Chicago Wind [Content/Copy-Protected CD]

Amazon.com
Merle Haggard's return to his original label, Capitol Records, has revitalized him creatively and musically. Slick but unobtrusive production by Jimmy Bowen (Haggard's old MCA producer) and Mike Post showcase his vocals--as strong as they've been in years--on a blend of Haggard originals and skillfully chosen covers. The atmospheric title track vividly evokes desolation and loneliness. "Where's All the Freedom" and "Rebuild America First" reflect Haggard's thoughtful, libertarian patriotism, the latter including an unsubtle jab at the war in Iraq. "What I've Been Meaning to Say" and "Mexico" reaffirm Haggard's continued skill at creating brilliant love songs. "Some of Us Fly," a philosophical duet with Toby Keith, showcases Keith's often-underrated skills as a balladeer. The cover numbers--Willie Nelson's "It Always Will Be" and "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go," one of Roger Miller's more reflective songs--fit hand in glove with the originals. Many perceive Haggard as a legend. Yet on Chicago Wind, he demonstrates the ability to remain timeless, yet thoroughly of the moment. --Rich Kienzle

Recommended Merle Haggard

Big City
If I Could Only Fly
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive/Mama Tried

40 #1 Hits
Down Every Road
Roots Volume 1

Tracks:

Chicago Wind
Mexico
Honky Tonk Man
I Still Can't Say Goodbye
It Always Will Be
Leaving's Not The Only Way To Go
What I've Been Meaning To Say
Rebuild America First
Where's All The Freedom
White Man Singing The Blues
Some Of Us Fly (with Toby Keith)

Amazon.com

Merle Haggard's return to his original label, Capitol Records, has revitalized him creatively and musically. Slick but unobtrusive production by Jimmy Bowen (Haggard's old MCA producer) and Mike Post showcase his vocals--as strong as they've been in years--on a blend of Haggard originals and skillfully chosen covers. The atmospheric title track vividly evokes desolation and loneliness. "Where's All the Freedom" and "Rebuild America First" reflect Haggard's thoughtful, libertarian patriotism, the latter including an unsubtle jab at the war in Iraq. "What I've Been Meaning to Say" and "Mexico" reaffirm Haggard's continued skill at creating brilliant love songs. "Some of Us Fly," a philosophical duet with Toby Keith, showcases Keith's often-underrated skills as a balladeer. The cover numbers--Willie Nelson's "It Always Will Be" and "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go," one of Roger Miller's more reflective songs--fit hand in glove with the originals. Many perceive Haggard as a legend. Yet on Chicago Wind, he demonstrates the ability to remain timeless, yet thoroughly of the moment. --Rich Kienzle

Recommended Merle Haggard

Big City
If I Could Only Fly
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive/Mama Tried

40 #1 Hits
Down Every Road
Roots Volume 1

Customer Reviews:

Copy Protected - Do Not Buy If You Have An i-Pod.......2007-02-23

Once again, EMI has created a copy protected CD which can be imported as WMA or AAC but not MP3. Once again, Amazon provides minimal warning about this (see guidance under "Format"), instead of putting advice in our faces - which it does excellently to sell product.

I'll be returning this CD as not fit for purpose. If you can afford to, I suggest that you also buy and then return it, to maximise cost and inconvenience to the label and Amazon. If not, just don't buy it, regardless of the quality of the music.

This crap has to stop. 1 star review because Amazon prevents a zero star choice.

LET'S STICK TO THE MUSIC.......2007-02-10

I have read many of the foregoing reviews and find it interesting that much time is spent (and wasted, I might add) on the format of the CD and not on what's important here--the music. So, copying and protection issues aside, let's stick to the music.

Merle Haggard is one of those legendary musicians who many might think is of a bygone era and, perhaps, genre. After all, there are many who now divide Country into multiple groups including Country, Western, Country Western and Contemporary Country. Frankly, I think all of the compartmentalizing and categorizing is a crock of road apples. But I digress.

CHICAGO WIND is an offering that demonstrates the timelessness as well as the timeliness of the music of Merle Haggard. If you're a Haggard fan you won't have much difficulty incorporating this new work into the Haggard music anthology. Here is the voice, the delivery and the excellence that you have come to expect. If you are new to Haggard, CHICAGO WIND offers music that stands up nicely with anything that is currently topping the Country charts. This should be readily recognizable by the fact that Haggard regularly lends his vocal and musical abilities to productions by such current Country superstars as Gretchen Wilson and Toby Keith. In fact, the final track on this album features a duet with the latter.

In a world that is dominated by a plethora of portable music devices, I suppose that copy protection on a purchased album is lamentable but it really doesn't diminish the musical excellence of Haggard's latest and, arguably, greatest.

THE HORSEMAN

I Love It.......2007-01-12

This Is A Realy Great Album By Merle Haggard. For The Fans Of Merle, This Album Is A -Must Have.

The Hag is Back.......2006-11-18

Best vocals I have heard Merle record since the mid-eighties. I thought, due to age, and other elements, that his voice was headed down-hill. I don't know whether his vocals have improved or if he has just learned to sing slightly different to match the change in pitch. In my opinion this album as a whole, contains his best music in twenty years. None of the songs stand-out above the rest, but they are all solid. His past 5-6 studio albums contain 1-2 great songs surrounded by very bland ones. Recent albums may have had good lyrics, but the music doesn't stand up to the standards Merle has set in the past. "Chicago Wind" is an surprisingly wonderful exception to this.

It is a shame that most C&W radio stations will never play any songs that make their listeners think about political, social, economic or environmental issues.

Excellent CD, but not with copy protection.......2006-10-10

I have nothing to add to the many favorable reviews on this page.Haggard seems to get better with age. Or maybe my tastes are changing as I grow older. This is a very laid-back, enjoyable collection of songs.

But this the one and only time I will buy one of these copy-protected CDs. It was tough to get it to play on my computer and even more difficult to rip it for my MP3. I finally got what I wanted, but haven't a clue how I did it.

If you buy this CD, be aware that you might have to work to listen to it.

Average customer rating:

Fabulous bargain, but Berg needs texts!
Superb Berg performances ... good value!
Real Estate Saver
Best Set; Good Price...
Excellent collection

Alban Berg Collection / Various (Coll)

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Complete Webern
Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra
Schoenberg: Piano Concerto
Schoenberg: The String Quartets
Arnold Schoenberg: Chamber Music for Strings

ASIN: B0000B09Z4
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous bargain, but Berg needs texts!.......2006-02-05

This is a great set for anyone who wishes to be immersed in Alban Berg's lurid, hothouse, hallucinogenic world. Both performances and sound quality are mostly excellent: No record company has ever made as great a commitment to Berg as Deutsche Grammophon. Based on the performances alone, this deserves six stars.

But the budget price comes with a catch: No texts or librettos. (There are at least scene synopses for "Wozzeck" and "Lulu.") With some composers, this wouldn't be a serious problem, but Berg was one of the greatest control freaks in music history. Without knowing exactly where each word is placed, listeners who don't understand German will miss an important facet of this intricately multi-layered music.

Superb Berg performances ... good value!.......2006-01-05

This might be the best box set I own. First of all you get what is most likely the best available versions of the Violin Concerto,Wozzeck,Lulu (3 act ver.),Lulu suite,7 Early Songs with van Otter,Der Wein and much more. The only real sub-par performance on it is the Piano Sonata op1 with Barenboim which can be found in many other recordings for a decent price. So, if you are new to Berg and you buy this, you are getting really an outstanding set of recordings which are top of the heap with great conductors and orchestras.

Real Estate Saver.......2004-10-04

This little box is an elegant, SPACE-SAVING means of acquiring classic performances (all of them stellar) from the DG catalog of Berg's major works, including two by my adored Lasalle Quartet that I believe have recently gone OOP. The set contains eight CD's housed in somewhat hard-to-remove cardboard sleeves that clearly identify the contents therein, and includes a booklet which, despite not containing lyrics for any of the vocal works, is very informative. The lack of libretti is possibly less an issue in the case of Wozzeck; chances are that listeners already own at least one other recording and so can refer to its libretto. Lulu, however, is more problematic because more listeners probably opt to purchase this "complete/d" performance over all others and may even be purchasing this set on that basis.
Not being particularly fond of lieder in general, I feel less qualified to make an educated call as to who might own which recordings of the songs other than to remark that I already own this recording of Op. 2 (which, of course includes the lyrics). In fact, as is the case with a previous reviewer, I already own a number of recordings from this set (which I received as a gift). No matter, it's still worth owning, and I agree with yet another reviewer's suggestion to grab it while it's available. True, one might prefer different performances here or there but honestly, this affords the best way of acquiring everything in one fell swoop, and there's not a clinker in the whole set.
In that vein, I might suggest that fans of the VC seek out Szeryng's performance with Kubelik, now available remastered on DG Eloquence at budget price. It's much less emotional than Mutter's beautiful reading but I find this proves an enhancement rather than a detraction; I also feel that Kubelik, possibly due to his Austro-Hungarian upbringing, ultimately has a better grasp of this repertoire than Levine (although I love his OOP Lulu Suite/Wozzeck excerpts on Sony and Mahler 4 on RCA).

Best Set; Good Price..........2004-05-11

This is a really nice set at a good price. It features all DG's Berg recordings--which really are about the best around. This "Collectors' Edition" is certain to disappear soon and increase in value.

