The Tales of Hoffmann

Five CD set featuring relaxing cinema, classical, vocals & orchestra pieces. Collection of a romantic and just calm, pleasant hearing of classical music. The most beautiful emotional best classical music!

The intent of this set is pretty clear from the titles of each of the six discs: Meditations; Orchestral Fireworks; Invitation to the Dance; Nocturne; Pomp & Circumstance; Grand Opera. This is mood or 'theme' music designed to provide either a background or a sequence of 'tasters' initiating the person who comes fresh to classical music with a sampling from the 'great and the good'. True the 'great and the good' are all from the core repertoire; not even a scintilla of Janacek, Nielsen, Adams, Reich which is a shame.

The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music consists of famous selections performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of David Parry, with additional appearances by violinist Pieter Schoeman, pianist Finghin Collins, and guitarist Craig Ogden. While the term "greatest" may be debatable in the instance of some of the pieces, "popular" is a description that's easier to support, for there's no denying the staying power of these pieces. Indeed, some are so well-loved, they have become obligatory on such collections and are likely found in most listeners' collections.

Many of literature's greatest works, from ancient myths to the works of Nobel laureates, rely on fantasy. Even when there has been a dominant preference for realism, generation after generation of readers have been drawn to stories of the fantastic not only for what they help us learn about ourselves as individuals and about our collective selves but also for what they show about our social values.