20th Century Bravura Chamber Music

On this CD:

1. Solo Music 1, for Unaccompanied Violin
Composed by Robert Suderburg
Performed by Timothy Baker

2. Poèmes (4), Op 5
Composed by Charles Martin Loeffler
Performed by Donald McInnes

3. Solo Music 2, Ritual Cycle of Lyrics and Dance for Unaccompanied Viola
Composed by Robert Suderburg
Performed by Donald McInnes

4. Sonata for viola & piano in F major, Op. 11/4
Composed by Paul Hindemith
Performed by Donald McInnes

Tracks:

In Storm And Sunshine
Whip & Spur
Invictus
The Big Cage
Bones Trombone
Them Basses
The Circus Bee
The Screamer
Thunder And Blazes
Robinson's Grand Entree
Circus Days
Bombasto
The Squealer
Rolling Thunder
Bennett's Triumphal
Bravura
Bugles And Drum
Illinois March
Children's March
The Interlochen Bowl
Onward-Upward
Boy Scouts Of America
Americans We
Officer Of The Day
March 'Grandioso'
Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard March
Mad Major
Guadalcanal March

Average customer rating:

The German Nightingale
A Vocal Comfort Zone Somewhere Around High C.
More than just high notes...
Will open up closets of the mind closed since 1945

Erna Sack: Ciribiribin

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German Nightingale

ASIN: B00002DE52
Release Date: 2000-01-18

Tracks:

Ciribiribin
Parla-Walzer
Martha: Den Teuren Zu Versohnen
Der Vogelhandler: Schenkt Man Sich Rosen In Tirol - Erna Sack/Marcel Wittrisch/Chor Des Deutschen Opernhauses, Berlin/Arthur Rother
Paganini: Niemand Liebt Dich So Wie Ich - Erna Sack/Marcel Wittrisch
Die Deutsche Nachtigall: Potpourri/Ser/Ich Schenk Mein Herz/Die Fledermaus: Adele's Aria...
Rosen Aus Dem Suden - Erna Sack/Chor Des Deutschen Opernhauses, Berlin
Lysistrata: Gluhwurmchen-Idyll - Erna Sack/Chor Des Deutschen Opernhauses, Berlin
Gold Und Silber - Erna Sack/Chor Des Deutschen Opernhauses, Berlin
Kaiser-Walzer
Bravour Variationen Uber Ein Thema Von Mozart
Die Fledermaus: Spiel' Ich Die Unschuld Vom Lande
Die Fledermaus: Mein Herr Marquis
Vieni Vieni
Chi Sa? Tarantella

Customer Reviews:

The German Nightingale.......2001-03-27

Erna Sack was known by various nicknames, most of which included the word "Nightingale." Hence, she was at various times "The German Nightingale," "The European Nightingale" and "The International Nightingale." My first introduction to Erna Sack was by way of a Decca/London 10" LP containing selections she had recorded in 1949. Some were good; others, such as "Estrellita," where she goes spectacularly flat on the last note, less so. Even so, this album quickly became one of my favorites, just for Madame Sack's sheer joy in singing, which is obvious throughout the album.

Later I met a German woman named Brunnhilde who gave me her two-LP set of Madame Sack on Telefunken to keep just because I enjoyed the singer so much. Unlike a lot of Erna Sack LPs that I have run across, this one was actually in good condition. Nobody can say that her fans did not enjoy her records, many of which were rather beaten up by the time I found them.

Well, after a period where the art of Erna Sack was largely forgotten, she is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. At the front of that renaissance is the release by Telefunken of this CD which is both more and less than the two-LP set. It is less in that it does not contain all the selections on the LPs, and more in that it does include some items that are not on there, and is better engineered.

These are, by and large, her most famous recordings, and the ones that turned up over and over again on various LP repackagings of her 78s that turned up during the 1950s. And with good reason: these recordings, made in the late 1930s, represent her in top form. Her joy in singing is certainly there, but she was in overall better vocal estate than she was for the Decca/London sessions, and whenever I put this CD or the other CDs of Madame Sack that I have in my car CD player, I am loathe to remove them. I can see how people wore out her records.

My favorite selection here is whichever one I'm listening to at the moment, but if I had to single one out, I would choose the "Gluhwurmchen-Idyll" from the operetta "Lysistrata." This number is more commonly known to English-speaking audiences as "Glow Worm." I can't give a real reason why I like this selection the best, other than possibly that her charm is even more apparent here than elsewhere, and I love the "ah" phrases she sings over the chorus. The end of the piece also contains the cadenza that she was most fond of using, as well as her favorite concluding phrase.

I don't care for the title track that much, mostly because I think it's a rather silly piece of music, but Erna does sing it well, and this is the one with the famous "violin effect." I find the following selection, Arditi's "Parla-Walzer," to be much more enjoyable. She would later record the same composer's "Il bacio" for Decca/London. And the Strauss waltzes are pretty much irresistible, especially the "Kaiser-Walzer" (which we know as the "Emperor Waltz") which is pretty darn near perfect, especially the beautiful cadenza near the end. The effect is spoilt a bit by the final note which is about an eighth-tone flat, but overall it's one of her better records.

Erna Sack recorded a fair amount of opera as well, but those were not among her better-known records. We do get the nice aria from "Martha" here, as well as a couple of selections from "Die Fledermaus," technically an operetta but often performed by opera houses.

A very interesting item, which is new to this CD and not on the corresponding LP, is the potpourri called "Die deutsche Nachtigall." This recording obviously took two 78rpm sides and is a medley of seven or eight tunes. The "Bravour Variationen uber ein Thema von Mozart," which is essentially variations on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is another that I also enjoy quite a bit. And the engineers have improved this item from the LP issue, where the engineer started turning the sound down at the end a little too early.

Anyway, this is overall a very nice CD and a wonderful introduction to Erna Sack. Those who are interested in investigating Madame Sack a little more might go to amazon.de and get the three separate CDs on Dante called "Un rossignol allemand." They contain some of the same selections as here, but also a number of her opera recordings--including a rarely heard "Bell Song" from "Lakme"--and some live radio broadcasts as well. A very nice essay about her is contained in volume 3 of that set as well. And the two Decca/London 10" LPs (or both together on a single 12" record, lacking only "Estrellita") turn up on eBay fairly regularly. But this CD is definitely the place to start listening to Erna Sack.

A Vocal Comfort Zone Somewhere Around High C........2001-01-30

Many of the tracks heard on this CD demonstrate the best attributes of a singer who had a phenomenal voice but not a phenomenal success with critics. Erna Sack (1898-1972) had a vocal comfort zone somewhere around high C. The notes she could produce in that area were quite beautiful, and were wonderfully well caught on her Telefuncun recordings of the 1930s. When associated with eminent conductors like Dr Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (Tracks 2 & 3) and eminent singers like Marcel Wittrisch (Tracks 4 & 5) she produced her best work; elsewhere there were sometimes pitch problems, vocal roughnesses, and crude chortling. No singer to make records ever seemed to be enjoying herself as much as Frau Sack did, however, and this is another remarkable attribute that is well worth hearing. Accompanying orchestras included the Berlin Philharmonic, and there was often a chorus.

Her career in opera and in concert was never as secure or as successful as reported by her manager, promoter and husband, Hermann Sack, whom she married in 1921. At her concert in Melbourne, Australia, I walked out a half time.

You'll not feel like abandoning this CD however, which provides very good value. I hope for more Erna Sack reissues together with other treasures from the Telefuncun vaults.

More than just high notes..........2000-09-02

Of the three sopranos whom I have personally heard whose voices extend beyond the G in alt (the others being Mado Robin and Natalie Dessay), Erna Sack had the widest range and the prettiest voice. Her technique was also very impressive, far exceeding Robin's, but falling a little short of the phenomenal virtuosity of Dessay. And as an old school coloratura, she wasn't as emotionally involved in the music as, say, a Callas or Sutherland. But she was definitely more than just a factory for producing high notes, although there are plenty of them on this album. She had a very playful voice and sounds like she's having a lot of fun recording these selections, mostly from operettas. And some of her techincal feats are astounding; on the title track, she hits a high note so quietly that I didn't even realize that she was singing until she came down. She sounds like a violin.

As for the sound quality, I am extremely impressed with Teldec's restoration techniques. Some of these were recorded in 1936, but the sound quality is so high, you would think it was recorded 50 years later.

Will open up closets of the mind closed since 1945.......2000-06-11

I played selections from this CD over the telephone to the German born wife of a friend. "Ciribiribin" and "Chi Sa?" brought back the good memories of a childhood spoiled by forced membership in the Hitler Jugend. Hats off to Warner/Teldec for restoring these old Telefunken delights. They are relatively hard to find but, then, the good ones always are. Erna Sack has a voice from the highest of the Alps.

Average customer rating:

20th Century Bravura Chamber Music

Manufacturer: Kleos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004Y6N3
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Tracks:

Solo Music For Unaccompanied Violin: I. Towards Variation
Solo Music For Unaccompanied Violin: II. Towards Song
Solo Music For Unaccompanied Violin: III. Towards Dance
Solo Music For Unaccompanied Violin: IV. Closing Alone
Quarte Poems For Voice, Viola And Piano, Op. 5: The Riven Bell
Quarte Poems For Voice, Viola And Piano, Op. 5: Let's Dance The Jig
Quarte Poems For Voice, Viola And Piano, Op. 5: The Sound Of The Horns
Quarte Poems For Voice, Viola And Piano, Op. 5: Serenade
Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle Of Lyrics And Dance For Unaccompanied Viola: Opening Lyrics, First Dance
Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle Of Lyrics And Dance For Unaccompanied Viola: Second Lyric
Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle Of Lyrics And Dance For Unaccompanied Viola: Central Dance
Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle Of Lyrics And Dance For Unaccompanied Viola: Final Lyric
Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle Of Lyrics And Dance For Unaccompanied Viola: Closing Dance
Sonata For Viola And Piano, Op. 11, No. 4: I. Fantasie, II. Thelma mit Variation, III. Finale

Average customer rating:

Clasicos de las Americas has Good Gottschalk

Clásicos De Las Américas

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000005W2F
Release Date: 1996-12-17

Customer Reviews:

Clasicos de las Americas has Good Gottschalk.......2004-02-23

This six CD set has the Central and South American greats, but I prefer the North American who did some of his best composition South of the border. Louis-Moreau Gottschalk had the life of a modern day Rock Star. He is joined in this set by such prominent players as Heitor Villa-Lobos, George Gershwin, Augustin Barrios, and Carlos Guastavino. George Rabol is a favorite pianist.

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful set
Don't buy the whole thing
Not Insane
insane
For the real music lover

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition
Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Nonets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002EITP
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful set.......2004-10-24

This set is for serious piano fans, not for the ones who just start building up a CD library. I sort of agree with one of the reviewers, that there are many repetitions. But if you love piano, you wish to hear the same piece in different interpretations. Indeed, I really like this feature of this set: I can compare the style of various performers.
If you are into piano music, I encourage you to grab this set, if you can find it used (not available anymore at Amazon). I also hope, that there will be a continuation, in which other great pianists, who were left out because of the space limitation, will be included (Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, etc).

Don't buy the whole thing.......2001-07-08

I've put a lot of thought into constructing my own piano library, and unless you can easily afford the present set, I would recommend a different approach to collecting piano music. This set emphasizes the piano player rather than the piano composer. Of course both are important. For example, the "Barcarolle" appears in this set EIGHT times. I'm sorry, although I love the piece, if I am going to spend [the money], I would prefer more variety. Where are the Alkan, Medtner, and Szymanawski compositions represented in this set? I appreciate having so many interpretations of the same pieces, but I would also appreciate more exposure to pieces not so popular. The selection by Philips which I consider a somewhat popular selection suggests to me that when Philips constructed this set, they realized most people would be buying the disks separately, and this affected the selection. And it's not just that obscure composers are left out, but also if one spends so much money on piano recordings, you'd think you'd want to buy pieces from a composer in completeness. For example, an alternative way to construct a library would be to combine purchases of complete cycles, e.g. complete Beethoven sonatas, complete Scriabin preludes, etc., along with outstanding recordings of more particular pieces. I'm not sure why someone would want to concentrate so much on so many famous artists, instead of acquiring complete sets of compositions. For me the composer is more important, or at least, if I am going to spend [the money]on piano recordings, I'd prefer more complete, rather than snapshot, exposure to the composers.

Not Insane.......2001-01-02

I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.

It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.

Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.

The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.

Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.

insane.......2000-10-12

This is not a good library of piano music. The reason is, there is too much repetition. I'm not saying the series is bad. The series is wonderful. But this collection as a whole is a bad libary. For the same money you could collect together (with more effort) an incredible libary of piano music. There are so many wonderful cd's out there, this is just a waste of money. If you can actually afford to spend 2 grand on piano music, then either (1) spend the time and do some research to get a good library of piano music, which will probably include some selections from this collection, or (2) hire someone to do that for you. Personally I would be embarrassed to own this whole collection, since that shows I have put little thought into my purchases of piano music.

For the real music lover.......2000-03-12

This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!

Music Track:

Recommended Music:

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Dark Ships in the Forest

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Echoes of Swing: Complete Hamburg Concert [Live]

Evol

Cuban Carnival [Import] [Original recording remastered]

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