Album Description

The classical-pop act's sophomore album. 13 tracks. Decca.2002. ... Read more

Reviews (118)

Beautiful, vibrant strings
From the very first track, Allegretto (which you will no doubt know from the diamond commercials), you will be captivated by the modern beauty and power these talented ladies bring to the CD. I was actually in an antique store in Crown Point, Indiana when I heard the lush sadness of Big Love Adagio and asked what CD was playing. Having since purchased it I can personally say that the entire album is just as amazing. Since then a cousin of mine has bought it, a cousin who normally prefers Eminem and other pop stars. When I bring it in the car everyone wants me to play it at top volume because of the power these songs have. Other favorites on the disk include Kashmir, Libertango, and the unexpected but nevertheless marvelous take on the James Bond theme. If you are willing to open your mind and look beyond the strict confines of classical music and realize that the past (the beauty of a violin) and the present (making it an electronic violin) can come together and make, pardon the pun, beautiful music than you will enjoy this CD. I certainly have.

A fun variation on your "typical" classical music
I'm an avid music lover and I adore classical music. However, I am always ready for something fun and different and Bond's "Shine" album definitely delivers.

Shine includes some classic songs performed with a definite modern "groove." A lot of them also have some interesting ethnic music undertones. The first track (you may recognize it from the "Diamonds are Forever" commercials) and the "Bond on Bond" are fantastic! The performance quality is excellent.

I only give this CD four stars, however, because most of the songs sound basically the same, i.e., there is very little diversity in the basic "feel" of the music and it can get a little monotonous. Actually, for fun, upbeat, exciting and unique classical music with a groovy twist I would highly recommend anything by the music group Nova Era (composer Andres Roca). Unfortunately, I haven't found their CDs on Amazon, but they have a website. Back to Bond, they're lots of fun -- listen to the samples and if you like what you hear, that's pretty much the whole album. Four solid stars!

The Ladies Do It Again
Once again, another quality colelction of songs from the quartet. The way they arrange the songs will make you feel like dancing, laughing and relaxing all at once!

A great way to introduce peopel to classical music!

Shine needs to Re-Born
"Born", Bonds first album, was an incredibly inspiring and amazing album: varied, passionate, deeply enlivening. "Shine" is the opposite; repetitive tunes- uncreatively commercial and superficial; simply mediocre. Considering "Born" one of the best albums in my library, Shine was a total disappointment. I wasted $18 on an album I could't bear to hear more than once...what a contrast to their other work!

Fabulous Four make great music
I loved it. It is upbeat, fun, exciting ---- a nice change from the same monotonous classical we all have been listening to. A lovely combination fusing classical/instrumental/pop!
5 stars! Can't wait for another (but not the remixed) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An oldie but a GREATie!
First heard this record in a restaurant in 1978. Had to go get it immediately. Finally, we can get in on CD too!

Mostly uptempo lounge jazz (poor description, I know), SFFAJPT will become a favorite of yours, I'll bet. Good melodic hooks, thunderous piano, and expressive flute playing.

One's taste in music is so subjective it can be difficult or impossible to denote it words, so therein lies the flaw. But this is a low-risk purchase. There is almost no way you won't like SOMETHING on this disc.

Delighted it's available again!
As a flutist, this is one of my favorite pieces of music both to play and to hear. There are other recordings available, but none with the upbeat, jazzy flair of the original Bolling-Rampal collaboration, and I did not want to remix my 30-year-old vinyl copy into a CD. I bought the Music Minus One version several months ago and it sounded almost funereal compared to the original. A strong recommendation for jazz and classical music lovers as well as for those just beginning to explore these genres.

Great songs; enduring album
I bought this record when it came out back in late '74 or early '75 when I was 11 years old. I was already a pianist and it inspired me to take up the flute as well. It's probably the best collection of flute/jazz piano songs I've ever heard. Rampal's playing is smooth and flawless, and Claude Bolling's instrumentation on the piano is a perfect complement. The songs vary in tempo and style, and every cut is worth listening to. Highly recommended.

Short suite, but sweet sounds...
This 1975 collaboration between pianist Bolling and classical flute master Rampal clocks in at only 34 minutes, but they are lightly swinging, quite impressive minutes. I had not heard Bolling before, but was quite familiar with Rampal's past releases. If you like your jazz with a classy veneer, and you enjoy the sound of the flute, you can't miss with this one. It holds up on repeated listenings, and Bolling especially is excellent.

Absolutely Magnificent
It's Absolutely magnificent. I've never hard before this kind of variation of jazz. It's so elegant and so emotive at the same time!!!. I personally recommend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's well known that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice cut their teeth on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before shifting to the New Testament and hitting the big time with Jesus Christ Superstar. And thanks to the box-office clout of Lloyd Webber, as well as the rather sparse supply of new tuneful musicals, this charming little show has reached audiences far beyond the schoolchildren it was intended for. The score shows off Rice's clever lyrics and Lloyd Webber's wide eclectic tastes, with his takes on country, calypso, French café music, Rudy Vallee, and Elvis. The show also includes some simply very fine songs, including "You Are What You Feel/Jacob and Sons," "Close Every Door," and the peppy "Go Go Joseph." Leading the 1982 Broadway cast is the enormously appealing Laurie Beechman in the role of the narrator. Joseph has been subsequently revived in bigger, bolder incarnations starring Donny Osmond and then Sam Harris, presumably to justify a big ticket price for what at heart remains a small-scale show--proof that you don't always get what you pay for.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (26)

My First Joseph
This was my first recording of Joseph. I owned it even before I saw the play on stage for the first time. Before I got the revival recordings, I would listen to this one sometimes as much as three times a day. I thought it was perfect. Now, I don't find it perfect anymore, but I do like it. Bill Hutton has an absolutely beautiful voice.I've never heard anyone do vibrato quite like him. But I don't think that he has quite the right kind of voice for his role. I think Donny Osmond's voice is much better suited for the role of Joseph. Laurie Beechman sounds as if she comanded the stage more than Joseph did. She does such an amazing "Pharaoh Story," that sometimes I just skip to that track on the CD and leave the rest unlistned to. And she gets very in to the songs. I'm sure that if she hadn't been a woman, she probably could have played Joseph. The brothers here are just the opposite of the ones on the revival recordings.While the revival brothers basicly sound good as individuals, but not so good as a group, these sound great as a group, but only so-so as individuals. Napthali sounds so much like a woman that I thought he was the narrator until I read otherwise. I don't know who's idea it was to have Potiphar do his own song, but it is interesting. I don't own the recording that has a male narrator, but with this CD, I get a taste of what it might be like. Tom Carder does an almost perfect Elvis impression, but I just don't like him as much as some others. This recording may not be the best of the bunch, but it was my first. It helped me get hooked on an amazing musical.

Joseph's review
I thought that this CD was an incredible comelation of melody, tune, and lyrics.

Adding to the debate, this is my favorite version
I like this version much better than the Canadian cast with Donny Osmond. First, the sound levels are not so extreme - in the Canadian version, I have to up the volume to hear the intros to the songs, then lower it when they get into the full-chorus productions, very annoying. In this version, it all flows smoothly. Donny Osmond is good, but I think Bill Hutton is just as good, and Laurie Beecham is so much stronger than the Canadian narrator. I had this version on LP and asked for the CD as a gift; unfortunately, I got the Canadian version so I am now buying myself this one. Next, I guess I need to try the London cast...

Re: the debate about whether this is a "real" musical. Just like TV and film, theater is NOT always about sophistication, and among "just for fun" musicals, this one certainly ranks near the top! And it is not only because it is usually a big, flashy production -- I have seen it performed on Broadway, dinner theater and in amateur productions by a high school, a mixed-ages community theater group, and an under-12 drama troupe. All were excellent! The high school performance had to be done in a gym because their auditorium was under renovation, and even without a lot of sets to change or fancy lighting, it was awesome (lots of creative ideas and props like Groucho Marx nose & glasses on the Ishmaelites go a long way in a simple story with such fun music!) And while the storyline is simplistic and somewhat confusing (what is the moral anyway? the egotist wins? oh no, that's right, follow your dream), and the use of canned song genres like Elvis, country, calypso is pretty cheesy, I find most of the songs to be pretty clever, i.e., the list of colors in the coat is a very interesting composition. And the lyrics have lots of sophisticated lines and humor, the butler as the "Jeeves of his time" for example.

Oh, and now that I'm a mom of a 3- and 1-year-old, I'm glad to have at least one musical that I can play without getting a request for a change to a children's CD! Go go go Joseph![*]

Entertaining and Still Fresh; Great Performance by Beechman
This CD of the Broadway version from more than 20 years ago is still fresh, entertaining, and features singing that is top notch! In particular, Narrator Laurie Beechman's performance is superb--she has one of the best singing voices you will ever hear! The songs are very catchy, and will stick in your head all day. The audio quality is also quite good. I enjoyed the 1990's Canadian version (with Donny Osmond and Maria Friedman), but this is the CD to buy--because of Beechman's incredible performance.

Go-go-go Joseph!
This is the musical which introduced me to musical theater, so Joseph will always be a personal favorite. I much prefer this recording to the harder rock edge of the concept album, or the overdone, glitzier Broadway remake versions with Donny et al. If you are looking for a recording which captures the small-scale heart of Lloyd Webber's creation, THIS is the one to get. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

No sides taken.
I'm not going to take sides for either the Northern or Southern Italian reviewers comments concerning this CD selection, but I think this album offers enough diversity to make everyone happy. There are some wonderful selections that we can all relate to, even if some of us are Norwegian. We had many Italians in our family, and I can bet they would have loved to hear the nostalgic songs of the past.

Italian music fans
We have listened to this CD over and over and love it every time.
We love all the songs. Nobody can sing Lazy Mary like Lou Monte. And all the other vocals are classic. The instrumentals are beautiful. Katie likes to dance to some of the songs. Play this anytime you want to feel like you are in Italy. We highly recommend it.

Oldie, Moldie Italian Songs
I ordered this CD, thinking it would satisfy the tastes of my Italian American family when I FINALLY got married a few months ago. Well, when I heard it, I was truly disappointed. . .it was just a compilation of oldie moldie Italian songs, with the standard arrangements, and no one in my family really liked it. We ended up with the Italian wedding CD by a band named Roman holiday (which I ordered via amazon.com) My goodness, it was like NIGHT and DAY. . .what lively songs, what passionate arrangements. THAT CD made my wedding, and I can't stop talking about it. Thanks. Auguri!

Nostalgic Collection of Wonderful Music
As someone whose entire family roots hail from the rural parts of Campania (close to Napoli) I cannot recommend this CD highly enough. For anyone who grew up in a family and/or neighborhood of Italians, this CD will fill your heart with joy, romance and nostalgia.

I was shocked to see so many reviewers attacking the opinions of the person from Milan. It is plain to see that he/she was not saying anything negative about these songs or southern Italians in general. What he/she said is correct, the language on these songs is not textbook-Italian, some of these songs are sung in the ancient dialects of the south - which is exactly why we relate to them so intensely and dearly. Some of the songs are instrumental and some of the songs contain many English lyrics. Many of the songs are not even sung by a native speaker of Italian. Another thing he/she is correct about is that the title of the CD is wrong, it should in fact be Viva L'Italia - but such a title is not representative of the music contained on this CD anyway. This music is primarily going to mean the most to the Italians who grew up in the countries outside of Italy, and the ones who hailed from the Southern regions.

A title in a southern dialect would have been more appropriate, something like: Te Pozzu Cantare or something else alla campagnola like that. Anyway, the CD has many lighthearted moments which are fun and bring a smile, but it also has romantic moments of reflection, which will cause you to look back to a time which has gone forever.

Italian Classics
A wonderfull Italian party album. The recording is top notch. Put yourself in a happy mood and bring back those great memories. After searching many recordings for Italian music this is THE best in my opinion. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The "Golden Age" referred to here spans The Jazz Singer and the advent of the talkies to the death throes of the old studio system in the 1960s. So vast was the era's musical landscape that even this 42-track, double-disc anthology can't encompass all its peaks. Not surprisingly, the bulk of this collection originated with the Tiffany's of the screen musical, M-G-M, a body of work whose riches here encompass both pop-cultural bedrock ("Over the Rainbow," "Singin' in the Rain," "There's No Business Like Show Business," etc.) and some less familiar, if equally delightful star turns: Clark Gable gamely "Puttin' On the Ritz"; the sassy, 1948 original of "The Lady Is a Tramp" by Lena Horne; and a loopy duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. Fred Astaire's elegant, epochal reign at RKO and M-G-M is represented by"Night and Day," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and three others, while Metro mainstays Gene Kelly and Judy Garland share equal time and billing. It's not perfect--Cagney's "Yankee Doodle Boy" and/or some Sinatra seem more logical choices than the odd "bonus" duet of Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" and "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago that close out disc one--but it's a stunning, surprisingly comprehensive primer on the Hollywood film musical nonetheless. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hollywood at it's Best
The music on this double CD is excellent, as is the sound quality. Every song brings a smile to my face. I love Classic Rock, and although I'm not going to compare apples to oranges, I love to just stop rocking now and then, and listen to the great music from this era. Over the last few years I have been adding great music from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Glen Miller, etc. to my library, and this one ranks very high on my list for a compilation of great Hollywood musicals. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

Wundebar!
This is a a fun-filled walk down Memory Lane!

Very Good
I've been writing a musical comedy for awhile, and needed some music for the scene segues. It takes place in Hollywood circa 1940s, and I'll tell you, this captures the era perfectly. It wasn't the classics like "Singin' in the Rain" or "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that really impressed me. Some of my favorites are "Going Hollywood", an upbeat and hopeful tune...Astaire's "If Swing Goes, I Go Too", Brilliant! Stop reading this review already, and add this to your cart. You'll be the envy of all your friends-Ok, maybe not. But who the heck cares, its a great CD.

A must for any musical nuts!
That's it, guys! This two CDs will make us return to the golden era of musicals, it selects the most famous songs of movies of 30's, but mostly 40's and 50's.
Some people say it should have been more Fred and Ginger musics, others say there should have been more Bing Crosby... but one thing is undeniable it's a true masterpiece that I never get tired listening.

It includes some classics that I had already known- "Singin' In The Rain", "There's No Business Like Show Business" (the original, not the Ethel Merman version), "S'wonderfu"l, "That's Entertainment"(4 people singing!), "Lullaby of Broadway", "Night and Day"(a gem, even today!), "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Over the Rainbow"(moving), "The Trolley Song", "Gigi", "I Got Rhytm", "The Lady Is a Tramp" (I knew the Sinatra version from Pal Joey), "Cheek to Cheek" (immortal), "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" (I prefer other orchestration, this one is too calm), "Let's Face The Music And Dance" (not by Diana Krall!), "Be a Clown, Embraceable You, On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe" (I knew the Crosby version), "One For My Baby" (I knew the Sinatra version).
But there where a lot of musics that I didn't know and I began to love- Easter parade (too bad there wasn't "It Only Happens When I Dance With You"!) True Love (I'm a huge Crosby fan), "Baby It's Cold Outside" (Delicious! Fantastic! No wonder it earned the 1949 oscar!), "Bless Your Beautiful Hide", "Taking a Chance On Love" (very beautiful), "Wunderbar" (I adore Cole Porter), etc.

There are two tracks that some guys might say that they aren't from musicals- "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago and "As Time Goes By"- but I was happy to found them here, cause I'm not going to buy the complete soundtracks.

A word to describe the CDs-TIMELESS!

You won't be able to stop listening to this gem. A WINNER!!
Take all the greatest songs from Hollywood's greatest musicals, use top modern technology to make them sound amazing (while maintaining faithfulness to the original sonics), put them all together in a beautifully designed double CD, and you've got SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW.

I've had this for over two weeks now, and still don't want to listen to anything else. All my favorite performers are here from Bing Crosby to Doris Day and everyone else in between. There are great liner notes, wonderful pictures, and at this price, getting so many songs for so (relatively) little money is an amazing bargain. I highly recommend this CD set. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Manuel Barrueco is one of the best guitarists I've ever heard. Listen tohis own arrangement of Albeniz's Suite Española and you'll have troublebelieving it's only two hands on one guitar. But Barrueco doesn't use histechnique to show off. He's a solid musician, as expressive in Bach as in Villa- Lobos. He also makes transcriptions that respect the origins of the music. This isa wide-ranging guitar collection, but all the music is worth hearing, especially inperformances like these. The disc is one of the best bargains among all guitarrecordings, and Vox's recordings still sound like a guitar. --Leslie Gerber ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Must have
Sensitive performances of Granados and Albeniz pieces, absolutely flawless and balanced melodies and harmonies. Same for Villa Lobos Etudes: plays as if they were the easiest pieces ever written. Very well recorded, as well.

Early in his career, already a great guitarist
I listened so often to Barrueco's version of "Granada" in my early days, that I discovered this charming fact: if you crank the volume way up at the end of the piece, you can actually hear a car horn honk in the background! At least that was true in the LP version, and frankly I'd be a little disappointed if it was cut out in the CD version. This is a lovely set of recordings. The Bach suites are elegant; 20 years ago it was a surprise to hear the lute suites ornamented so thoughtfully. As other commentators have already mentioned, the Albeniz and Granados music really stands out here. Barrueco actually observes the volume markings on such pieces as "Sevilla," playing the opening bars "piano" as marked in the score...a rare thing indeed. This recording was the first to make "Cataluna' a popular guitar piece (Barrueco sounds like Franz Liszt as he thunders through that composition), and the first to play "Cadiz" in the more comfortable key of A. Not surprisingly, his version of Albeniz's "Cuba" is genius. The "Spanish Dances" of Granados are equally a revelation. It was this recording that made Dance #4 a standard performance piece, a lovely folk-song melody. Anyway, this recording is a great bargain, and a good chance to hear a fine artist in his earlier years. Buy it, and see if that distant horn honk is still there during the final seconds of "Granada." I love it when life seeps in through the cracks of our beloved classical world. -Mike Shanahan

Must-have set
This 3-CD set is a must-have for any serious student of classical guitar, or even for the seriously interested listener. The selections cover a wide range of music, all flawlessly performed by Barrueco, who is possibly the best classical guitarist alive today. I've owned this set for 5 years, and still find myself going back to it time and time again. It also has made a great gift for family and friends who have expressed an interest in my classical guitar studies, but who have no prior exposure to guitar as a classical instrument. Get this CD now. You won't be sorry.

This Barrueco recording is a bargain
Though I must admit I have heard better Manuel Barrueco recordings of some of these pieces, I think one will find it difficult to find any bad Barrueco recordings. Some of these pieces are outstanding. I am especially fond of the selections from Albeniz's Suite Espanola and Granados' Spanish Dances. The Paganini pieces are fine examples of Barrueco's amazing technical abilitiy. For three discs, the asking price is an exceptional bargain! ... Read more

Amazon.com

After the success of Gladiator, it wasn't unusual to see director Ridley Scott turn to Hans Zimmer again for the score to Black Hawk Down, his fierce adaptation of Mark Bowden's account of the tragic 1993 American military intervention in Somalia. What was more surprising was the schedule Scott imposed on the German-born composer: 15 days to write, arrange, and record the film's nearly two hours of music. The results of Zimmer's miraculous two-week musical campaign not only belie those constraints; they instantly take their place alongside The Thin Red Line as some of the most compelling music he's produced. The gambit here is simple--portray the combatants as two warring tribes, with their native musics locked in a tense dance for domination. Yet the results are geometrically more complex and artistically rewarding, with thrash guitar and speed metal/hip-hop/martial rhythms encroaching on, then fusing with, the timeless indigenous music of North Africa to become something wholly other. Senegalese vocalist Baaba Maal contributes greatly, as do Algerian worldbeat artist Rachid Tara and the duet of Denez Prigent and Zimmer's Gladiator collaborator Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance). Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros' warm rendition of Thomas More's "Minstrel Boy" also underscores the military's brotherhood. But the real star here is Zimmer, who again takes his quest for "music he's never heard" to yet another rewarding plateau. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (70)

An Excellent Blend of Sorrowful, Tense and Uplifting Music
Having been a long time fan of Hans Zimmer (Thunderbird tune in Thelma and Louise, Green Card, Backdraft, The Rock, Crimson Tide, The Thin Red Line and the more recent Gladiator), I have to say Black Hawk Down is distinctively different. The score contains much less "filler" music than his previous work, the mix of the score will subject the listeners to a cultural shock - a track of tense electric guitar rock tune being followed by a sorrowful indigenous chanting. Similar experimental style can also be found in the Gladiator OST or as early as Green Card OST.

Like most other reviewer, my favorite is #11, Gortoz A Ran - J'Attends. It brings you right back to the last few minutes before credits roll, the tragically retrospective scene when Staff Sergeant Eversmann reflects on himself mournfully in the makeshift morgue to the lifeless body of Corporal Smith, who died needlessly, about the folly of being a hero. Although you don't understnad a single word of the lyrics, what you are listening to is the unmistakabe sound of futility. The vocal of Denez Prigent and Liza Gerrard is absolutely phenomenal in creating this moody atmosphere.

Another favorite is #14, Minstrel Boy. The track was played along the End Credits. The song is uplifting, echoing the comaradie spirit - soldiers don't really fight for whatever politcal cause, they simply fight for their buddies, the one another, the men next in line. This could be the only the track that gives a relief from the overall dark and intense nature of the remaining score.

#13, Leave No Men Behind, the central theme of the score also captures the sorrow of an unintentional hero, the low pitch of the strings instruments makes this a perfect and solumn tribute to the fallen men. Barra Barra (#2), Synchrotone (#7), Tribal War (#12) are also great tunes in their own right.

Most other tracks are a good mix of African tribal dancing music with upbeat electric guitar rock - a fitting backdrop for a modern warfare characterized with swift and ruthless movement conducted in a dirt poor shanty town.

Once again, Hans Zimmer has successfully captured the wide variety of moods of the film and created a highly enjoyable score.

Great Soundtrack for Any Album Collection
This is composer Hans Zimmer's fifth collaboration with director Ridley Scott. The chaos of war and the bond of soldiers caught up in war is the subject of the music. I purchased it today and after listening to it cover to cover I came to the conclusion that no one's ever done a score like Black Hawk Down. Hans Zimmer has proved himself, in my opinion, to be a great composer who infuses modern sensibilities to his creative mix of energetic, nightmarish, sad, emotional, and inpiring music. One of the best scores I've ever heard. This music has made me want to see the film. I've also recently purchased the novel Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden but haven't come around to read it yet.

The soundtrack's great mix of innovative music includes:

1. Hunger

2. Barra Barra (Performed by Rachid Taha)

3. Vale of Plenty

4. Chant

5. Still

6. Mogadishu Blues

7. Synchrotone

8. Bakara

9. Of the Earth

10. Ashes to Ashes

11. Gortoz A Ran - J'attends (Performed by Denez Prigent & Lisa
Gerrard

12. Tribal War

13. Leave No Man Behind

14. Minstrel Boy (Performed by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleroes)

15. Still Reprise

I highly reccomend this soundtrack album to anyone . It is a great addition to any album collection, and is worth the purchase price. I have also now become a fan Hans Zimmer's scores, and have added the Gladiator soundtrack to my collection, being one of Hans Zimmer's compostions. Distributed by Decca Records and UMG Soundtracks.

Watch The Film and Weep
This sountrack by Hans Zimmer is terrific. I don't believe you can watch the film and not leave the theater without the music in your head. Ethnic, violent, hanunting and tragic all at the same time it continues to bring to life the tragedy of the film with each listen. A powerful ride and well worth the purchase!

Great
The thing that made me buy this cd was the movie.AfterI bought the movie and wached it the music inspired me to get the cd and its great.

Good grief...
I've been a fan of Hans Zimmer since day one; in fact, his score for Crimson Tide back when I was a small youngin' was the first soundtrack I ever purchased.

His score for Black Hawk Down is, yes, ecclectic. Yet, I find myself dismissing much of the album, in fact, ALL of the album -- despite it being fresh, original, and exciting -- because track 11, "Gortoz a Ran", performed by Danez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard, is one of THE most haunting pieces of music I have ever heard...

I'm a music lover and have a wide variety of tastes. Hell, I'm a film music fantatic (or at least at one point). That being said, few pieces of music, individually, evoke so much emotion out of me. I'm a very analytical person. One rendition of "Gortoz" and I'm near in tears. It just brings out whatever grief or sorrow I have in myself, unlike any other piece of music. It makes me grieve on a small, personal scale, and for Humanity as a whole, and the suffering and injustices we endure. And yet, the lyrics are anonymous. It doesn't matter. It's pure tone, pure mood... It is a Religious piece of music. It can put one immediately into a state of compassionate meditation. It melts the heart.

The saddest thing is the track stands out as being so spectacular -- above the rest, really -- and the rest of the album is still of the utmost quality. It's Zimmer experimenting and creating a clever and intriguing musical landscape, with a longing, mournful theme, and as other reviewers have stated, several other stylings. All in all, it's very, very good, one of Zimmer's best, in fact (right behind his best effort, The Thin Red Line, another war effort)....

And yet, I always come back to "Gortoz".......... ... Read more

Amazon.com

The concluding chapter of director Sergio Leone's epochal Man With NoName trilogy ushered film scorer Ennio Morricone into the pop mainstreamcourtesy of a hit cover of its main title by AmericanHugo Montenegro.More importantly, it both showcased the composer'sspectacularly inventive range and set him up for even greater triumphsto come with Leone and others. Butaficionados of il Maestro Morricone's G,B&U soundtrackknew its original editions contained but the main thematic/musicalelements of the spaghetti western epic -- until now. The addition of tenpreviously unissued cues on this newly remastered edition render thelandmark score in its full glory, nearly doubling its running time inthe bargain. While some of these new elements are but spare, hauntingreworkings of familiar motifs (including Allessandro Allessandroni'strademark guitar riffs and the chilling vocal shrieks the composer usedto evoke the howling of coyotes) that help expand its emotional dynamic,others like "Sentenza," "La Missione San Antonio" (a hauntinginstrumental version of"A Soldier's Story" that effectively presageshis elegiac Once Upon A Time in The Westand "Il Bandito Monco" significantly add to its expansive scope, firmlyrestating its claim as Morricone's first true classic.-- Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent expansion of the score (with a few cautions...)
Timed with the release of the special edition DVD of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," this soundtrack presents an expansion of Ennio Morricone's score with ten previously unavailable tracks and a running time of 55 minutes. The sound has also been excellently remastered, making a huge improvement over the poor quality of the old LP and CD. Any fan of the film or the music of Morricone will want to grab this right away.

A few cautions however: nowhere on the CD packaging or in the enclosed booklet is the listener informed that the new tracks are in MONO, not stereo (stereo masters do not exist for the new tracks). The mono sound quality is clear and well done, but it does clash significantly with the original stereo tracks. I don't think this should prevent anyone from purchasing this CD, but buyers should be aware that the sound varies tremendously between tracks. Also, the enclosed booklet contains no liner notes or information on the music. It does contain three spreads showing close-ups of the eyes of the main characters -- a cool design idea -- but the album producers missed a golden opportunity for presenting background data, restoration notes, and track-by-track commentary. A score of this historical importance certainly deserves this sort of treatment!

With this score, Morricone pushed to its limits his rough, weird style of Western music that he developed in his two previous Westerns for Sergio Leone. The famous "Main Title" sums up Morricone's approach perfectly: bizarre instruments, jagged changes in sound, and a thunderous tempo. This main theme appears throughout the score in many variations, depending on which member of the unholy trinity it is describing. The other tracks found on the old CD outline the other important themes: the slow 'war theme' heard in multiple bugle calls in "The Strong"; the ethereal female vocal in "The Carriage of the Sprits"; the sprightly dance tempo of "Marcia," which later becomes a slow, grim lament with a wordless male chorus in "Marcia without Hope"; and the vocal piece "The Story of a Soldier," sung by a chorus of imprisoned confederates, and later made into the most touching piece on the album, "The Death of a Soldier." The score concludes with two incredible musical pieces. "The Ecstasy of Gold" is a swirling, gradually building piece dominated by a soaring female solo voice; it casts an incredible hypnotic spell to match the title -- this is true 'ecstasy'. "The Trio" covers the tense showdown, and will make your heart pound out of control as the music crescendos with drums, Spanish trumpet, and guitars hammering away at each other.

Here's what you'll find on the new tracks.

"Sentenza" (the Italian name for the character Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef), "Fuga a Cavallo" (Escape on Horseback"), and "Inseguimento" ("Pursuit") utilize new different versions of the famous theme. "Sentenza" is eerie and played on electronic guitar and low woodwinds, while the other two versions are action-oriented. "Il Ponte di Corde" ("The Rope Bridge") features some of Morricone's most bizarre and comic orchestration. "La Missione San Antonio" is a rare moment of laid-back beauty in the score, using the theme heard in "The Story of a Soldier" as its base. "Padre Ramirez" is a sad and beautiful Spanish guitar lament, another bit of touching music amidst the musical ferocity (although the main theme explodes at the finale). "Il Treno Militare" ("The Military Train") returns to the "The Story of a Soldier" theme, but played slowly and with a martial drum beat underscoring it.

"Fine di Una Spia" ("End of a Spy") starts with the a soft version of the main theme, then switches over a version of "The Carriage of the Spirits." "Il Bandito Monco" ("The Bandit Monco") and "Due Contro Cinque" ("Two Against Five") are suspense pieces using heavy, punctuated percussion and only hints of any of the film's themes.

I hope that some music label will get around to re-mastering and expanding Morricone's greatest score, "Once Upon a Time in the West," with the same care done here!

Skip this and buy the Italian import from GDM.
First of all, this is a bad reissue of Morricone's classic score. Like the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for"--for eleven bucks I suppose it's not a bad deal. But the sound quality is rather poor. Plus it is missing some tracks from the superior release by GDM. This edition does not include the full version of "La Storia Di Un Soldato." This is the truncated version featured on the original American LP and CD release. The real version has a different introduction and is almost six minutes. To me, this song is one of Morricone's greatest pieces combining haunting melodies, beautiful vocals, and insightful lyrics by Tommie Connor. Its absence on this so-called special expanded edition really discourages any reason to purchase it. Also, the last track on the album is shorter than the Italian release by three minutes. The packaging of this disc is really lame as well. I know this is a minor criticism but a little more thought could have been put in the album's graphics and booklet. I guess many record companies are under the impression that less means more. Well, for a magnificent soundtrack by the maestro Morricone more is better. So, I suggest skipping this "expanded-lite" edition and getting the real thing. It can be found on Amazon under the title "Il Buno, Il Brutto, and Il Cattivo." It will cost more, but if you love the music of Morricone as much as I do, you won't mind paying the extra money. Also you can find it on Footlight.com and Arksquare.com. Happy listening.

Is it just me...
...or does the remastering seem a little uneven? After listening to it a few times, it seems like the original tracks towards the beginning of the album are a bit subdued and/or muffled, while the adjacent bonus tracks are much louder and clearer. I don't remember hearing this towards the end of the album, but it is very noticable in between "The Strong" and "Senteza." Also there is bonus music that I don't remember hearing during the film.

These are minor quibbles, however. GBU has always been one of my favorite soundtracks, and the addition of 20 minutes or so of new music is long overdue. The expanded album retains the narrative cohesion of the film much more than the original LP, which was more a selection of isolated musical tracks. GBU saw Morricone in top form, and now we can appreciate his genius more than ever before. Well worth the price, even if you already own the original soundtrack (especially since it's only $11).

The definitive western score on the definitive soundtrack CD
In 1990, Ennio Morricone's legendary score for the classic western "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" was released on CD - with half the tracks of the Italian CD. While the Italian CD has been available for some time now, it has been pricey and quite hard to find. Now, thanks to the Special Edition DVD release of the film, Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for the film has been re-released on CD, complete and remastered. Quite possibly the greatest western score ever (although Morricone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" is a close competitor), it is easily the most famous and referenced. It has such a lonely, powerful, and wandering feeling to it; basically, it completely captures the western feeling. The album begins with the unforgettable title theme and moves through a variety of adventurous and - what shall we call it, "westerny"? - pieces, including "The Sundown" (which was featured in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 2"), "The Death of a Soldier" and the classic, suspenseful finale, "The Ecstasy of Gold". Essential for Morricone fans, western fans, and any one who even begins to call themselves a western collector. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bounce is a pretty accurate title for this Sondheim show, which receives a cast album after having been seemingly everywhere but Broadway. In a way this is fitting for a musical that's been on Sondheim's mind since 1952, when he first read about the adventures of the two Mizner brothers in The New Yorker. Based on this Fall 2003 Kennedy Center production, figuring out why Bounce doesn't quite click is tricky. Is it the heard-it-before quality of the material? The title track is disappointingly by-the-numbers Sondheim, for instance. Or is it the uneven cast? Howard McGillin lacks the outsize personality needed to infuse life into scheming Wilson Mizner (a part played by Nathan Lane in a 1999 Off-Broadway "workshop" of the show, then titled Wise Guys). But then Michelle Pawk does wonderfully in the sultry ballad "What's Your Rush?" before eclipsing McGillin in their duet, "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened." Got it! Bounce may not work as a show, but a few of its songs are bound to show up in a cabaret near you sooner rather than later. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Reviews (32)

TALENT!
The original cast recording of BOUNCE is all that fans of the show could wish for.

If you saw the production last summer in Chicago or last fall in DC, you'll know that it was a show richer in promise than execution. There were great moments in BOUNCE, side by side with some less than great and downright awful. But, when you compare BOUNCE with some of the other garbage that passes itself off as musical theatre these days...well BOUNCE looks like, to borrow one of its song titles, gold!

Sondheim has been wanting to write this show since the early 1950s, and in many ways the score sounds like his songs for SATURDAY NIGHT: Tuneful musical comedy fare that would have been quite at home in a show playing just down the street from THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES: two shows originally produced by Hal Prince.

Prince directed BOUNCE and much of it is in the style the George Abbott employed in those mid-50s hits. That is to say a big cartoon of a musical, with cartoon sets and oversized performances.

The result was funny, interesting and frequently entertaining.

And that is exactly the feel of this original cast recording.
It gets off to a good start with... an Overture. (There was a time when all shows had overtures, but that was long ago.) The title song is an amiable soft shoe, "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened to Me" the kind of song that Kern wrote. And there's plenty of Sondheim here: "Opportunity", "The Game", "Boca Raton" and others.

As always his lyrics are perfectly suited to the characters and stituations. Some of the music is deceptively simple, other sections more complex but it is all Sondheim who is never less than his best. The book is not up to that lavel but it is the score we are dealing with here.

Nonesuch has done a good job translating the show to a 74 minute CD, though the sound is very dry unlike the spacious sound that RCA and SONY give their cast albums. Packaging is first rate.

The performances of the leads: Richard Kind, Howard McGillin, Michelle Pawk and especially Gavin Creel all shine in their numbers: Gavin Creel in the great number "Talent" and the soaring "You", McGillin & Pawk with "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened To Me" and Kind with "Addison's Trip Around the World." Jane Powell has little voice left but uses it to good effect at the Mizner's mamma. The orchestrations by Jonathan Tunik are, as always, first rate.

Between Chicago and DC some material was cut and is therefore missing from this CD but as a bonus there is a track of the song "A Little House for Mamma" that was used in the workshop of WISE GUYS but did not make it into BOUNCE. As is usually the case with Sondheim outtakes, it's a gem!

Bottom line? While not a score of rich emotional depth like PASSION or the stinging cynicism of COMPANY, there is much to enjoy here and hopefully with a few more revisions BOUNCE will find its way to Broadway. In the meantime enjoy this wonderful recording and give thanks that Sondheim, Prince and company - despite crippling gossip, negative reviews, and Michael Reidel - persevered in getting BOUNCE this far.

Nationalistic pride makes me add that there is one GLARING error in the show when the brothers go prospecting for Gold. They mention going to Dawson City but Addison states it is in Alaska. WRONG! The gold Rush and Dawson city were in the Yukon which was then and still is part of Canada. Alaska has nothing to do with it! I am surprised that Sondheim who is usually a stickler for facts let this mistake slip by. Still it won't mar your enjoyment of his latest score one bit.

A Misunderstood Score
I would like to bring up a few points regarding both Bounce and the recording that may shed some light on why I feel this musical is both a fantastic piece of theatre and a truly beautiful score. It is difficult to separate an author's reputation from his or her work. The artist who is disliked will be glossed over when he paints his masterpiece, the novelist who is celebrated will be tolerated when she writes a mediocre book, and the composer who is considered a maverick will be misunderstood when he writes something traditional.

Stephen Sondheim is considered a "world-class talent." It has been said that he is "predictable in his unpredictability." For some reason, his latest show, Bounce, failed to meet the expectations of its audience. The reason being: Sondheim was not writing another "Sunday in the Park with George" or "Sweeney Todd" or "Into The Woods." He was writing a simple musical comedy: A tale of the Mizner brothers and their pursuit of the American dream.

If the listener puts away all pre-conceived notions of what Sondheim's music "should be," this score is truly captivating. Reminiscent at times of "Assassins," the music is deeply American, firmly rooted in the themes that the main characters face. Sondheim returns to more conventional methoods of theatre songwriting, and the payoff is incredible. "What's your rush" is a delightful, seductive ballad sung by the charactar of Nellie. "The best thing that ever has happened" is a remarkable and touching love duet; a simple melody becomes a truly gorgeous oblique harmony between the characters of Wilson and Nellie. In "You," (in my opinion the best number in the score) The slow duet between Addison and Hollis atop the pizzicato clamor of the ensemble builds to one of the most amazingly written cathartic moments I have heard in a long time. The album contains hundreds of other beautiful moments that would take too long to discuss in this review.

Bounce is a delightfully written show, and I guarantee that if you take the show for what it is, you will enjoy the original cast recording. This is not an edgy, innovative show. Nor is this a huge, fluffy, spectacle hoopla. This is instead a very true, very sentimental, very traditional story of two people searching for success.

THen you've never heard saturday night
FOr the guy who was surprise about the mediocre quality of bounce. Sondhiem is a genius but he has made some bad scores the score for a show called Saturday Night is a clear example of another one. but we buy the cd's for postarity as much as for entertainment. And having any musical recording could prove to be handy.

I never thought I'd ever hear a mediocre Sondheim score
I did not see the production upon which this recording is based. However, my love of Sondheim's music has originally come from hearing the Original Cast Recordings from his shows.

I never thought I'd ever hear a mediocre Sondheim score, until I put this on for a listen.. just some thoughts..

1) For a show that's supposed to be quasi vaudvillian in style, this recording has precious little energy.
2) If there is a 30 + person orchestra playing Mr. Tunick's orchestration, then why does this all sound so muted?
3) Mr. Sondheim is definitely recycling stuff.. I can hear things from several shows, especially "Merrily" "Passion" "Assassins" and "Forum" but most of this material doesn't seem to feel like it has completeness.
4) I'm not getting the sense why we should care for these brothers..
5) Like Merrily, and Into The Woods, the score seems to be made of "I've learned this" and "I know this now" kinds of songs, but most of the sentiments about bouncing back and trying to succeed have been heard before in other Sondheim shows..

I'm wondering whether the earlier versions of this show was better... almost as if time and too much work has killed the excitement.

Ahh well....

Heard This Cast at the Kennedy Center
I'm a major Sondheim fan, but save your money. This show - and the mediocre score - is a dud. And that's being kind. To say this is the worst thing Sondheim ever wrote is not an exaggeration. No redeeming social (or entertainment) value. Explore ANY of Sondheim's other shows... "Assasins", "Little Night Music", "The Frogs", "Company", "Pacific Overtures" -- ANYTHING else. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Dont have this CD but have the vinyl
I admit I do not have this CD, but I do have the vinyl version of this album. It contains just the first two pieces, Peter and Britten's Young Person's Guide... It was released by Columnbia on green translucent vinyl! Combine that with the Red Label that Columbia used and it is quite the colorful Album... I remember that I bought the album for the Britten, big Britten fan here, and partially the novelty of Bowie narrating Peter. The Britten is great, and Peter is very good with the beauty of the Philly strings, which has always been Philly's strong point. If I were looking to replace my vinyl copy, which I am not, I would not hesitate to get this disk.

My son's discovery of classical music
My son's growing obsession with this story has truly sprouted since the purchase of this album.
Oddly enough, I never really knew this story or I don't remember it from my childhood, but once my dear sweet boy discovered it's haunting and charging sound, it's become a staple in my vehicle.

A perfect way to introduce classical music to any child -- tell them a story and have all the parts of the story be different instruments from an orchestra. Beautiful, just beautiful..

David Bowie tells us a fearful story
Prokofiev here produces a rare and fresh musical story for children. A young boy decides one day to push the gate at the bottom of the garden and move into the big wild world and its dangers, a wolf and a cat. The boy is followed by his friend the duck and meets his other friend the bird who is saved by a split-hair chance from the teeth of the cat by Peter's cry of alarm. All dangers in the world are not from the deep forest. But a far worse danger comes from there : the wolf. If Peter is saved by his grandfather who takes him home, the duck is less lucky and ends up in the wolf's stomach. But Peter is looking after things with the help of the bird and they catch the wolf that is then taken to the zoo by the hunters. We are not always saved from dangers by big strong armed men, but mostly by our courage and inventive imagination. And the music tells us to be creative.

This tale is perfectly served by David Bowie's both deep and volatile voice that finds here a brand new field of artistic achievement and multiplies the music's real dramatic dimension, like a confidential story told to the listeners in their deepest ears as if he were an elfish fairy any kid would believe to be true and safe, in a word friendly.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Great for pre-schoolers
My 3 1/2 year old son loves to listen to classical music on the radio. I bought this CD for him for Christmas, and it has him transfixed. Bowie's narration is excellent, and the changed ending (though it may offend purists) is much better for the preschool set. Peter and the Wolf is nicely complemented by the Nutcracker. Highly recommened for parents to share with their children.

A casual observation
Just wanted to point out that Peter and the Wolf is NOT and opera.

I've loved this music ever since I was very little. However, I'm not sure I like Bowie's narration -- methinks I prefer him as the infamous Ziggy Stardust. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Flutes
This guy plays so beautifully and soothingly it's scary. I've played the flute for 4 years and the way he hits high E, F, and G it's amazing. If you play the flute and want to listen to a pro this this is the cd to buy. It has titanic, disney, and popular song yet it also has classical and broadway stuff. Did you know he played most of the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack? That cd won Grammys and Oscars. It is definately the album to buy if you want to hear a flute. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Salieri's Story....Mozart's Music...Excellent Recording!....
Remember the opening scene from the wonderful film "Amadeus"? A deranged old man screaming his confession of murdering Mozart, his suicide attempt and rushing him to an insane asylum through the wintry streets of Vienna circa 1820's. All this to Mozart's wonderfully intense Symphony No. 25 in the background. As Salieri confesses his story to a priest, the story unfolds, and so does all the music.

This CD is an outstanding recording of the soundtrack from the film and the music directed by Neville Marriner, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, is absolutely beautiful. It's mostly Mozart works we hear as Salieri's story unfolds, you can relive those moments if your a fan of the film, or just enjoy this passionate music if you are a fan of Mozart.

Some of Mozart's music included is "Serenade for Winds", "Concerto for Two Pianos", "The Marriage of Fiagaro(actIII and Act IV)", "Don Giovanni(ActII)", and "Requiem" (6,7,8,9,10).You will also find some great choir and early
18th Century Gypsy music which is played on the instruments of the period. There are 20 delicious tracks. Most running a good length between 5 minutes to 13 minutes(there a a few shorter ones as well). For a complete list of songs see the buying info here.

Enclosed is an informative booklet that gives the story along with some facts about each song. It's nice to follow along with.
The CD I have is a 2 dics set distributed by Fantasy, Inc(I didn't see this mentioned in the buying info) and is the same image and exact title as the one here. This is one you can listen to any time, any place, and often! A 5 star
recording for 5 Star
music....enjoy...Laurie

Mozart's music shines in wonderful soundtrack album....
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been one of my favorite composers for years, especially after I watched Milos Foreman's brilliant film Amadeus, a wonderful adaptation of Peter Shaffer's stage play.

While the story and the performances by F. Murray Abraham (Antonio Salieri) and Tom Hulce (W. A. Mozart) were enthralling, the true star of the movie was, of course, Mozart's beautiful and timeless music, and no wonder, for the music supervisor (and conductor) for Amadeus was none other than one of the best interpreters of Mozart's compositions, Sir Neville Marriner.

In this wonderful two-disc set of the original soundtrack, Marriner leads the acclaimed Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields orchestra in 20 excerpts from various symphonies, piano concertos, operas, and Mozart's final opus, the Requiem.

Disc One begins with the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K 183, a very dramatic and energetic work which foreshadows the emotionally charged compositions of Beethoven (who was a student of Mozart's) and other composers of the Romantic era. Composed when Mozart was only 17 years old, it is the first symphony he wrote in a minor key. Sweeping and almost stormy at times, it is an apt accompaniment to the film's "I killed Mozart!" opening sequence.

Among the other eight tracks on this first disc are excerpts from Giovanni Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater," early 18th Century Gypsy music played on instruments of the period, and more Mozart works ranging from opera (the Turkish Finale from The Abduction from the Seraglio) to the first movement from Symphonie Concertante, K 364.

Disc Two contains 11 tracks, including the beautiful third movement of the Piano Concerto in E flat, masterfully played by pianist Ivan Moravec and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Opera and fans of Mozart's works for voice and orchestra will enjoy this second disc, for not only are there excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro (Ecco la Marcia, Ah Tutti Contenti) and Don Giovanni (the famous Commendatore scene from Act II), but also the "Ruhe Stanft" aria from Zaide (featuring the lovely voice of soprano Felicity Lott). Rounding out the bulk of this mostly vocal-works half are five selections from Mozart's Requiem, K 626, a work into which the composer poured his creativity and energies but was unfinished at the time of his death in 1791. Aptly, the final track is the "Romanza" or second movement of the Piano Concerto in D minor, K 466. As played by Imogen Cooper and the orchestra, it reflects various emotions that are normally associated with music from the Romantic era rather than the more sedate and "logical" Classical period in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived during his brief 36-year sojourn on Earth.

The two-disc set also comes with a handy booklet with program notes, divided into "The Story" on one side of the page and "The Music" on the other, helping the listener identify which cue goes with what scene, while at the same time giving brief music appreciation notes to put the works into historical and artistic context.

Alex Diaz-Granados

If You've Seen The Movie....
Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart's nervy youthfullness went far beyond his personal life.His choice of music very much reflects
his own spirit.He chose to set to music Le Nozze Di Figaro (a
play largely blamed for starting the French Revolution) put him
somewhat at odds with Emperor Joseph.His tendency (very much in
attendance here) to compose opera's in German at a time when
Italian opera was at it's post popular also made him a bit of a musical rebel of his day.I don't listen to alot of classical music (but certainly I have favorites,notably by Eric Satie) but Mozart's many concereto's,acts of his opera's and so
on demonstrate the youthful composers gift for melody and yes,
even hints at improvisation that set 18'th century Vienna (and
later the world) on fire!And Peter Shaffer was sure to include
acts from Mozarts errie unfinished reqeuim mass towards the end
of this CD.So to fans of the movie with more then a passing interest in classical music will enjoy this!And I think Mozart's
spirit will always be alive in those who choose to challange themselfs to innovate within music and get the public's ear to
stretch!

Genius
Neville Mariner does an excellent job in his orchestra's performance of Mozart's compositions. This soundtrack is superb. The only reason why I rate it four stars and not five, is because it's not the complete soundtrack. It's better to have the complete original soundtrack recording in your archive. But there's no doubt that Mozart's music is the best. He's a genius.

Sheer Brilliance!
What better way to be introduced to the wonders of Classical Music than to listen to this superb selection of mostly Mozart works?
The film Amadeus does very well in capturing emotions expressed by Mozart's diverse compositions. This soundtrack in turn succeeds in making the listener conjure up scenes from Amadeus as well as images of 18th century Vienna.
From melancholic to playful and romantic to firey, it will be difficult to match the prefection with which Sir Neville Mariner and The Academy of St Martin-In-The-Fields have assembled this compilation. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent introduction into the world of classical music
I've been listening to classical music throughout my whole life...Can't stop listening to Vivaldi, one of my favorite composers. Can't stop listening to Mozart, Bach with his purely baroque soothing and relaxing style (even the Toccata and Fugue), Beethoven (maestro). The only composer that just broke the feeling was Chopin, which, in my very humble opinion, tends to be quite chaotic sometimes. Anyway, don't hesitate and get this box. It'll do you good either you're listening to it on the comfort of your home or you're letting yourself go off some tension on the road (get an MP3-CD player so you'll have to carry 1 CD instead of the whole box). Oh, and I'd also recommend the 10-disc box set "Meditation: Classical Relaxation".

Amazing.
At 20 dollars, this is simply an amazing collection. With ten disks, that's roughly 2 dollars per disk. And each disk contains about an hour of music. That's about 10 hours! And surprisingly, the sound is actually good quality (not what one comes to expect). The conducting and the performers are also good. While you don't get any big names (aside from the composers themselves), you do get some very fresh and authentically performed music that is on par with any higher-priced disk. Each of the 10 CD's gets their own jewel case (standard packaging) and they are all contained in a cardboard box. I've had these disks for more years than I can remember and they're still in superb condition. This set is, really, probably the best gift of any kind you could give to anyone. They will increase anyone's appreciation of classical music with little cost. And with the diverse selection the set offers, it will serve to better anyone's education. This set gets my highest recommendation.

The composers are: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, J. Strauss, Verdi, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Vivaldi.

Best intro to classical that I am aware of.
I purchased these CD's over 10 years ago. I was not into classical music at the time, just curious. It has kindled a love for classical music in my life. The performances are full of life and the sound quality is quite good for the most part. I would recommended this as a gift that will be appreciated in the short term and could blossom into a full blown love affair with classical music. It is an ideal way to discover what styles, works, and composers you like best.

So good i bought it twice
This set was actually purchased by my father when it first came out years ago for the price of about 50 dollars. I was about 12 yrs old and had no clue about classical music. Though i was hesitant at first to listen to classical when all my friends listened to rap and stuff, i gave it a shot, and fell in love. I have made many attempts to find other collections that are even as close to the quality that this one is, and have not been happy with any of them. Over time these cds have gotten scratched or lost, so i took it upon myself to find this set again, and when i did, i bought two.

Best collection ever
This set was one of the best buys I've ever made. The price was right and you get over 10 hours of music. With just this one purchase I have a whole collection of classics. It is worth getting ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cornerstone of any film music collection
John Barry's masterpiece is simply one of the most breathtaking, moving film scores of all time. The rich variety of themes, and his trademark sweeping orchestration are unforgatteble. Most stunning, perhaps, is that the music that captures the epic grandeur of the American West better than any other was written by an Englishman, albeit one who has adopted the US as his home.

This CD does not present the score "in its entirety," as the liner notes claim, but there is a huge amount not available until now, and at the low list price, this is a must have for anybody who enojys film music.

A late masterpiece restored (almost)
This is one of John Barry's masterworks - if not indeed his magnus opus - and we've waited much too long for a comprehensive reissue. Whatever you think of Kevin Costner's film (and I'd hate to base a friendship on whether or not someone loved "Dances with Wolves" as I did) it would be a far less exciting movie without Barry's magnificent score. Eschewing the more traditional Western sound pioneered by Jerome Moross and Elmer Bernstein, which eventually descended into rank imitation and self-parody, Barry went for a lush, poewerful symphonic rhapsody. While avoiding ethnic cliches in his music for the Native American characters, he found expression for the more violent aspects of tribal warfare through a stunning, resonant, absolutely plangent use of percussion that quickens the pulse and suggests menace without going into histrionic overdrive. Barry's melodic work is no less impressive: in his justly famous "John Dunbar Theme," for example, there is a weird, majestic inevitability to the notes - they seem to flow into one another in exactly the right way; you can't imagine a single cadence being any different. This new release restores much that was truncated on the original release of the score. "The Buffalo Hunt" - which accompanies one of the most original and exciting set-pieces in recent American movies - is given the full treatment here, and is therefore twice as satisfying. My only cavil: Barry wrote an hour and 40 minutes worth of music, so even this lovingly restored version is shorter than it might be in a perfect world. And I'm not sure why the producers added the film version of the Dunbar theme as a bonus track rather than reordering it to replace the album version within the score itself. Still, this disc is a major cause for celebration, an essential element for the shelves of any true lover of film music.

A Dream Come True
For years, lovers of this soundtrack had to be content with only getting the chance to listen to about 70% of the music from the film.. until now. Finally we have the entire score for Dances With Wolves on one single reissued and repackaged disc. Every piece of music is placed in order.. including some wonderful cues that were missing from the original soundtrack. Even shorter cues like "Shooting Star" and "Arrival at Ft. Sedgewick" are a pure joy, not to mention the film version of the buffalo hunt. Why every soundtrack that's released isn't put together this way is beyond me, but I'm thankful that this release is finally available in it's entirety.

The sound of the cd is better than the original, though still falls short of the gold disc that was released years back.. but I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. Released expanded versions of soundtracks seems to be a trend these days. Classic scores such as "Superman" offer so much more than their original releases. Let's hope it continues!

As for Dances, an already spectacularly moving and beautifully crafted score just got better.

One side note, the liner notes are great, though I wish the photos on the inside were in color instead of black and white. I'm sure they were going for a certain "feel" but this movie had so many great colors and costumes it would have been nice to have an equally colorful insert book. I'm certainly not complaining though.. I've been waiting for this cd for well over a decade.

John Barry's Western Triumph
Enough has already been written about how John Barry came back from illness to score one of his greatest achievements with "Dances With Wolves." The expanded score from Epic/Legacy is a treasure. It includes the entire score, and at a price that can only be described as a steal. Over one hour and fifteen minutes of some of Barry's most inspired music. The expanded opening and buffalo hunt music alone are worth the price of this recording. Very nicely produced and packaged by Epic/Legacy, this is what every soundtrack album should be. It is also a worthy tribute to one of the true artists in this field. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Best of the best!
The performers, the selections, the quality... almost divine!

Fabulous bargain for anyone
I would recommend this CD to anyone, from opera novice to experienced listener...

These are older recordings -- I would guess mostly from the 1960's. The recording quality is exceptional for the day and, while not the equivalent of modern engineering, is sufficient to allow sheer physical pleasure from the music and an immediate appreciation of the vocal qualities of the artists. The sound quality is the only mild drawback...

The performances are magnificent! The voices are almost entirely lighter and more agile than the great voices of the 80's and 90's. In fact, the ear of the editor is apparent in his preference for lighter and more agile voices.

For example, there is a beautiful rendition of "Che Gelida Manina" from someone I had never heard before, Guiseppe Campora. He does not have the weight or volume of Pavarotti or Domingo, but has more elegance and a pure, charming tone. A connoisseur performance, but nevertheless a true operatic rendition by a tenor who can hit the high C with authority -- as good for a newcomer to opera who wants to hear the real thing, as for an opera lover who would like to hear something a bit different.

Some of the artists were among the most famous singers of their day: Moffo, de los Angeles, Gedda.

Anna Moffo, one of the greatest sopranos of her day (and all time), is in magnificent voice in famous blockbusters from Rossini's Barber of Seville, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, and the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor.

De Los Angeles is at her best in "Libiamo" from La Traviata, but the recording quality (the one inadequately engineered track on the CD) and her lack of oomph make for a second-rate version of "Un bel di".

In keeping with the light and lyrical orientation of the selections, Moffo -- a famous Gilda and hardly a dramatic voice -- is bypassed for the even lighter, sweeter and more agile colatura Reri Grist (while she still had her voice), in a lovely "Caro Nome".

Another nice selection is Mario Sereni performing "Di provenza, il mar". Both this and "Libiamo" are taken from one of my favorite recordings of Traviata -- also a great chance to hear Serafin at the helm of the Rome Opera House orchestra. (The 2-CD version of this is still available from EMI, I think.) Newcomers will love this pretty tune, and Sereni's archtypal Verdi baritone is good, although hardly the best ever.

Franco Corelli has never be