Music

The Longest Day: The Ultimate World War Movie Theme Collection

Average customer rating:

These are not the same arrangements as the original movie soundtracks
An outstanding compilation
The really good ones are missing.
"many were winners by the Academy for best scores"

The Longest Day: The Ultimate World War Movie Theme Collection

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Battle of Britain
The Longest Day: Music From The Classic War Films (Soundtrack Anthology)
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The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection

ASIN: B00020R02O
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

The Longest Day
Attack On The Iron Coast
Band Of Brothers-Prelude
Band Of Brothers-Theme
Battle Of Britain
The Battle Of The Bulge
The Blue Max
Das Boot
The Bridge At Remagen
The Bridge On The River Kwai
A Bridge Too Far
The Caine Mutiny
The Captive Heart
Casablanca

Tracks:

Coastal Command
The Cruel Sea
The Dambusters
The Diary Of Anne Frank
The Eagle Has Landed
Empire Of The Sun
The English Patient
Fear And Desire
Force Ten From Navarone
Gallipoli
The Great Escape
The Guns Of Navarone

Tracks:

Hanover Street
The Hindenburg
In Harm's Way
Is Paris Burning?
King Rat
Lawrence Of Arabia
Lifeboat
Macarthur / Patton
Malta G.C.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Midway
The Mountain Road
1941

Tracks:

The Naked And The Dead
The Night Of The Generals
Paradise Road
Paths Of Glory
Pearl Harbor
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler'S List
Sergeant York
The Sharkfighters
Sink The Bismarck!
633 Squadron
Where Eagles Dare
The World At War
The Longest Day

Customer Reviews:

These are not the same arrangements as the original movie soundtracks.......2007-01-21

I was disappointed that these are not the same arrangements as the original movie soundtracks. For example, in Colonel Bogey, the countermarch from the movie soundtrack is not included in the arrangement on this CD. Don't get me wrong, the songs are good, but I would have preferred the same arrangements as the original movies.

An outstanding compilation.......2006-08-25

This compilation is superb and a real must-buy. From Band of Brothers to A Bridge Too Far: every war movie theme is represented here. An all time classic.

The really good ones are missing........2005-07-18

While this compilation has some masterpieces such as the theme from The Great Escape and Is Paris Burning, it's missing some of the finest tracts ever written. Where is the theme from Victory and Ernest Gold's stirring epic from Cross of Iron? The closing theme from Inchon was also a feast for the ears, but it's not here. It was written by Jerry Goldsmith, one of the foremost soundtrack composers of our time. Instead we're subjected to the likes of Hanover Street and The English Patient. I'll admit Inchon and Victory weren't Academy Award winning movies, but their soundtracks were second to none. As John Stossel would say," Give me a break"!!!

"many were winners by the Academy for best scores".......2004-05-26

Silva America presents the essential in film music during the period of World Wars ~ "Longest Day:Ultimate World War Movie Theme", featuring some long forgotten cues, 53 to be exact that sent chills and thrills into the pulses of world events ~ selections from a limited collectors edition that would make any "film-score-buff" green with envy.

Released to commemorate the sixth Anniversary of D-Day, never has there ever been such a tribute compilation package from any other label and Silva comes to the forefront ~ featuring The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Paul Bateman, Nic Raine Tony Bremner and Carl Davis as conductors), The Philharmonia (Kenneth Alwyn, Jerry Goldsmith, Mario Klemens and Paul Bateman as conductors) and also the world renown Crouch End Festival Chorus (David Temple as choir master) ~ what a gathering of talented musicians and singers fill this collection supreme.

The lineup of composers is a Who's Who in the world of film music ~ John Addison, Tomaso Albinoni, Kenneth J. Alford, Paul Anka, John Barry, Arnold Bax, Elmer Bernstein, Eric Coates, Carl Davis, Klaus Doldinger, Antonin Dvorak, Benjamin Frankel, Gerald Fried, Hugo Friedhofer, Jerry Goldsmith, Ron Goodwin, Bernard Herrmann, Maurice Jarre, Michael Kamen, Jerome Moross, Alfred Newman, Clifton Parker, Alan Rawsthorne, Ryvichi Sakamoto, Lalo Schifrin, Gerard Schurmann, David Shire, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Williams, Gabriel Yared and Hans Zimmer ~ set the stage for compositional human drama while exploring the deepest troves of musical emotion ~ one masterpiece after another, each cue manages to display both a convincing authenticity of the times and places ~ experience every tracks passion and skill for striking the exotic orchestral colors, explosive power and spectacular works of full large scale orchestral arrangements previal at every turn.

We are grateful to James Fitzpatrick (producer), Reybnold da Silva (executive producer), Rick Clark (associate producer/album sequence), Marion Garden (associate producer) and the whole gang at Silva America who have resurrected many of the soundtracks for the "film-score-buffs" in all of us.

Total Time: 4-CD-Set ~ Silva America 812 ~ (5/25/2004)

Véronique Gens ~ Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été · La mort de Cléopatre

Average customer rating:

A lighter, more classical view of Les Nuits d'Ete
LYRIC OR DRAMATIC?
Gens gems
Beautiful disc
Another triumph for Gens

Véronique Gens ~ Berlioz - Les Nuits d'été · La mort de Cléopatre
Hector Berlioz , Louis Langrée , Véronique Gens , and Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005A9ND
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

Les Nuits D'ete: Villanelle
Les Nuits D'ete: Le Spectre De La Rose
Les Nuits D'ete: Sur Les Lagunes
Les Nuits D'ete: Absence
Les Nuits D'ete: Au Cimetiere
Les Nuits D'ete: L'ile Inconnue
La Mort De Cleopatre
Zaide
La Captive
La Belle Voyageuse

Amazon.com

Berlioz's Les nuits d'été has received some outstanding recordings over the years, prime among them those by Regine Crespin and Victoria de los Angeles. Here's a new one by Véronique Gens that belongs in their rarefied category. That should come as no surprise to admirers of her terrific Handel and French song discs. She sings with a light but expressive soprano that's fetching in itself and flexible enough to darken tones and lend emotional weight to the texts where called for. Her diction is impeccable, and the orchestral support is first-rate. The remainder of the disc is as good. The long dramatic scene, La mort de Cléopatre, is stunningly sung and played, Gens projecting the plight of the dejected queen with great intensity and vocal beauty. The three orchestral songs sparkle in Gens's renditions. The final one, "Zaïde," with its castanets and vivacious singing, will force you to keep hitting the repeat button. An unqualified recommendation! - Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A lighter, more classical view of Les Nuits d'Ete.......2007-02-15

Like everyone else here, I admire this CD, which features the lyric voice of Veronique Gens in songs that are usually sung by lower mezzos or heavier sopranos (even a Brunnhilde in the case of Regine Crespin). The other reviewers note Gens' light touch, but none mentions that Langree and his singer eschew rubato and almost any sense of Romantic style, breezing along even under heavy emotional pressure. That would make for a miniaturized, overly cool approach were it not for Gens' natural expressivity, which renders the songs touching even when they move too quickly. I do think there's more depth than we're hearing, as well as a wider dynamic range (Gens keeps pretty much to a mezzo forte throughout, with some lovely floated pianos and an occasional stab at a forte). I am not a fan of La Mort de Cleopatre, so I can't say if Gens is more effective than the classic versions from Jennie Tourel and Janet Baker. Again she and Langree evince a much lighter touch. The three melodies that fill out the CD are charmingly done.

LYRIC OR DRAMATIC?.......2004-07-22

The British musical public do not seem to have warmed greatly to Nuits d'Ete. When Jessye Norman, no less, sang it with the Halle a good few years ago the turnout was pitiful from a Manchester audience who will reliably fill the hall to hear their umptieth Messiah. Nevertheless there are a lot of versions of Nuits d'Ete around seemingly arousing considerable interest in America. As nobody over here seems to have much to say about about these heavenly songs, it may be worth putting in a word from das Land ohne Musik about this lovely disc.

Berlioz prepared a number of versions of N d'E to suit different types of voice. It seems to me that the choice of one version over another will likely depend on one's preference in that respect, and my own predisposition is to hear them done by a woman rather than a man (even though most of the poems speak in a man's persona), by a soprano rather than a mezzo, and by a lyric rather than an operatic soprano -- the kind of voice that would suit Schubert rather than Verdi. Veronique Gens fits this bill to perfection.

To me N d'E shows Berlioz the pure musician -- no brass bands, no organs, cannons or weapons of mass destruction. Their lyricism is among the most beautiful in the whole 19th century, and although a full orchestra is used the orchestration is intimate not epic, and to my ears its wonderful detail is heard to best effect when the singer is 'my' type of soprano. If you have a 'bigger' concept of the piece, there is an interesting version by Boulez, with the 6 songs divided between Yvonne Minton and Stuart Burrows, that might suit you. To me Minton's sound-production and diction are a bit suggestive of oratorio to be right for this of all composers, and the recording, though okay, is not as good as on this disc. Between the extremes are several other versions, nearly all by sopranos though there is apparently one by Souzay, and some helpful American reviews.

In Cleopatre I would not be so categorical. This is avowedly a dramatic piece and some of its admirers will likely want a more forceful delivery here and there. On the other hand most of the piece is quiet, and Gens sings with such finesse and sensitivity that I have no complaints. The other three numbers are simply superb from her, and from the Lyons opera orchestra under Langree, indeed the whole disc is superb in my opinion.

The liner notes are a mixture of some really interesting background information with some 'analytical' comment of a rather conventional kind. Whose understanding of what, I wonder, is advanced by being told that 'the rocking triple time of the first strophe gives way in the second to a burst of levity, shared between the voice and the accompaniment, but still on the same theme' and a good deal more on similar lines? The translation from the very French French is so adept and natural that I got to the end without realising that I had been reading a translation at all, although I wish Hugh Graham had not let himself away with 'a wonderful horseman' for 'un cavalier merveilleux' as if we were talking about Ronald Reagan or someone at the Badminton trials. A full text of the poems with English and German translations is provided, and the recorded quality seems to me beyond criticism.

Gens gems.......2003-12-12

Two hundred years ago today, Louis-Hector Berlioz was born. This is a day for me to comment on a few of my favorite performances of his works, some of them "favorites by acclamation" and others simply those in which I find special merit, enough so that they are frequently in my CD players.

Some might think that, at just a hair over 61 minutes, this CD is small measure. Not so! These are some of Hector Berlioz's most important non-operatic vocal writings.

And they are gems as sung here by Véronique Gens. While normally thought of as a Baroque specialist (and I have a recording of Rameau's "Dardanus" which testifies to her expertise in that repertoire), Gens is more than "reasonably close to perfection" in these Berlioz works.

The two main works on this CD - Les nuits d'été and La mort de Cléopatre - are hardly strangers to the vocal repertoire. Neither has lacked recordings that many Berlioz lovers treasure. For Les nuits d'été alone, I number at least three - by Regine Crespin, Janet Baker and Jan DeGaetani - among such "treasures."

Gens, a lyric soprano, brings a sense of lightness and air to this song cycle that is, while different than, say, Baker's or DeGaetani's approach, nonetheless effective in its own right. Her relative lightness works very well in "Vilanelle," but she has more than enough vocal range and "adaptability" so that the more poignant songs in the cycle, such as "Le Spectre de la rose," are suitably captured as well: her expressive range, and her perfect knowledge of the language, are just fine for singing a song cycle for which Berlioz's directions as to voice-casting were not exactly cast in stone.

La mort de Cléopatre is an early Berlioz work, one of four such cantatas that he had submitted for the Prix de Rome competition. Put simply, he was too original for the competition committee to deal with him, and this cantata (the third of the four) was the one for which he simply threw his arms up in the air and wrote what he felt like. (Only on the fourth try, with a by-now almost forgotten cantata named Sardanapale, did he "play by the rules" and win.)

This cantata is every bit as revolutionary - and as bold - as Berlioz' most famous work, Symphonie fantastique, which shares approximate date of creation with it. It is full of original touches both harmonic and rhythmic (touches, in fact, that would contribute to labeling him as "wayward," "undisciplined" and even "untrained"). Gens readily shifts gears here, demonstrating a dramatic and tragic side not present in Les nuits d'été. The closing pages - as Cléopatre lays dying from the asp's bite - are rendered with chilling and moving effectiveness.

The remaining three songs, originally for voice and piano, are skillfully orchestrated by this most innovative orchestrator (who literally "wrote the book" on the subject). Particularly appealing is "Zaïde": with its castanets and its Spanish flair, it looks forward to Bizet and the Carmen that was yet to come, decades later.

There is a minor mislabeling error on my copy of this recording. "Zaïde," actually the final (10th) track (and properly identified in the booklet), is listed as track 8 on the package and on the disc as well. But no one will have any difficulty identifying "Zaïde" from the brief description above.

Gens shows a real affinity for this music, despite her French Baroque repertoire background. I'm not sure that any of the singers earlier mentioned, with the obvious exception of Regine Crespin, could have done as fine a job overall. Truly "Gens gems." And the orchestral support, with Louis Langrée leading the Lyon Opera Orchestra, is superb, as are the recorded sonics. Finally, the package is topped off with excellent and detailed booklet notes.

Bon anniversaire, M. Berlioz!

Bob Zeidler

Beautiful disc.......2002-06-10

This really is a beautiful disc and needs to be heard! It seems that when the stunning "Mort de Cleopatre" is performed at all, it is taken over by a dramatic soprano and run through as though it was the climax of one of Wagner's epic-operas. This approach is different -- lighter, more lyrical, tender... perhaps more human. Both approaches have their advantages, but I strongly recommend at least listening to this one, particularly if you are more interested in song as opposed to opera heavy-hitting. The actual death is both gripping and moving. The "Nuits" is famous enough and recorded enough that many people will have some set ideas on how it should be sung, the type of voice, etc. Again, I recommend giving this interpretation a try, she has beautiful voice and a keen understanding of the work. This disc should make many friends.

Another triumph for Gens.......2002-03-22

In the last decade a number of French sopranos rose to international prominence and Gens is right at the top of this estimable group. She just keeps getting better and better -- already known in the early '90's for her work in Baroque music, her more recent ventures in later repertoire have revealed a lyric voice with an astonishing color palette and dramatic instinct. Gens' performance of "La mort de Cleopatre," especially, has to be heard to be believed.

Average customer rating:

I didnt think it was possible...
Ditto what all the guys said!
Missing Out On This CD Is A Crime!
Tracy Rocks The Jail House
Live From Cell Block D

Live from Cell Block D
Tracy Nelson
Manufacturer: Memphis Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

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Ebony & Irony
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Mother Earth

ASIN: B00009QG8I
Release Date: 2003-06-17

Tracks:

I Need All The Help I Can Get
Walkin' After Midnight
God Will
Got A New Truck
Tennessee Blues
Send Me To The 'lectric Chair
After The Fire Is Gone
Mother Earth
Strongest Weakness
Down So Low
Feel So Good

Customer Reviews:

I didnt think it was possible..........2006-02-22

for Tracy Nelson to get better. I remember hearing Down So Low when it first came out and was stunned. Until listening to this live recording, I didnt think it could be improved upon.. but I guess age and experience have given her the ability to make it even more mesmerizing. I bought the CD, got in my truck, drove off, put in the CD, and started to listen. I pulled off the road because I didnt think I should be driving.

As the other reviewers note, this is one thrilling performance. Her voice has gotten richer, and the delivery cant be beat. "God Will" is worth the price of the CD all by itself.

For those who are long time fans, listen to her original version of some of these songs, and the ones on this CD back to back. You will hear a wonderful transformation.

Ditto what all the guys said!.......2003-08-05

I really can't top the first three reviews. They said it all. I will add that I was glad to see a version of "God Will", since I love that song. Hearing it sung by Tracy, who has been my favorite singer since I first heard her back in Madison, Wisconsin, in college, was a real thrill.
I was glad to see the arrangments taking a bit of a back seat to her voice on this CD, allowing her "blues belter" vocals to come to the foreground. The slower than usual tempos on some cuts also helped to highlight Tracy's incredible vocal talent.
I agree with James, if you have a chance to see her live, don't miss it. She can stand three feet away from the microphone when singing, and still blow you right out of the room with the power of her voice.
Buy it...you won't regret it.

Missing Out On This CD Is A Crime!.......2003-07-05

Devotees of singer Tracy Nelson (and I certainly number myself among them) have been waiting for years for an official 'live' release from this phenomenal artist. Tracy has released 21 albums prior to this release, all of which have their wonderful moments and some are downright clasics(including 2001's independently released EBONY & IRONY, as well as I FEEL SO GOOD, and MOVE ON from the 1990s (both on Rounder Records), and several re-releases from her early days in the 60s and 70s). It's all great stuff, but even folks who love her studio work have been known to come out of one her concerts utterly astonished. It's almost as though even the best studio settings cannot do this astonishingly powerful singer justice.

I've always said that if I were a waiter in a club where Tracy Nelson was performing, I'd probably be fired before the night was through. Because I'd doubtless just stand there stock still, tray in hand and jaw dropped to my chest (if not the floor) in a state of complete awe.

So at last, we have the live album that many of us have been awaiting for the last two decades or longer. It's probably a cliche to say that it was "worth the wait," but in fact, it was.
This release is the work of a mature artist, one still very much in control of her instrument, but also whose artistry and vision has only deepened over the years. She wrote her signature song, the classic "Down So Low" when she was in her early twenties--a remarkable feat for someone so young--but the version included on this recording seems to come from an even deeper place. She sings every song on this record with conviction and authority, but nowhere is it more evident than on "Down So Low" and on Memphis Slim's blues classic "Mother Earth"--both of which she recorded for the first time in 1968.

Tracy has assembled a crackerjack band for this recording. She does not always work with a horn section, but when she does, the results are nearly always stellar. The horns give her that extra oomph and send her already soaring vocals into the stratosphere. And she has found a great setting and a more than enthusiastic audience in that Tennessee prison. This is an audience starved for music, and even if they had no idea who Tracy was beforehand, they respond eagerly and gratefully to what they soon realize is a truly first rate performance.

The selection of material could not have been better. Aside from the two early classics mentioned above, there are new versions of songs from throughout Tracy's lengthy career. She opens with a "I Need All the Help I Can Get," originally recorded in the 90s for Rounder. It's a rousing opener and sets the tone nicely. She follows with a song that she has never actually released on record, although she has been known to perform it live before, Patsy Cline's classic "Walkin' After Midnight." Tracy is one of the few singer's who can take on a Patsy Cline number and successfully make it her own. (Eat your heart out, LeAnn and k.d.) So in the space of two songs, she demonstrates her astonishing range and versatility. She follows up with another new track, Lyle Lovett's "God Will," a song which fits her voice perfectly and which demonstrates that she did not leave all sense of irony back with the last record's "ebony."

Her powerful r&b shouters never cease to astound, and stand up to repeated plays. But those repeated plays will also demonstrate the subtlety with which she approaches the ballads included here. Her phrasing on "God Will" and on "Tennessee Blues," first recorded in 1972 or '73, is controlled, disciplined and intelligently executed. She could teach a master class--provided she could find students worthy of her time.

Tracks that will be more or less familiar to fans are given new life in their live versions. Songs like the recent "Got A New Truck" and 1974's "After The Fire Is Gone" were originally recorded as duets (and remarkable ones they were too; the former having been a joint effort with another great lady, Marcia Ball, and the latter a collaboration with the legendary Willie Nelson--who is, by the way, NO RELATION), and as good as the originals were, it's great to hear Tracy tackle them as solo numbers. Nearly all previously recorded tracks have been revamped in ways that fans will find interesting, if not illuminating.

Nearly every review of Tracy Nelson's recorded work or of her live performances includes the observation that it's a downright shame that she is not better known. That's another cliche that's become hard to avoid when talking about this great singer. From everything I know about her, I don't think she particularly cares about reaching superstar status. She is first and foremost, an artist. But like many of her devoted fans, I still am eager to spread the word to as many receptive souls as possible. I figure it's doing them a favor.

Tracy Rocks The Jail House.......2003-06-23

When the hell is the public ever going to catch on to this woman? Most of the record stores I've visited have only had one or two copies in stock. That is an absolute sin. In her 35 year recording career, this is Tracy Nelson's 21st release - 22nd, if you count the Best of Tracy Nelson / Mother Earth - yet for some reason, she is not a household word. (Well, I could give you lots of reasons, but don't get me started). Established superstars (such as Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, to name just a few) have praised her for years as "one of the best voices around" and "a singers singer". She has a powerful, expressive voice, demonstrating a talent that is almost superhuman, but inexplicably, she remains a secret. Her music is known only to music insiders, and a few lucky fans, who seem to number only in the thousands, instead of the millions she deserves.

For her first live album, recorded before inmates in the West Tennessee Detention Center, Tracy revisits two of her old standards from her first Mother Earth album - Down So Low (her self-penned theme song) and Mother Earth, an wonderful blues reflection on mortality written by Memphis Slim, from which her old band took their name. Esquire magazine once called Down So Low, "the saddest song ever written". Down So Low has been recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Etta James and Maria Muldaur (among others). It has never received a stronger treatment than it does here. Her legendary vocal prowess has only improved over the years, and her reputation as singing powerhouse is well supported by this release. This version of Down So Low compares quite favorably with the original, which she recorded in 1968, proving that she still has it. How many singers can re-record the same song after 35 years and sound better than ever doing it? I can't easily think of a single one.

The venue has an impressive effect on the selections. For anyone who has ever been to jail, or if you are a family member, or the loved one of a prisoner / ex-prisoner, some of these songs will take on a heartbreaking intimacy that is almost too personal to bear. When Tracy sings her theme song, Down So Low, suddenly, for me, it is no longer a song of unrequited love; instead I hear my own mother wailing in anguish at the first arrest of my older brother ("When you went away, I cried for so long...").

I have been privileged to hear Tracy live many times, the experience of which no record can ever fully convey - her voice is just too powerful. Before I even read the notes, I looked at the track listing and saw Tennessee Blues, and my first thought was, "I've never heard her do that live. That's an old one". Almost reflexively, I started to run the lyrics through my head, and a chill ran down my spine. "If I had my way, I'd leave here today, I'd leave in a hurry..." the song starts. Instantly, images of those inmates flooded my mind, smiles and maybe a few tears on their contented faces. All of a sudden, the identification they must have experienced with that lyric and the stark reality of their situation came pouring out of the words right at me, and the song took on a new, heartbreaking, yet comforting profundity. I can see those inmates in their drab uniforms (no matter what color, prison garb is drab), nodding their heads and agreeing 1000% with the sentiment behind the song. "A place I could use... a place I could lose those Tennessee Blues". Wow. Tennessee Prison. Tennessee Blues.

Tracy doesn't stop there. She has finally committed to record her version of Walkin' After Midnight, made famous by the late Patsy Cline. Tracy's rendition owes nothing to Patsy; as few singers can, she manages to make it her own without dredging up comparison to Patsy, or detracting at all from the memory of the original.

She also revisits some of her best stuff with new verve, including her self-penned (with assistance from Marcia Ball) Got A New Truck (a song I confess I loathed until this reading - but I'm not into autos) and a solo version of the duet for which she and Willie Nelson received a Grammy for Best Country Duo in 1974, After The Fire Is Gone. She has lost none of her incredible voice, and seems to improve with age, like fine marijuana.

Added to this wonderful mix of Blues, R & B and Country (and ALL her albums are a wonderful mix of Blues, R & B and Country, with just a smidge of Country-Blues influenced Rock to round it all out) is a thoroughly original arrangement / cover of Lyle Lovett's lyrically ironic God Will, which may just be the most understated and effective track on the whole album, since it suits her style perfectly and offers her fans choice to add to their list of favorite Tracy Nelson tunes.

Since acquiring my copy last week, I have played this album no less than two dozen times. It gets fresher and more creative with each listen. If you are familiar with Tracy at all, you will not hesitate to acquire this release. If you're not, I can think of few better introductions to her craft - notably her 1969 classic Country album (Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country - Mercury Records - available on a Reprise CD) or her 1978 masterpiece Homemade Songs (Flying Fish Records - available on a CD also containing her complete second Flying Fish issue, Come See About Me). Try her out soon - you will not be sorry. Submitted June 22, 2003.

Live From Cell Block D.......2003-06-18

First of all - let's get one thing straight. Tracy Nelson can do no wrong. That said, this is an incredible live album, which was a long time in coming.

I'm sure jokes will be told about singing to a 'captive' audience, but it takes a true talent to be able to get away with singing a song in a jail entitled "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair".

Other highlights are her own "Down So Low" "Tennessee Blues" and "After the Fire is Gone". Actually, as is true of every Tracy Nelson album, there is not a bad song in the bunch. Listen to "God Will" or "Mother Earth" and try not to be moved.

Bottom line, buy this CD - you won't be sorry. And while you're at it, spread the word. Forget about all the flavors of the month - Tracy Nelson is a force to be reckoned with.

Average customer rating:

MR. THE EDGE IS MAGIC!!!
Capitive
Very musical, very tasteful and very artistic
Probably the best soundtrack ever
Excellent

Captive
The Edge
Manufacturer: Blue Plate Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

MR. THE EDGE IS MAGIC!!!.......2007-01-11

I do like this album...you can feel Edge's soul inside!!His Guitar is amazing!!!..MR. THE EDGE YOU ARE ALWAYS THE BEST!!!

Capitive.......2006-08-19

This is a great cd - I had the album and had to get a cd so I could listen & enjoy!

Very musical, very tasteful and very artistic.......2006-07-04

Firstly, I am in awe of the technique of the Edge, his musicianship and the way he can craft music.

You wouldn't think that playing arpeggios and simple chords could sound so good, but that's his forte. He is a genius of the modern age of music.

You could try to play like the Edge, but you never will achieve that mantra of musicianship and sound. The Edge is very gifted that way.

Not only can he play the guitar well, he is great on the keyboard as well, an inspiration for me to learn the keyboard. And he has inspired countless thousands of others as well (my brother is one of them).

I can't believe it took me this long to buy this CD. You cannot go wrong with this CD, for it's atmospheric melodies and artful guitar technique. Somehow it never seems out of place. It is a driving disc that gives me shivers of joy when I listen to it.

Sinead lends her voice to the theme ('Heroine') and it is not out-of-place. She adds a graceful voice and is not out of place. I enjoy her music ('The Lion and the Cobra' is a great CD!) and voice, but here it is just right. I don't know how best to describe it.

If you like U2, or the Edge in particular, you cannot go wrong adding this disc to your collection. Aspiring musicians can learn how to mix melody and technique. You don't need to tear up the fretboard to make music. The Edge proves it is so.

Beautiful soundtrack!

Probably the best soundtrack ever.......2005-08-30

This is the kind of disc where all the songs fit perfectly. The first song "Rowena's theme", particulary, reach with the perfection... this must be one of the beautiest soundtracks ever..ethereal noises, soft guitarrs, the beautiful voice of Sinead O'Connor in one of the songs. What else can you expect? Just buy it. This is a "must".

Excellent.......2005-05-22

I never did see the movie, but I had a cassette of this soundtrack when I was in college (I now have the cd). I'd put it in my Walkman and go walking about campus by myself, through the grass and trees and down to the lake. Listening to it now makes me very melancholy, in a good way. Brings to mind memories of things that seemed to have happened to someone else in an age long ago.
That said, the music is beautiful. The only thing I can compare it to is the soundtrack to Legend by Tangerine Dream, another cd that's very excellent at setting a certain mood.

Average customer rating:

Mr. Isserlis...
Universal Music- I had to grab it
Other artists take note - THIS is how recitals are done.
A Masterpiece
Very Enjoyable Listening

Cello World

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Fauré: Complete Works for Cello
Children's Cello
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1; Sonata No. 1; Romances
Why Beethoven Threw the Stew: And Lots More Stories about the Lives of Great Composers
Steven Isserlis plays Works for Cello and Orchestra

ASIN: B000009W8U
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

Andante con Variazioni
Violin Sonata No. 3: Intermezzo
(Nocturne et) Scherzo
La Captive, Op. 12
Morceau de concours
Donkey & Driver
The Swan
Song Of The Black Swan
Romantic Piece, Op. 75 No. 4
Duo For Two cellos
Dance Of The Elves, Op. 39
Souvenir russe
The Child Lived
Lied
Romance
Chonguri
Dance Suite
Inner World

Customer Reviews:

Mr. Isserlis..........2005-07-26

What a mix of pieces of which to compare and contrast. Through it all, Steven Isserlis takes us on a wide and varied journey! He truly is one talented artist. Well worth the money. Get a copy and give thanks!

Universal Music- I had to grab it.......2004-09-06

I was just listening to anything "interesting" in cello music & just took this like any other cd. I was hooked from the onsert.The tone of Isserlis is awesome, Beethoven's "Andante con Variazion" with harpschord accompanyment is just great. I continued to listen and things started hitting up when I heard a sorrowful soprano voice by Felicity Lott in Berlioz's "La Captive" song & the piano, cello move around it Oh! my God then & then I decided to purchase it, actually i had decided to purchase "Folk Cello" by Rautio & Ylonen(not available on Amazon, US)then i ended up using my last penny for Isserlis CD.The soprano returns again on Taverner's "The child Lives" with the same impact Wow !what a voice.This was very good for me because I like opera very much & to find it in this setting with the cello & piano was a bonus.ALL tracks in this cd are the greatest ever with a variety of styles from different composers but one song that really captured my imagination was Leonard's "Donkey & Driver" especially at the end. According to the story (as written by artist):there was this donkey trotting merrily along the road when its driver decides to sing a very beautiful sorrowful song well this is said to be a very busy donkey with people to see & their cultures clash then who wins? well listen to the song especially the last part when the cello mimics the sound of the donkey a rebelious one at that.All songs background are also included, the interpretations of the soprano songs in English are also included. Also check out the last song which was enhanced by isserlis when he says he was "hooked" by Carl vine's "Inner world" as played by David Pereira the dedicatee of the work.This is one of the most trilling cello renditions I like the warmth, the tone that is almost humanically lyrical.Well I guess if u love cello & u dont have this then u are missing out.

Other artists take note - THIS is how recitals are done........2001-06-29

'Cello World' is a model recital disc, conceived as a recreation of a typical turn-of-the-20th-century programme of short 'encore pieces'. Naturally, the bulk of the pieces privelege the essence of the cello, its deep, meditative, wistful melancholy - Schumann's sleepy 'Intermezzo', Villa-Lobos' evocative 'Song of the Black swan', Dvorak's romantically sad 'Romantic Piece no. 4', Rachmaninoff's rich 'Lied', Scriabin's atypically accessible 'Romance'.

this low-key mood is interleavened with moments of pure play - Beethoven's mischievous 'andante con Variazioni', a delightful tussle between (transcribed) cello and harpsichord that evokes a blithe aristocratic 18th century world rather than the composer's usual Romantic intensity; Popper's impish 'Dance of the Elves', Seiber's lovely Kreisler pastiche 'Dance Suite'.

There a couple of musical jaw-breakers to 'enlighten' the conservatism of the presumed audience - Tavener's sub-Gorecki 'The Child Lived', and the galloping epic 'Inner World' by Carl Vine, actually played by David Pereira, recorded on amplified CD, full of distorted computer echoes, and a lot more exciting and accessible than it should be.

Most cherishable for me is a little Francophone section near the start - Debussy's unexpectedly sprightly '(Nocturne et) Scherzo'; Berlioz's lyrically lilting 'La Captive', sung by Felicity Lott, for today at least the most beautiful song ever written; Faure's characteristically soulful 'Morceau de concours' (written as a Conservatoire sight test!); Leonard's deliciously funny 'Donkey and Driver', the cello playing the obstinate animal; and Saint-Saens' 'The Swan', a watery dream that defies over-familiarity.

A Masterpiece.......2000-09-10

There cannot be many greater British 'cellists than Steven Isserlis. He commissioned and premiered John Tavener's "The Protecting Veil" in 1989, to huge acclaim, and has championed for many years the 'cello music of Saint-Saens and Schumann. His playing is very energetic and intense (a 'cellist friend of mine noted that you can hear his fingers stopping the strings!) and his musicality shines as brightly as a precious jewel.

It is therefore very good to find this disc. It covers an eclectic range of styles: a set of Beethoven variations (with harpsichord accompaniment) opens the programme, whereas the last track is a strange and colourful work by Carl Vine with electro-acoustic effects produced by an amplified CD; we are also treated to a set of jazzy variations by Matyas Seiber and the wistful "Song of the Black Swan" by Villa-Lobos. Some tracks show the 'cello as a solo instrument, accompanied (these include "Romances" by Scriabin and Rachmaninov, and a "Nocturne" by Debussy) and otherwise (for instance the intriguing "Chonguri" for plucked strings by Sulkhan Tsintsadze). There is a dazzling display in the form of David Popper's "Elfentanz," but there is also a sober and calm use of the instrument in Tavener's "The Child Lived" (which features fine singing from Felicity Lott and shows how far the ''cello soundscape' has affected the composer since he was first approached by Isserlis). There is even a piece by one of Isserlis' relatives, and to hear him perform it is reminiscent of Julian Lloyd-Webber's recordings of music by his father and brother.

Everything about this disc is a joy. The music is good, the performance sparkles, the programme works despite being so varied, and the notes (by Isserlis himself) are witty and delightful to read. Highly recommended!

Very Enjoyable Listening.......2000-02-12

This cd relaxes me when I am working at the computer or driving the car. It covers a wide range of tempos but always pleases. A good cello lover's collection. Some pieces almost make me cry they have so much feeling.

Lily Pons sings Donizetti, Verdi, Debussy, Rossini, Delibes

Average customer rating:

Lily Pons sings Donizetti, Verdi, Debussy, Rossini, Delibes

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lily Pons-Opera Arias

ASIN: B000003FCS
Release Date: 1993-03-09

Tracks:

Ardon Gl'Incensi
Spargi D'Amaro Pianto
Caro Nome
TutteLe Feste Al Tempio
Il Nome Vostro Ditemi
Una Voce Poco Fa
Qu Va La Jeune Hindoue?
La-bas, Dans La Foret
Hymn To The Sun
Shadow Song
Alma Mia
Il Pleure Dans Mon Coeur (Ariettes Oubliees No. 2)
Green (Ariettes Oubliees No. 5)
Mandoline
Les Roses D'Ispahan, Op. 39, No. 4
Echo Song
Pretty Mocking Bird
The Wren
Chanson De Marie Antoinette
Cupid Captive

Average customer rating:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great
Berlioz with immaginative variety

The Berlioz Experience

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra
Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
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Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems

ASIN: B00008RWRJ
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great.......2007-02-03

Ten discs of Berlioz is a sumptuous offering, and temptingly cheap at Amazon Marketplace. DG has used this occasion to repackage some outstanding performances. At the top of the list goes James Levine's electrifying Requiem from Berlin, with playing and singing to match the conductor's inspiration. Also exciting--perhaps surprisingly so--is Abbado's Te Deum, which has rawer edges and sharper focus than Colin Davis's on Philips, long the standard version.

Dropping down a notch in quality, we have an elegantly played Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony, superbly recorded, that has few rivals for refined virtuosity. But after a while Seiji Ozawa's approach seems to lack depth and meaning; he's skating over the surface of the musical drama, however brilliantly. Sharp and brilliant also describes Myung-Whun Chung's contribution, a Symponie fantastique, two overtures, and the Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens, all with his well-trained Bastille Opera orchestra. Chung is to the manner born in Berlioz, but so are greater conductors in these works, including Munch and Markevitch.

At about the same quality level I'd place the Mort de Cleopatre, a dullish early vocal scene sung with plushness by Jessye Norman, and Kiri Te Kanawa's Les Nuits d'Ete, which is ravishing in terms of sheer vocalism but otherwise vacant. Daniel Barenboim's slack conducting does the piece no favors, either, which holds true on a much larger scale for his Damnation of Faust. This is a typical Barenboim product, full of lush sounds, excellent singing, big-scale orchestral work, but leading to a meager artistic payoff. Barenboim's Faust isn't remotely competitive with Markevitch, Chung, Solti, Pretre, and others in this work. It's great to hear Domingo in the title role, but the conducting is so routine that I'm not sure the overall experience is worth it.

We get odds and ends of varying quality: the rarely recorded Tristia done superbly by Boulez, an uneven batch of songs that previously appeared in their own double-CD set (a chore to listen to in its entirety, despite the occasional gem), and a pedestrain Harold in Italy conducted by Lorin Maazel in Berlin, a performance that DG surely could have bettered by looking deeper into their vaults.

In all, I can't see investing in such an uneven collection except at super-budget price. If you do a little searching, all the best things here can be gotten separately, and the lesser recordings pale by comparison with classic Berlioz from Colin Davis, Charles Munch, and Igor Markevitch.

Berlioz with immaginative variety.......2003-10-30

This box makes a nice alternative to the Philips boxes under Colin Davis. Not to take anything away from Davis. His Berlioz cycle certainly ranks up there with the elite for recording achievements. But many will not want to invest in all 3 boxes, so Universal has brought us a great compilation of some of Berlioz' best works from a variety of performers with different styles.
The jewel has to be Ozawa's unsurpassed Romeo and Juliet. This 1976 studio recording had its birth at the Tanglewood Festival and features excellent soloists (Julia Hamari, Jose Van Dam, and Jean Dupouy), a very competent choir, and of course the reliable Boston SO. The recording is of outstanding quality. It seems cleaned up a little from what I remember of the CDs from the mid 80s; much more spacious, less muddy sounding. I especially like the chorus in the hushed night scene.
Barenboim's Damnaton is perdictably Furtwangler-like in tempo, and again features top notch singers in Fischer Dieskau, Jules Bastin, & Placido Domingo; Yvonne Minto is probably not in the same class with the others, but she's more than acceptable.
Levine directs a well recorded and balanced classical-sounding Requiem, and Abbado is more than competent in the Te Deum.
Chung's Fantastique is fun and enjoyable, if not first-class.
The rest of the works are very commendable, if not top-of-the-class.
In short, you can't go wrong for the price, and if you love Berlioz' Romeo, you've got to get this box just for the Ozawa gem.

The Best of Hannibal: Music from Hannibal, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs

Average customer rating:

The Best of Hannibal: Music from Hannibal, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs

Manufacturer: Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hannibal: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2001 Film)

ASIN: B0002NAF3W
Release Date: 2005-10-10

Tracks:

Avarice [From Hannibal]
Moth [From the Silence of the Lambs]
Main Titles [From Red Dragon]
Virtue [From Hannibal]
Finale [From the Silence of the Lambs]
To Every Captive Soul [From Hannibal]
Abduction [From the Silence of the Lambs]
Threats [From Red Dragon]
Return to the Asylum [From the Silence of the Lambs]
Main Title [From the Silence of the Lambs]
Burning Heart [From Hannibal]
Cell [From Red Dragon]
Quid Pro Quo [From the Silence of the Lambs]

Berlioz - Sacred Music (L'Enfance du Christ · Requiem) · Symphony Dramas (Roméo et Juliette · La damnation de Faust) · Orchestral Songs (Les nuits dété · Lélio · La mort de Cléopâtre) / Sir Colin Davis

Average customer rating:

Some of the best of the Davis cycle
Limited edition set of Sir Colin Davis doing Berlioz

Berlioz - Sacred Music (L'Enfance du Christ · Requiem) · Symphony Dramas (Roméo et Juliette · La damnation de Faust) · Orchestral Songs (Les nuits dété · Lélio · La mort de Cléopâtre) / Sir Colin Davis
Hector Berlioz , Colin Davis , Janet Baker , Nicolai Gedda , London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus , John Alldis Choir, Thomas Allen Philip Langridge José Carreras Ambrosian Singer , and Joseph Rouleau, Josephine Veasey, Gillian Knight Eric Tappy Jules Bastin
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000C2FD
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Customer Reviews:

Some of the best of the Davis cycle.......2004-01-11

Of the three boxes of reissues form Colin Davis' pioneering Berlioz cycle, this is probably the one I would not want to be without more than the other two boxes. But I suppose that's because I dearly love more of the works in this set than the works in the orchestral works box or the opera box. The major works (La Damnation de Faust, Requiem, Romeo et Juliette, and L'Enfance du Christ) are in the eyes of many unmatched by any other recordings. And many would say that about the orchestral songs too. My only quibble is with some of the track editing in La Damnation de Faust, my favorite item in the box. The recording is analog in origin, much to its credit personally. Several track changes sound like old tape-joins though. Clean it up Philips! These classics deserve better treatment.
Documentation is minimal of course.

Limited edition set of Sir Colin Davis doing Berlioz.......1999-02-15

A complete review of this set will follow at a later date. What I wish to highlight here is that this set contains Davis's reading of Berlioz's Requiem, though it is not listed as part of the contents in Amazon's description. (I've submitted a suggestion that it be added.) Those genuinely interested in Berlioz's sacred music will probably know this recording, which is justly famous for its dramatic power, and for a depth that Davis, above anyone else, consistently achieves in Berlioz. The Davis recording has recently gone out of print as a single item and is now available only as part of this set, which is limited edition. Practically, that means most record stores will not be able to order it, and that the set may not be available for long. These considerations, as well as Davis's peerless interpretations of the other items in the set, make this collection valuable indeed. Berlioz fans would regret protracted indecision.

Average customer rating:

beauty, simplicity, and utility
Words and Music Marry in Siegfried's Arrangements

Gentle Words: Shaker Songs
Polly M. Rupe , John Whitbey , Issachar Bates , David Stutz , Ann Glusker , Lisa Cardwell Ponten , The Tudor Choir , and Doug Fullington
Manufacturer: Loft Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Simple Gifts: Shaker Chants and Spirituals
Simple Gifts
Early Shaker Spirituals
Tree of Life
The Shapenote Album

ASIN: B00005JIZK
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

I Will Bow And Be Simple
In Yonder Valley
All Is Summer
O Lord Make Me Pure
Love Is Little
The Burning Day
Circular March
Help Me, O Lord
Heavenly Display
Followers Of The Lamb
Come To Zion
We Must Be Meek
Lay Me Low
Solemn Song
Beautiful Treasure
Peace
Angels Of Heaven
Hunger And Thirst
Dismission Of Great I
Revelation
Prayer For The Captive
Gentle Words
Beautiful Valley
Jubilee
Ezekiel's Vision
Almighty Savior
Cords Of Love
I Will Go On My Way

Customer Reviews:

beauty, simplicity, and utility.......2001-09-12

Of this CD's twenty-eight tracks, eighteen are arrangements by Kevin Siegfried; the remaining ten are straightforward, unadorned performances of Shaker hymns, sung either by the choir in unison, or by a solo voice, as they would have been sung in Shaker services. Occasionally the choir stomps and claps, also as the Shakers would have done. The unison songs and Kevin's settings blend seamlessly together, since Kevin's music is very sensitive to the spirit of the original tunes. His harmonies have an open, rough-hewn quality to them, like early American furniture, sturdy and useful. The music carefully mirrors and supports the text, occasionally employing mixed meter to follow the natural cadences of speech. The settings are largely homophonic, like Lutheran chorales, rendering the text easily comprehensible. Kevin avoids unnecessary embellishments and repetitions, and each piece is a small, well-proportioned gem, averaging about two minutes in length. In the liner notes, Kevin writes of his desire to preserve the Shaker ideals of "beauty, simplicity, and utility" in his settings, and he has succeeded brilliantly; the music is unassuming, serene, and peaceful.

Words and Music Marry in Siegfried's Arrangements.......2001-06-27

This recording of Shaker Hymns arranged by composer Kevin Siegfried and sung by the very fine Tudor Choir of Seattle is magnificent for several reasons chief of which is the careful blending of text and music in the arrangements. The "gentle words" of these hymns come alive through Siegfried's thoughtful soundscapes, providing the right context for the message of these poignant and life affirming hymns. This is no small task and although the Tudor Choir sings beautifully throughout, it is the arranging that has really caught my ear on this cd; you'd be hard pressed to find a recording of choral works with a better marriage of text and music. Well worth your money, time, and ears.

Music:

Music