My Blue Heaven [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
20 Tracks Including "Stardust", "on Moonlight Bay", "my Blue Heaven", "my Dream is Yours" and "Pretty Baby".

Tracks:

The Man from Snowy River (Bruce Rowland)
The Winds of War (Bob Cobert)
Blue Velvet (Angelo Badalamenti)
Witness (Maurice Jarre)
Raising Arizona (Carter Burwell)
Pee Wees Big Adventure (Danny Elfman)
Halloween (John Carpenter)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (Charles Bernstein)
The Fly (Howard Shore)
RoboCop (Basil Poledouris)
The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)
The Right Stuff (Bill Conti)
The Final Conflict (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)
Brainstorm (James Horner)
Peggy Sue Got Married (John Barry)
My Left Foot (Elmer Bernstein)
The Dead (Alex North)
Stanley & Iris (John Williams)
The Milagro Beanfield War (Dave Grusin)
Driving Miss Daisy (Hans Zimmer)

Tracks:

Steel Magnolias (Georges Delerue)
Unforgiven (Lennie Niehaus and Clint Eastwood)
Raggedy Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Grifters (Elmer Bernstein)
Green Card (Hans Zimmer)
City Slickers (Marc Shaiman)
Father Of The Bride (Alan Silvestri)
While You Were Sleeping (Randy Edelman)
Babe (Nigel Westlake)
The Adventures Of The Great Mouse Detective (Henry Mancini)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Laurence Rosenthal)
The Secret Garden (Zbigniew Preisner)
A Little Princess (Patrick Doyle)
Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)
Iron Will (Joel McNeely)
Memphis Belle (George Fenton)
Eye Of The Needle (Mikl)
Total Recall (Jerry Goldsmith)
Back To The Future Part III (Alan Silvestri)

Tracks:

To Die For (Danny Elfman)
The Player (Thomas Newman)
Black Robe (Georges Delerue)
Medicine Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
2001 (Alex North)
Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Joel McNeely)
The Crow (Graeme Revell)
Blade (Mark Isham)
The Omen (Jerry Goldsmith)
Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann)
Scream (Marco Beltrami)
The Sixth Sense (James Newton Howard)
Xena: Warrior Princess (Joseph LoDuca)
Air Force One (Jerry Goldsmith)
Starship Troopers (Basil Poledouris)
The Matrix (Don Davis)
The Iron Giant (Michael Kamen)
Youve Got Mail (George Fenton)
A Little Romance (Georges Delerue)
Pleasantville (Randy Newman)

Tracks:

Sunset Boulevard (Franz Waxman)
L.A. Confidential (Jerry Goldsmith)
Rounders (Christopher Young)
The Score (Howard Shore)
The Replacements (John Debney)
Gone In 60 Seconds (Trevor Rabin)
The Bourne Identity (John Powell)
Rush Hour 2 (Lalo Schifrin)
XXX (Randy Edelman)
Die Hard (Michael Kamen)
The Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones)
Moby Dick (Christopher Gordon)
The Mists Of Avalon (Lee Holdridge)
Cleopatra (Alex North)
Life As A House (Mark Isham)
Emma (Rachel Portman)
In The Bedroom (Thomas Newman)
Cast Away (Alan Silvestri)
One True Thing (Cliff Eidelman)
Unfaithful (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek)
Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
Ice Age (David Newman)
Shrek (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell)

Customer Reviews:

A good value.......2007-05-17

I wasn't expecting to have 4 discs for this price, and the music is a quality selection of film music, giving a good scope of the genre, and a very listenable transfer.

The Sound Track Since Bernard Hermann.......2006-07-25

This collection is bound to capture your heart and evoke a tin ear on successive tracks. I found much to like and some duds - easy to skip over.
Very good value.

Good mix of film music.......2006-07-02

Good mix of films!
I'm a big fan of this soundtrack music and will be looking for more CD's like this.

A mixed collection of movie music.......2006-02-23

For the price, this CD is a great bargain. The musical selections, as you might expect, are mixed in quality ranging from extraordinary to so so, the balance being worthwhile and interesting. Sonically the CD is excellent.

Uplifts your soul, takes your mind into the heavens.......2006-01-06

I have been listening to great scores for many years and this collection is truly inspirational in so far as the choice of different scores takes you on a journey of listening pleasure matched by only a few collections.The price is incredibly reasonable for hours of listening pleasure. Don't pass this one up

Average customer rating:

Lockhart's Debut Recording with the Boston Pops
"Runnin' Wild" will get you "In the Mood" for Big Band tunes
Great fun!
Okay, but lose the cover
Swing at its best!

Runnin' Wild
Harry Warren , Hoagy Carmichael , Walter Donaldson , Russian Traditional , Frankie Carle , Giuseppe Verdi , William Christopher Handy , Manning Sherwin , F.W. Meacham , Joseph Winner , Joseph C. Garland , Fred Buda , Timothy Morrison , Thomas Martin , John Pizzarelli , Lawrence Wolfe , Peter Chapman , Bruce Hall , Chester Schmitz , and Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003G5I
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Tracks:

Runnin' Wild
A String Of Pearls
Moonlight Serenade
Chattanooga Choo-choo
Nearness Of You
My Blue heaven
Timothy Morrison: Song Of The Volga Boatmen
Sunrise Serenade
(I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo
Serenade In Blue
The Anvil Chorus
St. Luis Blues March
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
American Patrol
Little Brown Jug
In The Mood

Customer Reviews:

Lockhart's Debut Recording with the Boston Pops.......2004-08-13

RUNNING WILD is collection of Glenn Miller favorites and is Keith Lockhart's debut recording with the Boston Pops Orchestra. The musical quality is good. While it does not demonstrate the style that Lockhart would later develop with the orchestra, it certainly offers glimpses of what is to come. Perhaps the recording's strongest tracks are the musical numbers with guests: John Pizzarelli and the King Singers, especially the album's rendition of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo". One of Lockhart's greatest strengths is selecting guests to accompany the orchestra and this album is a foretaste of what is later to come, particularly on the Celtic and Mexican collections released later in Lockhart's tenure. While the album is good, and Lockhart seems to enjoy conducting these Big Band pieces, his rendition of "In the Mood" is missing something, which is surprising since this work is such a staple at Pops concerts, but even a not quiet the best rendition of any piece by the Boston Pops is still far better than much of what is available.

"Runnin' Wild" will get you "In the Mood" for Big Band tunes.......2003-11-08

When John Williams stepped down as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra after 14 successful seasons, the talented young Keith Lockhart was chosen as his replacement. Looking more like a college freshman than music director of one of America's most famous orchestras, Lockhart has proved to be just as adept and popular as Williams and the late Arthur Fiedler.

1996's Runnin' Wild is a collection of songs made famous by Big Band era orchestra leader Glenn Miller, whose civilian and later Army Air Force bands provided audiences with music to dance to (and love to) before and during World War II. Before his mysterious death in December 1944, Miller's band and featured vocalists gave the world such beloved swing standards as "In The Mood," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," "A String of Pearls," and his signature theme, "Moonlight Serenade."

Listen to this album, close your eyes, and the Boston Pops Orchestra transports you back to the 1940s, with young men in uniform dancing with either their wives, sweethearts, or USO girls to the fast-paced "Runnin' Wild"...gently swaying the sweet "A String of Pearls" (featured in the film The Glenn Miller Story)...or sharing that last sweet bit of lovemaking to the slow beat of "Moonlight Serenade."

Of the 16 selections, "Moonlight Serenade" is the one I am most familiar with, having heard it as incidental music or "source" material in so many World War II movies or documentaries. It's slow, gentle, romantic yet sensual, and it's the only "Glenn Miller" song actually written by the bandleader. Originally titled "Now I Lay Me Down to Weep," it was a big hit in 1939 and was the theme song for both Miller's and Tex Beneke's bands. The Pops' performance of it captures its air of nostalgia perfectly, and the clarinet solo by Thomas Martin is simply fabulous.

Modern standards singer John Pizzarelli and The King's Singers show their stuff on several tracks, most vividly so in "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," which was another chart-topping hit for Miller in 1941, the year the U.S. entered World War II. Pizzarelli has a way of channeling the great vocalists of the era, with his easy-to-listen voice and flawless delivery. The King's Singers are wonderful backup in other songs, including "Serenade in Blue" and "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo."

As a soloist, Pizzarelli shines in the more romantic (and slower) "The Nearness of You," a song that might have been on a serviceman's mind when reading a letter from his wife or girlfriend.

Another sentimental favorite where Pizzarelli performs well is 1940's "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," a song introduced in Britain and popularized not only by Glenn Miller but also Guy Lombardo and Sammy Kay.

Several genres also get the Glenn Miller treatment, such as opera (Verdi's "The Anvil Chorus," from Il Trovatore), vaudeville ("My Blue Heaven") blues ("The St. Louis Blues March") and even Russian traditional songs ("Volga Boatmen").

So if you want to get "In the Mood" and have a good time listening to a fun Boston Pops Orchestra album, Runnin' Wild is definitely worth getting.

Great fun!.......2000-11-02

I bought this CD three days ago and it hasn't left my CD player since. There is nothing like waking up and putting on "In the Mood" to start your day, or listening to "Moonlight Serenade" to end it.

Okay, but lose the cover.......2000-05-31

The Pops are a Boston institution. They have been a tradition for many and familiar to most. I have been to the Pops probably as often as to Fenway Park. I like both and find great comfort in each.

What happens with much of what the Pops attempt here is goofy. The cover art, is I presume, similar to the old Arthur Fiedler covers where he wore a funny coat or hat and tried to look less symphonic and more silly. Give it up.

The strength of the Pops is the traditional, predictable format and arrangements that are as easy to identify as your own child. That too is the unfortunate part of the Pops. There needs to be a little something new here.

So if you enjoy the traditional string arrangements and percussion of the Pops this will not disappoint you. If you are trying to get a youngster excited about this music you might more easily find an elevator and listen to the musak.

Classical arrangements, novelty music and patriotic songs are the best the Pops can provide. The swing music just doesn't do it for me.

Runnin' wild? Maybe with a walker.

Swing at its best!.......2000-01-08

I'll tell you a little story about this CD from Keith Lockhart. I'm a baby-boomer brought up on swing and am constantly looking for quality big band recordings. I bought this album several years ago when it was first released and I loved it. Whenever I played it at home, my 18 y/o daughter gave me the business about my "old fogey" music. One day, however, I happened to come home unexpectedly and there she was in the family room with "String of Pearls" at nearly full volume. I bought her the album when she went to college and she says that she's since converted nearly half the dorm to swing. This is probably the best recording of big band sounds ever. Also look at "Pops Stoppers" which is half big band tunes and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". Both are excellent as well.

Average customer rating:

Awesome voice, exquisite performances
It may take you a little time to love her voice

A Tribute

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Edition V8 / Blow the Wind Southerly
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ASIN: B0000A9DYO
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

What Is Life To Me Without Thee?
Che Puro Ciel
Art Thou Troubled?
Ombra Mai Fu
An Die Musik
Der Musensohn
Gretchen Am Spinnrade
Die Junge Nonne
Woe Unto Them
O Rest In The Lord
Er, Der Herrlichste Von Allen
Geistliches Wiegenlied
Sapphische Ode
Botschaft
Like As The Love-Torn Turtle
A Soft Day
Go Not Happy Day
Come You Not From Newcastle
The Keel Row
Ma Bonny Lad
Kitty My Love
Blow The Wind Southernly

Tracks:

Ye Banks And Braes
I Have A Bonnet Trimmed With Blue
Down By The Salley Gardens
The Stuttering Lovers
Drink To Me Only
Hark! The Echoing Air
Father Of Heaven
O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion
He Was Despised
Have Mercy, Lord On Me
Agnus Dei
All Is Fulfilled
Du Bist Die Ruh' - Bruno Walter
Romance - Bruno Walter
Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft
Um Mitternacht

Customer Reviews:

Awesome voice, exquisite performances.......2006-08-27

These two CDs contain a great selection of classical, operatic and folk songs in English, German and Italian by the famous contralto (1912 - 1953). Highlights on the first CD include What Is Life from Orfeo et Euridice, Art Thou Troubled from Rodelina, Woe Unto Them and O Rest In The Lord from Elijah and the traditional song Blow The Wind Southerly.

My personal favorites appear on the second CD. The first is the divine Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, the Ben Jonson poem, which is a most mystical and transcending listening experience. The buoyant Stuttering Lovers is most catchy and appealing. Both of the aforementioned are sung to the piano accompaniment of pianist Phyllis Spurr.

Backed by the London Philharmonic, Ferrier renders splendid versions of Father Of Heaven from Judas Maccabaeus and O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion from The Messiah. These are truly awesome, the first one slow and somber, the second joyous and triumphant. Other highlights on this second CD include He Was Despised from The Messiah and All Is Fulfilled from St John Passion by Bach.

The informative CD booklet contains black and white photographs, a short biography in English, French and German, plus complete information on the recording of the tracks: composers, dates, venues, conductors and musicians. Kathleen Ferrier was a unique vocalist who made a magnficent contribution to classical and folk music.

It may take you a little time to love her voice.......2004-08-19

Kathleen Ferrier has one of the most instantly recognizable voices in music. And it's a voice that might take you time to love. As an eight year old I heard her version of Blow the Wind Southerly many times on British radio and intensely disliked it. I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman, adult or child, such is the nature of her contralto. But over the years, especially hearing Ferrier sing Handel and Mahler, I've come to treasure her recordings alongside Callas, Sutherland, Flagstad and Baker. This two disc set contains performances which are about 45-55 years old. Many favourites are here especially the folk songs and selections from Bach, Handel and Mahler. The sound quality is excellent. The sleeve notes mention that Ferrier's vocal delivery may sound old fashioned to our ears. But her remarkable voice which stirs one's deepest emotions, transcends any thought of quaintness or mannerism. She is, quite simply, the greatest contralto ever. This selection will have you seeking out her other recordings on Amazon.com. And it might also lead you to Virginia Rodrigues, a Brazilian contralto with a superb voice who, like Ferrier, makes everything she sings, her own.

Average customer rating:

A Gem Out of New Orleans
When whippoorwills call
20 hit songs from da Fat Man himself!
40 minutes of pure happiness in 20 songs...
Perhaps he was the true "King of Rock and Roll'

My Blue Heaven: The Best Of Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Classic R&B | R&B | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DRAF
Release Date: 1990-07-16

Tracks:

My Blue Heaven
The Fat Man
Please Don't Leave Me
Ain't It A Shame
I'm In Love Again
When My Dreamboat Comes Home
Blueberry Hill
Blue Monday
I'm Walkin'
Valley Of Tears
The Big Beat
Yes, My Darling
Whole Lotta Loving
I'm Ready
I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday
I Want To Walk You Home
Be My Guest
Walking To New Orleans
Let The Four Winds Blow
What A Party

Customer Reviews:

A Gem Out of New Orleans.......2006-08-14

Fats Domino is a true gem out of New Orleans. As I listen to this CD I savor the sounds that we may never hear coming out of New Orleans again. There is a feeling of sadness and longing as you listen to Fats sing Walking To New Orleans.

When whippoorwills call.......2004-02-27

Elvis Presley once called Fats Domino "the real King of Rock and Roll". Listening to the evidence on this CD, one might be inclined to agree with him. These are songs that helped to define rock and roll (although a couple of them actually pre-date the rock and roll era). This is great stuff, and it's a good sampler of his best work (although he recorded many other great songs besides the 20 included here). The songs are presented in chronological order, except for the title song, which comes first. One might ask "why was this CD named after 'My Blue Heaven', which wasn't even one of his biggest hits?" Well, there was a movie with that title that came out around the same as this CD did. It starred Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, and it wasn't a very big hit either. Anyway, if you are looking for a single disk Fats Domino collection, this is a good one.

20 hit songs from da Fat Man himself!.......2004-02-11

New Orleans was the Mecca of musical styles, be it blues, ragtime, jazz, which was born there, and creole. Mixing jazz, boogie-woogie, Cajun, and blues, all crafted by bandleader Dave Bartholomew's arrangements, Antoine Domino became one of the key figures in the birth of rock, as many of his songs were covered by white artists who didn't have that leisurely warm drawl of his. And that nickname Fats, given to him by musician Billy Diamond, stuck. However, despite his transcending racism and ageism prevalent in the white-dominated music business of the 1950's, Fats Domino scored better on the R&B charts than the pop charts. This compilation takes Fats Domino's Imperial singles from 1953 to 1961. Highlights: "My Blue Heaven" is a perfect example of engaging piano and accompanying brass that characterized his sound. And it was featured in the movie of the same name with Steve Martin and Rick Moranis. It was also the flipside of "I'm In Love Again", #1 R&B, #3 pop, which clearly showed some rock and roll sounds also familiarized by Buddy Holly. An amusing line is "baby don't let your dog bite me."

"The Fat Man" was a cleaned up version of Champion Jack Dupree's "Junker Blues," a drug song from 1940. Fats' version hit #2 on the R&B charts.

The mid-paced cajun-flavoured "Ain't That A Shame" proved to be Fats' breakthrough in rock and roll, but at a price. Pat Boone's version hit #1, while Fats version only hit #10. Urggh, now ain't that really a shame? A similar sound is heard in his best known song, his cover of Louis Armstrong's "Blueberry Hill," which highlights his Cajun drawl and its pre-rock sound didn't stop it from getting to #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts.

Another #1 R&B hit was his cover of Smiley Lewis's "Blue Monday" which not only sports the same sound but was featured in the rock-and-roll movie The Girl Can't Help It, which had him performing that number in the latter part of the movie. My favourite bit is that drumming that accompanies his singing "Saturday morning, Saturday morning." Blue Monday, better than thinking a la Garfield "I hate Mondays."

The #1 R&B fingersnapping boogie-woogie "I'm Walkin'" was one of three songs featuring "walking" in the title, and he and Ricky Nelson duetted on this a few years before the latter's death. The other two "walking" songs were the leisurely "Walkin' To New Orleans" which sports some strings and the #1 R&B "I Want To Walk You Home," another leisurely number.

"Valley Of Tears" only hit #2 R&B, but it's more leisurely than Fats' usual oeuvre. I wonder how the original by Brenda Lee sounds. I can imagine Buddy Holly doing the rollicking rockabilly of "Whole Lotta Love", which is a sweet marriage song that hit #2 R&B.

One of his last hits was the upbeat rock and roll "Let The Four Winds Blow" with that sweet tagline, "from the east to the west, I love you the best." And the festive "What A Party" clearly has Fats and friends having lots of fun.

Fats proved that one didn't have to be a hunka man like Elvis or a hotblooded young guy in order to make it. The ageism that made Bill Haley's career shortlived didn't affect Domino at all. But furthermore, chart evidence shows that he beat the racism that affected other black artists, as thirty-six of his songs hit the Top 40 from 55 to 63, making him only second to Elvis. And his songs were simple, with no hidden or double meanings, all within two minutes and packed with that upbeat boogie-woogie/cajun sound. And this from a guy who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986) and Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Grammies in 1987. This collection will put your in your own Blue Heaven.

40 minutes of pure happiness in 20 songs..........2002-06-05

If Buddy Holly proved you could be skinny, geeky and wear glasses and still become a rock star, then Fats proved you could be plump, black, and stay seated at the piano and be a rock star...if enough talent was there. His songs are brief and simple but perfectly effective...some of them jump, some are ballads, some have fine lyrics, most have super keyboarding and a few have a wailing sax that really grooves. I am old enough to remember when most of the hits on this disc first came out, but even if you are not, you'll still enjoy them: "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" and "Blueberry Hill" and "I'm Walkin'" and "Valley of Tears" and "Walking to New Orleans" are the most famous. My favorite is "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday", which I recall singing to myself when I had a hopeless crush on a girl in 10th grade who was far above my station. Also great are "Ain't It a Shame" and "I Want to Walk You Home" and just about all the others. Fats got his start in R & B when it was still called "race music", a few years before "Rock 'N Roll" became the immortal phrase. He bridged both worlds easily. He was a giant, and not just in the waistline. No collection of "Fifties Rock" can leave him out.

Perhaps he was the true "King of Rock and Roll'.......2002-04-04

Hey forget about Elvis,forget about Little Richard or Chuck Berry or Jerry lee or Jackie Wilson. There's darn good evidence on this cd that Fats was the true "King Of Rock and Roll". Buy this cd and judge for yourself.

Average customer rating:

Fairy Dreams: Moonlight Lullabies

Manufacturer: Big Blue Dog
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005YO4X
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

Appalachian Lullaby
Winter Light
Safe And Warm In My Arms
Bedtime
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Starlight, Starbright
Goodnight
Sweet Dreams
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Average customer rating:

lots of fun

My Blue Heaven
John Pizzarelli
Manufacturer: Chesky Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sing Sing Sing
All of Me
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ASIN: B000003GF4
Release Date: 1990-05-01

Tracks:

My Blue Heaven
I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm
It Could Happen To You
Lady Be Good
The Touch Of Your Lips
Can't Take You Nowhere
Take My Smile
That's What
Stray Horn
Best Man
Oh Me, Oh My, Oh Gosh
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
Passion Flower
Zoot Walked In/Morning Fun
Candy

Customer Reviews:

lots of fun.......1999-07-02

This CD is lots of fun to listen to and shares a wide range of musical emotion. John Pizzarelli is an extremely talented guitar player and his selection of songs is notable. From the clever and whimsical song "Best Man" about a smooth talker who ends up being"the best man when she married my best friend" to Strayhorn's haunting "Passion Flower," this CD takes the listener on an enjoyable musical journey.

Average customer rating:

Some Glorious and Well-Sung Hymns!
Beautiful
Like Adding Sugar and Honey to Syrup
Good choir but not best choice of music
Stunning

Bluebird: Voices from Heaven
Edward Higginbottom , Charles Gounod , Edvard Grieg , Gerald Finzi , Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov , Sir Henry Walford Davies , Sergey Rachmaninov , John Tavener , John Taverner , Claudio Monteverdi , Gioachino Rossini , Olivier Messiaen , Arvo Part , Edgar Leslie Bainton , Helen Tunstall , Edward Higgenbottom , and Choir Of New College Oxford
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The Blue Bird
Te Lucis Ante Terminum (After 'Song Of The Birds') - Helen Tunstall/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Crux Fidelis (After 'Ombra Mai Fu' From 'Xerxes')
Ave Maria - Ben Hulett/Helen Tunstall/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Ave Maris Stella
Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice, Op.26: Amen
Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom No.2, Op.29: Veruyu (Creed) - Ben Hulett/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
God Be In My Head
Lugebat David (After 'Pavane', Op.50)
All Night Vigil, Op.37: Lord, Now Lettest Thou - Ben Hulett/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Beati Quorum Via
Song For Athene
All Night Vigil, Op.37: Blessed Is The Man
Mater Christi
Ave Maris Stella
O Salutaris Hostia
O Sacrum Convivium!
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Weisheit
And I Saw A New Heaven

Customer Reviews:

Some Glorious and Well-Sung Hymns! .......2006-02-27

I was surprised to read the wide variation of reactions to this CD, which I read whilst re-hearing it. Talk about one man's meat being another man's poison!

Let me say at the outset, I am one who found the disk to be delicious meat, and far from poison. While I, too, was a bit fearful when I saw the number of re-arranged familiar works, I approached them with an open mind, prepared to enjoy them or not as the listening experience unfolded, with no odious comparisons nor particular expectations nor religious purposes in mind. I will speak then of my musical experience listening to the disk.

