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Choreography

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Vanessa Mae

October 18, 2004
Vanessa Mae's "Choreography" is a masterpiece, as was her previous CD "Subject to change". I bought the CD on its release date in Kuala Lumpur and listened to it all during my 11 hour flight back to England. It's a great fusion of classical and contemporary sounds, bringing in various worldwide influences (Indian, Morroccon, Irish, English, Spanish etc). Wonderful!

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Moving On

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Jon Cohen

October 20, 2003
I wish I had paid more heed to the only 1 star rating by 'a customer'. I too was very disappointed by this CD. I had expected full on concert style piano playing, instead of which I got 'one finger' style playing, very popular with the masses, but not very deep. If you like Clayderman, this may well please you.

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The Best Opera Album In The World Ever

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Various Artists

October 28, 1996
As a novice listener of opera, this collection has been ideal in learning to appreciate the wealth of fantastic music that is out there. I can heartily recommend this!!

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Shostakovich - Jazz Suites Nos 1 and 2

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Naxos

April 02, 2002
There are two sides to Shostakovich's music and most listeners tend to know only the darker side. There is wit in Shostakovich's music although usually in acidic or sardonic way. There was a time before the Stalinist purges and the Second World War when the wit really flourished and Yablonsky and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra (formerly the U.S.S.R Symphony Orchestra) give us some very fine examples of it.
The plot of "The Bolt" (evil capitalist industrialists brought low by rightous socialism) so embarassed the composer that he rarely spoke of it and never pushed for a revival after its initial run. He did realize that he wrote some very good music for it and from it he made this nearly half hour suite. The Jazz Suites are really works with ... Read More:

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Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: EMI

September 16, 1996
This recording of the Young person's guide to the orchestra takes you right into the concert hall, the excitment, invigoration and sheer power of the recording leaves you breathless.

The transition of music from live performance onto disc is not an easy one and only a handful of recordings achieve it - but this is one of them

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Glass: Violin Concerto

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Naxos

April 03, 2000
Glass's violin concerto is pleasant and immediately accessible. But, Glass's music is all very similar; its as if there is a number of ideas which get continously re-cycled. To my mind, Adams' concerto is stronger

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The Essential Classics Collection

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: DG

July 03, 2000
I bought this as a gift for my niece, since I wanted her to be educated about classical music as she was on her way to college. Ended up buying two copies as I found I loved it so much. Normally I like to pick and choose my orchestras, composers, and conductors, but this collection has jujst about everything. Also, I'd never bought some of the more "popular" items (Strauss and Grieg) as I'd heard them a million times, but now I have them and the performances are all great. This truly has a smattering of it all, and if you're not a classical music lover, it's bound to turn you on to the stuff.

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Gershwin: Orchestral Works

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Great Recordings of the Century

October 05, 1998
The orchestral playing on this disc is top-notch, but it is unfortunately let down by bland and uninspiring pianism.

It's not that Previn's playing is too subtle for my tastes; he is just poor: neither imaginative nor passionate, yet not sensitive and controlled either, and with a less-than-perfect technique (not that that is necessarily a criticism per se).

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Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan (D'Oyly Carte Opera Company)

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Gilbert and Sullivan

February 09, 2004
I agree wholeheartedly with the review by J.J.Rhodes, but feel I should make the point that the whole set is recorded in full glorious MONO! Once you have got over the shock of the sound stage collapsing into a point source however, the music really is delightful, and takes me back to the days when I used to pay 9d to sit up in the gods at the Golders Green Hippodrome to hear the D'Oyly Carte company sing their way through all those charming numbers. This set has a distinctly dated feel about it, and makes one realise just how much performing styles, as well as recording techniques, have changed in half a century (and some of the artists were clearly chosen for their ability to act rather than their ability to sing!). But for all that, I'm glad I bought it. This is ... Read More:

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Copland: Symphony No.3

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Deutsche Grammophon

October 05, 2000
I agree wholeheartedly with the review by J.J.Rhodes, but feel I should make the point that the whole set is recorded in full glorious MONO! Once you have got over the shock of the sound stage collapsing into a point source however, the music really is delightful, and takes me back to the days when I used to pay 9d to sit up in the gods at the Golders Green Hippodrome to hear the D'Oyly Carte company sing their way through all those charming numbers. This set has a distinctly dated feel about it, and makes one realise just how much performing styles, as well as recording techniques, have changed in half a century (and some of the artists were clearly chosen for their ability to act rather than their ability to sing!). But for all that, I'm glad I bought it. This is ... Read More: