The Life and Works of Franz Schubert [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
The life of Franz Schubert has been a gift to romantically inclined biographers: the beautiful, brilliant, modest boy who sprang to fully fledged genius at the age of sixteen; the quintessential ‘artist in a garret’, entirely consumed by his art and living a hand-to-mouth existence in Vienna; the gentle, cheerful, convivial young man who prized friendship almost as highly as music itself; the unworldly poet from whom great music poured like water from a fountain; the unrecognised master who died almost penniless at the age of thirty-one. And most of this is true. But as revealed in this dramatised biography (lavishly illustrated with musical examples), there was a secret, darker side to Schubert which only renders his story that much more fascinating.

Tracks:

Be My Love (The Toast Of New Orleans)
Serenade (The Student Prince)
Temptation (Going Hollywood)
Wanting You (The New Moon)
I'll Be Seeing You (The Royal Palm Revue)
With A Song In My Heart (Spring Is Here)
Without A Song (Great Day)
Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
My Wild Irish Rose
And This Is My Beloved (Kismet)
Because
Only A Rose (The Vagabond King)
Funiculi, Funicula
Come Back To Sorrento
Maria Mari'
O Sole Mio
Neapolitan Love Song
Arriverderci, Roma
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life (Naughty Marietta)
Look For The Silver Lining (Sally)
Memories
The Song Is You (Music In The Air)
Ave Maria
You'll Never Walk Alone (Carousel)

Customer Reviews:

A mixed bag of romantic offerings.......2001-12-17

BMG's Lanza collections are usually a mixed bag, and this album of love songs is no exception. Interspersed with some magnificent performances are an assortment of the good, the bad, and the mediocre. Part of the problem, I suspect, is that BMG simply doesn't appreciate what treasures it has buried in its recording vaults. It's enough to bring back Lanza from the grave, swearing in High C (as Time Magazine once tut-tutted) at the injustice of it all.

Lanza, in fairness to BMG, was an inconsistent performer. In the earlier part of his brief career, he had a tendency to sing sharp, and at times his approach to various arias and songs lacked sensitivity. That's not to say he couldn't get it right. At his best he was extraordinary, combining one of the most powerful voices on record with just the right degree of melting mezza voce and a dazzling array of vocal colours. His sense of phrasing was, as Enrico Caruso Jr noted, "instinctively right", and his ability to get into the heart of a song was unquestionable. Even at his roughest, his singing was usually compelling, and one could never label any of his performances "boring".

The bad recordings generally fall into three periods of his life: the Coca-Cola Radio shows of 1951-52, the disastrous Lanza on Broadway album of 1956, and the illness-affected stereo remakes of his Christmas Carols and Student Prince albums, both recorded in 1959, the year of his death. The present CD includes material from the first two periods.

The "Coke" shows, as I've opined in a number of other reviews, produced some amazing performances of both arias and love songs. Unfortunately, however, lack of rehearsal time coupled with poor arrangements often led to the kind of wild, unrestrained singing that Lanza's detractors love to attack (while at the same time overlooking his great performances). On this CD, a number of Coke recordings were released for the first time: Danny Boy; My Wild Irish Rose; Neapolitan Love Song; and Torna a Surriento. The first two are lovely, notwithstanding a poor ending on Danny Boy and some uncertain moments in the tenor's lower register in this song. Victor Herbert's Neapolitan Song contains some piercingly sharp singing, a rough ending and some agreeable mezza voce. Torna a Surriento is too fast, too unpolished and not a patch on the piano accompaniment-only version that Lanza recorded three years later for the movie Serenade.

Among the other Coke selections is the sublime Memories, and the alternately touching and thrilling I'll Be Seeing You, with a B Flat climax that will knock your socks off. Wanting You is rough and exciting in equal measure - ditto the powerhouse Ah Sweet Mystery of Life with its ridiculously fast tempo.

Two songs from the ill-fated Lanza on Broadway album have been inexplicably included, though it must be said that at least these represent the better moments from this dreadful session. You'll Never Walk Alone contains more sharp singing, uneven rhythm and a certain bleariness, while the Borodin-adapted And This Is My Beloved is alternately belted and seductive. Incidentally, Lanza recorded a superior version of You'll Never Walk Alone for his Coke Shows; this is featured on the CD of the same name.

The real highlights for me are the immortal Serenade from The Student Prince; a thrilling Only a Rose (recorded three months after the Lanza on Broadway session and featuring a completely different voice); the aforementioned My Wild Irish Rose & I'll Be Seeing You and a mature rendition of Schubert's Ave Maria. Fans will also enjoy Arrivederci, Roma, and the ubiquitous Be My Love.

All in all an enjoyable hour, but if only more thought had been put into some of the selections...

The best tenor ever.......2001-03-01

Mario Lanza is indeed my favourite of all tenors either living or not. I must have almost everything he ever recorded. This album has a whopping 24 tracks including 5 previously unreleased recordings, which make this a must for any true fan of Lanza. This album has some of his most romantic songs, mostly from stage and film. You won't find any opera here, which is fine, there's plenty of his other albums that have that. These are songs that are guaranteed to stir your heart and soul while Mario's voice will melt them. This is a must-have and at this price there's no reason not to have it.

The greatest singer of all time!.......2000-06-29

This is one of the greatest compilations of Tenor Mario Lanza, The Voice of the Century, ever made. Mario Lanza had such a broad, well focused voice and he is represented to good measure here on songs like "Wanting You", "Neapolitan Love Song", and "Without a Song". On these selections one hears how the Lanza voice had a largeness, depth, and warmth from the bottom all the way to the very top. One will never hear songs like "O Danny Boy", "My Wild Irish Rose", "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Torna Surriento", "O Solo Mio", and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" sung any better or with more feeling. My favorite on this CD, "And this is my Beloved" from Kismet displays the full Lanza Range. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest single recordings ever made. Here Mario sings the most melting pianissimo and builds to an exciting, full bodied, heart stopping fortissimo High B flat. What passion! The particular recording of "Only a Rose" on this album has been regrettably absent from the catalogs for quite some time. It is a shame too, because Lanza makes this Vagabond King selection sound free and effortless like only Mario Lanza could. Lanza takes the listener through a guided tour, so speak, of truly the greatest singing the world has ever heard. After hearing the final selection, "You'll Never Walk Alone", there won't be a dry eye in the house. This, along with the "Don't Forget Me" Lanza CD, is one of the greatest single CD collections ever put together of Mario, or anyone else for that matter. Lanza was the greatest singer of all time and this is a must have album. The sooner you own this one, the better.

Average customer rating:

A Portrait

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004Y6RG
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Italian Con, BWV 971: I. Allegro - Columbia Conc Orch/Howard Barlow
Pno Con No.20 in d, K 466: I. Allegro - Columbia Conc Orch/Howard Barlow
Pno Con No.20 in d, K 466: II. Romanze - Columbia Conc Orch/Howard Barlow
Pno Con No.20 in d, K 466: III. Allegro Assai - Columbia Conc Orch/Howard Barlow
Hungarian Rhap No.13 - New York Phil/Efrem Kurtz
Pno Con No.2 in c, Op.18: II. Adagio Sostenuto - New York Phil/Efrem Kurtz
Pno Son: I. Allegro Con Moto - Teresa Sterne
Pno Son: II. Adagietto - Teresa Sterne
Pno Son: III. Allegro Vivo - Teresa Sterne
Pno Son: IV. Allegro - Teresa Sterne

Tracks:

Ov To An English Opr, Hob 1A-3 - The Little Orch Of London/Leslie Jones
Nun Freut Euch, Lieben Christen - Paul Jacobs
Herzlich Thut Mich Verlangen - Paul Jacobs
Etude, Book II - Paul Jacobs
Five Pno Pieces, Op.23: II Sehr Rasch - Paul Jacobs
Ionisation - The New Jersey Perc Ens/Raymond DesRoches
The Ragtime Dance - Joshua Rifkin
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair - Jan DeGaetani/Gilbert Kalish
Blondel Zu Marien, D 626 - Jan DeGaetani/Gilbert Kalish
Double Con: Intro - Paul Jacobs/Gilbert Kalish
Pno Son No.2, 'Concord, Mass': III. The Alcotts - Gilbert Kalish
Wait 'Till The Sun Shines, Nellie - Joan Morris/William Bolcom
Graceful Ghost - William Bolcom
Ancient Voices Of Children: III. De Donde Vienes, Amor, Mi Nino?/IV. Todas Las Tardes En Granada... - Jan DeGaetani/Michael Dash
Nyamamusango (Meat In The Forest) - Hakurotwi Mude/Cosmas Magaya/Ephat Mujuri
Vetar Vee - Vasilka Andonova/Kremena Stancheva
Ta Shto Mi E Miloj, Mamo - Nadezhda Georgieva Klicherova/Gena Ivanova Bodenova/Nadezhda Georgieva Paleastova
Ketjak Dance - Teresa Sterne
I Big You Goodnight - Edith Pinder/Geneva Pinder/Raymond Pinder/Joseph Spence
Oyun Havasi - Teresa Sterne
Ketawang Puspawarna - Teresa Sterne

Amazon.com

The life of Teresa Sterne is as noteworthy as the label she once presided over (Nonesuch). As a child prodigy, she successfully filled world-class auditoriums in the 1940s with audiences eager to hear her piano playing. Then, inexplicably, Sterne abandoned her concert career only to resurface as the leader behind Nonesuch Records in the late 1960s, turning the budget classical label into one of the more adventurous and consistently rewarding labels around (and generally keeping quiet about her earlier fame). Half of this double-CD tribute collects recordings of a teenage Sterne at the keyboard; the second disc is devoted to some of the finest recordings from her Nonesuch tenure (1965-1979)--both are engrossing.

Album Description

The life of Franz Schubert has been a gift to romantically inclined biographers: the beautiful, brilliant, modest boy who sprang to fully fledged genius at the age of sixteen; the quintessential `artist in a garret', entirely consumed by his art and living a hand-to-mouth existence in Vienna; the gentle, cheerful, convivial young man who prized friendship almost as highly as music itself; the unworldly poet from whom great music poured like water from a fountain; the unrecognised master who died almost penniless at the age of thirty-one. And most of this is true. But as revealed in this dramatised biography (lavishly illustrated with musical examples), there was a secret, darker side to Schubert which only renders his story that much more fascinating.

Average customer rating:

Sinner and Saint?
A convincing look into what makes a genius click

The Life and Works of Franz Liszt

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin
Brahms: Life & Works
The Life and Works of Franz Schubert
Life & Works of Verdi
Life & Works of Bach

ASIN: B00005K2U9
Release Date: 2001-07-17

Tracks:

Childhood And Youth
La Campanella
Enter The Countess Marie D'Agoult
Au Lac Du Wallenstadt
Rivalry With Thalberg
Die Forelle
Travels In Italy (Music: Dante Sonata)
Patriot And Hero: Liszt Returns To Hungary
Transcendental Etude No.2 in a
The Gypsies' Music: Hungarian Rhap No.6
The End Of The Affair: Break-up With Marie
Consolation No.3 in D flat

Tracks:

Lisztomania (Music: Transcendental Study No.8)
The Virtuoso Retires
Un Bal (Symphonie Fantastique)
Weimar And The Princess (Music: Symphonic Poem: Prometheus)
Liszt And Wagner (Son in b)
Exit From Weimar (Music: From The Cradle To The Grave)
The Abbe Liszt
Ave Maria
The Final Period
Unstern
Track 11
Track 12
Track 13
Track 14
Track 15
Track 16
Track 17
Track 18
Track 19
Track 20

Customer Reviews:

Sinner and Saint?.......2006-02-04

I will confess from the outset that I do not much care for the music of Franz Liszt. Second only to Richard Wagner, to me Liszt was the epitome of Romantic excess and glitz. But, the same things that make his music unappealing to me also make his life engrossing. The excess, the yearning for fame, the glitz, and the "musician as persona."

Yes, this was Franz Liszt and NAXOS has done a (typical for them) outstanding job in letting us get to know this composer. In the span of 2+ hours, we are treated to a fascinating and well-told story (or maybe a musical, as about 1/4 of this recording consists of musical excerpts). From Liszt's 'child prodigy' status, to his love for himself, his art, and his women, to his retirement to a Monestary (!?), we see it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. An original "Behind The Music," if you will!

For all that, I have two complaints. First, while it may not bother some listeners, the actors who play the part of various characters all speak with British accents; no attempt is given to emulate the accent of the actual character (be it Hungarian, French, etc.) In audiobooks, I prefer the characters' dialogue to be spoken in their accent of origin (Huck Finn in a Mississippi accent, Ivan Karimozov in a Russian, etc.) Thus, if felt (at least to me) a little forced to hear Franz Liszt's letters read in a British, rather than a Hungarian, accent.

Secondly, this biography of Liszt breaks with most others in its assertion that Liszt's self-centeredness and philandering has been either overexaggerated (in the case of the former) or fabricated (in the case of the latter). This is not a problem in itself, but such claims demand demonstration. Not only was none forthcoming, but the story only served to REconfirm these traits. How many of the women in Liszt's life were married at the time? Did not Liszt pawn his first two children off on a wetnurse so he could travel about Europe? And did anyone REALLY buy Liszt's protestations that being a musical genius was a burden that he really did NOT want? (He Didth protest too much, methinks!)

Well, whatever your conclusion on these issues (I can only tell you mine), this two CD set is worth hearing. The story is well-told (if at times uncritical) and the music is well selected.

And if you like this set, check out some of the other "Romantics" profiled in NAXOS"s "Life and Works" series: Beehoven, Brahms, Tchaikobsky, Dvorak, and Chopin!

A convincing look into what makes a genius click.......2001-08-14

Naxos is doing a wonderful job with its emerging "Life and Works" series. Quite some time ago, we had a Life/Works of Mozart, more recently one of Chopin and now two more, Liszt and Beethoven. Both are even better packaged than are the earlier sets, with a thick booklet that offers us essays on the historical background, the position of the composer in his time, a look at the major works, a listening plan, recommended readings, personalities, a calendar of the artist's life, a glossary, a discography--and finally something I thought I would never see, the text of the recording's narration. This booklet is worth the price of the set alone.

By the way, the Liszt set starts off with the sound of artillery, the Beethoven with the sound of a cork popping. A good way to get your attention and/or to convince you that you have purchased the wrong recording.

Written and narrated by Jeremy Siepmann, the production enlists some excellent actors to play the people in the composer's life. In the "Franz Liszt" set (8.558005-06), we have Neville Jason as the voice of Lizst, who is joined by David Timson, Raphael Clarkson, Elaine Claxton, and Karen Archer as the voices of Lizst's friends, critics, and especially loves. The musical selections are drawn from the bottomless well of Naxos recordings.

As I commented with regard to the Chopin set, the music is well chosen but some of it simply lasts too long for those who are eager to get on to the facts of the composer's life. On the other hand, this IS called the Life and Works series, and perhaps a balance is to be maintained between the two aspects.

Liszt's idiosyncrasies make a good comparison with those of Chopin, the former doing everything he could to call attention to himself, the latter withdrawn--but both acting like bloody fools in so many ways. Perhaps that is the price of genius. The tale of Liszt and his Countess Marie is both funny and painful, especially in the way they neglected their children (one of whom was Cosima, the future wife of Wagner).

You will note that this set is on 2 CDs where the others are on four. I draw no conclusions from that other than the obvious. A wonderful buy, all things considered.

Tracks:

Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Titellied
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Land so wunderbar
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Der Lindenbaum
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Launisches Gluck
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Santa Lucia
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Frag' nicht
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Voga, voga
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Mal d'amore
Ein Lied Geht Um Die Welt - Ein Lied geht um die Welt
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Titellied
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Titiromba
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Piscatore e pusilleco
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Keck und munter
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Lisetta
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Nun me secta
Wenn Du Jung Bist, Gehort Dir Die Welt - Wenn du jung bist
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Tittlied
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Tarantella
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Una furtiva lagrima
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Tarantella sincera
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - wo beim Wein ein Walzer klingt
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Wenn in Wien der Wein erbluht
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Mandulinata a Napule
Ein Stern Fallt Vom Himmel - Ich singe dir ein Liebeslied
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben -Die Liebe Siegt
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Wenn nicht die Hoffnung
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Freunde, Vernehmet die Geschichte
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Es wird im Leben dir mehr genommen
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Vorrei morire
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Vieni, mia bella biondina
Heut Ist Der Schonste Tag In Meinem Leben - Titellied

Tracks:

My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
My Song Goes Round The World
A Star Fell From Heaven
A Star Fell From Heaven
A Star Fell From Heaven
A Star Fell From Heaven
A Star Fell From Heaven
A Star Fell From Heaven
Joseph Schmidt - beim Vara-Sommerfest Birkoven, Holland
Joseph Schmidt - Ausschnitt aus dem UFA-Film
Joseph Schmidt - Amsterdam
Joseph Schmidt - Amsterdam
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes
Joseph Schmidt - Alternativ-Aufnahmen Alternative Takes

Customer Reviews:

a star fell from heaven-a rare treasure to every music fan.......2000-01-01

A unique and profound research work put on 2CD's trying to give the best possible insight of all Schmidt public and soundtrack performances. I have appreciated the tremendous work which the producers have put in this ao called famous" saga" of the wondering jew most talented tenor since Caruso . The items are all arranged in a meticulous order and the quality of recording is astonishing! A must for every music and nostalgy fum.I admire the spirit of the creators of this CD.

Average customer rating:

Technically demanding

Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 6

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Tracks:

Fantasia (Capriccio) in C
Erotik
The Wild Horseman
Impromptu in A flat
Cavatine
Spinning Song
Liebesleid
Prelude in c#
Barcarolle
For Children (Nos. 25-26-8-13-14-15-16-18-19-20-21)
Sevilla
Con Arabesque (motifs from The Blue Danube)

Customer Reviews:

Technically demanding.......2005-01-21

The sixth volume of “Romantic Piano Favourites” was recorded in spring and summer of 1988 and is able to escape the censure to which some of its predecessor volumes were subject. Perhaps it is because there are, with the exception of Grieg’s “Erotik” (also reasonably done), no really slow pieces on this disc that Balázs Szokolay is able to shine: he obviously has a penchant for the technically demanding fast pieces, and these come over here convincingly. Haydn, Schumann, Schubert, Raff, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Albéniz, Schulz-Evler … all make a good impression. Chopin’s “Barcarolle” is perhaps not quite up to the standard of the other interpretations, but this is more than compensated by the Bartók; Szokolay seems to have a particular affinity for his countryman. Schulz-Evler’s Concert Arabesque is a series of incredibly ornate variations on themes from the younger Johann Strauss’s “Blue Danube” and makes for eleven minutes of quite fascinating listening, although I suspect that this is something of a nineteenth-century crossover piece.

The disc was recorded, like the others in the series, at Budapest’s renowned Italian Institute, and the sound is warm without being over-intimate, altogether quite enjoyable.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Five Star Motel

Horowitz-Solo Recordings 1928-36

Here's Where the Strings Come In

Call Me Al [Import]

Be Seeing You

R&B Music: 15 All-Time Greats

Hello, Dolly! (1964 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording]

Highlights of Classical Music: Georg Frideric Handel

Illmatic-Vinyl Classics [Import]

Fresh Out Da Gates: The Autobiography

Vintage Christmas Cracker