Marta's Song [CD-single]

1. Marta's Song [Radio Version]

2. Marta's Song [Into the Deep Mix]

3. Marta's Song [Armand's Muslim Moose Mix]

4. Sweet Lullaby

Marta's Song,Deep Forest,Sony,Club/Dance,Ethnic Fusion

Average customer rating:

Kronos Quartet Black Angels
An excellent idea...not the best performances though
Ups and downs
Not for everybody
scary stuff

Black Angels
George Crumb , Thomas Tallis , Istvan Marta , Charles Ives , Dmitry Shostakovich , Hank Dutt , David Harrington , Joan Jeanrenaud , John Sherba , and Kronos Quartet
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Crumb: Ancient Voices Of Children
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Nuevo

ASIN: B000005J0D
Release Date: 1990-06-21

Tracks:

Black Angels: I. Departure
Black Angels: II. Absence
Black Angels: III. Return
Spem In Alium (Sing And Glorify)
Doom. A Sigh
They Are There!
Quartet No. 8: I. Largo
Quartet No. 8: II. Allegro Molto
Quartet No. 8: III. Allegretto
Quartet No. 8: IV. Largo
Quartet No. 8: V. Largo

Amazon.com essential recording

The title to Kronos's most bleak album comes from a nearly 20- minute-long composition by American composer George Crumb that unfolds over 13 distinct parts. That ominous number only hints at the horror Crumb intended as an ode to the Vietnam War. War informs the whole CD: Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8, composed near the height of the Cold War, in 1960, was dedicated "to the victims of fascism and war." "Doom. A Sigh," by Istvan Marta, incorporates field recordings of two Romanian women singing personal laments of fallen friends and relatives; their grief is so intense as to render listening incredibly difficult. The original text to 16th-century composer Thomas Tallis's "Spem in Alium" (originally a 40-voice motet) recalled a biblical battle. And late American composer Charles Ives is heard singing (yes, singing) "They Are There!"--a ditty he wrote during the Great War and revisited for World War II; he's joined here by the Kronos, half a century after his death, in an act of studio magic that is ingenious if not musically stimulating. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

Kronos Quartet Black Angels.......2007-05-17

This is music to think by as it engages the intellect.

Black Angels has a menace which invites ideas and images into your mind.It will make you a little uncomfortable, but it will remain within you.

Doom.A Sigh has a remarkarble story behind it and invokes an emotional response because the recorded voices carry echoes of something lost. It works a strange magic,drawing you in and giving a glimpse of a forgotten world that perhaps still exists within all of us, somewhere.

The Shostakovich quartet ends this CD as Black Angels began it,completing a cycle, and you will be brought back to the point at which you started your journey but with a sense of something profound having occurred.

This is a CD that will become part of who you are and the only question you need ask yourself is, are you brave enough to listen?

An excellent idea...not the best performances though.......2007-04-04

Kronos' selections are excellent, if a bit eccentric, although I am less excited by the Tallis and Ives...arrangements. How well the main pieces are done is another matter, one being decent, the other somewhat lacking.

Black Angels is a very exciting piece, as well as dark and disturbing. However I've played it, so it doesn't disturb me as much. Kronos is a bit fast sometimes, which can be a slight problem since the numerology is highly significant in this work. Pulling this piece off is not easy, as I can attest to. They do pretty well with it, but there is some "cheating" going on, as the DVD version reveals.

One of the most interesting effects in the piece is the "consort of viols" sections, images 6 and 8, which are trios in which each player plays behind his/her left hand--basically turning the whole technique of bowing and fingering upside down. This is difficult to do, however it is not actually very hard if you practice it for a few minutes. I find it strange that Kronos actually does away with this amazing effect and plays it with normal technique using heavy practice mutes--no big deal for most listeners, but it does alter the sound. So, Kronos doesn't stick to the score completely.

Anyway, the Shostakovich is the performance that is lacking. I like the Fitzwilliam cycle best, and their 8th is excellent, so you might get that one. If you don't mind the odd noises and variable sound the Borodin cycle is good too, but it is harder and harder to find, which is very sad indeed.

Ups and downs.......2007-01-29

I'm amazed that not one of the preceding reviewers mentioned the Brodsky recording of the Crumb, and only two of them seemed to know about the Concord, who were, I believe, the first to record it. The Brodsky is sharp, clean, accurate. The Kronos is none of these. Their performance is fast and sloppy. If you want to hear all the details you have to listen to the Concord or the Brodsky. (I've not heard the Cikada or the new Mode disc with members of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic.) The Brodsky is a more exciting performance and a better recording than the Concord, plus they couple the Crumb with the Schubert 14th, which makes that famous cameo in "Dark Angels."

That does not mean you shouldn't have this disc. I've heard many recordings of Shostakovich's music, the reverent "we're playing music by the great Soviet composer," the long-faced "we're playing music by a tortured soul," and the vastly superior "we're playing music." I'd put this Kronos performance in the latter category. Ironically, I like it because it's faster than most (and a little bit sloppy). Not so sloppy that details are blurred, though, and fast here means the piece is never allowed to get lugubrious, which too many performances of his music definitely are. (So many people seem unable to listen to music without thinking about nonmusical things, like politics or the composer's putative feelings, and so many performers of Shostakovich seem happy to accomodate them.)

I don't know of any other performance of the eighth that makes the quotations so clear, either. Shostakovich threw in references to several of his own pieces in this quartet, the first and fifth symphonies, the first cello concerto, and most deliciously, the second trio. Kronos plays the quotes from the trio better than anyone else I've heard.

Not for everybody.......2005-05-27

This is probably one of the least accessible Kronos albums I own, largely because of the Crumb piece. Personally, I consider it taxing but nonetheless worthwhile, but even devoted followers of the Kronos Quartet are likely to be turned off by the strident nature of the piece.

The only other piece worth noting is the Marta composition, which has a strange otherworldly quality to it. All I can say about the Tallis "Spem In Alium" is that you would be much better served by listening to the original vocal arrangement. Kronos' version is simply rather boring by comparison. Likewise, Kronos' interpretation of the well-known Shostakovich 8th quartet reveals that while they are at the forefront of modern music (commissioning new works regularly), when it comes the standard repertoire oftentimes they simply do not measure up. There are more recordings than I can count of the Shostakovich 8th that are far superior --- take your pick.

This is an album with as many misses as hits, and the hits are not exactly the most accessible music Kronos has recorded. Echoing another reviewer, it might be worth listening to this before purchasing it.

scary stuff.......2005-03-03

I listened to this piece, Black Angels, and it definitely gave me the creeps. My wife begged me to take it off; I didn't, due to my morbid fascination. In retrospect, what was even creepier was the fact that I just spontaneously played it for the 1st and only time on the night of Sept. 10, 2001 . Coincidence? It's as if something inside of me had a premonition of the true horror of the following morning. Is this possible?

Average customer rating:

Nagyszeru!! (Excellent!)
The Real Deal
Re-living the past

Bartók Album

Manufacturer: Hannibal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Maramaros: The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania
Morning Star
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Music from Hungary

ASIN: B00000JZ15
Release Date: 1999-09-21

Tracks:

Dunantuli Friss Csardasok
Jocul Barbatesc
Violin Duo No.32, 'Dance Of Maramaros'
Maramaros Dances
On The River Bank
Swineherds' Dance
Dunantuli Ugrosok
Shepherd's Flute Song
Forgacskuit Lads' Dance
My Horse's Shoe
Violin Duo No.28, 'Sorrow'
Bonchida: Slow Lads' Dance
Magyarbecei Oreges Csardasok
Pe Loc
Bota Dance
Torontal Dances
Ardeleana
Vioiln Duo No.44, 'Transylvanian Dance'
Fuzes: Lads' Dance
The Churchyard Gate
Kalotaszeg Dances
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.

Tracks:

Moerike-Lieder: 8. Begegnung
Moerike-Lieder: 38. Lied vom Winde
Moerike-Lieder: 15. Auf einer Wanderung
Moerike-Lieder: 41. Rat einer Alten
Spanisches Liederbuch: 12. In dem Schatten meiner Locken
Moerike-Lieder: 37. Heimweh (Anders wird die Welt)
Spanisches Liederbuch: 4. Die ihr schwebet um diese Palmen
Spanisches Liederbuch: 6. Ach, des Knaben Augen
Spanisches Liederbuch: Nun wandre, Maria
Moerike-Lieder: 46. Gesang Weylas
Spanisches Liederbuch: 9. Herr, was traegt der Boden hier
Italiensches Liederbuch: 1. Auch kleine Dinge
Moerike-Lieder: 7. Das verlassene Maegdlein
Eichendorff-Lieder: 4. Das Staendchen
Spanisches Liederbuch: Wenn du zu den Blumen gehst
Italiensches Liederbuch: 34. Und steht Ihr frueh am Morgen auf
Italiensches Liederbuch: 16. Ihr jungen Leute
Italiensches Liederbuch: 10. Du denkst mit einem Faedchen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 12. Nein, junger Herr
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 1: Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 2: An die Tueren will ich schleichen
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 3: Wer nie sein Brot
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 29. Anakreons Grab
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 15. Cophtisches Lied 2 (Geh! Gehorche)
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 21. Genialisch Treiben
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 11. Der Rattenfenger
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 19. Epiphanias
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 26. Die Sproede
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 27. Die Bekehrte
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 24. Blumengruss
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 25. Gleich und gleich
Goethe-Lieder: 1-3 Drei Harfenspieler: 28. Fruehling uebers Jahr

Tracks:

Goethe-Lieder: 49. Prometheus
Goethe-Lieder: 50. Ganymed
Goethe-Lieder: 18. Beherzigung
1-3 Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo: 1: Wohl denk' ich oft
1-3 Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo: 2: Alles endet, was entstehet
1-3 Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo: 3: Fuehlt meine Seele
Moerike-Lieder: 19. Um Mitternacht
Moerike-Lieder: 42. Erstes Liebeslied eines Maedchens
Moerike-Lieder: 45. Nixe Binsefuss
Spanisches Liederbuch: Moegen alle boesen Zungen
Spanisches Liederbuch: 24. Koepfchen, Koepfchen, nicht gewimmert
Spanisches Liederbuch: 11. Klinge, klinge, mein Pandero
Spanisches Liederbuch: 26. Bitt ihn, o Mutter
Italiensches Liederbuch: 6. Wer rief dich denn?
Italiensches Liederbuch: 25. Mein Liebster hat zu Tische mich geladen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 43. Schweig einmal still
Italiensches Liederbuch: 35. Benedeit die sel'ge Mutter
Italiensches Liederbuch: 7. Der Mond hat eine schwere Klag' erhoben
Italiensches Liederbuch: 27. Schon streckt' ich aus im Bett die mueden Glieder
Goethe-Lieder: 51. Grenzen der Menschheit
Italiensches Liederbuch: 32. Was soll der Zorn, mein Schatz
Italiensches Liederbuch: 24. Ich esse nun mein Brot nicht trocken mehr
Italiensches Liederbuch: 31. Wie soll ich froehlich sein
Italiensches Liederbuch: 11. Wie lange schon war immer mein Verlangen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 28. Du sagst mir, dass ich keine Fuerstin sei
Italiensches Liederbuch: 26. Ich liess mir sagen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 29. Wohl kenn' ich Euren Stand
Italiensches Liederbuch: 21. Man sagt mir, deine Mutter woll' es nicht
Italiensches Liederbuch: 36. Wenn du, mein Liebster, steigst zum Himmel auf

Tracks:

Italiensches Liederbuch: 20. Mein Liebster singt am Haus im Mondenscheine
Italiensches Liederbuch: 40. O waer' dein Haus durchsichtig wie ein Glas
Italiensches Liederbuch: 39. Gesegnet sei das Gruen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 2. Mir ward gesagt, du reisest in die Ferne
Italiensches Liederbuch: 15. Mein Liebster ist so klein
Italiensches Liederbuch: 46. Ich hab' in Penna einen Liebster wohnen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 4. Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund
Italiensches Liederbuch: 3. Ihr seid die Allerschoenste
Italiensches Liederbuch: 13. Hoffaertig seid Ihr, schoenes Kind
Italiensches Liederbuch: 9. Dass doch gemalt all deine Reize waeren
Italiensches Liederbuch: 17. Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 38. Wenn du mich mit den Augen streifst
Italiensches Liederbuch: 41. Heut Nacht erhob ich mich, um Mitternacht
Italiensches Liederbuch: 22. Ein Staendchen Euch zu bringen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 8. Nun lass uns Frieden schliessen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 19. Wir haben beide lange Zeit geschwiegen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 14. Geselle, woll'n wir uns in Kutten huellen
Italiensches Liederbuch: 18. Heb auf dein blondes Haupt
Italiensches Liederbuch: 33. Sterb' ich, so huellt in Blumen meine Glieder
Italiensches Liederbuch: 37. Wie viele Zeit verlor ich
Italiensches Liederbuch: 23. Was fuer ein Lied soll dir gesungen werden
Spanisches Liederbuch: 7. Muehvoll komm' ich und beladen
Spanisches Liederbuch: 15. Auf dem gruenen Balkon
Spanisches Liederbuch: 14. Treibe nur mit Lieben Spott
Spanisches Liederbuch: 29. Trau nicht der Liebe
Spanisches Liederbuch: 38. Sie blasen zum Abmarsch
Sechs Gedichte: 3. Biterolf (Im Lager von Akkon 1190)
Moerike-Lieder: 22. Seufzer
Moerike-Lieder: 28. Gebet
Moerike-Lieder: 23. Auf ein altes Bild
Moerike-Lieder: 32. An die Geliebte
Moerike-Lieder: 12. Verborgenheit
Moerike-Lieder: 39. Denk es, o Seele!
Moerike-Lieder: 51. Bei einer Trauung
3. Ein Stuendlein wohl vor Tag
Moerike-Lieder: 16. Elfenlied

Tracks:

Sechs Alte Weisen: 6. Wie glaenzt der helle Mond
Goethe-Lieder: 14. Cophtisches Lied 1
Eichendorff-Lieder: 2. Der Musikant
Eichendorff-Lieder: 5. Der Soldat
Eichendorff-Lieder: 9. Der Schreckenberger
Moerike-Lieder: 44. Der Feuerreiter
Drei Gedichte von Robert Reinick: 1. Gesellenlied (Kein Meister faellt)
Goethe-Lieder: 5. Mignon 1 (Heiss mich nicht reden)
Goethe-Lieder: 7. Mignon 3 (So lasst mich scheinen)
Moerike-Lieder: 29. An den Schlaf
Moerike-Lieder: 36. Liebe wohl
Spanisches Liederbuch: 30. Ach, im Maien war's
Spanisches Liederbuch: 21. Herz, verzage nicht geschwind
Moerike-Lieder: 30. Neue Liebe
Moerike-Lieder: 48. Storchenbotschaft
Spanisches Liederbuch: 32. Dereinst, dereinst, Gedanke mein
Spanisches Liederbuch: 31. Alle gingen, Herz, zur Ruh
Spanisches Liederbuch: 33. Tief im Herzen trag' ich Pein
Sechs Gedichte: 6. Zur Ruh, zur Ruh
Spanisches Liederbuch: 34. Komm, o Tod, von Nacht umgeben
Sechs Lieder fuer eine Frauenstimme: 4. Wiegenlied (Im Sommer)
Sechs Lieder fuer eine Frauenstimme: 5. Wiegenlied (Im Winter)
Moerike-Lieder: 20. Auf eine Christblume I (Tochter des Walds)
Moerike-Lieder: 24. In der Fruehe
Moerike-Lieder: 25. Schlafendes Jesuskind

Tracks:

Goethe-Lieder: 20. Sankt Nepomuks Vorabend
Goethe-Lieder: 12. Ritter Kurts Brautfahrt
Moerike-Lieder: 47. Die Geister am Mummelsee
Moerike-Lieder: 10. Fussreise
Moerike-Lieder: 43. Lied eines Verliebten
Moerike-Lieder: 25. Schlafendes Jesuskind
Moerike-Lieder: 4. Jaegerlied
Moerike-Lieder: 17. Der Gaertner
Moerike-Lieder: 50. Auftrag
Moerike-Lieder: 9. Nimmersatte Liebe
Spanisches Liederbuch: 44. Geh, Geliebter, geh jetzt!
Goethe-Lieder: 10. Der Saenger
Eichendorff-Lieder: 13. Der Scholar
Eichendorff-Lieder: 14. Der verzweifelte Liebhaber
Eichendorff-Lieder: 15. Unfall
Vier Gedichte: 1. Wo wird einst (Heine)
Vier Gedichte: 3. Sonne der Schlummerlosen
Vier Gedichte: 4. Keine gleicht von allen Schoenen
Eichendorff-Lieder: 1. Der Freund
Eichendorff-Lieder: 2. Der Musikant
Sechs Gedichte: 1. Waechterlied auf der Wartburg
Moerike-Lieder: 40. Der Jaeger
Goethe-Lieder: 32. Phaenomen
Eichendorff-Lieder: 3. Verschwiegene Liebe
Vier Gedichte: 1. Wo wird einst (Heine)
Ueber Nacht (Sturm)

Amazon.com

EMI's "society" subscription editions in the 1930s yielded a wealth of recordings long considered gramophone classics, such as the present collection of roughly half of Hugo Wolf's lieder output. Each song occupies its own specific world, due to Wolf's resourceful word setting and his avoidance of anything generic. In turn, the performers illuminate each song's felicities with effortless authority, and they avoid overpointing or enacting. Full texts and translations are included. Ernest Newman's penetrating annotations for the original 78 albums, reprinted in EMI's 1981 LP reissue, are absent. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

The Hugo Wolf Society Recordings.......2005-12-28

The songs of Hugo Wolf (1860 -- 1903)combine great attention to textual detail with closely intertwined writing for the voice and the piano. In this small form, Wolf was a master and took song in a different direction from that of Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. He wrote most of his songs in bursts of activity in five large collections, devoted to the poetry of Morike, Eichendorff, Goethe, and to collections of Spanish and Italian texts. He also composed a number of songs in shorter sets.

In the early 1930s, a young Walter Legge began a project of recording Wolf songs on a subscribtion basis to be limited to 500 sets. The recording industry was relatively new, and Wolf, then as now, too little appreciated. The result was an extensive series of recordings of issued between 1931 and 1938 consisting of 145 songs, about one-half Wolf's output, performed by fourteen singers. The Hugo Wolf Society recordings remain a high moment in the recording of song. They were remastered on LPs and, in 1998, in this 5 CD collection which includes previously unreleased selections.

The Wolf Society collection offers an unparalleled opportunity to get to know Wolf's songs performed by artists of the past that might otherwise be unfamiliar to many listeners. The performers include mezzo-soprano Elena Gerhardt, who recorded the initial volume for the society, baritones Herbert Janssen, Gerhard Husch, tenors John McCormack, Karl Erb, and Helge Roswaenge, the basses Alexander Kipnis, Frederich Schorr, and Ludwig Weber, and sopranos Alexandra Trianti, Elizabeth Rethberg, Ria Ginster, Marta Fuchs, and Tiana Lemnitz. The pianists include Conrad Bos, Gerald Moore, Michael Raucheisen, Hans Udo Muller, and Ernest Victor Wolff.

The singers perform in a variety of styles from the highly operatic to the quietly lyrical. There is a Wagnerian performance of Goethe's "Prometheus" by Friedrich Schorr with the London Symphony Orchestra -- the only track using an orchestral accompaniment. The Irish tenor John McCormack shows a more lyrical approach in his renowned performance of Goethe's poem "Ganymed". The sopranos, Alexandra Trianti, Ria Ginster, and Tiana Lemitz have light, clear, bell-like voices. I find the singers on this compilation take a much more individualized, idiosyncratic, and romantic approach to song than do their modern counterparts, who sometimes seem restrained and chaste by comparison.

Each of Wolf's great collections of songs is well-represented. Elena Gerhardt performs songs from each of Wolf's five books, with the exception of the Goethe songs. The young Alexander Kipnis gives a powerful reading of Wolf's three songs from Michaelangelo. The third CD in this collection features many songs from the Italian songbook performed by soprano Ginster, baritone Husch, and bass Kipnis together with recordings from the Spanish songbook by sopranos Rethberg and Ginster and baritone Husch. There are lovely performances by soprano Tiana Lemnitz in the previously uncollected supplementary material, which also includes several Eichendorff songs and a performance of the Goethe-song "Phanomen" by Alexander Kipnis.

There is a great amount of material in this collection, with each of the 5 CDs including in excess of 70 minutes of music. Most of Wolf's songs are highly concentrated and intense. They may prove difficult to the listener coming to them knowing only the lyricism of Schubert. I would not recommend trying to rush through this set at one or two hearings. It is best to take this music in small sections and to listen with text in hand. The compilation includes texts and translations for each of the songs together with good notes about the Wolf Society recording project. There is little discussion about Wolf or about the songs themselves.

This is an essential collection for those who love song, historical recordings, and the music of Hugo Wolf.

Robin Friedman

"Even little things can delight us.".......2003-06-02

If these six words give an approximate translation of the song "Auch kleine Dinge", then they might also describe a music lover's reaction as he makes a journey of exploration through the hundreds of little songs composed by Hugo Wolf.

Walter Legge, a very young EMI record producer in the 1930s, first made such a journey possible when he pioneered the Hugo Wolf Society and began releasing the volumes now reissued in this boxed set. Many singers were invited to participate. Legge's choice of singers was sometimes idiosyncratic. You might wonder how an Irish tenor, a Ukrainian bass and a Greek soprano were admitted to the roster. The results, however, especially in the case of the contributions of John McCormack and Alexander Kipnis, prove the sureness of his instincts.

