Derek Lee Ragin & Ensemble Divitia Cologne ~ Handel Cantatas

1. Lungi da me, pensier tiranno, cantata for alto & continuo, HWV 125b
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia , Derek Lee Ragin

2. Sonatas for oboe & continuo
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia

3. Siete rose ruggiadose, cantata for alto & continuo, HWV 162
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia , Derek Lee Ragin

4. Udite il mio consiglio, cantata for soprano, & continuo, HWV 172
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia , Derek Lee Ragin

5. Trio sonata for oboe, violin, & continuo in F minor, HWV 383 (doubtful)
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia

6. Carco Sempre di Gloria, cantata, HWV 87
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Cologne Ensemble Divitia , Derek Lee Ragin

Tracks:

Son Qual Nave Ch'agitata: Air De Arbace
Alto Giove: Air D'Acio
Se Al Labbro Mio Non Credi: Instrumental
Ombra Fedele Anch'io: Air De Dario
Artaserse: Ouverture
Lascia Ch'io Pianga: Air De Almirena
Cara Sposa: Air De Rinaldo
Rinaldo: Ouverture
Generoso Risuegliati O Core: Air De Poro
Salve Regina
Alto Giove: Instrumental

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Performance.......2007-06-14

This performance electronically blends the voices of a soprano and a counter tenor in an attempt to create a voice that might be like that of the famous castrato Farinelli, reputedly to have had a voice of great power and range. Technically it is successful, you certainly would not know it was a composite voice unless you were told. And musically, too, it is quite satisfying. But I must question if it were realy necessary, listen to Mezzo Soprano Vivica Genaux's CD, Arias for Farinelli, her performance is dazzling, with far more expression and fire than you get with the composite, a far more satisfying performance. Please try to hear it.

Just beautiful.......2004-06-24

I really don't know much of opera, but everytime when I listen to this album, i get goosebums. It's just so beautiful. Try it in your car with full volume. it will blow your mind away.

The Fame Of Farinelli.......2004-05-15

This album features music and operatic arias from the film Farinelli. The movie was a highly dramatized and untrue account of the life of Farinelli, the stage name of Carlo Broschi, the greatest castrato singer of all time. The castrati were castrated before puberty so as to preserve their soprano range and maintain awesome lung power of the male voice. In the film, Stefano Dionisi lip synched but the voices that were used were a combination in synthesizer of the tenor Derek Lee Regin and the soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska. Their voices, though distinctly male and female, sounded very alike and director Gerard Corbiau decided to creatively edit their voices. The music is sublime. These obscure and rare Baroque classics are not performed today, not even in Europe. So many of the libretti have been lost in time and even with the libretti and music available, the castrati voice can never again be heard and much of the Baroque type of singing is difficult for most singers to undertake. Nowadays, the singers that come close to castrati are highly developed falsetto-singing countertenors or mezzo-sopranos with coloratura like Cecilia Bartoli or Vivica Genoux. On this album, we hear unique and rare composers, like Farinelli's brother Riccardo Broschi, and his operas. The aria "Son Qual Nave Agitata" and the more impressive "Ombra Fidele" are exquisite, full of lyrical grandeur and coloratura gymnastics. The rest are arias from long forgotten operas and even religious works for the Roman Catholic Church, like Palestrina, who thought the castrati voice was the closest thing to God. It's a great album to have if you are a fan of Farinelli and the msuic of his day.

The Fame Of Farinelli.......2004-05-15

This album contains music from the 1995 foreign film Farinelli. The film dealt with the life of Carlo Broschi, otherwise known by his stage name Farinelli. He was the great castrato singer who dazzled audiences with his amazing bravura and vocal virtuosity. He was supposedly able to hold a long note in a single minute. In the movie the actor Stefano Dionisi was lip-synching to the creative synthesized combination of tenor Derek Lee Ragin and soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska. This blending of male and female voices is what the castrati voice must have been like.

The album is chalk-full of rare Baroque treasures. Although the music of Handel was prominent in the film, there is nothing by Handel here which is suprising because Handel wrote mostly for castrati voice. The composer Riccardo Broschi, Farinelli's brother, wrote many operas and specific arias for his voice alone. Here, we get the sublime lyrical aria "Son Qual Nave Agitata" from the opera Idaspe and the more impressive "Ombra Fedele Anchio" which is full of hair-raising coloratura gymnastics. The beauty and rarity of these arias alone is worth getting the album. The instrumental music, perfectly Baroque in structure, includes the Overture to Artaserses. The other vocal music even has a spiritually uplifting work by Palestrina who wrote vocal music in religious contexts for the Roman Catholic Church and who believed the castrati voice was the most divinely inspired voice and closest to God. This album is worth getting if you are a fan of the movie, a fan of the Baroque period and a fan of Farinelli in particular.

Music From The Movie Farnielli: Otherwordly Arias.......2004-05-14

This album contains music and operatic arias used in the film Farinelli, about the dramatic life of the famous castrato opera legend of the Baroque period. The creative editing and synthesizing blended the voices of the male tenor Derek Lee Ragin and the female soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska. This combination of male and female, which sounds like the singing voice of a hermaphrodite, is probably what the voice of Farinelli sounded like. It was an absolute fetish in Baroque Italy of the 1600's. Castrati were the highest paid singers, enjoyed the fame equal to today's legends of rock (and that included groupies) and lived in luxury in the courts of European royalty. Farinelli was the most famous and the greatest of these singers. His voice was like nothing on earth. The male part of his voice enabled him to hold his breath for long periods of times in awesome displays of lung powers, usually demonstrated in the legato phrasing and long, sustained notes. His female voice was the real fire, though, especially impressing audiences with the roulades and high-flying coloratura acrobatics.

Farinelli the movie was dramatized to make the life of Carlo Broschi, Farinelli's real name, seem more interesting. But the music is sublime that any fan of opera, with a particular fascination for Baroque opera, will enjoy this cd album immensely. The composers offered here are obscure and their operas are long forgotten. Handel, a big name in the period, composed many arias for Farinelli and other castrati, but the film and this album feature several composers who are lesser known and whose operas have disappeared forever. These lavish operas were always associated with myth and fantasy. Gods and goddesses, Muses, military heroes and noble virtue was usually the theme. Orpheus was the darling of this period and many operas were made about his myth. All the instrumental and vocal music on here is sublime and real gems of the Baroque period. Especially noteworthy is Ombra Fidele from the opera Idaspe, composed by Farinelli's brother Ricardo Broschi. Also real treasures are Artaserses, Rinaldo and even a religious piece by Palestrina. This is a great buy for opera lovers.

Handel - Giulio Cesare / Jacobs
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One of Handel's best Operas. Give me his Oratorios.

A fair treat.....

Oh well...

MYTHICAL RECORDING

A tough choice... Jacobs or Minkowski?

Handel - Giulio Cesare / Jacobs

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1992-12-11

Tracks:

Ov - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Act 1, Scene 1. Cesare E Curio: Viva Il Nostro Alcide - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Act 1, Scene 1. Cesare E Curio: Aria: Presti Omai/Scene 2. Cornelia, Sesto E Detti - Jennifer Larmore
Act 1, Scene 3. Achilla, E Detti: Aria: Empio, Diro - Jennifer Larmore
Act 1, Scene 4. Curio, Sesto E Cornelia: Aria: Priva Son D'Ogni Conforto - Bernarda Fink
Act 1, Scene 4. Curio, Sesto E Cornelia: Aria: Svegliatevi Nel Core - Marianne Rorholm
Act 1, Scene 5. Cleopatra, Poi Nireno, E Dopo Tolomeo: Aria: Non Disperar - Barbara Schlick
Act 1, Scene 6. Tolomeo, Ed Achilla: Aria: L'Empio, Sleale - Derek Lee Ragin
Act 1, Scene 7. Cesare, E Poi Curio Che Introduce Cleopatra E Nireno: Aria: Alma Del Gran Pompeo - Jennifer Larmore
Act 1, Scene 7. Cesare, E Poi Curio Che Introduce Cleopatra E Nireno: Aria: Non E Sivago - Jennifer Larmore
Act 1, Scene 7. Cesare, E Poi Curio Che Introduce Cleopatra E Nireno: Aria: Tutto Puo - Barbara Schlick
Act 1, Scene 8. Cornelia, E Poi Sesto; Cleopatra E Nireno In Disparte: Aria: Nel Tuo Seno - Bernarda Fink
Act 1, Scene 8. Cornelia, E Poi Sesto; Cleopatra E Nireno In Disparte: Aria: Cara Speme - Marianne Rorholm
Act 1, Scene 8. Cornelia, E Poi Sesto; Cleopatra E Nireno In Disparte: Aria: Tu La Mia Stella - Barbara Schlick

Tracks:

Act 1, Scene 9. Cesare, Tolomeo Ed Achilla: Cesare, Alla Tua Destra/Aria: Va Tacito/Scene 10... - Derek Lee Ragin/Jennifer Larmore
Act 1, Scene 11. Cornelia, Sesto, Ed Achilla: Aria: Tu Sei Il Cor - Furio Zanasi
Act 1, Scene 11. Cornelia, Sesto, Ed Achilla: Son Nata A Lagrimar - Bernarda Fink/Marianne Rorholm
Act 2, Scene 1. Cleopatra, E Nireno: Eseguisti, O Niren - Barbara Schlick
Act 2, Scene 2. Nireno, E Poi Cesare: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Act 2, Scene 2. Nireno, E Poi Cesare: Aria: V'Adoro, Pupille - Barbara Schlick
Act 2, Scene 2. Nireno, E Poi Cesare: Aria: Se In Fiorito - Jennifer Larmore
Act 2, Scene 3. Cornelia, E Poi Achilla - Bernarda Fink/Furio Zanasi/Derek Lee Ragin
Act 2, Scene 4. Cornelia, Tolomeo: Aria: Se A Me Non Sei Crudele - Furio Zanasi
Act 2, Scene 4. Cornelia, Tolomeo: Aria: Si Spietata/Scene 5. Cornelia, E Poi Sesto - Derek Lee Ragin
Act 2, Scene 6. Nireno, E Detti: Aria: Cessa Omai - Bernarda Fink
Act 2, Scene 6. Nireno, E Detti: Aria: L'Angue Offeso - Marianne Rorholm
Act 2, Scene 7. Cleopatra, E Poi Cesare: Aria: Venere Bella - Barbara Schlick/Olivier Lallouette
Act 2, Scene 8. Curio, E Detti: Aria: Al Lampo Dell' Armi - Jennifer Larmore

Tracks:

Act 2, Scene 8. Curio, E Detti: Che Sento?/Aria: Se Pieta - Barbara Schlick
Act 2, Scene 9. Tolomeo, Cornelia, E Poi Sesto: Aria: Belle Dee/Scene 10. Achilla, E Detti - Derek Lee Ragin
Act 2, Scene 11. Sesto, E Cornelia. Aria: L'Aura Che Spira - Marianne Rorholm
Act 3, Scene 1. Achilla: Aria: Dal Fulgor - Furio Zanasi
Act 3, Scene 2. Tolomeo, Cleopatra: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Act 3, Scene 2. Tolomeo, Cleopatra: Aria: Domero - Derek Lee Ragin
Act 3, Scene 3. Cleopatra, Solo Con Guardie: E Pur Cosi/Aria: Piangero - Barbara Schlick
Act 3, Scene 4. Cesare, Poi Sesto, Nireno, Ed Achilla: Aria: Dall' Ondoso/Aure, Deh, Per Pieta - Jennifer Larmore
Act 3, Scene 4. Cesare, Poi Sesto, Nireno, Ed Achilla: Aria: Quel Torrente - Jennifer Larmore
Act 3, Scene 5. Sesto, E Nireno: Aria: La Giustizia - Marianne Rorholm
Act 3, Scene 6. Cleopatra, E Poi Cesare: Voi, Che Mie Fide Ancelle - Barbara Schlick
Act 3, Scene 6. Cleopatra, E Poi Cesare: Aria: Da Tempeste/Scene 7. Cornelia, E Tolomeo - Barbara Schlick
Act 3, Scene 8. Sesto, E Detti: Aria: Non Ha Piu - Bernarda Fink

Tracks:

Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Sinf - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Caro/Bella - Barbara Schlick/Jennifer Larmore
Act 3, Scene Ultima. Cesare, Cleopatra, Curio, Nireno, Sesto E Cornelia: Ritorni Omai - Con Koln/Rene Jacobs
Appendix: Aria: Qui Perde Un Momento - Dominique Visse

Amazon.com essential recording

This is one of Handel's most powerful scores--in which history, wonder of wonders, is hardly mangled at all--and Jennifer Larmore's singing in the title role, heading a strong cast, makes this version a must-own for anyone with an interest in this music. Conductor René Jacobs has produced what amounts to a critical edition of Handel's score and has found the singers to do it justice. Barbara Schlick is a strong, believable Cleopatra, and Derek Lee Ragin's slightly whiny timbre is well-suited to the character of Ptolemy. Jacobs leads this dramatically engaging performance with thoughfulness and energy. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

One of Handel's best Operas. Give me his Oratorios........2006-12-19

'Giulio Cesare' by Georg Friedric Handel is, according to the book of notes accompanying this recording of the libretto Italian opera is one of Handel's best. From what I've heard of Handel's operas, I certainly agree, escept that if I really want to listen to an Italian opera, I would go to Mozart or Verde (mostly Mozart). But I can't argue that this retelling of the Caesar and Cleopatra story is not a very nice addition to that heap of art.

The most interesting thing about this performance is that Jennifer Larmore does one of her 'trouser' roles here, singing the part of Julius Caesar. This fits the history of the work, as I believe a woman also played this part in the premier of the work.

Speaking as an amateur who is only interested in what sounds good to me, I tend to prefer Handel's oratorios to his operas, althought the arias here are clearly better than some of the dullish recitivs in some oratorios. But, I still believe Handel could turn Johnson's dictionary into a choral work and make it sound good.

So, Look to Judas Maccabacus' and 'Alexander Balus' if you like Handel's choral works.

A fair treat............2006-09-08

I'm always interested in how others review music, particularly opera, which I, among many others, consider the ultimate classical music experience, i.e., it has EVERYTHING.

Aside from a few quarrels with a singer or two - no big deal - I would rather have had this on three discs and neglected the 4'25" it took for the Nireno aria. My figuring may not be correct (someone will inform me), but I believe without that last aria, the opera wold have fit on three. Having said THAT, I have to assume that the distribution would have been off and made this recording less than it is in this state. However picky I appear (okay, I'm picky), the fourth disc contains a mere 23'25".

Oh well... .......2006-03-11

I bought this because I love Rene Jacobs. As expected, conducting is superb! Rene Jacobs can conjure a great performance out of any cast, but unfortunately - not this time. Overall cast I dissent (to many squeaky sopranos, if you ask me), but what happened to Sextus! The heroic and passionate Sextus! Not even Rene Jacobs could pull Sextus out of Marianne Rorholm. It sound like the role is just out of her vocal and emotional range. She killed Sextus!
Please, record Vicica Genaux in this role!
I'd recommend Julius Caesar with Ferdinand Leitner, Fritz Wunderlich, Hans Bruno Ernst. It is in German and sound a little weird, but in my humble opinion the cast is much more suitable.

MYTHICAL RECORDING.......2006-02-25

Jacobs is very successful in making this a truely dramatic theatrical performance and not just a series of beautiful da capo arias. This is the complete opera without any cuts. Jennifer Larmore is miraculous as are Barnarda Fink and Derek Lee Ragin. This will probably remain the definitive recording of this opera for a long time.

A tough choice... Jacobs or Minkowski?.......2005-08-19

I have owned Minkowski's about a year, maybe more. Being a huge fan of Handel's operas&oratoriums, this opera moved, thrilled and got me high from the first time I heard its music. Minkowski was a great election for the first time ever hearing. Now I've grown deeply in love with the composition I thought it was the time to give it a try with beloves Larmore in the cast. So I bought the Jacob's. To start with, the tempos are quite more on the slow side, and some time too much on the quick side (the virtuosity of Concerto Köln has to be shown), while Minkowski tempos are more balanced. I like better Larmore (Jacob=J)as Caesar, though Marijana Mijanovic (Minkowski=M)does a superb one but her voice is too "countertenor-like" when compared whith Larmore's. But I could be biased because I do not like countertenors. Even being this the case, I like Mijanovic voice quite a lot though more androginous, and I liked her very much in her Caesar performance. I find Cornelia better represented in Bernarda Fink (J) than in Charlotte Hellenkant (M)-she is too wheezy for me, and though Marianne Rorholm (J)misses the words in the opening aria of Sesto, I find her more credible as Sesto than Anne Sofie von Otter. Sorry, because I like von Otter A LOT, but she's too on the lighter side when singing Sesto while Rorholm's voice conveys more character. I like best Magdalena Kozena's (M) voice as Cleopatra than Barbara Schlick, though the latter is the winner when it comes to expressivity. To my despair, there are also countertenors in the Jacob version... The two Ptolomeos are ok by me, since I don't like countertenors... Nireno, well, I couldn't say and I won't bother.
BUT THE BASSES!!! Well, Minkowski's choice is by far the better. Alan Ewing is a powerful Achilla in the whole range, and his lower notes are powerfull and audible as well (Aria Tu sei cor di questo core, for example), while Furio Zanasi (J) has the spirit but lacks the same power as Ewing, being compared in the same aria. Same could be said about the Curio character, Jean-Michel Ankaoua (M) surpasses Olivier Lallouette (J), though both of them are really good.
Don't get me wrong, it is really a tough choice. The ideal would be a mixture of both!!! Can you buy both?

Negro Spirituals - Derek Lee Ragin, Moses Hogan, Moses Hogan

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Negro Spiriuals-Derek Lee Ragin, Moses Hogin
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Negro Spirituals - Derek Lee Ragin, Moses Hogan, Moses Hogan

Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Negro Spiriuals-Derek Lee Ragin, Moses Hogin.......2007-05-12

Excellent!!!!!!!! I gave my first purchase to a friend who is also a lover of spirituls and hymns and purchased another for myself. I just had to share it with someone. The music is so moving. I would highly recommend this CD to anyone, regardless of them being a lover of spirituals and hymns or not. I plan on purchasing another one soon.

Recent Review.......2007-05-06

THere was only one piece that I thoroughly enjoyed and that was the solo on "My Lord, What a Morning," but I can tell you that one song made the purchase worth while.

Phil B

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Sinfonia
Recitativo: Nerone, Amato, Figlio!
Aria: Col Saggio Tuo Consiglio
Recitativo: per Cosi Grande Impresa
Aria: La Mia Sorte Fortunata
Recitativo: Or Che Pallante E Vinto
Aria: Volo Pronto, E Lieto Il Core
Recitativo: Quanto Fa, Quanto Puote/Aria: L'Alma Mia Fra Le Tempeste
Arioso: QUal Piacere A Un Cor Pietoso/Recitativo: Prendi Tu Ancora, Prendi/Arioso: Ma Rassembra Tormentoso
Recitativo: Amici, Al Sen Vi Stringo
Recitativo: Voi, Che Dell'Alta Roma/Quartetto: Il Tuo Figlio
Recitativo: Ma Qual Di Liete Trombe/Arietta: Allegrezza, Allegrezza!/Recitativo: Che Sento!
Recitativo: Alle Tue Piante, O Augusta
Aria: Tu Ben Degno
Recitativo: L'Ultima Del Gioir Meta Gradita/Aria: Lusinghiera Mia Speranza
Aria: Vaghe Perle, Eletti Fiori
Recitativo: Otton, Claudio, Nerone
Aria: E Un Foco Quel D'Amore
Recitativo: Ma Qui Agrippina Viene
Aria: Ho Un Non So Nel Cor
Recitativo: Cieli, Quai Strani Casi/Aria: Fa Quanto Vuoi
Recitativo: Non Veggo Alcun
Aria: Pur Ritorno A Rimirarvi
Recitativo: Ma, Oh Ciel, Mesta E Confusa
Arietta: Vieni, O Cara

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Recitativo: Che Mai Faro!/Terzetto: E Quando Mai I Frutti/Recitativo: Pur Al Fin Si Riando
Aria: Non Ho Cor Che Per Amarti
Recitativo: Se Ottone M'Inganno/Aria: Se Giunge Un Dispetto
Recitativo: Dunque Noi Siam Traditi?
Aria: Coronato Il Crin D'Alloro/Recitativo: Roma, Piu Ch'il Trionfo
Recitativo: Ecco Il Superbo
Coro: Di Timpani E Trombe
Recitativo: Nelle Britannia Vinta/Aria: Cade Il Mondo Soggiogato
Recitativo: Signor, Quanto Il Mio Core
Arietta: Nulla Sperar Da Me/Recitativo: E Tu, Poppea/Aria: Tuo Ben E 'L Trono/Recitativo: Soccorri Almen, Nerone!/Aria: Sotto Il Lauro Ch'hai Sul Crine/Recitativo: Scherzo Son Del Destino
Recitativo: Otton, Qual Portentoso Fulmine
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Aria: Bella Pur Del Mio Diletto/Recitativo: Il Tormento D'Ottone
Arioso: Vahge Fonti/Recitativo: Ma Qui Che Veggo, Oh Cieli!/Recitativo: Ottone Traditore!
Aria: Ti Vo' Giusta E Non Pietosa
Recitatico: Di Quali Ordite Trame
Recitativo: Pur Al Fine Ti Ritrovo!
Aria: Col Peso Del Tuo Amor
Recitativo: Qual Bramato Piacere/Aria: Quando Invita La Donna L'Amante
Aria: Pensieri, Voi Mi Tormentate!/Recitativo: Quel Ch'Oprai E Soggetto A Gran Periglio/Aria: Pensieri, Voi Mi Tormentate!
Recitativo: se Ben Nemica Sorte
Aria: Col Raggio Placido

Tracks:

Recitativo: Di Giunger Non Dispero Al Mio Desire
Aria: Sperero, Poi Che Mel Dice
Recitativo: per Dar La Pace Al Core
Aria: Basta Sol Che Tu Chieda
Recitativo: Favorevol La Sorte Oggi M'Arride/Aria: Ogni Vento Ch'al Porto Lo Spinga
Recitativo: Il Caro Ottone Al Precipizio Io Spinsi
Aria: Tacero, Tacero
Recitativo: Attendo Qui Nerone E Claudio Ancora
Aria: Coll'ardor Del Tuo Bel Core
Recitativo: Amico Ciel, Seconda Il Mio Disegno
Aria: Io Di Roma Il Giove Sono
Recitativo: Pur Al Fin Se Ne Ando
Aria: Pur Ch'io Ti Stringa Al Sen
Recitativo: Piega Pur Del Mio Cor/Aria: Bel Piacer
Recitativo: Cotanto Oso Poppea?
Aria: Come Nube Che Fugge Dal Vento
Recitativo: Evvi Donna Piu Empia?
Recitativo: Adorato Mio Sposo
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Recitativo: Ecco La Mia Rivale
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Ballo

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Marc Minkowski / Les Musiciens du Louvre , Della Jones , Derek Lee Ragin , Eirian James , and Julia Gooding
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Handel - Giulio Cesare / Larmore · Schlick · Fink · Concerto Köln · Jacobs [Highlights]

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Something is missing...
Wonderful Arias, But Where Are The Choruses?

Handel - Giulio Cesare / Larmore · Schlick · Fink · Concerto Köln · Jacobs [Highlights]
George Frideric Handel , René Jacobs , Jennifer Larmore , Bernarda Fink , Concerto Köln , Barbara Schlick , Derek Lee Ragin , and Furio Zanasi
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The Spectacular Voice of Marilyn Horne: Rossini / Horne
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Arias for Farinelli

ASIN: B00005B6RQ
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Something is missing..........2005-08-18

Lovely performance, but I was very disappointed by finding out that the lovely aria V'Adoro, Pupille is missing!! Such a great pity. I went to the complete recording on Amazon, and I listened to the track (number six, cd two). I found out, the tempo was quit slow. But I was still very disappointed of course.
Anyway, this cd is lovely, buy it!

Wonderful Arias, But Where Are The Choruses?.......2002-08-10

This is actually a 5-star performance and recording of "Giulio Cesare", but for me, a Handel CD of all arias is missing a significant element of Handel's genius. Would it really have reduced the great music if a few choruses had been included on this 78 minute disc? It would only have made it more enjoyable to my ears!

Average customer rating:

Another feast for Handelians
Excellent music

Handel: Saul
John Eliot Gardiner , Ruth Holton , Lynne Dawson , John Mark Ainsley , Donna Brown , Derek Lee Ragin , English Baroque Soloists , Philip Salmon , and Neil Mackie
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000412J
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Customer Reviews:

Another feast for Handelians.......2003-12-25

Here's another astonishing piece for all Handelians. Many of Handel's great pieces have sadly been neglected - just like many of Richard Strauss' operas which have only recently received attention from people like Botstein, Korsten and Sinopoli (deceased). Thankfully, Gardiner and his team took the trouble to record this astonishing masterpiece. I simply love this piece - Saul!! The Monteverdi choir is the best in the world - listen to their stunning virtuosity here. Thank you, Gardiner!!

Excellent music.......2003-09-14

Saul is one of those lesser known works by Handel. I certainly prefer Solomon, the Messiah or Israel in Egypt. Nevertheless, there is plenty of glorious music in Saul. The Monteverdi sings with their customary virtuosity. Casting of solo parts is superb. A bit on the pricey side but this is an investment that will yield rich dividends over a long period of time. Instead of listening to the Messiah all the time, or Solomon or Jephtha, why not be more daring and explore this lesser known work by Handel?

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A wonderful wordless prayer

Giya Kancheli: Diplipito, Valse Boston

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00020HCLI
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful wordless prayer.......2004-07-24

'My work of silence, my mute creation...' is the phrase by poet Joseph Brodsky that accompanies the notes of Diplipito, the latest Kancheli ECM release. 'Meaningless words from a Georgian epic' is Diplipito named for a kind of Georgian drum and scored for cello, counter-tenor and orchestra.

For me, this piece is like a wordless prayer, where words are meaningless or just superfluous. Diplipito is the song of the Soul 'exhausted in prayer', stretching itself upwards, ever upwards, reaching for something, exhausting itself, never making it, falling and rising once again... in a kind of cyclic never-ending effort. Phrases and melodic themes are isolated and beautiful, their beauty highlighted by their context becoming all the more intense. Themes and phrases repeat themselves in the manner that the composer knows so well, always open though never exhausted and, ultimately satisfying in some kind of mysterious and perfectly balanced way.
Kancheli's usual abrupt and intense dynamic contrasts are present in this piece as well, but not to the extent that one finds in his previous recordings.

It's wonderdul to hear Derek Lee Ragin's angelic indeed voice in another Kancheli work (after the superb 'And Farewell goes out sighing...'), and even though to describe someone's voice as ' angelic' is usually a cliche, in this instance it is perfectly appropriate. Also wonderful to find Thomas Demenga with his cello as well as a rather unusual for a Kancheli score that includes percussion, piano and guitar in a most innovative and unexpected way. The result is perfect and always leaves me with a feeling of serenity, deep satisfaction and longing for more. Perhaps, it would be a little exaggerated to say that Diplito is a contact with the numinous, but that's exactly how it feels for me and I cannot stop listening to it.

The second piece on this CD is Boston Valse for piano and strings with Dennis Russell Davies on the piano and also conducting the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester. Marvellous.

Highly recommended.

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Farinelli

Manufacturer: Travelling
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy / Jean-Yves Thibaudet
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ASIN: B0000DET63
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Son Qual Nave Ch'agitata: Air de Arbace [Artaserse]
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Work(s): Alto Giove (Instrumental)

Gyorgy Ligeti Edition Vol 8 - Le Grand Macabre

Average customer rating:

Good opera, probably not destined for classic status
just say yes to life -- a slapstick satire of the apocalypse
One of the few contemporary masterworks in opera
This opera is a horrible, boresome joke!!
A great opera of our time

Gyorgy Ligeti Edition Vol 8 - Le Grand Macabre
Esa-Pekka Salonen , Philharmonia Orchestra , Laura Claycomb , Charlotte Hellekant , Jard Van Ness , Derek Lee Ragin , Graham Clark , Willard White , and Frode Olsen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000ICMU
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

Le Grand Macabre: Car Horn Prelude
Le Grand Macabre: Scene One - 'Dies irae'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene One - 'Away, You Swagpot!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene One - 'Shut Up!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene One - 'Oh...!' - 'Amanda! Can Do No More!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene 1 - 'Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! Hey! Give Me My Requisites'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene 1 - 'Melting Snow Is Thy Breast'
Le Grand Macabre: Second Car Horn Prelude
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - 'One! Two! Three! Five!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - 'Shapely And Attractive Figure'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - 'Venus! Venus!' (Mescalina) (Astradamors)
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - 'Stop' - 'Sh!...Quiet, For Heaven's Sake!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - 'Who's There? A Man?' - 'A Man!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Two - Finale: 'Fire And Death I Bring' (Nekrotzar) (Piet) (Astradamors)

Tracks:

Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - Doorbell Prelude
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Arse-Licker, Arse Kisser'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Posture Exercises!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Tsk...' - 'Psssst!' - 'Ha! Head Of My Secret Service!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Ahh!...Secret Cypher!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Hurray, Hurray, My Wife Is Dead' (Astradamors) (Prince Go-Go) (Chorus)
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - Nekrotzar's Entrance
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Woe! Ohh!' - 'For The Day Of Wrath'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'There's No Need To Fear'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Up!' - 'Drink!' - 'Up!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - Galimatias: 'Hmm! It's Delicious!'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Three - 'Where Am I? What Time Is It?'
Le Grand Macabre: Interlude
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Four - 'Ghost Astradamors, Are You Dead?'
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Four - Mirror Canon - Nekrotzar's Death
Le Grand Macabre: Scene Four - Finale. Passacaglia: 'Ah, It Was Good'

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

It's apocalypse now in Hungarian composer György Ligeti's brilliantly imaginative opera about a comic-book Armageddon. Ligeti revised and tightened the original 1970s version of this masterpiece, which boils over with Brechtian grotesques. Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, always sensitive to the pulse of the most compelling contemporary music, brings off a wacky, threatening, sardonic, and exhilarating account. --Thomas May

Amazon.com essential recording

It seems oddly fitting that 1999--a year marked by Y2K paranoia and doom-and-gloom trainspotters--is the year in which Sony chose to release this brilliantly charged version of György Ligeti's Le Grande Macabre, the Hungarian master's comic tale of apocalypse and "what me worry?" Originally composed between 1975 and 1977, Macabre follows the various bumbling citizens of "Breughelland" during "anytime." Problem is, their time is about to end, thanks to grim reaper Nekrotzar (played with deadpan grotesquerie by bass-baritone Willard White), who, aided by his bumbling servant Piet the Pot, has decided to lay waste to the world. Of course, nothing ever goes quite right. A pair of indistinguishable lovers (including the radiant mezzo of Charlotte Hellekant) sleeps right through the Armageddon, and the Great Macabre is reduced to asking himself, "Have I not just laid to waste the entire goddamned world?" in the hilarious final scene. Esa-Pekka Salonen's live recording zeroes in on the score's sardonic humor as well as its postmodern raidings. Compared to the first Macabre on disc--sung in German and not as compact as the revised, English version that Ligeti prepared for the 1997 Salzburg Festival revival--this one is the keeper, with better sound staging, wildly imaginative orchestrations, lucid program notes, and an enjoyably perky English rendition of the original text. Hearing all this perfect craziness--the townspeople mimicking a skipping record as they sing "Our Great Leader" in the third scene, the car horn prelude that leads off the production, the absurdist arguments of the Black and White Ministers--is a comic delight. Here is one of Ligeti's masterpieces--a must for fans of modern opera--in its full glory. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Good opera, probably not destined for classic status.......2006-02-13

Though I haven't heard the German-language recording (the original libretto is in German), I have to believe that, in a language in which the listener lacks fluency, the immediacy of the text's impact would be lost. That's a serious loss when one is dealing (as here) with music that exists largely to amplify a text: rather like the acting in a silent movie (or--perhaps a more appropriate comparison here--the action in a Punch-and-Judy show). This English-language recording I therefore found very welcome.

No recording of course can give one a feel for the bizarre stage sets that (I have to think) must be essential to the impact of this opera in a live performance.

Relatively new though this opera is, to me it already seems somewhat dated, heavily redolent of the early 1970s. It also reminds one of Thornton Wilder's THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH, in that, after showing our Cosmic Problems, it facilely solves them by telling us (sort of) that Love Conquers All.

It IS refreshing to find such a broadly-targeted satire not unloading principally on the United States. Instead, there's a good deal of comic (and pretty funny) business about the follies of parliamentary government.

just say yes to life -- a slapstick satire of the apocalypse.......2005-06-02

The concept for LE GRAND MACABRE is great, a slapstick anarchistic satire of the apocalypse. The execution is another matter. I have to say that this might well be tremendously enjoyable in live performance, but it just doesn't work very well without the visual drama. As a caveat, I have to say I don't find most recorded opera to be very effective, and modern operas are even worse, because they don't even have the recognizable melodies and arias of the traditional works to carry you along. I can find no fault with the performance or recording, which was live in Paris in February, 1998. The Sony package, #8 in the Ligeti Edition, is fantastic, with a long booklet containing the entire libretto in English and comments by Ligeti on the work's evolution. There are a handful of black-and-white photos of the cast -- my one quibble is that more would have been good, some small attempt to convey the visuals that are otherwise missing.

It seems to me that the anarchistic vision of LE GRAND MACABRE is very much of its time, the 1970s -- it shares that recent past zeitgeist with Monty Python and the Firesign Theater. Young people today can't imagine what it was like living in a world faced with the threat of nuclear annihilation at any moment -- black comedy and absurdity was one logical response. Today's post-9/11 threat is nothing by comparison.

The story involves the mission of Nekrotzar, the Angel of Death, to destroy the world. Death is confronted by Life in the form of two lovers, who in the end prevail. Death and evil are not taken seriously, but are relentlessly mocked throughout, along with governments and self-important leaders of all sorts. The anti-hero, Piet the Pot, is a drunken buffoon everyman who is used as a horse by Nekrotzar. Other characters include an astronomer and his domineering wife, and a kingdom with warring ministers, the White Minister and the Black Minister, and a chief of the secret political police, who are used to ridicule racism, repression, bureaucracy, careerism, and the social evils of hierarchical societies of rulers and ruled.

Although there is a serious point, this is low, grotesque slapstick. Compared to WAITING FOR GODOT, it's juvenile. And musically, it's thin. Esa-Pekka Salonen doesn't have a whole lot to do directing the Philharmonic Orchestra. The singing requires some acrobatics, and there are some very funny moments. I still enjoy Monty Python and the Firesign Theater, but while Michael Palin and John Cleese might be able to improve the dialogue in LE GRAND MACABRE, I doubt that they'd be much help with the music.

Obviously we still have leaders hell-bent-for-destruction who deserve a good mocking as much now as ever.

One of the few contemporary masterworks in opera.......2005-02-07

I will not bother defending Le Grande Macabre for those dismayed at how it differs from earlier Ligeti; having studied the works from 1943 on, I hear a continuity that others may miss. Know only that the opera was influenced by the visual arts of Bosch, Brueghel and Saul Steinberg, the operas of Monteverdi and Verdi, the absurdist theater of Alfred Jarry, and the films of Charlie Chaplin. In other words, be forewarned!

Having not seen the recent San Francisco production I can only imagine the wild visuals, but the performers in this spanking new edition are spot on. Ligeti has considerably abridged and tightened the opera (first written in 1974-77), and has greatly refined his original vision (the composer has even gone on record preferring the English libretto to the original German.) The Wergo original is of interest primarily to completists.

Let me just add that history is everywhere present in LGM; this is the closest Ligeti's come to a "collage" work, which seems completely appropriate given the darkly surreal subject matter. He would never produce something quite like this again, but let us hope against hope that he finishes the long running operaplanned on the Alice books. For more about Ligeti, I recommend the Richard Steinitz work and life (although the earlier bios by Griffiths, Toop and Burde are great as well).

This opera is a horrible, boresome joke!!.......2004-10-31

I realize Ligeti has his strengths in a sort of dischordant, magical way which can be very effective, such as Aeterna, so I was eager to see Ligeti's only opera. I was unfortunate not only to listen to it, but to see it performed. Without a doubt this was the worst performance I've seen of my life. The symbols were not lost on me, they were so painfully obvious they felt like a slap in the face. The character development was non-existant not to mention the storyline, leaving only the lame satire and badly written prose in sing-song form to redeem it. The music was the only strong point, but nothing in this opera even approached Aeterna, most songs only disjointed screaming, honking, and clanging which couldn't even be compared to the da-da movement...because Ligeti was actually trying to say something, and it was intended to be symbolic! The only skill in this opera was making this non-sense and childish production last for four long acts. I have seriously seen more original, creative, and clever works in high school productions. I can definitely appreciate modern and post-modern works, political satires, and even Ligeti...but this type of painfully overstated attempt at writing a political satire (so called "opera") makes it easy to see why Ligeti's first opera was his last.

A great opera of our time.......2001-07-26

Ligeti's opera "Le Grand Macabre" based on the ballade of Michel de Ghelderode is a great musical achievement of our time. This version by Salonen, sung in English, is a reference. Salonen is a young enthusiastic conductor who loves the score (he told once something about composing and opera, after conducting Ligeti's Grand Macabre) and it is an authentic gift hearing Philharmonia Orchestra under his rules. In the casting, this version counts with a shining and lovely Amanda (Laura Claycomb),a funny Mescalina (Jard van Ness) and a really dark (literally) Nekrotzar (Willard White). Only Gepopo (Sybille Ehlert) is not fully convincent. But it is delightful hearing her, in any case, singing "Stern measures".

I am not agree with the stern reviews of some colleagues in this page. This Opera by Ligeti is magical, funny and delicious, as "The magic flute" of Mozart, for example. The music is powerful (the entrance of Nekrotzar, Astradamors' torture...) and filled with beauty (Gepopo's "misteries").

I love this opera and those of Penderecki, and I consider them the best works in their genre of the last 50 years.

Track Listings: