Little Worlds

Little Worlds

ASIN: B0000AKCLF

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The compositions on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones' three-CD set Little Worlds are ambitious, audacious, and, at times, a bit absurd. The musicianship of Fleck and his compatriots bassist Victor Wooten, saxophonist/flautist Jeff Coffin, and electro-percussionist Future Man is as accomplished as ever. Even when they are engaging in a slice of silliness like their version of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," which they re-imagine as a sort of a rap rhapsody, the intelligence and sheer inventiveness of the performers keeps the music from descending to a trivial level. The 27 tracks are practically swarming with guest artists from a wide range of traditions, including Bobby McFerrin, Branford Marsalis, Nickel Creek, the Chieftains, Fleck's former New Grass Revival band mate Sam Bush, and the Tuvan throat singer Congar Ol Ondar. Perhaps the most intriguing visitors are Pamelia Kurstin, who plays Theremin on a number of tracks, and Jake Shimabukuro, a remarkable young ukulele player from Hawaii. The music on Little Words combines experimental sonic textures, complex harmonies, intricate rhythms, and charming melodies with impressive instrumental chops. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are serious musicians, but their music, which is infused with joy, is never somber. --Michael Simmons

Tracks:

Bill Mon
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett
Puffy
New Math
Longitude
Latitude
Centrifuge
Off The Top (Gravity Wheel)
Off The Top (Line Dance)
Track 10

Tracks:

The Fjords Of Oslo
Sherpa
What It Is
The Leaning Tower
Mudslingers Of The Milky Way
Captive Delusions
Costa Brava
Poindexter
Prequel
Return Of The Mudslingers

Tracks:

The Cave
Next
Pineapple Heart
Snatchin'
Reminiscence
Sleeper
Flunky
The Last Jam
Track 9

Amazon.com

The compositions on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones' three-CD set Little Worlds are ambitious, audacious, and, at times, a bit absurd. The musicianship of Fleck and his compatriots bassist Victor Wooten, saxophonist/flautist Jeff Coffin, and electro-percussionist Future Man is as accomplished as ever. Even when they are engaging in a slice of silliness like their version of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," which they re-imagine as a sort of a rap rhapsody, the intelligence and sheer inventiveness of the performers keeps the music from descending to a trivial level. The 27 tracks are practically swarming with guest artists from a wide range of traditions, including Bobby McFerrin, Branford Marsalis, Nickel Creek, the Chieftains, Fleck's former New Grass Revival band mate Sam Bush, and the Tuvan throat singer Congar Ol Ondar. Perhaps the most intriguing visitors are Pamelia Kurstin, who plays Theremin on a number of tracks, and Jake Shimabukuro, a remarkable young ukulele player from Hawaii. The music on Little Words combines experimental sonic textures, complex harmonies, intricate rhythms, and charming melodies with impressive instrumental chops. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are serious musicians, but their music, which is infused with joy, is never somber. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

ha!.......2006-04-01

Bela fleck is one of the greatest musicians AND all of the flecktones cds and bela fleck's cds are the greatest CDs. And imagine that- the only person who disagreed with EVERYONES opinion that bela fleck is the best called bela fleck a "her." oy, I have seen the flecktones 3 times , bela fleck trio and the acoustic trio and NOT ONCE has bela fleck nor his band members have ceased to impress nad amaze me. BEla fleck is AMAZING.

Accessible Genius.......2006-02-16

Once again, the Flecktones show that they can command whatever style of music suits their fancy, and that musical barriers mean little to a group of such high musical skill and precision. With multifaceted compositions that somehow always remain listenable, the Flecktones demonstrate with Little Worlds that genius may just be the ability to say something exceedingly profound with simple language.

Listening through the disc, one is struck by the similarity between the album and an actual live Flecktones performance--if only in terms of the sheer level of invention taking place. EVERY song seems different from the one that preceeded it. So much so, that before the the album is even half over, the listener is inclined to ask, "Is there anything that this band can't do?"

