| 1. The Impossible Dream |
| 2. Day By Day |
| 3. With You I'm Born Again |
| 4. On Golden Pond |
| 5. Climb Every Mountain |
| 6. Danny Boy |
| 7. The Homecoming |
| 8. St. Elmo's Fire |
| 9. Somewhere Out There |
| 10. Angels in Flight |
| 11. Simple Gifts |
| 12. Evergreen |
| 13. Beauty and the Beast |
| 14. Till There Was You |
| 15. The Rose |
| 16. Fur Elise |
| 17. Greensleeves |
| 18. Amazing Grace |
Editorial Reviews
Steve Hall is a Steinway Artist and a native Californian. While majoring in History and Music as his minor, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. Steve's professional career has involved playing at weddings and private parties in the Los Angeles area for the last 30 years. During the last 6 years, Steve has recorded 16 albums on his own label. Known for the interesting arrangements of his work, Steve's textural treatments of classic pieces weave a tapestry of atmosphere for the listener. Steve and his wife Robyn are raising three sons and feel blessed and thankful to have the opportunity to share this music with you.
Band Members: Steve Hall - Piano
Mary Beth Zeitz - Cover Art and Graphic Design
Product Description
A special collection of some of Steve's favorites from his previous nine albums... Over 60 minutes of beautiful music! Ideal for first time buyers and gift giving.
For The Memories,Steve Hall,Newsound
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Skanks for the Memories
Dave Attell Manufacturer: Comedy Central ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000089CT7 Release Date: 2003-02-04 |
Tracks:
- Odd Look
- Drinking Tips
- Fun Happens Late
- Travel
- Flying
- Bus Station
- Unf**kables
- Tattoos
- Smoking
- Lonely Bug
- I Miss My Dad
- Fireworks
- Homophobic
- Midget Friend
- Parrot
- Condoms
- Love
- Gambling
- Shaved Pubes
- Religion
- Drugs
- Breast Feeding
- Sex With Animals
- Amish Sex
- D**k Jokes
- Sex Store
- Masturbation
- Find the Smell
Album Description
Attell's unique blend of demented stories and off-kilter observations have made him a favorite on the stand-up circuit. He's also the star of Insomniac, one of Comedy Centrals highest rated programs. Digipak. Comedy Central. 2003.Customer Reviews:
Great comedy CD!.......2007-06-25
This is a CD you will listen to over and over and over. I keep it in my car and listen to it on all long trips.
So ... where's the next one?
Incredible.......2007-05-14
One of the best comedy CDs out there.......2007-01-26
On Par for Attell.......2006-12-07
Is it Sexual? Sometimes err umm, all the time.
Is it Vulgar? It can be.
Does it say what you have thought? Probably and you need help.
A natural comedian.......2006-05-06
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A.I. - Artificial Intelligence: Original Motion Picture Score
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005LLVS Release Date: 2001-07-03 |
Tracks:
- The Mecha World
- Abandoned In the Woods
- Replicas
- Hide And Seek
- For Always
- Cybertronics
- The Moon Rising
- Stored Memories And Monica's Theme
- Where Dreams Are Born
- Rouge City
- The Search For The Blue Fairy
- The Reunion
- For Always (Duet)
Amazon.com
Packed with Big Ideas about the future of mankind and dispatched with a distant, often icy veneer, Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence can scarcely camouflage its roots. It was begun by the late Stanley Kubrick in the mid-'80s; Spielberg collaborated briefly a decade later, bowed out, then inherited it upon Kubrick's death in '99. And while the late auteur's cold vision seems largely intact (if now infused with Spielberg's enduring Pinocchio fetish), it's safe to say that Kubrick's often challenging musical tastes would probably not have led him to composer John Williams's doorstep. Nonetheless, the acclaimed veteran again rises to the occasion, ably demonstrating that he's hardly been indifferent to 20-odd-years of minimalism and postmodernism and that, as always, the best film music is often a subtly crafted pastiche of sensibilities and styles. Setting the tone of the film's robotically enhanced not-so-distant future, "The Mecha World" crackles and glistens with Steve Reich's rhythmic urgency and John Adams's dense coloration, while "Abandoned in the Woods," "Hide and Seek," and "Rouge City" succeed by setting Williams's more traditional sense of melody against Phillip Glass's hypnotic arpeggios. There's also a sense that the composer has craftily evoked the ghost of Kubrick music past and 2001 in particular; "Replicas" and "Stored Memories" bring to mind Ligeti, while the mournful strings of "Cybertronics" seem a ghostly echo of Khachaturian's "Gayane Ballet Suite." David Foster's ballad "For Always" (in a solo rendition by Lara Fabian and a duet between Fabian and Josh Groban) seems twice-included strictly to enhance the album's radio allure. Completists should also note that Ministry's dark contribution to the film's Flesh Fair sequence, "What About Us?" is not included on this soundtrack, but is available on their Greatest Fits compilation. Arguably Williams's most musically adventurous score since his landmark Close Encounters, A.I. should take its place among the most distinctive of the composer's long and bounteous collaboration with Spielberg. --Jerry McCulleyCustomer Reviews:
The music is masterfully composed with wit, majesty, and soul.......2006-06-19
Beautiful .......2006-02-20
I would definately say this is one of his best. It reminds me of some of the other Spielberg collaboration scores. Mainly, Empire of the Sun, and War of the Worlds. Lots of the score is wonderful emotional underscoring. It's very complex, and full of interesting scales and keys. Of course, there is plenty of gorgeous thematic material to make the score complete. Honestly, I have never heard a bad John Williams score. Come to think of it, I've never heard one that was less than brilliant and amazing. Really, give this a listen.
Please vote me helpful!
John Williams does his best Minimalist Impersonation with Fine Results.......2006-02-05
Of course Williams, just like Steven Spielberg, can't help but pour on the schmaltz once in a while. The main theme of the film is the one used for the song " For Always ". When this music is played by piano and orchestra it's quite beautiful. When the soprano Barbara Bonney sings it with wordless vocals, it's very evocative of the mood in the film. HOWEVER, I have no idea what John Williams was thinking when he basically turns this beautiful, simple theme into a corny pop song. Oh wait, I know exactly what he was thinking, he was trying to generate a pop hit! Ugh. When Lara Fabian sings " For Always " on track 5, you grind your teeth and barely make it through. When on track 13, Lara Fabian is joined by Josh Groban for a duet version of the same song, it becomes intolerable schmaltz at it's worst.
So yes, there is much satisfying work here by everyone's most lovable film composer John Williams, just don't listen to tracks 5 and 13 so your musical sensibilities won't be irreparably damaged!
The last word from me, A.I., terrific soundtrack that rivals Williams' best, sayonara!
Will one day be considered among the best he's written.......2005-12-29
This score by John Williams will one day be considered among the best he's written. Highly underrated, yet greatly poignant.
I agree with other reviewers who have warned that this is not in the Star Wars / Indiana Jones vein. If you're looking for big, bombastic symphonic music, look elsewhere. This is very sentimental, but beautifully done music. It demonstrates John Williams' talent for matching the music to the film's intention. As his resume' demonstrates, John Williams can write music for just about every film, including a misunderstood "Spielberg/Kubrick" collaboration.
"The Reunion" (final track) is one of the best tracks of orchestra/piano music ever written. The lullaby-like song is the same melody as was used in "For Always," and it is achingly beautiful.
Appropriately, this final track is played in the film while David being (finally) reunited with his "mother."
Almost Impeccable.......2004-04-26
Several tracks stand out in this masterpiece. The twin versions of "For Always," one featuring Lara Fabian and the other featuring Josh Groban in a duet with Ms. Fabian are wonderfully pure. In solo form, Lara's voice is wonderfully smooth and has a subtle almost untrained quality that lends a genuineness to her singing. In the duet, Mr. Groban's silky smooth baritone perfectly offsets Lara's clear soprano. The penultimate song, titled "The Reunion" is a stunning, gorgeous lullaby of a piece that features a plaintive, almost childish piano theme. The simplicity is subtlely complex as the theme winds through an entire emotional range, from triumphant happiness to simple joy to black despair, and finally back into an almost heartbreaking lullaby.
Mr. Williams has displayed a wide variety of musical styles in this soundtrack. For fans of his that are desiring a "Star Wars" fanfare and overpowering orchestral pieces, this soundtrack is not for you. I personally prefer this collection to most of his other works.
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Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00017NLHG Release Date: 2004-03-02 |
Tracks:
- Applause
- Abegg Variations, Op.1
- 1. Allegro [Piano Sonata in C, H.XVI No.50]
- 2. Adagio [Piano Sonata in C, H.XVI No.50]
- 3. Allegro molto [Piano Sonata in C, H.XVI No.50]
- 1. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo [Fantasy in C Major "Wanderer"]
- 2. Adagio [Fantasy in C Major "Wanderer"]
- 3. Presto [Fantasy in C Major "Wanderer"]
- 4. Allegro [Fantasy in C Major "Wanderer"]
- 1. Missing Moon [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 2. Beans [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 03. Herdboy's Song [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 4. Blue Nun [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 7. Red Wilderness [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 5. Ancient Burial [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 6. Floating Clouds [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- 8. Sunrain [Eight Memories In Watercolour, Op.1]
- Nocturne No.8 In D Flat Op.27 No.2
- Reminiscences de Don Juan, S. 418 (after Mozart)
- 7. Tr=E4umerei [Kinderszenen, Op.15]
- Horses (after pieces by Huang Hai Hwai, Chen Rao Xing and Shen Li Qun) - Arr. by Lang Lang and Lang Guo-ren
- Liebestraum No.3 in A flat, S.541 No.3
Amazon.com
This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt "Reminiscenses du Don Juan" is a showpiece when played "normally." Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-"La ci darem la mano" sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the music and embellish occasionally. The Schumann "Traumerei" is suitably dreamy and hushed; Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasy, a real crowd-pleaser, is just that--beautifully played, familiar yet fresh sounding. And an encore, with Lang's father playing a two-string fiddle called the erhu, is a fascinating look into Eastern music. There's more (this is a 2-CD set), and it's stunning--and highly recommended for all admirers of great piano playing. --Robert LevineCustomer Reviews:
Worst Wanderer Fantasy EVER?.......2007-02-14
His Schubert is garbage. Let him stick to playing Chinese compositions unknown to Western audiences, because virtually none of us will have any way of drawing comparisons between his interpretation and that of others. I can only assume that his interpretation of Dun Tan is the definitive version --- but I doubt it.
Pianistic Glory at its best!!!!.......2006-11-07
I have read several of the 'negative' reviews here and can only conclude (after viewing the DVD four times and counting) that what may be going on with these folks is something they themselves simply don't understand (about themselves!). They cannot or will not accept that here with Lang Lang, as with Evgeny Kissin (ever notice?) the world is being introduced to the next and even greater generation of pianistic virtuosos, young prodigies who can do everything that Horowitz and even Lizst ever did and more... I have no doubt those two would agree were they alive today. Karajan wept (for joy)when he heard the young Kissin perform Chopin's Fantasy in F# minor, Mehta was so taken with Kissin's performance under his baton that he could not refrain from hugging the young boy after a stellar performance... Andre Watts, not often praising his contemporaries, mused about finding the nearest bridge to jump off after hearing Kissin play realizing he was not in the same league and one other recent winner of an International Competition had to pull his car over to the side of the road, he was so taken with Kissin.... yes, I know it seems like I forgot we are talking about Lang Lang.... Lang Lang can do everything Kissin can and maybe more...Are we to believe that these aforementioned individuals are musical idiots prone to such actions?!!
Folks! accept it, embrace it and thank God for it!... just as he did when simultaneously brought Chopin and Liszt to our world in the early 1800's (they were the same age except for a year) He has now given us another Double Blast of Pianistic Glory in Kissin and Lang Lang! Pity those who can't get beyond their envy, jealously, general jadedness with life... or whatever ails them... they need help, lots of help!
As for me and many like me (BTW, it doesnt count for much but I am a pianist myself)... we are so grateful and blessed to have these 2 young men and the miracle of DVD technology to bring their concerts right into our living room!
An outstanding performance and story of a child prodigy.......2006-06-14
Most Impressive!.......2006-05-18
Trust the peanut gallery? Or trust experts. Your choice ..........2006-01-05
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_Klassik
o About this Carnegie Hall recording? The one given some pretty bad reviews from the peanut gallery? Well, the recording won a 2005 Amadeus Austrian Music Award. And a DVD of this recital with documentary footage won the 2005 "Music DVD of the Year" Echo Klassik Award.
Music has always been interpretive and a vital mark of virtuosity is having your own voice - Lang has his own voice and he masterfully distinguishes himself with it. Lang is a refreshing draft of fresh air in a typically stagnant arena. Technically, the kid can flat out play. Period. Interpretively, he is bold, unafraid, and lets it all hang out.
Nuff said ...
Cheers!
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Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film & Television Music
Manufacturer: Fontana Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002P4P Release Date: 1996-12-03 |
Tracks:
- Edward Scissorhands Suite: Main Titles
- Edward Scissorhands Suite: Storytime
- Edward Scissorhands Suite: Suite
- Edward Scissorhands Suite: Suburbia-Barber
- Edward Scissorhands Suite: The Grand Finale
- Dolores Claiborne Suite: Main Titles
- Dolores Claiborne Suite: Vera's World
- Dolores Claiborne Suite: Flashback
- Dolores Claiborne Suite: Sad Room
- Dolores Claiborne Suite: End Titles
- To Die For Suite: Main Titles
- To Die For Suite: Suzie's Theme
- To Die For Suite: Busted
- To Die For Suite: Wheepy Donuts
- To Die For Suite: Finale
- Black Beauty Suite: Main Titles
- Black Beauty Suite: Baby Beauty
- Black Beauty Suite: Jump For Joy
- Black Beauty Suite: Frolick-Sick
- Black Beauty Suite: Bye Bye Jerry
- Black Beauty Suite: Memories
- Black Beauty Suite: End Titles
- Batman Returns Suite:Birth Of A Penguin
- Batman Returns Suite: Trouble Suite
- Batman Returns Suite: The Finale
- Batman Returns Suite: End Titles
Tracks:
- Mission Impossible Suite: Trouble
- Mission Impossible Suite: Looking For Job
- Mission Impossible Suite: Betrayal
- Sommersby Suite: Main Titles
- Sommersby Suite: Return Montage
- Sommersby Suite: Finale-End Titles
- Dead Presidents Suite: Main Titles
- Dead Presidents Suite: Daughter
- Dead Presidents Suite: Montage
- Dead Presidents Suite: Nam
- Dead Presidents Suite: Nightmare
- Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Overture
- Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Jack And Sally Suite
- Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Christmas Eve Montage
- Freeway Suite: Main Titles
- Freeway Suite: On The Road
- Freeway Suite: Back In The Car
- Shrunken Heads Suite: Main Titles
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Family Dog'
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Family Dog'
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Mummy, Daddy
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Barkley Superhero 'Nike Commercial'
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: The Flash 'Theme'
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Pee Wee's Playhouse
- Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Beetlejuice - Animated Tv Series 'Theme'
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Untitled
- This Is Halloween (Original Demo For Nightmare Before Christmas)
Amazon.com
A delightfully buoyant, mock-creepy collection of film scores from Hollywood's first and best call for quirk, strangeness, and charm. Focusing on Elfman's post-1992 work (much of it for director Tim Burton), this 2 CD set features excerpts from Edward Scissorhands, To Die For, and Batman Returns, among other lesser items. -- Jeff BatemanCustomer Reviews:
Priceless, at any price.......2007-07-06
There are no words to describe what this music does to me. I did try listening to some of the other tracks, but they didn't even come close. I rate this music right up there with the 1971 score for "Jane Eyre" by John Willams... and that's pretty high :D
Good overview.......2007-04-18
Great Music!!!!!!!!!.......2005-09-08
Very nice for a Danny Elfman collection.......2005-08-02
Bring on Volume 3.......2005-05-04
Edward Scissorhands is magical, Black Beauty is a rollercoaster of emotion, and Dolores Claiborne makes me want to find the nearest piano. This is not a "Most Popular" compilation, rather it aptly showcases Danny Elfman's (and Orchestrator, Steve Bartek's) brilliance and wide range of style.
Every suite has an Elfman signature, such as the layered complexity which never sounds overdone, or the use of a choir as an instrument.
This (and Volume 1) are examples of the work of a modern day composer who consistently stands out as one of the best.
If you like this and have the spare cash, grab the individual scores from some of the movies he has worked on, including "Men In Black", "Spiderman", "Batman", "Batman Returns", "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Edward Scissorhands", "Mars Attacks" and so many more.
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Carousel Memories
Manufacturer: Dynamic Recording ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005V7GA Release Date: 2002-01-01 |
Tracks:
- A Smile Will Go A Long, Long Way
- The Petite Waltz
- Die Regimentskinder
- With The Wind and Rain In Your Hair
- Nights Of Gladness
- Espanita Waltz
- Three Little Fishes
- Scatter Brain
- Beer Barrel Polka
- Over The Top
- Royal Trumpeters
- Say It Again
- Georgia On My mind
- After the Ball
- Unter Dem Siegesbanner
- Just A Gigolo
- The Sidewalks of New York
- Deep Purple
- Liberty Bell
- Trisch-Trasch
- The Kings Horses and The Kings Men
- Sweet Rosie O' Grady
- The Carousel Waltz (Recorded on Moving Carousel)
Album Description
More marches, waltzes, and fox trots in this recording of the New Verbeeck Band Organ at Seabreeze Park in Upstate New York. On a hill above scenic Lake Ontario, the music of the band organ can be heard on the breezes drifting over the blue water. Twenty-three tunes bring back the sounds of summer from Seabreeze Park - the whirling carousel and prancing horses spin around to the music of childhood, and this fabulous recording captures the wonderful memories. Grab the popcorn, and come for a ride! This completely digital recording is crystal clear and an oversized insert includes pictures and fond memories of Merrick Price - to whom the album is dedicated. The last song was recorded on the carousel while it was moving - an innovative idea that captures the sensation of really being on the ride is enhanced by wearing headphones. This piece of Americana in music - a must for the audio collector, carousel enthusiast, or fan of mechanical music, is a one-of-a-kind gift item.Customer Reviews:
carousel.......2007-01-03
The Ideal Merry-Go-Round.......2005-07-18
In another review I mentioned that that CD offered a partial and rather idealized carousel experience, for it could only provide the sound, and that sound was much more refined and free of ambient noise than would be encountered during an actual carousel ride. That comment applies as well to this recording, and perhaps more so, for the band organ in a typical operating carousel never sounded so good as the one here. This instrument has a remarkably lovely, sweet tone and, being brand new, is in perfect condition. The rolls used were obtained from no less a source than the Library of Congress, and represent a very choice selection.
The music itself includes mostly waltzes, marches, polkas, and one-time popular songs, such as Beer Barrel Polka, Sweet Rosie O'Grady, Liberty Bell, and Scatter-Brain. Less to be expected, but supremely apt, is the fine waltz from Richard Rodger's overture to the musical show Carousel. This last was experimentally recorded on the moving carousel, and thus provides an especially realistic auditory image.
For merry-go-round and band organ enthusiasts this recording might well occupy a place of honor in their CD collection. For those who desire a more realistic, though less ideal, recording I would recommend the old 1973 Takoma Records release "Last Chance on the Merry-Go-Round" (# A 1038), which I believe is no longer in the catalog. (Takoma Records was acquired in 1995 by Fantasy Records.) My personal copy of A 1038 is an LP, and I suspect no CD version was ever released. That recording was made at the carousel on the pier at Santa Monica, California, shortly before the pier was to be demolished. (Thus the title of the recording.) Since it was made while the carousel was actually in operation, the sounds of bystanders and children, along with the carousel drive motor are included. I don't know what ever became of that carousel or its band organ, but would guess they were moved to some collection somewhere. In any case, I have fond memories of wandering along the pier on a fine Saturday afternoon and watching and listening to the carousel and its excited young customers.
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Ives: An American Journey
Michael Tilson Thomas , Charles Ives , San Francisco Symphony and Chorus , and Thomas Hampson Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005UED6 Release Date: 2002-02-05 |
Tracks:
- From The Steeples And The Mountains
- The Things Our Fathers Loved
- The Pond (Remembrance)
- Memories
- Charlie Rutlage
- The Circus Band
- The "St. Gaudens" In Boston Common
- Putnam's Camp
- The Housatonic At Stockbridge
- In Flanders Fields
- They Are There!
- Tom Sails Away
- Fugue From Symphony No. 4
- Psalm 100
- Serenity
- General William Booth Enters Into Heaven
- The Unanswered Question
Amazon.com
Michael Tilson Thomas is an expert Ivesian. His 1970 recording debut was with Three Places in New England, still available from DG. Here, he redoes the work with the interpolation of a chorus singing the poem on which the last movement, "The Housatonic at Stockbridge," is based--unusual, not as effective as the orchestral version, but fascinating. Tilson Thomas cites Ives's desire for performers to creatively shape his music, and this disc vindicates his editorial liberties by making Ives's surprising music even more unpredictable. The choral contributions are fine, too, but baritone Thomas Hampson steals the show with seven songs that display his empathy with Ives's varied styles and the range of the composer's music, from cowboy songs to touching elegies. The way Hampson bellows a Brooklynese "Coytin" (for "Curtain") at the end of the first song of Memories is worth the price of purchase. Here's a disc to be entertained by, and moved as well. The recording was made at SFS concerts, and we're privileged to share the audience's experience. A must-have for Ivesians and the curious. --Dan DavisCustomer Reviews:
A superb evening of Ives, the best in decades.......2005-12-18
In the Seventies MTT made good but not exceptioanl recordings of Ives's major orchestral works. Here he concentrates on songs and orchestral bits and pieces, except for the extended Three Places in New England, which is x-rayed with exceptionally detailed sonics. Thomas Hampson secures his position as the best singer of American songs with highly dramatized, unbuttoned singing--his Charlie Rutlage, a Texas-accented elegy for a fallen cowpoke, and the familiar General William Booth Enters Into Heaven are instant classics. Chorus and orchestra enter in the spirit of bumptious good cheer, and overall a good time was had by all, even though the crowd was sent home sobered up by the supernaturally melancholy Unanswered Question, which never fails to send a shiver through the listener.
Something of a disappointment.......2004-01-12
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the opening of the disc: a fine performance of the craggy, dissonant brass and percussion work From the Steeples and the Mountains, a highly impressive miniature which swells from its dissonant opening to a climax where sound seems to echo off in all directions. However, I'm less convinced with the rest of the purely-orchestral program: this reading of Ives' classic Three Pieces of New England lacks a little of the gracious flowing lines of Tilsom Thomas' earlier 1970 recording; in addition the experiment of adding a recently-found choral part to the finale merely demonstrates how right the composer was to leave it out. For his extract from the Fourth Symphony, Tilson Thomas chooses the slow movement fugue. I am guessing this choice was to emphasise the "accessible Ives", but this is by far the weakest movement of the work (it was in fact arranged from the first movement of Ives' then 20-year-old First String Quartet), and even a good performance--as here--can't entirely hide up its conservative, almost academic writing. That perennial Ives classic The Unanswered Question, which closes the work, is an infinitely finer work, but unfortunately Tilson Thomas cannot match the transcendence of his own--distinctly slower--Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording from 1986.
The rest of the disc concentrates on various incarnations of Ives' bewildering variety of songs, and as a result comes into partial competition with what is to my mind one of the finest Ives discs around--a recording of selections from the songs and the sets for orchestra with Susan Narucki, Sanford Sylvan and Music/Projects London under Richard Bernas (if you're an Ives fan and don't have this disc, I suggest you rectify this immediately). The songs are extremely uneven in quality--ranging from trivial kitsch to outright masterpieces--and their styles vary just as much.
Most of these songs appear here in orchestral garb, but in three of them Tilson Thomas accompanies Thomas Hampson's baritone on the piano himself. The salon song The Things our Fathers Loved is one of the examples of irreparable kitsch, but rather better is the bipartite Memories which switches from camp to sentimental at its midpoint. In contrast, Tom Sails Away is one of Ives' finest songs, but in this recording its effect is compromised by Tilson Thomas' rather insensitive playing in the piano part.
The Pond (Remembrance)--another of Ives' finest songs--appears here in a version for women's chorus and orchestra. This transcendental homage to the composer's father is in fact much more subtle and rhythmically complex than it appears at first, and it has appeared in a bewildering variety of versions (three of which appear on the Bernas disc mentioned earlier). Similarly restrained in means is John Adams' careful baritone-and-orchestra version of the touching song Serenity: it's well-judged and well-sung here, and Adams avoids the pitfalls that David Del Tredici walks into in his entirely unnecessary orchestration of In Flanders Fields.
By contrast, Charlie Rutlage is an absurdly over-the-top piece of cowboy kitsch that disintegrates into violent discords as the words describe Charlie's death: this voice-and-orchestra version isn't half as good as Sanford Sylvan's voice-and-piano reading on the Bernas disc. Similarly eccentric is The Circus Band, a bizarrely outrageous confection for chorus and orchestra (based on an early orchestral march) that lacks some of the lustre of similar Ives effects. The bizarre Ives is also at work They are There! This near-hysterial rant (not actually as militaristic as it sounds at first) is heard in a chorus-and-orchestral version that lacks something of the sheer outrageousness of Ives' own voice-and-piano recording (even though Tilson Thomas takes an effort to try to copy the style of that reading).
The chorus-and-organ setting of Psalm 100 ("Make a joyful noise unto the Lord") is an intriguing piece of writing that well merits its exposure here, though it can't match General William Booth Enters Into Heaven for sheer unbuttoned craziness. This setting of Vachel Lindsay's poem, heard here in a version for baritone, chorus and orchestra is one of Ives' most endearing creations: its remarkable mix of modernism, bizarre wit and sentimentality, topped off with the sudden introduction of a hymn tune at the climax, is typical of the composer at his best. Unfortunately, this performance misses out on the last edge of hysterical ecstasy that is so necessary for the work to have its full impact (in my opinion it's easier to bring off in the voice-and-piano version).
I realise I am perhaps being overcritical of this disc, but it seems to me that a disc by such a fine Ivesian as Tilson Thomas should be held to a very high standrd. Though I was personally disappointed by this recording, it may well appeal to those who know little of the composer: however, I fear that Ives specialists are likely to be underwhelmed.
a wonderful summary.......2002-12-21
Ives is Ives.......2002-06-15
The Mood of Time.......2002-06-15
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Land of My Fathers: 100 Great Welsh Choir Favourites
Manufacturer: Castle Pulse ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0009SOFXG Release Date: 2005-08-01 |
Tracks:
- Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer (CWM Rhondda) - Caerphilly Make Voice Choir
- Land of My Fathers - Caerphilly Make Voice Choir
- Dies Irae
- Men of Harlech
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- Cadwyn O Emyn Donau Cymreig: Joanna (Trad./Elfion Wyn)/Crugybar (Trad.
- Old Folks at Home
- Il Liza Jane
- Faust/Soldier's Chorus - Caerphilly Make Voice Choir
- Vergine Degli Angeli
- Ballard of Rourke's Drift - Cwt-Y-Collen Choir
- My Hero
- God Bless the Prince of Wales - Caerphilly Make Voice Choir
- German Mass/Gloria
- German Mass/Sanctus
- Misbles/Master of the House/On My Own/Drink with Me/Empty Chairs at
- All Through the Night - Caerphilly Make Voice Choir
- Arwelfa
- Invictus
- Softly as I Leave You
Tracks:
- Diolch l'R L
- Hine E Hine (Maori Lullaby)
- Pererin Wyf (Amazing Grace)
- Tribute to the USA: America the Beautiful (Ward/Bates)/God Bless ...
- Memories of Martha
- I Lombardi/The Crusaders' Chorus - Treorchy Male Choir
- Myfanwy - Treorchy Male Choir
- Tales of Hoffman/Barcarolle
- Creation's Hymn
- In the Spirit!
- Shall We Gather at the River
- Nos a Bore
- Very Best Time of Year
- Soon Ah Will Be Done
- Thanks Be to God
- Flower That Shattered the Stone
- Rhys - Treorchy Male Choir
- Where Shall I Be?
- Bywyd y Bugail
- Lord's Prayer
Tracks:
- Ave Maria
- Pearl Fishers/Divine Brahma
- She Was Beautiful (Cavatina) - Treorchy Male Choir
- Cymru Fach
- Nidaros
- Jacob's Ladder - Treorchy Male Choir
- Watching the Wheat
- Pan Ddaw y Saint (When the Saints Go Marching In)
- Misbles/Stars
- Rachie
- Pirates of Penzance/With Cat-Like Tread - Treorchy Male Choir
- There Is a Balm in Gilead
- Rise Up Shepherd and Foller
- My Lord, What a Mornin'
- Bryn Myrddin
- Jesus Christ Superstar/Medley: Jesus Christ Superstar/Hosanna/The Last
- Finnish Forest (Suomen Salossa)
- Nabucco/The Glory of Israel
- Ride the Chariot
- Tydi a Roddaist - Treorchy Male Choir
Tracks:
- Y Nefoedd
- Phantom of the Opera/Think of Me
- Morte Christe (When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
- By Babylon's Wave
- I'm Gonna Sing
- Where Could I Go But to the Lord?
- Holy City - Treorchy Male Choir
- Mefistofele: Ave Signor, Degli Angeli
- Senzenina (Zulu Chant)
- That's All I Want from You
- Deep Harmony - Treorchy Male Choir
- Give Me Jesus
- Just a Closer Walk with Thee
- My Wish for You
- Jeptha/Waft Her Angels
- Mose in Egitto/Prayer
- Be Still My Soul (Finlandia Hymn)
- God's Choir in the Sky
- Floral Dance - Treorchy Male Choir
- Smilin' Through
Tracks:
- Calon Lan
- True Love
- Mor Fawr Wyt Ti (How Great Thou Art)
- Aberystwyth
- Comrades in Arms
- Cats/Memory
- They Led My Lord Away
- State Fair/It's a Grand Night for Singing
- When I Fall in Love
- Let's Face the Music and Dance
- Windmills of Your Mind
- How Soon
- Non Nobis Domine
- Rhythm of Life
- Kalinka
- Sound an Alarm
- Neapolitan Trilogy: It's Now or Never (Di Capua/Schroeder/Gold)/Mo ...
- Turandot/Nessun Dorma
- Christus Redemptor
- Ann Evening's Pastorale
Album Details
Choirs Include the Morriston Orpheus Choir, the Pontadrddulais Male Voice Choir, the Caerphilly Male Voice Choir, the Cwrt-y-gollen Choir, the Treorchy Male Choir and the Lucknow Male Voice Choir.
Average customer rating:
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Thanks for the Memories: The Academy Award Winners 1934-1955
Frank Chacksfield & His Orchestra Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004SRKF Release Date: 2000-05-01 |
Tracks:
- Continental
- Lullaby of Broadway
- Way You Look Tonight - Frank Chacksfield
- Sweet Leilani
- Thanks for the Memory
- Over the Rainbow
- When You Wish Upon a Star
- Last Time I Saw Paris - Frank Chacksfield
- White Christmas
- You'll Never Know
- Swinging on a Star
- It Might as Well Be Spring
- On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe
- Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
- Buttons and Bows
- Baby, It's Cold Outside
- Mona Lisa
- In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening
- High Noon (Do Note Forsake Me)
- Secret Love
- Three Coins in the Fountain
- Love Is a Many-Splendoured Thing
Customer Reviews:
Frank Chacksfield Thanks For The Memories.......2004-01-12
Average customer rating:
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New Faces of 1952
Manufacturer: Jasmine Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008YGW3 Release Date: 2004-04-05 |
Tracks:
- Opening
- Lucky Pierre - Robert Clary, , , Bill Mullikin,
- Boston Beguine - Alice Ghostley
- Love Is a Simple Thing - June Carroll, Robert Clary, Eartha Kitt,
- Nanty Puts Her Hair Up - Virginia Bosler, Allen Conroy, , Alice Ghostley, Joe Lautner, Bill Mullikin
- Guess Who I Saw Today - June Carroll
- Bal Petit Bal - Robert Clary, Eartha Kitt
- "Three for the Road" Medley: Raining Memories/Waltzing in ... - Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley, , Joe Lautner,
- Penny Candy - June Carroll
- Don't Fall Asleep
- I'm in Love With Miss Logan - Robert Clary, Joe Lautner,
- Monotonous - Eartha Kitt
- Lizzie Borden - Pat Hammerlee, Joe Lautner, Paul Lynde, Bill Mullikin
Customer Reviews:
New Faces of 1952 .......2007-05-13
Wonderful memories!.......2007-03-24
Where is Time For Tea?.......2005-12-04
If You Tapped Your Fingers to the Music in Waiting for Goffman . . ........2005-08-16
What about the movie?.......2005-07-01
NOW where is a VHS or DVD of that film? The world is waiting!
Average customer rating:
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In Session: Film Music Celebration
Robert Townson , Joel McNeely Jerry Goldsmith , and Royal Scottish National Orchestra Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005ABOI Release Date: 2001-03-27 |
Tracks:
- 2001
- Rebecca
- Citizen Kane
- That Hamilton Woman
- Anna and the King of Siam
- Captain From Castille
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Viva Zapata!
- The Trouble With Harry
- Peyton Place
- Vertigo
- The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
- The Twilight Zone
- Psycho
- The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
- Breakfast At Tiffany's
- To Kill A Mockingbird
- Marnie
- Hamlet
Tracks:
- The Agony and the Ecstasy
- The Sand Pebbles
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Born Free
- Fahrenheit 451
- Patton
- Tora! Tora! Tora!
- Jaws
- Midway
- Superman: The Movie
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Somewhere In Time
- Body Heat
- Out of Africa
- Platoon
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
- Taras Bulba
- Agony and the Ecstacy (Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Sand Pebbles (Overture) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Moon and Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, National Philharmonic Orchestra
- Playtime [Born Free Dub Mix II] - Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Frederic Talgorn
- Road [From Fahrenheit 451] - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra
- Patton (Entr'acte) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Man Against Beast - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Midway (Main Title and End Title) - Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Rick Wentworth
- Superman The Movie (Love Theme) - John Debney, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Enterprise [Star Trek: The Motion Picture] - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Somewhere in Time (Theme) - John Debney, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Body Heat (Main Title) - The London Symphony Orchestra, Joel McNeely
- Out of Africa (Main Title) - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Platoon (Theme) - Georges Delerue
- Shadows of the Empire (Xizor's Theme) [Star Wars] - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
- Ride of the Cossacks [Taras Bulba] - Cliff Eidelman, Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Customer Reviews:
Varèse Sarabande à son meilleur!.......2003-04-17
A copy in every household . . ........2003-02-09
A sampler feat. some of the greatest film scores in history........2001-09-06
"the man behind Varese Sarabande ~ Robert Townson".......2001-04-06
For those of us who buy each album ~ people who work to create them ~ the artwork ~ musicians ~ and a list of some of the most talented composers and conductors ~ John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, John Debney, Georges Delerue, Cliff Eidelman, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Michael Lang, Henry Mancini, Joel McNeely, Alfred Newman, Alex North, Miklos Rozsa, Dimitri Shostakovich, Frederic Talgorn, Franz Waxman, Rick Wentworth and John Williams ~ and as always the sound quality and performances by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic Orchestra is dynamically flawless and simply superb.
This economically priced 2-CD-Set ~ pure film score sampling ~ is worth it's weight in gold. One should not have a favorite from this vast collection, but if asked ~ it would be "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" (1962) composer Elmer Bernstein took it to the limit and beyond, the story-line, cast and score was the perfect marriage.
A big, big thank you to ~ Matthew Joseph Peak (cover/session photography) ~ Jonathan Allen, Geoff Foster, Bernie Kirsh, Mike Ross, Mike Sheady and Al Swanson (recording engineers) ~ Rich Breen (mastering engineer) ~ and for the extensive 28 page liner-note booklet featuring "behind the scenes" memories of these past 500 albums, may we look forward to future classics on the next 500 CD's from producer...ROBERT TOWNSON!
Total Time: Disc One 71:20 on 19 Tracks & Disc Two 71:24 on 17 Tracks...Varese Sarabande 302 066 225 2...(2001)
Christian Music:
- Fresh Bread - Loaf One
- Green Eyed Soul [Import]
- Heartbreak Hotel [CD-single]
- Hits V.53 [Import]
- Hot Hits: Hot Summer Hits
- Hot Hits: The Love Collection
- I Wanna Love You Forever [Import]
- If Walls Could Talk
- Imagination's Mine
- Join The Parade
Christian Music
Bruckner: Te Deum; Gounod: St. Cecilia Mass