| 1. Lovin' You So |
| 2. Flower |
| 3. Off the Hook |
| 4. Everything You Do |
| 5. Just One More Time |
| 6. If I'm Not in Love |
| 7. Lifetime |
| 8. No More Tears |
| 9. Never Find a Love |
| 10. I Don't Want You Back |
| 11. Baby Tonight |
| 12. Sixteen |
| 13. Off the Hook [Remix] - Rakim, Jody Watley |
Editorial Reviews
Though her pretty voice is thin, it's silky smooth. . . . This album [is] weighted toward ho-hum ballads. . . .
Product Description
Import edition of the dance-pop diva's 1998 album for Atlantic. 13 tracks including, 'Lovin' You So', 'Off The Hook' & 'Everything You Do'.
Flower
Flower,Jody Watley,Atlantic,Dance-Pop,Popular Music,Urban
Average customer rating:
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Nessun Dorma ~ 20 Great Tenor Arias / Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo, Bergonzi, Aragall, Björling, Di Stefano, Kollo, Corelli, Del Monaco...
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000007OTX Release Date: 1998-06-09 |
Tracks:
- La Boheme: Che gelida manina
- Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
- Carmen Bizet: La fleur que tu m'avais jetee (Flower Song)
- Luisa Miller: O! fede negar potessi .. Quando le sere al placido
- La Traviata: Lunge da lei ... De' miei bollenti spiriti
- Martha: M'appari
- Giordano: Amor ti vieta
- L'Africaine: Mi batte il cuor .. O paradiso
- La Favorita: Favorita del re . . . Spirto gentil
- Werther: 'Pourquoi me reveiller'
- Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: 'Morgenlich leuchtend in rosigem Schein'
- Les Contes d'Hoffmann: O Dieu! De quelle ivresse
- TOSCA: E lucevan le stelle
- Pagliacci: Recitar! ... Vesti la giubba
- Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
- Aida: Se quel guerrier .. Celeste Aida
- TOSCA: Recondita armonia
- L'Elisir d'Amore: Una furtiva lagrima
- La Gioconda: Cielo e mar!
- Turandot: Nessun dorma
Customer Reviews:
The End of the Big Voice?.......2007-04-16
Fla Gator Lady.......2007-01-12
20 Great Tenor Arias.......2007-01-09
Plesantly surprised..........2006-01-14
First it is a great buy. A booklet with pictures of each tenor, a small bio, the year recorded and TRANSLATIONS of each aria are provided. This is really nice. It seems more & more that translations are being left out. Being a former opera singer, I may know most of the words, but sometimes it's just nice to read along (sometimes it's just nice to listen too).
Being on the Decca label, there is admittedly quite a few Pavarotti selections. Out of 20 selections, he has 6 of them. But I love Pavarotti, so this is no problem for me. These are all early recordings & his voice is magnificent! Being a singer, I still marvel at his ability to sing "All'armi!" on a high D and still say the 2nd syllable "mi" on such a note! WOW. There is also of course his very sweet, impassioned and lyrical turn as Rodolfo in "La Boheme" as well as the lesser known (although I still have it on casette) "La Favorita" which has a particularly high tessitura.
Also featured are a young Plácido Domingo singing a VERY nice "Flower song/ La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" from Carmen. He usually sounds too pushed for me on the top notes (as one might expect from a Pavarotti fan, I like free top notes) but in this recording he is pretty darn fabulous. He also sings an aria from "Tales of Hoffman/Les Contes d'Hoffman" and I have always felt that he, like Neil Schicoff, were well suited to this role.
Lamentably there are only one selection each from Carreras, Correlli, Monaco, Aragall & Kollo. Especial kudos to the young recording they feature for Aragall. He had a very free and nice high tenor well suited to Verdi. Of course as his career went forward with the natural darkening of his voice and the "heavier" roles, he did start to develop a wobble. But this recording is before that. His top, his phrasing are all beautifully done in his featured aria from "La Traviata."
Mario del Monaco's "E lucevan le stelle" is hauntingly beautiful and has such a wonderful pianissimo in it that it makes you just want to gasp for beauty's sake. I now know every tenor I've heard sing this aria was trying to emulate what he did.
This is a great CD because it does bring together on one CD some of the greatest singers of the 20th/21st century. Bergonzi, di Stefano, Björling, in addition to the previously mentioned artists is quite an impressive collection. I'm sure there's only one of each for Carreras, Aragall (I believe they are formerly EMI/Angel artists) and perhaps some of the others because they are "imported" from another label. There's so much Pavarotti on this CD because he IS a Decca artist.
A highly recommended CD, affordable, not the usually obscure and unpolished artists that are sometimes found on compilations. Plus acutal linear notes and translations. Nicely done, Decca!!!
Absolutely Agree About Corelli.......2005-05-27
Average customer rating:
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The #1 Opera Album
Giacomo Puccini , Giuseppe Verdi , Léo Delibes , Georges Bizet , Umberto Giordano , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Wagner , Gioachino Rossini , Alfredo Catalani , Jacques Offenbach , Ruggiero Leoncavallo , Charles Gounod , Gaetano Donizetti , Pietro Mascagni , Antonin Dvorak , Richard Bonynge , Herbert von Karajan , Alberto Erede , Lamberto Gardelli , Giuseppe Patane , John Mauceri , Zubin Mehta , Charles Dutoit , Gyorgy Fischer , Riccardo Chailly , Istvan Kertesz , Leone Magiera , Evelino Pido , Gianandrea Gavazzeni , Renée Fleming , Cecilia Bartoli , Luciano Pavarotti , Jussi Bjorling , and Renata Tebaldi Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000059RXO Release Date: 2001-02-27 |
Tracks:
- Carmen: Act 1: Prld - LPO/Sir Georg Solti
- La Traviata: Brindisi: Libiamo, Ne'lieti Calici - Luciano Pavarotti/Joan Sutherland/London Opr Chor/Terry Edwards
- La Boheme: Che Gelida Manina - Luciano Pavarotti
- Lakme: Flower Duet: Dome Epais Le Jasmin - Joan Sutherland/Jane Berbie
- Fedora: Amor Ti Vieta - Jussi Bjorling
- Carmen: Habanera: L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle - Tatiana Troyanos/John Alldis Chor/John Alldis
- Nabucco: Chor Of The Hebrew Slaves: Va Pensiero - Chicago Sym Chor/Margaret Hills
- Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sono - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Luciano Pavarotti
- Lohengrin: Bridal Chor: Treulich Gefuhrt Ziehet Dahin - Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor/Walter Hagen-Groll
- Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro - Renata Tebaldi
- Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Largo Al Factotum - Leo Nucci
- La Wally: Ebben?... Ne Andro Lontana - Angela Gheorghiu
- Madama Butterfly: Humming Chor - Wiener Staatsopernchor/Norbert Balatsch
- Carmen: Flower Song: La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee - Placido Domingo
- Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Barcarolle: Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'Amour - Joan Sutherland/Huguette Tourangeau/Chor De La Radio Suisse Romande, Pro Arte De Lausanne Et Du...
- Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Placido Domingo
- Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di - Mirella Freni
- Les Pecheurs De Perles: C'est Toi... Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Gregory Cross/Gino Quilico
Tracks:
- Die Walkure: The Ride Of The Valkyries - Wiener Phil/Solti
- Le Nozze Di Figaro: Voi Che Sapete - Cecilia Bartoli
- Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti La Giubba - Luciano Pavarotti
- La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla - Mirella Freni/Luciano Pavarotti/Roland Panerai
- Il Trovatore: Anvil Chor: Vedi! Le Fosche - Chicago Sym Chor/Margaret Hillis
- Manon Lescaut: Donna Non Vidi Mai - Jose Carreras
- Don Giovanni: La Ci Darem La Mano - Lucia Popp/Tom Krause
- Mattinata - Andrea Bocelli
- Faust: Soldiers' Chor - Ambrosian Opr Chor/John McCarthy
- L'elisir D'amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Roberto Alagna
- Turandot: Signore, Ascolta! - Montserrat Caballe
- Don Giovanni: Champagne Aria: Finch'han Dal Vino - Bryn Terfel
- Cosi Fan Tutte: Trio: Soave Sia Il Vento - Renee Fleming/Anne Sofie Von Otter/Michele Pertusi
- Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira - Luciano Pavarotti/Joan Sutherland/London Opr Chor/Terry Edwards
- Tosca: Vissi D'arte - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Carmen: Toreador Song - Jose Van Dam/Tatiana Troyanos/Norma Burrowes/Jane Berbie/Thomas Allen/Pierre Thau/John Alldis...
- Madama Butterfly: Love Duet: Vogliatemi Bene - Mirella Freni/Luciano Pavarotti
- Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Nat PO/Gianandrea Gavazzeni
- Rusalka: O Silver Moon - Renee Fleming
- La Boheme: Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi - Angela Gheorghiu
- Turandot: Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti/John Alldis Chor/John Alldis
Amazon.com
The labels that are now gathered under the Universal Classics umbrella have a pretty impressive scorecard in the area of classical compilations. We've seen The Greatest Opera Show on Earth, The Yellow Guide: Classical Music, Best of the Millennium, and now there's The No. 1 Opera Album. But that's no surprise, since Universal has some of the finest interpreters in its catalogue to draw from. This two-CD set (at the price of one), for example, brings together the likes of Cecilia Bartoli, Renée Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Georg Solti, Herbert von Karajan, and many more. Yet the other key to a successful compilation is canny anthologizing, and here again, you have a nice selection to give you a smattering of opera's heavyweights from the Italian, German, and French repertory (there's even a step outside the standard framework with an aria from Dvorák's lovely Rusalka). Ranging from 1959 to 1997, the choices from back catalogue will doubtless be the entry ticket for many into this grandest of the arts. --Sarah ChinCustomer Reviews:
The beautiful gift of opera..........2007-07-17
Pretty darn good.......2007-07-04
The Opera #1 Opera Album.......2007-06-07
Excellent assortment.......2007-05-12
Great Selections.......2007-03-31
covering mainly from the classcal
to the to the romantic periods, a most
memorable selection here is Leo Nucci
in a lagendary performance of Rossini's
"Largo al Factotum" from "Il Barbiere di Seviglia"
also Andrea Bocelli in his performance of Leoncavallo's
memorable "Matinatta" here in an orchestrated version.
Indeed some of opera's most loved arias are in this recording
various conductors, orchestras, and soloists. All in their
very best. Indeed a five-star recording...
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The Most Famous Opera Duets
Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002SCA Release Date: 1994-04-12 |
Tracks:
- Les Peurs des perles Act 1 - Au fond du temple saint
- Madama Butterfly Act 1- Vogliatemi bene, un bene piccolino
- Le Nozze di Figaro Act III - Sull'aria - Le Nozze di Figaro
- La Traviata Act I - Un di, felice, eterea
- Lucia Di Lammermoor Act I - Ah! Verranna a te sull'aure
- Tristan und Isolde Act II - O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe
- Carmen Act I - Parle-moi de m
- Die ZauberflAct I - Bei Mern, welche Liebe F
- Lakmct I - Viens, Mallika
- Rigoletto Act I - il sol dell'anima
- Der Rosenkavalier Act II - Mir ist die Ehre wilderfahren
- Don Giovanni Act I - Li darem la mano
- La Boh Act IV - O Mimi, tu pi torni
- Il Trovatore Act IV - Miserere...Quel suon, quelle preci
Amazon.com
This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine Trovatore "Miserere" (with Leontyne Price and Franco Bonisolli singing up a storm). There are many others, too--a veritable cornucopia of couplings--and a treat for the opera lover. --Robert LevineCustomer Reviews:
Can't go wrong.......2007-07-14
Most Famous???.......2007-05-14
Only one song knew well.......2007-05-14
The Most Famous Opera Duets.......2007-01-05
Thanks again!!!!!
Good selection of opera highlights.......2006-11-04
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Rapture: Opera's Most Heavenly Moments
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00006L3K2 Release Date: 2002-10-08 |
Tracks:
- Casta Diva - Renee Fleming
- Barcarolle - Edita Gruberova
- Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Maria Chiara
- Intermezzo - Herbert Von Karajan
- Letter Duet - Edith Mathis
- Che Faro Senza Euridice - Grace Bumbry
- Va Pensiero - Giuseppe Sinopoli
- Una Furtiva Lagrima - Gosta Winbergh
- Porgi Amor - Gundula Janowitz
- Humming Chorus - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
- Soave Sia Il Vento - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Overture (Excerpt) - Philharmonia Orchestra
- Un'aura Amorosa - Hans-Peter Blochwitz
- Un Bel Di - Mirella Freni
- Depuis Le Jour - Montserrat Caballe
- La Ci Darem La Mano - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Quando Le Sere Al Placido - Placido Domingo
- Mir Ist So Wunderbar - Lucia Popp
Tracks:
- Flower Duet - Joan Sutherland
- The Pearl Fishers Duet - Bryn Terfel
- Lascia Ch'io Pianga - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Prelude - Bayerisches Staatsorchestra
- O Silver Moon - Renee Fleming
- When I Am Laid In Earth - Tatiana Troyanos
- Miserere - Placido Domingo
- Vissi D'arte - Mirella Freni
- Intermezzo - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
- Softly Awakes My Heart - Grace Bumbry
- Ombra Mai Fu (Largo) - Bryn Terfel
- Pilgrim's Chorus - Chorus Of The Bayreuth Festival
- Ruhe Sanft - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Flower Duet - Teresa Berganza
- Entr'acte - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
- Mira O Norma - Marilyn Horne
- Hochsten Heiles Wunder - Chorus Of The German Opera Berlin
Customer Reviews:
Opera for Aficianados as well as Newbies.......2007-06-11
superb! .......2007-05-12
beatiful music.......2007-02-23
I listen to the CD everyday and it is always soothing, uplifting and inspiring. I wish I could find another as wonderful.
Best Opera CD ever.......2007-02-16
Most were phantastish but this one is the best.
I listen so often to this CD that it should have grooves.
I never get tired of it.
I recommend this CD highly.
Roswitha
Rapture.......2007-01-24
This compilation of Opera's finest moments is positively wonderful!!!!Unquestionably the best buy I have made in Opera Music..No kidding,I have trays full of CDs covering every facet of Opera,but none as beautiful...A full 2 1/2 hours of the best of the best....Heavenly Moments says it ALL...I vote 6 stars!!!!!
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You Are My Flower
Elizabeth Mitchell Manufacturer: Little Bird Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000067VOO Release Date: 2002-05-14 |
Tracks:
- This Little Light of Mine
- You Are My Flower
- John the Rabbit
- 1 Day, 2 Days, 3 Days Old
- Freight Train
- Shoo-fly
- Little Sack of Sugar
- Rock and Roll
- Jingle Bells
- Lovers Lane
- Sylvie
- Pony Boy
Amazon.com
Elizabeth Mitchell goes with what she knows on You Are My Flower. Here a selection of sturdy, old-fashioned songs are delivered with a clear, clipped voice accompanied by a single guitar. The result is an album most parents would make for their own kids if they possessed Mitchell's talent. Mitchell delivers unsullied renditions of songs from the oeuvres of Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Cotten, and the Carter Family, and tosses in a version of "Jingle Bells" that would be welcome in June. Pop the CD in and a lovely, simple, peaceful vibe swells inside. --Tammy La GorceCustomer Reviews:
Not as good as Elizabeth's You Are My Sunshine cd.......2007-05-12
Even nanas love it!.......2007-05-12
Not my favorite.......2007-04-07
Great cd kids and adults love it! .......2007-01-18
I hate Amazon though becuase I put things in my shoppin bag in early Decmber and each week they went UP in price as it got closer to Christmas. THe shipping took a while and everything seemed to come in separate boxes. I have had better luck with Ebay or other retailers through Amazon.
Great Music.......2007-01-12
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Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991-2001
Manufacturer: Arsis Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008YJET Release Date: 2003-04-29 |
Customer Reviews:
Good Blend.......2007-05-17
I do prefer the faster pacing of some of the pieces on the "Cludburst" recording, but this one is better all around.
My Favorite Choral Composer.......2007-03-09
whitacre.......2007-01-25
Choral excellence.......2007-01-07
Spine tingling.......2006-12-29
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Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet
Yo-Yo Ma , and Silk Road Ensemble Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000641CG Release Date: 2002-04-16 |
Tracks:
- Mongolian Traditional longsong
- Legend of Herlen (Byambasuren Sharav)
- "Blue Little Flower" (Chinese Traditional)
- "Mido Mountain" (Chinese Traditional)
- Moon over Guan Mountain (Zhao Jiping)
- "Miero vuotti uutta kuuta" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya)
- "Joiku" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya)
- Avaz-e Dashti (Persian Traditional)
- Habil-Sayagy (In Habil's Style) for cello and prepared piano (Franghiz Ali-Zadeh)
- Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur (Kayhan Kalhor)
- Chi passa per'sta strada (Filippo Azzaiolo)
- Desert Capriccio (Music from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Tan Dun) (Bonus Track)
Amazon.com
This disc introduces Yo-Yo Ma's latest and most ambitious adventure, the Silk Road Project. It explores the cultures that flourished along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that for centuries connected Europe and the East. Founded by Ma in 1998, the project aims to create connections, mutual trust, and cultural interchange between people from different parts of the world through their only shared language: music.This recording includes music from Mongolia, China, Persia, Japan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and an improvisation on an Italian Renaissance street song, performed by musicians from all those countries, as well as America, on both Eastern and Western instruments. Ma, who participates in every piece either as soloist or part of the ensemble, plays cello and a Mongolian "horse-head fiddle." There is also a Mongolian soprano, who sings a traditional song native to her region. For the uninitiated Western listener, the music requires some getting used to. Much of it is based on rhythmic ostinatos. The melodies use Oriental scales; the intonation is untempered; the music seems all color, texture, and atmosphere, without what might be called themes; and repetition takes the place of development. Contrast is achieved through sudden change, buildup by adding instruments. However, the music is often beautiful, delicate, dreamy, or peaceful; every listener will find his or her own favorite pieces. The playing is splendid, with much inventive improvisation. Inevitably, Ma's tone and personality stand out, but he never dominates in fact or spirit. The booklet offers essays by Ma and the project's musicologist, Theodore Levin, photographs of the players, and drawings of the Eastern instruments. --Edith Eisler
Customer Reviews:
The Versatile Yo-Yo Ma .......2007-07-24
As always, the versatile Yo-Yo Ma is quite soulful and technically brilliant in his musical exploration of the "Silk Road". The music, to me, captures the feeling of Asia. The liner notes are very educational in providing a context to the project.
I find Asian music to be very different from our "Western" traditions, but given time and an even chance, I think that you will find this CD to be very nice and enjoyable.
Not for the average listener.......2007-03-20
I was looking forward to this, but the music is plodding in many parts,
like a dreary symphony. There are fine moments, but I was looking for something a bit more accesible, rhymic, and lyrical. This is a mixed bag that seems to miss more often than hit.
A thoroughly enjoyable trip through Central Asia and a few other places........2007-03-15
Silk Road Journey.......2007-02-19
A Detailed Review From A Non-expert Music Lover.......2007-01-12
To anyone who has heard of the Silk Road in Ancient China, the title of this CD immediately brings up images of exotic peoples and their cultures in your mind. I think Yo-Yo Ma's efforts in creating such a culturally diversified recording are definitely welcomed in this era of globalization.
But after listening through this CD I felt that something was missing from the selections. One of the most important areas on the Silk Road is the Uyghur region in northwestern China. Their music is quite unique. Inclusion of their music in this CD would be really interesting. Also in this CD not all of the selections are chosen from those regions directly related to the Silk Road. So I guess the title is just a metaphor of "when strangers meet", but is not directly about the cultures along the Silk Road.
Now I will review each of the selections.
1. Mongolian Traditional Long Song
I am somewhat familiar with their culture and land. So to me this song is very beautiful and enchanting. One of the most important factors in conducting any cross-cultural communications is context! You really cannot take it out of context. The Mongolian Long Song might sound monotonous and drawling to a person who is more used to the Western tradition of chant, choral, or opera music. Yet if you know the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian people on the vast rolling greens of the Mongolian grassland embellished with winding creeks and rivers, you would probably hear such long-singing voices reverberating between the green of the grass and the blue of the sky. The Mongolian people have some of the most beautiful songs that I know of.
2. Legend of Herlen
There are probably two broad categories of non-western ethnic musics. One is the authentic folksong tradition of the people, the other is westernized works composed by westernized local musicians. I guess Legend of Herlen might fall into the second category. It has some interesting tunes in it. But the overall listening experience is too dramatic. I guess the dynamics used in this piece might even go beyond the ppp and fff. In the Mongolian traditional music, dynamics are sometimes used quite dramatically, with sharp difference between two adjacent notes or phrases. So this piece here is probably not very surprising. Nonetheless I find it a little too dramatic, sometimes even disturbing. Again I am not familiar with the background of this piece, so that might explain the unusual drama.
3. Blue Little Flower
I am not sure what fusion should really sound like. But in this piece it does seem to me that a lot of musical traditions are intertwined in it: western music, Chinese folksong from Shaanxi, and probably Iranian or Indian drums. Somehow the only part of this song that I liked is the beginning line. It's very beautiful and delicate, reminding me of the theme music from the Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But it is westernized, not authentic Chinese folksong. If this is still not a problem, then the drum used in this piece does cause a lot of funny effects. The drum sounds so distinctive and it represents some of the central or western Asia cultures. The images such drum beats conjure up are very incompatible with this northwestern Chinese folksong. So in this piece there are at least three threads: western, Chinese, and Iranian/Indian (I am not sure which one). But they do not converge. There is also the funny part of the singing included in this piece. It is out of place and unnecessary. The singing itself is just too frivolous to me.
4. Mido Mountain
I like this piece, especially the part played by the Sheng. Again there are some elements that sound a little bit too foreign to me, especially the percussion part. They use the same percussion/drum in this piece as in the previous one. But the overall effect of the arrangement does sound authentic and pleasant to me.
5. Moon Over Guan Mountains
If you know that Zhao Jiping is famous for his scores for films, you will probably understand this piece better. But of course understanding does not mean you will like it. This piece falls into the second category that I described above. For a lot of non-Western countries, the influence of western music is definitely immense. Many local composers are trained in both the western tradition and the local tradition. But there is probably a general feeling among composers in these countries that western music is richer in theory and methods. Many of these composers will use themes from folk songs to compose westernized music. I will give this piece a B+. It does include some themes from northwestern China, which sound really unique. As I said in this CD there is no selection from the Uyghur region in China, this piece might make up for that, since some of the themes seem to me to be from that region. But this piece is still too dramatic too, like a film score.
6. Five Finnish Folksongs No. 3
I love this one! The theme melody is so beautiful, and maybe a little bit nostalgic, and maybe a little bit romantic also? But this piece is straightly western music. There is nothing ethnic about it.
7. Five Finnish Folksongs No.5
This one is ok, but not very impressive. The overall structure of this piece sounds like very loose. There is not memorable melody either. But it does not have the maddening drama like in the two pieces I have just talked about. This is good.
8. Avaz-e Dashti
I am not familiar with Persian music. But there are indeed some very Persian melodies in this piece. The instruments used in this piece are all traditional Persian instruments. Maybe this is why it sounds so authentic to me. I like the haunting, floating tunes in this piece. They sound very ethereal to me.
9. Habil-Sayagy
Again this piece falls into the second category like the Legend of Herlen and Moon Over Guan Mountains. Such music is probably interesting to the performers, since they can let loose their inner floodgate of emotions and resort to pure artistic connections. But the problem for such music is that they are just too dramatic, and it's really hard to understand them without fairly good knowledge of the context and their unique cultural backgrounds. I am sure all these three pieces might sound profound, meaningful, and artistic once we know the cultural backgrounds better. But for the general listener, they are too abstract and too emotionally charged. Another problem for such western-traditional combination pure art form of music is that tradition might be distorted and represented in the wrong way.
10. Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur
I like this one better that the previous one, especially the middle part beginning at around 5 min 30 sec into the music. The melody is quite unique, and memorable. The bassline is very interesting too. It conjures up the image of merchants traveling on camel back through the desert. The pulse of the bass sounds like the steps of camels walking. One the instruments used, I am not sure which one, santur or kemancheh, is quite successful in bringing out the authenticity of the music style.
11. Chi passa per'sta strada
This one has the same problem as the Blue Little Flower: it does not sound like anything! It is not Italian, nor is it Iranian, nor Chinese, nor anything else. What is it? Who knows. The ethnicity of world music is tied to their unique musical instruments closely. I remember there was one year the Chinese traditional orchestra had a New Year's Concert at Vienna, and when they played the Radetzky March at the end of the concert, I was quite unimpressed.
12. Desert Capriccio
Tan Dun is similar to the composers I mentioned above like Zhao Jiping. Tan's music is unique and interesting to both western and Chinese audience, because of the same thing: they are both unfamiliar with Tan's music. To the Chinese audience, his music sounds western, but to the Western audience, his music sounds exotic. Nonetheless I still like some of this music, like the Couching Tiger and Hidden Dragon. Some of the melodies are really great. Again this piece makes up for the lack of Uyghur music in this album, since the "desert" in this piece is in the Uyghur region. But the music is not Uyghur at all.
There you have it. That's all for my detailed review of this CD. I would give it a B+ for its efforts and some of the really good tunes. As I am not an expert, I might be wrong in many of the points that I make in this review. So feel free to comment on my review.
Average customer rating:
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A Gift from a Flower to a Garden
Donovan Manufacturer: Collector's Choice ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005MM01 Release Date: 2000-09-12 |
Tracks:
- Wear Your Love Like Heaven
- Mad John's Escape
- Skip-A-Long Sam
- Sun
- There Was A Time
- Oh Gosh
- Little Boy In Corduroy
- Under The Greenwood Tree
- The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be
- Someone Singing
- Song Of The Naturalist's Wife
- The Enchanted Gyspy
- Voyage Into The Golden Screen
- Isle Of Islay
- The Mandolin Man And His Secret
- Lay Of The Last Tinker
- The Tinker And The Crab
- Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)
- The Lullaby Of Spring
- The Magpie
- Starfish-On-The-Toast
- Epistle to Derroll
Product Description
1. Wear Your Love Like Heaven
2. Mad John's Escape
3. Skip-A-Long Sam
4. Sun
5. There Was A Time
6. Oh Gosh
7. Little Boy In Corduroy
8. Under The Greenwood Tree
9. Land Of Doesn't Have To Be, The
10. Someone Singing
11. Song Of The Naturalist's Wife
12. Enchanted Gypsy, The
13. Voyage Into The Golden Screen
14. Isle Of Islay
15. Mandolin Man And His Secret, The
16. Lay Of The Last Tinker
17. Tinker And The Crab, The
18. Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)
19. Lullaby Of Spring, The
20. Magpie, The
21. Starfish-On-The-Toast
22. Epistle To Derroll
Format: CD
Customer Reviews:
Donovan at his best!.......2007-07-18
Wear Your Love Like Donovan.......2007-06-12
This is vintage Donovan.Most of it has a medieval feel to it, and is perfect for sitting back and relaxing after a stressful day.The only "commercial" cut is "Wear Your Love Like Heaven." The rest is unconventional, and well...pure Donovan.
Higher and Higher.......2007-06-05
Fresh from a garden to me.......2007-01-10
Life is so good.......2006-11-10
The second part is very accoustic and poetic. This part was one I listened to as a child and was glad to hear again.
Average customer rating:
|
Strange Flower
Aya Manufacturer: Naked Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001XAOJI Release Date: 2004-05-11 |
Tracks:
- Looking For The Sun
- Slippin'
- Nobody Knows Me
- You're Not The Only One
- Uptown
- 45 Parade Place
- I'll Never Give In
- Do What You Want
- Afterhours
- Uptown (Dub)
- Put Your Faith In Us
- Sean
- Curtain Call
- Lullaby For Stephen
Product Description
1. Looking For The Sun
2. Slippin'
3. Nobody Knows Me
4. You're Not The Only One
5. Uptown
6. 45 Parade Place
7. I'll Never Give In
8. Do What You Want
9. Afterhours
10. Uptown (dub)
11. Put Your Faith In Us
12. Sean
13. Curtain Call
14. Lullaby For Stephen
Format: CD
Customer Reviews:
music lover.......2007-07-12
Music Lover
Beautiful Music, beautiful voice!.......2007-06-12
Smooth Flowing Flower .......2007-05-25
Good Stuff, . .......2007-05-19
Laid Back.......2007-03-28
Now this is music. Aya does a fantastic job of pulling you in and once she does your hooked. The beats and vocals are amazing. I am really impressed. I will be on the look out for more of the "Flower."
Play her while you are in the tub, entertaining company, in the car, or making love.
Enjoy!
Average customer rating:
|
The East Village Opera Company
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000AMJE3W Release Date: 2005-09-27 |
Tracks:
- Overture (Redux)
- Nessun Dorma (Redux)
- Flower Duet (Redux)
- La Donna E Mobile (Redux)
- Un Bel Di (Redux)
- Au Fond Du Temple Saint (Redux)
- O Mio Babbino Caro (Redux)
- Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana (Redux)
- Che Gelida Manina (Redux)
- Habanera (Redux)
- When I Am Laid Earth (Redux)
- E Lucevan Le Stelle (Redux)
Customer Reviews:
This is a great album.......2007-04-26
Great CD.......2007-03-16
Hooked.......2007-03-15
Not bad, vocals are severely lacking however.......2007-02-28
EAST VILLAGE OPERA CO........2007-02-13
Christian Music:
- Forget Me Nots & Remind Me [Import]
- Funk Drops 2 [Import]
- Gladys Knight & The Pips - Greatest Hits [Import]
- Got My Whiskey
- Harder Than a Freight Train
- Hell Yeah/In Those Jeans [CD-single]
- Home Of The Brave
- Illumination [Import]
- Keep This Fire Burning [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
- Let's Get Back Together
Christian Music
Definitive Collection [Import]
So Much Love to Give [CD-single] [Import]
Rachmaninov: Transcriptions, Corelli Variations
Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own [CD-single] [Import] [Limited Edition]