Chopin and Champagne: Set Your Mood for Romance

Frederic Chopin (Composer), David Zinman (Conductor), Eliahu Inbal (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Claudio Arrau (Performer), Nikita Magaloff (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Claudio Arrau, Nikita Magaloff
• Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: David Zinman, Eliahu Inbal
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (June 13, 1995)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041D7
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,924 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic Evening Music, May 26, 2004

By	Rudy Avila "Saint Seiya" (Lennox, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Phillips label "Set Your Mood" contains classical music for any frame of mind, life event, setting or mood. Others in the series include "Mozart For Your Morning Commute" "Bach For Barbecue" "Baroque For Bathtime" "Beethoven For Book Lovers" "Tchaikovksy For Teatime" "Liszt For Lovers" "Puccini And Pasta" and countless of other delightful albums, each with
its own theme and each containing beautifully performed classical music. On this album, the music of Chopin is meant to accompany your romantic evening or your drinking champagne after dinner. The music of Chopin does effectively describe nocturnal scenes and has a very melancholy romanticism which is very internal and reflective. It's perfect ambiance music. If I owned an office I would pipe in Chopin for the Musak.

The selected pieces here are exquisite and some of Chopin's most beautiful works for piano, the instrument that he made entirely his own in the 19th century. Frederic Chopin, a shy, sickly Polish man, composed countless of nocturnes and preludes, all which bear a sad, introspective, wistful and evening feel. The famous Nocturne No. 2 in E Flat is on here, the so called "Murmurs Of the Seine" a romantic description of the moonlit Seine river. In other preludes, such as the "Raindrop" Chopin captured the sound of water and rain perfectly, as he does with some of his other works. There is fluidity, finesse and elegance in everything he wrote. The opening excerpt is the Larghetto from his Piano Concerto No. 2, a slow movement whose dreamy mood is absolutely breathtaking. It was for this movement and the following Berceuse In D Flat Major Opus 57 that I even bought this album. The Berceuse is a sublime piece, full of intricate trills, falls, runs and an unforgettable melody. It really is rather difficult to play as well. Chopin made the piano a singing voice, with leaps, octaves and floritura. It's really on the same level as Franz Liszt, though Liszt preferred more dynamic, dramatic even shocking sounds while Chopin's music remained ever gentle and romantic. This is a great album for fans of Chopin. The piano artists here, especially Claudio Arrau are doing a remarkable job with the music.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, romantic!, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

Chopin has always been a favorite of mine, and Claudio Arrau is a superlatively genius pianist when it comes to playing Chopin. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in Fm is absolutely the most romantic, breathtaking piece I've ever heard. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorte CDs. Recently, I played the Nocturne in E-flat, and listening to Mr. Arrau's version really helped me to have a better sense of my rubato.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD Made Me A Arrau Fan., August 24, 2000

By	sherri j. thorne (brooklyn, new york United States) - See all my reviews

This CD is perfect if you want a sampling of Chopin's beautiful piano works. It really sets the right mood if you are planning a romantic evening, or just trying to relax after a long day. I was very pleasantly surprised by this whole series, and find both the selection of pieces and the performers who play them to be excellent. For anyone who hasn't heard Clauddio Arrau play before, or his interpetation of Chopin, you have got to hear this. I have been a fan ever since.