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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 /TiVo
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Solomon, HWV 67, Act III (Georg Friedrich Händel)
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor, MainArtist - Anonymous, Author - Michael Bremner, Producer - Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestra, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1965 Decca Music Group Limited
"Ellens Gesang III", D839 (Franz Schubert)
Ambrosian Singers, Choir, MainArtist - Franz Schubert, Composer - New Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Walter Scott, Author - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Adam Storck, Translator - Joan Sutherland, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer
℗ 1965 Decca Music Group Limited
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Cantata BWV 147 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Peter White, Organ, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Bridges, Translator - George Guest, Conductor, MainArtist - Alan Reeve, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Harley Usill, Producer - The Choir of St John’s Cambridge, Choir, MainArtist
℗ 1959 Decca Music Group Limited
Canon and Gigue in D Major, P. 37
James Mallinson, Producer, Recording Producer - Johann Pachelbel, Composer - John Dunkerley, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Orchestra, MainArtist - Karl Münchinger, Conductor, Arranger, Work Arranger, MainArtist
℗ 1978 Decca Music Group Limited
Ambrosian Singers, Choir, MainArtist - Albert Hay Malotte, Composer - Wyn Morris, Conductor, MainArtist - Stuart Burrows, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Martin Neary, Organ, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 Decca Music Group Limited
Serenade in G, K.525 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor, MainArtist - John Dunkerley, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Bremner, Producer - Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stanley Goodall, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Danny Gosling, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1971 Decca Music Group Limited
Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14 (Felix Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer - London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - James Walker, Producer - Piero Gamba, Conductor, MainArtist - Ruggiero Ricci, Violin, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Erik Smith, Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Cyril Windebank, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1957 Decca Music Group Limited
Madama Butterfly / Act 2
Giacomo Puccini, Composer - Luigi Illica, Author - Giuseppe Giacosa, Author - Tullio Serafin, Conductor, MainArtist - James Walker, Producer - Christopher Raeburn, Producer, Recording Producer - Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra, MainArtist - Renata Tebaldi, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1958 Decca Music Group Limited
The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Pyotr Illitch Tchaïkovski)
Herbert Von Karajan, Conductor, MainArtist - Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestra, MainArtist - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer
℗ 1962 Decca Music Group Limited
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
Andre Previn, Conductor, MainArtist - Edvard Grieg, Composer - London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Radu Lupu, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Woolcock, Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1973 Decca Music Group Limited
Nabucco / Act 3
JAMES BROWN, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Lamberto Gardelli, Conductor, MainArtist - Temistocle Solera, Author - Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Orchestra, MainArtist - Wiener Staatsopernchor, Choir, MainArtist - Erik Smith, Producer - Gordon Parry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1965 Decca Music Group Limited
Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39 (Edward Elgar)
James Mallinson, Producer, Recording Producer - Edward Elgar, Composer - London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - John Dunkerley, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Christopher Raeburn, Producer, Recording Producer - Sir Georg Solti, Conductor, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1977 Decca Music Group Limited
DISC 2
Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphée aux enfers)
Jacques Offenbach, Composer - Ernest Ansermet, Conductor, MainArtist - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Decca Music Group Limited
Casanova
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Johann Strauss II, Composer - Douglas Gamley, Arranger, Work Arranger - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Choir, MainArtist - Ralph Benatzky, Arranger, Work Arranger - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Christopher Raeburn, Producer, Recording Producer - Ernst Welisch, Author - Joan Sutherland, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Erik Smith, Producer, Recording Producer - Rudolf Schanzer, Author - James Lock, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kenneth Wilkinson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gordon Parry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, Cantata BWV 208 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - James Mallinson, Producer - John Dunkerley, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Orchestra, MainArtist - Karl Münchinger, Conductor, Arranger, Work Arranger, MainArtist - Salomo Franck, Author
℗ 1978 Decca Music Group Limited
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Andrew Cornall, Producer - Colin Moorfoot, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1984 Decca Music Group Limited
Ambrosian Singers, Choir, MainArtist - Arthur Sullivan, Composer - Wyn Morris, Conductor, MainArtist - Stuart Burrows, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Martin Neary, Organ, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Adelaide A. Proctor, Author
℗ 1968 Decca Music Group Limited
Zémire et Azor
Richard Hickox, Conductor, MainArtist - Sir Thomas Beecham, Arranger, Work Arranger - Richard Hickox Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - André Grétry, Composer
℗ 1978 Decca Music Group Limited
Rigoletto, Act III
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Luciano Pavarotti, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Francesco Maria Piave, Author - David Harvey, Producer, Recording Producer - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Michael Woolcock, Producer, Assistant Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Victor Marie Hugo, Author, Original Text Author - Stan Goodall, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1972 Decca Music Group Limited
Cavalleria rusticana
Pietro Mascagni, Composer - Mirella Freni, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - National Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Conductor, MainArtist - Luciano Pavarotti, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Terry Edwards, Musical Director - London Voices, Choir - John Dunkerley, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Giuseppe Patane, Conductor - Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Author - Guido Menasci, Author - Fernando Pavarotti, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Lorenzo Saccomani, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Ingvar Wixell, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Vincenzo Bello, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Sidney Sax, Leader - James Lock, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Woolcock, Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Beswick, Producer, Assistant Producer - Pacho Panocia, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1978 Decca Music Group Limited
Chris Hazell, Producer, Recording Producer - Jeremiah Clarke, Composer - Simon Eadon, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Elgar Howarth, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philip Jones, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Iveson, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 1979 Decca Music Group Limited
Messiah, HWV 56 / Pt. 3 (Georg Friedrich Händel)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - George Frideric Handel, Composer - Kiri Te Kanawa, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Eadon, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Charles Jennens, Author - Sir Georg Solti, Conductor, MainArtist - James Lock, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer - John Tobin, Contributor, Work Editor
℗ 1985 Decca Music Group Limited
Jerusalem (Sir Charles Hubert Parry)
Chris Hazell, Arranger, Work Arranger - Hubert Parry, Composer - William Blake, Author - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Canterbury Cathedral Choir, Choir, MainArtist - David Flood, Organ, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Allan Wicks, Conductor, MainArtist
℗ 1984 Decca Music Group Limited
La traviata / Act 1
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - National Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Alexandre Dumas, Author, Original Text Author - Francesco Maria Piave, Author - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Christopher Raeburn, Producer - Andrew Cornall, Producer, Assistant Producer - James Lock, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Colin Moorfoot, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Peter Cooke, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 Decca Music Group Limited
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor" (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - David Harvey, Producer - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Sir Georg Solti, Conductor, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gordon Parry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1973 Decca Music Group Limited
Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor, MainArtist - Ralph Vaughan Williams, Composer - Ralph Greaves, Arranger, Work Arranger - Michael Bremner, Producer - Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stanley Goodall, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1972 Decca Music Group Limited
Maurice Ravel, Composer - Ernest Ansermet, Conductor, MainArtist - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra, MainArtist - Michael Bremner, Producer
℗ 1963 Decca Music Group Limited
DISC 3
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
JAMES BROWN, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Edvard Grieg, Composer - Herbert Von Karajan, Conductor, MainArtist - Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestra, MainArtist - John Culshaw, Producer - Gordon Parry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1962 Decca Music Group Limited
All in the April Evening (Hugh Roberton)
Treorchy Male Choir, Choir, MainArtist - Hugh Roberton, Composer - Eric Ball, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 1955 Decca Music Group Limited
Aida / Act 2
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Antonio Ghislanzoni, Author - Michael Bremner, Producer, Recording Producer - Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Chorus, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra, MainArtist - Carlo Franci, Conductor, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer, Recording Producer - Auguste Mariette, Author, Original Text Author
℗ 1964 Decca Music Group Limited
Thaïs / Acte Deux
James Mallinson, Producer - Jules Massenet, Composer - National Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Nigel Kennedy, Violin, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Stanley Goodall, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anatole France, Author, Original Text Author - Louis Marie Alexandre Gallet, Author
℗ 1984 Decca Music Group Limited
Ambrosian Singers, Choir, MainArtist - Stephen Adams, Composer - Wyn Morris, Conductor, MainArtist - Fred E. Weatherly, Author - Stuart Burrows, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Martin Neary, Organ, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1968 Decca Music Group Limited
Elijah, Op. 70, MWV A25 / Part 2 (Felix Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer, Author - William Bartholomew, Translator - Kathleen Ferrier, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Boyd Neel, Conductor, MainArtist - Julius Schubring, Author - Boyd Neel Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist
℗ 1946 Decca Music Group Limited
The Crucifixion
John Stainer, Composer - George Guest, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Raeburn, Producer, Recording Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - William John Sparrow-Simpson, Author - The Choir of St John’s Cambridge, Choir, MainArtist
℗ 1962 Decca Music Group Limited
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 (Serge Rachmaninoff)
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Composer - Andre Previn, Conductor, MainArtist - Tryggvi Tryggvason, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Christopher Raeburn, Producer - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1972 Decca Music Group Limited
Peter Knight, Conductor, MainArtist - Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Armand Silvestre, Author - Benjamin Godard, Composer - Kenneth McKellar, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - S.J. Reilly, Author - Victor Joseph Capoul, Author
℗ 1973 Decca Music Group Limited
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178
Antonín Dvorák, Composer - London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - István Kertész, Conductor, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Les pêcheurs de perles, WD 13 / Act 1
James Mallinson, Producer, Recording Producer - Georges Bizet, Composer - National Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Luciano Pavarotti, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michel Carre, Author - Nicolai Ghiaurov, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Eugene Cormon, Author - Robin Stapleton, Conductor, MainArtist - Kenneth Wilkinson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1977 Decca Music Group Limited
DISC 4
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer - Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestra, MainArtist - Christoph von Dohnanyi, Conductor, MainArtist - Christopher Raeburn, Producer - Colin Moorfoot, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1979 Decca Music Group Limited
La bohème, SC 67, Act I
James Mallinson, Producer - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra, MainArtist - Herbert Von Karajan, Conductor, MainArtist - Giacomo Puccini, Composer - Luigi Illica, Author - Giuseppe Giacosa, Author - Luciano Pavarotti, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Lock, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Colin Moorfoot, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer - Gordon Parry, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1973 Decca Music Group Limited
Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra
Joaquin Rodrigo, Composer - Charles Dutoit, Conductor, MainArtist - Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal, Orchestra, MainArtist - Carlos Bonell, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Lock, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ray Minshull, Producer
℗ 1981 Decca Music Group Limited
The Bohemian Girl / Act 2
London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Michael William Balfe, Composer - Alfred Bunn, Author - Richard Bonynge, Conductor, MainArtist - Joan Sutherland, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1963 Decca Music Group Limited
String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3, No. 5 (formerly attrib. J. Haydn)
Martin Fouqué, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Orchestra, MainArtist - Karl Münchinger, Conductor, MainArtist - Roman Hoffstetter, Composer - Ray Minshull, Producer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
The Gondoliers or The King of Barataria - Version with dialogue - Act Two (Sir Arthur Sullivan)
New Symphony Orchestra of London, Orchestra, MainArtist - Arthur Sullivan, Composer - William Schwenck Gilbert, Author - Thomas Round, Tenor, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Isidore Godfrey, Conductor, MainArtist - D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus, Choir, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Decca Music Group Limited
Sanctuary of the Heart (Albert Ketelbey)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Tony D'Amato, Producer, Recording Producer - Eric Rogers, Conductor, MainArtist - Royal Philharmonic Chorus, Choir, MainArtist - Albert Ketèlbey, Composer - Arthur Bannister, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1969 Decca Music Group Limited
JAMES BROWN, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Traditional, Author - Charles Gounod, Composer - Herbert Von Karajan, Conductor, MainArtist - Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestra, MainArtist - Leontyne Price, Soprano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Culshaw, Producer - Gordon Parry, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Carlo Sabatini, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 1961 Decca Music Group Limited
Anonymous, Composer - Huddersfield Choral Society, Choir, MainArtist - Wyn Morris, Conductor, MainArtist
℗ 1970 Decca Music Group Limited
Traditional, ComposerLyricist - Kathleen Ferrier, Contralto, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Culshaw, Producer, Recording Producer - William Gillie Whittaker, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 1949 Decca Music Group Limited
Traditional, Composer - Chris Hazell, Producer - Simon Eadon, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - John Iveson, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 1982 Decca Music Group Limited
Karelia Suite, Op. 11
Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Jean Sibelius, Composer - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Conductor, MainArtist - Andrew Cornall, Producer - Stanley Goodall, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1986 Decca Music Group Limited
Album review
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 /TiVo
About the album
- 5 disc(s) - 65 track(s)
- Total length: 05:50:41
- Main artist: Various Artists
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Decca Music Group Ltd.
- Genre: Classical
© 2006 Decca Music Group Limited This Compilation ℗ 1994 Decca Music Group Limited
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