Motets for Female Voices & Organ

On this CD:

1. Crux, Moments de la Passion
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

2. Homo Quidam
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

3. Recitatifs Pour la Fin Du Jour
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

4. Messe Breve
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

5. Improvisations Rolloises
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

6. Rosa Vernans
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

7. Mariale
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

8. Ex Libro Job
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

9. Solfeggio Sopra'l Jubilate
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Marie-Helene Dupard

10. Petit Magnificat
Composed by Dante Granato
Performed by Philippe Despont, Claire Martin

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.

Average customer rating:

Heavenly
The Holy Grail of Choral Recordings
One Small Correction
Gorgeous music, gorgeous performances
Stunning collection suitable for music nuts or newbies alike

Choral Moods

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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Choral Masterpieces
Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony
The Only Choral CD You'll Ever Need
Agnus Dei II: Music to soothe the soul
Tears from Heaven

ASIN: B00000DFKO
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

Miserere Mei, Deus
Deutsche Messe D.872: Sanctus
Hear My Prayer, Oh Lord
Timor Et Tremor
Videntes Stellam
Psalm 13, OP.27
O Salutaris Hostia
Salvette Flores
Evening Hymn
L'enfance du Christ: Shepherd's Farewell
Ave Maria
Advent Responsory
Ave Maria OP.93
Edi Beo Thu, Hevene Quene
Missa Cum Iubilo (Gregorian Chant): Kyrie
Missa Cum Iubilo (Gregorian Chant): Gloria
Missa Cum Iubilo (Gregorian Chant): Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa Cum Iubilo (Gregorian Chant): Agnus Dei
Requiem: In Paradisum
Agnus Dei

Tracks:

Nunc Dimittis
Mass In G: Agnus Dei
Ave Verum Corpus Op. 65 No. 1
O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti
Hear My Prayer
Ave Maria
Panis Angelicus
Eternal Father
Vom Himmel Hoch
Ave Maria
Messe basse: Kyrie
Messe basse: Sanctus
Messe basse: Benedictus
Messe basse: Agnus Dei
Rejoice, Rejoice
Salve Regina, Op. 67 No. 1
Ave, Verum Corpus
Laudi Alla Vergine Maria
Tenebrae Facta Sunt
O Sacrum Convivium

Customer Reviews:

Heavenly.......2007-03-29

This is the most uplifting music I have encountered. The angelic sounds of this choral group help me stay sane on California highways!

The Holy Grail of Choral Recordings.......2006-07-03

This was the first choral CD I've ever purchased when I started becomming involved with choir during my senior year of high school five years ago. My director was telling the choir that he had finally found his copy at a music store and referred to it as the "Holy Grail" of choral recordings. So, I went out to find my own copy and I'm still blown away by it today. I've even given copies as gifts. The music is certainly relaxing and such, but what I most value from it is the spiritual magic. The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge (then and now my favorite choir in the world) brings every composition to life in such a way that's pure, elegant, and deep. Listening to this music and enjoying this choir has allowed me to set my own standard of singing and compositional excellence.

One Small Correction.......2004-03-06

I keep finding new things to love on this CD, including the fact that it has the first recording I found of Gabriel Faure's beautiful Soprano (or Soprano/Alto) duet Ave Maria., Opus 93. The same recording appears on another CD where the singers are named. The above description of this selection unaccountably adds a baritone. Incidentally, Faure also composed a shorter SATB Ave Maria, which John Rutter has recorded.

I only wish the recording included the complete text of Psalm 50/51 from Gregorio Allegri's Miserere Mei Deus. This might come from John Rutter's recently edited score, published by Oxford Press, if I'm not mistaken. I, for one, do not find this selection (or indeed the entire recording) too long and I believe that the embellishments at the end (mentioned in another review) are probably correct when considering performance conventions of the time of its composition.

Gorgeous music, gorgeous performances.......2003-06-19

I am a semi-professional singer with a BA in Music, and I bought this CD with some trepidation because it looked like one of those dreadful "pop classical" compilations that are everywhere lately. But it had lots of great repertoire all in on place, so I decided to risk it, and I was not disappointed! In fact, this is now one of my favorite choral CDs.

As usual, the Choir of Trinity College delivers stunning performances, and the music itself is just gorgeous. Lots of "church" favorites from a wide range of musical periods. The mood of the CD is definitely on the mellow side, but it's perfect for those quiet moods. I love this CD -- highly recommended!

Stunning collection suitable for music nuts or newbies alike.......2002-03-18

Even as an avid fan of classical music with very picky tastes, there was just so much good music packed on these two (cheap!) discs for me to take in at once!
The perfectly balanced and locked chords can really give you chills.

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

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Similar Items:

Holst: Orchestral Works
Holst: St. Paul's Suite
Holst: St. Paul's and Brook Green Suites; A Fugal Concerto; A Somerset Rhapsody
Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale
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:

Ave Maria: Op 23, No 2
Cantata No 147: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Panis angelicus
Ave verum corpus
O salutaris hostia
Faire Is The Heaven
Ave Maria: Op 9b (H49)
Ave Maria
Maria Mater gratiae: Op 47, No 2
Ave verum corpus: Op 2, No 1
Ave Verum: K 618
Ave maris stella
Tantum ergo
Hymne a la Vierge
The Lord is my Shepherd: D 706
The Hymn Of Praise, Op 52: I Waited For The Lord
Cantique de Jean Racine: Op 11
Nunc Dimittis: H 127

Customer Reviews:

Panis Angelicus.......2001-02-22

Good music and good singing but the title track and some others spoilt by poor balancing. With the volume set at a realistic level to enjoy the singing the organ playing the introduction and links between vocal passages is all but inaudible.

Average customer rating:

Eternal Light
Gloriae Dei Cantores
Manufacturer: Paraclete Press
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

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

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

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

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Joy And Gladness

ASIN: B0007U3JRO
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Album Description

Gloriae Dei Cantores presents a "collector's edition" of some of its most beloved meditative choral works. This must-have volume is ideal for playing at home, on the commute, at the office, or any place that would be enhanced by the lush choral melodies of Palestrina, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Argento, and others.

Average customer rating:

Like As A Hart-Psalms & Spiritual Songs

Manufacturer: Chesky Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Hymns | 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
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O Magnum Mysterium
Westminster Choir at Spoleto Festival U.S.A.
Heaven to Earth [Hybrid SACD]
The Body Acoustic
David Chesky: Area 31 [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B000003GEH
Release Date: 1996-02-15

Tracks:

Settings Of Psalm 42: Sicut Cervus
Settings Of Psalm 42: Wie der Hirsche
Settings Of Psalm 42: Ainsi Qu'on oit le Cerf Bruire
Settings Of Psalm 42: Like as the Hart
Other Psalm Settings: Psalm 24
Other Psalm Settings: Laudate Dominum
Other Psalm Settings: Os Justi
Other Psalm Settings: Psalm 67
Other Psalm Settings: O Taste and See
Other Psalm Settings: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
Three Settings Of The Lord's Prayer: Notre Pere
Three Settings Of The Lord's Prayer: O Padre Nostro
Three Settings Of The Lord's Prayer: Pater Noster
Four Anthems: Te Deum in C
Four Anthems: Draw us in the Spirit's tether
Four Anthems: Blessed are the Men Who Fear Him
Four Anthems: Antiphon

Songs Ring Out to the Heavens: Brahms's Choral Works

Average customer rating:

A TREASURE HOUSE
Heavenly
Etheral, moving, and polished!

Songs Ring Out to the Heavens: Brahms's Choral Works

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Motets
Brahms: Alto Rhapsody; Nänie; Gesang der Parzen; Schicksalslied
Sergey Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31
Fauré · Duruflé - Requiem / J. Blegen · J. Morris · Atlanta SO · Shaw
Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) / Auger, Stilwell, Atlanta SO, Robert Shaw

ASIN: B0000037HQ
Release Date: 1997-10-07

Tracks:

Four Songs, Op.17: Harp Notes Ring Fourth
Four Songs, Op.17: Song Of Shakespeare
Four Songs, Op.17: The Gardener
Four Songs, Op.17: Song From 'Fingal'
Three Songs, Op.42: Evening Ser
Three Songs, Op.42: Vineta
Three Songs, Op.42: Dirge For Dar-Thula
Four Qts, Op.92: Oh Beautiful Night, Op.92, No.1
Four Qts, Op.92: Late Autumn, Op.92, No.2
Four Qts, Op.92: Evening Song, Op.92, No.3
Four Qts, Op.92: Why?, Op.92, No.4
Two Motets, Op.29: A Saviour Is Come To Us
Two Motets, Op.29: From Psalm 51
Op.112, Nos.1 and 2: Yearning, Op.112, No.1
Op.112, Nos.1 and 2: At Night, Op.112, No.2
Five Songs, Op.104: Night Watch I
Five Songs, Op.104: Night Watch II
Five Songs, Op.104: Last Happiness
Five Songs, Op.104: Lost Youth
Five Songs, Op.104: In Autumn
Neue Liebeslieder, Walzer, Op.65, No.15

Customer Reviews:

A TREASURE HOUSE.......2005-01-01

There is a whole underworld of vocal music by Brahms that is very little known, and this is a very intelligent selection from it that I hope will do a bit to correct that state of affairs. Brahms's smaller choral and `chamber-choral' works cover a range of different styles. Also, as was typical of him in his instrumental music too, he sometimes issued alternative versions of the same piece, e.g. I have a performance of Vineta, sung here unaccompanied, with piano. Sometimes the style is severe, as in the two unaccompanied motets op 29, as also in Bach's unaccompanied motets. Even here the most casual listener would still know that this is not Bach. It is music of the romantic era that is not quite romantic in idiom. The rest of the disc is blatantly romantic in various ways, and some of it is perfectly gorgeous. It starts with the four songs op 17, which have the seemingly un-Brahmsian accompaniment of two horns and a harp. However little or nothing in Brahms is without a precedent in earlier German music if we just know where to look, and there are some things by Schubert that may have prompted him here. The rest is either unaccompanied (I prefer to reserve the term `a capella' for the stricter style of the motets), or with piano solo accompaniment, or, in the very appropriately-placed Zum Schluss from the New Liebeslieder waltzes that concludes the selection, piano duet. The disc starts with some heavenly romantic sound from the two horn-players, and ends with the equally heavenly Schubertian modulations of Zum Schluss or `Envoi', taking us on an interesting tour in between.

There are 24 members of the Kansas City Chorale, not including the conductor or the instrumentalists. Their singing is excellent, and their sense of style likewise. Britten also wrote a good deal of vocal music for chamber-ensembles, but he liked to keep the technical requirements of the music within the scope of amateurs. Brahms's stuff seems to me more demanding, music for off-duty professionals. There is not a lot that calls for criticism, and if I could have imagined a touch more subtlety here or there, heartiness is a better fault than artiness in music of this kind. One problem that the chorus-master and the recording consultants between them might have given some attention to (the poets seeming not to have) is some very sibilant s-sounds. Tennyson was acutely aware of this problem in his poetry, and took care to `kick the geese out of the boat' as he put it. It doesn't greatly detract from my enjoyment, and what I remember much more is the delectable sound right at the beginning of the record.

For once I can report a really first-rate liner-note. It highlights what it ought to, namely the composer's early interest -- from childhood -- in the traditional methods and techniques of German music down the centuries. Schumann had preceded Brahms in this respect, but he took it to nothing like the same extent. It does not make Brahms any `conservative', as Schoenberg was at pains to point out. He was as deeply original as Wagner himself, but a scholar of minute and profound learning that fired his special creative sense. Texts are given with translations into English and the occasional misprint, and the recording is admirable generally. I hope the Kansas City Chorale will be encouraged in their project of bringing this marvellous music to the active notice of the musical public.

Heavenly.......2000-07-15

This is an exceptional recording. Brahms wrote many more choral works than most people realize, and they are of a uniformly high standard of workmanship. A goodly number are truly inspired and rank with the most beautiful choral music ever written. This collection includes much of Brahms's finest music, and it would be hard to find (or imagine) it performed any better.

The four songs for women's chorus accompanied by two horns with harp (Op. 17) is especially noteworthy. I have four recordings of this piece, and the one on this disc is far and away my favorite. The voices are ravishing, and the accompaniment is absolutely first rate.

It should be noted that several of the selections on this disc were set by Brahms for vocal quartet, not for choir, and he never endorsed their performance by larger forces. But the marvelous renditions presented here should calm the nerves of even the most curmudgeonly purist.

If you love choral music, you will love this recording.

Etheral, moving, and polished!.......1999-09-29

What more can be said of this splendid collection of chorale works by Brahms? Most of the selections are seldom heard, but after listening to the Kansas City Chorale perform them, you wonder why. The moods here range from joyous to bittersweet melancholy, although the Chorale never loses control, never allows the spirit of the music to become overshadowed by vocal hubris. All in all, music that is, like the cover suggests, sent from heaven.

Britten: Ceremony of Carols Op28; Mendelssohn: Motets Op39

Average customer rating:

Britten: Ceremony of Carols Op28; Mendelssohn: Motets Op39

Manufacturer: Koch Treasure
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006KMD
Release Date: 1994-09-16

Tracks:

A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Procession
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Wolcum Yole
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, There Is No Rose
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, That Yonge Child
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Bululalow
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, A Dew In Aprille
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, This Little Babe
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Interlude For Harp Solo
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, In Freezing Winter Night
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Spring Carol
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Deo Gratis!
A Ceremony Of Carols. Op.28, Recession
Three Latin Motets, Op.39, Veni Domine
Three Latin Motets, Op.39, Laudate pueri
Three Latin Motets, Op.39, Surrexit pastor bonus
Sacred Romances, Al altar cortesanos discretos
Sacred Romances, Galanes, a ver, jugar

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger: Motets, Masses & Hymns

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Josef Gabriel Rheinberger: Motets, Masses & Hymns
Gloriae Dei Cantores , and Elizabeth C. Patterson
Manufacturer: Gloria Dei Cantores
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Rheinberger: Choral Music

ASIN: B00004RDKH
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Tracks:

Laudate Dominum
Meditabor
Anima Nostra
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Benedictus
Agnus Dei
Tribulationes
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Benedictus
Agnus Dei
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Benedictus
Agnus Dei

Album Description

One of nineteenth-century Germany's most gifted teachers and composers, Josef Gabriel Rheinberger wrote works reminiscent of those of Brahms and Schumann, and yet their attractive lyricism is unique to Rheinberger. This tribute to the works of Rheinberger includes his eight-part a cappella Mass in E-flat Major, Mass in F for Male Choir, and Mass in G Minor for Female Choir, as well as three of his motets.

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