Sad Girl [Import]

Product Description
The legacy of Detroit's lost soul sister Carol Anderson who died in 1984, unaware of the small but loyal following she has on the underground soul scene. Featuring every track she cut during her short career - such as 'Sad Girl', 'Taking My Mind Off Love', 'I'll Get Off At The Next Stop', 'We've Got Enough', 'Tomorrow Is Not A Promise' & others - this great tribute album was compiled by David Welding who also wrote the liner notes. Belated recognition at last for one of soul music's most underrated singers. Grapevine. 2004.

Sad Girl,Carol Anderson,Grapevine,Pop,R&B,Soul/R & B

Average customer rating:

Pianoforte Opus 5: Broadway Delight!
Music that is great to accompany any quiet project or event.

Pianoforte Opus 5: Broadway
Christopher Peacock , Lionel Bart , Leonard Bernstein , George Gershwin , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Eduardo Toldra , Tommy Wolf , and Vincent Youmans
Manufacturer: Pure & Simple
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Easy Listening | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Film Music Piano Forte-Opus 3
Pianoforte Opus 6: Finale
Pianoforte 4: Love Songs
Traveler
Island Time

ASIN: B000008S3V
Release Date: 1996-09-24

Tracks:

One Hand, One Heart/Somewhere from 'West Side Story'
Memory from 'Cats'
I Don't Know How To Love Him from 'Jesus Christ Superstar'
Sun & Moon /Why God Why from 'Miss Saigon'
Think Of Me from 'The Phantom Of The Opera'
The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men from 'The Nervous Set'
Love Changes Everything from 'Aspects Of Love'
Without A Song from 'Great Day'
Embraceable You/Summertime from 'Crazy For You And Porgy & Bess'
Don't Cry For Me Argentina from 'Evita'
Where Is Love from 'Oliver'
With One Look from 'Sunset Blvd.'

Customer Reviews:

Pianoforte Opus 5: Broadway Delight!.......2007-03-20

Christopher Peacock is an extremely talented pianist. This CD is both exciting and soothing. I play it in my office as background music and use the auto reverse mode! I am planing to purchase additional CDs of his.

Music that is great to accompany any quiet project or event........1998-09-27

This CD is my favorite when I work on my computer especially after a long day at work. The music is current and liked by teens as well as adults. My niece asked her parents to buy a copy after hearing it during Easter dinner at our house. The music simply makes me feel good.

Tiszta forrás (Pure Springs): Hungarian Folk Tunes and Their Arrangements in Works by Bartók and Kodály

Average customer rating:

Tiszta forrás (Pure Springs): Hungarian Folk Tunes and Their Arrangements in Works by Bartók and Kodály

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hungarian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Kodaly: Hungarian Folk Music; Bartok: Hungarian Folksongs Sz64
Csardas Hungarian Gypsy Music

ASIN: B00007138S
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Average customer rating:

Moving traditional music
Splendid program, beautifully done!
Attention Hardcore Reenactors
This is always going to be one of my favorites!

Union & Liberty

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Songs of the Civil War
The Civil War Collection

ASIN: B000001QAA
Release Date: 1994-12-21

Tracks:

The Battle-Cry Of Freedom
The Star-Spangled Banner
Uncle Sam's Farm
Vaillance Polka Militaire
Drums And Trumpets (Or, A Parade In Broadway)
Weeping, Sad And Lonely
The Columbian Quadrilles
The Girl I left Behind Me
Beauregard's Retreat From Shilou
We Are Coming, Father Abraham
Kingdom Coming, (Or, The Year Of Jubilo)
Grafted Into The Army
The Picture On The Wall
Daniel Webster's Funeral March
Tenting On The Old Camp-Ground
The Battle Hymn Of The Republic

Customer Reviews:

Moving traditional music.......2004-02-05

Music of the period performed in the style of the period and with great feeling. Don't be afraid that the music is "stuffy" or academic. It is funny, sad, and rousing. It gives the feeling of immediacy that never goes out of style.

Splendid program, beautifully done!.......2002-06-01

A splendid program of varied, contrasting pieces for voice and
instruments. All performers are complete masters of this music
and its idiomatic performance style, and they execute it with skill, wit and (where appropriate) real depth of feeling.

This is an album which everyone who loves Civil War music,
or who is meeting it here for the first time, will cherish.

Attention Hardcore Reenactors.......2000-09-14

I am a campaign-style Union reenactor in the Eastern US who has emphasized Civil War-era music in my knowledge base. I was also a musician for several years. DC Hall's New Concert ensemble has done a first-rate job of recreating our Northern ancestors' music. From my reading, their efforts have approximated the small, live music groups that were popular before and during the War. The liner notes are well-written, and historically accurate. Perfect for background music when having your pards over to count threads or make up rounds. I recommend it without hesitation.

This is always going to be one of my favorites!.......1999-05-08

D.C. Hall's NC&QB is a wonderful small ensemble that really adds new light to the Civil War genre. At times, it is so tender in feeling (The Picture on the Wall)and then rowdy in spirit (The Year of Jubilo). The familiar Star Spangled Banner is done in a wonderful unique rythme. Get this recording!

Average customer rating:

very enjoyable
The showcase for the Spinto soprano
Flawed but beautiful

Memories of Love: Russian Romances

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Vzoshel na nebo mesyats yasy
Ispanskaya pesnya
Zhavoronok
Ya pomnyu chudnoye mgnovene
Bolero
Ty skoro menya pozabudesh
Kolybelnaya, Op. 16 No. 1
To bylo ranneyu vesnoy, Op 38 No. 2
Zabyt tak skoro
On tak menya lyubil
Ya vso eshcho evo lyublyu
Yunosha i deva
Mne grustno
Chesnadtsat let
Chto mne do pesen
Plenivshis rozoy solovey, Op. 2 No. 2
Ployubila ya na pechal svoyu
Son, Op. 8 No. 5
Siren, Op. 21 No. 5
Molitva, Op.8 No. 6
Ne ver mne, drug !, Op. 14 No. 7

Customer Reviews:

very enjoyable.......2001-07-19

At first, I'd like to correct error. The pianist, Larisa Gergieva is NOT Varely Gergiev's WIFE! She is his sister. (Elder one, I think.)

About this disc, I enjoyed this recital. Gorchakova is one of my favorite soprano. Her voice is suited well to these Russian songs. It's interesting for me to her Russian songs. If you want to hear more Russian songs, try "Songs of Desire" by Olga Bolodina from Philips.

The showcase for the Spinto soprano.......2000-04-25

Galina Gorchakova, Kirov's leading lady, is a true spinto soprano, not the more common forced lyric one. Her sound is unique and quite unusual, almost "mezzo-ish" at certain times, but with surprisingly easy resonant top. I could not help being reminded of another great Russian Galina - Vishnevskaya, the Bolshoi prima donna of 60s and 70s up to her departure from Communist regime with her husband Mstislav Rostropovich. Since then, there was an unsettling vacuum in the realm of sopranos capable of singing Russian and Italian repertoire. Luckily, Gorchakova seems ready and able to take on most of Vishnevskaya's signature roles, including Katerina of Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk." Her clarity of diction and musical intelligence are a pleasure to hear particularly on the Programme presented here because the romances (a leader-like Russian art songs) are written to some of the most beautiful Russian poetic texts.

I feel it is important to note that neither the singing nor accompaniment here is flawed at all, as the reviewer below found. Furthermore, there is no tendency to "go flat". The only thing that came as a surprise to me was inclusion of several numbers written originally for a baritone or even a bass, such as "It Was in Early Spring" or "I Remember the Wonderful Moment." However, they were executed so brilliantly, it made me forget about the specifics and just enjoy Gorchakova's beautiful voice and expressiveness.

Most of you probably got a chance to see the MET's magnificent production of Tchaikovsky's "Pique Dame" with Gorchakova, Domingo, Borodina and Hvorostovsky in leading roles. Aside from Lisa, Gorchakova is also an incredible interpreter of highly demanding role of Elisabetta from Verdi's "Don Carlo" and Leonora from his "La Forza del Destino." I can't wait to hear her "Aida." Amazingly she does not struggle with dramatic Verdian repertoire, even though it lays relatively high for such a voice. And its power allows her to cut through heavy orchestration with ease, preserving flowing, and seemingly endless vocal line with no audible breathing. Philips generously provided us with several phenomenal Russian complete opera recordings featuring Gorchakova's talents: check out "Prince Igor," "The Maid of Pskov," "Iolanta," and "The Fiery Angel," the latter one being a rare jewel and destined to become one of the greatest recorded achievements of all time. Ms. Gorchakova is also a very good actress with a beautiful stage presence and somewhat reserved but passionate delivery. Hearing this CD is essential for Russian romance fans as well as for those who want to hear a true spinto soprano at its full glory, accompanied only by a subtle gentle piano of Larissa Gergieva. I was particularly impressed with a booklet that finally has Cyrillic texts instead of despicable way of spelling Russian words with English letters. There are also good English translations by Philip Taylor that stay true to the texts but also convey their romantic feel. If I could, I would have given this disc ten stars!

Flawed but beautiful.......2000-03-16

This album of wonderful Russian romances and art songs is marred only slightly by Galina Gorchakova's tendency to go flat. Still, her unbelievably beautiful soprano voice and emotional connection with these pieces more than makes up for this. Gorchakova has never become quite as well known as her compatriots Olga Borodina and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and hasn't recorded as much as they have either. This is a shame; I would love to hear her in some of the Italian verismo repertoire. Her rich spinto sound would serve her well, and I believe that she is known for such interpretations as Butterfly, Liu, and Tosca. I would also like to her her Lisa on recording (from Pique Dame).

Tracks:

The Pretty Girl No Longer Loves Me - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Irina Molokina/Yuri Serov
Listen To My Song, Little Friend - Marianna Tarassova/Irina Molokina/Yuri Serov
The Lovely Fisherwoman - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Irina Molokina/Yuri Serov
Why So Early, O Sunset? - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
The Sleeping Princess - Marianna Tarassova/Yuri Serov
My Songs Are Poisoned - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov
The Sea Princess - Marianna Tarassova/Yuri Serov
The False Note - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
The Song Of The Dark Forest - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov
From My Tears - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov
The Sea - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Pride - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov
For The Shores Of Thy Far Native Land - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov
Those Folk - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
The Magic Garden - Marianna Tarassova/Yuri Serov
Arabian Melody - Nikolai Okhotnikov/Yuri Serov

Customer Reviews:

Try Listening to Borodin's Songs!.......2003-09-18

As an admirer of the music of Alexander Borodin, I borrowed this wonderful CD from a friend and listened to it several times completely. It is a wonderful compilation.

An amateur cellist in his time, Borodin included that instrumental accompaniment, along with the piano, in several of his songs. The cellist plays very beautifully and tenderly, adding a gorgeous, haunting touch to these songs. The piano also does a very fine job of bringing out Borodin's rich, exotic harmonies, unlike those of anyone else and influential on later composers, notably Maurice Ravel.

The CD features three different Russian vocalists (a tenor, baritone, and soprano, I believe). They all sing wonderful characterizations, whether they are singing playfully, mournfully, angrily, or flirtatiously. The diction is very good, and the thick, dark, Russian sound is always evident.

Admittedly, the lyrics of many of these songs are cheesy and corny, especially Borodin's own for several of his songs, but they all come of nicely in a musical fashion. The recorded sound is excellent.

Tracks:

Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Bennie And The Jets
I'm Still Standing
Tiny Dancer
Candle In The Wind
Little Jeannie
Island Girl
I Guess That's Why They CAll It The Blues
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Your Song
Bonus Tracks: The Bitch Is Back
Bonus Tracks: Believe
Bonus Tracks: Blessed
Bonus Tracks: Captain & Me

Product Description

1. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
2. Bennie And The Jets
3. I'm Still Standing
4. Tiny Dancer
5. Candle In The Wind
6. Little Jeannie
7. Island Girl
8. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
10. Your Song

Bonus Tracks:
11. The Bitch Is Back
12. Believe
13. Blessed
14. Captain And Me (Original Composition)

Format: CD

Sad Girl
Average customer rating:

a dozen kinds of sadness

Wonderful

the female jimmie dale gilmore?

Amy Allison is Addictive

A treat for the ears...

Sad Girl
Amy Allison
Manufacturer: Diesel Only
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
General | Country | Styles | Music
General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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No Frills Friend

Maudlin Years

Everything and Nothing Too

ASIN: B00005Q6V1
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Listless And Lonesome
One Thing In Mind
Sad Girl
Everybody Thinks You're An Angel
It's Not Wrong
Family
Shadow Of A Man
Sad State Of Affairs
Where Did You Go?
Lost On You
Do I Miss You?
New Year's Eve

Amazon.com

It would be nice not to have to mention that Amy Allison is the daughter of Mose Allison, who occupies a unique place in American music. The thing about gentleman Mose is, as far back as the 1950s, he sang riotously funny blues and jazz material with a face so straight that audiences often didn't know whether he was laughing with them, at them, or at all. Daughter Amy has a similar difficulty, if that's the right word. She seems to be mocking the whiney, self-pitying aspects of traditional country music by exaggerating them beyond measure, lyrically and vocally, but her sad-eyed Buster Keaton presentation daunts the listener into wondering whether she's being serious, sardonic, or satiric. And the answer is, yes. As the line in the title song states, "It's not just an act, it's a matter of fact." Allison's intelligence is unquestionable. So, too, is her talent. And if, like a plantation manor ghost in her father's Mississippi, she chooses to haunt the one lonely room in country music where humor and genuine angst co-reside, so be it. --Henry Cabot Beck

Customer Reviews:

a dozen kinds of sadness.......2003-05-24

My brother-in-law is a country music fan, and brought this back from a visit to the USA. The fool tossed the recording aside after playing no more than a minute of the first track (he's such a simple soul!). When I house sat for them earlier this year this was one of the few discs not taken on the boat.
Alone in the house at 2am, I put this on the player and suddenly the wee small hours became a whole lot smaller. The first track (Listless and Lonesome)matched my mood perfectly.
After that I found song after song awash in a dozen kinds of sadness. Amy Allison's emotional twine has a multitude of strands--employing nuances that beggars the power of ordinary English to describe-undoing knots of feeling which are, at once, familar and novel to the listener.
The: beauty of her voice; the wit and poetry fashioning her lyrics--find superb compliment in a skilled team of musicians.
If asked to pick a favourite track, off Sad Girl, I would probably provide a different answer each time. Its an: any time of day; any time of year; any time of life, experience.
By the time my sister and her husband came back home, I had played this dozens of times and appreciated it just as much as that first listening. I hoped my brother-in-law would let me take the CD with me when I left. But something in the way I asked alerted the mean bollock brain to a possible coup on my part. He's playing it all the time now. Fortunately, I was able to buy my own copy through Amazon.com.

Wonderful.......2002-07-28

I'm not sure how I first heard of her - I think I heard a bit of an interview with her on BBC Radio Scotland's country show (I'm not kidding - it's a great show).

Anyways, she was wonderful, as is this album.

the female jimmie dale gilmore?.......2002-06-09

beautiful voice doesn't have to mean wimpy delivery. this girl sings like a female jimmie dale gilmore. her songs are as well crafted as the best of elvis costello. and even though I've just compared her to two great musicians, her performance is wholly its own. I would like to give this girl a twelve-pack and ask her to sing along with "Imperial Bedroom".

Amy Allison is Addictive.......2002-01-24

The more you listen the more you like it. Wonderful humor in her lyrics. Is she serious? Is she joking? Best line: It's not wrong but is it love?
Get it today and join the Amy Allison Addicts. Listen and laugh.

A treat for the ears..........2001-12-02

Amy Allison makes skewed country music that works on so many levels that other artists could never get a scoob on. Perfect in every way. You'll be the sad one if you don't dig in matey!

Average customer rating:

Borodin: Prince Igor; Songs

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Country Comedy | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005GOW
Release Date: 1993-11-16

Average customer rating:

Sad Girl
Carol Anderson
Manufacturer: Grapevine
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

Southern Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Just Loving You
William Bell Presents Atlanta Soul - The Peachtree Records Story
The Complete Barbara Acklin on Brunswick Records
Lost Soul Queen
Soul of Money Records Volume 2

ASIN: B00064JTC0
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Tracks:

Sad Girl
You Boy
We've Got Enough
I'm Not Worried
You've Got It Coming (What Goes Around, Comes Around)
One Man's Woman
I Found Love
Party People (Come To Life)
Holding On
Taking My Mind Off Love
Master Plan (I Love You, I Do)
Come On Over Tonight
You Want It
Ain't Giving Up
I'll Get Off At The Next Stop
It Shouldn't Happen To A Dog
Tomorrow Is Not A Promise

Album Description

Sad Girl is the legacy of Detroit's lost soul sister Carol Anderson who passed away in 1984, unaware of the small but loyal following she has on the underground soul scene, particularly in the UK where she is adored by 'northern soul' fans. Featuring every track she cut during her short career - such as "Sad Girl", "Taking My Mind Off Love", "I'll Get Off At The Next Stop", "We've Got Enough", "Tomorrow Is Not A Promise" and others - this great tribute album was compiled by David Welding who wrote the in-depth sleeve notes. Belated recognition at last for one of soul music's most underrated singers.

Album Description

The legacy of Detroit's lost soul sister Carol Anderson who died in 1984, unaware of the small but loyal following she has on the underground soul scene. Featuring every track she cut during her short career - such as 'Sad Girl', 'Taking My Mind Off Love', 'I'll Get Off At The Next Stop', 'We've Got Enough', 'Tomorrow Is Not A Promise' & others - this great tribute album was compiled by David Welding who also wrote the liner notes. Belated recognition at last for one of soul music's most underrated singers. Grapevine. 2004.

Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)

Average customer rating:

Artful singing, but 35 folksongs in 6 languages produces indigestion
Perfect blend of art song and folksong

Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)
Antonin Dvorak , Zoltan Kodaly , Benjamin Britten , Percy Grainger , Lars-Erik Larsson , Gunnar Hahn , Reynaldo Hahn , Anne Sofie von Otter , and Bengt Forsberg
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Otter, Anne Sophie von | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Anne Sofie von Otter - Love's Twilight (Late Romantic Songs by Berg, Korngold, Strauss)
Anne Sofie von Otter - Grieg Songs
Anne Sofie von Otter - Speak Low ~ Songs by Kurt Weill / Gardiner
Music for a While: Baroque Melodies
Anne Sofie von Otter - Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben / Forsberg

ASIN: B00004TL2P
Release Date: 2000-07-18

Tracks:

Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 1. I Chant My Lay
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 2. My Triangle
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 3. Silent And Lone
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 4. Songs My Mother Taught Me
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 5. Tune Thy Strings
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 6, In His Wide Linen Vesture
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 7. Cloudy Heights Of Tatra
13 Folksongs: 5. The Sprig Of Thyme
13 Folksongs: 3. Died For Love
13 Folksongs: 7. British Waterside (Or The Jolly Sailor)
13 Folksongs: 6. The Pretty Maid Milkin' Her Cow
12 Visor: Watercolor
12 Visor: The Box Painter
12 Visor: The Girl With The Divining-Herb
Hjarterovet - The Heart's Prey: A Song From Lapland
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 1. On The Drowsy Waters
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 2. The Little Boat
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 3. The Warning
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 4. The Fair Maid In The Gondola
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 5. What a Shame!
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 5. Little Apple Fell Into The Mud
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 50. Drinking Wine On Sunday
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 27. Youth Is Like A Falcon
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 57. Let No-One's Bride Bewail
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 30. All Through The Vineyard
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 48. Hey, The Price Of Wine From Mohovce Hill
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 55. Beneath The Csitar Hills
French Folksongs: 1. The Orphan And King Henry
French Folksongs: 2. Hear The Voice Of Spring
French Folksongs: 3. The Spinner
French Folksongs: 4. The King Is Gone a-Hunting
French Folksongs: 5. Beauty In Love's Garden
French Folksongs: 6. There's Someone In My Fancy
French Folksongs: 7. Eho! Eho!
French Folksongs: 8. Heigh ho, Heigh hi!

Amazon.com

Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter a folkie? Most definitely: she and Bengt Forsberg have been sold on folksong in its various manifestations for years. But anyone with scruples about the brown-rice-and-sandals approach to such music need have no fears. This is quite simply a ravishing collection, with enough musical merit to satisfy the most hardhearted skeptic. Having said that, the term "folksong" here is loosely applied. The pieces by Dvorák, Larsson, and Reynaldo Hahn are inspired by folk music instead of arrangements. No matter--this is such a clever selection, embracing warm and winning Dvorák; bittersweet, wistful Grainger; passionate, romantic Reynaldo Hahn; and earthy Kodály (closest to authentic folksong) and Britten arrangements with all of the familiar inventiveness. In addition, there are attractive songs from Otter's compatriots Lars-Erik Larsson and Gunnar Hahn. As ever, Otter's singing displays much freshness, intelligence, and poise, as well as identification with every mood (the range is staggering for a "mere" folksong album). What's more, she encompasses six languages with ease (plus a rustic British accent in the Grainger that sounds uncannily natural). Forsberg's playing is a delight--the whole thing is a delight. Don't deprive your CD player of a treat. --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

Artful singing, but 35 folksongs in 6 languages produces indigestion.......2006-07-20

I was proud of the Gramophone reviewer for dutifully pointing out all the virutes of this CD and then declaring that he got little enjoyment from it. Me, either. Expert as von Otter is at singing in six languages from her native Swedish to English, Italian, and Hungarian, it feels like a stunt. Does she really care about all 35 folk songs, some as diverse as chalk and cheese? We get Dvorak's tamed gypsy songs (in German) meant for the Victorian parlor singer, gentle Swedish melodies as simple as pie (the best thhing here), folky, plain-faced versions of English song from Grainger, and hyper-sophisticated Italina and French songs from Hahn and Britten that barely expose their folk roots.

Von Otter herself, abetted by her longtime accompanist Bengt Forsberg, tries too hard to sell this gallimaufry, applying all manner of odd, sometimes aggressive attack and phrasing. Of course, she is a major artist, so I will leave this CD to fans who might love it. Personally, I fidgeted much of the time.

Perfect blend of art song and folksong.......2000-08-27

Don't be too misled by the title of this recital: although the odd nymph and shepherd does crop up and the collection includes Dvorak's "Songs my mother taught me", there is very little "hey nonnie no" or "fa la la" to be had. Most of the songs are not traditional folksongs and even those that are, are given the "art song" treatment by their composers. The songs by Grainger en Kodaly have the most "authentic" and earthy feel to them, whereas the others smack of the concert hall or salon. Even having said that, one can hardly imagine the natives of the countries of origin might intone any of these songs around a campfire of an evening.

What we have here is a highly sophisticated collection of songs with their roots somewhere in the nationalist musical movement, which started flourishing in the early nineteenth century. As the enlightening notes suggest, they are the products of a fusion between the folk tradition and the classical. Selected with obvious care by Anne Sofie von Otter and Bengt Forsberg, these songs speak very directly to the listener and often disguise their artistry behind accessibility.

The opening cycle of "Gypsy Songs" by Dvorak (op. 55) are immediately beguiling and the famous standard mentioned above is sure to stun most people who, like me, have only heard it in it's syrupy orchestral incarnation. Von Otter weaves her magic web through these songs with such effect that the four Grainger songs that follow are almost a shock: earthy and seemingly simplistic they transport the listener to a completely different world. "The pretty main milkin' her cow" is achingly beautiful and, like so many really good things in life, over far too soon. Four short Swedish songs follow, leading onto five "Venetian" songs by Reynaldo Hahn. To me, these are the greatest revelation on the disc: highly romantic with sensual rippling accompaniment, three of them tell sensuous tales of seduction aboard gondolas. Von Otter makes the most of the ample opportunities to seduce with subtle nuances and shading of words. The effect is masterful.

The seven Kodaly songs that follow cannot be further from the romantic Venice envisaged by Hahn, the lyrics often bitingly cynical, with driving rhythms and brilliantly realized accompaniment. Here Von Otter assumes a very different voice and the effect is often strident. The final song, "Beneath the Csitar Hills", however, is tender and intimate, despite some strange sentiments being expressed.

The recital ends with eight arrangements of French folksongs by Benjamin Britten and a fitting finale it is. Simple melodic lines are woven into a rich fabric of music, which reaches into the soul. "Il est quelqu'un sur terre" (track 33) is perhaps one of the poignant songs on the whole recital. Von Otter bleeds colour out of her voice to express the desperation of the singer as the wheel, central metaphor to the song, churns away in the accompaniment. The disc is worth buying for this track alone.

Anne Sofie von Otter and Bengt Forsberg have long established themselves as one of the most brilliant partnerships in recording history and this recital can do nothing but confirm their status as such. It is an achievement not to be missed.

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Rock Music rock-music-64

Elizabethan Anthems & Lamentations: New College Oxford

Gotham Golden Classics: Rare Recordings

Derringer Live [Live]

Hellbound/It's for Your Own Good [Import]

Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8