Customer Reviews

Baroque Masterpieces

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

 

 

As I have stated in many of my previous reviews, I am a huge fan of the Sony Essential Classics (SEC) budget series. Most of the recordings feature classic and often definitive performances featuring the likes of George Szell, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Casadesus, Isaac Stern and Rudolf Serkin among others. Here we get a variety of orchestras and conductors including big names like Jean-Claude Malgoire, Raymond Leppard, Pierre Boulez, Sir Charles Groves and the great Eugene Ormandy. This disc features excellent performances of what is arguably the most popular Baroque music ever written. I am not usually one to give five-star ratings to greatest-hits style collections (particularly in classical), but the half-dozen performances by Ormandy make this disc a great purchase for both novices and serious collectors.

This CD has 17 pieces on 22 tracks including 7 by Handel, 2 each by Bach & Corelli, and 1 each by Pachelbel, Mouret, Albinoni, Gluck, Clarke, & Purcell. They are frequently the best known piece by the composer--and easily recognizable: Pachelbel's Canon, Mouret's Rondeau (theme from PBS' Masterpiece Theater), Albinoni's Adagio, etc. If you like high quality short pieces/excerpts, this CD is for you. My only qualification is: no Telemann, but it's just too good for a 4-star rating.

This is a quality CD, both in the pieces selected and in the quality of the recordings. I am playing it over and over again, because I like it so much! However, if you are looking for authenticity, do be aware that these versions don't necessarily use the instruments you might expect. This can actually be an advantage if, like me, you've listened to some of these pieces before, and are pleased to hear a new interpretation. For example, there is no harpsichord or piano playing the Musette for keyboard in D major, and there are no vocals to "Bist du bei mir". I actually wanted a version without the vocals, so this was in fact a plus point for me. Personally, I think this CD is a good buy.

For the person who wanna listen light classical music, this is the one. Including many famous baroque musics, you will enjoy and not easily boring.

The music was very good but wish they had more to listen too. Not enough bang.