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Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
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Very Informative and Enjoyable
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Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Voice, Cheap Music
You are all idiots
Bryn Terfel, the Magnificent, sings 'Something for Everyone'
Bryn Terfel's voice is magnificent, this album superb.
Popular favorites sung by a fine concert baritone-bass

Bryn Terfel Sings Favorites

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bryn Terfel - Simple Gifts
Bryn Terfel - If Ever I Would Leave You (Songs from My Fair Lady, On a Clear Day, Camelot, The Little Prince, Brigadoon)
Bryn Terfel - Something Wonderful (Bryn Terfel sings Rodgers & Hammerstein)
Silent Noon
Bryn Terfel - We'll Keep a Welcome

ASIN: B0000AP6HI
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Couplets: 'Votre Toast Je Peu Vous Le Rendre' (Toreador Song)
Shenandoah
Bugeillio'r Gwenith Gwyn
'C'etait Le Soir' - 'Aufondu Du Temple Saint'
The Lord Is My Shepherd
Danny Boy
Bella Notte
Goin' Home
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Home Sweet Home
Ave Maria D 839
Il Mio Cure Va
At The River
None But The Lonley Heart
If I Can Help Somebody
Wiegenlied
Abide With Me
Lazybones

Amazon.com

The title of this CD tells it all. Here is one popular classic after another, some folk or traditional, some operatic, some religious or inspirational, some pop. The result in the throat/mind/sensibility of any other singer might be soupy, sappy, or simply uninteresting, but Bryn Terfel--he of the rolling bass-baritone voice who can smoothly deliver notes and phrases at any dynamic level--turns this generous, somewhat sentimental recital into something beautiful and special. After a rousing "Toreador Song" from Carmen, sung with just the right weight (most baritones find it too low, most basses too high) comes a ravishing version of "Shenandoah"; a fine Welsh song is followed by the stunning duet from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, with Andrea Bocelli singing the tenor part gleamingly and Terfel considerately underplaying his hand. And so it continues through Brahms' Lullaby and Schubert's Ave Maria; the "Love Theme from Titanic" sung with great restraint; renditions of "Danny Boy" and "Home Sweet Home" which are just beautiful; the spirituals "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "At the River," slightly anachronistic but still effective; the gluey "If I Can Help Somebody"; and a few more. It's amazing that Terfel can bring such variety to material which is temperamentally so similar. Some of the arrangements are a bit sticky and overdone, but overall, this disc is a beauty for all seasons. It will make a lovely gift to music lovers of all types. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Voice, Cheap Music.......2006-04-27

Bryn Terfel sings everything beautifully. The difficulty with this CD is that some of the music is extremely tawdry.
"The Lord is My Shepherd" and "Abide With Me" are very nicely sung, although the arrangements (like almost all hymn arrangements) leave a good bit to be desired.
The big surprise was to hear him sing "Lazybones" to perfection.
But on the whole it is far better to hear him sing music whose quality matches that of his voice.

You are all idiots.......2006-04-04

Bryn is aweful. This CD is horrific. Listen to real opera you morons. Listening to Bryn is like pouring sugar down your throat until you vomit. Does anyone know what an "operatic baritone" really sounds like. Bryn is the emproer with no clothes and you all are fools.

Bryn Terfel, the Magnificent, sings 'Something for Everyone'.......2005-06-28

Surely one of the most beautiful baritone voices on the opera stage and in the recital hall today is that of Welshman Bryn Terfel. He is one of those rare artists who has a magnificent voice, intense musicality, and magical stage presence. Terfel could sing the telephone book and make it beautiful.

And sadly that is what this album resembles: the choice of songs and the arrangements and friends with whom he elects to perform raises some concern about his artistic integrity. Having purchased this CD based on hearing 'Toreador Song' from 'Carmen' - clearly the finest, most highly nuanced performance of this famous aria ever sung! - this listener expected a concert of similar arias. Wrong! This is like a summer night at Hollywood Bowl with bits and pieces of all manner of songs, some tasteful, others less so, but whatever Terfel sings it is good to hear his voice.

Some of the more successful tracks include 'Shenandoah', 'Danny Boy', Brahms' 'Lullaby', and a Welsh tune 'Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn' sung in Welsh. But then Terfel opts to sing Tchaikovsky's 'None but the lonely heart' in English rather than Russian, a Disney song (from Lady and the Tramp) in Italian, and for some reason includes duets with a soprano by the sole name of Sissel ('Ave Maria'), an awful pairing with Andrea Bocelli for The Pearl Fishers duet (terrible to compare these two polarized voices!), and some choral and jazz ditties. Whew!

If you can get past the pick and save repertoire here and just relax with Terfel's artistry you are in for a treat. Not for the purists, but definitely a find for the 'crossover crowd'. Grady Harp, June 05

Bryn Terfel's voice is magnificent, this album superb........2005-05-05

I am hoping every possible purchaser of this album will read this review. Bryn Terfel is a singer whose voice has been touched by God. Rich, powerful, masculine, elegant, emotionally moving. His taste in music is varied and wonderful. I listen to him more often than any other vocalist in my vast vocal music collection. Therefore, I get more value out of his CD's than any other I own. If you love great vocal music sung by one of the greatest baritones of all time, buy this CD immediately. It will quickly become one of your treasured favorites. And Mr. Terfel, please know that your voice touches people all around the world. Thank you for the great music and inspiration, Sir.

Popular favorites sung by a fine concert baritone-bass.......2005-04-20

First of all, we have to recognize that Bryn Terfel is one helluva fine concert/operatic baritone with a huge, powerful, and beautiful voice. (I think any other assessment must be based on nit-picking and misses the forest for the trees.)

In the present program we may wonder whether Terfel's particular (and enormous) talent is well matched to the popular selections chosen. Overall, I say yes: Terfel gives fine and generally convincing performances of this widely varied program--and there are precious few (if any) who could do better.

Let's take a look at what's here:

On the famous toreador song from Bizet's "Carmen" Terfel gives a very fine, operatic rendition of the bull-fighter's swaggering, macho aria. His diction in French is faultless and his singing style unreproachable. What more do you want?

In "Shenandoah" Terfel takes on an American folksong, and here is hardly in his home territory. He sings it well, as a concert artist, and perhaps a bit more dramatically than necessary. His pronunciation of American English is very good--except that he's deceived by the "ss" in Missouri and does not give us the "z" sound which every American would. The use of the pipes by Neil Martin adds a lovely, wistful touch to this sentimental bit of lovesick nostagia.

The tender Welsh lovesong is sung in a fine concertish style, but manages to be quite intimate and convincing anyway. Terfel's pronunciation of the (South Wales?) language is perfect, as far as I can detect, and should probably not be taken for granted in this day when English dominates. The harp--mainstay of Welsh folk music--is welcome here as played by the expert fingers of Catrin Finch.

Bizet's well-known Pearl Fishers' duet is operatic territory, and Terfel shines here. Bocelli offers a warm and appealing, though smaller, tenor voice to the combination and the two do a good job overall. Terfel's French is again impeccable.

The lovely setting of the 23rd psalm by Goodall is a welcome bit of church music and the soloist-with-chorus arrangement puts Terfel into a familiar idiom, which he--and the London Voices--make the most of. It's a fine performance and will remind listeners of "The Vicar of Dibley" program on PBS, for which the hymn serves as themesong.

Danny Boy was, I believe, originally in English, though it is one of the best-loved Irish folksongs, so we can't fault Terfel for not singing it in Irish. He sings it well, in spite of its demanding range, and communicates the sad and longing tenderness a father feels for his son about to go off to battle. Terfel's sweet, pianissimo ending is gorgeous, impressive, and most apt.

I don't particularly like the song "Bella Notte," so I won't say much, except that it seems well presented. "Going Home" is performed as a concert piece which owes much more to Dvorak than to the Afro-American spiritual from which it is reportedly derived. Even so, Terfel manages a quite convincing southern American dialect. In the same mood, more or less, we get the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," which Terfel and the London Voices bring off well, though not at all in the way a Black church choir would do it.

I won't take space to describe each of the following tracks, as I think the foregoing gives a pretty good idea of what to expect. The folksongs are not what a purist might want in the way of homespun simplicity--they are prettied up in artistic renditions. The concert pieces are very well done and leave little to be desired.

I will comment on only two more: I was not overly happy with the Brahms lullaby ("Wiegenlied"), because it is a bit too dramatic and artsy in style where it should be utterly simple. Still, we have to give T. credit for his excellent German pronunciation and his fine, if not cribside, style of singing.

In "Lazybones" Terfel gives us a thoroughly charming and delightfully bluesy performance of a Hoagy Carmichael song. Against all odds, it shows a warm understanding and affection for this idiom so alien to the hills and valleys of T's Welsh home. I defy anyone not to be charmed and delighted by this piece.

A strong commendation is in order for Chris Hazell's remarkably fine arrangements of most of these works, and the excellence of the performances by the accompanying groups. This is a musically first-class production!

The liner notes are generous, with song texts and photos of the participants in this recording. It is definitely up to Deutsche Grammophon's high standards!

If you like the pieces presented here and would like to hear them performed beautifully by first-class artists in fine arrangements, you should get this recording. With over 74 minutes of music, you'll be getting your money's worth several times over!

Average customer rating:

George is Wright
BEAUTIFUL VIBRATIONS FROM THE PAST
George's test tapes
Technically Flawed CD
Dissapointing

At the Mighty Wurlit
George Wright , Anonymous , Stephen Foster , Camille Saint-Saens , Robert Schumann , John Philip Sousa , Irish Traditional , Italian Traditional , Welsh Traditional , and Emile Waldteufel
Manufacturer: Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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More George Wright At The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ Volume 3
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The Mighty Wurlitzer: Music for Movie-Palace Organs
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Anniversary Songs/Skating Time

ASIN: B000002NSZ
Release Date: 1994-09-27

Tracks:

Stars And Stripes Forever
Boogie
Juanita
Traumeri
The Swan
Danny Boy
Tango
Santa Lucia
Playera
Sweet & Low
All Through The Night
At The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ: Gold And Silver Waltz
Romance
Old Folks At Home
Skaters Waltz
Under The Double Eagle

Customer Reviews:

George is Wright.......2005-04-19

This was my second theatre organ CD purchase several years ago (after "The Mighty Wurlitzer: Music for Movie Palace Organs"), and I fell in love with it right away! Of course, back then I was just learning about the theatre organ, so I was eager for material.

The selections presented here are a good sampling of George's ability and repertoire. I particularly enjoyed the second track, George's own composition, "Boogie." I know personally several theatre organists who have tried to duplicate his technique on that piece and failed miserably trying!

I was amused by a reviewer's quip regarding a friend of George's saying these tracks were all "rejects." That reminds me of Virgil Fox's many attempts to bring a recording to perfection, spending countless hours on it if necessary. Well, for rejects, they sure sound pretty good to me!

I know that personal taste varies widely. However, I certainly didn't find this CD bland at all, but quite enjoyable. I think you will, too.

BEAUTIFUL VIBRATIONS FROM THE PAST.......2003-12-27

I HAVE AN OLD RECORD COVERING GEORGE WRIGHT plays the MIGHTY WURLITZER PIPE ORGAN NO R-701 THERE'S A TITLE #1. "THE BOY NEXT DOOR" (HUGH MARTIN-RALPH BLANE) AND THE OLD RECORD IS PRETTY MUCH SCRATCHED . PLS ADVISE WHERE I CAN FIND IT THANKS..BJORG

George's test tapes.......2003-10-10

This CD is a compilation of two tracks from George's first album for the HiFi label back in the mid 50's along with other material which was probably recorded at different times and later released, along with other selections, on two HiFi Life series LP's - "Sweet and Low" and "Tibia & Vox."

Except for "Stars and Stripes Forever," "Boogie" (a George Wright original composition) and "Under the Double Eagle" (a cut from a later HiFi release which was misidentified as "Washington Post March" on the original LP), none of the other material was ever intended for release. A friend of George's explained it to me this way many years ago, "Those are all rejects - every one of them. It's some stuff that he just did." Basement tapes, in other words. Some of it appears to have been test material to see how the organ would record, others tracks appear to be outtakes from material which was later released ("All Through the Night," for example, another version of which was released under the title "Evening Hymn" for the "Hymns That Live" album, most of which is available on another Legacy CD).

This CD is definitely worth having if you are a big George Wright fan, as I am. It is currently the only CD compilation of the "outtake" material available. It is worth noting, however, that the two opening tracks and the last track are now available on Banda CDs, and the sound is much better since Banda used the original master tapes rather than the tapes used to master the LP's, as Legacy apparently has.

