Editorial Review

This record is most notable for its performances. Kirchschlager's singing is ravishingly beautiful and deeply expressive; the pianists and other instrumentalists are all first rate. Its content seems designed less for consistent musical quality and a balanced program than for variety and popular appeal. Yet the predominantly slow songs induce a certain monotony, and Mozart and Menotti, Brahms and Broadway musicals make strange stylistic bedfellows. However, many gems stand out in the mix: the two Brahms songs with viola, in which the renowned Yuri Bashmet is unfortunately almost inaudible; two Schubert Read more

Reviews (7)

Gentle crossover that gets a bit sleepy
When Sony's artist executives were German, they tried to promote the young Austrian mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager, but because of her difficult name (I am guessing) and the slackening classical music market, she never caught on. Today Kirchschlager is a star in Europe, and one sees her name on the Met roster. This, her second CD, is a gentle recital of lullabies, made more varied by adding Broadway tunes into the mix and bringing in star musicians like John Williams on guitar and Yuri Bashmet on viola.
An Example of When Crossover Works
Angelika Kirchschlager is well known on the operatic stage and in chamber and orchestral programs where her forte is Mozart and Bach.Hers is a voice creamy rich and produced with incredible intelligence. She is also a communicator - in recital, in opera, in anything she does.It comes as no surprise then that an artist of this caliber (or her agent....!) is able to set the standard for the now ubiquitous 'crossover album' that most of the major singers find it necessary to make to gather in more admirers.
Lullabies for All Ages
I bought this CD as a gift for my first grandchild to introduce her to the world of classical music.But when I played it, it enchanted me and my grandchild's parents even more than it did the baby.Angelika Kirschlager is a young Austrian mezzo-soprano who had previously been unknown to me.She sings these simple songs with a beautiful round warmth of tone.
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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. American 20th/21st Century Opera    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Classical Period Music for Voice and Keyboard    7. Classical Vocals    8. Folk Song    9. Music Theater    10. Musical Theater    11. Opera    12. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    13. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    14. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    15. Solo for Voice and Guitar    16. Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano    17. Vocal   

Reviews (2)

"Abblassen" Used in "Sunday Morning"
The CBS News show "Sunday Morning" is using "Abblassen" as their theme music.

fun trumpets
"Masters of The Trumpet" is a simple and accurate title for this 2- disc collection.The recordings cover trumpet/cornet literature ranging from Gabrieli to Stravinsky.
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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    2. Band    3. Brass Chamber Music    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Classical    8. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    9. Concerto    10. Concerto Grosso    11. Concerto for Two Solo Instruments    12. Duo for Two Brass Instruments    13. March for Band    14. Orchestral    15. Orchestral Music    16. Piano Concerto    17. Polychoral Music For Brass    18. Septet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    19. Trio for Three Brass Instruments    20. Trumpet Concerto   

Reviews (2)

Overripe in the extreme, which is hte point
It's said that Korngold was crushed by a reviewer who said that his music needed less corn and more gold. The same holds for Zemlinsky, whose overripe idiom sags as much as it soars and sounds almost identical to Korngold in Hollywood. The vocal writing is also reminiscent of Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, although Zemlinsky is rather devoid of melodic genius. For anyone who loves being caught like a fly on sticky paper, A Florentine Tragedy is a nice indulgence. The story is macabre--a revenge plot with the twist that the adulterous wife and her murderous husband get turned on by his crime: this is marriage counseling through homocide.
Extravagant remodel of Wilde; revelation of silenced artist
Like 'Salome', 'a FlorentineTragedy' is one of Oscar Wilde's more florid contrivances, full of arch speeches weighed down by an 'aesthetic' vocabulary.Yet, as Strauss proved with his opera of 'Salome', what is exotically inert on the page can be vivid and exciting in a musical setting that mmets a text on its own terms.Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Music    3. German/Austrian 20th/21st Century Opera    4. Opera    5. Opera / Operetta / Oratorio    6. Opera/Operetta    7. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    8. Vocal   

Editorial Review

Bach's setting of the Magnificat is one of his most often-recorded vocalworks; as a rule, it's paired with one of Bach's lavishly scored festalcantatas. (The Easter Oratorioseems to be a current favorite.) Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan hada different idea: they've paired Bach's Magnificat with roughly contemporarysettings by Johann Kuhnau, who was Bach's immediate predecessor in Leipzig, andJan Dismas Zelenka, who was a composer at the court of Saxony in Dresden.Zelenka is an interesting composer, among the most underrated of the Baroqueera. His writing is less dense and intricate than Bach's--at times it looksforward to the simpler, more elegant style of Haydn and C.P.E. Bach. Zelenka knew hiscounterpoint, however, and was fond of slipping the occasional surprising chordchange into his music. The two Magnificat settings by Zelenka presented here arerelatively short (about 10 minutes each) and cover most of the text in theiropening movements, which are extended choruses with full orchestra and floridsoprano solos; each concludes with a splendid fugal "Amen" along the lines ofthe one Handel used to conclude Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Classical Vocals    6. Magnificat   

Editorial Review

Oboist Heinz Holliger created quite a stir when he first recorded the impossibly difficult trio sonatas of Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) in the early '70s, and this recording for ECM proves he hasn't forgotten the magic of the baroque composer. Zelenka--a lesser-known Dresden court composer--is perhaps best remembered for his numerous vocal works, but his trio sonatas (and his orchestral music, for that matter) is memorable, to say the least. Highly expressive, loaded with demanding passages (the over-the-top but lovely Sonata No. 5 should be heard by all baroque fans), and downright peppy with a dancelike structure, these are great compositions. Holliger and his ensemble are in top form, embracing this innovative but underheard music to its fullest potential. A highly recommended disc. Read more

Reviews (11)

Extraordinary!
These pieces are so difficult and are played here with such ease and grace that the virtuosity is almost invisible.The best available.

Not broke, but baroque...
Having played the oboe for numerous years (but not in several), I was curious about this title when I heard some of it on NPR.Put it on my wish list, and behold... Santa dropped it down the chimney!
Virtuoso Baroque on Modern Instruments
These compositions are marvellous for their elaborate counterpoint and high spirits. Played by Holliger and his ensemble, Zelenka's polyphonic melodies seem to spiral, weave and modulate indefinitely, having an academic sophistication comparable to Bach and energy level comparable to Vivaldi.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Three Woodwinds with Keyboard/Continuo   

Reviews (2)

Excellent music and performance, suspect production
Zelenka is one of my favorite composers, as he is always inventive and original, and a master of counterpoint.The reference to him as the Bohemian Bach is very apt.The two works recorded here are up to his usual level, full of wonderfully tuneful arias and dense choral fugues.The performance is quite good, the instruments and choir sounding focused and alert, with no problems with ensemble or tuning.The soloists are good, but it must be said that the women (Kozena and Hlavenkova especially) are a cut above the men. Where my reservations come is in the production side of this cd.
Fantastic Work!!
This CD is partitioned into two contrasting works, one a Requiem Mass in d and the other the Miserere in C.One of sorrow and remembrance the other of celebration and recognition. Both are excellent examples of the baroque which give definite hints of the classical to come.Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Vocals    5. Psalm Setting    6. Requiem/Requiem Section   

Reviews (2)

My best baroque CD
Over the years from time to time I bought some CDs with baroque brass ensemble music, always hoping it would be so fascinating as what I knew from my fathers PJBE vynil records. What I bought so far all are nice but also somewhat boring after short time. Unfortunately I never bought something from the PJBE until now, and this is the first time that a complete CD (and in this case even two of them) of baroque music for brass is surprising and fascinating me with every 'song', showing facetes and diversity I always missed on my other records. Finally nothing is like the original PJ!

superbe
Apr?s nous avoir fait plaisir avec le Greatest Hits, voici un double CD qui nous enchante avec les principales pi?ces dela Renaissance du sublime Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Il y a longtemps que nous attendions la mise en CD de ces oeuvres, et nous voila combl?. Pour plusieurs pi?ces, c'est Elgar Howarth qui les a arrang?. Un grand moment de musique pour cuivres avec de grands compositeurs, d?licieusement arrang?es.Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Individual Dance Movement for Orchestra    2. Battle Music    3. Brass Chamber Music    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    8. Choral    9. Classical    10. Classical Artists    11. Classical Music    12. Keyboard    13. Keyboard Music    14. Miscellaneous    15. Miscellaneous Music    16. Orchestral    17. Pavane for Keyboard    18. Polychoral Music For Brass    19. Renaissance Instrumental Polyphony    20. Transcription for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Non-Mass Liturgical Service    5. Orchestral & Symphonic    6. Psalm Setting    7. Secular Choral Music for Female Voices    8. Secular Choral Music for Male Voices    9. Secular Choral Music with Chamber Ensemble    10. Secular Music for More One Soloist, Chorus and Instr    11. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    12. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    13. Song Collection for Solo Voice and Orchestra    14. Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano    15. Vocal   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful music expertly performed
These six sonatas must be considered to be the high water-mark of baroque trio sonatas (much as Bach's Brandenburg concerti are the pinnacle of the concerto grosso), and are given a nearly flawless performance by this ad hoc ensemble.I first heard of Zelenka when I caught the second sonata being played on the radio and was completely overwhelmed by his contrapuntal skill.The moment in the first Allegro when the second theme is joined by the first remains one of my most memorable musical epiphanys.Each sonata here is equally splendid and are very rewarding for the active listener.The reading given by Ponseele, Dombrecht, et al is admirable in every way.Given that two of the works were recorded some six years before the others, there is no noticable difference betweenthem.The fact that the same ensemble was used for each session undoubtably helps.The oboists aquit themselves with confidence, and are generally very secure.The bassoon part is surely one of the most demanding in the entire repetoire, and Danny Bond never falters (even in the thrilling fifth sonata).The only fault I could name are a couple of obvious edits.This is music that deserves to be famous and well known. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Three Woodwinds with Keyboard/Continuo   

