5 comments about Fright Night: Music that Goes Bump in the Night.

1. We enjoyed broadcasting the tunes thru our mp3 player on Halloween night. THe trick or treaters and their parents really enjoyed the music



2. I'm familiar with most of the pieces found in this CD, and I can say I don't think they are frightening at all. They're great and highly enjoyable in their own right (the 'Danse Macabre' by Camille Saint-Saens is lovely dance music), but if one's intention is to bring together a collection of pieces of truly scary classical music, then this anthology hasn't done the job.
   
   Here's a list of what I would consider TRULY TERRIFYING works of classical music:
   
   ~Ralph Vaughan Williams' 4th & 6th symphonies (especially the 2nd movement of each of them)
   
   ~Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring'
   
   ~Gyorgy Ligeti's 'Atmospheres' and 'Lux Aeterna' (used in the film '2001')
   
   ~Almost anything by Bela Bartok (but especially his 'The Miraculous Mandarin')
   
   If you want to be truly frightened, go for the said pieces!



3. The music on this CD is all very good, but as I play it, I don't really feel that "Bump in the Night" sensation throughout. Since it appears to be marketed for fun Halloween gatherings, I cannot honestly say that it will jumpstart the mood for the average party-goer. While "Funeral March For a Marionette" is extremely creepy and sets the mood (for those of you baby-boomers who don't recognize the title---this was the theme music to the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series), other tunes kind of pull the plug on the momentum. Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" might ring Seasonal for classical music buffs, but I think your everyday Joe will picture helicopters soaring over Vietnam and the cry "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
   
   FOUR STARS if you just want a nice sampling of bold classical music, and TWO STARS if you want it to go "Bump!" in the Night.



4. While this CD might cover most of the standard "creepy classics", there are a few more it could have covered, but frankly, the only song on the whole thing I didn't care for was Ives "Halloween". Some people may think that completely discordant music is great, but I do NOT! Otherwise, everything else was a great selection, and very entertaining. Definitely worth having, esp. if you like classical music.



5. If you're looking for a fun CD with spooky sounding music that reminds you of old Disney cartoons...I think that this CD was meant to be fun, NOT for the classical conisseur. It would be a nice CD for a Halloween gathering, or something similar, as background music.

3 comments about Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4.

1. i have played only the opus 111 sonata no 32 so far but based on that performance alone, this is a must have recording. i would rank this performance right up there with the greats of all time, namely, richter (live), pollini, arrau and michelangeli. the final measures of this, the greatest sonata ever for piano, are simply spellbinding and breathtakingly sublime. i frankly was stunned by the depth of lewis s spiritual insight into this music.
   with this recording, lewis has arrived at any early age into the parthenon of great beethoven pianists.



2. It took many years for Paul Lewis to move out of the shadow of his teacher and mentor, Alfred Brendel, and -- when you listen to the playing on this three-CD set -- you may think this is Brendel reincarnated. All the benchmarks of Brendel's wonderful mature style -- the subtle humor, moderation, musicianship and lack of excessive self-aggrandizing tactics calling attention to oneself and away from the music -- are on display in this collection.
   
   I bought this set because I like both Brendel and Lewis and because this offering included many of my favorite Beethoven sonatas -- Nos. 7, 15, 26 and 32 -- a group of selections that challenge any player to master Beethoven's youthful fury, midlife wonder and wandering, and his most mature and unrelentingly transcendent music in the final pages of that apocalyptic, other-wordly final sonata.
   
   I was never disappointed in Lewis's playing even though I cannot admit he completely convinced me all the time. I find Sviatoslav Richter the most universally appealing player in this repertory although his recordings can sometimes be very disappointing from either an artistic or sound perspective. Lewis is nothing like that -- assured and temperate all the time, completely obedient to the composer's wishes, and more than satisfactory interpreting the wide-ranging messages inherent in each score.
   
   I can't say I was completely swayed by the sound of the recordings either. While modern and adequate in detail, there was sometimes a boomy effect you might experience listening in a small hall where the reverb is great enough to obstruct what's going on right now. But this is a minor issue in an otherwise splendid recording of some of Beethoven's most personal music.
   
   Anyone interested in Beethoven's piano sonatas that's looking for another perspective should take the leap into Paul Lewis's world. Unless you seek something completely different, I doubt you'll be disappointed for his musicmaking is sober, lyrical, eloquent, expressively iridescent and penetrating without the least bit of inappropriate personalization.



3. Paul Lewis finishes his superb Beethoven sonata series. Consistently fine playing throughout, with Opus 111 a particular highlight. Lewis has given us kind of a modern day Wilhelm Kempff approach to Beethoven. Wonderful lyrical approach, with broad tempos and a powerful technique when called for. Coupled with fine sound, this is a top choice for me for a modern cycle of the greatest piano music ever writen. I am also following Ronald Brautigam's fascinating sonata cycle on forepiano on BIS, which is about mid-point, with the Waldstein and Appassionata due up next.

2 comments about The Story of Beethoven.

1. Worth your time and money. Good for kids and adults. Takes turns between story and songs.



2. Though I haven't listened to all of the CD's in this series which I ordered, I am very impressed with the ones I have listened to. Very enjoyable and informative, and the price couldn't be any lower!!!

5 comments about Villa-Lobos: Complete Music for Solo Guitar.

1. I am most familiar with Bream's recordings of most of these works. Kraft takes the tempos generally faster, and his rubato is different. Considering Bream's recordings are among my favorite of all time, I think these stand up very well indeed. Technically almost flawless, and (to my ears) idiomatic.
   The generally dry acoustic of most of the Naxos guitar recordings doesn't quite serve this recording as well as the airier ambiance in Bream's recordings.
   Still, this is a minor quibble. As it is, Kraft shows himself with honor among the guitarists who have graced Naxos' terrific guitar series, which Kraft himself produces.



2. I listened to this recording and at first listening I said "Great, somebody took these hackeneyed pieces and breathed new life into them"... I mean, how many Villalobos recordings are out there? Too many... Norbert took this to a different level by re-interpreting them... that's the only way this music is going to sound new... So, to all these fuddy duddies who gave this album a bad review, you should listen with a clear head, as opposed to listening with some "ideal" recording of this in you mind... to the guy who went on and on as to how this "should" be interpreted and how he sat there with the score and the recording should be this and that, I ask you, are you the Villalobos police?? Get a life.. If you've heard the villalobos guitar works before, this is a great new interpretation of them...



3. To play old classic, especially the guitar classic, in a new way is highly difficult task. None the less, Norbert Craft has found absolutely new, as it appears to me, intonations in Villa Lobos quitar music, especially in the studies. The technique is beyond reproach. Excellent performance!



4. This music is awesome to listen to and to play. I bought it because it has all the songs from Heitor's guitar sheet music compilation "Villa-Lobos Solo Guitar: Heitor Villa-Lobos Collected Works for Solo Guitar".
   
   Norbert Kraft is a very skilled guitarist. He puts his own interpretation into the music, which I like a lot. The recording is very good.



5. If you play classical guitar, you know that you just got to know how to play the Villa-Lobos 12 studies...
   What a wounderful interpretation by Mr. Kraft.

No comments about Collection 1: The Solo Piano Recordings (Box).

5 comments about Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection.

1. This is by far one of the best compilations of ancient music I have come across. Pickett and the NLC make every selection sparkle with life. Fascinating in its variety, what sets this collection apart is the skill of the performers and the remarkable sound quality of the recording. A terrific introduction to this period in European music for novices, and an absolute must for the collector, this belongs in every ancient music fan's collection. Highly recommended.



2. I bought this CD after listening to a number of song samples -- it is a great sampling of superb music and the quality is outstanding. It is now even cheaper than when I bought it -- you can't go wrong with this one!



3. As a long time member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, I was very pleased to receive this album over the holidays. It sets a wonderful medieval atmosphere and is very relaxing to listen to without the over-the-top elitist feel of some medieval albums I've both sampled and purchased. The pieces are a nice mix of vocals and period instrumentals, including some very good dances I recognize from the SCA and many I don't recognize.
   
   Overall, I reccomend this album to anyone who wants to set a medieval atmosphere. One caveat for those who want to put this on an ipod: use noise-cancelling head-phones: it's recorded very quietly and you usually cannot hear most of the tracks in a typical noisy street environment without them.
   
   This album is actually much much better than i expected it to be based on the snippets I heard on amazon.com.



4. This was my first Renaissance music album and the broad styles of several composers were very well represented, especially Michael Pretorius, probably the most well-known composer of his time. The tonal quality sparkles and the latin language comes alive (along with English translation in the included booklet); be prepared for an aural "feast" of some of the more eclectic music from the Renaissance period!



5. MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE FROM THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE RENAISSANCE PRESENTED BY PHILIP PICKETT.
   
   To quote from the accompanying booklet seems to be in order to start this review: "This collection attempts to wipe the dust from some old ideas and restore music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to its roots deep in the human soul.........What you're listening to on this disc is not the domain of museums, but the music of the people,born of faith and the love of song and dance".
   
   This is a varied group of works, some dances, some strictly instrumental and some accompanied vocal.
   
   The role of dancing, as you might suspect, was enormously important in this era. 'Le Bouree' showcases the dance music of the composer Michael Praetorius. The 'Bransles de Villages' is of French origin and features 2 violins, 2 violas, a cello, a great bass viol, hurdy-gurdy and 2 lutes. 'La scesa de Pastori dal Monte' is an Italian dance by Andrea Ansalone. Another dance written by Michael Praetorious was the 'Volte' which actually involved 4 short dances. It was considered not respectable because of the close contact between the dancers.
   
   The strictly instrumental songs are : 'Dum pater familias' is called a pilgrim song, and it was religious in nature. And, of course, all the dance songs are instrumental.
   
   The vocally oriented songs are: 'Quen a Virgin ben servira' is a song taken from a collection of songs about the miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary.-Three of the songs are from the famous 'Carmina Burana' manuscript.- 'Orientis partibus' is from the 'Feast of fools'which was a feast held by the church itself in which the status of the church herarchy was reversed as inferior clergy assumed the role of their superiors.-'Stella Splendours' is another pilgrim song; this song was sung by pilgrims who went to worship as the Shrine of the Virgin at Montserrat.
   
   I always trust the quality of a CD when Philip Pickett and the New London Consort are involved. This album is very interesting, but I would hope that this would be classified as the more "pop" type music of the period. Also, I don't think that I personally would call it early music, as is indicated in the accompanying booklet. Today that term brings to mind Monteverdi, Cavalli, Palestrina, the Scarlatti's, up to and including Handel and Bach etc.. Just a personal reaction on my part. This is a very well put together disc.

3 comments about Beethoven: Piano Trios, Vol. 2; Itzhak Perlman; Vladimir Ashkenazy; Lynn Harrell.

1. Unfortunately there are only a handful of the Beethoven Complete Piano Trios on disc. Of those, these are by far the finest. I've purchased the set by Baremboim-Zukerman-DuPre several years ago, but found their performances to be a bit dry,conservative and uninvolved in the music.
   The Beaux Art Trio's renditions are classics, but inconsistent. The Askenazy-Perlman-Harrell set are not only virtuostic performances by three of the greatest classical artists of their generation, but there is an incredible chemistry between each of them which the key to ensemble playing. Recorded in the 80s, the recording sound is warm and genuine, but dynamic as well. Highly recommeded!!



2. Three great soloists making great chamber music together. The warmth of the string playing is wonderful.



3. These CDs are discs 3 & 4 of the complete piano trios of Beethoven. They were recorded from 1979 to 1984, and remastered and re-issued on EMI classics in 2004; I am surprised that this is the first review posted on Amazon.
   The major works on these CDs are the later trios, opus 70 no 1, "Ghost", opus 70 no 2, and opus 97,"Archduke", dedicated to Beethoven's friend, pupil and benefactor the Archduke Rudfolf. This, opus 97, is probably the best trio sonata, but some of Schubert's come close. These later trios are more interesting as the cello is a full member of the group, no longer restricted to tagging along with the left hand of the pianist.
   The players are Vladimir Ashkenazy on piano, Itzhak Perlman on violin and Lynn Harrell on cello. The first two are big names from the 1980s, and Harrell is a first class player, if much less well known. So you would expect a first class performance, and that's what you get. Ashkenazy leads but never dominates, the performace is light and airy, precise, often delicate, and joyful. It's the best "Archduke" I have heard, and that is the one you will come back to time
   When you consider the budget price it has to get 5 stars.

2 comments about Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas Vol. VI.

1. I bought as much of this new series of Sonatas as I could get hold of after listening short excerpts. Mr Schiff provides quite a wonderful, new and fresh interpretation of these great works, but unfortunately he tends to spoil some of the wonder by literally hammering out his fortissimo passages in a way that might even surprise and upset those of us who value interpretation that is true to the presumed playing style prevalent during Beethoven's lifetime.
   
   Playing is (as mentioned by another reviewer) sometimes unexpectedly sluggish.
   
   The thing that clearly stands out is his playing of the slower movements which are crisp, but gentle with wonderful consideration of melodic lines.
   
   But this collection of discs will probably do for the Beethoven Piano Sonatas what Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis did for the Beethoven Violin sonatas with their recent recordings which are loved by some and despised by some.



2. Andras Schiff continues to enthrall with his series of Beethoven Piano Sonatas. I highly recommend his lecture series, given at Wigmore Hall, and captured on the Guardian UK website. His in-depth exploration of these pieces is illuminating. I am most impressed in Schiff's passionate and pure takes on the lesser-known sonatas. His G Major Sonata, No 25, will thrill and delight the listener. I have nothing to say about the Appasionata - it is supremely played and lived. As for Les Adieux, the slow movement is heart-wrenching, and the last movement, the return, is a breath of fresh air. I cannot wait to hear these pieces live at Carnegie Hall this year.

5 comments about J.S. Bach: Toccata, Partita, English Suite 2/ Martha Argerich.

1. Do you like Glenn Gould's Bach? So listen to what Martha can do baby...
   
   Ms. Argerich, you rule!



2. I was really looking forward tolisteing to this recording after have read the glowing reviews. What was really nice to hear was that she, in my mind, gets it when it comes to playing Bach. Too many pianists are tied up in the conventional, romantics, pianistic repertoire, making it hard for them to emulate the harpsichord:ish approach needed for Bach where schwung and clear polyphony is neeed to make the works sing. Gould was really the first to take this approach to the n:th degree, and he still in my mind reins supreme, even after hearing Argerich.
   Still, it's good to see Argerich approach to Bach. Another good example is Ivo Pogorelich's English suites recording - these three make the ultimate English suites suit;-). Well, Andras Schiff qualifies too, but forget about Hewitt, Pires and Perahia - too much of the smeared out, pianistic, approach for me.
   
   Ivo has excellent flow, Argerich provides great voice articulation and Gould is the swingiest with a tour de force on uptempo bounce and unrivaled microtempi precision. Play the English Suite No 2 Gigue side by side and you'll understand.



3. Martha Argerich is the best pianist I ever heard... This Bach's works are excellent.. I enjoyed this record !!! Applause !!!



4. Do you think humming along with your piano playing is charming? If not try this recording by Martha Agerich--just the right amount of sostenuto. Also for the Partitas--Richard Goode is a must-have.



5. She was so wonderful. I highly recommend it to anyone is learning or being interested in Bach keyboard work.

5 comments about Essential Beethoven.

1. i went searching for a Beethoven CD because i was lucky enough to find this wonderful Mozart one. But this Beethoven CD doesnt have the best performances. The most popular pieces are apparently played by beginners because the notes sound disjointed, as if they arent playing together but playing each piece separately, which is not what an orchestra is supposed to sound like....otherwise we wouldnt call it an orchestra....it would be an elementary school meddley! But anyway, the less popular pieces are boring, like the compilers didnt feel like paying for the good stuff. Overall, im disappointed with this CD. The picture is cool though.....(insert glaring smiley here).



2. This two disc set is a good sampler of Beethoven; I had forgotten how inspiring his work could be. This set has motivated me to order all three of the Deutch Grammaphone two disc which together include all 9 of Beethoven's symphonies.



3. Some of these songs are the best that I've heard. I also enjoy the fact that this album provides the ENTIRE movement or selection, unlike some of the other albums that I've heard that only play for a little bit of the song. One example is Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major Second Movement, this movement is one of my favorites to begin with and hearing it so smoothly and masterfully recorded made my heart sing the first time I heard this all the way to end (the other recordings usually stop after the major key shift after the first theme). Also the Egmont Overture is one of the best full versions that I've had the pleasure of enjoying performed this well. The Moonlight Sonata First Movement I found to be nice, but there are better versions out there. For those people just looking for a nice collection of Beethoven songs that are well recorded and well performed, I stronly suggest that you purchase this album.



4. Classical music compilations are extremely difficult to review. You are always fighting with someone else's opinion of what is "Best of" material. And why should we buy selections when we could buy the entire pieces and hear them played as the composers intended?
   
   A quick answer would be simple: we simply cannot afford to purchase every single piece by every single composer we love. And if the buyer is familiar with the music, he or she would perhaps only want the famous selections everyone knows. In my case, I am particularly picky with recordings and don't have the time to meddle with libraries or going to stores that offer listening stations. Recordings vary greatly and so does playing ability. So why did I go with Essential Beethoven?
   
   It is released with Decca, one of the finest classical music companies out there. You are guaranteed no gimmick or inexpensively recorded tracks on this compilation. Essential B. also has a wider selection than other compilations I looked at. For once, there isn't a movement to be found from the Fifth Symphony. If that's all you want to buy, look elsewhere. Essential B. has pieces I was not familiar with, so here I am listening to it.
   
   Regrettably, there are three distinct issues with this recording, and I want to get them out of the way. 1. Für Elise is atrociously boring to listen to. As a pianist, it is fun to play and almost required learning for the beginner. It should've been dropped. 2. Piano Concerto No. 5 is missing the third movement. It is common to drop the first movement here, but the second and third movements are programmatically tied, providing some of the most emotionally charged music ever put down on lined paper. Also, this rendition of the concerto is less than inspiring and I regret that it is the famous Ashkenazy playing this version. There is almost no life in the playing. 3. The remastering could've been better. The listener will enjoy the loud and boisterous pieces, but the quieter parts, and even the soft piano solos, will have him straining his ears to the point of exasperation. Because of this, I recommend listening on headphones or in a place where you can turn the volume up a little more than usual.
   
   That aside, the rest of the tracks are well recorded, extremely well played, and varied enough to quench even the most learned ears. Decca has included pieces conducted by Sir Georg Solti, one of the greatest conducters in my opinion. (Another "collection" solely conducted by Solti is the "Immortal Beloved" soundtrack.) The orchestral pieces are lush and the range is dynamic. (A little too dynamic, like I stated above, in some areas.) The inclusion of movement IV from Symphony no. 8 pleases me, as I feel this is the least appreciated symphony, overshadowed by Symphony no. 9
   
   The piano pieces are some of the best renditions I've heard. I own all of Ashkenazy's sonatas, so it was nice to hear a movement from "The Tempest" played by Stephen Kovacevich, who plays with fierce determination. Selections from B's piano concertos are fantastic and have prompted me to delve further into listening to more concertos from him. The Rondo from Piano Concerto No. 2, played by Radu Lupu, is one of the most upbeat and wonderfully played pieces here.
   
   To round things off nicely is a movement from the Violin Sonata No. 5, played by the one and only Itzhak Perlman! The piano is caressed by Mr. Ashkenazy himself, and he does so lovingly. You will also find pieces from a string quartet, a violin Romance (and orchestra), and one overture: the "Egmont." I'm not a huge fan of this rendition either, but that's probably because I've heard the Egmont a thousand times.
   
   A huge bonus with this collection are the three choral selections at the end, two of which are from "Fidelio," an opera I've yet to hear in its entirety. The Prisoners' Chorus is beautiful. The introduction sounds very much like a major contribution to Charles Ives's 1906 piece "The Unanswered Question." The compilation ends with Symphony No. 9's finale, but unfortunately, it is a horribly edited excerpt, and mixed extremely hot. I have to turn my volume down everytime this comes on.
   
   I would like to make a little note about the art design, however. Credit here is given to Mark Millington, who did a fine job blending black & white photos of storm clouds, an inspiring sculpture, and blackletter-styled fonts. The CDs themselves are a contrasting bright orange. As a sucker for marketing, I would've plunked money down for this compilation just for the art!



5. My kids and I have really enjoyed this CD. This is a great collection of music with high quality performances.