Anima Mundi

1. Lïgo

2. Race the Sky

3. (Never) Shake My Soul

4. Heavy Stone

5. Andros

6. Eyes I

7. Goddess/Laime

8. Hiro

9. Kas Dimd

10. Between Breaths

11. Venom

12. She Says

13. Horses

14. Sencu Elpa

15. Anima Mundi

Anima Mundi,Ingrid Karklins,Green Linnet,Folk & Traditional,Pop,World Music

Average customer rating: A Wonderful CD Great music; interesting group My humble opinion..... Completely beautiful The Origins of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen

The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hildegard of Bingen | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | 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 Anonymous 4 | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: 1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4 American Angels Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France A Portrait Of Anonymous 4 ASIN: B0006OBW8E Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

1. Hymn - Veni Creator Spiritus
2. Sequence - Veni Spiritus Eternorum
3. Antiphon - O Quam Mirabilis Est
4. Vision 1 - The Fire Of Creation
5. Vision 1 - The Fire Of Creation
6. Sequence - O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti
7. Vision 2 - Wisdom And Her Sisters
8. Vision 2 - Wisdom And Her Sisters
9. Responsory - O Felix Anima
10. Vision 3 - The Fiery Spirit
11. Vision 3 - The Fiery Spirit
12. Hymn - O Ignee Spiritus
13. Vision 4 - Love
14. Vision 4 - Love
15. Antiphon - Caritas Habundat In Omnia
16. Antiphon - O Eterne Deus
17. Hymn - Beata Nobis Gaudia

Amazon.com

The bad news is that this is Anonymous 4's final recording. The good news is that it's one of their best. Aside from a pair of brief 9th-century chants that flank the main program, the disc focuses on the music of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century Benedictine nun whose liturgical works broke new ground in their visionary texts, rich imagery, and melodic range. The selections here relate to themes associated with the Holy Spirit--the fire of creation, wisdom, the life-giving spirit, and love. The imagery of Hildegard's visionary texts is replete with references to the basic elements--air, earth, fire, and water. The results are boldly original, at least within the restricted confines of chant, which offer compelling listening experiences as performed in the lustrous tones of Anonymous 4. The program includes a pair of Hildegard's most-rhapsodic extended visionary pieces, the consoling "O spirit of fire, bringer of comfort," and "I am the great and fiery power," whose soaring opening musical lines still can shock. Harmonia Mundi, as usual, captures the purity of Anonymous 4's singing in vivid sonics and provides deluxe production values, including a profusely illustrated booklet, with full texts and translations. --Dan Davis

Interview with Marsha Genensky of Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4's Marsha Genensky speaks about the ensemble's swan song in our special interview.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful CD .......2007-04-29

I own 13 A-4 discs and this is my second favorite, after On Yoolis Night. The recording sounds a little muddy and they do, uncharacteristically take some liberties with the translations, but .... This was recorded in a real chapel (as were most of their later releases) and the extensive liner notes are, as usual, present. The presentation and delivery are among the best that A-4 have ever done. These 4 ladies each have wonderful voices that blend together magnificently. If you are an A-4 fan, you need to own this.

Great music; interesting group.......2007-01-05

The music of Hildegard Von Bingen is, without question, some of the most important we have from the Middle Ages. This album has a very capable set of performances by Anonymous 4, but the drawback is the very sameness of sound to each and every track. Yes, they sing well, but where is the variety of timbre? Where are the percussion instruments that have been used in other recordings and performances of these works? They could have used some help from some men's voices, too. Otherwise, it's perfectly recorded, but with repeat listenings becomes more trying.

My humble opinion............2005-12-28

I gave this CD an above average rating. I did so because this is the 3rd CD that I have purchased from Anonymous 4 and to be quite honest they all sound the same to me. I personally feel that the style of Hildegard is heavy, crisp, intentional and complicated. It is unique compared to other styles of anicent choral music. Anonymous 4 has a very light, airy almost contemporary feel to whatever they sing. In the CD insert Anonymous 4 goes on to express how they prepared to sing the medeival music in latin with a German accent because that is where Hildegard was from, and that this is how she would have sung her music. But honestly I don't think one can tell. Like I said, this is my third CD from them and they all sound the same. Don't get me wrong ladies. You 4 have gorgeous voices but I have found that the albums by Sequentia that sing in Hildegard's von Bingen tradition to be more authentic. I recommend to those interested to try Chanticles of Extasy by Sequentia or any of Sequentia's albums. You'll understand what I mean after you compare them for yourselves.

Completely beautiful.......2005-11-08

This musical is relaxing uplifting, simple yet complicated. A total mental experience filled with beauty.

The Origins of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen.......2005-08-14

If you enjoy the music of Anonymous 4, you'll be thouroughly impressed with this presentation of Hildegard's music to God. Excellent is not enough praise for this interpretation.

Average customer rating: Great Medieval Plainsong. Not all from Hildegard Approaching perfection... beautiful, meditative music Glorious Music There's something about this one.

11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula Anonymous , Hildegard of Bingen , Gregorian Chant , Italian Anonymous , and Anonymous 4 Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hildegard of Bingen | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Anonymous 4 | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen 1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4 La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony ASIN: B0000007FU Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

1. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - Auctori vite psalmis - Invitatory - Venite exsultemus domino
2. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Symphonia virginum - O dulcissime amator
3. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Jesu corona virginum
4. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Responsory - Spiritui sancto
5. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Versicle - Specie tua
6. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Responsory -Favus distillans
7. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benedicamus domino
8. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - Studium divinitatis
9. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Psalm 92 - Dominus regnavit - Studium divinitatis
10. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Sequence - O Ecclesia
11. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benedicamus domino
12. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Chapter - Domine deus meus
13. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Brief responsory - Mirabilis deus
14. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Cum vox sanguinis
15. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Antiphon - O rubor sanguinis
16. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Canticle - Magnificat anima mea - O rubor sanguinis
17. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Hymn - Te lucis ante terminum
18. 11,000 Virgins - Chants For The Feast Of St. Ursula: Benidicamus domino

Amazon.com essential recording

All the world loves Hildegard--and the four women of Anonymous 4 may be the best interpreters of her music since the 12th century. St. Ursula was the legendary daughter of a British king who, with her army of virgin companions, was martyred in Cologne, perhaps in the fifth century; Hildegard wrote these Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula for use in a highly solemn celebration along with other liturgical chants. It is in this context that Anonymous 4 presents this program, interspersing chants and psalmody with Hildegard's compositions, sometimes employing drones and polyphonic embellishment. The musical effect is a mixture of awesome reverence and earthly sensuousness. The combination of four different women's voices in perfect unison creates a richly colored sound that can lull or console or uplift. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Great Medieval Plainsong. Not all from Hildegard.......2005-11-04

'11,000 Virgins - Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' performed by the vocal quartet, Anonymous 4' is 72 minutes of music at least as good as any of their other albums. But, over half of the pieces on this record are by medieval composers OTHER than Fraulein Hildegard. So, the emphasis of the album is much more on 'Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula' than on Hildegard.

This does not disappoint, as the performances are superb, regardless of the composer. My only regret is that the notes did not tell more of the story of the 11,000 virgins. When I was visiting the Rhineland, this was a big local story, even though it happened over a 1,000 years ago, even before Hildegard's time.

But that's minor grousing. This is great music. Buy it if you like Medieval liturgical music!

Approaching perfection..........2005-10-13

The music on this CD comes from the great Hildegard of Bingen, one of the towering female figures from the Middle Ages. Hildegard is not only one of the few women whose name has come down to us from the Middle Ages, but one of the few composers of any sort whose name survives together with his or her compositions. Hildegard was a sort of Renaissance woman before the Renaissance, whose fame spread in her lifetime such that she was advisor of monarchs and popes, as well as a significant creative and mystical figure.

Between 1150 and 1160, she composed and collected poetry and musical works under the title 'Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations'. Much of her music was monophonic in nature, and tied to the liturgy. The Anonymous 4 in their performance sometimes add polyphonic embellishments and vocal drones to chants and psalmody.

Hildegard's abbey possessed relics of St. Ursula, and Hildegard wrote many pieces in honour of the saint to be performed by the women of her abbey. This particular recording of women's voices doing these pieces is therefore quite natural and back to the original intent of Hildegard's compositions.

Hildegard's style is unique, as are the vocal talents of the Anonymous 4 - the combination here is something that approaches perfection.

-- Liner Notes --
This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections.

-- Anonymous 4 --
Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide.

Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.'

The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.

beautiful, meditative music.......2001-10-28

This is beautiful music. The four women's voices are so soothing. This is an ideal CD to listen to if for relaxation, meditation, or prayer. I listen to it while I practice yoga. The music is also very important historically, as Hildegard von Bingen is one of the few women composers in the history of Western music. Many of these insipiring tracks were written by her.

Glorious Music.......2000-11-30

Another superb CD by "Annonymous 4", these women are some of the best at creating music for the soul. Quite meditative in nature it is truly amazing that this music was written so long ago and continues to inspire. The accompanying booklet gives you plenty of background information on Hildegard von Bingen and why these songs were written. The included artwork is an additional bonus if you're inclined to like the works of Hildegard von Bingen. The music is just sheer beauty, angelic voices in a world of chaos. The music is relaxing and perfect for creative and contemplative moods. The perfect reading music or for that matter anytime the pace needs to be slowed down . It is best listened to to free one's mind of all earthly concerns and to focus on more spiritual matters. An excellent choice for those moments of connecting to the meaning and purpose of our existences.

There's something about this one........2000-03-31

Meditative, haunting, stirring- an archetypical mastery of the female voice in Christian chant. 73 minutes.

Average customer rating: Bartok has met his match... Exciting! Accessible and enjoyable. It is what Shostakovich would write today. Not bad

Richard Danielpour: Concerto for Orchestra; Anima Mundi Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Danielpour, Richard | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Richard Danielpour: Celestial Night Premieres Danielpour: First Light; The Awakened Heart; Symphony No. 3 Richard Danielpour: Elegies - Sonnets to Orpheus / von Stade, Hampson, Huang Danielpour: An American Requiem ASIN: B0000029UM Release Date: 1997-04-15

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 1. Agitato (With Urgency And Rhythmic Intensity)
2. Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 2. Scherzando (Playfully)
3. Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 3. Adagio Non Troppo
4. Concerto For Orchestra (1996): 4. Con Moto, Ben Misurato
5. Anima Mundi (1995): 1. Musica Verna
6. Anima Mundi (1995): 2. Lacrimae Rerum
7. Anima Mundi (1995): 3. Nox Tenebroso
8. Anima Mundi (1995): 4. Lux Hiberna

Customer Reviews:

Bartok has met his match..........2004-04-02

Danielpour's Concerto for Orchestra is vibrant, refreshing, and musically intriguing. Even the most staunch critic cannot help but feel moved and invigorated by the driving rhythms, the playfully loquacious instrumental interactions, the heartfelt pathos, and the furious excitement displayed in all four movements of this phenomenal work.

Experience the Danielpour Concerto for Orchestra. It is an experience you will not forget.

Exciting!.......2001-01-10

Pittsburgh and Danielpour are a winning combination! This American composer will end up filling the shoes of Copland and Bernstein as one of America's great composers. The Concerto for Orchestra dazzles, sparkles, dances, and weeps. The harmonies are complex and interesting, and yet very listenable. The Pittsburgh Symphony under Zinman has never sounded better. This is a must have for any proponent of 20th century music.

Accessible and enjoyable........2000-12-05

Like Danielpour's other large orchestra works ("Celestial Night", "Urban Dances") the "Concerto for Orchestra" and "Anima Mundi" are vibrant and dynamic like Bartok and occasionally dark and somber like, maybe Shostokovitch. Both pieces on this recording are entertaining and masterfully performed and would make for very exciting works to be heard in concert; they are great examples of 20th Century American composition, accessible and enjoyable. However, the two pieces also sound similar and it is hard for me to tell where the "Concerto" ends and "Anima Mundi" begins - not because the composition of one is indistinguishable from the other but rather because both works are full-bodied orchestral works, rich with dynamics thus making them sound similar. Breaking up the two by inserting a small string serenade or soloist-oriented work between them would help differentiate the two major works. Still, a very good recording of exciting American music, heartily recommended to fans of Corigliano, Diamond, and Bartok's orchestral works.

It is what Shostakovich would write today........1999-03-07

I heard this live, played by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra with the composer sitting next to me. I didn't want to look artificial so I was restrained in my enthusiasm, but I felt very much like I was hearing real classical music, something Shostakovich would write if he were here today. It is totally original, but if you need comparisons, it is Shostikovich with a sauce of Gershwin. It is the sound of New York and the angst of today's fragmented society. It is really great music! I am buying two CDs, one to send to my friends in Russia.

Not bad.......1999-02-12

Danielpour is a brilliant craftsman and a fine writer. My only criticism of the album is that the two pieces tend to run together and are a bit indistinct from one another. He truly has a gift, but needs to push himself before lapsing into repetitiveness.

Average customer rating: Simply beautiful and dramatic music

Schütz: Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | 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 Classical | Imports | Stores | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Schütz - The Christmas Story · Cantiones sacrae · Psalm 100 / P. Agnew · A. Crookes · M. McCarthy · Oxford Camerata · J. Summerly Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae Sacrae, 1629 Schutz: Motets & Concertos (Ger) Schütz: St. Matthew Passion Schütz: German Requiem: The Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross ASIN: B00005B6RV Release Date: 2001-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Simply beautiful and dramatic music.......2005-03-25

Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz is performed with great skill, care and feeling by Ensemble Clément Janequin and Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse. I have not heard a better interpretation of this work anywhere. The cornetts (cornets à bouquin) and sackbuts (saqueboutes) provide a very rich and nobly ecclesiastical backdrop for the voices.

The other works presented on this wonderful CD include the great Magnificat, SWV 468 and the setting of the Magnificat for solo soprano voice, Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV 344 - sung by Agnés Mellon.

The two-part work from Symphoniæ Sacræ I, 1629 - Anima mea, SWV 263 (prima pars) and Adjuro vos, SWV 264 (secunda pars) is sung by Bruno Boterf and Philippe Cantor. The men's voices are accompanied by Jean-Pierre Canihac abd Philippe Matharel on the cornetti. The continuo group consists of Konrad Junghänel, lute, Jonathan Cable, bass viol and violone, and Willem Jansen, organ.
Several other works are presented. All provide further evidence of the greatness of Heinrich Schütz.

This CD is now on Harmonia Mundi's budget label. If you're a lover of the music of Heinrich Schütz, you'll want to have this recording (if you do not have it already). If you're new to Schütz, this CD presents a powerful case for this composer.

Average customer rating: My favorite Glass work A very good soundtrack Great soundtrack, but too short

Anima Mundi Philip Glass , and Michael Riesman Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Glass, Philip | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Soundtracks General | Soundtracks | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Soundtracks General | Soundtracks | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Anima Mundi Glass: Symphony no 5 (Choral): Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya Hydrogen Jukebox Itaipu Kundun: Music From The Original Soundtrack ASIN: B000005J2E Release Date: 1993-10-26

Tracks:

1. Anima Mundi: The Journey
2. Anima Mundi: The Ark
3. Anima Mundi: The Garden
4. Anima Mundi: The Beginning
5. Anima Mundi: Living Waters
6. Anima Mundi: Perpetual Motion
7. Anima Mundi: The Witness

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Glass work.......2006-10-12

Don't ask me why...it just appeals to all of my musical sensibilities!

In my very humble opinion this is one of the first Glass works that creates a genuinely engaging musical experience in the minimalist style (ie: extended sequences of repetition for which he's known--and sometimes reviled--are not to be found here).

Instead, Glass fans will adore the variety of rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic material, and it's unlike anything else he's done.

While there are clearly moments when it's doing it's duty as a sound track, the overarching theme is one of primal, unadorned noise-making, only orchestrated.

A very good soundtrack.......2005-03-06

This is very fine music, in Glass's style of course , but very different from Koyaniskatsi and other pieces . It's a pleasure to listen to it . After saying that , what more can I say ?

Great soundtrack, but too short.......2000-03-14

Philip Glass is without questions a master at composing soundtracks for films by Godfrey Regio, and predictably, he did it this time again. The music is less all-over-the-place than Powaqqatsi, and not quite as powerful, but is a joy to listen to when you want to relax. He's definitely my favorite modern composer. My only quibble is that it's TOO SHORT! More Philip Glass, please...

Average customer rating:

Hildegard Von Bingen: 11,000 Virgins [Hybrid SACD] Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hildegard of Bingen | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Anonymous 4 | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen [Hybrid SACD] Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy Feather on the Breath of God Vision: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen Beethoven Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale" / Walter, Columbia Symphony (SACD) ASIN: B0000B003O Release Date: 2003-10-14

Average customer rating:

Dumont: Motets pour la Chapelle du Roy Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0006MLSPI Release Date: 2005-04-12

Average customer rating: Lully at his best

Lully Petits Motets Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Lully | Lully, Jean-Baptiste | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Christie, William | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Lully: Grands Motets, Vol 1 (Te Deum; Miserere; Plaude laetare Gallia) /Le Concert Spirituel * Niquet ASIN: B000027NVW Release Date: 1992-12-07

Tracks:

1. Omnes Gentes - Monique Zanetti/Gerard Lesne/Francois Fauche/Frederic Martin
2. Regina Coeli - Monique Zanetti/Arlette Steyer/Marie Boyer/
3. O Sapientia - Arlette Steyer/Marie Boyer/Francois Fauche/Frederic Martin
4. Laudate Pueri
5. Salve Regina
6. Exaudi Deus - Gerard Lesne/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt/Francois Fauche
7. Anima Christi
8. Ave Coeli - Gerard Lesne/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt/Francois Fauche
9. Dixit Dominus
10. O Dulcissime
11. Domine Salvum Regem

Customer Reviews:

Lully at his best.......2005-12-15

These petits motets go a long way to proving that Lully, despite his ruthless despotism and inflated ego, was indeed an extremely talented composer. This is not grand music for lavish royal spectacles, but small, intimate music for private worship. Most of the motets recorded here employ three voices and continuo, the ones scored for three sopranos being my favorites. The combination of the high voices together is characteristically French, and very effective. The Salve Regina is a particular favorite of mine, the last part coming to a delicate and pathos-laden end.

There are few recordings of Lully's small scale church music, and this is surely the best of them. I know it has been re-released on the Music d'Abord series, and also as a Harmonia Mundi Anniversary reissue. If you see any of them, snap it up as this is a crucial item in you Lully collection.

Average customer rating: a voice teacher and early music fan What you would expect from Kings Lovely til the end. Vintage King's! King's College Choir Proves Its Mastery Again

Music For Holy Week Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Gibbons, Orlando | ( G ) | 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 Sheppard | Sheppard, John | ( S ) | 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 General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Miserere Passiontide at St. Paul's (A sequence of music for Lent, Passiontide and Easter) Images of Christ Great Choral Classics from King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge The Psalms of David from Kings Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, Vol. 1 ASIN: B000002S5K Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

1. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Incipit lamentatio
2. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Aleph
3. Lamentations of Jeremiah I: Beth
4. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: De lamentatione
5. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Ghimel
6. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Daleth
7. Lamentations of Jeremiah II: Heth
8. O nata lux
9. Salvator mundi
10. If Ye Love Me
11. Cruicifixus
12. There Is A Green Hill Far Away
13. O vos omnes
14. Nolo mortem peccatoris
15. Tristis est anima mea
16. Crux fidelis
17. Videte omnes populi
18. Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
19. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
20. Dum transisset Sabbatum I
21. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
22. This Joyful Eastertide
23. Haec dies
24. Let All The World In Every Corner Sing!

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-15

Perfection in delivery and hauntingly beautiful tone quality mark this performance of some glorious holy week music. The Choir of King's College is made up of approximately 30 members, 16 are the young boy choristers and 14 are the undergraduates, who are referred to as Scholars. This particular disc shows 2 different recording times:The Tallis selections comprising the first half of the record were recorded in 1981; the second half (of varied composers )was recorded in 1977. So we cannot be sure that all the personnel were the same, not that it really matters, because it is all so very excellent. HOwever, I think that the Tallis half sounds like only the Scholars were singing, because there are no boy sopranos, as in the 2nd half. Be that as it may, I'll comment on just a few of the works that I particularly enjoyed.
ALL OF THE TALLIS: "The Lamentations of Jeremiah" are usually transmitted as a single piece in most contemporary manuscripts, but they are really two separate compositions in different modes. Tallis and his contemporary John Sheppard were the only 2 English composers of the time to compose hymn settings of any quality. It has been suggested that they had it in mind to compose a cycle of settings for Mary Tudor's chapel. "O Nata lux" may belong to this Marian set. It is almost entirely homophonic, and relies rhetorically upon a flexible declamatory style. " Salvator Mundi" is one of Tallis's best-known motets. The masterly treatment of imitative writing is combined with a fine sense of structure and balance, achieved through repetition, to give a sense of large-scale design, a feature characteristic of Tallis's best large-scale compositions. And the most beautiful anthem on the disc: Tallis's "If Ye Love Me".
So much wonderful music, exquisitely sung; a delcious Easter treat!
I would like to mention to any Michael Chance fans who read this, he is definitely singing on this recording. In the first half it is very obvious, but I do think he is also on the 2nd half. He would have been with King's at this time. Just some trivia for those who are interested.

What you would expect from Kings.......2005-03-23

This is a good recording--you wouldn't expect anything else from this choir. They just sing really well. Diction, tone, everything. Just great performance.

I disagree, as I usually do with Kings, with some of the repertoire selected. The Tallis Lamentations at the beginnning are sung well, but, quite honestly, I usually skip them because they're boring and I want to listen to a variety of pieces on the recording. The Lotti and Sheppard are also disastrous, not because of the performance, just because, in my opinion, they are disastrous as music anyway.

The hymns are probably the best music on this recording. They exemplify the true passion of the season. The other motets (besides the Lamentations) by Tallis are excellent. Leighton's "Let all the world", while I hate singing it, is an effective way to close the recording.

Overall, a good addition to your music library, but not a necessary one.

Lovely til the end........2004-03-13

The music on this cd brings home the beauty of the loftiest, most beautiful cathedrals of Europe, and is fitting of the subject matter therein: the death and resurection of Christ. The only thing I have to complain about is the last selection. TERRIBLE! Forgive me, but I tried to listen to it with open mind and open heart... but everytime, the word terrible came to mind. I would try to keep my twitching fingers away from the skip buttom; but again, every time, I found my arm going straight for it. The last selection sounds like a horrible, tragicly corny and rediculous church-circus joke. The rest of the cd is gorgious. I'm just not into that new-age sound-- or whatever it's supposed to be. Did I mention that the last selection on this cd is repulsive? If I didn't, well, let me say that it stinks!!! Buy the cd anyway, and do like I do and skip the last selection... unless of course you have found a way to tollerate it.

Vintage King's!.......2001-10-30

Superb ensemble singing from simply one of the finest choirs in the world. Philip Ledger's tenure at king's was relatively short but he produced a sublime sound from the choir. Then are many jewels on this disc from Lotti's 'Crucifixus' to the simply beautiful interpretation of Orlando Gibbon's 'Drop, drop slow tears'
Highly recommended.

King's College Choir Proves Its Mastery Again.......2001-03-20

I have been extremely hungry to hear English Tudor composers lately and came across this CD. Since it contained works by Tallis, Morley, Gibbons, Taverner and Sheppard, was sung by my favorite choir, and was very reasonably priced, I figured I had nothing to lose. Everything else on the disc was frosting on the cake.

I am especially delighted with the attention to program on this CD. From following Tallis's lavishly dense "Lamentations" with his thrillingly sparse "O Nata Lux" (full of tasty cross relations), to following Taverner's "Dum transisset Sabbatum I" with the well known Easter hymn, "Jesus Christ is risen today," careful attention is given to pacing and contrast over the generous 73 min 18 sec of the recording.

If I were to select two items worthy of special note, I'd point you to Lotti's "Crucifixus" and Kenneth Leighton's "Let all the world in every corner sing." The first is certainly the most exquisite use of dissonance I've ever heard in a Baroque choral work. Burney records in his 1770 diaries that the Italian choir brought him to tears when it nailed the entries on dissonant suspensions, and this recording shows you exactly what he was talking about. In the context of this program, Leighton's anthem is also a thrilling piece of work. Though decidedly modern, it uses modern organ and choral writing to the service of the text. Never do I pull back and think, "Is this weirdness for weirdness' sake?" -- as I do when listening to the works of many moderns, and Gesualdo, for that matter. It is a thrilling ride on the crest of a wave of sound that brings the entire program of King's College Choir's "Music for Holy Week" to an exhilarating conclusion. (I don't know any other work by him. Surely this isn't unique in his catalog.)

Average customer rating: Best of the Hildegard recordings so far

The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen [Hybrid SACD] Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hildegard of Bingen | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | 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 Anonymous 4 | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hildegard Von Bingen: 11,000 Virgins [Hybrid SACD] Feather on the Breath of God Vivaldi: Four Seasons [Hybrid SACD] ASIN: B00070EBRG Release Date: 2005-06-14

Customer Reviews:

Best of the Hildegard recordings so far.......2007-01-13

I own nearly all of the recordings of Hildegard von Bingen's work, some on LP, CD, and SACD. Origin of Fire has rapidly become my favorite. First, it contains some of her best (to my ears) works. Second, the performance is top notch - flawless, involved singing. Third, the SACD layer (sorry, have not listened to the red book layer yet) is fabulous. Bottom line: I never get tired of listening to it. Yesterday, it came up as the next disc in the 5 I had loaded in my player, right after some nice mellow Bill Evans. It stopped me in my tracks: I sighed and noticably relaxed. If Hildegard is your cup of tea, this particular cup is extremely tasty.

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