More than Music

Track Listings

1. Excuse Me

2. Holy Spirit

3. We Walk by Faith

4. I Do (Promise to Love You)

5. Just Call Him

6. By and by (Preview)

7. We'll Understand It Better (By and By)

8. He Touched Me

9. Look Before You Leap

10. Diamonds

11. It Won't Be Long

Tracks:

Feel
Disease
Bright Lights
Unwell
Cold
All I Need
Hand Me Down
Could I Be You
Downfall
Soul
You're So Real
The Difference

Amazon.com

Florida's megaplatinum matchbox twenty prove with their third album to be far more versatile than expected, comfortably outlasting the predictions of naysayers. Reuniting with producer Matt Serletic, the quintet takes credible swings at gospel ("Downfall" features a choir), Traveling Wilburys-type twang ("All I Need"), and big-arena rock with "Disease," cowritten by singer Rob Thomas and Mick Jagger and winkingly recalling Thomas's star turn with Carlos Santana on "Smooth." Pedal-steel great Greg Leisz spruces up several tracks, notably the tearjerker "Hand Me Down," while producer and keyboardist Serletic and percussionist Paul Doucette sprinkle instrumental pixie dust. More Than You Think You Are isn't likely to appease critics, who have consistently accused matchbox twenty of yelling when a whisper would do, but fans of the group are certain to dig these panoramic songs, each drawn in broad, vivid strokes. --Kim Hughes

Album Description

Third album produced by studio collaborator Matt Serletic, features the hit single, 'Disease'. Each CD will include a bonus card, which gives the user access to exclusive documentary footage of the making of the album, premiere access to concert tickets and other bonus material. Atlantic. 2002.

Album Details

Euro Version with Exclusive Enhanced Video Track of "if You Are Gone", a Live Full Band Performance from Aol Sessions.

Customer Reviews:

May be Paramount.......2007-01-08

This just may be the best album to come from a 90's band, although, it's kind of funny to say that when 2 out of their 3 released albums hit record stores after 2000. Nonetheless, they are a band from the 90's. They are a band that took rock music and said "let's have fun with it" but at the same time "we're gonna wear our hearts in our throats!" Not ever overdramatic (see Creed, Nickelback, or any of the bands that are an exact fingerprint of them), Matchbox Twenty still manages to pinpoint on all the dramatics of a relationship. Thomas is at his best when writing a hook. Take the first single on here: "Disease." Some don't like it. I do. Why? I remember the first time I ever heard it and thought to myself, "What is going on with this instrumentation/rhythm. I couldn't get a sense of where the beat was with the guitar slipping in and out. So I counted it out (as any musician would) and came to see how irregular his beat was inside a common time signature. I was hooked. No pun intended. "Bright Lights" moves into a different territory. He's dealing with a relationship's death due to a dream followed. Now, as much as I don't agree with his plea for her to "come back home," I can understand his yearning and his sadness, because for some reason, Thomas can write these lyrics that really get to you. "Unwell" is a bonafide MB20 hit. The hook is great, the lyrics maybe his best. "All night, hearing voices telling me that I should get some sleep because tomorrow might be good for something. Hold on, feeling like I'm headed for a breakdown." I have felt this; this feeling of going crazy after a breakup. It is horrible, and Thomas outlines each feeling with such color and darkness. Moving into "Cold" is exactly what it sounds like. This is a cold, hard song, and for me it was a hard sell, because it was so much darker in music tone and atmosphere than Thomas usually creates with his music. However, now it is a stand-out with some very inventive harmonies. "Hand Me Down" a Kleenex please. This is for anyone whoever felt like they weren't good enough for someone. This is by far wins the awards for "most strings pulled on out of the heart." Thomas may not write lyrics that reveal some new uncharted territory of the soul, heart or mind, but with this song, he cements his position as understanding it as well as anyone, and emoting it better than anyone. It helps that he never hides behind any shadows either. The last four tracks on the album are pure fun! Of course they still have the Thomas trademark of emotional disbursement, especially on "Downfall" in which at first we hear just another great rock song, but soon hear the faint strains of a Gospel Choir break out into a full-out Gospel-covered alteration of the same tune. At that moment, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, Rob Thomas could be a genius." It's sad that Rob Thomas is the only one writing such great rock music anymore. Were there 5 or 6 bands out there with originallity such as his, radio would be worth listening to. Until then, I'll XM or iPod all my music so I can tune out Nickelback without turning the station. Rob Thomas has earned his place as the best rock musician to emerge from the 90's. Thank God for him. Thank God.

Great Group & great music.......2007-01-04

I listen to this CD all the time in the car...great vocals and songs that one can relate to. All aroung great music.

MB20 Is More Than You Think.......2006-10-03

Matchbox Twenty finally released their third Mainstream album back in late 2002. MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE was another breakthrough for not just pop rock, but for Matchbox Twenty themselves. The record was a major progression in the band's sound and it is a great display of how the members have matured as musicians. Its obvious that the band was in search for and paid a lot of attention in creating melodies and perfect harmonies for each piece of this record. Keyboards are a major tool in reaching this desired affect for each song, and the guitar also has a lot more recognizable melody lines. The drums are not overpowering and are mainly their for keeping time and giving effects for particular songs. The bass is a melodic filler but is in the catagory of creating sanorities for the band. Chord progressions are still very simple, but the way they're performed is amazing. Rob Thomas has also clearly matured as a singer and pays a lot of attention in creating melodic phrasing and motives. All of these aspects gained the band tons of attention in dealing with airplay, performances, and in promotions. MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE is an amazing piece of work and is beyond doubt worth of being nomminated for several grammies. It is a must have for any music collection.

Stand out tracks include:
"Feel"
"Disease"
"Unwell"
"Downfall"
"The Difference"

"Feeling much better, thanks...".......2006-07-15

The thing is, I was never a fan of Matchbox Twenty, but through the years I became attached to 2 of their songs: "Back To Good" & "Unwell". So I bought their first album to get "Back To Good", and I liked it pretty much, so then I bought this one to get "Unwell", and I like it even better. The first one was sort of Southern-folk-country rock, which was OK, but this one is a mixture of harder rock and good old commercial pop, with all kinds of variety thrown in for good measure. Just as an example, the bridge in "You're So Real" sounds so much like The Beatles, it's scary. The lead guitar work is amazing all through the CD. Kyle Cook is a vastly talented rock guitarist, but I imagine he could play anything he wanted, and I'm sure he is one of the main reasons for MB20's success. Of course, Rob Thomas is the big enchilada. He has terrific songwriting skills, a potent but expressive voice, and all the charisma necessary to be a frontman, with more to spare. Some of the lyrics make me think he should be a psychiatrist. He seems to understand my obsessions ("Disease"), my optimistic rationalizing ("Unwell), my disappointments ("Hand Me Down"). and my acceptance of inner turmoil ("Soul"). And by the way: DO NOT miss the "hidden" track that follows the official 12th track, "The Difference". It is hot and mean musically, and lyrically a sublime depiction of dark defiance in the face of despair.

This is all I need........2006-07-03

Feel - Angsty. Sometimes I swear he's yelling, almost teasing-ish. But I love the guitar that is present in this song, and the chorus is pretty effective. Makes me smile.

Disease - I love the way he sounds like he's almost suffering in this song. Very catchy, though not my favorite. I love the guitar, as I did in Feel.

Bright Lights - I don't know why, but this is probably my least favorite song on the album. Anyways, the piano is great, though I would like a bit more instruments present. The lyrics are very soft and pretty, though I find The Difference to be prettier.

Unwell - Gotta love this song. The lyrics are so funny and interesting, and you can relate, almost. Like he's talking about weird stuff happening to normal people. I love the banjo (?) work in it. One of my favorite songs ever.

Cold - This was one of the first songs I noticed the drums avidly. Lovely, fast-paced song. Catchy.

All I Need - The lyrics are not my favorite, though the beat in the background makes up for it, I think. Though I will admit that "Life ain't no beauty show" makes me smile every time I hear it.

Hand Me Down - My favorite song on this album. Made me feel like there was a story to it, though at the same time, it was just emotion. And of course, the instrumental work was awesome.

Could I Be You - Probably my second favorite song on this album. I love the lyrics, and the beat goes well with it, especially with the piano and the drums.

Downfall - The gospel choir was not expected, but definitely appreciated. Definitely, I think, added to the power of that song. Because it's definitely that - powerful.

Soul - Pretty song. Soft and delicate, slow. I love the way it just casually sinks into a drum beat, and then into his vocals, but still keeps up with the beginning beat. Pretty lyrics, too. Pretty pretty pretty.

You're So Real - I love the way it's sorta off-beat, but still catchy and fun. Awesome; fast. (Yes, I realize that is not a complete sentence)

The Difference - It's one of the better songs on this album, in my opinion. Though my tastes aren't really inclined to romance songs, this one was so sweet you can't resist it.

So Sad, So Lonely - A hidden track in The Difference. (The title So Sad, So Lonely has been widely accepted, though it's really just a hidden track). I love this song. Love it love it love it. It's so fast paced and almost raw, dirty, but good. Awesome. Worth listening through The Difference to get to, even if you hate The Difference (gasp).

Average customer rating:

God's music uplifts the spirit
nostalgia
The 50 Most Loved Hymns
nice music but not full-length
Had Potential

More Than 50 Most Loved Hymns
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

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Praise & Worship | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

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

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100 Hymns and Praise Classics
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ASIN: B0007QCLOA
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

Holy, Holy, Holy - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
This Is My Father's World (instrumental) - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
For The Beauty Of The Earth / Come, Ye Thankful People, Come / Come,
Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Come, Thou Almighty King / Immortal, Invisible / How Great Thou Art - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah / He Leadeth Me - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
It Is Well - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Like A River Glorious - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Be Still My Soul - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Sweet Hour Of Prayer - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
We Gather Together - London Festival Orchestra and The Thomas/Cumberland Choir
Great Is Thy Faithfulness - Tom Fettke
We Will Glorify / O Worship The King / Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven - Tom Fettke
I Love You Lord / My Jesus I Love Thee / More Love To Thee - Tom Fettke
Spirit Of God Descend Upon My Heart / Breathe On Me, O Breath Of God - Tom Fettke
Blessed Assurance - Tom Fettke
I Will Praise Him / Jesus Paid It All - Tom Fettke
Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross / Old Rugged Cross / At The Cross - Tom Fettke
Beneath The Cross Of Jesus / When I Survey The Wondrous Cross / In The Cross Of Christ I Glory - Tom Fettke
Near To The Heart Of God - Tom Fettke
Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Eternal Father Strong To Save - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

All Creatures Of Our God And King - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Hark, Ten Thousand Harps And Voices - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Praise To The Lord, The Almighty - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
O Sacred Head Now Wounded - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
How Great Thou Art - The Amen Choir and The London National Philharmonic Orchestra
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today - The Amen Choir and The London National Philharmonic Orchestra
Amazing Grace - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
God Of Our Fathers - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
We Plow The Fields Together - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Now Thank We All Our God - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Just As I Am - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Rock Of Ages - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
I Need Thee Every Hour - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Abide With Me - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
O God Our Help In Ages Past - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Morning Has Broken / Sun Of My Soul / All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name - The Amen Choir and The London National Philharmonic Orchestra
Be Thou My Vision - The Amen Choir and The London National Philharmonic Orchestra
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Crown Him With Many Crowns - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Fairest Lord Jesus - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Onward Christian Soldiers - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Battle Hymn Of The Republic - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra
Seven Fold Amen - London Philharmonic Choir and National Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

God's music uplifts the spirit.......2007-03-17

His special music uplifts the spirit - always and in all ways. This is a wonderful 2 disc set that surrounds us in a sacred atmosphere. Like a sprinkle of rain on a sunny day, the sampling of favorite hymns refreshes and enlivens the heart.

nostalgia.......2007-03-08

My mother attended a church her whole life where these hymns were sung and played repeatedly until the music became inextricable from her life. She enjoys this collection immensely; however, it has a few shortcomings. Occasionally some of the hymns are short enough to seem a demo rather than a full-fledged track on the CD. Other times, however, the melodies and harmonies--if simple--engage the listener in a pleasurable experience.

If these hymns are a positive memory for you, you will likely not be disappointed by the offering here for its expansiveness if nothing else. In sum, it is recommended.

The 50 Most Loved Hymns.......2007-01-12

They are the songs we grew up with and they just bring back such pleasure to your ears. Great sing along songs and worship and praise and its just wonderful music. All different artists and both albums are just nonstop and great music -- its definitely well worth it!!!

nice music but not full-length.......2006-12-06

I was looking for a few good CDs of Christian hymns. This received strong reviews, so I bought it. The music is very good quality, not at all a class B production. The vocals are good, harmonious (though they can be a bit loud at a few parts) and the instruments sound great. However, one thing that no reviewer has mentioned is that the songs on these two CDs, all "50" of them, are not full-length. They only sing the first 1 or 2 verses to each song. Basically, they are 2 minute samples of the actual hymns, which is disappointing. I was hoping to learn the words to these songs and be able to sing them as I went about the day. I enjoy that the resources are available, but the case ought to explain these are not full hymns. If this does not bother you, then I would recommend these CDs for their quality. I hope this helps. God bless.

Had Potential.......2006-11-10

The music on this CD sounds fantastic, but BE AWARE that they are only short segments of the hymns. For example, I specifically bought the CD for "Be Thou My Vision", which is actually only a short instrumental, and "Crown Him With Many Crowns", which only had one verse. Not good for a rousing sing-along while you do the dishes!

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

A Vocally Dazzling Esparza Rides High on an Exuberant Pre-"Rent" Larson Score
Great tunes - great lyrics - great harmonies
Love the Music
Larson Lives
Fantastic Music, but i wouldnt want to see it live

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Jonathan Larson , Amy Spanger , and Raul Esparza
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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tick, tick ... BOOM!
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Rent

ASIN: B00005NQK5
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

30/90
Green Green Dress
Johnny Can't Decide
Sunday
No More
Therapy
Real Life
Sugar
See Her Smile
Come To Your Senses
Why
Louder Than Words
Boho Days
30/90 Playout

Amazon.com

Rent is usually treated as Jonathan Larson's one and only show, but the truth is that he had a career--albeit a hitless one--before that blockbuster. There was a musical titled JP Morgan Saves the Nation with lyrics by Jeffrey M. Jones and music by Larson. And there was Tick, Tick... Boom!, an autobiographical piece that Larson workshopped for a while before setting it aside and finishing Rent.

In 2001, Tick, Tick is getting a full off-Broadway production, and it's a rather endearing one. Lyrics have never been Larson's strong point, but he was a hell of a melodic composer--and the score here is even poppier than that of Rent (think Top 40 rather than Sondheim). It's hard to pick favorite songs: "Green Green Dress" is built on a rollicking piano boogie, for instance, and "Real Life" and "See Her Smile" are the kind of elegiac ballad that Larson would later perfect with "Seasons of Love." Luckily, this show has a lot more to offer than mere youthful musings. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

A Vocally Dazzling Esparza Rides High on an Exuberant Pre-"Rent" Larson Score.......2007-06-16

Perhaps it's a coincidence that the immensely talented Raúl Esparza plays a character dreading his 30th birthday in this 2001 recording of the hit off-Broadway show by the late Jonathan Larson, while five years later, he would play the elliptical Bobby dreading his 35th birthday in the enthralling 2006 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company. In both performances, Esparza shows a true affinity for capturing the angst of men undergoing transitional points in their lives which render them emotionally paralyzed. At first glance, Sondheim and Larson would not seem like kindred spirits, but both share a gift for sophisticated lyrics in an unmistakable musical style defined by their oeuvres. Larson even pays tribute to Sondheim in the story's climax and with the sardonic, work-is-hell "Sunday", a take-off of the song with the same name in Sunday in the Park with George.

However, it is the familiar Larson sound of Rent that is heard most in this score - driving, rock-out rhythms with unavoidable pop hooks and yearning, piano-driven ballads. Even the opener, "30/90", is a virtual sound-alike of the bigger show's title tune. If the songs are not quite as polished or even memorable as those in Rent, they feel more personal because the autobiographical story is far more intimate in scale. Set in 1990 in the same SoHo neighborhood as Rent, it's a simple three-character piece about Jon, an aspiring composer who considers giving up his dreams on the verge of his 30th birthday. With charismatic fire, Esparza is equally adept using his beautifully expressive voice in a rock milieu as in a Sondheim character study. He brings energetic brio to finger-snapping rockers like the Twinkie-induced "Sugar" and especially shines on the ballads, "See Her Smile" and the revelatory "Why".

With a slightly pinched voice that reminds me a bit of the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Amy Spanger as girlfriend Susan duets nicely with Esparza on the touching "Johnny Can't Decide", the rocking "Green Green Dress", and the comical self-help wordplay of "Therapy". Her shining solo moment comes with the knockout ballad, "Come to Your Senses". As Jon's embattled pal Michael, Jerry Dixon provides powerful vocals, bringing particular warmth to "Real Life" and grit to the fed-up rave "No More". The trio closes the show powerfully with the anthem-like "Louder Than Words". The overall score is a bit derivative and a tad too earnest, but the youthful zest of the cast and Larson's pop craftsmanship more than compensate. Two bonus tracks are offered at the end - an instrumental replay of the opener, "30/90 Playout" and a rare recording of Larson singing "Boho Days" a capella with propulsive hand claps.

Great tunes - great lyrics - great harmonies.......2006-11-04

If you are a fan of the late great Mr. Larson you will love this music. Okay, I have seen the play a couple of times so I know what happens between the songs but this, his autobiography, really moved me. Even my kids like the Green Dress Song.

I hope you like it... The theme is "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" rings true today as the day he wrote it.

John we miss you.

Love the Music.......2006-08-22

I saw this play a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed the music, so I got the CD. The voices, and lyrics are amazing! However, as I often find with CDs of musicals, there wasn't always the right feeling in the voice, particularly in "Therapy" where couple ought to be angry at each other, and it seems more cute on the CD.

