E.S.P. [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com
E.S.P. is an inventive post-bop treasure that finds Mr. Davis totally re-energized by the young guns of his second quintet. Davis's first album of new material in six years (most of it written by the band), E.S.P. is a brilliantly-executed treatise on the workings of tension and release. The songs are predominantly modal and the structures themselves are different, with a minimalist bent and more emphasis placed on melodies that are repeated, fractured, improvised upon, and released into the ether of total, free sound. The supple rhythm section--powerhouse drummer Tony Williams and bassist Ron Carter--provide ample room for Davis, Hancock, and Shorter to explore interlocking melodies, notably on the jaunty "Eighty-One" and the sweet lullaby "Iris." On "Agitation," Williams brings the noise, grafting the rhythmic freedom of the day's free-form music to the group's tuneful and "out" playing. --Mike McGonigal

Tracks:

Mattinata - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Mala Femmena - Frankie Fanelli
Canto D'Amore - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Guaglione - Carlo Savina And His Orchestra
Lary Mary(Luna Mezza Mare) - Lou Monte
Anema E Core - Perry Como
Funiculi Funicula - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Soldi, Soldi, Soldi(From 'Boccaccio '70') - Sophia Loren
Santa Lucia - Gino Del Vescovo And His Mandolins
Hey Gumbaree(Bibadee Bobadee Bu) - Lou Monte
Come Back To Sorrento - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Volare(nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu) - Domenico Modugno
A Man Without Love(Quando M'Innamore) - Sergio Franchi
O Sole Mio - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Forget Domani(From 'The Yellow Rolls Royce') - Perry Como
Mama - Lou Monte
O Mio Bambino Caro - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra
Non Dimenticar(Don't Forget) - Lou Monte
Al Di La(From 'Rome Adventure') - Frankie Fanelli
Arrivederci Roma(Goodbye To Rome) - Romano Ledenzio And His Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

ITALIAN LISTENER.......2007-07-16

This was a great cd. it came on time and was as promised in good condition. I would recomend the seller again.

Terrific!.......2007-05-30

I bought this CD because I missed listening to the music my grandfather played. This CD brought back a flood of memories for me. Wonderful compilation of my favorite italian classics.

So-So CD.......2007-04-06

This is more cafe style but still worth listening to.
Great dinner background music.

This CD will put you to sleep.......2007-02-26

We bought this CD for our daughter's wedding. After reviewing it, we could have saved our money. The version of Funiculi sounded like the Salvation Army band and it was totally lifeless. Lou Monte's Hey Gumbaree (it is actually Eh Cumpare in Italian--that should have given it away) was awful, and he consistently butchers the Italian language in all his other songs (annoying, I mean, couldn't he have learned the right pronunciation?).

While Perry Como and others have melodic voices (and very wisely sing in English because they don't know Italian), these are '50s versions of the songs, for the most part. While you have to appreciate them, they are really old and reflect the '50s type of instrumention and style. Would have loved to have heard all these songs done in a fresh and original way. Soldi Soldi was our favorite by far, and that is why we gave the CD two stars.

Could have gone to the library for this one.

Thanks for letting me voice our opinion. We are a big Italian family and just spent hundreds of dollars buying every CD out there for our daughter's wedding and figured we would share our opinion with others.

Mi piace davvero!.......2007-02-20

This is a beautiful CD filled with the authentic sounds of Italy! Each track brings be back a little farther to the streets of Italy...Rome...Trevi Fountain...bellissimo!!!!

Average customer rating:

A Man and His Art - Magnificently Captured
What can you say - it's Segovia!
EVERYBODY KNOWS
Immortal guitar
WOW

Art of Segovia
Andres Segovia
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces
The Segovia Collection
300 Years of Guitar Masterpieces
The Best of Andrés Segovia: The Millennium Collection
Spanish Guitar Music

ASIN: B00006B66L
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Tracks:

Andante
Andantino
Lento
Romance De Los Pinos
Madronos
Serenata Burlesca
Variations On A Theme From Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'
Mesto E Calmo
Theme, Variations & Finale
Cancion Mexicana No.X
Sevillana, Op.29
Sarabanda
Capriccio Diabolico, Op.85
Tonadilla For Guitar On The Name Of Andres Segovia
No.1 In E Minor
No.3 In A Minor
Guitarreo
Segovia, Op.29

Tracks:

If My Complaints
Now, O Now I Need Must Part
Sarabande
1. Prelude (Transposed In D Major)
4. Tempo Di Bourree
Courante
3. Gavotte En Rondeau
Aria E Corrente
Moderato
Menuet In G Major
Andantino Variato
No.7 In A Major
2. Canzonetta
2. Quasi Lento (Preludio)
1. Andantino Poco Allegretto (Allegretto)
2. Il Vecchio Castello
Allegretto
Tres Calme Et Doucement Expressif
No.4 In E Flat Minor
5. Asturias. Leyenda - Preludio
7. Zambra Granadina
Estudio Sin Luz
Allegro Con Brio

Amazon.com

DG has put together a fascinating compilation of Segovia's art that reminds us what a protean figure he was. Segovia single-handedly put the instrument on the map by making classical guitar concerts popular events, broadening the instrument's repertory through commissions and transcriptions, and convincing even doubters that it could be a vehicle for serious music. He's heard here in brief pieces recorded between 1952 and 1969. Even in those made when he was well into his 70s, his fingers remain nimble and interpretations lively. Listening straight through, one hears many all-time Segovia favorites as Turina's Sevillana and Albeniz's Asturias and Zambra Granadina and renews appreciation for path-breaking composers like Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He wrote extensively for Segovia and his Capriccio diabolico and Tonadilla are pieces of real substance. Disc two is largely made up transcriptions and it's amazing how well so many of them work on the guitar, at least under Segovia's magic fingers. Thus the transformations of Bach's violin music and even a Chopin Prelude sound idiomatic, and the gorgeous melodies of the Canzonetta from Mendelssohn's Op. 12 String Quartet are irresistible here. An entrancing set. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A Man and His Art - Magnificently Captured.......2007-04-06

This 2-CD set produced by Deutche Grammmophon and first released in 2002 is one set of the hundreds that could have been or the dozens that actually have been made and sold successfully all over the world. The exceptional feature of this particular collection is not, of course, the performer. Quite to the contrary, the miraculous consistency of stylings and performance are amongst the most remarkable aspects of the man who was, arguably, the 20th Centry's virtuoso supreme of the classical guitar, Andres Segovia (1893-1987.) Rather, it is the collection itself - the pieces chosen to be produced on this one set - this, to steal a German word, gestalt. While his style did not remain constant throughout his long life and career, by the time he had developed his most masterful skills that included doing his own arrangements - the era represented on this particular set (1951-1960) - his playing had become completely his own - unchallenged and unmatched by even other clearly great guitarists with whom he shared this era.

There are a total of 31 pieces played on these CDs and while a playlist would be an unnecessary use of space here, a list of the composers represented is not. More than the specific pieces Segovia gives us here, the range of composers chosen by the compilers and editors - with each piece rearranged by Segovia himself, tells us a great deal about his interests, talents and musical range. These composers include:
Isaac Albeniz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, John Dowland, Manuel de Falla, Cesar Franke, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Edvard Grieg, George Frederic Handel, Felix Mendelsohn, Frederico Moreno Torroba, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolo Paganini, Felipe Pedrell, Manuel Ponce, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Joaquin Rodrigo, Albert Roussel, Domenico Scarlatti, Alexander Scriabin, Segovia's own composition of Estudio sin luz, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tarrega, Joaquin Turina and Heitor Villa-Lobos. A truly magnificent and broad ranging collection held together by Segovia's unique personal style, approach and sound.

Largely self-taught, Andres Segovia did things with a guitar that others only imagined. He didn't just play Bach, for example - music written for an entirely different type of instrument (keyboards.) He went a step further, and recorder Bach's keyboard lessons written for his students (the Two and Three Part Inventions) and made them sound as if they had been written for the guitar! His artistry is evident to even the casual listener and in this collection, any devote of classical guitar and/or of Segovia as an individual artist, will not be disappointed.
Perfect listening for anytime. Hypnotic and, simply, unsurpassed. A necessary addition to any serious classical guitar collection.

What can you say - it's Segovia!.......2007-02-10

I saw Segovia perform live in my youth. What a treat! Anyone who loves Classical Guitar should love this collection.

EVERYBODY KNOWS.......2007-01-13

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT ANDRES SEGOVIA WAS/IS THE WORLD'S GREATEST CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYER. THIS CD IS A COMPILATION OF HIS RECORDINGS FROM THE THE EARLY 50'S TO THE LATE 60'S. HIS GUITAR MASTERY IS UNQUESTIONED AND HE IS AN INSPIRATION. I WISH I COULD PLAY GUITAR LIKE ANDRES SEGOVIA (BUT I CAN'T AND I NEVER WILL!).

Immortal guitar.......2006-08-02

Two CD's with Segovia's immortal music - an incredible treat at a great price!

WOW.......2006-02-23

Even though there is hiss from the original analog recordings this one is a must. Segovia! What more can you say. Anyone who likes classical guitar will love this.

Bach - Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (highlights) / Hunt-Liberson, McGegan

Average customer rating:

lovely music, but . . . . .
Anna Magdalena Notebook-- a treasure trove of Baroque music
Music for Bach's Katy
Charming and beautiful
Bach's wifes' collection of her favorite pieces

Bach - Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (highlights) / Hunt-Liberson, McGegan
Lorraine Hunt , and Nicholas McGegan
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Classical Express
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bach: Cantatas BWV 82 and 199
Lorraine Hunt - Handel Arias
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Handel Arias
Music of Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B000056F7M
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Minuet I & II
Gigue
Aria: 'Bist Du Bei Mir', BWV 508 Stl - Lorraine Hung Lieberson
Aria: 'Willst Du Mein Herz Mir Schenken', BWV 518 - Lorraine Hung Lieberson
Solo Per Il Cembalo
Polonaise In G Minor
March In D Major
March In E Flat Major
Rondeau In B Flat Major
Chorale: 'Wer Nur Den Lieben Gott Lasst Walten', BWV 691
'Goldberg' Variations: Aria, BWV 988
Recitative: 'Ich Habe Genug', BWV 82 - Lorraine Hung Lieberson
Aria: 'Schlummert Ein', BWV 82 - Lorraine Hung Lieberson
Aria: 'Gedenke Doch, Mein Geist', BWV 509 - Lorraine Hung Lieberson
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Prelude No. 1 In C Major, BWV 846
Polonaise In G Major
Polonaise In D Minor
Polonaise In G Minor
Polonaise In F Major
Two Minuets
Musette In A Major
'Menuet Fait Par M. Bohm'
Minuet In G Major

Customer Reviews:

lovely music, but . . . . ........2007-07-03

No one doubts that Bach's music is beautiful, and so many of the pieces in this album, favorites of his second wife, are lovely. Here are my objection. First of all, nowhere on the outside of this CD does this indicate that these are only *highlights* of the Anna Magdelena notebook. Furthermore, many of the tracks (from French Suites #1 & #2, from the Well-Tempered Clavier, from the Goldberg Variations) are pieces I already own in high quality recording by virtuosi. This CD does not limit itself, say, to pieces that Bach composed originally for this collection; in other words, there is nothing scholarly about the pieces that were chosen for these highlights. Rather, it is essentially selling a "Bach's Greatest Hits" kind of CD under a more respectable name. For those whose classical collections consist primarily of "Greatest Hits" collections of various composers, you might as well toss in this CD. For the discriminating collector, though, interested in collecting serious works by Bach, this CD is entirely unworthy.

Anna Magdalena Notebook-- a treasure trove of Baroque music.......2006-03-20

This is music for contemplating number and time and not realize you are doing that. These pieces from Anna Magdalena Bach's notebook are a significant part of the history of western culture, and the music is brilliant, lucid, and passionate. Just as, I suppose, Bach's wife was. Played on harpsichord and clavichord, the work-- not all by Bach-- seems rigourously, mysteriously modern, and the anonymous "Musette in A Major" one could even say had in it the roots of ragtime piano. Last but not least, it's quite possible that Lorraine Hunt Lieberson can never be less than sublime.

Music for Bach's Katy.......2005-03-31

Luther had his Katy who supported him and the Reformation magnificently and faithfully. Bach who was real student and follower of Luther's, had his second wife, Anna Magdalena who was so much for him and his family and music.

Here great notebook of the music she enjoyed immensely so we can as well.

Especially fond of harpsichord music, this has marvelous selection of that, but fond of Rondeau in B-flat major. Minuet in G major is one of my favorites. New to me are the Arias, especially "Bist du bei mir" and ""Ich habe genug". If you're not conversant in German, do go on the website the liner notes provides and get the translation in English for these are marvelous testimonies of their faith in words and song.

