Happy Birthday

Gidon Kremer (Artist), Kremerata Baltica (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 28, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B00006JP2B
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,780 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To celebrate its sixth anniversary as an ensemble, Kremerata Baltica presents a light, loving, and musically interesting confection. After an opening polka by Schnittke (who knew he could be so frothy?), we get 11 variations on the song "Happy Birthday" by Peter Heidrich, à la Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and some dance movements. Delightful. Elsewhere, Franz Waxman's Variations on "Auld lang syne" are as clever as they are unexpected and charming. More variations--this time on "God save the King" by the 19th century composers Ghys and Servais--afford Kremer and cellist Marta Sudraba a fine time, and Teddy Bor's brief riff on Mozart's omnipresent "Eine kleine nachtmusik" is a hoot. There's more, but the point is made: Classical music can be fun and sophisticated, and Kremer and his group remain virtuosi, one and all. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will not believe how much you will like this, March 19, 2003

By 

Michael Ashley Schulman, Cfa (Newport Beach, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Birthday (Audio CD)

Slow and timid to start like the sun beginning to brighten a long summer day, do not take this CD frivolously. The music captured here melts across the speakers. Never have I been so mystified, lost and utterly annoyed all at once by all the different interpretations of Happy Birthday music. In some ways the art here is brilliant in supplying intriguing Mozartesque, Beethoveny and Brahmsesque renderings of such a banal tune. On the other hand, I can also imagine the equivalent of a musician's Adobe Photoshop that at a press of a button reconfigures the tune to fit the style: tango, ragtime, adagio, presto!

Thankfully, the second half of this collection entertains with superbly done variations of `God Save the King' and `Moonlight' tunes.

Make jest of this compilation if you like. However, it is fundamentally sound and top notch. I highly recommend this CD for classical music DJs that can mix in a quirky tune with the conservative - your listeners may consciously never notice. In addition, it is also perfect for those with a sense of humor as well as serious aficionados that have a 100+CD changer and can slip this one in for levity.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jest with Zest, November 25, 2005

By 

Savoury Freak (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Birthday (Audio CD)

If you enjoy parodies, this will be the perfect album for you. The jokes played on the various composers are amusing and refreshing, especially for music students who bore their brains out analysing these composers. Take a fresh view and enjoy! Even though they may seem meaningless initially, they grow onto you soon enough; and you will start asking - why not?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect birthday gift, January 26, 2006

By 

Lai Chun Pin Patrick "Patrick Lai" (Tsimsahstsui Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Birthday (Audio CD)

I bought it out of my own devotion to Gidon Kremer and another one for a food friend's birthday. Kremer never let me down. This is another outstanding CD and a perfect birthday gift, even for non-classical lovers. However, to be very honest, I am not totally satisfied with all the tracks but still it's highly recommended. I would say it is an almost-must-have for your CD shelf. The variation of the traditional 'Happy Birthday' is fantastic if not too commercial.