Arianna [Import]

1. Solita Storia

2. C'e' Che Ti Amo

3. E' Tutto OK

4. Cosa Sei Per Me

5. Lui

6. Colpo Di Fulmine

7. Disabitudine

8. Non Fai Per Me

9. Si, Io Ti Voglio Bene

10. Volo Via

11. Ritorna

12. Dentro Me (Out Here on My Own)

Tracks:

(Clori: Part I): Va col canto
(Clori: Part II): Barbaro!
(Clori: Part II): Amo Tirsi
(Theodora: Act I, 5): Angels, Ever Bright And Fair
(Theodora: Act II, 2): With Darkness, Deep
(Theodora: Act II, 2): Oh! That I On Wings Could Rise
(Ottone: Act II, 4): Vieni, o figlio
(Arianna: Act I, 2): Mirami altero in volto
(Susanna: Part I, 2): Bending To The Throne
(Susanna: Part III, 2): Guilt Trembling Spoke My Doom
(Messiah: Part III, 2): He Was Despised
(Radamisto: Act III, 7): Qual nave
(Agrippina: Act II, 20): Ogni vento

Customer Reviews:

When she sang...people would forget all that is conventional in opera.......2007-01-11

With Lorraine Hunt you can't go wrong. Her appeal is universal: those who don't fancy opera will love it because of her virtuoso capability, originality and sincerity. Laurent Naouri expressed the core of her appeal: "When she sang her character, people would forget all that is conventional in opera. People would forget even her singing; they would just feel something so deep and true." Bravo, Lorraine, you set a standard for all time.

absolutely Beautiful.......2007-01-10

She really left a wonderful gift in this cd. I wish I could have appreciated her voice before she died so as to have seen her in concert. What a voice she had!

A glorious voice to remember.......2006-10-29

If you love the voice of Janet Baker or Kathleen Ferrier, you will love this collection. Miss Hunt is the peer of any mezzo soprano I have ever heard, bar none. Her voice is pure and rich, her musicality is flawless, her total effect awe inspiring. If you have never heard Lorraine before, this is a great place to start. You won't be sorry!

An Ode to Beauty and Artistry (Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, 1954-2006).......2006-07-06

I've been meaning to review this album for the longest time, but haven't because of my committments at work and other things. Lieberson's voice, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful instruments of our generation. It is, unlike a certain Renaaay who tries to sing anything and everything as a huge, incoherent slur, a very beautifully and artistically sung Handel recital. The tone is simply magnificent! And no other Handelian artist has connected her singing of the role with a dramatic sense that is so acute as her performances of the role.

It is really sad to know that this great artist died of breast cancer two days ago in her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a big loss for the operatic world to lose such a beautiful instrument at such a young age. Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson will be missed.

subtle beauty.......2005-11-14

I have had this CD for several years now, and also all of the CDs from which these arias are drawn. What a great album; I would not be without it. Ms. Hunt (now Hunt Lieberson) has the voice, phrasing, discipline...the inner understanding of this music. She's "connected" on almost every piece here. 'Angels Bright and Fair' is a particular standout in my view; but almost certainly, if you are a lover of Handel's music, you will find something special here. Her soprano to mezzo soprano on this CD was a subtle and extraordinary voice for performing these pieces.

Average customer rating:

One of the best "La Folias"
Amazing variety and delight
A master's musical magic
a favorite

La Folia, 1490-1701

Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Altre Follie, 1500-1750
Villancicos y Danzas Criollas
Elizabethan Consort Music
Tous Les Matins du Monde/Dix Ans Apres
Vivaldi: La Viola da Gamba in Concerto

ASIN: B000023YPG
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

I. Folias Antiguas: Folia: Rodrigo Martinez
I. Folias Antiguas: Recercada Quarta Sobre La Folia
I. Folias Antiguas: Folia: Para Quien Crie Cabellos
I. Folias Antiguas: Recercada Ottava Sobre La Folia
I. Folias Antiguas: Folia: Hoy Comamos Y Bebamos
II. Diferencias Sobre Las Folias
III. Follias
IV. Couplets De Folies

Customer Reviews:

One of the best "La Folias".......2006-09-11

This CD contains a selection of Folia variations from Spain (mostly), Italy and France over a period of about 200 years. Savall and his ensemble are among the best -- their playing has a great richness to it. A very good anthology -- if you love "La Folia", you can't go wrong with this CD.

Amazing variety and delight.......2005-07-02

This collection contains dances and variations written on an old Spanish dance pattern. While the entire disc can be said to include only a handful of different harmonies, the endless sets of variations are anything but boring. Instead, they constitue a musical journey that takes you through three countries and over two hundred years of music-making.

The journey begins in Spain, around the time Columbus made his famous voyages. The first variations are filled with spirit and joy and are both wild in nature and yet refined and exquisite under Savall's fingertips. After a set of five wonderful pieces, there next comes a later Spanish piece for gamba, continuo, and...castanets! This piece concludes with a rousing col legno section that needs to be heard to be believed.

Next is a great rendition of Corelli's Follias, also known as his 12th violin sonata. The volin part is played in a period arrangement for gamba, and Savall uses the treble instead of the bass viol for the part, which sounds great and offers a good opportunity to comapre the treble viol to the violin. Under Savall's touch, the viol gives the violin a run for the money! Great fun.

Lastly, we have Marais' masterful Follias d'Espangne, and after hearing them performed like they are here, what more can be said? This CD would make a wonderful purchase for yourself or a friend, and would be a great way to introduce someone to early music. This disc is yet another reminder of why Jordi Savall, as the previous reviewer so well put it, deserves to be considered among the top musicians of our day. Alia Vox does a great job of presenting these discs in great packages and with wonderful sound quality. The days of second-rate period instrument performances are coming to a close.

A master's musical magic.......2004-12-29

Jordi Savall's special talent for reviving lost or obscure music is no better illustrated than by this album. The "Folia" are country dances, sometimes frenetic in their rendition, other times sedate and even-paced. The full range of those characteristics are presented in this collection of interpreters of the "folia" idiom. From Roderigo Martinez in the last years of the 15th Century to the Versailles Court musician Marin Marais two centuries later, Savall provides a glorious musical tour of time and place. He seems almost to transport himself away from the present as he plays. Time and space are compressed to an environment limited only by the music's expressiveness. With the roots in peasant dances, that's a wide space which Savall fills with delightful playing. The broad spectrum of styles in the pieces grant this CD an equally expansive audience.

Savall's group, whose renditions of these pieces can only be described as exquisite, is the core of later ensembles. Each member brings a strong sense of the professional to the music. Even given such a background team, it is Savall's rich, precise and meaningful use of the da gamba that rightly predominates. He is an undisputed master of evoking the fullest expression the instrument can produce. The music leaves the listener breathless even when but seated as an audience. What must it be like for a professional dance troupe to perform to these sometimes frantic tones? The entire performance is dazzling and inspiring. This CD could be considered the acme of his performances - a judgment tempered only by knowledge of later and even more glorious releases.

Alia Vox has taken the lead in producing the most superior of recording techniques for Savall's musical skills. Savall is more than just the leading viola da gambist in the world. He could be elevated to the finest musician without overreaching his abilities. The sounds are crisp and elevating. It's easy to see why "La Folia" is considered a "desert island" CD choice by many. Listen to it for yourself, with one you love, and endear yourself to someone by offering it as a gift. In all cases, the rewards are valuable. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

a favorite.......2004-06-13

This compilation of Spanish-insprired dance music is often in the player. It's tuneful and accessible. A similar collection by the Purcell Quartet feels more stilted and less joyful.

Tracks:

Arianna
Ebben
Addio
Horizon
Barcarolle
Cantilena
Sviraj (Lullabye)
Interlude
Pavane
Ave Maria
Leiermann
Lullabye (Sviraj)

Customer Reviews:

4 stars and stuff, man.......2007-05-06

review review review review blah blah blah blah and stuff, man.

Nice segue to opera.......2007-01-10

I have never liked opera, but this music is a gentle introduction with enough contemporary addition to pique my interest. Very well done. I have also purchased the first Aria CD and also number 3.

Exquisite! My favorite of the Arias and favorite CD by far........2006-11-06

This CD speaks to the heart. It expresses powerful emotions of longing, grief, and tenderness. A baring of the soul with such beauty. Clair Marlo's vocals in Lullabye (Sviraj) are absolutely divine. It sends me. Here we are treated to at least three different vocals, not just Rebecca Luker, and they blend and flow so beautifully. It's just wonderful. What a treat. Can't say enough about this CD. I love it.

A great follow-up to an outstanding musical experience.......2006-03-15

ARIA volume 1 was certainly a winner and this follow-up CD is fantastic. I liked the first CD so much that every time I went to the record store or online at Amazon I would look to see if Paul Schwartz and written a sequel. Schwartz selects wonderful works from classical music and re-arranges them so that they maintain the essential spirit and intent of the original but are made accessible for the ears of contemporary listeners. Thus, you owe it to yourself to listen to these gems.

Rebecca Luker's super voice is wonderful as she weaves a mystical mood with Monteverdi's Lament of Arianna; Catalani's "Ebben ne Andro Lontano" from La Wally; "Addio" from Verdi's La Traviata; "Barcarolle" from Offenbach's Contes De Hoffman and "Ave Maria" by Caccini. I looked Luker up on the web and found that she has starred in various Broadway productions. Her voice is incredible and Schwartz integrates her angelic sound into the electronic instrumentation. The "Ave Maria" is somewhat odd, with the strong precussions, but the choir and Rebecca Luker keep it within bounds.

This CD differs from the first ARIA in that we are treated to several instrumental works arranged by Schwartz. "Horizon" is a moody composition anchored by viola and cello. "Cantilena" is a piano solo played by Schwartz, a charming piece that echoes back to Verdi's "Addio" as well as the Croatina Lullabye sung by Clair Marlo.

A second outstanding singer, Clair Marlo, delivers "Sviraj, a Croatian Lullabye" which Schwartz offers in two distinct arrangements, once in Croatian and then again in English.

Faure's "Pavane" is very well done with Marc Antoine playing the guitar solo. The work is improvised so that a contemporary jazz interpretation is offered.

Steve Barton's voice, accompanied by the oboe, offers us "Leiermann" from Die Wintereise by Schubert. This is a dreamy sad odd spacey work with lyrics about a freezing ancient shoeless hurdy-gurdy man. The work is full of mystery and retains Schubert's complexity.

Paul Schwartz makes the outstanding compositions of previous generations come alive for contemporary audiences.

Grandiose and inspiring.......2005-01-31

This is type of music I expect to hear: strong, complex arrangements executed with passion and flair. I first heard Earthbound, and knew instantly that Paul Schwartz is up to something. His work far surpasses others in this genre.

I especially love the vocals here. Some of the intros are a tad cliche, but I can live with that. The voice is convincing and energetic, masterful even. This is one of the best CDs I have bought in years.

Average customer rating:

Another Winner from Handel and MDG

Händel: Arianna in Creta, HWV 32

Manufacturer: MD&G Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Händel: Oreste
Handel: Radamisto
Vivaldi: Griselda
Haydn: Orlando Paladino
Motezuma

ASIN: B000E1JOFM
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Tracks:

Ouverture
Sinfonia
Recitativo: Egeo, Mio Genitor
Sinfonia
Recitativo: Qual Presagio Funesto!
Aria: Mirami, Altero In Volto
Recitativo: Non Si Disperi
Aria: Dille, Che Nel Mio Seno Serbo
Recitativo: Pur Siam Soli
Aria: Deh! Lascia Un Tal Desio
Recitativo: Ma, Non E Questi Alceste?
Aria: Nel Pugnar Col Mostro Infido
Recitativo: Ma, Non Si Attenda
Aria: Tal' Or D'Oscuro
Recitativo: Non Piu, Che L'Amor Tuo M'Offende!
Aria: Quel Cor Che Adora
Recitativo: Della Patria E De' Miseri
Aria: Sdegnata Sei Con Me
Recitativo: E Mi Lascio Il Crudele?
Aria: Sdegno, Amore

Tracks:

Recitativo Accompagnato: Oh Patria! Oh Cittadini!/Larghetto: Sol Ristoro Di Mortali
Reciativo Accompagnato: Disseratevi, O Porte/Larghetto-Allegro: Lo Ti Tengo/Recitativo: Ah! Che Pur Sogno Ancor!
Aria: Salda Quercia In Erta Balza
Recitativo: (Alceste E Qui, Si Tenti)
Aria: Non Ha Diffesa
Recitativo: Il Soccorer Carilda
Aria: So Che Non E Piu Mio
Recitativo: Pensa, Che Di Carilda
Aria: Qual Leon Che Fere Irato
Recitativo: Eh! La Speme L'Inganna
Aria: Narrargli Allor Saprei
Recitativo: Idolo Mio!
Aria: Al' Fine Amore
Recitativo: Fuggiam, Fuggiam!
Aria: Che Se Fiera Poi Mi Nieghi
Recitativo: Numi! E Voi Lo Soffrite!
Aria: Son Qual Stanco Pellegrin
Recitativo: Perdon ti Chiedo
Aria: Se Ti Condanno
Recitativo: Ah! Silenzio Spietato!
Duetto: Bell' Idolo Amato
Recitativo: Quel Crudele Di Me Pieta Non Sente
Aria: Se Nel Bosco Resta Solo

Tracks:

Sinfonia
Recitativo: Vorrai Dunque, Oh Carilda?
Aria: Un Tenero Pensiero
Recitativo: Questa Sola Speranza
Aria: Par Che Voglia Il Ciel Sereno
Accompagnato: Ove Son? Qual Orrore?
Aria: Qui Ti Sfido, O Mostro Infame
Recitativo: Ho Vinto! Grazie Ai Numi
Aria: Turbato Il Mar Si Vede
Recitativo: Se Il Minotauro Ei Vinse
Aria: In Mar Tempestoso
Recitativo: Di Te In Traccia Ne Vengo
Duetto: Mira Adesso Questo Seno
Recitativo: Meta Del Mio Gior La Piu Gradita
Aria: Bella Sorge La Speranza/Coro: Bella Sorge La Speranza

Customer Reviews:

Another Winner from Handel and MDG.......2006-05-25

Okay. So I'm biased. Handel is my favorite composer. But even if he's not your favorite there are still many reasons to purchase this set of 3 CDs. If you enjoy baroque vocal music. If you enjoy wonderful singing and graceful music. Long, tuneful arias punctuated by brief recitatives. Also the production label for this CD is MDG and the acoustics for their recordings are always top-notch without any sort of soundmodifying manipulation. And how they can produce such a superior recording of 3 CDs for $20 and some change is beyond me. Anyway I'm not a knowledgeable music critic. I just know what I like though I do happen to think I have good taste in music. In my humble opinion music like Handel's is a privileged foretaste of what we will experience in Heaven. That may sound like hyperbole to some but not to those of us who are passionate about baroque music. If you're a seasoned Handel fan you must have this recording. If you're new to the baroque vocal music scene you also must have it. Hurry up and purchase before the good people at MDG come to their senses and double the price!

Average customer rating:

This is a Wonderful CD!
One of the most amazing CD I got...
A marvelous CD
Beautiful Musical Fusion with Broad Appeal

Nuove Musiche

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Jazz | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Immortal Nystedt [Hybrid SACD]
Teatro Lirico
Le Voyage de Sahar
Time Line
Alfabeto

ASIN: B000E0LB9K
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Tracks:

Arpeggiata Addio
Passacaglia Antica I
Passacaglia Andaluz I
Passacaglia Antica II
Passacaglia Cromatica
Passacaglia Antica III
Passacaglia Cantus Firmus
Passacaglia Caltica
Passacaglia Spontanea
Passacaglia Andaluz II
Toccata
Passacaglia Cantata
Corrente
Corrente
Toccata
Ciaccona
Toccata Cromatica

Customer Reviews:

This is a Wonderful CD!.......2007-02-28

I run an internet radio station that is called "10-String Guitar" that focuses on the music of multi-string guitars, lutes, and theorbos. I have dozens of CDs featuring all kinds of performances, and this one is my current favorite. It features the multi-string as an ensemle instrument, and uses Baroque compositions as a framework for improvisition and further composition. The music really comes alive. It is sensual, mysterious, unexpected, and totally captivating. It is on the ECM label, curiously, and shares a Jazz approach to Baroque music. It is not to be missed.

One of the most amazing CD I got..........2006-06-19

Before all I must apologize of my basic English (I'm Italian mother-tongue). I've bought this ECM CD only a few days ago, after I've read the two reviews of it on this web site, and with no other knowledge of it at all. What a great surprise for ears, hearth and mind! I've already listened to it lot of time at home. Each time it sounds to me as a new experience, with different chromatic colors. I've founded in it not only Early Western Music, but a palette of different music... 'Cause I think that life is music, this CD could be in my opinion a 'good friend' for different situations of mind and hearth!

A marvelous CD.......2006-06-11

I cannot improve upon the first reviewer's informative analysis, which I appreciate, but the minute I heard a selection from Nuove Musiche on our classical station, I ran to the computer to track it down, the sound was that beautiful and unique. What a graceful, elegantly realized album. The vocal line weaves a luminous silver thread throughout a seamless collection of pieces and improvisations, and the performances are subtle and superbly executed. I highly recommend this album, perfect from beginning to end, and congratulate Rolf Lislevand and the ensemble for their excellent work. I hope this album wins a well-deserved award.

Beautiful Musical Fusion with Broad Appeal.......2006-03-28

Afficianados of Early Western Music will recognize Lislevand, Estevan, and Savall as members of the superb Early Music ensemble Hesperion XXI, and may recognize some fragments of the music here from the Renaissance and Baroque repertoires, however, these are "historically informed" performaces with as much of an ear to modern times as ancient. The album title is appropriately ironic, referring at once to periods of "new music" such as the innovations of Monteverdi that pulled music from one era into another, but also to the fact that this is a new way of approaching antique musics, instruments, and performances. There is a great deal of expressive "sprezzatura" here; vivacious punctuation, demonstrative improvisation, and throughout the recording, a fusion of forms and styles that doesn't deny any particular era or region that the performers know of. This would be a perfect recording to listen to while reading, cooking, meditating or gardening, although it's rich enough to enjoy with one's full attention. Lislevand's playing is as impressively nimble as we've come to expect, but with greater allowances for freedom of play. Savall's lovely voice is clear as a bell, warm as a summer afternoon in Catalunya. Estevan's percussion was the biggest surprise for me on this disc. Quite a bit of it is colorative ... more suggestive of naturally occurring sounds than scored music. I'm not sure that there's such a thing as "Early Music World Fusion," although if so, this disc exemplifies the genre, and of course it's fitting that such a compelling exploration should appear on the adventurous ECM label. One of the most interesting releases of the season, well worth it if you're interested.

Average customer rating:

Savall family extravaganza

Du temps & de l'instant

Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lux Feminae
Orient - Occident
Ninna Nanna: Lullabies (1500-2002)
Music In Europe 1550-1650
Harmonie Universelle

ASIN: B0009JOMDI
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Cantiga De Amigo V: Quantas Sabedes Amare
Nastaran
Noumui, Noumi Yaladatii
Variations Sur O Sonjal
La Canco Del Lladre
Romanesca & Pasamezzo
La Salve
Paxarico Tu Te Llamas
Apo Xeno Meros
Ghazali Tal Jahri
Durme, Hermosa Donzella
Tarantela D'apres
Jaroslaw
Canarios
Fantasiant
Muzettes I-II (IV.28.29)
El Cant Dels Aucells
Diferencias Sobre La Guaracha
Sentirete Una Canzonetta

Customer Reviews:

Savall family extravaganza.......2006-01-27

Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras are the two giants in the Catalan early music scene. On this album they enlist the help of percussionist Pedro Estevan and their two children to produce some truly exceptional music. Jordi Savall, the most famous family member, almost fades into the background, although he is obviously the rock that anchors the album. His playing is superb, and it seems as though it was most likely him who chose the excellent repertoire. Figueras, like wine, is only improving with age. Also like wine, however, she's a bit of an acquired taste; I am a huge fan of straight tone singing and even I took a while to get used to her bizarre, raw sound. It's worth it, however, as she is one of the most intriguing singers of this era.

Daughter Arianna is a world-class artist in her own right. Like her father, she is multi-talented; she sings, plays the harp, and composes (her contribution to this album, "La Salve," is beautiful and affecting, but some of the selections on her own solo album "Bella Terra" are far superior). Like her mother, her voice is haunting and beautiful, more polished than the elder woman but slightly less interesting. She sounds particularly lovely in the background of the first track. Ferran Savall also lends his voice to the album, although his singing is far less classical sounding, which may be a plus to some listeners. "Noumi, Noumi, Yaladatii," which Figueras has previously recorded as a solo, includes a vocalise from Ferran astonishing in its power, although his one solo on this album, "La Canco Del Lladre," is the least impressive track, as his voice can be irritating after a while and the song itself is repetitive and overlong.

The instrumental tracks are universally excellent. Jordi Savall is one of the world's best viola da gamba players and this album proves that he is still at the top of his game. Arianna's virtuosic harp solo is one of the album's highlights; her playing is less restrained and more visceral than most harpists. Pedro Estevan seems to have very little to do, but a little goes a long way with this music.

I sincerely hope that this will not be the last album to feature the Savall-Figueras family together. These five musicians have produced an album of surreal beauty, not to be missed.

Average customer rating:

Completely enthralled
Okay CD
Stunning new talent
Just beautiful

Bella Terra

Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Lux Feminae
Du temps & de l'instant
Ninna Nanna: Lullabies (1500-2002)
Orient - Occident
Homenatge al Misteri d'Elx - La Vespra

ASIN: B0000U1EHI
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Tracks:

L'Amor
Yo M'enamori D'Un Aire
Dona'M La Ma
Mester D'Amor
El Mariner
El Viaja
Els Ulls
Apreciemos El Instante
Yo So De Mi Amado
Aquest Cami Tan Fi
Per A Ser Cantada En la Meva Nit
Hi Ha Un Remoli

Customer Reviews:

Completely enthralled.......2005-03-08

This is a delightful disc. If you appreciate the technique of Jordi Savall, and the siren sweet voice of Montserrat Figueras, you will be instantly captivated by their daughter.

In what appears to me to be a very personal project based upon moving poems authored by Miguel Marti i Pol (dedication appears untranslated in Catalan), Ms. Savall is invoking a song tradition of harp playing accompanied by the singer which was long ago lost in all but a couple of cultures. It thrives in the rich cultural Catalan region, as is evidenced by Ms. Savall's own compositions.

You too will submit to her enthralling spell.

Okay CD.......2005-01-19

This CD is okay, but once you have heard one song you have heard them all. The music gets a little repetitive, and Arianna has a bit of heaviness in her voice that I do not personally like. It is a nice CD, but not one that I would listen to over and over again.

Stunning new talent.......2004-09-25

Whilst the classical training shines through, her composition often surprises with its contemporary feel (although she nods to her Catlan roots).

Lovers of harp, and young soprano voice need look no further. The lady has some pair of lungs.

Musically this is ocassionally reminiscent of Andreas Vollenwieder although far more minimalist.. but then she starts singing...and quite simply...WOW!

She's so perfectly in control of her vocal instrument, and she's so pitched. How she manages this but still sounds so relaxed, I will never know. I could go on about her technically, but that would diminish her voice, a thing of great beauty.

Worth the entry for "Bella Terra" alone. I look forward to more of this young woman's work.

Just beautiful.......2004-04-13

Arianna Savall proves herself to be quite an accomplished singer, composer, and harpist in this new collection of mainly her own compositions. This is not my typical type of music, but I still listen to it constantly, and I bought it as soon as it was available in America. I'm glad that it is once again available, as it was out of stock for a very long time. Savall's pure straight-tone may not appeal to some classical vocal buffs, but as part of the Catalan early music scene ruled by her parents, Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, straight tone comes natural to her. Her voice is clearer than her mother's and, if somewhat less emotional, it is also more ethereal and her technique is solid. The songs themselves run from Middle Eastern influenced to Catalan folk songs.

Average customer rating:

An exquisite gem of a desert island CD
Sweeping, seductive, and superlative!
Mesmerizing music for the heart
La Ninna Nanna
"Stunningly beautiful" is an understatement

Ninna Nanna: Lullabies (1500-2002)
William Byrd , Jordi Savall , and Hesperion XXI
Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Lux Feminae
Du temps & de l'instant
Villancicos y Danzas Criollas
Diáspora Sefardí
Bella Terra

ASIN: B000071XAC
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Anon. (Purtugal): Cancao de embalar: Jose embala o menino
Anon. (England): Lullaby: My little sweet darling
Anon. (Greece): Berceuse: Dors mon bebe
Anon. (Sefarade): Berceuse Ladino: Nani, nani
Anon. Berbere: Berceuse Amazigh
William Byrd: Lullaby: Come, pretty babe
Tarquino Merula: Canzonetta spirituale sopra la nanna: Hor ch'e tempo di dormire
Anon. (Alicante): Mareta, mareta no'm faces plorar
Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814): Chanson d'une maleureuse mere: Dorsmon enfant
Modest Mussorgsky: La Chambre des enfants (1870): Avec la poupee
Anon (Israel): Berceuse hebraique: Noumi, noumi yaldati
Arvo Part: Berceuse de Noel (2002)
Max Reger (1873-1916): Maria Wiegenlied: Maria sitzt am Rosenhag
Manual de Falla (1876-1946): Nana: Duermete, nino, duerme. Canciones populares (1914)
Darius Milhaud: Berceuse hebraique: Dors, dors (1925)
Federico Garcia Lorca: Nana de Sevilla: Este galapaguito (1930)
Arvo Part: Berceuse Estonienne: Kuus, kuus kallike (2002)
Anon. Catalogne: Cancao de Bressol: La mare d e Deu

Amazon.com

This is a formidable collection of lullabies, spanning 500 years, 18 of them (from almost as many countries) in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Catalan, English, and more, each one lovely, each one in its own idiom. Some are anonymous; others are by composers as different as Byrd, Mussorgsky, Milhaud, and Arvo Pärt. The disc shouldn't be listened to in one setting--no matter how interesting they are, they're still lullabies and can mellow the listener into torpor--but in three-or-so chunks, the contents are fascinating. Figueras can make her sound move from folk to classical, from a mother who is passionate about her child's safety to one who merely wants to entertain into slumber. The anonymous Greek lullaby (track 3) contains the oddest little vocal quirk--a whipping up of the tone at the close of some phrases--which only an artist like Figueras could pull off. And Savall and soloists accompany on various instruments--flute, harp, viols, etc.--with pianist Paul Badura-Skoda playing on three of the lullabies. The CD is a wonderful tour of the world through the centuries with only one subject in mind: sleep. And sleep is something, after all, that takes up a third of our lives. This CD keeps getting sweeter the more you listen. Recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

An exquisite gem of a desert island CD.......2005-06-09

Every time I catch sight of a Vox Alia CD with its distinctive packaging I find resistance is futile and I end up buying it. This gorgeous collection of lullabies delivered much more than I had ever dreamt possible.

What gives this CD its magic is the fact that this is music making amongst friends and family. In fact the record label is Jordi Savall's own, Monserat Figueras is his wife, and Arianna Savall his daughter - so it really is an all family affair. The whole of Hesperion XXI play like they know each other intimately and we are just privileged eavesdroppers who were lucky enough to have overheard them. If some of the major record labels are increasingly marketing their music like MacDonalds hamburgers then this is like being invited to dine at a lovely family run Spanish restaurant. There is a heartwarming homeliness here the majors could never emulate in a hundred years. So it is entirely appropriate that this should be a collection of lullabies, for this is a celebration of family intimacy of the most deeply poetic and affectionate kind.

The selection of music might strike a casual listener as being unusual - exotic is a better term - yet they are all so instantly attractive that I think this would make a lovely gift (especially given the beautiful booklet that comes with it) to a child, a mother, a partner, a friend, a music lover; even people who know nothing about the composers here would surely be enchanted. I was particularly delighted by the reviewer who wrote that her daughter listened to this at night - oh, how fortunate it would be to grow up with music like this with its imaginatively chosen collection of music from so many countries and centuries - you would carry this music in your heart for the rest of your life! Amongst the songs is a Greek song, a Catalan song, a 16th century English song, a song by William Byrd, Max Reger, Moussorgsky as well as two by Arvo Part, both of which carry dedications to Monserat Figueras, Arianna and Jordi Savall (in the photograph reproductions of the first pages of the handwritten score Arvo Part has written in German 'gewidmet an...' if you were wondering where this info comes from).

Typical of the CD is how difficult it is to hold back a tear listening to Reger of all composers - I would have never thought it possible, especially when it would have been simply all too easy to choose some all to well known Schubert Lied, but here it is, they have picked Reger and it is PERFECT. Yet that is only one gem amongst so many more here. I am speechless, for this CD is indeed a rare treasure made for people who truly love beautiful music making - a CD to cherish and to weep for joy over.

I should add that as usual from Vox Alia the recorded sound is audiophile quality, and a notch above what you get from about 95% of record labels. In my opinion they even surpass some boutique audiophile labels like Linn, which is really saying something. So if you love to luxuriate in rich sound this will fit like a glove.

If you fall in love with this recording please, please may I suggest you BUY it for someone you love, rather than burning it, just as a way of saying 'thank you' to this family of musicians. This is a family run label rather than some huge impersonal coorporation and I have seen too many private boutique record firms go bust over the years, so please help ensure that these artists continue to make lovely recordings such as this one.

I am adding this CD to my desert island collection.

Sweeping, seductive, and superlative!.......2004-01-14

Figueras offers the listener a triumphant collection of evocative songs. Let's dispense with a possible concern. This CD is sub-titled "Lullabies". Anyone going to sleep listening to Figueras should see either a hearing or a brain specialist. While they may pacify children, adult listeners will be exhilarated by the sweeping range of her voice and exquisite presentation. Figueras' expressive style simply transcends descriptive praise. From soaring appeals to the heavens to quiet, soothing reassurances, she demonstrates the magnitude of her evocative skills. One can sense constrained passion in each song as she moves from one culture to another through the collection. That one of the pieces was commissioned for this collection is further proof of the extent she provides the listener - she's not confined to neither time nor place.

What is most clearly manifest in this musical anthology is Figueras' professionalism and her Catalan background. Unlike the operatic divas who have deigned to release popular renditions, she demonstrates how someone who truly understands the music of mountain villages or plains communities in any nation can elevate even the most "common" music. The selections range over five centuries or more, reinforcing the impression that nothing exceeds the capacity of her elegant voice to convey feeling to the enraptured listener. Each of us will likely settle on a favourite selection. Predictably, my own is a Catalan piece of an anonymous composer. Perhaps because the lullaby is in her native tongue, the richness of Figueras' rendition evokes intense emotional response. Would that i'd been born a Catalan!

Alia Vox was launched to give fresh impetus to the recordings of Figueras, her husband Jordi Savall and the groups they have created together. This CD will remain a testimony to their efforts to produce the highest quality discs. The sound is excellent, clearly imparting voice and background instruments alike. With 18 selections from a variety of eras and locations, the notes for this CD are extensive. The text of each tune is given in the original and seven other languages. Could scholarship and the universality of music be given finer endorsement? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Mesmerizing music for the heart.......2003-10-18

Rarely has there been a more beautiful collection of lullabies than those presented in Ninna Nanna. Clearly a labour of love of Montserrat Figueras and her family, it brings together songs that mothers have been singing to their infants over the centuries - whatever their culture or language. "It is like food for the young child" reflects Montserrat Figueras in her dedication, the most intense reflection of affection and tenderness.

Lullabies in this collection, come from cultural backgrounds as diverse as Russia, Morocco, Greece, England and, of course, the Iberian Peninsula. They span from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Most of the musical versions have been masterly arranged by Jordi Savall, suited to fit the extraordinary voice of his wife. We also find some arrangements by well-known composers such as Moussorgski, Reger or de Falla.

Being lullabies, the songs show similarities: above all their tunes are beautifully soft and melodious. Yet, the tunes show considerable diversity in rhythm and tonality. Some are melancholy and almost haunting, others joyful and jubilant. Montserrat Figueras' voice is, as always, in a class of her own, radiating with richness and intensity. The music touches the deeper cords in the listener's consciousness. Her voice is superbly and sensitively accompanied by Hesperion XXI, the accomplished team of musicians under the leadership of Jordi Savall.

The informative booklet accompanying the CD is well presented and includes the songs' texts in eight languages, including the original. This is a CD you will not get tired to listen to many times, whether you play it for your children, your family and friends, or just for yourself. [Friederike Knabe, Ottawa, Canada]

La Ninna Nanna.......2003-08-17

Very few times in life we can be transported back to share such deep experiences as that of holding a child in your arms while singing a lullaby. This CD is exceptional not only because of the high quality of the production but also by the deep emotions that each song carries. A true gift for all those of us that need to stop and enjoy a moment of peace!

"Stunningly beautiful" is an understatement.......2003-05-31

I bought this as a gift for our daughter, and it works great; but I also can't stop listening to it myself day and night, having nothing to do with her bedtime and nap times. If one wants to go to sleep, it works beautifully for that; or if one wants to stay up and pay attention to every wonderful nuance, it also works for that. Or if it's just on as background music, it changes any room to a place of comfort and home. Montserrat Figueras here sings in at least twelve different languages, in music spanning 500 years, and puts it all across with heartfelt directness. What more difficult musical task could there be than all the above, together? But she does it.

This disc is really a family affair: Figueras and Savall, plus their daughter who also sings and plays, and their son who took the photos; plus their friends and colleagues, among the most imaginative and soulful players alive. Extraordinary. And the new music composed by Arvo Part for this album: it's proof that music can objectively make a person weep.

And the booklet: a gorgeous presentation with full background information, photos of the sessions, and each song is given in translation to eight or nine languages! (The original, plus eight more translations if different.)

The only thing you can't do is play this in the car, while driving around to lull the child with the motion. Oh, that works great for the child, but it's the driver's concentration we should be worried about. There is no way to keep one's mind safely on the road while this CD is on.

Tracks:

Akousate/Argos
Melomai
Sappho
Eros
Mater
Nomos M
Tenge Pleumonas Oino
Dithyrambos
Gaia
Daktylos Amera
Makrotatos
Anakreon
Perikleitos
Agallis
Dialogos
Mona
Protos
Ekleipsis
Proteron
Hypne Anax
Kretikos

Customer Reviews:

Highly enjoyable for all........2006-12-12

I enthusiastically recommend this recording to everyone, regardless of your musicological expertise. The novelty and variety of the music should be enough to draw in all but the most desensitized of the mainstream audience, and after repeated listenings a depth of enthusiastic musicianship is exposed. The mood ranges from the excruciatingly delicate lyre, falsetto, and chimes to the forcefully rhythmic hand-drums, shakers and (my personal favorite) the wooden double auloi that pack all the punch of a distortion guitar.

If, on the other hand, you are a bit of a scholar, this will please all but the most slavish positivist. This is not interpretation N of the Seikilos epitaph, and in fact I don't believe the notational fragments are at all represented on this recording. [It really shouldn't be attributed to "Ancient Greek Anonymous."] There are, however, rigorously-researched reconstructions of period instruments and relatively virtuosic performances. The melodies have been composed with a thorough appreciation for the greek vocal aesthetic, taking into account the tonality, rhythm and accent of the language and the fundamentally syllabic nature of ancient greek art song. Also well-represented is the "epicentric" melodic paradigm inherited from Sumeria, gravitating toward the central string, "mese".

My only disappointment is the lack of harmonic variety. The entire CD is performed in the diatonic genus (without even variations of chroma, unfortunately). In their defense, I admit that to modern ears the chromatic genus can sound like very bad jazz, and the enharmonic genus is (just as Plato said) prohibitively difficult for most singers. I sincerely hope this ensemble will explore them in future recordings. Nonetheless, this is most certainly not equal-tempered music, with an unmistakable, exciting "microtonal" spice.

I have owned this recording for a year, and it is one of my absolute favorites.

Reconstructing the beauty of a Symposium.......2006-04-27

The first remark concerns the instruments of this music, instruments that have been reconstituted on the model of the ancient ones. We will consider them as germanely faithful and they create sounds, a sound environment or ambience that is particularly original. The second remark is that this music is based on the pythagorian five-note scale (note Conrad Steinmann does not mention this pythagorian origin and the physical process used to determine the first five degrees based on vibrations, from C to G, but this process fails for A and B : these last two notes will be regulated and introduced in the scale only in the Renaissance) that corresponds to the first five degrees of our modern major scale. Then a second group of these five degrees and intervals are added to the first five in a second identical group constituting a ten-note scale that will be the basis of all western music up to the Renaissance, and thus the basis of all Christian sacred music of the Middle Ages, a music known as gregorian. So, in the surprising sound ambience we also recognize some elements we have already heard and enjoyed in our heritage. The next choice is to reconstitute the music of a symposium, a banquet with musical entertainment for free Athenian citizens, though there were no un-free citizens : it corresponds then to the extremely small minority of the people in Athens and ancient Greece who had civil rights because they were free. This music is based on texts from the poets of the time singing love and wine, the pleasures of love and wine and then the disruptive alienating impact of love. Finally the music itself is reconstituted from the tidbits that have survived, the accents, stresses and intonations of the language itself, and what we can know of the status of music in this free social elite. The result is very surprising. We will first mention the voices : only a (female) soprano and a/n (male) alto. This is a little bit too restrictive and it reduces the male voice to a very particular case. The music brings up some Mediterranean styles that will develop later on in Europe with medieval music and in the Arab world. We can hear some oriental passages, for instance in track # 9, ? Gaia ?. I will mention track # 18 on the sun eclipse of April 8, 648 B.C. that has a sombre depth created by the contrast between the soprano and the alto, and track # 20, ? Hypne Anax ?, in which the alto develops in his solo a vocal texture that is absolutely unexpected.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Universit? Paris Dauphine, Universit? Paris I Panth?on Sorbonne

CD-Hypothesis.......2006-02-12

Lyrics and the instruments on this record are authentic. Music is composed by Conrad Steinmann. So it is contemporary "newly imagined" music in Ancient Greek style.
His reconstruction based on 2 main sources: 1. careful re-creation of the instruments, which helps to understand playing techinc; 2. Ancient Greek language, because "Ancient Greek is subject to rhythmical rules that regulate the lengh of the syllables...[These rules were] reconciled with tonal order of the respective instrument".
The result of this re-construction could be described in one word - beautiful!
Arianna Savall (soprano) so beautifully sings well-known lyrics by Sappho ("He Seems to Me Like Unto Gods That Man Who Sits Opposite You", "Eros Shook My Heart") and Anacreon, Alcaios so you could buy this CD only to understand how beautiful and melodic was Ancient Greek language.
As example, many sources stated that verses by Sappho were sung and these songs seemed to Ancient Greeks very melodic, delicate and beautiful. And when you are reading modern translation or even original - you have to have great imagination to understand this musical aspect of the poetry.
Here you have original lyrics, English translation and the singing, so this CD could be a kind of the textbook for the student-historian of the Antiquty.
This CD-hypothesis could be also viewed not only as academic experiment but also as best CD of New Age World music in Ancient Greek style.
Well, and if you are decided to buy this CD, why not to listen to authenitic Ancient Greek music?
I highly recommend you CDs by ENSEMBLE DE ORGANOGRAPHIA "Music of Ancient Greeks" and "Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks" (North Pacific Music)!!!!

P.S. To compare different approaches to performance of the Antique music - try also European CDs - search the Web -
Annie Belis and Ensemble Kerylos "Ancient Greek Music" (label K617)
Musica Romana "Mesomedes" and "Symphonia Panica" (label Emmuty Records)

Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha: Romances y Músicas [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Extraordinary

Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha: Romances y Músicas [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B000A0HG1G
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary.......2006-05-01

Jordi Savall has made it again. An absolute masterpiece that, by the way, won the best record of the year from the European disc magazines.

Reading of fragments of El Quijote are in Spanish, but even if you do not speak it, the music is fascinating. Also it comes with a presentation with translations to more than 5 languages, it looks and feels like an expensive book.

Enjoy the 400 years of El Quijote, and you will be temped to read the book, that is, sorry English speakers, the best book ever written.

This SACD could come with a money back guarantee very safely.

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