Night Song

Track Listings

1. I Fell in Love With Jesus

2. It Came to Pass

3. Teach Me to Sing at Midnight

4. All That I Am

5. I Got My Mind Made up to Serve the Lord

6. You'll Never Walk Alone

7. Jesus Knows

8. I Can't Turn Back No Way

9. Just Keep on Trusting God

Tracks:

Hornpipe from The Water Music
Ode to Joy
Psalm XIX
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Trumpet Tune
Arioso in A
La Rejoissance from The Royal Fireworks
Ave Maria
Trumpet Voluntary
Canon in D
Air from The Water Music
Rondeau from Sinfonies de Fanfares
The Lord's Prayer
Bridal Chorus
Fanfare and Bridal Chorus
Wedding March

Customer Reviews:

Great Product.......2007-05-31

I bought this CD for my wedding. It is a very good product, great compilation of songs and great service.

Excellent Classical Wedding Music.......2007-05-14

Beautiful Classical Wedding music! CD has a wide varity of music; many favorites. Using ours for pre-wedding music, processional and recessional for our daughter's wedding! Thank you Amazon.com! MM

Traditional and wonderful.......2007-04-10

I bought this CD for my ballet classes and am really happy with it. It has all of the classics, and each is very true to it's original composition. There are a lot of horns, which are not my favorite, but the strings make it worth every penny!

Awesome!!!!.......2007-02-13

I purchased this for my daughters' wedding and it is so awesome, even heard songs on the cd that we just wonderful to use somewhere else during the ceremony.
Thanks,
L Juarez
Texas

Great Gift for wedding.......2007-01-13

I brought this for my friend's wedding. My friend is so happy to receive that and use it in the wedding process. Wonderful!

Average customer rating:

Excellent resource for wedding planners
Great item!
Preview your wedding day
25 WEDDING FAVORITES
25 Wedding Favorites

25 Wedding Favorites

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classical Wedding
A Day to Remember - Instrumental Music for Your Wedding Day
Bride's Guide to Wedding Music
The Knot Collection of Ceremony and Wedding Music Selected by the Knot's Carley Roney
Modern Bride Presents the Wedding Album

ASIN: B00004Y6T1
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Tracks:

Wedding March (Lohengrin)
Allegro I (Water Music) - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Trumpet Voluntary
Minuet (Music For The Royal Fireworks)
Canon in D Major
Spring - Susan Lautenbacher
Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (Solomon)
Air (Water Music) - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Sheep May Safely Graze (Cantana No. 208)
Arioso
Bist Du Bei Mir' (Anna Magdalena Notebook)
Panis Angelicus
Weichet Nur' (Wedding Cantata)
Silent Worship (Tolomeo) - Mary Ann Hart
Ave Maria
Sehet In Zufriedenheit' (Wedding Cantata)
Ave Maria
Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring
Air On The G String - Mainz Chamber Orchestra
Pastorale (Messiah) - Eastman Chorale
Nocturne - Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Wedding Day At Troldhaugen - Utah Symphony Orchestra
Hornpipe (Water Music)
Wedding March
Toccata (5th Symphony)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent resource for wedding planners.......2007-04-05

I work regularly with people planning church weddings who want the service to be dignified, traditional and formal. Often they have "ear memory" of music they've heard in other weddings, but no idea about its composer or title. This CD is the best compilation I've found of music that fits those requirements. Selections include great music and performances make it easy to imagine how they would sound in a particular church or other setting. Includes works by Protestant, Catholic and secular composers.

Great item!.......2007-03-29

Great CD! Perfect when planning your wedding music. There are a variety of songs from various composers.

Preview your wedding day.......2006-08-14

This CD was inexpensive, and provided a great way to preview songs for my wedding. The CD had a good song selection. My fiance and I were able to get a better idea of how the songs would be at our wedding. Definitely an inexpensive tool that is worthwhile.

25 WEDDING FAVORITES.......2006-07-20

My daughter had to move her wedding 3 weeks before the event and the music she had arranged could not be there. I purchased this CD and we were thrilled with the price, the selections on the cd and how quickly it arrived. Thanks for providing the music for a beautiful wedding.

25 Wedding Favorites.......2006-02-24

This is an excellent CD for a formal wedding, so-so for a casual one.

Average customer rating:

In case you couldn't go to the concert. . .
Young Josh
The Best I've Ever Heard Live!!
Josh Grobin DVD/CD
Fantastic concert....Josh Grobin is outstanding!

Josh Groban in Concert (with Bonus DVD)
David / Sager, Carole Bayer Foster , John Williams , Don MacLean , Johann Sebastian Bach , Walter / Crokaert, Lara Afanasieff , Adolphe Adam , Daniel Ezralow , Angie Stone , Lili Haydn , and David Foster
Manufacturer: Reprise / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Closer
Josh Groban Live at The Greek (CD/DVD)
Josh Groban
Awake
Awake (Special Edition, CD/DVD)

ASIN: B000077ZIG
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Un Amore Per Sempre
Alejate
The Prayer (feat. Angie Stone)
For Always
Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (feat. Lili Haydn)
Broken Vow
O Holy Night

Tracks:

Alla Luce Del Sole (Video)
You're Still You (Video)
Vincent (Starry Starry Night) (Video)
Gira Con Me Questa Notte (Video)
Un Amore Per Sempre (Video)
Alejate (Video)
Broken Vow (Video)
To Where You Are (Video)
Cinema Paradiso (Video)
For Always (Video)
Home To Stay (Video)
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring (Video)
Canto Alla Vita (Video)
The Prayer (feat. Angie Stone) (Video)
Let Me Fall (Video)

Amazon.com

Josh Groban in Concert has all the ingredients to be a long-running PBS staple: a young (21), good-looking performer with a golden voice; songs in Italian and Spanish for the crossover crowd (i.e., Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman) and pop and movie songs for the mainstream; guest stars galore (David Foster, John Williams, Angie Stone, Andrea Corr, Lili Haydn); a large orchestra; and striking but not obtrusive visual effects. The centerpiece of this DVD-CD combo (also available in a DVD keepcase) is the 80-minute concert DVD, filmed in Pasadena in October 2002 and featuring numerous songs from Groban's debut CD, including "You're Still You," which catapulted him into stardom when he sang it on TV's Ally McBeal. There are also two new songs--the ballad "Broken Vow," with Groban accompanied by Foster, and "For Always," with the orchestra conducted by John Williams, who wrote the song for the Steven Spielberg film A.I..

The 37-minute CD offers seven songs performed in the concert (including the two not on the previous CD, "Broken Vow" and "For Always"), plus "O Holy Night." The DVD has excellent picture and sound (PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS), interviews, and backstage footage, and the combination with the CD is an excellent value. Groban's fans, of course, will consider it a treasure at any price. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

In case you couldn't go to the concert. . ........2007-05-12

In case you couldn't go to the concert . . . buy this CD/DVD set. This is a good overall product. The DVD is seamlessly pieced together from three concerts. The concerts were awesome due to the lights, musicians, song introductions, and of course - Josh's voice, presence, and energy.

Young Josh .......2007-04-12

This cd and dvd collection is valuable to anyone collecting Josh Groban music. The dvd is nicely done and gives a little insight into his family (parents and younger brother) with the special features. Nice, clean, family entertainment which is such a rarity nowadays. This young man's voice is exceptional - God has truly blessed him with such a voice, and to see him perform is a gift as well. My family truly enjoyed this bonus.

The Best I've Ever Heard Live!!.......2007-04-10

He has the most beautiful voice!! I love seeing him live! Worth the money to hear him over and over again!!!

Josh Grobin DVD/CD.......2007-04-02

I ordered this concert DVD/CD for my Mom who is a new fan of Josh Grobin's and she loved both the concert footage and the songs on the DVD.

Fantastic concert....Josh Grobin is outstanding!.......2007-02-22

I have been a Josh Grobin fan since I heard "You Lift Me Up", and I have not been dissapointed with his CD's ever since. I was excited when I got this DVD and it definitely did not dissapoint. He chooses his songs wisely and each song in this concert is full of emotion and depth. The CD compliments the DVD well and is always a favorite. From "Broken Vow" to "Oh Holy Night" each song is sung by this master singer.

Highly Recommended!

Average customer rating:

pure genius
Another great Yo-Yo Disc
first disc great- second a flop
Encore
The Versatile Yo-Yo Ma

The Essential Yo-Yo Ma

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Appassionato
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone
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Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon

ASIN: B000A7Q29G
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Tracks:

Prde from Suite No. 1 in G Major for Cello, BWV 1007
II. Largo from "Winter", Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297 from the Four Seasons
Jesus, bleibet meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring), BWV 147
Schafe kn sicher weiden (Sheep May Safely Graze), BWV 208
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers Awake), BWV 645
The Swan from Carnival of the Animals (Chamber Version)
Havanaise, Op. 83
Mtation from Tha
Liebesfreud Instrumental
Allegro ben ritmato e deciso from Three Preludes
Vocalise Vocal
IV. Allegro from Sonata in D minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 40
Andante Cantabile for Cello Solo and String Orchestra, Op. posth.
IV. Rondo alla Zingarese. Presto from Quartet No. 1 in G minor for Piano and Strings, Op. 25
III. Finale. Allegro moderato from Concerto in B minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 104

Tracks:

Cristal
A lenda do caboclo
Chega de Saudade Live
Wapango Live
Libertango
Appalachia Waltz Solo Cello Version
Butterfly's Day Out
1B
Pickin' from Three Pieces for Solo Cello
Simple Gifts
The Mission
Gabriel's Oboe
The Falls Album Version
The Eternal Vow from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Cellist of Sarajevo - A Lament in Rondo Form for Solo 'Cello, Op. 12
Chi passa per'sta strada
Mido Mountain (Chinese Traditional)
Mohini (Enchantment)
Baroque in Rhythm from Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio
Anything Goes Instrumental
I Could Have Danced All Night Extended version

Amazon.com

Here are three dozen pieces of music, all played by Yo-Yo Ma, culled from his extensive discography. Aside from the technical mastery and beautiful tone that are absolutes in all of his playing, one is dazzled by his curiosity and ability to adapt to so many forms and types of music. His Bach and Vivaldi are pellucid and played with non-sentimental crispness, his tango music gritty and rhythmically pungent, his jazz seemingly spontaneous, the "Meditation" from Thais simply ravishing, "Anything Goes" a romp, and the Appalachian music performed with both respect and a great twang, while the traditional Chinese music is fascinating. It's really a matter of how much Ma loves whatever he plays here, how entirely he becomes involved in it, and what a fine partner he invariably is to other musicians. This collection is a doozy--it is truly "essential." --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

pure genius.......2007-05-21

No instrument asks more from the soul of an artist as the cello does.
Yo Yo Ma shows to be master of the instrument and his interpretations en technique are pure genius. Everyone should have this album in his (or hers of course) basic classical collection

Another great Yo-Yo Disc.......2007-05-15

The set-up with the classical pieces on the first disc and the other on the second is excellent.

first disc great- second a flop.......2007-04-12

the first disc is awesome. the second disc is weird and boring.

Encore.......2007-03-31

Incredible. My young cellist (son) loves it. Beautiful music. The album is well organized and each song transitions nicely.

The Versatile Yo-Yo Ma.......2007-03-29

I've found this collection to be extremely delightful! It gives you a sense of the versatility of Yo-Yo Ma like no other, with one disc being dedicated more to his classical side, while the other explores jazz and world music venues. Not your typical "greatest hits" collection.

Average customer rating:

The Andrew Lloyd Weber Collection
Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection
The Best You'll See from Sarah
The Angel of Music

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection

Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Love Changes Everything: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, Vol. 2
Sarah Brightman Classics
Time to Say Goodbye
La Luna
Harem

ASIN: B00000I0XW
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Tracks:

The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera
Song & Dance: Unexpected Song
Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'enfance
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You
Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall
Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything
Friends For Life
Cats: Memory
Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat
Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely
Cats: Macavity: The Mystery Cat
Tell Me On A Sunday/Song & Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday
The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
Requiem: Pie Jesu
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night

Amazon.com essential recording

Sarah Brightman's career was launched by her success in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, so it's no surprise to hear the soprano paying homage to the composer on this disc. Really a Brightman best-of, the album includes the Phantom theme (a duet with Michael Crawford), the light-opera fare of "Chanson D'enfance" from Aspects of Love, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, and numerous other Lloyd Webber classics. Throughout, Brightman's diminutive voice lends a fragility to these musical theater tunes that you'll either love or despise. On Evita's "Another Suitcase, Another Hall" and Cats' "Memory," she literally chirps through the vocal lines. No matter. The growing legion of Brightman fans wouldn't have it any other way. --Jason Verlinde

Album Details

Another Compilation of Stage Favourites - Some Tracks Are Hard to Find Elsewhere.

Customer Reviews:

The Andrew Lloyd Weber Collection.......2007-05-12

Sarah Brightman sings in good form classic songs and does a great job!!

Andrew Lloyd Webber .......2007-02-12

Excellent Broadway music--a true master. Sing along or just listen. First heard her on PBS.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection.......2007-01-05

Sarah Brightman has always been a favorite of mine, and this CD is outstanding. The duet with Jose Carreras (Friends for Life) is especially good--worth buying the CD for that song alone.

The Best You'll See from Sarah.......2006-09-09

This CD is - wow! I have so much to say about it and so little time! This album features three pieces from "The Phantom of the Opera" - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, The Music of the Night, and The Phantom of the Opera theme. They're all beautiful. The second piece on the album is "Unexpected Song". It has beautiful octaves and orchastrations. Chanson d'Efance is an amazing French piece with vibrato - and then some. I forgot to mention that there is another piece from The Phantom of the Opera - All I Ask of You - except that the song is not sung by the original cast from the musical. The next few pieces are fairly decent, until you get to Memory from Cats. WOW - is it spectacular! Then we get to two other pieces from Cats - Gus: The Theater Cat and Macavity: The Mystery Cat. Gus is a song that just tells about a cat and his history. A man speaks the lines that Gus would say in the actual musical - and it makes the song interesting. Macavity is AWESOME! I know that I said that I didn't prefer this song for Brightman on her album "Surrender". I finally listened to it more carefully, and found that it's really interesting to listen to! My favorite song on the whole entire album - however - has to be "Tell Me on a Sunday". Beautiful lyrics, orchestrations, and overall spectacular voice talent ties the whole song together. Pie Jesu is a fairly nice piece from both Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston - the 16 year old boy soprano. His voice is pure and straight with minimal vibrato. However, Brightman's voice shows a little bit TOO much vibrato! Overally, it's a good piece from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requium. THIS CD IS AMAZING! If you love Sarah from the Phantom of the Opera, then this collection of Lloyd Webber's work is just for you.

I also recommend Charlotte Church - (in her earlier career) - including Voice of an Angel and her self-titled album. I also recommend Love Changes Everything - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection Vol.2 - just another grouping of Webber's classics. I also recommend Andrea Boucelli - he's awesome!

The Angel of Music.......2006-03-13

This is the third copy of this I've purchased. I wear them out listening to them. Awesome, Awesome music. Sarah's range and depth is so powerful!

Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias / Myung-Whun Chung

Average customer rating:

Beautiful music
Andrea Bocelli-Sacred Arias
An "experience" of sacred arias more than "listening" of sacred arias
amazing talent
Perfect arias for the perfect voice

Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias / Myung-Whun Chung
George Frideric Handel , Giulio Caccini , Charles Gounod , Franz Schubert , Cesar Franck , Gioachino Rossini , Giuseppe Verdi , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Wagner , Pietro Mascagni , Louis Niedermeyer , Franz Xaver Gruber , John Francis Wade , Jean-Paul Lecot , Myung-Whun Chung , and Andrea Bocelli
Manufacturer: Philips
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Binding: Audio CD

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Andrea Bocelli - Amore
Sogno
Cieli di Toscana
Andrea

ASIN: B00002ND9N
Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

Caccini/Mercurio: Ave Maria
Mascagni: Sancta Maria
Gounod: Ave Maria
Schubert: Ave Maria
Franck: Panis Angelicus
Rossini: Cuius animam
Verdi: Ingemisco
Mozart: Ave verum
Wagner: Der Engel
Handel: Ombra mai fu
Niedermeyer: Pieta signore
Rossini: Dominus Deus
Schubert/Mercurio: Mille Cherubini in coro
Gruber/Mercurio: Silent Night
Wade: Adeste Fideles
Gloria a te, Cristo Ges

Amazon.com

When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias, the release of which coincides with the first English-language biography of the singer. These performances are filled with the singer's phenomenally well-known vocal signature: his flair for long, sweetly floating high notes and the gentle sense of cadence he brings to a melody. It's a mistake to compartmentalize Bocelli into a singer of "operatic" versus "popular" styles: in truth his approach is at heart the same. Lack of color and control in his phrasing remains a drawback, but the emotional empathy Bocelli evokes is never in doubt. The arias collected here sample some of the most famous devotional pieces: Schubert's "Ave Maria" and Mozart's transporting "Ave Verum," as well as an arrangement of "Silent Night" in which Bocelli tries out his English. There's also a decidedly odd choice of bedfellows for a program of "sacred" music, such as a song from Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder (whose "angel" is the object of an overpoweringly erotic attraction) and Handel's figurative ode to a tree, "Ombra mai fu." Still, Bocelli sings with an unfeigned directness that is sure to expand his already enormous following even further. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful music.......2007-01-12

This is my second copy of this CD, I burned the first one out!!
Andrea Bocelli has a very gorgeous voice that is a gift from above. His voice is not affected or braggadoccio but naturally magnificent. I could and do start my day listening to this spiritually uplifting CD almost everyday. It is a wonderful way to get off to a pleasant peaceful start, but also a nice way to come home in the evening if you have a CD player in your car. I highly recommend it to all.

Andrea Bocelli-Sacred Arias.......2006-08-25

Excellent listening. Voice quality and tone is superb. Brings tears to my eyes when I envision listening to this in a church setting.

An "experience" of sacred arias more than "listening" of sacred arias.......2006-04-28

I bought this CD's special edition with DVD, and I am impressed by bocelli's singing in this album. I have heard many voices singing sacred songs, and christmas songs, but very few singers can achieve the "sacred atmosphere" that bocelli devotes when he sings. He may not have a "strong" voice as opera singers, but I think singing these sacred songs, devoting the "sacred atmosphere" to the audience is much more important, the voice actually is just a tool that helps a singer to achieve the result. For real, I have heard some CD by some chorus that perform sacred arias, but they did not move me as much as this CD does, mostly not even close. Personally I like "O come all ye faithful", "silent night", all "ave maria"'s, "domine deus", "cujus animam" the most. When I listen Bocelli's singing I focus on what he tries to devote in singing more than his voice color, because in terms of voice color he surely cant be compared with pavarotti or domingo, so why compares? The way of listening him and listening real opera singers is different man. But the reason I gave only this CD four stars is that I have heard several sacred arias from this album performed by his voice teacher, the legendary tenor Franco Corelli. I tried not to compare both...but I cant, not because Bocelli sings bad, he is already excellent, just Corelli is TOO excellent that cant be described by human language (well I think even Pavarotti is not even close to Franco Corelli, but this is just my opinion). Anyway if you want to "experience" the true beauty of sacred arias, this CD is highly recommended. And this is also a very good sacred aria album for beginning listeners who want to broaden their musical taste to sacred arias.

amazing talent.......2006-03-25

worth the price the songs are breathtaking and talent is indescribable

Perfect arias for the perfect voice.......2006-03-04

These are just terrific. How does Andrea acheive the range he does, and the power he has, without sounding too heavy or too light? His voice sounds like the perfect voice for these perfect arias.

I have noticed one concern with the CD. I have heard several clicks scattered here and there in the songs -- but the CD is clean and I feel confident it is not the machine. Has anyone else noticed this?

Average customer rating:

delightful experience
Excellent Compilation with Marvelous Tracks
Beyond the first Silk Road CD
Excelent!!!
One of the Best !

Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet
The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan
Obrigado Brazil
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone
The Essential Yo-Yo Ma

ASIN: B0007TFHEI
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Tracks:

Mohini (Enchantment)
Oasis
Distant Green Valley
Akhalqalaqi Dance
Echoes Of A Lost City
Mountains Are Far Away
Yanzi (Swallow Song)
Battle Remembered
Summer In The High Grassland
Kor Arab (The Blind Arab)
Shikasta (Minstrel's Song)
Night At The Caravanserai
Gallop Of A Thousand Horses
Tarang (Currents)
Sacred Cloud Music

Amazon.com

It is a perilous proposition when genres clash--and no such collaboration is more potentially fraught than when improvisation-trained folk musicians sit in with Western classical instrumentalists, who are taught to interpret a printed score. The renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has devoted much of his professional life to such intercultural experiments. But the traditions of nations situated along the ancient Silk Road, which began in the Far East, meandered through Asia and terminated in Europe, are especially dear to him. These lushly arranged pieces range from moody scenic vistas to percussive Turkish hip-shakers and they make very pleasant listening. If they owe more to the European canon than the ethnic sources that inspired them, they are also the result of respectful give-and-take between a team of acknowledged masters. And nobody is more of a team player than Maestro Ma, an impassioned, fearless musical seeker and a gracious, deferential colleague. --Christina Roden

Interview with Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma speaks about his latest adventures involved in this new installment of the ongoing Silk Road Project--an epoch-making collaboration among musical colleagues. Read our special interview to learn more about Ma's musical philosophy.

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Customer Reviews:

delightful experience.......2007-07-04

this collection of music is quite a cultural experience. I've been hooked since I opened the cover!

Excellent Compilation with Marvelous Tracks.......2007-01-20

I enjoyed this compilation of Silk Road music very much. It delivers a nice, diverse sample of music from the region. My favorite track of the CD is Shikasta, but I like the others as well.

Beyond the first Silk Road CD.......2006-11-23

Yo-Yo Ma went beyond indeed. The first CD with Silk Road ensemble (When Strangers Meet) was inconsistent and somewhat experimental. This one however, is superb. As if in the 5 years the musicians got to know each other (but in truth, only a few musicians are the same). 23 traditional Eastern instruments are listed plus a number of western strings and other percussion was used. So the music on this CD gets my full attention, and as the title of first track suggests, you (can) get enchanted.
The tracks are ordered into three parts: Enchantments (1-5), Origins (6-9) and New Beginnings. First track is strangely familiar (like it was used in some film, but there is no mention of this). In third track this theme gets Chinese interpretation. The style from one track to the other changes, so you can't get bored or overexcited. Second is simply very nice, the fourth great intro of Armenian wind instrument duduk (played by famous Gevorg Dabaghyan), accompanied by percussion mostly, albeit the piece is short. 5 is gentle with cello and xun (Chinese ocarina), 6 orchestral from slow to cool, 7 again gentle with cello and vocal, 8 starts with yearning duduk and turns into orchestral battle, 9 cello and percussion. Track 10 is the only one with prominent vocal (love song) and introduces us to the last part of CD, which are more like jam sessions of all instruments. 11 and 13 are very lively. The last one, track 15, brings us a new interpretation of very ancient Chinese melody played on pipa.

Some would probably say this CD is commercialized. Personally I don't see any wrongdoings in this as long the music stays a high quality one. For the more authentic Silk Road one can always buy The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan.

Excelent!!!.......2006-01-15

One of the best concerts I attended in my life (so far... :-)...)

One of the Best !.......2005-12-06

This album has captured the soul of the Silkroad. There is not a single track in this album I don't like. I've been listening to it over and over and over again since I first got it. I think it's much better than the first one.

Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition

Average customer rating:

Mickey mouse on cover, elevator music for 70 year olds
Optical soundtrack recording limitations
Review of soundtrack Fantasia issues
Fantasia
low-fi fantasia

Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fantasia (60th Anniversary Special Edition)
Fantasia 2000: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Fantasia
Fantasia 2000
Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic

ASIN: B000001M4K
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor - (by Bach)
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Chinese Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Dance Of The Reed Flutes
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Arabian Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Russian Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Waltz Of The Flowers
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Rite Of Spring

Tracks:

Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: II. Andante Molto Mosso
Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: III. Allegro/IV. Allegro/V. Allegretto
Dance Of The Hours (From The Opera 'La Gioconda')
A Night On Bald Mountain
Ave Maria Op.52 No.6

Amazon.com essential recording

It's hard to believe now that Walt Disney's bold 1940 impressionistic experiment in wedding then-state-of-the-art animation with classical music was a rather resounding failure upon its release. The cliché proves the rule: Fantasia was decades ahead of its time (Disney even launched a "psychedelic"-themed rerelease campaign in the late '60s). It's even harder to fathom that then-Disney management spent over a million dollars in the early '80s replacing the muscular Leopold Stokowski score with a digitally recorded clone, then another undisclosed fortune to digitize Leo and put him back alongside Mickey at the conductor's podium in the '90s! This much-traveled Stokowski score will gain no points for subtlety (a symphonic Shaq attack is more like it), but it was Walt's first--and only!--choice and has never sounded better. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Mickey mouse on cover, elevator music for 70 year olds.......2007-06-04

I bought it a couple of years ago looking at the cover but was extremely disappointed when my 18-month old insisted on "Mickey" today and I chucked it into my DVD player. Our baby started crying aloud suggesting "what is this rap?" Disney folks ought to know better not try and market elevator music for 70-year olds to little toddlers regardless of how fantasia the cover looks like!

Optical soundtrack recording limitations.......2007-03-05

The soundtrack recordings for "Fantasia" were provided
to the theaters of 1940 as optical tracks on the side
of the film being shown. Such recordings cannot be
compared to the magnetic tape recordings made after WWII
(using captured or "liberated" German machines at first),
to say nothing of the current digital technology.

An analog optical soundtrack on motion picture film was
bad enough, but the film itself was nitrate, notorious
for disintegrating over a relatively short period of time,
as well as for its flammability. The prints in
circulation wore out until "the sound had gotten so bad,
theaters were refusing to book the film" according to a
Disney spokesman quoted in the New York Times of March
11, 1982.

Stokowski knew what a difference stereo recording made,
compared to mono, because almost a decade earlier, he and
the Philadelphia Orchestra participated (without the
players' knowledge) in a series of experimental high
fidelity and stereo disc recordings made by Bell
Telephone Labs. At the time, Bell Labs and Western
Electric tried to interest several manufacturers of
phonographs in the new technology, but the Great
Depression was underway, and the idea of marketing
phonographs with two stylii and two loudspeakers was
deemed unfeasible. (The Bell system had 33-1/3 rpm
discs with two parallel grooves, requiring two stylii
for playback.)

The Fantasound process, as I understand it, required a
theater to install a single loudspeaker behind the screen
and three loudspeakers along each of the two side walls,
resembling somewhat today's "surround sound." But the
idea was not to produce true stereo sound, but rather
the "ping-pong" stereo concept, with the sounds from the
loudspeakers following the cartoon characters as they
moved back and forth across the screen.

I sometimes wonder if the original recordings were made
with discs, not on soundtrack film -- in which case they
might still exist somewhere in the Disney archives. The
many thousands of original cartoon animation cels used to
create the film images were not treated as archival
material, such as the original Technicolor negatives
of "Gone With The Wind" which were stored in underground
Kansas caves, where the temperature remained steady for
decade after decade. Instead, the cels were either
destroyed or individually distributed to interested
parties. All told, it's remarkable that the film and
soundtrack have survived almost seventy years in the
shape they're in.

Stokowski was not thrilled with the end product
of "Fantasia" because, reportedly, Disney engineers
played with his recording, snipping off beats to match
the animation and enhancing crescendos. Stravinsky --
the only composer represented who was still living at
the time -- also was appalled at Stokowski's rearrangement
of his work (which Stravinsky sold to Disney for $5,000
because he needed the money at the time), to say nothing
of the dinosaurs prancing about to his ballet. The 1940
audiences were either outraged (the purists), puzzled or
bored (the general public), or snickering that Disney
had "lost it" (the film industry). But some of us loved it.

Yet "Fantasia," like "The Rite of Spring," proved far
more durable than its critics could imagine. At the
time, I was familiar with the music of Beethoven's Sixth
Symphony, Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker", Bach's "Ave Maria,"
and even Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours," but "The Rite
of Spring," and "The Sorceror's Apprentice," and "Night on
Bald Mountain" as well as Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" were
revelations for me. I didn't know then that Stokowski
tinkered with those scores, but now I have a large number
of various performances of all of them in my recording
collection. My "Fantasia" recordings were issued on LPs
in the 1970s and are treasured as historic artifacts.

In effect, that is what this two-CD album is. It's a
mistake to listen to it as performances comparable to
modern digital recordings. Enjoy them for what they are
- historical efforts to popularize classical music.

Richard Q. Hofacker, Jr., Basking Ridge, NJ

Review of soundtrack Fantasia issues.......2007-02-16

Thanks to the other reviewers for honest opinions on sound quality of this product issue. The FANTASIA soundtrack deserved better, and fortunitely, I once bought a 2-volume cassette edition of Fantasia, remastered original soundtrack edition, purchased at Tomorrowland souvenir shop at Disneyland back in 1990. Still have it, in great condition box set, and even the new boom boxes sold in todays market, feature cassette and cd play. Muchos grac!

Fantasia.......2007-01-10

I am satisfied that the CD is of the original production of Fantasia, which I feel is superior to the current DVD. I hope that a DVD version of the original version will be made available at some time. The sound quality leaves a little to be desired, however.

low-fi fantasia.......2007-01-10

I was disapointed with the low-fi recording. I realize the soundtrack is from the 1940's, but I assumed it has been re-mastered. Rather muddy sound.

World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English!

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Resource - We LOVE This CD!
Great Intro to Operas
A Sampler of Greatest Hits and Karaoke, Too
World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English
Great for adults too!

World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English!

Manufacturer: Children's Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
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ASIN: B0000C5ROP
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

The Barber Of Seville: Largo Al Factotum - Gregory Dahl
Carmen: Habanera - Jean Stilwell
The Marriage Of Figaro: Non Piu Andrai - Allan Monk
The Magic Flute: Papageno's Song - Daniel Lichti
Carmen: The Toreadors Song - Brian Banion
La Boheme: Donde Lieta Usci - Addio Di Mimi - Laura Whalen
The Magic Flute: Der Hoole Rache (The Queen Of The Night's Aria) - Aline Kutan
Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Michael Schade
Tales Of Hoffman: The Doll Song - Tracy Dahl
Die Walkure: Ride Of the Valkyries - Laura Whalen
The Marriage Of Figaro: Voi, Che Sapete - Erin Thrall
Madame Butterfly: Un Bel Di Verdremo - Natalie Choquette
Xerxes: Ombra Mai Fu - Daniel Taylor
Rigoletto: Caro Nome - Lambroula Maria Pappas
Habanera - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
Non Piu Andrai - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
Papageno's Song - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
La Donna E Mobile - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
Voi, Che Sapete - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Resource - We LOVE This CD!.......2007-07-16

This is a GREAT CD! Both the children and my husband and I love it. We bought it as an introduction to opera for our homeschooled children, and never guessed we'd all enjoy it so much.

All the tunes are ones you will probably recognize - but hearing the words that go with the music and hearing them in *English* is so helpful! It has been really fun to find out what these songs are really about.

My kids and I often catch ourselves singing opera through the day now, which is really neat. It has helped build their understanding of music in many different ways, and has improved my oldest daughter's voice ability as she strives to keep up with the professional singers on the CD.

The music is beautiful, the words are lovely and give meaning, and this whole CD is just exceptionally good entertainment!

Great Intro to Operas.......2006-10-16

THE WORLD"S VERY BEST OPERA FOR KIDS is a collection of fourteen of the best loved arias in the world. The whole family will enjoy this CD, which is a unique version of these famous arias in that these are all sung in English so your child (and you) can appreciate and imagine the story that it illustrates. It is a wonderful introduction to opera and will have the whole family humming the memorable melodies, which are sung by some of the best of famous voices. You will be inspired to read the storylines of the operas to your children for a wonderful educational and delightful family hour. The CD includes an insert with the words so you can sing along

A Sampler of Greatest Hits and Karaoke, Too.......2006-04-05

It really doesn't get much better than this CD. The primary benefit of the music is that it is a terrific selection of funny and touching arias from the classical genre. I am an opera lover and bought this for myself to memorize the words in English, as prompts when I listen to the pieces untranslated. I started listening to the CD while I was driving, and within a week had bought about a dozen CDs to distribute to family members and friends, with kids (and without). Everyone loves it. And at the end of the CD are several tracks of just the music, so you can sing along, which is a hoot. Your friends and colleagues, who hear you barking along to beats, will think you have taken leave of your senses. The lyrics (in English) are in the liner notes. I would suggest not reading the liner notes while driving.

Second CD benefit. The time you spend listening to this will be the equivalent of an afternoon at the beach or a walk in the mountains. The calming factor is amazing.

World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English.......2006-01-30

I listen to this with my 3 year old and we both enjoy it. I am not an operatic expert and to my lay ears the performances here sound great, and my daughter likes hearing the words to some of her favorite music ("Play the Torreadores again Mommy!") Its a nice break from some more traditional kids songs that we listen to.

Great for adults too!.......2005-08-15

I never had an interest in opera until I made a trip to Italy and dined in an opera cafe. I appreciate it even more thanks to this CD. Now that I can hear the lyrics in english and read a synopsis of the story, I appreciate and enjoy opera even more.

Average customer rating:

Not for the average listener
A thoroughly enjoyable trip through Central Asia and a few other places.
Silk Road Journey
A Detailed Review From A Non-expert Music Lover
Silk Road student

Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet
Yo-Yo Ma , and Silk Road Ensemble
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Obrigado Brazil
Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

ASIN: B0000641CG
Release Date: 2002-04-16

Tracks:

Mongolian Traditional longsong
Legend of Herlen (Byambasuren Sharav)
"Blue Little Flower" (Chinese Traditional)
"Mido Mountain" (Chinese Traditional)
Moon over Guan Mountain (Zhao Jiping)
"Miero vuotti uutta kuuta" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya)
"Joiku" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya)
Avaz-e Dashti (Persian Traditional)
Habil-Sayagy (In Habil's Style) for cello and prepared piano (Franghiz Ali-Zadeh)
Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur (Kayhan Kalhor)
Chi passa per'sta strada (Filippo Azzaiolo)
Desert Capriccio (Music from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Tan Dun) (Bonus Track)

Amazon.com

This disc introduces Yo-Yo Ma's latest and most ambitious adventure, the Silk Road Project. It explores the cultures that flourished along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that for centuries connected Europe and the East. Founded by Ma in 1998, the project aims to create connections, mutual trust, and cultural interchange between people from different parts of the world through their only shared language: music.

This recording includes music from Mongolia, China, Persia, Japan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and an improvisation on an Italian Renaissance street song, performed by musicians from all those countries, as well as America, on both Eastern and Western instruments. Ma, who participates in every piece either as soloist or part of the ensemble, plays cello and a Mongolian "horse-head fiddle." There is also a Mongolian soprano, who sings a traditional song native to her region. For the uninitiated Western listener, the music requires some getting used to. Much of it is based on rhythmic ostinatos. The melodies use Oriental scales; the intonation is untempered; the music seems all color, texture, and atmosphere, without what might be called themes; and repetition takes the place of development. Contrast is achieved through sudden change, buildup by adding instruments. However, the music is often beautiful, delicate, dreamy, or peaceful; every listener will find his or her own favorite pieces. The playing is splendid, with much inventive improvisation. Inevitably, Ma's tone and personality stand out, but he never dominates in fact or spirit. The booklet offers essays by Ma and the project's musicologist, Theodore Levin, photographs of the players, and drawings of the Eastern instruments. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Not for the average listener.......2007-03-20

I was going to give it 2 stars, but then again i only listened to it once.
I was looking forward to this, but the music is plodding in many parts,
like a dreary symphony. There are fine moments, but I was looking for something a bit more accesible, rhymic, and lyrical. This is a mixed bag that seems to miss more often than hit.

A thoroughly enjoyable trip through Central Asia and a few other places........2007-03-15

I have just added this to my musical library and am enjoying it. From the first beat of the first note of Khongozurl's long song you are transported to central Asia - the land of horses and gers. Of all the pieces I was most interested in listening to the second piece - Legend of Herlen. This to me, was the real silk road. The morin khuur has a very rich and unusual tone that made we want to listen to the it over and over again. Each piece is different and reminds one of the many parts that make up the whole of central asia's culture be it music or diesel trucks competing for road space with camels. The music captures the variety that makes up the region. The Finnish Folksong tracks are a nice touch. I have a friend who was at a trade conference and met a man from Mongolia. Neither could talk to one another until they discovered a common language - Finnish! My friend's family is Finnish and his new Mongolian friend had lived for several years in Finland where he learned enough of the language to communicate. Listening to the Finnish Folksongs reminds me of the Finnish-Mongolian connection that my friend had described. It is a nice touch and complements the other pieces very well. Please don't neglect to read the information insert as this gives a wealth of information on the music and it's origins as well as some of the difficulties experienced by western players playing traditional middle Asian musical instruments. Ma's difficulties with his instrument are particularly interesing to read. The concludig track - Desert Capriccio is a very nice ending to a very rich musical experince. The music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the perfect ending to this trip through central Asia. I highly recommend this CD to everyone.

Silk Road Journey.......2007-02-19

I saw a performance of the Silk Road Ensemble and was absolutely enthralled. So I bought the CD. But it was a big disappointment. It's not the type of music you can comfortably listen to in your living room - I'm sure it would be much more enjoyable in a concert hall. There was far too much that just sounded like "screeching" to me. However, some of the pieces that were much like what we heard at the performance were beautiful. So - a mixed review, but I disliked more than I liked.

A Detailed Review From A Non-expert Music Lover.......2007-01-12

In this review I will give my opinion on each of the 12 selections in this CD, and will also talk about some general themes related to the title "The Silk Road Project".

To anyone who has heard of the Silk Road in Ancient China, the title of this CD immediately brings up images of exotic peoples and their cultures in your mind. I think Yo-Yo Ma's efforts in creating such a culturally diversified recording are definitely welcomed in this era of globalization.

But after listening through this CD I felt that something was missing from the selections. One of the most important areas on the Silk Road is the Uyghur region in northwestern China. Their music is quite unique. Inclusion of their music in this CD would be really interesting. Also in this CD not all of the selections are chosen from those regions directly related to the Silk Road. So I guess the title is just a metaphor of "when strangers meet", but is not directly about the cultures along the Silk Road.

Now I will review each of the selections.

1. Mongolian Traditional Long Song

I am somewhat familiar with their culture and land. So to me this song is very beautiful and enchanting. One of the most important factors in conducting any cross-cultural communications is context! You really cannot take it out of context. The Mongolian Long Song might sound monotonous and drawling to a person who is more used to the Western tradition of chant, choral, or opera music. Yet if you know the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian people on the vast rolling greens of the Mongolian grassland embellished with winding creeks and rivers, you would probably hear such long-singing voices reverberating between the green of the grass and the blue of the sky. The Mongolian people have some of the most beautiful songs that I know of.

2. Legend of Herlen

There are probably two broad categories of non-western ethnic musics. One is the authentic folksong tradition of the people, the other is westernized works composed by westernized local musicians. I guess Legend of Herlen might fall into the second category. It has some interesting tunes in it. But the overall listening experience is too dramatic. I guess the dynamics used in this piece might even go beyond the ppp and fff. In the Mongolian traditional music, dynamics are sometimes used quite dramatically, with sharp difference between two adjacent notes or phrases. So this piece here is probably not very surprising. Nonetheless I find it a little too dramatic, sometimes even disturbing. Again I am not familiar with the background of this piece, so that might explain the unusual drama.

3. Blue Little Flower

I am not sure what fusion should really sound like. But in this piece it does seem to me that a lot of musical traditions are intertwined in it: western music, Chinese folksong from Shaanxi, and probably Iranian or Indian drums. Somehow the only part of this song that I liked is the beginning line. It's very beautiful and delicate, reminding me of the theme music from the Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But it is westernized, not authentic Chinese folksong. If this is still not a problem, then the drum used in this piece does cause a lot of funny effects. The drum sounds so distinctive and it represents some of the central or western Asia cultures. The images such drum beats conjure up are very incompatible with this northwestern Chinese folksong. So in this piece there are at least three threads: western, Chinese, and Iranian/Indian (I am not sure which one). But they do not converge. There is also the funny part of the singing included in this piece. It is out of place and unnecessary. The singing itself is just too frivolous to me.

4. Mido Mountain

I like this piece, especially the part played by the Sheng. Again there are some elements that sound a little bit too foreign to me, especially the percussion part. They use the same percussion/drum in this piece as in the previous one. But the overall effect of the arrangement does sound authentic and pleasant to me.

5. Moon Over Guan Mountains

If you know that Zhao Jiping is famous for his scores for films, you will probably understand this piece better. But of course understanding does not mean you will like it. This piece falls into the second category that I described above. For a lot of non-Western countries, the influence of western music is definitely immense. Many local composers are trained in both the western tradition and the local tradition. But there is probably a general feeling among composers in these countries that western music is richer in theory and methods. Many of these composers will use themes from folk songs to compose westernized music. I will give this piece a B+. It does include some themes from northwestern China, which sound really unique. As I said in this CD there is no selection from the Uyghur region in China, this piece might make up for that, since some of the themes seem to me to be from that region. But this piece is still too dramatic too, like a film score.

6. Five Finnish Folksongs No. 3

I love this one! The theme melody is so beautiful, and maybe a little bit nostalgic, and maybe a little bit romantic also? But this piece is straightly western music. There is nothing ethnic about it.

7. Five Finnish Folksongs No.5

This one is ok, but not very impressive. The overall structure of this piece sounds like very loose. There is not memorable melody either. But it does not have the maddening drama like in the two pieces I have just talked about. This is good.

8. Avaz-e Dashti
I am not familiar with Persian music. But there are indeed some very Persian melodies in this piece. The instruments used in this piece are all traditional Persian instruments. Maybe this is why it sounds so authentic to me. I like the haunting, floating tunes in this piece. They sound very ethereal to me.

9. Habil-Sayagy

Again this piece falls into the second category like the Legend of Herlen and Moon Over Guan Mountains. Such music is probably interesting to the performers, since they can let loose their inner floodgate of emotions and resort to pure artistic connections. But the problem for such music is that they are just too dramatic, and it's really hard to understand them without fairly good knowledge of the context and their unique cultural backgrounds. I am sure all these three pieces might sound profound, meaningful, and artistic once we know the cultural backgrounds better. But for the general listener, they are too abstract and too emotionally charged. Another problem for such western-traditional combination pure art form of music is that tradition might be distorted and represented in the wrong way.

10. Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur

I like this one better that the previous one, especially the middle part beginning at around 5 min 30 sec into the music. The melody is quite unique, and memorable. The bassline is very interesting too. It conjures up the image of merchants traveling on camel back through the desert. The pulse of the bass sounds like the steps of camels walking. One the instruments used, I am not sure which one, santur or kemancheh, is quite successful in bringing out the authenticity of the music style.

11. Chi passa per'sta strada

This one has the same problem as the Blue Little Flower: it does not sound like anything! It is not Italian, nor is it Iranian, nor Chinese, nor anything else. What is it? Who knows. The ethnicity of world music is tied to their unique musical instruments closely. I remember there was one year the Chinese traditional orchestra had a New Year's Concert at Vienna, and when they played the Radetzky March at the end of the concert, I was quite unimpressed.

12. Desert Capriccio

Tan Dun is similar to the composers I mentioned above like Zhao Jiping. Tan's music is unique and interesting to both western and Chinese audience, because of the same thing: they are both unfamiliar with Tan's music. To the Chinese audience, his music sounds western, but to the Western audience, his music sounds exotic. Nonetheless I still like some of this music, like the Couching Tiger and Hidden Dragon. Some of the melodies are really great. Again this piece makes up for the lack of Uyghur music in this album, since the "desert" in this piece is in the Uyghur region. But the music is not Uyghur at all.

There you have it. That's all for my detailed review of this CD. I would give it a B+ for its efforts and some of the really good tunes. As I am not an expert, I might be wrong in many of the points that I make in this review. So feel free to comment on my review.

Silk Road student.......2007-01-05

Each story is complete within itself and offers insight into the life and hard times. I found the stories very believeable.

Music Review:

Music Review

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