City Reading (Tre Storie Western) [Explicit Lyrics]

Amazon.com
On City Reading, Italian author Alessandro Baricco (of the acclaimed 1998 novel Silk) employs the ambient electronics of Air in what amounts to an artfully done book-on-tape, read in Baricco’s thick Italian brogue. Narrating a few especially poetic and lyrical passages from his 2002 novel City, Baricco tells three offbeat stories of the Old West (broken out over 19 tracks) that could’ve been stolen from Sergio Leone’s dream journal. Meanwhile, Air shows off the knack for theme music they brought to the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, laying down accompaniment that provides a proper theatrical background for Baricco’s playful yet melancholy yarns. For those who don’t speak Italian, the sleeve has a complete translation to read along with, creating the effect of a sub-titled movie, or at least a dusty hallucination from the days of six-shooters, saloons, and whorehouses. An intriguing mix of story and song, City Reading continues Air’s baroque touch with synthesized moods and spacious atmosphere. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description
On City Reading Air have collaborated with Alessandro Baricco (Italy's most famous contemporary writer), recording over one hour of original music separated into three 20-minute pieces, mixed by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, over which Baricco recites his own texts in Italian with his unique voice. Astralwerk. 2003.

City Reading (Tre Storie Western),Air,Alessandro Baricco,Astralwerks,Electronica,Poetry,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Average customer rating: A wonderful tradition a voice teacher and early music fan Truely inspirational!!!! Don't let this recording pass you by! A Shining Star

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols King's College Choir , and Stephen Cleobury Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rutter | Rutter, John | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vaughan Williams, Ralph | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Walton | Walton, Sir William | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Organ | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: O Come All Ye Faithful: Christmas Carols at King's College, Cambridge Carols from Trinity Noel: Christmas at Kings Carols From King's / Choir of King's College, Cambridge · Stephen Cleobury Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols ASIN: B00002CF12 Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

1. Once In Royal David's City
2. Bidding Prayer
3. Up! Good Christen Folk, And Listen
4. The Truth From Above
5. First Lesson
6. Adam Lay Yhounden
7. Second Lesson
8. Sussex Carol
9. In The Bleak Mid-Winter
10. Third Lesson
11. In dulci jubilo
12. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
13. Fourth Lesson
14. A Tender Shoot
15. The Lamb
16. Fifth Lesson
17. Gabriel's Message
18. Joys Seven
19. Sixth Lesson
20. Dormi, Jesu
21. Riu, riu, chiu

Tracks:

1. Seventh Lesson
2. The Fary fax Carol
3. While Shepards Watched
4. Eighth Lesson
5. I Saw Three Ships
6. Illuminare Jerusalem
7. Ninth Lesson
8. Adeste, fideles
9. Prayer And Blessing
10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
11. In dulci Jubilo

Amazon.com

This disc could be more succinctly titled Christmas for Anglophiles. Few sounds are more British than the boy soprano-dominated Choir of King's College in Cambridge. And the group is heard--in some sections recorded live--in an actual Christmastide service amid the generous reverberation of a cathedral acoustic with little more than a tasteful though austere organ accompaniment. The repertoire isn't just conservative, traditional hymns and carols. One is harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and there are a number of contributions by contemporary composers Thomas Adès, Judith Weir, and John Tavener, all of which are probing, sincere, even personal examples of their art (and some are daringly liberated, harmonically speaking). The downside for some listeners--at least on repeated hearings--is that the entire service is heard, sermons and all. Others may take this in the spirit of a Paul McCreesh liturgical reconstruction, with congregational singing included. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful tradition .......2007-01-18

A great experience combining Christmas carols with the reading of Holy Scripture (the lessons). It's a beautiful Christmas worship service in the Anglican tradition. I highly recommend it.

In our age when thing change so fast, it's good to know that some great traditions continue. This recording is one of them.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-12-06

Listening to this one and one-half hour recording is one way to experience the meaning of Christmas. It must be a joy for those who can attend such a service as the "Festival of nine-lessons and carols". To hear the beautiful voices of the King's College Choir and their marvelous organist, Benjamin Bayl. This is all under the direction of Stephen Cleobury, and provides a treat for music lovers everywhere. The carols are related directly to the scripture readings that tell the Christmas Story in its entirety, all read skillfully by various people involved in the program. They are not lengthy, but quite to the point. The related carols are varied as to composer and mood, running the gamut from the traditional to the more recent such as : 'The Truth from above'(Vaughan Williams)-'Illuminare,Jerusalem' (Judith Weir)- and 'The Lamb' (John Tavener). The soloists include:Edward Moore (treble)-Thomas Bullard (baritone)-Adrian Kelly (tenor)-Edward Harries (treble)-and Julian Perkins (baritone). All sang well as did the entire choir. The English sound, that is boy sopranos and male altos, appeal to me personally and show up very well in this particular group. It's all quite emotional and very moving, especially to those who celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. I've had this disc for several years, and would not think of celebrating Christmas without listening to it several times during the season.

Truely inspirational!!!!.......2001-12-23

A holiday classic. It has been a tradtion in our family for years. This is the first time I've seen it available on CD. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Don't let this recording pass you by!.......2001-07-10

Do yourself a favor and buy this CD - even if you don't think you like Christmas music. People stand in line for hours to hear the Choir of King's College's annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and when you hear this recording, you will understand why. Rarely does a choir sound quite as pure, smooth, and "together" as they do on this recording. The selection of music is wonderful. You get a few traditional favorites like "O Come All Ye Faithful", recorded live with the choir and the congregation singing along (I thought this would annoy me but it really doesn't - it only makes me feel the spirit of the ceremony even more). You also get plenty of wonderful choir-only pieces that you've probably never heard before unless you're a big cathedral music enthusiast. It all begins, of course, with a single choirboy singing the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City". It's impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite from this recording. I find "The Fayrfax Carol" by Thomas Ades to be particularly haunting and beautiful. Vaughan Williams' "The Truth from Above" is also very, very lovely. And how could you not enjoy "Up! Good Christen folk, and listen"? There is also Ord's short, but beautiful, "Adam lay ybounden". I like all of these pieces in and of themselves, but I think having them sung so expertly and sweetly by the choir makes me like them even more.

To top it all off, you get about 20 minutes worth of readings and prayers recorded live at the service, interspersed among all of the music. I suppose this could be seen as the recording's only drawback (people talking), but I think it makes the recording much more authentic as a representation of the world-famous service. The readings make the recording more than just a musical experience, but a complete Christmas experience - which is what the ceremony is supposed to be. Besides, if you really hate the talking, that's what the skip button is for.

Go ahead and buy this -- you'll be very glad you did.

A Shining Star.......2000-11-21

To the other fine and informative reviews here, I would add the following. Though the Festival service and the recording are 80% musical, the "lessons", which are brief scripture passages given moving dramatic readings by college personnel, are the backbone of the Festival and the riverbed through which the carols flow. There is a chronological order to the lessons, beginning in Genesis, and each musical selection is tied to the reading which preceded it. This synthesis makes listening to this CD a very spiritual experience that transports one well beyond what is felt listening to other recorded compilations of carols.

The music is primarily drawn from traditional British Christmas repertoire. Well-known British composers over centuries and King's College's organists and music directors over the past century wrote or arranged most of the selections. Several texts are in Olde English or Latin. Three recent compositions are here, too, but the first priority of the Festival director is clearly the tradition and the history of this service and of Christmas in England. There is nothing, however, "musty" about this CD. The tempi are modern and sprightly where indicated, and the performances are transcendent. The Choir of King's College, directed by Stephen Cleobury, consists of 35 young men chosen by highly competitive audition, and they are among the finest choral ensembles in the world. A superb pipe organ played by Benjamin Bayl is the only supplement to the voices.

The sound of the recording is a major improvement from radio broadcasts and earlier (now out-of-print) releases of this service. For this CD, the four-and-a-half hymns in which the congregation sings with the choir were recorded during services in December 1998. The balance of the recording was made in the same chapel in July 1999, without the congregation present, so the coughing and shuffling heard during live broadcasts and earlier live recordings is happily absent. The only small problem is that the reverberating acoustics of the chapel, though gorgeous, make many lyrics difficult to discern. Keep the booklet handy. Highest recommendation.

Average customer rating: I'd like either the Air album, or the audio book. Not both. i think u didn't get the point WHAT!!!!!!!! Sleeping Pill Good good good...

City Reading (Tre Storie Western) Air , and Alessandro Baricco Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Poetry | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: 10,000 Hz Legend Sexy Boy Premiers Symptomes Pocket Symphony Everybody Hertz - 10,000 HZ Legend Remixes ASIN: B00008J2S5 Release Date: 2003-03-25

Tracks:

1. La Puttana di Closing Town
2. Caccia all'uomo
3. Bird

Amazon.com

On City Reading, Italian author Alessandro Baricco (of the acclaimed 1998 novel Silk) employs the ambient electronics of Air in what amounts to an artfully done book-on-tape, read in Baricco's thick Italian brogue. Narrating a few especially poetic and lyrical passages from his 2002 novel City, Baricco tells three offbeat stories of the Old West (broken out over 19 tracks) that could've been stolen from Sergio Leone's dream journal. Meanwhile, Air shows off the knack for theme music they brought to the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, laying down accompaniment that provides a proper theatrical background for Baricco's playful yet melancholy yarns. For those who don't speak Italian, the sleeve has a complete translation to read along with, creating the effect of a sub-titled movie, or at least a dusty hallucination from the days of six-shooters, saloons, and whorehouses. An intriguing mix of story and song, City Reading continues Air's baroque touch with synthesized moods and spacious atmosphere. --Matthew Cooke