One additional note: on all the tracks, the organ is a 5-manual 21-rank Wurlitzer originally built for and installed in the Paradise Theatre in Chicago and at the time of this recording was installed in the basement studio of Richard Vaughn, the founder of High Fidelity Recordings, Inc., the label for which these tracks were originally recorded.

Technically Flawed CD.......2000-11-28

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

Dissapointing.......2000-10-02

The first two selections are good. The rest are really bland. The capabilities of the organ are not exploited. Definitely does not justify the "mighty" in the title.

Average customer rating:

Impossibly delicate and beautiful
All Right

Realistic
Mary Lorson & Saint Low
Manufacturer: Cooking Vinyl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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Saint Low
Tricks for Dawn
Hello June Fool
Tragic Magic
Ladyland

ASIN: B000CQO15W
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Tracks:

Wait For The Sun
Realistic
Spider
Born Knowing
Dangerous
Walking Man
Lonely Boy
Out Of Your Mind
These Days
Ties That Bind
Serenade
Brand New Spring

Album Description

Singer/songwriter Mary Lorson is most known for her role in the indie rock outfit Madder Rose, the New York band she has fronted since 1990. In 1997, however, Lorson opted for a solo side, and three years later she assembled Saint Low and the band issued a self-titled release later that summer. Mary, a prolific songwriter, began working on her 8th release, Realistic, after the release of 2003's "Piano Creeps" a collection of atmospheric and evocative compositions penned with her partner Billy Cote. Whilst some of the songs on "Realistic" are inspired by the birth of their son Roman, quite a lot of the material was composed after Mary was diagnosed, and successfully treated, for breast cancer in Autumn 2003.

One of the album's most endearing qualities is its human warmth. Every word and every note is heartfelt, but it never enters the realm of self-pity. The songs are frequently uplifting, lyrically charming and flow with such sincerity that it's impossible not to be touched by them.

"Life provided me with an abundance of material this time around," quips Mary. "Musically I wanted it to be warm and rich, with some real infectious pop elements." Lyrically, there are quite a few other influences at work. The album includes a song called Lonely Boy' which Mary wrote after the death of Elliot Smith, her favourite contemporary songwriter.

In addition to the attention Lorson receives from the still active Madder Rose fans, the last couple of years have also seen Mary's songs receiving extra attention on TV and in films. Her music has been played on the shows Alias, Felicity, and The Real World, and is included in the upcoming Fox pilot Still Life.

Customer Reviews:

Impossibly delicate and beautiful.......2006-07-16

Mary Lorson's voice is sweet without being saccharin. One keeps expecting the voice to break, or to hear a glotteral stop, or some flaw because she is trying to be too earnest, or perhaps to drop too far into non-singing talkiness that modern folksingers tend to use when they have too many lyrics to fit in (which I don't like). She comes close to the last flaw in track 5, Dangerous, but otherwise keeps the lyrics, well, lyrical.

In places, especially track 2 "realistic", she sounds a lot like Suzanne Vega both in voice and song structure. "Realistic" could have come right off Vega's "Solitude Standing".

The music is quite listenable, perfect for relaxed listening or perhaps kicking back with (adult) friends. But the real star is Lorson's voice. It is something of an enigma, it's hard to pin down what it is that is so pleasent, because the intellect is saying things like "it's too sweet, too thin, not enough oomph". It threatens to be like Liv Tyler's speaking voice - completely without power and forgettable (except for the fact that it is so nondescript). And yet there's...something. She is like a french horn playing solo against a full orchestra - unassuming, almost drowned out by everything else, soft and non-prepossesing, but somehow so beautiful that the lack of actual strength can't keep that horn from being heard.

No, that's not right. Her voice is pretty and seems to take a lot of air to wind. She sounds like a voice on the open ocean, sweet but completely consumed by open space as soon as the sound leaves her lips.

This might be more of a production quality, certainly there are ways to process a voice to give it more 'oomph'. But I, for one, am glad they didn't do that, because it would remove what is unique and beautiful about Mary's voice.

I must deduct a star because there are some stinkers on the album, like the aforementioned "Dangerous". Besides, my standards are pretty high - 5 stars means "a classic", and while this album is very good (and your friends are sure to ask you who this is when you play the album), it is not a classic.

All Right.......2006-03-24

Typical for the female singer-songwriter genre these days, this cd by Mary Lorson and Saint Low will get virtually no airplay, no buzz, and little in the way of for-profit sales. Yet the thousands of folks who opt for more mediocre fare by talentless musicians will have missed a gem.

Plaintive, melodic, heartfelt, and varied, REALISTIC is a tremendous accomplishment with virtually no missteps. Not exactly "piano music" its driven piano and atmospheric guitar ballads and slice-of-the-heart torches emotionally affect the listener and draw them in completely.

Lyrically diverse (first and second person narrative interspersed wonderfully) and at times emotionally bare, Lorson creates sound and wordscapes that soothe yet challenge the listener. This is not Starbucks music (good thing, that).

"Roman, Roman, I promise, we really will try...and what we can't fix we'll paint shiny and bright...What the left hand can do to the right...But you need to know everything's fine... Do you want to bite?"

From "Ties that Bind", perhaps my favorite song on the disc. As you can see, I'm not a professional music reviewer. I just know what I like, and what has staying power. This disc does, and so does Ms. Lorson.

Awesome. Add a star.

Average customer rating:

screamingpig
I caught up to Saint Low on Yahoo Radio
Smoldering
Silky, like cool cream
Sweet Low

Saint Low
Saint Low , and Mary Lorson
Manufacturer: Thirsty Ear
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Realistic
Hello June Fool
Tricks for Dawn
Bring It Down

ASIN: B00004U93F
Release Date: 2000-07-18

Tracks:

Anywhere
On The Outside
Johnson City
Crash
Tall Trees
Keep An Open Mind
Only One
A Thing Or Two
Dreamland
Walk On By
Spanish Moss
After The Fall

Customer Reviews:

screamingpig.......2005-10-14

Mary Lorson is an uderapreciated tallent. With the help of Billy Cote and some fine musicians, Mary is able to treat our ears with one of the finest voices in popular music.

I caught up to Saint Low on Yahoo Radio.......2003-04-03

Her song (which one I can't remember) stuck with me and I bought the CD.

Its good...really good. It reminds me of either Alanis Morissette in jazz mode or Lisa Loeb. Her voice is the highlight of the CD, but it is well complemented by music behind.

If I have one complaint it is that the differences between the songs are pretty subtle and as a result, many sound VERY similar. Good background music, but you have to pay pretty close attention to the songs to divine their best features.

Smoldering.......2001-10-02

Best known as the vocalist for the Madder Rose, Mary Lorson has accumulated quite a catalog of her own material. A quick listen to this CD will reveal why these songs were better held for a solo release. Instead of the textured walls of psychotropic guitar sound of Madder Rose, these songs are sultry and passionate, a smoldering collection of torch songs that borrow heavily from the age of jazz. Such songs fit in perfectly with Lorson's pure voice that sounds like the girl next door, only [better], a playfully seductive voice that can make a young man fall in love and make a fool of himself.

"Johnson City" is a prime example of the songs on this album with Lorson singing an aching melody in two-part harmony over a sedated mamboish rhythm that reeks of a melancholy memory, a song to slow dance close to. Equally smoky is "Crash", a smoldering song that evokes images of dimly lit nightclubs and those huge 40's microphones. "Only One", with it's infectious up-tempo melody and layered guitars is the only song that could fit on a Madder Rose album. My personal favorite is "On The Outside", a song of loss and alienation with an emotive violin line that permeates the song like a solitary tear moving down a beautiful face. The melody in this song, as in the others, seems intended to rend the heart of the listener. Overall, this album helps prove that Lorson is more than just a singer. The melodies are fresh and haunting and the entire "confessional song" feel of the album draws the listener into a secret confidence, an imaginary nightclub in the 40s where Mary is singing to you alone.

Silky, like cool cream.......2001-06-14

As one unfamiliar with any previous output on the part of any of the members of Saint Low, after listening to this disc for several weeks I believe that I shall remain that way. It's my understanding that this is Mary Lorson's first lead effort; these are her works, her songs and her creations. All that went before was her helping somebody else. Thus, all that went before could be only bad reflection.

Whatever she lent her considerable efforts to in the past is, I'm sure, satisfying and rich to respective fans. I do not wish to damn with faint praise anybody's work. Nonetheless, these captivating and massaging melodies coupled with her strong, crystalline voice render me unwilling to hear her do another's creations. Revisiting this artist's previous efforts, now that I have experienced her emergence, would cause me only melancholy, much as a visit to a restaurant were the notable chef has departed for grander climes and the replacement serves only shadows of the former's artistry. Fortunately, in this case the progression is positive; the more we visit Saint Low the richer the servings will be.

Swinging from low and sweet to jazzy and hip, the selections fascinate with metaphor and partial illustration. In an age where "In your face" smackdown and gangsta rule, such allegory and abstraction are refreshing finds. One may make of the works what one wishes, discovering in the imagery either familiar chords to grasp or indications of experiences unfamilar but still attractive.

Far too deep and complex for play to the lemmings, Saint Low and their patroness Mary Larson warrant following and scrutiny. This is art.

Sweet Low.......2001-05-30

I could listen to Mary Lorson sing all day long, and the emphasis here is on the vocals. Most of the songs are spare, simple arrangements of guitar, bass, drum, and strings, with Lorson's singing and song writing front and center. Very happy I stumbled accross this CD.

Average customer rating:

Bryn Terfel Sings Favorites

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000B1JWJ
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Toredor Song: "Votre Toast, Je Peux Vous le Rendre" [From Carmen]
Shenandoah
Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn
Pearl Fisher's Duet: "C'ait le Soir"-"Au Fond du Temple Saint" [From
Lord Is My Shepherd
Danny Boy
Bella Notte [From Lady and the Tramp (1955)]
Goin' Home, After the Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" 2nd Movt.

Tracks:

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Home Sweet Home
Ave Maria
Mio Cuore Va [From Titanic]
At the River
None But the Lonely Heart, Op. 6 No. 6
If I Can Help Somebody
Wiegenlied Lullaby-Bercuese (Op. 49 No. 4)
Abide with Me
Lazy Bones

Average customer rating:

I really enjoyed this cd
For Doublebass players
London Double Bass Sound

London Double Bass Sound

Manufacturer: Cala Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites: Performed on Double Bass
Dialogues With Double Bass
Meyer & Bottesini Concertos
Uncommon Ritual
Tarantella

ASIN: B00003G1O5
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Tracks:

Elephant
Mosses Fantasy
I Love You, Samantha
Satin Doll
Carmen Fantasy
Prayer
Ol' Man River
Wannabe
American Basses
Frere Jacques Fantasy
Scherzo
Tea for Two
When I Fall in Love
Take Five
When I'm Sixty-Four

Customer Reviews:

I really enjoyed this cd.......2004-03-19

Being a bass player myself I really enjoyed this cd becuase of the variety of music featured on it! I hope other people can enjoy it and appriciate it as well!

For Doublebass players.......2000-04-30

Nice arrangements, wonderful sound, a wide variety of songs but I wanted to listen more to Gary Karr. The interpretation of Moses Fantasy is better that the one played with the RSO Berlin Orchestra. If you are a DoubleBass player, this is a must. If you aren't, you'll hear what a doublebass can do and how sensitive it could be. I couldn't stop laughing when I heard for the first time the "sarcastic" version of Wannabe. This album is like a Raritie. If your're really looking for a serius album to know better the doublebass, this is not the first one that I'll chose. But it's really fun!

London Double Bass Sound.......2000-04-27

This CD is certainly an interesting concept, however musically speaking it doesn't quite hit the mark that it intended. Fans of Gary Karr should certainly consider buying this CD because his performances are inspiring and the ensemble does a nice job of accompanying, however the selection of repetoire does not always help the bassists' fight for serious recognition. "The Elephant" sounds grotesque enough with only one bass playing it, but here there are four basses on the solo line. The jazz tunes are nice, but lack a certain excitement and the inclusion of the Spice Girls' "Wannabe", as humorous as it may have intended to be, may set the double bass back a few steps in the eyes of the general, non bass playing public.

Average customer rating:

Bryn [Double Album Special Edition]

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0007OQDGO
Release Date: 2005-03-28

Tracks:

Toreador Song
Shenandoah
Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn
Pearl Fishers' Duet (Ft Andrea Bocelli)
Lord Is My Shepherd
Danny Boy
Bella Notte
Goin Home
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Home Sweet Home
Ave Maria (Ft Sissel)
Il Mio Cuore Va
At The River
None But The Lonely Heart
If I Can Help Somebody
Lullaby
Abide With Me
Lazybones
Impossible Dream
Plaisir D'amour
Granada
God Bless The Child
Amazing Grace
Tua Bethlehem Dref
O Come All Ye Faithful
Shenandoah (Video)

Album Details

From the Platinum Selling Album 'bryn' Comes this UK Special Edition Double Album. Tracks Include "The Impossible Dream", "Plaisir D'amour", "Granada", "God Bless the Child", "Amazing Grace (From "Songs of Praise"), "Tua Bethlehem Dref" and "o Come all Ye Faithful". Terfel is Joined by Andrea Bocelli for "The Pearl Fishers' Duet" and Sissel for Schubert's "Ave Maria".

A Portrait of Thomas Hampson: Arias & Songs from Bach to Zemlinsky

Average customer rating:

A perfect introduction
Hampson's Pretty "Portrait"

A Portrait of Thomas Hampson: Arias & Songs from Bach to Zemlinsky

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000SPK
Release Date: 1995-06-06

Tracks:

Hochsterwunschtes Freudenfest BWV 194: Was des Hochsten Glanz
Apollo e Dafne: Mie piante correte
Le nozze de Figaro K. 492: Vedro mentre io sospiro
La Boheme: O Mimi, to piu non torni
Les pecheurs de perles: Au fond du temple saint
Die erste Walpurgisnacht Op. 60: So weit gebracht, dass wir bei Nacht
Requiem: Libera me
Drei Balladen Op. 2, Nr. 2: Herr Oluf
Drei Lieder Op. 84, Nr. 3: Jagdlied
Funf Lieder Op. 40, Nr. 4: Der Spielmann
Funf Lieder Op. 49, Nr. 4: Wiegenlied
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Nr. 2: Ging heut' morgen uber's Feld
Symphony No. 4, 4th Movement: Das himmlische Leben
Funf fruhe Lieder, Nr. 2: Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz'
Zwei Lieder Op. 12, Nr. 1: Nachtlied
Meeres Stille
Du bist wie eine Blume
Das bucklichte Mannlein
Old American Songs, No. 3: Long Time Ago

Customer Reviews:

A perfect introduction.......2004-07-09

If you have never heard Thomas Hampson sing, this is the perfect introduction. Every Lied/aria is beautiful, beautifully sung. Thomas Hampson has awakened me for Verdi, Puccini, Bach, and others, whom I thought I did not like. But no matter what the composers are, his voice is just out of this world. Beautiful, sweet, velvety, when it needs to be so. It truly lifts me up out of this world, onto a higher plane of existence - a bit like the final song of "Das Lied von der Erde". Extatic!

Hampson's Pretty "Portrait".......2000-08-16

Thomas Hampson's wonderful baritone voice shines in his CD "A Portrait of Thomas Hampson - From Bach to Zemlinsky." The songs vary greatly from one another, showcasing Mr. Hampson's ability to adjust his voicings to accuratlely reflect the spirit of the piece.

Famous Composers Playing Their Own Works: Welte Mignon Piano

Average customer rating:

Quality Piano Roll Reproductions
Great, great CD

Famous Composers Playing Their Own Works: Welte Mignon Piano

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009KFF
Release Date: 1994-05-03

Customer Reviews:

Quality Piano Roll Reproductions.......2006-10-31

One thing I would mention, other than the obvious (e.g., it's GREAT to hear the composers' own interpretations, etc.), is that the reproduction of the rolls is of good quality, and the recording doesn't sound cheap or poorly made.

I love the Strauss Traumerai, in particular, though it's all great stuff.

Great, great CD.......2002-10-09

Absolutely beautiful collection of Welte Mignon Piano Roll music... You hear great composers play their OWN music, not someone else's interpertation. Track #11 Strauss's 'Reverie' is very beautiful and the last 3 tracks are Gustav Mahler playing his own music, Mahler was a very fine pianist. Track #6 Humperdinck's 'Pantomine' from 'Hansel und Gretel' is very cool. These were all recorded between 1905 & 1906. These are not ordinary Piano Rolls, the Welte Mignon was a breakthrough, Stravinsky spent days over the factory in France recording, "my music for posterity."-------- Where his Welte Mignon recordings are now, who knows, let's just hope one day they too are released.

Music:

Music