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Andrew Parrott was the first conductor to adopt Joshua Rifkin's controversial one-singer-per-part approach to Bach's "choral" music (other than Rifkin himself, that is). This very reasonably priced reissue sees Parrott applying the approach to four of Bach's most popular sacred works. On the whole, Parrott and his ensemble make a good case for both one-per-part practice and their own performances. Once the ear adjusts, the balance is excellent: the vocal parts don't dominate the orchestra (as many listeners accustomed to a chorus expect); they are equal partners with it--which suits Bach's intricate and often dense writing for instruments and voices. In the Magnificat, however, good balance without good judgment isn't enough. Parrott rips through the piece so quickly that the singers have no time to do anything interesting with their parts.The Ascension Oratorio comes off better, with tempos that are brisk but not dizzying, as well as fine solos by Cable and Kirkby.

The Taverner Consort and Players really shine, however, in the Easter works. The opening Sinfonia of Christ lag in Todesbanden (taken surprisingly slowly) is breathtaking, as is the soprano-alto duet; the Sinfonia and opening chorus of the Easter Oratorio fairly rollick along, while Emily van Evera (sensitive and beguiling) and Caroline Trevor (athletic and almost giddy) do themselves proud in their arias, and tenor Charles Daniels, cushioned by flutes and strings, paints a magical picture of heavenly rest. If you just can't stomach the idea of Bach done by a madrigal consort (as some would have it), you'll do well with Ton Koopman or Philippe Herreweghe. But at such a reasonable price, these commendable performances are more than worth a try. --Matthew Westphal ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One-Voice-Per-Part At It's Best
I've never been a fan of Bach's works being performed One-Voice-Per-Part, until I listened to this recording.

There is much to be praised about this recording. While I'd much prefer to hear the soprano and alto lines sung by trebles and boy altos or countertenors, the female singers here are superb. Emma Kirkby shines as usual. The Taverner Consort is very clean as well.

The Magnificat is very good here. This is no quick-paced interpretation with an obviously minimalistic sound (like McCreesh's). It even has the fervor of a larger ensemble, surprisingly. I never thought an athletic movement such as the "Fecit Potentiam" could be pulled off using One Voice Per Part, but Andrew Parrot does it very well.

BWV 4 is indeed taken surprisingly slowly, and I prefer the Konrad Junganel rendition on Harmonia Mundi much better. This Andrew Parrot rendition is well-done nonetheless, as I am a big fan of his alto-soprano duo. BWV 50 is also a rare surprise (It is, without a doubt, my favorite number on these discs). As a worthy finale to this two-disk set is "Preis Und Dank" from the Easter Oratorio. Highly reccomended.

Bach is the best
This album is beautiful and no matter how one looks at it is deserving of 5 stars. Although I have some reservations about the level of contrition and inwardness Bach brings to his religious music, which almost all his music is religous. I was to find that Oscar Wilde (in De Profundis) had some the same reservations and looked at the outwardness of Baroque quite disaprovingly, and longed for a return to the inward Medieaval style of art. It is ironic that Bach, a Protestant, became considered the master of the Baroque style when it was a created as a conscious artistic effort by the Catholic Church to help put a stop to the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism. The first master of the style was Palastrina. Is Bach truely good for the soul? Apparently Mendelssohn, a Jew, converted to Christianity because of Bach. Bach as a propagandist is unbeatable. But is he truely a master of a reflective and balanced spirit between joy and contrition. Does one think inwardly and learn more about themselves or is a greater sense of outward wonder achieved only? This album is doubtlessly beautiful. Is something truely aided in the discovery of oneself or simply a bouncier step achieved for some fletting moments.

The modern Arvo Part is, I believe, trying to bring a spiritual integrity back to music in the true Christian sense. You might sample a CD of his as well. Than there's the authentic Allegri's Miserare as well. Or Gregorian Chant. Then, for a bouncier step, there are some Medieaval festive albums.

One of the finest Bach recordings in the catalog
At the moment, this is my favorite Bach recording. I am a big fan of the one-voice-per-part approach ("OVPP"), and I truly feel that, where its use is appropriate, a small consort of voices offers better results than a traditional chorus (current evidence suggests that OVPP was likely used at least in Bach's early cantatas and in Passions). If you listen to this recording with an open mind, you might be able to recognize the merits of this approach: clarity of lines, better balance between the vocalists and the instrumentalists, and a potential for a finer insight into the meaning of the text. Some tempo issues aside, this recording is nearly as good as they come (besides, tempi are, to some extent, a matter of personal preference). Andrew Parrott's direction is generally well judged, and the cast he assembled is superb. I particularly enjoyed the contributions of Charles Daniels (one of my favorite tenors) and Caroline Trevor. I have to admit to a bit of a bias in favor of male altos, but Caroline Trevor is so superb that few countertenors can compare. Her Saget, saget, mir geschwinde, for instance, is definitely the best I've heard. --gggimpy@yahoo.com ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Cecilia Live
I've loved her low and warm voice ever since the first time I listened to her, the Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli. With respect and tenderness she treats the composers, whose works she performs while adding her own dimension. She transports me with her art. It is as if we become one person, and I experience her joy of music. Together we share a glimpse of eternity.

On this album which was recorded live at the Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, Italy in 1998 Cecilia Bartoli offers her listeners a varied programme comprised of several composers: Caccini, Haendel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Viardot, Schubert, Montsalvatge and Bizet. She's accompanied in Caccini, Haendel and Vivaldi by the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca (Baroque string ensemble) and for the other pieces by Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano. The accompanying booklet contains the lyrics, translations and further information.

Ms. Bartoli certainly has expanded her musical horizons here in several ways. On this disc she sings in Italian, French and Spanish. I loved her intense and heartfelt rendition of Caccini's and Haendel's arias. The passionate acrobatics of Vivaldi. And the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca gave her a fine support. She made a warm and lovely Cherubino in Mozart's famous 'Voi che sapete'. I also loved her sparkling interpretations of Viardot's 'Havanaise', Rossini's 'Mi lagnero tacendo' or his 'Canzonetta spagnuola'. But Montsalvatge's 'Canto negro' made me feel definitely uncomfortable and Ms. Bartoli herself didn't connect with it. Although I liked her rendition of Bizet's 'Seguedille, I still missed something there. Jean-Yves Thibaudet lends her an excellent, attentive and expressive support.

Although I would have preferred some more Baroque pieces at this concert, this live album is a keeper for me. Everytime the bundle of pure joy that is Cecilia Bartoli has the power to move me deeply!

One of my favourite Bartoli albums!
I have completely fallen in love with this album! It illustrates quite candidly that Bartoli might be one of the greatest artists (or has the POTENTIAL to be one of the greats) of our time.

This performace shows her growing agility and expanding repertoire. True, she does do Mozart and Rossini well, but I found the real jewels in this album were her arie antiche selections and the technically demanding Vivaldi. The "Canto Negro" was disturbing on the first listen, but more from the nature of the piece rather than Bartoli's rendering of it. The only piece that was somewhat peculiar, but still very beautiful, was the Carmen Seguedille. It was very seductive and Carmen-ish, but very different from all of the Carmens I've heard. Some might find it inappropriate, as it is not really in-line with the Carmen we all know and love, which I attribute to her lack of dramatic acting skills. She's wonderful in comedy. Her December Met performance of Susannah in M of Figaro was excellent; comical and well sung, but I have yet to see her handle a dramatic/tragic role. Only time will tell!

Bartoli is definitely on her way, and this album shows her increasing boldness in venturing into new material. Although her pianissimo singing kind of leaves something to be desired (very breathy) and her lower range is admittedly dark and moderately swallowed, she does not seem to be suffering from these notoriously dangerous flaws. I was particularily impressed by her range. In the past she has stuck fairly close to traditional mezzo pieces, not venturing high up the staff, but this album is an exception. It is one if my favourite CDs currently because of the varied paces of the chosen pieces, and Cecilia's mastery of them (although I very often do not have it at home to listen to because all my friends are constantly borrowing it).

