Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Solomon, oratorio, HWV 67: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
2. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ('La Primavera,' The Four Seasons; 'Il cimento' No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269: I.
3. Toccata and Fugue, for organ in D minor, BWV 565 (BC J37): Toccata
4. Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major, K. 495: III. Rondo (Allegro vivace)
5. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio
6. 1812 -- Festival Overture, for orchestra in E flat major, Op. 49: Conclusion
7. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Ode to Joy
8. Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16: I. Allegro molto moderato (opening)
9. Karelia Suite, for orchestra, Op. 11: No. 3. Alla marcia
10. The Planets, suite for orchestra & female chorus, Op. 32, H. 125: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (conclusion)
11. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
12. Finlandia, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 26
13. Aida, opera: Gloria All'Egitto (Triumphal Scene & Grand March)
14. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Montagues and Capulets (Dance of the Knights)
15. Radetzky-Marsch, for orchestra, Op. 228
16. Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, for orchestra in D major, Op. 39/1: Land of Hope and Glory (conclusion)
17. Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: I. Allegro ma non tanto (opening)
18. Symphony No. 3 in C minor ('Organ'), Op. 78: Maestoso - Allegro (conclusion)

Disc 2:

1. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Air on the G string
2. Orfeo ed Euridice (Italian version), opera in 3 acts, Wq. 30: Dance of the Blessed Spirits
3. Canon in D major, instrumental arrangement
4. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622: II. Adagio
5. Goldberg Variations, for keyboard (Clavier-Übung IV), BWV 988 (BC L9): Aria
6. Adagio, for violin, strings & organ in G minor, T. Mi 26 (composed by Remo Giazotto; not by Albinoni): Extract
7. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ('Moonlight'), Op. 27/2: I. Adagio sostenuto (extract)
8. Concerto for flute, harp & orchestra in C major, K. 299 (K. 297c): II. Andantino (extract)
9. Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64: II. Andante (extract)
10. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major ('Elvira Madigan') K. 467: II. Andante
11. Symphony No. 9 in E minor ('From the New World'), B. 178 (Op. 95) (first published as No. 5): II. Largo (opening)
12. Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op. 26: II. Adagio (opening)
13. Enigma Variations, for orchestra, Op. 36: Nimrod
14. Concierto de Aranjuez, for guitar & orchestra: II. Adagio (opening)
15. The Lark Ascending, romance for violin & orchestra: (conclusion)
16. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: IV. Adagietto (conclusion)
17. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Introduction and 24 Variations), for piano & orchestra in A minor, Op. 43: Variation 18

Disc 3:

1. Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts: Au Fond du Temple Saint (Temple Duet)
2. Rusalka, opera, B. 203 (Op. 114): Song to the Moon
3. Lakmé, opera: Dôme Épais (Flower Duet)
4. Carmen, opera: La Fleur que tu m'Avais Jetée
5. Orfeo ed Euridice (Italian version), opera in 3 acts, Wq. 30: Che Farò Senza Euridice?
6. Norma, opera: Casta diva
7. La bohème, opera: Che Gelida Manina
8. Gianni Schicchi, opera: O Mio Babbino Caro
9. Baïlèro, folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 1, No. 2)
10. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Vogliatemi Bene
11. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Va, Pensiero (Chorus of Hebrew Slaves)
12. Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), operetta: Es Libt' Eine Vilja
13. Serse (Xerxes), opera, HWV 40: Ombra mai fu
14. Ellens Gesang III ('Ave Maria'), song for voice & piano, D. 839 (Op. 52/6)
15. Cantique de Noël for voice & orchestra 'O Holy Night'
16. Turandot, opera: Nessun Dorma

Disc 4:

1. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492: Overture
2. Jesu bleibet meine Freude, transcription for piano (after J.S. Bach, BWV 147)
3. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ('Emperor'), Op. 73: I. Allegro (extract)
4. The Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) for brass, winds & percussion (or keyboard or trumpet & organ) in D major
5. Mors et vita, trilogy of oratorios for soloists, chorus & orchestra: Judex
6. La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder), opera: Overture
7. Air (Sarabande) in E major, HWV 425
8. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Waltz of the Flowers
9. Lieutenant Kijé, film score and suite for orchestra, Op. 60: Troika
10. Fantasia on Greensleeves, for harp, flute & strings (arranged by R. Greaves; from the opera 'Sir John In Love')
11. Clair de lune, for piano (Suite Bergamasque No. 3), L. 75/3
12. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20: Act II. No. 10
13. The Deer Hunter, film score: Cavatina
14. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, CT. 47: II. Romance (Larghetto) (opening)
15. Titanic, film score: My Heart Will Go On
16. Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò), song
17. An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314): [Excerpt]

Disc 5:

1. Cavalleria rusticana, opera (melodramma) in 1 act: Intermezzo
2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto (opening)
3. Peer Gynt, incidental music, Op. 23: Morning
4. The Gadfly, film score, Op. 97: Romance
5. Adagio for strings (or string quartet; arr. from 2nd mvt. of String Quartet), Op. 11
6. Scheherazade, symphonic suite for orchestra, Op. 35: The Story of the Kalender Prince (opening)
7. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Méditation
8. Prince Igor, opera (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov): Polovtsian Dances (beginning)
9. Spartacus, ballet: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (extract)
10. Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions): (excerpt)
11. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto (extract)
12. Concerto for 2 violins, strings & continuo in D minor ('Double'), BWV 1043: II. Largo ma non tanto
13. Schindler's List, film score: Theme
14. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Dance of the Reed Flutes
15. Symphony No. 6 in F major ('Pastoral'), Op. 68: V. Allegretto (Shepherd's Hymn after the Storm)

