Composers' Voice Portrait

1. Topos: I: Enfance/II: Jeunesse: Vingt Ans/III: Dévotion/IV: O Saisons, - Klaas Hoek, ,

2. Tehilla/Arc II

3. Tombeau

4. Fructus for Sytze

5. Cantique de Siméone

6. Mundus: I: Coro Sopra Uno Tono/II: Coro Unisono/III: Coro Pieno

Composers' Voice Portrait,Sytse Buwalda,Kees-Jan de Koning,Bas Ramselarr,Zvi Maschkowski,Daan Manneke,Hans Leenders,Jos Vermunt,Henriette Feith,Mariët Kaasschieter,Harry van Berne,Donemus Records,Choral,Choral Music,Classical,Classical Composers,Classical Music,Classical Vocals,Electronic/Avant-Garde/Minimalist Music,Vocal,Vocal Music

Average customer rating: Nice CD Music from a Farther Room relaxation amazing Talented violinist

Music From A Farther Room Astor Piazzolla , Maurice Ravel , Richard Rodgers , Paul Schwartz , Jean Sibelius , Traditional , Paul Schwartz , Craig Macintyre , Tariqh Akoni , Tim Curle , Lang Lang , Lee Musiker , Zachary Provost , Lucia Micarelli , Leigh Nash , and Lisbeth Scott Manufacturer: Reprise / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sibelius | Sibelius, Jean | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Within Josh Groban Live at The Greek (CD/DVD) Your Love, My Home Follow Your Heart Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull ASIN: B0002GU2NM Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

1. Samarkand
2. Oblivion
3. Meditation From Thais
4. Portrait
5. To Love You More
6. Reflexio
7. Aurora
8. Lady Grinning Soul
9. Ravel String Quartet IN F Major: Assez Vif - Tres Rythme
10. She Is Like The Swallow
11. My Funny Valentine
12. Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody

Amazon.com

Josh Groban fans who caught the singer's 2004 Closer tour would no doubt take note of Lucia Micarelli, who was the violinist and concertmaster for Groban. Like her boss, who also is executive producer of Music From A Farther Room, Micarelli is a young, attractive, and talented player who has the classical training, but who is also enchanted with pop music. Also like her boss, her strain of classical crossover works thanks to tasteful accompaniment, in this case from arranger/composer Paul Schwartz. The smartly chosen program of material comes from such varied catalogs as David Bowie and Rogers and Hart. Micarelli's playing is emotional without being overreaching, assertive when called upon, and nuanced. When she does go over-the-top pop on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," it's brief but fun; when she navigates Piazzolla's "Oblivion" she draws upon the song's passion more than its technical requisites. This is a debut with likeable pizzazz, coming in a genre not often enough known for it. -- Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

For anyone who has attended Josh Groban's phenomenal live show, you will have undoubtedly had the pleasure of seeing and hearing his lead violinist, Lucia Micarelli. Lucia came to Josh's tour after appearing with the Trans- Siberian Orchestra playing arenas across the U.S. in 2003. With the close of the second leg of Josh's tour, Lucia is recording her debut album in New York and London with producer Paul Schwartz. Musical selections will range from the works of composers Ravel and Ennio Morricone to David Bowie.

Customer Reviews:

Nice CD.......2007-07-15

This is one of my favorite CDs in my collection. I saw her play in person, and Live is much, much better then the CD.

Music from a Farther Room.......2007-05-22

I heard Lucia Micarelli during a 2007 Josh Groban concert. Her live solo performance in addition to her backgrounds for Groban were mesmerizing. I purchased this album to see if it was as enjoyable as her live work, and I was not disappointed. Micarelli performs a good mix of classical and pop pieces. My favorite tracks on the album are Smarkland, Meditation, Lady Grinning Soul, Portrait, and Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody.

relaxation.......2007-05-13

This CD is very well done. I was familiar with old favorites and delighted with new songs. I would like to hear more of the rock songs preformed by her. I think she's got a lot of talent and could possibly do well with the rock songs on a future album.

amazing.......2007-05-07

Lucia has power in her playing. I think that she shouldn't be allowed to play violin this good. Her raw talent is conveyed in every song. She doesn't just stick to classical, as the accompaniment music isn't just strings. I wished she had played a little more in Bohemian Rhapsody. I saw her in concert with Josh Groban and I knew I had to purchase this CD. Lucia is an inspiration and her love for the violin cannot be contained.

Talented violinist.......2007-03-29

When I saw and heard Lucia Micarelli perform with Josh Groban at a recent concert, I was so impressed with her talent, that I immediately went online to see what music of hers was available. Every item on her CD is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to her next CD.

Average customer rating: Vintage Americana

Aaron Copland: Lincoln Portrait; Old American Songs Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Portraits Of Freedom: Music of Aaron Copland and Roy Harris A Copland Celebration Vol. 3 Aaron Copland: The Essence of America [Box Set] Copland: Appalachian Spring/Fanfare For The Common Man/El Salón México/Danzón Cubano Christmas with the Pops ASIN: B00000E8NJ Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. A Railroad Ballad For Orchestra
2. Lincoln Portrait
3. The Promise Of Living
4. The Boatmen's Dance/The Dodger/Long Time Ago/Simple Gifts/I Bought Me A Cat
5. Jubilee Variations
6. Ceremonial Fanfare
7. An Outdoor Overture

Customer Reviews:

Vintage Americana.......2006-09-08

This album is a wonderful collection of lesser heard Copland gems. The performances have the excitement one always expects from Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, and it is ever a special treat to hear Sherrill Milnes. A very enjoyable CD.

Average customer rating: Essential for the chansom junkie. Buy It. Almost completely wonderful Indisputable Gallic flair Idiomatic, fresh, cleanly recorded the best songs ever ruined by uneven performing

Poulenc - Melodies / Ameling · Gedda · W. Parker · Sénéchal · Souzay · Baldwin Francis Poulenc , Dalton Baldwin , Elly Ameling , Gérard Souzay , Nicolai Gedda , Michel Sénéchal , and William Parker Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tartini | Tartini, Giuseppe | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music Similar Items: Debussy - Mélodies / Ameling · Mesplé · Command · Souzay · von Stade · Baldwin Fauré - Mélodies / Souzay · Ameling · Baldwin A French Song Companion Véronique Gens - Nuit d'étoiles (Mélodies Française) / Vignoles The Songs of Henri Duparc ASIN: B000002S31 Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

1. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: I - Le Dromadaire
2. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: II - La Chevre Du Tibet
3. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: III - La Sauterelle
4. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: IV - Le Dauphin
5. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: V - L'ecrevisse
6. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: VI - La Carpe
7. COCARDES: I - Miel De Narbonne
8. COCARDES: II - Bonne D'enfant
9. COCARDES: III - Enfant De Troupe
10. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: I - Attributs
11. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: II - Le Tombeau
12. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: III - Ballet
13. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: IV - Je N'ai Plus Les Os
14. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: V - A Son Page
15. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: I - La Maitresse Volage
16. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: II - Chanson A Boire
17. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: III - Madrigal
18. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: IV - Invocation Aux Parques
19. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: V - Couplets Bachiques
20. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VI - L'offrande
21. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VII - La Belle Jeunesse
22. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VIII - Serenade
23. AIRS CHANTES: I - Air Romantique
24. AIRS CHANTES: II - Air Champetre
25. AIRS CHANTES: III - Air Grave
26. AIRS CHANTES: IV - Air Vif
27. Epitaphe
28. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: I - Le Present
29. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: II - Chanson
30. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: III - Hier
31. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - L'anguille
32. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Carte Postale
33. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: III - Avant Le Cinema
34. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: IV - 1904
35. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: I - Chanson Bretonne
36. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: II - Cimetiere
37. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: III - La Petite Servante
38. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: IV - Berceuse
39. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: V - Souric Et Mouric
40. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: I - La Couronne
41. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: II - Le Depart
42. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: III - Les Gars Polonais
43. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: IV - Le Dernier Mazour
44. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: V - L'adieu
45. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VI - Le Drapeau Blanc
46. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VII - La Vistule
47. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VIII - Le Lac

Tracks:

1. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: I - Peut - Il Se Reposer?
2. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: II - Il La Prend Dans Ses Bras
3. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: III - Plume D'eau Claire
4. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: IV - Rodeuse Au Front De Verre
5. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: V - Amoureuses
6. A Sa Guitare
7. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: I - Bonne Journee
8. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: II - Une Ruine Coquille Vide
9. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: III - Le Front Comme Un Drapeau Perdu
10. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IV - Une Roulotte Couverte En Tuiles
11. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: V - A Toutes Brides
12. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VI - Une Herbe Pauvre
13. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VII - Je N'ai Envie Que De T'aimer
14. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VIII - Figure De Force Brulante Et Farouche
15. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IX - Nous Avons Fait La Nuit
16. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: I - Le Garcon De Liege
17. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: II - Au-Dela
18. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: III - Aux Officiers De La Garde Blanche
19. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Dans Le Jardin D'anna
20. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Allons Plus Vite
21. MIROIRS BRULANTS: I - Tu Vois Le Feu Du Soir
22. MIROIRS BRULANTS: II - Je Nommerai Ton Front
23. Le Portrait
24. La Grenouillere
25. Priez Pour Paix
26. Ce Doux Petit Visage
27. Bleuet
28. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: I - La Dame D'andre
29. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: II - Dans L'herbe
30. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: III - Il Vole
31. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: IV - Mon Cadavre Est Doux Comme Un Gant
32. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: V - Violon
33. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: VI - Fleurs

Tracks:

1. BANALITES: I - Chanson D'orkenise
2. BANALITES: II - Hotel
3. BANALITES: III - Fagnes De Wallonie
4. BANALITES: IV - Voyage A Paris
5. BANALITES: V - Sanglots
6. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: I - Chanson Du Clair Tamis
7. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: II - Les Gars Qui Vont A La Fete
8. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: III - C'est Le Joli Printemps
9. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: IV - Le Mendiant
10. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: V - Chanson De La Fille Frivole
11. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: VI - Le Retour Du Sergent
12. METAMORPHOSES: I - Reine Des Mouettes
13. METAMORPHOSES: II - C'est Ainsi Que Tu Es
14. METAMORPHOSES: III - Paganini
15. 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: I - C
16. 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: II - Fetes Galantes
17. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Montparnasse
18. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Hyde Park
19. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Le Pont
20. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Un Poeme
21. Paul Et Virginie
22. Mais Mourir
23. Hymne
24. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: I - L'enfant Muet
25. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: II - Adelina A La Promenade
26. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: III - Chanson A L'oranger Sec
27. Le Disparu
28. Main Dominee Par Le Coeur
29. CALLIGRAMMES: I - L'espionne
30. CALLIGRAMMES: II - Mutation
31. CALLIGRAMMES: III - Vers Le Sud
32. CALLIGRAMMES: IV - Il Pleut
33. CALLIGRAMMES: V - La Grace Exilee
34. CALLIGRAMMES: VI - Aussi Bien Que Les Cigales
35. CALLIGRAMMES: VII - Voyage

Tracks:

1. Mazurka
2. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: I - Rayon Des Yeux...
3. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: II - Le Matin Les Branches Attisent...
4. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: III - Tout Disparut...
5. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: IV - Dans Les Tenebres Du Jardin...
6. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: V - Unis La Fraicheur Et Le Feu...
7. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VI - Homme Au Sourire Tendre...
8. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VII - La Grande Riviere Qui VA...
9. PARISIANA: Le Joueur De Bugle
10. PARISIANA: Vous N'ecrivez Plus?
11. Rosemonde
12. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: I - Pablo Picasso
13. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: II - Marc Chagall
14. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: III - Georges Braque
15. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: IV - Juan Gris
16. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: V - Paul Klee
17. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VI - Joan Miro
18. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VII - Jacques Villon
19. La Souris
20. Nuage
21. Dernier Poeme
22. Une Chanson De Porcelaine
23. LA COURTE PAILLE: I - Le Sommeil
24. LA COURTE PAILLE: II - Quelle Aventure!
25. LA COURTE PAILLE: III - La Reine De Coeur
26. LA COURTE PAILLE: IV - Ba, Be, Bi, Bo, Bu
27. LA COURTE PAILLE: V - Les Anges Musiciens
28. LA COURTE PAILLE: VI - Le Carafon
29. LA COURTE PAILLE: VII - Lune D'avril
30. Toreador
31. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: I - La Tragique Histoire Du Petit Rene
32. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: II - Nous Voulons Une Petite Soeur
33. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: III - Le Petit Garcon Trop Bien Portant
34. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: IV - Monsieur Sans-Souci
35. Fancy
36. Colloque

Customer Reviews:

Essential for the chansom junkie. Buy It........2006-10-25

'Poulenc Melodies' performed by a really impressive lineup of vocal talent including Elly Ameling and Nicolai Gedda is exactly the kind of recording you need if you are compulsive about having 'complete' collections of things. This shows a range of composition which smaller releases such as single CD 'Voyage a Paris' (Hyperion, with Felicity Lott and Graham Johnson)can give us. For starters, many of these chansom showed a lot more evidence of more modern stylings and a far greater range of interpretation. In fact, I even had to check the lyrics in the included booklet to verify that on some songs, the performers were singing in French. Even though I have a smattering of knowledge of French, I would have sworn that the singers were performing songs in Russian.

I am happy that all four discs run for more than 60 minutes. No cheap short changing here. If you don't want to spring for the large set, the Hyperion release is great, but this is worth every penny.

Almost completely wonderful.......2005-04-29

Its very considerable advantage lies in its completeness. Poulenc was one of the very greatest songwriters of any era. If you have no Poulenc songs in your collection, start here. The recommendation of Kruysen is a fine one, but only after you have heard this as a basis of comparison. Of Ameling, Senechal, Souzay, Gedda, and Parker, the only disappointment is Parker, who - I'll just say it - sings with his usual bleat. Souzay is a shade past it in vocal quality, but he still understands these songs as well as anybody, with great declamation (and that, after all, is what most of French singing is about). The dryness of the voice is nowhere close to disastrous, as it might have been in Italian opera. Indeed, it lends an air of life lived, without excuses. Gedda is okay. The standouts are Souzay, Ameling, and Senechal. Baldwin accompanies superbly.

Indisputable Gallic flair.......2004-06-06

These performances are piquant and stylistically right on target. Even if Souzay is past his best here, he brings a lifetime of experience to bear and the other performers are wonderful. Ignore the curmudgeon who blasted this set. You will enjoy this tremendously if you love Poulenc.

Idiomatic, fresh, cleanly recorded.......2001-05-12

This is a fine set. Dalton Baldwin accompanies each singer with clarity and zest. And who can resist the affectionate singing of the likes of Nicolai Gedda and Elly Ameling? The "melodies" themselves are magnificent--among Poulenc's finest creations. Whether you have other performances of these works or not, I think you'd be pleased with this beautifully recorded set. Certainly the 70's-vintage performances are more individual in profile, more "romantic," if you will, than those conjured by most of the "anonymous" singers of our own age. Recommended with enthusiasm.

the best songs ever ruined by uneven performing.......2001-05-05

This is a warning for all Poulenc fans NOT to take the bargain route and purchase this immense collection -- you might think you're getting a great deal but: the singing and pianism is substandard and doesn't do the music justice (remotely). Songs like Bonne Journe'e or Ho^tel are all but ruined... Here's what to buy: Bernard Kruysen's CD of selected Poulenc masterpieces (favoring the Elouard settings)... nobody will ever come close to Kruysen in interpreting Poulenc. Avoid THIS CD. They still get 2 stars for (1) being encyclical and (2) delivering clear and even sound quality.

Average customer rating: Not the best performances, but still a pretty good collection A Written and Sound Portrait of One of Our Most Important Composers

Arvo Pärt: A Portrait Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Arvo Pärt - A Tribute Lamentate Alina - Arvo Part Arvo Pärt: Passio Arvo Part: 24 Preludes for a Fugue ASIN: B00093O6OY Release Date: 2005-06-21

Customer Reviews:

Not the best performances, but still a pretty good collection.......2007-04-20

Naxos has never provided the best performances of the music of Arvo Part--the long line of ECM recordings were made under the composer's supervision and thus may be seen as definitive--but the collection ARVO PART: A PORTRAIT is a nice effort indeed. Issued in 2005, the year of the Estonian composer's 70th birthday, this package features selections from nearly his entire career over two discs, in recordings drawn from the Naxos, BIS, and Nimbus labels, and also contains a 78-page booklet with Nick Kimberley's essay "Arvo Part: A Musical Journey".

Arvo Part came to worldwide attention through the minimalistic and overtly spiritual music he began composing in the mid-1970s, but ARVO PART: A Portrait features some music from his early career as well. Part was something of an enfant terrible in the Soviet music world, and in the 1960s he infuriated the socialist realist musical establishment by producing dodecaphonic and collage works through the 1960s. From this era we get the second movement of the Symphony No. 1, the "Collage ueber B-A-C-H", and the cello concerto "Pro et Contra". One does regret, however, that his important piece "Credo", discussed at some length in Kimberley's piece, is not featured here, but perhaps Naxos could not find a recording that could be licensed for inclusion here.

The bulk of the collection, however, is dedicated to Part's "holy minimalism" output, a style which he calls "tintinnabuli" for its bell-like tones. Two selections from his hour-long masterpiece "Passio" are included here, one begin four minutes long and the other twelve. Of the "Berliner Messe" we have the Kyrie and Credo, and the other late pieces here are included full-length.

"Fur Alina", the exceedingly simple piano piece he wrote in 1976, breaking a silence of nearly a decade, is featured here in its scored form in performance by Alexei Lubimov. The ECM recording of this piece is a much longer improvisation by Alexander Malter, so this Naxos collection (or the BIS disc the selection was drawn from) is a good way to hear the piece at its most simple.

Over the last decade or so, Part has began reconciling his tintinnabuli style to the more fiery spirit of his youth. However, none of those pieces, such as "Como cieva sedienta" are represented here, which is regrettable.

While the Naxos performances of Part's music are not the best available, only the Naxos recording of "Tabula Rasa" by the Ulster Orchestra and Takuo Yuasa is outright unlistenable. The rest are acceptable, and this collection makes a more more economical introduction to Part's career than the many full-price ECM discs. And for established Part fans, the included essay by Nick Kimberley is interesting reading, especially when the only other major English-language coverage of Part, Paul Hillier's Arvo Part (Oxford Studies of Composers), is difficult to find.

A Written and Sound Portrait of One of Our Most Important Composers.......2005-07-13

"Contemporary classical music which genuinely touches people is rare, but the rapt, contemplative music of Arvo Pärt communicates readily, and without pandering to the demands of a mass audience." -- Nick Kimberley

"It is enough when a single note is beautifully played." -- Arvo Pärt

These two comments shed light on Arvo Pärt, both the music and the man. An intensely private man who came of age in repressive Stalinist Soviet Estonia but who always maintained his stalwart religious beliefs, against all fashion, and who, though he started out as an avant-gardist, became the prophet of what has been called 'the new simplicity,' Arvo Pärt is perhaps the most beloved composer of classical music in the world. His music is known by people who have almost no interest otherwise in classical music, largely because of the effect it has on even the casual listener, as reflected in Nick Kimberley's comment above. It also has devoted followers among the musical cognoscenti. His piece 'Fratres,' in its myriad forms, is his most widely performed work, but it is probably his ecstatic 'Passio' that has created the most devoted following, particularly following its first recording by the Hilliard Ensemble on the ECM label.

This release has two CDs chockfull of unfailingly beautiful performances of Pärt's music, generally in complete movements taken from releases by Naxos and other labels. Such disparate works as his spare piano piece, 'Für Alina,' movements of his Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3, the 'Berliner Messe,' the 'Magnificat,' 'Collage über B-A-C-H,' 'Spiegel im Spiegel,' and 'Triodion,' are represented here. Two versions of 'Fratres' are included, one for cello and piano, the other for percussion and strings. His cello and orchestra work, 'Pro et Contra,' is performed by Frans Helmerson and the Bamberg Symphony under Neeme Järvi. Excerpts from 'Passio' ('Passion According to the Gospel of St. John') from the recording by Antony Pitts, Pärt expert and a composer in his own right, and his choral group Tonus Peregrinus are particularly haunting. Celebrated organist Kevin Bowyer is heard playing Pärt's 'Annum per annum.'

The illuminating accompanying essay, 70 pages long, is by Nick Kimberley, a noted British arts critic. All of this is in a glossy booklet enclosed in a cardboard box, typical of Naxos's classy presentation of both recorded music and booklet notes.

This release is for all those who are already devotees of Pärt's music and for those who are just coming to admire his music. The budget price makes it all the more attractive.

2 CDs TT=164mins

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating: Terrific vocal talents for Copland's music finally sandburg's lincoln portrait Wow! Pretty Good Deal

A Copland Celebration Vol. 2 Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Flute | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: A Copland Celebration Vol. 1 A Copland Celebration Vol. 3 The Copland Collection: Orchestral Works, 1948-1971 Copland Conducts Copland The Copland Collection: Orchestral & Ballet Works, 1936-1948 ASIN: B000050HWT Release Date: 2000-11-07

Tracks:

1. Vitebsk, Study On A Jewish Theme
2. Sextet For Clarinet, Piano And String Quartet: I. Allegro vivace
3. Sextet For Clarinet, Piano And String Quartet: II. Lento
4. Sextet For Clarinet, Piano And String Quartet: III. Finale
5. Piano Quartet: I. Adagio serio
6. Piano Quartet: II. Allegro giusto
7. Piano Quartet: III. Non troppo lento
8. Duo For Flute And Piano: I. Flowing
9. Duo For Flute And Piano: II. Poetic, Somewhat Mournful
10. Duo For Flute And Piano: III. Lively, With Bounce

Tracks:

1. Lincoln Portrait - CARL SANDBURG
2. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: I. Nature, The Greatest Mother
3. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: II. There Came A Wind Like A Bugle
4. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: III. Why Do They Shut Me Out Of Heaven?
5. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: The World Feels Dusty
6. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: V. Heart, We Will Forget Him
7. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: VI. Dear March, Come In!
8. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: VII. Sleep Is Supposed To Be
9. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: VIII. When They Come Back
10. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: IX. I Felt A Funeral In My Brain
11. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: X. I've Heard An Organ Talk Sometimes
12. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: XI. Going To Heaven!
13. Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson: XII. The Chariot
14. Old American Songs (Set 1): The Boatmen's Dance (Minstrel Song, 1843)
15. Old American Songs (Set 1): The Dodger (Campaign Song)
16. Old American Songs (Set 1): Long Time Ago
17. Old American Songs (Set 1): Simple Gifts (Shaker Song)
18. Old American Songs (Set 1): I Bought Me A Cat
19. Old American Songs (Set 2): The Little Horses (Lullaby)
20. Old American Songs (Set 2): Zion's Walls (Revivalist Song)
21. Old American Songs (Set 2): The Golden Willow Tree
22. Old American Songs (Set 2): At The River (Hymn Tune)
23. Old American Songs (Set 2): Ching-A-Ring Chaw (Minstrel Song)
24. Billy The Kid: I. The Open Prairie - Oscar Levant
25. Billy The Kid: II. Street In A Frontier Town - Oscar Levant
26. Billy The Kid: V. Celebration Dance (After Billy's Capture) - Oscar Levant

Customer Reviews:

Terrific vocal talents for Copland's music.......2002-08-08

This second Copland collection focuses on unique talents of veteran performers.

William Warfield lends his voice and his interpretations of Copland's Old American Songs, and he sings them as they were meant to be, not as classical diletantes felt they should be. You have authenticity here.

Martha Lipton likewise contributes an older world charm and charisma to Copland's settings for Emily Dickenson's words.

Carl Sandberg's resonant reading of his own words is worth the full price of this set.

And then the inimitable Oscar Levant's piano treatment of the orchestral pieces...Levant had a wry touch to his interpretations that gave him a voice all his own.

There's much more here, quite a bit that's less than familiar and therefore increases one's familiarity with Copland.

finally sandburg's lincoln portrait.......2001-08-17

For all those like myself who have waited a decade for "A Lincoln Portrait" with Carl Sandburg's narration on CD, here it is finally! Sandburg's heartfelt reading of Lincoln's words is easily the most inspired and inspiring of the legions of others whose voices have been recorded. The orchestration by Kostelanetz also vastly surpasses others. Compare Henry Fonda's reading for example to see a poorly mixed tape where the narrator's voice is overwhelmed by the orchestra.

Wow! Pretty Good Deal.......2001-03-13

I was surprised to find two CDs of such quality being sold for the price of one. It also contained many hard to find Copland works.

Vitebsk is exciting. Strings do much of the work here. The music is very unique to any other Copland works. Definitely here a sample of this.

The Sextet is very interesting. The combination of strings and piano is a prefect balance along with the clarinet doing much of the harmony. It is the same song though as Copland's 2nd symphony, the 'short' one.

Duo for Flute and Piano is fun and happy. The 1st movement fluctuates quite a bit in the feeling but is a very nice combination. The second movement is slightly morbid but the feeling of happy hi ho is not lost. The 3rd movement is light and bouncy and can be described as typical Copland.

Lincoln Portrait is powerful. Though I don't see how it fits on this CD has a rarity or a chamber work. It is the besy Lincoln P. I've ever heard though.

Old American Songs and Poems of Emily Dickinson are not that good though. It's a vocalist and a piano accompanyingthe vocalist. The vocalists are not that good and I felt needed to feel the music a little more. Thomas Hampson and Dawn Upshaw made a CD with these songs which is much better (the only problem is that that CD only has 8 of the 12 Emily Dickinson Songs).

Billy the Kid was a nice way to finish off. It's just a few excerpts played on solo piano. It was interesting hearing the piece performed this way.

The recording quality is okay sometimes and kinda slipping other times. Then again, these are classic recordings for the most part. The skill though of the orchestra and soloists for the most part is that of a high quality. I definitely recommend this CD to any Copland fans out there trying to discover more about Copland. It's a very nicely put together CD and price worthy too.

Average customer rating: The Best of 1930s Modernism A happy revival of music by an exceptional talent

Ruth Crawford Seeger: Portrait Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ruth Crawford Seeger: Violin Sonata; Piano Pieces; Two Ricercari; Sandburg Songs Seeger: Two Movements for Chamber Orchestra/Musgrave: Chamber Concerto No. 2/Mekeel: Planh/Corridors of Dreams The World of Ruth Crawford Seeger Elliott Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello & Harpsichord; Sonata for Cello & Piano; Double Concerto for Harpsichor Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto ASIN: B000001GXW Release Date: 1998-01-27

Tracks:

1. Music For Small Orchestra(1926): I. Slow, Pensive
2. Music For Small Orchestra(1926): II. In Roguish Humor. Not Fast
3. Three Chants(1930): 1. To An Unkind God
4. Three Chants(1930): 2. To An Angel (With Soprano Solo)
5. Three Chants(1930): 3. To A Kind God (With Soprano And Alto Solo)
6. Piano Study In Mixed Accents: Piano Study In Mixed Accents(1930)
7. Three Songs: 1. Rat Riddles(1930)
8. Three Songs: 2. Prayers Of Steel(1932)
9. Three Songs: 3. In Tall Grass(1931)
10. String Quartet 1931: I. Rubato assai
11. String Quartet 1931: II. Leggiero
12. String Quartet 1931: III. Andante
13. String Quartet 1931: IV. Allegro possibile
14. 2 Ricercare (1932): Sacco, Vanzetti
15. 2 Ricercare (1932): Chinaman, Laundryman
16. Andante For Strings (1938)
17. Rissolty Rossolty
18. John Hardy (1940)
19. Suite (1952): I. Allegretto
20. Suite (1952): II. Lento rubato
21. Suite (1952): III. Allegro possibile-Andante-Allegro-Meno mosso-Tempo primo

Amazon.com

Crawford is a neglected but significant figure in the development of American music in the 20th century. Perhaps it's that she took 15 years off from composing in the middle of her life to help found the American folk revivalist movement carried on by her children Michael, Peggy, and stepson Pete. But her early works define their own new territory next to contemporaries and friends Henry Cowell and Carl Ruggles. With a decidedly proletarian slant, Crawford's earlier works merge folk melodies and forms of meandering clarity and layer them between swirls of chamber dissonance. These include settings of her friend Carl Sandburg's conversational poetry, the political words of Daily Worker writer H.T. Tsiang, the curious and circular patterns in String Quartet No. 1, and the homespun-meets-high-art Rissolty Rossolty. The CD finishes with a song setting by her husband Charles, and her "comeback" work, 1952's Suite for Wind Quartet, which patchworks rolling contemplation, lyrical melody, and forceful irregular rhythms together. --Robin Edgerton

Customer Reviews:

The Best of 1930s Modernism.......2004-01-28

Ruth Crawford Seeger - A Portrait

The male-dominated atmosphere of most of the arts in history has made the search for women's voices often a very difficult one, even for women earlier in this century. So many women of original achievement or promising talent were eclipsed by the men in their lives; think of Alma Mahler for instance, who had a real talent for the human voice, but sublimated it to the promotion of the music of her husband, and then to the promotion of the arts of her other husbands. Sometimes this searching for earlier women's voices leads to the promotion of composers with somewhat dubious abilities such as Amy Beach. But other times it reveals composers of freshness and distinction. Such is the case with Ruth Crawford Seeger. Her output, though small, is some of the most distinctive and original of her generation.

Ruth Crawford began her career in Chicago, at the time, hardly a hotbed of musical experimentation. However, even in this out of the way location, she was able to keep abreast of the new musical experiments in Europe. Music for Small Orchestra represents her music of this time, impressionistic but non-tonal. There are echoes of Ives in the work, as well as Scriabin, and Debussy. The orchestral imagination is distinctive and both works show evidence of considerable formal innovation. The Three Chants continues in this mystical vein, but with even more evidence of development of craft.

In the 1930s Crawford Seeger moved to New York and became active in the most radical wing of American composition. Influenced by iconoclastic composers like Henry Cowell, Varese, Ives, and her husband, Charles Seeger, she adopted a technique of "dissonant counterpoint". This technique, though it tends to be forgotten now in favor of concentration on European serial procedures, was integral in the music of the American radicals. Crawford Seeger's work from this period makes the best case possible for the style, which she uses with facility and ingenuity. The Three Songs for Contralto and instrumental ensemble show her new-found abilities in this style. The work is highly expressive, with a constantly changing background "ostinato"...a truly impressive work.

Crawford Seeger's masterpiece in this style is her String Quartet of 1931. Tightly organized around pithy motives, this is one of the most impressive modernist works written by an American. Her freely atonal style is better developed than the styles of other similar modernists like Copland or Sessions at the time. Yet the work is also marked by logical clarity, and deeply felt emotional content. The Andante in particular is an impressive work and makes an even better string orchestra piece in its 1938 transcription.

As Crawford Seeger and her husband became more and more involved in Marxist politics, their musical interests changed as well. The Adorno influenced aesthetic they had both embraced in the early 30s (modernism in music linked with leftist politics) gave way to a more populist ideal, perhaps reflecting some of the political and artistic concerns in contemporary communist Russia. In any case, both Seegers gave up composing for a long while and became interested in the folk song revival. Moving to the Washington, DC area, the couple worked with Alan and John Lomax at the Smithsonian Institution, helping to collect and arrange a treasury of American folk music. This change to folk music deeply affected the music that Crawford Seeger did write at the time. Rissolty Rossolty from 1939 is an example of a rare piece of music from this time. Written in an idiom that suggests the forms of an Ives piece, with the harmonic restraint of Copland's American period, the work is pleasant, if not as strikingly innovative as her early work.

In the 1950s after taking time off to raise her children, the folk singers Peggy and Pete Seeger, Crawford returned to original composition with the intriguing Suite for Wind Quintet. This work suggests that she was on the brink of discovering a way to mix her early modernist style with her later interest in folk music. The melodies of the Suite are derived from folk music, but highly segmented and manipulated, so that all that remains of the original target tune is the mere suggestion of folkiness. Instead the work resembles a slightly more dissonant French-influenced music, rather like a spiky Poulenc. It is not a masterpiece, but it is an intriguing but ultimately sad picture of the composer. Tragically, she died soon after writing this work.

The performances on this disc are by the Schonberg Ensemble led by Oliver Knussen. They are exemplary. Crawford Seeger is one American composer from this period who I think that European musicians can "get" without much effort. The vocal music is sung by Lucy Shelton, who is terrific in modernist repertoire. I don't think one could ask for a better introduction to this wonderful composer than this disc.

A happy revival of music by an exceptional talent.......2003-12-25

In recent years, there has been something of a revival of interest in the music of Ruth Crawford Seeger, one of the less well known members of the American avant-garde of the first half othe 20th century. This disc collects a variety of her works from her brief career as an active composer--she largely retired from composition in her early 30s to become part of the folk music revival--and demonstrates what an extraordinary talent she had.

Music for Small Orchestra, written in 1926, was her first work for a sizeable ensemble. It is in two movements, a slow first that might remind some of Ives without the eclecticism; and a second, faster movement that develops irregularly. This is a remarkable and very individual orchestral debut, even if the following works on the disc do somewhat put it in the shade.

The Three Chants for Women's Chorus, written four years later, are a remarkable achievement. Written in phonetic speech and complex atonal counterpoint, they are as remarkable for their musical content as for the pre-echoes of later composers that occasionally emerge. Not only are they consistently more radical than most of the European avant-garde of the day, they are also outstanding music in their own right. The outer movements are mostly slow: the first often in two-part counterpoint, the third much more complex and climaxing with a twelve-note cluster; in contrast the central panel is fast and vigorous.

From the same year comes Piano Study in Mixed Accents, an irregularly rhythmic toccata which is great fun if hardly a major achievement.

The Three Songs, written between 1930 and 1932, are written for an ensemble of contralto, oboe, percussion and piano with optional orchestral ostinato. Once again, their radicalism is dramatic and combined with an infectious joy in the sounds the unusual ensemble can create.

Crawford Seeger's most famous work is probably the String Quartet 1931 (in its original form and in the version for string orchestra of the Andante from it). This is a superb work, full of variety, contrast and atmosphere in its four movements. The evocative Andante is the best known part of it, but the rest of the work is on the same elevated level. The orchestral version of the Andante (also recorded here) arguably is even more impressive than the original--a rare case of a transcription that makes its point.

The rest of the disc is more problematical. The Two Ricecare are attempts at avant-garde Leftist agitprop--a ranting vocal line against an unrelated and largely repetitive piano background. Unfortunately they do not reach the heights that, say, Luigi Nono's political music was able to. Rissolty Rossolty (written in 1939) is a brief orchestral fantasy based on folk songs, written in a conservative style and not very interesting. Largely similar in style is John Hardy, written by Crawford Seeger's husband Charles (a far inferior composer to his wife).

The disc ends with the Suite for Wind Quintet, a long-delayed return to concert music from 1952--the year before Crawford Seeger died. This is a sprightly, largely neo-classical work: tuneful and rhythmic but without totally abandoning the modernism of her earlier years. It doesn't strike me as close to the earlier works in quality, but if she had lived, it might have been part of a new beginning for her.

This is a fascinating disc, and for the first half, a remarkable one. Crawford Seeger was, by the standards of her early works, one of the most talented composers of her generation, and these works are unlikely to disappoint anyone interested in the modernist music of her time.

Average customer rating:

A Portrait of Britten Manufacturer: Nimbus Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Viola | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Hadley, Jerry | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000JCAX Release Date: 1999-06-15

Tracks:

1. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Intro And Theme - Roger Best
2. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Adagio - Roger Best
3. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: March - Roger Best
4. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Romance - Roger Best
5. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Aria Italiana - Roger Best
6. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Bourree Classique - Roger Best
7. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Wiener Walzer - Roger Best
8. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Moto Perpetuo - Roger Best
9. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Funeral March - Roger Best
10. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Chant - Roger Best
11. Vars On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op.10: Fugue And Finale - Roger Best
12. Simple Sym, Op.4: Boisterous Bourree - Roger Best
13. Simple Sym, Op.4: Playful Pizzicato - Roger Best
14. Simple Sym, Op.4: Sentimental Saraband - Roger Best
15. Simple Sym, Op.4: Frolicsome Finale - Roger Best
16. Lachrymae-Reflections On A Song Of Dowland: Lento-Allegretto, Andante Molto-Animato-Tranquillo... - Roger Best
17. Plrd And Fugue, Op.29: Prld: Grave - Roger Best
18. Plrd And Fugue, Op.29: Fugue: Allegro Energico - Roger Best

Tracks:

1. Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: I. Dawn - Michael Bochmann
2. Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: II. Sunday Morning - Michael Bochmann
3. Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: III. Moonlight - Michael Bochmann
4. Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a: IV. Storm - Michael Bochmann
5. Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: I. Cakes And Ale - Michael Bochmann
6. Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: II. Bitter Withy - Michael Bochmann
7. Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: III. Hankin Booby - Michael Bochmann
8. Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: IV. Hunt The Squirrel - Michael Bochmann
9. Ste On English Folk Tunes 'A Time There Was...', Op.90: V. Lord Melbourne - Michael Bochmann
10. Gloriana: The Courtly Dances, Op.53a - Michael Bochmann
11. The Young Person's Guide To The Orch, Op.34: Vars And Fugue On A Theme Of Purcell - Michael Bochmann

Tracks:

1. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Fanfare - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
2. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Villes - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
3. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Phrase - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
4. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Antique - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
5. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Royaute - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
6. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Marine - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
7. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Interlude - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
8. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Being Beauteous - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
9. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Parade - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
10. Les Illuminations, Op.18: Depart - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
11. Ser, Op.31: Prologue - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
12. Ser, Op.31: Pastoral - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
13. Ser, Op.31: Nocturne - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
14. Ser, Op.31: Elegy - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
15. Ser, Op.31: Dirge - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
16. Ser, Op.31: Hymn - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
17. Ser, Op.31: Sonnet - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
18. Ser, Op.31: Epilogue - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead
19. Nocturne, Op.60 - Jerry Hadley/Anthony Halstead/Michael Hirst/Paul Arden Taylor/David Campbell/Keith Rubach...

Average customer rating:

Grieg: Peer Gynt; Piano Concerto; Songs Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin ASIN: B0002XV2XY Release Date: 2005-02-15

Tracks:

1. Prelude: In The Wedding Garden - Joachim Ulbricht
2. The Bridal Procession Passes - Staatskapelle Dresden
3. Prelude: Abduction, Ingrid's Lament - Leipzig Radio Chorus
4. In The Hall Of The Mountain King - Leipzig Radio Chorus
5. Dance Of The Mountain King's Daughter - Staatskapelle Dresden
6. Aase's Death - Staatskapelle Dresden
7. Introduction: Morning - Leipzig Radio Chorus
8. Arabian Dance - Leipzig Radio Chorus
9. Anitras Dance - Taru Valijakka
10. Solveig's Song - Taru Valijakka
11. Prelude: Peer Gynt's Journey Home - Taru Valijakka
12. Solveig's Cradle Song - Taru Valijakka
13. I. Allegro Molto Moderato - John Ogdon
14. II. Adagio - John Ogdon
15. III. Allegro Moderato Molto E Marcato - John Ogdon

Tracks:

1. Enticement - Geoffrey Parsons
2. Mountain Girl - Geoffrey Parsons
3. Bilberry Slopes - Geoffrey Parsons
4. Tryst - Geoffrey Parsons
5. Love - Geoffrey Parsons
6. Kids' Dance - Geoffrey Parsons
7. Evil Day - Geoffrey Parsons
8. At The Mountain Stream - Geoffrey Parsons
9. Hor' Ich Das Liedchen Klingen Op.39 No.6
10. Der Fichtenbaum Op.59 No.2
11. Wo Sind Sie Hin? Op.4 No.6
12. Das Alte Lied Op.4 No.5
13. Gruss Op.48 No.1
14. Ich Stand In Dunklen Traumen Op.2 No.3
15. Abschied Op.4 No.3
16. Eingehullt In Graue Wolken Op.2 No.2
17. Mein Sinn Ist Wie Der Macht'ge Fels Op.5 No.4
18. Des Dichters Letztes Lied Op.18 No.3
19. Des Dichters Herz Op.5 No.2
20. Sie Ist So Weiss Op.18 No.2
21. Morgenthau Op.4 No.2
22. Jagerlied Op.4 No.4
23. Lauf Der Welt Op.48 No.3
24. Zur Rosenzeit Op.48 No.5
25. Ein Traum Op.48 No.6
26. Dereinst, Gedanke Mein Op.48 No.2
27. Dein Rat Ist Wohl Gut Op.21 No.4
28. Herbststimmung Op.26 No.5
29. An Sie II Op.59 No.4
30. An Sie I Op.59 No.3
31. Der Jager (1905)

Average customer rating: Excellent Extended Booklet Notes, Mostly Fine Performances An Excellent 'Portrait' of Shostakovich!!!

Dmitry Shostakovich: A Portrait Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Viola | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Testimony - Tony Palmer's Story of Shostakovich / Ben Kingsley Shostakovich Against Against Stalin Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos - An Owner's Manual: Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters) ASIN: B000E8ZLU2 Release Date: 2006-03-21

Tracks:

1. Prelude And Fugue In C Major, Op.87 No.1 - Dmitry Shostakovich
2. Fantastic Dance In C Major, Op.5 No.3 - Konstantin Scherbakov
3. Movement I: Allegretto - Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
4. No.2: Adagio - New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
5. No.8: General Dance Of Enthusiasm And Apotheosis - Russian State Symphony Orchestra
6. Prelude In E Flat Minor, Op.34 No.14 - Konstantin Scherbakov
7. Movement 2: Moderato Con Moto - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
8. Movement 4: Allegro Non Troppo - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
9. Movement 3: Scherzo - Vermeer Quartet
10. Movement 3: Allegro Non Troppo - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
11. Movement 2: Allegro Non Troppo - Stockholm Arts Trio
12. Movement I: Allegro - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
13. Movement 3: Passacaglia - Ilya Kaler
14. Excerpt From A Radio Address By Shostakovich - Dmitry Shostakovich

Tracks:

1. Prelude In F Sharp Major, Op.97 No.13a - Konstantin Scherbakov
2. Movement 4: Andante-Allegro - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
3. Movement 3: National Holiday - Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra
4. Movement 2: Andante - Michael Houstoun
5. Movement 5: Largo - Eder Quartet
6. Movement 2: Humour - Peter Mikulas
7. Movement 4: Largo - Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
8. Movement I: Moderato-Allegretto - Eder Quartet
9. Movement 9: O Delvig, Delvig! - Peter Mikulas
10. Movement I: Allegretto - Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
11. Movement I: Moderato - Julius Drake
12. Fugue In D Minor, Op.87 No.24b - Dmitry Shostakovich

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Extended Booklet Notes, Mostly Fine Performances.......2006-04-29

Presumably the purpose of this two CD set (at a marvelous budget price) is to acquaint those unfamiliar with Shostakovich's music with as broad a range of his output as possible. The excerpts are all full movements and they are presented in chronological order with some minor exceptions. The booklet text, very clearly written by Richard Whitehouse, is not only informative, it is even-handed in the way it lays out some of the controversies surrounding Shostakovich's life and works. He not only makes comments about and sets out the historical context of the works presented, but also mentions others that are not included, so that one gets rather a fuller picture of his oeuvre than the music tracks would suggest.

Included are movements from nine of his fifteen symphones -- Nos. 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 & 15; nothing from No. 7, the 'Leningrad' is included. Several of his piano preludes and fugues are presented, including the opening track which is from Shostakovich's own recording of No. 1 in C. Konstantin Scherbakov is heard in the others, plus a piece I don't recall hearing before, the brief, humorous 'Fantastic Dance in C, Op. 5, No. 3.' Several movements from ballet/movie suites are here -- from 'The Golden Age', 'The Bolt', 'The Gadfly', and 'Hamlet.' Only two string quartet movements are included, not enough in my opinion as his string quartets are among the glories of twentieth-century music, even though he came to the form rather late. We hear excerpts from the Piano Quintet in G Minor and the Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67 (not the Adagio, but the second movement Allegro). Ilya Kaler plays an incandescent Passacaglia from the First Violin Concerto, Annette Bartholdy plays the first movement of the Viola Sonata beautifully, and Michael Houstoun equally so in the Andante from the Second Piano Concerto (the one Shostakovich wrote for his son Maksim).

Quality of the performances varies a bit. I've never been terribly fond of the complete symphonies as recorded by Slovak Radio Symphony under Ladislav Slovak -- let's face it, this is not a top-tier orchestra. But the movie/film excerpts, played by other east European orchestras, are fine. As for the chamber works and piano works, they are excellent. Konstantin Scherbakov, a really fine pianist, is heard in several of the preludes and fugues, and another excellent Russian pianist, Boris Berman, is heard with the Vermeer Quartet in the Piano Quintet excerpt. The Stockholm Arts Trio is slightly less fine in the Op. 67 piano trio excerpt. The string quartet excerpts (from Nos. 8 and 12) are played wonderfully by the Eder Quartet.

For lagniappe there is a brief 1941 recording of Shostakovich making a radio address -- in Russian, of course, but with an English translation in the booklet.

I would go so far as to suggest that Richard Whitehouse's 92-page booklet is very nearly worth the price of the two-CD set, particularly for those who have not read much about the composer previously.

Scott Morrison

An Excellent 'Portrait' of Shostakovich!!!.......2006-03-22

I've been waiting for a release of this nature for a long time - a near-definitive collection that captures the very essence of the great Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75). With 2006 being the 100th anniversary year of the composer's birth, what better time to release a collection like this than now.
The "Portrait" collection is packed to its limits with defining musical moments from Shostakovich's repertoire. Excerpts from his famous "24 Preludes and Fugues", his epic symphonies, string quartets and violin concerto are all included here in uncut movements. Of special interest is the Preludes and Fugues that bookend the set because these were performed by Shostakovich himself from recordings made in the early 1950s. Also of interest is a short extract from a radio address in 1941 that features Shostakovich announcing (in Russian) work on his monumental Seventh Symphony (aka the "Leningrad Symphony").
The 100-page booklet that accompanies the CD-set features an excellent detailed essay on Shostakovich that gives an in-depth look at the composer's life and music as well as historic photos.
The only real downfall to the collection is the fact that excerpts from some of Shostakovich's best known works are missing here. There isn't any music from his famous "Leningrad" Seventh Symphony nor is there any from the equally famous Eleventh ("The Year 1905"). Also missing is music from the Cello Concerto and the famous "Festive Overture". Of course to include these pieces would have meant to extend from double-CD to a triple set. Since both CDs in this set are filled to their limits at 79 minutes each, I guess the omission of the above important works can be accepted. Besides what we do have here is some excellent music to begin with.
With this said, "A Portrait" of Dmitri Shostakovich is an excellent beginners guide to this dynamic yet controversial composer. I personally cannot think of a better introduction to his music than this.
Bravo to Naxos for this excellent release and a happy 100th to this great Russian musical genius.

Average customer rating: What a great collection of old standards

The Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 1 Manufacturer: Alshire ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mancini | Mancini, Henry | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: The Best of The Great American Composers, Vol. III Magic of Broadway More of the Best of 101 Strings Orchestra ASIN: B000000KOH Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

1. Blue Skies
2. But Not Too Much
3. Always
4. Rhapsody In Blue
5. Portrait Of You
6. Summertime
7. Night And Day
8. White Tie And Tails
9. I Love Paris
10. Some Enchanted Evening
11. Oklahoma
12. Aisle Talk
13. Gigi
14. Thank Heaven For Little Girls
15. Standing Room Only
16. Moon River
17. Happy Hobo
18. Days Of Wine And Roses

Customer Reviews:

What a great collection of old standards.......2000-11-17

This is an exciting cd. It features the hits of many of the great tunesmiths of America. What a treat!

I belive this series showcases six composers on each cd. With this format, there's no way to go wrong with this cd. The 101 Strings do a wonderful job of performaning these songs.

Recommendation: I think it would be wise to buy this cd if you love the standards.

Track Listings:

1. Crossings
2. Die Orgeln im Dom zu Bantzen
3. Disseminate Ostrava/Kontradictionaries/Disseminate Q-02
4. Dunhill - Bantock - Stanford : Violin Sonatas / Stanzeleit
5. Duo Forza
6. Elgar: In the South; Walton: Partita; Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
7. English Orchestral Songs
8. Fauré: Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
9. Franz Liszt: Complete Song Transcriptions of Chopin, Mendelssohn, Robert and Clara Schumann
10. French Orchestral Favorites

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Bag of Hits [Explicit Lyrics] [Limited Edition] [Import]

Christ on Olive Mountain Op 85

Gatorhythms

1955-1978 [Import]

Do What You Love [Import]

Doctor Good Soul [Import]

Come Away With Me [Enhanced] [Import]

Complete Flute Sonatas

Cut Yourself a Switch

Cool Saturdays

Dove

Different Light/Everything [Import]

Dream Dance, Vol. 16 [Import]

Let's Show Some Love

Conversations in the Language of Jazz