I enjoyed the music immensely, and was grateful for the provision of texts and translations (in lieu of any other notes about the pieces). I found the variety of cultures, styles, periods, and level of familiarity a very refreshing reminder of the countless ways in which composers of various times and places have approached Christian ideas (for no other religion is represented here).

Let me say a word or two about the individual pieces, then offer a very brief summary.

First, the Rutter hymn "What Sweeter Music" was familiar to me, but I delighted in its sheer loveliness, almost as if it were the first time! I had to play it several times before proceeding. We all owe John Rutter a great deal for his musical contribution to our times.

I was impressed with the beauty and imagination of Stanford's setting of Mary Coleridge's "Blue Bird." Not really a hymn, I suppose, it speaks of joy in nature, reminiscent in basic idea to "All Things Bright and Beautiful," though not musically similar.

The rendering of the Catalan folksong (brought to us originally by Pablo Casals) as a hymn with 7th century Ambrosian text was a welcome chance to re-hear that lovely music, and not as the Christmas carol "El Cant dels Ocells" ("The Song of the Birds"). Higginbottom's arrangement, with harp accompaniment, is very atmospheric and gorgeous.

The setting of Handel's "Ombra Mai Fu" (from his opera Xerxes) was a bit difficult to separate from its original context simply because of its immense popularity; still I managed to suppress those connotations, and found the new topic really not so different, after all. The "Crux Fidelis" text speaks of the holy cross as a "noble tree," while in Xerxes the aria renders thanks to a tree for its shade. The choral arrangement, sung in unison, with string accompaniment is tasteful and musical.

The Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria" is another extremely familiar hymn, but this one is not so much different from its Gounod setting. Higginbottom has simply added a choral accompaniment to the original vocal solo and used the harp to provide instrumental support. The tenor, Ben Hulett, sings very beautifully, as does the chorus behind him, and the balance is fine overall, though some might prefer the soloist to be more prominent in one or two spots.

I was glad to be reminded of Grieg's "Ave Maris Stella," which I had forgotten about, and of his expertise in writing for voice. His most popular works are undoubtedly the instrumental "Peer Gynt Suite" and the piano concerto. Here we get back to original versions again. I enjoyed this, though the intensity of the choral singing may be too much for some.

The "Amen" by Finzi shows a delightful interweaving of voices and some delicious harmonies within its short span (hardly more than 60 seconds).

Grechaninov's "Veruyu," or "Credo" from the important Russian Orthodox Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom brings to us the lovely, mystical chant of the all-male church choirs with their ultra-high tenors and ultra-low basses offering a huge richness of (unaccompanied) vocal sound. This is lovely and devout-sounding music, dramatically presented!

The utterly simple and ravishingly beautiful "God Be In My Head," by HW Davies, is probably alone worth the price of the CD! The choral singing here is absolutely first-rate.

The arrangement of Faure's "Pavane" is one of the more problematic pieces, being again so very familiar to us all in the original flute and strings version. I was rather pleased with the choral arrangement, perhaps perversely, for I have grown a bit tired of hearing the original. The 15th century Latin words seem to me appropriate to the emotional character of Faure's music, being very mournful indeed. (Faure's title is simply the name of a very old Italian dance from Padua, so I don't know if he meant it to be sad.)

The 2 selections from Rachmaninov's setting of an "All Night Vigil" (tracks 11 and 14) present music from the Russian Orthodox church, as did Grechaninov's, and the musical style is quite similar. For a piano virtuoso, Rachmaninov astounds us with his fine choral writing. Listen for the extremely low bass notes at the end of track 11, but don't try them at home: they're really subterranean! Track 14 "Blessed Is the Man" is a remarkably fine hymn with lovely Alleluias at the end of each verse.

Stanford's "Beata Quorum Via" is another expert piece of choral writing, and it is quite beautiful as presented here, a capella, with lovely interweaving voices in varied textures.

The "Song for Athene," by contemporary English composer Sir John Tavener, is a lament for the death of a woman, with words from Shakespeare and the Russian Orthodox funeral service and music very reminiscent of the Russian music presented earlier, except that 20th century touches appear here and there in the form of dissonances which occur suddenly and then resolve quickly back into the predominant, often austere, harmony.

"Mater Christi" is by John Taverner (not Tavener!), a 16th century English composer of church music, much of which is fairly well known today. This is a fine, longish Marian hymn sung a capella in Latin.

Monteverdi provides another Marian hymn whose Latin text is very familiar and much used, being the "Ave Maris Stella." The chorus is supported by organ and chamber orchestra, and all perform well. Very fine music!

Rossini, of operatic fame, puts on his ecclesiastical mantle here to offer a hymn to words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "O Salutaris Hostia," which is appropriately devout in character and as dramatic as you might expect. It's also a lovely a capella hymn.

Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium" is, like Rossini's, a hymn which centers upon the Paschal victim as recalled in the holy communion, but this time in the exquisite and piquant harmonies characteristic of the 20th century French mystical composer.

Arvo Part is a contemporary Estonian composer (born 1935) of a mystical character akin to Messiaen's and Tavener's. "O Weisheit," a hymn to Divine Wisdom, is sung in German and has a chant-like quality.

"And I Saw a New Heaven," a liturgical anthem, is the best-known work of the 20th century English composer Edgar Bainton, who is less well known than most of the others here (two of whom--Davies and Stanford-- were his teachers). The English text, from the Book of Revelations, is highly mystical and prophetic, and the music, for chorus and organ, is absolutely glorious!

Though some have complained about the singing and the recording quality here, I don't agree with them overall. There are points where the intensity of the voices in the perhaps overly resonant environment may seem a bit harsh, but such points are relatively few, and I find the many moments of exquisite delight outweigh them by far. Thus I recommend this CD highly for the large amount of musical satisfaction it brings.

Beautiful.......2005-12-06

I love this cd. I don't use it for serious listening - perhaps it is too sweet for that as the previous reviewer suggests, and perhaps there are better renditions. All I know is that this cd is wonderful to fall asleep or wake up to - and listening to it never fails to make me feel peaceful and happy. I recommend it.

Like Adding Sugar and Honey to Syrup.......2002-10-10

This disc largely consists of sticky-sweet, bastardized choral arrangements done in a saccharine style. The pieces whose texts are set to familiar "Top 40" classical works are really quite tasteless- Lugebat David and Crux Fidelis being the worst of them.

The recording has been made with a manufactured sound in an unusually resonant space, which has allowed the producer to gloss over a startling number of sloppy entrances, a poor blend, occasional pitch problems, and a shrill soprano section.

Borrow the disc from your library and listen to the transcriptions for the novelty of it- but for more legitimate recordings of the Rutter, the Messaien, Part and Rachmaninov, you'd best look elsewhere.

Good choir but not best choice of music.......2002-06-17

This is my first and, as yet, only recording of the Choir of New College Oxford, and I must say I am not wholly enamored with it. The choir makes a lovely sound and the quality is good, but I just cannot bring myself to enjoy the choice of music itself. I have listened through several times and only a handful of pieces capture my fancy - the Rachmaninov, Tavener, and Rossini, in particular - with the rest of the music simply too romantic and "ordinary" for me. To be blunt, I find the program rather boring. As for the singing, it is mostly beautiful but perhaps a little "too much" for lengthy listening - the vibrato is, for me, slightly overdone in places and the trebles sound a bit shrill and/or flat on occasion. However, I am certainly not going to argue that the quality of this ensemble is anything less than first-class; I would just prefer to hear then performing what to my taste would be a more interesting program.

Stunning.......2002-05-16

When I first got this album, I listened to only the first three tracks, while I prayed in the morning and the evening. One night, I accidentally fell asleep with the CD still playing, and I awoke to hear Gabriel Faure's beautiful "Lugebat David". Soon after, I listened to the entire album and was blown away by its utter beauty. The voices are perfect, the arrangements luminous, and they create an ethereal mood. I still listen to this album when I pray, for it puts me in the best frame of mind for that exercise.