Eyes Closed

1. Eyes Closed

2. What Used to Be

3. Must Consume

4. Dec. 26th, 2002

5. Things Got a Little Ugly

Tracks:

When Debbie's Back from Texas
Viewed from the Spire
Crime
Fireworks
Proposal
Little Star
Hopefully Yours
Murder in Mairyland Park
I See You Again
So This Is Goodbye
Something Nice
And She Closed Her Eyes

Album Description

International edition of the ethereal Swedish singer/songwriter's 1994 album for East West. 12 tracks including 'Crime', featuring avant-garde trumpeter Jon Hassell & the acoustic 'Little Star' (also included on the Romeo & Julliet soundtrack). For fans of David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees. Warner.

Customer Reviews:

Great Album!.......2006-11-19

"Little Star" was the first song I heard from Stina Nordenstam, it got some good airplay as part of the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack. On a whim I bought this album. That was 10 years and I still listen to this album regularly. Stina's voice is amazingly beautiful.

Beautiful moving CD...well worth the price.......2004-07-18

I rarely give out five-star reviews - - but Stina Nordenstam's "And She Closed Her Eyes" is one of the few exceptions I'm making. "And She Closed Her Eyes" is one of the loveliest albums I've heard in a long time.

The first I learned of Stina was through someone's Amazon.com wishlist. For some reason, the cover of her album drew me. Her pose and demeanor looked a great deal like mine. I wasn't sure I'd like the album, but I decided to give it a chance.
Later, I learned that Stina had contributed to the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. If I had known she was one of the artists who sang for the movie, I probably wouldn't have given the album a chance. I wasn't sure I'd like this album, but on first listen, I fell in love with it. It hasn't left my turnstill since I started playing it.

Stina's voice is unique. It is light and almost bell-like; however, I don't believe it's quite child-like as some have described it. Child-like implies naivete and innocence - Stina is neither. When I listen to Stina's voice, I think of spider silk which seems fragile at first, but is tensile and durable. I believe Stina is quite adept at confronting her own pain. Her voice, her songs perfectly capture the starkness, silence, sadness, and numbness that pain leaves once all pretense and defensiveness is stripped away. Stina's honesty and her vulnerability are her strengths.

I have a lot of favorite moments on this cd. Stina ability to use her voice to convey emotion/tell a story is unparraleled in my opinion. "When Debbie Comes Back Home From Texas" is haunting. When Stina sings the line "You just follow the bridge.." she follows with the most amazing cooing that recalls a long wistful journey. Fireworks is another moving example where she expresses fragility and pain with such honesty. Some of the album's most beautiful songs are when she combines choral elements with the songs like Crime, Little Star, Murder in Maryland Park, and I See You Again. The lyrics are like little movie stills.

I'm gushing about this album, I know - but it hasn't left my turnstill since I started listening to it. It's a beautiful, honest album. You'll probably hear others compare Stina to Bjork, The Cardigan's Nina Persson, or Ricki Lee Jones(this last comparison I don't understand at all - but I have not heard Stina's first album, so I can't give my opinion about this comparison.)

I enjoy Bjork, Stina, and Nina's work - but all three have their separate merits. Stina's arrangments are less-complicated than Bjork's. Although both artists infuse their work with honest,raw emotion, Stina's is much more vulnerable and kittinish than Bjork's. Stina takes a less theatrical approach than Bjork. As far as the comparisons to Nina Persson, Stina is more emotional than Perssons's. Persson's sweet voice is often used to underscore the irony of certain situations - and sometimes even borders on sounding jaded.

That being said, Stina's album is sad but a comforting one. I'm not naive enough to say that everyone will enjoy this cd. Stina's voice will not be enjoyed by all, but I liked it. If you're feeling sad, depressed, or in need to commisserate, then Stina's album is a perfect. It's also nice to chill out to if you're feeling wistful.

Simply Brilliant.......2004-05-08

I bought this album when it first came out, almost ten years ago, and have loved it ever since. Stina is a complete original, her songs - intense, personal, and deeply moving, are like no other, her voice, unique, sensitive, vulnerable and beautiful.

I have cried so many times listening to her music and her beautiful voice more than any other artist I care to think about, due to her intrinsic beauty and ability to touch the heart. This album is a classic, there is no doubt about it. I am sure many female singer-song writers of today would have a copy of this CD tucked away somewhere. Stina wears her heart on her sleeve musically and writes songs like a director shoots a film.

The most captivating aspect of this CD is Stina's voice... way way up in the mix, it makes you feel like she is a ghost entering the room to sing directly to you, like some private guest, some broken hearted child invading your most lonely moment. The music is sublime, well produced and arranged. I personally adore the choral voices at the end of songs like Murder in Mairyland Park", the bittersweet "Hopelessly yours", the absolutely gorgeously heartbreaking "So this is goodbye", probably the finest song about breaking up with a lover ever committed to tape. Ahh... words fail me... just get this CD, drink a wine, turn the lights down and swoon.

Favorite Lyric -

"My fingerprints are all over the world
You see my jacket in the street what if they hear your heart beat

Cause you've been seen with another girl
She's in everyone you meet and I can hear your heart beat"

Crime.

(By the way, all her other albums are equally brilliant! Go and explore!!)

Far up there.......2003-12-27

I got the word on Stina by friends who were always telling me to check her out since I'm a diehard Anja Garbarek fan. Just about all the reviews here are dead on. This is one of the very few albums you'll get through your life that will completely move you, that will make you want to get under a bunch of covers in your bed with the lights off and bliss out forever. It's so rich and deep, it will affect you in a very personal way. I know that sounds cheesy but you just have to check this album out.

Stinas voice barely breaks a whisper as she mainlines her whispering vocals right into your ear drums while the ethereal-ish folky music envelopes and hypnotizes you to the threshold, as if you are suspended in a warm milky womb where no matter what is going on, you'd rather be nowhere else but in front of your speakers. The music is light, something to listen to alone... definitely nothing you could dance to.

This is a difficult album to review because nothing really sounds like it, aside from Anja Garbarek who has a much more surreal atmosphere. The album is sad, but it is probably best recieved by those who can ultimately see the beauty in sadness... and in that aspect, this is an incredibly beautiful record.

she'll answer you (like lovers do).......2003-12-09

Stina Nordenstam is today what Emily Dickinson was a century ago - profoundly ahead of her time. Ask anyone who's ever heard her voice, they'll tell you that she epitomizes the term "acquired taste." I discovered this siren when I bought the William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet soundtrack, on which her astounding "Little Star" is featured. Five years later, I found this CD on sale for 7 bucks and picked it up - back then, I wouldn't have bought it at full price. I heard the record once, twice, and couldn't adjust. Her voice was too subtle, the music like undulating whispers - this was my impression of the entire album. But I knew I wasn't being open minded, because I still very much enjoyed "Little Star" - I was simply not ready to take in something so eccentric. Several weeks later, when I realized this, I played the record for a third time - this time with and open mind and open ears - and my reaction was undescribable. The music played right into my gut and heart. It took me back to a nostalgic time in my childhood and teenagehood, helping to unlock certain things that had happened which I had viscerally tucked away in the corners of my mind. And she Closed her eyes is haunting, not despite the softness but because of it. Stina's voice, the music, the choirboys' voices and the pillow-soft drizzle of rain all blend seemlessly to create a series of stories rarely ever disclosed with this much rawness (as in Tori Amos raw - vehement, not necessarily frurious). If you listen to it once and don't comprehend it, listen to it again. Consider it a lesson in open-mindedness.

Average customer rating:

Great Album!
Beautiful moving CD...well worth the price
Simply Brilliant
Far up there
she'll answer you (like lovers do)

And She Closed Her Eyes
Stina Nordenstam
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The World Is Saved
Dynamite
Smiling & Waving
Fisherman's Woman
Memories of a Color

ASIN: B000002JT9
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

When Debbie's Back From Texas
Viewed From The Spire
Crime
Fireworks
Proposal
Little Star
Hopefully Yours
Murder In Mairyland Park
I See You Again
So This Is Goodbye
Something Nice
And She Closed Her Eyes

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

Great Album!.......2006-11-19

Beautiful moving CD...well worth the price.......2004-07-18

Simply Brilliant.......2004-05-08

Favorite Lyric -

"My fingerprints are all over the world
You see my jacket in the street what if they hear your heart beat

Cause you've been seen with another girl
She's in everyone you meet and I can hear your heart beat"

Crime.

(By the way, all her other albums are equally brilliant! Go and explore!!)

Far up there.......2003-12-27

she'll answer you (like lovers do).......2003-12-09

Average customer rating:

A Rose By Any Other Name...
"Thus I salute the stronghold, safe from dread and dismay!
Free at last!
I Love This Recording
The Goodall Ring - 1975 - Restored and Remastered

Wagner: The Rhinegold
English National Opera
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)
The Twilight of the Gods (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)
Wagner: The Valkyrie

ASIN: B00005B550
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Customer Reviews:

A Rose By Any Other Name..........2007-07-02

The figure of speach may not be completely correct in this instance, but, well, I hope you get the point. In any case, for a Dutch speaking person, like I, to hear 'The Ring' in a language other than the original German feels - almost shockingly(?) - natural. Certainly, this modern English translation, to me, is as least immediate, and probably even more immediate, than the original (archaic) German text. And in music drama, immediacy is essential. Maybe it is also the wonderfully natural translation, I don't know, but it works for me, the Ring in English.
But most of the credit has to go to the music, the singers, and the recording as such. I believe that this (originally analogue) remastered recording has one of the best recorded sounds and acoustics of any Ring, studio or 'live'. It is wonderfully clear but warm, kind of velvety (very unlike Solti), with beautifully natural balaces between voices and orchestra. Audience noises can be heard (including a delightful little ripple of laughter) but never really obtrusively so, thankfully. And I love the thunderclap-sound effect when Donner strikes his hammer against the rocks - very tastefully done, and lending extra power to the scene.
All the time one reads in reviews everywhere of the very slow speads at which the music is conducted by Sir Reginald Goodall. Well, that may be so, but I, for one, am certainly endeared to Sir Reginald Goodalls 'caressing' of the music, as a result of which wich the Leitmotifs come out more clearly than ever. The slow - but nonetheless very concentrated, and always involved - playing has, to me, an almost mesmerizing effect. Certainly, compared to many other recordings, the music may sound stretched almost beyond breaking point. But in the end, I think it is really just that: a matter of speed, no more. The concentration never falters and the dramatic arc never saggs. There is live 'music magic' going on here, I feel, even if the English National Opera Orchestra may not be (as precise or as diciplined as) a Wiener Philharmoniker or a Bayreuther Festspielorchester. Certainly, Sir Reginald Goodall must have loved this music and these opera's: one feels a slowly beating but constant loving pulse that energizes the drama and the music.
But we also have the singers. And what a great singers! While the best may be yet to come (with Alberto Remedios as Siegmund and Siegfried, and Rita Hunter as Brunnhilde), we here, in The Rhinegold, already have one of the most commanding of Wotans (Norman Bailey, with wonderful burnished timbre). Also, Emile Belcourt stands out as a wonderfully sleek but full-voiced Loge. Derek Hammond-Stroud's Alberich may not be as black as Gunther von Kannen's (for Barenboim), for example, but there is enough anguish, frustration and anger to lend his character a convincing reality and depth. And the giants too, are a winning pair. Especially Fafner (Clifford Grant) is as imposing and powerful as one may ever wish.
With all the rave reviews, here and elsewhere I can't wait to hear The Valkyrie, (especially) Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods. This certainly is a winning 'Ring', to be kept alongside any other 'great' recorded 'Ring' out there, IMHO. To me, it can hold its own alongside any other favorite recordings.
Please, sample this Ring (try for example the Chandos website for fragments of all of the music) and decide for yourself. Highly recommended.

"Thus I salute the stronghold, safe from dread and dismay!.......2007-06-12

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Goodall, Boulez, Janowski, Levine, Haitink, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Boulez's Ring: 13 hours, 40 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Haitink's Ring: 14 hours, 10 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: nothing is faster than andante. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Boulez: Here it is, folks - the controversial Centennial Ring. To fit the Ring Cycle in the industrial age, Boulez gives it a very Schoenbergian, Bartokian atmosphere. Much of his tempi are very quick, very Bohm-like, though they're still not as fast as Bohm. Keep in mind, though, this live Ring works only if you hear AND see it (the DVD's work best).

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Haitink: This might be seen as a disappointment. If you want great conducting, then this is for you. If you want a persuasive array of singers, look somewhere else. Haitink's conducting saves this work from being a total flop. There is nothing quite like his Rheingold & Gotterdammerung ("Siegfried's Rhine Journey" is a bit forced, but magnificent nonetheless).

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act Two Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Boulez's Bayreuth Festival: While it doesn't really pack the same punches as Bohm's Bayreuth, it still delivers a stunning performance. Orchestral interaction between characters (Ex. Siegfried's motifs mixed in with Mime's motifs) fares better than Berlin's and English National's. Rhine maiden motifs are given more wit, while the Dragon motifs are played with less eeriness. Beauty makes up for the irritatingly quick "Wotan's Farewell".

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Boulez's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are heard clear in this Ring. The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Haitink's Bavarian Radio Symphony: This may very well be like Metropolitan, only this sounds much more poignant. The strings sound better and the percussion sound clearer. The leitmotivs are almost never screwed up. First scene of Rheingold will take one's breath away.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Boulez: If you watch Donald McIntyre on the Centennial Ring production, then you can tell that he's a fine "industrial" Wotan. If you just hear him on CD, then you'll be disappointed. His diction is weak, his emotions are forced, and his voice sounds robotic. The DVD's will do.

Levine and Haitink: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's and Haitink's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Boulez: How can anyone not be impressed by the Brunnhilde of Gwyneth Jones? One can almost feel her excitement during Siegfried Act Three, and her fear in Walkure Act Three. Her weakest point is probably during her Gotterdammerung Prologue (a bit too stressed).

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

Haitink: Hmph. I was hoping that Eva Marton would do well here. I was seriously let down by her strained singing. She does okay in "Annunciation of Death", but she is at her worst in "Immolation".

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm, Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Peter Hoffman for Boulez, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, Reiner Goldberg for Haitink, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jeanine Altmeyer for Boulez, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, Cheryl Studer for Haitink, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Three exceptions, though: Goldberg and Schunk don't sound heroic enough, and Norman for Levine doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Boulez: Is Manfred Jung a good tenor? Yes. Is he a good Heldentenor? NO. He doesn't have that heroic voice like Windgassen and Remedios. Again, the DVD's are your safest bet.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. Levine should've chose Kollo or Jerusalem when he recorded his studio Ring.

Haitink: Have you ever seen Siegfried Jerusalem on the Levine/Metropolitan DVD? Well, here he is again, and this time, he sings with more valor and enthusiasm. Bravo!

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Boulez: What we have here is the weak Alberich of Hermann Becht. When he's in Nibelheim, the authority isn't there. When he's in the Neid-Hohle forest, the creepiness isn't there. And when he's near the Gibich house, the misery isn't there. Even on DVD he's unsatisfactory.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

Haitink: No offense, but Theo Adam as Alberich? Come on . . .

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Boulez and Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent Mime, VERY fun to listen to. There is much humor and eccentricity in his voice, and that's what makes his dwarf much more compelling than Dempsey's dwarf. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. He is equal to Zednik when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Haitink: Peter Haage sounds like he's entertaining young kids. His version of Mime is a bit childish, and the dark humor that the dwarf brings out sounds-over-the-top here. Nonetheless, he is still entertaining to listen to ("Wer halfe mir?" has never sounded better).

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on during the Trilogy.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Again, another Loge that's marred by lack of cunning.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. He has the wit, the craftiness, and the untrustworthiness that the character deserves. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Boulez and Haitink: I can summon Heinz Zednik's performance in just three words: Brilliant Beyond Belief!

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt and Zednik depend only on vengeance and deviousness, Stolze only imagination and deviousness, Windgassen and Svanholm only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Zednik. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings. Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). Anja Silja is the most memorable Freia (Bohm), while Kurt Moll makes the most fabulous Hunding yet (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm, Goodall, and Boulez. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation, Neuhold's Badische version, and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss, etc.), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the industrialized Boulez, the truthful Janowski, the unhurried Levine, the abnormal Haitink, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.

The Box Set: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)
-The Valkyrie (Part 2): Wagner: The Valkyrie
-Siegfried (Part 3): Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)
-Twilight of the Gods (Part 4): The Twilight of the Gods (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)

Free at last!.......2004-09-18

I've enjoyed listening to the Ring cycles by Solti, Bohm, and Furtwangler, but my pleasure has always been dampened by the necessity to follow the dramas with a German/English libretto. This performance freed me from that burden and allowed me to listen to the Ring with my ears alone for the first time. And what a delightful experience it was! I found I could understand about half the words the first time through. but that was enough for me to understand what the characters were saying and concentrate on Wagner's great music. Some of the characters (Loge and Alberich, for example) are almost perfectly comprehensible, while others (Fricka in particular) might as well be singing in German. The sound itself is superb, with perfect balances between orchestra and voices. Goodall's conducting is famously slow (about half an hour longer than usual), but he is never slack and he reveals a wealth of detail in the orchestration. The singers are a mixed lot, with Loge, Alberich, and Mime particularly effective. Bailey is hardly the grandest of Wotans, but he is solid and convincing. In any event, for us non-German listeners, this recording is a real treat. I would not recommend it as a first Ring (Bohm is a good choice, though some of his tempi are rather hectic), but as a supplement to a recoding in the original language, it is hard to beat. Give it a try! As for me, I'm ready to go on to "Die Walkure" (pardon me, "The Valkyrie").

I Love This Recording.......2002-04-05

I was a little suspicious when approaching this English-language version of Das Rhinegold. I was considering assembling this as my third RING set (behind Solti and Levine) and had listened to THE VALKYRIE (Die Walkure) with a little initial disappointment. Although the live sound quality was very interesting, the tempo was much slower than I was used to and thus a little disconcerting, and the English words were harder to understand than I had hoped. Nevertheless, I persevered and listended to THE RHINEGOLD (probably my favorite of the four RING operas, although I know this puts me in a minority) and was amazed. Best of all, after listening to this album I revisited the Goodall VALKYRIE and discovered a new appreciation! Now the Goodall set ranks as one of the best I've heard. It just needed to get under my skin a bit.

What's so good about it? Three things stand out for me: First, the slow tempi that were a litle rough at first actually allow, upon repeated listenings, a new discovery and understanding of Wagner's unfathomable genius. Every nuance is slowed down just enough to be fully accessible. Second, the modern English translation really does make this a different experience...my initial mistake was thinking that English lyrics could allow me to listen to this as background music, and that's not the case. However, if one devotes the same attention to this as a German recording, the time wil be richly rewarded. Finally, the smaller orchestra creates an almost chamber music-esque setting, which compliments the music in an undefinable way. Despite being in English, this is almost more Germanic than original-language recordings.

I still probably wouldn't get this as the first foray into Wagner's RING (I still think Solti or Levine are the choices for that). But for someone who already has some familiarity with the work, this will provide a lifetime's enjoyment. Cudos to Chandos for resurrecting these recordings!

The Goodall Ring - 1975 - Restored and Remastered.......2001-06-08

I have been curious about this for years. When I saw the packaging, I wondered whether this was the same Ring that has been kicking around for a couple of decades from the Sadler's Wells performances of the mid-70s. News flash: It's the same. However, the box says that it's been re-mastered with something called 24-bit digital mastering. Since I never heard the old records, I have no idea if this is better. Judged on its own, the sound is terrific. This live recording really places the listener in the theater with clarity and authentic spaciousness. So often, a live recording will capture the audience up close, then the orchestra, then the singers, cataloguing every throat being cleared and every bow being tapped. Somewhere in the distance, the singers voices follow their heavy tread over the stage. Not here. There is an intimacy to the sound here that approximates sitting in about the tenth row back in a large hall. It doesn't sound like the opera's being played in your room; it sounds as though your room has been transformed into a medium sized theater. I found it uncanny.

As to the experience of the drama in English, that too is remarkable, at least for someone like me whose home-tongue is English. The drama takes on an immediacy that I have never experienced before. This factor alone is why you should explore this Ring. I can't overemphasize the impact on me that this recording had on me because it was in English and because it was well-acted. Surely this is what Wagner meant, at least dramaturgically (obviously allowing that you can't actually see the action).

Overall, the singing is competent, and in some places, it's excellent. None of the cast really stands out musically. Norman Bailey's wobbly Wotan could have certainly benefitted from a deeper, richer tone. Still, and perhaps more importantly, he creates a god who is clearly unsure of where the moral highground is, even when he's standing on "an open space on a mountain summit." Everyone, for that matter, is dramatically convincing, especially Emile Belcourt (Loge) and Derek Hammond-Stroud (Alberich) and Robert Lloyd (Fasolt), all of whom, by the way, have excellent diction. And speaking of diction, I almost could have done without the libretto when the men were singing. Not so with the women, whose diction was uniformly wanting.

Goodall's pace is notoriously glacial. Still, it's interesting to hear it parsed in this way, and I never had the feeling that I was going to fall off the world. Which is to say that the tempos were deliberate, not affected. This was definitely a labor of love for RG and the English National Opera. The orchestra is a little thin sounding, and perhaps, not entirely up to the score. Occasionally a horn mis-blew and a cello creaked. This is unavoidable in live performances, I suppose. Still, there is a surprising sense of smallness to the ensemble, even though there's never a moment when the balance between singers and players is lost. As a result, the overall effect is a balance of clarity and urgency that is clearly the upside of Goodall's idiosyncratic "vision" of the score. Not a huge or "erotic" sound, but always committed, intelligent, and sometimes impassioned.

For all of its flaws, this is an astonishing and, for me, an indispensible recording because it made me listen to this opera with new ears. While it's not the most lyrically pleasing recording (Karajan) or musically authoritative (that would be Solti, IMHO), dramatically, this Rhinegold excells any recording I know of. I will definitely buy the rest of the set.

Don't Die with Your Eyes Closed
Average customer rating:

Mid 90s hardcore at its best

Don't Die with Your Eyes Closed
Endeavor
Manufacturer: Trustkill Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000JRLQ
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

Wanna Play Cards
Fire Drill
More Milk Please
Paul
Famous Potatoes
Mother Of God
Refuge
Room Service Butterflies
Dry
Rowdy Roddy Piper's Pot Pie
Loft
Kill Me First
Balance Of The Rungs
Immunity
Nothing More
Luke Perry And The Sweatlodge
Expose
Of Equality
Just Words
Dry
Hellbound
Insight
Regulator

Customer Reviews:

Mid 90s hardcore at its best.......2003-12-24

If you ever had the pleasure of seeing these guys, the cd is a great reminder of what once was. Fast catchy metal influenced hardcore.

Customer Reviews:

great, great!!!.......2006-12-05

This is the way ,I think, Purcell should sound. No pomp and surcomstance but only great music.

ALL THE MUSIC YOU EVER NEED!!.......2003-05-23

This boxed set is by far one of the best purchases I have ever made. As a Purcell freak, this hits every button I have. The cast of characters include the inequitable Robert King, New College Choir, Bowman, and a host of other venerable persons. Likewise the attention to period performance of these works makes it an essential addition to the library of any serious anglophile/Musicologist etc. Now if only the Britten Realizations of all Purcell's songs could be recorded alongside the originals! You will Love this set!

Purcell: Harmonia Sacra / McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort and Players

Average customer rating:

Purcell: Harmonia Sacra / McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort and Players
Henry Purcell , Johann Heinrich Schmelzer , Paul McCreesh , Gabrieli Consort and Players , Timothy Roberts , Paula Chateauneuf , Susan Hemington Jones , Katherine Philips , Fred Jacobs , Tessa Bonner , Peter Harvey , John Patrick , Christopher Purves , Francis Quarles , and Simon Berridge
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Harmonia Sacra: 'Lord, What Is Man, Lost Man' (Z.192)
Harmonia Sacra: 'O Solitude' (Z.406)
Harmonia Sacra: 'In The Black, Dismal Dungeon Of Despair' (Z.190)
Harmonia Sacra: 'Lord, I Can Suffer Thy Rebukes' (Z.136)
Harmonia Sacra: Voluntary In G (Z.720)
Harmonia Sacra: 'In Guilty Night' (Z.134)
Harmonia Sacra: Voluntary In C (Z.717)
Harmonia Sacra: 'Plung'd In The Confines Of Despair' (Z.142)
Harmonia Sacra: 'Awake, Ye Dead' (Z.182)
Harmonia Sacra: 'The Earth Trembled' (Z.197)
Harmonia Sacra: 'My Op'ning Eyes Are Purg'd' (Z.D72)
Harmonia Sacra: 'With Sick And Famish'd Eyes' (Z.200)
Harmonia Sacra: Ground In C (Z.D221)
Harmonia Sacra: 'O, I'm Sick Of Life' (Z.140)
Harmonia Sacra: 'Close Thine Eyes' (Z.184)
Harmonia Sacra: Funeral Sentences (Z.27)

Amazon.com essential recording

This is one of the finest Purcell discs around, but it isn't one of the most cheerful. It's an anthology of pieces for one to four voices with continuo on spiritual themes--pieces such as "With sick and famish'd eyes," "The earth trembled," "In the black, dismal dungeon of despair," and the famous "O solitude." It really is top-notch Purcell, with much better texts than he usually had to work with, and it's performed to Paul McCreesh's usual high standard, but Baroque-for-Brunch it is not. The highlights are the deeply comforting meditation "Close thine eyes and sleep secure," and the riveting "In guilty night," effectively an eight-minute chamber opera enacting Saul's visit to the Witch of Endor, with a sensational performance by Charles Daniels as Saul. --Matthew Westphal

Average customer rating:

Rock-A-Bye Your Baby...

Fairy Dreams: Magical Lullabies

Manufacturer: Big Blue Dog
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Lullabies | Children's Music | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Fairy Dreams: Moonlight Lullabies
American Lullaby
Traditional Lullabies
On a Starry Night
The Celtic Lullaby

ASIN: B00005YIM1
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Tracks:

Winter Light
Hush, Little Baby
I Bid You Goodnight
Dream A Beautiful Dream
All The World Is Sleeping
Go Away, Little Fairies
Lullaby
Irish Lullaby
Moon And Me
There, There, Hush Awhile
Hush-A-Bye
Sleep, Baby, Sleep

Customer Reviews:

Rock-A-Bye Your Baby..........2003-10-30

Too beautiful for words(but I'll give it my best shot), "Fairy Dreams - Magical Lullabies" is a soft, and soothing mix of traditonal folk lullabies, with a special added touch of warmth by Linda Ronstadt. It is music that will lull anybody into a beautiful state of relaxation, and would be a beautiful bonding experience for any parent and child. Just sit back in that rocker, hold your child in your lap and let this album work it's magical spell on you.

Opening with the instumental "Winter Light", Ronstadt's mesmerizing collaboration with esteemed composer Zbigniew Preisner("Three Colors Trilogy/The Decalogue"),you are already transfixed.New and wonderfullly sweet renditions of "Hush Little Baby","Moon and Me","All The World Is Sleeping","Dream a Beautiful Dream" and "Sleep Baby Sleep" are just a few of the songs that will stay with you for sometime afterwards.(See buying info for a complete list of songs, where you may also listen to some samples).You may even stay up and listen again long after the little ones are fast asleep.

This sweet collection of lullabies would be a welcome and unique gift for any new parents,children, or baby-sitting grandparents. One that will give hours of pleasure to all who listen to it.You may even fall in love with it even if there are no wee ones about.I did!

The CD(Big Blue Dog Records) is an excellent quality and delivers beautiful sound(and not a bad price either).There are 12 tracks in all ranging in time from 1:19 to 4:23, most being over 3 minutes.

Tracks:

With the Exception of el Sol
It Seems the Day's Just Fine
Raze
Green With Yellow Specks
Hello...Spaceman?
Homo Sapien
Mr. Grumpy Face
Serbantez
Saw-Tooth Oak
Isaac

Customer Reviews:

I can hear you with my knuckles white.......2005-12-09

Matt's drums really distinguish this Calliope release. Eveything we've come to expect is in place -- evocative vocals, effervescent guitars -- but with the added punch of confident and fired-up percussion. Bundy K. Brown's (Tortoise) involvement doesn't hurt, either.

Displays Calliope's incredible range to great effect.

Average customer rating:

Mood(y) Music
I was blown away by the Mystic Upbeat sound "Of What May Be"
Seattle masters of atmosphere's first album a success

Ode to the Urchin
Creeping Myrtle
Manufacturer: Doldrum
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Experimental | Miscellaneous | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000IMDQ
Release Date: 1999-03-02

Tracks:

Acidophilus
Mab
Sunnyside
Ketura
Step in the Sun
A Good Mope
Valentine
Of What May Be
Flimsy
The Shy Reserve
The Nether Reaches of Florid Dandyism
Departure Never Leaves

Album Description

Music to snog and smoke to while wearing headphones in the dark, eyes closed, breathing deep the gathering gloom.

Customer Reviews:

Mood(y) Music.......2000-05-11

Ever had one of those days where it was rainy and bleak and you just wanted to sleep the world away? But you were kind of enjoying yourself--reveling in your own morose thoughts and self-pity? This is the soundtrack for that day! Randal Prater, the lead guitar player and poet laureate of Creeping Myrtle, is an excellent musician (check out the weird Gothic scream on Valentine, like a succubus' wail); and his writing is thoughtful, funny and more full of angst than Goethe's Sorrowful Young Werther. He's got a great woeful voice, and isn't afraid to let it crack with emotion, or whisper with introspective asides, or snarl in anger. I don't like comparing bands to other bands, but I get the same kind of pleasure out of this album that I did listening to Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil back in my college days. My favorite song on the album is Step In The Sun. (Go listen to the whole thing on www.doldrum.com.) It starts out very slow and slithery, then builds to a funky-maudlin jam session. The lyrics are haunting: "I'll make you sigh as we float down the stream/As we float down the stream/To the end of your dream." The song conjures the image of lovers floating down a river on their backs (like poor Ophelia in the painting by Delaroche), hand in hand, relentlessly pulled toward some mysterious end, but finding succor in each other's company. How many bands these days invoke apparitions like that? Sadly, they're few and far between. I want more from Creeping Myrtle; I can't wait to hear (and see) what they summon next.

I was blown away by the Mystic Upbeat sound "Of What May Be".......1999-04-30

I have followed Creeping Myrtle for some time now. I am really impressed with the way both their lyrics and sound has evolved. I really enjoy how original their music is. I really enjoy the entire album. But "Of What May Be" just mesmerizes me.

Seattle masters of atmosphere's first album a success.......1999-04-26

Having prided myself for years on the inability to predict the future, I find I must now humbly admit my accuracy from 1995 in forecasting the success of a band I knew only from a free tape snapped up at the last minute from the front counter in Orpheum, a record store in Seattle, Washington: Creeping Myrtle. At that time, I wrote, "Fans of our very own Jessamine, My Diva, and Sky Cries Mary can add Creeping Myrtle ... to their lists of local bands having little to do with grunge and everything to do with ecstasy." Anchored by the singing, guitar playing, tape manipulation--and insistent talent--of its front man, Randal Prater, the band has since then gone through a few personnel changes, managed to hang onto its name, and built logically on the promise of its E.P.s, _Corduroy_, _Peculiar_, and _Bead_ (soon to be collected on a CD called _Kindergarten_), to produce a full-length album worthy of a daring prediction. _Ode to the Urchin_, on Doldrum Records, 12 tracks long, with an accompanying Web site and little fear of MP3, represents both a culmination of its gentle, atmospheric (but electronics-shy) aesthetic and a new beginning for its concision, rhythmic experimentalism, and--dare I say--songwriting. Whereas before, the band seemed content to establish a mood and allow the songs to meander along a progression of luscious harmonies, now it shifts tempos, employs cadences, and inserts dissonant chords with the confident logic of a seasoned ensemble building on previous work. Prater's ethereal, echoing voice and metronomic strumming guides each song through its changes, as drummer-percussionist Gary Hunt and accompanist Peter Sawtell provide gentle meter and ambiance. If you live in the Northwest and want the perfect soundtrack to rainy afternoons at the end of the millennium, or if you simply want to imagine living under such moody conditions, _Ode to the Urchin_ is the disc for you.