Sergei Nakariakov - No Limit

Advantages: Useful for helping to teach yung children about musical instruments
Disadvantages: The story is a little bit grown up for some of the younger audiences.

...Sergei Prokofiev is a fantastic composer and this is one of his best works. Peter and the Wolf is a story about how a child disobeys his gandfathers advice, and has a rather scary encounter with a wolf. He is saved by some huntsmen and the story ends happily. Each of the characters has its own representative instrument from the orchestra. Peter, a young boy is represented by the strings, who have lots of tunes with excellent harmonies. Peter's grandfather, whom Peter ignores, is played by the bassoons, a personal favourite of mine as i myself play one. I think that the bassoon has been chosen to play the grand father because it has a sense of age, and, being a bass instrument, has a sense of authority and towards the end sternness for the disobedience of Peter. Throughout the tale there are animals. The cat is played by the clarinets... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Fantastic singles, introduction of classical elements and orchestras
Disadvantages: A couple of weaker tracks - but made up for by the rest of the album

...Probably the most pompous, overblown, operatic rock album of 2003. It charts an impossibly wide range of emotions - the screaming piano track "Apocalypse Please" is followed by the delightfully slinky "Time Is Running Out", with it's effects-laden bass and thundering guitar riffs. Then there's one of the finest guitar tracks ever, "Stockholm Syndrome" then my favourite song, "Hysteria". Juggernaut bass riffs and guitar solos make this a joyously sexy song. Then there's the simply gorgeous "Blackout" - I once heard this described as "the song people will be waltzing to in Covent Garden in 50 years" and I suspect it will. I was reduced to tears when I saw Blackout performed live - it's such an incredibly moving song. Butterflies and Hurricanes must surely be Muse's finest track to date. Quoting the superb Sergei Rachmaninov, and yet... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Romantic, passionate and beautiful
Disadvantages: Unless you have a heart of stone absolutely none whatsoever

...- - GENERAL HISTORY - - Sergei Rachmaninov was at the height of his popularity in 1906, winged by the popularity of his Second Piano Concerto of 1901 and his early C sharp minor Prelude. During this time he composed such major works as the First Piano Sonata, the symphonic poem "The Isle of the Dead", Op.29, the 18 songs of Op.26, and most importantly, the Second Symphony in E minor, Op.27. This work was Rachmaninov's first attempt at a symphony in eleven years, after his First Symphony (a work that the composer really wanted to forget, going so far as to forbid its publication and performance) bombed at its premiere. He began the Second Symphony in October 1906, right after he and his family had settled in the peaceful surroundings of Dresden. It was finished in rough draft by early 1907, but work on it progressed slowly. Rachmaninov... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful