Mystery of the Cross 2

On this CD:

1. Lamentations, for chorus Lamentations for Maundy Thursday
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Performed by Sixteen

2. Vexilla regis "more hispano," hymn for 4 voice
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Performed by Sixteen

3. Lamentations, for chorus Lamentations for Good Friday
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Performed by Sixteen

4. Pange lingua "more hispano," hymn or 4 voices
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Performed by Sixteen

5. Lamentations, for chorus Lamentations for Holy Saturday
Composed by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Performed by Sixteen

Tracks:

Praeludium
Aria And Variations
Adagio
Finale
Sonata
Presto
Allamanda
Presto
Sonata
Courente
Double
Adagio
Ciacona
Praeludium
Allamanda
Guigue
Sarabanda
Double
Lamento
Aria
Adagio
Allamanda
Variatio
Sarabanda
Variatio
Sonata
Presto
Guigue
Double I
Double II
Sonata
Courente
Doubles I & II
Finale
Praeludium
Aria
Variatio 1 - 2
Variatio 3 (Adagio)
Variatio 4 - 5

Tracks:

Sonata
Surrexit Christus Hodie
Adagio
Intrada
Aria Tubicinum
Allamanda
Courente
Double
Sonata
Gavotte
Guigue
Sarabanda
Praeludium
Ciacona (Aria)
Guigue
Sonata
Aria
Canzona
Sarabanda & Double
Passagalia

Customer Reviews:

Another World.......2007-03-29

Biber heartily embraced gypsy tavern violin virtuosity long before Dvorak or Brahms. This is magnificent music full of elegant and earthy contrasts. The sonatas that employ unconventional tuning open up new worlds of harmonic splendour, yet the crowning piece, the Passagalia, which does employ conventional tuning but isn't part of the Mystery Sonatas, is thankfully included as the final work of a two disc journey that soars the heights of heaven and plunges the depths of human experience. I have the original release of this music with its sumptuous and informative booklet: booklet or not, these are exceptional performances combined with an exceptional recording.

Yet another forgotten musical genius. Beautiful music.......2007-03-04

Heinrich Ignaz von Biber was a wonderful composer. The so-called "Mystery Sonatas" also known as the "Rosary Sonatas" have an aire of perfection rarely seen in classical baroque music. Biber has been all too conveniently forgotten and I am not sure why. As with Erik Satie (another of my favorite, yet unknown composers) Biber has managed to shrink in to the darkness of history while his legacy of work should be celebrated.
His work is haunting, exhilarating, enriching and somber. His music conveys a sadness and a joy that few musical works are able to convey. Biber's understanding of orchestration, the workings of instruments in compliment of each other, is astonishing to me. He had an ability, a gift, that only God himself could have given him. If you don't believe in God, then just accept that he was a prodigy of the finest degree and his work was sent from a deep place inside that immediately crawls inside of you. I, personally, call it a religious musical experience.
Absolutely stunning music.

A Monument of Early Violin Music.......2006-12-17

This version of Biber's stupendous ROSARY SONATAS (this is the more correct translation of the original German title) is marked first of all by the stunning virtuosity and graceful lyricism of violinist John Holloway. Simply to master the notes of these sonatas is an immense task in itself: playing scordatura is sort of like ventriloquism, since you are miming a certain set of notes while other notes are sounding. To have worked up these difficult pieces into an intensely expressive, dramatic experience, as Holloway has, is breathtaking. Then there is the variety of continuo instruments arrayed for each sonata. In various tracks we hear organ, harp, lute, violone, lirone (a gamba viol sounding to these ears somewhat like a harmonica) and regal (a small, portable organ with a rasping, nasal sound, used to great effect in the "Crowning with Thorns" sonata). Finally, the fact that this recording is priced far lower than any of the other major versions (Goebbel, Manze) makes it doubly attractive. I was disappointed by the scarcity of program notes, understandable given the budget price: we are not informed, for example, of the scordatura tuning of the individual sonatas, and I would have liked a more detailed discussion of the pictorial and symbolic elements used by Biber in the sonatas. However, the notes include a link to Virgin's website promising "a more detailed introduction".

Perhaps it's best not to take in this colossal work all at once. For a sampler, try tracks 14-15 of CD 2 (the "Assumption" sonata) and hear some of the most buoyant, joyous violin playing in existence. You'll be instantly mesmerized.

An Inordinately Beautiful Recording of the Biber Mystery Sonatas.......2006-09-22

Much can be written about the difficulty of this music form the 17th Century by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber - and other reviewers here have given superb descriptions of those complexities - but the end result of works such as this is in the response it produces in the listener.

Biber wrote these Mystery Sonatas to represent the three sets of mysteries from the Bible: the Birth, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Christ. The recording is by Tragicomedia with Davitt Moroney and John Holloway in this impeccably performed recording of impossible music: the music is impossibly difficult to play and impossible not to draw and emotional response from the listener. Some may find this version a bit dry sounding, but for this listener that only enhances the other-worldly sense of the music.

The sixteen sonatas are named as follows: Part I: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, The Finding in the Temple Part II: The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging of Jesus, The Crowing of Jesus with Thorns, Jesus carries His Cross, The Crucifixion Part III: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Ghost, The Assumption of our Lady, The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Passacaglia. With the simplest combination of instruments Biber was able to elicit the feelings of each of these mysteries.

For those who love Period Music this recording is a complete success and a treasure to own. For those who have yet to step into this ethereal world, this is a very fine beginning. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 06

Hauntingly beautiful Baroque fare.......2004-02-23

I own three versions of Biber's Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, and a fourth recording (by Manze) of other Biber sonatas along with the famous passacaglia that concludes the set. All of the versions (the other two being by Rheinhard Goebel on Archiv and Suzanne Lautenbacher on VOX) are beautiful, because the music is. Perhaps the passacaglia is the most beautiful 8 to 12 minutes (depending on performer) in the entire musical library. I rate the Holloway version as the best in terms of the passacaglia. The pacing seems perfect (Goebel is fast and almost dancelike, Manze quite slow but with more flare) and is about the same as that of Lautenbacher, the latter being performed on a modern instrument with her usual good taste and limited vibrato. Certainly the Holloway version has the most delicious ending to the passacaglia, when the minor key resolves to a major that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The Goebel and Manze versions both have a decorative flourish on the final note that, while beautiful, detracts in my opinion from the simple beauty of the key resolution. How two reviewers could give this recording only a single star is beyond comprehension! Even if one grants that Moroney is not as "lively" a harpsichordist as the performers on the other versions, my response is, "So what?" Maybe if you're a harspichord fanatic you drop the ranking from five stars to four, but the work is overwhelmingly a violin piece with harpsichord ACCOMPANIMENT. To downgrade the ranking of the entire recording to one star completely ignores the fantastic beauty, technical perfection, and haunting introspection of Holloway's performance on the violin. Besides, it's not as if Moroney actually is "incompetent." The descrition I would use is "tastefully understated, recognizing that this is primarily a violin recording." In contrast to the fun Goebel version and the good but more yeoman (yeoperson?) Lautenbacher version, Mr. Holloway plays with greater sensitivity but still with plenty of guts (not referring to the strings here) when drama or a discordant double-stop are called for. Again, ALL of the versions I've heard are great, and I'm tempted to buy yet another, but I always recommend the Holloway to my friends.

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Excellent 70's pop
You're never bored....
Like A Grand Old House, Restored With Additions!
Rupert Holmes Creates Movies In Your Mind

Widescreen-The Collector's Edition

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rupert Holmes - Greatest Hits
Escape: Best of Rupert Holmes
Swing: A Mystery
Highway Companion

ASIN: B00005N8TK
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

Widescreen
Terminal
Second Saxophone
Phantom of the Opera
Talk
Bagdad
Our National Pastime
Letters That Cross in the Mail
Soap Opera
Psycho Drama
Bonus Tracks: Studio Musician (from the album "Rupert Holmes")
Brass Knuckles (from the album "Rupert Holmes")
No Small Affair (version 1)
Remember WENN (theme from the AMC television series)
There You Are (demo version of the song from "The Mystery of Edwin Drood")
So Far So Good ("No Small Affair" version 2)
Theme from Accomplice
Hi Honey, I'm Home! (theme from the ABC television series)
No Small Affair (version 3)
By Myself (from "Solitary Confinement")
The Bitter End

Customer Reviews:

Excellent 70's pop.......2007-01-11

I stumbled across this guy by accident, and had I known he was responsible for "Escape" (The Pina Colada Song) I would have written him off immediately. But his body of songwriting is a very different story. "Widescreen", "Escape-The Best of Rupert Holmes" and "Pursuit of Happiness" are filled with melodic, entertaining, thought provoking songs.

