The American Trumpet

On this CD:

1. Dance Suite, for trumpet & string orchestra
Composed by Leo Eylar
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

2. The Avatar Enigma-Release
Composed by Steve Rouse
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

3. Invocation, for trumpet & string orchestra
Composed by Robert Starer
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

4. Johanna
Composed by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

5. Not while I'm around
Composed by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

6. Notturno, for trumpet, harp & string orchestra
Composed by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

7. Miniature Portraits, for trumpet, bassoon & strings
Composed by William Thomas McKinley
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag, Deborah Greitzer
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

8. Serenade for trumpet & strings
Composed by David Froom
Performed by Jeffrey Silberschlag, Deborah Greitzer
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

Tracks:

Holy Manna
Abbeville
Wondrous Love
Sweet Hour Of Prayer
Jewett
Dunlap's Creek
New Britain
The Morning Trumpet
Resignation
Poland
Wayfaring Stranger
Sweet By And By
Blooming Vale
Idumea (I)/Idumea (II)
Sweet Prospect
Shall We Gather At The River
Amanda
Invitation
Parting Hand
Angel Band

Amazon.com

This, Anonymous 4's final recording, is a break from their usual "early music" periods and locations; it presents American music, religious in nature, from the 18th and 19th centuries. And it's absolutely beautiful from start to finish. Their normal, exquisite technique and purity here blend to sound the way we imagined the ladies' choir in church meetings in America past might have sounded: sweet, sincere, and with harmonies recognizable yet somehow fresh. Some of the songs begin with the women singing "fa, so la" exercises, which was called "shape note" singing because some places taught singing with notes as shapes--circle, rectangle, diamond, triangle. But it's the music that counts, and there are treasures here. They include two versions of "Amazing Grace," one familiar, one with an unusual melody and a piece called "Blooming Vale" which is as sophisticated as anything on their previous albums. "Shall We Gather at the River" is performed with a clarity and loveliness that makes us forget that it's normally sung as background to movies about the Great Depression. The foursome sometimes sing in rich harmonies and occasionally alone or in pairs or trios. This is glorious Americana and highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

spiritual americana.......2007-01-06

I have some of the older Anonymous 4 recordings which are more medieval
and gregorian in style (I love them!). They move on to cover spiritual
basics of the 1800s. If you like classical music, perfect harmonies
and spiritual americina, then you will be blessed!

Rich Heritage.......2006-10-11

Anonymous 4 consistently produces exquisite and authentically beautiful recordings and this one presents early American hymns in ways few groups can manage. Some tunes are highly recognizable while others are 'new' to me but a refreshing reminder of the singing heritage of religious societies in times past. For those who enjoy old hymns and authentic renderings, this is a must buy.

Superb .......2006-08-07

This collection of American Christian music is not only an enthralling musical experience but a spiritually uplifting one as well. Anonymous Four have transferred their luminous vocal quality to a new space with perfect success.

Can't walk away from it!.......2006-08-07

My only "complaint" about the CD is that I absolutely HAVE to sit and listen to the entire thing whenever I start it up! I usually have music playing in the background while doing other things, but not this one! There are no tracks that I find myself wanting to skip over as in most collections. In fact, I usually find myself going back and listening to selected tracks again (and again and...) after taking the hour+ to listen to the whole thing through once.

These four ladies produce a unique and remarkable sound. I can't recommend it enough.

Mana from Heaven.......2006-05-08

I think the title of this CD is perfect. I first heard an interview for this CD on Public Radio and fell in love. I had never heard Anonymous 4 before then but look for all I can find of their music now. The title is perfect as the women sound like Angels and the music lifts the spirit. I find myself singing the old version of Amazing Grace all the time now. Incredible and a huge blessing to all who hear it.

Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig

Average customer rating:

Superb Introduction to Hovhaness
Hovhaness on Naxos

Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto; Fantasy Variations; Nymphs and Satyr; Summer Seascape; Pastorale; Serenade
Hovhaness: Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53; The Prayer of St. Gregory
Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto
Glass: Heroes Symphony; The Light
Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto

ASIN: B000JVSVDI
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

Khirimian Hairig, Op.49
Largo
Andante Espressivo
Allegro Moderato
Adagio Doloroso
Allegro
Senza Misura: Adagio
Finale: Andante - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Superb Introduction to Hovhaness.......2007-05-24

This is a superb introduction to the works of Alan Hovhaness, a long-neglected 20th Century American Composer. The Trumpet Concerto (Khrimian Hairig) is well-played and has a serious thoughtful quality to it. This work should be performed more often by orchestras. The Guitar Concerto is also entertaining and well-played and deserves more playing time with larger orchestras. The Symphony No. 60 (!) is a work more typically associated with Hovhaness - upbeat positive music with no ties to the modern school of classical music. The conductor Gerard Schwartz has spent much of his career championing the works of lesser known American composers and does a great job here. The recording is excellent as well.

Hovhaness on Naxos.......2007-03-07

The reputation of the American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911 -- 2000) continues to grow. Hovhaness was a prolific composer of 67 symphonies and about 400 other works. He wrote in a highly personal, mystical style that emphasized his Armenian roots, his devotion to nature, and his interest in Eastern thought and music. His music is accessible and enjoyed substantial popular appeal during the later years of the composer's life. But it was not always well-received by critics.

This CD is the third that Naxos has devoted to the music of Hovhaness in its "American classics" series. It offers two world-premiere recordings. These releases offer an outstanding opportunity at a budget price to get to know Hovhaness' music. The first two CDs featured Hovhaness early cello concerto and symphony no. 22, the "City of Light" and a collection of three of Hovhaness' six symphonies for wind band. The most recent, CD offers three works in differing forms from relatively early in Hovhaness' career to near the end. Gerard Schwarz, music director of the Seattle Symphony (Hovhaness spent the final years of his life in Seattle) and long a champion of the composer conducts the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. It is good to see a European orchestra offer sympathetic performances of Hovhaness in a short early work, and in the first recordings of a guitar concerto, and a late symphony. The composer's widow, Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness, has written excellent notes for the CD.

The CD opens with a work called "Khrimian Harig", opus 49, composed during the mid-40s. This is a work of about 8 minutes for orchestra and solo trumpet, played here by the orchestra's first trumpet, Lars Ranch. This is a highly lyrical, mystical work in which the trumpet represents an ancient Armenian prophet leading his people through persecutions to the path of faith. Much of the work is call-and-response between trumpet and orchestra. Hovhaness later adopted this work into a composition titled "Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places" opus 213 which appears on the earlier Naxos CD of Hovhaness' music for wind band.

Hovhaness' guitar concerto opus 325 was composed in 1979 and it is performed here by the American guitarist and composer David Leisner. This three movement work is highly idiomatic for the guitar and balances the voice of the instrument well against the larger forces of the orchestra. In the opening movement, slow, ominous statements of a theme for orchestra and bells alternate with long, guitar solos of a reflectively Spanish cast. The middle movement is in a concertante style as the guitar part alternates with a variety of solo passages for bassoon, cello, wind choir, and violin. The finale begins dramatically in a statement for the full orchestra. The stern orchestral writing alternates througout with softer, lyrical sections for the soloist. This is an intriguing, successful work in a difficult genre.

The final work on the CD is the Symphony no. 60 "To the Appalachian Mountains" opus 396 which also receives its first recorded performance. Hovhaness wrote this work in 1985 under a commission to celebrate the cultural heritage of the State of Tenessee. Apparently, the work was not well received in its opening performances, and that is unfortunate. This is one of Hovhaness' longer symphonies, over one-half hour in length, and it is lovely. Hovhaness combines his love for eastern music and nature with passages of distinctively American folk themes, virtually in the manner of Aaron Copland's popular works. With good reason, the composer referred to this work as his "Americana" symphony.

The work opens with a slow passage for flute and harp followed by a long flowing melody for strings. Near the end of the movement, the melody turns into a fugue, backed by pulsating drums and chimes. The second movement is an allegro which opens with a folklike mountain theme in the strings. This is followed by a melancholy English horn solo soon joined by the flute. After an outburst by the full orchestra, the folk theme returns to close the movement. The brief third movement opens with the harp and is based upon an old mountain tune called "Parting Friends." The finale opens with a large, slowly rocking theme in the strings followed by sections reminiscent of mountain dances before the opening material returns with brass and bells to close the work. I loved this symphony, particularly in its use of folk-sounding material (all of which were originally composed, with the exception of the tune in the third movement) and in its imaginative orchestration.

Listeners wanting to get to know Hovhaness and his distinctive style will enjoy this CD and its companions on Naxos. I am looking forward to further releases of Hovhaness' music in the "American classics" series.

Robin Friedman

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

EXQUISITE ! DELIGHTFUL !
Good for all collections
A Disc that is a good time all by itself!
An excellent compilation of light American classics

American Light Music Classics

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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European Light Music Classics
British Light Music Classics - 1
British Light Music Classics, Vol. 2
British Light Music Classics 4
Elizabethan Serenade: The Best of British Light Music

ASIN: B00000AE0F
Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

The Washington Post
Whistling Rufus
Pavanne
Nola: A Silhouette
The Whistler and His Dog
Belle of the Ball
The Arkansas Traveller
The Teddy Bears' Picnic
To A Wild Rose
Blaze Away!
Chanson 'In Love'
The Toy Trumpet
Promenade
Plink, Plank, Plunk!
The March of the Toys
Holiday for Strings
Narcissus
Symphony No. 5 1-2 'A Symphony For Fun': Perpetual Emotion
Symphony No. 5 1-2 'A Symphony For Fun': Spiritual?
Symphony No. 5 1-2 'A Symphony For Fun': Scherzofrenia
Symphony No. 5 1-2 'A Symphony For Fun': Conclusion!
Carousel Waltz

Customer Reviews:

EXQUISITE ! DELIGHTFUL !.......2006-01-22

What a wonderful collection of excellently performed and acoustically marvelous music -- rousing, contemplative, romantic, cheery - some of which were the long-remembered and not-often-heard-now favorite songs of my childhood and youth.

Make sure you read the enclosure that is tucked away into the front cover of this CD -- written in 3 languages, it proides little-known informatin about some of these wonderful tunes and their composers, and the illustrations throught the booklet are also a very nice touch.

Listening to this CD can be an intoxicating experience - what delightful selections all on one CD! From Gershwin to Gould, from Anderson to Sousa and more - a lovely Broadway tune (from Carousel), and the old familiar Arkansas Traveler as well, (and even a little barking and whistling on "The Whistler and His Dog"!) this eclectic collection of pieces was artfully and unforgettably performed, much to my great enjoyment. Although this was the first time I ever heard the New London Orchestra perform, you can be sure that now I will look for other recordings of theirs. I also plan to buy another copy so I can play it in my cubicle (quietly when at work, but LOUDER when I am by myself -- hee hee!!).

What more can I say? I love this CD with its remarkable collection of songs!!!

Good for all collections.......2000-12-09

Well, here is an English orchestra recording pieces that some American orchestra should have done long ago. This is music to have fun with and much to my delight was a piece that I have only heard on a 10 inch LP. That is Sym 5 1/2 by Don Gillis. This is one of the best light pieces written in the 20th Century by an American, but sadly little performed. Buy it just for the Gillis piece and consider all the others as frosting on the cake. Take a break from Wagner and Glass and get this one and the three CD's of British Light Music. Just enjoy. Aloha..

A Disc that is a good time all by itself!.......1999-05-17

This recording is the kind that some American "Pops" Orchestras should be making. Most of these light classics are ones that the Boston Pops have recorded before, but I don't think have been done as well as Mr. Corp and the New London Orch., have done them. This disc is a real treat and I hope just the first of many. We as Americans need to rediscover our musical works.

An excellent compilation of light American classics.......1998-12-09

British composers are well known for writing for the "Proms" concerts that feature light symphonic fare. There is much less American music in the same vein as Eric Coates, Edward German and Ronald Quilter, but conductor Ronald Corp has unearthed some real treasures on this disc of mostly short, light pieces. Amazon's listing doesn't include two of the best selections on the disc, Richard Rogers' Carousel Waltz and Don Gillis entertaining Symphony 5 1/2, subtitled "Symphony for Fun." It's a real crowd pleaser, and the fine sound on the recording is a good match for the entertaining repertoire.

Hovhaness: Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53; The Prayer of St. Gregory

Average customer rating:

Same old Hovhaness
Hovhaness for Winds
Hovhaness' Wind Symphonies

Hovhaness: Symphonies Nos. 4, 20 & 53; The Prayer of St. Gregory

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto
Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 60; Guitar Concerto; Khrimian Hairig
Hovhaness: Celestial Gate and Other Orchestral Works
William Schuman: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 10
Morton Gould: Fall River Legend; Jekyll and Hyde Variations

ASIN: B000BK53H4
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

Andante
Allegro
Andante Espressivo
Andante
Adagio
Andante Espressivo
Allegro Moderato
Andante Maestoso
Prayer Of Saint Gregory, Op.62b
Maestoso Sostenuto
Moderato Sostenuto Con Molta Espressione

Customer Reviews:

Same old Hovhaness.......2007-02-19

If you've heard one Hovhaness, you've heard most. I liked the "Prayer", but the symphony gave me nothing really new.

Hovhaness for Winds.......2005-12-04

I would urge you to read Robin Friedman's excellent review dated November 25, 2005; his descriptions of the music are excellent and give a pretty good idea of what to expect, especially if you are not that familiar with Hovhaness's music. Hovhaness wrote a great deal of music, and like some other very prolific composers (Milhaud comes to mind) some of Hovhaness's music treads a thin line between real merit and kitsch. For instance, the first of the 'Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain' sounds very much like clichéd snake-charmer music to me. That said, I found most of this disc to be extremely enjoyable. Much of it is based on chorale harmonies in the brass with occasional fanfare-like episodes, plus very imaginative use of percussion, both tuned and untuned. And, of course, there is much use of Near Eastern melorhythms.

By far the most amazing thing in this program is the noisy eruption shortly after the trumpet's oration in the first movement of 'Return and Rebuild the Desolate Place.' If one tried to imagine the cacophony of hell, one couldn't do better than this. And it sounds for all the world as if it is aleatoric, with each instrument going its satanic way, each one slowly dropping out until all that's left are sinister low growling trombone glisses. Wow! What an imagination Hohvaness had to come up with this!

The performances by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra (what an ungainly name!), which I take to be a student group, is quite good. Solo trumpet work is done beautifully by John Wallace, as one would expect by this fine Scots trumpeter who has recently become the principal of the Academy.

I would suggest that whoever listens to this CD make sure not to listen to the whole CD in one sitting, but rather to each piece on its own. Otherwise there is some tendency for it to all run together and sound alike. Close listening, however, reveals that each piece has its own charms.

Scott Morrison

Hovhaness' Wind Symphonies.......2005-11-26

The late Alan Hovhaness (1911 - 2000)has received considerable popular attention but too little critical appreciation. Hovhaness was a prolific composer of 67 symphonies and over 400 works in a variety of forms. He wrote a great deal of music for band, and his output includes eight wind symphonies. Three of these symphonies are offered on this CD. Keith Brion conducts the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra. Brion first conducted Hovhaness' wind music in 1964 with a high school band and recorded an all-Hovhaness disk with Gerard Schwartz on the trumpet in 1969. He has also made extensive recordings for Naxos of the music of John Phillip Sousa.

Hovhaness' symphonies are generally short and programmatic. The three wind symphonies on this CD emphasize the mystical, spiritual music of the composer. They consist of long choral passages for brass intertwined with solos for many different wind instruments, and for gongs, bells, cymbals, and drums. Much of the music, for the solos in particular, is modal in character, and it is contrasted with tonal passages in the larger ensembles. (Jean Sibelius did the same thing at times and Sibelius was a great influence on Hovhaness.) Hovhaness makes extensive use of counterpoint. The music is, and was composed to be, immediately accessible to a broad audience.

The three movement Symphony no. 4, opus 165, probably Hovhaness' best-known wind work, was composed in 1958. It contrasts brass chorales for trombone and trumpet with long solo themes in the bass clarinet and bassoon. It closes with an extended fugue. The unusual second movement features a haunting solo for xylophone extending the length of the music. It reminded me of a Milt Jackson solo for the Modern Jazz Quartet, which was active at the time this work was composed. The final opens with an extended brass chorale followed by solos for trumpet and winds. Bells and gongs give a mystical character to this symphony throughout.

Hovhaness' three -movement symphony no. 20, "Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain" opus 223 dates from 1969 and was one the composer's works commissioned and performed first by a high school band. Each movement represents a pilgrimage. The tripartite first movement opens with a clarinet solo, followed by an English horn solo, and a long, lyrical climactic section. The second movement begins with a long solo for alto saxophone, and the band gradually joins in over a low droning theme and the roll of drums. The finale features a brass chorale and fugue. Here again percussion and chimes add much to this piece.

The final symphony on this disk, the two-movement "Star Dawn" opus 377 dates from 1983. Hovhaness apparently was fascinated by the possiblity of space travel, an interest I find it best to disregard in hearing the music. Chorale sections are contrasted with long, flowing solo passages for clarinet in the first movement. A drum-roll opens the second movement followed by a long reedy solo and a fugual close. The accompaniment of bells is to represent the stars or, perhaps,human yearning.

The CD includes two short Hovhaness works for band. The "Prayer of Saint Gregory" is a short piece Hovhaness arranged from an earlier composition for trumpet solo, played here by John Wallace, and band The trumpet solo predominates in this brief work with a meditative, searching character. The other short work, "Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places" also features John Wallace on the trumpet. The work opens with a piercing trumpet solo, followed by a loud helter-skelter passage for the ensemble. The second movement also is lead by the trumpet and is a call to rebuild the world from chaos.

This CD and its earlier companion will introduce the listener to the music of Alan Hovhaness. I understand that further releases of Hovhaness' music may be in the offing on Naxos. Naxos is performing a real service to lovers of music in its ongoing "American Classics" series.

Robin Friedman

The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever!

Average customer rating:

I love it and I give it as a gift
MarMSED
Diverse range but the songs are butchered...

The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever!

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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The #1 Choral Album
Choral Masterpieces
Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration
The Only Choral CD You'll Ever Need
The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics

ASIN: B00002ZZH6
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Tracks:

Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Academy And Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Zadok The Priest - Ambrosian Singers
Miserere Mei, Deus - Gerald Finley
Veni Creator Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
Lacrimosa - London Philharmonic Choir
For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Ambrosian Singers
The Heavens Are Telling - John Shirley-Quirk
Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
Ave Maria - Groupe Vocal De France
Ode To Joy - The Westminster Choir
Va, Pensiero - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
Chorus Of Slave Girls - Chorus Of The National Theatre Of Sophia
Coro De Romanticos - Coro Cantores De Madrid
In Paradisum - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
Totus Tuus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Celebration - London Symphony Chorus
Jerusalem - Royal Choral Society

Tracks:

Zion Hort Die Wachter - South German Madrigal Choir
Pleni Sunt Coeli Et Terra - Charles Brett
Hallelujah Chorus - Ambrosian Singers
Thou Knowest, Lord - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
Awake The Harp - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth - New Philharmonia Chorus
L'Adieu Des Bergers - Choeurs Rene Duclos
Agnus Dei - Peter Barley
Cantique De Jean Racine - MONKS AND CHOIRBOYS OF DOWNSIDE ABBEY
Ave Verum Corpus - Schutz Consort
Begluckt Darf Nun Dich, O Heimat - Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Munich
Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
Laudamus Te - Radio France Chorus
Chichester Psalms - Rachel Masters
The Lamb - Vasari Singers
Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Requiem Aeternam - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
Dies Irae - Philharmonia Chorus
O Fortuna - London Philharmonic Choir
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 (Land Of Hope Glory) - Royal Choral Society

Customer Reviews:

I love it and I give it as a gift.......2006-12-11

This is the first collection of choral music that I've purchased and I love it. I own copies of operas and requiems and masses, but if you attend choral concerts, as I have been recently, you learn there is a huge colletion of choral music appart from the forms I've been listening to. I appreciate the producers selecting "Song for Athene" by Tavener and "Celebration (Standing Stone)" by McCartney. They are new to me and I love them. Disk 1 ends with "Jerusalem" and Disk 2 ends with "Land of Hope and Glory." As an American I rarely hear these and I am so glad they were included. I believe this album was intended to help popularize choral music and I believe the selections do fine job towards that end.

I know snobs rage against popularizing classical music, but everyone deserves exposure to the beauty of song. I will also mention here "The East Village Opera Company" because they work to popularize opera by setting it to a rock beat. They do a fine job but also get criticized for attempting to popularize classical music.

"The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever" was so popular with my teen-age daughter that it was hard to get it back from her. I give the album as a gift to nephews and nieces.

MarMSED.......2005-08-27

The music selections are extraordinary. The only problem has to do with the balance of sound. There are some parts that are very loud, and some that are so very soft. You have to continually adjust the volume.

Diverse range but the songs are butchered..........2005-07-24

Well, this CD isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is irritating to someone who's more than a casual listener of choral music. I'm by no means as musically "literate" as many reviewers out there, but I have a collection of probably twenty-five or thirty choral CD's and this is one that will probably be gathering dust in the back of the CD book.

The peices are well-performed for the most part, but they are hopelessly edited. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is somewhere around twenty four minutes, but this CD only includes an arrangement of about five minutes. The beautiful Miserere is, uncut, almost eleven minutes but is cut down to five and a half minutes here.

Looking back, I should have realized the major editing that would be involved, just by the sheer number of peices on it. I'm familiar with a great many of them and I know they're too long to fit onto a seventy minute disc without some major cutting going on. I just didn't reason that out before I shelled out the money for it.

Bottom line. This CD has decent singing, but is nothing special. If you're a newcomer to this genre, you might get this as a quick overview of the different types of choral music out there, but if you're any kind of an avid listener, this CD will drive you insane with the severity of the cuts. Beginners, if you're looking for a great collection CD, you'd do better to look at "Choral Moods". It doesn't have the diversity in styles of this one, but it will introduce you to incredibly talented composers. To the old hats out there, steer clear of this one and look to CD's by your preferred individual composers themselves. It's more money, but much less frustration in the long run. The old sayings are sometimes the best: You get what you pay for.

Average customer rating:

A superb evening of Ives, the best in decades
Something of a disappointment
a wonderful summary
Ives is Ives
The Mood of Time

Ives: An American Journey
Michael Tilson Thomas , Charles Ives , San Francisco Symphony and Chorus , and Thomas Hampson
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Ives: Symphony No. 2 & Symphony No. 3/Bernstein Discusses Charles Ives
Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2 / The Gong on the Hook & Ladder, or Firemen's Parade on Main Street / Tone Roads No. 1 / Hymn: Largo Cantabile, for String Orchestra / Hallowe'en / Central Park in the Dark / The Unanswered Question - Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic
Ives: Holidays Symphony
Ives: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4/Hymns
Ives: The Symphonies / Orchestral Sets 1 & 2

ASIN: B00005UED6
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Tracks:

From The Steeples And The Mountains
The Things Our Fathers Loved
The Pond (Remembrance)
Memories
Charlie Rutlage
The Circus Band
The "St. Gaudens" In Boston Common
Putnam's Camp
The Housatonic At Stockbridge
In Flanders Fields
They Are There!
Tom Sails Away
Fugue From Symphony No. 4
Psalm 100
Serenity
General William Booth Enters Into Heaven
The Unanswered Question

Amazon.com

Michael Tilson Thomas is an expert Ivesian. His 1970 recording debut was with Three Places in New England, still available from DG. Here, he redoes the work with the interpolation of a chorus singing the poem on which the last movement, "The Housatonic at Stockbridge," is based--unusual, not as effective as the orchestral version, but fascinating. Tilson Thomas cites Ives's desire for performers to creatively shape his music, and this disc vindicates his editorial liberties by making Ives's surprising music even more unpredictable. The choral contributions are fine, too, but baritone Thomas Hampson steals the show with seven songs that display his empathy with Ives's varied styles and the range of the composer's music, from cowboy songs to touching elegies. The way Hampson bellows a Brooklynese "Coytin" (for "Curtain") at the end of the first song of Memories is worth the price of purchase. Here's a disc to be entertained by, and moved as well. The recording was made at SFS concerts, and we're privileged to share the audience's experience. A must-have for Ivesians and the curious. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A superb evening of Ives, the best in decades.......2005-12-18

Tilson Thomas's PR team should put out a ocntract on me; I rarely express enthusiasm for him. So let me bow especially low to this superlative 1999 concert of Ives as viewed from his most melodic, least revolutionary perspective. This is Ives as recording angel of ice cream socials and Fourth of July parades.

In the Seventies MTT made good but not exceptioanl recordings of Ives's major orchestral works. Here he concentrates on songs and orchestral bits and pieces, except for the extended Three Places in New England, which is x-rayed with exceptionally detailed sonics. Thomas Hampson secures his position as the best singer of American songs with highly dramatized, unbuttoned singing--his Charlie Rutlage, a Texas-accented elegy for a fallen cowpoke, and the familiar General William Booth Enters Into Heaven are instant classics. Chorus and orchestra enter in the spirit of bumptious good cheer, and overall a good time was had by all, even though the crowd was sent home sobered up by the supernaturally melancholy Unanswered Question, which never fails to send a shiver through the listener.

Something of a disappointment.......2004-01-12

I was very much looking forward to the latest Ives recording from Michael Tilson Thomas, whose reputation as an Ives specialist began with his first recording of the Three Pieces in New England, made in 1970 when the conductor was only in his mid-20s. That this disc came some way from living up to my expectations is perhaps due to a combination of over-optimism, uneven performances and what I feel is a less-than-ideal selection of works.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the opening of the disc: a fine performance of the craggy, dissonant brass and percussion work From the Steeples and the Mountains, a highly impressive miniature which swells from its dissonant opening to a climax where sound seems to echo off in all directions. However, I'm less convinced with the rest of the purely-orchestral program: this reading of Ives' classic Three Pieces of New England lacks a little of the gracious flowing lines of Tilsom Thomas' earlier 1970 recording; in addition the experiment of adding a recently-found choral part to the finale merely demonstrates how right the composer was to leave it out. For his extract from the Fourth Symphony, Tilson Thomas chooses the slow movement fugue. I am guessing this choice was to emphasise the "accessible Ives", but this is by far the weakest movement of the work (it was in fact arranged from the first movement of Ives' then 20-year-old First String Quartet), and even a good performance--as here--can't entirely hide up its conservative, almost academic writing. That perennial Ives classic The Unanswered Question, which closes the work, is an infinitely finer work, but unfortunately Tilson Thomas cannot match the transcendence of his own--distinctly slower--Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording from 1986.

The rest of the disc concentrates on various incarnations of Ives' bewildering variety of songs, and as a result comes into partial competition with what is to my mind one of the finest Ives discs around--a recording of selections from the songs and the sets for orchestra with Susan Narucki, Sanford Sylvan and Music/Projects London under Richard Bernas (if you're an Ives fan and don't have this disc, I suggest you rectify this immediately). The songs are extremely uneven in quality--ranging from trivial kitsch to outright masterpieces--and their styles vary just as much.

Most of these songs appear here in orchestral garb, but in three of them Tilson Thomas accompanies Thomas Hampson's baritone on the piano himself. The salon song The Things our Fathers Loved is one of the examples of irreparable kitsch, but rather better is the bipartite Memories which switches from camp to sentimental at its midpoint. In contrast, Tom Sails Away is one of Ives' finest songs, but in this recording its effect is compromised by Tilson Thomas' rather insensitive playing in the piano part.

The Pond (Remembrance)--another of Ives' finest songs--appears here in a version for women's chorus and orchestra. This transcendental homage to the composer's father is in fact much more subtle and rhythmically complex than it appears at first, and it has appeared in a bewildering variety of versions (three of which appear on the Bernas disc mentioned earlier). Similarly restrained in means is John Adams' careful baritone-and-orchestra version of the touching song Serenity: it's well-judged and well-sung here, and Adams avoids the pitfalls that David Del Tredici walks into in his entirely unnecessary orchestration of In Flanders Fields.

By contrast, Charlie Rutlage is an absurdly over-the-top piece of cowboy kitsch that disintegrates into violent discords as the words describe Charlie's death: this voice-and-orchestra version isn't half as good as Sanford Sylvan's voice-and-piano reading on the Bernas disc. Similarly eccentric is The Circus Band, a bizarrely outrageous confection for chorus and orchestra (based on an early orchestral march) that lacks some of the lustre of similar Ives effects. The bizarre Ives is also at work They are There! This near-hysterial rant (not actually as militaristic as it sounds at first) is heard in a chorus-and-orchestral version that lacks something of the sheer outrageousness of Ives' own voice-and-piano recording (even though Tilson Thomas takes an effort to try to copy the style of that reading).

The chorus-and-organ setting of Psalm 100 ("Make a joyful noise unto the Lord") is an intriguing piece of writing that well merits its exposure here, though it can't match General William Booth Enters Into Heaven for sheer unbuttoned craziness. This setting of Vachel Lindsay's poem, heard here in a version for baritone, chorus and orchestra is one of Ives' most endearing creations: its remarkable mix of modernism, bizarre wit and sentimentality, topped off with the sudden introduction of a hymn tune at the climax, is typical of the composer at his best. Unfortunately, this performance misses out on the last edge of hysterical ecstasy that is so necessary for the work to have its full impact (in my opinion it's easier to bring off in the voice-and-piano version).

I realise I am perhaps being overcritical of this disc, but it seems to me that a disc by such a fine Ivesian as Tilson Thomas should be held to a very high standrd. Though I was personally disappointed by this recording, it may well appeal to those who know little of the composer: however, I fear that Ives specialists are likely to be underwhelmed.

a wonderful summary.......2002-12-21

Charles Ives has always been a puzzle to me. From time to time I have listened to his music with a complete lack of resolution. Did I actually like it? Is it just an American marketing phenomena? Would we hear as much of him if he were, say, an Australian composer? I am still totally uncertain, but I love this CD for its variety of styles, variety of forces and general good humour. If you are immediately dismissive of Ives, can I suggest you start with the two songs called 'Memories'? Have a listen to this CD with an open mind - you may not like it all - even most of it - but one thing is certain and that is that this is not run-of-the-mill music.

Ives is Ives.......2002-06-15

I grew up on movie soundtracks and scores from the likes of Bernard Herrmann, Dimitri Tiomkin, Alex North and others. We have lost many of these composers but not their music they have left us through the years. That's a gift to all of us. I have been slowly looking at "20th century" composers from the "classical" arena to enhance my listening pleasure and my nature or "quest" to always seek out music that I am certain I must have passed over. I discovered Charles Ives after reading up further on Aaron Copland and his foray into many diverse areas of musical composition. One door opens another. Ives' name and compositions seem to have come up frequently. So far Charles Ives' music doesn't have the melodic quality of Copland or many contemporaries yet it does seem to have roots resulting in American musical motifs very strangely orchestrated resulting in some twisted profoundness. What attracts me is how Ives' music almost seems as if it were composed for film. Ives is Ives as I have found out. I enjoy this recording. It is strange, contemplative and definitely esoteric. Abrupt turns abound but that is the strength of Ives.

The Mood of Time.......2002-06-15

This collection of Ives compositions is exceptional. This CD makes for very good listening. I play it when I am alone in the car. The pensive music realy captures the mood of time.

Average customer rating:

Correction to Editor
College Music Education Student
It was great

American Variations

Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Euphoniums Unlimited: Music for Euphonium Choir
Emblems
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American Dreams
Listen to This

ASIN: B000003M5O
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

American Salute - Morton Gould
Amazing Grace - Frank Ticheli
Carnival Of Venice - Herbert L. Clarke
Vars On 'America' - Charles Ives
Fantaisie Original - Ermano Picchi
Ser From 'The Student Prince' - Sigmund Romberg
Ste Of Old American Dances: Cake Walk - Robert Russell Bennett
Ste Of Old American Dances: Schottische - Robert Russell Bennett
Ste Of Old American Dances: Western One-Step - Robert Russell Bennett
Ste Of Old American Dances: Wallflower Waltz - Robert Russell Bennett
Ste Of Old American Dances: Rag - Robert Russell Bennett
Scherzo - Edwin Franko Goldman
Napoli Vars - Herman Bellstedt
'Yankee Doodle' Fantasy Humoresque - David Wallis Teeves
The Volunteer - Walter Togers
March Of The Majorettes - Frank Simon

Album Description

British Euphonium virtuoso Brian Bowman joins Corporon and the CWS in over a century's worth of showpieces dating from 1878 to 1994.

Customer Reviews:

Correction to Editor.......2003-10-23

Brian Bowman is not British, he's an American. He was principal Euphonium with the U.S. Navy Band for several years before being selected for the combined Armed Forces Bicentennial Band which toured the world during 1976. After that tour, he joined the U.S. Air Force Band.

College Music Education Student.......1999-11-26

I love this CD and would recomend it to anyone even half way interested in band music or Baritone solos. My school recently had the honor of Brain Bowman as a soloist with our bands. He's amazing to watch in person.

It was great.......1999-06-20

I liked the Suite of old American Dances on this CD the best. I guess that is b/c I played in High School. the CD is great.

Average customer rating:

Pieces of Pieces--4.5 stars
A great baroque album by one of the masters of baroque composition
A Great Introduction at a Great Price
Delightful Baroque Variety

The Best of Telemann

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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