Flowers in the Sky

Track Listings

1. Wings of Glass

2. Colour Wheel

3. Tiding the Summer Breeze

4. At Home in the Valley

5. Flowers in the Sky

6. Discovering a Child at Play

7. They Drift By

8. Shimmery

9. Reflections

10. Little Purple Suite

11. Through Shafts of Light

12. Nightfall

Flowers in the Sky,Howard Baer,Avalon (Rock Bottom),New Age / Meditation,Pop,Rock/Pop

Flowers in the Sky

Flowers in the Sky

Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury
Average customer rating:

The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan

Pure delight

Delicious G&S samplings abound here.

Fine Intro to G&S

Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury
Nicholas Folwell , Arthur Sullivan , Marie McLaughlin , Rebecca Evans , Anthony Rolfe Johnson , John Mark Ainsley , Alwyn Mellor , Anne Howells , Barry Banks , Eric Garrett , Felicity Palmer , Gareth Rhys Davies , Janice Watson , Julie Gossage , Neill Archer , Pamela Helen Stephen , Peter Savidge , Richard Stuart , Richard Suart , Richard Van Allan , Sir Thomas Allen [baritone] , Sir Charles Mackerras , and Welsh National Opera
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan

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The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures

ASIN: B000003D1Y
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

A Wandering Minstrel I
Behold The Lord High Executioner!
Three Little Maids From School Are We
Braid The Raven Hair
The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring
On A Tree By A River, A Little Tom-tit Sang, 'Willow, Tit-willow'
For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
We Sail The Ocean Blue
I'm Called Little Buttercup
My Gallant Crew
When I Was A Lad
Things Are Seldom What They Seem
Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
Poor Wand'ring One
How Beautifully Blue The Sky
I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
When The Foeman Bares His Steel
Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
With Cat-Like Tread
Is Life A Boon?
I Have A Song To Sing, O!
Were I Thy Bride
Oh, A Private Buffoon Is A Light-Hearted Loon
When A Wooer Goes A-Wooing
When I, Good Friends, Was Called To The Bar
A Nice Dilemma We Have Here
Oh, Joy Unbounded

Customer Reviews:

The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan.......2004-03-15

At the end of the 19th century (1870's, 80's and 90's) the compatible duo of librettist and composer Gilbert and Sullivan popularized the pre-Broadway entertainment of Savoy opera. These were light operas or operettas whose content was satire and comedy, full of bouncy melodies and beautiful singing, highly entertaining theatrical works staged at London's Savoy theatre. Gilbert and Sullivan did not always get along and in fact there was a time when they ended their professional relationship because personal conflicts surfaced. But they managed to create the world's most beloved light operas, over 40 of them. Their most famous are what I call the Big Three- The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance and The Mikado. Other works include their first hit Trial By Jury, The Yeomen Of The Guard, Princess Ida, The Gondoliers, Patience and several others. A standard signature of Gilbert and Sullivan was in the colorful cast- a comic actor with a special kind of baritone voice, a canary-like and sweet-voiced coloratura or lyric diva, a mezzo soprano with strong chest register and a lyric tenor as the romantic hero. On this album, English conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, a popular figure in the classical music scene and opera, guides the Chorus and Orchestra Of the Welsh National Opera in generally well-delivered performances of excerpts from the operas The Mikado, The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance, Yeomen Of The Guard and Trial By Jury. Although I feel that the recordings made by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with Isodore Godfrey conducting and starring the best cast of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire- the singers of the 60's and 70's- tenor Phillip Potter, soprano Valerie Masterson, baritone John Reed, Donald Adams and mezzo soprano Christine Palmer. Their version of the Pirates Of Penzance and the Mikado far outshine the Welsh National Opera in technical mastery and vibrant tone color.

But these are fine excerpts. Especially appealing is the famous and cheerful "Three Little Maids From School Are We", a trio that imitates Japanese style melody. Most of the Mikado does this, for it was inspired by Japanisme or the new fashion in Victorian England- everything Japanese, from prints to paintings to poetry. Gilbert and Sullivan simply "Japanized" their English operettas. The Finale "For He's Gone To Marry Yum Yum" is an ebullient and pleasant finale. Not featured here is the domineering and powerful Katisha, a figure who stands out in the Mikado.

The H.M.S. Pinafore is Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular work. The sea chanty "We Sail The Ocean Blue" opens the opera with appropriate atmosphere and it seems to fit perfectly with the other scene in which the Captain greets his crew and they sing his praises "My Gallant Crew..I am the Captain Of The Pinafore". A beautiful melody that seems to come out of a romantic Offenbach tune is "I"m Called Little Buttercup". The finale, not featured here, is also very engaging "For He Is An Englishman" which can almost resemble a British national anthem. The Yeomen Of The Guard was Gilbert and Sullivan's "serious opera" eventhough it remains very Savoyard. The plot deals with Tudor England and takes place at the London Tower. "I have a song to sing" makes use of what can be taken for an English ballad of the Renaissance. Trial By Jury, about the eccentric and hilarious activity of a court trial, has a sextet that although different in composition, has the sextet "Che Mi Frena" from Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor in mind. All in all, an excellent recording sure to delight young and old.

Pure delight.......2003-08-02

--Gilbert & Sullivan--
William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were a match made in heaven, yet on earth their pairing seems even with hindsight a most unlikely coupling. Both were destined for other things, Gilbert in fact for decidedly non-musical careers. Introduced by a mutual friend, Fred Clay, the fledgling lyricist Gilbert met the military-band-leader's son Sullivan and together continued to conspire to inspire the delights of audiences from high Victorian times down to the present, as their work in musical theatre comedy continues to provide merriment throughout the English-speaking world and beyond.

--The Music--
This collection includes highlights from five of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operettas: The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Yeoman of the Guard, and Trial by Jury. The arrangements and orchestrations are delightfully energetic and clear; the characterisation and vocal qualities of the leads are perfect for their roles. The haughty if misplaced Lord of the Admiralty has the perfect combination of insecurity and pompous officiousness. The Plaintiff and the Defendant in the Trial are perfectly cast. This is a collection of highlights - at least three but no more than seven songs each, but this gives a good flavour of the music. The recordings on this collection come from complete performances by Mackerras and the WNO.

--Sir Charles Mackerras--
Mackerras is one of the geniuses of the twentieth century musical scene. Having a conducting career that includes the Hamburg Opera, the English National Opera (formerly Sadlers Wells Opera), and the Welsh National Opera (the performers for this piece), he has also conducted major orchestras on the continent of Europe and in the United States. The holder of many major awards and honourary doctorates, he has devoted much time and energy to the preservation and performance of eighteenth and nineteenth century music, as well the restoration of historical musical venues, such as the Estates Theatre in Prague, scene of the original production of Don Giovanni (Mackerras conducted the opera there to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Mozart).

--Welsh National Opera Orchestra and Chorus--
The seeds of the WNO were planted in Cardiff during World War II by music lovers; the first performances occurred a year after the war's end, with Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci on the bill, with Faust the next night. Popular appeal was so great that the WNO was established, later adding choruses in both Cardiff and Swansea. The professional chorus was established in 1973, with a strength that matches the orchestra. They continue an ambitious performance schedule for recording and live events; Mackerras remains the Conductor Emeritus, as the WNO continues under the direction of Carlo Rizzi. The list of awards the WNO has won over the years is staggering - they are a world class institution by any measure.

--Other performers--
Notable singers such as Richard Stuart, Rebecca Evans, Felicity Palmer, John Mark Ainsley and Anne Howells lead the chorus with stunning vocals and clever characterisations of the parts they play. Many (such as Stuart and Evans) play the leading roles across several of the pieces of the disc.

--Liner Notes--
The liner notes give a good introduction and biographical information about Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as synopses of the five pieces presented here. It does not, unfortunately, include any information about Mackerras, the WNO Orchestra and Chorus, or the other special performers. It also does not include the lyrics to the songs. Were the quality of the CD not so great, this might cost it a star in rating.

--Overall Impressions--
I play this CD in my car, in my home and in my office frequently. It is a great sing-along work and a great comedic relief from the stresses of the day. The music is bubbly and clear; the recording quality is excellent and crisp. I recommend this to any Gilbert & Sullivan lover, any fan of musical comedy, opera and operettas, and anyone who delights in good music.

Delicious G&S samplings abound here........2003-05-06

The first thing I should be saying is "What an infectuous G&S CD." Indeed this is, with this fine sampling of the peppy and bright Mackerras series. I know I have praised its "Mercedes-Benz quality" elsewhere on these pages, but that doesn't stop me from saying that everyone is in fine voice. This generously filled CD may only focus on five operas, but at least you can savour a reasonable choice sampling of delights from each one. Of particular interest is Richard Suart's patter-baritone parts and the soaring lyric soprano of Rebecca Evans. The selection on this disc is filled with a mixture of familiar favourites and lesser-known gems such as the female choruses in Mikado and Pirates. Mackerras is a true G&S conductor, but one who always springs rhythms crisply, and adopts peppy tempo for the fast bits. The one drawback is that this selection is far too infectuous that you'll want to shell out money to buy the full 5-CD Mackerras cycle - an incredible bargain with most of the operas fitted onto one disc each. But still, this is at least a decent G&S sampling for beginners, capped with Steven Ledbetter's copious liner notes. It will leave you wanting to say "dammit I'm going to play it again."

Fine Intro to G&S.......2000-12-30

This is the perfect CD for those who may not be familiar with G&S, or for the initiated who want a smattering but don't have the mother of all CD changers. The difficulty with any G&S Greatest Hits CD is determining which pieces to leave off; while one could easily point to any number equally good bits, it would be difficult to argue about the quality of the choices included. The only problem, such as it is, is that after listening to it I am usually induced to go back and listen to the whole opera anyway. The Mackerras recordings are uniformly excellent. I have read elsewhere the criticism that they are too 'operatic' for light opera. If by this it is meant that the singers are too good, then I leave it to the discretion of the listener when the singing becomes too good to be enjoyable.

Langgaard: Music Of The Spheres/Four Tone Pictures

Average customer rating:

A work of awesome proportions and intimate emotion
One of the most extraordinary works ever written
Music to Amaze Your Ears

Langgaard: Music Of The Spheres/Four Tone Pictures

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Rued Langaard: Antikrist [Hybrid SACD]
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Orchestral Works

ASIN: B000000B0N
Release Date: 1997-04-22

Tracks:

Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Like Sunbeams On A Coffin Decorated With Sweet Smelling Flowers -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Like The Twinklying Of Stars In The Blue Sky At Sunset -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Like Light And The Depths
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Like The Refraction Of Sunbeams In The Waves
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Like The Twinkling Of A Pearl Of Dew In The Sun On A Beautiful Summer's Morning
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Longing - Despair - Ecstasy
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Soul Of The World - Abyss - All Soul's Day
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): I Wish...!
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Chaos - Ruin - Far And Near -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Flowers Wither
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Glimpse Of The Sun Through Tears -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): Bells Pealing: Look Here He Comes!
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): The Gospel Of Flowers - From The Far Distance -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): The New Day -
Sfaerernes Musik (Music Of The Spheres): The End: Antichrist - Christ
Tonebilleder (Four Tone Pictures): I. Like Words For A Summer's Day Saga
Tonebilleder (Four Tone Pictures): II. A Scent Of Mull And Mud
Tonebilleder (Four Tone Pictures): III. A Golden Flake Hovers Above
Tonebilleder (Four Tone Pictures): IV. The Flowering Summer Was Linked To The Harvest

Amazon.com

Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) was the odd duck of Danish music. He remained doggedly Romantic at a time when Romanticism was out, and he had his own funny little experiments with music that noboby particularly liked. We owe a debt to Chandos and Danacord for keeping Langgaard's music current. Music of the Spheres (1916-18) predates Gyorgy Ligeti by 50 years with its bright, pointillistic assertions and groups of ideas that evolve to their own inner logic. As demonstrated in Tonebilleder (Four Tone Pictures), Langgaard's music has an openness that allows his tone clusters to expand, contract, or simply repeat (as Ligeti would do much later). Discover Langgaard. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

A work of awesome proportions and intimate emotion.......2006-12-11

This Chandos disc containing two pieces by Danish composer Rued Langgaard is one of the most pleasant surprises this fan of modern-classical music has come across. Langgaard (1893-1952) was an outsider and eccentric in Danish music life, a virtuoso organist who succeeded only in his late forties at getting a position, and a composer of wild tales of the Antichrist coming into the world who found it almost impossible to get his music played. In the late 1960s, his music was rediscovered by scholars and his importance in Danish musical history is now certain, but he is still little-known in the modern-classical scene. We should be grateful to the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir and Gennady Rozhdestvensky for their performance and to Chandos for releasing the recording.

"Music of the Spheres" for soprano, chorus, orchestra, and distant orchestra (1916-1918) is stunning. The innovations here are considerable: exploiting the performance space in the use of two orchestras, writing for an "open" piano where glissandi are produced directly on the strings, and of course the clusters and polyphonic webs, massive and seemingly motionless blocks of sound reminiscent of Gyorgy Ligeti. Indeed, the Hungarian composer exclaimed that he was a Langaard imitator when Per Norgard showed him a copy of the score in 1968. But the purity of the string writing reminds me of Alexander Knaifel, and the massive proportions of the orchestral writing at its loudest is somewhat like Sandstroem's "The High Mass".

But, as is often said, it wouldn't matter how much Langgaard were ahead of his time in "Music of the Spheres" if the music wasn't great. And it is, one of the most moving half-hours of orchestral music I'm acquainted with. Langgaard was a Romantic in a time when Romanticism was out of fashion, and the proportions of what the listener may recognize as struggle, momentary defeat, and victory are just as powerful as in Mahler.

"Music of the Spheres" is an exceptional piece in Langgaard's total output. The "Four Tone Pictures" for soprano and orchestra are somewhat more typical of his art. Written on poems by J. Blicher-Clausen, Ivan Turgeniev, and Holger Drachmann, they are fairly tame lieder. These suggest that the modern-classical fan can pass on most of Langgaard's music, but "Music of the Spheres" is so good that at least this disc should be in your collection.

One of the most extraordinary works ever written.......2003-11-21

Music of the Spheres, by the eccentric Danish composer Rued Langgaard, really is the work that has everything. Written between 1916 and 1918, it uses a multitude of techniques that would not be rediscovered until after the wars. Multifarious tone clusters, floating micropolyphony, a piano played directly on the strings, an entire offstage orchestra, blurred choral singing, prefigurations of minimalism: you name it, this work has it. Yet it also has Scriabinesque ecstasy, Straussian opulence and a wacked-out religious subtext in which Christ and Antichrist clash in the violent climax to the whole work.

None of this would matter, though, if the music weren't any good. But it is good--probably the best thing Langgaard ever wrote (so far I've heard about 30 of his works, and none of them matches this one). The various short episodes flow one into another with perfect clarity and logic, the orchestration is superlative, and the dramatic writing at the climax is sonically overwhelming. Fortunately, Chandos match this work with a tremendous performance by the Danish National Radio Symphony and Choir, conducted by that indefatigable servant of underperformed music, Gennady Rozhdestvensky. This recording should be considered the best currently available, and it outstrips the rivals with ease.

Any other work isn't likely to fare so well in comparison to this, but the Four Tone Pictures are by no means eclipsed. Opulent songs in a Straussian harmonic language--though lacking the German composer's gift for melody--they are the perfect way to come down from the musical high of Music of the Spheres.

Music to Amaze Your Ears.......2003-07-23

Rued Langgaard was the man that time forgot. Completely neglected in his native Denmark because he did not fall within the prevailing neo-classic aesthetic set by Nielsen, Langgaard was rediscovered in the 60s when Per Norgard gave a score of Music of the Spheres to Gyorg Ligeti at a competition and after a minute Ligeti announced, "it seems as though I am a Langgaard imitator." Though Langgaard was essentially a conservative late romantic composer, he was capable of some real moments of innovation. He not only presaged Ligeti's color style, but also elements of minimalism, most especially in his string quartets.

Music of the Spheres is Langgaard at his most original. This work is a stunning series of small tone pictures. From the very beginning of the work, with the shimmering cluster of string harmonies over ominous timpani, through out the work, experiment reigns. Langgaard is always tonal, but in this work shows a fascination with orchestral sound and tonal clusters that was probably about 50 years ahead of the times. And yet, in the middle of the work there are sections that could come directly from Schonberg's early Gurrelieder or even the symphonies of Gade. It is a truly astonishing aural sound feast and should be a staple of the repertoire.

The accompanying Tone Pictures, four tone poems on nature themes, are also quite beautiful, though much more conventional as music. Here is Langgaard the Romantic and he is quite a good Romantic actually. The orchestrations are lush, the harmony sensuous and there is just enough oddness to mark the work as Langgaard's and no one else's.

Tracks:

Sleigh Ride
Gesu Bambino
The Christmas Song
The Sussex Mummer's Christmas Carol
Out Under the Sky
Winter Wonderland
Silver Bells
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Fantasia on "Greensleeves"
Rudolph Up On The Housetop
Ave Maria
Waltz of the Flowers, from the Nutcracker Suite. Opus 71a
Variations in G Major, on "See the conqu'ring hero comes" from Handel's "Judas Maccabaeus"
Chanukah Suite
Sheep May Safely Graze
O Holy Night
Evening Prayer from "Hansel and Gretel"
White Christmas

Customer Reviews:

Continental - without the jingles and bells!.......2000-12-31

Simply wonderful with a continental, sophisticated and European flavor! Have images of entering the elegant lobby of some posh European hotel - like the Ritz on the Champs Elysee. The combination of piano, cello and violin are inspirational, meditative, and joyously reflective; and, resonate sounds from holidays past that need to be heard in the new millinneum!

The Very Best.......2000-01-05

This is a wonderful CD. If you love chamber music, piano trios or just good Christmas music this one is highly recommended. I've had it for over a year now and have even secretly listened to it in the middle of the summer, just for the wonderful arrangements. So inventive. Love the sound they make.

Music at Home.......1999-12-24

This is an exquisite combination of classical and popular Christmas standards. The texture of the arrangements and quality of the recording make this album sound like you have three friends playing in your Music Room while you're in the kitchen baking. Highly recommended for children, for appreciating good sounds, and for adults, for a simple, basic lovely set of songs.

Average customer rating:

Good bargain.

56 Favorites

Manufacturer: Prism Leisure
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury
The Pirate Queen (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000068ZTB
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

Hark the Hour of Ten Is Sounding [From Trial by Jury]
Judge's Song [From Trial by Jury]
We Sail the Ocean Blue..... Buttercup's Song [From H. M. S. Pinafore]
My Gallant Crew... I Am the Captin of the Pinafore [From H. M. S. ...]
When I Was a Lad [From H. M. S. Pinafore]
Never Mind the Why and Wherefore [From H. M. S. Pinafore]
He Is an Englishman [From H. M. S. Pinafore]
Pirate King's Song [From the Pirates of Penzance]
Oh Is There Not One Maiden Breast? ...Poor Wandering One [From the ...]
How Beautifully Blue the Sky [From the Pirates of Penzance]
I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General [From the Pirates of ...]
When the Foeman Bears His Steel [From the Pirates of Penzance]
When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold [From the Pirates of Penzance]
Ah! Leave Me Not to Pine Alone [From the Pirates of Penzance]
Policeman's Lot Is Not a Happy One [From the Pirates of Penzance]
With Catlike Tread [From the Pirates of Penzance]
March and Entry of the Peers [From Iolanthe]
Law Is the True Embodiment [From Iolanthe]
When I Went to the Bar [From Iolanthe]
When All Night Long [From Iolanthe]
When Britain Really Ruled the Waves [From Iolanthe]
Oh Foolish Fay [From "Iolanthe"]
Nightmare Song [From Iolanthe]
If You Go In [From Iolanthe]
Finale: Soon as We May [From Iolanthe]

Tracks:

If You Want to Know Who We Are.... a Wandering Minstrel I [From ...]
Our Great Mikado [From the Mikado]
Behold the Lord High Executioner [From the Mikado]
I've Got a Little List [From the Mikado]
Three Little Maids from School [From the Mikado]
Braid the Raven Hair [From the Mikado]
Sun Whose Rays [From the Mikado]
Here's a How-De-Do [From the Mikado]
More Humane Mikado [From the Mikado]
Flowers That Bloom in the Spring [From the Mikado]
Tit Willow [From the Mikado]
There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast [From the Mikado]
Is Life a Boon? [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
Where I Thy Bride [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
Hereupon We're Both Agreed [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
Strange Adventure [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
When a Wooer Goes a Wooing [From the Yeomen of the Guard]
For the Merriest Fellows Are We [From the Gondoliers]
We're Called Gondolieri [From the Gondoliers]
From the Sunny Spanish Shore [From the Gondoliers]
In Enterprise of Martial Kind [From the Gondoliers]
I Stole the Prince [From the Gondoliers]
When a Merry Maiden Marries [From the Gondoliers]
Regular, Royal Queen [From the Gondoliers]
Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes [From the Gondoliers]
There Lived a King [From the Gondoliers]
In a Contemplative Fashion [From the Gondoliers]
Small Titles and Orders [From the Gondoliers]
I Am a Courtier Grave and Serious [From the Gondoliers]
Finale: Once More Gondolieri [From the Gondoliers]

Customer Reviews:

Good bargain........2004-08-25

The performances are good--this is the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, after all--and you get 2 full CDs, with 2 selections from "Trial by Jury", 5 from "HMS Pinafore", 9 from "The Pirates of Penzance", 9 from "Iolanthe", 12 from "The Mikado", 6 from "The Yeomen of the Guard", and 13 from "The Gondoliers". The booklet is a bit skimpy, and only lists recording dates for the first CD (1929-1949). But the sound is good, and the music is great, and at this price it's a great "greatest hits" collection.

Average customer rating:

Failed Ideas
Simply Exquisite

Out of This World
Harold Arlen , Herbert/ Arlen, Harold ("Hal") Stothart , Allan Schwartzberg , Joe Beck , Cyro Baptista , James Saporito , Jeffrey Harris , and Mike Renzi
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Another Woman in Love

ASIN: B0000TAZ5Q
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
Come Rain or Come Shine
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive/Get Happy
It's Only a Paper Moon
Let's Fall in Love [*]
Sleepin' Bee
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Optimistic Voices [*]
Over the Rainbow
Let's Take a Walk Around the Block
Don't Like Goodbyes
Right as the Rain
Out of This World
Man That Got Away/Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)/Blues in
My Shining Hour

Customer Reviews:

Failed Ideas.......2004-12-09

Maureen McGovern is a national treasure. Her Naughty Baby CD to me is the 2nd coming of Christ. By comparison Out of this World is quite disappointing. Mostly either Harold Arlen or MM's uninspiring interpretations and/or Renzi's arrangements don't seem to suit MM on this CD. The drums and percusion are sometimes schlocky. The screechy sax is always terrible. Also not working for me are the electric keyboard/synthesizer, the electric guitar and the cello. Even Renzi's piano playing is sometimes a let down. Jay Leonhart's great bass work seems to be the only thing that you can depend on here. Did MM do this to herself or is Renzi mainly responsible? Spend your money instead on: Naughty Baby, The Music Never Ends, The Pleasure of his Company and Christmas With MM. All wonderful music.

Simply Exquisite.......2003-12-01

I'd forgotten what a beautiful, supple vocal instrument McGovern has. Here, she sings blues- and jazz-flavored tunes, torchy ballads, and more--all Harold Arlen--including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Over the Rainbow," "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block," "The Man That Got Away" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." Her "Optimistic Voices" (from The Wizard of Oz) is worth the price of the entire CD. It is simply exquisite, like a fine jewel, polished and gleaming with feeling.

Average customer rating:

Moravian songs, via Janacek, Godar, Bittova and Skampa
Skampa Quartet is great - the singer... yikes

Janácek: Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs
Leos Janacek , Iva Bittová , ¿kampa Quartet , Vladimír Godár , and Skampa Quartet
Manufacturer: Supraphon
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Binding: Audio CD

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Cikory

ASIN: B00061X9YC
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Tracks:

Tuzba (Desire)
Stst'/Steadiness
Lavecka (Bench)
Stesk (Woe) - Skampa Quartet
Obrk Mileho (Lover's Likeness)
Svatba Kom (Gnats Wedding)
Kouzlo (Charm)
Slib (Promise)
Orisek Lovy (Hazel Nut) - Skampa Quartet
La (Love)
Jablunka (Apple Tree)
Jabucko (Sweet Apple)
Co Je to Za Nebe (What Sky)
Safva C (Alderman's Daughter)
Cervenab(Little Red Apples)
Dobr(Good Hunt)
He Warden)
Kony Mil [My Lover's Horses]
Kv MilodejnLove Herbs)
Pcko (Posy)
LoucenMilou
Jindy a NynThen and Now)
T (Uneasy)
VzknMessage)
Belegrade (Belgrade) - Skampa Quartet
Milenec Vrah (Lover Killer)
Pomluva (Calumny)
LoucenParting)
Sirota (Lonely Soul)
Osamel Alone)
Komu Kytka (For Whom the Posy)
Z Od Mil (Love Shining)
Polajka (Thyme)
Kol(KolTown)
Psano (Love Letter)
Karafi(Carnation)
Rozmarsemary)
Pamy (Mementos)
Zpevulenka (Tender Little Tune)
Nejistota (Uncertainty)
Kukacka (Cuckoo)
Zahrcka (Fence)
Muzikanti (Musicians)
Vernost' (Faithfulness)
Bolavlava (Headache)
Osud (Fate)
Daleko ProvdanWedded Far Away)
Budk (Wakening)
Dobrada (Sound Advice)
Slzy echou (Tears of Comfort)
Koukol (Corncockle)
Kalina (Guelder Rose)
Pohreb Zbojnv

Customer Reviews:

Moravian songs, via Janacek, Godar, Bittova and Skampa.......2006-05-09

This is a unique recording of Janacek's transcriptions of Moravian folk songs. Originally for piano and voice, they have been transcribed by Slovak composer Vladimir Godar for string quartet and (occasionally) three-voice male chorus. Here they are performed by renowned Czech singer and violinist Iva Bittova, accompanied by the Skampa Quartet and chorus. The effect is not so much of classical liede, but of authentic eastern European "popular" songs - the sonority of the string quartet adds to this in no small part. Janacek would be proud.

Skampa Quartet is great - the singer... yikes.......2005-07-28

I honestly did not know what I was getting myself into when I bought this CD. I love Janacek, I love folk songs... how could I go wrong? Iva Bittova! I was concerned that she would have a 50yr old woobly voice, but instead what exists is a thin VERY nasal tone... perhaps she should be singing traditional Bulgarian music! The voice is expressive, just ugly.
The recording quality is not very good, either. On many of the tracks, Iva seems to be muffled and in the background of the recording.
Really - dont waste your time and money, unless you really would just like to have a recording of over 50 Janacek songs.

Average customer rating:

Seven Mirrors

Manufacturer: New World Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Tristan Murail: Gondwana; Désintégrations; Time and Again

ASIN: B0007LPDJU
Release Date: 2005-01-31

Tracks:

Spiral VI
Seven Mirrors - A Window in the Sky
Seven Mirrors - Dotted Path
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Seven Mirrors - Laughter Passes Over the Earth
Seven Mirrors - Space Between the Fish and the Moon
Seven Mirrors - Tattooing Space-Time
Seven Mirrors - Flying Mirrors
Grand Alap
Grand Spiral ("Desert Flowers Bloom")

Album Description

The work of Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung (b. 1942) represents one of the more successful attempts to accomplish a musical integration of East and West, resulting in a style that is uniquely his own. In general, Ung's music is resplendent with lush romantic harmonies, rhythmic complexities, and lyrical melodic passages, an amalgamation that, together with his own idiosyncratic compositional technique, has evolved over the course of time.

Both Asian and Western elements are readily discernible in Spiral VI (1992), probably one of Ung's best examples of achieving a true integration of these ideas. Spiral VI is constantly changing, expanding, or contracting, and has been described as having a "floating" feeling despite its precise rhythmic notation. Seven Mirrors (1997) is a challenging solo piano work that is comprised of seven short virtuosic movements, each of a different character, but all linked either musically or thematically. Familiar piano gestures reflect postmodern characteristics that prevailed in the last quarter of the twentieth century, and each movement is assigned a fanciful title that "describes" the nature of the music.

Grand Alap (1996) has a fascinating array of sonic effects, both in the instrumental and vocal parts. More than thirteen different percussion instruments are in constant motion under the amplified cello passages, providing continuity and unity to the work.

In the words of the composer, the source of inspiration for Grand Spiral ("Desert Flowers Bloom") (1992) was "the image of a translucent piece of sculpture that is constantly moving and rotating in the desert while reflecting sunlight as perhaps a prism would." The post-impressionist aspect of Grand Spiral should come as no surprise since Debussy was one of Ung's early heroes of composition. This work shows Ung to be a consummate orchestrator, with an uncanny sense of how to combine instrumental colors in order to produce his desired result. Of related interest: 80412

Flowers in the Sky: The Enigma of the Revolving Paint Dream
Average customer rating:
Flowers in the Sky: The Enigma of the Revolving Paint Dream
Revolving Paint Dream
Manufacturer: Rev-Ola
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000HXDXJK
Release Date: 2006-11-06