A to Z of Classical Music

Various (Artist, Conductor), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Hector Berlioz (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Benjamin Britten (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Arcangelo Corelli (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Edward Elgar (Composer), Philip Glass (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Hildegard von Bingen (Composer)

Product Details

• Conductor: Various
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, et al.
• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00004YYRT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,815 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( D ) > Dittersdorf, Karl Ditters
  #3 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( C ) > Couperin, François
  #3 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Renaissance (c.1450-1600)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Adams: Short Ride in a Fast...

2. Bach: Double Violin Concerto

3. Bartok: 44 Duos for Two Violins

4. Beethoven: I. Grave

5. Berlioz: IV. Marche au supplice

6. Brahms: III. Poco allegretto

7. Britten: II. Playful Pizzicato

8. Chopin: Impromptu No.

9. Debussy: No. 2: Fêtes

10. Dvorak: III. Allegretto grazioso

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Mendelssohn: Andante con moto...

2. Monteverdi: Occhi, un tempo mia.

3. Mozart: II. Larghetto

4. Palestrina: Hodie Christus ...

5. Prokoviev: IV. Vivace

6. Schicchi: O mio babbino caro

7. Rachmaninov: Prelude in G minor,

8. Rossini: Sinfonia

9. Schoenberg: II. Langsam

10. Schubert: IV. Theme and Vari...

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Is it a two-CD set with a particularly thick booklet, or a 562-page book with a compilation album attached? Either way, the unpretentious text by Keith Anderson offers an introduction to the lives and works of dozens of composers, together with recommended recordings from the Naxos and Marco Polo catalogs. Anderson includes a useful 59-page glossary of musical terms and an extensive listing of classical pieces used in films. The odd thing about the 36 extracts and complete pieces on the CDs is that they do not form an A-to-Z at all. Rather, they are arranged chronologically, from 1,000-year-old Gregorian chant to the opening movement of contemporary composer Philip Glass's Violin Concerto. Between these two points is the early music of Palestrina and Byrd; the Baroque glories of Vivaldi and Bach; the 19th-century Romantic masters, from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky; and such 20th-century greats as Rachmaninov and Stravinsky. Opera, song, and chamber music are barely represented, but only so much can fit into 151 minutes. Essentially a deluxe sampler of the vast Naxos catalogue, the discs offer a good introduction to some of the most famous and melodic music ever composed, while the book will be very useful to newcomers to the potentially confusing world of classical music. --Gary S. Dalkin

Product Description

The third edition of The A Z of Classical Music has been greatly expanded, now including most of the composers represented in the Naxos catalogue. Entries remain, however, restricted by space and by the immense proliferation of classical recordings in which Naxos has been a notable participant. For the same reason the recommended recordings of the earlier editions have been omitted; such information can now be obtained from the previous edition of The A Z of Classical Music. Rather than describing the A Z as a list of the great composers and their greatest works, the new edition, while not quite 'All Composers, Great and Small', now includes a number of less familiar figures, some eclipsed by passing contemporary fashions and others now finding their way back into current concert repertoire. Once again the attempt has been made to provide a modicum of information for the interested, intelligent listener, without the burden of technical jargon, much of which is, in any case, explained in the Glossary of Musical Terms. The new edition is accompanied by two CDs with a brand new selection of sample tracks, ranging from John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine to Palestrina's Hodie Christus natus est to 'Isolde s Liebestod' from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.

Thanks to Naxos's extraordinary library of recordings, this new edition of The A Z of Classical Music is a remarkable musical resource.

BONUS AREA
Listen to music by a further 150 composers!

The CDs give a snapshot of the greatest composers; the Bonus Area enables you to sample music by 150 others! Ranging from Albéniz to Zwilich, they form a musically colourful variety of famous and less familiar names.

- 150 tracks to stream; 25 tracks to download: all FREE!

- Over 15 hours of music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At this price, how can one complain?, September 29, 2001

By	Spiff (Europe) - See all my reviews

This is pretty much a CD version of a mini-Naxos and Marco Polo catalog. All the pieces and extracts are ordered chronologically on the 2 CDs and are of very acceptable quality, but don't expect excellence in every track. Personally, I was particularly disappointed with one of my favourite Pachelbel pieces. The Naxos Canon & Gigue lacks all the emotion of my favourite versions.

Still, any possible weaker performances are of little importance after you get your hands on the fat booklet with over 500 pages. The booklet offers a short intro about the great composers, a glossary of musical terms, a list of works used in films and dozens of illustrations of several composers.

Overall, at this price, this is a must-have pack for any beginner, and might be useful for the occasion "quick check" of the work of many composers. Do not expect many detail, nor references to all the works of some composers; I often got frustrated with the lack of detail in some cases, but in general, the booklet is very effective for a quick reference.
You will need more titles that offer more complete information, and you won't truly learn to love classical music just by reading it, but it is small and compact.

It really puzzles me why Naxos did not include a full index of composers, a serious omission. To find a particular composer you will have to look for it yourself in over 500 pages. Also, the separation of the text is not so good, making the search even a bit slower. The lack of the index is truly annoying and I am sure it will be corrected in future editions.

Even with a few weaker pieces and the lack of the index, at this price, there isn't much to argue about. This is truly a bargain that you should not miss. I would also recommend the A-Z of Opera, which offers a bigger booklet with over 700 pages, focusing on opera works and mentioning several composers that are absent from the A-Z of Classical. That other booklet has a very complete index, and much clearer text layout and separation, that's the way both booklets should have been designed.

The two sets complement each other very well. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Tracks -- Great Value -- Great Book, Who Can Complain?, August 30, 2002

By	Wayne Sacchi (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Naxos is a fabulous label -- you will not get samples of the best classical music through the ages at no better price. These tracks are as good as any of the over-priced major orchestras and in some cases better. This is a great starter set for a beginner or anyone who just wants to "taste" the classics. If you prefer Opera I would suggest the A to Z of Opera -- most of the tracks on A to Z Classical are orchestral. I was so impressed with this collection that I purchased the Discover the Classics Vol's 1-3 which will give you a more detailed look at the great classics. Take a look at the Naxos web site at NAXOSUSA.COM -- what you will see will blow your mind -- there are literally thousands of pieces that you could listen too!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ok Product, October 11, 2009

By	David Stroz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I personally am not a classical music type of guy but I was told to buy this product for one of my college classes. Some of the more popular songs like Canon are on here but I would have liked to hear things like Moonlight Sonata. The booklet gives quite a bit of information and overall is probably the best thing about this set.

Overall this is a very nice CD and well worth the price. I highly recommend it to those who are just getting into classical music.