|
| Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces | 
 enlarge | Creator: Essential Guitar: 34 Gtr Masterpieces
Label: Decca
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $6.98
You Save: $5.00 (42%)
New (40) Used (12) from $6.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 2141
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.5
MPN: 470477
UPC: 028947047728
EAN: 0028947047728
ASIN: B000069KIT
Release Date: August 13, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Masterpieces, played by masters, at a bargain price. April 30, 2005
56 out of 56 found this review helpful
One wonders how the producers of this two CD set were able to obtain the rights to such outstanding performances, then put the whole thing together and still make money on the product.
Economic issues aside, this is an outstanding collection of guitar pieces by the best performers and composers. Pepe Romero, John Williams, Andres Segovia, Julian Bream have several performances each. Some lesser known but excellent performers appear as well. Paco Pena, the superb Flamenco stylist, does two traditional Spanish tunes. Composers include Rodrigo, Albeniz, Bach, Tarrega, Torroba, Vivaldi, Villa-Lobos, Granados, and many others. Stanley Myers' "Cavatina", the theme to The Deer Hunter, fits in surprisingly well, although not strictly speaking a classical piece.
Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" played by Pepe Romero, with Marriner's Orchestra of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, is terrific. I liked it better than the more familiar versions of Julian Bream and John Williams. It seems more "Spanish", perhaps due to Romero's flamenco background, but I am only guessing at that. Marriner's superb orchestra certainly adds to the performance.
The technical quality seems to be excellent.
Highly recommended as an introduction for those new to the classical guitar and a valuable compilation of canonical performances for the aficionado.
I wouldn't pass up this guitar collection - great stuff September 8, 2003
42 out of 45 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful collection of guitar music. I thought it would be just guitar but there are lovely, lush, orchestral accompaniments that give you much enjoyment for the price of this CD. You can expect to hear the standards by Vivaldi and Bach, as well as modern great guitar compositions by De Falla and the Romeros.
Lives up to its Name! June 10, 2005
26 out of 28 found this review helpful
If you only bought this double CD set, you'd have a good starter collection of classical guitar music. It includes most of the standards, as well as rarer pieces. In addition to the many solo pieces, there are several excerpts from orchestral works, with Rodrigo's indispensible Adagio from "Concierto de Aranjuez" topping the list. There are also several flamenco numbers included, complete with heel taps and castanets.
The recording quality is uniformly good, even on the tracks by Segovia. I don't know if they were remastered or recorded late in his career, but they're free of the surface noise present in so many of his recordings. The set clocks in at a generous 2 1/2 hours - one of the greatest deals in instrumental music; this is not a "bargain" quality set. Listen to the samples online - great stuff.
My only mild criticism is in the marketing. The advertising features John Williams and Julian Bream. Each contributes exactly one track. I would have enjoyed more pieces by them for stylistic comparison. But the less well-known (at least to guitar music neophytes like me) artists are every bit as good, and I intend to obtain more of their work.
Essential Guitar... July 26, 2005
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
Up until this collection, I'd never heard the "Cavatina" played in the Deer Hunter movie. After hearing it, I could play it all day and not tire of it! It moves me that much, considering that it's almost "not" a classical guitar selection. The rest of the music is first rate! Excellent playing, but the "Cavatina..."
Buy it and enjoy!!!!
Essential CD October 11, 2004
15 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is the second CD that I am buying. Why? I'm afraid I might damage this one from playing it so often and then what if I couldn't find it in the future. Get it while the getting is good. I play this CD more often than any other CD--that includes rock, classical, blues, opera--anything. Is is soothing. You won't be disappointed.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
