First Recordings 5

1. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam Conducted by Herbert von Karajan

2. Symphony No. 35 in D major ("Haffner"), K. 385
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Turin Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Conducted by Herbert von Karajan

3. Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron), overture to the operetta
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Herbert von Karajan

First Recordings 5,Karajan,Grammofono 2000,Classical

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating:

Excellent Sound Track

Great gift!

Good, but not for the Family

fantastic......

"A" for Andrews

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
Alan Jay Lerner , Rex Harrison , Julie Andrews , and Frederick Loewe
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)

South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast)

West Side Story (1957 Original Broadway Cast)

The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast)

Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000067AS1
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Tracks:

Overture
Why Can't The English?
Wouldn't It Be Loverly
With An Ordinary Man
I'm An Ordinary Man
Just you Wait
The Rain In Spain
I Could Have Danced All Night
Ascot Gavotte
On The Street Where You Live
You Did It
Show Me
Get Me To The Church On Time
A Hymn To Him
Without You
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
A Post-Recording Conversation (bonus track)
Playback: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (bonus track)

Amazon.com

The 2,700 performances of Lerner and Loewe's musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion gracefully spanned the Eisenhower and Camelot eras, then begat a wildly popular film version, whose 1965 Best Picture Oscar capped the show's decade of prominence. The crowning achievement of Lerner and Loewe's rich body of work began its recording life on this 1956 cast recording, a collection of performances that long ago became a ubiquitous and indispensable fixture of American musical theater. Indeed, it's hard to imagine anyone else but Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the roles of the cockney Eliza Doolittle and her long-suffering mentor, Henry Higgins, delivering definitive versions of the show's embarrassment of riches: "Why Can't the English?," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "The Rain in Spain," "I Could Have Danced All Night," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." This new edition offers a digitally burnished take of the already glorious recording, now supplemented with a post-recording conversation track featuring Harrison, Andrews, Lerner, conductor Franz Allers, and original producer Goddard Lieberson, as well as a 1961 audio interview with Lerner and Loewe. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Sound Track.......2007-06-27

I found My Fair Lady full of beautiful arrangements and excellent vocals. Can't get better then the sound of Julie Andrews!!!! Although Julie did not get the movie roll this makes me appreciate the movie even more.

Great gift!.......2007-06-01

Bought this as a gift for a friend.Received it quickly and she was delighted.

Good, but not for the Family.......2007-05-29

I initially really enjoyed the movie my fair lady and wanted a sound track so I could continue to enjoy the music. However, upon recieving the cd, I was especially disappointed with one aspect - the language. I knew Professor Higgins and others had used profanity on the film, and was ok with it. You hear it once and move on. However, I don't want a cd playing around my family that my kids are learning to dance, sing, and act out a song that has rather obvious swear words. After 1 listen I picked out at least three instances of swearing, the worst being I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face (my otherwise favorite song!) The song starts out d--n, d--n, d--n! It's shouted.

fantastic.............2007-05-16

MY FAIR LADY, one of the most well-loved and beautifully made musicals, was a definitive vehicle for the career of (then) twenty year old Julie Andrews, as the "loverly" Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle. Between Andrews' soaring soprano (which is especially poignant to hear, today, considering that she can no longer sing as she once did) and the great supporting cast, lead by Rex Harrison, as Dr. Henry Higgins, the bored professor who takes her under his wing as a special project to mold into a dignified lady, this is a five star show!

The story was actually based on PYGMALION, by the late, great playwright, George Bernard Shaw, inspired by Greek mythology. In the original Greek play, Pygmalion is the sculptor who creates a depiction of a woman, out of ivory, and falls in love with it. He prays to Venus, and then his sculpture is brought to life, as Galatea. In the musical, the gist is similar but the journey and characters veer from this concept considerably. For starters, no one starts out as a piece of stone--especially not Eliza Doolittle. She has definite opinions and a distinctive personality (saucy language and all), that Dr. Doolittle is very keen on shaping up for society. The music is perfectly in synch with the mood of this great play, which is in some ways a true parable about human behavior and the treatment of women in society. Some of the most beautiful music by Lerner and Loewe is featured here. The songs include "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face," and "Get Me to the Church On Time." This is brilliant. Buy this today! I am not sure how great the sound quality is on audio cassette, in comparison to the original recording on vinyl that I heard, as a little girl. I have a feeling it's pretty spectacular though!

"A" for Andrews.......2007-04-15

For years I had only the movie soundtrack and I was perfectly content with it, it was after all one of the best shows ever to hit the boards and I think Marie Nixon did a wonderful in the role of Liza Doolittle - she matched Hepburns voice closely plus she's a professional singer who soars with good material.

It's amazing listening to Ms. Nixon in The King & I; she is much closer to Deborah Kerr's voice and they sounded more natural between speaking and singing but that was the clinker for me. I realized the distance between Ms. Hepburn and Ms. Nixon in the movie version - so I went back to square one and GOT THE ORIGINAL.

You have to hand it to Goddard Leiberman (head of Columbia years ago and protege of Fanny Brice) for starting the tradition of recording Original Broadway Cast 'albums' at the time they opened.

Finally listening to Julie Andrews sing the most popular songs from one of the best shows ever penned almost made me cry. You can tell she's riding the crest of the wave - she literally soars, defying gravity. Her diction, as always, is perfect but she's perfect as the brash cockney flower girl, a young girl on an adventure and a refinded lady. I will always be grateful to Marnie Nixon for the work she did for the film but once you listen to original Eliza Doolittle you will realize there is only ONE and that ONE is JULIE ANDREWS.

Yes, her leading man is also good. One surprise however was Stanley Holloway - it was a shock to realizae that it was about ten years between the show and the film and he does sound ten years younger. The man is a delight at any age, it's not important, it just adds to the fun.

If you really like the show, and the songs, treat yourself and get the Original Broadway Cast - the cast hit the studio at the peak of their form with a solid hit under their belt and that confidence sets this recording light years ahead of any other recording.

Now if it were in stero that would make it a 5 star review.

Average customer rating:

You don't need a Wayback machine
A Very Good Compilation of Elizabethan Music
Light classics with historical charm

Elizabeth's Music

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Mad Buckgoat - Ancient Music of Ireland
The Ladyes Delight
Tunes From the Attic
La Rocque 'n' Roll - Popular Music of Renaissance France / The Baltimore Consort
Panorama: Dances of the Renaissance

ASIN: B00000IGPC
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

Jane Pickering Lute Book: The Queen's Treble
Consort Lessons: O Mistris Mine (Twelfth Night)
Consort Lessons: My Lord Oxenfords Maske
Robin Is To The Greenwood Gone
Why Ask You
Paduana - Lachrymae
The Fifth Galliard (My Lady Nevell's Book)
Shall I Come Sweet Love To Thee?
In Darkness Let Me Dwell
Packington's Pound
Never Weather-Beaten Sail
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Howells Delight
Green Garters
There Were Three Ravens
(Ballet Lute Book c.1590): Greensleeves
(Thysius Lute Book c.1600): Greensleeves
Greensleeves
See, See The Shepherd's Queen
Willy Prithee Go To Bed
Now Is The Month Of Maying
Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Beauty, Since You So Much Desire
Fine Knacks For Ladies
Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home
Melancholy Galliard
My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe
Fortune My Foe
Queen Elizabeth's Galliard
Mrs. Winter's Jump

Customer Reviews:

You don't need a Wayback machine.......2001-12-05

Just get a CD like this one to get a broad brush review of the popular hits of the late 1500s. While I would have liked a few more recorder pieces, almost every cut was interesting in its own way. If you want just one early music CD with English songs, this is probably the one to get.

A Very Good Compilation of Elizabethan Music.......2001-09-27

"Elizabeth's Music" is a great cd to listen to if you are an enthusiast of ballads, the lute or old fashioned jigs. This cd really puts you in the alehouses, courts and courtyards of the Elizebethan age. The music is preformed well and the voices are very authentic and beautiful. The CD loses one star because most of the songs are on other Dorian-released CDs! I got the cd and found out most of the songs were the exact same ones on my "Shakespeare's Music" CD and other Dorian CDs. Ah well. All Elizabethan enthusiasts will enjoy this eclectic collection.

Light classics with historical charm.......2000-01-07

Really enjoyed this CD. Light and pleasant, without being too pretentious. Great background music for home or office.

The Great Organ of Saint-Eustache, Paris

Average customer rating:

The strangest organ recital ever?
Guillou at Saint Eustache, Inaugural Recording

The Great Organ of Saint-Eustache, Paris

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Art of Improvisation

ASIN: B000001Q8H
Release Date: 1993-03-10

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue in d, BWV 565
Recit De Tierce En Taille
Fant in f, K.608
Hyperion, Or The Rhetoric Of Fire: First Movt: Hermes
Hyperion, or The Rhetoric Of Fire: Second Movt: The Fires Of Silence
Hyperion, Or The Rhetoric Of Fire: Third Movt: The Inflamed Soul
Hyperion, Or The Rhetoric Of Fire: Fourth Movt: Agni-Ignis
First Movt From Sym No.5, Allegro Vivace
Fant And Fugue On The Name 'B.A.C.H.'

Customer Reviews:

The strangest organ recital ever?.......2002-02-06

Jean Guillou could be compared with the pianist Glenn Gould in some respects. He is an artist with his own unique ideas about performance practice: his registrations are unconventional, he pulls tempi about often to extreme degrees, he highlights (by means of solo stops) material that makes one pause and think - "Why have I never heard that in there before?" He plays entirely from memory (except his own compositions, and even with those he barely glances at the score whilst playing), and if memory lapses occur, he improvises in such a way that casual listeners never suspect that anything has gone wrong or that what they are hearing is not part of the piece they think they are hearing. His finger action is lightning-fast, and he dances on the pedals as if they were red-hot coals. Essentially, he re-interprets music in his own way, treating musical scores as little more than blueprints to vary and improvise upon as he sees fit. (It is worth noting that no-one - even one from among his pupils - has yet been able to imitate his playing convincingly.) And no matter where he performs (his recital career has taken him around the world and back again) he somehow manages to make the listener imagine that they are at home with him in Ste Eustache, by re-creating as nearly as possible the sound of that organ using the resources of the instrument set before him. Above all else, he is a deeply original musical thinker and an outstanding, living example of the French tradition of composer-organists, having studied with Dupré, Duruflé and Messiaen - two of the finest players and one of the most remarkable composers of the last century.

This disc is probably the best with which to sample Guillou's work both as performer and as composer. It reproduces the programme of the concert he gave in Ste Eustache (where he has been titulaire for nearly four decades) in 1989 to mark the rebuilding of the organ by J. van den Heuvel - a rebuild, interestingly enough, that Guillou oversaw and into which he had considerable input.

