The Prisoner's Song

1. Rabnóta - Nem Arról Hajnallik [Prisoner's Song - The Light Does Not Ap]

2. Eddig Vendég [Up to Now, You Gest]

3. Azt Gondoltam Eso Esik [I Thought It Was Raining]

4. Hidegen Fújnak a Szelek [Cold Winds Are Blowing]

5. Bújdosódal - Fordulj Kedves Lovam [Outlaw's Song - Turn, My Dear Horse]

6. Repülj Madár, Repülj [Fly Bird Fly]

7. Régen Volt, Soká Lesz [It Was Long Ago, It Will Be a Long Time]

8. Szerelem, Szerelem [Love, Love]

9. Én Csak Azt Csodálom [I Am Only WandEring]

10. Element a Madárka - Martin György Emlékére (the Bird Has Left - To the)

Tracks:

The A-Team - Nic Raine
The Addams Family - Nic Raine
The Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe - Nic Raine
Airwolf - Derek Wadsworth
The Avengers - Mike Townend
Barnaby Jones - Jerry Goldsmith
Batman - Nic Raine
Battlestar Galactica - Nic Raine
Baywatch - Derek Wadsworth
Beverly Hills 90210 - Derek Wadsworth
Bewitched - Nic Raine
Between The Lines - Mark Ayres
The Bill - Nic Raine
Bonanza - The Philharmonia Orchestra
Brideshead Revisited - Derek Wadsworth
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century - Nic Raine
Burke's Law - Derek Wadsworth
Cagney And Lacey - Derek Wadsworth
Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons - Mark Ayres
Casualty - Mark Ayres
Cheers - Mark Ayres
Dallas - Nic Raine
Dangerman (Secret Agent) - Mike Townend
Doctor Who - Mark Ayres
Doctor Kildare - Jerry Goldsmith

Tracks:

Doogie Howser, M.D. - Derek Wadsworth
Dynasty - Nic Raine
The Equalizer - Derek Wadsworth
Falcon Crest - Derek Wadsworth
Fireball XL-5 - Derek Wadsworth
The Fugitive - Nic Raine
Hawaii 5-0 - Mike Townend
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Nic Raine
The High Chaparral - Nic Raine
Highway To Heaven - Derek Wadsworth
Hill Street Blues - Derek Wadsworth
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Mark Ayres
The Incredible Hulk - Derek Wadsworth
Jason King - Mike Townend
Jesus Of Nazareth - Paul Bateman
Joe 90 - Derek Wadsworth
Johnny Staccato - Derek Wadsworth
Knight Rider - Derek Wadsworth
Kojak - Mike Townend
L.A. Law - Derek Wadsworth
Land Of The Giants - Nic Raine
Little House On The Prairie - Derek Wadsworth
Lonesome Dove - Nic Raine
Lost In Space - Nic Raine
Lou Grant - Derek Wadsworth

Tracks:

Magnum, P.I. - Derek Wadsworth
A Man Called Ironside - Mike Townend
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Derek Wadsworth
M*A*S*H - Nic Raine
Miami Vice - Mark Ayres
Mike Hammer - Derek Wadsworth
Mission Impossible - Mike Townend
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Nic Raine
The Munsters - Derek Wadsworth
Murder She Wrote - Derek Wadsworth
Newhart - Derek Wadsworth
North And South - Derek Wadsworth
Northern Exposure - Derek Wadsworth
NYPD Blue - Mark Ayres
The Outer Limits - Nic Raine
Perry Mason - Mike Townend
The Persuaders - Mark Ayres
Peter Gunn - Mike Townend
Police Squad - Nic Raine
The Prisoner - Mike Townend
Quantum Leap - Derek Wadsworth
Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) - Mike Townend
Red Dwarf - Mark Lambert
The Rockford Files - Mike Post
Roseanne - Dan Foliart

Tracks:

The Saint - Mike Townend
Seaquest DSV - Nic Raine
Space 1999 - Derek Wadsworth
Star Trek - Mike Townend
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Derek Wadsworth
Star Trek: Voyager - Nic Raine
St. Elsewhere - Derek Wadsworth
The Streets Of San Francisco - Nic Raine
Stingray - Barry Gray
Taxi - Derek Wadsworth
Thunderbirds - Derek Wadsworth
Thirty Something - Derek Wadsworth
The Time Tunnel - Nic Raine
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - The Philharmonia Orchestra
The Twighlight Zone - Nic Raine
Twin Peaks - Derek Wadsworth
U.F.O. - Derek Wadsworth
The Virginian - Nic Raine
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea - Nic Raine
Wagon Train - Paul Bateman
The Waltons - Jerry Goldsmith
The Wild Wild West - Derek Wadsworth
Young Riders - John Debney
Xena: The Warrior Princess - Paul Bateman
The X-Files - Mark Ayres

Customer Reviews:

Two tracks I really like.......2007-07-21

The Mission Impossible theme is performed well.
The Fireball theme is actually much improved on this version. I prefer the orchestra and the vocals over the original.

Quantity Over Quality.......2007-01-15

As a musician myself, I know too well that one of the most important ingredients in ANY performance (live or recorded) is passion. The recordings here generally lack the same passion and sheer drama of the originals. Much of the instrumentation has been reduced to a cheezy, thin, plastic synthesized replica. The performances are simply a watered-down lackluster version of the classic originals. If it were not for the sheer volume of tracks compiled here, I would have rated the comp only "one star".

Mediocre.......2006-05-17

The sound quality for this collection isn't much better than the samples offered by Amazon.

One Hundred Greatest TV Themes.......2005-08-06

I have watched almost all the shows that are on these 4 cd's. Many were made before I started watching TV. Most I've seen once or twice before.

Pretty close to original recordings.......2005-07-24

Definitely not as good as the originals. You'll probably notice the slight differences since it's stuff you saw and listened to every week or everyday in reruns growing up, but it's still an amazing collection.

Average customer rating:

BRAVO, Asv!!!!!
Even I appreciate the talent of tragic Russ Columbo !
Good Crooner
Just listen and ponder what might have been
Best Columbo Collection around

Prisoner of Love
Russ Columbo
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Me and My Shadow
Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend
Voice of the Southland
Ten Cents a Dance
Russ Columbo and the Crooner Mystique

ASIN: B000001HKC
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

Prisoner Of Love
Back In Your Own Backyard
Glad Rag Doll
A Peach Of A Pair
I Don't Know Why
Guilty
You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love
Sweet And Lovely
Time On My Hands
You Try Somebody Else
Call Me Darling
Where The Blue Of The Night
Save The Last Dance For Me
All Of Me
Just Friends
You're My Everything
Aufwiederseh, My Dear
Paradise
Living In Dreams
When You're In Love
Too Beautiful For Words
I See Two Lovers
Goodnight, Sweetheart

Customer Reviews:

BRAVO, Asv!!!!!.......2007-01-29

This is another review from the GIRL who wrote the other kid's review from Dec.11. I wanted to say that I am a GIRL because another reviewer posted a comment on my review and called me a YOUNG MAN. A LAD. But I am not, I am a YOUNG WOMAN. A LASS. Now, I am sure this was unintentional becuase I did not state my gender in the last review, and I thank the person who wrote commen for their kind remarks, but I just HAD to say this because being called a young man did not agree with me, and I did not want other people who might read my review to get the wrong idea. Now then, this CD is great!! The English label Asv really makes nice CDs of old-timey music, and this one is as good as all the others they make. Russ's voice comes over un-static and overally clear. If you like his music, this is a must-have!! My favorite track is the title song, PRISONER OF LOVE. It has always been my favorite song by Columbo since I heard it. When he sings it in is deep, romantic, thrilling voice, it seems like he really means it. Like he really is caring passionately for is girlfriend, he can never love another...SO SAD! His voice is so compelling, so romantic, ahhh...I am so sad that he died!!

Even I appreciate the talent of tragic Russ Columbo !.......2006-12-12

Hi. I've always preffered Bing Crosby or Rudy Valee to dumb rappers today like 50 Cent. My friends are always listening and sighing over a new song by some rapper like Usher or what, but personally love sighing over the romantic voices of the old crooners of the 30s. And my favorite crooner of all time is Russ Columbo. Well, actually I like Dick Powell better, but only when he sings to Ruby Keeler, because I think that she was his best partner. But back to Russ. When you hear that deep, romantic voice, you can't help falling in love with it. I bought this after I saw a Russ Columbo movie, 1934's Wake Up and Dream. I loved it! I loved Russ's voice, I didn't particularly like Roger Pyror, there were nice musical numbers, and my favorite actress JUNE KNIGHT from my favorite movie, the BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936 was in it, so it kept me pretty happy. You should see it if you really like Columbo. Also his Broadway Through a Keyhole movie, a story based on the adventures of Al Jolson and Mrs. Al Jolson, aka Ruby Keeler. It's also good a movie. This is a good CD. The sound is clear enough, the price is resonable, so all you need to do is turn on yout ipod, sit back, relax, and let the dreamy, romantic voice of Russ Columbo, the greatest crooner ever who died way too young.

Good Crooner.......2005-03-31

It's difficult to speculate where Russ Columbo would have gone in his career. Many (including my own father) claim that he was copied by Bing Crosby. If you listen to a number of late 1920s solo recordings by Bing, when he was with Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys, you may conclude, as I do, that this is not the case. Regardless, there is room for both, and Columbo may have developed into a stronger singer had the tragic event that ended his life not occurred. In a 2-reel short, that I saw him in, Columbo presented a breezy acting style and likeable personality which he probably could have parlayed into a movie career. It's a sad story. Enjoy these wonderful songs evoking the early depression-era 1930s.

Just listen and ponder what might have been.......2004-06-03

In September 1934 Russ Columbo had the world on a string. Just 26 years old, Columbo had established himself as one of the up and coming male vocalists of the day. He was also a trained violinist. He hosted his own NBC radio network show and had already made a splash in the movies. In addition, he was also a very capable songwriter. So much to live for. Yet in one of the most bizarre incidents you'll ever hear of Russ Columbo lost his life on September 2, 1934. Columbo was visiting a close friend who kept a set of supposedly unloaded Civil War dueling pistols on his desk as paper weights. In order to light a cigarette his friend struck a match on one of the pistols in such a way as to set off a charge that was still in the gun. The bullet ricocheted off a table and struck Russ Colombo in the forehead. He died a few hours later.
I have heard about Russ Columbo for many years now but I had never once heard his music. Curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered this collection of his music from London's ASV label. No doubt about it. Russ Columbo was the real deal. According to the liner notes, Russ Columbo only recorded around 35 sides. 23 of them are included in this fascinating collection. You'll find many familiar tunes here including the original version of "Prisoner of Love", a tune Columbo co-wrote and was later made popular by Perry Como. You'll also find other standards like "Where The Blue of the Night", "Guilty", "All of Me" and Russ' theme song "You Call It Madness (I Call It Love)". There is just no telling how far he would have gone had he lived. Chances are he would be a household name like his rival crooner Bing Crosby rather than merely a footnote in the history of American popular music. But judge for yourself. The quality of these recordings is remarkable considering that they were lifted off 70 year old 78's. The liner notes are OK but I craved to know a bit more.
All in all this is a very nice offering at a reasonable price. Recommended.

Best Columbo Collection around.......2003-10-15

Given the ghastly audio quality of the 2003 Taragon/BMG Columbo set, this compilation seems even better than it did when first issued! Nice collection spanning Russ's 1928-1934 recording career. Note, one track (the Gus Arnheim Orchestra's "Glad Rag Doll") does not have a Columbo vocal although he is present as a violinist. Great vintage tunes and Columbo's rich delivery make this a must for lovers of romantic 1930's balladry.

Average customer rating:

It's impossible to derscribe in words why I like Monk's stuff so much
Otherworldy Music
Meredith's Beautiful Music...
Moving and Intriguing
Meredith Monk as I've Always Loved Her

Mercy
Katie Geissinger , Ching Gonzalez , and Allison Sniffin
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Our Lady of Late: Music for Voice and Glass
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ASIN: B00006RINB
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

Braid 1 and Leaping Song
Braid 2
Urban March (Shadow)
Masks
Line 1
Doctor/Patient
Line 2
Woman At The Door
Line 3 and Prisoner
Epilogue
Shaking
Liquid Air
Urban March (Light)
Core Chant

Customer Reviews:

It's impossible to derscribe in words why I like Monk's stuff so much.......2006-11-06

I feel that in many ways, the only way to properly review Meredith Monk is not to write text, but to insert a wav file that would reveal me howling in glee or anguish in reaction to her recordings. Indeed, this is how Meredith Monk uses voice herself, for even when she does use words, she often uses them in most abstract way possible, playing more with their sounds than their meaning.

_Mercy_ is no different. Monk explores the possibility of voice in ways that no one else has. Her work is so playful when it comes to sound and voice--her pieces insight a little laughter, a little joy, and sometimes just plain awe. I was a little dismayed to hear her voice being synthesized and sampled a little in this recording, for I always thought that her work was strongest for NOT using electronics but allowing voice to have its own natural depth. Pieces like "Shaking" make it clear that, in Monk's musical world, voice is as much an instrument to be arranged as piano or percussion.

The I Ching says that before a brilliant person begins something great, she must look foolish to the crowd. I have turned many a friend off from Monk just by playing some of her work, but I remain a big fan, listening to her musical oddities with a pleasure bordering on rapture.

Otherworldy Music.......2003-10-22

Downtown New York is famous for it's post-modern stew of approaches to the arts. A downtowner is likely to be a musician/artist or a poet/performer and the idea of one person controlling all aspects of a production isn't all that far-fetched. It's a new twist on the old Wagnerian ideal of gesamskunstwerk and perhaps the one figure that best represents this is Meredith Monk. Known as a dancer, choreographer, singer, and composer, Monk's work is complex and never complete without the visual element, based as it is on movement and striking stage pictures. Yet musically, she is a powerful force in her own right. Her conceptual frame work is based around her voice and exploring extended vocal techniques from world cultures and has developed from her early solo explorations, through the marvelous work with her vocal ensemble and even to her mega work opera, Atlas.

Mercy is the latest work to be recorded in the Monk canon, and it is a beauty. The piece is conceived for her vocal ensemble with the addition of a trio of multi-instrumentalists. Monk's process with a composition is interesting. She will supply sketches to her performers and then develop the work through improvisation, much like the process used by many modern dance troupes. The material is based on familiar musical modes and superficially has a resemblance to better known minimalists like Steve Reich and Phillip Glass. Except that with Monk, the improvisational element in the piece gives the works an internal life that goes beyond mere process music. Each piece is a journey, with a wonderful mix of the familiar and the surprising. The acuity of the vocal ensemble is astounding. They have all worked with Monk for many years and have assimilated her vocal techniques while each of them brings something original to the process. The result is a haunting recording, gently breaking over the listener like waves, but with a reservoir of deep emotion.

As always with a Monk work, it's a shame not to have a visual document for this piece. As DVD and CD-ROM technology get more and more advanced, it seems to me that this kind of work would be a no-brainer for technology. A DVD of the work might be more hypnotizing...in fact, if the work was recorded especially as a DVD, as opposed to a recorded live performance, this might be the best way to experience Monk's haunting work. That being said, this CD is a lovely, if only partial, document. ECM and Manfred Eichter have once again recorded this in their trademark sound.... spacious and dark, with an ambience that is as much a part of the music on their label as anything the performers do. This is marvelous late night music...deeply calming and emotionally moving. It is also one of the best introductions to the unique work of one of New York's most interesting post-modern figures.

Meredith's Beautiful Music..........2003-01-11

....A masterpiece of stunning beauty....one of her greatest recordings.... full of passion and seasoned with grace.... 'Mercy' is a great place to start for anyone curious about the music of Meredith Monk.... and if you are a long time fan, it will rocket to the top of your fave list... it is recordings like this that make "hearing" such a wonderful thing.... a treat for your hear holes....

Moving and Intriguing.......2002-12-21

In this work Ms. Monk again demonstrates her unique creativity and why she received the MacArthur Foundation 'genius' award. There is simply nothing else like her work. This disc captures much of the performance of 'Mercy', which combined Monk's vocal compositions with Ann Hamilton's visual art. Monk's work is moving and intriguing. For those interested in exploring the voice as art, I readily recommend 'Mercy'.

Meredith Monk as I've Always Loved Her.......2002-11-10

Gorgeous. Magnificent. Breathtaking. Haunting. These are the words I use to describe the best of Meredith Monk's music, and this cd is the best she's done since... "Turtle Dreams"? It's mysterious and exciting and instantly recognizable as Meredith Monk. I've been listening to it non-stop for a week now, and I can't get it out of my head. As soon as it's finished playing, I want to hear the whole thing again from beginning to end. A Masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

a gem

The Prisoner's Song
Muzsikas & Marta Sebestyen
Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Morning Star
Muzsikas
Bartók Album
Ketto: Hungarian Folk Music
Dudoltam

ASIN: B000056VDU
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Tracks:

Rabn- Nem Arrajnallik [Prisoner's Song - The Light Does Not Ap]
Eddig Vend[Up to Now, You Gest]
Azt Gondoltam Eso Esik [I Thought It Was Raining]
Hidegen F a Szelek [Cold Winds Are Blowing]
B - Fordulj Kedves Lovam [Outlaw's Song - Turn, My Dear Horse]
Repd Reply Bird Fly]
Rn Volt, Sokesz [It Was Long Ago, It Will Be a Long Time]
Szerelem, Szerelem [Love, Love]
Csak Azt Csodm [I Am Only WandEring]
Element a Mada - Martin Gy Emlre (the Bird Has Left - To the)

Customer Reviews:

a gem.......2005-01-09

Yes, this is real Hungarian village music. but it is a LIVING
tradition, and Muzsikas has not shrunk from taking liberties with the arranging. They use almost entirely traditional instruments, but often in combinations and ways not part of the tradition. I think of this record no differently than say, Rubber Soul or Revolver. More importantly I think it is comparable to them. Most importantly, I have the complete lyrics in both Hungarian and English to this gorgeous record.
I'm offering this for free to anyone who asks. I figure anyone one who cares enough to ask, I want to help, since this info is simply not available. you can write me at landesm@aol.com
I also have complete lyrics, in both languages for
Dudoltam En(in U.S. this is called
MARTA SEBESTYEN Muzsikas
just ask, and you are welcome. I will send as email attachment

Average customer rating:

a gem
Fiery, passionate music from a fiery, passionate country.
A range of haunting tunes
Fantastic!! Wonderful variety of Hungarian Folk Music!

The Prisoner's Song
Muzsikas
Manufacturer: Hannibal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000061M
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Rabnota (Prisoner's Song)
Eddig Vendeg (The Unwelcome Guest)
Azt Gondoltam, Eso Esik (I Thought it Was Raining)
Hidegen Fujnak A Szelek (Cold Winds Are Blowing)
Bujdododal (Outlaw's Song)
Repulj Madau, Repulj (Fly Bird, Fly)
Regen Volt, Soka Lesz (It Was Long Ago)
Szerelem, Szerelem (Love, Love)
En Scak Azt Csodalom (I Am Only Wondering)
Elment A Madarka (The Bird Has Flown)

Customer Reviews:

a gem.......2005-01-09

I'll let the other reviewers speak for the great great record.
I'll only add that I have the complete lyrics in both English and Hungarian, as well for Blues For Transylvania (Osz Az Ido), and
Marta Sebestyen/Muszikas (Dudoltam En)
and I will send them to anyone who asks as
an email attachment. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through
what I did to get them.
just ask, and you are very welcome. these are great records.

Fiery, passionate music from a fiery, passionate country........2002-11-17

Muzsikas are an ensemble from Budapest which grew out of the "Tanchaz" (literally, "dance-house") movement of the 1970s, wherein Hungarians began to take a keen interest in their folk heritage, learning to dance to and play older music.

In their purest form, Muzsikas consist of violins, a three-stringed upright bass which is played with a short bow, and the ethereal voice of Marta Sebyesten.

The music on "The Prisoner's Song" consists largely of Transylvanian folk compositions (remember, Transylvania was part of Hungary and, later, the Austro-Hungarian Empire until after World War I). Although all the songs were composed independent of each other, Muzsikas have arranged them in this album to tell a tale of sorts: a story of longing, love, and freedom.

The music is authentic, but never dated and not "modernized" to any extent whatsoever. Mihaly Csipos plays his fiddle with a passion and zeal which sounds in every note. Marta Sebyesten's singing is angelic, soaring to incredible heights, evoking the rich and proud history of Hungary.

All the lyrics to this song are in Hungarian, and neither a translation nor even the original lyrics are provided. However, all the words may be found on the web, and they're easily translated with the help of a Hungarian, or, with some effort, a Hungarian-English dictionary. But no dictionary is needed to feel the love and passion which went into making this album.

Contrary to what an earlier reviewer wrote, there's been no persecution of Muzsikas by the Hungarian government. Muzsikas are quite popular in Hungary, and the Tanchaz movement continues in full force. In fact, there is said to be one tanchaz in Budapest where Muzsikas play once a week and invite the public to jam with them. Fortunately for us and for music, Hungary is a completely free and open society, which allows Muzsikas to take lightning-quick tours of the US every few years.

A range of haunting tunes.......2000-01-06

I bought this CD simply for the gorgeous song "Repulj, Madar, Rapulj" -- but found the entire thing interesting. I don't speak Hungarian and I know nothing of their folk music, yet I find the songs on this CD haunting and well-performed. I pull The Prisoner's Song from my CD rack at least once a week. If you're looking for something lovely and out of the ordinary that even white bread American tastes can appreciate; you won't be disappointed.

Fantastic!! Wonderful variety of Hungarian Folk Music!.......1999-07-06

This is a wonderful display of rustic, Hungarian folk music. It is my understanding that the Hungarian government has persecuted Marta and Muzsikas for recording these. Musikas' extrordinary talent with stringed instruments, and their trill unison leaves me in awe!

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

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Forbidden Music: Music from Theresienstadt

ASIN: B000031VRF
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

The Prisoner Rises
Singing Saved My Life
Song Of The Polish Prisoners
The Execution Of The Twelve
In Buchenwald
A State Of Seperation
The Train
Singing From Birth To Death
The Striped Ones
There's No Life Like Life At Auschwitz
Tempo di Tango
Letter To Mom
Song Of Days Now Gone
Passacaille For Cello And Piano
Even When God Is Silent
A Child's Journey: An Accidental Meeting
A Child's Journey: I Once Had A Friend
A Child's Journey: There Are No Stars In The Sky
Is Not A Flower A Mystery?
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.

Tracks:

Dark Flame
Only Love Beauty
In Praise Of Lofty Judgement
Two Blue Eyes
Shining Trumpets
The Lonely One In Autumn
Song Of The Prisoner In The Tower
When My Sweetheart
Labor Lost
On Youth
Rhinelegend
When Your Mother Comes In The Door
St. Anthony Of Padua Preaches To The Fishes
Only Love Beauty

Amazon.com

With his forays into Brazilian music, hip-hop, and Bach, musical boundaries have no meaning for the Philadelphia-born pianist Uri Caine. On this CD, Caine takes on composer Gustav Mahler. Caine, along with his jazz companions, clarinetist Don Byron and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, expand and elaborate on 14 of Mahler's lieders. With his spry allusions to Herbie Hancock and Glenn Gould, Caine manages to "keep it real" in the classical tradition, and introduce jazz and world themes into these compositions. Augmented by an eclectic array of singers, actors, and poets, Caine and company manage to pull of a musical mutiny of pleasing proportions with the inclusion of opera, Hebraic, and Germanic concert music. The title track is a mournful elegy to the atrocities of Columbine and the Holocaust while "Labor Lost" riffs on Freudian psychoanalysis. "The Lonely One in Autumn" and "On Youth," adapted from Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde," breathe with an Asian atmosphere, thanks to the Silk Road sonorities of the Chinese erhu, dizi, and pipa instruments. Mahler remarked that, "I am thrice homeless. As a Bohemian born in Austria. As an Austrian among Germans. And as a Jew throughout the world." Uri Caine's expansive art is a welcome home for Mahler's restless and rootless genius. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews:

I'VE HEARD OF NICHE MARKETS...........2005-01-28

...And we all have a niche (were made for our niches) but...

Why is it that when one discusses Uri Caine, one only gets to the actual music as the last thing, if you ever get to discussing the music at all?

For those of you who don't know Uri (a jazzman and an avant-garde guy--if ever there was one--at play in the fields of giants like Mahler--here and in Primal Light--as well as Bach--I can't recommend his Goldbergs enough) this is who he is. When you get to know his stuff, you'll see the irony in that statement.

To get to the music--

Do not pull out. Do not dissect. If you're gonna give Uri Caine his due (I think you should at least give his works a once over), then you need to hear this stuff as a whole work; just like you'd treat with Mahler's stuff. Stepping into Two Blue Eyes or Song of the Prisoner in the Tower without perspective will make you run the other way.

However, taken as a whole, I find myself absorbed into the sound worlds Uri creates in Dark Flame. It's a little like coming down off the mountain when you're done.

This music makes me feel strangely closer to Mahler as well.

I can't think of a better recommendation for this work than that.

Dark Flame won't be everybody's cup of tea. But this is no novelty. It is a singular brew worth trying at least once.

Very difficult.......2005-01-03

I got this one because I'm familiar with Uri's playing with Dave Douglas. I figured it might be a strange album, but I underestimated how strange it was for me. This album doesn't have much jazz in it. The title track, "Shining Trumpets", and "St. Anthony" are the jazziest ones, and my favorites. Many of the other songs have voiceovers, most commonly a German voice which sounds like it was taken from "Cabaret". There's also some spoken English and Chinese. Since I'm unfamiliar with the context, and German and Chinese languages, the spoken pieces don't grab me.

I just found it difficult to listen to, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to me as a whole. This album may be a five-star album for someone else.

Two great tastes that go great together! Caine and Mahler.......2004-06-24

Stark, Lush, Beautiful, Horrid, Moving and startling. Uri and Gustav do again and again. The arrangements and the absolute music are of the highest level. If you've not heard these works, do it now!

Complete Beethoven Edition--Sampler / Kempff

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Let this be the doorway to heaven
Wonderful sampler
Wonderful sampler

Complete Beethoven Edition--Sampler / Kempff

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | 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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 2: Concertos
Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 4: Fidelio/Leonore
Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 7: Violin Sonatas
Complete Beethoven Edition Vol. 6 - Piano Works / Demus, Alder, Gilels, Mustonen, Kempff, Barenboim
Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 11: Early String Quartets

ASIN: B000001GZO
Release Date: 1997-08-12

Tracks:

Symphonie No.5: 1. Allegro con brio
Romance Cantabile
'Tarpeja': Triumph March
'Leonore': Prisoners' Chorus
Sonata 'Pathque,' Op.13: 2. Adagio cantabile
7 Ller
Frs-Sonate, Op.24: 2. Adagio molto espressivo
Cello-Sonata A-Dur, Op.69: 2. Scherzo. Allegro molto
Piano Trio In E Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2: 3. Allegretto ma non troppo
Serenade Op.8: 2. Menuetto. Allegretto
String Quartet After The Piano Sonata: 3. Rondo. Allegro
Quartetto Serioso, Op.95: 4. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato
Streichquartett, Op.135: 2. Vivace
Septett, Op.20: 3. Tempo di Menuetto
'Yorck' March
Ziche Liebe
Music, Love And Wine
Chor Auf Die Verbn F
Der Glorreiche Augenblick

Customer Reviews:

Let this be the doorway to heaven.......2004-10-11

A few years ago I heard this sampler. From off that day I've been wanting to have this collection. I never brought anything of Beethoven since I always thought, one day Im going to get the entire set of music, so by now I am about halfway the collection. I have 10 volumes and I can tell you that it absolutely rocks. I dont know any other composer making such fantastic music. Not to mention the diversity, the quality and the performances, which are all top notch. Although I think no-one had expected otherwise from DG.

Like I said let this sampler be the doorway to heavenly music. You soon will find out that there is no beter composer than Ludwich From Beethoven.

Wonderful sampler.......2000-10-22

This sampler of the Complete Beethoven Edition is a steal. Over 70 minutes of music, a wide variety of Beethoven's work (not just highlights of his better known works). It is packaged with a beautifully illustrated booklet containing performance info, information about the more complete sets in this collection, and Beethoven's life (in three languages). The recording quality varies, with session dates on the sampler ranging from 1963 to present, but everything (though not all definitive performances) is done quite well. This would be a great introduction to the world of Beethoven, or super to carry around in the car.

Wonderful sampler.......2000-10-22

Tiszta forrás (Pure Springs): Hungarian Folk Tunes and Their Arrangements in Works by Bartók and Kodály

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Tiszta forrás (Pure Springs): Hungarian Folk Tunes and Their Arrangements in Works by Bartók and Kodály

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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