Silent Noon

Track Listings

1. Come Away Death

2. O Mistress Mine

3. Blow Blow, Thy Winter Wind

4. Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal

5. When Lights Go Rolling Round The Sky

6. Love Is A Bable

7. Money O!

8. Shropshire Lad: Song Cycle

9. Cloths Of Heaven

10. Sally Gardens

11. Foggy, Foggy Dew

12. Oliver Cromwell

13. Ye Banks & Braes

14. Captain Stratton's Fancy

15. Sleep

16. Linden Lea

17. Silent Noon

18. Weep Ye No More, Sad Fountains

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Featuring both renowned and lesser-known English composers who flourished between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, this collection is indispensable for lovers of great songs and great singing. It comprises 33 songs of great variety: Elizabethan plaints of love and death, Roger Quilter's famous settings of Shakespeare, Tennyson and Waller; the lovely title song and "Linden Lea" by Vaughan Williams; and A. E. Housman's moving lament for young lives lost, "A Shropshire Lad," in Arthur Somervell's beautiful setting. Surprisingly, the two most venerable composers, Hubert Parry and Charles Stanford, are represented respectively by a parody on love and two Edward Lear nonsense songs. There are Benjamin Britten's charming folksong arrangements, settings of John Masefield's roistering sea shanties by Frederick Keel and Peter Warlock, and two settings of Yeats' magical "The Cloths of Heaven," one by Thomas Dunhill, the other by the Welsh composer Dilys Elwyn-Edwards, the only woman included on the record. Michael Head creates his own contrast with a swaggering song about money and a setting of the Lord's Prayer. The music throughout is utterly enchanting. Its melodic and harmonic contours and pastoral atmosphere make it unmistakably, though indefinably, "English." The performance is beyond praise. With Martineau as matchless collaborator, Terfel can color and adapt his glorious voice to fit every mood, character, and expression, from dreamy, yearning tenderness to decisive vigor. He ranges from full sonority to a delicate, floating mezza voce; there is mournful nostalgia and drunken defiance, as well as passionate ardor and humorous, sarcastic rapid-fire patter-songs. Terfel's diction is so clear that one hardly needs the texts. --Edith Eisler

Album Details
Silent Noon is Bryn's Long-awaited Return to this Repertoire - with Songs Representing the Heyday of English Song in the Early 20th Century. · the Beauty and Colourfulness of this Music Which, at Some Points Almost Sounds Like Tunes from Musicals, have Everything to Appeal to Bryn's Fans. And this is all Thanks to that Gorgeous Voice and Character - These Songs Demand Great Communicative Power with a Wide Range from Humour to Sweet Elegy, and He is the Ideal Artist to Bring them to Life.

Customer Reviews:

breakdown by cd........2007-01-14

CD1-7:SYMPHONIES 1-9

CD8:PIANO CONCERTO

CD9:VIOLIN CONCERTO & CELLO CONCERTO

CD10-11:REQUIEM

CD12-13:STABAT MATER

CD14:PIANO TRIOS OP.90 "DUMKY" & 21

CD15:PIANO TRIOS OP.65 & 26

CD16:PIANO QUARTETS

CD17:PIANO QUINTETS

CD18:STRING QUINTETS

CD19-20:MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

C21:SERENADE/HAUSMUSIK

CD22-31:THE COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS

CD32:SLAVONIC DANCES OP.46 & 72

CD33:PIANO DUET SLAVONIC DANCES

CD34:PIANO DUET LEGENDS FROM THE BOHEMIAN FOREST

CD35:PIANO WORKS

CD36-37:RUSALKA

CD38-40:SYMPHONIC POEMS

I'm not a music expert.......2005-08-25

I don't know too much about music. I own over 700 cds, but I don't play music and I don't have much experience with this music. My only point of reference was the ninth symphony, seeing as every other piece in this box set was new to me. It sounds fine, nothing wrong with it as far as I can see.

Now, here's what you'll get in this box set, seeing as Amazon does not give it a description. 40 cds! no joke, you get 40 cds in this box set. It features:
1. Complete symphonies
2. Complete symphonic poems
3. Cello concerto
4. Piano concerto
5. Violin concerto
6. Requiem
7. Stabat Mater
8. Slavonic Dances
9. Complete String quartets
10. Chamber music
11. Piano Works (solo and duet)
12. Rusalka

As far as I can tell, the only things missing are The Spectre's Bride and Jacobin. Seeing as it is 40 cds, i have not had an opportunity to listen to it, however what i have heard i have been quite satisfied with.

Average customer rating:

Fine Contribution
lovely performance
Wonderful performances of stirring music

English Song Series 3
Vaughan Williams , Rolfe , Johnson , and Duke Quartet
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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Duparc: Chansons
English Song Series 1
Gerald Finzi: I Said to Love; Let Us Garlands Bring; Before and After Summer

ASIN: B00007FKQL
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Tracks:

It Was A Lover And His Lass
The Lawyer
The Splendour Falls
The Water Mill
Tired
Silent Noon
Searching For Lambs
Nocturne
Joy, Shipmate, Joy!
Lord, Come Away
Come Love, Come Lord
Five Mystical Songs: I. Easter
Five Mystical Songs: II. I Got Me Flowers
Five Mystical Songs: III. Love Bade Me Welcome
Five Mystical Songs: IV. The Call
Five Mystical Songs: V. Antiphon
On Wenlock Edge: I. On Wenlock Edge
On Wenlock Edge: II. From Far, From Eve And Morning
On Wenlock Edge: III. Is My Team Ploughing?
On Wenlock Edge: IV. Oh, When I Was In Love With You
On Wenlock Edge: V. Bredon Hall
On Wenlock Edge: VI. Clun
Dirge For Fidele

Customer Reviews:

Fine Contribution.......2006-09-03

A fine compilation of Vaughn Williams' songs. Sung very well indeed by Johnson and Keenlyside with excellent accompaniment. This CD really shows the full range of Vaughn Williams vocal writing. This whole series is an admirable undertaking.

lovely performance.......2006-03-24

This is a very nice compilation of Vaughan Williams' vocal music, some of which is not easy to find on CD. The performers do an excellent job. Nice voices, and the music is sensitively sung. A really good value.

Wonderful performances of stirring music.......2003-04-27

This CD contains some of Vaughan Williams' best vocal music. The singers are superb and the accompanist is sensitive.

I love the whole CD, but adore
Searching For Lambs, which is a touching love song, set for violin and tenor duet
Silent Noon
It Was A Lover and His Lass
Antiphon, the last song in the set of Five Mystical Songs. It is a great song of faith, set by an infamous agnostic. The Church would be the poorer without Vaughan Williams wonderful hymns and arrangements of hymns. [I also recommend Vaughan Williams' Hymnal and Pilgrm's Progress.].

I bought this set to hear On Wenlock Edge and am not disappointed. It is a great song cycle.

By the way, this bargain-priced CD includes all the song texts.

Tracks:

Overture: The Poisoned Kiss
Two Hymn - Tune Preludes: Eventide
Two Hymn-Tune Preludes: Dominus Regeit me
The Running Set
Flos campi: I Lento (senza misura)
Flos campi: II Andante con moto
Flos campi: III Lento (senza misura) - Allegro moderato - Allargando
Flos campi: IV Moderato alla marcia
Flos campi: V Andante quasi lento
Flos campi: VI Moderato tranqillo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Prelude
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Carol
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Christmas Dance
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Ballad
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Moto perpetuo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Musette
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Polka mncholique
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Galop
Sea Songs

Tracks:

Overture: The Wasps
The House Of Life: 1 Love-Sight
The House Of Life: 2 Silent Noon
The House Of Life: 3 Heart's Heaven
Six Studies In English Folksong: 1 Adagio
Six Studies In English Folksong: 2 Andante sostenuto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 3 Larghetto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 4 Lento
Six Studies In English Folksong: 5 Andante tranquillo
Six Studies In English Folksong: 6 Allegro vivace
Romance
Linden Lea
Fantasia On Greensleeves
Serenade To Music

Customer Reviews:

A fine collection, well recorded, & a bargain, to boot!.......2005-10-08

This collection of pieces is a real treat for RVW fans. The recordings of Flos campi (surely one of RVW's most unusual and mystical works, somehow managing to capture the elusive emotional/spiritual environment of the Song of Solomon) and the Suite for Viola and Orchestra (rarely recorded, but a delectable mixing of folk-song, Bach, Bartok-like passages, and rich, resonant melodies redolent of autumn) would be enough in themselves. Couple them with the Six Studies in English Folksong for clarinet & piano (a rare piece of Vaughn Williams chamber music) and the ravishing instrumental version of Serenade to Music, and you have a truly admirable set. This is an assemblage of a number of earlier recordings: in this case, I think, the cream has been skimmed and put into one convenient two-disc collection. The recorded sound is good throughout, and the notes well-written and interesting - an excellent Chandos release.

Perfect and otherworldly.......2003-10-06

I am a rock musician but I must say that there is little other music on this green earth that is as gorgeous as that of Vaughan Williams. Some folk and country airs can touch the melancholy that VW can, some of Bach's or Ravel's pieces maybe. But when I hear music like Flos Campi 2nd and 6th movements, or the beautiful short pieces that comprise Six Studies in English Folk Song ... well, they leave me breathless. Parts of Flos Campi sounds like VW has distilled all the tinsel and magic, childlike wonder and true peace of something as hard to define as Christmas and made it into music. Serenade to Music in it's pure orchestral form still remains a glorius composition, even without the vocalists. My, when it hits that early theme in the latter part with full force and orchestra ... And the lovely Linden Lea and that wonderful Suite ... Almost too much. I sometimes program this and some of his major works, such as Tallis, Dives and Lazarus and The Lark Ascending (when I have some time to spare!): it's a big 'wow' factor. VW's music is unashamedly beautiful, capturing the sweetest folk elements and conjuring up the spirit of the wildest and most remote parts of Britain (in my head at least). This music is something else and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Baker Sings Gluck, Lully, Marcello, etc.

Average customer rating:

Baker Sings Gluck, Lully, Marcello, etc.

Manufacturer: BBC Legends
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Philips and Decca Recordings, 1961-1979 (Limited Edition)

ASIN: B00008OP2A
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
Bois Epais
Il Mio Bel Foco - Quella Fiamma Che M'accende
Lauds (Among The Leaves)
O Lurcher-Loving Collier
What's In Your Mind, My Dove
Eyes Look Into The Well
Carry Her Over The Water
Come Away, Come Away, Death
Who Is Sylvia?
Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun
O Mistress Mine
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Let Beauty Awake
Tired
Silent Noon
Linden Lea
The Sally Gardens
O Can Ye Sew Cushions?
O Waly, Waly
Come You Not From Newcastle?
Sleep, Adam, Sleep And Take Thy Rest
Lord, What Is A Man
Sleep
Pretty Ring Time
Rest, Sweet Nymphs
The Jolly Sheperd

Average customer rating:

Memories of Kathleen Ferrier
Silent Noon
disappointed
Silent Noon never sounded better.
Silent Noon, Too big a voice

Silent Noon
Bryn Terfel
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00076QG4Q
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

Come Away, Death
O Mistress Mine
Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
Sleep
Three Salt-Water Ballads: I. Port Of Many Ships
Three Salt-Water Ballads: II. Trade Winds
Three Salt-Water Ballads: III. Mother Carey
The Cloths Of Heaven
Silent Noon
Linden Lea
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
Weep You No More
Go, Lovely Rose
A Shropshire Lad: I. Loveliest Of Trees The Cherry Now
A Shropshire Lad: II. When I Was One-And-Twenty
A Shropshire Lad: III. There Pass The Careless People
A Shropshire Lad: IV. The Summer-Time On Bredon
A Shropshire Lad: V. The Street Sounds To The Soldiers' Tread
A Shropshire Lad: VI. On The Idle Hill Of Summer
A Shropshire Lad: VII. White In The Moon The Long Road Lies
A Shropshire Lad: VIII. Think No MOre, Lad; Laugh, Be Jolly
A Shropshire Lad: IX. Into My Heart An Air That Kills
A Shropshire Lad: X. The Lads In Their Hundreds
Money, O!
The Lord's Prayer
The Salley Gardens
Oliver Cromwell
The Foggy, Foggy Dew
Captain Stratton's Fancy
Love Is A Bable
The Cloths Of Heaven
The Aquiline Snub
The Compleat Virtuoso

