Wagner: Overtures & Orchestral Highlights

Advantages: everything
Disadvantages: nothing

...Rossini Largo al factotum (Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816)) Giacomo Puccini Che gelida manina (Bohème (highlights)) Vissi d'arte (Tosca) Nessun dorma (Turandot) O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi) Robert Prizeman Voca me Gabriel Faure In paradisum (Requiem Op.48) Paul McCartney Celebration (Standing Stone) Carl Orff O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov The Flight of the Bumble-bee Johann II Strauss An der schonen, blauen Donau, Op.314 Edvard Hagerup Grieg Allegro molto moderato (Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16) George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (1924) jazzband version Gustav Holst The Planets: Jupiter - excerpt Sergei Prokofiev Montagues and Capulets (Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64) Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso (Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23) 1812 - Festival Overture... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average not helpful

Advantages: The ultimate operatic experience
Disadvantages: It's complicated, but so was Wagner

...to Cosima Liszt . No better way to start the Wagnerian journey. Listen to The Flying Dutchman, then to the more complex and powerful love story Tristan and Isolde. You will be enlightened as the earlier and lyrical work of the 'Dutchman' develops into the musical narrative of 'Tristan' with singing and orchestral accompaniment of equal importance, each with its own identity and the drama blending superbly around both aspects. Truly, opera of perfection. Secondly, social issues dealing with money and power. Although Wagner was a man who lived a life of luxury well beyond his financial resources, he remained a champion of the working classes who were being trampled on by big business in Germany and who corrupted life with power broking exercised through excessive wealth. So, next listen to the lyrical opera Tannhauser and then the only comedy he... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great choice of tracks to accompany the film
Disadvantages: No Beatles (revoution/helter skelter etc!!)

...You have to admire Francis Coppola's nerve - using everything in his record collection from The Doors to Richard Wagner to accompany his breathtaking vision of the Vietnam war on acid. From the opening scene, with his brilliant use of Morrison's 'The End' you instantly get the feel of this movie, you aren't in for an easy ride. It does seem though that most of the time music is actually played on transistor radios by the marines or it is actually being heard by the characters in some way - it isn't really a soundtrack and there is very little orchestral scoring for the film - even Robert Duvall's slightly bonkers Lt.Colonel Kilgore using 'Valkyries' to accompany his chopper napalm bombing run isn't 'soundtrack' as such. But it all still works and remains the best rock/classical soundtrack so far.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful