Camille Jones

Don't get me wrong on the rating; the CD is good and the recordings and performances are great, but to call something a greatest hits collection, there really needs to be more of the greatest hits and not just the filler they have included. All of the songs are wonderful but if you are a new Saint-Saens lover you will need more.
Camille Saint-Saens was the master French impressionist, the wizard of piano and organ composition, one of the greatest composers ever. He is definitely top 5 in my book.
The problem with this recording is simply what is provided on the CD, or more appropriately, what is not provided. There are far too many omitions to count this as a greatest hits collection.
Bare minimum, a greatest hits collection for Saint-Saens must contain the entire 3rd symphony (the "organ" symphony), the Carnival of Animals (and if not all 14 pieces, at least include Aquarium with The Swan and Finale), at least one of his cello concertos (which are mysteriously absent from all Saint-Saens best of or greatest collections and that is truly a shame), and at least one of his violin concertos.
What is provided on this disc is wonderful. Samson et Dalila is signature Camille, Danse macabre is another wonder, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is Saint-Saens perfection, and his Piano Concerto No. 2 is marvelous. But there is just so much more to Saint-Saens.
So, for the price at which Sony provides these marvels, it is a very good deal, but I would recommend another collection if you truly want to experience Saint-Saens' greatest works (The Best Of Saint-Saens). The price is slightly higher, but the inclusion of the entire Carnival and the entire Organ Symphony along with other works excluded here makes it a much better collection; consider the Phillips' release before you purchase so you don't have to go back later.
Enjoy!

This music take me away from every day troubles and brings my soul to a beutiful world of music.Saint-Saent's vision of music is different, his creations are sensitive and intence. He is agreat talent.

I think that the sound of Saint Saens Music is very unique. I think that anyone out there wanting to listen to some excellent writing I assure you that Saint Saens has written it. On behalf of Amazon I would definitely rate this music 5 stars. I thank Amazon for a perfect portrayal of his works. You shoppers out there might want to take a look at buying this.

RIGHT AWAY!!!
-Nick

I have come accross very few CD's that have 74 minutes of music that I enjoy. This CD is one of those. Mason Jones does a great job on Morceau, everyone likes danse bachannalle, the piano concerto is great, it's just a really enjoyable CD to own. I recommend it highly, it's one of my favorites.

As all good elementary school music teachers know, Saint-Saëns could evoke emotions from a rock. I don't know if it's his masterful command (or creation) of the idioms of music, or whether it's the formal structure of his compositions, but there's never any confusion about how one feels when listening to this Apollo.

This Sony recording supposedly collects his best. It does and it doesn't. The "Danse Macabre"--a perennial Saint Saëns fave--is definitely better than any others on the market--crisper, livelier, and ... er... creepier. And the Bacchanale is also superbly done. (Don't take my word for it though--you can compare these yourself from the various samples.) But as great as these individual pieces are, Sony failed to bring to the "Swan" the rest of the zoo from "Carnivale des Animaux," and, worse, they forgot the "Aquarium," too! Plus, the "Organ Symphony" *must* be heard in its entirety to sound like the serious piece of music that it is.

I haven't found the noumenal Saint-Saëns collection yet. But this one surely isn't phenomenal.

As a music educator, I've found the recorded excerpts to be wonderfully and logically organized and presented. I've always been an instrumental music teacher only, but find myself teaching general music classes this year, and absolutely love what I've used so far. The last disc alone shows the fascinating evolution of the modern orchestra. Every other track is narrative text, the script of which is printed in the booklet, and I present that info myself, modifying as needed and answering questions during that time. I've only skimmed the other information from the booklet on my own, and look forward to reading and learning more! I'll be buying another copy of Instruments of the Orchestra for my school to own in the near future.

I just listen to music, don't play an instrument or read music. This set greatly helped me know just WHAT was making the sounds I heard, and what the various instruments are capable of doing and the range they have. I still can't distinguish a violin from a viola very well---but I'm getting better. Overall I'm quite satisfied and plan to see if my grandchildren are interested.

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

The shipping is great..it is so quick..the album is also significant..especially disc 2 as we did not want totally traditional wedding music...this just fit the bill...thanks

As with their first collection of label highlights, Hyperion's new two-disc collection provides a broad sampling of their exceptional catalogue and performers. Particularly rewarding are the selections from Beethoven (Scherzo from String Trio in C minor, op 9 no 3, performed by the Leopold Trio) and Thomas Tallis (Salvator mundi I, performed by the Winchester Cathedral Choir), but experienced and novice listeners alike will find much to enjoy on these discs. It's also a good value--more than 2 1/2 hours of music for less than $10.