Male Choruses

On this CD:

1. Kantor Halfar (Halfar the Schoolmaster), song for male chorus, JW 4/33
Composed by Leos Janacek

2. Marycka Magdónova, for double male chorus (first version), JW 4/34
Composed by Leos Janacek

3. 70,000 (Sedmdesát tisíc, The Seventy Thousand), for soloists & male chorus, JW 4/36
Composed by Leos Janacek
Performed by Jiri Holena, Zdenek Jankovsky

4. Potulný sílenec (The Wandering Madman), for soprano, tenor, baritone, & male chorus, JW 4/43
Composed by Leos Janacek

5. Ceská legie (The Czech Legion), for tenor, bass, & male chorus, JW 4/42
Composed by Leos Janacek

6. Male-Voice Choruses (Tri Muzské Sbory) (3), JW 4/19 Loucení
Composed by Leos Janacek

7. Male-Voice Choruses (Tri Muzské Sbory) (3), JW 4/19 Holubicka
Composed by Leos Janacek

8. Male-Voice Choruses (Tri Muzské Sbory) (3), JW 4/19 Zarlivec
Composed by Leos Janacek

9. Moravian Male-Voice Choruses (Ctvero muzských sboru moravských) (4), JW 4/28 Dez vis
Composed by Leos Janacek

10. Moravian Male-Voice Choruses (Ctvero muzských sboru moravských) (4), JW 4/28 Komári (Mosquitos)
Composed by Leos Janacek

11. Moravian Male-Voice Choruses (Ctvero muzských sboru moravských) (4), JW 4/28 Klekánica (Evening Witch)
Composed by Leos Janacek

12. Moravian Male-Voice Choruses (Ctvero muzských sboru moravských) (4), JW 4/28 Rozloucení (Parting)
Composed by Leos Janacek

13. Marycka Magdónova, for tenor, bass & male chorus (second version), JW 4/35
Composed by Leos Janacek

Customer Reviews:

The "Clinker" of the bunch.......2006-12-19

Having collected the entire "The Masterworks" series (including the Bach and Mozart Complete Works) this set is the 'clinker' of the bunch. First off... 6 CD's of Lieder 'historic' (pre-historic) recordings. No Overtures, No Orchestral Seranades, No Haydn Variations?? The performances of the Symphonies and the Concertos are shakey and not very well recorded. Brilliant Classics, who has done such a wonderful job with the Hadyn Complete Symphonies (licensed from Nimbus), the Mozart and Bach Complete sets, has stumbled a bit with this release.

Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland: Military and Patriotic Music of Imperial Germany in Archival Recordings, 1903-1915

Average customer rating:

Gott Mit Uns!
Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland raises the bar !
John H Wilson III DDS
Marching for the Kaiser!
Historical CD

Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland: Military and Patriotic Music of Imperial Germany in Archival Recordings, 1903-1915

Manufacturer: Brandenburg Historica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Grossdeutschland: Von der Wachtruppe zum Panzerkorps
German Military Marches
Stormtrooper Marches
Landser Marches
More German Military Marches and Polkas, Vol. 2

ASIN: B000EON6GM
Release Date: 2005-09-21

Tracks:

Neujahrsreveille im Berliner Lustgarten (Golde-Trad.)
Heil Dir im Siegerkranz - Hymne (Carey-Schumacher)
Der Kaiser lebe hoch! - Marschlied (Press)
Reichsadler-Marsch (Nieslony)
Hohenzollern-Marsch (Unknown)
Hipp, Hipp, Hurra - Marschlied (Kunoth)
Kaiser Parole - Marsch (Teike)
Kaiser Fanfaren-Marsch (Liebisch)
Unter Deutscher Kaiserkrone - Marsch (Wilke)
Ich bin ein Deutscher... - Marschlied (Golde-Thiersch)
Marsch der Hannoverschen Garde du Corps 1866 (Anon.)
Grosse Parade auf dem Tempelhofer Feld - Potpourri
Preussens Gloria AM II, 240 - Marsch (Piefke)
Parademarsch der 2. Garde-Infanterie Division (Trad.)
Auf des Adlers Schwingen - Marschlied (Gnauck)
Hurra unser Kronprinz! - Marsch (Ruckenschuh)
Prinz Eitel Friedrich-Marsch (Blankenburg)
Kaiser Friedrich-Marsch (Friedemann)
O Strassburg, O Strassburg - Marschlied (Trad.)
Unter deutschem Schutze - Marsch (Blankenburg)
Germania-Marsch (Keil)
Lobe den Herrn - Hymne (Neander)
Kaisergeburtstagsfeier - Rezitation und Hymne (Anon.)
Kaisermarsch WWV 104 (Wagner)
Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland - Hymne (Blech-H

