| 1. Je Me Souviens |
| 2. C'est La Vie |
| 3. Rendez-Vous A Paris |
| 4. Hey Gagarin |
| 5. Millions Of Stars |
| 6. Tout Est Bleu |
| 7. Love Love Love |
| 8. Bells |
| 9. Miss Moon |
| 10. Give Me A Sign |
| 11. Gloria Lonely Boy |
| 12. Silhouette |
Editorial Reviews
2000 release from the European electronic music community's premier ambassador. 12 tracks including the single 'C'est La Vie'. Standard jewel case.
Metamorphoses,Jean Michel Jarre,Sony International,Adult Alternative,Club/Dance,Ethnic Fusion,New Age,Progressive Electronic
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György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet
Gyorgy Ligeti , David Alberman , Irvine Arditti , Garth Knox , Rohan deSaram , and Arditti String Quartet Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000029OY Release Date: 1997-01-21 |
Tracks:
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Allegro Grazioso
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Vivace, Capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Adagio, Mesto
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Presto
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Andante Tranquillo
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Tempo Di Valse, Moderato, Con Eleganza, Un Poco Capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Allegretto, Un Poco Gioviale
- String Quartet No. 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Prestissimo
- String Quartet No. 2: Allegro Nervoso
- String Quartet No. 2: Sostenuto, Molto Calmo
- String Quartet No. 2: Come Un Meccanismo Di Precisione
- String Quartet No. 2: Presto Furioso, Brutale, Tumultuoso
- String Quartet No. 2: Allegro Con Delicatezza
- Hommage A Hilding Rosenberg
- Balada Si Joc: Balada Andante
- Balada Si Joc: Allegro Vivace
- Andante And Allegretto: Andante Cantabile
- Andante And Allegretto: Allegretto Poco Capriccioso
Amazon.com essential recording
This is a fine collection of moving, muscular performances by this seminal postwar composer. Surely the best known of the works on this disc is the Second String Quartet, one of the masterpieces of 20th-century music--although you might not know it's a masterpiece until the heartbreaking last movement. But the First String Quartet, written before Ligeti emigrated from Hungary to the West, is fascinating: it shows Ligeti working through the influence of Bartók, particularly Bartók's Third and Fourth Quartets--music Ligeti knew only silently, from the score, since performances of Bartók's music were banned by the Hungarian communist regime. This excellent recording provides a complete overview of Ligeti's compositional career through the medium of string chamber music, from homages to Bartók to the achievement of Ligeti's own groundbreaking style. --Joshua CodyCustomer Reviews:
Important, but not as interesting as the vocal works........2006-08-30
To me, the average amateur 'classical music' consumer, it is interesting, imaginative, and certainly 'new' when compared to 19th and early 20th century music, but it just doesn't seem to have the same cachet as the vocal works. While I would sooner listen to Ligeti's vocal works than most other modern music, I actually prefer Bartok, Berg, and Schoenberg for their instrumental works.
I agree with the top reviewer that the String Quartet No. 2 is the hit of the disk, but it doesn't blow me away in the same way that 'Lux Aeterna' does. That may be just the '2001' factor at work, but there you have it.
Still excellent and still evocative of other modernists, not the least of whom is Frank Zappa.
Not really my style..........2006-08-23
I bought the CD but I am returning it. Ligeti is very talented but his music (to me) is only tolerable in short bursts. I couldn't see myself listening to the whole CD time and again.
String works, includes his must-have glorious Second Quartet.......2004-12-07
String Quartet No. 1 ("Metamorphoses nocturnes") was written between 1953 and 1954, as the composer was struggling to express himself creatively in Stalinist Hungary. The work shows clear inspiration from Bartok's third and fourth quartets, which Ligeti knew only from their score as they had been suppressed. Similarly, Ligeti had no hope his own work would be performed, and it was written essentially "for his desk drawer". Ironically, when Ligeti submitted the piece to a Western competition, it was deemed too traditional for recognition. This first string quartet is a study in the juxtaposition of unlike sections; under a thin verneer of normality, the music is heterogenous. I think this is a fine work, and it is one of the composer's few pre-emigration pieces that do not sound like juvenalia in comparison with his later works.
String Quartet No. 2 (1968) was composed long after Ligeti's move to the West and so is entirely avant-garde, linked with the techniques of his other works of the 1960's. Ligeti was quite proud of this piece, claiming it as his favourite of his works of the time, and feeling that he had made a permanent contribution to the string quartet tradition. The work is indeed a part of his micropolyphonic style of the 1960's, but there is a great deal more here. It is a twitching, paranoid, nervous, neurotic piece with a grimy, constantly shifting texture, like the soundtrack to a Kafka story. It really must be heard to be believed, and this second quartet is the high point of this disc.
"Hommage a Hilding Rosenburg" for violin and cello (1982) is a short birthday greeting to that Swedish composer. It is the least important work on the disc and is really nothing more than something of a fanfare.
"Balada si joc" for two violins (Romanian "Ballad and dance", 1950) is a short string duet inspired by Ligeti's time spent in Romania collecting folk music during his music studies. The result uses no actual folk material, but is an authentic imitation of the music Ligeti encountered both in his boyhood and in his return to Transylvania at this later time. When it was later expanded to use an orchestra, it became the first two movements of his "Concert Romanesc" (found on "The Ligeti Project II"). The string duet, however, manages to create with but two instruments nearly the same moving passion as the later orchestration. The following "Andante and Allegretto" for string quartet (1950) is another early work, again inspired by folk music. It is not as successful as "Balada si joc", indeed even forgettable.
While there are other recordings of these works available, such as the recent recordings reissued in Deutsche Grammaphon's "Echo 20/21" series, this performance by the Arditti Quartet can certainly be seen as definitive. It takes a lot of talent to please Ligeti, one of the most demanding composers, especially in a crushingly difficult work like the second string quartet.
While I think "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 3: Piano Works" or "The Ligeti Project IV" are better places to begin on this series of Ligeti's collected works, this set of string works should be one of the first Ligeti works you buy, especially for the String Quartet No. 2.
Great Recordings of Modern String Quartets.......2004-08-07
The recording of the 2nd quartet is, as usual with the Arditti Quartet, phenomenal, but what makes this recording is their production of his 1st quartet. The performance is very clean and precise, yet still very musical. Most impressive of all, Arditti stays true to Ligeti's tempi, including the blistering tempo of the end!
As an added bonus, there are two very delightful duets for violins, which are very tonal and based on Hungarian folk tunes (these were written as part of graduation from the Budapest Academy of Music).
you must listen to Ligeti........2004-03-06
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Metamorphoses
Jean Michel Jarre Manufacturer: Dreyfus ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00020HASI Release Date: 2004-05-25 |
Tracks:
- Je Me Souviens (w/ Laurie Anderson)
- C'est La Vie (w/ Natacha Atlas)
- Rendez-vous A Paris (w/ Sharon Corr of The Corrs)
- Hey Gagarin
- Millions Of Stars
- Tout Est Bleu
- Love Love Love
- Bells
- Miss Moon (w/ Dierdre Dubois of Ekova)
- Give Me A Sign
- Gloria, Lonely Boy
- Silhouette
Album Description
"Metamorphoses" is Jarre's musical statement for the new millennium. It infuses kinetic grooves with global voices, world rhythms and staccato samples with Jarre's inimitable synthesizer sounds. An instant classic.The ecstatic voice of worldbeat songbird Natacha Atlas cries out to the heavens on "C'est La Vie." Her impassioned, over the top performance, with a hint of humor, contrasts against the cool, disembodied delivery of Laurie Anderson, who reprises her role of digital diva from "Zoolook." This is Jarre at his most playful, and sublime, using singers as musical instruments, playing with phonemes and fragments. He skillfully integrates conventional instruments into his mix, using the violin of The Corrs' Sharon Corr as a Celtic oasis within the mechanized menace of "Rendez-vous Á Paris." Tracks like "Miss Moon," featuring the chameleon voice of Diedre Dubois, the American singer in the French band, Ekova, are updated variations on the kind of epic works we've come to expect from Jarre, but with an edgier, modern electronic vibe.
Customer Reviews:
Jarre strikes again!.......2006-11-07
Masterpiece !.......2005-09-29
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Oboe Obsession
Manufacturer: Delos Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004TKHF Release Date: 2000-05-30 |
Tracks:
- Oboe
Customer Reviews:
A very pleasing eclectic selection.......2003-01-08
Saint-Saens is a composer who was almost always "on", and the Oboe Sonata is no exception. Though written at the end of his life (along with the Clarinet Sonata), it could just have easily come 30 years earlier. It's a very nice late romantic piece, if not quite as tuneful as the Clarinet one.
The Poulenc sonata is a very lovely piece of French post-impressionism, akin to his choral music really. The Britten piece is typical Britten -- hovering around "modern" sound without quite going there.
The Schumann Three romances are also typical of the composer -- nice but not overly memorable. Still it's a pleasing piece. Now the W. F. Bach piece was a surprise -- the flute and oboe get equal treatment here, and as with the Schumann it's very pleasing.
The final piece is the only one that may dissuade someone from picking this CD up -- the Obsession for Oboe and Piano is quite "modern", though luckily it's still a very interesting piece. A clear show of virtuosity, it has energy and vigor, and is certainly one of the better examples of this style that I've heard.
So, I can safely recommend this. Even if you don't like Obsession, it IS at the end. This CD is a good buy for anyone who likes solo wind music, especially if you don't have a recording of the Saint-Saens.
Wide Ranging Oboe Repertoire.......2001-10-31
I have reviewed oboe pieces from these composers, and found Vogel's performance to be quite worthy of five stars.
However, the pieces by Britten and Shinohara are new for me and outstanding! These are flowing and satiny with a high gloss finish which is very delightful to the ears with the melodic, romantic sound that is so unique and pleasing to oboe lovers such as this reviewer. Vogel and his accompanists are to be commended for producing such a high-quality, wide ranging disc of one of the truly great soloist instruments.
Lovely recital with a possible exception at the end.......2000-06-16
Never having heard any of these before, I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed, liquid playing of the first, second, third, and fourth selections. The Britten piece took some careful listening, being of a more intellectual nature so to speak, and was even more rewarding. My tastes being what they are, I did not like the last piece very much, finding it noisy and grating; and I was glad it came at the end of the CD and could easily be avoided on future playings. Naturally many of you might find this 1961 selection the best of the lot. The liner notes are terse and helpful.
Oboe repertoire brilliantly played.......2000-06-14
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Poulenc - Melodies / Ameling · Gedda · W. Parker · Sénéchal · Souzay · Baldwin
Francis Poulenc , Dalton Baldwin , Elly Ameling , Gérard Souzay , Nicolai Gedda , Michel Sénéchal , and William Parker Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002S31 Release Date: 1992-01-23 |
Tracks:
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: I - Le Dromadaire
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: II - La Chevre Du Tibet
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: III - La Sauterelle
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: IV - Le Dauphin
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: V - L'ecrevisse
- LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: VI - La Carpe
- COCARDES: I - Miel De Narbonne
- COCARDES: II - Bonne D'enfant
- COCARDES: III - Enfant De Troupe
- 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: I - Attributs
- 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: II - Le Tombeau
- 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: III - Ballet
- 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: IV - Je N'ai Plus Les Os
- 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: V - A Son Page
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: I - La Maitresse Volage
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: II - Chanson A Boire
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: III - Madrigal
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: IV - Invocation Aux Parques
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: V - Couplets Bachiques
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VI - L'offrande
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VII - La Belle Jeunesse
- CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VIII - Serenade
- AIRS CHANTES: I - Air Romantique
- AIRS CHANTES: II - Air Champetre
- AIRS CHANTES: III - Air Grave
- AIRS CHANTES: IV - Air Vif
- Epitaphe
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: I - Le Present
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: II - Chanson
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: III - Hier
- 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - L'anguille
- 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Carte Postale
- 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: III - Avant Le Cinema
- 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: IV - 1904
- 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: I - Chanson Bretonne
- 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: II - Cimetiere
- 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: III - La Petite Servante
- 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: IV - Berceuse
- 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: V - Souric Et Mouric
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: I - La Couronne
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: II - Le Depart
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: III - Les Gars Polonais
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: IV - Le Dernier Mazour
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: V - L'adieu
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VI - Le Drapeau Blanc
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VII - La Vistule
- 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VIII - Le Lac
Tracks:
- 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: I - Peut - Il Se Reposer?
- 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: II - Il La Prend Dans Ses Bras
- 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: III - Plume D'eau Claire
- 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: IV - Rodeuse Au Front De Verre
- 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: V - Amoureuses
- A Sa Guitare
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: I - Bonne Journee
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: II - Une Ruine Coquille Vide
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: III - Le Front Comme Un Drapeau Perdu
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IV - Une Roulotte Couverte En Tuiles
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: V - A Toutes Brides
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VI - Une Herbe Pauvre
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VII - Je N'ai Envie Que De T'aimer
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VIII - Figure De Force Brulante Et Farouche
- TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IX - Nous Avons Fait La Nuit
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: I - Le Garcon De Liege
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: II - Au-Dela
- 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: III - Aux Officiers De La Garde Blanche
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Dans Le Jardin D'anna
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Allons Plus Vite
- MIROIRS BRULANTS: I - Tu Vois Le Feu Du Soir
- MIROIRS BRULANTS: II - Je Nommerai Ton Front
- Le Portrait
- La Grenouillere
- Priez Pour Paix
- Ce Doux Petit Visage
- Bleuet
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: I - La Dame D'andre
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: II - Dans L'herbe
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: III - Il Vole
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: IV - Mon Cadavre Est Doux Comme Un Gant
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: V - Violon
- FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: VI - Fleurs
Tracks:
- BANALITES: I - Chanson D'orkenise
- BANALITES: II - Hotel
- BANALITES: III - Fagnes De Wallonie
- BANALITES: IV - Voyage A Paris
- BANALITES: V - Sanglots
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: I - Chanson Du Clair Tamis
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: II - Les Gars Qui Vont A La Fete
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: III - C'est Le Joli Printemps
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: IV - Le Mendiant
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: V - Chanson De La Fille Frivole
- CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: VI - Le Retour Du Sergent
- METAMORPHOSES: I - Reine Des Mouettes
- METAMORPHOSES: II - C'est Ainsi Que Tu Es
- METAMORPHOSES: III - Paganini
- 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: I - C
- 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: II - Fetes Galantes
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Montparnasse
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Hyde Park
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Le Pont
- 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Un Poeme
- Paul Et Virginie
- Mais Mourir
- Hymne
- 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: I - L'enfant Muet
- 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: II - Adelina A La Promenade
- 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: III - Chanson A L'oranger Sec
- Le Disparu
- Main Dominee Par Le Coeur
- CALLIGRAMMES: I - L'espionne
- CALLIGRAMMES: II - Mutation
- CALLIGRAMMES: III - Vers Le Sud
- CALLIGRAMMES: IV - Il Pleut
- CALLIGRAMMES: V - La Grace Exilee
- CALLIGRAMMES: VI - Aussi Bien Que Les Cigales
- CALLIGRAMMES: VII - Voyage
Tracks:
- Mazurka
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: I - Rayon Des Yeux...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: II - Le Matin Les Branches Attisent...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: III - Tout Disparut...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: IV - Dans Les Tenebres Du Jardin...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: V - Unis La Fraicheur Et Le Feu...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VI - Homme Au Sourire Tendre...
- LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VII - La Grande Riviere Qui VA...
- PARISIANA: Le Joueur De Bugle
- PARISIANA: Vous N'ecrivez Plus?
- Rosemonde
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: I - Pablo Picasso
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: II - Marc Chagall
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: III - Georges Braque
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: IV - Juan Gris
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: V - Paul Klee
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VI - Joan Miro
- LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VII - Jacques Villon
- La Souris
- Nuage
- Dernier Poeme
- Une Chanson De Porcelaine
- LA COURTE PAILLE: I - Le Sommeil
- LA COURTE PAILLE: II - Quelle Aventure!
- LA COURTE PAILLE: III - La Reine De Coeur
- LA COURTE PAILLE: IV - Ba, Be, Bi, Bo, Bu
- LA COURTE PAILLE: V - Les Anges Musiciens
- LA COURTE PAILLE: VI - Le Carafon
- LA COURTE PAILLE: VII - Lune D'avril
- Toreador
- 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: I - La Tragique Histoire Du Petit Rene
- 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: II - Nous Voulons Une Petite Soeur
- 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: III - Le Petit Garcon Trop Bien Portant
- 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: IV - Monsieur Sans-Souci
- Fancy
- Colloque
Customer Reviews:
Essential for the chansom junkie. Buy It........2006-10-25
I am happy that all four discs run for more than 60 minutes. No cheap short changing here. If you don't want to spring for the large set, the Hyperion release is great, but this is worth every penny.
Almost completely wonderful.......2005-04-29
Indisputable Gallic flair.......2004-06-06
Idiomatic, fresh, cleanly recorded.......2001-05-12
the best songs ever ruined by uneven performing.......2001-05-05
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David Daniels - Serenade
Christoph Willibald Gluck , Antonio Caldara , Antonio Cesti , Franz Schubert , Ludwig van Beethoven , Antonio Lotti , Charles Gounod , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Francis Poulenc , Henry Purcell , David Daniels , and Martin Katz Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004SRG1 Release Date: 2000-06-06 |
Tracks:
- Adelaide Op.46
- Der Tod Und Das Madchen D531
- Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen D774
- Nacht Und Traume D827
- Adelaide D95
- Selve Amiche, Ombrose Piante
- O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
- Intorno All'idol Mio
- Pur Dicesti, O Bocca Bella
- L'Absent
- Ou Voulez-Vous Aller?
- Absence
- Ser
- Orpheus With His Lute
- Linden Lea
- Hands, Eyes And Heart
- C'est Ainsi Que Tu Es FP 121 (Metamorphoses No.2)
- Priez Pour Paix FP 95
- La Belle Jeunesse FP 42 (Chansons Gaillardes No.7)
- Sweeter Than Roses
- I'll Sail Upon The Dog Star
- Evening Hymn
Amazon.com's Best of 2000
It's a truism by now that countertenors have made a notable comeback in our time, but David Daniels--Amazon.com's Opera & Vocal Artist of 2000--isn't about to rest on his laurels. As if his recent successes weren't enough to set him apart, on this recital album Daniels forays beyond the countertenor's stereotypical domain of the baroque to interpret lieder of Beethoven and Schubert, as well as French mélodies and Vaughan Williams. A stunningly beautiful disc. --Thomas MayCustomer Reviews:
a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-05-30
Outstandingly beautiful- a great legend in our time.......2005-06-22
The choice of songs/arias is itself brilliant and Mr. Daniels' technique needs high praise. As a very minor observation, his diction, though good, doesn't come across as completely idiomatic. This is a VERY minor issue though. The pianist, Martin Katz is very responsive to the style of singing. Mr. Daniels' ability to sustain a phrase with grace and beauty is matched by Mr. Katz's sensitive touch and timing.
In parting, I recommend the ethereal experience of `Orpheus with his lute' (my favourite). The words, a Shakespearean sonnet, are of a straightforward beauty and the melody is from another realm but the singing? Mr. Daniels vocal control and phrasing are exquisite and his tone is sublime. Close your eyes and listen to this one quiet evening. "In sweet music is such art, killing care and grief of heart. Fall asleep, or hearing die." A lute and a song- a simple combination; yet profoundly moving beyond the raging elements. Thank you David.
Follow the Leider...For He Is David Daniels.......2004-08-18
The result is a seamless recital, and the disc flows like an unfolding dream starting with Beethoven's enchanting "Adelaide". Schubert's "Naucht and Traume" highlights the purity of his tone and is as perfectly performed as any of his most moving opera arias. The Gounod pieces, especially "L'Absent" and the title track, have a sonorous quality that feel very much like lullabies, the sole exception being the lively "Ou voulez-vous aller?". Poulenc's "La belle Jeunesse" continues along this vein, a whirling dervish of a number referred in the accompanying booklet as an "invitation to debauchery". But these tracks are more the exception as Daniels achieves a lovely sense of vocal beatitude throughout.
The standout tracks have to be the three beautiful and somewhat more contemporary-sounding Vaughan Williams songs capped off by "Hands, eyes and heart", short and poignant, it is my favorite moment on this recording. The Renaissance-era Purcell selections provide the appropriate ending though, in particular, "Evening Hymn" sparked by the growing melismas on the hallelujahs. Whether he exhibits an astounding vibrato or the purest of tones, the man knows how to use his incredibly flexible voice and apply it intelligently to each song. Martin Katz accompanies with great precision and completely recognizes the individual style each song requires. It makes for a perfect pairing between singer and piano. This is a recording to treasure.
Countertenors: They're not just for Baroque Anymore!.......2004-03-23
But get this wonderful disc! Daniels talent is well-served by this varied program.. he goes beyond Handel to sing Beethoven, Gounoud, Vaughan-Williams.
Don't just buy this for the novelty of countertenor singing: the singing would be 5 star had any mezzo (Bartoli, van Otter) sung with this sensitivity. It's superb in every regard.
Beyond Gimmick.......2002-08-01
Daniels sings this music as if it was inteneded for the countertenor. His sensitivity to the intimate marriage of text and music is phenomenal and his tone is always light and lyrical. I prefer this to many overblown sopranos that I've heard. Daniels weaves a spell that few singers of any voice type can match.
The Gounod is particularly beautiful. I had not been familiar with Gounod's art song before, and I've been missing something. L'Absent brought tears to my eyes just as the best Melodie of Duparc or Faure. And he sings Schubert as if he was born to it.
If you think you are sick of run of the mill vocal recitals, get this CD. The fresh voice and sheer artistry will astound you!
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Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Earl Wild ~ The Art of the Transcription
Christoph Willibald Gluck , Jean-Philippe Rameau , Johann Sebastian Bach , Richard Wagner , Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , Fritz Kreisler , Felix Mendelssohn , Gioachino Rossini , Fryderyk Chopin , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Adolf Schulz-Evler , Mily Balakirev , Henri Herz , Sigismond Thalberg , Leopold Godowsky , and Earl Wild Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000IIYU Release Date: 1999-04-13 |
Tracks:
- Melodie d'Orphee
- Rigaudon
- Elegie
- Tambourin
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
- Isoldens Tod
- The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee
- Liebesleid
- A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo
- Grande Fantaisie On 'Semiramide'
- Chants polonais: My Joys
- Chants polonais: Spring
- Chants polonais: The Maiden's Wish
- Swan Lake: Pas de quatre
Tracks:
- Arabesques On 'An der sch, blauen Donau'
- Fantasy On 'A Life For The Tsar'
- La Cenerentola: Variations On 'Non pita'
- Fantasy On 'Don Pasquale', Op.67
- Symphonic Metamorphosis On 'Krleben'
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 7 The Man I Love
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 1 I Got Rhythm
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 4 Embraceable You
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 6 Fascinatin' Rhythm
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 5 Somebody Loves Me
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 3 Liza
- 7 Virtuoso Etudes: 2 Oh, Lady Be Good
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining.......2007-01-23
Earl Wild has an interesting pedigree in pianistic terms, having studied (if only briefly) with one of Liszt's many pupils. Technically he is often excellent, but some pieces seem to fall more easily under his fingers than others. For example, on another CD he makes rather a meal of Liszt's Grande Galope Chromatique but on this CD he plays superbly the fiendishly difficult Rachmaninoff arrangement of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream Scherzo - a piece which never lets up in its demand for a deft touch, accuracy and speed. Whatismore, the Scherzo is recorded live, so no editing and barely a single wrong note or misplaced phrase. Bear in mind that Rachmaninoff himself is reputed to have had three takes at it before ending up with a recording he was satisfied with! Overall I don't think Wild has the same order of technical ability as Horowitz, Rachmaninoff, Rubinstein, Barere or Cziffra but he does demonstrate the vital ability to make certain pieces sound "right" in his hands. This certainly doesn't manifest itself in everything he plays, but more in the pieces where he seems to feel at home.
He has obviously put a lot of thought and work into some of these recordings and I would single out the Schubert-Tausig March, Rigaudon, the Midsummer Night's Dream Scherzo, his Gershwin and Tschaikovsky transcriptions and the Blue Danube arabesques as particularly charming and well-performed. I doubt anyone could play his beautiful Embraceable You transcription as well as him. The 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody is also good - solidly played and with plenty of gypsy spirit, and he doesn't pull the piece about all over the place like most pianists do. And the Bumblebee isn't bad either. Also excellent is Gluck's Melodie d'Orphee. He plays this beautifully with exquisitely judged balance and tone. It's a shame some of the other pieces aren't quite as good - Isolde's Liebestod is off target, unfortunately.
I think Earl Wild was one of the great transcribers and it's a shame he didn't write a lot more transcriptions because each one is a beautiful addition to the piano literature. His short and sweet transcription of the Pas de Quatre from Swan Lake (which he plays on this CD) is a total masterpiece. He also dared to play entertaining pieces and to indulge in showmanship, and why not? Why should a concert be a dry lecture? Yes, he is one of the great pianists but not because he had a unique sound or technique - more because he was a great and daring performer and because he made a contribution to piano literature for which the world ought to be grateful.
Riveting.......2000-07-03
A true romantic........2000-06-21
Redemption of the Transcription.......2000-02-24
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Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses; Concert Music for Strings and Brass; Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin - Suite
Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0005EZW9U Release Date: 2005-01-11 |
Tracks:
- I. Allegro
- II. Turandot, Scherzo (Moderate - Lively)
- III. Andantino
- IV. March
- I. Massig Schnell, Mit Kraft - Sehr Breit, Aber Stets Fliessend
- II. Lebhaft - Langsam - Im Ersten Zeitmass (Lebhaft)
- The Miraculous Mandarin - Suite, Op.19
Customer Reviews:
On the Subject of Hindemith..........2005-07-10
Ormandy's conducting proclivity for favoring the big string sound keeps this 'Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber' somewhat grounded. The playing is superb if a bit thick in sound. But the performance of Bartok's 'Miraculous Mandarin Suite' was one of the best of its time.
This is a solid recording, perhaps not up to the sonic standards of today, but at the budget price it deserves to gain a place in the libraires of all music lovers of 2oth Century music. Grady Harp, July 05
Excellent!.......2005-06-17
The Miraculous Mandarin Suite is also very well done, the clarinet solo is fantastic.
Brilliant Budget Buy.......2005-05-02
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John Mack, Oboe Mozart: Quartet, K.370/Loeffler: Deux Rhapsodies/Paladilhe: Solo De Concert/Britten: Six Metamorphoses
Manufacturer: Crystal Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003J3H Release Date: 1993-06-25 |
Tracks:
- Quartet In F, For Oboe & Strings, K. 370: Allegro
- Quartet In F, For Oboe & Strings, K. 370: Adagio
- Quartet In F, For Oboe & Strings, K. 370: Rondeau: Allegro
- Deux Rhapsodies for Oboe, Viola, & Piano: L'Etang
- Deux Rhapsodies for Oboe, Viola, & Piano: La Cornemuse
- Solo de Concert
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Pan
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Phaeton
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Niobe
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Bacchus
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Narcissus
- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid: Arethusa
Customer Reviews:
Great Music -- So-so Sound Quality.......2004-12-01
There is a tremendous amount of surface noise from the original tape machine (or perhaps a turntable if this was transferred from vinyl). In addition, there is an intermittent flapping noise that seems to be an exaggeration of the sound of keys being quickly pressed and released. But it's the surface noise that spoils it for me.
John Mack is awesome.......2002-10-31
Discover the Loeffler.......2001-03-19
Mack is the Man.......2000-12-10
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Strauss: Metamorphosen/Tod und Verklarung (Metamorphoses/Death and Transfiguration)
Strauss , Berliner Philharmoniker , and Herbert Von Karajan Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000E2OB Release Date: 1983-11-01 |
Tracks:
- Metamorphoses
- Death And Transfiguration, Op.24
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Stunning.......2006-12-02
In the CD liner, it says that Strauss wrote Metamorphosen in response to the near total destruction of the city of Dresden during WWII, including many of its concert halls in which Strauss premiered many of his works. Scored for 23 strings, the music is profoundly emotional, simultaneously beautiful and tragic. The CD liner article also describes Strauss's string writing from a purely technical standpoint as "masterly in the extreme" and I could not have described it better myself. It is easily my favorite thing by Strauss, a much finer piece of music than even his more famous Also Sprach Zarathustra, IMHO.
Karajan was perhaps the finest interpreter of Strauss who has ever yet lived, and he pretty much owns this work. The Berlin Philharmonic responds superbly with string playing of the utmost refinement and power. The Tod und Verklärung is also magnificent and shares the same qualities as the Metamorphosen, but the disc is well worth the cost just for the Metamorphosen. The sound is good early digital, not quite as fine as the best modern digital, but more than adequate in conveying the performances. This CD is a little spendy but it is well worth every penny. Buy it from an Amazon Marketplace seller for cheaper if you have to, but whatever you do, just buy it!
Very Famous Strauss Metamophosen plus Death and Transfiguration.......2006-11-08
That Karajan Gold disc has much better sound in Death and Transfiguration than the CD you are looking at here. Please if you want to hear Karajan's greatest Death and Transfiguration, ( yes this one from the 1980's ), go buy that Karajan Gold disc with it's great sound. However, the Metamorphosen on this CD, to the best of my knowledge, has never been remastered, it's always been available here. The sound is fine, early digital, there is no glassiness or digital edge but there is also an overriding smoothness in texture. I know that this is primarily a Karajan attribute and not just the recording's fault but if DG ever decides to remaster this Metamophosen, they are really going to have a winner on their hands. Basically the sound is a bit too soft-grained for my liking.
The performance itself is masterful, in a category of it's own, this Metamorphosen is Karajan's greatest and the only competition I have ever found for it is Furtwangler's recording from 1947. Furtwangler is faster than Karajan but Karajan compensates with just as much emotion and utterly stunning string virtuosity which has never been surpassed. Get Furtwangler and Karajan, you won't regret it, they are the pinnacle in the recorded history of this Strauss masterpiece. Karajan's Death and Transfiguration is magnificient too, possibly the best ever, just do yourself a favor and get it on the remastered Karajan Gold CD if you want to hear Karajan's interpretation given full justice by great engineering.
Transcendent Strauss from Karajan, in excellent sound.......2006-03-03
These recordings date from 1983 and come in excellent digital sound without bite or edginess in the upper registers. I think Metamorphosen, inspired by Strauss's grief over the destruction of beloved oepra houses in Munich and Dresden by Allied bombing, is spiritually deeper than Death and Transfiguration, which has more than a touch of sentimental hokum. But Karajan raises them both to the same level through his integrity and astonishing technique. In all, this is one of his transcendent Strauss CDs, a composer whose music Karajan had mastered completely.
Spiritual Music Of The Highet Order .......2005-12-02
Excellent throughout except a minor "droput" in 2nd track.......2004-09-05
Everything about this CD is great - performances, sound, (very clear, balanced, transparent, with realistic depth, playing is great - it's BPO strings, after all)... except one minor issue that I have: in Death & Transfiguration, about 23:01 there is kind of few seconds' "cracking" i.e. small noise that sounds as kind of dropuout in digital domain. Shame, since quality of this digital recording is otherwise excellent throughout. Did anyone else notice this, or perhaps it's just my sample of disk?
However, do not hesitate to order this CD if You like great string playing and orchestration, rich passionate harmonies and ever-changing subtle melodies.
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Après un rêve
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002DETC Release Date: 2000-01-11 |
Tracks:
- Apres un reve
- Tristesse
- Au bord de l'eau
- Les Berceaux
- Adieux de l'hse arabe
- Deux Mdies haes: 1. Kaddish
- Deux Mdies haes: 2. L'Enigme eternelle
- Deux Mdies haes: Las, vers l'ise
- Deux Mdies haes: Vocalise-etude en forme de habanera
- Elegie
- Beau Soir
- Serenade
- Cantique 'use
- Le Temps des lilas
- L'Heure exquise
- Soupir
- Chanson triste
- Extase
- Violon
- C'est ainsi que tu es, Paganini
- La Reine de coeur
- 'C'
- Les chemins de l'amour
Customer Reviews:
French Songs Transcribed for Cello; Result is Magical.......2000-08-14
Both performers are natural story tellers, and Maisky, with an almost uniquely seductive vibrato, unhurriedly describes the French romantic soul. If a phrase is to be caressed, he caresses it. It if needs to soar, he gives it exactly what it needs. And the pianissimos! His tone sometimes just seems to come out of nowhere, and the endings often promise never to end.
Being a cellist myself, I have to say that this masterpiece both inspires and teaches. It has been said that great art leaves one changed. This CD does that, and it deserves a place in every classical music collection.
Meditation Music:
- Modern Guitar vol.4 'An Evening with Guitarist Denis Taaffe
- Morning Java
- New Age Sound Environment: Music to Suite Your Moods
- One Day In the Savanna
- Our Secret
- Outback [Import]
- Outside the Circle of Fire
- Paint the Forest Winter
- Passages: Shadows and Light
- Pathways
Meditation Music
Ultimate Summer Dance Album [Import]
Brahms concerto n2 for piano and orchestra, Op.83 in B Flat major / Eight piano pieces, Op.76
Dave: Original Soundtrack Album [Soundtrack]
Championship Wrestling [Import]
China: Meditations of the Orient
Bryn Terfel - Schumann: Liederkreis Op. 39, Romanzen & Balladen