Advantages: Best of Borodin's compositions
Disadvantages: Extracts only

...’s talents. Containing extracts from his best known works, it is a kind of “greatest hits compilation”. Borodin composed only one opera, Prince Igor. Begun in 1869, Borodin spent almost eighteen years working on the music. The opera based on a Russian epic set in the 12th century, relates the tale of Prince Igor’s conflict with marauding Tartars and his capture by the Polovtsian leader Khan Konchak. The opening track of the CD is the overture, played by the London Symphony Orchestra ( 2 flutes, piccolo,), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, glockenspiel, harp and strings). Based on material from the opera, the overture summarizes the story in a musical précis. The orchestral overture begins slowly with melancholic strings and woodwind portraying... Read review

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Advantages: Impressive performance of interesting opera at an unbeatable price
Disadvantages: You will be left wanting more

...Introduction: There simply isn't anything to beat the adrenalin shot of being one of maybe 120 people on stage performing some major musical masterpiece in front of a hopefully packed house. Orchestral playing is totally addictive! So when I was recently asked to play in the 2nd violin section of the orchestra for a weekend opera workshop, I didn't have to hesitate before saying yes. I was told it would involve around 15 hours of rehearsal from a Friday evening to Sunday morning, followed by a concert performance of the entire opera. Loads of playing = lots of fun! The opera in question was Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin's "Prince Igor". Since I didn't know the opera apart from the famous Polovtsian Dances, I thought it might be good to get a CD of it before going to the weekend. Whilst my sight-reading is pretty good... Read review

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Advantages: Captivating, challenging, extremely well done film
Disadvantages: Your paradigm may shift...

...Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have made over 50 documentaries in the last 25 years. "La Promesse", released in 1996, is their third feature film, which was followed in 1999 by the award winning "Rosetta". "La Promesse" was based on a real character. It was also inspired by a passage in Dostojevsky's "The Brother Karamazov", where a son tries to explain to his mother the concept of social responsibility. The son states that everybody is guilty in everybody's eyes. He says that he knows that is it so and that he can feel it; that feeling is torture for him. Igor (Jeremie Renier) is a 15-year-old boy with a very busy life. He's an apprentice at a car shop and also helps his father Roger (Olivier Gourmet), who exploits illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa. Roger works together with others to smuggle the people into Seraign... Read review

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Advantages: Gorgeous Melodies, Exciting, Storytelling Piece and all around Beautiful Music
Disadvantages: None

...a position as professor of instrumentation and composition at St. Petersburg Conservatoire in 1871 (not bad for a largely self-taught individual I’d say) and resigned his commission in the navy the following year. He had quite a distinguished musical career. At the Conservatory he taught many of the other famous composers we know today such as Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky! His main orchestral works include Sheherazade (which I’ve been told should be correctly spelled as Scheherazade) and Capriccio espagnol. He wrote fifteen operas which included The Tale of Tsar Saltan (which contains the well known Flight of the Bumblebee), Khashchei the Immortal, and Le Coq d’Or or The Golden Cockerel. Rimsky-Korsakov died in Lybensk in 1908. *********************** The Piece: *********************** Sheherazade (also spelled Scheherazade... Read review

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Advantages: A lot of new option, good graphic
Disadvantages: no I think

...Hi my name is Igor and here is my opinion about very popular game: NHL 2000. I think that it is very good, nice, interesting and it really famous game. Hockey is very popular game especially in Europe. In the same ways in Russia maybe our team is not the best but I think that the team of Russia can play enough good. So it it very interesting when you watch on TV the final hockey game between two greats teams for example Sweden and Finland. It is very pleasant to watch it with the cup of beer. So ELECTRONIC ART create the game NHL 2000. There are a lot of new options such as: create player, create team and others. In this game goalkeepers have more science of playing and it make the game more interesting and more difficulty. There are a lot of new tools to make the face of your new player really looking like human. There is very good... Read review

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Advantages: A decent collection of varied music
Disadvantages: Several 'sections' of music

