Search - Beethoven's Wig :: Beethoven's Wig 3: Many More Sing-Along Symphonies

The appeal of this CD can't be exaggerated

Melanie Wilson | USA | 07/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes pretentious, sometimes downright ridiculous products promising to expose our children to classical music can be as obnoxious as they are ubiquitous. Noise-making machines imitating Mozart do not a classical music lover make, particularly when it comes to plastic devices that light up and play unrecognizable sound.



But exposing our children to classical music is important, right? So parents dutifully play Mozart. We want our kids to be smart, so we play the music even though we'd sometimes rather be listening to NPR...or AC/DC.



The CD Beethoven's Wig 3, released in May 2006, is the antidote to insane-classical-music-noise-for-children. It also passes easily the "Entertains Parents, Too" test. The creator of the Beethoven's Wig series, Richard Perlmutter, is brilliant. His unmistakable and humorous voice combines with incredible operatic voices and lyrics that are charming and delightful - even educational. You'll want to read the included lyrics, trivia questions, and related activities for parents, educators and children.



There are two directions the CD takes. One is a feature of various musical instruments (musicians in the family are sure to be intrigued), from the familiar oboe to the more obscure Cor Anglais. The other is a section "Short and Suite," a collection of brief pieces of larger works with complete, short lyrical songs.



The appeal of Beethoven's Wig 3 can't be exaggerated. The first two CDs in the series have two Grammy Award nominations, more than 30 national awards, and you may have seen them featured on television talk shows. You won't resent this music stuck in your head, because it's beautiful and the lyrics are smart, if not wacky. The album's final piece is a story of an alien spaceship landing to perform a concert, and you'll never hear Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" the same way again, with "TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER" bellowed out during the timpani.



The CD also contains all the compositions sans vocals on the second half, serving as great background music or sing-along inspiration.



Beethoven's Wig 3 is a must-have for parents who love classical music. It's honestly unique - I've never seen anything that compares with this amazing collection of songs for children. The humorous and educational components of the CD make it a sure bet as a gift for all the children in your life, and parents surely will discard all those so-called classical music noisemaking toys when they hear Beethoven's Wig 3. --Caity McCardell"

Worse than BW 1 and 2

Alex K | Philadelphia, PA USA | 05/21/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am big fan of Beethoven's wig 1 and 2 but this number 3 is not as good.

Looks more like leftovers compiled from failed BW 1 and 2 songs to me. I gave even 3 starts mostly out of respect to the artist. BW 1 and 2 are always in CD holder of our family van. Number three will not be there (However, if I decide to make them mp3, I would add one on two songs from BW3 to the playlist)."

We love it!

ReaderfromBirth | Midwest, USA | 03/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great for kids and moms also! I have a 4 yr old and 7 yr old and we have listened to this many times.



I would not choose this exclusively to teach classical music and such - our kids first listened to a lot of classical music and opera before adding this for fun."