Customer Reviews

Happy Birthday

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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?

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.

This is a nice "classic" touch for any birthday celebration--great musical treatment of a most familiar tune!

There are some records that are so beautifull that you can hear them again and again. The virtuosity of Kremer and the orchestra are beyond doubt.Congratulations for the sixh anniversary

My God...I will be too grateful to anyone who can show me where I can get the printed music of the "Happy Birthday" variation ....

I was desperately looking through the internet for a tango "happy birthday" and the tune was there, in this album. After I purchased the cd, I read the booklet included and there I found mentioned that "the album's title is not merely a reference to the popular tune, but a celebration of the ensemble's anniversary". So, I was happy to have finally found a tango "happy birthday" but I was also disappointed because this was not the playful album I was looking forward to listen to.
But this is a bit unfair for this excellent orchestra.
If what you are looking for is innovations on the romantic classicals... well this could be it. The point is that this is an album for listeners who know their way into classical music.
Other than that I should suggest that innovation regarding any classical music "playful" album would be to capture the listener's interest with more daring ways than that.