VA – 100 Best Romantic Classics (2007)

With more than 7 hours of tender music by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Debussy, Puccini and more, performed by greats like Luciano Pavarotti, Andre Previn and Jose Carreras, this set can complete any romantic evening at home. And if we can’t play upon your heart strings, 100 classics for this low price is quite a deal.

CD1: From Russia With Romance
CD2: An Austro-German Romance
CD3: A French Romance
CD4: Romance In A Cold Climate
CD5: England & America In Love
CD6: Mediterranean Romance

Tracklist:

CD 1
1. Horacio Gutierrez (piano);London Symphony Orchestra; Andre Previn (conductor)/Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 – I: Allegro no (3:24)
2. Philadelphia Orchestra;Riccardo Muti (conductor)/Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet – Balcony Scene (extract) (5:34)
3. Tasmin Little (violin);Piers Lane (piano)/Shostakovich: Romance (The Gadfly) (3:15)
4. Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra;Mariss Jansons (conductor)/Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet (extract) (2:59)
5. Cecille Ousset (piano);City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra;Simon Rattle (conductor)/Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paga (2:59)
6. Philharmonia Orchestra;Efrem Kurtz (conductor)/Khachaturian: Masquerade – Waltz (4:22)
7. Natalie Clein (cello);Charles Owen (piano)/Rachmaninoff: Vocalise (6:06)
8. Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra;Mariss Jansons (conductor)/Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker – Grand pas de deux (5:15)
9. Dmitri Alexeev (piano);English Chamber Orchestra;Jerzy Maksymiuk (conductor)/Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 – II: Andante (6:10)
10. Philadelphia Orchestra;Riccardo Muti (conductor)/Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade – II: The Story of the Kalendar Prince (3:52)
11. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra;Yuri Temirkanov (conductor)/Khachaturian: Spartacus – Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (4:45)
12. Londons Symphony Orchestra;Andre Previn (conductor)/Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake – Scene (Act II, No. 10) (2:49)
13. Cecile Ousset (piano);City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra;Simon Rattle (conductor)/Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 – II. A (4:31)
14. Beecham Choral Society;Royal Philharmonic Orchestra;Thomas Beecham (conductor)/Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (Prince Igor) (2:35)
15. St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra;Mariss Jansons (conductor)/Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 – III: Adagio (7:14)
16. Philharmonia Orchestra;John Lanchbery (conductor)/Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty – Waltz (5:00)
17. Boston Symphony Orchestra;Seiji Ozawa (conductor)/Stravinsky: Le Oiseau de feu (conclusion) (3:04)

CD 2
1. Stephen Hough (piano);Halle Orchestra;Bryden Thomson (conductor)/Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 – II: Andante (5:22)
2. Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields;Neville Marriner (conductor)/Mozart: Serenade in G ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’ – II: Romanze: A (5:48)
3. Dame Moura Lympany (piano)/Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 ‘Moonlight’ – I: Adagio sostenuto (3:59)
4. Julia Thornton (harp);National Radio Orchestra of the Netherlands;Erno Olah (conductor)/Beethoven: ‘Emperor’ Concerto – II: Ada (7:04)
5. Radovan Vlatkovic (horn);English Chamber Orchestra;Jeffrey Tate (conductor)/Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 – II: Romanza: Andante (4:46)
6. John Aler (tenor);London Philharmonic Orchestra;Bernard Haitink (conductor)/Mozart: Un’aura amorosa (Cosi fan tutte) (4:45)
7. Stephen Kovacevich (piano)/Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor ‘Pathetique’ – II: Adagio cantabile (5:35)
8. Yehudi Menuhin (violin);Philharmonia Orchestra;Efrem Kurtz (conductor)/Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto – II: Andante (4:31)
9. Sabine Meyer (basset clarinet);Dresden Staatskapelle;Hans Vonk (conductor)/Mozart: Clarinet Concerto – II: Adagio (6:38)
10. Daniel Adni (piano)/Mendelssohn: Fruehlingslied (2:42)
11. Yehudi Menuhin (violin);Philharmonia Orchestra;Walter Susskind (conductor)/Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 – II: Adagio (4:24)
12. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment;Charles Mackerras (conductor)/Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Nocturne (5:54)
13. Lucia Popp (soprano);London Philharmonic Orchestra;Klaus Tennstedt (conductor)/R. Strauss: Beim Schlafengehen (Four Last Songs) (4:25)
14. Berlin Philharmonic;Herbert von Karajan (conductor)/J. Strauss II: An der schoenen blauen Donau (extract) (3:48)
15. Maxim Vengerov (violin);Ian Brown (piano)/Kreisler: Liebeslied (3:26)
16. Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra;Jeffrey Tate (conductor)/Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Wedding March (5:35)

CD 3
1. Jessye Norman (soprano); Ann Murray (mezzo-soprano)Offenbach Barcarole (Les contes des Hoffman) (4:24)
2. Han-Na Chang (cello);Philharmonia Orchestra;Leonard Slatkin (conductor)Saint-Saens Le Carnaval des animaux – Les Cygne (3:18)
3. Maria Callas (soprano) Choeurs Rene Duclos; Bizet Habanera (Carmen) (4:21)
4. Philadelphia Orchestra;Wolfgang Sawalisch (conductor)Debussy Clair de lune (5:12)
5. Natalie Dessay (soprano);Delphine Haidan (mezzo-soprano)Delibes Flower Duet (Lakme) (4:52)
6. New Philharmonia Orchestra;Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)Gounod Les nubiennes (Faust) (2:25)
7. Maria Callas (soprano)Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise; Saint-Saens Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix (Samson&Dalila) (5:21)
8. Gareth Morris (flute) New Philharmonia Orchestra;Sir David Willcocks (conductor)Faure Pavane (6:50)
9. Barbara Hendricks (soprano) Michel Dalberto (piano)Martini Plaisir d’amour (2:53)
10. Ulf Hoelscher (violin) New Philharmonia Orchestra;Pierre Dervaux (conductor)Saint-Saens Romance (5:55)
11. Jean-Philippe Collard & Bruno Rigutto (pianos)Faure Berceuse (Dolly suite) (2:38)
12. French National Orchestra;Seiji Ozawa (conductor)Bizet Carmen,Entr’acte to Act III (2:35)
13. Natasha Marsh (soprano) London Symphony Orchestra;Michael Francis (conductor)Faure Chanson d’amour (2:03)
14. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra;Louis Fremaux (conductor)Satie Gymnopedie No. 1 (2:52)
15. New Philharmonia Orchestra;Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)Delibes Sylvia, Intermezzo & Valse lente (4:25)
16. Orchestra of the Royal Opera House;Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)Messager Les deux pigeons (3:19)
17. Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin) Berliner Philharmoniker;Herbert von Karajan (conductor)Massenet Meditation (Thais) (6:44)

CD 4
1. Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields – Grieg: Peer Gynt – Prelude To Act 4 (Morning) (4:19)
2. Paavo Berglund: Staatskapelle Dresden – Smetana: Moldau, T 111 – Ma Vlast (5:01)
3. Dmitri Alexeev – Piano Concerto – II.Adagio (6:40)
4. Mariss Jansons: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra – Dvorak: Symphony #9, (4:46)
5. Daniel Adni – Wedding Day At Troldhaugen (5:41)
6. Lucia Popp; Stefan Soltesz: Munchner Rundfunk Orchestra – Dvorak: Rusalka, Op. 114, B 203 – Act 1: Song To The Moon (5:54)
7. Martha Argerich – Piano Concerto No.1 II. Romance: Larghetto (Opening) (3:53)
8. Moura Lympany – Dvorak: Humoresque #7 In G Flat, B 187/7 (3:04)
9. Les Sylphides – Prelude In A (3:23)
10. Michel Beroff – Piano Concerto No.1 – II. Quasi Adagio (4:33)
11. At The Castle Gate (Pelleas Et Melisande) (2:53)
12. Peter Donohoe – Chopin: Berceuse In D Flat, Op. 57, B 154 (4:30)
13. Stig Nilsson – Jealousy – Tango (4:12)
14. John Ogdon – Chopin: Nocturne #2 In E Flat, Op. 9/2, CT 109 (5:18)
15. Leif Ove Andsnes – Liebestraum No.3 In A Flat (4:09)
16. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Lovro Von Matacic: Philharmonia Orchestra With Chorus – Lehar: Die Lustige Witwe – Es Lebt’ Eine Vilja (4:52)

CD 5
1. Richard Hickox: Northern Sinfonia – Elgar: Salut D’Amour, Op. 12 (3:55)
2. John Barbirolli: Sinfonia Of London – Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On Greensleeves (4:41)
3. Jacqueline Du Pre – Cello Concerto – I. Adagio – Moderato (Opening) (3:26)
4. Hugh Bean; Adrian Boult: New Philharmonia Orchestra – Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending (6:25)
5. Adrian Boult: London Philharmonic Orchestra – Elgar: Chanson De Matin, Op. 15/2 (3:06)
6. Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis (Opening) (6:13)
7. Rostal & Schaefer – Michelle (3:22)
8. The Planets – Venus (Conclusion) (6:16)
9. Standing Stone – Celebration (6:17)
10. Michael Nyman – Nyman: The Heart Asks (3:13)
11. Manuel Barrueco, Steve Morse – Myers: The Deer Hunter – Cavatina (3:17)
12. Nikolaj Bloch & Sally Herbert – Any Other Name (From The Film American Beauty) (4:07)
13. Miklos Rozsa: Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra – Horner: Titanic – My Heart Will Go On (4:22)
14. Sharon Isbin – Sentimental Melody (3:59)
15. Kiri Te Kanawa; John McGlinn: New Princess Theatre Orchestra – Gershwin: Summertime (2:43)
16. West Side Story Symphonic Dances II. Somewhere (4:02)
17. London Symphony Orchestra – Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue (5:35)

CD 6
1. Philharmonia Orchestra;Riccardo Muti (conductor)/Mascagni: Intermezzo (Cavalleria rusticana) (3:44)
2. Angela Gheorghiu (soprano);London Symphony Orchestra;Antonio Pappano (conductor)/Puccini: O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi) (2:07)
3. Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)/Albeniz: Tango (2:30)
4. Montserrat Caballe (soprano);London Symphony Orchestra;Charles Mackerras (conductor)/Puccini: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (La r (3:08)
5. Yehudi Menuhin (violin);Camerata Lysy Gstaad;Alberto Lysy (conductor)/Vivaldi: Spring (The Four Seasons) – I. Allegro (3:42)
6. Natasha Marsh (soprano);Fernando Lima (countertenor);David Parsons (lute)/Monteverdi (arr. Leon): Pur ti miro (L’incoronazione (3:45)
7. Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields;Neville Marriner (conductor)/Boccherini (arr. Woodhouse): Minuet (3:56)
8. Luciano Pavarotti (tenor);Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Mascagni: O amore, o bella luce del core (L’amico F (2:32)
9. Christopher Parkening (guitar)/Tarrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra (3:57)
10. Natasha Marsh (soprano);London Symphony Orchestra;Francois-Xavier Roth (conductor)/Rota: Ai giochi addio (3:23)
11. Julian Bream (guitar);City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra;Simon Rattle (conductor)/Rodriogo: Concierto de Aranjuez – II. Adag (4:46)
12. Renata Scotto (soprano);Carlo Bergonzi (tenor);Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma;John Barbirolli/Puccini: Vogliatemi bene (7:56)
13. Sharon Isbin (guitar);Lausanne Chamber Orch.;Lawrence Foster (cond.)/Vivaldi (arr. Pujol,ed. Isbin): Guitar Concerto in D – II. (6:08)
14. Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin);Orchestra National de France;Seiji Ozawa (conductor)/Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (7:49)
15. Amy Nuttall (soprano);Julian Kershaw (conductor)/Quarantotto (adapt. Peterson): Time to Say Goodbye (3:53)
16. Julian Byzantine (guitar)/Albeniz (arr. Byzantine): Sevilla (5:22)
17. Jose Carreras (tenor);Rhine Opera Chorus;Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra;Alain Lombard (conductor)/Puccini: Nessun dorma (Tur (4:12)