Slow World

Scott Judd, Heartsong Review
This is a perfect ambient album . . .

Product Description
Slow World is the second album of deep relaxation music by Liquid Mind, the name used by Los Angeles composer & songwriter Chuck Wild for his series of very slow stress relief music albums. My Liquid Mind albums seem to have an immediate "slowing down" effect onlisteners, and may help people get to sleep, or to calm down after a tension-filled day. uninterrupted relaxation, the ideal companion for those working long hours at computers terminals who suffer from the effects of stress. The music of Liquid Mind is great music to massage to, great music to create to, great music to go to sleep by, great music for those intimate moments with one you love. This functional and peaceful album is also used by parents to quiet hyperactive children, and to assist themselves in going back to sleep in the middle of a difficult night.

Slow World

Slow World,Liquid Mind,Chuck Wild Records,New Age / Meditation,Pop

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Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD) The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD) Study of Orchestration, Third Edition What to Listen for in Music ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra needs a guitar player! Persuaders Theme! A Variety Of Classics! Incredible Barry Collection " one of cinema's greatest composers...John Barry"

John Barry: The Collection Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Soundtracks | Box Sets | Stores | Music General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Music of John Williams: 40 Years of Film Music Beyondness of Things Jerry Goldsmith: 40 Years of Film Music The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection Eternal Echoes ASIN: B00005BADD Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

1. Zulu
2. From Russia With Love
3. From Russia With Love - 007
4. Goldfinger
5. The Ipcress File
6. The Knack
7. Mister Moses
8. Thunderball
9. The Wrong Box
10. Born Free
11. The Quiller Memorandum
12. You Only Live Twice
13. The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair
14. Deadfall

Tracks:

1. The Lion In Winter
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Midnight Cowboy
5. Midnight Cowboy
6. The Appointment
7. The Last Valley
8. Walkabout
9. Monte Walsh
10. Diamonds Are Forever
11. The Persuaders
12. Mary Queen Of Scots
13. The Man With The Golden Gun
14. The Dove

Tracks:

1. The Tamarind Seed
2. King Kong
3. Eleanor And Franklin
4. Robin And Marian
5. The Deep
6. Hanover Street
7. The Black Hole
8. Moonraker
9. Somewhere In Time
10. Raise The Titanic
11. Body Heat
12. Frances
13. Octopussy
14. The Cotton Club

Tracks:

1. High Road To China
2. A View To A Kill
3. Out Of Africa
4. The Living Daylights
5. Dances With Wolves
6. Dances With Wolves
7. Chaplin
8. Moviola
9. Indecent Proposal
10. The Specialist
11. The Scarlet Letter
12. Cry The Beloved Country
13. Mercury Rising
14. The James Bond Theme

Customer Reviews:

The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra needs a guitar player!.......2006-11-09

Granted, they only need it for one composition (the last one, "The James Bond Theme") but still, without the guitar it's just not the same. Barry didn't compose this one so I suppose it was a bonus and I shouldn't complain, really. The rest of the music on all the CDs is fantastic. Some of the stuff I had heard before without realizing who had composed it. Very enjoyable, to say the least.

Persuaders Theme!.......2006-03-02

Buy it for the Persuaders theme, probably the best TV theme song ever written.

A Variety Of Classics!.......2005-12-06

John Barry has been composing film scores for over forty years and this is only scratching the surface of his productions. Never mind that the entire set is recorded by the Prague Philharmonic; it's pure to Barry's themes. While John Williams compositions ("Star Wars", etc.) are wild and flamboyant and Jerry Goldsmith's (Hoosier's, etc.) are mood pieces, John Barry crosses over all barriers and is amazingly diverse. Barry has recorded most of the exciting James Bond themes, melodramatic classics like "The Lion In Winter' and moody theme hits like "Midnight Cowboy". He also tugs at the heartstrings with compositions from, "Somewhere In Time", "Frances" and "Out Of Africa". He varies his themes for all types of films and few composers capture it so well.

There is over four hours of music in this set with a colorful and informative booklet.

Incredible Barry Collection.......2004-03-11

Any fan of movies will absolutley love this collection. Being a movie buff I couldn't wait to get this boxed set. Knowing Barry from all the James Bond movies, I did not realize his involvement with so many others. The orchestra is magnificent in all these themes. I'm listening to "High Road to China" right now and I'm drifting in the clouds in a Tiger Moth with Tom Selleck and Bess Armstrong. If you are familiar with a movie it will definitely have you seeing it again, if not the scores are still beautiful. Any fan of classical music will be pleased as well. Travellers will defintitely enjoy it for a long drive. I know from when I use to travel that music like this made the miles float by faster. I highly recommend these four CDs even if you just know a handful of the songs.

" one of cinema's greatest composers...John Barry".......2001-07-06

This collection of four compact discs...are worth their weight in GOLD! Barry creates visual moods for each film he scores...romantic, sentimental, action, adventure, suspense and mystery...the list could go on. Strings, brass and lush-velvet arrangements overlay each cue in his distinctive style of legendary scoring...we have ~ "John Barry:The Collection", Silva Screen's release traces 40 years of film music, featuring "The City Of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra" ~ conducted by Mr. Nic Raine (outstanding)..."Crouch End Festival Chorus" ~ David Temple, Choir Master...perform 56 selections, over four hours of symphonic suites with a full orchestra sound...all individually wrapped-up into one neat package...just the way "film-score-buffs" like 'em!

Must ask the following to take a bow ~ James Fitzpatrick (compilation producer), always in their pitching, Reynold da Silva (executive producer), Nic Raine (conductor, arranger, orchestrator & associate producer), a tremen!dous asset to every project he undertakes...and the man who made it all possible...a legendary icon always leading the way in film scoring ~ JOHN BARRY!

Total Time: 258:76 on 56 Tracks ~ SSD-1128 ~ (2001)

You might try other albums from Silva Screen, all worthy of a good listen ~ "The Essential James Bond" (SSD-1034)..."Bond:Back In Action" (SSD-1100)..."Bond:Back In Action 2" (SSD-1119)..."Zulu" (SSD-1095)..."Raise The Titanic" (SSD-1102)..."Walkabout" (SSD-1120)...check out my reviews on amazon.com/music.

Average customer rating: Slow World by Liquid Mind Really good stuff Bradycardia Decompression for everyone Great for Massage

Slow World Liquid Mind Manufacturer: Real Music / Chuck Wild Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ambience Minimus Liquid Mind VI: Spirit Liquid Mind IV : Unity Liquid Mind III: Balance Liquid Mind V:Serenity ASIN: B000002XYJ Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

1. Mirror Veil (16:54)
2. Blue Seven (12:40)
3. Slow World (29:04)

Album Description

Slow World is the second album of deep relaxation music by Liquid Mind, the name used by Los Angeles composer & songwriter Chuck Wild for his series of very slow stress relief music albums. My Liquid Mind albums seem to have an immediate "slowing down" effect onlisteners, and may help people get to sleep, or to calm down after a tension-filled day. uninterrupted relaxation, the ideal companion for those working long hours at computers terminals who suffer from the effects of stress. The music of Liquid Mind is great music to massage to, great music to create to, great music to go to sleep by, great music for those intimate moments with one you love. This functional and peaceful album is also used by parents to quiet hyperactive children, and to assist themselves in going back to sleep in the middle of a difficult night.

Customer Reviews:

Slow World by Liquid Mind.......2007-05-13

This is an excellent music CD for deep relaxation, massage, acupuncture treatments, yoga, meditation, or getting the baby to sleep. It maintains a consistent "zoney" quality from beginning to end with no tempo change, no surprises. The instrument is a synthesized keyboard and the chord progressions take long gradual steps up and down. That's it.

Really good stuff.......2007-05-08

I use this CD to put yself to sleep at night, after a horrible day. Never fails to relax me, and put my mind at rest. Thanks, Chuck!

Bradycardia.......2006-11-22

A follow up to Liquid Mind #1; Ambience Minimus (which is a wonderful CD). Slow World follows the same tonal layered formula of #1, but is benign and energyless. It's linear evolution is similar, but it's field of space is shallow. Leaving the listener bored. I agree with "spotlight reviewer" Mr. King. It will put you to sleep. But thats not what good ambient music is intended for. The intent of a good slow book is not to put you to sleep, but rather to give you something to dwell upon. Ambient music also gives you a field allowing your consciousness to wander.

Decompression for everyone.......2006-03-03

This is a very helpful CD for those of us prone to stress, and those who aren't. The only drawback is I wish it were longer.

Great for Massage.......2005-11-03

I have many many CD's which I play while I do massage. I have never had so many people comment on a particular CD as I have this one. It's very calming, and seems to put people more deeply into a relaxed state. There is far less talking by my more talkative clients when this CD plays.

Average customer rating: Nagyszeru!! (Excellent!) The Real Deal Re-living the past

Bartók Album Manufacturer: Hannibal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Klezmer | Folk | Styles | Music Hungary | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music Gypsy | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Maramaros: The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania Morning Star Csardas Hungarian Gypsy Music The Best of Marta Sebestyen: Voice of "The English Patient" Music from Hungary ASIN: B00000JZ15 Release Date: 1999-09-21

Tracks:

1. Dunantuli Friss Csardasok
2. Jocul Barbatesc
3. Violin Duo No.32, 'Dance Of Maramaros'
4. Maramaros Dances
5. On The River Bank
6. Swineherds' Dance
7. Dunantuli Ugrosok
8. Shepherd's Flute Song
9. Forgacskuit Lads' Dance
10. My Horse's Shoe
11. Violin Duo No.28, 'Sorrow'
12. Bonchida: Slow Lads' Dance
13. Magyarbecei Oreges Csardasok
14. Pe Loc
15. Bota Dance
16. Torontal Dances
17. Ardeleana
18. Vioiln Duo No.44, 'Transylvanian Dance'
19. Fuzes: Lads' Dance
20. The Churchyard Gate
21. Kalotaszeg Dances
22. I Left My Homeland

Amazon.com

Hungarian composers were among the world's most diligent in using folk resources to inform their classical compositions, and no composer was more involved in his nation's folk music than Bela Bartók. His recording expeditions into the Hungarian countryside in the early years of the 20th century preserved a musical heritage that might have otherwise been lost. While his main interest was finding inspiration for radical new music, his recordings lived on to inspire generations of modern folk revivalists. This album is a tribute to Bartók's work. The songs he recorded are born anew in the strings of Muzsikás and singer Márta Sebestyén. They play and sing these old songs in a traditional style but never fail to stamp a strong personal mark on the material. In addition to Muzsikás's own renditions, the CD includes a few special tracks of the original Bartók recordings that let you hear the old style of playing and singing in the purest form. There are also a few Bartók compositions, performed by Muzsikás fiddler Mihaly Sipos and Romanian classical violinist Alexander Balanescu. The old recordings and the Bartók works add a unique perspective to the folk songs, offering us a timeline from the oldest sources to the most modern interpretations. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

Nagyszeru!! (Excellent!).......2003-04-05

An absolutely stellar recording! It simply doesn't get any better than this in terms of musicianship, vocals, performance quality or ethnomusicological value.

A sort of concept album, Muzsikas and Marta Sebestyen perform some serious musical detective work in The Bartok Album, juxtaposing original phonograph field recordings from a century ago by Bartok himself alongside excerpts from his works which clearly reflect these folkloric influences. Finally, we are treated with Muzsikas' own renditions of these classic folk pieces, executed with the perfect mix of flawless technique and earthy exuberance, not to mention the magnificent haunting vocals of Sebestyen.

Particularly intriguing are the swineherd and shepherd songs, among the most ancient styles in the Carpathian Basin. The long flute on the Shepherd's Flute Song, beautifully played by Zoltan Juhasz, has an ethereal otherworldly quality and contrasts most favourably with the spirited ugros dances that precede it. The carefully chosen clips from Bartok's musical archives clearly show the link between his field recordings and subsequent compositions, such that the listener gets an idea of just how influential folkloric elements were in Bartok's work. Fascinating for anyone with even a casual interest in Bartok, ethnomusicology, or the unique musical styles found in Transdanubia and Transylvania, or just for anyone who needs a frenetic folk-dancing workout.

All in all, an absolutely top-notch album in every sense of the word, and highly recommended to any fan of great music!

The Real Deal.......2002-06-28

One day, in adventurous mood and tired of RAWK, I decided it was time to investigate Gypsy fiddle music and stumbled onto this CD (who says you can't judge a CD by the cover art?). It became my happiest discovery in years. There's nothing hokey about the performance of these re-worked folk tunes; the album is passionate and exhuberant and visceral, and the violin work often soars into the stratosphere.

I've seen other reviewers express disappointment that the ensemble didn't perform/arrange the work in the fashion Bartok himself would have, ie, classical mode, but that would have diluted the whole point: the people who performed the songs for the Bartok's microphone (clips of the original field recordings Bartok made are presented inbetween the modern renditions) didn't make music for upper-crust performance halls and Sony Classical, they played it in the intimacy of their everyday lives and communities. By presenting the songs in this context, the album reminds us of a time and place when popular music had real communal value not measured in units sold.

Re-living the past.......2000-06-20

This newest Muzsikas album includes 4 excelent elements:

- Bela Bartok's genius for documenting folk melodies

- Muzsikas orchestra whish reproduces traditional music with passion

- guest star Marta Sebastian, passionate voice to reveale sadness from Transilvania

- and last but not least - Alexander Balanescu, precious performer and great experimentator.

I was lucky enough to see the concert in Budapest. May 2000, where many songs from "The Bartok Album" were introduced. On the recording it is possible to hear only the echo of the stomping dance that gives the rythm to the music, and you can only imagine antiend and rude instruments that, played together with virtuose violine, compose timeless tunes that Bartok saved from extintion.

Still, the advantage that CD has over the live performance are recordings from the museum archives, valuable historical docuemntation of traditional music from Hungary and Romania, as well as very well equiped booklet with descritions and translations of many songs.

Highly recomended album, that offers diverse types of joy - to listen, to read and to dance along :-)

Average customer rating: All Music Guide Excellent Value Worth Every Penny From the label: Mediocre and scatter-shot collection of songs

Slow Music for Fast Times Various Artists Manufacturer: Hearts of Space ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Compilations | New Age | Styles | Music Healing | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Space Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Compounds + Elements: An Introduction to All Saints Records Structures from Silence In the Garden of Souls Distance A Posteriori ASIN: B00005A8A8 Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

1. Rainstreet - Braheny & Clark
2. Realm Of Refraction (Edited Version) - Steve Roach
3. Flame And Circle - Tim Story
4. Children - David Darling
5. Long Ago - Hoppe/Tillman/Wheater
6. La Buddha - Thomas Baroque
7. Gopinatha - Rasa
8. Big Brain Small Brain - Bruce Kaphan
9. Selene - Mychael Danna
10. Sky 1 - Mychael Danna
11. Sabana - Michael Stearns
12. Into The Vast - Coyote Oldman
13. Cobalt - Oystein Sevag
14. 4 a.m. - John Boswell
15. Lake Isle Of Innisfree - Bill Douglas

Tracks:

1. Alleluia, Behold The Bridegroom - St. Petersburg Chamber Choir/Nikolai Korniev
2. String Chorale, December 1994 - David Darling
3. The Lamentation Of Turlough O'Carolan - John Doan
4. Oasis - Paul Sauvanet
5. Sagrada Familia - Robert Rich
6. Coils - Robert Rich
7. Moghul Lace - Al Gromer Khan
8. Boot And Paisley - Khan & Taschner
9. Mumtaz - Al Gromer Khan
10. Sirena - Robert Rich/Alid Die
11. Crystal Canyon - Michael Stearns
12. La Luna - Robert Rich/Steve Roach

Product Description

Disc 1:
1. Rainstreet - Kevin Braheny/Tim Clark
2. Realm Of Refraction - Steve Roach
3. Flame And Circle - Tim Story
4. Children - David Darling
5. Long Ago - Hoppe/Tillman/Wheather
6. La Buddha - Thomas Barquee
7. Gopinatha - Rasa
8. Big Brain Small Brain - Bruce Kaplan
9. Selene - Mychael Danna
10. Sky 1 - Mychael Danna
11. Sabana - Michael Stearns
12. Into The Vast - Coyote Oldman
13. Cobalt - Oystein Sevag
14. 4 A.M. - John Boswell
15. Lake Isle Of Innisfree - Bill Douglas

Disc 2:
1. Alleluia, Behold The Bridegroom - St Petersberg Chamber Choir
2. String Chorale, December 1994 - David Darling
3. Lamentation Of Turlough O'Carolan, The - John Doan
4. Oasis - Paul Sauvanet
5. Sagrada Familia - Robert Rich
6. Coils - Robert Rich
7. Moghul Lace - Al Gromer Khan
8. Boot And Paisley - Khan/Taschner
9. Mumtaz - Al Gromer Khan
10. Sirena - Robert Rich/Alio Die
11. Crystal Canyon - Michael Stearns
12. La Luna - Robert Rich/Steve Roach

Format: CD

Amazon.com

This double compilation CD from pioneering New Age label Hearts of Space is the perfect soundtrack for an escape from the pressure cooker of a frenetic world. With featured artists such as Mychael Danna, Robert Rich, Coyote Oldman, Rasa, Bill Douglas, Steve Roach, and Al Gromer Khan, Slow Music for Fast Times is a paradise of ambient, atmospheric music, ranging from the introspective to the dynamic. The music has been sequenced in the format of the popular Hearts of Space radio program, heard on public radio stations nationwide since 1983. Overall, this effect makes for an easy, effortless listen, as the selections blend into each other gracefully. Included in this collection are time-honored favorites, such as John Doan's beautiful acoustic rendering of "The Lamentation of Turlough O'Carolan," Paul Sauvanet's exotic "Oasis," and recent releases such as Tim Story's "Flame and Circle," and David Darling's "Children." What separates Slow Music for Fast Times from other New Age compilations is the merit of the music and artists represented, all of them innovators in their respective fields. This is a unique treasure of a compilation CD, a musical expedition into a many-layered forest of fascinating mystery. --Leslie R. Marini

Customer Reviews:

All Music Guide.......2006-12-18

"Slow Music for Fast Times is exactly that. Taken from the NPR program 'Hearts of Space,' it calls itself a 'long drink from an oasis.' It certainly has a soothing, contemplative feel to it. The music is slow and nicely varied, ranging from choral pieces ('Choral Masterworks: Alleluia') to chanting ('La Buddha') to a guitar-based sound ('The Lamentation of Turlough O'Carolan'). David Darling's 'Children' is one of the most outstanding pieces in the project. It is particularly affecting, with a haunting, bittersweet sound to it. John Boswell's '4 a.m' is another outstanding piece; it's evocative and moody, somehow capturing exactly what 4 a.m. sounds like. Bill Douglas' 'Lake Isle of Innisfree' has an a cappella opening and a woodsy, open feel to it. Slow Music for Fast Times is background music; quiet and atmospheric, it's music to read, relax, or go to sleep to."--by Melinda Hill

Excellent Value.......2001-08-15

After reading other reviews, I decided to judge for myself. Indeed, this is an excellent value and a fine compilation. Anyone who has enjoyed the weekly Hearts of Space programs will find these 2 CDs thoroughly engaging. While there is a very broad range of music included, it's obvious that the various artists were thoughtfully selected. HOS fans and others will appreciate this addition to their collections.

Worth Every Penny.......2001-07-20

It's not very often you come across A CD in which you like almost if not everything on it. This is a rare exception. What is especially attractive about this is that it is a compilation of various artists so that your not stuck in one particular style. I find it good for relaxing,meditating or anytime you feel the need to be at ease.

From the label:.......2001-06-29

It is not, and was not intended, as an 'introduction to what HOS is doing now.' In fact no other compilation on the label has ever drawn from such a wide range of material spanning most of its history, which was appropriate to the very broad theme of 'slow music.'

Finally, it is not true that there is no new material here. Specifically, it includes two tracks by the esteemed cellist David Darling that will not be released until late August 2001, and a beautiful new choral track by Bill Douglas that was not out at the time this compilation was released.

But the most important reason SLOW MUSIC FOR FAST TIMES should be of interest to buyers is the value proposition built into it, which is a DOUBLE album with over 140 minutes of high quality, carefully selected and sequenced (the opposite of "scattershot") material for the price of SINGLE CD. We think it represents an excellent value and stand behind the quality of both the compilation and each and every piece included.

websites offers 30 second samples of every piece, and I urge prospective buyers to judge for themselves rather than believing a highly biased 'reviewer.'

Stephen Hill, Producer :: Hearts of Space

Mediocre and scatter-shot collection of songs.......2001-06-02

This appears to be an attempt by the label to make some extra money by culling cuts from their catalog, pure and simple. The songs on this CD are neither well-suited to the stated theme (just because a song is "slow" doesn't make it relaxing; it depends on the melodic structure and emotional content, as well) nor are they even the best songs from the individual artist's CDs. Since many fans of the HOS label probably have many of these CDs already and since there is no new material here, this album is for completists or naive newbies only. As an introduction to what HOS is doing now, it's fine. It's unfocused and contains both good and average music. But if you want a good compilation of relaxing and/or ambient music, there are much better choices out there, e.g. Dreams and Shadows on the Spotted Peccary label.

Average customer rating: a voice teacher and early music fan What you would expect from Kings Lovely til the end. Vintage King's! King's College Choir Proves Its Mastery Again

Music For Holy Week Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Gibbons, Orlando | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lassus | Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso) | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sheppard | Sheppard, John | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Taverner | Taverner, John | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Miserere Passiontide at St. Paul's (A sequence of music for Lent, Passiontide and Easter) Images of Christ Great Choral Classics from King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge The Psalms of David from Kings Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, Vol. 1 ASIN: B000002S5K Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

1. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Incipit lamentatio
2. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Aleph
3. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Beth
4. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: De lamentatione
5. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Ghimel
6. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Daleth
7. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Heth
8. O nata lux
9. Salvator mundi
10. If Ye Love Me
11. Cruicifixus
12. There Is A Green Hill Far Away
13. O vos omnes
14. Nolo mortem peccatoris
15. Tristis est anima mea
16. Crux fidelis
17. Videte omnes populi
18. Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
19. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
20. Dum transisset Sabbatum I
21. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
22. This Joyful Eastertide
23. Haec dies
24. Let All The World In Every Corner Sing!

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-15

Perfection in delivery and hauntingly beautiful tone quality mark this performance of some glorious holy week music. The Choir of King's College is made up of approximately 30 members, 16 are the young boy choristers and 14 are the undergraduates, who are referred to as Scholars. This particular disc shows 2 different recording times:The Tallis selections comprising the first half of the record were recorded in 1981; the second half (of varied composers )was recorded in 1977. So we cannot be sure that all the personnel were the same, not that it really matters, because it is all so very excellent. HOwever, I think that the Tallis half sounds like only the Scholars were singing, because there are no boy sopranos, as in the 2nd half. Be that as it may, I'll comment on just a few of the works that I particularly enjoyed.
ALL OF THE TALLIS: "The Lamentations of Jeremiah" are usually transmitted as a single piece in most contemporary manuscripts, but they are really two separate compositions in different modes. Tallis and his contemporary John Sheppard were the only 2 English composers of the time to compose hymn settings of any quality. It has been suggested that they had it in mind to compose a cycle of settings for Mary Tudor's chapel. "O Nata lux" may belong to this Marian set. It is almost entirely homophonic, and relies rhetorically upon a flexible declamatory style. " Salvator Mundi" is one of Tallis's best-known motets. The masterly treatment of imitative writing is combined with a fine sense of structure and balance, achieved through repetition, to give a sense of large-scale design, a feature characteristic of Tallis's best large-scale compositions. And the most beautiful anthem on the disc: Tallis's "If Ye Love Me".
So much wonderful music, exquisitely sung; a delcious Easter treat!
I would like to mention to any Michael Chance fans who read this, he is definitely singing on this recording. In the first half it is very obvious, but I do think he is also on the 2nd half. He would have been with King's at this time. Just some trivia for those who are interested.

What you would expect from Kings.......2005-03-23

This is a good recording--you wouldn't expect anything else from this choir. They just sing really well. Diction, tone, everything. Just great performance.

I disagree, as I usually do with Kings, with some of the repertoire selected. The Tallis Lamentations at the beginnning are sung well, but, quite honestly, I usually skip them because they're boring and I want to listen to a variety of pieces on the recording. The Lotti and Sheppard are also disastrous, not because of the performance, just because, in my opinion, they are disastrous as music anyway.

The hymns are probably the best music on this recording. They exemplify the true passion of the season. The other motets (besides the Lamentations) by Tallis are excellent. Leighton's "Let all the world", while I hate singing it, is an effective way to close the recording.

Overall, a good addition to your music library, but not a necessary one.

Lovely til the end........2004-03-13

The music on this cd brings home the beauty of the loftiest, most beautiful cathedrals of Europe, and is fitting of the subject matter therein: the death and resurection of Christ. The only thing I have to complain about is the last selection. TERRIBLE! Forgive me, but I tried to listen to it with open mind and open heart... but everytime, the word terrible came to mind. I would try to keep my twitching fingers away from the skip buttom; but again, every time, I found my arm going straight for it. The last selection sounds like a horrible, tragicly corny and rediculous church-circus joke. The rest of the cd is gorgious. I'm just not into that new-age sound-- or whatever it's supposed to be. Did I mention that the last selection on this cd is repulsive? If I didn't, well, let me say that it stinks!!! Buy the cd anyway, and do like I do and skip the last selection... unless of course you have found a way to tollerate it.

Vintage King's!.......2001-10-30

Superb ensemble singing from simply one of the finest choirs in the world. Philip Ledger's tenure at king's was relatively short but he produced a sublime sound from the choir. Then are many jewels on this disc from Lotti's 'Crucifixus' to the simply beautiful interpretation of Orlando Gibbon's 'Drop, drop slow tears'
Highly recommended.

King's College Choir Proves Its Mastery Again.......2001-03-20

I have been extremely hungry to hear English Tudor composers lately and came across this CD. Since it contained works by Tallis, Morley, Gibbons, Taverner and Sheppard, was sung by my favorite choir, and was very reasonably priced, I figured I had nothing to lose. Everything else on the disc was frosting on the cake.

I am especially delighted with the attention to program on this CD. From following Tallis's lavishly dense "Lamentations" with his thrillingly sparse "O Nata Lux" (full of tasty cross relations), to following Taverner's "Dum transisset Sabbatum I" with the well known Easter hymn, "Jesus Christ is risen today," careful attention is given to pacing and contrast over the generous 73 min 18 sec of the recording.

If I were to select two items worthy of special note, I'd point you to Lotti's "Crucifixus" and Kenneth Leighton's "Let all the world in every corner sing." The first is certainly the most exquisite use of dissonance I've ever heard in a Baroque choral work. Burney records in his 1770 diaries that the Italian choir brought him to tears when it nailed the entries on dissonant suspensions, and this recording shows you exactly what he was talking about. In the context of this program, Leighton's anthem is also a thrilling piece of work. Though decidedly modern, it uses modern organ and choral writing to the service of the text. Never do I pull back and think, "Is this weirdness for weirdness' sake?" -- as I do when listening to the works of many moderns, and Gesualdo, for that matter. It is a thrilling ride on the crest of a wave of sound that brings the entire program of King's College Choir's "Music for Holy Week" to an exhilarating conclusion. (I don't know any other work by him. Surely this isn't unique in his catalog.)

Average customer rating: Now it's possible to get your Partch all in a row

The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 1 Manufacturer: New World Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 2 The Harry Partch Collection Volume 3 The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 4 Genesis of a Music: An Account of a Creative Work, Its Roots and Its Fulfillments (Da Capo Paperback) Harry Partch: Enclosure 7 ASIN: B0002WZTKC Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

1. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
2. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
3. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
4. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
5. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
6. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
7. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
8. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
9. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
10. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
11. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
12. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Castor & Pollux---A Dance for the Twin Rhythms of Gemini
13. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Castor & Pollux---A Dance for the Twin Rhythms of Gemini
14. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
15. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
16. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
17. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
18. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
19. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
20. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
21. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
22. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
23. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
24. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
25. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
26. Ulysses at the Edge (1955)

Album Description

This newly remastered reissue marks a welcome return to the catalog of the first volume of the classic 4-CD collection that was formerly available on the CRI label. The works recorded on this disc span the first six years of what Harry Partch (1901-1974), slightly tongue-in-cheek, called the "third period" of his creative life. They show him moving away from the obsession with "the intrinsic music of spoken words" that had characterized his earlier output (the vocal works of 1930-33 and 1941-45) and towards an instrumental idiom, predominantly percussive in nature. This path was to take him through the "music-dance drama" King Oedipus (1951)—-the culmination of his "spoken word" manner—to the "dance satire" The Bewitched (1954-55), in which his new percussive idiom manifests itself. The three works on this disc show Partch before, during, and after this period of transition. In their quiet, forlorn way, the Eleven Intrusions are among the most compelling and beautiful of Partch's works. The individual pieces were composed at various times between August 1949 and December 1950, and only later gathered together as a cycle. Nonetheless they form a unified whole, with a nucleus of eight songs framed by two instrumental preludes and an essentially instrumental postlude. Although foreshadowed by the dance sequences of King Oedipus, the Plectra and Percussion Dances (1952) are the first of Partch's major works to be wholly instrumental in conception. They stand in relation to Oedipus as a satyr play in relation to a Greek tragedy—hence the work's subtitle, "Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theater." He felt that after the prolonged period of composition and production of Oedipus it was "almost a necessity to give vent to feelings and ideas, whims and caprices, even nonsense, that seem to have no place in tragedy." The final work on this disc is Ulysses at the Edge, written at Partch's studio at Gate 5 in July 1955. Ulysses, which Partch describes as a "minor adventure in rhythm," is unique among his mature compositions in that, in its original form, it did not call for any of his own instruments. The version recorded here, for alto and baritone saxophones, Diamond Marimba, Boo, Cloud-Chamber Bowls, and speaking voice, is considered the third version of the piece.

Customer Reviews:

Now it's possible to get your Partch all in a row.......2006-02-20

Harry Partch is the quintissential mad genius of music--his image of music that was non-Eurocentric led to him devising his own tonal scale based on ancient Greek and Asian methods and then creating his own instruments. This series release of Partch music lets one organize his Partch tastes and get a real sense of his progress through time. This disc is superb for the Intrusions, ghostly little pieces that were my first introduction to this fine composer. I would also highly recommend volume 3, which has Barstow, one of my favorite Partch pieces.

Be prepared. This is classical music you have not been prepared for. If you're already a fan of Partch, aren't you glad SOMEONE is getting all his amazing stuff together in one tightly knit package?

Average customer rating: An antidote to Pop Christmas Music A refreshing change. Decent in moderation... This CD contains some rare gems! Mining an American heritage

American Christmas Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: Sing We Noel A Renaissance Christmas / Cohen, Boston Camerata A Mediterranean Christmas A Baroque Christmas English Medieval Christmas ASIN: B000000SM1 Release Date: 1993-09-07

Tracks:

1. I. Prepare The Way: Watchman Of Zion
2. I. Prepare The Way: Kingsbridge
3. I. Prepare The Way: Bozrah
4. I. Prepare The Way: Baptismal Anthem
5. II. A Virgin Unspotted: A Christmas Hymn
6. II. A Virgin Unspotted: A Virgin Most Pure - A Virgin Unspotted
7. II. A Virgin Unspotted: Boston
8. III. Lo, The Bridegroom: The Heavenly Courtier
9. III. Lo, The Bridegroom: Pretty Home
10. III. Lo, The Bridegroom: The Midnight Cry
11. IV. I Wonder As I Wander: Wayfaring Stranger
12. IV. I Wonder As I Wander: Slow Traveller
13. IV. I Wonder As I Wander: I Wonder As I Wander
14. IV. I Wonder As I Wander: Lullay, Thou Tiny Little Child
15. V. Shepherds Rejoice: Lovely Vine
16. V. Shepherds Rejoice: Adeste Fideles
17. V. Shepherds Rejoice: Still Water
18. V. Shepherds Rejoice: While Shepherds Watched (Folksong)
19. V. Shepherds Rejoice: Sherburne
20. V. Shepherds Rejoice: Shepherds Rejoice
21. VI. Light Of The World: Fulfilment
22. VI. Light Of The World: Fulfilment
23. VI. Light Of The World: Hush My Babe, Lie Still And Slumber
24. VI. Light Of The World: Jesus The Light Of The World
25. VI. Light Of The World: Joy To The World

Customer Reviews:

An antidote to Pop Christmas Music.......2007-01-11

I happened to hear this in an mp3 newsgroup and immediately bought it for my folks and several other people. It is an incredible performance and unlike anything usually heard around Christmas . I listen to Classical music all day while working and yet I've never heard this before . Everyone who received it loved it.

A refreshing change........2006-11-25

While some tracks may be a bit tedious, there are some real gems here - enough to make you wonder why they remain mostly forgotten. The performaces are spectacular.

Decent in moderation..........2003-12-26

A note to non-early music fanatics (as, contrary to the Mr. Cohen's notes, this CD mainly attracts early music fans):

This album is decent provided you don't listen to the entire CD in one sitting. It is a nice break from the run-of-the-mill Christmas music, whether it be of the "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" or "Jingle Bell Rock" variety. However, the arrangements become tedious after a while. There are only so many open-fifths one can hear... Most people will find themselves gritting their teeth 2/3 through the disc. The non-early music fanatic would do well to listen to several tracks at a time.

The classical enthusiast will not be pleased with Mr. Cohen's notes as he tends to disdain most "classical" music as pompous, "stuff shirt" nonsense. He seems to believe that the music on this disc is FAR better than that of, say, Handel's Messiah, simply because it is the music of lower/middle class (18/19th Century) America. He laments the Europe's influence on American music; after all, we should not be following the horrible examples set by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, etc. Good four part writing, where--gasp--the tenor parts are not constantly following the sopranos?? And--Beautiful, full, varied instrumentation?! Counterpoint?!?! Hpmh!...what unmitigated gall! What sheer snobbery!

...Please don't misunderstand me. I respect both Mr. Cohen's expertise (his sentiment is a different matter) and this music, and I do agree that the music presented on "American Christmas" is an enjoyable break from "Santa Claus is comin' to town. And, yes, SOME of this music deserves more credit than it is given nowadays (it sure beats anything sung or written by Britney Spears...) But lets be realistic: Handel's Messiah this is not.

So, with that said, buy this CD... and remember, extreme moderation is the key to enjoying this album; if this sort of music was played as often as that oh-so-awful "music of reindeer," as Mr. Cohen puts it, you (provided that "you" are not an early music fanatic or Mr. Cohen) would find yourself desperately longing for the return of "Santa Claus is comin' to town."

This CD contains some rare gems!.......2003-08-16

There are many delightfully refreshing tracks on this CD. While I'm not a fan of soloists, there are many tracks with a chorus. Many of these selections have a real Civil War-era sound to them. I especially like track 18: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, done in the form of a round. I've become addicted to track 24. This is a CD for all seasons.

Mining an American heritage.......2003-01-07

The Boston Camerata is the foremost group dedicated to early music performance in the country ... This recording is one of my favorites, and it always gets heavy rotation around the holidays. The tunes are all American, taken from 18th and 19th-century sources, and definitely remind modern audiences of the religious heart of Christmas. Some of the tunes are familiar ('Joy To The World'), and some have unfamiliar texts ('The Watchman' and the evocative words sung to 'Adeste Fidelis'). Many of the tracks feature the beautiful harmonies of the shape-note traditions. The performances are, of course, stunning. Don't miss the terrific liner notes by Joel Cohen, calling Americans to reclaim our musical heritage from the classical and ethno-musicologists.

Average customer rating: imago Hauntingly Beautiful Fabulous Performance A unique, engaging musical experience Beautifiul, rare combination of violin and vocals

Imago Manufacturer: Melodia Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mystic Fiddler Song of Songs The Instrumentals Kol Nidre Variations Jewish Cello Masterpieces ASIN: B00006IJRH Release Date: 1997-03-12

Tracks:

1. Summer
2. Contigo
3. The Road To Hasedera
4. Imago
5. Night On Ontake Mountain
6. The Beauty Way
7. Isle Of Arran
8. Masquerade
9. Salvation
10. This Town
11. Give It To The Sea

Customer Reviews:

imago.......2003-08-29

Brilliant!,what a superb album ,this woman is just fantastic.her voice is as sensational as her music,Night on ontake mountain,Wow what a beautiful track,A beautiful album from a one very talented musician .I can highly recommend this to any lover of instrumental music,or anyone who enjoys a brilliant female vocalist too.

Hauntingly Beautiful.......2002-11-04

I bought this cd used hoping to get one or two tracks from it for a compilation I was trying to put together of mellow female musician/singers. What I didn't expect was to be so blown away by this virtually unknown sorceress of song. An amazingly pure,ethereal voice, combined with positively magical violin rifts, (an instrument I'm usually quite bored with), conspires to take you away to places you only find in dreams. I ended up using only two artists' music for this compilation, with about 8 incredible tracks from "IMAGO" and 8 tracks from another highly recommended artist, CAROLINE LAVELLE. I have gifted this compilation to a number of my friends, and they have all loved it! I'm very excited about hearing everything else she has done. I can't recommend this cd enough. You won't be disappointed.

Fabulous Performance.......2001-06-05

This CD is absolutely fabulous! The closest comparison I could make would be to Dido. However, Lorenza has greater depth in her voice. The musical backup is better with greater depth too. Some of the pieces are mostly instrumental.

A unique, engaging musical experience.......1998-09-20

Haunting violin, with gypsy, Middle Eastern, classical as well as modern influences. Lorenza Ponce has a beautiful voice, and the music just carries you away into faraway lands and dreams. I'm eagerly awaiting her next work!

Beautifiul, rare combination of violin and vocals.......1998-08-07

Lorenza plays a spine-tingling violin while singing with strength and beauty. Combine these performing talents with 11 terrific original compositions and you can't miss. The pace of the music reminds me of Keiko Matsui, mostly faster and upbeat, but with the occasional slower piece, more mysterious and thought provoking. The opening number, Summer, will give you a good idea of the whole CD. I bought Imago after only a minute or two at a listening station.

Average customer rating: Splendid relaxing CD Rhythm is way off. And the price is right, too. Bonfa and Jobim: what a double header! He's pretty good!

Brazilian Portrait Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Villa-Lobos, Heitor | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Villa-Lobos, Heitor | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Guitar | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 International | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Villa-Lobos: Complete Music for Solo Guitar Manhã de Carnaval Guitar Music from Cuba Spanish Guitar: Timeless Collection Guitar Music of Argentina ASIN: B0000013MV Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

1. Manha de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnaval)
2. Passelo no Rio (Walking in Rio)
3. Wave
4. Samba do Avial (Airplane Samba)
5. Sonha Iaia (Dreams of Iaia)
6. Seroes (a Modinha, slow and melancholy)
7. Batucada (African Dance)
8. Sonha de Magia (Dreams of Magic)
9. Po de Mico (Itching Powder)
10. Prelude 1
11. Prelude 2
12. Prelude 3
13. Prelude 4
14. Prelude 5
15. Chor No.1 Traditional (arr. by G. Garcia)
16. Como pode o Peixe (How can you live like the Fish)
17. Nesta Rua (In Our Street)
18. Samba Lele
19. Brazilliance
20. Retrato Brasileiro (Brazilian Portrait)
21. Deve ser Amor (It had to be Love)
22. Canto de Osanha
23. Xaranga do Vovo

Customer Reviews:

Splendid relaxing CD.......2005-01-31

I am not a guitarist, so I cannot really comment knowledgeably on Gerald Garcia's achievement here, but I feel I must add my voice to those who think this is a splendid CD: Naxos have always been good for a surprise, and I was surprised indeed to find them releasing music like this in 1988! The center of the disc, in more than one sense, is Heitor Villa-Lobos, with Garcia playing all five of his Preludes and his Choro No. 1 (which, due to a printing error on the cover, is accredited to Garcia himself as arranger, but that is not correct, he only arranged the following traditional melodies in the style of Savio). Around this center are arranged pieces by Bonfá, Jobim, Savio, Pernambuco, Almeida, Baden-Powell and Machado - all names that I had never heard of until I purchased this disc out of curiosity. The music is relaxing, only the Villa-Lobos is truly classical, and the sound (the recording was made at a studio in Heidelberg, Germany) is excellent, worthy of a full-price disc. To cap it all, there are Gerald Garcia's own notes giving plenty of background information. You can't go wrong here!

Rhythm is way off........2004-02-24

Great music (but not the jobim pieces). ---Like so many classical guitarists he obviously lacks rhythm- particularly on the *Jobim* pieces. if your releasing a cd of music from brazil and you are a classical guitarist from england you should have more understanding of the music. -However it is only seven bucks and there is some definite magic on this cd.~

And the price is right, too........2003-05-24

This is an exquisitely beautiful album that captures the very essence of Brazil.

Of all the solo guitar albums in my collection, this is the most expressive and poignant.

The performance is masterful, intricate and sensitive. There is a wide mastery of inflection and style.

Gerald Garcia is one of the true masters of solo guitar at any level much less Brazilian. (This album was recorded in 1988.)

So treat yourself to the best 72'46" of listening pleasure.

Bonfa and Jobim: what a double header!.......2001-06-07

I met the two of them in the past. I saw their shows and I bought their recordings. They never disappointed me, on the contrary: I always was amazed by their style and classy quality of sound. Now they return, together, to make us enjoy life in this way and mode: pleasantness in sound. If this would not suffice, there is a bonus, the performance of Gerald Garcia. Splendiferous! GF

He's pretty good!.......2000-07-04

This is a nice C.D. Fans of the Brasilian Classical guitar style will love it. Purists will probably have a lot of trouble with it. Gerald Garcia is from Canada originally (don't quote me on that though) - it seems there are still strong academic overtones in his playing. However, it's a great collection of Brasilian pieces which spans classical composers to Bossa nova and in between. What I like about this album is the fact that most pieces presented by Garcia are his own arrangements. It's truly a unique recording (which is rare in the classical guitar world). His greatest work is on the smaller, traditional Brasilian pieces. These are really charming rustic melodies which were first harmonized by Isaias Savio and very easy to play. But, Garcia takes them to a higher level - more technically demanding without ever losing the essence of the original works. In fact, with all due respect to Mestre Savio, they are great improvements on the originals.

There is a generous number of tracks here, displaying the wealth of work by a great guitarist. More importantly, the repetoire on the album moves away from the standard Albeniz, Granados, Tarrega, Sor collections that so many classical guitarists feel compelled to release. The pieces are probably familiar to most classical guitarists who enjoy playing Brasilian music, but, for those who've never heard or played the works of Almeida, Baden-Powell, Savio or Machado it will be a pleasant surprise. And for people who just like nice music, it will be a fantastic investment.

Meditation Music:

1. Soft Sounds
2. Song of Mark
3. Tai Chi: Eternal Chi
4. Tai Chi [Import]
5. Terminal 5 - music for flying
6. The Belly of an Architect
7. The Carols of Christmas, Vol. 2: A Windham Hill Sampler
8. The Denmark Sessions
9. The Music of Tao: Pathway to Harmony
10. The Opening of Doors

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

E Samba [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

L'Heritage d' Artur Rodzinski Volume 5 - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition No1-10; Prelude de la Khovantchina; Skryabin: Symphony No. 3 (recorded 1938, 1940, 1945)

Not the Tremblin' Kind

Music: Bizet: Symphony in C major; Debussy: La Mer

One Hour Photo [Soundtrack]

Keak Da Sneak [Explicit Lyrics]

Jewels [Import]

On Bended Knee

Les Années 70 [Import]

Max von Schillings: Das Hexenlied & Other Orchestral Works

Milk [CD-single]

Jewish Travels [Live]

On Anotha Level

Something Wonderful

Underneath