Ultimate Classics - The Essential Masterpieces

• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
• Also Purchased
• Works Details

Album Summary

Performers

• Barry Tuckwell (Horn)
• Joan Sutherland (Soprano)
• Stuart Burrows (Tenor)
• Martin Neary (Organ)
• Ruggiero Ricci (Violin)
• Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
• Radu Lupu (Piano)
• Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
• Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
• Philip Jones (Trumpet)
• Elgar Howarth (Trumpet)
• Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano)
• David Flood (Organ)
• William Bennett (Flute)
• Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
• Kenneth McKellar (Tenor)
• Nicolai Ghiaurov (Bass)
• Carlos Bonell (Guitar)
• Thomas Round (Tenor)
• Leontyne Price (Soprano)
• Pascal Rogé (Piano)
• Yvonne Minton
• Martti Talvela (Bass)
• Pilar Lorengar (Soprano)
• Peter White (Organ)
• Willi Boskovsky (Violin)
• Erich Gruenberg (Violin)
• Bruce Blyth (Treble)
• Richard Farnes (Organ)

Conductors

• Ansermet, Ernest
• Ashkenazy, Vladimir
• Bonynge, Richard
• Boskovsky, Willi
• Boult, Adrian
• Cleobury, Stephen
• Dohnanyi, Christoph von
• Dutoit, Charles
• Franci, Carlo
• Gamba, Piero
• Gardelli, Lamberto
• Gavazzeni, Gianandrea
• Godfrey, Isidore
• Guadagno, Anton
• Guest, George
• Hickox, Richard
• Karajan, Herbert von
• Kertesz, Istvan
• Knight, Peter
• Maag, Peter
• Maazel, Lorin
• Marriner, Sir Neville
• Morris, Wyn
• Munchinger, Karl
• Neel, (Louis) Boyd
• Previn, Andre
• Rogers, Eric
• Serafin, Tullio
• Solti, Sir Georg
• Stapleton, Robin
• Stokowski, Leopold
• Szell, George
• Tate, Jeffrey
• Wicks, Allan

Ensembles

• 
• Vienna Mozart Ensemble

Composers

• Albert Hay Malotte (1895 - 1964)
• English Traditional
• Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
• Johann Strauss II (Junior) (1825 - 1899)
• Hubert Parry (1848 - 1918)
• Hugh S. Roberton (1874 - 1952)
• John Stainer (1840 - 1901)
• Antonin Dvorák (1841 - 1904)
• Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870)
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
• Charles Gounod (Composer) (1818 - 1893)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
• Irish Traditional
• Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
• Joseph Canteloube (1879 - 1957)
• Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)
• William Henry Monk (1823 - 1889)
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
• Pietro Mascagni (1863 - 1945)
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)
• Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912)
• Sergey Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
• Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
• George Frederick Handel (1685 - 1759)
• Roman Hoffstetter (1742 - 1815)
• Johann Pachelbel (1653 - 1706)
• Jessie Seymour Irvine (1836 - 1883)
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
• Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908)
• Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880)
• Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900)
• Jeremiah Clarke (circa 1674 - 1707)
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
• Stephen Adams (Michael Maybrick) (Composer) (1844 - 1913)
• Benjamin Godard (1849 - 1895)
• Joaquín Rodrigo (1901 - 1999)
• Franz Schubert (Vienna) (1797 - 1828)
• Albert W. Ketèlbey (1875 - 1959)
• André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (1741 - 1813)

Notes & Reviews:

Decca's Ultimate Classics is a five-CD box set that presents the best-known pieces of classical music in a straightforward, no-frills program. Most of the selections are quite famous, taken from larger works by such great masters as Handel, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and many others, so beginners and casual listeners are sure to find many of the most familiar melodies here. The information provided with the set consists only of tracklistings and identification of performers, so there is no material on the background of the music, the composers' lives, or the original albums these recordings appeared on. This may be a drawback for some listeners who need an introduction to music appreciation, but for others, having a direct "name that tune" approach may feel easy enough and make the experience less intimidating. Decca chose recordings from the 1970s and '80s, so the ADD recordings are slightly variable in quality, though the set as a whole is well-suited to comfortable home listening. ~ Blair Sanderson