The Flecktones master the pure sonic creativity of using their instruments in interesting ways in "Centrifuge" and "Longitude." The latter tune is truly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. While Vic plays soft chords faded in on a volume pedal, Bela wrote the chords out backwards, solo-ed over them, and reversed the tape to give his banjo solo an eerily beautiful sound.

Whether your favorite flecktones music is their funk ("Snatchin'), celtic ("New Math," "The Leaning Tower"), World Music ("Puffy," "Costa Brava"), or Bluegrass/Folk ("Off the Top," "The Last Jam"), beautiful ballads ("Reminiscence," Poindexter") or great guest contributions ("Sleeper," Derek Trucks on "Pineapple Heart"!)...you get the point. Creativity like that is all over this disc.

My recommendation--no, my demand--is that every true music lover buy this album and devote a good chunk of time to listening to it, getting familiar with its smallest details. When you examine the complex, inventive, and (as always with this group) technically amazing details of this just-plain-fun album, it will be almost impossible to believe that "little thought went into the final execution of each track," for example.

Here's to another first-rate recording by one of our most talented groups. Happy Listening.

What happened to the Flecktones.......2006-02-16

Listening through this set of CDs was downright depressing for me. I discovered these guys back in the early 90's. Every CD they put out was awe-inspiring and so neatly put together. It seemed every time I would pop in one of the older Flecktone CD's, I would find something different from when I listened the last time.

I purely do not understand how this could get such high ratings on here. This whole production simply seems to lack inspiration with little thought given to the final execution of each track. Someone once told me after hearing "Left of Cool" that they hoped the Flecktones weren't trying to go commercial. "Left of Cool" wasn't a bad cd, but with the addition of lyrics, which they clearly do not need (and aren't too good in writing/singing them), seemed like they were heading in a direction I would not appreciate. This is the height of that notion. I just don't know what they were thinking here.

There is plenty of fine music put out by this group, but this is surely not a good representation of that. The only reason why this gets 2 stars is because its hard to give a band, who I love so much, less than that. I really expected a lot more from them here and hope for a better and more listenable project in the future.

Little Words.......2005-06-15

This album is great. All four of the flecktones really show their virtuosity on this album. Especially Bela and Victor. The writing is great and all the special guests really shine. Some places on the album that really stand out are Victor's Bass work on "Puffy" and "Reminiscence," Bela and Bobby McFerrin's collaboration on "Jed Clampett" and "What it Is," Nickle Creek's lightning fast playing on both "Off the Top" tracks and Jerry Douglas's dobro playing is always great. The only qualm I've had with this CD is that there are a number of tracks that seem very strange that probably could have been hacked, reduced the album from a triple to a double disc and made the album much better. The spacy lattitude and longitude tracks could go, "The Fjords of Oslo" sounds like a ridiculous theme and variations on "Heart and Soul" and "The Cave" sounded like Future Man just pushed record and started fooling around with stuff. Overall, its a good album, though you may find yourself to be pushing the skip button on your CD player more often than you would like, wishing you could have payed for two CDs instead of three.

If you can't do it well then don't do it........2005-03-25

Bela Fleck seems to want to be a jack of all trades. I think a great artist can spend a lifetime in one sub genre and still never have the depth of understanding that satisfies him/her. Either way if Bela wants to unite the world of music without any understanding of most of it...well who am I to stop her, all I can do is not buy the album and write a bad review !

P.S: To Dennis who claims that this is the greatest CD ever made. What planet are you from, and what drugs do you take ?

Average customer rating:

uhm
Skip
Don't buy this CD.
A more focused alternative to the 3-disc set
over the edge

Ten From Little Worlds
Béla Fleck , and Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Left of Cool
UFO Tofu
Outbound
Three Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo

ASIN: B0000AKCLH
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

Bill Mon
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett
Pineapple Heart
Snatchin'
Next
The Leaning Tower
Puffy
Sherpa
Off The Top (The Gravity Wheel)
Off The Top (Line Dance)

Amazon.com

This 10-song distillation of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones' three-CD set Little Worlds gives a sense of the ambitiousness, audacity, and, at times, absurdity of the full package. The musicianship of Fleck and his compatriots bassist Victor Wooten, saxophonist/flautist Jeff Coffin, and electro-percussionist Future Man is as accomplished as ever. Even when they are engaging in a slice of silliness like their version of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," which they re-imagine as a sort of a rap rhapsody, the intelligence and sheer inventiveness of the performers keeps the music from descending to a trivial level. Guest artists here come from a wide range of traditions, including Branford Marsalis, Nickel Creek, the Chieftains, Fleck's former New Grass Revival band mate Sam Bush, and the Tuvan throat singer Congar Ol Ondar. One of the most intriguing visitors is Pamelia Kurstin, who plays Theremin on a couple of cuts. The music combines experimental sonic textures, complex harmonies, intricate rhythms, and charming melodies with impressive instrumental chops. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are serious musicians, but their music, which is infused with joy, is never somber. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

uhm .......2005-12-16

okay... bela fleck alone has released jazz albums bluegrass albums and a classical music album. does this say something to you? they are differnet. they are experimental. i don't understand how someoen can hold this against them. anyway, if you haven't got the money for little worlds, then buy this cd. otherwise don't buy it..and buy little worlds. Also the flecktones are on tour right now so buy a ticket to see them too. Anyway, this CD is incredible. it is experimental... jazz, funk, bluegrass fusion ...it's one of the flecktones' better cds.. order it right now; it's amazing.

Skip .......2005-04-17

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones' "Ten from Little Worlds" CD is experimental and takes this jazz fusion in diverse directions. Bela Fleck's synth banjo is a delight on the opener "Bil Mon" but the track tends to bring up emotions of nausea for me, making me want to skip past it. "Ballad of Jed Clampett" takes the Beverly Hillbillies theme and turns it into a rap vocal that is extremely odd and makes me skip past it. Beck's "Pineapple Heart" starts off lovely with Jeff Coffin's alto flute trills sounding great, but then begins to wander off as if in search for the rest of the band making me skip past. Coffin's "Snatchin'" has some pep with the opening tenor sax punctuated by keyboards before the banjo has a meltdown halfway through the track making me skip past. In short, this is odd music that while inventive does not connect with me in any significant way other than perhaps being a soundtrack for an intestinal illness. Skip past this one.

Don't buy this CD........2004-10-16

I know, interesting title for a five-star review. Why do I say this, you ask? Look at the title of the CD, "Ten From Little Worlds." The key words there are "Ten From." This disc is exactly what it says it is: a highlights compilation from an album called "Little Worlds," a three-CD set which is the most ambitious and arguably best album the Flecktones have yet released.

Not that the music found here is inferior. "Bil Mon," the opening track, is one of the finest recordings found in the Flecktones catalogue. The rap version of "The Ballad Of Jed Clampett" is a very interesting take on the old TV theme song, and it works suprisingly well. The two-part "Off The Top," featuring bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, is phenomenal. "Pineapple Heart" is one of the most beautiful tunes heard in recent memory.

This is a great CD. Like any great CD, it will leave you wanting more. But alas, unlike a lot of great CDs, there actually IS more out there, and it can be found on the full three-disc "Little Worlds." The music from there not found here is not inferior, all of it is great and worth your cash. Don't get me wrong, you will like this CD, but my advice is to ditch this and pick up the full three-disc album. Like I said, you will love this CD, and in the end, you will wish that you had picked up the full album, and if you do, there's about 16 bucks of yours that you spent on something which has now become obsolete. Do yourself a favor, if you are thinking about buying this CD, don't do it. Plunk down a little more cash and get the three-disc album. In the end you will be glad you did.

A more focused alternative to the 3-disc set.......2004-05-12

Let me start by saying I am a long-time Flecktones fan since the days of Howard Levy, and I own the 3-disc set as well as this companion release. The 3-disc set is a true masterpiece, and I would recommend it strongly and without hesitation. It is the truest representation of all the Flecktones have to offer. Others seem to share this sentiment--at the writing of this review, it has a 5-star average rating. I am writing this particular review because, much to my dismay, this single-disc release is doing far worse. This ought to be remedied.

First, I should start by saying what this CD is *not*. It is not a representation of the full power and wonder of the Flecktones. Even the full 3-disc set falls short here (though it comes very, very close), as the live Flecktones experience is impossible to replicate in the studio (see "Live Art" for the best live replication on CD). The Flecktones alone offer as eclectic a mix of musical inspirations as you'll find--arm them with the dozens of talented guests that visit Little Worlds, and three discs seems barely enough a representation. So, just by nature of time limits, the single disc cannot be as immersive an experience as a 3-disc set.

However, what is immersive and engrossing to one set of ears can be ponderous to another. I say this both in acknowledgment of some unflattering reviews of the 3-disc set that have cropped up, and also in acknowledgment to my own listening tastes. As I have said, I love the 3-disc set, but there are times when it is simply too much Flecktones (if there can be such a thing!), and the single disc is enough to satisfy my listening needs. As I said in the above paragraph, the 3-disc set's strength is in its expansive representation of the Flecktones' vision--but this enormity can also be at times its greatest weakness.

All this said, then, the single disc fills a nice niche in my collection. It collects some of the higher points of the 3-disc set into a nice, 52-minute-long sampler. Certainly, because the three discs are filled with high points, we listeners could quibble interminably about the selections. I personally could have done without the Jed Clampett selection, but some reviewers find this to be yet another high point. Perhaps a more legitimate gripe is why this set is a mere 52 minutes, when a CD can hold several more selections. But in the grand scheme, I think these gripes ought to be subsumed by the wonder and majesty of the music. Complain about the selections or length all you like, the 52 minutes we *do* get is as good a 52 minutes of music as you'll find, and that alone merits a 5-star review.

Lastly, to the reviewer who complained that this extra release is a mere marketing ploy. Perhaps so--I really don't know. My feeling is, however, it does offer a nice compromise for all kinds of fans--the casual fan who can't handle the full 3-disc set for any number of reasons, and the more dedicated fan who appreciates the option to have a more focused listening experience of Little Worlds from time to time. Marketing ploy or no, it fills a nice spot in the collection, and I suppose that's enough for me.

over the edge.......2003-11-01

i have been a bela fleck fan since 1980, & a flecktones fan since they formed in 1990. but with this effort, i will no longer be buying every disk they produce. the 'tones continue two trends, both of which long time fans of the band may find troublesome: the dominance of jeff coffin, and the trend to bring in guest artists by the dozen, obscuring the sound of the band members themselves. the former trend began with "left of cool". coffin's sax, which too often becomes kenny g - like, is at the front of the melody on virtually every track -- that is, unless a guest artist is in the lead. that trend reached annoying proportions on outbound, & is over the top here. i love the flecktones for the flecktones: bela's fretboard excursions, victor's wild bass lines, futch's drumitar. i will continue to see them in concert, whether alone or if they may have one or two guests - but this tendency to add multiple theremins (isn't that a cough suppresant?), dijerdos, etc etc etc is just too much. and the vocals: while i am glad futch has gone back to being just futch, & put his alter ego roy-el on the shelf (at least on this one-disk version of the longer little worlds compilation), divinity & bobby mcpherin meet the flecktones? give me a break. was the world crying out for that musical union? i think not. the ballad of jed clampett is, i know, supposed to be a fun piece - but it is simply not listenable. bil mon is similarly unlistenable. there are a couple of good tracks & two great ones. in particular, tracks 9 & 10, collaborations with the amazing nickel creek, are outstanding. and puffy, a long time concert staple, is good.
unlike another reviewer, i am GLAD they released this as a 1 disk alternative to the 3 disk package. this way, i limited my losses (and got the nickel creek tracks as at least some consolation). i realize musicians must evolve to survive, & clearly bela & the guys are not being stagnant. i respect that. but LET THE FLECKTONES BE THE FLECKTONES.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Bernstein

Essential Leonard Bernstein

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bernstein: Candide; West Side Story; On the Waterfront; Fancy Free
Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00005OKSJ
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Tracks:

Prologue - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Somewhere: Adagio - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Scherzo: Vivace Leggerio - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Mambo: Presto - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cha-Cha: Andantino Con Grazia - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Meeting Scene: Meno Mosso - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cool Fugue: Allegretto - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Rumble: Molto Allegro - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Finale: Adagio - Los Angeles Philharmonic
A Musical Toast
A Little Bit In Love From 'Wonderful Town' - Rebecca Luker
The Great Lover: Allegro Pesante
Lonely Town, Pas De Dex: Andante Sostenuto
Times Square 1944: Allegro
Facsimile - Choreographic Essay For Orchestra
Prelude (For The Brass): Fast And Exact - Peter Schmidl
Fugue (For The Saxes): Exactly The Same Beat - Peter Schmidl
Riffs (For Everyone) - Peter Schmidl
Slava! A Political Overture For Orchestra 'For Mstislav Rostropovich'

Tracks:

Overture - London Symphony Orchestra
Best Of All Possible Worlds - Della Jones
Oh Happy Me - June Anderson
Glitter And Be Gay - June Anderson
I Am Easily Assimilated (Old Lady's Tango) - Christa Ludwig
Make Our Garden Grow - Della Jones
Big Stuff (Blues)
Opening Dance - Enter Three Sailors
Scene At The Bar
Enter Two Girls
Pas De Deux
Competition Scene
Variation I - Galop
Variation II - Waltz
Variation III - Danzon
Finale
Big Stuff Reprise (Blues)
Andante (With Dignity) - Presto Barbaro
Adagio - Allegro Molto Agitato - Alla Breve (Poco Piu Mosso) - Presto Come Prima
Andante Largamente - More Flowing - Lento
Moving Forward - Laramente - Andante Come Prima
Allegro Non Troppo, Molto Marcato - Poco Piu Sostenuto
A Tempo (Poco Piu Sostenuto)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Bernstein.......2002-01-25

For anyone who loves Bernstein (or even for those who don't), this is the CD to purchase. Includes excerpts from some of his most famous stage and serious works.

Tracks:

The Roots of Heaven - Overture
The Indian Queen
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: A Trip To Italy
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: Colonel Thornton's Strathspey
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: The Perthshire Hunt - Reel
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: Loch Earn - Reel
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: Carleton House
Suite Of The Scottish Dances: Miss Ann Carnegie's Hornpipe
An Impression On A Windy Day
The Glass Slipper = Overture
The Coloured Counties
The Barber Of Seville Goes To The Devil - Overture
Tarn Hows - A Cumbrian Rhapsody
Two Worlds - Overture
Little Suite: The Bird's Lament
Little Suite: The Widow Bird
Little Suite: The Ladybird
Little Suite: Glow - Worms
Little Suite: The Lark
Joie De Vivre - Overture

Customer Reviews:

English Music.......2007-03-29

A superb collection of the kin dof impressionist music that feeds my soul.
I heard The Cumbrian Rhapsody for the first time, as a teenager, and was entranced by "Tarn Haws." It has a special place in my collection.
I "saw" the place as the composer had and when, many years later, I visited Tarn Haws for the first time, it was exactly as I'd imagined it.

Average customer rating:

A Total Embrace: The Composer

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Leonard Bernstein - A Total Embrace: The Conductor

ASIN: B0000AQS3U
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

Concert Works: I. Psalm 108 (Verse 2) & Psalm 100 (Complete) - Camerata Singers
Concert Works: II. Psalm 23 (Complete) & Psalm 2 (Verses 1-4) - Camerata Singers
Concert Works: III. Psalm 131 (Complete) & Psalm 133 (Verse 1) - Camerata Singers
Concert Works: III. Lamentation - Jennie Tourel
Concert Works: IV. Agathon (Adagio) - Isaac Stern
Concert Works: B. The Masque: Extremely Fast - Philippe Entremont
Concert Works: C. The Epilogue: Adagio; Andante; Con Moto - Philippe Entremont
Concert Works: IV. ' A Big Indian And A Little Indian' Con Brio - Leonard Bernstein
Concert Works: IV. 'Civet A Toute Vitesse (Rabbit At Top Speed)' - Leonard Bernstein
Concert Works: I. Prelude For The Brass - Benny Goodman
Concert Works: II. Fugue For The Saxes - Benny Goodman
Concert Works: III. Riffs For Everyone - Benny Goodman
Concert Works: I. Invocation. Kaddish 1 - Camerata Singers
Concert Works: Film: Love Theme - New York Philharmonic

Tracks:

Theater Works: Opening: 'New York, New York' - Adolph Green
Theater Works: 'Lonely Town'/Dance: Lonely Town - John Reardon
Theater Works: Dance: Times Square - Leonard Bernstein
Theater Works: 'Some Other Time' - Betty Comden
Theater Works: Dance: The Real Coney Island - Ensemble
Theater Works: I. Enter Three Sailors - Leonard Bernstein
Theater Works: IV. Pas De Deux - Leonard Bernstein
Theater Works: VII. Finale - Leonard Bernstein
Theater Works: 'The Pirate Songs' - Boris Karloff And The Pirates
Theater Works: 'Ohio' - Rosalind Russell
Theater Works: 'A Little Bit In Love (Never Felt This Way Before)' - Jacquelyn
Theater Works: 'A Quiet Girl' - Sydney Chaplin
Theater Works: 'Conga!' - Ensemble
Theater Works: 'Wrong Note Rag' - Ensemble
Theater Works: Overture - Original Broadway Cast
Theater Works: 'Best Of All Possible Worlds' - Chorus
Theater Works: Mazurka - Barbara Cook
Theater Works: 'Glitter And Be Gay' - Barbara Cook
Theater Works: 'Make Our Garden Grow' - Ensemble

Tracks:

Theater Works: Prologue - Orchestra
Theater Works: The Dance At The Gym - The Jets
Theater Works: 'Maria' - Larry Kert
Theater Works: 'Tonight' - Larry Kert
Theater Works: 'America' - Marilyn Cooper
Theater Works: 'Cool' - The Jets
Theater Works: 'Somewhere' (Ballet) - Reri Grist
Theater Works: 'The Community' - David Johnson
Theater Works: 'Part II: Allegretto' - Leonard Bernstein
Theater Works: Scene III/IIIa: 'I Was Standing In A Garden/Then Desire Took Hold Of Me' - Nancy Williams
Theater Works: I. Devotions Before Mass - Hymn And Psalm: 'A Simple Song' - Alan Titus
Theater Works: V. Meditation No. 1 - Alan Titus
Theater Works: VI. Gloria - Alan Titus
Theater Works: XIV. Sanctus: 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' - Alan Titus
Theater Works: XVII Pax: Communion - Final Hymn (Excerpt) - Alan Titus

Carole Bogard: A Collection of American Songs

Average customer rating:

beautiful songs
A flawless and fascinating recital

Carole Bogard: A Collection of American Songs

Manufacturer: Parnassus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Just-Spring: Art Songs of John Duke
But Yesterday Is Not Today-The American Art Song 1927-1972

ASIN: B00005LPYJ
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Customer Reviews:

beautiful songs.......2007-05-09

A welcome reissue in CD format from old LP's of Carpenters compositions : song cycles of very well known lyrics. Particularly fascinating are the renderings of poems from "Gitanjali", a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore in English translated from original Bengali; a work that got Nobel prize in 1913 (Not the Pullitzer prize as mentioned in th accompanying text). The songs on lyrics/poems by other poets, all americans are just as beautiful. Well done.

A flawless and fascinating recital.......2005-04-14

This 2-CD set by soprano Carole Bogard is an absolute must-have for lovers of American songs, song recitals in general, or great singing. Culled from three long-out-of-print LPs and some performance tapes recorded for broadcast in Europe, it includes songs by Carpenter, Flanagan, Copland, Rorem, and the little-known Richard Cumming and John Woods Duke. And yet, there is not a single weak track on the entire set. Every song is interesting (something that cannot be said for many similar recitals recorded today), and each and every song is performed with musical acuity and an attention to words.

Particularly interesting, to me, were the songs by John Alden Carpenter. Largely neglected by modern singers and scholars, Carpenter wrote what many feel is the most successful fusion of classical music with jazz, the ballet tone-poem "Skyscrapers." It had the misfortune to premiere in 1924, the same year as Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"; but whereas "Rhapsody" was more of a pastiche, "Skyscrapers" blends the jazz and classical aspects flawlessly, producing an exciting and well-crafted work that deserves a wider audience.

The Carpenter songs presented here are not jazzy, but they do reveal a greater depth of feeling and originality in construction than one hears nowadays from the songs of Andre Previn or Jake Heggie. And the other pieces are equally excellent.

I highly recommend this album, especially for Sunday afternoon or summertime listening...between the excellence of the songs and the excellence of Bogard's singing, you just melt into the music and become one with the warm, intimate feeling that this recital engenders.

Average customer rating:

Best of British Light Music

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00012SHYI
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

The Roots Of Heaven
The Indian Queen
A Trip To Italy
Colonel Thornton's Strathspey
The Perthshire Hunt - Reel
Loch Earn - Reel
Carleton House
Miss Ann Carnegie's Hornpipe
An Impression On A Windy Day
The Glass Slipper
The Coloured Counties
The Barber Of Seville Goes To The Devil - Overture
Tarn Hows - A Cumbrian Rhapsody
Two Worlds - Overture
The Bird's Lament
The Window Bird
The Ladybird
Glow-Worms
The Lark
Joie De Vivre - Overture

Tracks:

I. Prelude
II. Siciliano
III. Rondo
The River
I. Newcastle And Navvie
II. Irish
III. Del Caro's
IV. Oak Hill
V. Fisher's
VI. Billy Bones
Rossini On Ilkla Moor - Overture
I. Shepherd's Dance
II. Lute Book Lullaby
III. Christmas Jig
IV. Wexford Bells
The Path Across The Moors
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Andantino
III. Molto Vivace
An English Overture
Wheatley Processional
Constant Billy
Brighton Camp
Jockie To The Fair
Ladies Of Pleasure
Princess Royal

Tracks:

Hrh The Duke Of The Cambridge March, Op.60a - BBC Concert Orchestra
Preambule - BBC Concert Orchestra
Marche - BBC Concert Orchestra
Barcarolle - BBC Concert Orchestra
Provencale - BBC Concert Orchestra
Elegiac Blues - BBC Concert Orchestra
Round Dance - BBC Concert Orchestra
Pas De Deux - BBC Concert Orchestra
Hornpipe - BBC Concert Orchestra
Overture For Farnham - BBC Concert Orchestra
Entracte - BBC Concert Orchestra
Sinfonia - BBC Concert Orchestra
Alla Maria - BBC Concert Orchestra
Toccata - BBC Concert Orchestra
Musette - BBC Concert Orchestra
Burlesca - BBC Concert Orchestra
Adagietto - BBC Concert Orchestra
Finale - BBC Concert Orchestra
Promenade - BBC Concert Orchestra
Prologue - BBC Concert Orchestra
Waltz - BBC Concert Orchestra
March - BBC Concert Orchestra
Doll's Dance - BBC Concert Orchestra
Round Dance - BBC Concert Orchestra

Tracks:

Vivace
Aria (Lento)
Finale
A l'ombre D'un Buissonet
Triste Est Le Ciel
Allons Gay
The Padstow Lifeboat
Fantasy On Dover Castle
Walk Up, Walk Up
Boat On The Lake
The Little Merry-Go-Round
Distorting Mirrors
Child Asleep
Miniature Railway
Allegro Commodo
Andante Con Moto
Andante Con Moto, Molto Vigoroso
Andante Sostenuto
Allegro Molto
Allegro Moderato
Andante
Minuet
Gigue

Tracks:

Caramba
Overture To A Costume Comedy
Overture And Beginners
Tanitivy Towers
Boy Wizard
Festive Overture
Overture To An Unwritten Comedy
The Arcadians
A Spa Overture
Concert Overture
Sussex Symphony Overture

Great Russian Artists: Shostakovich: From Jewish Folk Poetry / Shaporin - 6 Songs / Ippolitov-Ivanov: Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore / Kabalevsky: Six Joyful Songs

Average customer rating:

Breathtaking music and artistry
Shostakovich Bare and Most Moving

Great Russian Artists: Shostakovich: From Jewish Folk Poetry / Shaporin - 6 Songs / Ippolitov-Ivanov: Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore / Kabalevsky: Six Joyful Songs

Manufacturer: Russian Disc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: The Lament for the Dead Child - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: The Thoughtful Mother and Aunt - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: Lullaby - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: Before a Long Parting - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: A Warning - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: The Abandoned Father - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: The Song of Misery - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: Winter - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: A Good Life - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: The Young Girl's Song - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79: Happiness - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Dorliak/Alexander Maslennikov/Dmitri Shostakovich
Your Languid Southern Voice - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel
Everywhere-Above Forests and Fields - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel
I Remember the Day - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel
The Night Breathed Coolness - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel
Amidst the Worlds - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel
Russian Song - Zara Dolukhanova/Berta Kozel Z
Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore: Arms Are Drawn to Arms - Zara Dolukhanova/Eduard Grach/Berta Kozel
Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore: Don't Leave Without Saying Farewell - Zara Dolukhanova/Eduard Grach/Berta Kozel
Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore: O My Friend, Here Is A Flower - Zara Dolukhanova/Eduard Grach/Berta Kozel
Four Poems of Rabindranath Tagore: Little Yellow Bird - Zara Dolukhanova/Eduard Grach/Berta Kozel
Six Joyful Songs: The Cheerful King - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov
Six Joyful Songs: If Rivers and Lakes Would Flow Together - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov
Six Joyful Songs: A Little Boat - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov
Six Joyful Songs: Story of a Little Old Lady - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov
Six Joyful Songs: Nail and Horseshoe - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov
Six Joyful Songs: The Key of the Kingdom - Zara Dolukhanova/Nina Svetlanov

Customer Reviews:

Breathtaking music and artistry.......2007-03-16

Hearing these superb performances of this glorious music is a truly wonderful experience. The Shostakovich cycle from Jewish folk poetry is simply stunning and these grest artists (Dolukhanova particularly) bring out every nuance and emotional colour of these great songs. And having the great man himself at the piano is just the icing on this glorious Russian cake. This recordin shows you what singing and songs are all about.

Shostakovich Bare and Most Moving.......2000-06-12

Say what you want about the massive DS symphonies-they are no doubt a cry for help, reflecting great depair and destitution. But they are also hopelessly contrived creatures artistically vacillating on the lines between the emotional outcry and contextual contradiction. Just listen to the 7th, 8th and 9th symphonies back to back! More pladuits are heaped on the 15 string quartets for their even greater emotional appeal, and also their intimacy.

And intimacy is what I want to speak of here: From Jewish Folk Poetry contains a stunning need to communicate from the singers (Vishsnevskaya style), their voices are lacerating sharp- the mezzo Dolukhanova, sultry, the alto and tenor, heady and delightful. Yet this piece, and this particular release in particular conveys a shattering impact. The audio is suitably raw, transmitting much coldness and desolation.

Tracks:

I Won't Be Burned
Shredder
To Bee Who I'll Bee
Tonight I Will Fight
Sand Canyon
Airport in Your Heart
Listening Safely
Good Luck, Goodbye
Even Grey Hair Gets Blue
Unicorn
I Won't Be Burned

Average customer rating:

Worlds Greatest Bluegrass Bands Vol 1

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000E1ERE0

Product Description

1.georgia mules and country boys.2.orange blossom special.3.little maggie.4.buck creek.5.wabash cannonball.6.dixie flyer.7.the wreck of the old 97.8.muleskinner blues.9.long gone.10.i'm rollin on.11.goin up criplle creek

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music