Classical Music

Very cool for summer!! I have to say that I was so surprised by this guy! I love his electric and exciting style of playing. I love also his song choices. I love the contemporary spin and rocky edge to his playing. My seven year old will listen to this...not so much to classical violin playing. I am not sure I will be ordering his other music, but this will be in my summer spinning for sure!!!

David Garrett's newest release (June 2009) was playing in the background of a book/music store and I was compelled to purchase the CD.

It is so captivating, I find myself listening to it over & over again! I will be purchasing more of the artist's music....stupendously talented and a great listen even if 'classical' isn't your first choice in music.

This CD is wonderful! I first found out about this artist after watching him being interviewed on tv. I fell in love with the way that he plays the Violin; how passionate he is and decided I would look to see if it was sold online. The price at which Amazon sells it is sooo much cheaper than what it was being advertised on tv and on many other websites! The delivery was very quick and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

I heard about David Garrett on NPR recently and thought I would give it a listen. I love the way this CD has a great mix of some older fantastic classical pieces mixed in with modern day songs. The arrangements are wonderful and exciting and his violin skills are amazing!

It was the TV commercial that got me interested. And then I listened to the snippets available on Amazon. So I bought the whole album. I have listened several times to it and will now be buying more of this exciting artist's albums. Hard to believe I'd ever be a fan of the violin.

To some degree, I'll probably always be an Il Divo fan, but The Promise is likely the last album of theirs I'll buy.

As I read through the reviews I note that those most enthusiastic about the album seem to be relatively new to Il Divo. And, don't get me wrong, the voices are as glorious as ever in The Promise. Somehow, though, it just sounds like more of the same; like a form letter. To be fair, I should probably say it sounds like a limited quantity of form letters. It's not like there's no variation, just not much.

Unlike some others here, the lack of English language songs doesn't bother me much. I'm usually more interested in the music. On the other hand, a huge, well-funded percentage of the world's population speaks English. It's almost like Il Divo has slapped that market in the face. Why? I'm certainly not suggesting the whole album should be sung in English--not even half. But one song? Come on!

Frankly, I bought The Promise because I had always wondered what Il Divo could do with an ABBA song. I have to say that "The Winner Takes it All" is beautiful. It's not supposed to be beautiful. It's a woman (Okay, we can change it to a man) having her heart ripped out of her. And for goodness sake, where's Benny Andersson's grand piano, driving the song like a bullwhip, not letting the hearer up for an emotional breath until he's released, gasping, as the music finally dies away? I could forgive the rest; but, really, what did Il Divo hope to accomplish by leaving out the very foundation of the piece? Their version is a beautifully embroidered, silken, wet, limp dishrag.

All right. Enough. I'm disappointed.

This was a gift for my sister, she loves it, she tells me it is one of the best groups she has ever heard.

I love this cd and I love Il Divo. Their voices are so fantastic on this cd and I say well worth the money. It could be a little longer but I could just be saying that because I'd want to listen to more and more of their voices. I don't understand what they are saying most of the time but love it anyway.

The young men have an interesting approach to bringing opera-level singing to the popular level. The group has individuals whose voices are collectively and individually quite good. I bought the album for one song: "Amazing Grace." The case in which the DVD is housed is of poor quality.

Virtually every song on this album follows a variation of the same boring musical arrangement: a few softly-sung choruses, then a musical bridge leading to a blaring chorus with the same virtually-screaming singer, and a return to a final soft chorus.

If it weren't for the song "Amazing Grace", which is the only song in which this arrangement seems to work well, I would have trashed this CD.

This is an amazing collection of songs, including opera, spiritual, and patriotic. I watched Neal on "America's Got Talent" and was simply amazed by his beautiful voice. His talent is incredible. I remember when he sang "Mama" on "America's Got Talent" and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. His mother of course raised him alone and this was such a great tribute to her.

I love every song on this CD. It is a real treasure! Not only is this a great CD to own it would make a wonderful gift for friends and family.

When an opera singer wins a national pop-culture competition such as America's Got Talent, he has to be good. At the University of Missouri, we experienced Neal's growth in classical music under the guidance of his mentor-professor, but this expansion into other music genres is magical. The American Dream is broadly appealing. Listen to it by candlelight and with champagne!

What an amazing debut CD! I loved Neal on "America's Got Talent" and he sounds even better here. His song choices are varied and sentimental and he infuses so much emotion in his singing. If you don't tear up at least once while listening to this you have a heart of stone. "Nessun Dorma" and "Ave Maria" are so beautiful!

We had the pleasure of meeting Neal Boyd at one of our local resturants down here where we live. He told us of his newly release cd, that was not available at this time. It came out 18 days after our meeting. When got home that evening after getting his autograph for the Misses, we looked online and preordered his cd. We thoughly enjoy the cd, and meeting him in person, was a great bonus.

Keep up the good work Neal.

Neal's first cd is, hopefully, the first of many. This one finds him in excellent voice. It is a very eclectic collection, from 'God Bless the USA' to 'Nessun Dorma'. It is quintessential Neal, down to the inclusion of the very moving 'Mama'. Personal disclaimer: I was fortunate to play a role in taking Neal to Carnegie Hall as part of our 'Mizzou on Tour' program. I have heard him sing for years and was especially proud of his performance in 'Corps of Discovery', the Lewis and Clark opera which the university commissioned. I was not surprised to see him win 'America's Got Talent' because I've long known that Neal has mega-talent. His voice just seems to get better and better and the young man known to his television audience is the real Neal. He is just this nice, just this talented, just this sensitive and optimistic. All of us wish him well. If you're interested in a collection of superb, but very eclectic pieces, all perfect for Neal's voice, buy this album.

A chance glance at Stile Antico's CD Music for Compline while browsing evoked a second look and subsequent purchase. It was immediately obvious upon listening that this group was special and this CD makes a superb trio.

Each of the ensembles performing this type of music has its own appeal to me. It seems to me I am better able to separate out the individual voices of this group. I don't know if this is due to the way it was recorded or of the ensemble itself, but I have no complaint.

The music is ravishingly beautiful. Do yourself a favor and purchase it.

I'm embarrassed to say that I wasn't familiar with Stile Antico until a recent Harmonia Early Music podcast where Music for Compline, their other album, was recommended. By the end of the next hour, I had downloaded all three of their albums from emusic. If you are a fan of either early music, or chamber choirs, Stile Antico is another group that must be part of your regular rotation, taking a rightful spot next to the Sixteen, Tallis Scholars, etc.

The group works without a conductor, which means that they need to listen to each other much more carefully, and time themselves with each other rather than relying on direction from a leader. It makes the whole choir function much more as an organic living being rather than a series of parts going together.

I particularly like this album as there's a lot of under-recorded music on it - not the same old standby pieces that make up so many early choral albums.

I have to say as a longtime Yanni music lover, watching this latest concert of his was almost a shock. This is his first "vocalist-centered concert," in which singers, not his musicians, took the forefront. I know one gets both a CD and a DVD with this purchase, but I am reviewing the DVD.

I rated his three previous concerts all five-stars, and I'd rate them "10," if I could. They've been watched manytimes by me. I'm used to hearing nothing but his fabulous instrumentals with a full orchestra with some of the most talented musicians on earth! So......hearing and watching four vocalists, with nothing much new added instrumentally, was somewhat of a bummer. Despite the talent, I don't think this works. Layering voices over his great instrumental classics is like pouring water into an expensive drink - it dilutes the product.

Yanni says these "kids" have rejuvenated him, given him a new life.....but I hope he doesn't abandon his writing and his great orchestral numbers. That would be a huge loss to the music world.

Having said all of the above, the four artists he features here are, naturally, very talented and the show is wonderfully-filmed, as always. There are two males - Nathan Pacheco and Ender Thomas - and two females - Choloe Lowery and Leslie Mills. In a nutshell, Pacheo is a Andrea Bocelli-type with a superb voice and subdued manner while Thomas is a Michael Bolton lookalike and a singer who moves a lot. He gets the girls in the audience going. He frequently pairs up with Chole, who also is a combination singer-dancer. Chole is the real dancer of the foursome, with the legs to prove it. She's the most dynamic of the four singers. Mills is more laid-back like Pacheco.

All four singers are great singers and great-looking, something Yanni seems to like! Speaking of looks, it's a shock to see Yanni with short hair and no mustache! Yes, Yanni now looks the average guy on the street. Who would believe it?! No, he's not clean cut; he looks like he hasn't shaved in five days.....but it's a radical change from his traditional look over the years. Then again, so is this concert.

I saw Yanni last night, what a disappointment. Layering vocals over his previously fine intrumental work (before he lost half his bad, that is) just doesn't work. The female singers were mediocre but oozed plenty of sex appeal, I guess that's what Yanni is looking for nowadays. I won't waste my time seeing him again.

I absolutely love this album...every song is perfect! The vocals by these performers I had never heard of before are absolutely amazing! Every one of the four singers sang beautifully in their own way and it just made Yanni's already wonderful songs that much better. Just a fabulous piece of work! I would recommend this to anyone. Thank you Yanni!

I heard this cd in a dental office I work in and I was drawn to the beautiful voices and sounds. This cd is worth purchasing you are a person who is serious about how instruments and voices blend together to reach the heart.

More collective talent on this CD than any other. Some of Yanni's best compositions made even better by these incredible songwriter/singers. Have to see this live.

Superb musicianship, and a musical journey from Elizabethan England to 20-century America. The "Joan Baez Suite" was inspired by songs that had been made famous by Joan Baez, who was one of Isbin's musical heroes. When Baez heard the suite she offered to sing two tracks on the album, accompanied by Isbin's playing. There is also a wonderful collaboration with Mark O'Connor.

National Public Radio broadcast an interview with Isbin a couple of days ago, which can be found on their website. This interview stimulated me to buy the album.

I heard an interview and music on WBAI and had to have some of her music.
Bought this and her latest with Joan Baez and I absolutely Love her! Great musicians behind her also.

I got to know Sharon Isbin from my guitar teacher and bought this album just recently. Although I knew her as a Grammy Award winner, I was still very thrilled by the excellent techniques she displayed in this CD. Joan Baez joined her with two beautiful songs and made the CD even more attractive. It's well worth the money!

This is a review by John Hodges from the Juilliard Journal Online.

Joan Baez was one of guitarist Sharon Isbin's childhood heroes, so perhaps it was inevitable that they would eventually collaborate, and the joyous results are at the heart of a new Sony CD, Journey to the New World. Baez adds haunting vocals on "Wayfaring Stranger," which, thanks to arranger Carlos Barbosa-Lima, deftly steers away from treacle. She returns later in breathy, beautiful form for Isbin's transcription of John Jacob Niles's "Go 'Way From My Window." Both make fine bookends to the Joan Baez Suite (2002) by John Duarte, who died in 2004. It's a shame he didn't live to hear this recording. Using roughly 12 of Baez's songs, Duarte crafted a moody yet mellow tribute that shows off Isbin's expertise. A high point comes in the bittersweet "Where Have All the Flowers Gone": some arresting chord changes herald the traditional "Taps."

Isbin, who founded and chairs Juilliard's guitar department, begins the CD with four Renaissance duets, originally for lute and arranged for her playing both parts. Most impressive is the melodic invention of John Johnson's "Greensleeves," and I was struck by the haunting, anonymously attributed begins the CD with four Renaissance duets, originally for lute and arranged for her playing both parts. Most impressive is the melodic invention of John Johnson's "Greensleeves," and I was struck by the haunting, anonymously attributed "Le Rossignol." The generous disc also includes Andrew York's brief Andecy, a popular valentine to folk music of the British Isles.

The program ends with Mark O'Connor's Strings & Threads Suite, originally for violin solo, but here arranged for guitar and violin (the latter raptly played by O'Connor). Sections such as "Road to Appalachia" and "Texas Dance Hall Blues" are typical of its homey, exuberant channeling of folk tunes from Ireland and the United States. Throughout the program, Isbin's warmth, vitality, and casual virtuosity infuse each track. Those who know Isbin only from her Bach, Rodrigo, or Villa-Lobos may be surprised by her naturalness in this repertoire. The recording engineers, Tim Martyn and Dann Michael Thompson, capture every pluck in vivid detail.

Have no doubt, this CD confirms that Sharon Isbin is a most generous, brilliant artist with a gift to touch the soul. Her latest (2009) CD brings an entirely new dimension of lyrical virtuosity to light. From the remarkable tonal color palette expressed masterfully in the opening 16th century flavored works, to the haunting "Andecy" which evokes a sensuality and beauty beyond words... Like a mysterious stranger who beckons... A brand new recording of "Wayfaring Stranger" begins with Isbin's intro, a cascade of notes sounding like a auditory magical spring rain, leading to Joan Baez's unearthly vocals. This poetic collaboration is absolutely heavenly. The Baez Suite that follows is enthralling. The concluding Mark O'Connor Strings and Threads Suite shows how truly alive and modern the classical guitar can be when its voice sings under Isbin's fingers. This is a CD that is a must in your collection and active on your MP3 player/iPod! There is very smooth sailing and something special at every stop along the way on this "Journey to the New World". Her best work to date...

the voice is nice, but the delivery was so flat and monotonous I couldn't wait for the songs to end. skip this one

Respectable journeyman effort but not the quality of 1st cd was disappointed,had hope of him moving on up but fear the chorus is more appropriate where energy not as important as ability to stay in background.

Excellent. Easy in the background. Paul's wonderful, smooth voice doesn't disappoint. I play it all the time.

A keepsake album. I couldn't ask for a better selection of music. Paul Potts voice overflows with his Passione for singing opera.

This album is as good or better than his first one; absolutely fantastic! I never enjoyed opera singing till Paul Potts come along. This man has the unigue ability to sing straight to your heart in a comforting and soothing manner unrivaled by any modern singer I am aware of. He has SOUL!

I have almost worn out the CD, if that's possible....I've played it over and over and over....it's absolutely magnificent. I couldn't want for anything more beautiful. He is simply incredible, and this particular CD is outstanding, especial SIGNO and TIME TO SAY GOODBYE. They are my two favorites on the CD...the latter being a duet with Sarah Brightman, who is also awesome.

Was advertised as like new or very good. Four songs in a row stuck - skipped. CD condition was misrepresented. I put on star only as a means to have message sent otherwise no stars.

I have several of Andrea Bocelli's CD's, and even though I don't understand the language, I am transported to another world listening to him sing. I find his music to be so very relaxing, and love to take the CD's with me on my long drives across the country. They keep me from getting tense while driving. At home, they are total relaxation.

Beautiful CD. Listened to it and I love it. Thank you very much.

It's romantic we highly recommend it. we listen to it for relaxing his voice is like an angel. absolute perfection