Mera Mera!

1. Sota (Albur Errado)

2. Como Te Quiero

3. Raya del Pantalon

4. Esperanzado y Triste

5. Bailen Todos

6. Ya No Me Haces Falta

7. Brinque y Brinque

8. Sufriendo a Solas

9. Bullanguera

10. Voy a Combrarme (Voy a Cobrarte)

Mera Mera!,Banda Arkangel R-15,Sony International,Banda,Latin,Latin Music,Mexican,Tropical

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Average customer rating: Monsoon Wedding Soundtrack is Terrific Loved it! Just as fabulous as the movie! Love It, Love It, Love It Culture-Happy-Dance-Reflect-Appreciate-Savor-Relax-Laugh

Monsoon Wedding (Score) Manufacturer: Milan Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Monsoon Wedding Bend It Like Beckham The Best of Bollywood Bride & Prejudice Bhangra Beatz ASIN: B00005UKLV Release Date: 2002-03-05

Tracks:

1. Feels Like Rain
2. Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa (Today My Heart Desires)
3. Baraat
4. Aaj Mausam Bada Beimann Hai (Today The Weather Plays Tricks On Me)
5. Your Good Name
6. delhi.com
7. Fuse Box
8. Mehndi/Madhorama Pencha
9. Banished
10. Good Indian Girls
11. Fabric/Aaja Savariya (Come To Me, My Beloved)
12. Allah Hoo
13. Hold Me, I'm Falling
14. Love And Marigolds
15. Chunari Chunari
16. Aaja Nachle (Come On Dance!)
17. Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa (Zimpala Remix)
18. Fuse Box (Alexkid's Dub Remix)
19. Fuse Box (Julio Black Remix)

Amazon.com

Monsoon Wedding is Mychael Danna's second collaboration with film director Mira Nair, (Kama Sutra was the first), and he has again compiled a winning soundtrack. Danna explores a wide range of emotions, from solemn to celebratory, through different generations of Indian culture. The contemplative "Good Indian Girls" and "Hold Me, I'm Falling" feature Danna's trademark piano ambience over traditional Indian instrumentation, and the vivacious "Baraat" sounds like a Punjabi variation on Dixieland, while "Delhi.com" ventures into dreamy ethno-techno territory. Sukhwinder Singh's "Today My Heart Desires" serves up lively bhangra rock, and Laxmikant Pyarelal's "Today the Weather Plays Tricks on Me" (performed by Mohammed Rafi) swoons with strings and male vocals. In all, the soundtrack's pleasing variety of Eastern music mirrors the film's old and new worlds living within a singular culture. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews:

Monsoon Wedding Soundtrack is Terrific.......2007-05-18

I really enjoyed the movie and was pleased to find the soundtrack. Great cd if you're a fan of Bollywood!

Loved it!.......2007-03-24

I just saw the movie MONSOON WEDDING and I absolutely loved it! Of course, I just HAD to have the soundtrack, so I bought the Cd recently and loved it too! WOW!

The Cd will leave you in a happy mood... Wonderful up-beat songs, many are so danceable and hipnotic. I've been playing this Cd all week ...I just wish it were longer because I would love to have more Cds like this in my Cd collection.

Just as fabulous as the movie!.......2007-01-31

This is an excellent soundtrack from an excellent movie. The music is fantastic - makes you want get up and move your feet! It's got such a happy, wistful, exotic flavor throughout the CD. I think this will probably be one that I wear out from listening to it so much!

Love It, Love It, Love It.......2007-01-21

I just love this CD. I'm preferential to the work of Mychael Danna and this is another awesome work of his. There is everything from old Indian love ballads to the popular Bollywood music of today, with some very beautiful instrumentals in between.

I'd recommend seeing the movie too. As well, I'd check out Danna's music for another Mira Nair movie, "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love."

Culture-Happy-Dance-Reflect-Appreciate-Savor-Relax-Laugh.......2006-11-06

Above I listed some words that first came to mind when I thought about this cd.
It is very Culture rich and soaked in Indian flavor. It's colorful and makes you happy with a laugh or two; as it seeks to portray the traditional music typical of a Punjabi wedding in Delhi, India.
You want to dance with most songs and sit quietly to reflect with others. I listed appreciate because we often don't sit back to appreciate the richness that other cultures provide. My 2 year old appreciates this music in her broken wanna be Hindi mimic.
She dances as does my 6 year old to this music. It's really a great CD but I would recommend seeing the movie first.

Average customer rating: Warning: this CD is addictive Clever, but.... Bhosle, Pavrotti, Sinatra Cheap music I Think They Should Have Selected a More Contemporary Singer

You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood Kronos Quartet , and Asha Bhosle Manufacturer: Nonesuch Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music India | India & Pakistan | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mugam Sayagi: Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh Best of Asha Bhosle: The Golden Voice of Bollywood Rise Dimanche a Bamako Kiran Ahluwalia ASIN: B0009X1PAM Release Date: 2005-08-23

Tracks:

1. Dum Maro Dum - Take Another Toke
2. Rishte Bante Hain - Relationships Grow Slowly
3. Mehbooba Mehbooba - Beloved, O Beloved
4. Ekta Deshlai Kathi Jwalao - Light a Match
5. Nodir Pare Utthchhe Dhnoa - Smoke Rises across the River
6. Koi Aaya Aane Bhi De - If People Come
7. Mera Kuchh Saaman - Some of My Things
8. Saajan Kahan Jaoongi Main - Beloved, Where Would I Go?
9. Piya Tu Ab To Aaja - Lover, Come to Me Now
10. Dhanno Ki Aankhon - In Dhanno's Eyes
11. Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne - You've Stolen My Heart
12. Saiyan Re Saiyan - My Lover Came Silently

