Editorial Review

Muti's perfectionism is everywhere clear in his stirring, crisp leadership of this many-layered, flavorful work. Some have argued that it's a bit over-the-top; we call that Read more

Reviews (13)

The Best "Sinfonie Fantastique" for the Price
I concur with what other reviewers have said on this page: this is one of the most exciting versions of Berlioz's classics around. The Philadelphia Orchestra, whose beauty of tone is often praised, can also get whipped up to a lather by the right conductor and score, and having heard Muti in concert many times with the Orchestra, I can say he had that effect more often than did (and do) the Orchestra's other august music directors. A comparison of this performance and the fine old recording with Ormandy on Sony shows just how much more energized the players are here for Muti. The last movement has some truly hair-raising moments in it, moments in which ensemble might have slipped if a lesser body of musicians were involved.
Undoubtedly the best "Fantastique"
Even after hearing this symphony constantly growing up, I never once found myself notably drawn in by the music. While I liked to listen to it and was impressed by its historical significance, it never struck my fancy as anything other than background music. Sure, the music itself is loaded with plenty of stuff to enjoy, but I never heard any interpretation of it that showcased it enough and really delivered some actual substance to the hype of this Romantic masterpiece.
Awesome
I can't say enough good things about this piece. It has quickly become one of my favorites. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. Orchestral & Symphonic    5. Symphonic    6. Symphony   

Reviews (7)

Legend!
This is the greatest compilation of recordings ever made by the legendary pianist Van Cliburn. Although I am a cellist, I wear this cd out on a regular basis both at the office and home. I actually have an extra copy to play at the office. All of these recordings are superb in sound quality, performance and incredibly inspiring. The Schumann, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt pieces are stellar and my personal favorites. I only wish there were dvd's with Cliburn's performances so those of us too young to have seen him in a live performance. CD is a must-have for any classical music lover's collection.

Probably the Best Piano CD ever!
If you like Piano music, this is the CD for you.Van Cliburn is at home with great songs that anyone will recognize.It is a masterfully performed set of songs for anyone.

An exquisite recording...read on!....
Contains a masterful rendition of Beethoven's "Fur Elise", which happens to be one of my favorite classical pieces -- I have a smooth-jazz-pop-dance version of this tune on my own album, "Classy Cool: Classical Favorites, Made Cool" (Google keyword "Motionizer" to find it) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    8. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    9. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    10. Intermezzo for Keyboard    11. Keyboard    12. Keyboard Work Entitled "Piece" or "Stück"    13. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    14. Moment Musical for Keyboard    15. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard    16. Nocturne for Keyboard    17. Prelude for Keyboard    18. Waltz for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Read more

Reviews (20)

once-in-a-lifetime greatness
Two thousand five hundred musicians have recorded "Summertime" --- it's a classic. (I bet most Americans can name Janis Joplin and no other singer.)As for "Porgy and Bess," the folk opera from which "Summertime" springs, it's such a classic that it's hard to believe anyone ever had a harsh word to say about it.
We love this album
We hope they will someday bring this beautiful story back to the stage

Simply great
The fusion between the great two voices and the orchestra is just brilliant. Very good brass and violins that accompany Fitzeralds and Armstrongs magic voices leaves you with your mouth open.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American 20th/21st Century Opera    2. Ballads    3. Jazz    4. Jazz Music    5. Jazz Vocals    6. Opera    7. Pop    8. Standards    9. Swing    10. Traditional Pop    11. Vocal Jazz   

Reviews (12)

Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 2Alfred Brendel
Nice interpretation of Mozart's piano concerto.

Marvelous Mozart
Alfred Brendel's place as an interpreter of the Viennese Classic repertory is by now unassailable, and his recordings of the Mozart Piano Concertos are a prime example of his art. His lean, focused sound can strike a listener as insufficiently sensuous in Romantic repertory, but against the backdrop of an orchestra, it seems a perfect modern equivalent of the eighteenth-century fortepiano, so much so that I don't really miss having an "authentic" instrument. Besides, discarding recordings such as these on the basis of inauthenticity would deny all listeners the chance to experience Brendel's practically infallible sense of style and taste.
Artistic Genius
Mozart is rightly hailed as a musical genius. Some say he was the best that ever was. I personally prefer Bach and baroque organ fugues but this CD is a good argument for the Mozart partisans.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Concerto    4. Piano Concerto   

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Artists    3. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    4. Concerto    5. Concerto for Two Solo Instruments    6. German/Austrian Classical Period Opera    7. Keyboard    8. Opera    9. Orchestral & Symphonic    10. Piano Concerto   

Reviews (6)

Now THIS is Paradise!
I was first made aware of this CD by "Book and Music Lover" while reading through the reviews of Charlotte Church's "Tissues and Issues.""Book and Music Love" recommended Sissel's "Into Paradise" CD.I fell in love with it just by listening to the excerpts, and when amazon.com had a special sale on it, I took that opportunity to nab it!
One of the best discs to hit the market in years
Yes, I am a Sissel fan, and have all of her US releases, and a few imports as well.I am writing this review for those who are not yet Sissel fans."Into Paradise" is exactly that, one of the best discs in years with a classical flavor.Everything about this release is first rate, from song selection right down to disc mastering.Sissel seems to find herself on this disc.Her first US release was pop songs, the second release a mix of pop and classical.Don't get me wrong they were both pretty good albums, but not a five star performance like this one.I really love the arrangements on many of the selections, and the string solos are wonderful.I am not a classical music fan, most of my music collection is pop and classic rock.I agree with Sissel, anybody who loves beautiful music will enjoy this album.

Sissel continues her successful foray into the International Market
This is a lovely collection of semi-classical and light pop which does a good job of showcasing Sissel's lovely voice. I especially enjoyed "In Paradisum" and "Vitae Lux". The album ends with a lovely version of Andersson & Ulvaeus' "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", a lullaby originally sung by Anni-frid Lyngstadon ABBA's farewell album "The Visitors" (not Agnetha Faltskog as I originally thought - Thanks to Jeff R. Dunn for the correction). If anything, this version is even more beautiful than Frida's already lovely original, taken slower, much more expressively and evoking an even deeper sense of loss.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adagio for Orchestra    2. Adult Contemporary    3. Cantata    4. Choral    5. Choral Music    6. Classical Crossover    7. Classical Pop    8. Miscellaneous    9. Miscellaneous Music    10. Norway    11. Orchestral    12. Pop    13. Pop Vocals    14. Requiem/Requiem Section    15. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    16. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    17. Vocal    18. Vocal Music   

Editorial Review

The 17th-century Italian art song repertory traditionally reserved for novice singers is given new life via Bartoli's artistry. With impeccable diction and evocative phrasing, she captures every innuendo of these simple, but passionate, pieces. No two repetitive phrases are alike; she chisels every line into a landscape of interpretive magnificence. Scarlatti's simple "O Cessate di Piagarmi" becomes a testament of innocent pain and plaintiveness. Giordano's "Caro Mio Ben" is transformed into a tender cry for love. All embellishments are imaginative and well executed. Accompaniment by György Fischer is equally appealing, sensitive and precise. Every singer questing for the art of singing should study these. Read more

Reviews (30)

Great Bartoli, but not her best Italian songs
'The Impatient Lover' sung by Cecilia Bartoli is a collection of 18th and 19th century songs in Italian which were written by the predominantly German composers, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Hayden. Oddly, this is very seriously a better, or at least a more enjoyable collection, to my ear, than the 'If you Love Me' collection of Italian songs written by Italians, including Scarlatti, Caldera, and Vivaldi. And, neither collection of Italian songs is as interesting as Mme. Bartoli's collection of French love songs, 'Chant D'Amore'. All are done on London, but with three different accompaniests. I think the French material is just better than the Italian.

Beautiful and useful CD
I used this CD as accompaniment and inspiration for a voice class. It's very useful and Cecilia Bartoli sounds amazing.

Passionate, Technically Brilliant, Beautiful Beyond Measure
As someone who knows next to nothing about opera but who loves music, I have to say that the music here is simply beyond anything I ever expected. It's is stunningly beautiful; it is an amazing accomplishment. It is - if anything is - high art. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Baroque Opera    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Classical Vocals    7. Italian Baroque Opera    8. Italian Classical Period Opera    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    12. Opera    13. Solo Voice and Continuo    14. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    15. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    16. Vocal    17. Vocal Music   

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Soundtrack

Reviews (3)

Great
I am really enjoying my purchase and it was everything that I had expected.

It's about time
They re-issued this fabulous album.It was out-of-print for over 10 years.Standouts are "God is Trying to Tell You Something", "Heaven Belongs to You", "Scarification", and of course "Miss Celie's Blues"

PURPLE IS PERFECT
I have always been a fan of the movie as well as the soundtrack. However, until recently the soundtrack was always too expensive.Now, the "Q" has come to his senses, "us" can afford to buy the soundtrack to one of Spielberg's best films.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Miscellaneous    4. Miscellaneous Music    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

In pianist Leon Fleisher's return to playing with both hands, an indomitable spirit has triumphed over physical adversity. Not that he has been absent from music since losing the use of his right hand to focal dystonia in 1965: in addition to forging a successful career as teacher and conductor, he performed the left-hand literature with peerless mastery, enlarging it with new commissions. However, he persisted in searching for a cure, and his determination has now borne fruit: this is his first record of the two-hand repertoire in 40 years. It is altogether extraordinary. Always a great pianist and musician, Fleisher has lost none of his powerful, consummate technique (not surprisingly, his left hand is enormously strong), his rhythmic and tonal control, his expressive projection. His sound is ravishingly beautiful, rich, full, singing, delicate, capable of infinite variations of dynamics, color and nuance; his intellectual and emotional concentration are riveting. The program features familiar short pieces and Schubert's great last sonata. Two Bach transcriptions, one by Myra Hess, one by Egon Petri, are overloaded and artificial, but played with reverential simplicity; a Scarlatti Sonata is scintillating without being fast; a Chopin Mazurka and Nocturne and Debussy's "Clair de lune" are frankly sentimental, very poetic, free, slow and dreamy. They invite the listener to focus on the playing rather than the music. The Schubert is monumental. Fleisher's vitality and exuberance belie his 75 years, though his impetuosity sometimes leads to jerkiness (in the Scherzo), and rushed tempi (in the Finale). His dynamics can be wayward, but the texture, even at its richest, is always crystal clear; every line stands out, indeed some seem newly discovered. There is plenty of time for reposeful rests, poised transitions, changes of harmony, color and mood; the sense of depth, breadth, coherence and continuity never falters. Read more

Reviews (8)

Five Stars and a Laurel Wreath
Whether you elect to acquire this recording as a treasure of a modern day hero who overcame enormous obstacles that would have destroyed a lesser human being, or whether you simply want some definitive performances of some of the most beloved works in the piano literature, this recording by Leon Fleisher is one of the most rewarding CDs to be released in a long time.
Relaxed assuredness
Fleisher came to my school a few years ago playing his Carnegie Hall program which is mainly featured on this disc. A friend of mine I think put it best, "He didn't play the piano he worked with it. The fingers moved, the hammers hit the strings and a state of absolute ecstasy descended on the crowd who were absolutely spellbound for the entire recital." In the age of younger and younger "virtuosos" this is a welcome return to the art of serving the music, not vice versa. The Bach pieces act as a warm-up to the rest of the recital. The night pieces by Debussy and Chopin take us into a dark world of colors and beauty. The Schubert sonata finishes the recital with a monumental work played immaculately. The balance between the hands is perfect and the clarity of the notes is the best I have ever heard in a pianist since a brilliant young virtuoso recorded the Brahms concertos with George Szell fifty years ago. Also pick up his left hand recitals as they are just as dazzling. This is easily the best solo piano release of the last half century. Wonderful!

"Nobody can be ever compared to this giant..."
I was recently discussing the quality of this Fleisher's recording with my friend Leontsky, himself composer and pianist. We were both enthusiastic.I cannot resist reporting what Leontsky told me about that album : " The fact is nobody can be ever compared to this giant...He's the tenderness personified, the tenderness itself...whereas Gould, for example, is the Mind itself...Just listen to the Mazurka in C# minor or the Db major Nocturne played by Fleisher!...Fleisher hasn't two hands, he has one single Heart...Nobody can play like this without the intelligence of the Heart...I remember Busoni's old version of the famous Bach Choral...we are so far from Busoni...Fleisher is far beyond because he's understood what i've myself searched for years and years : how to sing through a piano...and, here, in this unbelievable recording, this piece of wood we call pianoforte suddenly becomes Fleisher's voice."
Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    2. Cantata    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    5. Choral    6. Classical    7. Classical Artists    8. Keyboard    9. Mazurka for Keyboard    10. Nocturne for Keyboard    11. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard   

Reviews (3)

Mozart:: Horn Concertos 1 - 4
Exactly what we needed to prepare intermediate horn solo for competition.

This needs to be the "other" recording
As a music teacher and hornist who has performed all of the Mozart horn concertos at one time or another, I am probably more picky about recordings of these works than anything else.Everyone always upholds the Dennis Brain recordings as the best, and rightly so.Brain was the all-time master of the horn, period.The problem is that he died young and his Mozart recordings were made in the 1950s.Yes, the CD has been remastered and sounds quite good, but there's only so much a producer can do.
Its worth it
I am impressed with the elegance of Barry Tuckwell's playing, combined with the conducting of world known conductor, Sir Marriner. As a beginner trumpeter, who also loves the french horn, I would recommend this cd for those who loves the french horn as much as I do. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Concerto    6. French Horn Concerto   

Reviews (1)

Totally awesome!
My father was a Marine in the ETC, he told me stories about how they went floor to floor checking for bad guys humming this music. I think it is great music to listen to, I really like track 3, it says so much in the title alone. I hope everybody like this music as much as I do! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    2. Band    3. Band Music    4. Classical    5. Classical Crossover    6. Classical Music    7. Italian Romantic Opera    8. March    9. March for Band    10. March for Orchestra    11. Marches/March Collections    12. Miscellaneous    13. Miscellaneous Music    14. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    15. Music Theater    16. Musical Theater    17. Opera    18. Orchestral    19. Orchestral & Symphonic    20. Orchestral Music   

Editorial Review

What can one say about a 15-year-old composer, after listening to his Fifth Symphony or his string quintet, that won't be either of the "precocious genius" type or the "for his age" type?Don't expect Mahler and don't expect Mozart. Just judge the music by itself: Greenberg is an adept composer. His music is both good to listen to and interesting. A composer now for many years (he began playing cello at three), Greenberg's influences and derivations are clear--here's a bit of Shostakovich, here's some Bartok---but he also is developing a voice of his own and has the technique to do it. Greenberg can write a good fugato, his melodies linger, he knows how to get the oboe's plaintive side into focus, and his climaxes are built up and effective. He writes a good, somewhat sullen waltz (the Symphony begins with it). The Quintet uses two cellos (he seems to like the lower strings) and, in all, is the more engaging of the two works. José Srebrier leads the LSO with sensitivity and the Juilliard Quartet is, as ever, superb. Is this "great" music? It's hard to say--but you can be sure it's strong enough to be taken seriously and programmed at a concert hall near you. Read more

Features

• Hybrid SACD

Reviews (2)

Outstanding: please welcome a major new talent.
This new CD of Jose Serebrier leading the London SO in the Fifth Symphony of prodigy Jay Greenberg heralds the official recording arrival of a major new talent to the world of classical music. For those who have been following this youngster's career from the piece on 60 Minutes and radio performances of his early works, you already know that Greenberg is a child prodigy who insisted on starting to play an instrument (cello) at the age of 3, and was composing shortly thereafter. His entry into the Julliard School and subsequent tutelage has been watched with anticipation the world over.
THE SEREBRIER MAGIC DOES IT AGAIN
Listening to this Greenberg debut CD, it becomes obvious that the brilliant performance, the beautiful phrasing, are a trademark of the conductor Jose Serebrier. The end result is a magnificent, ebullient performance by the great London Symphony Orchestra, obviously inspired by the maestro. The Symphony No. 5 (are there symphonies 1 to 4?) sounds like the work of a mature composer, not at all a 14-year old (he says in his liner notes that he worked on this symphony since he was 12!). The work does make an impact, in this great performance, and deserves to become part of the repertoire. Let us hope that orchestras around the world pick it up, and hopefully commission the young composer to write new symphonies and concertos.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Orchestral & Symphonic    6. Symphonic    7. Symphony   

Editorial Review

Marriner's evergreen 1972 recording of favorite shorter works by Vaughan Williams has yet to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. The soloists in these accounts (among them William Bennett in the Read more

Reviews (25)

tallis and lark
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis was a piece of music John Williams discovered in a house of sorts during the war in a dresser.He loved to visit small villages to hear local music. This piece and Lark Ascending are, in my mind, the finest music ever written. I love Beethoven, Willie and Lobo, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone, Pat Metheny, Patrick O'Hearn, John Lee Hooker, I can go on. But it's these 2 pieces that completely consume the listener, pull you in and stop you dead in your thoughts....to dream. Lark Ascending was literally a piece of music written with the author watching a lark(bird) in a small, cozy valley rising up from the floor, singing all the way up. I have given away these CD's 6 and 7 times over because guests at my house are so touched after the music is over, especially after a jug of wine. Thank you for reading, Greg-Fresno, CA.

smooth as silk
I too fell for this music in college long ago, and carry it inside me everywhere I go.I have listened to Lark and Tallis many times when I was worried about school or work, and hum them in my mind when I need an emotional lift.Interesting comment about the Japanese connection -- when listening to Lark I sometimes imagine an English countryside with stream, and sometimes a Japanese.
Can't stop listening!
This is one of the most profoundly beautiful collections of music I've ever heard. I've loved "Fantasia on Greensleeves" since I was a child. I heard "Dives and Lazarus" on the radio, and bought this CD for it. Then was struck speechless by the beauty of Tallis and Lark Ascending. My favorite piece is whichever is playing at the time. This CD is a must-have. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Concerto    6. Orchestral    7. Violin Concerto   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (21)

An excellent introduction to classical music
This is an excellent introduction to classical music.Well performed and presented.

Very Beautiful!!!!!1
If you are a fan of classical music then you better get this set. Not only is it very cheap, 10 Discs for about 2$ per disk. Now where are you gonna find a deal like this. I actually found mine chaper, $20.00 even and the music is outstanding. If you had a very bad day and very stressed out, just put in one of these cds, lay down, dim down the lights and just relax. It really helped me out.

Still Stuck on Beethoven
I just recently started listening to classical music so I'm certainly not one to compare or critique the quality of this set. However, I do have a few comments...
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. Cantata    5. Chamber    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Choral    8. Choral Music    9. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    10. Clarinet Concerto    11. Classical    12. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    13. Classical Music    14. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    15. Classical Period Symphony    16. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    17. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    18. Collection of Etudes, Studies, or Exercises for Keyboard    19. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    20. Concerto   

Reviews (14)

Wakes you up instead
This CD was supposed to be soft, easy music that would help you go to sleep.I did go to sleep almost immediately but not because of the music--I was just very tired.However, the music actually woke me up a couple of times when it got just a little louder.Maybe it's me, but I didn't find this product to do as promised.

Music for Life
Thanks to the Philips Set Your Life to Music series, we don't have to set aside a concert hour to experience great music.Beethoven at Bedtime gives us the music when we need it to enrich our quiet moments.As with the other titles in this series, the performance is pure and sensitive enough to satisfy the most intellectual listener.One has only to read the list of artists and listen to the clips.What a treasure!

musical morphine
this album will definately put you out unless youre manic or all cranked up or something.but why go to sleep? youd miss out on a bunch of beethovens most beautiful music ever written.and being as how hes only the second of 7 musical geniuses ever,no true music lover can be without this many spleandored collection.its got all the great slow songs beethoven did on it like the "moonlight sonata" used on the beatles song "because" and the video game "shadow man".im sure youve heard it somewhere."for elise" is another easily recognizable song.it was on the movie "bill and teds excellent adventure".theres some more musical bliss with his violin piece and even the all important "pathetique sonata".thats the real clencher.if youre not pretty drowsy after that beautiful but utterly sedating ditty perhaps you should seek out a drs prescription before you play it because youre an isomniac.it will put most anybody out though and is plum full of a number of the most beautiful songs ever! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Chamber    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Concerto    7. Keyboard    8. Piano Concerto    9. Quartet for Four String Instruments    10. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    11. Romantic Symphony    12. Symphonic    13. Violin Concerto   

Editorial Review

Back in the days when the forces that controlled television actuallycared about art, it was perfectly normal to see original plays and live musicalperformances right in your living room. In 1950, Menotti was commissioned towrite an opera for television, and on Christmas Eve, 1951, Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (15)

The only one to buy!
This recording is absolutely the best!Even my 8 and 4 year old daughters love it!We listen all the time!

The first "Amahl" and the best
Source: Studio recording made with the original cast on January 4 and 10, 1952.
Wonderfully enjoyable
I have always loved this work, and when ever it is performed where I live, I enjoy going to see it. Menotti really understood how to make English opera sing. This recording is truly exciting, and it is very touching when the wisemen finally appear. My only complaint is the diction, particularly of the mother. There are times her singing resembles nothing more than shouting and screaming. The tone, or quality, of her voice is fine, very lovely in fact, but her words are lost in the torrent of sound. Her character is much like the character of the mother in Hansel and Gretal, and reflecting much of the same feelings. Menotti wrote music that was very excellent in providing these feelings, but with them is required the ability to understand what the woman is stressing over. Sadly, her diction was not good. It is interesting to use children in opera, and very few composers have done it well (aside from a children's chorus). Menotti is super at knowing when to tone things down so a child's sound can be heard. The other composer who works well with children is Brittan. Though the music written for Amahl is simple, best suited for a child, it is very touching. This is truly a wonderful recording of this wonderful work. Sadly, it is not seen as often anymore as it once was, while having Hansel and Gretel as the perennial Christmas treat is still going strong and well all over the place. This is an opera written for Christmas, and it is sad that it is overshadowed by one of fantasy. For those who have never experienced American opera, this is the first choice, in my view, when approaching it. You won't be disappointed. The work is short, and it is touching in a very "Dickensian" way. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American 20th/21st Century Opera    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Christmas Music    4. Classical    5. Opera    6. Opera/Operetta   

Editorial Review

Richard Rodgers always considered Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (26)

Response to David Pabian's review below
Response to David Pabian's review: Gummed up a beautiful soundtrack album
This overblown "completeitis" has got to stop.Some of the stupidist mistakes of this movie, e.g., the prelude in heaven with Billy cleaning stars, are lovingly included here - where, if the actual credits music needed to be used (arguable), it could've been faded into, without MacRae's whistling and spittin' on stars.The original, beautifully played, soundtrack album Carousel Waltz is now relegated to Appendix status, and terrible sonics accompany dancers' footstomping in the "new" expanded musical sequences, taken directly from the soundtrack.There was a reason soundtrack recordings were studio (and sometimes studio-for-recordings-only) performances.The proportions were right, the timings were correct for an overall BALANCED listening experience.These gawdawful expanded editions, often with dialogue thrown in, completely throw off those balances.An argument might be made for expanded sequences appropriate to CDs longer playing time than the standard L.P. 45min., but possibly only if those sequences were still available in their original studio-recorded, pre release-print mix.In this recording, and the Oklahoma! and King and I new expanded soundtracks, the touted "restored" segments sound like the recordings I made as a kid off of 16mm films by sticking my reel-to-reel jack into the audio output.Yucch!This is, for my money, still the most beautifully sung recording of this work (except for Barbara Ruick's cutesy cutesy 50s schtick), beautifully orchestrated, wonderfully realized.The censors made them drop "The Highest Judge of All," possibly the best song in the score, and actually the definition of who the character of Billy Bigelow is.But then it was also cut in the '94 revival - most likely because of the ineptness of the actor who played Bigelow (his "Sililoquy" is beyond painful, his 'voice' giving out about halfway through).It's a shame if the original soundtrack album of "Carousel" is no longer available.And a quick word on one of the above reviews:This is not the first time the complete Carousel Waltz is heard in stereo.There were two previous CD remasterings of the original soundtrack whereon it was included.And the reprise of "If I loved You" was part of every soundtrack release, mono and stereo.

Disappointed in Virginia
This recording is a disappointment.Yes, the singing of MacRae and Jones is beautiful, and I even like Didier Deutsch's liner notes. Shame it's all ruined by the remastering.What a disaster!When one considers the beautiful, demo-calibre remastering that RCA has done with its mid-fities recordings of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Saint Saen's Symphony No. 3, there seems no excuse for the painful sound of this CD.I can forgive the slight tape hiss that appears in a few portions.It's the shrill tonality of the entire disk that robs the performances of their beauty. Then there's the editing.Please explain why on a CD (not a DVD), a full 20 percent of the disk is devoted to to the sound of dancers clumping around the sound stage.I don't know if there's a better recording of Roger and Hammerstein's masterpiece, perhaps the folks at Angel will try again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks    8. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Reviews (5)

Amazing
What a great CD. I can't even put into words how relaxing it is to listen to this after a long day. Just sort of puts you at ease with the world in a time when serenity is so often torn from our hands.

Absolutely outstanding compilation!
I truly find this compilation of fifteen different arrangements consisting of piano, orchestra, flute, guitar, vocal, etc. to be of absolute profound quality. This is a brilliant and creative assortment and it magnifies my appreciation for the Cannon in D. The listener is provided with over an hour of exquisite, listening pleasure and it is most enjoyable. I have much admiration for the various symphonic orchestras and I also enjoy listening to the flute played by James Galway on track two, the piano duo on track three, and the shakuhachi and koto quintet on track eight. My only suggestion is that the appearance of the Cd should reflect the professional quality of the music contained therein. The animal drawings just may not appeal to some buyers.

Various interpretations of a beautiful piece of music
This is the only classical music I own, and I purchased it because Pachelbel's Canon in D is the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard.I fell in love with Canon when I heard my first haunting rendition of it featured in the movie Ordinary People.Later, when I heard it as a selection during a marriage ceremony, I made sure to check the program for the title and artist so that I could use it at my own wedding.Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    6. Classical Music    7. Keyboard    8. Miscellaneous    9. Miscellaneous Music    10. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    11. Quartet for Four String Instruments    12. Quartet for Keyboard and Three String Instruments    13. Transcription    14. Transcription for Keyboard    15. V/A Compilations    16. Vocal    17. Vocal Music