Her accompaninest, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, is quite exceptional as well and does a great job of making her positive qualities shine through. I think everyone will find something delightful in this CD!

Exquisite
"Her natural command of messa di voce phrasing, willingness to shade the voice away to the quietest pianissimo and acute sensitivity to the words of Caccini's love songs proved irresistible, attracting a generous mix of applause and foot stamping."

Such was the appreciation from the audience that the director had to request that the audience not stamp their feet as they would set off the alarm system.

There are hardly words to describe Cecilia Bartoli's remarkable vocal qualities, emotional range and warmth. When I listen to this CD, I am calmed completely. There is an element of comfort in her style. Maybe one could explain it as a lullaby for the soul.

She has the ability to support the longest of phrases on the back of a single breath all while varying the tone color and dynamic level. Singing seems as effortless as breathing as she becomes emotion all while capturing the drama and mood.

In this live performance from the Teatro Olympico in Vincenza, Italy, she performs each piece as if she is intimately entwined with the notes. How can music be this sensual and this comforting all at once? It just is. She can express a wide range of emotions, from profound despair to extreme joy.

The Teatro Olimpico is the worlds' oldest surviving covered theatre. It has fine acoustics, a sky-blue ceiling and marble. Cecilia Bartoli wanted to perform in one of the great treasures of Italy's cultural heritage and this led to this live performance with concert pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet who seems to sense every emotion in Cecilia's voice. It is a sublime combination of talent which is further enhanced by violins, viola, cello, violone, archlute and harpsichord.

Tu ch'hai le penne, Amore - A song to love asking love to fly to where the heart lies and to promise that his heart and soul were ever hers.

Amarilli - Delicate and beautiful expression of true love.

Al fonte, al prato - You can feel spring approaching and this song has a certain energy Cecilia embraces as she sings away troubles and sadness to allow in merriment.

Lascia la spina - Melancholy. "Old age will creep up on you when your heart does not expect it."

Agitata da due venti - Cecilia's voice takes flight in this song about waves raging in a stormy sea. She almost becomes the force of the ocean as her voice surges and dives and wow.

Oiseaux, si tous les ans, K307 - She embodies a haunting vulnerability and the freshness of spring/summer. This song ends far too quickly.

La pastorella, D528 - Calm beauty to reflect a shepherdess in a meadow. Innocent love.

Havanaise - It seems like she has a completely different voice in this song as she reaches
to new ranges in depth. Charmed by a song? Perhaps.

Hai luli! - A seductive treatment of a song asking "where can my love be?"

"What's the point of living without a lover?"

Zaide - High energy and fast paced. A song about an orphan.

Malinconia, ninfa gentile - Gorgeous and poetic song.

Ma rendi pur contento - She really captures longing and an almost delicate purity.

La conocchia - Light and breezy.

Me voglio fa 'na casa - A song about the desire to build a house surrounded by the sea. Fantasy and happiness.

Mi langero tacendo - Poignant moment.

"I shall not complain of my bitter fate;
but, my beloved, do not hope for me not to love you."

Mi lagnero tacendo ll resentimento - the sorrow continues. The lover is said to be cruel.

Mi lagnero tacendo Sorzico - more complaints of cruelty and sorrow. She seems to capture frustration so exquisitely and is that stomping I hear? ;)

L'Orpheline du Tyrol - The Tyrolean orphan girl. Jean-Yves Thibaudet really takes the stage at first and Cecilia follows almost timidly. A song of tragedy, hunger and suffering.

Riedi al soglio from Rossini's opera Zelmira left seasoned connoisseurs dazzled. After the aria's final cadence, they broke from their awe-struck silence to add to the shouts of "encore."

Voi che sapete - Light and yet still dramatic. Desire, torment, ice. All explored fully by her voice. You can hear "torment" when she sings "martir" even if you could not see the words or follow along. Her voice really "flutters" when she sings "palpito e tremo." It is just amazing.

Canzonetta spagnuola - A muse comes to torment a painter.

Caro mio ben - A lover grows faint without love. Solitary melodies and you can almost feel the chill in the room or the feeling of despair the lover feels.

Canto negro - Is there anything she can't sing? This piece might seem completely out of place, but by now everyone is completely drunk with emotion from this performance.

Seguidille - Pleasure comes when two people are together. Definitely so when Cecilia Bartoli and Jean-Yves Thibaudet perform together. This song is almost a metaphor of the entire intoxicating experience. I just love how the audience goes absolutely wild after this song.

And too soon, it is over. I look forward to one day viewing the performance on DVD. It will be so much easier to understand the words now that I've literally studied this performance. Knowing the words definitely adds to the subtle emotions and more expressive moments.

why canto negro!?
Like all I have heard from Bartoli before, this is a wonderful CD, mainly because she is such a unique artist. The only thing that really, really bothered me was the absurd inclusion of the horrific piece "Canto negro". It not only has nothing to do with the rest of the program, but the piece in itself --like everything I have heard before by the fiasco which Montsalvatge is-- is pretty bad, not worth of this beautiful selection. Bartoli should have never included it here.

This CD is for Mezzo fans!
If you prefer heavy voice and live music, this Cd is for you. Otherwise you will be annoyed by the breathy tone and noise by the audiences. well, for that reason try to listen to before you buy. I prefer her studio recorded version better than this. once again, this CD is not for everyone. Do not be hoaxed by marketing or review by someone who prefers mezzo voice. ... Read more

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Just in case you thought Nigel Kennedy--fresh from hisHendrix tribute album--had left the classical music repertoire for good, think again. On Classic Kennedy, the fiddler is situated with the English Chamber Orchestra in a program that spans from Bach to Satie. (Yes, you also get aJoni Mitchell tune; "Scarborough Fair"; and the fiddler's own forgettable "Melody in the Wind," too.) The sequencing is a bit disjointed--the summer storm from The Four Seasons is followed by Massenet's blissful "Meditation" from Thaïs--and Kennedy's performances range from good to fair. The English Chamber Orchestra does an admirable job on these diverse works (it deserves a lot of credit here), but it'll be up to the listener to decide whether he or she wants to hear "Air on the G String" followed by Kennedy's version of "Danny Boy." As with most Kennedy discs, you'll either love it or hate it. --Jason Verlinde ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Very Good!
I surprised myself when I bought this CD. I never thought I would actually spend money on classical music until I heard this CD in a music store. The pieces aren't too long (which usually bores me about classical music) and I like the collection (except for 2 pieces). The music is played perfectly that I can actually picture his expressions although I have never heard of Nigel Kennedy nor have I seen him perform. It has to be good since I was moved to buy it. It was money well spent. If you are new to classical music just as I am, this is a treat.

Clearly Kennedy
I had only heard Kennedy one other time and knew that this would be good, as it is. I'm not new to classical music and can say that Kennedy's playing is clear and beautiful. I don't know why others have such a hard time with it, but if it's talented and artistic violin music that you're looking for then this is for you...

The beauty as it is
On a scale of love-hate, I love this CD. No: I -L-O-V-E- it. That is a masterpiece in itself. I'm neither violinist nor classical musician, not even very experienced classical listener - though I enjoy "Der Ring des Nibelungen" much deeper than "Love Me Tender". What strikes me in Nigel's playing, and on this album particularly, is his incredible technical brilliance. When he plays a note it is always THE NOTE he's meant to play. Not a 1/16 tone mistake, not a 1/10 millimeter shift. Few singers are capable of such exactness, much less violin players. With a brush like this, you can paint whatever picture you want. And the pictures of Nigel's are just incredible. The deepest of his feelings are portrayed in his music with such a delicacy and balance, and with great confidence. On to titles: my personal faves are Brahms, Chopin, Bach, Satie and Kroll's. "Banjo and Fiddle" is so ironic and courteous, "Zigeunerweisen" is heartbreaking, "Nocturne in C Sharp minor" makes you breathless of its sweet sadness. "Hungarian Dance 5" swept all other versions away: compared to Kennedy's brave, sharp, masculine, fiery rendition, any other version seems like glucose syrup compared to juicy meat. "Air on the G String" is so airy and transparent. And "Czardas" is probably the best thing I've ever heard in my life...

Flawless. Brilliant. Beautiful.

An Interesting Concept, A Failed Production
A while back I had heard about a British violin soloist named Nigel Kennedy, who was working on transcribing songs by Jimi Hendrix for the violin. I had altogether forgotten his name until my friend lent me a copy of Kennedy's 1999 release 'Classical Kennedy', and when I saw the pictures of him with his Morrisey haircut, stubbly facial hair, and his leather jacket, I recognized this controversial figure, the so-called "Bad Boy" of classical music.

'Classical Kennedy' is an exploration of the violin not as the solo voice of a gargantuan half-hour concerto but, rather, the lead voice in a three to five-minute song, and it explores this concept from Bach to Joni Mitchell. Right away this poses a serious undertaking- it is difficult to achieve continuity in a classical album that practically spans the history of Western art music. However, this conflict is partly resolved by the consistency of the tracks' lengths.

Kennedy has a distinct sound, and his little "trick" is that he sometimes plays really hard and really fast. He occasionally draws an elegant and pure tone that listeners expect from a great soloist, but he also has the tendency to turn a beautiful phrase into a crude and apathetic statement. These days the idea of a violinist who isn't utterly predictable, and is willing to take liberties with the repertoire, is a pleasant muse, but Nigel Kennedy is certainly not the ideal solution.

Kennedy's gimmick becomes his fatal flaw- in classical music, the notes speak for themselves. He makes Bach and Brahms sound hoarse and nasal. Ask any professional violinist and they'll tell you that, though there isn't one exact way to play any piece, there are limits on what one should do with a phrase, and that rule is implicit through understanding the composition. It's a hard truth to face, and perhaps only a trained musician fully understands this phenomenon. Either way, there needs to be an intimacy between the performer and the listener. All in all, Kennedy's technique caves in on itself. He plays as if taking great liberties at every turn were in itself a good thing. He cuts off a note that should sing, his sense of tempo is awkward at best- he seems to be driven by self-indulgent whims rather than musical passion.

There are points in the album where I think that his approach does utter disservice to the piece. For example, his interpretation of Massenet's 'Meditations' simply does not compare to Itzhak Perlman's flawless, dramatic performance on 'A La Carte'. Kennedy's Chopin 'Nocturne in C#' (which really sounds better with just a piano) doesn't at all capture the emotion and power of Sarah Chang's performance on 'Sweet Sorrow'. I'm not saying that every single track on this album is a loser. But where he fails miserably in some regards is that his playing strays into avant-garde quirks, and it becomes somewhat ignorant to the music in the piece. Ivry Gitlis quoted in the DVD 'The Art of Violin' that 'of course it's an insult to music when somebody says 'that's the benchmark performance' or 'that's how it's supposed to be played''. But in a lot of classical works, the personality and individuality of the performer lay in the subtleties of the performance, not in urinating on the very things that made the piece wonderful and then hoping that the listener will somehow connect with it.

Nigel Kennedy, from a technical standpoint, is a musician to be envied, but I am certainly not one of his defenders. I am a violinist, and I have a life-long love and respect for some of these compositions. When I see these works become so utterly removed from the things that made them great in the first place, I become disappointed and depressed- but not because 'Classic Kennedy' has somehow offended me. Rather, these days it seems that classical record labels, big-shot corporate management, and major symphony orchestras, seem to think that a soloist with a clever gimmick is a cure for a disease effecting a dying genre. But classical music has upheld itself through discipline, conservation, and passion. In a lot of the pieces on this album, Kennedy abandons those values, and unfortunately the result is music that is surprisingly un-musical.

IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS
The selections are a real inspiration to younger advanced violinists. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

What a steal!
This recording of Sutherland's earliest records is absolutely brilliant!!! She soars through Arne and Handel as if it were the easiest music ever written. Whether you love Joan Sutherland, great singing or both: BUY THIS!

Good Early Sutherland Concert Fare
This CD is 67:52 in length and provides 20 songs and arias from three live BBC radio broadcasts, as follows: 2 from the Dec. 1958 broadcast, 8 from the Dec. 1960 broadcast, and 10 from the Dec. 1961 broadcast. None are well-known operatic arias; none have orchestral accompaniment; all but the first two are accompanied by her husband (and teacher/coach/conductor) Richard Bonynge at the keyboard. (The 1961 broadcast is devoted to eighteenth century music and is accompanied by Bonynge on harpsichord.)

The selections are relatively unconventional and unfamiliar--evidently a point with the concert choices made by Sutherland and Bonynge--which will be welcome and refreshing to many. As the notes point out, "This group is typical of the creative programs Sutherland and Bonynge would present for next 30 years. They created 15 different programs and appeared together 129 times in recital. . . . [They] loved to rediscover music and made a specialty of reintroducing the world to many forgotten bonbons, such as these." Dame Joan is in fresh, youthful voice (her international career began with her Covent Garden Lucia in 1959, and she was 32 to 35 when these recitals were broadcast) and sings handsomely throughout, often displaying an attractive mezzo-like fullness and warmth of tone. But Sutherland opera fans may be somewhat disappointed, not in the singing, but in the material here, which calls for little of the full-throated excitement, dazzling pyrotechnics, and brilliant high notes of her best opera recordings; this is more modest fare, and it is, appropriately, more modestly sung. The sound is decent, clean, eminently listenable monaural, no doubt from airchecks, but has this small annoyance: it is afflicted throughout with a residual level of pre-echo and post-echo that is clearly audible on a high-resolution playback system.

The indispensable Sutherland collections (apart from her complete opera recordings) are The Art of the Prima Donna (2 CDs, all 1960 recordings) and La Stupenda (2 CDs, recordings from 1959 to 1988); these should be owned by anyone interested in Sutherland, coloratura soprano singing, or simply great singing. This recital, while enjoyable, is certainly not of comparable importance. But if you are a Sutherland fan and would like to supplement her meatier operatic endeavors with engagingly sung concert fare from the early years of her international career, this is a good choice.

sensational!
this are sensational. what singing, what a voice. A MUST HAVE!

Bravissima!
Anyone who question Sutherland as the greatest coloratura soprano of all time should listen to this CD. She sings with complete control in all the arias. I think that Mozart had her in mind for the Constanza aria. Sutherland before 1975 as a dramatic coloratura soprano is simply without peer in this and any other century. A must have! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

wow
This CD is amazing. It's a shame more people don't know about this incredible group. I'm a brass player and I just learned of these guys a few months ago. If you like classical music or brass music, this is a must own!

Essential CD
If you like the sound of brass and if your tastes run the gamut from Gabrieli to Handy, with stops hither and yon, this CD is essential to your collection. In it, the Canadian Brass demonstrate their amazing ability to play the early Baroque masters right along side the early jazz masters -- and make it seem perfectly natural! In the process, a bit of Rimsky-Korsakov, Mozart and Lord knows what gets thrown in for good measure. Plus, they play a rousing rendition of Bach's "Little Fugue in G Minor." If the music on this CD doesn't get you going, you need to immediately go to the ER at the nearest hospital!

The Best "Best of" the Canadian Brass
If you buy one Canadian Brass CD, buy this one. It contains the widest variety of musical eras and styles. Our favorite CB song, Beale Street Blues is hard to find, but on this CD. There are serious, classical selections and fun songs such as the "Tuba Tiger Rag" and "Flight of the Tuba Bee". This is Brass Quintet music at its best! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Can't go wrong with this singing
These are undoubtedly beautiful perfomrance, notably on the choral works. The tempo isn't too fast nor too slow, and the balance between "authentic" and modern use of intrumentation is nearly ideal.
However:
Shopper, you may not be aware of this but Harnaocourt/leonhart (the conductors of this album) have produced a nearly comprehensive 60 CD bach cantata set. So why did they choose these oft heard cantatas when there are several performances in their collection surperior to these. I highly recommend listening to their cantata no.80 (not found on this CD).
All in all this is a great CD.

