In from the Cold

in from the cold

Track Listings

1. Bridges Burning

2. Love Will Know

3. In from the Cold

4. Letters from London

5. Distance Through Dark

6. My Summer Love

7. It Doesn't Matter

8. Falling

9. Sons of the Century

10. Price of Love

11. Facination

12. Close My Eyes

13. In the Flesh

14. To Sir With Love

15. Blue Eyed Boy

16. Don't Say Goodbye

17. Lady of Marseilles

18. I Will Not Follow

In from the Cold,Figures at Dawn,Bullseye Canada,Pop,Rock

In from the Cold

Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals

Average customer rating:

They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!!
One of the best cds I ever bought.
Never Sounded Better
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
"Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us"

Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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That's Entertainment!: The Best Of The M-G-M Musicals - Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology

ASIN: B000066RO5
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

Singin In The Rain - Gene Kelly
Theres No Business Like Show Business - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern
'S Wonderful - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary
Thats Entertainment! - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant
Stranger In Paradise - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone
Easter Parade - Judy Garland & Fred Astaire
Lullaby Of Broadway - Winifred Shaw, Dick Powell & Chorus
Get Happy - Judy Garland
Night And Day - Fred Astaire
True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
Honeysuckle Rose - Lena Horne w/ Benny Carter & His Orchestra
They Cant Take That Away From Me - Fred Astaire
Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet - Nancy Walker & The M-G-M Studio Chorus w/ Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
Baby, Its Cold Outside - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban
For Me And My Gal - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
Puttin On The Ritz - Clark Gable & Co.
Hallelujah! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs & Co.
Bless Yore Beautiful Hide - Howard Keel
Taking A Chance On Love - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson w/ Elliot Carpenter (Bonus Track)
Laras Theme (Main Title) - The M-G-M Studio Orchestra (Bonus Track)

Tracks:

Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland
Its A Most Unusual Day - Jane Powell
Wunderbar - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel
Cant Help Lovin Dat Man - Ava Gardner
Going Hollywood - Bing Crosby
The Trolley Song - Judy Garland, The M-G-M Studio Chorus
Gigi - Louis Jourdan
I Got Rhythm - Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney & Co.
Aba Daba Honeymoon - Debbie Reynolds, Carleton Carpenter & M-G-M Studio Chorus
The Lady Is A Tramp - Lena Horne
The Best Things In Life Are Free - June Allyson & Peter Lawford
Cheek To Cheek - Fred Astaire
A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Louis Armstrong
Put 'Em In A Box - Doris Day & The Page Cavanaugh Trio
If Swing Goes, I Go Too - Fred Astaire
Almost Like Being In Love - Gene Kelly
Lets Face The Music And Dance - Fred Astaire
Be A Clown - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
Embraceable You - Connie Francis
On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe - Judy Garland & Co.
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - Fred Astaire

Amazon.com

The "Golden Age" referred to here spans The Jazz Singer and the advent of the talkies to the death throes of the old studio system in the 1960s. So vast was the era's musical landscape that even this 42-track, double-disc anthology can't encompass all its peaks. Not surprisingly, the bulk of this collection originated with the Tiffany's of the screen musical, M-G-M, a body of work whose riches here encompass both pop-cultural bedrock ("Over the Rainbow," "Singin' in the Rain," "There's No Business Like Show Business," etc.) and some less familiar, if equally delightful star turns: Clark Gable gamely "Puttin' On the Ritz"; the sassy, 1948 original of "The Lady Is a Tramp" by Lena Horne; and a loopy duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. Fred Astaire's elegant, epochal reign at RKO and M-G-M is represented by "Night and Day," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and three others, while Metro mainstays Gene Kelly and Judy Garland share equal time and billing. It's not perfect--Cagney's "Yankee Doodle Boy" and/or some Sinatra seem more logical choices than the odd "bonus" duet of Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" and "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago that close out disc one--but it's a stunning, surprisingly comprehensive primer on the Hollywood film musical nonetheless. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

They were right--there is NO business like the show business they did way back when !!!.......2006-11-18

Everything that happens in life
Can happen in a show
You can make 'em laugh
You can make 'em cry
Anything
Anything can go....

The clown with his pants falling down
Or the dance that's a dream of romance
Or the scene where the villain is mean
That's entertainment!

The lights on the lady in tights
Or the bride with the guy on the side
Or the ball where she gives him her all
That's entertainment!

The plot and the hot simply teeming with $ex
A gay divorcee who is after her ex
It could be Oedipus Rex
Where a chap kills his father
And causes a lot of bother

The clerk who is thrown out of work
By the boss who is thrown for a loss
By the skirt who is doing him dirt

The world is a stage,
The stage is a world of entertainment!

This two CD set amply proves that the musical melodies and lyrics from the golden age of the Hollywood musical remain unsurpassed to this day. This generous two CD set offers 42 incredible songs from Hollywood classic musicals. Most of these fine numbers are indeed from MGM, as Amazon correctly notes; but there are some RKO numbers and even a little from Warner Brothers. Thank goodness, though, that most of these songs came from MGM movies; MGM was the only studio that could boast that it truly had "more stars than there are in the heavens."

I love so many songs on these two CDs. Of course, there's the unforgettable classic "Over The Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland; she also performs "Easter Parade" and "Get Happy" on this two CD set and she carries most of the tune for "I Got Rhythm" even though Mickey Rooney helps her a little. I love "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for its' romantic overtones; and Lena Horne's "The Lady Is A Tramp" is flawless! We also get a rare chance to hear Clark Gable sing in "Puttin' On The Ritz;" and Bing Crosby's "Going Hollywood" may be brief but it's a fun song anyway.

There are two "bonus" tracks on the first CD: "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca and "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago. "As Time Goes By" is a good choice; it is another unsurpassed classic song that brings back memories and touches even the hardest of hearts. "Lara's Theme," however, is from the mid 1960s and I don't consider this period to be part of the "golden age" of Hollywood musicals.

The liner notes are excellent and they offer wonderful photos of the stars as well. The cover art is well done and the reverse cover art tells which movie each song is from and who is performing each song. Moreover, the quality of the sound is excellent especially when you consider that these numbers were recorded quite a few decades ago.

In short, this superlative two CD highlights the glory of the Hollywood musical when a certain type of sophistication dominated professional movie production. I highly recommend this CD for fans of Hollywood musicals, classic pop vocals and fans of the artists and actors who perform on this two CD set.

One of the best cds I ever bought. .......2006-06-07

What an amazon collection of songs! This is bar none my favorite cd just because of the variety and the quality of songs on it. I love music from this era, and this cd is the perfect companion to my life. Love it! Buy it, you won't regret it for a moment!

Never Sounded Better.......2006-03-16

Apart from the great selection of soundtracks, what really makes this compilation top value is the quality of the sound processing. Executed with finesse, these tracks sound better than when first issued and many are unedited, fuller versions: like "Singing In The Rain", for example. Throw in the great price, and this double disc set is a "must have" for all lovers of classic movie music.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow.......2006-02-24

A Sensational CD with Lots of Showtunes that Keep You Happy and makes You Want To Sing Along With!!!

"Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Age are still among us".......2005-07-13

Rhino Records and Turner Classic Movies Music present - "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS", some of the long ago musicals and stars that will never be forgotten...a 2-CD-Set covering several decades from 1935-1965 with many of the show stoppers of that time...some rare moments from entertainers that you haven't heard or thought of in sometime.

The lineup is fantastic and gives the listener a variety of what musicals were all about in the "Golden Age of the Hollywood Musicals"
June Allyson, Kay Armen, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Ann Blyth, Jack Buchanan, Louis Calhern, Bing Crosby, Vic Damone, Doris Day, Nanette Fabray, Connie Francis, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Kathyrn Grayson, Georges Guetary, Lena Horne, Betty Hutton, Louis Jourdan, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Peter Lawford, Oscar Levant, Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, Page Cavanaugh Trio, Debbie Reynolds, Winifred Shaw, Nancy Walker, Ethel Waters, Esther Williams, Dooley Williams and Keenan Wynn.

On Disc One 21 Classic Songs from great musicals with songs in alphabetical order:
AS TIME GOES BY - Dooley Wilson with Elliot Carpenter, pianist (1942)
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE - Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban (1949)
BLESS, YORE BEAUTIFUL HIDE - Howard Keel (1954)
EASTER PARADE - Fred Astaire & Judy Garland (1948)
FOR ME AND MY GAL - Gene Kelly & Judy Garland (1942)
GET HAPPY - Judy Garland (1950)
HALLELUJAH! - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Kay Armen, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Clark Burroughs (for Russ Tamblyn) (1955)
HONEYSUCKLE ROSE - Lena Horne with Benny Carter & His Orchestra (1943)
LARA'S THEME (MAIN TITLE) - M-G-M Studio Orchestra (1965)
LULLABY OF BROADWAY - Winifred Shaw & Dick Powell (1935)
MILKMAN, KEEP THOSE BOTTLES QUIET - Nancy Walker with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (1944)
NIGHT AND DAY - Fred Astaire (1934)
PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - Clark Gable & Company (1939)
'S WONDERFUL - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary (1951)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - Gene Kelly (1951)
STRANGER IN PARADISE - Ann Blyth & Vic Damone (1955)
TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE - Ethel Waters & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (1943)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT - Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray & Oscar Levant (1953)
THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS - Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn & Louis Calhern (1950)
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME - Fred Astaire (1949)
TRUE LOVE - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly (1956)

On Disc Two more memorable performances from the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals:
A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON - Louis Armstrong (1951)
ABA DABA HONEYMOON - Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter (1950)
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE - Gene Kelly (1954)
BE A CLOWN - Judy Garland & Gene Kelly (1948)
BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - June Allyson & Peter Lawford (1947)
CAN'T HELP LOVIN' DAT MAN - Ava Gardner (beautiful woman, who my youngest grandaughter is named after...Avalon) (1951)
CHEEK TO CHEEK - Fred Astaire (1935)
EMBRACEABLE YOU - Connie Francis (1965)
GIGI - Louis Jourdan (1958)
GOING HOLLYWOOD - Bing Crosby (1933)
I GOT RHYTHM - Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney (1943)
IF SWING GOES, I GO TOO - Fred Astaire (1946)
IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY - Jane Powell (1948)
LADY IS A TRAMP - Lena Horne (1948)
LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE - Fred Astaire (1936)
ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE - Judy Garland & Company (1946)
ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD) - Fred Astaire (1943)
OVER THE RAINBOW - Judy Garland (became her theme song for the rest of her life) (1939)
PUT 'EM IN A BOX - Doris Day & the Page Cavanaugh Trio (1948)
THE TROLLEY SONG - Judy Garland & MGM Studio Chorus (1944)
WUNDERBAR - Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel (two of MGM's favorite singing duos) (1953)

It was once said by the songwriters of that era - "There are two artists you want perform your songs on the big screen, they are Fred Astaire and Judy Garland they sing it just the way we wrote it, for which you will have a guaranteed hit on your hands"...well, this collections certainly has some merit to that statement...because with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire performing seven songs each, there must be something to it.

This collection of musicals still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years...but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten...hats off to Rhino Records, George Feltenstein (producer) and Doug Schwartz (engineer) and Turner Classic Movies for sharing those 42 selections from 42 films...celebrating decades of the tunes and artists that gave it their all...from what it commonly called "The Hollywood Dream Factory"...The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals is still among us...gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-CD-Set ~ Rhino Records 78323 ~ (6/02/2002)

Average customer rating:

World's best trumpet player
Credit Wynton Marsalis
stylistically wrong
Wynton, Wynton, Wynton.
Good, but not the best

Carnaval

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000026EN
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Carnaval: Variations Sur 'Le Carnaval De Venise'
Carnaval: The Debutante (Caprice Brillant)
Carnaval: Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms
Carnaval: Grand Russian Fantasia
Carnaval: Moto Perpetuo, Op 11
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Carnaval: Napoli -- Variations on a Neapolitan Song
Carnaval: Fantaisie Brillante
Carnaval: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
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Customer Reviews:

World's best trumpet player.......2007-05-12

The incredible Wynton Marsalis plays the classics of the brass solo genre.
If you want to hear some very delightful music played by a most impressive instrumentalist, get this album.

Listening to this will make you realize the mediocrity of most of today's popular music. They don't grow people like Jean-Baptiste Arban any more.

Credit Wynton Marsalis.......2007-01-25

This outstanding collection of turn-of-the-last-century cornet solos is a collector's item. Mr. Marsalis (and the ensemble) makes it all sound so easy and enjoyable. As an instrumental music teacher I find hearing these inspires many of my high school high brass players to work on them.

stylistically wrong.......2005-05-29

Having studied with an international authority on cornet playing I can con fidently say that Wynton's cornet playing is ok at best. More than anything hes tryying to sell CDs rather than capture the essence of Cornet playing, like most of wyntons playing its alot of flash but no substance. Great if your a trumpet head and you get off on empty virtuostic fluff.

Wynton, Wynton, Wynton........2005-01-01

There are times, when I'm listeing to Wynton, I get depressed like the flash of a 64th note played. His sounds is so pure and wonderful. He rocks. I don't mind realizing that there aren't many other trumpeteers out there like him.

I met him once actually. In Alice Tully Hall, after a holiday concert. He stood on the stage towering over my dad, brother and I. He called us "the frontline", after my dad telling him we play the trumpet, trombone, and clarinet. What a cool guy.

Good, but not the best.......2004-11-28

Marsalis is an excellent trumpet player, there is no question as to that. He is certainly not the best in the world, however. I prefer a better recording of Carnival of Venice and many other cornet solos by Gerard Schwarz. The spirit of such solos is lost when they are put to ensemble accompaniment, Schwarz interprets them far better in my opinion. Also, his technical mastery is at least equal to that of Wynton's, or was when he made the album. His sound is sweeter and more perfect to my ear. And this is not the only album in which you can hear dazzling technical pieces, either. Sergei Nakariakov, Rafael Mendez, and Allen Vizzutti are the most proficient players with recordings out there. Nakariakov and Mendez both do better readings of the Paganini, playing the entire song double-tonguing and circular breathing. The Mendez Flight of the Bumblebee has a much better sound and fits the piece more, too. The most amazing song I have ever heard is the Carnival of Venus, by Vizzutti. Listen to anything by Wynton and then this song, you will be absolutely amazed. The last variation of the Marsalis is Vizzutti's first, and they get harder from there. Simply put, this is a good recording and the most accessible, but there are better ones out there. I wouldn't buy this to hear cornet solos or amazing technical pieces, but for hearing other interpretations. I prefer Schwarz, Mendez, Vizzutti, and Nakariakov.

Average customer rating:

Picasso in sound
Great but NOT complete
There's only one.
Don't forget Satie was an Anti-Romantic
"Electric Spirit of Eric Satie" fans this is the one !

Satie: Piano Works

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002SBP
Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie I
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie II
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Gymnopedie III
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Les Trois Valses distingu du preux dI: Sa taille
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II: Son binocle
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III: Ses jambes
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Gnossiennes: I Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Avec nnement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Gnossiennes: IV Lent
Oeuvres Pour Piano: V Mod
Oeuvres Pour Piano: VI Avec conviction et avec une tristesse rigoureuse
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Mouvements en forme de poire, uatre mains: Mani de commencement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prolongation du m
Oeuvres Pour Piano: I
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III
Oeuvres Pour Piano: En plus
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Redite
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois: I Tyrolienne turque
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Danse maigre (a mani de ces messieurs)
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Espa (Sorte de valse)
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Sonatine bureaucratique
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Trois Nocturnes: I Doux et calme
Oeuvres Pour Piano: II Simplement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: III Un peu mouvement
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Premi penset sonneries de la Rose Croix: Air de ldre
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Air du Grand Maitre
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Air du Grand Prieur
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Le Fils des oiles: Prde du 1er acte: la Vocation
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prde du IIe acte: l'Initiation
Oeuvres Pour Piano: Prde du IIIe acte: l'Incantation

Tracks:

Jack In The Box: Prelude
Jack In The Box: Entracte
Jack In The Box: Final
Sports et Divertissements: Choral inappetissant
Sports et Divertissements: La Balanre
Sports et Divertissements: La Chasse
Sports et Divertissements: La Come italienne
Sports et Divertissements: Le Ril de la Mari
Sports et Divertissements: Colin-Maillard
Sports et Divertissements: La Pe
Sports et Divertissements: Le Yachting
Sports et Divertissements: Le Bain de mer
Sports et Divertissements: Le Carnaval
Sports et Divertissements: Le Golf
Sports et Divertissements: La Pieuvre
Sports et Divertissements: Les Courses
Sports et Divertissements: Les Quatre-Coins
Sports et Divertissements: Le pique-nique
Sports et Divertissements: Le Water-chute
Sports et Divertissements: Le Tango
Sports et Divertissements: Le Traau
Sports et Divertissements: Le Flirt
Sports et Divertissements: Le Feu d'artifice
Sports et Divertissements: Le Tennis
Oeuvres Pour Piano: I D'Holothurie
Embryons desseches: II D'Edriophtalma
Embryons desseches: III De Podophtalma
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): I Voix d'interieur
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): II. Idylle cynique
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): III. Chanson canine
Preludes flasques (pour un chien): IV. Avec camaraderie
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): I Choral
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): II Fugue litanique
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): III Autre chose
En habit de cheval (a 4 mains): IV Fugue de papier
Apercus desagreables: I Pastorale
Apercus desagreables: II Choral
Apercus desagreables: III Fugue
Descriptions automatiques: I Sur un vaisseau
Descriptions automatiques: II Sur une lanterne
Descriptions automatiques: III Sur un casque
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): De l'enfance de Pantagruel (Reverie)
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): Marche de Cocagne (Demarche)
3 Petites pieces montees (a 4 mains): Jeux de Gargantua (Coin de Polka)
Peccadilles importunes: Etre jaloux de son camarade qui a une grosse tete
Peccadilles importunes: Lui manger sa tartine
Peccadilles importunes: Profiter de ce qu'il a des cors aux pieds pour lui voler son cerceau
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: I D'une maniere particuliere
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: II Modestement
Pieces froides - No. 1 Airs a faire fuir: III S'inviter
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: I En y regardant par deux fois
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: II Passer
Pieces froides - No. 2 Danses de travers: III Encore
La Belle Excentrique: I Grande ritournelle
La Belle Excentrique: II Marche franco-lunaire
La Belle Excentrique: III Valse du 'Mysterieux baiser dans l'oeil'
La Belle Excentrique: IV Can-can grand-mondain
3 Sarabandes: No. 1
3 Sarabandes: No. 2
3 Sarabandes: No. 3

Amazon.com

It's simple: in his various realizations of the piano music of Erik Satie, Aldo Ciccolini set a standard that has yet to be bettered. This compilation, drawn from recordings made between 1966 and 1971, is consequently the best of the best. Ciccolini always played Satie's music as though it had been written by Claude Debussy, not by some cheap charlatan or uneducated primitive (which, to an extent that is still debatable, Satie was). The result is that these seemingly simple piano pieces acquire a tonal allure that is as surprising as it is undeniable. They possess an understated sophistication that points directly toward Ravel and Poulenc, at the same time providing an opening to the minimalist aesthetic of the later 20th century. Ciccolini's playing is pliant and graceful, and under his fingers the music seems to breathe and come alive. What more could a composer or a listener want? --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Picasso in sound.......2006-02-19

Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Eric Satie were drinking buddies; it shouldn't be surprising that their work, though in different media, should bear striking similarities. This CD set replaces a very badly abused vinyl recording from the 1960s. No one plays Satie like Aldo Ciccolini. I do wish the Parade had been included, Satie wrote the music, Cocteau the libretto and Picasso did the sets and costumes-Satie's only ballet. Of course, the circa 1910 audience walked out. It's the story of an out-of-work ballet company that goes out onto the streets of Paris to try to get customers to come inside. The customers are stereotypes like the American in a cowboy outfit who adds the sound of this six gun to the music and the secretary who types through the encounter. The back wall of the theater was covered with Picasso designed neon signs flashing in bright colors throughout the performance. Across the front of the stage he'd strung acetate on which were playing street scenes of Paris from three cameras-red, blue and green. The men were way, way ahead of their times.

Great but NOT complete.......2004-12-23

Please note that this collection does NOT contain Erik Satie's complete works for piano. The collection makes no such claim, but at 5 CDs, some may assume it to be complete and none of the other reviews to date mention this. I am too lazy to do the research to come up with a complete list, but offhand I know that these songs are missing - "Je Te Veux", "Fantaisie-Valse" and "Valse-Ballet". These 3 are among my favorite Satie pieces, so yes, I think the collection is diminished somewhat by their absence.

Aldo Ciccolini always has been the greatest interpreter of Satie's work for piano. Ciccolini has a feel for Satie that no one else does, although I have to admit that I prefer a faster tempo to "Poudre D'Or" than the slower, introspective tempo Ciccolini always uses, but that's only a small matter of personal preference. These recordings were originally made in 1967 and 1971 and the sound quality is excellent. At the dawn of the CD era at various sessions from 1983-1986, Ciccolini recorded Satie's complete works for piano on EMI on 5 CDs. They are currently out of print in America, with the exception of one compilation CD (also available at Amazon at the time of writing) with Gabriel Tacchino playing the 2nd piano on the pieces for 2 pianos. Ciccolini was overdubbed playing the 2nd piano on the original recordings in this review. I have a slight preference for the later recordings, but many seem to prefer these originals. You can't go wrong with these, just understand that they are not complete and the missing songs are among Satie's best.

There's only one........2004-06-26

If you're reading this, you've already heard Satie's music, so I needn't to go into that. I do want to say that this is the only recording of Satie that is worth hearing. Ciccolini is the only foot that will fit the Satie glass slipper. Don't waste your money on the ugly step-sisters.

Don't forget Satie was an Anti-Romantic.......2002-02-25

No one could deny that setting every disperse music in a unique album is a remarkable job. But I didn't like much the approach of Ciccolini, which I knew around 1975 while getting borrowed the vinyl LPs in the Embassy of France in Buenos Aires. Now I'd like to explain to whom it may concern why do I feel that way.
Satie was an anti-romantic composer, at the point of creating the "furniture-music" (musique d'ameublement) which refuses that music could be so expressive as romantics wanted. Other ones clasifies him as a "Surrealist" composer (anti-romantic movement too), but there are no signs of dreams of unconsciousness through his work. Since that point of view you could play Satie's music anyway but expressively. Satie wasn't Debussy, besides the fact that they knew personally and admire each other. Could you play Debussy in a plain style without damage?. I don't think so, because Satie was farther of expressive tradition than Debussy: we can say that Debussy is a spirit of the XIX Century while Satie is a precursor of the XXth. Remember his own words: "I came to the world too young in a time too old".
The best performance I heard of the piano work of our composer was in charge of Jacques Fevrier on the excelent album called "Monsieur Erik Satie", with such a "sideman" as another member of the group of six as Georges Auric for the 4 hands pieces.
I wave goodbye with a great embrace to all Satie's fans.

