Solo Piano By Request

Track Listings

1. Slaughter on 10th Ave.

2. Summer of '42

3. Suite from Dr. Zhivago

4. Malaguena(Music From Spain)

5. You Must Believe in Spring

6. Windmills of Your Mind

7. Classical Gas

8. Just one of Those Things

9. MacArthur Park

10. Mama

Editorial Reviews
Variety, New York
"Blending popular and classical stylings, (Solone) provides an evening of highly professional, classy entertainment."

Product Description
"Solo Piano-By Request" is a collection of well known songs, mixed with several obsure compostions, arranged by the gifted Chicago based pianist Bob Solone.

Solo Piano By Request

Solo Piano By Request,Bob Solone,LMGKidsource Music,Updated arrangements of these beautiful standards

Tracks:

O Mio Babbino Caro
Ebben? ... Ne Andro Lontana
Porgi, Amor
Come Scoglio
Casta Diva
E Strano...Ah Fors E Lui...Sempre Libera
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Je Marche Sur Tous Les Chemins...Gavotte
Mesicku Na Nebi Hlubokem (O Silver Moon)
Vocalise
Cacilie
Marietta's Lied
Summertime
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5: Aria (Cantilena)
You'll Never Walk Alone

Amazon.com

This is a compilation--plus three previously unreleased selections--of some of the glorious Renée Fleming's finest work, 15 selections covering 13 composers. The rose-in-full-bloom quality of the voice is staggeringly beautiful: Her rendition of Rusalka's "Song to the Moon" is justly famous and is, alone, worth the price of this CD. Other highlights are Marietta's Lied from Korngold's Die tote stadt, an odd arrangement of the aria from Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilerias No. 5, Manon's Gavotte, and a knock-down-gorgeous reading of Gershwin's "Summertime." The three new recordings are of Violetta's big first-act scene from La traviata, which features one of the most perfect trills heard since Joan Sutherland, a thrilling Cäcilie (R. Strauss), and a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" which is so over the-top that it might make you look away in embarrassment. On the basis of this CD, one would have to acknowledge that Fleming is more interested in--and more successful at--pure singing than she is at character delineation (Butterfly sounds oddly like Wally who sounds too much like Norma), but it's not hard to tell why she's a superstar. Her voice and technique are one in a million. --Robert Levine

Album Details

"by Request" is a Collection of Fleming's Greatest and Most Popular Recordings Including Works by Mozart, Bellini, Pucchini, Verdi and Dvorak. Featuring Recordings from Renee Fleming's Outstanding Decca Discography Together with Two Glorious Tracks Strauss "Cacilie" and Verdi's "la Traviata" a Role Fleming Performed to Critical Aclaim Earlier in 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Not all the arias were her best.......2005-01-15

There is something lacking. Although most of these are indeed her "Best" releases, some things could have been left out. Her O Mio Babbino Caro and her Casta Diva weren't her best efforts at all. Casta Diva, sung to perfection by other revered artists, sounded too breathy and fearful here. It has good chest notes, and it is definitely better than Joan Sutherland's Norma though. Her O Mio Babbino Caro is the usual aria sung in its usual way, without leaving any trace of awe at an ability of a singer to interpret the aria. Rachmaninov's Vocalise was good, and it was great of Decca to release her Song to the Moon on this disc. However, some new additions weren't all that good as well. For example, if you listen to her excerpt from La Traviata, you will find that she sounds like she was singing jazz when uttering out "Gioir!". I think Decca should have issued the live performance version of this instead. That was so much better. Also, they should have showcased more of the bel canto repertoire she had specialized in. That would have made this CD a gem!

DIDN'T QUITE FULFIL MY REQUEST.......2004-11-22

THIS CD DEFINITELY BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN HER REPERTOIRE. SHE IS SOLID, WARM, AND BRILLIANT ON MOST OF THE SONGS. SINCE I OWN MANY OF HER CDS MOST OF THE TRACKS I HAVE IN DUPLICATE. EVEN SO EACH VERSION HAS A DIFFERENT FEEL TO IT. HER "O MIO" IS GREAT BUT GENERALLY I FEEL THAT KIRI TE KAWANA IS A LITTLE CLEARER THAN RENEE. HER "Ebben?...Ne Andrò Lontana" IS ALWAYS BRILLIANT FROM HER HIGH ENDS TO THE NECESSARY LOW NOTES TO FINISH THIS GLORIOUS TRACK. HER COUNTESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG AND POWERFUL CHARACTERIZATION AND HER BUTTERFLY TEETERS ON HAPPINESS AND PAIN. THESE RICH LYRIC ROLES DESERVE A SOPRANO LIKE RENEE. I WAS HOWEVER, VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT SHE ADDED "SEMPRE LIBERA" TO THIS CD AS SHE'S NEVER BEEN A COMPELLING VIOLETTA AND CAN'T EVEN MUSTER THE HIGH "C" WE ALL EXPECT NOW A DAYS. HER RUSALKA IS ALWAYS MESMERIZING AND HER SIMPLICITY ON GLUCK'S "Das Mir Verblieb" WAS AN INCREDIBLE SURPRISE. I FOUND THE OTHER SONGS BORING DUE TO THE FACT THAT I DON'T LIKE THEM AND I KIND OF WISHED SHE WOULD HAVE REPLACED THEM WITH SOME BETTER WORKS. I MISSED HER SOFT AND DEFEATED "AVE MARIA" FROM OTHELLO OR HER FULL BODIED SPOILED MUSETTA IN "QUANDO MEN VO" OR HER RICH SADNESS IN "DOVE SONO"

Fair Enough .......2004-10-01

This is a compilation. I can't say love them I think thatpeople want to be surprised by new things, instead of um things they already own.On the other hand a die hard fan wouldn't mind having an extra cd by their favorite artist.Fair Enough.There was one aria that was new to me"Cantilena Brasileras"by Villa Lobos that was very striking.Her voice flows like an unimpeded stream with a lush vibrato.Like I read in one kid's review "Renee has a silky,creamy, instrument that is very beautiful and caresses the ear",couldn't have said it better myself. I agree. One smart kid!!! One thing that I have to comment on that will not escape is the dull cover picture. Renee get a better photographer;you're far more beautiful than that. I'm sounding like her mother,dear lord! She is a fox!

Fleming's High Points Well Covered in Compilation CD.......2004-09-06

Just one listen to the high points of this disc will make you realize why Renée Fleming is an opera superstar. Covering a ten-year period, this compilation disc covers a most fertile period for Fleming, absolutely one of the world's leading lyric and dramatic sopranos. What is particularly impressive is how many different styles she has covered, ranging from Italian bel canto to French Romanticism to Rodgers & Hammerstein. She effortlessly sings in six different languages, including what sounds like flawless Czech on Dvorak's "Měsíčku na nebi hlubokén" (which goes back to her family roots). Her powerful voice is expressive, almost buttery, which allows the listener to enjoy the coloratura agility she has mastered over the years and the tonal qualities she specifically defines for each aria. This is most evident on my two personal favorites - "Ebben?...Ne scoglio" from Catalani's "La Wally" (which will sound familiar to fans of the French eighties noir film, "Diva") where her crystalline voice complements the increasing power of the melody, and the haunting "Mariettas Lied" from Korngold's "Die tote Stadt".

Fleming also has a good sense of the characters she is portraying, for instance, on the "La traviata" aria, "È stano...Ah, fors'è lui...Sempre libera", one gets a strong sense of Violetta's conflict between the attractions of true love versus the free life of a courtesan. She also gets some sturdy help from tenor Joseph Calleja as Alfredo in this piece. But even in this number, the effect of her daunting runs and trills can be a bit overwhelming. She does keep this in check with the slower-paced tracks like "Casta diva" from Bellini's "Norma", which uses a choir in the background to great effect, and Rachmaninov's lovely "Vocalise". The well-worn "Summertime" from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" is nicely covered here, and it certainly invites comparisons to even Leontyne Price's definitive version. Fleming ends the disc with a rousing version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone" from "Carousel" that grows a bit too bombastic for listening comfort. Regardless, this disc provides a nice sampling of what this truly great singer has done over the past decade. A treat for her fans and highly recommended for anyone who wants an ideal introduction to her range of talent.

Beautiful indeed!.......2004-07-19

I'm very happy with this CD. She has a lovely voice! And what a fox! ;)

Magdalena Kozená - Love Songs (Dvorak, Janacek, Martinu)

Average customer rating:

On the Subject of Intelligent and Sensitive Recitals
Lovely
A Beautiful Disc
A stunning burst onto the world stage
Wonderful songs, and a singer with great potential

Magdalena Kozená - Love Songs (Dvorak, Janacek, Martinu)
Antonin Dvorak , Bohuslav Martinu , Leos Janacek , Magdalena Kozená , and Graham Johnson
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Love Songs: Oh, Our Love Does Not Bloom
Love Songs: Death Dwells In So Many A Heart
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Songs For A Friend Of My Country: Ponies On The Fallow Land
Songs For A Friend Of My Country: The Lost Little Slipper
Songs For A Friend Of My Country: A Religious Song
Songs For A Friend Of My Country: An Invitation
Four Songs: You Heartfelt Songs
Four Songs: Oh, That Was A Beautiful, Golden Dream
Four Songs: In Pain, My Heart Often Broods
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Lullaby
Songs For One Page: Dew
Songs For One Page: Unlocking With A Single Word
Songs For One Page: Journey To The Beloved
Songs For One Page: The Footpath
Songs For One Page: At Mother's
Songs For One Page: The Virgin Mary's Dream
Songs For One Page: Rosemary
New Slovak Songs: So Tell Me
New Slovak Songs: I Had A Blouse
Moravian Folk Poetry In Songs: Who Is The Posy For?
Moravian Folk Poetry In Songs: A Lover's Picture
Moravian Folk Poetry In Songs: Little Posy
Moravian Folk Poetry In Songs: Constancy
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Moravian Folk Poetry In Songs: My Lover's Horses
Good Night, My Darling

Amazon.com

The composers Antonín Dvorák, Leos Janácek, and Bohuslav Martinu might not be the names that first spring to mind when love songs are mentioned, yet this fascinating collection gives us a taste of what delights we have been missing. They range from seven Moravian folk songs, collected by Janácek at the turn of the century, to songs written by Martinu in the U.S. in 1942. There's also early Martinu--including songs he collected in Slovakia in 1920--plus the world-premiere recording of Songs for a Friend of My Country, a cycle he wrote in France in 1940 on his way to America. All of these songs are of interest in giving us another aspect of each composer's work; most have much more to offer. Many are achingly lovely, especially those by Dvorák--including his Op. 2, a reworking of four songs from a cycle he had written almost 20 years earlier, and Love Songs, a revision of eight songs from the same cycle. "Good night, my darling," from his 1886 cycle In Folk Tone, is worth the price of this CD alone. Czech mezzo Magdalena Kozená, who put together the program, sings with pure, attractive tone. Graham Johnson is her excellent accompanist. --Richard Fawkes

Customer Reviews:

On the Subject of Intelligent and Sensitive Recitals.......2005-05-19

Combing the recorded literature to find CDs that showcase singers who not only own brilliant vocal gifts but who also possess the intelligence to program recordings of lesser known works in a sequence that makes for intelligent recitals, it is becoming more obvious that there are many singers who opt for purity of purpose rather than 'salesmanship' of careers in the PR arena. Magdalena Kozená is one of these gifted singers whose intelligence and sensitivity match her physical and vocal beauty.

LOVE SONGS is a tastefully selected panorama of lesser-known songs by Kozená's fellow countrymen (Czech) Antonín Dvorák, Leos Janácek, and Bohuslav Martinu. And while many of the Dvorák and Janácek songs have been occasionally heard in recitals, the Martinu "Songs for a Friend of My Country", an exquisitely beautiful work written in 1940, here receives its World Premiere recording. Kozená's voice is in prime condition for these songs and she is ably accompanied by pianist Graham Johnson. The special flavor of these Slavic emotions and songs has rarely been so well captured.

But over and above the beauty of Kozená's performance of these neglected masterpieces shines the glow of her sensitive programming. Recordings such as these are rare and should be included in the libraries of those who appreciate the lieder genre. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, May 05

Lovely.......2004-03-25

This is a beautifully performed selection of Czech lieder. Kozena has a lovely voice and sings with precision and nicely modulated emotion. The accompanying pianist, Graham Johnston, is excellent. Despite the title, not all these songs are love or romantic songs but all are well worth hearing. The selection of songs is excellent. Different listeners will prefer different songs. For me, the highlight of this recording are the rarely heard Martinu songs, many of which exhibit the lyrical aspect of his compositional style. Recommended strongly.

A Beautiful Disc.......2002-01-06

This is simply a magnificent recording. I like it better every time I put it on. The voice is fresh, supple, and expressive. I even find myself trying to learn some of the Czech words (from the translation in the booklet) they sound so nice. Both Kozena and the brilliant piano contributions by Graham Johnson are faithfully caught on the recording. There is enough variety and contrast that one doesn't tire in the least (over the generous 67 minutes of playing time) of hearing these playful, sometimes poignant, songs. One of the best discs, in terms of programming, performance, and sound quality, of the past couple of years.

A stunning burst onto the world stage.......2001-12-17

Magdalena Kozena is suddenly known around the world, thanks to this stunning disc of 42 lieder from her Czech homeland. Most of the songs are short - some come in under a minute, the longest 3-4 minutes. Each is a little gem and many have never been recorded before.

Kozena's voice is sheer delight. She does have resonances in her voice which are reminiscent of her compatriot, Lucia Popp, but is certainly a mezzo - although she has chosen her repertoire well so we hear no strain at the top. Her low resonances are delightful and consistent with her head voice. To compare Kozena's voice to that of the late diva (Popp), it is more pure, more consistent in tone from top to bottom, and doesn't have so much of the `squeezey' quality which Popp used to great effect in evincing the passion of her characters. Kozena can empty her voice of vibrato or let it out rich and full, and uses all her vocal resources to great effect in contrasting the individual songs. She has astoundingly mature lieder-singer's technique for such a young singer.

This recording rightly won a Gramophone award this year. Kozena deserves all the accolades she receives for this - doubtless all listeners will develop their own favourites from these delightful miniatures.

Wonderful songs, and a singer with great potential.......2000-10-08

What a wonderful, carefully thought out CD! Kozena obviously revels in these rarely performed songs by Dvorak, Martinu, and Janacek, and Johnson accompanies with his usual ease and sensitivity. What a pity the piano is balanced distantly -- we hear little of Johnson's variety of touch and dynamics. As for Kozena, she is obviously an intelligent musician with a voice of great potential. It is qutie beautiful as it is, yet the colour is still rather pale. Yes, there is something of the late Lucia Popp's timbre, yet it has little of Popp's depth and range of colour. BBC Legends released a CD of Popp a year ago which includes three Dvorak songs also sung by Kozena. The differences are quite marked -- while Kozena's timbre and interpretation suggests a dreamy yet earnest youth, Popp brings out an autumnal glow and a sharp pain that pierces at least this listener's heart. Kozena has started a wonderful career. Only time will tell how her voice will develop. I do hope it goes in the direction of Popp's unique lyric timbre. No one could ever equal Popp (perhaps it's obvious by now that Popp is my favorite singer of all time), but perhaps Kozena will become something of Popp's heir, while still being her own person. I hope so. But her musicality is not in question. Let's keep our ears open!

Average customer rating:

The American Boychoir - By Request

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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Average customer rating:

Solo Piano By Request
Bob Solone
Manufacturer: LMGKidsource Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

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General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000DC3Q0
Release Date: 2003-01-10

Tracks:

Slaughter on 10th Ave.
Summer of '42
Suite from Dr. Zhivago
Malaguena(Music From Spain)
You Must Believe in Spring
Windmills of Your Mind
Classical Gas
Just one of Those Things
MacArthur Park
Mama

Album Description

"Solo Piano-By Request" is a collection of well known songs, mixed with several obsure compostions, arranged by the gifted Chicago based pianist Bob Solone.

Average customer rating:

By Special Request

Manufacturer: Imaging Technologies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000CA3UH8
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Average customer rating:

By Popular Request
Erik Helm
Manufacturer: Erik Helm
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000CADQ7M
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Tracks:

Chariots of Fire
My Heart Will Go On (From Titanic)
Bring Him Home
Morning Has Broken
Wind Beneath My Wings
Beauty and the Beast
Memory
Whole New World
Theme from Missing
America the Beautiful

Average customer rating:

By Request

Manufacturer: Bandleader
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1999-06-15

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