Search - Peter Breiner, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Complete National Anthems of the World (Box)

Perfect for the Right Audience

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine owning all the national anthems of the world on eight CDs! Can't imagine it? Well, there must be an audience for this collection - libraries, governmental and other organizations that greet visiting dignitaries, schools, whoever. There was an earlier edition of this collection in 1998 but since that time there have been many geopolitical changes that necessitated a new collection with the addition of the national anthems of, among others, Russia (!), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iraq (maybe they'll be getting a new one now), Rwanda, Qatar, Somalia and Afghanistan.



The anthems (or national hymns) are played in arrangements made by conductor Peter Breiner, who leads the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in perfectly acceptable performances. In many instances there are two recordings of a national anthem -- the full anthem, and a shortened version for playing at awards ceremonies at the Olympics and other international competitions.



Obviously eight CDs filled with ceremonial music is a bit much to take in all at once. I will admit that I did not listen to every note of every anthem, but I heard enough to form some opinions. My first notion is that I find it strange that although most of these anthems were written by natives of the countries involved, there is not a lot of indication of national or ethnic identity if one hears them 'blind.' There are some surprises, though. Kenya's anthem sounds quite ethnic (and stirring); the anthem of Zanzibar is by that eminent early twentieth-century British musicologist, Donald Francis Tovey, and sounds a bit like Elgar. Not all are marches, for instance; somewhere along the way there was a lovely, lilting waltz but I'm darned if I can recall which country it represents. (Sorry!)



The bottom line is that here are wholly acceptable performances of the national anthems of countries (and regions, and aspirant ethnic groups) from Acadia to the Basque Region to the Isle of Man to Madeira to the Marshall Islands to Nagorno-Karabakh to Pitcairn Islands to Tajikistan to Tuvalu to Zimbabwe. Also included are the hymns of the United Nations, the European Union and the International Olympic Committee. The booklet contains pictures of the countries' flags, the first line or two of the words to the anthems, the composer and lyricist and when the anthem was written, and when the anthem was adopted as official.



As I say, this collection is absolutely not for everyone, but it certainly serves its very specific purpose quite well.



TT=9hrs,35mins,40secs



Scott Morrison"

A Disappointment

Michael Alvarez | 12/27/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I just received the Complete National Anthems of the World and have listened to every one of them. I enjoy the anthems and the presentation. But I was disappointed that the anthems didn't include the singing. Without the singing, the musical pieces lose their contexts. It is interesting to observe that, with relatively few exceptions, although most people are proud of their national anthems, they are loathe to listen to and enjoy them. The producers of this collection missed a great opportunity to turn the national song into a genuine musical masterpiece by not including the sung lyrics."