Plains [Extra tracks]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Having exhausted the seasons and then dallying with Vince Guaraldi's music on Linus & Lucy, pianist George Winston returns to a favorite field of exploration, American landscapes. He started out with Forest in 1994 and now returns with Plains, his first new album in three years. Inspired largely by the open spaces of Montana where he grew up, Plains nevertheless mixes in traditional Irish and Hawaiian traditional, as well as standards from Sammy Cahn and Chet Atkins. Always an astute listener, Winston also finds contemporary gems from Angelo Badalamenti and Sarah McLachlan. Winston has two styles. One is the open, flowing liquid drops of sound heard on his original compositions that have made him a favorite since his Windham Hill debut, Autumn; the other is a rootsy Americana. Winston is competent and sincere, but undistinguished in the latter terrain, playing Cahn's "Teach Me Tonight" like any number of long-forgotten cocktail lounge pianists. But on originals like "Rainsong," "Cloudburst," and "Plains," Winston's piano rings out like an echo from the big sky. A special limited edition of the disc includes two songs on acoustic guitar. --John Diliberto

Product Description
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: Ue O Muite Aruko. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Plains,George Winston,Windham Hill Records,Adult Alternative,Contemporary Instrumental,Jazz Music,Neo-Classical,New Age,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Solo Instrumental

Plains [Extra tracks]

Plains [Extra tracks]
Plains
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • I keep it in the car, for bad-radio times
  • Unexpected Delight
  • Music doesn't have to be challenging to be excellent.
  • Good album, but has a different feel to it than say "Forest" or "December"
  • Winston Peddles Serenity
 Plains
George Winston
Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00001O2V3
Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

  1. Dubuque
  2. Before Barbed Wire
  3. Frangenti
  4. Give Me Your Hand/La Valse...
  5. No Ke Ano Ahiahi
  6. Graduation
  7. Teach Me Tonight
  8. Rainsong (Fortune's Lullaby)
  9. Merry Go Round
  10. The Dance
  11. Cloudburst
  12. The Swan
  13. 'Ike Ia Ladana (Queens' Jubilee)
  14. Plains (Eastern Montana Blues)
  15. Angel
  16. Waltz For The Lonely

Amazon.com

Having exhausted the seasons and then dallying with Vince Guaraldi's music on Linus & Lucy, pianist George Winston returns to a favorite field of exploration, American landscapes. He started out with Forest in 1994 and now returns with Plains, his first new album in three years. Inspired largely by the open spaces of Montana where he grew up, Plains nevertheless mixes in traditional Irish and Hawaiian traditional, as well as standards from Sammy Cahn and Chet Atkins. Always an astute listener, Winston also finds contemporary gems from Angelo Badalamenti and Sarah McLachlan. Winston has two styles. One is the open, flowing liquid drops of sound heard on his original compositions that have made him a favorite since his Windham Hill debut, Autumn; the other is a rootsy Americana. Winston is competent and sincere, but undistinguished in the latter terrain, playing Cahn's "Teach Me Tonight" like any number of long-forgotten cocktail lounge pianists. But on originals like "Rainsong," "Cloudburst," and "Plains," Winston's piano rings out like an echo from the big sky. A special limited edition of the disc includes two songs on acoustic guitar. --John Diliberto

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: Ue O Muite Aruko.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I keep it in the car, for bad-radio times.......2006-05-23

.....
I'll just add my voice to the choir, here, letting you all know that this is a particularly fine and exceptionally listenable album, that just gets better with replays. I like George Winston, but don't particularly seek him out. This album came as a gift from one of my sisters awhile back, so thank you, Con, for such a fine and thoughtful present!

I keep PLAINS in the car, for bad-radio times, and for stressful moments. It holds up remarkably well to repeated listening. Even my wife, who's normally allergic to anything remotely New-Agey, likes PLAINS a lot. Easy listening, without the negative connotations. Highly recommended.

Happy listening--
Peter D. Tillman

5 out of 5 stars Unexpected Delight.......2005-10-06

Few things are as pleasant as finding that that a source of enjoyment has more in it than you expect. Whether this is as profound as a new line of discovery or the simple pleasure of an album of music that you had overlooked is a moot point. In either case the rewards come as a great surprise. George Winston is one of America's musical treasures, combining folk with light jazz, making music that can delight and uplift at the same time. Somehow, this weekend, I found that I had missed an album, and the pleasure was worth the wait.

Plains is classic George Winston. Many of the tracks are landscapes or impressions. Winston seems to be visually inspired. Listen to the happy, folksy rhythm of Dubuque and compare it with the thoughtfulness of Aaberg's Before Barbed Wire. Of course, Winston isn't bound by his traditional Montana settings and music. There is also the melancholy romanticism of Frangenti and the delicate styling of Give Me Your Hand.

The surprise is his use of Hawaiian slack key music (No Ke Ano Ahihi and 'Ike Ia Ladana) once you listen, the influence on Winston's music is obvious. There is a tendency to write some of Winston's work as New Age when it is simply reworking of a mix of styles into something that is something of its own. Winston uses misic and influence from Aaberg, Chet Atkins, Hawaiian, Sammy Cahn (and even Sarah McLachan) with the adeptness of a polished musican.

But for me, it is still Winston's own work that makes me wish I had worked harder on keyboards. Graduation, Plains, and Rainsong are the best on this album, which is sure to see a lot of playing. Get it for your own rainy days, you'll love it.

5 out of 5 stars Music doesn't have to be challenging to be excellent........2005-04-16

I, and those that first discovered George Winston, some years ago, were mocked because Winston is so easy to listen to. I doubted my taste, at the time, and agreed with what a lot of people were saying, that if he's that polular, he can't be any good. In the last year or so, I've been listening more carefully to his work, and find that the large majority of it is just excellent. Once in a while a piece does lapse into loungeiness, but the great majority of his work shows a great deal of thought and attention, and will reward your close attention.

4 out of 5 stars Good album, but has a different feel to it than say "Forest" or "December".......2002-06-14

Any George Winston is good stuff. Some releases tho, are better than others. While "Plains" is very good, it doesn't effect me like 1982's "December" or 1994's "Forest". As for the individual songs... there is no "Carol Of The Bells", "Thanksgiving" (both from "December"), "Tramarack Pines" or "Cloudy This Morning" (both from "Forest") here. There are however some classic Winston-esque tracks here. Check out "Rainsong", "Cloudburst", "Before Barbed Wire". While Winston is able to pick and choose his 'cover' tunes, I feel his choices on "Plains" could have been better. Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" just doesn't work for me here. Winston plays the Cahn & Atkins tunes well, but his own new age stuff is easily the best. Track 9 ("Merry Go Round") should have been deleted. The majority of this album flows - and depending on where you are... it will give you the opportunity to experience some of those deep thoughts.

5 out of 5 stars Winston Peddles Serenity.......2002-04-28

Whenever I want to gain peace and serenity, I play this CD.
George Winston uses his incredible talents to soothe my soul.
Best of the Red Army Choir
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Soviet Army Band & Chorus aren't taking any prisoners!
  • Good music.
  • Magnificent!
  • I loved it!
  • The ultimate collection
 Best of the Red Army Choir
Red Army Choir
Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000066RMJ
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

  1. Kalinka
  2. Partisan's Song
  3. Souliko
  4. Korobelniki
  5. On The Road (A Soldier's Song)
  6. My Country
  7. The Red Army Is The Strongest
  8. Moscow Nights
  9. Along Peterskaia Street
  10. Smuglianka
  11. Troika Gallop
  12. Ah Nastassia
  13. Echelon's Song
  14. My Army
  15. Civil War Songs
  16. Bella Ciao

Tracks:

  1. National Anthem Of The USSR
  2. Oh Fields, My Fields
  3. The Cliff
  4. The Cossacks
  5. In The Central Steppes
  6. Gandzia
  7. Cossack's Song
  8. The Roads
  9. Song Of The Volga Boatman
  10. Dark Eyes
  11. Let's Go
  12. The Birch Tree
  13. The Road Song
  14. The Samovars
  15. Varchavianka
  16. Slavery And Suffering

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Soviet Army Band & Chorus aren't taking any prisoners!.......2007-05-12

If you enjoy a good stiring martial male chorus then spend some time with these guys. They're all graduates of Soviet musical acadamies and any one of them could have graced the top opera houses of the world. You don't have to know any Russian to appreciate this CD. The songs are glorious (just don't translate them -- machine guns, death to foes, etc.), and will make you want to march on Berlin all over again.

5 out of 5 stars Good music........2007-03-09

I had heard a few songs by the Red Army Choir in the past and happened upon this CD set a while back, I found it to be far better than I had hoped and would reccoment it to anyone who enjoys Russian folk music, choir in general, and cultural items from when Russia was still the Soviet Union.

5 out of 5 stars Magnificent!.......2007-02-27


I'm so glad I stumbled onto this.

Spirited, committed, manly singing. Soul-shaking stuff! The ensemble is incisive; soloists are marvelous. The folk melodies are enchanting. The songs--and the singers--are bound up in the cultural fabric of the Cossacks, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky...on and on.., Chekhov, Trotsky, Nabakov... This music conveys the great romantic, dignified, boistrous soul of the Russian People. (Loosely speaking. Some members of the chorus were presumably of other nationalities once part of the Soviet Union. And some of the songs are not Russian).

I don't speak Russian, but listening to this makes me wish I did. What a beautiful-sounding language it is.

5 out of 5 stars I loved it!.......2007-02-22

Even though I cannot speak Russian, the quality of this choral group is beyond excellent. Many of these pieces are extremely moving and stirring. The rendering of the Soviet anthem and the song "Let's Go" (V'put) come to my mind. "Let's Go" became a huge hit in Russia when it was featured in a movie about the Great Patriotic War, and indeed, hearing it - you can well imagine ranks upon ranks of hard-eyed, grim-faced Soviet soldiers striding into battle against the Wehrmacht.

5 out of 5 stars The ultimate collection.......2004-06-15

Excellent performance by the choir and the orchestra. The grandeur, the charm, and the romance! Great collection of songs, sure to bring back memories!
Russian Favourites
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Voices Full of Emotion
  • Sound quality
  • A Trip to Soviet Russia
  • Good Value
  • Good, but not perfect
 Russian Favourites

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000145A
Release Date: 1996-04-23

Tracks:

  1. Farewell Of Slavianka
  2. O, Field, My Field - Polyushko-pole
  3. We Are The Red Cavalry
  4. There, Far Away, Beyond The River
  5. The Sacred War
  6. There March The Soldiers
  7. In The Forest By The Combat Line
  8. The Sun Set Beyond The River
  9. Chorus Of Soldiers From The Opera 'Decembrists'
  10. Volga Boatmen's Song - Ey ukhnem
  11. Troika
  12. The Cliff
  13. Hey, There's The Village
  14. The Volga Burlack's Song
  15. Dark Eyes - Ochi Chernye
  16. The Brave Don Lads
  17. On The Road - A Soldier's Song
  18. Moscow Nights

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Voices Full of Emotion.......2005-12-19

Once you hear this chorus...whether under the Red Army Choir or Soviet Army Choir banner...you will be addicted. I certainly am. This is not the best disc available on Amazon, but it is unique in that it showcases all Russian songs (since the chorus was a "national" choir, recordings done in London, Paris, etc. frequently contain songs from other countries). And while there may be better and more professional recordings, of this choir and more professional bands, these soldiers succeed in achieving a wide range of color with their vocal talent on this recording. A great bargain.

2 out of 5 stars Sound quality.......2004-07-06

The songs that are chosen on this CD are excellent. The problem, the sound recording is not great. It is clear, but when the choir sings in a low tone, it is simply cannot be heard.

4 out of 5 stars A Trip to Soviet Russia.......2004-03-18

In the 1970's, it seemed that defectors from the USSR made headlines in American newspapers every day. When a dancer defected, it was always believed that artistic freedom was the cause. When writers defected, it was due to the controversy surrounding their works. Athletes were usually viewed as wanting a taste of the good life, but when the Red Army Choir defected, it was a sweet victory for the west. These people were the symbol of all the USSR stood for and sang anthems praising the Soviets, yet they longed for freedom. We loved it when they defected.

Even though many of the songs performed by the ensemble praised the virtues of the Soviet Union, western audiences love the group. No it was not due to be soft on Communism. The group had a sound that was addictive and possessed terrific musical gifts, all of which can be found in this recording.

Listening to this recording is almost nostalgic now that the Soviet Union is no longer, but the recording has a certain appeal. It includes all the favorites including Meadowlands (Polyushku pole), Dark Eyes, Moscow Nights, and the Volga Boatman's Song, probably the best piece on the recording. The ensemble performs well together, the band give the music a distinct sound, and while the soloists are not perfect, the imperfections somehow seem appropriate.

There are more expensive recordings by this ensemble, but this budget CD is not just well worth the price, it is actually one of the best available.

4 out of 5 stars Good Value.......2003-11-03

Considering the number of classic songs and the price, you really can't go wrong here. like another poster, i was a bit dissapointed by some very low music in some selections. but for the most part, the quality is quite good and the music is a very nice way to begin to understand and learn about the Russian people.

4 out of 5 stars Good, but not perfect.......2003-01-19

This is a very good CD, and the music really captures the power and total authority of the Soviet state. It is very moving music on one hand, and also really reflects the situation of the Russian workingmen living under this tyranny. This CD would get 5 stars, but there are a few portions where the sound is so soft that it cannot be heard, such as at the beginning of the sixth track. This is the only problem with the CD worth noting, the CD is done by the Red Army choir, and the songs are virtually all made of of the huge band & choir, Soviet power music that we all have come to know and love. I do recommend this CD strongly.
Songs of Free Men/ A Paul Robeson Recital
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Robeson on wax
  • The voice, the sound quality and the interpretation
  • A Voice from the 40s, often dated, often moving
  • Robeson at his best
  • some of the greatest songs of the last century
 Songs of Free Men/ A Paul Robeson Recital

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029YJ
Release Date: 1997-12-09

Tracks:

  1. Balm in Gilead
  2. Chassidic Chant
  3. Quiet Flows The Don: From Border To Border
  4. Quiet Flows The Don: Oh, How Proud Our Quiet Don
  5. Elijah, Op. 70: The Lord God Of Abraham
  6. The Purest Kind Of Guy
  7. Joe Hill
  8. The Peat-Bog Soldiers
  9. The Four Insurgent Generals
  10. Native Land
  11. Song Of The Plains
  12. Cradle Song
  13. Within Four Walls
  14. By An' By
  15. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
  16. John Henry
  17. Water Boy
  18. My Curly Headed Baby
  19. Mah Lindy Lou
  20. Wagon Wheels
  21. The House I Live In
  22. Showboat: I Still Suits Me
  23. Sylvia
  24. Showboat: Ol' Man River
  25. Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So

Amazon.com

There was nothing like the Robeson sound, ever. To describe his deep, rich, perfectly equalized instrument is futile. Go instead to "Balm in Gilead," the opening track, and see if you can listen to the last pianissimo phrase without falling to pieces. Robeson was at his best when the music was slow and the words contained spiritual or social messages. Faster, lighter fare like Kern's "I Still Suits Me" or Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" find the serious-minded singer out of his element, lacking irony and swing. "Old Man River," though, gets a simple, dignified treatment. It's Songs of Free Men, though, that will just keep Robeson's artistry rolling along, especially in Sony's astonishing transfers. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Robeson on wax.......2007-06-19

I found this album in a thrift store last week, for a couple of dollars. It's the original pressing on four 78 RPM records, in a gatefold format. It's in pristine condition. I really bought it for the incredible cover art, although I hope to be able to listen to it in this format at some point.

5 out of 5 stars The voice, the sound quality and the interpretation.......2004-09-24

Put this on your stereo and if it is good enough the depth and richness of Robeson's voice will make your fillings rattle and your chest rumble. The power of his voice is awesome. This CD is superbly recorded with no audible noise at normal listening levels.

4 out of 5 stars A Voice from the 40s, often dated, often moving.......2002-09-01

"Red diaper babies" have greeted this disc with nostalgic joy, and it captures a time and an aesthetic and a political belief with precision. Anyone interested in the emotional life of the pro-Soviet left of the 1940s should buy this disc. It's something like Henry Wallace set to music. There is much more to Robeson than that, however, and Sony has given us Robeson whole: there are songs by American masters of the musical, there are labor songs, religious songs, as well as the kind of faux-folk songs which the butcher supreme Josef Stalin encouraged and which were not taken seriously inside the USSR (except at gunpoint!!) but which were taken up by dupes around the world. This is Robeson at his least savory - willing propagandist for a vile mass murderer. Songs such as "Native Land" (fittingly, Robeson is referring to the Soviet Union) and the Red Army song are the equivalent of the "Horst Wessel Song", anthems of murder, and it is difficult to listen to the worst of them without retching. On the other hand, Robeson's commitment to American folk culture was real. "Balm in Gilead" is deeply beautiful; "John Henry" is heroic; "By an' By" is both resigned yet hopeful. "Joe Hill" captures an era in labor history. Anyone interested in American popular song should hear these. Turning to Broadway, his "Old Man River" is very fine, though Robeson changed the lyrics for political reasons and Leonard Warren has done the song better. I disagree with the editorial reviewer: "I Still Suits Me" is wonderfully playful and shows Robeson using his gorgeously rich voice to tease and poke fun. However, Marc Blitzstein's "Purest Kind of a Guy" is beyond saving - another example of Robeson recording an unworthy song by a political fellow-traveller. Ugh. But for every miss there are two hits. Robeson performs Mendelssohn's Elijah with nobility, and sings his favorite song, "Water Boy", with joyous pride: "There ain't no hammer that's on these mountains that rings like mine, boys, that rings like mine."
No one need have any fears about the mono sound quality. The orchestra in the second half of the program is at times a little dwarfed by Robeson's voice, but it generally sounds clean and colorful, and the great artist's voice rings like no other.

5 out of 5 stars Robeson at his best.......2000-05-12

It's hard to believe that most of these recordings pre-date the advent of magnetic tape: the CD transfer is superlative. The songs and performance are beyond reproach. Notable is the imaginative packaging in miniature 'record album' format, complete with the original cover art, and a replica of the original Columbia record label applied to the CD.

In response to a previous question: Robeson's performance of Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) can be found on the Vanguard LP entitled "Robeson" (VRS-9037).

5 out of 5 stars some of the greatest songs of the last century.......2000-05-05

In the 1940s, before rabid McCarthyism and racism had taken its toll on him, Robeson made these wonderful recordings of spirituals, classics and pop tunes. Accompanied by the solo piano of the incomparable Lawrence Brown, or by an orchestra, the songs ring out with pride, dignity, skill and unmatched integrity. The shameful treatment that Robeson was subject to from American authorities certainly seem grotesquely absurd to a modern listener. The wonderful version of "The House I Live In" included on this cd should forever kill off any suspicion that Robeson did not love his country deeply. This album ought to be heard by millions of people, world wide. Robeson's voice is nothing less than a glorious high point in 20th century music, and it's hard to think of any recording capturing it to greater advantage.
Soviet Army Chorus & Band
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Unique historical icon
  • Memories of the past
  • Outstanding!
  • A True Classic
  • It was ok
 Soviet Army Chorus & Band

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002ROZ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Song Of Youth
  2. A Birch-Tree In A Field Did Stand
  3. Far Away
  4. Volga Boat Song
  5. You Are Always Beautiful
  6. Along Peter's Street
  7. Tipperary
  8. Ah! Lovely Night
  9. Kamarinskaya
  10. Annie Laurie
  11. Song Of The Plains (Meadowland)
  12. Kalinka
  13. Bandura
  14. Oh No! John!
  15. Snow Flakes
  16. Ukranian Poem
  17. The Decembrists: Soldier's Chorus

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Unique historical icon.......2007-04-11

Wonderfully atmospheric choral singing in the distinctive style of these cultural ambassadors for the Soviet regime. In their day they had a worldwide and appreciative audience as the Soviet Authorities sought to attach an attractive "human" persona to their mighty military machine.The power, precision and technical proficiancy of these (and other) performers served, whether justifiably or not, to enhance the Soviet military image.Wonderful Russian bass and tenor voices gave western ears fresh insights into 'music of the people' from both sides of the Iron Curtain. The propaganda effect was priceless and we are left today with a nostalgic example of the effective political use of music.

5 out of 5 stars Memories of the past.......2007-02-13

My parents bought the vinyl recording of the Album when it first came out and I used to listen to it a lot. It is wonderful to have it available on CD without the scratches that go along with records. They sound as brilliant and stirring as the first day I heard them. I especially love The Soldiers Chorus from the play The Decembrists.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding!.......2005-08-27

I first discovered this album as a LP in the late 1960s. Granted, the recording techniques then are not as sophisticated as they are now, but the quality of the voices on this CD is excellent, and the music will send chills down your spine.

There are subsequent albums of the "Red Army" (whom I've seen in person) -- while good, the original "Soviet" is still the best.

If you love great soloists, outstanding choral work, and stirring music, you will appreciate this album.

5 out of 5 stars A True Classic.......2004-12-17

Rich and often powerful music. Much magnificent singing and orchestration. The effort of the chorus to sing "Tipperary" in english is, alone, well worth the price of purchase.

3 out of 5 stars It was ok.......2004-08-15

It's an ok album. The songs are nice but I bet half of the tracks are in mono, which was disappointing. I would recommend "Best of The Red Army Choir" instead.
Virgil Thomson: Louisiana Story; The Plow that Broke the Plains
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Truly Beautiful Americana
 Virgil Thomson: Louisiana Story; The Plow that Broke the Plains

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Virgil Thomson: Symphony No 1-3
  2. Thomson: The River/The Plow That Broke the Plains
  3. Walter Piston: Symphony No. 4; Three New England Sketches; Capriccio for Harp and String Orchestra
  4. Roy Harris: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 9
  5. Roy Harris: Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 4 'Folk Song Symphony'

ASIN: B0002CH8HE
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Truly Beautiful Americana.......2007-04-08

The four stars are only because the dynamic range seems a bit off - I had to crank up my sound system to double its usual setting to really enjoy this (and then a few crashing chords were through the roof). However, this was a "must own" for me if only for the first section from "Louisiana Story," which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever... it makes me shut my eyes and smile for pure bliss. A friend made a tape of it for me years ago, and I had never forgotten it. Recently, I finally put "Louisiana Story" on my NetFlix queue and could hardly send it back for the photography/music of the opening sequence. The CD recording isn't quite the same, but it's only off by a little (and has the advantage of not being interrupted by the film's narrative), but then, this is a suite, and not a soundtrack. The other works are also compelling, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a theme I had always loved in Copeland's "Rodeo," assuming the tune to be original with him. Especially considering the low price, this is a great addition to your musical library.
Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)

    Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    5. Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set]

    ASIN: B00062FLI8
    Release Date: 2004-11-30
    Red Army Chorus: The Best of the Original Ensemble
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Red Army Chorus: The Best of the Original Ensemble

      Manufacturer: Analekta
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      1. Best of the Red Army Choir
      2. Soviet Army Chorus & Band
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      5. Kalinka

      ASIN: B00005UCGV
      Release Date: 2002-04-30

      Tracks:

      1. Rider's March
      2. Troika
      3. Little Field
      4. When The Soldiers Sing
      5. Nightingales
      6. Dark Eyes
      7. Kossack's Song
      8. Let's Drink!
      9. Song Of The Volga Boat Men
      10. Russian Song
      11. Kalinka
      12. Farewell Song
      13. Escamillo Couplets
      14. Dear Soul
      15. Ukrainian Folk Song
      16. Moscow Nights
      17. May Nights
      18. I Got Plenty Of Nothing
      19. Granada
      20. National Anthem Of The USSR
      High Plains
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Elevator music goes western..
      • The Trifecta
      • My Favorite
      • King of all piano solo albums
      • No Wonder They Sing
      		 High Plains
      Philip Aaberg
      Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      1. Blue West
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      ASIN: B000000NG4
      Release Date: 1990-10-25

      Tracks:

      1. Marias River Breakdown
      2. Montan Half-Light
      3. Lou Ann
      4. Remembering This Place
      5. Westbound
      6. High Plains
      7. The Big Open
      8. Spring Creek
      9. Three From The Hills:Sweetgrass, Once Its Gone...,In Every Direction
      10. Going-To-The-Sun
      11. Reflections
      12. No Wonder They Sing

      Amazon.com

      A subtle emotional dichotomy seems to be at work in the reflective solo piano works found on this, the 1985 debut recording from Montana-born pianist Philip Aaberg. Many of Aaberg's contemplative selections carry a faint, bittersweet flavor, suggesting that something beautiful or treasured is slowly slipping from our collective grasp, perhaps due to complacency, ambivalence, avarice, or neglect. High Plains conveys Aaberg's deep attachment to his native landscapes, and affecting, wistful pieces such as "Remembering This Place," "The Big Open," and the three-part "Three from the Hills" (with its middle section subtitled "Once It's Gone...") all spell out the pianist's implied notion that we may never again have things quite good as we have them now--though what we now have can be exquisite, gorgeous, and humbling. Musically, Aaberg's sense of melody is elusive though never beyond our grasp. His compositions speak softly and evocatively, likely in search of a properly attuned ear. Other than the forcefully played "Westbound," Aaberg's music here is a worthwhile experience. --Terry Wood

      Customer Reviews:

      2 out of 5 stars Elevator music goes western.........2006-12-22

      Only the "Westbound" track sounds good, the rest is just forgetable "landscape" music that could be found on the Weather Channel. Only for those with niche tastes like "New Age" music.

      5 out of 5 stars The Trifecta.......2006-08-05

      To truly appreciate Phillip Aaberg's music, you need to own his first three albums: this one, "Out of the Frame" and "Upright." This album was his debut, and is wistful yet melodic. My favourite song is "Remembering This Place" and all of the songs on this album have that kind of 'something is being lost here, and we need to recover it' feeling. It is a worthy purchase, and while it is not my number one Aaberg album, it is definately one of my faves.

      5 out of 5 stars My Favorite.......2004-05-13

      I own a lot of new age music, and this CD from Philip Aaberg is definitely one of my very favorite discs. He has a real touch and style that captivates the listener and always impacts the emotions. The title track, High Plains, is perhaps my favorite new age piano piece of all my collection. Buy this one!!

      5 out of 5 stars King of all piano solo albums.......2004-02-22

      I love so many of these types of albums, Phil Aaberg, Michael Jones, David Lanz, but I've probably played this one twice as much as any other. It's dynamics are very subtle, even you can miss them a few times until you notice them, and that's what set's this album apart.
      For me, what Pet Sounds is to Rock, this is to New Age.
      Thank you Phil Aaberg.

      5 out of 5 stars No Wonder They Sing.......2003-10-30

      This album, Aaberg's debut, was an early discovery for me, and has stood the test of time in my collection. I've owned several versions and giving them all hours of play. I find this both excellent background music and excellent performance work that can be enjoyed for itself, without any of the trappings of new age labels. Aaberg is first and foremost a player and writer, not a new age musicion, and this shows in his careful crafting and ability to vary his style and choice of tonalities.

      The music is evocative of the Northwest, but not in a geographic or scenic sense. Instead, he tried to build a picture that has as much inner landscape as it does reference to places and events in that world. He couples this with exceptional musicality, where themse actually come into being, vary and mutate in an orderly progression rather than meandering endlessly as is sometimes the care elsewhere in this genre.

      Good new age music is simply jazz in another guise - perhaps a bit more focused on the melodic rather than the harmonic content. In it's essence though, Aaberg's music rides as free as the world that inspired the music. It doesn't try to overwhelm, but reaches for a fine emotional balance that quickly starts to carry the listeners along, only to deposit them later in a place that is somehow better.

      Current buyers who are interested in adding an exemplary CD to their pianist/composer collections should be delighted at its availability at an easily affordable price. Aaberg is not prolific, but his work is of consistently high quality. A worthy purchase for the contemplative.
      Thomson: The River/The Plow That Broke the Plains
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • The River/The Plow that Broke the Plains
      • I you want to move beyond Copeland. Virgil Thompson has 2 classics
      		 Thomson: The River/The Plow That Broke the Plains

      Manufacturer: Essay
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      All Works by ThomsonAll Works by Thomson | Thomson, Virgil | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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      Similar Items:
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      4. Copland: Old American Songs/Canticle Of Freedom/Four Motets
      5. Creston: Symphonies 1-3

      ASIN: B00000082V
      Release Date: 1994-01-28

      Tracks:

      1. The River: The Old South
      2. The River: Prologue
      3. The River: Prologue
      4. The River: Industrial Expansion In The Mississippi Valley
      5. The River: Soil Erosion & Floods
      6. The River: Finale
      7. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Prelude & Fugue
      8. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Grass-Pastorale
      9. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Cattle
      10. The Plow That Broke The Plains: The Homesteader
      11. The Plow That Broke The Plains: War And The Tractor
      12. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Blues (Speculation)
      13. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Drought
      14. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Wind And Dust
      15. The Plow That Broke The Plains: Devastation

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars The River/The Plow that Broke the Plains.......2007-05-17

      This performance is excellent it is a worthy addition to your collection. It is an exciting performance by the Philharmonic Virtuosi under the direction of Richard Kapp. Both the Plow that Broke the Plains and the River (complete scores here) are a part of American History. The music woven through out these scores should be very familiar as they represent part of Americana.

      Buy it!


      Background:

      Many years ago, I have purchases these two compositions in Vinal. As I recall the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority*) was commissioned by the federal government (FDR's New deal in the 1930's) to solve the growing electrical shortage in the southern states while attempting to redress the damage done to the Mississippi by man or visa versa. After years of study and hearings they decided to damn the Tennessee River and build a hydro electric plant. The problem was that this would resultant in flooding many would displace many people, and whole towns had to be moved to new locations. Virgil Thomson was commissioned to prepare a score for a documentary that would be prepared to present the project to the communities. It was elegant in its execution and masterfully integrated with the film.

      * Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned corporation in the United States created in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly hard hit by the Great Depression. The TVA was envisioned not only as an electricity provider, but also as a regional economic development agency that would use federal experts and electricity to rapidly modernize the region's economy and society. The TVA's jurisdiction covers most of Tennessee, parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small slices of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

      5 out of 5 stars I you want to move beyond Copeland. Virgil Thompson has 2 classics.......2007-04-06

      Having accidentally taped a Neville Marriner selection of the River, I wanted the entire composition. This is an excellent rendition of very attractive American works. If you like Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, you will love these works and the recording does them justice.

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