Lest Berlin Classics' 2009 set
Classics in Heaven seem like a four-disc compilation of music for harps and angelic choirs, rest assured that it is actually a collection of enjoyable classical works -- some soothing, some rousing, all edifying -- that will make the listener feel something akin to heavenly bliss, if not exactly transported to paradise. Like the label's contemporaneous release
Meditation Classics, this compendium brings together over four hours of serene and generally quiet pieces and inspirational movements from larger works that are well-suited as background music to calm activities. Both sets feature the most familiar names among classical composers, such as J.S. Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven, and a number of other greats, and the performances of these favorites are generally satisfactory, with few tracks of mediocre quality. Where this set differs from
Meditation Classics is in the over-familiarity of its selections: where the other collection presented much music that was seldom included on classical samplers,
Classics in Heaven represents almost every well-known work in the repertoire, and listeners who already own several samplers may feel there is too much duplication here. Even so, this is still a convenient introduction to the world of classical music, and when it is paired with the other set, there is enough music covered to give any beginner a big step up the ladder to the classical pearly gates.