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Works Details

Handel, George Frideric : Solomon :: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

• Conductor: Sir Marriner
• Running Time: 3 min. 20 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 1748

Schubert, Franz : Ave Maria

• Performer: Joan Sutherland (Soprano)
• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Running Time: 4 min. 58 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1825

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Cantata no 147, "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" BWV 147 :: Jesu, joy of man's desiring

• Conductor: George Guest
• Running Time: 7 min. 34 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 07/02/1723

Pachelbel, Johann : Canon and Gigue for 3 Violins and Basso Continuo in D major

• Conductor: Karl Munchinger
• Running Time: 4 min. 40 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: after 1700

Malotte, Albert Hay : The Lord's Prayer

• Performers: Stuart Burrows (Tenor); Martin Neary (Organ)
• Conductor: Wyn Morris
• Running Time: 3 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1935

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Eine Kleine Nachtmusik :: 1st Movement. Allegro

• Conductor: Sir Marriner
• Running Time: 5 min. 56 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1787

Mendelssohn, Felix : Concerto for Violin in D minor :: 2nd Movement. Andante

• Performer: Ruggiero Ricci (Violin)
• Conductor: Piero Gamba
• Running Time: 7 min. 50 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 09/16/1844

Puccini, Giacomo : Madama Butterfly :: One fine day

• Performer: Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
• Conductor: Tullio Serafin
• Notes: Composition written: 1904.
• Running Time: 4 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1904

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich : Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a :: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy / Waltz of the Flowers

• Conductor: Herbert Karajan
• Running Time: 7 min. 41 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1892

Grieg, Edvard : Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 :: 3rd Movement. Allegro molto e marcato

• Performer: Radu Lupu (Piano)
• Conductor: Andre Previn
• Running Time: 10 min. 34 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1868

Verdi, Giuseppe : Nabucco :: Va, pensiero (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves)

• Conductor: Lamberto Gardelli
• Running Time: 4 min. 52 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1842

Elgar, Edward : Coronation Ode, Op. 44

• Conductor: Sir Solti
• Running Time: 6 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: March
• Written: 1901

Offenbach, Jacques : Gaîté Parisienne :: Overture

• Conductor: Ernest Ansermet
• Running Time: 9 min. 2 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1858

Strauss II (Junior), Johann : Casanova :: Nun's Chorus

• Performer: Joan Sutherland (Soprano)
• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Running Time: 3 min. 56 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1928

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Cantata no 208, "Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!" (Hunt) BWV 208 :: Sheep may safely graze

• Conductor: Karl Munchinger
• Running Time: 4 min. 37 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 02/23/1713

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Bagatelle for piano in A minor ("Für Elise"), WoO 59

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 4 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1810

Sullivan, Arthur : The Lost Chord

• Performers: Stuart Burrows (Tenor); Martin Neary (Organ)
• Conductor: Wyn Morris
• Running Time: 3 min. 58 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 01/13/1877

André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (1741 - 1813) : Zémire et Azor, opera in 4 acts :: Pantomime and Finale

• Conductor: Richard Hickox
• Running Time: 5 min. 15 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1771

Verdi, Giuseppe : Rigoletto :: La donna è mobile

• Performer: Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Running Time: 2 min. 25 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1851

Mascagni, Pietro : Cavalleria rusticana, opera (melodramma) in 1 act :: Intermezzo

• Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni
• Running Time: 3 min. 21 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic

Clarke, Jeremiah : Prince of Denmark's March

• Performers: Philip Jones (Trumpet); Elgar Howarth (Trumpet)
• Notes: Composition written: 1697.
• Running Time: 2 min. 53 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: March
• Written: 1697

Handel, George Frideric : Der Messias :: I know that my Redeemer liveth

• Performer: Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano)
• Conductor: Sir Solti
• Running Time: 5 min. 59 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 1741

Parry, Charles Hubert : Jerusalem

• Performer: David Flood (Organ)
• Conductor: Allan Wicks
• Running Time: 2 min. 44 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1916

Verdi, Giuseppe : La traviata :: Act 1. Prelude

• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Notes: Composition written: 1853.
• Running Time: 4 min. 11 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1853

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Concerto for Piano no 5 "Emperor" :: 3rd Movement. Rondo. Allegro

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
• Conductor: Sir Solti
• Running Time: 10 min. 41 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1809

Vaughan Williams, Ralph : Fantasia on Greensleeves

• Performer: William Bennett (Flute)
• Conductor: Sir Marriner
• Running Time: 4 min. 25 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1934

Ravel, Maurice : Boléro :: Finale

• Conductor: Ernest Ansermet
• Running Time: 5 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1928

Grieg, Edvard : Peer Gynt :: Morning Mood

• Conductor: Herbert Karajan
• Running Time: 4 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1874-1875

Roberton, Hugh S. : All in the April evening, partsong

• Running Time: 3 min. 23 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Verdi, Giuseppe : Aida, opera :: Grand March and Ballet

• Conductor: Carlo Franci
• Notes: Composition written: 1871.
• Running Time: 11 min. 44 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1871

Massenet, Jules : Thaïs :: Méditation

• Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Running Time: 5 min. 49 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1892

Adams, Stephen (I) : The Holy City

• Performers: Stuart Burrows (Tenor); Martin Neary (Organ)
• Conductor: Wyn Morris
• Running Time: 4 min. 59 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1892

Mendelssohn, Felix : Elijah, Op. 70 :: Oh rest in the Lord

• Conductor: (Louis) Neel
• Running Time: 3 min. 51 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 08/11/1846

Stainer, John : God so loved the world :: God so loved the world

• Conductor: George Guest
• Running Time: 4 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1887

Rachmaninov, Sergei : Concerto for Piano no 2 in C minor, Op. 18 :: 1st Movement. Moderato

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
• Conductor: Andre Previn
• Running Time: 11 min. 13 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1900-1901

Godard, Benjamin : Jocelyn

• Performer: Kenneth McKellar (Tenor)
• Conductor: Peter Knight
• Running Time: 5 min. 4 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic

Antonin Dvorák (1841 - 1904) : Symphony no 9 in E minor, Op. 95/B 178 "From the New World" :: 2nd Mo

• Conductor: István Kertész
• Notes: Composition written: 01/10/1893-05/24/1893.
• Running Time: 5 min. 15 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral

Bizet, Georges : The Pearl Fishers, opera :: Pearl Fishers' Duet (Au fond du temple saint)

• Performers: Nicolai Ghiaurov (Bass); Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
• Conductor: Robin Stapleton
• Running Time: 6 min. 38 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1863

Mendelssohn, Felix : Hebrides Overture, in B minor Op. 26 "Fingal's Cave"

• Conductor: Christoph Dohnányi
• Notes: Composition written: 12/11/1830.
• Running Time: 10 min. 17 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 12/11/1830

Puccini, Giacomo : La bohème :: Che gelida manina

• Performer: Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
• Conductor: Herbert Karajan
• Running Time: 4 min. 45 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1896

Joaquín Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) : Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar :: 2nd Movement. Adagio

• Performer: Carlos Bonell (Guitar)
• Conductor: Charles Dutoit
• Running Time: 11 min. sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1939

Balfe, Michael : Bohemian Girl :: I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls

• Performer: Joan Sutherland (Soprano)
• Conductor: Richard Bonynge
• Notes: Composition written: 1843.
• Running Time: 4 min. 43 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1843

Hoffstetter, Roman : Quartet for Strings in F major, (prev. attr. Haydn, Op.3/5) :: Serenade

• Conductor: Karl Munchinger
• Running Time: 4 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Chamber Music

