Trilhas E Temas V.4 [Import]

Product Description
Fourth Volume in this Series of Compilations Gathering the Works by this Great Violin Player, Arranger and Composer Well-known for his Soundtracks Written for Several Movies and TV Specials.

Trilhas E Temas V.4,Marcus Viana,Sonhos E Sons,World Music

Average customer rating: ravishing... Marvelous

Lighten our Darkness Manufacturer: Collegium ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lassus | Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso) | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Rheinberger, Joseph | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sheppard | Sheppard, John | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | 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 General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Music for Compline Allegri Miserere-Tenebrae Morten Lauridsen: Nocturnes William Byrd: Laudibus in sanctis Pilgrimage to Santiago ASIN: B000I2IS5Y Release Date: 2006-10-17

Tracks:

1. In Pace
2. Libera Nos, Salva Nos
3. Justorum Animae
4. Pater Noster
5. O Lord, The Maker Of All Thing
6. Visita, Quaesumus Domine
7. Abendlied
8. O Christ Who Are The Light And Day
9. O Gladsome Light
10. Te Lucis Ante Terminum
11. Alma Redemptoris Mater
12. Ave Regina Caelorum
13. Regina Caeli Laetare
14. Salve Regina
15. Ave Maria
16. Bogoroditsye Dyevo
17. In Manus Tuas
18. In Manus Tuas

Tracks:

1. Opening Sentences And Responses
2. Psalm 91
3. Lesson: Come Unto Me
4. Respond: Into Thy Hands
5. Hymn: Before The Ending Of The Day
6. Keep Me As The Apple Of An Eye And Nunc Dimmittis
7. The Apostles' Creed And Lord's Prayer
8. Verscicles And Responses
9. Confession And Absolution
10. Responses And Collects
11. We Will Lay Us Down In Peace
12. Closing Responsies And Blessing

Customer Reviews:

ravishing..........2007-07-02

if this recording is not on your short list of things to hear/do, it should be.
the Byrd setting of "Oh Christ who art our light and day" is one of the loveliest things that I have ever heard.
I play it ever day at the same, appointed hour; so comforting, so beautifully well-sung.
the Compline setting on Disc 2 is pretty memorable, too.
a strong rec.

Marvelous.......2007-01-19

This is superb a capella singing. Each note, each syllable, is just right. John Rutter has a genius for writing and, as is the case here, performing religious choral music. The sound is gorgeous. Highest recommendation.

Average customer rating: This is an amazing, amazing product a voice teacher and early music fan Incredible Very inspiring for this Christian (Catholic) Amazing!

O Magnum Mysterium Thomas Tallis , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Morten Lauridsen , Francis Poulenc , Sergey Rachmaninov , Franz Schubert , Anonymous , Spiritual Traditional , Henryk Gorecki , Christopher Cock , Robert Shaw Festival Singers , and Robert Shaw Chamber Singers Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lauridsen | Lauridsen, Morten | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus) Choral Masterpieces Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna ASIN: B00004WFLW Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

1. If Ye Love Me
2. A New Commandment
3. O Vos Omnes
4. O Magnum Mysterium
5. O Magnum Mysterium
6. O Magnum Mysterium
7. Praise The Name Of The Lord
8. Der Entfernten
9. Wondrous Love
10. Amazing Grace
11. Sometimes I Feel Like Moanin'
12. Totus Tuus

Amazon.com

The trademark qualities of a Robert Shaw-trained chorus included perfect tonal blend and balance, expressive phrasing, and superb tuning. As an interpreter, Shaw hewed to the middle road, steering clear of eccentricities and honoring the composer's intentions. On this tribute disc, we hear these virtues coalesce in works such as Poulenc's austere Christmas hymn "O magnum mysterium," one of three settings of the text here. Shaw was at his best in works whose fervent spirituality he shared, and the selection from Rachmaninov's Vespers, with its repeated alleluias, is a highlight, both radiant and passionate. But then, virtually everything here is a highlight: the Schubert part song done to a turn with soft singing projected in rounded tones; the curve of "Wondrous Love"'s melody perfectly traced; and "Amazing Grace" in Shaw's arrangement all the more moving for its calm dignity. The longest piece, Górecki's Marian hymn "Totus tuus," is otherworldly in an enthralled reading that never loses focus. Like all of Shaw's Telarc recordings, the sonics are first-class. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

This is an amazing, amazing product.......2007-02-07

The only part of the CD I would quibble with is the selection from Rachmaninov's Vespers, but I'm really lucky and have heard that performed live several times and heard multiple recordings, and decided on one that I liked best early on.

If you aren't blown away by the performance of the Tallis, you'll probably still cry when you hear the Lauridsen later in the CD. One thing about this CD is that after hearing it, my standard for what I could expect in a recording became a lot higher.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-17

When Robert Shaw retired in 1988 as Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra he returned to the conducting of unaccompanied choral music, that he had been involved with in the Robert Shaw Chorale in the 1950's and early 60's.
The selections on this disc are taken from several different Telarc recordings that were made at summer festivals he directed during the last decade of his life.
The Poulenc "O Magnum Mysterium" is one of the four motets on a Christmas album made in 1989. "Wondrous Love", "Amazing Grace", and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Moanin' Dove" are from the collection of 'American Hymns and Spirituals', performed and recorded in 1992. Gorecki's motet "Totus Tuus" appeared on 'Evocation of the Spirit' recorded in 1994.
In the Summer of 1989, the first year of Shaw's choral festivals in France yielded an impressive array of unaccompanied music which included Rachmaninoff's 'Vespers' or 'All Night Vigil', Op.37, the 2 Thomas Tallis pieces and the two in Latin by Vittoria.
"Der Entfernten" comes from a collection of 'Schubert Songs' for Male Chorus taped in the Summer of 1992. Morton Luridsen's 'O magnum mysterium', the most recent composition on this disc as well as the last recorded (1997), was included on 'A Robert Shaw Christmas'.
It is interesting to note that there are no less than three settings of the anonymous medieval text "O Magnum Mysterium". Shaw, a deeply spiritual man, often lamented about the commercialism that had pervaded the celebraton of the American Christmas. He retained a sincere awe for the miraculous details of the Nativity story, and it was natural that he should return again to music having this text, with its wondrous mixture of the homespun and the mystical, the lowly and the most high.

This is a truly interesting variety of compositions featuring a diversified group of fine composers!!!!.Any choral group that Shaw conducted always sang with much emotion and always great skill. There is never a 'ragged' entrance OR exit; there is never poor balance between the voices; the diction is crisp and clear and never 'muddied'; and the sound is ethereally beautiful. I would have liked to know who the personnel were in each of his 2 groups on this disc, but they were not listed, so I guess I never will know. Just a fabulous recording!!!!!

Incredible.......2005-08-02

Who can listen to this without being humbled, yet enriched, as if walking through the courts of sacred and simple places?

Very inspiring for this Christian (Catholic).......2004-07-22

I'd swear that Robert Shaw must have visited heaven and come back to write his rendition of O Magnum Mysterium (particularly track #5 with the chamber singers). It's my favorite classical piece, especially among choral works. I'd love to be in a great gothic cathedral like Notre Dame or Cologne and hear this piece. Even though you'll likely only be hearing this recording through your headphones in your room, it'll take you to the cathedrals and heaven itself.

I read somewhere that Robert Shaw was deeply religious/spiritual. I have no reason to doubt this...his faith shines through on this disk. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21

Amazing!.......2004-02-10

In my choir at school, we are singing O Magnum Mysterium; I can't help from sinking into its soft harmonies. How to describe this feeling?--each bar more poignant than the last; dynamically profound; crystal clear tone; that clash between tenors in the chorus...it makes me believe in love and god all at once! Spectacular, this CD is--how lucky I am to have found it. Recommended to anyone with hearing.

Average customer rating: Great choral music CD a voice teacher and early music fan Lovely!!! Beautiful, but a little cold The Greatest Hits of a Pioneer Ensemble

The Essential Tallis Scholars Manufacturer: Gimell UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Allegri | Allegri, Gregorio | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Cornysh | Cornysh, William | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lassus | Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso) | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sheppard | Sheppard, John | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by White | White, Robert | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Tallis Scholars | ( T ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chansons | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina Tallis: Spem in Alium Christmas With the Tallis Scholars Allegri: Miserere The Tallis Scholars Sing Thomas Tallis ASIN: B00009NJ20 Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

1. Miserere
2. Ave Maria For Double Choir
3. Sicut Lilium I
4. Praeter Rerum Seriem
5. Pater Peccavi
6. Ego Flos Campi
7. Tota Pulchra Es
8. Descendi In Hortum Meum
9. Alma Redemptoris Mater
10. Salve Regina
11. Ave Regina Caelorum
12. Gloria

Tracks:

1. Media Vita
2. In Manus Tuas
3. O Nata Lux
4. Audivi Vocem
5. Exaudiat Te Dominus
6. Ah, Robin
7. Salve Regina
8. Kyrie
9. Gloria
10. Credo
11. Sanctus
12. Agnus Dei

Customer Reviews:

Great choral music CD.......2007-01-26

This CD is excellent - a "must have" for every collection. Beautiful voices, relaxing music.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-08

The pieces on these two discs are taken from over fifteen years of recording by the Tallis Scholars, startng with the now-famous recording of Allegri's 'Miserere' from 1980. Allegri lived well into the Baroque era, dying in 1562, Therefore, he did not write the 'Miserere' in renaissance polyphony; and his chordal structure leaned toward the Baroque.
Victoria's 8-part 'Ave Maria' and Palestrina's 'Sicut lilium' are both pieces iln a contemplative mood, the first making direct reference to the Virgin Mary, and the second indirect reference to her via the poetry of the 'Song of Songs'. The remaining selections on Disc l, maintain the consistent, intense sonority of Flemish polyphony.
Disc 2 falls into two parts. The pieces by Sheppard, Tallis,White and Cornysh come from the first half of the sixteenth century and are part of the 'English School' of writing. Here the music is made up of long lines, more notes than syllables, with the emphasis on the part-writing and not the harmonic background.
The second part of Disc 2 is Byrd's five-part Mass, which was written in the 1590's for a recusant Catholic community. Byrd's music has drawn closer to the Flemish style; that is imitative voice parts, largely syllabic in setting with the occasional examples of word-paintings, and the voice parts closer together. But the mood has a different intensity than the writing on Disc one; darker and more questioning. Never was polyphony more passionate than in Byrd's masses,of which the five-part is the crowning achievement.
The members of the Tallis Scholars vary from year to year, and the list of participating singers is included in the accompanying booklet; but it does not tell you which singers are singing each year. That bothered me somewhat because I like to know to whom I am listening specifically. It does mention, however, that the solo group in Allegi's 'Miserere' is Alison Stamp (treble), Michael Chance (countertenor) Jane Armstrong and Julian Walker.
The recording is outstanding in every way. Perfect balance between the voices, perfect emotional investment, flawless dicton and the most beautiful vocal sounds you will ever hear; just Two and One-half hours of pure pleasure!!!!!

Lovely!!!.......2006-06-02

This set of CDs is truly wonderful. I am fond of sacred choral music and purchased the CD mostly to obtain the recording of Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere Mei." This song alone is worth buying the set. I heard it live by an excellent college choir in my hometown and immediately set out to find the best recording of it. Most buyers recommended this recording over the others. (By the way "Miserere Mei: by Gregorio is hard to find.) Additionally the other songs are also so relaxing, flowing, and meditative. I will be honest . . .the Tallis Scholars sing well but not as flawlessly as the Cambridge Singers. You will note that not every consanant is hit in unison, but this is not overly disturbing. (Still that is the only reason for giving four stars instead of five.) The sound is still lovely and the songs gorgeous. In Media Vita is another gorgeous song (first on second CD). If you haven't heard it, I'm sure you'll love the flowing melody!

Beautiful, but a little cold.......2006-02-06

The Tallis Scholars are the zenith of this type of singing, but sometimes they lack the vocal warmth that they probably could achieve if they were guided to do so. Still, this is a great CD, and even better for the 2 CDs of fine and uplifting singing.

The Greatest Hits of a Pioneer Ensemble.......2005-09-27

For years, Tallis Scholars have been quietly revolutionizing our recovery of sacred music. This is their "greatest hits" collection and quite great indeed. The Miserere which begins the set is alone worth the price of the set. The only fault with it is that it is so startling, so obviously genuine, that you will still be hearing it as you play through the rest of the set. The Scholars' ongoing recovery project only proves how integral music is to the human psyche, how essential the sacred is to basic human sanity. And how the severence of the two in the public space and the popular imagination -- the sacred from music -- has severely damaged us all en masse.

Average customer rating: My idea of heaven Wonderful, but not quite the best of I had hoped A treasury Chanticleer: A Portrait

Chanticleer: A Portrait Caroll Coates , Harold / Mercer, Johnny Arlen , Spiritual Traditional , Vince Guaraldi , Joseph Jennings , Ettore Stratta , Eric Alatorre , Tim Krol , Corey McKnight , Kevin Baum , David Munderloh , and Dawn Upshaw Manufacturer: Teldec ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | 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 Chanticleer | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: Our American Journey How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music Wondrous Love: A World Folk Song Collection Sing We Christmas Where the Sun Will Never Go Down ASIN: B00008J2VP Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

1. Quem Terra Pontus Sidera
2. Ave Maria (Gregorian Chant)
3. Alma Redemptoris Mater
4. The Angel Cried Out
5. Angelicas Milicias
6. Wherewithal Shall A Young Man...
7. Love Is A Beautiful Dream
8. This Heart That Flutters Near My Heart
9. Wild Grass
10. Labbra Vermiglie E Belle
11. Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
12. Dulaman
13. Shenandoah
14. Spanish Carol
15. Love Is Letting Go
16. Blues In The Night
17. Wade In The Wate
18. We Shall Walk Through The Valley In Peace
19. Christmas Time Is Here

Amazon.com

With this disc, Chanticleer, the internationally renowned, all-male 12-voice chamber choir, celebrates its 25th anniversary. Presenting songs from earlier albums plus one not previously recorded, the selection displays the group's remarkable stylistic and linguistic versatility, as well as all the qualities that have made it famous: the impeccable precision and intonation; the pristine tonal purity; the deep, inner expressiveness; the infinitely variable range of colors, textures, dynamics and moods; and the incredible vocal control that allows voices to stand out as well as to blend into a seamless, sonorous whole. Not for nothing has the group been called "an orchestra of voices" with its ability to sound like a big band in chordal passages and to imitate bass pizzicati as well as patter-songs and gospel shouts. The sopranos take off into stratospheric heights with florid coloratura; it is hard to believe that these are male voices. The program ranges from Gregorian chant and liturgical music of the 16th and 17th century, through traditional and jazz-influenced folk songs and spirituals (some in deplorably bad arrangements), to works by contemporary composers. Chanticleer's mostly vibrato-less vocal style still reflects its roots in its original Renaissance repertoire, but the way the singers use their voices in the popular, jazzy songs makes one aware of the evolving kinship between the two traditions. Though primarily an a capella ensemble, Chanticleer is occasionally joined by various instrumental groups, from period instrument orchestras to a jazz trio, and Dawn Upshaw adds her radiant, smiling, unmistakably "real" soprano to a delightful, high-spirited performance of a Spanish Carol. This disc is a fine, varied sampling of Chanticleer's discography and should inspire listeners to search out all the complete albums. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

My idea of heaven.......2007-02-17

If you liked Norman Luboff's Song's of the Sea's "Shenandoah", the price of this CD is worth it alone. That's why I ordered the CD. I heard Chanticleer's version and immediately ordered it. The rest is just the icing on the cake.

Then there is the one Kiri Tekanawa (sp?) offering, which is the only female voice on the recording.

Wonderful, but not quite the best of I had hoped.......2006-07-18

Some great material truly shines on this album, but I wsih that the group had been a little less populist in their choice of repertoire. There is a little too many arrangements and folk-like material, with the exception of the wonderful "Dulaman", and I would like to have heard some more varied repertoire. That said this is an excellent starting point for this amazing group.

A treasury.......2005-11-06

As you can tell from the samples, the music here is amazing and covers a wide territory. It is less obvious that much of this is available on other CDs. I am confident, for example, that "We Shall Walk Through the Valley In Peace" is the same track that you will find on their phenomenal and highly recommended gospel collection, _Where the Sun Shall Never Go Down_, and I see a number of familiar-looking titles from other CDs. My advice is: if you're looking for a broad sample of the group's repertoire, then you can't go wrong here -- but if you've already got several Chanticleer albums, then you'll want to check your existing collection for potential duplications before buying this 'treasury.'

Chanticleer: A Portrait.......2005-10-26

This is a marvelous singing group of all males with a little addition of Dawn Upshaw on a couple of pieces. They are thourally amazing at what they can sing with Male Voices usually unaccompanied. Obviously they have good strong Contra-Tenors that can manage the high notes without any problems. I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys vocal music, unaccompanied and like Male Voices

Average customer rating: Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing Beautiful performances and some nice surprises Heavenly Marvelous sound Gorgeous choral voices surrounding you

Chanticleer: Magnificat (A Capella Works by Josquin, Palestrina, Titov, Victoria, and Others) Chanticleer , William Cornysh , John Taverner , Claudio Monteverdi , Vasily Polikarpovich Titov , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Vassili Polikarpovich Titov , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , Josquin Desprez , and Marianne Kach Manufacturer: Teldec ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Cornysh | Cornysh, William | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Taverner | Taverner, John | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chanticleer | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mysteria Sing We Christmas Chanticleer: A Portrait Our American Journey Wondrous Love: A World Folk Song Collection ASIN: B00004SDN3 Release Date: 2000-07-11

Tracks:

1. Ave Maria
2. Ave Maria, Mater Dei
3. Magnificat
4. Stabat Virgo Maria
5. Maria, Quid Ploras
6. The Angel Cried Out
7. Regina Caeli Laetare
8. Alma Redemptoris Mater
9. Ave Maris Stella
10. O Thou Joy Of All The Sorrowful
11. Ave Regina Caelorum A 8
12. Ave Maria A 4
13. Salve Regina A 5

Amazon.com

In the wake of its previous, Grammy-winning disc of contemporary madrigals (Colors of Love), the all-male a cappella ensemble that calls itself Chanticleer--in homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales --comes home to roost in this theme album of early music. After all, this is the territory that Chanticleer first staked out when the group banded together in 1978, and the return is most welcome. Magnificat offers manifold rewards, from the sensitive, imaginative culling of its program to the warmth and lithe interweaving of vocal layers in its execution (vividly recorded in splendid 20/24-bit process at the Skywalker Ranch)--not to mention the capsule music history that it traces. Like depictions of the Annunciation in medieval and Renaissance paintings, musical settings of texts that are centered on Mary abound during this period. Chanticleer's anthology includes familiar gems (the hymn "Ave Maris Stella"), but the group is delightfully unpredictable in many of its choices: examples of the polychoral sacred music of Russian Vasily Titov, contrafactum reworkings of two Monteverdi madrigals to Marian texts, and a full Magnificat setting by Tudor master John Taverner. The latter gives a microcosm of Chanticleer's vocal versatility, presenting stern, unadorned plainsong side-by-side with melodies that blossom like tendrils. Or listen to the ensemble's dynamic control, from the exultant climaxes of the Titov choral concerto to the achingly beautiful, held diminuendo on the second Monteverdi piece. Most impressive of all is that Chanticleer manages to avoid the bane of a cappella groups--a bland, homogenized sameness of sound--through its subtle variations in color and thoughtful musicality. A real treasure. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing.......2007-06-27

I got what I wanted ---some absolutely beautiful compositions with exquiste voices.
Should be a grammy nominee

Beautiful performances and some nice surprises.......2005-06-17

This is a nice anthology of Renaissance music encompassing key composers of both the Prima and Seconda Prattica, including one or two less known names. The uniting theme is that of they are all in praise of the Virgin Mary. Most of these works are old war horses such as the Josquin Ave Maria which is beautifully performed. Their tempo for the Josquin is similar to that of the spacious approach of the Hilliard Ensemble, and unless you like this music performed at breakneck speed you will likely find this performance perfectly satisfying. If you are interested in an anthology of Renaissance music then this is a great choice, however for those of us with a strong interest in music of this period what really makes this essential listening is the two extraordinary pieces by Vasily Titov.

Titov composed at the time of Tsar Peter the Great's modernisation drive in Russia. He brought in composers from the West and Titov's music represents a marriage of the Italian compositional styles of the Seconda Prattica with the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. Like the grand architecture of St Petersburgs, and the Hermitage this is an fascinating mixture of Western influences with distinctly Russian ones. The twelve part polychoral writings have some of the dark solemnity of Russian Orthodox music while clearly being heavily influenced by the likes of Monteverdi, Gabrielli, Lassus and Palestrina. Perhaps a more authentically Russian approach to this music would have given far more prominence to the basses, but this still has trumendous impact. It makes it strange that there is so much interest in composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Moussorsky, Shostakovich and the like but the Early Music movement have yet to catch up with Eastern Europe - Titov is very easily their equal and I would welcome more substantial recordings devoted to exploring this neglected composer.

This is a great recording recommended both to a general audience as well as to lovers of Renaissance music alike. The recorded sound is natural and full bodied. You can pick out individual voices in the chorus without them being drowned into an amorphous porridge of sound - a sign of a good recording. Still, I have heard wider sound staging and a wider dynamic range, so for all its virtues this is almost - but not quite - audiophile quality. Clearly a SACD format DSD recording would have been preferable.

Heavenly.......2003-01-04

This is one of my first two DVD-audio discs. Some tracks are recorded from the audience perspective, with the choir across the front and cathedral ambience all around, and those are beautiful, but I gotta say I love the, "choir-around the room" recordings a little more. Track 3 in particular has the choir "doubled" with parts recorded seperately with the choir at the rear of the cathedral, a then they moved 'em all down front, and stuck the tracks together through the magic of digital editing. I don't have a DVD-audio player yet so I'm just listening to the compressed Dolby 5.1 tracks. Can't imagine it sounding any better, though. Get this disc. Seriously, do it so you can go to heaven!

Marvelous sound.......2002-03-08

This recording wraps you up in a gorgeous sonority, and I'm only listening in stereo. I can't wait to hear it when I fill out my speaker ensemble.

Gorgeous choral voices surrounding you.......2002-02-03

I hesitated to buy this disc until a friend told me he knew one of the members of Chanticleer; then again I also had nothing like it in my collection. The sound is rich and resonant. You should know it is recorded realistically, in a variety of soundfields, i.e. sometimes there is a processional from front to rear, sometimes choruses on upper left/right, or from all around you, depending on the material. If that sounds disconcerting be assured it isn't. This is a beautiful and soothing disc with a nice variety to it, and the sound is wonderful.

Average customer rating: For historical reference, a must have. A real rarity a voice teacher and early music fan What a beautiful voice! A new world opened in front of me.

Moreschi - The Last Castrato Manufacturer: Pearl ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | 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 Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Arias for Farinelli Moreschi: The Last Castrato (Life & Times) Farinelli The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon Farinelli ASIN: B000000WYS Release Date: 1993-01-21

Tracks:

1. Domine salvum fac
2. Et incarnatus est, Crucifixus
3. Ideale
4. Ave verum
5. Tui sunt coeli
6. Ave verum
7. Crucifixus
8. Crucifixus
9. Pie jesu
10. Hostias et preces
11. Preghiera
12. Ave Maria
13. Incipt lamentatio
14. Laudamus te
15. Improperia
16. La cruda mia Nemica
17. Oremus pro pontifice
18. Pope Leo XIII

Customer Reviews:

For historical reference, a must have........2007-05-09

If you're looking for the best quality recording, it's not due to the recording technologies of that time; Allessandro Moreschi died in 1922. But, if you want to hear how a castrato could sound like, it's a great recording reference. Sound quality is average; a lot of hiss and clicks. The singer or the singing "seems" average too: a lot of scooping (remember: different times, different singing techniques, different tastes; could be the result of singing in the acoustics of the Sistine Chapel). But, I don't regret my choice because I wanted a recording I could go back to and appreciate the evolution of singing throughout history.

A real rarity.......2007-05-07

Very interesting and rare recordings of the last castrato, even if his voice was at that time already rather exhausted. The most fascinating thing is to hear from living the voice of a Pope of the XIXth Century as Leo XIII was.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-10-03

Professor Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922),made in 1902-3 about 10 recordings all devoted to 19th century religious music. For us today the great question is: how far do Moreschi's records allow us to form any notion of the characteristics of castrato singing in the great periods? To that question there can be no certain answer, but I think that the resemblance must be slight! To begin with Moreschi's technique, far from being impeccable, often sounds shaky; in some passages he fumbles for his notes and wavers almost comically as Florence Foster Jenkins herself. These vocal shortcomings can hardly be ascribed to the singer's advanced age, for in his mid-forties he ought to have been not far past him prime. Ancient though the records are, they are reasonably well-recorded and probably give a fairly accurate impression of Moreschi's tone quality, if not his volume. The voice, unquestionably a soprano, resembles that of neither boy or woman, being stronger than the one and less sauve than the other. And I am totally sure that he is a long way from Farinelli. He is surprising, but never exquisite. The most painful for me to listen to were:'Ave Verum' Mozart- 'Crucifixus' from 'Petite Messe Solenelle' Rossini-and 'Ave Maria' Schubert. My problem with this disc is no doubt the fact that I would not want anyone to think that Moreschi's voice even in his prime was in any way equal to the great castrati singers of the 17th century!!!!

What a beautiful voice!.......2005-08-16

Moreschi's voice is incredibly beautiful. You have to get beyond the fact that this is an old recording and just listen to him hit those high notes without sounding shrill or breaking apart. In the end, this is your only chance to listen to a real castrato, and a good one at that.

A new world opened in front of me........2005-08-16

As a long-time lover of classical music but an amateur in opera I got interested into the opera voices and the castrato voices especially since I read a book about the castratos (Anne Rice: Cry to Heaven).
I was at first slightly shocked about the CD. Spoiled by our standards today I had to get used to the voices and especially to the low quality of the recordings (1902-04). The more I was listening the better I liked it. I started to understand that this long ago poeple were feeling different and therefore singing different. So many more emotions and so much suffering, you can hear it in the music if you can open up to it and, ignore the bad technical part of it.
I don't regret buying this rare recording since it gave me more than just music.
Thanks for saving these recordings and thanks to Amazon for making it possible to buy them.

Average customer rating: A Communication between Alien Worlds Absolutely amazing Inspiring sophisticated keep it open

Lambarena-Bach to Africa Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sinfonia | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mozart in Egypt Mozart in Egypt 2 Songs of Innocence African Voices Classical Music for Children: A Toddler's Introduction to Classical Music ASIN: B000002A94 Release Date: 1995-10-24

Tracks:

1. Jesus bleibet meine Freude
2. Sankanda
3. Mayingo
4. Herr, unser Herrscher
5. Mabo Maboe
6. Bombe
7. Pepa Nzac Gnon Ma
8. Mamoudo Na Sakka Baya Boudouma Ngombi
9. Agnus Dei
10. Ikoukou
11. Inongo
12. Okoukoue
13. Lhr Lieblishste Blicke, ihr freudige Stunden
14. Jesus bleibet meine Freude

Customer Reviews:

A Communication between Alien Worlds.......2006-12-01

Electrifying...first let me say that this is among the 10 top CD's in my
entire music collection. Let me explain what this music is NOT. It is not a group of African singers and musicians performing Bach. No, instead it is the response of African musicians listening to the music of Bach and talking back in their own tonal language. First we hear melodies of Bach - tame and civilized - played on the traditional instruments, perhaps organ or piano or violin. On hearing Bach, the Africans join in and respond with their own raw, primeval, earth-centered music. Think of a bird which changes its song and rhythm in response to a classical flute melody and you get the idea. A treat not to be missed.

Absolutely amazing.......2006-04-06

I have truly enjoyed this CD. As a Gabonese woman myself hearing the mix of traditional gabonese sounds, tribal language, and sounds and the heavenly music of Bach is truly...heaven. I do understand that such a mix could be an atrocity for some classical music fans but just forget Bach alone and try to picture his music beinf celebrated by some people who before had maybe never heard of him... jst enjoy the coming ogether of two cultures... Pierre Akendengue is brilliant, simply brilliant!

Inspiring.......2005-08-28

As a classically trained celleist and person who simply loves classical music- This album has been a tremendous insparation, opening my eyes to the true possibilities of music. The mix of the traditional music of Africa and Bach shows how cultures, from complete and totoal opposit ends of the world can come together and culturally unite. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who wants to see the true potential of Bach.

sophisticated.......2005-08-06

The work in this record is amazing and incredibly sophisticated.
The blend is almost unthinkable, but after you listen to this CD you feel the musical magic that was created at that early days of the 29th century, where two opposite worlds meet to surprise our senses with new sounds.
A real banquet for a music lover!

keep it open.......2005-03-28

We are all one world. Combining the sounds and rhythms of different cultures and eras can be a beautiful thing. This album does it well. With an open mind, you'll find yourself swept away, only to be brought back by the natural motion of your tapping foot or your swaying body.

Average customer rating: Pure Christmas Christmas magic a voice teacher and early music fan Simply beautiful It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!

Sing We Christmas Chanticleer Manufacturer: Teldec ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Holst | Holst, Gustav | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Howells, Herbert | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Praetorius, Hieronymus | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Michael Praetorius | Praetorius, Michael | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chanticleer | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: Christmas with Chanticleer (Featuring Dawn Upshaw) Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music Chanticleer: A Portrait ASIN: B000000SNL Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

1. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
2. O magnum mysterium
3. In dulci iubilo
4. O virgo virginum
5. O Jesulein s Jesulein mild
6. Hodie Christus natus est
7. Marabile mysterium
8. Verbum caro factum est: Y la Virgen le dezia
9. A un nilorando
10. Here Is The Little Door
11. Noel canon
12. Quelle est cette odeur agrle
13. El Noi de la Mare
14. A Christmas Carol
15. A virgin unspotted
16. In the bleak mid-winter
17. Glory to the newborn King
18. Stille nacht - Douce nuit - Silent night

Amazon.com

Christmas is the season for whipping out those holiday-specific standard recordings. This splendid gift by Chanticleer should top the list, for one will never tire of this a cappella choir's interpretations. With selections spanning the last five centuries of Latin, German, English, Spanish, and French festive fare, this recording exemplifies the sacrifice of the ego to the higher form of choral sound. Jacob Handl's "Mirabile Mysterium" takes you on a trip into the chromatic wonderlands, where you temporarily lose tonal balance. Victoria's eerie and dissonant "O Magnum Mysterium" treats us to rich voices swelling out of one organic whole. The phenomenal blend and perfect intonation elevate this recording above others in its category. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

Pure Christmas.......2007-01-16

If you are looking for traditional madrigal sounding holiday music, this CD is for you. I have purchased this CD several times because I just keep giving them away. Everyone I've ever introduced it to has loved it. This finely polished group has a pure sound matched by no other. If you weren't looking at the CD notes you would never know this is only a group of 12 men.

Christmas magic.......2007-01-10

A CD evocative of Christmas past and present. Beautiful harmonies both wistful and ringing with joy. Buy it for next Christmas!

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-12-02

Chanticleer, the U.S. equivalent of the British King's Singers, is a full-time classical vocal ensemble named for the rooster in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. It was founded in 1978 by Louis Botto, a tenor, and for a while was its artistic director. They have achieved critical acclaim all over the world and their repertoire is very extensive and varied. Just commenting on a few of the selections on this disc:
'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' is a hymn that originated in western Germany around 1500, and is best known in the harmonization by Michael Praetorious published around 1609. The poem used biblical imagery that pictures the newborn Christ growing forth from the "stem of Jesse'(the father of King David), as foretold in Isiah 11. The metaphorical writings of the Middle Ages depict the patriarchal figure of Jesse as a rose bush.
'O Magnum mysterium',Victoria's most famous motet, uses a subline text from the Christmas Vespers. This is incredibly beautiful with its interweaving polyphony which leads to a hushed choral declamation at the words "O beata Virgo"(O Blessed Virgin) ending with a Alleulia Section.
'Here is the Little Door' is from a set of three "carol anthems", dating from 1918-1920. Herbert Howells was revered as one of the 20th century's most distinguished Choral composers, and I recently discovered him thru the album " by the Corydon Singers conducted by Matthew Best. It includes Howells Requiem in addition to the Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor. It is the most heavenly somewhat exotic choral music I think I have heard in many years of listening; I highly recommend it.
'Glory to the newborn King'. Joseph Jennings, Georgia native and present musical director of Chanticleer, has often drawn upon his roots to create special gospel and spiritual arrangements of familiar songs. 'Glory to the newborn King' features four traditional songs combined to showcase Chanticleer's unique choral virtuosity!
This is an excellent group of carols,and it is always refreshing to hear 'new' melodies, arrangements; a joy for the ear!!!!

Simply beautiful.......2006-02-20

The title and artist' name says it all - Christmas with clear (pure) singing. Glorious in all respects.

It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!.......2005-12-20

Walking the busy malls to the multichannel Muzak of every old Christmas song interpreted in hiphop, jazz, idiosyncratic 'rethinkings' by famous soloists as well as replays of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby etc., it is a relief to return home (or if fortunate, to the concert hall) and hear the more uplifting music of the season through the ages. And despite reliance on some old favorite Messiah recordings, and carols by Kings College Choir, the one CD that seems to reign supreme is this Chanticleer release SING WE CHRISTMAS from 1995!

These twelve male voices create an ambience that can only be labeled 'spiritual', so resonant and exquisitely performed are each of the generous works on this recording. The moods pass through Praetorius, Victoria, Bach and traditional carols of unknown authorship to works by Ives, Billings, Holst, Guerrero, Howells and Sametz. The repertoire is both familiar and rarely heard and the result of combining all these forms is the truest form of Christmas spirit on record: this is music to cleanse the Muzak blitz! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Average customer rating: Transcendant spiritual beauty More Gardiner than "Renaissance", but nonetheless undeniably vivid...

Pilgrimage to Santiago Manufacturer: Soli Deo Gloria ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Dufay | Dufay, Guillaume | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lassus | Lassus, Orlando di(Lasso) | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Morales, Cristóbal de | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Music for Compline Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs Bolivian Baroque Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD] Cantatas, Vol. 7 Combattimento (W/Dvd) ASIN: B000IFRPUA Release Date: 2006-11-14

Tracks:

1. Dum Pater Familias
2. Congaudeant Catholici
3. O Virgo Splendens
4. Parce Mihi Domine
5. Alma Perpetui
6. Jesu Rex Admirabilis
7. Rite Majorem
8. O Quam Gloriosum/Missa O Quam Gloriosum
9. Kyrie
10. Psallat Chorus Caelestium
11. Gloria
12. O Lux Et Decus Hispaniae
13. Sanctus
14. Benedictus
15. O Venerande Christi
16. Agnus Dei
17. Nesciens Mater
18. O Maria Vernans Rosa
19. Vadam Et Circuibo
20. Justorum Animae
21. Sanctus

Customer Reviews:

Transcendant spiritual beauty.......2007-05-19

After arriving at the end of this astonishing CD, any critical objectivity was swept away by the sheer transcendent quality of these performances. One need not be religious to understand something out of the ordinary is happening here. This was recorded in London in between performances in France and Spain where the choir hiked from town to town and performed the program in abbeys and churches, ending with a performance in the Cathedral of Santiago de Campostela.Surely the memories of those churches, their extraordinary spiritual qualities and acoustics, remained in the singer's ears and hearts during this recording session. So much of it is so beautiful, with the motet 'O Maria vernans rosa' by Clemens non papa being for me the highlight. It is hard to imagine anything more transcendant than the soaring treble lines and prismatic harmonies in that music.All that is missing are the candles and the incense. Glorious!

More Gardiner than "Renaissance", but nonetheless undeniably vivid..........2007-01-22

In his first non-Bach recording for the Monteverdi Choir's own 'Soli deo gloria' label, John Eliot Gardiner presents a sublime programme of works from the 12th-16th centuries inspired by the renowned Santiago pilgrim route. If the CD does not quite surpass the Monteverdi Choir's 2005 recording of similar music ('Santiago a cappella', Universal/Emarcy 0028947630104), it is still by any account a magnificent achievement. The performances exhibit both impeccable ensemble and near-faultless intonation, and are beautifully encaptured within a warm and reverberant acoustic. In addition, Gardiner frequently exploits a slow 'tactus' to great effect, resulting in readings which are spiritually charged and spacious (perhaps most obviously in Morales' ubiquitous 'Parce mihi Domine', Mouton's 'Nesciens mater' and Clemens 'O Maria vernans rosa').

If there can be any criticism of the disc, it is that, at times, the towering force of Gardiner's musical personality is perhaps a little too dominant. In his defence, Gardiner makes no pretence that this is anything but a highly idiosyncratic account, a fact as obvious from the presentation (note the CD cover and booklet notes featuring personal reflections from himself [pp.1-2] and members of the choir [pp.34-5]) as from the performances themselves. A number of the interpretations, for example, rely on a rhetorical approach to dynamics and tempo arguably more appropriate to late 16th/early 17th century secular music than 'prima prattica' (and earlier) sacred music, and whilst this musicological liberty is often effective, sometimes it is not. The declamatory 'forte' outbursts of Dufay's 'Rite majorem' are indicative of this over-emphasis on text; similarly the rather organic tempo in Victoria's motet 'O quam gloriosum' sounds a little mannered in places and seems to contradict what is known about tempo in Renaissance music (see below *). Additionally, the choice of forces (see below **) and occasional mannerisms (such as the clipped 'Hosanna' in the Sanctus and Benedictus of Victoria's Mass) are powerfully suggestive of the mixed-voice Cambridge choral tradition of Rutter, Marlow and Brown (Gardiner himself having studied there). And incidentally, why is the Credo from Victoria's Mass silently omitted...?!

If the overall result, then, is really more a personal invitation to Gardiner's insight than an accurate representation of the selected works, this does not detract from the profound and ethereal experience which is created upon listening to this marvellous release. Highly recommended.


(*) It would be dangerous to interpret sources too literally, but it surely significant that contemporary theorists almost consistently relate the tactus to mediums with a regular factor, most commonly the heartbeat (e.g. Ramis de Pareia [1482], Adam of Fulda [1490], etc...), but also breathing (Gaffurius, 1496), walking (Buchner c.1520), etc.
(**) Performance of Iberian polyphony with instruments - rather than 'a cappella' (as here) - is well documented, and Santiago Cathedral itself boasted 4 salaried ministriles from 1539. In Rome too, where Victoria's Mass was published (1583), instrumental participation was common. The English jesuit Gregory Martin, describing music in Roman churches c.1576-8, for example, notes: "...with the Organs a childes voice shriller and louder than the instrument, tuneable with every pipe: Among the quyre, Cornet or Sagbut, or such like above the voices..." (Roma Sancta, 1581, p.96)

Average customer rating: Perfect Performances Mucho me pesa la cabeza Just Get it! This is such a great recording ýCreoleý Songs and Dances from Old Spain to the New World

Villancicos y Danzas Criollas Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: La Folia, 1490-1701 Altre Follie, 1500-1750 Isabel I: Reina de Castilla Harmonie Universelle Elizabethan Consort Music ASIN: B0000E64U4 Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

1. Chacona: A La Vida Bona
2. Danza Del Hacha - Hesperion XXI
3. Moresca: Di Perra Mora
4. Negrilla A 4: San Sabeya Gugurumbe
5. Ritual Formulario: Hanacpachap Cussicuinin
6. Joto
7. Tono Humano: Ay Que Me Rio De Amor
8. Mestizo E Indio: Tleycantimo Choquiliya
9. Negra A 5: Antonya Flaciquia Gasipa
10. Cachua - Hesperion XXI
11. Rorro: Desvelado Dueno Mio
12. Negrilla: A Siolo Flasiquiyo
13. Juguete: Un Juguetico De Fuego
14. Juguete A 4: Convidando Esta La Noche
15. Guaracha: Ay Que Me Abraso
16. Villancico A 8: Serafin Que Con Dulce

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Performances.......2007-07-11

Villancicos y Danzas Criollas is a homage to the cultural traditions of Iberia and Ibero-America, showing the influence of European traditions in the Americas. The Villancico (also called Chanzoneta) is a form of poetry that was adopted for use in secular songs and, in the 17th century, for Christmas carols (the modern usage of the word denotes a carol). The secular songs were gradually replaced by the Romance while the Christmas carol form became more popular. The typical lyrics of villancicos have two or three stanzas followed by a refrain. The most religious-oriented villancico of this collection is Hanacpachap Cussicuinin (from Lima) where the author asks for their prayer to be answered.

The transmission of musical culture is a favorite (and fascinating) subject for Jordi Savall and this CD includes some beautiful and rousing music. The CD begins with four selections reflecting Iberian music that sets the stage of presenting a song (usually) followed by a dance. Following this introduction we are off the Americas and music from Peru, Guatemala and Mexico.

As pointed out in the booklet, the colonial expansion that took place during the 15th and 16th centuries widen cultural connections to include Africa, Asia and the Americas, which is reflected in this collection of music. One will discover a mixing of African dance rhythms and percussion with European polyphony. This is nicely demonstrated by the first selection with its strong use of drums and bold brass playing combined with a fast-paced dance melody and mixed voices. The second work, by an anonymous composer, is quite a contrast with its more restrained and courtly rhythms played by string instruments without the percussion or brass. The Hanacpachap Cussicuinin is scored for percussion, brass and voices sounding like a solemn funeral procession and is followed by a beautifully played piece for harp and percussion from Mexico. The incomparable Montserrat Figueras sings with peerless passion and beauty, particularly in the short Tono Hidalgo of Juan Hidalgo. One could go on and on extolling the wonderful music of this CD, suffice it to say that among my collection of early music discs this one is at the top.

As with all of Jordi Savall's recordings the performance is excellent and beautifully balanced with voices and instruments receiving equal emphasis. If you do not have this disc and love early music get it without hesitation.

Mucho me pesa la cabeza.......2007-07-02

Again and again we hear "Mucho me pesa la cabeza"..... "Much it pains my head."

This music is so ephemeral... so unique.... so mind massaging..... I love reading while it softly plays in the background in the room!

The massage is quite expansive!

Not a painful massage at all, but it does get inside your head!

Just Get it!.......2006-08-20

It's hard to pick out anything special on this disk... everything is top-notch. The opening 'La Chacona' is a delight and it just gets better and better and better. The second piece definitely is having some fun setting the listener up for 'something.' The ritual piece is majestic while the tone changes again with the harp solo... Hesprion XX/XXI are treasures in the ocean of music.
Gracias, Senores!

This is such a great recording.......2006-01-10

This recording is so great and so
breath taking that leaves me with
only this to say: since the day it
arrived to my doorstep back in mid
December, I have listen to it daily,
not just few tracks, but the whole
CD several times a day.....One
of the best works of Savall and
Hesperion XXI.....

ýCreoleý Songs and Dances from Old Spain to the New World.......2004-05-16

An astonishing collection of vocal polyphony and dance music, largely from Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico. Performed with flair and feeling by the preeminent Spanish early-music ensemble of our time. Not to be missed!

My translation of the album title, given above, is not exact. "Criolla" can refer to anything Latin American, and a "villancico" is first and foremost a Spanish poetic genre from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia tells us that it was "originally derived from a medieval dance lyric and associated with rustic or popular themes." Certainly the rustic and popular loom large in this lively selection of Renaissance music. Hesperion XXI and its director Jordi Savall have often sampled folk styles in their imaginative reconstitutions of early performance tradition. So most of these selections get percussion accompaniment accentuating the dance element, while strumming guitars, castanets, maracas, and more are employed discreetly but effectively. Lusty and characterful vocal contributions come courtesy of La Capella Reial de Catalunya and soprano Montserrat Figueras, who takes a couple of fine solo turns. It's all recorded in a warm, resonant church acoustic.

In his liner notes, Prof. Rui Vieira Neri introduces the Spanish part of this collection by noting a long tradition of mixing high and low culture, not to mention Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultural elements in the art and music of the Iberian peninsula. And right away we get to hear a vocal chaconne (a dance imported from the Indies "by mail" according to Lope de Vega) and a Moresca "Di Perra Mora," with strong Arabic flavor and hints of 5/2 meter.

Of the New World selections, some of the most engaging combine indigenous languages with Netherlands musical style. The solemn processional hymn "Hancpachap cussicuinin," written by a native composer in the Quechua language of Peru, was also the first example of polyphony printed in the Americas. Gaspar Fernandes (1570-1629), chapel master at the Puebla cathedral, wrote a number of villancicos that mix Castilian with Nahuatl, the Aztec tongue, including "Tleycantimo choquiliua" on this recording. It is based on a local Indian dance, as is another Christmas villancico included here, "Ay que me abraso," which moves to the beat of the Mexican guaracha.

Bantu and Yoruba phrases crop up frequently in the refrains of the African-influenced numbers, so numerous in their day that they were customarily referred to in the old manuscripts as Negro, Negrilla, or Guineo. Savall includes three such pieces on this recording; they abound in the sort of rhythmic intricacies and call-and-response effects that Europeans already associated with Africa. Among the most infectious is "Antonya, Flasiquiya, Gasipá," in which the song's characters wake up after a long night of drinking and dancing in order to go to Bethlehem to pay homage to baby Jesus, where more carousing will be called for. Each refrain ends with the words "Mucho me pesa la cabeza": "Oh, my aching head."

I wouldn't want to give the impression that this music will appeal mostly to scholars. In fact, it is simply full of human joy, tenderness, and fun, qualities that leap across the centuries at us and need no special pleading, thanks to the terrific performances on this CD. You will enjoy it.

International Music:

1. Urban Skins, Vol. 3
2. Vintage Verckys
3. When Irish Eyes are Smiling
4. 1 Of The Starz
5. 10 Grande Success [Import]
6. 20 Super Sucessos [Import]
7. 20 Super Sucessos [Import]
8. A Lover's World
9. Across Indians Lands
10. Air Mail Music: China, Vol. 2

International Music

International Music