wonderful listening

This is a wonderful CD that will entertain and inform the listener. It is geared toward children but all ages will enjoy and learn from it. Initially I began listening without reading the pamphlet and was puzzled by the narrator's New York accent. Professional narrators are typically devoid of any and while this is not thick, it is evident, as in au-ways and go-wing. I then read the material and realized eminent conductor was chosen to narrate. While the voice is pleasant and with just the right amount of animation, a non-accent would have been preferable. This was not a grating accent but it was something of a distraction for me.

Chopin was described as having died of a disease called consumption. Tuberculosis would have been a more accurate and professional term to use.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this work and would encourage all libraries, classrooms, and homes to have it as part of their collection. Disk 4 is outstanding for its content and resources. Be sure to get right to it and go through all of the features. It's really quite excellent and well done. Kudos to the team that put this package together. Good work!

A good introduction on an middle level

Naxos already has a wonderful set of CDs giving us a fairly detailed "History of Classical Music" by Richard Fawkes (NA 414012). But now a similar set has been released for a younger audience, "The Story of Classical Music" (NA331012). The text is by Darren Henley and it is read engagingly by conductor Marin Alsop.


It uses some 150 musical examples and a good deal of silly sound effects like J.S.Bach walking over 200 miles to hear an organ or (more distastefully) a comic chop of the ax when thus and so were beheaded. But the music is well chosen-albeit too few examples are used for major composers-from the bottomless Naxos catalogue; and it covers the centuries from Gregorian chant right up to the film music for "Gladiator" and "Lord of the Rings."


It is hard to say what age group is the target audience of this set; but I think many adults who know little or nothing about the world's greatest music and the men who created it (alas, women composers were simply too few and/or unrecognized to get into anthologies like this one) will appreciate this approach. It does not dumb things down (except for those sound effects) and even I learned a thing or two about some of my favorite pieces.


Best of all is a slew of CD-ROM features on the last disc that provide extra information and pictures about the composers, the instruments of the classical orchestra, national anthems and flags, scores, the text of the CDs, musical terms, and several more. Please consider this as a thoughtful gift to an interested youngster-or to one who just might become interested. Good work