Customer Reviews

Fright Night: Music that Goes Bump in the Night

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

 

 

As a regular classroom teacher, I'm always looking for music to use in the classroom for various occasions. I have used this collection with grades 4 through 7 with positive results. The students have written some interesting journal entries when they write while listening to this music. It's a great way to gain the interest of the most callous student who thinks of all classical music as "elevator music." The only down side comes when my hyper kids decide to move along with the music. Maybe I should give them a grade for interpretive dance.

If you're looking for a fun CD with spooky sounding music that reminds you of old Disney cartoons...I think that this CD was meant to be fun, NOT for the classical conisseur. It would be a nice CD for a Halloween gathering, or something similar, as background music.

I'm familiar with most of the pieces found in this CD, and I can say I don't think they are frightening at all. They're great and highly enjoyable in their own right (the 'Danse Macabre' by Camille Saint-Saens is lovely dance music), but if one's intention is to bring together a collection of pieces of truly scary classical music, then this anthology hasn't done the job.

Here's a list of what I would consider TRULY TERRIFYING works of classical music:

~Ralph Vaughan Williams' 4th & 6th symphonies (especially the 2nd movement of each of them)

~Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring'

~Gyorgy Ligeti's 'Atmospheres' and 'Lux Aeterna' (used in the film '2001')

~Almost anything by Bela Bartok (but especially his 'The Miraculous Mandarin')

If you want to be truly frightened, go for the said pieces!

The music on this CD is all very good, but as I play it, I don't really feel that "Bump in the Night" sensation throughout. Since it appears to be marketed for fun Halloween gatherings, I cannot honestly say that it will jumpstart the mood for the average party-goer. While "Funeral March For a Marionette" is extremely creepy and sets the mood (for those of you baby-boomers who don't recognize the title---this was the theme music to the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series), other tunes kind of pull the plug on the momentum. Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" might ring Seasonal for classical music buffs, but I think your everyday Joe will picture helicopters soaring over Vietnam and the cry "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"

FOUR STARS if you just want a nice sampling of bold classical music, and TWO STARS if you want it to go "Bump!" in the Night.

I'm not much for anthology CDs, especially of snippets from larger works, but this is a must-have for anyone who plays in or conducts a school or community orchestra. Why? Because of those October concerts that always include at least one of the pieces on this CD. The orchestra I'm in is playing three of them this time around, and has played two of the others!

Especially welcome are "Danse Macabre", which isn't that commonly recorded, and the absolutely delightful "Halloween" by Ives. What's scarier than an out-of-tune string quartet?

I give this CD only three stars because of a sloppy middle section on "Sorcerer's Apprentice" (the brass just don't mesh), the ADD quality, and the non-existent liner notes. I also would have preferred the waltz from the "Masquerade" suite to the Mephisto Waltz, and I'm not sure why "Mars" is here.

Still, I think it's a great collection for musicians who play these warhorses every fall. You can just stick it in the CD slot in the car or computer, and have everything you need to prepare right there on one disc. In fact, I'm buying a copy for my conductor.

what a great collection! i was specifically looking for 2 of these, and to get the others (some of which i've been thinking of getting) in the same mood is SO GREAT ! all on one CD ! the performances chosen sound great also. the ability to check out some tracks via realaudio is SO great. just wish all tracks were available that way.

While this CD might cover most of the standard "creepy classics", there are a few more it could have covered, but frankly, the only song on the whole thing I didn't care for was Ives "Halloween". Some people may think that completely discordant music is great, but I do NOT! Otherwise, everything else was a great selection, and very entertaining. Definitely worth having, esp. if you like classical music.

This wonderful CD contains twelve tunes associated with horror. It has Mussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain which is about a witches' Sabbath, Camille Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre about the appearance of Death on Halloween, Edvard Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King is about the king of the trolls, Charles-Francois Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette which was the theme song of the television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor which is the ultimate in "Phantom of the Opera" tunes, and so much more!

Overall, I really enjoyed this CD. The sound quality is very good, and sounded great in my earphones. Now, don't be put off by the title, you can ignore the "Horror" angle if you want, and just enjoy the pieces for themselves. This is a very good album, one that I really enjoy listening to, and don't hesitate to recommend!

This is a wonderful sampler for young people and newcomers who are just getting their feet wet in the Classical Music genre. Every piece on this sampler inspires vivid images in the mind of the listener, each of them tells a story that captivates.

When I was in grade school we had a program called "Music Memory," and many of these pieces were on that program. They are the reason I grew to love classical music, and I'm delighted to have so many of them on one quality recording. The performers include Eugene Ormandy (who conducted some of my favorite recordings)and Lorin Maazel. Even if you're already a knowledgeable fan of classical music, you'll appreciate the line-up on this album. It's a fun addition to any collection.

This music is great to give an eerie effect in the background of whatever you may be doing. It is not scary, but in a classical way it is haunting and creepy and provides the perfect "mood" for Halloween. I enjoyed listening to it while I baked my Halloween cookies, then my husband used it outside to go along with his creepy Halloween decorated yard. It was effective in setting the mood it both places. Totally instrumental, and very cool.

I highly recommed it!