5 comments about Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) / Auger, Stilwell, Atlanta SO, Robert Shaw.

1. I am using this recording to learn the requiem for performance. It's fidelity is great and it is such beautiful music. Very easy to sing along with.



2. I am a big fan of the numerous Karajan recordings, and I found many similarities in this reading. This performance has a rich, thick romantic feel that can really overwhelm you. Shaw's tempos are a little brisker, though, but overall the lush atmosphere is pure Karajan.
   
   Arleen Auger has a gorgeous voice, but I felt she was holding back. Richard Stilwell, on the other hand, really let loose with plenty of dramatic verve. He has a wonderful sound that reminds me of operatic bass Donald McIntyre.
   
   The chorus displays their skillfully done German diction in Movement 2. I loved their work in Movement 4's "Die Loben dich immer dar", done with a fantastic legato approach. The tenors really shone in their few solo appearances in the finale.
   
   Another reviewer had reservations with the recorded sound. However, I didn't find any problems with it.
   
   Timings of Brahms' Requiem range from Bruno Walter's brisk 63" to Fritz Lehmann's 79" epic. Shaw compromises at 70'24" (almost identical to the famed James Levine recording).
   
   Recorded in Nov 1983 in Atlanta. Texts and translations included.



3. Do not be misled by the paucity of David Hurwitz's 4-sentence review for Amazon which is surpassed only by the wrong-headedness (Shaw, boring??) of his blatant prejudice against "choral conductors." His basis for evaluation is so off that he gets almost everything wrong, save for the words nobility and clarity. His praise of the recorded sound is also backwards; This is one of the biggest technical mistakes in Telarc's exemplary catalog - The orchestral sound is somewhat muddy and unfocused and the choir is far too distant and diffuse.
   
   That is not to say the recording cannot be enjoyed for there are substantial positives here, principally Shaw's interpretation which is among the best in the world. His tempi are so insightful, so right-sounding its almost freaky. The only performance negative is soprano Arleen Auger; this lovely singer is just not right for the part; Brahms was very specific about the soprano sound he intended for the 5th movement - he specified she should sound "like a giant bird." Auger is a bit of a robin, albeit a very pretty one.
   
   The expressiveness from both orchestra and choir are well-thought and refined. Shaw brings significant depth and understanding to this masterpiece. Too many orchestral conductors approach the Requiem as just another orchestra piece with voices; Shaw understands the impetus is Brahms' uniquely chosen text.
   
   For example, Shaw's opening tempo is informed by Brahms' textual concept - a wandering, unsettled feeling of a soul having no resting place on this earth. An orchestral conductor who is guided only by the tempo marking will get it wrong.
   
   Notice the collective orchestral breathing in the second movement. Coupled with the dead-on independent triplets from the timp, the unified lifting of the strings and the falling weight from the winds - this is ensemble perfection. It makes me weep.
   
   Shaw keeps the third movement moving forward; he never allows it to sink into a lugubrious morass, a flaw in so many performances.
   
   Its very difficult to render an overperformed movement perfectly, but again here in the famous fourth, Shaw's tempo and subtle emphasis are exemplary. One couldn't ask for a more lovely and perfectly controlled rendering of Brahms' chosen lovely dwelling place.
   
   Shaw's sixth movement tempo reflects the wandering soul now with increased restlessness. This is exactly correct, unlike some conductors who render this movement as a deadly dirge. Shaw's tempo here perfectly sets up Brahms' positive ending.
   
   From the initial sounds of the seventh movement, we know instantly that there is a new dawn - the tempo is bright, the dynamic lifted and the choir swells from a pianissimo entrance and takes stage. We have found our heaven.
   
   Whatever flaws exist, this is a magnificent addition to the recorded repertoire, one in my collection to which I am proud to return often.



4. While a student at the New England Conservatory (a number of years ago) my husband and I were fortunate to be members of the N.E.C.Chorus that performed this very work under the direction of Robert Shaw himself. Needless to say, hearing it again, a master work done by a master, brings back many pleasant memories each and every time it's played.



5. It becomes hard after awhile for me to comment on maestro Shaw's work, because I love all of it! Obviously, he definitely does not fall short with this CD. His talent of conducting was matched only by his love of music itself.
   
   The chorus and soloists are excellent. The sopranos seem to float over the rest of the chorus, and a sound of pure heaven is produced. I can just see both Shaw and Brahms smiling down from heaven as I write this!
   
   As you can tell, I am very enthusiastic about classical choral music, especially when it is conducted by Mr. Shaw. And, to sum this up, check it out for yourself and see if you like it as much as I do.

5 comments about Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Borodin: Quartets.

1. The string quartets of Dvorak and Borodin are among the lushest and easy-to-listen music in the genre, romanticism for every ear. Because of the hummable tunes in the Borodin 2nd (lifted wholesale to become part of the Broadway musical, Kismet) and the folsy vigor of Dvorak's "American" Quartet #12, most performers emphasize this lushness. Not the Emersons, whose readings here are clean and streamlined. They don't dig deep into the wood the way the Alban berg Qt. do. Their is the patented Emerson virtuosity at work, though, with impeccable intonation and matched timbres.
   
   For me, the effect was refreshing, particularly in the Borodin, which hwere gets a performance that never threatens to become gooey. The Dvorak is a mite too efficient and far removed form its folk inspiration, yet still impressive technically. Its buoyancy creates a great deal of enjoyment. I've never been able to warm up to Tchaikovsky's quartet writing, but here again the Emersons go for clean lines over Russian luxuriousness.
   
   In all, a very appealing CD that groups three favorites in vintage Emerson Qt. performances. Very good sound, too.



2. Dvorak is just okay. Not a superior performance to their rivals, but it's just about the average. Nothing special. Nothing to comment.
   Tchaikovsky? Again, no noteworthy point to make here.
   Borodin? This is certainly one of the poorest performance of this music on the CD that I've ever heard. The problem is the Notturno movent.
   here we have something very unpleasant music making here. The Emersons probably think that the movement is to be played with full of emotion and involvement. They may be right. But, playing this popular movement with emotional involvement does not mean that it is to be played very slowly and dully. What are they aiming at? What are they "thinking" when they treat this movement in a totally no-brainer way?
   
   They are probaly perfect in terms of their technical flawless. But I always witness thet they do not seem to have found the way to play certain music. In short words, no attachment, no careful studying of the score, no soul. There only remains an artificial performance of the music. Good pretenders, but single CD from them has never moved me.
   Beethoven quartets set was another joke.
   
   Well.... but I cannot live without their Schostakovich. Yes, they are all not that bad anyway.
   
   BTW, if it comes down to Borodin's second quartet, the Cleveland Quartet is my first pick.



3. Though I'd heard of Borodin before, I hadn't realized what a wonderful composer he truly was. The second movement of his second quartet is revelatory, and this recording of it (compared to others I've heard since) is definitive for its clarity, tenderness, and directness of expression.



4. Most people viewing this item probably haven't heard of Borodin before, and I must assure such people that the Borodin quartet on this recording is more than worth listening to! The star of these three compositions is, of course, the American quartet, which is legendary. Though I haven't listened to any other performers playing the quartet, the Emerson Quartet's sound is exquisite, with each detail executed to perfection. You can't expect much else - the Emerson Quartet is always great.
   
   I usually don't like Tchaikovsky, but the quartet on this recording is wonderfully melodic. And together, these three quartets on one CD make for one great purchase.
   
   Great sound, great performance, great music - at a great price. What else could you ask for?



5. These three quartets are probably the most popular, and most appealing, quartets written by non-Germanic composers. The slow movements of the Tchaikovsky and Borodin quartets are exceptionally beautiful and so popular that they are often played as separate pieces in a variety of arrangements. The Emerson Quartet does full justice to them in their original settings. They also give a fine performance of Dvorak's "American" Quartet which is his most popular piece of chamber music. To have outstanding performances of all three of these justly-popular quartets available on one mid-priced CD makes this a rare treat, and a bargain as well.

4 comments about Music for a Medieval Banquet.

1. I have been online for 3 hours tonight reading Amazon's reviews of various medieval CD's. I really wanted to find a Waverly Consort CD comparable to their marvelous, magical, exuberant "A Waverly Consort Christmas," but nothing seems to match that one. I have a dial-up modem and for some reason none of Amazon's musical selections will play even though I have no problems with video games and music uploads from other sources. Thus, I have to rely upon written reviews.
   
   Among the many albums for which I read reviews tonight was one for "A Medieval Banquet" by the Newberry Consort. The title & group rang a bell so I checked my collection and found that it was originally called *Il Solazzo" (as others have already noted among these reviews). I bought it in early 1995 but never wrote any comments in the attached booklet, which is unusual for me.
   
   I have now played the CD twice and understand why I made no comments: it was simply not thrilling. I am no musicologist -- just someone who loves early music because it makes my soul sing. This CD is "nice," but my soul goes ho-hum when I hear it. (The one exception is the #9 selection with rebec, vielle & lute -- and no voices.)
   
   The instrumentals have a certain charm but they generally feel more Renaissance than medieval to me. The vocals leave me completely cold. In some of the reviews I read tonight I came across the concept of "operatic" applied to some of this early music. I had no idea what the authors meant since there was no opera at such an early period. But in playing this CD, I understood -- there is indeed a bloated, elaborate vocal quality that really does feel "operatic." It seems entirely unsuited to "Music for a Medieval Banquet."
   
   If your soul wants to sing, this proably isn't the CD for you. Try the Waverly Consort's "Christmas" along with a glass of fine wine
   
   
2. One of the reasons why I bought this recording is the interesting choice of pieces, which range from the often-recorded instrumental dances to the less-known sung tracks.
   
   When I played it, the first thing that struck me of this CD is the thinness of the sound in the dances. Although the performance is spotless, it lacks the body that other medieval-dance groups add to their sound - notably the older but still great Studio der Fruehen Musik. Is this an unfair statement? Perhaps - but these dances have been recorded so many times that it is only natural to compare versions.
   
   Also, the use of percussion instruments would have been a nice touch, besides being perfectly historical. Then, a more varied instrumental arrangement may have been a good addition, especially in the longer numbers such as Chominciamento di gioia.
   
   The other point that puzzled me is that in the first track (La Badessa), the singer sounds as if she is playing a losing game of catch-up with the instruments, which results in a mediocre performance of that particular piece. It is a pity, because the song is very catchy and the singer's voice is stylistically spot on.
   
   Having said all this, the selections of songs and dances is first-choice, the performance is good and well researched and the CD remains one of the most played in my household.



3. Just a quick note on this CD: It's a re-release of the Newberry Consort's "Il Solazzo" disc without the texts and with less nice packaging. Since that disc can be hard to find, this CD is welcome, but if you can find the other release cheaper it's a better deal.



4. This simple little album reminds me of what it is that I love most about the Italian Renaissance - its barefaced passion and gut level power. So playful and raucous at times that I felt as if I were in a scene from Pasolini's irreverent "Decameron" and at other moments, so serene that I was in a chapter from Chaucer. The music is simple and unpretentious. Not resorting to gimmicks, they allow the music to be expressed in a way that it very probably was in the age when it reigned: unashamed, expressive, brazenly colorful and just a bit flamboyant.

   So much for the performers. As for the producers...

   On the downside, it is painfully obvious that they made this album on a shoe-string budget. That can be a good thing in forcing the artists to stick to the music's purity instead of hiring a team of sound engineers to make it "sound" better, but there is absolutely no documentation about the songs, other than their titles and playing times. A sickly-thin album insert has a blurb in English and Italian about polyphony, told in allegorical style, with each paragraph in an alternating language instead of one section in each language. Go figure! Maybe the AltaVista translator they used for free had a one-paragraph limit.

   But it also has a variety of styles, both vocal and instrumental, so it gives a nice overall flavor of what life might have sounded like in that little part of the world, during that remarkable little slice of musical history.

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.

5 comments about Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Play the Beatles.

1. If you like either the Beatles or the BPO then you'll enjoy this album. Only negative is some of the songs are reapeated a few times. Other than that it's a keeper.



2. I love the Beatles and they are part of my youth. The Boston Pops has done a fantastic job converting a rock n roll song into full instrumental
   The joy and fun is still there, but it enables me to remember the joy of my youth in a different light. If you purchase, I hope you will enjoy



3. Not the best treatment of Beatles music from the classical point of view. London Symphony was much better.



4. Hearing the Beatles music arranged in classical format shows what great musicians and composers Lennon and McCartney were.



5. I cannot help but smile when I listen to the beautiful arrangements on this album. It blends the Beatles' genius for melody with the great percussive sound and incredible energy of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. I've heard other orchestral versions of Beatles songs, but none has compared to this one (if anyone has found a better CD, please post a note here). Any Beatles or Pops fan should definitely own this CD. I can't stop listening!

5 comments about Tune Your Brain with Mozart.

1. I love this series of classical music. See my review for Mozart: Energize. Besides listening to lovely music, work gets done!
   LShamlian



2. I put the cd music on my I-pod and listen to it while I study.



3. Wanted to try the "Mozart Effect" on my teenage niece who only listened to rap and teen-pop. She said the first time she heard this it was like electrical sparks lighting up her brain. She loved it.
   
   I am already familiar with classical music. This compilation is very well chosen, edited and engineered. There are some less than common selections, so even if you already have many symphonies, there will be some different music on this CD. Nothing is too long. The tempo is both mildly relaxing and stimulating at the same time. Good for studying or thinking.



4. I bought this CD to play in my Kindergarten classroom. It is great for transition time - I turn it on to signal the children that it is time to clean up and meet me on the rug. They clean up, sit on the rug and close their eyes for a minute. This really works to calm them down and they seem to like the music. This CD is a must have!!!



5. I bought this CD just to have some classical music to listen to while driving across the deserts of the western US (classical radio stations are, alas, not too plentiful in rurual areas). It was on sale and looked like it would be reasonably good (how could one go too wrong with Mozart anyhow?). It also featured several selections I did not have on other CD's, so it would be a good addition to the Mozart section, I figured.

   I had no idea a 'budget' CD could be this good. Whether or not this actually tunes your brain as the producers claim, the music is just stellar. Mozart was one of history's great composers, but the selection of works here is just astonishing in scope, composition, and variety. The performances and recording quality match the quality of the music too. This CD works as a "Mozart conoisseur's" collection.

   While these are not Mozart's best known or most popular selections (The Marriage of Figaro, Ein Klein Nachtmuzik, etc. have to be located elsewhere), every song on this CD is a masterpiece -- living up to the descriptive line from "Amadeus" ('..Displace one note and you would only mar perfection...').

   Even if you already have a sizaeable classical collection, this CD is a very worthwhile addition. At a bargain price, it's a real deal--almost a steal.

4 comments about Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring / Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

1. The unfortunate thingÑif anything can be said to the contrary about this collectionÑis that is an older recording. As far as authenticity, what was available in the days of Bach and Handel to perform their music, and what they may have had in mind as the formidable way of presenting it to the publicÑas well as to the heavensÑmay be quite different things. Viewed in this way, authenticity may be an abstraction we are not here priviledged to comment on.

   I have marveled for years, even when these were two separate LP's, of the power and dimensionality conveyed by the way these works are performed. I still switch from one to another piece as which is my favorite. In this respect, the experience is a hermenutic delight. Any lover or respecter of Bach or Handel would not go wrong by including this collection in their musical library.

   When I use the word "treats" in the title, I mean just that: it is a collection of works that one would be hard pressed to find performed together on any available recording. And so I use the metaphor "treat," as if I were given a morsel and then devoured it; and another, and devoured that one, each with a fullness of pleasure and delight, and with soul filling satisfaction.

   These indivdual recordings are for the most part masterpieces in and of themselves, and to be able to listen to them as they are performed flawlessly, and in a manner that invites the Spirit of GodÑby saying they are a "treat"Ñis to merely to treat them minimally.




2. I love several of J.S. Bach's cantatas, and enjoy hearing them in a variety of ways--period performances, orchestral arrangements, etc. Therefore I'm not one to insist on authenticity. Nevertheless, the chorus here sounds too big for the Bach. Also, the program needs more variety for straight through listening. Chorus after (massive) chorus doesn't work for me.



3. Jesu joy of man's desiring, holy wisdom love most bright



4. Jesu joy of man's desiring, holy wisdom love most bright

5 comments about Smetana: Moldau/From Bohemia's Meadows and Forests/Dvorák: Slavonic Dances Op.46 & Op.72.

1. I bought the CD for the Moldau piece which I love. However, the rest of the CD is just as wonderful and I have enjoyed listening to the entire CD many times.



2. Smetana não é muito difundido, mas "O Moldávia", parte integrante do poema sinfônico "Minha Pátria", é uma obra-prima da música clássica. Ao que parece, Rafael Kubelik, tanto no comando da sinfônica de Boston, quanto da orquestra sinfônica da rádio Bávara, dão um show de interpretação e lirismo. A gravação, como era esperado, não é boa, pois é muito antiga, mas artisticamenté a composição e execução são piramidais. Existem vários cds com esta obra com Rafael Kubelik, variando muito a técnica de gravação, mas a música em si é difícil de esquecer, eu mesmo fico com a melodia na minha cabeça todos os dias. Tem um cd da Mercury que nem estéreo é, contendo o poema completo, é magnífico, mesmo com chiados. Imperdível todos eles.



3. While listening to this CD, I had the undeniable feeling that I was outside breathing in the fresh air, relaxing in the sunshine listening to the sounds of a babbling brook and this glorious music!



4. I enjoyed it, that's about all I can say. Couldn't fault it.



5. I love "The Moldau". It is one of the most prettiest works by Smetna. I still get chills from repeated listening.

5 comments about Puccini Without Words.

1. I really like classical music alot bach, vivaldi, beethoven, segovia, williams...I'm sorry but I not a big fan of opera but I am a big fan of just the music...this music is some of the most powerful passionate beautiful music ever written!!!! How could one human being write such unbeliveable moving passages and such excellant choice in keys...if your like me and don't care for the opera singing (don't get me wrong, it's pretty awesome just not my taste...) and enjoy listening to some the very best classical music thats so moving it will bring tears to your eyes then you must listen to this cd!!! puccini is a true master!!!!



2. This is a good one but it does not give me goose pimples. Nice to have on hand to listen to occasionally. It's enjoyable.



3. Puccini is my favorite. When it comes to the melodies he's written, you find yourself humming along too.



4. Puccini Without Words along with Opera Without Words provided the perfect background music for a photo DVD I made for my mom's 88th birthday. She is an opera lover and hearing her favorite music and seeing a lifetime of photos on DVD was very special.



5. Absolutely heart-rending music. Great for artists who need something dramatic playing in the background while they work - or for the weary housecleaner who needs a terrific boost of music while working. You can't go wrong.

5 comments about Mozart: Symphonies 40 & 41 / Bernstein.

1. Mozart's last two symphonies are interesting in that they reach a level of intensity not usually associated with the majority of his other works. I guess people love Mozart for his emotional health, cleaness, mathematical precision and utter grace. The last two symphonies of Mozart, can be seen as a meeting place of Mozart and Beethoven where Mozart's purity of form meets the angry Beethoven's sense of struggle.
   
