Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne; Chants d'Auvergne

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
World music meets the classics in these impressionistic tone poems based on the folksongs of the Auvergne, which Canteloube spent his life researching and orchestrating. In the ballads, Dawn Upshaw sounds like a nymph swaying in sacred pools; the earthy nature of the material captures the fuller-bodied richness of her sparkling soprano. Kent Nagano conducts with aplomb. The only drawback--the lighter, funnier pieces upset the ethereal mood so vividly created, and break up the dreaminess into which most of the music lulls you. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Tracks:

Ave Maria (new recording)
La Wally (from Time To Say Goodbye)
Winter Light (new recording)
Anytime, Anywhere (from Eden)
Alhambra (new recording)
Lascia Ch'io Pianga (from Eden)
Dans La Nuit (new recording)
Serenade/How Fair This Place (from La Luna)
O Mio Babbino Caro (new recording)
La Luna (from La Luna)
Pie Jesu (new recording)
Figlio Perduto (from La Luna)
Nessun Dorma (new recording)
Bailero (from Eden)
Time To Say Goodbye (New solo version--previously unavailable)

Amazon.com

Have some friends who still haven't discovered what the Sarah Brightman fuss is all about? You'll find the perfect introduction to make converts of them all in Classics, so they'll have no more excuses to remain clueless. Sporting a Botticelli-inspired image of the platinum-selling soprano on the cover, Classics is a classy anthology including highlights from three of Brightman's chart-topping releases along with seven new tracks. Songs personally selected by the diva as her favorite classical interpretations are culled from her previous blockbusters: Time To Say Goodbye, Eden, and La Luna. And whether you're a fan already in the fold or one in the making, the new material here shows the diva at the top of her form, in new renderings of "O Mio Babbino Caro" and "Nessun Dorma" (accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic)--fascinating displays of the operatic confidence she's developed over her career. Other new offerings include a touching version of Schubert's "Ave Maria,' "Winter Light," a fresh take on her signature song "Pie Jesu" (from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem). "Alhambra" and "Dans La Nuit"--a real treat, bathing the listener in Brightman's silky, sensuous vocalism--add two original titles to her famous adaptations of classical melodies to new lyrics (using Chopin's haunting E major Etude in the latter case). All told, a lovely affirmation of the directions Brightman has boldly taken in her career to date. -Sarah Chin

Amazon.com

Sarah Brightman Photos

More from Sarah Brightman

Time to Say Goodbye
Diva: The Singles Collection
Eden

Diva: The Video Collection
Live from Las Vegas
La Luna (Live in Concert)

Customer Reviews:

Sarah's Best Easy Listening CD.......2007-03-15

Sarah Brightman's talent is limitless. Her soprano and/or alto voice is among the best and she lets it show in 'CLASSICS'. CLASSICS is a beautiful, easy listening, and peaceful CD. CLASSICS is one to listen to in tranquil or relaxing moments. "CLASICS" is a collection of great pieces of music written by great composers (Shuburt, Handel, Chopin, Puccini, and the like). I have listened to CLASSICS about 15 times now and it always puts me in a quiet and peaceful mood (I am ~50 years old).

Best Brightman CD.......2007-02-07

A classical composition which showcases the beautiful voice of Sarah Brightman. A timeless CD which will continue to be a favourite over the years.

Sarah Brightman is a Classic.......2007-01-02

Sarah Brightman is at her best in "Classics." From Dvorak's "Rusalka" (Opera B.203) to Beethoven's haunting Op 52, slow movement (Symphony #7), Brightman's voice and lyrical style are a joy. I particularly enjoy her performances of Schubert's Ave Maria and Andrew Lloyd Weber's Pie Jesu. This is a great add to my collection of serious music.

Not The Best - Not the Worst - From Sarah Brightman.......2006-12-30

After purchasing this CD for my iPod for iTunes, I must say that I'm a little bit dissapointed. 7 new recordings and 8 old ones, ones that I already happen to have. I do like the fact that they're all on one CD! Some of her new recordings, including, "Ave Maria", "Winter Light", "Alhambra", "Dans La Nuit", and the new recording of "Pie Jesu" are just too breathy for my taste. It seems as with every changing CD, Sarah's voice changes. I'm not saying that the result is bad; it actually gives the songs more of a dream like quality, but I'm used to the younger, more Andrew Lloyd-Webber integrated Sarah. Scooping continually occurs in new recordings of "O Mio Babbino Caro", and "Nessun Dorma". In some tracks from La Luna, like "Figlio Perduto", Sarah's voice is TOTALLY dominated by harmonizing recordings that sound almost mechanical.

OVERALLY - The new songs sound O.K. and the old recordings are just as good as they were back then. This album is still a great buy!

Nice Cover.......2006-12-27

I'm a heterosexual guy who's not an opera aficionado - I only mention these facts because I seem to be right in the bull's-eye of the target market for this product. Sarah B. has a nice voice and she's pretty. Both of these are featured prominently on this CD. The cover and several pages in the insert are devoted to what must have been a very long and expensive photo shoot (and Photoshop) of a semi-clad Sarah looking marvelous. (The CD also comes with a flyer so you can buy various Brightman "Classics" apparel - perhaps not for the heterosexual male).

As far as the music goes: not bad, not great. I don't claim to have the most discerning ears for this sort of music, but everything was OK by me. However, the pieces on the CD with which I'm somewhat familiar, such as "O Mio Babbino Caro," didn't sound quite as good as other versions I've heard (and that includes by Charlotte Church, not just opera stars). Also, the solo version of "Time to Say Goodbye" didn't sound nearly as good to me as the duet with Bocelli.

In sum, there were 3-4 songs I liked enough to rip to MP3s - which is enough so that I didn't feel ripped myself...

Renee Fleming - The Beautiful Voice ~ Gounod, Lehaair, Orff, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Strauss

Average customer rating:

The best of the best.
Beautiful and creamy voice
Renee Fleming;THE BEAUTIFUL VOICE
The most gorgeous soprano voice I've ever heard
Wow!!!

Renee Fleming - The Beautiful Voice ~ Gounod, Lehaair, Orff, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Strauss
Gustave Charpentier , Charles Gounod , Jules Massenet , Antonin Dvorak , Friedrich von Flotow , Giacomo Puccini , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Carl Orff , Richard Strauss , Sergey Rachmaninov , Johann II Strauss , Franz Lehar , Jose Maria Cano , Marie-Joseph Canteloube , Jeffrey Tate , Sir Charles Mackerras , Renée Fleming , English Chamber Orchestra , Osian Ellis , London Voices , and Clive Greensmith
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Renée Fleming
Renee Fleming: By Request
Renée Fleming - Signatures ~ Great Opera Scenes / Sir Georg Solti
Sacred Songs
Handel

ASIN: B0000042I6
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

Louise (Acte 3): Depuis le jour ou je me suis donnee
Faust (Acte 3 - Air des bijoux): O Dieu! que de bijous!... Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle (Air des bijoux - Jewel Song)
Manon (Acte 3): Je marche sur tous les chemins... Obeissons... Profitons bien de la jeunesse (Gavotte)
Gypsy Melodies, Op. 55 B104 No. 4: Songs My Mother Taught Me
Martha (Act 2 - No. 8 The Last Rose): 'Tis The Last Rose Of Summer
La rondine (Act 1): Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Die tote Stadt (Act 1 - Mariettas Lied): Gluck, das mir verblieb
Carmina Burana (No. 21): In trutina
Vier Lieder, Op. 27 No. 4: Morgen!
Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14: Vocalise
Die Fiedermaus (Act 2 - Csardas): Klange der Heimat (Csardas)
Die lustige Witwe (Act 2 - Vilja-Lied): Es lebt' eine Vilja (Vilja-Lied)
LUNA: Epilogo
Chants d'Auvergne, Series 1: Bailero

Amazon.com essential recording

This vocal recital certainly lives up to its title, perhaps too well. It's a collection of arias and songs Fleming has sung for years that for some may be too much frosting and not enough cake. Surely, her performances are rich with interpretive nuances, wonder-filled portamentos and word colorings that reflect a long history with this repertoire, which ranges from Charpentier's "Depuis le jour" to Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise." Some may find Fleming a bit much, but agree with her or not, she's far more interesting than singers who keep a safe, discreet distance from the music. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

The best of the best........2007-04-11

I've given away at least a dozen copies of this CD. I'm running low, so I just refilled the stash. For people who haven't discovered Renee Fleming or who think they don't care for opera, this CD is the best possible way to blow down the walls. If you think there's nothing new to be heard in these old arias, you owe it to yourself to find out how wrong you can be.

Beautiful and creamy voice.......2006-02-28

I like so much Ren?e Fleming and this is special cd !

Renee Fleming;THE BEAUTIFUL VOICE.......2006-01-30

IT'S A FINE RECORDING THAT OFFERS A VARIETY OF SELECTIONS FROM OPERA, OPERETTAS AND FOLK SONGS, ALL WITH FLEMING AT HER BEST.

The most gorgeous soprano voice I've ever heard.......2006-01-02

I am a 19-year-old voice student at the University of Central Arkansas and I came across Renee by way of a soprano in my voice studio. She said it was her favorite soprano and that I should give her a listen. I was a little hesistant because I'm a baritone and my voice teacher told me that I should listen to men, but I just want to hear it all. So this past summer I first bought Renee's self-titled album with all of the lolipop arias on it and I was just amazed, not just because of how good she is but how easy she is to listen to. I loved her voice immediately. From the the moment the first tone passed through her throat on Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro." So I had to hear more. The Beautiful Voice is even better. It wasn't as easy to listen to at first because some of the songs on this album are not as famous as those on the other one, but these songs are all gems. The Korngold with the pianissimi B flats is my personal favorite. Even my mother who screams at me to turn down that "noise" when I listen to opera cds has grown to be quite fond of Renee Fleming. Sometimes her interpretations can be over the top, but the voice is beyond spectacular. It pours out like melted butter. It's vibrant, rich, expressive, free and always perfectly in tune. There is no hint of strain from any sound emitted from her body. She will undoubtedly be remembered like Callas & Sutherland and all the other great soprano voices before her. Not for the dramatic intensity of Callas or the coloratura & technical ease of Sutherland, but for the sheer unspeakable beauty of her voice. This is a must have for any vocalist seriously dedicated to classical training.

Wow!!!.......2005-09-28

This album is the album that introduced me to Renee Fleming. Every selection on this recording is a gem. Her voice is so gorgeous and her technique is so solid. I love her voice so much, her interpretations of J. Strauss, Jr.'s Csardas is incredible and Puccini's Chi il bel sogno di Doretta makes me cry everytime I listen to it. She is a true American treasure. Brava Renee!!!

Average customer rating:

Sensuality Personified!

The Very Best of Régine Crespin

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian Opera Arias
Very Best of
Berlioz: Les Nuits d'été; et al / Crespin, Ansermet
Legend: Régine Crespin [CD & DVD]
The Very Best of Lucia Popp

ASIN: B0006VYEJQ
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

Ils S'Eloignent Enfin...Sombre Foret
D'Amour L'Ardente Flamme
Les Grecs Ont Disparu...Malheureux Roi!
Nous Avons Vu Finir...Chers Tyriens
Je Vais Mourir...Adieu, Fiere Cite
Ah! Salome! Dans Ce Palais...Il Est Doux, Il Est Bon
Je Souffre
Mes Cheres Filles, J'Ai Encore A Vous Dire
Soir
Le Secret
Apres Un Reve
Clair De Lune
Lo Fiolaire
Lou Coucut
Coeur En Peril
Berceuse Creole

Tracks:

Einsam In Truben Tagen
Euch Luften, Die Mein Klagen
Eine Waffe Lass Mich Dir Weisen...Der Manner Sippe
Ich Sah Das Kind
I. Der Engel
II. Stehe Still!
III. Im Treibhaus
IV. Schmerzen
V. Traume
I. In Der Fremde
II. Intermezzo
III. Waldesgesprach
Timor Di Me?...D'Amor Sull'Ali Rosee
Ecco L'Orrido Campo...Ma Dall'Arido Stelo Divulsa
Tu Che Le Vanita
D'Art Et D'Amour

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Sensuality Personified!.......2005-04-27

This is one of the best collections of Regine Crespin. Of course, her Berlioz/Ravel set with Ansermet is definitive, but the beauty and soft womanliness of her voice can be heard in all the selections on this disc. The engineers went for her vocal best and they created a fine collection aptly titled "The Best of..." One would be unduly captious to find Crespin "brittle" of tone here.

It is by now, very difficult to imagine anyone singing "Il est doux" with more apt expression of the line than La Crespin. Wagner's Wesendonk lieder is simply sublime from start to finish and the Faure takes on new meaning. That she is comical, melancholy, fun and happy by turns singles her out. This collection captures all her awesome talent. Underneath it all seems to be a very, if I may, sexual energy.

Crespin must be heard to be believed and the miracle lies in that even her softest tones are really enveloping, never thin. All tones are open and this is why there are enough colors in Regine Crespin's delicious voice to paint the world a thousand times, but it may also be why she infamous for being short and edgy on top but I remind, never here is she such. She is a relaxed singer in superb voice, comfortable in her own olive skin and makes the most out of every word those poets wrote.

The whole collection is unique in pace, style, and voice. It is Regine Crespin...in a nutshell fabulous!

Kiri Te Kanawa - Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne, Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras

Average customer rating:

Simply beautiful
Simply Sublime
LUSH AND PASSIONATE!
Beautiful!
Only Kiri

Kiri Te Kanawa - Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne, Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras
Marie-Joseph Canteloube , Heitor Villa-Lobos , Jeffrey Tate , Kiri Te Kanawa , English Chamber Orchestra , and Instrumental Ensemble
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Kanawa, Kiri | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Canteloube - Chants d'Auvergne / Victoria de los Angeles
Joseph Canteloube: Songs Of the Auvergne
Joseph Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne
Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne
Kiri

ASIN: B00000427R
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

La Pastoura als Camps
Bail ro
Trois Bourr es
Pastourelle
L'Antou no
La Pastrouletta lou Chibali
La Dela ssado
Bour es
Lo Fiolair
Passo pel Prat
Lou Boussu
Brezairola
Malurous qu'o uno Fenno

Tracks:

Chants d'Auvergne: Jou l'pount d'o Mirabel
Chants d'Auvergne: Oi ayai
Chants d'Auvergne: Per l'efon
Chants d'Auvergne: Tchut, tchut
Chants d'Auvergne: Pastorale
Chants d'Auvergne: Lou Coucut
Chants d'Auvergne: Obal, din lo coumb
Chants d'Auvergne: Quand z'eyro petitoune
Chants d'Auvergne: Laut, sur le rocher
Chants d'Auvergne: HBeyla-z-y dau f
Chants d'Auvergne: Postouro, su m'aymo
Chants d'Auvergne: Uno jionto postouro
Chants d'Auvergne: Lou diziou b
Bachianas brasileiras: Aria (Cantilena)
Bachianas brasileiras: Dansa (Martelo)

Customer Reviews:

Simply beautiful.......2005-08-07

Kiri Te Kanawa has one of the most beautiful operatic voices and no cd displays this better than Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne. These folk songs, sung in a french dialect, are sung perfectly by Kiri Te Kanawa. You do not need to understand the language to feel the emotions the songs evoke. This is a simply beautiful cd and Kiri is flawless.

Simply Sublime.......2004-02-27

What is it about these wonderful songs that tend to bring out the best in some of the world's finest sopranos?

There are so many fine recordings of these songs.

The great Frederica Von Stade recorded a quite mesmerizing selection of the Auvergne songs at about the same time as Dame Kiri. There is the lovely recording by the legendary Victoria De Los Angeles, a selection of the songs many of us grew up on.
There is the seminal first complete recording (and then some, as I recall) by the late Natania Davrath, a much under-appreciated artist who, in many ways, is responsible for the popularity these songs enjoy today. Even Anna Moffo recorded a lovely handful of the songs in the 60s conducted by no less than Leopold Stokowski!

And then there is Dame Kiri. We know her. We love her. We have come to expect the best from her. We have come to always expect more from her, in fact, than from just about anyone else.

So unfair. We expect her to jump the musical hurdles of our emotional connections to music and art in a way we expect from few others.

And yet she so seldom disappoints. Is this the absolute best recording of the Chants d'Auvergne ever? Such a personal choice. Who is to say?

I can tell you this, once I heard this truly remarkable set, which has literally sent chills up my back since the the first time I heard it all those years ago, I knew my search for the recording of these songs I would keep near me forever was over.

Here is an interpretation combining, in equal measure, patrician elegance with almost peasant-like eloquence. She renders song after song, some deceptively complicated, with a divine simplicity that simply defies the imagination.

I don't know how Dame Kiri achieved this miraculous feat. It must have come from the heart, because it certainly goes to mine.

And finally, it would be unthinkable not to give credit to the exquisite playing of the English Chamber Orchestra and the always sensitive collaboration of conductor Jeffrey Tate.

LUSH AND PASSIONATE!.......2003-03-09

These traditional songs from the Auvergne region of France, arranged and orchestrated by Joseph Canteloube, are so intensely beautiful that when I requested a classical radio station to play some of them, motorists stopped on the highway to phone in their thanks.

I first heard a selection of these songs 30 years ago, performed by Anna Moffo, and fell in love with them. It's wonderful to find a complete recording of all 5 series on this 2 CD set, sung by Kiri te Kanawa with enormous talent and verve. Whether the mood is passionate, playful, mocking, tender, mournful or-an emotion few composers have ever captured-helpless with pleasure, these pieces have one thing in common: they are the work of a master orchestrator at the height of his powers, using the fullest resources of the modern orchestra. You will not find more beautiful music than this!

Beautiful!.......2001-08-28

In my opinion, this is one of Kiri's better recordings. Her voice, while always gorgeous, is fresh and light here, and her interpretation, while not riveting, is certainly not boring. Musically, this is a wonderful collection, very romantic and lush in sound. A very worth-while recording.

Only Kiri.......2001-07-13

Dame Kiri te Kanawa has just the voice and character to make this music live. Her voice has a spiritual quality (as opposed to a human quality) that suits the fantasy and seductive qualities of the music. However, her characterization is not void of human qualities, a reminder that these are human feelings. The orchestra under Jeffrey Tate copes very well with the virtuosic writing for woodwinds and stratospheric strings. I heard Renee Fleming's recent interpretation of Bailero and the characterization was more human. Their voices are quite similar, but if you want angelic qualities, Kiri is the angel.

Average customer rating:

A great singer for a great price!!!
Martinez sounds beautiful on disc too!
Reminds me of Leontyne Price
Brava!!!
Martinez: Soprano Arias

Martinez: Soprano Songs and Arias

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Elina Garanca ~ Mozart Opera & Concert Arias
Spanish Night - Domingo
Opera Recital [Includes Bonus DVD]
Rolando Villazon: Opera Recital

ASIN: B000BK53G0
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

Les Filles De Cadix
Je Veux Vivre
O Mio Babbino Caro
Vilja-Lied
De Espana Vengo
Violetas Imperiales
Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
Bailero
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Aria (Cantilena)
Danca (Martelo)

Amazon.com

Ana Maria Martinez is a young Puerto Rican soprano with a natural Mediterranean warmth to her tone and an easy upper extension that is suitably bright but does not lose the color and texture of the rest of her voice. Hers is a true lyric which will probably grow darker soon; at the moment, vocally, there's little she has trouble with. Her high pianissimi are lovely, her agility is tested and true in Juliette's Waltz, her sense of rhythm impeccable, as exhibited in both "Les filled de Cadix" and an aria from the Zarzuela "El Nino Judio." Her version of Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5 is lovely, including the difficult hummed part at the end of the Aria. She lacks both the heft and interpretive subtlety--or interest--for "Un bel di" and Doretta's Dream and lacks charm in "O mio babbino caro," but her "Vilja-Lied" is ravishingly sung. As soon as she begins to delve a bit into the characters she's portraying, she'll be quite something; now, however, Martinez is already a fine singer, with a beautiful voice, and should be heard. Stephen Mercurio is the sympathetic conductor. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

A great singer for a great price!!!.......2007-07-01

In this quality CD, Ana María Martínez demonstrates a palettes of colors that clearly shows her mastery over the voice. Her ability to sing such diverse repertoire and keep an artistic consistency throughout the recording is to be expected of her.
Been myself a double bassist, I didn't quite appreciate the repertoire selections for this recording, although I loved the standards. Otherwise, I have played in the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra while accompanying Ana María, and I have always been astonished by her exquisite musical taste and how it shows through her voice. A great buy!!!

Martinez sounds beautiful on disc too!.......2007-04-10

In 2000, I became a fan of Anna Maria Martinez's voice when I appeared with her in a production of L'elisir d'Amor at Houston Grand Opera. Her beautiful tone , passionate acting and amazingly consistant technique made a memorable impression on me.
It is a pleasure to be able to hear her on my stereo and to play for my singing students, a lovely example of a gifted young soprano.
The next year (2001) she returned to sing a role in Catan's "Florencia en el Amazones" and her voice was even richer and more resonant.
I am not aware of any more recent solo recordings so get this one, and I hope that Naxos will bring her back to make another CD, more reflective of how she sings today.

Reminds me of Leontyne Price.......2006-08-04

A beautiful instrument. The voice has such clarity! The Aria choices superb! I cannot bestow enough accolades!

Brava!!!.......2006-02-21

This CD shows to the world what I have known for years.
Ana Maria Martinez in indeed one of the best sopranos alive today. I bought 25 copies of this CD for friends and family and they are all gone. Everyone loves it.
I have the priviledge of knowing Ana Maria for years and through her I met Steve Mercurio on one of Andre Bocelli's concerts( Ana was singing with Bocelli and Steve was conducting). What wonderful people they are. To both of them....Well done!!! Bravi!!!
Athos Colon, MD
Lubbock, Texas

Martinez: Soprano Arias.......2006-01-30

The quality of de cd is superb and so is Ana María Marinez.

Average customer rating:

Great representation of music from a great singer
Beautiful voice, great collection
Magnificent
Kiri Te Kanawa Is Peerless
I stood up also!!

Kiri
Kiri Te Kanawa , Giacomo Puccini , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , George Frideric Handel , George Gershwin , Giuseppe Verdi , Paul McCartney , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Marie-Joseph Canteloube , and Gustave Charpentier
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Kiri Te Kanawa - Ave Maria
Kiri Te Kanawa - Greatest Hits ~ 14 Favorites of Opera, Popular & Traditional Song
Kiri Te Kanawa Classics
Maori Songs
Kiri! Her Greatest Hits Live

ASIN: B00005O83O
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim - Kiri Te Kanawa/Crispian Steele-Perkins
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sono
Vesperae Solennes De Confessore, K.339: Laudate Dominum - Kiri Te Kanawa/Chor Of St Paul's Cathedral
Ave Maria
La Traviata: Attendo, Attendo... Addio Del Passato
Tosca: Vissi D'arte
Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro
Adriana Lecouvreur: Ecco: Respiro Appena. Lo Son L'umile Ancella
La Rondine: Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
Louise: Depuis Le Jour
Requiem: Pie Jesu
Chants D'Auvergne: Bailero
West Side Story: Tonight - Kiri Te Kanawa/Jose Carreras
Porgy And Bess: Summertime - Kiri Te Kanawa/New York Choral Artists
Oh, Kay!: Someone To Watch Over Me
Roberta: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Follow The Fleet: Let's Face The Music And Dance
High Society: True Love - Kiri Te Kanawa/Jim Hughes
Liverpool Oratorio: The World You're Coming Into
World In Union

Customer Reviews:

Great representation of music from a great singer.......2007-01-07

A terrific album by a great singer. This album represents the considerable territory that Kiri Te Kanawa covers in here repertoire. She moves easily from Handel to Puccini to Jerome Kern. The insertion of classic show tunes as a part of this CD is a nice little plus. Some opera stars absolutely kill popular music by overwhelming it with operatic technique (listen to Richard Tucker singing "What now my love"; this is a pleasant little tune, but it can't stand up to Tucker's voice of steel, using all the power at his command). Te Kanawa sings these songs, for the most part, nicely and does not overpower them with operatic conventions.

She does a wonderful job on Handel's "Let the bright seraphim," displaying good coloratura technique, as a matter of fact. This cut nicely illustrates the clean sound of her voice. Her version of "Dove sono" (from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro) is a reflective rendering of this aria. The smoothness of her vocal line is wonderful to hear. Her version of "Vissi d'arte" (from Puccini's Tosca) also illustrates the art of Dame Kiri.

The popular tunes that follow are very interesting. She and Jose Carreras, at the outset, begin to overwhelm "Tonight" (from "West Side Story," with--by the way--Leonard Bernstein himself conducting this cut), making it appear that this might be one of those dismal pieces where opera singers wreck songs. However, shortly thereafter, the song becomes more Broadway than Metropolitan Opera, and that is to the good. Better still are Te Kanawa's versions of classic songs such as "Summertime" (from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), where singing in a higher register works nicely and where she treats the song on its own terms; just so, Jerome Kern's "Smoke gets in your eyes" is sung so well. It is a poignant version of this song.

All in all, for those who are curious about Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, this is one interesting entrée. Well worth acquiring and listening to.

Beautiful voice, great collection.......2005-11-21

I think Kiri has a beuatiful voice, she is never overtly dramatic, but the people who call her the "church soprano" should hear this album. She can sing sacred music better than many other opera stars, but she is so great as Countess in Mozart's Figaro. This is a great collection of many different pieces, from operas, sacred works, musicals, all sung with lots of feeling. Let The Bright Seraphim is the aria she sang at the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, it is such a splendid performance. My favourite piece on this album is probably Mozart's Laudate Dominum, but there are no disappointing songs here. Her voice is so warm, and she really gets involved with the text. If you are a big fan of Kiri, you should get this collection, it is such a nice selection of her greatest hits, and it is a very good introduction for new fans.

Magnificent.......2005-02-20

I admit straightout to know nothing of opera - the cd is my first of its kind. Knowledge, however, is not required to enjoy this cd, only the ability to listen and feel.

Hearing her voice used as an instrument so beautifully I cannot but fall a little in love with her whenever listening to it.

The selection of tracks is varied; I probably prefer the classical tracks, but all are well performed in my opinion.

Kiri Te Kanawa Is Peerless.......2004-07-11

She looks and sounds so beautiful. The first time I ever heard the inimitable voice of Kiri Te Kanawa was on a recording of Salaambo's aria from CITIZEN KANE for the RCA film classics series on vinyl. It was one of the most haunting and beautiful pieces of music ever composed by Bernard Herrmann. It was Kiri Te Kanawa performance of this piece that was so incredible. I had seen the film several times, but to hear a high fidelity recording of Kiri Te Kanawa on this particular piece really demonstrated not only the raw talent but also a depth of intuitive emotion that she brought to Herrmann's composition. Anyone that could interpret the inner struggle behind Herrmann's music so precisely demonstrated an uncommon ability to become one with the music. Her performance of "Ave Maria" on this CD is referent and exquisite. I love Leonard Bernstein's piece from WEST SIDE STORY that Kiri performs so vibrantly with Jose Carreras. I still can't pronounce her entire name correctly but Kiri Te Kanawa is the epitome of a well-honed talent. The selections on this CD are appreciably diverse demonstrating her phenomenal range and abilities. Kiri Te Kanawa has been and still is a gift to us all. This CD is wonderful.

I stood up also!!.......2003-07-31

Yes, Kiri at 59 is something special indeed. The great moment for me in Edinburgh was Reynaldo Hahn's à Chloris - I always thought Susan Graham owned this song, but Kiri's version from that moment on was the one I will always remember.

Tracks:

Puccini: Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro
Delibes: Lakme: Flower Duet
Catalani: La Wally: Ebben?...Ne Andro Lontana
Strauss: Die Fledermaus: Mein Herr Marquis
Canteloube: Chants D'Auvergne: Bailero
Bellini: Norma: Casta Diva
Mozart: The Marriage Of Figaro: Che Soave Zeffiretto
Mozart: The Magic Flute: Der Holle Rache Kocht In Meinem Herzen
Mozart: The Abduction From The Seraglio: Welche Wonne
Verdi: The Sicilian Vespers: Merce, Dilette, Amiche
Verdi: Rigoletto: Caro Nome
Puccini: Tosca: Vissi D'Arte
Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremi
Puccini: La Rondine: Chi il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
Puccini: La Boheme: Quando M'en Vo'
Puccini: La Boheme: Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi
Schubert: Ave Maria

Tracks:

Bizet: Carmen: L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle
Offenbach: The Tales Of Hoffman: Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'Amour
Rossini: The Barber Of Seville: Una Voce Poca Fa
Verdi: La Traviata: E Strano.Ah Fors'e Lui.Sempre Libera
Mozart: The Marriage Of Figaro: Giunse Alfin Il Momento.Deh Vieni Non
Mozart: Don Giovanni: In quali Eccessi.
Villa-Lobos: Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Bach/Gounod: Ave Maria
Handel: Rinaldo: Lascia/Ch'io Pianga
Handel: Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim
Giordano: Andrea Chenier: La Mamma Morta
Flotow: Martha: Last Rose Of Summer
Puccini: Manon Lescaut: In Quelle Trine Morbide
Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde: Mild Und Leise
Orff: Carmina Burana: Cour D'Amours: In Trutina
Shenandoah

Customer Reviews:

Gruberova's Extraordinary "Mein Herr Marquis", Sumi Jo's winning "Der hölle Rache".......2007-06-30

I bought that 2-CD set only for the extraordinary performance of Adele's "Laughing Song" ("Mein Herr Marquis") by Edita Gruberova. It is highly surprising (and inexcusable IMO) that a great label as Universal/Decca wrongly gives it to Kiri Te Kanawa, and that another great company (amazon) relays that big error on this site; the recording is quite recognizable (Gruberova can't be confused with anyone; and at her final, you can't confuse the particular audience of that live performance unable to refrain from blowing their stunning and applause before end), and you can check J. Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Te Kanawa, Gruberova, Fassbaender, Bär, Wiener Philharmoniker, Previn and search it, 1st for "Gruberova", 2nd for "Kanawa".

Another track is, alone, worth buying the CD: Königin der Nacht's "Der hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" by Sumi Jo. Lucia Popp despite her quite deserved immense reputation for this, is beaten (IMO) by Cheryl Studer (purer and more subtle - at least when with Neville Marriner), who is in turn by Sumi Jo: Jo brings the incredible energy and speed and emotion yet chirurgical precision required by that piece full of terrible wrath and grudge (I once attended the Flute where Königin was on her balcony, pointing her finger at her daughter, far away in the court, giving full life to the ultra-powerful music and lyrics "The hellish revenge burns in my heart! Death and destitution to the traitor I hate! Strike him with this deadly weapon! Or you are not my daughter! never more and forever! Go away, ungrateful! Ungrateful! Everything is broken between us until he gives back his villain soul!"), she sings with perfect pitch, tempo and power even up to the 4-repeated highest note (F), with score in hand you find exceptionally little and small flaws, and only in secondary passages. And she sings with "no emotion added" (or removed!), I mean, she is quite accurate emotionally - not everyone is, particularly when singing perfectly such a masterpiece.

There are several more very good tracks (Casta Diva/Sutherland, Welche Wonne welche Lust/Kathleen Battle, O mio babbino caro/Fleming, Dôme épais le jasmin/Sutherland, Schubert's Ave Maria/Leontyne Price), each worth buying the disc, but I agree with previous reviewers that globally the selection is uneven.

Versailles, Sun 1 Jul 2007 01:55:40 +0200

Beautiful collection, even though not perfect.......2006-05-17

As many reviewers have said before, there is a lot of incoherencies in the choices of singers on this double CD. In order to be a truly ultimate collection, the boundaries of recording companies and rights must not interfere, as must have been in this case. This said, it is up to the private collector to accumulate his/her ultimate soprano collection, BUT these CDs are an enormous contribution!

It starts out very strong with beautiful pieces of, and then some singers repeat OFTEN. Not that they are bad choices, it's just that a greater variety would have been nice. More importantly it would have been great to have the "definitive" version/singer of a given aria. Just one example, Sumi Jo's Der Holle Rache is just everywhere as a previous reviewer mentioned -- let's not forget that there is a pristine-perfect-beyond-comparison of Lucia Popp's Queen of the Night also out there somewhere...just NOT on this particular CD...

As far as aria choices are concerned, that is a bit strange to me, too. Of all of Mozart's arias, why those and leave out the magnificent soprano aria from Zaide, "Ruhe sanft"? Hmm...But anyway, the CDs are much better than any other compilation I have of the same type. Highly recommendable after all.

Breathtaking performances of standard literature.......2005-06-09

This CD is a delight from start to finish. It covers most of the most famous soprano arias and duets, featuring celebrated performances by such artists as Nillson and Sutherland, Te Kanawa, Fleming and Bonney. The booklet lists the information on each performance, but does not include the translations. As all are very familiar peices, finding the opera from which they are taken should not be much of a challenge. Not all are opera arias, either; we have "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Let The Bright Seraphim" to mention a few of the sacred arias here. For opera collectors and those who are just starting to listen alike, this is a very enjoyable CD.

Finally, a 2-disc soprano collection from Decca.......2004-01-09

This is a great compilation to have. I understand that no Maria Callas recordings are not available on this CD because she was never part of the company. There, I set the record straight for any fans of the late opera singer who question it. There are, however, some sopranos and mezzos who are a part of the company that were left off as well, which is my reasoning for giving a 4-star rating rather than a five. Where are Cecilia Bartoli and Mirella Freni. I know that Freni is featured as Mimi on the recording of Musetta's Waltz, but it is minor on the recording, and there should be a recording of her singing an actual aria of her own. Also, recordings of "Dove Sono" (by Te Kanawa, for example), "Voi Che Sapete" (by Bartoli, let's say), "Signore Ascolta" by Caballe, and the Song to The Moon should all be on this compilation. Plus I think that Tatiana Troyanos' recording of the Habanera from Carmen should be featured rather that of Marylin Horne's. Other than that, the #1 Soprano Album is great.

The grandeur of the Opera.......2003-11-27

The #1 soprano album, is a compilation of the most popular opera arias.
This album includes some of the best female voices in history, such as:
Joan Sutherland
Monserrat Caballé
Birgit Nilsson
Renée Fleming
Leontyne Price
Sumi Jo
Kiri Te Kanawa
singing excerpts from Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly, La Bohéme, The Magic Flute, Carmen, Les contes du Hoffman, among many others.

Higlights:
O mio babbino caro/ Fleming
Dome epais le jasmin/ Sutherland & Berbié
Der hölle rache kocht in meinem herzen/ Jo
Un bel di vedremi/ Crespin
Let the bright seraphim/ Sutherland
La mamma morta/ Caballé
Mild und leise/Nilsson
among others.

This album is, in fact, a very good choice for the people who enjoys classical music. For the people that is not familiarized
with opera, this is a great oportunity to approach bel canto with some of the most beautiful voices in opera history.

Note: This compilation it's probably not complete (we miss many arias and some names as Flagstad and Callas) but it's a very good opera selection. Enjoy.

Canteloube - Chants d'Auvergne / Victoria de los Angeles
Average customer rating:

I Found It Sublime.

de los Angeles: Song of the Auvergne

Canteloube - Chants d'Auvergne / Victoria de los Angeles
Marie-Joseph Canteloube , Jean-Pierre Jacquillat , Victoria de los Angeles , and Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Canteloube, Joseph | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Kiri Te Kanawa - Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne, Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras

Mussorgsky: The Nursery: Sunless; Songs and Dances of Death

Joseph Canteloube: Songs Of the Auvergne

Lakme

Joseph Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne

ASIN: B00000K4FG
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Songs Of The Auvergne: La Pastoura als camps (Series I, No. 1)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Bailero (I - 2)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Trois Bourrees (I - 3): 1. L'aio de rotso
Songs Of The Auvergne: Troi Bourrees (I - 3): 2. Ound' onoren gorda
Songs Of The Auvergne: Trois Bourrees (I - 3): 3. Obal, din lou Limouzi
Songs Of The Auvergne: L'Antoueno (II - 2)
Songs Of The Auvergne: La Pastrouletta e lou Chibalie (II - 3)
Songs Of The Auvergne: La Delaissado (II - 4)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Lo Calhe (Bourree) (II - 5b)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Lo Fiolaire (III - 1)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Passo pel prat (Grande) (III - 2)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Lou Boussu (III - 3)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Brezairola (III - 4)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Malurous qu'o uno fenno (Bourree) (III - 5)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Oi, ayai (IV - 2)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Pour l'enfant (IV - 3)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Chut, chut (IV - 4)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Pastorale (IV - 5)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Lou Coucut (IV - 6)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Obal, din lo coumbelo (V - 1)
Songs Of The Auvergne: La-haut, sur le rocher (V -3)
Songs Of The Auvergne: He! beyla-z-y dau fe (Bourree) (V - 4)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Te, l'co, te! (V - 6)
Songs Of The Auvergne: Uno jionto postouro (Regret) (V -7)

Customer Reviews:

I Found It Sublime........2002-04-05

I recently acquired a large hard drive for my computer and set about loading my favorite CDs for instant listening while working in my home office. In that process I came upon this CD, but do not remember buying it. To be able to quickly jump from track to track, I loaded it and expected to make a quick decision whether to keep it or not, expecting the not. (I believe that I ordered this CD due to the similarity of the title with a CD of Jean Ferrat's that is quite special to me.)
WOW! Was I wrong! So wrong that I don't mind admitting it.
Victoria de los Angeles is one of the greats. Her command of her voice is superb. Her phrasing leaves me breathless. The previous reviewer called her voice too heavy for these songs. While I have not heard the works he/she noted, I did not have that reaction. The selection of works is marvelous. I cannot recommend this CD higher. I recommend it for the true classic connoisseur, for the person who 'just' likes classics, and for the person who likes some classics but not all and needs to hear a recognizable tune.
A last comment, my first thought was that the recording suffered because I (mistakenly) felt that the source of her voice in the recording was too removed from the microphone. I was wrong again. In fact the balance of her clear, soprano voice to the orchestra is perfect.

de los Angeles: Song of the Auvergne.......2001-11-08

De los Angeles's singing can be wonderful, as in her "On the Wings of Song." I find her voice too heavy for this music. I much prefer the version of the late Netania Davrath. Madline Grey's is also better.

Angelika Kirchschlager - when night falls

Average customer rating:

Gentle crossover that gets a bit sleepy
An Example of When Crossover Works
Lullabies for All Ages
A Wonderful Gift for a Baby!
Voice of an Angel

Angelika Kirchschlager - when night falls
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Marie-Joseph Canteloube , Stephen Sondheim , Franz Schubert , Gian Carlo Menotti , Franz Joseph Haydn , Johannes Brahms , Richard Rodgers , Carl Maria von Weber , Manuel de Falla , Xavier Montsalvatage , Aaron Copland , Miguel Kertsman , Alexander Zemlinsky , Angelika Kirchschlager , Roger Vignoles , Helmut Deutsch , John [guitar] Williams , Yuri Bashmet , London Metropolitan Ensemble , and Jonathan Rees
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Angelika Kirchschlager - Debut Recital Recording / Helmut Deutsch
Bach Arias
Erste Begegnung (First Encounter)
Angelika Kirchschlager Handel arias
Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines / Bonney, Graham, Eschenbach

ASIN: B00002MZ4Y
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

'Not While I'm Around'
The Sound Of Music: 'Edelweiss'
'Wiegenlied'
'Gestilte Sehnsucht'
'Geistliches Wiegenlied'
'Wiegenlied (Wie sich der Auglein)'
'Sandmannchen'
The Consul: 'Mother's Aria'
'Brezairola' (Berceuse)
Chants d'Auvergue: 'Oi Ayai'
'Ar hyd y nos' (All Through The Night)
'Sehnsucht nach dem Fruhling'
'Lass mich schlummern, Herzlein, schweige'
Siete Canciones populares espanolas: 'Nana' (Berceuse)
'Cancion de cuna para dormir a un negrito'
'The Little Horses' (Lullaby)
'Cantiga de Ninar' (Baby's Goodnight Song)
'Susse, susse Sommernacht'
'Wiegenlied' (Schlafe, schlafe, holder susser Knabe)
Into The Woods: 'Stay With Me'

Amazon.com

This record is most notable for its performances. Kirchschlager's singing is ravishingly beautiful and deeply expressive; the pianists and other instrumentalists are all first rate. Its content seems designed less for consistent musical quality and a balanced program than for variety and popular appeal. Yet the predominantly slow songs induce a certain monotony, and Mozart and Menotti, Brahms and Broadway musicals make strange stylistic bedfellows. However, many gems stand out in the mix: the two Brahms songs with viola, in which the renowned Yuri Bashmet is unfortunately almost inaudible; two Schubert Cradle Songs, one famous, one unknown; several enchanting Spanish songs; a Haydn arrangement of a Welsh lullaby better known as "All through the Night"; a lovely romantic song by Zemlinsky; and a lush, soaring one by Miguel Kertsman written for Kirchschlager and just right for her expressively inflected voice. She identifies with every idiom and pours so much care and affection into each song that one can well imagine a loving mother singing to her child, and indeed the record is dedicated to her little son. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Gentle crossover that gets a bit sleepy.......2006-06-01

When Sony's artist executives were German, they tried to promote the young Austrian mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager, but because of her difficult name (I am guessing) and the slackening classical music market, she never caught on. Today Kirchschlager is a star in Europe, and one sees her name on the Met roster. This, her second CD, is a gentle recital of lullabies, made more varied by adding Broadway tunes into the mix and bringing in star musicians like John Williams on guitar and Yuri Bashmet on viola.

The result is winning and thoroughly professional. Kirchschlager sings especially well in English, with a hybrid British-American accent but almost no German mannerisms. The closest comparison in terms of high mezzos would be with von Otter, and Kirchschlager's voice is at least as beautiful. But she lacks von Otter's imaginaiton, and after a while everything sounds a bit too square and placid--after all, these songs may be for babies, but the intended audience is also adults who go to lieder recitals, isn't it?

An Example of When Crossover Works.......2006-01-09

Angelika Kirchschlager is well known on the operatic stage and in chamber and orchestral programs where her forte is Mozart and Bach. Hers is a voice creamy rich and produced with incredible intelligence. She is also a communicator - in recital, in opera, in anything she does. It comes as no surprise then that an artist of this caliber (or her agent....!) is able to set the standard for the now ubiquitous 'crossover album' that most of the major singers find it necessary to make to gather in more admirers.

Selecting a wide variety of lullabies with varying settings feels so natural in Kirchschlager's elegant mezzo-soprano voice. Other artists have produced recitals of lullabies: Dawn Upshaw and Richard Goode immediately come to mind. But in this album, though not all of the works are of genius quality, Kirchschlager gives each her considerable talent and the result is a little night music that is equally as lovely for adults as for the intended audience of children (and of course their parents...).

With fine support from the London Metropolitan Ensemble, pianists Roger Vignoles and Helmut Deutsch, guitarist John Williams and violist Yuri Bashmet among others, Kirchschlager offers a rich variety of songs from Mozart, von Weber, Haydn, Brahms, Schubert, Canteloube, de Falla, Copeland, Sondheim, Rogers and Hammerstein and Zelimsky. And no matter the language or the setting they all work. This is an album to cherish and share and raises the respect for Angelika Kirchschlager even higher. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

Lullabies for All Ages.......2005-07-13

I bought this CD as a gift for my first grandchild to introduce her to the world of classical music. But when I played it, it enchanted me and my grandchild's parents even more than it did the baby. Angelika Kirschlager is a young Austrian mezzo-soprano who had previously been unknown to me. She sings these simple songs with a beautiful round warmth of tone.

The twenty selections on this CD include Brahms famous lullaby together with two lesser-known songs of Brahms accompanied by piano and viola. Schubert's two lullabies are included, and they are melting. There is a Mozart song (the theme of which he used in the third movement of his final piano concerto) and a Haydn arrangement of the Welsh folk -song "All Through the Night", which features an accompanying trio of violin, cello, and piano.
Aaron Copland's arrangement of "All the Pretty Little Horses" will delight young listeners, and there are songs by Richard Rogers, Steven Sondheim, C.M. Von Weber, and others to fill out an enchanting CD of music and dreams. Ms Kirschlager's singing is the highlight of this CD. She is accompanied well by a variety of pianists and by performers on the guitar, violin, cello, and flute. Texts and translations for the songs are included in the liner notes.

Although I bought this CD for my granddaughter, others dear to me have expressed interest, and I will be buying another copy.

Thanks to my Amazon friend Scott Morrison for recommending this CD and to the other perceptive reviewers of this lovely music.

Robin Friedman

A Wonderful Gift for a Baby!.......2005-02-15

Our family has just been blessed with a new grandson and one of my very thoughtful friends had the brilliant and generous idea to send the baby a copy of this wonderful collection of lullabies and nightsongs done so stunningly by the marvelous German mezzo, Angelika Kirchschlager. I am happy to report that the very first selection, Schubert's 'Wiegenlied' ('Cradle Song'), seemed to make him smile, even at his tender age. This bodes well for his developing discriminating musical taste because Ms Kirchschlager is a terrific singer. Her various accompanists provide sensitive support for her lovely and perfectly managed voice. She sings with impeccable diction in several languages and even in English I don't pick up any accent at all.

I must point out, however, that Amazon has listed the contents of this disc in an order different from that on the CD, but the musical samples they provide do match the titles listed.

Scott Morrison

Voice of an Angel.......2000-05-02

I was first introduced to Ms. Kirchlager three years ago and was instantly impressed. Her sumptuous voice and incredible beauty make her a delight to listen to, time and time again. When Night Falls, is only the most recent of what promises to be a long and impressionable career. From the ever popular "Edelweiss" to the easily recognizable "Wiegenlied", Ms. Kirchschlager approaches each song with the same heart-felt emotion as if she were singing to her own child. I have often listened to her CD late at night to help myself fall into my own sweet dreamland of "The Little Horses".

Average customer rating:

Great Bliss for Your Buck!

Peace: Pure Classical Calm

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Peace -- A Choral Album for Our Times
The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony
The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever!

ASIN: B00070EBR6
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Agnus Dei - National Youth Choir Of Great Britain
Gollum's Song - Nic Raine
II. Adagio - Julia Thornton
In Trutina - Janice Watson
Gnossienne No.1 - Anne Queffelec
Eddie - Michael Nyman
Puer Natus Est Nobis - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo, Silos Ismael Fernandez De La Cuesta
Meditation - Paul Tortelier
Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill
II. Andante - Diana Ambache
Air 'On The G String' - English Chamber Orchestra
The Swan - Susan Tomes
II. Adagio - Sharon Isbin
Requiem - Stephen Farr
Venus, The Bringer Of Peace - Sir Charles Mackerras