Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov :: Classics for Kids

Wonderful for every age

J. Leavitt | Vail, Coloraod | 06/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have 4 of the Classics for Kids CD's, and my 2 year old loves them at nap and bedtime. Not only to they get to listen to the most beautiful music in the world, but a great children's story as well! I recommend these for any age of child!"

Child's Play (and some songs sound like it)

P. Kingsriter | Lakeville, MN United States | 03/10/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Classics for Kids will provide your children with a decent, if unspectacular introduction to the classics. This CD is quite a collection of contradictions. On one hand, you have a great selection of music that spans the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century periods and showcases the variety of some of the classics' best-known compositions. On the other hand, you'll find very uneven technical engineering of the album itself ranging from acceptable to down-right poor. More than once, Pachalbel's Canon in D Major is marred by what sounds like a smudge on the master tape. Another technical misstep occurs on three tracks in a row (#s 7 - 9): each track ends so suddenly with so little fade time that one could do an audio double-take thinking the piece was cut off prematurely.The performances provide wide quality contrasts as well. On the first half of the disc (tracks 1 - 7) the Berlin Symphony Orchestra does a servicable job on each of its selections (though not spectacular), but the rest are of a far lesser quality. Flight of the Bumble Bee and Canon in D Major were particular disappointments. (The New Bach Collegium Musicum - whom everm theym arem - should be prohibited from recording in the future.)The second half of the album plays as if it was engineered by a completely different company, improving dramatically. Even the solo piano pieces sound vastly more expert. Jeno Jando is positively butterfly-like on Mendelssohn's Spring Song, and Werner Brock turns in a frolicksome performance on Anderson's The Typewriter playing, you guessed it, a real typewriter! Given the fact that this is a bargain disc, you should allow your musical sensibilities to judge how you balance the importance of cost over quality. You'll find better performances of every piece on some other album. But on the other hand (again, and for the final time!) this could be a nice, inexpensive start that introduces your child to some of the greatest melodies ever written. I would recommend "25 Children's Favorites" as a more even-quality alternative."