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Bach: The Art of the Fugue

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Glenn Gould

September 09, 2002
The Church that Gould recorded the first nine works in Bach's seminal 'Art of the Fugue' burned down before he got round recording remaining pieces: a great shame given the masterful playing on this CD. People forget (or simply have no idea) that Gould studied organ alongside piano at Toronto Conservatory. He graduated in both instruments aged 12! Gould's mother was organist at a Toronto Anglican church, so not surprisingly organ playing was very much in Gould's blood and may go a long way to explaining his remarkable abilities in contrapuntal music.

Original reviews of this set (when it came out on LP) complained about the closeness of the recording, the microphones shoved close-up to the pipes. This was part of the Gould plan, ... Read More:

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Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: British Composers

September 09, 1991
I JUST WANT TO AGREE WITH EVERY WORD THAT MR JORDAN HAD SAID ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR RECORDING, NOT JUST OF 'THE LARK', BUT OF SERENADE TO MUSIC ALSO. IN FACT I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ON THIS ALBUM! I BOUGHT MY VINYL COPY IN THE EARLY 70'S AND IT IS NOW SO WORN OUT THAT I DECIDED TO LOOK TO SEE IF A CD WAS AVAILABLE. WHAT JOY! NOT ONLY HAVE I BEEN ABLE TO FIND A CD OF MY TREASURED RECORDING, BUT WITH BONUS TRACKS, AND AT AN INCREDIBLY LOW PRICE. FOR ME THIS IS THE PURCHASE OF THE MONTH.

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The Best Gregorian Chant Album In The World... Ever!

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Monks & Choir Boys Of Downside Abbey

April 19, 2004
My wife (for whom I bought it) says that this CD set is very restful and soothing and I have to say that I quite like to hear the singing in the background whilst I slave away at the computer. And, of course, the great thing is that we got two CDs for about the price of one. Excellent!

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Spanish Guitar Music

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Essential Classics

November 19, 2001
This is a clasical guitar album recorded by John Williams in his style of ultimate perfection. Don't confuse this with Flamenco Spanish guitar.

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Classic FM Music for Babies

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: Classic FM.(Export

July 18, 2005
A few of the tracks on this CD are perfect, beautiful, soft, mesmerising and something Mummy could enjoy too... but I found the majority of tracks incredibly depressing - and thats not what you need after having a baby!!! I wish I'd paid more attention to the track listing and bought something else...

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Works of Igor Stravinsky [22cd]

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Igor Stravinsky

July 02, 2007

It's common to find good value box sets from labels such as EMI Classics, Brilliant Classics and Warner Classics, but not so often on the Sony label.

In general, the bigger the set the better the value, with collections of more than ten discs often falling into the bargain category of under £1 a disc.

This collection though represents not only value for money but also provides pretty much all of Stravinsky's lifetime works (he composed around 127 pieces) in a compact box of just 5cm width thanks to the CDs being supplied in card sleeves.

The enclosed 24 booklet provides a biography of the composer, and more importantly full recording dates, venues, orchestras, soloists and conductors, and if this doesn't sound ... Read More:

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Baby Einstein: Lullaby Classics

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: The Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra

February 06, 2006
sorry to see that this CD has got a bad review as I think it is wonderful. My son can't go to sleep without it, it really helps him to relax and unwind. I think the fact that it isn't the original version is good, as the tracks are shorter and don't get too loud which is often the case with classical music. I really like listening to it too, I think it is well made!

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Vaughan Williams: Choral Works

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: British Composers

August 23, 1993
Neither work is particularly well known, even among enthusiasts for Vaughan Williams music. Don't let that put you off. Both are original and gripping works and Sancta Civitas is an extraordinary piece unlike any other work I know. It is the work in which the composer found the unique colours and dissonance that would lead to works like Job and the Fourth Symphony and is, perhaps, even finer than those great works. It is certainly original. The only previous recording that came anywhere near to doing the work justice was that conducted by Sir David Willcocks. This new account is in the same class and has the benefit of a superb modern recording that the earlier record cannot match. I genuinely believe that Sancta Civitas is one of Vaughan Williams' most under-rated ... Read More:

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Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
from: EMI Classics

March 11, 2002
This version of The Planets has replaced my recent LSO version.
Why? Well, the balance between the contributing elements is the best i've heard so far: The bass is thunderous analogue and the high woodwind/strings are like crystal in equal measure. This is a superb achievement and exceptionally important for, 'large orchestra' where Dynamics become a recording engineer's delight or problem depending on how good they are. And these people are the best: Abbey road have done a fantastic job on the remastering of a late 70's classic, although there is one thing they could never tackle: Is this as Holst intended?

Bolt was a friend of Holst and was given the opportunity to first conduct the piece; Bolt read and heard the original 'two piano' score and must ... Read More:

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Mozart Premium Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > General
by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

November 13, 2006
This version of The Planets has replaced my recent LSO version.
Why? Well, the balance between the contributing elements is the best i've heard so far: The bass is thunderous analogue and the high woodwind/strings are like crystal in equal measure. This is a superb achievement and exceptionally important for, 'large orchestra' where Dynamics become a recording engineer's delight or problem depending on how good they are. And these people are the best: Abbey road have done a fantastic job on the remastering of a late 70's classic, although there is one thing they could never tackle: Is this as Holst intended?

Bolt was a friend of Holst and was given the opportunity to first conduct the piece; Bolt read and heard the original 'two piano' score and must ... Read More: