Classical > Chamber Classical > Bach, Johann Sebastian

Advantages: An excellent introduction to Classical Music
Disadvantages: None

This is a companion set to Naxos' "The A~Z of Opera" (previously reviewed.. It follows the same format and is an ideal compilation for people who are new to classical music as well as classical music buffs. It contains a double CD with two and a half hours of classical music (as you would expect) and a 562 page book (not quite as thick as the Opera one) compiled and written again by Keith Anderson. So what's in the pack? ~~ The Book This contains ...
...same size as a CD and fairly thick. The text is concise and clear and informative, with portraits of composers throughout. After the index you get 450 pages of concise histories of composers, with recommendations of recordings from the Naxos catalogue. It is arranged in alphabetical order, and starts with Adolphe Adam and is completed by Bernd Alois Zimmerman. As well as details about the composer there are sections on the different types of music ... Read review

Advantages: Unparalleled playing, Unbelievably good bargain for 6 CDs!
Disadvantages: Um, paper sleeves? No, seriously, it's great

...comprises recordings from 1985-89, when Horowitz was 81 years old! In 1986 Horowitz returned to Russia after 60 years away to give his monumental Moscow recital of which the live recording is included in this set. I personally find this performance of Liszt's Sonetto 104 del Petrarca to be the finest ever recorded. Alongside this is Scarlatti, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Schumann, Chopin, Moszkowski, and Schubert. Accompanying this recital is ...
...got older, Horowitz's playing became a sort of caricature of itself in the nicest possible way. By this I mean, his dynamics became more extreme, he became more expressive than ever, and his sense of style was heightened to new levels. Horowitz's Mozart playing has been criticized for being too free and not in Mozart's style, but really what he did was fuse his own bombastic and honest personality with the elegance, fire, and beauty of Mozart's. ... Read review

Advantages: All the pieces are short
Disadvantages: There are 4 of them

This is a truly awesome collection of the most popular classics. I have to say that it is probably factually correct and thus not questionable under the Trades Description Act. Here are 4, not 3, but 4 CDs packed full with a seemingly endless flow of tunes you will instantly recognise. Now, let's be honest, who will this appeal to? Well not me that's for sure, but here are the top ten reasons why buying this CD collection may be an option for you: ...
...2. You want a quick bluffers guide to classical music so you can impress your mother-in-law at the Proms 3. You are a music teacher and need a resource for the class 4. You are a Classic FM fan 5. You are writing a music quiz and have no other classical CDs 6. You have a short attention span 7. You are buying something posh for your working class granny 8. You can't stand long pieces of classical music 9. You need shiny objects to keep the ... Read review

Advantages: Virtuosic operatic vocalism, unusual repertoire, mad scenes...
Disadvantages: Fleming's voice is maybe not best suited for this...

...CD featuring renowned American soprano Renée Fleming? Simply put: Bel canto is the Italian term for "beautiful singing", but it is specifically applied towards a vocal technique which first developed in the 17th century in Italy and continued to develop towards a peak in the 19th century with many bel canto operas by composers such as Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti - all of whom feature on this CD. It is a very technically based way of singing, where ...
...de force. Performers: Renée Fleming is the soprano soloist on this disc. She was born in 1959 in America and has developed a world class career singing at the major world opera houses, enjoying a particularly close relationship with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Her voice is regarded as mainly lyrical, and her biggest successes have been in works from that part of the operatic repertoire, such as "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss and ... Read review

Advantages: Impressive performance of interesting opera at an unbeatable price
Disadvantages: You will be left wanting more

Introduction: There simply isn't anything to beat the adrenalin shot of being one of maybe 120 people on stage performing some major musical masterpiece in front of a hopefully packed house. Orchestral playing is totally addictive! So when I was recently asked to play in the 2nd violin section of the orchestra for a weekend opera workshop, I didn't have to hesitate before saying yes. I was told it would involve around 15 hours of rehearsal from ...
...performance of the entire opera. Loads of playing = lots of fun! The opera in question was Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin's "Prince Igor". Since I didn't know the opera apart from the famous Polovtsian Dances, I thought it might be good to get a CD of it before going to the weekend. Whilst my sight-reading is pretty good, there is nothing more embarrassing as an orchestral player to turn the page, be confronted by an unexpected sight of lots of ... Read review