Benjamin Britten: The Folk Songs for Voice and Piano (Complete)

Amazon.com
Spending an afternoon or an evening with this recording is a wonderful adventure. You visit familiar and unfamiliar territory--and find all of it irresistibly inviting and ultimately captivating. Britten's arrangements are unequaled for their originality and ideal sense of style. The performers, especially tenor Philip Langridge, tend to the details and let the mood and character of each song shine brilliantly through. --David Vernier

Tracks:

Love Songs: Pastorale
Love Songs: Del Cabello mas sutil
Love Songs: Azulao
Love Songs: Standchen
Love Songs: Selige Nacht
Love Songs: Fleurs
Love Songs: Stornello
Love Songs: Music, When Soft Voice Die
Love Songs: Je t'aime
Love Songs: Love's Philosophy
Love Songs: Widmung
Love Songs: Du bist wie eine Blume
Love Songs: Das Rosenband
Love Songs: Liebst du um Schonheit
Love Songs: Cantares
Love Songs: How Do I Love Thee?
Love Songs: I'll Follow My Secret Heart
Love Songs: Serenade
Love Songs: Liebe Schwarmt auf allen Wegen
Love Songs: Love Went A-Riding
Love Songs: Why, No One to Love
Love Songs: O del mio amato ben
Love Songs: The Salley Gardens
Love Songs: Heart, We Will Forget Him
Love Songs: Before I Gaze at You Again

Customer Reviews:

Arleen Auger and Dalton Baldwin-Love Songs.......2007-01-29

A lovely collection -very varied. Arleen Auger has a beautiful voice and Baldwin's accompaniment is wonderful. The 3rd track, by Jayme Ovalle, is, as it says in the accompanying notes, bewitching, and is actually the reason I bought the CD.

Voice of experience.......2006-01-28

There isn't much I can add to the praise bestowed on this album by earlier reviewers. I do think though that a special poignancy is undeniable since Auger's voice, while still beautiful, clearly is not that of a young singer. Her maturity makes her interpretations of these love songs all the more touching. I've probably played this CD a dozen times through the years, far more than any other in my collection. It remains consistently and deeply satisfying.

Auger at her best.......2005-04-26

This is a disc that I recommend to my graduating seniors/graduate students who are pursuing a graduate degree or career options in Vocal Performance.
From the standpoint of technique, Auger is practically flawless---"harsh" is not a word I equate with Ms. Auger's singing. She and Dalton Baldwin are impeccable performers on this disc. All the material was wisely chosen and presented, including one of the slowest "O del mio amato ben's" and one of the slowest "Salley Gardens", indicative of the beautiful breath control this artist had. I have to take exception to one of the comments made by one reviewer, of the "lack of sesitivity to the music that most classical singers possess". This is plain ignorant. This reviewer clearly does not understand the great artistic endeavor that classical singers have to have with Song literature---only a non-singer could have said this. Our finest classical singers of memory have all been outstanding musicians. They also have texts to interpret in many languages. I, as a singer-performer-teacher take great umbrage at comments like this which serve only to degrade the richness of so much repertoire.
I too hated the untimely passing of this fabulous singer. She is one of four famous women singers who all died at the age of 53. I think this disc was recorded not to long before she passed away and does reflect her "goodbye" to her audience. However the disc will remain as timely as the repertoire in it.
Marcia M.Baldwin, Gig Harbor, WA.
Professor Emeritus, Eastman School of Music, Rochester,NY

Hidden Treasure.......2003-11-04

This recording is possibly one of the best examples of beautiful singing one will ever find. The repertoire, the artfulness, the line and the sheer beauty of Miss Auger's voice is a rare find. I've just recently purchased another copy as I loaned mine to a friend who begged to keep it! One note on the cover - this new cover art seems to imply this CD is some light version of 1970's Montovani romance music. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though the previous jacket (a photo of Miss Auger on pale pink) did look dated, I hope the next pressing of this (& I'm sure they'll be many more to come!) will give this collection the class packaging it deserves. This is a collector's item. Enjoy!!

Gorgeous, sensitive music.......2001-06-15

So first of all, ignore the cheesy cover art and album title. This is a beautiful collection of songs, beautifully performed. Since I concur with the other reviews that laud Auger's performance (though don't forget the accompanist Dalton Baldwin, who is also outstanding), I'll add only the comment that there is a certain melancholy surrounding a lot of the songs and performances that (a) I find haunting and appealing, and (b) you would never know simply from looking at the album.

Tracks:

Early One Morning
Come You Not From Newcastle?
Sweet Polly Oliver
The Trees They Grow So High
The Ash Grove
O Waly Waly
How Sweet The Answer
The Plough Boy
Voici Le Printemps
The Last Rose Of Summer
La Belle Est Au Jardin D'amour
Fileuse
Dear Harp Of My Country!
Little Sir William
O Can Ue Sew Cushions?
Oft In The Stilly Night
Quand J'etais Chez Mon Pere
There's None To Soothe
Oliver Cromwell

Album Description

52 minute long collection featuring 19 folk songs arranged by the late Benjamin Britten, including 'Early One Morning','Come You Not From Newcastle?' and 'Sweet Polly Oliver'. Full digital recording with Brightman accompanied only by pianist Geoffrey Parsons. 1998 EMI release.

Album Details

Originally Released in 1988 as "The Trees …", this Recording Was Reissued with an Alternate Title in 1995: "Early in the Morning". Re-released in 1998 under Current Title; Features the Handy Piano Work of Geoffrey Parsons and Arrangements by Benjamin Britten. Includes the Original Track ("Early in the Morning"), "The Last Rose of Summer" and Many More.

Customer Reviews:

NOT for Brightman fanboys :) .......2007-05-14

Guys, if you don't know, what it is - besides the obvious - don't buy it. I almost regretted the purchase and started to enjoy it only after I overcame the shock. On this LP Sarah Brightman sings English songs that were popular in the XIX century and the musical tastes changed since then rather dramatically. So check out the samples first!

A great showcase for Sarah's exceptional tone .......2007-01-29

While other people may think this collection of songs does not do Sarah's voice justice, I strongly disagree. Indeed, if anything her New Age-sounding albums (such as Luna or something or other) I find horrendous and I think they completely scatter the good qualities of her voice. Not so in this album. True, the songs here are not well-known nor are they decorated with operatic frills which Sarah has the well-known ability to perform, but there is a different beauty here, my friends. The legato, angelic quality of Sarah Brightman's voice can truly be heard in these simple melodies, light and free from the heavy chains of pulsed pop and mediocre attempts at an Enya-like portrayal. THESE songs she sings well, THIS is one of her better albums, and HERE is her beautiful sound which I missed in some of her other albums.

Sarah in Recital.......2006-06-08

I believe I own all of the CDs Sarah Brightman has put out and yes, this one is quite different from all the others she's done.

In this CD she sings (in a strictly classical style) some of the many British folksongs collected and arranged by Benjamin Britten; she is accompanied here by only a piano. Thus if you like classical singing and traditional Brit folksongs, then this is the CD for you. If you're wanting something more pop, hip, musical-theatrical, or celtic--look elsewhere.

Sarah has developed her voice over time and this CD is a good example of how all those singing lessons have paid off as she has a beautiful classical voice (amply evident on this CD) as well as the big, full belt style she delivers in musical theatre production numbers (on other CDs).

This is a great CD for these reasons, but not one for the masses.

Folk songs are not suited to The Divine Sarah's voice.......2005-08-24

When Sarah sings in her soprano voice, I describe her voice as "liquid silver notes of perfection." However, even though her voice sounded lovely, it isn't suited to folk songs and folk singing.

I am definetely a fan of English/Irish/Scottish folk songs and have a fairly large collection of them, but this album will be one of those albums I rarely play.

Because she does have such a gorgous voice, it has the effect of making these songs sound, for lack of a better phrase, artificial and somewhat forced. I think her voice might be a little too trained and operatic, even though she is not an opera singer, for these kinds of songs.

In other words, I think her voice might be too good to sing such simple songs, which is not meant to cast aspersions on people who have lovely voices and sing folk songs. Examples of these would be the Angel of Riverdance, Katie McMahon and Connie Dover! Both of these womyn have high, lovely, voices but they don't sound as trained as Sarah does.

So I can't really reccomend this album.

Unique and Distinct Voice Quality.......2005-02-25

There's a gallery of professional singing Sopranos today, and each has her own specific strengths, history of accomplishments, recognition and influence. The uniqueness that Sarah Brightman presents the listener and viewer is that of a totally dedicated artist who has expanded and refined her voice in an area that other Sopranos haven't - youthfulness, diction, control and width. Starting at an early age she succeeded and excelled in a variety of styles and genres. On this CD, with the simple piano accompaniment that enhances her distinctiveness, she's able to maintain the most melodious range, diction and duration. She enhances the meaning of the folklore (whether English or French) and the classics, as it has not been done before. The selection of music pieces offers and tests her voice skills exceptionally well. Any voice student and expert must not miss the opportunity to identify the voice features that Sarah Brightman's talent offers. Her voice uncovers Soprano skills that usually remain hidden.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful singing.
The Magic Of Britten
excellent introduction to the many facets of Britten's work

Britten: Songs

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00005JJ3P
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful singing........2007-01-10

Anthony Rolfe Johnson has a magnificent voice and it is perfectly suited to this selection of songs. The CD notes mention that Sonnet XXX of the Michelangelo is one of Britten's best work, and I agree; it is beautiful.

I have to be in a mood for Britten. Admittedly, most of the time I prefer the fuller, more melodic accompaniment of other composers. But Britten's spare piano is haunting and accentuates the words and phrasing of these songs.

The Magic Of Britten.......2006-04-07

From the rapturous and intense opening songs (Michelangelo Sonnets) to the spare yet moving concluding set (Winter Words, with texts by Thomas Hardy), this CD is a total delight.

Anthony Rolfe Johnson is the perfect Britten tenor. Of course very little of Britten's vocal music could exist if not for the consummate vocal skills of Peter Pears (for whom it was written), but Rolfe Johnson has all the necessary artistry and technique along with a truly natural and beautiful sound.

Of the folk song arrangements included on this disc, special mention has to be made of the heartbreakingly lovely setting and performance of The Salley Gardens.

Winter Words is one of Britten's greatest and most important song collections and it is worth having the CD if only for this. Only Britten could set the English language with such economy yet with such searching results. The exacting and telling piano accompaniments are wonderfully executed by Graham Johnson. Excellent sound and balance.

excellent introduction to the many facets of Britten's work.......2001-10-17

This disc comprises two song cycles, four settings of folk-songs, and a Purcell-inspired canticle. It lays bear the schizophrenic character of the composer's work. For someone used to a starker Britten, the 'Seven Sonnets of Michaelangelo' came as a shock, piano full of rich, warm colour; the voice as often exultant and ecstatic as yearning or despairing. The canticle 'My beloved is mine' is equally strange, the rhapsodies to God in the text sound like a glorious hymn to gay desire, with ambivalent music to match.

The second half is, by contrast, a bleak affair. The unadorned folk settings make melancholy texts even sadder, with the tinkling piano to the tragedy of 'Little Sir William' grotesquely inappropriate. The 'Winter Words' cycle is the finest musical evocation we have of Thomas Hardy - both captring the general atmosphere and feelings we associate with the writer; and offering rich commentary on the individual poems, with their characteristic tales of passing time, unforgiving milieux, missed opportunities and the omnipresent shadow of death. The haunting 'Choirmaster's Burial', in which the title character is denied the burial he wants, only for ghosts to play at his funeral, is one of the greatest songs in any language.

Tracks:

If God Be For Us
Where'er You Walk
So Shall The Lute And Harp Awake
What Though I Trace
How Beautiful Are The Feet
With Thee, The Unsheltered Moor I'd Tread
The Shepherd On The Rock - Schubert
Ladybug
My Sweetheart Has Rosy Lips
Down Deep In The Valley
A Tree Is Standing
The Last Rose Of Summer

Customer Reviews:

One of the greatest treasures.......2003-06-02

Fresh and supple voice, amazing breath control, incredible expressions, mature musicality. I have listened to some of the songs sung by real sopranos (meaning mature female), and I admit that they do have their own greatness, but this boy soprano seems to be far more exciting. He's got unbeatable, invincible energy and drive, which, I guess, only teenagers can possess, and the way he builds up the intensity is awe-striking.
He has a total control over the high notes also. You will hear the most beautiful pianissimo, soft, expressive, and floaty, in those otherwise ear-spliting pitches. His runs are also incomparable, very clear, driven, profound, and accurate. You will have to hear them at least once in your life time!

I have let my two teenage nephews, who knew nothing but rock music, listen to this CD, and lo and behold, they couldn't stop listening to it. We were on a trip to Yellow Stone at that time, a long boring drive, and they kept on asking me to play it over and over. We ended up listening to it several hours straight every day for 3 days! A different kind of excitement from rock music, every time the fast runs came, they couldn't stop dancing in the car mimicking them. The whole CD made them simply happy and jubilant. As a result, the otherwise boring long drive became a very happy, fun trip.

The only drawback is that his words are not very clear, and at times the accent is poor. But his musicality and mature expressions off-set it. Even if you don't understand the words, these songs will surely make your day. This is one of those CDs that proves that classical music can be much more exciting and fun than popular music. Good for kids, teenagers, and adults.

The perfect voice.......2002-12-02

Mr. Mehta is a countertenor now. When he was a boy soprano his voice was incomparable, in my view, one which answers to the myth of a Castrato's voice. Such gentle and even register throughout the range which surely arouses the jealousy of any soprano.

Mr. Mehta demonstrated sophisticated and precoscious techniques which made his gifted timbre even more unparalleled. His diction is not quite crisp. My conjecture that it's due to his nasal technique, not unfamiliar to a countertenor, the unique head voice suited to a boy's changing voice. Maybe, also because of this, the color of Mr. Mehta's voice on this CD is especially touching - woeful but never strident nor forced in high notes. The aria "If God Be for Us" is most sentimental and brings an aetheist to tears!

Wow - the range of this young man's voice!.......2000-04-18

I've listened to this marvel repeatedly and found a great satisfaction in the choice of music and personal stylistic of these pieces. I hope there are more young men inspired to give their voices a try as a result of Bejun's work here...I especially enjoyed the spiritual selctions, esp. "If God be for us..." Please don't cheat yourself of the opportunity to hear this!

Average customer rating:

What is Life?

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001Z2RKA
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Lebendige Vergangenheit: Robert Merrill, Vol. 3

Average customer rating:

More glorious heritage from THE VOICE

Lebendige Vergangenheit: Robert Merrill, Vol. 3

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Lebendige Vergangenheit: Robert Merrill

ASIN: B0001HN2TS
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Customer Reviews:

More glorious heritage from THE VOICE.......2006-01-15

The singing is so flawlessly superb that all you need to know is WHAT Bob sings:

Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Cruda, funesta smania

with Ezio Pinza (Bass), Luigi Vellucci (Tenor)

Conductor: Renato Cellini
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 3/8/1952
Length: 5 Minutes 35 Secs.

2. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): Il cavallo scalpita

Conductor: Renato Cellini
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1/1953
Length: 2 Minutes 24 Secs.

3. Cavalleria Rusticana: Oh! Il Signore vi manda

With Zinka Milanov (Soprano)

Conductor: Renato Cellini
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1/1953
Length: 4 Minutes 56 Secs.

4. I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Silvio! a quest' ora...che imprudenza

With Victoria De los Angeles (Soprano)

Conductor: Renato Cellini
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1/1953
Length: 8 Minutes 19 Secs.

5. Porgy and Bess (Gershwin): A woman is a sometime thing

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/13/1950
Length: 3 Minutes 32 Secs.

6. Porgy and Bess: I got plenty o' nuttin

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/13/1950
Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs.

7. Porgy and Bess: Bess, you is my woman now

With Risë Stevens (Mezzo Soprano)

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/13/1950
Length: 5 Minutes 0 Secs.

8. Porgy and Bess: It ain't necessarily so

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/12/1950
Length: 4 Minutes 4 Secs.

9. Porgy and Bess: Oh Bess, where's my Bess?

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/12/1950
Length: 9 Minutes 35 Secs.

10. Show Boat (Kern): Ol' Man River

Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
RCA Victor Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 3 Minutes 35 Secs.

11. The New Moon (Romberg): Wanting you

With Dorothy Kirsten (Soprano)

Conductor: Russ Case
Russ Case Orchestra
Date of Recording: 9/11/1947
Length: 3 Minutes 25 Secs.

12. The Three Musketeers (Friml): Ma belle

Conductor: Leopold Spitalny
Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1/2/1946
Length: 3 Minutes 28 Secs.

13. Rose Marie (Friml): Indian Love Call "When I'm calling you"

With Roberta Peters (Soprano)

Conductor: Charles Sanford
Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 2 Minutes 49 Secs.

14. Kiss Me, Kate (Porter): So in Love

With Roberta Peters (Soprano)

Conductor: Charles Sanford
Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 2 Minutes 17 Secs.

15. My Life's Desire by Tolchard Evans

Conductor: Henri René
Henri René Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1951
Length: 2 Minutes 37 Secs.

16. My Beloved by Jay Livingston

Conductor: Hugo Winterhalter
Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra
Date of Recording: 1951
Length: 3 Minutes 25 Secs.

17. Phyllis has such charming graces (Traditional)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 2 Minutes 43 Secs.

18. My Lovely Celia by George Munro

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 2 Minutes 21 Secs.

19. Mary of Allendale (Traditional)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs.

20. Down by the Salley Gardens (Traditional)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 2 Minutes 42 Secs.

21. Be merry, be merry (Anonymous)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 2 Minutes 17 Secs.

22. A Ballynure Ballad (Traditional)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 1 Minutes 28 Secs.

23. Oliver Cromwell (Traditional)

Leila Edwards (Piano)
Date of Recording: 1948
Length: 0 Minutes 43 Secs.

My own particular favourite: the gorgeous duet from The New Moon with the unforgettable Dorothy Kirsten. I LOVE IT! I love this CD.

Average customer rating:

Nocturnal

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Quatre pieces breves, Prelude: Lent - Vite
Quatre pieces breves, II: Air: Lent et bien rythme
Quatre pieces breves, III: Plainte: Sans lenteur
Quatre pieces breves, IV: Comme une Gigue: Com moto
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 I: Musingly (Meditativo)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 II: Agitated (Molto agitativo)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 III: Restless (Inquieto)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 IV: Uneasy (Ansioso)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 V: March-like (Quasi una marcia)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 VI: Dreaming (Sognanti)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 VII: Gently rocking (Cullante)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 VIII: Passacaglia (Misurato)
Nocturnal after John Dowland,Op 70 IX: Slow and quiet (Molto tranqquillo)
Son for Gtr Fandangos y Boleros Preambulo: Lento/ Daza: Allegretto - Coda: Beethoven visita
Son for Gtr Saravanda de Scriabin (Omaggio a Scriabin
Son for Gtr La Toccata de Pasquini (Alla Toccata):
All in Twilight: I. 1/8=80
All in Twilight: II. 1/8=68 (Dark)
All in Twilight: III. 3/32=46
All in Twilight: IV. 3/8=100 (Slightly fast)
Ach, moj Jasienko (Sostenutoo)
Hej, od Krakowa (Allegretto)
Jest drozyna (Andantino)
Patereczka (Allegretto)
Na jabloni jablka (Moderato)
Od Sieradza (Allegretto)
Panie Michale (poco sostenuto - Allegro moderato)
W polu lipenka (Sostenuto - Precipitando
Zalotny (Allegretto)
Gaik (Allegro vivace)
Gasior (Andantino)
rektor (Allegro)

Average customer rating:

Christmas Adagios
christmas adagios
Nice Background for the Holidays
One of my very top 5 favorite holiday albums!
Wonderful POCOCAT?

Christmas Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2001-10-09

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O Holy Night - Leontyne Price
Ave Maria - Luciano Pavarotti
In The Bleak Midwinter - Rosemary Joshua/Ian Bostridge
Coventry Carol - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/David Willcocks
Away In A Manger - Mark Tinkler
Gabriel's Message - The Choir And Orchestra Of Clare College, Cambridge
Pastoral Sinfonia - Academy Of St Martin In The Fields/Neville Marriner
Il S'en Va Loin De La Terre - Acadamy And Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields/Neville Marriner
Panis Angelicus - Kiri Te Kanawa
Schlafe, Mein Liebster - Marilyn Horne
Wiegenlied - Renata Tabaldi
O Jesu So Meek - Simon Preston
While Shepherds Watched - Stephen Cleobury
Susser Trost, Mein Jesus Kommt - Agnes Giebel
Lute Concerto, RV 93: Largo - Eduardo Fernandez
Alma Redemptoris Mater - Julian Podger
O Magnum Mysterium - John Angelo Messana
Zastupnitse Userdnaya - St Petersburgh Chamber Choir/Nikolai Korniev
Iubi-Te-voi (I Will Love Thee, O Lord) - Angela Gheorghiu/Romanian National CHamber Choir 'Madrigal'/Constantin Marin
Once In Royal David's City - Robin Barter/David Briggs
O Tannenbaum - Vienna Boys Choir/Uwe Christian Harrer
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/David Willcocks

Tracks:

Stille Nacht - The Bach Choir/David Willcockes
Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Katherine Fuge/Nicola Jenkin/Elinor Carter/Julian Podger
Winter, RV 297: Largo - Alan Loveday
The First Nowell - The Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge/David Willcocks
In Dulci Jubilo - The Bach Choir/David Willcocks
The Three Kings - Gerald Finley
Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen - Monteverdi Choir
Still, Still, Still - Ian Bostridge
The Crown Of Roses - The Choir Of Clare College, Cambridge/John Rutter
Christmas Concerto, Op.6 No.8: Largo Pastorale - Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields/Neville Marriner
The Lamb - Monteverdi Choir/John Eliot Gardiner
Balulalow - Anthony Way/Lucy Wakeford/St Paul's Cathedral Choir/John Scott
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
Mille Cherubini In Coro - Luciano Pavarotti
Vesperae Solennes De Confessore, K.339: Laudate Dominum - Kiri Te Kanawa
The Infant King - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/David Willcocks
Lullaby My Jesus - The Choir Of Winchester Cathedral/David Hill
What Child Is This? - Anthony Way/Tom Finucane
The Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarolle - L'Orchestra De La Suisse Romande/Richard Bonynge
See Amid The Winter's Snow - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/David Willcocks
The Blessed Son Of God - The Choir Of Winchester Cathedral/David Hill
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Leontyne Price
White Christmas - Kiri Te Kanawa/London Voices

Customer Reviews:

Christmas Adagios.......2007-03-03

This is the BEST Christmas collection that I have ever heard. I would like
to purchase 15 more to give as gifts this year; however, it appears that
Decca is out of stock or no longer releasing it. HELP!!

christmas adagios.......2007-01-14

this was one of the best assortment of classical holiday songs that i have ever heard. it contains a marvelous array of the best composers and performers that the world has to offer. if you are a fan of classical music, i think this cd will be a positive addition to your music collection

Nice Background for the Holidays.......2007-01-11

Beautiful Adagios and a rich selection for the price. Audio travels to Vienna, London, Cambridge etc

One of my very top 5 favorite holiday albums!.......2005-11-19

What a delightful surprise this 2 disc album was and I'm not a big fan of Christmas music. I loved all the selections and felt they were well performed. This is a true "must have" for any Christmas collection. Superior to many other compliations on the market. This one is a keeper! It is the one album I'll pick first to listen to after Thanksgiving.

Wonderful POCOCAT?.......2005-07-16

Great CD. The reviewer who calls him/herself POCOCAT says he/she is an opera singer. Wonder how much work an uninformed singer gets?
A "fast spinning" vibrato,as you describe Ms. Price, is not the same as a wide vibrato. The former is a speed issue, the latter a width issue. Therefore, 4 variables exist: fast, slow, wide, slim. Thus, 4 types of voice exist: fast/wide, fast/slim, slow/wide, and slow/slim. Most often a singer leans toward fast/slim or slow/wide, in varying degrees. A matter of taste, yes, but learn more about the voice before you expound.

Baker Sings Gluck, Lully, Marcello, etc.

Average customer rating:

Baker Sings Gluck, Lully, Marcello, etc.

Manufacturer: BBC Legends
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Philips and Decca Recordings, 1961-1979 (Limited Edition)

ASIN: B00008OP2A
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
Bois Epais
Il Mio Bel Foco - Quella Fiamma Che M'accende
Lauds (Among The Leaves)
O Lurcher-Loving Collier
What's In Your Mind, My Dove
Eyes Look Into The Well
Carry Her Over The Water
Come Away, Come Away, Death
Who Is Sylvia?
Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun
O Mistress Mine
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Let Beauty Awake
Tired
Silent Noon
Linden Lea
The Sally Gardens
O Can Ye Sew Cushions?
O Waly, Waly
Come You Not From Newcastle?
Sleep, Adam, Sleep And Take Thy Rest
Lord, What Is A Man
Sleep
Pretty Ring Time
Rest, Sweet Nymphs
The Jolly Sheperd

Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels

Average customer rating:

Benjamin Britten and English as a Musical Language
Excellent
Three Amazing Voices at Their Peak
Literate, Schmiterate
Exquisite Singing in Lesser Known Britten

Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels
Ian Bostridge , David Daniels , Christopher Maltman , Julius Drake , Aline Brewer , Timothy Brown , and Benjamin Britten
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Britten: Holy Sonnets Op35 / Bostridge, Johnson
Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne
Britten: Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo; The Holy Sonnets of John Donne; Winter Words
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Ian Bostridge - Songs of Faure, Debussy & Poulenc

ASIN: B00005UV9G
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

Canticle I: My Beloved is Mine
Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac
Canticle III: Still Falls the Rain
Canticle IV: Journey of the Magi
Canticle V: The Death of Saint Narcissus
The Plough Boy
The Salley Gardens
The foggy, foggy dew
There's none to soothe
O Waly, Waly
The Ash Grove
Greensleeves

Amazon.com

If you were assembling a latter-day dream team for a package program of all five Britten Canticles, this would probably be it. With one or two exceptions, it delivers everything you'd want. Ian Bostridge--the most literate tenor on God's earth--was born to sing this repertory, observing subtleties of text and niceties of diction without compromise to the beauty of fine-spun legato lines. David Daniels, an accomplished actor, sings the boy in Abraham and Isaac with exactly the right mix of pathos and restraint. Christopher Maltman provides the vocal equivalent of lithe, young, gym-toned muscularity in "Journey of the Magi" and the group of folk-song settings that pad out the disc. And Julius Drake homes in as if by instinct on what really tells in the accompaniments: a figure here that signals something to the voice, a chord there that transforms the color of a phrase. The two supporting instrumentalists (Timothy Brown, horn, and Aline Brewer, harp) add to the pleasure of it all. Just one reservation: Bostridge doesn't quite have the climactic roar of joy required for "My Beloved Is Mine" or the authoritative weight for Abraham, and Daniels can sound womanly, as well as overartful in the folk songs (although not everyone feels comfortable with countertenors singing folksongs). And in any case, it's not enough to counter the outstanding virtues of the disc. --Michael White

Customer Reviews:

Benjamin Britten and English as a Musical Language.......2007-01-22

Benjamin Britten was a prolific composer who managed to conquer every range of musical writing - chamber works, symphonies, operas, big choral works, song cycles for both soloist and orchestra and soloist and piano, children's works, ballets, works for amateur performers (such as the Church Parables), concerti, and works for solo instruments. There are few composers even today who understood the complexities of the English language as a source of lyrics as did Britten and though all of his works are penultimate examples of this talent, surely the Five Canticles are the zenith of this gift.

The Canticles were composed over a thirty-year period (1947 - 1974) and are a microcosm of Britten's development as a composer and philosopher. The five works are all inspired by religious themes and yet they also can be seen as occult references to Britten's own homage to his sexual proclivity. Here the canticles are sung impeccably by Ian Bostridge, tenor, David Daniels, countertenor, and Christopher Maltman, baritone and the series is beautifully united by the pianism of Julius Drake (with collaboration of harpist Aline Brewer and horn player Timothy Brown). To review each canticle would take far too much space, but at least some mention must be paid to the opening of the second canticle (Abraham and Isaac) in which the voice of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son is intoned by close harmony duet by Bostridge and Daniels: the effect is ethereal and wholly spiritual. Each of the five canticles is successful on every level.

Accompanying the Canticles are seven of Britten's Folksong arrangements and each of the three singers is given time and interpretive flair for each one. It would be difficult to imagine three better matched singers than Bostridge, Daniels, and Maltman - three artists who continue to grow in stature (these recordings were made in 2001). This CD contains some of Britten's more difficult works - but also some of his most sublime. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 07

Excellent.......2006-09-03

This is a really nice recording of the Britten Canticles with some of the folk song arrangements added to fill out the CD. The quality of singing is excellent though some aspects of interpretation could be argued. Excellent accompaniment as well.

Three Amazing Voices at Their Peak .......2004-08-17

With tones alternately dream-like and discordant, Benjamin Britten could certainly write music that can challenge as well as soothe, and his five canticles are no exception. Amazingly, he wrote these canticles over a 26-year period, the first in 1947 and the last in 1973 near his death, yet in spite of each canticle's individuality, they feel very much like parts of a whole. The two longest canticles, "Abraham and Isaac" (Canticle 2) and "Journey of the Magi" (Canticle 4, based on the poem by T.S. Eliot), are the most dramatically effective. Canticle 2 is especially moving because of the touching story it tells of the sacrifice of the child Isaac for his father Abraham only to be spared at the last minute. Canticle 4 provides an emotional retelling of the Three Kings' journey to the Christ child heightened by the immaculate blending of the three distinct voice types. It is no coincidence that countertenor David Daniels plays a prominent role in both as he is a highly skilled and versatile actor when it comes to playing a king or evoking the pleas of an innocent child. The voice, of course, is unparalleled. Tenor Ian Bostridge sings prominently on all five canticles and does quite well throughout, in particular, with his diction and tone. He is called on to exhibit a wide variety of emotions, and he rises to the challenge despite the towering shadow of Peter Pears.

The last twenty minutes of the disc are devoted to a wide array of English folk songs, and this is where each singer gets an opportunity to shine in solo turns. In particular, baritone Christopher Maltman does a fine job on "The Plough Boy" and "The Salley Gardens". Although Britten is not for everyone's taste, this is a beautifully realized recording with three great singers at their peak, and special mention needs to go to pianist Julius Drake who accompanies with great skill.

Literate, Schmiterate.......2003-12-10

What you need is a tenor with gonads. These canticles rank among my favorite works by any composer, and I do like Bostridge sometimes, but I can't stand the hooting around I hear on this disc. I mostly agree with the editorial review in the details, but not at all with its recommendation. I think the negatives far outweight the positives. Try the Hyperion release with Anthony Rolfe Johnson. It's also flawed, but far more satisfactory.

Exquisite Singing in Lesser Known Britten.......2002-12-27

This may be the vocal CD of the year. Bostridge, Daniels and Maltman sing this repertoire with all of the conviction of the original London recordings. And the Canticles themselves are pinnacles of Britten's vocal art.

Neither art songs nor operatic scena, in the Canticles Britten fashions his own vocal form, based in part on the extended Baroque solo cantata as realized by Purcell. Each Canticle is based on a poem with religious overtones, and set with sensitivity to the prosody and shades of meaning conveyed by the poet. The first Canticle, set to a parody of the Song of Songs by Anglican poet Frances Quarles, is fashioned in the most Purcellian manner of the Canticles, complete with Baroque devices like the canon and the ground bass. Each stanza is given a different form, almost like a suite, though unified by melodic material. The second stanza is a setting of the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Chester Miracle plays for tenor and countertenor (originally for alto, the tendency now is to use countertenor.) The work is dramatic, a mini-scena with many sections forcasting a very different setting of this story in the War Requiem. Canticle III is composed for tenor and horn and uses the very beautiful Sitwell poem, Still Falls the Rain. Britten's music matches the deep pathos of the poem. The final two Canticles use poetry by T.S. Eliot. They are in Britten's late style, tonal and yet austere and richly dissonant. Canticle V in particular has overtones of the music Britten would use for his final operatic masterpiece, Death in Venice.

The performances on this CD are stupendous. Ian Bostridge is probably the finest interpreter of English art song alive today. His attention to diction, nuance of text, beauty of tone and intelligence make these for me even better than the marvelous Peter Pears performances of these works. David Daniels is the finest countertenor working today. His tone is honey-sweet but never weird or cloying as Alfred Deller could be. And he strikes the perfect tone as Isaac, both childlike and saintly. Maltman too is in fine form in Canticle IV. The instrumentalists are also superb. Special mention goes to Julius Drake, who is a technically brilliant and sensitive accompanist in music that sounds simple but is deceptively tricky.

The disc is rounded out by several of Britten's beautiful settings of English folk songs. A marvelous way to end a truly spectacular vocal disc.

Track Listings: