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Editor's picks

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  French Violin Sonatas

  Music (Sony)
  

  Rating (5 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  Fiery, sharp, delicate and bold, yet sophisticated

  In this new disc, Midori shows an edgier side of her without losing her usual balancing act. She sounds miraculous throughout, especially in Poulenc. In Poulenc, sounding so fiery but also very calm at the same time, Midori effectively brings out dichotomizing qualities of the work in a razor sharp performance. Each very fine detail is delicately yet boldly realized with subtle shading of color with such a broad palette, but she never misses the whole view of the music. The contrast between the introverted side and the extroverted side is so beautifully rendered in great depth that the impression of the music would last for a very long time. Midori's Debussy sounds very very sharp and aggressive (in an extra refined manner as always). But I have to say that such conviction also sounds very imposing, and it lost spontaneity and fantasy from the piece. It felt like as if I were enjoying a very modern art piece in a minimal space... meaning lack of an organic quality; She... 5/5 A Classical Fan "a_new_yorker" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: French Violin Sonatas (Audio CD) In this new disc, Midori shows an edgier side of her without losing her usual balancing act. She sounds miraculous throughout, especially in Poulenc. In Poulenc, sounding so fiery but also very calm at the same time, Midori effectively brings out dichotomizing qualities of the work in a razor sharp performance. Each very fine detail is delicately yet boldly realized with subtle shading of color with such a broad palette, but she never misses the whole view of the music. The contrast between the introverted side and the extroverted side is so beautifully rendered in great depth that the impression of the music would last for a very long time. Midori's Debussy sounds very very sharp and aggressive (in an extra refined manner as always). But I have to say that such conviction also sounds very imposing, and it lost spontaneity and fantasy from the piece. It felt like as if I were enjoying a very modern art piece in a minimal space... meaning lack of an organic quality; She... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 31, 2002

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  Interesting CD

  Midori can always be counted on for great recordings, and this is no exception. After hearing probably 20 different people play the Debussy sonata, I'd probably say that this is my second-favorite recording (the first is a live one with Oistrakh and Frida Bauer from the 1960s.) The reviewer below mentioned Kyung-Wha Chung and Radu Lupu as their favorite...well, it's not bad but to quote one of my colleagues, "Chung is way too angular for Debussy." Anyhow, back to this disc.... The Saint-Saens sonata is the highlight. When I first heard this, I had a hard time forgetting the Heifetz/Brooks Smith discing that is just fricking amazing. But after listening to it a few times, I think I like Midori's equally well. Heifetz often played slow movements too fast, and fast movements too fast. Midori's tempos, for just about everything, are much more sensible. In the second movement, she plays the sixteenths in separate bows, which makes it far more interesting. The last movement is... 4/5 ricardo_guerrero "ricardo_guerrero" (United States) - See all my reviews, May 10, 2007

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  Impressive Poulenc... 4 1/2 stars

  Francis Poulenc wrote three violin sonatas and threw out the first two. We already know that this sonata was dedicated to the emotional violinist Ginette Neveu and that it was written between 1942-1943, think long and hard about the feelings of a French impressionist composer trying to compose while a war is going on for a soloist who plays with unbelievable beauty. Of course the result is a moody yet beautiful composition worthy of attention.There are few recordings of this work, of the ones I have heard include Grumiaux, Menuhin, Van Keulen, Suk (grandson of the composer), and Kang. I actually like the Grumiaux recording the best but it is only available in Japan and I liked this recording almost as much. Midori has a very colorful violin tone, a lush vibrato, and a sense of romance in her playing. I remembered thinking of how her Paganini Caprices recording was so colorful and romantic sounding. While I believe this is the wrong approach to play Paganini, I did think she had... 4/5 Scott68 (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: French Violin Sonatas (Audio CD) Francis Poulenc wrote three violin sonatas and threw out the first two. We already know that this sonata was dedicated to the emotional violinist Ginette Neveu and that it was written between 1942-1943, think long and hard about the feelings of a French impressionist composer trying to compose while a war is going on for a soloist who plays with unbelievable beauty. Of course the result is a moody yet beautiful composition worthy of attention.There are few recordings of this work, of the ones I have heard include Grumiaux, Menuhin, Van Keulen, Suk (grandson of the composer), and Kang. I actually like the Grumiaux recording the best but it is only available in Japan and I liked this recording almost as much. Midori has a very colorful violin tone, a lush vibrato, and a sense of romance in her playing. I remembered thinking of how her Paganini Caprices recording was so colorful and romantic sounding. While I believe this is the wrong approach to play Paganini, I did think she had... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 19, 2002

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  List Price: $8.99
  

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  Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1

  Book (Alfred Publishing)
  

  Rating (73 reviews):

  (4.4/5)

  

  great repertoire!

  If your child is beginning violin these books and cds may well be part of the curicculum. I'm a bit older and decided to teach myself violin after dabbling a little with fiddle music. The first 3 books of this series really give you a great foundation and contain some great pieces to play. They are challanging enough but it's at book 4 that things start to get more intermediate with the Bach double concerto for instance. Don't get me wrong though because in the first 3 books there is really a wealth of great materialincluding several Bach pieces, Dvorak's Humoresque and many more familiar works. Of course you will definetly want and need to get the cds that accompany each book and as well as each piece with the piano accompanyment they also contain the accompanyment alone so you can practice the violin along with just that. I see amazon is charging list price as does almost everyone else, music stores etc. Shar Music, which deals only in violins, violas, cellos and related... 5/5 jed clampett "michael mclaughlin" (Novato Ca. United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1 (Sheet music) If your child is beginning violin these books and cds may well be part of the curicculum. I'm a bit older and decided to teach myself violin after dabbling a little with fiddle music. The first 3 books of this series really give you a great foundation and contain some great pieces to play. They are challanging enough but it's at book 4 that things start to get more intermediate with the Bach double concerto for instance. Don't get me wrong though because in the first 3 books there is really a wealth of great materialincluding several Bach pieces, Dvorak's Humoresque and many more familiar works. Of course you will definetly want and need to get the cds that accompany each book and as well as each piece with the piano accompanyment they also contain the accompanyment alone so you can practice the violin along with just that. I see amazon is charging list price as does almost everyone else, music stores etc. Shar Music, which deals only in violins, violas, cellos and related... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 9, 2004

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  The one, the only and still the greatest

  To the parents of children undertaking the violin, be advised. The detractors that have reservations about the Suzuki method/book are missing two basic facts a) your child will learn how to play the violin (beautifully with some effort), and b) that this is really the only method that directly addresses the daunting task of teaching a string instrument to a child with pre-reading or early reading skills. Like it or not, agree with it or not, this is the method that your teacher will more probably than not adopt. It really does work; I have seen a string orchestra, taught by Suzuki, performing the Bach Concerto for 2 Violins in which none of the performers was over 12. Lest you read other reviews and be tempted to pass on Suzuki for some more "conventional" method, give this book and a good teacher a try, and be amazed at the skills that your child displays. 5/5 John Tilelli MD "Bookaholic" (Apopka, FL USA) - See all my reviews, May 12, 2003

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  very good

  I like this new version of Suzuki violin book 1. It's more cluttered looking with the extra text which makes it a little harder to read the notes than the old version, but it does give the new student useful info. Of course, there is nothing like having a teacher help you refine the skills explained in the book.I also like the ABCs of Violin books and DVDs. Many of my Suzuki colleagues and I think the ABCs of Violin and Viola books are excellent as reading supplements, but we begin adult students in the ABCs of Violin and Viola books which are more appropriate for that age group than the suzuki books. 5/5 violinmike (Maine) - See all my reviews This review is from: Suzuki Violin School Volume 1 - Revised Edition (Book & CD) (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part) (Sheet music) I like this new version of Suzuki violin book 1. It's more cluttered looking with the extra text which makes it a little harder to read the notes than the old version, but it does give the new student useful info. Of course, there is nothing like having a teacher help you refine the skills explained in the book.I also like the ABCs of Violin books and DVDs. Many of my Suzuki colleagues and I think the ABCs of Violin and Viola books are excellent as reading supplements, but we begin adult students in the ABCs of Violin and Viola books which are more appropriate for that age group than the suzuki books. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 23, 2009

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  List Price: $7.95
  

  ISBN13: 9780757900617

  Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

  Condition: New

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  Bobelock Hill Style 1017 Semi-French Fitted Black/Wine 4/4 Violin Case

  Musical Instruments (Bobelock)
  List Price: $362.00
  Price: $285.00
  You Save: $77.00 (21%)

  Hygrometer, humistat, string tube, blanket, leather handle, brass fittings, subway strap and shoulder strap

  Five-ply, seamless, poplar veneer construction

  4/4 Violin size

  Black exterior with beautiful wine velvet interior with suspension

  Four locking bow spinners with arched top and deluxe German latch

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  Violin Sonatas

  DVD (Deutsche Grammophon)
  

  Rating (5 reviews):

  (4.8/5)

  

  Finest Brahms violin sonatas on DVD, without doubt

  Brahms violin sonatas are essential repertoire for any music collection and there have been many fine audio recordings over the years. For the more modern recordings, the Mutter/Weissenberg (1998) and the Perlman/Askhenazy are well worth considering. Perlman fiddles fabulously and in the showy D minor sonata is simply fantastic, though some chamber music purists may find his extroverted playing a bit over the top for the A major and the G major opuses. Older folk (like me) still hold with affection the magical collaborations of Oistrakh with Richter and Suk with Katchen though they do sound a little faded compared with the best of recent sound recordings. This disc represents Ann-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis in what is without doubt their best collaboration to date, better even than their Mozart cycle. The audio DTS 5.1 is very good and captures the intimate acoustics of the smallish venue well, with the violin and piano in a natural balance ( the picture quality is first... 5/5 Chhan Thuan Kiat "Pediatrician & music nut" (Brunei Darussalam) - See all my reviews, January 10, 2011

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  Totally awesome music..

  Is this DVD still in pre-order status from amazon? I bought this DVD from a store called Duta Suara in Jakarta last week. Both of them are PERFECT couple of duet violin-piano setting. But Anna shows more mature and profound on her tone colors here in Brahms, rather than lighter sound on her Beethoven DVDs (also with Lambert Orkis at the piano). But most of all, Anna and Lambert do further more than just performing music, their music show beautiful dialogues between them.. All sonatas are played effortlessly, and for sure with supreme excellency in styles and forms, as Brahms' musical characters. And the sound of DG once again shows its best as usual. For comparison, I have ever heard old recording of David Oistrakh-Sviatoslav Richter playing some excerpts of these sonatas, but still Anna & Lambert surpasses them..Highly Recommended 5/5 Alfred Rony Situmorang "music" (Jakarta, Indonesia) - See all my reviews, September 20, 2010

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  Mutter playing Brahms

  Mutter at her very best. she plays with such passion and expression, and Orkis is just as good. Mutter is, in my opinion, the very best Violinist in the world today, at least of the living ones that I have heard. I have played since I was six. Never in Her league. But still, I know the instrument and the music. Of violinists that I have listened to, only Fritz Kreisler, surpasses Anne-Sophie's playing. I also truly enjoy the DVD format. I doubt very seriously that I will ever have the oppertunity to see Anne-Sophie Mutter play live. And certainly not in the settings of her DVD performances. So it is a special treat. WNL 5/5 WNL - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Violin Sonatas (DVD) Mutter at her very best. she plays with such passion and expression, and Orkis is just as good. Mutter is, in my opinion, the very best Violinist in the world today, at least of the living ones that I have heard. I have played since I was six. Never in Her league. But still, I know the instrument and the music. Of violinists that I have listened to, only Fritz Kreisler, surpasses Anne-Sophie's playing. I also truly enjoy the DVD format. I doubt very seriously that I will ever have the oppertunity to see Anne-Sophie Mutter play live. And certainly not in the settings of her DVD performances. So it is a special treat. WNL Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , March 8, 2011

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  List Price: $29.98
  

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  French Violin Sonatas

  Music (Fleur De Son)
  List Price: $18.99
  

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  Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

  Baby Product (Munchkin)
  

  Rating (757 reviews):

  (4.3/5)

  

  The best baby toddler toy ever

  This was purchased as a gift for my 1 yr old and became the immediate favorite of both my daughter and her 3 yr old brother. This is the first game that they can both play together. It keeps them occupied for hours, and the music, while clearly electronic, closely mimics the sound of real instruments and is not at all irritating- so we don't mind listening to it for hours. It is also exceptionally durable, having now been dropped, kicked, licked, and knocked out the car window. No cracks, no broken pieces, and still plays as well as it did the first day out of the box. 5/5 Erynn Petersen "ebp" (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews, February 22, 2001

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  Fun music with fun play.

  I am on my second child and this toy continues to be a favorite.The cube has six buttons. It will play one of six Mozart tunes. One button switches between the tunes while the others turn on and off specific instruments (piano, violin, harp, french horn, flute).The cube has rounded corners with durable rubber bumpers that make it both safe and durable. It is amazing how much abuse this toy can take.My oldest received the toy when she was 13 months and now nearly three years later she is still playing with it as is her younger brother.A little pricey, but very-well made. A toy that will last from one child to another. 5/5 Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews, July 1, 2003

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  Beware: This is not the original toy!

  The MUNCHKIN Mozart Magic Cube is a poor-quality copy of the original EMBRYONICS Mozart Magic Cube.My guess is that Munchkin bought out the rights to this toy from the original manufacturer, which went out of business, then "redesigned" it more cheaply. While keeping the overall shape and function the same, they changed the outside colors, and the inner workings as well.My older son received an Embryonics version in 2004, and we all loved it dearly until its battery cover broke. My younger son received the Munchkin version as a replacement gift, and we have all been sorely disappointed. The sound quality is horrible--the Munchkin cube sounds squeaky, tinny, and ridiculous, especially compared to the Embryonics version (which wasn't perfect, but much, much better).You can still find the older Embryonics version online. It has all yellow sides, the buttons are printed with different colors, the edges and corners are all purple, and it has the name... 5/5 Morgan J. Scholten - See all my reviews, February 13, 2009

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  List Price: $24.99
  Price: $16.00
  You Save: $8.99 (36%)

  Toy cube provides musical foundation for little ones

  Made with soft, rounded corners

  Recommended for budding young composers of all ages

  Interactive cube teaches how sounds combine to create 8 Mozart masterpieces

  Includes harp, French horn, piano, flute and violin instrument sounds

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  French Violin Sonatas

  Digital Music Album (Fleur de Son)
  

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  Suzuki Violin School Volume 2 Violin Part (Revised Edition) (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part)

  Book (Alfred Publishing)
  

  Rating (24 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Don't like the Revised Edition

  I"m a violin teacher 5 days a week and I prefer the original Suzuki Books. I find these have misprints in the music. They have more exercises and drills but the misprints are a problem and many of the bowings are different from the original music. I don't like these at all. 1/5 Cynthia Gabriel - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Suzuki Violin School Volume 2 Violin Part (Revised Edition) (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part) (Paperback) I"m a violin teacher 5 days a week and I prefer the original Suzuki Books. I find these have misprints in the music. They have more exercises and drills but the misprints are a problem and many of the bowings are different from the original music. I don't like these at all. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 13, 2013

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  A number of pieces made accessible and affordable

  The most popular and noted contribution to violin pedagogy in the second half of the 20th century, the Suzuki Violin School books are known worldwide for making a number of pieces from the violin repertoire accessible and affordable. Note: Most pieces found in the Suzuki books vols.1-3 do not come from the violin repertoire, which I find reasonable in vol.1, but unnecessary in vols.2 and above. From the start of the Suzuki accessibility efforts, one drawback of the endeavor has been that all pieces in the series are arrangements that cannot be performed by serious students without significant corrections both in the material and its annotation. Another has been the recordings featuring a violin track with piano accompaniment. For the purpose of daily ear development, one would rather encourage violin students to listen to pieces from 1) the violin repertoire and 2) those with full orchestra accompaniment. Wordy additions to the pieces make for an interesting record; they do not help... 2/5 Silver Pencil - See all my reviews This review is from: Suzuki Violin School Volume 2 Violin Part (Revised Edition) (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part) (Paperback) The most popular and noted contribution to violin pedagogy in the second half of the 20th century, the Suzuki Violin School books are known worldwide for making a number of pieces from the violin repertoire accessible and affordable. Note: Most pieces found in the Suzuki books vols.1-3 do not come from the violin repertoire, which I find reasonable in vol.1, but unnecessary in vols.2 and above. From the start of the Suzuki accessibility efforts, one drawback of the endeavor has been that all pieces in the series are arrangements that cannot be performed by serious students without significant corrections both in the material and its annotation. Another has been the recordings featuring a violin track with piano accompaniment. For the purpose of daily ear development, one would rather encourage violin students to listen to pieces from 1) the violin repertoire and 2) those with full orchestra accompaniment. Wordy additions to the pieces make for an interesting record; they do not help... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , September 12, 2012

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  Book 2

  A good book, but I feel like there's more filler and less music to work with when compared to the first one. Especially when considering that the first book had to go over things like how to stand/sit and hold the violin and bow. 4/5 Amanda Box - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Suzuki Violin School Volume 2 Violin Part (Revised Edition) (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part) (Paperback) A good book, but I feel like there's more filler and less music to work with when compared to the first one. Especially when considering that the first book had to go over things like how to stand/sit and hold the violin and bow. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 29, 2013

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  List Price: $7.95
  

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  LCP Gifts Praise Black Framed Print Violin/French Horn Psalm 92:1 Size 3.5"x 5"

  Home (LCP)
  

  Perfect inspirational gift!

  Features Psalm 92:1

  Made of metal and glass

  Part of the Classic Print Series

  Size: 3.5" by 5"

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  ROLF REINHARDT FRENCH ROMANTIC WORKS,VIOLIN & ORCHESTRA LP TURNABOUT TV-S 34466

  Single Detail Page Misc
  

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