...Pleasure First/The Promise {The Piano} 10. Symphony, No. 7 in A, Op. 92 II Allegretto (Opening) - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 11. Lacrimosa (Requiem) 12. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Opening) - London Philharmonic Orchestra 13. Te Deum - Ambrosian Singers Of London, The Philharmonia Orchestra 14. Adagio in G Minor (Extract) - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 15. Song of Our Homeland (Prince Igor) 16. Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) - The Philharmonia Orchestra 17. Nessun Dorma (Turandot) 18. Celebration - London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra Disc: 2 1. Fanfare for the Common Man 2. Ride of the Valkyries (Die Walküre) 3. Piano Concerto, No. 3 in D Minor I: Allegro Ma Non Tanto (Opening) - St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra 4. O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) 5. Casta Diva (Norma) - La Scala Orchestra... Read review

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Advantages: Hugh Jackman in loin cloth, sense of humour, special effects
Disadvantages: Count Duckula, senses numbed, got coat, had to leave

...like a film costume. A better film would have been more authentic – Van Helsing would really have looked as though he’s just done ten rounds with Nosferatu, as opposed to Nicky Clarke. I never thought I’d say it, but I also felt that there TOO MANY monsters in this film. First up we meet Dr Frankenstein and his monster. Next, we meet Count Dracula and his hunchbacked assistant Igor. The introductions then follow on to Dracula’s three vampire brides. The action switches to Paris and we see Van Helsing encountering a bestial Mr Hyde atop the Notre Dame cathedral. On top of this, we meet a couple of werewolves, and hordes of baby vampires. The overall result is that the audience feels absolutely bombarded. Who was your favourite? Which was the best one? You’ll probably be unable to decide because they all seemed... Read review

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Advantages: Cartoons = eternal childhood
Disadvantages: Err, Umm, Duh!… No

.../butler Igor. The tale is that, while during a ritual to revive the Vampire Duck, the rather stupid and simple nanny gave Igor a bottle of tomato ketchup instead of blood. This led to Count Duckula being a vegetarian instead of a blood thirsty vampire. With very quirky humour, which you either loved or loathed, this cartoon was a hit with me just like it's bigger brother which is to follow. 6 - Danger Mouse The worlds greatest secret agent, a James Bond style hero with an eye-patch, oh and he's also a mouse. Living in his London mailbox with his side-kick, the hamster Penfold, Danger Mouse would receive his mission assignments from Colonel K, his walrus-like commander. Every episode DM would fly to different parts of the world in his flying car, battling the croaky-voiced toad, Baron Silas Greenback. With ridiculously stupid storylines, I just... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic story and beatiful characters
Disadvantages: Almost none at all

...Prince of Persia The Two Thrones If you have played Prince of Persia 1, you will certainly not have any wish to play any other Prince Of Persia game. That was the case with me before I played Prince of Persia The Two Thrones. Ah! But when I played this game,you cant imagine how much I like this game.Although the complete is based upon three game i.e Prince Of Persia The Sand of Time, Prince of Persia Warrior Within, and Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, but the absolutely amazing moves of Prince of Persia and its puzzles are all wonderful. This game became my favourite after one hour of playing. (Rating: 9.5/10) Gameplay: Prince of Persia The two thrones offers player to lead the Prince through different situations to finally beat the Wazir. The Prince ( main character) has got a variety of moves which can be used... Read review

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Advantages: 17 fantastic episodes
Disadvantages: No DVD extras

...The second series of count Duckula was first aired in 1989. It consisted of 17 episodes and follwed the count through loads of different adventures. Ghostly Gold Duckula finds a newspaper declaring there is gold in the hills of a far away town. He goes with Nanny and Igor to the town, onlt to find it is a ghost town and the newspaper is dated over 100 years ago. Ducknapped Two idiots attempt to "Ducknap Duckula but mistake him for Dr. Von Goosewig. When the right type of bird is "Napped", Nanny and Igor spend all of Duckula's ransom money without giving him any. The lost valley Whilst looking for treasure, the trio are transported into a movie. Incredible Shrinking duck Dr. Von Goosewig uses his ivention to shrink Castle Duckula and it's inhabitants into a souveneir. Hi-Duck Duckula, Nanny and Igor go... Read review

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