Wonderful, if you don't already have these!
The quality of these pieces and performances is exceptional (assuming you like the 1970s-style attempts at authentic performance). This disk was the first of my Harnoncourt / Leonhardt purchases; unfortunately, every single one of these is now also sitting in my rack inside the (complete) cantata from whence it was taken. All sung in German, of course, except for the B minor mass, which is sung in Latin.

But everyone must start somewhere, and this is a fantastic place to start. Among other things, it contains (numbers from):

* The Matthew Passion

* The Christmas Oratorio

* Cantata 147, which contains "Jesu Joy of man's desiring"

* The B minor Mass

* My Heart ever Faithful (Mein glaubiges Herze) - lovely.

It's a great gift idea for the subversion of friends and family who seem on the brink of becoming Bach afficionados, especially if they like choral/vocal music.

Lovely
If you enjoy the music of Bach and/or the sound of boy sopranos then you will enjoy this CD. It presents some of Bach's best and best loved songs, sung with expert precision by some very fine boy sopranos--a few of them have truly beautiful voices, and all of them are good. There is a good balance of solo pieces and chorales sung by men and boys together. One word, though: if you are accustomed to British or American boy singers then you will find these continental European ones something quite different--the boys are trained in a style more similar to opera singers and their voices are have more vibrato than their English counterparts--the sound is perhaps less "angelic", but fuller and richer. This is a worthy purchase for any true Bach fan or someone who really appreciates the beauty of an unchanged male voice. Top-rate quality of singing throughout.

Excellent sampling of Bach's vocal music
These recordings are taken mostly from the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt complete sacred Bach cantatas project, with several selections from the Saint Matthew Passion included as well. While I generally prefer women's voices to boys' in this repertoire (not authentic, I know), this CD makes an excellent case for using boys' voices in this music. The young soloists are all remarkably assured and sing with lovely, full tone, much different from the sound of English choirboys (most of the soloists here are German, Austrian, or Dutch). There are particularly lovely accounts of "Mein glaubiges Herze," "Blute nur," and "Flosst, mein Heiland" included here. So if you are looking to sample Bach's vocal works, or wish to hear the pure sound of boy sopranos, or simply want some lovely music, this is a disc to try.

Awesome, ethereal, inspiring
This is a quality recording with the sweetest voices...made me go and get some of the music to sing! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

PRIMA DONNA ASSOLUTA
This double-CD compilation album does very well in presenting a representative and comprehensive selection of Montserrat Caballe's encyclopedic repertoire. Both arias and scenes are included in this collection of some of the greatest operatic works. It is both representative of Caballe's work as well as the history of opera.

Caballe is one of a handful of the greatest sopranos who can lay claim to the title of Prima Donna Assoluta and with this album, it cannot be denied that she can lay claim to being THE greatest soprano in history. Her repertoire is unrivalled for its breadth and genre and her recorded legacy is unmatched for its comprehensive and exhaustive scope. Her technique is faultless, her breath control legendary and her voice a paralysingly beautiful combination of molten gold laced with honey and alcohol

This album earns top grading for its selection of scenes. My particular favourite is the Weeping Willow scene from Otello. As Desdemona, Caballe is perfectly in sinc with the character and her passion and feelings. Recorded in 1964, a year before she earned world-wide acclaim, this recording shows us just what it was that had been denied the world for almost a decade before being discovered.

Already, Caballe displayed most of the qualities that made her the star that she is today. Plangency of tone, matched with a real sense of urgency and the unmistakably poignent limpid tone with which she fleshed out the character are the foundation by which this Desdemona is based. As the scene progresses, Caballe is not only singing the role but is living the character. Her artistic conviction is so strong that we are held spellbound by her and are also involved. She could not have bettered herself when she ended the scene with a liltingly beautiful held pianissimi that thrilled and chilled.

Other arias are no less spectacular. Hear her career-making role, Lucrezia Borgia in which her voice is perfectly suited to the bel canto strains of the melody. She is matchless in Vissi d'arte when she climaxes and strings the three top notes in a single breath. Simply must be heard to be believed.

This features many obscure works as well as well as previously unreleased recordings. Get this as a starter to your Caballe library or get this to supplment your current collection.

Madame Caballé is great!!!
This collection of Caballé's recordings is fantastic! Her soprano is the most beautiful that has been recorded. L. Price, Tebaldi, Ponselle, and a few others have gorgeous voices, but can any of those voices compare with Caballé's? Caballé's singing throughout is of the highest standard. Her "Ave Maria" is spectacular. "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" has never sounded more beautiful. I love her "Non so le tetre immagini". Such beautiful singing does not come any better than this. Her "Caro nome" is disappointing. She is clearly not suited to this aria. "Inflammatus et accensus" is glorious. The later recordings are nice, but they are not the best Caballé has committed to disc. "Il est doux, il est bon" betrays a slight wobble in her otherwise still beautiful voice. "Dopo l'oscuro nembo" features very respectable soft singing from Caballé. This version does not do justice to Bellini's exquisite orchestration. For a version that does, check out Opera Rara's "The Collection: Volume 2". That version features competent singing from an inferior-voiced soprano, but the orchestra is ravishing. The one reviewer who mentioned the aria from "I Vespri Siciliani" as having "fioriture effects Berio could sign on to" is incorrect. The aria included here is not "Mercè, dilette amiche". That aria is more famous and much more florid than the aria included in this collection, "Arrigo, parli a un core". By the way, Caballé performs this aria ravishingly well. This is a superb testament to one of the all-time greats in opera.

Amazing collection!
I will write this review objectively, but I will not avoid praising Caballé when praise is due.

First off, this compilation is amazing! I have always thrilled to hearing Caballé's voice and this compilation is no different. I am amazed at Caballé's instrument; such extraordinary purity combined with great power! Even when she sings pianissimo, she can be clearly heard! Her voice literally fills up the room. These arias really show off her remarkable voice. Of special note is her rendition of the hauntingly beautiful "Non so le tetre immagini". Amazing! Her "D'amor sull'ali rosee" is exquisite, but she sings it too softly. Her trill is quite weak. Voices like hers don't respond well to being forced to trill. The tracks from the 1990's show off the remarkable preservation of her voice. The voice retains its purity and beautiful timbre, but is now heavier and darker. "Sempre libera" is not that good. Her coloratura is not up to par with Verdi's demands and she cannot hit the high E-flat at the end. However, she sings the main part of Violetta's aria very well, with supple, gorgeous tone and ravishing pianissimos. "Ah! non credea mirarti" is ravishing, but it is missing its energetic cabaletta. Presumably, it was cut because Caballé could not deal with the coloratura. Caballé's legato lines in this aria are superb. Her version of the "Lucrezia Borgia" Prologue is masterful. Elizabeth's last aria from "Roberto Devereux" is noble and touching. She is not quite Sills, but that aria benefits from a spinto voice instead of a soubrette one. Her aristocratic phrasing is very well used throughout the selections, with a few exceptions. Her "Willow Song" is beautiful, first time on CD. However, she fails to completely show Desdemona's despair. Some parts were good, but the whole thing failed to touch the heart. Her phrasing here is too indulgent. I have to say that I prefer Sutherland's touching version on her "The Art of the Prima Donna" recording. However, I loved "Ave Maria". Caballé sounds most beautiful when singing softly and this selection really shows her in the best light. Her cadenzas are intoxicatingly beautiful. "Caro nome" is not really her aria. The coloratura is suspect and some of the staccati are replaced with upward flourishes. She avoids the last short passage of staccati. Her phrasing in this aria is way too indulgent and she really fails to suggest Gilda's innocence. Even Sutherland is better at portraying Gilda's girlish qualities. Her "Armida" aria has some nice coloratura. She does the runs really well and is fearless in the triplet passages. For some reason, she does not sing the second "fronde" in the first line of the third stanza nor does she sing the last line of this stanza, "i muti abitator". She also does not sing the last line of the fifth stanza, "il tempo vorator". Caballé's first recorded version of "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" is included here. This just may be the most beautiful version of this aria ever recorded. It certainly is Caballé's best version of the aria. The climax is handled in one breath by Caballé. She diminuendos the big high note twice in the same breath. Amazing! The rolling of the "r" in "Signor" after the last diminuendo is quite nasal and reminds us that the sound we are hearing is coming from a human throat. It also shows that these diminuendos are natural and not studio produced. She infuses Tosca's aria with real feeling and piety. The compilation ends with a knockout reading of "Arrigo, parli a un core". Caballé is at her best in this aria. She sings softly to stunning effect. This version may be the most beautiful of this particular aria ever recorded. RCA has done Caballé justice with this wonderful collection. Caballé is truly a remarkable artist with a million-dollar voice. Brava!

Cannot be called an "ultimate" collection
This is a prime example of the a major recording label being fickle with the goods, in order to force you to continue buying other recitals and full-length studio recordings. Of course, any Caballe fan would already want to own those other recordings anyway, so the point is moot.

Other reviewers here have cried out against the exclusion of one of her most essential and artistic roles, Imogene from Il Pirata. I would like to emphatically express the same. In fact, I would even have settled for the exclusion of Casta Diva, in favor of Col Sorriso di Innocenza.

Some other stellar recordings not represented her are the Sleepwalking Scene from MacBeth, and Pace, Pace Mio Dio from La Forza del Destino. Also worth mentioning is her O Patria Mia from Aida. She might not be Leontyne Price or Martina Arroyo, but she gives a superb reading of this wonderful aria.

Of course, brevity does require some editing- a true "Ultimate" Caballe collection would span four or five CDs, at least- but to include late-career and less-than-best selections at the expense of others is a crime.

Perhaps the major Opera labels should start letting fans put together the track lists for these "best of" collections! We could do a much better job.

Satisfying compilation of Caballe arias
While I applaud any compilation that culls from as wide a recording corpus as Montserrat Caballe's, I actually found myself somewhat disappointed in this 2-CD set. But Caballe's singing is a delight and certainly makes the compilation worth the bargain price.

First, the good stuff. This set captures some material that was not commercially available until now, and it is brilliant. Mostly I am referring to Caballe's partnership with Gianfranco Masini and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. With this ensemble she recorded the arias from "La Sonnambula," "Il Trovatore," "Adriana Lecouvrer," "Rigoletto," and "Suor Angelica." Here we find Caballe's voice at its richest and most luxurious. "Caro nome," though not written for someone of her vocal type, is nevertheless a delightful suprise, with a trill that is surely the envy of many, and an ability to sustain it that is remarkable. The other arias with Masini fall right into her vocal style and they are magnificent. Other newly released tracks: an estimable "Vissi d'arte" and a solid "Willow Song."

Also commendable are the Donizetti arias (rereleased here from another recording available on RCA), the "Sempre libera" (from her solid full-length recording of "La traviata"), and the Rossini excerpts, in particular a ripping "D'amore al dolce impero" from "Armida" and beautiful duet with the superb Shirley Verret from "Semiramide."

The somewhat forgettable material invloves late-career recordings of selections from Massenet's "Herodiade," Gounod's "Sapho," and Bellini's "Adelson and Salvini." None of these show off Caballe's mature voice to any benefit, though they are a testament to the power of her voice even through the end of her performing career.

What is disappointing about this album is what it leaves out. RCA culled material from two brilliant albums, "Montserrat Caballe Sings Bellini and Donizetti" and "Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi: Rarities" when putting this compilation together, but they omitted some of the best material from each. No "Ultimate Collection" is complete without Caballe's "Il Pirata" Mad Scene and "Casta diva" from the aforementioned "Montserrat Caballe Sings Bellini and Donizetti." The "Casta diva" that was chosen is mediocre at best. From the "Rarities" album, the compilers should have taken the brilliant final aria from "La Dona del Lago," the aria from "Tancredi," or Mina's aria from "Aroldo."

Granted, it is only fair to evaluate an album for what is on it, but RCA goofed by letting some lesser material crowd out these gems. On the whole, however, this collection is certainly worth the having. And the price is unbeatable. But I cannot quite bring myself to call this set an "Ultimate Collection." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One of Her Best
This is one of the best performances of an operatic artist with the Morman Tabernacle choir in existance. Kiri's poise, music selections, and execution are flawless. The ending of "You'll Never Walk Alone" which would be forced for other artists is effortless for Kiri.

For anyone who enjoys choir music with guest artists, this recording is a "must buy".

Why forcing?
I bought the cassette (not the CD), and found one of my favorite songs there: You'll Never Walk Alone. This song was one that once encouraged me to walk with 'my head up high' during the (most) difficult time of my life.

What I don't understand from Dame Tekanawa is that at the end of the song, she forced a "show-off" ending with the unnecessary high note. I don't know what that had given impact to when doing it in front of an audience, but in the recording, it sure was not beautiful.

Other numbers were marvellous. I've always liked Dame Tekanawa.

One of My Favorite Kiri Recordings
I brought this after watching (And taping) her 1989 Mormon Tabernacle Temple concert on PBS in 1992, and I have to said, this is one of my favorite Kiri recordings ever. It's still is!

There's some great selections on there that Kiri fans will enjoy, such as the Cavalleria Easter Hymn, Auf Flugeln Des Gesanges, Home Sweet Home sung in her native Maori (Dame Kiri herself is half-Maori), as well as some that doesn't appear on PBS (Such as the rarely-heard Nuns' Chorus, the Nabucco Va Pensiero, and Hear My Prayer sung in English).

Althrough the CD is recorded live, as the booklet notes stated, portions are topped and tailed in a separated studio session, to give the CD a studio-like recording.

I do enjoy it so often. Now, only if the video of that concert is released commerically, so we can pleased it a lot. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Bartoli, in her musical journey defying all stereotypes, paints multi- dimensional vocal portraits of these Mozart characters. From the most delicate pianissimo to the grandest forte, this superb recording leaves you breathless. While others struggle with Come Scoglio's vocal gymnastics and Dove Sono's challenging legato, Bartoli uses her dark timbre, impeccable coloratura and passionate phrasing to create a kaleidoscope of luscious, wildly exciting sound. The fire of Mozart, the "romantic" composer, is brought to life. Occasional breathiness employed for dramatic purposes serves only to seduce the listener even more. Other selections including Exsultate jubilate, Davidde penitente, and selections from Don Giovanni are merely terrific. --Barbara Eisner Bayer ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Truly Great Mozart Recital
If I could own just ONE Mozart recital disc, it would be this one. (Though Renee Fleming's Mozart collection is superb as well). I believe that the two arias for Fiordiligi in COSI FAN TUTTE included here are among Bartoli's very finest recordings to date. But all of the arias on this CD are memorably performed. Please buy "Mozart Portraits"!

Stars fell on Italy...
...the day Cecilia Bartolli was born. Talk about blessed -- all this and such a versatile voice, too. Mozart would have been delighted.

However, I don't think she's perfect. Yet. This recording is, however. The orchestra has just the right timbre to complement the richness of her voice. And it is a rich voice. In fact, my main complaint is that I think she has outgrown Mozart's Susanna. Her voice is perfect for the Countess, and the rendition here of E Susanna non vien! is utterly charming and believable, with just the right touch of pathos.

The other aria that bothered me was the Batti, batti, o bel Masetto. She just sings it beautifully, of course, but it deserves more con fuoco at the beginning (she is, after all, begging to be beaten!) and more espansivo at the end, possibly with a touch of arrogance. Callas sang it that way once.

I prefer Kathleen Battle's Alleluia because she's more precise. Bartolli sings it "scorrevole." It's easy for her, as easy as a mother will sing a lullabye to a child. To me, this prayer needs vocal fireworks -- like an explosion of faith and gratitude. Bertolli can do it, she just chooses not to. That's why I can't fault her for it. After all, she made the album, it's her choice.

In all I really love this album and I love her voice. How wonderful it must be to have the ability to open your mouth and have such musical richness issue forth. The pleasure alone has to be worth all the work and effort it takes to make it that way.

