Title : Happy Birthday
Author : Schnittke, Alfred
Release Date : 20030128
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $16.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.48
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Editorial Reviews : To celebrate its sixth anniversary as an ensemble, Kremerata Baltica presents a light, loving, and musically interesting confection. After an opening polka by Schnittke (who knew he could be so frothy?), we get 11 variations on the song 'Happy Birthday' by Peter Heidrich, à la Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and some dance movements. Delightful. Elsewhere, Franz Waxman's Variations on 'Auld lang syne' are as clever as they are unexpected and charming. More variations--this time on 'God save the King' by the 19th century composers Ghys and Servais--afford Kremer and cellist Marta Sudraba a fine time, and Teddy Bor's brief riff on Mozart's omnipresent 'Eine kleine nachtmusik' is a hoot. There's more, but the point is made: Classical music can be fun and sophisticated, and Kremer and his group remain virtuosi, one and all. --Robert Levine
Buyer Reviews : Slow and timid to start like the sun beginning to brighten a long summer day, do not take this CD frivolously. The music captured here melts across the speakers. Never have I been so mystified, lost and utterly annoyed all at once by all the different interpretations of Happy Birthday music. In some ways the art here is brilliant in supplying intriguing Mozartesque, Beethoveny and Brahmsesque renderings of such a banal tune. On the other hand, I can also imagine the equivalent of a musician's Adobe Photoshop that at a press of a button reconfigures the tune to fit the style: tango, ragtime, adagio, presto!
Thankfully, the second half of this collection entertains with superbly done variations of 'God Save the King' and 'Moonlight' tunes.
Make jest of this compilation if you like. However, it is fundamentally sound and top notch. I highly recommend this CD for classical music DJs that can mix in a quirky tune with the conservative - your listeners may consciously never notice. In addition, it is also perfect for those with a sense of humor as well as serious aficionados that have a 100+CD changer and can slip this one in for levity.
