Music for Violin Alone

1. Etude for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

2. Jeté for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

3. Calista for Violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

4. Sul G for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

5. Molly for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

6. Caprice for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

7. Fantasy for the Violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

8. Elegy for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

9. Stalker for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

10. Tri Five, The, for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

11. 4 Spiker for violin
Composed by Mark Feldman
with Mark Feldman

Tracks:

A Set: 1. Allegro
A Set: 2. Adagio
A Set: 3. Allegro
Ste, Op.74: 1. Rhap: Tempo Rubato
Ste, Op.74: 2. Ser: Molto Tranquillo
Ste, Op.74: 3. Scherzo: Vivace
Ste, Op.74: 4. Dance: Allegretto
Quatour Pour La Fin Du Temps: Abime Des Oiseaux
Monolog 3: 1. Andante Sostenuto
Monolog 3: 2. Allegro Vivace
Five Pieces: 1. Vigorous
Five Pieces: 2. Flowing
Five Pieces: 3. Rhythmic
Five Pieces: 4. Singing
Five Pieces: 5. Spirited
Parable, Op.126 (Parable XIII)
Rhap
Moto Perpetuo, Op.11

Album Description

Stunning collection of some of the most important 20th century solo clarinet works performed by one of the world's most renowned clarinetists.

Customer Reviews:

Breathtaking Virtuosity!.......2007-04-07

Love the album! First heard a live performance of the Martino "A Set for Clarinet" while in college. This recording is as good, for sure! Also love Mr. Cohler's take on Wm. O. Smith's "Five Pieces for Clarinet Alone".
(I know Bill Smith personally, and I'm sure he loves it too!). Best of all though, is the Paganini "Molto Perpetuo". Superb circular breathing!

good but not flawless.......2003-11-22

I don't have any overwhelming complaints about this recording, but from a clarinetist's standpoint, there are a few detractions. I thought the use of vibrato was a bit overdone and definitely affected the tone in a less than positive way. The echo-y sound of the recording definitely helps gloss over some things, but it almost has the effect of a pianist who uses too much pedal. On pieces for solo clarinet, I'd really like to hear a good clear tone with more core to it, rather than a somewhat flighty sound that uses vibrato to maintain your interest.

Matters of taste aside, the technical facility was excellent, except for a few minor spots where the rhythmic consistency seemed a little shaky. Some of the pieces have a lot of rubato feel to them, and that's fine, but some of them clearly demand a steady pulse, and there are just a few minor places were you're not quite sure if it's still there (a couple places in the smith 5 pieces for clarinet for example). Pitch on the extreme registers was good, and most of the weird effects came across well.

All in all, I'd recommend this to any clarinet aficionados, but serious students would be advised to take the performance with a grain of salt (as I suppose could be said of any recordings really.)

Lovely.......2003-03-25

Every composition well-chosen, every performance well-played. The recording quality is clear with splendid presence.

The Paganini--wow! I've already moved the doleful Osborne to my frequent-listening shelf. It's unsurprising the Martino appeals to clarinetists: it's exciting and athletic, leaping over multiple octaves at a single bound! I also enjoyed Enland von Koch's alternatively playful and pensive "Monolog 3".

Tracks:

Nice Work If You Can Get It
Isn't It Romantic
Swinging On A Star
Ask Me Again
Rhode Island Is Famous For You
'S Wonderful
Wonder Why
Too Marvelous For Words
Where Do You Start
Theme From The Bad And The Beautiful
Easy To Love
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Who Are You Now?
You're An Education
You Are There
Sophisticated Swing
Love Can Change The Stars
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are
Half Of April (Most Of May)
Marianne
They Can't Take That Away From Me
I Love A Piano

Tracks:

That's Entertainment
My Favorite Year
Ten Feet Off The Ground (With Rosemary Clooney)
I Never Felt Better
Someone To Watch Over Me
Kiss Her Now
The Ugly Bug Ball
For You, For Me, Forever More
The Mole People
And So To Bed
You're All The World To Me
Old Friend
Isn't It A Pity (with Rosemary Clooney)
Pattisserie
Open Your Eyes
For Love Alone
I Won't Send Roses/Time Heals Everything
Get Out And Get Under The Moon (with Page Cavanaugh)
My Romance
Love Is Here To Stay
Violin (with Liza Minnelli)

Amazon.com

The line between evangelist and entertainer has always been somewhat indistinct. But as showcased on this 43-track, double-disc collection culled from his '87-'96 recordings for Elektra/Nonesuch/Atlantic, Michael Feinstein's dedication to spreading the gospel of the American song often blurs it beyond recognition. While the singer's pedigree for the task is impeccable (a long-term stint as Ira Gershwin's assistant and early career sponsorship by Liza Minnelli), his interpretations often succeed by playing off a tense axis of fervent emotionalism and a joyous sense of irreverence.

If his readings of romantic standards can sometimes tend toward the precious, they're often balanced here by sheer dramatic power and telling insights ("Isn't It Romantic" fairly bristles with ironic chauvinism) and a few loopy curves ("The Mole People," the Sherman Brothers' "The Ugly Bug Ball," and the previously unreleased "Rhode Island Is Famous for You"). Feinstein's dedicated song archaeology is also showcased on several gems: "Violin," a duet with Liza Minnelli; "My Favorite Year," a rejected ballad for the film of that name; the sublime "lost" Gershwin classic "Ask Me Again."

Sprinkled with live performances (the forum where Feinstein's talents seem most energized) and studio outtakes and featuring a lengthy print interview with the singer, the set chronicles both the pioneering efforts of one of pop music's most successful revivalists and, crucially, the cream of his beloved American songwriters, from stalwarts Gershwin, Berlin, and Porter to later legends like Herman, Styne, Lane, Martin, and Mercer. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

The definitive collection of performances by the Grammy nominated singer features 43 tracks from 14 albums released by Elektra, Elektra Nonesuch, and Atlantic labels from 1987-1996. Plus 8 previously unreleased live tracks only available here 'Rhode Island is Famous For You', 'S Wonderful', 'Alexander's Ragtime Band', 'I Love A Piano', 'Patisserie', 'Get Out And Get Under The Moon' (with Page Cavanaugh), 'Love Is Here To Stay' & 'Violin' (with Liza Minnelli). 2 Digipacks housed in a slipcase with a booklet. Rhino Records. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed feelings.......2005-10-05

This album has some GREAT songs on it; sophisticated swing being one of my favorites. However many of the other songs are too operatic and lame. I give three stars but this album is definatly worth it just for some of the better songs.

Your love for this superb collection will be here to stay..........2002-07-18

The magnificently talented Michael Feinstein has made one wonderful album after another for nearly two decades. Now that Elektra and Rhino have put together this anthology, I am blown away by the versatility and diversity in Feinstein's recorded output. Such amazing rare gems, combined with the most beloved favorites in the history of American Popular Song. Assembled with wit, intelligence, and obvious affection on the part of the record company, this set is a keeper. You'll love it!

He's done it again.......2002-07-15

Is there anything this man can't sing? This collection is so varied as to be the definitive collection of songs for any occassion.

This is perfect background music for a dinner party for a whole group but especially for two. Light, romantic and just gorgeous. You just can't go wrong when Michael Feinstein is your musical choice.

Way to go Michael, you've done it again!

Absolutely 'S WONDERFUL!.......2002-06-10

There are very few contemporary performers who can hold their own with the truly great interpreters of American popular song. Michael Feinstein is truly the ONLY performer of the "younger" generation who really understands what these songs are all about. His incredible knowledge of this music, and his enthusiasm and passion for it have fueled his career. Rhino Records has done a truly outstanding job of putting together an anthology that exemplifies why Mr. Feinstein has become so beloved by audiences around the world. The packaging is excellent, and filled with interesting photos and background information about many of the selections.

This collection not only contains all the favorites one would expect, but a neat group of surprises too. I especially love the duets with people like Liza Minnelli and Rosemary Clooney, and the various collaborative efforts with songwriters like Jule Styne and Burton Lane accompanying Michael at the piano.

This collection is a classic to be treasured. Bravo Michael!
Bravo Rhino!

A beautiful 2 disc CD-another hit for Michael.......2002-06-09

I have every CD Michael has ever made and this is by far one of the best ones because of Michael's range in singing and his wonderful singing voice. I love his duets with Rosemary Clooney and Liza Minelli. He is a wonderful performer on this double CD and am looking foward to the next CD.

Average customer rating:

Like a box of your favorite chocolates...

For When You're Alone (Dig)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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For Your Dreams (Dig)
For a Lazy Afternoon (Dig)
Dinner for Two
For Your Soul (Dig)
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ASIN: B00006JK9Z
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

Air On G String - Karl Richter
Andantino - Arthur Grumiaux
Larghetto - Manfred Clement
Bourree 1 & 2 - Pepe Romero
Contrapunctus No.9 - Sir Neville Marriner
Adagio - Heinz Holliger
Siciliana - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Siciliano - Irena Grafenauer
Larghetto, Con Sordini - Heinz Holliger
Andante - Heinz Holliger
Aquarium - Andre Previn
Berceuse - Julian Lloyd Webber
Andante Con Moto - Maria Graf
Largo - Catherine Mackintosh
The Bells - Frederick Fennell
Chorale Prelude: 'Wir Glauben All An Einen Gott', BWV 680 (Giant Fugue) - Leopold Stokowski
Nocturne, Op.19 No.4 - Mischa Maisky
Adagietto - Adagio - Myung-Whun Chung
Larghetto - Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Like a box of your favorite chocolates..........2003-05-01

This is a really well-thought-out selection of quieter Baroque, Classical and Romantic works, played primarily on strings but not exclusively. Some of the works are transcribed to other instruments--oboe in the case of a Bach harpsichord concerto, guitar instead of solo cello in the Bouree. This CD includes a lovely, lilting work by Pergolesi, who lived from 1710 to 1736. His wistful and playful music always provokes a happy-sad reaction from me because it's so beautiful and there is of course so little of Pergolesi due to his tragically short life.

Tracks:

Lollapalooza
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Judah To Ocean
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Toot Nipple
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Dogjam
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Pavane: She's So Fine
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Rag The Bone
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Habanera
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Stubble Crotchet
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Hammer & Chisel
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Alligator Escalator
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Standchen: The Little Serenade
John's Book Of Alleged Dances: Judah To Ocean (Reprise)
Slonimsky's Earbox

Tracks:

Two Fanfares For Orchestra - Tromba Lontana
Two Fanfares For Orchestra - Short Ride In A Fast Machine
Common Tones In Simple Time
El Dorado - Part I. A Dream Of Gold
El Dorado - Part II. Soledades

Tracks:

Harmonielehre - Part I
Harmonielehre - Part II The Anfortas Wound
Harmonielehre - Part III Meister Eckhardt And Quackie
Violin Concerto - Part I
Violin Concerto - Part II Chaconne:
Violin Concerto - Part III Toccare

Tracks:

Chamber Sympony - Mongel Airs
Chamber Sympony - Aria With Walking Bass
Chamber Sympony
Hoodo Zephyr - Tundra
Hoodo Zephyr - Dissappointment Lake
Hoodo Zephyr - Hoodo Zephyr
Gnarly Buttons - The Perilous Shore
Gnarly Buttons - Hoe-Down (Mad Cow)
Gnarly Buttons - Put Your Loving Arms Around Me

Tracks:

Ensemble - I Was Looking At The Ceiling And Then I Saw The Sky
A Sermon On Romance
Consuelo's Dream
Mike's Song About Arresting A Particular Individual
Tiffany's Solo
Song About The On-Site Altercation
Song About The Bad Boys And The News
Your Honor My Client He's A Young Black Man
Leila's Song; Alone (Again Or At Last)
Three Weeks And Still I'm Outta My Mind
Crushed By The Rock I Been Standing On
Dewain's Song Of Liberation And Surprise
!Este Pais! / This Country
One Last Look At The Angel In Your Eyes
Finale

Tracks:

Lollapalooza
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Judah To Ocean
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Toot Nipple
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Dogjam
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Pavane: She's So Fine
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Rag The Bone
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Habenera
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Stubble Crotchet
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Hammer & Chisel
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Alligator Escalator
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Standchen: The Little Serenade
John's Book Of Alleged Dances - Judah To Ocean (Reprise)
Slonimsky's Earbox

Tracks:

Harmonium - Negative Love
Harmonium - Becuase I Could Not Stop For Death
Harmonium - Wild Nights
Shaker Loops - Shaking and Trambling
Shaker Loops - Hymning Slews
Shaker Loops - Loops and Verses
Shaker Loops - A Final Shaking

Tracks:

The Chairman Dances - Foxtrot For Orchestra
Grand Pianola Music - First Movement
Grand Pianola Music - Second Movement
Grand Pianola Music - Third Movement: On The Dominant Divide
Fearful Symmetries

Tracks:

Nixon In China - Opening
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China - Landing Of The Spirit Of '76
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China - Cheers
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China - Opening
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -
Nixon In China -

Tracks:

The Wound-Dresser
Christian Zeal And Activity
Five Songs - Thoreau
Five Songs - Down East
Five Songs - Cradle Song
Five Songs - At The River
Five Songs - Serenity
Eros Piano

Amazon.com

Having earned his composing stripes after the 1960s, John Adams had the pioneering work of Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Terry Riley close at hand as he ventured into his trade. And, while minimalism's historical continuum helps place Adams, he used Reich, Glass, and Riley (among others) only as a starting point. And here's proof: a 10-CD retrospective of nearly all Adams's recorded compositions on Nonesuch Records, the label that also issued Steve Reich 1965-1995 and Kronos Quartet: 25 Years. Adams's Harmonium, a choral work of startling energy and effervescence, appears here in a new recording, as do distillations of both The Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China, two path-clearing operas. Over the span of a career covered by Earbox, Adams has returned minimalism to traditional instrumental ensembles as well as to projects that at once advanced a political commentary and took that commentary back to orchestral audiences. And so, in far less time than his predecessors, Adams created works that now play like standard repertoire pieces: The Wound Dresser and Shaker Loops and the Violin Concerto--all of them are here. What these works demonstrate is a fierce creativity on the one hand and perhaps a hunger for commercial advances on the other. Adams may at times be a bustling free thinker, but he sounds ever conscious of what audiences are listening to. As for the works themselves, they remain every bit as daunting as when written.

Some may object to particular selections. I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, for example, hardly ranks with Adams's best work. But this box isn't a mere best-of; it's an almost-all-of. At times terrifically American--especially in the news-aware operas and their narrative pragmatism--Adams well deserves a major box set, and its coverage is appropriate to his varied, stylistically diverse output. As with any large-scale retrospective, Earbox--which fairly bristles with Adams's new composition, Slonimsky's Earbox--has spots where fans might balk at the quality of the composer's writing. But it's got a fantastic accompanying booklet along with its many hours of inarguably modern and thoroughly listener-friendly music. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Moved to tears.......2004-03-18

Never before in my life was i moved so intensely and directly by classical music. I put the first cd in my player and a few minutes later tears are flowing. I find myself dancing and moving to a rythm i already seem to know. Wow, i just have to share that.

Nonesuch delivers.Again.......2002-11-27

John adams is one of the most popular living composers of"modern" classical music[I believe the cutoff point, though arbitrary is usually WWII}.I came to him late, through my husband. Modersn classical music , I said? What the hell is that?My husband kept playing bits and pieces of adams for me, and more and more i found myself amazed. and swayed. His operas have been groundbreaking{Nixon in China} controversial{Death Of klinghoffer},his compostions sublimely beautiful{shaker Loops or harmonium].HIS STATURE IS WORTHY THEN OF SUCH A MONUMENTAL CAREER SPANNING BOX SET.This 10 disc set[great value, again from NONESUCH}encompasses Adams' entire career,and though there are some misses here{I was looking at the ceiling and then i saw the sky doesnt quite fit},it is still magnificent. the Highlights are ,{for me} the Wound Dresser, Chamber symphony,Violin Concerto, of course, Shaker Loops and Harmonuim are wonderful. The true jewels here are Nixon in China,the Chairman dances and the Death of Klinghoffer,which is simply a masterpiece. The set comes with a wonderful book, which contains essay's by Robert Hurwitz {An Uncommon Man}renaud Machart[John adams as seen from europe} and Essays before an earbox by Adams himself.A Chronology and dicography are included. A wonderful study of an American original,worth the investment, Highly highly recommended

harmonia in excelsis.......2001-11-12

I must agree with Mr. Bartlett, particularly with regard to "Ceiling." It may well be because his Violin Concerto and Harmonielehre are so powerful. 4.5 stars.
Interesting, and likely intentional, is that two names in the extensive liner book fail to mention two great and glaringly obvious precursors: Carl Orff and Raymond Scott. Without "Carmina Burana," there would be no "Harmonium." Orff has his mark all over Adams's gifted and epic compositions. Similarly, though there are glib references to "cartoon music," the polymath engineer/musician Scott is a seminal figure in American music, and casts a large shadow over the witty juxtapositions and sense of play one loves in Adams's work. In all, an excellent career overview.

Our greatest living composer.......2001-07-22

As a composer, I'm staggered that anyone could fail to be gripped by this music.

That anyone can use the words "spoiled, overrated" amazes me. I emphatically disagree with "A music fan"'s review.

I don't think it's "mind-numbing"; I think it's spiritual and exciting. To me it's the most substantial music being created in our times.

I'm really sorry that anyone could fail to enjoy it, and really recommend others to listen for themselves.

Wonderful CD.......2000-04-02

This compilation should turn even the most curmudgeonly listerner into a fan. Beautifully recorded, great notes -- and it's a heck of a bargain!

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibiton [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Exceptional sound and knowing interpretation
Pictures, as a Revelation

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibiton [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Spain (RMST)
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ASIN: B000AMMSG2
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional sound and knowing interpretation.......2006-03-01

Jose Serebrier assisted Stokowski in their days with the American Symphony Orchestra, the memory and motivation for the coductor to record his mentor's version of "Pictures At An Exhibition" in up to date 21st century sound, coupled with a number of other Stoki specialties.

Aside from the more Russian sounding "Pictures", what I enjoyed most here were "Night on Bald Mountain", the "Khovanshchina" conglomeration and the symphonic synthesis on "Boris Godunov". This adds up to about 40 minutes of exciting Russian music delivered with gusto in great sound.

The Bournemouth Symphony hardly play like understated Englishmen in this recording, which will tear a hole in your speaker or knock some dishes off the shelves if you aren't careful with your volume or subwoofer controls when you first play this thing.

This 5.0 SACD is the real thing right from the first few notes of "Night On Bald Mountain" that begin the program. On my 5.1 surround sound system it about knocked down the walls of my house. It brings new definition to the term "demonstration recording"!

Not long ago I wrote a review of Stoki's last remaining CD of his version of "Pictures At An Exhibition" in his own orchestration and scoring. Stoki dropped two of the French paintings and made everything else sound Russian by emphasizing low strings and deemphasizing brilliant brass. Serebrier carried the memory of his mentor's work forward in this recroding, which is destined to wind up on some "best sounding CD of the year" lists.

Pictures, as a Revelation.......2005-11-12

This recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition" came on the radio today as I was waking up. I had not heard the Stokowski orchestration before (is it true that the principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra was his ghost orchestrator?) and it was a revelation. The tried-and-true Ravel instrumentation will never be replaced, but this is a "Pictures" from a distinctly different corner of the hall, and a welcome departure. Serebrier and Bournemouth perform with exemplary precision and freshness, digging in where Stokowski's excesses can withstand some enthusiastic wrangling. If you love this Mussorgsky and want to hear it with new ears, here's your chance.

Carter: Chamber Music (5th String Quartet, 90+, Sonata for Cello and Piano, Figment for Cello Alone, Duo for Violin and Piano, Fragment for String Quartet)

Average customer rating:

Carter's Fifth String Quartet, plus 5
superb enlightened playing of abstracted rarefied creations

Carter: Chamber Music (5th String Quartet, 90+, Sonata for Cello and Piano, Figment for Cello Alone, Duo for Violin and Piano, Fragment for String Quartet)
Elliott Carter , Arditti String Quartet , and Ursula Oppens
Manufacturer: Disques Montaigne
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Elliot Carter: String Quartets 1-4; Elegy

ASIN: B00004WKJ6
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

5th Str Qt: Intro
5th Str Qt: Giocoso
5th Str Qt: Interlude I
5th Str Qt: Lento Espressivo
5th Str Qt: Interlude II
5th Str Qt: Presto Scorrevole
5th Str Qt: Interlude III
5th Str Qt: Allegro Energico
5th Str Qt: Interlude IV
5th Str Qt: Adagio Sereno
5th Str Qt: Interlude V
5th Str Qt: Capriccioso
90+ - Ursula Oppens
Son: Moderato - Rohan De Saram/Ursula Oppens
Son: Vivace, Molto Leggiero - Rohan De Saram/Ursula Oppens
Son: Adagio - Rohan De Saram/Ursula Oppens
Son: Allegro - Rohan De Saram/Ursula Oppens
Figment - Rohan De Saram
Duo - Irvine Arditti/Ursula Oppens
Fragment

Customer Reviews:

Carter's Fifth String Quartet, plus 5.......2002-04-28

This is a magnificent set of chamber music from Elliot Carter, featuring the premier recording of his 5th String Quartet by the Arditti Quartet. It was composed in 1994-5, and Carter was there for the 1996 recording in London. If you enjoy Carter's first 4 quartets (recorded by both the Arditti and Juilliard Quartets), you can't miss this! The structure is a 6-part suite, interrupted by chaotic-sounding interludes. Also included are a solo piano piece with Ursula Oppens ("90+"), a solo cello piece with Rohan de Saram of the AQ, duos for cello and piano, and violin and piano (de Saram and Arditti, respectively, with Oppens), and the '94 "Fragment for String Quartet." The oldest of these compositions is from 1948, another is from 1973, and the others are from the 1990s. Some of the finest of modern and contemporary music, both Carter's compositions and the performances by Oppens and the Arditti players!

superb enlightened playing of abstracted rarefied creations.......2000-12-31

This is the only recording of the Fifth String Quartet, and I dare say it takes guts to play this work. It is deeply abstract,unfolding in a series of miniature with five Interludes which materials reoccur.The entire quartet canvas is utilized as one large timbre,where each part dovetailes and becomes completed within the part of each's brethren.A fairly democratic work. For Carter this structure is somewhat of a step backwards,but then progression is not always in a straight line,said the philosopher Ernst Bloch. Even relative to Carter's highly refined and rarefied musical language. You sense Carter had the specific personality traits of the Arditti members in mind. The First Violin, Arditti himself always quicksilver with fast filigreed moments,somewhat opaque and third person, like from an emotive distance ten miles away. Likewise the lowest string on the viola, "C" is here tapped for its expressive emotive potential, the lower bowed C# which reoccurs implies this. The cello is always yet another character, long a Carter creative trait of differeing musical structural layers portrayed as personalities. The Second Violin is a truly secondary role here, but an important one, in that its unique pizzicati moments, makes us listen to the plucked timbre again. The opening snapped Bartok pizz was wonderful, and alike a pedal point recast. I never knew the plucked sound could be that arresting, Well that says something for the agenda into creating a context for ones music materials. This is and will not be a Quartet that will easily enter the repertoire.

90+ is a wonderfully playful like work and Ursula Oppens understands Carter's music very deeply. She always brings well thought through and a non-predictable direct sense of the music's argument, with a somewhat romantic demeanor, the music really needs. The structure here is a predetermined one of limited number of tones, that seem to accrete as the work progresses,not long at all,over 5 minutes, but there are shock electric charges,attacks tones, to spur and push the piece along toward conclusion. The Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in this context of the late Carter does not were itself that well. Written in 1948, yes it was a groundbreaking piece for its time of retrenchment of the Truman Doctrine times. Carter had discovered a newly found sense of different "times" however obvious they may be, the piano functions here as obvious time keeper, almost like a rarefied walking bass,while the cello fills the void admirably with molto vibrato to shpae its melodic lines. Rohan de Sarem,cellist has somewhat of a brittle tone,yet it has a deep timbre but that's not the timbre he prefers it seems, he never allows the deep tone to broaden. Figment, an unaccompanied work, reveals more the large timbral pallette the cello is capable, again plucked timbres were deeply arresting.de Sarem knows how to pace himself and it is wonderful to hear him step out of his Arditti role. His playing as a soloist is deeply moving and impassioned. The Fragment for String Quartet is like an etude in harmonics, it is also a fairly accessible like work, great for encores I suspect, yet the work has a miniature beauty, like an abstract ceramic figure. The Duo for Violin and Piano is a largescale work, and again it is from the middle Carter period the early Seventies of the monumental Concerto for Orchestra. You sense that work here. The Violin does cover a large emotive spectrum here traversing differeing planes utilizing the timbral pallette from plucked to harmonics to lyrical moments. And the piano doesn't get in its way,simply mimicking the timbre wherever the Violin may be.

The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics
Average customer rating:

Terrific, rarely heard music

The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics

Manufacturer: Black Box Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All Works by MacMillan | MacMillan, James | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Messiaen | Messiaen, Olivier | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:

The Music of Life/Joseph Curiale

Awakening

John Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur/My Father Knew Charles Ives

Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale

All the Roadrunning

ASIN: B000058UUT
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

Honey: Jesus
Messiaen: Louange a l'Eternite de Jesus
Part: Spiegel im Spiegel
Messiaen: Louange aL'Immortalite de Jesus
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Curiale: Forgiveness - Movement 2
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: La vocation
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: L'initiation
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: L'incantation
Honey: Morning
MacMillan: Angel
Adams: Alone...again or at last

Amazon.com

Black Box may be one of the preeminent record labels for modern composers, but that doesn't mean its music can't be soothing. On The Calm, we get a 17-track sampling of some lesser-heard 20th-century pieces that are all (you guessed it) calming. Paul Honey's atmospheric track from Two Days, Nine Lives sets the opening tone for this disc, while tracks featuring the music of Erik Satie and Olivier Messiaen are a little less predictable but still soothingly meditative. Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel" gives a listener a hint of his "holy minimalism" style of composing; it's a gorgeous piece and well-played by violinist Rebecca Hirsch. John Adams's electronic keyboard-based "Alone ... again or at last" is an odd closer; it sounds more like smooth jazz than classical music. Still, as classical compilations go, this set is one of the most eclectic and interesting available. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Terrific, rarely heard music.......2002-07-06

The title of this compilation is incredibly accurate IF you enjoy modern music. It doesn't really fit the traditional, mainstream definition of relaxing music -- nice, quiet Mozart or Vivaldi, for example. It does, however, feature beautiful, powerful, sublime modern music. Each track is a revelation, from the more familiar Messiaen and Satie to the rest of the album, all pieces that I had not heard before. Paul Honey, Joseph Curiale, and James MacMillan all deserve a wider audience. Hopefully, their inclusion on this compilation will help them gain that audience.

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully transcendant
Incredibly inventive, irresistibly listenable.

Music for Violin Alone

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

What Exit
Malphas: Book of Angels, Vol. 3
Bach: The Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo /Holloway
Ys

ASIN: B000003YSO
Release Date: 1995-02-28

Tracks:

Music For Violin Alone: Etude
Music For Violin Alone: Jet
Music For Violin Alone: Calista
Music For Violin Alone: Sul G
Music For Violin Alone: Molly
Music For Violin Alone: Caprice
Music For Violin Alone: Fantasy for the Violin
Music For Violin Alone: Elegy
Music For Violin Alone: Stalker
Music For Violin Alone: The Tri Five
Music For Violin Alone: 4 Spiker

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully transcendant.......2002-12-05

Feldman plays beautifully and brilliantly on his own contemporary compositions. While the music could be consider "avant-garde" it is at once emotionally accessible; expressive and soulful. The range of texture and color is truly astonishing. He extends the limits of the violin to the point of re-defining technique. While at the same time expressing a broad range of feeling; from sardonic wit to deep pathos, from ebullient joy to mordent despair, all without compromising the lush romantic beauty of the violin itself. This is a must have for the contemporary music listener and those that listen past categories alike.

Incredibly inventive, irresistibly listenable........2000-08-28

If you've not yet had the luxury of hearing Mark Feldman play, you're in for a wonderful treat when you hear this CD. He has a huge range of colors and emotions in his writing and his playing--not to mention his incisive intelligence and clever wit. This one is a must-own.

Average customer rating:

Lots of Great Music... Cheap!
They are giving it away!

Piano Dreams (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Fur Elise - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major: II. Andante - Various Artists
Traumerei - Various Artists
The Venetian Gondola - Various Artists
Intermezzo In E Flat Major Op.117, No.1 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21: II. Larghetto - Various Artists
Des Abends - Various Artists
Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune - Various Artists
Spring Song In A Major, Op.62, 6 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 330: II. Andante cantabile - Various Artists
Nocturne In B Major Op.9 No.3 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Minor, Op.15: II. Adagio - Various Artists

Tracks:

Moonlight: Piano Sonata No.2 In C Sharp Minor Op.27 - I. Adagio sostenuto - Various Artists
Ave Maria - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 23 - Various Artists
Romance In F Sharp Major Op.28, 2 - Various Artists
Nocturne No.13 In C Minor Op.48 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto In A Minor Op.16 - II. Adagio - Various Artists
Song Without Words In E Major, Op.19, 1 - Various Artists
Arietta Op.12 No.1 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat Major Op.19 - II. Adagio - Various Artists
Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Various Artists
Chants sans Paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal) - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.9 'Jeunehomme' - II. Andante - Various Artists

Tracks:

The Saisons: Barcarole - Various Artists
Duetto In F Major - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In F Major K.332: II. Adagio - Various Artists
Impromptu In A Flat Major D.899 No.4 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: II. Largo - Various Artists
Einsame Blumen - Various Artists
Prelude Op.28 No.15 In D Flat Major 'Rain Drops' - Various Artists
Intermezzo In A Minor Op.76 No.7 - Various Artists
Paganini Etude No. 3 'La Campanella' - Various Artists
Prelude Op.28 No.2 In B Flat Major - Various Artists
Nocturne For The Left Hand - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor Op. 11: II. Romanze - Larghetto - Various Artists

Tracks:

Of Foreign Countries & People, Op. 15, 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In G Flat Major - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor: II. Andante semplice - PIANO DREAMS
Waldszenen Op. 82: Abschied - PIANO DREAMS
Nocturne In D Flat Major, Op. 27, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In B Flat Major D. 935 No. 3: Tema con Variazioni - PIANO DREAMS
Romance In F Major Op. 118, 5 - PIANO DREAMS
Sonetto 123 del Petrarca - PIANO DREAMS
Barcarolle In F Sharp Major Op. 60 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In A Major K.331: I. Andante grazioso - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Melody In F - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathetique': II. Adagio cantabile - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 12 In A Major: II. Andante - PIANO DREAMS
The Spring - PIANO DREAMS
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Old Castle - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu No. 3 In G Flat Major Op. 51 - PIANO DREAMS
Moment Musical No. 1 In C Major - PIANO DREAMS
Intermezzo In C Sharp Minor Op. 117, 3 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor Op. 58: III. Largo - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat Major Op. 83: III. Andante - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Humoresque In G Flat Major - Various Artists
Notturno Op. 54, 4 - Various Artists
Impromptu In A Flat Major D. 935 No. 2 - Various Artists
Prelude In F Sharp Major Op. 28 No. 13 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata No.23 'Appassionata': II. Andante con moto - Various Artists
Prelude No. 25 In C Sharp Minor Op. 45 - Various Artists
Intermezzo In B Flat Minor Op.117, 2 - Various Artists
Moment Musical No. 6 In F Minor - Various Artists
Phantasie Pieces Op.12: Warum? - Various Artists
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor: III. Marche funebre - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major Op. 15: II. Largo - Various Artists

Tracks:

Love Dream No. 3 - PIANO DREAMS
Berceuse In D Flat Major - PIANO DREAMS
Der Schmetterling Op.43 No.1 - PIANO DREAMS
Intermezzo In A Major Op. 118, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major D.960: II. Andante sostenuto - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In G Minor Op.24 No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 18 In B Flat Major K.456: II. Andante un poco sostenuto - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major Op. 26: I. Andante con variazioni - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In C Minor Op. 30, 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Waldszenen, Op. 82: Vogel als Prophet - PIANO DREAMS
Ah, vous dirai-je Maman: 12 Variations - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Waltz In A Major Op.39 No.15 - Various Artists
Prelude In F Major Op.28 No.23 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In C Major K.545 'Sonata facile': II. Andante - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat Major Op.73 'Emperor': II. Adagio un poco mosso - Various Artists
Mazurka In B Minor Op.24 No.4 - Various Artists
Pianno Sonata In B Major Op. Posth. 147 D.575: II. Andante - Various Artists
Bagatellen, Op.126: III. Andante Cantabile e gracioso - Various Artists
Ballad No.2 In F Major Op.38 - Various Artists
Intermezzo In F Minor Op.118,4 - Various Artists
Nocturne No. 16 In E Flat Major Op.55,2 - Various Artists
Songs Without Words Op.67: Spinnerlied - Various Artists
Klaviersonate D. 959: II. Andantino - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.17: II. Andante - Various Artists

Tracks:

Nocturne In C Sharp Minor Op. Posth. - PIANO DREAMS
Recuerdos del Viaje No. 6: Malaguena - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.26 In D Major K.537 'Coronation Concert: II Larghetto - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In C Sharp Minor Op. 30, No. 4 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto In G Minor Op.50: II. Adagio - PIANO DREAMS
Valse Obliee No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major D.960: I. Molto moderato - PIANO DREAMS
Invitation To The Dance - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Romance In E Minor - PIANO DREAMS
Folk Song Op. 12 No. 5 - PIANO DREAMS
Nocturne No. 12 In G Major Op. 37, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.4 In G Major Op.58: II. Andante con moto - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In C Minor D899 No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.14 In E Flat Major K.449: II. Andantino - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In A Minor Op. Posth. 143 D.784: II Andante - PIANO DREAMS
Berceuse - PIANO DREAMS
Prelude In A Flat Major Op. 28, 17 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In G Major Op. 78, D.894: I. Fantasy - PIANO DREAMS

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Great Music... Cheap!.......2006-03-18

This is a ten CD box set with a huge number of great classical piano pieces. Most are played by Jeno Jando, who gets high marks from the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs (highly recommended in its own right for the novice and experienced classical music CD buyer) for his playing on budget labels. You will recognize many of the pieces and they will serve as a jumping off point for additional exploration of classical piano. At roughly $2 each, you can't lose!

They are giving it away!.......2000-02-22

The Laserlight label also offers a similar box set of orchestral selections "Meditation - Classical Relaxation". At the time of this writing, that boxed set enjoys a much higher sales ranking than this one. This boxed set deserves to be discovered too. Don't let the low price fool you, these are excellent recordings.

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibition

Average customer rating:

FOR A HIGH CHOLESTEROL ORCHESTRAL DIET
Not much Stokowski there.
A Naxos Triumph!
Leopold, Leopold, Leopold
Extraordinary recording by the Bournemouth Symphony and José Serebrier

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibition

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
William Alwyn: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
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William Alwyn: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5; Lyra Angelica (Harp Concerto)
Kurt Weill: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Lady in the Dark - Symphonic Nocturne

ASIN: B0009JVOKM
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

A Night On Bare Mountain
Entr'Acte To Act IV Of Khovanshchina
Symphonic Synthesis Of Boris Godunov
Promenade
Gnomus
Promenade
Il Vecchio Castello
Bydlo
Promenade
Ballet De Poussins Dans Leurs Coques
Samuel Goldberg And Schmuyle
Catacombs - Sepulchrum Romanum; Con Mortuis In Lingua Mortua
La Cabane Sur Des Pattes De Poule
La Grande Porte De Kiev
Solitude, Op.73, No.6
Humoresque, Op.10, No.2
Traditional Slavic Christmas Music

Customer Reviews:

FOR A HIGH CHOLESTEROL ORCHESTRAL DIET.......2006-11-17

Comparing the arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition by Ravel and Stokowski is a fascinating exercise. They both seem so characteristic of the two arrangers. The cool French aesthete (though with his own hidden daemons just like Mussorgsky) paints with precision but with impressionist or even post-impressionist hues. Here is Monet, Cezanne or, in the bolder pieces, even van Gogh. The Londoner who liked to assume the persona of some sort of Slavic shaman/maestro is given to bolder, brasher colours - Kandinsky perhaps? Both are masters of the orchestra. Both remain true to the essentially Russian spirit of Mussorgsky - perhaps even more so in the case of Stokowski. Which perhaps explains why he developed the bizarre suspicion that the two 'French' pieces in the Suite - Tuileries and the Limoges Marketplace - were by Rimsky Korsakov and therefore left them out altogether. Maybe it was because Ravel had, naturally, succeeded in making them sound so French in his earlier version. For the rest, Stokowski is more than up for the grotesqueries of the Gnome, the deep Russian darkness of the catacombs, the wildness of Baba Yaga and the splendours of the Great Gate. But it is Ravel who gets closer to the heart of the old castle and Bydlo.

As for the performance, Serebrier was the Sorcerer's Apprentice, having been Stoky's assistant for some years, and he elicits truly Stokowskian sounds from the Bournemouth Symphony whose strings almost (but not quite) approach the velvety richness of the Master's Philadelphians.

The rest of their programme is equally rich fare. The orchestration of Night on the Bare Mountain, made famous in Disney's Fantasia, seems to me far superior to Rimsky Korsakov's and (un-PC though it is to say it) even to Mussorgksy's own. Serebrier rightly brings out the OTT string glissandi and biting brass. The Symphonic Synthesis of Boris is a cousin to the similar syntheses Stokowski made from Tristan and Parsifal and, like them, provides a rewarding distillation of the opera's music in purely orchestral garb. Here, Stoky seems to stay closer to Mussorgsky's original sound than Rimsky or Shostakovich. The disc ends with a trio of Beechamesque lollipops, all predictably gorgeous, especially Stokowski's own Traditional Slavic Christmas Music where his youthful experience as an organist seems to come through in the tiered orchestration.

Maybe this disc will not tax the listener's intellect overmuch, but it will provide him with enormous dollops of orchestral pleasure. And at a budget price.

Not much Stokowski there........2005-12-28

Compare to Stokowski's own interpretation, I just wonder how Serebrier change these intense transcriptions into dull, flat, and boring experience. His speed is so mechanical, and wash a lot of drama out of the work. If you don't want to be Stokowski, fine, but remember this is Mussorgsky, not Bach-Stokowski.

Although no one can be like Stokowski himself, Bamert still trying hard to sound like Stokowski in these transcriptions. Serebrier, on the other hand, trying to offer his own view. Pitifully, he falls far behind Stokowski.

One good thing about this recording is its wonderful sound. Rozhdestvensky did show us how harsh sound can ruin Stokowski's Pictures at an Exhibition. The good sound quality here makes the Pictures at an Exhibition still a valuable viewpoint. Ironically , it is the superb recording reveal how flat the interpretaions of Boris Godunov, A Night on Bare Mountain, and Entr'acte to ActIV of Khovanshchina are.

If you don't have Stokowski's own interpretion on your collection, I would like to stop you from buying this recording because of lack of the Stoki's excitement here. If you looking for a Stoki-like modern recording of Mussorgsky-Stokowski, I would recommend Bamert on Chandos over this. However, if you already have Stoki's own interpretion, Serebrier can still offer a different viewpoint of these transcriptions.

Some additional information..
A similiar viewpoint of Stokowski's Mussorgsky can also be found in Oliver Knussen's interpretation. The DG issue with a better orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and probabily better sound effect, too. The sound there is more tense.

A Naxos Triumph!.......2005-10-25

For half the price of at least two competing labels that I know of, you can have this recording of Stokowski's most beloved transciptions. I bought this release mainly for the "Symphonic Synthesis" which Stokowski created to bring more popularity to the massive complete opera. You get 24 minutes of shimmering sound, competing with anything in the symphonic genre. In fact everything sounds great on this disc. Meastro Serebrier,(a protege and life long friend of Stokowski) the Bournemouth Symphony, and the engineers are all in top form and dedicated. It is interesting to compare the differences of the Stokowski arrangements. He comes off more horrific than Rimsky-Korsakov on "Night on Bare Mountain", just have a listen to those exagerated screeches of brass. In "Pictures" Stokowski in his own words stated he wanted to take Ravels French out of the work and give it a more Russian feel. Balance, tempo, and detail in specific passages of each picture may or may not achieve this. I do think his version is more spacious overall, and less congested in the concluding "Great Gate of Kiev". Stokowski eliminates two annoying pictures stating he didn't think the composer wrote them in the score anyway! Recall that Rimsky-Korsakov's original piano version included them. Were they genuine? Three miniature bonus works are included. Most interesting is the Stokowski composition "Tradional Slavic Christmas Music" based on Slavic themes, is brief leaving one wanting for more.

Leopold, Leopold, Leopold.......2005-10-20

One of my favorite episodes of BUGS BUNNY (perhaps my only favorite, I was never a big LOONEY TOONS fan) has Bugs getting in trouble while singing the song "April Showers" in the presence of an opera star. The man finds the rabbit annoying, and Bugs being Bugs decides to get the best of him. On an evening when the buffoon is singing, Bugs dons a wig that resembles the hair style of a great conductor, a caricature of Leopold Stokowski. As soon as Bugs enters the area everyone is all a buzz because Leopold has arrived. Bugs grabs the baton and begins conducting. I was probably twelve or thirteen at the time, and I felt rather sophisticated because I knew who Leopold was other than one of the husbands of Gloria Vanderbilt.

Stokowski was one of the most famous conductors of his day, and he was a well known musical arranger as well. His day was a time when symphony orchestras had regular arrangers who transcribed famous keyboard pieces for orchestra. They somewhat fell out of fashion in the 1970's but today there seems to be a renewed interest in some of transcriptions, recognizing the contributions of the musical arrangers. This release by Naxos has some of Stokowski's arrangements of some of Mussorgsky's music as well as a few pieces by Tchaikovsky and an arrangement of Slavic Christmas music.

Overall, this is an interesting disc. The arrangement of "Night on Bald Mountain" is not as fulsome as the more familiar Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration, but the differences in the two do illustrate the interesting tidbits on the score. The same can be said for his orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition." The Ravel orchestration, today's performance standard, has more power, and perhaps because of its familiarity more of an appeal, but some of Stokowski's arrangements have a smoother sound which seems to be in keeping with an art gallery exhibit. His orchestral arrangement of music from BORIS GODUNOV plays like a symphonic poem and does capture the mood of the work.

Listeners will find this recording both interesting, enjoyable, and since the "Bald Mountain" arrangement is the same as the arrangement used in FANTASIA, perhaps a bit nostalgic. It will also give people a new appreciation of Mussorgsky as a composer. Maybe Naxos can release another Stokowski transcription disc with his arrangements of Bach's music.

Extraordinary recording by the Bournemouth Symphony and José Serebrier.......2005-08-28

This is one of the most extraordinary recordings of the decade, as announced by Felipe Marsans in his review in Diario Las Americas. The sound of this demonstration recording is spectacular! The performances are extraordinary, inspired,
magnificent from the opening track (Night on Bold Mountain) to the unexpected final track: an "original" work by Leopold Stokowski, based on a known ancient Christmas tune. The little Tchaikovsky item is something to make the listener cry, as is the Entre'Acte from Mussorgsky's opera Khovantchina. The Boris
is a masterpiece, and the performance is incredible in every sense. The Stokowski orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition, quite different from Ravel's and more Russian and tru to the original, will blow you off the room. I can't wait for the multy-channel versions to be released, on SACD and DVD Audio.
Extraordinary!
Stephen Bradbury
Oxford, UK

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Oklahoma [Import]

Symphonic Fantasia/Symphony No.4

Sings for Children

MPS Piano Highlights

Texas - Greatest Hits [Import]

Soulful Tapestry [Import]

Songs, Rhythms and Chants for the Dance

Porgy & Bess/Showboat [Cast Recording]

Same Old Me

Paulina

Symbolic

Songs to Make You Feel Good [Import]

Technodisco [CD-single] [Import]

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21

Slowhand