Free to Be...You and Me

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
There are thousands upon thousands of children's albums out there, but the one that quietly left its mark with more '70s children than perhaps any other album was this disc. Free to Be...You and Me was a pet project of proud feminist Marlo Thomas (a.k.a. "That Girl"), and it was born--according to the liner notes--by the desire to provide her niece with music "to celebrate who she was and who she could be." Harry Belafonte sings "Parents Are People," ex-football great Rosie Grier offers an incredible, touching melody titled "It's All Right to Cry," and Diana Ross waxes future-positive on "When We Grow Up." A great hour of brain food for young--and not-so-young--children. --Denise Sheppard --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Free to Be...You and Me, Music, Various Artists, 70's, Children's, Children's Stories, Childrens, Educational, Pop, Soundtrack, Traditional Pop
Free to Be You and Me
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Okay but definately 70's sounding
  • Oldie but a Goodie
  • I still remember all the words
  • Still fresh and new
  • Still great after all these years!
Free to Be You and Me
Marlo Thomas
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Children's Music | Styles | Music
EducationalEducational | Children's Music | Styles | Music
StoriesStories | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Sing-A-LongsSing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Free to Be You and Me
  2. Free to Be You and Me
  3. The Johnny Cash Children's Album
  4. Best of Schoolhouse Rock
  5. Really Rosie (1975 Television Special)

ASIN: B000F2CC0E
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Tracks:

  1. Free To Be You And Me - The New Seekers
  2. Boy Meets Girl - Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas
  3. When We Grow Up - Diana Ross
  4. Don't Dress Your Cat In An Apron - Billy De Wolfe
  5. Parents Are People - Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas
  6. Housework - Carol Channing
  7. Helping - Tom Smothers
  8. Ladies First - Marlo Thomas
  9. Dudley Pippin And The Principal - Billy De Wolfe, Marko Thomas, Bobby Morse
  10. It's All Right To Cry - Rosey Grier
  11. Sisters And Brothers - Sisters and Brothers
  12. My Dog Is A Plumber - Dick Cavett
  13. William's Doll - Alan Alda and Marlo Thomas
  14. Atlanta - Alan Alda and Marlo Thomas
  15. Grandma - Diana Sands
  16. Girl Land - Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones
  17. Dudley Pippin And His No-Friend - Bobby Morse and Marlo Thomas
  18. Glad To Have A Friend Like You - Marlo Thomas
  19. Free To Be...You And Me - The New Seekers

Amazon.com

There are thousands upon thousands of children's albums out there, but the one that quietly left its mark with more '70s children than perhaps any other album was this disc. Free to Be...You and Me was a pet project of proud feminist Marlo Thomas (a.k.a. "That Girl"), and it was born--according to the liner notes--by the desire to provide her niece with music "to celebrate who she was and who she could be." Harry Belafonte sings "Parents Are People," ex-football great Rosie Grier offers an incredible, touching melody titled "It's All Right to Cry," and Diana Ross waxes future-positive on "When We Grow Up." A great hour of brain food for young--and not-so-young--children. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Okay but definately 70's sounding.......2007-07-10

I remembered this from childhood so I bought it. It's okay but you don't want to listen to it over & over, the songs and skits get irksome after the first run through. Not actually all songs, some short skits - a lot to do with gender equality wich is good but not alltogether entertaining... I prefer Billy Jonas - What Kind of Cat Are You!!!

5 out of 5 stars Oldie but a Goodie.......2007-06-27

This title was great when my children were children; now they're adults with children of their own, and it's still great. We keep it in the player in the car for when the grandkids ride with us along with Peter, Paul and Mommy and Peter, Paul, and Mommy Too. The grandkids enjoy it just as much as our kids did.

4 out of 5 stars I still remember all the words.......2007-05-24

Every time I hear these songs, it takes me back to my very first Fisher Price record player! I can still sing along with every song. My husband thinks the collection is a bit cheesey, and he is probably right. But that never stopped me from loving the best memories of my childhood. We are buying the collection for our children for sure!

5 out of 5 stars Still fresh and new.......2007-05-12

Not literally fresh and new, perhaps, but thirty years ago when I was first listening to this on vinyl, I never would have imagined that the message would still be essential in the 21st century. I've been buying copies for the kids of all my friends and relatives, because I hope that the more people listen to this growing up, the more likely that eventually we'll live in a world where this CD isn't needed.

5 out of 5 stars Still great after all these years! .......2007-03-14

An early birthday gift for my daughter (to be nine in April '07) - she can't get enough of this CD! After one listen, she was quoting bits and bites and getting up to hit "repeat" on the CD player. Cool.

My sister and I loved it as kids and though it's a teeny bit dated, the messages are sound, clear, and still 'work' today. The comedy is great for all ages(who can beat Mel Brooks and Alan Alda?)
So, my review says: get it! Listen ofen! And give it to someone you love!
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!!
  • One of the best cds I ever bought.
  • Never Sounded Better
  • Somewhere Over The Rainbow
  • "Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us"
 Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Vocal Jazz GeneralVocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Rhino RecordsRhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Ultimate Broadway
  2. Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need
  3. The Best Of Broadway (Cast Recording Anthology)
  4. Greatest Hits: Broadway
  5. That's Entertainment!: The Best Of The M-G-M Musicals - Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology

ASIN: B000066RO5
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

  1. Singin In The Rain - Gene Kelly
  2. Theres No Business Like Show Business - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern
  3. 'S Wonderful - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary
  4. Thats Entertainment! - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant
  5. Stranger In Paradise - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone
  6. Easter Parade - Judy Garland & Fred Astaire
  7. Lullaby Of Broadway - Winifred Shaw, Dick Powell & Chorus
  8. Get Happy - Judy Garland
  9. Night And Day - Fred Astaire
  10. True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
  11. Honeysuckle Rose - Lena Horne w/ Benny Carter & His Orchestra
  12. They Cant Take That Away From Me - Fred Astaire
  13. Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet - Nancy Walker & The M-G-M Studio Chorus w/ Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
  14. Baby, Its Cold Outside - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban
  15. For Me And My Gal - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
  16. Puttin On The Ritz - Clark Gable & Co.
  17. Hallelujah! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs & Co.
  18. Bless Yore Beautiful Hide - Howard Keel
  19. Taking A Chance On Love - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
  20. As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson w/ Elliot Carpenter (Bonus Track)
  21. Laras Theme (Main Title) - The M-G-M Studio Orchestra (Bonus Track)

Tracks:

  1. Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland
  2. Its A Most Unusual Day - Jane Powell
  3. Wunderbar - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel
  4. Cant Help Lovin Dat Man - Ava Gardner
  5. Going Hollywood - Bing Crosby
  6. The Trolley Song - Judy Garland, The M-G-M Studio Chorus
  7. Gigi - Louis Jourdan
  8. I Got Rhythm - Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney & Co.
  9. Aba Daba Honeymoon - Debbie Reynolds, Carleton Carpenter & M-G-M Studio Chorus
  10. The Lady Is A Tramp - Lena Horne
  11. The Best Things In Life Are Free - June Allyson & Peter Lawford
  12. Cheek To Cheek - Fred Astaire
  13. A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Louis Armstrong
  14. Put 'Em In A Box - Doris Day & The Page Cavanaugh Trio
  15. If Swing Goes, I Go Too - Fred Astaire
  16. Almost Like Being In Love - Gene Kelly
  17. Lets Face The Music And Dance - Fred Astaire
  18. Be A Clown - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
  19. Embraceable You - Connie Francis
  20. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe - Judy Garland & Co.
  21. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - Fred Astaire

Amazon.com

The "Golden Age" referred to here spans The Jazz Singer and the advent of the talkies to the death throes of the old studio system in the 1960s. So vast was the era's musical landscape that even this 42-track, double-disc anthology can't encompass all its peaks. Not surprisingly, the bulk of this collection originated with the Tiffany's of the screen musical, M-G-M, a body of work whose riches here encompass both pop-cultural bedrock ("Over the Rainbow," "Singin' in the Rain," "There's No Business Like Show Business," etc.) and some less familiar, if equally delightful star turns: Clark Gable gamely "Puttin' On the Ritz"; the sassy, 1948 original of "The Lady Is a Tramp" by Lena Horne; and a loopy duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. Fred Astaire's elegant, epochal reign at RKO and M-G-M is represented by "Night and Day," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and three others, while Metro mainstays Gene Kelly and Judy Garland share equal time and billing. It's not perfect--Cagney's "Yankee Doodle Boy" and/or some Sinatra seem more logical choices than the odd "bonus" duet of Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" and "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago that close out disc one--but it's a stunning, surprisingly comprehensive primer on the Hollywood film musical nonetheless. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!!.......2006-11-18

Everything that happens in life
Can happen in a show
You can make 'em laugh
You can make 'em cry
Anything
Anything can go....

The clown with his pants falling down
Or the dance that's a dream of romance
Or the scene where the villain is mean
That's entertainment!

The lights on the lady in tights
Or the bride with the guy on the side
Or the ball where she gives him her all
That's entertainment!

The plot and the hot simply teeming with $ex
A gay divorcee who is after her ex
It could be Oedipus Rex
Where a chap kills his father
And causes a lot of bother

The clerk who is thrown out of work
By the boss who is thrown for a loss
By the skirt who is doing him dirt

The world is a stage,
The stage is a world of entertainment!

This two CD set amply proves that the musical melodies and lyrics from the golden age of the Hollywood musical remain unsurpassed to this day. This generous two CD set offers 42 incredible songs from Hollywood classic musicals. Most of these fine numbers are indeed from MGM, as Amazon correctly notes; but there are some RKO numbers and even a little from Warner Brothers. Thank goodness, though, that most of these songs came from MGM movies; MGM was the only studio that could boast that it truly had "more stars than there are in the heavens."

I love so many songs on these two CDs. Of course, there's the unforgettable classic "Over The Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland; she also performs "Easter Parade" and "Get Happy" on this two CD set and she carries most of the tune for "I Got Rhythm" even though Mickey Rooney helps her a little. I love "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for its' romantic overtones; and Lena Horne's "The Lady Is A Tramp" is flawless! We also get a rare chance to hear Clark Gable sing in "Puttin' On The Ritz;" and Bing Crosby's "Going Hollywood" may be brief but it's a fun song anyway.

There are two "bonus" tracks on the first CD: "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca and "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago. "As Time Goes By" is a good choice; it is another unsurpassed classic song that brings back memories and touches even the hardest of hearts. "Lara's Theme," however, is from the mid 1960s and I don't consider this period to be part of the "golden age" of Hollywood musicals.

The liner notes are excellent and they offer wonderful photos of the stars as well. The cover art is well done and the reverse cover art tells which movie each song is from and who is performing each song. Moreover, the quality of the sound is excellent especially when you consider that these numbers were recorded quite a few decades ago.

In short, this superlative two CD highlights the glory of the Hollywood musical when a certain type of sophistication dominated professional movie production. I highly recommend this CD for fans of Hollywood musicals, classic pop vocals and fans of the artists and actors who perform on this two CD set.

5 out of 5 stars One of the best cds I ever bought. .......2006-06-07

What an amazon collection of songs! This is bar none my favorite cd just because of the variety and the quality of songs on it. I love music from this era, and this cd is the perfect companion to my life. Love it! Buy it, you won't regret it for a moment!

1 out of 5 stars Never Sounded Better.......2006-03-16

Apart from the great selection of soundtracks, what really makes this compilation top value is the quality of the sound processing. Executed with finesse, these tracks sound better than when first issued and many are unedited, fuller versions: like "Singing In The Rain", for example. Throw in the great price, and this double disc set is a "must have" for all lovers of classic movie music.

5 out of 5 stars Somewhere Over The Rainbow.......2006-02-24

A Sensational CD with Lots of Showtunes that Keep You Happy and makes You Want To Sing Along With!!!

5 out of 5 stars "Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us".......2005-07-13

Rhino Records and Turner Classic Movies Music present - "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS", some of the long ago musicals and stars that will never be forgotten...a 2-CD-Set covering several decades from 1935-1965 with many of the show stoppers of that time...some rare moments from entertainers that you haven't heard or thought of in sometime.

The lineup is fantastic and gives the listener a variety of what musicals were all about in the "Golden Age of the Hollywood Musicals"
June Allyson, Kay Armen, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Ann Blyth, Jack Buchanan, Louis Calhern, Bing Crosby, Vic Damone, Doris Day, Nanette Fabray, Connie Francis, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Kathyrn Grayson, Georges Guetary, Lena Horne, Betty Hutton, Louis Jourdan, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Peter Lawford, Oscar Levant, Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, Page Cavanaugh Trio, Debbie Reynolds, Winifred Shaw, Nancy Walker, Ethel Waters, Esther Williams, Dooley Williams and Keenan Wynn.

On Disc One 21 Classic Songs from great musicals with songs in alphabetical order:
AS TIME GOES BY - Dooley Wilson with Elliot Carpenter, pianist (1942)
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban (1949)
BLESS, YORE BEAUTIFUL HIDE - Howard Keel (1954)
EASTER PARADE - Fred Astaire & Judy Garland (1948)
FOR ME AND MY GAL - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland (1942)
GET HAPPY - Judy Garland (1950)
HALLELUJAH! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs (for Russ Tamblyn) (1955)
HONEYSUCKLE ROSE - Lena Horne with Benny Carter & His Orchestra (1943)
LARA'S THEME (MAIN TITLE) - M-G-M Studio Orchestra (1965)
LULLABY OF BROADWAY - Winifred Shaw & Dick Powell (1935)
MILKMAN, KEEP THOSE BOTTLES QUIET - Nancy Walker with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (1944)
NIGHT AND DAY - Fred Astaire (1934)
PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - Clark Gable & Company (1939)
'S WONDERFUL - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary (1951)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - Gene Kelly (1951)
STRANGER IN PARADISE - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone (1955)
TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (1943)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant (1953)
THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern (1950)
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME - Fred Astaire (1949)
TRUE LOVE - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly (1956)

On Disc Two more memorable performances from the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals:
A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON - Louis Armstrong (1951)
ABA DABA HONEYMOON - Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter (1950)
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE - Gene Kelly (1954)
BE A CLOWN - Judy Garland & Gene Kelly (1948)
BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - June Allyson & Peter Lawford (1947)
CAN'T HELP LOVIN' DAT MAN - Ava Gardner (beautiful woman, who my youngest grandaughter is named after...Avalon) (1951)
CHEEK TO CHEEK - Fred Astaire (1935)
EMBRACEABLE YOU - Connie Francis (1965)
GIGI - Louis Jourdan (1958)
GOING HOLLYWOOD - Bing Crosby (1933)
I GOT RHYTHM - Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney (1943)
IF SWING GOES, I GO TOO - Fred Astaire (1946)
IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY - Jane Powell (1948)
LADY IS A TRAMP - Lena Horne (1948)
LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE - Fred Astaire (1936)
ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE - Judy Garland & Company (1946)
ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD) - Fred Astaire (1943)
OVER THE RAINBOW - Judy Garland (became her theme song for the rest of her life) (1939)
PUT 'EM IN A BOX - Doris Day & the Page Cavanaugh Trio (1948)
THE TROLLEY SONG - Judy Garland & MGM Studio Chorus (1944)
WUNDERBAR - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel (two of MGM's favorite singing duos) (1953)

It was once said by the songwriters of that era - "There are two artists you want perform your songs on the big screen, they are Fred Astaire and Judy Garland they sing it just the way we wrote it, for which you will have a guaranteed hit on your hands"...well, this collections certainly has some merit to that statement...because with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire performing seven songs each, there must be something to it.

This collection of musicals still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years...but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten...hats off to Rhino Records, George Feltenstein (producer) and Doug Schwartz (engineer) and Turner Classic Movies for sharing those 42 selections from 42 films...celebrating decades of the tunes and artists that gave it their all...from what it commonly called "The Hollywood Dream Factory"...The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals is still among us...gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-CD-Set ~ Rhino Records 78323 ~ (6/02/2002)
Free To Be ... You And Me (1972 Television Cast)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome songs that cry out "Liberation NOW!!!"
  • A message that still needs to be heard
  • Free to Be You and Me CD
  • GREAT CD TO SING ALONG WITH IN CAR WITH KIDS!
  • Still wonderful, after all these years.
 Free To Be ... You And Me (1972 Television Cast)

Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Children's Music | Styles | Music
CompilationsCompilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music
EducationalEducational | Children's Music | Styles | Music
StoriesStories | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Sing-A-LongsSing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
1970s1970s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
1970-19791970-1979 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Free to Be You and Me
  2. Free to Be You and Me
  3. Really Rosie (1975 Television Special)
  4. Best of Schoolhouse Rock
  5. Muppet Show: Music Mayhem & More - 25th Anniv Coll

ASIN: B000002VDL
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Free To Be You And Me - The New Seekers
  2. Boy Meets Girl - Mel Brooks And Marlo Thomas
  3. When We Grow Up - Diana Ross
  4. Don't Dress Your Cat In An Apron - Billy De Wolfe
  5. Parents Are People - Harry Belafonte And Marlo Thomas
  6. Housework - Carol Channing
  7. Helping - Tom Smothers
  8. Ladies First - Marlo Thomas
  9. Dudley Pippin And The Principal - Billy De Wolfe, Marko Thomas, Bobby Morse
  10. It's All Right To Cry - Rosey Grier
  11. Sisters And Brothers - Sisters And Brothers
  12. My Dog Is A Plumber - Dick Cavett
  13. William's Doll - Alan Alda And Marlo Thomas
  14. Atlanta - Alan Alda And Marlo Thomas
  15. Grandma - Diana Sands
  16. Girl Land - Jack Cassidy Adn Shirley Jones
  17. Dudley Pippin And His No-Friend - Bobby Morse And Marlo Thomas
  18. Glad To Have A Friend Like You - Marlo Thomas
  19. Bonus Track - Free To Be...You And Me

Amazon.com

There are thousands upon thousands of children's albums out there, but the one that quietly left its mark with more '70s children than perhaps any other album was this disc. Free to Be...You and Me was a pet project of proud feminist Marlo Thomas (a.k.a. "That Girl"), and it was born--according to the liner notes--by the desire to provide her niece with music "to celebrate who she was and who she could be." Harry Belafonte sings "Parents Are People," ex-football great Rosie Grier offers an incredible, touching melody titled "It's All Right to Cry," and Diana Ross waxes future-positive on "When We Grow Up." A great hour of brain food for young--and not-so-young--children. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome songs that cry out "Liberation NOW!!!".......2007-05-05

Free To Be...You And Me emerged as one of the first and most successful mainstream efforts to teach children that they could grow up to be what they wanted to be regardless of their gender. This CD replicates the 1972 original cast album chock full of celebrities encouraging children through words and music to be truthful to themselves and others about their likes, dislikes and their hopes for the future. Girls were no longer to be restricted to working as housewives and boys could enjoy dolls as one way to prepare themselves for the real life challenges of being a good father.

The CD starts out with the folk-style song entitled "Free To Be...You And Me" sung by The New Seekers. They harmonize beautifully and the musical arrangement makes great use of the guitar and piano. This song makes it clear that children can and should grow up to be the person they truly want to be. This optimistic message with its infectiously catchy melody provides the album with a very strong start.

The CD continues with a very amusing dialogue between two newborn infants in a hospital nursery. Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas perform the voices of the babies; and they manage to conclude that Mel is a baby girl and Marlo must be a baby boy. Imagine their surprise when they find out that using traditional stereotypes for the physical attributes for grown men and women don't go with the way they see themselves!

Other great tracks include Diana Ross singing "When We Grow Up;" this number sends the message that looks don't matter as long as you like yourself and the way you look. The great Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas sing "Parents Are People" to teach children that mommies and daddies can work any job they wish. Moreover, there's the awesome song "It's All Right To Cry" sung by football star Rosey Grier. I remember how surprised we all were when Rosey Grier, a tough guy football star expected by old conventions to hide his feelings, actually sang this song; and he performed it well on TV, too.

"William's Doll" tells children that kids of both genders can make good use of dolls as toys. At first blush it might be surprising or disappointing that a boy would want a doll; but his grandmother has the good wisdom to give him a doll so that he can practice being a good father. "William's Doll" is a very sweet song performed very well by Alan Alda and Marlo Thomas. Similarly, "Atalanta" discusses in story form the fact that not every girl wants to marry--at least not right away. Atalanta wants to see the world before she even considers marriage; and this story is told so well you truly have lots of understanding for Atalanta.

The CD concludes with a brief reprise of "Free To Be...You And Me." This final track reinforces the message that every child can grow up to be his or her own person.

The liner notes give all the song credits and it's truly a pleasure to hear all these very talented artists and actors performing on this album. The sound quality could be a little better but the high quality control of the content makes me give this CD five stars anyway.

I highly recommend this for every parent who wishes to communicate to their children in a fun, meaningful and inspiring way that they can truly become the person they wish to be. Children can become adults who make meaningful contributions to society even in the most unconventional of roles. Girls can grow up to be brain surgeons and members of the presidential cabinet; and boys can aspire to be nurses who share the household chores with their wives or girlfriends. It was a powerful and relevant message in 1972 and these lessons remain very important today in these times.

5 out of 5 stars A message that still needs to be heard.......2006-03-07

I listened to this when I was a kid and loved it. I bought it for my children and although they are still pretty young, I am hoping the messages contained therein seep into their little heads. This should be required listening for everyone! It is just as relevant today as it was in 1972! A little groovey- a little folksy but just great.

4 out of 5 stars Free to Be You and Me CD.......2006-03-03

The Free to Be You and Me TV special was one of my childhood favorites, as was this album. (I actually still have the vinyl album my mom bought for me 30 years ago!) I introduced my 4 year-old daughter to the video, and she immediately fell in love with the soundtrack. So I purchased this CD for her and it has become the only thing she wants to listen to during any car ride. The only thing that is disappointing to me is that not all of the songs are exactly the same as what is on the video... not that they aren't good, they're just not the same. While my daughter doesn't seem to mind, I have to admit I prefer the versions on the video. There are a lot of extras on the CD that aren't on the video as well, which is a bonus. Overall, this is a great CD to own if your child loves the video/DVD.

5 out of 5 stars GREAT CD TO SING ALONG WITH IN CAR WITH KIDS!.......2006-02-28

I loved the "vinyl" version of this back in the 70's when I was a kid. I bought the CD to share with my kids when they were 5 and 10. The 5 year old particularly liked "William wants a doll" which I think has a great message behind it. Actually there are wonderful messages behind everything on the album, conveyed in a playful, fun (not "preachy") way. The album has lots of variety on it and the tunes are very catchy! This was a "must" for us to listen to in the car on road trips. I am now going to buy this for my friends' sons' sixth birthday and I'm sure he'll love it!

5 out of 5 stars Still wonderful, after all these years........2006-01-16

My children requested this CD so they could enjoy it with their children. What a compliment to the original cast, and the innovative, creative material. The messages continue to touch the lives of each new generation. I recommend it to all families. Those of us who were young parents when we first saw it on television and bought the vinyl record for our kids will sing along as if it was just yesterday.
The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The Price Club
  • A living legend
  • not your daddy's old timey spiritual
  • Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price
  • Great Gospel Stuff
 The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Leontyne Price: The Ultimate Collection
  2. Leontyne Price Christmas Songs Chants de Noel.Weihnachtslieden Wiener Philharmoniker Herbert Von Karajan
  3. Spirituals in Concert
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  5. Spirituals

ASIN: B000003FWE
Release Date: 1997-01-14

Tracks:

  1. Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
  2. Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees - Various Artists
  3. His Name So Sweet - Various Artists
  4. 'Roun' About The Mountain - Various Artists
  5. Swing Low , Sweet Chariot - Various Artists
  6. Sit Down, Servant - Various Artists
  7. Were You There - Various Artists
  8. He's Got The Whole World In His Hands - Various Artists
  9. Deep River - Various Artists
  10. Honor! Honor! - Various Artists
  11. My Soul's Been Anchored In De Lord - Various Artists
  12. On Ma Journey - Various Artists
  13. A City Called Heaven - Various Artists
  14. Ride On, King Jesus - Various Artists
  15. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Various Artists
  16. Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass - Various Artists
  17. Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Various Artists
  18. There Is A Balm In Gilead - Various Artists
  19. Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler - Various Artists
  20. Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
  21. My Way Is Cloudy - Various Artists
  22. Nobody Knows The Touble I've Seen - Various Artists
  23. I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray - Various Artists

Tracks:

  1. Holy, Holy, Holy - Leontyne Price
  2. Lead, Kindly Light - Leontyne Price
  3. Blessed Assurance - Leontyne Price
  4. Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
  5. What A Friend We Have In Jesus - Leontyne Price
  6. Amazing Grace - Leontyne Price
  7. The Lord's Prayer - Leontyne Price
  8. Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior - Leontyne Price
  9. The Church's One Foundation - Leontyne Price
  10. Bless This House - Leontyne Price
  11. I Need Thee Every Hour - Leontyne Price
  12. Schlesische Volkslieder: Fairest Lord Jesus - Leontyne Price
  13. I Wonder As I Wander - Leontyne Price
  14. Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
  15. Porgy And Bess: Summertime - Leontyne Price
  16. America The Beautiful - Leontyne Price
  17. Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing - Leontyne Price
  18. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God - Leontyne Price
  19. Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Leontyne Price

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Price Club.......2005-04-28

"I am here," said Leontyne Price when interviewed as she opened the new Metropolitan Opera with Samuel Barber's underrated ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, "and you will know that I am the best and will hear me. The color of my skin or the kink of my hair or the spread of my mouth has nothing to do with what you are listening to." Back in the 1960s Price was one of the greatest divas in all of opera, and it wasn't just her voice but her magnificent stage presence, combined with her social activism. All of the above come into play in this collection of secular songs and ditties, some of them traditional plantation chanties and others, art songs and a scattering of pop music. And some of them, like Gershwin's "Summertime," cross the ever-permeable boundaries between Broadway and classical. These recordings were made at different times in Price's career, and her voice, while always angelic, has different shadings and reaches a different range of timbre in each separate recording date, but there is no question that, as time goes by, she is able to impart a richness of life experience noticeably absent from some of her earlier work.

"Ave Maria" sounds heavenly no matter which way you slice it, and as for "I Wonder As I Wander," it brings tears to your eyes. If you have a heart that's beating you will be moved by this rendition. "Ein feste Burg" is pretty strong, but Price seems more comfortable with the traditional spirituals, though perhaps it is the slightly off-kilter sounds of the Ambrosian Singers (what a name) who back her up on many of these tracks, that detract slightly from the experience. Compare "Lead Kindly Light" for a clear sense of what constitutes authority vs. what is a wee bit overproduced. If you had this compilation, and perhaps one of Leontyne Price's Christmas albums, you could attain nirvana any time you wanted to, just flip a switch and close your eyes, let her lift you up on wings of song.

5 out of 5 stars A living legend.......2005-03-10

Leontyne Price (still alive) and already passing into immortality amongst vocal artists, both classical and popular. Leontyne Price stands at the pinnacle of her classical art, but those who only know her work in La Forza del destino or the Verdi Requiem are in for a heart rending treat with this album where Leontyne Price goes home to her roots in Mississippi and gives an unabashed account of the classic spirituals she sang as a young woman. Like John Mc Cormacks rendering of Irish songs there is a personal longing and devotion expressed here that reveals a side of the artist not known in the bulk of their "classical" repetoire. A sense of going home like Citizen Kane's rosebud, or as Dorothy Gale observes at the end of the Wizard of Oz "everything I could ever have wanted was right in my own backyard "

1 out of 5 stars not your daddy's old timey spiritual.......2004-06-23

Agreed this is a good cd for a beautiful voice, but this is not, repeat not, for someone who wants to hear that old-timey religious fervor that you think of when you've been to a Black Baptist hand-clapping, standing, swaying, and singing service.

5 out of 5 stars Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price.......2003-12-31

IMMACULATE, SUPERB vocal range and style! There's no other words that can complement Miss Leontyne Price's vocal arrangements. Miss Price's voice is strong, and shrills very nicely to the instruments played on many songs listed on this double CD which is a joy to treasure; every song listed are songs I was raised to hearing and singing. Miss Price is the reason why many of these songs remain in popularity and presently used. Miss Leontyne Price has been incredible in many of her past performances. This is my fourth CD of Miss Price and I am glad to own this particular CD forever and ever. Many thanks to the executors who found this remarkable album and upgraded it to a CD format! **Angi**

4 out of 5 stars Great Gospel Stuff.......2001-04-12

This is a great CD. The only problem I have with it is that on some of the selections there is a boy's choir screaming in the background, and this takes away (a bit) from her performance. That said, her best selections are those that are either unaccompanied or those where her voice is not buried. Songs that strike me are - His Name So Sweet, He's Got The Whole World, Were You There, I Wonder as I Wander, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and my all time favourite Summertime. Enough said.
Pavarotti & Friends - For The Children Of Liberia
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Superb Collection of Music
  • This is a delightful combination of music talents to enjoy!
  • This will tenderize your heart.
  • Phenomenal !! A must have for any music library.
  • Outstanding Music, bringing Pavarotti to new heights.
 Pavarotti & Friends - For The Children Of Liberia

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Pavarotti & Friends For Guatemala And Kosovo
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  5. Pavarotti & Friends

ASIN: B00000DBVG
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

  1. Let It Rain
  2. Stop
  3. How Do I Live Without You
  4. I Hate You Then I Love You
  5. Higher Ground
  6. 'O Surdato 'Nnammurato
  7. Se Bastasse Una Canzone
  8. Betcha Never
  9. Viva Forever
  10. Va, Pensiero
  11. Napule e'
  12. Une Place Pour Moi
  13. Non Ti Scordar Di Me
  14. Tonight
  15. Dreams
  16. Adeste Fideles
  17. Peace Wanted Just To Be Free

Amazon.com

Is music for a good cause a good cause for music? Not really, if you expect artistry. But this smorgasbord of popular international musical stars brings together extreme musical genres for an excellent purpose, and is enjoyable enough for almost anyone. Pavarotti's relaxed and buoyant leadership and still gorgeous tenor add beauty to the rock/pop selections. Trisha Yearwood, Celine Dion, and Stevie Wonder impressively hold their own against Opera Spice; but the other artists pale against the master's presence. The Spice Girls will never be confused with Anonymous 4; Zucchero's growling is scary; Florent Pagny exemplifies French rock; and Pino Daniele's breathy tenor is mellow and soothing. Best for those wanting to experience Pavarotti's vocal beauty in a more popular idiom. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Superb Collection of Music.......2002-11-14

As a musician, I first ran into this disk as a PBS broadcast. What caught my ear was that every song in the concert has "the groove." Other than a children's choral cut, not a single song in the entire collection has a flaw. You'd think the Spice Girls would be a silly addition to the concert, but they do a tremendous job. Each artist appears twice, usually with Pavaotti in one of their songs, sometimes twice. Vanessa Williams is Hot! and does an incredible dance number. The engineering is excellent, with solid side-to-side separation for a really "big" sound. All in all, this is one of the favorite CDs in my music library.

5 out of 5 stars This is a delightful combination of music talents to enjoy!.......1999-04-01

We first saw Pavarotti and Friends on Public Television as a fundraising event. We found the CD and especially love to listen to this CD in our car which has a great sound system. Each vocalist is so special and you will be singing along with them after a couple of plays!

5 out of 5 stars This will tenderize your heart........1999-03-07

Brilliant talent for needy children, that touches the soul, and sets it on fire. Your tears will soak your socks. James

5 out of 5 stars Phenomenal !! A must have for any music library........1998-12-29

A most wonderful gathering of some of the world's greatest vocalists. Such a unique blend of international Modern & Classical. If one were to put to test the ability of a vocalist to adapt to a variety of melodies, this is it. Grab your lover and take a trip in their arms with this CD!!

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding Music, bringing Pavarotti to new heights........1998-12-06

Easily the best in the Pavarotti & Friends series. Always an artist on the cutting edge, with this album, Pavarotti's work will have great appeal to his fans and to scores of new enthusiasts. His duets with the Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, Zucchero, and Stevie Wonder make it obvious that his voice has adaptability and a passion that takes it into many musical genres with ease. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Sting once commented that great music occurs in the "synaptic gaps" where many different styles come together - this is an album that epitomizes the concept. Neopolitan music is a folk music in Italy, with overtones of American folk/country/jazz/rock, and Pavarotti is the Neopolitan master. This is a perfect fit of artists and selected titles. Earlier combinations of artists in this series were often much too somber, much less fun. Give this one to your teens or your great grandmother ... they'll find they have more musical tastes in common than they'd have ever imagined.
William Bolcom: Songs
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sensational Vocal Album by Carole Farley and William Bolcom
  • Great Songs, but Mind the Singer
  • The Songs of William Bolcom
 William Bolcom: Songs
Carole Farley , William Bolcom , Farley , and Bolcom
Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009F4UBQ
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

  1. You Cannot Have Me Now - Or, the Military Orgy
  2. Night, Make My Day
  3. The Digital Wonder Watch
  4. My Father The Ganster
  5. The Last Days Of Mankind
  6. This Is A Face
  7. Since I Have You
  8. The Rabbit
  9. I Am Not Free
  10. For Me
  11. From Wandering
  12. Beware
  13. I Wouldn't Die
  14. I Remember
  15. For Everything
  16. I Have Climbed
  17. Pity Me Not Because The Light Of Day
  18. How To Swing Those Obbligations Around
  19. The Crazy Woman
  20. Just Once
  21. Never More Will The Wind
  22. The Sage
  23. O To Be A Dragon
  24. The Bustle In A House
  25. Night Practice
  26. I Saw Eternity
  27. The Fish
  28. Costa Del Nowhere
  29. Table
  30. Mary
  31. River Song
  32. Messing About In Boats
  33. Rat's Song
  34. When We Built The Church

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Sensational Vocal Album by Carole Farley and William Bolcom.......2007-02-13


Carole Farley and William Bolcom have recorded this landmark CD, and I can easily understand why this CD received a GRAMMY nomination in the "Best Vocal Recording of the Year" and a 2nd GRAMMY nomination in the "Best Engineered Recording of the Year" category. It's indeed one of the best vocal albums of contemporary songs ever made. Carole Farley, who made her MET debut in the MET's first LULU production, seems to be just at home with Puccini, Poulenc, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and even Latin American popular songs (her Lecuona songs album is extremely beautiful).
William Bolcom's accompaniment is brilliant, and the songs are a revelation.
J.B. (Pittsburgh, Pa)

4 out of 5 stars Great Songs, but Mind the Singer.......2006-07-04

This is one of those discs where the listener has to balance the advantages of the program with the disadvantages of the performance. Bolcom is one of this country's most versatile and brilliant composers, and those qualities are demonstrated to great effect in the songs on this album. His piano playing is, as one would expect, also solid and expressive. The drawback here is Carole Farley. Although her diction and intonation are good, as far as tone-color goes, she seems to be a one-trick pony; and if you don't like that trick (opera singer trying to sound like what she thinks a musical theater singer sounds like), listening to her can get very tiring. So while I highly recommend the disc for its content, I suggest listening to excerpts first before buying just to make sure that the singer's voice doesn't drive you batty.

5 out of 5 stars The Songs of William Bolcom.......2006-02-14

The American composer William Bolcom (b. 1938) is best-known for his large-scale setting of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience," which is available on a 3-CD Naxos set. This new collection of Bolcom's songs also on Naxos shows the composers's lifelong fascination with Blake. It includes an early lyrical setting of Blake's poem, "Mary" which deals with a beautiful and intelligent young woman and her rejection by her society. In the several torch and cabaret-style works it includes, the collection also shows Bolcom's attempts to fuse classical with popular styles of music. Bolcom also has done so in his piano music, much of which is heavily influenced by ragtime.

The songs on this CD are performed and selected by soprano Carole Farley with Bolcom himself at the piano. Ms. Farley has also recorded for Naxos' "American classics" series a selection of the songs of Ned Rorem with Rorem at the piano. Ms. Farley and Naxos are doing listeners a service by introducing them to the world of the American art song.

The highlight of this CD is the 20-minute song-cycle "I will breathe a mountain" in which Bolcom sets 11 poems by American women. The poems were selected by Alice Fulton, and they include Fulton's own "I will swing those obligatos around" in which the young singer describes a come-on from a boor. The song writing is declamatory in character with many twists, turns, and shouts in the vocal line. Only the setting of H.D.'s "Never More Will the Wind" is lyrical and flowing. Besides Fulton and H.D. the settings include poems by Millay, Gwendolwn Brooks (a poem called "The Crazy Woman" with appropriately wild shrieks) Anne Sexton, Denise Levertov, Marianne Moore (listen to what Ms. Farley makes of the poets wish to be a DRA' GON), Emily Dickinson (in a moving poem of the stillness of a home after death),Louise Bogan, May Swenson, and Elizabeth Bishop. "I will breathe a mountain" is an outstanding and moving contemporary American song-cycle and is in itself sufficient reason for hearing this recording.

The CD also includes a second exquisite cycle, "Songs to Dance" which sets ten miniature poems by George Montgomery. This is a work to be danced as well as sung, and it has apparently been performed live only once, by the composer, his wife, the soprano Joan Morris, and dancer, Dan Wagoner. It has never been recorded before. The work deserves to be heard and seen.

Many of the remaining works on this CD are cabaret-style theatrical pieces that Bolcom composed in collaboration with lyricist Arnold Weinstein. The best of these are two torch songs from a show called "Casino Paradise": Night Make my Day (a parody of the torch style which is sometimes performed straight) and "My Father the Gangster", in which a young woman laments how men are, understandably, worried about her father and afraid to approach her. The collection opens with a scream by Ms. Farley in the erotic novelty "You cannot have me now", about the affairs of the wife of a German officer, sung with a heavily inflected German accent and also set to words by Weinstein.

I enjoyed Bolcom's short setting of May Swenson's poem "The Digital Wonder Watch" with the tick-ticking in the piano. This song is a satire of technology, with the poet describing the features of her "wonderful watch" while asking: "Does it show how to wind up/a broken heart?" The other songs on the CD include the passionate "The Last Days of Mankind", conceived for rock singer Marianne Faithful, two eloquent settings of poems by Richard Tillinghast, and four concluding early collaborations between Bolcom and Weinstein.

This CD offers an opportunity to explore the world of American song in the works of a leading contemporary composer. The cycle, "I will breathe a mountain" will be a lasting achievement in American art song.

Robin Friedman
Wagner: The Rhinegold
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Rose By Any Other Name...
  • "Thus I salute the stronghold, safe from dread and dismay!
  • Free at last!
  • I Love This Recording
  • The Goodall Ring - 1975 - Restored and Remastered
 Wagner: The Rhinegold
English National Opera
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005B550
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Rose By Any Other Name..........2007-07-02

The figure of speach may not be completely correct in this instance, but, well, I hope you get the point. In any case, for a Dutch speaking person, like I, to hear 'The Ring' in a language other than the original German feels - almost shockingly(?) - natural. Certainly, this modern English translation, to me, is as least immediate, and probably even more immediate, than the original (archaic) German text. And in music drama, immediacy is essential. Maybe it is also the wonderfully natural translation, I don't know, but it works for me, the Ring in English.
But most of the credit has to go to the music, the singers, and the recording as such. I believe that this (originally analogue) remastered recording has one of the best recorded sounds and acoustics of any Ring, studio or 'live'. It is wonderfully clear but warm, kind of velvety (very unlike Solti), with beautifully natural balaces between voices and orchestra. Audience noises can be heard (including a delightful little ripple of laughter) but never really obtrusively so, thankfully. And I love the thunderclap-sound effect when Donner strikes his hammer against the rocks - very tastefully done, and lending extra power to the scene.
All the time one reads in reviews everywhere of the very slow speads at which the music is conducted by Sir Reginald Goodall. Well, that may be so, but I, for one, am certainly endeared to Sir Reginald Goodalls 'caressing' of the music, as a result of which wich the Leitmotifs come out more clearly than ever. The slow - but nonetheless very concentrated, and always involved - playing has, to me, an almost mesmerizing effect. Certainly, compared to many other recordings, the music may sound stretched almost beyond breaking point. But in the end, I think it is really just that: a matter of speed, no more. The concentration never falters and the dramatic arc never saggs. There is live 'music magic' going on here, I feel, even if the English National Opera Orchestra may not be (as precise or as diciplined as) a Wiener Philharmoniker or a Bayreuther Festspielorchester. Certainly, Sir Reginald Goodall must have loved this music and these opera's: one feels a slowly beating but constant loving pulse that energizes the drama and the music.
But we also have the singers. And what a great singers! While the best may be yet to come (with Alberto Remedios as Siegmund and Siegfried, and Rita Hunter as Brunnhilde), we here, in The Rhinegold, already have one of the most commanding of Wotans (Norman Bailey, with wonderful burnished timbre). Also, Emile Belcourt stands out as a wonderfully sleek but full-voiced Loge. Derek Hammond-Stroud's Alberich may not be as black as Gunther von Kannen's (for Barenboim), for example, but there is enough anguish, frustration and anger to lend his character a convincing reality and depth. And the giants too, are a winning pair. Especially Fafner (Clifford Grant) is as imposing and powerful as one may ever wish.
With all the rave reviews, here and elsewhere I can't wait to hear The Valkyrie, (especially) Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods. This certainly is a winning 'Ring', to be kept alongside any other 'great' recorded 'Ring' out there, IMHO. To me, it can hold its own alongside any other favorite recordings.
Please, sample this Ring (try for example the Chandos website for fragments of all of the music) and decide for yourself. Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars "Thus I salute the stronghold, safe from dread and dismay!.......2007-06-12

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Levine, Janowski, Goodall, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: everything is slower than adagio moderato. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act One Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Bohm's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are found in this Ring. I can hear harps in Flight of the Valkyries! The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Levine: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm. Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Two exceptions, though: Robert Schunk doesn't sound heroic enough, and Jessye Norman for Levine's Ring doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. I don't know Levine should've chose Kollo when he recorded his Ring.

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent mime. He is equal to Schreier when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on in the Ring.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Still, it's satisfactory, and his "Ihrem ende eilen sie zu" gives great foreshadowing.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt depends only on imagination and deviousness, Stolze only vengeance and deviousness, and Windgassen only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Schreier. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings (maybe not in Swarowsky's version). Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm and Goodall. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the calculated Janowski, the relaxed Levine, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.


Sir Georg Solti: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti

Karl Bohm: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Herbert von Karajan: Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic

Goodall: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)
-The Valkyrie (Part 2): Wagner: The Valkyrie
-Siegfried (Part 3): Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)
-Twilight of the Gods (Part 4): The Twilight of the Gods (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English)

Marek Janowski: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

James Levine: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

-Wolfgang Sawllisch: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper

5 out of 5 stars Free at last!.......2004-09-18

I've enjoyed listening to the Ring cycles by Solti, Bohm, and Furtwangler, but my pleasure has always been dampened by the necessity to follow the dramas with a German/English libretto. This performance freed me from that burden and allowed me to listen to the Ring with my ears alone for the first time. And what a delightful experience it was! I found I could understand about half the words the first time through. but that was enough for me to understand what the characters were saying and concentrate on Wagner's great music. Some of the characters (Loge and Alberich, for example) are almost perfectly comprehensible, while others (Fricka in particular) might as well be singing in German. The sound itself is superb, with perfect balances between orchestra and voices. Goodall's conducting is famously slow (about half an hour longer than usual), but he is never slack and he reveals a wealth of detail in the orchestration. The singers are a mixed lot, with Loge, Alberich, and Mime particularly effective. Bailey is hardly the grandest of Wotans, but he is solid and convincing. In any event, for us non-German listeners, this recording is a real treat. I would not recommend it as a first Ring (Bohm is a good choice, though some of his tempi are rather hectic), but as a supplement to a recoding in the original language, it is hard to beat. Give it a try! As for me, I'm ready to go on to "Die Walkure" (pardon me, "The Valkyrie").

5 out of 5 stars I Love This Recording.......2002-04-05

I was a little suspicious when approaching this English-language version of Das Rhinegold. I was considering assembling this as my third RING set (behind Solti and Levine) and had listened to THE VALKYRIE (Die Walkure) with a little initial disappointment. Although the live sound quality was very interesting, the tempo was much slower than I was used to and thus a little disconcerting, and the English words were harder to understand than I had hoped. Nevertheless, I persevered and listended to THE RHINEGOLD (probably my favorite of the four RING operas, although I know this puts me in a minority) and was amazed. Best of all, after listening to this album I revisited the Goodall VALKYRIE and discovered a new appreciation! Now the Goodall set ranks as one of the best I've heard. It just needed to get under my skin a bit.

What's so good about it? Three things stand out for me: First, the slow tempi that were a litle rough at first actually allow, upon repeated listenings, a new discovery and understanding of Wagner's unfathomable genius. Every nuance is slowed down just enough to be fully accessible. Second, the modern English translation really does make this a different experience...my initial mistake was thinking that English lyrics could allow me to listen to this as background music, and that's not the case. However, if one devotes the same attention to this as a German recording, the time wil be richly rewarded. Finally, the smaller orchestra creates an almost chamber music-esque setting, which compliments the music in an undefinable way. Despite being in English, this is almost more Germanic than original-language recordings.

I still probably wouldn't get this as the first foray into Wagner's RING (I still think Solti or Levine are the choices for that). But for someone who already has some familiarity with the work, this will provide a lifetime's enjoyment. Cudos to Chandos for resurrecting these recordings!

4 out of 5 stars The Goodall Ring - 1975 - Restored and Remastered.......2001-06-08

I have been curious about this for years. When I saw the packaging, I wondered whether this was the same Ring that has been kicking around for a couple of decades from the Sadler's Wells performances of the mid-70s. News flash: It's the same. However, the box says that it's been re-mastered with something called 24-bit digital mastering. Since I never heard the old records, I have no idea if this is better. Judged on its own, the sound is terrific. This live recording really places the listener in the theater with clarity and authentic spaciousness. So often, a live recording will capture the audience up close, then the orchestra, then the singers, cataloguing every throat being cleared and every bow being tapped. Somewhere in the distance, the singers voices follow their heavy tread over the stage. Not here. There is an intimacy to the sound here that approximates sitting in about the tenth row back in a large hall. It doesn't sound like the opera's being played in your room; it sounds as though your room has been transformed into a medium sized theater. I found it uncanny.

As to the experience of the drama in English, that too is remarkable, at least for someone like me whose home-tongue is English. The drama takes on an immediacy that I have never experienced before. This factor alone is why you should explore this Ring. I can't overemphasize the impact on me that this recording had on me because it was in English and because it was well-acted. Surely this is what Wagner meant, at least dramaturgically (obviously allowing that you can't actually see the action).

Overall, the singing is competent, and in some places, it's excellent. None of the cast really stands out musically. Norman Bailey's wobbly Wotan could have certainly benefitted from a deeper, richer tone. Still, and perhaps more importantly, he creates a god who is clearly unsure of where the moral highground is, even when he's standing on "an open space on a mountain summit." Everyone, for that matter, is dramatically convincing, especially Emile Belcourt (Loge) and Derek Hammond-Stroud (Alberich) and Robert Lloyd (Fasolt), all of whom, by the way, have excellent diction. And speaking of diction, I almost could have done without the libretto when the men were singing. Not so with the women, whose diction was uniformly wanting.

Goodall's pace is notoriously glacial. Still, it's interesting to hear it parsed in this way, and I never had the feeling that I was going to fall off the world. Which is to say that the tempos were deliberate, not affected. This was definitely a labor of love for RG and the English National Opera. The orchestra is a little thin sounding, and perhaps, not entirely up to the score. Occasionally a horn mis-blew and a cello creaked. This is unavoidable in live performances, I suppose. Still, there is a surprising sense of smallness to the ensemble, even though there's never a moment when the balance between singers and players is lost. As a result, the overall effect is a balance of clarity and urgency that is clearly the upside of Goodall's idiosyncratic "vision" of the score. Not a huge or "erotic" sound, but always committed, intelligent, and sometimes impassioned.

For all of its flaws, this is an astonishing and, for me, an indispensible recording because it made me listen to this opera with new ears. While it's not the most lyrically pleasing recording (Karajan) or musically authoritative (that would be Solti, IMHO), dramatically, this Rhinegold excells any recording I know of. I will definitely buy the rest of the set.
Alfred Deller - Portrait of a Legend
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    		Alfred Deller - Portrait of a Legend

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    The Essential Leontyne Price
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    ASIN: B000003FWD
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    Tracks:

    1. Aida: Act I: Ritorna vincitor!
    2. Aida: Act I: E l'amor mio?
    3. Aida: Act I: I sacri nomi di padre, d'amante
    4. Aida: Act III: Qui Radames verra!
    5. Aida: Act III: O patria mia
    6. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: (Prelude)
    7. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Ecco l'orrido campo
    8. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa
    9. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act III: A tal colpa e nulla il pianto
    10. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act III: Morro, ma prima in grazia
    11. Il Trovatore: Act I: Che piu t'arresti?
    12. Il Trovatore: Act I: Tacea la notte placida
    13. Il Trovatore: Act I: Di tale amor che dirsi
    14. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Siam giunti
    15. Il Trovatore: Act IV: D'amor sull'ali rosee
    16. Ernani: Act I: Surta e la notte
    17. Ernani: Act I: Ernani! Ernani, involami
    18. Ernani: Act I: Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernani
    19. La forza del destino: Act II: Son giunta! Grazie, o Dio!
    20. La forza del destino: Act II: Madre, madre, pietosa Vergine
    21. La forza del destino: Act II: La Vergine degli angeli
    22. La forza del destino: Act IV: Pace, pace, mio Dio

    Tracks:

    1. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Come scoglio immoto resta
    2. Madama Butterfly: Act II: Piangi? Perche?; Un bel di vedremo
    3. Madama Butterfly: Act III: Tu? tu? piccolo Iddio!
    4. TOSCA: Act II: Vissi d'arte
    5. Manon Lescaut: Act II: In quelle trine morbide
    6. Manon Lescaut: Act IV: Sola, perduta, abbandonata
    7. Dialogues des Carmelites: Act III: Mes filles, voila que s'acheve
    8. Don Giovanni: Act I: Don Ottavio, son morta!
    9. Don Giovanni: Act I: Or sai chi l'onore
    10. Don Giovanni: Act II: Crudele? Ah, no, mio bene!
    11. Don Giovanni: Act II: Non mi dir
    12. Turandot: Act I: Signore, ascolta!
    13. Turandot: Act III: Tu che di gel sei cinta
    14. Ariadne auf Naxos: Es gibt ein Reich
    15. Antony And Cleopatra: Act III: Give me my robe

    Tracks:

    1. Otello: Era piu calmo?
    2. Otello: Mia madre aveva una povera ancella (Willow Song)
    3. Otello: Ave Maria
    4. Fidelio: Act I: Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?
    5. Suor Angelica: Senza mamma, o bimbo, tu sei morto!
    6. Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)
    7. La Traviata: Act I: E strano, e strano !
    8. La Traviata: Act I: Ah, fors' e lui
    9. La Traviata: Act I: Sempre libera
    10. Le nozze di Figaro: Act III: E Susanna non vien!
    11. Le nozze di Figaro: Act III: Dove sono
    12. Die Agyptische Helena: Act II: Awakening Scene
    13. La rondine: Ore dolci e divine
    14. Salome: Finale

    Tracks:

    1. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Puskai pogibnu ya
    2. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Ya k vam pishu
    3. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Net, nikomu na svete
    4. Eugene Onegin: Act II: No tak i byt'!
    5. La rondine: Act I: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
    6. VANESSA: Act I: He Has Come, He Has Come!
    7. VANESSA: Act I: Do Not Utter A Word
    8. Carmen: Act I: Pres des remparts de Seville (Seguidilla)
    9. Manon: Act II: Allons! il le faut!
    10. Manon: Act II: Adieu, notre petite table
    11. Macbeth: Act IV: Sleepwalking Scene: Vegliammo invan due notti
    12. Macbeth: Act IV: Sleepwalking Scene: Una macchia e qui tuttora
    13. La Boheme: Act IIII: Addio. Donde lieta usci (Mimi's Addio)
    14. Die Frau ohne Schatten: Act II: Empress's Awakening Scene
    15. Dido and Aeneas: Act III: Thy Hand, Belinda!
    16. Dido and Aeneas: Act III: When I Am Laid In Earth
    17. Don Carlo: Act V: Tu che le vanita conoscesti del mondo

    Tracks:

    1. Otello: Act I: Gia nella notte
    2. Otello: Act I: Quando narravi
    3. Otello: Act I: Venga la morte!
    4. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Ah, guarda, sorella
    5. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Bimba, bimba, non piangere
    6. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Bimba dagli occhi
    7. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Vogliatemi bene
    8. Requiem: Recordare
    9. Porgy And Bess: Act II: Bess, You Is My Woman
    10. Norma: Act III: Me chiami, o Norma
    11. Norma: Act III: Mira, o Norma
    12. Ernani: Act II: Tu, perfida!
    13. Ernani: Act II: Ah, morir, potessi adesso
    14. Cosi fan tutte: Act II: Sorella, cosa dici?
    15. Cosi fan tutte: Act II: Prendero quel brunettino
    16. Aida: Act IV: La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse
    17. Aida: Act IV: Presago il core della tua condanna
    18. Aida: Act IV: Vedi? Di morte l'angelo
    19. Aida: Act IV: O terra, addio

    Tracks:

    1. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Teco io sto!
    2. Aida: Act III: Ciel! mio padre!
    3. Aida: Act III: Rivedrai le forest imbalsamate
    4. Aida: Act III: In armi ora si desta il popol nostro
    5. Aida: Act III: Padre! a costoro schiava non sono
    6. Requiem: Angus Dei
    7. Manon Lescaut: Act I: Oh, saro la piu bella!; Tu, tu, amore?
    8. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Soave sia il vento
    9. Porgy And Bess: Act II: I Loves You, Porgy
    10. Aida: Act II: Silenzio! Aida verso noi s'avanza
    11. Aida: Act II: Fu la sorte dell'armi
    12. Aida: Act II: Pieta ti prenda del mio dolor
    13. Aida: Act II: Alla prompa che s'appresta
    14. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Udiste?
    15. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Mira, di acerbe lagrime
    16. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Vivra! Contende il giubilo
    17. Madama Butterfly: Act II: Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio (Flower Duet)
    18. Carmen: Act IV: C'est toi! - C'est moi!
    19. Carmen: Act IV: Ou vas-tu? - Laisse-moi!

    Tracks:

    1. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Villanelle
    2. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Le spectre de la rose
    3. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Sur les lagunes
    4. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Absence
    5. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Au cimetiere (Clair de lune)
    6. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: L'ile inconnue
    7. Four Last Songs: Fruhling
    8. Four Last Songs: September
    9. Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen
    10. Four Last Songs: Im Abendrot
    11. Clair de lune, Op.46, No.2: Clair de lune
    12. Notre amour, Op.23, No.2: Notre amour
    13. Au cimetiere, Op.51, No.2: Au cimetiere
    14. Au bord de l'eau, Op.8, No.1: Au bord de l'eau
    15. No.1, Cinq melodies de Venise, Op.58: Mandoline
    16. Main dominee par le coeur
    17. Miroirs brulants No.2: Je nommerai ton front
    18. Miroirs brulants No.1: Tu vois le feu du soir
    19. Ce doux petit visage

    Tracks:

    1. Knoxville: Summer Of 1915, Op.24: Knoxville: Summer Of 1915
    2. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Seit ich ihn gesehen
    3. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Er, der Herrlichste von allen
    4. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Ich kann's nicht fassen
    5. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Du Ring an meinem Finger
    6. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Helft mir, ihr Schwestern
    7. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Susser Freund, du blickest
    8. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust
    9. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan
    10. Widmung (No.1, Myrthen, Op.25): Widmung
    11. Mignon (No.28, Liederalbum fur die Jugend, Op.79): Mignon
    12. Volksliedchen, Op.51, No.2: Volksliedchen
    13. Schone Wiege meiner Leiden (No.5, Liederkreis, Op.24): Schone Wiege meiner Leiden
    14. Er ist's (No.23, Liederalbum fur die Jugend, Op.79): Er ist's
    15. Heiss mich nic