Music for Large & Small Ensembles

Music for Large & Small Ensembles

ASIN: B000025Z0G

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The singular trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler defies lots and lots of musical rules. Consider Music for Large and Small Ensembles, where he uses an all-star band primarily for nuance, depth, and color at all points. This bucks a trend. After Duke Ellington and Count Basie fine-tuned the big band tradition, the form often meant musical bombast--Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, Maynard Ferguson's big band, etc. The notable exceptions to such a rule include Gil Evans, Maria Schneider, and, emphatically, Kenny Wheeler. The weighting of Wheeler's large ensemble here toward trumpets and trombones more often recalls a classical brass choir than a swing showdown, and the operative word here is "ensemble." From "Opening," where Norma Winstone's wordless vocal and John Abercrombie's guitar lines interact and blend beautifully with the other 17 band members, to the last tune of disc two, where the core group of Wheeler, Abercrombie, John Taylor, Peter Erskine, and Dave Holland deconstruct the standard, "By Myself," Music for Large and Small Ensembles delivers magnificent music played by magnificent musicians working together with verve, power, sensitivity, and daring, but never, ever, bombast. --Michael Ross

Tracks:

Overture: Atmospheres - The Sudwesfunk Orchestra, Ernest Bour
Main Title: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra) - The Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert Von Karajan
Requiem For Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs & Orchestra - The Bavarian Radio Orchetra, Francis Travis
The Blue Danube (Excerpt) - The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert Von Karajan
Lux Aeterna - The Stuttgart Schola Cantorum, Clytus Gottwold
Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio) - The Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Gennadi Rezhdestvensky
Jupiter And Beyond - The Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Francis Travis, The Sudwesfunk Orchestra, Ernest Bour, Internationale.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Blue Danube (Reprise) - The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert Von Karajan
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) - Sudwesfunk Orchestra
Lux Aeterna - The Stuttgart Schola Cantorum, Clytus Gottwold
Adventures (Unaltered) - Internationale Musikinstitut, Gyorgy Ligeti
HAL 9000 - Dialog Montage

Amazon.com

This commemorative reissue of music from 2001: A Space Odyssey combines the Also sprach Zarathustra theme, various Johann and Richard Strauss segments, and a ballet suite by Aram Khachaturian--all of which prove how much Stanley Kubrick's film attempts to avoid the soundtrack clichés of most science-fiction movies. Instead of the expected sci-fi effects, there is a more ironic application of music that would be otherwise incongruous to the celestial settings. Here, "The Blue Danube" complements scenes involving weightlessness and descending spacecraft, while Gyorgy Ligeti's creepy "monolith" music connotes Armageddon more than interplanetary exploration. The tracks play as they had appeared on the original soundtrack release back in the '60s, but there is also previously unreleased supplemental material and a dialogue montage entitled "HAL 9000." --Joseph Lanza

Customer Reviews:

great music, great reissue.......2007-04-16

This is a great collection of music and I love the great mastering job that was done with this. The inclusion of the tracks from the original MGM soundtrack release are a great bonus. The liner notes include interpretations of the film and the music that are insightful.

I noticed that the music in the movie is mixed in surround sound, it would be great if they could release this on DVD-Audio or SACD surround. I'd buy it again!

fantastic.......2007-03-11

I have the old lp release of this music, what an incredible array of classical music, topped off by my personal favorite piece of music in the world, the blue danube waltz. Let yourself be carried away in deep space by this incredible score.

whoa........2006-09-04

"Atmospheres" was enough to make me buy this album. just try to imagine what eternity might sound like. okay, now you know exactly what Atmospheres is. wow. who else could having captured the feelings that are in this score? this is above talented. this is above genius. this is above avand garde. this is too good to be labeled as anything at all.

Great Music for Halloween, very creepy.......2006-03-17

I bought this CD to use for a haunted house program, the music will creep you out.

Bleakest of Futures..........2005-10-08

The atonal, unsettling atmosphere of much of the music of Ligeti is fitting to the bleak vision of a human future reigned by nothing but cold technology and of humans drained of emotions except for the deepest animalist fear originating from our inner reptilian brainparts which have not changed for over millions of years. The incongruity of Johann Strauss' lovely 'An der schönen blauen Donau' with the cold technicality of spacefaring as depicted here could not be more complete, but what a perfect find on Stanley Kubrick's part! It makes the uneasiness and confusion even greater. And then, to top it of, the complete and flabbergasting irony of using Richard Strauss' Fanfare for the 'rise of Man' in his 'Also Sprach Zarathustra': what a great destiny for 'Man' indeed, this bleakest of bleak visions of the future!
As a soundtrack for '2001: A Space Odyssey' this music together on one album is just great.
And besides, this soundtrack has indeed, like so many others I guess, made me aware of the genius of Ligeti, which otherwise might have gone unnoticed for me.

Berlioz: La Marseillaise - Love Scene from Roméo & Juliet - The Damnation of Faust, Three Excerpts, etc... / McNair, Leech, Zinman

Average customer rating:

All This Music Is Better Served Elsewhere
The production of a music genius
Wake up music
A middle of the pack offering--nothing magic, nothing tragic

Berlioz: La Marseillaise - Love Scene from Roméo & Juliet - The Damnation of Faust, Three Excerpts, etc... / McNair, Leech, Zinman
Hector Berlioz , Baltimore Symphony Orchestra & Chorus , Sylvia McNair , Richard Leech , and David Zinman
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

$7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette; Le Troyens à Carthage
Brahms, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos [Hybrid SACD]
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000003CUS
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Benvenuto Cellini: Overture
Love Scene
Minuet Of The Will-O'-The-Wisps
Dance Of The Sylphs
Rakoczy March
Le Corsaire Overture
Les Troyens: Trojan March
Royal Hunt & Storm
La Marseillaise

Customer Reviews:

All This Music Is Better Served Elsewhere.......2006-05-04

On paper at least, this seems like an attractive sampler. And it is, as far as the music is concerned. These bits and pieces are some of the most inspired music from Berlioz's long masterworks for voices and orchestra such as Damnation de Faust, Romeo et Juliette, Les Troyens, and Benvenuto Cellini. In sterling performances, they're really enlivening music. Here, for a variety of reasons, they don't make the impact they usually do. First of all, Zinman, whom I usually admire, doesn't seem to warm up to the music. Maybe it's not his cup of tea--more of a Beethoven-and-contemporary music man, based on the stuff I've heard that he does really well. Also, as recorded here, the Baltimore Symphony doesn't seem to have the heft for Berlioz's dazzling orchestral display. Next to, say, the Montreal Symphony, which has done a lot of this music very successfully on disc, the Baltimore is lacking.

Then, as I suggest, a large part of the problem is the recording. Telarc's legendary recording technique don't seem to translate well to the Meyerhoff Hall, at least not in this recording; there's even some distortion in thickly scored passages. Argo/Decca got the measure of the hall better in their later and far more successful recordings from Baltimore.

So I say, shop around. You'll do far better with Dutoit, Davis, Nagano, Plasson, Nelson, et al.

The production of a music genius.......2005-08-06

Really really terrific!
I prefer to do not say more... terrific!

Wake up music.......2001-03-18

This is a good CD but not a great one. Mr. Zinman gives a decent rendition of some of the French "classics" and the Baltimore symphony is up to the task. In the defense of Mr. Zinman one must recognize that there is probably no real good way to play Berlioz. But the real value of this CD is to introduce one to Berlioz who still today does not rate as high as one would like; not to mention its status of "only one opus composer" that the Symphonie Fantastique seems to give him sometimes. The inclusion of Berlioz transcription of the Marseillaise is a curious touch. Berlioz tried to dignify what was after all a soldiers motivational anthem to go and kill into a more respectable piece suitable for a serious country. Nice try. However it is still an interesting and hyperactive piece and if we must listen to it on occasion we might as well do it here. In sum, here we have a nice mix that can be played as background music when we need to be energized.

A middle of the pack offering--nothing magic, nothing tragic.......2001-02-17

If you've heard Toscanini's snappy Rakozcy March, then the lumbering version on this disc will just leave you frustrated. The Marseillaise here is pretty turgid, too. Not much else leaves even that much of a lasting impression. Okay if you can get it budget-priced.

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

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

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

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Steve Reich: The Desert Music - Michael Tilson Thomas
Average customer rating:

You could do better

huge sounds, huge lines

Great composer, not in the best light

The Desert Music is worthwhile

list CD

Steve Reich: The Desert Music - Michael Tilson Thomas
Steve Reich , Michael Tilson Thomas , and Chorus & Members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Reich: Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint / Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny

Steve Reich: The Four Sections / Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices & Organ

Tehillim

Reich: Triple Quartet, Music for a Large Ensemble, Electric Guitar Phase

Adams: Violin Concerto/Shaker Loops

ASIN: B000005IXI
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

The Desert Music: First Movement (Fast)
The Desert Music: Second Movement (Moderate)
The Desert Music: Third Movement Part One (Slow)
The Desert Music: Third Movement Part Two (Moderate)
The Desert Music: Third Movement Part Three (Slow)
The Desert Music: Fourth Movement (Moderate)
The Desert Music: Fifth Movement (Fast)

Amazon.com essential recording

Michael Tilson Thomas's advocacy of American mavericks has long been a significant facet of his career. This disc offers an outstanding example of his championship of Steve Reich, whose stature among composers of his generation only continues to increase. There's a famous story of a 1973 Carnegie Hall concert with MTT participating as one of the performers of Four Organs, during which a near riot ensued, reminding some of the heated reception that attended the legendary Rite of Spring premiere in Paris. The Desert Music--given its premiere in 1984 under MTT--marks a departure for Reich from his writing for smaller groups and calls instead for a vast orchestral ensemble and chorus. This visionary cantata reflects the composer's belief that "the particular is the nub of the universal," setting lapidary but prophetic texts by William Carlos Williams, whom Reich considers the most resonant of modern American poets. MTT clearly understands how this music conveys its effect of moving not just through time but through space; he allows the score's harmonic density to coalesce into shimmering, mirage-like chords without losing sight of its complex overlay of asymmetry against regular, driving pulses. The chorus, too, is beautifully blended--sometimes imitating the iterations of percussion instruments--as Reich's musical textures oscillate between despair and hope, fire and light. "The mind is listening," says Williams, and MTT conveys its impressions with maximum clarity. -Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

You could do better.......2006-06-18

This piece holds the distinction of being the only Reich composition I've seen performed live, at UCLA in the spring of 1985; and this recording was the first I ever purchased on CD. Over time, though, I've come to realize that this is one of my least favorite Reich pieces. In fact, if I liked it any less, it would be among the ones I never listen to.

Only the first movement is really worth hearing. It is spirited and has some catchy driving rhythms. The piece never fully regains this energy, though it picks up some in the last movement. It is really brought down by the interminably slow third movement, which reaches its nadir in some horrendously drunken-sounding siren effects. Overall, the work is characterized by chords that to me are ugly and have none of the tremendous emotional impact that I get from my favorite Reich pieces.

Almost everyone recommends starting with "Music for 18 Musicians," but if you already have that, I would recommend any work from the period 1978-86 that isn't this one.

huge sounds, huge lines.......2003-08-06

The orchestral recording of The Desert Music gives you Reich's society colored in these wonderful huge dense sounds, which to most of his listeners is almost alien to their experience with his music, although most fulfilling in so many changing ways. The density of the music is an interleving bundle of soundfibers, a civilization that lives and breathes.

If you like this piece you should also check out "Olson III" by Terry Riley - the city of this piece is a wild ride into the very fabric that we live in everyday. Democracy, or so they say.

Great composer, not in the best light.......2002-08-09

Steve Reich came to fame writing chamber music for his own ensemble, and with reason -- this is where he does his best work. For those new to his music, I can't lavish enough praise on his unique, brilliant works for smaller ensembles: Music for 18 Musicians; Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ; Tehillim. And there are good recordings of all of these.

The Desert Music is Reich's first effort to really compose for symphony orchestra, and he seems to be trying to step into other composers' shoes, to write a great symphonic work in the tradition of so many choral-orchestral masterpieces. But really, this isn't where Reich's gifts are. His athletic counterpoint comes out sounding bloated, awkward, heavy, and -- to my taste -- a little slow. Nowhere on this recording does one hear the lightness of touch that this music requires. Reich's own ensemble approaches even his most rhythmically complex scores with grace, ease, and a sort of pop-music stylishness. Probably, it's not possible to do that with the mammoth 108 player Desert Music orchestra.

There might well be a good piece in The Desert Music -- certainly there's some gorgeous writing. But I don't think it'd being heard here. Michael Tilson Thomas and the Brooklyn Phil do excellent work, but I suggest waiting for the anticipated release of Reich's chamber version of The Desert Music, which is supposed to be coming out soon. I've heard this version performed live, and it's much more successful than the original orchestration. And if you're anxious to get a piece of Reich in your home, he's got a whole lot of great chamber music out there on record already.

The Desert Music is worthwhile.......2000-08-20

The Desert Music is beautiful music, tho not especially "minimal" (is any of it?) & less entrancing than Reich's earlier chamber works. The texts from William Carlos Williams are thoughtfully chosen & reflective of Reich's strong social concerns. The problem is that I happen to believe composers should be guided by a poet's voice. There isn't much guesswork with Williams' intended delivery because he recorded many of his poems. Williams was a very economical poet, so to chop up, reassemble & repeat lines of his poems is hardly collaborating with them ... or him.

A fine example of a contemporary composer really hearing a poet can be found in Steve Swallow's settings of poems by Robert Creeley on the album "Home."

The Desert Music is worthwhile, but probably not the port of entry for Steve Reich's music. For that I could recommend Music for 18 Musicians; Music for Mallet Instruments, Voice & Organ; or Different Trains.

Bob Rixon

list CD.......1999-06-16

To enjoy this CD you must embrace the Zen-like subtle changes of Reich's music. Who says true minimalism can't be written for a large orchestra? My greatest memory of this was watching Metropolis with this as the soundtrack. Oh yes, and Sid was there.

The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott

Average customer rating:

Some major orchestral "micropolyphonic" works and a fun early piece
One of the best CDs of contemporary music.
Excellent, but only for a willing ear
Very Good Intro To Gyorgy Ligeti
Stunningly insightful performances of Ligeti's orchestral works

The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott
Gyorgy Ligeti , Jonathon Nott , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Ligeti Project I: Melodien / Chamber Concerto / Piano Concerto / Mysteries of the Macabre - Schönberg Ensemble / ASKO Ensemble / Reinbert de Leeuw
The Ligeti Project IV: Hamburg Concerto (Horn Concerto) / Double Concerto / Ramifications / Requiem
The Ligeti Project III: Cello Concerto / Clocks & Clouds / Violin Concerto / Síppal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel
György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

ASIN: B00005Y34N
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Tracks:

Lontano
Atmospheres
Apparitions: I. Lento
Apparitions: II. Agitato
San Francisco Polyphony
Concert Romanesc: I. Andantino
Concert Romanesc: II. Allegro Vivace
Concert Romanesc: III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
Concert Romanesc: IV. Molto Vivace

Amazon.com

The five extraordinary works on this disc will captivate Ligeti fans and entrance even those who don't know his music. The focus in Lontano on refined tonal colors makes it one of the most elegant pieces in the modernist canon. Atmosphères is more static, holding interest through subtle changes in color and dynamics. Apparitions was Ligeti's first success in the West after his escape from Hungary during the 1956 Soviet invasion. It's a ghostly two-movement work. The first, Lento, is creepy in a dynamically subdued way. The second, Agitato, surprises in its violence, the orchestral crashes fulfilling the fears embodied in the Lento movement.

San Francisco Polyphony, from 1974, is the most recent Ligeti composition on the disc, and it packs more into its 12-plus minutes than many full-evening works. It teems with dense orchestral figures and dynamic contrasts. Under its colorful façade, the work demonstrates how uncompromising modern music can enchant both ear and mind. It should become a concert staple as we move deeper into the 21st century. Finally, an early 1951 work, Concert Românesc, harks back to Bartók's transformations of folk material. Rich in color and vitality, its four movements are full of the dissonances of village bands and melodies rooted in Romanian folk music and in Ligeti's fertile, sympathetic imagination. The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic under conductor Jonathan Nott is outstanding, as is the engineering. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Some major orchestral "micropolyphonic" works and a fun early piece.......2006-06-20

Teldec's THE LIGETI PROJECT II continues the collection, started by Sony's "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition", of Ligeti's complete works in performances overseen by the composer himself. This second disc contains four orchestral works, three of which were written in his "micropolyphony" style of the 1960s and 1970s, and the fourth a recently-rediscovered gem written as a student in 1951. These are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by the young talent Jonathan Nott, and can be considered definitive.

The earliest piece here is "Concerto Romanesc" (1951), a bit of juvenalia inspired by folk melodies the composer heard during musicological expeditions in Romania. Dating from before his use of micropolyphony and overtly modernistic techniques, these pieces may sound like they came from a different composer entirely. Indeed, there is a frank tonalism here, broken only by the occurance of a single F# in the context of F minor, which, as Ligeti painfully recalls in the notes, was reason enough for the Communist government of Hungary to ban it. The opening "Andantino" is among the most emotionally moving of Ligeti's works, and might be compared to his early "Sonata for solo cello." This and the second movement "Allegro vivace" may sound familiar, as portions appeared arranged for two violins as "Balada si joc" on "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets".

A bit before before leaving Hungary in the aftermath of the suppressed 1956 revolt, Ligeti had already begin experimenting with total chromaticism, which due to political restrictions made for pieces consigned to the desk drawer. Once free in the West, his first orchestral piece was "Apparitions" (1958-59), which in its first movement displays a use of all twelve-tones, and then in the second introduces the new technique of "micropolyphony", interwoven textures of such complexity that one can hardly make out the individual strands. While entertaining, it is clearly an immature work in this new style, and I rarely come back to it. Maybe that is because the next piece here is one of Ligeti's sure masterpieces. "Atmospheres" (1961) is the piece which really brought Ligeti to international recognition, not only through the sensation of its premiere under Hans Rosbaud, but also because of Stanley Kubrick's unauthorized use of it in the film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Eschewing traditional rhythm and melody for a series of shifting tone colours, one might think "Atmospheres" doesn't even qualify as music, but what music it is! Packed with thousands of individual little cells, the piece offers something new on every listen, for one can, if one wants, go behind the great whoosh of orchestral sound and concentrate on individual lines.

"Lontano" (1967) is closely related to Ligeti's a capella work "Lux Aeterna", and indeed the same melody appears "hidden" in each. The composer skillfully gives the impression of a great object approaching from far-off, seeming to move slowly but ultimately zooming past the listener. The orchestral texture is very dense and generally even, Ligeti reportedly wrote the piece while addicted to painkillers, which explains a lot. One very interesting thing about "Lontano" in Ligeti's overall output is that he abandons total chromaticism here, and however avant-garde his technique of micropolyphony might be, the piece is nonetheless diatonic. "San Francisco Polyphony" (1973-74) was written during Ligeti's stint teaching at Stanford. It's a little-known work in comparison to others in the micropolyphonic style, and I think that's a real shame because Ligeti introduces a major innovation here. Instead of seeming static on the surface like "Atmospheres" et al., there is great activity and rhythmic experimentation, and there are countless overt melodies like in the composer's 1971 piece "Melodien".

This disc makes one of the single best introductions to the music of this great and sorely missed composer, although THE LIGETI PROJECT IV with its performance of the "Requiem" and larger view of the composer's career serves well, too.

One of the best CDs of contemporary music........2006-06-07

There're not many CDs like this available on the stores. It's the clear example of perfect CD in its repertoire. A wonderful composer, perfect performances and excellent recordings, together with a very good booklet and presentation.

Some of the works are among the best of Ligeti, in my opinion. The Concert Romanesc (1951), is in clear debt with Bartók language. We have to remember Ligeti is from Transylvania, from a region where Eötvös, Kurtág and the own Bartók were from. The folk music is very important there, as the Bartók transcriptions show, and Ligeti was concerned about it in his early years, like we listen too in other works, specially the Musica Ricarcata in the multiple transcriptions that music allows. Concert Romanesc is really a good piece in its style, that of popular music based on Romanian tunes, that really were Hungarian in pre-war times, before that zone where transferred to Romania. Some of the concerto themes are present too in early pieces for violins and strings, those we can listen on the Sony Edition Nº1, played by the Arditti Quartet. These kind of pieces, like String Quartet Nº1, are the first Ligeti period; next step will come with some of the pieces you can hear in the rest of the CD.

Apparitions (1958-59), was an scandal in its premiere, and it marks a turning point on Ligeti's aesthetics and way of composing. From a quite weberian style, the piece is brief and extremely concise in the way the instruments play. No more tunes, no more melodies, no more folk motives in this music; just really apparitions of sound in different ways and combinations, from different places in the orchestra. A very calm first movement, full of contrasts between silence and sound irruptions, and a second one much more vivid and fast. Teldec affirms this is the world premiere recording, in fact I don't know any other one, so I have to trust them. It's incredible this decisive piece was not recorded, as a turning point on Ligeti's work and as some of the most extreme and fantastic pieces form the `50s, a really breathtaking composition you will enjoy much more with the successive auditions.

Atmospheres (1961), one of the most important pieces in the orchestral repertoire in the XXth Century, has an enormous performance on this CD, a jewel never heard before in this way on CD. Ligeti has written about Atmospheres that is a piece unique, in the sense its composed in a way that its mathematical combinations reach only to this work. Wonderful use of micro-polyphony and micro-tonality, composed through nets of sound really complex in which every instruments play different parts that construct an outstanding group. Strings, woodwinds, metals play on them limits, going from the highest tones to the deepest, like in the change from woodwinds to the massive entrance of deep strings. Lot of people know this piece from Kubrick's 2001; you should try this one, that is really much more better performance.

Lontano (1968) is very careful about colours and polyphony, in fact we can here a quite medieval canon in the final sections of this piece, because of great interest of Ligeti on that medieval polyphony. The piece really seems to create new states of conscience, as the lines of music seems to go to no-known dimensions. Wonderful work too, taken by Kubrick again for his amazing film The Shinning, in which it's used perfectly, like all the music used in that film (Penderecki, Bartók, etc).

I don't like San Francisco Polyphony (1973-74) so much like the two previous pieces, even the style is very close, but I really prefer some other works from that time. In the late `70s and in the `80s Ligeti will go into a new step I have to confess I don't like so much like the one which has Atmospheres, Lontano, String Quartet Nº2, Requiem, Doppelkonzert, Cello Concert...

The performances are outstanding and simply perfect; they bring new life on these scores and the playing of, probably, the best orchestra in the world, conducted by one of the best young conductors in the world, Jonathan Nott, very trained on contemporary music.

The recording is very, very good, with some pieces live-recorded, like Atmospheres and Lontano and some of them studio recordings, like Apparitions. It's incredible how the Berliners play so perfectly in a live-recording.

Interesting texts by Ligeti on this jewel; one of the best CDs of contemporary music that I know.

Excellent, but only for a willing ear.......2006-06-06

Ligeti has based his style on being entirely different from anyone else. I would say that he has succeeded. His music is quite unlike anything I've heard before, and it took me a little while to warm up to Ligeti's music. The atonal washes of orchestral color can be a bit jarring at first, but can provide deep interest in the music.

The music is well recorded and well performed. I do not know of a better recording of these works.

Very Good Intro To Gyorgy Ligeti.......2006-02-05

You've heard Ligeti's Atmospheres in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick used a lot of Ligeti in that film. Well, if you've ever been interested in checking out this fascinating avant-garde composer, here's the perfect opportunity. Jonathan Nott conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in five works by everyone's favorite composer from Transylvania! The Berlin Philharmonic is not exactly known as the most progressive of orchestras, they are acknowledged as one of the supreme orchestras in the world when it comes to standard, tradional repertoire. Like say Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, R. Strauss and so on. It is a joy to see them expand their horizons via conductor Jonathan Nott.

The Concert Romanesc is an early piece by Ligeti, very much influenced by Bartok but the other works are Ligeti, pure and true with his famous tone clusters. Lontano and Atmospheres make the best impression. The sound is outstanding as it should be.

One disappointment is that the playing time is only 54 and a half minutes, which is short measure for a classical CD. Some more music could surely have been added. Nonetheless this Ligeti Project series is terrific. I also recommend the other CD in this series with the Requiem on it.

Stunningly insightful performances of Ligeti's orchestral works.......2005-10-22

György Ligeti's unique place in 20th Century music, while long admired by the cognoscenti, has yet to become a true part of the standard repertoire of our major orchestras. With the release of this Ligeti Project that situation will hopefully change!

On this CD Jonathan Nott conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in full control of the sound produced and, in fact, introducing nuances within these massive clouds of tonalities that open this music to heighten the most seasoned listener's enjoyment. 'Lontano' shimmers, 'Atmosphères' completely surrounds us with at times inaudible but pulsatile movement. 'Apparitions' is one of Ligeti's more popular works and is the embodiment of things that go bump in the night! 'San Francisco Polyphony' is Ligeti at his zenith, with highly sophisticated rhythms and chordal changes that have as much energy and creativity as anything he has written: Nott keeps the wildy/unwieldly fragments tightly strung. The Concert Românesc seems a strange way to end this CD as it is the more traditional, folk melody inspired work and is so easily accessible that it begins to sound more like Bartok and Kodaly than the giant who changed our aural spectrum.

This is an exciting selection of works conducted with absolute authority and insight by Jonathan Nott. Though Nott is recognized as a champion for contemporary music, it should be mentioned that this young lad conducts the masters as well: he has audiences basking in Korngold and Mahler at his LA Philharmonic debut! Grady Harp, October 05

Average customer rating:

The Simplicities and Complexities of Faith
Kate is great!
You need something like this, but maybe not this

For the Living of These Days
Kate Campbell , and Spooner Oldham
Manufacturer: Large River Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Blues and Lamentations
Wandering Strange
Ruby's Torch
These Four Walls
Twang on a Wire

ASIN: B000H7JE26
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Tracks:

Jesus Christ
If I Ever Get To Heaven
Without Him
Be Thou My Vision
Prayer Of Thomas Merton
God Of Grace And God Of Glory
Dark Night Of The Soul
When I Let Jesus Take My Hand
Terrible Mercy
Would They Love Him Down In Shreveport
There's A Wideness In God's Mercy
They Killed Him
Faces In The Water
There Is A Balm In Gilead

Amazon.com

There's no sacrilege intended in terming this spiritually minded collaboration a match made in heaven. Kate Campbell has won a loyal folk following with her purity of tone, literary inspirations, and depth of moral vision. Spooner Oldham has supplied soulful keyboards behind artists ranging from Percy Sledge and Aretha Franklin to Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and has further distinguished himself as songwriting partner of the great Dan Penn. This collection of hymns and contemporary material in a Christian vein benefits from the stripped-down intimacy and one-take immediacy of their performances as a duo. "If I Ever Get to Heaven," a Campbell-Oldham composition, speculates on the afterlife, but the most pointed material concerns the religion's radical message for life on earth, with Woody Guthrie's "Jesus Christ," Bobby Braddock's "Would They Love Him Down in Shreveport," and Kris Kristofferson's "They Killed Him" each suggesting that a second coming could result in another crucifixion. Whereas some of the more traditional-sounding material, such as the Irish "Be Thou My Vision" and "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy," stresses the comforts of religion, original material from Campbell--including "Dark Night of the Soul" and "Terrible Mercy"--explores the complexities. Whatever the message, Oldham's gospel piano and bedrock organ are worth hearing on their own. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

The Simplicities and Complexities of Faith.......2007-03-09

Kate Campbell once again has delivered a product that her fans will love and newcomers to her sound will find intimate. Her unpretentious voice always catches me off guard. This album has some well-known hymns, some less-well-known songs about faith and some original work by Kate. As soon as you think the arrangements are ordinary, she changes it up a little, like she does in God of Grace and God of Glory. My favorite piece is her rendition of There Is A Balm In Gilead. Her un-hurried delivery gives this glorious song a soulful, knowing sound that truly is a balm to the listener's ears.

Kate is great!.......2006-12-31

I'm entranced by all of Kate Campbell
's cds. I hope that you'll sample all of them and love them as much as I do. She has a great voice - her writing matches her voice. I'm from Alabama originally - Kate really speaks to me.

You need something like this, but maybe not this.......2006-10-29

Nothing new here, but a lot of people would say, "Hey, there's not supposed to be anything new about God." These are traditional spirituals, samey, with that wheezy organ and fervent insistence on faith and humility. It's big on that most important feature of spiritual records -- Sincerity. It hits the other points on the genre's checklist with just a hint of Southern Baptist Grandma's country twang. It's pretty. Ms. Campbell's voice is nice and her timing is impeccable. A well-rounded CD collection includes this kind of music, and here it is

Average customer rating:

Britten: Saint Nicolas, Op. 42

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Britten: St. Nicolas; Christ's Nativity
Bach: Cantatas, BWV 4-6
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Mozart: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute)

ASIN: B0002JZ2A2
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Suk: Summer Tale / Fantastic Scherzo - Charles Mackerras / Czech Philharmonic

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous moments
Some parts are questionable
Enticed by Fantastic Scherzo, Moved by A Summer Tale
Massive and Mahlerian
Great music by a neglected composer

Suk: Summer Tale / Fantastic Scherzo - Charles Mackerras / Czech Philharmonic

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Suk: Asrael/Fairy Tale/Serenade
String Serenades
Brahms: Serenades Nos. 1 & 2
Novák: In The Tatra Mountains/Eternal Longing/Slovak Suite
Novák: Lady Godiva/De profundis/Toman and the Wood Nymph

ASIN: B00002MXNF
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Summer Tale Op.29 : Voices of life and consolation
Summer Tale Op.29 : Noon
Summer Tale Op.29 : Intermezzo - Blind musicians
Summer Tale Op.29 : In the power of phantoms
Summer Tale Op.29 : Night
Fantastic Scherzo Op.25

Amazon.com

Cross the openhearted geniality of Dvorák with the large scale and experimental fervor of Mahler and you have Josef Suk, a pupil of Dvorák whose life was changed forever when his wife (Dvorák's daughter) died young. The resulting anguish is where the Mahler element comes in. These works are not as filled with pain and grief as Suk's astonishing Asrael Symphony. In fact, the Scherzo is as happy as Dvorák's famous Scherzo capriccioso. But the broad range and sheer size of Summer Tale (about 50 minutes) are thoroughly Mahlerian, the music consistently involving and captivating. Mackerras, who studied under the great Czech conductor Vaclav Talich, is as completely attuned to Suk's idiom as the orchestra is, and the resulting performances, abetted by excellent sound, are real winners. Highly recommended, especially to lovers of late romanticism. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous moments.......2007-07-03

I have only heard the Summer Tale portion, which is where the 4-star rating comes in rather than a 5-star. I heard it for the first time ever last week. I was drawn in by the haunting beauty of the duet by what must be english horns. And continued to be in awe of the gorgeous moments interspersed in this piece. Parts are typical 20th century-sounding stuff that I normally don't like, but then Suk drops in these absolutely gorgeous and melodious themes that are riveting and compelling. A big YES to this piece! Try it, you'll like it!

Some parts are questionable.......2005-09-13

Summer Tale Op.29 : "Voices of life and consolation" and Summer Tale Op.29 : "Noon" are difficult to hear. The music starts off very low in volume and then reaches a very loud pitch. I was disappointed in this section, but the rest of the CD was wonderful.

Enticed by Fantastic Scherzo, Moved by A Summer Tale.......2004-09-02

Like many classical music lovers, I was more familiar with Joseph Suk's biography than I was with his music. His happy years as a husband with a famous father-in-law (Antonin Dvorak) and the loss he felt when his wife died is a somewhat well known tale, as is the darkness of his music after he was widowed. Yet with the exception of his march "Toward a New Life" and perhaps his "Serenade for Strings," which is often paired on recordings with his father in law's work of the same title, I did not know any of his music. Then our local classical station, WCRB began playing "Fantastic Scherzo" with some regularity. I mistakenly thought it was a piece by Dvorak until I heard the announcer state the work's title. I decided this work is a must have, and so I purchased the recording.

My primary interest in the recording is "Fantastic Scherzo." Sir Charles Mackerras brings out the entire flavor this sumptuous and dreamy piece has to offer. It surprises me that the work is not a more popular concert piece and is not available on more recordings, yet I cannot imagine that the work would be significantly better handled by any other conductor.

Since I purchased the disc primarily for "Fantastic Scherzo," I was not all that interested in "A Summer Tale," at least at first. One day while driving, I decided to give it a listening to, and was amazed at its beauty and complexity. While "Fantastic Scherzo" is a lighter work, reminiscent of his famous father-in-law, "A Summer Tale" reflects other early twentieth century musical influences, particularly Mahler. Listeners will see a variety in the styles of the various movements. As one can except from a conductor such as Mackerras, he explores the work's nuances and subtleties well and is in complete control of the orchestra.

Recordings such as this show that Suk deserves more attention than he often receives. Since most record labels are somewhat skittish (a mild understatement) about releasing new recordings, we may not find all that many new recordings of Suk's work in the near future, but at least we have this recording to give us a glimpse of what we are missing.

Massive and Mahlerian.......2003-07-30

Josef Suk should be far better known, especially when promoted by terrific recordings like this one. Anyone who admires the vast landscapes of Strauss or Mahler should respond to Suk's equally compelling terrain.

The main draw here is "A Summer's Tale," a gigantic tone poem that perfectly harnesses the resources of a huge orchestra -- in this case, the glorious Czech Philharmonic. Sir Charles Mackerras, long an advocate of composers like Janacek and Martinu, here shows that Suk should also be as well-known as either of these.

The filler, the "Fantastic Scherzo," is performed with equal commitment and fervor. (To my ears, the piece needs a new title; it's a little more laid-back and congenial than the word "scherzo" normally indicates.)

Decca's recording is clear, warm and detailed, and only adds to the impact. This is an exceptional recording of seldom-played repertoire, and can't be recommended highly enough. (NB: For those interested in hearing another outstanding version of "A Summer's Tale," a Virgin recording with Libor Pesek and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is also quite marvelous.)

Great music by a neglected composer.......2001-11-17

This was my first exposure to the music of Josef Suk and I was really quite amazed at the quality of much of the music here. "Voices of Life" starts off with a quiet but building intensity , invoking a dramatic sense of something "emerging" from darkness and night. "Noon" is a beautifully orchestrated evocation of, well, noon, with the strings shimmering and radiating with warmth. "Blind Musicians" is a short piece but the sadness it expresses seems endless. "In the Power of Phantoms" is a phantasmogoric nightmare. The final movement is solid; eventful and exciting, but resolving everything with a quiet and noble affirmativeness. I did have some slight reservations about how the whole thing is "put together". The three middle movements bear no relation to each other or the outer movements. The "filler" piece, "Fantastic Scherzo" is a little repetative, and in some places feels "stitched" together, but it features some truly exquisite melodies and striking orchestration. I think any classical music lover will enjoy this disc. That's too broad to be useful. Well, let's just say there are moments in these pieces that remind me of Mahler, Smetana and Dvorak. Maybe that helps. Oh, if you're already familiar with this piece, then you'll should be very happy with this recording. It is impeccably recorded, and both the Czech players and Mackarras have an easily apparent affinity for this music.

Average customer rating:

Classic, but not the definitive...
Essential

Steve Reich 1965-1995

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The John Adams Earbox: A 10-CD Retrospective
Two Pages: Contrary Motion - Music in Fifths
Iannis Xenakis: Percussion Works
Music with Changing Parts
Nancarrow: Studies for Player Piano

ASIN: B000005J4P
Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

Come Out
Piano Phase
It's Gonna Rain, Part I
It's Gonna Rain, Part II
Four Organs

Tracks:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Tracks:

Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ
Clapping Music
Six Marimbas

Tracks:

Music For 18 Musicians: Pulses
Music For 18 Musicians: Section I
Music For 18 Musicians: Section II
Music For 18 Musicians: Section IIIA
Music For 18 Musicians: Section IIIB
Music For 18 Musicians: Section IV
Music For 18 Musicians: Section V
Music For 18 Musicians: Sectionn VI
Music For 18 Musicians: Section VII
Music For 18 Musicians: Section VIII
Music For 18 Musicians: Section IX
Music For 18 Musicians: Section X
Music For 18 Musicians: Section XI
Music For 18 Musicians: Pulses

Tracks:

Eight Lines
Tehillim: Part 1: Fast
Tehillim: Part 2: Fast
Tehillim: Part 3: Slow
Tehillim: Part 4: Fast

Tracks:

The Desert Music: First Movement
The Desert Music: Second Movement
The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part One
The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part Two
The Desert Music: Third Movement, Part Three
The Desert Music: Fourth Movement
The Desert Music: Fifth Movement

Tracks:

Works: New York Counterpoinnt: Fast
Works: New York Counterpoint: Slow
Works: New York Counterpoint: Fast
Works: Sextet: 1st Movement
Works: Sextet: 2nd Movement
Works: Sextet: 3rd Movement
Works: Sextet: 4th Movement
Works: Sextet: 5th Movement
Works: I. Strings
Works: II. Percussion
Works: III. Winds And Brass
Works: IV. Full Orchestra

Tracks:

Works: Different Trains - America - Before The War
Works: Different Trains - Europe - During The War
Works: Different Trains - After The War
Works: Electric Counterpoint - Fast
Works: Electric Counterpoint - Slow
Works: Electric Counterpoint - Fast
Works: Movement I
Works: Movement II
Works: Movement III

Tracks:

The Cave: Typing Music
The Cave: Who Is Abraham?
The Cave: Who Is Ishmael?
The Cave: Genesis XVIII
The Cave: Genesis XXI
The Cave: The Casting Out Of Ishmael And Hager
The Cave: Machpelah
The Cave: Genesis XXV
The Cave: Interior Of The Cave
The Cave: Surah 3
The Cave: El Khalil Commentary
The Cave: Who Is Abraham?W
The Cave: Who Is Sarah?
The Cave: Who Is Hagar?
The Cave: Who Is Ishmael?
The Cave: The Binding Of Isaac
The Cave: The Cave Of Machpelah

Tracks:

Proverb
Nagoya Marimbas
City Life: 'Check It Out'
City Life: Pile Driver - alarms
City Life: 'It's Been A Honeymoon - Can't Take No Mo'
City Life: Heartbeats - Boats & Buoys
City Life: 'Heavy Smoke'

Amazon.com essential recording

In the afterglow of his 60th birthday in 1997, Nonesuch Records delivered Steve Reich and his listeners an immense gift, this 10-CD retrospective of his work for the label, extending from his earliest tape-manipulation pieces to his most recent compositions utilizing samplers and the video artistry of Beryl Korot. Aside from the ear's liquid sense-making when it hears the dense and limber marimbas of Reich's Six Marimbas or his taut, dizzying Piano Phase, there is a physical response almost inevitable in Reich's music. It stuns and holds you. And he knows it. It's Gonna Rain struck an early chord of inventiveness, featuring an African American Pentecostal preacher's sermon and eventually spinning the title phrase into a jangling repetition of single words. Percussion works abound here: Clapping and Drumming stun with their deceptive similarity and warm clarity. Perennial favorite Piano Phase features pianists Nurit Tilles and Eduard Neumann synched up on two pianos and careening at full tilt in unison before their four hands fall out of time and phrase with each other, only to realign in a powerful swooping demonstration of energy and focus. The latter CDs hold abundant delights, many revealing Reich's late-discovered spiritualism and Judaica: Different Trains' examination of the Holocaust; Tehillim's shimmering Hebrew texts sung with fascinating choral power; Proverb's invocation of Perotin. Closing the set are recent pieces: Nagoya Marimbas, and the sampler-rich City Life and The Cave. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Classic, but not the definitive..........2004-05-20

While a multi CD collection spanning 30 years does sound very promsing, Nonesuch cannot offer all of the best recordings of some of Reich's masterpieces (Music for 18 Musicians or Drumming), and some have been missed out completely (Music for a Large Ensemble), presumably because the piece was not recorded under the Nonesuch label. While the collection is formidable, a listener wanting to hear the best recordings of all the pieces might do better seeking out the older (or longer!) recordings of the pieces.

Essential.......1999-02-24

The term "essential" gets thrown about too much. And heck, the claim that certain words get thrown about too much gets thrown about too much. But here is a collection that really *is* essential to understanding the nature of a whole shift not just in classical music, but in popular music and indeed in popular culture. So many of Reich's ideas and concepts have become so deeply embedded in current classical music, film scoring (any number of examples, but think about Tangerine Dream's score for "Risky Business" and Hans Zimmer's score for "Thin Red Line," for starters), electronic music and even the visual arts.

This box set gives the listener all of Reich's major works. I can't even attempt to describe them individually, but every one of these 10 CDs is compelling. For the totally uninitiated, take out "Music for 18 Musicians" (presented here in a crystalline new recording) to get an idea of what the core of this guy is all about. From there, you might want to listen to "Different Trains," "Electric Counterpoint" and "Six Marimbas" to get an idea of the pointillistic pulse minimalism that Reich contributed to the world. The earlier material is the more challenging, exploring the subtleties of rythym, phase relationships between sounds and shifting timings. Among these, the new recording of "Four Organs" is just outstanding.

Tracks:

The Wayward - U.S. Highball-A Musical Account of a Transcontinental Hobo Trip (1943, rev. 1955)
The Wayward - San Francisco--A Setting of the Cries of Two Newsboys on a Foggy Night in the Twenties (1943, rev. 1955)
The Wayward - The Letter (1943, rev. 1972)
The Wayward - Barstow--Eight Hitchhiker Inscriptions from a Highway Railing at Barstow, California (1941, rev. 1968)
And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma (1963-64, rev. 1966)

Album Description

Harry Partch's compositions of the 1940s—and to some extent his work in general—have remained until recently an unwritten chapter in the history of American music. And yet it was these very pieces—the collection of four works he would later collectively entitle The Wayward—that brought him to the attention of the New York musical world. His concert of these pieces for the League of Composers (April 22, 1944) established for him a small but permanent reputation as a musical maverick who had wandered off well-worn tracks and had developed a sort of lateral extension of his art, independently of any of the main circles of American music.

The musical starting point of the compositions of The Wayward is the inflections and rhythms of everyday American speech. From the beginnings of his mature output in 1930 Partch had been devoted to what he called "the intrinsic music of spoken words," and these four works capture something of the spontaneous musicality of the conversations of the hoboes he befriended during the Depression. In their original form these pieces used only the small collection of instruments Partch had built or customized by 1943: Adapted Viola, Adapted Guitar, Chromelodeon, and Kithara. The versions recorded here are all later reworkings, sometimes with only small changes (as in the case of San Francisco), and sometimes involving a substantial amount of recomposition (as in the case of U.S. Highball).

The final work on this disc dates from twenty years later than the compositions of The Wayward, and represents one of the high points of Partch's later instrumental idiom. And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma was composed in Petaluma, California, in March-April 1964, and revised at various times and places until the completion of the final copy of the score in San Diego in October 1966. It marks a radical departure from the theater works he had written at the University of Illinois in the early 1960s, and shows a renewed concentration on technical innovation and on fusing his activities as composer and instrument-builder within the context of a single composition. Newly remastered.

Of related interest:
80621 The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 1

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music