Essential 20th Century Classics - Over 2 hours of captivating modern classics - EM

Essential 20th Century Classics is a 2-CD set featuring a collection of important works written between 1901 and 2000. This period is sometimes thought of as the era of 'modern' music, when composers sought to break free from Romantic styles of the 19th century by experimenting with daring new harmonies and forms, but much of the music written after 1900 still harked back to the familiar style of the past.

The first CD opens with several Romantic style composers including Rachmaninov, Prokoiev, Khachaturian, Holst and Elgar. We also hear parts of Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo, the slow movement of the most successful concerto written during the 20th century. Next are the early innovators whose broke new ground like the Second Viennese School of Webern, Berg and Schoenberg, as well as others who continued to use the more traditional methods of composition but who wrote in a more advanced style such as Stravinsky and Bartok. These are followed by later composers who wrote in a wide rage of so-called 'modern' styles including Takemitsu, Tanever and Ades. The large and prolific school of American composer active during the 20th century is represented by some extremely popular pieces like Barber's Adagio for Strings, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, as well as more adventurous works by Ives, Reich and Adams. The set also includes extracts from choral pieces by Boulez, Part, Tavener, Rutter, and Jenkins, and end with one of the 20th century's most successful choral works, Orf's Carmina Burana.

Essential Classics is a series of 2-CD sets drawn from the catalogs of EMI Classics presenting the best-loved and most popular works by the great composers, performed by the world's leading artist. The series provides a good introduction to classical music and will appeal to those who are seeking the most familiar classical pieces that have been heard in the popular media such as major films and TV commercials.

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Works Details

Prokofiev, Sergei : Romeo and Juliet :: Dance of the Knights

Conductor: Andre Previn
Notes: Composition written: 1935-36.
Running Time: 5 min. 42 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Ballet
Written: 1935-1936

Joaquín Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) : Concierto de Aranjuez :: 2. Adagio (Excerpt)

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 4 min. 46 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Concerto
Written: 1939

Khachaturian, Aram : Spartacus :: Adagio of and Phrygia (Excerpt)

Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov
Notes: Composition written: 1950-54.
Running Time: 4 min. 44 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Ballet
Written: 1950-1954

Elgar, Edward : Concerto for Cello :: 1. Adagio - Moderato

Performer: Jacqueline du Pré (Cello)
Conductor: John Barbirolli
Running Time: 7 min. 59 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Concerto
Written: 1919

Rachmaninov, Sergei : Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini :: Variation 18

Performer: Cécile Ousset (Piano)
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 3 min. 1 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1934

Debussy, Claude : Images :: 2. Iberia. 3. Le matin d'un jour de fête

Conductor: Andre Previn
Running Time: 4 min. 57 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1905-1912

Holst, Gustav : The Planets :: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (Excerpt)

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 4 min. 48 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1914-1916

Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Sinfonietta :: 4. Allegretto

Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Running Time: 2 min. 44 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Orchestral
Written: 1926

Webern, Anton : 6 Orchestral Pieces, Op. 6 (Revised version) :: 6. Langsam

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 1 min. 53 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1909

Schoenberg, Arnold : 5 Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16 (Original version) :: 4. Peripetie (Sehr rasch)

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 2 min. 37 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1909

Berg, Alban : Lulu-Suite :: 4. Variationen

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Notes: Composition written: 1934.
Running Time: 3 min. 26 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1934

Stravinsky, Igor : Petrushka :: 1st Tableau. Russian Dance

Performer: Peter Donohoe (Piano)
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 2 min. 31 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1912

Poulenc, Francis : Les Biches :: Rondeau

Conductor: Georges Prêtre
Running Time: 3 min. 36 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1939-1940

Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945) : Concerto for Orchestra, Sz 116 :: 4. Intermezzo interotto (Allegretto)

Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Running Time: 4 min. 24 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Concerto
Written: 1943-1945

Takemitsu, Toru : Cassiopeia :: Scene

Performer: Stomu Yamashta (Percussion)
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Running Time: 3 min. 3 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Concerto
Written: 1971

Penderecki, Krzysztof : Anaklasis, for string orchestra & percussion

Conductor: Krzysztof Penderecki
Running Time: 6 min. 1 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1960

Nyman, Michael [Piano] : The Heart Asks Pleasure First, song (for the film "The Piano")

