Classical music reviews

I have been reading the rave reviews of this CD and listening to the samples and after doing so I am going to purchase another Corelli CD. I am never disappointed in his voice. He was and is the greatest tenor of all time - - - bar none. Once again, B R A V O Corelli!!

theres nothing else to say i was struck by the forces of natur and and found greatnes. first there was caruso then bigorling then lanza now corelli what more is there to say.

This compilation of moments from various complete opera studio recordings gives a very good idea about the legendary tenor Franco Corelli. Unfortunately most of the complete sets have one or two singers who are not ideal, therefore only a few opera recordings with Corelli can be recommended as first-choice recordings. EMI here has put together most of Corelli's best moments! He is heard in his glorious prime! Endless breath, electrifying high notes and power, power, power characterise his singing. My only objection is that his stentorian voice can sometimes become tiring. If only, however, we had such a tenor today! Of all the roles here, his Pollione and Manrico impressed me the most but everything else is also amazing. Bravo!

In a world where new is better and change occurs at an ever-increasing rate, it seems logical that seasonal music would be included in the rush toward mass marketing and commercial airplay. It is amazing, but not surprising, that "carols" which extol the virtues of an electrically-illuminated ungulant, or which humourously recall the tragic events surrounding the collision of an elderly woman and another ruminating creature of the forest should be featured so prominently in the playlists of the popular culture.

Tired as I am of such artistic efforts, Rutter's efforts in leading the Clare College Choir and Orchestra on this collection come at the right time and to the right place. This is true and beautiful music of the season: it is performed well and interpreted with Rutter's master's touch. For those of us whose tastes run to the traditional, this is welcome stuff indeed.

As many have mentioned here, this is a simply beautiful cd. The selections are some you may not have heard before, but they rapidly become old familiar favorites. Everything is perfect, from the blissful arrangements to the choir's and orchestra's soothing timbres to the enveloping emotion the performances convey. The flow of the first five tracks just completely sucks you in - Up! Good Christian Folk and Listen, Gabriel's Message, Donkey Carol, and Wexford Carol are wonderful back to back. Mary's Lullaby is, as others have described this disc, abosolutely Heavenly. I, as well, am thankful to the other reviewers whose words encouraged me to give this disc a chance. It is undoubtedly a holiday favorite I listen to repeatedly; often, I even go right back to the beginning and play it again. I'll definitely be looking for more similar discs this year to round out my collection.

After listening to this album once, I immediately ordered several copies to give as gifts. This beautiful disc conveys the joyful mystery of the Christmas season without a hint of commercialism. It is pure and simple, and quite soothing in the face of the chaos that the holiday has become.

bjorling was in his prime in the 1940's, when most of these arias were recorded. the top register was still warm and full, and had no sign of the hardening that started to creep into his voice in the 50's. so these are truly the 'best of', sound quality notwithstanding. naxos has done an excellent job remastering these tracks. at this price, this is a must have for fans of good singing.

As a member of the first generation of opera lover's to know Bjorling's voice only by recordings I urge everyone to treat themselves to this. The power, accuracy and youthful sparkle of his voice are gloriously evident on this remaster. Think of Pavorotti, Corelli and the other Mediterranian masters as sunshine, with warm undertones i think of Jussi's voice as moonlight, cool undertones of the North. Knowing of his struggles with depression and/or alcoholism makes the sound even more poignant. The opera world lost a treasure far too soon.

Jussi Bjorling was one of the greatest tenors of the last century; many would place him in the top three, along with Caruso and Gigli. This CD contains some of the most familiar arias of the Italian and French repertoire, all sung with a style and controlled passion that was Bjorling's hallmark.

These recordings are from the 1930s and 40s, but the sound is remarkably good for that time. I have an earlier EMI remastering of most of these same recordings, but the sound on Naxos is so far superior that there's really no comparison. The engineer eliminated the worst of the surface noise, but did nothing to restrict the high end, so that the listener can hear this wonderful voice in all its beauty.

There's an excellent 2-CD Bjorling set on RCA/BMG, made from different masters with better sonics, but these earlier recordings captured his voice at a younger age and are indispensible. Naxos's super-bargain price should convince any wavering Bjorling fan who already owns the EMI versions of these recordings.

You have to have more than a beautiful voice to record a great album of Mozart arias. Battle does--she is charming and melting in her approach. But Previn is very limp and unconvincing, and after a few tracks it all sounds pretty bland and glib. This is one of the few Battle CDs in my collection that I threw away.

I purchased this CD to hear the rest of the Exsultate Jubilate beyond its famous "Alleluia." Battle has the voice to deliver Mozart's arias with effortless fluidity and sweetness - pure joy and emotion. The entire CD has great beauty. I share the "Alleluia" with my students during the Easter season.

I have owned this CD for many years and it is one of my favorites. Kathleen Battle's voice is probably the most lyric, beautiful soprano voice I have ever heard. Her upper range is superbly controlled, never a trace of a screech, always as light and perfect and pure as a bird's song. I have other soprano favorites also but Kathleen's voice has the most pure timbre at the high end of the scale, which sends shivers up my spine.

All seven of these Mozart selections are great choices. I listen to this CD over and over. It is highly recommended, still fresh after 20 years.

Kiri Te Kanawa and Elisabeth Schwarkopf overlapped in all their opera roles by Richard Strauss, and both happened to make two recordings of the Four Last Songs. In either case the first recording was not as deep so far as interpreatation and conducting went, but the ravishing quality of the voice swept all before it. Schwarzkopf sang her second version under George Szell, and even though her voice had faded, the combination of musical depth and orchestral excellence made for a classic of the gramophone.

In the case of Te Kanawa, I'd give the nod to this early CBS recording under Andrew Davis. He is certainly as good as Otto Ackerman on Schwarzkopf's first effort, but thanks to good stereo sound, no one can better Te Kanawa's bewitching voice. As another reviewer states, she uses it as a pure instrument, not paying undue attention to the words--in that regard she cannot match her predecessor. But as with other vocally gorgeous accounts (from Jessye Norman, Renee Fleming, and Gundula Janowitz) the thrill of the voice is enough. (On second thought, when she's at her best, Te Kanawa puts more into the poetry than Isobeski, Popp, and Auger among more recent recordings.)

In her remake on Decca from 1991 under Solti, we get 13 songs with piano accompaniment. The Gramophone preferred both Solti and the older Te Kanawa for their mature musicality, not to mention that this CD supplies only 6 extra orchestral songs. I'm not out to disagree, but the later Te Kanawa, as well as she managed her voice, cannot match her first, pristine beauty.

I recently heard a much older Kiri Te Kanawa sing
these songs in 2005. A much more mature voice, but
not that different from this beautiful recording
and the later recording with Sir Georg Solti. I
prefer this one. An editor at Opera News described
this CD and Kiri's voice as "the sound of gorgeous"
in December 2004. I agree.

Two recordings of Strauss 4 letzter lieder stand out, one is by Kirsten Flagstad (Strauss composed it with her voice in mind). I heard on vinyl but can't seem to find anymore, and this is the other one. This version by Kiri Te Kanawa is the one amongst many others I heard and concluded I like the most. The four last songs of Strauss, with lyrics of Hermann Hesse, are hauntingly beautiful, sad, serene and the best introduction to his work and the German romantics - at least that was path I followed. I keep listening to Te Kanawa's performance because it is probably the closest to how Strauss wanted it to be sung, although the composer never lived to hear this composition performed. The other version I recommend is the older 'authentic' recording of Lisa Della Casa from 1953, remastered in 24 bit from Decca.

I first heard LEGENDS while touring Ireland in the summer of 1998. The bus we traveled on played a cassette tape of it over and over again, and I thought I'd never want to hear it again. As soon as I returned to my home outside of Boston, MA, I wanted to be back in Ireland, revisiting the places I grew to love in an all too short a visit. So as soon as I could, I purchased the CD and I listened to it over and over again just like on the bus in Ireland. As I traveled the roads of Boston, I was thinking of The Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry.

This CD was the first collaboration between Phil Coulter, a name better known in Ireland at the time, and internationally acclaimed flutist James Galway. As musicians, the two are more similar than different. Both are serious, skilled and versatile musicians who also know how to entertain without sacrificing musical quality. The CD contains a variety of music from Irish standards such as "Danny Boy" and "The Kerry Dances" to contemporary favorites such as the music from RIVERDANCE. There are some original works by Coulter as well as some Coulter arrangements. The one piece that is not Celtic per se, but the listener would never know it's not from the arrangement, is Aaron Copeland's "Hoedown" from RODEO. Each piece has a part for Coulter and Galway, who at times uses traditional Irish flutes to give the music a true Celtic flair.

While I enjoy this disc for the music, there is something else I appreciate about this set and it's follow up WINTER'S CROSSING. In both collaborations, there is a sense of collaboration where the talents of both artists shine. It's been a favorite of mine since 1998 an I'm sure it will be for years to some.

I have to admit that when I first heard of this album, I pictured it as just haveing piano and flute. But when I got this album for Christmas I discovered it was more than music with pianist Coulter and flutist Galway. It is a collection of some of the best music of Ireland. It has traditional tunes like "Believe Me", "Danny Boy", and "Lagan Love". It also included modern contempory hits like the great dance "Riverdance", the classic "Hoedown", "Women of Ireland"(which makes one think of big stars like Sinead O' Conner, Mary Black, and Enya), and a remake of Clannad's hit "Harry's Game". It also includes compositions by Phil Coulter, such as "Battle at Kinsale", "Lament For Wild Geese", and "An Cailin Fionn". There are many excellent musicians accompanying Coulter and Galway, who include Frank Gallagher, David Downes(who has played and recorded with Clannad), and David Cooke on keyboards. The music often contains many traditional sounds with drums, guitar, fiddle, and uillean pipes. There also are many beautiful orchestrations, which brings so many wonderful exciting sounds! Sometimes the music had a male chorus chanting haunting vocals. All of these songs are really good and each one deserves its own praise. "Riverdance" has as much rythm and beauty as the original. "Harry's Game" sounds so enticing with uillean pipes and traditional sounds. "Believe Me/Gentle Maiden" sounds like a lullaby(if only it included the poetic lyrics!). "Women In Ireland" is very up beat with a mix of pop and traditional sounds. "The Valley of Tears" is very poignant with the piano and flute. The two tracks "Thornbirds" and "Lannigan's Ball/Kerry Dances", bring dancing rythm with sounds of traditional jigs. "Danny Boy", fits perfectly with piano and flute. "Music for a Found Harmonium" is one of my favorites, because it has a lot of energy on the piano, flute, and all of the other instruments. "Lament For Wild Geese" is very sad, beautiful, and touching. "Lagan Love" is the best version of this song I have every heard! I never would of thought I would hear that song with drums and chorus. "Ashkon Farewell" is a good reflection of how the American and Celtic cultures have come together. Many Irish and Scots fought in the Civil War. "An Cailin Fionn" is my favorite, for it is one of the most beautiful melodies Ireland has to offer. Phil Coulter composed the tune for Natasha Richardson, the wife of Liam Neeson who is a good friend of Coulter. "Hoedown" brings sounds of the past to the present with folk melodies and orchestrations.

So if you love Celtic music, you will really love this album. This is some of the best music Ireland has to offer.

One of my favorite Celtic CD's..the haunting melodies of the flute..accompanied with the piano as it unravels Ireland's past and hope of a better future...My favorite is "Battle of Kinsale"(The Valley of Tears)it certainly does brings tears to me...The theme to "Thornbirds" is beautiful..as well as every song....a sheer join....a must for any collector of Irish music...

Although Jackie du Pre's playing in the Elgar, Delius and Schoenberg concerti was superb, I for one simply find nothing to admire in that music. Perhaps this is my fault, perhaps not, but in general there are so many superb recordings of the Haydn and Dvorak concerti that only the sentiments surrounding her decline into MS and early death recommend them.

On the other hand, the recordings of the Chopin, Beethoven and other sonatas in the second 3 discs of this set are among the most moving recordings ever made. Jackie never had quite the golden tone or perfect technique of Feuermann or Yo-Yo Ma, and this shows itself more in the Bach unaccompanied cello suites where she plays a few scratchy-sounding turns, but the deep-down love and emotional commitment of her playing always communicated itself effectively. In short, then, I recommend this set for the sonatas & suites, but if you also enjoy these concerto recordings, you will love it all.

this is a wonderful recording of some of the best cello music played by one of the worlds best cello players, the late jacqueline du pre. jackie had magic in her fingertips and listening to these recordings is pure joy, one of the best set I had the chance to hear.

The collection dosen�t have Brahms�s Cello Sonatas. But you picture her portrait by these 6 CDs( The cost is 7 dollars or less per one CD ). If you don�t know what kind of cellist she was--yet, I want you to get it.

You would meet extraordinary emitted passion by Du Pre in Elgar( needlees to say, it is one of her most famous performance), Saint-Saens, Dovrak( in spite of unskillful conducting of Barenboim), Schumann. The set has not only her famous performance of the Concertos in disk 1-3, but also various Sonatas( Barenboim makes excellent piano playing in good harmony with his wife more than support) in disk 4-6.

Furthermore, the Bach�s Cello Suite No.1 and No.2, as her only solo performance in this collection, are very interesting. Its passionate Bach(!!) is certainly like Du Pre.

Thanks EMI FRANCE for the great work!!

This is the second Liz Story cd that I have bought in this series. It is a good cd that most jazz fans will want to have in their collection. Liz has a good touch on the piano.

The main concern I have for this cd is the fact that it doesn't quite have the real good arrangements that the first cd had. The first cd that i'm talking about is the cd "My Foolish Heart". This first cd seemed to be much better than this second one. I know from experience that it is always hard to keep all your projects at the same level. You see i'm in the music buseiness and I know something about consistency.

Recommendation: I would be happy to recommend this cd.

I have listened to this CD hundreds, possibly thousands of times and never tire of it. It is the perfect music to sit and work to. It has a hypnotic effect without being boring or repetitive. Wonderful music for any occasion!

Rich, melodic interpretations of 1920s and 30s standards, plus a few new pieces. Story plays the Steinway D piano beautifully. Her performances are warm and assured and a real treat to hear. Bartolo's bass is the perfect accompaniment.

These uncluttered arrangements are most welcomed. Soothing music to cleanse your soul.

So pour yourself a glass of Concord grape juice, turn down the lights, kick up your feet, lean back and relax, and hit the 'play' button on the CD. Highly recommended.

I listened to just a couple of the clips that were presented on this page and...wow...these guys are hard-core-bad-to-the-bone. I am an avid trombone player and I love this CD. To me it shows off just how capable and versatile the instrument that we all love is.

...and I've got 'em all!

you just can't beat those smooth solos in 'the pink panther' and 'someone to watch over me' and you'll be humming the bass trombone lines from 'layla' for a long while to come.

fantastic.

Wow is the only way to describe this CD. 76 trombones playing 76 trombones in a big cathedral, doesn't get any better than that. It also has a ton of really great arrangements of great songs. Trombones doing Claptons Layla, oh yeah!

I saw Umphrey's McGee at the Chicago theatre and have to say I was a little disappointed. I hadn't heard their music before but had heard good reviews. Unfortunately, I can't say I was overly impressed. Here are my impressions - their music is just O.K. and the vocals (what little they have) are horrendous - off key and painful to listen to. During the show I couldn't help but get the impression that Umphrey's was trying to follow in the footsteps of the dead and phish - the music and attitude is undeniably "phishesque". Perhaps Umphrey's is trying to cash in on the void left by their absence, but truth is Umphrey's just isn't at the same level. The extraordinary musical talent found in Phish and the Dead is noticeably missing in Umphrey's. All that is left is a somewhat impressive light show and a theatre saturated with patchouli oil and herb. This is probably why the vast majority of their crowd consisted of high schoolers. Eager to be there for the "experience" and atmosphere, they simply didn't care that the music was sub-par or just didn't know any better.

but there are so many tracks that are so much better live. dont get me wrong, i love this cd, but it dosent compare to live versions of most of the songs. all of the songs are great, but when played live, even when they arent jammed on are just better than whats on the cd. for instance, uncle wally on this cds okay but not as good as it is live and when its played electric.

all in all a great album. nothing too fancy and white mans moccosins are still some of my favorite um songs even with all their new stuff out

Sexy album. I have seen Umphreys a number of times, and have quite a bit of their music, and this is my go to when I want some Umphreys. I like it better than Anchor Drops (which is also great), because it feels a little more open and free, AD can get dense and heavy at times (which is good, because it doesn't just sound like more of the same).

I like the use of acoustics as lead guitars in Uncle Wally and Water. Andy's Last Beer is a song anyone will like. Ringo, Roulette and Hurt Bird Bath are very very sexy, but my favorite song (which I have yet to hear live) is 2nd Self, mainly because of the last minute of so, which is a nice little guitar jam...BUT IT, LISTEN TO IT!

(and read the liner notes, they're fun)