classical music: Riccardo Muti

classical music: Riccardo Muti

classical music:

Riccardo Muti

The Best Opera Album in the World...Ever!

Ernest Blanc, Robert Massard, ...

Angel Records, 1999

Great for the amateur Opera listener
As a long time armchair Opera listener I'm shocked that I hadn't come across this album until recently. I'm not really an Opera connoisseur so my review is based on just the fact that I love Opera, but mostly by listening to arias or occasionally going to the Opera. ...

The Most Famous Opera Arias

Georges Bizet, Alfredo Catalani, ...

EMI Classics, 1994

Great for kids!
I'm generally not a fan of music "samplers," but opera can be tough to introduce to children. And hey--even adults played cards, ate, and talked through the recitative sections of the early operas while they waited for the next aria! So I feel that getting kids hooked ...

The Best Classical Album in the World... Ever!

Stanley Myers, Antonio Vivaldi, ...

EMI Classics, 1996

Forget what they SAY
Many of these prior reviewers complain that the abundance of operas and vocals degrate this compilation. They don't know what they're talking about. These genres are what made Classical music popular in it's age. In that era the forum for showcasing "classical music" ...

Verdi - Messa da Requiem / Studer, Zajick, Pavarotti, Ramey; Muti

Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, ...

EMI Classics, 1990

Brilliant choral work, but CD not very economical
The Verdi Requiem is probably the only Verdi composition where the chorus can get more applause than the soloists. Whether that actually happened in this live, June 1987 performance at La Scala, I don't know, but it wouldn't have surprised me. The chorus of La ...

Symphonie Fantastique

Hector Berlioz, Riccardo Muti, ...

EMI Classics, 1999

Undoubtedly the best "Fantastique"
Even after hearing this symphony constantly growing up, I never once found myself notably drawn in by the music. While I liked to listen to it and was impressed by its historical significance, it never struck my fancy as anything other than background music. Sure, the ...

Handel: Water Music Suites

George Frederick Handel, Riccardo Muti, ...

EMI Classics, 1999

THE modern orchestra recording to have of the complete Water Music
Riccardo Muti's recording of Handel's "Water Music" with the Berlin Philharmonic, recorded in 1985 in DDD sound, is THE recording to have of the complete "Water Music" played by a modern instrument orchestra. Muti's tempos are so sensible and musical. There is a ...

Verdi - Falstaff / Muti, Maestri, Frittoli, Florez, Frontali, Antonacci, Busseto Teatro Verdi

Barbara Frittoli, Ambrogio Maestri

Euroarts, 2003

Could it be better?
The only qualification that I could imagine someone making about this miraculous performance is that it takes place in a very small theater on a very small stage. But the singers are all fantastic--just to hear Florez sing Fenton's Act III aria is worth the price of ...

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

Johann Sebastian Bach, Léo Delibes, ...

Angel Records, 1999

Good for relaxing pregnant women
I stumbled onto this album whilst searching bit torrent websites for classical music. I don't normally listen to classical music but thought it might be relaxing for my pregnant wife. After hearing the quality of the performances, the arrangement, and the recording I ...

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II

Yehudi Menuhin, Jacqueline Du Pre, ...

EMI Classics, 2003

Great music listein to while you read in bed
I have listened to this CD for the last several years before going to sleep at night. I love classical music, and this is great music to help make my soul feel at peace and unwind after a taxing day.

Vivaldi - Magnificat ~ Gloria / Berganza, Valentini-Terrani, NPO, Muti

Leslie Pearson, Teresa Berganza, ...

EMI Classics, 1999

Great Romantic interpetration, not for historical purists
I have lived with this recording for about 25 years and am still moved by it, so I have to say that it works for me and deserves five stars. These performances are very different from what Vivaldi himself produced, however, so if you think the goal of Vivaldi ...

Aria: A Passion for Opera

Tito Gobbi, Vincenzo Bellini, ...

EMI Classics, 1994

Always on my CD changer
I bought this CD long ago as a neophyte in opera appreciation. I had just seen Turandot and wanted the recording primarily for "Nessun Dorma", which I also love because of its use in the film, "The Killing Fields". But I have also appreciated the exquisite renderings ...

Franck: Symphony in Dm; Chasseur maudit

Cesar Franck, Riccardo Muti, ...

EMI Classics, 1999

Underrated Superb Performances Of These Franck Orchestral Pieces From Muti and The Philadelphia Orchestra
This relatively old digital recording of these Franck orchestral pieces should be regarded not only as among the best, but also one of the recording highlights during Riccardo Muti's tenure as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Muti gives a lush, Romantic ...

Orff: Carmina Burana

Jonathan Summers, Carl Orff, ...

EMI Classics, 1999

This is the one to purchase
Simply excellent. One reviewer faulted this recording for its disparity in volume (i.e., decibels, not space occupied). Ignore that review. If you've spent more than $50 on your sound system and you're not legally deaf, this is the recording to acquire.

Very Best of

Placido Domingo

EMI Classics, 2003

If you like Placido at all, you must have this CD.
Placido Domingo has been around for so long, it is easy to take this great artist for granted. I totally agree with the previous reviews of this album; I can also say that I had the opportunity to hear him live in concert on April 2, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and ...

Sacred Classics - Messiah, Ave Maria, Pie Jesu, Zadok the Priest, L'enfance du Christ

George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, ...

EMI Classics, 2003

A wonderful and varied compilation of Sacred Choral Works
This is a 2 CD set and is one of my favorites. While this CD contains several pieces that the general public probably hears often (Handel's Messiah, Bach's Jesu Bleibet mein freund) it also contains some not well known pieces. Of particular quality is the recording ...