Mountain Journey

Track Listings

1. Shyaan Am

2. Beginnings

3. Horses

4. Journey

5. Eagle's Words

6. Battle

7. Resurrection and Reconciliation

8. Desert and Return

Editorial Reviews
Mary Knysh, Music for People, December 2003
"Amazing textures weaving in and out of deep and hearftfelt cello solos"

Album Description
Mountain Journey carries you from the mountain-steppe landscapes of southern Siberia through the pathways of the human heart, inspired by an ancient epic story. Horse-riding rhythms, warm cello melodies and enticing vocal sounds evoke the path through danger, adventure and love to wholeness. Kira is a cellist and storyteller based in Vancouver, Canada. Her original music is inspired by imagery and movement, often from the stories she tells - stories learned from Siberian storytellers she met on her own journey.

Album Description

Music can be both calming and relaxing, or invigorating and passionate...this phenomenal 20-CD set is definitely the latter. This amazing collection brings together for the first time the most passionate music of all time, from Ravel's Bolero, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Wagner's Magic Fire Music to Ravel's La Valse, Orff 's Carmina Burana and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. This is a must have collection for every passionate music lover.

Customer Reviews:

A good gift for novice.......2007-05-12

This was a good gift for somebody learning about Classical music in Japan.

The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs

Average customer rating:

The Price Club
A living legend
not your daddy's old timey spiritual
Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price
Great Gospel Stuff

The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Price, Leontyne | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | 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:

Leontyne Price: The Ultimate Collection
Leontyne Price Christmas Songs Chants de Noel.Weihnachtslieden Wiener Philharmoniker Herbert Von Karajan
Spirituals in Concert
Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman
Spirituals

ASIN: B000003FWE
Release Date: 1997-01-14

Tracks:

Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees - Various Artists
His Name So Sweet - Various Artists
'Roun' About The Mountain - Various Artists
Swing Low , Sweet Chariot - Various Artists
Sit Down, Servant - Various Artists
Were You There - Various Artists
He's Got The Whole World In His Hands - Various Artists
Deep River - Various Artists
Honor! Honor! - Various Artists
My Soul's Been Anchored In De Lord - Various Artists
On Ma Journey - Various Artists
A City Called Heaven - Various Artists
Ride On, King Jesus - Various Artists
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Various Artists
Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass - Various Artists
Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Various Artists
There Is A Balm In Gilead - Various Artists
Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler - Various Artists
Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
My Way Is Cloudy - Various Artists
Nobody Knows The Touble I've Seen - Various Artists
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray - Various Artists

Tracks:

Holy, Holy, Holy - Leontyne Price
Lead, Kindly Light - Leontyne Price
Blessed Assurance - Leontyne Price
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
What A Friend We Have In Jesus - Leontyne Price
Amazing Grace - Leontyne Price
The Lord's Prayer - Leontyne Price
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior - Leontyne Price
The Church's One Foundation - Leontyne Price
Bless This House - Leontyne Price
I Need Thee Every Hour - Leontyne Price
Schlesische Volkslieder: Fairest Lord Jesus - Leontyne Price
I Wonder As I Wander - Leontyne Price
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
Porgy And Bess: Summertime - Leontyne Price
America The Beautiful - Leontyne Price
Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing - Leontyne Price
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God - Leontyne Price
Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Leontyne Price

Customer Reviews:

The Price Club.......2005-04-28

"I am here," said Leontyne Price when interviewed as she opened the new Metropolitan Opera with Samuel Barber's underrated ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, "and you will know that I am the best and will hear me. The color of my skin or the kink of my hair or the spread of my mouth has nothing to do with what you are listening to." Back in the 1960s Price was one of the greatest divas in all of opera, and it wasn't just her voice but her magnificent stage presence, combined with her social activism. All of the above come into play in this collection of secular songs and ditties, some of them traditional plantation chanties and others, art songs and a scattering of pop music. And some of them, like Gershwin's "Summertime," cross the ever-permeable boundaries between Broadway and classical. These recordings were made at different times in Price's career, and her voice, while always angelic, has different shadings and reaches a different range of timbre in each separate recording date, but there is no question that, as time goes by, she is able to impart a richness of life experience noticeably absent from some of her earlier work.

"Ave Maria" sounds heavenly no matter which way you slice it, and as for "I Wonder As I Wander," it brings tears to your eyes. If you have a heart that's beating you will be moved by this rendition. "Ein feste Burg" is pretty strong, but Price seems more comfortable with the traditional spirituals, though perhaps it is the slightly off-kilter sounds of the Ambrosian Singers (what a name) who back her up on many of these tracks, that detract slightly from the experience. Compare "Lead Kindly Light" for a clear sense of what constitutes authority vs. what is a wee bit overproduced. If you had this compilation, and perhaps one of Leontyne Price's Christmas albums, you could attain nirvana any time you wanted to, just flip a switch and close your eyes, let her lift you up on wings of song.

A living legend.......2005-03-10

Leontyne Price (still alive) and already passing into immortality amongst vocal artists, both classical and popular. Leontyne Price stands at the pinnacle of her classical art, but those who only know her work in La Forza del destino or the Verdi Requiem are in for a heart rending treat with this album where Leontyne Price goes home to her roots in Mississippi and gives an unabashed account of the classic spirituals she sang as a young woman. Like John Mc Cormacks rendering of Irish songs there is a personal longing and devotion expressed here that reveals a side of the artist not known in the bulk of their "classical" repetoire. A sense of going home like Citizen Kane's rosebud, or as Dorothy Gale observes at the end of the Wizard of Oz "everything I could ever have wanted was right in my own backyard "

not your daddy's old timey spiritual.......2004-06-23

Agreed this is a good cd for a beautiful voice, but this is not, repeat not, for someone who wants to hear that old-timey religious fervor that you think of when you've been to a Black Baptist hand-clapping, standing, swaying, and singing service.

Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price.......2003-12-31

IMMACULATE, SUPERB vocal range and style! There's no other words that can complement Miss Leontyne Price's vocal arrangements. Miss Price's voice is strong, and shrills very nicely to the instruments played on many songs listed on this double CD which is a joy to treasure; every song listed are songs I was raised to hearing and singing. Miss Price is the reason why many of these songs remain in popularity and presently used. Miss Leontyne Price has been incredible in many of her past performances. This is my fourth CD of Miss Price and I am glad to own this particular CD forever and ever. Many thanks to the executors who found this remarkable album and upgraded it to a CD format! **Angi**

Great Gospel Stuff.......2001-04-12

This is a great CD. The only problem I have with it is that on some of the selections there is a boy's choir screaming in the background, and this takes away (a bit) from her performance. That said, her best selections are those that are either unaccompanied or those where her voice is not buried. Songs that strike me are - His Name So Sweet, He's Got The Whole World, Were You There, I Wonder as I Wander, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and my all time favourite Summertime. Enough said.

The Essential Nino Rota Film Music Collection

Average customer rating:

essence of Fellini...
Excellent!
"premier composer of Italy (1911-1979) ~ Nino Rota"

The Essential Nino Rota Film Music Collection

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
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Film Music of Nino Rota
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Romeo & Juliet

ASIN: B0000AGWLP
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Tracks:

The Taming Of The Shrew-Overture
The Glass Mountain-Legend Of Glass Mountain
Romeo & Juliet-Romeo
Romeo & Juliet-Juliet
Romeo & Juliet-Feast At The House Of Capule
Romeo & Juliet-Love Theme
Romeo & Juliet-Epilogue
Death On The Nile-Nile Journey
The Godfather-Waltz
The Godfather-Love Theme
The Godfather II-Sicilian Pastorale/The Immigrant
The Godfather II-Finale
Juliet Of The Spirits-Suite
La Dolce Vita-Suite

Tracks:

Histoires Extraordinaires-Toby Dammit
Lo Sceicco Bianco (Thet White Sheikh)
Otto E Mezzo (81/2)
I Vitelloni
Il Dibone (The Swindle)
The Nights Of Cabiria
Boccaccio '70
Fellini Satyricon
I Clowns, (The Clowns)
Roma
Amarcord
Casanova
Prova D'Orchestra (Rehearsal)
La Strada-Suite

Customer Reviews:

essence of Fellini..........2007-05-09

As evocative as any perfume, this CD brings forth clear images of the films for which this music was written. Makes a charming background for any party, seemingly brainless fun, yet sophisticated and delightful. Also good to cook to...

Excellent!.......2007-04-22

For this release, Silva Screen released their previous disc of Music from Fellini films, along with the best tracks from Nic Raine's 1998 recording of the complete score of Romeo and Juliet, as well as Paul Bateman's 2001 Godfather Trilogy disc, along with a few new tracks and other tracks from Silva's back catalog of music.

The last two tracks of the first disc, and the entire second disc is devoted to Fellini Films. All of the Fellini tracks are from 1993's "Music From Fellini Films", with Derek Wadsworth conducting the City of Prague Philharmonic (then credited as the Czech Symphony), with the exception of "Toby Dammit" which was recorded for this disc with Mario Klemens conducted.

"The Taming of the Shrew" is from Silva Screen's successful 2001 "Shakespeare at the Movies" set, while Death On The Nile and the Glass Mountain have been newly recorded for this set.

In conclusion, if you had the first disc of Rota/Fellini music then perhaps this would not be worth it, but overall this is a superb collection with that previous release in its entirely (remastered in HDCD surround sound, I might add), along with the best tracks from the Godfather Trilogy and Romeo and Juliet, with some more films sprinkled about, its a must-have, for anyone who wants a taste of Rota for less than $25.

"premier composer of Italy (1911-1979) ~ Nino Rota".......2003-08-26

The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra performs the gems by composer Nino Rota, conducted by Derek Wadsworth, Paul Bateman, Nic Raine and Mario Klemens. This latest release "The Essential Nino Rota Film Music Collection", has all the romantic and poetic scores ever conceived. Rota's music remains in your mind with haunting and forbiding themes that will stay with you the rest of your days.

Rota has the ability to capture the moments from each cue in his scores with "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW", "THE GLASS MOUNTAIN", "LA DOLCE VITA" and "ROMEO & JULIET, the tapestry is fine and the weave is just right. That's just for starters, listen and recall the score from "THE GODFATHER" and "THE GODFATHER II", one only has to close your eyes and visualize the characters that came to life on the big screen, the music from Rota was a large part of this. And Disc Two with "THE NIGHTS OF CABIRIA", "AMARCORD" and "LA STRADA", can sit back and soak up each passage and counterparts that prevail.

Silva Screen Records and James Fitzpatrick (producer), please stand up and take a bow for the well deserved rare gems you've given us. This can only be one of the most sought after collections complete in every detail for any "film-score-buff" worth his salt. As you listen to this CD, you can visualize each scene the cue is recalling. And speaking for one and all movie music collectors----this is a keeper!

Tracks:

Wings Of Love
The Scars In His Hands
John
The Hill Lone And Gray
What A Time In Heaven
The Gospel Train
There's A Higher Power
He Is I Am
Travelin Shoes
I'll Sail Away (On Wings Of Love)
Not Long For This Earth

Customer Reviews:

Great Buy.......2005-07-03

I just saw Mountain Heart in Concert and it was awesome. This cd is great and the band is awesome. Some of the best bluegrass in the land. They are rocking and pickin to great times. Listen, believe, and dance to the music of Mountain Heart.

Can't get any better!.......2004-02-10

See my review of their new album, "No Other Way." This is an outstanding group with a genuine love for Jesus that shines through every note. You'll get a kick out of "Travelin' Shoes," as well as their wonderful a capella, "Gospel Train." You'll be moved to tears as you realized the full impact of the words to, "The Scars in His Hands." This group truly puts God first, and it shows. If you know anyone who is a fan of bluegrass Gospel, give them this album. It's a gem.

An album for fans to sing and shout about!.......2003-06-13

Mountain Heart formed in 1998 when Adam Steffey, Steve Gulley, Barry Abernathy, Jimmy Van Cleve and Johnny Dowdle got together. When Steffey left, Alan Perdue took over mandolin duties. What experience and credentials these rising stars have! Guitarist Steve Gulley worked for 15 years at Renfro Valley (a Kentucky music park), and he appears on three albums with Doyle Lawson. Banjo-player Barry Abernathy has picked with Silver Creek, III Tyme Out, and Doyle Lawson. Fiddler Jimmy Van Cleve has played with Rambler's Choice, Doyle Lawson, Ric-O-Chet, and Lou Reid and Carolina.

In 1999, Mountain Heart released their first album and won the IBMA award for "Emerging Artist of the Year." Jason Moore is the band's bass player. This album's title represents the band's strong devotion and relationship with God. Their splendid presentation indicates a strong commitment to both their music and their ministry.

Their excellent material is derived from various sources, and includes some original compositions such as thoughtful "The Scar in His Hands" and bluesy "John." The latter includes guest artists Jim Hurst (guitar), Missy Raines (bass), and Rob Ickes (dobro) with Gulley and Abernathy. The album's leadoff cut, "Wings of Love," is a bouncy, banjo-driven, call-and-response number about being carried away to mansions bright by the shining throne. A special treat on this album is Mountain Heart's a cappella rendition of "The Gospel Train," which is clear demonstration of the band's wonderous vocal delivery and proficiency. Another a cappella offering, "Travelin Shoes," is also grand.

The band is equally comfortable with taking contemporary Christian music and adapting it to their format, with pieces like the album's nearly 9-minute reflective closer, "Not Long For This Earth," which also guests Jeff Taylor (piano) and Robbie Link (bass, cello). This kind of slow, prolonged number, however, just doesn't do a lot for me, and perhaps the arrangement could have been shortened. The banjo is put into a modal tuning to give an old-timey sound to "The Hill Lone and Gray." Carl Jackson's "There's a Higher Power" and James Cooke's "What a Time in Heaven" have great gospel bluegrass feelings to them.

This is a very professionally presented stellar package of the best in bluegrass gospel music today. "The Journey," Mountain Heart's second album ever produced as a band, certainly was deserving of the IBMA award for Gospel Recording of the Year in 2002. The repertoire, arrangements, picking, and singing are something for fans to sing and shout about! (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Whew!.......2003-02-08

It just doesn't get any better than this! The harmonies are perfect, the instruments are true, the songs are magnificent! If you could only buy one Gospel Bluegrass CD in the entire world, then this is the one! It reminds me of when I was a little boy at my Grandma's, waiting for breakfast to get done, while she played gospel bluegrass on her radio as loud as it would play. I think it will take you to pleasant memories, or make'em for you.

Awesome CD.......2001-10-31

This CD is Awesome. It has great music and keeps your toes tapping.

Average customer rating:

The other essential Herrmann CD

Great Film Music

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Music from the Great Hitchcock Movie Thrillers
Bernard Herrmann: Music From Great Film Classics
Psycho
The Three Worlds of Gulliver
Total Recall: The Deluxe Edition (1990 Film)

ASIN: B000004265
Release Date: 1996-05-14

Tracks:

Journey To The Center Of The Earth: Mountain Top And Sunrise
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: Prelude
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: The Grotto
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: Salt Slides
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: Atlantis
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: The Giant Chameleon And The Fight
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: The Shaft And Finale
The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad: Overture
The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad: The Duel With The Skeleton
The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad: Baghdad
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Outer Space
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Radar
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Gort
The Day The Earth Stood Still: The Robot
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Space Control
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Terror
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Farewell And Finale
Fahrenheit 451: Prelude
Fahrenheit 451: Fire Engine
Fahrenheit 451: The Bedroom
Fahrenheit 451: Flowers Of Fire
Fahrenheit 451: The Road And Finale
Gulliver's Travels: Overture
Gulliver's Travels: Minuetto-Wapping
Gulliver's Travels: Hornpipe
Gulliver's Travels: Lilliputians 1&2
Gulliver's Travels: Victory 1&2
Gulliver's Travels: Escape
Gulliver's Travels: The King's March
Gulliver's Travels: Trees
Gulliver's Travels: The Tightrope
Gulliver's Travels: Lovers
Gulliver's Travels: The Chess Game
Gulliver's Travels: Pursuit
Gulliver's Travels: Finale

Amazon.com

Captured on this one disc are the great film scores Bernard Herrmann did for several classic science fiction films of the '50s and '60s. Herrmann did not go in for simple atmospherics and cheap orchestral tricks with his music. He knew that the music would have to conjure a mental world all its own. This is especially true in "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad". It's a tone poem Rimsky-Korsakov could have written. The best here is "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with its use of the (then) revolutionary theremin. It's a clear masterpiece, all on its own. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

The other essential Herrmann CD.......2004-08-25

I like to think of this CD as being the "Forbidden Planet" of film scores CDs -- technically marvelous, consistently enthralling on an emotional and mental level, and way ahead of its time.

Unfortunately it is not available as I write this. Last time I visited this Amazon site, there was one CD for sale for almost $60. You'll have to make up your own mind if this music is worth that much to you. I made my choice long ago to own this and keep it in my library, conceivably forever.

With five film scores, 35 tracks and 72 minutes of the most high grade science fiction music, this CD should be considered the definitive source for Bernard Herrmann's non-Hitchcock film scores. Not only did he conduct the National Philharmonic Orchestra in these recordings, the composer approved of the Phase 4 recording and mixing. It is, as the notes say, a unique listening experience.

I have found this CD to be a constant source of imagination, vision and scope in film music that still has no peer 30 years after its production. The opening sequence to "Journey To The Center of the Earth" is better than it ever was in the theater, where the music was a hackneyed backdrop to an incredilbe film. In this CD, the music dwarfs the film action.

My favorite sequence in this issue is Herrmann's work for the Ray Bradbury novella "Fahrenheit 451", which was recast in some minds recently when "Fahrenheit 911" appeared in theaters throughout the country.

Every bit of the miracle of that little film is projected through this eerily wonderful music, which seems to comprise a world of its own. The sections help recall Sontag's first trip on the fire engine, the bedroom fire and the finale.

The lengthiest tract on this disk is the near 27 minute set from the film "Gulliver's Travels". I've never seen the movie but will attest that the music is out of this world in a very British way. This section seems closer to following the musical rules for a suite than any other on this disk.

Decca had the good sense to return the Bernard Herrmann-conducted Hitchcock scores to circulation, so maybe they will do the same with this miraculous disk. Again, the notes are nothing to write home about, but even with that considered no lover of film music or the music of Bernard Herrmann can consider their library complete without this disk.

Mountain Journey: Stars of Old Time Music

Average customer rating:

A wonderful anthology
The multitude of songs resonates with authenticity

Mountain Journey: Stars of Old Time Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Come to the Mountain: Old Time Music for Modern Times
Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
The Appalachians
Back Roads to Cold Mountain
Classic Old-Time Music

ASIN: B0006V6TJO
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Wayfaring Pilgrim
Free A Little Bird
Cripple Creek
Cindy
And Am I Born To Die
Poor Soldier
Wild Rose Of The Mountain
Times Are Not What They...
Sweet Sunny South
The Traveller
Pretty Bird
Cruel Willie
He's Coming To Us Dead
Bully Of The Town
Two Soldiers
Bonaparte's Retreat
Not A Word Of That Be Said
If I Could Hear My Mother...
Midnight On The Water
My Love Lies In The Ground
My Epitaph

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful anthology.......2007-01-06

This CD is a great place to start if you are interested in old time music. It has an outstanding selection of music from a wide variety of musicians. About the same time I bought this I also got the Smithsonian collection of mountain music. The Smithsonian has more tracks, but overall I'd say the quality of the selections is higher on Mountain Journey.

The multitude of songs resonates with authenticity.......2005-03-02

Playing Time - 64:28 -- At first glance, one has to chuckle at the subtitle of this album, "Stars of Old Time Music." Perhaps with a few more "O, Brother Where Art Thou" and "Cold Mountain" movies, old-time music will have its stars, but I think that's still a long ways off. Twenty-one cuts pulled from Rounder Record releases spanning from 1972-2005 comprise this sampler. The "stars" featured are among the best purveyors of this genre of music - Ola Belle Reed, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Mike Seeger, Doc Watson, Hazel Dickens, Etta Baker, Ginny Hawker, Blue Sky Boys, and others. Similar to another Rounder old-time music sampler "Come to the Mountain: Old-Time Music for Modern Times," this album provides thoughtful liner notes (by Scott Alarik), artist descriptions, and credits for each song.

This old-time mountain music is performed by ordinary folk, with plenty of emotional electricity and without any grandstanding. The vocals particularly impart an intensity that is emotionally-charged. Most tracks feature solo vocals, although it's nice to hear a few cuts with harmonies, such as "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" (Blue Sky Boys) and "Time Are Not What They Used to Be"( Ginny Hawker and Hazel Dickens). There is even a one-minute song, "The Traveller" featuring sacred harp singers of Georgia and Alabama.

"Cripple Creek" (Mike Seeger & Etta Baker), "Sweet Sunny South" (fiddled by Buddy Thomas), "Midnight on the Water" (Ralph Blizzard and the New Southern Ramblers), "Cruel Willie" (Connie & Babe and the Backwoods Boys) and "Bully of the Town" (guitar by Etta Baker) are the instrumentals among the cuts. Major record label samplers like this one are welcome entries in their catalog of offerings. The multitude of songs resonates with authenticity of our deepest musical traditions.

As producer Ken Irwin once said, "In thinking about how to sell the music, I came up with the idea of `Stars of Old Time Music,' and we all liked it. For those who don't know the old-time music scene, they might actually buy it thinking it was what it sounded like and for those who knew the scene, they'd see it as being tongue in cheek....When I was growing up, we used to collect trading cards, and the matched sets were highly valued. You tried to collect all of those with the same frame or the same look or whatever. With some of the reissues, we have been successful reaching some of the newer fans to the music by putting together compilations of quality music with a similar look to them hoping that people who had enjoyed the earlier ones would take a chance on the newer ones."

The compilations from this record label are a great way to showcase many singularly impressive talents. Find your favorites among the sampled artists, and then buy their complete albums to explore them further. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Original Masters: Leopold Stokowski: Decca Recordings 1964-1975 [BOX SET]

Average customer rating:

My own life is behind these recordings
Don't go for broke unless you're a die-hard Stokowski fan
More Sensational Stokowski

Original Masters: Leopold Stokowski: Decca Recordings 1964-1975 [BOX SET]

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Decca Recordings, 1965-1972 (Limited Edition)
CARL SCHURICHT Decca Recordings 1949-1956
George Szell: Decca & Philips Recordings 1951-1969
Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953-1967
Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964

ASIN: B00067R3BQ
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

My own life is behind these recordings.......2007-06-10

I can assure that one of the reason I love music is due to these recordings of Mr. Stokowsky. My father had the record of Scherezade and, though my father was an ignorant about cultivated music, he knew very well what to appreciate. We never argued when I played Beethoven's first symphony so loud, however, he always did when I played Rolling Stones so loud. I adore that he taught me to appreciate Rimsky-korsakov's music as well as Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Spagnolo so young. He was wise, on his way. I can't help to cry for him, listening to Borodin's Palatsovian dances, because, it is great music, and, having into account that I used to love it by Mr. Stokowsky's work, it doubles my crying and my remembrance. He loved the record so much. I love you, daddy.

Don't go for broke unless you're a die-hard Stokowski fan.......2006-09-22

When Stokowski began to make Phase 4 recordings for Decca in 1964, he was already 82, but he hadn't lost his energy or his tendency to shape music in outlandish ways. I mostly love him, but this box set duplicates recordings that can be found on the Cala label, which has been releasing everything Stokowski in the world, and on Decca single CDs if you go to the used market.

I mention this because the whole box set, Vol. 2 in the Original Masters series, continas some forgettable performances, in particular the rhythmically slack Beethoven Sym. 5 and 7, the over-highlighted Schubert 'Unfinished,' and a live Brahms First that seems manic and forced too much of the time. However, if you think of Stokowski having little to offer in the German classics, here is an exceptional Beethoven Ninth, one of the best things from his late career and wonderful in every way.

Decca knows that the crowd-pleasers are the gaudy, multi-miked Phase 4 versions of Scheherazade, as bombastic as you could imagine, and lots of Russian fare, including Stoki's signature synthesis from Boris Godunov. The 1812 Over., by the way, isn't over the top and yet needed to be. Finally, this German-Russian collection contains a thrilling disc of Wagner excerpts, much of it grossly over-miked, but at its core containing very impressive, vital interpretations.

In all, I'd select the Wagner, the Beethoven Ninth, and the legendary Scheherazade as the best things here. Buy them separately or take the plunge for this whole box, your choice.

More Sensational Stokowski.......2005-06-08

It took me a while to purchase this six-disc set in UNI's "Original Masters" series, but I finally did this past weekend. Classical music fans seem to either love or hate Leopold Stokowski (I, of course, love him), and unfortunately much of "Decca Recordings 1964-75, Volume 2" will be old news to serious devotees of the conductor. While I'm not familiar with the complete Decca back-catalog, at least three full discs worth of material have been previously available in the old "Weekend Classics" series -- Beethoven's 5th & 7th, Beethoven's 9th, and the Wagner selections. (I'm pretty sure the Rimsky-Korsakov material on disc five, and the Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky pieces on disc six have been issued prior too.) This is good news for those who came to collecting classical CDs late (like me) because while the Wagner is still available individually, the Beethovens have been fetching absurd prices in the Amazon Marketplace. The only material receiving its first international release is contained on disc 3 -- a Schubert "Unfinished" with the London Philharmonic from 1969 and a rousing live performance of the Brahms 1st with the London Symphony on the occasion of the conductor's 60th anniversary leading that body. The original instruments crowd will surely turn up their noses at these legendary performances, but me, I'll just sit back and listen to some more sensational sounding Stokowski.

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Grieg: Peer Gynt; Piano Concerto; Songs

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin

ASIN: B0002XV2XY
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Tracks:

Prelude: In The Wedding Garden - Joachim Ulbricht
The Bridal Procession Passes - Staatskapelle Dresden
Prelude: Abduction, Ingrid's Lament - Leipzig Radio Chorus
In The Hall Of The Mountain King - Leipzig Radio Chorus
Dance Of The Mountain King's Daughter - Staatskapelle Dresden
Aase's Death - Staatskapelle Dresden
Introduction: Morning - Leipzig Radio Chorus
Arabian Dance - Leipzig Radio Chorus
Anitras Dance - Taru Valijakka
Solveig's Song - Taru Valijakka
Prelude: Peer Gynt's Journey Home - Taru Valijakka
Solveig's Cradle Song - Taru Valijakka
I. Allegro Molto Moderato - John Ogdon
II. Adagio - John Ogdon
III. Allegro Moderato Molto E Marcato - John Ogdon

Tracks:

Enticement - Geoffrey Parsons
Mountain Girl - Geoffrey Parsons
Bilberry Slopes - Geoffrey Parsons
Tryst - Geoffrey Parsons
Love - Geoffrey Parsons
Kids' Dance - Geoffrey Parsons
Evil Day - Geoffrey Parsons
At The Mountain Stream - Geoffrey Parsons
Hor' Ich Das Liedchen Klingen Op.39 No.6
Der Fichtenbaum Op.59 No.2
Wo Sind Sie Hin? Op.4 No.6
Das Alte Lied Op.4 No.5
Gruss Op.48 No.1
Ich Stand In Dunklen Traumen Op.2 No.3
Abschied Op.4 No.3
Eingehullt In Graue Wolken Op.2 No.2
Mein Sinn Ist Wie Der Macht'ge Fels Op.5 No.4
Des Dichters Letztes Lied Op.18 No.3
Des Dichters Herz Op.5 No.2
Sie Ist So Weiss Op.18 No.2
Morgenthau Op.4 No.2
Jagerlied Op.4 No.4
Lauf Der Welt Op.48 No.3
Zur Rosenzeit Op.48 No.5
Ein Traum Op.48 No.6
Dereinst, Gedanke Mein Op.48 No.2
Dein Rat Ist Wohl Gut Op.21 No.4
Herbststimmung Op.26 No.5
An Sie II Op.59 No.4
An Sie I Op.59 No.3
Der Jager (1905)

Songs by the Sea: A Scandanavian Journey

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Songs by the Sea: A Scandanavian Journey

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Massenet: Le Cid (Complete) [Germany]

ASIN: B0002X4TWA
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Tracks:

Florez Och Blanzeflor
Ithaka
Kongesonnes Romance Af 'Tornerose'
Vaagn Af Din Slummer Af 'Bertran De Born'
1. Snart Er De Lyse Naetters Tid Forbi. Allegretto - Poco Piu Moto
2. Og Da Jeg Sejled Dit Hus Forbi.
3. Jeg Sejled En Nat Over Havet. Moderato Con Moto
Stormen Paa Kjobenhavn
Skjaldens Sang Af 'Moderen'
Saenk Kun Dit Hoved, Du Blomst
Den Bergtekne
En Svane
Peer Gynts Serenade
I. En Visa Om Nar Jag Var Lustig Med Welam Welamsson...
II. En Visa Om Mig Och Narren Herkules
III. En Visa Till Karin Nar Hon Nade Dansat
IV. En Visa Till Karin Ur Fangelset
V. Kung Eriks Sista Visa

Grieg: Peer Gynt (Excerpts from the Incidental Music)

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Possibly the best Peer Gynt single-CD-album ...
Certainly NOT Incidental!

Grieg: Peer Gynt (Excerpts from the Incidental Music)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000026NT
Release Date: 1989-06-22

Tracks:

Act I: Prelude - In the Wedding Garden
Act I: The Bridal Procession Passes
Act I: Halling
Act I: Spring Dance
Act II: Prelude - The Abductions - Ingrid's Lament
Act II: In the Hall of the Mountain King
Act II: Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter
Act III: Prelude - Deep in the Coniferous Forest
Act III: Solvejg's Song
Act III: Ase's Death
Act IV: Prelude - Morning Mood
Act IV: Arab Dance
Act IV: Anitra's Dance
Act IV: Solvejg's Song
Act V: Prelude - Peer Gynt's Journey Home
Act V: Solvejg's Song in the Hut
Act V: Song of the Churchgoers
Act V: Solvejg's Lullaby

Amazon.com

With the soprano solos and choral numbers, but with none of the spoken parts, Esa-Pekka Salonen's account is a good compromise on the "completeness" issue. Incisive and athletic in his approach, Salonen also shows plenty of finesse and a good ear--but not the overall grasp and emotional sensitivity of Herbert Blomstedt. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Possibly the best Peer Gynt single-CD-album ..........2006-02-16

... beside the new recording of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Jarvi. Although I must here confess I have never listened to (and can't compare them with) any of the five other more or less complete recordings of this work, namely those by Neeme Jarvi [27 cues; DGG], Marriner [only 12 cues; EMI], Tate [17 cues; EMI], Blomstedt [19 cues; Decca], Dreier [the first truly complete recording of all of the original music (1978); 32 cues (including three 'Norwegian Dances' not originally written for Peer Gynt); Unicorn UKCD; NKFCD] and Ruud [the first complete recording with 29 cues plus all of the dialogue, making a total of 51 cues, coming up on 113 minutes; BIS]. This review is necessarily incomplete as a result, and for this I apologize.
Anyhow, I HAVE also listened to the delightful album by Maestro Paavo Jarvi, and it has at least one advantage over this recording in that it offers even more of the music and singing in its original stage-play form. The only big difference between these albums with respect to 'originality' - apart from the absence of some musical pieces on the Salonen recording - lies in 'Solveig's Lullaby', which on the Jarvi album is interlaced with parts of the 'Whitsun Hymn' that preceded it (as it is in the original stage play-music?).
This recording by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen is IMHO a great testimonial to Edvard Hagerup Grieg's (1843-1907) art. And not in the latest place to the truthful and what I would like to call 'Nordic' vision of the conductor.
The music making is highly concentrated and disciplined (somewhat 'leaner' or more 'athletic' than for Paavo Jarvi), but at the same time completely and utterly involved, especially with the Norwegian feel and atmosphere of the music, I believe - these ARE Norwegians, playing quintessentially Norwegian music (Peer Gynt IS their national epic) that (should) speak to them in a most direct way! The 'Halling' and 'Springar' have I think never sounded so completely like the original Norwegian folk melodies which they are, which comes of course as no surprise with these musicians.
Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen has a wonderful feel for the fresh and lilting character of much of the music but on the other hand he is also very much in touch with the melancholic side of Grieg's music, which is, I think, quintessential Norwegian, a country that invariably must evoke a sense of melancholy with its long, snow laden winters, its short bursts of summer in which to rejoice in the fruits of the land, grown with much toil, and its clear brooks, lakes and rivers, its Trout and Salmon, Moose and Reindeer, Eagle and White-throated Dipper, Lynx and Wolverine, its vast coniferous forests, deep fjords, rolling, barren fjells ... and scattered widely throughout the splendour of relentless nature ... ancient churches, farms and villages. Norway is a most beautiful country, and the Norwegians themselves certainly know it! Much of the music of Grieg (1843-1907) is partly born of this sense of pride of the land and the striving for complete national independence (gained in 1905, so Grieg himself could be a happy witness to the fact).
On this recording there is no overdoing it (also a result of the 'athletic' playing style), the conductor seemingly taking the music on face value, letting it speak in all its pure and simple beauty. There is a nicely introvert quality to the playing which quite befits the music. But on the other hand, the conductor just as well lets the music dance and swagger energetically when needed, for example in the wedding scenes and in the scenes with the Trolls. Here, the energy is flowing freely. The naturalness of playing by the members of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra - who certainly possess the necessary Norwegian spirit to fully make this music come to life in a way that the composer may have meant and loved (?) - combined with finely nuanced directing with a keen eye for melodic flow make this album - at least in my view - a top recommendation. And last but not least, the combination of this orchestra and this conductor together with the warmly sympathetic and radiant voice of Barbara Hendricks is the purest and most moving imaginable, sounding especially involved and convincing in the closing 'Solveigs vuggevise'.
This music here sounds so completely honest and so absolutely evocative that no one who loves good pure and simple serious (or classical) music could (or should) IMHO do without it. If really pressed for, one could even be tempted to call this a truly great recording - and an ideal step onwards from the all-too-brief Suites and on towards the complete recordings by Dreier and Ruud.

Certainly NOT Incidental!.......2000-07-08

This 'incidental music' is by no means incidental. The more than 20 pieces in this collection are equally dramatic and at the same time diverse. In the symphony hall we are used to hearing just a few of these pieces in the two usual suites (#1 and #2). After hearing this recording you will realize you have been robbed all these years. Salonen brings a warmth to this legend so that these characters are somehow personable and human. (His scholarship in Scandinavian mthys and legends has paid off!) But the music exhibits such force that you cannot help but be moved. If you have not heard "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with full choir (as is performed here) then you have never fully experienced this famous piece. Also the plaintive folk violin and the angelically human solos will make you wonder why you have never heard them in this form. This is the only version of Peer Gynt worth buying, even though some of the other recordings are quite good, too. They are simply incomplete in every way. And besides, this Scandinavian collection of musicians can pull this off as no others can.

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