Pageant [CD-single] [Import]

1. Secret Longing

2. Pageant

3. Pageant ( Instrumental)

Tracks:

Begin the Begin
These Days
Fall On Me
Cuyahoga
Hyena
Underneath the Bunker
The Flowers of Guatemala
I Believe
What if We Give it Away?
Just a Touch
Swan Swan H
Superman

Amazon.com

R.E.M.'s early recordings purposefully bury Michael Stipe's vocals, allowing them to dominate the audio mix no more than Peter Buck's jangly guitar figures or Mike Mills's bass. Lifes Rich Pageant represents a subtle shift in the program, with clearly audible lyrics (though they remain obscure in meaning) on most tracks. The band still has a bit of fun with its audience, listing the songs out of order on the album sleeve and leaving a couple of them ("Underneath the Bunker," "Superman") off entirely. As good as it is to hear Stipe enunciate while he sings, the music is equally revelatory and forward-looking on the radio-friendly "Fall on Me"; harder-rocking songs like "Begin the Begin," "These Days," and "Superman" (the latter tune sung by Mills); and the haunting, folkish "Swan Swan H." --Daniel Durchholz

Amazon.com

R.E.M. Photos

More from R.E.M.

Eponymous
The Best of the I.R.S. Years: Collector's Edition
Fables of the Reconstruction

Customer Reviews:

A slicker, harder rocking R.E.M. and one of their best.......2007-07-06

After listeners struggled to hear Michael Stipe's words on their first three albums (an intentional mixing decision), suddenly everything he had to say was crystal clear...well, not counting the frequently cryptic messages. But the passages and songs with the clearest purposes prove to be something of a mistake. What little there is to clearly comprehend is often heavy-handed, even preachy at times. Despite good intentions on environmentalism, does anyone want to listen to a college radio hero standing on a soapbox?

Maybe that's one of the reasons why Lifes Rich Pageant is one of R.E.M.'s most forgotten records (despite selling better than their first three albums). Another could be a dearth of popular tunes, but then again, the harder-rocking power pop of songs like "Begin the Begin" and "Superman" seem perfectly adjusted to the waves of radio America. Can this album match their first two efforts of the decade? Not quite. Should it be rediscovered by a generation that knows R.E.M. mostly by "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts"? Definitely.

Best cuts: "Begin the Begin," "Fall on Me," "I Believe," "Superman," "The Flowers of Guatemala," "What If We Give It Away," "Swan Swan H," "Cuyahoga," "Just a Touch"

If you must have and REM record, get this one!.......2007-06-22

This is good stuff. I was never a huge REM fan but I did like them because back in the day there were pretty cool. They had a cool stripped down sound that was unconventional at the time. What that means is they did not exactly rock my socks off but they were playing actual guitars, drums and basses instead of a synthesizer and drum machine. In my mind that was enough to make them pretty cool. My sister had Reckoning (also pretty cool) and Fables of the Reconstruction (which sucked) so when Lifes Rich Pageant came out I was pretty familiar with REM and kind of liked some of their stuff but felt funny about it because they were my sisters band. The video for Fall on Me is what sold me on the record and I am glad it did because this (as I have said) is good stuff. Buck's guitar had some snarl to it and the drums are heavy and driving - much more so than before or since. As I have admitted, I am not a huge REM fan but have never stopped liking this album.

Soundtrack to my early love life.......2007-01-25

Sitting in my car in front of her house, 2am on a summer's evening, listening to this album. Sneaking into the backyard and waking her with pebbles against the window pane.

1987

What on EARTH is that SOUND?!?!?!?!??!.......2006-11-28

The opening riff of "Begin The Begin", the opening track to Life's Rich Pageant, floored me the first time I heard it, and still does today. I think i took about 10 plays for me to even get halfway through the song the first time because I kept backing it up to hear that near-east/Indian-sounding twang, almost sounding as if George Harrison had revved up his old sitar somehow with high octane speed.
LRP isn't REM at its best, however. It IS REM at its most preachy. Though many may argue that the message got watered down in subsequent years and releases, the fact is that was done with what I have to call calculated efficiency. No one (with an ounce of dignity) wants to listen to Michael Stipe stand on a soapbox and rant at them non-stop for 45 minutes.
No matter how awesome the sound of the music is, which it truly is on this album. It's big, it's beefy, it's their hardest-rocking album prior to Monster, and it's one of their better records...on the whole.
But remember something in that I am not alone in this assessment. Rolling Stone - in the mid 1990s - called this album the NADIR of Stipe's songwriting. It's just too preachy. After this the story stayed the same, the method in which it was delivered - lyrically and musically - became more user-friendly. If no one is listening to you yelling, make them hear what you're saying by pleasing them.
It worked, and I've no qualms with that.
As for this record itself, it's a jump in an ice cold pool on a 100 degree day in terms of going from early REM albums to this stage of the band's career. The drums are so prevalent in the mix they seem to obliterate the previous incarnation of the band's sound.
"Begin the Begin", "Fall On Me", "I Believe", and "Just A Touch" are some of their best tunes to listen to, even though some of the lyrical content is - as previously stated - a little heavy-handed. Though I may sound a bit harsh on this matter, I do love this album, and in fact, the guitar part for "Swan Swan H" - though it's subject matter is morose and dreary - was used as the wedding march by my first wife in our wedding.

R.E.M.'s Rich Recording.......2006-09-04

'Life's Rich Pageant' is the fourth R.E.M. full-length album, and like the predecessors, is accomplished. This album, like the others, has a trademark. Here it contains their most unconventionally conventional pop and rock songs. "...Pageant" contains propulsive anthems and some of their most pop-pleasing songs of any album. Their accomplishments were enough to propel them to the top ten next time around.

The anthems are positive pieces of power pop. "Begin the Begin," "These Days," and "I Believe" are uplifting. Some of the songwriting improved, and Michael Stipe can hardly be accused of mumbling the songs this time. "Cuyahoga" and "Fall on Me" are terrific lyrically and musically. They showcase how insightful R.E.M really is. The other songs are excellent as well, like the energetic and entertaining "Hyena" and "Superman" and the thoughtful and hypnotic "Why Don't We Give It Away" and "Swan, Swan H-". Song for song, 'Life's Rich Pageant' lives up to its title and delivers a C.D. just as worthy as most of R.E.M.'s best work.

Average customer rating:

Great Disc
British Wind Band Music
Reliving past glory...
Great Collection!
English Folk Song Suite

British Wind Band Classics

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Grainger: Works For Wind Orchestra,Vol.4
Fennell: Suites 1 & 2 / Folk Song Suite / Toccata Marziale
British and American Band Classics
Frederick Fennell & the Eastman Wind Ensemble: Grainger; Persichetti...
Fennell Conducts Hands Across the Sea

ASIN: B00000I0TH
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: I Chaconne: Allegro moderato
First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: II Intermezzo: Vivace
First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: III March: Tempo di marcia
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: I March (Morris Dance): Allegro
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: II Song Without Words 'I'll Love My Love' - Andante
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: III Song Of The Blacksmith: Moderato e maestoso
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: IV Fantasia On The 'Dargason' - Allegro moderato
Fugue a gigue: Un poco vivace
From 'Two Songs Without Words,' Op. 22:: Marching Song: Allegro moderato alla marcia
Hammersmith, Op. 52: Prelude: Poco adagio - Scherzo: Poco vivace
Toccata marziale: Allegro maestoso
Flourish For Wind Band: Maestoso
English Folk Song Suite: I March 'Seventeen Come Sunday' - Allegro
English Folk Song Suite: II Sea Songs: Allegro
English Folk Song Suite: III Intermezzo 'My Bonny Boy' - Andantino
English Folk Song Suite: IV March 'Folk Songs From Somerset' - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Great Disc.......2007-08-02

The intonation and blend of this ensemble are amazing. This is a great benchmark recording of standard literature.

British Wind Band Music.......2006-01-04

This aptly titled CD, British Wind Band Classics, presents well-known compositions by Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. In many cases, the conductor has tried to reconstruct the composers' original score and intent with instrument choices and the number of instrumentalists (Holst generally preferred many less performers than is typically recorded today).

Holst's First Suite for Military Band, as opposed to the second, is filled with inventive and original melodies; the Second Military Suite sets many pre-existing folk tunes. In three movements, the opening Chaconne, a sort of theme and variations, has a noble theme of fifths and seconds put into various settings. The second, Intermezzo, is a minor-mode scherzo with a jumpy sounding minor theme. The final march, begins sad with brass alone, a dreamy theme is picked up by the wind section, and a glorious conclusion puts the two together, a common technique by Holst. A snappy little suite. The Second Suite for Military Band is unashamedly folk-based. The opening March with lyrical Euphonium solo middle section and a compound Scottish reel, make the opening a great concert opener. The gorgeously lyrical second movement, based on I Love My Love, is followed by the highly rhythmical Song of the Blacksmith, complete with anvil. The final movement is a fantasia on Dargason, a familiar Scottish song. Again Holst overlaps two melodies for a rousing conclusion. Many will buy this CD for the suites alone, so a few notes. Some will consider this recording of the Holst Suites merely academic or plain British stuffiness when compared to the classic Fennell recordings. While Reynish opts for slightly more spacious tempos and creates an ensemble of smaller, more intimate proportions, they work for this ensemble, and in many ways breathe new life into these works, which are usually played at too fast tempos. Many points of musicality are won on this recording, where it is lost on others.

Holst's arrangement of J.S. Bach's Fugue ala Gigue works rather well for wind band, with a lilting fugal feel. Holst's Two Songs Without Words is also included on this recording: The Marching Song and the important Hammersmith. The Marching Song is infested with a sad mournful tune in march garb, followed by a lyrical, almost academic melody, but eventually gives way to the gloomy opening march, but ends with triumph. In three sections, the opening of Hammersmith has a frightening bass line that unrelentingly press on. The only piece on the disk that has extensive use of dissonance, the fearful opening gives way to a scherzo, with mocking winds and a quartal melody that skips all over. The ending portion uses the opening bass line with snatches from the rest of the work. Brooding and dissonant, a great piece.

The Vaughan Williams portion of the CD includes the Toccata Marziale, here performed from the original manuscript, not the incorrect printed version. An exciting, if not perfunctory, march, Vaughan Williams' musical language for wind band is a bit more fantastical, evenly orchestrated, compared to Holst. The opening fanfare of the 2-minute Flourish for Wind Band is glorious, with a short little lyrical middle section, and ends as it begins. Vaughan Williams' famous English Folk Song Suite is more along the lines of Holst's Second Military Band Suite, with unabashed folk songs. Here presented as in the original performance, with the addition of the Sea Songs as the second movement. The first movement, Seventeen Come Sunday has a jumpy minor theme, while the second movement, Sea Songs, is more forwardly jolly, along with a charming dance-like middle section. A plaintive solo oboe opens the melancholy Intermezzo third movement, subtitled My Bonny Boy, but a sprite piccolo melody in ¾ time picks up the movement, before descending into sullenness again. The Suite ends in pure friendliness and jubilation, concluding the work and the CD in fine form.

Highly musical interpretations of English wind band classics, makes this CD a good addition to any library. The classic Fennell is definitely hard to beat, but this is a different sound, more spacious tempos (the slower moderatos make the faster sections more exciting), and a pared-down ensemble, more musical qualities shine through in these works that I hadn't heard in other recordings. Compare with other recordings; it holds its own.

Reliving past glory..........2005-08-02

What a great collection! I've played most of this music in the past and was delighted to find it together in this compilation.

Great Collection!.......2005-01-07

I have played all three movements of Holst's First Suite in E Flat for Military Band in concert and this cd really captures all the magic the song has when played live! On of my favorite band recordings thus far!

English Folk Song Suite.......2004-08-21

This recording contains an extended "English Folk Song Suite" (15 Min., 9 Sec. long), a version I'm unfamiliar with. I haven't actually heard the rest of the album--but I plan to. I can tell you the EFFS is very fine, with color and feeling.

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches; Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

Average customer rating:

Confirming Illinois' Assessment
Excellent recording, abundant music, superb value.

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches; Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches Op. 39; Enigma Variations Op. 36
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol; Russian Easter Overture
Elgar: Enigma Variations
The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan

ASIN: B00000632B
Release Date: 1998-05-05

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In A-Flat Major, Op. 55: I Andante. Nobilmente e semplice - Allegro
Symphony No. 1 In A-Flat Major, Op. 55: II Allegro molto
Symphony No. 1 In A-Flat Major, Op. 55: III Adagio
Symphony No. 1 In A-Flat Major, Op. 55: IV Lento - Allegro
Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op.39: No. 1 In D Major - Allegro con molto fuoco
Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op.39: No. 2 In A Minor - Allegro Molto
Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op.39: No. 3 In C Minor - Con fuoco
Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op.39: No. 4 In G Major - Allegro marziale
Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op.39: No. 5 In C Major - Vivace

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In E-Flat Major, Op. 63: I Allegro vivace e nobilmente
Symphony No. 2 In E-Flat Major, Op. 63: II Larghetto
Symphony No. 2 In E-Flat Major, Op. 63: III Rondo: Presto
Symphony No. 2 In E-Flat Major, Op. 63: IV Moderato e maestoso
Coronation March, Op. 65
from 'Pageant Of Empire': Empire March
Imperial March, Op. 32

Customer Reviews:

Confirming Illinois' Assessment.......2004-01-27

The reviewer from Shaumburg is absolutely correct in his or her review: the sound of these discs is magnificent and the organ, used in a few tracks, is very "cool" (if that word may be used). If you haven't heard the Pomp Marches in their entirety, here's a great way to do so; all are great compositions. And don't let the inexpensive cost deter you--the recording is luxurious and worth triple the price!

Excellent recording, abundant music, superb value........2002-05-03

This recording is generous in its musical offerings. At mid-price (really super-bargain price on a per disc basis) you get a spendidly recorded and performed account of both symphonies and the marches as fillers. While there are slightly stronger Elgar couplings of the two symphonies with additional pieces (such as Solti on a Decca Double Decker and Previn on a Philips Duo) this set is thoroughly recommendable among the best Elgar recordings available.

Tracks:

Mile After Mile
Bilbao Song
Stay Well
Life, Love And Laughter
My Ship
Green-up Time
The Little Gray House
Blues Potpourri
September Song
All At Once
Le Roi d'Aquitaine (Waltz)
Foxtrot Potporri
Alabama Song
Lied Der Jenny
Speak Low
It Never Was You
What Good Would the Moon Be
Tango Ballade
Kanonen-Song

Amazon.com

Here's a disc of 19 familiar and unfamiliar Kurt Weill songs arranged for dance band and played by an expert group of specialists in Roaring Twenties band music. They're led by singer-conductor-composer H.K. Gruber, whose previous recordings include Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper. The result is a start-to-finish delight. From the first notes, you're beamed back in time to one of those sleek transatlantic passenger liners, sitting in an art deco ballroom watching elegant couples in tuxedos and ball-gowns swirl by while the band plays hits from Weill's German and Broadway triumphs. Sure, the venom is leached from the originals, but who needs agitprop when you're on a dance floor? The arrangements are by a variety of hands, hired by Weill's European and American publishers with his approval to get more mileage from his musical theater works. They're delightfully square rhythmically and formulaic in transferring Weill's music to conventional dance bands, but the music still holds up and is fun to hear in its new clothes. A special treat is the eight tracks with Max Raabe, whose light tenor and falsetto singing preserve the spirit of Weill's songs, as well as perfectly mimic the boy band singers of times gone by. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

SAIL ON, KURT!.......2006-04-23

I wouldn't take offence here oh, Weill purists! These reconstructions are charming and harmonically reverent to their originals, more than could be said for many versions of the Weill Songbook through the decades, including Lou Reed's friendly `adaptation' of the September Song's chord progression and melodic line!

Shoenberg and Webern expressed their disdain of Weill's music; curiously, Arnold had also disclosed a secret wish of having his own audiences walk back home "whistling his tunes", oh, don't ask why... You can certainly whistle, hum and sway your partner now, as the transatlantic's bouncy dancehall sails on just as Kurt, Lotte and the lot of them did when escaping the lethal hounds of early 30s Berlin.... the-next-little-dollar bound.

Not at All Vile Weill.......2001-08-13

The ever versatile HK Gruber has done it again digging up these gorgeous dance arrangements for Weill's music--proving, if anything, Weill's versatility. Anyone familiar with the Capriccio historical Weill recordings will be aware of the long tradition of dance bands taking Weill's music as the lead for dance music or pop music incarnations (all the way up through the more obvious appropriations familiar to Americans: Mack the Knife and September Song). Hardly MUZAK arrangements (listen to the delicate violin in track 17's "What Good Would the Moon Be" to hear what I mean), this generous helping of 19 songs offers a chance to see Weill through a delightfully different but entirely compatible lens. Max Raabe provides the ideal vocal compliment on 8 of the tracks, his tenor floating effortlessly into his head voice suggesting a "period" sound reminiscent of Bing Crosby. The import title for this disc is "Charming Weill," and that modest adjective expresses the least of its virtues.

ELEVATOR MUSIC.......2001-05-23

This is a very strange CD: why would anyone want to take the quirky rhythms and melodies of the great Kurt Weill and "tame" them into dance arrangements? Certainly one has listened to (& even perhaps admired) dance arrangements of composers from Victor Herbert to Cole Porter to Jerry Herman, but these are all, if you will, main stream composers-- men whose music sounds good in original Broadway or Hollywood arrangements and just as good (or almost as good) as played by a dance band...think "Begin The Beguine" as done by Fred Astaire on film or "Begin The Beguine" done by Jo Stafford with the Paul Weston Orchestra.

But Weill was an innovator: a man who can still be listened to experiencing the thrill of something fresh and new. One immediately thinks of his collaborations with Bertolt Brecht in Germany: "Threepenny Opera" and "The Rise & Fall Of The City of Mahagonny" or "The Seven Deadly Sins", etc. his American opera, "Street Scene" with Langston Hughes or his American musical plays: "One Touch of Venus" with Ogden Nash or "Love Life" with Alan Jay Lerner, etc. The songs on this CD all deserve great recordings from the "Alabama Song" to "September Song" but they turn into a kind of flattened elevator music instead of having fresh interpretations or even more traditional ones. What happens is that the longing in "What Good Would the Moon Be" and the romance of "Speak Low" and the raucousness of "Bilbao Song" are all much too similar and much too easy.

It's a little weird to think of husbands whispering to their wives," Listen, honey, they're playing 'As You Make Your Bed' from "Mahagonny".........let's fox trot!"

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected

Whole Family Favorite for Years

My favorite Christmas CD

Incredible Experience

"Classical Kids Christmas" -- Outstanding!

Classical Kids Christmas

Manufacturer: Children's Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

Song of the Unicorn

Classical Kids: Hallelujah Handel!

Mozart's Magnificent Voyage

Tchaikovsky Discovers America

Mozart's Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through 'The Magic Flute'

ASIN: B00005NHOX
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Tracks:

I. The Advent Of Christmas: Christmas On Main Street - The Pageant Begins
Medley: I. The Advent Of Christmas: O Come Little Children/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Medley: I. The Advent Of Christmas: Huron Carol/O Come All Ye Faithful
Medley: II. The Kings: Personent Hodie/Kings Came Riding
Medley: II. The Kings: This Great Day/We Three Kings/The Wise Men Ask the Children the Way
Medley: III. Gifts For the Baby: Winter, II/We Are the Poor Children
Medley: III. Gifts For the Baby: What Shall We Bring?/How Far Is It To Bethlehem?
IV. Saint Nicholas: Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Medley: V. Christmas Around The World: O Tannenbaum/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Swedish Dance
VI. Christmas Is I'cumin: Christmas Is I'cumin
VII. Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve Is Here
Medley: VII. Christmas Eve: Joseph, Dearest/Brahm's Lullaby/Christmas Carol
Medley: VII. Christmas Eve: Silent Night/The Story Of Silent Night
VII. Christmas Eve: O Holy Night
Medley: VII. Christmas Eve: Nutcracker Suite Overture/T'was The Night Before Christmas
Medley: VIII. The Shepherds: Messiah, Pifa/The Oxen
Medley: VIII. The Shepherds: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks/O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Medley: VIII. The Shepherds: What Is This Perfume?/Christmas Carol
Medley: IX. Christmas Day: Angels We Have Heard On High/Hark The Herald Angels Sing
IX. Christmas Day: Polish Lullaby
IX. Christmas Day: Go Tell It On The Mountain
Medley: X. The Animals At The Manger: Sussex Carol/The Barn
Medley: X. The Animals At The Manger: Away In A Manger/Two Medieval Myths
Medley: X. The Animals At The Manger: What Child Is This?/What The Mice Saw/What The Donkey/From The East The Donkey Came
X. The Animals At The Manger: The Friendly Beasts
XI. Christmas Of Old: Good King Wenceslas
XI. Christmas Of Old: Here We Come Awassailing
Medley: XII. Epiphany: D'ou Viens Tu, Bergere/Joy To The World/Away In A Manger/Angels We Have Heard On High
Medley: XII. Epiphany: In The Bleak Midwinter/The Pageant Ends

Amazon.com

This soaring collection of carols and poems is a splendid way for adults to share with children some of the classic tales of Christmas. Mostly narrated by children and sung by the High Park Choirs of Toronto, along with several soloists, these pieces celebrate the birth of Jesus through the stories of the three wise men, the shepherds, the animals at the manger, and through songs of Christmas from around the world. As we hear St. Nicholas say, "Christmas is about giving not getting," this attractively packaged CD contains favorites, including "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "O Holy Night," "Handel's Messiah," and "Away in a Manger." A simple voice and guitar rendition of "Silent Night" is a gift in itself. --Martha Johnson

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2007-01-09

I like this CD just fine but it was not what I expected or really what I wanted. I was looking for an all instrumental Christmas CD for my Autistic son. He does not particularly like the Christmas narration or the singing. I will make sure to read the description more closely next time.

Whole Family Favorite for Years.......2006-10-16

A CLASSICAL KIDS CHRISTMAS is a Symphony of Stories for all ages. This truly beautiful interweaving of traditional yuletide songs with stories and legends from around the world which illustrate each song is a CD that will become your family favorite for December for many years. The music, performed by some of the best artists in the world, is magnificent, and each voice chosen to tell one of the stories and legends is perfect for the spirit of that story. The CD is a magnificent treasure. Be sure to order many for your friends and family.

My favorite Christmas CD.......2005-11-04

This is, by far, my favorite Christmas CD. In fact, I listen to it all year round.The music is so wonderful, you really have to experience it for yourself. This would make a wonderful gift for any child or adult, especially for a sick or hospitalized patient. At $14 is not cheap, but it's so worth it...

Incredible Experience.......2001-12-24

Classical Kids' Christmas is one of the most reverent experiences it has ever been my pleasure to hear.It is not just for kids, but for everyone who cherishes the essentially intimate, family-oriented and community-based nature of the Christmas celebration. Noble in concept, deceptively artless and understated in its expert execution, it recaptures the magic and wonder of those earliest Christmases we all recall when we compare what we did then with what we do these days. Classical Kids Christmas should become a part of every child's fondly remembered Christmas traditions.

"Classical Kids Christmas" -- Outstanding!.......2001-10-29

Classical Kids, has for a number of years now, provided some of the finest productions in introducing children of all ages--from four to 90--to classical music. I've been broadcasting all of Classical Kids' released on the radio for some time, and always to great enthusiasm from families, judging from phone calls and letters I receive asking for more.

With Classical Kids' previous release, "Song of the Unicorn," it was hard to imagine what creator/writer Susan Hammond might come up with next in her forays of digging into the lives of composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky and making the stories come alive to young listeners. It is, after all, the younger folk of today who will guide the future of great music. It's up to us to see that they get the best.

All of this is said in praise of the latest release from Classical Kids, "A Classical Kids Christmas," an ingenious idea from Susan Hammond, and one that seems to emerge to the world at a time when we truly need the beauty, charm, and inspiration that is contained in the disc's 47 minutes. The Christmas story is told over a background of wonderfully performed traditional carols and music featuring soloists, choirs, and instrumentalists of the highest caliber. One will occasionally find a piece that is not familiar--such as the Polish Lullaby, stunningly sung by Mary Bella, whose voice pours forth in a cathedral of grand magnificence. The High Park Choirs of Toronto, along with the instrumentalists, are in top form.

What amazes me about Susan Hammond's creativity, and what makes her work so magnetic, is the fact that she provides such a variety of music, from Medieval chants to music by Handel and Vivaldi to Tchaikovsky and Brahms, and many others. Hammond was responsible for most of the arrangements and adaptations contained on this disc, and credit is due to Errol Gay for some outstanding choral arranging. The disc is charged with energy that, at once, becomes infectious.

All one needs to do is to paint an image in the mind of an entire town pouring down Main Street, all feeling the joys of the Christmas season, taking in the festive decorations. It is great fun to discover the Medieval myths of how the robin got its red breast! But more, the choices of music, the effectiveness of the actors ... indeed, the entire way this is assembled makes it one of the finest discs of its kind that I have encountered.

Packaging and sound--with an added bonus of a Christmas tree ornament inside the jewel case--are first class. I noted that Manta Eastern Sound under Gary Gray was responsible for the recording, which is impeccably clean and clear.

If I have but one negative, it is the fact that I must wait until Christmastime each year to broadcast this recording. You can be sure it will be heard much more frequently than this by yours truly. As a classical music broadcast, however, this is precisely the kind of recording I would consider broadcasting.

"A Classical Kids Christmas" is highly recommended. It is a great stocking stuffer and will give to children the true meaning of Christmas interspersed with some of the greatest music they will hear.

This release is like a gift to Classical Kids' many fans, and for that, I thank them!

Lance G. Hill
Classical Program Director
Montrose Broadcasting Corporation

Pageant : American Music for Symphonic Bands

Average customer rating:

Makes me remember why I was almost a music major!
Dello Joio is awesome

Pageant : American Music for Symphonic Bands

Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Giannini: Symphony No. 3; Praeludium and Allegro; Variations and Fugue
American Dreams
Passions
Orff: Carmina Burana Suite; Bird: Serenade for Wind Instruments; Reed: La Fiesta Mexicana
Arnold For Band

ASIN: B00000BKCS
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

Vincent Persichetti / Pageant
Norman Dello Joio / Scenes from
Norman Dello Joio / Scenes from
Norman Dello Joio / Scenes from
Norman Dello Joio / Scenes from
Norman Dello Joio / Scenes from
Robert Russell Bennett / Symphonic Songs: I. Serenade
Robert Russell Bennett / Symphonic Songs: II. Spiritual
Robert Russell Bennett / Symphonic Songs: III. Celebration
Samuel Barber / Commando March
John Barnes Chance / Incantation and Dance
William Schuman / Newsreel: I. Horse Race
William Schuman / Newsreel: II. Fashion Show
William Schuman / Newsreel: III. Tribal Dance
William Schuman / Newsreel: IV. Monkeys at the Zoo
William Schuman / Newsreel: V. Parade
Joseph Willcox Jenkins / American Overture
Floyd Werle / Concertino for Three Brass and Band: I. Fox Trot
Floyd Werle / Concertino for Three Brass and Band: II. Lullaby
Floyd Werle / Concertino for Three Brass and Band: III. Greek Dance
Jack Stamp / Cheers!

Customer Reviews:

Makes me remember why I was almost a music major!.......2004-08-29

I really had to scour the internet to find and buy this cd! Why would I do such a thing? One day while driving in my car, I heard "Incantation and Dance" by John Barnes Chance playing on NPR and those wonderful memories of my freshman year of college came flooding back! The Chance piece is such a joyous and intricate exploration of the beautiful sounds that can be created when an ensemble of talented musicians, a great director, and a truly original piece of music are joined as one. I bought the cd specifically for this piece, but I also remember performing "American Overture" by Joseph Wilcox Jenkins while studying trumpet performance at Truman State University, a small liberal arts college in northeast Missouri.

Ok, so I gave up the dream of a career as a professional musician, but I will never forget that feeling of chills running up my spine while playing my trumpet on a lush piece like that one.

I'll bet if you were ever a band member in high school or college, this cd will bring back some good memories. Orchestral music is wonderful, but there is nothing like a big brass section and lots of percussion to make your heart race and your spirits soar!

Dello Joio is awesome.......2002-07-15

I had never heard "Scenes from the Louvre" before, and it was quite a pleasant surprise.

Dello Joio's music isn't that common, or maybe better to say not commonly found... so when a new work pops up I usually try to at least audition it. I wasn't disappointed at all.

By closing one's eyes, you can almost visualize walking through the different galleries - Dello Joio paints with music as well as any of the masters painted with oil! Bravo!

The rest of the CD is fine, but "Scenes from the Louvre" is the shining star. I only wish I had been able to see the television production that this was written for.

Tracks:

The Minnesota March
The Thunderer
The Charlatan Waltzes
The Pride Of The Wolverines
University Of Nebraska
The Gallant Seventh
Powhattan's Daughter
1. Under The Spanish Flag
2. Under The American Flag
3. Under The Cuban Flag
George Washington Bicentennial
The Diplomat
The Directorate
Our Flirtation
Sabre And Spurs
The atlantic City Pageant

Album Description

John Philip Sousa, known affectionately as "The March King", personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation. His ever-touring band represented America across the globe and brought music to hundreds of American towns. This Naxos series of recordings aims to record Sousa's complete works for wind band, including the 136 marches and numerous other scores. Featured on this fifth disc in the series are The Atlantic City Pageant, named after the famous beauty pageant, Cubaland, a colorful suite whose three movements reflect the changing government of the Caribbean country, and The Diplomat, one of Sousa's personal favorites.

Customer Reviews:

Sousa authenticity.......2006-11-01

The "British reserve" sound of the Royal Artillery Band, to which some have referred, is, according to friends who actually heard Sousa's Band - the touring band, not the one on records - probably closer to the authentic Sousa sound than to the more "brash" sounds of today to which we have become accustomed. Sousa used cornets, seated on the outside right, from the first circle to the rear, facing the podium. This produced a more mellow sonority than we're accustomed to hearing. This balance is apart from matters of performance style which conductor Brion takes care of well. The music is played, as nearly as can be determined, the way Sousa actually played. For authenticity I heartily recommend all five volumes in this set.

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Best Sousa recording out there
Mid-Line Sousa Quality

Sousa, Vol. 4

Manufacturer: Altissimo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Sousa 3
Sousa Original II / United States Marine Band
Sousa Original / United States Marine Band
Fennell Conducts Sousa
Sousa's Greatest Hits

ASIN: B00005TQ7F
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

Century Of Progress
Atlantic City Pageant
Free Lance
Glory of The Yankee Navy
March Of The Mitten Men
Minnesota March
Northern Pines
Our Flirtations
Pride Of The Wolverines
Solid Men To The Front
White Rose
Bullets And Bayonets
In The Land Of The Golden Fleece
Pathfinder Of Panama
Liberty Loan
Peaches And Cream
National Fencibles

Album Description

Sousa 4 is the fourth in a series of Altissimo! releases from The US Marine Band featuring the music of John Philip Sousa. The selections on this album, with the exception of "National Fencibles", were recorded live in 1999 and 2000 while the band was on tour. The historic "National Fencibles" recording was completed in 1890 using the acoustic cylinders invented by Thomas Edison.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-03-31

I originally purchased this CD for the track "White Rose March" because I absolutely love that song, but couldn't find it anywhere else. However, when I received the CD and began listening to it, I discovered a bunch of new Sousa songs that are awesome! I recommend this for any Sousa fan, but not if you're just getting into his music, because it doesn't have this most famous tunes (or greatest hits, if you will)--it contains more of the underplayed ones (like White Rose!) But definitely a good buy!

Best Sousa recording out there.......2005-09-10

This CD is not mid-range quality but the best buy out there. The performances are excellent and the recording quality very good; the band playing to a very appreciative audience.

I've many CDs of Sousa, including the other 3 Sousa Originals and some top-class performances by the Eastman Wind Ensemble (directed by Frederick Fennell)on Mercury and the Royal Marines Band (conducted by GAC Hoskins)on the EMI label but Sousa 4 is my favorite. If looking to start a collection again I wouldn't buy the Sousa Original box set, preferring to get Sousa 4, the Fennell and Hoskins recordings for a comprehensive range of interpretations(the other 3 Originals are very good by any standard but I think the Fennell and Hoskins better).

There's so many Sousa albums out there, many of them poor, that you can be picky, and Sousa 4 is the one to pick first.

Mid-Line Sousa Quality.......2004-03-04

One of the slightly better Altissimo! titles on Sousa. Here we have a series of live recordings taken from Marine band tours. The sound quality is a bit off at times, but overall they sound good. For a change Altissimo! has provided a few liner notes, something they were too cheap to do before. The length of the CD is close to an hour, a bit better than the 45 min. quickies these guys usually put out. Still over-priced for what you git, but probably the best in the Sousa series from Altissimo! I think I would still go with the Naxos series on Sousa.

Average customer rating:

Marches II

Marches, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Marches-1/British
Regimental Marches of British Army, Vol. 1
Regimental Marches of the British Army, Vol. 2
German Military Marches
The Music of Kenneth Alford

ASIN: B0000034RY
Release Date: 1993-08-30

Tracks:

American: Semper Fidelis
American: King Cotton
American: The Thunderer
American: El Capitan
American: The Washington Post
American: The Stars And Strips Forever
American: The Belle Of Chicago
American: The Liberty Bell
American: Blaze Away!
American: The Purple Pageant
American: National Emblem
European Continental: Radetzky March Op.228
European Continental: With Sword And Lance
European Continental: Graf Zeppellin-Marsch
European Continental: Under The Double Eagle
European Continental: Der Jager Aus Kurpfalz
European Continental: The Children Of The Regiment
European Continental: Le Reve Passe
European Continental: El Abanico, Paso-Doble Enspanol
European Continental: Amparito Roca, Paso-Boble Enspanole
European Continental: La Ritirata Italiana
European Continental: Ceremonial March From Aida
European Continental: The Slaves Chorus From Nabucco
European Continental: Le Regiment De Sambre-Et-Meuse, French national Defile March

Customer Reviews:

Marches II.......2004-01-17

i'm trying out for drum major, and part of the try outs is marching an L-pattern, the kind of pattern that you would do in a regular drum major competition. it shows your parade marching skills, your ability to stick to tempo, and your directing abilities. so for tryouts, i need to pick a march and this cd has so many to choose from, its awesome! and its also great if your a band director looking for a good march for your marching band to play, or if you just like listening to John Sousa, who rocks. yay for this cd!

Average customer rating:

A Box Of Brilliance

A Box of Sousa

Manufacturer: Altissimo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005Y7U0
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

Semper Fidelis
Presidential Polonaise
Manhattan Beach March
Comrades of the Legion March
Saber and Spurs March
Gridiron Club March
King Cotton March
Easter Monday on the White House Lawn
Who's Who in Navy Blue March
Invincible Eagle March
Excerpts from Mars and Venus
Washington Post March (1890)
Washington Post March (1988)
Stars and Stripes Forever [Live]
Man Behind the Gun
Selections from the Operetta, the Bride Elect
Reine de la Mer
Sound Off
Royal Welch Fusiliers
By the Light of the Polar Star
Beneath the Southern Cross
Mars and Venus
Gallant Seventh
Thunderer March [Historic 1896 Recording]
Fairest of the Fair
Hands Across the Sea
Diplomat
Rifle Regiment
Occidental
Riders for the Flag
Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
High School Cadets
Boy Scouts of America
Picador
Directorate
Black Horse Troop
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
Beau Ideal
Belle of Chicago
Corcoran Cadets
National Game
Loyal Legion
Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell [Historic 1894 Recording]
Century of Progress
Atlantic City Pageant
Free Lance
Glory of the Yankee Navy
March of the Mitten Men
Minnesota March
Northern Pines
Our Flirtations
Pride of the Wolverines
Solid Men to the Front
White Rose
Bullets and Bayonets
In the Land of the Golden Fleece
Pathfinder of Panama
Liberty Loan
Peaches and Cream
National Fencibles [Historic 1890 Recording]

Album Description

Box Set of 4 CDs by The United States Marine Band.

Customer Reviews:

A Box Of Brilliance.......2004-01-13

Brilliant is a good word for this set of must have band classics, all of these songs are as american as apple pie. Its a must have for any true patriot or band lover. Sousa is the Motzart of the marchign band world and truly this capture so much more than any other collection.

World Music:

World Music

world music

World Music

Shades of Brown

Peter Child: Estrella, String Quartet No. 2

Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole; Debussy: Nocturnes No1-3

Bird Song [Import]

Science Fiction Jazz, Vol. 3

Round and Round [CD-single] [Explicit Lyrics]

The Art of the Prima Donna

A Intrusa, Vol. 3