Anima Mundi [Import]

Anima Mundi [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2nd album from Dionysus featuring Swedish guitar master, Johnny Ohlin. Includes three bonus tracks on this Japanese edition. Avalon. 2004.

Tracks:

Hymn - Veni Creator Spiritus
Sequence - Veni Spiritus Eternorum
Antiphon - O Quam Mirabilis Est
Vision 1 - The Fire Of Creation
Vision 1 - The Fire Of Creation
Sequence - O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti
Vision 2 - Wisdom And Her Sisters
Vision 2 - Wisdom And Her Sisters
Responsory - O Felix Anima
Vision 3 - The Fiery Spirit
Vision 3 - The Fiery Spirit
Hymn - O Ignee Spiritus
Vision 4 - Love
Vision 4 - Love
Antiphon - Caritas Habundat In Omnia
Antiphon - O Eterne Deus
Hymn - Beata Nobis Gaudia

Amazon.com

The bad news is that this is Anonymous 4's final recording. The good news is that it's one of their best. Aside from a pair of brief 9th-century chants that flank the main program, the disc focuses on the music of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century Benedictine nun whose liturgical works broke new ground in their visionary texts, rich imagery, and melodic range. The selections here relate to themes associated with the Holy Spirit--the fire of creation, wisdom, the life-giving spirit, and love. The imagery of Hildegard's visionary texts is replete with references to the basic elements--air, earth, fire, and water. The results are boldly original, at least within the restricted confines of chant, which offer compelling listening experiences as performed in the lustrous tones of Anonymous 4. The program includes a pair of Hildegard's most-rhapsodic extended visionary pieces, the consoling "O spirit of fire, bringer of comfort," and "I am the great and fiery power," whose soaring opening musical lines still can shock. Harmonia Mundi, as usual, captures the purity of Anonymous 4's singing in vivid sonics and provides deluxe production values, including a profusely illustrated booklet, with full texts and translations. --Dan Davis

Interview with Marsha Genensky of Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4's Marsha Genensky speaks about the ensemble's swan song in our special interview.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful CD .......2007-04-29

I own 13 A-4 discs and this is my second favorite, after On Yoolis Night. The recording sounds a little muddy and they do, uncharacteristically take some liberties with the translations, but .... This was recorded in a real chapel (as were most of their later releases) and the extensive liner notes are, as usual, present. The presentation and delivery are among the best that A-4 have ever done. These 4 ladies each have wonderful voices that blend together magnificently. If you are an A-4 fan, you need to own this.

Great music; interesting group.......2007-01-05

The music of Hildegard Von Bingen is, without question, some of the most important we have from the Middle Ages. This album has a very capable set of performances by Anonymous 4, but the drawback is the very sameness of sound to each and every track. Yes, they sing well, but where is the variety of timbre? Where are the percussion instruments that have been used in other recordings and performances of these works? They could have used some help from some men's voices, too. Otherwise, it's perfectly recorded, but with repeat listenings becomes more trying.

My humble opinion............2005-12-28

I gave this CD an above average rating. I did so because this is the 3rd CD that I have purchased from Anonymous 4 and to be quite honest they all sound the same to me. I personally feel that the style of Hildegard is heavy, crisp, intentional and complicated. It is unique compared to other styles of anicent choral music. Anonymous 4 has a very light, airy almost contemporary feel to whatever they sing. In the CD insert Anonymous 4 goes on to express how they prepared to sing the medeival music in latin with a German accent because that is where Hildegard was from, and that this is how she would have sung her music. But honestly I don't think one can tell. Like I said, this is my third CD from them and they all sound the same. Don't get me wrong ladies. You 4 have gorgeous voices but I have found that the albums by Sequentia that sing in Hildegard's von Bingen tradition to be more authentic. I recommend to those interested to try Chanticles of Extasy by Sequentia or any of Sequentia's albums. You'll understand what I mean after you compare them for yourselves.

Completely beautiful.......2005-11-08

This musical is relaxing uplifting, simple yet complicated. A total mental experience filled with beauty.

The Origins of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen.......2005-08-14

If you enjoy the music of Anonymous 4, you'll be thouroughly impressed with this presentation of Hildegard's music to God. Excellent is not enough praise for this interpretation.

11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula

Average customer rating:

Great Medieval Plainsong. Not all from Hildegard
Approaching perfection...
beautiful, meditative music
Glorious Music
There's something about this one.

11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula
Anonymous , Hildegard of Bingen , Gregorian Chant , Italian Anonymous , and Anonymous 4
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen
1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4
La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France
The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony

ASIN: B0000007FU
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - Auctori vite psalmis - Invitatory - Venite exsultemus domino
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Symphonia virginum - O dulcissime amator
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Jesu corona virginum
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Responsory - Spiritui sancto
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Versicle - Specie tua
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Responsory -Favus distillans
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benedicamus domino
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - Studium divinitatis
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Psalm 92 - Dominus regnavit - Studium divinitatis
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Sequence - O Ecclesia
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benedicamus domino
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Chapter - Domine deus meus
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Brief responsory - Mirabilis deus
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Cum vox sanguinis
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - O rubor sanguinis
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Canticle - Magnificat anima mea - O rubor sanguinis
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Te lucis ante terminum
11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benidicamus domino

Amazon.com essential recording

All the world loves Hildegard--and the four women of Anonymous 4 may be the best interpreters of her music since the 12th century. St. Ursula was the legendary daughter of a British king who, with her army of virgin companions, was martyred in Cologne, perhaps in the fifth century; Hildegard wrote these Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula for use in a highly solemn celebration along with other liturgical chants. It is in this context that Anonymous 4 presents this program, interspersing chants and psalmody with Hildegard's compositions, sometimes employing drones and polyphonic embellishment. The musical effect is a mixture of awesome reverence and earthly sensuousness. The combination of four different women's voices in perfect unison creates a richly colored sound that can lull or console or uplift. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Great Medieval Plainsong. Not all from Hildegard.......2005-11-04

'11,000 Virgins - Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' performed by the vocal quartet, Anonymous 4' is 72 minutes of music at least as good as any of their other albums. But, over half of the pieces on this record are by medieval composers OTHER than Fraulein Hildegard. So, the emphasis of the album is much more on 'Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' than on Hildegard.

This does not disappoint, as the performances are superb, regardless of the composer. My only regret is that the notes did not tell more of the story of the 11,000 virgins. When I was visiting the Rhineland, this was a big local story, even though it happened over a 1,000 years ago, even before Hildegard's time.

But that's minor grousing. This is great music. Buy it if you like Medieval liturgical music!

Approaching perfection..........2005-10-13

The music on this CD comes from the great Hildegard of Bingen, one of the towering female figures from the Middle Ages. Hildegard is not only one of the few women whose name has come down to us from the Middle Ages, but one of the few composers of any sort whose name survives together with his or her compositions. Hildegard was a sort of Renaissance woman before the Renaissance, whose fame spread in her lifetime such that she was advisor of monarchs and popes, as well as a significant creative and mystical figure.

Between 1150 and 1160, she composed and collected poetry and musical works under the title 'Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations'. Much of her music was monophonic in nature, and tied to the liturgy. The Anonymous 4 in their performance sometimes add polyphonic embellishments and vocal drones to chants and psalmody.

Hildegard's abbey possessed relics of St. Ursula, and Hildegard wrote many pieces in honour of the saint to be performed by the women of her abbey. This particular recording of women's voices doing these pieces is therefore quite natural and back to the original intent of Hildegard's compositions.

Hildegard's style is unique, as are the vocal talents of the Anonymous 4 - the combination here is something that approaches perfection.

-- Liner Notes --
This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections.

-- Anonymous 4 --
Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide.

Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.'

The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.

beautiful, meditative music.......2001-10-28

This is beautiful music. The four women's voices are so soothing. This is an ideal CD to listen to if for relaxation, meditation, or prayer. I listen to it while I practice yoga. The music is also very important historically, as Hildegard von Bingen is one of the few women composers in the history of Western music. Many of these insipiring tracks were written by her.

Glorious Music.......2000-11-30

Another superb CD by "Annonymous 4", these women are some of the best at creating music for the soul. Quite meditative in nature it is truly amazing that this music was written so long ago and continues to inspire. The accompanying booklet gives you plenty of background information on Hildegard von Bingen and why these songs were written. The included artwork is an additional bonus if you're inclined to like the works of Hildegard von Bingen. The music is just sheer beauty, angelic voices in a world of chaos. The music is relaxing and perfect for creative and contemplative moods. The perfect reading music or for that matter anytime the pace needs to be slowed down . It is best listened to to free one's mind of all earthly concerns and to focus on more spiritual matters. An excellent choice for those moments of connecting to the meaning and purpose of our existences.

There's something about this one........2000-03-31

Meditative, haunting, stirring- an archetypical mastery of the female voice in Christian chant. 73 minutes.

Schütz: Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz

Average customer rating:

Simply beautiful and dramatic music

Schütz: Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schütz - The Christmas Story · Cantiones sacrae · Psalm 100 / P. Agnew · A. Crookes · M. McCarthy · Oxford Camerata · J. Summerly
Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae Sacrae, 1629
Schutz: Motets & Concertos (Ger)
Schütz: St. Matthew Passion
Schütz: German Requiem: The Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross

ASIN: B00005B6RV
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Simply beautiful and dramatic music.......2005-03-25

Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz is performed with great skill, care and feeling by Ensemble Clément Janequin and Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse. I have not heard a better interpretation of this work anywhere. The cornetts (cornets à bouquin) and sackbuts (saqueboutes) provide a very rich and nobly ecclesiastical backdrop for the voices.

The other works presented on this wonderful CD include the great Magnificat, SWV 468 and the setting of the Magnificat for solo soprano voice, Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV 344 - sung by Agnés Mellon.

The two-part work from Symphoniæ Sacræ I, 1629 - Anima mea, SWV 263 (prima pars) and Adjuro vos, SWV 264 (secunda pars) is sung by Bruno Boterf and Philippe Cantor. The men's voices are accompanied by Jean-Pierre Canihac abd Philippe Matharel on the cornetti. The continuo group consists of Konrad Junghänel, lute, Jonathan Cable, bass viol and violone, and Willem Jansen, organ.
Several other works are presented. All provide further evidence of the greatness of Heinrich Schütz.

This CD is now on Harmonia Mundi's budget label. If you're a lover of the music of Heinrich Schütz, you'll want to have this recording (if you do not have it already). If you're new to Schütz, this CD presents a powerful case for this composer.

Average customer rating:

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

Music For Holy Week

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Miserere
Passiontide at St. Paul's (A sequence of music for Lent, Passiontide and Easter)
Images of Christ
Great Choral Classics from King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge
The Psalms of David from Kings Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000002S5K
Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Incipit lamentatio
Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Aleph
Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Beth
Lamentations of Jeremiah II: De lamentatione
Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Ghimel
Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Daleth
Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Heth
O nata lux
Salvator mundi
If Ye Love Me
Cruicifixus
There Is A Green Hill Far Away
O vos omnes
Nolo mortem peccatoris
Tristis est anima mea
Crux fidelis
Videte omnes populi
Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Dum transisset Sabbatum I
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
This Joyful Eastertide
Haec dies
Let All The World In Every Corner Sing!

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anima Mundi
Average customer rating:

My favorite Glass work

A very good soundtrack

Great soundtrack, but too short

Anima Mundi
Philip Glass , and Michael Riesman
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Anima Mundi

Glass: Symphony no 5 (Choral): Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya

Hydrogen Jukebox

Itaipu

Kundun: Music From The Original Soundtrack

ASIN: B000005J2E
Release Date: 1993-10-26

Tracks:

Anima Mundi: The Journey
Anima Mundi: The Ark
Anima Mundi: The Garden
Anima Mundi: The Beginning
Anima Mundi: Living Waters
Anima Mundi: Perpetual Motion
Anima Mundi: The Witness

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Glass work.......2006-10-12

Don't ask me why...it just appeals to all of my musical sensibilities!

In my very humble opinion this is one of the first Glass works that creates a genuinely engaging musical experience in the minimalist style (ie: extended sequences of repetition for which he's known--and sometimes reviled--are not to be found here).

Instead, Glass fans will adore the variety of rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic material, and it's unlike anything else he's done.

While there are clearly moments when it's doing it's duty as a sound track, the overarching theme is one of primal, unadorned noise-making, only orchestrated.

A very good soundtrack.......2005-03-06

This is very fine music, in Glass's style of course , but very different from Koyaniskatsi and other pieces . It's a pleasure to listen to it . After saying that , what more can I say ?

Great soundtrack, but too short.......2000-03-14

Philip Glass is without questions a master at composing soundtracks for films by Godfrey Regio, and predictably, he did it this time again. The music is less all-over-the-place than Powaqqatsi, and not quite as powerful, but is a joy to listen to when you want to relax. He's definitely my favorite modern composer. My only quibble is that it's TOO SHORT! More Philip Glass, please...

Richard Danielpour: Concerto for Orchestra; Anima Mundi

Average customer rating:

Bartok has met his match...
Exciting!
Accessible and enjoyable.
It is what Shostakovich would write today.
Not bad

Richard Danielpour: Concerto for Orchestra; Anima Mundi

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Richard Danielpour: Celestial Night
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Richard Danielpour: Elegies - Sonnets to Orpheus / von Stade, Hampson, Huang
Danielpour: First Light; The Awakened Heart; Symphony No. 3
Danielpour: An American Requiem

ASIN: B0000029UM
Release Date: 1997-04-15

Tracks:

Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 1. Agitato (With Urgency And Rhythmic Intensity)
Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 2. Scherzando (Playfully)
Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 3. Adagio Non Troppo
Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 4. Con Moto, Ben Misurato
Anima Mundi (1995): 1. Musica Verna
Anima Mundi (1995): 2. Lacrimae Rerum
Anima Mundi (1995): 3. Nox Tenebroso
Anima Mundi (1995): 4. Lux Hiberna

Customer Reviews:

Bartok has met his match..........2004-04-02

Danielpour's Concerto for Orchestra is vibrant, refreshing, and musically intriguing. Even the most staunch critic cannot help but feel moved and invigorated by the driving rhythms, the playfully loquacious instrumental interactions, the heartfelt pathos, and the furious excitement displayed in all four movements of this phenomenal work.

Experience the Danielpour Concerto for Orchestra. It is an experience you will not forget.

Exciting!.......2001-01-10

Pittsburgh and Danielpour are a winning combination! This American composer will end up filling the shoes of Copland and Bernstein as one of America's great composers. The Concerto for Orchestra dazzles, sparkles, dances, and weeps. The harmonies are complex and interesting, and yet very listenable. The Pittsburgh Symphony under Zinman has never sounded better. This is a must have for any proponent of 20th century music.

Accessible and enjoyable........2000-12-05

Like Danielpour's other large orchestra works ("Celestial Night", "Urban Dances") the "Concerto for Orchestra" and "Anima Mundi" are vibrant and dynamic like Bartok and occasionally dark and somber like, maybe Shostokovitch. Both pieces on this recording are entertaining and masterfully performed and would make for very exciting works to be heard in concert; they are great examples of 20th Century American composition, accessible and enjoyable. However, the two pieces also sound similar and it is hard for me to tell where the "Concerto" ends and "Anima Mundi" begins - not because the composition of one is indistinguishable from the other but rather because both works are full-bodied orchestral works, rich with dynamics thus making them sound similar. Breaking up the two by inserting a small string serenade or soloist-oriented work between them would help differentiate the two major works. Still, a very good recording of exciting American music, heartily recommended to fans of Corigliano, Diamond, and Bartok's orchestral works.

It is what Shostakovich would write today........1999-03-07

I heard this live, played by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra with the composer sitting next to me. I didn't want to look artificial so I was restrained in my enthusiasm, but I felt very much like I was hearing real classical music, something Shostakovich would write if he were here today. It is totally original, but if you need comparisons, it is Shostikovich with a sauce of Gershwin. It is the sound of New York and the angst of today's fragmented society. It is really great music! I am buying two CDs, one to send to my friends in Russia.

Not bad.......1999-02-12

Danielpour is a brilliant craftsman and a fine writer. My only criticism of the album is that the two pieces tend to run together and are a bit indistinct from one another. He truly has a gift, but needs to push himself before lapsing into repetitiveness.

The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Best of the Hildegard recordings so far

The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hildegard Von Bingen: 11,000 Virgins [Hybrid SACD]
Feather on the Breath of God
Vivaldi: Four Seasons [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00070EBRG
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Customer Reviews:

Best of the Hildegard recordings so far.......2007-01-13

I own nearly all of the recordings of Hildegard von Bingen's work, some on LP, CD, and SACD. Origin of Fire has rapidly become my favorite. First, it contains some of her best (to my ears) works. Second, the performance is top notch - flawless, involved singing. Third, the SACD layer (sorry, have not listened to the red book layer yet) is fabulous. Bottom line: I never get tired of listening to it. Yesterday, it came up as the next disc in the 5 I had loaded in my player, right after some nice mellow Bill Evans. It stopped me in my tracks: I sighed and noticably relaxed. If Hildegard is your cup of tea, this particular cup is extremely tasty.

Average customer rating:

De Wert: Madrigaux - Madrigals

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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ASIN: B0000007BJ
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Vezzosi augelli (Livre VIII no. 4)
lo non son pero morto (Livre VIII no.1)
Non sospirar, pastor (Livre VIII no.12)
Forsennata gridava (Livre VIII no.11)
Questi odorate fiori (Livre VIII no. 13)
Con voi giocando, Amor (Livre VIII no.15)
Voi ch'ascoltate (Livre II no. 2)
Dolci spoglie (Livre XV no. 17)
Novo amor, nove fiamme, e nova legge (Livre III no.9)
Dica chi vuol (Livre XIV no. 5)
Voglia mi vien (Livre XIV no.18)
Vago augeletto (Livre IX no.4)
L'anima mia ferita (Livre IX no. 9)
O, come vaneggiate, Donna (Livre IX no. 10)
Misera, che faro (Livre VII no. 2)
Solo e pensoso (Livre VII no. 8)
Giunto a la tomba (Livre VII no. 9)
Sorgi e rischiara (Livre VII no. 1)
Occhi, de l'alma mia (Livre XIV no. 11)
M'ha punt'Amor (Livre XIV no. 21)
Del vago Mincio (Livre X no. 7)
Amor che sai (Livre X no. 12)
Soccorete, ben mio (Livre X no. 13)
Crudelissima dogila (Livre X no. 14)
Ahi, come soffriro (Livre XII no. 3)

Monteverdi - Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi / Concerto Köln, Jacobs

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At times, great and at other times...well... er.....
Monteverdi used 'cornets'?!

Monteverdi - Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi / Concerto Köln, Jacobs
Salomé Haller , Maria Cristina Kiehr , Jeremy Ovenden , and Concerto Köln
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Josquin Desprez: Missa Fortuna Desperata
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Bach - Brandenburg Concertos / Il Giardino armonico

ASIN: B00006L7TB
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Altri Canti D'Amore, Tenero Arciero
Hor Che 'L Ciel E La Terra E 'L Vento Tace
Gira Il Nemico Insidioso Amore
Se Vittorie Si Belle
Armato Il Cor D'adamantina Fede
Ogni Amante E Guerrier: Nel Suo Gran Regno
Ardo, Avvampo
Il Combattimento Di Tancredi E Clorinda
Introdutione Al Ballo E Ballo
Altri Canti Di Marte E Di Sua Schiera

Tracks:

Vago Augelletto
Mentre Vaga Angioletta
Ardo E Scoprir, Ahi Lasso, Io Non Ardisco
O Sia Tranquillo Il Mare O Pien D'orgoglio
Ninfa Che, Scalza Il Piede
Dolcissimo Uscignolo
Chi Vol Haver Felice E Lieto Il Core
Lamento Della Ninfa. Non Havea Febo Ancora
Perche Ten Fuggi, O Fillide
Non Partir, Ritrosetta
Su, Su, Su, Pastorelli Vezzosi
De L'implacabil Dio
Udite, Donne, Udite!
Bella Madre D'Amor
Ecco Ver Noi L'addolorate Squadre
Ahi Troppo Ahi Troppo E Duro!

Amazon.com

You might think that two-and-a-half hours of Monteverdi madrigals would become tiresome or repetitive, but think again: here is a composer whose ability to combine voices and instruments (actually, it's conductor Rene Jacobs who, for the most part, has chosen the instruments, which include strings, trombones, cornets, organ, and percussion--brilliantly, colorfully, and dramatically) became greater as he aged, and these are among his latest works. Some pieces are long and dramatic, indeed, operatic: Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda is sung to us by baritone Victor Torres with such urgency that it might be compared with an old Orson Welles radio drama. The subtitle of the collection—"Madrigals of War and Love"--really tells it all; fascinatingly, the warring within a lover's breast is just as passionate as true battle. The texts, some by such luminaries as Petrarch and Tasso are as worthy as the music, and Monteverdi's great gift--his ability to wed words to music--is in evidence in all of these works. Emotions run from self-pity to adoration to rage, and Jacobs and his band of singers--every one a virtuoso--make each come to life. Their technical skill, comprising seemingly endless breath, stunning legato, and every embellishment known to the Renaissance and Baroque, is matched by the loveliness and expressive quality of their tone. This is a perfect collection, ravishingly conceived, recorded, and performed. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

At times, great and at other times...well... er............2003-08-27

First things first.
'Cornet', with a single T, is a perfectly acceptable spelling of the word for the Baroque cornetto - cornett, cornetta, cornèta, Kornett, cornet à bouquin, corno, cornio, Zink, Zinge, Zinggen and Recht Chor-Zink (et cetera) are all historical variations. The spelling with the single T was the original spelling - the double T spelling was adopted in the 20th century to save confusion with the cornett's modern brass band name sake.

Okay! So what's this CD like?
Well, its pretty good and much of it is very good. The music is 'orchestrated' with cornet(t)s, trombones, a dulcian and percussion - as well as the violins, viols and continuo mentioned by the composer. Maybe René Jacobs is suggesting that this music might have been performed like this for an aristocratic audience? Maybe, maybe not, however, Monteverdi and/or his publisher only suggest strings and continuo in the instrumental forces needed to perform this music. The cornetts and sackbuts sound splendid in madrigals like 'Altri canti d'Amor' even if their inclusion would have surprised Claudio Monteverdi! The string and continuo groups play very well and very idiomatically.

This brings us to the question of the voices used. Some of the singers are simply too operatic in their approach for this kind of music. One of the tenors sings in a highly charged way that would not be out of place in 19th century Italian opera. Bernarda Fink, as usual, uses too much vibrato - more than one would reasonably expect in a modern performance of Mozart or, indeed, Verdi - let alone Monteverdi! However, there is some great singing here, too - Maria Cristina Kiehr is an excellent Monteverdian. When the voices all sing together, as in 'Altri Canti d'Amore', the voices tend to jar and there is little sense of ensemble. We are presented with a group of not terribly compatible soloists singing together rather than a traditional madrigal vocal ensemble. Of course, this is my response to this recording and others may be delighted with this approach.

This is the first truly complete L'ottavo libro de madrigali available in one set on two CDs and for that reason it is a worthy introduction to this music.

Alessandrini's group and Anthony Rooley's The Consort of Musicke have also recorded these works and I have enjoyed all these different interpretations. Jacobs can be perverse and wayward in his interpretations but he can also make the music sing and dance like no one else. I will continue to enjoy most of his opera recordings and most of this madrigal set.

Monteverdi used 'cornets'?!.......2003-04-02

Though I have not listened to this particular CD of Monteverdi's Madrigali guerrieri et amoroso, I'm certain that cornets, the modern small brass instrument used in marching bands would not be appropriate. A cornett (or cornetti) the Renaissance wind instrument, made of wood and covered in leather, was used by Monteverdi, and would be quite appropriate, and I think that is what is being used in the CD.

Valentini: Motetti e Madrigali a due Soprani

Average customer rating:

Greatness unveiled...

Valentini: Motetti e Madrigali a due Soprani

Manufacturer: Christophorus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005Q456
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Hodie Christus Natus Est
O Bone Jesu
Gaudeamus Omnes
O Dio, Quel Dolce Addio
Deus Qui Pro Redemptione Mundi
Confitebor
Ad Dominum Cum Tribularer
Poiche La Cruda E Fera
Qualis Est Dilecta Nostra
Lasso Dove Son'io
Bella Clori Non Fuggire
Ti Lascio Anima Mia
Amarillide Mia Crudel
Credidi
Et Ecco Pur Chi Puo Fuggirti

Customer Reviews:

Greatness unveiled..........2003-08-22

Not much is known of the details of the life of Giovanni Valentini( 1582-1649), but problably born in Venice, he made himself a transalpine career, in the beginning working at the court of archduke Ferdinand in Graz, and when Ferdinand in 1619 was elected Holy Roman emperor, Valentini soon became Kapelmeister at the imperial court in Vienna, one of the most coveted positions for a musician to hold in the Western world.
The music presented here shows Valentini to be among the very best of early Italian baroque composers; perhaps strong words, but to judge from this music, Valentini must be regarded an equal of Monteverdi.
The performance is made by two sopranos, occasional violins and BC with (often within the same piece) alternating organ and harpsichord, cello and theorbe. The works recorded here are made up of secular madrigals (about the pains of love...) and motets (whose contents reflect the intense Marian cult practised by Ferdinand and the members of his court). All in all, this is deep, reflective music, never superficial, but with surprising moments of great originality and moments of breathtaking beauty. Valentini does not just sound as a second Monteverdi, he has to a great extent his own musical language, a brilliant one indeed.
The sopranos sing with a generous, but perfectly appropriate use of vibrato, and they succesfully communicate the emotional intensity of this music (it also seems to me that the microphones are placed quite close to the singers, also contributing to the immediacy and effect of this performance).
This is some of the best early baroque soprano singing, I've ever heard!
If you're interested in getting to know some of Valentini's large-scale church music (and after having listened to this recording, you problably are), I can recommend a recent recording (also five stars to that!) by Roland Wilson/ Musica Fiata/ La capella ducale on Sony, named "O dulcis Amor Jesu". Apparently, this recording is not available here at Amazon.com, but try Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de or cpo.de using the search term "Priuli" (the other composer on this disc, a senior colleague of Valentini's) or "Giovanni Valentini".

Music Info:

Music Info

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