Natural Reflections (2007)

One might imagine an album called Natural Reflections would feature pieces based on nature, so it comes as a bit of a disappointment that Berlin Classics didn't follow through with its main idea for this budget compilation. Some of the selections are suggestive of nighttime (Mendelssohn's Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Andante from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Chopin's Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major), moonlight (the first movement from Beethoven's Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight," and Debussy's Clair de lune ... Read More

One might imagine an album called Natural Reflections would feature pieces based on nature, so it comes as a bit of a disappointment that Berlin Classics didn't follow through with its main idea for this budget compilation. Some of the selections are suggestive of nighttime (Mendelssohn's Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Andante from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Chopin's Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major), moonlight (the first movement from Beethoven's Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight," and Debussy's Clair de lune), and, very indirectly, weather (the Adagio from Beethoven's Sonata No. 17, "The Tempest"); but more striking examples of "nature music" could have been included since the classical repertoire is replete with compositions suggesting everything in the universe, from butterflies (Chopin's Étude No. 9, Op. 25) and birds (Saint-Saëns' The Swan) to the seasons (Vivaldi's Quattro Stagioni) and even the solar system (Holst's The Planets). Instead, the Andante from Brahms' Piano Sonata No.... Read Less