5 comments about Fire & Ice.

1. I recently saw a video of Sarah Chang playing Carmen when she was only 10 or so. She has continued to amaze me with her amazing talent and I was thrilled to listen to the selections on this cd. I definitely would recommend this cd to anyone who loves a variety of slow and just amazing selections of music.



2. If you love Sarah Chang, you can't go wrong with this one. Ditto if you love Carmen, Meditation from Thais, etc. There's that one track, Ravel's Tzigane, I can't develop a taste for no matter who plays it (except possibly David Oistrakh on You Tube, watching his chubby cheeks hit both sides of his face). And guess what? Placido Domingo didn't sing a note. (LOL)



3. After listening to this CD by Sarah Chang I can see the Fire in all of the selections, even the "Meditiation" by Massenet. But where the Ice comes in I cannot tell. Sarah plays with such vibrance and zeal and even if you've never heard the selection before it doesn't matter. Her interpretation of "Zigeunerweisen" is the best I have ever heard. And I think Placido Domingo also does a fabulous job of conducting. All in all, this is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable CD's I own. I urge you to buy it. You won't be sorry.



4. I put the CD in CD player, turned up the volume, and went about the house doing domestic things. I had to stop doing the dishes, dry my hands, and run upstairs (and I do not like the stairs, have major issues with the stairs!) just to check the disc information. The playing was that good, jaw-droppingly so. I'm impressed.



5. This album has almost the same repertoire as one by Perlman. Some days I prefer the Perlman version, other days I prefer Sarah's version. Sarah has been a perfect technical virtuoso since she was 13. At age 19, she has matured in her artistic interpretation to rival the best in the world. (I consider Itzak Perlman to be the best, but Sarah is nearly his equal, and she is yet quite young.) I eagerly await each new album she publishes. I wish she would come to town so I could hear her live. I also wish she would record occasionally on analog LP, especially direct disc. I find CDs much less faithful to the sound of live music than LPs, though at least todays CD players are somewhat listenable, instead of making the dreadful sounds they did when the medium was new.

No comments about Peter Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets Nos. 9 & 10.

5 comments about Bartok: Complete Solo Piano Music.

1. Gyorgy Sandor, whom I remember seeing in the halls of the University of Michigan School of music many years back, does an amazing job at recording all the Bartok piano pieces. It's really incredible when an artist is able to achieve this kind of scope and do this much work. Of course, having a good teaching job at Michigan and other places and his renown helped a lot, I am sure. In any case, I expected a couple of CDs in this box, but not FIVE of them! Bartok also, obviously, had the highest of aspirations. It's hard to get a grip on this, since each is over 70 minutes long so we're talking about 6 hours of music here. I've been purchasing almost all the sheet music as well to go with these. No better way to study the great composer.
   Joseph Pehrson



2. Sándor was a champion not only of Bartók's music but also of Bartók's style of playing. He often complained that people were too quick to see Bartók as ultra-modern, and to fail to appreciate the rich seam of lyricism that also runs through his music.
   
   The piano music is dominated by short pieces, many of them written for piano students, notably the collections "Microcosmos" and "For Children". These, together with suites of folk dance arrangements, make up the bulk of the solo piano output.
   
   Sandór plays these short, and often simple pieces, with neither too much nor too little art. As a gifted teacher, he knew unerringly how much music each of these small vessels held. The result is beguiling - but be warned: no-one can listen to the 153 short pieces of Microcosmos end-to-end. This is an anthology to be dipped into, not swallowed whole.
   
   The remastering is pretty successful (fortunately - some of Vox's CD reissues are plagued by severe deterioration of the original tapes). And it's for half nothing-what's not to like?



3. I am not a Bartok expert by any scale, but I do like the way these pieces, without exception, are played. There are, however, a couple of other problems.
   
   As mentioned by an earlier reviewer, very few of the works are split into tracks - Mikrokosmos is divided into 7 for each of its six volumes, and to accomodate for a full CD. In these seven tracks there are 121 songs. I would have much preferred if the songs had been split into tracks. Almost the entire CD set is this way - Fifteen Hungarian Songs is one track, Fourteen Bagatelles, etc. It is very annoying when one wants to hear a particular song in those tracks and not the others.
   
   Another detriment to the collection is the recording quality. It is decent most of the time, but in loud sections the piano buzzes. One might be able to ignore it, but I think that it detracts from the passion of the forte quite a bit.
   
   Overall, for $18 it is pretty decent, but if you are like me and like to keep your music library neatly organized (and aren't extremely cheap), I would not recommend this set.



4. I like the fact that Bartok is into the folk tradition and all, but he just tends to forget the fact that melody has to be SOMEWHERE in the music. I'm all for creative expression when you're sitting alone at the piano, but abstract music should be reserved for performance art. I like playing some of your stuff Bela, but I just don't want to listen to you.



5. To put this set in perspective, for months I would go to my local Tower Records fishing for worthwhile classical CDs at least once a week. One of the discs that sat in the bins the longest was a single CD of Bartok piano music, played by Zoltan Kocsis. It was Volume 7 of a complete series. This CD listed for $17.99, and as long as I went to that Tower Records, it did not budge an inch, nor was its price amended.
   
   Now, Kocsis is one of the greatest pianists alive, and if anyone is worthy of commanding a premium, it is him. And to be fair, that CD is going to be re-released on October 11 as part of a Collector's Edition - eight CDs, $63.97 MSRP. But it's already going up against this little gem, which contains five CDs with all of the truly great solo-piano works by an internationally recognized Bartok specialist for $21 - not much more than the cost of one CD from the other set. This kind of value is not to be taken lightly.
   
   I came to this set with my impression of Sandor informed by his complete Prokofiev - ultra-hard, sometimes rhythmically slack, always melodically lacking in some way or another. But he held a very special feeling for Bartok, and saved his best playing for the great Hungarian. In passages like the first of the Three Csik Dances, the opening of the Improvisations Op. 20, or in the Ten Easy Pieces, there is a simplicity, charm and wistful homesickness that is quite touching. In pieces like the Out of Doors suite, the Sonata, or the Burlesques, there is a vicious, impulsive energy, a wicked sense of humor and an overabundance of overtones. It is never mindless, inappropriate or even overly harsh - it's just very, very loud.
   
   In this set I like best the endless landscape of the Sonatina, the unusual colors and fragrances in the Etudes, the brilliantly conceived Bear Dance (the last of the Ten Easy Pieces), and the multifaceted, complex, gorgeous Improvisations. Any fan of Bartok should hear these.

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.

4 comments about Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits.

1. Perlman is a man of extraordinary clarity and tonality also one of my favorite violinists. After I finish practicing a piece I usually find a recording to listen to different interpretations. Most of them are by Perlman and Heifetz. Unfortunately this album has some obscure songs and the songs itself do not do justice to Perlman what some other songs may have done. Still it is important to broaden the scope, so I would recommend this to all music connoisseurs :). btw i'm only 16 so...don't take this review too literal huh?



2. It's beautiful. Simply put.



3. Perlam is already a great player like the whole world knows. But the music selection couldn't better! I espacily like the piano accomplimant. Perlman pays the pieces with true style. The working realtionship between Perlman and the Pianist is truly incredible. Before geting any of Perlman's other greatest hits albums, get this one!



4. This collection of familiar tunes will provide a relaxing hour with one of the world's premier violinists. However, the combination of "The Old Folks at Home" and "Motto perpetuo" is somewhat difficult to assimilate. At any rate, Perlman is a listener's joy!

5 comments about Andre Rieu - The Flying Dutchman.

1. This is a great cd based on the music selection and the vocals by the individual singers. There is never a disappointment with an Andre Rieu CD.



2. This dvd is truly amazing. I loved every minute of it. Andre Rieu is a phenominal showman. Andre Rieu - The Flying Dutchman



3. 
   This is a happy DVD by Andre Rieu with again diversity in music, fun moments with the special features, and the feeling of needing to join in even while watching anywhere.



4. I don't understant what everyone is complaining about. I bought a DVD of this program from thetangotienda and it came with English and French subtitles. Video quality is just excellent as well. I had doublts when I saw that it is an import, but it turned out to be a good thing because all others come with only English subtitles. How can anyone give it anything less than five stars after viewing the 3yr old Akim Camara's performance.



5. This is typical Andre Rieu, however, of all the concerts, it has more repeats and is not as entertaining as the others.

No comments about The Most Relaxing Violin Music in the Universe.

5 comments about A Window in Time: Rachmaninoff Performs His Solo Piano Works.

1. I heard this on a pair of Magneplanars at an audio shop, and then we listened to it on some other high end gear. That did it for me, had to have it. Very good recording, excellent sound and performance. Intriguing approach to recording.



2. The piano roll technology is so limited that any experienced pianist will tell you it cannot possibly sound like the original performance. Even modern sequencing technology falls short in some aspects. First, even the advanced Ampico machine of the time is only a record of the original timings of the notes and pedal work. Even that is only relative, and there is no guarantee that even those timings were not made "more perfect" by an editor. The artistry comes in all the subtleties beyond the mere timings. This equipment simply could not record the infinite variety of touches used by a great virtuoso. I'm not just talking about volume, which Ampico could pick up to some degree, but the approach. Nor can it record the subtle use of the pedals, half-pedaling, partial pedaling, etc. Also, remember that the piano not only responds to the player, but the pianist responds to the instrument. The virtuoso is making thousands of judgements based on what he/she hears back from the piano and the acoustics of the room. And even the most minute variances in the adjustment of the action and pedals changes how the pedals will work and the hammers will respond to the keys. The one thing the Ampico does capture fairly well is the rubato as used by an artist like Rachmaninoff. Because the roll moves at a constant speed during recording and playback, it will capture hesitations, tempo changes, fermatas, etc as executed by the player. As long as the engineer is able to play it back at the same speed and does not succumb to the temptation to bump it up a notch to make it more exciting or sell more recordings, at least that aspect should be pretty close to the original. No, even with the hiss and scratches, the primitive old sound recordings are a much better record of the artistry of those great pianists of the first half of the 20th century. Eventually, it may be possible with digital sound editing to bring those recordings closer to the original sound quality experienced by witnesses to those great performances. The piano rolls can only give you the sound of a particular piano recorded well with approximately the same timings of an earlier performances. The rest of the data is simply not there, and no technology can replace what was never recorded in the first place.



3. I love this disk, and would recomend it to anyone. For someone, particularly a young person with a short attention span, the first second and fourth tracks would be a great quick intro to Rachmaninoff and the his musical style and moods. The C sharp minor Prelude has been recorded by many great pianists, but this is the only recording of "Lilacs" I have, and I love it. I'm not that well versed on the nuances of Rachmaninoff's piano technique and style, but these recordings sound very much in the same style as the records of his playing I've heard. I do have a preference for this CD over the other because it's his compositions and arrangements. To me, hearing Rachmaninoff playing others' music is a matter of interest - hearing him playing his own, a matter of reverence.
   
   As an aside, there is a DVD, "The Art of Piano", about the greatest pianists of the 20th century, and there is heavy emphasis on Rachmaninoff's music, along with a couple short film clips of him with his playing in the background. Of course, there will always be arguments about great pianists who were left out of the documentary, but I doubt many would say that Rachmaninoff, Hofman, Horowitz, Arrau, Gould and the others don't belong. The most interesting clip is Georgy Czifra (spelling?) playing Liszt's "Grand Galop Chromatique" (or something close.) Remarkable keyboard athleticism. Seeing the styles of each great pianist in a group like this helps the musically slow-witted (like myself) catch on to some of the stylistic differences between very great musicians. I've been playing (barely) for about ten years, and watching these guys, I figure, I'm about at the level they were approximately 12 minutes after they sat at a piano at the age of four or five.
   
   
   



4. Not only was Rachmaninov a wonderful composer he was also an amazing pianist. His album A Window in Time: Rachmaninov Performs His Solo Piano Works demonstrates his extraordinary combination of both technical skill and his intensely personal artistry. Rachmaniov is legendary in the piano world for his incredible reach on the piano. His fingers were long enough to span to the thirteenth key, making his compositions some of the most challenging in the piano repertoire. This album brings together nineteen pieces, including both Rachmaninov's original piano solo works as well as arrangements of fellow Russians such Rimsky Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee and Moussorgsky's Hopak. The chance to hear a composer perform his own work doesn't come often in the classical music world. This is a wonderful cd and I listen to all the time.



5. Superb sound quality! This is not a remastered recording made back in the '50's. This is actually Rachmaninoff performing via a special, pressure-sensitive type player piano. It truly sounds like he was recorded live with our current technology. The accompanying booklet explains everything very clearly.
   
   Rachmaninoff was not only an exceptional composer, he was also an exceptional (if that is a strong enough term) performer. This CD allows you to experience his performing abilities as though you were sitting with him today. Great CD for every collection, even if you only casually listen to classical music on a rare occasion.
   
   Rachmaninoff Rocks!

2 comments about 25 Handel Favorites.

1. This a wonderfull Handel CD, a great mix of his songs both uptempo and sacred. I don't really know much about his works but i thought this cd as a casual fan of the artsist was a very good mix of songs.



2. Absolutely what I expect of Handel! Good stuff, if this is your "bag".

5 comments about Schubert: String Quintet in C, D. 956.

1. It's all in the liner notes: "During the five years preceding his early death, Schubert wrote seven masterpieces of chamber music: three string quartets, two piano trios, the Octet and the C major String Quintet [this piece]. Of these, the last, and arguably the finest, is the Quintet." I first became introduced to this work in the LP recording with Jacqueline duPre & Mstislav Rostropovich (cover graphic, a large wooden C). Out of reverence for that recording now lost to me, I refrained from buying anything more contemporary, hoping for its re-release; but it is unlikely ever to be. I had eyed buying one of the Emerson Quartet's versions, but it wasn't until I heard it on XM Channel 112 that I was transfixed. The XM people so kindly responded by identifying this recording. I have bought two copies; I am giving one to an outstanding High School student, the top Latin language graduate of this year 2008.



2. While the Emerson certainly dots its I's and crosses it T's, musically speaking, and has to be commended for accomplishing every nuance appearing on the page, it's what's NOT on the page that's missing. The performance here leaves me cold. They don't seem to bring a depth of personal feeling to the music.
   
   Annoyingly, the hyper engineering of the recording volume renders the pianos inaudible and the fortes overpowering, leaving one to constantly turn up the volume and then have to run to turn it down. This is a string quintet, for pete's sake, not a hundred piece orchestra!



3. I originally purchased this Schubert CD because Kenneth Branagh's character in the movie "Conspiracy" mentions it: "The adagio will break your heart." I viewed that movie, an HBO original production from a few years back, recently and was curious about the piece. It is beautiful and the adagio is haunting. According to the liner notes, Schubert wrote the string quintet shortly before he died and it has always been the most performed piece he ever wrote. And, of course, you can't go wrong with the Emerson group.Schubert: String Quintet in C, D. 956



4. I consider this work to be found in the front rank of Schuberts work.
   The melodic partwriting brings an atmosphere of tender intimacy which the musicians fully bring over. Their playing together lets me forget that they are 5 individuals but rather they give the impression as if this would be one single instrument played by one musician. You are almost ignoring the role Rostropovich plays here - he is fully integrated and does not impose himself, perhaps he motivates the four others to supreme performance but you do not notice this. Just beautiful music.



5. the string quintet in c , d. 956 is sublimely beautiful especially the slow movements . His death and the maiden was my favourite piece of chamber music until i heard this on the radio and I was entranced by its beauty and could not wait until i had my own cd . The musicians are all truly skilled crafts men and perform this piece extremely well . Before i brought this particular cd i listened to several versions before finally settling on this particular recording . I can heartly recommend this cd to any music lover .