| 1. Good Sign |
| 2. Big Big World |
| 3. Come into My Life |
| 4. Twist of Fate |
| 5. Like Chocolate |
| 6. What About Me? |
| 7. Life (Will Never Be the Same) |
| 8. Daddy's Girl |
| 9. Adam & Eve |
| 10. Maybe Baby |
| 11. Big Big World [TNT's Big Phat Mix] |
| 12. Maybe Baby [Swing Style] |
Editorial Reviews
2000 album release for the European pop-star. 14 tracks including the single, 'Sorry I'm In Love' and a cover of Bryan Adams' hit, 'Heaven'. Standard jewel case.
Big Big World,Emilia,Polar,Pop,Popular Music,Rock/Pop,Urban
Average customer rating:
|
Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth
Emilia Cundari , Osie Hawkins , Jerome Hines , Calvin Marsh , William Olvis , and Carlotta Ordassy Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003ENG Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Prelude
- Act I, Scene 1: Che Faceste? Dite Su!
- Act I, Scene 1: Giorno Non Vidi Mai Si Fiero E Bello!
- Act I, Scene 1: Due Vaticini Compiuti Or Sono
- Act I, Scene 1: S'allontanarono!
- Act I, Scene 2: Nel Di Della Vittoria Io Le Incontrai...
- Act I, Scene 2: Vieni! T'affretta! Accendere
- Act I, Scene 2: Oh Donna Mia!
- Act I, Scene 2: Sappia La Sposa Mia
- Act I, Scene 2: Fatal Mia Donna!
- Act I, Scene 2: Di Destarlo Per Tempo Il Re M'impose
- Act I, Scene 2: Schiudi, Inferno, Inghiotti
- Act II, Scene 1: Perche Mi Sfuggi
- Act II, Scene 1: La Luce Langue
- Act II, Scene 2: Chi V'impose Unirvi A Noi?
- Act II, Scene 2: Studia Il Passo; Come Dal Ciel Precipita
- Act II, Scene 3: Salve, O Re!
- Act II, Scene 3: Si Colmi Il Calice
Tracks:
- Act II, Scene 3: Voi Siete Demente!
- Act II, Scene 3: Spirto D'abisso!
- Act III: Tre Volte Miagola La Gatta
- Act III: Che Fate Vio, Misteriose Donne?
- Act III: Fuggi, Regal Fantasima
- Act III: Ove Son Io?
- Act III: Ora Di Morte E Di Vendetta
- Act IV, Scene 1: Patria Oppressa!
- Act IV, Scene 1: O Figli; Ah, La Paterna Mano
- Act IV, Scene 1: Dove Siam? Che Bosco E Quello?
- Act IV, Scene 2: Vegliammo Invan Due Notti
- Act IV, Scene 2: Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora
- Act IV, Scene 3: Perfidi! All' Anglo Contro Me
- Act IV, Scene 3: Pieta, Rispetto, Amore
- Act IV, Scene 3: Ella E Morta!
- Act IV, Scene 3: Mal Per Me Che M'affidai
- Act IV, Scene 3: Vittoria! Vittoria!
Customer Reviews:
The main attractions are the stupendous Warren and Rysanek.......2007-02-08
You can throw a rock at random and hit a five-star review for practically anything at Amazon, especially when it comes to operas, but in this case the superlatives are deserved on two fronts. First and foremost is the young Leonie Rysanek, a great vocal actress who throws herself into the role of Lady Macbeth that every rival is swept off the stage except Callas. But Rysanek had a far more beautiful voice than Callas, and her two big arias are examples of vocal splendor.
The ohter star is the legendary Leonard Warren, but newcomers should be warned that by 1959 Warren's magnificent dark baritone had acquired some wobble under pressure and was slightly frayed around the edges. Even so, he is passionate, ruthless, and dramatically convincing in one of his signature roles.
Why, then, a reduction to four stars for the set as a whole? First, the sound. RCA didn't always manage stereo well, and here they often start an aria out completely in the left speaker and end it entirely in the right. Duets plunk one singer in each channel. You might not be as annoyed as I was, but in any event there's shrillness and microphone shatter to contend with, too, and a chorus placed at the very back of the stage.
The ohter, bigger negative is the brisk, uninflected conducting of the always rigid, sometimes disastrous Erich Leinsdorf. Here he's not terrible, thank goodnesss, but he's no asset, and the finicky Met orchestra plays routinely for him. Again, some opera lovers care only aobutt the voice and won't be as bothered as I was, but I'm sure Verdi cared deeply about the overall conception, not just one aria at a time. This is a one-aria-at-a-time performance graced by two stupendous voices.
ALL TIME BEST.......2005-02-03
A Legendary Album Of Verdi's Macbeth.......2004-11-27
As for Leonie Rysanek. She is incredible ! True she overacts, she is melodramatic and she sounds totally crazy, but I think this is how she should be performed. Critics have always admired Shirley Verrett's performance as Lady Macbeth, which they feel is more accurate on a human level. But I find that Rysanek is a fine Lady Macbeth. After all, the character is dark and crazy. At the beginning of the drama, she is ambitious, bloodthirsty and even more cruel than her husband. She drives her husband to murder and to seize power. She is the dark part of Macbeth's own nature. Such a strong woman suddenly turning crazy in the Mad Scene is incoherent. Therefore the singing and acting should come off as crazy ! It makes sense to me. No one sings like that then Leonie Rysanek who can sing in the classical diva style but with so much bite and fury. I find that she is doing a perfect job. This is an old recording with fine sound quality, with a great cast. Carlo Bergonzi sings the tenor role of Macduff, a tame performance but good nonetheless. He is meant to sound "noble" and "good" next to the dark Macbeth of Leonard Warren. This is why the role of Macbeth is a bass or baritone role. The tenors are rarely the villain. The great exception is Verdi's own creation in the Duke in Rigoletto. This opera is terrific and highly recommended. Don't just ignore it. Listen to the Macbeth that you will most like among the many recordings. But this one is one that ought to be on your exploration route.
Terribly disappointing.......2004-09-30
Which is a shame because, as I say, Warren is incomparably the best Macbeth on records. Rysanek sings with power and musicality, but, you never really "feel" Lady Macbeth in her. The late Jerome Hines is an excellent Banquo, but Banquo's role is very small. Carlo Bergonzi sings the music of Macduff. That's all he does - sing notes. Very nicely, but he could as well be singing "Arrivaderci Roma" or "The Hut-Sut Song" for all the difference it makes, not an aria about his anguish in losing the family he loved. The Witches sound studied and bored. All in all, a very disappointing failure.
The finest performance of this much-maligned opera is still the 1952 Callas conducted by the great Victor de Sabata. You can see my comments at that listing.
Superb!!.......2003-09-26
Average customer rating:
|
Mahler: Symphonies No. 1 & No. 2; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Bruno Walter , Emilia Cundari , Maureen Forrester , and Mildred Miller Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002A7H Release Date: 1995-01-24 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 1 'Titan': Langsam. Schleppend. Wie ein Naturlaut. Im Anfang sehr gemachlich
- Symphony No. 1 'Titan': Kraftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
- Symphony No. 1 'Titan': Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
- Symphony No. 1 'Titan': Sturmisch bewegt - Energisch
- Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection': Allegro maestoso
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection': Andante moderato
- Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection': (Scherzo) In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
- Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection': Urlicht - Sehr feierlich, aber achlicht
- Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection': Im Tempo des Scherzos. Wild herausfahrend
- Songs Of A Wayfarer: 1. Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
- Songs Of A Wayfarer: 2. Ging heut morgen uebers Feld
- Songs Of A Wayfarer: 3. Ich hab ein gluehen Messer
- Songs Of A Wayfarer: 4. Die zwei blauen Augen
Amazon.com
Oh baby, this is really good! Bruno Walter was a disciple of Big Man Gustav himself, and at the very end of his life, in the early 1960s, he recorded these two stereo performances that have come up sounding magnificent in this new digital transfer. Anyone who had those grotty-sounding old Odyssey LPs will be shocked by the vividness and depth of sound on these old master tapes. In particular, someone has come up with an amazing organ presence at the end of the Resurrection Symphony that outclasses most modern digital recordings. Where has it been all these years? You simply can't like Mahler and not own these recordings. At midprice, why wait? --David HurwitzAmazon.com
Bruno Walter's 1961 account of Symphony No. 1 was the loving reminiscence of a man in his mid-eighties, one who not only had a vivid memory of the composer, but also of the youthful emotions the music is about. It is an unabashedly Romantic reading of the score--passionate, grandly phrased, and almost Straussian in its warmth of sound, but with irresistible momentum as well. Walter's 1958 recording of the Resurrection Symphony remains among the best as well, notable for its generosity of spirit and insight, its breadth and scope, and the deeply committed and spiritually uplifting manner in which the conductor puts across the finale. In Sony's excellent 20-bit remasterings, the sound scarcely shows any age at all. --Ted LibbeyCustomer Reviews:
The Mellow Essence of Mahler.......2006-02-06
Famously a protege of Mahler's, Walter brought to his recordings the authority of having been present at the creation of the works combined with his sure hand in guiding the musical line and his sense of communicating a transcendent spiritual experience. Straddling the symphonic traditions up to the end of the century and the incipient modernist trends, Mahler's music is so ample in both its scale and inventiveness that it can bear a wide range of interpretive approaches without being pulled utterly out of shape. With Walter the listener gets the music as close as possible to a "no-frills" approach, yet with a radiance that can, if you let it, transport you to an emotional plane that lies beyond words, which the best music does. There are always the many other ways to be guided through Mahler's great musical lands -- the crackling intensity of Mitropoulos, the wrenching emotion of Bernstein, the grandeur of Karajan, the clarity of Boulez -- but Walter gives you the mellow essence of the music, where the tumult and the anguish give way to a hard-won tranquillity and the triumphant moment is tempered with a sense of its transitory nature.
Maybe the best Mahler Sym. # 1 & #2 available on CD.......2006-02-02
The fact that Mahler and Walter were close associates, probably had a significant influence on these recording. I seems that Walter must have obtained some insight as to the "artistic intentions" for these pieces because they have a special quality that many other recordings of these works seem to lack; a subtleness, a quiet self-assurance if you will.
My favorite:...Symphony # 1
I've always been drawn to the "Titan" from the very first time I heard those eerie opening bars years ago. It always reminded me of stepping out into an alien (but not necessarily unfriendly) landscape.
All in all, Mahler as I'm sure Mahler would have intended. Recommended!
Mellow Mahler from Bruno Walter, but Symphony 2 sounds a little tinny.......2005-12-14
(EMI, Naxos, and other budget labels). (Bruno Walter then fled from Vienna, first for Paris, then in 1940, New York and did not return to Europe until after World War II, a wise decision given his Jewish lineage.)
In this recording, Walter's Mahler 1 benefits from better sound, and fine playing from the Columbia Symphony. But it is quite mellow: climaxes are not built up as in some recordings, and there is a laid back aura about the whole performance. Some may find it refreshing, and I find it acceptable, but when in a mood to be moved or shaken by something, this doesn't cut it.
Symphony 2 is also fine, but doesn't have the powerful climaxes many conductors bring to Mahler. Some exciting moments are more beautiful and loving than exciting or gut wrenching. Here the sound is more tinny, and not as natural as in Symphony 1. I read the recordings sessions for Walter's Mahler 2 were interrupted when Walter took sick with a near fatal heart attack and there was a large gap in time before the recording could be completed: it was done in several sessions in 1957 and 1958.
Still, Walter's Mahler is worth hearing, and is important as Walter knew the composer personally. I love Bruno Walter's recordings, and would recommend (more highly than this) his Beethoven Symphonies (except 9); Mozart Symphonies 35, 36, 38-41 (either New York Philharmonic MONO or California Columbia Symphony STEREO recordings: the New Yorks are faster tempos in most movements); Brahms Symphonies with the Columbia Symphony; and Schubert Symphonies 5, 8, and 9, all available in the "Bruno Walter Edition" from Sony Classical.
For Mahler 1, I like Muti/Philadelphia (EMI) and for Mahler 2, Klemperer/Philharmonia (EMI).
Right back where I started.......2005-04-11
Excellent.......2003-11-16
Still, 2nd Symphony "Resurrection" is one of the best works of Mahler; this is music like film music.
Be constituted in 5 movements, as you know, like a cantata form. Scored for very large ensemble (as usual): quadruple woodwinds plus 4 piccolos, 2 cor anglais, 2 E-flat clarinets, contrabassoon, 10 horns, 10 trumpets, 4 trombones, Contrabass-Tuba, 2 (in some passages 3) set timpani, bass drum, cymbals, 2 or more snare drum, triangle, small and large gongs, large bells, 2 harps, organ, strings, a small ensemble placed on offstage (brass ensemble taken from main orchestra), soprano and alto soloists and chorus.
In this symphony, Mahler simply confessed.
This movement, as you know, a funeral music. After the wild start, there is a calm E Major passage, which tells the heaven. But in centre of music, this heavenly music, suddenly cut off by a blow, which tells, the fall into hell. And then music continues very slowly by cellos and double basses with a darkful E flat minor, who they are tells a man slowly walk in hell with scared. But then, when music moves faster and faster, may be devil suddenly comes and chases the man(!). This man may be the composer... In conclusion section, music starts a funeral march and finishes darkful...
The composer calls in partition of this symphony, when finished the First movement, there should be at least five-movement-silence...
And then, the second movement starts, which a calm peacefully A flat Major landler (an Austrian dance, in triple time). This movement tranqilizes the listeners, after the amazing, terrible moments of the first movement.
The third centre movement is the Scherzo. It is a devilish scherzo, but in centre moments, there is again heavenly E Major passage, which tells a story of "Saint Antonius of Padua", who gives sermons to fishes at sea. The fishes listen him with admire, but then , because of they're not understands that what he is saying, the fishes go away!
The 4th movement, called Ulricht (means Red Rose) is a peaceful music, written for alto solo and a small enseble. This light is shines to onebody, who will go to heaven.
And the last movement starts, with questions that came in Scherzo. There are terro, fright, hesitate. And then fanfares to be hear. These fanfares means, doomsday comes closer! And then in centre moments, there are earthquakes, tempests and all other disasters! And then, in very deep silence, chorus starts a chorale, which tells the judgement day is coming. But this symphony finishes with a glory scene, which tells the heavenly life will be come...
And this performance with New York Philharmonic is the best recording. Sound quality is very good, was recorded at Carnegie Hall.
And, the performances of Symphony No. 1 "Titan" and "Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesselen" with Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Maureen Forrester are also very good. The musicians of this orchestra were being constituted from different studio orchestra that plays the film music. Still, they were placed on American Legion Hall, Hollywood. And, as you know, Bruno Walter was lived his last years in Beverly Hills and his latest recordings made with this orchestra.
This is a must have for Mahler admirers and music lovers.
Very highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
|
Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
François Couperin , William Christie , Sophie Daneman , Patricia Petibon , Monica Huggett , Marc Hantaï , Anne-Marie Lasla , Emilia Benjamin , and Les Arts Florissants Manufacturer: Wea International ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000005E4Y Release Date: 2006-03-06 |
Tracks:
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Incipit Lamentio - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Aleph - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Beth - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Ghimel - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Daleth - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: He - Sophie Daneman
- Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Jerusalem - Sophie Daneman
- Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Vav - Patricia Petibon
- Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Zain - Patricia Petibon
- Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Heth - Patricia Petibon
- Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Teth - Patricia Petibon
- Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Yod - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Caph - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Lamed - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Mem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix:Nun - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Quarte Versets Du Motet: Tabescere me facit - Sophie Daneman/Patricia Petibon
- Quarte Versets Du Motet: Ignitum eloquium - Sophie Daneman
- Quarte Versets Du Motet: Adolescentulus sum ego - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
- Quarte Versets Du Motet: Justitia tua - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Amazon.com
It figures that the ensemble most responsible for the French Baroque revival is the one to outdo Nelson and Kirkby's legendary recording of these lamentation settings. Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon don't have the earlier pair's gorgeous, distinctive voices (both occasionally wobble above the staff), but they sound plenty beautiful. More importantly, they've managed to make these major-key pieces sound like lamentations. Twenty years ago, Kirkby and Nelson were pioneers: merely singing with their white tone was risky; they couldn't take many chances with rhythmic freedom. Daneman and Petibon have had time to internalize Couperin's style: they can push ahead here, hold back there, extend an unaccompanied phrase and let it drop off suddenly--following rhetoric more than rhythm, they take your breath away. --Matthew WestphalCustomer Reviews:
Fabulous.......2007-05-14
Couperin, Lecon de tenebres.......2007-05-14
Gorgeous, rare recording of the Tenebrae by Couperin.......2006-11-25
Couperin's settings (composed in 1703) uses a few voices and few instrumentals in the French tradition of the service. This recording features sopranos Patricia Petibon and Sophie Daneman. The performance follows the French tradition also in the pronunciation of the Latin. The conductor took great care to reproduce the performance as the French would have heard it, and if you want the genuine experience, this recording surely comes the closest (as far as we can tell, from historical records.)
An exquisite shining pearl - perfect, simply perfect........2004-04-30
... and there is simply no recording to compete with this one.
It's exquisite from the very opening. In particular when Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon sing together, the work between the two and the ravishing vocal blend is something of which dreams are made. The pronunciation of the Latin is beautifully French, as it would have been performed at the time. The ornamentation and musicianship here is superb, as one would expect from a recording conducted by William Christie.
But the two singers are the highlight here, in this most ravishing of performances.
I have an enormous admiration for Emma Kirkby, but the recording of this work with her and Judith Nelson is stiff, unemotional, and blank in comparison with this recording. (I do not admire Nelson's voice, either, however much I admire Kirkby's.) The vocal beauty on this recording is truly sublime - this CD is one I listen to over and over again, always with a sigh and a smile.
Other versions, including a surprisingly bland rendition by Gens and Sandrine Piau, and two good countertenor versions and one not-so-good (oh dear, Deller...) are available, but nothing approaches the shimmering beauty of this version.
The pieces themselves are of heavenly beauty. I've never performed them without seeing audience members weeping with the beauty of the music.
I recommend this CD strongly.
Average customer rating: |
Russische Gesänge / Russian Melodies
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000M05VNO Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Average customer rating: |
Four Temperaments (Byrd * Ferrabosco * Parsons * Tallis) /Phantasm
Asako Morikawa , Emilia Benjamin , William Byrd , Alfonso (i) Ferrabosco , Robert Parsons , Thomas Tallis , Phantasm , and Laurence Dreyfus Manufacturer: Avie ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007G8M5W Release Date: 2005-03-22 |
Average customer rating:
|
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002A7S Release Date: 1995-05-16 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 `Choral`: I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 `Choral`: II. Molto Vivace
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 `Choral`: III. Adagio Molto e cantabile
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 `Choral`: IV. Presto-
- Rezitativo - O Freunde, nicht diese T - Allegro assai (Final chorus from Schiller's ode `To Joy`)
Amazon.com
Bruno Walter recorded the Beethoven symphonies in stereo for Columbia in 1958-59, taping No. 9 in New York and Nos. 1-8 in Los Angeles with orchestras of freelance and studio musicians who rose magnificently to the occasion. Walter was in his eighties, but that didn't stop him from grabbing these works by the throat; there is no mincing around, no effusive lingering over phrases, and no ponderous trudging either. The even-numbered symphonies are sunny and outgoing, full of the warmth the conductor exuded during his Indian-summer years in the studio. Yet the drama of the odd-numbered works is not slighted. Walter's account of the Fifth, for example, is an intensely expressive one in which lyricism and thrust are in perfect balance--an evocation of stormy Romanticism at its best. The recordings have held up extremely well; the sound on these 20-bit CDs is spacious yet detailed, with amazing presence and solidity. --Ted LibbeyCustomer Reviews:
The Ninth as personal, rather than cosmic, drama.......2006-10-12
I feel the drama right from the opening notes, which have great urgency, but which seem to be more about some personal tragedy than about the cosmos. Walter seems to view the work as a personal drama rather than a cosmic one.
After that powerful opening, Walter is soon shaping phrases and tempo in a most romantic, expressive way in accord with his vision of the internal drama. Walter makes the first movement a series of unpredictable events. It's the most compelling performance of this movement I've ever heard. Perhaps it's the variations in tempo that put off some people, they may hear a lack of energy or momentum. I hear intense concentration on the moment-by-moment drama. Walter's vision keeps me listening intently.
The scherzo is not savage or demonic, but rather conveys the sense that the hero, the main character of the symphony, is trying to rouse himself out of his depression and angst so that he can get stuff accomplished, while sometimes (during the trio) making fun of himself for getting carried away with his own energy and going too far. Should he try to enjoy things rather than being either depressed or intensely energetic? (I know this sounds silly, but this performance makes me think about the symphony in a way that I usually don't think about orchestral music. Maybe it's a silly way, but I don't care.)
No other performance I've heard conveys such a feeling of peace and grace in the third movement. It's mesmerizing. In phrasing, in balances, in slight tempo adjustments, Walter makes this movement cohere as few other conductors do. My concentration goes in and out during this movement in most recordings, but Walter and the Columbia Symphony keep me riveted.
As with so much in this performance, the dissonance at the beginning of the last movement seems not cosmic, but personal, internal. I can't explain why, but it does. When the orchestra starts playing the melody of the "Ode to Joy," it's as if the person whose journey is described in the symphony is trying to calm himself, to again connect with the joy and beauty in the world. When the dissonance returns, the only way he can respond is with words directly to the orchestra.
The nobility, tenderness, and caring quality of William Wildermann's opening solo sets the tone for the rest. This is conciliatory joy, less exultant, less wild than in some performances. I find it deeply communicative, a true plea for peace in the world.
The tenor solo does not sound militant or marchlike ("let's take a hike in the country in our lederhosen!"), as it does in many recordings, but seems like a deeply felt call to running your personal race in alignment with the universe, not against it.
The vocal soloists are not the starriest names but all sing superbly. The Westminster Choir sings with utter commitment, if not the most idiomatic German. Most of all, you feel that every participant in this performance was in tune with Walter's vision, all felt that something special was happening.
Energy does seem to flag a bit, to lack the necessary tension, during parts of the slow choral section starting with "Seid umschlungen, Millionen," but only during parts of it. Maybe Walter knew what he was doing even here, because the fast peroration that brings the symphony to its end feels more like a true climax than in many performances, though when it starts you might think it's a little too low-key. But Walter gives it a build so that it really comes to a climax on the final notes, something I don't feel in most recordings I've heard.
If you want a Ninth with a lot of external drama, this may not be for you. This is a more introspective Ninth. I'm not sure if I would have thought that was such a good idea before hearing this performance, but Walter makes it work beautifully. Listening to this performance, I feel as if Bruno Walter is still communicating to us from his own wealth of experience of life and music. I hear this famous symphony in a whole new way thanks to this recording.
Walter's Beethoven Ninth at half-power.......2006-03-21
It's a looser, less ocncentrated reading than his older ones. Walter lost considerable energy, particularly as a Beethoven conductor, in his autumnal Hollywood period. From the outset critics have disliked the performance, but if you already enjoy his relxed, congenial style, that is certainly present here. The orchestral forces sound a bit thin, but the recording is good, as are the soloists and chorus in the fourth movement. In truth the conducting is no more slack than in Walter's Eroica or Fifth Sym. It's just that the Ninth requires as much concentration as anyone can bring to it, and the older Bruno Walter didn't have it to give anymore.
1990 CBS release of this same recording.......2005-08-16
One critic described Walter's Columbia Symphony Beethoven 9th as "nearly a total disaster", and that's not a bad description given the excellent quality of the rest of his Columbia Beethovens: 3,4,5,6, and 7 are among the best ever, and 1,2,and 8 are close behind. The sound quality in Symphonies 1-8 is uniformly excellent, better than in 9.
Preferable, in my experience, for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony:Szell (Odyssey or Sony); Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (1970, DG, coupled with Bohm's EROICA, and some Beethoven Overtures); Furtwangler/Philharmonia (Lucerne, 1954: Tahra label); Reiner/Chicago (RCA); Munch/Boston (EMI "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" - drawn from the 1958 RCA recording).
PS. September 2, 2005. I listened again to Walter's Beethoven Ninth Symphony, and now think my above review is too critical. I stand by the criticisms mentioned about IV: the soloists and chorus are off mike, Allegro parts need more drive. There is some untidy ensemble in IV, which detracts from the music. Walter is more affectionate than many conductors in this music, and there are some great moments in I, II and III. I guess I should say "recommended to Bruno Walter fans" or "proceed with caution."
Wonderful performance!.......2000-06-25
Average customer rating: |
The Opera Works of Mikis Theodorakis (Box Set)
Manufacturer: Intuition ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000058TGJ Release Date: 2001-03-06 |
Average customer rating: |
Rhythm of Life
Emilia Sosa Manufacturer: 5 Points Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000RGSOQ4 Release Date: 2007-07-10 |
Tracks:
- Rhythm Of Life
- Nothing Good To Say
- Rumour Of A Hooker
- Ancestors
- Burning In the Sun
- Wondrous Skies
- Lost Without You
- Hypnotized
- Perfect Girl
- Medicated
- Wonderous Dub 7
Album Description
Sultry, melodic, catchy, and tough. Sosa serves an addictive dose of broadly appealing electronic sound a la British lo-fi popsters Zero 7 and Portishead. She claims influences from Ministry to Tricky, and this new album is a collection of songs with singable lyrics and fat, danceable bass lines produced by TJ Rehmi (of Peter Gabriel's Real World Music). Live, Emelia plays with fastest drummer in the west, KJ Sawka, an amazing drum and bass artist in his own right.
Average customer rating:
|
Big Big World
Emilia Manufacturer: Umvd Labels ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00000G0WS Release Date: 1998-12-01 |
Tracks:
- A Good Sign
- Big Big World
- Come Into My Life
- Twist Of Fate
- Like Chocolate
- What About Me?
- Life (Will Never Be The Same)
- Daddys Girl
- Adam & Eve
- Maybe, Baby
- Big Big World (TNT's Big Phat Mix)
- Maybe, Baby (Swing Style)
Customer Reviews:
Big Big World ~ Emilia.......2005-09-18
Only one song .......2005-07-30
pretty bad.......2004-02-05
Best CD ever........2004-01-31
disgusting.......2003-11-08
DONT BY THIS CD PLEASE!!! IT SUCKS!!!!
Average customer rating: |
Samuel Sebastian Wesley: Anthems
Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000MRP1XC Release Date: 2007-03-27 |
Rock Music:
