Having seen the original show with Jonathan Pryce and Lea Salonga, I also saw it a year later when the understudy was playing Kim and was not disappointed. All those years ago I brought my 5 year old up with the soundtrack and always promised her that if it came back to the stage I would take her. Now she is 15 and I was able to keep my promise at the Milton Keynes venue of the current tour and she was absolutely blown away. Jonathan Pryce was fab as the engineer in the original show, and I'm glad I saw him in that part, but the current cast, although doing a variation of the original is certainly not a disappointment. My daughter Hannah is desperate to see it again, with her friends, and the only down side is it is realistically not close ... Read More:
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I have always considered Miklos Rozsa's score to Ben-Hur to be the greatest film score ever composed. The sheer depth of that music, the quantity of themes Dr. Rozsa composed for that one movie (around 10 or 12 different themes) and the magnificent orchestrations he wrote made that score unique. Considering the quality of film scores that are composed today - good, usually adequate, but nothing truly 'great' - I never thought I would come across anything to match this wonder written 50 years ago.
I'm so glad to say I was wrong.
This score will surely go down as one of the great film scores of all time. I wont go on and on about it, as other reviewers have written fabulous reviews here that sum up my feelings. I only want to ... Read More:
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Ballet scores don't come any better than this. Prokofiev's score is an order of magnitude greater than Tchaikovsky's, and this classic version by Previn and the LSO does full justice to superlative music. It is intelligent, sensual and witty and offers outstanding value.
Prokofiev's score manages to match Shakespeare's drama in its intensity, complexity and economy. A notable feature of the play is its time compression. In the world of the play, all the action takes place in three or four days. In stage-time, this is reduced to a mere trice: 'the two-hour's traffic of our stage'. In Prokofiev's version, ideas come equally thick and fast - and enough of them to last most composers a lifetime. What's more, like the play, the ballet score is full ... Read More:
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I'm a hardened, dyed-in-the-wool classical music lover. I have hundreds of classical cds and maybe one shelf of what you'd call pop.
This cd, as has been said, is not classical. Oh sure, the tunes are familiar, but there's a disco beat to them and they've been heavily arranged. When I first saw this group, I did wonder if they were following the lamentable modern trend of looks over talent.
But you know what? I actually really enjoyed it. These ladies can play. Very well, in fact. It's perfect if you like classical, but are in the mood for something a little wilder, or maybe if you are not at all into classical but want to dip your toe in the water.
In short, this was the first Bond album I bought. I now own three.
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As an avid lover of Chopin I felt a "Best of" collection would lack depth, however i found this to be simply not the case. From the deeply moving Nocturns, powerful Ballades to the surprisingly interesting waltzes and Sherzos this collection is the best introduction to a brilliant composer. Ashkenazy as ever plays Chopin's works with more fluency than almost anyone on modern record, enough to spark anyone's interest in Chopin and his era of piano musc, i strongly urge you to buy this collection and then expand upon it!
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This marvellous suite is the very embodiment of the Henrik Ibsen's unparalelled work of fantasy. The music is more than an accompaniment to the play, it is essential to a successful performance, enabling both the actors and the audience alike to become completely absorbed by Ibsen's stunning world.
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I just had to give my opinion on this cd as I had ordered it on the recomendations of the other reviewers,
first of all if you are not a fan of david bedford then give this a miss as it sounds to me like it was cheaply put together, I know this was recorded in the 70's but there are better alternatives out there from that decade. robert powells voice as the narator gives it some credit but is drowned out too often by the music, I gave this cd a few plays just to see if it would grow on me but I have just taken it to the charity shop.
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Complete Works [170cd]
Brilliant set from Briliant Classics, but mine came with two Vol.3 CD 11 and no Vol.3 CD 03. By the time I had noticed two months was long gone and Amazon won't reply to my e-mails. Anyone wan't to but a nearly complete set of Mozart? I thought not.
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in hopes of roping in us 'dumb American consumers' with the 'hot chicks' CD cover.
The music is excellent and the front (UK) cover magical.
And, until they stop putting "EXPLICIT LYRICS!" warnings in as part of a cd's cover art, instead of removable stickers, (or better yet, none at all)
I will buy my CDs from Amazon.UK.
the prices usually are about the same, and it can take only THREE DAYS
from when I put an the order, to when it arrives (I live in Seattle.
Ironic-this is where Amazon started)
Oh, and then on every back cover and some label art contain an idiotic FBI warning.
I can see it now:
Bootlegger #1: "Gosh, look here! an FBI warning about copying discs"
bootlegger #2 "Hmmm... maybe we ought to get ... Read More:
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in hopes of roping in us 'dumb American consumers' with the 'hot chicks' CD cover.
The music is excellent and the front (UK) cover magical.
And, until they stop putting "EXPLICIT LYRICS!" warnings in as part of a cd's cover art, instead of removable stickers, (or better yet, none at all)
I will buy my CDs from Amazon.UK.
the prices usually are about the same, and it can take only THREE DAYS
from when I put an the order, to when it arrives (I live in Seattle.
Ironic-this is where Amazon started)
Oh, and then on every back cover and some label art contain an idiotic FBI warning.
I can see it now:
Bootlegger #1: "Gosh, look here! an FBI warning about copying discs"
bootlegger #2 "Hmmm... maybe we ought to get ... Read More:
>>More Details