He is essentially a lost artist from that era. Instrumentation is often complex, the lyrics tell stories and, god forbid, challenge you to think about your life.

Great songwriting is a lost art in the era of hip hop and rap. If you like Burt Bacharach, Barry Manilow (I know what you're thinking but check out "Here At The Mayflower"), Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonalds best work, you should like "Widescreen".

Beautiful melodies, great lyrics, interesting arrangements well played. For some of us that's as good as it gets.

You're never bored...........2005-02-11

It didn't come as any big surprise to me that Rupert Holmes moved from music to writing books. Every song is a story in itself.

"Brass Knuckles" is a Chandleresque tale of a gumshoe set out to restore the honor of a fallen partner.

"Letters that Cross in the Mail" talks about relationships dying via the foibles of communication. It's still as droll as it ever was.

"Psycho Drama" uses the voices of Radio Mystery Theatre players to recreate the long-dead radio play.

The music's definitely dated, but the themes are not. I love Holmes' wry humor and humanity. This is my favorite of his music and often revisited.

Like A Grand Old House, Restored With Additions!.......2002-02-03

I've always considered this to be one of the great albums EVER, but oh wowo zowie - this is such a treat. The remastering is masterful; the musical nuances are clear at last. The additional tracks are wonderful, but especially terrific are Rupert's liner notes detailing the making of "Widescreen" in 1973-74. NOW I know how they made "Letters That Cross In The Mail" sound so unique..! Listening to it is still one of the most memorable musical experiences ever recorded. I can't recommend this CD highly enough.

Rupert Holmes Creates Movies In Your Mind.......2000-03-22

When this album was first released on Epic Records in 1974, I thought it was brilliant. I still do. I was delighted when it was reissued on CD in 1995 on the Varese Vintage label. The album is a true blending of music and cinema...of the mind. The songs truly are movies unto themselves, short stories set to music, brilliantly written, arranged and performed. The "hit" was "Our National Pastime," wherein our hero meets a girl at a baseball game and attempts to seduce her to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner." "Letters That Cross In the Mail" (later covered by Barbra Streisand on an album Holmes produced), "Terminal" and "Second Saxophone" are all surprise-ending stories with great melodies. "Widescreen" and "Bagdad" set distinct moods in surround sound before surround sound was invented. "Talk" is one of several songs on the CD that use bittersweet humor to express universal feelings and experiences. "Phantom of the Opera" and "Soap Opera" are both truly movies-on-CD, the first a beautiful and sad plea for love, the second a very funny satire on TV's "daytime dramas". The last track, "Psycho Drama," is just that; a short spoken play with incidental music and sound effects, and guest voices like Ed Herlihy and Will Jordan (whose characters are takeoffs on Peter Lorre and James Mason). The original CD version contained two bonus tracks from other Holmes albums, "Deco Lady" and "Brass Knuckles." but that version went out of print. Now it's back with even MORE bonus tracks! What are you waiting for? BUY IT!

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Across the centuries and media

Biber: The Rosary Sonatas

Manufacturer: Avie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Biber: The Rosary Sonatas

ASIN: B0001W2ZV4
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Customer Reviews:

Across the centuries and media.......2005-05-02

This is a production that incorporates audio techniques that span the centuries and combines muisic, the spoken word, literature and visual art. The result is a bit unusual, but mostly effective.

Before each sonata is performed, a reading from a Rosary Psalter from the late Middle Ages is given by British actor Timothy West. He gives an imposing reading, sounding as if he were acting in a Shakespeare drama. You may enjoy this or be put off by it, depending on your tastes and mood. Frankly, the readings didn't interest me. But it's a small matter to program out the readings on your CD player if you want to.

The readings do serve a useful purpose, though. The Psalter description of each Mystery, along with the poetic meditation it provides, gives us great insight into the programmatic depiction contained in Biber's corresponding sonata. Other things help, too. James Clements' liner notes description of the musical technique Biber used to portray each Mystery is very useful. In fact, without those verbal and literary descriptions, I would never have guessed what Biber was trying to portray. On their own, the sonatas just sound like nondescript pieces of absolute music. Lastly, the engraving illustrations included in the original music manuscript are shown on the album's cover. At least I assume these are the original illustrations. The liner notes don't specifically say so. These illustrations are an additional aid for us to appreciate and understand the music.

Biber wrote these sonatas in a style with much gusto and frequently called for great virtuosity. Fortunately, Beznosiuk is up to the task. His performance of the Guardian Angel passacaglia really shines. His talent handles the music well, but in the effort to execute this tricky music, he ends up giving the music a modern feel instead of the needed Baroque feel. Biber calls for a different violin tuning with each sonata, which keeps things interesting. The instruments used by all the musicians are either period instruments or modern reproductions of period instruments. Yet, all the instruments sound modern! Maybe it's just my own perception.

One odd thing about the recording is the acoustics involved. It was recorded in St. Andrew's Church, Toddington, Gloucestershire. Apparently it's an old church. The reverb during the reading is almost distractingly strong. It's a very different story with the instruments, though. Here, in the same church, I hear no reverb or any sense of acoustical space. It may as well have been done in a modern recording studio. The continuo instruments come through clearly and prominently. Certainly not the Baroque sound we're used to. They intrude a bit on the solo violin's aural space. Some bad mixing on the engineers' part.

This production certainly stands apart among recordings of the Biber sonatas. The techniques involved may or may not appeal to you. Overall, I think it's an adventurous, change-of-pace rendition. All things considered, I would recommend it to you.

Victoria: The Mystery Of The Cross, Vol. 2

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Victoria: The Mystery Of The Cross, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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ASIN: B000024BSO
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Tracks:

Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio III
Hymn: Vexilla Regis (more hispano)
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio III
Hymn: Pange Lingua (More hispano)
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio III

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber: The Mystery Sonatas, Vol. 1, Nos. 1-9

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Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber: The Mystery Sonatas, Vol. 1, Nos. 1-9

Manufacturer: Gaudeamus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Biber: The Mystery Sonatas, Vol. 2: Nos. 10-16
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Biber: Violin Sonatas, 1681; Nisi Dominus; Passacaglia

ASIN: B0002EQFLW
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

Praeludium - Aria - Variatio - Adagio
Sonata - Allaman - Presto
Sonata - Courante - Double - Adagio
Ciacona
Praeludium - Allaman - Guigue - Saraban - Double
Lamento - Adagio - Presto - Adagio
Allamanda - Variatio - Sarab - Variatio
Sonata - Guigue - Double Presto - Double
Sonata - Courente - Double - Finale

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Victoria: The Mystery of the Cross
Tomas Luis de Victoria , The Sixteen , and Harry Christophers
Manufacturer: Coro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Victoria: Requiem 1605
Renaissance: Music for Inner Peace
Tomás Luis de Victoria: Et Jesum
O Quam Gloriosum

ASIN: B0001N9ZIY
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Lectio III
Lamentations for Maundy Thursday: Hymn: Vexilla Regis
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Good Friday: Lectio III
Lamentations for Good Friday: Hymn: Pange Lingua
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio I
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio II
Lamentations for Holy Saturday: Lectio III

Album Description

"This is what recording should be about ... excellent performances and recorded sound ... beautiful and moving." -GRAMOPHONE

Tracks:

The Five Joyful Mysteries: Die Verkundigung
The Five Joyful Mysteries: Die Heirnsuchung
The Five Joyful Mysteries: Jesu Geburt
The Five Joyful Mysteries: Die Darstellung irn Tempel
The Five Joyful Mysteries: Jesus irn Tempel
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: Das Leiden arn Olberg
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: Die GeiBelung
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: Die Dorenkrongung
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: Die Kreuztragung
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: Die Kreuzigung

Tracks:

The Five Glorious Mysteries: Die Auferstehung
The Five Glorious Mysteries: Die Himmelfahrt Jesu
The Five Glorious Mysteries: Die Sendung des HI. Geistes
The Five Glorious Mysteries: Mariae Himmelfahrt
The Five Glorious Mysteries: Die Kronung Mariae
Passaglia For Solo Violin: Der Schutzengel

Customer Reviews:

Maddening.......2005-01-27

Maybe this seems to be besides the point but this comes in the w-o-r-s-t packaging I have ever encountered. You run the risk of damaging the CD every time you try to extricate it from its berth. It practically *scrapes* Plus, no text, credits that utterly sacrifice information to graphic design (not my taste in graphic art, either, I might add). The presentation couldn't be worse.

Okay, so the music & the performance are the main reason for spending thirty ($30!!!) dollars. But at this price, let me tell you, a less pretension & a little more common sense would smooth the way to the stereo.

The performance is, yes, rigorous, meditative, finely etched... But I'm so angry about the presentation-- if I could get my money back, I would. If I'd spent less, I'd pitch it right out the window.

Perhaps with a little more listening...and by replacing the dreadful sleeve with a humble plastic jewel case, I may grow to prize the musicanship. But Winter and Winter, if you ever read this, you've lost my custom for good. I'll never ever buy another one of your products. No matter what. No matter where. And if I were the violinist, I'd strangle you.

Beautiful and mysterious.......2000-12-10

I love this CD. The music is meditative and profound. Very spare, almost minimalist, and yet emotionally compelling. The different sonatas capture the feeling tone of the various mysteries of the rosary. Even if you are not intrigued by the rosary analogy, the music stands on its own as a work of beauty. The final passagalia for solo violin is especially gorgeous.

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Sensational Mystery Sonatas

Biber: The Mystery Sonatas
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber , Walter Reiter , and Cordaria
Manufacturer: Signum UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005YGP2
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

Sonata No.1: Praeludium
Sonata No.1: Variatio
Sonata No.1: (Untitled)
Sonata No.2: (Untitled)
Sonata No.2: Allaman
Sonata No.2: Presto
Sonata No.3: (Untitled)
Sonata No.3: Courente
Sonata No.3: Adagio
Sonata No.4: Ciacona
Sonata No.5: Praeludium
Sonata No.5: Allaman
Sonata No.5: Gigue
Sonata No.5: Saraban
Sonata No.6: Lamento
Sonata No.7: Allamanda
Sonata No.7: Sarab; Variatio
Sonata No.8: (Untitled)
Sonata No.8: Gigue & Double Presto, Double
Sonata No.9: (Untitled)
Sonata No.9: Courente, Double
Sonata No.9: Finale

Tracks:

Sonata No.10: Praeludium
Sonata No.10: Aria, Variato
Sonata No.10: Aria, Variato
Sonata No.10: Aria, Variato
Sonata No.11: (Untitled)
Sonata No.12: Intrada
Sonata No. 12: Aria Tubicinum
Sonata No.12: Allamanda
Sonata No.12: Courente
Sonata No.13: (Untitled)
Sonata No.13: Gavott
Sonata No.13: Gigue
Sonata No.13: Sarabande
Sonata No.14: (Untitled)
Sonata No.14: Aria, Aria, Gigue
Sonata No.15: (Untitled)
Sonata No.15: Aria
Sonata No.15: Canzon
Sonata No.15: Sarabanda
Passagalia

Customer Reviews:

Sensational Mystery Sonatas.......2002-02-16

There are a few good recordings of these pieces, but nothing comes closer to the core of this music than Cordaria's new recording. The spiritual quality of this interpretation is just mindblowing...you can feel the mystical events unfold through the music, sometimes awesome, sometimes ecstatic or even violent.. the virtuosity of this player knows no bounds, and his continuo players create atmospheres you won't believe! Buy it and listen with the lights out..whether you are religeous or not, this playing will take you to heaven and back!