Disc 1
1. The Ride of the Walkyres - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
2. Jerusalem - Alfie Boe, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
3. 13. Dance of the knights - The Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
4. Nessun Dorma - Alfie Boe, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Gareth Hancock
5. 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Philharmonia Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner
6. Rhapsody in Blue - Jean-Yves Thibaudet, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Hugh Wolff
7. 3. Maestoso - Allegro - Michael Matthes, Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung
8. No.29 Scène finale (Andante) - Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit
9. "Largo al factotum" - Sherrill Milnes, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Silvio Varviso
10. Sabre Dance - Valery Gergiev, Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg
11. No.8 in G minor (Presto) - Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev
12. 2. Dies irae - Kirov Chorus, St Petersburg, Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg, Valery Gergiev
13. 2. Tuba mirum - Ildebrando d' Arcangelo, Kirov Chorus, St Petersburg, Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg, Valery Gergiev

Disc 2
1. "O Fortuna" - Rundfunkchor Berlin, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
2. "Pomp and Circumstance," Op.39: March, No.1 in D - Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli
3. 4. La réjouissance - English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
4. 1. Allegro con brio - Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
5. Rule Britannia - Sarah Walker, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, Roger Norrington
6. 4. Hoe-Down - Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Antal Doráti
7. The Flight of The Bumble Bee - David Garrett
8. A Night on the Bare Mountain - Original Version - Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen
9. Couplets: "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre" - Bryn Terfel, London Symphony Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth
10. Crown Imperial: A Coronation March - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton
11. Largo - Allegro giusto - Gothenburg Symphony Brass Band, Gothenburg Artillery Division, Churchbells of Gothenburg, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, Gothenburg Symphony Chorus, Ove Gotting

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Long Live Classical Music

Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!


disappointing
I have a number of classic fm albums, and this one was the first real disappointment. Less of an 'anthem fest', more of an 'oh yes, that is not a bad tune'.

For me it is the audio equivalent of a film I saw many years ago called 'good guys wear black'. The advertising poster looked great - 6 scenes of excitinbg action portrayed. When I watched the film, they were the only scenes of any interest in the entire movie.

The adverts for this album were a bit like that for me.

A bit of a let down, but still good
Most of the material on this compiliation has already been included on other Classic FM CD's from the last 2 years. Also when you think of anthems, I think of uplifting, upbeat high tempo music, however this is none of these. However there is the odd track which comes pretty close to the mark.

Having said this, the compilation is not unlistenable, although prehaps a bit more thought could have been put into the song choices. In future I feel Classic FM is in danger of doing another "Zadok the Priest" with some of these songs by thrashing them to death in placing them in every single album. Prehaps some different, rarely heard classical music is required?

Long Live Classical Music
Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!

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