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Press Release

"Download2MP3.com Classical Collection Completed Today

One hundred and fifteen MP3 tracks - original arrangements of music by twenty five Composers have now been uploaded. This collection is equivalent to around 10 CDs - available to buy and download at reasonable prices on a pick and mix basis at Download2MP3.com. (For all tracks a short 'LoFi' MP3 sample is provided to guide your selection.)

The composers came from France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Italy and worked in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many visited, performed and composed whilst in England but none were born here.

Download2MP3 have re-interpreted selected pieces on a variety of combinations of synthesized instruments - all based round a steel drum band. Other featured instruments include Marimba, Vibraphone, harp and a Mega Moog Synthesizer. While keeping faithfully to the score these new arrangements show this music in a new light, encouraging us to listen again with fresh ears.

Most of the works were originally written for keyboard instruments but the collection includes excerpts from concertos, marches and other pieces written for a full orchestra. Some of the music was composed specifically for children and others such as the Funeral March of the Marionette by Gounod have become famous as signature tunes (Alfred Hitchcock).

The use of a primarily percussion instrumentation approach to the selection and orchestration of this music produces a strong rhythmic quality but the melodies and harmonic effects are not neglected.

From search results so far Popular Pieces include:

- The Can Can by Offenbach
- The Turkish March by Beethoven

and Popular Composers include - Liszt, Dvorak and Paganini.


Note to Editors:

Review copies of a reasonable number of tracks will be made available to bona fide journalists on application to the Webmaster at www.download2mp3.com"

To celebrate completion of the classical collection and the press release today's streaming sample is the full HiFi MP3 file of the Russian Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

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