Scott Joplin Music

Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart are all too well known, but less known musics are blended well into this CD. That's why I bought this CD. I think this is a good CD to familiarlize myself to flute pieces, but as a serious classical music listener it may come in short as more than half of pieces in this CD are something too famous and were listened so many times. This CD can be used to know what I like and then move forward from there. I am the type of listener who listen to the entire Carmen of Bizet instead of listening to only one part or two of it. If a listener is unfamiliar with clessical music, I think this is a good one to start.

this is a great flute cd. i enjoy the fact that the cd has many preformers rather than just one. Jean-Pierre Rampal, of course probably the most famouse flutist, and William Bennett, an amazing flutist who I was fortuante enough to hear in person, are both on this cd, as well as a few other great flutist. i especially enjoyed Siciliene, because i have never heard it played with flute and hard, and because i have played the piece myself.

even if you haven't heard of some of these songs it is wonderful to listen to them. i recomend this cd for flutiests of all levels.

This cd is by far the most beautiful that I have ever heard! It just takes you away to another place and time, far from your worries, very relaxing. I highly reccomend this to anyone who loves beautiful music!

We listened to Ric Louchards 3 recordings over and over through 12 years of childhood. We have twins now 18. Ine a violinist whose just stopped playing, but still keeps her instrument handy in case, and the other a pianist who just won the district competition for the 2nd time. Now she's off to a small liberal arts womens college and will keep her piano going. I do give these recordings credit for being the backbone of our girls music careers and if you keep playing them over and over and over, they become such a part of yourself that when you play a piece from the repatroire it's like riding a bicycle after 10 years . The pieces are played in a beautiful way. Mr. L was a sSuzuki teacher ...maybe still is and the pieces seem to have a shining clarity. We've managed to have classical music be our music we are passionate about in the face of easier listening music for teens. From piano they both moved to Opera as well as violin and all Bass Violin music possible. All his music is a good investment in a childs music career, as a performer or as a listener.

I have owned this CD for several years and we listen to it often. It is pleasant, upbeat and excellent background for company dinners. I buy it for gifts for new parents.

There seems to be a mixup on AMAZON's webpage for this Scott Joplin CD. The song samples offered for WMP are not Joplin at all, but a much later jazz band.

In spite of this and the first review here, I purchased the disc. I'm quite familiar with the 1970-era Nonesuch issue of Joplin piano rolls, and thoroughly enjoy listening to him play, even if it's piano once-removed through this turn-of-the-century mechanical process.

One thing is clear-- Scott Joplin was a virtuoso, and nothing, not poor sound quality or slightly wrong speed playbacks of piano rolls, can obscure this fact.

Joplin only 'recorded' on paper piano rolls which should explain the quality of this recording.

I bought this CD...thinking that for [the price], I couldn't go wrong. Well, I think I did. I like the music itself a great deal; however, I still cannot recommend this CD. Why? At least two reasons: 1) The music is good, but it sounds so fuzzy on this CD that it's hard to listen to. It sounds like someone mastered it directly off of an original LP without bothering to clean up all the pops and hisses and other noise. I believe in atmosphere, but this is a bit much. I'd have liked it cleaned up a little bit, at least. 2) The (total lack of) care with which this CD was mastered shows itself in the fact that the track begin/end points in the disc's catalog do not match the actual song begin/end points, so switching tracks often puts you in the MIDDLE of a song rather than at the beginning. If you really want to hear the music, and this is the only CD available, then go for it. But it would be worth it to spend more and get a significantly higher quality recording if available.

Excellent CD! Arpin's slower-paced interpretations are a great change from the volumes and volumes of other ragtime pianists who rush their way through Joplin's work as fast as possible, and as stoically as possible. Yes, Arpin does a little improvisation throughout, but nothing worth calling the police over.

This album is chock full of musicality, learned interpretation, and beauty. Highly recommended.

I've been playing and performing Scott Joplin's piano music for about 6 years now, and I must say that I was very disappointed in this CD. John Arpin, who, according to the liner notes, is "recognized as the world's No. 1 ragtime pianist." If he is the worlds best ragtime pianist, then the state of ragtime performance in the world is in real trouble. I would suggest a re-naming of this album to "Fantasys on Joplin Rags, by John Arpin". I am familiar with all of Joplin's pieces on this disc, and Mr. Arpin performs them with little regard for the composers orginal intentions. He adds extra notes, makes chords fuller, changes the register of passages, adds parallel lines, and even repeats sections at his own will. Most of his added notes disrupt Joplin's intended inner voices and lines. Scott must be rolling over in his grave. Ragtime is not jazz, is not supposed to be improvised, yet Arpin improvises all over the place. And why, I ask? Just to show off, that he understands the chord structure and can make a chord fuller. Just to serve his own ego as the "No. 1 ragtime pianist in the world." And in doing so, he hit wrong notes and missed chords all over the place. Don't get me wrong, his playing is all fine (except WAY too slow, for my taste at least, in nearly every piece), and the result to the ear is nice, but it is NOT Scott Joplin, or what Scott Joplin intended.

This is life-enriching stuff played with feeling and finesse.A feathery touch and near-perfect left hand keep the music rolling merrily along, and coupled with beautifully recorded sound these discs are a delight. I need hardly add that as a two-fer it's also an incredible value. This music just makes you smile and feel glad to be alive,and that ain't all bad.

Mr. Arpin brings Joplin to life in this two disc set of Joplin's most famous music. The musicianship is magnificent, and the sound quality fantastic. I ran across this at a chain music store, and delighted at the price, grabbed it up. It was one of a few select Joplin recordings. I am very happy with it. It is on constant repeat at the office providing a very pleasant background to my constant typing. My fingers actually bounce along the keyboard with the music - oh how grand it would be to be able to play these pieces as John Arpin does. He is a wonder pianist, putting much feeling into the music. What more is there to say, just get this collection, sit back and absorb the expression of a great ragtime composer.