The programme reflects Guillou's enthusiasm for the music of J. S. Bach by including his best-known organ work (setting aside issues of true authorship that have recently arisen) - the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. Right from the start, there is evidence of Guillou's quirky mind at work: the famous opening flourishes and spread diminished seventh chords are dispensed with very rapidly; the florid runs are taken more slowly and with a lot of detached playing (as opposed to the smoothness adopted by most organists for such passages). In the fugue, taken at a considerably fast tempo, there are numerous manual changes and surprising registrations; most notably, in the echo passages he plays about with delicate high flute sounds. Nicholas de Grigny's "Récit de Tierce en taille" is a typical representative of the French Baroque, and is played discreetly here, but still with much manipulation of tempo and momentum. Mozart's Fantasia in F minor bristles with energy and is subjected to similar 'creative' registrations as the Bach; the first movement of Widor's celebrated Fifth Symphony appears to rise and fall like waves ebbing as Guillou explores previously unseen nuances in the music, the result being that the work sounds more athletic than Romantic! To those who already know this music, these performances are guaranteed to be something of a surprise, or even a shock. However, on listening Guillou's own symphonic work "Hyperion," the listener can appreciate most of the unusual treatments given to the other music. "Hyperion" is a prime example of the extraordinary creative energy of this artist, as it is themed around the subject of "Fire" - defined by Guillou in his liner notes in metaphysical and philosophical terms, as well as depicting fire in the literal sense. The first and last movements ("Hermes" and "Agni-Ignis") are bold toccatas: the one being playful and full of contrast, the other being fierce and aurally shattering. The second movement is a melody that echoes the sort of thing one hears in the de Grigny work, flanked by austere motifs and a profound sense of mystery. The third movement is even more mysterious, taking a journey into the "Inflamed Soul" and exploring the full range of colours available on the magnificent Ste Eustache organ. This is by no means easy listening, but it is a sound world that etches itself into the mind and proves irresistable to all who like it to any degree.

The programme ends with a display of organ virtuosity that puts even Guillou's composition to shame. There are many recordings of Liszt's "Fantasia and Fugue on BACH," but none like this. The work exists in three versions: a first version for organ that is full of dazzling displays, a second version for organ in which Liszt purged some of those fireworks, and a third version re-composed with new fireworks and adapted for piano. Most organists play the second version as the "standard" one; some brave ones take on the challenge of the first version; a few pianists have tackled the piano version in like manner. On this disc, Guillou transcends them all by performing his own "syncretic" version, in which he skilfully transfers the pianistic effects of the third version to the original medium of organ. The result is horrifically difficult to play as a result of the transfer, but Guillou demonstrates the height of his virtuosity by making it sound effortless - and needless to say, his own quirks continue to emerge through the music so that the overall impression is that he is partly remembering and partly improvising the work. It is stunning beyond question.

Purists may have a hard time with Guillou; organists will be enthralled and dumbfounded by his sheer brilliance - all the more remarkable since he is in his seventies! At the core, however, whilst this is one of the oddest organ recitals available on CD, it is also one of the most unique and recommendable.

Jean Guillou: indisputably a master musician!

Guillou at Saint Eustache, Inaugural Recording.......2000-02-06

In this recording, the great Jean Guillou inaugurates the brand new Van den Heuvel organ in the Church of Saint Eustache, Paris. The recording is excellent! Guillou gives a highly diverse program: from Bach to Guillou himself, and he gives equal treatment to all of the composers. I have never heard any of these pieces played better. The first movement of Widor's fifth symphony has never been played better than on this recording. Guillou shows of the magnificent organ wonderfully!

Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings

Average customer rating:

It's wonderful to have Bernstein back, but the performances fall short
Come back Lennie, we need you
For Bernstein enthusiasts, it's like owning a gold mine
Bernstein's Early American Recordings

Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Karl Böhm Conducts Mozart and Strauss
Leonard Bernstein Conducts Haydn (Collectors Edition)
Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964
Shostakovich: The Golden Age
The Complete 1950s Chopin Recordings

ASIN: B00067GKF6
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

It's wonderful to have Bernstein back, but the performances fall short.......2006-11-26

These 1953 mono recordings catch Bernstein a decade after his famous debut with the NY Phil. and five years before he became their youngest-ever condcutor. It's great to hear that warm, comforting voice again, although his analyses--especially the longest one devoted to the Brahms Fourth--aren't as polished as they would become. He gets pedagogical at times and runs us through a rote example-and-explanation formula. Even then, howeer, colorful Bernstein touches peek out, and we are reminded of the man who taught an entire generation to venerate classical music.

For me, the performances themselves fall short. They were often recorded in a rush, sometimes late at night after a summer concert. I know that the Stadium Sym. is actually the NY Phil., but they don't sound particularly fine, and Bernstein's interpreatations, though vigorous, often border on the slapdash. Plowing through Beethoven's 3rd, Dvorak's 9th, Schumann's 2nd, Brahms' 4th and Tchaikovsky's 6th, I found few sparks of originaity, much less genius. This is a tough admission from one of LB's geat admirers, but there you are. The original recorded sound is also a bit thin and harsh.