Reviews (1)

The baroque oboe at its best
Some late baroque compositions can tend towards the formulaic - but with Zelenka inventiveness and interesting harmonies usually add up to something original.Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Classical Music    4. Three Woodwinds with Keyboard/Continuo   

Reviews (1)

And now, honored ladies and gentlemen, may we present...!
This is what you'd have to call a specialty CD. It consists entirely of fanfares--nothing but fanfares--some of them as short as 10 seconds long. An interesting idea for a CD, perhaps, but I would guess it is primarily for directors of costume dramas, period pieces, and ceremonies of various sorts.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Band    3. Band Music    4. Baroque Ballet    5. Brass Chamber Music    6. Chamber    7. Chamber Music    8. Chamber Music & Recitals    9. Classical    10. Classical Artists    11. Classical Music    12. Duo for Two Brass Instruments    13. Four String Instrument with Keyboard/Continuo    14. French Baroque Opera    15. Italian Baroque Opera    16. Miscellaneous    17. Miscellaneous Music    18. Opera    19. Orchestral    20. Orchestral Music   

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Incidental Music for Orchestra    2. 20th/21st Century Symphony with Multiple Solo Voices    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Orchestral    7. Orchestral & Symphonic    8. Symphonic   

Editorial Review

Although Biber's Read more

Reviews (4)

breathing new life into old works
Il Giardino Armonico are, by now, renowned for their flashy, energetic approach to baroque music, and it is a well-deserved label.Two of these pieces have been better recorded elsewhere, however.Andrew Manze's recording of "Die Katz" on Harmonia Mundi is far superior to Onofri's rendition.Manze captures the programmatic essence of this solo violin sonata, glissandos cleverly mimicking the cat's meow.Onofri rushes through it in another show of his talent that, sadly, lacks consideration.Listen to the two different versions and you'll hear what I mean. Wonderful recording
Thuis recording is an absolutly fantastic buy, the freshness, and vitality which il giradino armonico employ in their interpretation is not only extreemly exciting to listen to, but also works very very well, i thinkthat the hightlight of the whole cd is the sonata representativa, which hasa freshness and gypsy-style of violin playing that I have never heardbefore. A truly excellant recording.

Unique master work, recommended for high sensibility people
If you are one of those with an extremely sensitive spirit, you should enjoy this master work. You'll never be closer to God. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    2. Brass Chamber Music    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Classical Music    9. Duo for Two String Instruments    10. Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard    11. Orchestral    12. Two String Instruments with Keyboard/Continuo    13. Violin with Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Adagio for Orchestra    2. Baroque Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Choral    7. Classical    8. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    9. Classical Music    10. Concerto    11. Concerto Grosso    12. Italian Baroque Opera    13. Keyboard    14. Oboe Concerto    15. Opera    16. Oratorio    17. Orchestral    18. Polyphonic/Improvisatory Instr. for Homogeneous Consort    19. Quartet for Keyboard and Three String Instruments    20. Rondeau for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Quintet for Five Woodwind Instruments    7. Sextet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    8. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (1)

King brings Zelenka into stunning relief
Zelenka (1679-1745) is a composer whose music can easily sound clunky and bloated in the wrong hands.King's recording brings all of Zelenka's stunning (sometimes spine-tingling) harmonies and intricate counterpoint into stunning 3D relief.The opening Kyrie of the Litanae has a bizarre opening chord that hits your right in the gut--not unlike the opening Kyrie of Bach's B minor mass. Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiphon    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Choral    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Classical Music    7. Requiem/Requiem Section    8. Sacred Choral Music   

Reviews (1)

Ought to call it "Magnificent"
This is a collection of some Zelenka works which is sullied only because you are left wanting more. The Magnificat is wonderful, to quote the liner notes its final "Amen" chorus was copied by J.S. Bach's son Wilhelm Friedeman for use by the Thomaner Choir, at Bach's behest.I can beleive it too as it sounds like something Bach would write himself. The second piece was written to commemorate Zelenka's father's death and is wonderfully soulful and well written. The remaining two pieces are operatic, wonderfully well written and fun to listen. Performances are crisp, clear and they sound like they had fun recording them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiphon    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Choral    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Hymn    7. Magnificat    8. Miscellaneous    9. Miscellaneous Music    10. Psalm Setting    11. Sacred Choral Music   

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Classical    3. Classical Artists    4. Classical Music    5. Classical Vocals    6. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    7. Film    8. Film Music    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Music    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Music Theater    14. Musical Theater    15. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    16. Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano    17. Vocal    18. Vocal Music   

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. German/Austrian 20th/21st Century Opera    5. Opera    6. Orchestral    7. Orchestral & Symphonic    8. Romantic Symphony    9. Sinfonietta    10. Symphonic   

Subjects:  1. Bassoon Solo/Sonata    2. Cello with Keyboard    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music & Recitals    5. Classical    6. Classical Composers    7. Three Woodwinds with Keyboard/Continuo