Amazon.com

The Kronos Quartet have been luminaries of modern Western classical music for more than thirty years. So despite their previous forays into world music, a headlong dive into the alternative universe of Bollywood (Bombay-plus-Hollywood) soundtracks may seem somewhat incongruous. But Kronos leader David Harrington is a longtime fan of composer R.D. Burman¹s florid pop extravaganzas, which propelled an already saturated palette into day-glo and beyond. To get the project off the ground, he had to convince one of India¹s prolific and versatile "playback" singers to come on board. The legendary Asha Bhosle is a renowned Burman interpreter so securing her services was a major coup. To replicate the reverb-laden "wall of sound" typical of Burman arrangements, Kronos and Ashaji, accompanied by Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain and Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man, overdubbed themselves into a teeming multitude. However, there is nothing soulless or "canned" about the results; indeed, composer and singer emerge refreshed and more vivid than ever before, shaking their stuff amid swirling Technicolor veils of tongue-in-cheek mystery and sensuality. --Christina Roden

Album Description

Sumptuous and surreal, the Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle's You've Stolen My Heart is not unlike the colorful, melodramatic Indian film musicals to which it pays tribute. Eight of its twelve tracks feature superstar Bollywood film playback singer Asha Bhosle, widely considered the world's most recorded vocalist. The songs were chosen from the repertoire of her husband, the late composer R.D. Burman, who revolutionized the sound of the movies produced at Mumbai's (formerly Bombay) fabled studios, a.k.a. Bollywood.

Customer Reviews:

Warning: this CD is addictive.......2007-01-12

Now in her early 60s, Asha Bhosle's voice has matured since the heyday of her Bollywood career in the 60s-70s and in these reworkings of some of her greatest hits (written by her late husband R.K.Burman) it's positively honey-like. The collaboration with Kronos Quartet is inspired: substitute electronically enhanced violins for Duane Eddy guitars and you have an inkling of the ideas flying around the disc. The liner notes are informative and there's plenty of information for the Bollywood novice. However, whether you understand Hindi or not, this is a collection of songs - humorous, romantic, tacky, and at times so hilariously naff in the way of Indian homages to western pop it's actually cool! I would be amazed if you don't want to keep going back to it, once heard.

Clever, but...........2006-04-07

Chronos has always emphasized being clever over being musical- although they are splendid musicians- and this album is perhaps the ultimate exegesis of that. The actual music is perhaps exotic, to western ears, but it is also uninteresting. Indian film music combines the sound of the East with the banality of pop, and the result isn't anything that bears more than one listening; personally, I was continually reminded of the incidental Indian-themed music that kept popping up in the Beatles' movie "Help", although that soundtrack was a bit more clever. Another volume for the library of the die-hard Chronos fan, perhaps, but not necessarily anyone alse.

Bhosle, Pavrotti, Sinatra.......2006-02-12

Some vocalists are one-of-a-kind, brilliant and beautiful, setting the standard for their particular music. Asha Bhosle is one of them. I heard her with the Kronos in performance in San Francisco, and they took my breath away. This album isn't quite the same as being there but it's very, very close. Asha, Kronos - please do it again!

Cheap music.......2006-01-02

I dont know how the kronos quartet to come down so low. The music is cheap. I couldn't hear any of the tracks completely. They were so insipid.Complete waste of money. I have heard much better from Asha.

I Think They Should Have Selected a More Contemporary Singer.......2005-11-05

I love Asha Bhosle and one only has to listen to her Live at the Albert Hall album. Problem is, she has aged, and her voice shows it. Regrettably, her vocals on this album constantly remind me of this and I can't listen to the album with pleasure. I would say the same of such wonderful singers as June Carter and Amalia Mendoza. This was a wonderful opportunity to introduce much of the world to the zaniness of Bollywood movie music, with its fabulous arrangements and wacky use of all imaginable instruments from all over the world. Instead it makes me sad to hear Asha not at her peak.

Average customer rating: Sheer beauty from Agnes Baltsa A Wonderful Collection

From Greece With Love Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Theodorakis | Theodorakis, Mikis | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Greece | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Troubadour From Greece Mondo Greece The Best of Mikis Theodorakis Rough Guide to Music of Greece Best of Greece, Vol. 1 ASIN: B00012ASRC Release Date: 2004-07-13

Tracks:

1. Garllo st'aftA carnation behind your ear)
2. Oniro pediis gitoni(Dream of urban children)
3. O tahidr (The postman)
4. M Magioday in May)
5. To tr fi stis okthe train leaves at eight)
6. Se pa rodmo (I gave you rose-water to drink)
7. Stou Othona ta hr (When Otto was king)
8. pri m ke ya mas (There will be better days, even for us)
9. Varkar (Barcarolle)
10. Ta tr pou fn
11. ,Arhssa (Princess of my heart)

Album Description

This album features Baltsa's unrivalled voice singing folk music that is a basic source of the Greek tradition in song. All tracks feature folk songs arranged by leading contemporary Greek composers.

Customer Reviews:

Sheer beauty from Agnes Baltsa.......2005-06-23

This disc from Agnes Baltsa (Greek opera-singer) containing the most beautiful Greek songs is a real treat. It's recorded in the -80s when she was around 40 and in her prime. The songs are written by famous Greek composers like Theodorakis, Hadjidakis and Tsitsanis. My only complaint is that the cd only contains 11 songs. I wish it had at least 11 more.... But fortunately, my cd-player has a "repeat-button".......(Which I might add, is soon worn-out..)

For people unfamiliar with either Greek music or opera, this is the place to start. To me it seems that Greek music often is a matter of strong likes/dislikes, as is opera. You either love it or you hate it. After listening to this disc you will definitely want to seek out more recordings of Greek music and/or opera-recordings featuring Agnes Baltsa.

I know and love Agnes Baltsa from the opera stage, but even so, this record still amazes me. You will not hear her belt out painfully high notes like an opera-star on this cd - just beautiful singing throughout the whole disc. She also has a clear phrasing which I think is great, because it enables me to understand what the songs are all about. Being a classically trained singer one should perhaps think her voice unsuitable for simple-styled Greek folk songs. You couldn't be more wrong. Her crystal clear voice lends an elegancy to the songs that has to be heard to be believed. I'm a long time fan of Greek music and own a lot of recordings from various Greek artists, but never have I heard these songs so beautifully sung. This is definitely my "desert-island-recording" of Greek songs. I never tire of hearing them played again and again and again....

My favourite tracks from the disc have to be "Oniro pedion tis gitonias", "to treno fevgi stis okto", "O tahidromos" and "Arhontissa" and not to mention "Varkarolla". Her voice is just so hauntingly beautiful in these tracks. Don't be surprised if you end up in tears. But really, all the tracks are real treasures, gift-wrapped in Baltsa's velvet voice. It's a treat to hear Baltsa sing in her native tongue for the first time. It's obvious that she feels perfectly at ease here. She captures the melancholic beauty of the Greek soul so wonderfully. To me it's a mystery why she hasn't recorded more of this sort (at least I haven't been able to find any...)

The Athens Experimental Orchestra which is playing on this disc also deserves some words of praise. They make the Greek instruments sound heavenly and in the instrumental parts of the songs you just want to get up and dance.

This disc is really a proof of Greek supremacy - the music, the lyrics and Agnes Baltsa's singing - so simple and yet so powerful and breathtakingly beautiful. What more can I say? Just buy the cd ASAP!

A Wonderful Collection.......2004-12-10

This album was first released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) in 1986 under the title "Agnes Baltsa, Songs My Country Taught Me." I have owned it and enjoyed it for probably 15 years. It's a wonderful collection of very melodious Greek folk songs with fine arrangements sung by one of the great mezzo sopranos of our time. It's great that DG has seen fit to re-release it so many of you can also enjoy it. Buy it; you won't regret it.

Average customer rating: Great reminder of a good film... yet, great on it's own.

Monsoon Wedding ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items: Monsoon Wedding (Score) Monsoon Wedding The Best of Bollywood Bride and Prejudice An Ancient Muse ASIN: B000BNKFZQ

Product Description

Song Tracks:
1. Aaj Mera Jee Karida
2. Aaj Mausam Bada Deimaan Hai
3. Fuse Dox
4. Fabric
5. Title Song
6. Mar Jaava Gudhkhaake
7. Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo
8. Madhorama Pencha
9. Mera Laung Gwacha
10. Guru Nalon Ishq Mitha
11. Babbe Karade Ishq

Customer Reviews:

Great reminder of a good film... yet, great on it's own........2006-01-14

This album is a wonderfully crafted disc. It combines some of the greatest tracks from the moive. When I listened to it I initially had fond memeories of a great film. After repeated listening I began to enjoy several of the pieces on their own (such as Track # 10). This album I proudlt pum loud with the windows down and the sunroof open. It also, introduced me more to Indian music. A perfect place to begin fot the virgin listener, you get a mix of traditional and current popular dance styles.
**********************************
Loved this album, started the increased depth of my past shallow love for Inidan music.

Average customer rating: nice Mediterranean Music Comment on "Gemçis Güzel Günerli" and more Gecmis Guzel Gunleri is actually Armenian The Meditarranean Soul Captured in One CD!

Mediterranea: Songs of the Mediterranean Manufacturer: Sounds True Direct ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Greece | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music Spain | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Middle East | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Sumiglia Terra Nostra Mondo Greece Di Efchon Putumayo Presents Greece: A Musical Odyssey ASIN: B00004UES8 Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

1. Why Little Bird Do you Not Sing
2. You On A Hill, I On A Hilll
3. Pinguli Pinguli Giuvacchinu/The Door
4. The Girl From Nuoro
5. Sardinian Dance
6. Gentle Hand
7. When The Lissome Girl Appeared
8. Glory To The Word Of God
9. The Jasmine
10. Smyrnaean Air
11. In The Beautiful Bygone Days
12. Dawn Has Broken
13. And A Mother
14. Lullaby
15. The Boatmen
16. La Finforletta
17. O, Wave
18. God Has Afflicted Me/Why Little Bird Do You Not Sing

Customer Reviews:

nice.......2007-05-30

She has a very beautiful voice the songs are just not strong enough. I found 3 songs that I find myself listening to over and over. She dose have a great voice but the songs just don't show that off.

Mediterranean Music.......2006-11-03

An exquisite collection of songs from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, the White Sea, in original languauges. S Yanatou has an angelic voice. Strongly recommended.

Comment on "Gemçis Güzel Günerli" and more.......2005-05-01

First off, this is the best Savina Yannatou CD I've heard to date -- her voice is in terrific form here. (Though you'll get to hear a lot more of the band on her latest release, Sumiglia.)

Second, track 11 ("Gemçis Güzel Günerli") *is* a Turkish song, written by an Aremenian citizen of Turkey, Hrant Kenkulian, or "Udi Hrant," as he's often known -- this is mentioned in the liner notes to Mediterranea. ("Udi" is an honorific prefix meaning that he was a master player of the ud, a Middle Eastern lute.) If you're interested in exploring his music further, there are several recordings of his work (voice, ud, and violin) on the Traditional Crossroads label. (Type "Udi Hrant" into the search engine on this site and you'll find the CDs very easily.)

Turkey was -- and still is -- an ethnically mixed country, which is a legacy of the Ottoman Empire. There were Armenian Turkish composers and musicians at the courts of the Ottoman sultans, and there were those who also excelled at light classical and popular song. Hrant Kenkulian was a master of classical and popular music -- if you explore further, you'll find out that he's one of many 20th-century Armenians who were involved in the development of Turkish music.

Yannatou is an inheritor of Turkish tradition, too. Modern Greece was occupied by the Ottomans for many centuries, and there is a very strong Turkish tinge to much of the Greek music she performs. (And vice versa, as she performs Pontic Greek music from the Black Sea coast of Turkey; also songs from Smyrna -- now called Izmir -- on Turkey's western coast.)

What I love most about her work is her peerless way with all of the songs she chooses. Many people have tried to come up with pan-Mediterranean discs, but Yannatou is one of a handful of people who has succeeded at it.

Gecmis Guzel Gunleri is actually Armenian.......2004-09-22

My professional background is in ethnomusicology. I am not Greek, Turkish or Armenia so I have no axe to grind. One reviewer below, apparently of Turkish background, seems to take offense that Gecmis Guzel Gunleri is not listed as "Turkish Traditional." there is a simple reason for that, it isn't orignially a Turkish song. It is a well known Armenian song, with the same melody for hundred of years. Indeed this rendition is in Turkish, but to call it "Turkish traditional" would be innacurate.

Inded it belongs to, adn illustrates, a whole body of non Turkish music from Turkey which actually speaks to the ethnic cleansing that occured the in the 1900-1920's period.

Few people in today's Turkey, which has been purged of knowledge of the roots of its own tradional music, are aware of the multiethnic roots of its music. It was for years criminal to even suggest that many songs were orignially Greek, Kurdish or Armenian.

So I am glad that my Turkish friend likes the Armenian ballad Gecmis Guzel Gunleri ("The Beautiful Past Days") and am only sorry that he never heard the original recordings by an long dead artist now know in Turkey as Udi Hrant, but whose non stage name was Udi Hrant Kenkulian. His family was murdered in the Turkish Genocide against the Armenians, which makes his song more ever poignant - as the title suggests..

The Meditarranean Soul Captured in One CD!.......2002-04-02

Savina Yannatou has an indescribable soprano voice which captures the sounds and emotions of the Meditarranean people whether Italian, Greek, French (Corsica), Hebrew or Turkish (I may have missed a country or two present on the CD). The wedding song from the Greek island of Kalymnos and the Turkish "aman" song are my favorites. All the songs are so beautifully sung, it is hard to say that one is better than another ... I have heard these two songs before and am familiar with how they should sound: her singing is traditonal with a tenderness and sincerity that is a uniquely her own. Savina's voice is ethereal and "other worldly" - totally living up to her name, after a saint from the Meditarranean, Italy, I think.

I first heard Savina Yannatou on Mondo Greece and knew I must have one of her CDs. I discovered this one and was compelled to buy it. It is filled with the music of Primavera de Salonika, playing kanun, santouri, lyra, and other authentic intstruments that complement Savina's voice. Her voice is beyond description ... totally captivating, exceptional, without comparison. Listen and be amazed - then buy the CD!!! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Average customer rating: Suzuki & Mera from Japan: perfection and purity

Bach: Cantatas, Vol 5 (BWV 18, 152, 155, 161, 143) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Johann Sebastian Bach , Mindori Suzuki , Yoshikazu Mera , Makoto Sakurada , Peter Kooij , Masaaki Suzuki , and Bach Collegium Japan Manufacturer: Bis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Bach: Cantatas, Vol 6 (BWV 31, 21) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 8 (BWV 22, 23, 75) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 2 (BWV 71, 131, 106) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas Vol 7 (BWV 61, 63, 132, 172) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 1 (BWV 4, 150, 196) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki ASIN: B0000016P8 Release Date: 2000-08-05

Tracks:

1. Cantata No.18, 'Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt', BWV 18: 1. Sinfonia
2. Cantata No.18, 'Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt', BWV 18: 2. Rezitativ (Bass)
3. Cantata No.18, 'Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt', BWV 18: 3. Choral (Litanei) und rezitativ (Tenor, Bass)
4. Cantata No.18, 'Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt', BWV 18: 4. Arie (Sopran)
5. Cantata No.18, 'Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt', BWV 18: 5. Choral
6. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 1. Sinfonia
7. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 2. Arie (Bass)
8. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 3. Rezitativ (Bass)
9. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 4. Arie (Sopran)
10. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 5. Rezitativ (Bass)
11. Cantata No.152, 'Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn', BWV 152: 6. Arie (Duett) (Sopran - Bass)
12. Cantata No.155, 'Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange', BWV 155: 1. Rezitativ (Sopran)
13. Cantata No.155, 'Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange', BWV 155: 2. Arie (Duett) (Alt - Tenor)
14. Cantata No.155, 'Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange', BWV 155: 3. Rezitativ (Bass)
15. Cantata No.155, 'Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange', BWV 155: 4. Arie (Sopran)
16. Cantata No.155, 'Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange', BWV 155: 5. Choral
17. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 1. Arie (mit Choral) (Alt)
18. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 2. Rezitativ (Tenor)
19. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 3. Arie (Tenor)
20. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 4. Rezitativ (Alt)
21. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 5. Chor
22. Cantata No. 161, 'Komm, du susse Todesstunde', BWV 161: 6. Choral
23. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 1. Chor
24. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 2. Choral (Sopran)
25. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 3. Rezitativ (Tenor)
26. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 4. Arie (Tenor)
27. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 5. Arie (Bass)
28. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 6. Arie (mit Choral) (Tenor)
29. Cantata No.143, 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele', BWV 143: 7. Chor Und Choral

Amazon.com

The striking thing about the works on volume 5 of the Bach Collegium Japan's Cantatas series is their unusual instrumentation. Cantata No. 18 uses only four violas and continuo; No. 152 calls for only soprano and bass soloists, with recorder, viola d'amore, oboe, and viola da gamba (and without violins or cellos); and No. 155 has a normal complement of strings, but features an alto/tenor duet with, of all things, obbligato bassoon. Cantata No. 161 also uses a normal string group, along with two recorders; it's famous partly because of its title, Komm du süsse Todesstunde ("Come, thou sweet hour of death"), but also because the surprisingly gentle titular aria (for alto and recorders) beautifully manifests the Lutheran view of death as the welcome opportunity to join Christ in heaven. The festive New Year's Day cantata No. 143, Lobe den herrn, meine Seele ("Praise the Lord, O my soul"), the only work on the disc with a substantial part for chorus, adds to the usual strings and continuo three high-pitched hunting horns and timpani; while the choir and orchestra could cut loose a bit more, they perform with good cheer, as well as skill. Yet this volume is really a chance for the soloists to shine--and shine they do. Midori Suzuki's pure boy-like soprano sounds a bit fragile and strained this time around, but she sings with plenty of feeling. Countertenor Yoshikazu Mera and bass Peter Kooy are, as always, eloquent, musical, and pleasing to the ear--as is tenor Makoto Sakurada, whose light, clear tone and sensitive delivery make for a performance worthy to stand beside those of his better-known colleagues. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Suzuki & Mera from Japan: perfection and purity.......1998-11-29

Again, from Montana I am writing to you to extoll the virtures of this excellent CD. The counter-tenor, Yoshikazu Mera, is one of the artists on this CD adding his incredible, almost surreal, voice to this fascinating collegium. When I am in need of a spiritual soul boost I put on a CD like this one with the voice of Mera. I recommend the CDs "Romance" and "Nightingale" as being two of the truly most exceptional classical CDs I have ever heard. The famous Bach cantatas have never sounded as good as they do on this CD.

Average customer rating: the TRUTH of Bach Marvelous Soloists and Performance

Bach: Cantatas, Vol 2 (BWV 71, 131, 106) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Gerd Turk , Peter Kooij , Johann Sebastian Bach , Masaaki Suzuki , Yoshikazu Mera , Japan Bach Collegium , Aki Yanagisawa , and Midori Suzuki Manufacturer: Bis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Bach Collegium Japan | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Bach: Cantatas, Vol 1 (BWV 4, 150, 196) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 5 (BWV 18, 152, 155, 161, 143) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 6 (BWV 31, 21) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas Vol 3 (BWV 12, 54, 162, 182) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas Vol 7 (BWV 61, 63, 132, 172) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki ASIN: B0000016NR Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

1. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: I. Coro
2. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: II. Aria - Choral
3. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: III. Coro
4. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: IV. Arioso
5. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: V. Aria
6. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: VI. Coro
7. Cantata No. 71 'Gott ist mein Konig', BWV 71: VII. Coro
8. Cantata No. 131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131: I. Sinfonia - Choral
9. Cantata No. 131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131: II. Aria
10. Cantata No. 131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131: III. Coro
11. Cantata No. 131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131: IV. Aria
12. Cantata No. 131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131: V. Coro
13. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: I. Sonatina
14. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IIa. (Coro)
15. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IIb. (Arioso)
16. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IIc. (Arioso)
17. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IId. (Coro)
18. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IIIa. (Aria)
19. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IIIb. (Arioso - Choral)
20. Cantata No. 106, 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit', BWV 106: IV. (Coro)

Amazon.com

"Gott!" That's how this disc begins. No overture or instrumental prelude of any kind, just a lusty C-major "Gott!" repeated three times, as trumpets, oboes, and recorders play triumphant arpeggios. Cantata No. 71, Gott ist mein König ("God is my King"), is unusual in other ways, too. It's one of the few cantatas in which Bach left clear indications about which portions of the choruses are to be sung by soloists only and which are to be sung by a small choir. Conductor Masaaki Suzuki has done well, not only with his top-notch choir and period-instrument orchestra, but also with soloists who blend beautifully with each other. The other two compositions included here are more subdued affairs. Cantata No. 131, Aus der Tiefe ("From the depths"), has a good bit of contrast (including a couple of lively choruses) for such a penitential work. Among its many wonderful moments is bass Peter Kooy in duo with the marvelous baroque oboist Marcel Ponseele while soprano Midori Suzuki floats a plaintive chorale melody above them. The gently comforting funeral cantata No. 106, often called the "Actus tragicus," is one of Bach's best-loved works; the key moment at its center, in which a strict fugue for chorus fades away to leave the pure-toned soprano Aki Yanagisawa with an a cappella call for Jesus, is breathtaking. Now, both of these cantatas have long, intricate lines, notably in their final choruses, that work better with soloists only, and they've been recorded that way more than once. But, if you're going to have a choir sing them, you probably couldn't do better than this one. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

the TRUTH of Bach.......2007-01-15

Being an 'Actus tragicus' man deep to my bones, I covetously own ten professional versions (and three college recordings), and along comes this reading by Bach Collegium Japan ensemble under Masaaki Suzuki and blows my entire cache AND me off the map! It's no hyperbole to say that THIS is the truth of Bach. Rarely has any recording humbled me so completely as this amazing ensemble's rendering of Bach's little funeral cantata of humble mein. I listened last night - for three hours - to this astonishing recording and found myself lost for words but went to sleep a grateful man. The cleansing SOUND of this ensemble of musicians is overwhelming. Here is fidelity to composer and score bathed in musicianship so pure that every iota of Bach's genius is subsumed in profound spirituality. Here is the gritty everlasting peace of life and death. No other reading has comparably revealed Bach the man of God in language so plain and profound. From musicianship of this depth arises a life-changing spiritual experience. Using the old-fashioned instrumental framework - two recorders, two viola da gamba and continuo - the opening Sonatina instantly cedes to the spiritual everything that is to come. The singing of countertenor Yoshikazu Mera is so beautiful you have to grow a new heart to hold it. This young master (b. 1971) delivers 'In deine Hande' like a witness of the ages - burning with profound simplicity. Soprano Midori Suzuki sings section II's concluding cry for deliverance - 'Komm, Herr Jesu' - with unearthly sympathy. All the soloists entwine perfectly with one another and with Bach, words cannot convey the experience. Cantata 71 (God is My King) is superbly realised, the trumpets brilliantly recorded and the singing unified beyond belief. Finally, the acoustic of the Shoin Women's University Chapel recording location is a revelation. This remarkable recording surely points the way for every musician looking to find Bach - in the heart of musicianship able to speak the spiritual. I immediately ordered three more Cantata recordings by Bach Collegium Japan. Acquire this Bach with joy in your heart.

Marvelous Soloists and Performance.......1999-12-06

Discovering Suzuki's Bach Cantatas has been a revelation. For twenty years I've avoided buying a complete Cantata series because I found the performances from disc to disc too uneven. I've just heard volume 11 (listed on Amazon) and it is stunning. Volume 2 has the incomparable Japanese counter tenor Yoshikazu Mera. Both soprano soloists (Midori Suzuki and A. Yanagisawa)along with tenor Gerd Tuerk and bass Peter Kooy do marvelous work. Especially moving to me is Cantata 131, (Out of the depths I cry to you, Oh Lord). Cantata 71 is simply jubilent (God is my King). I think Suzuki equals or surpasses Ton Koopman and P. Herreweghe in technical excellence. But what makes his recordings especially great is the way he captures the spirituality of the texts and their music. He seems to understand the music more profoundly than do his European rivals from Koopman to Gardiner.

Average customer rating: Mera-by-numbers He has the voice of an angel. Spellbound! Handel would have cried A Stunning Countertenor

Romance Manufacturer: Bis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( 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 Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Baroque Arias Baroque Arias Vol. 2 Precious: Christmas Music with Yoshikazu Mera Nightingale: Japanese Art Songs Mother's Songs - Japanese Popular Songs ASIN: B00000DDLN Release Date: 1998-11-01

Tracks:

1. On Wings Of Song
2. Let Me Lament
3. Never Was Shade
4. Morning
5. All Souls
6. Romance
7. Dance Of The Trojan Virgins
8. Ave Maria
9. I Want You
10. Songs My Mother Taught Me
11. Solveig's Song
12. Vocalise
13. Greensleeves

Customer Reviews:

Mera-by-numbers.......2006-04-20

Whilst it can be safely said that Mera has never put out a bad disc, he has however put out a number which verge on blandness. This, sadly is one of those discs. Whilst the production is excellent (as always) and Mera is once more captured at a level of mastery few singers could ever hope to attain; the disc is rather forulaic and a shade uninspiring. It should be understod that this does not infer any fault on the part of the artist, rather on the part of his mentor or manager. Mera does Bach, Baroque, Classical, Motzart... homogenous 'classic-by-numbers' is no way to spread the net wide and catch a wider audience. By simply repeating the same staid songs the artist loses some of his edge and begins to fade into the wallpaper.
On the plus side, this CD is GREAT relaxing music, music to work to or wash the dishes to. Why? well because the tracks are all but the same and so it plays seamlessly - then so does elevator music...
Of course it's a Mera CD, so the serious fan HAS to own it, but for the newcomer? I'd recomend you dig a little harder and seek out his better - more varied works

He has the voice of an angel........2005-04-23

This is one of the few cd:s that I can listen without skipping a track. All the songs that Yoshikazu sings are so beautiful! I also like the arrangements, especially the violin solos. "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges" is sung by hundreds of singers and I have never before liked this song but after hearing Yoshikazu's version, it became one of my favourite songs. "Lascia ch'io pianga" is usually sung by a woman but Yoshikazu sings better than any man or woman. His coloraturas are crystal clear but yet his voice doesn't shake at all. "Ombra mai fu" almost makes me cry. It's fantastic! No one else could sing it better. I love Masayuki Kino's violin solo in "Morgen". Though the song is very slow, it isn't boring. I usually skip the song if it is sung by any other singer but this version is absolutely worth listening. Yoshikazu's "Allerseelen" is also listenable though it is not very good. "Romance" from Faust is so pure! Again, the violin solo in makes the song even more beautiful. "La dans des Troyennes virginales" was well played by the orchestra, especially the harpist. Bach-Gounod's "Ave Maria" is sung by every singer but somehow, Yoshikazu's version is totally different. The range is good; not too high. The backing by harp is also beautiful as it doesn't cover Yoshikazu's voice at all. "Je te veux" is my favourite song on this cd. I listen to it again and again; it makes me happy! "Kdyz mne stará matka zpívat" is, like all the other songs, sung in the right language. Nobody else can make so beautiful coloraturas. Yoshikazu has also good dynamics. His version of "Solveigs sang" beats even Karita Mattila's version. He has no trouble with pronouncing Norwegian language. I enjoy to listen the high coloratura parts. It is also nice to hear Rachmaninoff's vocalise sung by a singer with low voice; this song is, like "Ave Maria" usually too high. It fits well for the countertenor voice. "Greensleeves" shows that Yoshikazu can sing traditional music too. The arrangement in the first verse was a little bit boring but listenable. The other verses are fantastic, especially the "God I pray..." part.

Wow! What a voice! And how many languages! German, Italian, Latin, Czech, Norwegian, French, English. I have played this cd to many of my friends and Yoshikazu Mera got a lot of new fans. I have never liked tenors but now I absolutely love countertenors and especially Yoshikazu Mera.

Spellbound!.......2004-04-19

I divide my music listening experience now in ¨before Mera¨and
¨After Mera¨: Being a fan of barock vocal music I've being listening to some of the best countertenors for quite a while,
their voices being specially suited for many Handelian arias
that were originally written for famous ¨castrati¨ as Senesino
or Nicolini. And then I happened to listen ¨Laschia chío pianga¨
sang by Yoshikazu Mera, I was in awe! I run out of my house to
get whatever CD I could get right away from this otherwordly,
perfect Voice and got ¨Romance¨.Every single piece of this CD is
transcendentally beautiful! The Voice of Mera will leave you
spellbound! I have no words to describe it, you listen and you
soar to a world of Bliss and Beauty!. Today I took it with me to
the birthday party of a friend...before the second aria had finished totally, I was surrounded by an eager group of people
asking me: Who on earth was that?! where can I get it?! all with
pen and papers to write the names of album and singer. It is amazing to observe the expressions of my friends when they
listen to this CD! They can not bring themselves to believe their ears! As for me this is my best pick EVER!

Handel would have cried.......2004-02-22

to hear his own _Ombra mai fu_ and _Lascia ch'io piangia_ rendered the way Mr. Mera has done here.

I single these two songs out since they are so well known and loved -- and lord knows, I do too, but never have I heard them sound this beautiful. Go ahead, compare these with other renditions yourself.

Paradoxically, here you hear the songs, not the singer. In other words, you don't get distracted listening to the brilliant technical prowess of the singer: Mr. Mera's singing fills the universe between your ears with grace and leaves you no room for you to pedantically admire his mastery while you are listening -- not any more than you can see light as it lights up the face of your beloved.

Angelic, ethereal, haunting...these adjectives are trite but what other words do we have?

I can only think of Andreas Scholl for a fair comparison. And as much as I love Gerard Lesne's voice also, Mera's is of another order: he casts sorcery over Handel's pieces and lets you hear and become aware of the thalassic mystery of sadness inherent in the ephemerality of all manner of beauty......destined to fade away into the silent void of space.

Every track mesmerizes. (I never knew so many famous composers were actually so...good!)

Here is music -- minus the physiology of singing. Thus you end up listening with your soul. Listen to this presentation of music, and let it touch you: you will rediscover and be humbled by your own humanity.

A Stunning Countertenor.......2002-09-10

I bought this CD to hear Yoshikazu Mera's version of Rachmininov's "Vocalise" (I also recommend Natalie Dassay's version of this piece). I was far from disappointed. Mera's voice is lush, pure, and haunting. His voice is hard-wired to the soul and to the heart. This CD will soothe you, calm you, uplift your spirit, and inspire you. I realize that may sound like heavy hyperbole, but I assure you, you will be stunned and amazed.

Average customer rating:

Bach: Cantatas, Vol 8 (BWV 22, 23, 75) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Peter Kooij , Johann Sebastian Bach , Yoshikazu Mera , Bach Collegium Japan , Midori Suzuki , Gerd Turk , and Masaaki Suzuki Manufacturer: Bis ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Bach: Cantatas, Vol 5 (BWV 18, 152, 155, 161, 143) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas Vol 7 (BWV 61, 63, 132, 172) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas Vol 10 (BWV 105, 179, 186) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 6 (BWV 31, 21) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Bach: Cantatas, Vol 9 (BWV 24, 76, 167) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki ASIN: B00000DD3Q Release Date: 1998-11-01

Tracks:

1. 1. Arioso-Chorus - Jesus Nahm Zu Sich Die Zwolfe
2. 2. Aria - Mein Jesu, Zieche Mich Nach Dir...
3. 3. Recitative - Mein Jesu, Ziehe Mich, So Werd Ich Laufen...
4. 4. Aria - Mein Alles In Allem, Mein Ewiges Gut..
5. 5. Chorus - Ertot Uns Durch Dein Gute...
6. 1. Duet - Du Wahrer Gott Und Davids Sohn...
7. 2. Recitative - Ach! Gehe Nicht Voruber...
8. 3. Chorus - Aller Augen Warten, Her...
9. 4. Chorale - Christe, Du Lamm Gottes...
10. 1. Chorus - Die Elenden Sollen Essen...
11. 2. Recitative - Was Hilft Des Purpurs Majestat...
12. 3. Aria - Mein Jesus Soll Mein Alles Sein...
13. 4. Recitative - Gott Sturzet Und Erhohet...
14. 5. Aria - Ich Nehme Mein Leiden Mit Freuden Auf Mich...
15. 6. Recitative - Indes Schenkt Gott Ein Gut Gewissen...
16. 7. Chorale - Was Gott Tut, Das Ist Wohlgetan...
17. 8. Sinfonia
18. 9. Recitative - Nur Eines Krankt Ein Christliches Gemute...
19. 10. Aria - Jesus Macht Mich Geistlich Reich...
20. 11. Recitative - Wer Nur In Jesu Bleibt...
21. 12. Aria - Mein Herze Glaubt Und Liebt...
22. 13. Recitative - O Armut, Der Kein Reichtum Gleicht!...
23. 14. Chorale - Was Gott Tut, Das Ist Wohlgetan...

Amazon.com

Volume 8 of the Bach Collegium Japan's survey of Bach's cantatas covers the composer's arrival in Leipzig to take the post of music director at the Thomaskirche. The two short cantatas BWV 22, Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, and BWV 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, were Bach's final audition pieces for the position; they were evidently performed as a pair--one before the sermon, one afterward. Each begins with a duet with obbligato oboe, each has a predominantly prayerful tone with minor-key music, yet both include some lilting triple-time dance rhythms in the arias; the chorale melody settings are more elaborate than usual in Bach cantatas, incorporating extensive instrumental interludes. BWV 75, Die Elenden soll essen, Bach's first cantata composed in his new job, is a bipartite work (something like BWV 22 and 23 together), which progresses from minor-key seriousness (with some terrific dissonant suspensions in the opening chorus) to major-key bliss (including a bass aria with a glorious part for obbligato trumpet). Soprano Midori Suzuki and countertenor Yoshikazu Mera have boyish voices that won't be to everyone's taste, but their technique and delivery are secure; tenor Gerd Türk and bass Peter Kooy are among the best Bach singers working today and perform at their usual high standard. As does the Bach Collegium Japan--Masaaki Suzuki's chorus and orchestra are treasures. --Matthew Westphal

Average customer rating: Beautifully Dynamic Original, but only partly successful Spellbinding debut

Transcendental To Mera Manufacturer: Candlelight ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Forgotten Goddess The Heart of Everything Ghost Opera Signal to Noise Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond ASIN: B000HCPSY4 Release Date: 2006-10-17

Tracks:

1. Traces
2. Blood
3. Dreadful Angel
4. Phantoms
5. Born of Ashes
6. Parfum
7. Obscure Oblivion
8. Realm of Dreams

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully Dynamic.......2007-04-01

This CD contains nothing but solid musicmanship. I'm a huge fan of progressive metal, and what's great about this band is their ability to maintain heavy instrumentals while keeping the vocals sultry. The piano playing is great and gives To-Mera's overall sound a classical feel. It's really hard to classify this type album due to it's diversity; there are elements of speed metal, symphonic metal, prog metal, jazz, classical, etc... I would recommend this technical masterpiece to anyone who is a fan of progressive metal.

Original, but only partly successful.......2007-03-17

This band is highly original, playing an unusual blend of metal, goth and jazz, with female vocals. But their broad range of stylistic influences is actually their main problem. The music comes across as fragmented and unfocused. The songs, most of which are fairly long, are collections of several themes that are often unrelated to each other. For instance, heavy metal riffs abruptly segue into jazz piano solos. The result is that this CD does not really sound like a coherent whole. This band needs to work on homogenizing their sound. Hopefully, they will achieve this on their second release, which is due out in mid-2007.

Spellbinding debut.......2006-10-17

Few new bands can release killer debut albums like To-Mera. Formed only a year ago by Lee Barrett of Extreme Noise Terror and Julie Kiss of Without Face, To-Mera quickly grew into a full band with the addition of fantastic drummer Akos Pirisi, keyboardist Hugo Sheppard, and guitarist Tom Maclean, both of whom are schooled musicians. Sheppard's keyboard and piano playing lends the songs a very dynamic edge, often delving into classical and jazz territory, while Maclean's challenging fretwork is nothing short of mind-blowing. Not only is he technically superior to most prog bands' players, he also covers a wide spectrum of styles, fusing brutally heavy death metal-like riffs with intense, harmonically rich melodic signatures.

Most female-fronted metal bands write material that undeniable gives off a gothic air, relying heavily on orchestrated keyboard parts with the occasional crunch-filled guitar work. Some listeners will be quick to compare To-Mera with the likes of Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation, and perhaps even Nightwish and The Gathering. Not that anything is wrong with these bands, but To-Mera is a completely different beast musically. For starters, they are crushingly heavy progressive metal, serving all aspects of this much stagnated genre, but they do inject calmer acoustic passages along with jazzy interludes into their craft as well. Vocalist Julie Kiss whose Eastern European accent lends her already dark voice an extra layer of depth and character is a great fit for the band. Her soft, fragile soprano-like vocals in the intro "Traces" turn into expressive and melodic singing on the haunting "Blood", putting her semi-operatic delivery on display. The somewhat thrashy intro and cool percussion bring in extra dynamics colliding with monstrous riffage and beguiling piano melodies. In its second half, the song launches into an instrumental landscape, merging slightly electronic synth work with super technical guitars and explosive bass.

One of To-Mera's strongest aspects is their unbreakable rhythm battery. Drummer Ari Pirisi has officially become my new-found talent of the year. I don't know whether he played on other albums before, but his performance on Transcendental is awe-inspiring. He has the ability to inject ultra-complex Meshuggah-style polyrhthms into the dark "Obscure Oblivion", which starts out like a quasi-ballad decorated with killer jazz piano, but then morphs into a pulverizing number marked by weird stop-start sections and strong vocal harmonies. Then there is "Parfum", punctuated by tribal drumming a la Tool meets Dead Soul Tribe in a free-flowing avant-garde environment. Lee Barrett's bass solo is thick and chunky, underscoring Maclean's precise guitar work which alternates between complex, multi-segmented riffery and solemn acoustic moments. "Born of Ashes", arguably the song that highlights Julie Kiss' vocals the best, begins with a nice acoustic guitar that lends itself to vague folk references before Sheppard puts in a soaring synth patch that slowly blankets and surrounds the whole piece. The song is then carried into a maniacal instrumental frenzy with pounding drumming and rampaging bass, Maclean's lead guitar work at the end being the apex of everything.

"Dreadful Angel" and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired "Phantoms" are heavily jazz-infused, particularly during select moments. The former is slightly more experimental; it blends stomping bass and bone-crushing rhythm guitars with enchanting symphonic elements. The sound is simply huge and arrangement absolutely intricate. The song features a sick guitar and keyboard solo respectively, marrying atonal notes with jazz breakdowns and even a brief Opethian acoustic interlude. As if that's not enough, they seal the piece with killer death metal riffery at the very end. On "Phantoms", they blend mathematical guitars with chord progressions that take a few listens to grasp. Pirisi proves he's also perfectly capable of playing death metal type of drums with Barreth's low-end bass growling beneath. Kiss' clean vocals are simply beautiful, especially during the slower mid-section.

Though new to me, Brett Caldas-Lima is a killer producer. The album sounds incredible. Thick guitars and chunky bass, perfectly mixed vocals, and a fabulous drum sound. Add to this Sheppard's invalubale keyboard and piano performance and the result is Transcendental, the best debut album of 2006.

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