Fairies

On this CD:

1. Märchenbilder for viola (or violin) & piano, Op. 113
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Rivka Golani, Bernadene Blaha

2. Romances (3) for oboe (or violin or viola) & piano, Op. 94 version for viola
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Rivka Golani, Bernadene Blaha

3. Adagio & Allegro for horn (or violin or cello) & piano in A flat major, Op. 70
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Rivka Golani, Bernadene Blaha

4. Stücke im Volkston (5) for cello (or violin) & piano, Op. 102
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Rivka Golani, Bernadene Blaha

5. Märchenerzählungen for clarinet (or violin), viola, & piano, Op. 132
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Rivka Golani, Joaquin Valdepenas, Bernadene Blaha

Fairies, Music, Joaquin Valdepenas, Robert Schumann, Bernadene Blaha, Rivka Golani, Cello with Keyboard, Chamber, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard, Oboe Solo/Sonata, Viola with Keyboard

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (complete) / Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Average customer rating:

Best of the bunch

Musically Perfect Shakespeare

a voice teacher and early music fan

A Midsummer Night's Dream CD

A splendid and rewarding performance

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (complete) / Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Felix Mendelssohn , Seiji Ozawa , and Boston Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Battle, Kathleen | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Von Stade, Frederica | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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A Midsummer Night's Dream

Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A Midsummer Night's Dream

ASIN: B000001GM6
Release Date: 1995-01-17

Tracks:

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture - Incidental Music
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No.1 Scherzo
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 2
A Midsummer Night's Dream: March Of The Fairies
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 3 Song With Chorus
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 4
A Midsummer Night's Dream - No. 4: Help Me, Lysander, Help Me!
A Midsummer Night's Dream - No. 5 (Intermezzo): On The Ground (Narrator)
A Midsummer Night's Dream - No.7 (Nocturne): Her Dotage Now I Do Begin To Pity
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 9 Wedding March
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 10
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Marcia funebre
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Marcia funebre: Will It Please You To See The Epilogue
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 12
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No. 13 Finale

Customer Reviews:

Best of the bunch.......2007-06-26

The combination of music, narration and vocals make this CD the best example of AMND that I know of.

Musically Perfect Shakespeare.......2007-05-22

Mendelssohn as a child was very much immersed in the literature of Shakespeare. Growing up the child of wealthy parents this musical genius had little to worry him through his life, and that left him to focus on his music. At the age of only 17 (in 1826) he completed an overture to the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare, and it wasn't until another 16 years later that the incidental music was written, but this is little matter as the entire thing flows together so well.

Judi Dench here (known for her role as M in James Bond movies) narrates the select passages out of Shakespeare before and after the musical selections. Her performances here are flawless, wonderful interpretations of the Shakespeare that allow the idea of each scene of the play to come out and wrap around your head so that when you listen to the corresponding incidental music you are touched to the level which Mendelssohn has united the two.

The Boston Symphony's performance is equally as amazing headed by Seiji Ozawa. He leads the orchestra in an approach that is taken with a very light touch at times and almost seems not to exist, especially where it touches with Judi Dench's narration and you find yourself lost in a forest wood in Midsummer with Lysander and Hermia. One could easily imagine sitting in the audience of a theatre of a performance of Shakespeare listening to this music and agree that it is entirely in character. The beautiful singing of Kathleen Battle and Frederica Von Stade as the fairies complete the effect as their voices sing sweetly up the register very truly in what would be a fairy voice which further aides to the setting and perfection of this album.

This album is beautifully recorded and the sound is clear as one has come to expect from the Deutsche Grammaphon label. Add to that the flawless beauty of this performance and the fact that this disc actually has the overture and all the incindental music that Mendelssohn wrote, one would be hard pressed to find a better album for this Shakespeare play. It is a must have for any Mendelssohn fan and is equally vital to any Shakespeare buff's collection, and if you're neither, I say get it anyway because it is just that gorgeous, and has also a very cheery effect upon the soul.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-16

Felix Mendelssohn(1809-1847) was brought up in an intellectual environment thoroughly immersed in Shakepeare. His Grandfather Moses Mendelssohn had made some translations that included an excellent version of Hamlet's "To be or not to be", and his son Abraham, in turn, introduced Shakespeare to his own precocious Fanny and Felix, who used to give little domestic performances in their house.
It is no wonder then, that at age 17, already an experienced composer with literary sensibilities, Felix would have wanted to set his own ideas to music. On August 6, 1826, he completed an overture, that was intended as a distillation into sonata form of the play's imaginative content. Even at this age Mendelssohn's Romantic instinct is to reconcile literary impressions with abstract musical structures, and the outcome is a musical portrait of the play's meaning into sonata form.
When , in August 1843, he was commissioned by the King of Prussia to write incidental music for the play, he found that much of his previous overture could remain and heighten particular moments. The performance of the work took place in Potsdam on October 14,1843, and was such a success that it passed through Europe as being one of the finest pieces of music ever written to accompany spoken drama!
Seiji Ozawa has , in my opinion, cast three very excellent women for the roles singing/speaking in this production: Kathleen Battle with her smooth effortless & flowing soprano as the lst Fairy; Frederica von Stade with her very vibrant and dramatic tone quality as the 2nd Fairy, and who but the ever-marvelous Judi Dench, her voice laden with all kinds of nuances and varied intensities.
The Tanglewood Festival Chorus has a lovely ethereal quality, which is very suitable for this other-worldly tale, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra needs no applause!!!!I enjoyed this disc tremendously, and will continue to play it for many years.

A Midsummer Night's Dream CD.......2007-02-10

The music is lovely. However, the listing of songs has absolutely nothing to do with the way the are in fact recorded. Most annoying.

A splendid and rewarding performance.......2007-01-30

I normally am not enthusiastic about anything put forth by Ozawa, so I was pleasantly surprised by the warmly appealing recording of Mendelssohn's complete incidental music, music which is not nearly recorded or performed often enough. Much of the credit has to go to von Stade and Battle, as well as Judi Dench, who avoids slipping into an overly cloying narrative, as often happens.

Well-recorded & well-presented; a very rewarding performance in all respects!

Average customer rating:

Awesomeness!
Wonderful

Memento Mori
The Bastard Fairies
Manufacturer: Adrenaline Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)
Back to Black

ASIN: B000NQR7P2
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

The Greatest Love Song
Apple Pie
Habitual Inmate
The Boy Next Door
Ode To The Prostitute
A Case Against Love
We're All Going To Hell
A Venomous Tale
Everyone Has A Secret
Maybe She Likes It
Guns And Dolls
Moribund
Exoskeleton
A Heathens Lament
Whatever
Memento Mori
Ten Little Indians

Album Description

The Bastard Fairies could be termed an oxymoron. If this is the case, then their music is most definitely oxymoronic. Naughty but nice, sweet and sour, beautifully macabre, wonderfully morose. Like a baby with a razor blade, it'll hug you then cut you with no warning. Lead singer, Yellow Thunder Woman, fiercely intelligent and clearly disturbed is that baby, assigned to take you through the many trials of life and understand that, no matter who you are, or where you've come from, we are all screwed up and twisted and each of us is a bastard fairy in our own little way. The band has become a Myspace and YouTube favorite with their song "We're All Going To Hell".

Customer Reviews:

Awesomeness!.......2007-04-19

i just describe the awesomeness of this cd! and, ok, the music may not be appropriate for all ages, but so what? the lyrics are well written and tastefull. I cant even pick a favorite song, they are all so incredable! I definately reccomend listening to this.

Wonderful.......2007-04-15

I first downloaded the free album they had on their site and it blew me away. I haven't bought a CD in 10 years but I just had to buy this when it came out. Yellow Thunder Woman has such sweet yet seductive voice. I highly recommend this to anyone sick of the corporate trash on the airwaves these days. Support Independent Artists.

Average customer rating:

Pink Fairies - 'Never Never Land' (Polydor)
Hippie rock - good if you like it, painful if you don't
Twink's Pink
DO IT !!!
Neglected garage Psych. Classic

Neverneverland
Pink Fairies
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Kings of Oblivion
What a Bunch of Sweeties
Ptooff!
Think Pink
Tomorrow

ASIN: B000065TQR
Release Date: 2002-07-15

Tracks:

Do It
Heavenly Man
Say You Love Me
War Girl
Never Never Land
Track One Side Two
Thor
Teenage Rebel
Uncle Harrys Last Freakout
The Dream Is Just Beginning
The Snake (Bonus Track)
Do It (Single Edit) (Bonus Track)
War Girl (Alt Extended Mix) (Bonus Track)
Uncle Harrys Last Freakout (1st Version) (Bonus Track)

Album Description

Digitally remastered reissue of 1971 album includes four bonus tracks, 'The Snake', 'Do It' (Single Edit) & two previously unreleased tracks, 'War Girl' (Alt. Extended Mix) & 'Uncle Harry's Last Freakout' (First Version).

Album Details

Classic First Album by the Great under Achievers of the Late 60's and Early 70's British Rock Scene.

Customer Reviews:

Pink Fairies - 'Never Never Land' (Polydor).......2005-11-22

Originally released in early 1971,this was the stunning debut record by the Pink Fairies.Nice job on the reissue,comes with a 16-page full color informative CD booklet;packed with rarely seen artwork and memorabilia(like many Hawkwind CD reissues have).Includes two of the Fairie's best known cuts,the single "Do It" and the somewhat infamous ten-minute "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout".But it certainly doesn't stop there,other worthy tracks include "Teenage Rebel",the R&B-like "War Girl" and the title track "Never Never Land".Noticed the sound of this CD reissue appears to be quite polished,more so than one might expect.Makes for a great listening piece on a late weekend night.Plus,Polydor tags on four(4)bonus tunes that are alternate edits to some of the tunes I just mentioned.Basically,just great guitar-driven psych/garage rock&roll,that to me is a life long keeper.Recommended.

Hippie rock - good if you like it, painful if you don't.......2004-08-17

Sorry, all, but this doesn't deserve the accolades it gets. If you're really into the hippy-dippy 60's, the psychedlic movement (whoa, man... far out...), this is probably good stuff. But it's 60's psych-lite, at least from what I could hear. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was much better psych out by this time.

Twink's Pink.......2003-12-06

These guys used to hang out with Hawkwind about a million years ago, doing free gigs and 'stuff'. They don't sound all that much like their pals, though; compared to the first Hawkwind album, most of the Pinks' debut is a lot more polished and (dare one say) accomplished. Yeah, there is some noodling about ('Uncle Harry's Last Freakout' would have been a lot better had the band not tried so hard to make it sound so. . .well, like a Freak Out) but that's okay. The songwriting is great elsewhere, especially on the first five tracks (Side One of the original LP), and the hazy production gives the whole project a sort of ether-like effect. 'Do It', named after Jerry Ruben's Anarchist manifesto, leads the album with an appropriately anarchic statement of intent. 'Heavenly Man' is a stunner, a metallic ballad (nowadays they cunningly call this sort of thing a Power Ballad, folks) with a decidedly smoky aura, and the title track is an amusing and catchy little invitational calypso: 'Come, we'll take you by the hand, we'll fly to Never Never Land, we plan to never never land', get it? It goes on little too long after the punchline, but that's what happens when you hang around Hawkwind. Also included for Your Listening Pleasure on this reissue: the original B-side single-version of 'Do It' along with its A-side 'The Snake' ('He's comin' here, he's comin' there, he's comin' almost everywhere'- - talk about stamina), and an early take on 'Uncle Harry' which proves that the Freak-Out was pretty well-rehearsed after all. Oh yeah, and a pretty decent extended disco remix of 'War Girl'. Just kidding, it isn't really disco.