Sullivan, Arthur : Gondoliers :: Take a pair of sparkling eyes

• Performer: Thomas Round (Tenor)
• Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
• Running Time: 5 min. 15 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1889

Albert W. Ketèlbey (1875 - 1959) : Sanctuary of the Heart, Meditation religieuse

• Conductor: Eric Rogers
• Running Time: 4 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1924

Gounod, Charles : Ave Maria

• Performer: Leontyne Price (Soprano)
• Conductor: Herbert Karajan
• Running Time: 2 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: circa 1852

Irvine, Jessie Seymour : The Lord's My Shepherd, hymn ("Crimond")

• Conductor: Wyn Morris
• Running Time: 3 min. 39 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Choral

Traditional, English : Blow the Wind Southerly (Northumbrian Folk Song)

• Running Time: 2 min. 31 sec.

Traditional, Irish : Londonderry Air (Danny Boy), folk song

• Running Time: 3 min. 10 sec.
• Period Time: Renaissance
• Form: Vocal
• Written: by 1855

Sibelius, Jean : Karelia Suite, Op. 11 :: 3rd Movement. Alla marcia

• Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy
• Running Time: 4 min. 37 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1893

Debussy, Claude : Suite bergamasque :: Clair de lune

• Performer: Pascal Rogé (Piano)
• Running Time: 5 min. 42 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1890

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" :: 4th Movement. Ode to Joy (excerpt)

• Performers: Yvonne Minton; Martti Talvela (Bass); Stuart Burrows (Tenor); Pilar Lorengar (Soprano)
• Conductor: Sir Solti
• Running Time: 7 min. 32 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1824

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 :: Overture

• Conductor: Sir Solti
• Running Time: 4 min. sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1786

Handel, George Frideric : MEDLEY :: Largo

• Conductor: George Szell
• Running Time: 5 min. 37 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1738

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Ave verum corpus

• Performer: Peter White (Organ)
• Conductor: George Guest
• Running Time: 3 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Choral
• Written: 1791

Gounod, Charles : Mors et vita :: Judex

• Conductor: Richard Hickox
• Running Time: 4 min. 38 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic

Handel, George Frideric : Tolomeo, HWV 25 :: Silent Worship

• Performer: Kenneth McKellar (Tenor)
• Conductor: Adrian Boult
• Notes: Composition written: 1728.
• Running Time: 2 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1728

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Romance for Violin and Orchestra no 2 in F major, Op. 50

• Performer: Willi Boskovsky (Violin)
• Conductor: Willi Boskovsky
• Ensemble: Vienna Mozart Ensemble
• Running Time: 9 min. 35 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1802

Canteloube, Joseph : Baïlèro

• Performer: Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano)
• Conductor: Jeffrey Tate
• Running Time: 6 min. 50 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1923-1930

Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai : Scheherazade :: The Young Prince and the Young Princess

• Performer: Erich Gruenberg (Violin)
• Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
• Running Time: 12 min. 1 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1888

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich : Concerto for Piano no 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 :: 1st Movement. Allegro non troppo (excerpt)

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
• Conductor: Lorin Maazel
• Running Time: 9 min. 14 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1874

Brahms, Johannes : Songs (5) for voice & piano, Op. 49 :: Lullaby

• Performer: Renata Tebaldi (Soprano)
• Conductor: Anton Guadagno
• Running Time: 2 min. 22 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Vocal
• Written: 1864-1868

Monk, William Henry : Abide with me :: Eventide)

• Performers: Bruce Blyth (Treble); Richard Farnes (Organ)
• Conductor: Stephen Cleobury
• Running Time: 4 min. 30 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Choral
• Written: 1861

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Concerto for Horn no 4 in E flat major, K 495 :: 3rd Movement. Rondo (Allegro vivace)

• Performer: Barry Tuckwell (Horn)
• Conductor: Peter Maag
• Running Time: 4 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1786

Handel, George Frideric : Der Messias :: Hallelujah Chorus

• Conductor: Sir Marriner
• Running Time: 3 min. 43 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 1741