Classical music reviews

Rhonda Larson played in Cleveland, so I was able to see her in person. I was dazzled by both her playing and her persona. Now I play her two CDs constantly, probably several times a day-- I'm a writer, and I actually think that having Rhonda's music pulsing through the house makes me a better writer. Her music is all about hope, the bouyancy of the human spirit, the richness and mystery of life. I'm grateful that my friend dragged me along to the concert!

RHONDA LARSON gives us a glimpse of her soul in the deeply evocative streams from her flutes, and from the sounds of her worldly and exceedingly talented ensemble.

Her newest release, DISTANT MIRRORS is a profound reflection on moments, both past and future.

I've had been luke-warm about the flute until I heard Rhonda Larson play live in performance. I had no idea that there could be so much variety both musically and with the many different kinds of flutes, and it made the entire experience so much more profound. Her level of technical expertise was more like a Paganini on the flute, a style of virtuosity I hadn't even heard James Galway produce. I bought Distant Mirrors at the end of the performance, and can't stop listening to it--for six months now! There is even more variety on the recording than she is able to produce live, thanks to the great luxury that the recording medium affords her. Haunting, stunning, mesmerizing music. Ten stars in my book.

Alot of people talk about yngwie like it's all about him. True in fact it maybe all about him but the smarter one knows that yngiwe picks certain musicians and certain volaist for certain albums...

Which of course gives it a certain SOUND.. Are ya getting it now people?? Sure yngwie plays like himself on this CD just like every other one of his cd's because he is HIMSELF! He's not gonna quit playing guitar so people who like Nirvana will like him... and God bless him for that..

For this release we have some of the best material recorded live by him with one of the best vocalists he's ever worked with who is Mats Leven!

I dont know how many of you seen the Video/DVD of this performance but it's spectatular! Mats Leven has no worries and takes the stage just like he should.. he's smiling and singing his heart out for you...

yngiwe as always absolutly tears it up.. It's very hard to describe how musch of a pro he is on stage.. He becomes an animal and owns the stage...

IMHO

Yngwie with Mats Leven is a No Brainer and I hope they work together again real soon... IMO he was the best vocalist yngwie ever had.

This is one of the best live cd i'm heard in a while.
And just like Kiss Alive! it makes you feel like you're at the concert.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's "Double Live" album contains excellent examples of sheer guitar genious that is performed live. The sound-quality and production are in such great quality, it gives a very good feel to the music and to the concert recorded. That is not to mention the very awesome photos all throughout the album cover that are really great shots of Yngwie and his band while they performed on the stage to go with the excellent recording and production of this album. So, this album is the perfect example of what a typical gig of Yngwie and his band is like, and it is a great experience.

Yngwie always puts on some of the most amazing gigs when he performs on stage with his band. He writes and plays a lot of the most unique and clever guitar riffs and also does very unique mixings of the rhythms and melodies to produce an original and amazing one-of-a-kind sound. he also brings this unique and awesome sound out perfectly with the greatest energy as well as a lot of great spirit and emotion. He also only hires the finest of all bassists, keyboardists, and drummers to play with him. That way only the finest quality sounds from the other instruments mentioned are performed with his very unique and amazing guitar playing. He naturally only hires very talented singers who can really bring out the lyrics excellently with the right spirit and emotion. Keeping up with all these little things is what it takes to produce the most unique and amazing sounds and to put on one of the most excellent gigs around.

This album contains a good amount of Yngwie's best tracks, and they are performed live and brought out excellently. That could naturally mean that all the tracks on it are great, which they are. Some of the best tracks on this CD are "Resurrection", "Rising Force", "Like An Angel", "Seventh Sign", "Trilogy Suite", "Gates Of Babylon", "Alone In Paradise", and "I'll See The Light".

This is a genuine masterpiece of a live album and is a definite "must" for any Yngwie Malmsteen fan for sure. It is also a great cd for anybody who plays guitar and/or anyone who enjoys hearing fine-quality guitar playing as well as experiments with different mixings of different riffs and styles of playing. It is also a great cd for those who are into hard rock and/or heavy metal. So, there is also a great variety of crowds who this album could really appeal to.

The Bottom Line
recommended for anybody who is really into hard rock, heavy metal, rock and roll, or any kind of great fine-quality guitar playing and experimenting with different styles of playing.

Not like this , his hand is all over the fret board as usual over the pattended blackmore burn song forula. that hand moves around alot , more than it should , self taught and unortodox freting , good luck playing like this with out your hand falling off . I m a richie blackmore speed guitarist this guy is blacmore on crack .

I was staying in a highly rated hotel in Nice,France recently. The lobby was filled with the sounds of birds. For quite a while I searched everywhere but could not find any. Then it dawned on me that the songs were coming from the speakers overhead. I could not wait to find this CD. I'm going to put it on while I get a massage!

This has become my "sleep" CD. It's wonderfully relaxing. There are many different kinds of birds and their songs along with nature sounds. I simply love it and plan on purchasing many more in this series. Money well spent.

I'm really surprised that this cd only sells for less than six bucks!! If it's birds you want, then it's birds you get. I used to live on the Oregon coast and this cd brought back all those memories of the beach and marshes that I love so much. The sound quality is great and so natural. They did a great job with this one.

It is difficult to find the right words to express just how beautiful and stirring Bill Douglas's music is. I have many of his CD's and never tire of them. "Eternity's Sunrise" contains selections from his past CD's and yet I found pieces I had not hard before. "Elegy" alone is more than worth the price of this CD. "Elegy" is stunningly beautiful and heartfelt. It unearths feelings of deep gratitude for those people in our lives we hold most precious. Performed with cello and piano and some slight strings it will remain etched on your soul the first time you hear it. As for the rest of the CD, there are too many wonderful pieces to be able to adequately describe here. "Deep Peace" is a gorgeous, moving song that Bill Douglas wrote for his father. The separate CD "Deep Peace" is also worth owning--as are all of Douglas's works. And the Ars Nova Singers who perform on about half of Douglas's songs are easily the most hauntingly beautiful blend of voices you will ever hear. The quality of their harmonies is striking. Bill Douglas is a highly gifted artist whose music will touch you deeply. Do yourself a favor and listen.

Highly recommended, along with Paul Schwartz's State of Grace. I stumbled on these two in Tokyo and bought them because of the beautiful covers and was not disappointed with the music!

The review by Diliberto has a link to a group which is NOT the Boulder, CO -based group Ars Nova Singers found on Bill Douglas recordings. You may find more info about this group and its recordings at arsnovasingers.org.

Friends and family don't want to listen to Christmas carols in July? Do they scream Bah Humbug and tell you to wait till December or tell you you have Christmas on the brain? Well, they won't say anything, and might not even think these are Christmas songs if this is the recording you play. Why? Because none of these well known Christmas songs sound like the canned holiday stuff that the stores play to get you to spend, and radio stations think is all that defines the holidays. Instead, Tingstad and Rumble, premiere Northwest musicians, weave amazing counter melodies that take you to other places. Good King Wenceslas is a wonderful example of that, starting out with the familar melody must people know, and then taking off into a delightful counter melody. Deck the Halls, is done in an upbeat way that can chase any stress away and leave you smiling. If, I was told, I could only have one holiday CD in my collection, this would be the one. I give this to friends, and they are never disappointed. So, if you like familar songs, done in unusual ways with unusual instruments, that are guaranteed to warm your heart and soothe your soul, give this CD a try. I bet you will play it the year round.

This is the best collection of acoustic Christmas music I have ever heard. Of all the Christmas cds I own, this is the only one that really seems inseparable from the season. The recording is top quality, and the music is immaculately executed with meaning and grace, completely devoid of the cheese and over-dramatization that often taints holiday music. To listen to each one of these well-known carols can make you feel that you never quite heard it before--not the way it was meant to be heard. Every single track is excellent. Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Ave Maria, Auld Lang Syne, and the Coventry Carol are definitely the best I've ever heard them. This cd is worth its price and more. It's priceless.

I bought this cassette at least five years ago but somehow lost it in my latest move. I found that I listened to it all year since it transends Christmas time. I was thrilled to find that it was out in CD and have just ordered a new one. It gives me a very peaceful feeling which makes it the best Christmas CD I have yet to encounter. I highly recommend it at Christmas and all year.

I would generally echo the superlatives bestowed upon Franco Corelli by the previous reviewers. However, be aware that this collection overlaps substantially (only 2 or 3 songs differ) with EMI's "Very Best of Franco Corelli", which Amazon recommends to purchase along with this collection. I would buy one or the other, but not both.

The live recording of Meyerbeer's Gli Ugonotti(Les Hugenotts) may hold Corelli's finest singing, ever. Read this,
The 1962 live recording of Gli Ugonotti at La Scala Milan may very well be the most impressive display of verisimo singing ever recorded. That sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I am NOT. Corelli saved every ounce of his formidable energy for days just to sing this Hugenotts. He is aware that the role of Raoul is the most taxing role in the tenor reportoire, rivaled only by Rossini's "William Tell". He also is aware that he will have to battle his duets with a mezzo named Simionato who has the range of a high soprano the size of a Brunhilde. Added to that, Corelli wants to make sure the reviews will promote him as the star of the show. He knows that a new superstar in the name of La Stupenda is the toast of the opera world and all eyes are on her. He wants to make sure that He is the talk of La Scala and the World in this impossible to sing opera.
Well, he got his wish. He sang the best he's ever sang, holding on to high notes for as long as seven to ten seconds(I'm talking Bs, Cs, and Ds). Corelli's high D puts all tenors to shame, and when unveils it, he holds it, bursting with power and squillo to force all other tenors to take up nitting. And in Hugenotts he has lots of opportunities to hit notes B and above. High Cs are common here. And he excells in them. The surprise of the evening is the awesome high notes of Simionato. I think she hit a D flat. I can't tell because my piano says D flat, but not quite. Perhaps higher than a C but the slightest bit flatter than a D flat. But she really nails the note. She also matches the high Bs that are held for about five minutes per notes in the phenomenal "Grand Duet". This is, as one famous critic said it, " perhaps the greatest verisimo singing on record".
But Corelli did not prevent the Italian papers from raving about La Stupenda's Queen. Yes, Corelli got his share of rave reviews about him being the Caruso of the day. And his ovations are overwhelming, to say the least. But it was Sutherland who got 28 curtain calls for her Queen. La Stupenda sang dramatic coloratura such as La Scala had never heard since the days of Malibran and Grisi. She throws around so many high Cs and Ds and Es that one critic lost track. The coloratura tricks are instrumental in its dead on precision. And the trills are toss off as if they were nothing. This is the greatest coloratura soprano in the world, perhaps of all time.
All in all, this Hugenotts is Golden Age singing of the highest caliber. Truly one of the greatest evening in operatic history.
And at this price, it is not only essential, but necessary.
Oh, yes, and the sound is pretty good. Expect 1962 vintage live recording sound, which is acceptable.

This is a superlative recital. But let me tell you of a even more spectacular effort of Franco Corelli, the King of Tenors...
I am the biggest fan of the tenor of not only this Century but of all time...going back to the era of Rubini. Franco Corelli is the emperor of tenors and he kills Bjoeling, Caruso, and Gigli.
First, I must say that this recording is live. But the sound is excellent. If you have the 1955 Callas Lucia, and can deal with that sonics, you'll be happy with the recorded sounds here.
There are two outrageously fantastic scenes. The scene with the Queen, supremely sung by the very young Dame Joan and the Grand duet with Corelli/Simionato.
I'm not out to exaggerate. But these two highlights are miraculous. Sutherland, in 1962 voice with super squillo and gigantic high notes(high C's,D's,E'sand even Fs are easy for her)These notes are the size of Nilsson's, and they left me with my jaws hanging and breathless. La stupenda simply attacks every terrifying notes of Marguerite's taxing coloratura and adds her own even more difficult embellishments. Tossing trills and fiorituri, here, there, and everywhere, making even the most arduous coloratura unsingable to all other divas seem like child's play. She trills and trills all through her great scene, high above the staff and taking 64th notes as if it's nothing. Her rendition of O beau pays and its even more taxing cabaletta is just a stroll in the part for her. Sutherland's exquisite super squillo, especially the notes above the staff makes all other sopranos take up pottery or needle-point(take your pick), her trills-both high and low are what legends are made of, to shame the flute, and the fioritura so fast that the orchestra has to catch up with her, we're talking 64th notes that cover 20 seconds at a time through two octaves. Sorry, this one must be heard to believe the scope of Dame Joan's power when she was in her prime. This is bravura singing in the style never heard since the days of Malibran! If corelli is the Emperor, she is his emperess, and we know that it's the empress who rules. No wonder she is called the "Voice of the Century!
The second spectacular highlight is the glorious duet between Corelli and Simionato. Now this is verisimo singing in all its glories. Super high emotions with super high notes. Both Corelli and Simionato attacks them without fear in complete accuracy and power. Their ringing high notes are the best that these two great artists have ever put on record, live or studio. That Corelli takes his high B's and C's to the ultimate length- extending them to heights no tenors have ever attempted, or even dreamed of. And that's saying a lot about the king of tenors. High B's and C's and D flats are all blasting with squillo , piercing through the orchestra and ensembles like a dagger through a dragon's heart. Simionato matching these high notes(very surprising for a mezzo). She even holds and match a D flat with Corelli. This is Verisimo singing for the books. And this could be the most awesome live recording of an opera in the last century...Infinitely, and I repeat, infinitely superior to even the Corelli/Price Travatore... and with far superior sound.
Truly a voice lover's wildest wet dream! This is a combination of bel canto and verisimo singing taken to the limits of the human vocal cords. It is definitely the last word for the possibilities and wonders of the human voice.
Bravissimi, divo, diva...To Sutherland, Prima donna Assoluta, per sempre...pushing even Callas to the second spot. To Corelli, you put Pavarotti, Bjoeling and Gigli to shame. A dream performance of the highest magnitude. And quite possibly the greatest live performance of a bravura opera ever recorded.
Search for Gli ugonotti with Sutherland/Corelli!

The two tracks of these women singing Rossini and Bellini are more than worth the price of this CD! I have an extensive collection of operatic LPs and CDs and have heard many others sing all the duets on this CD. These two women do it best! If you can recall seeing Olympic ice-skater Scott Hamilton in his prime, imagine TWO perfect voices PRECISELY hitting their "marks" (notes) in a beautifully prancing, rapid succession the way Hamilton's feet used to do! And Diva Verrett, now about 70, is currently passing her craft on to others at U Michigan as a voice professor! I only wish that more of her recordings were available now. If you are new to bel canto singing, this is an excellent CD to begin with. If you are a more experienced listener, this CD belongs in your collection!

One thing that is enjoyable with this CD is that it includes duets from operas of different styles. Here we have bel canto, late Verdi and verisimo.

It is amazing how exquisitely these two ladies sing all the different styles! Moreover, they feel every word they sing. Other reviewers compared this duo with the Sutherland-Horne one. I admire both Joan and Marilyn but they show little understanding of what they are singing; they are too busy impressing us with their high notes and fast coloratura.

The best moments are the bel canto duets (if only there was more). Caballe is unsurpassed in this area. Try to get her complete recordings (Norma, Il Pirata, Lucrezia Borgia). Verrett too had a big success in this repertoire. Pity they didn't record the Stuarda duet as well. The Barcarolle is ethereal, the best I've ever heard while the Aida duet passionate and moving, just as it should be. Caballe and Verrett don't really have verisimo voices but the two selections on this CD are enjoyable.

I join the praise of the previous reviewers and highly recommend this recording!

This recording is fantastic! Both Caball� and Verrett are great. Caball� has her lush, powerful voice. Verrett has her dark, rich, equally powerful voice. The two sing very well and are involved dramatically. The duet from "Semiramide" is great. However, Sutherland and Horne do it better. Their coloratura is cleaner and more spectacular than Caball�'s and Verrett's. The duet from "Anna Bolena" is done well. However, I prefer Verrett's version with Sills. Sills is dynamite as Bolena and she has a top register equal to that of Verrett's. The duet from "Norma" is fantastic. In the case of this duet, I find Caball� and Verrett to be every bit as good as Sutherland and Horne. The duet from "Les Contes d'Hoffman" is great. Their voices blend beautifully. The duet from "A�da" is done very well. Verrett is a subtly menacing Amneris, which is quite effective. The duet from "Madama Butterfly" is terrific. Caball� did not sing Butterfly very well, but here, she is magnificent. Verrett is a sympathetic Suzuki. I don't think she ever sang the role on stage. The last duet is from "La Gioconda". No complaints here. Both singers are in top form. I wish they had included the Confrontation Scene from "Maria Stuarda". All they needed to do was to cut out the lines of the other singers in the scene. Caball� and Verrett were great together on stage as Maria Stuarda and Regina Elisabetta, respectively.

This duet album is the perfect compliment to "Belleza Vocale" with Hei-Kyung Hong and Jennifer Larmore.

I've had this album recorded in a tape for a long time but I had to grow a bit older to really enjoy it in its whole dimension. Anyway I keep on thinking since then the best tracks are the two magic 'Lullaby', a very elegant and beautiful guitar ballad full of feeling and inspiration, and the best one, undoubtedly, the last track, 'Deborah Lea'. I don't know if Deborah is Hadley's wife or whatever but has to be a really important person for him, as this song is as beautiful and magic as a song can be. At the start there's an atmosphere of perfect serenity and peace, in which a strange 'horn' keyboard sound appears drawing loosely some melodies. The song is haunting and recalls a really intimate and happy moment full of peace and serenity. This track is class and so is the rest of the album, ranging between soft jazz and just new age guitar music. Very recommendable for people who like soft jazz but not the cold one but with a bit of heart in it.

Back in 1990, I received the CD as a gift from a friend. I liked the songs so much that I played the songs in my wedding banquet. Up until now I could not find a replacement for the friend. Being confused by the descriptions, I just now ordered two replacements, just in case:

1. Tranquil Moods: Drift Away
Various Artists

2. Drift Away
Hadley Hockensmith

I first heard about Hadley Hockensmith back in the early 80's. He was an instrumentalist on many of my favorite Christian albums. Then I discovered the jazz band Kononia that he played with. In 1986 I found the "Heart Songs" casette and bought it. I immediately fell in love with it. It put me in another world. I played the casatte so much that I completely wore it out. So that year I had to buy another one. Then I started to allow my friends and family to hear the casette. Everyone who was allowed to borrow it would just keep it for themselves. I had to buy another copy of this recording at least 15-20 times over the past 18 years back in 2001 when my last CD was taken from me I searched the internet for about 1.5 years until I was able to find another original one. This one will never leave me again.

For many of us some of the most thrilling recordings during the 1950s and 1960s were those made by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The magic that happened between conductor and orchestra is legendary. Fortunately we are seeing more of his recordings remastered and made available to a new audience on CD.

This CD remastering of the old 1955 recording is a terrific example. This is probably the most eloquent recorded performance of Armenian American Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No.2 (better known as 'Mysterious Mountain'). Hovhaness created some lushly atmospheric works that have somehow slipped into the realm of 'old style' and therefore are not performed frequently. But this performance of Symphony No. 2 should bring back some to the fold. The recorded sound of this extended poem is lush and full-bodied and Reiner moves the blocks of strings movements like few others can.

Keeping in line with his penchant for embracing new and old works this CD includes an abbreviated but well played 'Divertimento', Stravinsky's own symphonic suite from his Tchaikovskyesque ballet 'The Fairy's Kiss'. This is not one of Stravinsky's more memorable scores and is far better represented in the violin/piano transcription, but Reiner makes it work well in the few moments he includes here.

Prokofiev's suite from 'Lieutenant Kije' fares very well in Reiner's bristling and tongue in cheek reading. This is a romp of a performance and one that should please even the most 'anti-contemporary music' friends you may have! But the glory of the recording is the respect Reiner pays to Hovhaness and for this it is worth the purchase. Grady Harp, May 06

For many, climbing a mountain (or a hill) is more than a physical exercise. Amercian composer Alan Hovhaness recognized that there is a spiritual quality to being on top of a mountain, perhaps going back to the Biblical example of the three disciples who joined Jesus Christ on a mountain. Simon Peter said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here." Mountains can be a place for meditation and reflection.

In his second symphony, which he called "Mysterious Mountain," Alan Hovhaness imagined a mountain where one could indeed have a spiritual experience. Perhaps this was his vision of an IDEAL mountain, certainly a place to get away from things and spend time in contemplation. There's no doubt that the symphony, which was premiered by Leopold Stokowski and the Houston Symphony in 1955 (on NBC television), is an uplifting piece. It is also very majestic and profound at times, setting a pattern for Hovhaness in the numerous symphonies he wrote in the years after 1955.

Fritz Reiner's remarkable recording of "Mysterious Mountain" was one of a series of incredible stereophonic recordings that RCA Victor made in Chicago's Orchestra Hall between 1954 and 1962. Using just three microphones and a triple-track tape recorder, RCA achieved outstanding results with a greater clarity than had been accomplished in earlier recordings. This particular recording remains a "high water" mark and is probably the definitive version of a magnificent work that can be quite inspirational. Yes, Hovhaness does represent a mountaintop experience and, some years later, he celebrated yet another mountain in his "Mount Saint Helens" symphony, recorded by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the volcano's violent 1980 eruption.

The lighter work on this disc is a top-notch performance of Igor Stravinsky's tribute to Peter Tchaikovsky, a divertimento drawn from the ballet "The Fairy's Kiss." Much in the same vein as Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty," this is magical, delightful, and enchanting music that is given a very fine interpretation by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. Although there are a few obvious quotes from the music of Tchaikovsky, much of the score is a homage to the earlier composer that represents his considerable imagination and musical abilities.

Stravinsky (1882-1971) once said, "Of all of us, Tchaikovksy was the most Russian." Stravinsky once glimpsed Tchaikovsky, just before the premiere of the sixth symphony in 1893, and was left forever with an image of a tragic but very gifted composer/conductor. Reiner's recording is a very good representation of this musical tribute.

One of the first recordings this writer ever heard by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony was their performance of the orchestral suite that Sergei Prokofiev prepared from his film score for "Lt. Kije," based on a classic Russian tale of a mythical Russian Army officer created by a bureaucratic error. The satirical qualities of the story were not lost on Prokofiev, who readily composed music that suited the various episodes of the lieutenant's supposed life.

Reiner's interepretation of this delightful music was thoroughly enjoyable, even if it omits the baritone solo in the original score (included in Seiji Ozawa's Deutsche Grammophon recording with the Boston Symphony).

The score begins with a mysterious, haunting theme representing the birth of Kije; this music is later repeated, in a somewhat altered version, for Kije's death. Along the way, we hear a delightful, appropriately martial, march; an exquisite and intense love theme; a grandiose, pompous wedding celebration; and a furious sleigh ride. All of this is played extremely well by the Chicago musicians and, once again, the ground-breaking stereophonic recording still has a remarkably modern sound.

On LP the original pairing was Hovhaness's Mysterious Mountain (Sym. #2) and the Divertimento that Stravinsky put together form his full-length ballet tribute to Tchaikovsky, The Fairy's Kiss. The title echoes the plot of Sleeping Beauty, and Stravinsky reaches out of bounds, exchanging everything modernist for an affectionate tunefest mildly in the style of The Firebird's quiet bits. Frankly, it's a bit cloying even in this abbreviated suite. Reiner helps things by condcuting with sober precision and giving us sugar substitute instead of sugar.

The Hovhaness work is from 1955 (Reiner's account came two years later, although the RCA Living Stereo sound could be from yesterday), and it proved to be the composer's fifteen minutes of fame. Writing the same piece twice is excusable, but Hovhaness went on to write Mysterious Mountain dozens of times over, never advancing by a single jot or tittle beyond its modal string harmonies, simple fugues, plangent prayers to heaven, and a noticeable aversion to modernity. These qualities went down very well for a brief period, and here he gets the superstar treatment from Reiner and the CSO. If I had been Hovhaness, I would have played this recording every day of my life.

The Lt. Kije Suite comes from 1958 and is so famous that there's not much to say. Reiner always played Prokofiev without a Slavic accent, and although the CSO sounds totally mid-West here, their virtuosity, even in simple movie music like this, is thrilling.

I spent a lot of time trying to get hold of this CD but I must say I am mildly disappointed. I thought Patrick Doyle's music for Branagh's Henry V was brilliant and that was why I was determined to obtain this sound track as well. Henry V is not Hamlet in terms of theme and plot but I think the music here tends to be too low key and lacking in drive, unlike Henry V. It is still very good in places and clearly the work of an excellent composer, but not quite up to Doyle's previous standard.

Patrick Doyle has truly composed an awesome piece of work. The score is so well done that you can feel the emotion coming through the music alone. This is by far my favorite soundtrack and I listen to it quite often.

Doyle fans are aware that he collaborates regularly with actor/director, Kenneth Brannagh. With the Hamlet score, he again writes powerful complementary music which also stands alone as worthy to be performed in concert. I would be interested to hear lengthier tracks such as accompanied the lengthy, but indeed beautiful and patient, movie. (The only mistake was Billy Crystal in the movie. I thought Robin Williams did fine work.) Although, I confess, this is my least listened to in my soundtrack collection, I do enjoy it, and believe it deserves accolades.