Portraits from NPR

Portraits from NPR

ASIN: B00000IXD2

Track Listings

1. Portrait of Tony Bennett

2. Portrait of Wynton Marsalis

3. Portrait of William F. Buckley, Jr.

4. Portrait of Paul Shaffer

5. Portrait of Dizzy

6. Portrait of Ruth Laredo

7. Portrait of Bobby Short

8. Portrait of Marcia Ball

9. Portrait of Chick Corea

10. Portrait of Eddie Palmieri

11. Portrait of Helen Merrill

12. Portrait of Mercer Ellington

13. Portrait of Roberta Piket

14. Portrait of Murray Horwitz

15. Portrait of Bud Powell

16. Portrait of Branford Marsalis

17. Portrait of Fred Hersch

18. Portrait of Judy Collins

19. Portrait of Willie Ruff

20. Portrait of Carmen McRae

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
From the Label
National Public Radio(r) created NPR(r) Classics in 1996 to preserve, strengthen, and extend the life and reach of many of NPR's unique, historic, and high-quality productions and recordings.

Product Description
Marian McPartland celebrates 20 years on public radio with this tribute to her many guests who have appeared on Piano Jazz. The CD contains musical portraits of 23 guests including Paul Shaffer, Chick Corea, Carmen McRae, and Ray Charles.

Portraits from NPR

Tracks:

A Song For All Seas, All Ships - Andante Maestoso - London Symphony Chorus
On The Beach At Night, Alone - Largo Sostenuto - London Symphony Chorus
Scherzo: The Waves - Allegro Brillante - London Symphony
The Explorers - Grave E Molto Adagio - London Symphony Chorus

Tracks:

Lento: Allegro Risoluto
Lento
Scherzo (Nocturne)
Andante Con Moto; Maestoso Alla Marcia; Allegro; Lento; Epilogue
Allegro Pesante - James Oliver Buswell IV
Adagio - James Oliver Buswell IV
Presto - James Oliver Buswell IV
Overture

Tracks:

Molto Moderato - Douglas Cummings
Lento Moderato - Douglas Cummings
Moderato Pesante - Douglas Cummings
Lento - Douglas Cummings
Allegro
Andante Moderato
Scherzo: Allegro Molto
Finale Con Epilogo Fugato: Allegro Molto

Tracks:

Preludio: Moderato
Scherzo: Prestso
Romanza: Lento
Passacaglia: Moderato
Explorer
Poet
Queen
Allegro Moderato - John Fletcher
Romanza: Andante Sostenuto - John Fletcher
Finale: Rondo Alla Tedesca - John Fletcher

Tracks:

Allegro
Moderato
Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
Epilogue: Moderato
Moderato Maestoso
Andante Sostenuto
Scherzo: Allegro Pesante
Andante Tranquillo

Tracks:

Spoken Introduction - The Ambrosian Singers
Prelude: Andante Maestoso - The Ambrosian Singers
Spoken Introduction - The Ambrosian Singers
Scherzo: Moderato; Poco Animato - The Ambrosian Singers
Spoken Introduction - The Ambrosian Singers
Landscape: Lento - The Ambrosian Singers
Spoken Introduction - The Ambrosian Singers
Intermezzo: Andante Sostenuto - The Ambrosian Singers
Spoken Introduction - The Ambrosian Singers
Epilogue: Alla Marcia Moderato (Ma Non Troppo) - The Ambrosian Singers
Fantasia (Variazioni Senza Tema)
Scherzo Alla Marcia (Per Stromenti A Fiato)
Cavatina (Per Stromenti Ad Arco)
Toccata

Customer Reviews:

A Great First Buy on Ralph Vaughan Williams........2007-06-05

Up until recently, I was only vaguely familiar with the music of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. After reading the reviews and noticing the lower than usual price for this set, I thought I'd give it a listen. I'm definitely glad I did as this is some very beautiful music indeed.
All nine of Vaughan William's symphonies are included here along with four bonus pieces, the Concerto Accademico for Violin, the Bass Tuba Concerto, "Three Portraits from the England of Elizabeth" and the overture for the stage play "The Wasps".
Conductor Andre Previn definitely brings these works to life in a mighty way. The "Sea Symphony" is a real standout with its beautiful choral arrangements and orchestrations. Other standouts are the "Pastoral" third symphony and the dramatic Stravinsky-esque fourth symphony.
Indeed, all of the music here is something special and I'm very satisfied to have this set as my introduction to the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Like other reviewers have stated here, this is definitely a must-have collection and I can't think of a better way to start a Vaughan Williams library than with this.

A small footnote: After listening to the first movement of "A Sea Symphony", it may be quite possible that John Lennon sampled a small section of it for "Revolution 9" on the Beatles' White Album. The section in question occurs roughly 12 minutes into the first movement. It's very brief but it immediately stuck out once it was heard.

Vaughan Williams' wonderful music at last..........2007-04-21

Ralph Vaughan Williams was in my opinion one of the very greatest composers of music. Never content with what he had just written, but nevertheless staunch in his principles, over his lifetime he created a series of amazingly vital and original pieces. I could write many pages about these works, so will just say a little about my favorite of all, the incredible Symphony No 8 in D minor. Written at the extraordinary age of 86, the sheer musical inventiveness of this truly unbelievable piece is without equal and I include here all the "great" classical composers such as Beethoven, Brahms and the like. The first movement "Variations in search of a theme" is serious, thought-provoking and modern, yet unmistakably RVW. Its one of the most original first movements ever written ( owing nothing whatsoever to the classical tradition) and though asking more questions than it answers, is a movement even if you have never listened to any of RVWs music before demands attention and absolutely requires you to listen more. The second movement "Cavatina" is one of the most ghostly-beautiful slow movements ever written. The only thing I can really compare it with is RVWs own "The Lark Ascending" though for me this is a far more complex and challenging piece. I have listened to Barber's famous " Adagio for Strings", written at about the same time as this,and for me, this is an even greater and more moving piece - well Barber hadn't written the so-called "Pastoral" Symphony for practice had he ? The third movement is a typically gruff RVW scherzo. I can just see the old geezer galumphing round his garden complaining about his musicians, modern taxation, life in general... It's really funny and whenever can you say that of Mozart, Beethoven , Brahms and company...?The fourth movement is is ...how on earth do you describe this absolutely extraordinary finale. Part village band, part religious apotheosis, this is music truly not of the everyday earth which we inhabit, but something much more glorious, more astonishing... In this movement RVW uses just about every musical instrument known to man - he must have had enormous fun composing it... but the first entry of the celeste is the moment you all need to listen for.

André Previn has chosen some of the very finest of RVWs works to record on this set and for me this is his greatest testament as a conductor. His sheer (and somewhat amazing in itself as a jazz musician) love for RVWs music comes out tops here. A great recording and an absolutely tremendous bargain.

Previn & Vaughan Williams: An Excellent Coupling.......2007-01-10

I have some of these recordings on RCA Red Seal LPs from the late 1960's. I think it is one the best of three symphony cycles in my possession. The other two are Colin Davis/Sibelius and Herbert Blomstedt/Nielsen. Some of my RVW LPs are Adrian Boult and some are Andre Previn. I prefer Previn. Previn really digs into this music. My three favorites: #2 (London), #3 (Pastoral) and #5. It gives me goose bumps being able to listen to them without rice krispies in the background. Kudos to RCA for re-releasing these gems.

Can't get any better.......2004-07-19

If you've ever thought of getting all of the RVW symphonies but haven't, because of cost or what not, there are no more excuses. This is the best set ever. Previn and the LSO had a magical relationship 30 years ago, and no one has ever done these symphonies better. If you find some of them tough nuts to crack, don't worry; RVW isn't easy music, but it is well worth it. It's not supposed to be simple. The only caveat: analog sound. Now RCA was capable of great sound in the 1970's, and the sound is frankly better than the newer RCA series with Slatkin. But if superb digital sound is paramount, you won't go wrong with Handley's set with Liverpool. It's another top notch cycle. Still, I rate Previn tops in this music. RCA is to be commended for releasing this set, as well as the others in the series...check them out!

Comprehensive and Impressive Collection.......2004-04-07

Listen to the bold beginning of Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony, and you've captured the essence of VW at his best. This is the first of 9 symphonies by a composer who is surely England's greatest Symphonist. His essays in the form span the first half of the twentieth century, but include few of its radical elements. Vaughan Williams was a traditionalist throughout, and surely it was that conservative outlook that drew him to the symphonic form in the first place.

Listening to his second symphony, A London Symphony, one hears typical Vaughan Williams-almost entirely melodic in its conception, with lots of diatonic, modal or pentatonic writing, and a touch of chromatic harmony to flavour the melody. It's beautiful, and the music spans a wide emotional gamut from intense introspection to joyous celebration. Only in the 4th Symphony does VW really open himself to a more contrapuntal and dissonant style, and the consequence is that the composition becomes quite reminiscent of Prokofiev or Schostakovich, the two other great Symphonists of the time. Following the 5th Symphony, however, I feel that VW's artistic output suffers. The later pieces, with the exception of the 7th Symphony, Sinfonia Antarctica-based on music he'd composed for the film Scott of the Antarctic--lack the vigor and excitement of the earlier works. They're more introspective, perhaps as befits an older composer, but they don't speak to me as strongly as, say, the later symphonies of Mahler or Schostakovich. Perhaps it is that VW was resistant to change in his basic musical outlook, but by the 1950's, the diatonic/pentatonic ideas he frequented had become increasingly irrelevant. That VW was brilliant and a master craftsman is unquestionable, but he seemed to need new fuel for his compositional fires and was unwilling to consider the atonality of Schoenberg and his followers, the rhythmic vitality of Stravinsky and Bartok, or even the orchestral colours and dramatic juxtapositions of Gustav Mahler. There are still many moments of brilliance, but as a whole the later works move me less.

All of the performances by Andre Previn and the London symphony Orchestra are superb-no one plays this music better. With 9 Symphonies and four other orchestral works-the Concerto Accademico, the Tuba Concerto, the Wasps Overture, and Three Portraits from The England of Elisabeth-this collection is packed with value, and I can scarcely do it justice in the limited room I have. While the Concerto Accademico seems aptly titled and not terribly engaging, the Three Portraits are a gem of VW's work for television. Its worth the price for the first two symphonies and the Sinfonia Antarctica alone, everything else is just gravy--or perhaps I should say, baked beans on toast! All in all, a terrific deal.

Portraits Of Freedom: Music of Aaron Copland and Roy Harris
Average customer rating:

The True Spirit Of America

Great Lesser-known Masterpieces

James Earl Jones Is SUPURB

Great Fourth of July album

Perfect collection of patriotic fare.

Portraits Of Freedom: Music of Aaron Copland and Roy Harris
Aaron Copland , Roy Harris , Gerard Schwarz , Seattle Symphony Orchestra , James Earl Jones , and Seattle Chorale
Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Harris | Harris, Roy | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Copland conducts Copland

Copland: Old American Songs/Canticle Of Freedom/Four Motets

Copland: Music for Films

Aaron Copland: Lincoln Portrait; Old American Songs

Copland: The Music of America

ASIN: B0000006YT
Release Date: 1994-05-03

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man
Lincoln Portrait
Canticle Of Freedom
An Outdoor Overture
American Creed: Free To Dream
American Creed: Free To Build
When Johnny Comes Marching Home

Amazon.com

This is a mixture of choral and orchestral music by two great American composers, music that can only be described as patriotic. But don't let that keep you away from Copland's heartbreaking Lincoln Portrait or Roy Harris's much-neglected American Creed. James Earl Jones supplies the narration in Lincoln Portrait. American Creed is filled with Harris's usual open harmonies and melodic expansiveness and is actually a very complex triple fugue. The miking for this entire recording isn't as close to the orchestra or clear as it could be, but this is a great collection nonetheless. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

The True Spirit Of America.......2006-05-18

It is often the case that the true spirit of America can be found in the artists it has given the world throughout history. And no composer embodies our nation's spirit much better than Aaron Copland, as can be gauged on this Delos recording of works by him and fellow American composer Roy Harris, as performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under music director Gerard Schwarz.

The true essence of patriotism, a term too often used for less-than-honorable ends by certain political operatives throughout history, is very evident in both Copland's and Harris' works. Harris is represented by the intensely proud two-part work "American Creed", and his 1935 overture "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", based on the famous World War I song. It is also evident in Copland's rarely heard "Canticle Of Freedom", which here is sung by the Seattle Symphony Chorale.

It is in the three popular Copland pieces--"Fanfare For The Common Man"; "Lincoln Portrait"; and "An Outdoor Overture"--that the best of America lies. The towering brass chorale of "Fanfare" symbolizes, as its title surely indicates, the ability of the common man to achieve the uncommon; while "An Outdoor Overture", written in the 1930s for the Manhattan High School of Music & Art, celebrates American youth. And then there's "Lincoln Portrait", with the words of our 16th president spoken by James Earl Jones, one of our country's greatest actors and voices, with great strength and authority, allowing us to know that while we may be the greatest nation on Earth, we can ALWAYS be better. Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony provide masterful performances throughout this stunning 1992 recording. This is highly recommended for anyone wanting to know the true spirit of our nation beyond the constant and often wreckless political rhetoric that so often abounds here.

Great Lesser-known Masterpieces.......2005-11-03

Portraits of Freedom is a CD featuring works by Aaron Copland and Roy Harris which have a special emphasis on democracy. Not just a "hack" American music CD, features include the very well known to some virtually unknown compositions making this a welcome addition to the Copland/Harris recorded music oeuvre.

Fanfare for the Common Man brings nothing new, but it is such a great miniature. Less recorded is the Lincoln Portrait. Copland opens with a slow triumphant fanfare melody which gives way to a faster "Camptown Races" melody and brilliantly weaves the two together. The piece ends with a dramatic reading by James Earl Jones.

Canticle of Freedom, rarely heard, features chorus. The music and text are interesting enough to wonder why it has been neglected. Along with the Outdoor Overture, Copland uses not only uses his trademark rhythms and harmonies, but dissonance is judiciously placed to give his music an American experience.

