Phaedra

1. Phaedra

2. Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares

3. Movements of a Visionary

4. Sequent C'

Phaedra,Tangerine Dream,Virgin,Art-Rock/Experimental,Electronic,Germany,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Synthesizer

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Average customer rating: Not quite as good as I had hoped Revolutionary for it's time A VIRTUAL ACID TRIP TOP 3 TD Very overrated

Phaedra Tangerine Dream Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Germany | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Rubycon Stratosfear Ricochet Tangram Exit ASIN: B00000DR5E Release Date: 1992-06-29

Tracks:

1. Phaedra
2. Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares
3. Movements of a Visionary
4. Sequent C'

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1974 masterpiece from Christopher Franke, Edgar Froese, and Peter Baumann ebbs and flows with richly dark soundscapes of electronic sounds and synth. Phaedra was a progenitor for much ambient--and some dance--music, influencing such artists as Steve Roach. After listening to Phaedra it's easy to understand why. The signature pulsing of thick, beautiful Tangerine Dream synth falls across the ambient treasures here, pulling along the orchestral dreamscape before oozing aside for thick washes of expansive sound. The now-classic title cut is both soothing and ghostly, throbbing with subtle sequences and twisted metallic calls before diving into a swamp of nightmarish whistles and hoots. "Mysterious Semblance" soars and swoops like a lovely electronic eagle, bringing tripped-out light and cosmic dignity to the collection. This and the follow-up Rubycon are juicy pieces to the Tangerine Dream pie. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews:

Not quite as good as I had hoped.......2007-07-02

After reading so many comments about this album, I decided to pick it up myself. I bought "Phaedra" at the same time as "Zeit", and had listened to Zeit first. After having enjoyed Zeit quite a bit, I was optimistic about Phaedra. I've listened to it now, and I have to say, it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped.

I actually enjoyed Track #2 in this album the most. It wasn't quite as boring as the rest of the tracks, and I liked the flanging and other such effects used. This track is the reason I gave this album higher than two stars. Track #1 wasn't all that bad either, but the first half was a bit too repetitious. My primary gripe about this album is the last two tracks; something about them made me groan. They contained too many cheesy 70s style sounds mixed with flutes and Organs that I felt were more suitable for a medieval themed movie. Perhaps they are just too "cheery" for my taste. I really didn't enjoy them.

Another complaint I have about this album is the length. The first two tracks are average length for an Ambient CD, while the others are only eight minutes and two minutes long. It's almost as if the Authors didn't know what sound they were going for, so they just ended the tracks abruptly.

Like I said previously, I really enjoyed other albums by Tangerine Dream, such as Zeit. I just didn't enjoy this album as much. Most of my opinion might be attributed to the fact that I enjoy darker, more supernatural Ambient CDs. Some favorites of mine include "On Land", by Brian Eno, and "Selected Ambient Works Volume II", by Aphex Twin. If you enjoy the darker side of Ambient, then you might want to avoid Phaedra, and grab these albums instead (or Zeit).

Revolutionary for it's time.......2007-06-19

I have been a HUGE Tangerine Dream fan since the late '80s. I was very excited to purchase all of their older albums at that time and listened with great anticipation and sweet satisfaction to every one.



Phaedra was a bit of a disappointment for me. Phaedra, although it was something completely new and revolutionary as far as music goes, seemed to be directionless and dispassionate.



TD were still in the process of taming the musical beast known as he Moog synthesizer and I get the impression that they were still trying to get a feel as to exactly what they could do with it.



Yes. Phaedra was unlike anything ever heard at the time and the music is very spacey and atmospheric, but it really doesn't go anywhere. There are a few points that the music evokes certain feelings, but just when you get into it, the tone or timbres shift without warning and the mood is lost.



I do still listen to this CD from time to time, just to understand where TD came from and to appreciate how much they've evolved over the years. I do, however recommend "Phaedra 2005" which is basically the same album, but updated with "modern" synthesizers and keyboards and contains a newly recorded track "Delfi". This version seems to have a bit more going for it than the original. It is available through TD's website www.tangerinedream.org.



Peace

A VIRTUAL ACID TRIP.......2007-05-18

I was introduced to this album along with "YOU" by Gong on the same evening. Needless to say, I haven't been the same since. I was into so-called "progressive rock" at the time. Groups as disparate as Jethro Tull, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, ELP and Yes, and perhaps everyone else, were trying to "out space" each other. Tangerine Dream were, quite frankly, the most far out of them all. In fact, they dispensed with drums, bass and vocals altogether (leaving three guys on a stage with keyboards (Kraftwork, anyone?). Picture it as a "Steve Reich meets King Crimson meets Gong" instrumental type of art. This stuff has since been done to death, but, at the time, it was truly breathtaking. The music is similar to some so-called "serious" European composers of the era. Phaedra is, to my ears, the first strong, cohesive album of the group and marks their departure from an initial experimental phase into their classic period. This album was highly influential, preceeding Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" and the Vangelis "Chariots of Fire" music and serving as an obvious influence. New comers to this music may think there is nothing special here. That is because there has been a whole industry of film music based on the style of this group. In fact, Tangerine Dream later produced a number of film scores ("Sorcerer" being one of the first). Tangerine Dream were also pioneers for such new Wave groups as Ice House and what passed as "Eurodance" music of the '90s. Firmly rooted in the classical traditions of Stockhausen, Steve Reich and Terry Rielly,as well as the avant Garde Jazz and "progressive rock", Tangerine Dream crosses all styles and represents none (I like to think of it as music you would listen to as you float in a spacesuit around Werner Von Braun's space station). They are one of the few truly innovative and original groups around. Call them "noise makers"? Maybe. However, a good definition of "music" is "organized sound". THAT definition describes them well. Phaedra is one of their best albums. Check it out!!

TOP 3 TD.......2007-02-09

A classic of the ambient genre, primal electronic music for the brain. Anyone giving this album a 1 star based on comparisons to other (commercial) music are completely missing the point of this album & music.

Very overrated.......2007-01-08

Like every album, some say it's a masterpiece, some say it's a disaster.
I respect both, for me, this album is overrated. It is hard to find any melody in this, it looks like the keyboard player fell asleep on his keyboard, just like I felt asleep on my lazy boy. Another overrated product.

Average customer rating: Essential Performances from a Great & Beloved Singer

Philips and Decca Recordings, 1961-1979 (Limited Edition) Janet Baker , John Shirley-Quirk , Graham Sheen , Johann Sebastian Bach , Ludwig van Beethoven , Hector Berlioz , Giovanni Bononcini , Benjamin Britten , Giulio Caccini , and Antonio Caldara Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Caldara, Antonio | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chausson, Ernest | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Giordani, Giuseppe | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gluck | Gluck, Christoph W. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Martini | Martini, Giovanni Battist | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Paisiello | Paisiello, Giovanni | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Pergolesi | Pergolesi, Gio Battista | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Piccinni, Niccolò | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rameau | Rameau, Jean Philippe | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Alessandro Scarlatti | Scarlatti, Alessandro | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stradella | Stradella, Alessandro | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of Janet Baker Artistry of Elly Ameling (Coll) Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler / Barbirolli, et al The Very Best of Régine Crespin Clara Haskil: Philips Recordings, 1951-1960 ASIN: B0000B0A0Q Release Date: 2003-11-25

Customer Reviews:

Essential Performances from a Great & Beloved Singer.......2004-01-09

For those of us who grew up on Janet Baker's recordings (and were lucky enough to hear her "live" as well), the sound of her voice and her singular artstic personality - British restraint coupled with fierce emotional and spiritual commitment - are indelibly imprinted in our minds and hearts. The closest current equivalent is Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, another superb artist who has charted her own course, and not surprisingly there is some overlap of repertoire, in the music of J.S. Bach, of course, but also Berlioz's Didon and Beatrice, Handel's Ariodante and Britten's Phaedra (composed for Baker).
This wonderful compilation is complementary to EMI's 2-CD "The Very Best of Janet Baker" -- no overlap of repertoire whatsoever. Unlike that set, which focused on concert repertoire (with orchestra or piano) there's a generous sampling here of Baker's operatic roles including Handel, Mozart, Purcell, Rameau, Gluck, and Britten. Also welcome is "Phaedra," one of Britten's strongest late works. And it's good to have the Berlioz: "Cleopatre" and "Herminie" complete, the big aria from "Beatrice et Benedict." (Why EMI included nothing from her recording of the last 2 scenes of "Les Troyens" is unfathomable.) The wide time-span allows us to hear Baker's voice in all its youthful, "sappy" warmth, as well as in its artistic maturity (though truth to tell she was pretty much a complete artist from the start). There are a few signs of wear in later items, nothing serious, in fact rather less than I remembered. I could have done with fewer of the "Arie Amorose" in favor of more cuts from her Gluck LP, which I believe has never been issued complete on CD, but that's just personal preference. The focus here is entirely on orchestrally accompanied works (or, in the case of the marvelous early disc of Ravel, Chausson & Delage songs, with chamber ensemble) so for Baker the supreme interpreter of English, German and French song you'll need to go elsewhere (the EMI has a fair sampling, especially of her Schubert). But everything here is indispensible.

Average customer rating: Pärt fans take note Profound and intense A contemporary tour de force

World To Come Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Tango | Latin Music | Styles | Music Similar Items: Kinship Oblivion Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar Golijov: Yiddishbbuk ASIN: B0000CABC4 Release Date: 2003-10-21

Tracks:

1. Osvaldo Golijov: Mariel
2. David Lang: World To Come I
3. David Lang: World To Come II
4. David Lang: World To Come III
5. David Lang: World To Come IV
6. Arvo Part: Fratres for Four Cellos
7. John Tavener: Lament for Phaedra

Customer Reviews:

Pärt fans take note.......2005-08-12

Beyond the musical composition there is an intangible, almost mystical quality to many of Pärt's albums, especially my personal favorite - Tabula Rasa. Maya's version of Fratres is what initially attracted me to this album. However, this cut is actually now one of my least favorites. Track #1 alone would make this album worth the price. Maya's playing captures something that is beyond words and beyond any attempts to evaluate it based solely on its musicality. Buy it.

Profound and intense.......2005-03-23

It is impossible to describe this music, but suffice it to say that this CD contains some of the most compelling and interesting new music I've ever heard. The compositions have great emotional/spiritual depth and intensity, and Beiser's playing is strong and authoritative.

A contemporary tour de force.......2003-11-04

Maya Beiser's new recording is a sensational exploration into the world of multi-track recording. "Mariel" is a spiritual work, centered around what sounds like a South American folk song. "World to Come," by far the largest work on this disc, with vocals and multiple tracks of cellos, is inspirational and hopeful. A really enjoyable disc.

Average customer rating: Britten's lesser operas? Britten's lesser operas

Britten Conducts Britten: Operas 2 Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Bainbridge, Elisabeth | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Britten, Sir Benjamin | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten Conducts Britten: Operas 1 Britten Conducts Britten Britten Conducts Britten Janácek: Operas Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet ASIN: B000654OU6 Release Date: 2005-03-15

Customer Reviews:

Britten's lesser operas?.......2007-05-29

Of course it's all a matter of taste. I find most of Britten's operas first class with no exception. 'Gloriana' is an under-recorded jewel, full of melody and emotion. 'Turn of the Screw' a masterpiece of claustrophobic sense. 'Rape of Lucretia' full of chamber sensibility. And the performances cannot be bettered.
Need I say more? DECCA is paying an enormous service to collectors with these releases, especially those who have a real concern with storage space. They deserve 10 stars, if available.

Britten's lesser operas.......2007-05-13

I loved Britten's Operas 1. So I snatched this item up right away. It's o.k. but not as good as the first collection. Death in Venice was the only opera on these discs that I really cared for. It's every bit as good as the Hickox version so if you already have one there's really no need to buy the other. As for the other operas they're nowhere near as good as Billy Budd, Peter Grimes, or Albert Herring. For those just discovering Britten's operas start out with the first boxed set.

Average customer rating: "Silva Screen releases film culture European style" arthouse cafe 3

Arthouse Cafe, Vol. 3 Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Rota, Nino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Theodorakis | Theodorakis, Mikis | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Arthouse Cafe, Vol. 1 ASIN: B00000I0DC Release Date: 1999-02-16

Tracks:

1. Il Postino-Theme/The Bicycle
2. Last Tango In Paris-Theme
3. La Dolce Vita-Suite
4. Z-Theme
5. Death In Venice-Adagietto From Symphony No.5
6. Antonia's Line-Opening Credits
7. Das Boot-Theme
8. Suspiria-Theme
9. Cinema Paradiso-Theme
10. Phaedra-Suite
11. The Tin Drum-Suite
12. Amarcord-Suite
13. The Double Life Of Veronique-Concerto in e
14. Zorba The Greek-Zorba's Dance

Customer Reviews:

"Silva Screen releases film culture European style".......2001-11-28

Believe Silva Screen saved the best for last...the ongoing series comes to an end with "Arthouse Cafe 3"...this time highlighting not just the scores from France, but the entire European community...thus with have "Classic European Film Music" ...some of the best known composers around ~ Enrique Bacalov, Gato Barbieri, Van Den Budenmayer, Klaus Doldinger, Goblin, Maurice Jarre, Gustav Mahler, Ennio Morricone, Zbigniew Preisner, Nino Rota, Ilona Sekacz and Mikis Theodorakis...each composer so different in their approach to the story-line, but always setting the mood for each character to act out his or her part.

There are several stand outs on this compilation that need mentioning ~ "IL POSTINO"(Bacalov)..."LA DOLCE VITA"(Rota)..."Z"(Theodorakis)..."CINEMA PARADISO"(Morricone)..."PHAEDRA"(Theodorakis)..."ARMARCORD"(Rota)..."THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE"(Van den Budenmayer/Preisner)...and my all-time favorite "ZORBA THE GREEK"(Theodorakis), loved the film with Anthony Quinn, and the music was so inspiring, so earthy and festive, with a hint sadness reflections of daily life, with its ups and downs, will never forget the impact this had on me when I first heard his music.

Under the watchful eye of James Fitzpatrick(producer), featuring The City Of Prague Philharmonic...conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine...Mark Ayres producing Electronic Music...so my "film-score-buff" friends, this is a keeper, make room for one of the most outstanding collections to come out of the SILVA SCREEN vaults!

Total Time: 71:01 on 14 Tracks ~ Silva Screen Records STD-5019 ~ (1998)

arthouse cafe 3.......2000-09-25

I found this selection of European Film Music harmonically well put together...although I expected to have the themes played a little longer - some are only two to three minutes long - This takes away from the beauty of the melody. Otherwise the combination between the themes in "Il Postino" and "Cinema Paradiso" or "Zorba" combined with "Amarcord" and "Das Boot" makes it a very atractive C.D., offering "the unexpectated".

Average customer rating: DREADFUL LIBRETTO: GREAT OPERA

Britten: The Rape of Lucretia; Phaedra Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | 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 Bainbridge, Elisabeth | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Britten, Sir Benjamin | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Britten - The Rape of Lucretia / Rigby, Rolfe-Johnson, Harries, Smythe, Van Allan, Opie, Owens, Pope, Friend, English National Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream / Britten, London SO Britten: Holy Sonnets, Billy Budd, etc. / Britten, Glossop, Pears, et al Leos Janacek: Vec Makropulos (The Makropulos Case) / Lachian Dances Britten - Death in Venice / Peter Pears · John Shirley-Quirk · James Bowman · Kenneth Bowen · Stuart Bedford ASIN: B0000041WC Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

1. Phaedra: In May, in brilliant Athens - Janet Baker
2. Phaedra: Oh Gods of wrath - Janet Baker
3. Phaedra: My time's too short, your highness - Janet Baker
4. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Rome is now ruled by the Etruscan upstart - Peter Pears
5. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: It is an axiom among kings - Heather Harper
6. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Here the thirsty evening - Peter Pears
7. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Who reaches heaven first - John Shirley-Quirk
8. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Maria was unmasked at a masked ball - Bryan Drake
9. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Collatinus is politically astute - Peter Pears
10. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: There goes a happy man! - Benjamin Luxon
11. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: Tarquinius does not dare - Bryan Drake/Peter Pears
12. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 1: My horse! My horse!...Tarquinius does not wait - Peter Pears
13. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 2: Their spinning-wheel unwinds - Heather Harper
14. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 2: Listen! I heard a knock - Janet Baker
15. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 2: Time treads upon the hands of women - Heather Harper
16. The Rape of Lucretia: Act I: Scene 2: The oatmeal slippers of sleep - Heather Harper

Tracks:

1. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 1: The prosperity of the Etruscans - Heather Harper
2. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 1: She sleeps as a rose - Heather Harper
3. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 1: Within this frail crucible of light - Bryan Drake
4. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 1: Lucretia!...What do you want? - Bryan Drake/Janet Baker
5. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 1: Interlude: Here in this scene - Peter Pears/Heather Harper
6. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: Oh! What a lovely day! - Jenny Hill/Elizabeth Bainbridge
7. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: We'll leave the orchids for Lucretia - Elizabeth Bainbridge
8. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: Flowers bring to every year - Janet Baker
9. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: You were right - Jenny Hill
10. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: Lucretia! Lucretia! - John Shirley-Quirk
11. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: Last night Tarquinius ravished me - Janet Baker
12. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: This dead hand lets fall - John Shirley-Quirk
13. The Rape of Lucretia: Act II: Scene 2: Epilogue: Is it all? - Heather Harper

Customer Reviews:

DREADFUL LIBRETTO: GREAT OPERA.......2006-08-31

Lucretia is probably the worst libretto Britten ever set. Its awkward combination of the classical with the Christian, the slips into dated vernacular or the high-flown and pretentiously poetic, all conspire to set it on a level with Tippett at his most embarrassing. Was the composer just not strong enough with his librettist, Ronald Duncan (several of whose plays he had written incidental music for)? He certainly got what he needed out of Eric Crozier, Myfanwy Piper, even E.M.Forster - often by bullying and insisting on his own way.

It's a shame for he wrote some of his loveliest and most beautiful music in this, the first of his chamber operas. He was already a master of his slimmed-down orchestra, something he had learnt from his time writing for Post Office documentaries and various left-wing plays. Just listen to the evocation of a sultry Latin night in the opening scene with its chirruping crickets and booming bullfrogs. Or the thrill of the wild Ride to Rome. And here (in `She sleeps as a rose upon the night') is the first of those magically dreamy nocturnes that recur in later operas like Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw. The vocal lines are also memorable, tuneful and among the composer's best, whether the insistently obsessive motif on Lucretia's name, the hair-raising runs of the Ride to Rome (tailor-made for Pears' ability to ride straight through the passagio in the voice), the ravishing harmonies as the women fold linen or the heart-break of Lucretia's confession.

The performance on these discs, conducted by the composer, were linked to a touring English Opera Group production and so have a real feeling of the theatre about them. The singers show just how strong the `Aldeburgh Rep' was at that time. Janet Baker is unbeatable as the heroine - at least on a par with the role's creator, Kathleen Ferrier, and often better. Benjamin Luxon is all power and lust: Bryan Drake has just the right edge to his voice for the political mob-stirrer, Junius: John Shirley-Quirk saves Collatinus from being the rather pale goody-goody he can often seem by concentrating on the text as well as his customary beauty of tone. The two Greek-style Choruses have to handle some of the more awkward passages of the libretto. As I've said, the Male Chorus's part is actually designed for Pears' voice and he sings it with his familiar inimitable style, if without quite the freshness he brought to the various performances now available from the time of the opera's premiere. Heather Harper doesn't quite efface memories of Joan Cross, but she is as hauntingly beautiful as ever in Britten's music. And Britten as conductor is naturally and as always a supreme communicator of his own intentions. He elicits some wonderful playing from his small ECO group and paces the piece, dramatically as well as musically, just right.

This is as near a definitive performance of the work as you'll find. Some of the earlier recordings, as I've said, are worth exploring, but are much more dated in sound terms. Hickox's later CDs have a fine Lucretia in Jean Rigby and an interesting alternative to Pears in Nigel Robson's Chorus, but don't quite hit the spot as this performance does. And on these discs you also get Janet Baker's riveting performance of Phaedra, a cantata from late in the composer's career when he was already seriously ill and which is effectively a distilled and concentrated opera in its own right.

Average customer rating: Greek Classic With A Modern Twist

Phaedra Mikis Theodorakis Manufacturer: Theodorakis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Greece | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music Soundtracks | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Iphigenia Electra Elegy of the Uprooting Electra Jazz Samba ASIN: B00007DX4O Release Date: 2006-10-23

Tracks:

1. Love Theme Form Phaedra
2. Rendezvous
3. Ship to Shore
4. London's Fog
5. One More Time
6. Agapi Mou
7. Only You
8. Fling
9. Candlelight
10. Rodostamo
11. Love Theme From Phaedra
12. Goodbye, John Sebastian

Customer Reviews:

Greek Classic With A Modern Twist.......2007-01-21

Of course I was just a tiny baby when the movie "Phaedra" was released in the early 1960's, but both the film and the soundtrack left a lasting impression. I lost the original LP version long ago & kept trying to locate another copy ever since--so this Amazon listing was a godsend. Despite the fact that it involved an overseas purchase, confirmation & delivery verification was timely--in fact I received the product earlier than the expected date. The film starring beautiful Melina Mercouri and a strangely cast Anthony Perkins is a modern version of the ancient Phaedra story. Phaedra is a queen married to a powerful & self-involved ruler. Due to the jealousy of Aphrodite, Phaedra falls fatally in love with her stepson. In the modern version the King owns a shipyard & parallels with the Onasis dynasty are pretty obvious.

The quality of the CD is excellent. You'd probably have to be a vintage movie fan to be interested, but the Love Theme is one of the best and conveys the destructive power of compulsive love & desire.

Cleopatra
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Average customer rating:

Phos: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Greek Album Manufacturer: EMI Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Theodorakis | Theodorakis, Mikis | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Greece | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B0002I8UFM Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

1. Train Leaves at Eight - Pyx Lax
2. My Love (Phaedra) - Alkistis Protopsalti
3. Beautiful City [Live] - George Dalaras, The Metropole Orchestra
4. Who Pursues My Life - Haris Katsimihas, Panos Katsimihas
5. Someday They'll Come - Yiannis Kotsiras
6. Old Streets
7. If You Remember My Dream - Yannis Ploutarhos
8. Kites
9. Magical Night [Live] - Yannis Parios
10. Make Your Bed for Two - Haris Alexiou
11. Of Foreign Lands - Dimitris Mitropanos
12. I Was Lost
13. Golden-Green Leaf
14. Drapetsona - Antonis Remos
15. Complaint - Pashalis Terzis
16. You Were Complaint
17. On the Hidden Shore (Denial)
18. Solitary Swallow/O Sun of Justice [Live] - Mikis Theodorakis

Average customer rating:

Phaedra Tangerine Dream Manufacturer: EMI Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Germany | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music New Age | Imports | Stores | Music Latin Music | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Rubycon Tago Mago Sheer Heart Attack Aqualung Living in the Past ASIN: B00028XEEE Release Date: 2004-08-02

Tracks:

1. Phaedra
2. Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares
3. Movements of a Visionary
4. Sequent C'

Average customer rating:

Britten - The Rescue of Penelope / Hagley, Ainsley, Wyn-Rogers, J. Baker ~ Phaedra / L. Hunt; Hallé Orch., Nagano Benjamin Britten , Hallé Orchestra , Kent Nagano , Janet Baker , Lorrain Hunt , Alison Hagley , John Mark Ainsley , Catherine Wyn-Rogers , and William Dazeley Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs ASIN: B000005E41 Release Date: 1996-06-11

Tracks:

1. The Rescue Of Penelope: Part One : Eight Years Have Passed
2. The Rescue Of Penelope: Yet Not All Reached Their Homes
3. The Rescue Of Penelope: Worse Still, The Island
4. The Rescue Of Penelope: Children Have Died Of Want
5. The Rescue Of Penelope: Yet Some Trust In An End
6. The Rescue Of Penelope: Your Prayer Is Answered
7. The Rescue Of Penelope: Long Suffering Odysseus
8. The Rescue Of Penelope: Listen, The Voices Of The Gods
9. The Rescue Of Penelope: Part Two : I, Athene, Rise To The Edge Of Night
10. The Rescue Of Penelope: When I See The Sorrow Of Mortal Odysseus
11. The Rescue Of Penelope: How loud the spring sounds all of a sudden
12. The Rescue Of Penelope: Bold. - Telemachus, watch the shadow on the wall!
13. The Rescue Of Penelope: There it is before you
14. The Rescue Of Penelope: Listen, Lords of Ithaca
15. The Rescue Of Penelope: Telemachus, be swift!
16. The Rescue Of Penelope: Now there is silence
17. Phaedra: Prologue : 'In May, In Brilliant Athens'
18. Phaedra: Recitative : 'My Lost And Dazzled Eyes'
19. Phaedra: Presto : 'You Monster'
20. Phaedra: Recitative : 'O Gods Of Wrath'
21. Phaedra: Adagio : 'My Time's Too Short'

Meditation Music:

1. Piano Song
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3. Rendezvous
4. Ricochet [Live]
5. Ring of the Dolphin
6. Rumba Collection: 1992-1997
7. Safety in Numbers
8. San Juan Suite [Extra tracks]
9. Secret Luminescence
10. Slinky Slurpee [CD-single]

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