Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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133 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Incomplete works, but a low price, December 30, 2008
At the special deal price of $1.99 (as the MP3 Deal of the Day on 12/30/08), this is a very good introduction to Beethoven's music for those who are not into classical music, or who aren't sure if they are or not, or who are curious and want to try something out. Go for it! It's all to the good.
However, if you have already decided you like classical music and are looking at this set as a quick collection builder, you might want to keep looking elsewhere. It is still a bargain, but a more questionable one, at the "standard" price of $7.99.
My main gripe is that this is a collection of "best of" excerpts -- almost no complete works, just individual movements and snippets cut and pasted together in a kind of hodgepodge. Maddening is that even when multiple movements are presented from the same work, they are not together, but scattered around separately in various places.
I am particularly puzzled by the 9th Symphony. This is the only one of the nine that is actually fully present, with all four movements included in the set. But they are not in order, scattered all around the place. For Pete's sake, why?
The performances themselves are good, from what I have heard -- but I haven't listened to the entire set, and mainly orchestral pieces so far. There are some world-class orchestras present. I was particularly surprised and pleased to find the "Grosse Füge" in a string symphony version with the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwangler. I would have bought that for $0.89 alone -- which again is an argument that the set is a bargain.
The second and third movements of the Violin Concerto are from a version conducted by Michael Geilen; I believe this features Christian Tetzlaff, a top-rate Swiss soloist, on violin. Whether it's Tetzlaff or not, it sounds good. It's just a shame that the 1st movement, which I think is the real heart of the Violin Concerto, is not included.
Some symphony excerpts seem to be from a set from the mid-90s with the London Symphony Orchestra under Josef Krips; these are interesting versions as far as I've listened so far, maybe a little non-standard but that's what makes them interesting.
The soloists in the sonatas and elsewhere seem to be strong players but not "superstars". It's difficult to make generalizations because there are really a lot of different players here. It all seems quite listenable so far from the selections I've listened to.
If the $1.99 bargain price comes around again, this is worth it without question. But there is a lot of bargain music out there, and listening to the movements these people have cut out -- going beyond the "greatest hits" mentality and listening to full works from start to end -- is one of the real joys of classical music. That being said, this set can be a great start toward appreciating this kind of music.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Done, Well Priced Collection, December 30, 2008
Although I would tend to agree with others in writing that this collection is lacking in that it's only bits and pieces of Beethoven's music that we love, but it makes up for it in quantity and quality. Yes, we may not have entire symphonies, sonatas, or quartets, but we have many parts from great ones! Although I own most of this music in its complete form, it's worth buying this because I don't have digital copies of that music. Also there's some fabulous recordings here. Definitely worth 2 dollars.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a bargin..., December 30, 2008
I am still downloading the 99 pieces and have only listened to one... Sonata No. 8 in C Minor for Piano, Op. 13 "Pathétique": II. Adagio cantabile.
Just that piece alone is worth the price of admission.. What a great way to explore the genius of Beethoven's large body of work, and by some of the best players around to boot!
At just 0.02 per piece (many over 10:00 minutes) this is the best bargain that I have ever come across on Amazon. The collection is over 15 and 1/2 hours... Do yourself a favor and downloaded now!
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