Beach, Amy

Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto

Average customer rating:

Splendid Works
The best recording of the Beach Piano Concerto
Amy Beach - a wonderful discovery
Naxos and the NSO do it again
Two Sunny Beaches

Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)

ASIN: B00008ZZ2Z
Release Date: 2003-06-17

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
Scherzo: Vivaco (Perpetuum Mobile)
Largo
Allegro Con Scioltezza
Allegro Con Fuoco
Alla Siciliana - Allegro Vivace - Andante
Lento Con Molta Espressione
Allegro Di Molto

Album Description

Naxos brings together, for the first time on a single disc, two of Amy Beach's finest compositions, her Piano Concerto, Op. 45, and her "Gaelic" Symphony, Op. 32 which makes use of four traditional Irish tunes in addition to original themes composed in the same idiom and spirit. Born supremely gifted in piano and composition, she grew up in an era when society expected women to marry and stay at home, not have professional careers. Against opposition from family and society, she first became a concert pianist and, after marriage, this country 's first successful female composer of major concert works.

Customer Reviews:

Splendid Works.......2007-03-04

Although I have had a solid appreciation for classical music for 5 decades, and own an extensive collection, I had never had the pleasure of hearing Beach's music until I purchased this CD from Amazon. The sympony is well structured and true to 19th century styles, but the concerto is simply brilliant and very much on the Olympian level of Chopin and Liszt. I had also never heard the Nashville Symphony perform, and this is one very accomplished ensemble, not necessarily expected from the home of country music. This bargain priced CD is a gift from the Gods and a find that any lover of traditional classical music will certainly welcome.

The best recording of the Beach Piano Concerto.......2004-06-19

Finally a recording of the piano concerto that does justice to it! Feinberg works wonders with this piece, and Schermerhorn backs up his soloist to the hilt. This is really a symphony for piano and orchestra-many times the orchestra has the big, romantic melodies while the pianist plays glittering arabesques around it. For the pianist, many large cadenzas fuel the piece with virtuoso fireworks. The Gaelic symphony to me is not as amazing as the piano concerto although Schermerhorn does the work justice, but not as well as the Jarvi/DSO on Chandos. But either performance does not convince me that the 3rd movement is not a note too long. Anyway, a most impressive achievement, and a great addition to the Naxos catalog (I must have 1,000 Naxos CD's now!)

Amy Beach - a wonderful discovery.......2003-12-12

Thank you Naxos for bringing us yet again rarely heard performances of our American heritage of classical composers. This time around it is Amy Beach's Piano Concerto and "Gaelic" Symphony. These compositions are finely crafted pieces that are worthy of regular appearances in concert halls.
The Piano Concerto is richly and warmly Romantic, with the piano sparkling like a cold glass of champagne. Her "Gaelic" symphony has to be ranked as one of America's finest symphonic outputs ever. If you think of Gershwin and Copeland when you think of American classical music, then you are missing out on some truly amazing works.

Naxos and the NSO do it again.......2003-09-15

Scott Morrison has already provided the salient details about this wonderful recording. This was arguably the best of last season's NSO concerts, and the recording is even better. TPAC's Jackson Hall seems to be an excellent symphonic recording studio, an interesting contrast to the scattered "dead spots" one must occasionally suffer through as a concertgoer depending on the seat assignment (the symphony will move to a new, allegedly acoustically superior hall in 2006). For those few who might hesitate to purchase a recording by a "second tier" orchestra, I can assure you that the mostly youthful members are graduates of America's best conservatories and university music departments. The core group has been together long enough to establish a cohesive tone with precision which rivals the "name" orchestras when they play their best, as they do here. Bernstein protege Schemerhorn conducts these works with grace and sensitivity - and Feinberg's piano performance is amazing. Highly recommended.

Two Sunny Beaches.......2003-08-06

Oh, how I envy pianist Alan Feinberg. If I were a virtuoso pianist, his is the kind of career I'd choose. He specializes in mostly American, mostly new music and has the advantage of presenting generally unknown pieces to an admiring audience. He has recorded music by such composers as Andrew Imbrie (the Concerto), Charles Ives (Songs, other pieces), Charles Wuorinen (3rd Sonata, Trio), John Adams (China Gates), Henry Cowell, Mario Davidovsky, Ralph Shapey, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Leo Ornstein, Paul Bowles, and even Thelonious Monk, among others. He rarely plays 'old-fashioned' American music, although he has recorded some music by Charles Tomlinson Griffes, our primary impressionist composer. Here he plays, with the admirable support of the Nashville Symphony conducted by their long-time music director Kenneth Schermerhorn, the 1899 Piano Concerto of Amy Cheney Beach (1867-1944; known in my student days as Mrs. H.H.A. Beach, and invariably referred to by us whippersnappers as Mrs Haha Beach).

The Piano Concerto is a four-movement, 37-minute, grandiloquent showpiece that is from the sound world of Grieg or MacDowell: melodious, big-gestured, rigorously crafted with an immediately discernible Romantic form--a crowd-pleaser if ever there was one. And in its day it pleased many concert-goers. Beach herself played the solo part at its 1900 première by the Boston Symphony. It was recorded before, perhaps twenty years ago, by Mary Louise Boehm, a pianist who has made something of a specialty of Beach's music, but this new recording supersedes the older one largely because Feinberg's performance is more assured and brilliant, the sound is crystalline, and the Nashville Symphony's playing is much better than that by the Westphalian Symphony under Siegfried Landau.

Another advantage of this issue is that Beach's once-familiar 'Gaelic Symphony' (1896) is coupled with the Concerto. It has tougher competition on CD--a Chandos recording by Neeme Järvi conducting the Detroit Symphony--but this performance is quite as good, and of course Naxos's budget price, as usual, is a definite plus.

If anything, the 42-minute, four-movement Gaelic Symphony, making use of Irish tunes (as well as original tunes that Beach wrote in the style of Irish folksongs), is even more tuneful and immediately attractive than the Concerto. The Andante second movement is particularly appealing; its major theme is the kind that immediately sticks in your mind's ear and won't let go (what the Germans call an Ohrwurm, an 'ear worm'). The third movement (Lento con molta espressione) is luscious and deeply melancholic. The symphony ends with a congeries of Irish tunes and dances in a paean of dramatic exultation.

I have no hesitation in recommending this CD. It is another recording in Naxos's admired American Classics series which seems to go from glory to glory. Naxos is doing for American classical music what Lyrita, Conifer, Hyperion and Chandos have done for native British music. The ongoing discovery of the depth and value of our American classical heritage continues to thrill me.

Customer Reviews:

TOTALLY FUN & FAB!.......2006-07-12

Every aspect of this CD gets 5 stars. (Even the cover art is adorable!) I bought this because my daughter is a cello student; I keep hoping some of that good juicy Isserlis stuff will rub off if she keeps listening to the Grand Poo Bah play. We have lots of Isserlis CDs now. This CD has 30 short songs, in a wide variety of styles. All of them are full of color and character. Anyway, it's a great collection because either you know it and love it, or you don't but you should and you will.
Stephen Hough's piano artistry is perfect, as always, and he even wrote two unique and charming cello pieces (one more than Steven Isserlis wrote!) The Isserlis one is called "The Haunted House" and I won't give away any of the surprises in it, but my kid loved it, and started sleuthing out how she thought certain things might have been done, and yours probably will, too.
The liner notes will make you laugh and are full of bits of information about the pieces, composers and the musicians.
This was really a great idea and if you are a beginning or advanced student or a teacher you will like this CD a lot. It sets a good example of what the cello sounds like when a master plays it, whether it's a two note beginner piece or something more advanced. Hearing how these are done, some students will probably be inspired to go back and have another crack at a few of their old Suzuki book pieces, which are cool pieces, too. I think the main goal here was to inspire the student cellist, but I don't play cello or piano, I'm just the mom, and I still enjoy listening to it. It's definitely worth your 20 bucks or whatever, especially if your kid plays cello.

A DELIGHT.......2006-06-13

What a lucky little boy Steven Isserlis's son must be. His father is a leading cellist in the world and is good friends with a leading pianist of the world (Stephen Hough).The aforesaid two musicians are well known as a splendid chamber music team! Obviously (evidenced by this album) the son (Gabriel) is surrounded by great music. Also evidenced by this album, Gabriel has a loving father that is very much concerned for his musical education. This album, (that is geared towards the young would be cellist) comprises short works that are played splendidly by Hough and Isserlis.(Hough as always is the sensative accompanist;he matches Isserlis's most beautiful tones spendidly. Isserlis does play with gorgeous tones throughout this disc--he exhibits some of the most beautiful cello tones I've ever heard!) Not only children can enjoy this album but old farts like me can enjoy it too--I enjoyed the album immensely! Although the works on a "Children's Cello" require only a short attention span, they are very beautiful and intriguing (the album is filled with some of the most gorgeous short peices for cello and piano that I've ever heard!).

I particularly liked the compositions by Stutchewsky (from his "Six Israeli Melodies") along with the composition by Amy Beach. Steven and Stephen both contributed delightful compositions of their own to the recording. Isserlis's composition, "The Haunted House" has the esteemed actor, Simon Callow as narrator.

Do buy this album for any potential young musician or, like me, buy the album just to enjoy some wonderful rather unknown short works for cello and piano (some arrangements such as Boccherini's "Minute' are included also included is Mendelssohn's "Song Without Word" Opus 109)

(Steven Isserlis also wrote the notes in the album that are both informative and very humorous!)

Average customer rating:

Really Glad I bought this CD
Excellent!

A La Carte - Short Works for Winds
Percy Grainger , Darius Milhaud , Vincent Persichetti , Nino Rota , Gunther Schuller , Joseph Turrin , and Borealis Wind Quintet
Manufacturer: MSR Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Discoveries: 20th Century Music for Wind Quintet
The Classical Underground
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ASIN: B0009KBTRY
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Tracks:

Rota: Petite Offrande Musicale
Farkas: Hungarian Dances
Farkas: Hungarian Dances
Farkas: Hungarian Dances
Farkas: Hungarian Dances
Farkas: Hungarian Dances
Beach: Pastorale
Schuller: Suite
Schuller: Suite
Schuller: Suite
Grainger: Walking Tune
Turrin: Three Summer Dances
Turrin: Three Summer Dances
Turrin: Three Summer Dances
Persichetti: Pastoral
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene
Briccialdi: Potpourri Fantastico

Product Description

Through our years of touring and performing, one of our biggest challenges has been concert programming-finding, rehearsing & presenting works that we and our audiences will find stimulating, enjoyable and entertaining. While we are always on the lookout for larger, substantial works, we inevitably come across smaller pieces that capture our imagination, little gems we feel deserve exposure. We have included these pieces in our performances to give our listeners a respite, a breather from the more challenging works inherent in the wind repertoire. This CD is a collection of some our most-played, most-requested, most-enjoyed shorter works. It is our hope that you will enjoy these pieces as much as we have over the years.

Customer Reviews:

Really Glad I bought this CD.......2006-03-11

I'm just getting into classical music at the tender age of 41 so I'm far from an expert here. Like another reviewer I heard about this CD (which had been nominated for a grammy) on NPR. It sounded interesting so I decided to buy it. And I'm really glad I did! The music is lively & playful in some parts and gentle & soothing in others. It makes perfect background music when I'm working. And the music sounds simply wonderful coming out of my new iPod Hi-Fi!

Excellent!.......2006-02-22

I discovered this work while listening to NPR and could not wait to own it.

A wonderful CD, a MUST HAVE.....my ipod is smiling;-)

All My Heart: Deborah Voigt Sings American Songs

Average customer rating:

Mixed results
Like driving a Ferrari in a school zone.
Stellar Soprano Applies Her Considerable Talent to a Lightning-Quick, All-American Repertoire
May have a heart but what good is it if the artistic results are a void?
Great new context for Voigt

All My Heart: Deborah Voigt Sings American Songs

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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My Name is Barbara

ASIN: B000AQACM0
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

The Side Show
Two Little Flowers
Down East
The Circus Band
Berceuse
At The River
The Children's Hour
Piccola Serenata
Greeting
So Pretty
In The Dark Pine-Wood
The Ivy-Wife
The Cloak, The Boat, And The Shoes
I Am In Need Of Music
To The Virgins To Make Much Of Time
This Heart That Flutters
Darkling, I Listen
Bright Cap And Streamers
The Half-Ring Moon
Pierrot
Cleopatra To The Asp
Evening Song
Ah, Love, But A Day
I Send My Heart Up To Thee
The Year's At The Spring

Amazon.com

This collection of American songs spanning 150 years shows Deborah Voigt, one of the world's leading sopranos, in a new light. She successfully achieves the transition from the larger-than-life operatic stage to the intimate world of song, especially in the more outgoing, dramatic pieces. Voigt enters into each composer's style with complete empathy. Charles Ives was an irrepressible maverick and a stylistic chameleon. Voigt captures the songs' hymn-like simplicity and irreverent rambunctiousness, though her voice is a bit too heavy for them. Leonard Bernstein's jazzy irony also needs more lightness, but the slow love songs are done beautifully. Voigt really comes into her own in Charles Griffes's lush impressionism, evoking the sultriness of Cleopatra and the rhythms of a Spanish dance, and Amy Beach's unabashed effusive romanticism. Composer Ben Moore is a child of our own time, born in 1960. He moves between many styles with natural ease. Set to great English and American poetry, some of his songs were written for Voigt, and she sings them to perfection. The splendid pianist Brian Zeger provides both leadership and support. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Mixed results.......2006-02-22

This is an interesting collection of American songs, but I don't feel that Ms Voigt sold these selections to me. She still sounds like an opera singer trying to squeeze a very powerful and large voice into smaller setting for these songs, with mixed success. She is much, much better than many of her fellow sopranos that tried such repertoire, but I feel that she only gets it right in Amy Beach and Griffes songs. And even there, she does not have a sound that would make every song recital fan happy.
And what's with the title of this album? I think she is a classy artist and deserves better than such silly title, her label probably came up with that.
Nice try overall, but I hope Ms Voigt will do more Strauss and Wagner from now on, not more songs like these.

Like driving a Ferrari in a school zone........2006-02-02

Like a lot of big operatic voices, Voigt is hard to capture on CD; her recordings of Wagner and Strauss excerpts are good, but they can't convey the experience of hearing her live in an opera house. And singing with only piano accompaniment, as here, she simply can't use most of the power in her voice. As sensitive as her performances are I can't help feeling that she's having to hold back. For American song sung with more delicacy and grace I would suggest Barbara Bonney or Dawn Upshaw (I can't agree with previous reviewers' suggestion of Cheryl Studer's Barber, though Hampson is wonderful on that set).

Stellar Soprano Applies Her Considerable Talent to a Lightning-Quick, All-American Repertoire.......2005-11-08

It's a shame that soprano Deborah Voigt hit her greatest notoriety last year for being fired by the Royal Opera House for being too fat for the title role of "Ariadne aux Naxos" by Richard Strauss. She subsequently lost eighty pounds but luckily none of her vocal prowess as can be heard to great effect on this intriguing collection of American songs, 25 in all and averaging a little over two minutes each. It would have seemed like a mismatch to apply her powerful voice - famous for her big Wagnerian roles - to sometimes delicate tunes. Voigt, however, confounds expectations with a surprisingly nuanced performance that showcases her interpretative skills on a diverse set of musical styles.

Similar to what countertenor David Daniels did with his 2003 disc with guitarist Craig Ogden, "A Quiet Thing", Voigt and pianist Brian Zeger have created a wide-ranging lyrical repertoire that encompasses significant vocal demands while remaining intimate in setting. In fact, both Daniels and Voigt cover Leonard Bernstein's anti-war lullaby, "So Pretty", with haunting aplomb. She also manages to dance effectively over the "Da-ga-da-ga-dums" of Bernstein's challenging "Piccola serenata". Voigt does wonders with the opening Charles Ives selections by not overplaying the innate sentiment of the tunes, in particular, soaring with the highly dramatic "The Children's Hour" by Longfellow and even covering the churchy warhorse, "At the River", with conviction.

There are eight highly individualistic songs by Ben Moore that stretch Voigt with bountiful results. The standouts of the Moore set are the English sea chantey-like "The Ivy-Wife" by Thomas Hardy, the lushly romantic "I Am in Need of Music" by Elizabeth Bishop; the sweeping "Darkling, I Listen" by John Keats; and the discordant waltz, "Bright Cap and Streamers", by James Joyce. For me, the highpoints of the recording are the last two sets by Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Amy Beach, both of whom tap impressively into Voigt's natural theatricality proven especially by her performances of Griffes's lush "Cleopatra to the Asp" and Bishop's rolling "I Send My Heart Up to Thee".

The one shortcoming of the recording overall is that the briefness of the songs does not really capitalize on Voigt's impressive dramatic capabilities in showcasing changes in characters she would have been allowed in her opera roles. For all the limitations it represents, this is a genuine recital album, and truly transcendent moments are fleeting at best especially given the variety of moods that need to be expressed in lightning-flash strokes. However, taken for the genre it represents, this is a stellar recording to appreciate a singer who is able to do more than Wagner and lose weight.

May have a heart but what good is it if the artistic results are a void?.......2005-10-31

The header says it all. Thumbs down all the way. Get instead the Samuel Barber double set with Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson if you wish to experience true heartrending Americana. As another reviewer put it, you get no gimmicks and no camp from these two distinguished artists.

Great new context for Voigt.......2005-09-30

It is great to hear Voigt in an American lieder recital. She is a top vocalist in her vocal prime. I think this is a lovely disc, and it really takes off especially with the songs of Ben Moore who has written many works just for Voigt. She tones down the volume of her sound and reins in the dramatic aspect of her soprano to give these songs a proper context and remains in service of them throughout the recital. Give this one a try! EMI - Release her Marshallin from Der Rosenkavalier, I think it would be wonderful. I know she just took on that role this summer.

Average customer rating:

The largest and finest collection of classical music you're likely to find under one cover

Ultimate Classical: Chill Out

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Awake

ASIN: B000ILZ6AA
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Tracks:

Clair de lune
Nocturne No.2 in E flat, Op.9 No.2
Nocturne
Dream Children - two pieces for small orchestra, Op.43
1. Adagio sostenuto
Nocturne
Notturno
Nocturne No.15 in F minor, Op.55 No.1
Intermezzo (Garden Scene)
Ledernier sommeil de la Vièrge (The last sleep of the Virgin)
Nocturne
Nocturne
Pavane, Op.50

Tracks:

Hornpipe
Air
Gigue
1. Reflets dans l'eau
Lagunen-Waltzer (Lagoon Waltz), Op.411
Jeux d'eau
2.Largo
Vltava
15. in D flat major ("Raindrop")
Die Forelle
No.13e Danse des cygnes: Pas d'action: Odette et le prince/Deuxième danse de la reine des cygnes (Adante)
Gaily, but not too quick
Auf dem Wasser zu singen, S. 558 No.2 piano transcription after Schubert
The Blue Danube Waltz

Tracks:

Fantasia on Greensleeves
2. Bailero
By the Brook
Theme & Variations
1. Idylle
To a Wild Rose, Op.51, No.1
2. Cowkeeper's tune and country dance
3. Sous les tilleuls
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
To a Water Lily, Op.51, No.6
Shepherd's melody
Chorus of Shepherds: "Hier auf den Fluren...."
Tales from the Vienna Woods

Tracks:

Love Theme
Liebesfreud
The Walk to the Paradise Garden (Intermezzo from "A Village Romeo and Juliet")
Liebestraum No.3 in A flat, S.541 No.3 - Arr. by Liszt from: O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst, S.298
D'Amour ardente flamme
The Balcony Scene
Salut d'amour, Op.12
Extase
4. Pastourelle
Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia
Für Elise
Liebesleid
"Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix"
Scène d'amour

Tracks:

Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour
2.Menuetto - Trio
4. Larghetto
Nocturne No.8 in D flat, Op.27 No.2
3. Adagio
"Vous soupirez, madame?" - "Nuit paisible et sereine!"
Prélude No.7 in A, Op.28, No.7
Mazurka No.5 in B flat Op.7 No.1
Andante cantabile
Dreaming
Musette
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
"Abends will ich schlafen gehn"
4. Quasi menuetto - Trio
4. Romanza (Andante con moto)
Chanson de la Nuit
12. Brezairola

Album Description

The most popular composers of all-time now offered at an incredible price! FIVE CDs for the price of ONE--who could resist! Collections of the essential works of the most popular composers and their greatest hits! Outstanding artists and recordings from the Decca and Philips Classic's catalogues. Each package is a slipcase loaded with FIVE jewel boxes - that's over 5 HOURS of great music in each boxed set. Five discs jam-packed with the greatest classical hits of all time. Includes: Bach: Jesu, joy of man's desiring, Sheep may safely graze, Ave Maria Beethoven: "Emperor" Concerto, Ninth Symphony "Choral" (Ode to Joy) Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary Dvorak: "New World" Symphony Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March Grieg: Morning Mood Handel: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Hallelujah Chorus Mascagni: Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana Massenet: MÃƒÂ©ditation from ThaÃƒÂ¯s Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Overture from The Marriage of Figaro Offenbach: Overture from Orpheus in the Underworld Pachelbel: Canon in D Ravel: Bolaro Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez Schubert: Ave Maria Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto, Nutcracker Suite Verdi: La donna ÃƒÂ¨ mobile, Triumphal March from Aida and much more! Featuring London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Vienna Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

The most popular composers of all-time now offered at an incredible price!

FIVE CDs for the price of ONE--who could resist! Collections of the essential works of the most popular composers and their greatest hits! Outstanding artists and recordings from the Decca and Philips Classic's catalogues. Each package is a slipcase loaded with FIVE jewel boxes - that's over 5 HOURS of great music in each boxed set. Chill out to the greatest ambient mood music of all time on five discs. Includes: Beethoven: "Moonlight" Sonata, "FÃƒÂ¼r Elise" Borodin: Nocturne Canteloube: Bailero Debussy: Clair de lune Dvorak: Serenade for Strings FaurÃƒÂ©: Pavane Hoffstetter: Serenade Humperdinck: Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel Kreisler: Liebesfreud Mozart: Serenata notturna Offenbach: Barcarolle Strauss: The Blue Danube Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Swans, Romeo and Juliet Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves and much more! Featuring London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Vienna Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

The largest and finest collection of classical music you're likely to find under one cover.......2007-02-01

This is the ultimate collection of music to relax by. The five-CD set has it all: from the well-known "hits" to the relatively obscure, but equally beautiful and soothing pieces that you may hear for the very first time in this set. Just as incredible is the drop-dead low price! And finally, having all your classical favorites (including the freshly discovered ones) "under one roof" tops-off this great deal.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!

Amy Beach: Songs

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto
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Amy Beach: Canticle of the Sun
Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944

ASIN: B0002BXOFK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

The Rainy Day
Ariette
When Far From Her
Empress Of Night
The Secret
Ecstasy
Within Thy Heart
Sleep, Little Darling
Night
Forgotten
Dearie
Far Awa'
The Year's At The Spring
Ah, Love, But A Day!
I Send My Heart Up To Thee!
Come, Ah Come
Canzonetta
I Did Not Say
We Three
June
I Ask The Bird
Go Not Too Far
Shena Van
Baby
Hush, Baby Dear
A Prelude
O Sweet Content
An Old Prayer
The Funeral Wreath
The Candy Lion
A Thanksgiving Fable
In The Twilight
The Host
May Flowers
I Sought The Lord
Though I Take The Wings Of Morning

Album Description

One of America's most prolific and successful composers, Mrs H. H. A. ("Amy") Beach was one of the first women composers whose works were as highly regarded as those produced by men. Best known during her lifetime for her well-crafted songs and short piano pieces, she was also the first American woman to compose in the larger forms. Beach's 117 art songs span the whole of her compositional career. By incorporating musical ideas from many cultures and musical traditions within a late-Romantic framework, Beach's songs show her skillful craftsmanship and profound understanding of text.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2004-11-11

I take private voice lessons from Kathie Kelton and she is amazing! She brings Amy Beach's music to life! I strongly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys listening to classical and operatic music. The music is so beautiful it will give you chills! Fantastic!

Choral Music of Amy Beach and Randall Thompso

Average customer rating:

Choral Music of Amy Beach and Randall Thompso
Beach , Thompson , Somerville , and Harvard Univ Choir
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Choose Something Like a Star
Thompson: Frostiana; Testament of Freedom
Randall Thompson: The Light of Stars
Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and other choral works

ASIN: B0000666B6
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

The Eternal Dove
Lord Of All Being, Op. 146
The Best Of Rooms
Help Us, O God!, Op. 50
Choose Something Like A Star
Peace I Leave With You
Felices Ter
Evening Hymn, Op. 125 No. 2
Nunc Dimittis
Alleluia
Te Deum
Jubilate

Jussi Björling Edition: Studio Recordings 1930-1959

Average customer rating:

Superb!
Beatiful singing - but where are the Swedish texts?
if you like bjorling this is the best thing you can get!
The ULTIMATE Collection
Definitive survey of one of the finest singers on record

Jussi Björling Edition: Studio Recordings 1930-1959

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Tenors | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Jussi Björling Rediscovered
Artists Of The Century - Jussi Bjorling, The Ultimate Collection
The "Pearl Fishers" Duet
Jussi Björling: Opera Arias
Jussi Bjorling: Opera Arias

ASIN: B000002S9L
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

Aida: Se quel guerrier...Celeste Aida
Rigoletto: La donna e mobile
La Boheme: Che gelida manina
Tosca: Recondita armonia
TOSCA: E lucevan le stelle
La fanciulla del West: Ch'ella mi creda
La Gioconda: Cielo e mar!
L'africaine: Mi batte Il cor...O paradiso
Ideale
O sole mio
The Vagabond King: Only A Rose
For You Alone
Manon: Instant Carmant ... En ferman les yeux
Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jetee
Faust: Salut! demeure chaste et pure
Martha: M'appari tutt'amor
Martha: Cujus animam
Messa da requiem: Ingemisco
Il Trovatore: Ah si ben mio
Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
Il Trovatore: Ah si, ben mio
Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
Rigoletto: Questa o quella

Tracks:

La Boheme: O soave faniculla
Rigoletto: E il sol dell'anima
Rigoletto: Questa o quella
Un Ballo in Maschera: Di' tu se fedele
Turnadot: Nessun dorma!
Andrea Chenier: Come un bel di di maggio
Fedora: Amor ti vieta
Cavalleria Rusticana: Mamma!...Quel vino
Pagliacci: Recita! ... Vesti la giubba
Mattinata
L'Elisir D'Amore: Una furtiva lagrima
Les Pecheurs De Perles: Je crois entendre encore
Romeo et Juliette: Ah! leve-tol, soleil!
Manon: Je suis seul! ... Ah! fuyez, douce image
L'arlesiana: E la solita storia
Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola
Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
Tosca: Recondita armonia
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
La Boheme: O soave fanciulla
Romeo et Juliette: Ange adorable
Jocelyn: Concealed In This Retreat
L'albe separa dalla luve l'ombra

Tracks:

Romeo et Juliette: Hoj dig, du klara sol
Rigoletto: O, I kvinnor: Questa o quella
L'illustre Fregona: Fylld av vemod sanker sig natten: Melancolque tombe le soir
Knyaz (Prince) Igor: Dagen gick langsamt till ro: Vladimir's Cavatina: Medlenno den' ugasal
Tosca: Det skona star att finna: Ricondita armonia
Tosca: Ja minns stjarnorna lyste: E lucevan le stelle
Rigoletto: Ack, som ett fjun sa latt: La donna e mobile
Il Trovatore: Skyhogt mot himlen
Pagliacci: Spela komedi! ... Pudra ditt anlet: Recitar! ... Vesti la giubba
Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola
La fanciulla del West: Lat henne tro: Ch'ella mi creda
Fanal: I manner over lag och ratt
Sadko: I sonderns hav
La Belle Helene: Uti en skog pa berget Ida
Der Zigeunerbaron: Vem har oss vigt?
Der Bettelstudent: Skall jag tala ... Antag det fall
Der Bettelstudent: Ny ar jag pank och fagelgri: Ich hab keion Geld, bin vogelfrei
Nar hag for mig shalv i morka skogen gar
Bland skogens hoga furustammar
Ack Varmeland, du skona
Allt under himmelens faste
Tonerna
Sommarnatt: I de lyse naetter
Ett Folk: Sverige
Land, du valsignade
Namner du Sverige

Tracks:

Adelaide
Morgen
Cacilie
Bon i ofredstid
Bisp Thomas frihetssang
In The Silence Of Night
Siren: Lilacs
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Because
Sylvia
A Spirit Flower
Ah, Love But A Day
Tonerna: I Bless Ev'ry Hour
Till havs
Sangen till havest
Visa king slandblom och manskara
Jungfrun under lind
Kung Helmer och Aslog
Trollsjon
Sa tag mit hjerte
Demanten pa marssnon
Cantique de Noel: Julsang (O helga natt) : Cantique de Noel

Amazon.com

This set tells you why Jussi Bjorling is a perennial entrant in the "Tenor of the Century" sweepstakes. Even as the voice darkens from the light lyric to the full, darker instrument of the later recordings, we hear a singer whose elegant style, lovely timbre and innate musicality touch the heart. Many of the selections are sung in Swedish, less of a liability than you might suppose. In whatever language, Bjorling's molten gold flows lavishly. He eschews the sobs and sentimentality that disfigure so much verismo repertory, making his points with stylish vocalism. He's been called a "cool" singer, but try his Puccini and Verdi arias on Disc One and you'll find more than enough vocal and emotional heat. The selections include many neglected Scandinavian songs, sung, like the arias, with a naturalness that disarms criticism. -- Dan Davis

Amazon.com

Swedish tenor Jussi Björling gets many votes for the distinction of greatest all-time tenor. Up to the end, the voice projected a boyish vulnerability, though he also had enough stentorian power to sing the heavy Puccini roles and was ready to take on Lohengrin when he died. He was so deeply musical he eschewed the usual tenor vulgarity without ever slighting the music's theatricality. Even these four well-filled discs of arias and songs can't fully encompass the vocal riches he left behind, but there's a lot here, much of it from his earliest years and (hope you don't mind) sung in a Swedish translation. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Superb!.......2001-07-29

This is an wonderful compilation of one of the most incredible voices on record. Whether you are a new or old Bjorling fan -- and who could hear that voice and not be enthralled by it -- this is a fine CD to have. The quality of the recording is excellent, and the range in years, from 1930 to 1959, gives a splendid overview of his dazzling talent. In addition to many of the arias one might expect, there are also lieder and songs in Swedish, as well as some charming duets with Jussi's wife, Anna-Lisa. I have quite a few other Bjorling CDs, and this is one of the best in terms of quality and scope. It is a most worthy addition to any Bjorling collection, regardless of its size.

Beatiful singing - but where are the Swedish texts?.......2001-06-22

This is an excellent collection, the best available overview of a great tenor.

This would get 4 stars but has been marked down for only supplying token texts and translations in the large booklet. It is understandable (sort of) that the Italian opera excerpts don't merit texts and translations as (apart from the Callas recitals series) EMI generally doesn't provide texts with historical issues. However the tempting inclusion of a dozen or so texts to the Italian and Swedish songs makes one all the more aware of the miserliness of not providing all the texts.

if you like bjorling this is the best thing you can get!.......2000-06-26

this is so awesome, i love his voice, this is good for anyone, the professional or just someone who wants to hear the greatest tenor of all times! this is so great

The ULTIMATE Collection.......1999-11-02

When starting my Bjorling collection, I saw MANY CDs, with his early recordings. I was in a quandry as to what to buy, UNTIL I found this set. TRULY remarkable in many levels.FIRST and foremost, the voice. Captured in all levels, from the earliest to the latest. Truly wonderful, and the Swedish versions are a real treat to hear, don't worry, the Italian versions are here too!!Secondly, the remastering process. This set was remastered at Abbey Studios in London. For the first time I've heard, they actually pressed NEW 78s from the metal plates, and THEN remastered the new discs!!! Inspired, and the results--incredible.I find myself listening to Disc 3 the most. Very interesting, as it is the Swedish one. When the songs are terrific, along with the "standard" tenor arias, and it all comes together, it is PURE MAGIC!! I will admit that due to time limitations of recordings of this era, the opera house Bjorling is not fully conveyed. There are other CDs for that. Most notably "Romeo and Juliet", and for a REAL thrill, his ATLANTA concert, in STEREO, so much so, that the piano is even divided; left hand left, right hand right. Wait a minute, am I playing TWISTER??:-)) But if you want to skip all those unknown labels, you couldn't have a MORE complete set. ALL wit the great remastering I spoke of. Bjorling--His voice will NEVER die, at least in MY house!!!

Definitive survey of one of the finest singers on record.......1998-09-25

Jussi Bjoerling was one of the greatest singers of the century. His voice is pure, effortless and yet thrilling. Even better than the quality of the voice is his style. He never scoops up to a note nor does he ever whoop down from one, instead, he uses perfect legato and faultless intonation to deliver the cleanest sound you'll ever hear from a tenor.

This collection, from the large set of EMI recordings, provides a wonderful survey of Bjoerling's career. He was a straight 'spinto' tenor, that is, between a lyrical tenor (like Pavarotti) and a dramatic tenor (like Domingo). Most of the Puccini roles demand a spinto and those are the roles that Bjoerling was unbeatable in (particularly Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut). However, I think I most prize this collection for the songs sung in English on the last disc. I had some of them on a cassette I wore out in the car and others on a vinyl disc I wore out at home. For shear beauty of voice, the Berceuse by Jocelyn is stunning. For perfect diction, intonation and style, Love but a Day is breathtaking. Buy this set and I guarantee you'll fall in love with what many think is the finest voice on record.

Chamber Works by Women Composers
Average customer rating:

A break-through Vox Box

Chamber Works by Women Composers

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Beach | Beach, Amy Marcy Cheney | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Mendelssohn-Hensel | Mendelssohn-Hensel, Fanny | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Clara Wieck Schumann | Schumann, Clara Wieck | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Tailleferre | Tailleferre, Germaine | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Fanny Mendelssohn & Clara Schumann Piano Trios [IMPORT]

Women of Note ~ Beach, Boulanger, Clarke, Gubaidulina, Larsen, Mendelssohn, Monk, Musgrave, Ran, Zwilich

Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto

ASIN: B000001K2J
Release Date: 1992-11-09

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato - The Macalester Trio
II. Scherzo - The Macalester Trio
III. Andante - The Macalester Trio
IV. Allegretto - The Macalester Trio
I. Allegro - The Macalester Trio
II. Lento Espressivo-Presto - The Macalester Trio
III. Allegro Con Brio - The Macalester Trio
I. Mod Sans Lenteur - Joseph Roche
II. Scherzo - Joseph Roche
III. Assez Lent; IV. TrVite - Joseph Roche
Nocturne - Joseph Roche
Cort - Joseph Roche

Tracks:

I. Allegro Molto Vivace - The Macalester Trio
II. Andante Espressivo; III. Leid: Allegretto - The Macalester Trio
IV. Finale: Allegro Moderato - The Macalester Trio
I. Allegro Maestoso - Joseph Roche
II. Andante - Joseph Roche
III. Scherzo - Joseph Roche
IV. Allegro Risoluto - Joseph Roche
I. Allegro - The Macalster Trio
II. Andante - The Macalster Trio
III. Presto - The Macalster Trio
IV. Allegro Molto - The Macalster Trio

Customer Reviews:

A break-through Vox Box.......2002-05-18

This was a break-through box set when first released in the Seventies, & it's still an excellent collection. The Talleferre & Schumann compositions are wonderful. Beach was a genius trapped in the Teutonic Boston Brahma tastes of her era; but she was, in my modest opinion, the top banana of the bunch, & did pay some attention to the 20th Century. Fanny Mendelssohn had talent & maturity. Lili Boulanger (Nadia's sister) died very young; the works by her & Carreno have a great deal of charm. Only the Chaminade Trio doesn't hold my interest.

The thirty year old liner notes have a bit of a "Gee whiz, women CAN compose music" attitude. But the music is the thing here. & the price is swell for a two CD set. The playing is gracious, the sound just fine...

Average customer rating:

Slightly weird and wonderful

Amy Beach : Piano Quintet ETC

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Amy Beach: Violin Sonata, etc.
Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto
Amy Beach: Canticle of the Sun
Amy Beach: Songs
Bax: Symphony No. 3 / The Happy Forest

ASIN: B00001T6KP
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

Pno Qnt in f#, Op.67: I. Adagio - Allegro Moderato
Pno Qnt in f#, Op.67: II. Adagio Espressivo
Pno Qnt in f#, Op.67: III. Allegro Agitato - Adagio Come Prima - Presto
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Theme: Lento Di Molto, Sempre Espressivo
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var I: L'istesso Tempo
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var II: Allegro Giusto
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var III: Andantino Con Morbidezza (Quasi Valzer Lento)
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var IV: Presto Leggiero
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var V: Largo Di Molto, Con 'Grand' Espressione
Theme And Vars in a, Op.80: Var VI: Allegro Giocoso
Trio in a, Op.150: I. Allegro
Trio in a, Op.150: II. Lento Espressivo
Trio in a, Op.150: III. Allegro Con Brio

Customer Reviews:

Slightly weird and wonderful.......2000-07-09

My tiny exposure to Amy Beach was through one of her songs..."Ah, Love but a day". That song always struck me as good/strange and arresting ...I never tired of its piquant and odd melodic line. I went hunting for more of Amy Beach. These chamber offerings have that same tangy-tasty, even exotic, quality. My interest is always held -- I will be acquiring more of this interesting composer.

Music Composers:

Music Composers

Music Composers