Sol

Track Listings
 
1. Three Faces
2. The Seventh Window
3. Spirit of the Canyons
4. Sedona Sunset
5. Riptide
6. Almost Home
7. S.F. '54
8. The Enchantress
9. Flat Five with a Twist
10. Edge of Time
11. Da Vinci's Dream

Editorial Reviews
Paul Conley, Capital Public Radio, February 3. 2005
"The production value is marvelous. Sonically speaking it's fun to listen to, with the many overlapping layers of instruments."

Product Description
Sol is a "modern instrumental" featuring layers of guitars, keyboards, acoustic drums and percussion that effortlessly shift keys, meter and tempos. Each tune is a mystical journey into evocative soundscapes. The album combines the best of jazz fusion, new ages and rock into an incredible listening experience.

Sol

Sol,Eclectic Cafe,F&M,Jazz,Modern instrumental music that blends the best elements of jazz, fusion, latin and rock.,New Age


Sol

Sol
The Very Best of Beverly Sills
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Here's what the fuss was all about!
  • Beverly Sills - The Best
  • Beverly Sills' highs are breathtaking!
  • THE 2005 OPERA CD OF THE YEAR
  • EMI Does It Again: Beverly Sills - A Tribute
The Very Best of Beverly Sills

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by DonizettiAll Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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All Works by RossiniAll Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Sills, BeverlySills, Beverly | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Great Recordings
  2. Beverly Sills: Made in America
  3. Art of Beverly
  4. Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)
  5. Verdi: La Traviata / Sills, Gedda, Panerai; Ceccato

ASIN: B0006VYELE
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

  1. Una Voce Poco Fa - Sherrill Milnes
  2. Dunque Io Son - Sherrill Milnes
  3. Contro Un Cor - Sherrill Milnes
  4. Ah, Qual Colpo Inaspetatto! - Sherrill Milnes
  5. E Il Sol Dell'anima... Addio! Speranza Ed Anima - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  6. Gualtier Malde... Caro Nome - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  7. Tutte Le Feste Al Tempio... Compiuto Pur Quanto... Si, Vendetta - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  8. V'ho Ingannato... Lassu In Cielo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  9. Quel Guardo Il Cavaliere... So Anch'io La Virtu Magica - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  10. Pronta Io Son... Vado, Corro - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  11. Via, Caro Sposino - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  12. Tornami A Dir Che M'ami - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  13. La Morale In Tutto Questo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus

Tracks:

  1. Vilia - Beverly Sills
  2. Ah! Je Suis Seule... Dis-Moi Que Je Suis Belle - Beverly Sills
  3. Cielo! Che Diverro?... Si, ferite... Dal Soggiorno... Ah! Che Spiegar - Beverly Sills
  4. Libiamo Ne' Lieti Calici - John Alldis Choir
  5. Un Di Felice, Eterea - John Alldis Choir
  6. E Strano... Ah, Fors'e Lui... Follie! Follie!... Sempre Libera - John Alldis Choir
  7. Pura Siccome Un Angelo... Ah! Dite Alla Giovine - John Alldis Choir
  8. Che Fai? - John Alldis Choir
  9. Addio Del Passato - John Alldis Choir
  10. Parigi, O Cara - John Alldis Choir

Amazon.com

Beverly Sills hardly needs an introduction. She sang on the radio as a child and on the operatic stage as a teenager; her meteoric international career was launched by appearances in several virtually unknown bel canto operas at the New York City Opera. This compilation of arias and ensembles from some of her signature roles, recorded in the 1970s, with splendid partners like Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, and Sherrill Milnes, displays her unique vocal and dramatic artistry at its peak. Her voice, effortlessly produced over an enormous range, is bright, pure, infinitely variable in color, inflection and intensity. Her intonation is impeccable even in huge leaps, and her breath is endless. The coloratura roulades are like strings of perfect, luminous pearls, clearly articulated in seamless legato. But this stunning technique (whose only flaw is a sometimes wide, wobbly vibrato) is never used for show; every note has life and expression, serving the music and the dramatic situation. Indeed, her characters are flesh-and-blood human beings, whose thoughts, emotions and interactions, from inwardness to ecstasy, from lamentation to overflowing joy, she projects with riveting concentration. Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville is a charming, mischievous minx who succumbs to delighted tenderness; Pamira's great scene from his Siege of Corinth shows clearly why her Metropolitan Opera debut in that role was a sensation. In Verdi's Rigoletto, Gilda's hopeful innocence turns into hopeless despair: she dies, palpably, on a floating, celestial pianissimo. In his La traviata, Violetta's initial cool, hesitant restraint gradually melts as she opens herself (and her voice) to Alfredo's ardor and the bliss of love. The vocal balance in their final duet is uncanny; its tremulous tenderness in the shadow of death breaks the heart, as does her duet with Germont. Massenet's Thais is sensuous; Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Lehár's The Merry Widow provide comic relief. --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Here's what the fuss was all about!.......2007-07-17

It would have been even better if they had included at least one Cleopatra aria and something from Baby Doe, but it doesn't really matter, because this collection will allow younger listeners especially to hear what the fuss was all about! There are moments listening to Sills, especially from Traviata or Manon, that are so beautifully sung and so genuine that they are heartbreaking. I feel so fortunate to have heard her Queen of the Night, Manon, Violetta, and Baby Doe. She was so generous as a performer and as a humanitarian, and she really brought opera into the American mainstream.

5 out of 5 stars Beverly Sills - The Best.......2007-04-01

What a voice. No coloratura can compare, and she makes it seem so easy.

5 out of 5 stars Beverly Sills' highs are breathtaking!.......2006-09-18

Adio del Passato is incredible! Beverly's high, floating coloratura is no less than ethereal which takes you to another world. Her voice has given me so much joy that it is hard to say one recording is better than another because I love her Mozart album equally with her Bellini/Donizetti. It is so wonderful to have these recordings captured on CD! Enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars THE 2005 OPERA CD OF THE YEAR.......2006-08-19

THIS CD WAS THE BEST OPERA CD ISSUED LAST YEAR, AND HAS CAUGHT THE WORLD'S EAR IN NO TIME. I WAS BUSY WRITING IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, WHILE THE STATEOWNED FM RADIOSTATION, DEDICATED TO CULTURE, WAS SOFTLY PLAYING OPERA ARIAS IN THE BACKGROUND. SUDDENLY I HEARD THE MOST FANTASTIC RENDERING OF "SEMPRE LIBERA" FROM "LA TRAVIATA". I GOT UP, SAT BY THE RADIO AND WAITED TO KNOW WHO WAS SINGING... THEN GOT BACK TO THE COMPUTER TO ORDER THIS CD FROM AMAZON! INCREDIBLE: ONLY 17 BUCKS FOR THIS, WHILE QUITE A BIT OF TRASH IS SOLD FOR 30.40 AND MORE...
A LADY FRIEND ONCE TOLD ME SHE COULD NOT LISTEN TO THE DUET IN "MADAMA BUTTERFLY" WITH MIRELLA FRENI AND LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (RECORDED IN 1974, BY VON KARAJAN) WITHOUT CRYING. WELL, YOU CANNOT LISTEN TO SILLS IN "LA TRAVIATA" DRY-EYED, NO MATTER WHO THE TENOR IS. SHE PROJECTS THE SAME DRAMATIC FEELING OF "LA DIVINA" CALLAS WITHOUT THOSE SHRIEKED HIGHNOTES; SHE OFFERS THE SAME COLORATURA VOCAL GYMNASTICS AS "LA STUPENDA" SUTHERLAND BUT WITH WARMTH... WHEN BEVERLY SANG, AS IN EVERYTHING ELSE SHE DID, SHE ALWAYS GAVE HER UTMOST. SHE WAS "LA GENEROSA" TO BE SURE.
DON'T JUST SIT THERE READING WHAT OTHERS THINK.
ORDER THIS CD NOW AND MARVEL AT HOW THIS GREAT AMERICAN LADY, IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS, ALSO COULD SING!

5 out of 5 stars EMI Does It Again: Beverly Sills - A Tribute.......2005-07-22

EMI's "Very Best Of" series are perfect introductions to operatic singers of the 20th century. Once you hear these artist tribute albums (much like The Singers series) you will get hooked on the singer and seek out their full-length studio recordings. Beverly Sills was the first truly famous American opera star. One may argue that she was not, that she was merely a continued tradition of American divas such as Mary Garden and Lily Pons and which still continues today with Renee Fleming, Elizabeth Futral and Susan Graham. Beverly was raised in New York City, which is still her home, and which is the home of the New York City Opera and the Met, opera houses which rocketed her to fame. Her first success (not featured in this recording...UH WHY ?) was Cleopatra of Handel's Julius Caesar, a performance she sang opposite the illustrious baritone Norman Treigle. Those performances were legendary because coincidentally at the same time the Met was opening its new theatre and season with what became a disastrous Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra starring Leontyne Price in an overblown, big-budget, epic fiasco. The great roles that followed the 1965 Cleopatra were Manon, Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Deveraux, Maria Stuarda and Anna Bolena in the Donizetti Tudor Queen operas, Pamira in The Siege of Corinth (which were Sill's La Scala and belated Met debut. None of the Queens are featured in this recording, though its supposedly the Very Best Of. An aria from Rossini's Siege of Corinth is featured here however. What we are treated to however are fine lyric roles- Beverly Sills shone brightly and acted convincingly as Gilda in Rigoletto (the final scene is featured here) as Violetta in La Traviata, Thais, The Merry Widow (the beautiful Vilja is featured here)and the ingenue role of Norina in Don Pasquale is also showcased here. To each of these roles, Beverly Sills delivered an authenticity and dramatic interpretation, not ot mention beautiful, sweet tone. I love her pianissimos, her high notes, her chest register. It was the voice of Beverly Sills who first hooked me into opera. For a recording that should showcase her best work, Manon is not featured nor any of her prized French heroines- Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment and the heroines in Tales of Hoffman. Also not in here is the role that was her first success- the Broadway opera Ballad of Baby Doe. Even as such, the arias here are gorgeous. The Barber of Seville is in here and as Rosina she is playful and charming. Sills was a modern singer, with a voice that was beautiful but willing to sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic content. When Sills was once asked what she thought of the supposed rivalry with Joan Sutherland (which was never real and only gossip from partisan fans) Beverly said something to this effect -Joan and I are apples and oranges in our take on opera, we are Picasso and Monet. She would do anything for the effect of beauty and tone, I'd sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic text. Even as such, I see no ugliness to any of the roles here. All of them are beautiful to hear, full of rich floating celestial tones. It would have been nice to hear the roles that did call for Sills to step up the tense drama - Norma, will her recording ever be reissued by EMI ? Also, few people know that Beverly Sills sung role most would consider dangerous for her voice (though she sang them long before her career even took off)- Aida and Carmen!!
The Most Famous Opera Duets
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Can't go wrong
  • Most Famous???
  • Only one song knew well
  • The Most Famous Opera Duets
  • Good selection of opera highlights
The Most Famous Opera Duets

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  5. Rapture: Opera's Most Heavenly Moments

ASIN: B000002SCA
Release Date: 1994-04-12

Tracks:

  1. Les Peurs des perles Act 1 - Au fond du temple saint
  2. Madama Butterfly Act 1- Vogliatemi bene, un bene piccolino
  3. Le Nozze di Figaro Act III - Sull'aria - Le Nozze di Figaro
  4. La Traviata Act I - Un di, felice, eterea
  5. Lucia Di Lammermoor Act I - Ah! Verranna a te sull'aure
  6. Tristan und Isolde Act II - O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe
  7. Carmen Act I - Parle-moi de m
  8. Die ZauberflAct I - Bei Mern, welche Liebe F
  9. Lakmct I - Viens, Mallika
  10. Rigoletto Act I - il sol dell'anima
  11. Der Rosenkavalier Act II - Mir ist die Ehre wilderfahren
  12. Don Giovanni Act I - Li darem la mano
  13. La Boh Act IV - O Mimi, tu pi torni
  14. Il Trovatore Act IV - Miserere...Quel suon, quelle preci

Amazon.com

This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine Trovatore "Miserere" (with Leontyne Price and Franco Bonisolli singing up a storm). There are many others, too--a veritable cornucopia of couplings--and a treat for the opera lover. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong.......2007-07-14

This is a really great CD for the price. It has many of the famous Arias on it and although the singers may not be the best out there they are certainly very good. This is cheaper than the price of a take away lunch; you can't go wrong with this CD.

3 out of 5 stars Most Famous???.......2007-05-14

The title of this cd is misleading and I found myself wondering whose list did they use. That is not to say that there aren't some real treasures included here. The duet from Lakme is lovely in every way, Mady Mesple in particular, very beautful and very french, and far superior to Sutherlands hooty approach. Scotto and Bergonzi are superb, the Tristan and Isolde of Vickers and Dernesch truly other worldly, and the presentation of the rose duet with the young Ludwig and the astonishing Teresa Stich- Randell had me playing it over and over and I still can't believe it, but the most famous??? This cd is definitly worth buying, and I hated giving it only 3 stars but if you're talking most famous you could fill a couple of cd's with Puccini, not to mention Verdi, Mozart, etc. before Bizet's Les Pecheurs des perles, beautiful as it is, made the most famous list.

3 out of 5 stars Only one song knew well.......2007-05-14

I should have done more research. The last song is the only one I could easily recognize. Live and learn.

5 out of 5 stars The Most Famous Opera Duets.......2007-01-05

This seller truly makes a purchaser confident in the product as well the time in which is promised.

Thanks again!!!!!

5 out of 5 stars Good selection of opera highlights.......2006-11-04

Super performances by famous opera artists of the 20th century, most of them no longer performing and some of them deceased. I enjoy having their voices available at home.
Instruments of the Orchestra
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
  • Beginner or Expert
  • Very Informative and Enjoyable
  • Frank's view
  • Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra
Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

  1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
  3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
  4. Hungarian Dance No.7
  5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
  6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
  7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
  8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
  9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
  10. Csardas Music
  11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
  12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
  13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
  14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
  15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
  16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
  17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
  18. Tzigane
  19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
  20. Caprice No.24
  21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
  22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
  23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
  24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
  25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
  26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
  27. The Violin Muted
  28. Clair De Lune
  29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
  30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
  31. The Pizzicato Violin
  32. Pizzicato Polka
  33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
  34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
  35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
  36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
  37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
  38. Hungarian Dance No.4
  39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
  40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
  41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
  42. Bolero
  43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
  44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
  45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
  46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
  47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
  48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
  49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
  50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
  52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
  53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
  54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
  55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
  56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
  57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
  58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
  60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
  61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
  62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
  63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
  64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
  65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
  66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
  67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

  1. Introduction To The Viola
  2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
  3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
  4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
  5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
  6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
  7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
  8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
  9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
  10. Cypresses (No.9)
  11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
  12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
  13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
  14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
  15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
  16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
  17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
  18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
  19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
  20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
  21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
  22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
  23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
  24. Elfentanz, Op.39
  25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
  26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
  27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
  28. Flamenco
  29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
  30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
  31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
  32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
  33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
  34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
  35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
  37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
  38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
  39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
  40. Capriccio Di Bravura
  41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
  42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
  43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

  1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
  2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
  3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
  4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
  5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
  6. Sa'Dawi
  7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
  8. Chamber Music No.II
  9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
  10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
  11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
  12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
  13. A Variety Of Techniques
  14. Chamber Music No.II
  15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
  16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
  17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
  18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
  19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
  20. Naelden, Naelden
  21. The Bachian Oboe
  22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
  23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
  24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
  25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
  26. The Swan Of Tuonela
  27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
  28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
  29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
  30. Bolero
  31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
  32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
  33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
  34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
  35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
  36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
  37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
  38. ...And Quite Low.
  39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
  40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
  41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
  43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  44. Introduction To The Saxophone
  45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
  46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
  47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
  48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
  49. Bolero
  50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
  52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
  53. Sax-O-Phun
  54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
  55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
  56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
  57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
  58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
  59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
  60. Bolero
  61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
  62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
  63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
  64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
  65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
  66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
  67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
  68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
  69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
  70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
  72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
  73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
  74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
  75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
  76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
  2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
  3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
  4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
  5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
  6. Fanfare For The Common Man
  7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
  8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
  9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
  10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
  11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
  12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
  13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
  14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
  15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
  16. Billy The Kid
  17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
  18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
  19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
  20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
  21. The Birth Of The Trombone
  22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
  23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
  24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
  25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
  26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
  27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
  28. Hosannah
  29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
  30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
  33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
  34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
  35. The Horn And The Hunt
  36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
  37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
  38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
  39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
  40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
  41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
  42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
  43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
  44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
  45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
  46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
  47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
  48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
  49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
  50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

  1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
  2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
  3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
  4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
  5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
  6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
  7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
  8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
  9. Den Hoboecken Dans
  10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
  11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
  13. Gymnopedie No.2
  14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
  15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
  16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
  17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
  18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
  19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
  20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
  21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
  22. The Birth Of The Bongo
  23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
  24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
  25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
  26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
  27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
  28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
  29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
  30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
  31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
  32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
  33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
  34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
  37. Ravel And The Xylophone
  38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
  40. Introducing The Vibraphone
  41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
  42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
  44. Folk Dances
  45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
  46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
  47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
  48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
  49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
  50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
  51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  52. Introducing The Celeste
  53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
  54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
  55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
  56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
  57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
  58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
  59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
  60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
  61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
  62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
  63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

  1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
  2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
  3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
  4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
  5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
  6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
  7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
  8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
  9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
  10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
  11. Mahler's Sleighbells
  12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
  13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
  14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
  15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
  16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
  17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
  18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
  19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
  20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
  21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
  22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
  23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
  24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
  25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
  26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
  27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
  28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
  29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  30. Nocturnes
  31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
  32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
  33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
  34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
  35. The Oboe As Duck
  36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
  37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
  38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
  39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
  40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
  41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
  42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
  43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
  44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
  45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
  46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
  47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
  48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
  49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
  50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
  51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
  52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
  2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
  3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
  4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
  5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
  6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
  7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
  8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
  9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
  10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
  11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
  12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
  13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
  14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
  15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
  16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
  17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
  18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
  19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
  20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
  21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
  22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
  23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
  24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
  25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
  26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
  27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
  28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
  29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
  30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
  31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
  32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
  33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
  34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
  35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
  36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
  37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
  38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
  39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
  40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
  41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
  42. Canzon 28
  43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
  44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
  46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
  47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
  48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
  49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
  50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
  51. Images (Gigues)
  52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
  53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
  54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
  55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
  56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
  57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

5 out of 5 stars Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

5 out of 5 stars Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

3 out of 5 stars Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.
Orff: Carmina Burana
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not my cup of tea
  • Brilliant
  • Medieval and modern bash heads beautifully ...
  • The best alternative to Jochum
  • Simply the best Carmina
Orff: Carmina Burana

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by OrffAll Works by Orff | Orff, Carl | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000001G5X
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna
  2. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: Fortune plango vulnera
  3. I Primo Vere: Veris leta facies
  4. I Primo Vere: Omnia Sol temperat
  5. I Primo Vere: Ecce gratum
  6. Uf dem Anger: Tanz
  7. Uf dem Anger: Floret silva
  8. Uf dem Anger: Chramer, gip die varwe mir
  9. Uf dem Anger: Reie Swaz hie gat umbe Chume, chum, geselle min! Swaz hie gat umbe
  10. Uf dem Anger: Were diu werlt alle min
  11. II In Taberna: Estuans interius
  12. II In Taberna: Olim lacus colueram
  13. II In Taberna: Ego sum abbas
  14. II In Taberna: In taberna quando sumus
  15. III Cour d'amours: Amor volat undique
  16. III Cour d'amours: Dies, nox et omnia
  17. III Cour d'amours: Stetit puella
  18. III Cour d'amours: Circa mea pectora
  19. III Cour d'amours: Si puer cum puellula
  20. III Cour d'amours: Veni, veni, venias
  21. III Cour d'amours: In trutina
  22. III Cour d'amours: Tempus est iocundum
  23. III Cour d'amours: Dulcissime
  24. Blanziflor et Helena: Ave formosissima
  25. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea.......2007-02-18

Maybe I am not ready to appreciate this, but for the moment, this cd is just awful to my ears. Sorry for the die hard fans.

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......2007-01-12

Joseph's Levine's production of Carmina Burana is brilliant. Although most everyone will recognize O Fortuna from "Excalibur" or other Hollywood fare, there is a tremendous depth and power in all of this masterpiece.

5 out of 5 stars Medieval and modern bash heads beautifully ..........2006-01-09

Carl Orff may not have attained "household name" status, but the dazzling "Carmina Burana" has become a staple in the modern classical music repertory. The work has appeared in so many concert halls, recordings, movies, television spots, rock concerts, and presentations that it may rank as one of the twentieth century's most famous classical pieces. And this CD presents a great recording of Orff's most famous work.

But "Carmina Burana" doesn't always sound like twentieth century music. "O Fortuna", the blaring ominous opener, sounds like a blend of classical, medieval, and modern. And the themes of fortune, Spring, Love (and lust), and drinking sound anything but modern. The latin text doubtless lends a large part of the medieval flavor, but German also appears throughout the song cycle.

The text comes from a now famous 11th-13th century collection of some 1,000 poems and songs. Historians believe that the "goliards" (wandering freethinking poets) composed these poems, which laid undiscovered until 1803. In the 1930s these secular and sometimes bawdy songs caught the attention of the very Roman Catholic Orff. "Carmina Burana" premiered in Nazi Germany in 1937 to great acclaim (though some found it "degenerate"). Initially written as accompaniment for elaborate theater stagings, the work usually gets performed in concert halls without the visuals. The music definitely warrants such a performance. It stands completely on its own; ranging from the inexorably powerful to the delicate and lovely. Orff pulled out all the stops when he composed this incredible music.

"O Fortuna" remains justifiably famous with its riveting rhythms and staccato chorus. This tune bookends the entire song collection, suggesting that the work as a whole deals with the ineffable viscissitudes of life. Next, Spring arrives and brings with it dancing (track 6 will get any feet moving), drinking, and the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Though some gain from this happiness, some wallow in misery. "Olim lacus colueram" ("Once I Lived On Lakes") tells a ghastly story from the point of view of a swan roasting on a spit. The tenor solo sings with the perfect amount of agony as the music provides appropriately horrifying accompaniment. "Floret silva nobilis" ("The Noble Woods are Burgeoning") finds a lover bemoaning the parting of her lover. The music punctuates her woe with horse hoof beats fading into the distance. Woes of Fortune and the changes brought with springtime provide the thematic structure for the songs. In the end, the refrain of "O Fortuna" provides a reminder that our pleasures and our misery remain fleeting and subject to the wiles of fortune. Thematically, the piece is timeless.

James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra pull off quite a performance on this CD. Anyone looking for a solid straight through recording of this famous work will find it here. The CD booklet doesn't give much information on Orff or on the work, but it does contain all of the lyrics in Latin/German and English. Regardless, the music prevails and this recording will not disappoint.