Excellent collection.......2004-04-06

This is a must have for any collectors, 20th Century Music admirers.

This is 8-CD set and includes the complete works of Berg on acclaimed performances.

Especially, the stars of this set (for me):
Wozzeck (Hildegard Behrens, Wiener Philharmoniker, Abbado)

Lulu, complete opera in 3 act (Teresa Stratas, Franz Mazura, Yvonne Minton, Jules Bastin, Robert Tear, Opera National de Paris, Pierre Boulez!!)

Lulu-Suite (London SO, Abbado)

Three Pieces for Orchestra (London SO, Abbado)

Piano Sonata (Daniel Barenboim)

Alban Berg's musical language is difficult to understand (at least in first listening), but when listening more times, we notice that, actually in his music, there is a very mystic or impressive and lyric atmosphere. So, I think that he is a "Romantic" modern. Just, he expressed these lyric atmospheres with realist and striking language. Still, he was used 12-tone system, but he was not forget tonality and used the both styles (even so he used jazz passages, especially in Lulu). In other words: Berg is one of the most famous and important composers and he impressed the composers came after him (ex. Shostakovich, Britten, Henze)

Tracks:

Hn Con No.1 in E flat, Op.11: Allegro - Dale Clevenger
Hn Con No.1 in E flat, Op.11: Andante - Dale Clevenger
Hn Con No.1 in E flat, Op.11: Allegro - Dale Clevenger
Duett-Concertino in F, AV 147: Allegro Moderato - Andante - Larry Combs/David McGill
Duett-Concertino in F, AV 147: Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Larry Combs/David McGill
Con in D, AV 144: Allegro Moderato - Alex Klein
Con in D, AV 144: Andante - Alex Klein
Con in D, AV 144: Vivace - Alex Klein D
Andante in C, AV 86A - Dale Clevenger/Daniel Barenboim
Stimmungsbilder, Op.9: No.2 in A flat: An Einsamer Quelle - Daniel Barenboim
Stimmungsbilder, Op.9: No.4 in B: Traumerei - Daniel Barenboim

Amazon.com

This is an enchanting record. It presents several unfamiliar but beautiful works by Richard Strauss, and it showcases the principal wind players of the Chicago Symphony, who, not surprisingly, are fabulous. Moreover, they have the benefit of an equally fabulous backup band, and the hornist even gets to play a piece with the conductor, Daniel Barenboim, at the piano.

The program begins and ends with pieces Strauss wrote as a teenager, flanking two written late in his life. The former include an Andante for horn and piano--a love song reminiscent of Wagner--two dreamy, poetic piano pieces reminiscent of Liszt, and the popular first Horn Concerto, a bravura piece written for his horn-virtuoso father. Though Strauss was still finding his voice, this work no longer seems to lean on other composers and the orchestration is already masterful. The concerto is youthfully ardent and exuberant, its second movement very lyrical and a bit melancholy, the finale a brilliant hunting call. Like the other two, late concertos, it has three connected but strongly contrasting movements. The Duet-Concertino for clarinet and bassoon has an elusive quality, but the finale is delightful, the coda a Viennese waltz. The orchestration for strings and harp is rich and luscious, with several soloists who interact with the clarinet and bassoon.

The highlight is the Oboe Concerto. Serene and romantic, it has an ecstatic, gorgeous slow movement; a brilliant, florid, rhapsodic solo part full of inventive cadenzas; and rich orchestration for a small orchestra. The neglect of this work is inexplicable. Both late pieces are so haunted by echoes of all Strauss's earlier symphonic poems and operas as to invite a game of "Name That Tune's First Cousin!" --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Perfection!.......2004-09-16

This is a recording worth listening to over and over again. The peerless playing of these CSO principals as well as the excellent conducting from Barenboim make this CD the best there is in this repetoire. The Oboist Mr. Klein is sadly no longer playing much anymore due to a rare case of focal dystonia...he is an incredible musician and this performance of the Oboe Concerto is absolutely flawless with superb range in the bass register as well.

Odd compilation, but stunningly performed.......2002-08-08

I orignially purchased this CD to hear Alex Klein's rendition of the oboe concerto, but was simply delighted by the mastery given to every one of the pieces on this disc.

Dale Clevenger's performance of the first horn concerto is outstaning. From the opening fanfare, he plays through it all with spirit, sensitivity, and beautiful phrasing--not letting us down in his stature as one of the most formidable American horn players in this half of the twentieth century. My one problem is that his tone is a bit thin, which may be simply a product of the American school of playing.

Perhaps the hightlight of this album is the Duett-concertino for clarinet, bassoon and strings. Not only is it an absolutely charming piece, it is beautifully played by Combs and McGill, who weave in and out of each other with a luscious tone and gorgeously silky phrasing.

As an oboist, Alex Klein has never failed to knock me backwards with his flying fingers, incredible breathing and unique musicality. This recording is simply frightening. The first movement is taken at its true "Allegro moderato" tempo, and the opening, restless fifty-seven bars are played entirely unflinchingly and absolutely beautifully...I don't know how he does it. The rest of the piece is played just as incredibly, and the last movement sparkles with gusto and virtuosity. All throughout the piece, Klein and the orchestra connect absolutely perfectly (listen to the clarinet in the first movement).

I don't particularly like the selection of the Andante for horn and piano and the two piano pieces at the end...they just don't seem to go very well with the full orchestral pieces before them. Sill, they are very nicely played, particularly the Träumerei from the last set.

Captivating Concerto Masterpiece!.......2002-03-30

From the opening Horn Concerto, this Straussian rendering of his wind compositions is simply put, exhilirating listening! I can't get enough of hearing it, and I propose that likely many of you music conisseurs will as well. Recorded by members of the famed Chicago Symphony, it is very well done.

This collection features five compositions, his Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major and a second horn piece, this a Andante for Horn and Piano. As Strauss' father was a renown horn player himself and young Richard was made to accompany him at home much on the piano, that these pieces were of special import to him.
Dale Clevenger provides the solo work here, done with richness of tone and gusto in phrasing. I become enchanted more with the Horn Concerto with each listening. A great opener to this strong CD.

Next comes my favorite piece, even though I am partial to oboe numbers. This delightful Duet-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon is magnificently rendered by Larry Combs and David McGill. It bubbles and percolates with brilliant exhanges between the two instruments. Seductive and subtle, with magnificent light string accompanyment, this truly has become my favorite piece.

The Oboe Concerto was inspired by a visiting American oboeist, John deLancie. Amazingly, deLancie of the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Orchestras, only played this piece once, at Interlochen, Michigan with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. It is demanding for the oboeist, requiring 57 solid measures without rest. Strauss reputedly recommended a mechanical breathing device for this, however, contemporary oboeists insist on overcoming the breathing issue with circular breathing. Here Alex Klein proves his rating as one of tops in the world with a brilliant sinuous and lovely expression. The gentle Adante finish with its subdivision of beats results in a brilliant finish.

A lover and collector of such Concertos, I am delighted to have discovered this one which has captivated my listening and will yours.

Amazing solo talent.......2001-08-17

I originally bought this CD simply for Alex Klein's version of the Strauss Oboe concerto, but found everything else to also be superb. Klein's performance is the best that is out there. His sound is absoultely gorgeous and unparalled by anyone. Matching this sound with his technical mastery, smooth and singing phrases, as well as full dynamic range makes him simply the best oboist around. His interpretation of Strauss's concerto is absolutely breath-taking. I can listen to it over and over again.

The Horn concerto is brilliantly done by Clevenger. His sound rings brilliantly true with the spirit of the instrument. A radiant interpretation of this jubilant concerto.

Combs, McGill, and Barenboim also do excellent work on this CD; however these are the pieces that I listen to less. Nonetheless, their talent shines through and make for stunning performances.

This CD is a prime example of the wealth of talent that the CSO has. Truly a must own CD.

A Spellbinding Recording Of Strauss' Lesser Known Wind Works.......2001-06-16

This is indeed an enchanting recording, showing a Classical side of Richard Strauss little known to most lovers of classical music. And these elegant pieces offer further proof that Barenboim is among our finest interpreters of Strauss' music; either at the podium or at the keyboard. Dale Clevenger, the principal of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's horn section gives a brilliant, lyrical performance of the 1st Horn Concerto that easily conjurs up magnificient performances from the likes of Baumann and Brain. It is indeed a pity that the 2nd Horn Concerto wasn't recorded; instead we hear a great performance of the Oboe Concerto, with the Chicago Sympphony Orchestra's Principal Oboeist Alex Klein that is ravishingly beautiful. Once more Teldec engineers have produced a recording of highest sound quality. It should be regarded as yet another artistic triumph for Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Average customer rating:

20th Century French Wind Trios

Manufacturer: Cedille
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000026AOO
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Tracks:

Divertissement: I. Prelude
Divertissement: II. Allegretto assai
Divertissement: III. Elegie
Divertissement: IV. Scherzo
Suite d'apres Corrette: I. Entree et Rondeau
Suite d'apres Corrette: II. Tambourin
Suite d'apres Corrette: III. Musette
Suite d'apres Corrette: IV. Serenade
Suite d'apres Corrette: V. Fanfare
Suite d'apres Corrette: VI. Rondeau
Suite d'apres Corrette: VII. Menuets
Suite d'apres Corrette: VIII. Le Coucou
Rustiques: I. Pastorale
Rustiques: II. Reverie
Rustiques: III. Rondeau a la francaise
Suite pour Trio D'Anches: I. Dialogue
Suite pour Trio D'Anches: II. Scherzino
Suite pour Trio D'Anches: III. Aria
Suite pour Trio D'Anches: IV. Finale
Cinq pieces en trio: I. Allegro vivo
Cinq pieces en trio: II. Andantino
Cinq pieces en trio: III. Allegro assai
Cinq pieces en trio: IV. Andante
Cinq pieces en trio: V. Allegro quasi marziale
Bucolique variee
Pastorale
Trio: I. Decide
Trio: II. Romance
Trio: III. Final

Average customer rating:

Reference Classics

Manufacturer: Reference Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tutti!, Orchestral Sampler
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Hdcd Sampler

ASIN: B00000156G
Release Date: 1993-12-17

Tracks:

An Outdoor Overture
Canon In D
Gigue In D
Facade Suite: Fanfare
Facade Suite: Scotch Rhapsody
Facade Suite: Tango-Pasodoble
Feux Follets
Church Windows: St. Michael Archangel
Ceremony Of Carols: Interlude
Threepenny Opera Suite: Tango-Ballad
Threepenny Opera Suite: Cannon Song
La Cupis
Nativity Carol
The Tempest Suite: Act II Prelude
The Tempest Suite: Corn Variation
The Tempest Suite: Barley Beguine
The Tempest Suite: Rye Rag
The Tempest Suite: Tarantella
L'Histoire du soldat Suite: Soldier At The Brook
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins: Largo ma non tanto
Symphonie fantastique: Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath

Average customer rating:

Opportunity missed
Worthwhile
GREAT CD!
Great tone, but where's the music?

Brass & The Band

Manufacturer: Crystal Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003J4I
Release Date: 1993-06-15

Tracks:

Music For A Festival: Intrada
Music For A Festival: Ov
Music For A Festival: Round
Music For A Festival: Air
Music For A Festival: Interlude
Music For A Festival: March
Music For A Festival: Saraband
Music For A Festival: Scherzo
Music For A Festival: Madrigal
Music For A Festival: Minuet And Trio
Music For A Festival: Finale
Con
Con-Rondo
My Regards
The Bride Of The Waves
Rustiques

Customer Reviews:

Opportunity missed.......2006-03-30

Jacob's "Music for a Festival" is rarely performed in its entirety, sadly it is not on this CD.
The use of a tuba in lieu of a bass trombone in the brass choruses does not work well timbre wise, particularly in the Finale. The "band" movements are marred by excessive cuts in the music especially the Overture, almost a third of this movement is cut out, likewise the minuet & trio. Given that the the brass choruses are complete distorts this work further.
The playing is precise and some quality sounds are made, the air is an excellent example,however due to the truncations an opportunity for a first class recording of the work was missed on this occasion.
The CD suffers from an excess of tracks that should have been left out instead of being crammed in at the detriment of other pieces.

Worthwhile.......2000-03-28

This is a very nice CD bringing rarely recorded music to the public. However the critique of the Arutiunian concert which appears below is correct. This performance doesn't move the listener. The recording to listen to is for sale on this site and is called "Trumpet Rhapsody", with Timofei Dokschitzer. Now that's a great performance!

GREAT CD!.......1999-11-27

The previous review may have been correct in its judgements of the Arutunian, but Music for a Festival, is AMAZING! It makes up for anything, of course The Bride of the Waves another good selection!

Great tone, but where's the music?.......1999-11-02

I bought this CD specifically for the Artunian Concerto, which I am currently studying. While the solo was full of tone, and impeccable intonation, I found the interpretation lacking excitement. In my opinion, and my trumpet professor's, this style calls for bravura--not pedantic strict time, and all legato articulation.

Average customer rating:

Must Own
So in Love With Broadway
beautiful album
Ron Raines Continues His Beautiful singing

So in Love With Broadway
Ron Raines
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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Release Date: 2004-11-02

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So in Love from Kiss Me, Kate!
If I Can't Love Her from Beauty And The Beast
Begin the Beguine from Jubilee
Stars from Les Miserables
Gigi from Gigi
Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific
They Call the Wind Maria from Paint Your Wagon (with Men Chorus)
I Don't Remember You from The Happy Time
My Cup Runneth Over from I Do! I Do! (with Karen Ziemba)
Bless Your Beautiful Hide from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
There But for You Go I from Brigadoon
All I Care About from Chicago (with The Criswell Sisters)
My Time of Day / I've Never Been in Love Before from Guys And Dolls (with Emily Loesser)
Anthem from Chess

Customer Reviews:

Must Own.......2007-05-20

Another absolutely fabulous listening experience. Ron Raines' voice is truly sensational, and you will be captivated by his renditions.

So in Love With Broadway.......2005-10-12

Ah,yes, Ron Raines expresses his love of Broadway music with a beautiful baritone voice which possesses all of the passion of a great lover! A magnificent performance throughout the CD. A must for every true lover of Broadway music. It rates a Ten Star on a five star scale!!

beautiful album.......2005-04-23

Ron Raines does a fabulous job singing broadway songs. His voice is truly fantastic. He has a perfect voice for broadway songs and ballads. I think the song selection he chose is really wonderful and a great variety from different musicals. His first album was fantastic and so is this one. I'd highly recommend both albums. His voice is truly wonderful and a beautiful experience to listen to.

Ron Raines Continues His Beautiful singing.......2005-04-01

This is the second in Ron Raines series of Broadway Classics. It is just as beautiful as his first one. Close your eyes when you listen to him and you will believe that you are in a theater. You won't be disappointed if you like Broadway! The more I listen to Ron Raines sing, the better I like him. I hope he will make a new CD soon. He sings the songs that men sing in the original Broadway shows. It is great! This singer should be in everyone who likes music's collection

Stravinsky, Shostakovich: Bernstein's Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Average customer rating:

Always Good to Study Bernstein Again
Irregular Stravinsky and Shostakovich jewels.
Not the best of Bernstein, but there are some gems

Stravinsky, Shostakovich: Bernstein's Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000ASAENU
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Customer Reviews:

Always Good to Study Bernstein Again.......2006-05-09

Now that Leonard Bernstein has entered the canonization of American conductors it is healthy to review his recorded output to understand the impact he had on classical music in America (and the world, for that matter). Not all of Bernstein's recordings are worthy of placement in the upper echelon of the library, but his approaches to scores are always deserving of attention. This boxed set (six CDs) from DGG represents all of the recordings Bernstein made with that prestigious recording company and while not all of them are his best, they each carry a halo of growth and altered approach Bernstein offers after his long years of conducting.

Included in the box set are Shostakovich Symphonies 1 and 7 with the Chicago Symphony, and 6 and 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Both ensembles are first rate and Bernstein elicits fine playing from them. If he dwells a bit long in the tooth on the languid portions of Shostakovich, his other recordings give spikier accounts.

For the works of Stravinsky (long associated with Bernstein until the 'new breed' of conductors usurped that throne) Bernstein conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra over which he held great authority, in fine performances of the second suite from 'L'oiseau de feu', the 1947 version of 'Petrushka', 'Pulcinella', a varied 'Le Sacre du printemps', the 'Symphony in C' and 'Symphony in Three Movements'. The performances include some of his most insightful conducting as well as some of his least involved!

Fortunately DGG includes Bernstein's superb performance of 'Les Noces' for vocal soloists, chorus, 4 pianos & percussion with John Mitchinson, English Bach Festival Percussion Ensemble, Homero Francesch, Paul Hudson, Martha Argerich (!), Krystian Zimerman (!), Patricia Parker, Cyprien Katsaris, Anny Mory in a rhythmically secure, propulsively conducted and controlled manner. Using the same forces he encores the 'Mass, for chorus & double wind quintet', a work still too infrequently performed today.

There is always something to learn from hearing Bernstein conduct (and talk! - remember those superb Sunday televised encounters?) and it is to DGG's credit to present this wide range of recordings in one set. Grady Harp, May 06

Irregular Stravinsky and Shostakovich jewels........2006-03-07

DG is releasing some of the most interesting Bernstein's performances they have launched in other series or kept in their catalogue. This 6 CDs box offers the works by two Russian composers Bernstein loved very much and with whom he had an enormous feeling and empathy. Those are Igor Stravinsky and Dimitri Shostakovich.

First of all DSCH, that is the really best in this box...

Symphonies 1 & 7 are the only recording, as far as I know, Leonard Bernstein did with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a group of players with a very long tradition in the American music and with a great technical playing good enough to play quite all the repertoires.

Like in the case of his Mahler's 9 with Berlin, Bernstein only recording with this orchestra is a miracle that happens once and never more, because of many reasons, the first one because this is a live recording in the Medinah Temple and the emotions felt in this CD could not happen again.

I always thought Chicago is a very appropriate orchestra to play DSCH's music, because of the characteristics of the orchestra and of Shostakovich's music, very hard and very sensitive at the same time. One of the symphonies it's better to this couple DSCH & CSO is the 7th that it's not the most complex between DSCH's works, from the technical and musical point of view, but that demands a great and powerful orchestral response, something you can listen perfectly in this amazing recording, in which CSO gives his best, with a baton that understand very well the score, as far as he can... I think no one could understand completely the meaning of the Leningrad not being in the place of the siege or in the scenario described in the double-program of the symphony, probably linked to the oppression Stalin made with his politics to the pre-communist life of Saint Petersburg. I remember Goethe's words, when he said that reading a book is more complex than reading a book. Of course good Goethe talked about understanding a work, and Lenny, even not living that situation gives us a description of the fears, sadness, oppression, etc, really convincing from the very first bar.

Symphony Nº1 is a piece from DSCH's conservatoire years, from 1926, when the composer was only 19 years old and he was suffering a very disturbing economical situation, after his father's death and in the poor CCCP after the Revolution and the Civil War. It's known DSCH had to work in a cinema, under very hard conditions to eat, and that Glazunov took care of having some official assistance for his conservatoire pupil in order to Dimitri gave attention only to composer. The piece is not a great work like symphonies 5, 7, 8, 10, 13... but it shows some details and the personality of the maestro clearly. It was a great success from the same premiere and it made appear Shostakovich as the emergent figure of the new soviet composers, formed in the communist conservatoire... That was what the regime said, because in fact Leningrad conservatoire was mainly what it was before communist regime.

Leonard Bernstein performance of this symphony is a glory from all the points of view, perfectly played and recorded, the piece is fresh, full of tension and emotion, and even that parts not so fine orchestrated shine with real genius. The fourth and final movement is specially outstanding and the way the symphony ends is so good that sometimes I repeat the last minute when it finish. I really don't know any other version played with this very deep conviction on CD.

Seventh Symphony "Leningrad" is OUTSTANDING too, in every movement the orchestral playing and Lenny's conducting is breathtaking. The gigantic crescendo of the first movement is really a monument in the way Lenny control the dynamics perfectly, having an end that is really impossible to repeat, with the scales of the metals and drums full of terror, like watching the face of the death in front of you, in front of the city.

Central movements are wonderfully described too, the dynamics and the control of the tempo is amazing, as we listen in the second movement, a clear example of alternation between fortissimos and pianissimos, as between an atmosphere were everything is like suspended in fears and moments of pain.

The last movement is another Bernstein's `show', because of the way he proclaims the victory of the initial motif, which we could say is not completely affirmed in order to create that two-senses possibilities in the symphony reading. From the very dark beginning of the movement Lenny creates a crescendo that finally leads an explosion in the last bars, outstanding one more time.

The recording is fine, very present, full of body but not so clean like his recordings with Vienna in the 80's (I think about his DSCH's 6 & 9, for example; too on this CDs box), but it worth very, VERY, very much.

I could not say this is the only possible version, as I read in other reviews. I know about 5 or 6 performances (Rostropovich, Jansons, Haitink, Barshai...), apart from some others life, and of course this is the one I like much more, but not the only possibility, I try to discover always new ways in art, specially in music performances. Jansons' version in EMI is very good too, and we can not forget DSCH music always use to ask for the soviet performances, which are a very different way of understanding the works generally. Kondrashin or Rozhdestvensky shows another ways too.

If Symphonies 1 & 7 with Chicago are good, Symphonies 6 & 9 with Vienna are extraordinary too. I have read sometimes critics about the slow tempo Bernstein used, but I've to say this tempo brings new views and conceptions about these marvellous scores. First movement of Symphony Nº6 sounds deep and spacious, technically perfect like the rest of the performance. Second and third movements are really amazing, hard to believe because of the incredible level of the Vienna players, in a tempo that allows you to listen all the instruments and musical phrases perfectly defined. Symphony Nº9 performed by Bernstein was said it is too much triumphal... I really like it very much in the way it's played, like the Sixth marvellous form any point of view.

Stravinsky is good, but the orchestra is not at the same level than CSO or WP. Petrouchka is very, very good and very theatrical. Le Sacre is savage, furious and very interesting. The most important works are, in this way, those better conducted by Lenny and best played by the Israel Orchestra.

We have to mention Noces and Mass, not very usual on CD and with fine performances on Bernstein hands.

Sound is better in DSCH recordings, as in Stravinsky there are some works (Noces, Mass) in ADD recordings.

Anyway, a very, VERY interesting 6 CDs Box which worth for all those who don't have these Shostakovich performances and for those who want to have good performances of some of the best Stravinsky's works.

Not the best of Bernstein, but there are some gems.......2006-01-22

This DG bargain box of 6 CDs brings together recordings of Stravinsky and Shostakovich that, with few exceptions, are remakes of considerably better earlier ones. The Stravinsky works mostly date from 1982 with the Israel Phil. They would be considered quite good except that the earlier NY Phil. recordings are great. The same holds true for the Shostakovich, though perhaps not to such an extent, since the Vienna Phil. plays so spectacularly on two of them.

As a quick overview:

Stravinsky: The best readings here are the Firebird Suite from Tel Aviv and a pairing of Les Noces and Mass from London in 1977. The last two arena't remakes. The Isael account of Le Sacre is certainly very good in spots but rather slack in other spots. The little-heard Scenes de Ballet gets an elegant, sinuous reading with not a trace of excessive underlining, while the Sym. in Three Movements is plodding (neither of these is a remake). The Petrushka is dull and uninvolving. In all, more than half of the music on these three CDs stands up very well.

Shostakovich: The best is Sym. #9 with the marvelous Vienna Phil. from 1985, a cheerful, refined reading that eschews darkness. The Sym. #6 from the same source, but a year earlier, sounds noncommittal and underplayed. Sym. #1 and 7 come from 1988, quite late in Bernstein's career. The Chicago Sym. plays elegantly in the First, but everything seems a bit tired. The Seventh was a Bernstein specialty; he had made a huge hit recorded and is almost as good, though lacking the uncanny communiction of the first version. I found the playing too refined at times, but Bernstein never played this piece for its potential savagery. In all, this Seventh and the Ninth have worn the best.

All the sonics here are exceptionally good. Bernstein got good analog sound from Columbia when he was with the NY Phil, but these digital remasterings leave those old versions in the dust. It's a trade-off, then, since as an interpreter Bernstein never excelled his youthful self in these works.

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 3

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Sousa via Royla Artillery Band

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 3
John Philip Sousa , and Keith Brion
Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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

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On Wings of Lightning

ASIN: B00008IHW5
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

The Corcoran Cadets
Semper Fidelis
Selections From 'The Free Lance'
The New York Hippodrome
La Flor Di Sevilla
Waltzes From 'El Capitan'
A Century Of Progress
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Suite: The Last Days Of Pompeii: Nydia
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The Belle Of Chicago
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Customer Reviews:

Sousa via Royla Artillery Band.......2004-12-03

This continuing series promises to develope many aspects of Sousa's varied music. The only marches the listener may recognize are the two favorites in the beginning. These are almost required selections and Naxos has been very clever in doling out the favorite Sousa marches (so many times recorded before) with lesser known fare. Here we have many interesting other works by Sousa that have been seldem offered before. These include numerous pieces for symphonic wind band and draw upon Sousa's fascination with operatic composition. As a composer, Sousa was probably one the most varied of his kind. Indeed, you can put together a complete program of music as there is so much variety to chose from. Such has been done here with this series. The inspired baton of Keith Brian, famed for his New Sousa Band concerts here leads the venerable Royal Artillery Band of the British army. This is a winning combination, as the RA band is one of the oldest and most distinglished bands in the UK. With 49 pieces, the band can produce the kind of robust sound which is required for many of Sousa's works, but there is also a delicacy of performance here which Keith Brian brings out in the band. This third volume in the Naxos series is promising to be one of the best of its kind ever put together. Here we can finally get that eccletic mix that made a Sousa concert such a memorable and fun event. Keith Brian, Naxos and the Royal Artillery Band are a winning combination.

Shall I Compare Thee? Choral Songs on Shakespeare Texts

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Shall I Compare Thee? Choral Songs on Shakespeare Texts
Chicago a cappella , and Conductor: Jonathan Miller
Manufacturer: Cedille
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AYYTIA
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Kevin Olson (b. 1970): Summer Sonnet*
Martha Sullivan (b. 1964): Blow, blow, thou winter wind*
-6. Jaakko Myji (b. 1963): Four Shakespeare Songs
Matthew Harris (b. 1956): It Was a Lover and his Lass
Harris: Take, O Take Those Lips Away
Harris: Who is Silvia?
Harris: And Will ANot Come Again?*
John Rutter (b. 1945): It Was a Lover and his Lass
Nils Lindberg (b. 1933): Shall I compare?
Hn Parkman (19551988): Madrigal (Take, O Take Those Lips Away)
Parkman: Sonnet 147 (My love is as a fever)
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Robert Applebaum (b. 1941): Spring*
Applebaum: Witches Blues*
Applebaum: Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summers day?*

Album Description

The "world class" (Fanfare) nine-voice ensemble Chciago a cappella brings its trademark "wit, imagination, [and] flawless intonation" (Chicago Tribune) to 23 contemporary choral settings of Shakespeare texts -- including ten recorded premieres and three works composed expressly for the group. Making its Cedille Records debut, Chicago a cappella performs artful arrangements that draw from influences ranging from bossa nova and the blues to Renaissance and medieval modes. A fascinating spectrum of styles is heard -- within single works and across the entire program.

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