Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(13 customer reviews) 29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Sublime!,
September 8, 2002 Joseph C. Jones (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Movie Adagios (Audio CD)
Of course, I'm nuts for classical music and classic movies, so this compilation of music featured in some of the most famous movies ever made is an absolutely ideal CD. Filmmakers have been raiding the classical music files since the days of the silents in order to heighten the mood of a scene and provide a greater emotional impact. Barber's Adagio for Strings has been used not only in "Platoon", as this CD lists, but also in "The Elephant Man". While there's only a small snippet of Rachmininoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 here, it's worth remembering that the entire piece is used throughout the magnificent "Brief Encounter" to heighten the impact of the romance. Mozart's Trio (Cosi fan tutte) was brilliantly used in "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" to comment on a complex romantic triangle. There are also 5 pieces written directly for the screen, two by Ennio Morricone (the haunting Gabriel's Oboe from "The Mission" and the exquisite...Read more
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Probably Decca's best "Adagios" set,
July 25, 2006 Chris Cathcart (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Movie Adagios (Audio CD)
I say "probably," since it's hard to outdo its "Beethoven Adagios" set. I've only bought a few of these "Adagios" sets because, looking over the track listings of so many, there's just so much overlap. Here, you get the best single collection of the bunch. Here, I was introduced to Addinsell's "Warsaw Concerto," and for that alone it was worth the price. But let's not forget a significant number of other gorgeous classic adagios: Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto (used in a gorgeous film, "Picnic at Hanging Rock"), Bach's "Air on a G String," Mahler's Adaghietto from Symphony no. 5, some obligatory Mozart, the Barber adagio, Debussy's Claire de lune, and - oh lovely! - Schubert's String Quintet in C. Then there are much-appreciated entries (Cinema Paradiso, Gabriel's Oboe) from a personal favorite composer, Ennio Morricone, one of the actual official film composers (as distinct from long-dead composers whose music was used in film) used for this collection, along with a couple from...Read more
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
One of the best CDs you'll ever own,
March 22, 2003 By A Customer
This review is from: Movie Adagios (Audio CD)
This is an excellent selection of music. I listen to it every chance I get. It is great just to put in your CD player on "repeat" and allow it to soothe and inspire you for a few hours, for an evening, or an for entire day. One reason I chose it was that I was looking for music that could simply be a nice background noise for when I'm working on things that require reading and concentration. I wanted music that would not be a distraction, and this does a good job. It is also great to listen to when doing almost anything, like even cleaning the house or doing laundry. I will admit though, that listening to the selection from Swan Lake might make you want to dance around the living room. Also, besides the obvious ones that everybody knows (Beethoven's 5th, or Canon in D, etc.) I do not know enough to distinguish specific songs from their composers, which is why I was hesitant to buy a classical CD soley of one artist because once I got it I may not have liked it or been...Read more
