Audio CD review:
Eduard Tumagian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Gaetano Donizetti, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Gabriel Faure - Discover: Music of the Romantic Era

Eduard Tumagian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Gaetano Donizetti, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Gabriel Faure - Discover: Music of the Romantic Era

Band: Eduard Tumagian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Gaetano Donizetti, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Gabriel Faure Title: Discover: Music of the Romantic Era Rating: Release Date: 18 January, 2005 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Movement 1: Allegro Con Brio - Bela Drahos 2: Movement 4: Marche Au Supplice (March To The Scaffold) - San Diego Symphony Orchestra 3: Movement 1: Allegor Maestoso - Tempo Giusto - Joseph Banowetz 4: Polonaise In D Minor, Op.71 No.1 - Idil Biret 5: Gretchen At The Spinning Wheel - Lynda Russell 6: The Hebrides - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra 7: Movement 4: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo - Jeno Jando 8: Intermezzo In A Major, Op.118 No.2 - Idil Biret 9: Nacqui All'affanno E Al Pianto - Hungarian State Opera Chorus 10: Spargi D'amaro Pianto - Luba Orgonasova 11: E Lui... Dio Che Nell'alma Infondere - Giacomo Aragall 12: Prelude And Liebstod - Johannes Wildner 13: Kamarinskaya - Anthony Bramall 14: Movement 1: Allegro - Stephen Gunzenhauser 15: Movement 2: Allegro Con Grazia - Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra 16: Vltava - Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra 17: Slavonic Dance In C Major, Op.46 No.1 - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra 18: Romance In B Flat For Violin And Piano - Pascal Devoyon 19: In The Hall Of The Mountain King - Jerzy Maksymiuk 20: Solemn And Measured, Without Dragging - Michael Halasz 21: Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op.3 No.2 - Idil Biret 22: Variation 9: Nimrod - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Customer Review Super-Budget Way to Gain Some Understanding of Romantic Era It contains complete movements from works ranging from Beethoven (the 'Eroica' Symphony that started the Romantic era) to Elgar (the Nimrod variation from the 'Enigma Variations'). This 2CD set from Naxos at super-budget price is a wonderful way for teens or adults to acquaint themselves with the Romantic Era of classical music. And pegged to those selections is an extensive and clearly-written 100-page essay by David McCleery that gives all kinds of background information as well as blow-by-blow descriptions of the pieces being played [e. g. , in Schubert's song, 'Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel', "when she imagines kissing him the piano stops its repetitive spinning motif, indicating that she is so overcome by the thought that she has stopped working. "]. Accompanying the text are pictures of the composers as well a quotation from most of them, from the sober [Mahler: 'To write a symphony is, for me, to construct the world. '] to the humorous [Grieg: 'I am sure my music has the taste of codfish in it. ']. Also, there are reproductions of historical documents that illustrate the social currents of each period of time, from the Declaration of Independence, illustrating the spread of the idea of democracy, to a letter from Dvorák to his music publisher taking him to task for his anti-Czech sentiments. Composers represented by their music are Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, Glinka, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Dvorák, Fauré, Grieg, Mahler, Rachmaninov and Elgar. Among the musical selections are all sorts of music, from the Beethoven symphony movement, chamber music of Schumann, a song by Schubert, an operatic duet (from 'Don Carlo') by Verdi, Fauré's Romance for Violin and Piano, the first movement of Mahler's First Symphony, a Chopin polonaise, and a Liszt piano concerto. The recordings of all these works are excerpted from Naxos's huge library of releases of classical music, and the performances are universally quite acceptable and in good stereo sound. Provided as a kind of background for the newcomer to classical music is a Timeline of the Romantic Era (music, history, art, literature) so they can place various composers and their works in a cultural context. There are extensive suggestions for further listening, a listing of Romantic era composers including many more than those whose works are included here, and a helpful glossary of musical terms written in everyday language. This is a very thoughtfully done short-course in the Romantic era that will not only answer questions of casual classical music listeners but also stimulate interest in further exploration. I recommend it highly. 2 CDs TT=2hrs30mins and 161 page booklet in a slipcase Scott Morrison. . You can see a complete list of all Eduard Tumagian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Gaetano Donizetti, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Gabriel Faure discography, or go back to the Eduard Tumagian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Gaetano Donizetti, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Gabriel Faure tabs