Best Polonaises
A classic collection of 11 CDs that compiles every recording that the late Arthur Rubinstein released on the RCA label from 1946-1967!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I always believe Rubinstein's Chopin performance is the greatest."
"A must-have for Chopin lovers."
"I'm not that professional, well I like the ballade No.1 very much when first listening to it on a plane."
"I have to admit that i am addicted to the Nocturnes."
"Rubenstein and Chopin."
"This is a gift for my birthday for my husband to give me!"
"Marvelous!"
Item Specifications Color Silver Material Alloy Hub Drilling 32 Rear Axle Type 10x1 Cassette Body Type Threaded Standard Hub/Brake Compatibility Rim Brake Valve Standard Schrader ISO Diameter 622 / road / 29 Valve Length Schrader Wheel Size 700c Tire Type Clincher Rear Wheel Type Road Rear Hub Spacing 135 Spoke Info DT Swiss Industry Rim Alex Y2000 Skewer Included Yes Defined Color Silver.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Addictive, enthralling, bewitching..."
"Ashkenazy used to be a hero of mine (starting with his performance of Rachmaninov's preludes)."
"My son, for whom I bought this, absolutely loves this complete set."
"This is a great set to own to get a good feeling for the entirety. of Chopin's output."
"His ability to write such technically difficult pieces that are also melodic and pleasing to the ear is truly incredible."
"What a great set - 13 discs of Chopin delivered with technical elan and profound feeling."
"Gave as a gift and was well liked!"
But if you've never heard Rachmaninov play Schumann's Carnaval , try starting there for one of the most imaginative recreations of a piece of music ever recorded.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What an extraordinary pianist, and a great lesson on how to play his pieces, from the composer himself."
"Recording is older and not remastered, but fine for hearing the beauty of Rach... Kind of scratchy..."
"The recordings are obviously low quality, but this has nothing to do with the quality of music Rachmaninoff performs (these recordings are from the early 1900s, so the recording quality is expected)."
"This is a collection of all the recordings that Sergei Rachmaninoff made with RCA Victor."
"4 finally made me sit up and listen, even though I've owned two versions of this piece for a number of years (Ashkenazy & Wild)."
"Thus we can really appreciate Rachmaninoff in at least three different directions: composer, pianist and conductor; and if the first is generally recognized nowadays, the other two aspects of his genius are somewhat neglected. As a special bonus, we get Rachmaninoff as a conductor (disc 3) in his own Third Symphony, the symphonic poem ''The Isle of the Dead'' and the orchestral version of his famous ''Vocalise''. The very thought that we are able to listen to the playing of one of the greatest piano composers is difficult to assimilate and, for better or for worse, is bound to colour our perception of his recordings. Considering the fact that Rachmaninoff also made a number of transcriptions for solo piano of music by various composers, he easily emerges as a towering figure of Lisztian versatility, if necessarily on a much smaller scale. We should be deeply thankful that part of Rachmaninoff's life coincided with the invention of the earliest recording devices. Now, by modern standards Rachmaninoff's playing can only be described as highly idiosyncratic, with extreme tempo fluctuations and enormous sound. If today some brave young soul dares to play Chopin's Third Ballade or Second Sonata at a competition even remotely in the manner of Rachmaninoff, I am pretty sure he would be ostracized and any chances even of modest career would vanish into thin air. Occasionally, it must be admitted, this IS at the expense of the music, but far more often it is indeed a most refreshing exception among digital dullness that reigns supreme today. Rachmaninoff is generally regarded as a conservative and intellectual pianist, a puritan in the best sense of the word, and I daresay he is less impulsive than some of his illustrious contemporaries (such as Hoffman and Paderewski, for instance) but, being born as early as 1873 (30 years before Horowitz! ), Rachmaninoff certainly belonged to the grand nineteenth-century Romantic tradition of piano playing whose chief object was to communicate the emotional content of the music. Small wonder that these recordings have the most dismal sound in the whole box set: very loud background noise, highly artificial and often distorted piano tone. The Hungarian Rhapsody is particularly well recorded indeed, and it is a performance of towering virtuosity which may well make dizzy Cziffra himself, especially Rachmaninoff's dazzling cadenza. The performance is astounding, with super-fast octaves that blow Argerich away and very slow tempo for the second subject which makes it sound extremely poignant. They are far superior to the Edison ones from 1919 because, unlike them, they were made using Steinway concert grand and two horns for recording the treble and the bass sections of the piano. After 1925 all recordings Rachmaninoff made (again except any piano rolls) were electrical and these, of course, are greatly superior to the acoustical ones in terms of clarity and depth. Rachmaninoff's last recordings, made in 1939-42, are not the vintage mono RCA gave Horowitz a decade later, but they do not require much imagination from the listener in order to imagine why Rachmaninoff was the idol of many other great but vastly different pianists, such as Bolet and Horowitz for instance, and why Harold Schonberg himself used to rave about his abilities at the keyboard. 1, 3 and 4 were recorded in that period; sadly, though the piano is fairly well projected, the orchestra sounds pretty horrible, especially the tutti passages which remind me of a lost radio station. Rachmaninoff's own transcription of Tchaikovsky's tender ''Lullaby'' was one of the last recordings he made, in 1942, and it is remarkable how little background noise there is and how clear even the quietest passages are. The many lyrical passages in all three movements are played with exquisite tenderness, whereas the dramatic ones have an awesome power and need be heard to be believed. Too bad, also, that all those treasures mentioned in the discography printed in the biography of Rachmaninoff by Bertensson and Leyda, such as Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole or ''Au bord d'une source'', were apparently lost. Alas, though we are fortunate to have all concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody, the solo piano fare is meager: eight preludes (out of 24), three etudes-tableaux (17), one musical moment (6), two pieces from Op. Except for the highly disappointing G minor prelude, with its shoddy climaxes so far removed from the powerful renditions of Horowitz and Lugansky, the other pieces are superbly played, and mostly available in an electrical version. There is no such thing, and thank God (should he exist) that we have no recordings of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt; they would be held as ''definitive'' and nobody would bother to play the music anymore. Mussorgsky's ''Hopak'' (1925) and Rimsky-Korsakov's ''The Flight of the Bumble-Bee'' (1929) are equally dashing, and so is the notoriously difficult Scherzo from Mendelssohn's ''A Midsummer's Night Dream'' of which Rachmaninoff obviously makes a child's game. (Fascinatingly, in 1972 Jorge Bolet recorded, very differently of course, many of these transcriptions in a now legendary LP which can be found as ''bonus tracks'' to his fabulous Carnegie Hall recital in PHILIP's Great Pianists of the 20th Century series.). Among the Chopin highlights from the ''electrical years'' there is a sweeping version of the Second Sonata (1930) with one of the fastest, singularly convincing though, funeral marches ever committed on disc. Since these 10 discs, on the whole, do confirm beyond any reasonable doubt Rachmaninoff's colossal stature as pianist, I may be allowed to conclude with few mild complaints. To name two examples, Mozart's Turkish March is way too rushed and sloppy, and the middle section of Schubert's Impromptu (Op. These are minor quibbles which do not in the least mar an otherwise absolutely fabulous set of recordings, a unique memento from another era of great pianism that will never happen again, alas."
"For example, while he would of course infuse his personality into a Scriabin piece, he could also approach it only as a master composer could; additionally he studied under the same instructor as Scriabin, and they were lifelong friends."
Best Mazurkas
A classic collection of 11 CDs that compiles every recording that the late Arthur Rubinstein released on the RCA label from 1946-1967!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I always believe Rubinstein's Chopin performance is the greatest."
"A must-have for Chopin lovers."
"I'm not that professional, well I like the ballade No.1 very much when first listening to it on a plane."
"I have to admit that i am addicted to the Nocturnes."
"Rubenstein and Chopin."
"This is a gift for my birthday for my husband to give me!"
"Marvelous!"
Best Caprices
But if you've never heard Rachmaninov play Schumann's Carnaval , try starting there for one of the most imaginative recreations of a piece of music ever recorded.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What an extraordinary pianist, and a great lesson on how to play his pieces, from the composer himself."
"Recording is older and not remastered, but fine for hearing the beauty of Rach... Kind of scratchy..."
"The recordings are obviously low quality, but this has nothing to do with the quality of music Rachmaninoff performs (these recordings are from the early 1900s, so the recording quality is expected)."
"This is a collection of all the recordings that Sergei Rachmaninoff made with RCA Victor."
"4 finally made me sit up and listen, even though I've owned two versions of this piece for a number of years (Ashkenazy & Wild)."
"Thus we can really appreciate Rachmaninoff in at least three different directions: composer, pianist and conductor; and if the first is generally recognized nowadays, the other two aspects of his genius are somewhat neglected. As a special bonus, we get Rachmaninoff as a conductor (disc 3) in his own Third Symphony, the symphonic poem ''The Isle of the Dead'' and the orchestral version of his famous ''Vocalise''. The very thought that we are able to listen to the playing of one of the greatest piano composers is difficult to assimilate and, for better or for worse, is bound to colour our perception of his recordings. Considering the fact that Rachmaninoff also made a number of transcriptions for solo piano of music by various composers, he easily emerges as a towering figure of Lisztian versatility, if necessarily on a much smaller scale. We should be deeply thankful that part of Rachmaninoff's life coincided with the invention of the earliest recording devices. Now, by modern standards Rachmaninoff's playing can only be described as highly idiosyncratic, with extreme tempo fluctuations and enormous sound. If today some brave young soul dares to play Chopin's Third Ballade or Second Sonata at a competition even remotely in the manner of Rachmaninoff, I am pretty sure he would be ostracized and any chances even of modest career would vanish into thin air. Occasionally, it must be admitted, this IS at the expense of the music, but far more often it is indeed a most refreshing exception among digital dullness that reigns supreme today. Rachmaninoff is generally regarded as a conservative and intellectual pianist, a puritan in the best sense of the word, and I daresay he is less impulsive than some of his illustrious contemporaries (such as Hoffman and Paderewski, for instance) but, being born as early as 1873 (30 years before Horowitz! ), Rachmaninoff certainly belonged to the grand nineteenth-century Romantic tradition of piano playing whose chief object was to communicate the emotional content of the music. Small wonder that these recordings have the most dismal sound in the whole box set: very loud background noise, highly artificial and often distorted piano tone. The Hungarian Rhapsody is particularly well recorded indeed, and it is a performance of towering virtuosity which may well make dizzy Cziffra himself, especially Rachmaninoff's dazzling cadenza. The performance is astounding, with super-fast octaves that blow Argerich away and very slow tempo for the second subject which makes it sound extremely poignant. They are far superior to the Edison ones from 1919 because, unlike them, they were made using Steinway concert grand and two horns for recording the treble and the bass sections of the piano. After 1925 all recordings Rachmaninoff made (again except any piano rolls) were electrical and these, of course, are greatly superior to the acoustical ones in terms of clarity and depth. Rachmaninoff's last recordings, made in 1939-42, are not the vintage mono RCA gave Horowitz a decade later, but they do not require much imagination from the listener in order to imagine why Rachmaninoff was the idol of many other great but vastly different pianists, such as Bolet and Horowitz for instance, and why Harold Schonberg himself used to rave about his abilities at the keyboard. 1, 3 and 4 were recorded in that period; sadly, though the piano is fairly well projected, the orchestra sounds pretty horrible, especially the tutti passages which remind me of a lost radio station. Rachmaninoff's own transcription of Tchaikovsky's tender ''Lullaby'' was one of the last recordings he made, in 1942, and it is remarkable how little background noise there is and how clear even the quietest passages are. The many lyrical passages in all three movements are played with exquisite tenderness, whereas the dramatic ones have an awesome power and need be heard to be believed. Too bad, also, that all those treasures mentioned in the discography printed in the biography of Rachmaninoff by Bertensson and Leyda, such as Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole or ''Au bord d'une source'', were apparently lost. Alas, though we are fortunate to have all concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody, the solo piano fare is meager: eight preludes (out of 24), three etudes-tableaux (17), one musical moment (6), two pieces from Op. Except for the highly disappointing G minor prelude, with its shoddy climaxes so far removed from the powerful renditions of Horowitz and Lugansky, the other pieces are superbly played, and mostly available in an electrical version. There is no such thing, and thank God (should he exist) that we have no recordings of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt; they would be held as ''definitive'' and nobody would bother to play the music anymore. Mussorgsky's ''Hopak'' (1925) and Rimsky-Korsakov's ''The Flight of the Bumble-Bee'' (1929) are equally dashing, and so is the notoriously difficult Scherzo from Mendelssohn's ''A Midsummer's Night Dream'' of which Rachmaninoff obviously makes a child's game. (Fascinatingly, in 1972 Jorge Bolet recorded, very differently of course, many of these transcriptions in a now legendary LP which can be found as ''bonus tracks'' to his fabulous Carnegie Hall recital in PHILIP's Great Pianists of the 20th Century series.). Among the Chopin highlights from the ''electrical years'' there is a sweeping version of the Second Sonata (1930) with one of the fastest, singularly convincing though, funeral marches ever committed on disc. Since these 10 discs, on the whole, do confirm beyond any reasonable doubt Rachmaninoff's colossal stature as pianist, I may be allowed to conclude with few mild complaints. To name two examples, Mozart's Turkish March is way too rushed and sloppy, and the middle section of Schubert's Impromptu (Op. These are minor quibbles which do not in the least mar an otherwise absolutely fabulous set of recordings, a unique memento from another era of great pianism that will never happen again, alas."
"For example, while he would of course infuse his personality into a Scriabin piece, he could also approach it only as a master composer could; additionally he studied under the same instructor as Scriabin, and they were lifelong friends."
Best Bourées
Item Specifications Color Silver Material Alloy Hub Drilling 32 Rear Axle Type 10x1 Cassette Body Type Threaded Standard Hub/Brake Compatibility Rim Brake Valve Standard Schrader ISO Diameter 622 / road / 29 Valve Length Schrader Wheel Size 700c Tire Type Clincher Rear Wheel Type Road Rear Hub Spacing 135 Spoke Info DT Swiss Industry Rim Alex Y2000 Skewer Included Yes Defined Color Silver.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Addictive, enthralling, bewitching..."
"Ashkenazy used to be a hero of mine (starting with his performance of Rachmaninov's preludes)."
"My son, for whom I bought this, absolutely loves this complete set."
"I have listened to the works of a number of composers, but Chopin always stands out with his remarkable ability to translate raw human emotion into musical tones from the piano. The music of Chopin contains so much pure poetic beauty, but I think his true genius comes through in pieces written in the minor keys. For the piano, it requires subtle technique with dynamics and license in meter (which Chopin was occasionally criticized for) to truly translate the emotion."
"This is a great set to own to get a good feeling for the entirety. of Chopin's output."
"His ability to write such technically difficult pieces that are also melodic and pleasing to the ear is truly incredible."
"What a great set - 13 discs of Chopin delivered with technical elan and profound feeling."
Best Gavottes
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I purchased this cd because I liked the 3rd symphony so much that I wanted to add the others to my library. Not only has this unnumbered symphony become my favorite from Saint-Saëns, it has become my favorite symphony (though I do prefer the first 3 movements to the last, which I find to be less distinctive). I have noticed that often times his phrases actually overlap, which might explain the natural flow, or which may just indicate that he took greater caution with his transitions that others did."
"My only quibble is that the Third Symphony is divided into only two tracks, the actual two movements as composed, not into the four sections customarily separated on CD recordings of this work."
"Yes, I do find listening to Saint Saens' Symphonies a wonderful musical experience although I do know it's not considered to be too musically "cool" to enjoy the Saint Saens' Symphonies, I really DON'T CARE! This two disc set (each disc running well over 70 minutes) of the Saint Saens' Symphonies is filled with some lovely late romantic charmers--Saint Saens' complete 5 symphonies. No, these symphonies ain't Mahler and no they don't require deep serious "brain-cramp" inducing contemplation; however, these symphonies by Camille Saint Saens are a real listening pleasure being so very easy to mentally grasp that I just allowed myself to be swept away in the sheer romantic sounds of the works. The most famous of Saint Saens' Symphonies is, of course, the "Organ" Symphony (the third) and it is indeed very exciting with the pipe organ at times full throttle up against a full orchestra at full throttle too. EMI sound engineers have done a great job of capturing the sound of these rather large orchestra works (Symphonies 1-3 plus two un-numbered symphonic works--Symphony in F major "Urbs Roma" and the Symphony in A major.)."
Best Barcarolles
A classic collection of 11 CDs that compiles every recording that the late Arthur Rubinstein released on the RCA label from 1946-1967!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I always believe Rubinstein's Chopin performance is the greatest."
"A must-have for Chopin lovers."
"I'm not that professional, well I like the ballade No.1 very much when first listening to it on a plane."
"I have to admit that i am addicted to the Nocturnes."
"Rubenstein and Chopin."
"This is a gift for my birthday for my husband to give me!"
"Marvelous!"
Best Classical Dances
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 8 yr old son LOVES these."
"This was a gift and the recipient was delighted to receive it; she had a very happy day and plays it often."
"We have this set, as well as volume 1."
"a must have for long car rides... great stories about composers and their music for the family."
"bought as a gift for nephew's family."
"My son listens to these over and over since he was 5 and he is now 13. if you pic any classical children's cds, pick these!!!"
"I love these Classical Kids CDs."
Best Polkas
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I could listen to this music every day, and so many of the pieces were familiar."
"But if you can appreciate quality music played with REAL INSTRUMENTS & not SYNTHESIZURES, than you will relax & enjoy this CD!"
"Best versions of great music."
"A beautiful sounding set."
"My favorite collection of perfectly choreographed Johann Strauss ll as well as his father Johann Strauss, and his brother Josepf."
"A superb, comprehensive collection."
Best Ecossaises
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 8 yr old son LOVES these."
"This was a gift and the recipient was delighted to receive it; she had a very happy day and plays it often."
"We have this set, as well as volume 1."
"The CDs arrived promptly, and my niece loves them!"
"a must have for long car rides... great stories about composers and their music for the family."
"bought as a gift for nephew's family."
"My son listens to these over and over since he was 5 and he is now 13. if you pic any classical children's cds, pick these!!!"
Best Pavanes
The Piano Guys have become a YouTube sensation with their clever and inspiring takes on popular music and creative videos that accompany them. Their debut album on Sony Masterworks includes songs featured in their hit videos, including their latest viral smash, a distinctive take on One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." The deluxe release of their self-titled 2012 album, with 3 bonus tracks plus an accompanying DVD containing 8 of their most popular music videos.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is excellent music to work by, especially if you work with words. There's not much singing, the music is uplifting without being exhausting (Hans Zimmer soundtracks, I'm looking at you here), it's like a mental massage while you work."
"I can't remember who first introduced me to The Piano Guys, but I saw them first on YouTube."
"We really enjoy listening to these two musical geniuses."
"I love the upbeat quality of some of my favorite classical pieces blended with more contemporary music."
"Lest that makes them sound stuffy, it was precisely because they were so completely different from anything I'd heard before that I wanted to know if I was really hearing them accurately. My favorite piece involves a topless piano so they can pluck the strings, play percussion with their hands on the side of the piano from the inside, carry a beat by lightly hitting the keyboard cover to the full-up position in rhythm to, yes, someone actually playing the keys on the keyboard."
"Their sound is. deep, soulful, and expressive, which only comes from truly gifted and trained artists."
"Whatever, "Piano Guys" is at least as much "Cello Guys" as piano."
"This album is a good value for your money."
Best Galops
On the 150th anniversary of his death, Deutsche Grammophon released this impressive box set featuring the complete works of Frédéric Chopin. The majority of the set's nine volumes contain some music newly produced for this undertaking, and a few items (Chopin's songs, for instance) were recorded specifically for this collection. Chopin's songs, seldom heard and filled with elements of Polish folk dances and the less-than-stellar lyrics of the composer's friend Stefan Witwicki, get a college try here by soprano Elzbieta Szmytka.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This DG set is a unique, too, in that the recording technology does not "get in the way." From the moment you start, you are immersed in the delightful sounds that are uniquely Chopin's."
"This is the best version and the one you should buy...I did a in depth-review on youtube about it.. just search The Best Chopin Compilation 17 CD Set Review if you want to watch it."
"In it one can appreciate the wondrous manner in which Chopin at once appeased the conservative appetites of the Paris salon set while revolutionizing the genre of piano music in both traditional and more intimate forms. An unwieldy rubato rules the day here, and distorts the harmonic language to the point that it sounds like Debussy or Ravel's frequent (and unshakeably French-sounding) evocations of Spain. Properly supplemented in the more familiar repertory (mazurkas, impromptus, sonatas, in particular), I believe this set is indispensable to anyone who appreciates or seeks a broader understanding of Chopin the composer."
"Some of the reviewers here, didn't like Luisadas performances of the Mazurkas. I hold the heretical opinion that Jean-Marc Luisadas performances are much better than Rubinsteins (I possess the three different complete Mazurka recordings of Rubinstein)."
Best Galliardes
6 CDs feature collaborations with his famous colleagues Sigiswald Kuijken, Frans Bruggen and Anner Bylsma, the Leonhardt-Consort and Harry van der Kamp.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is always a great pleasure to listen to Gustav Leonhardt playing baroque music at cembalo and organ."
"I bought it for my husband because reviews stated that Leonhardt's version of Bach's Goldberg Suite was the best."
"Masterly performances from the great masters of early music."
"A no brainer for the price."
"Excellent quality production almost as good as Archiv."
"Leonhardt was always so faithful to the scores - I give it 5 for my utmost respect for the man, but I don't like all the cds (9 or 10) equally well, but none are bad."
"My God, could this guy play."
"Wonderful music beautifully played."
Best Waltzes
A classic collection of 11 CDs that compiles every recording that the late Arthur Rubinstein released on the RCA label from 1946-1967!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I always believe Rubinstein's Chopin performance is the greatest."
"A must-have for Chopin lovers."
"I'm not that professional, well I like the ballade No.1 very much when first listening to it on a plane."
"I have to admit that i am addicted to the Nocturnes."
"Rubenstein and Chopin."
"This is a gift for my birthday for my husband to give me!"
"Marvelous!"
Best Tangos
While the result isn't your essential Piazzolla album (that would have to include more of the composer's own playing), it's an atmospheric and convincing collection, perhaps a good introduction for those who don't know the music.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have better sounding CD's from Yo Yo Ma."
"After reading "The Gods of Tango" I decided to learn more about the music that was so much a part of the novel."
"Beautiful soulful music to listen to, love it."
"La delicadeza de la interpretacion y los arreglos de YO-YO-MA, es sinigual."
"The first song on this CD superbly captures the Argentina tango."
"What can you say about a musical icon, fantastic."
Best Ballets
For us home listeners, though, this is a superb way to hear Tchaikovsky's complete score and to remind ourselves of how much good music isn't included in the familiar suite.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Maybe I know nothing about music, but I was disappointed with how the sound was mixed for this."
"Excellent recording."
"Her sister took ballet for 10 years and she used this CD to practice for her different roles to her appropriate music."
"This is a complete recording of Nutcracker needed for a ballet production for a class in Central America."
"Beautiful music, good quality."
"One either loves the music and dancing or they do not."
Best Minuets
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 8 yr old son LOVES these."
"This was a gift and the recipient was delighted to receive it; she had a very happy day and plays it often."
"We have this set, as well as volume 1."
"a must have for long car rides... great stories about composers and their music for the family."
"bought as a gift for nephew's family."
"My son listens to these over and over since he was 5 and he is now 13. if you pic any classical children's cds, pick these!!!"
"I love these Classical Kids CDs."
Best Musettes
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A CD ROM is also included with History and other interesting facts plus the complete Libretto. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the Mass in B Minor from the collection performed by The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra."
"It is just amazing to sort through the variety of Bach's work just by instrument and voice. I agree that you could find a better Brandenburg Concertos, as I have, but it is still good enough to stand a listen."
"I just received this set this evening and have listened to three CDs chosen at random. Given that Bach is by far my favorite composer, and that I prefer performances on period instruments, I am much more than impressed with what I have heard so far. Normally I would wait longer to review a purchase, but it will take at least a couple of months to listen to the entire set, and I am very pleased already. UPDATE: Wish I had checked the price on Amazon.UK, which sells it for about twenty dollars less, including delivery, making it about fifty-five cents per disc."
"Be advised however that a handful of items are missing: First of all, although the documentation mentions the St. Mark Passion (CD V-22 and V-23) and the St. Luke Passion (CD V-24 and V-25), these items are not actually included in the set -- they are not even listed in the directory of vocal works on the inside lid (and these CDs contain other selections). I have now been listening to these for one full year, typically while I am driving to/from work or while hiking."
Best Baroque Dance Suites
Giuliano Carmignola, backed by the Venice Baroque Orchestra led by Andrea Marcon offer a program of such thrilling energy and virtuosity that it's impossible not to get caught up in their passion for the music.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wonderful music!!"
"A nice addition to our collection."
"Really beautiful...I listen to this often."
"I have a large classical music collection and a wide range of favorites but this album is a continual favorite."
"I highly recommend this CD and Concerto Veneziano (#1 fabulous!)."
"One can easily imagine this entorage playing in the very special small churches and other venues in Venice that surround the Ospedale della Pieta (the orphanage where Vivaldi was employed for most of his composing lifetime)."