1 comments about Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits.

1. The idea of a greatest hits album for a classical composer is nearly an absurdity,but the selections for this package are almost perfect.The signature magic sound of Ormandy and his great Philly Orchestra open with Symphony 4 movement 1.Ormandy and crew reappear later with the war march from Athalie-a true crowd pleaser.Not to be missed is the On wings of song piece sung by Elly Ameling in all her pristine glory.The song is simply beautiful beyond words.Movements 3&4 of the Incomparable Octet for strings are included. At the tender age of 16 Mendelssohn may have reached his peak with this work.The 6 Children's pieces are delightful,if insubstantial.The 4th movement of the 5th Symphony is a force of nature,perhaps the highlight of the disc.The only quibble is the inclusion of the hackneyed Wedding March instead of the achingly gorgeous Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream.Even for the Mendelssohn fan there are performances here you'll want to add to your collection.At such a low cost you cannot go wrong.

5 comments about December.

1. I am not really big on instrumental music. A lot of it reminds me of that cheeseball Yanni. My favorite instrumentalist is George Winston. I absolutely love his album "December". I have always loved this particular album for as long as I can remember. I remember borrowing my mom's cassette copy of this album several years ago and I still have it to this very day. It is truly one of my personal favorite albums in my entire (almost) 30 years of life. No matter what time of year it is, I can always throw it in and chill to the music. The music is so enchanting. I especially love "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head". It is one of my personal favorite songs on the album. It truly moves me emotionally. George's piano playing is flawless. It flows like a running stream. I love the simplicity of the music which is just George's piano playing. I think having other instruments would have convoluted the music. I also adore the variations on Pachelbel's "Canon", my personal favorite baroque movement. George does a lovely job with his unique interpretation of the song. After eight hours at the office and listening to my goth/industrial/ebm/techno cds, it is nice to listen to more soothing music to relax too.



2. I honestly don't feel it is even the slightest of exaggerations to label this recording as the Greatest Piano Solo Album Of All-Time. Even at nearly a quarter of a century old, it has only become better with age. I was first introduced to "December" at the mature age of 10, and I fell in love with it immediately. My mother would play it at Christmas, time and time again, and oddly enough I never tired of the haunting melodies. In the nearly twenty years since, I've found that while much of the music has a holiday theme, I enjoy listening to the tracks year-round. And in all that time I've found nothing that even comes close to matching the beauty, feeling or power of this exquisite creation. Winston pours such depth and feeling into each compilation that, if you're not careful, you find yourself begin to sway with the melody, much the same fashion as a teenager headbanging to a punk-rock band. But of course this is much more subtle and sophisticated. Truth be told, I credit Winston (and to some degree Chip Davis) with my desire to learn the piano. Fortunately my wife had the foresight this year to do what I could not bring myself to do, and presented me with piano lessons for Christmas. My one desire is to someday be good enough to eek out an intelligible semblance of this timeless album for family and friends at the holidays... but I won't hold my breath. Winston is a Master, and I don't believe I have either the time, nor the talent, to hold even the dimmest of candles to his "bright as noon-day" masterpiece. Enjoy!



3. There is something in this music which has been with ever since I listened to it first time back in 1987. Soundtrack of my life...



4. December by George Winston is about as close to perfect as you can get. Winston's phenomenal interpretations and originals form a masterpeice. Classified as a Holiday album, this is an album to enjoy all through the year. Although each selection here is very good, Variations On The Kanon By Pachelbel is simply a wonderful piece. I did have the pleasure of seeing George Winston in concert and I would receommend that any fan try to experience the music live with introductions by the pianist. I would also recommend December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition which is an updated version of this excellent CD.
   
   An outstanding 5 star CD.



5. In one of those rare moments in life, my mother actually introduced me to George Winston's music when I was in high school. Most of the music I listened to at the time was metal and punk music. George Winston was an antithesis to everything I listened to still his music was very relaxing to listen to. DECEMBER is easily my favorite Winston cd.I like that the music was just George playing the piano. His music isn't bogged down by other instruments which would have easily drowned out his piano playing. I love listening to DECEMBER at any time of the year although there are some Christmas carols. I find George's delicate piano melodies quite relaxing. No matter how old DECEMBER is, the music never gets old with me. I still love the cd after all these years.

5 comments about Heigh-Ho! Mozart.

1. I am really pleased that there is a classical music cd that has only Disney classics so that I can play them for my infant daughter while she sleeps. We are big Disney fans and it's fun to play these instead of the regular classical music. They sound just like the original songs. I would have given 5 stars but I wish they would have had all instrumental music, one of the songs has a choir singing, but it still sound good.



2. Being a classical music connoisseur, I often listen to my local public classical radio station to hear the works of the great composers of old and of today. One day the station played "Colors of the Wind" and announced it was from this CD. I fell in love with it. I am a huge Disney fan who has over 350 Disney songs on my iPod. Pretty much the only music I listen to is either classical or Disney. And having them combined makes this CD euphoria for the ears.
   
   Each song is in the style of a different classical composer, and usually in the style of one of their more specific songs. One with a trained ear will hear chords and melodies in almost perfect similitude of the original.
   
   I can listen to this CD over and over and never get bored. How could you be bored when you're hearing all of your favorite old Disney songs in a new exciting way?



3. For many a baby boomer, Walt Disney meant animation. But, besides that, music played an important part in the telling of the story. So interested in music was the animator that he fashioned one of his greatest triumphs ("Fantasia") on the works of the great masters.
   
   Well, Donald Frasier and a bevy of musicians have compiled a wonderful collection of interpretations of familiar Disney tunes, many from Walt's time, along with a few latter day compositions.
   
   Every selection is a winner, destined to make the listener reflect and recall the films from which they came. And if one is familiar with composer whose musical style is "copied" here, the album is a treasure.



4. These Disney tunes done in the style of classic composers are so much fun. Children and adults alike will enjoy these songs over and over.



5. I enjoy all things Disney and love instrumental music so when I heard this CD playing in my daughter's 5th grade classroom, I asked the teacher where I could purchase a copy. He suggested Amazon.com, which is where I also discovered the companion CD: Bippity Boppity Bach. Beautiful classical style, with familiar Disney tunes ... how can it not be good? ;o)

5 comments about Johnny Cash Christmas 1977.

1. By the mid-1970s, Johnny Cash was a veteran TV performer, and new how to keep a show humming. This disc follows an earlier show from 1976 that featured Johnny and June Carter Cash hosting a folksy, round-robin "guitar pull" in their spacious Tennessee ranch house.
   
   The following year, Cash had a much glitzier, punchier production, trading his funky ranch home vibe for a big, shiny soundstage, decked out with a gigantic golden holly wreath and twenty-foot tall panels of frosted-glass snowflakes. This show, which broadcast on November 30, 1977, was also a tighter show, mainly featuring the seasoned cast of Cash's long-running road show: June Carter Cash, the reconstituted Carter Family, Carl Perkins and the ever-jovial Statler Brothers, and another appearance by Roy Clark, who helped anchor the previous year's Christmas show. Although there's plenty of holiday music and seasonal cheer, there's also a wealth of secular music -- Johnny and June sing a duet of "Darling Companion," and the second half of the show is devoted to a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had passed away a few months earlier. Along with Carl Perkins, Cash hosts other buddies from his Sun Records rockabilly years -- Roy Orbison is in fine form on "Pretty Woman," while Jerry Lee Lewis tears it up on a modernized "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," then slows things down for a sentimental reading of "White Christmas." Surprisingly, the Carter Family is kept mostly in the background -- Mother Maybelle wasn't in the show at all -- while Anita and the sisters only sang as part of a larger chorus. All in all, this is a lively, well-paced TV show, with a very sincere religious emotional core, sure to be a delight for Cash fans and country Christmas enthusiasts everywhere. Recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack/Slipcue)



2. I enjoyed this dvd very much, it was done very well, brought back good memories, the Johnny Cash Show was always special. I have been a big fan of Roy and since he and Johnny were dear friends and neighbors, I watched.
   Any Johnny Cash fans out there will love this dvd. And here at Christmas time, 2007 will make a wonderfull gift.
   
   Thank you,
   Billie



3. This was just the most excellent Johnny Cash Christmas Special.
   I remember watching it on tv when they did it.I was 11 years old and I thoroughly enjoyed ity then and now since Mysister had got this DVD for me.
   The music was very special to hear for any huge Johnny Cash Fan such as I am.
   They had great musicians and singers on there as well.
   Watching it tonight really brought me back to some great memories.
   The Christmas Music was so beautiful.I know there were more Johnny Cash Christmas Specials they did one every year for a number of years.They had stopped doing them right before I got My first VCR so I was never able to tape them.
   
   Jeanne Zinda



4. I have to admit I bought this DVD as it contained a tribute to Elvis, my hero. I am so glad I did because the tribute with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis is a real treat. Furthermore, the remainder of the show is fantastic. Johnny Cash is great as are his guests so if you like good music with a Christmas touch then you will enjoy this DVD. Hearing Jerry Lee do White Christmas is also a treat!!



5. Excellent quality,both sound and picture.To see those Sun legends together was something special.They don't make shows like this anymore,and there will never be artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins again.Great.

5 comments about It's a Wonderful Christmas.

1. I have listened to this CD over and over, also reading who did the lyrics and/or orchestation on each song.
   
   Michael is truly talented and I am so pleased to read his love for the Lord.



2. Michael W. Smith fans enjoy this c.d. full of their favorite hero's best stuff. For some 25 years or so, he has been composing a grand style of orchestral flourishes that I think I would have imagined composing myself when I was say 8 or 9 years old -- if I had known anything about music, that is. I think Michael W. has a glorious musical gift that needs a couple things:
   1) He should not sing his own music. It requires a larger voice.
   2) He needs to find a more solid definitive expression for the sounds he is being moved to put to music. Somehow, there is something better that is not quite getting all the way formed.
   
   There is no doubt that he knows from where his inspiration comes. I would encourage him to spend some time letting the Spirit-to-spirit connection grow stonger and then letting himself be led through different musical expressions to find better ways to reveal it. He might start with other voices and with smaller assemblages of instruments, finding something that is true before drowning it with large orchestrations.
   
   That said, it is still true that folks that have liked Michael W. Smith recordings before will play this one over and over and over. My bride opened it Christmas morning and has been playing it ever since. That must be what "happily ever after" means.



3. Once again, Michael W. Smith brings us a sweet combination of songs to lift the heart and soul. Easy on the ears.



4. I am amazed at any artist that can compose music from scratch and yet somehow attain the beautiful sound of the season. Michael W Smith has definitely accomplished this in his latest album, It's a Wonderful Christmas.
   
   This CD is composed of a selection of all new original songs for the season, written almost entirely by MWS himself. Every song is beautifully composed and reminds us why Christmas is one of the best times of the year.
   
   I recommend this product without any reservations. If you like listening to Christmas music and are not afraid to try something new, this is an excellent selection!



5. I don't understand why people just shoving into Josh Groban's Xmas CD. I couldn't stand listen that whole CD.
   I guess people prefer HYPE over "substance" and I just love this beautiful W. Smith CD.

5 comments about The Three Tenors Christmas.

1. they are wonderful singers a delight to the ears and doing Christmas music made Christ mas even better



2. Album is great. For any other holiday music, just listen to your local radio station that plays it during December.



3. This is a truly beautiful addition to my Christmas music collection. Can't wait to listen to it every day with the holidays approaching.



4. I am a huge fan of ALL of these guys ie; The Three Tenors. I am not a snob when it comes to music, I sit back and relax and enjoy. But man oh man, this was woeful ! Singing out of synch with the orchestra, exceptionally poor english, the wrong words even to one of the songs. No, sorry boys but this was a boo boo CD !!!!



5. The cd would not play all the songs. It would skip on serval of the selections.

5 comments about How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000 Film).

1. This was purchased for my mother but I got to listen to it as well. Nice Holiday CD with plenty of great musicians to choose from.



2. Loved the cd look forward to listening to it every holiday season!!! Fast shipping and great communication Thanks a bunch!!!!



3. A fantastic compilation of songs and memorable moments from the movie that will make you laugh!



4. I was looking for a single song in particular but the entire CD is wonderful.



5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000 Film)
   
   Exactly as described. Received much quicker than I expected. Would gladly buy from these folks again.

5 comments about Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas.

1. I bought this for one song only - River by Robert Downey Jr. It was the only place I could find it, and it was perfect.



2. I suggest it, it's a very special time generator, the Christmas time.



3. This is the only Christmas album I listen to every year, and it still hasn't gotten old. Each song has a nice upbeat jazzy feel, and is a welcome relieve from the typical versions of holiday songs. Everytime someone new hears this album playing, he/she asks about it. It's also a great gift!



4. I love this Christmas CD. Pandora played Vonda Shepard's version of "Man With The Bag" so, I ordered the CD. While not a regular viewer of Ally McBeal the few times I did watch the best part was when they were in the bar and Vonda was on stage. And Jane K can really sing ... some cuts with other cast members singing are only so so but, all in all a great addition to my Xmas music collection.



5. I heard a song on the radio during the Christmas Holidays and fell in love with it. It was done by a female singer and I was trying to describe it to my daughter. I told her it was about a river. She immediately knew the song done by Robert Downey Jr. on a Christmas Ally McBeal CD. I borrowed hers until I found "my own" and ordered it from Amazon. It's an amazing Christmas CD. Especially Robert Downey JR's version of "The River" ! I ordered it and before I knew it, it was here! Just as described on amazon.com I even missed ((yeah!!)) going to the crowded mall during the Christmas rush. Thank Goodness for Amazon.com!

5 comments about Old Rivers/Twas the Night Before Christmas...Back Home.

1. My husband and I are "old school TV" buffs and this brought back so many memories of Grandpa McCoy...just to hear his voice made us feel like kids again. This CD is packed with down-to-earth, grassroots, common-people selections that touch the very heart of what makes this country a wonderful place. Some selections make you laugh, others make you cry, but all touch some part of your heart. A "must" for sentimental, memory-reliving enthusiasts!



2. I purchased this CD as a gift. I remember listening to it when I was young and it was a fantastic storytelling CD with many moving moments. I no longer celebrate Christmas so I don't listen to it myself these days. Regardless of that. Any one looking for a great CD around the holidays I would recommend this one. As for hte Old Rivers part, I haven't heard it but the person I purchased it for loved it.



3. This album has an interesting history in my family. My mother used to play it constantly (the Christmas album) constantly back in the late 60s and 70s and it just became part of my family's Christmas - like the music or not, when Christmas rolled around each, Walter Brennan would be stacked on the record player with other Christmas favorites. After I left and got married, my children would visit their grandparents during the Christmas Holiday, and got to know and expect to hear the album at my parents' house. My mother passed away in the early 90s, but every Christmas, we had to trot out old Walter. Hearing him brings back some very sweet memories, knowing how much my mother liked his music. Our first copy of the album was on reel-to-reel made from the LP, then on a cassette from the same old LP. We no longer have an LP turntable (for the time being), and for whatever reason - we could not find our copies of the tapes this year. So - we're thrilled that Walter Brennan has entered the digital age! My daughters were regaled, once again this past Christmas, with the touching homey Christmas performance by Walter. His music and style might not be standard stuff, and might not be everyone's taste, but my family has gotten to like it. We've been listening to it for a long time, and it holds a place in our hearts and traditions.
   I give it a big plus for the happiness that it brings in my home.



4. Came on time in great condition. Walter Brennan was great back in his day.



5. Have always loved Old Rivers, but is hard to find in the stores, but Amazon has everything! Very inspirational album. Brings the past to life for me, that mule, old rivers and me.

5 comments about Medieval & Renaissance Minstrels, Songs & Dances.

1. This cd is worth picking up. Yes the first couple of tracks have pops and crackles in it. And yes it sounds as if the music was transfered directly from a vinyl source. But the performances and selections on this cd are fabulous. And you get use to the flaws in the recordings. Which I find minor.

   This cd was actually the first Medieval and Renaissance album I ever bought. I bought it randomly in 1992 to try and introduce myself to these two era's of Classical music. And it was PERFECT. I have been a loyal fan of Medieval & Renaissance music ever since. I currently own 25 to 30 cd's covering these era now. And this album is still one of my favorites......




2. This was one of the first recordings of early music I ever bought. It's a broad survey of styles and periods, from the 12th to 17th centuries. I've become a more sohisticated listener since then, but I still get this one out fairly regularly. The recording is apparently old and the digital remastering was not done extraordinarily well, but those who are more interested in music than in audio equipment should be able to listen through the occasional (minor) vinyl surface noise. My major complaint (why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4) is the lack of documentation--there is no information about the musicians, and many of the composers are uncredited (some because they actually are anonymous, but sometimes out of apparent laziness). Still, at this price it's a bargain.



3. It is perhaps unfair to judge the performances on this recording (presumably made in the late 1950s/early 60s? - we are not given a date) by modern standards of early music performance. Yes, there are moments when the experimental nature of the approach is all too apparent, both in terms of the [im]plausibility of the interpretations and in the [at times] excruciating intonation (a particularly pertinent example is the shawm playing in track 10). But what is in fact by far the most deplorable feature of this recording is the utter sparsity of information provided - about the performers, the instruments, the composers, the repertoire, etc. Worse still, what little that is provided is often hopelessly inaccurate: sometimes in the form of blatant spelling errors (eg the Coventry Carol becomes here 'Lully Lullary', etc), at other times factual blunders (the medieval 'Estampie' in track 10 is in fact a 16th cent [ie Renaissance] tourdion, 'Quand je bois du vin clairet', whilst John Dowland's 'Frogg Galliard', c.1597, is here given an anonymous attribution...etc, etc, etc).
   
   In short, for those not acquainted with pre-Baroque music, this is NOT a good place to start!!! Seasoned Early Music connoisseurs, on the other hand, may find a perverse pleasure in some atrocious moments, or perhaps take interest in its value as an example of historically informed performance style in the pioneering years - but you have been warned!!
   
   For those interested, here are some alternative recommendations if you are new to this music: firstly, 2 wide-ranging compilations by 2 well-known ensembles -
   
   1. Sinners and Saints - The New London Consort/Philip Pickett (Decca 48559)
   2. Portrait ('Moyen Age et Renaissance') - Hesperion XX/Jordi Savall (Auvidis Fontalis 'Portrait' ES9904), or either of the 2 new compilations by Savall and his ensemble(s) on Alia Vox ('Harmonie Universelle', AV9810; 'Harmonie Universelle II', AV9839).
   
   and a compilation (mostly of early music) featuring a number of different groups -
   
   'Pastime with Good Company' (Alpha, A901) [includes groups like L'Arpegiatta, Le Poeme Harmonique, Diabolus in Musica...]



4. The first one I got had a lot of popping and crackling, and some digital defects that cause the CD player to skip. I liked the music so I bought another copy and it was the same. Both wound up in the trash. Don't waste your money on this disk.



5. This is a fun album. it's festive, playful, and a real joy to listen to. There is something for everyone in this album--including and especially SCAdians. In fact there's probably at least one piece on this album that every SCAdian dancer, musician, and/or bard will recognize. There's courtly songs, love songs, and get out of your chair dances, even formal pieces you associate with concert halls.
   
   Whether you play in the SCA or just love great historical music, this is one of the better albums I've ever bought--on amazon or anywhere else!