Amy Beach: Songs

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
One of America’s most prolific and successful composers, Mrs H. H. A. ("Amy") Beach was one of the first women composers whose works were as highly regarded as those produced by men. Best known during her lifetime for her well-crafted songs and short piano pieces, she was also the first American woman to compose in the larger forms. Beach’s 117 art songs span the whole of her compositional career. By incorporating musical ideas from many cultures and musical traditions within a late-Romantic framework, Beach’s songs show her skillful craftsmanship and profound understanding of text.

Tracks:

The Rainy Day
Ariette
When Far From Her
Empress Of Night
The Secret
Ecstasy
Within Thy Heart
Sleep, Little Darling
Night
Forgotten
Dearie
Far Awa'
The Year's At The Spring
Ah, Love, But A Day!
I Send My Heart Up To Thee!
Come, Ah Come
Canzonetta
I Did Not Say
We Three
June
I Ask The Bird
Go Not Too Far
Shena Van
Baby
Hush, Baby Dear
A Prelude
O Sweet Content
An Old Prayer
The Funeral Wreath
The Candy Lion
A Thanksgiving Fable
In The Twilight
The Host
May Flowers
I Sought The Lord
Though I Take The Wings Of Morning

Album Description

One of America's most prolific and successful composers, Mrs H. H. A. ("Amy") Beach was one of the first women composers whose works were as highly regarded as those produced by men. Best known during her lifetime for her well-crafted songs and short piano pieces, she was also the first American woman to compose in the larger forms. Beach's 117 art songs span the whole of her compositional career. By incorporating musical ideas from many cultures and musical traditions within a late-Romantic framework, Beach's songs show her skillful craftsmanship and profound understanding of text.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2004-11-11

I take private voice lessons from Kathie Kelton and she is amazing! She brings Amy Beach's music to life! I strongly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys listening to classical and operatic music. The music is so beautiful it will give you chills! Fantastic!

Great Voices of the Twentieth Century: Jussi Björling

Average customer rating:

Great Voices of the Twentieth Century: Jussi Björling

Manufacturer: Castle Pulse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Artists Of The Century - Jussi Bjorling, The Ultimate Collection
Jussi Björling Rediscovered
Jussi Bjorling: Opera Arias
The "Pearl Fishers" Duet
Jussi Björling: Opera Arias

ASIN: B0009HL12U
Release Date: 2005-07-04

Tracks:

Pearl Fishers Duet (With Robert Merrill-Baritone)
Recitar Vesti La Giubba
La Fleur Que Tu M'avis Jetee (The Flower Song)
Sylvia
Angels Guard Thee (Berceuse)
La Donna E Mobile
O Soave Fanciulla
M'appari Tutt Amor
Cielo E Mar
Se Quel Guerrier Lo Fossi Celete Aida
I Bless Ev'ry Hour
Ah Love But A Day
Spirit Flower
Because
Cujus Animam
Che Gelida Manina
Mi Batte Le Cor-O Paradiso
Instant Charman-En Fermant Les Yeux
E Lucevan Le Stelle
Salut Demeure Chste Et Pure

Album Description

Swedish tenor with a smooth, refined style, ringing high notes of great power, and impeccable musicianship. Includes the all-time favourite duet with Robert Merrill "The Pearl Fishers". Castle. 2005.

Album Details

Swedish Tenor with a Smooth, Refined Style, Ringing High Notes of Great Power, and Impeccable Musicianship. Includes the All-time Favourite Duet with Robert Merrill "The Pearl Fishers".

Jussi Björling Edition: Studio Recordings 1930-1959

Average customer rating:

Superb!
Beatiful singing - but where are the Swedish texts?
if you like bjorling this is the best thing you can get!
The ULTIMATE Collection
Definitive survey of one of the finest singers on record

Jussi Björling Edition: Studio Recordings 1930-1959

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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Similar Items:

Jussi Björling Rediscovered
Artists Of The Century - Jussi Bjorling, The Ultimate Collection
The "Pearl Fishers" Duet
Jussi Björling: Opera Arias
Voices of Firestone: Jussi Bjorling

ASIN: B000002S9L
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

Aida: Se quel guerrier...Celeste Aida
Rigoletto: La donna e mobile
La Boheme: Che gelida manina
Tosca: Recondita armonia
TOSCA: E lucevan le stelle
La fanciulla del West: Ch'ella mi creda
La Gioconda: Cielo e mar!
L'africaine: Mi batte Il cor...O paradiso
Ideale
O sole mio
The Vagabond King: Only A Rose
For You Alone
Manon: Instant Carmant ... En ferman les yeux
Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jetee
Faust: Salut! demeure chaste et pure
Martha: M'appari tutt'amor
Martha: Cujus animam
Messa da requiem: Ingemisco
Il Trovatore: Ah si ben mio
Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
Il Trovatore: Ah si, ben mio
Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
Rigoletto: Questa o quella

Tracks:

La Boheme: O soave faniculla
Rigoletto: E il sol dell'anima
Rigoletto: Questa o quella
Un Ballo in Maschera: Di' tu se fedele
Turnadot: Nessun dorma!
Andrea Chenier: Come un bel di di maggio
Fedora: Amor ti vieta
Cavalleria Rusticana: Mamma!...Quel vino
Pagliacci: Recita! ... Vesti la giubba
Mattinata
L'Elisir D'Amore: Una furtiva lagrima
Les Pecheurs De Perles: Je crois entendre encore
Romeo et Juliette: Ah! leve-tol, soleil!
Manon: Je suis seul! ... Ah! fuyez, douce image
L'arlesiana: E la solita storia
Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola
Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
Tosca: Recondita armonia
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
La Boheme: O soave fanciulla
Romeo et Juliette: Ange adorable
Jocelyn: Concealed In This Retreat
L'albe separa dalla luve l'ombra

Tracks:

Romeo et Juliette: Hoj dig, du klara sol
Rigoletto: O, I kvinnor: Questa o quella
L'illustre Fregona: Fylld av vemod sanker sig natten: Melancolque tombe le soir
Knyaz (Prince) Igor: Dagen gick langsamt till ro: Vladimir's Cavatina: Medlenno den' ugasal
Tosca: Det skona star att finna: Ricondita armonia
Tosca: Ja minns stjarnorna lyste: E lucevan le stelle
Rigoletto: Ack, som ett fjun sa latt: La donna e mobile
Il Trovatore: Skyhogt mot himlen
Pagliacci: Spela komedi! ... Pudra ditt anlet: Recitar! ... Vesti la giubba
Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola
La fanciulla del West: Lat henne tro: Ch'ella mi creda
Fanal: I manner over lag och ratt
Sadko: I sonderns hav
La Belle Helene: Uti en skog pa berget Ida
Der Zigeunerbaron: Vem har oss vigt?
Der Bettelstudent: Skall jag tala ... Antag det fall
Der Bettelstudent: Ny ar jag pank och fagelgri: Ich hab keion Geld, bin vogelfrei
Nar hag for mig shalv i morka skogen gar
Bland skogens hoga furustammar
Ack Varmeland, du skona
Allt under himmelens faste
Tonerna
Sommarnatt: I de lyse naetter
Ett Folk: Sverige
Land, du valsignade
Namner du Sverige

Tracks:

Adelaide
Morgen
Cacilie
Bon i ofredstid
Bisp Thomas frihetssang
In The Silence Of Night
Siren: Lilacs
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Because
Sylvia
A Spirit Flower
Ah, Love But A Day
Tonerna: I Bless Ev'ry Hour
Till havs
Sangen till havest
Visa king slandblom och manskara
Jungfrun under lind
Kung Helmer och Aslog
Trollsjon
Sa tag mit hjerte
Demanten pa marssnon
Cantique de Noel: Julsang (O helga natt) : Cantique de Noel

Amazon.com

This set tells you why Jussi Bjorling is a perennial entrant in the "Tenor of the Century" sweepstakes. Even as the voice darkens from the light lyric to the full, darker instrument of the later recordings, we hear a singer whose elegant style, lovely timbre and innate musicality touch the heart. Many of the selections are sung in Swedish, less of a liability than you might suppose. In whatever language, Bjorling's molten gold flows lavishly. He eschews the sobs and sentimentality that disfigure so much verismo repertory, making his points with stylish vocalism. He's been called a "cool" singer, but try his Puccini and Verdi arias on Disc One and you'll find more than enough vocal and emotional heat. The selections include many neglected Scandinavian songs, sung, like the arias, with a naturalness that disarms criticism. -- Dan Davis

Amazon.com

Swedish tenor Jussi Björling gets many votes for the distinction of greatest all-time tenor. Up to the end, the voice projected a boyish vulnerability, though he also had enough stentorian power to sing the heavy Puccini roles and was ready to take on Lohengrin when he died. He was so deeply musical he eschewed the usual tenor vulgarity without ever slighting the music's theatricality. Even these four well-filled discs of arias and songs can't fully encompass the vocal riches he left behind, but there's a lot here, much of it from his earliest years and (hope you don't mind) sung in a Swedish translation. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Superb!.......2001-07-29

This is an wonderful compilation of one of the most incredible voices on record. Whether you are a new or old Bjorling fan -- and who could hear that voice and not be enthralled by it -- this is a fine CD to have. The quality of the recording is excellent, and the range in years, from 1930 to 1959, gives a splendid overview of his dazzling talent. In addition to many of the arias one might expect, there are also lieder and songs in Swedish, as well as some charming duets with Jussi's wife, Anna-Lisa. I have quite a few other Bjorling CDs, and this is one of the best in terms of quality and scope. It is a most worthy addition to any Bjorling collection, regardless of its size.

Beatiful singing - but where are the Swedish texts?.......2001-06-22

This is an excellent collection, the best available overview of a great tenor.

This would get 4 stars but has been marked down for only supplying token texts and translations in the large booklet. It is understandable (sort of) that the Italian opera excerpts don't merit texts and translations as (apart from the Callas recitals series) EMI generally doesn't provide texts with historical issues. However the tempting inclusion of a dozen or so texts to the Italian and Swedish songs makes one all the more aware of the miserliness of not providing all the texts.

if you like bjorling this is the best thing you can get!.......2000-06-26

this is so awesome, i love his voice, this is good for anyone, the professional or just someone who wants to hear the greatest tenor of all times! this is so great

The ULTIMATE Collection.......1999-11-02

When starting my Bjorling collection, I saw MANY CDs, with his early recordings. I was in a quandry as to what to buy, UNTIL I found this set. TRULY remarkable in many levels.FIRST and foremost, the voice. Captured in all levels, from the earliest to the latest. Truly wonderful, and the Swedish versions are a real treat to hear, don't worry, the Italian versions are here too!!Secondly, the remastering process. This set was remastered at Abbey Studios in London. For the first time I've heard, they actually pressed NEW 78s from the metal plates, and THEN remastered the new discs!!! Inspired, and the results--incredible.I find myself listening to Disc 3 the most. Very interesting, as it is the Swedish one. When the songs are terrific, along with the "standard" tenor arias, and it all comes together, it is PURE MAGIC!! I will admit that due to time limitations of recordings of this era, the opera house Bjorling is not fully conveyed. There are other CDs for that. Most notably "Romeo and Juliet", and for a REAL thrill, his ATLANTA concert, in STEREO, so much so, that the piano is even divided; left hand left, right hand right. Wait a minute, am I playing TWISTER??:-)) But if you want to skip all those unknown labels, you couldn't have a MORE complete set. ALL wit the great remastering I spoke of. Bjorling--His voice will NEVER die, at least in MY house!!!

Definitive survey of one of the finest singers on record.......1998-09-25

Jussi Bjoerling was one of the greatest singers of the century. His voice is pure, effortless and yet thrilling. Even better than the quality of the voice is his style. He never scoops up to a note nor does he ever whoop down from one, instead, he uses perfect legato and faultless intonation to deliver the cleanest sound you'll ever hear from a tenor.

Tracks:

The Side Show
Two Little Flowers
Down East
The Circus Band
Berceuse
At The River
The Children's Hour
Piccola Serenata
Greeting
So Pretty
In The Dark Pine-Wood
The Ivy-Wife
The Cloak, The Boat, And The Shoes
I Am In Need Of Music
To The Virgins To Make Much Of Time
This Heart That Flutters
Darkling, I Listen
Bright Cap And Streamers
The Half-Ring Moon
Pierrot
Cleopatra To The Asp
Evening Song
Ah, Love, But A Day
I Send My Heart Up To Thee
The Year's At The Spring

Amazon.com

This collection of American songs spanning 150 years shows Deborah Voigt, one of the world's leading sopranos, in a new light. She successfully achieves the transition from the larger-than-life operatic stage to the intimate world of song, especially in the more outgoing, dramatic pieces. Voigt enters into each composer's style with complete empathy. Charles Ives was an irrepressible maverick and a stylistic chameleon. Voigt captures the songs' hymn-like simplicity and irreverent rambunctiousness, though her voice is a bit too heavy for them. Leonard Bernstein's jazzy irony also needs more lightness, but the slow love songs are done beautifully. Voigt really comes into her own in Charles Griffes's lush impressionism, evoking the sultriness of Cleopatra and the rhythms of a Spanish dance, and Amy Beach's unabashed effusive romanticism. Composer Ben Moore is a child of our own time, born in 1960. He moves between many styles with natural ease. Set to great English and American poetry, some of his songs were written for Voigt, and she sings them to perfection. The splendid pianist Brian Zeger provides both leadership and support. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Mixed results.......2006-02-22

This is an interesting collection of American songs, but I don't feel that Ms Voigt sold these selections to me. She still sounds like an opera singer trying to squeeze a very powerful and large voice into smaller setting for these songs, with mixed success. She is much, much better than many of her fellow sopranos that tried such repertoire, but I feel that she only gets it right in Amy Beach and Griffes songs. And even there, she does not have a sound that would make every song recital fan happy.
And what's with the title of this album? I think she is a classy artist and deserves better than such silly title, her label probably came up with that.
Nice try overall, but I hope Ms Voigt will do more Strauss and Wagner from now on, not more songs like these.

Like driving a Ferrari in a school zone........2006-02-02

Like a lot of big operatic voices, Voigt is hard to capture on CD; her recordings of Wagner and Strauss excerpts are good, but they can't convey the experience of hearing her live in an opera house. And singing with only piano accompaniment, as here, she simply can't use most of the power in her voice. As sensitive as her performances are I can't help feeling that she's having to hold back. For American song sung with more delicacy and grace I would suggest Barbara Bonney or Dawn Upshaw (I can't agree with previous reviewers' suggestion of Cheryl Studer's Barber, though Hampson is wonderful on that set).

Stellar Soprano Applies Her Considerable Talent to a Lightning-Quick, All-American Repertoire.......2005-11-08

It's a shame that soprano Deborah Voigt hit her greatest notoriety last year for being fired by the Royal Opera House for being too fat for the title role of "Ariadne aux Naxos" by Richard Strauss. She subsequently lost eighty pounds but luckily none of her vocal prowess as can be heard to great effect on this intriguing collection of American songs, 25 in all and averaging a little over two minutes each. It would have seemed like a mismatch to apply her powerful voice - famous for her big Wagnerian roles - to sometimes delicate tunes. Voigt, however, confounds expectations with a surprisingly nuanced performance that showcases her interpretative skills on a diverse set of musical styles.

Similar to what countertenor David Daniels did with his 2003 disc with guitarist Craig Ogden, "A Quiet Thing", Voigt and pianist Brian Zeger have created a wide-ranging lyrical repertoire that encompasses significant vocal demands while remaining intimate in setting. In fact, both Daniels and Voigt cover Leonard Bernstein's anti-war lullaby, "So Pretty", with haunting aplomb. She also manages to dance effectively over the "Da-ga-da-ga-dums" of Bernstein's challenging "Piccola serenata". Voigt does wonders with the opening Charles Ives selections by not overplaying the innate sentiment of the tunes, in particular, soaring with the highly dramatic "The Children's Hour" by Longfellow and even covering the churchy warhorse, "At the River", with conviction.

There are eight highly individualistic songs by Ben Moore that stretch Voigt with bountiful results. The standouts of the Moore set are the English sea chantey-like "The Ivy-Wife" by Thomas Hardy, the lushly romantic "I Am in Need of Music" by Elizabeth Bishop; the sweeping "Darkling, I Listen" by John Keats; and the discordant waltz, "Bright Cap and Streamers", by James Joyce. For me, the highpoints of the recording are the last two sets by Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Amy Beach, both of whom tap impressively into Voigt's natural theatricality proven especially by her performances of Griffes's lush "Cleopatra to the Asp" and Bishop's rolling "I Send My Heart Up to Thee".

The one shortcoming of the recording overall is that the briefness of the songs does not really capitalize on Voigt's impressive dramatic capabilities in showcasing changes in characters she would have been allowed in her opera roles. For all the limitations it represents, this is a genuine recital album, and truly transcendent moments are fleeting at best especially given the variety of moods that need to be expressed in lightning-flash strokes. However, taken for the genre it represents, this is a stellar recording to appreciate a singer who is able to do more than Wagner and lose weight.

May have a heart but what good is it if the artistic results are a void?.......2005-10-31

The header says it all. Thumbs down all the way. Get instead the Samuel Barber double set with Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson if you wish to experience true heartrending Americana. As another reviewer put it, you get no gimmicks and no camp from these two distinguished artists.

Great new context for Voigt.......2005-09-30

It is great to hear Voigt in an American lieder recital. She is a top vocalist in her vocal prime. I think this is a lovely disc, and it really takes off especially with the songs of Ben Moore who has written many works just for Voigt. She tones down the volume of her sound and reins in the dramatic aspect of her soprano to give these songs a proper context and remains in service of them throughout the recital. Give this one a try! EMI - Release her Marshallin from Der Rosenkavalier, I think it would be wonderful. I know she just took on that role this summer.

Beach: Piano Music, Vol. 1 - By the Still Waters

Average customer rating:

BEACH AT HER BEST (REDUX)
Lovely
Amy Beach, An Important Woman Composer?

Beach: Piano Music, Vol. 1 - By the Still Waters

Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Beach: Piano Music, Vol. 2 - Under the Stars
Beach: Piano Music, Vol. 3 - Fire-Flies

ASIN: B000000T9R
Release Date: 1997-07-29

Tracks:

Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Theme: Adagio malincolico
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:I. Piu mosso
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:II. Maestoso
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:III. Allegro ma non troppo
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:IV. Andante alla Barcarola
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:V. Largo con molta espressione/Poco piu mosso
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:VI. Quasi Fantasia/Allegro all' 'Ongarese
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:VII. Vivace/Valse lento
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:VIII. Con vigore/Lento calmato
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Marcia funerale
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Cadenza. Grave/Quasi fantasia/Maestoso come Var.IIdo/Adagio...
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Scottish Legend, Op.54, No.1
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Gavotte fantastique, Op.54, No.2
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Scherzino: A Peterboro Chipmunk, Op.128, No.1
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Young birches, Op128, No.2
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:A Humming Bird, Op.128, No.3
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Far Awa'
Variations on Balkan Themes, Op.60:Out of the Depths (Ps.130), Op.130
Trois morceaux caracteristiques, Op.28:No.1 Barcarolle
Trois morceaux caracteristiques, Op.28:No.2 Menuet italien
Trois morceaux caracteristiques, Op.28:No.3 Danse des fleurs
Trois morceaux caracteristiques, Op.28:By the Still Waters, Op.114

Amazon.com

Amy Beach is historically important as the first prominent American woman composer. She also wrote music of some substance and charm. But like most of her contemporaries, she wrote mostly rather lightweight salon music for solo piano, and its interest has faded considerably. Of pianist Joanne Polk's two Beach CDs, this one is the more recommendable because it includes a substantial piece, the Variations on Balkan Themes, which shows what Beach could do when she set her mind to it. Some of the little pieces here are unbearably trivial. Polk plays very well, and benefits from excellent recorded sound. -- Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

BEACH AT HER BEST (REDUX).......2003-02-12

I can scarcely believe it's been nearly two and a half years since I wrote my first review [October 24, 2000!!] of Joanne Polk's enlightening second volume traversal ["Under the Stars"] of the complete Amy Beach piano oeuvre. But it has been, and time, that great elucidator and thief, has once again returned me to face the music.

And what music it is, most noticeably for the premiere volume's prescient inclusion of Mrs. Beach's haunting and evocative, nearly thirty-minute-long Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60, written in 1904. With a life that bridged two very different centuries, and a fresh musical mind, forever searching, growing and transforming, Beach [1867-1944] could do no less with her innate gifts than to compose with genuine originality, as is evidenced by the emotional depth and lyrical reach of the Variations.

Although pieces such as the Trois morceaux caracteristiques, Op. 28 [1897] and the Scottish Legend and Gavotte fantastique, Op. 54, No.'s 1 and 2 [1903] may smack of the New England "school," the earlier not coincidentally dedicated to MacDowell, they are nonetheless inventive and charming. However, the Op. 114 (By the Still Waters) [1925] and miniatures of Op. 128 [1928], especially No. 2 (Young Birches), show the composer venturing into melodically undefined, but thoroughly gorgeous Lisztian territory.

Out of the Depths, Op. 130, also written in 1928, but not published until 1930, is a wonderful piano "distillation" of Psalm 130, without pretense, and again, not unlike Liszt in its austere sincerity and modernity.

Far Awa' brings us full circle in the most magical of ways. Originally No. 4 from Beach's Op. 43 song cycle of 1899, the composer herself transcribed the work for piano (and organ) in 1935 while at the MacDowell Colony, with ongoing revisions. It's a beautiful, heartfelt piece.

Polk produces exquisite sound, captured warmly by the engineers, undeniably proving the appeal and value of this music. Not only is she a fine pianist, she is at one with the composer. I applaud her talent, and I applaud her efforts to bring Mrs. Beach's endearing creations to life. There is much to immerse oneself in here.

[Running time: 67:55]

Lovely.......2002-12-08

This CD is a collection of lovely pieces. My favorites are "Menuet Italien," "Scottish Legend," and "Gavotte Fantastique," all of which I've played before, so I think that increases my listening pleasure for them. A Peterboro Chipmunk is neat, too--you can imagine the little creature scampering along and stopping every so often.

Amy Beach, An Important Woman Composer?.......2001-11-01

Amy Marcy Beach was born in the United States just after the end of the Civil War and died very late in 1944 just months away from the end of World War II. As a musician, she was largely self-taught and not by her own choice. She would have liked to get some training, but the strictures of the male-dominated society in which she grew up limited her education and, to some degree, her options for a professional career as a musician. Despite all these obstacles, she was able to pursue a very active life as both pianist and composer, and it is her importance as a composer that is highlighted in this CD and the two others in this set.
Although Mrs. Beach was not a distinctly American composer in the same way that Gershwin, Ives, and Copland were, she had a penchant for nature, and used it extensively for inspiration in her work. While most of her work is derivative, being solidly based on European conventions and styles, her nature pieces mark her as a very distinctive and modern composer. I highly recommend from this album "A Peterboro Chipmunk," "Young Birches," "A Humming Bird," and "By the Still Waters," this last being very modern indeed. And although the other pieces on this CD are European in style, they will not disappoint you.

Average customer rating:

Art Songs by American Composers

Manufacturer: Gasparo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Songs of Amy Beach; Patrick Mason, baritone; Joanne Polk, piano

Average customer rating:

"SONGS OF AMY BEACH" IS TIMELESS

Songs of Amy Beach; Patrick Mason, baritone; Joanne Polk, piano

Manufacturer: Bridge Records, Inc.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Canciones Argentinas
Amy Beach: Songs
James Macmillan: A Scotch Bestiary; Piano Concerto No. 2
Padilla: Sun of Justice
Henze: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 3; Five Night Pieces

ASIN: B000BPYKF0
Release Date: 2004-11-01

Tracks:

Twilight, Op. 2, No. 1
Empress of Night, Op. 2, No. 3
The Summer Wind, Op. 14, No. 1
Sweetheart, Sigh No More, Op. 14, No. 3
Golden Gates, Op. 19, No. 3
Villanelle, Op. 20
Wouldn't That Be Queer, Op. 26, No. 4
Within My Heart, Op. 29, No. 1
Anita, Op. 41, No. 1
The Year's at the Spring, Op. 44, No. 1
Ah, Love, but a day! Op. 44, No. 2
Come, ah come! Op. 48, No. 1
Good Morning, Op. 48, No. 2
Go Not Too Far, Op. 56, No. 2
Shena Van, Op. 56, No. 4
Baby, Op. 69, No. 1
O Sweet Content, Op. 71, No. 2
Wind o'the Westland, Op. 77, No. 2
In the Twilight, Op. 85
Mine Be The Lips, Op. 113
Dark Garden, Op. 131
I Shall Be Brave, Op. 143

Product Description

Amy Beach (1873-1942) was probably the first woman composer to gain attention for writing successfully in the large forms of the nineteenth century: symphony, concerto, oratorio and chamber music. But it is in her songs and solo piano music that we glimpse a more private and intimate Beach. Beach produced more than 120 songs, only a few of which are known to the general public. This superb CD presents 22 of Beach s finest songs, a selection which ranges from some of her earliest published efforts through her later brooding masterpieces. American baritone Patrick Mason is accompanied on this recording by leading Beach specialist, pianist Joanne Polk. Together, Mason and Polk s penetrating interpretations make an excellent case for these songs as major English language song literature. These Patrick Mason recordings are also available on Bridge: Schubert: Die Winterreise; with Phyllis East, piano; BRIDGE 9053 Songs of Ravel, Faur , Poulenc and Dutilleux; with Robert Spillman, piano; BRIDGE 9058 Stephen Sondheim: Sunday Song Set; with David Starobin, guitar; on BRIDGE 9009 Tod Machover: VALIS, an opera on the novel by Philip K. Dick; BRIDGE 9007 Elliott Carter: Three Poems of Robert Frost; with Speculum Musicae; on BRIDGE 9014

Customer Reviews:

"SONGS OF AMY BEACH" IS TIMELESS.......2005-12-30

What a delight! I received this disc as a gift and enjoyed it more than any set of songs since the first time I heard Schubert's "Die Schoene Mullerin".

Amy Beach's charming songs for baritone and piano, written at the turn of the century, escape any hint of sentimentality and travel straight to the heart, sometimes with complexity, but often with timeless simplicity.

"Sweetheart, Sigh No More" is the most enchanting love song I have heard in years. You will long to be desperately in love again. Patrick Mason woos his lover with a luscious baritone that reminds me of Dietrich Fischer-Diescau's and a wonderful intimacy made up of tenderness,humor,and masculinity.

The interpretations of Mr. Mason and Joanne Polk are passionate, thoughtful and vital. Some are whimsical, such as "Wouldn't That Be Queer" and some are just plain wise and fresh, as in "Baby".

Hats off to Mr. Mason, Ms. Polk and Bridge Records for a real beauty!

Give a copy of this disc to everyone you love.

Paul Sperry Sings Songs of an Innocent Age

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Paul Sperry Sings Songs of an Innocent Age

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000049LD
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Sure on This Shining Night: 20th-Century Romantic Songs of America

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A Spectrum of Romance in American Musical Composition
a rare gem of a CD

Sure on This Shining Night: 20th-Century Romantic Songs of America

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Songs from the Labyrinth (Music by John Dowland)

ASIN: B000002ZYW
Release Date: 1997-04-10

Tracks:

The Children
The Year's At The Spring
When Stars Are In The Quiet Skies
Orpheus With His Lute
Rose Marie
Ives
Song To The Witch Of The Cloisters
Sure On This Shining Night
Sigh No More, Ladies
Come Away, Death
On Hearing 'The Last Rose Of Summer'
Echo
If I Could Tell You
The Collection
The Lord's Prayer
Nature, The Gentlest Mother
The Tiger
Never More Will The Wind
Little Elegy
One Alone
Do Not Go, My Love
To A Stranger
When I Have Sung My Songs
These, My Ophelia
An Old Song Re-sung
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
June Night
Triolet

Customer Reviews:

A Spectrum of Romance in American Musical Composition.......2006-01-15

Often American music is thought to be jaunty, combative, or tragic in content, especially when it comes to songs/lieder for the classical repertoire. This engaging CD takes umbrage with that misconception and in presenting some twenty-eight songs by various composers clearly identifies the romantic side of American composers.

Here are songs well known and not so well known by familiar and not so familiar composers, and in the hands of tenor Robert White and pianist Samuel Sanders they all come across as important. Included are rarities by composers such as Amy Beach, Theodor Chanler, Isabelle Firestone, Eric Ewazen, Albert Hay Malotte, Marc Marder, John Musto and Richard Hageman, with popular composers Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg, along with the greats: Ives, Schuman, Hindemith, Barber, Thomson, Korngold, Copland. Rorem, Bolcom, Corigliano, and Griffes. It is a huge spectrum of work and while some are less successful than other, they all are given respectful and loving renditions by White and Sanders. It is great fun to hear Firestone's famous 'If I could tell you' that opened the Voice of Firestone for so many years along side Samuel Barber's gorgeous 'Sure on this shining night' and Aaron Copland's settings of Emily Dickinson's poems.

This a rare treat for connoisseurs of lieder and for lovers of beautiful songs. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

a rare gem of a CD.......2002-07-08

Sure On This Shining Night is not my usual musical cup of tea...yet, it has become one of my favorite CDs. This collection of American Romantic songs has burrowed its way into my heart.

There is a universality to the longing involved in Romanticism. These songs capture this feeling perfectly. From the first song to the last, these songs do one thing perfectly: evoke an emotional response.

This is due in no short measure to the wonderful performance Robert White gives. Rather than being merely technically accurate, White actually gives each of these songs a life of their own. He achieves this effect by getting inside not only the words, but the feelings involved.

Some of the highlights for me are: the lovely and memorable "Rose Marie," Ewazen's setting of Blake's "The Tiger," a moving version of "The Lord's Prayer" and the haunting "Never More Will the Wind."

Samuel Sanders is a worthy musical companion to White. His playing is reciprocally lovely and introspective. The notes are extensive and informative as well.

Tracks:

Cabildo, Op. 149: Introduction
Cabildo, Op. 149: Ladies And Gentlemen...
Cabildo, Op. 149: One Night As They Danced...
Cabildo, Op. 149: Ladies And Gentelmen, We Will Now...
Cabildo, Op. 149: Largo Espressivo
Cabildo, Op. 149: Dominique!...
Cabildo, Op. 149: Dominique, What News?...
Cabildo, Op. 149: When She Danced...
Cabildo, Op. 149: She Was Like A Flower
Cabildo, Op. 149: Largo Con Dolora
Cabildo, Op. 149: Thy Boat Pierre...
Cabildo: Ah Love, Is A Jasmine Vine...
Cabildo: Tempo Di Duetto
Cabildo: A Hermit Thrush At Eve, Op. 92, No. 1
Cabildo: Give Me Not Love, Op. 61
Cabildo: In The Twilight, Op. 85
Cabildo: O Mistress Mine, Op. 37, No. 1
Cabildo: Dark Is The Night, Op. 11, No. 1
Cabildo: Jeune Fille Et Jeune Fleur, Op.1, No. 3

Customer Reviews:

What a lovely unknown opera!.......2004-11-17

I'm always on the look-out for unusual operatic pieces. And I'm always extremely thrilled to find an accessible opera by a female composer. This definitely fits the bill. Very beautiful music, with a completely American subject. The performances are lovely, and I definitely recommend this opera.

For another operatic work by a female composer, I'd like to also recommend "Cendrillon" by Pauline Viardot. My opera company, the Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, specializes in performing lesser-known operatic works and we had the privilege of performing "Cendrillon" in the Spring of 2004. It's perfect, charming French operetta. Highly recommended and well in line with "Cabildo".

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