Customer Reviews
Great value, but certainly not the 'only one' you'll ever need - By: Mart Music, 08 Mar 2008 
The budget price doesn't reflect the quality of this 2 disc collection of classical music highlights, for the soloists, orchestras, conductors & the recordings themselves ensure it is a good quality selection of mostly familiar music from the classical music repertoire.
The choices lean heavily towards the opera style, so for that reason alone will not be the only album necessary to cover everyone's taste - even the complete classical beginner will find many of their familiar favourites are absent.
The tracks are mostly single movements from the whole score, which may not please the more enthusiastic classical fan, but it's unavoidable given the short time permitted by only 2 CDs. In any case, this album really is only aimed at those wanting a brief 'best of' product rather than anin depth study, & for that purpose it does its job well.
I would recommend the album as a bargain value, well perfomed selection of classical/opera music. It's not the only one as its title claims, but it's not a bad starting point.
Great - By: "Smith" Reader, 28 Feb 2008 
Having NEVER brought a Classical music CD before I felt it was about time I did.
Now I am so pleased. This is a super CD set full of well known music which I enjoy.
For classical music followers - By: P. DATTA, 14 Sep 2007 The Only Classical Album You'll Ever Need is an album well suited to satisfy musical taste for followers of classical music. The two disc set is a collection of classical musical artists to embrace & entertain listeners with beautiful music that you can admire so strongly for it poetic meaningsin life & tunefulness. The two disc set features some familar artist names within the classical arena, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Puccini, Elgar,Vivaldi & son.
The album is an ideal treat for classical music followers. You have a host of songs to really satisy you to listen time & time again. Play the music whilst you are engagedin daily activities like cooking, taking a shower, cleaning the house & so on. The album should be highly praised for it beautifully & splendid display of music at its best for anyone who is really passionate about light & easy listening music. Any neighbours who listens to this music even if it blasted at high full volumn are guranteed to admire & may be even purchase this music.
The bottom line here is The Only Classical Album You'll Ever Needs is beautiful music & contains the main ingredients of refreshing & easy listening music. It is an album for inclusion if you are fan of classical music.
Where is da beats and da Bruckner D minor? - By: Wayne Redhart, 29 Jul 2007 Whod ave fought dat there would be enuf badass classical songs to be worf fillin two WHOLE CDs? Well, there aint. Most of da songs is well borin & it dont even got Star Wars on it. Dat is my favourite classical song, except for the valedictory Adagio (langsam, feierlich) from Anton Bruckner's unfinished ninth symphonyin D minor, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Willhelm Furtwängler- which aint there neither. I aint never even eard arf of these songs on any decent Nokia ringtones or nuffin & most of em dont got no proper beats, innit! They should ave got my man MC Hammer to do a well-bad remix.
A brilliant job of showmanship and programming - By: Frank T. Manheim, 23 Jan 2004 "The Only. . . " album may sound like a superficial pastiche to reviewer 1, but it isn't. I'm a classical music activist & an advocate for imaginative ways to reverse classical's decline. From this standpoint this product demonstrates first-rate creative showmanship & sophistication on the part of its producers. As the second reviewer indicates, the album does more than just stimulate impulse purchase. The outrageously inspired title was obviously designed to attract newcomers to classical. Having lured the uninitiated, a wrong start on the first track could be the last heard. The inspired choice of Orff, with his primal rhythms & simple harmonic structure, probably breaks with stereotypes people may have about classical. The listener then gets an abrupt change of pace with luscious, delicate ballet melodies by Delibes, followed by all-meat-and-no-potatoes romantic masterpiecesin the Dvorak 9th Symphony (appropriately performed by a Czech orchestra) & the Grieg Peer Gynt Suite. The album includes popular classic hits like the Pachelbel Canon & Albinoni Adagio but embraces diverse styles ranging from Khatchaturian & Prokofiev to Bizet's the Pearl Fishers (opera) & Satie's Gymnopedie. Toward the end come full & unchopped performances of core classical repertory like the Bach instrumental suites & Vivaldi violin concerti (in dynamic, living-tradition style, led by James Galway). Reviewer No. 2 is on target. This is a superb present for newcomers. More experienced listeners can relax & enjoy masterly programming of great classics, executed by fine performers & ensembles.