Larson Lives.......2006-05-06

I love Tick, Tick... Boom! The show is quite refreshing. The show works so well with three actors. I LOVE "30/90" and "Louder Than Words." Both speak really strongly to the audience because they both are really relatable to anyone's life. Admittedly the middle of the show drags a little, and Spangler's voice can be chipmunkish at times. However those are minor detractions when it comes to this show. It is especially moving if you know Jonathan's story. It is no Rent, but the short piece is really moving

Fantastic Music, but i wouldnt want to see it live.......2006-04-30

I was soo soo very pleased with the music from "Tick...Tick..BOOM!". Rock Operas are my favorite type of musical theatre, and i must say this is one of the best. The storyline, however, although dealing with bohemian problems like AIDS, rehersals, love, didnt meet the power of the music. It was taken from Johnathans original one-man show and made into a three-man show. This was the only way possible to make this conversion, but still it was a dull storyline only going over the time period of one day in the day in the life of Johnathan Larson. Yes, it was an important day, his thirtieth birthday and his friend annoucing that he is HIV positive, but none of this happens until the end. The show lacks obsession, and in order to make a good musical storyline there has to be an obsession. Luckily, the weak storyline is backed with fantastic music, perhaps even better than Rent. 30/90 is my all time favorite song EVER i have listened to it over and over and still am not sick of it. other favorite tracks include:
30/90
Green Green Dress
No More
Sugar
Come To Your Senses (originally from Superbia)
Louder Than Words
and i also enjoy the rest of the songs as well.

Average customer rating:

Picasso in sound
Great but NOT complete
There's only one.
Don't forget Satie was an Anti-Romantic
"Electric Spirit of Eric Satie" fans this is the one !

Satie: Piano Works

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000002SBP
Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie I
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie II
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie III
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Les Trois Valses distingu du preux dI: Sa taille
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II: Son binocle
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III: Ses jambes
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Gnossiennes: I Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Avec nnement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Gnossiennes: IV Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: V Mod
Oeuvres Pour Piano: VI Avec conviction et avec une tristesse rigoureuse
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Mouvements en forme de poire, uatre mains: Mani de commencement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prolongation du m
Oeuvres Pour Piano: I
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III
Oeuvres Pour Piano: En plus
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Redite
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois: I Tyrolienne turque
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Danse maigre (a mani de ces messieurs)
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Espa (Sorte de valse)
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Sonatine bureaucratique
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Nocturnes: I Doux et calme
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Simplement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Un peu mouvement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Premi penset sonneries de la Rose Croix: Air de ldre
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Air du Grand Maitre
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Air du Grand Prieur
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Le Fils des oiles: Prde du 1er acte: la Vocation
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prde du IIe acte: l'Initiation
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prde du IIIe acte: l'Incantation

Tracks:

Jack In The Box: Prelude
Jack In The Box: Entracte
Jack In The Box: Final
Sports et Divertissements: Choral inappetissant
Sports et Divertissements: La Balanre
Sports et Divertissements: La Chasse
Sports et Divertissements: La Come italienne
Sports et Divertissements: Le Ril de la Mari
Sports et Divertissements: Colin-Maillard
Sports et Divertissements: La Pe
Sports et Divertissements: Le Yachting
Sports et Divertissements: Le Bain de mer
Sports et Divertissements: Le Carnaval
Sports et Divertissements: Le Golf
Sports et Divertissements: La Pieuvre
Sports et Divertissements: Les Courses
Sports et Divertissements: Les Quatre-Coins
Sports et Divertissements: Le pique-nique
Sports et Divertissements: Le Water-chute
Sports et Divertissements: Le Tango
Sports et Divertissements: Le Traau
Sports et Divertissements: Le Flirt
Sports et Divertissements: Le Feu d'artifice
Sports et Divertissements: Le Tennis
Oeuvres Pour Piano: I D'Holothurie
Embryons desseches: II D'Edriophtalma
Embryons desseches: III De Podophtalma
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): I Voix d'interieur
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): II. Idylle cynique
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): III. Chanson canine
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): IV. Avec camaraderie
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): I Choral
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): II Fugue litanique
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): III Autre chose
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): IV Fugue de papier
Apercus desagreables: I Pastorale
Apercus desagreables: II Choral
Apercus desagreables: III Fugue
Descriptions automatiques: I Sur un vaisseau
Descriptions automatiques: II Sur une lanterne
Descriptions automatiques: III Sur un casque
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): De l'enfance de Pantagruel (Reverie)
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): Marche de Cocagne (Demarche)
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): Jeux de Gargantua (Coin de Polka)
Peccadilles importunes: Etre jaloux de son camarade qui a une grosse tete
Peccadilles importunes: Lui manger sa tartine
Peccadilles importunes: Profiter de ce qu'il a des cors aux pieds pour lui voler son cerceau
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: I D'une maniere particuliere
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: II Modestement
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: III S'inviter
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: I En y regardant par deux fois
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: II Passer
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: III Encore
La Belle Excentrique: I Grande ritournelle
La Belle Excentrique: II Marche franco-lunaire
La Belle Excentrique: III Valse du 'Mysterieux baiser dans l'oeil'
La Belle Excentrique: IV Can-can grand-mondain
3 Sarabandes: No. 1
3 Sarabandes: No. 2
3 Sarabandes: No. 3

Amazon.com

It's simple: in his various realizations of the piano music of Erik Satie, Aldo Ciccolini set a standard that has yet to be bettered. This compilation, drawn from recordings made between 1966 and 1971, is consequently the best of the best. Ciccolini always played Satie's music as though it had been written by Claude Debussy, not by some cheap charlatan or uneducated primitive (which, to an extent that is still debatable, Satie was). The result is that these seemingly simple piano pieces acquire a tonal allure that is as surprising as it is undeniable. They possess an understated sophistication that points directly toward Ravel and Poulenc, at the same time providing an opening to the minimalist aesthetic of the later 20th century. Ciccolini's playing is pliant and graceful, and under his fingers the music seems to breathe and come alive. What more could a composer or a listener want? --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Picasso in sound.......2006-02-19

Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Eric Satie were drinking buddies; it shouldn't be surprising that their work, though in different media, should bear striking similarities. This CD set replaces a very badly abused vinyl recording from the 1960s. No one plays Satie like Aldo Ciccolini. I do wish the Parade had been included, Satie wrote the music, Cocteau the libretto and Picasso did the sets and costumes-Satie's only ballet. Of course, the circa 1910 audience walked out. It's the story of an out-of-work ballet company that goes out onto the streets of Paris to try to get customers to come inside. The customers are stereotypes like the American in a cowboy outfit who adds the sound of this six gun to the music and the secretary who types through the encounter. The back wall of the theater was covered with Picasso designed neon signs flashing in bright colors throughout the performance. Across the front of the stage he'd strung acetate on which were playing street scenes of Paris from three cameras-red, blue and green. The men were way, way ahead of their times.