Charming and beautiful.......2004-12-13

This CD is a collection of music from the notebook of Bach's wife, who was a singer. It includes dances, arias and other favorite songs. Most of the pieces range from peppy little dance tunes(like Musette in A Major) to delicate baroque airs (like Prelude no.1), all played on the harpsichord, clavichord or cello. The pieces that really stand out are the arias, sung beautifully by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in German. Most are religious, but there is one that is a nice love song "Willst du mein Herz mir schenken." The website on the back of the liner notes has the lyrics for the arias and they are worth reading. Besides the fact that this is good music, it also provides interesting insight into Bach's life and family and the liner notes have some interesting information about Anna and her notebook. This is a charming collection of music that is a great and cheap addition to any classical music collection.

Bach's wifes' collection of her favorite pieces.......2001-06-10

Yes Music of JS Bach chosen by his wife who was a singer. This collection is a lovely and beautifully performed collection of harpicord and intimate pieces that were Anna's most cherished favorites composed by her husband. What a lovely addition to any chamber music lovers collection. It affords not only wonderful selections but a rare window into the behind the scenes aspect of Bachs life and the commanding role music played in his and his family's life. The performances range from delicate to sublime and are beautifully recorded. It is an amazing bargin to have such an esoteric collection of Bachs' work so well done and so cheap. My god run and get the whole series; I have and when I want a perfect day I just pile them in my CD and press the forward button. The result is a day of glorious music on a scale to be both background as well as a breathtakingly elegant listening experience.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

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

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

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracks:

Introduction
1712 Overature
Introduction
Bach Portrait
Introduction
Capriccio La Pucelle De New Orleans (The Maid Of New Orleans)
Introduction
Minuet Militaire
Introduction
Prelude To Einstein On The Fritz
Introduction
I. Prologue (Bottomless Sorrow; Topless Gaiety)
II. The Lamentations Of Jerry Maja
III. Finale: Special Deliverance

Customer Reviews:

The funniest Schickele piece ever!.......2006-05-23

My experience with the 1712 Overture is similar to Victoria's (in another review). I was listening to the car radio when I heard the dissonant pile-up halfway through, and almost drove off the Interstate.

It should be noted that the Amazon listing is incorrect. The 1712 Overture is in reality conducted by "Walter Bruno" who is actually David Zinman. It is most assuredly not conducted by Bruno Walter (can you imagine that?), who died in 1962.

Highly recommended.

P D Q on form again.......2005-07-20

P D Q has quite a cult following among the 'cognoscenti', and others may know some of his works without being aware of it or why. Much of this is fun listening if you have that kind of mind &/or background, and has the virtual ring of period authenticity.
Classical music, like any living corpus of cultural tradition (eg religion, sport & politics) should be well capable of laughing at itself. Others have done so successfully (Hoffnung, Spike Jones, the Comedy Harmonists et al.) and PDQ follows in a worthy & rollicking tradition!

beware of the organ cadenza!.......2005-05-18

This is my favourite PDQ Bach collection. The 1712 Overture alone is worth the price of admission. The use of the motif from 'I Ain't Got No Home' is inspired and the skewering of 'Day Tripper' reduces me to helpless giggles every time.

Einstein on the Fritz is a tonic to anyone sick of the pretentious meanderings of Philip Glass, Taverner et al. And Cappricio La Poucelle de New Orleans (engineered by Burt Bach, a living direct decendant of JS Bach) is frighteningly intense, as well as hysterical. These musicians are also terrific - the pieces wouldn't work at all otherwise. And who couldn't love the rapturous intro to The Preachers of Crimetheous - featuring the most incredible percussion playing since Ginger Baker's 'Toad'.

All in all, this is a completely ridiculous delight!

Another assault to your funny bone!.......2004-04-12

P Schickele does it yet again! He successfullly skewers the classics again. My personal fave is Einstein On The Fritz, where he does a wonderful job of spoofing Philip Glass.....Only the Prof. is so twisted as to be able to sneak in 'Three Blind Mice" in the middle of a Glassian composition!

PDQ Bach at his best (worst).......2001-11-13

Mr. Schickele is a genius, he's taken music history and disgraced it, apocryphally!
the 1712 overture pokes fun at just about every type of music out there, and what the 1712 doesn't defile, the rest of the tracks on this CD pick up the slack.

This incredibly irreverent album is a must for music lovers everywhere!

Tracks:

Clavelitos
Espana Cani
Cielito Lindo
Seventh Heaven Of Love
Carmen: Ov
Hava Nagila
Tea For Two
Moulin Rouge/Paris Canaille
Sirtaki (Zorba's Dance)
Fascination
The Gipsy Princess Medley: Love, Love, Love!/The Swallow Song/How Could I Know?/Love, Love, Love!
William Tell: Ov
Jalousie
The Canals Of Amsterdam
Let's Go To Varasdin
Chianti-Lied
La Vie En Rose/Padam Padam/Sous Les Ponts De Paris
Funiculi Funicula
Auld Lang Syne

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous.......2005-10-23

This DVD is spectacular. Andre Rieu is absolutely fascinating to listen to and the costumes of the orchestra as gorgeous. Well worth every penny.

Andre Rieu "Fiesta".......2005-09-20

This CD is absolutely fantastic. There is no musician quite like Andre Rieu. His music does indeed lift the spirit.

Fiesta.......2005-09-12

The music lifts my spirits! It is fun and lighthearted. I sincerely recommend this CD by Andre Rieu.

Not the best versions available.......2002-02-12

First of all, why call this recording
"Fiesta"? only for the first four latin-american
works? because the rest of the cd is of
German music.I you want a real "Fiesta"
disc, I recomendation is that disc
of Keith Lockhart, is much more fun and
much more in a fiesta spirit than this one.

This is a great album!.......2002-01-02

I highly recommend this album. Andre Rieu is a great violinist. If you buy this album you will not be dissappointed. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Average customer rating:

This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys classical music ...
PDQ Bach -- The Spike Jones of Classical Music
Recaptured (Twisted) Youth
I store it in the CD changer in my car.
New Horizons in Music Appreciation Indeed...

The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach

Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
P.D.Q. Bach in Houston - We Have a Problem!
P.D.Q. Bach - Abduction of Figaro / Peter Schickele, Minnesota Opera
Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities
P.D.Q. Bach on the Air

ASIN: B000000EDR
Release Date: 1993-12-03

Tracks:

Allegro/Tema Con Variazione/Menuetto Con Panna E Zucchero
Aria/Recitative/Ground/Recitative/Aria
New Horizons In Music Appreciation Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Larghissimo-Allegro Boffo/Menuetto Con Brio Ma Senza Trio/Adagio Saccharino/Yehudi Menuetto/Presto Hey Nonny Nonnio
What's My Melodic Line?
Madrigal, 'My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth'

Tracks:

IV Andante-Allegro
I. Introduction/II. Overture/III. Recitative And Aria, 'Now Is the Season'/IV. Trio, I'm Sure I'd Be'/V. Opera Whiz/VI. Synopsis Of Plot/VII. Finale Of Opera
Fugue In C Minor (Fuga Vulgaris) For Calliope Four Hands
Oratorio, 'The Seasonings', S. 1/2 Tsp.

Customer Reviews:

This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys classical music ... .......2006-06-07

...BUT not if you take it SO seriously that you have lost your sense of humor.

Peter Schickele (with whom I am occasionally confused - we apparently look alike!) - has got to be one of my all-time favorite composers. When I was in graduate school, I took considerable abuse from my fellow music lovers for actually having MORE albums by P.D.Q Bach than by J. S. Bach (though I think it was barely a one-point margin, really...)

But the "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" approach to Beethoven's 5th symphony is not only a musical analysis of the piece as it is being played, but a slam on the constant "blah-blah-blah" that one hears during ANY sports event.

"My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" has got to be my all-time favorite spoof of the overly pompous "art song" oratorio. I've encouraged one of my colleagues (who directs the college chorale where I teach) to include it in a program, to no avail. One of these days, I'll put my money where my mouth is - and buy sheet music for the entire chorale.

This is one of only two albums that I have in (a) vinyl, (b) tape, and (c) CD format. That should be some indication of how very, very special I believe this to be. [The other, for those who are interested, is Joan Baez' "Diamonds and Rust."]

This has been around for years, and there's a good reason. Schickele is not only funny when he wants to be, but a supremely accomplished composer and musician, with dozens and dozens of serious musical scores to his credit as well.

PDQ Bach -- The Spike Jones of Classical Music.......2006-03-16

For the classical music lover, this is an amazing spoof. For those who do not know classical music well, this is still highly entertaining.

Recaptured (Twisted) Youth.......2003-03-31

My friend and I saw the good Prof. Schickele here in Pasadena last night (March 29th-- AND the conductor of the Pasadena Symphony is Jorge Meister!)-- and the last number on the program was the WONDERFUL "The Seasonings"-- I had a very hard time even after all these years of first hearing this on a REAL record of not singing along with every little tune!!! This piece last night, being sung by singers whom I do not doubt were not even born when I first heard a recording of it, were as good as the ones I remember from my decadent youth on the original recording. Buy this C.D. if only for this piece!

I store it in the CD changer in my car........2002-10-06

My favorite single line of music from this is from "The Unbegun Symphony". Who would think to combine "You are my sunshine", a
tune I have always thought of as sappy sweet, played on violins,
with a background of horns, (I don't know what piece, but it
makes me thing of something noble and civilized) making it a
definitive statement of a benevolent sense of life.
PDQ Bach's other works are delighfully absurd, as are Peter
Schickele's commentaries. (Well I have a new set of friends now)

New Horizons in Music Appreciation Indeed..........2002-08-08

It was while sitting in Music Appreciation in college that I was first introduced to the work of P.D.Q. Bach, specifically the track "New Horizons in Music Appreciation: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony," in which Professor Peter Schickele and Robert Dennis serve as the announcers for a spirited game involving the first movement of that particular work. Not only was it funny ("He's playing a cadenza! He's out of his mind! He thinks its an oboe concerto!") it was also more informative than the professor ("I get the feeling we are going to hear a lot of that four note motif, Bob").

One of the things about P.D.Q. Bach is that the more I learned about classical music the funnier I found it. Yes, I have enough memories of my mother insisting on playing the Texaco Opera quiz throughout the house on a Saturday afternoon to appreciate why "What's my Melodic Line?" and its exploration of the mysteries of the Baroque is funny, but it was not until I saw "Amadeus" and listened to "The Marriage of Figaro" that I understood why the recitatias in the Cantata "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" were hysterical (I was tempted to share this story of Iphigenia with my Classical Mythology class, but given their tentativeness to explore Euripides I did not think it wise to have them get neck deep in Schickele). Then again, the Madrigal "My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" really needs no explanation, so there is something for everybody here, no matter what you level of understanding of classical music.

In discussing the works of P.D.Q. Bach with others it becomes clear that you can no more put together an idea collection of his "best" work than you can for lesser composers like Mozart or Beethoven. But you are certainly going to find a few old favorites and maybe one or two pieces that you have hitherto managed to avoid.

Tracks:

I: Allegretto
Capricho Arabe
A Fancy
Etude No. 5 In C
I. Allegretto
I. Allegretto
I. Allegro
The Wood So Wild
Adante; Molto Adagio; Adante
Fandango
Segovia, Op. 29
Fantasia XXII
II. Andante
Preludio
II. Andantino Grazioso
Fantasia
Bourree
Gigue
Polonaise, Op.2, No.2
Canario

Customer Reviews:

Not ultimate- but wonderful, none-the-less.......2007-04-14

As good a guitarist as Julian Bream is, one must begin by acknowledging that the title of this 2-CD set containing 32 admittedly seminal pieces written for hand-played strings ( primarily, the lute) is a tad hyperbolistic. An "Ultimate" collection of anything would have to be more complete, by definition, than any two CDs can be and, again, it almost goes without saying that no two people are apt to be in total agreement about what should or should not have been included in any such collection. All caveats considered and aside, this is, indeed, a thoughtfully selected and masterfully performed collection of what is, unarguably, some of the very best classical pieces ever written for the lute. Bream plays some of them on the guitar and others on a renaissance lute - the latter giving a somewhat truer indication of the stylings and musical nuances intended by the various composers. But, even the pieces he plays on the guitar - an instrument that, in it's current form, did not exist when many of the pieces were originally composed - are sensitive and lyrical interpretations that sound as if they MIGHT have been composed for the guitar.

Without spending space here reiterating the specific pieces, their titles and lengths, I will simply list the composers whose works Bream presents so nicely in this collection. They span a range of about five centuries beginning in the time of England's Elizabeth I and spanning the years through to the 20th Century's premier Spanish and Brazilian classical guitar composers. The list reads like a `Whose Who" of classical plucked-string instrument music and of composers whose keyboard compositions work particularly well on the strings of a lute or guitar, and includes;
- John Dowland
- Francis Cutting
- Antonio Vivaldi
- Gaspar Sanz (*)
- Mateo Albeniz (*)
- Manuel de Falla
- Enrique Granados (*)
- Hector Villa-Lobos, and
- Joaquin Rodrigo
(*) = Pieces originally written for keyboard play.

Every classical guitarist has his own recognizable style and approach to the instrument and the material. An experience listener would not confuse Bream's work with that of Andres Segovia, for example: but it is not that one is better than the other. Each, in his own distinctive way, is simply superb. Though the Spanish influence is clearly audible with both musicians, Bream's stylings have a more contemporary lilt and inflection than do those of Segovia; he makes each piece his own. One suspects that each time he plays a piece it comes out differently according to the moment, his mood, the instrument and God knows what else. Segovia, on the other hand, was well known for his constancy once he had found a version of each piece that fully suited his own ear and temperament.
While I am admittedly a Segovia fan, I find Bream's renditions to be noticeably fresher and each infused with an aura of presence in the here-and-now which I find especially enjoyable.

The collection is neither complete not `ultimate', but it is VERY good and well worth having in any collection of classical guitar music. In fact, for audiophiles not familiar with this genre, it is a fair place to begin to develop an ear for and a listener's knowledge of and experience with the classical guitar.

Very Nice Bream Collection.......2005-03-03

I have volumes one and two, but I prefer volume two because it contains later recordings, which are of a better sound quality than the tin-can reverb that predominates in volume one. I really like the inclusion of about a half dozen lute pieces in addition to the guitar. I wasn't a lute fan before, but after hearing Bream playing lute on this CD, I am a convert. Ditto with what one reviewer said about Sor's Andantino Grazioso--purely delightful.

Overall, this CD consists of a good variety of masterfully played music. I only wish most of Bream's recordings were recorded using later technology, which would make his playing shine even more.

Not what I thought!.......2004-11-08

Well, a bit of a "anti-climax"! I was expecting something totally different. Not at all the kind of guitar music I like but will make out a great unexpected gift (hopefully). The delivery time from order to delivery was excellant, 19days - internationally!

Ultimately Satisfying.......2004-02-03

A wonderful companion to the first set, this edition includes 20 beautifully recorded pieces by one of the master guitarists of the twentieth century. And Bream is at his best in these recordings, showing off his amazing technique, as well as his almost daunting emotional power. An amazing gift to guitarists and music lovers.

Spectacular.......2002-02-11

The brilliance of Breams guitar/lute shines through. If you love any of his work you will love this, I can never get tired of his work.Especially this one. Antantino grazioso is absolutely amazing.

Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley

Average customer rating:

A musical treasure-box
a beautiful journey into melancholy

Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley
John Dowland , Anthony Rooley , Emma Kirkby , Christopher Wilson , The Consort of Musicke , Colin Tilney , Anthony Bailes , Jakob Lindberg , Nigel North , Glenda Simpson , Peter Holman , and John Donne
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dowland: Complete Lute Works, Vol.1-5
William Byrd: Consort Songs
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Britten Conducts Britten
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ASIN: B000004CYV
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

First Booke Of Songes: I. Unquiet Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: II. Who Ever Thinks Or Hopes Of Love
First Booke Of Songes: III. My Thoughts Are Wing'd With Hopes
First Booke Of Songes: IV. If My Complaints Could Passions Move
First Booke Of Songes: V. Can She Excuse My Wrongs
First Booke Of Songes: VI. Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
First Booke Of Songes: VII. Dear, If You Change
First Booke Of Songes: VIII. Burst Fourth My Tears
First Booke Of Songes: IX. Go Crystal Tears
First Booke Of Songes: X. Think'st Thou Then By Thy Feigning
First Booke Of Songes: XI. Come Away, Come Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XII. Rest Awhile, You Cruel Cares
First Booke Of Songes: XIII. Sleep, Wayward Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: XIV. All Ye, Whom Love Or Fortune Hath Betray'd
First Booke Of Songes: XV. Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
First Booke Of Songes: XVI. Would My Conceit
First Booke Of Songes: XVII. Come Again: Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
First Booke Of Songes: XVIII. His Golden Locks
First Booke Of Songes: XIX. Awake, Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XX. Come, Heavy Sleep
First Booke Of Songes: XXI. Away With These Self-Loving Lads

Tracks:

Second Booke Of Songs: I. I Saw My Lady Weep
Second Booke Of Songs: II. Flow My Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: III. Sorrow, Stay
Second Booke Of Songs: IV. Die Not Before Thy Day
Second Booke Of Songs: V. Mourn, Mourn, Day Is With Darkness Fled
Second Booke Of Songs: VI. Time's Eldest Son
Second Booke Of Songs: VII. Then Sit Thee Down
Second Booke Of Songs: VIII. When Others Sing Venite
Second Booke Of Songs: IX. Praise Blindness Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: X. O Sweet Woods
Second Booke Of Songs: XI. If Floods Of Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: XII. Fine Knacks For Ladies
Second Booke Of Songs: XIII. Now Cease My Wand'ring Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: XIV. Come Ye Heavy States Of Night
Second Booke Of Songs: XV. White As Lilies Was Her Face
Second Booke Of Songs: XVI. Woeful Heart
Second Booke Of Songs: XVII. A Shepherd In A Shade
Second Booke Of Songs: XVIII. Faction That Ever Dwells
Second Booke Of Songs: XIX. Shall I Sue
Second Booke Of Songs: XX. Toss Not My Soul
Second Booke Of Songs: XXI. Clear Or Cloudy
Second Booke Of Songs: XXII. Humour Say What Mak'st Thou Here

Tracks:

Third Booke Of Songs 1603: I. Farewell, Too Fair
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: II. Time Stands Still
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: III. Behold A Wonder Here
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IV. Daphne Was Not So Chaste
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: V. Me, Me, And None But Me
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VI. When Phoebus First Did Daphne Love
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VII. Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VIII. Flow Not So Fast, Ye Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IX. What If I Never Speed?
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: X. Love Stood Amazed
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XI. Lend Your Ears To My Sorrow
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XII. By A Fountain Where I Lay
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIII. O What Hath Overwrought
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIV. Farewell, Unkind
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XV. Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVI. Fie On This Feigning!
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVII. I Must Complain
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVIII. It Was A Time When Silly Bees
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIX. The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XX. What Poor Astronomers Are They
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XXI. Come When I Call

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: I. Disdain Me Still
A Pilgrimes Solace: II. Sweet Stay Awhile
A Pilgrimes Solace: III. To Ask For All Thy Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IV. Love, Those Beams That Breed
A Pilgrimes Solace: V. Shall I Strive Wih Words To Move?
A Pilgrimes Solace: VI. Were Every Thought An Eye
A Pilgrimes Solace: VII. Stay, Time, Awhile Thy Flying
A Pilgrimes Solace: VIII. Tell Me, True Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IX. Go Nightly Cares
A Pilgrimes Solace: X. From Silent Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XI. Lasso vita mia
A Pilgrimes Solace: XII. In This Trembling Shadow Cast
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIII. If That A Sinner's Sights
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIV. Thou Mighty God
A Pilgrimes Solace: XV. When David's Life
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVI. When The Poor Cripple

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: XVII. Where Sin Sore Wounding
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVIII. My Heart And Tongue Were Twins
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIX. Up Merry Mates
A Pilgrimes Solace: XX. Welcome Black Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XXI. Cease, Cease These False Sports
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Lachrimae Pavane
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can Shee
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: The Frogge
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Frog's Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavana And Galiarda
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana Lachrymae
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can She Excuse
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavion Solus cum sola
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Dowland's Almayne
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Piper's Paven And Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavan Lachrymae

Tracks:

Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: I. The Lamentation Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: II. Domine ne in furore
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: III. Miserere mei Deus
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: IV. The Humble Suit Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: V. The Humble Complaint Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VI. De profundis
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VII. Domine exaudi
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Gementes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Tristes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Coactae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Amantis
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Verae
Lachrimae: Mr. John Langton's Pavan
Lachrimae: Mr. Nicholas Gryffith His Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir John Souch His Galiard
Lachrimae: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens
Lachrimae: Mr. Giles Hobies Galiard
Lachrimae: The King Of Denmark's Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir Henry Umpton's Funerall
Lachrimae: Mr. Henry Noell His Galiard
Lachrimae: The Earl Of Essex Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Bucton His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. George Whitehead His Almand
Lachrimae: Captain Digorie Piper His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Thomas Collier His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mrs. Nichols Almand

Tracks:

Sacred Songs: Sorrow, Come!
Sacred Songs: I Shame At Mine Unworthiness
Sacred Songs: An Heart That's Broken And Contrite
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 38: Put Me Not To Rebuke O Lord
Psalms: Psalm 130: Lord To Thee I Make My Moan
Psalms: Psalm 104: My Soul Praise The Lord
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 134: Behold And Have Regard
A Prayer For The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
Instrumental Music: Solus cum sola pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Galliard
Instrumental Music: Pipers Pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Lady Rich Galliard
Instrumental Music: Earl Of Essex Galliard
Instrumental Music: If My Complaints
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae Doolande
Instrumental Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home
Instrumental Music: My Lord Chamberlaine His Galliard
Instrumental Music: Comagain
Instrumental Music: Pavan Lachrymae
Instrumental Music: Sorrow Stay

Tracks:

Lute Music: Preludium
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Can She Excuse
Lute Music: Dr. Case's Pavan
Lute Music: Melancholy Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Smith, His Almain
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: A Dream
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: The Queen's Galliard
Lute Music: Coranto
Lute Music: Resolution
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux Galliard
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: Mr. Dowland's MIdnight
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: Loth To Depart
Lute Music: The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard
Lute Music: The Earl Of Essex, His Galliard
Lute Music: Pavan
Lute Music: John Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Aloe
Lute Music: The Lady Clifton's Spirit
Lute Music: What If A Day
Lute Music: Mr. Giles Hobie's Galliard
Lute Music: Come Away (Song arrangement)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Lachrimae (Basic Version)
Lute Music: Galliard To Lachrimae
Lute Music: [Jig]
Lute Music: Galliard On 'Wasingham'
Lute Music: Complaint (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Mignarda (Galliard)
Lute Music: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens (Pavan)
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: A Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Piper's Pavan
Lute Music: Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Laiton's Almain
Lute Music: Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Lute Music: Tarleton's Jig
Lute Music: Walsingham (ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Sir Henry Guilforde, His Almain
Lute Music: Pavan (Related To 'Lachrimae')
Lute Music: Mr. Langton's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Clifton's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Hunsdon's Puffe (Almain)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Go From My Window (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Pavana Johan Douland
Lute Music: Mrs. Brigide Fleetwood's Pavan (Solus sine sola)
Lute Music: La mia Barbara
Lute Music: Sir Henry Umpton's Funeral (Pavan)
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Farewell Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)
Lute Music: Farewell (On The 'In Nomine' Theme)
Lute Music: The King of Denmark's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux's Jig
Lute Music: Mrs. Nichol's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lord Strang's March
Lute Music: Mrs. Winter's Jump
Lute Music: Can She Excuse (Galliard)
Lute Music: The Shoemaker's Wife, A Toy
Lute Music: Mrs. Norrish's Delight
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Thing (Almain)
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Nothing
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: Solus cum sola
Lute Music: The Lord Viscount Lisle, His Galliard
Lute Music: Orlando Sleepeth (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Robin (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Galliard (On A Galliard By Daniel Bacheler)
Lute Music: Forlorn Hope Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: The Lady Russell's Pavan
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Sir John Langton's Pavan
Lute Music: Earl Of Derby, His Galliard
Lute Music: A Coy Toy
Lute Music: Fortune My Foe
Lute Music: [Almain]
Lute Music: Mr. Knight's Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Souch His Galliard
Lute Music: Tarletone's Riserrectione
Lute Music: The Lady Rich, Her Galliard
Consort Music: Lachrimae Pavan
Consort Music: Can She Excuse Galliard
Consort Music: Captain Piper's Pavan And Galliard
Consort Music: The Frog Galliard
Consort Music: Round Battell Galliard
Consort Music: Fortune My Foe
Consort Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Consort Music: Katherine Darcie's Galliard
Consort Music: Tarleton's Jigge
Consort Music: Almain a 2
Consort Music: Mistress Nichols Almain a 2
Fullsack And Hildebrandt: Auserlesener Paduanen und Galliarden: Susanna Fair (Galliard)
Haussmann: Rest von polnischen und andern Tanzen: Mistress Nichols Alman a 5
Opusculum: Mr. John Langton Pavan And Galliard
Opusculum: La mia Barbara Pavan and Galliard
Opusculum: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae Pavan and Galliard

Tracks:

Consort Music: Mistress NIchols Almain
Consort Music: Volta a 4 ('Ioh. Douland')
Consort Music: Were Every Thought an Eye
Consort Music: Lady If You So Spite Me
Consort Music: Pavan a 4
A Musicall Banquet: I. My Heavy Sprite (Anthony Holborne)
A Musicall Banquet: II. Change Thy Mind Since She Doth Change (Richard Martin)
A Musicall Banquet: III. O Eyes, Leave Off Your Weeping (Robert Hales)
A Musicall Banquet: IV. Go, My Flock, Go Get You Hence (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: V. O Dear Life, When Shall It Be? (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: VI. To Plead My Faith (Daniel Bacheler)
A Musicall Banquet: VII. In A Grove Most Rich Of Shade (Guillaume Tessier)
A Musicall Banquet: VIII. Far From Triumphing Court
A Musicall Banquet: IX. Lady, If You So Spite Me
A Musicall Banquet: X. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
A Musicall Banquet: XI. Si le parler et le silence (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XII. Ce penser qui sans fin tirannise ma vie (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIII. Vous que le Bonheur rappelle (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIV. Passava Amor su arco desarmado (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XV. Sta notte mi sognava (Anon. Italian)
A Musicall Banquet: XVI. Vuestros ojos tienen d'Amor (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XVII. Se di farmi morire (Domenico Maria Megli)
A Musicall Banquet: XVIII. Dovro dunque morire? (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XIX. Amarilli mia bella (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XX. O bella piu (Anon, Italian)

Customer Reviews:

A musical treasure-box.......2006-09-10

Both the music and this actual product are masterpieces. John Dowland's collected works here - covering 12 compact discs - exhibit the depth and power of this composer, a composer who many now regard as suffering from clinical depression. I doubt that the issue of the diagnosis of Dowland's depression can ever be settled, however, it is certainly obvious from his music, so completely on display here, that he was a man with very dark depths and corners in his mind. Dowland's various manifestations and "takes" on his own tune, "Flow my tears"/"Lachrimae" are here. This tune has haunted me ever since I first heard it when I was a child. It seems to sum up Dowland's feelings - at least Dowland seems to have thought so.

The First, Second, Third and Fourth Bookes of Songes, A Musicall Banquet, the keyboard transcriptions, all the lute music, consort music are here and virtually everything else written or supposedly written by John Dowland. Anthony Rooley and The Consort of Musicke perform this music with style and feeling throughout. This 12 CD set is something of a monument to the ensemble - I only wish they'd finished their collection of Monteverdi madrigals, which was equally good (La Venexiana are currently doing a magnificent job of recording all Monteverdi's books of madrigals for the GLOSSA label).

This is an expensive set, however, you will probably never need to buy another John Dowland CD again after buying and listening to this collection.

I bought this CD set on a mild Summer evening of 1998 and listened to it while sitting in my sun room - which a glorious orange sunset in progress, and a glass of wine. It brought back so many memories.

a beautiful journey into melancholy.......2001-06-15

I'm amazed at how many people tend to associate John Dowland's music with a tragic sense of drama. While no doubt this is art highly based on sadness, the "tragic" sense of it is more a legacy from the Romantic period. During the Renaissance, however, sadness was undestood as a very aesthetic way of approaching life. That is also the reason why Shakespeare's tragedies appear more sophisticated than his comedies.

Dowland, a contemporary of Shakespeare, discovered that meditating on a sad theme is, at the same time, a way of discovering a special beauty that we tend to avoid (maybe because of the "tragic" heritage of the Romantics). So, in the end, meditating on sadness is an uplifting experience! This box set is a journey into melancholy that includes songs, chamber music, pieces for lute, some rare sacred music and -as a highlight- Dowland's beautiful collection of seven pieces for viola which he called "Lachrimae" (Tears).

E.S.P.
Average customer rating:

A little tame compared to their future work

Weakest Miles Davis Record

Debut of one of jazz's greatest groups

the beginning of something extraordinary

A new beginning.

E.S.P.
Miles Davis
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Nefertiti

Miles Smiles

Sorcerer

Filles De Kilimanjaro (Deluxe Edition) (Bonus Track)

Miles in the Sky

ASIN: B00000DCH2
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

E.S.P.
Eighty-One
Little One
R.J.
Agitation
Iris
Mood

Amazon.com

E.S.P. is an inventive post-bop treasure that finds Mr. Davis totally re-energized by the young guns of his second quintet. Davis's first album of new material in six years (most of it written by the band), E.S.P. is a brilliantly-executed treatise on the workings of tension and release. The songs are predominantly modal and the structures themselves are different, with a minimalist bent and more emphasis placed on melodies that are repeated, fractured, improvised upon, and released into the ether of total, free sound. The supple rhythm section--powerhouse drummer Tony Williams and bassist Ron Carter--provide ample room for Davis, Hancock, and Shorter to explore interlocking melodies, notably on the jaunty "Eighty-One" and the sweet lullaby "Iris." On "Agitation," Williams brings the noise, grafting the rhythmic freedom of the day's free-form music to the group's tuneful and "out" playing. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

A little tame compared to their future work.......2006-12-20

Released in 1965, E.S.P. would be the studio debut of Miles Davis' second great quintet that consisted of saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. Many fans and critics call this Davis' best lineup as all of them would eventually become legends in their own right. The opening title track is a hard bop classic and one of the quintet's most memorable pieces. Shorter's playing is very impressive here while Carter and Williams set a blistering pace throughout. "Eighty-One" resembles the more atmospheric sound that would reach its fruition on Filles de Kiliminjaro. Hancock's "Little One", like the version on his own Maiden Voyage album, is very somber and his playing is both expressive and elegant. "R.J" is more upbeat, along the lines of the title track. The excellent "Agitation" starts with a two-minute drum solo from Williams before Miles belts out his best solo of the album as the tempo changes throughout. The final two tracks, "Iris" and "Mood", are very laid back as the former has an awesome solo from Shorter while the latter recalls the vibe of "Blue in Green" from Kind of Blue. All told, while E.S.P. is a very good album and the title track is a classic of the genre, it sounds a little safe when you compare it to albums like Miles Smiles and Nefertiti and the songs aren't nearly as memorable overall.

Weakest Miles Davis Record.......2006-08-06

Okay, before I get flamed, let me explain something. The only reason why I'm calling this Davis' "Weakest" is because of its stiff competition. (Actually, it's not even the weakest: Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, still a good album, is). Is it in a class with Kind of Blue or 'Round About Midnight? No. Is any jazz record? Well, if it's called A Love Supreme or Giant Steps, then yes, but other than that, no. Am I denying there's good music on this? No, of course not, it's Miles Davis after all. But it's far from perfect. Still, there's a lot to recommend about it: the bop/modal fusion title track is a rightful jazz classic, plus Little One, R.J. and the ballad Mood make some fine listening experiences in their own rights. However, side two comes dangerously close to falling apart, made up of two overlong tunes: Agitation, with a boring drum solo that never ends and gets nowhere, and the simply dull Iris. But there's a lot to reccomend about E.S.P., and the pros most certainly outweigh the cons. The band here (Miles on trumpet plus Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums) is tight and talented, interesting because it was their debut together. A highly recommended album.

Debut of one of jazz's greatest groups.......2006-03-04

I had the misfortune of buying "Miles Smiles," the album recorded after this one, way before my ears were ready for it. As a result, I disliked that album and got turned off of Miles' second great quintet. Since then I've come to understand post-bop ironically through the work of the sidemen on this album (Wayne Shorter in particular) and I recently picked up this album. It blew my mind. I remembered this group and its musical philosophy as uninteresting, as they tended towards dispensing with the chord changes on almost every tune. Thus there was a quality of sameness (to the uneducated or closed ear) to the approach of all the tunes. But that preconception was totally blown out of the water when I listened to this album. Rather than sameness, the compositions are harmonically varied and go in fascinating, unconventional directions. This, to me, is what jazz is about: the search for new ways to express melody, rhythm, and harmony, while retaining beauty and emotion. This album succeeds brilliantly in that quest, particularly Wayne Shorter's compositions. The title cut essentially defines a new set of rules for chord motion, and "Iris" is one of the most beautiful tunes Wayne has ever written while defying any and every cliche of modern harmony. "Eighty-One" looks at the blues as a song form and alters the conventional harmony just enough to retain its integrity and flow while creating new interest. "Mood" returns to Miles' signature brooding, slow minor-key playing without sounding like a copy of anything he had played before in this vein.

As for the playing itself, the level of musicianship on display from Davis, Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, is at an expected high. A certain telepathy existed between the members of the rhythm section (yes, E.S.P. ha ha ha) making this band one of the most flexible units in jazz history. There may be a couple of rough moments (Hancock in particular doesn't seem quite as comfortable with the new harmonic territory, though he would absolutely master it and pioneer so many options for the piano in the future) but Miles lived for these rough moments because they showed the human element one must bring to jazz. One advisory for those familiar only with Miles' early work: his playing on this record reflects the changing ideas of the jazz scene and isn't conventionally "pretty" like it is on Kind Of Blue. He often uses the upper register and plays jagged lines that sound strange at first. But when you acquire a taste for this new Miles (and if you follow his career, it's necessary to acquire a taste for "new" Miles many times, as he was constantly reinventing himself) you realize this is some of the most musical and advanced playing of his career. So be forewarned that this is magnificent music but it is challenging to the casual listener. There are a couple of ways to get used to it though; try Miles's music from the early 60s leading up to this album, or try Wayne Shorter's masterpiece "Speak No Evil" from about a month earlier with similar personnel. It takes time to appreciate this album's depth but it is well worth it to do so.

the beginning of something extraordinary.......2006-02-02

This is the the album that, I think, really revitalised Miles' career. The first recording of the great quintet, is an up-tempo affair bringing some needed energy back into Miles' usually introspective repetoire. Wayne Shorter is a very welcome addition to the group, after using George Coleman and Hank Mobley Miles finally found a suitable successor to Trane - and also he happens to write phenomenal tunes. The rhythm section, of course, is one of the finest in jazz history - Tony Williams, in particular, is pure excitement. 'ESP' may not be as great as 'Miles Smiles' or 'Nefertiti' but it is an exciting jolt in that direction - and it hints at what is to come..

A new beginning........2005-10-20

By 1965, the world of jazz had changed almost unrecognizably from just five years ago, and Miles Davis was in danger of being left behind. After the triumphs of his first few years with Columbia, it seems Davis had had enough. His past few records and his live performances found him falling back on old habits, exploring standards and hard bop pieces that he'd been playing for the past several years. Meanwhile, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler shook the foundations of jazz and John Coltrane in December of 1964 had just aligned himself with them by recording his masterpiece "A Love Supreme". All this time, Davis had been standing still, but he'd assembled a new quintet, completed by plucking his crown jewel and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter from Art Blakey's band to add to his working band of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drum prodigee Tony Williams. And while his band dutifully played the hard bop he was paying them for, they wanted to stretch out, to build on the innovations of Coleman, Taylor, Ayler and Coltrane, and remarkably, they inspired Davis to do so as well. In January of 1965, they went into the studio to record their first album together-- "E.S.P", and it was clear that, to steal an Ayler song title, change has come.

Now granted, the music here isn't quite free jazz, but it's certainly a lot more adventerous than anything Davis had done since "Sketches of Spain". It was his first album to feature only originals since "Kind of Blue" (Shorter penned two, Carter and Davis together wrote two and separately one, and Hancock one), and the band plays like they've been doing it for decades-- Williams is unnervingly agile and flexible, managing an inside-out statement, Carter and Hancock are both supportive and energetic, and in Shorter, Davis had a tenor who could stand next to him with no trouble.

But it's Davis who seems most revitalized-- his performances are stunning-- exploring the upper register and playing with a passion that had been missing from his records through the previous couple years. Look no further than opener "E.S.P"-- after its slithery theme and a brief solo by shorte,r it slides into a frantic and exploratory solo by Davis that's among the best he'd laid down on record. As the album progresses, its seven tracks cover dozens of moods and feature seemingly endless standout performances-- personal favorites include Hancock's mellow groove, "Little One" and Williams drum feature "Agitation" (his solo intro is nothing short of astounding), but really, its all quite good.

In the end, this is powerful stuff. Remarkably, i feel this quintet would outdo this on more than one occasion, but I can't bring myself to give this one less than five stars. Highly recommended.

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