25 Classical Favorites
Mozart, Brahms, Chopin . . . need I say more? This offers a great introduction to anyone who has not yet given classical music a try. And, if you absolutely love classical pieces, then you won't regret purchasing a cd that includes varying composers and well-known pieces.
The #1 Opera Album
The labels that are now gathered under the Universal Classics umbrella have a pretty impressive scorecard in the area of classical compilations. We've seen The Greatest Opera Show on Earth, The Yellow Guide: Classical Music, Best of the Millennium, and now there's The No. 1 Opera Album. But that's no surprise, since Universal has some of the finest interpreters in its catalogue to draw from. This two-CD set (at the price of one), for ... Regular Price : $17.98
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Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO
Happy is the composer who has an advocate as passionate and talented as Leonard Bernstein. These Copland performances have been the preferred versions since they were first issued--better even than the composer's own, later recordings. Originally they were spread over two discs, but thanks to the extended playing time of the compact disc, you can now get all three great Copland ballets together, along with the ever popular Fanfare for the Common Man. Bernstein brings to this music the ... Regular Price : $
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The Most Famous Opera Duets
This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine ... Regular Price : $3.98
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Classic Yo-Yo
Except for one 'previously unreleased' recording and two new ones, this is a compilation of segments taken from older Yo-Yo Ma CDs, perhaps to whet listeners' appetite to hear the entire records. The disc represents a triumph of performance over material. The program consists of short pieces and single movements of long ones and serves to display Yo-Yo Ma's extraordinary versatility, his spectacular instrumental and musical gifts, and his remarkable ability to invest everything he ... Regular Price : $18.98
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Russell Watson · The Voice
Russell Watson's story is a classic rags-to-riches fairy tale: The former welder, after years of singing in pubs and clubs, traveled from Salford, his hometown, to London. He turned up unannounced at the Decca offices and was promptly signed up by one of the most important classical labels in the world. Vocal coaching followed, as did a number of successful live appearances supporting Cliff Richard. Now, we have this recital CD, which explores a wide range of musical styles. Watson's ... Regular Price : $18.98
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Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 / Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Long regarded as the quintessential interpretation of the most popular and best-loved symphony ever written, this performance of the Fifth has everything: passion, precision, drama, lyric beauty, and a coiled fury in the first movement that sets your pulse racing from the very first note. Carlos Kleiber has made very few recordings in his distinguished career, but almost all are special. If you own no other copy of this symphony, this ... Regular Price : $
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Italian Songs
As a follow-up to its Caruso 2000 release, RCA here offers us a remastered, implemented selection of Neapolitan songs recorded by Enrico Caruso between 1906 and 1920. The gimmick is again that the old recordings have been digitally stripped of their oompah, blaring instruments. In their place, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra has provided modern accompaniment. It's still anachronistic--the voice remains in another acoustical era from the orchestra--but this time, the balance is a ... Regular Price : $17.98
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Andrea Bocelli - The Opera Album ~ Aria
Amazon.com Andre Bocelli is no opera singer, but he shows far more potential in this album than does another pop-vocalist tenor-wannabe, Michael Bolton. For one thing, he can shake off the crooner mannerisms and really sing when performing music that calls for it. At his best, he has a rich, dark timbre and an easy, unforced top. At other times, however, the tone turns dry and thin and the high notes are constricted, the ... Regular Price : $18.98
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Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces
I don't think Mozart purists would want a collection that consists in large part of excerpts or single movements from various works, but I bought this for my kids and it really is an entertaining, first-rate, diverse introduction to the endless repertoire of Mozart. Perfect for someone who is only a casual fan of classical music, or kids who need memorable tunes to sustain their interest in classical music, or I suppose for someone who ... Regular Price : $17.98
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