Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Symphony No. 1, Op. 25; Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals

Advantages: A childhood classic
Disadvantages: Adults appreciate it more

...modern and contemporary done in a pen and ink style. There is great attention to detail with giving all the characters their own personalities; The wolf in one picture has a target painted on his neck to make it easier for the hunters, Peter is a typical modern boy with shades and a T-Shirt saying ‘Baked Bean Boy’ which could almost be Bono himself and I have no idea what Bono was getting at with the introduction of the cat but the words of the narrative at this point are ‘a pussy-cat … she is smooth but greedy and vain’ the accompanying picture, to any 7 year old is a cat sat on a patch of grass with her arms crossed, but whichever way you look at it, it is a naked woman with a cats head and the grass is very conspicuous shading and no prize for guessing what the paws are!!!! The music is naturally still that of Prokofiev, but rather... Read review

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Advantages: Varied movements, esp. 1st and 4th. One of Mahler's most popular works.
Disadvantages: 2nd movement a little weak.

...to complete it. --- MUSIC --- Mahler himself thought of this work as transparent, relatively brief, and non-aggressive. Comprising of 4 movements, it is fairly short compared to his other symphony's and certainly more upbeat, using only a small section of the orchestra compared to his other works. The first movement would almost look like a pyramid if drawn. The start and end are very gradually built up/down (the same melody used at the start and finish) with the climax of the piece about 10mins in with bells and horns making an appearance. The second movement relies far too much on strings for my liking and lacks the distinctiveness of the 1st movement. The 3rd draws a more subtle manner which makes you believe it is the same as the 2nd at first, but then provides differences to illustrate its superiority; it also leads... Read review

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Advantages: Embodies some of Mahlers most notable music qualities.
Disadvantages: Unfinished.

...and Naxos. There are many versions played by various orchestra's and in different decades to choose from, the most recent notable one has been Simon Rattle's Berlin orchestra's performance. Overall if you like Mahler this is a definite buy, if you are new to Mahler get this as part of a compliation package, if new to classical music perhaps sample it before you purchase. --- AVAILABILITY --- There are many labels and different recordings of this that is hard to suggest which one to go for. You can buy it stand alone or as a compilation of Mahlers other music. If you are new to Mahler buy a complilation of his other scores too as he has so many other offerings (Symphony No. 1 is one of my favourites). If you have some Mahler music already then I would suggest the Naxos label which has Symphony No. 10 all on its own for around £5.... Read review

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