Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (Allegro)
2. Bizet: Carmen Suite No 2 Habanera
3. Mozart: Symphony No 40 in G Minor
4. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
5. Boccherini: Minuet from String Quartet
6. Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben Cantata
7. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No 14
8. Ponchielli: La Gioconda Act III
9. Kreisler: Liebesfreud
10. Brahms: Hungarian Dance 5 in G Minor
11. Verdi: Aida Libretto: A Ghislanzoni After A Mariette
12. Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique Op 14: 4 Marche au supplice
13. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Violin Concerto in E Mionr
14. Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld
15. Grieg: Peer Gynt Op 23
16. Faure: Pelleas et Melisande Op 80
17. Vivaldi: Nulla in munda pax, R 630
18. Tarrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra
19. Khachaturian: Adagio from Spartacus
20. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Op 30
21. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Op 64
22. Tchaikovsky: Overture Solennelle 1812

Disc 2:

1. Handel: Water Music Suite. Alla Hornpipe
2. Strauss: Voices of Spring Op 410
3. Ravel: Bolero
4. Saint Saens: Le Carnavel des Animaux: Le Cygne
5. Mahler: Symphony No 5 in C Sharp Minor. Adagietto
6. Chopin: Nocturne No 2 in E Flat
7. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Op 35: Alegro Moderato
8. Rossini: The Barber of Seville
9. Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C Minor: Allegro Con Brio
10. Rossini: William Tell Overture
11. Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance
12. Sousa: The Liberty Bell
13. Dukas: L'apprenti-sorcier
14. Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Strings in F Minor: Largo
15. Bach: Suite No 3 in D
16. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No 3 in D Minor
17. Mozart: Requiem in D Minor
18. Verdi: Libretto; F M Piave after V Hugh Act III
19. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No 8 in C Minor Op 13
20. Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate at Kiev

Disc 3:

1. Bizet: Carmen Suite No 1 Les Toreadors
2. Mozart: Serenade in G Allegro
3. Grieg: Peer Gynt Op 23: Prelude Morning Mood
4. Liszt: Liebstraum No 3 in A Flat
5. Barber: Adagio for Strings
6. Pachelbel: Cannon
7. Mozart: Piano Sonata No 11 in A Allegretto
8. Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffman Act IV Entr'acte
9. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: A Midsummer Night's Dream
10. Schubert: Ave Maria 'Ellens Gesang III'
11. Anonymous: Jeux Interdits
12. Beethoven: Bagatelle in A Minor, Fur Elise
13. Strauss: Radetzky March
14. Chopin: Waltz No 6 in D Flat 'Minute'
15. Albinoni/Giazotto: Adagio for Strings and Organ in G Minor
16. Satie: 3 Gymnopedies No 1
17. Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Strings in E, Allegro
18. Verdi: Il Trovatore Libretto: Cammarano after A Garcia Gutierrez

Disc 4:

1. Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust Op 24 Libretto
2. Bach: Suite No 2 in B Minor, Badinerie
3. Beethoven: Minuet in G
4. Verdi: Nabucco Libretto : Solera Act III 'Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate'
5. Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 in C, Andante
6. Faure: Pavane Op 50
7. Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz
8. Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C, Allegro
9. Schumann: Kinderszenen Op 15
10. Schumann: Kinderszenen Op 15 Traumerei
11. Beethoven: Symphony No 7 in A, Allegretto
12. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Op 20
13. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Symphony No 4 in A, Op 90 'Italien', Allegro
14. Saint Saens: Samson and Delila Act III Bacchanale
15. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
16. Handel: Messiah Part II Hallelujah
17. Schubert: Piano Quintet in A 'The Trout'
18. Debussy: Suite Bergamasque 3 Clair de Lune
19. Puccini: Turandot Nessun Dorma
20. Khachaturian: Gayanch Sabre Dance

Disc 5:

1. Dvorak: 8 Slavonic Dances Op 46 No 8 in G Minor (Presto)
2. Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Ballet of the Chickens in their Shells
3. Wagner: Lohengrin Act III 'Treulich gefuhrt ziehet dahin'
4. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 in B Flat Minor Op 23
5. Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E Minor Op 95 'From the New World'
6. Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra, Adagio
7. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Op 71 Waltz of the Flowers
8. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Songs without Words, Spring Song
9. Beethoven: Violin Conerto in D, Rondo, Allegro
10. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 in D Minor
11. Beethoven: Symphony No 9 in D Minor, Choral, Alla Marcia
12. Smetana: My Country, The Moldau
13. Chopin: Piano Sonata no 2 in B Flat Minor,Lento
14. Bach: Toccata und Fugue in D Minor
15. Haydyn: Serenade from String Quartet in F, Serenade
16. Vivaldi: Gloria in Excelsis, Allegro
17. Mozart: Serenade in G, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Rondo
18. Chopin: Polonaise No 3 in A, Military
19. Holst: The Planets, 4, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
20. Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1707 in Music
• Released on: 2003-10-13
• Number of discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Running time: 371 minutes

Customer Reviews

Good Selection, but perhaps not for serious classical fans
I've been a classical fan for many years and it has often been the case that classical compilation CDs that I've listened to have been short exerpts of composers' most famous works. This box set includes some of the best loved compositions and I really cannot fault the selection of the pieces. My main critique is that several tracks have been shortened to only what the makers consider to be 'the most famous bits' like the haunting opening to Bach's Toccata and Fugue, while leaving out some of the essential parts. For example, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2 has been shortened to just under 5 minutes beginning only at the main crescendo and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is reduced to only 3 mins 18 seconds. So overall, if you are perhaps just getting into classical music, this is an excellent introduction to help you find out which composers you like or don't like, however I don't think this should be a purchase for serious classical fans.

Top Class Classical 100

This is a great low cost box set which does exactly what it says on the box - it gives you 100 classical music hits, covering all the styles such as baroque, classical, romantic and modern, and includes music from all the popular composers.

Some of the tracks are simply excerpts from the full piece, for example Beethoven's Ninth symphony, originally over 60 minutes long, is reduced to a two and a half minute rousing chorus of the popular `Ode to Joy'. Likewise, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture is cut from 15 minutes down to the last few minutes of the exciting thunder and fireworks finale.

This editing enables a great range of `hits' to be squeezed onto five discs, and gives the classical music novice a chance to dip their toe in the water and maybe move onwards to more comprehensive works from their favourite artist if they like what they hear.

For the more serious listener, who will probably already have much of the music, this collection may have less appeal but I think it's a great set to have, even just to keep in the car or use as a little background music for those dinner parties...

A bargain box of classical music.

Perfect for beginners, adequate for enthusiasts.
If you are more inclined to call yourself serious about classical music, this box set will surely not bring you much in the way of new and exciting recordings. However, for a beginner (such as myself) this box set provides a good variety of perhaps the greatest and well known of classical pieces. It also gives you an idea of the different composers and their music, providing a foundation on which to build on. For beginners to classical music, highly recommended!!!