Berlioz: (6) Overtures [SACD]

Advantages: Colourful and always exciting
Disadvantages: absolutely none

...GENERAL HISTORY LEADING TO SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE Hector Berlioz was a French composer, born in 1803 in a little village of La Côte Saint-André. At a very early age he learned to play the flute and guitar and composed a number of little songs, two flute quintets and even a small opera "Estelle et Némorin" (Estelle incidentally being his first love interest, when he was only 13 and she in her late twenties). His father wanted to make a doctor out of him and sent him to Paris, but Hector soon dropped out of the medical school, not being able to stomach the atmosphere of the profession. He joined the Paris Conservatoire instead and soon became enthralled with the music of Gluck and Beethoven, with the literature and poetry of Virgil and the plays of Shakespeare. It was in a Shakespeare play (Hamlet) that he first saw an actress named... Read review

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Advantages: The first Moody Blues concept album. Is this what started prog rock?
Disadvantages: Perhaps a little dated - but it is 40 years old!

...who already owns the album. AVAILABILITY There are several varieties of CDs of this album on offer now including a recently remastered Hybrid SACD deluxe edition which comes on two discs and has an additional eleven tracks of alternative arrangements, "B" sides and live performances. Many of these additional tracks can be found on the Moody's compilation album "Prelude" from 1987. DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED - Initial vinyl release DECCA RECORDS 1967 Days of Future Passed [Deluxe Edition] [Sacd/CD Hybrid] Amazon.co.uk £8.65 (sourced from Amazon Jersey) Days of Future Passed [Original recording remastered] Amazon.co.uk £ 5.97 Samples of six of the tracks are available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Future-Passed/dp/B000007R19 [Chart information obtained from 'The Great Rock Discography' 6th Edition Martin C Strong (2002)] POSTSCRIPT... Read review

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Advantages: A Visit To Another World
Disadvantages: You May Wish To Never Leave

...Of The Knights (from Romeo And Juliet) by Prokofiev 3. Dies Irae (from Requiem) by Mozart 4. 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky 5. Piano Concerto by Grieg 6. Allegro (from Spring – Four Seasons) by Vivaldi 7. Hallelujah Chorus (from Messiah) by Handel 8. La Réjouissance From Music (from The Royal Fireworks) by Handel 9. Flight Of The Bumble Bee by Rimsky-Korsakov 10. March To The Scaffold from Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz 11. Overture (from Carmen) by Bizet 12. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart 13. Jerusalem by Parry 14. Jupiter (from The Planets) – Holst 15. Symphony No. 9 'Ode To Joy' by Beethoven 16. Scene (from Swan Lake) by Tchaikovsky 17. Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Elgar 18. Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini (Variation 18) by Rachmaninov 19. Promenade (from Pictures At An Exhibition) by Mussorgsky 20. Finale: Symphony For Organ No... Read review

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