Album Description

On City Reading Air have collaborated with Alessandro Baricco (Italy's most famous contemporary writer), recording over one hour of original music separated into three 20-minute pieces, mixed by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, over which Baricco recites his own texts in Italian with his unique voice. Astralwerk. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

I'd like either the Air album, or the audio book. Not both........2004-12-30

I speak Italian, and despite Air and Baricco might say about their collaborating, the music doesn't work incredibly well with Baricco's spoken word. The music is minimal to say the least, but in my opinion, would have been nice to soak in alone. The problem is, it's as effective in helping the text like reading a book in a hotel lobby; while at times it may fit the text, there is hardly any dramatical effect that corresponds with Baricco's voice. I'm sure this is likely to fly over the heads of most of us. I listened to this record prior to leaving for Italy with minimal listen comprehension, thinking about how much Baricco's voice tends to drown out the music in a tug of war for our attention. A year later after several months in Italy, the music and Baricco's voice take turns sounding out of place.

Read the book, listen to Air, but the two things don't work out to well. Nice try anyway.

i think u didn't get the point.......2004-12-24

All you bad saying people: u didn't get it. You all went searching for an Air album. Well... sorry ladys. This isn't one. I think you all should read more. In the cover it says: "Air * Baricco" - City Reading. Being that the important issue here is the READING OF THE CITY NOVEL. The thingee you write in the ARTIST field in your riper is: AIR + BARICCO. The music by air is just in the backgroung. Kind of like a soundtrack. Acompaigning the reading. If you don't want to hear an italian voice don't buy the album.

Yours trully,
"Not an american self centered person"

WHAT!!!!!!!!.......2004-04-11

Is this a joke or what? do they really think someone is going to listen to the whole cd and have a feeling of satisfaction?
THE WOST OF AIR. I HOPE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!

Sleeping Pill.......2004-02-23

This album is just great... FOR INSOMNIACS! If you don't understand Italian (and maybe even if you do...) it will put you to sleep right away!
Has anyone else noticed how Air albums are going downhill? Since the "Virgin Suicides" the quality of their music is horribly deteriorating from one album to the next. I bought the last three Air albums (including this one) without even listening to them- because it's Air. What a MISTAKE!
This is THE WORST AIR ALBUM EVER.

Good good good..........2003-07-27

While some people complained about the narraration covering the music or the narraration being in a language they didn't understand, I honestly have to say I wouldn't have it any other way. The gravely vocals add texture to an otherwise dull instrumental. The fact that you can't understand the narraration gives the whole thing a dreamy feel. The music compliments the narration very well. Air realizes that the narraration is the life of this cd, and does not attempt to overshadow it.

Average customer rating:

David Lynch Box: The Elephant Man/Mulholland Drive Manufacturer: Milan Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B0001EFTOW Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

1. Elephant Man Theme - National Philharmonic Orchestra
2. Dr. Treves Visits the Freak Show and Elephant Man - National Philharmonic Orchestra
3. John Merrick and Psalm - National Philharmonic Orchestra
4. John Merrick and Mrs. Kendal - National Philharmonic Orchestra
5. Nightmare - National Philharmonic Orchestra
6. Mrs. Kendal's Theater and Poetry Reading - National Philharmonic Orchestra
7. Belgian Circus Episode - National Philharmonic Orchestra
8. Train Station - National Philharmonic Orchestra
9. Pantomime - National Philharmonic Orchestra
10. Adagio for Strings - National Philharmonic Orchestra
11. Recapitulation - National Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

1. Jitterbug - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
2. Mulholland Drive - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
3. Rita Walks/Sunset Boulevard/Aunt Ruth - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
4. Diner - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
5. Mr. Roque/Betty's Theme - Angelo Badalamenti
6. Beast - Milt Buckner
7. Bring It on Home - Sonny Boy Williamson [II]
8. I've Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott
9. Dwarfland/Love Theme - Angelo Badalamenti, David Lynch
10. Silencio - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
11. Llorando (Crying)
12. Pretty 50s - David Lynch, John Neff
13. Go Get Some - David Lynch, John Neff
14. Diane and Camilla - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
15. Dinner Party Pool Music - Angelo Badalamenti
16. Mountains Falling - David Lynch, John Neff
17. Mulholland Drive/Love Theme - Angelo Badalamenti, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Album Description

To pay homage to one of the most celebrated directors, Milan Records is proud to release the David Lynch Box, pairing two of his most renowned soundtracks: The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive. John Morris' score for the Elephant Man and Angelo Badalamenti's for Mulholland Drive both play an intimate role in the films, with the music prominently positioned and central to the characters' roles and development.

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