The Best "Exultate, Jubilate"
"Exultate, Jubilate" seems to be one of those works which every soprano records at some point in her career. Among others, I've heard recordings by Barbara Bonney, Sumi Jo, and Kathleen Battle. But if I had to choose only one recording of "Exultate, Jubilate" to content myself for the rest of my life, it would definetly be this recording - Cecilia Bartoli's. She sings gloriously, with such an infectious joy that I've never heard in the others (Sumi Jo comes close, but still too careful and measured). The orchestration is also great - big and full of gusto, just like Cecilia's voice.

I haven't listened closely to the rest of the disc, but from what I have, it is just as well done as the "Exultate, Jubilate" (especially the Countess's "Dove Sono" and Despina's humorous "In Uomini, in Soldati"). As one reviewer pointed out, this recital would have made Mozart proud - I heartily agree.

bravo bartoli!
this got me hooked on Cecilia Bartoli. I heard the Mozart Exultate Jubilate over the radio, every hair on my body upright & quivering with delight. She sings it like you dream to hear someone sing it. Heavenly! And then you disover the rest of the cd is like unpacking a treasure chest - one gem following the other. Don't just sit there, buy it :) For once in your life, you will NOT be sorry :)

Mozart would have been proud
It was Maria Callas who complained that Mozrt is too carefully sung by singers - as if they're on their tiptoes. Well, on this disc is a singer who doesn't sing as if she's on her tiptoes; she breaks all the steroetypes associated with Mozart's music (you know, the period style-followers and those who argue that Mozart should be sung lightly)and gives us a completely emotional portrayal of the composer's heroines. Of the many pieces represented, I found the two beautiful Giovanni arias most satisfying, although all are wonderfully sung. Batti, batti is sung with a delicateness that makes you feel like you're eating the sweetest chocolate and enjoying every moment of it. In quali...Mi tradi is sung with a grittiness that really portrays the true emotions of Donna Elvira, who is a broken woman - the feisty singing og the recitativo almost sounds like the vengeful Medea (but thankfully, it isn't quite that extreme). Every note Bartoli sings portrays some kind of emotion - she is a singer who really has a joie de vivre in her singing. Every note is a joy to hear because she is transmitting her own joy for singing. I have rarely heard such a natural commuinicator in singing, which I regard as the highest form of art. In Exsultate, jubilate Bartoli sings like the words - exalted and jubilant. The Alleluia is a sheer joy to hear. Everything on this disc is simply great. I have always said that music is about communication of emotions and this is precisely it. I am not just writing all sorts of superlatives because I'm a huge fan (I am a huge fan though), but because she fulfils the meaning of music through her singing and serves the composer as faithfully as she can. She is a singer that makes you feel great about living. There can't be many performers who can do that. Brava. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

hilarity in music
Virtually every CD that Peter Schickele has put out under the name of PDQ Bach has been absolutely hilarious. This is one of his best albums - it will have you in stitches in no time flat.

"Oedipus Tex," the title piece, is a stunning parody of (of course) Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" - from the line "the gods are ticked off and now someone must pay" to the ending chorus of "the eyes of Texas are upon you" (set to the tune of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"), the piece is one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

"Classical Rap" - this track alone is worth the whole cost of the album. This "Yuppie" rap combines the stereotypes of rap music with Vivaldi and Bach, and has as its setting the upper West side of Manhattan.

"Knock Knock Cantata" - some of the worst jokes you'll ever hear set to some of the worst music you'll ever hear. The combination of text and setting is really hilarious - talk about form meeting content.

"Birthday Ode for Big Daddy Bach" - the more you know about music, the funnier this piece is.

BUY THIS CD.

Irreverent hilarity
Oedipus Tex is both my favorite Country/Western ballad and one of my favorite oratorios!

Classical Rap is, IMHO, the only Rap piece worth listening to.

This is one of "The Bad Boy of Classical Music", Peter Schickele's best recordings.

I am a PDQ junkie!
This was my first PDQ recording and it has kept me coming back for more.My father who hates music even LOVES it!It does take a special musician or music lover to appreciate the genius of such a man as Peter Shickele. Being a musician, I have performed numerous PDQ works in the past and they are extremely difficult.Oedipus Tex is by far the most ingenious album created, in my belief, in as far as its contents and musical professionalism.

Hilarious ... now if only it wasn't on Telarc ...
Easily the most consistenly hilarious of Schickele's P.D.Q. outings. "Oedipus" is hands-down his best work yet. Now, if only the recorded sound could match in terms of excellence. I know Telarc touts itself as an audiophile label, but I personally have always found their recordings cavernous and muffled. I suppose if I owned super-high-end stereo equipment, I could twiddle enough knobs to compensate for the lack of compression and equalization in the recording. Nevertheless, this CD is the essential PDQ and required listening for anyone who has ever suffered through the endless recitatives of Handel et al.

Brilliant parody
Oedipus Tex is a brilliant parody... I had a teacher listen to it once and then it circulated around the entire English department. "Classical Rap" is a wonderful piece as well. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Greatest March Sampling Out There!
Knowing very little about classical music, I bought several march compilations a few years back, in hopes that I could develop at least a fanboy level of appreciation. Of the compilations I picked up, this is the one that showed me the most diverse sampling of marches. If you want to become familiar with the march genre, this collection runs away with the blue ribbon, with no contendors close behind. The other compilations I came across focused strictly on the American military marches; they were all very good, but this compilation dishes up a diverse menu, from Ludwig Von Beethoven to John Williams.

This CD has a special place in my collection since it turned me on to John Philip Sousa, who has become one of my favorite composers ever. The Sousa selections on this CD are performed by The Incredible Columbia All-Star Band. I enjoyed these tunes immensely enough to buy some Sousa compilations, and found that while the All-Star Band's take on Sousa tunes is very good, I greatly prefer the releases by The United States Marine Band. The Sousa tunes on this CD are a bit rushed for my taste, while The United States Marine Band's delivery seems more pronounced and evenly paced.

My personal favorite track is Kenneth Alford's "Colonel Bogey" performed by John Williams and The Boston Pops Orchestra. They take Alford's memorable placid march, and shape it into a powerful storm-of-an-orchestral march. Absent are the keyboards prevalent in many renditions of Colonel Bogey, but beautifully replaced with a dynamic orchestra.

It's the variety of marches, however, that steal the show, especially if you are a novice like I am, and want to find out which era of marches is your cup of tea. You get a wide range, from Hector Berlioz's Racoczy March from "Damnation of Faust," to Edwin Bagley's "National Emblem March," to Victor Herbert's "March of the Toys," all the way up to the present day with John William's "The Raider's March" from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

I am still getting my feet wet learning about marches, and this compilation has given me a great head start. No doubt I'll cringe one day if I read this clumsy description of Sousa and Alford tunes, but for the time being, I am having great fun discovering a whole new school of music. This CD is a great starting point if you want to become familiar with marches.

Just one other comment that will only further display my amateur level of classical music appreciation, but I've just got to say it: JOHN PHILIP SOUSA ROCKS!!! There are very few pieces that sound as happy and uplifting as a Sousa march. I proudly salute Mr. Sousa!

For the Lover of Marches
This is the best march music CD I have in my collection. It covers a range from Beethoven's "Turkish March" (track 5 and my favorite of the CD) to Sousa. The weakness of the CD comes from the Incredible Columbia All-Star Band tracks. They do a few Sousa marches and the difference between them and the Boston Pops is very noticable. But that's just a minor complaint and certainly nothing to keep you from buying and enjoying this CD.

Blood Pumping Music
This CD took me back many years. It has great music that will get your blood pumping. It is a great selection of music and should be in anyones CD collection!!

