American Child

Amazon.com
Former Nashville club owner and celebrated songwriter Phil Vassar took country's mainstream by storm with his self-titled 2000 debut. On American Child, his follow-up, Vassar's accomplished performances, along with his intense romanticism and best-of-all-worlds optimism, once again shine through boldly on smooth yet impassioned originals like "Baby, You're Right," "Stand Still," "Ultimate Love," and the wistfully patriotic title tune. Even on soul searchers and potential downers like "I Thought I Would Never Forget" and "Someone You Love," Vassar never sounds like his angst is much more than skin deep or his romantic confusion more than a fleeting glint of gray in life's unflaggingly sunny skies. Thus his sophomore song collection, with its robust mixture of artistry, confidence, and earnest hopefulness, will likely expand the robust middle-of-the-road audience he cultivated with his celebrated debut. --Bob Allen

American Child,Phil Vassar,Arista,Country,Country & Western,Pop

Average customer rating: Beautiful A few bright spots, but also some disappointments This CD Deserves SIX Stars! every good adjective Fabulous!

Peace Like a River James Lucas , Janice Kapp Perry , John Rutter , Jean Sibelius , John Tavener , American Traditional , English Traditional , Spiritual Traditional , Mack Wilberg , Craig D. Jessop , Clay Christiansen , John Longhurst , Richard L. Elliott , Daron Bradford , and Meredith Campbell Manufacturer: Mormon Tabernacle ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Rutter | Rutter, John | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sibelius | Sibelius, Jean | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Mormon Tabernacle Choir | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music | General Christmas | Today's Deals | Box Sets | Children's Music | Classical Instrumental | Halloween | Hanukkah | Kwanzaa | Opera & Vocal | Pop Instrumental & Easy Listening | Pop Vocal Similar Items: Consider the Lilies Love Is Spoken Here America's Choir Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The Sound of Glory-Battle Hymn of the Republic Choose Something Like a Star ASIN: B00020H9W0 Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

1. Sweet Peace
2. Be Still, My Soul
3. Peace Like a River
4. All Things Bright and Beautiful
5. Lord Is My Shepherd
6. This Is My Father's World
7. Wayfarin' Stranger
8. Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace
9. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
10. Deep River
11. Lamb
12. Child's Prayer
13. It Is Well With My Soul
14. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
15. Gaelic Blessing
16. Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends
17. Come, Let Us Anew

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2007-06-14

This CD is a must have for any Mormon Tabernacle Choir fans. The music is very reverent and gentle, and should also appeal to those not from the LDS church, seeing as how most of the music is common to the wider Christian community. This CD is a fantastic addition to any music collection.

A few bright spots, but also some disappointments.......2007-01-19

It Is Well With My Soul is one of my favorite-favorites and that is the main reason why I bought the CD; it turned out to be a huge let down on this album, they rearranged it so much that I almost didn't recognize it. Be Still My Soul is another reason why I bought it and it's good, but not great. Swing Low Sweet Chariot is where it starts to get good. The last two songs "Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends"
and "Come, Let Us Anew" are very good reasons to buy this CD, they each have truely powerful passages and make the CD worth having. The Mormon Tabernacle Choirs 2006 release entitled Then Sings My Soul is by far the best that I've heard from them.

This CD Deserves SIX Stars!.......2005-11-05

However, the rating scale has a limit of five. I own over 700 CDs of virtually every type of music. Peace Like A River belongs in a class by itself! I've never written a review before but, after listening to this STUNNING performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I feel compelled to share my praise with that of the five other reviewers. If I were limited to one word, I would use the word "SUPERB" to describe this beautiful and moving CD. SIX stars for Peace Like a River! BRAVO!!!

every good adjective .......2005-08-06

This album is all beauty and solace. The singing is pristine, the arrangements lush and often stirring--never saccharine. As with the previous reviewer, my first listing of "Peace Like a River" brought me to tears (especially "Peace Like a River," the sopranos in "Swing Low," and the bagpipes in "Thou Gracious God"). Buy this one.

Fabulous!.......2005-05-29

The perfect recording to help you recover from a long, hard day. Showcasing the MTC's "new" sound in contemporary choral arrangements with its own orchestra and conductor, "Peace Like a River" brought tears to my eyes in selection after selection during my first listen -- and I'm not normally an emotional person! The title song together with "Deep River," "Swing Low" and "Be Still My Soul" are alone worth the cost of the recording. Get this one!

Average customer rating: Rutter Christmas Album Unique and Beautiful! Johh Rutter Chirstmas Album Liked it enough to go through a lot of trouble to give it a review. John Rutter and Cambridge Singers

The John Rutter Christmas Album Cambridge Singers , Rutter , and City of London Sinfon Manufacturer: Collegium ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: John Rutter Collection Cambridge Singers Christmas Album Christmas Star Requiem & Magnificat/Rutter, Cambridge Singers Be Thou My Vision ASIN: B00006JJ4T Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

1. Wexford Carol
2. Jesus Child
3. There Is a Flower
4. Donkey Carol
5. Wild Wood Carol
6. Angels' Carol
7. Nativity Carol
8. Mary's Lullaby
9. Star Carol
10. Candlelight Carol
11. Shepherd's Pipe Carol
12. Christmas Lullaby
13. Dormi, Jesu
14. Love Came Down at Christmas
15. Sans Day Carol
16. I Wonder as I Wander
17. What Sweeter Music
18. Joy to the World
19. I Saw Three Ships
20. Deck the Hall
21. Very Best Time of Year
22. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
23. Silent Night

Album Description

Top of the British Classical Charts for 10 Weeks! Billboard Top Ten Classical Recording - December 2002! This album gathers together most of the carols I have composed over the years, plus a sprinkling of my arrangements of traditional carols, grouped to form a program which narrates, reflects upon, and celebrates the Christmas story. I have always enjoyed carols ever since I first sang them as a member of my school choir, and it was not long before I began to write carols of my own-in fact my first two published compositions were the Nativity Carol and the Shepherd's Pipe Carol. For any musician involved in choral music, Christmas is an especially joyous time, and I am indeed happy that it has played a part in my musical life for so many years- JOHN RUTTER

Customer Reviews:

Rutter Christmas Album.......2007-05-14

Great selection of music, and well presented. This is however older recordings that do not match the quality of Rutter's latest recordings such as the Te Deum or the Gloria.

Unique and Beautiful!.......2007-03-09

John Rutter, and his beautiful music, is such a gift to the world. This unique Christmas CD is magnificent! Especially touching are two of Rutter's original carols, "Christmas Lullaby" and the joyful "Angels' Carol." The musical selections speak to the soul, helping the listener connect to emotions of joy, peace, faith, hope, and love. This is a worthy addition to your collection of Christmas CDs.

Johh Rutter Chirstmas Album.......2007-02-19

If I were to choose only one Christmas album to ever own, this would be the one. John Rutter is an exceptional composer of religious music, with unusual harmonies. The music is difficult to sing, and because this is his own choir and he is directing it, the performance is flawless. Gives you goosebumps.

Liked it enough to go through a lot of trouble to give it a review........2007-02-07

Great music by John Rutter: Great performance!

John Rutter and Cambridge Singers.......2007-01-18

This is quintessential English cathedral music; beautifully sung. Reminds one of the English Christmas -- warm and serene -- that we've only experienced in our dreams!

Average customer rating: "Lord, How Come Me Here" WOW! uhm......yeah right!! scadalise my name Broadway takes on the spiritual ...

Spirituals in Concert Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs Kathleen Battle · Wynton Marsalis ~ Baroque Duet / Anthony Newman · Orch St. Luke's · Nelson Kathleen Battle & Christopher Parkening ~ Pleasures of Their Company So Many Stars ASIN: B000001GDC Release Date: 1991-03-08

Tracks:

1. In That Great Getting Up Morning
2. Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
3. Over My Head/ Lil' David
4. Oh, What A Beautiful City
5. Lord, How Come Me Here
6. I Believe I'll Go Back Home-Lordy, Won't You Help Me
7. Ride On, King Jesus
8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot-Ride Up In The Chariot
9. You Can Tell The World
10. Scandalize My Name
11. Great Day
12. Oh, Glory
13. Calvary-They Crucified My Lord
14. Talk About A Child
15. Gospel Train
16. My God Is So High
17. There Is A Balm In Gilead
18. He's Got The Whole World In His Hand

Customer Reviews:

"Lord, How Come Me Here".......2007-06-18

I must add, to the praises above, that Kathleen Battle's "Lord, How Come Me Here" is the best "quick" explanation of the long-lasting effects of slavery that I can think of. The line, "They sold my children away," says it all.

And the VERY funny "Scandelize My Name" is also worth the price of the total album!

Alinde O'Malley

WOW!.......2007-03-22

You know, after owning both the CD and VHS of this performance, and having been coached by Sylvia Olden Lee herself, it is no wonder why spiritual mean so much to me. And these two ladies bare their souls and bring these masterpieces to life! WOW!!!

uhm......yeah right!!.......2006-06-21

Clearly you are mistaken. I don't know who that guy is-the person below recommended-but there is NO COMPARISON to JESSYE NORMAN AND KATHLEEN BATTLE!!!! Jessye Norman herself has *30* HONARY DOCTRATES from places like Harvard, Juliard, Yale, Cambridge....I mean HELLO!!!! That guy had no where near the ease, the musicality or even the breath support as these two veterans show!! It is a beautiful CD though it came out in 1991 and I HIGHLY recommend it.

scadalise my name.......2004-10-29

this isn't that good specially after hearing William Warfeild sing it. You can find him at www.wlym.com

Broadway takes on the spiritual ..........2004-01-29

... takes it on and puts it on the canvas by the end of the first round.

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here: thank goodness I signed this disk out of the public library 'cause I'm sure not going to listen to it twice.

There is nothing wrong with the performances. Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle sing beautifully, and there's no problem with the pick-up orchestra under James Levine.

The problem, and it's huge, is the conception of the show and the musical arrangements. To make the video marketable, I suppose, the producers decided that the concert had to be big: big names, big arrangements, big effects. So we have eighteen spirituals given the musical theatre treatment, with a philharmonic chorus providing chain-gang sound effects, big brass, and big percussion -- including a chinese gong. A chinese gong in a spiritual??? Spare me! Almost every track turns out sounding like either a curtain-raiser or a big, end-of-act production number with cute and predictable modulations between some of the stanzas and the sort of curly-cue orchestral ornamentation typical of Broadway shows.

And you know what? It all kills the spirituals stone dead. The spiritual is one of those musical forms where less is more and very little is best of all. That's how they started, after all. That's how and why they worked for their original audiences, and that's why they were powerful enough to make the transition from folk song to art song. If you want to hear Battle sing spirituals that are irresistible, listen to the set on her Salzburg recital CD, also with Levine (ASIN B00000E31B). There, the music speaks for itself and speaks with a strength and a beauty that the tracks on this disk never approach.

Average customer rating: Robeson on wax The voice, the sound quality and the interpretation A Voice from the 40s, often dated, often moving Robeson at his best some of the greatest songs of the last century

Songs of Free Men/ A Paul Robeson Recital Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Blitzstein | Blitzstein, Marc | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Robeson, Paul | ( R ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Paul Robeson Live at Carnegie Hall Ballad for Americans Ol' Man River: His 25 Greatest Paul Robeson - Here I Stand Spirituals ASIN: B0000029YJ Release Date: 1997-12-09

Tracks:

1. Balm in Gilead
2. Chassidic Chant
3. Quiet Flows The Don: From Border To Border
4. Quiet Flows The Don: Oh, How Proud Our Quiet Don
5. Elijah, Op. 70: The Lord God Of Abraham
6. The Purest Kind Of Guy
7. Joe Hill
8. The Peat-Bog Soldiers
9. The Four Insurgent Generals
10. Native Land
11. Song Of The Plains
12. Cradle Song
13. Within Four Walls
14. By An' By
15. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
16. John Henry
17. Water Boy
18. My Curly Headed Baby
19. Mah Lindy Lou
20. Wagon Wheels
21. The House I Live In
22. Showboat: I Still Suits Me
23. Sylvia
24. Showboat: Ol' Man River
25. Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So

Amazon.com

There was nothing like the Robeson sound, ever. To describe his deep, rich, perfectly equalized instrument is futile. Go instead to "Balm in Gilead," the opening track, and see if you can listen to the last pianissimo phrase without falling to pieces. Robeson was at his best when the music was slow and the words contained spiritual or social messages. Faster, lighter fare like Kern's "I Still Suits Me" or Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" find the serious-minded singer out of his element, lacking irony and swing. "Old Man River," though, gets a simple, dignified treatment. It's Songs of Free Men, though, that will just keep Robeson's artistry rolling along, especially in Sony's astonishing transfers. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Robeson on wax.......2007-06-19

I found this album in a thrift store last week, for a couple of dollars. It's the original pressing on four 78 RPM records, in a gatefold format. It's in pristine condition. I really bought it for the incredible cover art, although I hope to be able to listen to it in this format at some point.

The voice, the sound quality and the interpretation.......2004-09-24

Put this on your stereo and if it is good enough the depth and richness of Robeson's voice will make your fillings rattle and your chest rumble. The power of his voice is awesome. This CD is superbly recorded with no audible noise at normal listening levels.

A Voice from the 40s, often dated, often moving.......2002-09-01

"Red diaper babies" have greeted this disc with nostalgic joy, and it captures a time and an aesthetic and a political belief with precision. Anyone interested in the emotional life of the pro-Soviet left of the 1940s should buy this disc. It's something like Henry Wallace set to music. There is much more to Robeson than that, however, and Sony has given us Robeson whole: there are songs by American masters of the musical, there are labor songs, religious songs, as well as the kind of faux-folk songs which the butcher supreme Josef Stalin encouraged and which were not taken seriously inside the USSR (except at gunpoint!!) but which were taken up by dupes around the world. This is Robeson at his least savory - willing propagandist for a vile mass murderer. Songs such as "Native Land" (fittingly, Robeson is referring to the Soviet Union) and the Red Army song are the equivalent of the "Horst Wessel Song", anthems of murder, and it is difficult to listen to the worst of them without retching. On the other hand, Robeson's commitment to American folk culture was real. "Balm in Gilead" is deeply beautiful; "John Henry" is heroic; "By an' By" is both resigned yet hopeful. "Joe Hill" captures an era in labor history. Anyone interested in American popular song should hear these. Turning to Broadway, his "Old Man River" is very fine, though Robeson changed the lyrics for political reasons and Leonard Warren has done the song better. I disagree with the editorial reviewer: "I Still Suits Me" is wonderfully playful and shows Robeson using his gorgeously rich voice to tease and poke fun. However, Marc Blitzstein's "Purest Kind of a Guy" is beyond saving - another example of Robeson recording an unworthy song by a political fellow-traveller. Ugh. But for every miss there are two hits. Robeson performs Mendelssohn's Elijah with nobility, and sings his favorite song, "Water Boy", with joyous pride: "There ain't no hammer that's on these mountains that rings like mine, boys, that rings like mine."
No one need have any fears about the mono sound quality. The orchestra in the second half of the program is at times a little dwarfed by Robeson's voice, but it generally sounds clean and colorful, and the great artist's voice rings like no other.

Robeson at his best.......2000-05-12

It's hard to believe that most of these recordings pre-date the advent of magnetic tape: the CD transfer is superlative. The songs and performance are beyond reproach. Notable is the imaginative packaging in miniature 'record album' format, complete with the original cover art, and a replica of the original Columbia record label applied to the CD.

In response to a previous question: Robeson's performance of Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) can be found on the Vanguard LP entitled "Robeson" (VRS-9037).

some of the greatest songs of the last century.......2000-05-05

In the 1940s, before rabid McCarthyism and racism had taken its toll on him, Robeson made these wonderful recordings of spirituals, classics and pop tunes. Accompanied by the solo piano of the incomparable Lawrence Brown, or by an orchestra, the songs ring out with pride, dignity, skill and unmatched integrity. The shameful treatment that Robeson was subject to from American authorities certainly seem grotesquely absurd to a modern listener. The wonderful version of "The House I Live In" included on this cd should forever kill off any suspicion that Robeson did not love his country deeply. This album ought to be heard by millions of people, world wide. Robeson's voice is nothing less than a glorious high point in 20th century music, and it's hard to think of any recording capturing it to greater advantage.

Average customer rating: I love it and I give it as a gift MarMSED Diverse range but the songs are butchered...

The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever! Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Allegri | Allegri, Gregorio | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Charpentier | Charpentier, Marc-Antoine | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Orff | Orff, Carl | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rutter | Rutter, John | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The #1 Choral Album Choral Masterpieces The Only Choral CD You'll Ever Need Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics ASIN: B00002ZZH6 Release Date: 2005-06-07

Tracks:

1. Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Academy And Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields
2. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
3. Zadok The Priest - Ambrosian Singers
4. Miserere Mei, Deus - Gerald Finley
5. Veni Creator Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
6. Lacrimosa - London Philharmonic Choir
7. For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Ambrosian Singers
8. The Heavens Are Telling - John Shirley-Quirk
9. Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
10. Ave Maria - Groupe Vocal De France
11. Ode To Joy - The Westminster Choir
12. Va, Pensiero - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
13. Chorus Of Slave Girls - Chorus Of The National Theatre Of Sophia
14. Coro De Romanticos - Coro Cantores De Madrid
15. In Paradisum - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
16. Totus Tuus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
17. Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir
18. Celebration - London Symphony Chorus
19. Jerusalem - Royal Choral Society

Tracks:

1. Zion Hort Die Wachter - South German Madrigal Choir
2. Pleni Sunt Coeli Et Terra - Charles Brett
3. Hallelujah Chorus - Ambrosian Singers
4. Thou Knowest, Lord - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
5. Veni Sancte Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
6. Awake The Harp - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
7. And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth - New Philharmonia Chorus
8. L'Adieu Des Bergers - Choeurs Rene Duclos
9. Agnus Dei - Peter Barley
10. Cantique De Jean Racine - MONKS AND CHOIRBOYS OF DOWNSIDE ABBEY
11. Ave Verum Corpus - Schutz Consort
12. Begluckt Darf Nun Dich, O Heimat - Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Munich
13. Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
14. Laudamus Te - Radio France Chorus
15. Chichester Psalms - Rachel Masters
16. The Lamb - Vasari Singers
17. Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir
18. Requiem Aeternam - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
19. Dies Irae - Philharmonia Chorus
20. O Fortuna - London Philharmonic Choir
21. Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 (Land Of Hope Glory) - Royal Choral Society

Customer Reviews:

I love it and I give it as a gift.......2006-12-11

This is the first collection of choral music that I've purchased and I love it. I own copies of operas and requiems and masses, but if you attend choral concerts, as I have been recently, you learn there is a huge colletion of choral music appart from the forms I've been listening to. I appreciate the producers selecting "Song for Athene" by Tavener and "Celebration (Standing Stone)" by McCartney. They are new to me and I love them. Disk 1 ends with "Jerusalem" and Disk 2 ends with "Land of Hope and Glory." As an American I rarely hear these and I am so glad they were included. I believe this album was intended to help popularize choral music and I believe the selections do fine job towards that end.

I know snobs rage against popularizing classical music, but everyone deserves exposure to the beauty of song. I will also mention here "The East Village Opera Company" because they work to popularize opera by setting it to a rock beat. They do a fine job but also get criticized for attempting to popularize classical music.

"The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever" was so popular with my teen-age daughter that it was hard to get it back from her. I give the album as a gift to nephews and nieces.

MarMSED.......2005-08-27

The music selections are extraordinary. The only problem has to do with the balance of sound. There are some parts that are very loud, and some that are so very soft. You have to continually adjust the volume.

Diverse range but the songs are butchered..........2005-07-24

Well, this CD isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is irritating to someone who's more than a casual listener of choral music. I'm by no means as musically "literate" as many reviewers out there, but I have a collection of probably twenty-five or thirty choral CD's and this is one that will probably be gathering dust in the back of the CD book.

The peices are well-performed for the most part, but they are hopelessly edited. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is somewhere around twenty four minutes, but this CD only includes an arrangement of about five minutes. The beautiful Miserere is, uncut, almost eleven minutes but is cut down to five and a half minutes here.

Looking back, I should have realized the major editing that would be involved, just by the sheer number of peices on it. I'm familiar with a great many of them and I know they're too long to fit onto a seventy minute disc without some major cutting going on. I just didn't reason that out before I shelled out the money for it.

Bottom line. This CD has decent singing, but is nothing special. If you're a newcomer to this genre, you might get this as a quick overview of the different types of choral music out there, but if you're any kind of an avid listener, this CD will drive you insane with the severity of the cuts. Beginners, if you're looking for a great collection CD, you'd do better to look at "Choral Moods". It doesn't have the diversity in styles of this one, but it will introduce you to incredibly talented composers. To the old hats out there, steer clear of this one and look to CD's by your preferred individual composers themselves. It's more money, but much less frustration in the long run. The old sayings are sometimes the best: You get what you pay for.

Average customer rating: Traditional Christmas Music The quintessential Christmas recording A Top List Christmas CD The best How do you describe perfection?

A Festival Of Carols / Robert Shaw Chorale Robert Shaw Chorale Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Blues | Styles | Music Texas Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Piano | Blues | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Robert Shaw Chorale | ( R ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols The Many Moods of Christmas (1963 RCA Victor Version) Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra Joy to the World - Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra A Festival of Carols in Brass A Robert Shaw Christmas - Angels on High ASIN: B000003EPA Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Medley: Good Christian Men - Rejoice - Silent Night - Patapan - O Come - All Ye Faithful
2. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
3. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
4. Shepherd's Carol
5. Go, Tell It On The Mountain
6. Medley: O Sanctissima - Joy To The World - Away In A Manger - Fum, Fum, Fum - March Of The Kings
7. I Wonder As I Wander
8. We Three Kings
9. My Dancing Day
10. Medley: What Child Is This? - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Bring A Torch - Jeanette - Isabella - Angels We Have Heard On High
11. Coventry Carol
12. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
13. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
14. Carol Of The Bells
15. Medley: Break Forth - O Beauteous Heavenly Light - The First Nowell - O Little Town Of Bethlehem - I Saw Three Ships - Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly

Customer Reviews:

Traditional Christmas Music .......2007-01-24

If you love traditional Christmas music, done in traditional style (i.e., no rock or jazz influence), this CD is for you. The Robert Shaw Chorale, the "gold standard" of quality choral music, sings much loved carols, with some lesser-known pieces as well. Some are a cappella; some include a full orchestral accompaniment. My favorites on this CD are "We Three Kings," "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella," and "I Saw Three Ships."

The quintessential Christmas recording.......2005-12-09

This recording seems to elicit universal and heartfelt praise. Who am I to dispute that? The performance is terrific, just as described by the other Amazon reviewers, no doubt about it.

However, I do have one bone to pick with this recording. There just isn't enough of it. With material as good as this, that is a real loss!

A Top List Christmas CD.......2004-12-28

I bought this cd long ago, and have enjoyed it immensely each year. It is the perfect blend of celebration and meditation. Orchestra and choir combine in four distinct groupings, and a capella arrangements complete the masterful collection. The orchestral arrangements will make the hairs on your neck stand up, and your stomach quiver with all the excitement you ever felt as a child at Christmas. Adeste Fidelis is performed as few other ensembles have ever come close. The a capella arrangements will all, without exception, be on your yearly list of must-hear holiday arrangements. Truly a top list Christmas CD, essential for every family who celebrates this feast.

The best.......2004-01-02

I own approximately 35 Christmas choral CDs - including choirs and groups such as the Cambridge Singers and the King Singers. I also own two Christmas albums with Robert Shaw and the Atlantic symphony. This performance with the Robert Shaw Chorale is old but it is still my favorite. The arrangements are magnificent, the sound is brilliant, and the choir and orchestra are precise with wonderful volume control. Buy and enjoy!

How do you describe perfection?.......2003-12-14

This is my favorite Christmas CD. Nothing comes close. I thoroughly enjoyed learning much of the music in high school choir over 30 years ago. The music has never left me. The four medleys are the arrangements of Robert Russell Bennett titled "The Many Moods of Christmas". The arrangements seem to have a freshness about them even after listening numerous times.

Interspersed with the medleys are a cappella carols.

All of this music is wonderfully performed by the Robert Shaw Chorale, the a cappella selections recorded in 1957 and the medleys in 1963.

Four decades have proven that this is the standard in choral music. The clarity of text, the richness of tone, the beauty of harmony combine to present the message of Christmas in the manner that only music can do.

These words are no surprise to those familiar with choral music in the United States. If you are not so familiar, but would like to enjoy Christmas music at its most beautiful, you can do no better than acquiring this CD.

Average customer rating: Kathy Rocks Ever! A wide presentation of the work of an amazing artist A Great Coloratura Soprano Great compilation of Kathleen Battle's work Beautiful Voice

The Best of Kathleen Battle Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Battle, Kathleen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Charpentier, Gustave | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Donizetti, Gaetano | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gershwin, George | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Faure, Gabriel | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Handel, George Frideric | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Thomas, Ambroise | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart So Many Stars A Christmas Celebration: Kathleen Battle Kathleen Battle & Christopher Parkening ~ Pleasures of Their Company ASIN: B00068CVF8 Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

1. Summertime
2. I loves you, Porgy
3. Porgi amor
4. Welche Wonne, welche Lust
5. S'altro che lagrime
6. Una donna a quindici anni
7. Depuis le jour
8. E pur cosi / Piangeri la sorte mia
9. Oui! pour ce soir... Je suis Titania
10. Ah! tardai troppo... O luce di quest'anima
11. 4. Pie Jesu (Sopran)
12. Voices of Spring, Op.410 (Frohlingsstimmen) - vocal version
13. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / Ride Up in the Chariot
14. Witness "Oh, Lord, what manner of man is dis?"
15. Talk About a Child
16. He's got the whole world in His hands

Customer Reviews:

Kathy Rocks Ever!.......2006-01-01

Oh,yeah!Also here in Brazil she commanded,complained,got her tantrums as well but,she is Kathy;highly gifted,charmingly glamourous,her elegant golden singing beautifully soaring over brazilian audiences and so on.About this cd,I would prefer a completely new one.However,this is a gorgeous compilation,just perfect to Battle beginners or her fans,especially these spirituals that belongs incontestablely to her heavenly throat.I hope much more from Miss Battle just 'cause she is a great performer,in fact nobody or nothing couldn't denies that no matter she's doing backstage.Cowardly,poisonous "kid's rewiews" show us solely how empty is this quarrel.I hope a DG reissue of her beloved,out of print Schubert recital as well.

A wide presentation of the work of an amazing artist.......2005-12-23

This CD provides a sampling of Kathleen Battle's voice and interpretive abilities from coloratura virtuousity (Voices of Spring) to the simple, heartfelt spiritual (Talk about a child).

First of all, there's THAT voice. You hear a voice that is uniquely angelic and capable of expressing a wide range of moods. You hear a voice that glitters like a diamond, skips happily and effortlessly (and in impeccable tune) from note to note like it's nobody's business, one that that reminds you of moonbeams and early morning dew on pink rose petals. You've simply got to her it to believe it.

On this CD, the listener is provided with the the works/composers for which she's well known: Handel Opera (E pur cosi / piangero la sorte mia), Mozart Opera (S'altro che lagrime), Bel Canto Opera (Ah, tardai troppo...), French Opera (Depuis le jour), spirituals, and a few popular songs for sopranos such as Gershwin's Summertime and Faure's Pie Jesu

If you're just popping the CD in, try: (1) Ah, tardai troppo, (2) Voices of Spring, (3) Talk about a child, (4) I loves you, Porgy, and (5) Pie Jesu.

I suppose if you are a fan of heavy, dramatic voices, Kathleen Battle may not be to your liking. But I suspect that if you listen to her, you still might be amazed...

A Great Coloratura Soprano .......2005-04-03

Coloratura sopranos are a dying breed today. The era of Lily Pons and Beverly Sills is long gone and opera audiences favor a more "heavy" coloratura sound- or at least a full lyric one, such as the voice types of Kiri Te Kenawa, Carol Vanness and Renee Fleming. Kathleen Battle was in many ways an artist who payed homage to the coloratura queens of olden days. Only Natalie Dessay, of late, represents that kind of singer. much This album showcases her best work, and she is in fine voice, bringing a luminous and sunny quality to her interpretations, while keeping the dramatic appeal of the text. She was at best a Handel/Mozart/Strauss/Gounod singer, and never fared well in the more dramatic reperotoire of Verdi or Puccini heroines. She never sang Madame Butterfly, which if she had gone through training, she could have nailed, especially because her dramatic aspirations coupled with her soft, vulnerable sound would have suited her as Ciao Ciao San, in the way that Ying Huang interpreted the role. Verdi opera must have frightened her and she could never dream of taking on the roles that Leontyne Price performed, surely an influence in her student days made all the more credible because Leontyne Price was a "sister" African-American. So Leonora, Aida and Suor Angelica were out of her reach. While she sang with Jessie Norman in concert and recitals (like the Spirituals Concert), she must have been secretly or overtly ? jealous of the fact that Jessye Norman had a voice that could swallow the world!! A big, beautiful voice such as Ms. Norman's is closer to the true goddesses of operas in the tradition of Maria Callas, while Battle is more of the "tiny, bright, canary" voice. She ranks among the best of the lighter sopranos- Beverly Sills, and like Sumi Jo today. Her fellow co-artists used to call her the "Singing Mosquito". But she is marvelous in singing Handel oratorio(the only times I've heard her sing live), Mozart- Sussannah, Zerlina, the Countess in Figaro, Gounod- Juliette, Bizet- Micaela, but could never truly master the more difficult Mozart heroines- Dona Ana in Don Giovanni or Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte or even Konstanza in Die Entfurung, though try she did. In Strauss operas, she made a fine Zerbinetta, though she always oozed a confidence that made it seem as if these difficult pieces were a piece of cake for her. Some arias in this collection appear that way too.

Kathleen Battle has long since disappeared from the opera world, singing off and on. Her last singing engagement was for the soundtrack to the Japanese action saga "House of Flying Daggers" in which she sings in a very Japanese/poetic style. Before that she sang in Mythodea opposite Jessie Norman in a massive choral work by Vangelis, and also in Disney's Fantasia 2000. Her constant bitchiness, diva antics and disrespect to conductors and singers became too much and finally Joseph Volpe fired her from the Met. She had stayed there for so long because James Levine took a shine to her. As a singer, she was a perfectionist and in her body of work it shows. But she displayed a nasty diva temperament that does not sit well today. In the 80's, she would come to rehearsals late, would criticize everyone from conductor to costuma makers and even once disrespected the much older and experienced Rosalind Elias, a beloved mezzo at the Met. While I think that Volpe did the right thin in firing Battle, I think that Battle's voice is glorious and would buy her albums, even if she mostly poses as if she were in Vogue cover shots.

Great compilation of Kathleen Battle's work.......2005-03-26

This is a great compilation CD of recordings made by Battle, which are currently deleted by Universal Music.
The selections are first rate and capture the artistry of Kathleen Battle perfectly, a shimmering, silvery, clean and clear voice which has captivated millions of people worldwide

Beautiful Voice.......2005-02-24

I find it hard to give anything under 5 stars for any work including Miss Battle. Her technique and mastery of the female voice is quite remarkable. I am a HUGE fan of the soprano voice and I have found no one who posses the talents, skills, and interpretations of Battle. I would like to have seen more variety in this compilation CD. Her Rosina, Zerbinetta, Semele, other such roles were obviously ignored in the making of this CD. I think anyone will be hard pressed to find any lyric/coloratura soprano who amounts to the skill level of Miss Battle. Talent is talent, and she's got plenty of it. A person's attitude has nothing to do with their abilities as a performer, and I am tired of people knocking Miss Battle because of the stigma with which she is attached. Personally, she has never done anything to me nor the number of others who criticize her for her actions which took place over a decade ago. You cannot say that this woman does not posses mad skills. She is a lovely woman who has accomplished great things. I would gladly buy any CD that carries the name "Kathleen Battle".

Average customer rating: Joy To The World........a joy indeed! If you like classical Christmas music, this is for you "Joy To The World . . . The Lord Has Come . . . And Heaven And Nature Sing" Christmas music done in Ormady's rich "Philadelphia Sound" A Timeless Christmas Classic

Joy to the World - Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: A Christmas Festival The Glorious Sound of Christmas A Festival of Carols in Brass A Festival Of Carols / Robert Shaw Chorale The Joy of Christmas ASIN: B000003EPC Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Hark! The Hearld Angels Sing
2. Away In The Manger
3. The Little Drummer Boy
4. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
5. Waltz of the Flowers
6. What Child Is This
7. Sleigh Ride
8. The First Nowell
9. Carol of the Bells
10. O Come, All Ye Faithful
11. Joy to the World
12. I Wonder As I Wander
13. Good King Wenceslas
14. Silent Night
15. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
16. Angels We Have Heard On High
17. Silver Bells
18. Messiah: Pastoral Symphony (Messiah)
19. Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Joy To The World........a joy indeed!.......2007-03-16

This wonderful CD has everything to celebrate the great joy of the Christmas season. Recorded in the early 1970's it still sounds as fresh and timeless as it did way back then.
The orchestrations are majestic and imaginative without being mushy or too symphonic in structure.The addition of the chorus in most of the carols is an added bonus. The singers and orchestra blend wonderfully without either dominating the other too much. The programme of selected songs is excellent and with some lovely orchestra only tracks the CD is not tiring to listen to creating a well balanced programme.
Maestro Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra with great zeal and a passion for the music that is felt by the listener.The chorus master is the very talented Robert Page and the carols are arranged and orchestrated by the great Arthur Harris.
The sound quality is excellent and the CD has been beautifully remastered without any loss of crispness or dynamics.The stereo balance and instrument placement sound superb with the singers centre stage.
This is a remarkably good CD from the RCA Gold Seal range and is a must for lovers of really good seasonal music played with love and passion for the joys of the Christmas season.
Thank you for taking the trouble to read my review and I wish one and all much enjoyment from this lovely CD.

Happy listening!

If you like classical Christmas music, this is for you.......2007-01-13

A truly great collection of classical Christmas music. Highly recommended.

"Joy To The World . . . The Lord Has Come . . . And Heaven And Nature Sing".......2006-12-15

For those of you who, like me, love traditional and old-fashioned Christmas carols with a chorus and a full orchestra, this album is just a perfect listen this Yuletide season. It's always been a delight listening to this classic Christmas CD, "Joy to the World with Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus." It creates a nostalgic feeling and an atmosphere of an old-fashioned Christmas that reminds me so much of the past Christmas celebrations I had with my late parents. This is the kind of Christmas music they so loved.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Robert Page performed ten of the nineteen tracks and The Philadelphia Orchestra performed the rest of the tracks without the Chorus under the baton of one of the most respected names in conducting and orchestration, Eugene Ormandy. Arthur Harris beautifully and traditionally arranged all the songs. This is one of the greatest Christmas albums ever recorded and a worthy addition to your Christmas collection.

The true essence of Christmas is captured by the artful blend of voices from the chorus combined with the sublime orchestration from the first carol, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" to the last piece, Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah."

Each and every track is a highlight and sacredly performed. My top favorites are "Silent Night," Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" from "The Nutcracker," "Angels We Have Heard On High," "Away In A Manger," "What Child Is This? (Greensleeves), and "Joy To The World."

"Joy to the world
The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing."

Joyfully recommended!

Christmas music done in Ormady's rich "Philadelphia Sound".......2004-12-04

"Joy to the World" has Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus providing a rich selection of Christmas songs, both classical and traditional, arranged by Arthur Harris. It is the former that are most impressive, although there are fewer of them, starting with Mendelssohn's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" from "The Nutcracker," then ending with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire," and the "Pastoral Symphony" and "Hallelujan Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah."

Eugene Ormandy (born Jenö Blau in Budapest) was one of the most famous of the popular American conductors of the 20th century, known best for his long time relationship with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Originally gaining public notice with the orchestra when he served as a last-minute replacement for an ill Arturo Toscanini in 1931, Ormandy would serve as Musical Director in Phialdelphia from 1938 until 1980. Under his baton the Philadelphia Orchestra became known for its warm tones, textured romantic "Philadelphia Sound," which is well represented on this Christmas album. I always thought Ormandy's interpretation of Rachmaninoff was particularly strong, although I do not know enough about classical music to articulate a coherent defense of that position beyond noting that when Vladimir Horowitz played Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall debut, he picked Ormandy as the conductor of the orchestra that night.

There is over an hour's worth of music here for you to enjoy if you like more of the classical approach to your Christmas music. But Ormandy's work is always marked by an ability to bring out the emotions of music being played by a symphonic orchestra. That is why the standout tracks here are "The Little Drummer Boy," "I Wonder as I Wander," and "What Child Is This?" You would not normally think of these songs as working as well song by a chorus that by a single individual, but this album will get you to rethink your position. In terms of choirs at Christmas I still have a preference for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Ray Conniff Singers (I embrace the extremes), but in terms of listening to an orchestra play Christmas music, this is as good as it gets.

A Timeless Christmas Classic.......2003-12-08

I'm a lover of traditional Christmas music and I've acquired about 20 CDs of it. There's nothing my family likes better in December than putting on some good Christmas music and getting in the mood for the season, hearing once again the old favorites you've known since childhood. Of all the Christmas music CDs I've tried, I have two desert-island favorites, the two I always reach for first. This is one of them. I think it's one of the greatest recordings of traditional Christmas music ever made. The arrangements (by Arthur Harris) are joyous, beautiful, and soul-stirring; the performances are heartfelt and magnificent. If you can listen to this CD and not feel filled by the Christmas spirit, you must be (a) named Ebeneezer Scrooge, or (b) deaf. This one is a timeless Christmas classic, not to be missed. Warmest recommendation.

Average customer rating: a voice teacher and early music fan like all but one track Heaven is here! A Very Mixed Bag Among My Top 10 Christmas Recordings

A Little Chrismas Music: Kiri Te Kanawa; The King's Singers various/traditional , Dame Kiri Te Kanawa , The King's Singers , London Sinfonia , and Richard Hickox Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music King's Singers | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: The King's Singers Original Debut Recording Watching the White Wheat: Folk Songs of the British Isles; King's Singers Kids' Stuff The King"s Singers: English Renaissance Annie Laurie ~ Folksongs of the British Isles / Barrueco · The King's Singers ASIN: B000002RRF Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Here We Come A-Wassailing
2. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
3. The Little Drummer Boy
4. I Wonder As I Wander
5. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
6. Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen
7. Ding Dong! Merrily On High
8. Stille Nacht
9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
10. A Little Christmas Music (Medley A La Mozart)
11. The Coventry Carol (Lully, Lulla)
12. The Boar's Head Carol
13. Gaudete
14. Joy To The World
15. Three Spanish Carols: Riu, Riu, Chiu
16. Three Spanish Carols: El Nino Querido
17. Three Spanish Carols: Villancico Catalan
18. Deck The Hall
19. The Wexford Carol
20. The Gift (Simple Gifts)
21. Patapan And Farandole

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-11-29

The King's Singers come to us steeped in the 500 year old English tradition of choral singing; and that's fine with me.!!!There are 6 singers in this group (the personnel change from time to time)namely: Jeremy Jackman and Alastair Hume (countertenors)- Robert Chilcott (tenor)- Bruce Russell and Simon Carrington (baritones) and Stephen Connolly (bass). They are very capably accompanied by the City of London Sinfonia and Brass Quintet conducted by Richard Hickox. An added PLUS is the great Kiri Te Kanawa who sings an arrangement by Daryl Runswick entitled "A Little Christmas Music (Medley a la Mozart)". It's a hodge-podge of Mozart melodies sewn together in a rather haphazard manner, and meant to be humorous. I guess this type of composition does not appeal to me personally, and I'm sorry that Kiri's glorious voice was wasted. However, that's only MY opinion; I am certain others may disagree.
This album is really a mixture of Christmas tunes and that's partly what makes it interesting. And, of course it is masterfully sung by the King's singers;I enjoy all their discs; especially the recording of Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. Some of the arrangements on this disc are somewhat esoteric, and I'm not too fond of the very STRANGE arrangement (again by Daryl Runswick) of the Coventry Carol, but 'to each his own'. Their opening selection:"Here We Come a-wassailing" (arr. Robert Chilcott) is a great opening number and I must say that it's the best arrangement I have ever heard of this selection.
Let's face it:the KING'S SINGERS are perfection. But don't forget our American group:Chanticleer.

like all but one track.......2006-02-02

With the exception of track 11 (The Coventry Carol, Lully lulla) I really like this CD. I personally prefer the traditional renditions of The Coventry Carol. I do not like the "modern" harmonics and arrangement of it on this CD. Otherwise, it is very fine, indeed.

Heaven is here!.......2005-10-26

Xmas carols are always touching, but this cd is beyond all you have already heard. The King's Singers plus Kiri Te Kanawa is a combination of angelical adult voices, yes, adults can also have angelical voices. Buy this cd and check yourself if it is not true!

A Very Mixed Bag.......2003-08-15

I've often admired the King's Singers' performances, and of course they are a famous and accomplished ensemble, noted for the precision of their close-harmony singing, so I was looking forward to this CD. I regret to say that I find it a very mixed bag, on the whole disappointing. Unfortunately the reliable executant skills of the King's Singers are not matched here by their judgment and taste in choosing arrangements--perhaps there was too great a push for mixing it up, adding variety, "something different." The resulting arrangements are wildly uneven, some of them unattractive and tasteless in varying degrees from mild to dreadful. They range from the very good (bands 7 and 18: straightforward a cappella close-harmony, which is what these singers do best), to exotic (band 16), to schmaltzy (band 5), to busy (band 8), to campy (bands 11 and 19), to cutesy (bands 3 and 6), to terminally cutesy-poo (bands 4, 11, and 19). "Deck the halls," for example, is done in by its arch, cutesy-poo arrangement, as is "White Christmas," which even includes a bizarre, wholly gratuitous interpolation of a bit from Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije, God knows why!

Band 12, "The Coventry Carol," the longest cut on the CD, demands special mention: it is downright awful. The annotator of this CD writes cosily, "And of course there are the old traditional English Christmas songs, all mulled wine and mince pies." Nothing could be less descriptive of what we get here, where the misguided, pretentious, weird, grotesquely ugly, far-out dissonant-modern arrangement does its utmost to pervert and spoil this lovely old English carol, twisting and distorting it into something almost unrecognizable; this cut is a real horror. (Sir David Willcocks, the famed King's College choirmaster under whom the King's Singers trained and sang as youths, would be appalled. The man responsible for this travesty, one Daryl Runswick, also arranged two other selections; his consistently tasteless arrangements comprise three of the four worst on the CD.)

The performing forces vary from the a cappella singers to accompaniments with brass ensemble or orchestra. The variable but undistinguished engineering (EMI's Abbey Road studios, 1989)--over-processed, over-bright, hard-edged, and occasionally canned-sounding--is an additional drawback. If you like traditional Christmas music (as I do) you might want to think twice before buying this CD. At least try to listen to it first. Caveat emptor.

Among My Top 10 Christmas Recordings.......2002-12-26

King's Singers maintains the highest standard for all those who aspire to create spine-tingling a cappella harmony. Somewhat akin to the small number of their peers worldwide, no style seems off limits to their abilities. But certain aspects set the King's Singers apart. Perhaps it is their early and consistent training in the English choral discipline, or the many, years of touring together in one combination or other. Their most remarkable quality is their quintessentially English sound -- the pipe-like tone produced especially in the mid- to upper registers -- that is at once remarkably free of vibrato, but still alive with overtones. If one listens closely to the solo parts, it becomes evident: the sound isn't produced merely by excellent group intervallic intonation, but by individual voices capable of producing overtones. Thus, it's the sound you can't hear that takes your breath away.

Because the recording is so excellent on the whole, one disappointment stands out: I wish that Coventry Carol had been saved for another recording. The dissonances conjure up distressing images at odds with the overall effect they seem to have been trying to accomplish with the recording, and I can certainly imagine that in another context, I might have been interested and emotionally moved, rather than unsettled and annoyed.

In any case, this has remained for years one of my favorite Christmas recordings, and I have to give it 5 stars.

Average customer rating: WOW!!! The Best of The Best You can find better Great Christmas Album Good Stuff!

The Christmas Album The Canadian Brass , Franz Xaver Gruber , George Frideric Handel , Jr. Hopkins John Henry , William James Kirkpatrick , Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych , Felix Mendelssohn , James Pierpont , Michael Praetorius , Ward Swingle , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Christmas Traditional , John Francis Wade , Anonymous , and Lydia Adams Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Michael Praetorius | Praetorius, Michael | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Canadian Brass | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: A Christmas Experiment A Festival of Carols in Brass A Canadian Brass Christmas Best of the Canadian Brass The Essential Canadian Brass ASIN: B00000412W Release Date: 1990-08-10

Tracks:

1. A Visit From St. Nicholas
2. Carol Of The Bells
3. Away In A Manger
4. Jingle Bells
5. The First Nowell
6. Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy
7. We Three Kings
8. Angels From The Realms Of Glory
9. Coventry Carol
10. D'ou veins-tu, bergere
11. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
12. Oh Come, Immanuel
13. I Wonder As I Wander
14. What Child Is This?
15. La cloche de Noel
16. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
17. Noel Nouvelet
18. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
19. Silent Night
20. Good King Wenceslas
21. Hallelujah Chorus
22. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
23. O Come, All Ye Faithful

Customer Reviews:

WOW!!!.......2007-03-26

What has not been said about the Canadian Brass? The album is a wonderful blend of brass and voices. I especaily appreciate the non-traditional selections. It is a heart warmer.

The Best of The Best.......2004-12-15

Just be sure to buy this version (18 tracks) rather than what appears to be a very pared-down later issue (same cover, only about half a dozen tracks).

This is by far the best holiday album I have ever heard. I am a double-reed player and I must take issue with the complaints about intonation and musicianship by the one negative reviewer on this page. The song selection, mix of secular and religious, mix of serious and light, mix of familiar/less heard - Good as driving music, gift wrapping, or sing-along. This is the Holiday CD I listen to year round. If you are looking for ONE CD to buy for the season- for your collection or as a gift- This is it!

You can find better.......2004-11-24

Lousy musicianship here, frankly-- missed notes and poor intonation. I was hugely disappointed when I heard this album. Greatly recommend A Festival of Carols in Brass (Philadelphia Brass Ensemble) instead, which is pure joy for the listener.

Great Christmas Album.......2003-11-05

I've had this particular Canadian Brass album for so long that I have it on cassette! But it's become a classic family Christmas album for us. It's a great addition to any Christmas, especially as background music. It's very calming and just plain good. I can't imagine my Christmas without it.

Good Stuff!.......2000-12-12

This is yet another top-notch Canadian Brass Christmas album. These guys, once again, demonstrate why they are the best in the world at what they do. With the addition of the fine choral singing by the Iseler Singers, this is the complete Christmas CD, one you'll never get tired of year after year. Buy it!

Music Album:

1. Angels' Waltz
2. Another Place Another Time/She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye
3. Another Way to Go
4. At the Ryman [Live]
5. Blue Kentucky Girl [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
6. Breath Of Heaven: A Christmas Collection
7. Broke
8. Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room
9. But What Will the Neighbors Think/Rodney Crowell
10. Camelot Falling

Music Album