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 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good variety or composers and styles Disadvantages: no specific interest to one composer
Welcome to the world of Classical Music. If you are a fanatical performer, conductor or an avid listener then this is the product for you. 'The best classical album in the world . . . ever' is exactly what it says it is. This product is best suited to the general listener, rather than the listener with a specific interest in a particular composer. But all will enjoy the variety and class that this Cd offers. Music ranging from all periods of music ... ...for everyone. The selection of moods chosen are hugely varied, from schindlers list with its moving lyrical violin solo to the hallelujah chorus with its triumphant melodies. So whether you want to chill out or to be inspired, this is the collection for you. A bargain at under £10 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Beautifully produced, top quality singing Disadvantages: None
...amount of money possible! The Royal Opera House is almost certainly the most well known opera house in Britain and I look forward to every production I see there, knowing that it will be a real treat for the ears and the eyes!
- Booking tickets -
First things first, how to book tickets. You may be under the impression that tickets for the opera are hugely expensive and yes, for certain seats they are - for the big Wagnerian productions the best ... ...I have made to the Royal Opera House - the venue is beautiful and the singing and productions are among the best you will see in the UK. The productions they put on I would say are fairly conservative - the usual "classics", Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Wagner - but the addition of the Linbury Studio has allowed them to programme more 20th Century and new works alongside the works that they know will fill the theatre - the most recent example being Damon ...