Classical music reviews

After witnessing a sweet performance and sweeter song on television's Ally McBeal, I had such high hopes for this CD. But a testosterone clone of the robot Charlotte Church was not on my agenda. Turgid ballads, irritating arias, a monotone baritone, and a misguided remake of "Vincent [Starry Starry Night]"; you have to wonder just who is responsible for all this. Then you notice roll call - David Foster, Walter Afanasieff, Richard Marx...then it all makes sense. My grade: C

I think that Josh Groban has about the most perfect natural male voice that exists. It may be true that he doesn't have a classic opera voice, and if that's true, then I'm GLAD! I, personally, don't care for the "heaviness" that opera training seems to give voices. I like a voice that sounds more natural... like Josh's.

You know... I was just reading reviews on a Celine Dion CD, and when you compare those reviews with these... it's ridiculous. The public, at large, just cracks me up. There are people complaining that Celine yells instead of sings, and then there are people here complaining that Charlotte's voice should have the power that Celine's has. Why can't people just enjoy what they like, instead of thinking that everyone should sing like their favorites? What's wrong with enjoying Celine's powerful voice AND Charlotte's soft voice? What's wrong with enjoying Boccelli's well-trained opera voice AND Josh's more natural style of singing? If you like more powerful voices then Josh's, and you were disappointed by them, then by all means rate the CD lower, and mention this, but you don't have to say it as though he can't sing at all! Millions the world over would give anything to be able to sing like he does!

That's my two cents...

I enjoyed the entire cd. His music inspires joy and calmness on a stressful day. I would recommend this cd to anyone interested.

I love the Irish Tenors. You can understand every word that they sing and their voices are just beautiful. The Cd is very patriotic and the song are very well known. I grew up listening to most of these, but did not know some of the words until I listened to this CD.
Wonderful.

This is one of the few albums that never fails to make me cry. It expresses so many true and real emotions and does it such a beautiful way that if you don't feel anything when you listen to its songs, you have ice water in your veins.

Buy it and play it for your SO or for yourself. Let it move you and it will.

I've had this for several years and am rebuying because the original now has a skip. I LOVE THIS CD!!! It has so many great songs I don't know where to begin. Anthony Kearns voice is absolutely beautiful. I still can not listen to Boolavogue with out crying. If you know anything about Irish history you'll understand. Also Danny Boy, Voyage, Grace, hell I just put this on when I need a good cry!!! But also Go Lassie Go and Girl From Claire make me smile. Irish music either makes you laugh or cry nothing in between!!!!! And this CD is one of the best!

To date of writing, there are 2 different versions of 'Blizard of Ozz' avalible on Amazon.com. One is this one, which is the original thing. The other - absolute [...] The bass and drums in all the tracks for it have been replaced so Ozzy wont have to pay his former bandmates royalties.

So again, get this one - the REAL Bliz.

This is a MASTERPIECE. A Classic featuring the best playing of the time. Rhoads at his best, a ripe Ozzy and a nice Keerslake/Daisley rhythm section.
Unfortunately... it was RE-RECORDED lately and re-issued with Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo taking places over the original bass and drums tracks. The result being horrible, not because of bad playing, but of a very poor production work, ends up being unnacurate, poor sounding, and not tight at all.

Being a musician myself, and understainding Ozzy's position regarding lawsuits, I must admit this is a step towards non-beligerant options regarding the issue of the two first Ozzy-as-solo-artist records. However, even tho I respect a lot Bordin's and Trujillo's work (they are both fine musicians), I find the end result on this reissue simply disgusting. And not being Bordin and Trujillo's fault precisely. There is a SEVERE lack of precision in the production work, being that there are less-than-discreet differences on sound, on TIMING and what was originally played. It is harder to copy or re-create a work done twenty-something years ago on a note-by-note basis, but what else do fans expect? I mean, nobody ever imagined (or wished) a classic album should be re-done on this fashion, but if you EVER had the original recording, and have a little bit of attention paid to the work here, you will find lots of flaws and missing things, or a loose rhythm section "following" the pre-recorded guitar work, instead of it being the basement for the rest of the music (as it should be...).

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell this reissue from the original one if you're trying to buy it "new and used" over a website. I got the reissued re-recording instead of the 1995 edition (with the small artwork over a big blue background) since the seller seem not to notice the difference between them, and am severely dissapointed. A clever example of what should never be done to a classic...

This is the original recordings of Blizzard of Ozz. Nothing rerecorded like the reissue of this album. This is a true Ozzy album. This is the classic album that made Ozzy a true frontman in metal today. Alot of the classic tunes like Crazy Train, I Don't Know, and Mr. Crowley. Some amazing solos from Randy Rhodes too. He was one of the best. RIP Randy. Any metal head should have this in their collection. If you don't than your an idiot for not. I don't care what you say if you don't like Ozzy or Black Sabbath, than you shouldn't even be listining to metal. The best stuff is on here. I recommend this to any true metal head. Remember get this recording of the album not the reissue one. It might be hard to find but I was able to get my copy. Long live Ozzy.

now i am going to be completely honest here: there is not one bad track on this album. there is also not one mediocre track on this album. there are two good songs on this album. The rest of the album is straight up AMAZING. Fans of Symphony X all have this album, but for those who want their first Symphony X cd i actually would not start here even though it may be their best. I recommend starting off with the Odyssey if you are a newcomer. After the Odyssey, THEN purchase both this album and The Divine Wings of Tragedy.

I see I am not alone in considering this release worthy of five stars. X's previous efforts were good but this is a quantum leap forward; in fact, it is a quantum leap ahead of just about anything anyone else has done. Every second of the 62 minutes plus is nothing less than amazing. Anyone who enjoys any type of rock needs to listen to this CD at least once, but once will probably not be the end. Anyone who likes classical should also listen once because it is sometimes difficult to tell where the metal starts and the classical ends. No surprise there since it is my belief that the instruments played are the only real difference between classical and power/progessive metal.

The instrumentals are amazing, the vocals - both lead and backup - are amazing and the lyrics are amazing. This CD easily makes my top five list. And not that they need it, but Symphony X gets extra credit for knowing that we are all made of star stuff, that every atom in our bodies except hydrogen was forged long ago in stars much larger than our Sun. (Please see my profile for a brief discussion of my rating philosophy.)

Must say I really enjoyed V. It sounds like The Divine Wings of Tragedy except a hair less metal and a bit more progressive. Very good songwriting, amazing solo's, great vocals, and actually the keyboards surprised me too as in Egypt, everything is top notch on this album. The production is great too.

Some of the very good songs on this album include Evolution, Egypt, Communion and the Oracle, and A Fool's Paradise. This album isn't quite as heavy as The Odyssey either, not too much "Dark" either, its just a bit of a more progressive version of Divine Wings of Tragedy. If you were happy with Divine or Twilight in Olympus, you really can't go wrong with this CD.

I honestly don't feel it is even the slightest of exaggerations to label this recording as the Greatest Piano Solo Album Of All-Time. Even at nearly a quarter of a century old, it has only become better with age. I was first introduced to "December" at the mature age of 10, and I fell in love with it immediately. My mother would play it at Christmas, time and time again, and oddly enough I never tired of the haunting melodies. In the nearly twenty years since, I've found that while much of the music has a holiday theme, I enjoy listening to the tracks year-round. And in all that time I've found nothing that even comes close to matching the beauty, feeling or power of this exquisite creation. Winston pours such depth and feeling into each compilation that, if you're not careful, you find yourself begin to sway with the melody, much the same fashion as a teenager headbanging to a punk-rock band. But of course this is much more subtle and sophisticated. Truth be told, I credit Winston (and to some degree Chip Davis) with my desire to learn the piano. Fortunately my wife had the foresight this year to do what I could not bring myself to do, and presented me with piano lessons for Christmas. My one desire is to someday be good enough to eek out an intelligible semblance of this timeless album for family and friends at the holidays... but I won't hold my breath. Winston is a Master, and I don't believe I have either the time, nor the talent, to hold even the dimmest of candles to his "bright as noon-day" masterpiece. Enjoy!

I am not really big on instrumental music. A lot of it reminds me of that cheeseball Yanni. My favorite instrumentalist is George Winston. I absolutely love his album "December". I have always loved this particular album for as long as I can remember. I remember borrowing my mom's cassette copy of this album several years ago and I still have it to this very day. It is truly one of my personal favorite albums in my entire (almost) 30 years of life. No matter what time of year it is, I can always throw it in and chill to the music. The music is so enchanting. I especially love "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head". It is one of my personal favorite songs on the album. It truly moves me emotionally. George's piano playing is flawless. It flows like a running stream. I love the simplicity of the music which is just George's piano playing. I think having other instruments would have convoluted the music. I also adore the variations on Pachelbel's "Canon", my personal favorite baroque movement. George does a lovely job with his unique interpretation of the song. After eight hours at the office and listening to my goth/industrial/ebm/techno cds, it is nice to listen to more soothing music to relax too.

i think dat is a very good cd, especially for christmas and we put it on whenever we hav a family time.
Thank-you george!

What can one say about one of the greatest soprano recitals ever. Despite all her later achievements, this early recital is Sutherland's most significant contribution to operatic discography.

This recital is full of her huge but always sweet high notes. This is after all, what made them so special. When I listen to these high notes it's as if a bird is taking me on a trip to the sky. Her coloratura abilities are jaw dropping to say the least. You have no idea what a trill or staccato means if you haven't heard Joan singing! Everything here is stunning but my favourites are her Bell Song, Care compagne and The soldier Tir'd.

I've never been Sutherland's greatest fan due to her mushy enunciation, which fortunately is restricted to the minimum here but this early recital never stays far from my cd player! Indeed the art of a primadonna, Sutherland's art!

The recital by one Australian diva recorded in 1960 by a young and unknown soprano that has taken the world by storm. She not only became the most celebrated coloratura soprano the world had ever known, she became the most loved.
16 arias...the test of every coloratura skills known to mankind. Does she past, or fall short? You be the judge. I say she sings the most incredible recital ever recorded in the history of the grammophone. A gigantic claim. A claim that is substantuated by her singing.

Sutherland's first and finest moments in her reign as one of opera's most beloved sopranos. I need not say more. Her name and reputation speaks for itself. She is La Stupenda.

What can one say about one of the greatest soprano recitals ever. Despite all her later achievements, this early recital is Sutherland's most significant contribution to operatic discography.

This recital is full of her huge but always sweet high notes. This is after all, what made them so special. When I listen to these high notes it's as if a bird is taking me on a trip to the sky. Her coloratura abilities are jaw dropping to say the least. You have no idea what a trill or staccato means if you haven't heard Joan singing! Everything here is stunning but my favourites are her Bell Song, Care compagne and The soldier Tir'd.

I've never been Sutherland's greatest fan due to her mushy enunciation, which fortunately is restricted to the minimum here but this early recital never stays far from my cd player! Indeed the art of a primadonna, Sutherland's art!

The recital by one Australian diva recorded in 1960 by a young and unknown soprano that has taken the world by storm. She not only became the most celebrated coloratura soprano the world had ever known, she became the most loved.
16 arias...the test of every coloratura skills known to mankind. Does she past, or fall short? You be the judge. I say she sings the most incredible recital ever recorded in the history of the grammophone. A gigantic claim. A claim that is substantuated by her singing.

Sutherland's first and finest moments in her reign as one of opera's most beloved sopranos. I need not say more. Her name and reputation speaks for itself. She is La Stupenda.

This work lies in the stratosphere of masterpieces.
Vangelis composes music and projects soul vibrations that cannot be expressed with words. Melodical, harmonical, rhythmical, travelling, intuitive, dramatic,excellent, music. Even if you have not seen the movie, by listening to this music work you can direct and play your own 5-stars epic movie in your minds eye! That is the powerful essence of real music.

Thanks Vangelis.. Βαγγέλη σε ευχαριστούμε.

1492: Conquest of Paradise is among my favorite Vangelis soundtracks along with Blade Runner. This music is so beautiful that it is beyond words. I don't know how people can call this New Age, but who needs labels anyway? Buy this soundtrack and I guarantee you that it will never leave your CD player. It is that good.

I have to say that this is my favourite Vangelis album of the many that I've purchased over the years. Vangelis is an amazing composer and has created many masterpieces, but this album moves me deeply every time I hear it. It simply transcends time and space.
I was fortunate to buy this album long before I saw the actual movie that it was a soundtrack to. While the movie was "ok" it is not something that you'd normaly think about while listening to this amazing album. This is the kind of music that to truly appreciate it you would get some alone time, dim the lights and dream...

The word "Mo'" in the title got my attention. I bought the CD to compare it to the already popular "Three Tenors" (Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras). Wow! Was I surprised. I had expected an all opera, classical and possibly spiritual repetoire. But, the music varies from "Nessun Dorma" to "Love Train" was truly, truly delightful. I enjoyed the wonderful voices of Thomas Young, Roderick Dixon, and Victor Trent Cook and the variety of musical selections so much that I purchased several other copies for my family and friends. Then, several months later, I saw their performance on PBS. I immediately ordered the VHS offered by the TV station, paying way, way over the retail price. But, I had to have it. It was, and is, the most exciting musical performance that I have seen. Later, when I put the tape into the player at my son's house, my 5-year-old granddaughter Ciara stood next to the sofa to watch. I expected her to move away soon, but, she stood there, during the entire playback of the performance, and I do mean from beginning to end. I left the tape there so that son could see it later. The following day, and for most days during the next several weeks, Ciara asked to have the tape played, until she later was taught to handle it herself. The family has since replaced my VHS with the DVD so that now, when Ciara visits me, we can watch the show again (and again). "Three Mo' Tenors" was so surprisingly wonderful- with great voices, charismatic personalities, terrific orchestral arrangements, lively and precisely choreographed routines, and just an overall feeling of mutual admiration and respect among the three gentlemen. The beautiful cinematics, with frequently interspersed shots of the enthusiatic audience, contributes to the feeling that I am actually there at the concert. Every time I watch it, I see and hear something new. When I first heard the CD, I was not fascinated by the countertenor voice. After seeing Victor Trent Cook's heartwarming performance on the DVD, and hearing his comment about his mother's definition of a countertenor, I have been granted a new appreciation for his voice. Here it is, years later, and I'm still enamored, remembering Roderick Dixon's "Make Them Hear You" elicits tears, Thomas Young's "Twisted" makes me laugh, and the duet with Victor and Thomas (see, I'm now on first-name basis with them) is so beautiful. I could to on and on. In fact, it's time for another listen.

I would rate this CD more than five stars if I could! I picked up this CD not knowing anything about these guys, but, knowing that I liked some of the songs contained on it. I was absolutely blown away by this collection! These guys have it all. Voices, talent, showmanship, style, technique, etc. Everytime I listen to it, I feel like I'm sitting right there in the theatre. I am a huge fan of opera, jazz and gospel. This CD covers it all! Although my favorite tracks are La Donna e Mobile, Make Them Hear You, and Nessun Dorma, they are all so good! I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again. You have to hear them to believe them!

A good album is one that can't be categorized neatly. Three Mo' Tenors tackles classic opera, Broadway tunes and other genres with ease. They have beautiful voices, and the music they choose to interpret is so universal that even my toddler girl loves listening to it! Their technical expertise combined with their stage presence and charisma makes for an enjoyable cd. Highly recommended - especially if you are looking to introduce yourself or your children to different musical genres.

Emma has an OK voice but it clearly needs to be polished up a bit before anyone can compare her to a true artist like Sarah Brightman. You people need to get your ears checked!
"Spente Le Stelle," in its club incarnation, is an amazing work of dance music art, which forgives Emma's untrained voice. It is truly a classic dance remix. That said, I look forward to her future efforts.

I have to say that I purchased this CD with the hopes of its being as great as the club mixes of Spente le Stelle I've heard. Emma, no doubt on her way to being one of the best pop sopranos, is still in need of polishing that powerful instrument she has. There are many segments in several of the songs that if you have an ear for pitch, just make you cringe. Even though the arrangements are wonderful, including the male Gregorian chant and the sweeping melodies that seem to take flight on their own, the CD could have waited for the right voice to give it the height it deserved. If we're lucky it will be remade and made even more a success.

...is that this album is an exceptional work of art. Unlike even the original pop albums of my favorite male singer, Andrea Bocelli, Emma Shapplin's music tends to take a more 'mysterious' and more seriously original direction (not to say Bocelli is bad at all). Her voice is amazing, and fits perfectly into each song. My favorites so far from this album are 'Spente le Stelle' and 'Discovering Yourself,' one of three 'Movie and Radio Songs' thrown in for 'Carmine Meo's' 1999 re-issue but the whole disc is worth even one listen. Also recommended: 'Etterna' and 'Atylantos' (the true sequel to 'Carmine Meo,' available on the Amazon France website).