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Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies -
List Price: $47.98
Amazon Price: $30.36
Used Price: $36.77
| It should come as no surprise that Gergiev is in his element in Prokofiev's symphonies. Whatever his failings in other repertory, he's always had a knack for visceral excitement in Russian music, sometimes at the expense of lyric or lighter moments. And so it is here. Gergiev is a bit heavy-handed in the popular Classical Symphony, Prokofiev's homage to Haydn and Mozart. But he delivers high-octane power in the three steel-age symphonies that follow (the set is especially notable for the inclusion of both versions of the Fourth). The popular Fifth is done with passion, as is the neglected and underrated Sixth. Most surprising is the Seventh, an outwardly amiable piece with a sometimes-sardonic subtext, which Gergiev delivers in a natural, well-balanced interpretation. The London Symphony is a big part of the set's success. It's one of the world's great orchestras, here captured live in concert, and far superior to Gergiev's home band, the Kirov Orchestra. Along with fine ensemble playing, the LSO scores in making Prokofiev's important wind writing and solos crisply vivid. Rivals include outstanding individual recordings like Ancerl's Fifth, Malko's First and Seventh, and Kuchar's budget set on Naxos, but this convenient, well-performed box set is a heavyweight contender. --Dan Davis
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Complete Mozart Symphonies / Pinnock, English Concert -
List Price: $87.98
Amazon Price: $29.67
Used Price: $49.99
| Estimates will appear in the order form. After placing your order, you will see both shipping and delivery date estimates in the order confirmation e-mail and in the order summary in Your Account.
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Shipping costs for orders from Amazon.com depend upon the method and option you choose.
If you choose to group items into as few shipments as possible, you'll be charged for one regular per-shipment fee, as well as a per-item fee for each item in that shipment.
If you choose to ship items as soon as they become available, we'll charge you full per-shipment fees for each shipment as well as a per-item fee for each item.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
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Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"); Three Olden Style Pieces -
List Price: $8.99
Amazon Price: $4.52
Used Price: $2.22
| The current Schwann catalog lists nine versions of Górecki's phenomenally popular Symphony 3 (Sorrowful Songs) composed in 1976. During his early career, Górecki embraced serialism and concentrated on instrumental sonorities in the vein of Messiaen. But in Symphony 3, his atonality disappears into a strategy of gently mounting thematic pitches, taking the strings through all possible registers. All three movements are marked lento, rare for any symphony. The Elektra Nonesuch recording has tended to be the bestseller, but give this Naxos release a try--it's just as good. The sound is excellent and the performances are above reproach. --Paul Cook
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Mozart: Symphonien Nos. 35-41 -
List Price: $23.98
Amazon Price: $15.13
Used Price: $16.96
| Karl Bohm was one of this century's great Mozart conductors--a fact that's apt to be forgotten in the flood of authentic instrument productions, many of them on DG's associated labels. He conducted Mozart with real love and affection, maintaining moderate tempos, allowing each work's gorgeous melodies a chance to sing and breathe. Mozart's symphonic music has its roots in the opera house, and so did Bohm. Listening to the witty woodwind interjections in the finale of Symphony No. 39, for example, you can readily imagine the witty exchanges of different characters in one of Mozart's comic operas. These beautifully recorded versions of Mozart's greatest symphonies belong in the collection of every fan of the composer. --David Hurwitz
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Mahler: Symphony No.4; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen -
List Price: $6.98
Amazon Price: $4.92
Used Price: $4.93
| This disc combines two remastered classic Mahler recordings--Szell's Cleveland account of the fourth symphony from 1965, and Davis's reading of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen from 1978--and the pairing is inspired. The Cleveland Orchestra has always had a reputation for phenomenal accuracy and brilliance, and Szell harnesses these qualities to give an almost supernaturally clear account of Mahler's score. Details of lower-string phrasing, thrown-away woodwind chirrups, and muted trumpets supporting a melody are given just the right amount of emphasis to make the surface texture sparkle with life. But, more important, Szell also captures the overall mood of ironic playfulness, while heeding Mahler's own direction with regard to the childlike last movement--"without parody." There is a minor jolt between the symphony and the Lieder--not just in the recording levels, but in suddenly entering Davis's much more impressionistic approach to Mahler. But once adjustment has been made, the rewards are great. He focuses everything on Stade's glorious voice and less on the details of orchestration, which makes for a sympathetic, flexible accompaniment and a moving performance of great pathos. --Warwick Thompson
