Greatest Hits: Harpsichord Review

I can't imagine a better sampler of harpsichord 'hits' played by one of the great stereo-era masters.A full complement of emotions is displayed here, from the most delicate and sparing texture to the most rip-roaringmartial roar.If you're wondering what the harpsichord is about, or ifyou're already a fan and want a great sampler to play for your own delightand amusement, you cannot go wrong with this recording.

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World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Vol. 5: Yugoslavia [Live, Original recording remastered] Review

This CD is a historical recording of the *best* *authentic* *live* Yugoslavian music that can be heard anywhere! It was recorded at a folk festival where village musicians and dancers from many regions of Yugoslavia gathered: Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, & other areas. They participated in this event disregarding their ethnic & political differences. The music and dancing brought unity and peace - there was no indication of the explosive changes the future would bring . It includes unique instruments and vocalizations along with descriptions of the song and background information about the music and region. The songs, dances and music are "from the people and by the people" no finer definition and representation of folk music anywhere. Although, I have heard that some of the "intellectual" descriptions in the liner notes are not accurate (this from ethnics who originated from the areas represented), never-the-less there is no doubt that it was live music and a live festival which was recorded "on the spot". A great sample of beautiful authentic village sounds! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

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Product Description:
No Description Available.
Genre: World Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 27-FEB-2001

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World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Vol. XVII: Romania [Live, Original recording remastered] Review

I was *not* disappointed. I can listen to this CD for hours: raw instruments and natural voices playing unfamiliar rhythms and tunes with "other worldy" sounds: evocative of a more natural life! It contains a vast expanse of village music, from throughout different regions of Romania. The music is "authentic" in that it is "folk music": i.e., songs & instruments played by villagers & sung by villagers... Nothing against learning via lessons --- however, let's face it: when you sing and play from the heart, it is quite different than reading notes in a book and repeating patterns ... This is a collector's item!!! I was enormously *pleased* it was reissued for our listening pleasure. (BTW, if you want to play along with clarinet or sax - go listen to Greek music. Lots of room for improvsiation there ...) Erika Borsos (erikab93)

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Helmut Lotti Goes Classic: The Red Album Review

EXCELLENT CLASSICAL CHOICES,GREAT VOICE, GREAT ORCHESTRATION,AND EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY.2 THUMBS UP FOR HELMUT LOTTI.BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Panorama: Colours of the Orchestra Review

The long-sheet insert that accompanies DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON's COLOURS OF THE ORCHESTRA contains an essay in German, French and English, plus a timeline beginning with "Dresden Court Orchestra-1548" and ending at "American seating plan becomes standard-after 1945."

Archival recordings span the years 1959-1997. Good headphones reveal the difference between analog tracks and digital. Besides a quiet background hiss there's less vibrance and transparency with the older selections. To be fair, those listening in the car or on a less-than high end stereo may not notice all that much.

This album favors Gallic composers: Delibes, Chabrier, Fauré, Enesco and especially Berlioz. (Berlin Radio Symphony's "Rákóczy March" is marvelous, BTW.) Even Bavarian-born Charles Gluck was influenced by French opera and lived in Paris.

RANDOM NOTES--
Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops "Toccata & Fugue" is typically overdone.

After all that orchestral bombast, Bernstein's Adagio For Strings (Barber) is welcome aural relief.

Opening melody and coda of Boccherini's String Quintet should be familiar to all.

Von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic fans will love his Hungarian Dance #1.

DISC TWO opens with a wonderfully-recorded Chabrier march. Kudos to Detroit Symphony.

Delibes' ballet Gavotte is one most of us first heard in cartoons. Gothenburg Symphony handles it well.

Elgar's String Serenade is presented in full (tracks #7-9).

At times, Enescu's Roumanian Rhapsody whirls like a top. London Symphony delivers one of this CD's highlights.

Gounod's Faust waltz is the other, thanks to von Karajan and the Berlin Phil.

Funeral March of a Marionette also opened and closed the 1950s TV series, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS.

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Caribbean Voyage: East Indian Music in the West Indies Review

This is quite an interesting set of recordings. I bought it because of the title alone. I have plenty of Indian musics from India, but not knowing all that much about the West Indies I had no idea that there was/is a sizeable Indian population there.
I guess it's strange that my first cd of Indian folk musics ended up being recorded in Trinidad and Guadeloupe.
I'm not sure whether this is inherent to all field-recordings of Indian folk music or just this one, but there is indeed almost an African feeling of communal spirit about many of these recordings. Part of me would tend to think that this could just be an aspect of this music because of the geographical location of these people, yet from the liner-notes I also get the feeling that there wasn't a ton of interaction between these Indian communities and the rest of the island cultures. I don't know... maybe it's almost influence-by-osmosis? Or maybe it's just attributable to those island breezes!
This is still seriously Indian music, though. If you don't like any sorts of African music you need not worry.
This disc gives us work songs, funeral songs, wedding songs, etc...
Mainly made up of strains influenced by North Indian musics, but there are also some South Indian tracks. In case you may be wondering, no, this isn't pop music. This is still very much roots-music, it's just that time, distance, and new social settings have caused the music to mutate so that it may not necessarily be all that similar to the musics that initially influenced it.
There is a small mix-up in the track listing in the liner-notes. Song 7 is track 5, song 5 is track 6, and song 6 is track 7.
All in all, a very rewarding set of recordings. We get various communal drumming styles, vocal-and-harmonium, vocal-and-sarangi, work songs, etc...
It's almost refreshing to go from the superhuman world of Indian classical musics to the musics of the everyday people. These are the songs that get people through their lives, whether it be in joy, mourning, work, or celebration.
A great, and probably quite rare addition to any collection of Indian musics. This also has one of the best segments of any Lomax recording I have, in terms of hearing him be with the people he is recording. You really get a feel for the type of giving, open person he was.

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World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Vol. 7: India [Original recording remastered] Review

Another impressive release in Rounder's fabulous Alan Lomax series...The very nature of this album's title, a hangover from the 1950s field recording era, indicates both the scope and the drawbacks of this disc.It is a sweeping overview of Indian classical and folkloric styles, and as such it is alternately delightful and disappointing.Gathered by French ethnomusicologist Alain Danielou, these well-produced recordings capture many vibrant performances in a variety of styles.Yet as any fan of Indian music will tell you, two-to-three minutes is simply not enough time for most songs to properly develop, and while these are excellent examples of the music, they are not complete performances.But seen as a guide post to steer you into deeper exploration of Indian music, this is a very, very nice record.Recommended.

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Classics at the Movies [Soundtrack] Review

I ordered this product from one of the many "USED" sellers and received only 1 of the 4 disks in the mail--unfortunately it did not have the other 3 disks--be sure to read the comments below each seller so you know just what you're getting! If you want all 4 disks, choose appropriately.As for the sound quality, it was just fine--I wanted some introductory music for my young children to get them interested in classical music.

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Best of the Mantovani Orchestra [Box set] Review

The quality of the recording is poor. You can hear flutter in the string passages, which is 90% of Mantovani's music! There is also hiss noise, and pops in piece transitions... Amateur transcription from tape to CD's, is my guess. Someone else made bad reviews regarding the poor recording on the same record label, so my suggestion is to stay away from the label Madacy Records.

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Le Rose Rosse [Enhanced, Extra tracks, Import] Review

I just listened to the samples provided by Amazon.com for this album and if the rest of the selections are as wonderful as the first five samples then I'm in for some great listening.I am ordering all Buti's albums that are on the market.My only regret is that he is no longer here to make more.My father brought his love for Buti when he came from Italy but I was too young to recognize such great talent.But I do now and recommend that anyone who still keeps with his heritage buy this album before it is no longer available.

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Leontyne Price & Samuel Barber: Historic Performances, 1938 & 1953 Review

For devotees of either Leontyne Price or Samuel Barber, this CD is a cherishable piece of musical history--actually, two cherishable pieces.On one CD, the listener shares in two historic live performances.The better known is the October 30, 1953, recital at the Library of Congress, at which the 26-year-old Leontyne Price began her long musical alliance with Samuel Barber by singing the world premiere of his "Hermit Songs".Also included in the recital were four other songs by Barber, as well as eleven French songs by Poulenc, Sauguet, and Faure--25 songs in all.Barber was the accompanist for the entire recital, playing superbly.

Barber and Price recorded "Hermit Songs" in the studio a year later, and Price also did studio recordings of four of the Poulenc songs in 1959 on "A Program of Song" with her usual accompanist, David Garvey.It is interesting to compare the live and studio versions of the Barber and of the Poulenc, all of which are currently available on CD.The live ones seem more filled with the need to reach out to the audience, and Price's voice, in projecting to the audience, seems a bit darker and more dramatic, even though Price was younger at the time.There is more adrenalin flowing. The studio recordings are more "inner", more reflective, more subtle, more floating.Also, the superior sound technology of the studio more completely captures the unique quality of Price's voice in its prime, and that ultimately leads me to prefer the studio versions to the ones on this CD.Nevertheless, there is drama in these live performances that I would not be without.For instance, Price and Barber make Poulenc's "Tu vois le feu du soir" richer and more compelling here, and Barber's urgency at the keyboard on this piece makes Garvey seem tame.

The most esoteric part of this CD is the other live performance.In addition to being a gifted composer and pianist, Samuel Barber was a rather good baritone in his youth, and the last twelve songs (folksongs from England, Kentucky, the Tyrol, and Tuscany, as well as German lieder) are from a recital broadcast from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia on December 26, 1938.The 28-year-old Barber, whose aunt was the famous Metropolitan Opera contralto Louise Homer, studied under bel canto baritone Emilio de Gorgorza.Not surprisingly, Barber's singing displays the same quicksilver vibrato (somewhat unfashionable for baritones now) and refined style that de Gorgorza's recordings have.Barber's voice does not sound large, and the selections seem carefully chosen to avoid extremes of range or power which he may not have possessed.Nevertheless, he not only sings beautifully and sensitively, but expertly plays his own accompaniments!This CD, in short, is an important addition to the recorded history of musical performance in America.


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Product Description:
The 1953 recording features the spectacular twenty-six year old Leontyne Price, accompanied by Samuel Barber at the Library of Congress.The duo's entire recital is issued whole for the first time. In this recital the soprano and composer give the world premiere performance of Barber's "Hermit Songs", and perform Henri Sauguet's "La Voyante" (The Fortune Teller) and other songs by Barber, Poulenc and Faure.
This remarkable 1938 recording, released to the public for the first time, gives us the 28 year old baritone, Samuel Barber in 12 songs, accompanying himself at the piano. These little known performances reveal Barber as a singer/player of uncommonly deep communicative power. The performances (issued in cooperation with Mr. Barber's estate and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia) include folk songs from England, America, the Tyrol and Tuscany as well as lieder by Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, C.P.E Bach and Schubert.

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The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ Review

Legacy did a very poor job of transferring a very good original tape recording to CD.It actually sounds like they used a duplicate tape intended for a 33-1/3 record pressing instead of the original master tape recordings.
The audio equalization is so bad the mighty Wurlitzer organ screeches and grates on the ear.George Wright's Banda CD remasters are far, far, better.Legacy needs to redo this recording and volume two as well.
Bill Wood

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Product Description:
The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ by George Wright
This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.



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Just for the Record: The Golden Voice Review

Decca's release of this career-spanning Marilyn Horne recital contains many "golden" nuggets, but isn't the absolute best representation of her artistry, in my opinion.

There was certainly plenty of material to choose from, as Horne was one of the most recorded mezzos in the twentieth century.As advertised, Madame Horne personally approved the final recital list, and the diva undoubtedly has sentimental attachment to certain selections.Furthermore, a conscious attempt was made to represent the different genres explored during her decades-spanning career.This approach, however, leaves out some truly stunning material that would have made an even stronger case on why she was such an operatic institution.

In summary:

The first disc begins with the Habanera from Carmen.Horne was very proud of her Carmen, noting that it surpassed sales of Callas's Tosca at one point.It deserved to be included, but I don't think she was "THE" Carmen, and besides, the whole opera is so warmed-over by now, it's hard to get anyone excited about it!

From then on, we are treated to a bonanza of wonderful arie and scena.The aria from Samson et Delilah is a real gem.Horne was certainly not the most glamorous singer, but My God, the interpretation is heavenly.This is what the aria sounds like in the hands of a world-class contralto.Eccomi in Babilonia follows, and by anyone's measurement, she is the finest Arsace on record.Blessed with an extraordinary range, she is as fulminating in both the top and bottom registers.What's more, her spirited delivery magnifies the pure genius of Rossini's music.As for Cruda Sorte, "ditto," as Marilyn herself might say.

Next, we are treated to two excellent Handel arias.Iris, Hence Away gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it.This was recorded in the early sixties, for inclusion in the Age of Bel Canto recital she shared with Joan Sutherland and Richard Conrad.Now, if she had recorded this a few years later, she might have drove the coloratura harder.However, at this point, the voice had a somewhat lighter quality, thus the aria isn't sung with that all-purpose "Marilyn Horne" voice we are so used to.Speaking of lightness, Dove Sei, Amato Bene will send shivers down your spine.Again, Marilyn wasn't known for her subtlety, but she proves here that she was more than capable.Just listen to the fluttering trills and fil di voce, and dare to disagree with me!One of my major complaints is it there isn't more Handel on the recital.Sure, a whole recital of Handel arias by Horne is still available, but in this best-of disc, there was room at least for Or La Tromba, the trumpet aria from Rinaldo, and a personal favorite.Also, nothing is included from Vivaldi's Orlando Il Furioso, another travesty.

The pinnacle of the first disc is Addio, I Miei Sospiri, from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.This is Horne magified to the nth power.Where to start?A scrumptiously sung recitativo, then the aria itself, with Marilyn pulling out all the stops.The bronzed tone, perfect breath control, spectacular coloratura fireworks, superlative diction, evenness and security from top to bottom, and Marilyn's own way of generating excitement will floor you.This is bravura singing at the highest level.

After a few other selections from the French reperetoire, the disc closes with two Rossini warhorses.Again, the "ultimate" Horne best-of would have saved room for more Rossini, on the second disc.But the evidence here is ample enough to proclaim her honorific as the leading interpreter of Rossini in the last century.

The second disc is less satisfactory.The first selection, Superbo Di Me Stesso sounds like it came from an inferior source, and wasn't remastered properly.Il Segreto Per Esser Felici, from Lucrezia Borgia is fine enough, but Marilyn could have ornamented more, and that snare drum is too loud!Then, we have an extended scene from Il Trovatore.Now, Marilyn herself stated that she wasn't perfect in Verdi.As she put it, she sang Verdi by not taking "both feet" out of the bel canto waters, so that she could go on singing the roles that brought her the most fame.This is understandable, but if that's the case, then we didn't need this long scene.Perhaps she wanted to highlight her collaboration with Luciano Pavarotti, and I'm sure Decca saw this as a way to lure the casual listener.For my money, though, they should have just included Stride La Vampa, and called it a day.This would have freed up lots of room for the stuff for which she's better recognized!

Now, another extended scene, from Norma, is completely justified.Equally important to Marilyn's legacy as an individual artist is her legacy as one-half of the Sutherland/Horne duo.I don't need to write more- the music speaks for itself.

The rest of the second disc throws in a bit of verismo (Horne is unrecognizeable in Ponchielli; Simionato she's not), a bit of German lieder, and some patriotic tunes.Along with Leontyne Price, Marilyn Horne was the most conciously patriotic singer out there, and to have left out her American recordings would have been a disgrace.But, again, we are given an ample serving of it, when it could have been scaled back some to make room for her operatic triumphs.

All in all, there is enough glorious material here for any fan of the legendary Marilyn Horne, and also those who want a taste of how a superlative mezzo/contralto sounds like.

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Product Description:
No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 11-NOV-2003

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Sicilian Folk Festival Review

Not your typical love songs from Italy.This CD gives you the ethnicflavor of Sicily.It includes twelve titles that you will come to love.

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The Italian Treasury: Sicily Review

This music was interesting, to be able to hear the actual songs of the people as they worked in the fields, etc.A little difficult for me to understand due to the sicilian dialect, but still enjoyed it.I am keeping it as a reference for my children to have a piece of their heritage that is this slowing disappearing.Thank you for having recorded it before this happened.

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Round About Weill Review

Like this duo's ECM release "In cerca di cibo", this disc has a wonderful old world feel.The combination of trovesi's clarinets and Coscia's accordian suite Weil's compostions well.Beatuiful playing and recording quality.Highly recommended.


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Mediterranea: Songs of the Mediterranean [Import] Review

Savina Yannatou has an indescribable soprano voice which captures the sounds and emotions of the Meditarranean people whether Italian, Greek, French (Corsica), Hebrew or Turkish (I may have missed a country or two present on the CD). The wedding song from the Greek island of Kalymnos and the Turkish "aman" song are my favorites. All the songs are so beautifully sung, it is hard to say that one is better than another ... I have heard these two songs before and am familiar with how they should sound: her singing is traditonal with a tenderness and sincerity that is a uniquely her own. Savina's voice is ethereal and "other worldly" - totally living up to her name, after a saint from the Meditarranean, Italy, I think.

I first heard Savina Yannatou on Mondo Greece and knew I must have one of her CDs. I discovered this one and was compelled to buy it. It is filled with the music of Primavera de Salonika, playing kanun, santouri, lyra, and other authentic intstruments that complement Savina's voice. Her voice is beyond description ... totally captivating, exceptional, without comparison. Listen and be amazed - then buy the CD!!! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

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La Musica della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita Review

A rare glimpse into the dying world of the Calabrian mafia, this CD is endlessly fascinating to those of us who grew up in Sicilian or Southern Italian households and heard stories similar to those in the songs of honor, revenge and sacrifice. Of course knowing the dialect will help any listener appreciate the full meaning of the lyrics, but even those unfamiliar with those terms that appear in almost every song, such as'sango' for blood or 'onore' for honor, can appreciate the wonderful contrast between the harshness of the lyrics and the melody of the songs. The counterpoint and complexity contained in these songs reflect the complex societies from which they come, raw, real and emotionally honest.

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Product Description:
A controversial album of Mafia songs banned in Italy, LaMusica Della Mafia, on the German-based Piasa label,features 18 songs of 'blood, honor and discretion'. Therecord is not glorifying or romanticizing anything. Thesongs are part of history and the words are based on codesthat are 100 years old. Several songs are laments based onwords written by Mafia members in prison and the CDincludes two recordings by Fred Scotti, the only Italiansinger bold enough ever to perform Mafia songs in public.2002.

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Italian Mandoline: Funiculi Funicula Review

Nice guitar/mandolin music. Personally I the 'mouth harp' was distracting. CD time 23 minutes.

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Traversata: Italian Music in America [Live][Original recording remastered] Review

While I can't claim to be any sort of an expert on Italian music, I must say that this is a fantastic cd. Being a fan of old movies, there are quite a few times while listening to this cd that all I can picture in my head is Sophia Loren circa 1958 strolling along a beach. Yeah it's THAT good.

Aside from Puccini, Cipolla, Eddie Lang, and the Godfather music, I wasn't really familiar with any of this music or its composers but now I wonder why this music has seemingly been forgotten. It's really gorgeous music and I am extremely grateful to David Grisman for "introducing" me not only to these Italian styles, but also to the two specific Italian musicians on this cd, Carlo Aonzo (mandolin) and Beppe Gambetta (14-string harp-guitar). The harp-guitar is usually in a supporting role here so it's never the lead instrument but it has wondeful, rich tone. I was suprised at times that it is a wooden guitar because it has a low-end more reminiscent of a National.

Carlo is the leader here, from playing to arranging. He is "the mandolin find" of the year for me this year, a truly great player. I initially had my doubts as to whether these guys would sound good next to Grisman but it turns out that they steal the show. Carlo also plays one of the single best moments of the cd when he takes a turn on mandocello for track #4 (Manzanillo).

Acoustic Disc has released many great cd's over the last decade and this is one of the best. The only other "ethnic" cd Grisman has released that can compare to this one is the masterpiece, Songs Of Our Fathers, but this one has better, richer sound than does that one.

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The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits Review

This particular "Greatest Hits" has mostly English lyrics, and a different song selection from the Polydor Italian version. I have both versions.This one is a lovely compilation of some of his best songs sung in English.I have been listening to Zucchero for a couple of years now and still have not tired of his sound.If you have never heard him, this is a perfect CD to start out with, since it showcases his songs being sung in English and therefore does not put a language barrier (in my case) between the music and the words. But, I also love all of his Italian versions and buy both when ever available. As a 'starter' CD this one is perfect.

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Originals [Import] Review

With his warm, romantic voice, Nicola di Bari succeeds in bringing to mind nostalgic memories. It is possible to listen, and re-listen to this cd for many times and enjoy every minute of it. These are beautiful melodies that relax a person.

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Medieval and Renaissance: Minstrels, Songs & Dances Review

This was one of the first recordings of early music I ever bought.It's a broad survey of styles and periods, from the 12th to 17th centuries.I've become a more sohisticated listener since then, but I still get this one out fairly regularly.The recording is apparently old and the digital remastering was not done extraordinarily well, but those who are more interested in music than in audio equipment should be able to listen through the occasional (minor) vinyl surface noise.My major complaint (why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4) is the lack ofdocumentation--there is no information about the musicians, and many of the composers are uncredited (some because they actually are anonymous, but sometimes out of apparent laziness).Still, at this price it's a bargain.

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Medieval and Renaissance: Minstrels, Songs & Dances by Musica Antiqua
This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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Overdose d'Amore (The Ballads) Review

This album showcases Zucchero's greatest quality, his beautiful voice.Here, he melds Mediteranean rythms with soul and creates beautifully melodious songs.Zucchero is an amazing talent and is muchunderappreciated in America, take it from artists such as Miles Davis, Ericclapton, Sting and Bono who have worked with him.This is a beautiful cdthat anyone interested in his music should own.

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Along Gypsy Trails Review

This is NOT highlights from a radio broadcast, it IS the radio broadcast - in its entirety - with commentary/introduction from the host.After the radio broadcast portion, the quality on some of the tracks is poor and crackly, and one is not even professionally recorded.It is noted on the program that it is not a professional recording, but the synopsis here by Amazon does NOT reflect any of this.This is NOT what I was expecting in format OR quality.

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Product Description:
Composer/conductor Leon Zuckert was well known across the U.S. and Canada in the 1930s and 1940s through his long-running weekly radio broadcasts. This set offers highlights from his show, and performances of his compositions by various famous artists.

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Amore: Romantic Italian Love Songs Review

For over three decades Maestro Luciano Pavarotti has brought joy to human ears all around the world.Sure, the critics may scoff at the big arena concerts and at the later years' natural darkening of his voice.But wethe fans just know that listening to him lifts our spirits and opens ourhearts to the glory of human voice.
And that's exactly what thiscollection is all about.To compile it, the Decca producers used materialfrom three albums: "Arias" (his earliest), "FavoriteNeapolitan Songs" and "Passione," as well as some completeopera recordings such as "La Boheme" and "Rigoletto." The song "La Danza," Rossini's engaging tarantella is from a rarealbum "Pavarotti in Concert in Bologna" with Richard Bonynge. Most of these selections, therefore, are from 60s and 70s, in other words,Pavarotti's prime years.As he was establishing himself as one of theall-time greatest tenors on stage, he gave an all-out effort on recordings. And it shows.Listen to the vocal line in "Che gelida manina";the breath control on "la speranza" is truly unbelievable.Thereis his signature aria "Nessun Dorma" and, of course, a song oftenmistaken for Italian National Anthem - Di Capua's "O SoleMio!"
In addition to magnificent vocal pyrotechnics, Pavarotti'sconsiderable acting-with-voice skills are represented on such demandingarias as "Celeste Aida" and "Vesti la Giubba".Andit's a real treat to hear his Duca singing sparkling "La donna emobile."
This is an excellent introduction to opera as well as adelightful morsel for seasoned fans.I found that it also makes a greatgift idea; after all, no one can resist Pavarotti after the final"Vincero!"

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Mediterranean Lullaby Review

I was looking for a lullaby cd that wasn't "kid's music" and that would reflect my baby's Meditteranean heritage. This cd is so beautiful some of the songs bring tears to my eyes. I listen to it every night, and will do so when my baby arrives. I can't recommend this cd enough.

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Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music [Box set] Review

This compilation offers the most popular themes and familiar tunes in small doses, in a sampler.Unless you've lived under a rock, you can't have helped but have heard of some of these tunes, whether at a wedding, or as background music to some action scene in a movie.You get 4 CDs for the price of 1, so it's a great value, and who cares if they are not the most famous orchestras or performers.The only thing is that the pieces are somewhat abridged, and are designed to please the uninitiated, hence ear-candy.Good enough to whet your appetite for something more substantial and a start a music appreciation.

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Early Music Festival / David Munrow, Early Music Consort Review

The first disc in this collection is delightful.David Munrow's recorder is a genuine treat.The vocal parts blend well and create a festive atmosphere.The Early Music Consort of London offer a splendid performance.By contrast, the second disc, which features Musica Reservata, is a bit disappointing. Two of the solo voices on disc two are harsh, detracting from an otherwise pleasant recording.They may fairly represent the performing style of sixteenth century Florence, but that is small consolation for the twentieth century ear.Nonetheless, the virtues of the first disc are sufficient to warrant purchasing this collection.Munrow is magnificent.

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