Product Description

This TWENTY-FIVE-TRACK CD-Compilation presents the marches, anthems and "Vaterlandslieder" that animated the German Empire of the Hohenzollern Emperors from 1871 to 1918, with PERIOD performances by the bands of the élite guard regiments of the Prussian Army, German soldiers' choruses and leading classical artists of the Wilhelmian era. The ancient recordings assembled in this compilation date from 1903 to 1915 and have been painstakingly restored and reengineered to maximize the surprising degree of fidelity already inherent to them WITHOUT altering their "imperial" ambience in ANY way whatsoever. This album presents the sounds of the ACTUAL military bandsmen and vocalists of Kaiser Wilhelm IIs Germany and also features many long-forgotten treasures of German military music, all presented EXACTLY as recorded in the German Empire of NINETY- TO ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. As an added bonus the CD is accompanied by a lavish, twenty-page illustrated booklet that features a detailed discussion of German military bands, German martial music and the development of the German Empire after 1871.

Customer Reviews:

Gott Mit Uns!.......2006-05-20

This fascinating CD makes available the sounds of German military music from a century ago. Its indeed refreshing to have historical German martial music that is not Nazi era for a change! These recordings pre-date that period signifiantly, and thanks to the superb enhancement process involved they sound almost as good if not better. There is a lot of fascinating material here, all well researched and documented. The extensive booklet provides one of the most thorough backgrounds of German military music available in English. The selection of music provide a nice balance between well known and less well known material. We have a classic "Prussia's Glory" played by one of the Guards bands, as well as some lesser known compositions by famous composers like Blackenburg and Tieke. While "Alte Kameraden" would have been a stnadard to include here, I am just as glad the temptation was resisted. My only quibble is that the hymn "Heil Dir Im Siegerkranz" is presented in different versions three times! I think twice would have been enough. Missing is a good version of the official "Presentier Marsch" AM1 which was a standard at most reviews of the period. Perhaps there was not a version available for this collection. This is hardly a compliant for what is a fascinating collection. At last we can hear the German military band in its heyday. The folks at Brandenberg Historica are romantics at heart, and one can't help thinking they miss the old days of the Kaiser! Lets hope they can put together a volume two someday.

Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland raises the bar !.......2006-03-05

Modern reissues of vintage 78 rpm military band recordings have been around a quite while. Some are good and many not. With Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland, the folks at Brandenburg Historica have definitely raised the bar on this genre. It's an A+ product in all respects, technically & creative. The menu of the 25 recordings offered is a thoughtful & balanced mix of many well known marches of the era and other not so well known, all superbly produced. The pages of accompanying photographs commentary and notes on Imperial Germany, its martial music and the chosen recordings add much more to what is already an outstanding CD. Any discerning listener is ready to play this one again and again and await a volume 2.

John H Wilson III DDS.......2006-02-28

I have been collecting German Military Music since I was stationed there,Nierstein Oppenheim, 1962.The new CDs of Pre WWI broaden my collection and this is a terrific selection of the early bands. The 78rpms could have been lost to us,but now we can retrieve the sounds of history. Thanks to Brandenburg Historica..I hope this is Vol 1.

Marching for the Kaiser!.......2006-02-27

Absolutely one of the best military music collections I have ever owned! The clarity of the ancient recordings is amazing. The martial airs are clear and stirring. Makes me want to put on my pickelhaube and join the parade!

Historical CD.......2006-02-25

Collectors of historical recordings of military music should rejoice at this release. I completely agree with the comments made on the previous review. There is simply nothing like this available for us collectors excepts perhaps for the cd they Brandenburg Historica sell of marches from Saxony. The marches are taken from recordings from the early part of the 19th century so make allowance for the sound, though some of the recordings have almost modern sound. I look forward to future releases. Thank you, BH!

Average customer rating:

Uneven quality but great value
A superb collection of Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set]

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
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Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set]
Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set]
Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set]

ASIN: B00062FLJ2
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

Uneven quality but great value.......2007-04-30

Brilliant Classics has found a niche with their extremely low-price multi-disc collections of the work of a single composer or performer. The Bach, Mozart and Chopin Complete Editions are legitimately considered to be artistic and economical triumphs. But the Masterworks series are more uneven. Currently available from Amazon France at about a buck per CD, they're still a bargain for those interested in quickly building a music library. But it's worth keeping a few things in mind. Unlike the Bach and Mozart Editions, these are not always historically informed performances. In this Mendelssohn set, the Hanover Band puts in a cameo (in Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), but most of the ensembles use modern instruments, techniques and proportions. This doesn't always work out, as in the case of the ponderously heavy recordings of the String Symphonies by an apparently full complement of Gewandhausorchester Leipzig strings (Mendelssohn likely wrote these early works for a much smaller group). The caliber of the performances varies too, ranging from good to poor, and from marquis musicians such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to a few Dutch who-dats. The chamber musicians generally acquit themselves well (though the Octet recording is marred by an engineering flaw in the last movement, distortion, at least on my copy). But the symphonies suffer from some substandard performances, such as the Italian Symphony's live recording with not only audience noise but also ensemble flaws such as a distracting clarinet squeak in the first movement's recapitulation. Another strike is the lack of program notes. Brilliant's Complete Editions provide a booklet or CD-ROM with program notes, but here you'll need to do your own research.

Despite these shortcomings, this set is still good value (at least at Amazon France's current price of 31 Euros). And it's a fine way to become acquainted with Mendelssohn's music.

A superb collection of Mendelssohn.......2007-03-24

Let me preface this by saying that most of these works were not new to me - I own many other Mendelssohn CDs and have enjoyed his compositions for some time now. Also, this set is available much cheaper elsewhere, particularly from European retailers.
The symphonies are well-performed. 'Reformation' is an inspired live recording. The 12 string symphonies, written in Mendelssohn's youth, are also included. The concertos are exceptional - the violin concerto is as good as you'll find anywhere. The oratorios Elijah and Paulus are included, as well as the complete chamber works and a diverse assortment of choral works. The last few discs include the Lied ohne worte, the epic organ sonatas, and excellent renditions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Fingal's Cave. While there are a few sketchy performances in the choral and chamber works, the performances and recordings are generally very solid, and the body of work couldn't be better.

Holst: The Cloud Messenger; A Choral Fantasia; Part-Songs

Average customer rating:

More than just choral works
Get This For the Hymn of Jesus
An important record of lesser known choral works . . .

Holst: The Cloud Messenger; A Choral Fantasia; Part-Songs

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
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Holst: Orchestral Works
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Holst: Hammersmith / Moorside Suite / Suite No. 1 in E flat / Suite No. 2 in F

ASIN: B00000IYN5
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

The Cloud Messenger, H111: 'O Thou, Who Com'st From Heaven's King' - G. HOLST
The Cloud Messenger, H111: 'Tarry Not, O Cloud, Tarry Not. Rushing Northward ...' - - G. HOLST
The Cloud Messenger, H111: 'Tarry Not, O Cloud, Tarry Not.' - G. HOLST
The Cloud Messenger, H111: 'Tarry Not, O Cloud. Bow Thy Head' - - G. HOLST
The Cloud Messenger, H111: 'When The Dancers Are Weary ...' - G. HOLST
The Hymn Of Jesus, H140: Prelude - - G. HOLST
The Hymn Of Jesus, H140: The Hymn - G. HOLST
Ave Maria, H49 - G. HOLST
The Evening-watch, H159 - G. HOLST

Tracks:

Seven Part-Songs, H162: Say Who Is This? - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: O Love, I Complain - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: Angel Spirits Of Sleep - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: When First We Met - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: Sorrow And Joy - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: Love On My Heart From Heaven Fell - Gustav Holst
Seven Part-Songs, H162: Assemble, All Ye Maidens - Gustav Holst
A Choral Fantasia, H177 - Gustav Holst
City Of London Sinfonia: A Dirge For Two Veterans, H121 - Gustav Holst
Ode to Death, H144 - Gustav Holst
This Have I Done For My True Love, H128 - Gustav Holst
Four Part-Songs: O Lady, Leave That Silken Thread - Gustav Holst
Four Part-Songs: Soft And Gently - Gustav Holst
Four Part-Songs: The Autumn Is Old - Gustav Holst
Four Part-Songs: Winter And The Birds - Gustav Holst

Customer Reviews:

More than just choral works.......2006-04-20

These choral works from Gustav Holst are as striking as the Planets. They are like two dozen angels singing with heavenly glory. A Choral Fantasia, The Cloud Messenger and The Hymn of Jesus are excellent; superb playing from the London Symphony, breathtaking and articulate singing from the Chorus. Ode to Death & A Dirge for Two Veterans are absolutely haunting. The Part-songs are worth the listen, and the Ave Maria and the Motets sound fresh and fabulous.

If you are a fan of Holst's Planets, then you'll be an immediate fan of his choral works once you start listening to The Cloud Messenger.

Get This For the Hymn of Jesus.......2002-09-07

How many of you are sick of the Planets! I know I am, as marvelous as I find that work. Holst was a much more varied and talented composer than that work reveals. On this disc you can hear a wide variety of Holst's choral music and judge for yourself.

I can only comment on half this disc, as I own the Cloud Messanger and the Hymn of Jesus only in an earlier incarnation. The Cloud Messanger is a massive work based on an Hindu text. It is of variable quality...Holst himself flet that it was not wholy a success and supressed further performances of it in his lifetime. But the passages that are good are stunning indeed, and Hickox and crew make a strong case for the work.

The reason to get this CD is for the Hymn of Jesus. This is the best performance of the best work that Holst composed. The Hymn of Jesus is based on Holst's own translation of a passage from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas ( some sources claim the Acts of John as the origin of this text, but I'm pretty sure I have it in my copy of the Gospel of Thomas, which had recently been discovered at the time.)These Gnostic texts so intrigued Holst that he studied Greek just to be able to read it in the original. The work begins with a beautiful, atmospheric prelude based on two Sarum chants, Panea Lingua and a resplendant Vexilla Regis in the boy choir. Then there is a massive choral invocation to God and the Hymn is sung. This text is also known as the Round Dance of Jesus, and Holst goes for the dance in the piece, with a splendid section in 5/4 which must have frightened the Edwardian audience at the work's premiere. Tightly organized and stunning in it's choral effects, this version of the work surpasses even the fine old recording by Sir Charles Grove.

I can't comment on the performances of the other works on the second disc, but know that the Ode to Death is haunting and the Choral Fantasia is a major work worth hearing. But the reason to buy this album is for the Hymn. It's a stunning and neglected masterpiece in the English choral tradition.

An important record of lesser known choral works . . ........2000-08-08

. . . but I wish they'd used a large choral force.

My primary interest in this CD was the recording of the relatively recently re-discovered (1984) major choral work "The Cloud Messenger." From Holst's "India" period, this is a stunningly beautiful "painting" of the Khalidasa 6th Century A.D. lyric poem, "Meghaduta" ("Cloud Messenger"), the lament of an exiled yaksa who is pining for his beloved on a lonely mountain peak. When, at the beginning of the monsoon, a cloud perches on the peak, he asks it to deliver a message to his love in the Himalayan city of Alaka. Most of the poem consists of a description of the landmarks, cities, and terrain on the cloud's route to Alaka, interspersed with admonishments to the cloud to "Tarry not!" It is only at the end that we are finally aware of the message itself -- one intended to comfort the yaksa's wife in her loneliness.

I had the privilege of singing the U.S. premiere of this work in 1996 with Masterworks Chorale in San Mateo, CA, a chorus of about 150 auditioned singers. This work needs such a large choral force, and a conductor who can deal with the inherent drama in the text. We had both, and the performance was a stunning success. (It was the final work on a program that opened with Debussy's "La damoiselle Elue" for women's voices and mezzo-soprano and soprano soloists; and Brahms' "Alto Rhapsody" for men's voices and mezzo-soprano soloist. "The Cloud Messenger" also includes a mezzo-soprano soloist.)

My biggest complaint with this recording is the dynamics. The entire work seems to be performed at about mf+, occasionally venturing into f and mp. Unfortunately, this doesn't do justice to the drama. The opening, for example, needs to grow from the first ppp gentle raindrops, building as the cloud builds in strength, to a glorious ff choral introduction of the main character, the cloud: "O Thou, who com'st from heaven's king! scion of a noble race! who wearest wondrous forms at will!"

There are parts of this work that beg for a lush warm sound; what we hear on this recording is the British "boy choir" sound in the treble range, while the men have a warmer (albeit somewhat watered down) tone. This is a highly sensuous work, full of luscious ripe sensual imagery: "Where e'er thou goest, lonely wives, who pine in solitude with close-bound hair, will arise and go along the road. Thou bringest home their absent husbands, who will loosen their tresses and fill their hearts with joy!" The "flat" sound of pre-pubescent boys just doesn't do this music, or mature text, justice.

That said, however, this is an important recording of a little-known work. You'll get the feeling of the piece, a sense of the promise. Let's hope that a large chorus paired with a sensitive conductor will have an opportunity at another recording of this in the not-too-distant future (Atlanta? Chicago?).

Contrast this with "The Hymn of Jesus" -- Hickox fares much better with this material, playing up the dance rhythms (Holst knew what he was doing -- at the climax of the piece, the words are: "Ye who dance not, know not what we are knowing.") It really is a first-rate performance of this work.

Other works deserving special mention are "Dirge for Two Veterans," in which one can hear hints of "Mars" from "The Planets"; "Ode to Death," a setting of Walt Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," which contains allusions to "Saturn." The Four Partsongs on the second disk are among Holst's earliest works, written in 1894, when he was barely 20 yrs old and in his second year at the Royal College of Music; and the Choral Fantasia is among his later choral works, written in 1931.