Disc 6:

1. Zadok the Priest, coronation anthem No. 1 for chorus & orchestra, HWV 258
2. Cantata No. 140, 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,' BWV 140 (BC A166): Zion Hört die Wächter
3. Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51), motet for chorus: (w 1-4, 17-20)
4. Deutsche Messe (German Mass), for mixed chorus, wind ensemble & organ, D. 872: Sanctus
5. Panis angelicus for tenor, organ, harp, cello & bass
6. L' Enfance du Christ, oratorio for soprano, 2 tenors, baritone, 3 basses, chorus & orchetsra ('trilogie sacrée') H. 130 (Op. 25): L'A
7. Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile for soloists, chorus, orchestra & organ in G major: Sanctus
8. Requiem, for 2 solo voices, chorus, organ & orchestra, Op. 48: In Paradisum
9. Vesperae solennes de confessore for soloists, chorus & orchestra, K. 339: Laudate Dominum
10. Cantique de Jean Racine, for 4-part chorus & organ (or orchestra), Op. 11
11. Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem): Ingemisco
12. Ave verum Corpus, motet for chorus, strings & organ, K. 618
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
14. Die Schöpfung (The Creation), oratorio, H. 21/2: The Heavens Are Telling
15. Requiem, for 2 solo voices, chorus, organ & orchestra, Op. 48: Pie Jesu
16. Requiem for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, K. 626: Lacrimosa
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Hallelujah Chorus

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33631 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-29
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .51 pounds

Customer Reviews

Good compilation- of bits and pieces
I was excited to see such a great collection of classics, but I was really disappointed to listen and discover that many tracks are shortened dramatically. A fraction of Rhapsody in Blue- a ridiculously short fragment of Bethoveen Ninth Symphony- "Ode to Joy" a tiny part of the first movement of Rachmoninov's Piano Concerto no.3.

I'd rather have fewer tracks and the complete movements.

My vote for single best introduction to classical music
There is no shortage of CDs offering an introduction to classical music, but this would be my pick for the best. As this is a six CD-set, I'll provide six reasons for this opinion.

(1) Selections. Any product claiming to be the 100 best classics has its work cut out for it when distilling the huge range of material making up "classical music" (as it is conventionally described) into six CDs. EMI has succeeded here, in my opinion. There are tastes ranging from Baroque to 20th Century, and selections including symphonic, concerto and opera. The big name composers are here, with the 3 "titans" of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart receiving a little extra presence. There are a few surprises (James Horner's "Titanic"), but for the most part, the selections probably reflect conventional perceptions of "classical music".

(2) Performance Quality. I have heard some clasical music overviews with a noticeable dropoff in quality from track to track. That's not the case here. EMI's recordings are extensive, and it shows in these selections. Included here are some familiar conductors (Karajan, Marriner, Davis, Previn) and ensembles (Academy of St. Martin, London Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker). The performances and recording quality are consistently high.

(3) Quantity. There are six CDs here, each with over 70 minutes of music. As some reviewers have pointed out, these are not full performances, but rather selections from famous pieces, which I would estimate typically run about three to five minutes in length. As the title idicates, it is a collection of 100 "Greatest Hits". This approach is a detriment for some, but my take is that a focus on hi-lites is appropriate for a classical music overview. Even though I own complete recordings for many of these selections, I often listen to these CDs when I am in the mood for variety. The selections usually run long enough to give a satisfying taste of the full work.

(4) Accesibility. One of the reasons I think that this is a good introduction to classical music is that a good number of the tracks here are probably recognizable to those who do not consider themselves classical music listeners. The selections here are often the stuff of movie, TV and commercial soundtracks, and its hard to believe that anyone with an interest in music will not hear something familiar here. The "Greatest Hits" approach means that for a lot of people, a selection will probably stick to what they recognize and move on to the next one.

(5) Bang for the Buck. Classical music in general tends to be a bargain when compared to pop music, but this set has a fantastic price. Currently Amazon is selling this for $20 or less. It's an amazing price for 6 CDs of this quality, and a good example of the physical CD being less expensive than downloading each track individually. (Actually, just about all the other entries in EMI's 100 Best series are great bargains).

(6) Packaging. EMI packages this (and the other 100 Best volumes) in a nifty little compact case. The case holds 6 CDs in approximately the space needed for two single CD jewel cases. That said, be careful with the folding trays, as they are probably too thin to withstand a lot of abuse...

In short, I am a big fan of EMI's 100 Best series, and I think this set is probably the best for providing an introduction or overview of the classical genre. Those who like this set should also consider its companion (Volume 2).

Great Listening
A friend of mind had this set and when I heard it I decided to order it. I recommend it highly as a nice collection of classical music you can enjoy hour after hour.