featured classical albums
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- Arianna Savall / Pette …
- Hirundo Maris
- This album of folksong from Catalan, Sephardic, Norwegian, and Scottish traditions features sensitive, evocative arrangements and performances by singer and…
- Mike Oldfield
- Two Sides: The Very Best…
- This self-chosen set makes a great introduction to Mike Oldfield's work, although ardent fans will no doubt have everything here in their longer forms.
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- Andrew Carwood / St. P …
- Mozart: Missa Solemnis;…
- How you'll feel about this disc may depend on how you feel about the classic boychoir sound in general, but it is recommended for lovers of Mozart the English…
- Annette Mannheimer /
- Cécile Chaminade: The…
- This Swedish album of substantial Chaminade works is most welcome, and the music is of extremely high quality throughout. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the…
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- Ensemble Clément Janeq …
- Rabelais: Fay ce que vouldras
- These boisterous readings from Rabelais, with music from his time, is so infectious that it should appeal even to listeners who don't speak French.
- Original Soundtrack
- Moonrise Kingdom [Original…
- While Moonrise Kingdom features more classical music than most Wes Anderson soundtracks, it's just as vivid and poignant as his other films' music.
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- Phantasm
- William Lawes: Consorts…
- Strongly recommended for those who have heard some viol music and are in a position to hear the strangeness in Lawes' works.
- John Zorn
- John Zorn: Rimbaud
- Rimbaud is a terrific collection of Zorn's stylistically diverse, wildly imaginative, mostly manic works inspired by the 19th century French Symbolist poet.
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- Ictus Ensemble / Mike …
- Luciano Berio: Laborintus…
- Mike Patton, the Ictus Ensemble, a choir, and three female vocalists offer a dynamic interpretation of Luciano Berio's Laborintus II.
- Daniel Barenboim / Wes …
- Beethoven for All: Music…
- The selections are all Beethoven favorites, and it's hard to quarrel with the program, although be aware that many recordings of this kind present at least…
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about classical
Classical music is hard to define in specific terms, but it is generally understood to be music rooted in Western European traditions performed by trained musicians in formal settings like concert halls, opera houses, and churches. Its key emphasis is the faithful interpretation of composers' written scores. Classical music's roots lie in the chant melodies of Medieval religious rites. Its contemporary incarnation encompasses everything from opera and the symphony orchestra to chamber ensembles, solo works, choral music, songs, film music, and the avant-garde. Works from the intervening centuries make up the bulk of the recorded repertory, and they mirror the artistic and architectural trends of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras in their sound worlds and conception. The dichotomy between classical and popular music is a fairly recent cultural development. In fact, much of what is considered classical music today grew out of, was influenced by, or was popular music of its time.