Great but NOT complete.......2004-12-23

Please note that this collection does NOT contain Erik Satie's complete works for piano. The collection makes no such claim, but at 5 CDs, some may assume it to be complete and none of the other reviews to date mention this. I am too lazy to do the research to come up with a complete list, but offhand I know that these songs are missing - "Je Te Veux", "Fantaisie-Valse" and "Valse-Ballet". These 3 are among my favorite Satie pieces, so yes, I think the collection is diminished somewhat by their absence.

Aldo Ciccolini always has been the greatest interpreter of Satie's work for piano. Ciccolini has a feel for Satie that no one else does, although I have to admit that I prefer a faster tempo to "Poudre D'Or" than the slower, introspective tempo Ciccolini always uses, but that's only a small matter of personal preference. These recordings were originally made in 1967 and 1971 and the sound quality is excellent. At the dawn of the CD era at various sessions from 1983-1986, Ciccolini recorded Satie's complete works for piano on EMI on 5 CDs. They are currently out of print in America, with the exception of one compilation CD (also available at Amazon at the time of writing) with Gabriel Tacchino playing the 2nd piano on the pieces for 2 pianos. Ciccolini was overdubbed playing the 2nd piano on the original recordings in this review. I have a slight preference for the later recordings, but many seem to prefer these originals. You can't go wrong with these, just understand that they are not complete and the missing songs are among Satie's best.

There's only one........2004-06-26

If you're reading this, you've already heard Satie's music, so I needn't to go into that. I do want to say that this is the only recording of Satie that is worth hearing. Ciccolini is the only foot that will fit the Satie glass slipper. Don't waste your money on the ugly step-sisters.

Don't forget Satie was an Anti-Romantic.......2002-02-25

No one could deny that setting every disperse music in a unique album is a remarkable job. But I didn't like much the approach of Ciccolini, which I knew around 1975 while getting borrowed the vinyl LPs in the Embassy of France in Buenos Aires. Now I'd like to explain to whom it may concern why do I feel that way.
Satie was an anti-romantic composer, at the point of creating the "furniture-music" (musique d'ameublement) which refuses that music could be so expressive as romantics wanted. Other ones clasifies him as a "Surrealist" composer (anti-romantic movement too), but there are no signs of dreams of unconsciousness through his work. Since that point of view you could play Satie's music anyway but expressively. Satie wasn't Debussy, besides the fact that they knew personally and admire each other. Could you play Debussy in a plain style without damage?. I don't think so, because Satie was farther of expressive tradition than Debussy: we can say that Debussy is a spirit of the XIX Century while Satie is a precursor of the XXth. Remember his own words: "I came to the world too young in a time too old".
The best performance I heard of the piano work of our composer was in charge of Jacques Fevrier on the excelent album called "Monsieur Erik Satie", with such a "sideman" as another member of the group of six as Georges Auric for the 4 hands pieces.
I wave goodbye with a great embrace to all Satie's fans.

"Electric Spirit of Eric Satie" fans this is the one !.......2001-08-17

Fans of "The Electronic Spirit of Eric Satie" will immediately recognize Aldo Ciccolini as one of the few musicians in touch with the true "Satie" style. The selections correspond to "Electric Spirit" ; except, performed as a good piano solo. The piano recording is done so well it's better than most orchestral versions. It sounds very much like "Electric Spirit" without orchestration nor electronic "boops" and "beeps"-- just a good piano. It's really just as funny and powerful; and here it has a class act. This performance is a rare find !

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
The heavens are telling
Uncle Abe rattles the house with this thing
Sir Robert with ASO and Chorus at their Best!
Celestial melodies

Choral Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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O Magnum Mysterium
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ASIN: B000003CTR
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Hallelujah
Ave Verum Corpus K.618
Kyrie Eleison
Passion Chorale
The Shepherds' Farewell
Lift Thine Eyes To The Mountains
He Watching Over Israel
Dona Nobis Pacem
Hallelujah
Worthy Is The Lamb
Sanctus
Bogoroditse Devo
Wie Lieblich Sind Deine Wohnungen
The Heavens Are Telling
Rex Tremendae

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-01-12

-gave this as a Christmas gift to my brother-in-law, a church musician. He has listened over & over & thinks it is really outstanding. Thank you!

The heavens are telling.......2005-10-21

This is a very great chorus, and one of Haydn's best as far as i am concerned. The pace, grandness and spirit of the piece all conjure in one's imagination the majesty of heaven, and God's throne. I cannot help but be moved to praise the God of the heavens and the earth.

kanmi ogundipe

Uncle Abe rattles the house with this thing.......2004-11-22

I came home from work one day when my uncle was visiting my wife and myself. He was recently retired from the ministry. He had heard a lot of choral music in his life. My aunt said he had the stereo ( power end of my stereo at the time was an Adcomm 555 amp. conservatively rated at 200 watts RMS per channel) up so loud it was rattling the whole house. I too have come to love this music. I mostly listen to rock and roll; but the way my uncle, and now I, play this thing, it is rock and roll from another era!!!

Sir Robert with ASO and Chorus at their Best!.......2003-11-16

After Mr Shaw spent many years in NYC and Cleveland with RCA Red Label,he came into Atlanta for a big change! Soon he switched to TELARC DIGITAL! I still Joyfully remember our Recording of the Christmas Nativity in Dec of 1975! Sir Robert, conducting with earphones encasing his head shouted: "Stop the taping, there is some Darn Sizzling noise in those Lights!" We may have not heard the word "Damn" lights, that he employed at times!

On both this newer release of TELARC and the older Recording of The Christmas Nativity, there are Bach's Chorale, Break Forth, Dona Nobis Pacem from the B-Minor Mass, Handel's Hallelujah! Plus the exquisite, Shepherds's Farewell to the Holy Family of Berlioz's The Infant Christ!

Those who may not be familiar with Berlioz from both recordings, will be richly rewarded by hearing them plus the Rex Tremendae from Berlioz''s Requiem and the other Kyrie from the Bach B-Minor! Absolutely, no other Christmas Music can ever approach these two splendid recordings, which are the basis of the ASO celebrating every Christmas with "Robert Shaw in the Spirit!"

Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

Celestial melodies.......2001-05-27

No matter what mood you are in, the gorgeous chorals will draft you through the paths of holiness, and you will find yourself situated in the Elysium, land of eternal joy, yet you are far from dead. The past grief, weariness, and worries will fade and torture your soul no more. You are set free.

Tracks:

I: Sostenuto Assai/Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II: Scherzo: Molto Vivace
III: Andante Cantabile
IV: Finale: Vivace
I: Allegro Assai Vivace
II: Allegretto Scherzando
III: Adagio
IV: Molto Allegro E Vivace
I: Zart Und Mit Ausdruck
II: Lebhaft, Leicht
III: Rasch Und Mit Feuer

Tracks:

I: Mit Energie Und Leidenschaft
II: Lebhaf, Doch Nicht Zu Rasch
III: Langsam, Mit Inniger Empfindung
IV: Mit Feuer
I: Introduzione: Adagio Mest/Allegro
II: Scherzo
III: Largo
IV: Finale: Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

I: Nauges
II: Fetes
I: Andante
II: Allegretto
III: Largo
IV: Allegretto Scherzando
I: Overture
II: Idylie
III: Cadenza
IV: Menuet
V: Finale Alla Marcia

Amazon.com

This inexpensively priced 3-CD set of music from the 2006 Lugano Festival with pianist Martha Argerich at its center presents a fascinating cross-section of chamber music, expertly performed. In addition to Argerich, we hear from 15 other instrumentalists - pianists, cellists, violinists, violists, a flugelhorn player (who plays along with Argerich in three of Schumann's Fantasiestücke, to very strange and not very welcome effect), and a wind ensemble made up of members of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana that plays with cellist Gautier Caupcon in Friedrich Gulda's Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra: a jazzy, definitely eclectic, and playful finale to the third CD. The infrequently played but rapturous Schumann Piano Quartet is a particular treat. Ravel's transcriptions of two Debussy Nocturnes for two pianos played by Sergio Tiempo and Karin Lechner are a delight as well. This is an off-the-beaten-track collection that will fascinate true devotees of chamber music. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Schumann, not much Argerich, plus some real oddities.......2007-06-08

EMI has gotten into the pleasanat habit of issuing a 3-CD bargain box of Martha Argerich's summer music from Lugano, and they are caviar for chamber music lovers, mixing familiar and unfamiliar works in sterling live performances. It's hard to think of any comparable series meeting such high standards since the heyday of the Marlboro Festival under Rudolf Serkin in the Fifties and Sixties. This 2006 edition is no exception, my only disappointment being the absence of Argerich herself in so many works. She even gives up her place in the two-piano arrangement of Debussy's Nocturnes to her protege Sergio Tiempo (she has been a long-time devotee, if not addict, of two-piano arrangements that almost every other serious musician eschews).

The dominance of works by Schumann reflects Ms. Argerich's personal fondness for him, and she appears in the Piano Quartet, which has enjoyed a wonderful, highly personal reading by Glenn Gould and the Juilliard Qt. (Sony), among others. This one displays every virtue of live musicmaking, with Argerich's fervent, spontaneous playing leading the way. Compared to earlier sets, the 2006 collection contains more rarities and because of all the sSchumann, less representation by great composers. The flugelhorn arrangement of Schumann's Fantasiestucke for clarinet sounds like a joke. The once unknown Tanayev Piano Quintet gets a committed reading that should help to boost its popularity. The Debbusy Nocturnes actually bring pleasure in the two-piano arrangement. You won't be prepared for Gulda's concerto for Cello and Piano, which sounds like three-beer night at your local German jazz club. But its worth a smile and a listen.

In the end, however, this installment might be best left to connoisseurs while newcomers to Argerich's summer festivities should begin with the earlier, more conventional editions.

Here's the listing of works and personnel since Amazon doesn't supply it:

Martha Argerich / Renaud Capucon / Lida Chen / Gautier Capucon - Piano Quartet in Eb op.47 (Schumann).

Gautier Capucon / Gabriela Montero - Sonata for cello and piano No.2 in D op.58 (Mendelssohn).

Sergei Nakariakov / Martha Argerich - Fantasiestucke op.73 - version for flugelhorn and piano (Schumann).

Nicholas Angelich / Renaud Capucon / Gautier Capucon - Piano Trio in D minor op.63 (Schumann).

Lilya Zilberstein / Dora Schwarzberg / Lucy Hall / Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg / Jorge Bosso - Piano Quintet in G minor op.30 (Taneyev).

Sergio Tiempo / Karin Lechner - Three Nocturnes : Nuages / Fetes (Debussy transcribed for two piano Ravel).

Alissa Margulis / Polina Leschenko - Sonata for violin and piano No.1 (Schnittke).

Gautier Capucon / Alexander Rabinovich-Barakovsky - Concerto for cello and windband (Gulda).

