· Collectors Edition
· Issued in Digipack
· Original LP + Bonus Tracks
· Original Cover Art and Liner Notes
· Living Stereo Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit
Original liner notes from the RCA Victor album:
"If this album may be considered a trifle controversial, at least it presents both sides of the controversy. It might have borne a pair of subtitles: Classics for People Who Dont Like Pop Music or Pop Music for People Who Dont Like Classics. You get two points of view for the price of one album and we daresay you will relish both.
The rash of setting Tin-Pan-Alley-type words to the melodies of the great classical composers began, for our present purposes, with the Pop arrangement of the opening theme of Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor. Retitled Tonight We Love, it was turned into a millionand-and-more selling recording by Freddy Martin in the early Forties.
Dyed-in-the-wool classical music-lovers are still in a state of shock over what They (the Pop music interlopers) did to their beloved Peter Ilich. Well, it may be perceived at this writing that an awful lot of musical joy and satisfaction have accrued to the Pop-minded listening and dancing public via Tonight We Love. Its still in the books of practically every dance band in the land.
But what has happened to that piano and orchestral masterpiece by Peter Ilich? When the Freddy Martin record appeared, classical musiclovers predicted that their music would be destroyed or, at least, set back a hundred years. Believe it or not, it has survived. A chap by the name of Van Cliburn turned it into one of the best-selling classical albums in history way back in 1958.
What we are trying to say in a mildly editorial way is that great music is imperishable and it can give joy to the listener in many guises.
In this package two enormously talented peopleCaterina Valente, the internationally famous singer, and Werner Müller, the celebrated conductor-arrangerhave a go at Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Debussy and Rachmaninoff, all great romantic composers with Debussy representing, more strictly, the Impressionist crowd.
The odd-numbered bands on both sides are devoted to Mr. Müllers tasteful orchestrations which hew close to the composers intentions, with a few contemporary touches added. On the even-numbered bands Miss Valente sings the Pop versions in her own winning way.
Bet all twelve bands will flip you!"
