Debussy: Orchestral & Chamber Works

Advantages: Amazing pianistic performances
Disadvantages: I can't play like that

.... This however has not created Jacks (or Jills) of all genres, they capture the romance and drama of Debussy with a sensitivity that is incredibly hard to match. The Album En Blanc et Noir is the actual title of the album, although ciao has decided it is simply the 'Debussy Album' and it includes a number of Debussy's works, some written for 2 pianos, and others as duets (4 hands on 1 piano) At the time that Debussy was writing, ie the turn of the 20th Century there were few duets or 2 piano pieces written specifically as duets. It was more normal to find thing transcribed for 2 pianos for pieces that you would more normally expect to hear as orchestral works, simple rearranged to fit 2 pianos. Debussy did this the other way around all the pieces on this album with the exception of the Nocturnes, which was a transcription by Maurice Ravel... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: many
Disadvantages: none

...Very fine cd. D'Indy's String Sextet may be a bit pale as a composition, but the Violin Sonata is a wonderful work that is unjustly neglected. As far as I know this is the only recording ever made, apart from an old one by Henri Temianka and Doris Stevenson. This sonata is named "academic" or "overly intellectual", but this is simply not true. It satisfies the mind as well as the emotion, and that is surely the case in this fine and idiomatic recording by Marietta Kratz and Caroline Weichert. It dates from 1994 and I hope it to be still available. The Piano Quartet by the young D'Indy is a worthwile addition. I strongly recommend this wonderful disc for the repertoire as well as the playing.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great performances of popular favourites and some rare gems
Disadvantages: Barely none, with perhaps slight issues with sound.

...Compilation albums of classical music are often a somewhat hit and miss affair. Great for the beginner, not so much for a seasoned collector. Therefore finding compilations that step outside of the norm in offering something else from the evergreens like Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and include some rarer gems is a thing that is ever so more interesting. Such was the sensation when I chanced upon this album, entitled "Colours of the Orchestra", a collection of orchestral treats that in various ways showcase the versatility and richness of a symphony orchestra. There is a number of composers included, all sequenced alphabetically, this set containing people from A to G. This album was then followed by a second collection that continued from where the first one ended, but personally I haven... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful