Search - See How Great They Sound - The Universal Classics DVD Sampler on DVD

For the price: A great sampler!

R. Nicholson | 12/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc has a great variety of classical music: opera, concerts, sonatas and ballet: i.e. something for everyone and every taste.It features excerpts from many international stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Bryn Terfel, Cecelia Bartoli, Leontyne Price, Anne Sophie Mutter, Rudolph Nureyev just to mention a few. Some of the composers and their (works) are Mozart (Le Nozze Di Figaro and Die Zauberflote), Bizet (Carmen), Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake and the Nutcracker) and Verdi (La Traviata, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore ).All the selections are short and show just enough of a scene to give a hint as to what is to follow.

All in all, an enjoyable DVD. Probably an ideal starting point for anyone looking to get into classical music or ballet"

Ups and Downs

Spinto | ct | 03/31/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was a highly enjoyable sampler with a few flaws.
The first flaw is that you need a Doctorate to figure out how to work the tracks. This is overcomable though so I will not retract for poor production.
I own most of these dvd's and the sound quality is better on this sampler and is really quite excellent!
The performances are up and down. All three tenors are shown here in the twilight of theiir abilities on stage. Pavatotti looks kind of weird with blond hair and looks very old and immovable during a transposed "Di Quella Pira" (Which is too heavy for his voice anyway.) Carreras is pushing in the Carmen but Baltsa is not and sounds fabulous.
The other downer is including Panis Angelicus to this DVD which seems very out of place!
The best performance is given by Bryn Terfel in Non Piu Andrai. His interpretation is precious and you will watch it again and again. Domingo also shows up for buisness in the Celeste Aida despite looking a tad bit long in the tooth for the young Ramades. Also check out the Lacrymosa from Verdi's reqem to see a beardless Pavarotti!
The decca section presents treats like the famous O Sole Mio encore from the Three tenors and bella Figlia Dell Amore(but if you dont own those Dvd's already youre crazy!)
Overall this is a fun yet hard to use collection of favorites."

Seriously Disappointed

C. D PAPAS | NY | 03/01/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I couldn't be more disappointed in this DVD. After receiving it I noticed that it was only in stereo (not even the center channel is used). The video quality is OK, but most of the plays sound like the mic is about 20 ft away from the stage so most tracks sound like you are far away from the stage.

Lastly I was disappointed in the camera work. While the mic is fixed, the camera follows the action. So even though the sound is moving from right to left (in stereo), the actor always appear in the center of your screen."