[.ca] Tchaikovsky Discovers America

an excellent introduction:
This line of CD's is exceptional. This one ranks a little lower than the others. While my children are entertained by it, I found the story less engaging. In addition, Alex, the boy protagonist, has a tendency to be rude. It certainly doesn't fall into the usual bratty kid category that afflicts so much of current children's fare, but I was disappointed considering the other CDs are outstanding in all respects. The music is presented in manageable chunks, and everyone will recognize most of the themes/pieces. My five year old loves the excitement of the train ride and the chase scene. It is definitely worth having in your collection, but if you're only going to buy one, try one of the others first.

My 7 year old son enjoys this immensely:
Great story and music. We use it for rainy days and long car rides. We have several different CD's from the series of composers, and now he actively listens to classical music in an attempt to identify the composers. Great and fun intro into classical music.

Keeps the kids engaged:
Yesterday, our family went to the Nutcracker Ballet in Seattle. It was heartening to hear our children realize that they've heard some of the music before -- through this CD. The idea that our children can pick up the themes of the music from the 45 second pieces represented on the CD is pretty neat. Although the story on the CD seems to be a bit contrived, fortunately, it is interesting enough to keep the children thoroughly engaged. (Of course, after hours of listening in the car, they better have picked up something!) Like all of the Classical Kids CDs, this CD is well done and I recommend this one highly.

I highly recommend this delightful recording.:
Tschaikovsky Discovers American, along with the other Classical Kids titles, are a delightful way to introduce young children to classical music and composers. The engaging stories on the tapes are filled with the music of the composers but the music and stories are so well intertwined that the children learn the music by osmosis as they listen to the stories over and over. My young children are forever recognizing the music of "Mr. Tschaikovsky" and "Mr. Vivaldi" as a result of repeated exposure to the Classical Kids series. The Tschaikovsky work in particular has made my very active 5 year old son a devoted fan of The Nutcracker which he sat through beautifully at Lincoln Center in New York last year.

Excellent:
Yes, this is indeed a great series - successfully mixing captivating stories with great "soundtracks". The difference is that the stories are usually about the composers and the music is by them of course. The Tchaikovsky CD has, aside from the composer's great works, some truly inspired singing as well - Swing Low Sweet Chariot and the uplifting girls chorus will send shivers down your spine.

• Piano Concerto #1, MVT 1/Danse Napolitaine \oSwan Lake\c
• Trépac \oNutcracker\c
• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot/Turkey in the Straw/Waltzes \oSerenade and ...\c
• Tea/Coffee/Chocolate \oNutcracker\c
• Danse des Cygnes, Allegro \oSwan Lake\c
• 1812 Overture, Excerpt
• Silver , Ragtime \oSleeping Beauty\c
• Overture Act II \oSwan Lake\c
• Girls' Chorus \oEugene Onegin\c
• Coda, Act II /Rag on Tchaikovsky Theme \oNutcracker\c
• Marche Slav
• Violente /Sugar Plum Fairly \oNutcracker\c
• Sommeil, Panorama \oSleeping Beauty\c
• Long, Long Ago/Girls' Chorus /Waltz Op. 20 \oOnegin\c
• Amazing Grace
• Serenade for Strings, MVT 1/Serenade for Strings, Finale/1812 ...