No comments about Rossini: Greatest Hits.

5 comments about Wynton Marsalis: In Gabriel's Garden.

1. A two star reviewer complained that this CD is not for the purist! Fair enough. Wynton Marsalis is one of the leading jazz trumpeters over the last 30 years and has far more jazz material released than classical. If we can tolerate Benny Goodman playing Mozart Clarinet Concertos, we should be able to cut Mr. Marsalis some slack too! This CD showcases the playing of Marsalis and his take on some of the great Baroque classics. It is not meant to be a pure as snow period instrument performance! If it is not pure enough for you, just think of it as being in the style of Baroque and relax a little and enjoy the music. There is much to be enjoyed from track one until the end of this great CD! I have enjoyed Marsalis' playing all the way back to a CBS Masterworks vinyl LP from about 1980 and he is one of those artists that should not be missed!



2. From the moment I heard this CD on my classical radio station, I knew I had to own it. This is one of my favorite CD's for relaxing. The selections are wonderful and Marsalis makes them even more beautiful with his unmistakable style.



3. As I've said in other reviews of music, I don't know the technicalities, but I know what I like. Wynton Marsalis has never failed to delight and, truth be told, I use "In Gabriel's Garden" as background music in the office and to fall asleep to. As smooth or smoother than any trumpet player I've ever heard, and his "Moto Perpetuo" is simply unbelievable.
   
   He rounds out my four favorite classical musicians: Itzhak Perlman, Earl Wild, David Russell, and Wynton Marsalis. How would you like to see all four on stage? A pipe dream: I can't even get tickets to any one of them unless I know four years in advance that they're going to be in town.
   
   Btw, "Classical Wynton" is my all-time favorite Marsalis album.
   
   I have one wish, and can't forgive PBS for not doing this: Wynton had a program for kids about jazz, and after "its run," they never brought it back. I think it should be required in all schools.



4. It was the first disc that acquaints me with this trumpeter 2 years ago and i was suprised by that the disc brought me more than i ever dared expect from it, probably the artist is not active enough like a professional classical specialist to establish an impression to me as a classical artist from which I would like to expect more and more but this one is stunningly wonderful classical cd,although its sound quality is not preferable to me:the orchestre sounds too timid,afterall the trumpeter Mr Marsalis does not fail in retain my interest in the disc.well I cannot say more for trumpet is a complete musically stranger to me.if there are more classical trumpet music discs coming up.I would look forward to this name.



5. ...a lowly servant heralding the return of The King...

   ...perhaps at the fringe society-wise, but nevertheless a clarion voice in praise of The Most High...

   ...stunning and spiritually invigorating...

1 comments about Best of Scott Joplin.

1. My husband, an Englishman, one day announced he'd heard the most incredible music by Scott Joplin. I bought this CD for him, and he's really enjoyed listening.

4 comments about Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov--Ampico Recordings (1919-29).

1. This is one of two recordings featuring Rachmaninov's Ampico rolls recorded on a modern piano. This one features an Estonia concert grand circa 1976, and the other features a Bosendorfer. For pianists this is a unique opportunity to hear the same performance on two pianos. How much difference does the piano make? Does the Ampico roll really capture the soul of Rachmaninov's playing? You'll be able to decide for yourself, I would say the answer to both questions is yes. As an owner of a newer Estonia piano, and as someone who plays Rachmaninov on that piano, this recording was a fabulous find; for other pianists it might provide some insight into the love many of the great Russian pianists of the 20th century had for Estonia pianos.



2. No words can describe the feeling of hearing Rachmaninov play his own compositions. He was known for his piano performances as much as his writing. Even though the album is not the best quality sound or containing the best versions of his well known songs, I am relieved that he was able to be recorded in his time. The man may be gone, but his sound will live forever. The cuts in the musical score that he made, I see as Rachmaninov's own whim, his split-second decisions, or his doubts. What a wonder to see him as human... I think these recordings should be put in Earth's time capsule. Also, his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" is fascinating. He lends his Russian soul to it that gives new meaning to the anthem.



3. Many people forget that Rachmaninov was a great pianist as well as a great composer... this album will serve as a reminder. This recording was made from a unique piano-roll system which provides amazing insight into his technical ability and musicality. Especially stunning are "Flight of the Bumblebee" and his own transcription of Kreisler's "Liebesfreud". A must-have for lovers of great piano music.



4. I'm not sure if this album is technically good, but I gotta tell ya, I love it! Definantly a must have for anyone interested in Classical Piano. Let's face it, Rach can play! So much emotion is built up in most of these works, he plays them the way they are meant to be played, pure and delicious.

   The only song on here It could have done without is 'The Star Spangled Banner'. Other then that, A great album!

   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Greatest Polka Hits of All Time.

1. Bobby Vinton wasn't called The Polish Prince for nothing! He sang beautifully and made his Polish countrymen so proud that he was recently traveled to Poland as a guest of the Polish government. This budget priced album gives us eleven of Bobby's polka hits and there's hardly a dud in the bunch!
   
   "The Pennsylvania Polka" sounds very energetic and Booby never misses a beat! The upbeat polka melody helps to make this number charming; and the lyrics rhyme at just the right times. "Tic-Tock Polka" is a similar number but it has its own beauty; Bobby's backup vocalists help to make this number memorable and the like the musical interlude very much. Love how Bobby cries out "woo woo!" during the musical interlude!
   
   Listen also for "Just Because;" Bobby sings a beautiful song about how he can't stand his girlfriend any longer "just because." Bobby uses this number to celebrate his character's joy at being free of a woman who never appreciated him. There is another awesome musical interlude that blows me away with its energy and the high quality control of the number.
   
   "That's Amore" features Bobby with a female backup chorus singing "That's Amore" to the beat of a rich polka melody; Dean Martin would be proud! This excellent, creative rendition of "That's Amore" scores a huge goal in my book. I think you'll like it, too.
   
   The "Beer Barrel Polka" is more of a classic polka but it sounds fresh and exciting as ever when Bobby sings this in both English and Polish; the percussion adds to the arrangement and the melody is quite catchy as always with a well written polka. The "Hoop-Dee-Doo Polka" is a number that was performed earlier by the great Perry Como; but when Bobby sings this he puts his own stamp on this number with his singularly fine interpretation of the lyrics. "Hoop-Dee-Doo Polka" uses the percussion much more than Perry's version did; and this works well for this number.
   
   The album ends nicely with "Polka Memories Medley." Bobby sings this to perfection without a superfluous note. I love that polka sound!
   
   Overall, if you want some great, invigorating polka numbers to enjoy and maybe even dance to, you can't go wrong with this CD. Diehard polka fans will want more albums from the huge names in polka music; nevertheless I still highly recommend this album for polka fans. People who appreciate Bobby Vinton will be thrilled with this CD.



2. Good selections of songs. Fun and toe tapping polka music to dance and listen too.



3. If you want to be happy, here is an album, that will make you feel good, I defy anyone to listen to a polka and be depressed, Bobbie Vinton does a good job taking the polka to a broader audience.



4. You have to love this CD. I am of slovak heritage and a lot of these songs reminded me of my past. Its a good source of comedy also.



5. very good listening CD, brings back a lot of good memeories

5 comments about La Rocque 'n' Roll - Popular Music of Renaissance France / The Baltimore Consort.

1. I am not a scholar of the music being presented here, but it does seem to be well-handled on this fantastic-sounding recording. The Baltimore Consort has an excellent reputation for musicianship and this disk does not besmirch that. Personally I think that attempts to equate musics of the past with rockstardom are essentially silly and simpleminded, but that doesn't matter much if the music is good. And here it is good indeed.



2. I've attended Baltimore Consort performances a number of times, and they are just about my favorite early music group. They do an outstanding job of making "old" music come alive. Sometimes early music recordings are dry and academic, and the Baltimore Consort is as far from that as you can get. Finally, they have a great since of humor, which often peaks through in their music.
   
   They specialize in popular secular tunes of the age. Their playing is impeccable, and most of the group are accomplished soloists. La Rocque 'n' Roll is probably my favorite recording of theirs, the songs are fun, interesting, and involving. The best of the best...
   
   The fact that the recording is technically very good is a nice bonus. As a matter of fact, "Jean de Nivelle" (track 26) is the first thing I play when evaluating speakers. It helps that I've heard the performance live (and unamplified), so I have a real life comparison. The recoding clearly captures the nuances of the individual instruments. Although obviously not as loud as modern rock, the recording still gives challenges speaker dynamics. Unlike some gee whiz audiophile recordings, I can listen to these songs again and again.



3. I've been collecting renaissance/medieval music for several years and have finally found something that sounds as though the musicians are actually having FUN with the repertoire. This is a blast, I recommend it to all.



4. The jaunty, whimsical tone of this CD is set by the opening bars of the first piece, "J'ai vu le loup," which starts out with one of the musicians shouting "Un! Dieux!" Many parallels are subtly drawn between the secular music of Renaissance France and popular music of today. "The appeal of performing 'popular' repertory lies in the opportunity it provides for creative expression," explains the insert booklet. "All of the song and dance arrangements on this CD are the creation of the members of the Baltimore Consort, who sometimes only have an unharmonized melody to start with..." What they may lack in specific direction from the long-dead song writers, they more than make up for with catchy arrangements and spirited improvisations. Soprano Custer LaRue sings her sultry French lyrics with relish and gusto, and the addition of reedy crumhorns and bagpipes played by Chris Norman and Mark Cudek adds to the provincial French flavor. The fun of the music is echoed in the CD's amusing packaging: The album cover, somewhat reminiscent of the Beatles' "Abbey Road", features the ensemble members walking along in single file, with their viol and lute cases in hand. Other interior pictures of the group poke fun at other folk and rock imagery, including one shot of a gentleman in shades licking the neck of his bass viol. Not exactly the norm for early music releases, but refreshing for just that reason. Rocque on!



5. This is my favorite CD of all time. I've had it now for five years, I listen to it all the time, and I never get tired of it. Every track is enormously beautiful, from the bright and sunny tunes through the quieter and more melancholy ones.

   This is a CD that sounds perfect in the early morning, late at night, or any other time of day.

   I've become a huge fan of the Baltimore Consort (one of the highlights of my life was seeing the group perform the songs on this album live at Synod Hall in Pittsburgh, PA) and "La Rocque 'n' Roll" is their "Sgt. Pepper."

5 comments about Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music Special Edition 3CD + DVD.

1. This CD set is a much needed collection for all musicians or just audio freaks with an ear for electronic music. The great thing about this set is the DVD that comes with it. If you are into pioneers of electronic music and visuals/video art, then this CD is a must for you. If you listen to electronic pioneers like Morton Subotnic to Joy Electric and visual pioneers like Yoichiro Kawaguchi to Silverlage then Don't delay. Add it to your collection.



2. I recently purchased Ohm, the early gurus of electronic music, and I am very immpressed. By far the most important criteria for judgment must be the quality of the cleaning up of early recordings. Every track on all three CDs has a low noise floor, which has been achieved without the loss of palpability or dynamic range that is so common with the usual cleaning processes. The other stand out feature is that this is the complete package; 114 page booklet with great art work, 13-16 tracks on each CD and a 20 track DVD. The whole lot is so well put together that I am proud to own it. Only one track each from the 30's and 40's, and heaps from the 50's and 60's. I'm glad I bought this.



3. I enjoyed listening to the CD and watching the videos. Some of the selections, however, were not quite what I would call musical quality, but were interesting sound samples. I was glad that I heard them, but once heard they would not be something I would want to listen to as music or for a background when reading a book. Some tracks had a very good ambient environmental quality that would be good for creating a warm background, meditating or deep listening. Some showed that synths could do classical very well compared to the older instruments. As a collection, they were not categorized so that all the ones that would make ambient listening are grouped together, so I plan to do a mix of my own from this collection. It is PBS special quality as far as the DVD presentation, though some of the selections seemed more about the animation than the music in the background. I was very impressed with the presentation on STRIA and tried to find more on the internet afterwards. The idea of the a new musical scale from the phi ratio seems exciting to me. Clara on the Theremin, both on the DVD and on the CD was impressive and shows how well the Theremin can replace a violin. Having done a lot of healing work, it would be nice for violinists to know this option, because it is easier on their bodies. The neck kinking and tight shoulder throws the body out of balance a lot and sometimes leads to headaches or even migraines. It would be interesting to see a Theremin tweaked slight more to make it even sound more like a violin, but it is close already. All in all, I enjoyed the old collection and can organize the selections on my own from what they have given.



4. This is an excellent collection of pre-1980s electronic music. It probably goes without saying, but just to be clear, the music here is part of the academic/experimental music tradition and more popular forms of electronic music such as Kraftwerk or Jean-Jacques Perry are not represented here.
   
   There is a great selection of composers here from early musique concrete pioneers like Pierre Schaeffer to technical innovators like John Chowning to unclassifiable geniuses like Iannis Xenakis. There are a few curious omissions such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, but the curators explain in the extensive liner notes that they were not able to acquire the rights to many works that they wanted to include.
   
   Ohm is particularly useful for a broad overview of the development of electronic music. I carry it to my Intro to Sound Synthesis class everyday to play examples for my students. It's pretty handy in that way.
   
   My biggest criticism is that many of the selections are excerpts. While it's great to have some 42 works all in one place, it's a shame to modify a composition without the composer's input or consent. It would be difficult to include the entire work in some cases such as "Philomel," which is a little over 20 minutes (if memory serves) and you may not mind having excerpts. It does make extended listen a bit easier. Since not everyone is used to hearing this sort of electronic music, these highlights may actually make the music slightly more accessible.
   
   The DVD has a variety of material. There are quite a few "visualizations" created recently for early works. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this. I really think, for example, Xenakis should have signed off on the project before they superimposed some visual material on his "Bohor". I can't really see what this adds, as many of these visualizations end up looking similar to the iTunes visualizer.
   
   There are some very interesting interviews with pioneers such as Milton Babbitt and Clara Rockmore. Those are probably the most interesting parts of the DVD. There are also a few live performances. These range from a beautiful performance from Rockmore on her thermin to a bizarre performance piece featuring Alvin Lucier and his amplified brainwaves.
   
   The set includes a nice booklet with some great information. It's perfect for someone unfamiliar with electronic music and will give them a good feeling for what it's all about. You get some historical context, some composer background, and brief descriptions of the work and why it is important.
   
   Overall, I highly recommend this. For the beginner, this is an easily accessible introduction. For the expert, this is a handy summary of early work in the field and one that you can easily recommend to students.



5. Yeah, it's costly, yeah, it quickly skims over 40+ years of electronic music, but its an excellent sample of the range of early uses and experimentations with electronics for creation of challenging and rigorous music. With 3 CDs and a DVD, plus a pretty thick (for a CD set) insert, I thought this was certainly a decent value. While certainly not encyclopedic, this set seems like a good starting point for exploring early electronic music.

5 comments about Piano Favorites.

1. These days many music fans with grounding in good ol' rock and roll have bent their ears to light, melodic jazz standards. Here's a challenge: pick up this low-priced CD, take note of the famous names and that each track averages about 3 minutes in length - that's what us rockers have been raised on.
   A little crass, but....check this one out. I can't imagine any heavy metal fan turning away from the exquisite, haunting "Waltz No. 15 in A-flat, Op.39" by Brahms, or "La fille aux cheveux de lin..." by DeBussy; factor in *5* compositions by Chopin, and you've got a keeper. Maybe just beneath Zep on the carousel (but it's all in the proverbial family).
   Note that Chopin is next sectioned off, as one might expect in a Classical compilation. So the flow of the music is regenerative to the senses, as well.
   Dame Moura Lympany plays with breathtaking sensitivity and delivers one for the ages.



2. Moura Lympany, Dame Commander of the British Empire (a title not given to just anyone, and her ability deserves such note from the Brits), performs this selection of pieces beautifully. She was (she passed in 2005 at the age of 88) a talented concert pianist known throughout the world. Here, you have 20 pieces for solo piano performed by the virtouso.
   The recording is exceptional with only one minor flaw; apparently Dame Moura had a heavy foot on the pedals and her tapping can be heard from time to time, but this is a minor issue and hardly noticeable. I mention it only because it took a couple of listens to figure out what that soft thumping sound was.
   This gifted pianist gave her first concert performance at the age of 12, Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in G minor, with (also knighted) Basil Cameron conducting. Cameron suggested that she "glamorise her name" and so she changed from her birth name, Mary Gertrude Johnstone, to Moura Lympany (Lympany an adaption of her mother's maiden name, Limpenny, and rhyming with timpani).
   From this point forward, she pursued music and piano with a controlled passion. On practicing, she once said "None of this eight hours a day stuff. If you can't get it right in four you never will". She was known in her early years to have left the podium in tears after performing becaue "of worry over the wrong notes she had played".
   She recieved the title of Commander of the British Empire in the 1970's and the title Dame Commander in the 1990's. She was the first to record all of Rachmaninoff's Preludes, certainly no small feat. She toured in to her 70's.
   Suffice it to say that this woman had a gift and used it to great effect and success.
   I ordered this disc primarily for the pieces by Debussy (my favorite composer) and the one by Liszt (one of my favorite pieces for solo piano), but all pieces are wonderful and I have gained a new appreciation for all of the composers and the pieces because of this CD.
   Her performances on this CD are amazing, passionate and beautiful. Each piece is performed as well as any other performance I have heard and it is all here on 1 CD to be enjoyed. The bargain price is a bonus and you must buy this before Seraphim decides to raise the price from the budget bin price of about $4.00. This is definitely worth every penny and then some.
   Buy this CD with confidence.



3. I don't listen to classical music very often, but there is some that I like, so every once in a while I get a CD like this. Personally, some of the pieces sound like a little kid playing with the keys. I skip them. I guess Yanni and Enya are more my style. They flow better. There are plenty here that I do like, so I am happy enough with the CD, especially because of the low cost.



4. I grew up listening to Moura Lympany's playing, especially Litolff's Scherzo. Never could understand how a person could play with absolute control at high speed. In this recording, most (though not all - the Etude in C# minor an obvious exception)of the music is more laid back, and played with great grace and with the controlled touch of a pianist at the peak of her career.
   The ambience of the recording is a wide open one, giving us the full clear sound that makes listening to a grand piano to enjoyable.
   If you enjoy listening to good piano music, this is a recording that you will enjoy a great deal.



5. Dame Moura is my favourite pianist. Her great style and sublety of expression comes out in all her recordings. this CD is the best value for money ever!!

4 comments about Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (ballet suite)/Swan Lake (excerpts)/Sleeping Beauty Waltz/ Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.

1. First let me say, I am a huge fan of Leonard Bernstein. I have some outstanding recordings of his that match no other. He has contributed greatly to keeping classical music alive and to my personal library as well. But I have to say that I have better recordings than these of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Overall, if you listen to this CD it's fine with some impressive sound that you get from a large tight orchestra such as the NYP (after all, Bernstein was the one who directed them to be as closely knit as they are). The overall interpretation is big and loud with swift movement through the pieces. I personally like the music to sound a bit more expressive and intimate. That's not to say that these lack any emotion. But they are slightly off in tempi and expression to my liking.
   
   For the Nutcracker, Karajan puts more depth into it and the orchestra is just as large. As for the Swan Lake, the interpretation by Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orch. (EMI) is richer and brighter than this Bernstein recording. It also happens to be the complete work and not just the highlights which, now that I have heard it in its entirety, there is no reason to have highlighted excerpts which take away from this phenomenal work by Tchaikovsky. It happens to be a low budget CD which is just an added bonus. So if you really want the highlights version, burn the same pieces from the Bernstein excerpts and there you go! Sorry Lenny.



2. I purchased this CD for my six year old grandaughter who was dancing in the local production of The Nutcracker for the second year, and she loved it. It contains the best pieces of the three ballets without being so long as to cause little listeners to lose interest, and is a good quality production as well. We enjoyed it throughout the Christmas season.



3. Crisp and lively! This CD offered all my favorites from the Nutcracker Suite, Swan Lake along with Sleeping Beauty. What more could I ask? Sound quality is supurb!



4. This is the best composed music I've heard in my life. It is relaxing and enchanting. Everyone should listen to it, at least once in their lives.

No comments about The Original Jacket Collection: Bernstein Conducts Bernstein.