Henry Purcell: King Arthur

On this CD:

1. King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628
Composed by Henry Purcell
Performed by Chevilly Holy Spirit Fathers Choir / English Concert with Nancy Argenta, Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Gerald Finley, Julia Gooding, Jamie MacDougall

Tracks:

Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 1. Allegro
Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 2. Largo
Trumpet Concerto In D Major - 3. Allegro (moderato)
'Let the Bright Seraphim' From Samson
Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, T.V. 3
'Sound the Trumpet' from Come Ye Sons Of Art
'Chaconne' from Come Ye Sons Of Art
'Entrada' from The Indian Queen
'Trumpet Air' from The Indian Queen
'Trumpet Tune' from King Arthur
'Trumpet Overture' from The Indian Queen
Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, T.V. 7
'Eternal Source Of Light Divine'
For Solo Trumpet And Strings, Concert No. 2 - 1. Allegro
2. Adagio
For Solo Trumpet And Strings, Concert No. 2 - 3. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A blast of brass.......2005-08-18

I first encountered this on cassette, quite by accident. It later became the background for my work at morning at the easel painting watercolours. But this is no wallpaper music. The technical genius of matching separate recordings of different trumpet parts is surpassed only by Marsalis's bright and lively technique. The masters would be pleased. As for the watercolours, I can now stand before them and see the music's influence on paper. Well worth the listening...

Old school Wynton.......2005-08-12

This cd features a lot of Wynton's earlier piccolo playing, which, while perhaps not as brilliant as you'd hear on his Gabriel's Garden album, is slightly more refined and appropriate to the repertoire. That isn't to say he doesn't embellish; The Fasch concerto has some tastefully inserted ornaments. "Let the Bright Seraphim" is as well played with soprano Edita Gruberova as it is in Wynton's later recording with Kathleen Battle. The Purcell selections on the album are probably the best examples of good piccolo playing I've found, particularly the trills. One only need listen to the "Entrada" to see how delicate and refined the playing on the whole album is.

fabulous.......2003-09-28

Marsalis' prodigious talent coupled with the greatest of Baroque brass composers is a combination that cannot be beat! Of course, Anthony Newman takes everything (less the slow stuff, of course) at his characteristic "lively" pace, but Marsalis keeps up. His execution of the ornamentation is awesome! Gotta have this one!

Amazing talent.......2001-04-22

Without doubt, the birthday ode to Queen Anne (Eternal Source of Light Divine) is one of the loveliest pieces ever. Couple that with two of the most accomplished talents in the world, you have a near spiritual moment. Even those with even a passing interest in the classics will find this a stirring expierence. this is true candy for the ear and food for the soul.

Average customer rating:

Mad about Baroque
The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes
Brilliant
Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames).
Brilliant Purcell Disc

Essential Purcell
Henry Purcell , New College Choir Oxford , King's Consort , Robert King , Roy Goodman , Charles Daniels , John Mark Ainsley , James Bowman , Peter Buckoke , Jane Coe , Rogers Covey-Crump , Gillian Fisher , Michael George , Miles Golding , Jane Norman , Barbara Bonney , Mark Caudle , William Carter , King's Consort Choir , Helen Gough , Paul Nicholson , Angela East , Barry Guy , Tessa Bonner , Jerome Finnis , Rupert Bawden , Lucy Howard , Richard Campbell , Susan Addison , James O'Donnell , and Stephen Saunders
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

Bonney, Barbara | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ Music

ASIN: B000002ZDU
Release Date: 1995-04-10

Tracks:

Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 5: Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn. Symphony And Opening Chorus
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 3: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: Oh, Fair Cedaria
The Choir Of The King's Consort: Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Great Baroque Arias: When I Am Laid In Earth ('Dido's Lament')
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.1: Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears (Part 1)
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.4: The Sparrow And The Gentle Dove
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: If Music Be The Food Of Love (First Setting)
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.5: Rejoice In The Lord Always ('The Bell Anthem')
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Hosanna To The Highest
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.7: Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts
Mr. Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composures: Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.6: Mark, How Readily Each Pliant String
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: Sound The Trumpet
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.3: She Loves And She Confesses Too
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: O How Blest Is The Isle
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
Complete Anthems And Services Vol. 11: An Evening Hymn
Complete Church Music Vol.2: Vouchsafe, O Lord, To Keep Us This Day
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.2: With Rapture Of Delight... Hail Bright Cecilia

Amazon.com essential recording

The "Essential" Purcell? Well, you could get a bunch of critics to argue about that for a few days, but in the meantime, here is a sampler of highlights from the King's Consort's three admirable Purcell series: the Complete Odes and Welcome Songs, Complete Anthems and Services, and Complete Secular Solo Songs. There are, of course, some of Purcell's most-performed pieces (which probably are "essential"): Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, "Sound the trumpet" from Come, ye sons of Art, Rejoice in the Lord alway (the "Bell Anthem," named for the string figure at the opening that sounds like pealing bells), the gently patriotic "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" (sung by a miscast James Bowman), and a selection from the funeral music for Queen Mary. There are also some delightful surprises--particularly among the little-known secular songs and church music. The plaintive "O fair Cedaria" gets a lovely performance by Barbara Bonney (a singer not usually associated with Purcell); tenor Rogers Covey-Crump (possibly the ideal high tenor for Purcell) sings the enchanting "If music be the food of love"; the church anthems "Let mine eyes run down with tears" and "Remember not, O Lord, our offences" have some startling harmonies as daring as any Monteverdi ever wrote. If you're unfamiliar with Purcell, this reasonably priced disc is a good place to start exploring without a big initial investment. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Mad about Baroque.......2007-02-12

This is a terrific CD. The music is breathtaking. Just buy IT !!!!!

The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes.......2002-08-21

Absolutely beautiful baroque music! The arrangament, singing and instrumentation is superb. It is too bad that Henry Purcell is not as widely known as Bach, because he should be recognized equally well."The Sparrow and the Gentle dove" is alone worth the price of the album! I can not stop playing it!

Brilliant.......2001-10-31

Like in his renditions of Handel's oratorios, Robert King manages to bring a freshness and strenght to Purcell's music that I had seldom heard before. This CD also features some of the best performers of early music in the world. My favourite tracks are Oh, Fair Cedaria, sung by the multi-talented Barbara Bonney; Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher; She Loves and she Confesses too, sung by the wonderful Susan Gritton; and Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn, sung by Rogers Covey-Crump. The only track I didn't find absolutely wonderful is Fairest Isle, sung here by James Bowman. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Mr Bowman, I think that his performance in Mr Purcell's Most Admirable Composures (also conducted by Robert King) makes it another essential Purcell recording; but I find that Fairest Isle was much better done elsewhere, particularly by Christopher Hogwood and Barbara Bonney.

These songs aren't only beautiful, they're also poignant, sweet and unpretentious. I think that it will be very clear to anyone who listens to this recording that Mr Purcell was one of the finest composers that ever lived.

Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames)........2001-10-20

If anyone has benefitted from the reversion in the last three or so decades to period instruments and historical reconstruction, it is Henry Purcell. Before, he was merely great, the peerless word-setter in the English language, a virtuoso of boundless range, a professional composer whose offical commissions were always imbued with personality and invention. But period instrumentation has added to this a greater depth, an other-worldly texture of sound. With his intricate, multi-part vocal writing, his preference for low, rumbling instruments such as the bass viol and the strange and remarkable theorbo, as well as his often sombre and low-key subject matter and treatment, Purcell creates a round, glowing, humming sound as pregnantly full as dub reggae.

This has an extraordinary effect on the listener. Whereas Bach, with his mathematical abstractions, sounds universal and timeless, Purcell's music takes the listener back 300 years, back to different ways of thinking about, feeling about and addressing things we still think etc. about today - death, love, friendship. The emotion is timeless, but the music's beauty is alien, THEIRS, hence its preciousness.

A lot of intelligence has gone into the unity of this compilation, beginning with two Welcomes (to the dawn and to the listener, in this case a King), and ending with thoughts of evening, death and a Baroque 'Thank you for the music'. These are bright, fanfare-like works, but the predominant mood is slow, ruminative, quiet. The selection covers the wide range of Purcell's oeuvre, from opera and funeral marches to secular songs and odes, and includes his most famous vocal works - Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher, and never more evocative of pagan loss and death; the massive 'Bell Anthem', with its ingenious opening symphony and joyful antiphon; and a miraculously serene 'Evening Hymn', Dido's opposite, death indicating hope, the treble voice swirling over the heavy ground bass like the soul released from the inert body.

it might seem quixotic to choose highlights from an exemplary collection of highlights, but the entry of the strings washing over the serene repetition of 'Be Welcome then, great Sir' always makes my heart stop still, while the musical picture of 'Bold Honour', the 'noisy Nothing, stalking shade', blocking the poet's amorous intentions in 'She loves and confesses too', adds a chilling hint of life's transience to a bouyantly bawdy song.

Brilliant Purcell Disc .......2000-11-30

With this album director and Purcell expert Robert King provides the listener with an excellent introduction to the composer's vocal works. The pieces presented here were taken from Mr. King's recordings of 'The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs', 'The Complete Anthems and Services', 'The Complete Secular Solo Songs' and diverse anthology discs. King, his wonderful soloists and musicians do the brilliance of Purcell's music fully justice. Whether he was commissioned by royalty, the church or theatre, Purcell shone in all areas. This disc certainly demonstrates the variety and originality of his craft, not to speak of his uncanny ability of setting words to music.

An outstanding Purcell offering. With a beautiful perfomance by Barbara Bonney of 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. Susan Gritton is equally captivating in 'She loves and she confesses too'. Gillian Fisher's rendition of the famous 'Dido's Lament' is haunting and poignant. Further an intelligent and brilliant 'Hosanna to the highest' by Michael George. James Bowman and Michael Chance sparkle in the countertenor duet 'Sound the trumpet' (from 'Come Ye sons of Art away'). And I should not forget to mention the joyous, luminous performance of the beautiful 'Bell Anthem'. To name but a few favourites, only James Bowman's 'Fairest Isle' was a disappointment.

Those who are familiar with Purcell's music will get an excellent disc with some of his most beloved works. If you are new to Purcell, this is, as already said a great introduction. Which might be the incentive to further explorations of Purcell.

by stardustraven

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll

Average customer rating:

Nice Collection
PERFECT!
Great singing and excellent value for money
More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll
Henry Purcell , Nancy Argenta , and Nigel North
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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ASIN: B000059LOH
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Not All My Torments - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Stripp'd Of Their Green - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
If Music Be The Food Of Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Incassum, Lesbia - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Sweeter Than Roses - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
From Silent Shades - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Dear Pretty Youth - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
From Rosy Bow'rs - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Now That The Sun Hath Veil'd His Light - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Beneath A Poplar's Shadow - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Let Us Dance - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Fairest Isle - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby

Tracks:

Nymphs And Shepherds - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Amidst The Shades And Cool Refreshing Streams - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Love In Their Little Veins Inspires - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/Nigel North
Fly Swift, Ye Hours - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
They Tell Us That Your Mighty Powers - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
The Plaint: O Let Me Weep - Nancy Argenta/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
In The Black, Dismal Dungeon Of Despair - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
See, Even Night Herself Is Here - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones
Why Should Men Quarrel? - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Seek Not To Know - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Sophia McKenna/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Retir'd From Mortals' Sight - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
To Arms, Heoric Prince - Nancy Argenta/Mark Bennett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
O Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Halcyon Days - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Bid The Virtues - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Lord, What Is Man? (A Divine Hymn) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Music For A While - Nancy Argenta/John Toll
If Music Be The Food Of Love (1st Setting) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Sawney Is A Bonny Lad (A Scotch Song) - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Ah! Cruel, Bloody Fate - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
Thy Hand, Belinda... When I Am Laid In Earth - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North

Customer Reviews:

Nice Collection.......2007-03-05

I have many collections of Purcell's Music. This collection stands up to them at half the price. Solid buy.

PERFECT!.......2006-10-26

There is only a word with which I can describe this set of discs: perfect!
The only flaw there is, is not related to the singing or playing: no text enclosed.

Great singing and excellent value for money.......2004-09-19

This is probably one of the best anthologies of Purcell songs around, and not just because it's two-for-one pricing means it contains twice as much music (CD1:74'24" & CD2: 77'41")! Nancy Argenta has an irrepressible sense of style and crystal clear diction. But unlike Emma Kirby, whose vocal purity can become tiresome, these renditions radiate warmth. She is also, I have found, more consistently involving than any one of the singers in Hyperion's three disc survey of Complete Secular Songs (recently reissued as a single set). One marvels at how she judiciously balances restraint and emotional forthrightness. The accompaniments (archlute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, and organ) are well judged and blend with the voice, all helped by an excellently defined recording acoustic. This is an absolute winner at any price!

More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'.......2001-08-02

Two CDs, totaling more than 150 minutes of sparsely-arranged (never more than 3-5 instruments at a time), sweetly-sung, 350 year old 'ayres' (a typically English form of secular music). Nancy Argenta's soprano voice is lovely, silvery indeed as her name implies. The instruments are a discreet but friendly accompaniment to her solo voice. Perhaps the instruments are a little too discreet -- there are times when I wish they were a touch more prominent. But that is a very, very minor complaint. A beautiful collection, and quite well worth the money.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Recording by a World Class Brass Ensemble
A rousing listen!
A jolly, festive jaunt through Renaissance & Celtic fare!
Problems with audio mixing
Make your baby boogie!

King's Court and Celtic Fair
Giulio Caccini , Donald Macleod , Domenico Scarlatti , Henry Purcell , Jean-Philippe Rameau , John Newton , Darren Acosta , Kenneth Amis , Gordon Bell , Jeffrey Curnow , Lucia Garcia , Donald F. Lindsay , Rolf Smedvig , Kurt Wortman , Rick Tiven , Joel Brown , John Sauer , Alannah Fitzgerald , Shapiro, Jared , and Empire Brass Quintet
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Empire Brass: Greatest Hits
Royal Brass: Music from Renaissance & Baroque
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Passage 138 B.C.-A.D. 1611
Class Brass

ASIN: B000003D0J
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Calum And The Princess Jig
Basse Danse Bergeret
13th Century
Earle Of Oxford's Marche
Hamelin Gigue
Samhradh, Summertime
Amarilli Mia Bella
The Seagull Jig
La Mourisque
He-Ro-Hirum
He Moved Thro' The Fair
Sarabande
King Arthur Overture
Cumulous Sanctus
The Foxhunter Jig
Tambourin
Les Niais De Sologne
Amazing Grace
Bonus Track: Joy

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Recording by a World Class Brass Ensemble.......2005-12-27

The Empire Brass Quintet is one of the leading Brass ensembles in the world today, and this album showcases why. Their intonation, blending, sense of phrase, unity of sound, and beauty of tone is unparalleled. If you have any appreciation for Brass ensemble literature and/or Celtic music in general, this album weds the two in a superb example of tasteful musicianship.

A rousing listen!.......2004-04-17

I've owned this recording for years. My family and I absolutely love the lively renditions. Ignore the naysayers - sample this CD and you'll love it too!

A jolly, festive jaunt through Renaissance & Celtic fare!.......2002-11-29

The Empire Brass Quintet's arrangements for trumpets, French horn, trombone and tuba, are--if not exactly period--pleasingly creative, crossing cultural and temporal boundaries with natural ease. Adding zest to the recording is the outrageously lively and exotic percussion (both acoustic and electronic) of Kurt Wortman, as well as bagpipes, drums, vocals, violin, cello, recorder and guitar provided by a host of other guest artists. This music is not meant to be historically authentic, but just plain fun. And it is! I picked this up on impulse in a bookstore because of the whimsical cover art, and it turned out to be one of my favorite purchases in years. Give it a sampling and see for yourself!

Problems with audio mixing.......2002-07-03

The audio mixing engineer did a terrible job on this one. The drummer sounds like he was placed in a large empty hall with the microphone 2 inches away. His rat-a-tat completely overwhelms the music.

Make your baby boogie!.......1999-10-01

The songs on this album are a delicious swirl of brass, drums, and bagpipes. My one-year-old can't resist bouncing and jiggling along with the music, which makes me love it even more. Their rendition of "Amazing Grace" gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, which is pretty often! The songs have a festive feel, making this a great alternative to the stereotypical selections on most holiday CDs.

Average customer rating:

It's the Empire Brass!

Baroque Music for Brass and Organ

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00009NH8O
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Tracks:

Rondeay From Abdealazer
Fantaisie in C Major, BWV 570
Allegro
Sicilienne
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Rigaudon From Idomenee
Contrapunctus I From The Art Of Fuge
Allegro
Fantasia in D Minor
Overture And Allegro From King Author
March From The Married Beau
Allegro
Trumpet Voluntary
The Prince Of Denmark's March
Prelude From Te Deum in D Major
Opening Movement From A Mighty Fortess Is Our God, BWV 80

Amazon.com

Take a fine organist, a crack brass ensemble, bathe in wide-ranging, vivid sound, and you've got a recipe for an exciting disc. That's what Telarc has done in this recording of a live concert by the Empire Brass Quintet in effective arrangements of Baroque favorites and rarities. It may seem odd to hear a Handel Violin Sonata or a Telemann Trio Sonata played by a brass-organ combo, but it works thanks to clever arrangements and superb playing. A highlight here is the Largo of the Handel work, where marvelous horn and trombone solos enhance its beauties. And of course, such favorites as Jeremiah Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary and the Prince of Denmark's March join Campra's stately Rigaudon and other stirring processional pieces. The SACD version adds another level of air and bite, but the CD layer of this hybrid disc is demonstration quality too. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

It's the Empire Brass!.......2004-05-14

C'mon, it's the Empire Brass! They rock! What's not to like?

Average customer rating:

Incredible
Crap
classic digital disaster
Innovative interpretation of many overplayed classics.

Café del Mar: Classics

Manufacturer: Cafe Del Mar
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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Café del Mar, Vol. 12
Café del Mar Dreams, Vol. 3
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Cafe Del Mar Volumen Once

ASIN: B0000691A9
Release Date: 2002-08-26

Tracks:

Thais, Opera: Meditation
Suite for Orchestra No 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: Air
King Arthur, Or, The British Worthy, Semi-Opera, Z: Fairest Isle
Swan Lake, Ballet, Op. 20: Scene 2. Swan Lake
Gymnopedie for Piano No.1, For Piano
Contes d'Hoffmann, Opera in 4 Acts: Belle Nuit, O Nuit d'Amour, ...
Adagio for Organ/Violin & Strings in G Minor
Peer Gynt Suite for Orchestra (Or Piano or Piano,: Morning Mood
Prince Igor, Opera: Choral Dance
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor ("Moonlight"): Adagio
Armide, Opera in 5 Acts, WQ. 45: C'est l'Amour Que Retient Dans ...
Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G Major ("Eine Klei: Andante

Album Details

A Change of Pace for this Ibiza Inspired Series that Now Takes on a Mix of Classical Pieces for Maximum Chillout Effect.

Customer Reviews:

Incredible.......2005-01-14

Unlike other reviewers, I got this album being AFRAID it would be the same old classical songs. Luckily it wasn't exactly. All of the songs are the same old classical pieces, but enhanced beautifully to make them surround you in brilliance. Each piece is aided with a soft lounge beat.

Saying this is some techno remix album would be lying. Imagine your favorite classical songs, and then imagine your favorite Cafe Del Mar CD. When you mix the two, you have the best music ever heard. I reccomend this, and Classics 2, over any of the other Cafe Del Mar CDs, or any other chill out CD out there.

Crap.......2004-09-28

I made the mistake of purchasing this CD "sound unheard" online and am heartily wishing I could get my $2.25 back. Rather than being what I thought it would be--a compilation of some of my favorite classical music tracks, perfect for that late-night cooldown session--this disc is a veritable horror house of techno remixes gone awry. Brevity and indignation preclude from giving but one example (in fact there are twelve): listen to Gymnopedie for piano No. 1, by Erik Satie: a fine example of beauty through simplicity and understatement. Now, making sure you are seated, listen to what is labeled "Gymnopedie for piano No.1, for piano [sic]" on this CD. For some thoroughly inexplicable reason, CDM contrived to butcher this masterpiece with a cacophony of electronica-ish buzzing noises that sound like a bee farting, awful-crappy piano samples, and, if I'm not mistaken, Kenny G on melody. One hopes the French will press charges.