Roy Harris' American Creed and When Johnny Comes Marching Home are also rarely heard, nonetheless recorded. Harris' music is a bit more ponderous than that of Copland, and while Harris sticks with more classical formal designs, it is interesting to note the many harmonic and orchestration similarities which exist between the two composers. Harris' energetic "When Johnny..." is also very interesting, especially when compared to the more famous American Salute by Morton Gould.

The liner notes are voluminous accounts into the background of Copland. You really get the gist of how close he was to music and patriotism and how that evolved throughout the 20th Century. The Seattle Symphony plays well on this disk; you can tell they have a real feel of the music. While you can find better recordings of Fanfare and the Outdoor Overture, you can't beat this Lincoln Portrait, and you probably won't find the other works anywhere else, especially so well performed. Copland was serious about music and democracy and it shows in these works; the lesser known ones are greatly eclipsed by his more famous works, and so you probably have to be a Copland junkie to buy this CD. In that case, this will be an easy buy for you!

James Earl Jones Is SUPURB.......2004-10-02

I have listened to several recordings of the Lincoln Portait narrated by Henry Fonda, Carl Sandberg and Katherine Hepburn. James Earl Jones surpases all of them by a wide margin. Every word James speaks comes from his heart and it is a moving experience.

An interesting note: Every speaker since James reads the following line, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." with the emphasis on the words "of", "by" and "for". When James reads it he shift the emphasis to the word "people" each time and it makes an impressive difference. He is masterful. I've must have played this piece at least 10 times since I received it a week ago.

Buy it!

Jeff

Great Fourth of July album.......2003-01-11

If you buy this CD, you'll probably do so for Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." You won't be disappointed, either, for this is one of the best renditions of that particular symphonic war-horse in print. It's well performed, and James Earl Jones's majestic voice transcends the kitschier aspects of Copland's narration.

"Fanfare for the Common Man" is also here in all its brassy glory, although if you're like me you've heard it so often it gives you a headache. But in all likelihood you haven't heard the other Copland works on this CD: "Canticle of Freedom" and the seldom-performed "An Outdoor Overture." "An Outdoor Overture" is second-tier Copland -- a pleasant symphonic poem, nothing too remarkable. "Canticle of Freedom," on the other hand, exemplifies Copland's worst tendencies as a composer; most of it is just noisy and not musically interesting.

The real surprise here is Roy Harris's three-movement "American Creed," which is both inspiring and musically sound. It is a patriotic symphony that mostly avoids bombast, and it ought to be performed far more often. Harris is a much underrated composer, and this is one of his best works.

On the whole, this CD is a smashing good classical music collection for a Flag Day or Fourth of July holiday -- or for any time you just want to celebrate being an American.

Perfect collection of patriotic fare........1999-10-14

The inclusion of Copland's "Fanfare" and "A Lincoln Portrait" into a CD such as this is a no-brainer, but these recordings are the best of their kind--tremendous sound, and the quintessential narrator in Jones to complete it. Schwarz also blesses us with one of Copland's little-known choral works that sends a powerful patriotic message, and the "Outdoor Overture" is simply Copland at his jovial best at the prime of his composing career. The selected Harris works add further impact to the disc: the only recording available of "American Creed," along with Harris' unforgettable interpretation of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," round it out wonderfully. The Roy Harris works may be the true highlight of the disc--if that's possible. Another splendid job by Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony.

Philip Smith, Principal Trumpet, New York Philharmonic

Average customer rating:

Philip Smith shines
Flawless
Good variety, superb performances
Top Notch!!
One of the finest trumpet-and-piano discs you'll hear.

Philip Smith, Principal Trumpet, New York Philharmonic

Manufacturer: Cala Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Orchestral Excerpts For Trumpet
David Hickman, Trumpet
From Moscow With Love
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ASIN: B00000FDEJ
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

Concert Piece For Eight Trumpets
Intrada
Lnde
Triptyque: Scherzo
Triptyque: Largo
Triptyque: Saltarelle
To a Wild Rose
Amazing Grace
Someone To Watch Over Me
Festival Fanfare For Eight Trumpets
Brass Music: Rondo For Lifey
Brass Music: Fanfare For Bima
Song For Cornet
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Andante
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Allegro molto
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Adagio
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Allegro molto
Two Portraits: Psalm
Two Portraits: Incantation
There's A Great Day Coming For Six Trumpets

Customer Reviews:

Philip Smith shines.......2007-07-01

We have here yet another installment of the CALA New York Legends series, and it is no less beautiful and superb than any previous. Philip Smith, the principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic for over 20 years now, with this album, fully shows why he was both given that position and how he has been able to maintain it with the respect of trumpet players worldwide. Indeed I recommend any of the albums from that series, and I think it must be something in the water because these New Yorkers are all phenomenal musicians, from Glenn Dicterow, to Jeanne Baxtresser, and on to Philip Myers and Joseph Alessi.

Philip Smith begins the album with a concert piece for 8 trumpets featuring other fabulous trumpet players of whom great things have also been heard. He then continues on with the Intrada written by friend/composer/pianist Joseph Turrin, which is rapidly becoming a popular recital piece among trumpet players despite its youth. The album then proceeds to two pieces well known to trumpet players for both their aesthetic values and also their difficulty. Smith plays Legend by Enescu and the Tomasi Triptyque with enviable beauty and technique. We are then treated to an American tribute where Philip Smith brings beauty and grace to such famous tunes known to all Americans such as Amazing Grace and Someone to Watch Over Me. We then have another multiple trumpet piece which is here a fanfare which again features New York's finest. We are then given the 2 remaining movements of the Brass Music chamber piece written by Bernstein, and which the remaining movements are included on the albums by Philip Myers and Joseph Alessi. Philip Smith then delights us with a gorgeous song for cornet. The highlight of this album is indeed here where the Trio for Trumpet, Violin, and Piano by Eric Ewazen is taken and given such beauty that it redefines the word. Ewazen's name is known well to any brass player for his chamber music, and this is his largest rising piece and is performed very frequently for a piece less than 15 years old, and listening to this performance, you are left in no doubt why. This "recorded recital" finishes up with two portraits and a jazzy piece, the portraits again a gift to us by Joseph Turrin, and "It's a great day coming" for six trumpets a well-known piece that shows us that Philip Smith, master of the orchestral trumpet can also handle himself well enough in the jazz setting as well.

This album is a wonderful argument in favour of everything that the 20th and 21st century chamber trumpet is. You would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable or better performed disc of trumpet chamber music. Philip Smith's technique rivals that of any trumpet soloist (indeed he has soloed himself with the New York Philharmonic no less than 75 times in his career thus far), and his lyric playing is quite obviously supreme and seems almost to contain the beauty that one hears in the performance of a string master in his mastery of phrasing. Any trumpet enthusiast or performer should not under any circumstances be without this disc. Even if the trumpet isn't your cup of tea, I still recommend this disc, and indeed I have personally showed this one to people who do not like the sound of the trumpet who have themselves later gone and purchased this album for themselves. It's not the cheapest CD ever, this is true, but it is worth easily 4 or 5 other chamber trumpet CDs, so the price is still more than fair.

In short, an absolutely brilliant musical statement that is most essential to any brass player and highly recommended for any other chamber music enthusiast.

Flawless.......2006-04-06

Phil Smith's performance on this album is pure perfection. I have many albums that display a performer's dazzling technique, but few with equal artistry and musicality. Truly, this is a 'must have' for any collection.

Good variety, superb performances.......2005-08-12

Philip Smith collaborates with some other excellent trumpeters (including Fred Mills, Vince Penzarella, and Robert Sullivan) in this album. The Tomasi Triptyque is well executed, with good dynamics, articulation, and tone. Basically, you can't find fault with Smith's playing on any of these recordings. The Ewazen Trio is another good piece, showing off the warmth of Phil's playing. It's also good to hear the several large fanfare pieces, which allow all the guys to open up and blow. This cd will please trumpet aficionados and the regular listener.

Top Notch!!.......2002-06-12

This CD has quickly become one of my favorite trumpet CD's. Philip Smith is sensational. I particularly enjoyed the Enescu and the Ewazen. I heard the Ewazen on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and quickly called to find out where I could purchase the CD.

One of the finest trumpet-and-piano discs you'll hear........2001-07-13

This is superb trumpet playing in solo and ensemble settings. I've never heard the Enesco "Legende" played better. Smith has a long history as a cornet and trumpet soloist with Salvation Army bands. He can sound alternately brilliant and mellow, stident and serene. This disc has changed my trumpet playing for the better and given me lots of enjoyment. Smith takes a simple song like "Amazing Grace" and makes something truly memorable of it. Truly gorgeous tone production and phrasing.

Kudos also go to Joseph Turrin for his excellent accompaniment. His compositions are first-rate too, especially the first of his "Two Portraits."

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man
Be Glad, Then, America
Festival Ov On 'The Star Spangled Banner' - Saint Louis SO Chorus/Thomas Peck
National Emblem March
Fugue And Choral On 'Yankee Doodle'
American Fantasia
El Capitan
Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Saint Louis SO Chorus/Thomas Peck
Servicemen On Parade
Lincoln Portrait - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Average customer rating:

Powerful and Striking
As close to Nirvana as music can get
Great combination of Vaughan Williams
And I was only interested in the last piece!
A must have for all brass players

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, etc.

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mahler: Symphonies 1 & 2

ASIN: B000003F2J
Release Date: 1990-10-10

Tracks:

Symphony No.5 In D: Preludio: Moderato
Symphony No.5 In D: Scherzo: Presto
Symphony No.5 In D: Romanza: Lento
Symphony No.5 In D: Passacaglia: Moderato
Three Portraits From 'The England Of Elizabeth' (Adaptation By Muir Mathieson): Explorer
Three Portraits From 'The England Of Elizabeth' (Adaptation By Muir Mathieson): Poet
Three Portraits From 'The England Of Elizabeth' (Adaptation By Muir Mathieson): Queen
Concerto In F Minor For Bass Tuba And Orchestra: Allegro moderato
Concerto In F Minor For Bass Tuba And Orchestra: Romanza: Andante sostenuto
Concerto In F Minor For Bass Tuba And Orchestra: Finale: Rondo alla tedesca

Customer Reviews:

Powerful and Striking.......2007-02-13

I love the London Symphony orchestra and Tuba's, what a striking match! These Tuba concerto's are the only reason I bought this CD. And it was well worth the $10. I love Vaughan Williams exspecially his tuba concerto Prelude. As a Tubist I know how difficult this piece is, and I understand how well the tubist played it.

As close to Nirvana as music can get.......2004-04-27

Vaughan Williams' 5th Symphony is not meant to be for casual listening. In this symphony Vaughan Williams gets really personal, and he drags the tears forcibly out of your eyes. As with the 4th and 6th symphonies, people have puzzled a great deal over just what the composer was trying to say in this work. On my part, I always like to imagine that he was setting to music the story of the life of the Buddha. This actually need not be that far-fetched an idea in view of the fact that Gustav 'The Planets' Holst, one of Vaughan Wiliams' closest friends, was a great enthusiast with respect to Hindu thought and literature; some of the enthusiasm might have rubbed off on Vaughan Williams, for all you know.

If we grant the idea of a musical biography of the Buddha our indulgence, the first movement will have to be a depiction of the youth of Prince Siddhartha. One could really hear in the dark-sounding chromatic theme the Prince's sightings of the ills of old age, disease and death. The movement ends in a triumphantly affirmative clarion call that ebbs into silence -- perhaps the Prince's resolution to deliver all sentient beings from suffering. The second movement could be thought of as a meditation on the transitoriness and evanascence of all conditioned phenomena, how all things arise and pass away in endless flux like a shadow-play; again the dark-sounding (and somewhat coarse) chromatic theme sneaks in -- I fancy this is the human ego, sunk in delusion -- and it eventually blares up angrily and makes a big mess before dying away with the music flowing on as before.

The third movement is perhaps emotionally the weightiest of all. Here is spiritual longing and suffering at its near-unendurable extreme. (Everytime I listen to this movement, I cry.) One thinks of the Prince's six-year-long spiritual quest. The fourth movement starts quietly but builds up to a really happy climax before being momentarily overcast with fear, the darkness being resolutely driven away as the music passes through a brief moment of quiet before mounting up to an absolutely colossal restatement of the opening theme of the symphony. Surely this is the Buddha's Supreme Enlightenment! The music calms down, and you are lifted into a realm of warmth and radiance far removed from this vale of tears...

I really don't consider the 'Three Portraits of Elizabethan England' (also included in this album) to be Vaughan Williams at his best (nor his 'Sea Symphony'). The movement 'Poet' features a jaunty violin solo, but 'Explorer' and 'Queen' are really a bit too 'lumpy and stodgy', to use the composer's own words. The 'gallumphing oom-pah' is... well... not very good music...

Great combination of Vaughan Williams.......2004-03-08

This disk makes a splendid introduction to Vaughan Williams.
The symphony is more concise than many of his other sypmhonies, so those new to VW can develop their patience slowly. And the accompanying works are probably worth the price of the disk by themselves. I need not say much about the Tuba Concerto, as others have "trumpeted" its merits here already. But my favorite pieces here are the Elizabethan Portraits. Like the symphony, they are concise, short, and very exciting!.
The symphony is well done, like the rest of Previn's cycle. I prefer Vernon Handley's recording for the symphony, but the Previn is more than acceptable.
Few combinations as diverse and satisfying like this exist. Grab it!
The disk is also now available in a boxed set, Amazon ASIN # B00011MK74, for a phenomenal price.

And I was only interested in the last piece!.......2003-01-08

Wow...will there ever be another genius like Ralph Vaughan Williams, savior of English tonality? And to think, I was only interested in the Tuba Concerto (which is the pinnacle of writing for the instrument!)!

A must have for all brass players.......2002-08-27

The Tuba Concerto by Ralph Vaughn Williams has always been wonderful piece. This recording by John Fletcher gives this piece due credit. The amazing musicianship portrayed by John Fletcher really shows. His thick vibrant, tone sings from the orchestra.
The 5th symphony is also a good recording. I bought this CD for the tuba concerto, but after listening to the symphony, I went out and bought the rest of the Previn/LSO symphonies.

Average customer rating:

A "must have" for all bassists
A "must have" for all bassists

Double Bass Portraits

Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000031VTI
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

Boccherini: Sonata in A
Boccherini: Sonata in A
Bloch: Meditation Hebraique
Schumann: FantasiestOp. 73
Bartok: Romanian Dances, Sz. 56
Bartok: Romanian Dances, Sz. 56
Bartok: Romanian Dances, Sz. 56
Bartok: Romanian Dances, Sz. 56
Bartok: Romanian Dances, Sz. 56
Brahms: Sonatensatz, Op. Posth.
Haydn: Divertimento in D (arr. Piatiagorsky)
Haydn: Divertimento in D (arr. Piatiagorsky)
Haydn: Divertimento in D (arr. Piatiagorsky)
Faure: Elegie, Op. 24
Monti: Czardas

Customer Reviews:

A "must have" for all bassists.......2000-08-11

This splendid recording by Mr. Bradetich exhibits a fine example of the virtuosity and refinement in the technique of today's bassists. This extremely enjoyable recording of Mr. Bradetich's transcriptions for bass showcase his very natural musical ability through a variety of styles. The tone, the phrasing, the depth, it's all there and more! This is a very nice collection of pieces for the double bass recorded with precision and clarity. I hope that all bassists will add this c.d. to their library! As for Mr. Bradetich, I can't wait for the next album!

A "must have" for all bassists.......2000-08-11

Average customer rating:

Sinatra - Portraits From the Past

Manufacturer: Bravura
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000EK953O

Product Description

Released for the first time, unforgettable live broadcast and V-disc performances from the 1940s have finally been captured in these brilliantly recorded performances. Orchestra conducted by Axel Stordahl.

American Portraits-The American Music Sampler

Average customer rating:

A Must-Have CD

American Portraits-The American Music Sampler
Gian Carlo Menotti , Paul Creston , Bernard Herrmann , Quincy Porter , Franz Waxman , Howard Hanson , Miklos Rozsa , William Schuman , James Sinclair , James Sedares , Andrew Schenck , Donald Teeters , Jordania, Vakhtang , Clark, Richard Auldon , and Falletta, Joann
Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Tracks:

Country Band March - J. Sinclair/Orch New England
Fall River Legend Movt III-Church Social - J. Sedares/New Zealand SO
Sym No.3 in a Movt III-Allegro vivace - A. Schenck/New Zealand SO
Christmas Cantata Movt III-Allegro - B. Cecilia/D. Teeters
To the Green Mountains Movt I-Prelude - V. Jordania/KBS SO
Adagio for Strs - J. Sedares/New Zealand SO
Persian Set Movt IV-Presto - R.A. Clark/Manhatten CO
I Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child - Alexa Still/Susan DeWitt Smith
The Last Judgement Movt I-The Resurrection of Eve - J. Falletta/London SO
Three Latin American Sketches Third Sketch-Danza de Jalisco - J. Sedares/Pheonix SO
Some Other Time - New York Festival of Song
Apocalypse Movt III-Gli Angel Militanti - J. DePreist/Oregon Sym
Fanfare for Paratroopers - J. Mester/London PO
The Lovers-Close Your Eyes - A. Schenck/Chicago SO & Chorus
Sym Movt II-Scherzo - J. Sedares/Pheonix SO
Blue Lontains - Alexa Still/Susan DeWitt Smith
Sin for Str Orch & Timp Movt II-Lento - I. Jackson/Berliner Sym
Serenade, Op.35 - N. Braithwaite/A. Still/New Zealand CO
The Vintner's Daughter Variation 7-Alla marcia ongarese - J. Sedares/New Zealand SO
New England Tryptich Movt III-Chester - J. Sedares/Pheonix SO

Customer Reviews:

A Must-Have CD.......2000-11-14

This is a must-have album. Why is this not available? You have Copland, Ives, Gould, Herrmann, Moross and others. These are great American composers. I have never seen such a well rounded and representive body of works from so many great Americans. Go out and find a copy of this one. It's great!

American Portraits: Samuel Barber; Aaron Copland; Heitor Villa-Lobos

Average customer rating:

Good, if skimpy, collection

American Portraits: Samuel Barber; Aaron Copland; Heitor Villa-Lobos

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Adiago For Strings: Adagio For Strings Op. 11
Serenade For Strings I: Serenade For Strings Op. 1 - I
Serenade For Strings II: Serenade For Strings Op. 1 - II
Serenade For Strings III: Serenade For Strings Op. 1 - III
Medea's Meditation And Dance Of Vengeance
Brasilian Dance
El Salon Mexico: El Salexico

Customer Reviews:

Good, if skimpy, collection.......2002-12-06

This disc includes works of two well-known American composers in good, though perhaps not the best available, performances. The Villa-Lobos guitar piece is also performed well, but seems rather in strange company. My main beef is the skimpiness of the material in terms of time (less than 50 minutes). Even for a bargain classical CD that little music seems kind of lame.

Average customer rating:

below average voice and interpretation; admirable program

Women's Voices: Five Centuries of Song
Ann Silsbee , Barbara Strozzi , Germaine Tailleferre , Elizabeth Vercoe , Pauline Viardot , Gwyneth Walker , Judith Lang Zaimont , and Steven Heyman
Manufacturer: Leonarda Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Women of Note ~ Beach, Boulanger, Clarke, Gubaidulina, Larsen, Mendelssohn, Monk, Musgrave, Ran, Zwilich
The Women Composers
Donne Barocche: Women Composers from the Baroque Period

ASIN: B000004AF1
Release Date: 1997-11-25

Tracks:

O Death rock me asleepe
Jubilate Deo (Caterina Assandra)
Maria, dolce Maria (Francesca Caccini)
Amor dormiglione (Barbara Strozzi)
Chiamata a nuovi amori (Barbara Strozzi)
Spesso per entro al petto (Barbara Strozzi)
Das Gartner liedchen aus dem Siegwart (Maria Theresia von Paradis)
Ihr solltet geniessen [from the Singspiel Erwin und Elmire] (Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar)
Fr|hzeitiger Fr|hling (Josephine Lang)
Fr|hling (Fanny Mendelssohn)
Liebst du um Schvnheit (Clara Schumann)
Der Gartner (Viardot-Garcia)
Mot kveld [Toward Evening] (Agathe Backer Grxndahl)
Si tout ceci n'est qu'un pauvre rjve [from Clairihres dans le Ciel] (Lili Boulanger)
Berceuse d'Amorique [Lullabye of Brittany] (Irene Wieniawska Paul, pseud. Poldowski)
Mon mari m'a diffamie [from Six Chansons Frangaise] (Germaine Tailleferre)
Plaintes d'Amour (Cicile Chaminade)
F|nf Lieder, Nr. 3, 4, 5: Laue Sommernacht, Bei dir ist es traut, Ich wandle unter Blumen (Alma Mahler)
Minstrel Man [from Three Dream Portraits] (Margaret Bonds
Infant Joy (Rebecca Clarke)
Rogez [from Ayelet Hashakhar (Morning Star)] (Miriam Gideon)
I would live in your love [from Woman's Love] (Eichelberger Ivey)
I Love the Night (Marion Bauer)
Let it be forgotten [from Greyed Sonnets] (Judith Lang Zaimont)
Iris [from Four Songs] (Ann Silsbee)
maggie and millie and mollie and may [from though love be a day] (Gwyneth Walker)
When I am an old woman (Libby Larsen)
Andromeda Rag (Elizabeth Vercoe)

Album Description

Neva Pilgrim is known throughout the country for her extensive work with composers, many of whom have written for her. She appears regularly in recital and as soloist with orchestras, having performed with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony and Clarion Concerts. She has concertized in Japan, Canada and Europe and appeared at such festivals as Tanglewood, Marlboro, Chautauqua, Monadnock, and Saratoga Baroque.

Edward Smith , is known throughout the USA and Europe as a soloist and ensemble performer. H received his Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University, studied composition with Luigi Dallapiccola in Italy, and was a student of Ralph Kirkpatrick at Yale. Mr. Smith was a member of the famed New York Pro Musica from l964-69, was a founding member of the Philidor Trio, and has been a regular performer with the New York Consort of Viols and the Waverly Consort. He presently resides in Verona, Italy.

Steven Heyman studied at Juilliard and the Hochschule für Müsik in Vienna. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe and has received prizes in competitions including the Beethoven Competition in Vienna, the Gina Bachauer, Southern International Competition, the Portland [Maine] Competition and the American Music Scholarship Competition. He was the top American and fourth Laureate in the prestigious Palm Beach Invitational International Piano Competition. Mr. Heyman teaches at Syracuse University and Hamilton College in upstate New York.

Recording, mastering, graphic design and cover photo "Lizard's Point, Cornwall, England": Marnie Hall. Recorded in the Chapel at Colgate University, 1994. DDD. This recording is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional funding provided by Colgate University. © Leonarda Productions, Inc., 1997. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews:

below average voice and interpretation; admirable program.......1999-09-29

Pilgrim's voice is without expression or feeling, and unfortunately, is with excessive and unstable vibrato. The selections are wide-ranged and interesting. The program has great potential as a comprehensive resource, but it's vocal performance lacks talent, technique, and interpretation.

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music