Amazon.com

Featuring both renowned and lesser-known English composers who flourished between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, this collection is indispensable for lovers of great songs and great singing. It comprises 33 songs of great variety: Elizabethan plaints of love and death, Roger Quilter's famous settings of Shakespeare, Tennyson and Waller; the lovely title song and "Linden Lea" by Vaughan Williams; and A. E. Housman's moving lament for young lives lost, "A Shropshire Lad," in Arthur Somervell's beautiful setting. Surprisingly, the two most venerable composers, Hubert Parry and Charles Stanford, are represented respectively by a parody on love and two Edward Lear nonsense songs. There are Benjamin Britten's charming folksong arrangements, settings of John Masefield's roistering sea shanties by Frederick Keel and Peter Warlock, and two settings of Yeats' magical "The Cloths of Heaven," one by Thomas Dunhill, the other by the Welsh composer Dilys Elwyn-Edwards, the only woman included on the record. Michael Head creates his own contrast with a swaggering song about money and a setting of the Lord's Prayer. The music throughout is utterly enchanting. Its melodic and harmonic contours and pastoral atmosphere make it unmistakably, though indefinably, "English." The performance is beyond praise. With Martineau as matchless collaborator, Terfel can color and adapt his glorious voice to fit every mood, character, and expression, from dreamy, yearning tenderness to decisive vigor. He ranges from full sonority to a delicate, floating mezza voce; there is mournful nostalgia and drunken defiance, as well as passionate ardor and humorous, sarcastic rapid-fire patter-songs. Terfel's diction is so clear that one hardly needs the texts. --Edith Eisler

Album Details

Silent Noon is Bryn's Long-awaited Return to this Repertoire - with Songs Representing the Heyday of English Song in the Early 20th Century. · the Beauty and Colourfulness of this Music Which, at Some Points Almost Sounds Like Tunes from Musicals, have Everything to Appeal to Bryn's Fans. And this is all Thanks to that Gorgeous Voice and Character - These Songs Demand Great Communicative Power with a Wide Range from Humour to Sweet Elegy, and He is the Ideal Artist to Bring them to Life.

Customer Reviews:

Memories of Kathleen Ferrier.......2006-02-24

I bought this CD because it contained "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal" and "Silent Noon". It should have contained "Fair House of Joy". I had heard Kathleen Ferrier sing these songs previously with such exquisite beauty that I thought that no other rendition would satisfy me. Bryn Terfel sings these songs with such grace, style and beauty that I doubt that his performance could be easily surpassed. His and Kathleen Ferriers' styles are so embracingly warm, discerning, affectionalte and tender that it is difficult for me to pick between them. So guess what I play them one after the other, alternating whose CD I play first. This is one you should purchase!

Silent Noon.......2006-02-10

Silent Noon~ Bryn Terfel is a very well done recording of English songs. Terfel is a quite accomplished singer and vocalist but some of the tracks sound a bit alike and some of the lyrics are less then stellar. And sometimes his deep vocals some out of place with songs that were meant to be sung by amateurs and not opera singers and this becomes apparent on many tracks. The book-let is well done and the photos are nice (if a bit boring and his clothes look drab). Even so this is a good album not to be missed for his stunning (if sometimes over the top) vocals.

disappointed.......2005-09-20

considering the magnitude of Bryn Terfel as a star, it's almost a let down. Granted the songs are beloved by some, still does not fully validate to create an album.

Silent Noon never sounded better........2005-08-05

This is one of my fvorite collection af art songs and Bryn Terfel does a fantastic job of interpretating this great classic song cycle. His voice is dramatic enough yet gentle enough to allow the listener to feel what the composer is portraying.

Silent Noon, Too big a voice.......2005-07-14

Those familiar with Bryn Terfel could hardly argue that his physical and vocal presence is generally enormous! If we can travel back fifteen years to his early days at the Welsh National Opera, we would hear this enormous presence combined with delicate subtleness in the great character bass-baritone roles of Mozart such as Figaro, Masetto, and Leporello. An enormous open-throated voice combined with sensitive heart-felt interpretations have made Bryn Terfel the most celebrated and commanding baritone voice of his generation. Only in his early forties, Bryn Terfel has made legendary recordings of Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Falstaff, Elijah, and the Brahms Requiem.

However, Opera megastars such as Bryn Terfel do not always portray art song well. This may be due to the intimate settings of art song, particularly English art song, and the mammoth instruments that try to interpret them.

Let us speak of the Victorian English Art songs found on this CD. Many of these songs were written for the amateur singer to be performed at his/her home. Typically, accompaniments in this style are light and often lack inner voice movements. Many times they are chordal, and vocal lines often float on the fifth of a chord. These characteristics yield to very colorful, lyrical, and sensitive singing. The title track, Vaughan William's Silent Noon, ought to be one of the highlights of the disk. Instead, Bryn's voice is rather thin in color (maybe trying to blend with the light accompaniment) and we loose the intensity of the singing voice and the beauty of the vocal line.
Generally lighter voices do not overpower accompaniments while maintaining the intensity in their singing. Very often they bring a more appropriate dynamic range to this subtle genre. Take a listen to Stephen Varcoe or Stephan Roberts; you'll see what I mean.
On Terfel's latest album Silent Noon, the accompanist Malcolm Martineau plays wonderfully while trying to compliment the robust nature of Bryn's singing. Notable favorites on this disk include Roger Quilter Elizabethan songs and Arthur Somervell's rarely heard version of A Shropshire Lad.
It is worth a spot on your collection but it should not be remembered as Bryn's greatest recording.

From the Heart: Turtle Creek Chorale Live

Average customer rating:

From the Heart: Turtle Creek Chorale Live
Turtle Creek Chorale
Manufacturer: Turtle Creek Chorale
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Family
Peace
Celebrate
Shortbus (Unrated Edition)

ASIN: B00005Y8AX
Release Date: 1995-01-24

Tracks:

When I Have Sung My Songs
Not While I'm Around
Deep River
Visions
My Eternal King
To Love and to Be Loved
Esperanto
Pie Jesu
Alleluia
Psyche
Silent Noon
I Shall Miss Loving You
Bring Him Home
Majesty and Glory of Your Name
Parting Blessing

Average customer rating:

THE SORT OF MUSIC THAT BOSTRIDGE'S VOICE WAS MADE FOR
Artistry beyond measure
Perfectly Enjoyable
Do Not Be Deceived By His Look Of Innocence
One of the best English-Song CD's available

Ian Bostridge - The English Songbook

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Ian Bostridge - Songs of Faure, Debussy & Poulenc
Ian Bostridge - Schubert Lieder, Volume II
Ian Bostridge - J.S. Bach: Cantatas & Arias / Biondi, Europa Galante
Ian Bostridge - Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe Op. 48 & 7 Lieder
Perspectives

ASIN: B00002CF0T
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

La Belle Bame sans Merci
Sleep
I Will Go With My Father A-Ploughing
The Cloths of Heaven
To Gratiana Dancing and Singing
To Lucasta, On Going To The Wars
Twilight Fancies
Orpheus With His Lute
Jillian of Berry
Cradle Song
The Dance Continued
Linden Lea
Silent Noon
My Love's An Arbutus
The Death of Queen Jane
No Longer Mourn For Me
Since We Loved
The Sally Gardens
Rest, Sweet Nymphs
Come Away, Death
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
Bold William Taylor
Brigg Fair
The Little Turtle Dove

Customer Reviews:

THE SORT OF MUSIC THAT BOSTRIDGE'S VOICE WAS MADE FOR.......2002-10-09

Ian Bostridge has one of the most beautiful voices on record, and he has consistently shown courage and wisdom in selecting material that will extend and develop his gifts. Not all of this material has been a perfect match for his young and soaring tenor voice, notably some of Schubert's more dramatic "lieder". In contrast, nothing could be more perfectly suited to his voice than this generous and beautiful collection of traditional English poetic settings by Britten, Finzi, Grainger, Warlock and others.

Bostridge brings more than just a beautiful tone and a subtle musical phrasing to these songs. The challenge any intepreter of English songs has to face is that, in contrast with the pure syllables of most continental languages, the complex vowels of "Southern British English" are formidably difficult to render attractively in song. It's not just a question of singing them prettily. Think how accurately the pronunciation of a word like "house" or "bath" can betray someone's geographical and social background; our vowels are a caste-mark as well as a means of communication. But somehow Bostridge himself, in his fruitful partnership with Julius Drake, manages to transcend our socio-linguistic divisions and deliver these songs in a way that places no barrier between the listener and the music.

The material is wonderful in its own right - a collection of lilting pastoral airs and occasional boisterous ditties. They are at one and the same time ancient and modern, embracing at once the mutual cross-fertilisation between classical and "pop" sensibilities that has always underpinned the best of English music. Even the most trivial of these songs (e.g. "Jillian of Berry") are memorable, and some of them (notably Sir Charles Stanford's chilling musical setting of the Keats' poem, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci") would not have been beneath Schubert himself.

It has been fashionable over the generations to belittle British classic music. "The land without song" England was dubbed, as the sleeve notes poignantly remind us. This CD is a healthy reminder that the global success of English popular music in the latter four decades of the 20th century did not appear out of nowhere; it was built on a solid foundation of past accomplishment that it was for too long fashionable to dismiss. Highly recommended.

Artistry beyond measure.......2002-09-20

This disk is a wonderful treasure. "To Gratiana Dancing and Singing" is an exquisite song that you should not go another day without hearing. I am speaking literally.

Mr. Bostridge's interpretation of Browne's song is amazingly compelling. His ability to express goes beyond that of most other singers - even some great ones. He notes the problems in singing in English (the "extra" vowels, the English vs. German approach to word painting, etc.) and I have to say he triumphs on this disk.

As he also notes, this is NOT a recording of a recital program nor are the songs "English" in nationality - the songs are just set to texts in the English language. I had not heard of some of these composers, but I am enthusiastic in saying that every song on this disk has something very nice to recommend it - at least at the voice and hands of Ian Bostridge and Julian Drake.

I must say a few words about Mr. Drake's playing. Overall he is simply incredible. He has a beauty of tone and a singing style that is not in anyway mere accompaniment. It really isn't even a partnership. It is a unity of artistry that creates this single entity, a song. There aren't many that can pull this off and Mr. Drake should be treasured for this ability. Just amazing artistry.

Please get every disk that Mr. Bostridge and Mr. Drake have done together. You will thank me for recommending this if you didn't know this already. Feel free to email me with your thoughts on this disk or any comments you have about Bostridge and Drake.

Perfectly Enjoyable.......2002-02-09

I already liked Ian Bostridge, but I thought "English songs" would be rather light and without substance. But I have fallen in love with this CD and never tire of it! I was already an admirer of Vaughan Williams, Britten, Finzi, Warlock and Delius, and I'm glad for this introduction to other composers as well. Also, much beautiful poetry is chosen, from Shakespeare, Yeats, Rossetti, Keats, and others, and each is treated with careful consideration by the composer, *partnering* music with poetry rather than simply enhancing or overshadowing the lyric. Bostridge seems to have the perfect voice for this music, light and charming when appropriate, heart-breaking at other times, always an engaging storyteller. He obviously understands intimately each word and note that he sings. The listener can hear his facial expressions and body language! The English Songbook is a beautiful collection of excellent craftsmanship, and one of the best CDs I have.

Do Not Be Deceived By His Look Of Innocence.......2001-10-14

Just look at Ian on the cover photo of this CD. He's sitting there looking coy, playing with his finger, hair a little mussed, with a very cute boyish smile, as if to say, "I didn't do anything wrong mommy, honest." Well he has done it this time.

This CD was my first exposure to Ian Bostridge. I bought it because I was very surprised to know that one of my favorite poems, the Cloths of Heaven by Yeats, was set to music. I spent 17 bucks for one song, and ended up cashing in on 23 others.

To Gratiana Dancing and Singing quickly became a favorite, as did Bold William Taylor. This last one was my first realization of Ian's gift of storytelling. Somehow he is able to make his voice sound like a woman, namely Sally Gray, and the narrator, and the macho Captain, all in the same song. The multiple personalities come out to play similarly in The Death of Queen Jane. I am lulled into quiet reflection and relaxation when Ian sings the Cradle Song.

Check out his CDs of Schubert Lieder, also accompanied by Julius Drake. Ian may be even more at home in German than he is in his native English! Julius is at home with Schubert, especially the water songs, and we are at home listening to this wonderfully weird, warm voice paired with masterful piano playing.

One of the best English-Song CD's available.......2001-09-12

Unlike the reviewer "A music fan from California, USA" I realize that this is not a recital program of music (as even noted in the liner). This is though, an unequaled collection of some of the most beautiful English Songs ever. Ian is on top of his game and J Drake plays, well, I don't have the words. He never fails to impress with his skills. Each key under each finger sings! Back to Ian. As a professional tenor, I am in awe of his voice. It is tender, moving, all the things you want in a good recitalist, and (unlike any of the opera tenors I can think of) it is note perfect. Yes, there are times when his voice seems a little light for the song he may be performing, but it is passionate and caries the pathos of each note/word he sings. BUY THIS CD - you will love it for ever!

Average customer rating:

Favorite English Songs
Lott , and G Johnson
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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Just-Spring: Art Songs of John Duke
English Song
Roger Quilter: O Mistress Mine; To Daisies; Julia's Hair; Go, Lovely Rose

ASIN: B00006ANZR
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

So We'll Go No More A-roving
Queen Mary's Song
The Cloths Of Heaven, Op. 30 No. 3
Love's Philosophy, Op. 3 No. 1
Silent Noon
The Shawl
Fish In The Unruffled Lakes
O Lurcher-Loving Collier, Op. 53 No. 2
O Waly, Waly
The Sprig Of Thyme
Sigh No More, Ladies
Come Sing And Dance
Gavotte
Go Not, Happy Day
My Own Country
Silver, Op. 30 No. 2
The Early Morning
Sweet Chance, That Led My Steps Abroad
The Swing
Red Roses And Red Noses
Come You Not From Newcastle?
Old Sir Faulk

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Great Voices of the 20th Century

Manufacturer: Castle Pulse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
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Legendary Irish Tenor
The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)

ASIN: B0009HL13E
Release Date: 2005-07-04

Tracks:

Where'er You Walk (Semele)
Who Is Sylvia?
Is She Not Passing Fair?
I'll Walk Beside You
Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes
O Mary Dear (Londonderry Air)
I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair
Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms
Old House
Star of the County Down
Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon
Silent Noon
Oft in the Stilly Night
She Is Far from the Land
Off to Philadelphia
Passing By
Rose of Tralee
Ireland, Mother Ireland
Indiana Moon
Marcheta

Album Description

The most famous Irish tenor of all time, McCormack was hugely popular in the USA with 73 chart entries. This compilation contains electronic recordings from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s representing superior sound quality to his earlier acoustic recordings. Includes such favourites as "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes", "Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair" "The Rose Of Tralee" and "The Star Of The County Down". Castle. 2005.

Album Details

The Most Famous Irish Tenor of all Time, Mccormack was Hugely Popular in the USA with 73 Chart Entries. This Compilation Contains Electronic Recordings from the Mid-1930s to the Early 1940s Representing Superior Sound Quality to his Earlier Acoustic Recordings. Includes Such Favourites as "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes", "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" "The Rose of Tralee" and "The Star of the County Down".

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A century of British art songs to delight those who love them

English Song

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Treasury of English Song
Favorite English Songs
Songs by Roger Quilter
The Complete Songs, Vol. 4
Silent Noon

ASIN: B0002JEG6I
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

A Soft Day - Bernadette Greevy
Irish Skies - Bernadette Greevy
Cherry Ripe - Janice Watson
Mustard And Cress - Neal Davies
The Lily Of A Day - Janice Watson
Henry King - Neal Davies
Fain Would I Change That Note - Graham Johnson
In Summer-Time On Bredon - Christopher Maltman
The Lads In Their Hundreds - Christopher Maltman
Among The Rocks - Graham Johnson
It Was A Lover And His Lass - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
The Water Mill - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
On Wenlock Edge - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
The Call - Graham Johnson
Silent Noon - Graham Johnson
Now In These Fairylands - Philip Langridge
The Dream-City - Philip Langridge
Margrete's Cradle Song - Susan Gritton
The Heart Worships - Christopher Maltman
Take, O Those Lips Away - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal - Graham Johnson
Love Calls Through The Summer Night - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
I Will Go With My Father A-Ploughing - Graham Johnson
The Rio Grande (Capstan Shanty) - Ian Partridge
Theodore, Or The Pirate King - Ian Partridge
A Long Time Ago (Hilliard's Shanty) - Ian Partridge
Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be? - Bernadette Greevy

Tracks:

The Grenadier - Richard Edgar-Wilson
The Young Lover - Richard Edgar-Wilson
Betty And Johnny - Richard Edgar-Wilson
Rise Up And Reach The Stars - Richard Edgar-Wilson
The Bells - Nik Hancock-Child
Ann's Cradle Song - Nik Hancock-Child
As I Lay In The Early Sun - Nik Hancock-Child
The Cherry Tree - Nik Hancock-Child
Dusk - Nik Hancock-Child
Peter Warlock's Fancy - John Constable
The Frostbound Wood - John Constable
Chopcherry - John Constable
A Sad Song - John Constable
Rutterkin - John Constable
Bethlehem Down - John Constable
Wapping Old Stairs - Felicity Lott
Long Steel Grass - Martyn Hill
Tango-Pasodoble - Martyn Hill
Popular Song - Martyn Hill
Beatriz's Song - Felicity Lott
Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love - Philip Langridge
Early One Morning - Felicity Lott
The Foggy, Foggy View - Philip Langridge
Now The Leaves Are Falling Fast - Philip Langridge
Tell Me The Truth About Love - Della Jones
The Choirmaster's Burial - Philip Langridge

Customer Reviews:

A century of British art songs to delight those who love them.......2006-06-26

These 53 songs have been collected by Naxos from their extensive acquisitions from Collins Classics, and perhaps other British sources now out of business. There's a steady cottage industry, year after year, producing the typical English art song, which is usually based on folk songs, but even in more modern idioms is profuondly conservative and nostaligic. Half these songs, not to mention half the composers, are totally unknown to American audiences, but the familiar names of Vaughan Williams and Britten represent high quality, and the lesser lights, such as Warlock and Quilter, are mainstays in this repertoire.

I'd challenge all but the most addicted listener to make it through more than ten songs at a sitting, and many of these pieces are tepid, offering comfort rather than inspiration. The singers are among the best, but Graham Johnson and Steuart Beford, who do most of the accompaniments, are lackluster. I know that won't be a popular comment, yet if you compare any of these songs with rendiitons done by Janet Baker, John Shirley-quirk, and most recently Bryn Terfel and Ian Bostridge, you immediately notice how much more intensity and drama is pesent than htis colleciton reveals.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Open for Engagements [Live]

Peter & The Wolf [Import]

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9, 12, 21 & 27

Heal Your Broken Heart

Maui

Peace on Earth

O Ka Wa I Hala

Okemah And The Melody Of Riot [DualDisc] [Enhanced]

Out of the Blue/Discovery [Import]

Pretzel Logic [Import]

Let's Get Away from It All [Import] [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered]

Paixao Violenta [Import]

Platinum Hits [Explicit Lyrics]

Reflections

1950-1953

1. Come Away Death
2. O Mistress Mine
3. Blow Blow, Thy Winter Wind
4. Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
5. When Lights Go Rolling Round The Sky
6. Love Is A Bable
7. Money O!
8. Shropshire Lad: Song Cycle
9. Cloths Of Heaven
10. Sally Gardens
11. Foggy, Foggy Dew
12. Oliver Cromwell
13. Ye Banks & Braes
14. Captain Stratton's Fancy
15. Sleep
16. Linden Lea
17. Silent Noon
18. Weep Ye No More, Sad Fountains