I am a huge fan of classical music, with a collection soon breaking the 700 marker. But where did it all begin? Well right here. When I got my first CD player, I played my parents CDs until making my first CD purchase. I stumbled along a 2-CD collection called "Simply the Best classical Anthems." Honestly, I had not the slightest clue about what music al the names on the back contained. But there were so many interesting pieces there so that I immediately decided to get it. And I have not regretted the buy. Unlike many other collections, this one features many top flight recordings of some of the most popular classical music. Some of them are still holding their own in the mass of my collection. It was also extremely useful for me in expanding my collection.
TRACK LISTING AS FOLLOWS:
CD 1 VERDI: Dies Irae from Requiem ORFF: O Fortuna from Carmina Burana HOLST: Mars from The Planets, Op.32 WAGNER: The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre VERDI: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco COPLAND: Fanfare for the Common Man ELGAR: Pomp and Circumstance March no.1, Op.39/1 (exc.) VERDI: Grand March from Aida VIVALDI: Presto from Summer of The Four Seasons, Op.8 CHARPENTIER: Prelude from Te Deum BRITTEN: Theme from The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op.35 J.S. BACH: Toccata from Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 BEETHOVEN: 1st mvt from Symphony no.5 in C minor, Op.67 KHACHATURIAN: Adagio from Spartacus, Op.82 (exc.) KHACHATURIAN: Sabre Dance from Gayaneh, Op.50 MOZART: 1st mvt from Symphony no.40 in G minor, K.550 HÄNDEL: Zadok the Priest PUCCINI: Nessun Dorma from Turandot
CD 2 R. STRAUSS: Opening from Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 PROKOFIEV: Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet, op.65 (exc.) MOZART: Dies Irae from Requiem, K.626 TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture, Op.49 (exc.) GRIEG: 1st mvt from Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16 (exc.) VIVALDI: Allegro from Spring of The Four Seasons, op.8 HÄNDEL: Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah HÄNDEL: La Rejouissance from Fireworks Music RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: The Flight of the Bumble Bee BERLIOZ: March to the Scaffold from Symphonie fantastique, op.14 (exc.) BIZET: Overture from Carmen MOZART: 1st mvt. from Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, K.525 PARRY: Jerusalem HOLST: Jupiter from The Planets, op.32 (exc.) BEETHOVEN: Ode to Joy from Symphony no.9 in D minor, Op.125 TCHAIKOVSKY: Scene from Swan Lake, Op.20 ELGAR: Nimrod from Enigma Variations, op.36 RACHMANINOV: 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op.43 MUSSORGSKY: Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition SAINT-SAËNS: Finale from Symphony no.3 in C minor, op.78 "Organ"
This collection therefore represent some of the best known pieces of music from the Baroque era to the 20th Century, all predominately orchestral. Most of the recordings are very good, although there are a few rather poor ones as well. The slowing down in the "Ride of the Valkyries" takes much power away from the piece, Beethoven's Fifth is painfully slow and measured instead of being faster and more powerful, the "1812 Overture" lacks punch (with the cannons probably digitally added) and the "Ode to Joy" is nothing but a 30 second snippet. However the choral pieces are mostly fantastic (the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem is nothing short but mind-blowing, as is the Mozart alternative, Holst's "Mars" is one of the best I've heard, the performance of Placido Domingo in "Nessun Dorma" is absolutely fabulous and the Finale of Saint-Saëns' "Organ Symphony" is unsurpassed).
I was happily surprised with the inclusion of some more rare pieces as well, like the "March to the Scaffold" from Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, Parry's "Jerusalem" and Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" not usually found on most compilations. The small excerpt of the Grieg Concerto could have been dropped since it doesn't offer very much in so small a presentation, the Bach Toccata could have been included as a far better performance than this and the Swan Lake excerpt is a little muffled at places and I really don't give two cents about "Zadok the Priest", but overall, for a beginner, these are only minor qualms in an otherwise splendid compilation.
For a sampler this is one of the best I've come across with. Despite being somewhat costly (I paid 125 marks in 1999, which is about € 25 translating into some amount of £'s since I don't know the course) it comes highly recommended for a founding stone for a collection. And to make an argument, I have never considered classical music to be "elitist" or "snobbish" or any other trashy thing like that. Instead, what this music offers is great emotional depth, powerful expressions of the human soul, and in the best instances can encompass the entire universe in a way no other form of music could ever even dream of achieving. This is my opinion, and I stand behind it.
