Even Now

Product Description
As they constantly tour America, The Manhattans, featuring Gerald Alston and Blue Lovett along with Troy May and David Tyson continue to bring stellar legacy to the stage. With all time hits such as "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and "Shining Star" along with numerous other hits, there is no doubt that The Manhattans are here to stay. The Manhattans have a 1980 Grammy for "Shining Star", as well as their share of platinum and gold singles and albums. In 1999 they were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. With their single "Turn Out the Stars", which features jazz saxophone great Gerald Albright, The Manhattans take a country music standard and turn it into a Mainstream Classic.

Even Now,The Manhattans,Love Lee Records,Northern Soul,Pop,Quiet Storm,R&B,R&B/Soul,Soul/R & B,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues

Average customer rating: Ring introduction critique FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE Welcome back to a classic analysis Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle Very Functional

An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen Deryck Cooke , Georg Solti , Wiener Philharmoniker , Anita Valkki , Berit Lindholm , Birgit Nilsson , Brigitte Fassbaender , Christa Ludwig , Claire Watson , Claudia Hellmann , Dame Gwyneth Jones , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Eberhard Wächter , George London , Gerhard Stolze , Gottlob Frick , Grace Hoffmann , Gustav Neidlinger , Hans Hotter , Helen Watts , Helga Dernesch , Hetty Plumacher , Ira Malaniuk , James King , Jean Madeira , Joan Sutherland , Kirsten Flagstad , Kurt Böhme , Lucia Popp , Marga Höffgen , Marilyn Tyler , Maureen Guy , Oda Balsborg , Paul Kuen , Régine Crespin , Set Svanholm , Vera Little , Vera Schlosser , Waldemar Kmentt , Walter Kreppel , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs) Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle) Ring of the Nibelung ASIN: B00000424H Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. Of All Great Musical Compositions... (Examples 1-4)
2. The Fundamental Symbol... (Examples 5-11)
3. Returning Now To The Nature Motive... (Examples 6, 12-16)
4. A Number Of Further Motives... (Examples 5, 17-21)
5. A Second, Much Smaller Family... (Examples 22-25)
6. So Much For Nature. (Examples 26-38)
7. The Cause Of The Deterioration... (Examples 39-44)
8. The Other Transformation... (Examples 45-48)
9. Several Other Motives... (Examples 49-52)
10. Two Further Motives... (Examples 41, 53-61)
11. The Basic Motive Associated With The Spear... (Examples 62-68)
12. Along Another, More Complex Line... (Examples 69-72)
13. In Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 69, 73-75)
14. Returning Now To Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 76-79)
15. Love Is Another Of The Central Symbols... (Examples 80-83)
16. Later In The Same Scene... (Examples 84-87)
17. Freia's Motive Has Two Independent Segments... (Examples 88-91)
18. The Label 'Flight'... (Example 92)
19. When Fasolt, In Scene Two Of Rhinegold... (Examples 93-98)
20. A Little Later In The Interlude... (Examples 99-103)

Tracks:

1. The Other New Motive... (Examples 104-109)
2. There Are Several Independent Love-Motives... (Examples 110-114)
3. The Characters In Whose Lives... (Examples 115-120)
4. One Further Motive Belongs... (Example 121)
5. The Sword Motive Recurs... (Examples 122-130)
6. Ironically, This Phrase... (Examples 131-135)
7. Closely Associated With Gutrune's Motive... (Examples 136-140)
8. Here We Come To The End... (Examples 141-146)
9. Complemtary To This Symbol... (Examples 147-149)
10. One Last Central Symbol... (Examples 150-157)
11. One Further Motive Connected... (Examples 158-161)
12. There Are One Or Two Motives... (Examples 162-168)
13. These Motives Of Alberich And Mime... (Examples 169-171)
14. Quite A Number Of The Subsidiary Motives... (Examples 172-176)
15. Besides This Family Of Motives... (Examples 177-180)
16. Our Final Example... (Examples 10, 181, 182)
17. In The Final Scene Of Gotterdammerung... (Examples 181-183)
18. Even More Masterly... (Examples 184-188)
19. Now If We Return... (Examples 189-191)
20. This Masterly Way... (Examples 192, 193)

Amazon.com

When Wagner set the Ring to music, he intended the orchestra to act in the fashion of a chorus from a classic Greek tragedy--setting the mood and commenting on the action. In order to allow a nonverbal musical line to reflect on the plot, Wagner developed a psychologically and musically complex symbology to communicate his thoughts to the listener. From the beginning the Ring has spawned numerous written commentaries on the relationships of the motif structure, but by using examples from the Decca Ring recording, Deryck Cooke's thoughtful spoken commentary is by far the most accessible guide for either the fledgling Ring enthusiast or the seasoned veteran. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews:

Ring introduction critique.......2006-11-04

This is very worthwhile, at the same time it requires time, patience and attention, but it does provide some keys to better enjoyment of a sensational piece of music.

FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE.......2006-08-16

This may look an intimidating, daunting and dull prospect - a 2+ hour lecture on the motifs in the Ring. Don't be put off. Whether you're a relative novice to the Ring and want to find out what it's all about, more experienced with a desire to understand the composer's methods better or an afficionado who thinks he knows it all inside out, there is great pleasure as well as elucidation to be had from this set. Originally made to accompany the Decca Solti Ring, it contains a multitude of musical illustrations taken from those recordings as well as some specially recorded by Solti just for this Introduction.

It wasn't the first time this has been tried. The famous HMV sets from the late 20's also included recorded examples of over 100 motifs. (These, by the way, are available as part of the Pearl reissue of those wonderful HMV recordings). What that set lacked was the wonderful insights as well as the approachability of the talk by Deryck Cooke. Cooke was a great and much missed musicologist - a Mahler expert responsible for the performing edition of the Tenth Symphony still most played today, a fascinating explorer into the nature of music's basic building-blocks in his excellent book, The Language of Music, and an inspiring and elucidating critic of Wagner's work as shown by the fascinating book he left unfinished at his death, I Saw the World End.

On these CDs he does much more than list the leitmotifs and identify them as calling-cards. He shows the amazingly integrated and organic growth of the musical material that Wagner uses throughout his vast work. He demonstrates how motifs can change their sense and meaning as they evolve through the drama. And he shows how the complex combinations of motifs can radically advance both the musical and the dramatic narrative of the piece. There are even places where he corrects the misinterpretation of some of the motifs that had become ingrained from early commentators' false labels.

This set should engage and enlighten anyone with an interest in Wagner's huge and inexhaustible tetralogy. Do give it a try - no matter how far down the road to Wagnerianism you are.

Welcome back to a classic analysis.......2006-05-28

Deryck Cooke's lecture series upon THE RING is almost as much a classic by now as the Solti RING cycle, with which it was originally issued on LP, and from which it derives its musical examples. The difference is that whereas the Solti RING has been continuously in print ever since it was completed, and was among the first opera sets to benefit from the CD revolution, the Cooke analysis was for long almost totally unobtainable. Now we have it back. It should be welcomed: it is a classic. Cooke's mellow, deep voice with the hint of a Celtic burr - which made him ideal on BBC radio - patiently explains Wagner's melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic metamorphoses to such good effect that if you own this recording, you really require no other RING analysis. (A pity about the abrupt beginnings and endings of too many vocal and orchestral illustrations, though.) Musicology lost a fine, sensitive thinker with Cooke's premature death in 1976.

If all you want is dilettantish baby food, there are plenty of dumbed-down Wagner commentaries on the market, stretching from Anna Russell's famous monologue (which doesn't pretend to be anything other than a parody aimed at morons) to the latest standard-issue "Wagner-was-a-Nazi-boo-hiss" feuilleton (which, unfortunately, does). Without reasonable score-reading skill you will find Cooke useless, however diligently you have ploughed through Marx, Jung, Freud, or other gurus purportedly relevant to THE RING. Cooke expects you to use your brains and your musical sense. Quelle horreur. At today's BBC his "elitism" would render him unemployable.

Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle.......2006-05-15

I originally bought this set on vinyl in the early 70s when I discovered the Ring in college. I studied the records and booklet assiduously, and after about three run-throughs I finally started getting it. Wow! Thirty-five years later, I still remember Mr. Cooke's analyses of various motive families, and I don't know how I could have mastered and loved the Ring without him. I now own this set on CD and listen again on the rare occasion of attending a Ring performance. My wife calls me a "Ring nut," but of course I'm nuts about many other things as well.

Bottom line, buy this set and study it if the Ring has captivated you as it has countless others. The presentation is dry, but sticking with it brings measureless and longlasting rewards.

Very Functional.......2006-03-19

This CD set is excellent for what it sets out to do: present the leitmotives of the Ring according to their relationship to one another and their role in developing both characters and plotlines. Deryck Cooke's lectures on each motive are very insightful, very helpful at cueing the listener into the semantic aspect of Wagner's orchestral writing. The one drawback is that the musical examples are a bit jarring. Without fade-ins or -outs, the engineering is quite barbaric. And though the orchestra was, I believe, conducted by Solti, and is beautifully done, the vocal performances can be quite unpleasant. Point being: this is not background music, but in accomplishing what it sets out to do, it is very successful, and I don't know of anything else like it.

Average customer rating: The Soundtrack to Cinderella Man is great Another good score from Thomas Newman. Very nice Why... A fairly conventional score for Thomas Newman, but enjoyable nonetheless

Cinderella Man Thomas Newman Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Road to Perdition (Score) Angels in America The Green Mile: Score from the Motion Picture The Horse Whisperer: Original Score The Shawshank Redemption: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ASIN: B0008ENHX0 Release Date: 2005-05-24

Tracks:

1. The Inside Out
2. Shim-Me-Sha-Wobble
3. Mae
4. Change Of Fortune
5. Weehawken Ferry
6. Cold Meat Party
7. All Prayed Out
8. Tillie's Downtown Now
9. Three Bucks Twenty
10. Corn Griffin
11. Shoe Polish
12. Londonderry Air
13. The Hope Of The Irish
14. Hooverville Funeral
15. Fight Day
16. Good As Murder
17. We've Got To Put That Sun Back In The Sky
18. No Contest
19. Pugilism
20. Bulldog Of Bergen
21. Big Right
22. 9, 4, 2 Even
23. Cinderella Man
24. Turtle
25. Cheer Up! Smile! Nertz! - Eddie Cantor

Amazon.com

For this movie about 1930s boxer Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe), director Ron Howard interrupted his longtime collaboration with composer James Horner and teamed up with Thomas Newman. It's a wise decision: Newman has a lighter touch and his somber palette emphasizes the fact that Cinderella Man is more thoughtful drama than mere brawling flick (even a track titled "Pugilism" eschews obvious punchiness in favor of ominous, rolling tribal-like percussion. Elsewhere, "Weehawken Ferry" illustrates Newman's ability to write swelling, majestic music that's not bombastic. Typical of the subdued approach is Paul Giamatti's version of "Londonderry Air," which he delicately whistles. The score is interspersed with a few lovely Depression-era tunes such as Chicago tenor saxist Bud Freeman's "Tillie¹s Downtown Now," Roane's Pennsylvanians' "We've Got to Put that Sun Back in the Sky," and especially Eddie Cantor's wonderfully biting "Cheer Up, Smile, Nertz" ("Our judges are queer/Our banks disappear/And all the while they tell us to smiiiiile"). --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

The Soundtrack to Cinderella Man is great.......2007-01-11

Cinderella Man is one of my favorite movies of all time. And the soundtrack does not disappoint. They have all of the powerful songs heard on the DVD. It even has the songs that you could barely hear in the movie because they were simply background music to the scenes. For instance, when Mike Wilson and Jim Braddock sit down together after work and have a drink and discuss the troubled times their nation was facing during the depression, you can faintly hear a song called, "We've Got to Put that Sun Back in the Sky" by Roane's Pennsylvanians. That song is on here in its entirety.

The other example is found in the scene where Joe Gould is seen driving off after just speaking with Jim about his hopes of getting him another fight after Jim had defeated Corn Griffin. Joe is trying to leave before Mae can see him because he knows she would not approve of his talking with Jim and the potential of another fight for her husband. Anyway, just as he gets in the car, and as he drives off, you can here Bud Freeman's "Tillie's Downtown Now" being played--another great song from that era.

Every sound of Cinderella Man is found on this soundtrack. The lone downside to this CD is that the songs are not found in the order they appear in the movie. The first four songs are in order and the last five or so are in order, and the rest is thrown in the middle. They are all there, but as is typical for most soundtracks, they don't all coincide with the order presented in the picture.

This soundtrack is a terrific purchase for any fan of this movie. You will not be disappointed.

Another good score from Thomas Newman........2006-11-07

Thomas Newman is becoming quite the composer. He has such a unique style, but is able to use it to compliment the movies he scores without the music sounding out of place or out of period. The tracks "Turtle" and "Pugilism" are fun to listen to. The first track is short and yet somehow moving. There are enough songs from the period to lend the right flavor to the soundtrack (including a track of Paul Giamatti whistling "Londonderry Air"). This one's definitely worth having if you're a fan of Thomas Newman.

Very nice.......2006-08-03

I suppose this would have been better, like another reviewer said, if some of the tracks had been more than minute-long cuts of the music from Cinderella Man. Still, it's a fantastic soundtrack!--I don't know what "conventional" meant when someone called it that, but if you like sad and somber music, you'll certainly like this. Try it. It's almost better than the movie itself, and the movie was great. After this, I have to hear Thomas Newman's other work.

Why..........2006-07-11

I dearly loved the movie, "Cinderella Man," and the music in it. However, why on earth, on the CD, did they play only a minute, or less, of some of the best music? Like, "Hope of the Irish," I liked that so much, but 52 seconds dosn't do it. In the film it was at least 3 minutes or more. I have decided not to buy the soundtrack simply because of this.

A fairly conventional score for Thomas Newman, but enjoyable nonetheless.......2006-03-25

Cinderella Man is, in a way, a return to conventional scoring for Thomas Newman. For a long while we've heard world instruments and percussion banging it out before stopping to allow beautiful themes to grasp our souls, but in Cinderella Man the effort is more restrained. It is largely a score for piano and strings, and fans of Thomas Newman will have heard the sound before. But, all the same, it is an enjoyable score for Newman fans of both kinds, and while it does take a while to get into a full expression of the story, it is definitely worth the wait.

The piano is used a lot in the score, making appearances across most of the tracks, including the gentle "The Inside Out" or in "Mae", appear with the delicate strings that we have come to expect from Newman. "Pugilism" makes use of pizzicato movements, whereas the two Irish influenced tracks, "Hope of the Irish" and "Turtle", bring back some more unconventional instruments as one would expect. But largely, the score meanders in the background, establishing a delicate tone and texture, but never really taking a forefront. Of course, I must make mention of the wonderful "Weehawken Ferry", which presents a crisp walking movement of strings, similar to what was heard in Shawshank Redemption. However, it is not until the final few tracks that the music finally free's itself from it's subdued nature and reaches out. "Big Right" explodes with blaring french horns and sharp strings, until it finally fades off and allows the highlight track, "Cinderella Man", to come in. This track is Newman at his best, with his typical soaring string arrangement of the main theme introduced in "The Inside Out", before finally reverting back to quiet woodwinds and piano near the end.

Cinderella Man is by no means an innovative or groundbreaking score - it's a fairly conventional drama score. The same adjectives could be applied to the movie as well. Is it worth the pick-up? Definitely, if you are looking for more Newman goodness. However, if you're looking to get into the world of Newman with a more colorful score - try "Angels in America" or "Road to Perdition".

- prasanth1111@gmail.com

Average customer rating: a wonderful surprise What!? How is this possible? Beauty and grace, charm and wit - Maury's got it all A perfect marriage of music and lyrics The Maury Yeston Songbook

The Maury Yeston Songbook Maury Yeston , Christine Andreas , Brent Barrett , Betty Buckley , Liz Callaway , Alice Ripley , Sutton Foster , Brian d'Arcy James , and Philip Chaffin Manufacturer: P.S. Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Maury Yeston Songbook December Songs The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Original Broadway Cast) Jule Styne in Hollywood Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast) ASIN: B00008H2LJ Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

1. Please Let's Not Even Say Hello - Alice Ripley
2. Only with You - Brent Barrett
3. I Want to Go to Hollywood - Sutton Foster
4. Danglin' - Johnny Rodgers
5. I Had a Dream About You - Betty Buckley
6. My True Love - Philip Chaffin
7. A Call from the Vatican - Alice Ripley
8. Now and Then - Laura Benanti
9. You're There Too - Christopher Fitzgerald
10. Is Someone Out There? - Eden Espinosa
11. New Words - Brent Barrett
12. My Grandmother's Love Letters - Christine Ebersole
13. By the River - Christine Andreas
14. I Am Longing - Philip Chaffin
15. Home - Laura Benanti & Robert Cuccioli
16. Another Day in the Modern World - Michael Holland
17. Simple - Liz Callaway
18. Unusual Way - Brian d'Arcy James
19. Be On Your Own - Betty Buckley
20. No Moon - Howard McGillin

Amazon.com

Despite racking up Tony nominations and/or box-office success with Nine, Grand Hotel, and Titanic, Maury Yeston remains a relatively unknown Broadway auteur. And yet, what a fabulous songwriter he is. Listen to "Home," for instance: This excerpt from Phantom (the other adaptation of Phantom of the Opera) has great melodic hooks, along with natural sweep and unrestrained emotion. Like every song on this CD, it also has such dramatic drive that it easily stands on its own outside of its regular narrative frame. This collection of new recordings provides an excellent overview of Yeston's talent, juxtaposing numbers from his three best-known scores (though there's only one from Titanic) with rarities and a generous selection from his 1991 song cycle December Songs. Christine Ebersole, Liz Callaway, and Betty Buckley turn in expectedly strong performances, but watch also for Laura Benanti (the star of the 2003 revival of Nine), Christine Andreas, and Foster Sutton, who completely make the material theirs. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Description

The Tony Award-winning composer/lyricist -- who's given us the smash hit musicals Titanic, Phantom and Grand Hotel, and whose first stage show, Nine, is currently being revived in New York with Antonio Banderas -- is celebrated in song by the best stars o

Customer Reviews:

a wonderful surprise.......2007-07-22

Like others, I bought this CD primarily for Sutton Foster's rendition of "I Want to Go to Hollywood." And while that's wonderful, the real surprises here are the songs from Yeston's song cycle "December Songs." Christine Ebersole and Christine Andreas give absolutely lovely, technically proficient, completely heartfelt renditions of "My Grandmother's Love Letters" and "By the River", respectively. I'd heard Andrea Marcovicci's recording of "December Songs" and was seriously underwhelmed. These two tracks just prove that Yeston might have over-estimated Marcovicci's range and technical ability. "By the River" is a revelation in the right hands, and Ms. Andreas's rendition is just four minutes of wonderful. I also want to mention Howard McGillin's "No Moon". This little song from "Titanic" is just so moving. Pulled out of context, it becomes a little jewel of metaphor.

The CD as a whole is beautifully recorded, with an intimacy and clarity that makes you feel like you're in the first row of a very small theatre. If you come across this and you're on the fence, take a chance. I bet that you'll be as pleasantly surprised and deeply moved as I've been.

What!? How is this possible?.......2007-01-20

How could one put together a Maury Yeston Songbook cd without a track from Andrea Marcovicci? He wrote a song cycle for her. Granted there are some great singers here but a grave oversight to not include Ms Marcovicci.

Beauty and grace, charm and wit - Maury's got it all.......2006-11-14

Maury Yeston may be musical theatre's unsung genius to the public at large, but I've heard his praises sung many times. A friend convinced me to buy the original Broadway cast of "Nine", and while there were some fantastic songs and an undeniable melodic gift throughout, it left me lukewarm. The same with "Grand Hotel". And I couldn't stand "Titanic" - too big, too self-important, too reliant on booming low brass and bombastic orchestral swells.

"Phantom" was the only one of his scores that touched something other than distanced admiration in me. It was everything Sir Lloyd Webber's popera travesty could never quite aspire to - epic yet human, beautiful and touching, with songs that showed actual details and emotions. So it was with that in mind that I purchased this, figuring that maybe Maury could prove me wrong, shorn from the restrictions of a book musical format.

And by God, did he prove me right and then some.

Maybe it's the singers. Maybe it's the perfect orchestrations. Maybe it's just the absence of a plot to follow. More than likely, it's all three, but this is one of the most gorgeous, enjoyable, heartbreaking albums I've ever purchased. Yeston has assembled an impressive cast to give voice to his music - such heavy Broadway hitters as Alice Ripley, Brent Barrett, Betty Buckley, Christine Ebersole and Howard McGillin mix with up-and-comers like Eden Espinosa, Sutton Foster, and Brian d'Arcy James. But the most impressive turns are given by people I'd never heard of before - Johnny Rodgers (who?) has a voice spun from gold, and he's absolutely perfect in "Danglin'", a simple and powerful song despite some odd lyric choices by Yeston. Likewise Philip Chaffin in "My True Love" and "I Am Longing", and Michael Holland displays a warm and untrained performance of "Another Day in the Modern World". These three men, who I'd never heard of before, absolutely stole the show. It doesn't hurt that they're given some of the best songs from the album.

Of course, the rest of the ensemble uniformly turns in worthwhile performances. The professionalism of Broadway is gloriously evident here, each singer making their song uniquely theirs. Brent Barrett made me hear "Only With You" as if for the first time. Betty Buckley is surprisingly vulnerable in "I Had A Dream About You". Alice Ripley is her usual bundle of raw emotion in "Please Let's Not Even Say Hello", and turns in a rare comic performance in "Call From The Vatican" to great effect (listen to that surprise high note near the end! Wow, Alice!). Christine Ebersole is heartbroken, elated, vulnerable, and tough all in the course of "Grandmother's Love Letters"' 4 minutes.

There are some weak spots - Eden Espinosa is mostly one-note during her song, and while it's certainly a high note, it's nothing you haven't heard her do better elsewhere. Laura Benanti's "Now and Then" goes by without much notice, which is a shame for this talented actress. And Betty Buckley goes back to her usual high-volume stridence in "Be On Your Own", which despite its chilling music deserves a more nuanced performance than Buckley gives here. But these songs would be standouts on any other album, and it's only the company they keep that prevent them from being excellent.

Oh, and "Unusual Way", possibly Yeston's best-known song, is so beautifully performed here by Brian d'Arcy James and a three-piece band that I nearly cried hearing it. And that's quite a feat for a song that I swore never to listen to again after the seventeenth girl in a day auditioned with it (badly). But the gender swap works perfectly, and d'Arcy James' golden Irish tenor swings through the music effortlessly.

As for the band - there are no missteps here. Each song is given exactly what it needs, from the Romantic-with-a-capital-R string section on "Home", to the jazzy saxophone on "Letter From the Vatican", to "Be On Your Own", which is given a Herrmann-esque string section. Some particular touches stand out - that lovely acoustic guitar on "Danglin'", the simple piano line on "Modern World", and the sublime cello/piano outro in "Unusual Way" really stuck with me after the album stopped playing. And the recording is without fault - crisp, encompassing, personable and expansive as the mood requires. The whole album sounds fantastic.

There is such a wide range of style and substance here that each song would deserve purchasing individually. As a collection? It's bliss. If you're a fan of theater music, appreciate great vocals, or just need something to keep you company on long nights, this is required purchase.

A perfect marriage of music and lyrics.......2006-09-07

I think Yeston must be the most underrated talent in music theatre. And not just music theatre ... for as far as I know, "Danglin'" is not from a show - a jewel of a song ... and a disarmingly honest rendition from Johnny Rogers (what a beautiful voice! Why hasn't he made more CD's?) Some other favourites are "New Words" (not enough parent-child love songs out there ... and I can't imagine it could be sung any better than this), "You're there too" (with a charming and unexpected twist), "Simple" (Callaway is superb), "Only With You" (loveable rogue!) ... to name but a few. Inspired music theatre writing. A must for any musical buff, composer or singer seeking repertoire that will help them stand out from the crowd.

The Maury Yeston Songbook.......2006-08-30

A good album sung by good singers. I have been an admirer of Maury Yeston for a number of years . I am a great fan of "Nine"
which I consider his best work.(If possible try to listen to the
Australian Cast Recording with John Diedrich) I enjoy listening to artists like Alice Ripley, Brent Barrett, Sutton Foster,and my very favourite singer Liz Callaway. All in all a great CD to just sit back ,relax and enjoy Les Breen

Average customer rating: The Manhattans - Even Now g black Turn Out the Stars is Amazing! Super CD More People Need to be Turned On to this CD

Even Now The Manhattans Manufacturer: Love Lee Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Northern | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Quiet Storm | R&B | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 International | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 R&B | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Love Songs The Best of the Manhattans: Kiss and Say Goodbye Right Here All Along The Magic of the Blue Super Hits ASIN: B00009ZYDQ Release Date: 2003-08-26

Tracks:

1. Love Me Right
2. Turn Out the Stars
3. Nites Like This
4. Even Now
5. Everyday People
6. Lets Try Love
7. Any Other Way
8. How Much More
9. I Got It Right
10. Lover Lullaby
11. Can You take It

Product Description

As they constantly tour America, The Manhattans, featuring Gerald Alston and Blue Lovett along with Troy May and David Tyson continue to bring stellar legacy to the stage. With all time hits such as “Kiss and Say Goodbye” and “Shining Star” along with numerous other hits, there is no doubt that The Manhattans are here to stay. The Manhattans have a 1980 Grammy for “Shining Star”, as well as their share of platinum and gold singles and albums. In 1999 they were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. With their single “Turn Out the Stars”, which features jazz saxophone great Gerald Albright, The Manhattans take a country music standard and turn it into a Mainstream Classic.

Customer Reviews:

The Manhattans - Even Now.......2007-05-23

I absolutely LOVE this CD!! I have bought several copies for family and friends over the last year or two. The lyrics are simple and beautiful, which is something that is sorely lacking in today's music. The soothing sounds can mellow you out after a hard day, or put you in the mood with that special someone.

This one's a must have!!

g black.......2006-02-26

Not sure why this cd didn't get more air play when it was released. If you like the Manhattens, you'll love this cd.

Turn Out the Stars is Amazing!.......2005-04-26

I heard a special on XM Radio's Soul Street channel a few days ago, and Gerald & Blue of the Manhattans dropped by to talk with the DJ. The discussion eventually came around to this album, and they played "Turn Out the Stars", which I actually had not heard until then. I listened to it in complete awe, it is truly an amazing performance by one of the great classic soul groups. "Turn Out the Stars" alone is worth the price of the disc, which I hurried out and bought later the same day. I can't stop playing it. This tune is a monster! Gerald's soulful, emotion-charged vocals stand out on this cut above all the others.
All I can say is get this disc and you'll be as awed as I was on this particular cut.

Super CD.......2005-04-13

Record legend, Al Bell, has brought America one of the finest soul albums to be released in years.

"Turn Out The Stars" is more than worth the price of admission!

More People Need to be Turned On to this CD.......2004-06-15

This is one of the most mature and emotionally uplifting of the Manhattans' sound.

Average customer rating: Even Now Not my favorite, BUT The Pinnacle of His Career

Even Now Barry Manilow Manufacturer: Arista ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Tryin' to Get the Feeling Barry Manilow II This One's for You One Voice Barry Manilow I ASIN: B000F2CC2M Release Date: 2006-05-09

Tracks:

1. Copacabana (At The Copa)
2. Somewhere In The Night
3. A Linda Song
4. Can't Smile Without You
5. Leavin' In The Morning
6. Where Do I Go From Here
7. Even Now
8. I Was A Fool (To Let You Go)
9. Losing Touch
10. I Just Want To Be The One In Your Life
11. Starting Again
12. Sunrise
13. I'm Comin' Home Again
14. No Love For Jenny

Customer Reviews:

Even Now.......2007-01-10

This is my hands down favorite Manilow album! It's got a little of everything and some not so popular songs. I feel like I'm in Maui when I listen to Sunrise.

Not my favorite, BUT.......2006-11-25

This is not my favorite Barry CD. (I have a respectable collection.) This is a good CD, with 14 tracks, many I've never heard before. It has been digitally remastered from the original 1978 release. Song quality is great. Total album time is a wee bit over 48 minutes. There is a booklet included, with the words of most of the songs, so you can sing along if you want to.

There are classic versions of the Barry classics: "Copacabana" runs a tad shy of 6 minutes. The subtle-sexy "Somewhere in the Night" is included "..lovin' so warm, movin' so right, closin' our eyes, and feelin' the light.." (I LOVE that song). "Even Now" and "Can't Smile Without You" are also included in their familiar versions.

"A Linda Song" and "No Love for Jenny" are not included on many albums, but are included here. They are good songs, just sad songs. I do like the beat in "Leavin' in the Mornin'" even though that's a bit sad too. "I Was a Fool to Let You Go" is kind of almost a blues. I like "I Just Want to be the One in Your Life" a lot. The others are all good songs: "Sunrise; I'm Comin' Home Again; Where Do I Go From Here; and Losing Touch."

I love everything Barry does. With that said, the album is mainly "slow songs" and some of it is a bit sad for my taste. Not to say there is anything wrong with that. Some people need to sort of vent their own experiences through sad songs, so they can release the grief or sadness they are holding within themselves. Sad songs have a definitive purpose. You NEVER want to hold on to grief, anger, sadness, etc. They will make you ill.

With that said, for me, I prefer more upbeat songs overall, but this is still a great album.

The Pinnacle of His Career.......2006-06-12

As Manilow's music goes, his fifth studio release, "Even Now" tops them all. I grew up on Manilow. Both of my parents were fans, so between Dad, Mom and myself, we owned his entire collection up through 1983. I also was a pianist taking lessons from the Eastern WA University professor. Instead of practicing as I should have, I spent many a weekend working out Manilow's tunes - some at Dad's request, some of my own choosing.

Having said this, I became well acquainted with his albums and after 20+ years, "Even Now" is still as fresh as it was when I first heard it in high school. It released four hits ("Copacabana," "Even Now," "Somewhere In The Night," and "Can't Smile Without You") and Manilow won a Grammy for "Copa." Each song is a work of craftsmanship, with memorable melodies and phenemonal orchestration. Manilow's vocals are strong and display his wide range. There is much variety on this album, from disco to his typical power ballads, to just he and the piano.

Manilow has gotten a lot of bad press over the years from his overly-sentimental (sappy) love songs. If one listens to this album in its entirety, one will discover that this is just not the case. To really understand his style, this album is a good starting point. Listen to it and you'll discover a wealth of top-quality music.

Average customer rating: Nice Collection PERFECT! Great singing and excellent value for money More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll Henry Purcell , Nancy Argenta , and Nigel North Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Purcell: The Fairy Queen Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort Essential Purcell Bach: Cantatas Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott ASIN: B000059LOH Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

1. O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
2. Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
3. Not All My Torments - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
4. Stripp'd Of Their Green - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
5. Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
6. If Music Be The Food Of Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
7. Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
8. The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
9. Incassum, Lesbia - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
10. Sweeter Than Roses - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
11. Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
12. From Silent Shades - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
13. Dear Pretty Youth - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
14. From Rosy Bow'rs - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
15. Now That The Sun Hath Veil'd His Light - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
16. Beneath A Poplar's Shadow - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
17. I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
18. Let Us Dance - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
19. Fairest Isle - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
20. O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby

Tracks:

1. Nymphs And Shepherds - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
2. Amidst The Shades And Cool Refreshing Streams - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
3. Love In Their Little Veins Inspires - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/Nigel North
4. Fly Swift, Ye Hours - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
5. They Tell Us That Your Mighty Powers - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
6. The Plaint: O Let Me Weep - Nancy Argenta/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
7. In The Black, Dismal Dungeon Of Despair - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
8. See, Even Night Herself Is Here - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones
9. Why Should Men Quarrel? - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/John Toll
10. Seek Not To Know - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Sophia McKenna/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
11. Retir'd From Mortals' Sight - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
12. To Arms, Heoric Prince - Nancy Argenta/Mark Bennett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
13. O Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
14. Halcyon Days - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
15. Bid The Virtues - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
16. Lord, What Is Man? (A Divine Hymn) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
17. Music For A While - Nancy Argenta/John Toll
18. If Music Be The Food Of Love (1st Setting) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/John Toll
19. Sawney Is A Bonny Lad (A Scotch Song) - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
20. When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
21. Ah! Cruel, Bloody Fate - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
22. Thy Hand, Belinda... When I Am Laid In Earth - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North

Customer Reviews:

Nice Collection.......2007-03-05

I have many collections of Purcell's Music. This collection stands up to them at half the price. Solid buy.

PERFECT!.......2006-10-26

There is only a word with which I can describe this set of discs: perfect!
The only flaw there is, is not related to the singing or playing: no text enclosed.

Great singing and excellent value for money.......2004-09-19

This is probably one of the best anthologies of Purcell songs around, and not just because it's two-for-one pricing means it contains twice as much music (CD1:74'24" & CD2: 77'41")! Nancy Argenta has an irrepressible sense of style and crystal clear diction. But unlike Emma Kirby, whose vocal purity can become tiresome, these renditions radiate warmth. She is also, I have found, more consistently involving than any one of the singers in Hyperion's three disc survey of Complete Secular Songs (recently reissued as a single set). One marvels at how she judiciously balances restraint and emotional forthrightness. The accompaniments (archlute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, and organ) are well judged and blend with the voice, all helped by an excellently defined recording acoustic. This is an absolute winner at any price!

More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'.......2001-08-02

Two CDs, totaling more than 150 minutes of sparsely-arranged (never more than 3-5 instruments at a time), sweetly-sung, 350 year old 'ayres' (a typically English form of secular music). Nancy Argenta's soprano voice is lovely, silvery indeed as her name implies. The instruments are a discreet but friendly accompaniment to her solo voice. Perhaps the instruments are a little too discreet -- there are times when I wish they were a touch more prominent. But that is a very, very minor complaint. A beautiful collection, and quite well worth the money.

Average customer rating: The genius of Leah continues Even better than her first album... Not only an excellent artist, but a wonderful person as well GREAT CD!! A Totally Fresh and Interesting album

Alchemy Leah Andreone Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Similar Items: Veiled Departure Something After All It's Alright It's OK Ghost Stories ASIN: B00000BKIQ Release Date: 1998-09-29

Tracks:

1. Sunny Day
2. Swallow Me
3. Bow Down
4. Star Struck Bastard
5. Porn
6. Lighten I t Up
7. You Don't Exist
8. Dive In
9. Inconceivable
10. Try To Take Your Time
11. Pretty Freak
12. Fake
13. Private Affair
14. Lamentation

Customer Reviews:

The genius of Leah continues.......2007-07-03

On her second album, Leah branched out in more experimental directions. this album is edgier and less glossy than her first album, Veiled, but that is not a bad thing. While Veiled was about healing, Alchemy (as the name implies) is about experimentation. And her phenominal understanding of the art of songwriting and musical composition are displayed well here. It stands as a testament to the quality of this album that eight years after it was released it is experiencing a resurgence thanks to being featured prominently on So You Think You Can Dance. This album wasn't really advertised at all, and never got radio exposure. Through the power of cult followings, it is finally getting some of the exposure it is due. This album is a gem waiting to be uncovered, and you will not regret purchasing it. I bought it when it came out originally, and I still listen to it regularly, as I do with Veiled too. You will love this album!

Even better than her first album..........2003-03-22

Love this album more than her first! Very strong vocals & lyrics and very entertaining album overall!! I highly recommend this album.

Not only an excellent artist, but a wonderful person as well.......1999-10-24

I had the oppurtunity to meet Leah when I lived in San Diego, before she put out her first album. She actually played a demo tape for me in her car, and I remember wondering if the public had the capacity to appreciate her. I am SO GLAD IT DID! It was incredible. Since then, I've followed her career. I feel lucky to have crossed paths with her! She's got an amazing quality to her voice, and she's very beautiful.

GREAT CD!!.......1999-09-23

Leah Andreone has been my favorite singer for almost 3 years now. Her songs never get boring, because they are all very unique. She has a great talent for singing, and writing all kinds of different variaties of songs, all of which amaze me!!

A Totally Fresh and Interesting album.......1999-06-23

I bought this album on a whim - I had never heard of Leah before. I am amazingly impressed. This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. Her music complex, rich and vibrant. The songs cover a wide varitey of styles while still maintaining a similar element that connects them all together. The whole album has a very gothic sound to it while still being upbeat and funky. I highly recommend this album.

Average customer rating: It's wonderful to have Bernstein back, but the performances fall short Come back Lennie, we need you For Bernstein enthusiasts, it's like owning a gold mine Bernstein's Early American Recordings

Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Leonard Bernstein Conducts Haydn (Collectors Edition) Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964 The Complete 1950s Chopin Recordings Shostakovich: The Golden Age Leonard Bernstein Conducts Brahms (Collectors Edition) ASIN: B00067GKF6 Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

It's wonderful to have Bernstein back, but the performances fall short.......2006-11-26

These 1953 mono recordings catch Bernstein a decade after his famous debut with the NY Phil. and five years before he became their youngest-ever condcutor. It's great to hear that warm, comforting voice again, although his analyses--especially the longest one devoted to the Brahms Fourth--aren't as polished as they would become. He gets pedagogical at times and runs us through a rote example-and-explanation formula. Even then, howeer, colorful Bernstein touches peek out, and we are reminded of the man who taught an entire generation to venerate classical music.

For me, the performances themselves fall short. They were often recorded in a rush, sometimes late at night after a summer concert. I know that the Stadium Sym. is actually the NY Phil., but they don't sound particularly fine, and Bernstein's interpreatations, though vigorous, often border on the slapdash. Plowing through Beethoven's 3rd, Dvorak's 9th, Schumann's 2nd, Brahms' 4th and Tchaikovsky's 6th, I found few sparks of originaity, much less genius. This is a tough admission from one of LB's geat admirers, but there you are. The original recorded sound is also a bit thin and harsh.

Come back Lennie, we need you.......2006-02-22

This box is worth its price just for the five talks. Bernstein at this stage had a teaching style rather more stilted than the chatty sage of later years, but the combination of authority, insight and infectious enthusiasm is unique. Entertainingly offhand about the New World, he's at his best on the music he reveres most, i.e. Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms, the first movement of whose Fourth Symphony gets a particularly in-depth analysis that left me yearning for more. Practically anyone could enjoy and learn from these talks - they're fascinating fun without a whiff of down-dumbing. When the classical and the popular cross over nowadays, the results are usually compromised and crass, but with Bernstein there doesn't even seem to be a gap to be crossed over - just a passion to share these wonders with as many people as possible. We need his all-embracing talent and vision today more than ever.

Then there are the performances. I'm not the biggest fan of mono symphonic recordings, but these positively leap down your ears, unmannered, committed and electric. It's hard to believe what was achieved under the hasty recording conditions described in the booklet. The sound is a little fierce, but good enough to make this set a wonderful gift for any open-minded but symphonically ignorant acquaintance. I can easily imagine it turning someone on to classical music.

For Bernstein enthusiasts, it's like owning a gold mine.......2005-06-19

This new album set is something that I had heard of, but never dared to hope would be released on CD. It consists of Leonard Bernstein's very first recordings of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (the "Eroica"), Dvorak's "New World Symphony", Schumann's Symphony No. 2, Brahms' Fourth Symphony, and Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony. They are all conducted by Bernstein and played beautifully by an orchestra which bills itself as the New York Stadium Symphony Orchestra, but which is really the great New York Philharmonic, using the name that they gave themselves during summer concerts.

The performances are a revelation, because they demonstrate conclusively that Bernstein did not always "exaggerate" or "overinterpret" great music, as critics frequently claim. His performances here are very, very direct and straightforward, more like Fritz Reiner or Toscanini than like Bernstein.

If this album contained only Bernstein's early performances of these symphonies, it would be interesting, but it might not really attract that much attention, since he re-recorded all of these pieces in stereo in later years, and with the same orchestra.

What makes this set so valuable is that it contains his long out-of-print lectures on these symphonies, and far from what the previous reviewer claims, they never become boring and monotonous. No musician in our time, or maybe even in the history of music, was a better or more articulate and sensitive lecturer on music than Leonard Bernstein. His legendary appearances on the "Young People's Concerts" did more for the appreciation of classical music than all the "Beethoven's Wig" albums combined. (If you don't know what "Beethoven's Wig" is, check it out and shudder at how far music appreciation has fallen since Bernstein's death.)

Bernstein had a unique ability to make classical music accessible to everybody, without ever condescending to the listener or cheapening the music. His lectures on this album, previously only available to 1950's Book of the Month Subscribers (except for part of the Beethoven lecture, which is the only one that Bernstein did re-record in stereo), are invaluable both to music students and to those who are willing to listen. All of the lectures included cover all four movements of the symphonies discussed, except for the Brahms; that one is just as extensive as the others, but it covers only the first movement of the symphony.

However--be warned, the lectures do have a flaw that the symphonies themselves do not, and that is why I have subtracted one star.

The symphony recordings are obviously remastered from magnetic tape, but the lectures have been transferred from LP's. Thus, you will be able to hear an occasional click or pop from time to time, and there is a clearly audible "skip" on the Brahms lecture. It is NOT the CD being defective, or the laser beam on your player skipping; it is clearly the lecture recordings themselves. Deutsche Grammophon, which released this CD set, is very honest about the source of the transfers to compact disc, and is to be commended for this. (They mention it in the last page of the accompanying booklet.) But this shouldn't deter anybody from buying this enormously important Bernstein set.

Bernstein's Early American Recordings.......2005-04-02

The most recent batch of DG's "Original Masters" box sets boasts several titles that will leave classical collectors rejoicing, "Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings" foremost among them. This 5CD set features Lenny in his earliest recorded performances of some of his trademark works -- Beethoven's 3rd, Dvorak's 9th, Schumann's 2nd, Brahms' 4th and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphonies. Bernstein would later re-record all of five these symphonies with the NYPO (btw, the Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York IS the NYPO) to greater acclaim for Columbia, but these early accounts capture a brilliant young conductor at the threshold of greatness. Also after each performance, Bernstein offers a musical analysis, simplifying what the listener just heard as only he could, which is again something the conductor would become famous for in years to come. Well then, if this is such a great set, why the four-star rating? First, while the performances sound very good, these are 1953 mono recordings and the casual fan needs to be aware that analog and digital stereo recordings of these works by the conductor do exist, and are generally preferable. Second, the musical analysis is a nice touch, but certainly does not warrant repeated listenings, as does the music. In fact, nearly half of the contents of these five discs is LB talking, and it could have been filled with music instead, or simply sold as a less expensive 3CD set. However, these shortcomings aside, "Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings" is another outstanding release in a fine series.

Average customer rating: Now it's possible to get your Partch all in a row

The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 1 Manufacturer: New World Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 2 The Harry Partch Collection Volume 3 The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 4 Genesis of a Music: An Account of a Creative Work, Its Roots and Its Fulfillments (Da Capo Paperback) Harry Partch: Enclosure 7 ASIN: B0002WZTKC Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

1. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
2. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
3. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
4. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
5. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
6. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
7. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
8. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
9. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
10. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
11. Eleven Intrusions (1949-50)
12. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Castor & Pollux---A Dance for the Twin Rhythms of Gemini
13. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Castor & Pollux---A Dance for the Twin Rhythms of Gemini
14. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
15. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
16. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
17. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Ring Around the Moon---A Dance for Here and Now
18. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
19. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
20. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
21. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
22. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
23. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
24. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
25. Plectra and Percussion Dances-Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theatre (1952)- Even Wild Horses---Dance Music for an Absent Drama
26. Ulysses at the Edge (1955)

Album Description

This newly remastered reissue marks a welcome return to the catalog of the first volume of the classic 4-CD collection that was formerly available on the CRI label. The works recorded on this disc span the first six years of what Harry Partch (1901-1974), slightly tongue-in-cheek, called the "third period" of his creative life. They show him moving away from the obsession with "the intrinsic music of spoken words" that had characterized his earlier output (the vocal works of 1930-33 and 1941-45) and towards an instrumental idiom, predominantly percussive in nature. This path was to take him through the "music-dance drama" King Oedipus (1951)—-the culmination of his "spoken word" manner—to the "dance satire" The Bewitched (1954-55), in which his new percussive idiom manifests itself. The three works on this disc show Partch before, during, and after this period of transition. In their quiet, forlorn way, the Eleven Intrusions are among the most compelling and beautiful of Partch's works. The individual pieces were composed at various times between August 1949 and December 1950, and only later gathered together as a cycle. Nonetheless they form a unified whole, with a nucleus of eight songs framed by two instrumental preludes and an essentially instrumental postlude. Although foreshadowed by the dance sequences of King Oedipus, the Plectra and Percussion Dances (1952) are the first of Partch's major works to be wholly instrumental in conception. They stand in relation to Oedipus as a satyr play in relation to a Greek tragedy—hence the work's subtitle, "Satyr-Play Music for Dance Theater." He felt that after the prolonged period of composition and production of Oedipus it was "almost a necessity to give vent to feelings and ideas, whims and caprices, even nonsense, that seem to have no place in tragedy." The final work on this disc is Ulysses at the Edge, written at Partch's studio at Gate 5 in July 1955. Ulysses, which Partch describes as a "minor adventure in rhythm," is unique among his mature compositions in that, in its original form, it did not call for any of his own instruments. The version recorded here, for alto and baritone saxophones, Diamond Marimba, Boo, Cloud-Chamber Bowls, and speaking voice, is considered the third version of the piece.

Customer Reviews:

Now it's possible to get your Partch all in a row.......2006-02-20

Harry Partch is the quintissential mad genius of music--his image of music that was non-Eurocentric led to him devising his own tonal scale based on ancient Greek and Asian methods and then creating his own instruments. This series release of Partch music lets one organize his Partch tastes and get a real sense of his progress through time. This disc is superb for the Intrusions, ghostly little pieces that were my first introduction to this fine composer. I would also highly recommend volume 3, which has Barstow, one of my favorite Partch pieces.

Be prepared. This is classical music you have not been prepared for. If you're already a fan of Partch, aren't you glad SOMEONE is getting all his amazing stuff together in one tightly knit package?

Average customer rating: A Timely Performance Outstanding; a soon to be classic Uninspired tedium Holocaust Cantata: A Five Star Work of Art An excerpt from my liner notes...

Holocaust Cantata Manufacturer: Albany Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Composers of the Holocaust: Ghetto Songs & Instrumental Works MUSIC FROM THE HOLOCAUST Rossini: Petite Messe solennelle Music in the Holocaust: Confronting Life in the Nazi Ghettos and Camps (Oxford Historical Monographs) Forbidden Music: Music from Theresienstadt ASIN: B000031VRF Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

1. The Prisoner Rises
2. Singing Saved My Life
3. Song Of The Polish Prisoners
4. The Execution Of The Twelve
5. In Buchenwald
6. A State Of Seperation
7. The Train
8. Singing From Birth To Death
9. The Striped Ones
10. There's No Life Like Life At Auschwitz
11. Tempo di Tango
12. Letter To Mom
13. Song Of Days Now Gone
14. Passacaille For Cello And Piano
15. Even When God Is Silent
16. A Child's Journey: An Accidental Meeting
17. A Child's Journey: I Once Had A Friend
18. A Child's Journey: There Are No Stars In The Sky
19. Is Not A Flower A Mystery?
20. We Remember Them

Album Description

The Holocaust Cantata uses the words and music of actual concentration camp inmates to create a wholly original and powerful work. Using material found within the archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Donald McCullough's Holocaust Cantata traverses one of the bleakest episodes in human history. Yet the piece also evokes a sense of music's life-affirming power, even in the face of absolute despair, to express what words alone cannot.

McCullough discovered the material within the vast Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection in the museum's archives. Kulisiewicz himself had performed as a kind of camp troubador during his own incarceration at Sachsenhausen, and, after the war, spent several years interviewing fellow survivors about music in the camps, gathering together the scattered remnants of this music.

As McCullough painstakingly sifted through this material-much of which was uncatalogued-the arresting melodies and compelling testimonies that make up the Holocaust Cantata gradually began to emerge. "I wanted the Cantata to speak with a sense of immediacy," says McCullough, explaining his decision to set the choral texts and spoken testimonies in English, and his hope is that the piece may "transform statistics into people in the minds of the Cantata's listeners, and perhaps be a part of making it more difficult for such a horror ever to occur again." The Washington Post, reviewing the world premiere in March 1998, called it "an experience that should linger long in the audience's memory and should be regularly revived."

Customer Reviews:

A Timely Performance.......2001-11-18

In August of 2001, the choral group I sing with began practicing this work for performance on Veteran's Day Nov 11. We rehearse on Tuesday nights. As we all know on Tuesday Sept 11 the world change forever. Of course rehearsal was cancelled. When we returned the next Tuesday - a piece that we all thought was so powerful became more so. The first song contains the words "the fires burning, the iron furnace..". The paralells to what happened were evident. As one of the reviewers noted " so this can never happen again", well it has, only much faster, in one single day. Hate caused both events. People need to hear this CD and really listen to the words of the songs and the narration, and maybe we can prevent this from happening again and again. A MUST HEAR FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. The music and lyics came from the hearts and the lives of the prisoners.This is a beautiful tribute to them.

Outstanding; a soon to be classic.......2000-05-04

Beautifully written and performed! This recording and an encore live performance of this inspiring work were downright demanded by audiences after the premiere. I rate it a "strong buy."

Uninspired tedium.......2000-04-28

McCullough has appropriated other people's material, "choralized" it, and appears to be attempting to capitalize on a wave of political correctness to buy himself a Grammy nomination. There are a few nice tunes scattered throughout this tedious piece, but overall the interpretation is lifeless, unimaginative, and uninspired, almost clinical. Here's hoping that victims of the Shoah can find a more suitable expression of their music than McCullough has tried to give them. They deserve better than this.

Holocaust Cantata: A Five Star Work of Art.......2000-01-07

For me, the Holocaust Cantata is one of those artistic representations of that cataclysmic period that evokes an even stronger picture of the horrors of the Holocaust then do many pictures in newspapers and museum exhibits. I think this is because the Cantata is poetry-it's message sounds a spare and powerful truth. I am grateful to Mr. McCullough for his vision and energy in bringing about the Holocaust Cantata.

An excerpt from my liner notes..........1999-11-25

I was present at the March 1998 Kennedy Center premiere of this extraordinary work, and subsequently wrote the liner notes for the CD. Because of the unusual nature of this recording-which I think captures the haunting beauty of this work-I believe that others would be interested in reading an excerpt from my notes on the music. Please note that I am posting this material with the permission of the composer, Donald McCullough:

Notes on the Music

It is well-known that during the Holocaust inmates wrote music while incarcerated in concentration camps. Much of it has since been recorded. At Theresienstadt, for instance-the infamous "Paradise Ghetto"-the Nazis organized an orchestra made up of young musicians who had studied under such luminaries as Leos Janacek and Arnold Schoenberg. Most of these musicians, among them such promising students as Gideon Klein and Viktor Ullmann, perished during the Holocaust, leaving behind but a few pieces, composed under duress and co-opted by the Nazis for their own propaganda purposes. What might they have eventually accomplished had they survived? Such classical music-beautiful as it is-was the product of formally trained musicians. What about the music of the common man-music embraced by the whole community and passed secretly by aural transmission-music that carried with it powerful words revealing different aspects of camp life, or expressing the inmates' innermost feelings, of mourning, or resistance, or patriotism? Was there other Holocaust music, akin to the spirituals that sprang from slavery in America, that spoke with the same startling immediacy to express the agony of the victims of the Nazi regime?...

McCullough's [quest to answer this question] began with a call to Bret Werb, musicologist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, who revealed the existence of the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection in the museum archives. Kulisiewicz had traveled about Europe during the postwar period collecting and preserving what he could of the music that had emerged from the Holocaust concentration camps, but little was known about the music itself.

McCullough's first task, then, was to immerse himself in the collection, playing through the hundreds of tunes. He was encouraged to find that they contained some compelling melodies, and for the first time he began to wonder whether a choral cantata-perhaps reflecting the role of music in the camps or evoking the daily lives of these people-might emerge from the material. But he still had no idea what lay within the accompanying text.

At some point, someone had added a rough, English-language index to the collection, but the materials themselves were mostly in Polish. Marcin Zmudzki, a young Pole, was engaged to sift through the mountain of texts. McCullough told the translator that he was interested in anything that had to do with camp life, especially as it related to music. As he recalls, "It was my good fortune that not only was Marcin an excellent translator, but also he had a sense for poetry and thus grasped, very quickly, the type of material I was seeking."

In addition to music, Kulisiewicz also collected interviews, articles, and letters that had anything to do with camp life. With this wealth of material, McCullough decided to place between each musical arrangement readings that also spoke of life in the camps. After considering and rejecting literally hundreds of documents, he finally decided that he had what he needed from the archives. But in a sense, the real work was just beginning. "Because I wanted the Cantata to speak with a sense of immediacy," says McCullough, "I thought it should be sung in English. But before I could arrange a single note of it, I needed to have singable translations. Here I employed the talents of lyricist Denny Clark, who at first worked with Marcin, getting a word by word translation. Knowing which words appear on which notes is important in keeping the overall impact of the song." A trained singer himself, Clark was able to make transliterations to ensure that the best vowels for singing fell on the proper notes, all while remaining faithful to the original text. It was an immensely complicated task....

A few words about the structure of the Cantata. As you listen you should not look for a plot, as such. Because each song and reading represents a different person, a different place, and a different time in the Holocaust experience, you should be wary about viewing the entire piece as a streaming narrative. Nonetheless, certain common truths will begin to emerge, and no doubt others will come to you with each successive hearing. Among these is the certainty that these are nakedly honest responses to the most unthinkable of acts. Sometimes the responses are jarring; who could find humor amid such horror? And yet humor-albeit dark in nature-undoubtedly exists within this work. Nevertheless the inmates' responses never sink to the level of triteness. For them, music functioned as something much more than just a light in the darkness; its very existence was a form of spiritual resistance in an environment where such resistance risked instant extermination.

McCullough's hope is that this work may "transform statistics into people in the minds of the Cantata's listeners, and perhaps be a part of making it more difficult for such a horror ever to occur again." In the end, for me, the work flows inexorably back to its source: it is the voice of humanity, crying out to be heard.

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