Baby Einstein: Music Box Orchestra (by Classical)

MUSIC BOX ORCHESTRA includes 17 classical instrumental compositions selected from the Baby Einstein Music Collection (the renditions are short -- the longest playing out at 3 minutes, 11 seconds). An orchestral tune-up begins the CD, followed by the tapping of a conductor's baton signaling a five-second fanfare based on Mozart's "The Magic Flute." Selections include the first movement of Mozart's familiar "Piano Sonata in C," a Bach "Brandenburg Concerto" and a canon from his "Goldberg Variations," "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" by Strauss, Jr., a nocturne by Chopin, more Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Handel.

The music is precise to a note, with accomplished musicians, but at times has a mechanical feeling due to reliance on synthesized instrumentation. When real instruments are introduced into the mix, compositions stand out, as in Beethoven's "The Ruins of Athens" and "Sonatina in G." The CD is marketed as "A Concert for Little Ears" and most of the pieces are sonically pleasing. But little ears can also benefit from richly orchestrated recordings, and families may prefer listening to the real thing.

Released on: May 17, 2005
Label: Disney
Genre: Classical