Opening Day

1. Opening Day
Composed by Peter Tiefenbach
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

2. Poems (3)
Composed by Peter Tiefenbach
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

3. Aubade for 2 voices
Composed by R. Murray Schafer
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

4. Aubade
Composed by J. Scott Irvine
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach , William O'Meara

5. Metis Songs From the Qu'Appelle Valley
Composed by Anonymous
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

6. Newfoundland Songs (2)
Composed by Anonymous
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

7. Nativity
Composed by Anonymous
with Wendy Humphreys , Stuart Laughton , Peter Tiefenbach , Peter Tiefenbach

Opening Day,Anonymous,J. Scott Irvine,R. Murray Schafer,Peter Tiefenbach,Peter Tiefenbach,William O'Meara,Wendy Humphreys,Stuart Laughton,Doremi Records,Classical,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Miscellaneous Vocal Music,Two Solo Voices (with or without Keyboard/Continuo),Vocal

Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

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Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating: with a song in my heart/pal joey sound tracks With A Song In My Heart CD A Jane Froman double feature. "Pal Joey's" Pal another great twofer from DRG

With a Song In My Heart (from the 1952 film)/ Pal Joey (with 1952 cast members) Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Newman | Newman, Alfred | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Soundtracks General | Soundtracks | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Soundtracks General | Soundtracks | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Jane Froman: With A Song In My Heart / Yours Alone - Original Recordings 1930-1952 My Heart Speaks I'll Cry Tomorrow I'll Cry Tomorrow Susan Hayward Double Feature: Smash-Up/Tulsa ASIN: B0000AGWH6 Release Date: 2003-08-26

Tracks:

1. Opening
2. It's A Good Day
3. Tea For Two
4. Blue Moon
5. That Old Feeling
6. Embraceable You
7. Get Happy
8. I'll Walk Alone
9. They're Either Too Young Or Too Old
10. I'm Thru With Love
11. An American Medley
12. WIth A Song In My Heart
13. Overture
14. You Mustn't Kick It Around
15. I Could Write A Book
16. Chicago
17. That Terrific Rainbow
18. What Is A Man?
19. Happy Hunting Horn
20. Bewitched
21. Pal Joey
22. The Flower Garden Of My Heart
23. Zip
24. Plan You Now, Dig You Later
25. In Our Little Den
26. Do It The Hard Way
27. Take Him
28. Bewitched (Reprise)
29. Finale

Album Description

First time collection on CD! This Jane Froman package features the 1952 Broadway Revival of "Pal Joey" (where Jane provided the lead vocals for Vivienne Segal) along with the original soundtrack to "With Song in My Heart" - the 1952 film starring Susan Hayward in the life story of Jane Forman (Jane provided vocals for the film). The classic Rodgers & Hart "Pal Joey" album also features a standout performance from a young Elaine Stritch singing her showstopper "Zip." Digitally Remastered.

Customer Reviews:

with a song in my heart/pal joey sound tracks.......2007-03-31

I actually was so pleased to see a CD available because I have been longing for the movie "with a song in my heart" to become available on VHS and then on DVD, and it never has, so now at least I can enjoy the songs from the movie. The cast track from Pal Joey was just an added bonus.

With A Song In My Heart CD.......2007-03-19

I saw the film, "With A Song In My Heart" when I was twelve or thirteen years old and have wanted the sound track for many years. As an impressionable teenager in the 1950s, I have collected over time many of the films from that time on VHS or DVD, to satisfy my memories of the period. I regret that this particular film is not available on VHS or DVD, but, this CD is the next best choice. It is really enjoyable to hear the richness and depth of the voice of Jane Froman, who was one of the best singers of the time. I can still recall many scenes from the film and this CD revives the memories so well.

A Jane Froman double feature........2006-09-16

This DRG CD pairs two recordings starring Jane Froman.

WITH A SONG IN MY HEART

Susan Hayward played Jane Froman in the film but Froman herself dubbed the vocals. This album of songs was originally issued as a 10" Lp. None of the tracks are taken from the film: They are all studio re-recordings. Later, Capitol re-released it as a 12" LP with two extra songs added. It is that expanded [program included here. Froman is in great voice, though the orchestrations are overly lush and string heavy. Still, the songs include such standards as "It's a Good Day", "Get Happy", and "Embraceable You" making for an enjoyable mini-concert.

PAL JOEY

Capitol's cast album of the 1952 revival has long been a collector's item. The original Lp was deleted in 1960 and did not resurface until Broadway Angel released it on CD (briefly) in 1993. As the stars of the revival Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal had already made a studio cast album for Columbia - an album that helped inspire the revival - they were unable to re-record their songs for Capitol, and the label turned to Jane Froman and Dick beavers to fill in. The revised orchestrations sound dated now, but here is a chance to hear Elaine Stritch singing "Zip" and to enjoy the lusty voice of Helen Gallagher early in her career.

In the end it's the WITH A SONG IN MY HEART selections (making their debut on CD here) that make this CD worthwhile. For PAL JOEY the studio recording (available from SONY) is preferable, however if one is so inclined you can assemble your own cast album of the '52 revival by combining tracks from both releases.

"Pal Joey's" Pal.......2006-07-30

While the legubrious and over-orchestrated songs from the film "With a Song in My Heart" are typical of their era (and Jane Froman's stilted renditions are what once stood for emoting) the "Pal Joey" cast recording is an absolute delight. The orchestrations are bouncy and jazzy in a way that has long been forgotten, and the performances (except for the aforementioned Ms. Froman, whose Vulgnarian renditions are at times quite disconcerting, and who hits the sonic notes like lazer beems but misses the emotional ones by a country mile) are exceptional. Helen Gallagher deserved her Tony from the evidence of this recording, with Elaine Stritch not far behind her. But the overall impact surpasses any recording of "Joey" including the historic one that lead to this revival. There's energy, intensity and a whole lot of fantastic song writing (leave it to to Rogers and Hart) to satisfy any musical theater fan. A must have for anyone who loves "Old Broadway."

another great twofer from DRG.......2004-01-21

Jane Froman was one of the top vocalists of her era. Froman's greatness is celebrated in this new 2-on-1 album, which comprises the film soundtrack of WITH A SONG IN MY HEART as well as the 1952 Broadway revival cast album of PAL JOEY.

WITH A SONG IN MY HEART was the life story of Jane Froman, with the lovely Susan Hayward in the lead role. Froman herself supplied the singing for the film. Numbers include "It's a Good Day", the bittersweet and humorous "They're Either Too Young or Too Old", "Blue Moon", "Get Happy", "Tea for Two" and "I'm Thru with Love".

The 1952 Broadway revival of PAL JOEY was the result of the huge success of a studio album released by Columbia the year before (which featured Vivienne Segal reprising her original role of Vera and Harold Lang as Joey). Segal and Lang headlined the new revival with Helen Gallagher (SWEET CHARITY, HAZEL FLAGG) as Gladys Bumps and Elaine Stritch (ON YOUR TOES, GOLDILOCKS) as reporter Melba Snyder.

Having already recorded their roles for the Columbia album, Segal and Lang saw little need in re-recording them for the revival album on the Capitol label. Instead, the roles of Vera and Joey were covered by Jane Froman and Dick Beavers.

The cast album suffers on many levels. First, the absence of Segal and Lang is quite distracting, and secondly the new Overture can't even compare with the scintillanting original.

The Columbia studio album is the version to buy in addition to this, though both albums have their strong and weak points. As per usual, Elaine Stritch brings her impressive and formidable comic timing to the fore in the show-stopping "Zip", and Helen Gallagher's silvery voice is perfect for "That Terrific Rainbow".

A fine addition to your collection. [DRG 19054]

Average customer rating: Mad about Baroque The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes Brilliant Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames). Brilliant Purcell Disc

Essential Purcell Henry Purcell , New College Choir Oxford , King's Consort , Robert King , Roy Goodman , Charles Daniels , John Mark Ainsley , James Bowman , Peter Buckoke , Jane Coe , Rogers Covey-Crump , Gillian Fisher , Michael George , Miles Golding , Jane Norman , Barbara Bonney , Mark Caudle , William Carter , King's Consort Choir , Helen Gough , Paul Nicholson , Angela East , Barry Guy , Tessa Bonner , Jerome Finnis , Rupert Bawden , Lucy Howard , Richard Campbell , Susan Addison , James O'Donnell , and Stephen Saunders Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bonney, Barbara | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Bonney, Barbara | ( B ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort Purcell: The Fairy Queen Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ Music ASIN: B000002ZDU Release Date: 1995-04-10

Tracks:

1. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 5: Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn. Symphony And Opening Chorus
2. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 3: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
3. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: Oh, Fair Cedaria
4. The Choir Of The King's Consort: Hear My Prayer, O Lord
5. Great Baroque Arias: When I Am Laid In Earth ('Dido's Lament')
6. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.1: Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears (Part 1)
7. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.4: The Sparrow And The Gentle Dove
8. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: If Music Be The Food Of Love (First Setting)
9. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.5: Rejoice In The Lord Always ('The Bell Anthem')
10. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Hosanna To The Highest
11. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.7: Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts
12. Mr. Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composures: Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling
13. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.6: Mark, How Readily Each Pliant String
14. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: Sound The Trumpet
15. Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.3: She Loves And She Confesses Too
16. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: O How Blest Is The Isle
17. Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
18. Complete Anthems And Services Vol. 11: An Evening Hymn
19. Complete Church Music Vol.2: Vouchsafe, O Lord, To Keep Us This Day
20. Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.2: With Rapture Of Delight... Hail Bright Cecilia

Amazon.com essential recording

The "Essential" Purcell? Well, you could get a bunch of critics to argue about that for a few days, but in the meantime, here is a sampler of highlights from the King's Consort's three admirable Purcell series: the Complete Odes and Welcome Songs, Complete Anthems and Services, and Complete Secular Solo Songs. There are, of course, some of Purcell's most-performed pieces (which probably are "essential"): Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, "Sound the trumpet" from Come, ye sons of Art, Rejoice in the Lord alway (the "Bell Anthem," named for the string figure at the opening that sounds like pealing bells), the gently patriotic "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" (sung by a miscast James Bowman), and a selection from the funeral music for Queen Mary. There are also some delightful surprises--particularly among the little-known secular songs and church music. The plaintive "O fair Cedaria" gets a lovely performance by Barbara Bonney (a singer not usually associated with Purcell); tenor Rogers Covey-Crump (possibly the ideal high tenor for Purcell) sings the enchanting "If music be the food of love"; the church anthems "Let mine eyes run down with tears" and "Remember not, O Lord, our offences" have some startling harmonies as daring as any Monteverdi ever wrote. If you're unfamiliar with Purcell, this reasonably priced disc is a good place to start exploring without a big initial investment. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Mad about Baroque.......2007-02-12

This is a terrific CD. The music is breathtaking. Just buy IT !!!!!

The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes.......2002-08-21

Absolutely beautiful baroque music! The arrangament, singing and instrumentation is superb. It is too bad that Henry Purcell is not as widely known as Bach, because he should be recognized equally well."The Sparrow and the Gentle dove" is alone worth the price of the album! I can not stop playing it!

Brilliant.......2001-10-31

Like in his renditions of Handel's oratorios, Robert King manages to bring a freshness and strenght to Purcell's music that I had seldom heard before. This CD also features some of the best performers of early music in the world. My favourite tracks are Oh, Fair Cedaria, sung by the multi-talented Barbara Bonney; Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher; She Loves and she Confesses too, sung by the wonderful Susan Gritton; and Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn, sung by Rogers Covey-Crump. The only track I didn't find absolutely wonderful is Fairest Isle, sung here by James Bowman. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Mr Bowman, I think that his performance in Mr Purcell's Most Admirable Composures (also conducted by Robert King) makes it another essential Purcell recording; but I find that Fairest Isle was much better done elsewhere, particularly by Christopher Hogwood and Barbara Bonney.

These songs aren't only beautiful, they're also poignant, sweet and unpretentious. I think that it will be very clear to anyone who listens to this recording that Mr Purcell was one of the finest composers that ever lived.

Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames)........2001-10-20

If anyone has benefitted from the reversion in the last three or so decades to period instruments and historical reconstruction, it is Henry Purcell. Before, he was merely great, the peerless word-setter in the English language, a virtuoso of boundless range, a professional composer whose offical commissions were always imbued with personality and invention. But period instrumentation has added to this a greater depth, an other-worldly texture of sound. With his intricate, multi-part vocal writing, his preference for low, rumbling instruments such as the bass viol and the strange and remarkable theorbo, as well as his often sombre and low-key subject matter and treatment, Purcell creates a round, glowing, humming sound as pregnantly full as dub reggae.

This has an extraordinary effect on the listener. Whereas Bach, with his mathematical abstractions, sounds universal and timeless, Purcell's music takes the listener back 300 years, back to different ways of thinking about, feeling about and addressing things we still think etc. about today - death, love, friendship. The emotion is timeless, but the music's beauty is alien, THEIRS, hence its preciousness.

A lot of intelligence has gone into the unity of this compilation, beginning with two Welcomes (to the dawn and to the listener, in this case a King), and ending with thoughts of evening, death and a Baroque 'Thank you for the music'. These are bright, fanfare-like works, but the predominant mood is slow, ruminative, quiet. The selection covers the wide range of Purcell's oeuvre, from opera and funeral marches to secular songs and odes, and includes his most famous vocal works - Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher, and never more evocative of pagan loss and death; the massive 'Bell Anthem', with its ingenious opening symphony and joyful antiphon; and a miraculously serene 'Evening Hymn', Dido's opposite, death indicating hope, the treble voice swirling over the heavy ground bass like the soul released from the inert body.

it might seem quixotic to choose highlights from an exemplary collection of highlights, but the entry of the strings washing over the serene repetition of 'Be Welcome then, great Sir' always makes my heart stop still, while the musical picture of 'Bold Honour', the 'noisy Nothing, stalking shade', blocking the poet's amorous intentions in 'She loves and confesses too', adds a chilling hint of life's transience to a bouyantly bawdy song.

Brilliant Purcell Disc .......2000-11-30

With this album director and Purcell expert Robert King provides the listener with an excellent introduction to the composer's vocal works. The pieces presented here were taken from Mr. King's recordings of 'The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs', 'The Complete Anthems and Services', 'The Complete Secular Solo Songs' and diverse anthology discs. King, his wonderful soloists and musicians do the brilliance of Purcell's music fully justice. Whether he was commissioned by royalty, the church or theatre, Purcell shone in all areas. This disc certainly demonstrates the variety and originality of his craft, not to speak of his uncanny ability of setting words to music.

An outstanding Purcell offering. With a beautiful perfomance by Barbara Bonney of 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. Susan Gritton is equally captivating in 'She loves and she confesses too'. Gillian Fisher's rendition of the famous 'Dido's Lament' is haunting and poignant. Further an intelligent and brilliant 'Hosanna to the highest' by Michael George. James Bowman and Michael Chance sparkle in the countertenor duet 'Sound the trumpet' (from 'Come Ye sons of Art away'). And I should not forget to mention the joyous, luminous performance of the beautiful 'Bell Anthem'. To name but a few favourites, only James Bowman's 'Fairest Isle' was a disappointment.

Those who are familiar with Purcell's music will get an excellent disc with some of his most beloved works. If you are new to Purcell, this is, as already said a great introduction. Which might be the incentive to further explorations of Purcell.

by stardustraven

Average customer rating: Uhhh... It's Ok... Key songs are missing Nice mix of score and soundtrack Beautiful, sensitive, sad and hopeful. Dear Frankie- CD

Dear Frankie Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Dear Frankie One More Kiss Attila Shooters Dracula 2000 ASIN: B0002W18RU Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

1. Opening Title
2. Everyone Will Have Their Day - Clarksville
3. Frankie Reads
4. Stamp Album
5. Leave These Shores - Obi
6. A New Beginning
7. Spiegel Im Spiegel (Extract) - Arvo Part
8. Football
9. Secret Sun - Jesse Harris
10. Present From His Daddy
11. The Kiss
12. Your Friend Frankie
13. The Final Letter
14. Reprise - Clarksville

Amazon.com

The tale of a mother who poses as her son's estranged father in letters, yet eventually has to enlist a stranger to play the role, director Shona Auerbach's intimate indie became a film festival perennial. Given the movie's tearjerker tendencies, its musical score becomes an even more crucial component of its deft, if relatively non-manipulative dramaturgy. Young composer Alex Heffes more than rises to the occasion, providing a delicate score fueled by spare, elegant piano and emotionally-longing string arrangements. Heffes work here mines the same intimately scaled, soulfully resonant vein as Rachel Portman's Oscar-nominated music for Lasse Hallstrom's Ciderhouse Rules and Chocolat, a skillful musical tack that's openly emotional, yet seldom cloying. The contributions of modern rockers Clarksville (the buoyant "Everyone Will Have Their Day" and more intimate ballad "Reprise") and singer-songwriters Obi and Jesse Harris organically mesh with Heffes' score in a way that's all to rare in an era where pop songs often contribute little more than marketing shuck to film projects. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Uhhh... It's Ok..........2007-05-01

I really loved the movie and especially little Frankie. There where three songs that just stuck in my head for weeks, so I bought the CD... unfortunatly out of the three songs, only one was on the CD... I was alittle dissapointed but overall it is a good CD. I really like Jesse Harris. He is the best on the whole CD.

Key songs are missing.......2007-02-21

After watching "Dear Frankie" on cable several times, I decided to buy it and the soundtrack album. I did not read the detailed list of songs before buying. Although the soundtrack is good for what it is, I was disappointed that the song "Delicate" by Damien Rice was not included. Nor was the song about the "white horse" that was sung twice during the movie, once by Lizzie and once by the club singer. It would have been nice also to have the "Macarena" song which was in the movie.

Nice mix of score and soundtrack.......2007-02-07

This album is nice because it has all the score music along with all the other music played in the movie on one CD. The "Dear Frankie Main Title" is especially nice to have. I bought this CD for my sister for Christmas, but now the whole family wants to listen to it. I would recommend it for anyone that liked the movie!

Beautiful, sensitive, sad and hopeful. .......2007-01-21

I stumbled upon this quiet little movie and feel like I've discovered a wonderful jewel. I was immediately enamored by the soundtrack and worked hard to purchase it right away. The music along with a few dialogue excerpts communicate much of the emotion and power of the movie. There's one song that was, regrettably, not on the soundtrack but I recommend be added to the CD or your collection: Damien Rice, "Delicate" from the "O" album. The music communicates such a sense of loss and longing while maintaining just enough of a glimmer of hope that you end up feeling alright.

It's a wonderful soundtrack and definitely worth the purchase.

Dear Frankie- CD.......2007-01-09

I liked the music in the movie so much that I bought the CD and was not disappointed at all. It's wonderful and I listen to it constantly.

Average customer rating: Relive you movie experiences

The Ultimate Movie Music Collection Erich Kunzel Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Incredible Film Music Box Hollywood's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Paramount 90th Anniversary Collection: Scores Simply the Best Movie Themes Hollywood's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 ASIN: B000BFH26Y Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

1. The Imperial March: The Empire Strikes Back
2. Main Theme: Jurassic Park
3. Main Title: Shakespeare In Love
4. Themes: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
5. Main Title: The Last Of The Mohicans
6. Theme: The Godfather
7. Unchained Melody: Ghost
8. Theme: Goldfinger
9. We're Losing Him: Somewhere In Time
10. Space Camp
11. Opening And Closing Titles: Henry V
12. Theme: The Thorn Birds
13. Suite: Moonwalker
14. The Time Of Your Life: A Bugs Life

Tracks:

1. Batman Theme: Batman
2. Bicycle Chase: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
3. Suite: Independance Day
4. Love Theme: Romeo & Juliet
5. Theme: Back To The Future
6. End Credits: Contact
7. Theme: Breakfast At Tiffany's
8. Main Theme: Star Trek
9. May It Be And Themes: Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Ring
10. Love Theme: Cousins
11. Sean's Theme: Minority Report
12. I Will Wait From You: The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg
13. Theme: Rocky
14. The Sand Volcano: The Mummy
15. The Raider's March: Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Tracks:

1. Theme: Mission Impossible
2. Casablanca Suite
3. Book Of Days: Far And Away
4. Love Theme: Superman
5. Tara's Theme: Gone With The Wind
6. Don't Mess With: Z
7. Main Title: The Mask Of Zorro
8. Finale: Victor / Victoria
9. Carol Ann's Theme: Poltergeist
10. Love Theme: Star Wars: Episode ll: Attack Of The Clones
11. Main Theme: Willow
12. Main Title: Star Trek ll: The Wrath Of Kahn
13. MAin Theme: On Golden Pond
14. Theme: A Summer Place
15. Theme: Chariots Of Fire

Tracks:

1. Iceberg!
2. Back To Titanic
3. Main Themes: Hook
4. Theme: Pink Panther
5. Lara's: Doctor Zhivago
6. Theme: Love Story
7. Right Stuff
8. Theme: Jaws
9. When You Believe: The Prince Of Egypt
10. Smile: Modern Times
11. The Apollo 13 Mission
12. Re-Entry And Splashdown: Apollo 13
13. Main Title: Beetlejuice
14. War: Pearl Harbor
15. Cavatina: The Deer Hunter
16. Throne Room And End Title: Star Wars: Episode lV: A New Hope

Customer Reviews:

Relive you movie experiences.......2006-01-24

This collection of movie themes, will allow you to relive the chilling experiences from practically all (4 CDs)of the great movies. Great movies would not be great without great music. The Cincinnati Pop with Eric Kunzel are unbeatable recordings. Every minute is more beautiful and inspiring to the next. If you love Pops music, this is the begin all, end all.

Average customer rating:

High Society: Jazz Masterpieces from the Dixieland Era Manufacturer: Opening Day Ent ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Canadian Brass | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Brahms: Violin Concerto and Double Concerto [SA-CD - CD compatible] Einstein: His Life and Universe ASIN: B000Q364L0 Release Date: 2007-06-12

Average customer rating: The penultimate collection ... Muisic of the Spheres The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection SciFi Album gift Away From to be a Collectible Peace

The Science Fiction Album Various Artists Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Trek | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Science Fiction Album, Vol. 1 Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Final Frontiers Fantastic Journey Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4: Defenders Of Justice Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The Dark Side ASIN: B000066HE5 Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Aliens
3. Sound Effect - The Nostromo
4. Alien
5. A.I.
6. Armageddon
7. Sound Effect - Apollo 13 Lift-off
8. Apollo 13
9. Back To The Future
10. Battle Beyond The Stars
11. Battlestar Galactica
12. The Black Hole
13. Contact
14. Capricorn One
15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
16. The Day The Earth Stood Still
17. Dune

Tracks:

1. Galaxy Quest
2. Sound Effect - Dogfight in Space
3. Enemy Mine
4. Ghostbusters
5. Gremlins
6. Heavy Metal
7. Independence Day
8. E.T.
9. Judge Dredd
10. The Last Starfighter
11. Lifeforce
12. Sound Effect - Crash Landing
13. Lost In Space
14. Mars Attacks
15. The Matrix
16. Predator
17. The Right Stuff

Tracks:

1. Moonraker
2. Robocop
3. Silent Running
4. Sound Effect - Alien Organism
5. Species
6. Stargate
7. Starship Troopers
8. Starman
9. Star Trek - TV Theme
10. Star Trek: The Motion Picture End Title
11. Klingon Attack
12. Sound Effect - Warp Drive
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
14. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
15. Star Trek: Generations
16. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Tracks:

1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
2. Sound Effect - Transporter Crew
3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Theme
4. Star Trek First Contact
5. Star Wars
6. The Empire Strikes Back
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. Return of the Jedi
9. Sound Effect - Battle Stations
10. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - The Flag Parade
11. Anakin's Theme
12. The Adventures of Jar Jar
13. Duel of the Fates
14. The Time Machine
15. Things to Come
16. The Thing From Another World
17. War of the Worlds
18. When Worlds Collide
19. Total Recall
20. You Only Live Twice
21. Superman

Customer Reviews:

The penultimate collection ..........2006-12-07

Generally I agree with Strategos in his ecstatic Spotlight Review above. It is a joy to here some of the most memorable themes and cues from some of the most memorable science fiction and fantasy movies (re)recorded in great sound and in lavish (re)orchestrations, played by renowned classical orchestras, namely the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, no less.

I have always had a weak spot for (good, or maybe even intelligent) science fiction/fantasy and film music, especially its way of evoking mystery, grandure and wide open spaces. Call it a weakness if you want. But it was maybe really kick started off, for as far as I can remember, with Star Trek. But especially Star Trek II, III and IV - essentially a trilogy - because of their very romantic but very warm, human core, set on the broadest canvasses of unlimited and mysterious outer space. But then there was the music for adding that essential extra dimension of emotion and atmosphere. I am happy that much of the music on this album is from the Star Trek series and films, often equaling or sometimes even outclassing the original recordings.

This kind of music (for the movies) should be seen as an art on its own rights with its own merits and qualities. As such, the musical sequences on these CD's are a beautifully played cross section of some of the most evoking orchestral music for science fiction/fantasy film ever created. And I very much like the nicely blended, wide and deep orchestral soundpicture with enough reverberation to evoke a sense of wide open spaces.
I am quite thrilled by tracks like the evocative music from Dune, truly transporting one to the vastly sands of Arrakis (the music is wonderful, but to my great regret I think the movie itself is a flawed masterpiece at best, alas.). And then there is the very different, goofy music for Ghostbusters (memories of childhood), the spoofy but electrifying music from Mars Attacks (lovingly parodist music, this, with not a little touch of irony) and the happily adventurous, forward driving Theme from Galaxy Quest ('Never give up, never surrender!'), now also used for the internet-based fan-series Star Trek: The Hidden Frontier. On the other side of the spectrum we have the atmospheric music for Enemy Mine (an underestimated 'little' movie), the Theme from The Right Stuff (actually science FACT, not fiction, this film, just like Apollo 13, of course), the eerily attractive music for Species, the original End Title for Alien (not used in the theatrical version of the movie, where it was replaced by music from howard Hanson's Second Symphony), the exquisitely exotic music for Stargate, the sweet and warmly sympathetic, beautifully re-orchestrated, theme for Starman, the title cue for Star Trek: TOS (much more melodiously played than the original! If only a series nowadays could continue to be as thought provoking and as original as Star Trek was during its launch, fourty years ago ...) and a truly overpowering End Titles Suite from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I especially like the thrillingly grandiloquent rendition here of the music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And how nice it is to hear the (thematic) similarities between James Horner's music for The Wrath of Khan, his great break-through as a film music composer, and his (two years) earlier music for Battle Beyond the Stars (which did indeed help him earn the job for writing the music for Star Trek II) ...

But on the 'down side', if one is looking for - for example - the gorgeously expansively played End Titles from Cocoon, it is not included here: one has to acquire the album that 'kicked it all off', so to say, namely 'Space and Beyond', also on Silva Screen. I was very pleased also with the inclusion on that album of some of the music from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, namely where one of the characters, Tasha Yar, in one of the episodes (Skin of Evil) is saying goodbye to her crewmmates: sweetly sentimental and simple music which I have always wanted to own on CD. I guess that a few cues from the other two sequals ('Alien Invasion: Space and Beyond II' and 'Space3: Beyond the Final Frontier') didn't make it onto this 4 CD collection-album as well, but I guess that it would be the 'better part of the bargain' to opt to buy this 'The Science Fiction Album' instead of buying all three albums separately. Well, of course it is for yourself to ultimately decide what you really want ;-)

If I were to nitpick (which is not easy with such a marvellous project as this one), then I would say that while all music is performed with magnificent grandure and with style, some of it is not performed as crisply and as technically 'on the spot' as some of the original recordings: ensemble is a little slack and the playing somewhat stilted sometimes, losing some of the edge and the originality of the writing. ET and Star Wars spring to mind, but then the soundtracks for Star Wars are traditionally recorded with the magnificent London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro John Williams himself, and these superior recordings (especially the ones for Episode I, II and III) can't really be bettered, IMHO. Likewise for the music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, I believe that in the end one really has to resort to the ultimate reference, namely the original recording (which is true in many other instances of 'original recordings'), and then the 20th anniversay colector's edition of this soundtrack on Columbia/Legacy (truly unmissable, this veritable classic of sci-fi/film music soundtracks!).

But all in all this 4CD-collection amounts to probably being the penultimate high quality sci-fi music album collection (I certainly know of no other project that comes as close quality as well as quantity wise), with some of the most memorable musical moments from classic to modern sci-fi/fantasy film captured in lavish orchestrations.
Collection-wise: five *stars*. Playing: generally four *stars*, sometimes more. The recording quality: five *stars*. The music (qualified on its own merits as film music) and its (re)orchestrations: generally five *stars*. In the end this is all highly recommended, and certainly not to be missed by science fiction and fantasy film music fans. Klaatu barada nikto.

Muisic of the Spheres.......2006-11-06

You wonderful four disk collection of SF music. It startsa up the the grand master of SF music, 2001: A space Odyssey all the way to Superman. This is all American SF music and several themes I would have liked to have included are not there. All in all though, a collection you will enjoy.

The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection.......2005-10-23

If one person gives great gifts, it's the illustrious Codemaster Talon. I've received a fair number of gifts in my lifetime, but so far, my older sister's take the cake. Take this one for instance. I'm real big on orchestral music, to the point where I listen to them more than any other kind of music. I've got orchestral versions of video game themes, orchestral soundtracks to truck-loads of anime shows (Big O, Escaflowne, and Giant Robo are incredible), and could probably spend the rest of my life just trying to study the nuances of all the classical music I've got. Being such a huge fan of orchestral music, I also have come to believe that orchestra music produced for movies and television is the new classical music (or as someone once said, Mozart would be making music for movies if he were alive today). Being a huge sci-fi fan, that kind of music has always been particularly near and dear to my heart. But were I to buy each and every soundtrack for every sci-fi I liked it would cost quite a bundle, and would include a lot of sub-par music along with the grandiose and fantastic main and memorable themes. That's where this beauty comes in.

The moment I ripped off the shrink-wrap and popped it into my cd player was a moment of great trepidation. Believe me when I tell that I've seen my fair share of sub-par orchestral recording in my lifetime. Very often they are in those big super-packs of music, and suffer from poor direction, improper mastering, and sometime even pathetic orchestration (or worse yet have something sounding like a cheap synthesizer and a kazoo in place of a full orchestra). I needn't have worried though. This sucker is fantastic.

Many people who are not audiophiles will probably miss the point of this cd collection. It is not the original versions of the pieces. It is re-orchestrations, mostly by the phenomenal Prague Symphony Orchestra. Many of these themes didn't sound all that hot in there original versions because they were low budget films or were not recorded in high-fidelity. Here they are given the full treatment, mastered with the most loving care imaginable. Often the version found in these cds is SUPERIOR to the original.

Remember the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Of course you do. But how many times have you heard a cheap imitation of the original version from the movie, starting too low in volume and ending too high (and missing the essential pipe-organ that gives it that extra oomph)? Well, this first track in the entire collection is not only everything it should be instrumental and timing-wise, but it also has been oh-so-carefully adjusted during the mastering process so that at no time is the music either too low or too high in volume (surely a benchmark for every other recording ever to be made of the piece).

Or what about the theme from the (at-the-time) uber-creepy The Black Hole? The orchestration of this piece of music goes from tiumphant to terrifying and back again, with a splendor and cleanness that I CERTAINLY don't remember being in the original recording.

Then there's the new version of the theme from Independence Day, complete with a violin solo, a far more electrifying ending climax, and a chorus so thunderous that you feel like applauding at the end. Simply indescribable. Kind of like the MIND-BLOWING rendition of the theme from The Last Star Fighter. This has been one of my favorite themes for a long time now, but I've never heard it played like this. I think the original version of the theme is something like 1 minute long, but this new version doesn't just fade out (HAHAHAHA!!!!) THIS version is THREE minutes long, goes through the main theme THREE times, with the final strains being so triumphant and joyous I could not help but feel an electrifying charge the first dozen or so times (come to think of it, I still feel that way). This is superior to the original in EVERY way. AWESOME.

And let's not forget the incredible new rendition of Stargate with it's heavy use of clarinets (for Egyptian effect!) and a triumphant new ending (completely lacking the chanting from the original version. This version is so different that for the first minute it is very hard to tell that it is in fact Stargate. But then the main theme kicks in, and then you get this incredible flute solo for my favorite part of theme (the whole thing is played slower, but arguably more powerfully than the original). My goodness. At first I found the thing so different I didn't like it. But then I listened to it again. And again. And again.

I could go on and on, talking about the fantastic new rendition of Moon Raker, the ear-popping Battlestar Galactica, the classic Star Trek (First Contact has a minute or two of the theme from Star Trek:The Motion Picture before going into the main theme), or the sweet renditions of music from the Star Wars movies (or the music from E.T.).

I have to mention though that this collection was not picked based merely on what people want, or on what is popular. No, the people who made it obviously thought a GOOD music collection was better than a popular one. That's why you get a heartbreakingly beautiful theme from A.I. instead of the main theme. It's why you get music from movies that you probably never gave a second thought to the music (because the movie was lousy). It's why you get Armageddon, Judge Dredd, and Robocop (who would have guessed their music was so COOL when there was all that crazy action and bad-acting going on on-screen).

I said it before and I'll say it again. This cd-set was mastered with tender-loving-care, and it shows BIG-TIME. High-fidelity the likes of which I have not seen since the days when cds were brand-new in the world. Dolby Surround. Perfectly balanced. BEAUTIUFL orchestrations. About the only thing that makes me scratch my head is the weird sound-effect tracks (Oooookay.....). Other than that, it's PERFECT. Obviously they could not include every sci-fi theme ever (no one can), but this collection is REALLY GOOD. A lot of great themes that got away (forgotten gems :), new versions of old favorites, and under-appreciated classics aplenty, but ALWAYS the full and complete versions with nothing cut-out (the theme from Dune is quite extended).

If you love movie music (and sci-fi movie music in particular) you MUST buy this awesome collection). It is not the original recordings. Almost always the new ones are better (if they aren't better they're just equal). This is what you have been waiting for. I for one am going to be buying quite a few cds from this company in the future. Give your ears the treat they deserve. Buy it NOW.

SciFi Album gift.......2005-07-20

I bought the Science Fiction Album as a gift for my son who is twenty-one years old. He is a musician, and also a huge fan of many SciFi shows and movies. I thought this would be the perfect thing for him and I was right. He loves it!

Away From to be a Collectible Peace.......2004-12-16

If you like Sci-Fi movies and want a compilation of their important scores, this is the CD-set to buy. But let me warn you about that very few songs in the cds are from the original soundtracks. Most of them is re-recorded by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. But the sound quality of cds are very good, because they have HDCD and Dolby Surround labels. This set is away from to be a collectible peace, but it is a good general compilation of favorite Sci-Fi movie scores.

Average customer rating: The Most Beautiful Recorded Tenor Voice? Very, very truncated. incomplete pleasure Finally available on CD!

Babes in Toyland / The Red Mill Victor Herbert , Kenny Baker , and Eileen Farrell Manufacturer: Decca Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Desert Song / The New Moon Roberta & Vagabond King The Student Prince (1952 Studio Cast) The Merry Widow/The Student Prince Victor Herbert: Babes in Toyland; The Red Mill ASIN: B00006AWG2 Release Date: 2002-07-30

Tracks:

1. Opening - From Babes in Toyland (Herbert & MacDonough) with Kenny Baker and Karen Kemple
2. Toyland
3. Floretta
4. Never Mind Bo-Peep, We Will Find Your Sheep
5. March of the Toys
6. I Can't Do the Sum
7. Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep
8. Song of the Poet
9. The Military Ball
10. Hail to Christmas
11. Finale: He Won't Be Happy Till He Gets It and March of the Toys
12. When You're Pretty and the World Is Fair - From The Red Mill (Blossom & Herbert) with Wilbur Evans, Eileen Farrell, and Felix Knight
13. Moonbeams
14. In the Isle of Our Dreams
15. Because You're You
16. Every Day is Ladies' Day With me
17. The Streets of New York

Customer Reviews:

The Most Beautiful Recorded Tenor Voice?.......2005-06-22

Is any recorded, tenor, singing voice as lovely as Kenny Baker's? As a child, I often heard him during the 1930s on the Jack Benny show, but have scarcely thought of him since. Amazon.com offers him on four CDs: BABES IN TOYLAND, LOVE WALKED IN, THE STARLIT HOUR and WEILL FROM BERLIN TO BROADWAY. Over the years, I have heard the recorded voices of many tenors, mostly operatic. Their fine voices were excellently trained, often to a wider range and more difficult music. But note for note, their sound as recorded is not I think as sheerly beautiful as Kenny Baker's. A splendid, unspoiled, unstrained, natural gift, put to disciplined and tasteful use! His enunciation is remarkably clear, and his musical line, perfectly smooth. He makes each song a different story, as in the six pieces here from BABES IN TOYLAND.

My claim is easy to test. This website has CDs with excerpts for listening to the best tenors of the 20th century, including Enrico Caruso, John McCormack, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber, Richard Crooks, Jussi Bjoerling, Morton Downey, Mario Lanza, Giuseppe di Stefano, Nicolai Gedda, Jan Peerce, Leopold Simoneau, Fritz Wunderlich, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Of course, the earlier the career, the greater the damage to the recorded voice from primitive technology. Heard live, who knows which voice was most beautiful? But at least we have what earlier centuries could only imagine: lasting copies of live performances. Listen to Kenny Baker's voice on tracks 2 and 8 of BABES IN TOYLAND, and then compare.

The numbers from THE RED MILL will make you want to hear more. This operetta, also composed by Victor Herbert, was first produced in 1906, three years after BABES IN TOYLAND. "Moonbeams" (well sung by Eileen Farrell) is lovely; "Because You're You" (a duet between Farrell and Felix Knight) is quite simple but surprisingly affecting. The last two are the best: "Every Day Is Ladies' Day with Me," and "In Old New York." They are patter songs, perhaps inspired by, and surely as deft, as the ones that Gilbert and Sullivan were writing two decades earlier. Both are sung by Wilbur Evans, in a rich baritone, with perfect enunciation and marvelous comic flair. Great fun!

The selections on this CD were recorded in 1944 and 1945, then released in 1946 on both 78s and 10" LPs. For this CD, they were remastered from wartime lacquered-glass originals. Baker and Evans emerge in radiant form, surely much closer to live sound than reached our family radio via AM transmission 65 years ago. The orchestral and choral sound is less attractive. Poorly miked?

Very, very truncated........2002-12-09

The scores of Victor Herbert's "Babes in Toyland" and "The Red Mill" are lovely classics, but the incomplete scores represented by this Decca Broadway remastering of its antiquated 78s are not the best reprentation. My advice: wait for the John McGlinn "Babes in Toyland" to be released. As for "The Red Mill", you'd do better to pick up the Ohio Light Opera's double-CD from Albany Records.

incomplete pleasure.......2002-11-09

Two terrible mistakes keep this from 5 stars.. BABES IN TOYLAND is not complete as they are missing the delightful IN THE TOYMAKER'S WORKSHOP. Why? In THE RED MILL they use a butchered take of EVERY DAY IS LADIES DAY WITH ME. Again, why?
John McGlinn will be out with a complete BABES soon - and there is a lot of music in it - so you may want to wait.

Finally available on CD!.......2002-08-01

Decca's 1946 album of selections from Victor Herbert's celebrated musical was a welcome addition to record libraries, covering most of the major songs plus some of the delightful dance music. The album was reissued as a ten-inch Lp in 1949. A later reissue in 1957 dropped 4 songs to fit the score on one side of a twelve-inch Lp backed by six selections from Herbert's THE RED MILL. That pairing is reproduced here but the CD contains the complete BABES IN TOYLAND program! It's nice to have it back too! Nice of Decca to give us this early Christmas present this year. But BABES IN TOYLAND is a score that enchants all year round. How strange that no other complete recording exists.

The six selections form THE RED MILL offer a nice bonus, and the selections are well sung.

Average customer rating: Doris Day - Perfect Casting! Pajama Game Movie Soundtrack Energy To Burn Doris Day leads cast in lively film verson of Broadway hit I'm only 16 and I love the movie and soundtrack..

Pajama Game Manufacturer: Collectables ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Pajama Game The Pajama Game (1954 Original Broadway Cast) Carousel (1956 Film Soundtrack) The Music Man (1962 Film Soundtrack) Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack) ASIN: B00005LN0M Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

1. The Pajama Game (Opening)/Racing With The Clock - Eddie Foy, Jr./Ensemble
2. I'm Not At All In Love - Doris Day/Girls
3. I'll Never Be Jealous Again - Eddie Foy, Jr./Reta Shaw
4. Hey There - John Raitt
5. Once-A-Year Day - Doris Day/John Raitt/Ensemble
6. Small Talk - Doris Day/John Raitt
7. There Once Was A Man - Doris Day/John Raitt
8. Steam Heat - Carol Haney/Kenneth LeRoy/Buzz Miller
9. Hernando's Hideaway - Carol Haney/Ensemble
10. 7 And A Half Cents - Doris Day/Jack Straw/Ensemble
11. Finale - The Pajama Game ST
12. The Man Who Invented Love - Doris Day

Album Description

Doris Day takes the Tony award-winning Broadway smash The Pajama Game and transforms it into one of her most memorable screen hits. This original Columbia recording captures the spirit and playfulness of the stage version with John Raitt, Eddie Foy Jr., and Carol Haney recreating their Broadway roles. Steam Heat, Hey There and Hernando's Hideaway are but a few of the show-stopping songs featured on this historic soundtrack. 11 tracks are included on this lovingly remastered edition with a bonus track, Man Who Invented Love by Doris Day with Frank DeVol and His Orchestra. 2001 reissue.

Customer Reviews:

Doris Day - Perfect Casting!.......2007-05-09

For once they got it right. Doris Day being cast as Babe Williams was the smartest thing Warner Brothers ever did. Of course, the original idea was to have Frank Sinatra to take over the male lead in the movie version. Sinatra couldn't accept, but if he had, Janis Paige would have played Babe. With no Sinatra as a boxoffice draw, Jack Warner needed a star. Doris Day was promised sole star billing above the title if she accepted the picture. Janis was out and John Raitt (top-billed on Broadway) was in, but would be billed below the title in the movie version.

Usually, Hollywood gets it wrong. They denied Ethel Merman for "Gypsy" and hired Rosalind Russell, who could not sing; they bypassed Julie Andrews for "My Fair Lady" and hired movie star, Audrey Hepburn, who also couldn't sing and Carol Lawrence was told "you're out and Natalie Wood is in" when "West Side Story" came to the screen. Natalie couldn't sing either. Marnie Nixon's voice was used for both Wood and Hepburn and Lisa Kirk's voice subbed for Russell.

With Doris Day, they got everything: a top movie star, an expert singer , a trained dancer and skilled actress. Plus, she was beautiful and took full command of the role of Babe. I just wish they had kept "The Man Who Invented Love" in the picture. I've never seen a Day musical in which she didn't have a couple of ballads of her own. In this film, they attempted to right that wrong with "Invented Love" but dropped it so that Doris could reprise "Hey There" for historical purposes. They wanted Day on film singing that legendary song.

Overall, a wonderful transition from stage to screen.

Pajama Game Movie Soundtrack.......2007-03-16

Love love love this CD. I am so glad the movie version of Pajama Game with Doris Day came out. I have been a fan of this movie since we did the musical when I was in high school in 1980. The movie soundtrack is so much better than the Broadway Recording. Janis Paige just doesn't sing as well as Doris Day. I highly recommend this CD if you are a fan of musicals and Doris Day.

Energy To Burn.......2006-07-31

I know that the revival of "The Pajama Game" is a hit-of-the-moment on Broadway, but I still recommend that fans of the revival check out the soundtrack to the 1957 film version of the show. Warner Brothers treated the property in a more respectful manner than was the norm and even imported most of the New York to Hollywood to recreate their roles "in perpetuity." The new addition was box office magnet Doris Day who had already proven in "Calamity Jane" that she could bring rambunctuous charm to the musical. Hearing Day and John Raitt putting "There Once Was A Man" through its paces can still send a shiver down my aging spine.

Doris Day leads cast in lively film verson of Broadway hit.......2004-02-08

Your choice between the original Broadway cast and the movie soundtrack depends largely on your preference for either Janis Paige on the former and Doris Day on the latter.

Day sings it better, however the Broadway cast album has better sound as well as an overture and three songs, "A New Town is a Blue Town", "Her Is" and "Think of the Time I save" were dropped from the movie.

The soundtrack album, however, includes extended dance music from "I'll Never Be Jealous again" and "Once-a-year-day" and despite the boxy Warner Bros soundtage sound, the music is given a lively performance.

I'm only 16 and I love the movie and soundtrack.........2003-12-08

This is an exellent soundtrack baby. Doris Day has the purrfect vocie, full righ and clear. I'm only 16 and realize taht Doris posseses the finest vocie of any female on the planet. If you like the mvoe or Doris' singing you will LOVE this cd.

Average customer rating: Lousy - don't buy it! Lackluster Great music; forgettable setting Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach Some good tracks

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bach, P.D.Q. | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities Ill-Conceived PDQ Bach Anthology ASIN: B000003D0T Release Date: 1995-08-29

Tracks:

1. Opening And Introduction
2. I. C Major
3. II. C Minor
4. III. C-Sharp Major
5. IV. D Major
6. V. D Minor
7. VI. E-Flat Major
8. VII. F Major
9. VIII. G Minor
10. IX. G Major
11. X. A Major
12. XI. A minor
13. XII. B-Flat Major
14. Introduction
15. I. Toccata Et Fuga Obnoxia
16. II. Chorale Prelude (Ave Maria Et Agnus Dei)
17. III. Fantasia Sopra
18. IV. Lullaby And Goodnight
19. Introduction
20. I. Spiel Vorspiel
21. II. Entrada Grande
22. III. Smokski The Russian Bear
23. IV. Toccata Ecdysiastica
24. Calliope Frustration
25. Introduction
26. I. Chorale 'Orally'
27. II. Chorale Prelude On An American Hymn For The Last Sunday Before The Fourth Day Of The Seventh Month After New Year's Eve
28. III. Chorale Variations On 'In Der Nacht So Hell, Der Petrus Ist Mein Freund'
29. Epilogue

Customer Reviews:

Lousy - don't buy it!.......2007-05-04

My boyfriend listened to the whole disc, and hated every bit of it.
I heard a couple tracks, and wanted to turn it off after two songs.
Not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as his ILL-CONCEIVED album,
which is the first PDQ we've listened to.

Hello, hello hello howdy do,
my name is Zinging-able-nessedly,
but my frrrrrieeeeeeeeennnndddsss, just call me Zing!

Lackluster.......2003-03-07

I agree with most of the other individuals who have written comments. The first piece, "The Short Tempered Clavier" is, by far, the best piece on the CD. The other works seem oddly derivative of it. There isn't the usual variety in the pieces which Schickele includes (one or two instrumental, one or two vocal). My personal suspicion is that since, years ago, Schickele announced his intention to stop his P.D.Q. Bach work in order to focus on serious compositions, this CD may have been part of a contractual obligation, or, perhaps, just an effort to get the last of the P.D.Q. Bach pieces recorded.

While the "Short Temepered Clavier" is a good piece, its probably not worth the price of the CD. If you were looking for a good P.D.Q. Bach album, I'd buy "Oedipus Tex" or "1712 Overture" or even the lesser-known (but really funny) "Lieberslieder Polkas and Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs".

Great music; forgettable setting.......2003-02-14

I'll get the bad news out of the way first. The "setting" for this performance is allegedly a Senate committee hearing room, where they are debating some ridiculous amendment to the Constitution. All of the sections of the CD where the Professor is just talking to the Senators are rather dull -- I guess Schickele was trying to get in his verbal jokes, like he does in his (hilarious) live performances, but it just falls flat here.

On to the good stuff. The Short-Tempered Clavier is some of PDQ's most inventive writing yet. Of all the solo piano PDQ music that Schickele has put out, this is some of the most cerebral ... There are quotes from other works that you don't hear until you've listened 3 or 4 times -- they're deeply imbedded. The fugue subjects are all quite ridiculous -- Beethoven's 5th, "The Worms Crawl In...", etc. (except for the last), and they are given the full PDQ treatment. The last one (in B-flat) is notable in that the fugue subject is B-A-C-H (see J.S. Bach's "Art of the Fugue", Liszt's treatment, etc.), which PDQ also manages to *invert* (something that old J.S. did once in a while, to show off his stuff). But as soon as you think the fugue might be getting serious, there is an outburst of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Then back to the fugueing. Marvelous stuff.

PDQ does the same thing in the Toccata -- it starts out with the theme of Dad's warhorse Toccata & Fugue in D minor -- only the subject is inverted (it goes up instead of down). This is an example of the oft-mentioned principle that the more you know about music theory and history, the funnier PDQ's stuff is.

Not PDQ's best work, but some of it is close. Not Schickele's best CD, but not bad, either.

Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach.......2002-04-18

Others have written here of the slight difference between Peter Schickele's "early" and "late" PDQ Bach performances, hence it is slightly surperfluous to say that the more recent Telarc recordings (of which this is one) lack the sparkle and 'zany' character of the earlier ones from the 1970s.

They are certainly still as clever: "The Short-Tempered Clavier" is of course a spoof of J. S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Keyboard", laced with quotations from other areas of the pianists repertoire as well as having the odd snatch of a very familiar tune here and there.

The whole disc is set out as the document of a lecture given by Peter Schickele to a group of skeptical, 'unmusical' US senators, with the PDQ Bach keyboard works woven in as musical examples. Hence, as well as the title work (played on piano), the programme also features appearances by a theatre organ (on which is played the "Pochelbuchlein" - "The Little Pickle Book"), a calliope (used for the "Sonata da Circo" - "Circus Sonata" - the rendition of which is cut short by the explosion of the instrument!) and the organ of the King Congregational Church (get it?!) which is little more than two synthesisers stacked on top of each other.
Each piece is fun, although the impact of the musical jokes will vary depending upon how musically-minded the listener is. In other words, musicologists, pianists and organists are likely to get the most laughs out of the programme. The liner notes add an extra dimension to the fun by containing, as well as a "scholarly essay" on the history, discovery and publication of the music, various quips about those involved in the production of the recording, with in-jokes including a 'specification' of the King Congregational Church organ...

Take it or leave it ... as a Christmas or birthday gift for a musical friend or family-member, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

Some good tracks.......2002-03-01

I enjoyed the Short-Tempered Clavier pieces tremendously. Played masterfully by Christopher O'Reilley, they are witty and delightful. A new suprise is always around the corner, and upon my first listen I found myself grinning and sometimes laughing out loud.

Then comes the rest of the album.

In the succeeding pieces, Schickele uses the same jokes, the same tunes, and crummy synthesized instruments that become so annoying that I just want to turn the thing off.

Do yourself a favor and leave after the first act.

Track Listings:

1. Palestrina/ de Macque: Works for Organ
2. Pathways of Baroque Music - Sacred Vocal Music [Box set]
3. Piano Concertos in C & E Flat