Illuminations

1. June Night

2. Trubbel

3. Panama

4. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

5. How Long Has This Been Going On?

6. Jim Dawgs

7. Smada

8. Alone Together

9. Did I Remember?

10. Nancy (With the Laughing Face)

11. Best Things in Life Are Free

12. If We Never Meet Again

Illuminations,Ken Peplowski Quintet,Concord Records,Dixieland,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Swing

Jazz

Music

jazz

Tracks:

Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism
Angel of Air/Angel of Water
Bliss: The Eternal Row
Angel of Sunlight
Illuminations

Album Description

Carlos' 1974 album for the Columbia label, a collaboration with Alice Coltrane. Five tracks, including 'Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism' and 'Angel Of Air/ Angel Of Water'.

Album Description

Carlos' 1974 album for the Columbia label, a collaboration with Alice Coltrane. Five tracks, including 'Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism' and 'Angel Of Air/ Angel Of Water'.

Customer Reviews:

Who dares, Win........2007-01-10

This is another daring Fusion Jazz Rock musical work for Carlos Santana.
Anybody who bought this album some 30 years ago hardly understood this musical work, since Santana's audiences were totally into different kind of music. For that reason Illuminations was the first Santana release not to go to Gold.
After the release of "love, Devotion and Surrender" and "Caravanserai", both in 1972, Santana continued exploring different routes from the Rock and Latin sounds he already was famous for.
On this album Santana is fully into Fusion, Jazz and Rock; with David Holland on bass, Tom Coster on Keyboards and Alice Coltrane on Harp, topped by a Classical 18 member band. The result is one of Santana's finest accomplishments.
This album is mainly for the lovers of Fusion Jazz Rock, Santana fans and any guitar great sound lover.
If you like this album, make sure to listen to "caravanserai" and "Love, Devotion and Surrender as well". 3 Santana albums that go hand in hand.

Cinematic Orchestration.......2005-12-28

The names Coltrane & Santana sold this album to me as I found it accidentally one day searching through some experimental jazz albums! The album it self is a orchestral/jazz trip through warm washes of bass and drums through to the yearning call of the saxaphone blended with Carlos's typical solo routines backed with tabla beats. Any sample searchers out there should note that the orchestral arrangement in the first song was used by The Cinematic Orchestra for 'All That You Give' and has the same epic effect on you as the CO song does.
defintaly recommend this album if you are in to the Prog Rock sound and ambient jazz. Combined well to create a interesting album.

hernandoguitar69.......2005-09-03

I bought this album when I was 16 yrs. old and did not like it and never played it until again till I was in my 30s now I understand it. Carlos guitar tone is increidable Alice really complaments his playing thank you Carlos&Alice for breathing fire in our souls

Not what you think........2005-04-20

I was very disappointed by this album. It is almost reminiscient of noise. Terrible jazz/rock fusion, to the point of being nearly unlistenable. Be sure to listen before you buy.

FREE!!!!!!!!!.......2004-07-06

This is the closest album thing to avante garde jazz that
Carlos Santana every did.Featuring brilliantly dramatic string accompanyment by harpist/arranger Alice Coltrane,her harp also
plays a big role.The music is typically otherwordly and if you close your eyes while listening you will believe you are being transported to another world!Wheather orchestral,rock or jazz
the stylistic blend of sound and YES-great sense of melody make
this a high point for both musicians.Alice Coltrane's entire
catalog,by the way,is also definately worth checking out if you like what you hear on this recording!

Average customer rating:

Totally Superb magic!
Worth Waiting For...
Bone Chilling Masterpiece
a for-real lost classic
A Masterpiece

Illuminations
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Little Wheel Spin and Spin
Coincidence & Likely Stories
It's My Way!
Fire & Fleet & Candlelight
I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again

ASIN: B00000E9BG
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot
Mary
Better To Find Out For Yourself
The Vampire
Adam
The Dream Tree
Suffer The Little Children
The Angel
With You, Honey
Guess Who I Saw In Paris
He's A Keeper Of The Fire
Poppies

Customer Reviews:

Totally Superb magic!.......2006-08-29

Illuminations has always been one of my all time favorites from Buffy. I couldn't be happier that the CD issue is sonically satisfying. I still have my original mint LP copy and this CD copy doesn't show the usual cold digital sharpness of many reissues of the classics. This is a must have for every Buffy fan!
Rich

Worth Waiting For..........2006-03-01

This album was one of my favorites back in my teen years. I never thought it would get released on CD, but it finally was. Buffy is an aquired taste...you will either love her or hate her. The standout cut on this CD is without a doubt "God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot". The rest of the songs grow on you with the passage of time. A great representation of the end of the 60's that carried forward to the early 70's. A great choice for your collection.

Bone Chilling Masterpiece.......2005-10-07

Hearing this CD now, after all this time, reminds me of why artists like Buffy Sainte-Marie should not be forgotten. Of all the so-called "folk singers," Sainte-Marie was the most adventurous and fearless. No two of her wonderful albums were alike, but this one went the farthest out on a limb, mixing her trembling vocals with electronic backing, searing electric guitars and pulsating rhythms. "Poppies" is a spellbinding trip; Leonard Cohen's "God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot" is a mystic dazzler, beginning and ending with an ocellating loop of Buffy's voice repeating the title line; "Better To Find Out For Yourself" will give you the shivers, especially when she hits that final, angry wail on the fade out; "Suffer The Little Children" is more relevant now than ever. "He's a Keeper Of The Fire," a chanting rocker bristles with energy, and "The Vampire" should be the theme song for a really good horror movie. Ed Freeman's "The Angel," with its echoing bell sounds, is simply sublime, one of the most gorgeous songs Buffy has ever sung. ILLUMINATIONS is a dream-like, captivating record that was way ahead of its time, and still sounds daring today.

a for-real lost classic.......2004-01-29

Genuinely mysterious and absorbing, this is one of the more striking works to come out of the "psychedelic" sixties. On many of the songs, Buffy teamed up with Peter Schickele (yes, P.D.Q. Bach in his other life!) on songs that featured primitive but effective electronic experimentation. "God is Alive, Magic is Afoot," is one example, as BSM sings across/over an eerie musical backdrop that the listener gradually comes to recognize is a heavily treated recording of her singing the same song. In spite of the experimentation, it's spine-chilling and beautiful.
At the same time, Sainte-Marie kept her folk roots and her social consciousness intact. The voice-and-acoustic "Suffer the Little Children," with its commentary on capitalism, would not sound out of place on her earlier albums, and the downright sensuous "Guess Who I Saw In Paris" is one of her best love songs.

The real fascination here, though, is how far afield Buffy goes. In "Keeper of the Fire" she provides a Jorma Kaukonen like guitar solo with her voice on the ride-out, and "Poppies" is outrageously trippy and far ahead of its time, reminding the listener of an early version of Enya or Loreena McKennitt.

The album was not a commercial success in its day, primarily because it was so "out of character" for what Buffy's fans wanted. But thirty-odd years later it still sounds subversive and strange. The album combines Buffy Sainte-Marie's natural warmth and power with eerie and transcendent moments quite unlike anything else out there at the time (or now). Very much a lost classic, "Illuminations" is not just for folkies. Anyone with an interest in psychedelia or the unusual will find a lot to like here. One of her best and well worth having.

A Masterpiece.......2000-10-20

Buffy Sainte-Marie really left the "moldy figs" in the dust with this one.This album made history as the first quadrophonic, electronic vocal and instrumental album. Even now, modern day alt-rockers cite this album as an influence. From the opening Leonard Cohen track "God is Alive, Magic is Afoot" to the closing "Poppies" the listener gets a slice of psychedelic 1969 with technology well ahead of its time. Meanwhile, acoustic cuts such as "Dream Tree", while remininiscent of her earlier "Winter Boy" and "Eyes of Amber" nevertheless fits well into this electronic, Velvet Underground-esque album. For modern day shuffle play CD listeners, this album will fit in as well with Sonic Youth as it does with Odetta.

Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne

Average customer rating:

Comparing Britten's 'Serenade' from Bostridge and rivals
Bostridge and Rattle Offer Definitive Britten
EXCELLENT SINGING: OUSTANDING PLAYING

Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels
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Ian Bostridge - Songs of Faure, Debussy & Poulenc
Die Schone Mullerin
Music of Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto

ASIN: B000AXZE3U
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

I. Fanfare
II. Villes
IIIa. Phrase
IIIb. Antique
IV. Royaute
V. Marine
VI. Interlude
VII. Being Beauteous
VIII. Parade
IX. Depart
Prologue
Pastoral
Nocturne
Elegy
Dirge
Hymn
Sonnet
Epilogue
On A Poet's Lips I Slept
Below The Thunders Of The Upper Deep
Encinctured With A Twine Of Leaves
Midnight's Bell Goes Ting, Ting, Ting
But That Night When On My Bed I Lay
She Sleeps On Soft, Last Breaths
What Is More Gentle Than A Wind In Summer?
When Most I Wink, Then Do Mine Eyes Best See

Amazon.com

This is a wonderful record, in substance and execution. As Ian Bostridge writes in his passionately involved program notes, these three song cycles represent a pinnacle of the all-too-sparse literature for tenor and orchestra. We owe them to Britten's long personal and professional partnership with the great tenor Peter Pears, for whom he wrote all his vocal music. Listeners who remember Pears' unique and unmistakable voice and style will be astounded at how thoroughly Bostridge has made these works his own. His voice is very different but no less unique, and intoxicatingly beautiful. He has at his command colors and nuances which he uses so masterfully that they become an integral part of the music, never sounding artificial. Giving equal weight to words and music, Bostridge captures the lush sensuousness of the French cycle, set to poems of Rimbaud, the lyricism, lightness, serenity, horror and triumph of the Serenade, and the declamatory drama of the Nocturne (the last two use poetry from Shakespeare to Wilfred Owen). The cycles trace the development of Britten's style, from the tonal orientation and direct expressiveness of the first, through the greater emotional depth and variety of the second, to the descriptive, sardonic, wild, passionate rhetoric of the third. The orchestra's principals are superb in their extensive solos. Unfortunately, they are nameless except for Radek Baborák, a worthy successor to Dennis Brain, the virtuoso hornist for whom the Serenade was written. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Comparing Britten's 'Serenade' from Bostridge and rivals.......2006-06-26

In 1944, a year after it was composed, Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings began a long streak of excellence on disc. Six decades later we have this acclaimed new one from Ian Bostridge, so it seems worthwhile to compare it to the best from the past. (I will name my personal favorites at the end.)

Pears 1944: The Gramophone calls this, the premiere recording, 'usurpassable,' and so it would seem with the unique combination of Peter Pears, the tenor voice for which the work was written, Dennis Brain, the young horn virtuoso whom Britten also had in mind, and Britten himself conducting. There are some drawbacks, though, principally the ugly wartime sonics, which are murky and boxed-in. Pears is not as dramatic as he would become later on, and although Brain is very musical and supple in tone, he doesn't extract the last ounce of intensity from his part.

Pears 1964: Pears' remake is the unsurpassable one, perhaps. We get excellent stereo from Decca, and Britten's conducting is more or less perfect. Barry Tuckwell sets a new standard in the horn part, taking hair-raising risks and underlining the darker side of the score. Pears has grown immensely in his interpretation of the poetry, but one can't escape that he is 20 years older--his voice is obviously under strain in the more difficult passages and at loud volume. Even so, his depth and artistry quickly make you forget anything but the music itself--a great recording.

Rolfe-Johnson 1991: The Gramophone loved this recording when it came out on Chandos. The outstanding performer here is the tenor, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, who took up Pears' artistic manetle. Like Pears he has a sweet, focused tenor with a prominent head tone (R-J's sound is less idiosyncratic than Pears'), but more importantly Rolfe-Johnson does almost as much with the poetry as his great predecessor. The conducting by Bryden Thomson is fine, and so is the horn player, Michael Thompson, though he is too cautious to take the kind of risks Tuckwell did.

Langridge 1994: This recording, originally on Collins Clasics, is on Naxos now. Philip Langridge is the doppelganger to Rolfe-Johnson, both bieng Britten specialists who have recorded most of his major tenor roles. Langridge has a bigger voice, with an unusual but pleasant nasality. It's less focused than Rolfe-Johnson's or Pears', so the pitch can spead a little, and some wobble creeps in under pressure. On this CD Langridge gives a notably quiet, tender reading, with a lot of variaiton in tone and poetic sensitivity. He is aided by the excellent conducting of Britten's disciple, Steuart Bedford. The horn playing of Frank Lloyd matches the singer in tenderness, even if he isn't the daredevil that Tuckwell ws--Lloyd's suppleness is closer to Brain in approach.

Bostridge 1999: The latest generation of Pears' descendants is represented by Ian Bostridgee, who has attained more fame than the previous two tenors outside Britain. Bostridge's voice started out quite slender and cooing, so he can't attack the Serenade's more strenuous parts head on. His solution is to give a lighter, quicker version that is refreshingly different. His hornist, Marie-Luise Neunecker, is a true virtuoso, more at home in this music than any player since Tuckwell. She is also caught in vivid, clear sound by EMI. Ingo Metzmacher's condcuting sometimes lacks zest and impact, though it passes muster well enough.

Bostridge 2005: Bostridge got to remake the Serenade for EMI after only a few years, not the twenty that Pears waited. In the interim his voice has acquired more weight--it's still the lightest of any being considered here, however--and that extra heft helps him to deepen his interpretation, adding more darkness and mystery to the text (mystery being one of this singer's best modes). The presence of Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil. strings certainly ups the ante, and the first horn of the orchestra, Radek Baborak, at last brings us Tuckwell's equal in daring and risk-taking. British critics have acclaimed this recording as the only modern one to stand beside Pears/Britten, but I think Rattle and Bostridge are both a little guilty of fussiness; every syllable and musical phrase is underlined to the point where we notice the performers more than the music at times.

I have owned Serenades by other singers like Martyn Hill and John Mark Ainsley, both on EMI and both in the boyish tenor vein of Bostridge, if without his notable intelligence and musical insight. I would be hapy to own either of Bostridge's efforts, but the ones that send chills down my spine are by Rolfe-Johnson and Pears 1964.

Bostridge and Rattle Offer Definitive Britten.......2005-11-30

Ian Bostridge continues to astound with the variety of his repertoire and the glowing beauty of his richly burnished tenor voice and his enormous musicality. Here he sings three of Benjamin Britten's finest works and with him in collaboration are Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. An embarrassment of riches!

Each of the three cycles feels as though Bostridge and Rattle are in complete agreement with Britten's intentions. 'Les Illuminations', designated as a work 'for high voice and strings', here benefits greatly from the timbre of Bostridge's baritone-infused tenor voice. The poems by Rimbaud were written by a man for a man and thus it feels more appropriate to have the male voice singing (though the numerous performances by sopranos do hold a special glow). Supported by some of the most lush strings sound ever recorded, Bostridge sings the songs with more passion than most. These are heartfelt and not the cerebral exercise they often receive. Yes, there are moments when memories of other performances rise - such as during the downward glissando of 'et je danse' when other singers caress every note in the fall. But the overall effect is very dramatic and, well, luminous.

'Serenade for tenor, horn and strings' finds Radek Baborak in the horn role. Again the pulsing Berlin strings under Rattle are almost unbearably beautiful. Bostridge's perfect diction again demonstrates how Britten was the finest composer for the English language. The cycle is involving in its survey of an interesting variety of poems. Likewise the Nocturne 'for tenor, seven obbligato instruments an strings' is a mature work of Britten's and has echoes of phrases from what by the time of its composition were closely identified with the 'Britten sound'. Again Bostridge sings with such purity of line and intense communication. His voice and thinking are married in a perfect effect.

Perhaps it is the fact that Bostridge commits his concert time to demanding lieder recitals with piano that makes him one of the most sought after vocal artists of the day. When he steps in front of an orchestra, especially such as the Berlin ensemble with Rattle on the podium, he is wholly at home with these beautiful but technically difficult cycles, and the degree of communication of both the music and the poetry are extraordinary. An added bonus with this CD is the personal set of program notes written by Bostridge. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 05

EXCELLENT SINGING: OUSTANDING PLAYING.......2005-11-23

This is a marvellous disc of the most famous Britten orchestral Song Cycles - not so much for Bostridge's singing as for the stunning playing of the strings of the Berlin Philharmonic and the excellent conducting of Simon Rattle.

The very opening bars of Les Illuminations give a thrilling taste of excitements to come as the violins and violas throw the fanfares from side to side of the stereo spectrum. In the hands of the Berlin Phil, Les Illuminations reveals itself to be as big a compendium of string orchestra techniques as the Frank Bridge Variations. Here are wonderfully light harmonics, creepy harmonic glissandos, perfectly together full-bodied pizzicati, haunting cantilenas, rich thrumming accompaniments. Ensemble throughout is impressively immaculate. Antique is hauntingly beautiful, Being Beauteous achingly so. Bostridge's singing is also impressive in these Rimbaud settings, bringing to some of the songs a real baritonal quality to set beside his more familiar headtones - perhaps suggesting that a Pelleas from him might be an interesting proposition. For me, the sound of the original soprano voice works better in these songs (they were first done by Sophie Weiss): it rises freer and cleaner of the string accompaniments. But Bostridge is fine among the tenor versions, up there with Pears himself.

The Serenade fares a little less well after such an impressive opening. Maybe the horn player, Radek Baborak, is to blame. He seems a little cautious - the phrases of the Prologue and Epilogue seem a little disjointed, the keening sounds of Blake's Sick Rose lack the last ounce of passionate commitment, the scary glissandi in the Lyke Wake Dirge are barely touched in compared to the hair-raising whoops of a Tuckwell or even a Brain and Ben Jonson's Queen and Huntress doesn't have quite the lightness of step she should. Bostridge, too, seems to be straining a bit hard and Fischer-Dieskau-like to get the last ounce of meaning from the text. The plosive 't' at the end of 'elephant' in Cotton's Pastoral practically splashes the listener. He has recorded the Serenade before (also with a German orchestra) and despite the wonderful playing here of the Berlin strings - their splendour falls magnificently on Tennyson's castle walls - it's the earlier version I would prefer.

The horn player is better in his onomatopoeic Middleton song in the Nocturne. Indeed, all the soloists are excellent in this cycle and I would single out Stefan Schweigert's bassoon solo in The Kraken for particular praise. The Nocturne always seems to get rather short shrift in comparison to the Serenade or even Les Illuminations. For me it is the finest of the three cycles. It is a central piece among Britten's explorations of sleep around that time - the Dream, the guitar Nocturnal, the piano Notturno, 'Let us Sleep' in War Requiem and 'Dormi nunc' in the Cantata Misericordium are all roughly contemporaneous. It is also more of a cycle than the Serenade with its linking 'breathing' motif on the strings (which was actually rescued from a setting of Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, written for but rejected from the Serenade). Bostridge is better here with a little less obvious pointing of words. He copes with the magical melismas of the Coleridge setting well. He holds nothing back in Wordsworth's nightmare recollections of the September Massacres with a full-bodied scream on the parlando 'Sleep no more'. Owen's Kind Ghosts sound more than ever like a precursor of the Owen settings in War Requiem and Rattle secures a wonderfully heavy tread from his string players. Perhaps only Pears had the secret of those magic Britten phrases that flow straight through the natural break in the voice (the arch of 'Thus I my best beloved's am' at the end of Canticle 1 or the rising Dona nobis pacem in War Requiem come to mind): Bostridge can't quite match him in the similar phrase for the last couplet of the Shakespeare Sonnet, but for the rest he does achieve a near perfect balance of melodic line with judicious pointing of Shakespeare's pun-fest.

The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic again is a joy to hear in this song. The voicing of the chord when all the obbligato instruments and the strings play together for the first time at the beginning of the Shakespeare is breathtaking and Rattle makes the climax of the Sonnet (and indeed the whole cycle) an overwhelming moment. The recording quality throughout this disc is superb - crystal clear but with true warmth and depth. Bostridge contributes a fascinating essay to the booklet and all the texts are there, too. All in all, an outstanding issue.

Average customer rating:

Amazing CD, Amazing Artist
Illuminating indeed.
Good Alap: Bad Gat!
Most Amazing Sitarist
Illuminations

Illuminations
Kartik Seshadri , and Arup Chaterjee
Manufacturer: Trad. Crossroads
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

India | India & Pakistan | International | Styles | Music

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Shahid Parvez: Live
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Classical Indian Sitar & Surbahar Ragas

ASIN: B000C6NNV0
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Tracks:

Alap, Joe And Jhala
Gat In Jhaptala
Aochar And Gat In Teentala

Customer Reviews:

Amazing CD, Amazing Artist.......2003-11-08

Kartik Seshadri is the greatest Indian classical musician. There no question about this.

I had the honor of attending his concert at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee. The Basant Mukhari gat is fantastic. He is a genius and a legend, and hearing him is a must!

Illuminating indeed........2003-04-06

Last year, my friend and I were fortunate to see Kartik Seshadri perform live at my school, the University of Kentucky. I knew nothing about Kartik, and little more about classical Indian musict before the concert. I sat spellbound throughout the performance; it was simply an eye-opening and enlightening experience. Exiting the concert, we saw they were selling Illuminations and Guruvandhana, so my friend and I each bought both.

Looking back, I would have to say that was one of the better CD-purchasing decisions of my life. The meditative beauty and rhythmic elegance of the music on this album is simply wonderful. It's next to impossible not to close your eyes and sway to the rhythm, and get lost in the depths of the soundscapes. The technical side of my music appreciation is also thankful for the excellent recording quality, with little noticable background noise and great tone.

If you enjoy classical Indian music at all, then buy this album and Guruvandhana, and you'll love it even more.

Good Alap: Bad Gat!.......2002-12-08

Forget Anoushka, this is Ravi Shankar's top student. His alap is very good; his gat is more standard fare - just the kind of thing I have little patience with - complete with machine-gun tabla. There just is no vilambit these days, is there?

The good news is there's 25 minutes of alap. The bad news is there's 37 minutes of gat. (Basant Mukhari is mostly gat.)

Most Amazing Sitarist.......2002-03-17

Mr. Seshadri is the greatest Indian Classical Sitarist today! His music permeates all times and places, creating one of the most thought-provoking, life energizing experiences one can have. One must listen to the beauty and grace to understand what I am conveying.

Illuminations.......2000-08-19

A must CD for any serious enthusiast of the sitar! The performance and recording is splendid!!

Ravel: Shéhérazade - Debussy: La damoiselle elue - Britten: Les illuminations / McNair, Graham, Ozawa

Average customer rating:

This is an excellent album.
a very good program, but poorly served by Ozawa
Typically French, Classically beautiful

Ravel: Shéhérazade - Debussy: La damoiselle elue - Britten: Les illuminations / McNair, Graham, Ozawa
Maurice Ravel , Claude Debussy , Benjamin Britten , Seiji Ozawa , Sylvia McNair , Susan Graham , and Boston Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Music of Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B00000DI3P
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Tracks:

Sheherazade: Asie
Sheherazade: La flute enchantee
Sheherazade: L'indifferent
Les illuminations: Fanfare
Les illuminations: Villes
Les illuminations: Phrase
Les illuminations: Antique
Les illuminations: Royaute
Les illuminations: Marine
Les illuminations: Interlude
Les illuminations: Being Beauteous
Les illuminations: Parade
Les illuminations: Depart
La damoiselle elue

Customer Reviews:

This is an excellent album........2007-01-28

Sylvia McNair singing was outstanding. She relayed the mood of this fantazy extremely well. The lyrics chosen by ravel did not have much meaning.

a very good program, but poorly served by Ozawa.......2006-12-07

I listened to this album alongside that which contains the recent recording of the Shéhérazade by Anne Sophie von Otter and the Cleveland Orchestra, with Pierre Boulez. In Boulez's hands, Shéhérazade is a heartrending masterpiece; in Ozawa's it's frankly boring.

I'll go so far as to say that where Boulez is intoxicating with this music, Ozawa seems intoxicated: it's really not too much of a stretch to think that he might be slightly inebriated, not fully aware of what's going on in the score and, in his stupor, failing to understand how he might reveal the subtle nuances and shades of color and expression that it contains.

To be sure, McNair's singing is gorgeous, and the playing of the Boston Symphony leaves nothing to be desired. But there's no significant contribution of leadership and direction from their conductor.

What saves the disc, and the reason for three stars and not only two, is that the Britten and the Debussy that round out the program are fascinating lesser-known pieces. Furthermore they are not as subtle than the Ravel, and therefore more immune to Ozawa's daft, vapid conducting: their meaning and expression still come through, as they doesn't require the masterful interpretation that Boulez brings to Shéhérazade in order to convey their meaning.

In all, then, this is an admirable recital disc for McNair, a very important program to add to your collection, and as I am a real fan of the Boston Symphony, I'm glad to have another record of their playing. But Ozawa really detracts from a disc that might otherwise have been the equal of Boulez's genuine masterpiece of an album.

Typically French, Classically beautiful.......2001-04-05

Late nineteeth-century French works might often lack authenticity, but never do they miss the mark for imagination or for the lyrical sense so evident in this "Scheherazade". Like Delibes' "Lakme", the setting is exotic, in the French idiom, and the music, while without any semblance of accuracy from a Middle-Eastern/Arabic standpoint, is the perfect vehicle for displaying some truly beautiful voices. And here, the voices of Sylvia McNair and Susan Graham do not disappoint. This is not involving music, but it is wondrous to lsten to for it's sheer beauty. This is not said to convey any sense of triviality...just that it has a single redeeming quality and that is that it is extremely pleasant to hear. Perfectly chosen voices and Ozawa's careful attention to the "feel" of French music make this a real "must-have" for anyone who likes the creamy-smooth delivery of these two fine sopranos. Graham, in particular, shows that when not stretching,she has the tools to make you glad you came.

Average customer rating:

A Portrait of Britten

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000JCAX
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Tracks:

Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Intro And Theme - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Adagio - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: March - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Romance - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Aria Italiana - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Bourree Classique - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Wiener Walzer - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Moto Perpetuo - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Funeral March - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Chant - Roger Best
Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Fugue And Finale - Roger Best
Simple Sym, Op.4: Boisterous Bourree - Roger Best
Simple Sym, Op.4: Playful Pizzicato - Roger Best
Simple Sym, Op.4: Sentimental Saraband - Roger Best
Simple Sym, Op.4: Frolicsome Finale - Roger Best
Lachrymae-Reflections On A Song Of Dowland: Lento-Allegretto, Andante Molto-Animato-Tranquillo... - Roger Best
Plrd And Fugue, Op.29: Prld: Grave - Roger Best
Plrd And Fugue, Op.29: Fugue: Allegro Energico - Roger Best

Tracks:

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: I. Dawn - Michael Bochmann
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: II. Sunday Morning - Michael Bochmann
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: III. Moonlight - Michael Bochmann
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: IV. Storm - Michael Bochmann
Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: I. Cakes And Ale - Michael Bochmann
Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: II. Bitter Withy - Michael Bochmann
Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: III. Hankin Booby - Michael Bochmann
Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: IV. Hunt The Squirrel - Michael Bochmann
Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: V. Lord Melbourne - Michael Bochmann
Gloriana: The Courtly Dances, Op.53a - Michael Bochmann
The Young Person's Guide To The Orch, Op.34: Vars And Fugue On A Theme Of Purcell - Michael Bochmann

Tracks:

Les Illuminations, Op.18: Fanfare - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Villes - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Phrase - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Antique - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Royaute - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Marine - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Interlude - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Being Beauteous - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Parade - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Les Illuminations, Op.18: Depart - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Prologue - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Pastoral - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Nocturne - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Elegy - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Dirge - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Hymn - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Sonnet - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Ser, Op.31: Epilogue - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
Nocturne, Op.60 - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead/Michael Hirst/Paul Arden Taylor/David Campbell/Keith Rubach...

Britten: Serenade/Les Illuminations/Nocturne

Average customer rating:

Jerry Hadley: Ave Atque Vale
Almost as good as Pears

Britten: Serenade/Les Illuminations/Nocturne

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005YBAF
Release Date: 1992-12-02

Customer Reviews:

Jerry Hadley: Ave Atque Vale.......2007-07-18

The musical world has lost yet another great singer with the death of Jerry Hadley. Not only will his fine opera and recital performances be greatly missed, we must attempt to understand the personal pain that would result in his choice of passing.

Jerry Hadley was another American product, born in the US, trained here and under the tutelage of Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, and made it to the stages of the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, Covent Garden etc, and recorded not only superb performances of Mozart operas and others but also gave a bow to operetta and musical theater. His voice was rich, full, dark when necessary and thrillingly bel canto in roles too infrequently heard. His stage presence was that of a handsome, dashing leading man and audiences loved him.

For this listener this very special recording of the works of Benjamin Britten is one of his finest and while it is variably available, perhaps now it will be re-mastered for wider distribution. In each of the three works on this very well produced CD - 'Les illuminations' Op. 18, 'Serenade, for tenor, horn & strings' Op. 31, and Nocturne, for tenor, 7 instruments & strings, Op. 60 - Hadley's concept of the poetry is sincere and unlike many other recordings of these works his diction is flawless. One wonders why orchestral concerts across the country did not utilize Jerry Hadley more frequently for these works.

The recording is well balanced with fine collaboration from the English String Orchestra as conducted by William Boughton. Anthony Halstead provides the gentle and technically superb French Horn performance in the Serenade. Many still prefer the initial Peter Pears recordings of these works for sentimental reasons and there have been other excellent recordings by both women (in the 'Les illuminations') and other tenors, but Jerry Hadley approached these vocally demanding little jewels with a profound respect of the composer's intentions. It is a recording that will always be a fitting tribute to a very fine tenor whose career was tragically foreshortened. Recommendation: add this CD to your collection - it IS available! Grady Harp, July 07

Almost as good as Pears.......2003-05-30

The British tenor Peter Pears recorded two of these works (Serenade and Les Illuminations) in his prime, somewhere in the late 60's or early 70's. (To my knowledge that LP has not been remastered to CD...) His close friend Benjamin Britten wrote these works for Pears; Serenade was written for Pears and Dennis Brain, the brilliant French horn player whose life was tragically cut short by an auto accident.

Jerry Hadley doesn't quite match the intensity that Pears' performances had, but they are fine nonetheless. The differences are most notable in the middle sections of the Serenade, which Pears made absolutely electrifying. But it certainly is good to have these neglected works in up-to-date digital recordings.

Britten: Les Illuminations; Our Hunting Fathers; Quatre Chansons Françaises
Average customer rating:

Stunning.

Britten: Les Illuminations; Our Hunting Fathers; Quatre Chansons Françaises

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings; Nocturne; Phaedra

Britten: Piano Concerto; Johnson Over Jordan (Suite)

Britten: Violin Concerto

Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4

ASIN: B0002TNGY6
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Album Description

The medium of the orchestral song-cycle is one that much attracted Britten. His concept of an anthology of sometimes diverse texts, unified by a common literary or poetic theme was a favourite device to which he returned several times. The very early yet astonishingly mature Quatre Chansons Françaises and the still relatively unknown Our Hunting Fathers are coupled on this first volume with one of Britten's great masterpieces, Les Illuminations which still startles in its vivid pictorial strokes and aching sensuality. Many composers had passed over Rimbaud's poems considering them too surrealist for lyrical settings. Britten, however, relished the opportunity to respond to their visionary, violent and sexual images. The vocal line closely follows the diversity of the text, by turns starkly declamatory, lyrical and heated.

Customer Reviews:

Stunning........2004-10-06

(This is the same recording formerly released on Collins Classics - the Lott song cycles recorded in 1994 and the Bryn-Julson in 1990.)

If this disc only had the 22 minutes of Felicity Lott's Les Illuminations, it would still be worth Naxos' asking price three times over.

Les Illuminations, a ten part song cycle with Orchestra composed in 1939, must be among the most gorgeously sensual compositions of all time, and Lott, Bedford and the English Chamber Orchestra bring it off perfectly. I can't think of any other Britten composition I enjoy more, not even the Serenade for tenor, horn and strings - which is saying something!

Our Hunting Fathers (1936; 28 mins) is, I think, a bit underrated. It's performance here is adequate (Phyllis Bryn-Julson takes the vocal part) but I think I was somewhat spoiled for it by the brilliance of Ian Bostridge on the EMI set (with a close-as-humanly-possible-to-perfect Serenade). Still, this will be a good enough recording for you to work out if you like it.

Quatre Chansons Francaises (1928; 12mins) were a real discovery for me. I enjoyed them so much when I first played the disc I immediately went back to listen to it again twice more! Then I was gobsmacked to discover Britten wrote it when he was fourteen! It shows an incredible ability to set French texts sensitively for one so young. What a prodigy!

Again, Felicity Lott is wonderful, clearly treating it as seriously as everything else she sings. You can hear a lot of borrowed influences in Britten's orchestral writing, most obviously Wagner, but it is a fascinating insight into where Britten came from musically. And it is a downright enjoyable piece of music in its own right.

Wholeheartedly recommended. A box of delights at a bargain price. And with astonishing generosity, Naxos have included a 16 page booklet with full texts and translations, career information for those involved, and an informative essay by Lloyd Moore! Is there anything that company can't do?

Average customer rating:

Britten: Serenade; Les Illuminations; Nocturne

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FIHMH6
Release Date: 2006-05-08

Tracks:

Serenade For Tenor, Horn & Strings, Op. 31
Les Illuminations, Op. 18
Nocturne For Tenor, Seven Obbligato Instruments & Strings, Op. 60

Album Details

The Three Orchestral Song Cycles Collected Here Are Central to the Britten Canon of Recorded Repertoire and Whereas Pears' Other Recordings of the Serenade and Les Illuminations (With Boyd Neel and Benjamin Britten as Conductors) have Been in Circulation, this Mono Recording with Goossens Receives Its First and Much-anticipated Release on CD. All Three Recordings Date from the 1950s and Catch Pears in Full Vocal Flight.

Average customer rating:

Viva Twin Guitars City
Nice
illuminations is " illuminating "
Cool album with "Yes"-like 70's quality made in 1996.
Air guitar heaven

Illuminations
Wishbone Ash
Manufacturer: Renaissance
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Clan Destiny

ASIN: B000005NNX
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Mountainside
On Your Own
Top Of The World
No Joke
Tales Of The Wise
Another TIme
A Thousand Years
The Ring
Comfort Zone
Mystery Man
Wait Out The Storm
The Crack Of Dawn (Bonus Instrumental Track)

Album Description

UK budget-price reissue of the British hard-rock act's long awaited comeback album, originally released in 1996. 12 tracks including the bonus instrumental 'The Crack Of Dawn'. Talking Elephant.

Customer Reviews:

Viva Twin Guitars City.......2005-02-27

Bad to the bone and then some! This definetly is one of the Best Bone releases in quite some time! After the very 'dreary' return of the original lineup that produced nova wava techno pap, (Noueveau Calls)- which was bassist Martin Turner's idea - this ONE kicks axe like the days when LAURIE WISEFIELD manned the SG!!! (GUITARIST Roger Filgate who shares the 6 string duties with original member Andy Powell on this record was a big fan of the Laurie/Andy lineup) Tony Kishman who has appeared in several versions of the 'Beatlemania' production handles most of the lead vocals, (except for 'No Joke') has a dynamic range and delivery throughout. Yes, tinges of 'Argus' - "On Your Own", but this stands up as a very highly original work and WITHOUT the GLOSSY SHEEN that heavily MARRED the previous 3 releases, the original four boners put out before this one. A big shame the 'Illuminations'lineup w/the top notch ROGER FILGATE didnt follow up with another studio release. (Though 'Live in Geneva' proved 'worthy' as a very acceptable substitute) Nevertheless, Mr. Powell is too stubborn to quite at this point in time-what other job skills does he have??!! BTW, the latest lineup (w/Muddy Manning on guitar, Bob Skeat on bass, and Ray Weston on drums) is worth checking out!

Nice.......2004-11-19

Going for that Argus feel which is nice. I'd been a fan since coming across Argus by chance in 1994 so I was interested in hearing some contempoary Ash when I bought this in 96 or 97. Fans of AOR would like Mountainside. Tales of the wise is a 10 minute epic (with some nice soloing from Andy), Another time is in the classic WA style of yore, the Ring is nice and Crack of dawn is a dreamy acoustic instrumental ( a bit like Throw down the sword). Very nice indeed. Another album which the line-up recorded is Live in Geneva, also recomended.

illuminations is " illuminating ".......2003-06-14

This Wishbone Ash album only contains one original member in it's lineup,Andy Powell.After listening to illuminations several times and for several days in a row,it became apparent as to how important Andy Powell is to that classic wishbone sound. And you will hear plenty of it. There is lots of the bands unique trademark harmony guitar work along with superb performances by the bass and drums.Strong musical influences in the likes of Kansas and Yes can also be heard.Illuminations is a 1996 recording that features many songs reminiscent of the early Ash.Yet it is recorded using modern studio/sound techniques.Giving the listener a well balanced full sound.Great progressive Rock with 12 tracks totaling more than 65 minutes.A nice variety of music.Some to stomp your feet to,some to sing along to,some to feel blue to and a few to dance along to.Which is what music should do.My advice to the die hard skeptic is be courageous like the warrior on the Argus cover and " Give this one a try ".Fast fact: Wishbone Ash's first big break resulted from a gig they did with Deep Purple.

Cool album with "Yes"-like 70's quality made in 1996........2002-07-08

When Ash basically broke up in 1991, orignal member Andy Powell continued the Wishbone Ash name. Here in 1996, Andy (guitar, vocals) teams up with Roger Filgate (guitar, bass), Tony Kishman (vocals), and Mike Sturgis (drums). Released in 1996, this is a late 70's style album, with a Yes-like quality (Filgate - cool bass lines, example Track 9). Kishman is a strong singer (Foreigner/Ambrosia style). Powell adds his great classic Ash guitar stylings. It's a cool album, but not really Wishbone Ash, except track number 12. Wish they'd called it PFK (Powell, Filgate, Kishman). Technically superb, many musical styles incorporated, but songwriting just doesn't rate it 4 stars.

Air guitar heaven.......2002-05-21

A great melodic rock album with excellant guitar playing through out, had it came out in the seventies at some point it would probaly have sold and been appreciated a hell of a lot more than it has been. standout tracks include 'on your own', 'top of the world' and the ten minite 'tales of the wise' that reminded me of classic richie blackmore in his hey day with rainbow. with over an hours worth of music there's definitly plenty to choose from and has had me pleasantly listening for the past five years.

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