Early Recordings 1

Amazon.com
Hrant Kenkulian, nicknamed "Udi" for the instrument he had mastered, is a legendary figure among players and listeners of Middle Eastern music. Born as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, this Armenian musician was not only an acknowledged master of the instrument, but a man who took it to new places. His playing is compared (roughly) to the work of Robert Johnson, in that he took a known form and made it so personal as to create almost a new entity. These old recordings, remastered from the original discs, reveal a depth of passion that explains why he was also known as Hrant Emre ("Hrant of the soul"). They include original compositions, some rare moments of Hrant playing fiddle, and a number of improvisations called taksims. The detailed booklet gives an excellent history and musical notes. Volume 2 offers more of these recordings. --Louis Gibson

Early Recordings 1,Udi Hrant,Traditional Crossrds,Int'l & World Music,Pop,Turkish,World Music

Average customer rating: Songs of Pain.....Songs from the Heart Now, without any further ado, I'm gonna do a little softshoe and a little boogaloo. Unbelievably great Songs of pain Why would anyone Remaster this stuff?

Songs of Pain: Early Recordings Volume 1 Daniel Johnston Manufacturer: Dualtone Music Group ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Continued Story/Hi, How Are You Welcome To My World Yip/Jump Music: Summer 1983 Fun Fear Yourself ASIN: B00008W2PF Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

1. Grievances
2. A Little Story
3. Joy Without Pleasure
4. Never Relaxed
5. Brainwash
6. Pothead
7. Wicked World
8. Lazy
9. I Save Cigarette Butts
10. Like A Monkey In A Zoo
11. Wicked Will
12. An Idiot's End
13. Wild West Virginia
14. Since I Lost My Tooth
15. Urge
16. Living Life
17. Tuna Ketchup
18. Premarital Sex
19. Don't Act Nice
20. Hate Song

Tracks:

1. Phantom Of My Own Opera
2. Man At War
3. Only Missing You
4. More Dead Than Alive
5. I Will
6. Poptunes
7. You Put My Love Out The Door
8. You're Gonna Make It, Joe
9. Never Get To Heaven
10. Follow That Dream
11. Pow
12. For The Love Of Pete
13. Blue Cloud
14. Grievances Revisted
15. True Grief
16. My Baby Cares For The Dead
17. Mabel's Grievances

Amazon.com

Back in the early 1980s, when the punk-rock DIY spirit was going strong, emerging artists found a cheap and efficient way of distributing their music--the homemade cassette. Sometimes very crude and low-fi, the tapes became a hallmark of instant "indie cred." The erratic, troubled, and startlingly talented Daniel Johnston was one of the first musicians to really make a name for himself in this medium, and his first two tapes, 1980's Songs of Pain and '81's More Songs of Pain make up this collection, re-mixed but retaining their rough edges. The anger and sadness of "An Idiot's End," the wry twist of "Joy Without Pleasure," and the resignation of "More Dead Than Alive" exemplify the genius of his carefully chosen words. His lyrics can sting as well as delight, and his piano playing resonates with emotional depth. Hearing these songs makes one long to hear Beck doing a rendition of "Urge" or Johnny Cash taking on "Wild West Virginia." --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

Songs of Pain.....Songs from the Heart.......2007-03-30

Daniel Johnston was born on Jan. 22 1961 in Sacramento Cal. Not only an artist of creative cartoonish creatures, but by the late 1970s he was writing and recording Beatles inspired tunes. He was also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and stayed in a mental hospital later on in 1990 after his private plane was successfully crashlanded by his father.
This, "Songs of Pain, & More Songs of Pain" (1980-1983);double album, is some of his best work. Extremely lo-fi, singing in a high pitched voice and sounding a lot like a little boy. Very simple yet heartful songwriting. You can really feel this connection of PAIN he felt and shared w/ all of us. He was quite a unselfish young man handing out home-made cassettes of his music, and asked for nothing in return, just for them to listen. Many people say Daniel Johnston began the Lo-Fi movement. Considered an "outsider musician" Many of his songs in many of his works are set to a Christian theme. You can really tell he has the Fear of God in his songs which range from - incoherent throwaway ditties to brilliant, hopeful melodies. At times his songs are also painfully spooky singing about the same lost love, and on "Yip Jump Music" - He sings about Rocket Ships, Casper the Friendly Ghost, King Kong & of course The Beatles. - That album is good too, but "Songs of Pain..." - I play MOST often of his.
If you are interested in the sound of early lo-fi, or brillant songwriting craftmanship you can't go wrong w/ Daniel Johnston's earliest works. It does eventually grow on you, is catchy and gets stuck in your head. 4-stars

Now, without any further ado, I'm gonna do a little softshoe and a little boogaloo........2007-01-27

Daniel Johnston is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Johnston suffers from bipolar disorder with psychotic features and religious preoccupation. He has been hospitalized intermittently throughout his adult life and his attempts at independent living have been largely unsuccessful. This two CD sets features two of his early albums, Songs of Pain (1980) and More Songs of Pain (1983). Both of these albums were recorded in his parents' basement, on a cheap home tape recorder. As you might suspect, the sound quality is pretty bad. The music features Daniel singing and accompanying himself on piano. Sometimes you can hear the TV playing in the background (usually turned to an Evangelical Christian program). A few times you can hear his mom yelling at him. As for the music itself, it's actually rather charming. Strange, but charming. Songs of Pain is a better album than More Songs of Pain, but they are both good. If you are interested in "outsider" music, you should give this a listen.

Unbelievably great .......2005-10-11

Daniel Johnston is one of the world's undiscovered treasures. If things were perfect, his songs would be as widely covered, his life would be as intensely studied, and his work would be as revered and celebrated as the songs and albums of Bob Dylan.
Seriously.
Bob Dylan's voice isn't exactly conventionally good, but people have slobbered over him for decades. And Daniel Johnston's voice...well..you could say it's not conventionally "good" either, in the same way that Dylan's isn't, but like Dylan's, it gets better with every listen, and like Dylan's, it contains more real emotion, more real humanity, and earns more feelings of sympathy and love than any of the lame, slick, polished Michael Bolton-type voices that can hit every note exactly as their voice instructors taught them to.
At times, I've sworn off all music but Daniel Johnston. Nothing has seemed good enough in comparison. His piano is inventive and rockin'. It's a heckuvalotta fun. His use of television as an instrument, his sampling of TV evangelists ("This is an ELECTRIFYING(!) time...for believers!") and of his mother yelling at him, his occasional spooky organ, his blithely unconventional rhyme schemes, his wide (yet obsessively focused) range of topics, his whining and cracked little voice, and above all his lyrics, his lyrics, his lyrics, make him, and these two CDs in particular, classics for all time and space, for all humanity everywhere.
Daniel Johnston is a diagnosed manic-depressive with delusions of grandeur, and his highs and his lows show in these songs. He's also spent much of his life obsessed with a girl who could have cared less about him and who later married a prosperous undertaker and (I've heard) filed a restraining order against Daniel Johnston despite all the great songs he had written about her.
In one song he tells the girl that he'd die without her love, and she says "Too bad about that."
In another, the terrifying "My Baby Cares for the Dead," he sings about the girl marrying the undertaker and about the only way she'll ever care for him (Daniel Johnston) again.
"I know someday my baby
Will care for me.
She'll bleed and dress me, Momma,
Real fancy....
And she'll lay me
In a coffin,
Put marbles in my eyes...
Eyes!
I know someday my baby
Will care for me.
I know someday my baby
Will care for me.
I know someday my baby
Will care for me.
My baby...cares...for...the...dead."
These songs are absolutely genius. They're funny, dark, sad, twisted, happy, joyous, and wonderfully human. You will feel that Daniel Johnston is your friend, as if he's opened himself completely to you, and he has. The recordings are lo-fi, but at times that lo-fi quality even accents and helps the songs: high piano notes are transformed into a different instrument entirely just by the recorder being placed right next to the keys. The barely noticeable background hiss (and the genuiness of the songs themselves) gives the music an old-time folk feel. And Daniel's mother occasionally bursting in while he's playing...well, that's just hilarious.
If you like music, you will probably like this album. This is music for people who love music, who love the way that music sometimes skips the brain completely and goes right to the heart, right to the soul. This is what music was supposed to be: unique, heartfelt, real, and exciting.
Daniel's influence on modern music--on Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Tom Waits, The Butthole Surfers, Beck, and others--is immeasurable, and he could have an immeasurable influence on you as well.
If you let him.
You should let him.

Songs of pain.......2005-05-11

The guy's life story is definately interesting, and so is his music. Johnston has an ear for great melodies, and though his lyrics are somewhat simplistic, they are quite unique.

In the end this won't be a record I'll put on very often. His high-pitched voice is too irritiating, the vast amount of songs spunds too much alike, and the overall sound quality is too poor.

Why would anyone Remaster this stuff?.......2004-12-12

I own the originally released recordings, and I must be honest, I do not own the new "remastered" version... but for me, part of the charm of Daniel Johnston has been the crude lo-fi quality of his emotional song gems. I have found myself disliking his later recordings with professional musicians, because it tends to cast him as a "freak" heading a "real band."

I would love to hear someone review the sonic quality of these particlar recordings.

Average customer rating:

The Early BBC Recordings 1961-1965 Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Couperin, François | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Falla | Falla, Manuel de | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Beethoven: Cello Sonatas & Variations Jacqueline du Pré - a lasting inspiration Jacqueline du Pre - Favourite Cello Concertos ~ Boccherini, Dvorak, Elgar, Haydn, Monn, Saint-Saens, Schumann Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait Jacqueline Du Pre: Her Life, Her Music, Her Legend ASIN: B0002Z83LQ Release Date: 2005-02-15

Tracks:

1. I. Prelude
2. II. Allemande
3. III. Courante
4. IV. Sarabande
5. V. Menuets I & II
6. VI. Gigue
7. I. Prelude
8. II. Allemande
9. III. Courante
10. IV. Sarabande
11. V. Menuets I & II
12. VI. Gigue
13. II. Scherzo (Pizzicato) - Stephen Kovacevich
14. IV. Marcia - Stephen Kovacevich
15. I. El Pano Moruno
16. II. Asturiana
17. III. Jota
18. IV. Nana
19. V. Cancion
20. VI. Polo

Tracks:

1. I. Allegro Vivace
2. II. Adagio Affettuoso
3. III. Allegro Appassionato
4. IV. Allegro Molto
5. I. Prelude - William Pleeth
6. II. Air - William Pleeth
7. III. Sarabande - William Pleeth
8. IV. Chaconne Iegere - William Pleeth
9. V. Le Je-Ne-Scay-Quoy - William Pleeth
10. I. Grave
11. II. Allegro
12. III. Sarabande
13. IV. Allegro

Average customer rating: Well worth the money for a true fan

Chapter 1 The Sandworm Cometh: Early Recordings My Morning Jacket Manufacturer: Darla Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Neo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Early Recordings, Chapter 2: Learning The Tennessee Fire At Dawn Chocolate & Ice Acoustic Citsuoca: Live at the Startime Pavilion ASIN: B0002UXL9A Release Date: 2004-11-23

Tracks:

1. Weeks Go by Like Days - My Morning Jacket
2. What Will I Do?
3. M. White Rabbit
4. Downtown [#]
5. I Just Wanted to Be Your Friend [#]
6. Time Never Gets [#]
7. They Ran [Acoustic]
8. Evelyn Is Not Real [Be-Mixed]
9. Isobella w/The White Umbrella
10. Josta Dreams and Bitter Hands [#]
11. Old September Blues (Ga-Ed Out) [Live]
12. When Will They Come??
13. Somebody Cares About the Maestro
14. Rocket Man

Album Description

The Darla archives contain many unreleased early My Morning Jacket recordings, the best of which have been compiled for release along side all the hard to find favorites previously available only on singles and compilations. Highlights include beautiful covers of, Elton John's 'Rocket Man', Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit' along with three tracks, previously only released on the sought-after 'Heartbreakin' Man' EP, 'Old Sept. Blues' (ga-ed out version), 'They Ran' (acoustic) and 'Evelyn Is Not Real (be-mixed)'. 14 tracks in total. Darla Records. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the money for a true fan.......2005-04-26

I love MMJ. They are one of the best and most underrated bands out there. This is a collection of their early stuff (95-97). Some of the recording quality is a little ruff but that is so easily overlooked when the songs are as amazing as they are. If you are a fan than you must buy this album, along with Vol. 2 of this collection.

Average customer rating: You don't need a Wayback machine A Very Good Compilation of Elizabethan Music Light classics with historical charm

Elizabeth's Music Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Dowland | Dowland, John | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Character Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Mad Buckgoat - Ancient Music of Ireland The Ladyes Delight Tunes From the Attic Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century On the Banks of Helicon: Early Music of Scotland ASIN: B00000IGPC Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

1. Jane Pickering Lute Book: The Queen's Treble
2. Consort Lessons: O Mistris Mine (Twelfth Night)
3. Consort Lessons: My Lord Oxenfords Maske
4. Robin Is To The Greenwood Gone
5. Why Ask You
6. Paduana - Lachrymae
7. The Fifth Galliard (My Lady Nevell's Book)
8. Shall I Come Sweet Love To Thee?
9. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
10. Packington's Pound
11. Never Weather-Beaten Sail
12. It Was A Lover And His Lass
13. Howells Delight
14. Green Garters
15. There Were Three Ravens
16. (Ballet Lute Book c.1590): Greensleeves
17. (Thysius Lute Book c.1600): Greensleeves
18. Greensleeves
19. See, See The Shepherd's Queen
20. Willy Prithee Go To Bed
21. Now Is The Month Of Maying
22. Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
23. Beauty, Since You So Much Desire
24. Fine Knacks For Ladies
25. Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
26. My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home
27. Melancholy Galliard
28. My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe
29. Fortune My Foe
30. Queen Elizabeth's Galliard
31. Mrs. Winter's Jump

Customer Reviews:

You don't need a Wayback machine.......2001-12-05

Just get a CD like this one to get a broad brush review of the popular hits of the late 1500s. While I would have liked a few more recorder pieces, almost every cut was interesting in its own way. If you want just one early music CD with English songs, this is probably the one to get.

A Very Good Compilation of Elizabethan Music.......2001-09-27

"Elizabeth's Music" is a great cd to listen to if you are an enthusiast of ballads, the lute or old fashioned jigs. This cd really puts you in the alehouses, courts and courtyards of the Elizebethan age. The music is preformed well and the voices are very authentic and beautiful. The CD loses one star because most of the songs are on other Dorian-released CDs! I got the cd and found out most of the songs were the exact same ones on my "Shakespeare's Music" CD and other Dorian CDs. Ah well. All Elizabethan enthusiasts will enjoy this eclectic collection.

Light classics with historical charm.......2000-01-07

Really enjoyed this CD. Light and pleasant, without being too pretentious. Great background music for home or office.

Average customer rating: From the review in the The Washington Post

Furtwängler: Early Recordings 1926-37 Manufacturer: Koch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weber | Weber, Carl Maria von | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | 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 ASIN: B000001SE9 Release Date: 1995-01-25

Tracks:

1. Der Freischutz: Ov
2. Der Freischutz: Entr' Acte
3. Invitation To The Dance
4. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Ov
5. Hebrides Ov
6. Damnation Of Faust: March

Tracks:

1. Lohengrin, Act I: Prld
2. Tristan Und Isole: Prld And Liebestod
3. Gotterdammerung: Trauermarsch
4. Hungarian Dances Nos.1 And 3
5. Die Fledermaus: Ov
6. Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche

Customer Reviews:

From the review in the The Washington Post.......2007-05-14

Wilhelm Furtwaengler was a poet of the baton, more interested in emotional communication than in the precise discipline favored today. He was likely to make each performance of a work sound different from the last, a quality hard to capture on records, which tend to go on doing the same things in the same way every time you play them. Still, the personality of the conductor comes through in some of his old recordings recently remastered on CD.

The Koch Legacy series has issued a thorough survey of Furtwangler's early recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic, from 1926 to 1937, in two volumes of two CDs each. The first (3-7059-2) has music of Bach (Brandenburg Concerto No. 3), Mozart ("Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and overtures), Schubert ("Rosamunde"), Beethoven ("Egmont" Overture and Symphony No. 5) and Rossini ("Gazza Ladra" and "Barber of Seville" overtures). The second (3-7073-2) includes theatrical music of Weber, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Wagner and Johann Strauss Jr., as well as a superb performance of "Till Eulenspiegel" by the other Strauss. There is a special interest in comparing his fine 1926 recording of the "Freischutz" Overture (in the first set) with the more evocative 1935 recording in the second set. These interpretations cannot be called better or worse than their abundant and excellent competition; they are one-of-a-kind and to be treasured for that reason.

Average customer rating: Great music, good but biased liners THANKS FOR THE REMINDER!! A Great Introduction to VERY Old-School Blues

Before The Blues: The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 1 Various Artists Manufacturer: Yazoo ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Delta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music 1920-1929 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 1940-1949 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 1930-1939 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Before The Blues: The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 2 Before The Blues: The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 3 Ruckus Juice & Chitlins, Vol. 1: The Great Jug Bands Ruckus Juice & Chitlins, Vol. 2: The Great Jug Bands Times Ain't Like They Used To Be, Vol. 1: Early American Rural Music ASIN: B000000G8R Release Date: 1996-03-19

Tracks:

1. Bamalong Blues - Andrew And Jim Baxter
2. Run Mollie Run - Henry Thomas
3. Lonesome Road Blues - Sam Collins
4. Jackson Stomp - Missippi Mud Steppers
5. On Jordan's Stormy Banks We Stand - Seventh Day Adventist Choir
6. Mississippi Jail House Groan - Rube Lacy
7. Forked Deer - Taylor's Kentucky Boys
8. Bye Bye Baby Blues - Little Hat Jones
9. Pretty Polly - B.F. Shelton
10. Soft Steel Piston - Weaver & Beasley
11. Two White Horses In A Line - Evans & Mcclain
12. Jamestown Exhibition - Bayless Rose
13. Dupree Blues - Willie Walker
14. France Blues - Papa Harvey Hull
15. Dying Mother And Her Child - Rev. Gates & Congregation
16. John Hardy - Buell Kazee
17. Wayward Girl Blues - Lottie Kimbrough
18. Newport Blues - Cincinnati Jug Band
19. Tom Sherman's Barroom - Dick Devall
20. Stack O'Lee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
21. Lawdy Lawdy Worried Blues - Teddy Darby
22. I'll Go With Her Blues - Robert Wilkins
23. Christian Soldier - Denson Quartet

Amazon.com

Before the blues? If you take Webster's first definition--"Low spirits: melancholy"--well, then we're not talking pre-W.C. Handy. We're going back to Eve and the Apple. But, for Yazoo's three-disc Before the Blues series, it's safe to assume the anthologists worked off of the second definition: "A song of lamentation characterized by 12-bar phrases [and] 3-line stanzas in which the words of the second stanza repeat those of the first, and continual occurrence of blues hones in melody and harmony." That works. The 23-song first set in the series offers up a vastly entertaining assortment of rags, breakdowns, and shuffles. Some names may ring a bell with noncollectors (Henry Thomas, Mississippi John Hurt), and a few tunes have become a part of America's musical landscape (notably the eerie "Pretty Polly"). Most of what's found here, however, is unfamiliar, and fascinating. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Great music, good but biased liners.......2006-11-07

Love the music - had duplicates of some tracks from the Harry Smith set & elsewhere, but much was new to me, especially the non-blues string band tunes. Highlight might be 'Deep Blue Sea Blues,' which I'd of course always associated with Muddy's 'Catfish Blues' from later; terrific version included here.
Only negative comment on the liner notes is the clear aim to present an argument that white music had a bigger influence on early black music than frequently allotted. Not that I disagree with the point, but the way it's brought home made me feel a bit like they were pointing out _every time_ a black performer sounded 'white,' but in the case of the white performers, their race is almost never mentioned.
All in all though made me rethink my ideas on the origins of blues music, on how blues went from being a song form to a genre, on the influence of 'country' on blues, and the co-existence of blues along with various other less celebrated black traditions in the 1920s.

THANKS FOR THE REMINDER!!.......2004-04-20

In their usual meticulous way, the good people at Yazoo have brought to light a (mostly) forgotten collection of old tunes that shine a light on where we've been.

What we get is a generous, thought-provoking mosaic of our musical heritage. As has been stated before, in the early days, there wasn't much discernible difference between how blacks and whites presented their music. This three-volume set of CD's stuffed near to overflowing with carefully restored songs, takes us back to that time and in doing so reminds us that no matter how richly varied the branches may be our roots are the same. Musical variety is truly a spice of life, which can best be appreciated when the universal foundation of our brother- and sisterhood is kept squarely in sight. A very grateful thank you to Yazoo for tending the flame.

A Great Introduction to VERY Old-School Blues.......2000-06-22

This collection is almost more folk than blues, or perhaps it is a collection of blues songs when the genre was defined differently; in either case, it's something that anyone really interested in the history and progression of blues music should check out. Maybe listen to old-school John Lee Hooker (The Complete 50's Chess Recordings, for example) or a Lead Belly album to get more of an idea what this is like, much more Delta-blues-sounding than Chicago. If for no other reason, pick this up for the great track buy Mississippi John Hurt, one of my personal favorites.

Average customer rating: Classic Concerto Collections

Early Concerto Recordings, Vol. 2 Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bruch | Bruch, Max | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Lalo, Edouard | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sarasate | Sarasate, Pablo de | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sibelius | Sibelius, Jean | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wieniawski | Wieniawski, Henri | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Stern, Isaac | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music New York Philharmonic Orchestra | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: Early Concerto Recordings, Vol. 1 Beethoven, Brahms: Violin Concertos Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (Hybr) Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967 Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs ASIN: B000002716 Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

1. Symphonie espagnole In D Minor, Op. 21: I. Allegro non tropo
2. Symphonie espagnole In D Minor, Op. 21: II. Scherzando: Allegro molto
3. Symphonie espagnole In D Minor, Op. 21: III. Intermezzo: Allegretto non troppo
4. Symphonie espagnole In D Minor, Op. 21: IV. Andante
5. Symphonie espagnole In D Minor, Op. 21: V. Rondo: Allegro
6. Concerto No. 1 For Violin Op. 26: I. Prelude: Allegro Moderato
7. Concerto No. 1 For Violin Op. 26: II. Adagio
8. Concerto No. 1 For Violin Op. 26: III. Finale: Allegro energico
9. Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Violin, Op. 47: I. Allegro moderato
2. Concerto For Violin, Op. 47: II. Adagio di motto
3. Concerto For Violin, Op. 47: III. Allegro, ma non tanto
4. Serenade After Plato's 'Symposium' For Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp And Percussion: I Phaedrus: Pausanias
5. Serenade After Plato's 'Symposium' For Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp And Percussion: II Aristophanes
6. Serenade After Plato's 'Symposium' For Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp And Percussion: III Erixymathus
7. Serenade After Plato's 'Symposium' For Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp And Percussion: IV Agathon
8. Serenade After Plato's 'Symposium' For Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp And Percussion: V Socrates: Alcibiades
9. Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op 28

Tracks:

1. Concerto No. 1 For Violin, Op. 19: I Andantino
2. Concerto No. 1 For Violin, Op. 19: II Scherzo: Vivacissimo
3. Concerto No. 1 For Violin, Op. 19: III Moderato
4. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 63: I Allegro moderato
5. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 63: II Andante assai
6. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 63: III Allegro, ben marcato
7. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 22: I Allegro moderato
8. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 22: II Romance: Andante non troppo
9. Concerto No. 2 For Violin, Op. 22: III Finale: Allegro moderato, a la Zingara

Customer Reviews:

Classic Concerto Collections.......2003-06-18

Both Volumes "The Early Concerto Recordings" from the Isaac Stern Collection are absolutely brilliant. If these recordings were released today by Sony there would be two concertos per disc, they would come in some lavish original jacket packaging, and cost a small fortune. As is (they were released by CBS in 1990), they are packaged as two three-CD sets at a mid-line price. Granted the product is without a lot of bells and whistles, though Stern's anecdotes in the liner notes about the recordings are insightful and enjoyable, but who needs added fluff when the music is this good.

The concertos, recorded in the mid-to-late 1940s and early-to-mid 1950s, are either in high quality mono or early golden age stereo. On Volume Two the recording dates are as follows: Lalo 1956, Bruch 1956, Saraste 1946, Sibelius 1951, Bernstein 1956, Saint-Saens 1957, Prokofiev No. 1 1958, Prokofiev No. 2 1957, and Wienawski 1946. (Please note that a few of these very same performances appear in the "Isaac Stern-A Life in Music" series.) Though Stern later re-recorded many of these concertos, it is delightful to hear these earlier versions when he was still establishing himself as one of the world's great violinists. Those looking for a definitive disc of a given concerto may want to start with titles in his "A Life in Music" series, but for Stern-lovers out there (like me), these discs are pure gold.

