Customer Reviews

25 Concerto Favorites

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The excerpts from 25 concertos range from the Baroque to Romantic Periods. They are all masterfully performed by virtuoso musicians (example: Brendel is the pianist in the last track, the Beethoven Emperor piano concerto). The violinists are skillful and well-known artists. Concerto music by Baroque legends such as Torelli and Bach. Mozart and Haydn's music is marvelous to hear. We have Mozart's piano concerto movements and flute concertos. Finally, in the Romantic field, Brahms, Mendelsshon and Tchaikovsky. This an affordable price for a cd that contains such excellent music.

This album could have easily been filled with selections just from Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, and Beethoven, but thankfully the record producers chose some deeper cuts. Though the above mentioned greats are prominently featured (and rightly so), Grieg and Offenbach are welcome additions.

Like all the "25 _____ Favorites" albums I've listened to, the pieces are well-chosen, expertly performed, and excellently produced with sharp, clear sound. The album's variety is welcome as well, giving the listener 70+ minutes of a changing but continuous audio landscape.

There's not much here that will knock the socks off a classical purist, but that's part of its appeal. The pieces are good enough to satisfy the more refined classical music palate but accessible enough for those less-experienced in concertos. 25 CONCERTO FAVORITES comes recommended to those seeking a well-produced and pleasant classical variety album.

For the price, you can't go wrong.

*I had purchased an abundance of the "Favorites" collection some were better than others. This one was not too bad compared to the others, but not the best one.
I was kind of perturbed when some same tracks on this CD were on another CD, and visa versa.

25 great songs, and for $3.57, its a great buy

I bought this album many years ago, and I have held on to it because it is such a great resource. It has concertos from many of the major composers of the last 300-350 years. This was the most popular way to compose for solo instruments (and is still used widely today) and this compilation is a great way to explore the way composers wrote for solo instruments in this form over the past several hundred years. It features some of my favorite concertos, and has some of the most memorable melodies in all of classical music.

If you have taken a music or music history class and you are interested in learning more about what the classical concerto, or any classical music for that matter, this is a great starting point! The sound quality is amazing (especially for a bargain compilation) and the performers are actually top-notch! These aren't random, no-name orchestras, soloists, and conductors...they are major-hitters in their fields. If you pick this disc up (and it's really cheap) you won't be dissapointed.

Some performers, orchestras, and conductors on this disc:
Edward Carroll (trumpet), Susanne Lautenbacher (violin), Fenee Siebert (flute), Erich Kunzel (conductor), Cincinatti Pops, Robert Wagner (conductor), St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin (conductor), Zubin Mehta (conductor).

Product defective -- several glitches. Please notify me of return or replacement process.