Classical > Beethoven, Ludwig van Classical > Chicago Symphony Orchestra > Vocal & Choral

Ode to Joy

Advantages: Catchy Tune
Disadvantages: None

Ode to joy was written by one of the worlds most renounced composers - Beethoven. This is in my opinion the best of beethoven's symphonies. This song is the easy to play and the tune is very catchy. The music is E E F G G F E D C C D E E D D E E F G G F E D C C D E D C C. The easy tune is very catchy and quite easy to remember. If you are learning to play the piano or keyboard I would suggest that you start by learning this one. I would recommend ...

TerryMan123 06.05.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Ode to Joy

A Classical Review

Advantages: A great diversity of famous works
Disadvantages: Not everything is perfect

I am a huge fan of classical music, with a collection soon breaking the 700 marker. But where did it all begin? Well right here. When I got my first CD player, I played my parents CDs until making my first CD purchase. I stumbled along a 2-CD collection called "Simply the Best classical Anthems." Honestly, I had not the slightest clue about what music al the names on the back contained. But there were so many interesting pieces there so that I immediately ...
...buy. Unlike many other collections, this one features many top flight recordings of some of the most popular classical music. Some of them are still holding their own in the mass of my collection. It was also extremely useful for me in expanding my collection. TRACK LISTING AS FOLLOWS: CD 1 VERDI: Dies Irae from Requiem ORFF: O Fortuna from Carmina Burana HOLST: Mars from The Planets, Op.32 WAGNER: The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre ...

berlioz 08.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Simply the Best Classical Anthems

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: The First 100 Years

Advantages: This is a recording containing excellent content, with wonderful sound quality due to top-notch recording technique, and the presence of stellarly talented artists.
Disadvantages: It is often disappointing to be listening to a wonderful piece of music only to discover that merely a portion of the piece is contained on the recording.

This is an eclectic and, at the same time, fascinating recording. It contains some of the more interesting repertoire of one of the USA's most famous and talented symphony orchestras, along with an assortment of conductors long-attached to the CSO. In short, my favorite piece among all of those contained in this collection, is the Mahler Symphony No. 8. For anyone who knows this piece, they will be more than pleased by this performance. The conducting, ...
...almost unmatched. Especially notable is the performance of the Mater Gloriosa, a somewhat thankless role, performed especially beautifully by soprano Jann Jaffe. Of course, anyone who knows the piece cannot help but be drawn to this music. This famous "Symphony of a Thousand" is a masterpiece whose listening is its own reward, especially this performance. ...

dandiesweet 30.07.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Chicago Symphony Orchestra: The First 100 Years

Sumptuous works by a little-known composer

Advantages: Good recordings of unfamiliar, but rewarding works
Disadvantages: None

Karlowicz is a relatively unknown composer whose chief claim to fame was his untimely death in a skiing accident just before the First World War. He left a small collection of works, the later of which (figured in this disc) show a talent that was tragically snuffed out before he could achieve greatness. The Symphonic Poems featured here reveal a composer adept at interesting orchestral effects (try the sad theme at the start of the Lithuanian Rhapsody, ...
...writing for the lower-toned instruments of the orchestra. Karlowicz has clearly learnt a lot from Richard Strauss, whose shadow fell across much pre-1914 music, but it often lacks the extrovert quality of the Gernman composer's tone poems; as the inlay notes say, there is a 'brooding' quality to much of this music, particularly evident in the middle sections of these works. Another feature of Karlowicz's writing is his tendency to pick himself up ...

chivhu 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Karlowicz: Symphonic Poems Vol 1

Music for Meditation

Advantages: A good introduction to sacred music
Disadvantages: A rather niche album on which those into the genre will find nothing new

...the same. Requiem is subtitled "music for Reflection and Meditation". It takes various well known settings of the requiem mass, together with a couple of other fitting pieces and puts them together in one place. If one is so minded, one should note that this album is NOT a requiem mass. The pieces don't follow in the right order but, having said that, to the knowledgeable, the whole album stands on its own as a good religious set. One of the other ...
...who are less well-known. When one says "requiem" one might think of Verdi or Mozart but here we also have offerings from Spanish composer Lobo (a motet) and the Italian Pergolesi (an extract from his Sabat Mater). I feel that Naxos have really got it right with this compilation. The perfect balance between the known and the unknown is struck with excerpts from the more well known Requiems by Mozart and Verdi featuring more than once meaning ...

CareBear 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Requiem - Classical Music for Reflection & Meditation