101 Classical Music CDs

One particularly annoying thing about the Rimsky-Korsakov works on this CD is that they are recordings of performances I already own, on a CD that I already wrote about . Granted, these works are still a great pleasure to listen to (uh, again), but I'd prefer that that publishers at least chose another performance of the same work by the same symphony. At least then listeners could compare the two . But of course the publisher can make more money by simply re-copying an already recorded performance, and no one, except a few true classical music nerds, will ever know the difference. ********************** Neeme Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Tchaikovsky (1841-1904); Borodin (1833-1887); Rimsky Korsakov (1844-1908) Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture and Marche Slave Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances and In The Steppes of Central Asia Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture and Capriccio Espagnol Deutsche Grammophon, 1990 ********************** However, this ...

Today we'll go over a disc that you could almost call a mix tape of Russian classical music favorites. If you're a classical music beginner looking to sample some truly memorable musical works, this is a great disc to buy or download. ********************** Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition No 1-10; Night on the Bare Mountain; Khovanshchina - Prelude; Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture Decca, 1987 ********************** I generally hate to buy classical music CDs containing works by multiple composers (after all, which composer do you file it under?) but I gladly made an exception for this exceptional CD. I challenge you to find works more thrilling than Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Orchestra . And one listen to Pictures at an Exhibition and you'll wish you were a brass player. Before we get to the listener notes, I'll tell a brief story about a time when I performed Pictures a...

Let's briefly reprise my favorite classical music quote about Rimsky-Korsakov: "The works of Rimsky-Korsakov music may be conveniently divided into two groups: the overplayed and the unknown." --Richard Taruskin, author, The Oxford History of Western Music (6 Volume Set) And now that we've already covered three "unknown"works by this composer, it's time to listen to two of the "overplayed" ones. Today we'll cover the Russian Easter Festival Overture and the Capriccio Espagnol, and at last we'll have finished off this amazing two-CD set of Rimsky-Korsakov's works. ********************** Neeme Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Three Symphonies; Capriccio Espagnol; Russian Easter Festival Overture Deutsche Grammophon, 1988 ********************** Listener notes: Russian Easter Festival Overture: 1) The slightly out of tune oboe solos in the early minutes of the work detracts from the perfo...

Today we'll cover the third of Rimsky-Korsakov's three symphonies, yet another of his works that, surprisingly, tends to be unknown by most classical music listeners. ********************** Neeme Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) 3 Symphonies; Capriccio espagnol; Russian Easter Overture Deutsche Grammophon, 1988 ********************** I've talked about Rimsky-Korsakov twice before (see Scheherazade and Symphonies 1 and 2 ) , but I haven't yet talked about his Brucknerian self-consciousness, a trait that sadly seems all too common among the great classical music composers. In his own autobiography, entitled My Musical Life, he described himself as a "dilettante" who was "undeservedly accepted at the [St. Petersburg] Conservatory as a professor." All three of his symphonies were written before age 30, and each was revised mercilessly by the sheepishly embarrassed composer. And, as we saw with Bruckner, ...

"The works of Rimsky-Korsakov music may be conveniently divided into two groups: the overplayed and the unknown." --Richard Taruskin, author, The Oxford History of Western Music (6 Volume Set) After tackling one of Rimsky-Korsakov's most "overplayed" works last week , I have to share the unfortunate truth that his three stunning symphonies tend to fall into the "unknown" category for most people. This post will discuss R-K' s First and Second Symphonies, and in the near future we'll tackle the second disc of this two-CD set, which includes his Third Symphony as well as two of his best known works: the Russian Easter Festival Overture and Capriccio Espagnol. ********************** Neeme Jarvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) 3 Symphonies; Capriccio espagnol; Russian Easter Overture Deutsche Grammophon, 1988 ********************** Some interesting trivia on Rimsky-Korsakov: 1) As a member of the Russian ...

If you're just starting to learn about classical music and you're interested in acquiring your first few recordings, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade would be a great start to your collection. It's one of the richest, most vibrant symphonic works out there, and is enjoyable and accessible to even the most novice classical music listener. First, let's start with the backstory: "The Sultan Shakhriar, persuaded by the falseness and faithlessness of all women, had sworn to put to death each of his wives after the first night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by arousing his interest in tales which she told him during a thousand and one nights. Driven by curiosity, the sultan put off his wife's execution from day to day and at last gave up his bloody plan altogether. Scheherazade told many marvelous tales to the Sultan. For her stories, she borrowed from poets their verses, from folk songs their words, and she strung together fairy tales and adventures....