Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Barbara Nichol (Composer), Walter Babiak (Conductor), Studio Arts Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Studio Arts Orchestra
• Conductor: Walter Babiak
• Composer: Barbara Nichol
• Audio CD (March 20, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Classical Kids
• ASIN: B0000DELT4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #304,763 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Sacramento Bee
"...far and away the best of the lot..." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The award-winning Classical Kids series introduces children -- and adults -- to the joys of classical music. A dramatic story, a little bit of history and the world's best-loved classical music set the scene for these fun-filled musical adventures.

The arrival of an eccentric boarder turns a young boy's life upside down. Ludwig van Beethoven has moved in upstairs! At first Christoph resents their new tenant but slowly he comes to understand the genius of the man, the torment of his deafness and the beauty of his music. In the end he is won over by the music and true incidents from the great composer's life. The music, all originally produced, includes excerpts of more than 35 of Beethoven's best-loved works: Symphonies Nos. 5 to 9, the Moonlight and Pathetique Sonatas, Violin "Spring Sonata," Flute Serenade, G+ Sonatina, Minuet in G+, Fur Elise.

Awards: Juno Award Best Children's Recording (Canada), Parents' Choice Silver Honor, American Library Association Notable Children's Recording Award, Practical Home Schooling Reader Awards Music Curriculum Category, Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence, Parents' Choice Classic Award, Certified Gold Record (Canada), Certified Platinum Record (Canada)

Also available from Classical Kids: Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Mozart's Magic Fantasy, Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, Daydreams and Lullabies, Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Hallelujah Handel, Mozart's Magnificent Voyage --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to classical music for kids, April 21, 2001

By	M. Ragen "searagen" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Audio CD)

This is the first of the music CDs for the kids - we have two boys aged 6 and 8 now. We've had this (and other in the series) for over a year now. At first, the kids loved the stories which provide a sense of history and place and keep them interested in the entire CD. Then, they started to listen more to the musical portions. More recently, it's been really interesting to see what they've picked up as we've listed to music on the radio. Time and again, they perk up when listening to a piece of music and surprise us by saying "That's Beethoven". Sure enough - they've picked up something about the style of music that's characteristic of Beethoven. Sometimes it's the snippet of music from the CD and other times it's just the rhythms that are characteristic of that piece. As a family, we all recommend this.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great audio CD about Beethoven, July 21, 2000

By	Ed N "Ed" (Kensington, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Audio CD)

I initially heard "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" over the campus radio station 9 years ago when I was in college. It was being played around Christmas time. This is a marvellous production centered around a young boy whose mother rents the upstairs room to the composer Beethoven for a short period of time. The story, if it is true, is apparently based on a series of letters the young boy had written to one of his uncles, detailling the daily events of life with Beethoven upstairs. As such, it is narrated in parts as a flashback mainly with the voices of the uncle and the nephew. The storyline is often amusing, and the background ambience has a rich fullness to the sound, which only enhances our appreciation of the music and time period. It is quite obvious that a lot of care and love went into the production of this hour-long audioplay. We also hear quite a lot of excerpts from Beethoven's works, which are masterfully performed.

This is the perfect introduction to Beethoven and his music for those unfamiliar with this great composer. Even for those who already know his music, this production is so delightful and enjoyable that they will listen to it repetitively, as I have done. The whole family will enjoy this audio CD.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will not regret this purchase, September 10, 2004

By	J. McGee "2 Boys' Mom" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Audio CD)

I bought this CD and the others in the series - Mr. Bach Comes to Call and Mozart's Magical Adventure and my oldest son, who is 4, will put this CD in first thing in the morning and listen to it and all the others 2-3 times a day. They all are charming and intelligent enough that I don't mind listening to it over and over again with him. All of the CDs in the series have well told stories that integrate the music beautifully and give you a brief but complete history of these musicians and what life was like for them. Enjoy!