Glockenspiel [CD-single]

1. Glockenspiel [Airplay Edit]

2. Glockenspiel [Video Edit]

3. Glockenspiel [XTended Mix]

4. Glockenspiel [Gary D Rmx]

5. Glockenspiel [Mike Scadle Rmx]

6. Glockenspiel [Free Schiller Rmx]

Glockenspiel,Schiller,Radikal Records,5"CD Singles,Dance Music,Pop,Trance

Average customer rating: My first Andrew Bird cd but not my last. polished I wish he would learn to play the freakin' guitar! Not to my taste An Antti Keisala Comment: Tales Of The Mysterious Moon

Armchair Apocrypha Andrew Bird Manufacturer: Fat Possum Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Retro Swing | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs The Reminder Sound of Silver Sky Blue Sky ASIN: B000MV9A1C Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

1. Fiery Crash
2. Imitosis
3. Plasticities
4. Heretics
5. Armchairs
6. Darkmatter
7. Simple X
8. The Supine
9. Cataracts
10. Scythian Empires
11. Spare-Ohs
12. Yawn At The Apocalypse

Amazon.com

Strip away the music of an Andrew Bird song, and you're left with brilliant prose ("across the great chasms and schisms and the sudden aneurysms"), vignettes about mentally fending off plane crashes, infiltrating characters like the kings of Macedonia and Lou Dobbs, and titles such as "Yawny at the Apocalyspe." It's hard to believe that, really, his music reigns, but when Bird adds understated acoustic guitars, Wurlitzer and Rhodes, and his own mesmerizing pizzicato violin, his songs take on a progressive mood all their own. The Chicago Bird's tenth album (and his debut for extraordinary Mississippi blues label Fat Possum) is perhaps his most diverse, expansive, and resourceful yet, catering to a half-dozen genres of music while exploring storylines that are naïve ("Dark Matter"), candid ("Fiery Crash"), and blatantly comical ("Armchairs"). Making no palpable effort to crack the conventional with overflowing melodies and love songs, Bird instead latches up the intellect to create tiny packages of literature that make always leave you thinking--and snapping your fingers at the same time. --Scott Holter

Customer Reviews:

My first Andrew Bird cd but not my last........2007-07-28

How come nobody ever told me about Andrew Bird. The instrumentations are fantastic, the lyrics are poetic and as a whole this album is both fun and melancholly. I'm dumbfounded. Now its time to get everything else Bird has done, and soon.

polished.......2007-07-26

You can't find Andrew Bird's uniquely melancholy whimsy easily anywhere else. I'm always pleased by his albums, but they pale compared to his live performances (in small venues). Bird live compared to his albums is like original Van Gogh compared to its poster print.

I wish he would learn to play the freakin' guitar!.......2007-07-20

First of all, let me offer my support of Invisigoth. A very well-balanced and thoughtful review (which maybe didn't match with the 1-star rating).

Secondly, I refuse to join the bandwagon of Andrew Bird worship. Especially around here (the Twin Cities), he gets played very frequently on indie rock stations here (namely, The Current), and the DJs seem to adore him. While I freely admit he's incredibly gifted as a musician, most of his songs seem to boil down to about 2 quite uninteresting chords. And anybody's who's ever plugged in an electric guitar at the music store could sound like his guitar. He seems to have no idea of how to nuance a guitar and amp to really get the richness that is possible. And I'm sorry, but "Fiery Crash" is just plain boring!

He can do better than this, and I hope he does on his next album.

Not to my taste.......2007-07-14

Based on the reviews I read, I was really looking forward to hearing this. The artwork featuring a bird is very eye-catching. I just couldn't get into the music. I've listened to it twice, hoping that it would improve with familiarity. It didn't. The lyrics might be good but, the musicality of Andrew's work escapes me. There's nothing catchy here and most of the songs are downright depressing.

An Antti Keisala Comment: Tales Of The Mysterious Moon.......2007-06-02

Some people go by the charts, but I belong to the other group that has found out that for them the most rewarding process in finding new music is indeed in the search itself. Some of the music I know are recommendations from friends, but quite a bit is based on the same kind of research-like relationship I have with cinema, where IMDb helps quite a bit. An example: you start from a Béla Tarr and end up being introduced to a Polish cameraman or his assistant who had worked with David Lynch on Inland Empire. I can't think of a funnier or more rewarding experience of finding new music and taking it actually into our life.

I am new to Andrew Bird. This I'm ashamed to confess, but better late than never; I only stumbled on him at the time of the release of this album a few months back, then had to get The Mysterious Production of Eggs, Weather Systems and his work with the Bowl of Fire. I came to him pretty straight through the usual companions, Sufjan Stevens and Jeffrey Foucault, and I don't know how I've managed so far without him: he's a part of the new wave of post-indie rock channeled through self-conscious resurgence of American folk music culture. But that's only part of where he's rooted: there's some of The Arcade Fire and some Jeff Buckley, and yet transcending comparison and forming a recognizable entity on his own.

Bird is a great musician and the live recordings, the three Fingerlings, should give some weight to this argument about his sense of using the instruments; he's like the young Warren Ellis of violin. He's also absolutely hilarious; his humour is witty and ironic, and his lyrics and singing completely complement the mood the song sets musically. The album opener "Fiery Crash" opens like a trashy garage rock song and evolves to an immesurably sophisticated pop song, almost echoing a Belle And Sebastian composition; but this is pop music that isn't pop music; it has twists and turns that continuously shape the direction the song and album are going to. Every time my mind grasps a hook and settles onto it for continuity, Bird changes the direction. I've scarcely had so much fun whilst listening.

A gem that's special. Have fun.

With best regards,
AK

Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD) The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD) What to Listen for in Music Study of Orchestration, Third Edition ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating: Spend some time in the shade with The Concretes as boring as the self-titled release Good summery album sunny, summertime soundtrack

In Colour The Concretes Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Sweden | Scandinavia | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Swedish Pop | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Twee Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Layourbattleaxedown The Concretes At War with the Mystics Show Your Bones Broken Boy Soldiers ASIN: B000EHSVXC Release Date: 2006-04-04

Tracks:

1. On The Radio
2. Sunbeams
3. Change In The Weather
4. Chosen One
5. Your Call
6. Fiction
7. Tomorrow
8. As Four
9. Grey Days
10. Way Of Life
11. Ooh La La
12. Song For The Songs

Customer Reviews:

Spend some time in the shade with The Concretes.......2007-02-16

"In Colour" may not be a significant step forward musically for the veteran Swedish band The Concretes, but it's probably their most accessible album to date. It's filled with their typically infectious and mildly quirky yet sometimes gorgeous pop songs. Led by the fragile yet soulful croonings of petite lead singer Victoria Bergsman, the songs have a delicate and distinctive quality to them that grows on you with each listen. The opening song "On the Radio" is a catchy, melodic tune that wills its way into your heart via Bergsman's sweet vocals. "Change in the Weather" is a wistful country-flavored track that's as light and cozy as a warm pillow. Meanwhile "Chosen One" is a deceptively simple ready-for-radio pop tune given an edge by prominent guitars and Bergsman's slightly off kilter line readings.

Sadly, Victoria Bergsman and the rest of the group seem to have had a falling out in 2006, leading to her split from The Concretes and her pursuit of a solo career. Meanwhile, The Concretes look to carry on without her. Judging from quality of the 12 songs on "In Colour" it would seem that both The Concretes and Victoria Bergsman have more than enough talent to continue making great music on their own.

as boring as the self-titled release.......2006-10-05

What a pain this album is to listen to; it has the most uninteresting chord progressions I've ever heard and a whiny singer. It's soft and creative with use of instruments, but the instruments are not used to make good music unfortunately. This band pretty much can stop making tunes for all I care, because hardly anyone in the U.S. knows who they are. Don't buy this crap unless you want to substitute it for Lunesta.

Good summery album.......2006-06-11

The Concretes are this band from Sweden that have been around forever. They did a cool album a few years ago. They were on an American commercial. Now they won't go away. Victoria Bergsman and company are back for another go. Their music is very stylized. They are more like the third Velvet Underground record and less Motown on this one. There are some cool songs like "Sunbeams" and "Chosen One." The songs are good but maybe not as catchy as the last proper album. They might have done ten albums over there in Sweden, as far as I know. There are more mellow and quiet moments on this record. Most of the songs are impersonal. We never really get to know Victoria or any of the Concretes any better with this album. During their recent tour, The Concretes got their gear stolen, and didn't bother playing many of the West Coast shows. Oh well. The Concretes are good at what they do.

sunny, summertime soundtrack.......2006-04-13

the concrete's lastest offering, 'in colour,' is chocked so full of hooks, glistening guitars, quaint vocals, and charming harmonies that it seems impossible that it was created by folks who spend a significant portion of the year in the dark.

in the lead single, 'on the radio,' victoria bergsman comes off a karen carpenter acolyte and the results are nothing short of thrilling. it's got one of the best chorus' you've heard in awhile. it's an exquisite piece of pop and futher proof that the best pop in the world's coming out of scandanavia. and don't see be surprised to see it haunting some future t.v. commercial (as did 'say something new' of their last album).

the rest of the album boasts similarly idyllic pop. 'sunbeams' revels in it's own charm. 'chosen one' displays the concretes ability to harmonize with the best of them. 'gray days' makes a slight foray into the country realm with nice violin and electric piano flourishes.

what's perhaps most impressive about the album is that it sounds completely unforced. with too many artists over-trying to make 'art' records, it's great to see a band focused on good, old-fasioned pop (can any pop song with a flute solo really be that bad? don't think so). for some it may come across as too cute or too twee (see: acid house kings and camera obscura are fair reference points for the 'in colour'), but those who do need to stop taking themselves so seriously.

'in colour' is a welcome relief to the current crop of 'serious' musicians who've forgotten that in the end a great song is about a great hook. for those who like their hooks, 'in colour' in a perfect place to start. it's unabashadedly pop and the perfect glimmering summer soundtrack.

Average customer rating: here be melody Chinese Weather Outstanding album Madonna! Here Be Monsters

Here Be Monsters Ed Harcourt Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Alternative General | Alternative Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: From Every Sphere Strangers Beautiful Lie Maplewood Charlie Mars ASIN: B00006368A Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

1. Something In My Eye
2. God Protect Your Soul
3. She Fell Into My Arms
4. Those Crimson Tears
5. Hanging With The Wrong Crowd
6. Apple Of My Eye
7. Beneath The Heart Of Darkness
8. Wind Through The Trees
9. Birds Fly Backwards
10. Shanghai
11. Like Only Lovers Can

Amazon.com

Here Be Monsters finds singer/songwriter Ed Harcourt developing the gentle melancholy of his previous efforts. "God Protect Your Soul" combines anguished, rambling lyrics ("I need to build a wall around me") and an off-kilter melody with bluesy harmonica and trumpets to create something akin to what Elliot Smith might make sitting at the piano. "Beneath the Heart of Darkness" starts in a similar fashion before slipping into a mash of guitars and radio interference, then drifting back again to a gentle lullaby. While "Apple of My Eye" starts with a quiet but buoyant proclamation--"I'm sick of this angst"--it quickly becomes clear that Harcourt isn't really so positive. This is one for all those who appreciate music that's full of understated despair. --Caroline Butler

Customer Reviews:

here be melody.......2006-02-10

Ed Harcourt is a gifted songwriter with a pleasant voice and a knack for writing great melodies. he had some hype leading up to his recording (which cn be misleading, at times) but thankfully, Here Be Monsters is a solid deut album. the influences of Beatles, Big Star, Jackson Browne are all pretty good reference points, but Harcourt has his own sound and has a few surprises up his sleeve. most noteably in the mini-epic "Heart Of Darkness" song, which features a strange and noisy interlude that segways back into the song's spooky melody. "She Fell Into My Arms" and "Shanghai" are perfect pop songs with impeccable timing and irresistable hooks. there's really not a bad track on here...some are moody and sad, some are upbeat but it's all a joy to discover.

Chinese Weather.......2005-06-01

"Here Be Monsters" is an inventive set from this prolific English songwriter. The calling card for the CD is the silly & addictive "Shanghai" with its music hall piano parts, electric guitar jabs, and sighing harmonies, "Let's move away together, go interplanetary, maybe in Chinese weather where it's sanitary." "Those Crimson Tears" with cello and piano is one of the saddest songs, but beautiful for its profound grief. Harcourt is tremendously interesting for his melodic inventiveness and the vast range of instruments he uses to evoke different moods & feelings. "Beneath the Heart of Darkness" shows his expressive vocals and offers an Asian-flavored melody, "The roots of the house are cracking, caving in; There's no way out, it's trapped in." While all of the tracks don't work equally well, "Here Be Monsters" is never boring. Enjoy!

Outstanding album.......2004-07-17

I first found out about Ed Harcourt when I read a review in some magazine. It made an impression and I looked for the album but couldn't find it in retail stores. I forgot about it. A year later a friend sent me a CD-R that he said I had to hear. The name rang a bell and so did the title. I really, really liked it. It combined elements of prog, alternative and a unique soup that had its own taste. It was "Here Be Monsters" by Ed Harcourt.

Harcourt's rich melodies and unusual arrangements make this album a unique experience. While it doesn't sound like anything by Brian Eno, it sounds like something Eno might have done if he had thought of it. Harcourt's whisper of a baritone voice with hints of the smokey qualities of Chris Rea immediately draw you into the melodies and the lyrics he's singing. The music is deceptive on the surface; many of the songs are as calm as a pool of water on a still, winter day while others have the undercurrent of a raging river.

I purchased this album and the follow up. It's no wonder he was nominated for the Mercury prize. He didn't win which is a crime but, unlike many of those artists that win Grammys as "best new artist" that disappear within weeks of winning, Harcourt's music will continue to improve and make an impression even if its on a small hardcore group of fans. I can't describe Harcourt's music any better so listen to the clips to get an idea of what you'll be missing before you forget.

Madonna!.......2004-02-27

This is the stuff of religious proclamations! Top draw stuff, sad piano, up tempo horns, some cool loops and great lyrics...awaiting sphers with baited breath. I would compare (although not in style) to Sea Change by Beck for album greatness.

Here Be Monsters.......2003-11-29

Harcourt fits very nicely into the Bacharachian (like Bacchanalian?) singer-songwriters - those who know how to use trumpet flourishes, glockenspiel and tack piano refrains, and harmony vocals correctly. Though well-received in Europe and a Mercury Music Prize nominee, Harcourt seems to have had difficulty breaking through in America with little critical acclaim and hasn't amassed anything more than a cult audience. His opening spot for Neil Finn's club tour this summer should help him out as the two have similar melodic and rhythmic ideas. "Hanging With The Wrong Crowd" could've been written by Finn himself. Fave tracks: "Something In My Eye," "Apple Of My Eye," "Like Only Lovers Can." (originally written May 2002)

Average customer rating: One of Feldman's late masterpieces...a must-have! Too Interesting to be Ambient Feldman at his best

Feldman: Crippled Symmetry Manufacturer: Bridge ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Feldman | Feldman, Morton | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel; Why Patterns? Morton Feldman: Piano and String Quartet / Aki Takahashi, Kronos Quartet Morton Feldman: For Samuel Beckett Feldman: String Quartet (1979) Feldman: Piano and Orchestra; Flute and Orchestra; Oboe and Orchestra; Cello and Orchestra ASIN: B00000K38E Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

1. Region 1
2. Region 2
3. Region 3
4. Region 1
5. Region 2
6. Region 3

Customer Reviews:

One of Feldman's late masterpieces...a must-have! .......2006-06-01

In the last decade of his life, Morton Feldman began composing longer and longer works. His increased fame by that time gave him the opportunity to explore extended compositions without there being much resistence from players or listeners alike (although his good friend John Cage once asked "Why does it have to be so long?") This composition, as with all of his late masterpieces, explores it's own sound world with continual interest and beauty, and leads one to think that the composition could have been much longer...so profound are the ramifications of the sounds Feldman projects into time. The instrumental trio combination of flute (with the performer doubling on the rare, haunting and beautiful bass flute), glockenspiel/vibraphone and piano/celesta, has a sublime purity that Feldman found endlessly interesting. One imagines this composition to be a kind of multicolored jewel examined from all possible angles, with no end to the subtle and arresting forms found there. The performance and recording of this masterwork are top-notch, bringing out the wonder and beauty of Feldman's conception. Bridge Records is also to be commended for offering this work on a 2-disc set for the price of one disc. It's a rare record company today that is willing to lose some of their profit margin (and let's face it, the "profit" on a contemporary classical CD is pretty slim at best) in order to bring more listeners to the music. (No doubt if they'd priced this release as a 2-disc set it would have found far fewer listeners willing to part with the money because the work runs 10 minutes over the playing length of a compact disc).

Too Interesting to be Ambient.......2002-08-13

The music of Morton Feldman does not seem to call out measured responses from listeners. Either you love it or you find it devoid of interest. I think that Feldman is the musical equivalent of his friend Marc Rothko. He strips his language down to the bare essentials in ordered to challenge the listener to hear music in a new way.

Crippled Symmetry is based on a similar ensemble that Feldman used for Why Patterns?; flute, percussion and piano/celeste. The work begins rather densely, at least in this performance. But as the music unfolds the material becomes more bare. In some ways the entire work sounds like the gradual relaxing of the tensions created in the opening. By the last minutes of the piece, the ensemble is reduced to nearly inaudible sounds of incredibly sustained legnth. Due to the reduced material, any variation in rhythm, tone or texture becomes charged with meaning. His work resembles a crystal held up to the light. It seems unvaried in structure and yet when examined explodes with subtle shifts in pattern.

The performance on this disc is very good. Feldman's music is extremely difficult to play. Dynamics must be extremely soft and well controlled, chords must be voiced carefully. The least little mistake in voicing can jar the listener out of the state that Feldman is aiming for. And the slowness of the tempi is monumentally difficult to sustain. Given that so much of Feldman's music is created from subtle points of music rather than traditional melodic line, performance demands extremes of concentration from the musicians. The California EAR unit does a remarkable job of sustining this piece over it's nearly 90 minutes. There is one other recording of this work in the catalogue, but I have not heard it yet. More than with most composers, Feldman rewards multiple versions of his pieces, so comparison would be interesting.

Fledman's musical world can be daunting. If you are looking for minimalism, ala Part or Goreck, you won't find that here. Listen to Rothko Chapel instead. That's a lovely work and one that should appeal to the mainstream listener. But if you want to stretch your ears and your sense of the passage of time, Crippled Symmetry is one of Feldman's best late works.

Feldman at his best.......2001-05-08

Despite what the above "rough guide" review might say, "Crippled Symmetry" is NOT an example of Feldman's style in the 1950's. The piece was composed in the 1980's just a year or two before his death and is one of his pieces that lasts quite a long time (90 minutes, almost) and exists within a very small range of dynamics (from extremely quiet to maybe mezzopiano at the most).

Over the course of listening to this I found myself getting more and more involved in listening without even realizing it at first. This is one of my favorite aspects of Feldman's music... how after maybe 10 minutes of listening you get used to his world of time and space and the slightest variation becomes a noticeable change from the seemingly static musical material.

Along with "Why Patterns?" and a few other late works, "Crippled Symmetry" is the result of years of work in composition. Just like Nono, Feldman's most powerful music was written in the last years of his life.

Highly highly recommended.

Average customer rating: Great Song Not quite on the mark....

Happy-Go-Lucky Me: The Paul Evans Songbook Paul Evans Manufacturer: Castle ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Teen Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Rockabilly | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music General | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music Novelty Music | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000089API Release Date: 2003-04-07

Tracks:

1. What Do You Know?
2. Cry, Baby, Cry [#]
3. Good Good Thing [#]
4. Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)
5. Since I Met You Baby
6. 60 Minute Man
7. Midnight Special
8. Fool
9. Happy-Go-Lucky Me
10. Twins
11. Hushaby, Little Guitar
12. This Pullover
13. If I Had My Life to Live Over
14. Hello, This Is Joannie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song)
15. I Gotta Know [Live]
16. When
17. If There Were No Moon [#]
18. Johnny Will [#][Demo Version]
19. Something Blue [#][Demo Version]
20. Roses Are Red (My Love)
21. Worried Guy [#][Demo Version]
22. You Won't See Me Anymore [#][Demo Version]
23. Happiness Is [#][Demo Version]
24. Next Step Is Love [#][Demo Version]
25. Tender Moments [#][Demo Version]
26. Quiet Desperation [#][Demo Version]
27. Paul Evans Remembers - Stuart Coleman, Paul Evans
28. I Was a Part of the 50's

Album Description

Subtitled - The Paul Evans Songbook. Career overview of celebrated Brill Building singer/songwriter, spanning the 1950s to the present day. Includes 11 previously unissued demos, 'Cry Baby Cry', 'Good, Good Thing', 'If There Were No Moon', 'Johnny Will', 'Something Blue', 'Worried Guy', 'You Won't See Me Anymore', 'Happiness Is', 'The Next Step Is Love', 'Tender Moments', 'Quiet Desperation', plus hard-to-find rarities hitherto unavailable on CD. Also includes interview recorded for this release. Remastered. Castle. 2003.

Album Details

12 Previously Unissued Demos plus Hard to Find Rarities Hitherto Unavailable on CD. Booklet Boasts in Depth Liner Notes, Memorabilia and Rare Photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Great Song.......2006-11-30

Paul Evans' song "Happy Go Lucky Me" is one of the happiest, funnest songs ever written and recorded. A classic, and definitely worth owning.

Not quite on the mark...........2003-07-21

Paul Evans had a brief period of recording visibility with his quasi-novelty tunes in the late 50's and early 60's with "Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat" being his most recognizable. Three of his tunes made the top-20 and one more scraped the bottom of the pop charts before he, as a performer, virtually disappeared from the music-buying public's radar with the exception of an isolated appearance on the country and U.K. charts during the 70's. Unknown to many music buyers of the time however, Evans was a force behind the musical scenes as a songwriter with many of his individually and co-written tunes showing up in the charts as done by others such as the Kalin Twins (When), Bobby Vinton (Roses Are Red) and more. In 1996, Ace Records of the U.K. did an excellent compilation of Evans' work but it has been claimed that some of the charted hits that appeared only in mono on the Ace piece did in fact exist in stereo. When this Castle piece came along there was some hope that these stereo versions may have finally made it to the digital domain, however that was not to be the case. Also, somewhat surprisingly, Evans' last, albeit minor-charting, hit does not appear on this compilation which seems a bit strange in that there are 28 tracks here with a slew of previously unreleased demos as well as a recorded interview with Evans. While this is overall a competently produced piece, these disappointments lead to the lesser star ranking and give the edge to the Ace CD. Sound-wise, there are no revelations and no new stereo here as noted above. The later tracks (13-15,28) appear in stereo with all the earlier stuff in somewhat flat mono. The demo recordings are sometimes noisy, not surprisingly as they have been taken from acetates. In all, a decent job but it does fall short of and is not an improvement over the Ace CD.

Average customer rating:

Englaborn Johan Johannsson Manufacturer: Touch UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Virðulegu Forsetar The Blue Notebooks Songs from Before Animamina Screaming Masterpiece ASIN: B00006HCLC Release Date: 2004-01-01

Average customer rating:

Judith Lang Zaimont: Parable: A Tale of Abram and Isaac Manufacturer: Milken Archive ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: In Celebration of Israel Jewish String Quartets David Stock: A Little Miracle; Yizkor; Y'rusha; Tekiah Max Helfman: Di Naye Hagode; Hag Habikkurim; The Holy Ark Lazar Weiner: The Art of Yiddish Song ASIN: B000BK53II Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

1. I. The Lord Reigneth
2. II. God And Father
3. IV. Why Do We Deal Treacherously?
4. VI. O Lord, How Can We Know Thee?
5. VII. Sh'ma Yisra'el
6. VIII. Thou Shalt Love The Lord
7. A Woman Of Valor (Eshet Hayil) - Samuel Adler
8. Parable: A Tale Of Abram And Isaac - Frances Lucey
9. I. Dawn - Choral Society Of Southern California
10. II. Hope - Choral Society Of Southern California

Average customer rating: "Unknown" Ives? Not quite, but indispensable nonetheless Ives will always remain "unknown" his music implies this I can't get this out of my CD drawer

The Unknown Ives Manufacturer: Composers Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Unknown Ives, Volume 2 The Uncovered Ruggles Charles Ives: Three Quarter-Tone Pieces; Five Take-offs; Hallowe'en; Sunrise The Complete Songs, Vol. 4 The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott ASIN: B00000I0TA Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

1. 3-Page Sonata: Allegro Moderato
2. 3-Page Sonata: Andante
3. 3-Page Sonata: Allegro-March Time
4. Study No. 6
5. Study No. 7
6. Study No. 8
7. Study No. 9 'The Anti-Abolitionist Riots'
8. Study No. 15
9. Study No. 16 19
10. Study No. 23
11. Set of 5 Take-Offs: The Seen and Unseen or Sweet and Tough
12. Set of 5 Take-Offs: Rough and Ready or The Jumping Frog
13. Set of 5 Take-Offs: Song Without (good) Words
14. Set of 5 Take-Offs: Scene Episode
15. Set of 5 Take-Offs: Bad Resolutions and Good One
16. Study No. 20
17. Study No. 22
18. Study No. 21 'Some South - Paw Pitching'
19. Evocations, Four Chants for Piano: Largo (To Harriette Miller)
20. Evocations, Four Chants for Piano: Andante con fantasia (To John Kirkpatrick)
21. Evocations, Four Chants for Piano: Moderato appasionato (To Charlotte Ruggles)
22. Evocations, Four Chants for Piano: Adagio Sostenuto (To Charles Ives)

Customer Reviews:

"Unknown" Ives? Not quite, but indispensable nonetheless.......2007-05-16

According to the liner notes by pianist Donald Berman himself, all the compositions contained on this disc originate from a book of bound manuscripts given by Ives to John Kirpatrick in 1938. Kirpatrick is the famous early Ivesian friend, champion and scholar who premiered the composer's mammoth Concord Sonata as early as 1939, and spent the rest of his life tackling the Sisyphus task of painstakingly editing and publishing Ives' works - a shambles of jumbled manuscripts, scraps and bits never meant to be "final". No wonder then if Kirpatrick, having first concentrated on the big works, didn't approach editing the book of shorter pieces until the 70s and 80s. In the meanwhile, Henry Cowell had published three of them (in 1949), which are consequently more often played and recorded: the "Three-Page Sonata", "The Anti-Abolitionist Riots in the 1830s and 1840s" and "Some Southpaw Pitching". Later, working directly from the manuscripts, Alan Mandel played and recorded Ives' near complete output for piano for Desto in 1967 (reissued on CD as a Vox Box titled "Charles Ives: Works For Piano") - one of the essential items in any serious Ives collection. Still, what Berman plays here are newer editions, in part Kirpatrick's and in part his own (the "Three-Page Sonata", for instance, has repeats - first page of the first movement mainly - and cuts - in the Finale - that do not make it exactly comparable to the other recordings, though the gist of the music is there).

Indeed Berman was one of Kirpatrick's preferred students, so much so that, in 1989, two years before his death, he handed out the book to Berman, suggesting that he complete the editing job. Among the pieces played here, some were edited solely by Berman "proceeding from the work initiated by Alan Mandel in the 60s", some by Kirpatrick with occasional changes and revisions by Berman, and some result in a joint effort of both. So what we have here is a direct line from the composer to the performer.

Ives had numbered the pieces contained in the book with the idea of adding up to 27 works, presumably intending them to form a cycle mirroring Chopin's 27 etudes, though there were gaps in Ives' collection - pieces he remembered having composed but had misplaced, apparently. If I understand Berman's thoroughly informative notes, not all the existing pieces comprising the books are played on the disc (Berman refers to a # 27 "Chromâtimelôdie" written for piano and brass). Anyway, the collection presents "a variety of styles and musical experiences in the vein of a diary of experiences written over time".

As Berman further writes, "the Studies and other short works for piano can be considered some of Ives' most abstruse and difficult music". Indeed, it is Ives at his most demanding and uncompromising, adept of the clash and crash, replete with multilayered accumulation of sound to the point of rambunctious near-cacophony, crashing chords and clusters, dissonant counterpoint, twelve-tone rows (study 22), conflicting tonalities, polyrhythms sometimes so complex that they foreshadow Conlon Nancarrow's studies for player piano, thus placing daunting demands upon the human performer. But there are also moments of hauntingly hazy dreaminess (as in studies 6 and 7, or the middle movement of the "Three-page sonata, with its reminiscence of the Westminster Chimes). The fascinating thing with Ives is how much his music is steeped into both the Western, German Romantic tradition (by way of his teacher at Yale Horatio Parker) - much more than, say, the early music of Henry Cowell - as well as in the trite American vernacular of Church hymns and popular songs, while at the same time saucily eager to dynamite these traditions from the inside with a no-holds-barred enthusiasm. In comparison, Carl Ruggles' stark and rugged Four Evocations - an appropriate coupling, considering its shared approach to dissonant counterpoint and the personal ties between both composers - seem almost tame.

The music is so rich and complex as to warrant a diversity of approaches (besides the three Cowell-edited pieces, the Studies have been recorded here and there by others than Alan Mandel, most notably by Dona Coleman as complements to her recordings of the two Sonatas for Etcetera: Piano Sonata/Studies/Varied Air & Variations and Ives: Sonata for piano No2; Three-Page sonata). Berman is up to the music's power and complex poly-rhythms, with always fine control and clarity of articulation (more than Coleman, for instance), but he tends to favor moderate tempos, going for the massive at the expense of the frenetic (as in the first and last movements of the Three Page Sonata or the 16th-note chromatic runs in Study 22). For the hectic frenzy that is so integral to the spirit of this music, go to Coleman. On the other hand, in "Some Southpaw Pitching" (Study 21), he misses the point of the acceleration and deceleration process that Ives has embedded in the music (and which Roger Shields on Piano Music In America 1900-1945 and Alan Mandel do capture), because he launches in too fast, too soon.

Still, considering the coherence, interest and relative rarity of the program, the amount of scholarly work involved and the superiority of the recording over Mandel's poor sonics, this is an essential contribution to our knowledge of Charles Ives and an indispensable disc, belonging to every serious Ives collection, along with (to limit myself to the piano music) the pioneering recordings of Ives by himself (Ives Plays Ives The Complete Recordings of Charles Ives at the Piano, 1933-1943), of Alan Mandel (Vox Box), William Masselos for the First Sonata (only his second recording for RCA from 1967 is CD available: Tribute to Ives, Satie, Brahms, Schumann) and John Kirpatrick for the "Concord" (two recordings, from 1945 an 1968, none reissued on CD), to which one might add a number of modern recordings, among which Marc-André Hamelin's two recordings of the "Concord" (Ives: Sonata No.2 "Concord, Mass" and Ives: Concord Sonata; Barber: Piano Sonata)take pride of place.

Ives will always remain "unknown" his music implies this.......2003-10-24

Charles Ives will always remain "unknown" within the dimensions in art that suggests something beyond itself,beyond the imaginary,the transcendental yet concrete in the enormous influence of his music. These piano solo works are like a timbral history certainly for Americana, his musical language seems to have pre-dated the century-to-come in his innovations and experimental demeanor, with atonality(his own),cluster chords (Concord Sonata,and Anti-Abolitionists Riots),neo-romanticism(First Sonata,First,Second,Third Symphonies),Piano Solo Studies, recent music history the modern "Study" has become a vibrant endless genre (See Ligeti, Fedele, Abbinanti,Rorem,Cage,Bolcom,Wolff)Also Quarter-Tone works, and he had a percussion quartet that was never completed.

This is marvelous playing inspired by Mr. Berman. The "Three-Page Sonata" its elegant structure is well-thought through with great sensitivity to the works interpretive nuances,simply allowing the "magical" timbres to work themselves, as the "floating" pedal-point-like middle section of this work surrounded by atonal disquiet. These various Studies are all well played with a great detail of spirit. It's odd but usually Europeans as pianist Herbert Henck for instance haven't heard the ragtimes,hymn-tunes, Folk and Pop Songs inside Ives' textures, so frequently the "spirit" is missing. Berman however understands the import of the Ttnes,that it is there to serve Ives's penchant for collecting the lifeworld within his music. Sometimes this musical welter/assemblage can overspend itself, or accrete beyond the works borders as in "Study No.20" where it seems everything is here almost similar to Joyce's Finnagan's Wake""everybody comes. . . " "Alexander" the ragtime tune is heard,along with great violence, cluster chords as accompanimental figues, and Ives's great atonal declamations.In the early Fifties Pierre Boulez was brought around New York City by Morton Feldman, and Ives was the subject, Boulez had referred to Ives excesses as conceptual "mud", meaning there is a threshold point where no one can decipher the musical threads in Ives.To a large degree Boulez was right technically, however, if Ives had "edited" this "mud"he would have lost his spirtual conviction, something Boulez would perhaps find extraneous to the practicing artist.

Well piano"studies" are suppose to function as a conceptual assemblage, a catalogue of timbre. I don't think Ives knew Debussy's fascinating set, but perhaps he did know Chopin's more concert-performative extroverted ones.But there is much in these Ives piano "Studies" that is extraneous,predictable,unfinished, and redundant, yet deeply interesting and compelling in what they contribute to the timbral history of the piano, and ones perception of music, its frame and structural dimensions. Although Ives was no great structural innovator. He adopted traditional genre as a strength,latering its insides for contemplation. Certainly the piano music of Carter, Geo.Flynn, and Christian Wolff owes a debt to Ives here.

The "Set of Five Take-Offs" are also fascinating.A collection under one-leaf of stylistic small-scale differences,much like the genre of the "Piano Album" a genre quite vibrant within middle class Europe,the latter 19th Century, which found its way to the Eastern USA middle class. Every home had a piano.One of the five here is "Song Without Good Words" an obvious reference to Mendelssohn's great set, but in Ives it is more a reflection a contamination(through atonality) of the simple melodic gestures.This actually is remiiscent of Mahler. There really is no direct melody here only fragments,gestures of music already written.Ives merely furnishes an afterthought, a postmodernist as well here. Ives then simply adds disquiet reflection.

Additionally the Ruggles miniatures, the "Evocations" are simply an incredible contribution of music on these shores, Americana. Ruggles' music as well seems to have pre-dated much of the violent 20th Century with his massive orchestral tone poems "Sun-Treader",and more elegant refined quiet"Angels" for muted brass. He himself had lived in many parts of the USA Minnesota,Florida,New York. And again Berman reveals his sensitivity to these introspective lifeworlds of Ruggles,the first "chant" exhibits the sustained timbre leading to violence of unencumbered rawly exposed dissonance minor ninths, and major sevenths,timbres we find today quite tame.Ruggles was a cranky arrogant,opinionated and visually disheveled-like man, and he had worked on these piano "chants" literally all his life with a frequently rented spinet piano, out-of-tune with the typical thin cheap sound, (so eyewitnesses tell.)

I can't get this out of my CD drawer.......2001-03-24

Let me say straight off that I come from a background of late Coltrane, Ayler, Cecil Taylor, Ellery Eskelin, and the Gold Sparkle Band -- if any of these jazz folks interest you, than you may find you need Donald Berman's interpretation of Ives. I do not profess to be an expert on Ives' works, although I have a number of them. But this CD just will not leave my player. I enjoy the focus on just Berman's piano sans orchestra. The melody/dissonance that is Ives seems, to me, to be even more pronouced, more thrilling. I do play the numbered symphonies, but Berman's disc is the one I always want to hear. So if you enjoy some of the jazz artists I enjoy, you may want to move in Berman's direction just to see what happens. If you find you're as attracted as I am to his disc, write me and tell me why. Then we'll both know. And we'll both be buying spare copies.

Average customer rating: Just dandy! More than a bargain 5 Star Performance, 0 Star Recording

Charles Ives: Works For Piano Charles Ives , and Alan Mandel Manufacturer: Vox (Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bargain Box Sets | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Bargain Box Sets | Opera & Vocal General | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Opera & Vocal General | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B000001K6S Release Date: 1995-03-14

Tracks:

1. Works for Piano: Three-Page Sonata (1905-06) - Charles Ives
2. Works for Piano: Song Without (Good) Words - Charles Ives
3. Works for Piano: Study No.9 - Charles Ives
4. Works for Piano: Study No. 22 - Charles Ives
5. Works for Piano: Study No. 20 - Charles Ives
6. Works for Piano: Study No. 18 - Charles Ives
7. Works for Piano: Study No. 15 - Charles Ives
8. Works for Piano: Study No. 2 - Charles Ives
9. Works for Piano: Study No. 8 - Charles Ives
10. Works for Piano: Study No. 7 - Charles Ives
11. Works for Piano: Study No. 6 - Charles Ives
12. Works for Piano: Study No. 5 - Charles Ives
13. Works for Piano: Rough and Ready - Charles Ives
14. Works for Piano: Scene Episode - Charles Ives

Tracks:

1. Works for Piano: Piano Sonata No. 2 (Concord, Mass. 1840-1860) - Emerson - Charles Ives
2. Works for Piano: Hawthorne - Charles Ives
3. Works for Piano: The Alcotts - Charles Ives
4. Works for Piano: Thoreau - Charles Ives
5. Works for Piano: Study No. 21 - 'Some Southpaw Pitching' - Charles Ives
6. Works for Piano: Waltz - Rondo - Charles Ives
7. Works for Piano: March In G And D - 'Here's To Good Old Yale' - Charles Ives

Tracks:

1. The Celestial Railroad, A Phantasie For Piano Solo - C. IVES
2. The Seen And Unseen - C. IVES
3. Anthem - Processional - C. IVES
4. Bad Resolutions And Good - C. IVES
5. Storm And Distress - C. IVES
6. Allegretto (Invention) - C. IVES
7. Baseball Take-Off - C. IVES
8. Varied Air And Variations - C. IVES
9. First Sonata: First Movement - C. IVES
10. First Sonata: Second Movement - C. IVES
11. First Sonata: Third Movement - C. IVES
12. First Sonata: Fourth Movement - C. IVES
13. First Sonata: Fifth Movement - C. IVES

Customer Reviews:

Just dandy!.......2003-10-04

My copy of this set sounds fine--a bit bright and edgy at times but nothing to write my congressperson about. I would've preferred a richer piano sound and modern digital recording, but hey, we can't have everything, especially in this sort of repertoire. These are swell performances of astonishing piano music. In unsympathetic hands, Ives (or nearly any "modern" composer) can sound like so much noodling--not so here. Ives himself enjoyed adventurous (and even incompetent!) interpretations of his music and was hardly fussy with his notation so it's tough to call any one recording of a work "definitive." A tip: look for hell-bent enthusiasm and/or profound mysticism more than any other qualities in Ives performances. You'll find them in this set, in old (and sonically imperfect) recordings like Bernstein's for CBS (now Sony) or the Stokowski performance of Symphony #4, and in the wonderful collection of Ives playing his own music. With Ives, the "critical edition" mentality or perfectionism of any type tend to miss the man's essential aesthetic and spiritual points.

More than a bargain.......2001-07-22

I listened to this set before I looked at the review already posted here; then I went back to listen again, thinking I must have missed something. For what it's worth, I did not detect distorted recording, though there are (as often with Ives) some odd sounds coming from the piano now and then--but I think they are part of it. Mandel's performances of the big works--the two sonatas--are distinctive and powerful. I am not sure I would say he replaces John Kirkpatrick's "Concord," but he stands comfortably in that company as a fine interpreter of the work, and his Sonata #1 is possibly the best I have heard of that work. The many shorter or minor pieces are performed well, so far as I can tell. I suppose it is possible that the earlier reviewer had a defective set, or possibly my ears are just not so finely tuned. I hope, however, that the recorded sound is at least as good as it sounds to me, since I would hope that both fans and newcomers would find this a welcome addition to an Ives collection.

5 Star Performance, 0 Star Recording.......1999-10-12

This is an excellent performance by Alan Mandel who, throughout these 3 discs, shows an uncanny ability to bring out the melody from within even the most convoluted Ives' piece. Unfortunately, most of this recording is distorted and noisy when the playing gets loud. All of the Studies on CD 1 contain distortion well beyond any professional recording I've ever heard (the 2 sonatas don't suffer from the same fate -- they appear to be from a different session). The fact that Vox goes on about their 20-bit digital mastering on the back of the box sure looks like they are "protesting too much". This is all a real shame for Ives fans because Mandel's playing is some of the finest Ives piano performances I've ever heard, plus, here in one place at a great price, are arcane pieces well worth hearing. (It's almost worth getting for that reason, but, in the end, you're stuck with fine music that's distorted and noisy.)

Album Review:

1. Goa Spaceship 101: Goa Trance Trip into Space
2. Gratitude-Groovemasters Vol. 3
3. Hang the DJ: the Alternative 80's [Import]
4. Happiness [Import]
5. Hardstyle Sessions 2 [Import]
6. House Connection, Vol. 2 [Enhanced]
7. I Don't Want to Stop [CD-single] [Enhanced]
8. In the Mix [CD-single] [Import]
9. Industry Shakedown [Explicit Lyrics]
10. Italo Boot Mix 2005, Vol. 2 [Import]

Album Review

album review

Album Review

Low Impact

Schubert: Major Piano Works [Box set]

Ragtime: Scott Joplin & James P. Johnson

Music: Swing, Baby, Swing!

Ridin' the Wild Surf

Run with the Pack [Original recording remastered]

Shakin' the House: Live in L.A. [Live]

Tender Pt. 1 [CD-single]

Raccolta [Live] [Import]

Russian Folk Songs by Fiodor Shalyapin

Silhouette

Puro Mexico, Vol. 1

Street Politics [Explicit Lyrics]

Lucky As the Devil

The Best of the Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings