| 1. Feminina Voz Do Cantor (The Singer's Feminine Voice) |
| 2. Casa Aberta (Open House) |
| 3. Beleza E Canção (Beauty and Song) |
| 4. Tristesse |
| 5. Quem Sabe Isso Quer Dizer Amor (Maybe It Can Be Called Love) |
| 6. Imagem E Semelhança (Image and Likeness) |
| 7. Lágrima E O Rio (The Tear and the River) |
| 8. Voa Bicho (Fly, Bird) |
| 9. Outro Lugar (Another Place) |
| 10. As Vezes Deus Exagera (Sometimes God Exaggerates) |
| 11. Cantaloupe Island |
| 12. Pietá |
| 13. Beira-Mar Novo (New Seashore) |
| 14. Os Meninos de Araçuai (Children from Araçuai) |
| 15. Boa Noite (Good Night) |
| 16. Vozes Do Vento (Voices of the Wind) |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2003 Latin Grammy Nominee for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album. The Record features Special Guests: Maria Rita Mariano (Elis Regina and Cesar Camargo Mariano's Daughter), Eumir Deodato, Marina Machado and Simone Guimaraes.
Andrea Bocelli has a very gorgeous voice that is a gift from above. His voice is not affected or braggadoccio but naturally magnificent. I could and do start my day listening to this spiritually uplifting CD almost everyday. It is a wonderful way to get off to a pleasant peaceful start, but also a nice way to come home in the evening if you have a CD player in your car. I highly recommend it to all.
I have noticed one concern with the CD. I have heard several clicks scattered here and there in the songs -- but the CD is clean and I feel confident it is not the machine. Has anyone else noticed this?
That's where the "Codex Faenza" comes in. This tome was an early 15th century book of instrumental arrangements of 14th century music. The Unicorn Ensemble performs several works from the Codex Faenza, sometimes preceding the instrumental version with the original vocal arrangement for comparison. The last two tracks, the anonymous compositions "Kyrie" and "Ave maris stella," feature alternating sections of plainchant and organ music.
In many cases, the busy melodies gain something in the translation. The top lines have an improvisatory quality that can seem odd when sung, but sound more natural when played instrumentally. The Unicorn Ensemble has mastered late medieval/early Renaissance instrumentation, and their performances effectively evoke the spirit of past times.
I was somewhat critical of The Unicorn Ensemble's version of Dufay's "Chansons" for making Guillaume Dufay's music sound more conservative than it really was. Here, the group does the opposite: they update the sound of Ars Nova composers and demonstrate how their achievements foreshadowed the continued musical advances of the early Renaissance. It's an academic exercise in many ways, but one well worth studying.
This is just the sort of CD that reinforces the view that Naxos is above all a serious record label of high quality. This would be worth buying even if it cost three times the price.
a delight 4 the ears of any early music lover.
i would have paid mutch more to buy it.
buy it.
take a trip to nature and inhale this beutifull music.
love u unicorn, glad i got ur cd.
peace and love from exotic israel.
Listening to the album, you feel the flowing and engaging wondrous moments of songs that hit the sweet spot - that is what it's all about. With 12 previously unreleased tracks, Just One More contains quality tracks by Brown's friends including Greg Brown, Caroline Herring, North Mississippi Allstars and Robert Earl Keen. The American Roots strand interweaves the genres of blues, folk and salt of the earth lyrics -- seeming much like Brown's characters, who were honest and pained, but eternally real. As a serious music fan, Brown worked with several artists at some point to live out his musical dreams. The final track called "Don't Let the Door" presents both Brown and another southern novelist, Clyde Edgarton combining musical talents.
The underlying feeling of the music offers solace and, after it ended, I listened again. Heartfelt and warm, lyrically pleasing and honest, Larry Brown feels like he could be my buddy too. At the end of the disc, I wanted more music, a beer, a cigarette and a seat on a patio where I could watch people and smile at them.
Also, I would have liked the booklet to include the words, but perhaps that is an inducement to get particular CDs from Naxos.
As for the music itself--breadth of selection, musicianship, sound quality, all are excellent. A great collection!
The selection of composers gives an excellent, broad sweep across several centuries.
But the booklet contains one of the most informative essays I've found about early music, and I've spent a few dozen dollars buying books. If the booklet were separated from the CDs, it alone would be worth more than $10.
In short, if you're interested in exploring early music, this really is one of the best places to start; the best place that I know of. I'm sure, at any rate, that you can't beat the value.
The result is an outstanding album which will bring a lump to your throat and tears to your eye.
The recordings are old, but the Lanza magic makes this album a must-buy
Update: I am now listening to the full CD and it is better even than I had hoped for. The beauty of Lanza's voice brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
Now coming to the comparison made by a reviewer between Bellini and Verdi. Well, even if Bellini had lived to 80, it would not be his aim to write like Verdi. Bellini stood alone amongst the great opera composers of Italy. Even his contemporaries recognized it and called his music 'filosofico'. Bellini's aim was not to create dramas with music like Donizetti or Verdi, but rather music drama - a fact which Wagner recognized. Only that Bellini's aim was to realize it via the voice (think Norma), while Wagner did it with the orchestra. It is note-worthy that Wagner spared Bellini the usual bashing he gave to the Italians. Not only that - he admitted to Cosima that the love duet from Capuleti was the source of his inspiration for his own in Tristan. In his old age, he was proud to say that he learned from 'these pages' what Messrs Brahms etc had failed to learn. One should approach a Bellini opera as one does a Chopin Ballade or Wagner's Tristan, not Verdi. That is not to say that Verdi is inferior, but just different.
And regarding Bellini's orchestration, Wagner and Bizet were on separate occasions, were tasked to 'improve' the orchestration of Norma. Both eventually gave up the job as impossible and concluded that the orchestration written by Bellini was the most suitable. Comparing the orchestration between the early Il Pirata (with its almost Wagnerian finale!) with Norma, it dawns upon one that the decision to thin out the orchestra by Bellini was deliberate, in line with his purpose of using the voice as the primary tool to express the drama.
I have downoaded the text from Karadar Classical Music as well as a synopsis from Opera japonica. We learn that the Capuleti and Montecchi are local versions of the Guelph and Ghilbelline parties respectively. The Ghibelline Dante would have been allied with the Montecchi, Romeo's party. Capellio, Juliet's father, seeks to avenge the death of a son at the hands of Romeo. Romeo's part is sung by a mezzo-soprano, adding further to the absurdity of the EMI cover photo. Although Romeo and Juliet are already lovers, she refuses to elope with him out of loyalty to her father. These lovers really seem more interested in dying than in making love. Juliet does manage to declare that she breathes easier when she learns that Romeo has survived a fight. We know that Romeo has reached his appointed place when he sings, "Ecco la tomba." Janet Baker, as Romeo, shines in the slow, heart-broken singing that follows, interspersed with sympathetic passages by the chorus of Montecchi. There is no doubt that Bellini's operas allow top performers to sing as beautifully as they can. The instrumental accompaniment in this concluding scene is reduced to a bare minimum.
Sound: Analog stereo. The engineering is competent, I suppose, but as a matter of personal taste I do not care for the distant and echo-y soundscape. It sounds as though the opera were taking place at the far end of a Gothic cathedral.
Documentation: No printed libretto, although there is a reference to an on-line libretto available at the EMI Classics website, (which failed to download in five tries over two days) just in case I want to listen to this opera while I am working at my computer. The accompanying essay by James Harding is the most useless I have ever found in a CD case--and that is by no means an easily earned distinction. Harding is vitally interested in Bellini's lame love life but indifferent to such trifles as the plot of the opera he is supposed to be writing about.
Format: Disk 1, Act I, Scenes 1 and 2; 60:42. Disk 2, Act I, Scene 3; Act II, Scenes 1-3; 74:23.
Bellini premiered "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" at Teatro La Fenice in Venice exactly one month before his twenty-ninth birthday. It was a success but it was not without critics. In his essay, Harding writes, "It was unfair of Berlioz to denounce I Capuleti e i Montecchi as a travesty of Shakespeare." Berlioz clearly had a point, for where the Bard had twenty characters, the librettist "Romani made do with only five. You will look in vain," Harding gushes on, "for the Nurse and Friar Laurence" and, I must add, for Mercutio, Benvolio and Paris, too. In the opera, Paris and Tybalt become a single character, Tebaldo, to the great detriment of the plot.
"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" came about midway in Bellini's too short career. The really big hits on which his fame rests were yet to come. The music is competent but somehow lacking that indefinable ping that makes "La Sonnambula," "Norma" and "I Puritani" extraordinary.
Overall, the performance is good. Best by far in the cast is Janet Baker. She does not generate overt excitement but she offers an overwhelming sense of rightness when she essays any part in the narrow range that she made her own. This recording is a little late for the best of Sills but she is still very bright and amazingly agile. As always, I feel that her voice is just a little too cool and too thin, but that is purely a matter of personal taste. It is also late for Nicolai Gedda, who sounds unexpectedly baritonal as Tebaldo, a part that any other 19th Century composer would surely have written for a baritone. (I know, I know, Gounod's Tybalt is a tenor. I sang the role, myself, back in college days. But Gounod's Tybalt is markedly different in character from Bellini's Tebaldo-Paris.) Gedda is very good, but I am not at all sure that I would have recognized him if his name had not been on the cover.
"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" is not a great opera, but three famous and very fine singers offer intelligent and entertaining performances. That's worth five stars as far as I'm concerned.
FOR THE HISTORICALLY MINDED: William Shakespeare wrote his "Romeo and Juliet" in the 1590s, in the early days of his career. As was usual for him, he based his play on older materials. The first literary mention of the Montagus and the Capulets is in Dante's "Purgatorio," vi, lines 106-108. The Montagus lived in Verona and the Capulets in Cremona. They were used by Dante as examples of warring factions that had been exterminated. About 1530, Luigi da Porto mistakenly assumed that the Montagus and the Capulets had both resided in Verona and had feuded with one another. He worked up a tale that involved two young members of his warring clans, Giulietta and Romeo. In 1554, Matteo Bandello published a novella called "Romeo e Giulietta" which proved to be an international hit. A French version was adapted from Bandello by Pierre Boaistuau in 1559. This, in turn, was translated into English in 1562 by Arthur Brooke as a "tragical history" in verse form called "Romeus and Juliet," later to be pounced on by Will Shakespeare in search of a popular hit. The only major changes that Shakespeare made in Brooke's plot were to compress the time frame and to introduce Tybalt into the story at an earlier point in order to build him up as a worthy adversary for Romeo. And, oh, yes, he created an array of living characters such as had never been conceived before.
A number of commentators have taken note of the much simplified plot of "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." They have accounted for it by declaring that Shakespeare's version was not yet well-known in the world, so Romani must have based his work on an earlier version of the story, by which I presume they mean by Bandello or even by da Porto. I don't buy that explanation. By 1830, the cult of Bardolatry was firmly established. The standard German translations (that the Germans to this day hold to be superior to the English originals) were well along. Two generations earlier, the tourist industry of Stratford Upon Avon had been given a kick start by the great actor, Garrick (in a bicentennial celebration conceived by David Garrick, written by David Garrick, produced by David Garrick, directed by David Garrick and starring David Garrick--additional dialogue by W. Shakespeare.) Just seventeen years later, Verdi would write his "Macbeth" and make sketches for a "King Lear," that greatest of all operatic might-have-beens. One of the twenty or so books that Verdi kept close to himself until the day he died was an Italian translation of the works of Shakespeare.
No, I do not think that Romani dealt with any obscure 16th Century originals. I think that he exercised a hack's privilege to pillage a respectable source for his convenience. Berlioz was correct. In both the literal and the figurative senses of the word, this is a travesty.
record this opera earlier in their careers (1975) yet still
be glad they did. Though there are some audible signs of vo-
cal wear their artistry and commitment are never in doubt and
they offer memorable performances. Janet Baker is on the other
hand in splendid voice and sings superbly - she portrays a
somber Romeo and is supremely moving in the tomb scene.
Robert Lloyd and Raimund Herincx offer excellent support.
Very well recorded and beautifully conducted by Maestro
Patane - a very welcome release !
At the time Beverly was a known commodity in Bell Canto operas; however, Janet was mainly known as a song recitalist. Nevertheless, Janet Baker, in this opera, proves that she could sing opera with the best of them showing her great operatic credentials-she is up to every vocal challenge Bellini throws at her. She tackles the role with great artistry and beauty of tone. Her last scene STILL dissolves me to copious tears.
In this recording Beverly sings a little cautiously not throwing out high E's with abandon as before; however, her years of experience being a sublime singer of Bell Canto operas comes through. Her singing is gorgeous, sweet and touching to the highest degree, I truly believe that this recording was one of her best.
It truly is great to hear this recording again-ah the memories. Time has NOT diminished its appeal!
I only can wonder...what took whomever so long to broaden our horizons in such a way! BRAVO!
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about classical music, I tend to just listen to stuff I like and ignore most of opera which is too, well, operatic and 'warbly' for me. However, Andreas Scholl's album 'Arias For Senesino' gives an opportunity to hear some of these arias, originally written for the famous castrato Senesino, in a plain and sweet style.
For those who like a lot of vibrato and dynamism in their singers, Andreas Scholl isn't for them. However for people like me who like to listen to pure, sweet sounds without too much distracting other stuff, this album works just fine. I know other reviewers have commented that his treatment of Handel is too dull but I found the whole album very enjoyable. I particularly liked the Dove Sei from Rodelinda (what can I say, I'm new to this stuff, and I love that song; I know it's been done to death but it's still great); there were a couple of tracks that were a bit too lively for my taste although no doubt displaying Scholl's real mastery of singing. This is an album that I know I will listen to multiple times and the more I listen the more intrigued I get by the countertenor voice - somehow a bit eerie when you listen to it, but wonderful too. I recommend this album.
Andreas Scholl is still my favourite countertenor and he is in great voice on this recording. The singing is, as always, detailed, subtle, beautiful, stylish, informed and very moving. The 'Cara Sposa' here is a highlight - only David Daniels' impassioned interpretation on his complete recording of Rinaldo can hold a torch to Scholl's. I guess that "Cara sposa" is fast becoming to countertenors what "Casta Diva" is to sopranos?
I like this CD and I know that it is one I am going to listen to a lot in future. However, I already have many interpretations of the Handel arias on other discs by other singers. Scholl's recording is absolutely first class, don't get me wrong, but I just don't want to spend any more money on recitals of Handel arias. I would much rather a singer like Andreas Scholl took a leaf out of Cecilia Bartoli's book (she's another Decca artist, BTW) and record some more interesting unknown repertoire. There must be thousands of wonderful male alto arias in operas by Johann Joseph Fux, Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara, Antonio Vivaldi and many, many others gathering dust on library shelves!
I can not and will not buy another recital disc of Handel opera arias - this is well and truly my last, ever!
However, this is a bloody good disc! Andreas Scholl is a living treasure, that's for sure.
In this fine recital Scholl elects to sing the arias written for the famous countertenor Senesino, a favorite singer of Handel and the one for whom many of the countertenor roles were written. In top form (which is to say in stunning vocal estate and exceptionally fine technique) Scholl offers arias from Handel's operas 'Flavio, Rè di Longobardi', 'Rodelinda, regina de' Langobardi', 'Giulio Cesare in Egitto', and 'Rinaldo' along with Tomaso Albinoni's operas 'Astarto'and 'Engelberta', Scarlatti's 'Carlo re d'Allemagna', with arias by Lotti and Nicola Porpora. It is a splendid display of style and bravura. Scholl is ably accompanied by the Byzantine Academy conducted by Ottavio Dantone.
Though some will contest a few of the choices of arias included here, Scholl's sensitive programming is another aspect of his devotion to his art. This is a major album full of riches. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 06
The last Scholl recital, Arcadia, featured arias by lesser-known baroque composers. This time around, it seems that Decca wanted a recital that had broader appeal, hence the idea of a Senesino tribute.
The recital begins with two Handel arias, the first being Bel Contento. This is the Scholl we all know and love, his voice as lovely as the springtime. His ravishing tonal beauty is in abundance, and the Accademica Bizantina provides wonderful support.
After such a nice introduction, Scholl coasts through Pompe Vane / Dove Sei?, undoing some of his faultless technique through some rather bland, white-voiced singing. To hear the full potential of this aria, we must turn to Marilyn Horne's interpretation. If you have the chance, listen to her exquisite, fluttering recording of the aria, so different from the go-for-broke Marilyn to whom we are so accustomed.
Scholl is undoubtedly more excited at the prospect of capturing the non-Handel arias. For this reason, he really catches fire in Stelle Ingrate. One of Scholl's greatest vocal qualities is his peerless staccato trill, and Stelle Ingrate is the perfect vehicle to wow us with. We also get more of a sense of his vocal heft. Thankfully, we have a block of five non-Handel arias that are infinitely better for his voice. My other favorite is Del Ciel Sui Giri. The extended introduction is a fascinating blend of horns and strings, showcasing Accademica Bizantina's talents. In the aria proper, Scholl treats us to some amazing, rapid passagework in the repeat of the A part. This is, hands down, the reason I adore Scholl so much.
Scholl revisits Handel with Dall'ondoso Periglio / Aure, Deh, Per Pieta. His delivery of the recitative is more dramatic than before, especially on phrases such as, "Voi dite che io son morto!" Also, he uses a lower register, to thrilling effect. Unfortunately, he confounds us in the aria section. Attempting to sound more dramatic, his fits of excitement keep yielding to that all-purpose beauty that seems to plague him in Handel. In all fairness, this is still Scholl, but it frustrating to hear him hint at dramatic prowess, without taking the plunge.
Al Lampo Dell'Armi is taken at a lightening-quick pace. This would not work on stage, but in the confines of a recital, it becomes a vanity piece for which to showcase again his almighty staccato trill. It beguiles you to hear Scholl unfazed, even at such quick tempi. The purists will cry foul; I, for one, do not think of baroque music as a sacred cow. A little experimentation now and then, in the hands of such a gifted singer, is not a bad thing.
Unfortunately, this bit of bravura is followed by the clunker of the whole set, Cara Sposa. Granted, many great artists have recorded well-known arias that were not suited for their voice, against better judgement. I think of Maria Callas singing the bolero from I Vespri Siciliani, Birgit Nilsson singing O Don Fatale, or Joan Sutherland singing the Queen of the Night's first aria. Such recordings are for the fans only. I, for one, cannot suspend disbelief, where Scholl and Cara Sposa are concerned. In fact, I have yet to listen to the whole of the aria. It doesn't help matters that the PI support is so cautious and polite. Gimme Marilyn Horne, folks!
Thankfully, that woefully misguided interpretation is followed by the melancholy Va Per Le Vene Il Sangue. Again, we are given evidence of how divine Scholl can be when an aria inspires him.
Some sampling of the songs. . . . The CD begins with a song by Rossini, "Aragones." This is lushly sung; Bartoli has a wondrously rich and textured voice. The pace is contemplative, altogether consistent with the words of the song, the reflection of a disappointed lover. Well done.
Donizetti's "Il barcaiolo" is also well done. Bartoli shows her vocal agility in this tune. This is a spirited song, and her coloratura technique animates her rendition. There are segments sung forte, showing the power of her voice. There is a nice soft closing to the song, so she ranges from forte to piano.
Bellini is represented, too. His "Vaga luna che inargenti" is a pleasant love song. Bartoli sings this tenderly, creating a melancholy spirit, fitting the song's words.
To close, there is Rossini's wonderful tarantella, "La danza." Levine plays at a quick pace, as he must for this spirited song. Bartoli shows great vocal agility and strong breath control (this is a tough song to get right!). A wonderfully spirited version. She even takes a pass at a trill toward the close. All in all, most satisfying.
Thus, this represents a nice CD, showing Bartoli's skills with the songs of some of the great Bel Canto composers. An album that is a lot of fun to listen to!
This would be my first choice for Italian material with only piano accompaniment. For a very first Bartoli album, see her 'flagship' recording, 'Cecilia Bartoli' where she is backed by full orchestra and chorus.
This in no way robs the songs of immense charm. It would be easy to perform these songs without a great deal of thought, simply making them sound "pretty". But Cecilia Bartoli never does that - she always gives everything, voice, intelligence, musicality, to her performance.
That is what makes this recording so superb. I can see there are some less-than-satisfied reviewers - I am surprised by the comments. For rest assured, there is no vocal difficulty here at all. Cecilia Bartoli's voice is in superb condition throughout, and her interpretation is of course second to none. Having recorded "Vaga luna" myself, I would be the first to say if I thought anything was lacking in Ms Bartoli's performance - but there's nothing adverse I can say at all. It's simply gorgeous singing, with immaculate phrasing, an intensely personal approach, and some of the most beautiful sounds you're likely to hear.
It is hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this recording. The comments made about squally sound are not just unfair, they're totally inaccurate. I remember purchasing this CD on the very day it was released in Australia, and it's a firm favourite of mine.
In all... delightful.
2003 Latin Grammy Nominee for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album. The Record features Special Guests: Maria Rita Mariano (Elis Regina and Cesar Camargo Mariano's Daughter), Eumir Deodato, Marina Machado and Simone Guimaraes.
Pieta,Milton Nascimento,WEA International,Brazilian Pop,Latin Continuum,MPB,Samba,World Music
Average customer rating: 
|
Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias / Myung-Whun Chung
George Frideric Handel , Giulio Caccini , Charles Gounod , Franz Schubert , Cesar Franck , Gioachino Rossini , Giuseppe Verdi , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Wagner , Pietro Mascagni , Louis Niedermeyer , Franz Xaver Gruber , John Francis Wade , Jean-Paul Lecot , Myung-Whun Chung , and Andrea Bocelli Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Franck, César
| ( F )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Gounod
| Gounod, Charles
| ( G )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Handel
| Handel, George Frideric
| ( H )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Mascagni
| Mascagni, Pietro
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
| Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Schubert
| Schubert, Franz
| ( S )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Wagner
| Wagner, Richard
| ( W )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Rossini
| Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Forms & Genres
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vocal & Song
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Bocelli, Andrea
| ( B )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Italy
| Continental Europe
| Europe
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Arias
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Oratorios
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Masses
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Motets
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Noels
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Oratorios
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Bocelli, Andrea
| A to B
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Adult Contemporary
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Easy Listening
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday Music
| Special Features
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002ND9N Release Date: 1999-11-09 |
Tracks:
- Caccini/Mercurio: Ave Maria
- Mascagni: Sancta Maria
- Gounod: Ave Maria
- Schubert: Ave Maria
- Franck: Panis Angelicus
- Rossini: Cuius animam
- Verdi: Ingemisco
- Mozart: Ave verum
- Wagner: Der Engel
- Handel: Ombra mai fu
- Niedermeyer: Pieta signore
- Rossini: Dominus Deus
- Schubert/Mercurio: Mille Cherubini in coro
- Gruber/Mercurio: Silent Night
- Wade: Adeste Fideles
- Gloria a te, Cristo Ges
Amazon.com
When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias, the release of which coincides with the first English-language biography of the singer. These performances are filled with the singer's phenomenally well-known vocal signature: his flair for long, sweetly floating high notes and the gentle sense of cadence he brings to a melody. It's a mistake to compartmentalize Bocelli into a singer of "operatic" versus "popular" styles: in truth his approach is at heart the same. Lack of color and control in his phrasing remains a drawback, but the emotional empathy Bocelli evokes is never in doubt. The arias collected here sample some of the most famous devotional pieces: Schubert's "Ave Maria" and Mozart's transporting "Ave Verum," as well as an arrangement of "Silent Night" in which Bocelli tries out his English. There's also a decidedly odd choice of bedfellows for a program of "sacred" music, such as a song from Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder (whose "angel" is the object of an overpoweringly erotic attraction) and Handel's figurative ode to a tree, "Ombra mai fu." Still, Bocelli sings with an unfeigned directness that is sure to expand his already enormous following even further. --Thomas MayCustomer Reviews:
Beautiful music.......2007-01-12
Andrea Bocelli has a very gorgeous voice that is a gift from above. His voice is not affected or braggadoccio but naturally magnificent. I could and do start my day listening to this spiritually uplifting CD almost everyday. It is a wonderful way to get off to a pleasant peaceful start, but also a nice way to come home in the evening if you have a CD player in your car. I highly recommend it to all.
Andrea Bocelli-Sacred Arias.......2006-08-25
An "experience" of sacred arias more than "listening" of sacred arias.......2006-04-28
amazing talent.......2006-03-25
Perfect arias for the perfect voice.......2006-03-04
I have noticed one concern with the CD. I have heard several clicks scattered here and there in the songs -- but the CD is clean and I feel confident it is not the machine. Has anyone else noticed this?
Average customer rating:
|
Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Machaut
| Machaut, Guillaume de
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Ballads
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Sacred & Religious
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
| Requiems
Vocal & Song
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
| Requiems
General
| Symphonies
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Chants
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Madrigals
| Songs & Lieder
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
CDs Under $7
| Classical General
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
| Classical General
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
All Bargain Titles
| Classical General
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
$6.99 and Under
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
All Classical Music Blowout
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Machaut, Guillaume de
| ( M )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000009OM1 Release Date: 1998-07-28 |
Tracks:
- Biance Flour (Codex Faenza)
- Untitled (Codex Faenza)
- Non Avra Ma Pieta Questa Mia Donna
- Non Ara May Pieta Questa Mia Dona (Codex Faenza)
- Hont, Paour, Doubtance
- Hont Paur (Codex Faenza)
- Le Ior (Codex Faenza)
- Bel Fiore Danca (Codex Faenza)
- Aquil' Altera, Ferma/Creatura Gentil/Uccel' Di Dio
- Aquila Altera (Codex Faenza)
- Untitled (Codex Faenza)
- Aspire Refus (Codex Faenza)
- Elas Mon Cuer (Codex Faenza)
- J'Ay Grant Desespoir De Ma Vie
- Jay Grant Espoir (Codex Faenza)
- Kyrie: Cunctipotens Genitor Deus
- Ave Maris Stella
Customer Reviews:
An academic exercise well worth studying.......2006-03-12
That's where the "Codex Faenza" comes in. This tome was an early 15th century book of instrumental arrangements of 14th century music. The Unicorn Ensemble performs several works from the Codex Faenza, sometimes preceding the instrumental version with the original vocal arrangement for comparison. The last two tracks, the anonymous compositions "Kyrie" and "Ave maris stella," feature alternating sections of plainchant and organ music.
In many cases, the busy melodies gain something in the translation. The top lines have an improvisatory quality that can seem odd when sung, but sound more natural when played instrumentally. The Unicorn Ensemble has mastered late medieval/early Renaissance instrumentation, and their performances effectively evoke the spirit of past times.
I was somewhat critical of The Unicorn Ensemble's version of Dufay's "Chansons" for making Guillaume Dufay's music sound more conservative than it really was. Here, the group does the opposite: they update the sound of Ars Nova composers and demonstrate how their achievements foreshadowed the continued musical advances of the early Renaissance. It's an academic exercise in many ways, but one well worth studying.
Amazing stuff!.......2005-06-04
This is just the sort of CD that reinforces the view that Naxos is above all a serious record label of high quality. This would be worth buying even if it cost three times the price.
Essential to any early music collection.......2003-09-04
If you like the quick, lively medieval tunes, then this album may not be your cup of tea. However, I don't think any early music collection is complete without this, and I found that even slower medieval tunes have their virtues, particularly when performed by the always impressive Ensemble Unicorn. Another great album, same incredibly low price as always from the Naxos label, and the same top-notch skill I've come to expect from the Ensemble Unicorn.
the Unicorn ensamble playing is an insperasion 4 the soul........2001-09-24
a delight 4 the ears of any early music lover.
i would have paid mutch more to buy it.
buy it.
take a trip to nature and inhale this beutifull music.
love u unicorn, glad i got ur cd.
peace and love from exotic israel.
another glorious entry.......2000-12-13
Average customer rating:
|
Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown
Various Artists Manufacturer: Bloodshot Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alt-Country & Americana
| Country
| Styles
| Music
Outlaw & Progressive Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Compilations
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Roots Rock
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000OHZJQ4 Release Date: 2007-05-22 |
Tracks:
- Blue Car - Greg Brown
- Forget You - Bo Ramsey
- Song In C - Cary Hudson
- Song For Fay - Caroline Herring
- Baby's Got New Plans - Alejandro Escovedo
- Thirsty Fingers - Scott Miller & The Commonwealth
- Robert Cole - Brent Best
- Another Place In Time - Pieta Brown
- Love Me - T-Model Ford
- Counting On You - Robert Earl Keen
- Here's To My Disgrace - Ben Weaver
- Mountain In Mississippi - Tate Moore
- The Bridge - Tim Lee
- Going Down With Larry Brown - Madison Smartt Bell
- Fish - Vic Chesnutt
- Glory - North Mississippi Allstars
- I'll Remember You - Jim Dickinson
- Don't Let The Door - Larry Brown
Amazon.com
If recent years don't amount to a golden age for acoustically inclined, blues-based singer-songwriters, they at least give the impression of fine, burnished copper. Or so this tribute to "grit lit" novelist Larry Brown (who died in 2004) would argue. Brown loved and celebrated these voices, writing liner notes for Blue Mountain and an extended essay on Robert Earl Keen, among others. In his fiction he made the sometimes dire, sometimes comic humanism of real lives sing in vigorous and dusty rhythms. This gathering of admirers and fellow travelers (some of whom, like Cary Hudson and T-Model Ford, hail from Brown's Mississippi) manages the same feat. With a spirit of indolent story telling and homemade rock, the set focuses on alternate and live takes, with a sound as unvarnished as Brown's diction. Scott Miller offers an unreleased, laid-back but still rocking version of "Thirsty," T-Model Ford gets as low and mean as he ever has on the Muddy Waters signature number "Love Me," and legendary Ardent producer Jim Dickinson warbles sweetly through Bob Dylan's "I'll Remember You." The collection only stumbles with novelist Madison Smartt Bell's clichéd and choked tribute to getting drunk with the author. Some of the grittiest and best moments, though, come from the lesser-known voices: Caroline Herring sings a tough, honest ballad of self-reliance, Ben Weaver "sings a pretty song to an ugly world" with a voice caked in mud, Tim Lee and Susan Bauer Lee do a mean John Doe/Exene Cervenka impersonation, and Brent Best (formerly of Slobberbone, now of the Drams) unwinds a riveting, wide-open story of a young boy's coming of age in a small town. Producer Tim Lee hoped the collection would play like the kind of mix tape Brown loved to pop in his truck on long drives through Mississippi. He and the rest of these raw kindred spirits have more than succeeded. --Roy KastenCustomer Reviews:
all the things we love about the South.......2007-06-25
Listening to the album, you feel the flowing and engaging wondrous moments of songs that hit the sweet spot - that is what it's all about. With 12 previously unreleased tracks, Just One More contains quality tracks by Brown's friends including Greg Brown, Caroline Herring, North Mississippi Allstars and Robert Earl Keen. The American Roots strand interweaves the genres of blues, folk and salt of the earth lyrics -- seeming much like Brown's characters, who were honest and pained, but eternally real. As a serious music fan, Brown worked with several artists at some point to live out his musical dreams. The final track called "Don't Let the Door" presents both Brown and another southern novelist, Clyde Edgarton combining musical talents.
The underlying feeling of the music offers solace and, after it ended, I listened again. Heartfelt and warm, lyrically pleasing and honest, Larry Brown feels like he could be my buddy too. At the end of the disc, I wanted more music, a beer, a cigarette and a seat on a patio where I could watch people and smile at them.
Excellent.......2007-06-15
Average customer rating:
|
Discover Early Music
Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Byrd, William
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Dowland
| Dowland, John
| ( D )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Dufay
| Dufay, Guillaume
| ( D )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Gesualdo
| Gesualdo, Carlo
| ( G )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Hildegard of Bingen
| ( H )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Lassus
| Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso)
| ( L )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Obrecht
| Obrecht, Jacob
| ( O )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Tallis
| Tallis, Thomas
| ( T )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Taverner
| Taverner, John
| ( T )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Rondos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Sacred & Religious
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
| Requiems
Vocal & Song
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
| Requiems
General
| Renaissance (c.1450-1600)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Sacred & Religious
| Renaissance (c.1450-1600)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Sacred & Religious
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Compilations
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Oratorios
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Chansons
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Chants
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Lieder
| Songs & Lieder
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Madrigals
| Songs & Lieder
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Masses
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Oratorios
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Psalms
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Renaissance (c.1450-1600)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Instructional
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
$7.99 and Under
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
All Classical Music Blowout
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Byrd, William
| ( B )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Dowland, John
| ( D )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Dufay, Guillaume
| ( D )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Gesualdo, Carlo
| ( G )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Hildegard of Bingen
| ( H )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso)
| ( L )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Obrecht, Jacob
| ( O )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Tallis, Thomas
| ( T )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Taverner, John
| ( T )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000B6N6BI Release Date: 2005-11-01 |
Tracks:
- Antiphona Post Evangelium - In Dulci Jubilo
- Versus Alleluiatici: Adorabo - Nova Schola Gregoriana
- Ordo Virtutum: Procession - Oxford Camerata
- Viderunt Omnes - Tonus Peregrinus
- Fines Terre Salutare Dei Nostri Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
- Notum Fecit - Tonus Peregrinus
- Dominus - Tonus Peregrinus
- Salutare Suum Ante Conspectum Gentium Revelavit - Tonus Peregrinus
- Justitiam Suam (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
- Gaudete Christus Est Natus - Oxford Camerata
- Cantiga De Santa Maria - Michael Posch
- Exiit Diluculo - Unicorn Ensemble
- Humils Forfaitz - Michael Posch
- Adieu Ces Bons Vins De Lannoys - Michael Posch
- Non Avra Ma'Pieta Questa Mia Donna - Michael Posch
- Non Ara May Pieta Questa Mia Dona - Michael Posch
- Veni Creator - Tonus Peregrinus
- D'Ung Aultre Amer - Capilla Flamenca
- Alleluya - Capilla Flamenca
- El Grillo - Shirley Rumsey
- El Grillo - Capilla Flamenca
- Missa 'La Sol Fa Re Mi': Kyrie - Capilla Flamenca
- Le Chant Des Oiseaux - The Scholars Of London
- Passe & Medio/Den Iersten Gaillarde - Capilla Flamenca
- Den III Ronde, Den VI Ronde-Les Quatre Branles - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense
- Gaillarde I, II, III - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense
Tracks:
- In Nomine - Rose Consort Of Viols
- In Nomine No.20 - Rose Consort Of Viols
- Spem In Alium - Oxford Camerata
- Sanctus - Oxford Camerata
- Du Fond De Ma Pensee - Christine Morel
- The King Of Denmark's Galiard - Rose Consort Of Viols
- Flow, My Tears - Dorothy Linell
- Greiner Zancker - Ensemble Villanella
- Stat ('Tsaat) Ein Meskin - Ensemble Villanella
- Tiento - Shirley Rumsey
- Tribulationem Et Dolorem - Oxford Camerata
- Lagrime Di San Pietro: 'Il Magnanimo Pietro' - Bo Holten
- Missa 'Susanne Un Jour': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata
- Beau Le Crystal - The Scholars Of London
- Missa 'O Magnum Mysterium': O Magnum Mysterium - Oxford Camerata
- Missa 'Papae Marcelli': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata
Customer Reviews:
another winner from Naxos.......2007-02-21
Also, I would have liked the booklet to include the words, but perhaps that is an inducement to get particular CDs from Naxos.
As for the music itself--breadth of selection, musicianship, sound quality, all are excellent. A great collection!
awesome value -- 5+ stars.......2006-07-15
The selection of composers gives an excellent, broad sweep across several centuries.
But the booklet contains one of the most informative essays I've found about early music, and I've spent a few dozen dollars buying books. If the booklet were separated from the CDs, it alone would be worth more than $10.
In short, if you're interested in exploring early music, this really is one of the best places to start; the best place that I know of. I'm sure, at any rate, that you can't beat the value.
Average customer rating:
|
Christmas with Mario Lanza
Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gounod
| Gounod, Charles
| ( G )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Handel
| Handel, George Frideric
| ( H )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Reger, Max
| ( R )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Stradella
| Stradella, Alessandro
| ( S )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Mendelssohn
| Mendelssohn, Felix
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Reger, Max
| Composers
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vocal & Song
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Lanza, Mario
| ( L )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Adam, Adolphe-Charles
| A to B
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Brodszky, Nicholas
| A to B
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Gounod, Charles
| C to G
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Gruber, Franz Xaver
| C to G
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Handel, George Frideric
| H to L
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Mendelssohn, Felix
| M to P
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Noels
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Traditional Vocal Pop
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Vocal Pop
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Holiday
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday Music
| Special Features
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Holiday Music
| Special Features
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| The Sony BMG Masterworks Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003EP6 Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Deck The Halls
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
- Joy To The World
- O Christmas Tree
- I Saw Three Ships
- It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
- Ave Maria
- O Holy Night
- The Virgin's Slumber Song
- Pieta Signore
- The First Nowell
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Away In A Manger
- We Three Kings
- O Little Town Of Bethlehem
- Silent Night
- Guardian Angels
- I'll Walk With God
- The Lord's Prayer
Customer Reviews:
Superb Christmas Album.......2007-02-19
The result is an outstanding album which will bring a lump to your throat and tears to your eye.
The recordings are old, but the Lanza magic makes this album a must-buy
Love Mario Lanza.......2007-01-28
Mario Lanza - fantastic.......2007-01-15
Christmas Hymns & Carols: You Do Something to Me.......2007-01-12
Pure hymnal power........2006-12-20
Update: I am now listening to the full CD and it is better even than I had hoped for. The beauty of Lanza's voice brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
Average customer rating:
|
Conducts His Epic Film Scores
Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Concertos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Modern
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Contemporary
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Piano
| Keyboard
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Hungary
| Eastern Europe
| Europe
| International
| Styles
| Music
Movie Scores
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
Movie Soundtracks
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists
| 4-for-3 Music
| Stores
| Music
4-for-3 Classical
| 4-for-3 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 Soundtracks
| 4-for-3 Music
| Stores
| Music
4-for-3 All Music
| 4-for-3 Music
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001CNR2K Release Date: 2004-03-23 |
Tracks:
- Ben-Hur: Prelude
- Ben-Hur: Love Theme
- Ben-Hur: Parade Of The Charioteers
- Ben-Hur: Mother's Love
- El Cid: Overture
- El Cid: Love Theme
- El Cid: March
- Quo Vadis: Triumphal March
- Quo Vadis: Love Theme
- Quo Vadis: Domine?
- King Of Kings: Nativity
- King Of Kings: Way Of The Cross
- King Of Kings: Pieta
- King Of Kings: Theme
- Spellbound: Concerto
Customer Reviews:
GREAT EPIC FILM MUSIC.......2007-04-11
Rozsa's Best Work.......2007-01-11
A good start for those who are getting acquainted with Rozsa.......2004-06-15
Average customer rating:
|
Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Symphonies
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0002XV2XO Release Date: 2005-02-15 |
Tracks:
- Sinfonia
- Aggiorna Appena...
- O Di Capellio, Generosi Amici
- E Serbata A Questo Acciaro
- Si: M'abbraccia
- L'amo Tanto, E M'e Si Cara
- Vanne Lorenzo
- Lieto Del Dolce Incarno
- Ascolta. Se Romeo T'uccise Un Figlio
- Riedi Al Campo
- La Tremenda Ultrice Spada
- Eccomi In Lieta Vesta...
- Oh! Quante Volte
- Propizia E L'ora
- Si, Fuggire: A Noi Non Resta
- Odi Tu? L'altar Funesto
- Vieni, Ah! Vieni
Tracks:
- Lieta Notte, Avventurosa
- Deh! Per Pieta, T'arresta
- Tace Il Fragor
- Che Miro?
- Soccorso, Sostegno Accordagli
- Accorriam...Romeo!
- Ne Alcun Ritorna!
- Morte Io Non Temo Il Sai
- Prendi, Gl'istanti Volano
- Deh! Padre Mio, Deh Padre Mio!
- Deserto E Il Luogo
- Chi Sei Tu?
- Qua' Voci! Oh Dio!
- Ella E Morta, O Sciagurato
- Siam Giunti
- Ecco La Tomba
- Tu Sola, O Mia Giulietta
- O Tu, Mia Sola Speme
- Ah! Crudel! Che Mai Facesti?
Customer Reviews:
Highest Level of Artistry Displayed .......2007-02-13
Now coming to the comparison made by a reviewer between Bellini and Verdi. Well, even if Bellini had lived to 80, it would not be his aim to write like Verdi. Bellini stood alone amongst the great opera composers of Italy. Even his contemporaries recognized it and called his music 'filosofico'. Bellini's aim was not to create dramas with music like Donizetti or Verdi, but rather music drama - a fact which Wagner recognized. Only that Bellini's aim was to realize it via the voice (think Norma), while Wagner did it with the orchestra. It is note-worthy that Wagner spared Bellini the usual bashing he gave to the Italians. Not only that - he admitted to Cosima that the love duet from Capuleti was the source of his inspiration for his own in Tristan. In his old age, he was proud to say that he learned from 'these pages' what Messrs Brahms etc had failed to learn. One should approach a Bellini opera as one does a Chopin Ballade or Wagner's Tristan, not Verdi. That is not to say that Verdi is inferior, but just different.
And regarding Bellini's orchestration, Wagner and Bizet were on separate occasions, were tasked to 'improve' the orchestration of Norma. Both eventually gave up the job as impossible and concluded that the orchestration written by Bellini was the most suitable. Comparing the orchestration between the early Il Pirata (with its almost Wagnerian finale!) with Norma, it dawns upon one that the decision to thin out the orchestra by Bellini was deliberate, in line with his purpose of using the voice as the primary tool to express the drama.
"Behold the Tomb".......2006-09-30
I have downoaded the text from Karadar Classical Music as well as a synopsis from Opera japonica. We learn that the Capuleti and Montecchi are local versions of the Guelph and Ghilbelline parties respectively. The Ghibelline Dante would have been allied with the Montecchi, Romeo's party. Capellio, Juliet's father, seeks to avenge the death of a son at the hands of Romeo. Romeo's part is sung by a mezzo-soprano, adding further to the absurdity of the EMI cover photo. Although Romeo and Juliet are already lovers, she refuses to elope with him out of loyalty to her father. These lovers really seem more interested in dying than in making love. Juliet does manage to declare that she breathes easier when she learns that Romeo has survived a fight. We know that Romeo has reached his appointed place when he sings, "Ecco la tomba." Janet Baker, as Romeo, shines in the slow, heart-broken singing that follows, interspersed with sympathetic passages by the chorus of Montecchi. There is no doubt that Bellini's operas allow top performers to sing as beautifully as they can. The instrumental accompaniment in this concluding scene is reduced to a bare minimum.
Well-sung Shakespearean travesty.......2005-10-15
Sound: Analog stereo. The engineering is competent, I suppose, but as a matter of personal taste I do not care for the distant and echo-y soundscape. It sounds as though the opera were taking place at the far end of a Gothic cathedral.
Documentation: No printed libretto, although there is a reference to an on-line libretto available at the EMI Classics website, (which failed to download in five tries over two days) just in case I want to listen to this opera while I am working at my computer. The accompanying essay by James Harding is the most useless I have ever found in a CD case--and that is by no means an easily earned distinction. Harding is vitally interested in Bellini's lame love life but indifferent to such trifles as the plot of the opera he is supposed to be writing about.
Format: Disk 1, Act I, Scenes 1 and 2; 60:42. Disk 2, Act I, Scene 3; Act II, Scenes 1-3; 74:23.
Bellini premiered "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" at Teatro La Fenice in Venice exactly one month before his twenty-ninth birthday. It was a success but it was not without critics. In his essay, Harding writes, "It was unfair of Berlioz to denounce I Capuleti e i Montecchi as a travesty of Shakespeare." Berlioz clearly had a point, for where the Bard had twenty characters, the librettist "Romani made do with only five. You will look in vain," Harding gushes on, "for the Nurse and Friar Laurence" and, I must add, for Mercutio, Benvolio and Paris, too. In the opera, Paris and Tybalt become a single character, Tebaldo, to the great detriment of the plot.
"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" came about midway in Bellini's too short career. The really big hits on which his fame rests were yet to come. The music is competent but somehow lacking that indefinable ping that makes "La Sonnambula," "Norma" and "I Puritani" extraordinary.
Overall, the performance is good. Best by far in the cast is Janet Baker. She does not generate overt excitement but she offers an overwhelming sense of rightness when she essays any part in the narrow range that she made her own. This recording is a little late for the best of Sills but she is still very bright and amazingly agile. As always, I feel that her voice is just a little too cool and too thin, but that is purely a matter of personal taste. It is also late for Nicolai Gedda, who sounds unexpectedly baritonal as Tebaldo, a part that any other 19th Century composer would surely have written for a baritone. (I know, I know, Gounod's Tybalt is a tenor. I sang the role, myself, back in college days. But Gounod's Tybalt is markedly different in character from Bellini's Tebaldo-Paris.) Gedda is very good, but I am not at all sure that I would have recognized him if his name had not been on the cover.
"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" is not a great opera, but three famous and very fine singers offer intelligent and entertaining performances. That's worth five stars as far as I'm concerned.
FOR THE HISTORICALLY MINDED: William Shakespeare wrote his "Romeo and Juliet" in the 1590s, in the early days of his career. As was usual for him, he based his play on older materials. The first literary mention of the Montagus and the Capulets is in Dante's "Purgatorio," vi, lines 106-108. The Montagus lived in Verona and the Capulets in Cremona. They were used by Dante as examples of warring factions that had been exterminated. About 1530, Luigi da Porto mistakenly assumed that the Montagus and the Capulets had both resided in Verona and had feuded with one another. He worked up a tale that involved two young members of his warring clans, Giulietta and Romeo. In 1554, Matteo Bandello published a novella called "Romeo e Giulietta" which proved to be an international hit. A French version was adapted from Bandello by Pierre Boaistuau in 1559. This, in turn, was translated into English in 1562 by Arthur Brooke as a "tragical history" in verse form called "Romeus and Juliet," later to be pounced on by Will Shakespeare in search of a popular hit. The only major changes that Shakespeare made in Brooke's plot were to compress the time frame and to introduce Tybalt into the story at an earlier point in order to build him up as a worthy adversary for Romeo. And, oh, yes, he created an array of living characters such as had never been conceived before.
A number of commentators have taken note of the much simplified plot of "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." They have accounted for it by declaring that Shakespeare's version was not yet well-known in the world, so Romani must have based his work on an earlier version of the story, by which I presume they mean by Bandello or even by da Porto. I don't buy that explanation. By 1830, the cult of Bardolatry was firmly established. The standard German translations (that the Germans to this day hold to be superior to the English originals) were well along. Two generations earlier, the tourist industry of Stratford Upon Avon had been given a kick start by the great actor, Garrick (in a bicentennial celebration conceived by David Garrick, written by David Garrick, produced by David Garrick, directed by David Garrick and starring David Garrick--additional dialogue by W. Shakespeare.) Just seventeen years later, Verdi would write his "Macbeth" and make sketches for a "King Lear," that greatest of all operatic might-have-beens. One of the twenty or so books that Verdi kept close to himself until the day he died was an Italian translation of the works of Shakespeare.
No, I do not think that Romani dealt with any obscure 16th Century originals. I think that he exercised a hack's privilege to pillage a respectable source for his convenience. Berlioz was correct. In both the literal and the figurative senses of the word, this is a travesty.
beautiful and moving opera .......2005-08-12
record this opera earlier in their careers (1975) yet still
be glad they did. Though there are some audible signs of vo-
cal wear their artistry and commitment are never in doubt and
they offer memorable performances. Janet Baker is on the other
hand in splendid voice and sings superbly - she portrays a
somber Romeo and is supremely moving in the tomb scene.
Robert Lloyd and Raimund Herincx offer excellent support.
Very well recorded and beautifully conducted by Maestro
Patane - a very welcome release !
Wonderful nostalgia .......2005-05-20
At the time Beverly was a known commodity in Bell Canto operas; however, Janet was mainly known as a song recitalist. Nevertheless, Janet Baker, in this opera, proves that she could sing opera with the best of them showing her great operatic credentials-she is up to every vocal challenge Bellini throws at her. She tackles the role with great artistry and beauty of tone. Her last scene STILL dissolves me to copious tears.
In this recording Beverly sings a little cautiously not throwing out high E's with abandon as before; however, her years of experience being a sublime singer of Bell Canto operas comes through. Her singing is gorgeous, sweet and touching to the highest degree, I truly believe that this recording was one of her best.
It truly is great to hear this recording again-ah the memories. Time has NOT diminished its appeal!
Average customer rating:
|
Classical Kids: Collection
Manufacturer: Children's Book Store Distribution ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Fiction
| Music
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Dances
| Ballets & Dances
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Ecossaises
| Ballets & Dances
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Minuets
| Ballets & Dances
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Trios
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by J.S. Bach
| Bach, Johann Sebastian
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Beethoven
| Beethoven, Ludwig van
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Caldara, Antonio
| ( C )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Vivaldi
| Vivaldi, Antonio
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Concertinos
| Concertos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Concerto Grossi
| Concertos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Concertos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Fantasies
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Improvisation
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Rondos
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Bagatelles
| Short Forms
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Sonatas
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Sonatinas
| Sonatas
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Trio Sonatas
| Sonatas
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Suites
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Romantic
| Symphonies
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Variations
| Forms & Genres
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vocal & Song
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Piano
| Keyboard
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Flute
| Reeds & Winds
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Piccolo
| Reeds & Winds
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Reeds & Winds
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Violin
| Strings
| Instruments
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Symphonies
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Sacred & Religious
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Cantatas
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Psalms
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Songs & Lieder
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Children's Music
| Styles
| Music
Compilations
| Children's Music
| Styles
| Music
Children's Music
| Box Sets
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000212C Release Date: 1995-01-09 |
Tracks:
- Orchestral Suite #3, 1/Minuet in G+/Gigue in G+ (French Suite #5) - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring/Chromatic Fantasy/Prelude in B - (WTC1) - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Introducing the Orchestra/Organ: Chorale Preludes, "Allein Gott" - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Brandenberg Concerto #5, MVT. 3 - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Flute Sonata C+, MVT. 2/Organ; "Es Ist das Heil"/Orchestral Suite ... - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Prelude in C (WTC1)/Orchestral Suite #2, MVT. 2 - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Bist du Bei Mir - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Orchestral Suite #2, Badinerie - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Orchestrak Suite #3, Air for the G-String - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Orchestral Suite #3, Gigue - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- "Adventure in Music" - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- Goldberg Variations/Art of Fugue - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- "Liebster Jesu"/Flute Sonata in C, MVT. 4 - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
- "We Hasten, " Cantata #78 - Studio Arts Orchestra, The Toronto Boys' Choir
Tracks:
- Symphony #7, MVT. 2
- Symphony #5, MVT. 1
- Piano Sonata, Op 90, MVT. 2/Flute Serenade, Op 23, MVT. 3/Violin ...
- Pathue Sonata, Op 13, MVT. 2/Contradanse #1 in Major
- Symphony #5, MVT. 2/Piano Sonata, Op 14 #2, MVT. 2/Flute Serenade, ...
- Polonaise/La Marmotte/Country Dance in a Major/Fse/Flutnuhr
- Sonatina in G Major/Minuet in G Major/Violin "Spring" Sonata, MVT. 1
- Moonlight Sonata, Op 27 #2, MVT. 1
- Flute Serenade, MVT. 2
- Symphony #6, Storm
- Nel Cor Piu Variations
- Piano Concerto #1, MVT. 1/Piano Concerto #5, MVT. 2
- Bass Excerpts from Symphony #9/Violin"Spring Sonata"/Rage Over a ...
- Symphony #9, MVT. 4
- Sonata Opus 49 #2, MVT. 2
- Symphony #6, Shepherd's Theme
Tracks:
- Lost in the Opera House: Oh Help Me (Zu Hilfe) - Nils Brown, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Papageno and the Birds: The Best Birdcatcher (Der Vogelfer) - Russell Braun, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Queen of the Night: You Must Free My Daughter (O Zittre Nicht) - Marjorie Sparks, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Pamina Arrives, Papageno's Magic Bells: A Girlfriend (Ein Mhen) - Russell Braun, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Castle of Sarastro: O Endless Night (O Ew'ge Nacht) - Nils Brown, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Magic Flute: O Listen (Wie Stark) - Nils Brown, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Escape: Let Us Hurry (Schnelle FWhat Tinkles So Brightly ... - Russell Braun, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra, Monica Whicher
- Sarastro's Welcome: The Gods Above (O Isis) - Gordon McLeod, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Attack of the Queen: The Powers of Night (Der H Rache)/This ... - Marjorie Sparks, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Pamina's Lament: Oh, My Heart Is Broken (Ach, Ich F - St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra, Monica Whicher
- In the Labrynth: Seekers of the Light (Der, Welcher ...) - Nils Brown, Gordon McLeod, Marjorie Sparks, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra, Monica Whicher
- Papageno and Papagena: Ring, O Bells (Klinget Glhen) - Adriana Braun, Russell Braun, St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
- Conclusion: Our Journey Is Over [Bei Mern] - St. Simon's Choir, Studio Arts Orchestra
Tracks:
- Four Seasons, Spring, I, RV 269
- Piccolo Concerto, II, RV 293
- Arriving at the Pietour Seasons, Autumn, I RV 293/Guitar/Flute ...
- Violin Concerto in a Minor, I, RV 356
- Four Seasons, Winter, II, RV 297
- Guitar Concerto, II, RV 93
- Venice by Day/Guitar Concerto, III, RV 93/Four Seasons, Autumn, ...
- Sonata for Two Violins, II, RV 50/"Farnace", RV 711, [Recording Premier
- Violin Concerto in a Minor, II, RV 356
- Venice by Night/La Notte, I, II, III, RV 439
- Island of the Dead/Four Seasons, Autumn, II, RV 293
- Gardellino, RV 90/Beatus Vir, RV 597/Alma del Core/Violin Sonata ...
- Concert Preparations/Piccolo Concerto, I, RV 443/Guitar Concerto, III,
- Conclusion/Double Orchestra Concerto, II, RV 585/Guitar Concerto, ...
Customer Reviews:
It stays with them..........2005-10-24
It all started with Beethoven.......2004-02-03
Imagine my delight that they are now in one boxed set! Now when asked, I suggest this set. What a great way to get it ALL! I truly believe that by surrounding our children with a variety of good music (including POP music) and information they will grow up with a greater appreciation for music and the arts.
Not What I expected.......2002-09-20
Music, history, culture, & intriguing story -Amazing!.......2002-04-08
I only can wonder...what took whomever so long to broaden our horizons in such a way! BRAVO!
Great series, great collection.......2001-04-22
Average customer rating:
|
Arias for Senesino
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Albinoni
| Albinoni, Tomaso
| ( A )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Handel
| Handel, George Frideric
| ( H )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Porpora, Nicolo
| ( P )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Alessandro Scarlatti
| Scarlatti, Alessandro
| ( S )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Scholl, Andreas
| ( S )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Arias
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Baroque (c.1600-1750)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
The Decca Records Store
| Specialty Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000A79NL0 Release Date: 2005-10-11 |
Tracks:
- Bel Contento
- Recitativo Accompagnato: Pompe Vane Di Morte!
- Dove Sei?
- Stelle Ingrate
- Selvagge Amenita
- Discordi Pensier
- Del Ciel Sui Giri
- Fosti Caro [
- Recitativo Accompagnato: Dall'ondoso Periglio
- Aure, Deh, Per Pieta
- Al Lampo Dell' Armi
- Cara Sposa
- Va' Per Le Vene Il Sangue
Album Details
Senesino, the Voice that Inspired Handel's Greatest Operas Showpiece Arias by Handel, Lotti, Albinoni, Porpora and Scarlatti. One of the Truly Outstanding Voices of Today, Star Countertenor Andreas Scholl Celebrates One of the 18th Century's Greatest Vocal Superstars - the Remarkable Male Alto Known as Senesino. Senesino's Place in History was Secured by his Extraordinary Association with Handel, who after Travelling to Dresden to Hear Him, Brought Him to London to Join his Italian Opera Company - Where He was Greatly Celebrated by the Public, and Much Admired by the Ladies. Inspired by this Unique Singer, Handel Wrote for Him a Dazzling Succession of Operatic Roles which Showcased the Beauty and Power of his Extraordinary Vocal Personality. Scholl's Exquisite Voice, Beloved of Critics and Audiences, Pure, Penetrating, Virtuosic and Deeply Characterful, is a Remarkable Match for the Voice of Senesino.Customer Reviews:
More from the beautiful voice of this countertenor.......2007-03-20
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about classical music, I tend to just listen to stuff I like and ignore most of opera which is too, well, operatic and 'warbly' for me. However, Andreas Scholl's album 'Arias For Senesino' gives an opportunity to hear some of these arias, originally written for the famous castrato Senesino, in a plain and sweet style.
For those who like a lot of vibrato and dynamism in their singers, Andreas Scholl isn't for them. However for people like me who like to listen to pure, sweet sounds without too much distracting other stuff, this album works just fine. I know other reviewers have commented that his treatment of Handel is too dull but I found the whole album very enjoyable. I particularly liked the Dove Sei from Rodelinda (what can I say, I'm new to this stuff, and I love that song; I know it's been done to death but it's still great); there were a couple of tracks that were a bit too lively for my taste although no doubt displaying Scholl's real mastery of singing. This is an album that I know I will listen to multiple times and the more I listen the more intrigued I get by the countertenor voice - somehow a bit eerie when you listen to it, but wonderful too. I recommend this album.
Wonderful, thank you; but please, no more Handel recitals, okay?.......2006-08-27
Andreas Scholl is still my favourite countertenor and he is in great voice on this recording. The singing is, as always, detailed, subtle, beautiful, stylish, informed and very moving. The 'Cara Sposa' here is a highlight - only David Daniels' impassioned interpretation on his complete recording of Rinaldo can hold a torch to Scholl's. I guess that "Cara sposa" is fast becoming to countertenors what "Casta Diva" is to sopranos?
I like this CD and I know that it is one I am going to listen to a lot in future. However, I already have many interpretations of the Handel arias on other discs by other singers. Scholl's recording is absolutely first class, don't get me wrong, but I just don't want to spend any more money on recitals of Handel arias. I would much rather a singer like Andreas Scholl took a leaf out of Cecilia Bartoli's book (she's another Decca artist, BTW) and record some more interesting unknown repertoire. There must be thousands of wonderful male alto arias in operas by Johann Joseph Fux, Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara, Antonio Vivaldi and many, many others gathering dust on library shelves!
I can not and will not buy another recital disc of Handel opera arias - this is well and truly my last, ever!
However, this is a bloody good disc! Andreas Scholl is a living treasure, that's for sure.
Dreadful Senesino.......2006-03-26
Another Superb Concept for a Recital.......2006-02-18
In this fine recital Scholl elects to sing the arias written for the famous countertenor Senesino, a favorite singer of Handel and the one for whom many of the countertenor roles were written. In top form (which is to say in stunning vocal estate and exceptionally fine technique) Scholl offers arias from Handel's operas 'Flavio, Rè di Longobardi', 'Rodelinda, regina de' Langobardi', 'Giulio Cesare in Egitto', and 'Rinaldo' along with Tomaso Albinoni's operas 'Astarto'and 'Engelberta', Scarlatti's 'Carlo re d'Allemagna', with arias by Lotti and Nicola Porpora. It is a splendid display of style and bravura. Scholl is ably accompanied by the Byzantine Academy conducted by Ottavio Dantone.
Though some will contest a few of the choices of arias included here, Scholl's sensitive programming is another aspect of his devotion to his art. This is a major album full of riches. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 06
something to tide Scholl fans over.......2006-01-12
The last Scholl recital, Arcadia, featured arias by lesser-known baroque composers. This time around, it seems that Decca wanted a recital that had broader appeal, hence the idea of a Senesino tribute.
The recital begins with two Handel arias, the first being Bel Contento. This is the Scholl we all know and love, his voice as lovely as the springtime. His ravishing tonal beauty is in abundance, and the Accademica Bizantina provides wonderful support.
After such a nice introduction, Scholl coasts through Pompe Vane / Dove Sei?, undoing some of his faultless technique through some rather bland, white-voiced singing. To hear the full potential of this aria, we must turn to Marilyn Horne's interpretation. If you have the chance, listen to her exquisite, fluttering recording of the aria, so different from the go-for-broke Marilyn to whom we are so accustomed.
Scholl is undoubtedly more excited at the prospect of capturing the non-Handel arias. For this reason, he really catches fire in Stelle Ingrate. One of Scholl's greatest vocal qualities is his peerless staccato trill, and Stelle Ingrate is the perfect vehicle to wow us with. We also get more of a sense of his vocal heft. Thankfully, we have a block of five non-Handel arias that are infinitely better for his voice. My other favorite is Del Ciel Sui Giri. The extended introduction is a fascinating blend of horns and strings, showcasing Accademica Bizantina's talents. In the aria proper, Scholl treats us to some amazing, rapid passagework in the repeat of the A part. This is, hands down, the reason I adore Scholl so much.
Scholl revisits Handel with Dall'ondoso Periglio / Aure, Deh, Per Pieta. His delivery of the recitative is more dramatic than before, especially on phrases such as, "Voi dite che io son morto!" Also, he uses a lower register, to thrilling effect. Unfortunately, he confounds us in the aria section. Attempting to sound more dramatic, his fits of excitement keep yielding to that all-purpose beauty that seems to plague him in Handel. In all fairness, this is still Scholl, but it frustrating to hear him hint at dramatic prowess, without taking the plunge.
Al Lampo Dell'Armi is taken at a lightening-quick pace. This would not work on stage, but in the confines of a recital, it becomes a vanity piece for which to showcase again his almighty staccato trill. It beguiles you to hear Scholl unfazed, even at such quick tempi. The purists will cry foul; I, for one, do not think of baroque music as a sacred cow. A little experimentation now and then, in the hands of such a gifted singer, is not a bad thing.
Unfortunately, this bit of bravura is followed by the clunker of the whole set, Cara Sposa. Granted, many great artists have recorded well-known arias that were not suited for their voice, against better judgement. I think of Maria Callas singing the bolero from I Vespri Siciliani, Birgit Nilsson singing O Don Fatale, or Joan Sutherland singing the Queen of the Night's first aria. Such recordings are for the fans only. I, for one, cannot suspend disbelief, where Scholl and Cara Sposa are concerned. In fact, I have yet to listen to the whole of the aria. It doesn't help matters that the PI support is so cautious and polite. Gimme Marilyn Horne, folks!
Thankfully, that woefully misguided interpretation is followed by the melancholy Va Per Le Vene Il Sangue. Again, we are given evidence of how divine Scholl can be when an aria inspires him.
Average customer rating:
|
Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini)
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Donizetti
| Donizetti, Gaetano
| ( D )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Rossini
| Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vocal & Song
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Bartoli, Cecilia
| ( B )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works Featuring Bartoli
| Bartoli, Cecilia
| A to B
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Bellini, Vincenzo
| A to B
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Donizetti, Gaetano
| C to G
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Rossini, Gioacchino
| Q to T
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Bartoli, Cecilia
| Divas
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
The Decca Records Store
| Specialty Stores
| Music
More Titles at Least 20% Off
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
All Classical Music Blowout
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Bellini, Vincenzo
| ( B )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Donizetti, Gaetano
| ( D )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Bartoli, Cecilia
| ( B )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000042H2 Release Date: 1997-09-16 |
Tracks:
- Bel Canto Songs: Aragonese
- Bel Canto Songs: Vaga luna che inargenti
- Bel Canto Songs: II barcaiolo
- Bel Canto Songs: Ah! rammenta, o bella Irene
- Bel Canto Songs: L'abbandono
- Bel Canto Songs: Or che di fiori adorno
- Bel Canto Songs: Malinconia, ninfa gentile
- Bel Canto Songs: Amore e morte
- Bel Canto Songs: Bolero
- Bel Canto Songs: La conocchia
- Bel Canto Songs: II fervido desiderio
- Bel Canto Songs: Torna, vezzosa Fillide
- Bel Canto Songs: Vanne, o rosa fortunata
- Bel Canto Songs: Dolente immagine di Fille mia
- Bel Canto Songs: La farfalletta
- Bel Canto Songs: A ma belle mere
- Bel Canto Songs: Per pieta, bell'idol mio
- Bel Canto Songs: Me voglio fa 'na casa
- Bel Canto Songs: L'esule
- Bel Canto Songs: La danza (tarantella napoletana)
Amazon.com
The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is one of the most charming and talented singers to appear on the scene in recent years, and this collection of Italian songs by three great opera composers--Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini--is a most deserving bestseller. There are many small pleasures in the selections, which reflect the bel canto predilections of their authors, and Bartoli renders them artfully. Some will be familiar even to casual listeners (Rossini's La Danza, the famous tarantella); others will be new to most, but equally deserving of a hearing. The sensitive and skillful accompaniment is by conductor-pianist James Levine. --Sarah Bryan MillerCustomer Reviews:
Lovely rendition of Italian songs.......2007-03-11
Some sampling of the songs. . . . The CD begins with a song by Rossini, "Aragones." This is lushly sung; Bartoli has a wondrously rich and textured voice. The pace is contemplative, altogether consistent with the words of the song, the reflection of a disappointed lover. Well done.
Donizetti's "Il barcaiolo" is also well done. Bartoli shows her vocal agility in this tune. This is a spirited song, and her coloratura technique animates her rendition. There are segments sung forte, showing the power of her voice. There is a nice soft closing to the song, so she ranges from forte to piano.
Bellini is represented, too. His "Vaga luna che inargenti" is a pleasant love song. Bartoli sings this tenderly, creating a melancholy spirit, fitting the song's words.
To close, there is Rossini's wonderful tarantella, "La danza." Levine plays at a quick pace, as he must for this spirited song. Bartoli shows great vocal agility and strong breath control (this is a tough song to get right!). A wonderfully spirited version. She even takes a pass at a trill toward the close. All in all, most satisfying.
Thus, this represents a nice CD, showing Bartoli's skills with the songs of some of the great Bel Canto composers. An album that is a lot of fun to listen to!
Best 'Italian' Selection yet........2006-06-16
This would be my first choice for Italian material with only piano accompaniment. For a very first Bartoli album, see her 'flagship' recording, 'Cecilia Bartoli' where she is backed by full orchestra and chorus.
Salon pieces to delight the listener.......2006-03-13
This in no way robs the songs of immense charm. It would be easy to perform these songs without a great deal of thought, simply making them sound "pretty". But Cecilia Bartoli never does that - she always gives everything, voice, intelligence, musicality, to her performance.
That is what makes this recording so superb. I can see there are some less-than-satisfied reviewers - I am surprised by the comments. For rest assured, there is no vocal difficulty here at all. Cecilia Bartoli's voice is in superb condition throughout, and her interpretation is of course second to none. Having recorded "Vaga luna" myself, I would be the first to say if I thought anything was lacking in Ms Bartoli's performance - but there's nothing adverse I can say at all. It's simply gorgeous singing, with immaculate phrasing, an intensely personal approach, and some of the most beautiful sounds you're likely to hear.
It is hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this recording. The comments made about squally sound are not just unfair, they're totally inaccurate. I remember purchasing this CD on the very day it was released in Australia, and it's a firm favourite of mine.
In all... delightful.