The crappiest stupidest title that anybody could ever come up with. I only bought it because it pushed my Amazon order up to the 'free postage' level.
It contains just 32 tracks, so the arseholes are saying that *you* only *need* 32 arias, choruses and excerpts. I have posted them below... but they didn't have the courage of their convictions, because they also produced a Volume 2. Draw your own conclusions.
The packaging is standard, with a twelve page booklet. The front cover is cheap typesetting. Standard track listing, then a brief paragraph about each track. Basic, reasonably useful information. What pisses me off is the listing on the back, which uses that horrible expression, 'made famous by' as in 'by the Hovis TV commercial (Largo from 'New World' symphony') or Jerusalem, made famous by the film Chariots of Fire.
In truth it's not a bad little compilation of some of the best heartstrings tunes - Nimrod is emotionally and melodically gorgeous; Fauré's Pavane is one of my 'up there' instrumental pieces; the Alleluia from Exsulatate, Jubilate is a lovely aria, but Lesley Garrett is overparted; I've only just realised that a particular piece I know and love well is the Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliette (note and store for future reference, and see Post Script);
Is there anybody who doesn't love the 1812 Overture. Always best when performed with full bells and whistles, and this version sounds like it has a good few explosions, but a very anaemic orchestra We had a damn good explosive 1812 at the Proms this year, but my favourite version is one I have on video featuring corps de ballet, chorus, cannons, and my favourite conductor...! Of all orchestral pieces 1812 is the one that must be seen as well as heard.
I know that some people absolutely hate Pachabel's Canon, partly because of its ubiquity on this sort of compilation. I am not the greatest Baroque fan in the world, but what I really like about this is its mathematical exactitude. Although I recall my brother telling me that it was the most boring piece for a cellist to play in school orchestra, because it's the same bar repeated over and again. Of course, I should have said "You're a cellist, you play continuo, get over it." But these retorts come fifteen years too late...!
The Pearl Fishers' Duet, as performed by the great Jussi Bjoerling and the late Robert Merrill, is for many people, one of the greatest recordings ever. It is a splendid rendition of a good song, perhaps one that is made to sound great in this recording. Even though the actual recording does sound a tad dated.
'Why Do The Nations' has just come on. This is one of my favourite arias from one of my favourite oratorios, and a piece I have known since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Who is this bass? I ask myself. Whose is this wonderful gorgeous voice? I look at the liner notes and discover it is Bryn Terfel. On the basis that one can never have too many copies of Messiah, I may well add this to my wishlist - it's a 1989 recording with London Musici and London Musici Chamber Choir under Mark Stephenson.
It has some very great artists on it - the front cover says 'Featuring Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, James Galway, Bryn Terfel, Angela Gheorghiu and, er, Lesley Garrett..." Although whether I actually need any more copies of Plácido singing the Flower Song from Carmen, or Luciano singing Che Gelida manina, is a matter of some doubt.
I find the packaging a deterrent to playing it, but it's actually a litte treasure of a cheap compilation, thoughtfully put together, and without any pop or *crossover* music in disguise. It's not the *only* classical album you'll ever need, but you could do worse than use this as a starter, or a spur to branching out. The companion The Only Choral Album You'll Ever Need also looks a nice little number. Both are them are currently available from Amazon for less than £6, so go on, go ahead and order them. Indeed, I've just ordered the Choral one. You will thank me.
Despite the packaging and inappropriate marketing.
*Post script. I actually played the first disc of this on the afternoon before the UK Webloggers Christmas Party, including the comment on the Prokofiev. In the evening, I was stood at the bar and was approached by the lovely, hiating Dragon, and we got chatting. Very early on, he mentioned this exact track, and I was like, "Wow!"
1. Carmina Burana -Carl Orff
2. Lakmé - Leo Delibes
3. Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" in E minor - AntonÃn Dvorák
4. Peer Gynt - Edvard Grieg
5. La bohème - Giacomo Puccini
6. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Sergey Rachmaninov
7. Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy
8. Anvil Chorus - Giuseppe Verdi
9. Canon and Gigue in D - Johann Pachelbel
10. Exsultate, jubilate - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
11. Pavane - Gabriel Fauré
12. Flower Song - Georges Bizet
13. Adagio in G minor - Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni
14. Dance of the Knights -Sergey Prokofiev
15. Nimrod - Edward Elgar
16. 1812 Overture - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
17. Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 - Edward Elgar
18. Les pêcheurs de perles - Georges Bizet
19. Intermezzo, Cavalleria rusticana - Pietro Mascagni
20/21. Why Do the Nations?/Hallelujah (Messiah) - George Frideric Handel
22. Spring (Four Seasons) - Antonio Vivaldi
23. Pie Jesu (Requiem) - Gabriel Fauré
24. Adagio (Spartacus_Ballet Suite No. 2) - Aram Il'yich Khachaturian
25. Gymnopédie No. 1 - Erik Satie
26. Air on a G String - Johann Sebastian Bach
27. O Mio Babbino Caro (Gianni Schicchi) - Giacomo Puccini
28. Excerpt from Symphony No. 6, 'Pastoral' - Ludwig van Beethoven
29. Jerusalem - Hubert Parry
30. Adagio (Clarinet Concerto) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
31. Agnus Dei - Samuel Barber
32. Nessun Dorma (Turandot) - Giacomo Puccini
