Zeit

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Birth of Liquid Plejades

2. Nebulous Dawn

Disc: 2

1. Origin of Supernatural Probabilities

2. Zeit

Zeit,Tangerine Dream,Relativity,Electronic,New Age / Meditation,Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Zeit

Zeit

Rock Goes to College
Average customer rating:
Rock Goes to College
Bill Bruford
Manufacturer: Zeit Media Limited
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

BBC Rock Goes to College: Live 1979

The Acatama Experience

Close as You Get

Live at Montreux 2003

The Trio of Doom Live

ASIN: B000N3AWZC
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Tracks:

Sample And Hold
Beelzebub
Sahara Of Snow (Part 1)
Sahara Of Snow (Part 2)
Forever Until Sunday
Back To The Beginning
Adios A La Pasada (Goodbye To The Past)
5g

Description

This concert performance was recorded as part of a live television program aired in March 1979. Filmed as part of the BBC TV series Rock Goes To College at Oxford Polytechnic and features the line up of Bill Bruford (Drums) Jeff Berlin (Bass) Dave Stewart (Keyboards) and Annette Peacock (Vocals) playing material from the albums Feels Good To Me and One Of A Kind.

Average customer rating:

Bach- No Humbug!
A must get Bach CD

The Johann Sebastian Bach Collection

Manufacturer: American Gramaphone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Mozart Collection
The Handel Collection
John Rutter Collection
Essential Bach
25 Bach Favorites

ASIN: B0000005MJ
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Tracks:

Sinfonia - From Cantata 29
Aria (Contented Peace) - From Cantata No. 170
Bourree - From Suite 2 In B Minor For Flute And Strings
Badinerie - From Suite 2 In B Minor For Flute And Strings
When Thou'rt With Me
Harpsichord Concerto In E Major (1st Movement)
Sinfonia - From Cantata No. 156
Sheep May Safely Graze - From Cantata 208
Cantata No. 140: Zion Hears The Watchmen's Voices - From Cantata 140
Sonatina - From Cantata No.106
Concerto For Oboe & Violin In D Minor (2nd Movement)
We Hasten With Faltering, Yet Eager Footsteps - From Cantata No. 78
Sinfonia (Pastoral Symphony) - From The Christmas Oratorio
Air - From Suite 3 In D Major For Orchestra
Gavotte - From Suite No. 3 In D Major For Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Bach- No Humbug!.......2000-11-30

I really didn't know what kind of quality to expect from this CD. I bought it based strictly on the quality of other American Gramaphone music (Mannheim Steamroller to be specific). I was not disappointed in any way! If you're not sure what Bach to get, hesitate no more, this is a wonderful project.

A must get Bach CD.......2000-02-14

There are so many popular works written by Bach, that they could make a multi-disc set (Toccata and Fugue in D minor, "Air On The G String", "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites, etc., etc., etc.). There are many individual CDs that have their own collection of Bach's works. Some CDs are budget, some mid-priced, and some full-priced. If you are getting started on Bach (and, quite possibly, other kinds of classical music), you might wonder where to start.

Well, as for a full-priced Bach album, this American Gramaphone CD would be a great place to start. It's one fine collection of only some of his finest works on one CD. John Rutter and the City of London Sinfonia did a fine job of performing these works. The performances are brisk, which is pretty much how these works must've been performed during the Baroque period. By the sound of the orchestra, it must've contained modern instruments (which I mostly perfer over authentic). Although I was kind of dissappointed that the "Air from Suite #3 (a.k.a. 'Air On G String')" was a little too rushed. That's the only complaint I have about this CD. But that would NOT be enough to take a star away from the rating.

Tracks:

The Fairy Queen: Come All Ye Songsters
Oedipus: Music For A While
Pausanias: Sweeter Than Roses
Joshua: O Had I Jubal's Lyre
Bei der Wiege Op. 47 No. 6
Neue Liebe Op. 19a No. 4
Schlagende Herzen Op. 29 No. 2
Ich wollt' ein Strausslein binden Op. 68 No. 2
Sausle, liebe Myrte Op. 69 No. 3
Ridente la calma K. 152 (210a)
Das Veilchen K. 476
Un moto di gioia K. 579
Mandoline Op. 58 No. 1
Les Roses d'Ispahan Op. 39 No. 4
En Priere
Notre amour Op. 23 No. 2
Honor, Honor
His Name So Sweet
Witness
He's Got The Whole World In His Hand

Amazon.com

After years of being one of the foremost singers of light lyrics, Kathleen Battle, searching for challenging new musical expression, tackles the dramatic Mozart repertory. Blessed with one of our generation's prettiest soubrette voices, Battle breezes through the technical challenges of the Countess and Constanze, but sounds like a little girl trying on Mommy's shoes. She lacks the vocal variety and depth to successfully bring these pieces to life. Her renditions of the soubrette repertory, especially "Ruhe sanft," are Mozartfully graceful. In the Magic Flute excerpts she demonstrates that merely singing Mozart's written notes is enough to bring its beauty to life; practically all necessary expression is written into the musical lines. -- Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

The Best Battle Album........2007-02-10

I have most of Kathleen Battle's albums and must say this is my favorite. Her distinctive voice is crisp and sails effortlessly through the music, James Levine on the piano is fantastic and compliments her as if the two had been made for each other, the repitoire is expertly selected, and the recording is crystal clear. This is Battle in the prime of her career -- this is one of those albums you will find yourself coming back to.

Ah, Kathleen!.......2006-03-04

I have been looking to reacquire this album for forever!! It's great, and I love Kathleen's voice here.

I have to say, though, that the Amazon.com editorial review must have been written for another album, for neither 'Ruhe Sanft' nor anything from 'Die Zauberflote' is on this disc.

=^_^=

The greatest of recital albums, part 2.......2005-09-04

It's hard to simply repeat what someone else has written, but before I noticed the review above, I was going to say that this is the greatest vocal recital I've ever heard. It's a pleausre to be the second to voice that opinion.

Why is the editorial review about Mozart? Amazon nods.

The Magnificent Kathleen Battle Has Done It Again!!.......2002-03-04

Go Kathleen! I often dream of what music will sound like behind the Pearly Gates of Heaven-my dreams are no more, I have found what I've been searching for. Just push play and then be prepared for your body and soul to leave this earth behind. Believe me new and established fans-she IS that good.

From the first to the last track "La Battle" captivates and stuns her audience into a cult-like stupor. Indulge in Purcell's "Music for a While". After listening to a 30 second clip, I knew I needed this CD. She slowly and sensually lulls you with her perfected pronunciation. Her performance is like rich imported chocolate melting in your mouth. On Mendelssohn's "Neue Liebe" "La Battle" does an about face and speeds things up a bit. This tounge-twisting, finger-snapping performance is outstanding. Only a great opera Diva can handle such difficult piece of work, but as well all know, Kathleen never disappoints!

Kathleen masters Mozart's " Ridente la calma, Das Veilchen and Un moto di gioia". She paints such wonders with her voice that Monet must be rolling around in his grave. ;)
The 4 Spiritual at the end deserves only the utmost Praise. "Honor, Honor, His Name So Sweet, and Witness and He's Got the Whole World in His Hand". Check out her fantastically flawless super-HIGH notes! These songs are reason enough to get this CD.

I will forever be a Battle fan because of this recital. Thank you for making the Opera world a better place. We LOVE you Kathleen!

The greatest of recital albums!.......2002-01-16

Kathleen Battle In Concert has been a part of my classical listening experience for many, many years, and many, many repeated playings. Every time I play it, I feel real joy at hearing Kathleen Battle in the opening bars of Purcell's "Come All Ye Songsters."

Miss Battle brings a high level of musicality, an impeccable use of phrasing and some truly beatiful high notes to a wonderful mix of lighter art/love songs, and more serious, but very joyous gospel classics, as in her rendition of "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands."

Tracks:

Vorspiel zum 1. Auzfug - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Nun achte wohl und lass mich seh'n-Zum letzten Liebesmahle - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Vospiel zum 2. Aufzug-Die Zeit ist da - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Wie lachen ihm die Rossen der Wangan-Hier! Hier war das Tosen-Ihr schonen Kinder - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Und willst Du uns nicht schelton-Komm, komm, holder Knabe - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Sie beut dir heut' als Muttersegens letzen Gruss-Amfortas! Die Wunde - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Hilfe! Hilfe! Herbei! - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Vorspiel zum 3. Aufzug - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Du siehst, das ist nicht so - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Ich sah sie welken, die einst mir lachten - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Verwandlungsmusik-Geleiten wir im bergenden Schrein - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Hochsten Heiles Wunder - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Vospiel zum 1. Aufzug-Da zu dir der Heiland kam - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast
Halt, Meister! Nicht so geeilt! - Vienna State Opera Orch, Choir, & Cast

Tracks:

Was duffet Doch der Flieder - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Gut'n Abend, Meister - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Jerum! Jerum! Hallohallohe! - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Oha! Wollt mich beim Wahne fassen - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
So lang als Beckmesser lebt - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
dass mit Vergumst-Ist das erlaubt, so spat zur Nacht - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Vorspiel zum 3. Auzfug (fragment) - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Wahn! Wahn! Uberall Wahn!-Gruss Gott, mein junker - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Doch lasst dem Ruh'-Mein Freund, in holder Jugendzeit - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
O Sachs, mein Freud-Aha, da streicht die Lene schoon um's Haus-Ein Kind ward geboren - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Selig, wie die Sonne-Verwandlungsmusik - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Ach auf! Es nahet gen den Tag - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
sein Tochterlein, sein hochstes Gut-O saschs mein Freund! - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Das Lied, furwahr, ist nicht von mir - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast
Verachtet mit die Meister nicht - Vienna State Opera/Nurnberg Operahouse Choir & Cast

Customer Reviews:

Invaluable musical treasures!.......2005-12-20

The presence of these two giants of the conducting world reserve for you a journey through the time.

Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg is dated from September 1938 and Parsifal was recorded on April 1939 at the Wiener Staatsoper. Hans Sachs is Rudolf Bockelman and Veit Pogner is Josef von Manowarda; while in Parsifal Parsifal is Hans Grahl, Gurnemanz is Herbert Alsen, Kundry is Anny Konetzi and Klingsor is Hermann Wiedemann.

Go for this admirable collection whose historical importance will increase exponentially through the years.

Average customer rating:

Bag of tricks with a large hole
Great Mozart singing from early and late Schwarzkopf
Beautiful!!!
At The Top of Human Voice
Wonderful

Mozart: Lieder & Concert Arias

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Schubert: 24 Lieder
Great Recordings Of The Century - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta / Ackermann
The Very Best of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Strauss: Four Last Songs/12 Orchestral Songs
Mozart: Opera Arias

ASIN: B00005ONP2
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Tracks:

Ridente La Calma, K.152
Oiseaux, Si Tous Les Ans, K.307
Dans Un Bois Solitaire, K.308
Die Kleine Spinnerin, K.531
Als Luise Die Briefe, K.520
Abendempfindung, K.523
Das Kinderspiel, K.598
Dies Alte, K.517
Das Traumbild, K.530
Das Veilchen, K.476
Der Zauberer, K.472
Im Fruhlingsanfang, K.597
Das Lied Der Trennung, K.519
Die Zufriedenheit, K.349
An Chloe, K.524
Sehnsucht Nach Dem Fruhling, K.596
Ch'io Mi Scordi Di Te? K.505 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Alfred Brendel
Vado, Ma Dove? K.583
Alma Grande A Nobil Core, K.578
Nehmt Meinen Dank, K.383

Customer Reviews:

Bag of tricks with a large hole.......2006-10-19

Schwarzkopf never really learned to sing. She applies what always sounds like an untrained voice to music that she simply doesn't have the ability to sing in any complete manner. This remains true on this series of recordings in several languages which might as well all be German. She scoops, she employs straight tone, she approaches high notes as if she is trying to jump through a hoop held a little too high. When she allows her vibrato to appear on a held note her pitch sags. When she tries straight tone instead, her pitch swings sharp.

Schwarzkopf always sounds like the best singer in a local choral group who has learned enough vocal tricks to convince amateurs that she is a real diva. Her entire career is a testament to the gullibility of the general public. There are plenty of Mozart aria and lieder collections available . Listen to "Ridente la calma" by Lucia Popp or Barbara Bonney (clips available on this website) and then listen to Schwarzkopf again and you can readily hear what I am saying.

Great Mozart singing from early and late Schwarzkopf.......2006-07-13

In her prime, which ran roughly from 1952 to 1967, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was the most acclaimed lieder singer in the world, only surpassed perhaps by Fischer-Dieskau. This historical reissue combines one of her most famous recordings, 16 Mozart songs accompanied by the great Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer. The recording hasn't been out of EMI's catalog since the early Fifties, and here it reappears in an excellent remastering of the original mono sound that is lifelike and only a bit boxy.

The second half of the recital comes from 1967, a set of Mozart concert arias that ES made with George Szell as a follow-up to their bestselling Strauss Four Last Songs; there would also be a recording of Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs with Fischer-Dieskau that I am not so fond of. In any event, Schwarzkopf didn't retain quite enough voice to throw herself into these arias, but her innate musicality and the fact that Mozart lay perfectly on her voice makes up for any flaws here--just don't expect the young Kiri Te Kanawa. The obbligato piano part in K. 505 is played by Alfred Brendel, who remains a bit cautious, as does Szell, no doubt in deference to Schwarzkopf.

In all, the incomparable Mozart songs should be considered the main attraction, while the concert arias are a souvenir bonus for those of us who cherished Schwarzkopf as an indispensable artist.

Beautiful!!!.......2006-06-08

This is a great recording to have. Mozart lieder and arias are always beautiful and her singing -so clear and beautiful- makes them even more delightful. A must have!

At The Top of Human Voice.......2005-02-11

Schwarzkopf has got one of the most beautiful voice of the century. Almost all great musicians of her time flocked to accompany her either on the piano or with an orchestra. They included not only Geiseking here, but also Edwin Fischer and Furtwanglar just to name a few, and Glenn Gould admired her voice most amongst all classical singers.

Mozart is the biggest genius in the history of music; and Mozart's greatest achievement are his operas with all those beautiful and melodious bitter-sweet arias. Here with this CD with Schwarzkopf in her best, you will be introduced to one of the most beautiful peaks of the art of singing in human history.

Schubert's lieders are deservingly popular. But the more you listen to Mozart's lieders and arias like those on this CD, the more you will incline to think that the main reason why Schubert become more popular is, Mozart's arias, albeit more pleasing to the ears and soothing to our souls, are technically much more demanding, structurally or otherwise so that few singers could render them as perfect as Schwarzkopf.

The recorded sound of this CD is almost as perfect as any modern recording. For the piano accompaniment, however, all except one were by Geiseking, one of the few greatest German pianists who also excelled in Debussy. He enjoyed in his life time and thereafter such a big name (so much that even Martha Argerich desired and actually took lessons with him )! Yet unless you're really attracted to his playing, his role as an accompanist is really no more intriguing than Gerald Moore or even Parons. Needless to say, Brendel by then still under the wings of Edwin Fischer was in comparison to Geiseking, no more than a new boy. He was nevertheless shining here. It is also noteworthy that most of the arias here were recorded by Schwarzkopf in her very prime. In a nutshell, one can't expect more of this CD.

Wonderful.......2002-12-30

This album is certainly worth adding to one's personal collection. Schwarzkopf's voice is simply gorgeous. My personal favorites were Ridente la calma,Abendempfindung an Laura, and Im Frühlingsanfang ("Erwacht zum neuen Leben", Vado, ma dove? It is worth listening to again and again.

Average customer rating:

Wild Variations of Quality
Wonderful
A real winner with plenty of talent.

Masters of the Voice: Soprano

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Masters of the Voice: Tenor
Masters of the Keyboard
Masters of the Guitar
Masters of the Bow: Cello
Masters of the Trumpet

ASIN: B0002IQAR2
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Customer Reviews:

Wild Variations of Quality.......2006-12-15

While many selections on this disc are enjoyable, some are absolutely execrable. Leontyne Price's performance of "He shall feed his flock/Come unto him" from "Messiah" is almost unbearably embarrassing to listen to, as is Mirella Freni's horrible "O Mio Babbino Caro." Equally baffling is the choice of Renata Tebaldi's "Un bel di", when there are far better performances of it available. A late recording of Birgit Nilsson's "Komm, o Hoffnung" does not do justice either to her or to Beethoven. One wonders why there are multiple tracks of Joan Sutherland, Cheryl Studer, and Montserrat Caballe, yet equally fine singers such as Margaret Price, Luciana Serra, and Hildegard Behrens are unrepresented. Get a pair of earplugs before listening to June Anderson's off-pitch, shrill quacking, hooting, and shrieking rendition of "Glitter and Be Gay," surely a lowlight of the album.

Wonderful.......2006-07-31

I picked up this cd at the library and it just blew me away! What a great collection! I highly recommend it.

A real winner with plenty of talent........2004-10-06

This 2-CD selection from Deutsche Grammophon, "Masters of the Voce, Soprano" follows a review we did earlier on the "Masters" series for tenors in which we rated the tenor package a success. This offering succeeds on multiple levels as well and proves to be an equally enjoyable listen. DG has put together 30 popular and diverse arias that not only give us a good sampling of some of the finest opera music being performed, but provides a sampling of some of the greatest operatic talent to sing those arias. We state at the outset that when reviewing a CD selection such as this, we don't set out to review the talent; the performers are first in their class and need only be acknowledged. Their work is neither new nor novel here. Rather, it is in the way the package is put together that earns either praise or criticisms - and no other. And that's what we offer here. First, with regard to the technical aspects of the recording: it is as you would expect from a digital transfer - smooth, clear and even throughout. This is a major plus when you consider that the performances were all recorded under differing circumstances, with different orchestras and choruses. Next, there is the selection of music. This can be tricky if not done well, but it was done well here and as a result gives us a pleasurable listening experience that offers continuity - meaning you don't have to sit with a clicker in hand waiting for that one cut that just seems out of place. There's none of that here; it's an enjoyable listen throughout. Lastly, but certainly not least, and what elevates this selection is the diversity of truly superstar singers. Joan Sutherland's lyric beauty truly shines when singing Rossini's "Bel raggio lusinghier" from "Semiramide" and "Ah, je veux vivre" from Gounod's "Romeo & Juliet", and the "Bell Song" from Delibes "Lakme". And it isn't just Sutherland's delivery that gets our attention. Brigit Nilsson's dramatic power in "Battle Cry" from Wagner's "Die Walkure" raises the hair on the back of ones neck. They're all here: Cheryl Studer, Kathleen Battle, Leontyne Price, Renee Fleming, Mirella Freni, Renata Tabaldi, Angela Gheorghu and more. Throughout, "Masters of the Voice: Soprano" offers a nice cross section from the lyric coloratura to the dramatic soprano, and a solid display of technical expertise in the way that the music is blended such that this 2 CD set can be added to anyone's collection with assurance that it will be enjoyed and listed to for years to come - and why not, it's some of the best.

Alban Berg: Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel" (1935) / Wolfgang Rihm: "Time Chant" Music for Violin & Orchestra (1991-92) - Anne-Sophie Mutter

Average customer rating:

One of the greatest CDs Deutsche Grammophon has put out
Anne-Sophie Mutter Plays Berg
Absolutely, completely sublime!
A Breath of Fresh Air
Outstanding Berg with an unusual coupling

Alban Berg: Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel" (1935) / Wolfgang Rihm: "Time Chant" Music for Violin & Orchestra (1991-92) - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Alban Berg , Wolfgang Rihm , James Levine , Anne-Sophie Mutter , and Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Krzysztof Penderecki: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra No. 2 "Metamorphosen" (1992-95) / Béla Bartók: Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2, Sz 76 (1922) - Anne-Sophie Mutter / London Symphony Orchestra / Krzysztof Penderecki / Lambert Orkis
Jean Sibelius: Violinkonzert/Serenaden/Humoreske
Sur Le Meme Accord/Violin Concerto 2/Violin Concerto
Berg: Violin Concerto; Schoenberg: Piano Concerto; Violin Concerto
Previn: Violin Concerto; Bernstein: Serenade

ASIN: B000001GH9
Release Date: 1993-03-16

Tracks:

Violin Concerto 'To The Memory Of An Angel': I. Andante - Allegretto
Violin Concerto 'To The Memory Of An Angel': II. Allegro - Adagio
'Time Chant' Music For Violin And Orchestra: Beginning
'Time Chant' - Music For Violin And Orchestra: Bar 179

Amazon.com essential recording

Berg's Violin Concerto (1935) is considered by many the most accessible and emotionally engaging piece of music in the atonal idiom. His last completed work, the concerto was written as a memorial "to an angel" upon the premature death of Alma Mahler's daughter Manon Gropius. But as with all of Berg's oeuvre, an autobiography of the composer's inner life is also thoroughly woven into the score. From the deeply reflective nuances of its quiet opening, Anne-Sophie Mutter takes the listener into the heart of Berg's ambiguous lyricism. There's a keen grasp, both by soloist and conductor James Levine, of the work's intricate structure and progression, but never at the price of a coldly disengaged intellectualism. Mutter summons a marvelous array of shadings and colors, effecting a truly haunting impression as tonality makes its ghostlike apparition, first in the guise of a folk song and, in the final part--following a violent cataclysm rendered with fiery power--in the variations on a quote from a chorale by Bach. Throughout, Mutter's intuitive realization of the psychic journey traced by Berg reveals the work's significance as closer in spirit to a requiem of farewell than a traditional concerto.

Mutter's command of an animated tone that pulsates with expressive purpose inspired the contemporary German composer Wolfgang Rihm to write the other work on this disc, Gesungene Zeit ("Time Chant"). It's a mesmerizing neoexpressionist poem of shimmering, elongated string lines--later punctuated with dire eruptions from full orchestra--that seem to form an ether over which the soloist floats. Any sense of time measured in bars becomes negated as Mutter intones Siren-like threads of sound in the highest register. As with the Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2 and other contemporary works she champions, Mutter plays with a gripping immediacy that indeed makes Rihm's imaginative novelty seem tailor-made for her. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

One of the greatest CDs Deutsche Grammophon has put out.......2007-01-30

I've held off on reviewing this Deutsche Grammophon disc for a long time, since I didn't think I could add anything to the praise already lavished on it by the press and my fellow reviewers. Yet, it is the fate of reviewers to ultimately throw in their two cents in spite of all that has come before, so here follow my thoughts on these performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine, with Anne-Sophie Mutter on solo violin.

Alban Berg's "Violin Concerto" (1935), with the dedication "to the memory of an angel", seems to have finally entered the standard repertoire. Written after the death of the young Manon Gropius, daughter of Alma Mahler-Werfel and Walter Gropius, it is a work of constant elegy sometimes tempered with praise of a beautiful young soul, but at other times giving in to the darkest feelings of mourning and catastrophe. Like in all his work, Berg uses the twelve-tone system inherited from his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, but with strong echoes of traditional harmony. Romanticism is abundant in this work too often considered undesirably "modernist"; it opens with the lushest sounds of clarinet and harp, moves towards the softest touches of strings, and ultimately roars thundering crescendos pregnant with meaning. While the violin is sometimes a sort of protagonist, representing the bloom of youth held down by Fate, often the work is intensely directing us to higher themes outside of the ensemble itself.

Since Berg left the door open to traditional harmony, he brings in two objets trouvees that link the work to a long tradition before it. The most readily noticeable is Bach's chorale "Es ist genug", variations on which provide the basis of the second movement. Another is a Carinthian folk song Berg knew in his youth, when he had an illegitimate child with a family maid, giving the concerto a "secret programme". This being 2007, when film music has gone to much greater extremes of "dissonance" than Berg ever approached, the harmonies of the concerto will seem pleasing and elegant to all but the most conservative of classical listeners.

There are, of course, many other performances of Berg's concerto out there. But several things set this apart. For one, the digital sound quality is superb, bringing a clarity to a piece too often heard in primitive recordings. And it was recorded after examination of the original sketches in the 1980s revealed that a key part of the work was muddled in the published score. Finally, there is Mutter's technique itself. While she has now grown rather stale and trite, at this time the violinist was at the height of her powers, and this performance is simple flawless.

The second piece on the disc is Wolfgang Rihm's "Time Chant" (1991-92). Here the violin is meant to exhibit nearly vocal characteristics, and when the small orchestra contributes, it is only in the role of filling out a line that is, as Rihm, claims, "in essence monophonic". The writing for the violin hovers in the heights of its range, playing crystalline sounds in the longest durations. This is actually something unusual for Rihm, as his music is often concerned with movement and energy--see JAGDEN UND FORMEN in DG's "20/21" series for an excellent work in this vein. Here Rihm amost approaches Alexander Knaifel in the light purity of the writing. I enjoy it immensely, especially played on a top-of-the-line stereo where its fragile beauty shines through, but I'd certainly recommend that people look elsewhere for an introduction to Rihm.

This disc is one of the greatest achievements on the CD. It commands so much respect and demand that 15 years after its release, it still has not been lowered to mid-price. It deserves a place in your collection, and the music will undoubtedly find itself a place in your heart as well.

Anne-Sophie Mutter Plays Berg.......2005-11-02

Alban Berg (1885 -- 1935) composed his violin concerto as a requiem for a young woman, Manon Gropius, but the work effectively became Berg's own requiem as well. It is Berg's last completed score, written in 1935. This is passionate, emotive music which staddles the bounds between atonality and musical romanticism. The performance by Anne-Sophie Mutter and James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, recorded in 1992,is justly celebrated. This is an ideal introduction to Berg and to his masterful violin concerto. This is difficult music, make no mistake. The new listerner should stay with it, as the violin concerto will reward many hearings.

I used the discussion of this work in Michael Steinberg's book, "The Concerto," (1998) as a guide to my listening. Steinberg writes with great enthusiasm for Berg's concerto and gives the reader a good, brief introduction to Berg and his work. The violin concerto is a hermetic work. That is, the concerto is filled with allusions to Berg's love life, to affairs both late in his life and to an affair he had as a young man. The work also shows Berg's fascination with secrecy and with numerology. He followed certain pseudo-science of his day in thinking that the number 23 had some mystical significance for the life-rhythm while the number 28 had significance for women. This thinking, and other beliefs in lucky numbers and the like are built into Berg's score.

But of the music were only a code to be deciphered, it would not be of much interest. The emotion and force of the violin concerto drew me in and will make the work live for other listeners as well. The work is in two movements, each of which has two parts. The first movement opens slowly and elegaically with a quiet figure in the harp, followed shortly by an ascending 12-tone figure for the violin. The second part of the music is more rapid in tempo and develops nostagically an old folk-song -- in Berg's case, perhaps, to remind him of a love affair he had when young, the memory of which remained with him through life.

The second movement opens with a violently dissonant passage that speaks of calamity and loss. The second part of the movement, though, is a response and an answer to deep sorrow. It develops a chorale theme from a Bach cantata, "Es ist Genug" through a combination of Bach's harmonies and Berg's own. The chorale goes through a number of variations and moods ranging from a rememberance of love and passion to quiet acceptance and resignation. The work fades away with only the solo violin remaining at the end. The solo and the orchestral writing are deeply intertwined in this concerto.

It may be a shame that Wolfgang Rihm's "Time Chant: Music for Violin and Orchestra" is the companion piece on this CD. It seemed to me a thoughtful work, but it pales in comparison with the Berg. Rihm is a prolific contemporary German composer, and he wrote this work for Anne-Sophie Mutter. This was my first exposure to his music. The "Time Chant" is in two movements, both of which feature the violin playing declamatory passages at the top of its register punctuated on occasion by orchestral outbursts. The work shimmers and has the quality of a chant but functions mostly as a showpiece for Ms. Mutter's formidable technique. There are some striking passages for the violin but they are surrounded by musical moments in which not much happens.

The Mutter-Levine reading of Berg's concerto is more than enough reason to hear this CD with Rihm's work an intriguing addition. This disk offers an outstanding opportunity to get to know one of the great masterpieces of Twentieth Century music.

Robin Friedman

Absolutely, completely sublime!.......2004-02-16

I have long put off writing this review because I was afraid my puny words could not match this recording, which is one of the very finest in my collection of 3,000+ classical CDs. I have about a dozen recordings of this work, as it's my favorite violin concerto (sorry, Beethoven), but this reading is in a league of its own: the only comparable recording is the famous Krasner/Webern, which was only the second performance of the work ever. (The work was written for Krasner...see post script.)

Mutter and Levine are both on a very, very high level here, and the consistency is astonishing as well. Levine never holds back--the fortissimo climaxes in the second movement that represent the physical agony of 18-year-old Manon Gropius are truly hair-raising. (Some conductors perform this with more head than heart, but this is very emotional music and the emotional content should not be downplayed.) As someone else pointed out, Mutter give less vibrato than most in the Corinthian folksong, but the result is haunting, and here she was not abusing this technique, as I feel she now often does. Mutter was far more emotional and connected more with her audience, to my ears, in 1992 than she does today. I would not be interested in hearing what she does with this work now, sad to say, because I think she would turn it more into a vehicle for her technique than an exploration of the work.

But in 1992 Mutter was not yet "Anne Sophie Mutter," and instead she uses her magnificent control over the colors of her violin to imply the evolution of Manon's life, consciousness and illness. Although the grief is already present when we begin, there are also many light and airy moments in the first movement that make the grief feel more like freshadowing. In the second movement the illness is already fully present, and we hear what can only be the wracking pain of the illness. Her violin thus sounds, if not weak, at least subdued and drained when the Bach Chorale enters. But the most astonishing effect is saved for last: as the final bars play, the Corinthian theme is heard again, seemingly as Manon's last statement, and Mutter somehow gives her tone here an eerie "disembodied" quality, as though Manon is departing from this earth. It's not the colorless vibratoless approach that she overuses nowadays, but something very special. I must go back and check my Krasner recording to see if he did it. Then Levine brings the orchestra in for the fattest, warmest chords of all as we feel Manon has ended her suffering.

I am aware that we now know this masterpiece has multiple interpretations, and Berg apparently had more than one woman in mind when he wrote the work (the concerto is filled with various numerical mysticisms), but at the same time, we don't know who those other women were or what the rest of the "program" was, so I have a feeling Mutter and Levine took the Gropius story as their reference point, as one has to pick something as a focus. Agreed the trombones can't do that glissando from Bb to Eb in the second movement properly, but I am so wrapped up in the music that I just don't care!

Through all this there is an effortless quality that I have never heard in any other recording of this concerto, save possibly the Krasner. (It's hard to tell--the sound is very poor in spots.) Not a gesture is wasted; there is no loss of momentum, not even for a second. Mutter and Levine know exactly where they are going, and the result is one of the greatest orchestral recordings in the catalog, both a sonic tour-de-force and a tender elegy, a modernist work and a deeply Romantic piece filled with the echoes of 19th century Europe. The breadth they achieve is surpassed only by how they manage to unify it all. The Berg is so overwhelming a work that each time I put it on, I am in no mood to play the Rihm that comes after it, as it would have to be anticlimactic, and so I have to confess I have never listened it. Someday I must evaluate that work separately.

(Post script: I've recently found out that Louis Krasner, a couple of years ago in the New York Times, praised this recording as one of the very best. So if you don't believe me, take *his* word for it!)

A Breath of Fresh Air.......2003-05-18

Sometimes it takes going to a live performance of a work that is familiar to you on recording to make you revisit an old friend with renewed passion. So it was after hearing the astonishingly fine young violinist Jennifer Frautschi collaborate with Pierre Boulez and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Berg Viloin Concerto that I returned to this brilliant recording of the Berg with Anne-Sophie Mutter, James Levine, and the Chicago Symphony to revive those moments. And once again this recording seems definitive. Berg's Requiem work is knowingly and lovingly performed with a richness of tone and technique that erases all of the seeming hurdles of atonal writing and delivers a wrenchingly passionate farewell work. The other joy of this particular recording is the coupling of Wolfgang Rihm's "Time Chant" which he wrote for violinist Mutter. This lyrically transcendent piece is evocative of the best of Messian and more than any other violin work to my knowledge succeeds in creating the illusion that the violin is a human voice, singing over a murmuring, pensive orchestral obbligato. Mutter masters this and the result is hair-raisingly beautiful. This is a very solid and very beautiful recording - and one that even the most harsh critic of atonal and contemporary music will succomb to in time.

Outstanding Berg with an unusual coupling.......2002-11-08

Anne-Sophie Mutter is one of the world's leading violinists, and this transcendent performance of the haunting Berg Violin Concerto shows why. With a gorgeous tone, she is in total command of the score's many expressive details, while keeping an eye on the larger structure. The overall impression is of quiet intimacy, even when the piece erupts into more blazing outbursts. The Rihm "Time Chant," written for Mutter, creates a vivid sound world and is also a fascinating complement to the Berg. Rihm is one of the most interesting composers around, and this piece, also on the quiet side, is an excellent introduction to his work.

James Levine is outstanding with Berg, as his glowing performances of "Wozzeck" and "Lulu" have shown. In his hands, this basically atonal score sounds more related to Richard Strauss or even Brahms. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays with its typically high level of virtuosity (such pianissimos!) and the recording is clear and natural-sounding.

Tracks:

I. Sinfonia
I. Versus 1. Christ Lag In Todes Banden. Allegro - Alla Breve
II. Versus 2. Den Tod Niemand Zwingen Kunnt
III. Versus 3. Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn. (Allegro) - Adagio - Allegro
IV. Versus 4. Es War Ein Wunderlicher Krieg
V. Versus 5. Hie Ist Das Rechte Osterlamm
VI. Versus 6. So Feiren Wir Das Hohe Fest
VII. Versus 7. Chorale. Wir Essen Und Leben Wohl
I. Sinfonia. Aus Der Tiefen Rufe Ich, Herr, Zu Dir. Lente (Adagio)
I. Herr, Hore Meine Stimme. Vivace
II. So Du Willt, Herr, Sunde Zurechnen. Andante
III. Ich Harre Des Herrn. Adagio - Largo - Adagio
IV. Meine Seele Wartet Auf Den Herrn
V. Israel, Hoffe Auf Den Herrn. Adagio - Un Poc'allegro - Adagio - Allegro - Adagio
I. Sonatina. Molto Adagio
IIA. Gottes Zeit Ist Die Allerbeste Zeit. - Allegro - Adagio Assai
IIB. Ach, Herr, Lehre Uns Bedenken. Lento
IIC. Bestelle Dein Haus. Vivace
IID. Es Ist Der Alte Bund. Andante
IIIA. In Deine Hande Befehl Ich Meinen Geist
IIIB. Heute Wirst Du Mit Mir Im Paradies Sein
IV. Glorie, Lob, Ehr Und Herrlichkeit. - Allegro
I. Sinfonia
II. Der Herr Denket An Uns Und Segnet Uns
III. Er Segnet, Die Den Herrn Furchten
IV. Der Herr Segne Euch Je Mehr Und Mehr
V. Chorus. Ihr Seid Die Gesegneten Des Herrn

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher early music fan.......2005-12-21

The 4 cantatas performed on this disc were all composed in 1707-08,when Bach was in the first flush of youth, in his early 20's. He was writing cantatas for every Sunday service and at the same time was organist and choirmaster at a church in Muhlhausen. In Bach's day the 4 soloists would have been members of the small chorus; in this recorded performance the soloists serve, together, as the chorus. In the end, we have to say that Bach wrote his most sublime music for the church; but most important, his writings have a spiritual power, a solid strength and sincerity that cannot be traced to technique, but to the inspiration of pure genius. And the 4 soloists on this disc bring out very clearly his greatness!!!!There are quartets, duets, trios and solos all accompanied expertly by the Purcell Quartet. In addition we have recorders, oboe and bassoon to add to the overall instrumental "color". Some of the high points for me: "In deine Hande.." Michael Chance (countertenor solo);"Den Tod....." Emma Kirkby & Chance duet. It's all great music and a must if you are an Early Music fan!

Average customer rating:

A Fundamental
Die Orgelwerke Buxtehudes minus 2

Buxtehude: Complete Organ Music

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Complete Organ Works
Buxtehude: Harpsichord Works
Franck: Complete Organ Works
Mendelssohn: Organ Sonatas Nos. 1 - 6, Op. 65
Carlos Chávez: The Complete Symphonies

ASIN: B0006SSNIW
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Customer Reviews:

A Fundamental.......2007-03-29

Not always have we got a clear notion as to the extent in which Buxtehude influenced the work of J.S. Bach. Neither is a Buxtehude's full collection available in just one album at such an accesible price. This is an impeccable remasterisation of a celebrated performance of Walter Kraft on the Lubeck Cathedral organ: an instrument very similar to those Buxtehude wrote for.

Die Orgelwerke Buxtehudes minus 2.......2006-07-07

This is by far (with the exception of the set performed by Harald Vogel) the best recording of Buxtehude's complete output for Organ. With two exceptions (not included in this recording are the Praeludium C-Dur BuxWV 138 and the Kanzonette a-Moll BuxWV 225), Walter Kraft here records the entire opus for Organ of his illustrious predecessor at the post of Organist and the Marienkirche zu Luebeck--the Danish/German Organist Dietrich Buxtehude.

Average customer rating:

The best album by this group
It's The Summer of '05
Excellent
"A Message Sent By Maschines Of Time..."
Sold me...

Maschine Zeit
Funker Vogt
Manufacturer: Metropolis Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Praise the Fallen
Antikörper
Rosenrot
Year Zero

ASIN: B00004TDXX
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Sins
Gunman
Black Market Dealers
Maschine Zeit
Nuclear Winter
Under Deck
Cold War
Journey
Nothing to Include
Last
Zeit

Customer Reviews:

The best album by this group.......2007-04-28

I love this album! Dont understand why folks find it not as good as their other works. Funker voght rocks!

It's The Summer of '05.......2005-08-03

Ahhh....this takes me back. I can't believe it's been five years already!!

Excellent!! This is one of my all-time favorite ebm/industrial listens and is my favorite Funker Vogt. I love to play UT04 to these tunes - very mechanical/industrial sounding with a hint of wartime angst - gotta love it! I would say my favorite track is track 11: Zeit - it's a slow tune, but very moving...

Some people love it, some hate it. If you like Front Line Assembly, you might like this one.

Excellent.......2004-05-25

Simply excellent. I can't say I'm a particular fan of industrial music (I'm kind-of like all music-styles, except for modern pop), but this is simply... great. The stamping beats, the wonderful melodies, and the lyrics which delivers the dark theme of war and destruction. In particular, the song "Maschine Zeit" is extremely good.

"A Message Sent By Maschines Of Time...".......2003-02-06

A CLASSIC. This is Funker Vogt's signature album. It is the amalgamut of ideas and structures they were building up to. Albeit less aggro than the past efforts it is ear candy nonetheless. Solid EBM. This one plays on my system quite often and if you get a chance to own the import...it comes with cd rom content as well as the bonus track "Horizon". Check this one out first! Faves: "Maschine Zeit", "Nuclear Winter", "Cold", "Nothing To Include", and "Horizon".

Sold me..........2002-05-14

jebus...and people say this CD blew? sheesh! i heard a few of their songs on some internet radio. one being Body Count, and another being Tragic Hero. i loved what i heard so much that i bought this cd.

its my favorite cd. and im a devoted fan of FV now. im contemplating buy both T and Killing Time Again.

not many bands or songs become number one with me. but if anyone ever asked me what my favorite band was...well, i think you know the answer to that.

this CD sold me. god, i love these guys.

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