Opaline [Import]

1. Crystal Blue

2. When I Fall In Love

3. Summertime

4. Shangali

5. Opaline

6. True Love

7. Sleep Walk

8. Sunning Dale

9. Good Morning Mister Dorian

10. Power Of Love

11. Cassandra

12. Just For Pierre

13. Memories Of You

Opaline,Christian Morin,Sony/Deesse,World Music

Average customer rating: Excellent music but missing a few treasures ambiance The perfect music for Jane Austen's TV adaptation Background Music Pride and Prejudice Sound track

Pride and Prejudice: The Original Soundtrack from the A&E Special Presentation Carl Davis , Melvyn Tan , Nicholas Bucknall , Jonathan Barritt , Timothy Brown , Levine Andrade , Nicolas Busch , Joseph Frohlich , Martin Gatt , Rusen Gunes , Michael Harris , Keith Harvey , David Juritz , Peter Lale , and Pauline Lowbury Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sense and Sensibility: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995 Film) Pride & Prejudice The Making of Pride and Prejudice (BBC) Emma: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996) ASIN: B000002SJ5 Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

1. Pride And Prejudice: Pride and Prejudice (Opening title music)
2. Pride And Prejudice: Dance Montage
3. Pride And Prejudice: Elizabeth Observed
4. Pride And Prejudice: Piano Summary (Episode one)
5. Pride And Prejudice: Canon Collins
6. Pride And Prejudice: Piano Summary (Episode two)
7. Pride And Prejudice: The Gardiners
8. Pride And Prejudice: Winter Into Spring
9. Pride And Prejudice: Parting
10. Pride And Prejudice: Rosings
11. Pride And Prejudice: Piano Summary (Episode three)
12. Pride And Prejudice: Telling The Truth
13. Pride And Prejudice: Farewell to the Regiment
14. Pride And Prejudice: Pemberley
15. Pride And Prejudice: Darcy Returns
16. Pride And Prejudice: Piano Summary (Episode four)
17. Pride And Prejudice: Thinking about Lizzy
18. Pride And Prejudice: Lydia's Elopement
19. Pride And Prejudice: Piano Summary (Episode five)
20. Pride And Prejudice: Lydia's Wedding
21. Pride And Prejudice: Return of Bingley
22. Pride And Prejudice: Darcy's Second Proposal
23. Pride And Prejudice: Double Wedding
24. Pride And Prejudice: Finale

Customer Reviews:

Excellent music but missing a few treasures.......2007-07-02

Although the score for Pride and Prejudice was fantastic, there were even more songs that I wish had been included on this disc"

My favorite part was Lizzy playing the piano at Pemberly: Voi Che Sapete from the Marriage of Figaro. I also loved the Netherfield Ball dances with Mr. collins and Mr. Darcy: The Shrewsbury Lasses and Mr. Beveridge's Maggot. (these are very difficult to find anwhere and I especially loved the arrangement in the movie. I would have loved to have a recording of these). Grimstock played by Mary at the Phillips Christmas Party is also a favorite. Also, Andante Favore by Beethoven played by Georgiana at Pemberly. Fortunatly, these are easily found on popular online music sites.

ambiance.......2007-06-06

c'est un pur plaisir de revivre cette série que j'adore en écoutant la bande son. une ambiance "austenante" !

The perfect music for Jane Austen's TV adaptation.......2007-05-13

I was very happy to receive this CD which is not sold in France. When I listen to the music, I can imagine the exact moment it corresponds in the film. I like very much the opening title music

Carl Davis's Music is excellent and permit to translate the sense of a small town at this period and the fortepiano produces a unique and fascinating sound, quite different from that oh the modern instrument.

This CD is a good choice for the fans of the series.

Background Music.......2007-03-14

The soundtrack is fabulous. I now have it as the only disc in my car, and I listen to it on both short daily trips and long "coastal" trips.

Pride and Prejudice Sound track.......2007-03-13

This sound track is lovely-- great to listen to, well produced and is very soothing.The Piano Summaries played by Melvyn Tan on the fortepiano capture the time the series was set in. Loved IT!!!!!

Average customer rating: This is a great album Great CD Hooked Not bad, vocals are severely lacking however EAST VILLAGE OPERA CO.

The East Village Opera Company Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Delibes, Léo | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Opera Band Defined Beyond Imagination Opera Band La Donna ASIN: B000AMJE3W Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

1. Overture (Redux)
2. Nessun Dorma (Redux)
3. Flower Duet (Redux)
4. La Donna E Mobile (Redux)
5. Un Bel Di (Redux)
6. Au Fond Du Temple Saint (Redux)
7. O Mio Babbino Caro (Redux)
8. Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana (Redux)
9. Che Gelida Manina (Redux)
10. Habanera (Redux)
11. When I Am Laid Earth (Redux)
12. E Lucevan Le Stelle (Redux)

Customer Reviews:

This is a great album.......2007-04-26

I never liked opera before. I guess it's all about how the music is presented. The performances are top-notch, and taken from real operatic classics, but the way it is done makes it very nice to listen too. If you can only get one album of this genre, this is the one to get!!!!

Great CD.......2007-03-16

I enjoy this different kind of opera music. Very nice and still giving you the feeling of the opera it self but in more modern way.

Hooked.......2007-03-15

I love this CD. I have it in my car, and now know practically all of the Italian words by heart. Infectious and uplifting. Good tears and fun listening.

Not bad, vocals are severely lacking however.......2007-02-28

I love music. I especially love classical music. When I find musicians who have taken classical music and presented it in a new way, I'm always excited. EVOC has done exactly that with these tried-and-true opera classics. The orchestrations are wonderful and the musicians obviously very talented. The vocalists, however, sometimes really don't deliver. All in all, it's a fun CD and I will certainly enjoy listening to it again and again.

EAST VILLAGE OPERA CO........2007-02-13

I SAW THEM ON T.V. AND HAD TO HAVE IT - JUST A REFRESHING TREATMENT POF OPERA

Average customer rating: Well worth the price Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection... Where's the chicks?!?! Not quite the ultimate.... Great Music - Questionable Selection

The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Arthur Sullivan , Isidore Godfrey , Royston Nash , New Symphony Orchestra of London , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Colin Wright , Donald Adams , George Cook , Gillian Knight , Jean Hindmarsh , Jeffrey Skitch , John Ayldon , John Reed , Joyce Wright , Kenneth Sandford , Lyndsie Holland , Owen Brannigan , Pauline Wales , Peggy Ann Jones , Thomas Round , Valerie Masterson , and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Topsy-Turvy The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan ASIN: B000007OU0 Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Shall Sail The Ocean Blue
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: My Galant Crew, Good Morning
4. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm The Monarch Of The Sea
5. H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad
6. H.M.S. Pinafore: Nevermind The Why And Wherefore
7. H.M.S. Pinafore: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
8. H.M.S. Pinafore: Carefully On Tip - Toe Stealing
9. H.M.S. Pinafore: For He Is An Englishman
10. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major - General
11. The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
12. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat Like Tread
13. The Sorcerer: My Name Is John Wellinton Wells
14. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
15. Patience: If You're Anxious To Shine
16. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are
17. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
18. The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner
19. The Mikado: As Someday It May Happen
20. The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
21. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
22. The Mikado: Here's A How - De - Do!
23. The Mikado: From Ev'ry Kind Of Man Obedience I Expect
24. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exist
25. The Mikado: The Criminal Cried As He Dropp'd Him Down
26. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La
27. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River A Little Tom Tit
28. The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
29. The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the price.......2006-04-13

I love this CD. No, despite its name it is not the "ultimate" collection, as scarcely could be expected from a single CD. It is heavy on Mikado, as others have stated. It leaves out things I would have included and includes things I would have left out. But the performances are wonderful, traditional and all you expect from G&S. Considering the low price, it is well worth including in your G&S collection ... as PART of your collection. After the disappointment of the godawful Opera World video series (Don't buy it!) this CD is a joy and a relief.

Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection..........2004-12-23

It seems that a collection of Gilbert & Sullivan music that has the name "The Ultimate Collection" in its title would boast a wide range of music, but I found the selection disappointing. Half of the tracks are songs from The Mikado, and the other half is divided between five... yes, FIVE other operettas. This means that the representation from each operetta is awfully scant. I would have liked to see less Mikado and more of everything else, and perhaps some highlights from the more obscure operettas (Princess Ida and The Sorcerer, namely).

In addition, while most of the music is very well performed, some of the vocalists either go a bit overboard or, at the very opposite end, seem to lack expression. For example, this Nanki-Poo (in The Mikado) seems to be overly occupied with vibrato. Katisha's voice is annoying, and The Mikado's low voice often seems to lack feeling and humor. The other idiosyncracies, like the very frightening evil laughing during "A More Humane Mikado" and hissing during "Three Little Maids" really bug me.

Then again, I'm new to Gilbert and Sullivan, and was introduced to the music through the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, which has a noticeably less operatic style, and hardly includes "stage noise"... so perhaps all this is the norm. Do listen to the tracks for yourself, though, before you purchase the CD. Personally, I find that the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, while considerably less ecompassing, is much lighthearted and easier listening.

Where's the chicks?!?!.......2003-05-15

It wouldn't be G&S if not for the ladies - so where are they? How could they leave out Mabel's aria - or Josephine's!? The only female aria included on this disc comes from Mikado, which is the least exciting (if G&S could be un-exciting) of the three! Everything else on the recording is great, but I am still quite disappointed.

Not quite the ultimate...........2002-03-25

This is a great collection, but unfortunately it doesn't have songs from all the works of G&S. Most notably, there is nothing from the "Yeoman of the Guard". I still reccommed it however as John Reed is wonderful!!

Great Music - Questionable Selection.......2002-02-05

It's an ongoing challenge to find a recording of Gilbert and Sullivan that combines premium musicality and great theatrical performance. This recording is a true gem on both fronts. My only complaint is that for a "Best of" collection, this compilation is Mikado-heavy and scarcely touches on highlights from other masterpieces, particularly The Pirates of Penzance. This would be my favorite G&S CD of all time, of only it included tracks like "When the Foeman Bares his Steel," "Poor Wand'ring One," and "Dry the Glist'ning Tear," but then again, I guess there's no real consensus as to which are Gilbert and Sullivan's best works, and there are too many to fit on one CD.

Average customer rating: Wonderful Production Quality but Staid Solid and Traditional The Best of Many, Many Recordings

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / WNO · Mackerras The Pirates Of Penzance Or The Slave Of Duty Gilbert & Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore / Mackerras, Welsh National Opera Gilbert & Sullivan; The Mikado Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore ASIN: B00008LJEV Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. Pour, Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry
3. When Fred'ric Was A Little Lad
4. Oh, Better To Live And Die
5. Oh, False One, You Have Deceived Me
6. Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
7. Stop! Ladies, Pray! A Man!
8. Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast
9. Oh, Sisters, Deaf To Pity's Name, For Shame!
10. Poor Wand'ring One!
11. What Ought We To Do, Gentle Sisters, Say?
12. How Beautifully Blue The Sky
13. Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses
14. Hold, Monsters!
15. I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General

Tracks:

1. Oh, Men Of Dark And Dismal Fate
2. Hail Poetry, Thou Heav'n Born Maid!
3. You May Go, For You're At Liberty
4. Pray Observe The Magnanimity
5. Oh, Dry The Glist'ning Tear
6. Then Frederic
7. When The Foeman Bares His Steel
8. Now For The Pirates Lair!
9. When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold
10. Away, Away, My Heart's On Fire
11. All Is Prepared
12. Stay, Fred'ric Stay!
13. Ah, Leave Me Not Pine Alone And Desolate
14. Oh, Here Is Love And Here Is Truth
15. No, I'll Be Brave
16. Sergeant Approach
17. When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
18. A Rollicking Band Of Pirates We
19. With Cat-Like Tread
20. Hush! Hush! Not A Word
21. Sighing Softly To The River
22. Now What Is This, And What Is That
23. We Triumph Now
24. Away With Them, And Place Them At The Bar
25. Poor Wand'ring Ones, Though Ye Have Surely Strayed

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Production.......2006-02-27

It is almost imposible to find a flaw in this production. Valerie Masterson is wonderful as Mabel, John Reid is fantastic as the Very Model of a Modern Major General, Donald Adams makes a great pirate king & Owen Branigan's Police Sergeant is Superb.
Well worth buying but it is best if accompanied by the libretto so you can get the most of Gilbert's dialogue.

Quality but Staid.......2005-05-30

For newbies: *Pirates* is indeed one of the most pleasurable of the G&S shows. While not the most satirical, not the most ambitious, it is perhaps the most perfectly realized. Particular treat: wonderful music and lyrics for the chorus.

For newbies: the D-Carte Company produced the premieres of the G&S operettas with Gilbert and Sullivan. Until some point well into the 20th c (1980's?) the company performed and recorded the repertory. Thus, there is a rare historical cachet to anything D-Carte.

The Good on this recording: a sly, sonorous, and expressive Police Sgt; sensitive duet singing by Frederick and Mabel; anchoring tempi; a strong chorus.

The Bad on this recording: J. Reed as Major-General is really hard for me to listen to...his instrument is dreadful AND he manages to not be amusing. On the whole I think sounds as if the cast has been performing this show for decades. There is dignity here, but little light or life. I'm not looking for some tarted-up reimagining, but it all strikes me as stodgy.

Solid and Traditional.......2005-05-20

Despite its old production date, the music is loud and clear - no static, scratching, distortion, etc. that you can get some from old productions.

This production is a solid, regular performance. Excellent voices, English accents, original (as far as I know) dialogue, etc. No surprises at all.

I haven't heard the other versions that are available; but this one sets the standard.

The Best of Many, Many Recordings.......2004-03-11

The cast is first-rate. John Reed is in very good form. Owen Brannigan (replacing the usual George Cook) is for me the greatest Sergeant. Brannigan, also found on many of Benjamin Britten's opera recordings, has the bass voice the role requires (I do not feel it should be sung by baritones) and his dialogue remains the standard. I've always enjoyed Donald Adams and his Pirate is also the standard. Potter, Masterson and Palmer are very good.

The ensemble and orchestra conducted by Godfrey create a very exciting, sparkling performance. This is the recording I grew up with and no other has beaten it yet.

All dialogue is included. No updates or major cuts.

Average customer rating: dreamy groovy french songs for 21st century Very special and lovely

Pauline Croze Pauline Croze Manufacturer: Wagram ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music France | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music French Pop | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Vegetal Melancholishch Schoen Rebeldia Con Alegria Le Fil Emilie Simon ASIN: B0007DB06S Release Date: 2005-03-21

Tracks:

1. Mise u
2. Dans La Chaleur des Nuits de Pleine Lune
3. Men Voulez-Vous?
4. Jeunesse Affam
5. Tes Beau
6. Quand Je Suis Ivre
7. Je Suis Floue
8. Je Ferai Sans
9. Larmes
10. Tita
11. Femme Fossile
12. Mal Assis

Customer Reviews:

dreamy groovy french songs for 21st century.......2007-05-12

i love this cd, found it in Paris Virgin Megastore last summer, this has been my fave cd of the last couple years, now in my all time faves list, it hit me totally by surprise, kinda like Beth Orton's Trailor Park or Bjork's Debut...

french language alt. melodic romantic pop songwriter dance groove folk fusion...? not sure what to call it, every track has a nylon string guitar rhythm part, which plays up the French folk connection, but the very modern sounding production pulls it in a pop direction, but not like a USA top 20 pop sound, more like the way Bjork sounds pop-like, with very strong groove emphasis, all the while featuring the highly melodic character of the singer and her songs... lots of layers of melody and harmony, with a few stripped down numbers for contrast...

i don't speak French, i haven't even checked out translations of these songs, but i love this album and every song on it. Pauline sounds serious, earnest, and passionate. she has a powerful voice but doesn't over do it, her great melodies are the hook, i hope she makes more records soon!

Very special and lovely.......2006-10-22

If you like French music, if you like singer-songwriter/guitarists with who play varied music and acoustic/electric indie rock, you might want to check out this cd. I've had this lovely cd for almost a year and still listen to it a lot. I was surprised that no one has reviewed it yet. I really like Pauline Croze's voice and her songs. Mise a nu is probably one of my favourite songs; her French and her voice are especially beautiful in this song, and it's nice rhythmically. It's one that I listen to often.

Since amazon.com doesn't have samples of the tracks for this cd, at least not as of this writing, I would suggest going to amazon.fr to hear them; that is how I found it. I listen to a lot of French music and I like to try out the recommendations and similar artists. Usually, when I hear at least three tracks that I really like, then I buy the cd (not usually from France because of high international shipping rates.) Well, Pauline Croze had more than three that sounded great, and five of them sounded so good that I couldn't wait for the cd to arrive, I kept listening to the samples. Those tracks, Mise a nu, T'es beau, Je ferai sans, Larmes, and Tita are still my favourites, but I also have become pretty attached to Quand je suis ivre (at one point the wonderfully french-sounding background vocals sing "oh-la oh-la oh-lala") and I like all the other songs, as well.

There's a range of moods and rhythms in this cd. T'es beau is a pretty waltz-like song; Je ferais sans is repetitive, intense rock, almost explosive, with an eastern sounding electric guitar riff. Larmes has a repetitive background vocal depicting tears and Pauline's vocal seems to express the comfort after a flood of tears. It's difficult to listen to Tita and its bossa-like acoustic bass line without dancing; Femme fossile also seems to have that eastern or North African influence, this time in the rhythm.

The only thing I don't like about this album is something very, very small -- in Tita, in part of the refrain she sings "oh-oh-oh-oh" both times, while, for impact and expression, it really would sound better sung only the second time. It is of course, something miniscule, but it makes it less spontaneous. Maybe I shouldn't use that to judge, but I think Pauline Croze, who is still in her twenties, probably needs to let loose a bit more. This is her first album, and I hope that she will continue to grow as a singer and songwriter. If she does, I think she will become a very special artist.

Average customer rating: Buy two and give one to someone you love! A joyful sample of the human voice. A sheer delight from start to finish Exquisite Cecilia Live

Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy / Jean-Yves Thibaudet George Frideric Handel , Antonio Vivaldi , Giulio Caccini , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Franz Schubert , Pauline Viardot , Hector Berlioz , Vincenzo Bellini , Gaetano Donizetti , Gioachino Rossini , Umberto Giordano , Xavier Montsalvatge , Georges Bizet , Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca , Cecilia Bartoli , and Jean-Yves Thibaudet Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Bartoli, Cecilia | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works Featuring Bartoli | Bartoli, Cecilia | A to B | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bartoli, Cecilia | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico Cecilia Bartoli - A Portrait Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini) Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski ASIN: B00000DBTM Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

1. Tu ch'hai le penne, Amore
2. Amarilli
3. Al fonte, al prato
4. Lascia la spina
5. Agitata da due venti
6. Oiseaux, si tous les ans, K. 307
7. La Pastorella, D 528
8. Havanaise
9. Hai luli!
10. Zaide
11. Malinconia, ninfa gentile
12. Ma rendi pur contento
13. La conocchia
14. Me voglio fa 'na casa
15. Mi lagnero tacendo
16. Mi lagnero tacendo (Il Risentimento)
17. Mi lagnero tacendo (Sorzico)
18. L' Orpheline du Tyrol
19. Riedi al soglio (Zelmira)
20. Le nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete
21. Canzonetta Spagnuola
22. Caro mio ben
23. Cinco Canciones negras, No. 5: Canto negro
24. Carmen: Seguedille (Carmen)

Amazon.com essential recording

In the beginning, Cecilia Bartoli seemed to do one thing better than anybody, i.e., Rossini arias, which would not guarantee a long career even for a singer of her ebullience. This live performance from the Teatro Olympico in Vincenza, Italy, shows how much she's expanded, both linguistically and musically. The first five selections reflect her newfound specialty, early opera. The three Caccini selections from the 17th century--accompanied by small string ensemble--are deeply felt and stylistically convincing enough to make one eager for future forays. She's guilty of spinning out Handel's "Lascia la spina" excessively but hits new heights of virtuosity in Vivaldi's "Agitata da due venti." The rest of the disc is for voice and piano, in a program including both some genuine discoveries by French composer Pauline Viardot-Garcia that reveal the singer's increasing emotional depths and less consequential ones by Donizetti and Rossini. Bartoli also sings Spanish songs, most notably Montsalvatge's "Canto negro," proving that the singer doesn't venture into a new language until she can truly feel in it. Remarkably, her voice maintains its strength and body in the deeper, mezzo-ish regions as well as in the high, soprano-range areas. Might she have two voices? --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Buy two and give one to someone you love!.......2007-03-08

(That way, you can get free shipping!) Or, buy Opera Proibita also.

If you think you don't like listening to soprano soloists, you should buy this CD. I must say that I HATE listening to solo singing in general and soprano solo in particular! Well, this lady has stolen my heart! If you see her anywhere on the N American continent, please tell me.

The one-minute limit for listening on-line will simply not allow you to make a judgement. If I could legally allow you to hear track 5 "Griselda - Agitata da Due Venti" (Vivaldi), you would buy the CD without hearing anything else.

When I first heard Cecilia Bartoli on "Performance Today", the subject was "Opera Proibita" and I wrote to a friend who teaches voice at a local college and asked "Is she as good as I think, or am I just overreacting?" His simple response was "She's THAT good!"

This CD is of a live performance and you won't be disappointed except to realize that you COULD have been there, but weren't!

If she ever performs where I am able to see her, I'll be there. If I can talk to her, I will -- but I won't ask for my heart.

Highly recommended!

A joyful sample of the human voice........2006-06-12

'Live in Italy' by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, accompanied by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet is, for those of us who do not know Italian and are not avid opera fans, a simply delightful essay in the beauty of the human voice. I am really happy this is not the first Bartoli album I have bought, as others, such as her recordings of French and Italian love songs have more substance to offer (if you don't know the operas from which these pieces are taken) but this recording, with its live ambiance, is a great pleasure all by itself, a very nice change from the somewhat frostier Fraulain Von Otter from the northern climes.

A sheer delight from start to finish.......2005-07-14

Although I rarely follow singers, even I am totally disarmed by Cecilia's magic spell of charm that criticism fails me. You will see that most of my reviews of music are about modern or Renaissance music, so for me to go out and lavish praise on her is really something totally out of the ordinary. Then again her singing is out of the ordinary in that it has an instantly recognisable warmth and captivating personality that makes her the outstanding singer of the current generation for me.

I have been impressed by Cecilia's tendency to avoid the well worn paths of 19th century Italian operas in favour of championing neglected earlier music whether that be Vivaldi, Haydn, or Salieri. She has always talked about how the centre of gravity of Western music seems to be shifting backwards in time, and in her case this means away from the Austro-German tradition to the time when the Italians dominated music. After all the musical elite of even Wagner's time could be still be heard muttering 'but he just isn't as good as those Italian...' at premiers of works such as Tannhäuser and it took a lot of convincing before the the idea of German opera became accepted. This shift backward in time here is exemplified by way the recital begins with the music of Caccini, the father of opera.

Here on this recording I particularly love the spontaneity of the live music making. Her ability to capture the declamatory nature of much older music such as with Caccini, Vivaldi and Handel suite live recording perfectly. Her manner of conveying the meaning of the words especially when singing in Italian is simply unrivalled in this situation. This is the sort of thing that all too often gets lost in studio recordings so it is a blessing that this is a live recording, where Cecilia seems to just glow. The spontaneity, the sheer magic of the moment - it is all a sheer delight from start to finish. At moments her voice seems so etheral, the hushed and rapt awe of the music making so breathtaking, that it simply beggers belief that the human voice can be so beautiful an instrument. This is what great music making should be all about.

As far as the recording itself goes I have never noticed any disturbing audience noises anywhere even on my system which tends to makes the slightest of rustling blatantly obvious. The recording engineers do an excellent job of capturing the ambience of the acoustic of the Teatro Olimpico in Vincenzo despite the presence of the audience.

A stunning recording and an absolute favourite to relax to or just to be inspired by.

Exquisite.......2003-01-31

"Her natural command of messa di voce phrasing, willingness to shade the voice away to the quietest pianissimo and acute sensitivity to the words of Caccini's love songs proved irresistible, attracting a generous mix of applause and foot stamping."

Such was the appreciation from the audience that the director had to request that the audience not stamp their feet as they would set off the alarm system.

There are hardly words to describe Cecilia Bartoli's remarkable vocal qualities, emotional range and warmth. When I listen to this CD, I am calmed completely. There is an element of comfort in her style. Maybe one could explain it as a lullaby for the soul.

She has the ability to support the longest of phrases on the back of a single breath all while varying the tone color and dynamic level. Singing seems as effortless as breathing as she becomes emotion all while capturing the drama and mood.

In this live performance from the Teatro Olympico in Vincenza, Italy, she performs each piece as if she is intimately entwined with the notes. How can music be this sensual and this comforting all at once? It just is. She can express a wide range of emotions, from profound despair to extreme joy.

The Teatro Olimpico is the worlds' oldest surviving covered theatre. It has fine acoustics, a sky-blue ceiling and marble. Cecilia Bartoli wanted to perform in one of the great treasures of Italy's cultural heritage and this led to this live performance with concert pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet who seems to sense every emotion in Cecilia's voice. It is a sublime combination of talent which is further enhanced by violins, viola, cello, violone, archlute and harpsichord.

Tu ch'hai le penne, Amore - A song to love asking love to fly to where the heart lies and to promise that his heart and soul were ever hers.

Amarilli - Delicate and beautiful expression of true love.

Al fonte, al prato - You can feel spring approaching and this song has a certain energy Cecilia embraces as she sings away troubles and sadness to allow in merriment.

Lascia la spina - Melancholy. "Old age will creep up on you when your heart does not expect it."

Agitata da due venti - Cecilia's voice takes flight in this song about waves raging in a stormy sea. She almost becomes the force of the ocean as her voice surges and dives and wow.

Oiseaux, si tous les ans, K307 - She embodies a haunting vulnerability and the freshness of spring/summer. This song ends far too quickly.

La pastorella, D528 - Calm beauty to reflect a shepherdess in a meadow. Innocent love.

Havanaise - It seems like she has a completely different voice in this song as she reaches
to new ranges in depth. Charmed by a song? Perhaps.

Hai luli! - A seductive treatment of a song asking "where can my love be?"

"What's the point of living without a lover?"

Zaide - High energy and fast paced. A song about an orphan.

Malinconia, ninfa gentile - Gorgeous and poetic song.

Ma rendi pur contento - She really captures longing and an almost delicate purity.

La conocchia - Light and breezy.

Me voglio fa 'na casa - A song about the desire to build a house surrounded by the sea. Fantasy and happiness.

Mi langero tacendo - Poignant moment.

"I shall not complain of my bitter fate;
but, my beloved, do not hope for me not to love you."

Mi lagnero tacendo ll resentimento - the sorrow continues. The lover is said to be cruel.

Mi lagnero tacendo Sorzico - more complaints of cruelty and sorrow. She seems to capture frustration so exquisitely and is that stomping I hear? ;)

L'Orpheline du Tyrol - The Tyrolean orphan girl. Jean-Yves Thibaudet really takes the stage at first and Cecilia follows almost timidly. A song of tragedy, hunger and suffering.

Riedi al soglio from Rossini's opera Zelmira left seasoned connoisseurs dazzled. After the aria's final cadence, they broke from their awe-struck silence to add to the shouts of "encore."

Voi che sapete - Light and yet still dramatic. Desire, torment, ice. All explored fully by her voice. You can hear "torment" when she sings "martir" even if you could not see the words or follow along. Her voice really "flutters" when she sings "palpito e tremo." It is just amazing.

Canzonetta spagnuola - A muse comes to torment a painter.

Caro mio ben - A lover grows faint without love. Solitary melodies and you can almost feel the chill in the room or the feeling of despair the lover feels.

Canto negro - Is there anything she can't sing? This piece might seem completely out of place, but by now everyone is completely drunk with emotion from this performance.

Seguidille - Pleasure comes when two people are together. Definitely so when Cecilia Bartoli and Jean-Yves Thibaudet perform together. This song is almost a metaphor of the entire intoxicating experience. I just love how the audience goes absolutely wild after this song.

And too soon, it is over. I look forward to one day viewing the performance on DVD. It will be so much easier to understand the words now that I've literally studied this performance. Knowing the words definitely adds to the subtle emotions and more expressive moments.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Cecilia Live.......2002-07-12

I have loved her low and warm voice ever since the first time I listened to her, the Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli. With respect and tenderness she treats the composers, whose works she performs while adding her own dimension. She transports me with her art. It is as if we become one person, and I experience her joy of music. Together we share a glimpse of eternity.

On this album which was recorded live at the Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, Italy in 1998 Cecilia Bartoli offers her listeners a varied programme comprised of several composers: Caccini, Haendel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Viardot, Schubert, Montsalvatge and Bizet. She's accompanied in Caccini, Haendel and Vivaldi by the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca (Baroque string ensemble) and for the other pieces by Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano. The accompanying booklet contains the lyrics, translations and further information.

Ms. Bartoli certainly has expanded her musical horizons here in several ways. On this disc she sings in Italian, French and Spanish. I loved her intense and heartfelt rendition of Caccini's and Haendel's arias. The passionate acrobatics of Vivaldi. And the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca gave her a fine support. She made a warm and lovely Cherubino in Mozart's famous 'Voi che sapete'. I also loved her sparkling interpretations of Viardot's 'Havanaise', Rossini's 'Mi lagnero tacendo' or his 'Canzonetta spagnuola'. But Montsalvatge's 'Canto negro' made me feel definitely uncomfortable and Ms. Bartoli herself didn't connect with it. Although I liked her rendition of Bizet's 'Seguedille, I still missed something there. Jean-Yves Thibaudet lends her an excellent, attentive and expressive support.

Although I would have preferred some more Baroque pieces at this concert, this live album is a keeper for me. Everytime the bundle of pure joy that is Cecilia Bartoli has the power to move me deeply!

Average customer rating: Great Orchestra - Lousy Cast An average Mikado In my opinion, the best recording of this masterpiece Acceptable, but not great An acceptable yet slightly weak performance.

Sullivan: Mikado Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance The Mikado Vocal Score (Dover Vocal Scores) Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates Of Penzance Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / WNO · Mackerras ASIN: B0000041VD Release Date: 1989-07-21

Tracks:

1. The Mikado: Overture
2. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are
3. The Mikado: Gentlemen, I Pray You Tell Me
4. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
5. The Mikado: Our Great Mikado, Virtuous Man
6. The Mikado: Young Man, Despair
7. The Mikado: And I Have Journey'd For A Month
8. The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner!
9. The Mikado: As Someday It May Happen That A Victim Must Be Found
10. The Mikado: Comes A Train Of Little Ladies
11. The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
12. The Mikado: So Please You, Sir, We Much Regret
13. The Mikado: Were You Not To Ko - Ko Plighted
14. The Mikado: I am So Proud, If I Allowed
15. The Mikado: With Aspect Stern And Gloomy Stride
16. The Mikado: The Threaten'd Cloud Has Pass'd Away
17. The Mikado: Your Revels Cease! Assist Me, All Of You!
18. The Mikado: Oh Fool, That Flee-est My Hallow'd Joys!
19. The Mikado: For He's Going To Marry Yum - Yum
20. The Mikado: The Hour Of Gladness Is Dead And Gone
21. The Mikado: Ye Torrents Roar! Ye Tempests Howl!

Tracks:

1. The Mikado: Braid The Raven Hair, Weave The Supple Tresses
2. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
3. The Mikado: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day
4. The Mikado: Here's A How-De-Do!
5. The Mikado: Miya Sama, Miya Sama, O N'mma No Maye Ni
6. The Mikado: From Ev'ry Kind Of Man Obedience I Expect
7. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exist
8. The Mikado: The Criminal Cried As He Dropp'd Him Down
9. The Mikado: See How The Fates Their Gifts Allot
10. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La
11. The Mikado: Alone And Yet Alive
12. The Mikado: Hearts Do Not Break! They Sting And Ache
13. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River A Little Tom Tit
14. The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
15. The Mikado: Fanfare
16. The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum - Yum

Customer Reviews:

Great Orchestra - Lousy Cast.......2004-04-04

I'll admit it, I'm a G&S nut. I was raised on it and have never tired of the fantastic music, witty lyrics, and still hilarious gags. I have performed in several productions of Pirates and the Mikado as a lead baritone. So...

As a former Pooh-Bah, I can say the one on this recording is awful. Sure Sandford is a powerful singer and has a tremendous vibrato...bur come on, get over yourself. In fact, this seems to be a common ailment throughout this era of D'Oyly Carte. The performances of the Mikado, Nanki-Poo, and Katisha are all overblown and just not fun to listen to. The notable exception is Yum-Yum, whose voice is fantastic for light opera and actually sounds like she's enjoying the role instead of the chance to display her talent.

Whatever ailments affected the singers of this time of D'Oyly Carte blessedly did not touch the orchestra. This recording is one of the best I've heard for orchestral perfection. Good balance, perfect timing, and just the right 'extras' that afficionados will recognize.

Acceptable for a listen if you check in out from the library, but don't spend the money to add this to your collection.

An average Mikado.......2003-07-21

Firstly, it must be said that Nash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have done an excellent job. Orchestration is crisp and clear, if occasionally the victim of inconsistent tempi. The reason for this recording's mediocre score are the few black spots in an otherwise exellent cast. Specifically, I found Colin Wright's Nanki-Poo to have much too much vibrato, but those accustomed to more operatic performers may appreciate this; I just though it inappropriate for the lighter, comical fare of Gilbert and Sullivan. Valerie Masterson and John Reed are excellent, as expected. A more rounded historical stereo recording would be the recently remastered and re-released 1957 from Sounds on CD. Otherwise, I would go with Mackerras or New D'Oyly-Carte, the former winning out due to its greater commitment to authenticity. Stay away from Sargent, unless, like me, you are a completist.

In my opinion, the best recording of this masterpiece.......2002-06-09

Reading reviews of those who have listened to all of the various MIKADO recordings, it is evident that they boil down to each listener's personal tastes. I personally have found this recording to be the best, with a few slight drawbacks. The choral numbers and orchestration are clear and loud. The pacing is consistently excellent--at times, appropriately breakneck--unlike the Sargent recording which many have said is too slow (I agree). And this CD features arguably the best Yum-Yum, Valerie Masterson, who's rendition of "The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze" is simply gorgeous. As Ko-Ko, John Reed is also first rate, and Pooh-Bah, Pish-Tush, and Peep-Bo are all well-sung. Pitti-Sing and the Mikado are only good compared to the brilliance of her fellow performers. Nanki-Poo also leaves something to be desired, however, and Katisha is the weakest in the cast, unfortunately making her very beautiful song, "Hearts Do Not Break," less powerful than it might have been. Either way, this is overall the best recording of this masterpiece I have heard and I was pleased to discover it. The music of THE MIKADO itself is pure perfection. However, listen around and decide for yourself...apparently, no one seems to have agreed on a definitive recording.

Acceptable, but not great.......2001-03-20

The pacing on this production leaves much to be desired. The orchestra can't seem to find the right way to perform Ko-Ko's songs. When the songs should be fast, the orchestra plays like it is slogging through quicksand. When the pace should be slowed down a bit to allow for some witty enunciation, the orchestra races through. John Reed is acceptable as the Lord High executioner Ko-Ko, but he tends to sing a little flat in some of his songs. However, it is complete with the overture and the little list song is largely untouched. But these complaints aside, the music and words are still able to shine through. That's enough to make it a passable recording.

An acceptable yet slightly weak performance........2000-07-09

This D'Oyly Carte stereo remake of The Mikado, though praised as a "complete success" by the Penguin Guide, is actually a weaker performance than expected. As a matter of fact, it tends to lose its freshness after repeated listenings, and it captured the Company in its duldrums before its reformation in the 1980s. John Ayldon's portrayal of the eponymous title character seems to lack the satanic glitter immortalised in Donald Adams' portrayal of the 1958 set, and the former's portrayal is not a truly three-dimensional portrayal. The two lovers fare better, despite Colin Wright's not-so-good Nanki-Poo, which cannot match Thomas Round's famous portrayal. The selling star, John Reed, is a good Ko-Ko, but his voice has lost the freshness it once was, and so has Kenneth Sandford's Pooh-Bah. Valerie Masterson's Yum-Yum is one of the better points of the recording, as her voice is like ear-candy, and Lyndsie Holland's Katisha is as commanding as, if not better than Anne Drummond-Grant. The orchestra and chorus do an excellent job in supporting the singers, despite some slightly poorly-chosen tempi, and the sound on this remastered version is slightly dryish. Overall, I'm not really prepared to recommend this awfully strongly, and I would suggest waiting for Decca (Polygram) to re-release its first stereo D'Oyly Carte Mikado on CD. Still, this is a slightly easy performance with which to live.

Average customer rating: full description missing Fine Excerpts At An Affordable Price Excerpts And Highlights From The Pirates Of Penzance Pirates Of Penzance Highlights At A Cheap Price !! A reasonably good abridgement to this ever-popular G&S opera

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates Of Penzance Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Gilbert and Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore Highlights Sullivan: Mikado Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Kline, Ronstadt, Smith, Routledge, Delacorte Theater (Broadway Theatre Archive) Mozart: Requiem ASIN: B00000420J Release Date: 1993-05-11

Tracks:

1. Pirates Of Penzance: Overture
2. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Pour, Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry
3. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - When Fred'ric Was A Little Lad
4. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Oh, Better Far to Live and Die
5. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
6. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast
7. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Oh, Sisters, Dear To Pity's Name, For Shame!
8. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Poor Wand'ring One!
9. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - How Beautifully Blue The Sky
10. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses
11. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. I - I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
12. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - Oh, Dry The Glist'ning Tear
13. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - Then Frederic .. When The Foeman Bares His Steel
14. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - Stay, Fred'ric, Stay!
15. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
16. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - With Cat-Like Tread
17. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - Hush! Hush! Not A Word
18. Pirates Of Penzance: Act. II - Sighing Softly To The River ... (Finale)

Customer Reviews:

full description missing.......2006-08-18

While the music that is on the CD is good, a several numbers are missing! It's not the full operetta

Fine Excerpts At An Affordable Price.......2004-02-07

Gilbert And Sullivan. Eternal names in the musical theatre scene. They were the 19th century British version of Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Loewe. And this was long before Broadway, when the Savoy was the vogue of musical comedy and the Savoyards were highly popular entertainers. William S. Gilbert provided the libretti and lyrics to the operettas, while Arthur Sullivan, who was a serious music composer in his own right, provided the music. The operettas or light operas they wrote were mostly up-beat social satires dressed up as comedy, very theatrical, historical, inventive, and very patriotic to Brittain. Their works borrowed the opera technique- choruses, arias, ensembles, but as far as plot and content their only serious work was The Yeomen Of The Guard. Other Gilbert And Sullivan hits include Trial By Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, Princess Ida and The Gondoliers. Gilbert And Sullivan's manager/impresario was Richard D'Oyly Carte.

This recording is only highlights from a 1968 recording (also available on Amazon.com) with the D'Oyly Carte Opera, conductor Isidore Godfrey directs the Royal Philharmonic. In the role of Frederick, lyric tenor Phillip Potter, in the role of Mabel, soprano Valerie Masterson, John Reed as Major General Stanley, Donald Adams as The Pirate King,Owen Brannigan as the Sergeant Of Police, and mezzo soprano Christine Palmer as Nurse Ruth. These singers were at their vocal peaks, and they provide much comedic acting as well. Impressive scenes include the mezzo soprano vocals of Christine Palmer's Ruth as she describes how she mistook "Pilot" for "Pirate" when nursing Frederick (When Frederick Was A Little Lad"), Frederick's plea to the daughters of the Major General to accept him as husband (O Is There Not One Maiden Breast) Valerie Masterson, whose Mabel is the best, singing the coloratura showcase "Poor Wondering One" and her duet in "Stay Frederick Stay" John Reed singing "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General" is hilarious and a display of virtuosity for this type of singing. The beautiful chorus "O Dry The Glistening Tear" the upbeat "With Cat Like Tread" and the finale are exceptional.

Excerpts And Highlights From The Pirates Of Penzance.......2004-02-04

This cd contains only highlights and excerpts from the 1968 recording by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. For a full recording, check it out on the Amazon.com catalog under Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates Of Penzance D'Oyl Carte Opera. This company was founded by the original impresario and manager of the Gilbert and Sullivan productions in the late 19th century, Richard D'Oyly Carte. Arthur Sullivan, who was a well-known composer, provided the music and William Gilbert wrote the libretti. Their partnership was a match made in heaven, as evident in the success of their many operettas, beginning with the smash hit "Trial By Jury" and even on to the more serious opera "The Yeomen Of The Guard". Nevertheless, Gilbert and Sullivan had different temperaments and did'nt always get along very well. They split up sometime in the 1890's. Other famous light operas of theirs include The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, Iolanthe, Princess Ida and The Gondoliers. Light opera or operetta was the vogue of the day, especially popular in the Savoy Theatre in London. Although it was not opera, it borrowed much of the opera techniques- namely arias and chorus. The entertainment of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas were very much like Broadway musicals. In fact, one could make the argument that the Savoy was the Broadway long before American Broadway theatre and Gilbert and Sullivan were like an early British form of Rodgers and Hammersteins or Lerner and Loewe.

The Pirate Of Penzance is a beautiful work of art. The sugary and sentimental story is about the exoneration of pirates, who are noble men who have "gone astray" by such authorities as the Major General,his daughters and the Sergeant of Police. Through the course of the opera, Frederick, who was nursed by Ruth and reared by the Pirate King and his roguish band of pirates. When the daughters of Major General Stanley reject his proposals of love, only Mabel consents to love him. But there's a catch. Frederick is in the hands of the pirates until he comes of age but he was born on a leap year and not until 1940 will he be released. The ending is happy and finds the pirates forgivened by the authorities and Mabel and Frederick are happily married.

The singers really deliver a great performance. In the role of the Major General Stanley is John Reed, who by the time of this recording was a veteran singer in the company. He comes off as fatherly, authoritive but cheerful. An especially skilled type of singer is needed for the master song "I am the Very Model Of A Modern Major General". In contrast, a lyric tenderness is required in the final song "Sighing Softly To The River". As mentioned, a lot of this light opera shines with chorus. The excellent choruses include the opening chorus "Pour The Pirate Sherry", "Oh Dry The Glistening Tear"- this one in particular is set to beautiful music and the daughters of the Major General sound heavenly when they sing in chorus, expressive also in their chorus when Frederick sings "O, Is There Not One Maiden Breast ?". Frederick is sung by Phillip Potter, whose tenor voice is lyric and romantic, and it sounds gorgeous when in duet with Valerie Masterson's Mabel, as in the duet that follows "Stay Frederick Stay". Valerie Masterson was the principal soprano of the company and performed in various other lead roles such as Princess Yum-Yum in The Mikado. A well-schooled lyric and coloratura diva, Valerie Masterson extended her repertoire into Broadway and opera- she has sung Violetta Valery of Verdi's La Traviata (in both Italian and in English versions), Adele in Die Fledermaus and even a part in an English version of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung. Valerie has recordings out in stock and available in Amazon.com.

Pirates Of Penzance Highlights At A Cheap Price !!.......2003-12-27

For a very reasonable, inexpensive price (around 8 dollars) this cd is a must have for those who have recently taken up an interest in Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan were a team of composer and librettist, both Englishmen, from the late 19th century who composed operettas written in the English language and in the spirit of popular folk song of the Victorian period (roughly 1870's, 1880's and 1890's ) The light operas were equally as light in plot and mood- they were cheery, uncomplicated stories, a lot of them set on a naval vessel out at sea. They poked fun at the Victorian way of life, in much the same vein that Offenbach satirized the French of his day during the Second Empire (1860's). Gilbert and Sullivan composed many operettas that still remain popular today, especially The Mikado, The H.M.S. Pinafore and in this case The Pirates Of Penzance. The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company specialized exclusively in the art of Gilbert and Sullivan and have long been regarded as the finest interpreters of the style. In the 50's and 60's they performed live and made a variety of recordings, employing the talents of many outstanding English singers- among them lyric soprano Valerie Masterson.

In The Pirates Of Penzance, Mabel and Frederick are temporarily seperated lovers when Frederick is accused of a crime he did not commit. The plot involves pirates, among them the bass-baritone Pirate King. Light-hearted, bouncy tunes abound in what is considered the direct ancestor to Broadway musicals. The Overture makes use of the chorus "With Cat Like Tread" a march-like, jovial piece of music. The Highlights on this cd include "Pour O Pour The Pirate Sherry", "When Frederick Was A Lad", " Poor Wondering One", "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General" and the uplifting finale. Valerie Masterson plays the role of Mabel. Her voice is fresh, agile, lyric and she has excellent command of coloratura when warranted, as she sings in "Poor Wondering One". This 1968 recording is in its entirety on the same label with the same singers on a different cd recording.

A reasonably good abridgement to this ever-popular G&S opera.......2001-03-08

This budget-priced abridgement of D'Oyly Carte's incomporable 1968 PIRATES is a reasonably good way for beginners to get started on the opera itself. The D'Oyly Carte's performance is top-notch and beyond reproach and Isidore Godfrey elicits delicate playing from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The 62-minute playing time gives exceptionl value for money, even though there are scenes I feel should hae been omitted such as Frederic's "Oh is there not one maiden breast" that hold up the action. It would have been ince to include the Act One finale because it reveals what is to come in the second act. To round off, some people think that this performance of PIRATES is far too operatic, but this is Sullivan's original arrangement and not others' work.

Average customer rating: A harrowing and shocking musical journey A Powerhouse Recording that Deserves All Praise This is the most recent release of Solti's famous recording of Elektra

Richard Strauss: Elektra Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Richard Strauss: Salome [Remastered] Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini ASIN: B000KLRUJS Release Date: 2007-05-08

Customer Reviews:

A harrowing and shocking musical journey.......2007-07-12

If Richard Strauss's Salomé was a horrid tale of insanity and (peripherally) necrophilia created through unbridled lust and jealousy, Elektra is a grisly story of madness sparked by cold, dissonant revenge. Both of the operas, composed within a few years of each other, retain similar musical formulas: both take a Freudian plunge into the deepest, unknowable crevices of the human psyche with alarming and disturbing results. (Salomé's overwhelming love aria to Jochanaan's severed head ["Ah! Du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lassen"] is a perfect example from the former opera.)

However, few similarities exist between their moods. From the first bar of Salomé, the listener is submerged in the moonlit, perfumed, Arabian night of Judea, with erotic bacchanals and limitless orgies; the opening of Elektra is an oppressive death motif and sets a stage of decay, filth, pain, and malice. The two title characters are strikingly different, through they are both princesses. Salomé is an oversexed teenager, a flighty, precocious nymph driven to her sanity's limits by jealousy and rejection; Elektra is not insane (at least, not in the same capacity). Elektra suffered no trauma when her father, Agamemnon, was slaughtered in his bath by his wife, Klytämnestra, and her lover, Aegisth; she is fully aware of what occurred. Her apparent insanity is vested in the fact that she is determined to avenge her father, with the assistance of her long-abandoned brother, Orest, in a decidedly homicidal manner.

Sir Georg Solti was, of course, the master of both of these wondrous operas, and no finer orchestra could have suited him than the mighty Wiener Philharmoniker. The entire score is much like the tone poems (Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan, Don Quixote, Ein Heldenleben) which garnished Strauss so much early fame. However, there are certain non-vocal points in which Solti truly excels, notably the opening Agamemnon motif, a poignant, jarring death-wail of misery and woe; the appearance of Klytämnestra, set to the rhythm of a brutal, inhuman march; the brief, tense span after the exit of the two bickering servants; Elektra digging up the axe; Orest's entrance into the castle, followed by Elektra realizing that she forgot to give him the axe; the brief span (accentuated by a harp, no less) before Aegisth enters the castle; and the strange waltz symbolizing Elektra's victorious dance, a motion unseemly and unnatural to onlookers. All of this combines to create an image of this gloomy, ramshackle palace in Mycenae. Every note details the blood-spattered walls, the moldy air, the cramped hallways, and subterranean labyrinths. Hofmannsthal's words also paint grisly images of perpetual births and murders and dwellers reclining on piles of contorted corpses.

Birgit Nilsson did not perform the role of Elektra. She injected the blood of Elektra into her own veins, just as she became the wounded Valkyrie Brünnhilde, the icy Princess Turandot, and the benevolent, self-sacrificing wife Leonore. Nilsson lives through Elektra to hate, to scorn, to seethe, to compile all her passions and energies into the single goal of avenging Agamemnon. This paradoxically level-headed hysteria is heard in her first monologue ("Allein! Weh, ganz allein"), in which she invokes like a priestess the name "Agamemnon" and recounts to the listener, in the most squalid and wretched detail, the manner in which her father's head was split with an axe and his body was dragged, headfirst, from the foaming, scarlet bath. She reaches a fever pitch at its conclusion, insisting that she will slice the throats of his enemies, his horses, and his hunting dogs, and pour the barrels of collected blood around his tomb; then he, she, and Orest will dance in the ecstasy of victory. Her wild, outraged monologue to her mother ("Was bluten muß? Dein eigenes Genick") is no less daunting. Elektra is merciless as she describes how Orest will enter Klytämnestra's bed chamber, chase her from it, back her into a corner, and then, in a brief eternity of villainy and contempt, make the queen wait for the fatal blow; Nilsson rips through the terrible aria like a viper, with venom and spittle pouring across the vile words.

The crowning achievement of Elektra's musical persona is the recognition monologue ("Orest!"), the equivalent of the aforementioned aria in Salomé. It is a massive outpouring of characteristically Straussian melody, richness, and sound. It is also the most delicate moment, a miniscule ounce of humanity within the demented façade of Elektra. Nilsson is too sumptuous and moving to be adequately described; she conveys this moment as the triumph of her entire existence. It is her one happy experience, her first joyful utterance. The monologue is also a look into the pitiful woman's sexuality; it is undoubtedly erotic, with Hofmannsthal's poetic description of Elektra's naked, creamy, nubile body, bathed in the milky light of the moon.

Ultimately conversely, Regina Resnik's Klytämnestra is a suppurating, bloated gorgon. She is a knotted mass of offal, guilt, and spitefulness. Her entrance ("Was willst du?...O Götter, warum liegt ihr so auf mir?") is so violent and callous, one might take it for an outburst of blasphemy. One cannot help but smirk at her horridness as she invokes the gods, wondering why she is forced to suffer "like a wasteland" with nettle growing out of her. Each utterance of "warum" is more unnerving, and strikes the listener in the pit of his or her stomach. She is unendingly foul as she berates her confidante [Margareta Sjöstedt] and the train-bearer [Margarita Lilowa] ("Ich will nichts hören!"), churlishly mocking them for telling her that horrendous "demons with long pointed beaks" suck her blood as she sleeps and insisting that she slaughter sacrificial victim after victim.

However, it is her nightmare monologue ("Ich habe keine guten Nächte"..."Ja, du! denn du bist klug") that is truly dreadful. Here, Strauss could be mistaken for elemental Berg, with brittle, globular dissonance accentuating Resnik's horrified words. The "Etwas" (a nameless "something") which crawls over her at night could only be something indescribably terrifying, some dingy mass of guilt characterized with a leering face and piercing eyes. The monologue descends into further horror. Could Klytämnestra be dead while living, an animated carcass, a breathing pile of rotting sinew and bone? Resnik would have no trouble convincing one that she was.

She also proves her status as a remarkable vocal actress. Her mocking laughter, brought on by the false news that Orest has been killed, is frightfully credible; as she exits the scene, surrounded by torch-bearers, her cruel giggles seem to descend into a churning whirlpool. Later, when Orest murders her offstage, she utters two screams, both of which are inherently different. The first strikes the listener unexpectedly, just as the shadowy figure of the adult Orest, saber in hand, startled the squalid queen into consciousness. The second scream, however, is an animalistic grunt, an attempted repudiation of death by the queen. It is horrible to hear and will haunt the listener perpetually.

Marie Collier's Chrysothemis is the antithesis of Elektra. Chrysothemis is a feminine character who longs for the sexual affections of men and the timeless, natural joys of motherhood ("Ich kann nicht sitzen und ins Dunkel starren"..."Der bist es, die mit Eisenklammern"); Elektra has scarified her sexuality (and, thus, any maternal instincts) unto the memory of her father (as she explained to Orest in the recognition monologue). Collier is particularly potent when she attempts to convince Elektra that her hatred is in vain; Agamemnon is dead and will never be avenged, for Orest will never come back ("Der Vater, der ist tot"). She is infectious in her ecstasy in the finale ("Elektra! Schwester! komm' mit uns!"), as she gleefully tells Elektra that Orest has murdered Aegisth and that the faithful servants have revolted in his honor; her words soar into oblivion, supported by harmonizing praises from the interior chorus.

Tom Krause's Orest is the personified voice of destiny; his is a drawl of terrible and wonderful meaning. His vocal entrance, set against a bleak orchestral backdrop of doom, stands in stark contrast to the frenzied labor of Elektra as she digs up the battle axe. Gerhard Stolze proves his unparalleled genius as a charaktertenor through his performance as Aegisth. He does more with this five-minute role than most singers could throughout an entire recording. His entrance ("He! Lichter! Lichter!") is appropriately condescending and pompous; Strauss' macabre humor is audible in his conversation with Nilsson, who is deviously charming and submissive ("Darf ich nicht leuchten?"). His death-cry ("Helft! Mörder! helft dem Herren!") is not the faux, B-class acting of most operatic singers but rather a believable, hair-curling squeal of horror. Nilsson's cry of "Agamemnon hears you!" ("Agamemnon hört dich!") is as frightening as his following wail of anguish. Tugomir Franc is appropriately domineering as Orest's tutor. Gerhard Unger makes a brief appearance as the fussy young servant who delivers the news of Orest's supposed death to Aegisth. Helen Watts, Maureen Lehane, Yvonne Minton, Jane Cook, Felicia Weathers, and Pauline Tinsley are each singularly defined as the cruel, gossiping maids and their vindictive overseer.

Innovative producer John Culshaw deserves applause for this recording as much as Solti. The slamming of the servants' quarter door during the maids' bickering and gossiping, the pitter-pattering footsteps of Klytämnestra's torch-bearers, and the grimy crunching of Aegisth's steps into the seemingly gaping, hollow citadel are three examples of the master producer who brought so many operas into new realms of life in recordings. Strauss was, of course, a master of the theatre, and it is highly appropriate that a similar master present his work in a recording.

In the end, perhaps the greatest asset of Elektra is that the maestro did not moralize. He was not a devout Christian when he composed Salomé; the musical disgust over Salomé's depraved desires does not stem from any pious pity for the Baptist, but rather over the simple fact that a young girl longs to kiss his dead, bloody lips. It is the same with Elektra. Strauss does not comment on the fact that Agamemnon, who peers down upon the audience from his musical throne, murdered Klytämnestra's daughter Iphigenia in order for the Greeks to fight in the Trojan War. Strauss also declines to comment on the fact that Orest later stood trial before the Furies for committing the double-homicide (that said while excluding the few terrible moments in the finale as the Agamemnon motif is repeated alongside the mournful wails of Chrysothemis, which combine to add an air of momentary uncertainty and, perhaps, regret). In short, the opera is victorious at the end; it is, after all, the opera detailing Elektra's story, not Orest's, and she was, by the end of her life-draining dance of ecstasy, more victorious than any conceivable peer.

A Powerhouse Recording that Deserves All Praise.......2007-06-30

Solti's Elektra was the very first recording to remove all cuts from the score (as with all the Maestro's recorded work). For many listeners such as myself, it is perhaps the definitive Elektra on disc, not only for the high voltage intensity of the singing, but also for Solti's energetic conducting of the score and the magnificent detail at which the entire sound picture of Elektra is revealed in this recording. Although I love Karajan's 1965 Elektra at Salzburg with Astrid Varnay and Jeffrey Tate's 1990 recording from Geneva with Gwyneth Jones and Leonie Rysanek, this recording captures what is perhaps one of the most compelling performances of the opera on record. There is first of all Birgit Nilsson's command performance in the title role. There has never been a soprano who had Nilsson's uncanny ability to sing what is perhaps Strauss' most difficult role for soprano with the kind of ease and power that we can hear in this recording. Perhaps one would wish that a darker timbre and a more "agonized" sound would have taken the role, but Strauss' vocal writing simply poses no hurdles for the soprano as she hurls the high notes that made her famous. It is also note complete, so we get to hear whatever notes and texts we don't hear in the theatre. A brilliant performance, and perhaps one of Nilsson's greatest achievements in the studio. She is partnered by the Klytämnestra of Regina Resnik, who offers a grotesque interpretation that rightly contrasts well with Leonie Rysanek's erotic, theatrical assumption many years later. Resnik makes a caricature out of the role that may either satisfy the listener of displease him depending one whether one wants something more realistic or more extreme. Marie Collier, likewise, sings Chrysothemis with all the theatrical effects that would have been avoided by Leonie Rysanek many years earlier in the theater. I find that this great artist (who we lost when she was so tragically young) imbues her character with the right kind of psychological madness that all the more tips the already tipsy boat in the opera. Gerhard Stolze makes the already grotesque Aegisthus more grotesque than he already is. Tom Krause sings Orest with conviction, although one could wish for someone like Hans Hotter to sing the role in order to convey the nobility and grandeur of the character.

Solti leads the Vienna Philharmonic in the frenzy that this score truly typifies. I still wish that they had asked Karajan to do this opera in the studio since he was able to bring so much out of Strauss' score, but we at least have these gargantuan forces to contend with in the absence of a Karajan studio recording.

A truly mad and demented performance if there ever was one, but you should look at Gwyneth Jones' 1990 performance from Claves records to hear what a theatrical Elektra should sound like.
Richard Strauss: Elektra

This is the most recent release of Solti's famous recording of Elektra.......2007-06-19

This review will eventually be replaced by more informed, informative reviews. I just wanted to offer a placeholder to tell opera neophytes and curious listeners that this is the latest and surely greatest (sonically) incarnation of Solti's recording of this opera. Gramophone has called it, "undoubtedly one of the greatest performances ever on record."

Amazon is still selling the first CD release at a much higher price. This is the one to get. The same is true with Solti's equally estimable recording of Salome.

Happy Listening,
G.

Average customer rating: a tribute with poor feedbacks "Keep it new" Classical avant-garde experimentalism from.....a rock band? Can you guess what it is yet? lost me as a fan

SYR 4: Goodbye 20th Century Manufacturer: Sonic Youth / Syr ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Cage, John | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: SYR 3: Invito Al Cielo SYR 1: Anagrama SYR 2: Slaapkamers Met Slagroom Mori & DJ Olive SYR 6 ASIN: B00002R0NC Release Date: 1999-11-16

Tracks:

1. Edges (Christian Wolf)
2. Six (John Cage)
3. Six for New Time For Sonic Youth (Pauline Oilveros)
4. + - (Takehisa Kosugi)
5. Voice Piece For Soprano (Yoko Ono)
6. Pendulum Music (Steve Reich)

Tracks:

1. Having Never Written A Note For Percussion (James Tenney)
2. Six (John Cage)
3. Burdocks (Christian Wolff)
4. Four (John Cage)
5. Piano Piece #13 (George Maciunas)
6. Piece Enfantine (Nicolas Enfantine)
7. Treatise (Cornelius Cardew)

Amazon.com

Wildly influential four-piece Sonic Youth have self-released their version of a tribute to the 20th century: two discs of noisy interpretations of modern, experimental classical scores. The group has chosen composers whose works leave a great amount of innovation open to the performer. This chance-embracing approach--typified and in some senses originated by John Cage--is one of the crucial turning points of "new" music. What's great about this CD is that it demonstrates the freewheeling, decidedly unserious spirit behind this music, essentially combining the legacies of punk rock and out-sound. In addition to three late works by the chance-loving Cage, there are pieces by current Merce Cunningham collaborator Takehisa Kosugi, minimalist giant Steve Reich, "deep-listening" drone lover Pauline Oliveros, and Fluxus founder George Maciunas. Longtime collaborator Wharton Tiers, the young everything-ist Jim O'Rourke, and even some of the composers themselves join in on these exercises. The result is messy, fun, and anarchic, with occasional revelations (notably James Tenney's "Having Never Written a Note for Percussion"). It's not a disc to play all the time, but it is a challenging, enthused record that ideally will point listeners toward some of the most vital music of the last half of the last decade of the second millennium. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

1999 & fourth release on their own SYR label. 13 tracks. The CD format is a double disc set that's enhanced with the CD-ROM video to George Maciunas' 'Piano Piece #13 (Carpenter's Piece) For Nam June Paik'. The album contains music composed by abstract artists like Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, John Cage and Christian Wolff. Gatefold slipcase. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

a tribute with poor feedbacks.......2006-04-14

The best thing with this product is undoubtly the names to whom it is contributed. One should really sincerely appreciate the good taste of SY to lift up and include such grand modern masteur composers as Wolff, Cardew, Cage and etc. Less successful however is the attempt to translate these 40 or so years old, mainly score, compositions and replace their original instrumentations and to attempt to change their structure to "rock".

Sometimes it does get endurable but at other times it completely falls out to miss the mark. Even if Wolff himself appears at times and also the renowned Marclay contributes it doesn't even come close to the originals at any time. It may be said that some of the tracks more demolishes than recaptures them.

Most of those who reviews here or rate are diehard SY fans and would probably give five stars to anything that SY put out, whatever it is. If they recorded an album of silence in hommage to Cage they would give it five stars too and call it great and important and other such stuff. We all know how that works, it is just sensual and silly.

But for those with commited interest in the musical field that is quite so misrepresented here it is but foolish to give this set of recordings too much attention.

Better is to try to get the original recordings themselves, or to get recent re-recordings of these, such like of California Ear Unit or Ars Nova ensemble etc. Pass this thing if you already know the composers work, and if you're new to these composers through this release, get the originals and compare.

I wish I could give three stars for this project, but I can't, the structures are too much weakened and the whole original soundwalls are too much torn down. If one wish to perform these works, which may not be too easy, than one should learn how to do so properly first. Otherwise, write a book...

"Keep it new".......2005-04-03

I came across this CD at my local library while searching for the works of Cornelius Cardew. My only criticism is that liner notes were not included. Liner notes would have been appreciated not only as explanations of this admittedly esoteric music, but as an opportunity for the performers to respond to potential criticism and explain their intentions. They are to be commended for taking the risk of alienating their commercial base with this collection of recent aleatoric compositions and performance art. The other reviews merely prove the point that despite their posturing, many fans of popular music are as conservative and hidebound as their great-grandparents, uncomfortable in their day with any composers after Brahms. A scan of the FM dial reveals little change in popular music over the past 50 years - lots of 3-minute songs in 4/4 time. Witness the proliferation of stations endlessly broadcasting the same 1960s to 1980s standards.

For this audience, this CD is just what was needed - a slap in the face of convention. If this sparks in anyone an interest in searching for "what else is out there," the exercise will have been well worth the effort.

Classical avant-garde experimentalism from.....a rock band?.......2004-11-21

It's hard to believe, but it's true.

The 4th CD in the SYR experimental series (titled Goodbye 20th Century, appropriatly) of Sonic Youth Records, is a fantastic double album soundscape of the finest kind. The CD has reinterpretations of post 50's era classical pieces (by such illustrious names as John Cage, Steve Reich, Christian Wolff), and they sound great for the most part. But Sonic Youth was not alone in recording this double album. They enlisted the help of many people, like Jim O'Rourke, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's daughter Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (who screams out Yoko Ono's Voice Piece for Soprano), and...surprisingly...Christian Wolff collaborates on his pieces with the band. There are many other contributors, but I can't recall them at the moment.

Judging from all the other tracks, the one that stands out the most (to me, anyway) is Pauline Oliveros' Six For New Time (composed specifically for this project). Thurston intones lyrics over rising and falling drone guitars. Genius. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other tracks that are as great, such as Steve Reich's Pendulum Music (swinging microphones over amps, creating a pendulum effect of feedback), and George Maciunas' Piano Piece #13 (hammering down the keys of a piano till they no longer produce sound).

The centerpiece of the album, though, is John Cage's Four6. There are 2 other John Cage songs on the album (Six, performed twice) but this one stands out the most. It may seem like random banging and aimless instrumental wandering, but give it a chance, and it will slowly reveal its beauty.

Overall, this album is a fantastic piece of avant-garde, and will certainly entertain the artier person in you.

If you enjoy this record, why not try other CD's in the SYR series, Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, or seek out the works of the composers on this album?

Can you guess what it is yet?.......2004-06-11

Well this is one Sonic Youth's more experimental releases ( if you hadn't gathered by now ) and it's fair to say that this is a challenging listen. You'll need to keep your wits about you and a sense of humour to contain this on first listen. It's quite possibly one of those " gets on your nerves " sort of album at first albums. But give it time and you appreciate the album that it sets out to be. You're not going to absolutely love this but you can enjoy it for what it is or yank it out of your stereo system and criticize Sonic Youth as bulls**t poseurs. It all means the same thing - nothing!

lost me as a fan.......2003-03-10

i used to love sy. during the washing machine tour they played the academy friday night, saturday afternoon for matinee and saturday night. i was at all three shows. i saw them a lollapalooze twice. the thousand leaves show at irving plaza? i was front row. those days are gone.
i had the first syr disc and liked it. not great but it was ok. after that this band died. maybe my tastes change and i mourning this whole thing because i truly was proud to be an sy fan. i felt they were alive here and now and i got to enjoy them now. not like beatles fans or zepplin fans who can no longer see them live. i mourn the loss of the smashing pumpkins, the death of kurdt cobain, the death of mia zappata, death of layne staley, breakup of soundgarden, as well as many other bands i adore so for me to love sy and they are still here and making vibrant music meant alot.
then they came out with the syr discs. i liked the first a little but after that, this disc, the 4th in this series, i was forced to leave my fanship behind. this dics is long, boring, to long, uninterseting and way too long. 30 minutes for one song which interests me not at all is too much to ask.
i see their new direction and like it not. it is pretentious in the worst way. aimless, drifting, and uninteresting. like i said, someone email me and explain me what is so good about this

milkboydanny@hotmail.com

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