Songs My Mother Taught [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Songs My Mother Taught Me

2. Auf Flugein Des Gesanges

3. Homing

4. Oh! Si Les Fleurs Avalent Des Yeux

5. Serenade: Quand Tu Chantes

6. Bonnie Mary Of Argyll

7. Le Rossignol

8. I Came With A Song

9. I Was Dreaming

10. Si Mes Vers Avaient Des Ailes

11. La Crepuscule

12. Der Kuckuck

13. Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song

14. Midsummer

15. Oh! Quand Je Dors

16. Les Filles De Cadix

17. Il Bacio

18. Mattinata

19. Last Rose Of Summer

20. Bohemian Girl: I Dreamt Well In Marble Halls

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Remastered and Repackaged with the Addition of an Extra Seven Tracks, this Popular Album Will Now Reach a Whole New Generation of Fans.

Tracks:

O mio babbino caro (from 'Gianni Schicchi')
The Girl With Flaxen Hair (from Preludes, Book I; La fille aux cheveux delin: Prelude for Piano L 117/8)
Nocturne in C sharp minor (Op Post)
The Swan (from Carnival of the Animals)
Serenade (from 'Schwanengesang' song cycle for voice and piano, D 957
Casta Diva (from 'Norma')
Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467
Nocturne from Quartet for Strings No. 2 in D Major: 3rd movement
Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from 'Orfeo ed Euridice')
Songs My Mother Taught Me, song for voice and piano B104/4 Op 55/4
Pur ti Miro (from 'L'incoronazione di Poppea')
Elegie (Elegie 'O doux printemps d'autrefois' for voice and piano)
Traumerei ('Kinderszenen' for piano, Op 15, No. 7 'Dreaming')

Amazon.com

Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding tranquility. "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opens the disc, with Bell delicately accompanied by a harp and spinning the long melody with great sensitivity. Bellini's "Casta diva" from Norma lives up to its reputation as the epitome of bel canto in Bell's hands; his violin sings. The middle movement of Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto takes well to the violin, and Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is played with great warmth and sensuality. It would be easy to turn a recital like this into treacle, but Bell is wise enough to realize that the music is already sweet enough and he plays with great reserve and a minimum of sentimental slides. The light accompaniments always support, with woodwinds prominent but used with grace. This CD, in short, is a beauty: a fine gift, a lovely mood setter. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Romance of the Violin.......2007-07-16

While it's not my very favorite Joshua Bell CD, this is a pleasure to listen to!

End of the Day.......2007-06-08

I am a Joshua Bell fan, and this album is the one that I enjoy with my dessert, it calms me at the end of the day, and makes me think of my 6 year old granddaughter's visit. She has to have music on during meals at her home. Usually it is some kid stuff, but I do not have anything like she has at home, so I chose to play Joshua Bell during our dinner. When I placed the dessert before her, she looked up at me and said: "This music is so beautiful, I want to play the violin just like that". What more could I say.
He is inspiring, and she is right. This album is beautiful.

Wonderful!.......2007-05-30

I play this for my grandson to nap by. It is so relaxing and wonderful!

Over and over and over...........2007-05-17

That's how I want to play this CD! It's a wonderful line-up of rich, mellow, captivating compositions played with a warmth and vibrancy that is seldom heard. Joshua at his very best. You won't be disappointed.

Non-standard CD format.......2007-04-22

The music on this CD deserves five stars, but the CD itself is a non-standard format that doesn't work on all players. There's a tiny warning on the back of the CD. You won't notice the warning until you discover that the CD doesn't work on your player. My Macintosh computer wouldn't read the non-standard format so there was no way for me to listen in my office or put the music on my iPod.

A friend's PC was able to read the CD and make a copy in standard format that can be read on any player, including my Mac. The story had a happy ending, but I can not comprehend why the publisher chose the oddball CD specification.

The music is excellent and worth the trouble of making a copy, but the publisher really shouldn't make you go to that effort just to listen to a CD that you paid for.

Average customer rating:

Yo-Yo Ma is a genius

The Dvorak Album

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Yo-Yo Ma - Simply Baroque II ~ Bach & Boccherini / ABO, Koopman
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Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

ASIN: B0002VEPIU
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Concerto in B minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 104
Klid (Silent woods) for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68, No. 5
Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor, Op. 72
Humoresque No. 7 in G-flat Major, Op. 101
Songs My Mother Taught Me from Gypsy Melodie, Op. 55

Amazon.com

This compilation of music by Dvorak played by Yo-Yo Ma is just beautiful. Ma seems to understand just when Dvorak wants to be super-Romantic and sappy and when he is in fact being merely his usual expressive self. The former comes into bloom with the Slavonic Dance, in which he's accompanied by Itzhak Perlman and "Songs My Mother Taught Me," with Patricia Zander at the piano. But when it comes to revealing Dvorak as one of the most insightful and truly passionate of composers, with a particular understanding of the cello, Ma's playing of the B minor Concerto (under Kurt Masur, with the New York Philharmonic), the latter description comes into play. Ma gets every nuance out of the cello, and the way in which Masur, for instance, leads the winds against the cello at the start of the 2nd movement is just gorgeous. "Klid" ("Silent Woods") is given a deeply affecting reading as well, under Seiji Ozawa. 2004 is the 100th anniversary of Dvorak's death; this CD is fine tribute. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Yo-Yo Ma is a genius .......2004-11-16

words fail me on how to describe performance in this CD.It's very good, one of the best interpretations I have heard in a very long time. I must confess that since i discovered Ma du Pre I have not been able to listen to anything else nor did I attempt to do so. But out of the blue I bumped into this CD by chance & after hearing Yo Yo Ma's phraising especially the 1st movement infact the whole of Dvorak Cello was like something new to me.Ma plays with passion,emotions & strong commitment to the music in a different way.The Ochestra is in top form & allows the solo cello to shine at the right time.I never thought there is another interpretation that could surpass M.Rostropovich(Im sorry to say this I know he is a living legend & the 1969 record with Karajan is held in high esteem). Ma is accompanied by my favourate violinist Itzhak Perlman on "Humosresque no.7 for piano" & "Slavonic Dance no.10 in E minor"- the results are so sweet as many people know Perlman is a romantic specialist his tone with Ma's cello is heavenly.With regard to the "songs my mother taught me" the cello sounds good not best for the track personally im so used to hear the song being played on violin.There's nothing wrong with the cello it's just that it 's tone is a bit too strong for the composition but it's very well interpreted by Ma. They call this transcription in musical terms. Actually Ma deserves an apology as im one of those who have accused him of lacking in emotions &"look at me now i can play anything" attitude.I think those allegations are baseless & unwarranted when u hear this CD u will know u are into something beautiful. Overall grab this very fast before many people realise Yo-Yo Ma 's greatest gift of song.

Average customer rating:

Selection of Songs?
If you are a violin lover, buy it
This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman
This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection.

Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002RZO
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Salut D'amour, Op.12
Songs Without Words, Op.19: Sweet Remembrance
Humoresque
Berceuse, Op.16
Flight Of The Bumble-Bee
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
The Swan
Cavatina, Op.85, No.3
The Old Folks At Home
Liebesfreud
Moto perpetuo, Op.11
Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
String Quartet Op.11, No.1: Andante cantabile
Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op.55, No.4
Guitarre, Op.45, No.2
Romance In A Major, Op.94, No.2
Nocturne In E Flat, Op.55, No.2
Zapateado, Op.23

Customer Reviews:

Selection of Songs?.......2006-07-02

Perlman is a man of extraordinary clarity and tonality also one of my favorite violinists. After I finish practicing a piece I usually find a recording to listen to different interpretations. Most of them are by Perlman and Heifetz. Unfortunately this album has some obscure songs and the songs itself do not do justice to Perlman what some other songs may have done. Still it is important to broaden the scope, so I would recommend this to all music connoisseurs :). btw i'm only 16 so...don't take this review too literal huh?

If you are a violin lover, buy it.......2003-01-19

It's beautiful. Simply put.

This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman.......2000-12-03

Perlam is already a great player like the whole world knows. But the music selection couldn't better! I espacily like the piano accomplimant. Perlman pays the pieces with true style. The working realtionship between Perlman and the Pianist is truly incredible. Before geting any of Perlman's other greatest hits albums, get this one!

This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection........1998-11-12

This collection of familiar tunes will provide a relaxing hour with one of the world's premier violinists. However, the combination of "The Old Folks at Home" and "Motto perpetuo" is somewhat difficult to assimilate. At any rate, Perlman is a listener's joy!

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
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Renée Fleming
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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:

Wonderful
Thanks you Decca
Exquisite music for the soul
Indeed a joy forever!
Exquisite collection & performances, unbelievable value!!!

Violin Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cello Adagios
Piano Adagios
Romantic Adagios
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ASIN: B000058BGY
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Thais: Meditation - Nigel Kennedy
Vn Con No.1 in g, Op.26: Adagio - Kyung Wha Chung
Con No.4 in f, RV 297 'Winter': Largo - Alan Loveday
Con in d, BWV 1043: Largo, Ma Non Tanto - Henryk Szeryng/Maurice Hasson
Adagio in E, K.261 - Henryk Szeryng
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Akiko Suwanai/Philip Moll
Vn Con in D, Op.77: Adagio - Joshua Bell
Vn Con: Andante - Joshua Bell
Melodie - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Vn Son No.5 in F, Op.24 'Spring': Adagio Molto Espressivo - Itzhak Perlman/Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vn Con in D, Op.35: Canzonetta: Andante - Leila Josefowicz
Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op.55 No.4 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
None But The Lonely Heart - Josef Sakonov
The Gadfly: Romance - Alexander Kerr

Tracks:

Romance No.2 in F, Op.50 - Arthur Grumiaux
Vn Con in E, BWV 1042: Adagio - Midori
Salut D'amour - Kyung Wha Chung/Philip Moll
Ave Maria, D.839 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Con in a, RV 522: Larghetto - Midori/Pinchas Zukerman
Son in D, Op.1 No.13: Larghetto - Iona Brown
Vn Con No.3 in G, K.216: Adagio - Arthur Grumiaux
Liebesleid - Joshua Bell/Paul Coker
Vn Con in e, Op.64: Andante - Kyung Wha Chung
Souvenir D'un Lieu Cher, Op.42: Melodie - Akiko Suwanai/Philip Moll
Vn Con in d, Op.47: Adagio Di Molto - Kyung Wha Chung
Vn Con in D, Op.35: Romance: Andante - Chantal Juillet
Standchen, D.957 No.4 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Estrellita - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Orchestral Ste No.3 in D, BWV 1068: Air ('Air On A G String') - ASMF/Neville Marriner

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2005-11-07

An excellent compilation of folk tunes and violin concerto adagios, played masterfully by some of the world's most revered musicians. Features modern pieces (Korngold, Barber), which are a personal favorite of mine.

Thanks you Decca.......2005-01-23

My daughter is a violin student of 7 years and she has played 3 or 4 of these pieces for recitals. I bought the CD's so she could become familiar with the pieces as she was learning to play them. Now I find myself listening to the CD's almost every night when I go for my end of the day drive to relax. My favorites are the Mozart Concerto in G, the Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor and Beethoven's Romance in F on disc 2, but all the songs are exquisitely beautiful. I highly recommend it.

Exquisite music for the soul.......2004-06-14

These CDs have the most incredible selections of music on them. Listening to the violins has enabled me to complete papers for my doctoral level classes without the usual neck aches. This is soothing, exquistie music for the soul! Lovely!!

Indeed a joy forever!.......2003-05-22

Before buying this 2 CD set,I've read Reviews by Chicagodreamer,
who rated it as "Highly, highly recommended." His laudatory recommentation, I must say, is found "well justified."

Exquisite collection & performances, unbelievable value!!!.......2002-01-15

"Over 2 l/2 hours of the world's most beautiful music." These words on the cover are very close to true. What an incredible value this collection is!! So many of these compilations of this sort are cheaply produced, and those "greatest hits" collections are one trite piece after another -- after a while one runs screaming to the stereo to shut it off. However, this collection is top-notch, and the performers they chose are masterful musicians at the top of their game. Every selection is lovely, each one unfolding after the other in a sublime slide show of exquisite compositions performed by legends. This is TWO CDs of sparkling performances composed and performed by masters. There is not a bad selection or a piece of inferior quality in the entire lot.

Tracks:

The Swan
Ave Maria
Greensleeves
Black Orpheus
The Dove
Vocalise
Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
El Condor Pasa
Begin The Beguine
A Child's Folksong
Farewell To Cuba
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Blessing
Satin Doll
The Girl From Ipanema
Coventry Fantasy

Product Description

Baby Cello CD. Soothing Music From 24 Cellos 1. The Swan 2. Ave Maria 3. Greensleeves 4. Black Orpheus 5. The Dove 6. Vocalise 7. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 8. El Condor Pasa 9. Begin the Beguine 10. A Childs Folksong 11. Farewell to Cuba 12. Songs my Mother Taught Me 13. Blessing 14. Satin Doll 15. The Girl from Ipanema 16. Coventry Fantasy

Customer Reviews:

We love this C.D.!.......2005-04-03

We received the Baby Cello C.D. as a gift, and my husband and I just love it. The music is truly moving in the most uplifting way, and the songs chosen are just beautiful; not at all stuffy. The true test was when our two-year-old, who had not had a nap all day, got completely wired and still would not go to sleep after 10 p.m. She screamed for 20 minutes as we tried to get her down, until I put Baby Cello on, and the screaming stopped instantaneously! She went to sleep to the C.D. without another wimper! We highly recommend Baby Cello for parents and babies alike, and have bought it for other parents with babies that we know. It uplifts, as well as soothes, depending upon what time of day we put it on, and it serves as wonderful dinner music as well. We can't imagine anyone not loving this C.D.! A.and J. Pieri, Albany,CA

Glorious sound.......2005-01-23

I am so pleased with Baby Cello. The sound of this music is utterly glorious. Soothing doesn't begin to describe it. My 2 year old and I love listening to it at all times of day.

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

Average customer rating:

Mill. Classical review
classical music for the unitiated
Some little gems there that I had forgotten!
A very helpful collection
Excellent!

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000K1C9
Release Date: 1999-08-24

Tracks:

Brandenbutg Concerto No.3 In G First Movement
Overture No.3 In D Second Movement
Violin Concerto In E First Movement
Prelude In C minor
Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Chorus From Cantata No.147)
Overture No.2 In B minor Minuet And Badinerie
Oboe Concerto In D minor Second Movement
Brandenburg Concerto No.4 In G Third Movement
Musical Offering - Fuga canonica
Easter Oratorio - Overture
Minuet In D minor
Kommst Du Nun, Jesu, Vom Himmel herunter(From Choral Prelude BWV 650
Brandenburg Concerto No.1 In F Second Movement
Art Of The Fugue - Contrapunctus 9
Concerto For Flute, Violin, Harpsichord And Strings. Triple Concerto - Third Movement
Overture No.4 In D - Réjouissance
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Water Music - Alla Hornpipe
Xerxes - Ombra Mai Fu (Largo)
Messiah - And The Glory Of The Lord
Concerto Grosso In A Minor, Op. 6, No. 4 - Larghetto Affettuoso
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 4 Allegro
Water Music - Air
Messiah - For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Concerto Grosso In B flat, Op. 3, No. 2 - Largo
Salomon - Sinfonia, Act 3
The Choice Of Hercules - While For Thy Arms
Water Music - Allegro (Suite No. 1)
Suite No. 5 In E - Air With Variations
Jephtha - How Dark, O Lord
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 5 Alla Siciliana - Presto
Mi Palpita Il Cor (Solo Cantata) S'un Di M'adora
Water Music - Andante Allegro Da Capo
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra in E-flat: First Movement
Symphony No. 94 in G: Surprise Symphony-second movement
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in D: Third Movement
Flute Trio No. 31 in G: Second Movement
Symphony No. 31 in D: Hornsignal-First Movement
String Quartet No. 17 in F, Op. 3, no. 5: Serenade Quartet-Second Movement
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra-Third Movement
Concerto for 2 Horns & Orchestra in E-flat: Second Movement
Symphony No. 88 in G: Fourth Movement
String Quartet No. 77 in C: Kaiser Quartet-Poco adagio cantabile
Notturno No. 1 in C: Second Movement
Symphony No. 98 in B: Londoner No. 4-Fourth Movement
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - first movement
Piano Concerto in A - second movement
Flute Concerto in D - Rondeau
Serenade - Minuet
Violin Concerto - first movement
Symphony No. 40 in G minor - first movement
Clarinet Concerto - second movement
Turkish March
Divertimento - Minuet
Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat - first movement
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67-First Movement
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2: Moonlight Sonata-First Movement
Overture
O welche Lust (Prisoners' Chorus)
Ha, welch ein Augenblick (Pizarros's Aria)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Second Movement
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 61: Third Movement
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13: Pathétique-Second Movement
Sympony No. 6 in F, Op. 68: Pastorale-First Movement
Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 80: Choral Fantasy - Finale
German Dance No. 1 In C
Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 In G-Flat
Heidenroslein
Ave Maria
Der Lindenbaum
Quintet In A 'Trout Quintet' - Andante
Mass No. 6 In E-Flat - Kyrie
Die Schone Mullerin Des Mullers Blumen
German Dance No. 2 In G
Piano Sonata In B-Flat
Nachtgesang Im Walde
Winterreise - No. 15: Die Krahe
German Mass - Zum Sanctus (Heilit, Heilig Ist Der Herr)
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished' - Second Movement
Waltz No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 18 Grande Valse brillante
Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, no. 2
Etude in G-flat, Op. 10, no. 5
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21-Second Movement
Mazurka in D minor, Op. 33, no. 2
Prelude in D-flat, Op. 28, no. 15 Raindrop
Etude in C, Op. 10, no. 1
Nocturne in D-flat, Op. 27, no. 2
Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 Fantasy Impromptu
Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35-Third Movement
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor - first movement 113.String Seranade - Waltz
Violin Concerto - second movement
The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz
Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Swan Lake - Waltz
Eugene Onegin - Polonaise
The Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers
Orchestral Suite No. 4 - Mozartiana - Third Movement
Swan Lake - Dance of the Swans
Symphony No. 6 in B minor - Pathétique - Third Movement
Hungarian Dance No.5
Lullaby
Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op. 68 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in E-flat, Op.117, no. 1
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 77 - Third Movement
Waltz, Op. 39, no. 15
Concert for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 - Second Movement
String Quintet in G, Op. 111 - Second Movement
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76, no. 7
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor
German Requiem Selig sind die Toten (Final Chorus)
Die Fledermaus - Overture
Kaiser Waltz, Op.437
Thunder And Lightning Polka, Op. 324
Roses From The South Waltz, Op. 388
AnnenPolka, Op. 117
Vienna Blood Waltz, Op. 354
Eljen A Magyar Polka, Op. 332
Wine, Women and Song Waltz, Op. 333
On The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 134
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg - Overture
Tannhauser - Die Pilger sind's (Pilgims' Chorus)
Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern (Wolfram's Aria)
Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude and Bridal Chorus
The Flying Dutchman - Jo-ho-he Traft ihr das Schiff (Senta's Ballad)
The Flying Dutchman - Steuermann, lass die Wacht (Sailors' Chorus)
Die Walkure - Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond (Siegmund's Aria)
Die Walkure - Ride of the Valkyries
Siegfried Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer (Siegfried's Forging Song)
Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod
Thus sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (excerpt)
Don Juan, Op. 20
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64, I.Nacht
Don Quixote, Op.35, first movement: Introduction
Salome, Op. 54, Dance Of The Seven Veils
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, Finale: Hab' mir's gelobt ihn lieb zu haben
Piano Concerto 2 In C minor, Op. 18 - First Movement
Vocalise, Op.34, No. 14
Prelude In G Sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G minor, Op. 40 - Third Movement
Symphony No. 2 In E minor, Op. 27 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F sharp minor, Op. 1 - Second Movement
Rhapsody, Op. 43 On A Theme By Paganini
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Liebestraum No.3 in A-flat
Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat - third movement
Angelus
Mephisto Waltz No.1 (Dance in a Village Tavern)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H
Dante Symphony - Finale. - Purgatorio - Magnificat
Les Préludes
Boléro
Daphnis et Chloé first movement: Nocturne
Rhapsodie Espagnole
Shéhérazade - first movement: Asie
Ma Mère l'Oye - fourth movement: La Belle et la Bête
Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
La Valse
Slavic Dance No. 1 in C, Op. 46, no.1
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' - second movement
Humoresque, Op. 101
Slavic Dance No. 8 in G minor, Op. 46, no. 8
Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 22 - second movement
Romance for Violin and Orchestra In F minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 7 in D minor - third movement
Melodie (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
Carneval Overture, Op. 92
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104 - third movement
Symphony No.4 In A, Op. 90. Italian - First Movement
Frühlingslied In A, Op. 62, No. 6
Wedding March (From A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61)
Duetto In F, Op.30, No.6 (From Songs Without Words)
String Symphony No.9 In C. Schweitzer Symphony - Third Movement
Concerto For Violin, Piano And String Orchestra No. 1 In D minor - Second Movement
Symphony No.3 In A minor, Op.56 Scottish - Third Movement"
Notturno (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
String Symphony No. 12 In G minor - First Movement
Venetian Gondola Song In F Sharp minor, Op.30, No.6
Scherzo (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Violin Concerto In E minor, Op.64 - Third Movement
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - Morgenstimmung
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - I. Prelude. Allegro vivace
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - IV. Air. Andante religioso
Arietta, Op. 12, no. 1
Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Solveig's Song
Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Op. 65, no. 6
The Last Spring, Op. 34, no. 2
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op 46 - Anitra's Dance
Nordic Melody Op. 63
Notturno, Op. 54, no. 4
Elegie, Op. 47, no. 5
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Arabic Dance
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - Allegro
Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 97 - Rhenish - first movement
Traumerai (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)
Mondnacht (from Eichendorff-Liederkreis, Op. 39)
Aufschwung (from Fantasietucke, Op. 12)
Triolett, Op. 114, no. 2
Tanzlied (No. 1 from Duets, Op. 78)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 - second movement
Frühlingsgruss
Abschied (from Waldszenen Op. 82)
Dichterliebe, Op. 48 - Im wunderschonen Monat Mai
Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Romance in F sharp, Op. 28, no. 2
Die Rose stand im Tau
Liebesgarten (from Four Duets, Op. 34)
Warum? (from Fantasiestucke, Op. 12)
Kennst du das Land, Op.79, no. 29 (from Lieder der Mignon, Op. 98a)
Von fremden Landern und Menschen (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Album Description

An extraordinary 20-CD collection of great works by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Schumann, Wagner, Dvorak, Grieg and Liszt. It also features worldrenowned artists such as Sir Neville Marriner, Martha Argerich, Ivo Pogorelich, Hermann Prey, Reiner Goldberg, Sylvia Sass, Jochen Kowalski, Peter Schreler and many more. This exquisite, copper metallic, deluxe boxed set is the perfect gift for the classical music neophyte.

Customer Reviews:

Mill. Classical review.......2007-05-13

This is a great set of recordings for the money, the only problem was I've had to clean some of the CD's before they played correctly.

classical music for the unitiated.......2007-04-01

This set is a good way to start listening to classical music. It's very well produced and easy to listen to. I purchased it to use as part of my world history high school class. It would have been nice to have some bio information on the composers. However, the product is exactly as advertised and good value for the money. The students were intrigued by how many of the excerpts they had heard before.

Some little gems there that I had forgotten!.......2007-03-30

Although I studied classical music at school, I had all but forgotten it until I bought this set. I heard several tracks I haven't heard for over 30 years, and I had been humming Brahms's 'Hungarian Dance no. 5' for years without ever knowing what it was and it was on the disc, so that was nice.

I found it to be a very good selection overall, but I felt too much had already been heard on TV, which of course is what lots of newcomers to classical music might appreciate. I managed to find about 2 hours of tracks that I wanted to keep, which works out quite expensive per disc, but I did find some wonderful music I had completely forgotten about, so it was worth it. All in all, it represents good value, and I have only knocked one star off as so much of it had been used in adverts.

It is definitely a good introduction to classical music, and it has made me want to listen to more of it, so I don't regret this 'expensive' purchase one bit!

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

A very helpful collection.......2007-03-24

I define this set as an excellent way to find out who you like, and who you don't, among 20 of the important composers. It opens the door to purchasing more complete pieces by composers you do like, and can save a lot of time and money in the process.
To criticize the set for not containing more composers, or more than just snippets of those who are in the set, is missing the point: it is a helpful introduction to finding your way in the huge maze of classical music. It succeeds admirably in this.
Sound quality is uniformly very good on an audiophile system.
Highly recommended.

Excellent!.......2007-03-08

A great way to start a classical music collection. It's nice to have a full CD of each composer. It makes it easy to keep track of selections/composers I already have and what composers I still need to puchase to complete my collection.

Romance Of The Violin (Live From New York In Concert)

Average customer rating:

Excellent performances, both audio and video
Great music, lousy format!

Romance Of The Violin (Live From New York In Concert)
Joshua Bell
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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Similar Items:

Voice of the Violin
Ladies in Lavender
The Essential Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell - Gershwin Fantasy
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00076ZZB6
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi
The Girl With Flaxen Hair
Nocturne
The Swan
Serenade
Casta Diva from Norma
Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467
Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice
Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 in D Major
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Pur ti Miro from 'L'incoronazione di Poppea
Elegie: O doux printemps d'autrefois
Trerei

Album Description

CD AUDIO SIDE: Entire Album

DVD SIDE: * Entire album in Enhanced LPCM Stereo * Video of highlights from Joshua Bell Romance of the Violin Live from Lincoln Center with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra * Complete Discography This disc is intended to play on standard DVD and CD players. May not play on a limited number of models.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performances, both audio and video.......2007-01-09

I was delighted with this Dual Disc. Performances are excellent, both audio and video. Recording quality is very good.

I must report some problems with CD side (cracks) on older CD player.

Great music, lousy format!.......2007-01-03

I love the music, but was VERY unhappy to be unable to play this CD on my computer. The DVD side works okay, but I can't load this to itunes on my macintosh. And I can't load the DVD to my computer and store this disk at home. If I had it to do over, I'd buy the plain vanilla CD!

San Francisco and Other Jeanette MacDonald Favorites

Average customer rating:

Jeanette MacDonald Favorites
A MUST for any Jeanette fan!
Jeanette MacDonald Was Unique
An excellent demonstration of Jeanette MacDonald's artistry

San Francisco and Other Jeanette MacDonald Favorites

Manufacturer: RCA
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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

When I'm Calling You
Love's Old Songs
Ah Sweet Mystery of Life: Anthology (1931-1938)
San Francisco
Through the Years

ASIN: B000003F6P
Release Date: 1991-11-09

Tracks:

Ciribiribin
The Firefly: Giannina mia
The Firefly: The Donkey Serenade
Naughty Marietta: Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
Naughty Marietta: Italian Street Song
New Moon: Lover Come Back To Me
New Moon: One Kiss
Smilin' Through: Land Of Hope And Glory
Rose Marie: Indian Love Call
San Francisco
The Holy City
Love Parade: March Of The Grenadiers
Monte Carlo: Beyond The Blue Horizon
The Fortune Teller: Romany Life
The Vagabond King: Only A Rose
Les filles de Cadiz
Ave Maria
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Romeo et Juliette: Je veux vivre dans ce reve
Faust: Il etait un roi de Thule
Faust: Air des bijoux
Louise: Depuis le jour

Customer Reviews:

Jeanette MacDonald Favorites.......2007-05-13

This CD is an incredible testimony and celebration of an American Master Singer.
A must have for all. An introduction to quality and good taste for a new generation of music lovers.

A MUST for any Jeanette fan!.......2006-04-25

This CD is a gem! The songs included on it are beautiful and show off MacDonald's incredible voice. The best part of this CD, however, is the sound quality. Unlike many of her other recordings, and those featuring her with frequent costar Nelson Eddy, the sound on this CD is pristine, and you can barely tell the recordings are 50+ years old!

Jeanette MacDonald Was Unique.......2001-03-12

It really doesn't matter whether or not she could sing; Jeanette MacDonald was unique. On these old recordings, her voice sounds thin and watery, and contemporary tastes do not respond so readily to the sentimentality and predictability of her movies. But she was a gracious lady and glittering presence on the silver screen. These film songs do suggest the excitement she generated when her movies first appeared. And how many truly major singers she inspired! Joan Sutherland recalled meeting MacDonald a few years before her death. Said Sutherland: "I still had stars in my eyes."

An excellent demonstration of Jeanette MacDonald's artistry.......1998-12-18

The highlights of this Jeanette MacDonald CD include her excellent singing of Delibes' "Les Filles de Cadiz," the Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria," and the "Jewel Song" from "Faust." A much-underrated artist, MacDonald proves here that she can handle a wide range of music, from concert songs and opera arias to familiar tunes from her operetta films. Particularly fine are her renditions of "Only a Rose," and Herbert's "Romany Life" (in spite of an amateurish male chorus). Highly recommended not only as a tribute to filmdom's first lady of song, but also to listeners who enjoy both opera and musical comedy.

Average customer rating:

A European modernist embraces Ives
Great Performances, but the Star of this CD is Charles Ives
works grow and transform themselves
a fresh take on sonata no. 2
It takes a Frenchman to capture an American masterpiece!

Ives: Concord Sonata; Songs
Pierre-Laurent Aimard , Susan Graham , and Charles Ives
Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Ives: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4
Ives: An American Journey
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+
Charles Ives: Songs
Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2 / The Gong on the Hook & Ladder, or Firemen's Parade on Main Street / Tone Roads No. 1 / Hymn: Largo Cantabile, for String Orchestra / Hallowe'en / Central Park in the Dark / The Unanswered Question - Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic

ASIN: B0001HZ6MO
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

The Things Our Fathers Loved
The Housatonic At Stockbridge
From The Swimmers
Memories (A - Very Pleasant, B - Rather Sad
Ann Street
Serenity (A Unison Chant)
1, 2, 3
Songs My Mother Taught Me
The Circus Band
The Cage
The Indians
Like A Sick Eagle
A Sound Of A Distant Horn
September
Soliloquy (Or A Study In 7ths And Other Things)
A Farewell To Land
Thoreau
Emerson
Hawthorne
The Alcotts
Thoreau

