tracklisting
Disc 1
1. Hildegard von Bingen: O viridissima virga [excerpt]
5. Guillaume Dufay: Tibi, Christe, splendor patris
6. Estienne Dutertre: Pavane and Gaillarde
7. Orlando di Lasso: S'io fusse ciaul'et tu lo camanile
8. Tallis: O Sacrum Convivium
9. Gabrielli: Canzon a 12
10. Orlando di Lasso: Lauda anima mea
11. Dowland: Come Away (Come Again), DP 60
12. Monteverdi: Vespers: I. Deus in adjutorium/Domine ad adjvandum
13. Purcell: Rondeau (Abdelazer)
14. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: La Primavera (Spring) - I. Allegro
15. Bach: Suite No. 3 in D major: Air
16. George Frideric Handel: Messiah: No. 7. "And He shall purify" from Part One
17. Bach: Goldberg Variations: Variation 1
18. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: I. Allegro
Disc 2
1. Mozart: Marriage of Figaro: Overture
2. Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525: II. Romance: Andante
3. Mozart: Andante from Piano Concerto No.21
4. Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550: I. Molto Allegro
5. Mozart: Requiem: Sequence - Lacrimosa
6. Mozart: Requiem: Sequence - Amen
7. Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, No. 5: I. Allegretto - Allegro
9. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": Awakening of happy feelings upon reaching
10. Beethoven: Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73 "Emperor": III. Rondo: Allegro
11. Schubert: Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, D.780: No. 3 in F minor
12. Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, "Trout:" IV. Tema. Andantino (Theme and Variations)
13. Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral": IV. Presto [excerpt]
Disc 3
1. Grieg: Suite from Peer Gynt: Morning Mood
2. Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold: Ride of the Valkyries (excerpt)
3. Saint-Saens: Samson & Delilah: Bacchanale
4. Mendelssohn: Overture & Incidental Music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream:" Scherzo
5. Chopin: Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 (Raindrop Prelude)
6. Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
7. Moussorgsky / Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain
8. Georges Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2: Danse Boheme
9. Verdi: Requiem: II. Dies Irae [excerpt]
10. Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Op. 46: No. 2 in E minor, Allegretto grazioso
11. Faure: Requiem, Op. 48: IV. Pie Jesu
12. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathetique:" II. Allegro con grazia
13. Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection," Mvt. 5 (excerpt)
Disc 4
1. Debussy: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune
2. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 [excerpt]
3. Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26, No. 7
4. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini [excerpt]
5. Holst: The Planets, Op. 32: Mars, the Bringer of War (excerpt)
6. Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite: Infernal Dance of King Kastchei
7. Orff: Carmina Burana: Fortune, Empress of the World (O Fortuna) [excerpt]
8. Barber: Adagio for Strings
9. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5: II. Allegretto
10. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Montagues and Capulets [excerpt]
11. Copland: Appalachian Spring [excerpt]
12. Concerto for Orchestra: IV. Intermezzo interrotto
13. Gorecki: Symphony No. 3, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs": I. Lento: Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile
15. Gandolfi: The Garden of Cosmic Speculation: The Willowtwist
This specially priced 4 CD set is not a “Classical Music For Dummies” guide, but a genuine primer of essential classical music works through the ages. The four-disc set is broken down into helpful periods:
Disc One – Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque
Disc Two – Classical & Early Romantic
Disc Three – Romantic Period
Disc Four – Post-Romantic, Modern & Contemporary
Never before has the more-than-a-thousand-year history of classical music been presented so succinctly in a manner intended to tutor those who are about to be introduced, or newly acquainted, to this timeless art form. The package includes comprehensive liner notes written by noted musicologist Dr. Richard Rodda. “Over its thousand-year history, classical music has proven as resilient as it is varied, speaking not only to its own time but also providing a link across the generations and cultures of Western civilization and helping to meet the timeless needs of renewing our spirit and confirming our common humanity.”