1 star instead of 0 since the pieces and composers are listed on the back--in the event you can make out remnants of the original works over all the bee farting, you'll know where to turn for the real thing.

classic digital disaster.......2003-07-02

This is by far is the worst cafe del mar cd that I have ever bought. Upon purchasing I expected it more to be like the Aria cd's but was extremely dissapointed. It is more a digitaly remasterd version of many classical songs which butchers their quality and sound and does them no justice. I would recommend not buying this cd if you truely are a cafe del mar fan, and if you do not own Aria 1 and 2 then buy them for they are really worth the listening.

Innovative interpretation of many overplayed classics........2002-09-16

This is an excellently enhanced CD compilation of many extremely familiar classical pieces with additional basslines, percussions, and a deluge of other interesting nuances for a chill out feel. You will enjoy this no matter what mood you're in. Even those who don't appreciate the classics will actually give this a good listen and respond to it positively, although it may offend the classical purists. My only problem with this CD is that it's so overpakaged! I'm beginning to wonder of the steep price tag is primarily due to the cumbersome packaging that makes removing and replacing the Cd back in ints case a test on motor dexterity. Although, I maintain that the package is done in poor taste, the music is just gorgeous.

Purcell - King Arthur / Gens, McFadden, Piau, S. Waters, J. Best, Padmore, Paton, Salomaa, Les Arts Florissants, Christie

Average customer rating:

Possibly the best recording of a Baroque opera on CD
Don't miss this!
One of the best baroque performances on disc

Purcell - King Arthur / Gens, McFadden, Piau, S. Waters, J. Best, Padmore, Paton, Salomaa, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
Jonathan Best , Mark Padmore , Petteri Salomaa , Susannah Waters , and François Bazola
Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte / Mannion, Dessay, Blochwitz, Scharinger, Hagen, Les Art Florissants, Christie
Essential Purcell
Rinaldo
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx
Rameau: Les Indes Galantes

ASIN: B000005EEH
Release Date: 1995-06-06

Tracks:

King Arthur: Overture - William Christie
King Arthur: Air - William Christie
King Arthur: First Act: Woden, First To Thee - Chorus
King Arthur: First Act: The White Horse Neigh'd Aloud - Chorus
King Arthur: First Act: The Lot Is Cast, And Tanfan Pleas'd - Veronique Gens
King Arthur: First Act: Brave Souls, To Be Renown'd In Story - Chours
King Arthur: First Act: I Call You All To Woden's Hall - Chorus
King Arthur: First Act: Come If You Dare (Iain Paton) - Chorus
King Arthur: Second Act: Hither, This Way, This Way Bend - Claron McFadden
King Arthur: Second Act: Let Not A Moonborn Elf Mislead Ye - Hither, This Way, This Way Bend - Jonathan Best
King Arthur: Second Act: Come, Follow Me - Mhairi Lawson
King Arthur: Second Act: How Blest Are Shepherds - Chorus
King Arthur: Second Act: Shepherd, Shepherd, Leave Decoying - Veronique Gens
King Arthur: Second Act: Come, Shepherds, Lead Up A Lively Measure - Hornpipe - Chorus
King Arthur: Second Act: Second Act Tune - Air - William Christie
King Arthur: Third Act: Prelude - William Christie
King Arthur: Third Act: What Ho! Thou Genius Of This Isle - Susannah Waters
King Arthur: Third Act: Prelude While The Cold Genius Rises - What Power Art Thou - William Christie
King Arthur: Third Act: Thou Doting Fool - Susannah Waters
King Arthur: Third Act: Great Love, I Know Thee Now - Petteri Salomaa
King Arthur: Third Act: No Part Of My Dominion - Susannah Waters
King Arthur: Third Act: Prelude - William Christie
King Arthur: Third Act: See, See, We Assemble - Dance - Chorus
King Arthur: Third Act: 'Tis I That Have Warm'd Ye; Ritornello - 'Tis Love That Has Warm'd Us - Chorus
King Arthur: Third Act: Sound A Parley - 'Tis Love That Has Warm'd Us - Chorus
King Arthur: Third Act: Third Act Tune: Hornpipe - William Christie

Tracks:

King Arthur: Fourth Act: Two Daughters Of This Aged Stream Are We - Sandrine Piau
King Arthur: Fourth Act: How Happy The Lover/Ritornello - For Love Every Creature/In Vain Are Our Graces - Chorus
King Arthur: Fourth Act Tune: Air - William Christie
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Trumpet Tune - William Christie
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Ye Blust'ring Brethren Of The Skies - Petteri Salomaa
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Symphony - William Christie
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Round Thy Coast - Chorus
King Arthur: Fifth Act: For Folded Flocks, And Fruitful Plains - Jonathan Best
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Your Hay It Is Mow'd - Jonathan Best
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Fairest Isle - Veronique Gens
King Arthur: Fifth Act: You Say 'Tis Love - Jonathan Best
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Trumpet Tune - Warlike Consort
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Saint George - Chorus
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Our Natives Not Alone Appear - Chorus
King Arthur: Fifth Act: Chaconne - William Christie

Amazon.com essential recording

The Fairy Queen may be the most famous of Purcell's "semi-operas" (spoken dramas with extended musical items incorporated--not to say dropped in), but King Arthur, with text by John Dryden, is undoubtedly the most satisfying. Not only is the music captivating on its own terms, it's unusually well-integrated into the action--for example, one musical scene depicts the heathen Saxons performing a pre- battle ceremony; another shows good spirits guiding King Arthur and his men through a dark swamp while evil spirits try to mislead them. The first three acts have a lot of vivid battle and pastoral music, but the real goodies come on the second disc: the first duet of Act IV, in which seductive sirens Sandrine Piau and Claron McFadden attempt to lure Arthur into a stream ("come, come naked in, for we are so..."), and the masque in Act V in honor of Britannia, which includes (in addition to winning music) a Chamber-of-Commerce-like paean to British products such as fish, wool, and wheat, a rowdy drinking song with some pointed anticlerical sentiment, and the famous song "Fairest isle" (beguilingly sung by Véronique Gens). The multinational cast handles the English text well; other standouts include the marvelous tenor Mark Padmore and bass Petteri Salomaa. This recording was prepared right after Graham Vick's wildly successful production of the full Dryden/Purcell text at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (the booklet has some impressive photos); not surprisingly, the performances have an extroverted theatrical energy usually missing from concert versions of this music. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Possibly the best recording of a Baroque opera on CD.......2006-10-01

There is a marvellous sense of energy and joy which comes from this recording. I have the Pinnock recording of King Arthur and I used to have the Gardiner recording (it was stolen from me). I enjoy many things in all the recordings of this work, but Les Arts Florissants's recording is very special. I sang in a performance of this work two years ago and I played both the Pinnock and Christie recordings to my fellow chorus members and all agreed that the Christie recording is just brilliant in every way.

The cast of this recording is superb, all the usual LAF suspects are here - Véronique Gens, Claron McFadden, Sandrine Piau, Mark Padmore, Petteri Salomaa and others - and the orchestra and chorus are in top form.

Needless to say, there is some irony in this work, in that the music is very French in its form, structure and effects - the Cold Genius aria was plagiarised from one of Lully's operas! The opera is, of course, a semi-opera and would have included a considerable amount of spoken dialogue. However, the music Purcell composed for King Arthur or The British Worthy is in a class of its own. Only his French contemporaries Marc-Antoine Charpentier and André Campra penned music of the same quality.

I highly recommend this beautiful and exciting recording to all music lovers.

Don't miss this!.......1999-04-04

Per Gramophone, this recording is one of the 75 best opera recordings of all time. I couldn't agree more. Bravo, William Christie. At least one other recording by Christie is also on this list (I didn't check, maybe there are more): Charpentier Medee.

One of the best baroque performances on disc.......1999-03-08

As with many other Les Arts Florissants recordings, this one followed a live production, and it shows: the vocal and orchestral characterization of the music is all the more expressive and meaningful. King Arthur, like most other Purcell's "operas," is a combination of spoken drama and "incidental music" to accompany it. Les Arts Florissants presented the entire four-hour spectacle on stage, but committed to disc only the musical part. Yet, even without the spoken word, every scene feels complete. Especially memorable are the scene of sacrifice in the first act, the famous scene of the Cold Genius (wonderfully sung by Petteri Salomaa); and the succession of vocal numbers in the fifth act, including "The Fairest Isle" (in which Veronique Gens simply shines) and the incredible ATB trio "For Folded Flocks" (Padmore, Paton, Best). Incidentally, here as elsewhere, Christie adopts a lower pitch of a' 392 Hz in order to enable high tenors (hautes-contre) to sing alto parts. This has become Christie's signature practice, and it is perfectly borne out by the latest scientific research into authentic baroque performance methods. This recording won a major Gramophone award in 1995, a very deserved recognition of excellence!

Average customer rating:

a beautiful CD

Henry Purcell: Ayres for the Theatre

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Purcell: Ayres for the Theatre
Essential Purcell

ASIN: B000002ANU
Release Date: 1995-05-30

Tracks:

Dioclesian: Overture
Dioclesian: Preludio
Dioclesian: Song Tune: 'Let The Soldiers Rejoice'
Dioclesian: Trumpet Tune
Dioclesian: Country Dance
Dioclesian: Aire
Dioclesian: Hornpipe
Dioclesian: Aire
Dioclesian: Canaries
King Arthur: Overture
King Arthur: Aire
King Arthur: Aire
King Arthur: Song Tune: 'Fairest Isle'
King Arthur: Hornpipe
King Arthur: Aire
King Arthur: Song Tune: 'How Blest Are Shepherds'
King Arthur: Aire
King Arthur: Song Tune: 'Round Thy Coast'
King Arthur: Song Tune: 'Come, If You Dare'
King Arthur: Trumpet Tune
King Arthur: Trumpet Tune
King Arthur: Chacone
The Fairy Queen: Overture
The Fairy Queen: Hornpipe
The Fairy Queen: Aire
The Fairy Queen: Aire
The Fairy Queen: Rondeau
The Fairy Queen: Preludio
The Fairy Queen: Hornpipe
The Fairy Queen: Overture
The Fairy Queen: Song Tune: 'If Love's A Sweet Passion'
The Fairy Queen: Jigg
The Fairy Queen: Dance for Furies (Fairies)
The Fairy Queen: Aire 4 In 2 (Dance For The Followers Of Night)
The Fairy Queen: Song Tune: 'Sing While We Trip It'
The Fairy Queen: Aire
The Fairy Queen: Aire
The Fairy Queen: Song Tune: 'Thus Happy And Free'
The Fairy Queen: Chacone
The Fairy Queen: Aire
The Indian Queen: Overture
The Indian Queen: Trumpet Tune
The Indian Queen: Trumpet Tune
The Indian Queen: Aire
The Indian Queen: Hornpipe
The Indian Queen: Aire
The Indian Queen: Hornpipe
The Indian Queen: Aire
The Indian Queen: Song Tune: 'WeThe Spirits Of The Air'
The Indian Queen: Rondeau

Customer Reviews:

a beautiful CD.......2003-11-26

This CD has given me so much pleasure that it feels almost a duty to recommend it. This is exquisite music, subtly and sonorously played. Do buy it!

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully Addictive CD!

Music for Trumpet and Organ

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | 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
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Bach: Works for Trumpet
Caprice - Alison Balsom
Amanda
Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos
Trumpeting by Nature: An Efficient Guide to Optimal Trumpet Performance

ASIN: B00006JC6U
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Tracks:

Variations On 'Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein End'
Allemande From Partita II, BWV 1004
Musike From 'King Arthur'
Musike From 'King Arthur'
Musike From 'King Arthur'
Musike From 'King Arthur'
Shenandoah
Elegy
Semaine Sainte A Cuzco
Vocalise-Etude, Pour Voix Elevees
Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla
Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla
Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla
Okna, Podle Marca Chagalla

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully Addictive CD!.......2006-02-08

Inspired by a recent recital performance I attended featuring Ms. Balsom, I purchased her latest CD ("Bach Works for Trumpet"). I was completely blown away by her performance and immediately fell in love with the disc. And so began my quest to find "Music for Trumpet and Organ"- her debut album, released in the US in 2003.

I finally got it yesterday. I decided to put it in my CD player, and take it in while reading the program notes she included in the CD jacket. Wow, what a performance!

Ms. Balsom plays everything from Sweelinck's "Variations on 'Mein junges Leben hat ein End'" to Petr Eben's "Windows" with a sweet and captivating tone, and with virtuosic technical ability to match. Her performance on the "suite" of excerpts from Act IV of Purcell's "King Arthur," played on the baroque trumpet (basically a trumpet with no valves) was especially remarkable; and her performances of "Shenandoah" and George Thalben-Ball's "Elegy" on the flugelhorn were incredibly passionate. She captures the emotion of the pieces well.

Whether your interests are in late Renaissance or Baroque music, 20th century music, or anything in between; it's on this CD. And it's all played incredibly well. I would recommend reading her program notes that accompany the CD, they really add a lot to her performance.

Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter

Average customer rating:

Buen documento para conocer y disfrutar a Kathleen Ferrier
The incredible Kathleen Ferrier recordings!
A Terrible Beauty
What is to say - It's Ferrier...
How can you go wrong?

Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter
Kathleen Ferrier , Bruno Walter , Vienna Philharmonic , and Isobel Baillie
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bruno Walter
Edition V8 / Blow the Wind Southerly
A Tribute
Richard Strauss - Capriccio / Schwarzkopf, Wächter, Gedda, Fischer-Dieskau, Hotter, Ludwig, Moffo, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sawallisch
Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler / Barbirolli, et al

ASIN: B00000I7W5
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Birthday Ode For Queen Mary: Soun The Trumpet
The Indian Queen: Let Us Wander, Not Unseen
King Arthur: Shepherd, Shepherd, Cease Decoying
Ottone: Spring Is Coming
Ottone: Come To Me, Soothing Sleep
Orfeo ed Euridice: Chiamo il mio ben cosi (Act 1)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Deh! placatevi con me (Act 2)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Che puro ciel! (Act 2)
Orfeo ed Euridice: Che feci mai?...Che faro senza Euridice? (Act 3)
O Praise the Lord
I will lay me down in peace
I would that my love, Op. 63 No. 1 - Felix Mendelssohn
Greeting, Op. 63 No. 2 - Felix Mendelssohn
Kindertotenlieder: Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
Kindertotenlieder: Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
Kindertotenlieder: Wenn dein Mein tritt zur Tein
Kindertotenlieder: Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen!
Kindertotenlieder: In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus

Amazon.com essential recording

Even before her tragic death at 41 (in 1953), Kathleen Ferrier became a legend for her incomparable voice, her simplicity and sincerity of expression, and her indomitable courage. This compilation of recordings originally made in the 1940s includes four arias from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice recorded live in Holland, which show why Euridice was one of her signature roles. Two beautifully sung Handel arias, two sacred songs by Maurice Greene, and delightful duets by Purcell and Mendelssohn (sung in English with another beloved English singer, Isobel Baillie) are greatly enhanced by the inimitable pianist Gerald Moore. But the core of this recording is the Mahler cycle. Here, Ferrier's voice takes on a new warmth and intensity; her deeply inward, direct expressiveness gives the bereaved parent's grief and anguish a devastating impact. Her reading of the last song could be a bit more spooky, but the end is heartbreaking in its submissive resignation. The Vienna Philharmonic and Bruno Walter are in their native element. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Buen documento para conocer y disfrutar a Kathleen Ferrier.......2004-03-27

Este disco realiza un repaso bastante acertado a la carrera de la mitica contralto Kathleen Ferrier, una de esas voces que hicieron historia y que pasaron a la historia, y con razon.
Junto a unos duetos de Purcell y Mendelshon, y otras canciones, asi como unas arias de Haendel, en las que Ferrier ya va mostrando su gran talento, lo mejor de este disco esta indudablemente en la seleccion del 'Orfeo ed Euridice' de Gluck, tomada de unas funciones en directo a principios de los 50. La Ferrier sienta catedra en la interpretacion del personaje: lo lleva dentro, y lo canta de una forma admirable. Sin duda esta es una de las mejores encarnaciones de 'Orfeo' jamas escuchadas.
El otro pilar del disco son los 'Kindertotenlieder' de Mahler, otra de las maximas especialidades de Ferrier, de los que realiza una version antologica, por voz, diccion y expresion, magistralmente dirigida por Bruno Walter. Un lujazo, vamos.
El disco se consigue actualmente a precio medio, y las remasterizaciones son de calidades variadas (puesto que las grabaciones son de años diferentes) pero el nivel general de las mismas es bastante bueno.
Indudablemente este es un disco que hay que poseer, ya que quizas se trate de uno de los mejores documentos existentes para apreciar el tremendo talento de la gran Kathleen Ferrier.

The incredible Kathleen Ferrier recordings!.......2003-05-20

Voice fans, rejoice -- EMI has finally remastered these recordings and released them as one CD at budget price!
While Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" would be the chief reason for purchasing this CD right away, it also contains several morsels, equally fascinating. Purcell and Mendelsohn's duets, Handel's arias, Greene's spirituals, and 3 live arias from Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice". In general, particularly Mahler, the sound is nothing short of phenomenal. BUT why could not these engineers do the same for "Orfeo" selections? There's a lot of noise on these. On all the selection Ferrier's exceptionally dark mezzo (or contralto with a huge upper register) shines brilliantly. Of course, Mahler's songs bemoaning the death of children are not an easy listen by any means. But the melodies are amazingly harmonious and Bruno Walter's superb orchestra provides ideal background for them, with Ferrier's voice blending gorgeously with strings. Only Mussorgsky could take a subject such as this and make it so breathtakingly captivating. It's actually frightening in by itself. Gerald Moore (well-known for his collaboration with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) accompanies expertly on Purcell and Mendelsohn's selections.
It would be a treat to hear Ferrier in more alto repertoire; I am just not sure how many were commercially available at the time. Right now, Vivica Genaux is the leading artist in this area, but it would be fascinating to compare these two.
For the sheer vocal marvel experience, do not delay in getting this CD.

A Terrible Beauty.......2002-11-14

Nothing will change my opinion that Mahler should be approached with caution. Like Wagner, the scale and power of his work means that it is simply not for everyone, but inspite of that, this recording is an indespensible part of any serious music lover's collection. Music like this simply is not made any more, but rather this is a glimpse into a past where artists and not accountants ran the music industry.

Mahler's wife Alma bitterly opposed his setting of Ruckert's Kindertotenlieder to music and considering the death of their daughter soon after, it's doubtful if she ever forgave him for it. But the finished work has an indescribable beauty that Kathleen Ferrier and Mahler's protégé Bruno Walter give full expression to in away that no other interpreter's have even approached. More than 50 years on this is both a lasting tribute to the artists involved and an indictment of the decline in standards since.

What is to say - It's Ferrier..........2002-03-31

I bought the CD for the Kindertotenlieder and that's what I am going to write about (though the rest of the program is equally impressive). Ferrier's Mahler interpretations are always in the 5+ star area. When Walter is accompanying her the results are even better (unlike the case of Klemperer). The first song - Nun Will Die Sonn'... the darkness of the music is so prominent, it's breathtaking. All the rest Kindertotenlieder come in the same fashion. If interested in a release with better sound but not these Olympian contritutors, Janet Baker and Christa Ludwig have made some very good discs

How can you go wrong?.......2001-10-22

I said it before, in my review of the Ferrier/Walter performance of Das Lied von der Erde, recently rereleased by Decca; Ferrier is the authoritative interpreter of Mahler songs--and I have never heard anything to equal this performance of Kindertotenlieder.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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