Amazon.com

Ives' Second Sonata is one of the toughest, but it holds no fears for Aimard, a noted interpreter of Messiaen, Ligetti, and other moderns who require virtuoso technique and idiomatic expertise. Each of its four movements is titled for New England luminaries: Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and Thoreau. The longest, "Emerson," is knotty and energetic, bristling with a minefield of cluster chords. "Hawthorne" is a genial scherzo exhibiting a wider palette, while "The Alcotts" is a lyrical paean to domestic tranquility. "Thoreau" embraces the mysteries of nature, played with intensity by Aimard. There's an abundance of power in his playing, but also ravishing effects like the startling diminuendo in "Thoreau" and the array of marches, hymns, and parlor songs Ives threw into the mix. His terrific "Concord" Sonata is matched by the survey of Ives' inventive songs, 17 of them superbly sung by Susan Graham with Aimard superb as her piano partner. Graham captures every nuance of a mind-boggling variety of idioms, from nostalgia, tenderness, and hilarious miniatures like "Ann Street" and the sendup of opera in "Memories - A," among many other highlights. This one's a must for Ivesians, fans of musical eccentricity, modern music enthusiasts, and anyone in search of musical surprises, which abound on almost every track. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A European modernist embraces Ives.......2007-01-08

Chalres Ives was 46 when he published his "Concord"Sonata, and as the liner notes tell us, its sprawling shape and diverse styles are the result of gathering a lot of music previously composed (none of it for solo piano) and needing a single dwelling. Ives always had his own ideas about how music is held together or flies apart. He wasn't afraid to have it fly apart, and often his notion of coherence was so private, rooted in personal memories, that an outside listener can't be expected to penetrate the associations.

Aimard goes a long way in erasing the ecdentricity, privacy, and quirkiness of Ives's idiom bydrawing the sonata into the mainstream of European modernism, giving it the same clean, detailed, accurate, and impressionistic style that he might give to other individualists like Ligeti and Messiaen. (It's also nice to have the viola addition to the first movement and the flute in the fourth.) The "Concord" Sonata becomes a virtuosic event in his hands, no longer a purely "American" sport. I do find that listening to this vast work is better in concert, where its appearance is always a special occasion. But one has to be grateful for Aimard's quantum leap in execution compared to earlier recordings.

Ives gathered his huge output of 114 songs into a collection two years after the sonata. Susan Graham picks 15 of them, adding two more that folowed after 1922. These songs ask for a vocal chameleon who can shift instantly from Victorian parlor style to patriotic exuberance, folk song, whimsy, rapt nostaliga, and more. No one to date has been able to encompass this enormous range of expression, but Susan Graham comes as close as any. I would rank her with Jan De Gaetani, Thomas Hampson, and William Sharp among the singers I know who excel in Ives, and above the too-classical, somewhat congested renditions by Marilyn Horne and Jennifer Lamore. Aimard's accompaniment misses the Yankee flavor of the marches and patriotic snatches, but in its modernist way his style is as effective as in the sonata. Highly recommended for lovers of this music.

Great Performances, but the Star of this CD is Charles Ives.......2005-08-10

The uniquely atypical music of Charles Ives continues to mature and embed itself in the minds of larger and larger audiences every year. Practically every major orchestra in this country (and in Europe) now includes at least his symphonies in the standard repertoire. His music is probably as 'American' as any composed, so conjoined with literature and history and folksongs and all manner of Americana. This superb recording takes us one step further in appreciating Ives' gifts: his breathtaking Concord Sonata is coupled with one of the finest selections of his many songs and both sonata and songs are performed with consummate skill by pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and mezzo soprano Susan Graham.

Aimard's approach to this big piano work is one of direct approach to the complexities of line and mood and in that approach he doesn't allow his own personality to blur Ives' message. Aimard can tackle the impossibly difficult passages and keep them transparent: he can also find the inner quiet beauty as well as any other pianist. The result is a Concord Sonata of majesty and honest simplicity.

Susan Graham has long included Ives' songs in her recitals and that experience shows in her approach to this varied selection. Graham is an immensely intelligent musician, one who can find the meaning of even a brief song in an instant. She is in fine vocal form here, and her collaboration with Aimard completes a presentation that will be difficult to match. This is a fine recording and an excellent entry point for music lovers who may have been wary of Ives' challenges. Relax and enjoy this recital. Grady Harp, August 05

works grow and transform themselves.......2005-04-07

First off this is an Ives cornocopia of songs, all sung here with the reserve that is needed, I've heard too many American art Songs, Copland, Rorem and Ives with that wrongheaded "sing-songin" delivery, it is arrogant if nothing else, and the "cutsy-ness" of it does reach the audience,unless you simply want to be entertained and you checked your brain with your cash at the box office. Straightforward Ives is I think to most effective way of playing his music,that's why I still prefer the Kalish, he brings a gritti-ness to the Concord. Aimard (and all of us) has had time since the Seventies to think and re-think this piece, and there something should be said for the way music grows, transforms itself for different time periods, isn't that why music develops itself it is striongly constituted in the first place, it is well thought through, et cetra, construction all the obvious, Copland's "Piano Variations" is a similar example, the music simply changes with time, well we change, the music is fixed.So I guess there are simply different readings.

Aimard does bring some nice clarity,like to "Hawthorne", the blazing quickness searching until the "forearm" clusters stop the flow, the onward rush of the imagination, words can change the meaning of themselves this quickly which I think is what Ives saw in Hawthorne the writer.

For the "Alcotts" any kind of nostalgia is OK with me,the simple Bb triad timbres capturing the informed naivtivitee of the little home with Bronson Alcott the speaker public man of speaking (there is a difference between public speaking and lecturer,someone who teaches as opposed to simply speaking something Bush II knows quite well.Better simply to speak without saying anything.) This is not here however for Ives loved the Utopian aspect of Danbury existential renderings, the reflections back and forth of the lifeworld, the richness of culture of the complexity of the word,place, song, timbre,all in forms of strength all mixed blending together. Aimard simply brings things out I;ve never heard before, but then that is his approach always to clarify,and that is not always the best approach in Ives where his music does ask questions, his music we have learned should be opaque, and unexplanable,terse yet convoluted; it should not lead you by the nose at each and every moment.And Aimard I;m afraid does want to lead here. I think he thinks the opaqueness will happen by itself, its already in the music, he lets this occur in the fast sections,making it a pure texture,like Debussy, I guess Ives was an existential impressionist with transcendental content.

a fresh take on sonata no. 2.......2004-07-28

I have a slightly different view than with the previous review, as well as the Davis review. If you are a fan of Ives (you probably are if you are interested in this cd), then you may not need to bother with half of this cd. Messo Susan Graham is quite out of touch with the character studies of these wonderful songs. When she isn't yodelling many times louder than she ought to on some high notes to demonstrate her vocal command, she becomes the epitomy of boredom and banality. I imagine Ben Stein could give a more lifelike reading of 'The Circus Band'. The jovial cheer "hear the trombones!" sounds more akin to a yawn on this version. Since when did shear vocal power and sonic richness take such high precedence over interpretive skills? Have you really forgotten Jan de Gaetani's wonderous versions? I feel Graham has done a disservice to this music, and should probably go back to singing French arias which apparently she is quite good at.

The Concord Sonata is definetly the reason you may want to own this disc. Aimard is outstanding as per usual. Emerson does really come alive here, as does Hawthorne with it's dramtic tempo shifts. My main concern lies in the 3rd movement 'the Alcotts'. It is clearly a pastorale movement with a touch of sweet nostalgia. Aimard plays a little too deliberately here- not loose enough with the tempo or lively enough with the rhythms. That really is the only disadvantage. I don't think Aimard played the folk elements strongly enough.
I guess the main question is: if I own the Kalish recording of the Sonata, do I need this one too? Probably again, you are an Ives believer and this version has great insights- why not. Like the Kalish version, this one includes the optional viola line on Emerson and the flute part of Thoreau. They appear better realised with more dramatic impact on the Kalish recording- a minor point. Movement for movement Aimard has the first and seccond, but I prefer 3 and 4 on the Kalish. The 3rd mentioned above, and the fourth seems to have more gravity with Kalish, bringing more of a closure to the tempestuous nature of the work. Aimard shows a more whispy, impressionistic take as he also does at the start of Hawthorne, reminding of Debussy. Not inappropriate stylistically speaking, but definetly a matter of taste. Aimard is a winner and I love what he does for Ligeti and Messiaen. Overall a very successful Ives sonata, and a questionably performed set of songs, well-chosen as they might be. If you are new to Ives this should be enough to get you into further explorations.

It takes a Frenchman to capture an American masterpiece!.......2004-05-19

The "Concord Sonata" of Charles Ives has been described as "the greatest work written by an American." It's a big sprawling, glorious mess of a thing, inspired by the Transcendental writers Emerson, Hawthorne, Alcott and Thoreau. I first heard the ground-breaking version by John Kirkpatrick, and have long cherished the powerful account by Gilbert Kalish (recorded in the '70s). But hearing Pierre-Laurent Aimard play this piece makes me forget all about those earlier recordings. A specialist in Messian and Ligeti, Aimard plays Ives like one to the manner born. Forget any preconceived notions of what it means to be a "French pianist," and let this astonishing performance carry you away. The Alcotts movement has never felt so tender, and the Thoreau movement is likewise exquisitely balanced. Perhaps most enthralling is how he manages to give shape and sense to Emerson, and Hawthorne, the fiendishly hard scherzo, has never had a reading like this. I'd have been content with the sonata, but the disk also holds the gorgeous mezzo Susan Graham singing 17 Ives songs, with Aimard's brilliant accompaniments. A fabulous recording no serious American music collection should be without!

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Simla Beat 70 & 71

Blomdahl: Symphony No.3/Sisyphus Suite/Forma Ferritonans/The Journey On This Night [Import]

Brahms, Ravel and Liszt

Walking in Space

Bubble V.1: Mixed By Dean D and Master Kaos [Import]

Christmas Classics

Chante Kenny Rogers [Import]

Chilliwack - Greatest Hits [Enhanced] [Import]

Evolution Of JazzRaptor

Music for Creativity [Box set]

Benny Goodman [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Barco de Papel

Bolarazos

Renaissance Awakening (Mixed By Dave Seaman)

Internal Revolution

1. Songs My Mother Taught Me
2. Auf Flugein Des Gesanges
3. Homing
4. Oh! Si Les Fleurs Avalent Des Yeux
5. Serenade: Quand Tu Chantes
6. Bonnie Mary Of Argyll
7. Le Rossignol
8. I Came With A Song
9. I Was Dreaming
10. Si Mes Vers Avaient Des Ailes
11. La Crepuscule
12. Der Kuckuck
13. Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
14. Midsummer
15. Oh! Quand Je Dors
16. Les Filles De Cadix
17. Il Bacio
18. Mattinata
19. Last Rose Of Summer
20. Bohemian Girl: I Dreamt Well In Marble Halls