Christian Wolff: (Re:) Making Music - Works 1962-99

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Violist Pieces: Piece #1

2. Violist Pieces: Piece #2

3. Violist Pieces: Piece #3

4. Violist Pieces: Piece #4 -- Resonant

5. Violist Pieces: Piece #5 -- Clear

6. Violist Pieces: Piece #6 -- Freely

7. Kegama

8. Peace March 1 ("Stop Using Uranium")

9. Peace March 2

10. Emma: Movement 1

See all 29 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2

1. Three Pieces: Rock About

2. Three Pieces: Instrumental

3. Three Pieces: Starving to Death on a Government Chain

4. For 5 or 10 Players

5. Exercise 15

6. Exercise 16

7. Exercise 17

8. Exercise 18

9. For 5 or 10 Players

10. Dark As a Dungeon

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Christian Wolff: (Re:) Making Music - Works 1962-99, Music, Judith van Swaay, John Anderson, Christian Wolff, James Fulkerson, The Barton Workshop, Jos Zwaanenburg, Frank Denyer, Nicola Walker-Smith, Elisabeth Smalt, Marieke Keser, Avant-Garde, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Electronic/Avant-Garde/Minimalist Music, Experimental, Modern Composition, Vocal, Vocal Music

Donizetti - Three Queens (Anna Bolena ~ Maria Stuarda ~ Roberto Devereux)
Average customer rating:

How LUCKY We ARE to have THESE recordings!

The great Beverly Sills on Cd in these masterpieces!

The Most Wonderful Compilation of the Tudor Queens

"3 Queens, 1 Soprano"

Please give it a rest!

Donizetti - Three Queens (Anna Bolena ~ Maria Stuarda ~ Roberto Devereux)
Charles Mackerras , and London Symphony
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Sills, Beverly | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)

Rossini: L'Assedio di Corinto

Massenet: Manon

The Ballad of Baby Doe

Handel - Julius Caesar / Treigle · Sills · Forrester · Wolff · NYCO · Rudel

ASIN: B000050I2W
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Tracks:

Anna Bolena: Sinfonia (Overture) - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Act 1 - Scene 1 - Introduzione - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ella di me, sollecita - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Si taciturna e mesta - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Deh! Non voler costringere - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Come, innocente giovane - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Legger potessi in me! Non v'ha sguardo - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: O! qual parlar fu il suo! - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Si: l'avrete - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: La mia fama e a' pie dell'ara - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ella pure amor m'orrfia - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ah! qual sia cercar non oso - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Act 1 - Scene 2 - Chi veggo?...in Inghilterra - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Da quel di che, lei perduta - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ah! cosi nei di ridenti - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Desta si tosto - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Io sentii sulla mio mano - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Or che reso ai patri i lidi - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Questo di per noi spuntato - Beverly Sills (Anna)

Tracks:

Anna Bolena: Act 1 - Scene 3 - E'sgombro il loco... - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ah! parea che per incanto - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Basta...basta...tropp'oltre vai... - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Anna! - Riccardo! - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: S'ei t'aborre, io t'amo ancora - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ah!...per pieta del mio spavento - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Alcun potria ascoltarti - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Tace ognuno - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: In quegli sgardi impresso - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: In separato carcere - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Act 2 - Scene 1 - O! Dove mai ne andarono - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: O mie fedeli - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Dio, che mi vedi in core - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Dal mio cor punita io sono - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Va, infelice, e teco reca - Beverly Sills (Anna)

Tracks:

Anna Bolena: Act 2 - Scene 2 - Ebben? dinanzi ai giudici - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Scostatevi...il Re giunge... - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ambo morrete - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Al Consiglio sien tratti - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Sposa a Percy - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Per questa fiamma indomita - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Stolta! non sai... - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Ah! pensate che rivolti - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Tu pur dannato a morte - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Vive tu, te ne scongiuro - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Nel veder la tua costanza - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Chi puo verderla - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Piangete voi? - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Al dolce giudami castel natio - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Qual mesto suon?... - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Cielo, a miei lunghi spasimi - Beverly Sills (Anna)
Anna Bolena: Coppia iniqua - Beverly Sills (Anna)

Tracks:

Maria Stuarda: Overture - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Preludio - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Qui si attende - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Si, vuol di Francia il Rege - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Ah! quando all'ara scorgemi - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Fra voi perche - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Hai nelle giostre - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Questa immago - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Sei tu confuso? - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 1: Quali sensi - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: Allenta il pie, Regina - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: Oh nube! - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: Ah! non m'inganna la gioia! - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: Da tutti abbandonata - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: Qual loco e questo? - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 2: E'sempre la stessa - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)

Tracks:

Maria Stuarda: Act 2 - Deh! I'accorgli! - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Va, preparati furente - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Act 3 - E pensi? E tradi? - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Quella vita - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Si!...Regina! - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: D'una sorella, o barbara - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: La perfida insultarmi - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Che vuoi? - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Oh mio buon Talbo! - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Quando il luce rosea - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Vedeste? Vedemmo - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Anna?...Qui piu sommessi favellate - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Deh! Tu di un umile preghiera - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Oh colpo!... - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Giunge il Conte - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)
Maria Stuarda: Ah! se un giorno da queste ritorte - Christian du Plessis (Cecil)

Tracks:

Roberto Deveraux: Overture - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Act 1 - Geme!...pallor funereo - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: All' afflito e dolce il pianto - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Duchessa...Alle fervide preci - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: L'amor suo mi fe beata - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Nunzio son del Parlamento - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Donna reale, a' piedi tuoi... - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Un tenero core - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Roberto...Che?...fra le tue braccia! - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Forse in quel cor sensibile - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Duca, vieni... - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Qui ribelle ognum ti chiama - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Tutto e silenzio - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)
Roberto Deveraux: Dacche tornasti, ahi misera! - Richard Val Allan (A Servant Of Nottingham)

Tracks:

Roberto Devereux: L'ore trascorrono - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Ebben? - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Segui!... - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Non venni mai si mesto - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Ecco l'indegno!... - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Scellerato!...Malvagio!... - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Va, la morte sul capo ti pende - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Ne riede ancora il mio consorte! - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Non sai che un nume vindice - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Ed ancor la tremeda porta - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: A te diro' negli ultimi singhiozzi - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Bagnato il sen di lagrime - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: E sara in questi orribili momenti - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Vivi, ingrato, a lei d'accanto - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Che m'apporti? - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)
Roberto Devereux: Quel sangue versato al ciel - Beverly Sills (Elizabeth, Queen Of England)

Amazon.com

Gaetano Donizetti didn't actually set out to compose a cycle based on the tragic histories of the Tudor Queens. The three works gathered here--including his breakthrough opera, Anna Bolena, Roberto Devereux, and the long-neglected Maria Stuarda--were created at various points in his maniacally prolific career, and each has its own rather complicated, haphazard genesis. But the belated reappreciation given to these works at New York City Opera during the heyday of the bel canto revival--a crucial step in the overall revival of Donizetti as well--conferred a sort of post facto sense of unity thanks to the signature contributions of Beverly Sills. These roles were, quite unpunningly, her crowning achievement. Yet despite a brief efflorescence of celebrity (even extending to a Time magazine cover) when she was considered perhaps the rival to Joan Sutherland, Sills slipped through the cracks. For all her formidable acting skill--a substantial aspect of her accomplishment in these interpretations--she never quite made it to the era of opera telecasting, and her problematic recorded catalog and relatively early retirement from the stage hindered the Sills legend from extending to a new generation.

But now, there's no excuse to overlook the Sills achievement. Coupled with the belated reissue of her early triumph in The Ballad of Baby Doe, this Donizetti box set gives a fuller portrait of the artist Sills. This is quite simply a can't-miss bonanza for Donizetti-heads and, for that matter, fans of beautiful singing. The original project started off with Roberto Devereux--recorded in London in 1969--and continued until the summer 1972 recording of Anna Bolena, but this is the first time the old LPs have been made collectively available on CD in remastered format. The box includes facsimiles of the original lengthy liner notes (with astute background, commentary, and translations--full libretti included--by William Ashbrook) and a bonus booklet of photos from the original NYC Opera productions.

Just as the musical content varies in quality from opera to opera, indeed within each opera, the level of performance is by no means seamless or at the same peak pitch throughout. Some listeners will prefer the less liberal but profoundly attentive and intuitively rich conducting of Charles Mackerras in Devereux, while others will overlook the rather surprisingly sloppy string ensemble and figuration committed by the London Symphony in Anna Bolena for the hectic energy and pacing Julius Rudel could conjure. The challenges demanded by Donizetti's heavy writing for Elisabetta in Devereux can manifest as strain, but this part also registers Sills's vocal acting with a powerful punch: just listen to the range of emotional content she sails through in the scene of her conflicted first duet with Roberto, beginning with "un tenero core" (Act I). One of the joys here is zeroing in on your own favorite passage, scena, flicker of insight: perhaps it's Anna in prison, the outburst of two queens meeting in the park outside Fotheringhay (who cares if history has been amended to suit dramatic license?), or Elisabetta's horrifying realization upon the execution of her beloved. And despite some unevenness in the casting, this set offers a number of other vocal treasures to set beside Sills's artistry: the utterly compelling Giovanna (Jane Seymour) of Shirley Verrett in Anna Bolena, Eileen Farrell's return to the studio for Maria Stuarda's imperious Elizabeth (interesting to compare with Sills's earlier slant on the queen from Devereux), Paul Plishka's imposing Henry the 8th, Peter Glossop's scheming Nottingham. If you're not already an addict, this set will bring you back for fix after fix. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

How LUCKY We ARE to have THESE recordings!.......2007-07-07

Well, I guess it's time I added my comments on these recordings.

First, however, I'd like to say that I do not understand "bashing". This has been going on, in my remembrance at least, since Callas/Tebaldi in the 50's. How stupid is this! Does one REALLY think that two different singers, with two different voices and/or approaches to a role can be, truthfully, compared to one another? I have never understood this kind of thinking. I LOVE Callas (in nearly everything she sang), but she had an ugly voice....do I let this bother me or lead me to compare her to others??? NO! She was, unquestionably, the greatest singing actress of our time, period! Tebaldi...was there EVER a voice as beautiful as hers?? Sills...Was there ever a voice as light and as fresh as hers??? Sutherland?? She wasn't called La Stupenda for nothing, folks. I could go on, but I think the point is made. Every one of these singers (and others) are themselves, with their own interpretations of roles. Some sing some roles better than others, but bashing??? I don't think so!!! This shows one's uncomfortable shallowness quite clearly, I believe.

The review:

Sills had a wonderously light and silvery voice, that I find quite her own. I simply love her Baby Doe, and her Traviata, as her voice is simply made for the parts. Her Lucia is, also, really good. Casting her as the three Tudor Queens was a wonderful thing, it made her a real solid star at the New York City Opera. She was the only one singing these roles at the time, and it was good for her career, and, also, good for the music world to become familiar with these three great tragic, long neglected, works of Donizetti.

But, as they were really beyond the capability of her instrument, she, eventually, damaged her voice with the parts, especially Elizabeth in Roberto Deveraux. This is, I guess, inevitable, as most singers do at some point in their careers, delve deeply into waters beyond their capability, and the downward progression begins. Repeatedly, singer after singer has done this.

That aside, let me say that we are so very fortunate to have these three recordings, even with their flaws (and there certainly are flaws), both as a remembrance of Beverly Sills, and her colleagues, but also documentation of her performances and the presentation of Donizetti's works. All three of these works are so rarely performed, much less recorded, that they are a treasure for sure.

Personally, Roberto Deveraux, I feel, hangs together the strongest in Mackerras' leadership. Sills is, admittedly, pushing the limits of her capabilities...but, by doing the role in sessions, she is really very good on the recording. Admittedly, in a live performance, straight through, there is the electricity of interaction with other characters on stage, taking the heights up a notch, and this is where she really did the damage to her voice. Her compatriots here are all really serviceable...we are so lucky to have this recording, why be objectionally picky? DG has done a remarkable job remastering this particular recording. I remember the ABC pressing on LP years ago, and am pleased with the care attended here to the remastering.

Maria Stuarda, is, again, another special recording....Eileen Farrell came out of retirement to do this recording as a favor to Beverly, and we are very lucky to have them paired together. I must admit that I wish Mackerras was again at the helm here, however. There is no doubt in my mind that the whole would have been greater with his control and "color" on the orchestra. But, with the only other exceptions the old Callas with great cuts, and the Sutherland, we have few choices, and we take this recording most gladly. It is commendable.

I feel that Anna Bolena is the weakest of the three works, but it has some extrodinary things in it, particularly the confrontation in the garden! Man, the first time I heard this, I stood right up out of my chair! Paul Plishka was a wonderful Henry, and Shirley Verrett certainly made her mark with Jane Seymour. Again, most commendable.

I, as stated above, remember the old ABC LP pressings....they were terrible, as we all know! It is so wonderful to have these recordings, again, this time in pristine, lovingly remastered editions. Thank You, DG/Universal for lavishing the care on these lovely old recordings that you have for our enjoyment.

A tremendous, and fitting, tribute to Beverly Sills.

I might add that I feel you might wish to pick up this set very soon, as lately things have been getting re-issued in budget sets without libretti and informational booklets, and this is a shame, especially with a great set like this one. Also, noting the complaints about them being so "expensive"....come on, folks, wise up!!! You're getting three operas here for $80 or less, through secondary dealers, just how expensive does one really think this is? OK, enough preaching! Enjoy this set, and be thankful that we have it! ~operabruin

The great Beverly Sills on Cd in these masterpieces!.......2007-07-03

It is July 3rd and Beverly Sills has passed away..it is very sad, but, when you listen to these cds nothing about her career as a singer was at all sad.

I treasure these and all of her other works. She was the glory of American opera.

Buy all of her cds and see how persuasive they are, how ravishing, and how generous. Her presence on the Met Live Broadcasts was so invigorating, and her wonderful praise of Anna Netrbko, and others singing her repertoire. It is hard to imagine Lincoln Center without her, a presence so positive, so high vibration...

The stars are brighter with her as our representative in the heavens!

The Most Wonderful Compilation of the Tudor Queens.......2006-12-26

Donizetti revolutionized the way dramatic opera was written when he penned the scores of Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, and Roberto Devereux. These were the operas that put tragedy on the map after a long history of Italian opera constantly refurbished for a comic ending to please the tastes of the public. Donizetti's magnificent music, with its complex runs and melodramma-infused composition, changed all of that, and history owes much of the great Verdi and Puccini dramas to Donizetti. Take the confrontation between Maria Stuarda and Elisabetta, for example. This scene alone was the inspiration for the several great soprano-mezzo confrontation scenes that would grace the plots of Aida and Don Carlo, to name a few of the operas that Donizetti influenced. Anna Bolena, one of my favorite operas, was the first opera that put tragedy on the operatic map, eliminating the necessity to give operas comic endings (remember that Tancredi had to be revised by Rossini to please the public). Roberto Devereux, a product of Donizetti's more mature musical skills, combines many of these great attributes that makes Donizetti so exciting and gives the prima donna a chance to display her vocal and dramatic prowess.

Of course, the very critical art lover would scrutinize the Donizetti librettos with disdain after he slashed these operas and turned fact around to give way to dramatic fireworks. But who cares if he did this especially if Mary Stuart calls Elizabeth a "vil bastarda!?" With such dramatic pyrotechnics in these operas, one would imagine that perhaps a heftier voice with the Norma metal is needed to make these roles more vivid, such as that of Maria Callas. Beverly Sills, however, makes these roles so real, regal, and dramatically powerful that one forgets all the shortcomings that come as a result of the lightness of her voice. Among these three recordings, if I had to pick any one of them, I would say that her greatest achievement is her Roberto Devereux made with Sir Charles Mackerras. Every vocal gesture, inflection, emotion, and firework is covered by Sills with a grace and technique that escapes several of today's Elizabeths. She is the queen incarnate, and if it did cut ten years out of her career, I am only glad that she sang the queen. She is partnerred by a cast that is not up to her level, but her singing alone makes her queen worthwhile. A definitive recording there.

Her Maria Stuarda is also perhaps the most satisfying account of the opera that I've heard. With Eileen Farrell as Elizabeth hurling dynamites whenever her mouth opens and Sills is superb form as Maria, I would say that this recording is my favorite Maria Stuarda on disc. The confrontation scene is simply to die for, and the last act with Sills saying her prayer is heartfelt and beautiful. Ceccato is not the most exciting conductor, but Stuart Burrows makes a very sensitive and graceful Leicester. I must add this though: if you really want to find a great Maria Stuarda, you must search very hard for a live recording of the opera from New York made in 1972 with Beverly Sills and Marisa Galvany as the colliding queens. The heat of that recording is simply out of this world and if you cannot find it, I am willing to burn you a copy. Just send me an email.

Anna Bolena is no weak link either. Some people would compare this to Maria Callas' live Scala performance, a legendary night which in my opinion would never be repeated again. Sills was no Callas in terms of voice, but she was equipped with a voice that could handle the role in her own special way. Sills had a very touching Anna Bolena with a conductor, supporting cast, and a complete score that makes her Bolena essential. Her Giovanna Seymour is Shirley Verrett, a perfect foil to Sills vocally and dramatically. Verrett also sounds younger than Simionato, which is an asset to this recording of the opera. My favorite recording though, is another pirate recording. This recording is a live performance from New York with the superb, magnificent, mind-blowing soprano Marisa Galvany as Bolena, Olivia Stapp as Seymour, and Samuel Ramey's definitive Henry. A recording that must not be missed, and one that you must hunt for.

"3 Queens, 1 Soprano".......2003-08-23

Sills was most renowned for her fiery portrayal as Elizabeth, and i believe she worked the hardest on that particular role. She researched the character, studied her personality, practiced gestures, practically slept with the books under her pillow. And here, we can hear the results (without even seeing!). Of course, Beverly already was great with voice acting to begin with, but add on top of it all the research, commitment, and unflawed singing...you get a truly astounding recording!

In Maria Stuarda, check out the confrontation scene. This is one of the most dramatic moments in opera. And there's the added bonus of having the underrecorded but extremely talented dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell as Elizabeth. Hear how they lash out at each other. Incredibly exciting! And Maria's final scene is touching. In one NYCO performance a woman cried out, "NO!" just when Maria's head was going to be chopped off (lights go out-blackout). If this isn't dramatic I don't know what is.

For me the most exciting scene in Anna Bolena is the mad scene. This is actually just as great as Lucia's mad scene, in my opinion. Anna, though being in jail, has illusions of herself being with King Henry. When reality comes crashing back on her, WOW, get ready for the intense madness. Coppa Iniqua is heartbreaking. Sills uses a weeping timbre, and outbursts of anger in her voice, all to incredible effect.

I have begun listening to opera only about 3 years ago. I feel very happy that these 3 recordings together gave me a sense of what opera can be- incredible musical theatre. Beverly Sills and the 3 Queens will always have a special place in my heart.

Please give it a rest!.......2003-08-13

This is a Callasfan speaking. I love Callas and Sills, I think this and "The art of the Primadonna" (With Joanie) is supreme. But hear me out: I think it's obvious that only the famous Callas-recs on Emi are slandered and the efforts on other labels judged fairly, even if the reviewers didn't like Callas. Lets get back to balance and fairness. I never wrote a one-star review on Beverly and I never will. Here and there I complained and fought against fanatism. Neither Callas-fanatism nor Sutherland-fanatism nor Sills-fanatism is good. Neither of them was perfect. Both had their pros and cons. Please, you guys, edit your reviews and write them fairly. Thus we'll prevent an even greater outrage. Us operafans should stick together. I'm willing to start. Please, lets be on this together!

Average customer rating:

a tribute with poor feedbacks
"Keep it new"
Classical avant-garde experimentalism from.....a rock band?
Can you guess what it is yet?
lost me as a fan

SYR 4: Goodbye 20th Century

Manufacturer: Sonic Youth / Syr
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Treatise (Cornelius Cardew)

Amazon.com

Wildly influential four-piece Sonic Youth have self-released their version of a tribute to the 20th century: two discs of noisy interpretations of modern, experimental classical scores. The group has chosen composers whose works leave a great amount of innovation open to the performer. This chance-embracing approach--typified and in some senses originated by John Cage--is one of the crucial turning points of "new" music. What's great about this CD is that it demonstrates the freewheeling, decidedly unserious spirit behind this music, essentially combining the legacies of punk rock and out-sound. In addition to three late works by the chance-loving Cage, there are pieces by current Merce Cunningham collaborator Takehisa Kosugi, minimalist giant Steve Reich, "deep-listening" drone lover Pauline Oliveros, and Fluxus founder George Maciunas. Longtime collaborator Wharton Tiers, the young everything-ist Jim O'Rourke, and even some of the composers themselves join in on these exercises. The result is messy, fun, and anarchic, with occasional revelations (notably James Tenney's "Having Never Written a Note for Percussion"). It's not a disc to play all the time, but it is a challenging, enthused record that ideally will point listeners toward some of the most vital music of the last half of the last decade of the second millennium. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

1999 & fourth release on their own SYR label. 13 tracks. The CD format is a double disc set that's enhanced with the CD-ROM video to George Maciunas' 'Piano Piece #13 (Carpenter's Piece) For Nam June Paik'. The album contains music composed by abstract artists like Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, John Cage and Christian Wolff. Gatefold slipcase. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

a tribute with poor feedbacks.......2006-04-14

The best thing with this product is undoubtly the names to whom it is contributed. One should really sincerely appreciate the good taste of SY to lift up and include such grand modern masteur composers as Wolff, Cardew, Cage and etc. Less successful however is the attempt to translate these 40 or so years old, mainly score, compositions and replace their original instrumentations and to attempt to change their structure to "rock".

Sometimes it does get endurable but at other times it completely falls out to miss the mark. Even if Wolff himself appears at times and also the renowned Marclay contributes it doesn't even come close to the originals at any time. It may be said that some of the tracks more demolishes than recaptures them.

Most of those who reviews here or rate are diehard SY fans and would probably give five stars to anything that SY put out, whatever it is. If they recorded an album of silence in hommage to Cage they would give it five stars too and call it great and important and other such stuff. We all know how that works, it is just sensual and silly.

But for those with commited interest in the musical field that is quite so misrepresented here it is but foolish to give this set of recordings too much attention.

Better is to try to get the original recordings themselves, or to get recent re-recordings of these, such like of California Ear Unit or Ars Nova ensemble etc. Pass this thing if you already know the composers work, and if you're new to these composers through this release, get the originals and compare.

I wish I could give three stars for this project, but I can't, the structures are too much weakened and the whole original soundwalls are too much torn down. If one wish to perform these works, which may not be too easy, than one should learn how to do so properly first. Otherwise, write a book...

"Keep it new".......2005-04-03

I came across this CD at my local library while searching for the works of Cornelius Cardew. My only criticism is that liner notes were not included. Liner notes would have been appreciated not only as explanations of this admittedly esoteric music, but as an opportunity for the performers to respond to potential criticism and explain their intentions. They are to be commended for taking the risk of alienating their commercial base with this collection of recent aleatoric compositions and performance art. The other reviews merely prove the point that despite their posturing, many fans of popular music are as conservative and hidebound as their great-grandparents, uncomfortable in their day with any composers after Brahms. A scan of the FM dial reveals little change in popular music over the past 50 years - lots of 3-minute songs in 4/4 time. Witness the proliferation of stations endlessly broadcasting the same 1960s to 1980s standards.

For this audience, this CD is just what was needed - a slap in the face of convention. If this sparks in anyone an interest in searching for "what else is out there," the exercise will have been well worth the effort.

Classical avant-garde experimentalism from.....a rock band?.......2004-11-21

It's hard to believe, but it's true.

The 4th CD in the SYR experimental series (titled Goodbye 20th Century, appropriatly) of Sonic Youth Records, is a fantastic double album soundscape of the finest kind. The CD has reinterpretations of post 50's era classical pieces (by such illustrious names as John Cage, Steve Reich, Christian Wolff), and they sound great for the most part. But Sonic Youth was not alone in recording this double album. They enlisted the help of many people, like Jim O'Rourke, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's daughter Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (who screams out Yoko Ono's Voice Piece for Soprano), and...surprisingly...Christian Wolff collaborates on his pieces with the band. There are many other contributors, but I can't recall them at the moment.

Judging from all the other tracks, the one that stands out the most (to me, anyway) is Pauline Oliveros' Six For New Time (composed specifically for this project). Thurston intones lyrics over rising and falling drone guitars. Genius. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other tracks that are as great, such as Steve Reich's Pendulum Music (swinging microphones over amps, creating a pendulum effect of feedback), and George Maciunas' Piano Piece #13 (hammering down the keys of a piano till they no longer produce sound).

The centerpiece of the album, though, is John Cage's Four6. There are 2 other John Cage songs on the album (Six, performed twice) but this one stands out the most. It may seem like random banging and aimless instrumental wandering, but give it a chance, and it will slowly reveal its beauty.

Overall, this album is a fantastic piece of avant-garde, and will certainly entertain the artier person in you.

If you enjoy this record, why not try other CD's in the SYR series, Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, or seek out the works of the composers on this album?

Can you guess what it is yet?.......2004-06-11

Well this is one Sonic Youth's more experimental releases ( if you hadn't gathered by now ) and it's fair to say that this is a challenging listen. You'll need to keep your wits about you and a sense of humour to contain this on first listen. It's quite possibly one of those " gets on your nerves " sort of album at first albums. But give it time and you appreciate the album that it sets out to be. You're not going to absolutely love this but you can enjoy it for what it is or yank it out of your stereo system and criticize Sonic Youth as bulls**t poseurs. It all means the same thing - nothing!

lost me as a fan.......2003-03-10

i used to love sy. during the washing machine tour they played the academy friday night, saturday afternoon for matinee and saturday night. i was at all three shows. i saw them a lollapalooze twice. the thousand leaves show at irving plaza? i was front row. those days are gone.
i had the first syr disc and liked it. not great but it was ok. after that this band died. maybe my tastes change and i mourning this whole thing because i truly was proud to be an sy fan. i felt they were alive here and now and i got to enjoy them now. not like beatles fans or zepplin fans who can no longer see them live. i mourn the loss of the smashing pumpkins, the death of kurdt cobain, the death of mia zappata, death of layne staley, breakup of soundgarden, as well as many other bands i adore so for me to love sy and they are still here and making vibrant music meant alot.
then they came out with the syr discs. i liked the first a little but after that, this disc, the 4th in this series, i was forced to leave my fanship behind. this dics is long, boring, to long, uninterseting and way too long. 30 minutes for one song which interests me not at all is too much to ask.
i see their new direction and like it not. it is pretentious in the worst way. aimless, drifting, and uninteresting. like i said, someone email me and explain me what is so good about this

milkboydanny@hotmail.com

American String Quartets, 1950-1970
Average customer rating:

Now I know why they make jokes about Hoboken (see below)

Many Undiscovered Treasures

compendium of the richness of American innovation

An interesting sampling of a musical dead end.

Fantastic Collection

American String Quartets, 1950-1970

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Cage, John | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by George Crumb | Crumb, George | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Feldman | Feldman, Morton | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Luciano Berio: Laborintus 2

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String Quartet No 5: Variations (Hiller)
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Customer Reviews:

Now I know why they make jokes about Hoboken (see below).......2005-10-27

Man, it's discouraging to see people piddling all over music like this. 1950-65 was a great era for American culture; sure the European influence was lingering but American composers (and artists and filmmakers) were finding a voice, an expression of some quality uniquely American that had never appeared before. American music could be something other than Hoe-Downs, Charlestons, and Nearer my God to Thee (sorry, Charles, and you know I love you anyway). This was a taut and crisp intellectual America that was finally gaining ascendancy, something new to the world, brilliant and beautiful. I think of a wonderful photo of Elliott Carter with Stravinsky in New York at some gallery or concert hall circa 1960 or so. Stravinsky looks old and seedy, like a Russian refugee even though he had years to ditch that; Carter, alert and in a sharp suit, looks like the future-on-the-half-shell. It all got blown out of the water by 60s and 70s-era lack of standards and discrimination and an unwillingness to TRY. Sixties-era, anti-culture crapola that still reigns supreme. To much pot. Hippies ruined everything.

What's startling about the bad review is these quartets are hardly over-intellectualized. In fact most are quite beautiful or evocative; the Cage stunningly so. The LPs this collection came off were among my favorites of that era and I doubt a better or more nightmarish Black Angels has ever been done despite recent attempts by Kronos and others. Amazing playing by committed performers. A deal and a bargain.

For ten bucks this is like gold for free. Have at it!

Many Undiscovered Treasures.......2003-01-08

It's almost laughable not to pick up this disc. The price alone makes the set worth it. Added to that the fact that many of these works are not available in other forms and this disc is a no-brainer for fans of the late 20th century string quartet. The sampling transcends styles, from the almost improvisatory sonic canvas of Earle Brown, to the surprisingly beautiful almost minimal quartet of Cage, the horrific depiction of war in Crumb's justly famous Black Angels, or the almost traditional sounding Schonbergisms of Stepan Wolpe, this is an eclectic collection and well worth the modest investment.

I won't review everything on the album, as there is just too much. Highlights for me include the Earle Brown quartet, which is one of Brown's strongest early works. Since Brown is poorly represented on CD, every release of his is worth having, but the Second Quartet is a masterwork of tonal subtlety. Cage's Quartet was written just before he moved into his more aleatoric phase. It is highly modal and almost a precusor to minimlism, a very pleasing work that should be more widely known. Christian Wolff is also a composer who is underrepresented on CD (though Mode is quickly redressing the imbalance.) Summer is also a protominimalist work, based on stark 5ths. The reading of Black Angels is good, though not anything to supplant the Kronos reading, which is still my favorite. Also interesting are Quartets by Wolpe and Leon Kirchner.

So if you have any interest in American string work of the late 20th century, you need this disc. It is indispensible and very beautifully played. And the Vox Box price is unbeatable.

compendium of the richness of American innovation.......2000-04-05

This is a great showcase of the American string quartet,innovation,vision,iconoclasm,all elements which we often overlook and forget easily.But only Elliot Carter is missing, and that's because he has what! Five Quartets now.Inclusion of the First Carter would have rounded things out. The Earle Brown here is a neglected masterwork. Based on graphic notation the performers don't improvise so much as are given entrance freedoms within a prescribed range. The affect can be mysterious,haunting,also innovative with a wide pallette of extended techniques, at the bridge, sul ponticello,plucking. We often forget the traditional beauty Cage engaged the early part of his career, the Forties. This Quartet is a fine consummate example of that,with soft,gentle lines, very sparce, and transparent,also he limits himself to a few tones,tossed around the various voices. Structures by Feldman is an early work here, the Quartet is treated as one monolith sound,indistinguishable voices playing harmonics,cello playing where the violin plays, same range. All of Feldman's floating gentleness is here as well,perhaps too much at times,like it overspends its welcome. Crumb's Black Angels is another classic, The Kronos has takened this around the block many times, Crumb always works well with a programmatic agenda in place, and here he transforms the Quartets introspective consititution to more a drammatic focus. Druckman as well also works well with a program but here there is none. He has a fine imagination for sonoric structures,balance,but its doesn't seem to amount to much. The Wolpe is one of his best works. His creativity was uneven, here the violence and charged motives he is found of are in place to jump, and reiterate, toss around in an environment of high energy. Wolff's Summer is an early work prior to his metamorphosis into utilization of political imagery by comparison, this is a beautiful work,but cold, Wolff also needs a program,which he profoundly found, He has alater Quartet he wrote in the Eighties that is more compelling.

An interesting sampling of a musical dead end........1999-06-18

Superb analog transfers and excellent playing, I suppose. (I mean, how can you tell with music like this?) OK, I'm not a fan of this kind of music, but at this price I thought the collection was worth chancing. So far, I've found that the best way to listen to this recording is to let the music wash over you while you enjoy the sheer variety of sounds that the composers and players create. And there are some pleasant surprises, particularly the Cage quartet (from 1950) which contains genuine emotion and ends with a brief movement chock full of--gasp!--sprightly tunes. Makes me wonder what might have been had these composers shown more interest in music and less interest in mathematical gymnastics designed to impress their colleagues at the academy. At any rate, I recommend this album as an interesting sonic experience and a good sampling of the dead-end serialist/avant-garde genre that is now being supplanted by a return to music that recognizes tonality. (If you really want great 20th century quartets, incidentally, buy the 6 by Bartok).

Fantastic Collection.......1999-03-24

This set is a must if you have the slightest interest in avant-garde music from the 50s and 60s. Not a single weak piece, excellent sound and performances, and the price can't be beat!

Kurtag: Jatekok / Marta and Gyorgy Kurtag

Average customer rating:

jatekok transcend being just sketches.imbued with something special.
Uneven but often entertaining piano miniatures
Jewel-like modernist piano music
Extraordinary music superbly played

Kurtag: Jatekok / Marta and Gyorgy Kurtag
Marta Kurtag
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000266O8
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

Blumen die Menschen, nur Blumen...(...sich umschlingende Tone)
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (BWV 687) - In memoriam Joannis Pilinszky
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Knoten
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Mit den Handflachen
Glockenblume
Distel
Haschen Trotzig
Hommage a Borsody Laszlo: Harmonika
Hommage a Domenico Scarlatti
Alfred Schlee zum 80. Geburtstag: Aus de Ferne
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Klagegesang 1a
In memoriam Ligeti IIona: Klagegesang 2
Hampeln - Strampeln
Hommage a Kurtag Marta
O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (BWV Deest): J.S. Bach: O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (BWV Deest)
Hommage a Farkas Ferenc 3: Petruschkas Beschworung
Liebe im Herzen, bittere Schmerzen...: Hommage a Farkas Ferenc 4
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Hommage a Farkas Ferenc 2: Erinnerungsbrocken aus eine Kolindenmelodie

Customer Reviews:

jatekok transcend being just sketches.imbued with something special........2006-07-09

Kurtag has a very precise sense of what he hears but is often at a loss to find an effective means of notation (the Jatekok pieces with their flimsy notation are a good example)and then has fierce confrontions with players when they don't realise his intentions.
For all this shoddy behaviour, the results aren't without an appeal,somehow transcending (only just)being a mere sketch.Most moving are the Bach transcriptions which are beautifully delivered by the fearsome duo of kurtag with his wife.They emerge seamlessley from the Jatekok.

Uneven but often entertaining piano miniatures.......2004-01-07

This disc, featuring György and Márta Kurtág playing selections from György's collection of pieces for piano (both two- and four-hands), Játékok, was one of the discs that helped to boost Kurtág's once-low profile outside his native Hungary. The fifty minutes of music on this disc contain thirty-four pieces dating from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, four of which are four-handed transcriptions from Bach, the other thirty of which are original Kurtág creations (sometimes arranged for piano from works for other instrumental/vocal combinations).

Of these thirty, ten are four-handed works played by both Kurtágs, while husband and wife share piano duty on the twenty two-handed works. Many of the original works are very short, with eighteen clocking in at under a minute, and half of these under forty seconds. This inevitably means that some--though not all--of the very short works are distinctly slight, though this is compensated for by the inclusion of more substantial achievements such as Präludium und Choral, Hommage à Christian Wolff, Glocken and Aus der Ferne. Stylistically, these compositions range widely and eclectically: Webernian-sounding miniatures rub shoulders with constructivist atonality, bizarre flights of whimsy and even evocations of folk music and long-dead composers. Nonetheless, the works here that leave me with the strongest impression are the four Bach transcriptions, whose contrapuntal clarity, fidelity to the original and sheer joy remind me of Busoni.

This doesn't strike me as an essential Kurtág disc, at least in part because I tend to find the Játékok pieces work best in smaller doses than 50 minutes. In addition, some of then are probably more fun to play than to listen to. Nonetheless, fans of the composer will want to hear this selection--particularly in such authoritative performances--but newcomers would do better with the Keller Quartet's stunning string quartet collection (also on ECM).

Jewel-like modernist piano music.......2002-12-11

This is one of my favorite piano music recordings. Kurtag's piano pieces, each dedicated to a friend or hero, are like miniature musical portraits composed by a master artist. They are tiny, intricate, and gestural. His music tends toward the aphoristic, saying a lot with very few notes. Some pieces are less than a minute long. And yet they have the feel of the eternal about them. The sound is beautiful.

Extraordinary music superbly played.......2002-03-04

This is one of the finest CDs of contemporary piano music I have ever heard. The music is spare, fragmented, and frequently "empty" -- not empty of content, but empty in the way the Grand Canyon is empty. Not knowing very much about Zen I will still venture to say that Kurtag's music has Zen-like qualities of intense concentration, absence of ornamentation for it own sake, quietude, rigorousness, micro- and macro-scopic examination of its subject, seriousness offset with moments of whimsy, and even, though how I know this I don't know, morality. Not prudery, but real morality. This is music that grapples, as much as music ever can, with the Big Problems. Death, love, loyalty and rememberance are frequent themes. There is a deeply religious, almost monastic, quality to much of the music. It is therefore perfectly fitting that the recording is held up by four columns -- four transcriptions of Bach chorales, at least two of which are among the finest transcriptions of these much transcribed works as I have ever heard (easily in a class with Busoni, Kempff and Hess). For Bach lovers alone this is a great recording to have. Ditto for lovers of contemporary music. For Bach lovers who also love contemporary music, this is an essential recording -- not to be missed. Outstanding in every respect.

Average customer rating:

Folio and Four Systems

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Average customer rating:

Silence please!
Georgia Stone the best antiwar composition to date
unknown..but i'm real excited
What? 183 tracks? What for? There is a reason...

Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute

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Live In New York
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My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
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ASIN: B000001SH6
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Tracks:

Excerpts For Thirty Pieces For String Quartet
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Three Dances For Prepared Piano, Dance #1
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Dance 3: Three Dances for Prepared Piano
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
Haiku FM
Haiku FM
Haiku FM
Haiku FM
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
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Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
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Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
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Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone
Georgia Stone

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Chance/Choice
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Chance/Choice
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Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
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Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Living Room Music
Ergodos I for John Cage
Ergodos I for John Cage
Ergodos I for John Cage
Ergodos I for John Cage
Ergodos I for John Cage
Ergodos I for John Cage
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
Factory Preset
4'33
4'33
4'33
4'33
4'33
In Memoriam John Cage
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Aria
Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
New York City
New York City
New York City
New York City

Customer Reviews:

Silence please!.......2006-08-30

My only reason for buying this CD is the track 4:33 by Frank Zappa. 4:33 minutes of total silence, well almost total silence because you can hear a little background noices in the control room of Frank. It is a very interesting cd. But if you are not a fan of Zappa or Cage, and you like to hear music I say: buy something else. If you are ready for an experiment: buy this one or the CD Roaratorio.

Georgia Stone the best antiwar composition to date.......2002-12-15

The whole collection is interesting. However, the great moment of this collection is the Ono contribution Georgia Stone. It's a fluxus symphony. Never have I heard a more poignant antiwar piece. It rates in power and beauty to Henryk Gorecki's Symphony #3 with soprano Dawn Upshaw. If anyone ever doubted the genius of Yoko Ono as being relevant and an artist of the highest calibre then listen to this masterpiece and you'll be jolted into her energy as an artist. Yoko, give us more of this kind of music.

unknown..but i'm real excited.......2001-06-05

Jspark wrote a review that totally grabbed my intrest..I did my senior art history project on John Cage..using random sheets of paper for the lecture. the idea of hitting the "random button" is a great idea..and the idea of running two disks at once is even neater..being a big fan of just about everybody on the cd..especially Laurie Anderson doesnt hurt either... I haven't heard it yet, but i think i'll be sticking with the 5 star rating.

What? 183 tracks? What for? There is a reason..........1999-08-03

It might be bewildering at first. The first disc has 98 tracks; the second, 85. If you listen straight through, you do not perceive any discontinuity. A collection of John Cage pieces performed by friends, collegues, and admirers. Frank Zappa (American composer [complete biographical blurb that he provided]) contributed 4'33". Laurie Anderson tells a few Merce Cunningham tales. Seems like a fun tribute from the git-go. But wait! (And this is where the fun begins!) Switch your CD player to the shuffle (random) mode. Now look what happens. It goes from, say, Yoko Ono's piece to the Kronos to the Moraz prepared piano performance to Ken Nordine's narration - all in the matter of seconds. It is a great to homage to Cage himself with the great use of the random chance operations that he might have enjoyed. Every performance of this disc becomes a unique experience (just like Cage). For even more fun, try playing both discs at the same time (provided, of course, you have the means; if not, improvise). Or add another sound source as well, like, say, the radio, or the television very low, or a tape of white noise. The possibilities are endless. I had the pleasure of trying this one day with FOUR players going on simulataneously: two with these discs, another with Miles Davis far in the background, the fourth with a disc of bird calls. It was quite a fun sound environment and I would not hesitate to try it again. But that was my experience. Your experience may be different.

Average customer rating:

Donaueschinger Musiktage 1998

Manufacturer: Col Legno
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00003O9HU
Release Date: 1999-12-15

Average customer rating:

mostly great

4 Voice Canons
Polansky , Diamond , Winant , Brooks , and Didkovsky
Manufacturer: Cold Blue Label
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00006YXAT
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

#4
#7
#17: Guitar Canon
#9b: Anna Canon
#14: Kid Canon
#16: Canon In One Octave For Arthur Farwell
#12: Doggerel (From 3 New Hampshire Songs)
#10: Four Boys Mannin'
#13: DIY Canon
#5
#6
#8: Nerve Canon
#13: DIY Canon/Headphone Canon For Ross Hendler
#13: DIY Canon/On Skin, Wood, Metal, And Stone
#18: Trio Canon For Christian Wolff

Album Description

For the past 25 years, Polansky has been composing a series of fascinating mensuration canons (a formal concept dating back to the Renaissance) that run the sonic gamut from wildly boisterous to serenely introverted. This disc collects thriteen of these canons (one of which is found here in three different realizations). The varied instrumentation includes marimbas, gamelan, electric guitars, children's voices, computer, choir, and chamber ensemble. Performances by and collaborations with William Winant, Jody Diamond, Daniel Goode, the York Vocal Index, Ray Guillette, Nathan Davis, Nick Didkovsky, and others.

Customer Reviews:

mostly great.......2003-08-28

This wonderful CD consists entirely of mensuration canons. "Each successively entering voice moves proportionally faster than the previous one, causing each canon's density and rhythmic complexity to increase from beginning to end." There are only a few tracks that I just don't grab me, otherwise this gets a five star rating. Particularly good is Guitar Canon, performed by Polansky on his fretless guitar, and the amazingly cute Anna Canon, based on samples of his third year old daughter's voice. CD features: William Winant, Jody Diamond, Daniel Goode, Nick Didkovsky...

Average customer rating:

The New York School 3

Manufacturer: Hat Hut
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000025YVX
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Average customer rating:

Austere Yet Pleasing

Wolff: Tilbury (Complete); Snowdrop

Manufacturer: Mode
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IM82
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Tracks:

Tilbury 1
Tilbury 2
Tilbury 3
Tilbury 4
Snowdrop
Tilbury 5

Amazon.com

With references to early minimalism and a core sound that's as evocative as some of Morton Feldman's late works, Christian Wolff's Tilbury cycle is stunningly austere. He composed the works as demonstrations of pitch limitations, restricting some to as few as three pitches, which, when played singly, sound frightening. But Wolff has scripted slow-build collisions of the multiple pitches, too, making for a slippery iciness in spots, especially wherever Hildegard Kleeb's resonant piano figures meet Roland Dahinden's blurty trombone or wheezy melodica and Dimitrios Polisoidis's violin and viola. While this recording--named in part for pianist John Tilbury--is in the Feldmanesque slow-grow mode, there are spots where the trio makes glistening dissonance together, an effect of the instruments' finding an almost coarse grain between them. Tilbury will likely become the best-loved Wolff chamber piece, and as you hear Snowdrops emerge between the fourth and fifth Tilbury pieces, the 15-minute piece that dates from 1970 sounds like part of an extended dialogue between the stark and the vivid. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Austere Yet Pleasing.......2003-01-30

With the recent passing of Earle Brown, Christian Wolff is now the sole remaining composer left amoung us from the highly influential New York School of the 50's. Mode has undertaken a series of recordings aimed at exploring the work of this intriguing composer. While the result have been of varied quality, this release is some of the best music that Wolff or Mode has ever put out.

Wolff's Tilbury pieces are a product of the late 60s. Wolff had steadily developed his interest in static processes throughout the decade, experimenting with text scores, graphic scores, indeterminate elements and strict mathematical processes to create works of minimal and austere beauty. The Tilbury works I-IV and Snowdrop are perhaps the crowning achievement in this phase of the composer's career. Tilbury I restricts the tonal palette to a few notes that are within the range of an octave. It is scored for open ensemble, though Wolff said that all the Tilbury pieces were vaguely planned for keyboard with other instruments optional. This trio chooses to use violin or viola, trombone or melodica and piano. The resultant piece is calm and highly meditative, resembling nothing so much as a shorter version of late Feldman. Tilbury II uses notes that contrast widely in range and with a greater rhythmic variety. Tilbury III is based on arpegiated triads, with the rhythmic process determined by the ratios of the orbit of the planetary system. Tilbury IV is a text piece, dominated by varying scale fragments and long sustained notes. This is perhaps the lovliest thing on the disc and is played exquisitely. Snowdrop is related in process to the Tilbury series, based on the scale patterns of Tilbury IV and the rhythmic processes of Tilbury III. Tilbury V was written in the early 90s many years after the rest of the series. It shows more of the late Wolff style. The melodic material is based on a political song by Hans Eisler which is subjected to algorithmic treatments, creating something that on the surface sounds more traditional, but is ultimately as process driven as his earlier music.

As always, Mode has assembled a very fine ensemble to interpret this music and has packaged it with intelligent liner notes from the composer himself. This is a marvelous introduction to this marvelous composer.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

She

The Longwood Gardens Organ Volume 1

The Essential Bessie Smith

Paul Whiteman - Greatest Hits

Heat Generation

Tuck Me In [CD-single]

Tropical Postcards [Hybrid SACD] [SACD]

Tchaikovsky Masterpieces [Box set]

Tin Machine II [Import]

The Singing Bowls of Tibet

The Brasil Project

Super Bombazo Bachetero

Solo Duets

Masters

Fingers

1. Violist Pieces: Piece #1
2. Violist Pieces: Piece #2
3. Violist Pieces: Piece #3
4. Violist Pieces: Piece #4 -- Resonant
5. Violist Pieces: Piece #5 -- Clear
6. Violist Pieces: Piece #6 -- Freely
7. Kegama
8. Peace March 1 ("Stop Using Uranium")
9. Peace March 2
10. Emma: Movement 1

1. Three Pieces: Rock About
2. Three Pieces: Instrumental
3. Three Pieces: Starving to Death on a Government Chain
4. For 5 or 10 Players
5. Exercise 15
6. Exercise 16
7. Exercise 17
8. Exercise 18
9. For 5 or 10 Players
10. Dark As a Dungeon