Tracks:

I Have Had Singing
O Clap Your Hands
If You Love Me
Magnificat A 12
Charm Me Asleep
Drei Mannerchore: Drei Mannerchore - Vor Den Turen
Drei Mannerchore: Drei Mannerchore - Traumlicht
Drei Mannerchore: Drei Mannerchore - Frohlich im Maien
Nude Descending A Staircase
Blue Skies
Shenandoah
Straight Street
Out Of This World
O Waly, Waly
Journey to Recife
Jesus Met The Woman At The Well

Customer Reviews:

An amazing collection, as expected........2006-06-09

I stumbled across Chanticleer in late 2005, while running a search for chorale music -- the album I found being Gregorian Chants -- and instantly fell in love with this wonderful group. I had known about countertenors for some time previously, but, as I had not yet witnessed the sound, was stunned to find that Chanticleer was composed entirely of males.

Their sound is wonderful; rarely do I catch them slipping in their harmonies, a quality that I primarily associate with Russian Orthodox Choirs, which I don't find often enough within the US-of-A. But being a stickler isn't bad; it's this way that I found, and stuck with Chanti.

The selections of music on this CD are wide, ranging from American Folk -- Shenandoah -- to Strauss' "Drei Männerchöre," and back to Irving Berlin and beyond. My personal favorite is the rendition of Allen Shearer's musical adaptation of "Nude Descending a Staircase," featuring X. J. Kennedy's text.

As a final note: for lovers of a good bass in choral music, this is certainly a CD to consider, as are all Chanticleer works, thanks to Mr. Eric Alatorre, facial ornamentation and all. He's certainly a warm, rich anchor for the group's sometimes ethereal sound.

Superb.......2005-01-27

The last work on this recording, "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well, is worth many times the price of this CD. Joseph Jennings' performance on this one riveting and the group really takes off. The entire album is great, but this piece is an absolute knockout.

A No Brainer!!!!!!!!!.......2003-10-26

This is a must have cd for any classical, choral,or jazz music fan. Chanticleer is world renowned for their abilty to branch out and do all kinds of different styles, and this cd shows off there incredible range and diveristy. This cd incompasses 20th Century classical, Rennisance, Romantic, Jazz, Spirital, and Folk music done with blend balance and style that each one of these genres calls for. It can take years for a group to do one off these genres well, let alone all. If you have never heard them this a a good cd to start with, and if you have heard them this is a great cd to add to your collection

A True Sampler.......2003-08-29

The purpose of a sampler is to showcase a variety of one's best work, and Chanticleer certainly does that on this disc. The Gabrieli Magnificat captures the spirit of San Marco, Venice, and then jazz and pop numbers are hilarious! A lesser known treasure is "I have had singing". "Jesus met the woman at the well"...as my grandfather used to say, "If that don't light your fire, your wood's wet."

This music is truly beautiful.......2000-03-10

No matter what your musical tastes are, you will enjoy this CD. Chanticleer sings songs with such a beauty and clarity, it makes one want to take up singing. I highly recommend all of Chanticleer's material.

Holst: St. Paul's and Brook Green Suites; A Fugal Concerto; A Somerset Rhapsody

Average customer rating:

An Interesting Holst Omnibus

Holst: St. Paul's and Brook Green Suites; A Fugal Concerto; A Somerset Rhapsody

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Holst: The Cloud Messenger; A Choral Fantasia; Part-Songs
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Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto

ASIN: B000089HB4
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

2. Good Friday - Baccholian Singers Of London
4. A Love Song - Baccholian Singers Of London
1. Intercession - Baccholian Singers Of London
6. Before Sleep - Baccholian Singers Of London
3. Drinking Song - Baccholian Singers Of London
A Dirge For Two Veterans, H121 - Baccholian Singers Of London
I. Jig (Vivace)
II. Ostinato (Presto)
III. Intermezzo (Andante Con Moto - Vivace)
IV. Finale: The Dargason (Allegro)
I. Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
I. Prelude (Allegretto)
II. Air (Andante)
III. Allegro
A Somerset Rhapsody, Op.21 No.2
Andante
Dance Of Spirits Of Earth
Dance Of Spirits Of Water
Dance Of Spirits Of Fire

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Holst Omnibus.......2006-08-17

This CD brings together disparate small works of Holst, as well as recordings made in two different decades. So we have very good analog recordings of the choruses made in the mid-70s and quite decent digital recordings made in the early 90s. The unifying element is the English Chamber Orchestra--a fine choice for the assignment, of course. Holst is in their blood, and even if Sir Yehudi isn't a noted Holst specialist (at least that I know of), his performance of the "Perfect Fool" ballet music is very spirited and attractively colored. Menuhin's performance is pretty much the equal of Adrian Boult's reference recording of this music. Plus Menuhin has much more modern sound.

The other orchestral works are well handled, too, I think, especially the Fugal Concerto--given a sprightly reading--and A Somerset Rhapsody, droll music given an equally droll reading. I have heard more engaging performances of the delightful "St. Paul's Suite," but this is certainly a decent job. And I'm not familiar with "Brook Green," which isn't Holst at his most memorable anyway.

As for the choral music represented here, this is Holst at his most solemn and meditative. If your tastes run more to "The Planets" than to the "Choral Symphony" and "Choral Fantasia," this may not be your cup of tea. But I think Holst had a unique approach to choral music and find the "Six Choruses" both interesting and entertaining. The Dirge moves me in the same way as the war poetry of Wilfred Owen or Walt Whitman does. In fact, this is a setting of one of Whitman's more famous Civil War poems--a very effective setting, with apropos contributions from brass and percussion. Written in 1914, before the outbreak of the First World War, the Dirge anticipates the "Mars" section of "The Planets" written a couple of years later.

So this disc represents a strange mix of Holst music, but it is all effectively performed and recorded--just the thing to fill in gaps in your Holst collection. More authoritative readings may be found in Decca's British Music Collection box set, but I opted for the modern sound accorded Menuhin and Humphreys on this Classics for Pleasure disc and am quite happy. The price is certainly right!

Average customer rating:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great
Berlioz with immaginative variety

The Berlioz Experience

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra
Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
Bruckner: The Nine Symphonies; Helgoland
Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems

ASIN: B00008RWRJ
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great.......2007-02-03

Ten discs of Berlioz is a sumptuous offering, and temptingly cheap at Amazon Marketplace. DG has used this occasion to repackage some outstanding performances. At the top of the list goes James Levine's electrifying Requiem from Berlin, with playing and singing to match the conductor's inspiration. Also exciting--perhaps surprisingly so--is Abbado's Te Deum, which has rawer edges and sharper focus than Colin Davis's on Philips, long the standard version.

Dropping down a notch in quality, we have an elegantly played Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony, superbly recorded, that has few rivals for refined virtuosity. But after a while Seiji Ozawa's approach seems to lack depth and meaning; he's skating over the surface of the musical drama, however brilliantly. Sharp and brilliant also describes Myung-Whun Chung's contribution, a Symponie fantastique, two overtures, and the Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens, all with his well-trained Bastille Opera orchestra. Chung is to the manner born in Berlioz, but so are greater conductors in these works, including Munch and Markevitch.

At about the same quality level I'd place the Mort de Cleopatre, a dullish early vocal scene sung with plushness by Jessye Norman, and Kiri Te Kanawa's Les Nuits d'Ete, which is ravishing in terms of sheer vocalism but otherwise vacant. Daniel Barenboim's slack conducting does the piece no favors, either, which holds true on a much larger scale for his Damnation of Faust. This is a typical Barenboim product, full of lush sounds, excellent singing, big-scale orchestral work, but leading to a meager artistic payoff. Barenboim's Faust isn't remotely competitive with Markevitch, Chung, Solti, Pretre, and others in this work. It's great to hear Domingo in the title role, but the conducting is so routine that I'm not sure the overall experience is worth it.

We get odds and ends of varying quality: the rarely recorded Tristia done superbly by Boulez, an uneven batch of songs that previously appeared in their own double-CD set (a chore to listen to in its entirety, despite the occasional gem), and a pedestrain Harold in Italy conducted by Lorin Maazel in Berlin, a performance that DG surely could have bettered by looking deeper into their vaults.

In all, I can't see investing in such an uneven collection except at super-budget price. If you do a little searching, all the best things here can be gotten separately, and the lesser recordings pale by comparison with classic Berlioz from Colin Davis, Charles Munch, and Igor Markevitch.

Berlioz with immaginative variety.......2003-10-30

This box makes a nice alternative to the Philips boxes under Colin Davis. Not to take anything away from Davis. His Berlioz cycle certainly ranks up there with the elite for recording achievements. But many will not want to invest in all 3 boxes, so Universal has brought us a great compilation of some of Berlioz' best works from a variety of performers with different styles.
The jewel has to be Ozawa's unsurpassed Romeo and Juliet. This 1976 studio recording had its birth at the Tanglewood Festival and features excellent soloists (Julia Hamari, Jose Van Dam, and Jean Dupouy), a very competent choir, and of course the reliable Boston SO. The recording is of outstanding quality. It seems cleaned up a little from what I remember of the CDs from the mid 80s; much more spacious, less muddy sounding. I especially like the chorus in the hushed night scene.
Barenboim's Damnaton is perdictably Furtwangler-like in tempo, and again features top notch singers in Fischer Dieskau, Jules Bastin, & Placido Domingo; Yvonne Minto is probably not in the same class with the others, but she's more than acceptable.
Levine directs a well recorded and balanced classical-sounding Requiem, and Abbado is more than competent in the Te Deum.
Chung's Fantastique is fun and enjoyable, if not first-class.
The rest of the works are very commendable, if not top-of-the-class.
In short, you can't go wrong for the price, and if you love Berlioz' Romeo, you've got to get this box just for the Ozawa gem.

Berlioz - La Révolution Grecque (Grandes Oeuvres Chorales)

Average customer rating:

Excellent collection of enjoyable rarities

Berlioz - La Révolution Grecque (Grandes Oeuvres Chorales)
Michel Plasson , Laurent Naouri , Rolando Villazon , and Nicolas Rivenq
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini
Berlioz: Huit Scènes de Faust
Verdi - Don Carlo / Villazon, Roocroft, Urmana, Croft, Lloyd, Ryhanen, Giuseppini, Chailly, Amsterdam Opera
Opera Recital [Includes Bonus DVD]
Russian Album

ASIN: B00008ODZY
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Tracks:

Sara, Belle D'indolence
Meditation Religieuse: Ce Monde Entier N'est Qu'une Ombre Fugitive
La Mort D'Ophelie
Marche Funebre Pour La Derniere Scene d'Hamlet
Formez Vos Rangs, Entrez En Danse!
Dieu Tout-Puissant, Dieu De L'aurore
Veni Creator Spiritus
Tantum Ergo Sacramentum
Recit & Air: Leve-toi, Fils De Sparte!
Choeur: Mais La Voix Du Dieu Des Armees
Priere: Astre Terrible Et Saint, Guide Les Pas Du Brave!
Final: Des Sommets De L'Olympe

Tracks:

Des Espagnols M'ont Pris Sur Leur Navire
Introduction
Recit & Air: Pretresses De Bacchus... O Seul Bien Qui Me Reste!
Recit: Quels Cris Affreux Se Font Entendre?
Bacchanale: O Dieu Puissant, Fils De Latone... O Bacchus Evoe!
Tableau Musical
N'oublions Pas Ces Champs, Dont La Poussiere
Amis, La Coupe Ecume
C'est Le Grand Jour, Le Jour De Fete
Dieu Tout-Puissant, Dieu De L'Aurore
Bien Que Le Ciel Parfois Se Couvre D'un Nuage

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of enjoyable rarities.......2005-08-13

Before I get verbose here I'll start with this: the superb performance of the cantata "The Greek Revolution" in this set alone is worth the price of the entire set. This is very early Berlioz but it contains some astonishing things, including a big ending "The Summit of Olympus"--a classic snowballing "call-to-arms" that would make anyone want to go out and battle the Turk--that consistently avoids the trite and obvious and contains ideas about generating excitement a modern rut-ridden choral composer like Philip Glass should pay close attention to. Fornet's recording of this on Denon is also nice and brings out the detail better, and is very powerful, but ultimately isn't as viscerally rousing. Savvy conductors know that even youthful Berlioz contains great stuff.

Anyway:

It's a bit sad that Berlioz is known to many listeners only through a handful of works like the Symphonie Fantastique (his most famous, yet an early work), maybe the Requiem and Harold in Italy, and a few other items (the short list seems to vary from person to person but it's always short). Sad, because unlike some other composers who are one or two trick ponys, Berlioz was a continuously strong and imaginative composer, in fact he was a great composer, up there with the best of them, who let loose with a long string of masterpieces that still need attention--like his opera Benvenuto Cellini and twenty other things. The man, even when trying to write boring music, was incapable of writing boring music. Then there's his incredible writing: his autobiography, his criticisms, his satires. He's not only one of my very favorite composers but one of my very favorite writers too. There's no other composer I can say that about.

So what's up with him, and why should you pay attention to this pricey collection of unknowns? Jacques Barzun, another favorite writer and an authority on Berlioz, thinks the Frenchman was so advanced in his ideas that he's been thoroughly misunderstood and grotesquely underappreciated up until fairly recently. Even Donald Francis Tovey, an insightful musical commentator (and another favorite writer--his books are highly recommended) of over 100 years ago talks of Berlioz as if, at times, he didn't known exactly what he was doing. There's an awful comment by him about how Berlioz allegedly knew how to start and end a piece but got a bit lost in between. How untrue. Barzun, on the other hand, mentions an incident where some critic complains about a series of wrong (meaning incompetently judged and not conforming to theory of that time) chords used in Harold in Italy and the response by a sharp conductor was "So tell me then why they sound so right?" (Someone later did a proper modern analysis and found the chord use was subtle and brilliant) Barzun's point, in a wonderful essay "Berlioz after a Hundred Years" (In "Critical Questions")is that we have yet to totally figure out why so much of his music sounds right. I'd also add that we are only just maybe starting to learn how to make it sound right. Berlioz was smart, possibly smarter than any of us and it's taking us 200 years to catch up with him.

[My guess at one explanation of his greatness was his total mastery of the very poetic French language and his ability to translate that into a sort of music. His melodies often sound like someone speaking. Elliot Carter is another great composer who is intensely literate and a fine writer... and a great composer perhaps for similar reasons.]

I'll go even further, after 30 years of listening to his music I'm convinced he stands at the top platform with the handful of all-time great composers. Berlioz transformed Western art music--single-handedly--into a supple, breathing, colorful, and living thing, and in a way that few composers have managed since. Moving from the Masters (Bach through Beethoven) to Berlioz is like moving from great oil painting to motion pictures in Technicolor and that's about the best way I can describe the phenomenon (Barzun notes his unique multidimensionality). Listen to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and then listen to Benvenuto Cellini. The music, over 150 years old and only about 50 years older than Mozart's sounds totally modern, and often modern like a modern that hasn't even happened yet. Listen to Schumann's "Faust" (and I dearly love Schumann) and listen to Berlioz's and be shocked. The Schumann version sounds like flat soda in comparison. The only other composer I've encountered whose music has this same visceral "aliveness" (at times) is Shostakovich. Oddly, Berlioz can make even the mighty Strauss sound wooden and fussy (some would say Germanic).

The argument then is one shouldn't avoid anything by Berlioz and one should shop around to find recordings by conductors who understand his music (Gad! Solti doing Faust is stunning)and orchestras who can handle the twists, turns and other race car demands of the scores. This collection of choral works, many rare, many early (keeping in mind the ever-popular Fantastique is early too), is excellent with the only drawback being that a few, lovely as they are, don't showcase his best compositional assets. He was, regardless, a striking choral composer as Colin Davis noted during the recording sesssions for "Cellini." Personally, I never cared much for choral music or even opera until I forced myself to listen to the non-orchestral Berlioz. Well, at least I like HIS stuff in these genres! Everything about this disc is first-rate: performances, conducting (Plasson is an excellent Berlioz conductor) and sound. The only complaint is the cover art is awful. It looks like someone at EMI wanted to save a few bucks so they hired a vaguely talented teenage niece or something to handle it.

Finally, unlike most collections of rarities and odds and ends by composers--even the best of them--this is a set of discs I drag out, play, and enjoy regularly.

Saint-Saëns: Messe de Requiem; Partsongs

Average customer rating:

Saint-Saëns: Messe de Requiem; Partsongs

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Michael Haydn: Requiem; Missa in Honorem Sanctae Ursulae
Saint-Saens: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Violin Pieces
Biber: Missa Christi resurgentis
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B0002AAP9E
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

1 Kyrie
2 Dies Irae
3 Rex Tremendae
4 Oro Supplex
5 Hostias
6 Sanctus
7 Benedictus
8 Agnus Del Francesco Cera
Romance Du Soir, Op. 118
Les Fleurs Et Les Arbres, Op. 68 No. 2
Des Pas Dans L'allee, Op. 141 No. 1
Calme Des Nuits, Op. 68 No. 1
Salut Au Chevalier Printemps, Op. 151 No. 2
Les Guerriers, Op. 84
Pastorale
Les Marins De Kermor, Op. 71 No. 1
Aux Conquerants De L'air, Op. 164
Chanson De Grand-Pere, Op. 53 No. 1

Average customer rating:

Wow...

Penderecki: Sacred Choral Works

Manufacturer: Finlandia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Penderecki: Anaklasis; Threnody; etc.
Penderecki: St. Luke Passion
Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 01
Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 02
Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4

ASIN: B00005OBR1
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Tracks:

Stabat Mater
Two Choruses From The Passion According To St. Luke: Miserere
Two Choruses From The Passion According To St. Luke: In Pulverem Mortis
Sicut Locutus Est From Magnificat
Agnus Dei
Song Of The Cherubim
Veni Creator
Benedicamus Domino
Benedictus

Customer Reviews:

Wow..........2003-03-05

Before I bought this CD, I was only aquainted with Penderecki's "Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima". These choral works are definatly as intense.
Penderecki uses various techniques, such as speaking, whispering, making staccato hissing-like sounds, and tone clusters to make his music express every emotion of the text. The very intense text of the Stabat Mater calls for emotions so complex, that sometimes even music cannot express them, so Penderecki looks for other ways. He is sure to make your hair stand on end, and intrigue you and absorb you into his world.
The Recording is very good, as is the choir. I would definatly recommend this CD, if you are either a fan of Penderecki, or are looking for something very new.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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