Go on, get a bit cultured for a change
 Jun 9th, 2001
Advantages:
Good intro, great pieces
Disadvantages:
Extracts, some favourites missing
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
Value for Money
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  Excelle
About me:
Yes, I'm still bobbing around here somewhere, I'm just insanely busy with one thing and another. Fee...
Member since:23.07.2000
Reviews:215
Members who trust:102
Review rated by 34 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Anyone who knows me at all will know I love my music. I have quite broad horizons on this front, and I'll listen to pretty much anything. In fact, there are very few musical genres that I don't like at all, and some that I never thought I'd get into but did in the end! One such genre would be that of classical music. Classical music has a dictionary definition of the following:
a. Of or relating to European music during the latter half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries.
b. Of or relating to music in the educated European tradition, such as symphony and opera, as opposed to popular or folk music. So basically, we're looking at any European music with a bit of an arranged orchestra or the like contained within. It's quite hard to pin down an exact definition of the genre, but I think most people have a good idea what classical music sounds like. It's some of the oldest music of our history, or that music that was recorded at least, and as such, thumping dance beats this is not!
'Simply The Best Classical Anthems' is what I would call an 'introductory CD'. That is, it serves as an introduction to classical music before we move on to more specific purchases. This is exactly the reason I bought it – I looked at the track listing and decided it had pretty much every track I wanted on it! I've know got a couple of other classical CDs, including 'The Planets' by Holst that everyone seems to love.
- No track by track this time – I have the rest of my life ahead of me
I could sit here and give you a track by track analysis of the whole album, but it's 38 tracks long, so any readers would either be dead or asleep by the time I'd finished, and I would have aged about 20 years! So I'll compromise – a track listing (along with where you may know any of the pieces from), and then a summary of the highlights at the bottom. Happy? I know my GP is :) CD 1
1. Dies Irae (from Requiem) by Verdi
2. O Fortuna (from
Carmina Burana) by Orff [Old Spice advert anyone?]
3. Mars (from The Planets) by Holst ['Quatermass', as well as numerous adverts]
4. The Ride Of The Valkyries (from Die Walkure) by Wagner [Rebel Without A Cause, Small Soldiers, amongst others]
5. Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves (from Nabucco) by Verdi
6. Fanfare For The Common Man by Copland [some BBC sport event?]
7. Pomp And Circumstance March – No. 1 by Elgar [Last Night Of The Proms]
8. Grand March (from Aida) by Verdi [
9. Presto (from Summer – Four Seasons) by Vivaldi [lots of films, including Up Close And Personal]
10. Prelude (from Te Deum) by Charpentier [a couple of films, including Richard III]
11. The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra by Britten
12. Tocatta And Fugue in D Minor by Bach [bloody everywhere!]
13. First Movement (from Symphony No. 5) by Beethoven [this too!]
14. Adagio (from Spartacus) by Khachaturian [Onedin Line]
15. Sabre Dance (from Gayaneh) by Khachaturian
16. First Movement (from Symphony No. 40) by Mozart
17. Zadok The Priest by Handel [The Madness Of King George]
18. Nessun Dorma (from Turandot) by Puccini [World Cup Theme a few years back]
CD 2
1. Also Sprach Zarahoustra by Strauss [2001: A Space Odyssey]
2. Dance Of The Knights (from Romeo And Juliet) by Prokofiev
3. Dies Irae (from Requiem) by Mozart [Amadeus]
4. 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky
5. Piano Concerto by Grieg
6. Allegro (from Spring – Four Seasons) by Vivaldi [too many films to mention]
7. Hallelujah Chorus (from Messiah) by Handel [lots of films including Face/Off and Spice World(!)]
8. La Réjouissance From Music (from The Royal Fireworks) by Handel [The Madness Of King George]
9. Flight Of The Bumble Bee by Rimsky-Korsakov
10. March To The Scaffold from Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz
11. Overture (from Carmen) by Bizet [it's in lots of things, the only one I can remember is 'There's Something About Mary']
12. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart [from what I can tell, it's in most major films! – Alien, Ace Ventura, Batman etc.]
13. Jerusalem by Parry [Chariots of Fire]
14. Jupiter (from The Planets) – Holst [another World Cup theme I think]
15. Symphony No. 9 'Ode To Joy' by Beethoven
16. Scene (from Swan Lake) by Tchaikovsky [Billy Elliot, A View To A Kill]
17. Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Elgar [Elizabeth, Dumb And Dumber]
18. Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini (Variation 18) by Rachmaninov [Ronin, Groundhog Day]
19. Promenade (from Pictures At An Exhibition) by Mussorgsky
20. Finale: Symphony For Organ No. 3 by Saint-Saens Sorry I couldn't associate each and every one with something popular – I only have my wits and the Net to help me! Oh, OK, I admit it – my wits weren't that much help either :)
- Highlights of disc 1 I'm a big fan of bold and brash classical music – something stirring and full of energy. However, I do also like quiet piano pieces too – they are quite calming in the evening.
» O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) by Orff
You'll probably know this one from the likes of the 'Old Spice' advert – you remember it don't you? I'm sure the womenfolk do – I seem to remember some muscley stud or something in it :) Well, this is the track that was used on that advert. If this isn't an epic track then I don't know what is! A loud start, before dropping to a very quiet, almost chanting, choir, building back up to a barrage of brass and strings. One of my favourites. » Mars (from The Planets) by Holst
I love the Planets – they are very expressive in their depiction of what Holst thought the planets were like. Obviously, Mars (the bringer of War in Greek mythology) is majestic yet dangerous and sinister. This piece has excellent use of brass, almost pulsing in places, with the percussion backing up this 'war march' feel.
» The Ride Of The Valkyries (from Die Walkure) by Wagner
If you haven't heard this, then I may just have to shoot you now. One of the more famous classical pieces. I always seem to associate it with flying, maybe because of the light and playful strings, I'm not sure. I love the way the abrupt brass complements the sweeping string movements.
» Tocatta And Fugue by Bach & First Movement from Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven
It's hard to dislike these two – they're probably the two most famous pieces in classical music. Tocatta And Fugue, a masterpiece of organ music, and it's truly inspiring to watch someone play it – I love to see my girlfriend's brother, Jack Day, play it – he really has a talent for it. The First Movement from Symphony No. 5 is a superb string piece, quite hard to describe, but easy to remember! » First Movement from Symphony No. 40 by Mozart
I find this piece quite relaxing. Another string piece, it's gentle flowing patterns are lovely to let flow over you, and yet it has enough energy not to fade completely into the background.
- Highlights of disc 2
» Also Sprach Zarathoustra by Strauss
I love 2001: A Space Odyssey, so this epic and stirring piece is especially enjoyable for me. Inspired.
» Dance Of The Knights by Prokofiev
As I said, I love brass work, and this is a perfect combination of booming bass brass and light strings over the top. You really get the impression that it's trying to represent some epic event never to be repeated. » Piano Concerto by Grieg
A lovely stirring piano piece – the complexity of the layers of melody is astounding, and it all flows gently together without much trouble at all. People may know Grieg's 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King', but this is equally good.
» Nimrod by Elgar
I'm a big Elgar fan, great British composer as he is, as this is possibly the most relaxing piece I've heard of his. Gentle sweeping strings creating something of a countryside vista to my mind, although I'm sure others will disagree. » Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paginini by Rachmaninov
This a beautiful almost romantic piano piece, I love it. It is also backed up by strings later on, and it has a really beautiful feel to it. Gentle, yet expressive.
- Good things
This album is great if you have no other classical music, because it gives you a wide range of the best pieces. If you're anything like me, you'll listen to it and find tracks you didn't even realise you knew, and this is the beauty of the album. While it has all the pieces you wanted on it, it has more that you didn't KNOW you wanted! It's certainly good value for money – 38 classical tracks for not too much over a tenner, if you shop around.
- Bad things
It will irritate some people that a lot of the tracks are just extracts of the full pieces. But then if the full pieces were put on this CD, you wouldn't get many tracks! In this way, this album serves as something of a sampler – find those tracks you love, and go ought and buy the more specialised CDs of their work. It's good to listen too if you fancy a bit of variation though, since the tracks generally don't go on that long.
The other problem is that there are always going to be some tracks you wished they'd put on – I would have liked to have seen Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on here, as well as Grieg's 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King', Fauré's 'Pavane' and Barber's 'Adagio For Strings'. But you can't win them all – and people's favourites vary. So I think this album has managed to strike a good balance.
- Cultured yet?
Overall, this is a great album, and I'm really glad I bought it. I find classical music can be quite relaxing, and it's great to work to, although I'm not entirely sure why! It's even supposed to make your brain work more efficiently, so you can listen to classical music and become instantly brighter! OK, so maybe not, but at least you can enjoy some really great music. Take my advice – try it, you might actually like it! It's not like you have to tell any of your friends if you're that bothered by it :) Now I've got to decide what to get next!
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05.07.2001 22:07
Excellent op. I love classical music but for me it will be: Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard, James Horner, Eric Serra...but i like your style. Easy, clear and concise to understand. Alex
22.06.2001 16:53
great opinion. I enjoy listening to classical music sometimes to relax . favorite being flight of the bumblebee.This looks a good cd might look into getting it thanks. :)
14.06.2001 09:55
I'm afraid that I am one of those cultured boffs who just can't abide "classical cuttings" anymore although they do have their place in the market. If you ever get the urge to expand your classical collection give the NAxos range a try. At £4.99 or under per CD it is an excellent way to build up a basic collection cheaply! Claire