Blood Pumping Music
This CD is a great CD. It includes some the worlds most famous marches with a great recording. I grew up in marching bands in East Texas and loved marches, and this CD gets my blood pumping and takes me back to the old days. If you love great music and marches, this is a sure buy!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In February 1959, an unknown (well, comparatively) Australian singer appeared at Covent Garden in Franco Zeffirelli's new production of Lucia di Lammermoor and took the world by storm. The following year,Joan Sutherland went into the studio to record this reissued tribute to prima donnas of previous generations, illustrating along the way the bel canto tradition of which she was to become a leading exponent. The 16 excerpts on this digitally remastered double CD include several roles she had already sung or was on the verge of singing, from Gilda in Rigoletto, which she had sung at Covent Garden before her Lucia debut, to Norma. What a performance! The voice is fresh, remarkable in its beauty, and she makes it all sound so effortless, tossing off Handel's "Let the bright Seraphim" or the Jewel aria from Gounod's Faust as if they're the easiest things in the world. This sparkling selection of glorious singing demonstrates just why Sutherland was to remain at the top of her profession for the next 30 years and join those to whom she here pays tribute as one of the great singers of all time. --Richard Fawkes ... Read more

Reviews (42)

The very best...period
Joan Sutherland has accomplished the most stupendous display of pyrotechnical display I've ever heard...this is stupendous...spectacular. No one in memory can match this...certainly not in shere beauty of timbre and mind boggling display of coloratura flights of unbelievable technical perfection. This is Sutherland in her prime...1960...and no one in operatic history even comes within a million miles of this...This must be heard to understand why she remains the standard to which all bel canto must be matched...THE most phenomenal voice in the history of mankind...she is the Queen of bel canto...Prima Donna Assoluta.......with trills that will shame a flute, and high notes that outshines a trumpet...

Impossible arias sung by the Golden voiced Joan Sutherland!
Yes! I got this for my Christmas present, and am thrilled to death. I already have this on cassette and lp, but this is my first Cd with Sutherland because I'm a starving artist. But it is superb, far more luminous than the lp or the cassette. The sound is so life-like! Finally, a medium that allows the Sutherland voice to be heard as it should be. Every aria is a tour de force of the highest caliber.

The most remarkable thing is the huge top. It is both enormous and has a brilliant vibrato. Funny thing that as Sutherland ages, the high notes got smaller and smaller. But not here, this is Sutherland at her best. I think if Birgit Nilsson had an E flat, that's what it would sound like, Wagnerian in size. Almost every aria has an high E flat or E. Besides the high notes is the most true to form of a trill that exist. An actual trill, not a tremolo like other divas.

I believe that when Donizetti and Bellini wrote for Pasta, Grisi, and Malibran, this is the kind of soprano he had in mind when he wrote these near impossible arias. A true diva from the golden age. Of course, the difference between these divas of the past and Sutherland is the enormous size of Sutherland's instrument. Plus the fact that all those divas of Bellini's time transpose these arias down one full step or more.

Sutherland doesn't do that. Even though she has a right to do so because the tones today are now almost a full tone higher than they were in the 17th century, so a high C then is only a B flat today. So an E flat today is much higher than an E flat in Donizetti's time. So all of Sutherland's E flats are actually high Fs! Imagine that.

If there is a single cd I can have on a desert island, this would be it. This is, without a doubt, the most taxing program that any prima donna has attempted in a single recital, every arias is a tour de force, stretching the limits of the human voice in all but Sutherland. In fact, this seems easy for her - it's effortless. I challedge anyone to find a coloratura today, or anyday, who can match up to La Stupenda.

IMCOMPARABLE!

The One Soprano Recording Every Collector Should Have!
Sutherland's "Art of the Prima Donna" has never been surpassed by any other great soprano of the 20th century. Her voice is at once a glory to behold: the perfect vibrato, amazing power balanced by a delicate grace, the most glorious top, unsurpassed technical skills, and sheer beauty. I have purchased hundreds of other soprano recordings over the past 35 years but none has come close to this collection. I'm simply in awe of it every time I hear it. Critics who complain about her diction must find something to nag about; to me it's a non-issue. There have been many great female artists over the past 50 years, and many marvelous recordings (I ought to know--I own them), but you'll never hear ANYTHING like this. They don't call her "La Stupenda" for nothing!

Like a walk in the clouds!
What can one say about one of the greatest soprano recitals ever. Despite all her later achievements, this early recital is Sutherland's most significant contribution to operatic discography.

This recital is full of her huge but always sweet high notes. This is after all, what made them so special. When I listen to these high notes it's as if a bird is taking me on a trip to the sky. Her coloratura abilities are jaw dropping to say the least. You have no idea what a trill or staccato means if you haven't heard Joan singing! Everything here is stunning but my favourites are her Bell Song, Care compagne and The soldier Tir'd.

I've never been Sutherland's greatest fan due to her mushy enunciation, which fortunately is restricted to the minimum here but this early recital never stays far from my cd player! Indeed the art of a primadonna, Sutherland's art!

All-time desert island recording!
Haven't you been disappointed sometimes by 5 star reviews? Gushing superlatives? Well, it's simply impossible to indicate in mere English how exceptional this recital is. Can a human being actually do that with her voice? Can we give it 100 stars?

If stranded on an island, this would be the recording I would want. I never tire of it -- it always amazes. This is required listening for any opera fan, but also for music buffs of any kind. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Heaven!
Wow. I just purchased this album yesterday and have listened to it over and over already! Kiri is perfect, every note, every vowel..every song, it's just absolute heaven. The first track, 'Martern aller Arten' is beautifully sung, Kiri flings her voice around and achieves a glorious, full sound. But the best track of all is Sei il Padre perdei -it will make you cry, smile, be blown away and be just plain amazed. Kiri has the richest voice I've ever heard, and is one in a million - the greatest soprano of this century, and if you looking for a good compilation by this artist, you've found it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A ***MUST HAVE*** ALBUM for lovers of CHORAL & SACRED MUSIC!
If you have a any appreciation at all for the human voice raised in song, you will absolutely LOVE this album!! I have had this album on cassette since 1990, but until three weeks ago, I'd never listened to the entire cassette. I had only listened to the first song on side A because I was that was the version of "Ave Maria" I was familiar with. THIS
ALBUM is the best compilation of choral music ever!!! It's not just different versions of "Ave Maria"; it is a compilation of songs whose theme is Maria. I particularly like the Giovanni Battista Pergolesi duet, "Stabat mater: Sancta mater istud agas". You would have to be DEAD not to fall madly, deeply and completely in love with this song. All the songs on this album are GEMS!!! I highly recommend this album. I'm buying the CD version myself, as I have been playing my cassette to death. Buy the CD already!!!!

One of the best CDs of my several hundred CDs collection
Unusually successful collection! Must have! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The rich-toned, musically elegant, always dignified contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) is probably best known as the first African-American to sing at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, but by the time she did (in the mid '50s), her once burnished, glorious voice was no longer at its best. Years before, when she was not permitted to sing in the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall (or any other hall in the U.S. capital), she gave a concert in the open air, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which was attended by press, dignitaries, and a crowd of more than 75,000. Much of her late work is well known--arias from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, spirituals, and the like--but this CD also allows us to hear the voice when it was young--in the 1930s and '40s. One can almost hear Schubert's trout ("Die Forelle") dancing around in the water, and an aria by Scarlatti shows Anderson's coloratura abilities--the big voice could be scaled down to intimate, chamberlike proportions. She brings her intelligence and textual insights to other songs by Schubert and Brahms as well. This is a marvelous collection and a fine tribute to an American original. --Robert Levine ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Marian Anderson - an outstanding collection
This CD with recordings of Marian Anderson between 1936 and 1952, should be heavily promoted. The CD gives listeners a fantastic opportunity to hear the singer in a variety of song styles and languages. I heard her sing live, once, in the 1960's and was stunned then by her vocal skills and musicality. This is the first record or CD which truly reflects her amazing talent. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best of American Choral Singing!
This CD could be the cornerstone of your choral music library! Wonderful performances of all of the essential choral pieces give a wonderful introduction to choral music for someone new to it, and also give a nice sampler of the best pieces for someone already familiar with the music. Listening to each excerpt may inspire you to purchase the entire work!

As you would expect of performances by Robert Shaw's groups, these performances are really extraordinary and show the best of American choral singing.

A good album, but--
The three stars I have given this album are not for the performances, which are all tremendous and deserve five stars or more, but for the idea of releasing this sort of compilation. Every single one of these selections is part of a larger Shaw-recorded work already released by Telarc, and you are far better off seeking the complete recordings that all these pieces are from, than just buying a mere "sampler". (Shaw, however, never did get around to recording the complete " L' Enfance du Christ".) Of course, that can be very expensive for some people, and if one cannot afford all those recordings, I suppose this is the next best thing. One can't shake off the feeling, however, that because Shaw is no longer with us, Telarc is desperately trying to give the impression that "new" Shaw recordings are constantly being released by them, when the truth is that nearly all the new ones are mere recyclings. (The last complete Robert Shaw album released by Telarc was Dvorak's "Stabat Mater", a CD well worth buying.)

Awesome
This album is so up-lifting. As the music soars, so do your spirits. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

calamity in high C
if you cant sing and laugh at the same time just wait til he tries to do a Rap song. look for my favorite song of his "o little town of hackensack" for christmas time

Totally corny and totally classic!
What can I say? These attempts to poke fun at classical music and aficionados of the genre are silly, puerile, well-informed, beloved by said aficionados, and utterly hilarious. With a style of humor that is something like a cross between Garrison Keillor, Victor Borge and Monty Python, "Professor" Peter Schickele has been perpetrating the P.D.Q. Bach phenomenon since 1959. "Researching" and sometimes even dressing up as the alleged "last and least" of Johann Sebastian Bach's many children, Schickele has composed, conducted and performed send-ups of various composers and musical styles. This four CD set compiles some the best (or should I say "worst"?) of his efforts. Included are "The O.K. Chorale", "The Unbegun Symphony", "My Bonnie Lass, She Smelleth", "The Seasonings", "Schleptet in E flat minor", "Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments", "Concerto for Horn and Hardart", and my two personal favorites: "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" (with commentary by sports analysts discussing the "competition" between the conductor and the orchestra) and the hilarious cantata "Iphigenia in Brooklyn". I can remember my father rolling on the floor in hysterics upon first hearing "Iphigenia", and anyone who is familiar with the Baroque oratorio style of such ubiquitous works as Handel's "Messiah" or J.S. Bach's cantatas will undoubtedly howl too at all the "in jokes". If you're serious about Baroque or classical music, do yourself a favor--let your hair down, get un-serious, and listen to these CDs every once in a while. And may every genre of music be fortunate enough to have a "P.D.Q. Bach" invented for it!

A Twisted Genius!
This four disc collection (Volume 1) of the pre-digital recordings of P.D.Q. Bach is excellent! P.D.Q. is the Anti-Mozart, and devilishly dis-fun-ctional at that. And for comedy music, the upside to Professor Peter Schickele is that the music is actually memorable and quite good on its own. The more you know about classical music or music theory in general, the funnier this music becomes. After listening to the oratorio The Seasonings, tell me you didn't roll your eyes at the trio "Bide thy thyme", remember the last football game you attended during the Finale, or find yourself singing "Open sesame seeds" about an hour or so later. The Unbegun Symphony is at least as exciting as the sum of its forty-odd, far more illustrious parts. Why pay for a music appreciation course when you can cram it all in just under 9 minutes. I remain ever-so-slightly disappointed to this day that Mozart didn't think of the same key change in Symphony 41. The Pervertimento is priceless. Beethoven's Fifth with running commentary is probably one of the best routines on record. The Schleptet lays a glorious egg and the two operas are irreverant and inane respectively. Oh yes, and don't forget to cringe during "Please, kind sir". The remastered sound is excellent compared to their first digital release. ... I ... am having to wait until Vanguard releases the second volume so that I can have a decent copy of the Missa Hilarious. However, in the meantime this collection will do just fine.

Good stuff, but...
Having indulged in the works of Prof. Schickele whom I call the "Weird Al" of Classical Music (Sorry, Al) for ten years now, I give this collection thunderous applause, especially for the fact that it FINALLY includes the "Sanka Cantata!" However, it's my personal opinion that it pulled up one album too soon. Had it included "Portrait of P.D.Q. Bach," there would be no need to wait for Vanguard or Schickele or whoever to remaster the rest of the Vanguard PDQ catalogue. But, since it doesn't, I'm noting my objection here.

I like the extended liner notes, though. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Special Note to Oboe Lovers
This CD is worth buying if only for John de Lancie's famous rendition of the Marcello Oboe Concerto (the whole concerto is included), which is the best I have ever heard. His interpretation of the soaring slow movement is especially beautiful. The sound is very clear and the other selections too are quite good, with perhaps a little too much emphasis on the pompous... But never mind all that: if you like the oboe as much as I do, this is probably one of the best available examples of de Lancie's wonderful sound and definitely worth the price of the whole CD! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect Music From an Angelic Voice
I can't add much to the superb review by lesismore26 (I give it five Stars! ) but I do have one disagreement. I LIKED the Ulrica aria. Yes, the voice is past its prime, but the artistry is very much there. In fact, the piece makes it clear that while her voice sounds perfect for her repertoire, it could have handled opera quite beautifully too. It's true that the pure, ethereal quality of her tone is DEFINITELY well suited to Baroque and Classical oratorio, and true that there simply aren't that many roles for contraltos. But it is also true that these reasons had NOTHING to do with why this particular contralto was not singing in opera houses. Another voice as dazzling as hers would have had composers creating roles tailored for them.

I wouldn't trade her spirituals and lieder, but I would have liked to hear her sing Erda, or Clytemnestra, maybe even Dalila (if you can imagine this Angelic persona in THAT role!)

TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ARTIST
Marian Anderson is remembered in too many instances for the wrong reasons: the first Afro-American artist to be engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in a leading role; the artist who sang the monumental concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution --- an action that sparked mass indignation and worldwide attention to the fact that the racial prejudice was alive and well in the United States; the artist who became a symbol of grace and dignity during the civil rights movement. While all of these things are true, they eclipse the simple fact that Marian Anderson's singularly individual and distinctive, and true contralto voice was one of the jewels of the musical century, and that her pursuasive powers as an interpreter of the lieder of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Sibelius were the stuff of which legends are made. What is also overlooked is that the fabled voice was a long way past its prime at the time of that Metropolitan Opera debut in early 1955. The role was that of the witch Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera"--- not a leading role, but a very important and pivotal one nonetheless ---- but by that time the voice had become dry, unsteady, frequently out-of-tune, and very "old" sounding. Anderson was already around 58 years old, and while her "debut" was historic from a social standpoint ----- it opened the doors for such future legends a Leontyne Price, Martina Arroyo, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry ------ it was certainly not a great vocal milestone. It was simply too late for any sort of a career at the Metropolitan Opera, and though it was the blatant racial prejudices of the times that prevented Marian Anderson from singing on the opera stage during the years of her vocal prime, it would appear, as evidenced by her work on records (even by those made in her greatest years -- the 1930's and 1940's), that her temperment and vocal demeanor was far more suited to the concert and recital platforms, and it was in this milieu that Marian Anderson lavishly demonstrated her true genius. To begin with, the excerpts on this recording from Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" didn't need to be included for the reasons cited above: they were recorded immediately after the Met debut in 1955 and the voice is in the condition one would have expected. The rest of the contents were recorded during the artist's vocal prime much earlier. Virtually all of the Schubert selectionsare beautifully done, especially the "Ave Maria", which became Anderson's trademark. The "Liebesbotshaft" (from "Schwanengesang) and "Wohin" (from "Die Schone Mullerin") show the voice at its most fluid, as do all of the items by Schumann. The Brahms "Alto Rhapsody", another Anderson speciality, haunting in its desolation and feelings of isolation, helped in no small part by Anderson's deep purple contralto tones. Selections by Richard Strauss (a beautifully realized rendition of "Morgen") and Rachmaninoff round off the lieder portion of the recording. Bach's "Erbarme dich" (with orchestral accompanyment) is one of the most beautiful ever recorded, and Handel's "He Shall Feed His Flock" illustrates vividly just how how much this music needs a true contralto voice. In this age of pushed-up and pulled-down mezzo-sopranos, it is a revelation to hear what this type of voice accomplish in all of this music. If you want to become acquainted with one of the greatest vocal phenomenons of this century, this superb RCA Victor mid-priced recording is an excellent place to start. ... Read more