Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music [Box set]

Johann Pachelbel (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Jean-Joseph Mouret (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Johann II [Junior] Strauss (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Aram Khachaturian (Composer), Franz von Suppe (Composer), Georges Bizet (Composer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Johann I [Senior] Strauss (Composer), Alexander Borodin (Composer), Edvard Grieg (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Johann Pachelbel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Joseph Mouret, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, et al.
• Audio CD (June 9, 1994)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Compendia
• ASIN: B000003QWH
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,046 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Canon and gigue, for 3 violins & continuo in D major, T. 337: Canon

2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048: Allegro

3. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in F minor ('L'inverno,' The Four Seasons; 'Il cimento' No. 4), Op. 8/4, RV 297: Lar

4. Rondeau, for brass, strings & timpani (from Suite of Symphonies No. 1; 'Masterpiece Theater' Theme): 1. Rondeau ('Masterpiece Theatre

5. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: No. 2, Air

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Sabre Dance

2. Light Cavalry, overture to the operetta: Overture [excerpt: finale]

3. Carmen, opera: The Toreadors

4. A Midsummer Night's Dream, incidental music, Op. 61: Wedding March

5. Radetzky-Marsch, for orchestra, Op. 228

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zoroaster), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 30 (TrV 176): Introduction

2. Symphony No. 4 in A major ('Italian'), Op. 90: Saltarello. Presto

3. Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466: Romance

4. Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b: Ride of the Valkyries

5. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ('La Primavera,' The Four Seasons; 'Il cimento' No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269: Al

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Carmina Burana, scenic cantata for soloists, choruses & orchestra: Introduction

2. Peer Gynt, incidental music, Op. 23: Dawn

3. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75: Prelude

4. Lieutenant Kijé, film score and suite for orchestra, Op. 60: Troïka

5. Adagio for strings (or string quartet; arr. from 2nd mvt. of String Quartet), Op. 11

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous set!, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

I am a musician and I generally dislike classical compilation CD's, but my friend brought this in to work one day and I was hooked. It covers many different styles of classical music with a wonderful combination of pieces. The only negative for me was that some of the longer pieces had to be cut down to fit them on, but that was minor when compared with all of the good things in this set. I recommend it for musicians and non-musicians alike.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ear-Candy and good introduction to Classical Music, January 17, 2004

By	C. Chu - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This compilation offers the most popular themes and familiar tunes in small doses, in a sampler. Unless you've lived under a rock, you can't have helped but have heard of some of these tunes, whether at a wedding, or as background music to some action scene in a movie. You get 4 CDs for the price of 1, so it's a great value, and who cares if they are not the most famous orchestras or performers. The only thing is that the pieces are somewhat abridged, and are designed to please the uninitiated, hence ear-candy. Good enough to whet your appetite for something more substantial and a start a music appreciation.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Is What It Is, October 27, 2006

By	Mark Runsvold (Moscow, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's fitting that this page is fraught with the same kind of silly snobbery that turns people off from classical music (and necessitates collections like this) in the first place.

Any criticism of this compilation, which focuses on the quality of the performances or the fact that many tracks are excerpts, misses the point. This is not a collection for people who consider such things, nor does it purport to be. The idea is to package as many ultra-famous classical melodies as possible in one affordable collection and market it to people who have never purchased a classical recording. As such, top-tier performances are likely too expensive to be sold so cheaply and are unnecessary anyway. Those of us who already know and love a piece or two can forgive the compilers the inclusion of sub-par recordings, when we are exposed to so many other beautiful pieces for the first time.

It probably comes as a shock for some to hear that most people are not familiar with these classics. We may hear snippets on TV or movies, but are left with no idea as to the composer or historical context. With that in mind, it is extremely intimidating to begin buying classical. I suppose those among us, who so thoroughly dismissed the very notion of a boxed set like this, would have us begin by buying full albums by reputable interpreters. Surprisingly enough though, the majority of people would consider that a tad cost-prohibitive.

To conclude, this is a STARTER collection. It will either affirm a listener's feelings about classical music or lead to an interest in purchasing better recordings. Ideally, I suppose the interpretations would be better, but, for reasons mentioned above, that just isn't in the cards for a collection of this nature. If you're familiar with 50 different recordings of "The Ring" series, or have season tickets to the New York Philharmonic, then this probably isn't for you. For us cretins with limited foreknowledge of classical music though, it serves as a succinct introduction with little to complain about.