The Jane Austen Companion

Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Michael Haydn (Composer), Johann Friedrich Fasch (Composer), Johann Christian Bach (Composer), Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), William Boyce (Composer), Etienne-Nicolas Mehul (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), William Boughton (Conductor), Adam Fischer (Conductor), Michel Swierczewski (Conductor), English String Orchestra (Performer, Orchestra), Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra (Orchestra), Philharmonia (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra (Orchestra), Gulbenkian Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: English String Orchestra
• Orchestra: English String Orchestra, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Philharmonia, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra, et al.
• Conductor: William Boughton, Adam Fischer, Michel Swierczewski
• Composer: Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Michael Haydn, Johann Friedrich Fasch, Johann Christian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, et al.
• Audio CD (June 18, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nimbus Records
• ASIN: B0000037IK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,188 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is wonderful, December 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jane Austen Companion (Audio CD)

I've had this CD for over a year now and of all my many classical albums, tapes, MP3's and CDs it is, by far, my most played CD. I listen to it almost every evening as I fall asleep. The more you play this music, the more you'll love it. Don't let the title fool you, this is some heady stuff. It may turn you on to some lesser know composers (i.e. William Boyce) and I guarantee you won't be dissatisfied. If you love Baroque you will love this CD.

70 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Anachronism!, August 21, 2000

By 

G. Dooley (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jane Austen Companion (Audio CD)

I have to admit that I haven't heard this CD, and I'm sure it is very pleasant listening. BUT Jane Austen died when Mendelssohn was 8 years old, and although he was precocious, he wasn't that precocious! Also the music Jane Austen played and heard most would have been piano music and, as another reviewer has mentioned, chamber music. The concerts she attended often included Italian songs, for example. In her music collection there was nothing by Beethoven or even Mozart. A really interesting JA music companion album would have made an effort to establish what music she would have heard - and without the easy availability of recordings we have, it wouldn't necessarily have been what we now regard as the great classics. Anybody interested in this topic should read "The Innocent Diversion: a study of music in the life and writings of Jane Austen" by Patrick Piggott, London, 1979.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have study music, August 25, 2001

By 

Aeiou - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jane Austen Companion (Audio CD)

My mother purchased this CD for me as a gift and I have used it as study music ever since. It provides the perfect background without distraction, yet somehow manages to lift the spirits when books, tests, and papers abound.