Act of God

Track Listings

1. He's Gonna Let You Know

2. Get to the Point

3. Act of God

4. House of Praise

5. And They Praised God

6. Gotta Grow Up

7. Let There Be Love

8. Teaching the Truth in Love

9. Let's Show and Tell

10. Walking That Line

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'un Faune - Alexander Rahbari
Walzer - Peter Hill
I. Andante-Scherzo - Rebecca Hirsch
Sehr Ruhig Und Zart - Ulster Orchestra
Lebhaft Und Zart Bewegt - Ulster Orchestra
Sehr Langsam Und Ausserst Zart - Ulster Orchestra
Fliessend, Ausserst Zart - Ulster Orchestra
Sehr Fliessend - Ulster Orchestra
Forlane: Allegretto - Klara Kormendi
First Tableau: The Shrove-Tide Fair - Philharmonia Orchestra
The Mountebank - Philharmonia Orchestra
Vivo - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
III. Moderato Pesante - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Hymn To St. Cecilia - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
IV. Allegretto - Ondrej Lenard
Introduzione: Andante Non Troppo-Allegro Vivace - Alexander Rahbari

Tracks:

Romance - Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Kosice)
II. Allegro - Ladislav Slovak
III. Allegro Agitato - Stephen Gunzenhauser
Main Theme From Schindler's List - Paul Bateman
The Unanswered Question - Northern Sinfonia
Second Electonic Interpolation (Conclusion) - Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Third Electronic Interpolation (Beginning) - Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
I. Liturgie De Cristal - Amici Ensemble
IV. Commentaire - Idil Biret
Warming Up, Leading To Model 1, Bass - Gregory Rose
'Gott Nochmal' Sun God - Gregory Rose
'Vishnu' God Of Storms - Gregory Rose
God Of The Earth - Gregory Rose
First Interlude - Boris Berman
I. - Roger Heaton
Short Ride In A Fast Machine - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Lord's Prayer - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
II. Lento E Largo-Tranquillissimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
Lullaby - Philharmonia Orchestra
Vision Of The Hunt I - Philharmonia Orchestra
Voice For Solo Flute - Robert Aitken

Customer Reviews:

excellent overview of contemporaneous classic music.......2007-03-22

excellent overview of contemporaneous classic music.

Should be continued, plenty more 20th-century composers to be discovered.

For the price you can't lose.......2007-02-21

This 2 cd set consists of, as the title indicates, various 20c pieces or movements from the Naxos catalog. Sound quality is uniformly high, although for some such as Stockhausen's it's not clear if that's good or bad. What is excellent is the variety of the collection--some familiar (Debussy), others not, some pretty, others intentionally weird. Few will find every piece to his or her taste, but many listeners who do not spend much time on 20c music will find something to like. Overall, a great introduction to a period of much off-putting, yes, but also much compelling music.

Average customer rating:

Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set]
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ASIN: B00062FLI8
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Average customer rating:

Great
One of the best!!!
Beautiful Music Making
This album is a fine example of Acappella's artistry.
trash

Act of God
Acappella
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Favorites
All That I Need
Beyond a Doubt
Acappella: The Collection
Set Me Free

ASIN: B000002BYQ
Release Date: 1997-07-08

Tracks:

He's Gonna Let You Know
Get To The Point
Act Of God
House Of Praise
And They Praise God
Gotta Grow Up
Let There Be Love
Teaching The Truth In Love
Let's Show And Tell
Walking The Line

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2006-06-28

Much different than the classic "Rescue" sound, but still an enjoyable blend of different voices. Keep on singing!

One of the best!!!.......2004-05-13

This is album is perfect. This is the last album that has Dwayne Adams on it. It has a great flow to it and perfect harmonies. This album is truly one of the greatest I have ever heard, especially in recent years. It has both energy and passion.

Beautiful Music Making.......2000-11-20

... without the instruments! I was skeptical when I first heard my wife playing this CD.

Acapella music? So outdated!

Well, I was wrong. The harmony is perfect, their voices are perfect complements to one another... who needs instruments! If there is a drawback to this album it is that it runs just under 40 minutes long, which by todays standards is a short album. But this is a band that definitely holds to the "quality not quantity" school of thought.

The album starts out strong and doesn't fade. The lyrics are powerful and with the melody that these men carry, they come across crystal clear. In addition, for those that love to "sing along" the liner has the lyrics. Their genre (as the name of the title would strongly allude to *hint hint*) is Christian, and the Christian spirit pervades all of their songs... this is an excellent Praise and Worship album, and it comes with a strong recommendation by myself!

This album is a fine example of Acappella's artistry........2000-08-09

I have been an amateur musician for at least 30 years, play several instruments, have sung in glee clubs and church and symphonic choirs, enjoy many types of music including opera, classical, 40's era, etc. I am particularly fond of vocal harmonies. I own 15 to 20 titles by Acappella and while this album is not my all time favorite (We Have Seen His Glory), it is high on my play list. This group continues to amaze me with their musical excellence and creative genius, as is in evidence in this album. The lyrics from this album that pop into my mind honor God and draw me to his glory, as do most of their lyrics in most of their recordings. When I listen to their music, as it says in track #5, "I praise God instead of [them]".

trash.......2000-04-30

Acappella is one of my favorite groups...BUT!this album was a disgrace to the sound of a cappella singing!don't waste your money on this one.

Average customer rating:

This doesn't play on my CD PLAYER!!?!?
Classic Thrash CD returns
24 Bit Remaster

Act of God
Znowhite
Manufacturer: Metal Mind Poland
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Endless War
Violent by Nature
Suiciety
For Whose Advantage?
World Circus

ASIN: B000K15BRQ
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Tracks:

To the Last Breath
Baptised by Fire
Pure Blood
War Machine
Thunderdome
Rest in Peace
Disease Bigotry
Soldier's Creed
Something Wicked (This Way Comes)

Customer Reviews:

This doesn't play on my CD PLAYER!!?!?.......2007-04-18

I just got this cd and found that it doesn't play in my car CD Player. Haven't tried my home stereo yet but had anyone else had this problem? Are these other polish re-issues the same way???

Classic Thrash CD returns.......2007-02-03

If you missed this CD in the 80s, don't miss this opportunity to snatch it up. Well constructed, crunchy, moshy, thrash riffs will keep your head bouncing through the entire CD. Great lyrics, great riffs, great pounding drums - this album was the bomb in the late 80s, I'm just sad I never got to see them live.
Buy this thrash classic now!!!!!

24 Bit Remaster.......2007-01-05

Considering the original recording, this is an outstanding remaster. The volume is turned up and the instruments are mixed to their fullest potential. You will not hear Znowhite sound better in your lifetime.
There is nothing worse than buying something that is tagged as a remaster and is not. This is the REAL DEAL. I look forward to more releases from this label.

Average customer rating:

The meat and potatoes of metal...
definitely an act of god
great album
hardcore that makes the difference
A fine hard-core album

Act of God
Pro-Pain
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

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Run for Cover
Contents Under Pressure
Shreds of Dignity
Pro-Pain
Round Six

ASIN: B00000I6F4
Release Date: 1999-02-16

Tracks:

Stand Tall
In For The Kill
Act Of God
On Parade
I Remain
Time Will Tell
Pride
Love And War
Hopeless?
Burn
All Fall Down
F.S.U.

Album Description

1999 album from New York-based metal outfit, the strongest since their 1991 debut album 'Foul Taste Of Freedom'. 12 tracks, including 'Stand Tall'. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

The meat and potatoes of metal..........2001-09-02

I love Pro-Pain. They are loud, angry, and tight. Act Of God was my first Pro-Pain CD. I picked it up 'cuz the name of the band sounded cool, and it turned out to be one of my all time favorite CD's. This isn't gardening music, this is "torture the neighboor's cat and then beat on your little brother" heavy metal. Once you've heard one of Pro-Pain's albums, you'll want 'em all.

definitely an act of god.......2000-07-22

this band is killer. they are on a roll. keep it up pro-pain

great album.......2000-07-17

i just got this album a month ago, and i have to say it is pretty good. It has some catchy rhythms, and great hardcore vocals. I'm just now finding out about this band, i have yet to hear their older stuff, but this is good if you like hardcore metal.

hardcore that makes the difference.......2000-06-01

pro-pain's hardcore makes the grade. they are EXTREME!!!!!!!!! if you don't have this, GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A fine hard-core album.......1999-08-27

I'll be straight forward: this is a great album--much better than "Pro-Pain"(this is still good)-but still not as good as "The Truth Hurts". "Truth" is an excellent album. Nevertheless, "Act of God" is far better than any current radio offering or so-called heavy metal that is out on the shelves these days.

Average customer rating:

Takes you back in time
Rich in depth, broad in scope

And the Band Played On
Robert Vollstedt , Sydney Baynes , John Philip Sousa , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Percy Grainger , Pietro Mascagni , Paul Lincke , Franz Schubert , Scott Joplin , Joachim Raff , Irving Berlin , Antonin Dvorak , Edward Elgar , Lowell Mason , Thomas Furi , Werner Giger , Lorenz Hasler , Bela Szedlak , Ferenc Szedlak , and I Salonisti
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Titanic: Music As Heard On The Fateful Voyage
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Music Aboard The Titanic
I Salonisti Play Music From Titanic, Casablanca, The Godfather, Schindler's List, Sense And Sensibility And More
Tangos Argentinos

ASIN: B0000042I2
Release Date: 1998-01-13

Tracks:

Comic Cake Walk
Destiny
El Capitan
None But The Lonely Heart
Molly On The Shore
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
Lysistrata: Gluhwurmchen-Idyll
Schwanengesang: Standchen
Elite Syncopations
Wiener Blut
Cavatine
Everybody's Doing It Now
I Salonisti: Humoresque
Pomp & Circumstance March No.1
Nearer My God To Thee

Customer Reviews:

Takes you back in time.......2005-08-24

You can almost hear the great ship sail, the passengers whisper as I Salonisti gives the heart of a full orchestra in their small ensemble. If you don't fall in love with 'Destiny', you don't have a heart. There is an ethereal echo in the recording that gives it a concert-hall sound, which only adds to the beauty of each song. The only (miniscule) improvement they could have made was to put the version of 'Nearer My God to Thee' they played in the movie--it had a melancholy bareness that is missing from the version on this album. Still, this is wonderful music for afternoon teas and romantic dinners--really, any time you want to escape modern life. These guys get it.

Rich in depth, broad in scope.......2000-03-26

This recording is a must for the eclectic music lover. The artistic skills are first class. The sound in magnificent. The feeling and passion of presentation are tops. The selections are excellent. My personal favorite presentation is the use of a concert grand piano to play bass scores. Just Awesome.

Average customer rating:

Going for Baroque

The King's Consort Baroque Collection

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
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The King's Consort Collection
Baroque Trumpet Concertos

ASIN: B000002ZDW
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

Dixit Dominus
Welcome As The Dawn Of Day
Harlequinade & Aeolus
Who Is Like Unto Thee, O Lord?
Musette
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Esurientes implevit
To God Who Made The Radiant Sun
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Andante From Trio Sonata In D Minor
Oh! Fair Cedaria
In Jehovah's Awful Sight
In furore iustissimae irae
Alla Hornpipe
Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
Country Dances I And II
Erbarme dich
Overture To The Summer's Absence Unconcerned
La Rejouissance
Salvator noster
Dona nobis pacem

Customer Reviews:

Going for Baroque.......2003-01-09

Here lies master collection from ten years and fifty discs of examples from baroque era performed by choirs, soloists and instrumentalists.

Conducted by energetic Robert King and his King's Consort, this is just superb!

Tracks:

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Evening Star (from Tannhauser)
None But The Lonely Heart
All Through The Night
Meditiation (From Thais)
Liebestraume No. 3
Clair De Lune (From Suite Bergamasque)
The Old Refrain
To A Wild Rose (From Woodland Sketches)
Andante Cantabile (From String Quartet No. 1)
Intermezzo (From Cavalleria Rusticana)
To Spring (Op. 43, No. 6)
Londonderry Air
The Swan (From Carnival Of The Animals)
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Ich Liebe Dich
The Lost Chord

Customer Reviews:

Very nice.......2007-01-14

The other reviewers have covered it all. I want to add that it is hard to find a good recording of A Mighty Fortress (it is on track 1), so I really value this one.

This CD does not contain the usual classical organ pieces, which is nice since most people already have plenty of other CDs contianing that material.

Be aware that after the loudness of track 1, the rest of the tracks are mostly quiet and reflective. Just a note in case you were expecting something more loud.

A great program from the world's best romantic organ.......2003-01-05

The enormous Aeolian-Skinner organ in New York's Riveside Church was built over two decades under the direction of Virgil Fox who plays on this recording. Although it's not the largest organ in the world, or even in New York, it is the definitive American Symphonic Organ. There are dozens of different divisions surrounding the church sanctuary (not just one big box at one end of the church) and there are tens of thousands of pipes. Many stops beautifully imitate orchestral instruments. The organ is renown for its extensive "celeste" stops--stops where two ranks of pipes, one slightly out of tune, play together to provide a shimmering ethereal quality.

The organ's resources are so vast that many performers have difficulty in controling the sound. They play either whisper soft or deafeningly loud. But Fox was perfectly in control, and you'll hear the full range of the organ building to exciting climaxes and then gently pulling back.

There's an interesting story about the (analog) recording process. Since the pipes were closely miked, whenever Fox changed stops, the tape would pick up an ungodly crash of the pneumatic stop mechanism. During recordings, at each change, Fox would pause for 5 or 6 beats, and the stop change would later be cut out of the tape. This led to some interesting glitches in the rhythm of the finished pieces, but those of us who've loved this program for 20 years since it first came out on LP wouldn't have it any other way.

The program is interesting, with many relaxing familiar tunes. If you own one CD of this fabulous organ, this should be the one.

What Can I Say - Excellent Organ Music!.......2002-12-14

I first heard this collection in 1968 when I bought it on 8-track cartridge. Not one boring piece on it! The music on this CD and the organ used to make the recording, plus V. Fox himself are combined to make this CD indispensible to those who really like "classical" organ music. As far as I'm concerned, if you're in the market for only one classical organ CD, do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy and play this one 'cause you'll only wind up buying the rest of the Fox collection.

This collection is definitely the flagship in terms of piece selection, interpretation, and musicianship. Second only to the organ in the Atlantic City Convention Center, the Riverside Church Aeolian-Skinner as heard on this CD is guaranteed to pull out every emotion every single time you play it.

Includes the rare and beautiful Dvorak "Songs My Mother Taught Me", played with the full dynamic and tonal range by argueably the best organist to date (whatever happened to E. Power Biggs?)!

The Art Of Virgil Fox.......2000-05-29

In classical circles, Virgil Fox has been the leading name for classical organ in the last several decades. He has done more to popularise classical organ than any other performer. The Art of Virgil Fox is only one example, but an excelent one. The clarity of the recording itself is unsurpassed. The organ is extremly hard to record and still have the depth of the insturment itself, as well as the artistry of the performer. It usually sounds like a big loud thing. However, between the recording technique and the artist himself, it is excelent. One gets a feeling of emence space and tends to drift with the music. Which is the most anyone can hope for. I had the privalage to meet Virgil Fox sometime before his death, and it was to date one of the most memorable times of my life. He was a great artist and human being. This recording only scratches the surface of his talent. It is definatly a must have item. After listening to this album, all preconcieved notions of "classical music" will blow out the window. I strongly recommend it.

You need this one!.......1999-12-29

This CD is comprised of transcriptions for organ. Ole Virgy explores the vast tonal resources of the wonderful Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ in the Riverside Church. From the bombastic chords of "A Mighty Fortress" to the lush sounds of Liszt's Liebestraume No. 3, you will find yourself immersed in beautiful auditory impressions. No one knows transcriptions like Ole Virgy. This would make a nice addition to the Virgil Fox collection, but only after you have bought his Encores CD.

Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter

Average customer rating:

Buen documento para conocer y disfrutar a Kathleen Ferrier
The incredible Kathleen Ferrier recordings!
A Terrible Beauty
What is to say - It's Ferrier...
How can you go wrong?

Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter
Kathleen Ferrier , Bruno Walter , Vienna Philharmonic , and Isobel Baillie
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000I7W5
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Birthday Ode For Queen Mary: Soun The Trumpet
The Indian Queen: Let Us Wander, Not Unseen
King Arthur: Shepherd, Shepherd, Cease Decoying
Ottone: Spring Is Coming
Ottone: Come To Me, Soothing Sleep
Orfeo ed Euridice: Chiamo il mio ben cosi (Act 1)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Deh! placatevi con me (Act 2)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Che puro ciel! (Act 2)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Che feci mai?...Che faro senza Euridice? (Act 3)
O Praise the Lord
I will lay me down in peace
I would that my love, Op. 63 No. 1 - Felix Mendelssohn
Greeting, Op. 63 No. 2 - Felix Mendelssohn
Kindertotenlieder: Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
Kindertotenlieder: Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
Kindertotenlieder: Wenn dein Mein tritt zur Tein
Kindertotenlieder: Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen!
Kindertotenlieder: In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus

Amazon.com essential recording

Even before her tragic death at 41 (in 1953), Kathleen Ferrier became a legend for her incomparable voice, her simplicity and sincerity of expression, and her indomitable courage. This compilation of recordings originally made in the 1940s includes four arias from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice recorded live in Holland, which show why Euridice was one of her signature roles. Two beautifully sung Handel arias, two sacred songs by Maurice Greene, and delightful duets by Purcell and Mendelssohn (sung in English with another beloved English singer, Isobel Baillie) are greatly enhanced by the inimitable pianist Gerald Moore. But the core of this recording is the Mahler cycle. Here, Ferrier's voice takes on a new warmth and intensity; her deeply inward, direct expressiveness gives the bereaved parent's grief and anguish a devastating impact. Her reading of the last song could be a bit more spooky, but the end is heartbreaking in its submissive resignation. The Vienna Philharmonic and Bruno Walter are in their native element. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Buen documento para conocer y disfrutar a Kathleen Ferrier.......2004-03-27

Este disco realiza un repaso bastante acertado a la carrera de la mitica contralto Kathleen Ferrier, una de esas voces que hicieron historia y que pasaron a la historia, y con razon.
Junto a unos duetos de Purcell y Mendelshon, y otras canciones, asi como unas arias de Haendel, en las que Ferrier ya va mostrando su gran talento, lo mejor de este disco esta indudablemente en la seleccion del 'Orfeo ed Euridice' de Gluck, tomada de unas funciones en directo a principios de los 50. La Ferrier sienta catedra en la interpretacion del personaje: lo lleva dentro, y lo canta de una forma admirable. Sin duda esta es una de las mejores encarnaciones de 'Orfeo' jamas escuchadas.
El otro pilar del disco son los 'Kindertotenlieder' de Mahler, otra de las maximas especialidades de Ferrier, de los que realiza una version antologica, por voz, diccion y expresion, magistralmente dirigida por Bruno Walter. Un lujazo, vamos.
El disco se consigue actualmente a precio medio, y las remasterizaciones son de calidades variadas (puesto que las grabaciones son de años diferentes) pero el nivel general de las mismas es bastante bueno.
Indudablemente este es un disco que hay que poseer, ya que quizas se trate de uno de los mejores documentos existentes para apreciar el tremendo talento de la gran Kathleen Ferrier.

The incredible Kathleen Ferrier recordings!.......2003-05-20

Voice fans, rejoice -- EMI has finally remastered these recordings and released them as one CD at budget price!
While Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" would be the chief reason for purchasing this CD right away, it also contains several morsels, equally fascinating. Purcell and Mendelsohn's duets, Handel's arias, Greene's spirituals, and 3 live arias from Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice". In general, particularly Mahler, the sound is nothing short of phenomenal. BUT why could not these engineers do the same for "Orfeo" selections? There's a lot of noise on these. On all the selection Ferrier's exceptionally dark mezzo (or contralto with a huge upper register) shines brilliantly. Of course, Mahler's songs bemoaning the death of children are not an easy listen by any means. But the melodies are amazingly harmonious and Bruno Walter's superb orchestra provides ideal background for them, with Ferrier's voice blending gorgeously with strings. Only Mussorgsky could take a subject such as this and make it so breathtakingly captivating. It's actually frightening in by itself. Gerald Moore (well-known for his collaboration with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) accompanies expertly on Purcell and Mendelsohn's selections.
It would be a treat to hear Ferrier in more alto repertoire; I am just not sure how many were commercially available at the time. Right now, Vivica Genaux is the leading artist in this area, but it would be fascinating to compare these two.
For the sheer vocal marvel experience, do not delay in getting this CD.

A Terrible Beauty.......2002-11-14

Nothing will change my opinion that Mahler should be approached with caution. Like Wagner, the scale and power of his work means that it is simply not for everyone, but inspite of that, this recording is an indespensible part of any serious music lover's collection. Music like this simply is not made any more, but rather this is a glimpse into a past where artists and not accountants ran the music industry.

Mahler's wife Alma bitterly opposed his setting of Ruckert's Kindertotenlieder to music and considering the death of their daughter soon after, it's doubtful if she ever forgave him for it. But the finished work has an indescribable beauty that Kathleen Ferrier and Mahler's protégé Bruno Walter give full expression to in away that no other interpreter's have even approached. More than 50 years on this is both a lasting tribute to the artists involved and an indictment of the decline in standards since.

What is to say - It's Ferrier..........2002-03-31

I bought the CD for the Kindertotenlieder and that's what I am going to write about (though the rest of the program is equally impressive). Ferrier's Mahler interpretations are always in the 5+ star area. When Walter is accompanying her the results are even better (unlike the case of Klemperer). The first song - Nun Will Die Sonn'... the darkness of the music is so prominent, it's breathtaking. All the rest Kindertotenlieder come in the same fashion. If interested in a release with better sound but not these Olympian contritutors, Janet Baker and Christa Ludwig have made some very good discs

How can you go wrong?.......2001-10-22

I said it before, in my review of the Ferrier/Walter performance of Das Lied von der Erde, recently rereleased by Decca; Ferrier is the authoritative interpreter of Mahler songs--and I have never heard anything to equal this performance of Kindertotenlieder.

Music:

Music

Music

1. He's Gonna Let You Know
2. Get to the Point
3. Act of God
4. House of Praise
5. And They Praised God
6. Gotta Grow Up
7. Let There Be Love
8. Teaching the Truth in Love
9. Let's Show and Tell
10. Walking That Line