1 comments about Rock N' Roll Hits of the 50's.

1. Stay away from this collection! Its yet ANOTHER Madacy collection with terrible re-recorded versions of some of the greatest songs ever made. This crap should be taken off the market!

4 comments about Relax With Ocean Surf/Sounds Of Everglades/Golden Pond.

1. 
   I have owned a relax recording of this type for a good while and like it.
   The sounds of a pond are accompanied by ocarina music. Lovely.
   I imagined that Relax with Ocean Surf/Sounds of Everglades . . . would be
   like that, i.e., have music accompaniment. Only the "Everglades" CD
   has music, and it is rather dull, droning music.



2. The sounds on this 3 special packaged cd's all in one, are so relaxing,they make you feel as though you are right on the beach,everglades,and surrounded by water,they are so awesome!!!



3. How soothing! The ocean, to me, is symbolic of Mother Nature cradling and rocking us with the ocean rocking chair. I can close my eyes and be at the ocean, river, or just a complete place of solitude when I listen to the CDs in this set.



4. I loved the set. They were all very soothing and realistic. I especially love the ocean one. It's very pretty and can put you to sleep in almost 15 minutes, if that's what you're aiming for.

No comments about Classics for Romance.

5 comments about Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 40-54.

1. Excellent performance...each symphony has its own beauty. I would definitely buy another set of Haydn's symphonies by this same conductor and orchestra.



2. Some say Haydn's ingenuity is even greater than that of Mozart's or Beethoven's. When listening to this brilliantly played set, I find myself becoming a convert of the belief. Haydn experimented with a variety of musical tools in these works. Surprising twists and turns are abundant. You will hear chamber serenade, harpsichord run, or violin solo in the most unexpected spots. Instruments are sometimes played in very unconventional ways resulting in exotic sounds - similar to what Berlioz and Mahler did later. Structure is toyed with in many symphonies, especially in the early ones.
   
   In Austro-Hungrarian Orchestra, Adam Fischer finds an all-in chef's toolkit needed to cook these delightful ingredients. The woodwinds not only sing but also coo and meow. Strings melt your heart to a puddle with their exquisite pianissimo. Horns are expressive yet stylish. The whole orchestra knows how to knock themselves out when the music calls for it. The overall timbre is unlike any other orchestra I've ever heard, period or conventional. It's bright, edgy and folksy at the same time. It sounds like a virtuosic chamber ensemble rather than an orchestra except in the big symphonies. I believe the closest thing to their sound is Vienna Philharmonic playing Johann Strauss waltzes. Throw in a hint of gypsy flavor then it would be even closer.
   
   Because this is a massive 33-CD set, there are inevitably a few imperfections. In a handful of spots the strings are not perfectly together. Adding to this, some of the violins have very distinctive tones which don't blend well with others when the music gets energetic. As to the engineering, some of the symphonies recorded early in the cycle are captured with too much reverberation, especially some London symphonies which sound soft-edged. But let me assure you the vast majority of the 100 plus symphonies have been recorded with crystal-clear brilliance.
   
   One may find more sophisticated and smooth playing in some conventional performances (Colin Davis and Jochum) or crisper articulations in some period recordings (Bruggen and Pinnock). But Fischer and his hand-picked orchestra deliver more character and expressiveness than in any Haydn performances I've ever heard. Harnoncourt comes close but Fischer's set has more smiles. And his orchestra has the devilish ability to accommodate any mood Haydn's score throws at them - whether it's charm, wit, panache, or pathos. Their playing in slow movements is simply inimitable.
   
   This set will be the source of joy for many Haydn lovers whether they are beginners just opening up the treasure chest or seasoned collectors with many other Haydn CDs. According to others' opinions, it compares favorably to Dorati's box, the only other complete set which I have not heard.
   
   One final point - I wrote the review without the consideration of the price. In other words, this set is worth acquiring at any price.



3. This set of Adam Fischer's traversal of Haydn's symphonies is perhaps the jewel of the entire series. After over a decade of Haydn performing and recording most of early bugs in recording venue and playing together had long been resolved, and the group as here constituted plays with great confidence and tremendous brio. This is a vital selection, too, containing some of Haydn's very best symphonies, worthy to stand with the greatest of all. And a few, the serious "Sturm und Drang", have the most passionate and serious symphonic music Haydn composed.
   The general level of playing is very high, especially among the soloists, but there are some lapses which can cause a raised eyebrow, however, these are not so common as to prove bothersome. I prefer this groups easy way with Haydn to the slightly frentic quality too often popping up with historic groups efforts in these pieces, a tendency made worse by their notoriously anemic string sections, at least as realized on the digital medium. I am delighted to report that Fischer's orchestra of 'modern instruments' (A funny phrase when you realize some of the violins used may pre-date Haydn!) capture almost all of the delightful color contrasts and lightness found in Haydn when played by original groups without thinning out and sacrificing beauty of ensemble.
   In comparisions with my admitted ridiculously excessive Haydn collection I was especially pleased at how well the performances on this Cd set stood up to many of my all-time favorite performances in this music. Moreover, they almost always have a little bit different take on one movement or another in every work, offering the delight of a new window onto this most evergreen of composers. Some of the solo work is especially memorable, and I found myself replaying favorite movements - a sure sign of a winning collection. I preferred these to another modern set, the performances found on Helios with Goodman and the Hanover Band; it's impossible not to notice the greater finesse displayed by Fischer's strings. Too, Goodman's way with these works, though never foursquare and certainly well-conceived and in places genuinely searching, rarely captures the personailty and wit bubbling over so constantly in the Fischer set. And personality and wit are certainly major staples in Haydn's recipe book.
   If you already own later symphonies but do not have any from this period then this would be a great catch. The major competition in this group of middle symphonies, the Pinnock, was not as well recorded, and I personally think the Fischer are slightly better performances to boot.
   Try starting out with Symphony 48 - you might be surprised such a work was written so early!



4. For some reason, many music lovers seem to think that Haydn's first worthwhile Symphony was #94. Well, I haven't heard them all yet (although I've heard at least half of them), but I can happily verify that the variety and consistent excellence of the entire series of 104 symphonies - including the first 93 - have no equal anywhere in all of music literature; - that's right, ANYWHERE, including the Mozart in comparison to whom Haydn is often unfairly disparaged. Mozart composed 40 symphonies (#37 isn't his), but the first 20 are almost never performed because they're simply forgettable.
   
   Not so with Haydn. I won't claim that all 15 symphonies in this collection are masterpieces, but several of them are, and NONE of them are duds. How this man managed to maintain his flow of wonderful musical ideas, decade after decade, is one of the most remarkable mysteries in the history of human achievement. Remember, in addition to 104 symphonies, he produced what is arguably the largest collection of truly outstanding chamber music by any composer in history, including INVENTING the string quartet as we know it today. In his spare time, he composed what is still today probably the best concerto for trumpet and orchestra ever written, as well as the magnificent oratorio "The Creation" and other works of consistent excellence, too numerous to mention. Why, oh why, when the discussion turns to "Who was the greatest composer of all time?", does the conversation center exclusively around Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart (with a few people parading their avant-garde credentials by advocating Stravinsky's consistently ugly "music")? Haydn does not take a back seat to any of those people.
   
   With regard to the specific works and performances on these CD's, you are unlikely to ever do better than this set. The sound is very fine, if lacking in the latest word in brilliance that you can sometimes get on the very latest state-of-the-art recordings. Fischer obviously loves these works, and the orchestra plays with warmth and enthusiasm.
   
   Get this set now! There is a distressing (I would actually use the word "sickening") trend toward recording any piece composed prior to Beethoven on those indescribably ugly "original instruments" that are all the rage now. In the future you might find it difficult to get recordings of these works performed on listenable instruments. So buy it!



5. These performances are paced just right and the Haydn Orchestra brings a crispness and vitality to these works I've not heard on other recordings. This is not just another "good for a discount set" kind of collection. These recordings are first rate. I plan on acquiring all the volumes in this set, and the affordable pricing makes that achievable. I hope they tackle the complete Mozart Symphonies next. Highly recommend.

5 comments about Mozart: The Ten Celebrated String Quartets.

1. Nimbus records have done it again! Really good performances at a great price, with that vintage Nimbus sound quality. Some like it and some do not. To me, it sounds as though it was recorded in a large room where the rich folks once held their big parties or fancy dances. Just close your eyes and imagine you're ease dropping (see cover art) on a string quartet performing to perfection these ten celebrated string quartets of Mozart. I found this set to be very enjoyable. I've also enjoyed the Medici String Quartet's Beethoven box set on Nimbus as well. More good performances at a great price, and again, with that vintage Nimbus sound.
   
   4 1/2 stars.
   
   Enjoy.



2. The playing is both technically secure and insightful--everything is done extremely well. Ensemble is excellent; you can hear all the parts clearly and sounding in balance. I don't know where the complaints about sound in some other reviews come from--this is recorded well, sounding as a string quartet should when played on a large home system, a "wave" type radio or in the car. I'm sorry to see this knocked by some others on this site when it is an excellent choice.



3. I bought this set before the Penguin Guide rated it (after hearing it on radio). I have gone through various versions of these pieces; some of my best loved music is here. The Franz Schubert play it with the softness and sweetness that suits them. The sound is natural and warm, and imaging is excellent. If you are considering a modern recording of this music in a comprehensive set, this is the version to get.



4. The above words open the respected "Penguin Guide to Compact Discs", in their description of this wonderful budget-priced set of Mozart's ten arguably best String Quartets. This includes the six "Haydn" Quartets, the "Hoffmeister" (K.499), and the three "Prussian" late quartets. I'm not sure where the other two reviewers were when they were listening to these recordings, but they sound great to me. The above-mentioned Penguin Guide says that the this release has "the advantage of first-class, modern, digital recording, most naturally balanced in a pleasing acoustic". There is a fine attention to detail that, in my opinion, is not lost in some kind of echo chamber, as suggested by the other two reviewers. Anyone looking for a well-played and recorded BUDGET set of these ten great quartets need look no further for, again, to quote the afore-mentioned source: "this Nimbus bargain box rather sweeps the board."



5. Sorry to say the previous reviewer calls it exactly as it is.

   I used to love listening to these pieces on vinyl (Amadeus Quartet for the Haydns and Weller for the Prussians). Every time I listened to the verbosely-dubbed Franz Schubert Quartet of Vienna, I came away with a headache. The performance, as far as I could tell, was not bad, but the reverb made it more annoying than anything...

No comments about Bach: Masterpieces (Box Set).

5 comments about Everything Is Nice Matador Records.

1. anyone reading this should try to get their hands on a 10 year anniversary copy of the real "everything is nice", released in march 97.you know they bit that title!



2. The second of Matador's compilations features 2 CDs of old material and 1 CD of previously unreleased songs from great artists like Pavement, Cat Power, Chavez, Modest Mouse, Mogwai, Yo La Tengo, Sleater Kinney, Guided by Voices and Boards of Canada. The best two new songs from Disc 3 made it onto subsequent Pavement and Cat Power releases, respectively. All three of the Matador comps are packed with dozens of good songs at a single CD price and strongly recommended for new fans.



3. The tracks on this look like a collage radio play list!!!!! You got THE best in underground rock/Folk/Pop all in One cd. If YOU like good underground (Not that stuff that passes for rock these days) Then buy this.



4. I owe a debt to Matador Records' "Everything Is Nice" compilation,. It was through these three discs that I was originally introduced to many of my now-favorite bands, including Solex, Nightmares on Wax, Pizzicato Five, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and many others.
   
   But enough of reminiscing. "Everything Is Nice" was a tenth anniversary collection of many of their best bands, originally released in 1999. (They've since released a fifteenth anniversary collection. Only four more years til we get a twentieth). It's not only a good cross-section of the best and most timeless work here, but also a fun listen, and a good introduction to some good music.
   
   Several indie-rock staples were signed onto Matador over the years, and they are given places of honor: the gone-but-never-forgotten Pavement, excellent Guided by Voices and Modest Mouse, as well as other outstanding bands like Mogwai, Cat Power, Sleator-Kinney and Yo La Tengo. Often these bands get more than one song.
   
   But Matador also gives the spotlight to lesser known bands and artists. For example, the ultra-creative Cornelius and Japanese pop band Pizzicato Five, the swipping beats of Jega, fuzzed-out chords of Bardo Pond, and chilled-out grooves of Nightmares on Wax. There's also the quirkiness of Solex, electronic tsunami of VOID, sped-up hip-hop of the Arsonists and Non Phixion, the mellow keyboard of Mary Timony, and the danceable beats of Khan.
   
   Okay, sprinkled here and there are a few duds. I have to admit that Chavez is not my favorite -- I can only take a few explosive chords at a time, unless Billy Corgan is playing them. However, those few songs are overshadowed by the excellent -- sometimes ingenious -- music that surrounds them on all sides. Pop, electronica, rock, hard-rock, experimental -- it's all here.
   
   While Matador plays it safe to some degree, with a little of everything (as well as their best bands) that has been most popular for them, they also include some less conventional songs, such as Cornelius's dizzying "Count Five or Six," or the grimy, bare rock of Unwound's "NO TECH!" Neither is really pretty or catchy, but they are definitely compelling.
   
   I'll admit it -- I have a soft spot for this tenth-anniversary collection, since it kicked me into my present love of music. And for those investigating the best bands never (or at least rarely) seen on MTV, this is an ideal springboard.



5. As a follow up to the first Everything is Nice - this newest of Matador compilations features some pleasant new music to enjoy. Running the spectrum from Pavement with two quite nice songs (including an alternate version of Grounded which is, in many ways, better than the original) to the always pleasing Boards of Canada hit Roygbiv and the flash in the pan Burger/Ink - there is almost certainly something for everyone here. And with three discs for under twenty dollars, it's hard to go wrong with this purchase. I could have done without some of the Arab Strap and Bardo Pond songs - but once again, something for everyone.

2 comments about Songs of Ireland.

1. I like this collection. In particular, I like the 1st CD. I think that Peggy Gordon is sung by Shane MacGowan, formerly of the Pogues. Anybody confirm or deny that?



2. I came across versions of a couple of these songs by accident and spent some time looking for the CD, or CDs, they might be on. Now that I've got this it's kind of a personal treasure.
   
   I've listened to Discs 2 and 3 of this set once each: overproduced stuffy old...stuff.
   
   The payoff is Disc 1.
   
   It's "kinda-live", with simulated Pub noises and "live-like" shout-outs from band members. We hear clinking glasses a little too regularly. Are they drunk or are they sober? Is there an audience? Who can say?
   
   But this is far from cheesy.
   
   The band rocks. They're tight and the textures are amazing. To my ear they catch bits of magic and mystery in just about every turn of phrase and melody. They exhibit an unusual knack for making every moment memorable.
   
   I enjoy what comes off as a sort of authenticity too. For all the fine musicianship, one suspects that these gentlemen do this on the weekends; that they have day jobs in the village. For people who get a kick out of accents, the brogues on these guys are a riot.
   
   I haven't counted, but vocals are taken up by three? five? members of the same group.
   
   With classic wit, one fella, singing "Bog Down In the Valley", who has come off like a wasted yokel, overcomes amazing feats of articulation, like Horowitz at the piano.
   
   "Peggy Gordon" and "Spanish Lady", ballads sung by the same guy, are just lovely. It takes subtle chemistry to bring a tear to my eye with a line like: "I wish I was in some lonesome valley where woman's kind cannot be found/And the pretty small birds, they change their voices, and every moment a different sound."
   
   Listen to "Jug of Punch"--that`s a characterful voice and attitude. Listen to any sound sample: "Paddy on the Railway". They might be out of "Juno and the Paycock".
   
   That's why I want to party with these guys.
   
   This strikes me as the sort of work that Ezra Pound refers to as being "plucked from a living tradition".
   
   I started off liking a couple of the songs and never having cared for the versions I'd heard of some others. Now I play the whole thing through and I love it all. If you have an appreciation for Ireland and its history, the arts of Irish men and women, a sense of sociology, or just good folk music, you'll appreciate this.
   
   It's a shame that you have to buy a 3-CD set for one great CD. The packaging sucks too. It's criminal that this band--and the bands on the other CDs--go un-credited. No documentation at all aside from the titles of the tracks!--thus my 4.5 STAR rating (rounded up).
   
   
   P.S.!
   
   I just discovered that this group is called "The Jolly Beggarmen". Of all things! Well! The Jolly Beggarmen rock!
   
   I found their "Whiskey In the Jar", which, though short, is my favorite.

3 comments about The Sidney Bechet Story.

1. A short while ago I found a 4-disc collection of Louis Armstrong's hot fives and sevens. Seeing the gems that were in this collection, I was surprised at the low price. Shortly thereafter I came upon this collection. It has been said that if any New Orleans soloist could ever match Louis Armstrong, it was Sidney Bechet. His work on Blue Horizon alone would have been enough for me to justify getting this collection, but it is filled with dozens of wonderful selections from the career of this musical genius.



2. Where is the incomprable All Of Me and others...Hardly a complete box set.



3. I'm kind of surprised that no one else has reviewed this great collection so far. Sidney Bechet was one of the great figures in the history of jazz, and many of the songs included in this compilation are genuine classics. The sound quality is also excellent considering the dates that they were recorded. When Bechet performs old standards (Summertime, Limehouse Blues, St. Louis Blues, etc.), his versions are often among the best ever recorded. Duke Ellington himself said that Bechet's version of "The Mooche" was the best he'd heard, including the one by his own band (which was a classic in its own right). I'm sure that anyone who enjoys early jazz would love this great 4-CD set.

5 comments about Macbeth.

1. The Cd begins with the powerful witches scene-great music-definitely causing my students to sit-up and listen.



2. The Dover Thrift Edition is a good choice for a reading text because it presents the entire, unabridged play, and has enough notes to be helpful to inexperienced readers without overwhelming or distracting them. The omition of a scholarly apparatus makes the Dover Edition more flexible and keeps it from becoming outdated.



3. This product was great. It helped my students and I read and comprehend Macbeth so much better than us trying to read it and comprehend it. The actors voices are great! I think they do a great job being the characters on tape!



4. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a dramatist whose genius is universally acknowledged, with a reputation as an actor, playwright and poet. He lived in an age of vast and significant changes characterised by the rise of the middle class and of a centralised government and the disappearance of medieval religious beliefs. England was transforming into a modern state. This was a time when self-realisation, self-respect and boldness of thought and action was idealised. Shakespeare's drama merely reflected the dramatic times of the age.
   
   Shakespeare's genius can be reflected by the variety of his productions, where out of the 36 plays he has left, no two are alike and he managed to articulate the diverse subjects with exceptional expertise, handling both tragedies and comedies with ease.
   
   Macbeth is a tragedy, intended to teach us a lesson about the human condition. The play is a tragedy about a wealthy Scottish noble called Macbeth who kills his king to gain the throne. During Shakespeare's time, this was a terrible thing to do, and from then on, Macbeth was doomed to die a tragic death.
   
   The play starts with three witches confronting the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. The witches predict that he will one day become king. They also predict that another General called Banquo will be the father of kings, although he will not ascend the throne himself. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, with the urging of his evil and ambitious wife murder King Duncan and ascends to the throne of Scotland.
   
   Macbeth and his evil wife begin to do strange things, partly because of what they have done and also because they never get a whole night's sleep. Macbeth thinks he has to kill two of his former friends because he believes that they threaten his new throne. His efforts fail and he is eventually killed.



5. Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.
   
   (To find this edition: at Avanced Search, enter ISBN 0300106548; or, enter Macbeth as title, and either Raffel as author or Yale as publisher.)
   
   As a bonus, this edition includes at the back a long essay on the play by Harold Bloom. This is not an uninteresting commentary, but Bloom desperately needs a good editor. His essay is not only at least three times longer than it should be, but is startlingly repetitious. Yale would have been wise to have asked Bloom for a rewrite.