Arthur the King

Arthur the King

Arthur the King

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Arthur the King continues the weighty themes of recent solo work. Her post-Steeleye Span solo career has involved more and more complex themes and musical projects, and at the core of this album is a 10-track suite about Arthur, clocking in at a little un

Arthur the King,Maddy Prior,Park Records,British Folk,British Folk-Rock,Contemporary Celtic,Contemporary Folk,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Traditional Celtic,World Music
Wynton Marsalis - Baroque Music for Trumpet
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A blast of brass
  • Old school Wynton
  • fabulous
  • Amazing talent
Wynton Marsalis - Baroque Music for Trumpet

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Classic Wynton
  2. Wynton Marsalis: In Gabriel's Garden
  3. Baroque Trumpet Concertos
  4. Kathleen Battle · Wynton Marsalis ~ Baroque Duet / Anthony Newman · Orch St. Luke's · Nelson
  5. Trumpet Concertos

ASIN: B0000025XP
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 1. Allegro
  2. Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 2. Largo
  3. Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 3. Allegro (moderato)
  4. 'Let the Bright Seraphim' From Samson
  5. Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, T.V. 3
  6. 'Sound the Trumpet' from Come Ye Sons Of Art
  7. 'Chaconne' from Come Ye Sons Of Art
  8. 'Entrada' from The Indian Queen
  9. 'Trumpet Air' from The Indian Queen
  10. 'Trumpet Tune' from King Arthur
  11. 'Trumpet Overture' from The Indian Queen
  12. Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, T.V. 7
  13. 'Eternal Source Of Light Divine'
  14. For Solo Trumpet And Strings, Concert No. 2 - 1. Allegro
  15. 2. Adagio
  16. For Solo Trumpet And Strings, Concert No. 2 - 3. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A blast of brass.......2005-08-18

I first encountered this on cassette, quite by accident. It later became the background for my work at morning at the easel painting watercolours. But this is no wallpaper music. The technical genius of matching separate recordings of different trumpet parts is surpassed only by Marsalis's bright and lively technique. The masters would be pleased. As for the watercolours, I can now stand before them and see the music's influence on paper. Well worth the listening...

5 out of 5 stars Old school Wynton.......2005-08-12

This cd features a lot of Wynton's earlier piccolo playing, which, while perhaps not as brilliant as you'd hear on his Gabriel's Garden album, is slightly more refined and appropriate to the repertoire. That isn't to say he doesn't embellish; The Fasch concerto has some tastefully inserted ornaments. "Let the Bright Seraphim" is as well played with soprano Edita Gruberova as it is in Wynton's later recording with Kathleen Battle. The Purcell selections on the album are probably the best examples of good piccolo playing I've found, particularly the trills. One only need listen to the "Entrada" to see how delicate and refined the playing on the whole album is.

5 out of 5 stars fabulous.......2003-09-28

Marsalis' prodigious talent coupled with the greatest of Baroque brass composers is a combination that cannot be beat! Of course, Anthony Newman takes everything (less the slow stuff, of course) at his characteristic "lively" pace, but Marsalis keeps up. His execution of the ornamentation is awesome! Gotta have this one!

5 out of 5 stars Amazing talent.......2001-04-22

Without doubt, the birthday ode to Queen Anne (Eternal Source of Light Divine) is one of the loveliest pieces ever. Couple that with two of the most accomplished talents in the world, you have a near spiritual moment. Even those with even a passing interest in the classics will find this a stirring expierence. this is true candy for the ear and food for the soul.
King Arthur
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • We Will Go Home
  • Good music
  • Want to hear Gladiator II?
  • King Arthur
  • Hans' Best
King Arthur
Hans Zimmer
Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Kingdom of Heaven
  2. The Last Samurai
  3. Gladiator: Music from the Motion Picture
  4. Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score)
  5. Alexander

ASIN: B0002IQIWE
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

  1. Tell Me Now (What You See)
  2. Woad To Ruin
  3. Do You Think I'm Saxon?
  4. Hold The Ice
  5. Another Brick In Hadrian's Wall
  6. Budget Meeting
  7. All Of Them!

Amazon.com

What are legends if not for reinventing -- and/or hyper-inflating into Hollywood summer fare? In retooling the Arthurian legend for the goth-beguiled video game age, mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer did away with details small (the lady in the lake, sword in the stone, etc.) and large (this Arthur is actually Eastern European, by way of Rome). Composer Hans Zimmer picks up that gauntlet, producing an orchestral score bristling with massed brass, chorus and percussion -- if little of the indigenous mysticism that made his work on Gladiator/ so rewarding. What there is of that precious commodity is frontloaded via the song "Tell Me Know (What You See)," his evocative opening collaboration with Clannad's Moya Brennan. From there, Zimmer emphasized this version's Eastern conceits with a half-dozen suites of cues that thunder in the Russian classical tradition -- and all the melodic range of "Jingle Bells." Zimmer--not to mention Poledouris--has done it better, but fans of outsized orchestral Gothic moodfests may yet take this one to heart. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars We Will Go Home.......2007-07-13

Does this soundtrack include "We Will Go Home," the song Vorna sings to the men in the bar before they find out about their new mission?

4 out of 5 stars Good music.......2007-05-16

I'm a huge Hans Zimmer fan, his scores are rich and deep. This is not his best, but it's still a great listen.

2 out of 5 stars Want to hear Gladiator II?.......2007-04-12

In the end, this is the only relevant question; do you want to hear a more melodramatic version of Gladiator? More melodramatic, you ask?
And you better believe it, Hans Zimmer actually managed to blow up his sound from Gladiator even more, and I really didn't think this was possible, mainly because I thought it would sound utterly pathetic and over the top. And make no mistake, Zimmer's King Arthur is just that.

I am reviewing this score in retrospect, and it is truly fascinating to do that. When you look at other composers and make a little journey to their past, you usually find more creativity. The further back you go, the more original and fresh music you find. With Hans Zimmer, it's the opposite. With each year you go back, his scores just get more dreary, and that's saying alot because his latest works also don't really qualify as schoolbook examples for colourful scoring.

From Gladiator to Pirates Of The Caribbean 2, Hans Zimmer has yet to come forth with a truly fresh and unique score. Zimmer never, ever, not in a million years, escapes his usual box. And King Arthur is no exception whatsoever. From the get go, 20 horns are amassed and play a overly simplistic motif somewhere between a and A, the strings mush together in midrange, melodramatic chords, and dwell in the shallow realm of overbearing dullness.
I don't understand how an artist - and the art of film composing is severely underrated - can be content with repeating the same thing over and over. If I were Hans Zimmer, I would be embarassed by now to even write one more note for that droning bass.
To top it all off, Zimmer incorporates an Enyaesque voice that is easy on the ears, but in the end signifies nothing, does nothing and does all that with an amazing lack of substance.

That is, amongst others, the major difference between a serious film composer and Hans Zimmer: a good and skillful film composer takes an average film like King Arthur and makes it sound like something worthwhile. Hans Zimmer on the other hand embraces mediocrity and underlines it to create an even more average film.

5 out of 5 stars King Arthur.......2007-04-09

I recently purchased this particular soundtrack, and i would have to say it is awesome. Hans Zimmer is a master at what he does. The music suits the film and since I loved the film I had to get the soundtrack. I loved the song Tell Me Now by Moya Brennan, and Another Brick in Hadrians Wall is the best song im my opinion on the soundtrack. Overall I'm so glad I bought this soundtrack and I rate it up there with the likes of Gladiator, Pirates of the Carribean. Keep up the good work Hans

4 out of 5 stars Hans' Best.......2007-03-12

Hans Zimmer is a film composer with dozens and dozens of scores under his belt. Many who do not collect or even listen to film scores know his name. However, much if his film music sounds very similar and lacks a complex edge that other compose like John Williams, James Horner, and James Newton Howard deliver.

That said, King Arthur is Hans' most intriguing score to date. Backdraft and Gladiator (overrated) were very good, but this score is a departure from Hans' usual motifs. The only bad part for me(not related to the music itself) is that there are only seven tracks and each are very long. I like shorter tracks so I can pinpoint the themes or variations I want to lsiten to, but this is extremely minor. The music is great, and I reccommend you go enjoy Hans' best music yet.
Classics for Kids
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Just for kids?? No way!!
  • The best classical album for kids!
  • Great for Preschool Children
Classics for Kids

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  5. Peter and the Wolf / Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra / Carnival of the Animals

ASIN: B000003FE3
Release Date: 1993-06-08

Tracks:

  1. The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
  2. The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
  3. The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
  4. Parade of The Wooden Soldiers (Jessel-MacDonald)
  5. Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
  6. Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
  7. Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
  8. THe Girl With The Flaxen Hair (Debussy)
  9. Hoedown from Rodeo (Copland)
  10. Little Waltz from The Toy Box (Debussy)
  11. Viennese Musical Clock from Hary Janos (Kodaly)
  12. Mother Goose Suite Excerpts (Ravel)
  13. Mother Goose Suite Excerpts (Ravel)
  14. March of the Siamese Children from The King and I (Rogers)
  15. Dreams frin Scenes From Childhood ( Schumann)
  16. March of The Toys from Babes In Toyland (Herbert)
  17. Childhood Games Excerpts (Bizet)
  18. Childhood Games Excerpts (Bizet)
  19. The Toy Trumpet Al Hirt, trumpet (Scott)
  20. The Little Train of Caipira (Villa-Lobos)
  21. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas)
  22. Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky)
  23. Lullaby (Brahms)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Just for kids?? No way!!.......2005-04-08

This is wonderful classical music. If the kids like it, great! But, make no mistake about it, this is good for anyone. This is wonderful study music, reading music, or just plain relaxing music. Highlights include "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"; "March of the Toys" (from BABES IN TOYLAND -- the reason I bought this CD); "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"; "The Little Train of Caipira" (no longer little when the music is over); and the audience favorite "Hoedown" (i.e. "Beef, it's what's for dinner!").

If you're into that whole thing of classical music sharpening a youngster's intellect, then this won't disappoint. If you're just into good old fashioned classical music in general, it won't disappoint you either. Also, I highly recommend to both groups the classical CD BUILD YOUR BABY'S BRAIN.

5 out of 5 stars The best classical album for kids!.......2002-12-12

This is a wonderful album. Very high quality, and every selection is beautiful. My daughter (who usually asks me to turn my classical music off) loves to pretend to gallop like a horse during "Rodeo" and march like a soldier during "Parade of the wooden soldiers". This is a pleasure for the whole family!

5 out of 5 stars Great for Preschool Children.......2000-10-12

I use this CD with my preschool music group. The kids love it! This CD enables children learn about classical music without over extending their attention spans.
Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful Concept Album
  • Rick Wakeman's best
  • Needs more blastbeats
  • A Legendary Progressive Rock Album
  • master piece
Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table
Rick Wakeman
Manufacturer: Fontana a&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Journey to the Centre of the Earth
  2. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  3. Songs of Middle Earth: Inspired by The Lord of the Rings
  4. Return To The Centre Of The Earth
  5. Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds

ASIN: B000002GBK
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Arthur
  2. Lady Of The Lake
  3. Guinevere
  4. Sir Lancelot And The Black Knight
  5. Merlin The Magician
  6. Sir Galahad
  7. The Last Battle

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful Concept Album.......2007-05-18

This is the first album of Rick Wakeman's I ever heard. I fell in love at once. It has both the English sense of destiny and the modern (yes, still) sense of continuity. You get a sense of the Legend through the songs, and a new look at the love story behind some of it.

From this album I fell in love with the man's work.

4 out of 5 stars Rick Wakeman's best.......2007-04-07

This album sounds very contemporary. Great vocal, diverse and higly dramatic musical themes - you will listen it again and again!

The only serious drawback - mediocre quality of recording.

3 out of 5 stars Needs more blastbeats.......2006-12-01

Standout tracks = *

ARTHUR* Intro track, starts with an "epic" (actually weak) voiceover and then the keys and attempts at bombast come in... I don't know if you've ever heard Bal Sagoth, but the overall corny epic feel of this album reminds me of their work. The synths that are trying to sound like horns work way better here than on stupid black metal albums, no doubt. The keys rule this album, the highlight of this track being the set of atomic cricket chirps heard around 4:50. There's also some cool clean guitar that sounds like someone held a mic within a few feel of an unaware James from Arsis noodling unplugged as a warm-up to his set. All around this is a rocking and powerful track.

LADY OF THE LAKE Total throwaway. Yes, vocals alone can be cool, but this forty-second choral-only track is a piece of poo compared to that amazing moment right before the final movement of Edge of Sanity's Crimson.

GUINEVERE Lame traditional piano wankery to start, almost too much to forgive after the last track already had me looking for a way out. There's a little respite from all sound, then the ballad crap comes in. It's almost saved by the sweet future synths goofing around in the background, but too lame, too late. There's the beloved/hated (just my personal preference on this particular birdsong) crow cackle in the left speaker around 2:00 - I don't think it's farfetched to say this is a not-too-subtle Dim Mak homage. Wakeman's delivery of the word "Guinevere" is almost as incomprehensible as Danzig's take on "Vampira" and much more giggle inducing. This track is all around same-y and something that a chick from another era would probably get down to. The best portion begins at 4:00 when the midget space worms present themselves from their gestation chamber and regale the gathered patrons with their mating song, weemp-whoomped out with joy and lechery in their native tongue. Though this is a track only for the die-hards, it goes out in class, using the "slowing the tape down" effect to gradually and quickly drop the pitch of the fruity chorus we just spent the whole song begging to quit imitating castratos.

SIR LANCELOT AND THE BLACK KNIGHT* Holy moly! This is cheese prog the way it's meant to be done! After the phenomenal and manly "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" intro chant, the deliciously dextrous keys take turns with a fervent and testicled singer to craft a fetus-shredding verse. I can't even express how much how the "WHOOH" horn that accompanies the final beat of every sung line during the verses. This cataclysmic energy doesn't let up, all the way through a blazing keyboard solo that makes the wee space larva from the previous track cry to mommy. The best bits from earlier in the song are recycled, generating a medival prog epic that will stand the test of time.

MERLIN THE MAGICIAN Opens with some choral nonsense, this probably sounds cool if you are 5 or if you go to church. Much like The third track, just when the first bit of nonsense lets up, our optimism is punished with yet more nonsense. If I wanted to hear clean piano being played proficiently, I wouldn't have moved out of Mom's house (SHE HAS A PIANO AND I CAN PLAY IT SO EASY). Some three-dimensional sounds appear around 3:15 that attempt to save this slug of a song, but they're not really annihilating the faux-ivory-tickling we've heard in the previous two tracks, making this feel like a useless song built around a mediocre solo. Something so imcomprehensibly terrible that I cannot put it into words happens at 4:50; the only good thing I can say this fifty seconds of terror is that it sort of reminds me of a stage in Super Mario World. More volume-filling, mind-expanding laser solos make me smile towards the end, but my smile is shattered and I am plunged into irreparable depravity as the Mario-esque nonsense returns for a torturous reprise.

SIR GALAHAD I guess Wakeman has a boner for choral intros, but even if I'd had any sort of stiffness, these intros would act as an all too tight condom. After the requisite intro and mellow pre-song nonsense that is becoming a recurring motif, some more nonsense that was probably intended to cause booties to boogie appears, complelling my already flaccid member to desire a safe haven where it can be softened no more. This song is all over the place: not in the worst way possible, but in a way that I don't want to commit more than a few words to the attention-whoring chicanery. Basically, they build it up so you feel like some posers are about to be forcibly removed from the hall, but after the badical buildup, the posers are instead taken by the club owner into the VIP room where they wine and dine our collective sisters.

THE LAST BATTLE There was a smooth segue from the prior track into this nine-minute goliath, so I didn't notice the track change. Our sisters having such a blast and get wasted on champagne probably wasn't helping my focus, either. Not too much on this mediocre and paradoxically non-epic track that we haven't heard yet. Some vocal scat nonsense arrives at 2:47 in an obvious tribute to Katamari Damacy. This last track is clearly dedicated to nap-inducing rather than bombast; I say skip it.

Summary Some fun tracks, some duds, and many cool moments. Many less blastbeats than advertized.

5 out of 5 stars A Legendary Progressive Rock Album.......2006-06-29

Believe it or not, it was my mom that introduced me to this album. She told me that when she was about my age she had it on tape and loved it. Since then I wanted it and I have finally got it. I really don't think to many people have heard of Rick Wakeman's solo projects. I'm sure they know him from Yes and the album he did with Black Sabbath but not of his own works, I could be wrong though. From what I've gathered, this is his third album the first being The six Wives Of Henry VIII and the second Journey To The Center Of The Earth. If this album is any indacation of how good his solo works are, I need to pick those other two up. On to the music. The story is about Arthur and his companions and their many exploits and I think he loosly based this album on Thomas Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur in particular. This album shows that Wakeman is a master (if not the master) of the synthisizer and keyboard. Each song is distinct from the previous which is good in my book. And while there isn't a whole lot of singing, the songs themselves do a good job of telling the story and characters. I just love the different arrangements that go with the different characters, especially Merlin and Guinevere. Plus Rick is accompinied by an orchrastra and The English Chamber Choir which is totaly cool. I've read some reviews saying that some of the singing isn't that great but I have to disagree. While it's not the best singing I've ever heard it's still pretty good. The use of jazz and fusion jazz is also good and in my opinion really helps this already excellent album out. If I have any complaints it is that this album is too short and that it comes with no lyrics. For the first, it doesn't really matter because even though it is over forty-two minutes, I've got other cds that are good but are shorter. And as for the lyrics, I'll get over it because there isn't a whole lot of singing and what singing that is there is pretty much understandable. Definitely an excellent album that shouldn't be passed up.

5 out of 5 stars master piece.......2006-04-07

if you really want to listen to a creative work , a good work and a prog rock this is a must! buy it now!!!! excelent work! Merlin the magician is a masterpiece!
Praise to the Lord - Hymns From St. Paul's Cathedral
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • a voice teacher and early music fan
  • Hymns for every one
  • Super Praise!
Praise to the Lord - Hymns From St. Paul's Cathedral

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Music of St. Paul's Cathedral
  2. Hymns Triumphant 1 & 2
  3. Abide With Me
  4. Hymns Through the Centuries
  5. Treasures of English Church Music

ASIN: B00002EIUG
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-09

'The HYMN-a word derived from the Greek 'hymnos'-has been defined as 'a term of unknown origin applied from ancient times to a wide variety of songs in honor of gods, heroes or notable men.'
The founder of English hymnody is Isaac Watts (1674-1748), whose work in reforming congregational song texts culminated in the publication of his 'Hymns and Spiritual Songs' in 1707. Watts' collection was as complete and comprehensive a set of hymns as had ever been proposed for English worship and it raised the profile of the hymn sufficiently to overcome the prevailing psalmody. The great flowering period of English hymnody began with the work of the Methodist hymn-writers John Wesley (1703-1791) and his brother Charles (1707-1788). The Wesleys gave great prominence to hymns within their Methodist worship and published many books.
The modern hymn book is a collection of hymns drawn from various times and places. This most accomplished recording by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir presents 16 well-loved hymns from 'The New English Hymnal'. A great number of the hymns, which originate from many different eras and traditions, are given an extra musical dimension by John Scott's original descants and thrilling brass arrangements.
Over the years, I have found myself purchasing mostly the recordings of English choirs. They seem to have incredible vocal skills, perfectly executed phrases, flawless diction and some unidentifiable ingredient that makes them very appealing to hear. Of course, I personally enjoy the all male choirs sound; boy sopranos and male altos make the difference. This is a very appealing group of hymns!!!!!

5 out of 5 stars Hymns for every one.......2002-12-01

As I have said already..I am from espiscopal church..these my songs are well know by me...these songs give encouragement when it seems that all hope is lost..these are tunes that are well received....they are also very simple for the every day person to gain strength from day to day..they will become your daily prayer.....

5 out of 5 stars Super Praise!.......2000-06-10

Praise The Lord offers the listener traditional hymns in the English/British tradition. the clarity of the voices make it possible for the listener to follow the words distinctly. The organ soars as accompaniment. the CD provides organ and choral quality for the novice and the experienced musician.
Essential Purcell
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Mad about Baroque
  • The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes
  • Brilliant
  • Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames).
  • Brilliant Purcell Disc
Essential Purcell
Henry Purcell , New College Choir Oxford , King's Consort , Robert King , Roy Goodman , Charles Daniels , John Mark Ainsley , James Bowman , Peter Buckoke , Jane Coe , Rogers Covey-Crump , Gillian Fisher , Michael George , Miles Golding , Jane Norman , Barbara Bonney , Mark Caudle , William Carter , King's Consort Choir , Helen Gough , Paul Nicholson , Angela East , Barry Guy , Tessa Bonner , Jerome Finnis , Rupert Bawden , Lucy Howard , Richard Campbell , Susan Addison , James O'Donnell , and Stephen Saunders
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort
  2. Purcell: The Fairy Queen
  3. Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll
  4. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx
  5. Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ Music

ASIN: B000002ZDU
Release Date: 1995-04-10

Tracks:

  1. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 5: Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn. Symphony And Opening Chorus
  2. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 3: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
  3. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: Oh, Fair Cedaria
  4. The Choir Of The King's Consort: Hear My Prayer, O Lord
  5. Great Baroque Arias: When I Am Laid In Earth ('Dido's Lament')
  6. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.1: Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears (Part 1)
  7. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.4: The Sparrow And The Gentle Dove
  8. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: If Music Be The Food Of Love (First Setting)
  9. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.5: Rejoice In The Lord Always ('The Bell Anthem')
  10. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Hosanna To The Highest
  11. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.7: Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts
  12. Mr. Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composures: Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling
  13. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.6: Mark, How Readily Each Pliant String
  14. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: Sound The Trumpet
  15. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.3: She Loves And She Confesses Too
  16. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: O How Blest Is The Isle
  17. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
  18. Complete Anthems And Services Vol. 11: An Evening Hymn
  19. Complete Church Music Vol.2: Vouchsafe, O Lord, To Keep Us This Day
  20. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.2: With Rapture Of Delight... Hail Bright Cecilia

Amazon.com essential recording

The "Essential" Purcell? Well, you could get a bunch of critics to argue about that for a few days, but in the meantime, here is a sampler of highlights from the King's Consort's three admirable Purcell series: the Complete Odes and Welcome Songs, Complete Anthems and Services, and Complete Secular Solo Songs. There are, of course, some of Purcell's most-performed pieces (which probably are "essential"): Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, "Sound the trumpet" from Come, ye sons of Art, Rejoice in the Lord alway (the "Bell Anthem," named for the string figure at the opening that sounds like pealing bells), the gently patriotic "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" (sung by a miscast James Bowman), and a selection from the funeral music for Queen Mary. There are also some delightful surprises--particularly among the little-known secular songs and church music. The plaintive "O fair Cedaria" gets a lovely performance by Barbara Bonney (a singer not usually associated with Purcell); tenor Rogers Covey-Crump (possibly the ideal high tenor for Purcell) sings the enchanting "If music be the food of love"; the church anthems "Let mine eyes run down with tears" and "Remember not, O Lord, our offences" have some startling harmonies as daring as any Monteverdi ever wrote. If you're unfamiliar with Purcell, this reasonably priced disc is a good place to start exploring without a big initial investment. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Mad about Baroque.......2007-02-12

This is a terrific CD. The music is breathtaking. Just buy IT !!!!!

5 out of 5 stars The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes.......2002-08-21

Absolutely beautiful baroque music! The arrangament, singing and instrumentation is superb. It is too bad that Henry Purcell is not as widely known as Bach, because he should be recognized equally well."The Sparrow and the Gentle dove" is alone worth the price of the album! I can not stop playing it!

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......2001-10-31

Like in his renditions of Handel's oratorios, Robert King manages to bring a freshness and strenght to Purcell's music that I had seldom heard before. This CD also features some of the best performers of early music in the world. My favourite tracks are Oh, Fair Cedaria, sung by the multi-talented Barbara Bonney; Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher; She Loves and she Confesses too, sung by the wonderful Susan Gritton; and Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn, sung by Rogers Covey-Crump. The only track I didn't find absolutely wonderful is Fairest Isle, sung here by James Bowman. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Mr Bowman, I think that his performance in Mr Purcell's Most Admirable Composures (also conducted by Robert King) makes it another essential Purcell recording; but I find that Fairest Isle was much better done elsewhere, particularly by Christopher Hogwood and Barbara Bonney.

These songs aren't only beautiful, they're also poignant, sweet and unpretentious. I think that it will be very clear to anyone who listens to this recording that Mr Purcell was one of the finest composers that ever lived.

5 out of 5 stars Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames)........2001-10-20

If anyone has benefitted from the reversion in the last three or so decades to period instruments and historical reconstruction, it is Henry Purcell. Before, he was merely great, the peerless word-setter in the English language, a virtuoso of boundless range, a professional composer whose offical commissions were always imbued with personality and invention. But period instrumentation has added to this a greater depth, an other-worldly texture of sound. With his intricate, multi-part vocal writing, his preference for low, rumbling instruments such as the bass viol and the strange and remarkable theorbo, as well as his often sombre and low-key subject matter and treatment, Purcell creates a round, glowing, humming sound as pregnantly full as dub reggae.

This has an extraordinary effect on the listener. Whereas Bach, with his mathematical abstractions, sounds universal and timeless, Purcell's music takes the listener back 300 years, back to different ways of thinking about, feeling about and addressing things we still think etc. about today - death, love, friendship. The emotion is timeless, but the music's beauty is alien, THEIRS, hence its preciousness.

A lot of intelligence has gone into the unity of this compilation, beginning with two Welcomes (to the dawn and to the listener, in this case a King), and ending with thoughts of evening, death and a Baroque 'Thank you for the music'. These are bright, fanfare-like works, but the predominant mood is slow, ruminative, quiet. The selection covers the wide range of Purcell's oeuvre, from opera and funeral marches to secular songs and odes, and includes his most famous vocal works - Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher, and never more evocative of pagan loss and death; the massive 'Bell Anthem', with its ingenious opening symphony and joyful antiphon; and a miraculously serene 'Evening Hymn', Dido's opposite, death indicating hope, the treble voice swirling over the heavy ground bass like the soul released from the inert body.

it might seem quixotic to choose highlights from an exemplary collection of highlights, but the entry of the strings washing over the serene repetition of 'Be Welcome then, great Sir' always makes my heart stop still, while the musical picture of 'Bold Honour', the 'noisy Nothing, stalking shade', blocking the poet's amorous intentions in 'She loves and confesses too', adds a chilling hint of life's transience to a bouyantly bawdy song.

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant Purcell Disc .......2000-11-30

With this album director and Purcell expert Robert King provides the listener with an excellent introduction to the composer's vocal works. The pieces presented here were taken from Mr. King's recordings of 'The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs', 'The Complete Anthems and Services', 'The Complete Secular Solo Songs' and diverse anthology discs. King, his wonderful soloists and musicians do the brilliance of Purcell's music fully justice. Whether he was commissioned by royalty, the church or theatre, Purcell shone in all areas. This disc certainly demonstrates the variety and originality of his craft, not to speak of his uncanny ability of setting words to music.

An outstanding Purcell offering. With a beautiful perfomance by Barbara Bonney of 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. Susan Gritton is equally captivating in 'She loves and she confesses too'. Gillian Fisher's rendition of the famous 'Dido's Lament' is haunting and poignant. Further an intelligent and brilliant 'Hosanna to the highest' by Michael George. James Bowman and Michael Chance sparkle in the countertenor duet 'Sound the trumpet' (from 'Come Ye sons of Art away'). And I should not forget to mention the joyous, luminous performance of the beautiful 'Bell Anthem'. To name but a few favourites, only James Bowman's 'Fairest Isle' was a disappointment.

Those who are familiar with Purcell's music will get an excellent disc with some of his most beloved works. If you are new to Purcell, this is, as already said a great introduction. Which might be the incentive to further explorations of Purcell.

by stardustraven
The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Well worth the price
  • Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection...
  • Where's the chicks?!?!
  • Not quite the ultimate....
  • Great Music - Questionable Selection
The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection
Arthur Sullivan , Isidore Godfrey , Royston Nash , New Symphony Orchestra of London , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Colin Wright , Donald Adams , George Cook , Gillian Knight , Jean Hindmarsh , Jeffrey Skitch , John Ayldon , John Reed , Joyce Wright , Kenneth Sandford , Lyndsie Holland , Owen Brannigan , Pauline Wales , Peggy Ann Jones , Thomas Round , Valerie Masterson , and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by SullivanAll Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan
  2. Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury
  3. Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  4. Topsy-Turvy
  5. The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan

ASIN: B000007OU0
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

  1. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Shall Sail The Ocean Blue
  2. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup
  3. H.M.S. Pinafore: My Galant Crew, Good Morning
  4. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm The Monarch Of The Sea
  5. H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad
  6. H.M.S. Pinafore: Nevermind The Why And Wherefore
  7. H.M.S. Pinafore: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
  8. H.M.S. Pinafore: Carefully On Tip - Toe Stealing
  9. H.M.S. Pinafore: For He Is An Englishman
  10. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major - General
  11. The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
  12. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat Like Tread
  13. The Sorcerer: My Name Is John Wellinton Wells
  14. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
  15. Patience: If You're Anxious To Shine
  16. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are
  17. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
  18. The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner
  19. The Mikado: As Someday It May Happen
  20. The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
  21. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
  22. The Mikado: Here's A How - De - Do!
  23. The Mikado: From Ev'ry Kind Of Man Obedience I Expect
  24. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exist
  25. The Mikado: The Criminal Cried As He Dropp'd Him Down
  26. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La
  27. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River A Little Tom Tit
  28. The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
  29. The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Well worth the price.......2006-04-13

I love this CD. No, despite its name it is not the "ultimate" collection, as scarcely could be expected from a single CD. It is heavy on Mikado, as others have stated. It leaves out things I would have included and includes things I would have left out. But the performances are wonderful, traditional and all you expect from G&S. Considering the low price, it is well worth including in your G&S collection ... as PART of your collection. After the disappointment of the godawful Opera World video series (Don't buy it!) this CD is a joy and a relief.

3 out of 5 stars Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection..........2004-12-23

It seems that a collection of Gilbert & Sullivan music that has the name "The Ultimate Collection" in its title would boast a wide range of music, but I found the selection disappointing. Half of the tracks are songs from The Mikado, and the other half is divided between five... yes, FIVE other operettas. This means that the representation from each operetta is awfully scant. I would have liked to see less Mikado and more of everything else, and perhaps some highlights from the more obscure operettas (Princess Ida and The Sorcerer, namely).

In addition, while most of the music is very well performed, some of the vocalists either go a bit overboard or, at the very opposite end, seem to lack expression. For example, this Nanki-Poo (in The Mikado) seems to be overly occupied with vibrato. Katisha's voice is annoying, and The Mikado's low voice often seems to lack feeling and humor. The other idiosyncracies, like the very frightening evil laughing during "A More Humane Mikado" and hissing during "Three Little Maids" really bug me.

Then again, I'm new to Gilbert and Sullivan, and was introduced to the music through the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, which has a noticeably less operatic style, and hardly includes "stage noise"... so perhaps all this is the norm. Do listen to the tracks for yourself, though, before you purchase the CD. Personally, I find that the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, while considerably less ecompassing, is much lighthearted and easier listening.

2 out of 5 stars Where's the chicks?!?!.......2003-05-15

It wouldn't be G&S if not for the ladies - so where are they? How could they leave out Mabel's aria - or Josephine's!? The only female aria included on this disc comes from Mikado, which is the least exciting (if G&S could be un-exciting) of the three! Everything else on the recording is great, but I am still quite disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars Not quite the ultimate...........2002-03-25

This is a great collection, but unfortunately it doesn't have songs from all the works of G&S. Most notably, there is nothing from the "Yeoman of the Guard". I still reccommed it however as John Reed is wonderful!!

4 out of 5 stars Great Music - Questionable Selection.......2002-02-05

It's an ongoing challenge to find a recording of Gilbert and Sullivan that combines premium musicality and great theatrical performance. This recording is a true gem on both fronts. My only complaint is that for a "Best of" collection, this compilation is Mikado-heavy and scarcely touches on highlights from other masterpieces, particularly The Pirates of Penzance. This would be my favorite G&S CD of all time, of only it included tracks like "When the Foeman Bares his Steel," "Poor Wand'ring One," and "Dry the Glist'ning Tear," but then again, I guess there's no real consensus as to which are Gilbert and Sullivan's best works, and there are too many to fit on one CD.
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Gilbert & Sullivan at their best!
  • Good later G&S
  • Definitive
  • the best choice so far
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by SullivanAll Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Gondoliers: Vocal Score
  2. Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe
  3. Gilbert & Sullivan - The Gondoliers / Michell, McDonnell, Egerton, Opera World
  4. Gilbert & Sullivan; The Mikado
  5. Gilbert & Sullivan: The Sorcerer

ASIN: B0000029KH
Release Date: 1993-10-19

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Gilbert & Sullivan at their best!.......2005-07-20

This is the best recording of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Gondoliers" ever recorded! The diction is excellent and the singers are amazing. It has really helped me get ready for the production of "The Gondoliers" I'm in with The Utah Light Opera Company.

4 out of 5 stars Good later G&S.......2002-01-30

The Gondoliers was the last Gilbert and Sullivan opera to be a great popular success; listening to this version of the opera as performed by the D'Oyly Carte shows why: it is a highly entertaining score, with warm characters and a lot of humor.

This CD contains excellent performances by John Rath as Don Alhambra, Jill Pert as the Duchess of Plaza-Toto and the usual fine comic performance by Richard Suart as the Duke of Plaza-Toro.

The score is particularly fine, with Sullivan showing his mastery of many musical types, as the liner notes indicate, such as the waltz, the gavotte, the saltarello and the tarantello. It is a very vibrant and upbeat score.

The libretto is very clever, and Gilbert's sense of satire is never sharper than here. There are amusing songs as the democratic Gondoliers make Barataria into a model of social equality, and the Duke and Duchess relate the story of their product endorsements -- like the Mikado, all the satires are really about Victorian England, not about the land in which the stories are staged.

The story's plot relies on a typical Gilbert device -- babies "switched at birth" make one of the two Gondoliers -- no one is sure which one -- the rightful King of Barataria, promised to the Duke's daughter, Casilda. This interferes with the Gondoliers' plan to marry their sweethearts, and provides much of the humor as the Gondoliers attempt to adjust to their new social position. There is, of course, the usual Gilbertian plot twist at the end to resolve everything happily.

This is a very fun opera to listen to; with almost none of the wistfulness that haunts the Mikado, Pinafore, or the Yeomen of the Guard.

5 out of 5 stars Definitive.......2000-07-01

Sullivan's score to The Gondoliers has been the object of a good deal of tampering over the years, and as is the case with all of the D'Oyly Carte's more recent efforts, an attempt has been made to return to the autograph. What we hear in this set is Sullivan's original introduction, minus the cachuca which was tacked on in the 1930s. The original is vastly more effective. There are other points of interest, such as the almost supernaturally crisp chorus - sample them in the "Thank you gallant gondolieri" in the first act. The cast is, as usual with D'Oyly Carte, first rate, with John Rath and Jill Pert standouts. Rarely have I heard Don Alhambra's arias sung with such panache. Rath even gives Donals Adams and Darrell Fancourt a run for their money.

Well worth the investment, even if you have the excellent 1960 recording.

5 out of 5 stars the best choice so far.......1999-07-18

There are two strong rivals for this set. The early electric set transferred from 78 rpms onto Pearl CDs is suberb--the closest we will ever get to what Gilbert wanted in articulation and characterization and to what Sullivan wanted in vocal style--but is of course subjected to the sonics state of the art circa 1930. But to understand what this opera is all about, this is the choice of choices! The complete version on Decca has all the dialogue...which might or might not be a Good Thing on repeated hearings. And, no, you cannot program it out since Decca decided to contain it on the same tracks as the music that precedes it. So if all you want is the musical parts and stereo is a must, this Sony/Columbia set is wonderfully paced, well characterized (though not as well as the early electric set) and well conducted. And in case you do not know, this work is even more tuneful than "The Mikado"--which is saying a lot. And by the way, try the "Iolanthe" in this same series, but not "The Mikado" (which is far too rushed).
Classics from the Crypt
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Classic Scary Music
  • Classical and great
  • Great collection, but they missed one
  • The Perfect Halloween-Themed Classical Album
  • Spooky Classical Music That Is Great For Halloween Or Anytime Of The Year!
Classics from the Crypt

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003FAI
Release Date: 1992-09-08

Tracks:

  1. Toccata & Fugue In D Minor, BWV 565
  2. Danse Macabre
  3. Funeral March Of A Marionette - Arthur Fiedler
  4. Night On Bald Mountain
  5. Symphonie Fantastique - March To The Scaffold - Georges Pretre
  6. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 - In The Hall Of The Mountain King
  7. Mephisto Waltz - Fritz Reiner
  8. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
  9. Symphonie Fantastique - Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath - Georges Pretre

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Classic Scary Music.......2007-01-10

If you're looking for classic haunted castle type scary music, this is a good CD.
Used this in a haunted maze in our basement, and it helped freak the kids out fairly well.

5 out of 5 stars Classical and great.......2006-11-28

A must-have for your Halloween music collection. Different and strong, the music will definitely get you in the Halloween mood. I played it on my stereo while answering the door to trick-or-treaters. It made me feel "oh-so-spooky" and festive.

4 out of 5 stars Great collection, but they missed one.......2006-06-10

An excellent compilation of the darker side of classical music, although I would have preferred a different rendition of Toccata and Fugue in D (New York Philharmonic perhaps), it's still quite good.

But how could the series producer leave off Ravel's Pavane For a Dead Princess? It's preferable to Symphonie Fantastique - March to The Scaffold, plus Berlioz already makes an appearance with Dream of a Witches' Sabbath. If there was room, Verdi's Requiem would have been a nice addition too.

So I have to go with 4 stars only.

5 out of 5 stars The Perfect Halloween-Themed Classical Album.......2005-10-17

What better way to celebrate Halloween than by throwing a party and popping this recording on the stereo. This is classical music with a Halloween theme. Conductors Eugene Ormandy and George Pretre (whom I would have never believed did this kind of stuff) conducts classical music with a dark and Gothic twist. The cover is attrative- a cartoon drawing of the Phantom of the Opera playing on his organ. The first track is Bach's Toccata and Fugue for organ in D minor. It is genuinely considered a Halloween piece, and has been associated with such films as Dracula. The malevolent sound of the Toccata (the opening chords) are especially memorable. Danse Macabre was Saint Saen's ode to Halloween and it is a devilish waltz for violin. Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette became famous for the theme to Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky was used in Disney's Fantasia, in the last segment and is very frightening and brisk. Lisz's Mephisto Waltzes are piano pieces that evoke a wild frenzy but I find nothing dark about it. It is difficult music to play however. The music of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique utilizes many horror themes. In the Romantic Era, Gothic lore spread and such figures as Mary Shelley and Bram Stroker would write novels of Gothic horror -Frankenstein and Dracula. In the Symphony Fantastique, a young man falls in love with an elusive woman. He imagines she is unfaithful to him and then has a disturbing dream in which she is a witch in a coven. Then he is marched to a scaffold and beheaded. The music is very compelling and dark. All the music here is great to listen to on Halloween and the conductors and orchestra play them well. A must have.




5 out of 5 stars Spooky Classical Music That Is Great For Halloween Or Anytime Of The Year!.......2005-10-16

I love Classical music, it is one of my favorite styles of music and I also like Halloween and scary movies, etc, I bought this CD because I heard, In The Hall of the Mountain King, Night on Bald Mountain, Dance Macabre and Funeral March of a Marionette and I liked them. Dance Macabre was used in a season 4 episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer called Hush. Also Funeral March of a Marionette was used as the theme for Alfred Hitchock Presents. All of these pieces are great and I also liked Tocata & Fuge in D minor. This CD with it's spooky sounding classical music is great for playing on Halloween but can really be listened to anytime and not just on Halloween and I highly recommend it!
Music for Trumpet and Organ
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderfully Addictive CD!
Music for Trumpet and Organ

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006JC6U
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Tracks:

  1. Variations On 'Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein End'
  2. Allemande From Partita II, BWV 1004
  3. Musike From 'King Arthur'
  4. Musike From 'King Arthur'
  5. Musike From 'King Arthur'
  6. Musike From 'King Arthur'
  7. Shenandoah
  8. Elegy
  9. Semaine Sainte A Cuzco
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  12. Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla
  13. Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla
  14. Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Addictive CD!.......2006-02-08

Inspired by a recent recital performance I attended featuring Ms. Balsom, I purchased her latest CD ("Bach Works for Trumpet"). I was completely blown away by her performance and immediately fell in love with the disc. And so began my quest to find "Music for Trumpet and Organ"- her debut album, released in the US in 2003.

I finally got it yesterday. I decided to put it in my CD player, and take it in while reading the program notes she included in the CD jacket. Wow, what a performance!

Ms. Balsom plays everything from Sweelinck's "Variations on 'Mein junges Leben hat ein End'" to Petr Eben's "Windows" with a sweet and captivating tone, and with virtuosic technical ability to match. Her performance on the "suite" of excerpts from Act IV of Purcell's "King Arthur," played on the baroque trumpet (basically a trumpet with no valves) was especially remarkable; and her performances of "Shenandoah" and George Thalben-Ball's "Elegy" on the flugelhorn were incredibly passionate. She captures the emotion of the pieces well.

Whether your interests are in late Renaissance or Baroque music, 20th century music, or anything in between; it's on this CD. And it's all played incredibly well. I would recommend reading her program notes that accompany the CD, they really add a lot to her performance.

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