Come back Lennie, we need you.......2006-02-22

This box is worth its price just for the five talks. Bernstein at this stage had a teaching style rather more stilted than the chatty sage of later years, but the combination of authority, insight and infectious enthusiasm is unique. Entertainingly offhand about the New World, he's at his best on the music he reveres most, i.e. Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms, the first movement of whose Fourth Symphony gets a particularly in-depth analysis that left me yearning for more. Practically anyone could enjoy and learn from these talks - they're fascinating fun without a whiff of down-dumbing. When the classical and the popular cross over nowadays, the results are usually compromised and crass, but with Bernstein there doesn't even seem to be a gap to be crossed over - just a passion to share these wonders with as many people as possible. We need his all-embracing talent and vision today more than ever.

Then there are the performances. I'm not the biggest fan of mono symphonic recordings, but these positively leap down your ears, unmannered, committed and electric. It's hard to believe what was achieved under the hasty recording conditions described in the booklet. The sound is a little fierce, but good enough to make this set a wonderful gift for any open-minded but symphonically ignorant acquaintance. I can easily imagine it turning someone on to classical music.

For Bernstein enthusiasts, it's like owning a gold mine.......2005-06-19

This new album set is something that I had heard of, but never dared to hope would be released on CD. It consists of Leonard Bernstein's very first recordings of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (the "Eroica"), Dvorak's "New World Symphony", Schumann's Symphony No. 2, Brahms' Fourth Symphony, and Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony. They are all conducted by Bernstein and played beautifully by an orchestra which bills itself as the New York Stadium Symphony Orchestra, but which is really the great New York Philharmonic, using the name that they gave themselves during summer concerts.

The performances are a revelation, because they demonstrate conclusively that Bernstein did not always "exaggerate" or "overinterpret" great music, as critics frequently claim. His performances here are very, very direct and straightforward, more like Fritz Reiner or Toscanini than like Bernstein.

If this album contained only Bernstein's early performances of these symphonies, it would be interesting, but it might not really attract that much attention, since he re-recorded all of these pieces in stereo in later years, and with the same orchestra.

What makes this set so valuable is that it contains his long out-of-print lectures on these symphonies, and far from what the previous reviewer claims, they never become boring and monotonous. No musician in our time, or maybe even in the history of music, was a better or more articulate and sensitive lecturer on music than Leonard Bernstein. His legendary appearances on the "Young People's Concerts" did more for the appreciation of classical music than all the "Beethoven's Wig" albums combined. (If you don't know what "Beethoven's Wig" is, check it out and shudder at how far music appreciation has fallen since Bernstein's death.)

Bernstein had a unique ability to make classical music accessible to everybody, without ever condescending to the listener or cheapening the music. His lectures on this album, previously only available to 1950's Book of the Month Subscribers (except for part of the Beethoven lecture, which is the only one that Bernstein did re-record in stereo), are invaluable both to music students and to those who are willing to listen. All of the lectures included cover all four movements of the symphonies discussed, except for the Brahms; that one is just as extensive as the others, but it covers only the first movement of the symphony.

However--be warned, the lectures do have a flaw that the symphonies themselves do not, and that is why I have subtracted one star.

The symphony recordings are obviously remastered from magnetic tape, but the lectures have been transferred from LP's. Thus, you will be able to hear an occasional click or pop from time to time, and there is a clearly audible "skip" on the Brahms lecture. It is NOT the CD being defective, or the laser beam on your player skipping; it is clearly the lecture recordings themselves. Deutsche Grammophon, which released this CD set, is very honest about the source of the transfers to compact disc, and is to be commended for this. (They mention it in the last page of the accompanying booklet.) But this shouldn't deter anybody from buying this enormously important Bernstein set.

Bernstein's Early American Recordings.......2005-04-02

The most recent batch of DG's "Original Masters" box sets boasts several titles that will leave classical collectors rejoicing, "Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings" foremost among them. This 5CD set features Lenny in his earliest recorded performances of some of his trademark works -- Beethoven's 3rd, Dvorak's 9th, Schumann's 2nd, Brahms' 4th and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphonies. Bernstein would later re-record all of five these symphonies with the NYPO (btw, the Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York IS the NYPO) to greater acclaim for Columbia, but these early accounts capture a brilliant young conductor at the threshold of greatness. Also after each performance, Bernstein offers a musical analysis, simplifying what the listener just heard as only he could, which is again something the conductor would become famous for in years to come. Well then, if this is such a great set, why the four-star rating? First, while the performances sound very good, these are 1953 mono recordings and the casual fan needs to be aware that analog and digital stereo recordings of these works by the conductor do exist, and are generally preferable. Second, the musical analysis is a nice touch, but certainly does not warrant repeated listenings, as does the music. In fact, nearly half of the contents of these five discs is LB talking, and it could have been filled with music instead, or simply sold as a less expensive 3CD set. However, these shortcomings aside, "Leonard Bernstein: The 1953 American Decca Recordings" is another outstanding release in a fine series.

George Szell: Decca & Philips Recordings 1951-1969

Average customer rating:

Lots of Szell Brings A Re-evaluation
George Szell is best known from his Columbia recordings

George Szell: Decca & Philips Recordings 1951-1969

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Clifford Curzon: Decca Recordings, 1937-1971, Vol. 3
CARL SCHURICHT Decca Recordings 1949-1956
Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964
Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967
George Szell Plays and Conducts Mozart

ASIN: B0009A41XS
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Szell Brings A Re-evaluation.......2005-09-21

Kudos to Decca for bringing together in one convenient set George Szell's recordings that were made for the Decca & Philips labels from the early 1950s and to mid 1960s (minus those recordings where he acted in the role of accompanist, ie: those with pianist Curzon). These recordings are very well known and have been collector's items for many years, so to have them together in a mid-price box is self recommending.

The Philips recordings were issued a few years ago as a 2-CD set in their "Early Years" series while a few of the Decca recordings have already been released as singles in their Classic Sound series (both series saw very spotty distribution Stateside). I detect very little change in the sound quality in these new Decca Classic Sound versions, though the couplings from CD to CD are better programmed here than they were before (Philips had to cram alot of music on those 2CDs).

The most-recommendable recordings in the bunch are Szell's Mozart 34, Dvorak 8, Beethoven Egmont, Mendelssohn Midsummer's Night and Brahms 3. Here, the usual Szell trademarks are fully on display: tight rhythms, crisp articulation and finely graded dynamics. However, I was unexpectedly disappointed in two recordings long held to be top Szell & basic repertoire recommendations: the Beethoven 5 and Sibelius 2.

The Beethoven 5 has always been touted as more relaxed and in better sound than Szell's CBS 5th with Cleveland. But comparing this new Decca re-issue to Sony's recent "Original Jacket" issue of the Cleveland 5th, I didn't find that to be true at all. The Sony version now stands - to me, at least - as the better representation of Szell in this warhorse, both as an interpretation and in recorded sound. Indeed, the Concertgebouw recording suffers from an extremely lackluster and sloppy second movement that probably could have used a retake. Something just isn't right here - conductor and orchestra are not on the same page of the playbook...which is not what one expects in a recording by such a strong-willed technician as Szell. As an overall performance, this Concertgebouw recording is now easily surpassed by Szell's Sony effort, not to mention alternate versions by Kleiber, Karajan, Bernstein and others (but, again, you need to hear the Szell/Sony in the Original Jackets remastering, not the earlier Essential Classics version).

As for the Sibelius 2, we have a situation where poor intonation and hesitant execution in the orchestra knock this version off the pedestal of received opinion. And, with Szell's live Tokyo performance with Cleveland now widely available, his Concertgebouw version comes in direct competition with - Szell himself, and in a much better and much more cohesive recording. With the "if only he had recorded this with Cleveland" caveat removed, the choice is now clear - get the Cleveland version if you want Szell in Sibelius 2. That recording remains a top recommendation, though Ormandy, Maazel, Vanska and even Karajan have all brought their particular strengths to this piece as well, strengths that are much different than Szell's forte(s). There's plenty of room at the top when it comes to great recordings of great music.

Having lived with both the Beethoven and Sibelius for years, it's a bit disconcerting to have to make the above observations, but there you have it.

For the rest of the set, it is good to have Szell's interpretations of Tchaikovsky and Schubert on hand in such good sound. But truth be told, there are better versions out there of these works as well, the Tchaik 4 in particular (which in Szell's hands hangs fire in the least-expected places). The Baroque recordings included here are testament to a long-gone era when the standard Baroque works (worques?) were made acceptable to orchestral audiences by beefing them up to quasi-Wagnerian proportions. And even here, Szell is bettered by his contemporaries like Adrian Boult and Karl Richter in similar repertoire. A Baroque curate's egg if there ever was one.

Having said all of the above, I can still safely recommend this set to just about anyone interested in Szell or the repertoire on offer. Yes - work to work, there are better versions available, some from Szell himself. But *overall,* this set will provide plenty of pleasure and musical excitement to everyone save the anti-Szell wing of the classical music zealotry.

Enjoy.

George Szell is best known from his Columbia recordings.......2005-08-31

George Szell (1897-1970) is best known from his recordings made in the 1950s and 60s for Columbia records, mostly with the Cleveland Orchestra, many of which are now on Sony Classical. But he also made a number of recordings during the same period for Decca and Philips in Europe, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam; Vienna Philharmonic, and London Symphony, all of which are included in this box. If you think of Szell as a cold, calculating technician - and he could be in some of his Columbia recordings - he has precision here in spades, but also warm sound, perhaps partly from the remastering for this release.

Szell's Concertgebouw Beethoven Symphony 5 is MUCH BETTER than his Cleveland recording. The precision is there, but it also sings, and is warmer than the Cleveland recording (Sony, coupled with Symphony 2). Szell's Vienna EGMONT is one of the best recordings of the work, if not THE best recording of the stereo age, even 36 years after it was recorded. The Sibelius 2 (also with the Concertgebouw) is warm and fine in every way. The Concertgebouw played beautifully for him, and it shows.

The Mendelssohn MIDSUMMER NIGHT's DREAM, Schubert ROSAMUNDE, Mozart Symphony 34, Handel WATER MUSIC and ROYAL FIREWORKS MUSIC are all excellent, too. Some may have favorite performances, but I cannot imagine anything better than Szell's Concertgebouw Mozart 34: perhaps Bohm (DG) and Krips (Philips).
The 5th disc has two classic mono recordings of the early 1950s:
Dvorak's Symphony 8, and Brahms 3, both with the Concertgebouw. The sound is just fine: beautifully remastered, and Szell's performances very solid and musical.

As you can tell, I'm very happy with this, and would advise anyone with $30.00 spare change to pick it up at their first opportunity.

Average customer rating:

Beginnings at Steeltown

Great: First Recordings
The Jackson 5
Manufacturer: Goldies Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classic R&B | R&B | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

Motown | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

R&B | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000DBN3
Release Date: 1998-09-02

Tracks:

We Don't Have To Be Over
Michael The Lover
Stormy Monday
Saturday Night At The Mov
Tracks Of My Tears
Change Is Gonna Come
Lonely Hearts
Boys And Girls, We Are Th
My Girl
Soul Jerk
Under The Boardwalk

Customer Reviews:

Beginnings at Steeltown.......2005-03-06

Before the trial, before the accusations of molestation, there was a quaint little group east of Chicago called The Jackson Five. And before The Ed Sullivan Show, Goin' Back To Indiana, and before Motown, there were Five Brothers, driven by their stage parent from H-e-double hockey sticks, Joe Jackson. They were known as Ripples and Waves + Michael, and they made a record in Indiana in late 1966. This is the result, a piece of fluff that was supposed to sell the group to club and theatre owners on the Chitlin' Circuit. They may be buying, but we're not. It's over Joe. Just pray your boy doesn't get convicted, and savour your millions.

Greensleeves: A Collection of English Lute Songs

Average customer rating:

Graceful music
Not what I wanted
Greensleeves (Baird/McFarlane)

Greensleeves: A Collection of English Lute Songs

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

The English Lute Song
The Art of the Bawdy Song
Watkins Ale: Music of the English Renaissance
English Mad Songs and Ayres
The Mad Buckgoat - Ancient Music of Ireland

ASIN: B000001Q89
Release Date: 1993-08-31

Tracks:

It Was A Lover And His Lass
Author Of Light
Lute Solo: Watkin's Ale
So Beauty On The Waters Stood
When Laura Smiles
Lute Solo: Galliard
In Darkness Let Me Dwell
Lute Solo: Bonny Sweet Boy
Greensleeves
Wand' ring In This Place
Lute Solo: Packington's Pound
Shall I Come Sweet Love To Thee?
Sorrow Stay
Sweet Youth Go Bruise Thy Pillow
Lute Solo: Kemp's Jig
It Fell On A Summer's Day
Come Again
Lute Solo: Wilson's Wild
Awau With These Self Loving Lads
Mark How The Blushful Morn
Never Weather-Beaten Sail
Lute Solo: The Cradle Pavan
If Thou Longst So Much To Learn
Lute Solo: Robinson's May
TIme Stands Still

Customer Reviews:

Graceful music.......2005-09-27

The lute is a string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep, round back. In many ways, it is related to later similar instructments such as the guitar and banjo. It descends from a Middle Eastern instrument similar to the oud. The lute was one of the major musical instruments of the Middle Ages, and much music was composed for the lute, both as a stand-alone instrument as well as an accompaniment for singers.

This disc has some samples of both. Some songs are anonymous compositions, often derivative of much older folk tunes. Others are original compositions whose composers are known by name. Among these names are John Dowland, Thomas Morley, Alfonso Ferrabosco, Michael Cavendish, Thomas Campion, Nicholas Lanier, and Anthony Holborne, all of the 1500s/1600s. The music here involves both the 8-course lute and the 10-course lute (during the later Baroque time, lutes could have as many as 28 strings!).

The lute was eventually displaced by keyboard and other instruments, so in many ways its life is that of the music of the past. However, with recordings such as these, the lute lives again in vibrant form. Ronn McFarlane learned to play on a cheap steel-string guitar, but continued to study in a rather eclectic fashion, eventually studying at the Shenandoah Conservatory and the Peabody Conservatory prior to settling upon the lute as his primary instrument. In this recording, he is paired with Julianne Baird, a soprano with significant recording experience.

McFarlane and Baird emphasise the simplicity and lightness of the songs here; while some lute music and some folk tunes can be very elaborately arranged, here the performers strive for a more direct elegance. The particular period emphasised is Elizabethean; McFarlane and Baird sound as if they have come directly from the Queen's court directly.

This is a beautiful recording.

Not what I wanted.......2002-02-13

i should have read the description more clearly...this is partially vocal, not all instrumental. Nothimg wrong with the CD, but I only like instrumental.

Greensleeves (Baird/McFarlane).......2000-09-30

Incredible! Stunning musicianship from beginning to end. For fans of Dowland, this recording is a gem. The blend of lute and voice on 'In darkness let me dwell' is downright haunting. This recording is an absolute pleasure. 5 stars just might be an understatement here...

CANTEMIR : Music in Istanbul and Ottoman Europe around 1700

Average customer rating:

Cantemir, Great Sultan, Louis XIV and Peter the Great
Worth exploring, but...
Excellent

CANTEMIR : Music in Istanbul and Ottoman Europe around 1700

Manufacturer: Golden Horn Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Turkey | Middle East | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

International Folk | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001CVE8E
Release Date: 2004-01-30

Tracks:

Syrba - Moldavian Dance
Syrba - Moldavian Dance
Beraber Taksim - Collective Improvisation
Zhok de Nante - Moldavian Dance
Ostropesul - Moldavian Dance
Syrba with Taksim - Moldavian Dance
Bestenigar Taksim - Improvisation
Pesrev in makam Bestenigar - Dimitrie Cantemir
Tanbur Taksimi - Improvisation (tanbur solo)
Saz Semaisi in makam Neva / usul aksak semai (10/8) - Dimitrie Cantemir
Saz Semaisi in makam Rast / usul aksak semai - Dimitrie Cantemir
Syrbas - Moldavian Dances
KemenTaksimi - Improvisation (kemensolo)
In Honor of Prince Kantemir - Lou Harrison
Beraber Taksim - Collective Improvisation
Andante (from Concertino per Kemance, Violino Picolo 5 Instruments, 'In Honor of Kantemiro, 2000) - Yalcin Tura
A Turkish Air (Travels and Observations, 1738) Thomas Shaw (1694-1751)
Marche a la Turque (Pis de viole, Book V, 1725) Marin Marais (1656 - 1728)
Marche pour la cmonie des Turcs (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, 1670) J-B. Lully (1632 - 1687)
The Turks' dance (Augurs, 1622) Ben Jonson (1572/3 - 1637)
New metar (The Dancing Master, 1665) John Playford (1623 - 1686)
Rast Taksim - Collective Improvisation
Pesrev in makam Rast / usul berefsan (16/8) Dimitrie Cantemir
Zhok de Nante - Moldavian Dance
Penh Taksim - Improvisation (kemensolo)
Saz semaisi in makam Penh / usul aksak semai (10/8) - yemai (6/8) - Bulgariaska (Floria 16) - yemai (6/8) - aksak semai (10/8) Dimitrie Cantemir and Moldavian Dance
H Taksim - Collective Improvisation (kemen baroque flute)
Pesrev in makam H - Dimitrie Cantemir
Buselik Taksim - Collective Improvisation
Pesrev in makam Buselik / usul devr-i-revan (14/16) Dimitrie Cantemir

Album Description

CANTEMIR honors the amazingly rich life of Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (Kantemiroglu, 1673-1723), born in Moldavia (now Romania) but educated in Istanbul, becoming during his many years at the heart of Ottoman culture a master musician, composer, linguist, and lexicographer. Sent home eventually to rule Moldavia as the representative of the Ottoman Empire, Cantemir betrayed the Sultan by attempting unsuccessfully with the aid of Tsar Peter the Great to liberate his people. In defeat, he fled with his court into exile in Russia.

Featured on the disc is Ihsan Ozgen, Linda Burman-Hall and the ensemble Lux Musica, in compositions in Ottoman classical style by Prince Cantemir, first recordings of new music honoring Kantemiroglu by Lou Harrison and Yalcin Tura, traditional and experimental improvisations, and Moldavian dance music. Ihsan Ozgen plays kemence (Turkish fiddle) and tanbur (Turkish lute). Linda Burman-Hall is playing early keyboards and bendir (frame drum).

Customer Reviews:

Cantemir, Great Sultan, Louis XIV and Peter the Great.......2006-07-30

Firstly, I want to thank Lux Musica and Ihsan Ozgen for recording such a beautiful exquisite album.
Moldavian prince Dmitrie Cantemir stood on cross-roads between the West, Russia and the Orient on the turning point of history - end of the 17th - beginning of 18th centuries. Philosopher, musician and musicologist, orientalist and politician - charismatic and interesting person.
Ihsan Ozgen and Lux Musica decided not to re-create authentic Turkish folk sound of Kantemir`s music, but to incorporate fantastic sound of Turkish string instrument kemence, which reminds crying human voice, and other Turkish instruments into the European ensemble Lux Musica (flute, violin, viola, lute, early guitar, percussion, harpsichord, virginal). Idea is to present the music by Kantemir as synthesis of European and Oriental cultural traditions, to imagine real concerts of his daughter Maria (who played harpsichord) in the court of Peter the Great in Russia, and to describe the cultural context of Kantemir`s music.
You would hear music by Kantemir himself, European "Turkish" style melodies of the 17th century by Lully (melody for famous play by Moliere "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme"), Marin Marais, Ben Johnson, Moldavian folk dances - so this programme wouldn`t be boring for you. I don`t agree with the previous reviewer - to listen to whole CD of authentic Turkish material - it`s a real hard work for European, Russian or American lover of classical music. That`s why I think that Ihsan Ozgen and Lux Musica were right.
So listen to this beautiful music and read a good novels by modern writers devoted to problems of relationships between Orient and Occident - try works by Amin Maalouf, Orhan Pamuk, Milorad Pavic.

Very beautiful album!

P.S. Addition to the text in the booklet. There stated that "Kantemir betrayed Sultan". Let`s be objective - history was more sophisticated. Don`t forget that Kantemir lived in Istanbul as the hostage to guarantee the loyalty of his native Moldavia to the Ottoman Empire. As he wrote in his memoirs, when he was selected by the Sultan to be a ruler of Moldavia, he was informed that he should make a "gift" to the Court - to pay a sum of money. And the sum of this "gift" was very high. Kantemir understood that he should raise the taxes in Moldavia to collect this money. So the choice was - to betray Sultan or to betray his native people. Ruler of Vallachia (modern Romania) sent a letter to Kantemir and invited him to join the revolt of the Orthodox Christians against the Ottoman rule. They secretly asked Tzar Peter the Great to help them. But when the Russian troops started their expedition, Vallachian ruler, who provoked Kantemir, informed Sultan about this revolt and of course rejected to participate in it. So Kantemir in 1711 had no other choice than to join Russian troops and after the unglorious end of this expedition (there were no any revolt) - Kantemir with his family fled to Russia. His life was saved by Peter the Great, because Ottoman powers demanded to return Kantemir to them (of course he would be killed) as condition of peace treaty with Russia.
His son Antoich became Russian poet and diplomate. In Paris he was close to writers and poets of the French Enlightenment.

Worth exploring, but..........2004-08-07

If you're coming to this out of curiosity, rather than as an Ottoman music fan, you may be more pleased with this disk than I was.

The best compositions here are those of Cantemir, the master himself. The folk dances are interesting, but they aren't on the same level of refinement. Cantemir was at the peak of a learned tradition. The juxtaposition with folk material might be justified if Cantemir had drawn on it for his compositions, but that's not the case; we're simply told that the peasants back near Cantemir's home in what is now Romania were playing these dances while Cantemir was off in Constantinople playing his stuff for the sultan. And the point is...? I would have preferred a disk purely of Cantemir pieces.

The music is well played, but I'm not totally sold on the mixture of eastern and western instruments. Obviously, it isn't authentic, but that isn't the problem; sometimes the mixture of instruments just doesn't work. One glowing exception is the neva saz semai, where the tanbur and harpsichord blend quite nicely.

Don't get me wrong; it's worth a listen. But if you already know the Ottoman classical tradition and some of Cantemir's works, be sure you know that you're getting an experimental "fusion" disk, not something traditional.

Excellent.......2004-03-27

This CD finally opens the long forgotten bridge to the early Ottoman music. Although in recent albums (for example, in "Dream of the Orient" by Concerto Koln and Sarband) there are some fine examples of Cantemir's work, this single album is fully dedicated to him.

The examples are carefully chosen to present early Ottoman and Cantemir's own music. The addition of the music from the composers of the West (some are recent, in honor of Cantemir), showing the influence of the Turkish music, is very nice and complementary.

Cantemir, as might be known, is the first musician/traveler/diplomat (and later a trouble maker) from Romania, who recorded the Ottoman music while he was living in the Ottoman lands for near twenty years.

Followed by composers such as Fux, Mozart, J. and M. Haydn brothers, Beethoven, Gluck, Rossini and many others, the Turkish music, its musical instruments (drums, cymbals and triangle, etc.) and themes became the most influential regional effect on the Western classical music for a few centuries.

Tracks:

Haec Dies
Spiritual Dance
Minimal
Sibley Sanctus Lydian
De Profundis
Hopper Dance
Instrumental
Si Dolce
Factus Est Repente
Sun Credo
Scandinavian Chant
First Delphic Hymn
Dilectus Meus
Peccaniem Me Quotidie
Lydian
The Melancholy Of Departure

Customer Reviews:

Stunning & atmospheric.......2003-11-23

Many casual listeners of classical music (like myself) are often drawn to particular albums within this genre because of the timeless atmosphere and mood that we hope any particular release will encompass. Something that sounds like it could have come from hundreds of years ago, dripping in history and long forgotten places and people, and yet still saying something to todays listener.
I am not even a fan in general of brass quintets, quartets, ect, so if it weren't for a friend at work having purchased this CD, and my own being a major fan of the under-recorded guitarist Peter Maunu (who guests here), I would have never picked up this disc.
I've been buying just about anything Peter Maunu plays on after buying, and loving, his single 1990 solo album as well as his many appearences with Mark Isham (often on soundtracks), so I borrowed this disc to listen to at work from my friend. Then I borrowed it again, then again. Sure, I could have easily burned a CD copy myself from his, but these guys aren't selling CD's like they were Brittany Spears and I thought buying my own copy is kind of like a vote for these guys saying "yeah, this is a classic work". Besides, I even like the cover and the liner info (I just NEED to know who plays what on each track, who the guest musicians are, ect).
So you have this excellently recorded disc with the brass quintet with ever so subtle additions of Peter Maunu's guitar, some voices, and some subtle percussion and fretless bass from two other Mark Isham associates, Kurt Wortman and Doug Lunn. They all add to the great atmosphere (there's that word again) of this disc.
I've had my own copy of this disc for a couple of weeks now and it's the one disc that has not left my cd changer. I just change all the other discs around it it seems.
To top it off, I am a major Mark Isham fan and among all of the ancient works on this disc they do a version of Isham's "The Melancholy Of Departure" from Isham's "We Begin" duet disc with Art Lande.
I would recommend this disc to ANY fan of classical music as well as fans of new age music. It really deserves 5 stars and I hope this disc receives the sales numbers that it truly deserves..
I have no idea how my friend at work discovered this CD, but I sure am glad he did.

EBQ Takes the Listener to the Next Passage.......2000-12-07

I have owned this album for five years now and I never grow tired of it. The music is in turns solemn, majestic, soothing, grandiose and intimate. In the liner notes EBQ trumpeter Rolf Smedvig says, "This represents our latest effort exploring, with new arrangements, the music of the modal system. Modal music is based on scales which dominated European music for 1,100 years, from approximately 400 to 1500 and strongly influenced composers for another one hundred years."

In addition to the members of the EBQ, guest musicians are incorporated into the music on guitar, fretless bass, synthesizer, percussion and wordless vocals.

What I love about this music is its ability to transport the listener to another palce and time. Smedvig summed it up best in the liner notes when he concluded," The music is timeless. The old becomes new, the new old. Melodies never end, they only lead to the next passage..." Beautiful music indeed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Absolutely perfect........1999-07-02

This is a wonderful album, which I can't recommend strongly enough. On this disc, Empire Brass succeeds brilliantly in melding the passion and splendor of early music with the eclectic trickery of modern world-music percussion. The arrangements are intricate & delicate, yet powerful, and the sound is pristine. Think of it as the Roman Empire making a techno jazz album. I even used it at my wedding. Fans of acid/techno jazz, world music and brass should not miss this amazing disc.