Duo Chant

Track Listings

1. Allegro-Adagio-Allegro (Vivaldi)

2. Adagio (Vivaldi)

3. Allegro (Vivaldi)

4. Freely and Gently (Meyers)

5. Moderately (Meyers)

6. With spirit (Meyers)

7. Vals, Op. 8, No. 3

8. Julia Florida

9. Vals, Op. 8, No. 4

10. Andante sostenuto (Giuliani)

11. Menuetto & Trio (Giuliani)

12. Rondo Militare (Giuliani)

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Prospect Classics is delighted to present "Duo Chant," its second CD recording by the Browning-Gilchrest Duo including music for flute and guitar by Antonio Vivaldi, Lanny Meyers, and Mauro Giuliani and solo guitar pieces by Agustín Barrios. It was in 1993, while writing the music score for the documentary film about artist Judy Chicago's exhibit, "The Holocaust Project: From Darkness to Light," that Lanny Meyers (b. 1941) first conceived his "Duo Chant" for flute and guitar. Like many second generation Jewish-Americans raised in the post-war era, Judy Chicago grew up in a household where her religious and ethnic heritage were rarely discussed. The film focuses on Chicago's discovery of her own Jewish heritage; her travels to Germany, Poland, and Russia to retrace Hitler's footsteps; and how these experiences are brought together in her exhibit. "Duo Chant," written for and dedicated to the Browning-Gilchrest Duo, is based on a single Sephardic folk song introduced by the flute in the first movement. The work explores the relationship between religion and humanity - sometimes harmonious - sometimes at odds. The original theme is transformed throughout the work as the flute (representing spirituality) and guitar (representing humanity) explore the complex relationship between the two subjects. The instrumental music of Antonio Vivaldi , the Italian composer and violinist, is best remembered for its rhythmic vitality and dramatic slow movements. The "Sonata" for flute and guitar was adapted by Winslow Browning from Vivaldi's "Sonata in C major (Opus 1, No. 3)" for two violins. The piece, composed in a conversational style, is typical of the Italian composer's youthful melodic and rhythmic vigor. Agustín Barrios was born in Paraguay to parents with a keen interest in music, poetry and art. His father was an Argentine diplomat and an enthusiastic amateur guitarist who gave young Agustín his first exposure to the instrument, introducing him to the rhythms and harmonies of the zamba, vals and other folk dances of South America. Barrios left Paraguay for Buenos Aires, Argentina while in his early twenties and then moved on to Montevideo, Uruguay, the guitar capital of South America. Although he enjoyed periodic success during these years, he never-the-less endured a constant struggle. Celebrated Spanish guitarists, such as Miguel Llobet and Andrés Segovia, played series of sold out concerts while Barrios's concerts were often canceled due to poor attendance. It wasn't until his mid-thirties, when he took the name and costume of Mangoré, a legendary Guarani Indian chieftain who warred against the 16th century invasion of the Spanish conquistadors, that Barrios received wider recognition and financial security. And what wonderful poetic irony that Barrios, who struggled against the invasion of the Spanish guitarists, would take the name of a folk hero who, centuries earlier, resisted the Spanish invaders. Mauro Giuliani was perhaps the most famous guitar virtuoso of his generation and is one of the most important figures in the guitar's history. Born into a musical family in Brescia, Italy, he began his musical studies with the cello at an early age, then later taught himself the guitar. As many musicians of his day, Giuliani could not resist the attraction of Vienna, settling there from 1807-1819. To make ends meet, he often earned extra income with his first instrument and participated as a cellist in the first performance of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7" in 1813. Giuliani's music was greatly influenced by opera styles of the day, "Bel Canto" in particular, where beauty of tone and flawless technique were the primary ingredients. The "Gran Duetto Concertante, Opus 52" was first published in 1814, and is among the most substantial of his twenty-two surviving works for flute and guitar, requiring virtuoso playing of both instruments.

The Browning-Gilchrest Duo has been recognized for its "ability to entertain and a

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:

T'andernaken - Laet Ons Mit Hartzen - Hoboekentanz - Laet Ons Mit Hartzen - Ihesus Is Een Kyndekyn Cleyn - Laet Ons Mit HYartzen
Ave Regina Caelorum
Porquoy Non: Pourquoy Non
Passe Et Medio & Reprise
Gaillarde - Gaillarde - Gaillarde
La Morisque
J'ay Pris Amours
J'ay pris amours
Crions Noel
T'andernaken
Laet U Ghenoughen, Liever Johan
Entre Du Fol
Mon Desir
Je Loe Amours
T'andernaken
Untitled Duo
De Tous Biens Playne
Pavane & Gaillarde
Wij Sheyt Edel Vrouwe
Allemaigne
4 Bransles
Bergerette
O Crux Benedicta
Ave Mundi Spes Maria
T'andernaken Al Op Den Rijn
Les Larmes
Fortis Cum Quevis Actio
Die Winter Is Verganghen

Customer Reviews:

Piffaro offers a wild romp through Flemish popular music!.......2002-11-25

"Instrumental music sounded in every corner of Flanders during the Renaissance," writes American scholar Keith Polk in the program notes. "... in any Flemish celebration or ritual, instruments and instrumental music were an indispensable element." If the period musicians were anything like the enthusiastic members of Piffaro, one can see why. The selections on this CD are a bit livelier than those on the group's earlier releases, evoking images of warm and boisterous feasts amongst revelers both high and low. Accompanied by hurdy gurdy, lutes, guitar and percussion, Piffaro's families of matched reed and brass instruments produce a distinctive and strident sound, mellowed by the continuity of breath pressure that is needed to play them, and tempered by the considerable skill of the performers. All in all, a feast for the ears! Other good, rousing feasting music can be found on the CD "A La Via: Street Music from the 13th to the 16th Centuries" by Ensemble Anonymous and Strada, and the Toronto Consort's "The Little Barley-Corne: Winter Revels from the Renaissance".

Shawms, Crumhorns, Sackbuts, Bagpipes, Lutes, & More!.......2002-07-15

You do NOT, repeat, do NOT need to be an expert on renaissance music to thoroughly enjoy this disk. The musicians show off the beauty of this music and have selected a very nice program.

I remember when I first heard wind music from this period performed and the reedy sound of the shawms and crumhorns and bagpipes and wonderful sound of the sackbuts. It became clear to me why old pipe organs sound like they do - this was the sound in the ears of the culture. Of course, this band performs this band shows off this music exceptionally well with their wonderful playing.

Also, there is an exceptionally nice booklet that accompanies this disk with photographs of the instrument families used in this disk as well as great notes about the group and the music recorded here.

The group has several other disks that you can obtain to extend your enjoyment of this music.

Piffaro Delivers Again.......2000-03-25

Like their other CDs, Piffaro's "Flemish Feast" is well-programmed, whimsical, and exquisitely performed. I personally find the first part of this CD a little heavy on the bagpipe, although others enjoy this a great deal. The lute and harp selections with and without recorder stand out as being particularly well-done. Having performed a concert of Flemish music in the not-so-distant past, I can address one possible comment: "Why are there FOUR tracks called 'T'andernaken'?" These are actually only three of a possible hundred or two. T'andernaken was a very popular ground or cantus firmus to use in Flanders at this time, and everyone had a go at it, including King Henry VIII. The recorder selections are organ-like, as usual, and the shawm/sackbut/dulcian (or "loud band") numbers are festive. Another wonderful selection from a great group.

Claus Ogermann: Works for Violin & Piano (Sarabande-Fantasie / Duo Lirico / Preludio and Chant / Nightwings) - Yue Deng & Jean-Yves Thibaudet

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Claus Ogermann: Works for Violin & Piano (Sarabande-Fantasie / Duo Lirico / Preludio and Chant / Nightwings) - Yue Deng & Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ojos Negros

ASIN: B000M9BTPY
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Average customer rating:

Satisfactory all the way

A Life in Music, Box 4 [Box Set]

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002B6T
Release Date: 1996-04-09

Customer Reviews:

Satisfactory all the way.......2002-07-31

Isaac Stern is, arguably, the best interpreter of classical music there is. His fleshy vibrato and excellent phrasing incorporates his feeling into this set. The Brahms is superb as Stern expresses love, grief, confusion, depression, and eventually redemption throughout the CD. His duo with Eugen Istomin of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas are the best in my library. Same with the Schubert with Daniel Barenboim as his accompanist. Bartok could have been brushed up upon. The intonation was just a tad off. The Franck CD is superb. The Bartok is THE main source for this piece because of Stern's collaboration with the actual composer. All in all, this set ends Stern's legacy with his favorite encores; the best played upon them all.

Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera

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Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Tomas Luis de Victoria: Missa 'Vidi Speciosam'
O Quam Gloriosum
Victoria: O Magnum Mysterium; Ascendens Christus in altum

ASIN: B000002ZPG
Release Date: 1993-11-19

Tracks:

Palestrina: Aeterna Christi munera - Hymn
Palestrina: Kyrie
Palestrina: Gloria
Palestrina: Credo
Palestrina: Sanctus And Benedictus
Palestrina: Agnus Dei I And Agnus Dei II
Palestrina: Sicut cervus desiderat
Palestrina: Super flumina Babylonis
Palestrina: Vidi turbam magnam
Palestrina: Quae est ista
Palestrina: Duo ubera tua
Palestrina: Nigra sum, sed formosa
Palestrina: Surge, amica mea
Palestrina: Magnificat Primi Toni

Amazon.com

If you're looking for one disc that most generously opens the door to Palestrina's art, this one from the Choir of Westminster Cathedral would be an excellent choice. Here are top-notch performances of several of his finest motets, among them "Sicut Cervus," "Super Flumina Babylonis," and, from the collection Canticum Canticorum (Song of Songs), "Quae Es Ista" and "Duo Ubera Tua." The mass Aeterna Christi Munera is an outstanding example of Palestrina's ability to create a work of sublime beauty with astonishing economy of materials. The pure, warmly resonant treble voices of the Westminster choir suit Palestrina's gently flowing lines especially well, preserving a perfect ensemble balance even in the brilliant upper-register passages. --David Vernier

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Read Steven Guy's Review
As deep and as wide as an ocean

Canticum Canticorum
Palestrina , Turner , and Pro Cantione Antiqua
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Complete Works (170 CD Box Set)

ASIN: B00006644C
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Customer Reviews:

Read Steven Guy's Review.......2006-11-18

I love the review by Steven Guy, which follows below! The list he offers of glorious music could only be improved by adding Monteverdi's Selva Morale e Spirituale (and possibly a few post-Beethoven items...). Take his advice! Buy it!

As deep and as wide as an ocean.......2006-11-17

This is a great work. Perhaps it is one of the greatest musical masterpieces in human history? It is certainly "up there" with Machaut's 'Messe de Notre Dame', Ockeghem's 'Requiem', Brumel's 'Missa et ecce terræ motus', Lassus's 'Penitential Psalms', Monteverdi's 'Vespro della Beata Vergine' and 8th book of madrigals, Schütz' 'Psalmen Davids' & three 'Symphoniæ Sacræ', Biber's 'Mystery Sonatas', Corelli's 'Concerti Grossi', Bach's Passions & B Minor Mass, Mozart's da Ponte operas and Beethoven's symphonies.

This work is sung by a group of soloists - ten men - rather than a choir. The result is a very much more intimate "chamber" performance of this work. The singers are all very good, with countertenors James Bowman, Charles Brett and Robin Tyson, singing the highest cantus lines.

You need to spend time with this music. Not an hour here or there. You NEED to spend years with this music. It isn't music for immediate gratification or titillation. It is music of the most passionate, deep, thoughtful, beautiful and involved kind. Palestrina didn't write this music to "please the masses", he wrote it for the intellectual stimulation of the intellectuals and intellectual faithful of his time, or so it seems to me. The Canticum Canticorum is NOT for philistines, New Agers and people who want "classy Renaissance dinner party music" to impress their friends.

This is music which stands outside of time and space. You want a description of the music on this recording? I can't give one, nor will I try. This is, in many ways, what used to be known as "Absolute Music".

Wanna know what that is? Look it up!

A few final words: this recording is sublime, beautiful, passionate, deep and definitive.

There, I hope that is enough for you!

Now go out and goddam well buy this disc! Okay? >;-/

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Multi-layered love in song

G. P. da Palestrina: The Song of Songs

Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000031I1
Release Date: 1994-05-02

Tracks:

Oculetur me
Trahe me
Nigra sum and Vineam meam non custodivi
Si ignoras, Pulchr sunt gen tuae and Fasciculus myrr
Ecce to pulcher es
Tota pulchra es and Vulnerasti cor meum
Sicut lilium inter spinas and Introduxit me rex
Leva ejus
Vox dilecti mei, Surge, propera and Surge, amica mea
Dilectus meus mihi and Surgam et circuibo civitatem
Adjuro vos and Caput ejus
Dilectus meus descendit and Pulchra es
Quae es ista and Descendi in hortum nucum
Quam pulchri sunt
Duo ubera tua
Quam pulchra es and Guttur tuum
Veni, dilecte mi

Amazon.com

Palestrina's collection of 29 motets with texts from the Biblical Song of Songs, published in 1584, was prefaced by a dedication to Pope Gregory explaining the nature and purpose of the music: to set texts that "express the divine love of Christ for his spiritual bride." He goes on to explain his use of "a livelier style than in my other sacred compositions." In fact, these works are stylistically and thematically closer to madrigals, with their colorful modes, catchy rhythms, and attention to mood- and word-painting. It's fascinating to hear how Palestrina, one of the greatest composers of sacred music, reconciles these outwardly erotic texts with their profoundly spiritual message. John Rutter's Cambridge Singers choose a light, madrigalesque approach that avoids sentimentality, attends to clear articulation, and never forgets the composer's wish to bring pleasure to his listeners. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Multi-layered love in song.......2005-09-25

This disc is one of the best of the Cambridge Singers, singing the work of Palestrina, one of the greatest medieval composers. Recorded in 1993 at Lyndhurst Hall, London, the music soars across the ages with a richness almost beyond compare.

--Music--
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.

According to Rutter, the Song of Songs was popular material at the time for composers, but rare was the composer who developed so much of the material as Palestrina did with 29 motets. It is unclear that Palestrina expected them to be performed as a complete series at once, but `they certainly make an effective whole,' according to Rutter. Given the subject matter, and that Palestrina was also a composer of secular pieces, Rutter includes a preface Palestrina wrote to this composition.

Going through the motets, the pattern starts at SATTB for the first 18, flowing into SAATB for 19-22, SSATB for 23-26, SAATB for 27-28, and coming back full circle to SATTB for the final motet. The first ten motets are done in Dorian mode; the next eight in Myxolydian mode; the next 6 in Phrygian mode, and the final five in Ionian mode. There is a life and love that runs through this music that circles back around on the listener.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words of each motet both in original Latin (modified from the Vulgate by Palestrina) and English translation text. The notes also give modes and patterns for the motets. One thing conspicuously missing is much biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers. Happily, this disc does have a list of the singers.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

Average customer rating:

Just accolade
A Beautiful, Professional Madrigali Recording

Marenzio: Madrigali
Luca Marenzio , Giovanni Antonio Terzi , Peter Philips , Rinaldo Alessandrini , Andrea Damiani , Mara Galassi , and Concerto Italiano
Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Monteverdi: Quinto Libro de Madrigali (Fifth Book of Madrigals)
Carlo Gesualdo: Madrigali Libri I-III
Gesualdo: Quinto Libro di Madrigali (1611)
Luzzaschi: Quinto Libro de' Madrigali
Monteverdi: Sesto Libro dei Madrigali - 1614

ASIN: B00004ZBJQ
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Customer Reviews:

Just accolade.......2005-07-01

Luca Marenzio was a composer who was held in unusually high esteem in his day - in fact even more so than Monteverdi himself. Monteverdi too felt fit to include him amongst the representative composers of the Seconda Prattica (Second Practice).

Rinaldo Alessandrini has been winning just and well earned accolades for his performances of Italian madrigals. For one they have the considerable advantage over other groups in that they are singing in their native language, Italian. Their mastery of the language but also of the pecularities of Italian in Marenzio's day (think of Shakespeare's English) also thorougly put non-Italian performers in the shade. Writing in Early Music (November, 1999) Rinaldo Alessandrini put it this way after criticising the modernisation of Italian pronounciation by Italian singers he went on:

"However, this is not nearly so bad as the barbarisms of singers whose mother tongue is not Italian, who are often deluded into thinking that an indiscriminate doubling of consonants (especially the Y and the T) can re-create the sound of the Italian language. To my astonishment, I have often heard the word 'dolore' changed to 'dol-lore', also with both 'o' sounds open to the point of sounding ridiculous. (Both the 'o's in 'dolore' are dark, the second a shade more than the first.)"

To Alessandrini the sound of English groups such as the Consort of Musicke singing Italian madrigals, where word painting and articulation are so crucial, must be like listening to Shakespeare in English from an amateur Italian theatre company.

The singing here in this anthology of madrigals by Marenzio from different published collections is predictably excellent with the superb intonation typical of this group. Their love for singing and for music shines through brilliantly for whoever has their heart and mind open enough to be able to appreciate their mastery of this repertoire - just take a listen to the unbuttoned Italian charm and stylishness as the group exclaims "stravaganza d'amore!" in "Donna il Celeste Lume". Though some even then may still begrudgingly cling to old familiar recordings which still sound 'right' because that's where they'd first learnt the music from, all the rest of us must simply tip our hats and concede to these Italians that they really have this field all to themselves. It's little wonder then that along with La Venexiana, Concerto Italiano are almost universally acknowledged as the leading magrigal singers of our times.

Iain Fenlon, writing on the occasion of this recording - rightfully - winning a Gramophone award, summed things up really nicely when he wrote:

"Alessandrini has gone to the heart of this style, capturing the essential spirit of these pieces, their communicability and their transparent craftsmanship. These are beautifully paced performances which present the most persuasive argument for understanding the reasons for Marenzio's enormous reputation during his lifetime."

These are indeed simply wonderful performances and are very highly recommended. So ignore the nay-sayers - just relax, listen for yourself and enjoy, for this CD is a genuine delight from start to finish! The recorded sound on this Opus 111 is just superb, as nearly always from this source (a huge relief given the sonic limitations of many a recording by Anthony Rooley et al).

A Beautiful, Professional Madrigali Recording.......2003-03-14

This is a beautiful recording of almost 74 minutes worth of Marenzio's madrigals. The singing is perfect, and the singers are Italian, which I prefer with Italian lyrics. Most of the madrigali are unaccompanied. This cd won one of Gramaphone magazine's awards, which it certainly deserved, as it is the best collection of madrigali I own. The packaging includes extensive notes, and the lyrics in Italian, with English, French, and German translations.

Adriano Banchieri: Vezzo di perle musicali... Op. 23

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Adriano Banchieri: Vezzo di perle musicali... Op. 23

Manufacturer: Tactus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004YWSD
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: I. Sancta Maria
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: II. Salve Virgo
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: III. Beati Immaculati
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: IV. Media Nocte
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: V. Osculetur Me
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XVI. O Quam Pulcra Est
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XVII. Veni Sponsa Christi
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XVIII. Spiritus Meus
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XIX. Pulchra Es Et Decora
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XX. Veni In Hortum Meum
Vezzo Di Perle Musicali, Op.23: XXI. In Hortum Meum Veni
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: Son Ottava, In Aria Francese
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: Secondo Dialogo: Acuto E Grave
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: La Battaglia
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: Bizaria Del Primo Tuono
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: Quarta Son In Scherzo
L'Organo Suonarino, Op.13: Fant Del Duodecimo Et Undecimo Modo Fuga Corrispondente
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Con Da Cantarsi, In Ricercata Di Stile Moderno...
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Primo Con. Audi Domine
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Secondo Con. Misericordia Domini
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Terzo Con. In Lectulo Meo
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Quarto Con. Vidi Speciosam
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Quinto Con. Duo Ubera
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Settimo Con in Ecco. Ardens Est Cor Meum
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Ottavo Con In Ecco. Anima Mea
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Nono Con. In Voluntate Tua Domine
Nuovi Pensieri Ecclesiastici...Libro III, Op.35: Con Di Dui Angioletti In Dialogo

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The Song of Angels

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | 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
ASIN: B000005BRC
Release Date: 1997-02-11

Tracks:

Tibi Christe
O Angele Dei
Terribilis est
Duo Seraphim
Dixit autem Maria
Hymno dell'Arcangelo Raffaelo
Ingressus est Raphael
Saint Raphael
In viam
Angelus Domini descendit
Lauda:Exultando
Stetit Angelus,I
Bell Peal
Stetit Angelus,II
Benedicite omnes Angeli
O Michael,Hear
Ad celebras
Angelis suis mandavit
In paradisum

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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7. Vals, Op. 8, No. 3
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