. Miscellaneous    17. Miscellaneous Music    18. Opera    19. Operetta    20. Orchestral   

Editorial Review

Hundreds of compilation recordings have been thrust on the market in recent years on the theory that classical music makes a nice, non-threatening accompaniment to everything from working out to making love. And here we have one compilation promising to make your baby smarter. It's offensive enough that the music featured on these compilations is spliced up so that the most you hear of any work is a single movement; what's really annoying is the poor quality of so many of the featured performances. So it is some consolation that the artists here include such 20th-century legends as the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell and the Budapest String Quartet with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Of course if these folks were alive, one can imagine their violent objection to this presentation of their work. Read more

Reviews (17)

Build Baby's Brain through ClassicsVol 1
I am a true fan of Classical music and this was purchased as a gift for a co-worker who is adopting a child from China.Therefore I did not open it nor listen to it.The recipient is now overseas picking up their daughter so I know they haven't had the opportunity to listen to it. I think it's a great idea, though, and purchased a used set for my Grandson.

Wonderful stimulating music for baby
I am sorry for the previous review who said that intelligence is hereditary. If that is true, all mankind would have been doomed from the start.
The greatest CD!!
I received this CD free when I had my first baby and it instantly became my fav cd of all time. I have it on my computer and I had another copy made because I just can not imagine not having it.
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Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    3. Cantata    4. Chamber    5. Childrens    6. Choral    7. Classical    8. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    9. Classical Music    10. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    11. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    12. Concerto    13. Educational    14. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    15. Keyboard    16. Opera    17. Oratorio    18. Orchestral    19. Piano Concerto    20. Quartet for Keyboard and Three String Instruments   

Editorial Review

These performances mount the only serious competition as acomplete set to the Leon Fleisher/George Szell versions on Sony Classical. EmilGilels was an extraordinary virtuoso who decided to place his technical wizardryin the service of the most disciplined and demanding classical masterpieces. Nopiano concertos live up to this description more than the two by Brahms. Himselfa pianist, Brahms placed every purely musical stumbling block that he could infront of the soloist--only audiences never notice because there's no gratuitousdisplay at all. A performer who has not mastered these pieces doesn'tnecessarily miss notes; he or she just bores everyone to tears. Well, Gilels isnever dull, and neither is Eugen Jochum, whose spontaneous-sounding yetsensitive accompaniments support his soloist every step of the way. Read more

Reviews (28)

a truly great recording
To my mind neither Eugen Jochum nor Emil Gilels received the acclaim appropriate to their genius while they were living. Even now it appears they are appreciated mainly by a small clique of true classical music lovers.
FAVORITE PIANO CONCERTI
Brahms's monumental piano concertos are my very favorite piano concertos.Therefore, I own many recordings of same.Nevertheless, this recording with Gilels and Jochum is my absolute favorite!It is a recording that I've listened to, at least, once a week for many years. Gilels and Jochum truly play these "monsters of the form" wonderfully capturing Brahms's fierceness as well as his tenderness beautifully.
Heroic - and my favorite reading hands down
These readings are legendary. I searched and searched for a good set, first trying Bernstein-Zimerman (horrid recording quaity) then trying some older recordings (Serkin/Szell, Rubinstein/Ormandy), then going to an old favorite of mine on the keyboard (Pollini/Abbado), but I was not really a fan of a) either the ensembles' un-Brahmsian (in my opinion) accompaniment or b) the soloists' interpretations or execution. However, these recordings, when I first bought them in the old DG Galleria release, were a revelation. Gilels' playing can best be described as monumental, and Jochum's direction is Brahmsian to the core. The result is a rarity in that both concertos are amongst the greatest ever readings of the works (especially for #2, where there is no one else close). And now, with the new DG Originals transfer, the sound matches the performances; gone are the whiny strings and the somewhat hollow sound from the original transfer, and in its place we have a recording that sounds almost brand new, with great clarity on the brass, piano sound, and amazing definition in the strings. If you must only have one recording of these two concertos, than this is the one to get.
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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. Concerto    5. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    6. Keyboard    7. Piano Concerto   

Editorial Review

For many of us, Leonard Bernstein's first Mahler cycle for CBS (compiled here, remastered and cheaper than ever) has stood the test of time since it initially came out on LP in the late 1960s. Upon completing this traversal of nine symphonies (and the "Adagio" movement from the unfinished 10th), Lenny and the New York Philharmonic achieved something no one else had and proved that Mahler was, simply put, worth recording in the first place. It's still a marvelous set of recordings that belongs in every record collection.Read more

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (23)

Bernstein or Tennstedt: read on....
If the only way you could obtain the Mahler Symphonies was by buying a box containing them all by one conductor, then this would be my second choice, or my first!; my first (or second)would be the Tennstedt set. It's a close call thoughout - a 'swings and roundabouts' situation, but if Bernstein's was the one and only then I would be happy enough. Actually if you want a truly satisfying Mahler Symphonies collection then the two sets together sitting side by side on your CD shelf would be pretty well ideal, as I believe that the legacy of recordings by these two great men are nowhere surpassed (save Horenstein in the Fourth, Barbirolli in the Sixth and Rudolf Schwarz in the Fifth). As to comparisons between individual symphonies, the following would be my first choice:
Comparing the two Bernstein Mahler cycles
Most buyers aren't in the market for a complete Mahler cycle by a single conductor, but if they were, the two from Bernstein contain many great performances. I've reviewed the contents of this Sixties cycle on Sony and the later one from the Eighties (contianing many live performances) on DG, taking them one symphony at a time. But it's worthwhile to give a sense of the strongest and weakest parts of each set.