MacDowell: Suites Nos. 1 & 2, Hamlet & Ophelia / Ulster Orchestra, Yuasa

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
What's this? An Irish orchestra and a Japanese conductor doing the music of Edward MacDowell, the German-trained, American-born 19th-century composer of Scottish descent? Well, when Americans don't get behind one of the most formidably talented of their native sons--he was, after all, our country's greatest Romantic--things like that can happen. Not that this attention from foreign quarters isn't welcome. Naxos and its sister label, Marco Polo, have done very well by MacDowell over the years, releasing a wonderful four-CD overview of his solo piano music by the late, greatly lamented James Barbagallo, and also embarking on a survey of his orchestral works.

This installment in the series features the Ulster Orchestra in spirited and smartly played accounts of Suites Nos. 1 and 2, MacDowell's most substantial symphonic works. It follows hard on the heels of a brilliant recording of the piano concertos from pianist Stephen Prutsman and the Dublin-based National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Arthur Fagen. Marvelous as the performances of the suites are--and they're well recorded, to boot--the filler, a reading of the symphonic poem Hamlet and Ophelia, comes as a letdown. Here, Yuasa and his Ulster charges are in competition with the vintage stereo recording by Karl Krueger and the Royal Philharmonic, reissued by Bridge in 1999. While Krueger's account gives the score a truly Lisztian weight and points up its indebtedness to Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini, Yuasa, breezing through the piece in 13:21 (compared to Kreuger's 17:20), allows it to seem a bit like the work of an American Glazunov. Pity. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

Bach: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Vivaldi: Largo Winter
Bach: Air On A G String
Torelli: Trumpet Concerto
Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
Handel: Let The Bright Seraphim
Handel: Pastoral Symphony
Boccherini: String Quintet, Minuet
Mendelssohn: On Wings Of Song
Liszt: Dream Of Love
Rachmaninov: Vocalise
Debussy: Claire De Lune
Satie: Gymnopedie No.1
Gluck: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
Debussy: Arabesque
Bizet: Intermezzo
Elgar: Salut D'amour
Debussy: Prelude A L'apres - Midi D'un Faun

Tracks:

Wagner: Bridal Chorus
Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary
Handel: Royal Fireworks Music, Overture
Gabrieli: Canzon V
Charpentier: Te Deum
Purcell: Trumpet Tune
Mussorgsky: Promenade
Pachebel: Canon In D
Handel: Larghetto
Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto In D Major, Largo
Handel: Water Music, Air
Macdowell: To A Wild Rose
Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata, Adagio
Melchior: Adagio
Gounod: Ave Maria
Schubert: Ave Maria
Franck: Panis Angelicus
Faure: Pie Jesu
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
Schumann: Romance For Violin And Piano
Massenet: Meditation

Tracks:

Mendelssohn: Wedding March
Vivaldi: Concerto For Two Trumpets In B, Allegro
Telemann: Trumpet Concerto In D, Allegro
Vivaldi: Spring, Allegro
Telemann: Trumpet Concerto In B, Allegro
Handel: Concerto Grosso, Hornpipe
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.4, Allegro
Handel: Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba
Schumann: Piano Quintet In E Flat Major
Widor: Toccata
Dubois: Toccata
Walton: Crown Imperial
Bach: Cantata No.51. 'Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen.' Alleluia
Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Alleluia
Handel: Water Music, Hornpipe
Chopin; Variations On A Theme From 'La Cenerentola'
Faure: Sicilienne
Offenbach: Barcarolle
Faure: Berceuse
Saint-Saens: The Swan
Brahms: Waltz In A Flat
Grieg: Wedding Day At Troldhaugen

Album Description

The process of choosing music for a wedding day can certainly be a daunting process for any couple. There are many choices and the questions can be endless. Traditional music or something off the beaten path? Will your Mom cry (and not in a good way) if you do not come down the aisle to the traditional Wedding March from Wagner, or are you eager to try something new? This collection is designed to give the bridal couple some key pointers to navigate the world of classical music for their wedding day. The package includes over 3 1/2 hours of music on 3 CDs for all portions of the wedding service, all from the Naxos classical label (known for high-quality recordings at inexpensive prices). Wedding day favorites are there, along with new discoveries and tunes you may have never considered for a wedding. All pieces are hand selected by professional wedding musicians and consultants. As a bonus, the 20 page booklet will lead you through the process of choosing music, from hiring musicians to sample programs. Everything you need to create your own unique personal wedding soundtrack.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT WEDDING MUSIC!.......2007-01-24

I used these CD's for my wedding, and I was so happy I did. You need to buy this CD if you like having a traditional wedding! :)

Good Music.......2006-07-05

I bought these CDs for my wedding, in ceremony and reception. Also, when I created my own wedding video, I used it as background music.

A very complete selection of ceremony music!.......2005-02-02

I am getting married in several months and we couldn't decide what music we wanted at our wedding ceremony. This three disk compilation reminded us of all the great ones- including new options we hadn't thought about. I really enjoyed hearing the organ and strings versions of the songs. If you're someone who hears a classical or baroque piece of music, but can't remember the name or the precise tune, this is a must-have to jog your memory and trigger the tear ducts!

Comprehensive Classical Selection.......2004-04-15

I searched all over for a CD set that had a somewhat comprehensive list of classical selections that are traditionally played at weddings. When I found this 3 CD set, I was very pleased. It contains 61 works from almost as many composers. This set might not contain the "best recording ever" of each of the selections, however it is very well done and the quality is very good. I used it primarily to choose the pieces that I wanted to have played by the church organist, and so the actual recordings were more for my consumption rather than for use in the ceremony/reception itself. However, I would not have hestitated to use the CD's in the wedding itself if needed. The book inside includes a list of suggested songs for various wedding styles (formal, outside, morning, etc.). From the classical neophyte to the seasoned classical music expert, this CD set will meet if not exceed expectations.

Just one note..........2003-06-07

I have not heard this album, so I cannot rate it as a whole. (The form made me include a rating, but disregard that.) However, I want to point out that track 36, the Pie Jesu from Gabriel Faure's Requiem is - well, from a requiem, a mass for the dead. The Pie Jesu is a lovely, gentle movement, and it has a beautiful and pure sound that does seem to fit the mood of a wedding. The Latin words, however, mean "Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest," where "them" refers to the dead.

Tracks:

Ste No.1, Op.42: In A Haunted Forest
Ste No.1, Op.42: Summer Idyll
Ste No.1, Op.42: In October
Ste No.1, Op.42: The Shepherdess Song
Ste No.1, Op.42: Forest Spirits
Ste No.2, Op.48, 'Indian': Legend
Ste No.2, Op.48, 'Indian': Love Song
Ste No.2, Op.48, 'Indian': In War-Time
Ste No.2, Op.48, 'Indian': Dirge
Ste No.2, Op.48, 'Indian': Village Festival
Hamlet & Ophelia, Op.22

Amazon.com

What's this? An Irish orchestra and a Japanese conductor doing the music of Edward MacDowell, the German-trained, American-born 19th-century composer of Scottish descent? Well, when Americans don't get behind one of the most formidably talented of their native sons--he was, after all, our country's greatest Romantic--things like that can happen. Not that this attention from foreign quarters isn't welcome. Naxos and its sister label, Marco Polo, have done very well by MacDowell over the years, releasing a wonderful four-CD overview of his solo piano music by the late, greatly lamented James Barbagallo, and also embarking on a survey of his orchestral works.

This installment in the series features the Ulster Orchestra in spirited and smartly played accounts of Suites Nos. 1 and 2, MacDowell's most substantial symphonic works. It follows hard on the heels of a brilliant recording of the piano concertos from pianist Stephen Prutsman and the Dublin-based National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Arthur Fagen. Marvelous as the performances of the suites are--and they're well recorded, to boot--the filler, a reading of the symphonic poem Hamlet and Ophelia, comes as a letdown. Here, Yuasa and his Ulster charges are in competition with the vintage stereo recording by Karl Krueger and the Royal Philharmonic, reissued by Bridge in 1999. While Krueger's account gives the score a truly Lisztian weight and points up its indebtedness to Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini, Yuasa, breezing through the piece in 13:21 (compared to Kreuger's 17:20), allows it to seem a bit like the work of an American Glazunov. Pity. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Edward MacDowell: American Music with a German Flavor.......2002-01-04

There are several reasons why this CD represents a useful addition to the catalog. First, the "First Suite" is not otherwise available on disc, and while it is not earthshaking, it is a pleasant and competent late-Romantic piece. Second, the "Second Suite" is not available in modern digital sound, and it should be. Third, "Hamlet and Ophelia" shows the literary MacDowell at his (again, less than earthshaking) best, and this a side of the composer we don't often hear.

The "First Suite" as elements of the fairytale about it, especially in its first ("In a Haunted Forest") and last ("Forest Spirits") movements. The notes to the recording speak of the Mendelssohnian quality of the latter movement, but really MacDowell has a heavier hand about him, and despite delicate touches, the suite sounds more like Wagner and Liszt than Mendelssohn--typical MacDowell, that is. Pleasant though the suite is, it could just as easily have been penned by the likes of Raff, Goetz, Joachim, or Bruch (on a bad day) as by the American composer.

The "Second Suite," once highly popular, is meatier and sticks in the mind better. It purports to portray what MacDowell called "the manly free rudeness of the American Indian," though like Dvorak's "American" music, MacDowell's has as much of the Old World about it as the New. Here, that's not such a bad thing, as the level-headed German approach keeps the "Dirge" from sounding maudlin, as it might, and gives heft and profile to the "Legend" and "Village Festival," where the presumably authentic Indian melodies aren't as catchy as MacDowell hoped they'd be. Still, the suite is a fair piece of music and worth hearing whether you're a MacDowell fan or not.

"Hamlet and Ophelia" is interesting because it represents one aspect of MacDowell that isn't widely explored on disc or in performance. The piece started life as two separate character studies that the composer later pieced together. In this form, the work sounds like a minature character symphony a la Liszt's "Faust Symphony." MacDowell's Hamlet is a brash and daring fellow with a tender side, so his music is dramatic, a bit pompous. Ophelia's is about what you would expect--sweetly melancholy. "Hamlet and Ophelia" is a good Germanic tone poem as it stands, but since the ending to Ophelia's section is a quiet one, the piece almost cries out for a more dramatic close. If MacDowell were still around, I'd suggest he take a lesson from his friend Liszt and add a third section on Hamlet's antigonist Claudius, of course tossing in the final swordplay from "Hamlet" for thrills. Maybe even a choral apotheosis of Hamlet, a la Liszt.... But MacDowell isn't around, and probably the whole enterprise would sink of its own weight. So what we have of "Hamlet and Ophelia" will have to do, and it does its job well.

Tracks:

Elgar: Imperial March
MacDowell: A.D. 1620 (from Sea Pieces, Opus 25)
Bach: Schbler Chorale No. 6
Lemare: Reverie, Opus 20
Swinnen: Selections from Longwood Sketches (Dewdrops -Sunshine)
Handel: Selections from Water Music (Hornpipe - Aria -Allegro Maestoso)

Album Description

The magnificent 10,010 pipe Longwood Organ is heard to its fullest with a varied program performed expertly by Thomas Murray.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Recording of a Great Organ.......2007-05-27

The organ on this recording is generally believed to be the largest "residence organ" in the world, with over ten thousand pipes. It was purchased by Pierre du Pont (1870-1954) in 1929 for his grand estate in southeastern Pennsylvania. That estate, known as Longwood Gardens, is now open to the public, and the organ remains in situ in the music room attached to Longwood's dramatic conservatories. (The organ is currently undergoing a thorough restoration, which is scheduled to be completed in 2008.)

Performing on this disc is Thomas Murray, probably the greatest living concert organist. His light touch, and the pieces he has chosen, do a terrific job of displaying this organ's capabilities. The program includes two movements from "Longwood Sketches," a piece written for this organ by Firmin Swinnen (1885-1972). Swinnen, a native of Belgium, gained renown as a concert and movie organist before being hired in the mid-1920s by Pierre du Pont to perform regularly at Longwood. The "Sketches" are whimsical, romantic pieces that show off the organist's virtuosity and the instrument's many colors.

This is an excellent recording, highly recommended for fans of the concert organ and its repertoire.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

A Suite of Gods

Discover the Classics: Romantic Favorites

Dressed Up to Get Messed Up

Your Mind Is on Vacation [Import]

Maniaxe

Classic Freestyle, Vol. 2

Fabulous Voice of Mario Lanza [Import]

Edward Auer Plays Chopin

Hawaiian Moon

Chick Corea/Origin [Import]

Euphoria Morning

Cubanos Y Famosos [Import]

Celia Cruz

Lotto Land (1996 Film)

Friday Night in San Francisco