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G. Mahler: Symphony no. 8 -
List Price: $17.99
Amazon Price: $9.28
Used Price: $9.98
| Legendary conductor Pierre Boulez brings his acclaimed Mahler symphonies cycle to a spectacular conclusion with this new recording of the monumental Symphony No. 8. Boulez teams up with Barenboim's Staatskapelle Berlin, the Berlin State Opera and Radio Choruses, as well as a strong cast of soloists including Michelle DeYoung, Johan Botha and Twyla Robinson to deliver his longawaited reading of what is arguably one of Mahler's biggest and most impressive scores, also known as "Symphony of a Thousand" due to the large number of musicians needed to perform the piece. This release crowns a more-than-decade-long project involving all the symphonies and major orchestral works of Gustav Mahler--a project that is both of highest personal value to Maestro Boulez and an important document of Mahler interpretation.
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Beethoven: Complete Symphonies -
List Price: $39.98
Amazon Price: $32.88
Used Price: $24.99
| Estimates will appear in the order form. After placing your order, you will see both shipping and delivery date estimates in the order confirmation e-mail and in the order summary in Your Account.
Calculating Cost
Shipping costs for orders from Amazon.com depend upon the method and option you choose.
If you choose to group items into as few shipments as possible, you'll be charged for one regular per-shipment fee, as well as a per-item fee for each item in that shipment.
If you choose to ship items as soon as they become available, we'll charge you full per-shipment fees for each shipment as well as a per-item fee for each item.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
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Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" -
List Price: $17.98
Amazon Price: $13.17
Used Price: $8.50
| Leonard Slatkin's recording of the Resurrection Symphony was one of Telarc's early digital triumphs--an outstanding achievement, both technically and musically. The account is noteworthy for the powerful, disciplined playing of the Saint Louis Symphony, as well as for Slatkin's clear, intelligent presentation of the score and the excellent solo contributions--25 years after she recorded the piece with Walter, here again is Maureen Forrester, singing as beautifully as ever. It reaches a very satisfying climax in the final movement, and Telarc's pickup does not let Mahler down. --Ted Libbey
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Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 -
List Price: $11.98
Amazon Price: $6.50
Used Price: $6.90
| Leonard Bernstein's performances of Shostakovich were almost as highly regarded as his Mahler. This performance of the Fifth Symphony was the highlight of his celebrated tour of the Soviet Union with the New York Philharmonic in 1959. The composer himself attended the performances and approved of Bernstein's interpretation, which is the exact opposite of the traditional Russian one. Rather than take the finale ponderously, Bernstein flies through the music at a frantic pace, carrying it forward with irresistible momentum. The Ninth Symphony is the composer's lightest and most carefree. Bernstein walks the fine line between humor and seriousness with acrobatic skill. --David Hurwitz
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Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in E minor/Fantasy Overture "Romeo and Juliet" -
List Price: $16.98
Amazon Price: $9.99
Used Price: $6.95
| Estimates will appear in the order form. After placing your order, you will see both shipping and delivery date estimates in the order confirmation e-mail and in the order summary in Your Account.
Calculating Cost
Shipping costs for orders from Amazon.com depend upon the method and option you choose.
If you choose to group items into as few shipments as possible, you'll be charged for one regular per-shipment fee, as well as a per-item fee for each item in that shipment.
If you choose to ship items as soon as they become available, we'll charge you full per-shipment fees for each shipment as well as a per-item fee for each item.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
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