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Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Fantasia on
from: EMI Classics
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Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]
from: RCA
: :This is a classic recording of these two works, led with grand authority by Fritz Reiner. The Chicago's brass and wind section play gloriously throughout, and the final movement of Scheherazade (we learn from the original producer [1960] in an accompanying essay) was recorded in one take--an almost unheard-of feat. This fast movement is taken at breakneck speed, with no loss of clarity or power, with the strings in the hands of magicians. Stravinsky's Nightingale has never sounded so exotic, so ...
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Shirley Temple - Little Darling Pack (Little Miss Marker/Now and Forever/The Runt Page)
: :Shirley Temple's superstardom in the 1930s was associated with Twentieth Century Fox, but before Fox locked her down she made the two films for Paramount bundled here. It was 1934, her breakthrough year, and these pictures are not quite yet the showcase vehicles Fox would assemble for their pint-sized meal ticket. In Little Miss Marker, Shirley comes under the wing of Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou in good form), as Damon Runyon's world of bookies and gamblers and soft-hearted gangsters comes to ...
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Symphonie Fantastique
from: EMI Classics
: essential recording:Muti's perfectionism is everywhere clear in his stirring, crisp leadership of this many-layered, flavorful work. Some have argued that it's a bit over-the-top; we call that exciting. This is not to say that in the more elegant moments, we don't get some beautifully sculpted, feathery sounds. And clearly, each section of the orchestra was ideally rehearsed: the strings are lush, the winds reedy and spicy, and the brass wonderfully aggressive. Wow! --Robert Levine
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A to Z of Classical Music
from: Naxos
: :Is it a two-CD set with a particularly thick booklet, or a 562-page book with a compilation album attached? Either way, the unpretentious text by Keith Anderson offers an introduction to the lives and works of dozens of composers, together with recommended recordings from the Naxos and Marco Polo catalogs. Anderson includes a useful 59-page glossary of musical terms and an extensive listing of classical pieces used in films. The odd thing about the 36 extracts and complete pieces on the ...
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Puccini - La Boheme
from: Deutsche Grammophon
:Album Description:The hottest soprano/tenor combination in opera today follow up their sensational pairing in 'La Traviata', portraying another immortal star-crossed couple in Puccini's 'La Bohème.' A youthful cast bring a special authenticity and enthusiasm to this timeless tale of bohemians in Paris. Recorded in concert, with the excitement and spontaneity of a live performance; but in studio-like conditions, for superior sound quality. Classic FM raved about the performances: 'We get a Latinate passionate Rodolfo and a more delicately responsive Mimì, who ...
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D'Amore
from: Ecm Records
:Album Description:The hottest soprano/tenor combination in opera today follow up their sensational pairing in 'La Traviata', portraying another immortal star-crossed couple in Puccini's 'La Bohème.' A youthful cast bring a special authenticity and enthusiasm to this timeless tale of bohemians in Paris. Recorded in concert, with the excitement and spontaneity of a live performance; but in studio-like conditions, for superior sound quality. Classic FM raved about the performances: 'We get a Latinate passionate Rodolfo and a more delicately responsive Mimì, who ...
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Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Janine Jansen
:Album Details:Janine Jansen Follows her First Decca Album of Violin Favorites with this High-energy Account of Vivaldi's Four Violin Concertos, Known and Loved as 'the Four Seasons'. The Dutch Violinist Leads her Specially Selected Group of Soloists in a Fresh Look at the Most Loved of all Classical Works. What Gives this Recording Its Tremendous Freshness and Sparkle is Janine's Use of Just One Player Per Part. Gone is the Heavy Orchestral Sound which is So Familiar, this is a Four ...
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Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter
: :Among the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, these two have always been stepchildren. One reason is their extreme difficulty; both composers were pianists, so Beethoven wrote an idiomatic part only for the piano. Brahms's friend Joseph Joachim offered advice for the violin concerto, but not for the Double Concerto, which was written as a peace offering after a falling-out. The Beethoven Triple Concerto demands utmost virtuosity, as well as intimate teamwork among the soloists, and that is exactly what these three ...
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Beethoven at Bedtime: A Gentle Prelude to Sleep
from: Philips
: :Among the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, these two have always been stepchildren. One reason is their extreme difficulty; both composers were pianists, so Beethoven wrote an idiomatic part only for the piano. Brahms's friend Joseph Joachim offered advice for the violin concerto, but not for the Double Concerto, which was written as a peace offering after a falling-out. The Beethoven Triple Concerto demands utmost virtuosity, as well as intimate teamwork among the soloists, and that is exactly what these three ...
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