Bassoon Collection - Frances Eustace

Advantages: Good example of early 20th century French/European music. Cheap price
Disadvantages: Not distinct or ground-breaking enough

...--- INTRODUCTION --- -QUICK FACTS- Nationality: French Born: Paris 1899 Died: Paris 1963 Specialist genres: Stage works, concertos, piano music. Francis Poulenc had a relatively well-supported life, being born into a family of pharmaceutical manufacturers he never had to earn a living. Like many famous composers he began learning his skill at a very young age, at five he started the piano. He specifically tried not to in his learning process to be influenced by other major composers, so to keep his music as much his own as possible as stated by his self-description "I am a musician without a label". Influences which did affect him though were the immediate post-ww1 years which in certain parts of France had created a new atmosphere of hope and vision away from the horrors of war. Additionally the Parisian street life of cafe's, music... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Useful for helping to teach yung children about musical instruments
Disadvantages: The story is a little bit grown up for some of the younger audiences.

...Sergei Prokofiev is a fantastic composer and this is one of his best works. Peter and the Wolf is a story about how a child disobeys his gandfathers advice, and has a rather scary encounter with a wolf. He is saved by some huntsmen and the story ends happily. Each of the characters has its own representative instrument from the orchestra. Peter, a young boy is represented by the strings, who have lots of tunes with excellent harmonies. Peter's grandfather, whom Peter ignores, is played by the bassoons, a personal favourite of mine as i myself play one. I think that the bassoon has been chosen to play the grand father because it has a sense of age, and, being a bass instrument, has a sense of authority and towards the end sternness for the disobedience of Peter. Throughout the tale there are animals. The cat is played by the clarinets... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great passion, beautiful melodies, unrestrained romanticism
Disadvantages: The finale doesn't quite convince in it's purpose

...the finale. In the Fourth there was a distinct programme that made such a transition work, as if in a collection of paintings viewed one after the other. The Fifth however is much more vague in its overall imagery (after all the programme set out by Tchaikovsky was far from being detailed). A happy victory ending in itself, of course, is not the reason it sounds a little fake, but the abrupt E major opening without any kind of preparation is not very convincing. Even Beethoven in his Fifth Symphony built the glorious C major explosion out of the dark ruminations of the previous Scherzo, making it sound like a natural outgrowth of triumph. Still, Tchaikovsky's Fifth is very romantic, melodic, exciting, and authentic Tchaikovsky. It's not his best, but it sure is enjoyable MOVEMENT BY MOVEMENT ANALYSIS I. Andante - Allegro con anima The symphony... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful