- Original Release Date: May 31, 2011
- Label: Cobra Entertainment LLC
- Copyright: (c) 2011 Cobra Entertainment LLC
- Total Length: 7:17:15
- Genres:
- ASIN: B0051QU0M6
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#529 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
- #17 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
421 of 424 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been a big fan of the "99" series of the Stockholm-based X5 Music Group. They have been turning out quality sets of classical music for remarkable prices here on Amazon for some time. Especially their composer-themed sets featuring full-length works have been tremendous bargains, although other themes such as "Relaxing", "Allegros", "Darkest", etc have also been worthwhile.
That's why I was surprised to see that this new "99 Must-Have" set of classics for $1.99 on Amazon is released by the Los Angeles-based Cobra Entertainment. It looks like someone has decided to give X5 some competition using this tried and true model.
These are not performances by the best-known stars of classical music -- although there are some pretty good players such as Hungarian pianist Jeno Jando or the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, who was until recently principal conductor for many years at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. I think it's fair to say that a lot of these recordings are by respected Eastern European orchestras and performers -- a model that often works both economically and artistically.
The benefit for the consumer of having a new supplier in town is that these are generally a different universe of recordings than on the X5 sets, which as buyers of the series know can be repetitive. I haven't gone over every single track, but I looked at many and so far I'm not finding any tracks that feature the same music by the same performers as any of the X5 collections I have purchased.
This is clearly a "best of classical" type collection, so a lot of this is music you will have heard before, including on the X5 sets, but a lot of it is different and there is a good proportion of short but full-length works (important for me as I don't particularly care for excerpts). And while there are a lot of "greatest hits", there is also quite a bit of music that is off the beaten path. I can't say I was too familiar with Jean Baptiste Loeillet or Zdenek Fibich, or had much Henri Wieniawski in my collection.
I must say Cobra has done a better job of staying "on topic" than X5 has sometimes. You can't always depend on all the tracks of a "99 Most Relaxing" set to really be relaxing, for example, and there are plenty of tracks on the "99 Most Romantic" collection that would surely kill any hopes for an amorous trist. But this one really does all seem to contain 100% chill out music. Very soothing. I'm thinking of it for my new baby's nursery at bedtime. Or maybe even for myself at bedtime.
My biggest criticism is a lack of attention to detail on things like opus or catalog numbers so the listener can tell what is really playing. One example -- there is a pretty nice string orchestra reworking of a Chopin Nocturne, identified only as "Nocturne in E flat major" (track 35). Some digging reveals that it's Nocturne No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 9. But it would have been nice not to have to dig. A glance at the track listing shows this kind of labeling is the rule rather than the exception.
But this is a good deal with good music. Yes, a lot of it is sliced and diced and pre-processed, but it's good and lives up to the promise of the title.
The track listing, as always on Amazon, doesn't show you the composers. Here they are by track number:
1. Bach - Air (from Orchestral Suite No.3)
2. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight Sonata": I. Adagio sostenuto
3. Boccherini - Menuet
4. Bizet - Intermezzo (from "Carmen")
5. Mendelssohn - Spring Song, Op.62 No.6
6. Haydn - Serenade op.15 No.7
7. Mozart - Piano Concerto No.21 in C major K. 467: II. Andante
8. Berlioz - Dance of the Sylphides
9. Beethoven - Für Elise
10. Schubert - Ave Maria
11. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Morning
12. Mendelssohn - Duetto in F major, op.38 Nr.6
13. Tchaikovsky - Chanson triste op.40 No.2
14. Offenbach - Barcarole (from "The Tales of Hoffmann")
15. Brahms - Romance in F major Op.118 No.5
16. Zdenek Fibich - Poème op.41 No.6
17. Mendelssohn - A Midsummernight's Dream: Notturno
18. Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A major K.622: II. Adagio
19. Brahms - Waltz in A major, Op.39 No.15
20. Dvorak - Symphony No.9 in E minor "From The New World": II. Largo (Excerpt)
21. Schubert - Rosamunde: Intermezzo in B flat
22. Francisco Tarrega - Lagrima
23. Grieg - Notturno Op.54 No.4
24. Tchaikovsky - Elegie (from "Serenade for Strings")
25. Puccini - Manon Lescaut: Intermezzo
26. Chopin - Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor op.21: II. Larghetto
27. Dvorak - Melody (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
28. Mussorgsky - The Old Castle (from "Pictures Of An Exhibition")
29. Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Toy Flutes (from "Nutcracker")
30. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Ases Death
31. Dvorak - Humoresque in G flat major, Op. 101
32. Rubinstein - Romance in E flat major op.44
33. Schubert - Symphony No.3 in D major: II. Allegretto
34. Schumann 0- Abschied (from "Waldszenen")
35. Chopin - Nocturne in E flat major
36. Albeniz - Suite Espagnole No.1 op.47: I. Granada (Serenata)
37. Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor op.16: II. Adagio
38. Puccini - Menuet I
39. Mendelssohn - Song without words in E major op.19,1
40. Handel - Largo (from "Xerxes")
41. Vivaldi - Mandolin Concerto in C major: II. Largo
42. Bach - Jesu, joy of man's desiring
43. Gluck - Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
44. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: Concerto No.4 "Winter" (II. Largo)
45. Bach - Piano Concerto No.5 in F minor BWV 1056: II. Largo
46. Jean Baptiste Loeillet - Trumpet Sonata in G Major: Lento Dolce
47. Handel - Water Music: Suite No.1 (VI. Air)
48. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: Concerto No.1 "Spring" (II. Largo e pianissimo sempre)
49. Mozart - Piano Concerto No.23 in A major: II. Adagio
50. Beethoven - Menuett (Minuet)
51. Schubert - Rosamunde: Ballet in G major
52. Beethoven - Violin Romance No.2 in F major, Op.50
53. Mozart - Laudate Dominum K 339
54. Schubert - An die Musik
55. Brahms - Cradle Song
56. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor "Pathétique": II. Adagio cantabile
57. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Anitra's Dance
58. Dvorak - Serenade for Strings: I. Moderato
59. Liszt - Romance in E minor
60. Puccini - Crisantemi
61. Donizetti - Andante
62. Bruch - Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor: II. Adagio
63. Grieg - Arietta, op.12 No.1
64. Bizet - Nocturne (from "Carmen")
65. Henri Wieniawski - Romance (from Violin Concerto No.2)
66. Mendelssohn - The Venetian Gondola
67. Dvorak - Waltz op.54 No.1
68. Tchaikovsky - Barcarole (from "The Seasons")
69. Verdi - La Traviata: Prélude Act 1
70. Schubert - Ständchen
71. Schumann - Träumerei
72. Dvorak - Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra Op.11
73. Liszt - Love Dream
74. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
75. Schubert - Moment musical D 780 No.3
76. Rubinstein - Melody in F Op.3 No.1
77. Puccini - La Boheme: Rodolfos Aria (Instrumental)
78. Johann Svendsen - Romance in G major Op.26
79. Schumann - Des Abends
80. Grieg - I love you, Op.5 No.3
81. Puccini - Tosca: Vissi d'arte (Instrumental)
82. Schumann - Romance in F sharp major Op.28 No.2
83. Dvorak - Waltz in D minor op.54 Nr.7
84. Verdi - Nabucco: Choir of the Hebrew Slaves (Instrumental Version)
85. Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol Op.34: Variations
86. Schumann - Einsame Blumen
87. Tomaso Giordani - Caro mio ben
88. Puccini - O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi)
89. Grieg - To Spring Op.43 No.6
90. Tchaikovsky - Romance, Op.5
91. Saint-Saëns - Le cygne (The Swan) (from ""Le carnaval des animaux")
92. Henri Wieniawski - Légende in G minor, op.17
93. Schubert - Symphony No.8 in B minor "Unfinished": II. Andante con moto
94. Scriabin - Nocturne For The Left Hand, Op.9
95. Mahler - Adagietto (from "Symphony No.5")
96. Saint-Saëns - Aquarium (from ""Le carnaval des animaux")
97. Sibelius - The Swan of Tuonela op.22
98. Tchaikovsky - Chant sans paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal) Op.2 No.3
99. Samuel Barber - Adagio
That's why I was surprised to see that this new "99 Must-Have" set of classics for $1.99 on Amazon is released by the Los Angeles-based Cobra Entertainment. It looks like someone has decided to give X5 some competition using this tried and true model.
These are not performances by the best-known stars of classical music -- although there are some pretty good players such as Hungarian pianist Jeno Jando or the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, who was until recently principal conductor for many years at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. I think it's fair to say that a lot of these recordings are by respected Eastern European orchestras and performers -- a model that often works both economically and artistically.
The benefit for the consumer of having a new supplier in town is that these are generally a different universe of recordings than on the X5 sets, which as buyers of the series know can be repetitive. I haven't gone over every single track, but I looked at many and so far I'm not finding any tracks that feature the same music by the same performers as any of the X5 collections I have purchased.
This is clearly a "best of classical" type collection, so a lot of this is music you will have heard before, including on the X5 sets, but a lot of it is different and there is a good proportion of short but full-length works (important for me as I don't particularly care for excerpts). And while there are a lot of "greatest hits", there is also quite a bit of music that is off the beaten path. I can't say I was too familiar with Jean Baptiste Loeillet or Zdenek Fibich, or had much Henri Wieniawski in my collection.
I must say Cobra has done a better job of staying "on topic" than X5 has sometimes. You can't always depend on all the tracks of a "99 Most Relaxing" set to really be relaxing, for example, and there are plenty of tracks on the "99 Most Romantic" collection that would surely kill any hopes for an amorous trist. But this one really does all seem to contain 100% chill out music. Very soothing. I'm thinking of it for my new baby's nursery at bedtime. Or maybe even for myself at bedtime.
My biggest criticism is a lack of attention to detail on things like opus or catalog numbers so the listener can tell what is really playing. One example -- there is a pretty nice string orchestra reworking of a Chopin Nocturne, identified only as "Nocturne in E flat major" (track 35). Some digging reveals that it's Nocturne No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 9. But it would have been nice not to have to dig. A glance at the track listing shows this kind of labeling is the rule rather than the exception.
But this is a good deal with good music. Yes, a lot of it is sliced and diced and pre-processed, but it's good and lives up to the promise of the title.
The track listing, as always on Amazon, doesn't show you the composers. Here they are by track number:
1. Bach - Air (from Orchestral Suite No.3)
2. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight Sonata": I. Adagio sostenuto
3. Boccherini - Menuet
4. Bizet - Intermezzo (from "Carmen")
5. Mendelssohn - Spring Song, Op.62 No.6
6. Haydn - Serenade op.15 No.7
7. Mozart - Piano Concerto No.21 in C major K. 467: II. Andante
8. Berlioz - Dance of the Sylphides
9. Beethoven - Für Elise
10. Schubert - Ave Maria
11. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Morning
12. Mendelssohn - Duetto in F major, op.38 Nr.6
13. Tchaikovsky - Chanson triste op.40 No.2
14. Offenbach - Barcarole (from "The Tales of Hoffmann")
15. Brahms - Romance in F major Op.118 No.5
16. Zdenek Fibich - Poème op.41 No.6
17. Mendelssohn - A Midsummernight's Dream: Notturno
18. Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A major K.622: II. Adagio
19. Brahms - Waltz in A major, Op.39 No.15
20. Dvorak - Symphony No.9 in E minor "From The New World": II. Largo (Excerpt)
21. Schubert - Rosamunde: Intermezzo in B flat
22. Francisco Tarrega - Lagrima
23. Grieg - Notturno Op.54 No.4
24. Tchaikovsky - Elegie (from "Serenade for Strings")
25. Puccini - Manon Lescaut: Intermezzo
26. Chopin - Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor op.21: II. Larghetto
27. Dvorak - Melody (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
28. Mussorgsky - The Old Castle (from "Pictures Of An Exhibition")
29. Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Toy Flutes (from "Nutcracker")
30. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Ases Death
31. Dvorak - Humoresque in G flat major, Op. 101
32. Rubinstein - Romance in E flat major op.44
33. Schubert - Symphony No.3 in D major: II. Allegretto
34. Schumann 0- Abschied (from "Waldszenen")
35. Chopin - Nocturne in E flat major
36. Albeniz - Suite Espagnole No.1 op.47: I. Granada (Serenata)
37. Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor op.16: II. Adagio
38. Puccini - Menuet I
39. Mendelssohn - Song without words in E major op.19,1
40. Handel - Largo (from "Xerxes")
41. Vivaldi - Mandolin Concerto in C major: II. Largo
42. Bach - Jesu, joy of man's desiring
43. Gluck - Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
44. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: Concerto No.4 "Winter" (II. Largo)
45. Bach - Piano Concerto No.5 in F minor BWV 1056: II. Largo
46. Jean Baptiste Loeillet - Trumpet Sonata in G Major: Lento Dolce
47. Handel - Water Music: Suite No.1 (VI. Air)
48. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: Concerto No.1 "Spring" (II. Largo e pianissimo sempre)
49. Mozart - Piano Concerto No.23 in A major: II. Adagio
50. Beethoven - Menuett (Minuet)
51. Schubert - Rosamunde: Ballet in G major
52. Beethoven - Violin Romance No.2 in F major, Op.50
53. Mozart - Laudate Dominum K 339
54. Schubert - An die Musik
55. Brahms - Cradle Song
56. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor "Pathétique": II. Adagio cantabile
57. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Anitra's Dance
58. Dvorak - Serenade for Strings: I. Moderato
59. Liszt - Romance in E minor
60. Puccini - Crisantemi
61. Donizetti - Andante
62. Bruch - Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor: II. Adagio
63. Grieg - Arietta, op.12 No.1
64. Bizet - Nocturne (from "Carmen")
65. Henri Wieniawski - Romance (from Violin Concerto No.2)
66. Mendelssohn - The Venetian Gondola
67. Dvorak - Waltz op.54 No.1
68. Tchaikovsky - Barcarole (from "The Seasons")
69. Verdi - La Traviata: Prélude Act 1
70. Schubert - Ständchen
71. Schumann - Träumerei
72. Dvorak - Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra Op.11
73. Liszt - Love Dream
74. Grieg - Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
75. Schubert - Moment musical D 780 No.3
76. Rubinstein - Melody in F Op.3 No.1
77. Puccini - La Boheme: Rodolfos Aria (Instrumental)
78. Johann Svendsen - Romance in G major Op.26
79. Schumann - Des Abends
80. Grieg - I love you, Op.5 No.3
81. Puccini - Tosca: Vissi d'arte (Instrumental)
82. Schumann - Romance in F sharp major Op.28 No.2
83. Dvorak - Waltz in D minor op.54 Nr.7
84. Verdi - Nabucco: Choir of the Hebrew Slaves (Instrumental Version)
85. Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol Op.34: Variations
86. Schumann - Einsame Blumen
87. Tomaso Giordani - Caro mio ben
88. Puccini - O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi)
89. Grieg - To Spring Op.43 No.6
90. Tchaikovsky - Romance, Op.5
91. Saint-Saëns - Le cygne (The Swan) (from ""Le carnaval des animaux")
92. Henri Wieniawski - Légende in G minor, op.17
93. Schubert - Symphony No.8 in B minor "Unfinished": II. Andante con moto
94. Scriabin - Nocturne For The Left Hand, Op.9
95. Mahler - Adagietto (from "Symphony No.5")
96. Saint-Saëns - Aquarium (from ""Le carnaval des animaux")
97. Sibelius - The Swan of Tuonela op.22
98. Tchaikovsky - Chant sans paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal) Op.2 No.3
99. Samuel Barber - Adagio
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By K Rose
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
BUY IT!!! You won't be sorry. I picked it up this morning as a quick impulse buy...I've listened to about half of it today, and I still haven't heard a single piece I'm unfamiliar with. Lots of classical favorites. It's been the perfect music for homework. I'm relaxed but not falling asleep over my books.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By J. Munyon
Format:MP3 Music
For however long Amazon offers this incredible deal, don't miss out. Just make sure you allow about fifteen minutes for all the songs to download onto your PC. Good grief what a wonderful find. Each of these songs aren't studio artist seconds, this is the real thing, with famous performers putting their heart and soul into the best version possible. Mellow classical music for anybody wanting to chill out with easy listening classics. If you occasionally, often, or all the time enjoy classical music -- GET THIS. Best deal I've found in 56 years. Wow.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Listening
Still listening but so far, so good! I'm a jazz fan and I like to have music on while working on the computer or around the house. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SBulls57
5.0 out of 5 stars
buy it
Great price great value. The music is great, not the most known artists but great compilation of songs. Buy it.
Published 1 month ago by jedifrog
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are you kidding? $1.99 - what a steal.
I won't even go into the fact that it's 'not well known' orchestras/symphonies/conductors' etc... for this much good music, it could be my high school band and still be a bargain. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Edward Gallagher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great bargain!
Needed nice music to full up the quiet. What a great solution this was! Probably 8 hours of MP3 music, most mainly stream classical, some familiar, none obtrusive. Read more
Published 1 month ago by GCrafty
4.0 out of 5 stars
Actually very good
Seeing as I like this genre of music, it fits me. I liked/like it. Listen to the clips to see if you like it before you spend your money.
Published 2 months ago by Damag Castellum
5.0 out of 5 stars
good tunes
I was surprised but I have really enjoyed this chill out music. I use it to tone down after a hectic day
Published 2 months ago by Dr. J. A. Hembree
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have
I purchased this a month ago and oh my gosh don't I love it!! I find what works and sticks to it and Lo and behold this does it for me...I work, sleep, relax and eat to it!!! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Amazon shopaholic!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the price
So many songs for so little a price! Excellent for sitting in that favorite chair on a rainy day with your favorite book..
Published 2 months ago by pantcor66
5.0 out of 5 stars
great value
if you're a classical music fan, what's not to like? Much classical bang for your buck. Great as background soundscape.
Published 3 months ago by ken
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very soothing
This collection is a great choice to listen to for a relaxing Sunday afternoon with your favorite book, or favorite person. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kim
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