Average customer rating:

Buenos Aires Madrigal: Argentine Tangos & 17th Cent. Italian Madrigals La Chimera Manufacturer: M.a. Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Marenzio | Marenzio, Luca | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Argentina | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Mexico | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Tango | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: La Segunda ASIN: B0001K63R8 Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

1. Sinfonia
2. Ti Lascio Anima Mia
3. Vuelvo Al Sur
4. Ancor Che Co'l Partire
5. Volver
6. Soledad
7. Solo E Pensoso
8. Garua
9. Voglio Di Vita Uscir
10. Dia Que Me Quieras
11. Chiome D'Oro
12. Uno
13. Naranjo En Flor
14. Ausencia
15. Lamento Di Apollo
16. Papas Calientes
17. Recercada I & II
18. Milonga De Mis Amores
19. Sus Ojos Se Cerraron
20. Despertar
21. Pianto Di Orfeo

Average customer rating: Tutti WONDERFUL SAMPLER CD! Tutti - Orchestral Sampler

Tutti!, Orchestral Sampler Manufacturer: Reference Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Arnold | Arnold, Malcolm | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ibert, Jacques | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Janácek, Leos | ( J ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bruckner | Bruckner, Anton | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Minnesota Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Minnesota Orchestra Showcase 30th Anniversary Sampler Bolero: Orchestral Fireworks Reference Classics Sampler, Vol. 2 ASIN: B0000015AK Release Date: 1998-02-24

Tracks:

1. Dance Of The Tumblers
2. Intermezzo e Humoreske
3. Rocky Point Holiday
4. The Firebird - Berceuse And Finale
5. The Firebird - Berceuse And Finale
6. Piano Concerto No. 21 - Andante
7. Symphony No. 1 - Allegretto Con Grazia
8. Symphony No. 9 - Scherzo
9. Concerto In F, RV 569 - Allegro
10. The Padstow Lifeboat
11. Escales - Anime (Valencia)
12. The Times Of Day - Der Morgen
13. The Makropulos Case
14. E.C.F., From Presque Isle
15. Pictures At An Exhibition: Baba Yaga; Great Gate At Kiev
16. Pictures At An Exhibition: Baba Yaga; Great Gate At Kiev

Customer Reviews:

Tutti.......2000-05-06

Although a compilation of various pieces, this CD has the drama and sonic impact which will test the limits of your system. The orchestral presentations are first class. The sound stage presentations with the left to right width and the front to back depth give the listener an outstanding three dimensional impression of the actual orchestra instrument placement in the recording hall as well as the hall's ambient sound.

I have from time to time heard the expression 'sound windows' when discussing Speakers in an audio system. This CD will give you an excellent opportunity to check the clarity and precision of your system....in particular the bottom end capabilities of both the ampifier and the speakers.

I stronly recommend using this CD as a true Reference CD Rrecording when evaluating enhancements or upgrades to your system. Bring this CD to your dealer and listen carefully.

Get to know what your system is capable of and what it is not capable of delivering before and after listening tests for your new component.

Good Luck

WONDERFUL SAMPLER CD!.......2000-02-26

It does the trick. It literally samples the entire recent Reference Recordings catalogue, with varied excerpts from all kinds of music, a rare and exciting compilation wel worth the price. I reccommend it highly.

Tutti - Orchestral Sampler.......2000-02-02

This sampler is not your typical classical sampler. As seen from the track listing, it contains a diverse, but incongrous, selection of orchestral pieces, mixing Mozart, Vivaldi and Rimsky-Korsakov with more contemporary composers such as Bruckner, Arnold, and Paray. Although the list of selections is tempting and attractive to those who want to expand their musical knowledge, the combination just doesn't work. The jump from Mozart to Paray to Arnold to Vivaldi is unsettling to the ear, although it may be suited to a music education class. If, however, you seek less traditional (less soothing), less harmonic (more tempestuous), orchestral music, this may be the collection for you. The conducting and performances are very good. It certainly will never be background music for dinner!

Average customer rating: La Venere Nera di Bayreuth Gorgeous And Passionate: The Art of Grace Bumbry At Her Best: An Amazing Collection

Early Recordings: Oratorio, Opera, Lieder Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Falla | Falla, Manuel de | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gluck | Gluck, Christoph W. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mascagni | Mascagni, Pietro | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolf | Wolf, Hugo | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Great Recordings Renee Fleming - The Beautiful Voice ~ Gounod, Lehaair, Orff, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Strauss Very Best of Russian Album ASIN: B00067GKFQ Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

La Venere Nera di Bayreuth.......2005-08-19

Before I begin my review, I wish to express my DEEP hope that, one day soon, we will be able to enjoy on DVD the famous Bumbry/Verrett concert from Covent Garden, from 1982. I watched a VHS-to-DVD transfer that a friend made, who taped it, and it is stunning, to say the least.

There were many great mezzos from the same era as Grace Bumbry, but for me, she always stands out, due to the unique quality of her voice. I compare the timbre of her voice to a ripple of caramel- sweet, satisfying, and substantial. Hands down, she is my favorite Amneris and Eboli, on disc. Her voice is an arresting combination of vocal beauty and dramatic flair.

Unfortunately, Bumbry was, and is, one of those artists that the critics love to pick apart. Just read the online review of this three-disc collection on Opera News online. The reviewer picks out even the most minute faults in her voice.

No, her musicianship was not spotless, but this does not matter. As the other reviewers stated, her Handel is a wonder to hear. My heart skipped a beat the first time I heard these tracks. As for the rest of disc one, it is a sampling of Italian and French arias. I have to say that I find her Carmen and Delilah a bit too forceful. She all but shouts, "You're gonna love me, dammit!" Still, she is a force that cannot be denied.

The second disc features Grace at her very best, in Verdi. This was the first occasion in which I heard her sing Ulrica's aria, Tu Che Le Vanita, Azucena's arias, and La Luce Langue. Every aria is a highlight and testament to Bumbry, but the two Trovatore arias in particular are spellbinding. To give you an idea, she outclasses several times over Fiorenza Cossotto, who gave a lazy interpretation on the classic Price/Domingo recording.

Brava, Grace.

Gorgeous And Passionate: The Art of Grace.......2005-07-23

This pink box set issued by Deutsche Grammophone recently showcases fantastic arias from diverse repertoire sung by Grace Bumbry in three cd's. It's a must have for fans of Grace Bumbry and perhaps even mezzo-soprano students who wish to emulate her technique and transition to soprano. The sketch of her on the cover is lovely. The booklet inside features liner notes on Grace Bumbry's career, pictures of her great roles and track listings. Deutsche Grammophone has outdone themselves yet again and I'm very appreciative of their magnificent work as classical music and opera recording manufacturers. I hope they re-issue and digitally remaster some great old LP recordings that many of the older opera lovers fondly remember - the Norma sung by Beverly Sills and Shirley Verrett as conducted by James Levine for instance. Grace Bumbry rose to fame around the time of Leontyne Price's debut at the Met as Leonora in Trovatore. But Bumbry, a mezzo-soprano, did something that made history- she sang Venus in Wagner's Tannhauser in Bayreuth, breaking the age-old color line in that very theater where Wagner conducted. She would go on to enjoy success as the grand ladies of the mezzo-soprano field - Carmen, Amneris in Aida, Eboli in Don Carlo, Azucena in Trovatore, and would eventually take on the soprano roles of Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, Elisabeth in Tannhauser,Lady Macbeth, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Salome, Aida, Tosca and Norma. Too bad we don't get all the greater stuff from later in her career on this recording. It would make for a fine tribute album. Instead we are treated to her younger days and earliest recordings. And what a beautiful and powerful sound she has in these recordings!

The earliest documented recording of Grace Bumbry's voice was in 1958 in Salt Lake City, which was originally released as LP's in the Westminster label. Grace Bumbry sings the contralto parts of such Handel oratorios as Judas Maccabeus, Irael in Egypt and the more famous Messiah - absolutely majestic, noble interpretations. Following this are two arias from Gluck's Orfeo, in which she sings a moving Orfeo with pure lyric splendor and warmth. Santuzza in Cavelleria Rusticana is normally assigned to sopranos but La Bumbry shows what mezzos are made of is just as impressive in her rendition of "Voi Lo Sapete, Mama." In the role of Carmen, Grace Bumbry is perfect, perfect. I have her full-length recording of Carmen opposite Jon Vickers' Don Jose. As Carmen, she is into the character's liberal nature, flirty and wickedly playful side. Here we here the Habanera, Segudilla and the more grave-sounding Death Card Aria. As Delilah from Samson et Delilah, she is sensuous and glorious to hear. Gounod's Sappho's final scene in which she leaps from a cliff is dramatic and melancholically interpreted. As Joan of Arc from the Tchaikovsky opera she is beautifully moving and even saintly. CD 1 ends with fiery Spanish songs from Falla's El Amor Brujo which are an incredible and not to mention rare treat.

Grace Bumbry sings Ulrica's aria "Re Del Abbiso" from Un Ballo In Maschera with aplomb, with such passion and bravura that even her predecessor Marian Anderson- who opened the doors for all black sopranos that came later- applaud. As Eboli, she is highly dramatic and complex. The signature aria "O Don Fatale" was one she always sang in audition and was her "good luck" aria because she always got the part after singing it. Upon hearing it one knows exactly why. As Princess Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, she is regal and melancholy and the challenging aria "Tu che la vanita" proves easy for her to handle. "Stride La Vampa" is here, Azucena's famous aria and Bumbry does justice to it. She does justice to Aida as well, though Leontyne Price is forever embedded in opera lover's memory as the ultimate Aida, but Bumbry is beautiful and dramatic to hear, and especially noteworthy because she sang both Amneris and Aida so knew both parts very well. Lady Macbeth's arias "Vieni T'affreta" and Sleepwalking Scene is here, sung gloriously with flair. She was singing the heavy part of Lady Macbeth in 1964, even as she was still taking on mezzo roles like Carmen!! Further, we hear the live event of her career- the one role that began it all- Venus in Wagner's Tannhauser, hear singing opposite tenor Wolfgang Windgassen. The final cd contains gorgeous Lieder she must have graced recitals with - Brahms, Schubert, Liszt, Wolf and Strauss. Each Lieder is a bright jewel in a divine chain when sung by the incomparable Grace Bumbry.

Fans of Grace Bumbry -Buy this album!!!

Bumbry At Her Best: An Amazing Collection.......2005-06-13

I am so proud to be the first critic to submit a review for this outstanding Deutsche Grammophone album: Grace Bumbry- Early Recordings. Fans of the diva will not want to be without this brilliant 3-cd box set, containing juicy, virtuosic arias for mezzo soprano as well as dramatic soprano that capture Grace Bumbry at her youngest. The career of Grace Bumbry was an impressive and lengthy affair. She started off singing the dramatic mezzo soprano roles in the grand tradition- Azucena from Verdi's Trovatore, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo, Amneris in Aida, Carmen (naturally) and then she transitioned into soprano territory when she astonished the world by singing the diva roles of Aida, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Lady Macbeth, Elisabeth in Don Carlo, Norma and even Strauss Salome, said to be an incredible performance but lamentably never recorded or taped. Her career lasted for several years throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's. She gained world recognition in the opera scene when she broke the "color" barrier at Bayreuth, Germany, which had hitherto accepted only Aryan-German or European white singers because of Wagner's rabid Supremacist sentiments. She sang Venus in Tannhauser (in the dramatic soprano interpretation rather than the mezzo) and she became a legend. That was back in August of 1962. That moment is captured on the last two tracks of CD 2.

The first recordings are from December of 1957, recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah, under the baton of Maurice Abravanel, originally from the Westminster LP label. The opening arias here are excerpts from Handel's oratorios - Judas Maccabeus and the more famous Messiah. Her deep, rich, warm mezzo voice perfectly embodies the Handelian contralto voice, as evidenced in "Their land brought frogs" in "Israel in Egypt" and in "He Was Despised" from the Messiah, which was conducted by Sir Adrian Boult in London. The rest includes two arias from Gluck's masterpiece Orfeo. Bumbry sings in a regal manner, with a divine voice that further re-inforced her Baroque/Gluck style at this time. I have never heard Che Faro Sensa Eurydice sang with such beauty and passion. The first cd for me, the best example and outpouring of her mezzo soprano repertoire. Here we find what I consider her greatest role- Carmen. At this time, Shirley Verrett, another successful black singer, was the most sought after Carmen in opera houses. But Grace Bumbry, for me, is and always will be Carmen. I first heard the voice of Bumbry on the EMI recording of Carmen she sang opposite Jon Vickers and Mirella Freni. Karajan conducted her in a fine Carmen in the Salzburg Festival. As Carmen, she's playful, liberated, subtle, wickedly funny, strong and dramatic and even a bit cynical and tragic. She colors her voice and character to make Carmen a character that most encompassed the originality of Bizet's intention. The Habanera, Seguidilla and the Card Song, which is Bumbry at her best mezzo voice. She sings the scene, in which Carmen reads her own impending death in the tarot card, with such gravitas and nobility and resignation to her fate with the greatest prowess of voice and acting ability. The rest of the second cd features the arias "O Ma Lyre Immortale" a brilliant vocal feat from the opera Sappho by Charles Gounod, a rarely staged opera today - and the aria Mon Coeur from Saint Saens Samson and Delilah. The role of Joan of Arc from the Tchaikovsky opera is another rare jewel and here she sings so wonderfully that one wishes this opera was revived today. The cd concludes with masterful Spanish bravura in Fallas' Amor Brujo.

The second cd documents her rise to soprano heaven. She is able to reach up from her mezzo earth to the strata of soprano dramatic power. Though even as a soprano Bumbry still sang the mezzo roles of Ulrica from Un Ballo and her prized Eboli. Her "O Don Fatale" captured here at its earliest, is simply the best without question. Tracks 7-9 is the infamous Sleepwalking Scene from Verdi's Macbeth. As Lady Macbeth, she is icy, "mad" and very dramatic without delving into the hysteria that other mezzos, most famously Fiorenza Cossotto, would do. She may be "mad" or sleepwalking but she is still the Queen. The last cd are gorgeous, elegant and virtuosic Lieder songs from Schubert, Brahms, Liszt and Strauss.

The best album of Grace Bumbry to be re-issued!! I'll cherish this album for years. Thank you Amazon.com and Deutsche Grammophone. Now please keep re-issuing lost and rare recordings and continue to amaze us the opera lovers.

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1. El rey de los recuerdos
2. Electric & Acoustic Mali
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4. Fresh Winter [Import]
5. Funky Glamorous Part 2 Ft. Kreva [CD-single] [Import]
6. Gigi D'Agostino - Benessere V.1 [Import]
7. Gipsy Magic
8. Golden Festival of Irish Music
9. Greatest Irish Pubs Songs, Vol. 1
10. Greatest Irish Pubs Songs, Vol. 2

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