Search - Johann Pachelbel, Cleo Laine, Curtis / Belvin, Jesse Williams :: Pachelbel's Greatest Hit: The Ultimate Canon

Various interpretations of a beautiful piece of music

Beth Cholette | Upstate NY USA | 06/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the only classical music I own, and I purchased it because Pachelbel's Canon in D is the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard. I fell in love with Canon when I heard my first haunting rendition of it featured in the movie Ordinary People. Later, when I heard it as a selection during a marriage ceremony, I made sure to check the program for the title and artist so that I could use it at my own wedding.So, as my first wedding anniversary approaches, I decided to treat myself to this CD, a delightful compilation of many different Canon interpretations. Of course, the album includes several classic orchestral arrangements, but other versions include a piano duet, flute and harmonica features, and even a few vocal performances. The soft, flowing nature of the Canon makes it perfect relaxing background music. If you love Canon in D, Pachelbel's Greatest Hit is sure to be a hit with you."

Absolutely outstanding compilation!

Matthew Pasalic | Laurel, MD | 07/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I truly find this compilation of fifteen different arrangements consisting of piano, orchestra, flute, guitar, vocal, etc. to be of absolute profound quality. This is a brilliant and creative assortment and it magnifies my appreciation for the Cannon in D. The listener is provided with over an hour of exquisite, listening pleasure and it is most enjoyable. I have much admiration for the various symphonic orchestras and I also enjoy listening to the flute played by James Galway on track two, the piano duo on track three, and the shakuhachi and koto quintet on track eight. My only suggestion is that the appearance of the Cd should reflect the professional quality of the music contained therein. The animal drawings just may not appeal to some buyers."

A rather awful recording

Steven Guy | Croydon, South Australia | 02/24/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I've had the misfortune to hear this CD and all the perversions of Johann Andreas Pachelbel's chamber piece on this CD once too often.



The work was written for three solo violins and basso continuo [violoncello or viola da gamba + organ or harpsichord] and it is a rather virtuoso work, typical of works written for a small group of violins [or cornetti] over an ostinato bass line in the 17th century.



All but one "interpretation" on this CD bares little or no similarity to the written score at all and almost all of the arrangements of the piece are complete kitsch, trash, even. Cleo Laine's "song" is probably the worst example.



So what do we learn about the composer from this CD? Virtually nothing. However, it is instructive to learn how tastelessly a piece of music can be pushed, strained, pummelled, shredded, extracted, decimated, pumped up, deflated, force-fed, mutated and generally exploited by musicians, singers and arrangers who clearly have no knowledge of 17th century music and couldn't care less about acquiring any knowledge of that music.



I work in a music shop and it always amuses me when people who've bought CDs like this one decide to explore Pachelbel's music a little further and discover that they've been completely hoodwinked and that the composer's actual music sounds nothing like any interpretation of the Canon [& Gigue] they've ever heard - except, of course, if they've been fortunate enough to hear Musica Antiqua Köln's or London Baroque's recordings. They walk away bewildered by the organ music, chamber music and cantatas of J. A. Pachelbel.



Two stars for the one rather pleasant H.I.P. recording on this CD."