This unique box set is a symphony for the senses and an imaginary ticket to the birthplaces of the four classical master musicians who created them. The 18th century concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will Transport the listener from their living room to the pristine Austrian countryside of Salzburg. The same could be said for the emotional sonatas and symphonies of German-born Ludwig Von Beethoven. The countryside tour continues in Vienna as Johann Strauss Jr. inspires with his melodic polkas and waltzes. Experience the change of seasons, Italian style with Antonio Vivaldi?s most famous suite ?The Four Seasons.?

Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. He was the eldest son of a singer in the Kapelle of the Archbishop-Elector and grandson of the Archbishop?s Kapellmeister. He moved to Vienna and under the tutelage of Franz Haydn quickly established himself as a remarkable keyboard player and inventive composer. By 1815, Beethoven?s advancing deafness made public performance impossible. At the same time, his increasingly eccentric behavior was well documented, but tolerated. Beethoven did much to widen the scope of musical possibility and broaden the horizons of composers to come.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Mozart was born in 1756, the youngest child and only surviving son of violin player Leopold Mozart. He displayed early talents, first as keyboard player and violinist, and eventually as a composer. Due to the indulgence of The Archbishop of Salzburg, his family?s patron at the time, Mozart was able to take his talents abroad. He went to Paris, London and Italy where he commissioned several operas. A change in Archbishops led to rejection, a lack of opportunity, financial despair and finally to his career?s demise. Mozart spent his last 10 years in Vienna where he died in December 1791.

Johann Strauss II
(1825-1899)
Johann Strauss II, the eldest son of Johann Strauss I, was discouraged from pursuing a career in
music. Despite his father?s disapproval, Johan Strauss II secured an unrivaled reputation in the later half of the 19th century as a composer and purveyor of Viennese light music. He involved his two younger brothers in the management and direction of his dance orchestras that performed in Vienna and abroad.

Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741)
Italian composer and violinist Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678. Following his ordination in 1703, he embarked on an intermittent career in the service of Ospedale della Pieta. This was an educational institution for abandoned girls with a formidable musical reputation. His later career focused a heavy emphasis on vocal music. With over 500 concertos to his credit, Vivaldi is considered one of the most prolific composers of his time. In 1741, he left Venice in pursuit of new patrons in Vienna. Vivaldi died shortly after his arrival in Vienna.

DVDs

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 Eroica
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major,
Op.55, Eroica
 1. Allegro con brio (13:13)
 2. Marcia fun?bre: Allegro assai (13:59)
 3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace (5:55)
 4. Finale: Allegro molto (10:55)
CSR Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Michael Hal?sz, conductor
Coriolanus Overture
 5. Coriolanus Overture (8:27)
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
Running time: 53 minutes
DVDI 1014

Mozart Piano Concertos
Nos. 13 & 20
Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major
K.415
 1. Allegro (10:24)
 2. Andante (7:12)
 3. Rondeau: Allegro (7:49)
Jen? Jand?, Piano
Concentus Hungaricus
Andr?s Ligeti, Conductor
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
K.466
 4. Allegro (14:05)
 5. Romance (9:02)
 6. Allegro assai (7:38)
Running Time: 56 minutes
DVDI 1009

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Spring
1. Allegro (3:30)
2. Largo e pianissimo sempre (2:37)
3. Danza pastorale : Allegro (4:15)
Summer
4. Allegro non molto (5:20)
5. Adagio - Presto (2:31)
6. Presto (3:01)
Autumn
7. Allegro (4:44)
8. Adagio molto (2:45)
9. Allegro (3:12)
Winter
10. Allegro non molto (3:25)
11. Largo (2:19)
12. Allegro (3:06)
Concerto in D Minor, Op. 3, No. 11*
13. Allegro (4:16)
14. Largo e spiccato (2:23)
15. Allegro (2:26)
Takako Nishizaki, Violin
Capella Istropolitana
Stephen Gunzenhauser,
Jozef Kopelman*, Conductors
Running Time: 56 minutes
DVDI 0996

Strauss: Waltzes & Polkas
 1. Wiener Blut, Walzer, Op.354 (8:25) *
 2. Fr?hlingsstimmer, Walzer,
Op.410 (6:07) **
 3. K?nstlerleben, Walzer, Op.316 (8:33) *
 4. Perpetuum Mobile, Op.257 (3:06) *
 5. Bitte Sch?n, Polka,
Op.372 (3:49) ***
 6. Leichtes Blut, Polka,
Op.319 (2:43) ****
 7. Wo die Citronen bl?h?n,
Op.364 (9:22) ***
 8. Die Fledermaus, Overture (8:26) *****
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra *
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra **
Ondrej Len?rd, conductor
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra ***
Alfred Walter, conductor
Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra ****
Oliver Dohn?nyi, conductor
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra *****
Martin Sieghart, conductor
Running Time: 51 minutes
DVDI 1016

Featured on All DVDs:
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Remastered in Dolby Digital and DTS Surround
Features "E-Z Menu" system for the most accessible  navigation
NTSC - No Region Coding

CDs

The Best of BEETHOVEN
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
01. Symphony No. 5 in C minor:
Allegro con brio * 05:34
02. Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 23,
'Fur Elise' 03:09
Balazs Szokolay, piano
03. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major:
Scherzo: Allegro vivace * 0 5:57
04. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor:
Adagio cantabile 04:46
Jeno Jando, piano
05. Violin Concerto in D major,
Op. 61: Rondo: Allegro 11:16
Takako Nishizaki, violin
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Kenneth Jean, conductor
06. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp
minor: Adagio sostenuto 05:19
Jeno Jando, piano
07. Symphony No. 6 in F major:
Allegro ma non troppo * 11:05
08. Piano Concerto No. 5 in
E flat major: Rondo: Allegro 10:04
Stefan Vladar, piano
Capella Istropolitana
Barry Wordsworth, conductor
09. Egmont Overture 08:26
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
10. Symphony No. 9 in D minor:
Finale: Presto 13:51
Diane Elias, contralto / Robert Holzer,
bass-baritone / Gabriele Lechner,
soprano / Michael Pabst, tenor
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra
Richard Edlinger, conductor
* Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
Bela Drahos, conductor

The Best of Mozart
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
01. Serenade No. 13 in G major,
K. 525: Allegro * 05:56
Wolfgang Sobotka, conductor
02. German Dance No. 3,
K. 605 * *** 03:24
03. Symphony No. 25 in G minor:
Allegro * ** 07:43
04. String Quartet No. 17 in
B flat major: Minuetto 04:17
Eder Quartet
05. Horn Concerto No. 3 in
E flat major: Allegro * 03:38
Milos Stevove, horn
Jozef Kopelman, conductor
06. Symphony No. 40 in G minor:
Molto allegro * ** 07:33
07. Clarinet Concerto in A major:
Adagio *** 07:21
Ernst Ottensamer, clarinet
Vienna Mozart Academy
08. Divertimento in D major:
Allegro * 04:05
Richard Edlinger, conductor
09. Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major:
Rondo * 07:37
Herbert Weissberg, flute
Martin Sieghart, conductor
10. Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major:
Alla turca **** 03:45
11. Oboe Quartet in F major:
Adagio 03:33
Jozsef Kiss, oboe
Kodaly Quartet
12. Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major:
Rondeau: Allegro * 0 6:47
Takako Nishizaki, violin
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
13. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major:
Andante **** 06:48
Concentus Hungaricus
Andras Ligeti, conductor
14. Symphony No. 41 in C major:
Menuetto: Allegro * ** 04:44
* Capella Istropolitana
** Barry Wordsworth, conductor
*** Johannes Wildner, conductor
**** Jeno Jando, piano

The Best of VIVALDI
ANTONIO VIVALDI
The Four Seasons, RV 269, ?Spring?: Allegro
01. The Four Seasons, RV 269:
"Spring": Allegro 03:34
Concerto in G major for Two Guitars,
RV 532: Andante
02. Concerto in G major for
Two Guitars: Andante 03:42
Flute Concerto in D major,
RV 428, "Il Cardellino"
03. Allegro 03:46
04. Cantabile 03:04
05. Allegro 02:56
The Four Seasons, RV 269,
?Spring?: Largo e pianissimo sempre
06. The Four Seasons, ?Spring?:
Largo e pianissimo sempre 02:42
Oboe Concerto in A minor, RV 461
07. Allegro non molto 03:13
08. Larghetto 02:20
09. (Allegro) 03:06
The Four Seasons, RV 315,
?Summer?: Largo e pianissimo sempre
10. The Four Seasons, "Summer":
Largo e pianissimo sempre 02:38
Concerto in C major for Two
Trumpets, RV 537
11. Allegro 02:57
12. Largo 00:51
13. Allegro 03:13
The Four Seasons, RV 293, ?Autumn?: Adagio molto
14. The Four Seasons, "Autumn":
Adagio molto 02:49
Cello Concerto in C minor, RV 401
15. Allegro non molto 04:37
16. Adagio 02:18
17. Allegro ma non molto 03:25
The Four Seasons, RV 297,
?Winter?: Largo
18. The Four Seasons, ?Winter?:
Largo 02:24
Flautino Concerto in C major, RV 443
19. Allegro 03:33
20. Largo 04:05
21. Allegro molto 02:47
Violin Concerto in A minor, RV 522: Largo
22. Violin Concerto in A minor:
Largo 02:35
Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV 484
23. Allegro poco 04:11
24. Andante 03:34
25. Allegro 03:00

The Best of J. STRAUSS II
JOHANN STRAUSS II
01. Die Fledermaus: Overture 08:31
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Martin Sieghart, conductor
02. Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald:
Waltz, Op. 325 * 11:59
03. Annen-Polka, Op. 117 04:31
Polish State Philharmonic
Orchestra (Katowice)
Johannes Wildner, conductor
04. Wiener Blut: Waltz,
Op. 354 * 08:30
05. Pizzicato-Polka* 02:35
06. Rosen aus dem Suden:
Waltz, Op. 388* 08:26
07. Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka,
Op. 214 * 02:49
08. Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437 * 11:18
09. Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257 * 03:09
10. An der schonen blauen Donau:
Waltz, Op. 314 * 09:28
11. Unter Donner und Blitz: Polka,
Op. 324 * 03:21
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ondrej Lenard, conductor

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