Track Listing

1. Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik'), K. 525: Allegro
2. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Air on the G String
3. Canon and gigue, for 3 violins & continuo in D major, T. 337: Canon in D
4. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ('La Primavera,' The Four Seasons; 'Il cimento' No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269: Al
5. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: Allegro con brio
6. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major ('Elvira Madigan') K. 467: Andante
7. Clair de lune, for orchestra or other arrangement (from 'Suite Bergamasque' for piano), L. 75/3
8. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20: Waltz
9. An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314): Unspecified
10. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto
11. Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b: Ride of the Valkyries
12. Overture to Guillaume Tell (William Tell)
13. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Finale (excerpt)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14155 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

There's a much better "The Only ...." album . . . .
When you assert a title like the above you should deliver. Another almost identically titled album does much better. I offer details about that recording below, revised from my review on the Amazon.uk web site of "The Only Classical Album You'll Ever Need", by Slatkin and others, on the Classics label.

"I'm a classical music activist and an advocate for imaginative ways to reverse classical's decline. From this standpoint 'The Only Classical Album . . .' demonstrates first-rate creative showmanship and sophistication on the part of its producers. The album does more than just stimulate impulse purchase. The outrageously inspired title was obviously designed to attract newcomers to classical. Having lured the uninitiated, a wrong start on the first track could be the last heard. The inspired choice of Orff's primal rhythms in Carmina Burana as an opener probably breaks stereotypes people may have about classical. Luscious, delicate ballet music by Delibes creates an abrupt but artful change of pace. Then follow all-meat-and-no-potatoes romantic masterpieces in the Dvorak 9th Symphony (appropriately performed by a Czech orchestra) and the Grieg Peer Gynt Suite. The album includes popular classic hits like the Pachelbel Canon and Albinoni Adagio, but embraces diverse styles and less common classics such as the Spartacus Suite by Khatchaturian, and Bizet's the Pearl Fishers (opera). Toward the end come full and unchopped performances of core classical repertory like the Bach instrumental suites and Vivaldi violin concerti (in resonant living-tradition style, led by James Galway). This is a superb present for musically-inclined newcomers to classical. More experienced listeners can relax and enjoy masterly programming and fine performances of great classics."

Classical for Complete Beginners
If you're totally and completely new to the genre, this is a fairly good cd, strictly for the purpose of getting to know the popular and familiar classics that everyone knows, but can't place. However.
I found the recording of some of the tracks to be of pretty poor quality, especially the Swan Lake waltz. It sounds as though it were recorded during dinner - lots of talking, clatterinig dishes, and overall movement in the background that's very distracting. I also found the Air on the G string, track two, to be what I would call an okay performance. You can definitely find better recordings of these and a few other tracks.
Also, if you really want to delve wholly into classical music, not just listen to the popular few, try a cd that also encompasses opera, and more "modern" classical music, such as Gershwin.
So, as I've said, for the absolute beginner it's alright, but try to find these same tracks and a few additions on another cd with better quality, and it would be your money better spent.

Great For Newcomers
As an 18 year old univeristy student i would have to rate "The Only Classical Cd You'll Ever Need" as excellent. I dont know much about classical music but i was able to recognize almost every song and able to appreciate the music. Classical music is excellent to study to when i am up late for an exam and amazing to calm down to will i am simply resting. For anyone who has never been interested in classical music i would recomend this CD as a great start to an appreciation for an amazing genre of music.