Chamber Music music reviews

Yes, this album is very well thought of... judging by all the rave reviews and 5 star ratings. This might be because it is surprisingly accessible to the casual Frank Zappa fan. Let's face it, with the exception of "Willie The Pimp" it is pretty much an instrumental work. And because of this, it lacks Zappa's customary social/political scathing commentary. This album does hint at Frank Zappa's potential as an incredibly creative Rock guitarist; which, in fact, in just a few years later he had actually become.

If you're a die-hard fan of Rock guitar, and you were looking for that fabled scorching stuff, you might be disappointed here because this recording does not represent Zappa at that point. The mind-blowing playing started around the 1972 releases. I'm talking the kinda stuff that can make you hate yourself as a player! I highly recommend checking out "Overnight Sensation" for a good taste of that genius inspired playing.
IMHO Frank Zappa is the best Rock guitarist ever, but not the greatest (which takes other factors into account).
If you're only interested in Zappa's trademark offbeat "controversial" lyrics... you have come to the wrong Zappa album.

Here are my ratings:

1. Peaches En Regalia.... 4 stars - This tune has a pretty and laid-back melody and it's also relatively brief in length which adds to its value as easy listening. Zappa at his most accessible.

2.Willie The Pimp.... 3 stars - Contains Zappa's best solo on this album. The solo is not revolutionary for 1969. Hendrix and Clapton have already recorded much better stuff by this time. But the solo is not bad at all, just not representative of Zappa at his best. Captain Beefheart provides some zany vocals.

3.Son of Mr. Green Genes.... 2 stars - This sounds like the theme for a 70s sitcom; if you cut it down a little it could have worked as the theme to the "Laverne and Shirley Show". Ha ha ha. The guitar work is only OK, nothing special.

4.Little Umbrellas.... 1 star - Huh? this is filler

5.The Gumbo Variations... 5 stars - This piece is somewhat extended, it lasts 17 minutes. But it is the jewel of "Hot Rats" because of the Sugarcane Harris' violin solo, which is nothing short than musically sublime; with an incredible tone to go with it! Sugarcane's solo is the highpoint of the album. Frank Zappa puts in a nice solo for about 3 minutes after the violin wraps up, but it pales in comparison to Sugarcane's stuff (Flash forward 4 years and Zappa would have been able to answer the violin properly with NO PROBLEM)

6.It Must Be A Camel... 1 star - some more filler

One of the best jazz-rock album and of course the best one of Frank Zappa. After 30 years i enjoy the same when i listen it... that's classic!! Bye it,bye it, bye it!!!!!!

In 1969, Frank Zappa decided to put a temporary end to the Mothers of Invention, but of course new versions of the Mothers would surface until 1976, when he decided to put an end (for good) to the Mothers of Invention name.

Hot Rats, released in October, 1969 was the first Zappa solo effort after the breakup of the Mothers. Some of the Mothers of Invention went on to groups like Little Feat (Lowell George, Roy Estrada) and Geronimo Black (Bunk Gardner, Jimmy Carl Black), while some others went on to periodically appear on some of Zappa's solo efforts and even later versions of the Mothers (like Don Preston and Ian Underwood). For Hot Rats, he retained Ian Underwood from the original Mothers, as well as Don "Sugarcane" Harris for violin duty (Jean Luc Ponty also appears on this album). He also included Captain Beefheart for vocal duty on one cut, and some jazz musicians for drums and bass. Many of these musicians only play on selected cuts, unlike a Mothers album, where the whole band generally plays together. Zappa drives home the point that Hot Rats was not going to be another Mothers of Invention album. The album emphasizes extended instrumental jams, emphasized by his guitar playing. No socio-political satire here, vocals are confined to only one cut, "Willie the Pimp", courtesy of Captain Beefheart himself. This is perhaps the one Zappa album that listeners who are turned off by his humor will come to, because it sticks strictly to music. "Peaches en Regalia" is a prime example of that, a recognizable theme, and some jams to go with. "Willie the Pimp" features, as mentioned, the voice of Captain Beefheart, who is doing something far more accessible than anything on Trout Mask Replica. Don "Sugarcane" Harris gives us some nice violin work, and most of the rest of the piece consists of extended guitar solos from Zappa. "Son of Mr. Green Genes", as you guess, is a remake from "Mr. Green Genes" from Uncle Meat, except this time it's all instrumental. The themes are still recognizable, but extended solos are added on. The rest of the album is more of the same, emphasizing guitar solos, basically Zappa in a jam band mood, but of course much more solid and tight than anything the Grateful Dead would come up with, and of course Zappa sounds nothing like The Dead. A few might dismiss this album as a bit, should I say, on the noodling side, but for those not put off by that, I certainly highly recommend this to those who are not keen on his humor or enjoy the more instrumental side of his works.

This is a really lovely collection of exhilarating and intriguing music pieces. Fantasia helped spawn my interest in classical music. The animation is beautiful in the movie but it's the music which makes it happen.

My favorite piece of music ever is "Rhapsody in Blue" and I've managed to collect quite a few versions of it over the years. This is the absolute best recording of "Rhapsody in Blue" I have ever heard! I'm listening to it on a constant loop tonight. The entire record is great as is the other soundtrack from "Fantasia." The movie is a wonderful way to get kids exposed to classical music without them even realizing it! Worked on me when I was a kid. Once again, the Mouse works his magic!

In my opinion, this CD is worth it just for "Rhapsody in Blue," but there are seven other great tracks, as well. Music like this spans generations; it's essentially timeless in its beauty and ability to put a smile on your face. Great stuff. Yes, there may only be eight tracks on this disc, but four of them are nine minutes or longer, so you're not being cheated out of anything. I'm not a steadfast Disney fan, but they really know how to pick classical music for their masterpiece.

I've always enjoyed Nakai and this album is no exception, but while reading some of the customer recommendations posted on this site I discovered a group by the name of Mehdi (pronounced meddie). After an online search I found their site (SoothingMusic - Com) and listened to the samples...
I was instantly blown away by the quality of this music and so I gave it a try and now that I have listened to these CDs several times, I really must say that although I'm still a Carlos Nakai fan, I find Mehdi to be a great addition to this CD. I have them both in my multi-disc CD player and love the way they compliment each other. I highly recommend that you give this artist a try or atleast just go listen to the samples, I have a feeling you'll be glad you did.

I am a massage therapist and use this CD often - clients love it and ask for it again and again. The CD is meditative and wonderful for grounding yourself whenever you need it most.

This CD is well worth buying. Out of all the Native American Flute Music CD's I own, this one is my favorite. The best word I can properly use to describe this CD is soothing.

Copland shows us why it's called classical while still giving audiences something anyone can enjoy. I highly recommend this CD to people who want to learn to appreciate classical music or introduce their kids to it. Aaron Copland blends American history (sounds of "Simple Gifts") with sprightly sound and sweeping romance to create treasures that paint a visual picture for the listener. Highly recommend. The drive to work would be unbearable without this CD!

I believe that for a person not to have this CD in their collection woujld be a sign that they just do not know what great music is.

How people can buy Britney Spears music, and not buy this, is beyond me.

Get it if you don't have it, and share the joy.

These pieces are now availible on SACD, and as great as the CD is, the SACD version is breathtaking. I have owned these pieces on LP and cassette in my youth, but these works really "open up" in multichannel SACD with an extremely wide dynamic range and soundstage. Lenny was a personal friend of Copland and was a great admirer of his works. The performances here show his love and respect for these works. I have heard other conductors, but none come close to the exciting interpretations given here. Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony come a close second...but these are the definitive interps. The SACD multichannel version really out classes the CD version...but, alas, it doesn't seem to be offered on Amazon!

I bought this along with "Golden slumbers: a father's lullaby" for my baby. All in all I prefer this CD much more over the Golden slumbers CD, which is very Musak-y. Celtic Twilight, Vol 3 has lovely celtic/folksy songs that I would listen to any time of day, not just for falling asleep. The songs are mostly about mothers' feelings for their babies, from what I can tell by the lyrics. Some are very touching, and others soothing to listen to. I highly recommend this album if you like celitc music and/or folk tunes.

I totally recommend this CD. this is my first review and I just had to write about this CD. I have used it for all three of my children. Every time it calms them down and lets them fall alseep. I enjoy the music and it is not annoying children music. I actually taped it so I had copy in my car(No cd player) But Now I have a CD player so I am buying another as well as one for my new niece. My daughter falls right to sleep when I put it on! Thank you Celtic lullabies, you have been life saver!!!!

This CD soothes both my 4 week old son and his sleep deprived parents. The soft vocals both in English and Gaelic have an almost ethereal feel to them. It definitely seems to clam our little guy.

I love this album, it's so great! Every song is just to die for! As a song writer and piano player/drummer I find the music to be in good taste as well. I can't stop listening to it! If it weren't for this album I probly wouldn't like Randy at all, but now I'm nuts for him! I can't say enough about it. Go listen to it!

i wasn't so familiar with randy newman's work except of "i love LA" so that when i bought that record, i found myself completely amazed by the whole thing, this is pop but this is also blues, and the way he sings the blues is quite rare, i mean the intention is really there, his spirit is totally dedicated to the blues and his melodies are so simple and full of sadness and makes you want to love and think about a whole spectrum of things, of course "marie" is incredible but my favorite is "guilty", love the lyrics too: "it takes a whole lotta medecine to believe that i'm somebody else", america should be proud of randy newman, i mean in the white musicians, i simply don't know anybody as good as him in the us. oh i mean almost cause elvis, buddy holly, jerry lee...

This has always been one of my two favorite Randy Newman albums. Great to see it's been remastered and the great extra disc has been added. Makes it worth every penny and worth the wait to get it! The song 'Louisiana - 1927' came immediately back into my mind after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the levees failed and all those people died, still are dying, will die. It is a poignant song that fits like a glove. 1927 or 2005. Plus �a change, plus c'est la m�me chose. Many hearts were broken then, many hearts are broken now.

The Amazon reviewer seems to think this is "modern classical" music, which only proves how much the term "classical" has been cheapened. This CD is full of pretty, easy-listening tunes, none of which have a thing to do with classical music. Spa music personified, but anyone expecting a more serious level of music will be disappointed. Very well produced and recorded though.

Talk about heaven! This CD is divine. Just perfect for that needed relaxation on a daily basis. The jacket insert has the words to the songs, which is nice as I like to memorize the words -- makes the meaning of the songs come together nicely. Spiritually moving. I've recommended this CD to family and friends.

"I love poetry almost as much as music, and it is particularly satisfying for me to present these musical settings of some of my favorite poems. For me, these poems express the utmost tenderness, purity, joy, and poignancy." Bill Douglas

Has music ever overtaken you so that it became more than music? It was like your spirit entered its essence? Like it spoke to your soul on a level you cannot fully express with human words, yet your heart burns to share it? DEEP PEACE does that for me. I truly believe DEEP PEACE is inspired and approved by a Higher Power. I hope you will buy this and experience it for yourself. Until then, I leave you with some lyrics from the first song, my favorite, DEEP PEACE:

"Deep peace of the running wave to you / Deep Peace of the flowing air to you / Deep Peace of the quiet earth to you / Deep Peace of the shining stars to you / Deep Peace of the gentle night to you / Moon and stars pour their healing light on you / Deep Peace to you."
--a Gaelic Blessing o8E

Soar!

This is probably the most relaxing album that I've ever heard, certainly the most relaxing album that contains vocals. I am not a Bossa Nova guru though, so take that with a grain of salt. I was referred to this album by a friend, and ended up writing many term papers to it. I especially like O Amor Em Paz. Imagina is great, Sabia, and Vivo Sonhando are also very very good. The music as a whole is not always complex or creative, which is why I dropped a star, but it is performed extremely well. I found the first half to be musically stronger than the second, but it is all very good, and as a previous reviewer said, perfect to play when reading a book and drinking tea!

So much to say about this wonderful recording. As I write this, there are 27 reviews posted for Casa and not one of them is less than 4 stars, with the vast majority as 5 stars. That speaks volumes in itself. But the quality of the words and the thought behind them is truly a tribute to Jobim. If we were all lucky enough to have him with us now, the words of these reviews would surely either make him smile or bring tears of joy to his eyes. This truly is music that soothes...reflects...and makes us all appreciate either finding it or being introduced to it by someone. Introduce only your best friends to this, those that would appreciate it as much as you and I do.

This one of those albums that you need to just sit back and listen to in order to fully appreciate. There's a brief moment when it almost approaches what I call musical wallpaper- that music that people play as a backdrop to doing housework or when they're having a dinner party. In all fairness it deserves your listening attention.
I also have this trio of artists other CD called A Day In New York which is an excellent work.

The first thing you ask me is do I like this CD. Yes, it's very pretty. How about the recording? Actually, I don't like the sound engineering. How about the performer Hilary Hahn? She's fantastic!

I've been listening to Hilary for less than six months, since discovering her by chance. After about 30 seconds I came to the conclusion that this girl is as great a violinist as I've ever heard. Her intonation is perfect, her tone gorgeous, like velvet, better than Heifitz. I've heard them all. Hilary is from the Bel Canto school of violin playing.

Unfortunately, I can't give similar praise to the sound engineering. Several of your reviewers have complained about Miking, too close, too far. Well, I guess it comes down to whether or not you want to hear Hilary or the Orchestra. I bought this recording to hear Hilary and what I got was a solo recording of the orchestra with Hilary struggling to be heard in the background. I agree that the orchestral part of Beethoven's only violin concerto is beautiful but I've been listening to it for 61 years (I'm 72) and I think I've got it down. Conversely, I was trained in the violin and I want to hear the violinist and if you drown out the violinist with the orchestra how can I hear what Hilary is doing? Let me put it another way. Is this a violin concerto or an orchestra concerto?

By the way, the same comments can be made of Sony Classic's CD of Hilary Hahn playing Mendelssohn's violin concerto. Also, why do you mix Beethoven and Bernstein or Mendelssohn and Shostakovich. Too each his own but the styles of these composers are very different. More power to those who like both but why don't you put Bernstein and Shostakovich on the same CD together and Beethoven and Mendelssohn on another. That would double my pleasure and save me some money.

So the CD is worth every penny you pay for it just to hear Hilary Hahn in the background.

I like Hahn's choice of tempos and her vision of Beethoven op. 61. The violinist sometimes compared to Heifetz takes considerably slower tempos than him, almost like Oistrakh. In this case I happen to agree with Oistrakh & Hahn. Compared to the old Russian master, however, I think some passion is missing here. The first movement may feel long-drawn-out when not played an interesting way, and that is my feeling, especially compared to Oistrakh's passionate performance under Ehrling's baton and his almost ceremonial under Cluytens. I also like Ferras/Karajan, very warm and colourful and Francescatti/Walter, but those two belong to the four star category.
No, I don't regret having Hahn/Zinman in my shelf, although it isn't my first choice and I use to be slightly bored towards the end of the first movement. It is elegant and there is a delicate ambience about it, much more to my taste than most other performances. My four stars only, because Oistrakh sets the standards for five stars performances of this piece very high, indeed. A good thing more about the present recording is that production values are high.
I don't have any other Bernstein serenade, so in that case I have no idea whether there are better performances out there or not.

This is my favorite account of the noble Beethoven violin concerto. After listening to the Kreisler, Menuhin, Schneiderhan, and Kremer versions--all classics in their own right--Hahn still has my heart and vote. Her playing is consistently well-executed, intellectually stimulating and sensually pleasurable. The Beethoven Concerto is like a hunk of Grecian marble--imposing, canonical, and I would even say sublime in the Kantian sense. How does an interpreter convey an sense of intimacy amongst its aloof height? Hahn has the magic formula: the first movement has reserve and fire, the slow movement has an aura of spirituality, and the third the right moment of courtliness and earthiness. A clear winner.

What in Horowitz and in other virtuoso pianist serves to art, here is used to have succes of mass. The technic is good, but the timing is conventional and the tone too. At the end, we ear a boring execution. Perhaps, the great russian school of piano playing is at the end!

Ladies and Gentlemen, what we have here is quite possibly the greatest piano virtuoso alive today. While the musicality and emotion the artist puts in his work are exeptional, but not without precedence, his virtuosity, technique and rapidity of execution are quite simply...GOD-GIVEN. Period. End of statement.

This recording doesn't need a review because it's simply to buy and listen to. All the piano transcriptions performed here are absolutly amazing. Arcadi Volodos has an immense technique and strong lyricism; he is really similar in terms of skills to Berezovsky, Lugansky, Kissin, Demidenko, Lane, Libetta and Hamelin. He performs Horowizt's Carmen Variations and Cziffra's personal transcription of Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee with amazing brilliance. This pianist is masterful virtuoso and this recording a must have for all piano lovers!