Classical > London Symphony Orchestra Classical > Stage works

Does exactly what it says on the tin!

Advantages: easy to find the piece of music you want
Disadvantages: maybe too familiar for the expert listener

...I have begun to explore the world of opera, deciding to inject a little culture in my life! My uncle had definitely been listening to my interests as this CD was one of the great gifts I had. It is a double disc album, cleverly titled 'The Only Opera Album You'll Ever Need! And I can honestly say that this may be a very true claim! Only the most famous arias are included on these cds, covering many composers including Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, ...
...with the place you'll recognise the song from, such as the British Airways advert, the films Fatal Attraction and Moonstruck and the Baileys tv advert. This is extremely helpful for those times when you just can't place where you know a song from. In my house this has also settled many arguments about which composers feature on which advert! The songs are beautifully performed by Luciano Pavarotti, Lesley Garrett, Placido Domingo and many other ...

fluffyfreak 08.01.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of The Only Opera Album You'll Ever Need, Volume 2

Best Classical Album in the world

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 ...

pdillon91 05.08.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of The Best Classical Album in the World ... Ever!

The musical chemist

Advantages: Best of Borodin's compositions
Disadvantages: Extracts only

Given the quality of his music, it is surprising to note that Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was never a professional musician. Musical composition for him was more of a hobby. After graduating in medicine and taking up a profession in chemistry. Borodin’s musical output was understandably small since his work was a product of his spare time only. However, despite being only a part time composer Borodin’s work, as you can hear on this CD, was in no ...
...patriotism and “truth in music”. The group referred to as “The Five” or the 'The Mighty Handful” also included Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev and Cui. This CD, “The World of Borodin” released on the Decca label, provides indisputable evidence of Borodin’s talents. Containing extracts from his best known works, it is a kind of “greatest hits compilation”. Borodin composed only one opera, Prince Igor. Begun in 1869, Borodin spent almost eighteen ...

MAFARRIMOND 16.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The World of Borodin

A cracker of an album to be nuts about.

Advantages: Exquisite dance music. A fesrive fantasia.
Disadvantages: A little too fast moving

With all the festivities of Christmas now begun, we are bombarded with advertisements of Christmas Films, Pantomimes and CDs. Among these, and often overlooked, is The Nutcracker composed by Peter Llyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky was already well known for his Ballet music when he composed the music for the Nutcracker in 1892 with compositions for Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty already completed. Both had, however, been unfavourably received by ...
...The Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Vsevolozhsky commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose another ballet. Vsevolozhsky himself suggested that an adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Alexander Dumas, be used as a subject for the ballet. Tchaikovsky was not originally impressed with this idea stating that it lacked the dramatic and emotional tension that had inspired his earlier ballets. But despite his discontent ...

MAFARRIMOND 04.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Highlights

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