Running Time: 3 min. 14 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary

Tavener, John : The Protecting Veil :: The Incarnation

Performer: Steven Isserlis (Cello)
Conductor: Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Running Time: 3 min. 43 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Concerto
Written: 1987

Ravel, Maurice : Boléro

Conductor: Andre Previn
Running Time: 5 min. 15 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1928

Bernstein, Leonard : Candide :: Overture

Conductor: Andre Previn
Running Time: 4 min. 16 sec.
Period Time: Modern

Gershwin, George : Rhapsody in Blue

Performer: Wayne Marshall [Piano/Organ] (Piano)
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 4 min. 40 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1924

Thomas Adès (Conductor/Composer) (1971 - ) : Asyla :: 4.

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 4 min. 39 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1997

Arvo Pärt (1935 - ) : Beatus Petronius, for double chorus & 2 organs (or orchestra)

Performers: Ene Salumae (Organ); Christopher Bowers-Broadbent (Organ)
Conductor: Tönu Kaljuste
Running Time: 5 min. 5 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1990-1996

Ives, Charles : A Night Song, song for voice & piano, S. 310 (K. 6B21)

Conductor: Ingo Metzmacher
Ensemble: Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt)
Running Time: 2 min. 49 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1895

Copland, Aaron : Fanfare for the common man

Conductor: Enrique Bátiz
Running Time: 3 min. 42 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1942

Barber, Samuel : Adagio for Strings

Conductor: Eugene Ormandy
Running Time: 6 min. 24 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1936

Reich, Steve : Nagoya Marimbas, for 2 marimbas

Performers: Colin Currie (Marimba); Sam Walton (Marimba)
Notes: Composition written: 1994.
Running Time: 4 min. 54 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1994

Jenkins, Karl [Composer] : The Armed Man :: A Mass for Peace

Performer: Paul Beniston (Trumpet)
Conductor: Karl Jenkins
Running Time: 3 min. 39 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1999

Newman, Thomas : American Beauty :: Any Other Name

Performers: Nikolaj Bloch; Sally Herbert (Keyboards)
Running Time: 4 min. 7 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Film Score
Written: 1999

Adams, John : Short Ride in a Fast Machine, fanfare for orchestra

Conductor: Simon Rattle
Running Time: 4 min. 19 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Written: 1986

Shostakovich, Dmitri : The Gadfly Suite :: Romance

Performers: Tasmin Little (Violin); Piers Lane (Piano)
Notes: Composition written: Soviet Union.
Running Time: 3 min. 14 sec.
Period Time: Modern

Webber, Andrew Lloyd : Requiem :: Pie Jesu

Performers: Simon Gibson (Organ); Jane Gilchrist (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor: Kirk Trevor
Running Time: 2 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Choral
Written: 1984

Maza, Regino Sainz de la : Zapateado for guitar

Performer: Sharon Isbin (Guitar)
Running Time: 2 min. 14 sec.
Period Time: Modern

György Ligeti (Composer) (1923 - 2006) : Quartet for Strings no 1 "Métamorphoses Nocturnes" :: 1. Allegro grazioso

Running Time: 1 min. 34 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Chamber Music
Written: 1953-1954

Villa-Lobos, Heitor : Bachianas brasileiras no 5 :: Aria

Performer: Barbara Hendricks
Conductor: Enrique Bátiz
Running Time: 6 min. 8 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: 1938

Messiaen, Olivier : Quatuor pour la fin du temps :: 1. Liturgie de cristal

Performers: Manuel Fischer-Dieskau (Cello); Yvonne Loriod (Piano); Wolfgang Meyer (Clarinet); Christoph Poppen (Violin)
Running Time: 2 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Chamber Music
Written: 1940-1941

Rutter, John : Requiem :: Pie Jesu

Conductor: Stephen Cleobury
Running Time: 3 min. 35 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Choral
Written: 1985

Boulez, Pierre : Le Soleil des eaux :: Le Sorgue

Performers: Louis Devos (Tenor); Josephine Nendick; Barry McDaniel (Baritone)
Conductor: Pierre Boulez
Running Time: 4 min. 21 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1950-1965

Orff, Carl : Carmina Burana :: O Fortuna

Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Running Time: 2 min. 45 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Cantata/Oratorio
Written: 1935-1936

Essential 20th Century Classics - Over 2 hours of captivating modern classics

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