Whale Song

Track Listings
 
1. Whale Song
2. Whale Sounds Only

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Bjorn Melander of Sweden is renowned for his musical compositions that unite soft and beautiful harmonies with the essence of nature. Bjorn's inspiring music has the fascinating ability to create wonderfully peaceful and relaxing atmospheres. Its harmonious and therapeutic effects have brought him a loyal following from a widely varied audience.

Product Description
Whale Song harmonizes the beautifully gentle sounds of flute and keyboard with recordings of songs from wild orcas. This recording will take you on a great journey to experience the remarkable wisdom and grandeur of the whales.

Whale Song,Bjorn Melander


Whale Song

Whale Song
Reiki: Whale Song
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Relax with Reike: Whale Song
  • Good for meditation
  • Good for the average, non-new-age person, too.
  • This CD can make me cry with Joy !!
  • Second Time Was A Charm
Reiki: Whale Song
Kamal
Manufacturer: New Earth Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Reiki Whale Dreaming
  2. Rapture of the Deep - Humpback Whale Singing
  3. Song of the Dolphins
  4. Dolphin Dreams
  5. Sounds of the Earth: Humpback Whales

ASIN: B00005KCCJ
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

  1. Whale Dreaming
  2. Song Of The Deep
  3. Enchanted Worlds
  4. Travellers Of The Seas
  5. Pacific Place
  6. Out Of The Blue
  7. The Far Horizon

Album Description

Healing songs of the gentle giants of the deep echo throughout this unique collaboration of whale and man. Kamal, winner of Australia's prestigious Dolphin Award for musical excellence, blends authentic recordings of humpback whales with flute and soft synthesizer to create an atmosphere supportive of the healing energies of Reiki.

Reviews
"The haunting calls of the giants of the deep merge seamlessly with smooth, ambient music to create an atmosphere supportive of the healing energies of Reiki. An essential addition to any healing collection!"
--New Age Voice

"Reiki Whale Song is a dreamy, soft ambient masterpiece perfect for Reiki treatments, massage, meditation..."
--New Age Retailer

Winner: Best Meditation/Healing
--New Age Voice Music Award

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Relax with Reike: Whale Song.......2007-05-14

Relax and let go, drift with the haunting sounds of Whales and music from the depths.

4 out of 5 stars Good for meditation.......2007-01-23

Very good blend of human and cetacean. Don't talk - listen.

4 out of 5 stars Good for the average, non-new-age person, too........2007-01-08

I wanted both a CD that had JUST whales, and a CD that had whales with relaxation music. I bought the "Songs of the Humpback Whale" CD for times when I wanted to just hear whales. And I bought this as a going-to-sleep or relaxing ambient music with the beautiful sounds of the whales integrated with new age synthesizer music.

Let me say that I typically am not very impressed by new age music, that I'm not particularly into massage or relaxation techniques, and that I don't even know what "Reiki" means. Nevertheless, I like this CD because it is relaxing, and because it has that semi-rhythmic but not jarring quality that humans like me enjoy when falling asleep, or trying not to think very much. Even my boyfriend, who is, eh, something of a music taste snob, tolerates (maybe even enjoys?) it when I put it on before I go to sleep. I figured I'd be sleeping on my own when I bought it, but the synthesized music isn't THAT awful and smarmy.

There is this part in the middle that you can almost hear a human voice, and it morphs into...some weird semi-human sound, and that is the only part of the CD that really annoys me. Otherwise, I can either concentrate on it completely, or else fall asleep listening. I like it. If you are looking for ONLY whales, this isn't it. But as far as musical performances including nature sounds goes, this one is great, because the background music isn't annoyingly repetitive (not at all), and it is actually well-constructed and enjoyable.

5 out of 5 stars This CD can make me cry with Joy !!.......2006-07-20

I love the whales and I love this CD. I play it at work and it definitely helps keep my stress level down. I believe that Kamal has done a masterful job at blending human sounds with whale sounds. I agree with some of the reviewers that I usually prefer the whales alone, without any human input - but this CD is hauntingly beautiful. I kept wishing that Kamal would make another one - so I can't wait to hear Reiki Whale Dreaming.

4 out of 5 stars Second Time Was A Charm.......2006-02-02

I first heard clips of this CD several years ago and they didnt prompt me to purchase it. I didnt enjoy it at all. (I was looking for a new CD to play during my Reiki and massage sessions.)

I ran into it again tonight and decided to purchase it on a whim. Today was a very stressful day for me and the CD turned out to be a treat! It relaxed my mind and my body! I usually dont write reviews but felt I should write one on this to let people know that it may take several tries to warm up to the music. It does have a unique flavor to it.
Beautiful Hollywood
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Hooray for Hollywood
  • Kunzel does it yet again!
  • Movie Music
  • More than Beautiful!!
  • This is the one you should own
Beautiful Hollywood
Erich Kunzel , and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Orchestral PopOrchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Hollywood's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
  2. The Very Best of Erich Kunzel: Top 20
  3. The Big Picture
  4. Hollywood's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
  5. Mega Movies

ASIN: B000003D24
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

  1. Feather Theme From Forest Gump
  2. Main Theme From A River Runs Through It
  3. Robert and Mary From Rob Roy
  4. 'We Meet Again' From Jerry McGuire
  5. The Ludlows From Legends Of The Fall - Paul Patterson
  6. 'You Must Love Me' From Evita
  7. Love Theme, 'Doe Eyes' From The Bridges Of Madison Couny
  8. Colors Of The Wind From Pocahontas
  9. 'On Earth As It Is In Heaven' From The Mission
  10. Suite: I. 'Whale Play'/II. 'Farewell And Freedom' From Free Willy
  11. Love Theme From Forever Young
  12. Love Theme From Cinema Paradiso
  13. Main Theme From Rudy
  14. Main Theme From Chaplin
  15. End Credits From Grumpier Old Men
  16. 'Act Of Faith' From Bugsy
  17. Main Theme From Schindler's List - Alexander Kerr
  18. Reunion And Finale From Gettysburg

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Hooray for Hollywood.......2007-07-22

I bought this CD to go with an Academy Awards/Hollywood Walk-of-Fame theme party at work. It was the perfect accompaniment and mood setter.

It was February and a group of us decorated the lounge with black, gold, and silver tableclothes and balloon bouquets, and scattered around clap boards and faux film strip on the tables, along with movie trivia cards and black and gold wrapped mints. I made a walk-of-fame star for every employee and taped them on the walls around the room. We also laid down a red carpet from the entrance of the room to about the center with the decorated tables flanking both sides. We sat up the snack table with a sign that said, "Studio Commissary" and went with theme snacks like "James Bonbons with Halle Berry sauce," and "The Queen's scones." Each week we took a quarter of the walk-of-fame stars and posted them on the bulletin board for the staff to write peer compliments under. At the end of the week these stars were taken down and the next set of stars was posted.

This CD really set the mood for employees as they entered the lounge for the first time on that first day after it was decorated, and during the party at the end of the month. The month ended with an Academy Award party with an Oscar going to each employee for outstanding effort in whatever category (best dressed, best supporting staff member, most animated story teller, most pleasant entercom voice, most punctual, best sense of humor, most artistic, etc.), and they were given their stars with the peer compliments attached to the back. Everyone commented on how special they felt and how neat the theme was. Good morale booster.

This CD would also be perfect for the ambiance at your own Academy Awards party at home. Print out those ballots, cast your votes, pop some popcorn and pass around the Juji fruits, and let's watch the Oscars!

5 out of 5 stars Kunzel does it yet again!.......2004-11-23

Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops do a great job everytime, and this is no exception. I'm telling you, if you ever thought that purely intrumental/orchestral was unattractive, this will change your mind. Never a disappointment!

5 out of 5 stars Movie Music.......2002-12-12

If you love that music from all those movies you've seen, then this is the CD you want! It is fantastic!! I want more!! I hope Erich Kunzel will come out with some music from older movies and maybe some TV programs. Listening to his music is better than watching the movie.

5 out of 5 stars More than Beautiful!!.......2002-12-11

This is the absolute best CD they ever put together! And that is saying a lot as we are very picky about what music we like. This is the kind of music that makes you 'feel' deeply. It encourages you to dream big and love living! Forget the grooves, drums and bangs and listen to something incredibly beatiful! You won't be sorry for the money invested in this one bit of sanity in such a hectic world.

5 out of 5 stars This is the one you should own.......2002-10-27

If you are looking for just one solid collection of memorable movie themes, this is it. Other CDs mix marches and fanfares with quieter tracks, which makes for a jarring listening experience at times. This CD, however, has a consistent feel all the way through. Melodic, calming, and, best of all, interesting. These movie tracks weren't selected simply for their sound, but also because they are GOOD. You get the best of the best: James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, and Randy Edelman.
Complete Flanders & Swann
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Return to Sanity
  • Have Some Madeira
  • British humour at its best
  • If you haven't heard this...
  • Gentle Satire
Complete Flanders & Swann

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
DivertimentosDivertimentos | Serenades & Divertimentos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances
French HornFrench Horn | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Broadway & MusicalsBroadway & Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Comedy & Spoken WordComedy & Spoken Word | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Songs of Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
  2. At the Drop of a Hat
  3. The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight
  4. Beyond The Fringe (1961 Original London Cast)
  5. Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer

ASIN: B000006T4S
Release Date: 1997-04-30

Tracks:

  1. Warthog, The (The Hog Beneath The Skin)
  2. The Sea Horse
  3. The Chameleon
  4. Whale, The (Mopy Dick)
  5. Je Suis Le Tenebreux
  6. Songs For Our Time
  7. A Song Of The Weather - Flanders & Swann
  8. The Reluctant Cannibal
  9. Greensleeves
  10. Misalliance
  11. Kokoraki
  12. Madeira M'Dear?
  13. Too Many Cookers
  14. Built Up Area
  15. In The Bath (From 'At The Drop Of A Hat')
  16. Sea Fever
  17. The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

  1. The Gas Man Cometh
  2. Sounding Brass
  3. Los Olividados
  4. In The Desert
  5. The Sloth
  6. The Rhinoceros
  7. Kangaroo Tango
  8. Jaguar
  9. Dead Ducks
  10. The Elephant
  11. By Air
  12. Slow Train
  13. A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
  14. The Humming Bird
  15. The Portuguese Man-Of-War
  16. Sea Fever
  17. The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

  1. The Gas Man Cometh
  2. Sounding Brass
  3. Los Olividados
  4. In The Desert
  5. The Sloth
  6. The Rhinoceros
  7. Kangaroo Tango
  8. Jaguar
  9. Dead Ducks
  10. The Elephant
  11. By Air
  12. Slow Train
  13. A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
  14. The Humming Bird
  15. The Portuguese Man-Of-War
  16. The Wild Boar
  17. The Ostrich
  18. The Wompom
  19. Twice Shy
  20. Commonwealth Fair
  21. P** P* B**** B** D******
  22. Paris
  23. Eine Kleine Nacht Musik Cha Cha Cha
  24. The Hundred Song
  25. Food For Thought

Album Details

Fantastic Triple CD Box Set of the Recorded Works of One of Britain's Most Popular Comedy Duos. Their Keen Observations of Everyday British Life and Abilities to Exemplify them in Song Made them the Darlings of the UK. Cleverness, Wit and Absoute Hilarity were the Order of the Day, in Just About Any Style of Music. Pure Comic Genius on Three Discs!

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Return to Sanity.......2005-07-27

Before Monty Python, before the Beatles, before "'Enery the Aigth Oi Am" there was the subtle, sweet, insdious humor of Flanders and Swann, and their lyrics remain part of the recognition rituals of Ivy Leaguers of the sixties. For any aging hippies or yuppies who find life WAY more stressful than we ever expected, and for whom the down side of alcohol, sex, and drugs has become apparent, I recommend listening several times to "In the Bath". It raises a cry for peace among the nations by inviting all the leaders to sit congenially steaming in a communal bathtub. And they reminding us of our essential self-interest when they add the proviso "as long as Swann and Flanders get the end without the taps." On those nights when we suspect that there isn't any point to it all, reach for the Flanders and Swann. They won't convince you there is any meaning to life, but they'll make it a lot easier to bear. Don't even try to do without it.

5 out of 5 stars Have Some Madeira.......2005-07-06

Not every line in Flanders and Swann has become part of our 37-year marriage, but many have. As our turntables fail, we are pleased that we can relive all the fun stuff we used to collect. Nothing is like this duo, especially what you usually hear as French horn by Mozart converted into "I found that horn go(r)ne." And, of course,
"Have some Madeira, m'dear" is an all-time favorite.

5 out of 5 stars British humour at its best.......2003-03-15

When I started out as a teacher of English, I had the most wonderful colleague as a mentor -- when she retired she gave me three LPs with much of what is on these CDs, and it must be one of the best gifts I have ever been given. Practically all of it makes me smile or laugh out loud (although I must admit that some, like The Armadillo and Slow Train, make me so melancholy that I can just feel my lower lip tremble and my eyes fill up). How can you beat lines like "Hail to thee, blithe Wompom", or "The English are moral, the English are good / And clever, and modest, and misunderstood"? I find they make great listening exercises for my teenaged students as well -- they consider it ancient, but incredibly funny!

5 out of 5 stars If you haven't heard this..........2003-01-16

The great comedic pairing of the late Michael Flanders (vocals) and Donald Swann (piano and occasional vocals) must surely rank among the hall of fame of comic singers and songwriters. Descended from the British music hall tradition, these two men wrote and performed music which still sparkles with wit today, some 40 or more years since it was recorded.

After being told to take up singing as a means of strengthening his polio-weakened lungs, the wheelchair-bound Flanders teamed up with pianist Swann and proceeded to write such classic songs as "The Hippo Song (Mud Mud Glorious Mud)", "The Gasman Cometh", "The Gnu Song", "A Transport of Delight" and many others. As well as a gently satirical spirit, all these songs feature the sublime wordplay and interplay of both men.

The first two discs of this box set are actual concerts - "At The Drop Of A Hat" and its successor "At The Drop Of Another Hat". Recorded at the height of the duo's popularity and form, the sound quality is surprisingly good for recordings this old.

"At The Drop Of A Hat" opens with three of the Flanders and Swann classics. "Transport Of Delight", a song in praise of the "97 horsepower omnibus" features the wonderful harmonies of the duo on lines like "any more fares" and Flanders' dead-on impression of a London busdriver "Geddardait, we're full right up inside". "Song of Reproduction" deals with the new, as it was then, stereo technology and features Flanders delivering an incredible monologue using every conceivable piece of audiophile jargon. "The Gnu Song" (in which "gnu" is pronounced phonetically) is a real treat. The audience's reaction to the reappearance of the gnu is superb.
As well as this opening trio, the disc features Flanders' snippets of "Songs For Our Time" (in which he experiments with conventions of hit songs), "Song of the Weather" (a rundown of English weather throughout the year), "The Reluctant Cannibal" (featuring Swann in the tititular role and the chorus "I can't eat people/I won't eat people/eatin' people is wrong"), Swann's foray into Greek folksong "Kokraki" and the justifiably famous "Madeira M'Dear". The performance ends with a rousing version of "The Hippo Song".
Flanders is in fine voice throughout and his comments introducing each song are delivered with deadpan accuracy. The story behind "The Gnu Song" is an absolute masterpiece. Flanders' monologue about the creation of "Greensleeves" is also superb - "'Greenfleeves'. That's an interesting name for a fong" (referencing old English script) being just a taste.

"Another Hat" begins in equally fine form with "Gasman Cometh" and "Ill Wind". "Gasman", presaged as "a tale of unending domestic upheaval", is sure to have most people who've ever dealt with unreliable tradesmen nodding in agreement, while "Ill Wind" is Flanders' attempt at setting words to a French horn concerto featuring the immortal lines "I lost that horn/lost that horn/lost that horn/found that horn/gorn". The performance continues with Swann's Russian/English song "In The Desert", the ending of which is truly side-splitting. "All Gall" (a reinterpretation of "This Old Man" to fit then-French President Charles de Gaulle) is a little dated but very cleverly done. "Song of Patriotic Prejudice", with its introduction and opening lines grabbing the audience's attention is another triumph, while the "Hippo Encore" is a great end to the performance.
Again Flanders is at his peak. His loving description of the Spanish olive-stuffers ("Olividados") and his superb story about flying ("By Air") are both brilliant examples of the shaggy dog story.
My favourite from both of these discs would have to be "First and Second Law". Flanders decides to educate Swann in elementary science and picks on the first and second laws of thermodynamics ("heat is work and work is heat" and "heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body") and the repetition of these phrases in time to Swann's barely-there piano accompaniment is one of the finest moments in British comedy.

The third disc is largely forgettable. It begins with a series of animal-related songs performed in a studio and without much of Flanders' rambling introductions. "Warthog" has its moments, while the others were clearly not performed in front of an audience for a reason. "Wompom" is also mildly diverting, presenting a story about a made-up substance which is the answer to everything.
The rest of the disc is then filled out with much earlier material in a rather poorly-recorded concert. "20 Tons of TNT" (related to the calculation the pair had done which gave that as the amount of TNT per person on the planet at the time) provides food for thought, but little more.

Is this box set for everyone? No. Much of the humour both within and without the songs does require a bit of background knowledge to what was going on in Britain and Europe at the time (1960s), John Profumo is referenced a few times as well as Charles de Gaulle and the Common Market, while a smattering of classical music knowledge can help out a bit with Swann's work and "Ill Wind". The fact that my grandfather (who's in his late 70s) recalls hearing these songs and laughing may give an indication as to the age of some of the subject matter. Equally the fact that "First and Second Law" references an awful lot of physics might do the same.

Nevertheless, for anyone who loves British humour done in a gentle manner or who is interested in the source of "mud mud glorious mud/nothing quite like it for cooling the blood", give these CDs some serious consideration.

5 out of 5 stars Gentle Satire.......2002-04-03

I've been singing Flanders and Swann every day In the Bath since I first heard them in 1964. If you don't know them, think Gilbert and Sullivan by way of English music hall and Noel Coward, with a bit of Tom Lehrer musical satire and classic Bob Newhart or Charlie Manna monologues. F&S commented gently on their times: "The purpose of satire, it has been rightly said, is to strip away the veneer of comfortable illusion and cozy half-truth. And our job, as I see it, is to put it back again." Quite simply the best comic songs and patter of the 20th century. Michael died in 1975, Donald in 1994. Goodnight, Mabel Figworthy, wherever you are.

Here are some samples of Michael's verbal wit.

Wordplay:
- "A Transport of Delight," their song of the pleasures of the double-decker bus "has recently been adopted as the theme song of the Underground resistance movement."
- Speculating that Henry VIII wrote Greensleeves: "and the royalties go to royalty."
- About a tennis referee late in the day: "the umpire upon whom the sun never sets."
- Explaining how he was hoisted in his wheelchair onto airliners by a fork lift: "Why they need a great machine like that to lift forks I do not know. Well, they're only plastic, now, aren't they?"
- On status symbols: "The object is to Gunga Din your neighbor: 'I'm a better man than you' is the acid test," and, "let's bang our status cymbals with the best."
- To a disenchanted cannibal: "You used to be a regular anthropophagi."
- Of a lecher: "And he said as he hastened to put out the cat, the wine, his cigar, and the lamps," while the girl "lowered her standards by raising her glass, her courage, her eyes, and his hopes."
- At the corrida d'olivas (the Andorran festival of olive stuffing, not to be confused with the Spanish corrida de toros, or bullfight): "And a great cry goes up of Ole! He has made an 'ol."
- "It's no good going up to a scientist and saying to him like you would to anybody else, 'Good morning, how are you, lend me a quid, and so on.' He'll just glare at you, or make a rude retort."

Throw-aways
- During the height of the cold war the Soviet Union sent the Moscow Ballet on a world tour. Donald sang one chorus of the Hippopotamus Song "mud, mud, glorious mud - nothing quite like it for cooling the blood" in Russian. Michael: "That should improve our cultural relations."
- During the 1963 Mandy Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler scandal: "None of that going around saying no smoke without fire. Nil cumbustibus, Profumo." Also, from "Friendly Duet," "such models of friendship are precious and rare, while the friendship of models is not."
- "Now if you're writing a musical, as I'm sure practically all of you are, . . ."
- Of Donald: "You know that no one has a higher regard for your music . . . than you do yourself. I merely meant that you are not great because you are not dead. If you wish to be great you must stop composing and start decomposing."
- "We never found a rhyme for (Soviet Premier Nikita) "Kruschev" until he was dead: Did he die or was he "pushed off"?"
- "We spent two dreadful, uh, delightful years, entertaining the Americans whose need, let's face it, is greater even than yours. Of course, when we're over there we say that the other way 'round."
- "No matter what you may say about the Germans, and who doesn't . . ."
- "Some of the songs that have made our names a household word, like slop-bucket . . ."
- "They've started testing cars now. They started at 10 years, then 5, now three. There's even some talk of having them tested before they leave the factory."

Absurdities
- "I'm delirious about our new oven fitted with the eye-level grill. This means that without my having to bend down the hot fat can squirt straight into my eye."
- A spectator during the construction of Stonehenge: "So, it's not going to be lived in. Well, that's something anyway. So what is it, then? It's a what?! A calendar?! A bit big for a calendar isn't it? You'd look pretty foolish with that on your desk."
- "Donald knocked himself out this morning. Got one of those new pop-up toasters. Nasty things."

Incredible multiple rhymes:
- "The fair hippoptama he aimed to entice from her seat on her hilltop above, as she hadn't got a ma to give her advice, went tip-toeing down to her love."
- Of Josephine: "Nonsense, said Bonaparte. She lives on her own, apart, in her own apartment."
- "Oh let us be married if our parents don't mind. We'd be happy and inseparable. Inextricably entwined. We'd live happily every after, said the Honeysuckle to the Bindweed."
- "And you'll always see a single lace-less left-hand leather boot. A bootless British river bank's a shock. We leave them there at midnight, you can track a member's route by the alternating print of boot and sock."
Change Partners
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • extremely poor re-mastering
  • An excellent CD!
  • Nelson Eddy on CD - always a pleasure
Change Partners

Manufacturer: Encore
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Romberg, SigmundRomberg, Sigmund | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
NostalgiaNostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Broadway & VocalistsBroadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Vocal JazzVocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Traditional & Vocal PopTraditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Through the Years
  2. Just for Tonight
  3. Nelson Eddy: Operatic Arias and Concert Songs
  4. The Artistry of Nelson Eddy
  5. Sweethearts:The Timeless Love Affair -- On-Screen and Off -- Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, updated edition

ASIN: B000001ZRF
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Tracks:

  1. Carousel in the Park - Jeanette MacDonald
  2. It Doesn't Cost You Anything to Dream - Jeanette MacDonald
  3. Close as Pages in a Book - Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Merrill
  4. Fireman's Bride - Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Merrill
  5. Big Back Yard - Robert Merrill
  6. When You Walk in the Room - Robert Merrill
  7. Isnt' It Romantic? - Jeanette MacDonald, Paramount Studio Orchestra
  8. Love Me Tonight - Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald
  9. Golden Days - Nelson Eddy
  10. Drinking Song
  11. Deep in My Heart, Dear - Nelson Eddy, Rise Stevens
  12. Serenade - Rise Stevens
  13. Just We Two - Rise Stevens
  14. Come Boys - Nelson Eddy
  15. One More Mile to Go
  16. Raindrops on a Drum - Nelson Eddy
  17. Love Is the Time - Nelson Eddy
  18. Nearer and Dearer - Nelson Eddy
  19. Tell Me With Your Eyes - Nelson Eddy
  20. Russian Easter Hymn - Nelson Eddy
  21. Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met: Three Blind Mice/Short'nin Bread - Nelson Eddy
  22. Why Do I Love You? [From Show Boat] - Nelson Eddy, Jane Powell
  23. Beyond the Blue Horizon [From Monte Carlo][*] - Jeanette MacDonald

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars extremely poor re-mastering.......2004-12-21

I listen to many (re-mastered) historical recordings. Jeanette MacDonald is certainly one of my most favorite sopranos. For some reason, I haven't been able to find a decent, or even acceptable, re-mastering of her recordings.

While this one certainly contains many valuable tracks, the re-mastering is horrid. The songs sound stripped yet still maintain a great deal of distracting noise. I conjecture that the re-mastering was done simply by increasing the bass and decreasing the treble.

5 out of 5 stars An excellent CD!.......2004-03-29

This is an excellent collection of the Screen Sweethearts of the 30's, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, *not* singing together, in the 40's (except for a few of Jeanette's songs).

For Jeanette, it has numbers from Up In Central Park: Carousel in the Park, It Doesn't Cost You Anything to Dream, Close as Pages in a Book, Fireman's Bride, The Big Back Yard, When You Walk in the Room. She and Robert Merrill sing these together and on their own, and very charmingly, too. There are also Love Me Tonight, Isn't It Romantic, and Beyond the Blue Horizon.

For Nelson, he sings music from The Student Prince with Rise Stevens: Golden Days, Drinking Song, Deep in my Heart Dear, Serenade (which is BEAUTIFUL!), Just We Two, and Come Boys. He also sings all the songs from Northwest Outpost - thankfully, without Ilona Massey! Also, the Willie the Whale segment from Make Mine Music is on this CD - just as it is in the movie, with the narration and everything - it's great! (The Tristan und Isolde part is not included, however - not sure what the reasoning is behind that.) He also sings a duet with Jane Powell - Why Do I Love You? from Show Boat.

I say this is a must for fans of Nelson and/or Jeanette, not to mention Rise Stevens!

I particularly enjoy "When You Walk in the Room". It's a charming little tune, with ridiculous but adorable lyrics! "Fireman's Bride" is very funny also - Jeanette barely sounds like herself!

I hope this will help others to choose this CD - it's a pity there's not a list of the titles here!

4 out of 5 stars Nelson Eddy on CD - always a pleasure.......1998-08-30

It's always a pleasure to find Nelson Eddy's wonderful voice on CD and this one has some of the harder-to-find pieces in it, including collaborations with Jane Powell and the wonderful mezzo Rise Stevens. The recording of "The Whale Who Sang at the Met" is a must for any collector as are the excellent recordings (better than on the movie) for "Northwest Outpost". The baritone singing opposite Jeanette MacDonald also has an excellent voice (though his name temporarily escapes me)
Star Tracks 2
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent compilation!
Star Tracks 2

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Orchestral PopOrchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Star WarsStar Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Star TrekStar Trek | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ManciniAll Works by Mancini | Mancini, Henry | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
4-for-3 Classical4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 Pop4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 Soundtracks4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Star Tracks
  2. Time Warp
  3. Fantastic Journey
  4. The Great Fantasy Adventure Album
  5. The Big Picture

ASIN: B000003CUD
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Superman: The Planet Krypton
  2. Back To The Future
  3. Warp Drive
  4. Star Trek I: The Klingon Battle
  5. Star Trek II, The Wrath Of Khan: Main Title
  6. Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan: Epilogue - End Credits
  7. Humpback Whale Song
  8. Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home: Main Title
  9. Music From 'Space Camp'
  10. Theme From 'Cocoon'
  11. Theme From 'Lifeforce'
  12. Return Of The Jedi: Parade Of The Ewoks
  13. Dimensions
  14. Music From 'The Right Stuff'

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation!.......2007-07-19

I really love this CD, is one of my favorites included in my collection of Kunzel recordings. It contains lots of hard to find music (Bill Conti's The Right Stuff) and also original material composed by musitians of the orchestra.
The Nature Of America: A Musical Impression
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Very Peaceful CD For These Very Troubled Times
  • The Nature Of America: A Musical Impression
  • A Soothing CD
The Nature Of America: A Musical Impression

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

BalletsBallets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by BarberAll Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by CoplandAll Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Grofé, FerdeGrofé, Ferde | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Hovhaness, AlanHovhaness, Alan | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Rouse, ChristopherRouse, Christopher | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ManciniAll Works by Mancini | Mancini, Henry | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Ballets & DancesBallets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
SymphoniesSymphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
FluteFlute | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
Cincinnati Symphony OrchestraCincinnati Symphony Orchestra | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Atlanta Symphony OrchestraAtlanta Symphony Orchestra | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
EnvironmentalEnvironmental | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Compilations | New Age | Styles | Music
Folk SongsFolk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
EnvironmentalEnvironmental | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. American Adagios
  2. Beautiful Hollywood
  3. Windham Hill America
  4. Great Movie Scores: The Films of Steven Spielberg
  5. Country Serenity

ASIN: B000003D2V
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

  1. 'Sunrise'
  2. 'Corral Nocturne' - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
  3. Themes
  4. Main Theme - William Tritt
  5. 'Arctic Whale Hunt'
  6. 'Anhran' - Carol Wincente
  7. Andante Con Moto - Jesus Lopez-Cobos
  8. Adagio
  9. Theme
  10. Shenandoah (Across The Wide Missouri)
  11. Appalachian Spring (Excerpt) - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
  12. 'Feather Theme' - Steven Reineke
  13. 'Dear Father'
  14. CD Rom Track - Eric Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Very Peaceful CD For These Very Troubled Times.......2002-01-03

This CD surprised me when I first listened to it. It is among the most beautiful and peaceful music I have ever listened to. The song, "Dear Father", written by Neil Diamond for the movie, Johnathan Livingston Seagull, is my absolute favorite on the entire CD. All songs on this CD are beautiful and it is a very good value for the money. It's nice to be surprised by a CD now and then. This album is very soothing and is wonderful when you need to unwind and want to relax. Great to listen to before bedtime or as you are dropping off to sleep. I recommend this CD for all considering the fact that we live in very troubled times since the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the USA.

4 out of 5 stars The Nature Of America: A Musical Impression.......2001-01-09

This is a very good sampler of contemporary American composers, weighted more towards those writing for the movie industry. The music is very relaxing, and is quite enjoyable to sit back and listen to. The tracks are generally quite recognizable. We purchased this initially as a gift for some French friends. But we enjoyed it so much, we ended up buying a copy for ourselves.

3 out of 5 stars A Soothing CD.......2000-10-23

I found this cd to be one of my favorites to pull of the shelf when I am doing meditation or just in need of relaxing. Track 8 is my favorite. The strings are just beautiful and the melody heart warming and soothing at the same time. As much as I love the cd, I must give 3 stars because of the lack of nature sounds accompanied by the music. If you want a cd filled with the sounds of nature this may not be the one for you, however, if you simply wish a good cd with relaxing music then I would highly recommend this cd.
Robert Merrill
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful baritone
  • Magnificent tribute to a truly great artist!
  • Magnificent tribute to a truly great artist!
  • Excellent performances
Robert Merrill

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by LeoncavalloAll Works by Leoncavallo | Leoncavallo, Ruggiero | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MassenetAll Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MeyerbeerAll Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ThomasAll Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by RossiniAll Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Merrill, RobertMerrill, Robert | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Folk SongsFolk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Robert Merrill: Arias from Otello, Un Ballo in Maschera, Il Trovatore
  2. Four American Baritones of the Past
  3. Ettore Bastianini in Recital
  4. Leonard Warren: His First Recordings
  5. The "Pearl Fishers" Duet

ASIN: B00000JWM3
Release Date: 1999-08-17

Tracks:

  1. Hamlet: O Vin Dissipe la Tristesse
  2. Herodiade: Vision Fugitive
  3. L'Africana: Adamastor, Re Dell'onde Profonde
  4. Carmen: Votre Toast
  5. Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Largo al Factorum
  6. La Traviata: Di Provenza il Mar
  7. Zaza: Zaza, Piccola Zingara
  8. Andrea Chenier: Nemico della Patria
  9. Invictus
  10. The Blind Ploughman
  11. Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
  12. In the Gloaming
  13. The Three Musketeers: Ma Belle
  14. Brooklyn Baseball Cantata
  15. Juanita
  16. Jonah and the Whale
  17. Down to the Rivah
  18. Shadrach

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful baritone.......2004-01-01

A very special singer. I second the other reviewers' comments, and add that I have been singing along, as best I can, all morning, to this wonderful CD. An exceptional Largo, by the way, even given the aria's warhorse status.

5 out of 5 stars Magnificent tribute to a truly great artist!.......2000-05-04

This album is an absolute prize. Merrill, to me, was the finest of the American Baritone crop, possessing a rich timbre that is unmatched by todays standards. This CD finds Merrill offering some of his best and most famous renditions, some of which have been regrettably out of print for decades. That being said, this issue is an extremely welcome one indeed. One standout is the rare "Zazà, piccola zingara" from the seldom performed opera Zaza, by Pagliacci composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo. This aria, in this reviewer's opinion, uses that rich sonorous Merrill sound to its best advantage. Merrill once stated in a Met broadcast interview that this one recording (Zaza) was his all time favorite and the best recording of his voice. Other standout arias are, of course, "Largo al Factotum", "O vin dissipe la tristesse" from Hamlet, and the ethereal sounding "Vision Fugitive" from Herodiade. The non-operatice fare that stands out are "The Blind Ploughman" (what a truly heartfelt this performance is), "Drink to Me only with Thine Eyes", and the three spirituals. The recording quality is good overall and acceptable in places. Merrill was truly a great Baritone and this recording is a must for anybody's collection.

5 out of 5 stars Magnificent tribute to a truly great artist!.......2000-05-04

This album is an absolute prize. Merrill, to me, was the finest of the American Baritone crop, possessing a rich timbre that is unmatched by todays standards. This CD finds Merrill offering some of his best and most famous renditions, some of which have been regrettably out of print for decades. That being said, this issue is an extremely welcome one indeed. One standout is the rare "Zazà, piccola zingara" from the seldom performed opera Zaza, by Pagliacci composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo. This aria, in this reviewer's opinion, uses that rich sonorous Merrill sound to its best advantage. Merrill once stated in a Met broadcast interview that this one recording (Zaza) was his all time favorite and the best recording of his voice. Other standout arias are, of course, "Largo al Factotum", "O vin dissipe la tristesse" from Hamlet, and the ethereal sounding "Vision Fugitive" from Herodiade. The non-operatice fare that stands out are "The Blind Ploughman" (what a truly heartfelt this performance is), "Drink to Me only with Thine Eyes", and the three spirituals. The recording quality is good overall and acceptable in places. Merrill was truly a great Baritone and this recording is a must for anybody's collection.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent performances.......1999-12-13

Robert Merrill has for too long been written off as a bad actor with a good voice. What he really was was a bad actor with an EXCEPTIONALLY good voice, and these arias and songs prove it. And not only do these selections show off his wonderful, rich baritone, they also include some great songs and arias which aren't usually recorded. In particular, the "Invictus" of Bruno Huhn, the Toreador Song from Carmen, and the three spirituals are all either unknown or under-recorded, and all receive their due on this album. And, of course, Merrill's signature aria, "Largo al factotum," is wonderful. The only problem I have is with the sound quality of the album, but even that isn't as bad as it could be, and becomes less noticeable after listening to a couple tracks.
Dolphin Love
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • It's a state of mind
  • You'll love Dolphin Love
  • This CD is very relaxing.
Dolphin Love

Manufacturer: World Disc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by AlbinoniAll Works by Albinoni | Albinoni, Tomaso | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by J.S. BachAll Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by GounodAll Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
ConcertinosConcertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
ViolinViolin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
TibetTibet | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | New Age General | New Age | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
ASIN: B0000018FP
Release Date: 1995-12-12

Tracks:

  1. Sea Of Love
  2. Whale Song
  3. Air On a G Str
  4. Ave Maria
  5. Dolphin Love
  6. Largo
  7. Chalice Well
  8. Song For Sophie
  9. Adagio

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It's a state of mind.......2007-03-08

Very relaxing. Be careful when operating heavy machinery while listening to this CD. One should not drive while under the influence of the gentle rhythms of this CD. ;O)

5 out of 5 stars You'll love Dolphin Love.......1999-12-02

This is truly beautiful, relaxing music. It has a very trancendental feel to it, and I am sure that any lover of classical music can appreciate it!

5 out of 5 stars This CD is very relaxing........1998-08-15

I've thoroughly enjoyed this CD. It is very relaxing and helps you get through those sleepless nights. I had listened to this CD when I came home from the hospital and was in such great pain. It helped me relax and concentrate on the music and cleared my mind of negative thoughts.
Litany for the Whale
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • A very inconsistent Cage collection
  • Expertly rendered Cage
Litany for the Whale
Cage , Riley , Hillier , and Theatre of Voices
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006AFMG
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars A very inconsistent Cage collection.......2003-11-22

Paul Hillier, formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble, is best known for his performances of early music and of the so-called holy minimalists. In this disc he directs an eclectic collection of Cage performances, with distinctly mixed results.

Litany for the Whale takes the form of a call and response between two antiphonally divided singers. The text uses just the letters of "whale" and only five pitches. The first singer sings variations on the original articulation of these pitches--which become more extensive as the work progresses--while the second singer responds to these by repeating the original five notes unmodified. It's a haunting work, though I find 26 minutes of unaccompanied monody a little too much to take.

The two Arias bring very opposite results. I like Hillier's vocal histrionics in the second Aria, and the electronic effects and storm recordings are very much to the point. However, the recording of the first Aria is a disaster. For some reason Hillier decides to split the performance between seven voices, thus ruining the consistent flow of the work, whose effect very much depends on the fact that no single singer could possibly perform the whole work idiomatically. Nobody has yet rivalled Cathy Berberian in this seminal work, and this performance doesn't even come close.

The rest of the works are rather slight. Five impresses in its slow, meditative textures, while Solo for Voice #22 is an intriging exploration of electronically modified breathing sounds. The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs and The Year Begins to be Ripe are two short songs, using the same three pitches and the sound of a performer tapping on a closed piano. They don't outlast their charm, unlike the irritating mock-Irishry of Experiences #2.

Of the entertaining poetry cycle 36 Mesostics re and not re Marcel Duchamp, Cage later turned 15 to music using the same three notes of the two songs earlier mentioned. This performance features Terry Riley (yes, him) reading the unset poems and Hillier singing the musical ones. The result is slight, and rather gimmicky.

This is a very uneven disc. If you want Litany for the Whale, it can be recommended, but there are so many other, superior Cage discs on the market that have a much better claim on any listener's attention.

5 out of 5 stars Expertly rendered Cage.......2003-06-21

John Cage is known for being a raucous composer, but he had a gentler side as well, and both sides are present on this marvelous recording. It begins with what is the disc's highlight, in my opinion: the remarkable "Litany for the Whale." The longest piece on this disc, it is scored for two voices, and has a call and response structure to it. The two male singers, recorded in a resonant chamber, are given five pitches to sing, one assigned to each letter in the word "whale." This is calm, spare, meditative music, unlike anything in the modern repertoire that I have heard. It is really beautiful.

"Five" is another "quiet" Cage piece. In it five men and women sing wordless, sustained pitches, reminiscent at times of Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna." "The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs" is one of my favorite Cage songs. It's a melodic work that features text by James Joyce and has the singer tapping a closed piano, as if a percussion instrument. "Experience #2" is a similar work, melodic and without percussive sounds. A female voice sings a lovely text, penned by ee cummings, which is set off by some lyrical humming as well.

Cage's whackier, more comical side is on display here as well, in the "Arias" and the "Solo for Voice." These voice stretching pieces are fascinating, and expertly rendered here, the electronics integrated in a polished and smooth manner. I can't emphasize enough how entertaining these pieces are.

Paul Hillier's group is ordinarily associated with Renaissance and Baroque era music (as well as music by Arvo Part). It is thrilling to hear these rarefied voices in this avant garde repertoire. More please!
A Hilliard Songbook: New Music for Voices
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent collection of both old and new choral music.
  • Beautiful, but...
  • here in hiding
A Hilliard Songbook: New Music for Voices

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by FeldmanAll Works by Feldman | Feldman, Morton | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MacMillanAll Works by MacMillan | MacMillan, James | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by PartAll Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by TormisAll Works by Tormis | Tormis, Veljo | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Sacred & ReligiousSacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
Hilliard EnsembleHilliard Ensemble | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
Vocal Works by PartVocal Works by Part | Part, Arvo | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
AnonymousAnonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ChantsChants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
PartsongsPartsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ECM ClassicalECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ECM Jazz & WorldECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000024R1Q
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

  1. Un coup de des
  2. Only
  3. Endechas y canciones: No pueden dormir mis ojos
  4. Endechas y canciones: Endechas a la muerte de Guillen Peraza
  5. Endechas y canciones: III Pues mi pena veis
  6. Endechas y canciones: IV Ojos de la mi senora
  7. True Beautie
  8. On Black And White
  9. True Beautie
  10. Emerodde
  11. True Beautie
  12. Lasent
  13. True Beautie
  14. By Falshood
  15. Incantation
  16. Kullervo's Message

Tracks:

  1. Adoro te devote
  2. ...Here In Hiding...
  3. And One Of The Pharisees
  4. Summa
  5. Whale Rant
  6. Music For The Star Of The Sea
  7. Stabant autem Iuxta crucem
  8. Sharp Thorne
  9. Canticum Canticorum I: I Surge, properea amica mea
  10. Canticum Canticorum I: II Descendi in hortum meum
  11. Canticum Canticorum I: III Ego dilecto meo

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent collection of both old and new choral music........2006-02-14

'A Hilliard Songbook' or 'New Music for Voices' fills out a niche which Gordon Jones, the author of the notes for the album, states can be pretty barren of new works. I was especially happy to discover this album since Stanley Kubrick created in me a taste for modern choral music by his using several modern choral works in his epochal film, '2001'.

Especially for anyone fond of men's choirs and have had their fill of medieval polyphony, Bach cantatas, and recordings of the Red Army choir, these pieces are especially welcome. Like several of the pieces in '2001', they are most distinctive in using the human voice more like a most versatile of musical instruments than older works.

As some of the pieces were commissioned by The Hilliard Ensemble, they may be found nowhere else. So, in a world with very few good Arvo Part and other modern choral music, this recording is a real find!

2 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but..........2000-12-29

... excepting "Un coup de des" by Barry Guy, the contempoprary pieces commissioned by this group sound less "modern" than the medieval music usually presented in other CDs by the same singers.

5 out of 5 stars here in hiding.......2000-10-15

This is a fantastic collection of songs performed by one of the world's most revered vocal ensembles. All of the pieces demand exceptional skill, and many of them are based on a style of music which may be described as traditionally religious. To my ear, some of the pieces resemble medieval music of 12th century Paris. As an introduction, Gordon Jones, baritone, briefly explains how the ensemble received the compositions. All but four of the pieces were written for the Hilliard Ensemble. Those which were not (Feldman, Finnissy, Pärt) "are here simply because of their own particular qualities, musical, textural or rhetorical, and because they have all featured in our recent concert programmes." Each of the pieces has a short paragraph or two describing the work. Many of these are written by the composers themselves and they are immensely valuable in their explanations. I enjoy the Morton Feldman piece. It is a small setting for solo voice of Sonnet XXII from the Sonette an Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) written when Feldman was 21 representing his earliest published work. If you are intersted in exceptional vocal music, a cross-section of twentieth century vocal compositions or in music which is peaceful and reflective, this CD will be interesting to you.

Pop Music:

  1. Where the Earth Meets the Sky
  2. Wind Beneath My Wings
  3. Yearning & Harmony
  4. Yoga: A Day at the Spa
  5. A Musical Mirage: Oceans of Light
  6. Ants, Sandwiches & The Meaning Of It All
  7. Bamboo Shadows
  8. Bandole'
  9. Becomings(TM): Healing Words and Music for Times of Change
  10. Blessed Assurance

Pop Music

pop music

Recommended Music:

Dreams in the Witch House: The Complee Philips Recordings [Original recording remastered]

Mayer: A death in the family

Norman W.E. Satchell Plays Bill Hollis

Music: Gakuryoku Up [Import]

The Very Best of the Osmonds [Import]

Gisselle

Master

LUDWIG GÜTTLER : Trompete - Corno Da Caccia

Old-Time Christmas

Live at the Whiskey a Go-Go [Import] [Live]

Let It All Out [Import]

New Africa/Aco Dei de Madrugada [Import]

Mastercuts: DiscoHouse

Franz Lehar: The Land of Smiles / Gustafson, Hadley, Itami, Atkinson; Bonynge [in English]

A Thousand Kisses Deep