Beethoven or Bust

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Don Dorsey (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Don Dorsey
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000003CUI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,502 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Ecossaises

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dorsey Rocks It Out in Beethoven Style, June 7, 2006

By 

Kyle Smith "CelticKnot" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven or Bust (Audio CD)

This is one of the very first CDs I bought, way back in 1988 when it was released, and, as it turns out 18 years later, it's still one of my favorites. Why would a near-20-year-old classical recording -- of synthesized origin, no less -- continue to be a favorite?

Perhaps it's a bit of nostalgia. Perhaps it's my love of neo-classical that made me gush over this album nearly 20 years ago when it was fresh, and yet even today. Perhaps it's the fact that I can take this disc into my vehicle, crank the volume and get blown away by the bass in tracks 1 - "Rage Over a Lost Penny", 4, 11 - "Für Elise", and 12. Track 1 literally blew the sound coil off the cone of my subwoofer on one particularly enthusiastic playback. Perhaps it's the fact that this thing is pure digital (when DDD meant something) and sounded amazing when it came out -- and still does; it's a great reference disc for putting speakers through their paces. Perhaps it's because Beethoven was a musical genius and the appeal of his work transcends time and instrumentation. Perhaps it's because Dorsey is an artist and has masterfully translated these beautiful ancient works into something reverently (and occasionally reverently comically) modern. Perhaps it's a combination of all the above.

Dorsey succeeded in making classical music FUN with this recording! "Beethoven or Bust" complemented his previous effort, "Bachbusters" perfectly, even though the two composers' styles were so different. Oh, and it is apparently pretty solid stuff technically and stylistically -- "Beethoven or Bust" was #1 on the Classical charts for nearly half a year in '88 and the #2 album of the year, so the naysayers have some explaining to do. This is not just another "Switched-on Bach". A previous reviewer said that Dorsey has a heck of a sense of humor - you just have to read the liner notes to see that this is true!

Bottom line is you'll enjoy -- even love! -- this disc unless you're a die-hard classical fan that can't quite accept the shift of classical music into the electronic world. The irony of this situation is that most of the great ancient composers were on the cutting edge of music technology of their time and would undoubtedly have used synthesizers if they had them at the time. Buy this album. Denny Krane.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Bust, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven or Bust (Audio CD)

This is another highly entertaining CD from Mr Dorsey. While not as good as Bachbusters, is still delightful, particularly the Moonlight Sonata and the Bagatelles. Even though this recorded early in the CD age, the sound is full and rich.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best examples of fusion music out there., May 14, 2007

By 

Gabriel A. Henton "cool tech guy" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven or Bust (Audio CD)

This ranks right up there with Jesse Cook and Sarah McLachlan on my list of modern recordings. Dorsey obviously adores the music of Beethoven. Full, rich sound with lots of good base notes and just the right touch at all time.