Sym 92 Oxford & Sym 103 Drum Roll

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 92 in G major ("Oxford"/"Letter Q"), H. 1/92
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn

2. Symphony No. 103 in E flat major ("Drumroll"), H. 1/103
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn

Conducted by Ludovit Rajter

Tracks:

Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

There's a wonderful legend, retold by (among others) Pfitzner's opera Palestrina, attached to the "Pope Marcellus" Mass: the Council of Trent, ground zero of the Counter Reformation, was about to ban all music but chant from the liturgy when Palestrina submitted this Mass, thereby changing the prelates' minds and saving church music. The writing is beautiful enough to deserve such a story: cheerful yet devout, comprehensible but not simplistic, without the complexity and secular borrowings (very prevalent in the preceding decades) that so perturbed the Council. The Missa Papae Marcelli has been recorded by choirs from Westminster Abbey to the Tallis Scholars, yet the Oxford Camerata does itself proud: Jeremy Summerly's reading of the music is reverently sweet, yet he's not afraid to make a joyful noise when appropriate--and the various voices are unusually clear. The equally radiant Missa Aeterna Christi Munera gets a similarly pleasing performance. Amidst serious competition, Summerly's readings of these Masses are among the best available--and, at Naxos's superbudget price, definitely the best value. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Something familiar, something new.......2005-10-19

--Palestrina--
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina is sometimes called the greatest composer of the Roman Catholic church. Born in 1525 near Rome, he spent the better part of his career in service to the church as a choir member, choir master, conductor, composer and school master. He was sought after by many churches, and sometimes his popularity and skill got him into trouble both with his clerical patrons and with fellow musicians. He was offered prestigious positions in Rome and Vienna which were ultimately withdrawn because Palestrina's salary and conditions requirements were too high. He had some influence on the Council of Trent's musical decisions for reform of the Catholic worship practices, and was involved intimately with revising the Gradual and produced a harmonised version of the Latin Hymnal in 1589. He died in 1594.

--Masses--
The first mass presented here is Missa Papae Marcelli. Written in the 1550s, it wasn't published until the next decade. Pope Marcellus was only pope for a few weeks, but managed to endear himself to composers and conductors by insisting upon clarity as the highest of virtues for choristers. There is a joy to this, as Palestrina is definitely in the mode of celebrating the life of Pope Marcellus. This is one of Palestrina's most recorded works.

The second mass, Missa Aeterna Christi Munera is likewise a strong composition, although it is much less known than the first. Palestrina wrote over 100 masses in his lifetime (in addition to a wide range of other pieces), so it is not surprising that there might be some relatively overlooked. This particular mass has a more solemn tone to it, but still soars magnificently, and has no real flaws in composition.

--Oxford Camerata and Jeremy Summerly--
The performance of both of these pieces is superb. Perhaps the better performance belongs to the second mass; the Camerata has twelve singers, who double on the six-voice Missa Papae Marcelli, but are able to triple on the four-voice Missa Aeterna Christi Munera. They play with tempo and expression in new ways. The Oxford Camerata was formed in the early 1990s under the direction of Jeremy Summerly - this disc is their second recording. (Legend has it there was a cement mixer just outside the Dorchester Abbey, and that the recording engineers missed the first session for recording due to car trouble.)

Summerly's direction and selection of material and interpretation is such that it bears watching in the future.

Palestrina's a giant in renaissance counterpoint.......2005-10-14

Beautifully performed CD of 2 beautiful Masses written by G. Palestrina. Worth listening to and adding to album collection. Palestrina definitely is unsurpassed in Renaissance Counterpoint and is rightfully called the Prince of Music.

Outstanding - music of the spheres........2005-10-12

I've sung much renaissance polyphony, especially Palestrina, and this is about as good as recording gets. The musicality of the entire album, the perfect blend of voices (as well as a the utterly exquisite quality of that of the second tenor) and the perfection of the composition are all factors which contribute to something nonetheless mysteriously holy and beautiful about this recording; maybe what the music was really meant to be.

Palestrina's Masses...I love them all..........2004-11-18

I don't think is a good idea to compare composers
from three different musical periods; because of
their different mentalities, different cultures,
and different resources at their disposal...The
Missa Papae Marcelli is of interest because is
one of the earliest works to challange the regulations
in music of the Counter-Reformation; but yet in
other aspects it stays very close to what was expected
of Palestrina...Of special interest of the
Missa Papae Marcelli is the Mass'Gloria....
The Missa Aeterna...is a work that is based
on a motet a procedure that at the time
was a "BIG NO, NO" to the Counter-Reformation
movement...As all of the Palestrina Masses these
works are all full of beauty and serenity...
Oxford Camerata does a wonderful job....

Not just a bargain disc..........2001-03-12

This disc might actually make a good Palestrina sampler, of sorts - at least a good sampler of his masses. The Pope Marcellus Mass is probably his best known mass, and both this mass and the Missa Aeterna Christi Munera are models of elegance and serenity. The latter piece is not recorded very often, so you would be advised to pick up this disc, which contains both of these splendid pieces.

Normally in a review like this I would give some contextual/historical information about the pieces, but Palestrina and his Missa Papae Marcelli probably need little of this. It is often pointed out that this mass was written partly as model for textual intelligibility in polyphonic music; it is, though, even more than that: it is a model for perfection in Renaissance form.

I have three other recordings of the Marcellus Mass - two are by the Tallis scholars (one on the Palestrina 400 collection and the other on another separate recording) and one is by a German Baroque choir that I can't and won't take the time to remember (the recording isn't very good). Of the two T. Scholars recordings, the one on the 400 collection is preferable for its tempo, the other for the better acoustics of the recording venue. Both are fine recordings - typical Tallis Scholars. I haven't heard the Voices of Ascension or Westminster Choir recordings of this mass, but they are probably good.

I would recommend this present recording over the T. Scholars ones, though, for different reasons. First, the acoustics are preferable - there's more resonance in this one. The most importance difference is not really in interpretation (both groups render the music as flowing smoothly and slowly) but in the choral sound. Summerly's choir simply sounds fuller. For all their precision, the Tallis Scholars recordings sound thin - their sound lacks body, compared to the Oxford Camerata, although the former does seem to carry with it, as I said, the singular advantage of linear precision. In any case, the Oxford group sounds less pinched and more full-voiced.

Tracks:

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

Amazon.com essential recording

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by stardustraven

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Faure Essentials
music inside you
An excellent compilation of Faure's work
Romance
good value

The Best of Fauré
Gabriel Faure , Antonio de Almeida , Jeremy Summerly , John Georgiadis , Keith Clark , Oxford Camerata , Schola Cantorum of Oxford , CSR Symphony Orchestra , Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava) , National Symphony Orchestra , National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland , Colm Carey , Francois-Joel Thiollier , Jean Martin , Pascal Devoyon , Pierre-Alain Volondat , Lisa Beckley , and Dong-Suk Kang
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

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The Best of Erik Satie
Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48; Pelléas et Mélisande, Suite, Op. 80; Pavane, Op. 50
Faure: Requiem and other choral music
Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits
Fauré: Requiem; Messe basse; Cantique de Jean Racine

ASIN: B0000014HU
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

Ouverture - John Georgiadis
Pastorale - John Georgiadis
Trois Romances Sans Paroles, Op. 17, No. 1 In A Flat Major - Jean Martin
Romance, Op. 28 - Pascal Devoyon
Pavane, Op. 50 - Keith Clark
Requiem, Op. 48: Pie Jesu - Lisa Beckley
Prelude - John Georgiadis
Sicilienne - John Georgiadis
Kitty-Valse - John Georgiadis
Tendresse - John Georgiadis
Le Pas Espagnol - John Georgiadis
Barcarolle No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 20 - Pierre-Alain Volondat
Berceuse, Op. 16 - Pascal Devoyon
Reqiem, Op. 48 - In Paradisum - Colm Carey
Shylock, Musique De Sc, Op. 57: Nocturne - John Georgiadis
Ballade In F Sharp Major, Op. 19 - Francois-Joel Thoillier
Ballade - The Best Of Faure

Customer Reviews:

Faure Essentials.......2007-05-29

If you want to persuade someone to listen to Faure then this is the album to begin with. It contains the very best known melodies.

music inside you.......2005-10-01

Have you ever felt music inside you when watching the sun going down, when felling the breeze in your hair, when smelling the grass in a gentle summer night...? The music of this CD may remind you that part of yourself that we may tend to forget in our busy life, liked the words of Celibidache which I liked very much: "the music is not the notes, YOU are the music"!
You would feel in this way, when listening to this CD.

An excellent compilation of Faure's work.......2003-02-15

I bought this cd not knowing anything about Gabriel Faure's music. A local orchestra was planning to perform Masques et Bergamasques, so I picked this cd being the most inexpensive way of buying something I possibly was not going to enjoy. But nothing could be further from the truth. I love this cd! It has such a nice variation of formats: piano concerto (Ballede in F sharp major Op. 19), piano solo (Baracarolle No.1 in A minor, Op. 20), vocal (Requiem, Op. 48), and symphony (Masques et Bergamasques). The music is also well played by various artists...no complaints on the performance side. And if it is true that one becomes the thoughts and vibrations that one allows to enter his or her mind, then by listening to Faure you may find yourself becoming a bit more tender, patient, and even romantic in your ways.

Romance.......2002-11-23

Bought this CD originally because of Romance, but I like it all. This is a new composer for me and I'm glad I found Faure'.

good value.......2002-03-01

i'd recommend this to anyone who wants to get an inexpensive taste for faure's music. The recordings are decent, and the selection is interesting. After this, check out his nocturnes for piano and of course the Requiem.

Average customer rating:

Kuijken reigns supreme!
fine, but better can be had
Great recording!
Top performance and a bargain
Wow! Where Did These Guys Come From?

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 88 - 92

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Haydn: Paris Symphonies
Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 1
Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 2
Haydn: Symphonies #99-104; Sir Thomas Beecham; Royal Philharmonic
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 93-98

ASIN: B00000J2PW
Release Date: 1999-06-08

Tracks:

Symphony No. 88 In G Major: I. Adagio - Allegro
Symphony No. 88 In G Major: II. Largo
Symphony No. 88 In G Major: III. Allegreto
Symphony No. 88 In G Major: IV. Allegro con spirito
Symphony No. 89 In F Major: I. Vivace
Symphony No. 89 In F Major: II. Andante con moto
Symphony No. 89 In F Major: III. Menuet
Symphony No. 89 In F Major: IV. Vivace assai
Symphony no. 92 in G major: I: Adagio - Allegro spiritoso
Symphony no. 92 in G major: II: Adagio
Symphony no. 92 in G major: III: Allegretto
Symphony no. 92 in G major: IV: Presto

Tracks:

Symphony in C major, No. 90: I. Adagio - Allegro assai
Symphony in C major, No. 90: II. Andante
Symphony in C major, No. 90: III. Menuet
Symphony in C major, No. 90: IV. Allegro assai
Symphony in E flat major, No. 91: I. Largo - Allegro assai
Symphony in E flat major, No. 91: II. Andante
Symphony in E flat major, No. 91: III. Menuet
Symphony in E flat major, No. 91: IV. Vivace

Customer Reviews:

Kuijken reigns supreme!.......2007-05-04

These 5 symphonies were composed between the perennially popular 'Paris' and 'London' cycles in the late 1780's. Only the 92nd is named - 'Oxford', after Haydn received an honary doctorate from that university. It is a justly famous work, fully comparable with Mozart's late symphonies
The others are an absolute delight displaying the wit and brilliance of orchestration that had made Haydn famous throughout Europe. The largo of the 88th is surely one of Haydn's most beautiful!
There are a number of very commendable performances of the works available, though few offer the intuitive grasp that Kuijken and his players display, and at super bargain price.
Collectors of Kuijken's survey of Haydn's music need not hesitate, while others are strongly urge to.

fine, but better can be had.......2006-08-15

These are tenderly played and executed symphonies; but perhaps a little too tenderly and too strict an adherence to original practice technique. Take the magisterial symphony no. 92 as an example: well played, but lacking the excitement and incredible lush (and I may add, old fashioned) sound of Karl Böhm with the Vienna (nla). The introduction is stately, but lacks drive and passion and when the Allegro begins it is understated and under- whelming. I am no opponent of original instruments; I rather think Adam Fischer with the Austro Hungarian Haydn Orchestra maintains the drama and excitement of Haydn better though I have not heard him do these particular symphonies. For the bargain price I may be getting petty, after all they are played well and these are thoughtful performances but it may be a good idea to look elsewhere.

Great recording!.......2003-01-31

This is a great recording! Lots of energy. I find music hard to describe so give it a listen on your Real Player.

Top performance and a bargain.......2002-01-09

If you are looking for two of the most beautiful late Haydn symphonies in one set, this is it! No. 88 (no name) and no. 92 (Oxford) do not belong to the "Paris" or "London" groups of Haydn's symphonies, they are in between. While every movement of no. 88 is a gem, the slow movement is one of the most beautiful compositions in all of classical music. (Remember Brahms' saying, I wish the slow movement of my ninth will sound like this.) The better known no. 92 is perhaps the most dramatic and energetic of all of Haydn's symphonies. Nos. 89 - 91 are beautiful works too, but perhaps not as truly great in every movement as nos. 88 and 92. The performances are dynamic and warm at the same time, i.e. really exciting. The sound is first-rate. A bargain. I have no doubt this should be given a rating of five stars.

Wow! Where Did These Guys Come From?.......2000-04-22

This is an excellent value for the nine dollars or whatever it is, and I'd highly encourage everyone to get it. Granted, there are points where the playing sounds restrained and almost flat, such as the last movement of the 89th symphony. It's also true that Kuijken doesn't have the flair for the dramatic that Solti or Bernstein et al. would have; the music isn't necessarily given any special interpretation. But it is interpreted solidly and with a surprising amount of energy; as well, the skill level of the orchestra is outstanding. What really drew me to these recordings, however, was their earthy, "gutsy" tone; the harpsichord and drum parts to these symphonies, parts which are so integral to Haydn's work, are more prominent than usual, and this takes the music from being something refined and snobbish in a concert hall to being something everyone can identify with. Buy this CD! Now!

Average customer rating:

Fennell Interpretation
Symphonic Band Memories
Fennell - A Wind Band Pioneer
The Gold Standard for Symphonic Band Music
Hold On To Your Socks!

British and American Band Classics

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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British Wind Band Classics

ASIN: B0000057KR
Release Date: 1990-10-19

Tracks:

The Earle Of Oxford's Marche: Suite 'William Byrd'
Pavana: Suite 'William Byrd'
Jhon Come Kisse Me Now: Suite 'William Byrd'
The Mayden's Song: Suite 'William Byrd'
Wolsey's Wife: Suite 'William Byrd'
The Bells: Suite 'William Byrd'
A Coronation March: 'Crown Imperial'
'Hammersmith': Prelude And Scherzo, Opus 52
Serenade: Symphonic Songs For Band
Robert Russell Bennett: Symphonic Songs For Band
Celebration: Symphonic Songs For Band
Fanfare And Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Fennell Interpretation.......2007-05-14

For Band Conductors / Teachers, there is no better conducting interpretation than those of Frederick Fennell. Tho these recordings are not new recordings, they are still viable interpretations. Glad to see them still available.

Symphonic Band Memories.......2005-09-05

I bought this album primarily for the "Symphonic Songs for Band" suite by Robert Russell Bennett and the "Fanfare and Allegro" By Clifton Williams. They are the favorite pieces I was privledged to participate in performing while a member of the Cal Poly symphonic ban in the 70's. I also remember performing them in high school. I was not disappointed in purchasing this disc! The performances captured here are excellent! The music sends chills down my spine .... I highly recommend the entire album for anyone interested in the genre of symphonic band music!

Fennell - A Wind Band Pioneer.......2002-03-08

'British and American Band Classics' is a great disc for band lovers and music lovers in general. Frederick Fennell has been one of the top leaders in wind band music for decades. Here, one of his early recordings with the Eastman Wind Ensemble survives as a ground-breaking event in wind band music.

Anyone not familiar with Gordon Jacob's "William Byrd" Suite, "Crown Imperial," or any of the other greats on this disc should check out what serious band literature is available. In fact, this music has been available for many years, and has stood the test of time. I would buy the disc just for Clifton Williams' "Fanfare and Allegro," one of the most exciting works for band ever written. It will get your blood pumping!

Contrary to to other reviewers, these performances are not flawless. Intonation is a real problem that shows up especially in the William Byrd Suite, particularly in "The Earle of Oxford's March," and "The Bells." For me, the trumpets are too harsh in some of "Crown Imperial," but these factors wouldn't keep me from purchasing the disc. Remember, these recordings were made in 1958 and 1959...A lot has changed since then! However, no recording is perfect, and this one deserves a place in your collection of great music.

The Gold Standard for Symphonic Band Music.......2000-12-01

This is the second of the two gold standard recordings of symphonic band music, the first being the prior Mercury recording of Fennel conducting the Eastman Winds performing the Holst overture and Vaughan Williams' Folksong Suite. The arrangement, the conductor, the performance, the interpretation are all perfect; one can only wonder what a current all digital master would sound like. Close call whether the vinyl through a tube power amp gives cleaner bass, but by all means get this CD for an indelible recording of unforgettable music.

Hold On To Your Socks!.......2000-11-19

I waited sixteen years for this recording to become available again, after first hearing it on the radio, and it was well worth the wait. The sound on this release, as well as on the others in this Mercury series of vintage recordings, is amazingly spacious and dynamic. This disc's rousing version of the Crown Imperial Coronation March is THE definitive recorded performance of that work. Complete with a stirring, regal melody, startling cannon blast, majestic organ, chimes, cymbals, shattering gong crashes, and thunderous drums, it will literally blow your socks off!

Gesualdo: Complete Sacred Music for Five Voices

Average customer rating:

Quality singing, great selection
peut-être ...
Bizarre but obsessively fascinating music
Excellent cross-section of Gesualdo's sacred style
Splendid

Gesualdo: Complete Sacred Music for Five Voices

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Lassus: Masses for Five Voices; Infelix ego
Gesualdo: Madrigaux (Madrigals)
Obrecht: Missa Caput; Salve Regina
Gesualdo: Tenebrae
Willaert: Missa Christus Resurgens, Magnificat Sexti Toni, etc / Summerly, Oxford Camerata

ASIN: B0000013XI
Release Date: 1996-01-04

Tracks:

Sacrae Cantiones: Illumina faciem tuam
Sacrae Cantiones: Deus refugium et virtus
Sacrae Cantiones: Exaudi Deus deprecationem meam
Sacrae Cantiones: Tribulationem et dolorem
Sacrae Cantiones: Tribularer si nescirem
Sacrae Cantiones: Precibus et meritis beatae Mariae
Sacrae Cantiones: O Crux benedicta
Sacrae Cantiones: O vos omnes
Sacrae Cantiones: Dignare me laudare te
Sacrae Cantiones: Maria mater gratiae
Sacrae Cantiones: Laboravi in gemitu meo
Sacrae Cantiones: Ave dulcissima Maria
Sacrae Cantiones: Domine ne despicias
Sacrae Cantiones: Peccantem me quotidie
Sacrae Cantiones: Sancti Spiritus Domine
Sacrae Cantiones: Hei mihi Domine
Sacrae Cantiones: Venit lumen tuum Jerusalem
Sacrae Cantiones: Reminiscere miserationum tuarum
Sacrae Cantiones: Ave Regina coelorum

Customer Reviews:

Quality singing, great selection.......2007-03-28

A fine collection, not Gesualdo's most adventurous music but beautiful nonetheless.

peut-être ..........2005-08-19

Ce disque est une belle démonstration du savoir-faire
de Gésualdo.
Toutefois, il me semble que la prise de son
est beaucoup trop réverbérée. Néanmoins, disque peu cher.

Bizarre but obsessively fascinating music.......2005-05-28

Don Carlo Gesualdo (1560 - 1613) was rich, artistic, and - as the second son of a noble Neapolitan family - free to indulge his passion for music. But when his brother died, and it was decreed that he must carry on the line. The bride found for him - Donna Maria d'Avalos - was his cousin, and the greatest beauty in town. Don Carlo (who may have been gay) fathered a son, whereupon his interests wandered elsewhere to music and to hunting. One day his uncle divulged to him that the attention starved Donna Maria was enjoying a brazen affair with the handsome Duke of Andria, in which they would "invite each other to battle on the fields of love". Alerting her to the fact that Don Carlo now knew about their affair, the Duke tried to convince Donna Maria to end her affair, but she defiantly announced that she would rather die. Thus was the scene set for Don Carlo's historic deed.

One day in October of 1590 Don Carlo secretly disabled the house locks before accouncing his departure on a hunt. He set off, but only to sneek back in the still of night with his henchmen to catch the sleeping lovers - exhausted by their love making - by surprise. The chronicles detail each event: The night-dress Donna Maria asked to be put out on the bed for her lover, about the maid posted as sentinel, and the sudden commotion as Don Carlo and his men burst in to find the pair "in flagrante delicto di fragrante peccato" , about the gun shots and multiple sword-thrusts, and the way Don Carlo couldn't rest until he had cut his victims to ribbons, and had personally skewered Donna Maria to the floor all the while repeating to himself "I do not believe she is dead". He dragged the bodies out onto the stairs, posting a notice explaining why he had killed them for all the town to come to gape at the next morning. The Duke was still clad in the women's night-dress prepared for him, while Donna Maria's "wounds were all in her belly, and especially in those parts which ought to be kept honest".

Neapolitans were horrified, with as many taking the lovers' side as that of their murderer. Despite vows of vengeance by Donna Maria's family, Don Carlo's nobility ensured he escaped trial, and he withdrew to Ferrara, where he remarried, but was soon "afflicted by a vast horde of demons which gave him no peace unless twelve young men, whom he kept specially for the purpose, were to beat him violently three times a day, during which operation he was wont to smile joyfully."

Don Carlo built a private chapel, completed in 1592. Inside hung a painting depicting the Virgin Mary and saints all pointing to the sinner, Don Carlo, while the fires of purgatory burnt below - out of which angels pull the figures of a man and a woman. Could these be the murdered lovers before which Don Carlo implored forgiveness? His music certainly becomes filled with an obession with themes of guilt, sin, pity, and death - even the joy of love being mixed with a fascination with pain: 'dolorosa gioia', such 'joyous pain' being a typical outburst.

Without doubt the music written by the prince of Verona is some of the most macabre yet outlandishly fantastic music ever written. The famous unprepared chromatic side steps remain decidedly unnerving even to a devoted Second Viennese School fan like me. The effect of the chromatic spirals is often vertigo inducing but also deeply moving and ultimately awe-inspiring. This is truly sublime music by a neglected genius.

The performances here are amongst the very best available of Gesualdo's music - at any price. This would be a perfect place to start exploring this bizarre but inspired musical universe. I agree - you should rush out and grab this superb recording without a moment's hesitation.

Excellent cross-section of Gesualdo's sacred style.......2003-09-24

This is a very good collection of Gesualdo's sacred motet style, performed beautifully. Most of these pieces are much more conservative and less chromatic than his madrigals, but they are exquisite and expresive and every bit as competent as the styles of contemporaries such as Gesualdo's alter-ego, Palestrina. Much of this music makes his mental turmoil and fear of damnation over his infamous murders achingly clear, especially the disturbing mode changes and chromaticism on parts of the text that say things like "have mercy on me" and words like "my sorrow and "my tears".

Splendid.......1999-09-26

RUN TO BUY THIS! This is by far one of the best CD's of Gesualdo's music on the market today. Superb blend (especially in track 1) especially for music this difficult.

Vivaldi - Gloria · Nulla in mundo pax sincera · Nisi Dominus · Cantatas / Kirkby · Bott · Nelson · Watkinson · Bowman · Preston · AAM · Hogwood

Average customer rating:

Good points far outweigh some minor deficiencies
More of Emma Please
amazingly beautiful
Glorious cantatas on the second CD
a "must have"

Vivaldi - Gloria · Nulla in mundo pax sincera · Nisi Dominus · Cantatas / Kirkby · Bott · Nelson · Watkinson · Bowman · Preston · AAM · Hogwood
Antonio Vivaldi , Christopher Hogwood , Emma Kirkby , Catherine Bott , The Academy of Ancient Music , Oxford Christ Church Cathedral Choir , James Bowman , Simon Preston , Simon Standage , Catherine Mackintosh , New London Consort , and Judith Nelson
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Shine: The Complete Classics
Bach: Magnificat, BWV. 243; Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Vivaldi: The Great Choral Masterpieces
Emma Kirkby sings Handel, Arne, Haydn & Mozart

ASIN: B0000042HT
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Gloria In D Major, RV 589: I Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: II Et in terra pax
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: III Gloria in D Major, RV 589 III Laudamus te (2 sopranos)
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: IV Gloria in D Major, RV 589 IV Gratias agnimus tibi
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: V Gloria in D Major, RV 589 V Propter magnam gloriam
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: VI Gloria in D Major, RV 589 VI Domaine Deis (soprano)
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: VII Gloria in D Major, RV 589 VII Domaine Fili unigenite
VIII Gloria In D Major, RV 589 VIII Domaine Deus, Agnus Dei (contralto, chorus)
IX Gloria in D Major, RV 589 IX Qui tollis peccata munid
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: X Gloria in D Major, RV 589 X Qui sedes (contralto)
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: XI Gloria In D Major, RV 589 XI Quoniam tu solus Sanctus
Gloria In D Major, RV 589: XII Gloria in D Major, RV 589 XII Cum Sancto Spiritu
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus, RV 608 II Vanurm est vobis, III Surgite postquam sederitis
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus, RV 608 IV Cum dederit dilectus suis somnum
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus, RV 608 V Sicut sagittae in manu potentis
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus, RV 608 VI Beatus vir qui implevit
Nisi Dominus, RV 608: Nisi Dominus, RV 608 VII Gloria Patri et Filio, VIII Sicut erat in principio, IX Amen
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630: I Nulla in mundo pax sincera
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630: Blando colore ... Spirat anguis
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630 III: Alleluia

Tracks:

Amor, hai vinto, RV 651: I Amor, hai vinto ... Passo di pena
Amor, hai vinto, RV 651: II In qual strano ... Se a me rivolge
Trio sonata 'La folia', RV 63
All'ombra di sospetto, RV 678: All'ombra di sospetto
All'ombra di sospetto, RV 678: O quanti amanti
Lungi dal bago volto, RV 680: Lungi del vago volto
Lungi dal bago volto, RV 680: Allegrezza mio core
Vengo a voi, luci adorate, RV 682: Vengo a voi, luci adorate
Vengo a voi, luci adorate, RV 682: Portando in sen l'ardor

Customer Reviews:

Good points far outweigh some minor deficiencies.......2005-11-29

This whole set is gorgeous (although the second cd gets a bit tediuos unless you really like early music), and Emma Kirkby has one the most beautiful, distinctive soprano voices I have ever heard, one can't help but like her, but hard-core critics beware, her intonation is not flawless, especially in the "Alleluia" of the "Nulla in Mundo" cycle, one can hear her go off on some of the high notes. Like I said, it's beautiful, but that does bother me personally every time I listen to that track. But buy it anyway.

More of Emma Please.......2004-01-02

I would have given this CD 5 stars if Emma Kirkby had sung all of the cantatas on Disc 2. Unfortunately, most of the cantatas on this disc are sung by Catherine Bott, who in my musically illiterate opinion, sounds more like a mezzo-soprano than a true soprano. Kirkby on the other hand is a legend in early music and brings her trademark "purity of sound" to this recording. The gorgeous duet she sings with Judith Nelson on disc 1 is alone worth the price of this set (that's probably a slight exaggeration, but it's pretty damn good anyway).

Getting away from Kirkby a sec, the Gloria on CD 1 is indeed glorious. The choral movements are sharp and lively, having that quality of all good choirs of sounding not quite of this earth. Listening to this CD after a couple of beers, you could be forgiven for thinking that your house has been invaded by cherubim and seraphim.

I'm not a huge fan of counter tenors (probably something to do with feeling threatened about my latent homosexuality or being emasculated) so I can't really provide any worthwhile comments about the Nisi Dominus which is a showcase of James Bowman's skills. Bowman has pretty impressive credentials, so I'm not about to get stuck into him. Suffice to say, I usually skip thru tracks 13-18 on disc 1.

amazingly beautiful.......2003-04-27

This CD is worth buying just for "Nulla in mundo pax sincera." This is one of the most beautiful vivaldi motets and is simply heavenly. I absoluterly love it!

Glorious cantatas on the second CD.......2002-06-14

For once the 5 stars are worth it. The choral works on disc 1 are masterful benchmark interpretations of the pick of Vivaldi's sacred output. What makes it a real bargain however is the second disc of cantatas - one of Emma Kirkby and Catherine Bott's finest achievements on the old L'Oiseau Lyre label. Couple this with full texts and an intelligent booklet. Wonderful!

a "must have".......2002-05-11

This is the ONLY version of "Gloria" you should own! The Choir of Christ Church is amazing and truly does justice to Vivaldi's work.

Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations

Average customer rating:

Amazing, but not what I was looking for
Outstanding music and performances!
Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations ~ Hildegard of B
STERENCE SINGS FOR EUCHARIUS AND DISIBOD
delightfully pure

Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy
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Vision: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen
Feather on the Breath of God
Luminous Spirit

ASIN: B00000141Q
Release Date: 1995-07-18

Tracks:

O Euchari
Alleluia - O Virga Mediatrix
Ave Generosa
Laus Trinitati
Kyrie
O Presul Vere
O Ignis Spiritus
Procession From 'Ordo Virtutum'
O Pastor Animarum
O Viridissima Virga
O Virga Ac Diadema

Customer Reviews:

Amazing, but not what I was looking for.......2006-10-06

I bought this album to explore more tracks by Hildegard after listening to one of her songs on an anthology. This music crosses centuries, languages, and religions, I feel. I am not a Christian, and the reason I listen to Georgian Chant is to study, because it focuses my thoughts exponentially. It completely drowns out the noise of the world and helps to gather my ideas. This did not get 5 stars because it wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted to hear tracks with a mixed gender choir but this album only goes from single male/male choir to single female/female choir, on alternating tracks.

This is still an excellent study aid and should be recommended for use as much as pencils and pens.

Outstanding music and performances!.......2005-08-31

The music in this CD is simply outstanding! I was very surpised when I bought this CD and discovered that it surpasses many other more "colourful" recordings of Hildegard's music (regardless of the price.)

For those who are not interested in aesthetic, artistic or musical merit but who are simply looking for "relaxing" music for contemplation, meditation etc, I am very pleased to say that this is probably the most relaxing and peaceful music I've ever heard (and I've tried many.) Its healing effect on my mind and nervous system is almost instant and that in a very balanced and harmonious way.

Highly higly highly recommended.

Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations ~ Hildegard of B.......2005-05-11

To the modern ear and mind Hildegard of Bingens sounds very different. There are no instruments and the vocals are sung in unison and not as seperate to vocals but united as one. This might sound simplistic and many would say that because she lacked formal training. This is based on feelings rather logic and one can sense that they are jelous of her natural ability to write music. The lyrics are amazing, the vocals are not as easy to sing as they sound and Hillegard of Bingen was and is still today an amazing composer and lyricist.

STERENCE SINGS FOR EUCHARIUS AND DISIBOD.......2004-01-26

It was a distressing surprise to find that my Oxford Companion to Music does not even contain an entry for Hildegard of Bingen. I had half-heard some broadcast discussion of her a few years back, but anything I know about her really comes from the liner notes with this disc, fortunately among the better specimens of their kind that I have encountered recently.

Hildegard was abbess of a distinctly upmarket Benedictine convent located near Bingen-am-Rhein in the early 12th century. She was clearly a formidable woman, being a seer and visionary consulted by Popes and potentates, a writer on scientific matters and a poet and composer as well. This disc contains 55 minutes or so of selections from her `Symphony of the Harmony of Divine Revelations', a collection of poems in her own highly individual and vigorous version of the Latin of the time, set to her own music. The music has a distant resemblance to the Gregorian chant, believed to have originated around the 8th century. It is all monody, though some of the numbers are accompanied by a sustained background note, originating exactly where and how I could not be sure. The music contains some flourishes that would have been out of place in the plainsong but which seem natural enough in the context of her spiritual-carnal imagery. This can be downright weird here and there. My recollection is still boggling at

Nunc sit laus Deo
In forma pulchre tonsure
Viriliter operante

`Now let there be praise to God in the form of a beautiful tonsure working in manly mode'.

There is an excerpt from her musical morality-drama the Ordo Virtutum, in which an assemblage of Virtues battle with the devil for control of a woman's soul, but most of the numbers are in praise of either the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin, or saints Eucharius and Disibod. I have not in my life so far encountered anyone named after these saints, but one of the admirable Oxford Camerata rejoices in the first name Sterence, so I suppose there may be some Eucharii and Disibods out there too. The words are given in full, with English translation, both absolute essentials as far as this music is concerned. The liner note is admirably honest in refusing to take a critical position regarding the real quality and worth of such unfamiliar stuff, and I propose to follow its example. I bought this disc for curiosity, for my own education and out of a general wish to support the production of out-of-the-way music. Rating it in the matters where I feel competent to rate it, I am happy to report that the singing is of the highest order of professionalism, exactly what one has come to expect from any Summerly production, and that the recording is admirable too.

delightfully pure.......2000-04-02

for someone interested in early music this is a good place to start- von bingen's visions speak to us across nine centuries.

liner notes are minimal, as is the case with most NAXOS titles, but lyrics in latin and english are provided, which is nice.

oxford camerata is amazing- many of the solo sections for female voice soar with great beauty. the choice of recording location (chapel of hertford college, oxford) adds a tiny bit of acoustic abience without being distracting.

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Szell Is Masterful In The Haydn Symphonies
Hot Haydn

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 92, 94 & 96

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00008PXA3
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Customer Reviews:

Szell Is Masterful In The Haydn Symphonies.......2006-11-07

There simply is no excuse for not owning Szell's recordings of Haydn. Szell is in complete sympathy with the classicism of Haydn and Mozart, These performances are full of charm, grace, perfect sophistication and the absolute right sense of drama. The playing of the Cleveland Orchestra is exemplary as always, the sound is great too. Haydn fans, you can't be without these practically perfect records.

Hot Haydn.......2003-07-08

In the 1950s and 60s, CBS/Columbia (now Sony Classical) had the great fortune to have three of America's best orchestras and their conductors on its recording roster -- Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Nearly a half-century later, sadly only Leonard Bernstein remains a name that even the non-classical music world knows well. But in the world of the compact disc, this is a wonderful thing, because while Leonard Bernstein analog stereo recordings sell at mid-price, classic performances by Ormandy and Szell are regulated to the budget line. Well, my friends there is justice because the vast majority of these "budget line" recordings are not only amazing, but some are still considered definitive more than 40 years later! George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra's recordings of Haydn Symphonies Nos. 92, 94 & 96 are no exception. These prefromances may not be as enveloping and all-encompassing as say, Leonard Bernstein's, but they are nonetheless outstanding. The Szell versions instead are lean and mean; poignant, powerful and to the point; refreshingly crisp and direct. If that doesn't s(z)ell you on this recording, then the value should. Never did something of such high quality come at such a small price. Enjoy!

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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