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Reviews (12)

December 8, 1991 Must Have Been Quite A Night In NYC
December 8, 1991 must have been a great night in New York City, especially at Carnegie Hall. On this evening, three outstanding performers backed by a great orchestra and two different choirs joined forces for a Christmas concert. The fruit of this effort is the recording A CARNEGIE HALL CHRISTMAS CONCERT. Voices of Angels
The stars must have been aligned perfectly, all must have been right with the world on that night of December 8, 1991 in NYC's Carnegie Hall when this Christmas concert was filmed, because it is an example, one of those rare instances when everything falls into place perfectly. Makes your heart sing!
This is a wonderful CD. Theentire performance is absolutely perfect. Its the first Christmas CD we listen to every year and now my children start asking to hear it around Thanksgiving. I can't count the number of people I've given this to as a gift. We're are on our second copy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Choral    3. Christmas    4. Christmas / Chanukkah    5. Christmas Music    6. Classical    7. Contemporary Jazz    8. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Music Theater    12. Musical Theater    13. Neo-Bop    14. New Orleans Jazz    15. Opera    16. Post-Bop    17. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    18. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    19. Swing    20. Vocal   

Reviews (14)

Great collection of sacred music
What a great collection, many real sacred classics, all delivered in very heartfelt, but simple way, and Kiri's voice is just so beautiful. And I like the fact that there are many different moods, there are some songs which are very soothing, slow pieces but also different ones, and the the final songs are Let The Bright Seraphim which is so uplifting and bright and Let Their Celestial Concerts. They are both from Samson, it's refreshing to hear these tracks instead of the usual pieces from Messiah.
An Inspiring and Heartening Compilation
Kiri Te Kanawa voice never fails to inspire me and uplift my spirit. Her rendition of "Ave Maria" is just so beautiful and moving that its effect on the listener can not be expressed in mere words. Kiri's voice and intuitive nature of delivering the inner strength and emotion of each selection on this CD is just inspiring.

making a joyous sound
Dame Kiri's voice shines in these beautiful sacred pieces, and as her biographer David Fingleton,in his excellent liner notes for this CD points out, that going back to her youth and first voice teacher, who was a Sister of Mercy, church music has always been a part of her repertoire, even though she is mostly noted as an operatic soprano.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Choral    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Christmas Music    5. Classical    6. Miscellaneous    7. Miscellaneous Music    8. Motet    9. Oratorio    10. Romantic Mass    11. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    12. Sacred Choral Music    13. Solo Voice and Continuo    14. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    15. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    16. Vocal    17. Xmas Classical Vocal   

Reviews (4)

Analog recording superior
This is a fantastic recording from I believe 1968 when the King's Choir was led by Willcocks. In my opinion, these older analog recordings are sharper and more distinct -- you can actually hear individual boys and parts. Perhaps that has more to do with engineering and placement of microphones than digital vs. analog. But the bottom line is this is a vintage recording and is as good as it gets.

High comfort level
I would surely like to obtain a complete collection of all psalms by this choir.For years I have looked, searched, for this collection which I heard as a child played every sunday in South America.A great collection, ageless and timeless something have and play in the home for upliftment and inspiration even if you are not a religous person.Endless stars ****************************

Oldie But a Goodie
Had this music been recorded digitally, it would have been beyond sublime.Alas, it still has an analog sound to it, despite the remastering.Nonetheless, it is worth the purchase (though for a better recording of the 46th Psalm, check out the Choir of Christ's Hospital recording of it). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Choral Music    3. Classical    4. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    5. Classical Music    6. Classical Vocals    7. Miscellaneous    8. Miscellaneous Music    9. Psalm Setting   

Editorial Review

The 14th century "Tournai" Mass, consisting of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo,Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Ite missa est, is the first known complete polyphonicmass to come down to us. Its sections were probably written by different composers, and it's a stunning, fascinating look into early polyphony. This performance is combined with other pieces from the same period, as well as a five-minute piece by contemporary composer Ivan Moody, which--though clearly from six centuries later--blends to make this a gorgeous whole. If you like Anonymous 4, you're in for a real treat here. The three Scandinavian women who make up Trio Mediaeval have astonishingly beautiful voices, with individual timbres that nonetheless mingle seamlessly, whether in simple, chantlike moments or in the high-flying Moody piece. And they sing with feeling, depth, and, well, soul. This is a magnificent disc, not to be missed. Read more

Reviews (9)

Good music
I'm a big fan of religious choral classical music, and this album was not nearly as good as I was expecting it to be.It is good music, and the performers do a fine job, but it is not as awe inspiring as most of the music I listen to.
Transporting Music
Trio Mediaeval is the name chosen by three Scandinavian singers who specialize in the early music of the church.Gregorian chant or Plainsong is one of the oldest forms of Western religious music and though much of the original chanting was one-part intoning by the monks, the composers of the time gradually created polyphony and the results are well sampled on this beautifully recorded CD.
They ARE heavenly songs from angels!
The title of this CD does a wonderful job to tell what's included. It's the best music I've ever heard. I believe that if there do exist angels in Heaven, their songs could not be better than the ones on this CD! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Lauda    8. Mass    9. Mass Section    10. Part Song/Glee/Music for Unaccompanied Voices    11. Sacred Choral Music    12. Vocal    13. Vocal Music    14. Western European Chant   

Reviews (14)

Pinnacle
I can't over-exaggerate the impact this album had on me when my Dad played it for me when I was about 6.It encouraged me to become a guitarist, and hearing it was my first truly profound musical experience that I can remember.
The Perfect Storm
The are times when the musician, the composer, and the instrument just match perfectly; this disc is an example of that.
Parkening Play Bach and Plays Him Stunningly!
I have loved this recording for over 20 years. I had it on vinyl and was thrilled when it was released in 1985 onto CD along with 6 extra cuts. Originally a Bach interpretive LP of 10 tracks, the CD release added 6 compositions from Couperin, Handel, Weiss, Scarlatti and Visee.
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Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Cello Solo    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Choral    6. Classical    7. Classical Artists    8. Classical Music    9. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    10. Guitar Solo    11. Keyboard    12. Lute Solo    13. Miscellaneous    14. Miscellaneous Music    15. Oratorio    16. Orchestral & Symphonic    17. Prelude and Fugue for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

The Tallis Scholars do their namesake proud
In the last couple of years, the Tallis Scholars have been compiling their sizeable recording output into attractive two-disc editions.Here, they've collected a large number of their interpretations of their namesake, Thomas Tallis.Tallis (c. 1505-1585) is, of course, one of the giants of Renaissance music, and he was certainly the greatest English composer of liturgical music between John Dunstable and William Byrd.I personally consider him the second-greatest Renaissance composer after Palestrina, but I'm not dogmatic about it.I love the music of Josquin, Victoria, and Byrd almost as much.Let's just say that, if you're interested in immersing yourself in the work of a single Renaissance composer, you can't do much better than Tallis.
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Subjects:  1. Anthem    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Early Music / Chant    6. Magnificat    7. Psalm Setting    8. Renaissance Motet   

Reviews (5)

OKAY, TAKE ME AWAY.
I don't know opera.
Great music...stunning recording quality
This is a marvelous compendium of Verdi's opera works that even the serious opera fan wouldn't turn his nose up at. These are the top contemporary soloists singing with first tier orchestras. When I saw the Decca label, I expected reasonable quality, but this disk is stunningly well engineered. Most of the vocals match the best jazz cds for immediacy and intimacy, and the orchestras are equally well done.

Incredible
I don't say incredible about too many things, but Verdi was the zenith of Italian Opera and Solti and the Chicago Symphony and the Vienna Philharmonic are the quintessential ensembles for modern classical performance.Not to mention that most of the voices showcased have their own lines of CDs (Pavarotti, etc.) This CD is the best Verdi album available, and it has EVERYTHING.BUY THIS CD! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Music    4. Italian Romantic Opera    5. Opera    6. Opera/Operetta Collections    7. Orchestral & Symphonic    8. Requiem/Requiem Section   

Reviews (2)

Great short Baroque piece collection
This CD has 17 pieces on 22 tracks including 7 by Handel, 2 each by Bach & Corelli, and 1 each by Pachelbel, Mouret, Albinoni, Gluck, Clarke, & Purcell.They are frequently the best known piece by the composer--and easily recognizable: Pachelbel's Canon, Mouret's Rondeau (theme from PBS' Masterpiece Theater), Albinoni's Adagio, etc.If you like high quality short pieces/excerpts, this CD is for you.My only qualification is: no Telemann, but it's just too good for a 4-star rating.

Excellent Baroque Collection
As I have stated in many of my previous reviews, I am a huge fan of the Sony Essential Classics (SEC) budget series. Most of the recordings feature classic and often definitive performances featuring the likes of George Szell, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Casadesus, Isaac Stern and Rudolf Serkin among others. Here we get a variety of orchestras and conductors including big names like Jean-Claude Malgoire, Raymond Leppard, Pierre Boulez, Sir Charles Groves and the great Eugene Ormandy.This disc features excellent performances of what is arguably the most popular Baroque music ever written.I am not usually one to give five-star ratings to greatest-hits style collections (particularly in classical), but the half-dozen performances by Ormandy make this disc a great purchase for both novices and serious collectors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adagio for Orchestra    2. Baroque Incidental Music for Orchestra and Voices (or Sem    3. Cantata    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Choral    8. Classical    9. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    10. Classical Music    11. Concerto    12. Concerto Grosso    13. Dance-Based Keyboard Music    14. Italian Baroque Opera    15. Keyboard    16. Musette for Keyboard    17. Music For String Orchestra    18. Opera    19. Oratorio    20. Orchestral   

Reviews (45)

Correction to another review
This is most definitely NOT the Kapp recordings - I grew up with the Kapp recordings, and stumbled upon a re-issue of them in 1984 on vinyl by MCA (MCA-15006), complete with the same album notes (the original notes were on the back of the album cover, rather than a liner insert) as the original Kapp album - probably laid out with an Exacto knife from the original album. No hymn medleys were part of the Kapp issue, which was titled The Little Drummer Boy and led with that, followed by an overspeed rendition of the Hallelujah chorus, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, What Child is This? and Carol of the Bells - at which point a flip of the playing surface leads to O Bambino, The First Christmas Carol, Mary's Little Boy Chile (a typo on both the original Kapp album and the MCA re-issues), Christmas is a Birthday, Christmas Tree, and Sing of a Merry Christmas. O Tannebaum would not be near this album, as the notes openly speak of Harry Simeone writing Christmas Tree "which started out, Simeone admits, as a counter-melody to 'O Tannenbaum'"
Available for download
This is one of my 3 favorite Christmas albums of all time, with Bing's "Merry Christmas" (now titled "White Christmas"), and Ray Conniff's "Christmas With Conniff".I was able to find this album for download on a music site run by a piece of fruit (hint hint).I hadn't heard it in years, and it brings back so many memories.It's all I've been playing this week!

There must be several different versions out.
This is certainly not the record I own from childhood. My copy is a 20th Century Fox release from 1963 and includes thirty-one songs on nine tracks -- including the ravishing "Villancico" and "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming", which are not on this CD.
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Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Christmas Music    4. Jazz-Pop    5. Miscellaneous    6. Miscellaneous Music    7. Pop    8. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    9. Vocal    10. Xmas Vocal   

Editorial Review

Marx and Lenin probably would not have appreciated the irony, but after decades of Communist repression of religion, the former Soviet bloc is the source of a profound outpouring of explicitly Christian expression. This is manifested in the music of such composers as Henryk Gorecki, a Pole, and Arvo Pärt, an Estonian. Part, a refugee from serialism, here writes in a quasi-minimalist style that he calls "tintinnabuli," a sound that echoes medieval composition.A fan of vocal music ("The human voice is the most perfect instrument of all"), he uses choruses to superb effect. This disc includes some of his best work, including the popular Read more

Reviews (9)

a great combination, part and hilliard
i purchased this CD recently and was a bit worried. i enjoy part and hillard, but the length of the pieces was often so short. i really enjoy it when part writes long, epic pieces and the vocal work really explores all types of music. Beautiful and Profound
I picked up this wonderful gem on a whim.As sacristan for my Jesuit university campus ministry, I was looking for good and movintg religious music.This surpasses anything being marketed as "liturgical" music for churches. Power and Grace
Hillier's Theatre of Voices gives an absolutely wonderful rendering of P�rt's work.The music is amazing, recalling medieval choral music as well as contemporary ideas in musical composition.P�rt manages to touch on a wide range of feeling throughout all of these compositions, conveying emotion while maintaining the kind of austerity of sound found in medieval chant.Ultimately, the CD provides a moving and enjoyable listening experience.I would recommend it to both seasoned fans of choral music and neophytes alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Magnificat    6. Miscellaneous    7. Miscellaneous Music    8. Modern Mass    9. Modern Motet    10. Requiem/Requiem Section    11. Sacred Choral Music a cappella    12. Sacred Choral Music with keyboard (or continuo)    13. Secular Choral Music a cappella   

Features

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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Hymn    5. Miscellaneous    6. Miscellaneous Music    7. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    8. Pop    9. Psalm Setting    10. Requiem/Requiem Section    11. Rock    12. Rock/Pop    13. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    14. Vocal    15. Vocal Music   

Editorial Review

This disc could be more succinctly titled Read more

Reviews (8)

Truely inspirational!!!!
A holiday classic.It has been a tradtion in our family for years. This is the first time I've seen it available on CD.I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Don't let this recording pass you by!
Do yourself a favor and buy this CD - even if you don't think you like Christmas music. People stand in line for hours to hear the Choir of King's College's annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and when you hear this recording, you will understand why. Rarely does a choir sound quite as pure, smooth, and "together" as they do on this recording. The selection of music is wonderful. You get a few traditional favorites like "O Come All Ye Faithful", recorded live with the choir and the congregation singing along (I thought this would annoy me but it really doesn't - it only makes me feel the spirit of the ceremony even more). You also get plenty of wonderful choir-only pieces that you've probably never heard before unless you're a big cathedral music enthusiast. It all begins, of course, with a single choirboy singing the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City". It's impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite from this recording. I find "The Fayrfax Carol" by Thomas Ades to be particularly haunting and beautiful. Vaughan Williams' "The Truth from Above" is also very, very lovely. And how could you not enjoy "Up! Good Christen folk, and listen"? There is also Ord's short, but beautiful, "Adam lay ybounden". I like all of these pieces in and of themselves, but I think having them sung so expertly and sweetly by the choir makes me like them even more. A Shining Star
To the other fine and informative reviews here, I would add the following.Though the Festival service and the recording are 80% musical, the "lessons", which are brief scripture passages given moving dramatic readings by college personnel, are the backbone of the Festival and the riverbed through which the carols flow.There is a chronological order to the lessons, beginning in Genesis, and each musical selection is tied to the reading which preceded it.This synthesis makes listening to this CD a very spiritual experience that transports one well beyond what is felt listening to other recorded compilations of carols.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    3. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Descriptive Title    4. Ballet    5. Choral    6. Choral Music    7. Christmas / Chanukkah    8. Christmas Music    9. Classical    10. Film    11. Film Music    12. Keyboard    13. March for Orchestra    14. Miscellaneous    15. Miscellaneous Music    16. Music for Organ    17. Orchestral    18. Sacred Choral Music a cappella    19. Vocal    20. Vocal Music   

Reviews (2)

A Christmas Trip Around The World
When it comes to singing in many languages, Nana Mouskouri is among the best. This album covers beautiful carols in French, English, Greek, German, Italian, and Latin. Her clear voice and perfect diction give a wonderful glimpse into the traditional Christmas songs of many lands. I especially enjoyed hearing "Kalin Im�ran" - it's not easy to find Greek carols and this one is excellent.

A truly international album from a classy singer
Nana is a huge star in mainland Europe with a string of hit singles in several countries. She only had one big hit in Britain but her albums have always enjoyed healthy UK sales. I don't know the extent of her following in America but this Christmas album was finally given an American release in 2003 to coincide with a tour. Nana sings in several different languages and you can hear some of them on this collection, including English, French, German and Greek.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Christmas Music    4. Classical Period Music for Voice and Keyboard    5. Folk Song    6. French Pop    7. Holiday    8. Miscellaneous    9. Miscellaneous Music    10. Pop    11. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    12. Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble    13. Vocal    14. Vocal Music    15. Vocal Pop    16. Xmas Vocal   

Features

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Reviews (2)

Inspirational!
Majestic hymns sung with British accents. A great combination! I haven't noticed any objectionable sounds on my copy.

hymns we sang in church
i grew up in a traditional presbyterian church that had a pipe organ.i wanted a cd of many of the hymns that we sang in church sung by a choir and accompanied by a pipe organ.this cd fulfilled my wishes perfectly.the hymns are performed in a very straight-forward fashion with no show-boating or excess flourishes which is exactly what i wanted.this is not gospel music but what i refer to as liturgical music to indicate that it is religious music but not gospel music.i would give it 5 stars but there is a slight hiss.other than that the recording quality is very good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Choral Music    3. Classical    4. Funeral Music    5. Hymn    6. Miscellaneous    7. Miscellaneous Music    8. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    9. Sacred Choral Music    10. Vocal    11. Vocal Music   

Reviews (6)

Great Starting Point for Classical Music Novices
"Simply the Best Classicial Anthems" is exactly what the title indicates. This is a collection of what the CD says are "36 of the most powerful classics on Earth". My review of this CD comes from someone who is a Classical Music Novice. I'm familiar with some of the composers, musical styles, musical periods, and some of the terminology that is key to understanding Classical Music.By no means am I an expert. I have basically popped in this two CD collection into my player and have enjoyed the sounds it produces.If you are in the same category as I am or maybe just wanting to be introduced to Classical Music - this is going to be a very good CD to have in your collection. For the more seasoned Classical Music fan, this could be either enjoyable or overkill.
**An Exquisite Album**
Simply The Best Classical Anthems Samples
The samples are too short and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Having said that the choices are wonderful and the price is great. If you're looking for a overview of the best of classical music then this is for you. However if it's quality you're looking for then spent the extra money and look at other choices. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. 20th/21st Century Variations    3. Anthem    4. Ballet    5. Band    6. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    7. Cantata    8. Chamber    9. Choral    10. Choral Music    11. Classical    12. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    13. Classical Music    14. Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento    15. Classical Period Symphony    16. Concert/Brass/Marching Band Music    17. Concerto    18. French Romantic Opera    19. German/Austrian Romantic Opera    20. Italian Romantic Opera   

Editorial Review

Teldec's invaluable Ligeti series continues with fascinating works, and this disc, featuring the 2002 revision of the Hamburg Concerto for Horn and Chamber Orchestra with four obligato natural horns, is no different. Its seven short movements explore different facets of Ligeti's unique sound-world. Harmonically adventurous, it's an accessible work, witty, dramatic, full of startling sonorities. Brilliant playing here by all, especially virtuoso horn soloist Marie Luise Neunecker. The disc's earliest piece is the Requiem (Ligeti set only four movements of the traditional Requiem). Completed in 1965, it's best-known for the use of part of the Kyrie in the film, Read more

Reviews (6)

Best performances for every piece.
Ligeti Edition in Teldec is offering to us a reference in every piece performed, like the case of this CD, The Ligeti Project IV.
Painful to Hear
I have read the other reviews and really am trying hard to understand how someone could consider this music - unless you like listening to the sound track of a horror movie.This reminds me of an artist nailing a soup can to the wall and calling it a "piece to describe the our human inner struggle."Great.I think nailing an old pair of underwear would have been more apt of such a description, but to each his own.I wrote my own review of this piece and the best constructive criticism I could come up with is that there is no binding melody.There is a theme, for sure, but it is not one that I would liken to music that these players are obviously capable of.The sound (I am holding back from calling it music) is powerful and driving.It is too bad the notes do not match or produce any sense of coherent movement in this reviewers ears (other than to turn off the stereo).

A superb meeting of Ligeti's recent and classic works
The fourth disc of Warner Classics' fresh and exciting Ligeti Project contains the composer's recent "Hamburg Concerto" as well as two other works performed by the Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble. If you're new to Ligeti, this is worth getting because it contains his "Requiem", one of his most famous and also most accessible works, in a new performance by the Berliner Philharmonik.Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Concerto    6. Concerto for Two Solo Instruments    7. Orchestral    8. Orchestral & Symphonic    9. Requiem/Requiem Section    10. String Chamber Music   

Reviews (9)

Still great after 15 years of listening
My mom bought this years ago and I still think it's wonderful music for Christmas.Definitely buy this album.

Simply one of the best Christmas albums on the market.
There is nothing to criticize on this CD, along with its wonderful companions, Medeival Christmas and Baroque Christmas.The singing is absolutely masterful; the instrumentation is faithful to what would've been used during the time period for additional authenticity.The narration in the various accents, taken directly from the story of the nativity in the Bible, really strings the different songs togheter. The various offerings from around the world connects the listener to two thousand years of Christmas tradition.We are of Catalan descent, so we were especially pleased to find "Tau Gar��, la Durundena," an ancient Catalan madrigal, but my personal favorite is the reverent, perfectly realized "O Magnum Mysterium" (Oh, Greatest of Mysteries), which has to be one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever written.I have heard this song performed by many choirs and madrigal groups, and this CD's version is by far the most beautiful I've ever heard.
The best.
I have had this Cd isnce it was released and year after year it delights, amazes and fills my family's heart with holiday joy.Like other reviewers have said, I agree that the quality of this CD (along with the companion C