Pure Romance

On this CD:

1. Concerto for piano & orchestra No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, CT 47
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Tzimon Barto
Conducted by Adam Fischer

2. Piano Concerto No. 2, for piano & orchestra in A major, S. 125 (LW H6)
Composed by Franz Liszt
Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Tzimon Barto
Conducted by Adam Fischer

Tracks:

Vasnier Songbook: I. Pantomime
Vasnier Songbook: II. Calmes dans le demi-jour (En sourdine)
Vasnier Songbook: III. Mandoline
Vasnier Songbook: IV. Clair de lune
Vasnier Songbook: Fantoches
Vasnier Songbook: VI. Coquetterie posthume
Vasnier Songbook: VII. Romance - Silence ineffable
Vasnier Songbook: VIII. Musique
Vasnier Songbook: X. Paysage sentimental
Vasnier Songbook: X. Romance - Voici que le printemps
Vasnier Songbook: XI. La Romance d'Ariel
Vasnier Songbook: XII. Regret
Forgotten Melodies: I. C'est l'extase langoureuse
Forgotten Melodies: II. Il pleure dans mon coeur
Forgotten Melodies: III. L'ombre des arbres
Forgotten Melodies: IV. Chevaux de bois
Forgotten Melodies: V. Green (Aquarelle)
Forgotten Melodies: VI. Spleen (Aquarelle)
Five Poems Of Charles Baudelaire: I. Le Balcon
Five Poems Of Charles Baudelaire: II. Harmonie du soir
Five Poems Of Charles Baudelaire: III. Le Jet d'eau
Five Poems Of Charles Baudelaire: IV. Recueillement
Five Poems Of Charles Baudelaire: V. La Mort des amants

Customer Reviews:

Classic Art Songs Sung with Brilliance and Artistry.......2006-11-10

Dawn Upshaw possesses a voice with beautiful bell canto tonal quality and uses the glissando technique, only when effective, rendering this collection of uncommon art songs superbly sung. The entire album is a joy to listen to...

Pretty, but not memorable.......2006-04-29

'Forgotton Songs, Dawn Upshaw sings Debussy' with James Levine at the piano is, to my layman's ear, very pretty to listen to, but not a whole lot to get excited about. If you are especially fond of Upshaw, you must have this recording. If you are especially fond of Debussy, other vocalists may have just a little more to offer. Everything about this recording is 'nice', just not a whole lot to get excited about.

Returning to the Recital Hall: A Soiree.......2005-04-09

Dawn Upshaw is one of the most intelligent and creative and adventuresome singers on the concert stage today. Just reviewing the list of her recordings available and it is obvious that she has paid attention to both contemporary and established composers in a way that is truly refreshing.

Here the program is devoted to the works of Claude Debussy, a composer for whom Upshaw has a particular penchant. Her voice is crystal clear, perfectly focused and yet not afraid to animate when the lyrics demand. She covers three cycles here: 'Ariettes oubliees' (for this listener the most successful on the album), 'Racueil Vasnier', and 'Cinq Poemes de Charles Baudelaire' (contrast these with the recently released Susan Graham version and see what interpretation is all about!).

The collaboration between Upshaw and James Levine is sensitive (if not always the pianism of others..). But the entire recital is uplifting and satisfying for the variation in the songs, recorded sound, the generosity of the disc, and most of all for the musical intelligence in which these songs are performed! Grady Harp, April 05

Pretty sound spoiled by a bad vocal habit.......2004-05-07

Every voice teacher I have ever had, and I have had many, were unanimous in their advice that sliding into notes is something that must be done with great moderation. Dawn Upshaw does it all the time and to the ears of a trained singer it becomes extremely annoying extremely quickly. Constant sliding into notes is less objectionable if one actually reaches the right pitch in the process. Miss Upshaw frequently does NOT, resulting in numerous instances where she is simply not in tune at all on some notes. Her sliding also creates constant dissonances with the piano which are entirely undebussyesque. If it were Webern or Berg she were singing she might get away with it. Here she does not. NOT RECOMMENDED.

P.S. Since writing this review (quite some time ago), I was fortunate to hear a recording of Ms. Upshaw in a production at the Metropolitan Opera where she didn't do any of her annoying sliding at all - not once - (probably because it was music from a much earlier time) The difference was astounding. It was a glorious performance. It was hard to believe it was the same person. This, more than ever, confirms my opinion that she ruined this recording with a bad singing habit.

Excellent!.......2003-11-26

This recording of Debussy's Melodies are really excellent. Dawn Upshaw's voice is exactly right for this kind of music - light, charming, and lyrical, with real sensitivity to the text. The Ariettes Oubliees are the best I've heard, with the exception of Frederica von Stade. In addition, her interpretation of Mandoline from the Vasnier Songbook is perfect - the tempo, piano, voice, and interpretation are exactly right. My only criticism is that the diction, while perfectly clear, has an "American" accent that is sometimes distracting.

Average customer rating:

Nothing New Can Be Good Too
Nothing new

Pure Romance
Suzanne Ciani
Manufacturer: Seventh Wave
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Silver Ship
The Private Music of Suzanne Ciani
Meditations for Dreams Relaxation & Sleep
Pianissimo III
Pianissimo

ASIN: B0000D1FCT
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

Andalusian Dream
Yang Ming Shen
The Enchantress
Sailing To Byzantium
Turning
The Velocity Of Love
Meeting Mozart
Inverness
Full Moon Sonata
Time Stops
Til Times & Times Are Done
Waltz For Julia
Timeless
Midnight Rendezvous

Album Description

This is a special collection of Ciani's most romantic music and is her 14th release. Five-time Grammy nominee, composer/pianist Suzanne Ciani is the quintessential romantic and here she takes you to an inner world of beauty, peace and passion that both transports and heals.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing New Can Be Good Too.......2005-08-03

One star is just too brutal for this beautiful album. Yes it adds nothing new to the catalog, but the lush pieces are arranged nicely around the romantic theme, and are "timeless" classics from a truly extraordinary artist. So I say it's fine for anyone new to Ciani who's drawn to the concept, or anyone who wants to curl up with someone special.

Nothing new.......2004-11-18

I am an absolute fan of Suzanne Ciani. I basically have all her albums, so I was happy to find this new one. Unfortunatelly, it is just a compilation of themes already published, with absolutely nothing new. It is not even an "all the best" collection so people who do not know her can find out the best. Absolute waste of money.

Average customer rating:

Too Much of a Good Thing?
Outstanding collection of orginal piano work
Great CD for easy listening

Piano Portraits

Manufacturer: Sugo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Somewhere In Time

ASIN: B0000005YW
Release Date: 1993-03-15

Tracks:

Gentle Images - Jim Bajor
Rapture - Jim Bajor
Nancita - Stephen Jacob
The Journey - Stephen Jacob
Inner Peace - Tom Barabas
Moon Dust - Tom Barabas
Yasawa Blue - Christine Brown
Silent Tears - Christine Brown
Eykes - Jim Bajor
Friends - Jim Bajor
Magic In December - Tom Barabas
Pure Light - Tom Barabas
Romanza - Stephen Jacob
Your LIght - Stephen Jacob
Hiding Places - Christine Brown
The Secret Garden - Christine Brown

Product Description

Sugo Records is proud to present this collection of sixteen heart warming inpired solo piano works from four of the most gifted pianist in the United States, who have rendered their musical portraits of friends, family, lovers and life's precious moments.

Customer Reviews:

Too Much of a Good Thing?.......2003-10-24

I'm fairly familiar with two of the pianists in this collection - Jim Bajor, who is local, and Tom Barabas, to whom I have listened for several years. Until this album I haven't had the opportunity to listen to Stephen Jacob and Christine Brown. They all do their work in the styling of light jazz and easy listening that is often labeled incorrectly as New Age. Sometimes I feel that that phrase is used as a euphemism for anything that is pleasant, rather than its original definition, which had more to do with the meditative nature of the composition. In any case they are all accomplished at their art and worth listening to.

It is fair to report that all four musicians produce work that is melodic, technically interesting, and, yes, pleasant to here. None of the pieces demonstrate what I would call the technical brilliance of someone like Jordan Rudess, who drifts in and out of this genre but has a tendency towards keyboeard pyrotechnics. But neither is any of their work plodding or monotonic. 'Very listenable' may not be the highest compliment one can pay a musician, but it is way ahead of whatever is in third place.

If I have a complaint to make, it is that, despite different recording studios and instruments, the tonalities are so close that the entire album could have been the product of a single person. Barabas is slightly more adept, Bajor slightly more melodic, Jacob more controlled, etc., but there are no glaring contrasts. I'm not sure if this is a fault or not, since the result is certainly more than acceptable. Given all the overloads that life throws at us, I'm not sure complaining about too much goodness is entirely fair.

Outstanding collection of orginal piano work.......1998-10-22

This collection of original piano pieces is simply excellent. This instrumental is melodic, sweet, romantic, soothing and timeless. I find myself leaving this CD in my car day after day without tiring of the melodies. Beautiful!

Great CD for easy listening.......1998-08-24

I really find this music conducive to relaxation - I use it in my Shiatsu clinic.

Average customer rating:

Very pretty and with the virtues of that prettiness

Debussy: Early Songs

Manufacturer: Deux-Elles
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Forgotten Songs: Dawn Upshaw Sings Debussy
Debussy - Mélodies / Ameling · Mesplé · Command · Souzay · von Stade · Baldwin
Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn)

ASIN: B0000926RI
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Customer Reviews:

Very pretty and with the virtues of that prettiness.......2007-05-18

Gillian Keith's voice is a young very pretty light soprano, with ease in the top notes and considerable agility. She brings all of that plus her very good French to this recording of often unrepresented Debussy songs - some rarities indeed of Debussy's early vocal compositions.

Accompanist Simon Lepper is marvellous. He plays like limpid streams of water - transparent, beautiful, full of movement and colour and reflections.

Where this album falls for me is in the vocal interpretation. What I hear is sound - very pretty sound, but not a remarkable facility for interpretation. I feel the phrasing is musical but perfunctory, so that many times a moment of significance is lost because it is not phrased with more feeling. And while the voice is (as I said) very pretty, and the top notes are sung with ease, it does seem to me that some of those top notes are slightly pinched... a little white and not quite matching the rest of the voice. But this is a minor criticism - from what I can see, Ms Keith has plenty of time to develop her technique further, and it's always a pretty sound and with such a lovely line of clarity.

It's charming to listen to, and if I was left wanting a little more, it doesn't detract from the prettiness of it. I think this will please many listeners. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Pure Romance

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DNS0
Release Date: 1992-11-10

Average customer rating:

Very disappointing

Romance of Cello
Marston Smith
Manufacturer: Chawnersmith Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Piano | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Technorganica
Before Time Forgot
Trance Cello
I Cellist
Forever Cello

ASIN: B00004R61H
Release Date: 2000-01-14

Tracks:

Pachelbe Cannon
Con Te Partiro
Chariots of Fire
Exodus
Cavantina "Deerhunter"
Gabriel's Oboe "Mission"
Lara "Dr Zhivago"
One Hand, One Heart "West SIde Story"
A Time For Us "Roveo and Juliet"
Memory "Cats"

Album Description

With this album I attempted to reach pure simplicity in the music by utilizing only two instruments for the entire project: piano and cello. The combination of the two instruments performing romantic melodies is quite powerful. Emotion is my motivation and transmute this to the listener both my felling and a touch of another reality. A Dream

Customer Reviews:

Very disappointing.......2000-07-11

If you are a Cello lover this CD is not for you. There is very little Cello on it, mostly Piano with a little Cello in the background. The CD should have be titled "Romance of Piano"

Average customer rating:

Debussy Songs

Manufacturer: Unicornio Cuba
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Average customer rating:

Le Chant français, 1948-1965

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000093U3N
Release Date: 2004-01-07

Average customer rating:

Pure Romance for Mum & Dad
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Pegasus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0007WBEBA
Release Date: 2005-03-28

Album Details

54 Tracks featuring Johnnie Ray, Frankie Avalon, Pat Boone, Ben E King, the Crystals, the Platters, Billy Fury, the Drifters, Patti Page, Guy Mitchell, Sandy Posey and More.

Average customer rating:

Pure Romance
Bruno Leone
Manufacturer: Fs Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA36VS
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Tracks: