In the Heart of Winter

Track Listings

1. Jolly Old St. Nicholas

2. In the Heart of Winter

3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

4. Christmas Day in the Morning

5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

6. Solstice Celebration

7. Amazing Grace/Silent Night

8. Change of Season

9. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

10. Away in a Manger

11. St. Basil's Hymn

12. First Night

13. What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)

14. Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella

15. Still, Still, Still

In the Heart of Winter,Robin Spielberg,North Star,Adult Alternative,Chamber Jazz,Christmas,Contemporary Instrumental,New Age,New Age / Meditation,Pop

Tracks:

Mister Issac's Maggot, Chestnut (Dove's Vagary)
Woodycock
Death's Second Self
Jack's Health, Vale Of Years, Jack's Health Reel
Come, Gentile Night
Departe, Departe, The Cobbler's Hornpipe, Third Act Tune
But Let Them Go, Ladies, Sight No More
In A Garden So Green, Childgrove
Fire, Burn, and Cauldron Bubble
The Asp
Rumble Thy Bellyful
Pastime With Good Company, O Lusty May
Irish Lament
Joy To THe Person Of My Love
The Winter's Tale Set: Love's Winter Light, Apples In Winter, Drive The Cold Winter Away, Jenny Pluck Pears
Lilli Burleo
The Scottich Play Set: Life Is But A Walking Shadow, Mill, Mill O', Pawky Adam Glen
Heart's Ease, Now That The Spring, Gathering Peascods
No Longer Mourn For Me

Customer Reviews:

Ensemble Galilei's music is lilting, elegant and unexpected!.......2002-11-29

With their soulful playing and artful, sometimes even ephemeral arrangements, the six women of Ensemble Galilei convey a rare depth of emotion. In the insert notes, gamba player Carolyn Ann Surrick describes their creative process: "[In making this recording, we engaged in]...a kind of work that is so focused and intense that years can go by in one afternoon... Extraordinary music-making requires trust... [We] live for the times when the only thing that exists right then is the music--when the instruments are speaking as if we don't exist, and they are having their own conversation." Thank you, Ensemble Galilei, for allowing the rest of us the privilege of coming along for the ride! It's simply delectable. This chamber ensemble, featuring fiddle, harp, gamba, oboe, pipes and percussion, can also be heard on their other Telarc release, "From the Isles to the Courts", and "The Mystic and the Muse: Celebrating 600 Years of Women in Music", on the Dorian label.

beautiful.......2001-01-22

Sheer beauty, as a lover of English music I found this to be one of the most beautiful of all Shakespearean albums. Such harmony, such subtlety, one wishes that the gentle night will never stop.

Excellent!.......2001-01-04

Ensemble Galilei provide some excellent arrangements of English renaissance compositions. I believe that John Playford (English Dancing Master) fans will be particularly satisfied with the renditions presented here. It is very unfortunate that E.G. did not provide more arrangements from such early music sources. Some of E.G.'s own compositions seem very weak and not in the renaissance spirit of the rest of the CD. Nonetheless, this CD is highly recommmended.

It will bring about many gentle nights.......2000-11-22

I found this album to be solid. Very sweet, but not afraid to use percussion which makes it livelier and more fun. I adore the quiet, peacefulness of the music and the flawless execution of these renaissance songs.

Visualizing Beauty.......2000-08-20

I recently had the good fortune to direct a performance of King Lear--the ENTIRE five acts, in a community theatre, non-profit setting. I used twenty-four fully committed non-actors, who for the love of the ideas, participated in this performance. The first and main challenge that I faced was, how do I go "behind" the words, and invoke the right emotions, etc., to give these actors the range and tools needed for an effective, powerful performance? Critical to this performance was the beauty and brilliance of this recording, which I used throughout the various scenes of the play. This helped the performers tremendously, creating the different tapestries in the mind of the Bard. In short, this work is real genius, that I was so happy that I stumbled across. I am now putting in our performance programs, along with our most heart-felt thanks to E.G., the name of the recording and I have copies from Telarc to sell at each performance!

Average customer rating:

A soprano must!
Excellent album, with some minor quibbles
I like it!
International, and yet local
Bonney Changes Course

Sallie Chisum Remembers Billy the Kid

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bonney, Barbara | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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My Name is Barbara
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ASIN: B0000042H0
Release Date: 1998-01-27

Tracks:

Sallie Chisum Remembers Billy The Kid
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Nature, The Gentlest Mother
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: There Came A Wind Like A Bugle
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Why Do They Shut Me Out Of Heaven?
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: The World Feels Dusty
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Heart, We Will Forget Him!
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Dear March, Come In!
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Sleep Is Supposed To Be
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: When They Come Back
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: I Felt A Funeral In My Brain
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: I've Heard An Organ Talk Sometimes
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: Going To Heaven!
Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: The Chariot
Six Elizabethan Songs: Spring
Six Elizabethan Songs: Sleep
Six Elizabethan Songs: Winter
Six Elizabethan Songs: Dirge
Six Elizabethan Songs: Diapenia
Six Elizabethan Songs: Hymn
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: At Saint Patricks Purgatory - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: Church Bell At Night - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: St. Ita's Vision - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: The Heavenly Banquet - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: The Crucifixion - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: Sea-Snatch
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: Promiscuity - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: The Monk And His Cat - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: The Praises Of God - Samuel Barber
Hermit Songs, Op. 29: The Desire For Hermitage - Samuel Barber
Vocalise - Andre Previn

Amazon.com

Though American, Barbara Bonney has spent most of her career in Europe and, up until recently, never saw the need to sing in English. But this collection is entirely in English, featuring the title piece written for her by Previn--sort of a tone poem for voice, nice but not great--plus Samuel Barber's more familiar Hermit Songs, Dominick Argento's Six Elizabethan Songs and Aaron Copland's Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson. It's one of her best recordings and a big step in the gradual evolution of an artist who began as another pretty-voiced soprano and is becoming one of the most memorable recitalists of her generation. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

A soprano must!.......2007-01-08

This collection of songs is very helpful for sopranos--all of you will need to know these pieces at some point!

Excellent album, with some minor quibbles.......2005-08-13

One of my first experiences as an accompanist was to play the Argento Elizabethan songs, and ever since I've had a special affinity for them. That alone was my reason for purchasing this particular disc, and the fact that the Barber Hermit Songs were here was a major bonus!

Bonney does a beautiful job with all the sets presented here, and Previn delivers a perfectly complimentary accompaniment to Bonney's soaring tone.

One thing I found interesting about Bonney was her frequent use of straight tone. I can't verify if she's chosen to do so for interpretive reasons, but there are occasions in all the sets (esp. the Barber and Argento) where I find that it sticks out. In general, her tone is always beautiful, and the lack of vibrancy doesn't affect the pitch or flow of the line. It's a very minor issue, but I feel compelled to mention it for those who may not be expecting this stylistic detail.

At any rate, the repertoire is amazing, and I think this disc is almost essential as the Rubinstein disc I reviewed elsewhere on Amazon. I'm not letting my issue with Bonney's vibrancy take away from the 5-star rating. :)

I like it!.......2002-03-04

I bought this cd a while ago. The reason I bought it is because Barbara Bonney is my favourite artist. I think she sings beautifully in this cd. But for the repetoire, I think it's a litte bit too contemparory for me and I am not really into that. Still, I think she did an excellent job in this recording! It's really worth buying!

International, and yet local.......2001-02-20

Mrs. Bonney, born in America but with several years in Europe is able to give us the best of the two worlds.

The CD is a masterpiece of fantastic singing and with heart and the freedom that Mr. Previn adds to his piano playing.

I bought the CD based in the recommendation of the Gramophone magazine, and again they are right.

Previos review gives a good overall picture of the performance

Buy it!

Bonney Changes Course.......1999-09-13

This recording marks a new high for Bonney. While her silvery tone and lyricism have always been more than suffcient to captivate her listeners, Bonney takes risks on this disc like never before. She has a maturity and depth to her sound that makes one realize that her older recordings were more shallow in retrospect. Not only is she willing to step out of the box so many sopranos fall into: of wanting to sound "pretty" all the time; she is aggressive and surprisingly edgy in her interpretations of the Barber set, shockingly frank in the Argento, and convincingly ominous in the closing Previn vocalise. With this disc, Bonney has truly established herself as a force in vocal music, and as the definitive American singer today.

Average customer rating:

"top film scores of the 1960's ~ Percy Faith"
Born Free/Windmills of your mind

Born Free/Windmills of Your Mind

Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

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Angel of the Morning/Black Magic Woman
Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind/Jealousy
Great Folk Themes: American Serenade
Today's Themes for Young Lovers/For Those in Love
Kismet/Music From Hollywood

ASIN: B000060OXV
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Tracks:

Georgy Girl
Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme From "Dr. Zhivago")
A Man And A Woman
This Hotel
And We Were Lovers (Theme From "The Sand Pebbles")
The Wishing Doll
Born Free
This Is My Song
Alfie
Song From "The Oscar"
A Time For Love
How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
Theme From "The Fox"
Funny Girl
The Windmills Of Your Mind
Star!
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
The Lion In Winter
Elvira's Theme
For Love Of Ivy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
As Long As He Needs Me

Customer Reviews:

"top film scores of the 1960's ~ Percy Faith".......2004-02-18

If you are a collector of Percy Faith, you must run out to your local music store and pick this one up ~ "Plays The Academy Award Winner Born Free and Other Great Movie Themes" (originally released on Columbia Records CS 9450 in 1967) and "Windmills of Your Mind" (originally released on Columbia Records CS 9835 in 1969) ~ following the formula of previous Columbia Records releases featuring Faith's classic style of sweeping strings and haunting arrangements, they've come up with two more winners.

Master of arranging, Faith's formula is so natural in keeping the arrangements fresh and new with his distinctive style ~ his tasteful treatment always highlights the quality of the composition ~ ultimately making them a hit all over again. Remember the days when you could turn on the radio and hear Percy Faith with many familiar pop standards ~ when you put this compact disc on your player, get ready for the "Percy Faith Touch" sprinkled with pure magic over the orchestration and leaves you simply in that unforgettable mood.

Top performances inclusive for the twenty two tracks of film score themes ~ "A MAN AND A WOMAN" (Barouh/Lai), "A TIME FOR LOVE" (Webster/Mandel), "ALFIE"(David/Bacharach), "AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME" (Lionel Bart), "BORN FREE"(John Barry), "CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG" (Richard M. Sherman/Robert B. Sherman), "ELVIRA'S THEME" (Percy Faith), "FOR LOVE OF IVY" (Russell/Quincy Jones), "THEME FROM "THE FOX" (Lalo Schlfrin), "FUNNY GIRL" (Merrill/Styne), "GEORGY GIRL"(Dale/Springfield), "THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER" (Peggy Lee/David Grusin), "HOW ARE THINGS IN GLOCCA MORRA?"(Harburg/Lane), "THE LION IN THE WINTER"(John Barry), "SONG FROM "THE OSCAR" (Evans/Livingston/Percy Faith), "THEME FROM "THE SAND PEPPLES" (Bricusse/Goldsmith), "SOMEWHERE MY LOVE(Lara's Theme from "Dr. Zhivago")"(Webster/Jarre), "STAR" (Cahn/Van Heusen), "THIS IS MY SONG" (Charles Chaplin), "THIS HOTEL" (Keating/Quine), "THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND" and "THE WISHING DOLL" (David/Bernstein) ~ notice two of the selections were composed by the man himself Percy Faith! Impressive line up of top movie songs that will surely satisfy the appetite of all "film-score-buffs" and Percy Faith fans...gotta love it!

Total Time: 63:41 on 22 Tracks ~ Collectables 7428 ~ (2/19/2002)

Born Free/Windmills of your mind.......2002-03-02

Another perfect reissiue by collectibles music,This album contains themes from movies.Most of these songs have been unavailable by Faith since Lps went out.This album contains such songs as somewhere my love, this hotel,And we were lovers,This is my song,Alfie,How are things in Glacca Morra and many more.All of these songs are beautifully done Faith style.The album empasizes just his orchestra.Their's no chrous here.The original liner notes to born free are included in the bookelet as well as pictures of Faith probebly from born free under the clear cd holder.The liner notes to Windmills of your mind are not included.If your a collector of Percy Faith's music you have to get this cd since many of these songs are on cd for the first time.

Average customer rating:

The right singer for the right music
wonderful

Songs of Alec Wilder

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004Y6UX
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

The Lake Isle Of Innisfree
The Colleen
The Rose On The Wind
River Run
Spring
Margaret
Easter 1916
When I Am Dead, My Dearest
In The Morning
Definition
If You Are Happy (Covenant)
Where Do You Go?
The Olive Tree
The Plowman
Listen To Your Heart
Blackberry Winter/The Echoes Of My Life
It's A Fine Day For Walkin' Country Style
Don't Deny
The Winter Of My Discontent
Remember My Child/A Child Is Born
The Wrong Blues/The Lady Sings The Blues
Moon And Sand
While We're Young/I'll Be Around

Customer Reviews:

The right singer for the right music.......2002-12-21

I love music like this that straddles the border between classical and pop or jazz. I had never heard of Valerie Errante before, but she has a perfect voice both for the more classical pieces at the beginning of the CD and the jazzier pieces at the end. She is one of those rare singers (Dawn Upshaw is another) who seems equally comfortable with both styles. If you don't already own a recording of "Blackberry Winter," it's one of those rare songs which can genuinely be said to be worth the price of the entire CD. Wilder reminds me in some ways of another composer who deserves a wider hearing--Ricky Ian Gordon. Hopefully this CD will help bring this composer the attention he deserves.

wonderful.......2002-10-22

Wonderful voice makes this a fun CD to listen to on any occaision. You won't be disappointed.

A.E. Housman: A Shropshire Lad, Complete in verse and song

Average customer rating:

A.E. Housman: A Shropshire Lad, Complete in verse and song
Alan Bates , Anthony Rolfe Johnson , and Graham Johnson
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005S85Q
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Average customer rating:

Shakespeare's Songbook, Vols. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Azica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Shakespeare's Musick (Songs & Dances from Shakespeare's Plays) / Pickett, Musicians of the Globe
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ASIN: B0002IQL08
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Tracks:

Ah Robin (Round)
And Let Me The Cannikin Clink
And Will He Not Come Again
Be Merry, Be Merry
Black Spirits
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
Bonny Sweet Robin
But Shall I Go Mourn
Can'st Thou Not Hit It
Come Away
Come Away, Hecate
Come Live With Me
Come O'er The Burn
Come Thou Monarch (Version 2)(Round)
Come Unto These Yellow Sands
A Cup Of Wine
Farewell, Dear Heart
Fathers That Wear Rags
Fear No More
Fie On Sinful Fantasy
Fill The Cup (Round)
Flout 'Em And Cout 'Em (Round)
Fools Had Ne'er Less Grace
For I'll Cut My Green Coat
The Friar And The Nun
Full Fathom Five
The George Alow (Version 1)
Get You Hence
The God Of Love
Hark, Hark The Lark
Have I Caught My Heavenly Jewel
Heart's Ease
Hold Thy Peace (Version 2)(Round)
Honor, Riches
I Am Gone Sir
I Loathe The I Did Love
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Jepha
Jog On
Jolly Shepherd (Round)
King Stephen Was A Worthy Peer
Lawn As White
Love, Love, Nothing But Love (Version 2)
The Master, The Swabber (Version 2)
No More Dams
An Old Hare Hoar (Version 1)
O Mistress Mine (Version 1)
Orpheus With His Lute
O Sweet Oliver
Pardon Goddess Of The Night
Roses Their Sharp Spines
Sigh No More, Ladies
Some Men For Sudden Joy (Version 1)
Take, O Take Those Lips
Tell Me, Where Is Fancy Bred
That Sir Which Serves
There Dwelt A Man In Babylon (Version 1)
There Was Three Fools
Three Merry Men (Round)
Tomorrow Is St. Valentine's Day
Under The Greenwood Tree
Up And Down (Round)
Urns And Odours Bring Away
Walsingham
Was This Fair Face
Wedding Is Great Juno's Crown
What Shall He Have (Round)
When Arthur First In Court
When Daffodils Begin To Peer
When Daisies Pied
When Griping Grief
When Icicles Hang By The Wall
When That I Was And A Little Tyne Boy
Where The Bee Sucks
While You Here Do Snoring Lie
Who Is Silvia
Why Let The Strucken Deer
Willow, Willow (Version 1)
Will You Buy Any Tape
The Woosel Cock
You Spotted Snakes

Tracks:

Awake, Awake
Battle Of Agincourt
Bride's Goodmorrow
Broom
Callino
Carmen's Whitle
Chi Passa
Come Kiss Me, Kate (Round)
Come Thou Monarch (Version 1)
Cup Of Wine (Version 1)
Damon
Daphne
Diana (2 Versions)
Dulcina
Eglamore
Eighty-Eight
Fortune My Foe
George Alow (Version 2)
Glass Doth Run
Goddesses
Go From My Window
Greensleeves (2 Versions)
Guy Of Warwick
Hem Boys (2 Versions)
Hey Ho for A Husband (2 Versions)
Hobbyhorse
Hold Thy Peace (Versions 1 & 3)
Hunt's Up
I Cannot Come Every Day (2 Versions)
In Crete
In Peascod Time
Jack Boy (Round)
King Cophetua
King Lear
King Solomon
Light O Love
Loath To Depart (2 Versions)
Love, Love (Version 1)
Master, Swabber (Version 1)
Mounsier Mingo
Mounsieur's Almaine
My Mind To Me
Nutmegs (Of All The Birds)
Nutmegs (Wooing Of The Baker's Daughter)
O Death (2 Versions)
Old Hare Hoar (Version 2)
O Mistress Mine (Version 2)
O' The Twelfth Day Of December
Oyster Pie
Peg A Ramsey (2 Versions)
Phillida (3 Versions)
Please One
Pyramus
Queen Dido (2 Versions)
Ratcatcher
Rich Jew
Robin Goodfellow
Robin Hood
Rogero
Rowland
Sellenger's Round
Shore's Wife (2 Versions)
Sick, Sick (3 Vesions)
Some Men For Sudden Joy (Round)
There Dwelt A Man (Version 2)
Titus Andronicus
Tom A Bedlam (2 Versions)
Troilus
Troy Town
Wellady
Whenas We Sat In Babylon
Where Is The Life
Whoop
Why Let The Strucken (If Care Do Cause)
Willow, Willow (Version 2)
Will Ye Buy A Fine Dog
With A Fading

Average customer rating:

A century of British art songs to delight those who love them

English Song

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Treasury of English Song
Favorite English Songs
Silent Noon
Songs by Roger Quilter
Bryn Terfel - The Vagabond & other songs by Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Finzi & Ireland

ASIN: B0002JEG6I
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

A Soft Day - Bernadette Greevy
Irish Skies - Bernadette Greevy
Cherry Ripe - Janice Watson
Mustard And Cress - Neal Davies
The Lily Of A Day - Janice Watson
Henry King - Neal Davies
Fain Would I Change That Note - Graham Johnson
In Summer-Time On Bredon - Christopher Maltman
The Lads In Their Hundreds - Christopher Maltman
Among The Rocks - Graham Johnson
It Was A Lover And His Lass - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
The Water Mill - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
On Wenlock Edge - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
The Call - Graham Johnson
Silent Noon - Graham Johnson
Now In These Fairylands - Philip Langridge
The Dream-City - Philip Langridge
Margrete's Cradle Song - Susan Gritton
The Heart Worships - Christopher Maltman
Take, O Those Lips Away - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal - Graham Johnson
Love Calls Through The Summer Night - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
I Will Go With My Father A-Ploughing - Graham Johnson
The Rio Grande (Capstan Shanty) - Ian Partridge
Theodore, Or The Pirate King - Ian Partridge
A Long Time Ago (Hilliard's Shanty) - Ian Partridge
Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be? - Bernadette Greevy

Tracks:

The Grenadier - Richard Edgar-Wilson
The Young Lover - Richard Edgar-Wilson
Betty And Johnny - Richard Edgar-Wilson
Rise Up And Reach The Stars - Richard Edgar-Wilson
The Bells - Nik Hancock-Child
Ann's Cradle Song - Nik Hancock-Child
As I Lay In The Early Sun - Nik Hancock-Child
The Cherry Tree - Nik Hancock-Child
Dusk - Nik Hancock-Child
Peter Warlock's Fancy - John Constable
The Frostbound Wood - John Constable
Chopcherry - John Constable
A Sad Song - John Constable
Rutterkin - John Constable
Bethlehem Down - John Constable
Wapping Old Stairs - Felicity Lott
Long Steel Grass - Martyn Hill
Tango-Pasodoble - Martyn Hill
Popular Song - Martyn Hill
Beatriz's Song - Felicity Lott
Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love - Philip Langridge
Early One Morning - Felicity Lott
The Foggy, Foggy View - Philip Langridge
Now The Leaves Are Falling Fast - Philip Langridge
Tell Me The Truth About Love - Della Jones
The Choirmaster's Burial - Philip Langridge

Customer Reviews:

A century of British art songs to delight those who love them.......2006-06-26

These 53 songs have been collected by Naxos from their extensive acquisitions from Collins Classics, and perhaps other British sources now out of business. There's a steady cottage industry, year after year, producing the typical English art song, which is usually based on folk songs, but even in more modern idioms is profuondly conservative and nostaligic. Half these songs, not to mention half the composers, are totally unknown to American audiences, but the familiar names of Vaughan Williams and Britten represent high quality, and the lesser lights, such as Warlock and Quilter, are mainstays in this repertoire.

I'd challenge all but the most addicted listener to make it through more than ten songs at a sitting, and many of these pieces are tepid, offering comfort rather than inspiration. The singers are among the best, but Graham Johnson and Steuart Beford, who do most of the accompaniments, are lackluster. I know that won't be a popular comment, yet if you compare any of these songs with rendiitons done by Janet Baker, John Shirley-quirk, and most recently Bryn Terfel and Ian Bostridge, you immediately notice how much more intensity and drama is pesent than htis colleciton reveals.

Average customer rating:

Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005YRKN
Release Date: 2000-07-10

Average customer rating:

Burns: The Complete Songs, Vol. 8

Manufacturer: Linn Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Scottish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Robert Burns: The Complete Songs, Vol. 9

ASIN: B000056OEO
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Ken Ye Ought O' Captain Grose? - Mairi Campbell
Wha Will Buy My Troggin - Ross Kennedy
Galloway Tam - Ian Bruce
Behold, My Love - Mairi Campbell
Waery Fa' You, Duncan Gray - Karine Polwart
Wandering Willie - Mae McKenna
Ithers Seek - George Duff
O, Cam Ye Here The Fight To Shun? - Karine Polwart
Extempore/Saint Stephen's House - Ross Kennedy
Mary Queen Of Scots Lament - Mae McKenna
The Groves Of Sweet Myrtle - Bobby Eaglesham
O Poortith Cauld/My Eppie Adair - Ross Kennedy
O Dear Minny/There's News Lasses - Mae McKenna
Wae Is My Heart/The Banks Of The Devon - Karine Polwart
Fairest Maid/As Late By A Sodger - George Duff
Green Grow The Rashes, O - John Morran
Twas Na Her Bonie Blue E'e/Cauld Is The E'enin Blast - Ian Anderson
The Auld Man's Winter Thought - Ian Bruce
I Do Confess - John Morran
The Sun Is Sunk - George Duff
BLythe Hae I Been/I'll Ay Ca' In By Yon Town - Bobby Eaglesham
Ae Fond Kiss (Original Version) - Mae McKenna
What Merriment Has Taen The Whigs - Bobby Eaglesham
Nanie's Awa - Ross Kennedy
I Coft A Stane O'haslock Woo/My Sandie O - Mairi Campbell

This Is the Army / Call Me Mister / Winged Victory

Average customer rating:

Fine music, tone-deaf pricing from Vivendi
At long last and timely to boot

This Is the Army / Call Me Mister / Winged Victory
Irving Berlin , Harold Rome , and Moss Hart
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000A9D1N
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Tracks:

Overture - Irving Berlin
I'm Getting Tired So I Can Sleep - Irving Berlin
I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen - Irving Berlin
Ihe Army's Made A Man Out Of Me - Irving Berlin
The Army's Made A Man Out Of Me - Irving Berlin
What The Well Dressed Man In Harlem Will Wear - Irving Berlin
How Bout A Cheer For The Navy - Irving Berlin
American Eagles - Irving Berlin
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning - Irving Berlin
Going Home Train - Harold Rome
Along With Me - Harold Rome
Little Surplus Me - Harold Rome
The Red Ball Express - Harold Rome
Military Life - Harold Rome
Yuletied, Park Avenue - Harold Rome
When We Meet Again - Harold Rome
The Face On The Dime - Harold Rome
South America, Take It Away - Harold Rome
Call Me Mister - Harold Rome
Winged Victory - Sgt. David Rose/ Winged Victory Chorus And Orchestra
My Dream Book Of Memories - Sgt. David Rose/ Winged Victory Chorus And Orchestra
The Whiffenpoof Song - Sgt. David Rose/ Winged Victory Chorus And Orchestra
The Army Air Corps - Sgt. David Rose/ Winged Victory Chorus And Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Fine music, tone-deaf pricing from Vivendi.......2007-05-09

"This is the Army" is the first, and by far the greatest. When the word historic has lost all meaning this revue truly was -- perhaps the biggest show-biz charity fundraiser ever (for the Army Emergency Relief, which exists to this day), an incalculable morale booster on two fronts, a show whose too-small number of black players nonetheless helped break down the military's color barrier. It also sired the first major-label musical cast album; Decca rushed it into production at the end of July, 1942 to beat the AFM's notorious recording ban. That (and perhaps some reticence with an untested genre) may explain why the public only got four 10" 78s, shorter than they should have been. (Victor rushed its own studio recording into print as well, with mediocre arrangements and Fats Waller.) The following year Decca atoned for its mistake when it declared peace with the musician's union to record "Oklahoma!", making the cast album a permanent part of our musical lives. If we got only a fraction of what must have been it must have been tremendous. On the evidence this was Irving Berlin's finest score to date, and after the slog through multiple continents with a war hardened company he dug deep and wrote "Annie Get Your Gun." The tragedy is that no one tried to revive this show when enough of the boys were still alive, say in the eighties; perhaps Berlin, by then a hopeless recluse, turned it down. As touching and as stirring as these songs are it is preposterous that this score has remained all but buried since the last production in 1945. That this show is inextricably tied to a war is no excuse; the memory of a brave generation deserves better.

We go inevitably downhill from there, starting with the first track of "Call Me Mister", a postwar show with a lighter touch, and a lighter songwriter in several ways. Harold Rome could write a mean lyric, and he was good at the sort of situational humor that worked with topical shows, but despite his ambitions -- at the end of his career he foolishly adapted "Gone with the Wind" -- he just could not write the fine ballad that would have put him in the first rank. So where "This is the Army" can move the soul "Mister" just sits there, despite a haunting tribute to the "Face on the Dime." Its comic relief saves the day and it's pretty good as a recording too, as it's from 1946, and gives us a flavor of the old-time Broadway sound that makes these early albums so appealing. The four concluding sides of incidental music from Moss Hart's play "Winged Victory" are negligible. These are from David Rose, author of "Holiday for Strings" and patron saint of easy listening (until he wrote "The Stripper" and no doubt caused Red Skelton to swallow his kaddidlehopper). As might be expected from a man Spike Jones parodied he writes the most self-important music with the most showoffy grandiose charts, undercutting whatever patriotic feeling it had. His orchestral yelling even makes "The Army Air Corps" ("Off we go into the wild blue yonder") tiresome, a true negative achievement. It's easy to see why this has never been revived -- and never could be.

Despite its shortcomings of production (and in the last two works of inspiration), this is a fine and valuable recording. Which brings us to Vivendi. When the company revamped its cast-album catalog it decided to price these completely amortized albums at full-line-plus. It's especially galling here as all the selections from "This is the Army" and "Winged Victory" and at least one from "Call Me Mister" have enough surface noise and distortion to indicate they're likely from commercial pressings. Maybe Mr. Bronfman Junior needed the money for his ultimately failed investment; but such gouging underscores the contempt the record business has for its customers, whom it sees as saps whose pockets will empty endlessly when it grabs them face down by the ankles. The public is now richly returning the favor by tuning itself out to the majors and its endless parade of tunelessness. For all the gold-chained clan's howls of denial it isn't good for the record trade -- and in the end, by eviscerating the one stable source for new music, it isn't good for us.

At long last and timely to boot.......2003-09-01

Having scored a triumph during World War I with his "Yip Yip Yaphank," Irving Berlin was a natural to be asked to create a similar revue for World War II, and the all-male "This Is the Army" did very well. An original cast recording came out in 1942. The very next year, the Air Force got its chance with Moss Hart's "Winged Victory." Four of the songs appeared in boxed set of 78 rpm discs. When it was all over, the returning GI was saluted in yet another revue called "Call Me Mister." That original cast album appeared in 1946. Now you can hear them ALL on a single Decca CD (BOOOO831-02).

There is a soundtrack recording from the film "This Is the Army" that is extremely fuzzy, making this Decca release far preferable, all the more so because it does give us the original all-soldier cast that included Irving Berlin himself singing (more or less) his immortal "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." Other songs include "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen," "How About a Cheer For the Navy," and "American Eagles."

The focus here is how men made the transition from civilian to military life, and most of the problems they faced are mentioned in the opening number, "This Is the Army, Mr. Jones." We must also note with some sadness that the real problems of joining an army are never explicit, but the purpose of the show was to reassure and not to look at the "dark side of the force."

"Winged Victory" originally contained only two discs holding four songs: "Winged Victory," "My Dream Book of Memories," "The Whiffenpoof Song," and "The Army Air Corps." That last one thrilled my generation whenever it was played over the radio and especially during the wartime films; and it has lost none of its potency over the years. (The line about going "down in flame" still chills.) This was also the first military revue that included women, a fact which makes it even more of an historical document.

In 1946, Harold Rome lent his talents to putting together a revue for those returning to civilian life. Early in the war, Dinah Shore was able to praise "A Boy in Khaki," but Vaughn Monroe later in the war sang about looking forward to wearing "Just a Blue Serge Suit." I have a particular fondness for this set, because I owned a copy as a boy, played it to death, and eventually lost track of it. I never knew there was a 1950 LP version which included "This Is the Army," and I spent years trying to find the company that held the copyright that would get it onto a tape or (later on) a CD. So 57 years after the album first was released, my prayer has been answered!

The first number, sung by Lawrence Winters (a great portrayer of Porgy, by the way), takes place aboard a "Going Home Train" and is replete with optimism. A sketch in which a group of men are waiting to be assigned work for the day included Winter's rendition of "The Red Ball Express" on which the Black GIs carried supplies to the troops. He is the only one denied work at the end of the scene. We had an even older enemy than the Nazis to face.

A young newcomer named Betty Garrett delighted audiences with "Little Surplus Me" and "Yuletide, Park Avenue" in which many of the New York shops are mentioned in Christmas carol style. But it was her rendition of "South America, Take It Away" that brought down the house and raised her to stardom.

You get the expected comic number, "Military Life," sung by Jules Munshin (remember him from the film "On the Town"?) and two other men, while Winters sings "A Face on a Dime," a song that needs some explaining to those who were born after the minting of the "Roosevelt Dime." "Along With Me" and the full version of "When We Meet Again" are the ballads, while the title song acts as a finale number.

The press release announces, "Decca Broadway Salutes the Troops With the CD Release of Three World War II Musical Revues." The current situation, I am sure, helped prompt the release of this set; but whatever the reason, I am absolutely delighted it is finally available. The songs are mostly excellent examples of their kind, the lyrics for the most part clever and powerful, the historical value great. I really suggest that History Departments take notice and get a copy. All the textbook accounts of the war never give the human side of things, and this CD will go a long way to letting the present young generation know how we faced all-too-familiar problems back then.

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