Classical music reviews

If possible I can easily award 7 Stars since it's a Holy number!
Even Sir Robert would have agreed...Because I believe he spoke of this 1975 recording several times as one of his favorites!! When we recorded that 4th night of the Christmas With Robert Shaw Concerts, all of us choristers were tired. We quickly came to attention when our conductor said, "There is sizzling in some darn lights up there!" We were surprised that he did not use the other popular 4-letter word beginning with D___!

That was my last evening to rehearse or record with our creative genius of a Choral Maestro. Since early in his time of coming to Atlanta, I had wished for the privilege of singing under him for more than just a single week's workshop at Princeton...so here I came every Monday from Marietta to enjoy a choral feast!

Although Donald Neuen, along with Greg Jessup of newest Mormon Tabernacle Fame are two Examples of Choral finesse, I still hear Sir Robert's voice when his Vivaldi, "Gloria" his favorite Bach
"B-Minor Mass," or Berlioz's "Requiem" ended with..."Well-done, People!" Much like his Biography is titled Dear "People...Robert Shaw."

This reprinted CD from December, 1975 is a wonderfully lasting testimony to the fabulous choral excellence of Mr. Shaw Himself. Even after singing with him dozens of times he was always to me, MR. Shaw. So when Advent rolls around in Nov-Dec I break out "Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light; "Kyrie Eleison and Dona Nobis Pacem"; "Shepherds' Farewell to the Holy Family!" What superb glorious memories they conjure up in the mind and heart of this eternally older Chorister... Sincerely, Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood

This is an outstanding album - my favorite of the season.

I purchased this album in the late 70's as a 2 record LP. It is the only LP I still have as I was hoping that they would release it on CD. What a delight to finally discover it on CD! I am a lover of Christmas music without end and this is my very favorite. The music and the performances are simply glorious.

"Unity" continues to receive radio play on the local smooth jazz station, almost a decade after its release. This CD's other tracks are extremely varied, even the songs I do not like are "interesting" in their tempo, arrangement, and accompanying instruments to Antione's acoustic guitar mastery.
Unlike his "Latin Quarter" CD, which only has one good song ("Latin Quarter") and a surprisingly overly mellow tone to most selections, this CD, "Classical Soul" is well worth your entertainment dollar.

I love this album especially "French Dream". I have all of his albums. I really like his mix of jazz and the Latin sound. His music takes my breath away.

What can I say. I love Marc!!

Marc Antoine is my favorite light/Latin jazz artist out there; I own all 4 US-release albums, having bought his newest one sight unseen. (Sound unheard??) If you're into light jazz at all, you'll probably recognize at least one of the songs here. It's ALL good; Ottmar Liebert and Flamenco-guitar fans will feel right at home.

This recording, aside of bringing back great memories of a live performance of Mr. Bernstein more than 25 years ago directing Mexico State Philarmonic Orchestra playing Salon Mexico, is of grand quality and Aaron Coplands music selection is escellent as is performed and recorded. My mom (77) and my daughter (8) enjoy it just the same.

When I was in the fifth grade, there was a district-wide competition called music memory, and one of the pieces I had to memorize for the competition was the last movement of Appalachian Spring. And I fell in love with that song. I went and bought the cassette of Appalachian Spring with Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic, and I listened to it almost every night before going to sleep. I even remember that one night I was listening to that final movement through my walkman as I was laying in bed. Evidently, I was humming along without realizing it, and I woke my parents, who slept downstairs and across the house, with my humming. Anyway, that's how good this recording is. And I'm still amazed at what great taste I had at that age. Now, eleven years later, I have upgraded to a CD, but I still listen to Copeland's masterpiece just about as much. I've heard a lot of great music in those intervening years, but I've still never heard anything quite this perfect. I doubt I ever do.

I love Appalachian Spring Suite! When I went out to buy the music CD, I got This one because of the cool newspaper cover and it turned out to be the best one out there. I've listened to other recordings of Appalachian Spring performed by other orchestras, they just aren't as good. This is the absolute best one. Not only is this one of my favorite classical albums of all time, it's one of my favorite albums period. Every single track on this CD is money.

lipatti is unique in ways no other pianist is... his refined musical line brings an effortless lyricism to every piece he plays. superb technique made everything sound so easy

I agree with all of what Alejandra Vernon says in her customer review. But I note that she doesn't comment about the performance of the Chopin Third Piano Sonata. I had recently been comparing various recordings of this wonderful sonata, and kept coming back to Lipatti's version. The sound is not necessarily the best - although it's quite good for its time - and I had to boost the bass slightly. I like the warmth of Rubinstein, and the non-rhetorical ease of Anton Kuerti (on the Analekta label), but I keep coming back to Lipatti. His phrasing, his unhurried sense of the overall architecture, particularly in the slow movement which is spun out slowly and inexorably, are very convincing to me. Both my analytical mind and my unexamining heart are convinced by his playing.

I must also add that I love the Brahms Waltzes, played with Nadia Boulanger, at least partly because that legendary teacher recorded so very little. They sing the waltzes as with one voice.

And, finally, I treasure the 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' in the famous arrangement by Dame Myra Hess. A desert island recording.

Highly recommended.

Scott Morrison

The sensitivity and beauty of Dinu Lipatti's playing has for me, never been equalled. With flawless technique and extraordinary phrasing, he seemed to capture the core essence, the soul of the music. Born in 1917, he came from a musical family and his godfather was the composer George Enescu. A child prodigy, he started recording when he was 20, and the excerpts from the Brahms Waltzes, Op. 39 on disc 1, tracks # 10-17, are from that period, and he plays the original four-hand version, with his teacher Nadia Boulanger.
The rest of the selections on this stupendous compilation are from the years 1947 through 1950, the last being the Schubert Impromptus (disc 1, # 7-8), from a live recording of his final concert in September, at the Besancon Music Festival. One would never imagine, listening to these two beautiful pieces, that he was in excruciating pain from the leukemia that would take his life three months later.

The Schuman Concerto is given a spirited performance, with Herbert Von Karajan at the helm, and on the melodic Grieg Concerto, Alceo Galliera conducts. I marvel at Lipatti's interpretation of the Grieg Concerto, which sounds as though he is "breathing new life" into it, even though it was recorded over 55 years ago.
My favorite pieces are the Mozart Sonata in A minor, the Bach Partita in B flat, and the sublime Bach/Hess "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", which to quote from the multi-language liner notes is "Three minutes in musical paradise".
the total time on disc # 1 is 78'42, and disc # 2, 77'18.

This is a stunning album of duo piano favorites. Marta Argerich is one of the finest pianists currently on the concert circuit. On this complilation CD she teams with two other pianists to perform exciting renditions of some of the classic pieces in the duo piano genre. Standouts include the amazing performance of the Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. This may be my favorite performance of this piece. It is savage and violent in the first movement, deeply mysterious in the second and playful and life-affirming in the final movement. The performance of the Lutoslawski Variations makes a good case for this work as a worthy successor to other variation sets on this marvelous Paganini Capriccio. The performance of La Valse is the first one that I've heard that doesn't make me yearn for the orchestra. And the Rachmaninov is spectacular.

Why only four stars then? Well, given the wealth of material for duo pianists, I find the inclusion of the Bartok Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra to be mistaken at best. This work is a recasting of the Sonata heard on the second disc, and it's a poor recasting at that. The propulsive power of the Sonata is smoothed out by the orchestra, and the added string lines don't really do anything for the piece at all. Better selections might have been the Mozaqrt Sonata for Two Pianos or the Stravinsky Two Piano music. I know that Argerich has recorded the Mozart for Phillips, so I am baffled by this programming choice.

All in all though, you can't go wrong. And at a Phillips Twofer price, this disc is a pleasant addition to your collection indeed!

I am a 20-year-old piano major who was told to listen to this CD by one of my professors when I was trying to decide what to study as a major four-hands work. Since I am on a "student budget," I decided to listen to the college library's copy of this CD before buying, but immediately after I had listened to the Bart�k, I knew that I had to have this CD.

Argerich belongs to a very elite group of pianists--Gieseking, Arrau, Serkin, and Backhaus are honoured to have her as their peer. Despite the daunting scale of the task, Freire and Kovacevich prove that they are worthy of sharing the stage on this CD, and the chemistry between them and Argerich (which several other reviewers have mentioned as well) is truly amazing. The Mozart is presented with clarity, beauty, emotion, and the irresistable charm that Argerich brings to so many of her Classical Period interpretations. The Rachmaninoff is a powerful, thrilling performance, and the Bart�k is dark, deep, and carefully crafted without losing the sense of spontaneity.

But while the other reviewers have already focused on these points, I am truly baffled that few have mentioned Argerich and Freire's electrifying performance of Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations. The piece is based on the same Paganini capriccio (Op 1, No 24 in a minor) that Rachmaninoff and Brahms have used, but unlike with Rachmaninoff or Brahms, Lutoslawski follows the same overall structure as the original Paganini capriccio, to great effect. Lutoslawski shows great understanding of the piano and the use of off-beat sforzandi, doubled octaves, and glissandi at the climax create an amazing effect which Argerich and Freire fully capture here. The balance is impeccable, even during the near impossible middle section where Argerich plays a rumbling succession of fifths and fourths in rapid sixteenth-notes. The tempo choices, use of dynamics, and changes in colour and texture are right-on. After hearing two other recordings of this piece (by Nosowska and Halska), I can say with confidence that this recording blows the others out of the water. It is the definitive recording of this modern masterpiece.

I can't afford to buy many CDs, but this is one CD that I would pay twice the price for. I only wish that, a few months from now, my duet partner and I are able to play that piece half as well as Argerich and Freire do here.

This Cd not only has a great selection, but it also contains BOTH versions of Bartok's works for two pianos and percussion.
The performanceof the Concerto for two pianos, percussion and orchestra is by far the best I've ever heard. Included is an excellent performance of its Sonata earlier version. Also is the best performance of Ravel's La Valse on CD in its original duo piano format. This is an extremely great buy !

This is an album I got once after a trip to New Mexico, and obviously every time I hear it I'm transported right back to Santa Fe, on a cool night with the smell of mesquite in the air. I'm no expert, but his native american flute is so wonderful and peaceful, and sounds just as I'd expect and want it to. The music is quite relaxing and great to daydream to, and I'll assume "Earth Spirit" is in many a massage parlor. Highly recommended.

Have used this recording for many years in my practice and needed to replace it in CD form.

This is my favorite Nakai CD, it has such a spiritual body that sings to my soul.

I bought this album because I heard John Zorn was a metal dude. But there isn't a single rocking song on the whole album. Plus they use such uncool intruments like fiddle and cello. You can't rock around the stage with those instuments. Plus I don't think too many hot chicks would be into this music, so if getting some tail is on your agenda than stay away from the Zorn. Not recommended for fans of WhiteSnake or Poison.

John Zorn's "The Circle Maker" is two albums of new arrangements of pieces from the Masada songbook-- I hesitate to refer to this as "chamber music arrangements" because its largely untrue. The first disc, "Issachar", features the Masada String Trio-- Mark Feldman on violin, the incomparable Erik Friedlander on cello, and bassist Greg Cohen. The second disc, "Zevulon", credited to the Bar Kokhba Sextet, features the Masada String Trio again further augmented by guitarist Marc Ribot, percussionist Cyro Baptista, and drummer Joey Baron. Each record has its own personality.

The Masada String Trio, for those unfamiliar, is a powerful entity unto itself-- these three are masters of their instruments and like the Masada quartet, manage to operate on an extraordinarily high level. I find myself however comparing this album to the live "50th Birthday Celebration Volume 1" disc from the same group-- its actually quite a similar sleection of songs, but I'm inclined to find the live performance more engaging and much prefer that over this one. Still, there's a brilliance that shines in many spots. "Sippur" is probably the best example of this-- Friedlander delicately states the them beautifully arco over pizzicato backing, eventually Feldman counterpoints him, and then Fridlander takes an arco solo of absolutely breathtaking sensitivity. The haunting "Hadasha" shows off beautifully the range of technique these three have-- Feldman in particular digs in deep on this one, scratching and squeaking his way through the piece, but maintaing an extraordinary level of musicality. But probably nothing on the disc is as engaging as "Yatzah"-- opening all arco (unusual, Cohen plays pizzicato for the majority) with some lush and lovely soloing from Friedlander, eventually Feldman takes the theme with such a sensitivity and real understanding behind the music. His own solo finds him in an understated mood, but able to derive from one sustained note an uncommon level of power and what I contend is the best solo I've heard him play. And speaking of great solos, Friedlander takes a spotlight on "Elijah"-- performed as a solo cello piece, that is just stunning.

The second disc, "Zevulun", is not quite what one thinks of when one thinks chamber music-- indeed the ensemble feels more like a jam band playing Masada tunes then it does any sort of chamber ensemble. While the string trio's function remains largely the same, Ribot alternates between offering color and playing melodies, while Baron operates in a similar context to his place in the Masada Quartet. Baptista's role in the preceedings is, as always, harder to define-- he's all over the map, serving as rhythmic assistence, additional color, and a countermelodic voice at times. Many times, his presence on the pieces makes the piece.

Roughly speaking, "Zevulun" divides nicely into two kinds of pieces-- those where Ribot offers color and those where the String Trio does. Both have their moments-- I particularly like Ribot's playing on the surfish "Hazor" and the overly cinematic "Laylah". The latter in particular is really quite nice, it has that sort of churning anticipation that a good western soundtrack would need. Of the string driven pieces, "Khebar" is nice (and feels like a chamber piece) and "Teli" is just brilliant-- if Ribot plays at all, he's pretty muted, but the piece is downright funky with the strings intertwining with some frantic percussion. Also of note is "Ner Tamid", where the trio and Ribot alternate stating the theme (with minimal improvisation) and a nice chugging beat from the percussionists.

All in all, "The Circle Maker" is a has a lot of good music, and at its length (around two hours) and its price a bit over 20 bucks as I write this), its definitely a fine value, but there's definitely better material in this vein out there.

This is one of John Zorn's ten best albums, and it's likely to stay in the top ten for a long time. Unlike some of his other work, which emphasizes noise and quick changes from one piece of music to the next, The Circle Maker plays out in elegant waves of melody and percussion. It's Zorn's most beautiful album. It started with Masada, Zorn's four-piece jazz band. Masada plays "free jazz klezmer" --- original compositions based on traditional Jewish folk music themes, written in a simple way that encourages improvisation. On the Masada albums, the band blows the melodies apart on trumpet, saxophone, drums, and bass.

Zorn wrote new arrangements of these songs for chamber ensembles, replacing the old instruments with cello, violin, viola, guitar, bass, and percussion. The improvisation is out. The musicians concentrate on the melodies, playing off of each other in very subtle ways. The result is a combination of jazz, chamber music, and Jewish folk music, all rolled into one --- and played simultaneously. Even if you have no interest in John Zorn, you'll love this album. There isn't a single bad song on these two CDs. After you hear it, you'll want Bar Kokhba, which is more of the same.

EVERYONE who bought the ORIGINAL multi-disc release has seen each disc become unplayable through corrosion because of a dye used to print the label side. BMG is well aware of this and has been inundated with demands for replacement.

This set is available in a subsequently released BUDGET compilation, also available through AMAZON. There are no manufacturing defects.

I have been collecting Caruso performance since 1960- of course they were on vinyl- I even had some 78's. I think the 78 and vinyl records produced a warmer tone, but it is a delight to have the Master's performances in one place. My vinyls are worn to shreds.

Except for the lighter and bel canto roles, Caruso is supreme in the Italian and some of the French repetoire. Last night I listened to the Quartet from Martha for the first time in many years. Caruso sings about a 20 second phrase beginning "Dormi
Pur" which had me in tears as it had in the past. The ease of Caruso cadenzas in "La donna e Mobile" and "Una Furtiva Lagrima" put most tenors with a 1/4 of Caruso's vocal weight and size to shame.

There are no American/Swedish or any other hyphenated Carusos. He was unique and I am a Bjoerling freak. I find it
odd that a previous reviwer mentioned Mario Lanza favorably with Caruso.

Lanza rarely performed on an opera stage. On recording his voice seems large but his singing is amateurish. He squeezes, forces, barks and croons. At times one can hear a pretty sound but I do not consider him a major opera singer.

Rudolf Bing's comment that people who heard Richard Tucker were just as lucky as those who heard Caruso is silly. Tucker was excellent but NOT Caruso.

Lauritz Melchior, in the heavy German repetoire and to my mind Otello, is as unique and uncomparable as Caruso is in the Italian and French repetoire.

it is a great cd. when they say complete, they mean complete! 12 cds about 70mins each. comes with booklet with recording dates and matrix #s. in cardboardy-leather box. i did not have a probelem with red batwing labels making a clear film. the set is from the 70's but is the quality that great any way? contains private recordings.

Hofmann - particularly late Hofmann - may be an acquired taste.
Despite having been the prot�g� of Anton Rubinstein, "the wonderful boy" was recognized from quite an early age as the exemplar of a modern style of playing - textually faithful, eschewing swooning or bombast. (See, for example, the references to Hofmann in Henry Lahee's wonderful survey from 1900, Famous Pianists of Today and Yesterday.)
Still, a number of younger colleagues expressed ambivalence. Horowitz was floored by Hofmann's keyboard command - everyone was - but he, Artur Rubinstein and Arrau, to name just three - seem not to have been terribly moved by Hofmann's musicianship.
But which Hofmann are we considering? His playing for the gramophone - as early as 1903 and as late as 1935 - was as disciplined as it was imaginative and dazzling. The late Harold Schonberg called it "perfection plus."
However, as Gregor Benko makes clear in his essays for the Marston reissues, Hofmann switched on what the pianist called a "spectacular" style for many public performances. This may sound cynical. Often it sounds terribly cynical. Hofmann was not speaking merely of the need to project in a large concert hall. In public performance - at least those performances we have from the late `30s and early `40s - the aristocrat often becomes a mountebank, lurching from the softest pianissimos to explosive fortissimos, rattling off passages or entire pieces even faster than Simon Barere boasted he could do.
Schonberg - and Hofmann's friend and admirer Rachmaninoff - reminded us that during this period Hofmann had many personal troubles, including a severe drinking problem. We must believe that at his greatest Hofmann played as scrupulously and with as much refined feeling in public as he did on many of his studio recordings, though his manner may have differed somewhat. And there are some marvelous live performances. The Rubinstein 4th from his Golden Jubilee concert beggars description.
So where does that leave us? As an introduction to Hofmann, I would recommend the early Columbia recordings, those he made somewhat later for Brunswick, and the American and British test pressings from 1935 - perhaps his greatest recorded playing. These are Volumes 3, 4 and 5 of the complete Hofmann series. Serious listeners will also want the ups and downs of the Golden Jubilee (Volume 2). The Chopin concertos in Volume 1 have some splendid moments, but the superlative (not spectacular; superlative) performance there is a fragment of the first movement of the E minor concerto performed in London -- far more poised and committed than its counterpart from New York. (I wonder if Hofmann played differently in America than he did in Europe? Some musicians - for instance, Mahler, Toscanini, Bernstein - for varying reasons apparently did.)
Having said all this, the entire Hofmann series is priceless. Heartfelt thanks to Gregor Benko and Ward Marston for making it available in superb transfers with fascinating notes.

Well, this album contains many beethoven works played by hofmann and that's interesting because it's hard to find in other series. But the result is not so satisfying. The touch is too light in Concerto, and tempo is too fast in Waldstein. Chopin works are beautifully played, but many of those can be found in other discs. In my opinion Ballade No. 4 is an ideal performance. Only Corot's recording can stand next to hof. Recommand to Hofmann fans or Chopin manias.

Rachmaninov considered Hofmann to be the greatest pianist he had ever seen, and these recordings are to show. Reviewing Rachmaninov's recordings of Chopin, as far as precision and skill, Hofmann kills Sergei. Every note exploads with this individual sensation of sound that only Hofmann can emit. The musical ideas are genuine. Give a listen to his original performance of Chopin's minute waltz. It's unlike anything you've ever heard. For this pianist's small fingers, he sure does have the advantage over the other greats in pounding out immaculate works from his customized Steinway & Sons.

A gorgeous modern classical/Arabic mix... The Middle East isn't exactly virgin territory for Western classical composers, but it's really only been in recent years that the greater subtleties have come out. Stephen Micus' latest work is rich in hush and silence, delving into the lulling, harmonic richness of various Eastern traditions, rather than simply borrowing the same old belly-dancer melodies. If you'll pardon the stereotype-laden metaphor, this isn't the type of music that would be used to whip the harem girls into a whirling silk scarf frenzy -- rather, it's what a particularly enlightened caliph might relax to, late at night when the palace is alseep and his favorite composer is passing a pipe around. Although Micus primarily draws on Arabic traditions, he also features some typically spectral Japanese shakuhachi flute work, and pushes the mixed tonalities of various non-European scales in unexpected directions. What's most striking about this album is the skill with which he tempers seeming dissonance into smoky melodic accessibility... Although this album is much less ornate, I'm reminded in places of Amitava Chatterjee's equally rich modernizations of Indian classical music. Highly recommended!

I consider Micus to be one of the preeminent composers of our time, Genius in its truest and brightest meaning. I live at the western edge of the High Desert of the Basins and Ranges and have come to love the desert more than I had ever imagined possible. Capturing the stark beauty of stark places is one of the most difficult things which can be done - one must turn inward to see outward, the further inward you are able to see, the greater the panorama of your outer vision. While others have commented that this is 'more of the same' and that this is 'not a bad thing' - I have to disagree - in the stark places of the world, just as in the stark places of the Soul - the beauty, the Mystery, lies in the subtle differences. I own all albums and while I may find some more favorite than others, each has it's own subtle beauty. I would rank this album within the top five, and possibly the top three of my favorite Micus albums. The Subtle Beauty, just as the subtle difference, is there if you have the ear to hear. A very good album from an exceptional creator.

Stephan Micus' latest offering is indeed, as one reviewer has stated, 'more of the same' -- but in Micus' case, that's not such a bad thing. Over the past 25 years, he has recorded 16 albums -- amazing, beautiful examples of the path he has chosen to honor the earth and its diversity of cultures. Just inside the booklet that accompanies this release, Micus has placed a quotation from Rumi (c.1270) -- it is a very telling choice: 'There are ten thousand ways to bow and kiss the earth'.

The pieces on this disc are absolutely beautiful -- Stephan Micus makes some of the most evocative music I have ever heard. I have been a staunch fan since the release of his first album, 'Archaic concerts', in 1976 -- his only release not available on cd. He has never made any claim to be classically schooled in the various traditions from which he draws his inspiration and sounds -- but his respect for them, his empathy for the cultures, beliefs and values they represent, could not be more apparent.

There are instruments on this disc from places as far-ranging as India, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, the West Indies, Japan, Egypt and China. The vocals -- in Micus' trademark style using sounds without the constraints of language, include also a traditional Georgian chant from a.d.1250. Rather than seem out of place (or time), it fits seamlessly into his music.

I have always found the work of Stephan Micus to be both stimulating and relaxing -- a way of travelling by sound that honors our planet's diversity without pretending to replicate its traditions note-for-note. There is a gentle, meditative spirit present in his recordings.

In today's troubled times, I think it could even bring us a little closer to understanding and appreciating the differences that make this planet a wonderful place, instead of being frightened by them.