About half Wolf's songs were made available in the original issue, between 1931 and 1938. With this reissue comes unused and hitherto unissued recordings, many by Tiana Lemnitz and Herbert Jannsen. So there is now more to discover and exploration is made easier for us in 2003 than it was in the 1930s. The remastering has improved the sound, Legge's widow Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is able to provide a perceptive introduction in an accompanying booklet, and the texts of the songs are now provided in German and English.

"Even little things can delight us.".......2003-06-02

If these six words give an approximate translation of the song titled "Auch kleine Dinge", then they might also describe a music lover's reaction as he makes a journey of exploration through the hundreds of little songs composed by Hugo Wolf.

Wolf sung by various Lieder singers.......2000-08-15

This is an extraordinary collection of Wolf songs. It is frustrating that the project was not completed, as the quality of what was recorded is so extraordinarily revelatory. My personal favourites are the Michelangelo settings sung by the bass Alexander Kipnis, although he uncharacteristically makes some textual errors. The contributions of Hüsch are numerous and thoughtfully sung, and Karl Erb, Herbert Janssen, Ludwig Weber, Rita Ginster and Marta Fuchs are all caught on extraordinary form, with accompanists of admittedly variable quality, ranging from the sublime Gerald Moore to some very interesting contributions from some accompanists who did not really capture the true essence of Lieder accompanying, which surely cannot permit the piano to be subservient to the voice!

These precious recordings offer us so much. They are a document of a golden age of Lieder singing, and they are superb recitals, sung by a variety of voices, never allowing the listener to tire of listening to a single voice for too long. They are also, of course, examples of some of the most wonderful Lieder writing of any time. These 5 cds are a must for a Lieder specialist, and can open new doors to the novice. Buy them, and never regret having this treasure trove which will give you pleasure all your life.

Tracing Astor
Average customer rating:

Cannot imagine rewarding less

Maybe I'm too critical

Kremer /Piazzolla -- a stunning addition to the cycle!!!

Tracing Astor

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Kremer, Gidon | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Tango | Latin Music | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hommage A Piazzolla

Vivaldi and Piazzolla: Eight Seasons

Tango: Zero Hour

Astor Piazzolla: El Tango

Piazzolla: Tango Ballet, Concierto Del Angel, Tres Piezas Para Orquesta De Camara / Kremer, Glorvigen, et al

ASIN: B000050JLL
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Tracks:

La Calle 92
Tango-Etudes 1-3
Chiquilin de Bachin
Rio Sena
Tango-Etudes 4-6
Violoncelles, Vibrez!
Milonga sin Palabras
Tracing Astor
All In the Past (Remembering Oskar Strock)

Customer Reviews:

Cannot imagine rewarding less.......2005-03-03

The Baltic group, Kremerat Baltica (from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) is a group of young musicians brought together by Gidon Kremer, Their range of performance is impressive- Vivaldi to Piazzolla. In a sense the latter is more difficult than the former not only for the instrumental complexity but also for the wide range of emotions required. Neither is necessariy "better" but then comparing them is like apples and organes.

In this case, they have taken Pizzolla and transformed the music into another creation that is simultaneously sultry, prickly, brilliant and edgy. The arrangements are stunning, from the five arrangements by Leonid Desyatnikov to the six Etudes Tango arranged by Gidon Kremer. The individual instruments and the sounds of the street (whistles, cracks, pops, squeal of the string, etc) merge perfectly with the nervousness of the music.

The Etudes, by the way, are violin solos in the Argentinian style - lots of bowing, dipping and "sharping". Whoever is on the bandoneon (I could find no mention) deserves an honorable mention as does Desyatnikov for the luscious "Rio Sena" arrangement and his own composition, "Tracing Astor", an eerie salute to the evolution of the Tango from backstreet song to complex, classical music of the first degree. George Pelecis composed the final work, "All in the Past", a sumptous homage to the master in the form of a reverie.

Maybe I'm too critical.......2002-09-08

But I was a little disappointed in this CD. I kept wishing Stephen Grapelli were playing it. It seemed too academic / careful rythym-wise; it had none of the insouciance (sic?) that the music seems to be asking for.

As a violinist, I found his bow control to be a little on the 'mere-human' side (mine is so lousy, I'm probably over-sensitive to the problem). He seemed to be bouncing where he didn't want to, and there was a little noise where he was changing strings at times. It must be difficult stuff.

Kremer /Piazzolla -- a stunning addition to the cycle!!!.......2001-06-06

Tracing Astor: Gidon Kremer plays Astor Piazzolla (Nonesuch 79601-2) is the latest and perhaps the most brilliant recording in Gidon Kremer's breathtaking traversal of Astor Piazzolla's oeuvre. This disc catches the listener by the throat from the first track to the last. Kremer performs six spectacular solo Tango-Etudes, originally recorded in 1996 concurrently with the first released disc, Homage a Piazzolla (Nonesuch 79407-2). All but two of the other tracks were recorded in 1999 and consist of chamber transcriptions by Leonid Desyatnikov performed by Kremer and members of the Kremerata Baltica. The remaining tracks were recorded in 2000 and 2001. The former a composition by Giovanni Sollima, a young (b.1962) Sicilian cellist and composer, is a riveting duo for two cellos. The last track is a kind of encore. All in the Past, by Latvian composer Georgs Pelecis (b.1947), is a tribute to Oskar Strock, the Latvian-Jewish Tango-King -- a poignant conclusion to a disc that is a must for any aficionado of Kremer and his beloved Piazzolla.

Average customer rating:

a gem

The Prisoner's Song
Muzsikas & Marta Sebestyen
Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Morning Star
Bartók Album
Ketto: Hungarian Folk Music
Muzsikas
Dudoltam

ASIN: B000056VDU
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Tracks:

Rabn- Nem Arrajnallik [Prisoner's Song - The Light Does Not Ap]
Eddig Vend[Up to Now, You Gest]
Azt Gondoltam Eso Esik [I Thought It Was Raining]
Hidegen F a Szelek [Cold Winds Are Blowing]
B - Fordulj Kedves Lovam [Outlaw's Song - Turn, My Dear Horse]
Repd Reply Bird Fly]
Rn Volt, Sokesz [It Was Long Ago, It Will Be a Long Time]
Szerelem, Szerelem [Love, Love]
Csak Azt Csodm [I Am Only WandEring]
Element a Mada - Martin Gy Emlre (the Bird Has Left - To the)

Customer Reviews:

a gem.......2005-01-09

Yes, this is real Hungarian village music. but it is a LIVING
tradition, and Muzsikas has not shrunk from taking liberties with the arranging. They use almost entirely traditional instruments, but often in combinations and ways not part of the tradition. I think of this record no differently than say, Rubber Soul or Revolver. More importantly I think it is comparable to them. Most importantly, I have the complete lyrics in both Hungarian and English to this gorgeous record.
I'm offering this for free to anyone who asks. I figure anyone one who cares enough to ask, I want to help, since this info is simply not available. you can write me at landesm@aol.com
I also have complete lyrics, in both languages for
Dudoltam En(in U.S. this is called
MARTA SEBESTYEN Muzsikas
just ask, and you are welcome. I will send as email attachment

Average customer rating:

Big Music-Little Money

Piano Classics

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Pno Son in C, K.545: I. Allegro - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in C, K.545: II. Andante - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in C, K.545: III. Rondo: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: I. Andante Grazioso - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: II. Menuetto & Trio - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: III. Alla Turca: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: I. Allegro - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: II. Adagio - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: III. Allegro Assai - Marta Deyanova
Fant in c, K.475: Adagio - Allegro - Andantino - Marta Deyanova

Tracks:

Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Grave - Allegro Di Molto Con Brio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Adagio Cantabile - Bernard Roberts
Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Rondo - Allegro - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Adagio Sostenuto - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Allegretto - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Presto Agitato - Bernard Roberts
Son No.21 in C, Op.53 'Waldstein': Allegro Con Brio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.21 in C, Op.53 'Waldstein': Intro: Adagio Molto - Rondo: Allegretto Moderato - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Das Lebewohl: Adagio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Abwesenheit: Andante Espressivo - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Das Widersehen: Vivacissimamente - Bernard Roberts

Tracks:

Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.1 in f: Allegro Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.2 in A flat: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.3 in B flat: Andante (Theme And Vars) - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.4 in f: Allegro Scherzando - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.1 in C: Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.2 in a flat: Andantino - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.3 in f: Allegretto Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.4 in c#: Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.5 in f: Allegro Vivace - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.6 in A flat: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Impromptu, Op.90 D.899: No.3 in G flat: Andante - Marta Deyanova

Tracks:

Caprice in a, Op.33 No.1 - Martin Jones
Andante And Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14 - Martin Jones
Prld and Fugue in e, Op.35 No.1: Allegro Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Prld and Fugue in e, Op.35 No.1: Andante Espressivo - Martin Jones
Study No.2 in F: Allegro Con Moto - Martin Jones
Prld And Fugue in f, Op.35 No.5: Andante Lento - Martin Jones
Prld And Fugue in f, Op.35 No.5: Allegro Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Fant in e, Op.16 No.2: II. Scherzo-Presto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.1 in E: Andante Con Moto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.3 in A: Molto Allegro E Vivace (Hunting Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.6 in g: Andante Sostenuto (Venetian Gondola Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book II, Op.30: No.4 in b: Agitato E Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book IV, Op.53: No.4 in F: Adagio - Martin Jones
Vars Serieuses in d, Op.54 - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book V, Op.62: No.5 in a: Andante Con Moto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book V, Op.62: No.6 in A: Allegretto Grazioso (Spring Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VI, Op.67: No.4 in C: Presto (Spinning Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VII, Op.85: No.1 in F: Andante Espressivo - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VIII, Op.102: No.3 in C: Presto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VIII, Op.102: No.4 in g: Un Poco Agitato, Ma Andante - Martin Jones
Seven Characteristic Pieces, Op.7: No.7 in E: Presto - Martin Jones
Klavierstucke: No.2 in g - Martin Jones

Tracks:

Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Theme - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude I - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude II - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude III - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude IV - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude V - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VI - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VII - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VIII - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude IX - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude X - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude XI - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude XII - Shura Cherkassky
Carnaval, Op.9: Preamble (Quasi Maestoso) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pierrot (Moderato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Arlequin (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Valse Noble (Un Poco Maestoso) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Eusebius (Adagio) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Florestan (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Coquette (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Replique (L'istesso Tempo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Papillons (Prestissimo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A. Lettres Dansantes (Presto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Chiarina (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Chopin (Agitato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Estrella (Con Affetto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Reconnaissance (Animato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pantalon Et Colombine (Presto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Valse Allemande (Molto Vivace)/Paganini: Intermezzo (Presto) - Tempo I - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Aveu (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Promenade (Comodo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pause (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: March Des Davidbundler Contre Les Philistins (Non Allegro) - Marta Deyanova
Toccata in C, Op.7: Allegro - Mark Anderson

Tracks:

Vars On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.35: Book I - Martin Jones
Vars On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.35: Book II - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.1 Allegro - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.3 Allegretto - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.5 Allegro - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.10 Presto - Martin Jones
Gavotte - Martin Jones
Rhap in B, Op.79 No.1 - Martin Jones
Ballade in D, Op.79 No.1 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in E flat, Op.117 No.1 - Martin Jones
Romanze in F, Op.118 No.5 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in e flat, Op.118 No.6 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in b, Op.119 No.1 - Martin Jones
Rhap in E flat, Op.119 No.4 - Martin Jones

Tracks:

Scherzo No.3 in c#, Op.39 - Vlado Perlemuter
Berceuse in D flat, Op.57 - Vlado Perlemuter
Ballade No.2 in F, Op.38 - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in E, Op.10, No.3 'Tristesse' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in G flat, Op.10, No.5 'Black Key' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in c, Op.10, No.12 'Revolutionary' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in G flat, Op.25, No.9 'Butterfly' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in a, Op.25, No.11 'Winter Wind' - Vlado Perlemuter
Nocturne in c, Op.48 No.1 - Vlado Perlemuter
Nocturne in D flat, Op.27 No.2 - Vlado Perlemuter
Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: Marche Funebre - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in D flat, Op.29 No.15 'Raindrop' - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in c, Op.28 No.20 - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in A, Op.28 No.7 - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in c#, Op.45 - Vlado Perlemuter
Barcarolle in F#, Op.60 - Vlado Perlemuter

Tracks:

Rhap Espagnole (Folies D'Espagne Et Jota Aragonesa) - Mark Anderson
Zwei Konzertetuden: Walderauschen - Mark Anderson
Zwei Konzertetuden: Gnomenreigen - Mark Anderson
Annees De Pelerinage - Troisieme Annee: Les Jeux D'eau A La Villa D'Este - Mark Anderson
Legendes: St. Francois D'Assise 'La Predication Aus Oiseau' - Mark Anderson
Legendes: St. Francois De Paule Marchant Sur Les Flots - Mark Anderson
3. Mephisto - Waltzer - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: I. Sehr Langsam (Adagio) - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: II. Moderato - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: III. Sehr Langsam (Adagio) - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: IV. Andantino - Mark Anderson
Annees De Pelerinage - Deuxieme Annee: Sonetto 104 Del Petrarca - Mark Anderson

Customer Reviews:

Big Music-Little Money.......2001-05-28

Most amount of songs for the least amount of money...its great...i still haven't listened to all of them because there is so much music on these cd's...its great...get this!! its a must have for the collector of classical music...

Average customer rating:

Splendid Retrospective of A Brilliant Singing Career That Is Still Going Strong....
Exquisite

Marta Eggerth - My Life My Song

Manufacturer: Patria Productions, Inc.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Kiepura and Eggerth: The Charm of La Bohème
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0007PIH2Q
Release Date: 2005-02-04

Tracks:

Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein (from Operetta Im weissen R)
Ich Liebe Dich (from Film Charme of the Boh, 1937)
Einer Wird Kommen(from Operetta Zarewitsch )
Der Zarewitsch Neapolitan Duet (with Jan Kiepura, tenor)
Das Lied ist aus (from film Das Lied ist aus )
Spiel das Lied von Liebe (Composer: Robert Stolz Bruckner-Orchstra Linz Conds.: Siegfried Kr)
Sog Dombovar (from the original Zwei ungarische Ste in der Provinz, Pianist: William Hicks)
The Old Refrain (Composer Fritz Kreisler, Pianist: William Hicks)
Que jaime Paris (from Operetta Wir Reisen um Die Welt Pianist: William Hicks)
LEnfant et les Sortils (Air de lEnfant Pianist: William Hicks )
Życzenie(Maidens Wish Pianist: Marjan Kiepura)
Pierścień (Das Ringlein Pianist: Marjan Kiepura)
Dumka (Composer Frric Chopin Pianist: Marjan Kiepura)
Czardasf (from Operetta Czardasf Cello: Ted Hoyle, Piano: William Hicks)
Csak Egy Kislany (Composer: Elemer Szentirmay Pianist: William Hicks)
Im Prater Bluhn Wieder die Baume (Composer Robert Stolz Lyrics Kurt Robitschek Pianist: Jospeh Thalkin)
Married (from Musical Cabaret, Composer John Kander
Wien, du Stadt meiner Tre
Merry Widow Medley (Composer Franz Lr,Pianist: William Hicks)
Wunderschst es, verliebt zu sein (Edmund Nick/Aldo von Pinelli)
Die ganze Welt dreht sich um Liebe
Schau mich an, sei mir gut from the film:
Mon Coeur oi se donne (french version: of Mein Herz will ich dir schenken(Grothe/S Weber)

Amazon.com

This double-CD salutes a living legend, whose international career on stage, film and disc is still going strong after 80 years. Hungarian-born soprano Marta Eggerth became the queen of Viennese operetta during the 1920s and 30s; Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz and Emmerich Kálmán, among others, wrote music expressly for her. Charming and beautiful, she found another career in films, making over 30 in four languages. CD 1 features songs from those of 1932-1937. They reveal a wonderfully fresh, pure voice produced with effortless virtuosity; every note is impeccably clear and in tune, with coloratura roulades and trills up to E-flat.

In 1936, Eggerth married the famous Polish opera tenor Jan Kiepura; strikingly handsome, he was another "natural" for films. It was a match made in heaven, and when they appeared together on stage and screen, they captivated audiences with their singing as well as their love-story. One of their greatest "hits" was Lehár's "Merry Widow;" they gave 2000 performances on two continents in five languages.

After Kiepura's tragically early death in 1966, Eggerth stopped singing, but, urged by her family, later resumed her career. CD 2 features recordings of 1990-2002, some made at gala performances in Vienna and Linz. Her voice is almost unchanged; her vibrato is wider and she uses more mezza voce, but her ease and security are undiminished. However, it is her charm, her style and the pure joy she radiates that make her unique; in material that could easily become sentimental, she never loses her poise and natural simplicity. The disc includes more film and operetta songs, popular Viennese favorites, and her own "Merry Widow" medley, sung in four languages. Jan Kiepura joins her in an intimate love-duet from Lehár's "Der Zarewitsch," in which she warns him that all mortal things perish; recorded in 1955, it is uncannily prophetic and achingly moving. Her primary pianist is William Hicks; in three Chopin songs, sung in Polish, her son, Marjan Kiepura, partners her; both are splendid. --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Patria Productions, Inc. is proud to announce the release of a dual CD album of Hungarian soprano Marta Eggerth, star of stage and screen. A living legend from the world of operetta, lieder and European movies, this CD album represents a 73 year recorded legacy of recordings from the early 1930s to the present.

Marta Eggerth made some 40 movies mostly in Europe before World War II and appeared in numerous operetta roles most notably as Hanna Glawari in Lehar's The Merry Widow on Broadway together with her husband, the Polish tenor Jan Kiepura.

This album contains her most famous repertoire including selections by Franz Lehar, Emmerich Kalman, Robert Stolz, Paul Abraham and other operetta luminaries, who specially wrote works for her. She has established herself as one of the most famous exponents of the operetta genre till today.

Divided into two CDs, CD-1 includes her early opera recordings of arias by Puccini, Bellini and Rossini and her many songs made famous by her movies.

CD-2 are recordings spanning from 1955 to 2002 of her favorite numbers including songs by Robert Stolz, John Kander, Fritz Kreisler and her own arrangement of medleys from The Merry Widow, Kalman's Princess Czardas and Hungarian selections. There are also lieder from Ravel and Chopin.

Mme Eggerth is heard in six languages. Extensive booklet notes are provided with many photos from her illustrious career. There are previously unreleased material and live excerpts from recent concerts.

Marta Eggerth remains active singing till today, at nearly 93 years of age.

Customer Reviews:

Splendid Retrospective of A Brilliant Singing Career That Is Still Going Strong...........2007-01-13

It is most atypical of me to review something at Amazon.com if I haven't heard, handled or read it beforehand, but I must make an exception here. Having heard the now 94 year-old Marta Eggerth sing some of these songs live last night at a special program held in her honor at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, all I can say is that I am in awe of her splendid ability to sing with such compassion and clarity at her age, still retaining much of her immense vocal range for which she became well known on stage and screen from the late 1920s to early 1960s in both Europe and North America. Mme. Eggerth is truly a living legend, the last, still glorious, survivor from Vienna's great "Silver Age" of operetta, having had the good fortune to befriend such notable operetta composers as Franz Lehar, Emmerich Kalman and Robert Stolz, who also composed scores especially with her in mind. The most notable was undoubtedly Franz Lehar, the composer of the classic Viennese operetta "The Merry Widow" (Eventually Mme. Eggerth and her husband, the distinguished Polish tenor Jan Kiepura, would tour both continents performing "The Merry Widow" more than two thousand times.), who would continue composing scores for her after she moved to the United States. More recently, among Mme. Eggerth's artistic triumphs last year was a Cabaret show at the Neue Gallerie's Cafe Sabarasky and two recital/lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, both "neighbors" on Manhattan's fashionable "Museum Mile" Fifth Avenue. This two-CD set collection is a splendid retrospective of Mme. Eggerth's brilliant singing career, with the first CD containing early recordings of opera arias and songs she made famous in her movies, and the second containing her more recent work, especially from the period from 1995 to 2002.

Exquisite.......2005-03-27

This is such a beautiful CD. The singing is exquisite, and the recordings are of an amazing quality, especially when you consider that some of the recordings date back to 1932. I should also say that I recently saw Marta Eggerth singing in the Wigmore Hall, and she is as beautiful to look at, as totally amazing to listen to today, as at the time of these recordings.

Anne Fane

Average customer rating:

great songs, unfortunately obscure

Dohnányi: Songs, Complete

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Customer Reviews:

great songs, unfortunately obscure.......2006-01-22

Dohnanyi was a great composer, known primarly for his piano works, but unfortunately not for his songs. This cd has tree cycles that he wrote, one of Hungarian folk songs, and two cycles of German lied. The Hungarian songs are very much in keeping with traditional sounds, and are akin to those of Kodaly and Bartok. The two cycles in German are reminiscent of Schumann and Wolf. Out of the two German cycles I would say that Im Lebeslenz is more successful, it is very haunting and very pretty. That may be due more to the singer than the songs. Ingrid Kertesi is a good soprano if a little bland. Her voice is a little light and white for my taste, but she does well with what she has. To my ears, the middle cycle needs a heavier, more dramatic sound, like that of Wendy Nielson, who also recorded these songs. Ms. Kertesi's diction is great in both languages (she is Hungarian so it helps), and she is very committed to the songs, and is well accompanied by Marta Gulyas. I recommend this cd to any lover of art songs, the music is beautiful and well performed.

Average customer rating:

Mélodies de la Belle Époque

Manufacturer: Intim Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000G3VZ
Release Date: 1998-12-15

Janácek: Chamber Music & Orchestral Works

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Janácek: Chamber Music & Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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