Water Garden

1. Heavenly Water

2. Pandas by Moonlight

3. Deep Roots by a Shallow Pond

4. Stillness Under the Bo Tree

5. Hymn to Quan Yin

6. Hidden Cavern of Jade

7. Bubbling Brook

8. Bamboo in Spring

9. Oriental Garden

10. Lotus Rain

Water Garden,Water Garden,Uni/Northsound

Average customer rating:

Bleck!
Voice of an Angel!!
fun cd
Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES!
Enchantment Indeed!

Enchantment
Richard Rodgers , Michel Legrand , Leo Delibes , American Traditional , Erik Satie , British Isles Traditional , Jerome Kern , Johann II Strauss , Lucy Simon , David Foster , Sian Edwards , John Clark , Eric Rigler , Frank Ricotti , John Parricelli , Mark Hammond , Paul Keogh , and Michael Thompson
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Prelude: The Best of Charlotte Church
Voice of an Angel
Charlotte Church
Dream a Dream
Tissues and Issues

ASIN: B00005OWEJ
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Tonight
Carrickfergus
Habanera
Bali Ha'i
Papa Can You Hear Me?
The Flower Duet
The Little Horses
From My First Moment
The Water Is Wide
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
The Laughing Song
If I Loved You
A Bit Of Earth
Somewhere
The Prayer

Amazon.com

Of course, we couldn't expect time to freeze its relentless path and forever preserve the Welsh sensation Charlotte Church in a chrysalis of precocious youth. And yet, at 15 and now taking bolder steps into expanding her repertory on Enchantment, the soprano remains a marvel of a prodigy. Here, she scours a wider range of sources than on her previous albums. Church moves with breathtaking ease from classic Broadway (West Side Story, Show Boat, South Pacific) to traditional Celtic, film ballads, and even a couple of high-operatic numbers. Church's straightforward approach to the melody of "La Habanera" may not exactly be what Bizet had in mind for his Carmen, but fans will get double pleasure out of the singer's exquisite duet with herself on the haunting "Flower Duet" from Delibes's Lakmé. What's more, there's a greater freedom of expression and sense of how to shape a phrase in many of these tracks--notice how much there is to savor, for instance, in "The Water Is Wide" and "Carrickfergus." It all adds up to a widely varied course, demonstrating the continued growth of a singularly gifted young artist. --Sarah Chin

Customer Reviews:

Bleck!.......2007-05-30

Charlotte has a producing voice, not quite mature, but it's bearable. I don't really appreciate opera unless your name is Sarah Brightman, Hayley Westenra or Holly Stell. Carrickfergus and Somewhere are decent for her voice, but "The Prayer" and "The Water is Wide" is very damaging to my ears due to the fact, her Italian sucks, her range is not wide enough in "Water".

Voice of an Angel!!.......2007-02-05

I enjoy listening to this cd by Charlotte Church! She has such a lovely voice. I especially love listening to Habañera and The Flower Duet as both are sung beautifully by Ms. Church!!

fun cd.......2006-12-29

I love this cd and have had it quite a while. I was just enjoying it again today and thought I'd write a review because I do enjoy it so much. It's just a fun, enjoyable album. Pretty orchestration, a lovely voice, nice to sing along with. Especially at the top of my lungs in the car (alone when no one can hear me!)
I really don't know why one would NOT enjoy this cd.

Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES!.......2006-12-15

I bought this CD when I was still in high school, singing soprano I & II in choir. It's not bad but she does much better than even some older kids attempting soprano. I think due to the popularity she gained this poor girl has endured much harsh criticism. True, we can't cut her slack JUST because she is a little girl but on the other hand for someone to sing opera at that age her work IS superb. Whether she's a prodigy or victim of over-ambitious parents & media, she deserves credit where it's due. At least she DID break out as some-what of a mainstream artist & exposed this type of music to those who stereotyped it as fat ladies w/powder-white make-up belting out notes that would shatter glass. Some say the same for Josh Groban who broke into the scene as a mainstream tenor/baritone vocalist. As far as skills & talent, he not the greatest either but many people adore his music. The same credit should go to Charlotte Church.

As far as feedback on the quality...
It's VERY hard to believe the deliverance of her performance. A 15-year-old (even younger on her debut cd) singing songs about love & being able to see the world seems silly. Cracking voice? Yeah, you can really tell she had a difficult time hitting the high note in The Laughing Song because it got all air-y. Honestly, some trained sopranos over-shoot their high notes too & get extremely SHARP so I didn't mind her air-i-ness. I think she did a great job on The Flower Duet though. It still has the same relaxing quality as some other versions I've heard from various movie soundtracks. But compare this to the likes of professionals - real professionals - she's merely tolerable. Try Sarah Brightman if you want to listen to some nice musical sopranos. She even has some pretty remakes of modern songs.

Enchantment Indeed!.......2006-08-20

This CD is simply amazing! However, I am sick and tired of people pressuring her to be someone that she's not! Trying to fit into today's popular music scene, Charlotte has turned to pop, and her career isn't flying well because of it! Her voice is simply amazing for opera, and I will not hear another insulting word about her!

Anyways, the CD is genius! Tonight from "West Side Story" is beautifully sung. Carrickfergus, Habanera, and Bali Ha'i are sung with a hypnotizing beauty. Papa, Can you Hear Me and The Flower Duet are amazing as well!

However, on The Flower Duet, Church's vocals seem strained a bit. The Little Horses is a decent piece, a remake of the standard English folk song. I prefer it straight instead of a varied beat, so that Church's voice could soar on and on.

From my First Moment is a fairly nice song, but The Water is Wide is simply amazing! Her vocals are soaring and mezmerizing!

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man is NOT the song for her, because she puts a weird accent on the song, like she's trying to sound like a hoodlum! The Laughing Song is something that SHOULD NOT be tried by children, because the vocals are so strained! If I Loved You is a simple yet wonderful piece!

A Bit of Earth and Somewhere are both beautiful pieces, with excellent work from the orchestra.

Overall, this CD is very beautiful! BUY IT!

Average customer rating:

Crystalline Beauty
I don't like it, but I admire it.
Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!
Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!
Music for Meditation

The Water Garden
Alex de Grassi
Manufacturer: Tropo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bolivia | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music

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A Windham Hill Retrospective
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Pure Alex De Grassi

ASIN: B00000A4Y2
Release Date: 1998-08-18

Tracks:

Prelude
The Zipper
The Water Garden
Lost In The Woods
Another Shore
Cumulus Rising
Ripple
Vanishing Point
Down Below
Endless Rain

Amazon.com

"Meditation and water are wedded forever," says New Acoustic progenitor Alex de Grassi, quoting Herman Melville in the liner notes to this 10-song cycle of solo steel-string guitar pieces "on the theme of water." There's a stillness at the heart of this Garden, but don't expect placid performances; de Grassi's stunning finger style exploits rapidslike torrents of open-tuned chords ("Prelude"), babbling brooks of uplifting hammer-on melodies ("The Zipper"), and buoyant themes floating over liquid counterpoint ("Another Shore"). Sure, the former Windham Hill mainstay, whose Turning: Turning Back and Slow Circle helped define that label's identity, is capable of brooding, contemplative work--the lovely title track is a good example--but he rarely gets stuck in meditative mud, preferring, as in "Cumulus Rising," to wring great emotion from even his quietest moments. The Water Garden suggests that de Grassi's vision has only gotten deeper and clearer over time; he's a jazz composer with a folkie's fingers and the Northern California coastline in his soul. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews:

Crystalline Beauty.......2004-02-18

Alex de Grassi is one of the best contemporary acoustic guitarists, and this is one of his best albums. Nominated for a grammy award, the compositions, guitar technique, and production quality on this album are all superb.

This album creates an aura of meditative peacefulness and ordered perfection. Every note is exactly in place, and yet at times they cascade over the ear in rich profusion like a waterfall of sound. But this is a peaceful waterfall, not the niagra of a rock band, but the gentle trickling one would hear in a garden.

Many of de Grassi's albums are good, and it is hard for me to describe exactly why this one stands out as one of his best. There is something about the clarity and subtlety of the compositions that catches one's heart. Many of the songs on this album are beautiful, yet none of them are cloying. Some of the pieces are quite abstract, yet they never lack a clear structure and a few subtle themes to tie the composition together.

I recommend this album whole heartedly to anyone who enjoys acoustic guitar music with a peaceful and meditative side to it. Don't mistake this for background music. The meditative aspect comes from the rewards one gets from listening very closely and careful to a superb craftsman and artist at the height of his powers.

I don't like it, but I admire it........2003-01-24

I do think this album deserves 5 stars, although I personally don't like it. I don't like this style of ultra-precise, sharp, "plucky" guitar-playing in which every note sounds completely separate (I'm not a big fan of "New Acoustic" music, which seems to often sound this way); I like music that is fuller and "flows" together more. This album does make me think of water, but of thousands of individual drops, rather than waves or a waterfall. If you love very crisp-sounding solo classical/New Acoustic guitar music (with a hint of jazz) you will probably love this album. Just not my type of music.

Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!.......2002-02-08

One of the reasons I picked this disc up is because it is encoded in HDCD, myself being an audiophile who enjoys great music and great QUALITY in a recording. That said, I always had heard of Alex, but never bought anything from him. Upon my first play, I was hooked. Alex's technique and sound is incredible! His guitar playing is so liquid and seemingly effortless, it truly does evoke being transported to one of the most tranquil, scenic, aromatic places that exist on earth! His is one of the most unique styles of acoustic guitar playing I have ever heard, and that is a compliment. Bliss= me, this disc, and my Magneplanars!!!

Masterful, soothing, flowing, virtuoso guitar playing!.......2002-02-08

Music for Meditation.......2001-12-04

Each note seduces you into wanting to hear more. The music flows from one solo guitar piece to the next. The notes almost drip into your mind and ripple outward sending vibrations through your soul to calm you and yet they awaken something deeper in you at the same time.

Just as being near water calms us, Alex De Grassi seems to want to lull you into a meditative state. While this is named The Water Garden, it is much more and is far from a submissive offering. Each note is filled with a vibrancy that can only be compared to floating on cloud nine and will elevate your mood to a state of joy.

Prelude is an ecstatic piece reminiscent of water tumbling over rocks in a never-ending cycle as rain falls in the mountains, perhaps dripping from leaves and falling down to the earth. Each drop of water finds its way to another droplet and together they flow to the sea. It is absolutely breathtaking and then fades away.

The Zipper almost seems to be a piece about when the water reaches the ocean and as the sun is setting. You can almost imagine the water from a lagoon merging with the salt water. There is a sense of closure and a journey completed.

The Water Garden is a very mellow piece at first and produces a feeling of floating. As if you were floating in a pond gazing at an azure sky.

Lost in the woods must be a woods near the sea because it has a certain longing to it and almost seems to be waves lapping around the shore and at times crashing onto a beach. There is a deep ocean feel, with lighter notes, that make the sounds surface from time to time. I see whales playing in an ocean calling to one another as I watch them from a cliff.

Another Shore has an inevitability and certain sadness as if two lovers have given up trying to find one another and a certain regret is present in the piece.

Cumulus Rising is a far more airy and hopeful piece. An eagle seems to be spiriling upwards towards the sky. Heaven!

Ripple is a rapid selection which seems to move out in all directions at once. Someone almost seems to be swimming towards a waterfall in the shade of trees sending out ripples towards the shore. The most active piece and has a touch of sadness or deep contemplation.

Vanishing point is a very appropriate name as the notes appear and dissolve. As if rain was falling on soil and soaking in very quickly, yet more rain keeps falling. This is my favorite selection because it captures a variety of emotions.

Down below could very well be sunlight reaching as far down as it can go into the water where it reflects off fish playfully swimming below.

In Endless Rain, a torrential downpour of notes is almost overwhelming and you can literally hear drops of water splashing wherever they fall, then suddenly the rain does end.

Music can at times be a drink for your soul. I have never received such a beautiful gift and I thank the wonderful friend who introduced me to music I will enjoy when I need to relax deeply and completely.

Average customer rating:

Very Dull

Best CD I've found for getting to sleep

Very soothing and relaxing the whole way through

Garden of Serenity

Love it, Love it, Love it!

Garden of Serenity
David and Steve Gordon
Manufacturer: Sequoia Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Environmental | New Age | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Styles | Music
Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
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Garden of Serenity II

Soothing Sanctuary

Misty Forest Morning

Pillow Music - Natural Deep Sleep

Heart of Peace

ASIN: B000008QVS
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

1st Movement: Secret Foundation
2nd Movement: Nature Spirits

Album Description

Visualize the most tranquil garden there has ever been... completely secluded and calm. It's filled with exotic flowers, plants, birds, and a small brook. Sounds of bubbling water and birdsong intertwine with the quiet tinkling of wind chimes, harp, temple bells and gentle Shakuhachi flute melodies. The natural sounds and gentle music creates a healing, stress-free environment perfect for yoga, massage and relaxation. A bestselling classic!

Customer Reviews:

Very Dull.......2007-02-21

I think I am being generous with one star here.
David and Steve excel in some genres but should stay away from pure environmental efforts. The waterfall/stream sounds on this CD are loud, harsh, and overdone. The sounds are monotonous and just go on and on and on until you just can't stand it anymore. I have a fair number of music/nature compilations so I know what I'm talking about...this one becomes just plain annoying after a while. There is nothing soothing or serene about it at all.
If you are looking for the absolute best quality nature recordings blended with music, seek out any of Dan Gibson's work and go no further.

Best CD I've found for getting to sleep.......2006-06-16

I have purchased about a half dozen relaxing/meditative CDs, have a clock with "relaxing sounds", and listened to many more CDs. However, Garden of Serenity is the ONLY music I've found which calms my mind at the end of the day and sends me off into a quick, peaceful sleep. It's almost pavlovian - I hear the first four notes and I'm instantly relaxed. I highly recommend this as a sleep aid.

Very soothing and relaxing the whole way through.......2003-06-25

As a massage therapist I was a little worried about buying this because one reviewer was annoyed by the chimes - but they aren't really annoying in the least. I not only use this for my own clients, but I will put it on for myself when I receive one. I'm going for Volume II.

Garden of Serenity.......2002-07-12

My tri yoga instructor uses this in our sessions. It allows you to breathe with the music at your own pace and is conducive to working toward slower, fuller breaths. The music is very tranquil.

Love it, Love it, Love it!.......2000-05-05

This CD is great for meditation, realaxation, unwinding. I use it with my clients when I do visualization exercises with them, and they love it, too. I am excited to see there is a Part II, and am ordering it NOW!

Average customer rating:

Broadway: America's Music 1935-2005

Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000B8I93Q
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Tracks:

Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'
Summertime
I Could Write a Book
It Never Entered My Mind
I Can Cook Too
Make It Another Old Fashioned, Please
If I Loved You
My Heart Belongs to Daddy
Thou Swell
I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen
There's No Business Like Show Business
South American Way

Tracks:

Shall We Dance
Ohio
Luck Be a Lady
Mack the Knife
There's a Small Hotel
Once in Love with Amy
Yodel Blues
Lazy Afternoon
There Must Be Somethin' Better Than Love
You're Just in Love
Now Is the Time

Tracks:

Impossible Dream
Love Makes the World Go 'Round
Try to Remember
Put on a Happy Face
I Say Hello
Happiness
She Loves Me
What Kind of Fool Am I?
Shy
Consider Yourself
Poor Little Person

Tracks:

Magic to Do
They're Playing My Song
I Don't Know How to Love Him
I Won't Send Roses
Good Morning Starshine
Don't Cry for Me, Argentina
Hard Candy Christmas
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Won't You Charleston with Me?
Applause

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera
Memory
On My Own
Muddy Water
How Could I Ever Know
American Dream
I Know Him So Well
Dr. Jazz
Me and My Girl
Suddenly Seymour

Tracks:

Mamma Mia!
Popular
Seasons of Love
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think
Whatever Lola Wants
Crazy
How Deep Is Your Love
Stars
People Like Us
I Go to Rio

The British Invasion: Broadway 1981-1992

Average customer rating:

The British Invasion: Broadway 1981-1992

Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Put on a Happy Face: Broadway 1959-1967
Broadway Magic: Broadway 1968-1980
Broadway Today: Broadway 1993-2005
A Time of Hope: Broadway 1935-1946
Center Stage: Broadway 1947-1958

ASIN: B0007ZENZQ
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

The Phantom Of The Opera
Memory
On My Own
Muddy Water
How could I ever know [The Secret Garden]
The American Dream
I Know Him So Well
Doctor Jazz
Me And My Girl
Suddenly, Seymour

Average customer rating:

Amazing sound quality and excellent performances

A Celebration [includes bonus DVD]

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0001ZWGHE
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Customer Reviews:

Amazing sound quality and excellent performances.......2006-02-05

I haven't listened to the three audio cds all the way through, but I did listen to most of the Eine Kline Nachtmusik. I have the Phillips Duo version which I don't think is included here (It seems like they're a couple years apart), though the Phillips Duo got the coveted rosette from the Penguin Guide To Classical Music, this version on this 3CD Set, is played a little better, and it makes the Duo version sound like it's played in a wet paper sack. The sound is so darn crisp and brilliant that's it's just simply breathtaking. Get this "A Celebration" disc as fast as you can, and you'll thank me! I promise! I kind of listened to a little bit of everything, just to see if the sound quality was as good as the Mozart Serenade, and the sound quality was superb on all the pieces. There's also a bonus DVD which is very enjoyable of the Tchaikovsky Serenade and I'm forgetting the other piece, so in all your getting 4 discs. It sells here on Amazon, but I didn't check the prices it's going for, but I'll check and give you the lowest price. I just checked the used prices, and someone is selling their's for $8.00 like new, so that sounds like the bargain of bargains to me. Enjoy!!!

Average customer rating:

Bruce and the ring.
Game of Death:5, Night Games:0
"film music genius and composer extraordinare ~ John Barry"

Game of Death/Night Games

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Enter the Dragon
Octopussy
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Enter the Dragon
Rocky Balboa

ASIN: B0000CD5HC
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

Game Of Death: Main Title/Set Fight With Chuck Norris
Game Of Death: Will This Be The Song I'll be Will Singing Tomorrow
Game Of Death:Three Motorcycles/Stick Fight With Santo
Game Of Death:Billy's Funeral Dirge
Game Of Death: Garden Fight
Game Of Death: Billy And Ann's Love Theme
Game Of Death: The Big Motorcycle Fight
Game Of Death: Goodbye Dr. Land
Game Of Death: Will This Be The Song I'll Be Singing Tomorrow
Game Of Death: Game Of Death-End Title
Game Of Death: Stick Fight/Main Title(Reprise)
Night Games: Descent Into Decadence
Night Games: The Lesbian Tango
Night Games: The Wet Spot
Night Games: Water Sports/The Dominatrix's Waltz
Night Games: Phantom Of The Orgasm
Night Games: AfterPlay

Customer Reviews:

Bruce and the ring........2006-11-06

The basic track sound is great (I'm referring to game of death) but, differently from the orignal version you can listen in the Bruce Lee's movie, they added the sound of a bell (it souds like a triangle) which rings along all the traks and impede you to really enjoy them!

Game of Death:5, Night Games:0.......2005-03-21

Well...to keep it short & sweet, I've been a Bruce Lee addict since the 2nd-3rd grade, and while Game of Death wasn't a REAL Bruce Lee flick, the motion picture score really made up for the absence of Lee in 20th Century Fox's version of Game of Death, keeping the focus on the action as opposed to the obvious snippets from past Bruce Lee flicks and the UNCONVINCING double.LOL! But as it relates to the 2003 soundtrack reissue, it's all about tracks 1-11, I love the Game of Death theme, the fight themes(particularly the stick fight with Dan Inosanto), and WILL THIS BE THE SONG I'LL BE SINGING TOMORROW is addictive for life. Beyond the 1st 11 tracks are tunes from Night Games, a movie I've never seen or heard of...so I seldom listen through all of those. However, the ONE reason I didn't give the album a 5 is because they left out the Bruce Lee yell that was supposed to start the opening track. But overall, the GODeath sdtk is a classic.

"film music genius and composer extraordinare ~ John Barry".......2003-10-11

There is no disappointment in this latest performance from John Barry ~ "Game of Death" and "Night Games", both on Silva America label with brilliant remastering by Rick Clark. The composer John Barry arranged and conducted this masterful score from not to be forgotten Bruce Lee film. Both films can be relived from a passionate and compelling soundtrack that reaches down into the pit of your very soul, as only Barry can do!

Entire album has all the ingredients within every cue to recapture the moments from the screen to the listener at hand ~ found this score to be haunting and deeply suspenseful. Barry's score will transport you into significant areas of your mind which transcend into loving and exciting feelings through his signature style. Sonic quality is outstanding ~ just take a listen and be enticed with "WILL THIS BE THE SONG I'LL BE SINGING TOMORROW", both instrumental and vocal tracks are worth a "film-score-buffs" attention and then some.

Opening track is a delicious composition "THE LESBIAN TANGO", from "Night Games", great solo violinist takes you into a latin ballroom filled with beautiful ladies that will make your heart flutter ~ followed by "WATER SPORTS/THE DOMINATRIX'S WALTZ", typical Barry counterpoints give you a sensation of drifting into the stratosphere ~ let the waltz begin as main theme counter melodies bring harmonious orchestra sections into full swing...gotta love it!

Hats off to Silva America, James Fitzpatrick and David Stoner (album release supervisors), Reynold da Silva (executive producer) and of course the legendary composer, conductor and producer ~ John Barry.

Total Time: 68:08 on 17 Tracks ~ Silva America 1154 ~ (10/07/2003)

The Essential Michael Nyman Band
Average customer rating:

An Excellent Sampler, and the Best Place to Start

Michael Nyman RULES !

Sensations mosaic

Good start to meet Nyman

The Emperor's New Music

The Essential Michael Nyman Band
Michael Nyman , Sarah Leonard , Linda Hirst , Clare Conners , and David Roach
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Nyman | Nyman, Michael | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Drowning By Numbers (1987 Film)

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Wonderland 1999 Film Score

String Quartets 2 3 & 4

ASIN: B000004CVW
Release Date: 1993-01-19

Tracks:

The Draughtsman's Contract: Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds
The Draghtsman's Contract: An Eye For Optical Theory
The Draughtsman's Contract: The Garden Is Becoming A Robe Room
A Zed And Two Noughts: Prawn - watching
A Zed And Two Noughts: Time Lapse
Drowning By Numbers: Fish Beach
Drowning By Numbers: Wheelbarrow Walk
Drowning By Numbers: Knowing The Ropes
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover: Miserere Paraphrase
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover: Memorial
Water Dances: Stroking - Synchronising
Prospero's Books: Miranda

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Sampler, and the Best Place to Start.......2006-01-24

If you're unfamiliar with Nyman and want a broad overview of his best work, I'd start here. I actually WORE OUT a copy of this and recently bought another. When it arrived, I played it over and over-- Nyman's almost creepily insistent and precise compositions will appeal to those who appreciate minimalism and repetition in the music of other composers such as John Adams, Steve Reich, Michael Torke, and Philip Glass.

Michael Nyman RULES !.......2004-07-22

I thought there was nothing beyond Philip Glass, Steve Reich or John Adams. Suddenly, for some strange reason I bought this CD. It far exceeded my expectations.

Nyman is a excelent composer, his music is fast-paced, joyful and delicious.

I recomend this CD for anyone who is looking for a great minimalist composer.

Sensations mosaic.......2004-03-31

Today I was talking with a friend about the rainbow of feelings "Memorial" awakes in my mind. I consider this song like the exact opposite of easy-listening music, a feeling catalyst, a vehicle that can raise you to the sky and gradually take you to the deepest level in hell. As derrotista said, it is perfect to describe the meaning of a word like "death", but more than that, with an inevitability emphasis.

The rest of the compilation also honors the meaning of intensity. No one song in this disc will let your attention go away from the sensations mosaic this record constructs. Highly recommended.

Good start to meet Nyman.......2004-03-05

I was a great enthusiast of new age and minimalist music in the early 90's, when I was still a teenager. I had this as one of my favourite albums and today I consider it one of my best purchases.

Ten years later, Nyman is recognised as one of the biggest composers of late XXth century. In part with the astonishing soundtrack of "The Piano". But I think this "Essential" album has more to offer to you.

Of course, my favourite is "Memorial". It is the most tragic music I have ever listened. It's a perfect track to describe what a word like "death" can mean. "Miserere Paraphrase" is the definition of another simple word: "pain".

Some other tracks are the purity of minimalism: "Knowing the Ropes", "Chasing Sheep is best left to Shepherds", "Wheelbarrow Walk" and "The Garden is Becoming a Robe Room" are of my favourites.

Why am I not giving it five stars? The reason: "Prospero's Books: Miranda". It is a bad way to end this album. Almost the whole album is devoted to Greenaway films: "The Draughtsman Contract", "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover", "A Zed and Two Noughts" and "Drowning by Numbers" and the referred "Prospero's Books". The only track not belonging to a film is Stroking-Synchronising, from "Water Dances" album. This is a tremendous composition and should be the great finale for this album. "Miranda" is a dull and not creative composition, which Nyman doesn't have to be proud of it: it is too complex, too changing and breaks with the minimalist spirit. I also think the soprano and the mezzo don't play a "serious" part.

But of course, it has an honour place in my discography.

The Emperor's New Music.......2002-04-11

A lot of people seem to love this guy and I just don't see why. I find it dull, intellectual (in the most pejorative sense) and defines what's wrong with a lot of "post-modernism" in music today. This guy doesn't write tunes as much as he writes concepts of tunes. The music fails to connect on an emotional level and fails to be interesting enough in purely intellectual terms to compensate for it's emotional hollowness. His craft seems a bit lacking too- filled with the trappings of minimalism without the basic musical values such as memorable melodies, logical harmony and innovative form that make a composer such as John Adams worth listening to. His often odd choices of orchestration tend to strike one as merely grotesque rather than imaginative. I'm afraid that Michael Nyman is a musical poseur and it's a shame that so many people have bought into his brand of soulless artifice.
Not recommended.

Average customer rating:

The Third Stream lives on

Lake Biwa

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00063MCMK
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Tracks:

Lake Biwa; A Fullmoon Purewater Gold
Sanai's Enclosed Garden Of The Truth
Diamondback Serpent In A House Full Of Water And Still Rising
Africana World

Customer Reviews:

The Third Stream lives on.......2004-12-08

Part of Tzadik's "Composer Series" of recordings, this is Wadada Leo Smith's most expansive and fully realized large ensemble album to date. Less a typical jazz album than a suite of four interrelated modern classical compositions, "Lake Biwa" touches on everything from delicate neoclassical chamber music and atonal acoustic free jazz to full blown electric Miles Davis-esque era fusion, often in the same piece. All of Smith's multifarious talents are on display on this album.

Although the actual recording line-up consists of 15 musicians, rarely do they all play at once. The four long form compositions presented on this album are reduced into even smaller, sonically disparate movements, with each distinctive section tackled by smaller units demonstrating their respective instrumental strengths. Frequently these abridged groups will subjugate their playing to act as support for one or more soloists. Although Smith's writing style is typically less episodic than it is here, the pieces on "Lake Biwa" are more influenced by both traditional classical compositional theory as well as the post-modern jump cut aesthetic.

While the album opens on a more subdued note, it doesn't take long until one of Marc Ribot's raucous electric guitar meltdowns appears. Imagine Miles Davis' electric bands circa 1974 and you'll have a good idea of where this music derives some of its inspiration. On the flip side, there are plenty of moments where John Zorn's own acerbic alto squeals along fitfully accompanied by a barrage of percussion and on occasion, tense swelling strings. Smith even chimes in with his own clarion trumpet playing for a few solo spots, one of which utilizes Miles' own signature electric wah-wah to delicious effect. Bolstered by a batterie of keyboardists, a handful of percussionists, a few string players and a varied horn section, the resulting ensemble is capable of virtually any textural configuration.

But the key difference between "Lake Biwa" and the majority of Smith's music is in the rhythm section approach. "Lake Biwa" qualifies as classical music more than jazz by virtue of the fact that it rarely, if ever, swings. That is, if one still uses such antiquated notions to classify music. Otherwise, the majority of this sounds akin to Anthony Braxton's large ensemble writing or fellow composer Anthony Davis' music for orchestra. Trumpeter and composer Butch Morris' improvised conduction ensembles share similarities with this music as well. In the truest sense of the term, this is most definitely a "Third Stream" effort.

For those interested in hearing a crack ensemble of Downtown's finest tackle some truly rewarding composed and improvised music, one need look no further than "Lake Biwa." It might not swing in a traditional jazz sense, but it veers from the sublime to ecstatic so easily that you won't miss the beat.

Average customer rating:

Handel: Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0002IQAVS
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Tracks:

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba [From Solomon] - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Allegro - Andante - ...
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Menuet
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Air
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Menuet
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Bourr
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Hornpipe
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Andante
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G, HWV 349/350: Allegro
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G, HWV 349/350: Alla Hornpipe
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G, HWV 349/350: Menuet
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G, HWV 349/350: Andante
Water Music, Suites II & III in D/G, HWV 349/350: Country Dance I/II
Concerto Grosso in a Minor, Op. 6, No. 4: Larghetto Affettuoso ... - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Trevor Connah, Kenneth Heath, Sir Neville Marriner
Samson: Let the Bright Seraphim - Harry Dilley, Mol Triffid, Covent Garden Royal Opera House Chorus, Royal Opera House Orchestra & Choir, Dame Joan Sutherland
Ombra Mai Fom Serse] - English Sinfonia, Neil Page, Daniel Phillips, Anthony Way
Music for the Royal Fireworks, Suite HWV 351: Overture - Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Music for the Royal Fireworks, Suite HWV 351: Bourr- Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Music for the Royal Fireworks, Suite HWV 351: La Ruissance - Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Music for the Royal Fireworks, Suite HWV 351: Menuet I-II - Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
See, The Conqu'ing Hero Comes! [From Judas MacCabaeus] - Choristers Of St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Dearnley, John Scott
Harpsichord Suite No. 5 in E, HWV 430: Air & Variations "The ..." - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Hallelujah Chorus [From Messiah] - Sir Colin Davis, , London Symphony Chorus, The London Symphony Orchestra

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