DO IT !!!.......2002-12-15

Yeah, this is very, very good! The first Fairie's album, reissued with great bonus tracks, is a mind-melting mix of drug-fuelled psychedelic atmospheres and scorching, feedback-driven acid guitar garage rock, with a remarkable nod to what would be later called 'punk rock'. Great lyrics, raging vocals, a fierce rhythm section and veritable SMOKING classics, like "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", "Do It", "The Snake" & "Teenage Rebel".

Neglected garage Psych. Classic.......2002-07-06

Why is it that most have never heard of the Pink Fairies or let alone this record? It could be that the thing is never released domestically---including the original Vinyl release---At any rate it is a must have for anyone remotely interested in 60's psychedelic--garage--proto punk--or all of the above....Standout tracks are "DO It" recognized by most old school punks as true punk ancestor--"Uncle Harrys Last Freakout" exactly what it says--kind of Englands answer to "Sister Ray"....Just get this CD and fast while it's momentarily in print....then get the 3rd Record "Kings of Oblivion" and if your still craving the Fairies pink up the second record "What a Buncha of Sweeties" and incidently they've all just been reissued and remastered with a couple bonus tracks.......amen

Average customer rating:

Don't just think about it man.......... BUY IT !
Pink Fairies - 'Kings Of Oblivion' import
Motts of Oblivion
FAST PLAYIN AT THE RACETRACK OF MIND SPIN
'Punk' Fairies hits the spot again

Kings of Oblivion
The Pink Fairies
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Definitive Collection

ASIN: B000065TQS
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Tracks:

City Kids
I Wish I Was a Girl
When's the Fun Begin?
Chromium Plating
Raceway
Chambermaid
Street Urchin
Well, Well, Well [Single Version][*]
Hold On [Single Version][*]
City Kids [Alternate Mix][#][*]
Well, Well, Well [Alternate Version][#][*]

Album Description

Digitally remastered reissue of 1973 album includes four bonus tracks, 'Well, Well, Well' (Single Version), 'Hold On' (Single Version) & two previously unreleased tracks, 'City Kids' (Alternative Mix) & 'Well, Well, Well' (Alternative Version).

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Classic Third Album from One of British Rock's Classic Under-achievers. Includes Four Bonus Tracks of Two Single Versions of 'hold On' and 'well Well Well' plus the Previously Unreleased Mixes of 'city Kids' and 'well Well Well'.

Customer Reviews:

Don't just think about it man.......... BUY IT !.......2004-04-30

Well, what can I say.With the wife and kids (dog,cat, hamster - anyone you care for really) well out of the way, turn it up FULL volume until the drums kick you in the head, the basslines make the walls move,Larry Wallis's guitar cuts through you like a knife and enter an alternate state of consciousness.A full scale assault on the central nervous system.Bloody fantastic. The album is worth buying just to listen to Russell Hunter's drumming on 'City Kids'alone(probably the best 3 1/2 minutes Wallis (or anyone else) has ever penned.) If you haven't heard of the Fairies check them out on the web to see why they are a legend and buy all their remastered albums.The Wallis-driven 'Kings' is their best effort. My wife hates it - the ultimate accolade.This is without doubt rock and roll at its very finest.

Pink Fairies - 'Kings Of Oblivion' import.......2004-04-28

'Kings...' was originally released in 1973,being the band's third effort.The line-up on here is strictly a trio with Russell Hunter on drums,Duncan Sanderson on bass/vocals and Larry Wallis on guitar/vocals.This disc kicks MORE ass than I was expecting.I was quite impressed with "I Wish I Was A Girl","Chromium Plating",the boot stomping instrumental "Raceway" and "Street Urchin".Wallis's guitar ripping is worth the admission price alone.Wasn't he the original guitarist for Motorhead?In fact,this CD's opener "City Kids" went onto be a Motorhead tune.Comes with four bonus cuts added on,so you can't go wrong by picking up a copy of this title.Should appeal to fans of MC5,Deviants,the Melvins,Stooges and Spirit Caravan.

Motts of Oblivion.......2004-01-01

What a band. Everybody loved the Fairies. On their night - the best band in the world; on their off days - well, the least said the better. They played every free festival there was, always turning up for them, but sometimes forgetting to turn up to the ones that they were supposed to be paid for. Touring with the equally infamous Hawkwind, ending every concert with a set of "Pinkwind", where everybody got up on stage for a Jam that would either be marvelous or, depending on the state of the respective band members, a complete shambles.

The Pink Fairies were well known for their excessive Rock `n' Roll lifestyle, ultra cool looks (denim, leather, very long frizzy hair, cowboy boots and eternal shades), couldn't care less attitude, and excellent musicianship. Unfortunately the later was generally ignored by the press, but mind you, they didn't exactly help themselves with their barely concealed contempt for the press or the music business hierarchy in general.

This dog's favorite Fairies' story is that of turning up at Maidstone Civic hall to witness the Fairies in motion. After a very under-rehearsed Fairies had blown the roof off with a ramshackle 40 minutes set including encore ("City Kids", "Lucille", "Johnnie B. Goode", "Well, Well, Well", "The Snake" and a 10 minutes "Uncle Harry's Freak Out"), we were greeted by a very annoyed looking Larry Wallis announcing from stage that the management had told them they were booked for 90 minutes and if they didn't play 90 minutes they wouldn't be paid. The band then came back on stage played exactly the same set again, only with "Uncle Harry's Freak Out" including an extra 10 minutes drum solo. So the band got paid, management were happy, and the audience all got to see the Fairies twice.

This album under review, "The Kings Of Oblivion", was the Pink Fairies third official release (after "Never Never Land" in 1971 and "What A Bunch Of Sweeties" in 1972). But to say the lineup had been consistent was like saying that the English cricket batting lineup was reliable. Already come and gone through the revolving fairy door had been ex-Pretty Things drummer Twink (off to play in "The Stars" with fellow spacemen Jack Monk and Pink Floyd's Syd Barret), ex T.Rex man, Steve Peregrine Took, Trevor Burton of Move Fame, Mick Farren, and Larry Wallis (who both came back), Paul Rudolph (lured away by promises of fame and fortune by Hawkwind..... another fine mess) and Mick Wayne, who, although only in the band for 6 to 7 gigs, wrote their surprise hit single "Well, Well, Well".

But when Mick Wayne was kicked out, this left the way for the glorious return of Larry "Lazza" Wallis, who'd been showing off his wares with "Blodwyn Pig" and "U.F.O" (Wallis' parting shot to U.F.O after being fired for not turning up to rehearsals had been "You May Rehearse, I Create"). Joining the nucleus of Duncan Sandersand on bass and Wildman of Rock Russel Hunter on drums, the Fairies then enjoyed a period of stability (18 months) during which they recorded this remarkable guitar driven album.

There is no doubt that this is Wallis' album, having a hand in writing all the songs, singing, playing guitar, production and engineering credits.

The album opens with the classic "City Kids" (which Wallis was to take with him when he formed "Motorhead with Lemmy after he was kicked out of Hawkwind,. All gets very incestuous,doesn't it) here in its original version, all crunchy guitars, rock solid bass and drums with a catchy chorus, which you are singing along second time around. All the songs here are 24 carat solid gold easy action; it is one of rock music's great in justices that this is not regarded as one of its all time classics.

Out of all the Fairies albums this is possibly their best, certainly their most refined studio effort. But should be played at 11 for maximum effect.

Over the years there have been many Pink Fairies reformations and comebacks, at one time there were four different versions of the band on tour, plus up to eighteen albums released under the Fairies banner. But take my word for it, anything with Larry Wallis on it is sheer class.

As for "The Kings Of Oblivion", who can resist a cover with three flying pink pigs on it, all wearing shades?
Mott the Dog.

FAST PLAYIN AT THE RACETRACK OF MIND SPIN.......2003-11-24

Oh, the Faries could play. ON this ONE, they do, OUTto prove, on a mission to prove they could not only keep up but,ECLIPSE em DEEP purple HIGHWAY star,BEAT EM AT THEIR OWN game, BY DROPPIN ALL PSYCEDELIC,tints and JUST plain, SPEEDY SPEEDIER , race track LIKE no NONSENCE,dog chassing its own TAIL, tunes are like SPIRALS into IGNITION.

'Punk' Fairies hits the spot again.......2003-01-28

Oh my, Pink Fairies simply RULES! This is the third and last studio album by the band, and what a furiously adrenalined, powerfull farewell it is!! Drived by the amphetamine-fuelled crunching guitar assault of Larry Wallis, the storming, ferocious rhythm section of Duncan Sanderson and Russell Hunter and the ironic, blistering vocals of 'Sandy', the Fairies displays here an overwhelming proto-punk, glitter/mod drenched raging rock'n'roll, in an smashing, mind-expanding, irreprehensible sequence of thunderous songs. All the cuts included in that reissue are outstanding, but my particular favourites are "Chambermaid", "I Wish I Was a Girl", "Raceway" and "City Kids". ROCK ON, FAIRIES!!

Adam: La Filleule des Fées (Complete Ballet)

Average customer rating:

Very good music by the composer of Giselle.

Adam: La Filleule des Fées (Complete Ballet)

Manufacturer: Marco Polo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Overture & Ballet Music of the 19TH Century
Fete du Ballet: A Compendium of Ballet Rarities

ASIN: B00005U4VZ
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

No. 1
No. 2
No. 3, 4 & 5
No. 6
No. 7
No. 8
No. 9
No. 10
No. 1
No. 2 Pas De Cinq
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
No. 8
No. 9 Divertissement
No. 9a (No. 10) Pas De Cinq
No. 9b (No. 11)
No. 9c (No. 12) M. Petipa
No. 9d (No. 13)
No. 10 (No. 14) Apres Le Divertissement

Tracks:

No. 1 Marche Lointaine (Nos. 1, 2 & 3)
No. 2 (No. 4)
No. 3 (No. 5)
No. 4 (No. 6)
No. 5 (No. 7)
Entr'acte
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 4a (No. 5)
No. 4b (No. 6)
No. 4c (No. 7)
No. 4d (No. 8)
No. 4e (No. 9)
No. 5
No. 1 Mouvement De Valse
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4

Customer Reviews:

Very good music by the composer of Giselle........2002-07-30

The second quarter of the 19th century is particularly interesting because it marked a blending of the Classical and Romantic periods. The vestiges of Classicism gave a special charm to the early Romanticism which dominated this period. It this period which produced the great bel canto operas of Donizetti and Bellini and the piano music of Chopin. In this special period Adam wrote a number of charming ballets, the greastest of which -- and, indeed, the first truly great ballet -- was Giselle. Although La Filleule des Fees is not the masterpiece that Giselle is (but then very few other ballets are on a par with Giselle) it is a very charming ballet, ably conducted by Andrew Mogrelia -- who appears to be have a particular affinity for Adam's music. If you like this type of music don't pass up this 2-CD set

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

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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!

The Most Popular Classical TV Themes In The Universe

Average customer rating:

Wow....better than I first thought..

The Most Popular Classical TV Themes In The Universe

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | 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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

TV Guide: 50 All-Time Favorite TV Themes
ITV 50: The Album
One Hundred Greatest TV Themes

ASIN: B0002NRRPG
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Sesame Street - STRAUSS: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Sehr breit
Looney Tunes - SUPPE:
The Four Seasons Theme - VIVALDI; The Four Seasons, Summer, Presto
Polo - HOLST: Jupiter from "The Planets"
Monty Python's Flying Circus Theme - SOUSA: Liberty Bell March
Disney Cruises - SAINT-SAENS: "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals
Bank of America - SATIE: Gymnopedie No. 1
Green Hornet Theme - RIMSY-KORSAKOV: Flight of the Bumblebee
Huntley-Brinkley Report Theme - BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 2nd Movement
Gatorade - BACH: Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude
Bailey's - OFFENBACH: Barcarolle from "Tales of Hoffman"
AT&T Wireless - DVORAK: New World Symphony, II. Largo
Lexus - PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet, The Montagues and the Capulets
Quaker Oats - TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture (Conclusion)

Tracks:

Looney Tunes - WAGNER: Flying Dutchman Overture
M.A.S.H. - MOZART: Clarinet Quintet, I. Allegro
Scrubbing Bubbles - KHACHATURIAN: Sabre Dance
American Experience, "MacArthur" - ALFORD: Coloney Bogey March
IBM - BEETHOVEN: Fur Elise
Ren and Stimpy - TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
Ren and Stimpy - TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker, Dance of the Reed Flutes
Looney Tunes - BRAHMS: Hungarian Dance
"Pizzicato Pussycat" - CHOPIN: Minute Waltz
Land Rover - HANDEL: Largo from "Xerxes"
Boursin - DEBUSSY: Clair de Lune
Peugeot - SMETANA: The Moldau
Pontiac GTO - HOLST: Mars from "The Planets"

Customer Reviews:

Wow....better than I first thought.........2007-04-12

I came across this CD (from a "Relaxation" series) by accident and thought, oh no, just another compilation of classical music tidbits---and taken from TV commercials/shows yet---oh, spare me! But how wrong I was. Despite its boast of being, "The Most Popular Classical TV Themes in the Universe" title (and because the price was reasonable for a 2-CD set), I bought the CD and was amazed by the quality of the recordings. I was disappointed when neither the manufacturer nor Amazon.com provided a listing of the artists on the recordings; as after hearing some of the tracks, I wanted to buy the artists' complete renditions. My favorite track on this CD, Debussy's "Clair de Lune," is performed so movingly, so stirringly, so hauntingly, that I wish I knew who recorded it. Not all tracks are arranged for orchestra. An example is Handel's "Largo from Xerxes," which is arranged for harp-and-flute, an arrangement which I found delightful and reminiscent of times in the 18th century when the elite held their salons and provided such music at these events. There is no singing on any tracks; it's pure instrumental. I didn't purchase my copy for "relaxation," as the series promotes, for the CD is just as enjoyable to play anytime, anywhere, and especially with a quality headset!

The Most Beautiful Melodies of Classical Music, Vol. 1-10 (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

The Most Beautiful Melodies of Classical Music, Vol. 1-10 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | 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

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Romance of the Violin

ASIN: B00000G1JO
Release Date: 2000-07-07

Tracks:

The Four Seasons: Concerto No. 1 In E Major 'Spring,' I. Allegro
Overture No. 3 BWV 1068: Air
Water Music: Alla Hornpipe
Orpheus and Eurrdice: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
Piano Sonata In A Major K. 331: Alla turca
Symphonie No. 3: Allegretto
String Serenade: Waltz
Foreign Countries And People op. 15 No. 1
Flute Concerto No. 1 In G Major, K. 313: Rondo. Tempo di Minuett
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Minor Op. 21: Larghetto
Quintet In A Major 'Trout': Theme & Variations
Waltz In A Flat Major
Impromptu In G Flat Major D 899,3
Sinfonia concertante In E Flat Major K 364: Presto

Tracks:

Voices Of Spring Waltz Op. 410
Serenade Op. 3 No. 5
Songs Without Words In E Major Op. 19,1
Horn Concerto No. 3 In E Flat Major K. 447: Allegro
Fausts Verdammnis: Dances Of The Sylphes
Flute Concerto In G minor
Salomon: Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba
Piano Concerto No. 23 In A Major K 488: Andante
Holberg Suite Op. 40: Prelude
Carmen: Intermezzo
String Serenade op. 22: Tempo di valse
Impromptu In B Flat Major D 935 No. 3
I Love You Op. 5 No. 3
Roses From The South, Waltz Op. 388

Tracks:

Peer Gynt: Morning
The Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarole
Melody In F, Op. 3 Nr. 1
The Nutcracker: Waltz Of The Flowers
Standchen
Etude In G Sharp Minor 'La Campanella'
Peer Gynt: Anitras Dance
Moment Musical D 780 No. 3
Canon In D
Overture No. 2: Menuet & Badinerie
Piano Concerto No. 21 In C Major: Andante
Carmen: Seguedille
'Songs without Words': The Venetian Gondola
Eugen Onegin: Waltz
Romance For Violin And Orchestra In G major Op. 26

Tracks:

Die Fledermaus: Overture
Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song
Waltz No. 1 Op. 18 In E flat major 'Grande Valse brillante'
Lullaby
L'Arlesienne: Intermezzo
The Seasons Op. 37b: Barcarole
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairies' March
Clarinet Concerto In A Major K 622: Adagio
The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz
La Traviata: Prelude
Carmen, Suite No. 2: Chanson du Toreador
Happy Farmer
Menuet
On The Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltz Op. 314

Tracks:

A Little Night Music K 525: Allegro
Sonata No. 2 In E Major BWV 1031: Siciliano
Op. 11 No. 5: Menuet
Songs Without Words: Duetto
The Nutcracker: Dance of the Toy Flutes
Fruhlingslied (Spring Song)
Waldszenen: Abschied
Mandolin Concerto: Allegro
Music For The Royal Fireworks: La paix: Largo alla Siciliana
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: Allegro
Waltz In B Minor Op. 69 No. 2
Romance Op. 5
Impromptu In A Flat Major D 935 Nr. 2
Tales from the Vienna Woods, Waltz Op. 325

Tracks:

Ave Maria
Humoresque Op. 101
Sleeping Beautiful: Panorama
Impromptu In E Flat Major, D899 No. 2
Melancholy
Waltz Op. 54,1
Nocturne In B Major Op. 9 No. 3
Caro mio ben
PARTITA IN D FLAT MAJOR: Pastorale
An den Fruhling
The Sleeping Beauty: Pas de quatre, Adagio
Rosamunde - Ballet In G Major
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor Op. 37: Largo
Emperor Waltz, op. 437

Tracks:

Harp Concerto In B Flat Major: Andante allegro
Oboe Concerto In D Minor: Adagio
Flute Concerto In F Major, Op. 10 'La Tempesta di Mare': Presto
Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor Op. 13 'Pathetique': Adagio cantabile
Horn Concerto In E Flat Major K 495: Rondo. Allegro vivace
Poeme Op. 41 No. 6
Wilhelm Tell: Soldier's Dance
Liebestraum No. 3 In A flat Major
Violin Romance No. 2
Flute Concerto In E Minor: Rondo
Intermezzo In E Flat Major Op. 117,1
Carmen: Habenera
Symphony No. 3 'Scottish': Vivace non troppo
Vienna Bonbons: Waltz Op. 307

Tracks:

Symphony No. 40 In G Minor K. 550: Molto Allegro
Preghiera - Mozarianna Suite: Ave Verum
Arietta Op. 12,1
Concerto BWV 1056: Arioso
The Four Seasons: Concerto Nr. 3 Autumn: Allegro
Des Abends (Evening)
Holberg Suite Op. 40: Gavotte
Melancholy Galliard
Flute Concerto No. 2 In D Major K. 314: Rondo. Allegretto
Spinning Song
Orchestral Suite No. 3: Valse Melancolique
Flute Quartet K. 285a: Tempo di Minuetto
Moment Musical In A Flat Major, D 780 No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 9 In E Flat Major K 271 'Jeunehomme': Rondo - Presto

Tracks:

String Serenade: Moderato
Traumerei Op. 15
Ave Maria
Cello Concerto No. 2 In D Major: Allegro
Minuet In D Minor
Suite No. 1: Marche Miniature
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Notturno
Mazurka In D Major Op. 33 No. 2
Divertimento K 251: Andantino
On Wings Of A Song
Carmen: Nocturne
Melody
Sonata In C Major BWV 1033: Allegro
Symphony No. 1 In G Minor 'Winter Dreams': Adagio cantabile
Sound Of The Spheres, Waltz Op. 235

Tracks:

The Marriage Of Figaro: Overture
Sonata In C sharp Minor Op. 27,2 'Moonlight Sonata': Adagio sostenuto
German Dance No. 1
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor Op.posth.
Haffner Serenade: Minuet
Septet In E Flat Major Op. 20: Tempo di Minuetto
Symphony No. 4 Italian: Andante con moto
Prelude In D Flat Major Op. 28, No. 15 'Rain Drops'
'3 Small Pieces': Impromptu
'The Nutcracker': March
Romance In E Flat Major Op. 44
Piano Sonata No. 16 In C Major 'Sonata facile': Allegro
'The Nutcracker': Scene No. 10
Enjoy Your Life Waltz, Op. 340

Average customer rating:

Compilation release
Text Translations Please!

Sweet Power of Song

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004Z34R
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Tracks:

Irish Songs: Sweet Power Of Song, Wo0152 No.2 - Felicity Lott/Ann Murray/Graham Johnson/Galina Solodchin/Jonathan Williams
Irish Songs: The Elfin Fairies, Wo0154 No.1 - Felicity Lott/Graham Johnson/Galina Solodchin/Jonathan Williams
Irish Songs: Oh! Would I Were But That Sweet Linnet!, Wo0154 No.9 - Felicity Lott/Ann Murray/Graham Johnson/Galina Solodchin/Jonathan Williams
Irish Songs: English Bulls, Or The Irishman in London, Wo0152 No.12 - Ann Murray/Graham Johnson/Galina Solodchin/Jonathan Williams
Liederalbum Fur Die Jugend, Op.79: No.24 Er Ist's - Felicity Lott/Graham Johnson
Liederalbum Fur Die Jugend, Op.79: No.19 Fruhlingslied
Liederalbum Fur Die Jugend, Op.79: No.27 Schneeglockchen - Ann Murray/Graham Johnson
Liederalbum Fur Die Jugend, Op.79: No.16 Das Gluck
Vier Duette, Op.61: No.1 Die Schwestern
Vier Duette, Op.61: No.2 Klosterfraulein
Vier Duette, Op.61: No.3 Phanomen
Vier Duette, Op.61: No.4 Die Boten Der Liebe
Pleure, Pauvre Colette
Le Trebuchet, Op.13 No.3
D'un Coeur Qui T'aime
L'Arithmetique
La Nuit, Op.11 No.1
Reveil, Op.11 No.2
Pastorale
El Desdichado
Pleurs D'or, Op.72
Tarentelle, Op.10 No.2

Tracks:

Sound The Tpt
I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Ann Murray/Graham Johnson
Lost Is My Quiet For Ever
Fairest Isle - Felicity Lott/Graham Johnson
What Can We Poor Females Do?
Wasserfahrt
Volkslied, Op.63 No.5
Auf Flugeln Des Gesanges, Op.34 No.2 - Ann Murray/Graham Johnson
Neue Liebe, Op.19 No.4 - Felicity Lott/Graham Johnson
Abendlied
Maiglockchen Und Die Blumelein, Op.63 No.6
La Pesca
Anzoleta Co Passa La Regata - Ann Murray/Graham Johnson
La Promessa - Felicity Lott/Graham Johnson
Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti
La Siesta
Les Trois Oiseaux
Revons, C'est L'heure
Joie!
Au Bord De L'eau
Cache-cache
Trust Her Not
Coming Home
It Was A Lover And His Lass
Mother Comfort
Underneath The Abject Willow

Customer Reviews:

Compilation release.......2005-11-24

This release is a remastering of the two previous releases: Sweet Power of Song and On Wings of Song. Both original CDs are still available if you hunt for them. The original releases do have the texts included in the booklets (lamented by a previous reviewer of this compilation release). The lack of text is not a problem for me. I just listen to these incredible singers. I don't need to read what they are singing.

If you even slightly enjoy listening to the soprano voice, you will love these two luscious singers. Soprano duets are among my favorite classical music selections. Lott's clear, strong voice rings with authority and joy. Murray provides perfect harmony and occasional counterpoint.

I prefer the first disk (Sweet Power of Song) because it is more balanced and seems to represent the sopranos' favorite selections. However, disk 2 (On Wings of Song) has Rossini's delightful Cat Duet which is worth the price of both CDs as performed by this amazing duo.

Whether you buy this compilation set or the individual releases, I promise that you will love them and keep them near your player all the time.

Text Translations Please!.......2002-01-11

Musically, I give this double CD set 5 stars. I love the warm soprano of Felicity Lott and the beautiful mezzo of Ann Murray. They always are a pleasure to listen to, each on their own, and together, they make music that is, more than simply beautiful and technically impeccable, but truly a joy to listen to. It adds so much to musical enjoyment to understand what the lyrics are, however, so rather than buying this double CD set, for which the text translations have been stingily omitted by the label, I would recommend buying each of them separately. I bought this CD set not realizing that one of the two CDS is one that I had bought previously, and been enjoying for many years. It is entitled "On Wings of Song" and the texts and the translations are all included. I highly recommend buying it. I don't know under what title the other CD might have been released. If you are so fluent in foreign languages that the lack of translation does not bother you, then I would highly recommend this CD.

Vaughan Williams - Sir John in Love / Hickox, Northern Sinfonia

Average customer rating:

Pros & Cons for both versions
Five for the work ,for Hickox at least four stars!
Sir John's love is more impressive the first time around
Five stars, but not the only choice.

Vaughan Williams - Sir John in Love / Hickox, Northern Sinfonia
Ralph Vaughan Williams , Richard Hickox , Anne-Marie Owens , Sarah Connolly , Northern Sinfonia and Chorus , Brian Bannatyne-Scott , Donald Maxwell , Roderick Williams , Susan Gritton , Matthew Best , Mark Padmore , Stephen Varcoe , Stephan Loges , John Bowen , Richard Lloyd-Morgan , Laura Claycomb , Henry Moss , and Mark Richardson
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress - Gerald Finley / The Royal Opera Chorus / The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Richard Hickox
Ralph Vaughan Williams: A Cotswold Romance / Death of Tintagiles - London Philharmonic Choir / London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox
Vaughan Williams: Hugh the Drover
Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress: A Bunyan Sequence
Vaughan Williams: Sir John In Love

ASIN: B00005M0ER
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Tracks:

Act I: Orchestral introduction-What hoa, what hoa
Act I: Ahem
Act I: This is my father's choice
Act I: How now, what does Master Fenton here?
Act I: Vere is dat knave Rugby?
Act I: Episode
Act I: How now, mine Host of the Garter
Act I: I spy entertainment in her...
Act I: Wilt thou revenge...?
Act I: Love my wife? I will be patient
Act II: Orchestral introduction-Thine own true knight
Act II: Scene 1: Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more
Act II: Scene 2: Bardolph! Bardolph, I say!
Act II: Scene 2: Go thy ways, go thy ways, old Jack!
Act II: Scene 2: Sir, my name is Brook
Act II: Scene 2: Ha, is this a vision?

Tracks:

Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: Orchestral introduction-Yet hear me speak
Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: Fair and fair and twice so fair
Act III: Scene 1 Interlude: But listen, good mine Host
Act III: Scene 2: Orchestral introduction-When as we sat in Papylon
Act III: Scene 2: Yonder he's coming
Act III: Scene 2: Come, Master Ford
Act III: Scene 2: Orchestral-introduction-What, John! What, Robert!
Act III: Scene 3: Alas, my love, you do me wrong
Act III: Scene 3: Mistress Ford!
Act III: Scene 3: Ah!
Act IV: Orchestral introduction-Pardon me, wife
Act IV: Scene 1: There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter
Act IV: Scene 1: Interlude
Act IV: Scene 2: Orchestral introduction
Act IV: Scene 2: The Windsor bell hath struck twelve
Act IV: Scene 2: Ah-Who Comes here?
Act IV: Scene 2: But till 'tis one o'clock
Act IV: Scene 2: Dance of the Fairies
Act IV: Scene 2: But stay! I smell a man of middle earth
Act IV: Scene 2: Nay, do not fly
Act IV: Scene 2: My heart misgives me
Act IV: Scene 2: Stand not amazed

Customer Reviews:

Pros & Cons for both versions.......2005-08-30

Boito took Shakespeare's Merry Wives, added a little Henry IV (e.g. the Honour Monologue) and shaped, moulded and cut them about to make a libretto that focused tightly on the Fat Knight and was absolutely perfect for what Verdi wanted. Out of it came one of the greatest of all comic operas.

With VW, you get something much closer to the Shakespearean original, teeming with richly drawn characters and all the variety of Elizabethan/Jacobean life bustling past. Falstaff is merely the primus inter pares among them, albeit a huge one. Out of it came a great comic opera. And one that has been too seldom performed, standing in the long shadow of its predecessor.

Vaughan Williams, who was a great admirer of the Verdi piece, knew that comparisons would inevitably be made. (He would also have included his friend, Holst's, At the Boar's Head as a real rival from the Falstaff canon.) But comparisons are invidious. The VW and the Verdi operas are not comparable, either in their intentions or in their music. And both should be allowed to co-exist happily as companion pieces, not as rivals as two great comic operas we're fortunate to have.

Perhaps I protest too much. But the Vaughan Williams is such invigorating, life-enhancing, often ravishingly beautiful stuff that I'd hate to see it slip off the end of the shelf. Verdi is lauded as the great tunesmith, but how many tunes from Falstaff can you recall - Nanetta's last act aria, perhaps, a couple of snippets of Fenton, the final fugue maybe, or Sir John's 'Quand'ero paggio' which is so brief an aria that its original singer had to record it three times in succession to fill a 78 side. Perhaps that's why Falstaff is so badly represented on 78's compared to the other mature Verdi operas. Great music, yes, but singalongaFalstaff had, in his mature operas, ceased to be the composer's intention.

In Sir John in Love, on the other hand, the tunes just pour out one after the other. Which are genuine folksongs and which are VW originals is often hard to tell without a score in front of you (where the composer comes clean). Just listen to the way Dr. Caius' 'Vray Dieu d'Amour' takes over the orchestra or how 'Lovely Joan' (the tune in the trio of the famous Greensleeves Fantasia) heralds Mistress Quickly's arrival and 'Greensleeves' in situ is even lovelier than in the Fantasia. But then listen to the gorgeous tune that accompanies Ann Page's entrance, the wonderful melody for Ford's plea for forgiveness from his wife or the magical chorus that accompanies the arrival of the real bride and groom in the final scene. Those are all VW originals and great ones, to boot.

Choosing between the two performances of the piece on disc, it's a question of swings and roundabouts. This Chandos recording with Hickox at the helm benefits from his direction - a bit tauter, a little more spring to the rhythms than Davies and the choral contributions are as polished as you'd expect from a seasoned choral specialist. The Chandos recording, too, is a bit more up to date in terms of sound, a bit fuller and richer. EMI, on the other hand, probably has the superior cast with the likes of Robert Tear, Felicity Palmer, Helen Watts and Robert Lloyd seeing off their Chandos counterparts. Honours between the two Falstaffs are more even. Neither is ideal in the part. Herincx has the 'fatter' voice: Maxwell on this recording is the more characterful. But a piece like the madrigal that Sir John sings before Ford/Brook's arrival needs more warmth and more steadiness than either of them provide (would Bryn ever consider it as a partner to his Verdi Falstaff?).

It's a tough choice between the two versions. Choose the EMI for the cast (including, by a short head, Herincx's Flastaff). Choose this Chandos set for the conducting, the chorus and the more modern sound.

Five for the work ,for Hickox at least four stars!.......2001-11-09

(Here my review for Davies - EMI "British composers" recording
of this masterwork.)
If you feel that Verdi has beautyfull music but it has a too much thick blood, and you think that beauty must be tensed by reason; You are looking at the right composer.
This opera or musical drama (in the wagnerian sense, cause it is a romantic comedy) makes a very whole unit, the "areas" and the recited-sung recitatives are in funtion of the "dramatic" momentum and inerce of the work. It's incredible how pleasently quick this work is heard, and yes it's very entretaining (I know that's not necesary a virtue for an opera, but here it is).
The music, well, is gorgeous as might be expected from V.W., transitions are well sewn, and the traditonal folk songs add a dash or elizabethian romanticism.
The cast is strong, Hendrix is very suited for the rol, but you may fantacised how well this rol will be portrayed now by Bryn Terfel, It's sad that Hickox not thinck (or did he?)of this in his new recording of this opera (perhaps Chandos not provide him with the budget that Abado's can manage for his new DG. Falstaff recording).
Maybe Langridge will sound more youthfull than Tear, but that is a small detail. Hellen Watts it's spicy and perky Mrs. Quickly, and Gerald English Caius' is is excellent!
Davies captures V.W. orchestration very well with a ADD recording that will cause envy in this days, and the price, is to laugh about.
Treat you and buy this forgotten treasure!

Sir John's love is more impressive the first time around.......2001-08-05

While I generally agree with the review of Ahmed Ismael, I must give the nod to the earlier EMI recording, which has greater depth and spread to the sound. Chandos engineers have practically placed the voices in our laps with a resultant loss of orchestral detail. The work is, of course, lovely but if the ear is fatigued by the sound the myriad beauties cannot make their full effect. If one adds to this the fact that the EMI is a midprice reissue the choice becomes even more clear. Bravo to Hickox and company but no standing ovation this time.

Five stars, but not the only choice........2001-07-26

Vaughan Williams's comic "Sir John in Love" is one of those true opera rarities--an opera whose highlights become more impressive as the music progresses. Indeed, the true highlight of this opera is its final "Windsor Forest" scene in Act IV, where all the action is resolved, and everyone gets their "just desserts."

If this were the first recording of the opera available, it would be easy to recommend it to any VW (or opera!) enthusiast--the orchestral details are abundant and vividly present, the choral contribution is alive and infectious, and the vocal parts are well-presented and clear. However, there is in additional recording, in EMI's British Composer series, conducted by Meredith Davies. While many comparisons are stacked in the new version's favor, there are a few shortcomings that prevent an absolute recommendation.

Where Hickox succeeds over Davies is particularly in the portrayal of Anne Page and her several suitors. Susan Gritton sings more effectively than Wendy Eathorne, while both Daniel Norman (Slender) and Adrian Thompson (Caius) seem more plausible as suitors than Bernard Dickerson and Gerald English, respectively--although overall English makes a more vivid Caius. However, there is no question that Mark Padmore is the better Fenton: as well as Robert Tear sings for Davies, I can't shake the impression that he is wooing an Amazon, and not the girl-next-door Anne.

While the supporting cast is marginally to markedly superior for Hickox, with the Fords and Pages are fairly evenly matched between the two performances, the one clear victory of the Davies version is a significant one. As the title character, Donald Maxwell's Falstaff is no match for Raimund Herincx, either in characterization or in vocal quality. Additionally, the EMI set benefits from a superior recording--there's more of a sense of a performance in a real space, which adds an extra dimension to the rather static performance as presented by Hickox. Occasionally, Hickox also omits some dramatic effects (such as gasps from the onstage characters in Act III and laughter from the chorus in Act IV) which adds to the sense that this is only a "recording" and not a "performance."

All in all, there is much to recommend the new version, but confronted with a choice between this set and the Davies set on EMI, personal taste will have to suffice in choosing between them. [You may want to sample them both before buying either.]

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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