   It is surprising that conductor Bernstein does such a fine job with the task of providing balance to these works. After all, Bernstein wasn't known for restraint, and he certainly was never considered a great conductor of Mozart.
   
   Comparisons: Bruno Walter; Toscanini



2. I think Bernstein's fans have gone overboard here. These two Mozart performances, recorded live in 1984-85, find the conductor in a good mood. Bernstein's Mozart was never extreme, and he took special care to find expression in scores that have very few expression markings by the composer. Compared to similar accounts over the years, these readings are less smoothed-over than Karajan's, less militant than Bohm's, but also less buoyant than Beecham's and less lovig than Walter's. Anyone who admires the Vienna Phil. will certainly find them to be stylish and warm (much more so than when they recorded all the Mozart symphonies under Levine during this same peirod); this is very congenial Mozart where eveyr phrase is kissed.
   
   Overall, I'd place Bernstein's G minor in a league with Britten and Walter, the Jupiter in a league with KLemperer, although in the long run Klemperer's Mozart is more imposinb and memorable. For anyone who hasn't been totally won over by period practice, this CD is very satisfying without being any kind of apotheosis.



3. I am a great admirer of Mozart, and the first movement of the K 550 is perhaps the single most perfect, moving, inventive and shockingly beautiful piece of art since the birth of time. It says molto allegro, and Bernstein, for some inexplicable reason, plays it much too slowly. The dynamic power of this masterpiece is thereby terribly diminished.
   And it doesn't stop there. The powerful and haunting third movement seems good at first, but then some (brass?) instrument takes the upper hand and ruins everything. If there's one quality a conductor should possess (apart from having the right tempo), it is a thorough understanding of how the orchestra works, and how perfect balance of instruments can be achieved.
   The last movement of the 40th is played faster than the first; too fast even, perhaps. Anyway, it has the feeling of carelessly racing through the material.
   
   Then comes the much admired, grand Symphony No. 41. The brilliant first movement (joining the ranks of its brother in the G minor) immediately sets off on the wrong foot by introducting some sort of fermata (why I have no idea), and again the orchestra seems awfully raw and unbalanced. The sliding strings at the beginning are hardly heard over all the noise.
   Then, finally, we come to the great Schlussfuge (final fuge), another beautiful and ingenious composition. The tempo is good, but it's the same story all over again with the orchestral colour: the build-up, in particular the bass entry at the beginning, is clumsily handled, and the fugal complexity is trashed by Bernstein's unbearable racket.
   
   I might have given this CD a higher ranking than just one star, but the problem is that we're talking about two divine miracles, one of the most beautiful stream of dots and lines any man has ever been able to put on paper. I hardly ever listen to the first movement of the 40th symphony, because when I do, I am drowned by the unstoppable urge to become a part of the heavens I never will, I move my arms violently, but can never match the intense emotion, the restless fire and the ruthless power of the greatest symphonic achievement ever. Bernstein has attempted to translate the word of the gods, and to do so as carelessly as this, is unforgivable sacrilege.



4. I read a Penguin review about this CD in Penguin's Book of Classical CD Recordings and Penguin placed a "rosette" symbol next to it. You know what that means, right? A Magical recording. Indeed it is. If you are a big fan of Mozart's #40 and #41 symphonies look no further than this CD.



5. I concur with all the other reviewers: although the sound is not quite up to par, it is more than adequate; but the performances are absolutely top-notch. Bernstein's tempos are perfect, all the repeats are taken, everything is infused with dramatic tension. The G minor is appropriately dark and elegant, its unbearable grief kept in check by an Apollonian temper. The Jupiter is positively...Jovian. This is, overall, my favorite recording of these two magnificent works (followed closely by Britten's and Klemperer's). A must for your classical collection.