5 out of 5 stars The best alternative to Jochum.......2005-08-08

While Eugen Jochum's definitive recording of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana concentrated on a rustic, unrefined presentation of the miraculous choral hodgepodge, James Levine's modern, Grammy Award-winning 1984 recording gives the hypnotic work a smooth, meticulous treatment. Levine, a notoriously "glossy" conductor, is in excellent form here, taking the twenty-five mini-masterpieces that comprise the work somewhat slower than Jochum with three of the best soloists ever to be recorded.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are in terrific order. The choral selections (the primitive "Fortune plango vulnera," the jovial "Ecce gratum," the appropriately flowery "Floret silva," and, of course, the calamitous "O Fortuna!") are presented with almost perfect accuracy and calculation. The pacing is only occasionally disappointing; the Tanz, which contains excellently elaborate percussive sections, is taken too quickly and most of the rich subtleties are lost.

Philip Creech's rendition of the song of the roasting swan, "Olim lacus colueram," is a hilarious and slightly disturbing instance of petrified and bizarre caterwauling. Bernd Weikl, a rather rough-hewn baritone-bass, is a somewhat unsteady but altogether satisfying choice for the baritone soloist. "Ego sum abbas" is definitely his best moment; it is presented accusingly and voraciously, easily juxtaposed to the supercilious ravings and fire-and-brimstone-preaching of a Biblical prophet. June Anderson is simply a treasure as the soprano soloist. Gundula Janowitz, the Jochum soprano, has a less dense, more ethereal voice, which was more fitting for the orgiastic "Stetit puella." However, due to one of Levine's more inspired (and slow) moments, Anderson is able to uncover some of the solo's most invigorating and atmospheric subtleties. She also survives "Dulcissime," a brief but extraordinarily tiring piece that causes most sopranos to languish.

5 out of 5 stars Simply the best Carmina .......2005-05-03

When I bought this CD, I expected a beautiful, powerful, austere, haunting, loud piece all rolled into one CD. The CSO, bless their hearts, obliged me here. The brass, as usual are painstakingly precise( as is the chorus when the score calls for staccato passages such as the pianissiomo section on the first track)as seen in tracks such as track 10, the last part of Uf dem Anger. Of course I cannot diminish the other parts of the orchestra but my mind often freezes up when doing these reviews because I have so much I want to say and don't want you to think I'm a babbling idiot. Anyway, really, the only detraction to this recording is the tenor, Creech I believe it is. I find his sqawking irritating( I am speaking specifically of the Roasted Swan Song). I cannot attest to whether that's what Orff actually wanted as another critic here suggests. If that is what Orff wanted, then shame on him. Regardless of that minor flaw, the disc is a proud testament to what happens when Levine meets the CSO.
Verdi: Rigoletto (Highlights) / Sutherland, Pavarotti
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Sutherland/Pavarotti sublime
  • Buy it! You won't be sorry!
  • flawless
  • A most recomended Rigoletto
Verdi: Rigoletto (Highlights) / Sutherland, Pavarotti

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004T2FQ
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

  1. Rigoletto: Preludio
  2. Rigoletto: Questa O Quella
  3. Rigoletto: Pari Siamo
  4. Rigoletto: Figlia! Mio Padre
  5. Rigoletto: E'Il Sol Dell'Anima
  6. Rigoletto: Gualtier Malde...Caro Nome
  7. Rigoletto: Ella Mi Fu Rapita! Parmi Veder Le Lagrime
  8. Rigoletto: Duca, Duca!
  9. Rigoletto: Passente Amor Mi Chiama
  10. Rigoletto: Povero Rigoletto
  11. Rigoletto: Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata
  12. Rigoletto: Parla...Siam Soli...Tutte Le Feste Al Tempio
  13. Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile
  14. Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'Amore
  15. Rigoletto: Chi E Mai, Chi E Qui In Sua Vece

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Sutherland/Pavarotti sublime.......2003-06-04

If you can't afford the full set of Rigoletto, this is the way to go. I have about 10 versions of this opera which is one of my all time favorites.
This Rigoletto is supreme. Sutherland sings up a storm, tossing of high D's and E's with extreme ease. Her trill is a marvel indeed. She is completely match with a young Pavarotti that matches Dame Joan's gorgeous voice. Pavarotti's high D is stunning.
The only competition with this Rigoletto is the one with Callas.
But Callas can't touch Sutherland in voice or technique.
In conclusion, this is the Rigoletto to get if you only want the highlights.

5 out of 5 stars Buy it! You won't be sorry!.......2001-03-20

One word....FABULOUS! I've nearly worn it out! If you're new to opera, buy this; it's a sure hit!

5 out of 5 stars flawless.......2000-08-14

flawless singing by dame Joan and Pavorotti. beautiful recording.

5 out of 5 stars A most recomended Rigoletto.......2000-08-08

There is no equall to Pavarotti as the duke. No doubt. You'll hear no better "questa o quella" and no better "bella figlia dellamore" This alone is a good reason to buy this disc. Sutherland, as brilliant as ever, gives the best "caro nome" I've heard, and Milnes is an exellent Rigoletto. The "supporting" roles are sung beautifully, all and all a great recording, with one flaw - Richard Bonyng is no Verdi conductor. He should stick to bell canto. His conducting makes few of the duets, trios and quartets less pretty than they could have been. but mostly he doesn't harm the music much, and he conducts the solos well. All and all - the best rigoletto I've heard. Buy!
The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Essential recording for every brass player
  • Antiphonal Masterpiece
  • All-star brass
  • Instant playing
  • A VERY special album
The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029PE
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Tracks:

  1. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2
  2. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Duodecimi Toni
  3. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
  4. Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata Octavi Toni
  5. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 27
  6. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarti Toni
  7. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
  8. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 28
  9. Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonate Pian'e Forte
  10. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Primi Toni
  11. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 1
  12. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Noni Toni
  13. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 2
  14. Giovanni Gabrieli: Primo Tono
  15. Giovanni Gabrieli: Secondo Tono
  16. Giovanni Gabrieli: Terzo E Quarto Tono
  17. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 1 La Spiritata
  18. Giovanni Gabrieli: Ottavo Tono
  19. Giovanni Gabrieli: Nono Tono
  20. Giovanni Gabrieli: Decimo Tono
  21. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 3 Intonazioni D'organo
  22. Giovanni Gabrieli: Undicesimo Tono
  23. Giovanni Gabrieli: Duodecimo Tono
  24. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 4
  25. Giovanni Gabrieli: Fantasia In The Sixth Tone
  26. Giovanni Gabrieli: Tocata In D Minor
  27. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Prima In G Major
  28. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Seconda In C Major
  29. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Terza In A Minor
  30. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarta In G Minor
  31. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quinta In G Minor
  32. Giovanni Gabrieli: Toccata In G Major

Amazon.com

Venice was a good place to be in the 17th century if you liked to hang out in church--not that you had much choice in those days. Gabrieli's reputation rests on his "polychoral" compositions: works for several choirs, a choir being any size group of voices or instruments. For example, a sacred composition for three choirs might have two brass groups and one chorus, or two choruses and one brass ensemble. The idea was to keep things flexible to allow for changing local conditions. The result, in any case, was a magnificent "question and answer" style of writing, in which great blocks of harmony challenged each other from opposite sides of San Marco Cathedral. If this sort of thing intrigues you, then you owe it to yourself to hear this terrific collection. It's a cosmic experience. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Essential recording for every brass player.......2007-07-24

The Gabrieli selections on this CD represent the most important brass recording ever released. I received the vinyl LP as a gift from a member of a brass quintet in which I played in the early 1980's. It inspired me to organize a performance of Gabrieli's antiphonal music. I have organized about 20 other performances since then and have transcibed 8 of the canzons not readily available in the United States. All this began with inspiration from this recording. The music was originally written for Renaissance instruments but works superbly on modern brass instruments. The music is hardly somber. Most of it is joyous and exultant, and not a few canzons play tricks on the audience. I also recommend the Empire Brass recording with Carl St. Clair as conductor (the CD with the dome of St. Mark's in front of the orange sky). The Philadelphia/Cleveland/Chicago recording emphasizes the collection of 1597. The Empire Brass recording emphasizes the postumous collection of 1615. The 1597 collection is the more lyrical. The 1615 collection is the more spectacular.

5 out of 5 stars Antiphonal Masterpiece.......2007-05-16

This recording unifies arguably the 3 best brass sections from American Brass orchestras in a performance of the antiphonal music of Giovanni Gabrieli. The Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland brass sections are used here and they work together as groups as well as they ever did with their corresponding orchestras. This was recorded without conductor, rehearsal, or even a tuning note, however, this is irrelevant when looking at the result. Given performers of the caliber of Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, and Gilbert Johnson it is little wonder that this fine quality could be achieved with minimum preparation. I have looked at a number of other examples of this music including recordings by the Empire Brass and the Canadian Brass (and friends) and neither comes close to the emotion and beauty of this performance.

The different groups played directed off the vocal and instrumental parts written by Gabrieli making any adjustment for transposition in their head on sight, thus allowing them all to be as much focused on the music as possible as they were not looking at 3rd generation arrangements which always tend to leave out markings. These possibly were the best brass performers in America at the time and their interpretations are unified through exceptional listening across the ensemble for intonation, style, and tempo. A slightly non-justifiable reason that I hold for this album's excellence is the raw energy and beauty of this unprepared collaboration. In the time of Gabrieli, rehearsals were rare, and musicians would, on a daily basis, sit down and perform music that they hadn't studied, and while these are not the original instruments for which Gabrieli wrote, the quick pacing of this production (one weekend) to me lends more on the positive side for the enjoyment of the listener.

In short, this is a remarkable collaboration of some of the best performers on fantastic Renaissance literature and worthy of owning merely for that fact, and when combined with live and engaging performances where the music is played expertly from one section to the next off of each individual, this album becomes a gem for anyone with an interest in the brass ensemble sound.

5 out of 5 stars All-star brass.......2007-01-17

If you like antiphonal music or even just music, it doesn't get any better! With the best brass players in the world playing Gabrieli, you couldn't want more musically!

3 out of 5 stars Instant playing.......2006-07-11

I very like the diversity of instruments used in this recording, and it is shure something special to have all the first brass of so many US orchestras together. But they play on first sight, without preparation, and this results in lack of precision, it is just not the right kind of music to do "ad-hoc". They would do very well with Jazz, but not with Gabrieli. Nevertheless the performance is by far better then the one of Empire Brass. Overall I would recommend the complete Gabrieli Works on Naxos played by London Brass. They lack diversity of instruments because they play on Trumpets and Trombones only, but there is the precision adn musicality.

5 out of 5 stars A VERY special album.......2005-08-03

If you've been into brass for 40 years, you probably already know that this is a very unusual gathering of the top of the top!
My only complaint is with the web site sound samples being MONO !
This album is in STEREO and really portrays the placement of the 3 major antiphonal quintets! You won't be disapointed.
Discover Early Music
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • another winner from Naxos
  • awesome value -- 5+ stars
Discover Early Music

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B6N6BI
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

  1. Antiphona Post Evangelium - In Dulci Jubilo
  2. Versus Alleluiatici: Adorabo - Nova Schola Gregoriana
  3. Ordo Virtutum: Procession - Oxford Camerata
  4. Viderunt Omnes - Tonus Peregrinus
  5. Fines Terre Salutare Dei Nostri Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
  6. Notum Fecit - Tonus Peregrinus
  7. Dominus - Tonus Peregrinus
  8. Salutare Suum Ante Conspectum Gentium Revelavit - Tonus Peregrinus
  9. Justitiam Suam (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
  10. Gaudete Christus Est Natus - Oxford Camerata
  11. Cantiga De Santa Maria - Michael Posch
  12. Exiit Diluculo - Unicorn Ensemble
  13. Humils Forfaitz - Michael Posch
  14. Adieu Ces Bons Vins De Lannoys - Michael Posch
  15. Non Avra Ma'Pieta Questa Mia Donna - Michael Posch
  16. Non Ara May Pieta Questa Mia Dona - Michael Posch
  17. Veni Creator - Tonus Peregrinus
  18. D'Ung Aultre Amer - Capilla Flamenca
  19. Alleluya - Capilla Flamenca
  20. El Grillo - Shirley Rumsey
  21. El Grillo - Capilla Flamenca
  22. Missa 'La Sol Fa Re Mi': Kyrie - Capilla Flamenca
  23. Le Chant Des Oiseaux - The Scholars Of London
  24. Passe & Medio/Den Iersten Gaillarde - Capilla Flamenca
  25. Den III Ronde, Den VI Ronde-Les Quatre Branles - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense
  26. Gaillarde I, II, III - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense

Tracks:

  1. In Nomine - Rose Consort Of Viols
  2. In Nomine No.20 - Rose Consort Of Viols
  3. Spem In Alium - Oxford Camerata
  4. Sanctus - Oxford Camerata
  5. Du Fond De Ma Pensee - Christine Morel
  6. The King Of Denmark's Galiard - Rose Consort Of Viols
  7. Flow, My Tears - Dorothy Linell
  8. Greiner Zancker - Ensemble Villanella
  9. Stat ('Tsaat) Ein Meskin - Ensemble Villanella
  10. Tiento - Shirley Rumsey
  11. Tribulationem Et Dolorem - Oxford Camerata
  12. Lagrime Di San Pietro: 'Il Magnanimo Pietro' - Bo Holten
  13. Missa 'Susanne Un Jour': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata
  14. Beau Le Crystal - The Scholars Of London
  15. Missa 'O Magnum Mysterium': O Magnum Mysterium - Oxford Camerata
  16. Missa 'Papae Marcelli': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars another winner from Naxos.......2007-02-21

This is another winning compilation from Naxos. My only comment is to provide a heads-up regarding the track list in the booklet. CD 1 puts the Leonin "Viderunt Omnes" on six tracks, while the booklet leaves room for only one. Thus, add five to booklet tracks five through 21 for CD1 to get them to match. (I.e., where the booklet says tracks 15 and 16 are two versions of Josquin's "El Grillo," your CD player will show them to be tracks 20 and 21.) With luck this will be corrected in later printings.

Also, I would have liked the booklet to include the words, but perhaps that is an inducement to get particular CDs from Naxos.

As for the music itself--breadth of selection, musicianship, sound quality, all are excellent. A great collection!

5 out of 5 stars awesome value -- 5+ stars.......2006-07-15

I'm really enthusiastic about these CDs and booklet. I've had it for a few weeks now, in which I've explored Medieval and Renaissance music much more deeply than this little book and CD set. Yet I'm very glad I started with these.

The selection of composers gives an excellent, broad sweep across several centuries.

But the booklet contains one of the most informative essays I've found about early music, and I've spent a few dozen dollars buying books. If the booklet were separated from the CDs, it alone would be worth more than $10.

In short, if you're interested in exploring early music, this really is one of the best places to start; the best place that I know of. I'm sure, at any rate, that you can't beat the value.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Choral work at it's finest.
  • Love it
  • Light and shadows
  • Cambridge Singers = Quality
  • American Gramaphone, please reissue this title.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Gregorian Chant , William Byrd , John Taverner , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , Samuel Scheidt , John Sheppard , Maurice Durufle , Robert White , Cambridge Singers , Gerald Finley , and John Rutter
Manufacturer: American Gramaphone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Brother Sun, Sister Moon
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  5. Lighten our Darkness

ASIN: B0000005MF
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Music Of The Morning Rite: a. Alleluia - b. Haec Dies
  2. Music Of The Morning Rite: Easter Sequence
  3. Dum Transisset Sabbatum
  4. Sanctus
  5. Exsultate Deo
  6. a. Easter Acclamations b. Surrexit Christus Hodie
  7. Music Of The Evening Rite: Before The Ending Of The Day
  8. Music Of The Evening Rite: In Pace
  9. Music Of The Evening Rite: Into Thy Hands, O Lord
  10. Music Of The Evening Rite: Ubi Caritas
  11. Music Of The Evening Rite: Keep Me As The Apple Of An Eye And Nunc Dimittisa
  12. Music Of The Evening Rite: O Christ, Who Art The Light And Day
  13. Music Of The Evening Rite: a. We Will Lay Us Down In Peace b. Libera Nos, Salva Nos

Amazon.com

A brief glance at the packaging for this recording might make you think New Age, and indeed this label normally offers recordings in that vein. The disc's cover tells nothing about the music inside--all we see are the ruins of an ancient abbey, the moon in the sky on the front, the sun on the back. But wait. If you get far enough to listen to the recording, you'll find one of the most beautiful and beautifully programmed choral recordings in the catalog. The compositions, organized into the categories "Music of the Morning Rite" and "Music of the Evening Rite," are mostly from 16th- century composers--Byrd, Taverner, Sheppard, White--with a few Gregorian chants and a gorgeous rendition of the 20th-century motet by Duruflé, "Ubi caritas." Conductor/choral music legend John Rutter has assembled a program that's both uplifting and restful; the performance is faultless. One could only complain about the short (39 and a half minutes) playing time. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Choral work at it's finest........2007-06-03

I really enjoyed this work. I was first introduced to this title through American Gramophone's website and was also my first introduction in the works of John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers. You do not have be religious to enjoy this work. I find the music uplifting and very sublime. I have listened to it many times, and I find that my favorite period to play it is in the morning hours. .

I have since purchased many other Rutter titles including "Images of Christ", and more recently "Lighten our Darkness"

5 out of 5 stars Love it.......2007-05-02

13 years ago, I had the tape of brother sun, sister moon and as a teenager and I would play it every night as I slept, I loved it. I dont know what happened to it and I have ever sence been looking for it, and I just baught the CD and am so excited.

5 out of 5 stars Light and shadows.......2003-07-29

Recorded in the Great Hall of University College School, London, the Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Rutter produced a true masterpiece in 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' in 1988. The title derives from a famous prayer by St. Francis of Assisi, and is inspired by liturgical music from (or derivative of) the Middle Ages and Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant. The music is meditative, uplifting, and elegant in simplicity and stunning vocal quality.

--Brother Sun--
The first half of the disc is largely composed of pieces from the liturgical Morning Prayer cycle, concentrating on texts from Easter, the most important of Christian days. From the Alleluia to the Acclamations and Surrexit Christus Hodie (Christ is risen today), the flow from Gregorian Chant to compositions by Byrd, Taverner and Palestrina (giants of this type of music) in increasing energy and glory, as befits both a Morning service (time to wake up!) as well as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Perhaps of particular note here is the cantoring of bass Gerald Finley in the Easter Acclamations.

--Sister Moon--
The second half of the disc concentrates on music of the evening; in particular, the Compline service, a service of unwinding and sombre meditation with which monastic communities conclude their days of work and worship. Many churches have reincorporated Compline into a regular cycle of services; some have even done so as a result of exposure to this recording. The music here is softer and less energetic than that of Morning prayer. This includes music from Whyte and Sheppard (also masters of the Medieval-to-Renaissance liturgical polyphony) as well as a brilliant motet by twentieth century composer Duruflé for the Ubi Caritas.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words, in both Latin and English, for each of the pieces recorded here. It has an excerpt from a prayer by St. Francis, and a basic introduction to the music relating it historically and liturgically. One thing conspicuously missing is any biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers apart from the basic listing of singers.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. For this particular recording, the choir consisted of eleven sopranos, six altos, six tenors, and six basses.

4 out of 5 stars Cambridge Singers = Quality.......2002-05-23

I do love this cd, but tend to play certain tracks as my first love is chant. I play the Victimae Paschali Laudes in the car and sing along - it is so very beautiful that this rendition of this Easter Chant is worth purchasing this cd alone. I love that one track so much, my only criticism of the cd is that I wish they'd centered the entire cd on chant - and I hope they will do one like that in the future because the quality of the voices is stunning.

5 out of 5 stars American Gramaphone, please reissue this title........2000-03-30

I originally obtained this CD through Minnesota Public Radio. The first time I listened to the Ubi Caritus, I was moved to tears. The CD became my favorite to play at Christmas and other times. I gave the CD to a friend who has moved to Oregon, deeply regret that it is no longer in production.

John Rutter trains his singers to sing without vibrato, and blends their voices with such balance that they come together as a single instrument. The selection on this CD is perfect to demonstrate the clarity and richness of this ensemble. If American Gramaphone does reissue this title, I will be first in line to purchase it.
Esenciales: Sol
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A good starting place
  • Awesome--Te llevare al cielo
  • open your house to music from a distance
Esenciales: Sol
Maná
Manufacturer: Warner Music Latina
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Latin Music | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000E6XLA
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

  1. Te Llevare Al Cielo
  2. Estoy Agotado
  3. Buscandola
  4. Perdido En Un Barco
  5. De Pies A Cabeza
  6. Oye Mi Amor
  7. Sabanas Frias
  8. Como Te Deseo
  9. Me Vale
  10. Dejame Entrar
  11. Tonto En La Lluvia (Fool In The Rain De Led Zeppelin)
  12. Clavado En Un Bar
  13. Hechicera
  14. Angel De Amor

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A good starting place.......2007-03-29

I'm a gringo and don't speak Spanish very well, but thanks to the Amores Perros soundtrack I've become a big Rock en Espanol fan. Mana is one of the bands that kept popping up in my searches, so I gave Sueños Liquidos a shot and since then I've collected all of their albums.

This disc is a good retrospective of their catalog with a track or two off of each album through Revolución de Amor and it focuses on my personal favorites: the upbeat dancable songs. They have a poppy, rock style and are often compared to U2. I find their music more joyous, but maybe it is just that I don't follow the lyrics too well.

That said...these discs are kind of expensive. Sueños Liquidos and Revolución de Amor are both chock full of great songs and you can pick up their older albums pretty cheap, so maybe the best thing to do is what I did: get Sueños and then work your way through their whole catalog.

Another option would be to pick up the Mana Unplugged album which also has a good selection, but while I enjoy it, I generally prefer the album versions.

Also, check out the Amores Perros soundtrack Amores Perros (2000 Film). It introduced me to Cafe Tacuba, Ely Guerra, Control Machete and a dozen other great artists.

3 out of 5 stars Awesome--Te llevare al cielo.......2004-02-28

I have been searching far and wide for this song. I heard it first on the local Spanish radio stations and I hummed the beat to a friend and she gave me the name. I love this song. It inspires love in all that hear it. It truly requires genuine musical talent to come up with grooving beats and I think Mana has outdone themselves.

4 out of 5 stars open your house to music from a distance.......2004-01-22

On New Year's Eve we flew to Mexico City. A week later we were having breakfast in Oaxaca and this album was being played in the restaurant. At first I thought "sting" was being dubbed in spanish. But then the next cut would have this wonderful latin style and rhythm? We asked the waitress,"who were we listening to?", she smiled..... "mana"! Later in the day we bought the cd in a marketplace.

Now back in Oklahoma,yet barely speaking a word of spanish,my husband and I love this albumn. The beat and rhythm.....
irresistable. Happy, upbeat music that takes me back to the other Americas.
Kramer Vs. Kramer
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound Track is AWESOME!
  • Ancient Music for a Great Movie
Kramer Vs. Kramer

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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