5 comments about Mozart: The Complete Piano Trios.

1. I can't add much to Mike Powers excellent review, but a few thoughts. This is another in the Philips Duo series, which I find a good source for the chamber music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert etc at bargain prices. The way these composers are played remains pretty much unchanged since these recordings were made in the late 60s and the 1970s, and made by the finest players of the time. When you thought piano trios you thought the Beau Arts Trio, who made the piano trio their speciality. So you can be sure that the interpretation will be excellent, which it is, and, despite the age of the recording, the sound is very good. And the music ? Some who take life too seriously might put them down as " more Mozart lollipops", well, they don't pretend to compare with a Brandenburg, but they are joyfull and airy, more like a small scale piano concerto, plenty of fine melodies for all the players.
   I have no hesitation in giving five stars, there might be a better version available, but it will cost at least twice as much.



2. The last two star review is frankly flabbergasting. I guess some people may be just a little hard to please and perhaps if you are a musical expert or virtuoso you may have a case against these performances by the uniformly excellent Beaux Arts Trio.
   
   Look at what everyone else thinks! This is exceptionially beautiful music played with heart and soul. There are so many performances of Mozart's chamber music that to these untrained ears just sound dull, thin-lipped and polite - for a long time I found much of Mozart's music rather superficial - very clever and witty - but ultimately superficial - I could fully understand why Glenn Gould recorded his sonatas just to show how overrated he had become!
   
   Listening to the Beaux Arts Trio, all is forgiven. I can hear all instruments perfectly equally; the pacing is spot on and somehow the performance brings out a profundity in Mozart's chamber music I was unable to hear before.
   
   Having said all this I would of course love to hear the other Phillips recording that is meant to be so definitive.



3. I take my chamber music very seriously, and thought this would be a good deal at $14 from Amazon. I'm severely disappointed, but concede you get what you pay for. Both the remastering and the playing leaves something to be desired. I have these same three players playing the Dumky Trio and the Mendelssohn d minor Trio, and the Schubert Trios and they're quite good. These are bad enough that I would not even consider backing the CDs up.
   
   First, the balance seems to be biased towards the violin / clarinet. Daniel Guilet is often criticized for milking the music too much, and it is no exception here, and this, imho, is a severe flaw when interpreting Mozart. His style is also inconsistent. For example, his Mozart spiccato at pianissimos becomes sloppy detaches that are way too long at fortes. Menahem Pressler sounds like he's playing with the soft pedal and the lid down. At times Mozart's clever left hand counterpoint is lost in the background. In the Clarinet Trio, the viola is often lost behind the clarinet. Overall, the intonation is not very good, especially in the awkward passages, like in the E major Trio. (Both Guilet and Greenhouse have issues tuning against the piano... perhaps because the lid was down?)
   
   I give two stars because it could be even worse. My expectations compare to the excellent (especially in comparison) interpretation by Ingred Haebler of the Mozart Piano Quartets (released by Philips). There the exacting intonation and precociousness of Mozart shines. With these recordings I feel like I'm listening to a sight-reading through the wall, closest to the violinist/clarinet player.



4. These performances are wonderful, pure, relaxed and elegant. Mozart's Piano Trios are mostly mature works, still more easy listening and less expressive, less demanding than his "Haydn" quartets, most essential string quintets (K. 515, 516, 593), the piano/wind quintet (K 452), the piano quartet (K. 478) and the trio labelled "Divertimento" (K. 563). This makes it more difficult to explain what their charm consists in. Let me try with words like playful coolness, charming equanimity, happy serenity, light imperturbability, natural elegance, soothing purity or unruffled whiteness... Elegance is the keyword.



5. I have had this recording for about five years, and have enjoyed it immensley. Recorded in the 1960's, it features the original personnel (Menahem Pressler, Piano - Daniel Guilet, Violin - Bernard Greenhouse, Cello).

   The Beaux Arts Trio is just wonderful in this literature. Menahem Pressler's dynamic shading, articulation, and interactions with the other instruments are always "just right".

   The sound of the recording itself is fine. Even though it was recorded in 1967, it was digitally remastered to cd.

   I highly recommend this set. The Beaux Arts has been around for over 40 years. As a result, they have a lot of experience playing with each other, and it shows in this masterful compilation.

5 comments about Pachelbel's Greatest Hit: Canon in D.

1. I love his music, but this CD would not play correctly. I tried it on 4 different CD players. It played like the old vinyl when they would get scratched. Was unbelievable because I can't return it after opening it. Not buying any more CD's from Amazon. I didn't want to give it any stars, but had to in order to send this review.



2. This is probably the best CD we have purchased in ages. There is a variety of artists, each incredibly beautiful. Almost every evening this summer we sit out on the screened-in porch with a glass of wine and unwind from a busy work day listening to this CD. It is better than going into town to a live concert!!! You will not be disappointed with this CD!!! Have a fabulous evening....



3. This is the best I have found for long span of Canon and D music



4. Well, I don't actually have this particular CD, but since I heard the Vitamin C graduation song I've been to a series of weddings where they played the Pachelbel Canon in D, which is the melody on which the song is based. That Canon is my alltime favorite classical piece. I'm actually listening to it on my iPod as I type this review. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I would highly recommend it to anybody.



5. I did like it because I've decided that Pachelbel's Canon in D is my favorite song so it was nice to get my own copy of it. It's nice to listen to.

5 comments about Appalachia Waltz / Ma, Meyer, O'Connor.

1. Appalachian Waltz shows the best of American music with premier performers. A delightful experience.



2. This album defies categorization. It is a mind-blowing combination of strings that hits a deep emotional chord with me. Pure joy. Don't be fooled by the title of the cd: Appalachia Waltz. It is not a traditional bluegrass or Appalachian music album; far from it. If you like experimental music you will love this, it has an avant-garde sensibility to it, yet has a melodic classical element as well.
   
   I can't recommend this album highly enough.



3. Classical influence on this area of music is
   done tastefully and the music is very enjoyable.



4. It's wonderful to hear three such talented musicians put together a collection of non-classical music on revered instruments. This is not "The Yo-yo Ma Show" with two other guys! The music is varied but the performances are great and -- in some cases, e.g. Appalachia Waltz -- fantastic. I was driving the first time I heard the title piece and immediately started sobbing and had to pull over; it was that beautiful! This would be a good CD choice for children to listen to, as it gives a fine exposure to the amazing sounds that the three instruments can make when in the right hands.



5. Yo-yo Ma has never been content to stick with the standard cello classics. Of course he has recorded the classics - the magnificent Bach Cello Suites (incredible and the visual DVD only enhances the effect), Vivaldi, Beethoven, Faure, Dvorak, etc. His evolution as an artist is an on-going process, thus there's Yo-Yo playing Tango (Astor Piazzolla), Yo-Yo playing Jazz (Claude Boling), Yo-yo playing Brazilian music or John Williams. And now we have the Apalachia Waltz, a beautiful, virtuoso and haunting piece.
   I, too, found many of the sounds unique. For a real experience, listen in a darkened room with a pair of superior earphones - the things you pick up will shock. I literally turned my head several times, convinced that the artist was in the room.
   
   As one reviewer noted, this is not supposed to be the rustic sound one might imagine or (the reverse) simply an intellectual exercise. The artist (with able assistance) seems to draw on some kind of inner reserve and literally pour his soul into his newest project. I, for one, applaud this widening of the boundaries between genres and hope that it continues.
   Let's not forget the other artists, particularly Meyer. Many times the celebrity saps all the attention leaving a wake of sore feeling in their wake. Ma has always been one to give credit where credit is due and in this case it is due to those who ably assisted him. My grade - A

4 comments about Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas.

1. This is a magnificent recording. I would say that this is probably the best recording ever of the Handel sonatas.



2. Handel's five authenticated violin sonatas are gems of the late baroque violin repertoire; why they have not been more widely recorded is hard to understand. Leave it to baroque violin superstar Andrew Manze to put a complete version before the public. Manze plays the opening slow movements in a rhapsodic, dreamy manner, like improvisations, and lends his accustomed humor and audacity to the fast movements. It is enlightening to learn that the opening of the D major sonata is marked AFFETTUOSO, not MAESTOSO! I am continually surprised too by Manze's frequent use of finger extensions (creeping up to higher positions on the fingerboard) for expressive effect.
   
   Now, recording the "complete" anything can be a questionable enterprise. The violin sonatas for which Handel's authorship is undisputed are five in number. In addition to these, Manze and Egarr have decided to record several spurious works, some of lesser merit; these tend to diminish the effect of the whole and give the impression of having been included simply to justify the title of the CD. (Indeed, Manze performs these selections in an off-hand, careless manner, as if he himself isn't convinced of their worth.) My second contention is with the absence of a cello or other sustaining bass instrument. In his historical note Manze does not provide a serious justification for omitting the cello beyond the fact that it was done in Handel's time. I miss the strength in the bass line that a sustaining instrument can provide, especially in contrapuntal material, but also in the slow movements, where there is a lot of right-hand "doodling" with no firm "bottom".
   
   Are these reservations important enough to dissuade one from buying this disc? Well, consider this: the only other version of these works on baroque violin - by Hiro Kurosaki on Virgin - appears to be no longer available except in used copies; as it happens, that recording also lacks a bass instrument! Manze is always a charismatic performer, and for buyers on a budget who really want this repertoire, this will likely be the disc to choose.



3. Alongside the Handel of the oratorios and operas -- the Handel of what George Orwell called the Big Bow Wow -- there was also the composer of "pure" music. The violin sonatas are among the finest of Handel's chamber compositions, elegant, concise, and full of affect.
   There are at least three performances of these sonatas available on CD at this time, a bonanza of musical choice. In addition to this performance by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr, there's another by Hiro Kurosaki and Bill Christie, and yet another by violinist Rachal Barton. Each CD has attractions; you might use the "sample" function of amazon before you choose, for choose you must!
   Kurosaki's violin playing is more varied, more imaginative, and (dare I say) more baroque. However, Christie's harpsichord continuo, though utterly authentic, is awfully sparse, hardly a partnership with the violin at all.
   Manze plays the four sonatas which he regards as genuine Handel masterworks very masterfully indeed. Manze is not the subtlest of baroque fiddlers; I'd love to hear what Biondi or Holloway would do. Also, he pays scant respect to those other sonatas that he clearly regards as inauthentic Handel. He plays them perfunctorily and with occasional lapses of tuning. Richard Egarr's harpsichord continuo is expressive and solid throughout.
   The chief attraction of Rachel Barton's performance is that the continuo is enriched by the cello of JM Rozendaal. Not to denigrate Ms Barton's fiddling! She plays wonderfully, but perhaps less specially than Manze or Kurosaki.
   All in all, you can't go wrong with any of the three. Trust your own ears.



4. It is not without a sense of awe that I write these words. I believe Mr. Handel himself, had he been alive to hear this recording, would have been thoroughly delighted and not perhaps devoid of a tear or two.
   
   The grace and elegance with which these endearing sonatas are played is simply astounding. Both Manze and Egarr ought to be given knighthoods for this CD. It just has no peers. I find this supremely enjoyable CD to be an absolutely essential part of any serious baroque music fan's collection. The liner notes provide great background information of each of the sonatas, even those of less than certain authenticity, with a meticulousness that could concieveably allow for acceptable academic referencing, which is saying something!
   
   With a careful attention to detail, the performers have given us a brilliant interpretation (I am willing to say the BEST I have ever heard, as obsequious as that may sound), of these works, in what must be considered a benchmark of high standards. Five out of five, for the purchase of the decade.

1 comments about The Story of Mozart.

1. This short CD comfortably displays the basics of Mozart in words and music. If your a classical lover interested in these geniuses, and have a literary love also, then you would enjoy these nicely told stories.
   
   I learned here that Mozart picked up his x-girlfriends sister after she cheated on him; Nice! What a stud.
   
   I purchased CD's like this a year ahead of time to use them as time effective sources for English book reports in school because it takes a load off if you're over pressed and over worked. The narrator I found to be enjoyable also. For a couple bucks I really couldn't beat it.

5 comments about Mozart for Meditation.

1. I was expecting this to be true to its title"Meditation".
   Though nice it's really just a random selection of music
   not necessarily soft or meditative.



2. Well, as far as music for meditation goes, I'm not so sure about this product for that purpose. When I meditate, I tend to need more monotonous sounds to do it by - however, this CD is GREAT for relaxation and sleeping. So I still give it 4 out of 5 stars even though I won't be using it for its stated purpose. Still well-worth the money.



3. All the pieces are the perfect ones for the relaxation. As a collector I am impressed of the selections chosen for this album.



4. When I am working and I need to block out sounds to concentrate on what I am doing, I always put on this CD. Besides the fact that it is easy to listen to, it doesn't distract me from my work, and I never get bored or tired of the music. I'm reluctant to purchase a similar album in the fear that it won't be as good as the Mozart Meditation.



5. I'm a licensed massage therapist, and I absolutely adore using this CD during my sessions! It's a great alternative to the new age-y music styles that are so pervasive in the relaxation music scene -- my clients find this CD soothing & relaxing, and not at all "weird". This music suports a "relaxed but focused" atmosphere -- it serves as excellent white noise in the lobby area, and I even use it at home as a soothing backdrop for reading/ sewing/ paperwork/ etc. Excellent arrangements & clarity -- DON'T MISS!

2 comments about Tango Notturno.

1. The first rate artistry of these performers is undeniable. This concept album, attempting to cover the tango not only as an Argentine art-form, has been superbly conveived. Everyone is at their peak, with due live passion to spare.
   My only quibble lies in Ms. Bayrakdarian unidiomatic Spanish. Granted, it is VERY diffult to sing 'argentine' tangos, those 'rrrrs' roll very uniquely (not too soft not too hard) and foreigners can hardly get it right. Also, the soprano's voice seems too beautiful for the built-up force of the last song (Rinascero) difficult to beat Milva here.
   My biggest satisfaction came from the arragements by pianist Kradjian. Truly wonderful, unobstrusive and TOTALLY idiomatic.
   All in all, a wonderful release worth having. Kudos to soprano & co and much deserved success.



2. She has done it again! Isabel with her extraordinarily luscious and versatile voice has added tango to her repertoire...
   
   I came across this latest of her CDs this evening after an exhausting and largely unrewarding day of teaching.
   
   Within moments of starting to listen to the MP3 extracts, a smile spontaneously announced itself, and I began to revive from my catatonic stupor. My pleasure was rather heightened than otherwise when, listening to 'La Cumparsita', I was involuntarily taken back to memories of Jack Lemmon in a black beaded thirties' cocktail frock, a rose between his teeth, dancing a stupendous tango with Joe Brown in the 1959 smasher,'Some like it Hot'. At this point I was positively Cheshire-cattish...
   
   This is a CD for complete detente and a CD for briskly lifting the spirits; a CD for remembering how good life is, and a CD for forgetting how dreadful it can be; a CD for drinking in lieu of a dry martini, and a CD for indulging with a dry martini; a CD when entertaining guests to dinner, and a CD for dining alone; a CD for cooling anger and a CD for raising passions, a CD for making love and a CD for making bread; a CD for subtle titillating tenderness and a CD for making the Earth move too. And, unsurprisingly, the music lends itself supremely to a damn good dance as well.

5 comments about Glass: Violin concerto.

1. if you're looking for music that sounds like a soundtrack for a movie you'll forget in 5 minutes, buy this disc. this music is really bad. at one point a violin line sounds like a vivaldi rip off, and you know what stravinsky said about vivaldi: "vivaldi was a very boring man who wrote the same concerto over and over." in a nutshell, glass's compositions sound like a second year piano student playing appegiated triads over and over and over and over............



2. Albeit Glass is not for everyone (my girlfriend says he sounds like an alarm clock) but his minimalism (or more accurately, as he prefers, "theatre music") is accessible, simple and passionate. Glass provides marvelous music that sustains emotions for long amounts of time. His works are ideal for creative work (such as writing or painting) and I find that they are extremely inspirational and motivate me to draw or write sonnets.



3. Glass' violin concerto is the core of this selection and the reason why I bought it. Glass can be magnificently meditative at his best and Tasmanian Adele Anthony pulls this out brilliantly with the sort of pure tone and crisp playing this piece needs.
   
   The problem is with the accompanying pieces. Company, which precedes and the two excerpts from Akhnaten, which follow, are fine in their way. In fact the Prelude to Akhnaten is one of the finest pieces of one of the finest operas of recent times. It's just that the trouble with Glass is that be can be so... well, repetitive. The filler works sound too much like the Violin Conerto to be paired successfully with them. If Naxos were to pair this off with something suitably mellow by another contemporary composer - say Rutter or Pärt - they'd have a much stronger proposition.
   
   As a Belfast man born and bred, I might be biased, but the Ulster Orchestra and their principal guest conductor Takuo Yuasa gave a good enough account of themselves here, and given the super budget price of this CD, the competition would have to be something special to justify the extra cost.



4. I am a huge Philip Glass fan. At the same time, I realize that his work is not for all tastes. Working in the minimalist style, Glass' music is a unique sound experience. For those who are not familiar with his music, Naxos publication of Company, his Violin Concerto, and the overture and dance from Akhnaten, is a great, nonthreatening introduction to this composer. Company is a collection of four short pieces that are meditations on death, played by a string quartet. His Violin Concerto is the highlight of the CD, and the Second Movement is to date one of my favourite pieces of his.



5. My first encounter with the Glass Violin Concerto was in the form of a dance piece devised by the fringe choreographer Mavin Khoo.The Glass worked brilliantly within this context but i doubted it would stand on it's own without the marriage with movement.
   I was proven wrong as i've found the whole piece arresting from start to finish.Glass's trademark minor key arpeggiations sound marvellously idiomatic on the soloist and the slow movement is deeply affecting without being sickly sweet in any way.
   Quite unexpectedly (I generally go for the more hard line modernist stuff)i've been won over so this Naxos CD is definitely a good place to start if you've never heard a piece of this guys music.
   'Company' and the 'Dance' from Akhnaten are rather plodding by comparison with the Violin concerto but the Akhnaten prelude has a mysterious aura which immediately alerts ones attention.

4 comments about The Story Of Handel.

1. The content is terrific. This CD is one of a series of classical music masters. The only problem is that tracks 38 and later have a lot of distortion/static. I returned thinking it was a problem with the disc, but the replacement disc had the same problem. If not for that, I would have rated 5 stars.



2. The narratives are short enough to keep your children's attention, the music may be short in some instances but if you're playing it in the background for exposure- it doesn't matter. The price is great and the cheapest you'll find in addition to the 4 for 3 deal. We have all 18 of these cds and don't regret it!



3. I have found this recording series to be a very helpful introductory teaching device for my young children. It gives a brief history of the composer and samples of the musical style.



4. The music on this CD is all wonderful, and it's a perfect CD toget - if you have the attention span of a soap bubble! Thisis a "sampler" with narrative and very few of thepieces listed are actually played in their entirety. Even pieces which are short to begin with are excerpted. We are given a whole minute of the Hallelujah Chorus and a rousing 45 seconds from the overture from "Ezio". This is a teaching CD which gives some fine examples to support the narration - but they are very short examples. A few bars here and there is all you get.

5 comments about The Anna Russell Album.

1. Miss Russel quite funny as usual, but buyers should be warned that these CDs are cheap reissues lacking the original booklet with all the texts and lyrics.
   
   Unfortunately they are not advertised as such !!!!!!



2. Very witty and a beautiful mockery of all those classical music buffs who take themselves so very very seriously and see themselves as representatives of HIGH ART an blather on about their impeccable taste and knowledge



3. I heard this performance back in the '60's and most of it is still full of fun and can still make opera lovers laugh.



4. Even though some of Anna Russell's material is somewhat dated (i.e. "Mairzy Doats, Aquatic Andrews Sisters etc.) this is a marvelous and painless way to become acquainted with the motifs from Wagner's Ring Cycle. I've listened many times over the years and it never fails to amuse.
   The other offerings on singing styles are equally hysterical.



5. Due to the recent passing away of the legenday Anna Russell I bought this record and certainly did not regret it.- Inspite of having been originally recorded in 1952 and 1953 the sound is very good.- Ms. Russell combines a great sense of humour with profound musical knowledge, a wonderful timing of her jokes, and the talent of a gifted and very musical singer.- She captures the essence of the German lied, the French mélodie, the efforts of a dramatic soprano to make herself heard over the huge Wagnerian orchestra, culminating in her famous, already classic, 22 minutes long analysis of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungs.- I listened to this recording three times in a row and had great fun.- Only Victor Borge can be compared to her with respect to this rare combination of deep musicianship with a real gift for comedy.- If you don't know yet these numbers, don't hesitate - buy the record, you will not be sorry.-