My True Name

My True Name

My True Name

Track Listings
 
1. I Should've Known Better
2. When One Door Closes (Another One Opens Wide)
3. What Kind of Love Is This
4. This Long
5. Moon over Tucson
6. Razor's Edge
7. Take It Around Again
8. My True Name
9. Something Worth Fighting For
10. Just a Little Hand
11. One Good Turn
12. Close Your Eyes
13. Length of My Arms

My True Name,Carrie Newcomer,Philo / Pgd,Contemporary Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Singer/Songwriter
Carmen (Sung in English)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • English is an asset and a drawback
  • You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English
  • A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!
  • I love Carmen!
 Carmen (Sung in English)
Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Mozart: The Magic Flute
  2. The Barber of Seville / B. Ford, D. Jones, A. Opie; G. Bellini [in English]
  3. Verdi: La Traviata
  4. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
  5. Mozart - Don Giovanni / Garry Magee · Cullagh · Banks · Plazas · Shore · Tierny · PO · David Parry

ASIN: B00007JGRN
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

  1. Prelude
  2. In The Plaza
  3. Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
  4. Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
  5. Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
  6. Off With You Old Soldier Boys
  7. Corporal! Sir!
  8. We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
  9. Ah, Just Look!
  10. But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
  11. Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
  12. Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
  13. The Cheek Of It!
  14. Give Me News Of My Mother!
  15. Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
  16. I See My Mother's Face!
  17. Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
  18. Come And Help
  19. So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
  20. Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
  21. Where Are You Taking Me?
  22. There's An Old Bar In The City
  23. Careful - It's Lieutenant!
  24. Entr'acte
  25. From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
  26. Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
  27. Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
  28. Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
  29. Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
  30. You're Most Kind
  31. We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
  32. Toreador, Be Ready!
  33. At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
  34. There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
  35. Being In Love Is Not A Reason

Tracks:

  1. To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
  2. La La La La La La La La...
  3. Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
  4. That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
  5. No, It's Not Love At All!
  6. Hello! Carmen!
  7. Lieutenant Fair, It's True
  8. The Sky Above The Open Road
  9. Entr'acte
  10. Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
  11. Right! Let's Stop For A While
  12. Shuffle! Cut Them!
  13. In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
  14. You're Back!
  15. As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
  16. Is This The Place?
  17. I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
  18. It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
  19. Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
  20. She Had A Lover Here
  21. Hola! Hola! Jose!
  22. You Should Take Care, Carmen
  23. Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
  24. Entr'acte
  25. A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
  26. Here They Come! Here They Come!
  27. If You Love Me, Carmen
  28. It's You! It's Me!
  29. Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20

The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.

Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.

This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.

5 out of 5 stars You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09

What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.

The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.

5 out of 5 stars A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17

This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.

4 out of 5 stars I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15

I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.

And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.

The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.

The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.

A pleasure, then, for the Carmen naive or a novelty for the Carmen-acquainted. I nearly wrote Carmen-weary - but I don't think it's possible.
My True Name
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • You have to hear her
  • Uplifting, emotional, and honest...you'll love this CD
  • "My True Name" is among the finest folk albums of today
  • Heart-warming and true, this music gets you where you live
 My True Name
Carrie Newcomer
Manufacturer: Philo / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. My Father's Only Son
  2. Angel at My Shoulder
  3. The Age of Possibility
  4. Regulars and Refugees
  5. The Bird or the Wing

ASIN: B000005YZ7
Release Date: 1998-03-10

Tracks:

  1. I Should've Known Better
  2. When One Door Closes (Another One Opens Wide)
  3. What Kind Of Love Is This
  4. This Long
  5. The Moon Over Tucson
  6. The Razor's Edge
  7. Take It Around Again
  8. My True Name
  9. Something Worth Fighting For
  10. Just A Little Hand
  11. One Good Turn
  12. Close Your Eyes
  13. The Length Of My Arms

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars You have to hear her.......2000-01-18

I bought this CD after seeing Carrie Newcomer sing at a benefit to save local forests in Bloomington, IN. Seeing her perform is a wonderful experience- you can really feel her reaching out towards the audience with a pureness of emotion and a folk strength. It's conveyed very well in this recording, and I think it's something everyone ought to hear, whether you like folk, country, or rock, buy this CD and listen to it when you're feeling down, at peace, or just thoughtful.

5 out of 5 stars Uplifting, emotional, and honest...you'll love this CD.......1999-01-24

This CD displays Carries tremendous range as a singer-songwriter. At times, this CD rocks (Razor's Edge), while at other times offers a country feel (What Kind of Love Is This). It even offers a gospel feel in (When One Door Closes...), which has to be one of the most uplifting songs I've ever heard. I think the best writing that's done anywhere today is in the current group of singer-songwriters, and to my mind (and ear), Carrie Newcomer is the brightest star in the group. If you like pure, honest, great music, you'll love this CD. And, if you get a chance to see Carrie and her band perform live, its a show not to be missed. Easy 5 stars.

5 out of 5 stars "My True Name" is among the finest folk albums of today.......1998-10-03

Carrie Newcomer continues to outdo herself: just when you think you've heard the best of her music, she comes out with a new album that breaks new ground in both songwriting and musical performance. Newcomer's "My True Name", showcasing her strong vocals and her excellent band, has the most "polished" sound of any of her albums, but "polished" is by no means lacking depth or originality. Newcomer's music is hard to fit into one genre description. On this album,she sings both intimate, well-crafted contemporary-folk ballads as well as energized, foot-stomping country. But within each individual song are rhythms and traces of other musical genres, including blues ("Take it Around Again") and gospel ("When One Door Closes"). "I Should Have Known Better," is as good of a "been done wrong" song as can be heard on today's country stations. In "What Kind of Love of This," also clearly country, Newcomer cautions her listeners about "all kinds of crazy things people do in the name of love" while remaining upbeat and optimistic. "When One Door Closes" is possibly the most infectious song on the album. She sings it like a gospel hymn, inviting her audience to open themselves up to new paths and new directions: "You can't pray for what you want, or what you'd have instead/You can only open up your heart, and ask that you be led." This song is probably the best-produced of this album, and features an upbeat gospel chorus in the background. This genuine spirituality pervades Newcomer's music; in the gentle "Close Your Eyes," she reassures her listener that "your heart knows why/and what's the truth, and what's the lie." Newcomer's lyrics could often stand alone as written poetry, yet the music enhances and deepens their meaning. "The Moon Over Tucson," based on the essay "High Tide in Tucson" by novelist Barbara Kingsolver, explores the premieval forces, like the pulling of the moon, that call us and move us even though we may not be consciously aware of them; as Newcomer reminds us "so much of what we are we won't call by name." In "The Razor's Edge," Newcomer's sings of a difficult past and her brave resolve to move forward. The song starts out quiet and builds throughout, as the singer literally finds her voice, and ends in a fast and furious jam on the electric guitar by members of Newcomer's band. Newcomer's performance on this song is reminiscent of that of the Pretenders' Chrissy Hynde, and proves that she has the versatility and vocal strength to sing rock. Newcomer's slower, acoustic ballads - like all her music - are remarkable in that they express her own personal experience in a way that invites her listeners to see parallels in their own lives. "The Length of My Arms" is about the singer's acceptance of what she has been born with - in this case arms that are "ridiculously long." "We finally cherish what we've got from the start/Like the length of our own arms, and the shape of our hearts." In the title song, "My True Name," Newcomer sings of the extraordinary freedom in being able to let down all facades and reveal true identity. "My True Name" is an appropriate title for this thoughtfully-written, brilliantly performed album. Carrie Newcomer's voice comes across strong and clear. Whatever you name her style - folk, country, rock - her music is among the most honest and original being made today.

5 out of 5 stars Heart-warming and true, this music gets you where you live.......1998-06-12

My True Name, like all of Carrie Newcomer's recordings, shows her uncanny ability to remind us of the value in the little things that we all take for granted, but that tie us together and make us human. Her view is refreshingly optimistic and her lyrics subtle and hard to pin down. She sings with a voice that is incredibly warm and flexible and a style that combines the best of folk, country, and rock. I am uplifted every time I listen to this intelligent, expressive music.
Vaughan Williams - Sir John in Love / Hickox, Northern Sinfonia
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Pros & Cons for both versions
  • Five for the work ,for Hickox at least four stars!
  • Sir John's love is more impressive the first time around
  • Five stars, but not the only choice.
 Vaughan Williams - Sir John in Love / Hickox, Northern Sinfonia
Ralph Vaughan Williams , Richard Hickox , Anne-Marie Owens , Sarah Connolly , Northern Sinfonia and Chorus , Brian Bannatyne-Scott , Donald Maxwell , Roderick Williams , Susan Gritton , Matthew Best , Mark Padmore , Stephen Varcoe , Stephan Loges , John Bowen , Richard Lloyd-Morgan , Laura Claycomb , Henry Moss , and Mark Richardson
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress - Gerald Finley / The Royal Opera Chorus / The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Richard Hickox
  2. Ralph Vaughan Williams: A Cotswold Romance / Death of Tintagiles - London Philharmonic Choir / London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox
  3. Vaughan Williams: Hugh the Drover
  4. Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress: A Bunyan Sequence
  5. Vaughan Williams: Sir John In Love

ASIN: B00005M0ER
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Tracks:

  1. Act I: Orchestral introduction-What hoa, what hoa
  2. Act I: Ahem
  3. Act I: This is my father's choice
  4. Act I: How now, what does Master Fenton here?
  5. Act I: Vere is dat knave Rugby?
  6. Act I: Episode
  7. Act I: How now, mine Host of the Garter
  8. Act I: I spy entertainment in her...
  9. Act I: Wilt thou revenge...?
  10. Act I: Love my wife? I will be patient
  11. Act II: Orchestral introduction-Thine own true knight
  12. Act II: Scene 1: Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more
  13. Act II: Scene 2: Bardolph! Bardolph, I say!
  14. Act II: Scene 2: Go thy ways, go thy ways, old Jack!
  15. Act II: Scene 2: Sir, my name is Brook
  16. Act II: Scene 2: Ha, is this a vision?

Tracks:

  1. Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: Orchestral introduction-Yet hear me speak
  2. Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: Fair and fair and twice so fair
  3. Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: But listen, good mine Host
  4. Act III: Scene 2: Orchestral introduction-When as we sat in Papylon
  5. Act III: Scene 2: Yonder he's coming
  6. Act III: Scene 2: Come, Master Ford
  7. Act III: Scene 2: Orchestral-introduction-What, John! What, Robert!
  8. Act III: Scene 3: Alas, my love, you do me wrong
  9. Act III: Scene 3: Mistress Ford!
  10. Act III: Scene 3: Ah!
  11. Act IV: Orchestral introduction-Pardon me, wife
  12. Act IV: Scene 1: There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter
  13. Act IV: Scene 1: Interlude
  14. Act IV: Scene 2: Orchestral introduction
  15. Act IV: Scene 2: The Windsor bell hath struck twelve
  16. Act IV: Scene 2: Ah-Who Comes here?
  17. Act IV: Scene 2: But till 'tis one o'clock
  18. Act IV: Scene 2: Dance of the Fairies
  19. Act IV: Scene 2: But stay! I smell a man of middle earth
  20. Act IV: Scene 2: Nay, do not fly
  21. Act IV: Scene 2: My heart misgives me
  22. Act IV: Scene 2: Stand not amazed

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Pros & Cons for both versions.......2005-08-30

Boito took Shakespeare's Merry Wives, added a little Henry IV (e.g. the Honour Monologue) and shaped, moulded and cut them about to make a libretto that focused tightly on the Fat Knight and was absolutely perfect for what Verdi wanted. Out of it came one of the greatest of all comic operas.

With VW, you get something much closer to the Shakespearean original, teeming with richly drawn characters and all the variety of Elizabethan/Jacobean life bustling past. Falstaff is merely the primus inter pares among them, albeit a huge one. Out of it came a great comic opera. And one that has been too seldom performed, standing in the long shadow of its predecessor.

Vaughan Williams, who was a great admirer of the Verdi piece, knew that comparisons would inevitably be made. (He would also have included his friend, Holst's, At the Boar's Head as a real rival from the Falstaff canon.) But comparisons are invidious. The VW and the Verdi operas are not comparable, either in their intentions or in their music. And both should be allowed to co-exist happily as companion pieces, not as rivals as two great comic operas we're fortunate to have.

Perhaps I protest too much. But the Vaughan Williams is such invigorating, life-enhancing, often ravishingly beautiful stuff that I'd hate to see it slip off the end of the shelf. Verdi is lauded as the great tunesmith, but how many tunes from Falstaff can you recall - Nanetta's last act aria, perhaps, a couple of snippets of Fenton, the final fugue maybe, or Sir John's 'Quand'ero paggio' which is so brief an aria that its original singer had to record it three times in succession to fill a 78 side. Perhaps that's why Falstaff is so badly represented on 78's compared to the other mature Verdi operas. Great music, yes, but singalongaFalstaff had, in his mature operas, ceased to be the composer's intention.

In Sir John in Love, on the other hand, the tunes just pour out one after the other. Which are genuine folksongs and which are VW originals is often hard to tell without a score in front of you (where the composer comes clean). Just listen to the way Dr. Caius' 'Vray Dieu d'Amour' takes over the orchestra or how 'Lovely Joan' (the tune in the trio of the famous Greensleeves Fantasia) heralds Mistress Quickly's arrival and 'Greensleeves' in situ is even lovelier than in the Fantasia. But then listen to the gorgeous tune that accompanies Ann Page's entrance, the wonderful melody for Ford's plea for forgiveness from his wife or the magical chorus that accompanies the arrival of the real bride and groom in the final scene. Those are all VW originals and great ones, to boot.

Choosing between the two performances of the piece on disc, it's a question of swings and roundabouts. This Chandos recording with Hickox at the helm benefits from his direction - a bit tauter, a little more spring to the rhythms than Davies and the choral contributions are as polished as you'd expect from a seasoned choral specialist. The Chandos recording, too, is a bit more up to date in terms of sound, a bit fuller and richer. EMI, on the other hand, probably has the superior cast with the likes of Robert Tear, Felicity Palmer, Helen Watts and Robert Lloyd seeing off their Chandos counterparts. Honours between the two Falstaffs are more even. Neither is ideal in the part. Herincx has the 'fatter' voice: Maxwell on this recording is the more characterful. But a piece like the madrigal that Sir John sings before Ford/Brook's arrival needs more warmth and more steadiness than either of them provide (would Bryn ever consider it as a partner to his Verdi Falstaff?).

It's a tough choice between the two versions. Choose the EMI for the cast (including, by a short head, Herincx's Flastaff). Choose this Chandos set for the conducting, the chorus and the more modern sound.

5 out of 5 stars Five for the work ,for Hickox at least four stars!.......2001-11-09

(Here my review for Davies - EMI "British composers" recording
of this masterwork.)
If you feel that Verdi has beautyfull music but it has a too much thick blood, and you think that beauty must be tensed by reason; You are looking at the right composer.
This opera or musical drama (in the wagnerian sense, cause it is a romantic comedy) makes a very whole unit, the "areas" and the recited-sung recitatives are in funtion of the "dramatic" momentum and inerce of the work. It's incredible how pleasently quick this work is heard, and yes it's very entretaining (I know that's not necesary a virtue for an opera, but here it is).
The music, well, is gorgeous as might be expected from V.W., transitions are well sewn, and the traditonal folk songs add a dash or elizabethian romanticism.
The cast is strong, Hendrix is very suited for the rol, but you may fantacised how well this rol will be portrayed now by Bryn Terfel, It's sad that Hickox not thinck (or did he?)of this in his new recording of this opera (perhaps Chandos not provide him with the budget that Abado's can manage for his new DG. Falstaff recording).
Maybe Langridge will sound more youthfull than Tear, but that is a small detail. Hellen Watts it's spicy and perky Mrs. Quickly, and Gerald English Caius' is is excellent!
Davies captures V.W. orchestration very well with a ADD recording that will cause envy in this days, and the price, is to laugh about.
Treat you and buy this forgotten treasure!

3 out of 5 stars Sir John's love is more impressive the first time around.......2001-08-05

While I generally agree with the review of Ahmed Ismael, I must give the nod to the earlier EMI recording, which has greater depth and spread to the sound. Chandos engineers have practically placed the voices in our laps with a resultant loss of orchestral detail. The work is, of course, lovely but if the ear is fatigued by the sound the myriad beauties cannot make their full effect. If one adds to this the fact that the EMI is a midprice reissue the choice becomes even more clear. Bravo to Hickox and company but no standing ovation this time.

5 out of 5 stars Five stars, but not the only choice........2001-07-26

Vaughan Williams's comic "Sir John in Love" is one of those true opera rarities--an opera whose highlights become more impressive as the music progresses. Indeed, the true highlight of this opera is its final "Windsor Forest" scene in Act IV, where all the action is resolved, and everyone gets their "just desserts."

If this were the first recording of the opera available, it would be easy to recommend it to any VW (or opera!) enthusiast--the orchestral details are abundant and vividly present, the choral contribution is alive and infectious, and the vocal parts are well-presented and clear. However, there is in additional recording, in EMI's British Composer series, conducted by Meredith Davies. While many comparisons are stacked in the new version's favor, there are a few shortcomings that prevent an absolute recommendation.

Where Hickox succeeds over Davies is particularly in the portrayal of Anne Page and her several suitors. Susan Gritton sings more effectively than Wendy Eathorne, while both Daniel Norman (Slender) and Adrian Thompson (Caius) seem more plausible as suitors than Bernard Dickerson and Gerald English, respectively--although overall English makes a more vivid Caius. However, there is no question that Mark Padmore is the better Fenton: as well as Robert Tear sings for Davies, I can't shake the impression that he is wooing an Amazon, and not the girl-next-door Anne.

While the supporting cast is marginally to markedly superior for Hickox, with the Fords and Pages are fairly evenly matched between the two performances, the one clear victory of the Davies version is a significant one. As the title character, Donald Maxwell's Falstaff is no match for Raimund Herincx, either in characterization or in vocal quality. Additionally, the EMI set benefits from a superior recording--there's more of a sense of a performance in a real space, which adds an extra dimension to the rather static performance as presented by Hickox. Occasionally, Hickox also omits some dramatic effects (such as gasps from the onstage characters in Act III and laughter from the chorus in Act IV) which adds to the sense that this is only a "recording" and not a "performance."

All in all, there is much to recommend the new version, but confronted with a choice between this set and the Davies set on EMI, personal taste will have to suffice in choosing between them. [You may want to sample them both before buying either.]
Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bless The Lord, O My Soul -- a moving performance
 Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom

Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001HC4
Release Date: 1996-01-16

Tracks:

  1. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Bless The Lord, O My Soul
  2. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Glory To The Father And The Only-Begotten Son
  3. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: In Thy Kingdom Remember Us, O Lord
  4. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Come, Let Us Worship
  5. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Lord, Save The Faithful And The Trisagion
  6. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Augmented Litany
  7. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Cherubical Hymn
  8. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: The Creed
  9. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: A Mercy Of Peace
  10. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: To Thee We Sing
  11. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: It Is Truly Meet
  12. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: The Lord's Prayer
  13. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Praise The Lord From The Heavens
  14. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Blessed Is He And We Have Seen The True Light
  15. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: May Our Mouths Be Filled With Thy Praise
  16. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord
  17. Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31: Glory Be To The Father

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Bless The Lord, O My Soul -- a moving performance.......2000-03-17

This portion, Bless The Lord, O My Soul, appears on a disk called: Angels of Ecstasy (BMG) and is by the Moscow Chamber Choir (Minin). The first time I heard this both beautiful and moving music, and the perfect performance, I had to stop everything and just listen and appreciate. My next step was to search Amazon.com to see if the original, complete recording might be available, and so it is at a remarkable bargain price.

My advice: if you enjoy choral music and great performances, you won't be disappointed.
Arthur Sullivan Sesquicentenial, Vol.2
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Of great historical interest to G&S fans
 Arthur Sullivan Sesquicentenial, Vol.2

Manufacturer: Symposium
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
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001XX2
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Of great historical interest to G&S fans.......1999-06-03

I've got it into my head somehow that the older a recording is, the closer it brings me to the original intentions of the composer. Walter Passmore's singing voice is 1 on a 1-to-10 scale...but oh what style he has! Gilbert always insisted that his words be heard and understood (hear that, ye modern singers who mumble into mikes?) and Passmore's enunciation is perfect. Workman had a far better singing voice, but he takes a good deal of liberties here and there. Still most people who will purchase this disc already own, no doubt, more modern recordings; and this one will take us on a time-trip back towards (though not quite to) the Victorian days that drew Gilbert's barbs and inspired Sullivan's melodies. And don't forget to look at Volume 1.
[14 CLASSIC OLDIES] You Belong To Me - The Duprees / Since I Don't Have You - The Skyliners / Diamonds And Pearls - The Paradons / Desire - The Charts / What's Your Name - Don And Juan / Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler / My True Story - The Jive Five / Sixteen Candles - The Crests / Til Then - The Classics / The Closer You Are - The Channels / We Belong Together - Robert & Johnny / Baby Oh Baby - The Shells / Lovers Island - Blue Jays / Every Beat Of My Heart - Gladys Knight And The Pips
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		[14 CLASSIC OLDIES] You Belong To Me - The Duprees / Since I Don't Have You - The Skyliners / Diamonds And Pearls - The Paradons / Desire - The Charts / What's Your Name - Don And Juan / Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler / My True Story - The Jive Five / Sixteen Candles - The Crests / Til Then - The Classics / The Closer You Are - The Channels / We Belong Together - Robert & Johnny / Baby Oh Baby - The Shells / Lovers Island - Blue Jays / Every Beat Of My Heart - Gladys Knight And The Pips
    VARIOUS
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD
    ASIN: B000PKMERC
    Russian Orthodox Church Music
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Russian Orthodox Church Music

      Manufacturer: Olympia
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Sacred & ReligiousSacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
      Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ChantsChants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B00000JIST
      Release Date: 1999-07-13

      Tracks:

      1. Troparion To Saint Arsenii Of Konevets
      2. Vespers: Bless The Lord, O My Soul...
      3. Vespers: Blessed Is The Man...
      4. Vespers: O Gentle Light
      5. Vespers: Rejoice, O Twain, Chosen By God
      6. Vespers: Hail! Mother Of God And Virgin
      7. Matins: Praise Ye The Name Of The Lord
      8. Matins: From My Youth Up
      9. Matins: Rejoice, O Isaiah
      10. Matins: Most Blessed Art Thou, O Virgin, Mother Of God
      11. Matins: The Great Doxology
      12. Matins: Today Is Salvation Come Unto The World.
      13. Divine Liturgy: Only-Begotten Son And Word Of God...
      14. Divine Liturgy: O Come, Let Us Worship...
      15. Divine Liturgy: Holy God
      16. Divine Liturgy: Troparion To Saints Sergius And Herman Of Valaam
      17. Divine Liturgy: Kontakion To Saints Sergius And Herman Of Valaam
      18. Divine Liturgy: A Mercy Of Peace
      19. Divine Liturgy: We Hymn Thee, We Bless Thee
      20. Divine Liturgy: Our Father
      21. Divine Liturgy: Blessed Are They, Whom Thou Hast Chosen, O Lord...
      22. Divine Liturgy: Blessed In He That Cometh In The Name Of The Lord
      23. Divine Liturgy: The Body Of Christ Take Ye...
      24. Divine Liturgy: We Have Seen The True Light
      25. Divine Liturgy: He Who Holds The Whole Creation In The Hollow Of His Hand
      26. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Beneath Thy Tender Mercy
      27. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Before Thy Cross, We Bow Down In Worship
      28. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Now The Powers Of Heaven
      29. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Blessed Be The Lord, At All Times
      30. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Megalynarion To The Cross
      31. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): To Thee, Our Leader In Battle And Defender
      32. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): The Grace Of Thy Mouth
      33. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): Having Come To The Tomb Before The Dawn.
      34. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): At Mid-Feast Give Thou My Thirsty Soul To Drink.
      35. From The Triodion (Lent And Easter): The Angel Cried Unto Thee
      36. Feasts: Neither The Tomb Nor Death
      37. Feasts: In Thee, O Virgin Without Spot...
      38. Feasts: Thy Birthgiving Was Undefiled...
      39. Feasts: Revealing To Thee The Pre-Eternal Counsel.
      40. Feasts: Troparion To The Konevets Icon Of The Mother Of God
      Russian Choral Music
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Russian Choral Music

        Manufacturer: Melodiya
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        All Works by TchaikovskyAll Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by RachmaninovAll Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Sacred & ReligiousSacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
        GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ChantsChants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        MassesMasses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Te DeumTe Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ClassicalClassical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
        ASIN: B000001HE7
        Release Date: 1995-06-13

        Music Review:

        1. New Songs from the Briarpatch
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        3. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Been
        4. Old Time Southern Dream
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        6. One More Goodnight Kiss
        7. Paris Musette [Import]
        8. Paul Siebel
        9. Pearls: Songs for Heart and Soul
        10. Peter Ostroushko Presents the Mando Boys

        Music Review

        music review

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