Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Best ever soundtrack, 04 Apr 2006
This music is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. The film was OK but this music is haunting. You must buy this CD and listen to it.

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Best ever soundtrack, 04 Apr 2006
This music is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. The film was OK but this music is haunting. You must buy this CD and listen to it.

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Best ever soundtrack, 04 Apr 2006
This music is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. The film was OK but this music is haunting. You must buy this CD and listen to it.

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Quite good., 22 Nov 2005
This soundtrack has included music I didn't know was in the film, and has not included music I did know was in the film.

The first half is score from the movie including the new cues and some of the older ones. The song by Harry Connick Jr is very good. The track "The Immigrant" is actually the music from the trailer for Godfather II.

The second half is my favourite part. It has most of Cavalerria Rusticana used in the movie. It's the same recording, which is pleasing. I say "most" because the famous Intermezzo used at the very end of the film is NOT included, which upset me. After 25 minutes of CR, I'd hoped for the 'pay off'.

They also didn't include one of my favourite cues from the trilogy - used in this film when Calo is shown into 'spectacle wearing' Don Lucchesi's room towards the end of the film. It's a minor quibble though.

Overall a good CD, particularly for Cavalleria Rusticana. However, if you're expecting a definitive soundtrack of the film you'll be disappointed.

Music for My Little Friends is a CD for kids in the same way that non-sugary cereal becomes food for kids when the box promises a prize inside. Aside from the title and whimsical cover art, there's not much kid-like about it. Sir James, the virtuoso Irish flautist who's piped his way into gigs with the world's foremost orchestras and pop stars, is too sophisticated a musician to tone it down for small fries, so he services them instead with a gorgeous, accessible bundle of classical numbers.

A few pieces--Rota's "Five Easy Pieces", Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits", Debussy's "Mandoline", and Faure's "Berceuse"--positively flutter. Others, like Saint-Saens's "The Swan" and Coulter's "Lament for the Wild Geese", snap hearts with their sad beauty. If Galway tips his cap to recorder-tooting tikes, it's with "Danny Boy" and Ibert's "The Little White Donkey"; still, the depth and distinguished interpretations of backers London Mozart Players and pianist Phillip Moll make pulling off pure kid-stuff impossible. No doubt Galway assembled Little Friends with the likely futile intention of chiselling away at every 4 to 12-year-old's resistance to classical music. What will grab hold, age or inclination aside, is a sense of the passion a single instrument can stir. --Tammy La Gorce

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Best ever soundtrack, 04 Apr 2006
This music is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. The film was OK but this music is haunting. You must buy this CD and listen to it.

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Quite good., 22 Nov 2005
This soundtrack has included music I didn't know was in the film, and has not included music I did know was in the film.

The first half is score from the movie including the new cues and some of the older ones. The song by Harry Connick Jr is very good. The track "The Immigrant" is actually the music from the trailer for Godfather II.

The second half is my favourite part. It has most of Cavalerria Rusticana used in the movie. It's the same recording, which is pleasing. I say "most" because the famous Intermezzo used at the very end of the film is NOT included, which upset me. After 25 minutes of CR, I'd hoped for the 'pay off'.

They also didn't include one of my favourite cues from the trilogy - used in this film when Calo is shown into 'spectacle wearing' Don Lucchesi's room towards the end of the film. It's a minor quibble though.

Overall a good CD, particularly for Cavalleria Rusticana. However, if you're expecting a definitive soundtrack of the film you'll be disappointed.

Very entertaining, 20 Jun 2003
This cd has a good collection of songs to keep kids as well as adults entertained for a short car trip. I like the diverse selection, as well as the fun and up beat tempo. ALthough not all kids enjoy music such as this, because at this age it seems as though they can only appreciate music with lyrics, I think this CD will grow on them.
Thanks very much

Very enjoyable, 11 Oct 2008
Congratulations to Naxos for compiling this fine CD. The genre of romantic film music is admirably represented here in works from the 1940s and 50s, and gets first-rate performances and commitment from Fowke and the RTE Orchestra conducted by Ó Duinn.

Mr. M. F. Allen has strange hearing(or Hi~Fi), 05 Sep 2008
I can only agree with Dr Scott.
Quite what disc Mr. M. F. Allen was listening to,and with what equipment I don't know.
However his whole review sounds more like a rant,than a balanced and informative review.
As this is a Naxos disc it is budget price as well, and certainly worth adding to your collection.

Indulgent but beautiful, 04 Aug 2008
Please ignore the review below - the gentleman quite clearly has cloth in his ears. This is a splendid collection of "artificial" piano concertos from the golden age of cinema, the best known being the Warsaw Concerto. Philip Fowke is admirably partnered by his Irish conductor and orchestra and they give these slight but gorgeous scores their all. In particular, the Warsaw Concerto comes off splendidly well in EXCELLENT SOUND. Richard Rodney Bennett's waltz from Murder on the Orient Express is another winner. This is a super selection if you have a taste for romantic piano concertos. Great stuff.

Totally disappointing, 12 May 2008
The 'Warsaw Concerto' is one of my favourite pieces of music as are some of the other tracks on this CD. I do not know when this was recorded but the standard is very poor and, to my ears, unacceptable. I do have a number of early CDs but this cannot compare. A poor recording or transfer to CD I do not know but it is not worth wasting money to purchase this miserable offering.

An Aural Adventure, 02 Apr 2002
I came to Amazon.co.uk to look for a replacement CD of "Adventure!" as a replacement for my old tape copy (EMI-Columbia TC-SCX 6091).

This was published in 1966 and contains many instantly recognisable film themes and other tunes.

From the bombascity of the themes to "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", to the tranquil sobriety of "Girl with a Dream" and "Under the Linden Tree", the album provides a perfect aural backdrop for a leisurely journey through the joyous and serene.

The conduction of, and performances from, Ron Goodwin's orchestra are faultless, as is George Martin's production. Various recordings have been used in other contexts to those originally composed for, such as "The Trap", famously used by BBC Sport as their theme to coverage of The London Marathon.

A very easy-to-listen to album, but with plenty of drama and pace to punctuate the dreamier platitudes. I shall look forward immensely to being able to listen to this on CD, which will no doubt bring a whole new lease of life to the album.

Corn from way back when, 12 Dec 2007
From the carefree, sunshiny days of the palm court orchestras comes to us the music of one André Rieu, a Dutch violinist who long, long ago vacated his position as concertmaster in one of Holland's provincial symphony orchestras. Not because they played bad music, but because they refused to play down to the masses. Since they were subsidized, who cared that the halls were at best half full most of the time? Ah, yes, André cared! He no longer wanted to play to halls half-filled with toffee-nosed musical connoisseurs. So, André decided to become a Stehgeiger and Kapellmeister all in one and to elevate the masses through bringing to them the music they would probably understand without too much intellectual effort. This did not quite work out the way he had envisaged, when, in an audacious move, he adapted a piece by Shostakovich (not one of his most memorable compositions to be sure, but all the same) and to his surprise, struck gold. From then on Rieu has produced an endless string of musical taffy along the same lines, superficial to the core, carefully editing out anything that might offend anyone in anyway, no longer interested in elevating but in entertaining the masses. And while the combination of sound and vision may have a certain appeal for those who like Rieu's brand of slightly insipid humour, his female musicians dressed as would-be Cinderellas and the flashy flunkies with which he surrounds himself and the audience, when it comes to sound alone (as on a cd) the musical value is nill.

heart warming, beautifully produced music, 01 Jul 2001
Andre Rieu's music is guaranteed to lift you spiritually, and create a feeling of overall peace. You can see why this violinist is so popular in Europe.

A fantastic collection., 20 Oct 2003
This Cd is well worth buying.
Firstly it is excellent value for a double disc with over 2 and a half hours of music.The sound is superb and the varition is well mixed and suited.
Highlight of this album for me are the haunting and divine Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi (a genius!), a new choir arrangement of Barber's masterpiece Adagio for strings, Chopin's Nocturn Op.72/1 (as featured in 1 of last years best films "The Pianist").
Other highlights come from Arvo Part, Mascagni and Satie.
Featured performers include Lesley Garrett, the Philharmonica Orchestra, Trinity College Choir.
A fantastic album at a fantastic price, well worth getting, putting your feet up and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful music.

almost too much, 28 Dec 2008
This four CD set by the prolific Ms Garrett features her many faceted talents as a chanteuse/diva. Each disc is titled as Nights at The Opera/Operetta/Musical/Classic Songs and Arias and there is enough here to keep even the most jaded fan happy. There is such a humorous quality in her voice that it makes the listening such a pleasure. Although there are many stand out tracks her rereadings of show tunes is a revelation as she seems to imbue the catchiest showstopper with a wonderful grandeur without damaging its original intention. "I belong to the Earth" from Wuthering Heights I found especially magical. I recommend the whole 4+ hours as a great antidote to any kind of blues

Best ever soundtrack, 04 Apr 2006
This music is just so beautiful it takes your breath away. The film was OK but this music is haunting. You must buy this CD and listen to it.

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Quite good., 22 Nov 2005
This soundtrack has included music I didn't know was in the film, and has not included music I did know was in the film.

The first half is score from the movie including the new cues and some of the older ones. The song by Harry Connick Jr is very good. The track "The Immigrant" is actually the music from the trailer for Godfather II.

The second half is my favourite part. It has most of Cavalerria Rusticana used in the movie. It's the same recording, which is pleasing. I say "most" because the famous Intermezzo used at the very end of the film is NOT included, which upset me. After 25 minutes of CR, I'd hoped for the 'pay off'.

They also didn't include one of my favourite cues from the trilogy - used in this film when Calo is shown into 'spectacle wearing' Don Lucchesi's room towards the end of the film. It's a minor quibble though.

Overall a good CD, particularly for Cavalleria Rusticana. However, if you're expecting a definitive soundtrack of the film you'll be disappointed.

Very entertaining, 20 Jun 2003
This cd has a good collection of songs to keep kids as well as adults entertained for a short car trip. I like the diverse selection, as well as the fun and up beat tempo. ALthough not all kids enjoy music such as this, because at this age it seems as though they can only appreciate music with lyrics, I think this CD will grow on them.
Thanks very much

mixture of old and new, 04 Nov 2006
great for the fans of gerswin or andrew lloyd webber, a lot of songs from films such as room with a view and pride and predice. great stuff