User Reviews

I own the DVD of Series I and I've watched it countless times without getting bored.

The camera work is simply stunning, capturing the beauty of the European landscape. Backed up by the sounds of the music composed in each setting, it's a great armchair travel experience. It never fails to make me long for another trip to Europe. And the range of locations visited is quite broad, making the series a great snapshot of the continent.

I did find Niki's lines and delivery a little on the "too cheesy" side, but it was a delight to hear her play music. #1 host Simon Callow's passion for music and knowledge particularly shine in this series. And it was pleasing to finally hear someone pronounce all those foreign names correctly! I would call this light entertainment, and excellent light entertainment at that. Don't miss it if you love classical music, Europe, or both - or if you just want a relaxing night in with a mug of tea.

I found this documentary extra well presented and well planned. The history included a good look through some awesome buildings. The video/photography is very good with great lighting and music to match. I also enjoyed the travel through the European countryside and the realization of how sophisticated life was so long ago. The documentary is an eye opener for those who have never thought deeply about the important contribution made by the composers so often featured in modern life, yet they lived in a different place and time. I would love to follow the same route taken by the producer of this excellent and informative documentary.

A curious style which I didn't gel with at first but glad I gave it a couple of episodes to get completely hooked.

A satisfying wonderful mix of musical, social and geographical history, with superb host Simon Callow at the helm.

A must for any classical music or travel enthusiast.

As a "classical" music fanatic, I looked forward to this series and was disappointed. In fact, I found it difficult to watch the whole series. True, the scenery is pretty and the places chosen are appropriate but the series was spoiled by superficial research, pompous narration and repetition. Simon Callow sermonises his way through Europe, intoning the text as though he were speaking about gods rather than people, composers who, in their day, were often not well known and were treated like servants (much as composers are treated today, really!). The script is littered with doubtful claims and downright falsehoods. The two episodes about Bach (Eisenach and Leipzig) suffer especially in this regard. Was JS Bach very religious or was he just sensible enough to keep his doubts to himself in a turbulent world? He didn't compose religious music when no one was paying him to do so. He was the ultimate professional. Callow proclaims that Bach composed his famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor at Cothen. Callow might be referring to the "Dorian" because there is considerable doubt that Bach composed "the other one" at all, let alone where. Nicky Vasilakis seems to be a more-than-adequate violinist but, after a couple of episodes, I kept asking myself "Can she play any other pieces?" Her nasal Australian accent is most irritating, as is her pronunciation in a number of instances. This is a series that should have been made but with more down-to-earth writers and presenters. Howard Goodall's organ series is an example of how it should have been done.