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus)

Average customer rating:

OK, but not the best version
This is a GREAT recording!
Absolute Filth !
another dissenting review, sorry ;)
VALERY POLYANSKY'S VERSION IS BETTER

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus)

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003CV0
Release Date: 1990-03-15

Tracks:

Come, Let Us Worship
'Bless The Lord, O My Soul'
'Blessed Be The Man'
'O Serene Light'
'Now Let Thy Servant Depart'
'Rejoice, O Virgin'
'Glory To God In The Highest'
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Thanksgiving To The Mother Of God

Amazon.com

If those Gregorian chant discs seem a little, well, limited lately, perhaps it's time to move on to something equally spiritual but a bit more harmonically interesting. This disc, well-performed by the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, and conducted by the legendary choral leader, features a ravishing score by Rachmaninoff and is sung a capella, as is all Orthodox church music. (For a heartrendingly beautiful number, listen to the second cut, "Blagoslovi, Dushe Moya," or "Bless the Lord, O My Soul.") Along with well-tuned choral singing, there is a fine solo contribution by tenor Karl Dent. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

OK, but not the best version.......2006-11-19

This was the only version I had for the longest time but although I enjoyed the piece I never was that excited by the performance. Then I listened to the Swedish Radio Choir version --- unfortunately, Robert Shaw Singers sound like amateurs next to these guys. First you realize how Americanized the Russian is on Shaw's recording and second you realize how weak the basses sound. The sum experience for the Shaw is that although quite beautiful at times it is overall muddy and the choir is not together (the opening number is especially noticeable --- it sounds as if the basses are about an eighth to a sixteenth behind ... and the diction ... let us just say that the choir needed ALOT more prep, so I understand why a few reviewers who seem Russian would call this trash ... imagine James Brown sung with the a strong Swedish accent!). Lastly, I think Shaw was attempting for what the French call the long line --- in other words he wanted the melodies to flow one into another as if one giant etheral exhalation. Unfortunately, he ended up with too little variance in dynamics and, with the diction problems, a rather bland sound many times.

Sorry to be so negative, I have heard other work by Shaw that is quite georgeous and worth keeping --- unfortunately not this CD.

I strongly recommend the Swedish Radio Choir or try the Russian choirs mentioned by others or even Holliard --- I do not know these versions at all but if you find one in the library try them out.

This is a GREAT recording!.......2006-08-05

I like this recording very much... as does everyone I know that owns it. I would not hesitate to purchase it again should the need arise.

Absolute Filth !.......2006-03-29

For a truly fantastic reading of the Rachmaninov Vespers check out the Polyansky recording on Melodiya.

another dissenting review, sorry ;).......2006-03-02

First I was eager to try out some Robert Shaw stuff because I read that he did a good Bach B Minor Mass. That one wasn't nearly as good as other versions I've heard (Gardiner, Parrott, Herreweghe) but I thought I'd give him another chance & picked up his version of Rachmaninov's Vespers (aka All-Nite Vigil). I have to say I honestly don't understand what the fuss is all about. (goes for both Shaw recordings I have) I think Shaw really burned his bridges with this recording. Maybe it's just that I don't like the sound of a big choir; I much prefer a small(ish) chamber choir sound. I'm not sure what it is about Shaw's recordings; they just sound sluggish & 'blurry' to me. Polyansky's & Hillier's versions are way beyond this one, & any other recording of Rachmaninov's Vespers that I've heard. The best 'western' version is probably the one by Matthew Best & the Corydon Singers. That's not saying much imo since there's really no comparison between a 'western' choir & 'non-western' one.

VALERY POLYANSKY'S VERSION IS BETTER.......2006-02-06

It just is. Deal with it. Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002T2QC4/ref=pd_sbs_m_3/103-2962540-4613441?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=5174

Trust me on this. Russians sing their own music better than non-Russians. This is a fact. Polyansky's version is more beautiful. This is also a fact.

So that's that.

Average customer rating:

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

O Magnum Mysterium
Thomas Tallis , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Morten Lauridsen , Francis Poulenc , Sergey Rachmaninov , Franz Schubert , Anonymous , Spiritual Traditional , Henryk Gorecki , Christopher Cock , Robert Shaw Festival Singers , and Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna

ASIN: B00004WFLW
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

If Ye Love Me
A New Commandment
O Vos Omnes
O Magnum Mysterium
O Magnum Mysterium
O Magnum Mysterium
Praise The Name Of The Lord
Der Entfernten
Wondrous Love
Amazing Grace
Sometimes I Feel Like Moanin'
Totus Tuus

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

great series

The Story Of Brahms

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

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ASIN: B000001KDB
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 In F Major, Op. 90: Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 83: Allegro appassionato
Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 83: Rondo
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Adagio non troppo
Serenade, Op. 106: No. 1
Violin Concerto in D Major. Op. 77: Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro con spirito
Capriccio in B Minor, Op. 76: No. 2
Hungarian Dance No. 6 in D-flat Major
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Andante sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Maestoso
Lullaby, Op. 49: No. 4
Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G Minor
Variations On A Theme By Paganini, Op. 35: Book II
Rinaldo, Op. 50
Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 39: No. 15
Love Song Waltzes, Op. 52: No. 1
Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F-sharp Major
Variations on a Theme by Haydn: Op. 56a
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Excerpts
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro non troppo
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77: Op. 77
Academic Festival Overture: Op. 80
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 3 In F Major, Op. 90: Allegro
Clarinet Quintet In B Minor, Op. 115: Allegro
Tragic Overture: Op. 81
Academic Festival Overture: Op. 80
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 1 in G Minor
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 2 in F Major
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 10 in E Major
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 5 in F-sharp Major
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 6 in D-flat Major
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 7 in A Major
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 17 in F-sharp Minor
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 19 in B Minor
9 Hungarian Dances: No. 21 in E Minor

Customer Reviews:

great series.......2007-01-10

This CD along with the others in the series is very good. So far we have collected about ten different ones. They are thorough and interesting. I homeschool and it has been a great additon to our teaching materials and tools. The narrarated history format interspersed with the composer's music is key to keeping the interest of the children. A must-have for introducing classical music with historical background to your kids and at a great price on Amazon!

Average customer rating:

It's Beauty Revealed, At Last
OK, I'm a sucker for the 1893 version
Life has been engulfed in time
Requiem- a masterpiece.
high quality but lacking emotion

Faure: Requiem and other choral music

Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Requiem & Magnificat/Rutter, Cambridge Singers
The Best of Fauré
Gloria: The Sacred Music of John Rutter
John Rutter Collection
John Rutter: Te Deum and Other Church Music

ASIN: B0000031HB
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Tracks:

Requiem: Introit et Kyrie
Requiem: Offertoire
Requiem: Sanctus
Requiem: Pie Jesu
Requiem: Agnus Dei
Requiem: Libera me
Requiem: In paradisum
Ave verum Corpus
Tantum ergo
Ave Maria
Maria, Mater gratiae
Cantique de Jean Racine
Messe basse: Kyrie eleison
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Sanctus
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Benedictus
Messe basse: Messe Basse - Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

John Rutter's groundbreaking research and subsequent performing edition of Fauré's beloved Requiem has enabled us to hear the work as the composer originally intended. His first version of the piece included only a chamber orchestra with lower strings, harp, timpani, and organ. Four years later, Fauré added two movements and slightly expanded the orchestration. This is the version that Rutter and his inimitable Cambridge Singers perform here-- and it's a glorious revelation, especially if the only Fauré Requiem you've heard is that for full orchestra, which the composer himself neither created nor approved. Rutter and his singers give us a wonderfully sumptuous yet detailed performance that benefits tremendously from the newly realized clarity of inner lines and from the richly colored orchestral textures. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

It's Beauty Revealed, At Last.......2007-01-11

This Collegium COLCD 109 is a later release of the Collegium COLCD 101 which I purchased circa 1985 after reading glowing reviews in Grammophone magazine. COLCD 101 is labeled Stereo/Digital. COLCD 109 is labeled Stereo/DDD. Is it a re-mastering? Liner notes don't say, but the new version provides noticeable improvements in vividness and clarity.

The release of COLCD 101 was a watershed event. John Rutter had questioned conventional performance versions of Faure's Requiem, those which used full symphony orchestras and Wagnerian-like soloists. Yes, it is a requiem, but Faure's ideas are very different than those found in, say, Verdi's Requiem. Instead of hellfire and damnation, Faure evokes serenity, peace and love. Rutter's historical research proved that Faure intended for his work to be performed in small, intimate settings where the orchestra and choir would be minimal and, maybe, use boy sopranos. Rutter's CD of the historical, 1893, version is like an expert restoration of an old painting where a century's grime is wiped away and the work is newly revealed in it's original beauty.

A 1990's CD of the 1893 version exists on Naxos 8.55076S by Jeremy Summerly and the Oxford Camerata. It, too, is beautiful and of similar performance quality, though conducted at a slightly slower tempo. I find Rutter's version more "right", but that's just personal preference.

OK, I'm a sucker for the 1893 version.......2006-01-17

John Rutter made substantial changes to the previously most-performed version of the Faure Requiem when he recorded this. He went back to the version of 1893 to do so, rather than using the more famous, more heavily orchestrated later version. One difference is that the violins in the Sanctus are transposed up an octave on this CD compared to the way in which they were played in the later Requiem. I find this recording to be beautiful and timeless, and definitely not over-orchestrated.

To me, Faure's great contribution with the Requiem was that he showed a firm refusal to judge other people as well as compassion in the face of death. This went against the beliefs of the Catholic church at the time, which emphasized hellfire and brimstone, and Faure was heavily criticized for putting as little mention in as he could get away with regarding the Day of Judgement. This compassion shows in his work and makes it comforting rather than frightening. It has been called a "lullaby of death."

I also enjoy the other vocal pieces, particularly the Ave Maria and the Cantique de Jean Racine, which is probably familiar to many people who are not really aware of Faure's career. These songs have a pure, clear sound which is not ruined through excessive orchestration.

In my opinion, John Rutter did a fantastic job with this material, and it's one of my favorite CDs.

Life has been engulfed in time.......2003-08-06

This requiem represents a complete shift in the general tone of the requiem as a genre. The vision of life and death is impregnated with a feminine light, the light of the ocean softly illuminated by the sunshine of Normandy, of the Graceful Coast. The figure that stands behind the music, that accompanies the dead person into the grave is no longer the masculine Germanic death that punishes man, nor even the furious feminine French death that challenges man, but the soft and comforting figure of the mother Mary, the universal comforter who takes the hand of each one of us, as if we were crying lost children, to make us pass the dangerous door that leads beyond life. This Holy Mary for whom Fauré has written so many Ave Marias, is promising us the end of time and our introduction into an everlasting stormless, painless and noiseless world that represents the very positive vision of a real world that is the negative vision of life. Photography is not far away. Everyday life becomes a life of strife, struggle, noise, violence, war, speed, work, exploitation and alienation, all elements seen as negative, and death is the negation of it all, is the positive virtuality that has to become our reality overthere. It is thus in perfect agreement with the vision the impressionists introduced to defy photography and bring art beyond the blaring image of reality a photographer brings up with his machine. The eye of the artist goes beyond those crude colors and forms to find light and life in the depth of his retina. Fauré is the impressionist painter of death as the real life beyond the surface we have to contemplate and suffer everyday. In other words virtual is beautiful and real is dreadful. Happiness has to be found in virtuality and not in reality. Fauré is bergsonian, who sees eternity beyond the flow of time. Fauré is proustian, who sees life beyond the loss of memory. This explains the erasing of the Dies Irae because there is no anger any more in the ascent to the eternal memory of what does not exist yet. This is a requiem of timelessness and nightlessness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

Requiem- a masterpiece........2002-04-21

This exquisite collection has so many gorgeous songs that move me to tears. In Sanctus, the violin is so pure, so beautiful, its wrings my heart. This is real music, real art, crafted with such care, that it is a true privilege to hear it, not to mention sing it (which I have done, and I loved it). It is an encredible CD, and I would encourage anyone to buy it.
Lilly

high quality but lacking emotion.......2001-09-01

One reviewer describes this as "no lack of sadness, bright, not gloomy, filled with sunshine"; another calls it "peaceful". I might go with peaceful. The quality is high and the recording is of interest for being more faithful to Faure's original, non-orchestral version, but I found the performance notably lacking in emotion. I would steer the reader toward the more deeply moving Naxos version (conductor: Jeremy Summerly), which is something of a gem at budget price.

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. Excuse Me
2. Holy Spirit
3. We Walk by Faith
4. I Do (Promise to Love You)
5. Just Call Him
6. By and by (Preview)
7. We'll Understand It Better (By and By)
8. He Touched Me
9. Look Before You Leap
10. Diamonds
11. It Won't Be Long