Ballets, Opera & Masterworks

• Main performer: Stevan Pasero
• Booklet languages: English
• Time: 63:07
• Release Date: 1999

Review

From Sugo Music president and uber-producer Stevan Pasero, Ballets Opera & Masterworks covers a number of classic pieces transcribed for the classical guitar by Pasero. While he takes some liberties with key changes here and there, the music is all performed beautifully. The selection of pieces appears to be driven more by basic layman popularity than adaptability to the guitar (e.g. Beethoven's "5th," which comes out rather weak), but he makes the most of the ones that can be adapted more readily, taking on an air of Andrés Segovia (though staying away from Segovia's beloved Bach). On the whole, it's a very nice album. For classical guitar, the standard is generally Segovia, and perhaps John Williams, but Pasero can keep up with the greats. If not for the full time, at least for stretches of glory. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Georges Bizet	Carmen, opera (Habanera)	2:45
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66 (Waltz)	4:30
Johann Pachelbel	Canon in D major, instrumental arrangement	4:45
Claude Debussy	Clair de lune, for orchestra or other arrangement (from "Suite Bergamasque" for piano), L. 75/3	4:35
Antonio Vivaldi	Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in F minor ("L'inverno," The Four Seasons; "Il cimento" No. 4), Op. 8/4, RV 297 (Largo)
Antonio Vivaldi	Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ("La Primavera," The Four Seasons; "Il cimento" No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269 (Allegro)
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20 (Act I: Waltz)	3:23
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (K. 173dB) (Movement I: Allegro con brio)	4:38
Maurice Ravel	Boléro, ballet for orchestra	10:10
Ludwig van Beethoven	Symphony No. 5 in C minor ("Fate"), Op. 67 (Movement I: Allegro con brio)	5:57
Sergey Prokofiev	Peter and the Wolf, children's tale for narrator & orchestra, Op. 67 (The main themes in C major)	5:15
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71 (Arabian Dance in D minor)	6:48
George Frederick Handel	Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56 (Allelujah Chorus)	3:58
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions) (Andante Cantabile)	3:16

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