"Electric Spirit of Eric Satie" fans this is the one !.......2001-08-17

Fans of "The Electronic Spirit of Eric Satie" will immediately recognize Aldo Ciccolini as one of the few musicians in touch with the true "Satie" style. The selections correspond to "Electric Spirit" ; except, performed as a good piano solo. The piano recording is done so well it's better than most orchestral versions. It sounds very much like "Electric Spirit" without orchestration nor electronic "boops" and "beeps"-- just a good piano. It's really just as funny and powerful; and here it has a class act. This performance is a rare find !

The Great Race: Music From The Film Score

Average customer rating:

No finish line in sight.
It's Mancini--no more to say
One of Mancini's best film scores
The soundtrack is as wacky as the Blake Edwards movie.

The Great Race: Music From The Film Score

Manufacturer: RCA Fs Imports
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Race (Sub)
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ASIN: B00000JC1B
Release Date: 2000-12-19

Tracks:

"Overture: A. He Shouldn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang On
"Push The Button, Max!
The Royal Waltz
"Night, Night, Sweet Prince
They're Off
The Sweetheart Tree(With Corus)
The Great Race March
" A. He Shouldn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang On Me!
Music To Become King By
Cold Finger
Pie-In-The-face Polka

Album Description

Henry Mancini's soundtrack to director Blake Edward's 1965 comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk & Vivian Vance about the first New York-to-Paris car race. Features all 11 cuts from the original release & the original cover art. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

No finish line in sight........2001-08-22

I first heard about Henry Mancini while he was doing the Peter Gunn series with Blake Edwards. That music was so lively, that I began paying attention to this Mancini person. It wasn't long before my record cabinet began to swell with his music. My wife asked if there was anyone else out there recording. I said, probably, but who cares? Then, in 1965, The Great Race was released. Of course I purchased the album, and played it literally to death. That was thirty-six years ago, and I still play that record, or the tape I made of it. Now, it's available on CD. That's a no-brainer. I attended several concerts that Henry gave from 1966 to 1981. I was never disappointed. I met him and talked with him several times. He was a most gracious, and patient man. He is sorely missed on the cinema and popular music scenes. His music will live for many eons, and The Great Race will always be in my heart and head.

It's Mancini--no more to say.......2001-08-07

Did Henry Mancini ever write a bad soundtrack? This one shows his incredible range, from the romantic (and Oscar nominated) "Sweetheart Tree", to the livelier "He Shouldn'ta Hadn'ta Oughtn'ta Swang on Me" and "Pie-in-the-Face Polka." In between, there's a royal waltz, Professor Fate's ominous theme "Push the Button, Max" and a title piece that manages to work in every All-American tune from "America the Beautiful" to "Dixie."

All in all, great music for a fun movie.

One of Mancini's best film scores.......2000-04-27

This is one of the all-time favorites among Mancini's fans: when it was reviewed at the HM site "Henry Mancini Forum", it won the best comments. It is filled with music for slapstick scenes, marches, a waltz, a lullaby, a beautiful love theme (with lyrics by Johnny Mercer) and Dorothy Provine's (who plays saloon singer Lily Olay) funny interpretation of "He Shouldn't-a, Hadn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang On Me". A great score for probably the most expensive (and longest) road movie ever made.

The soundtrack is as wacky as the Blake Edwards movie........1999-11-16

I have the LP a very rare find. I am happy that it is finally in cd form. It is Mancini at his silly best. The only problem I have with this album is the Pie Fight Polka is not as long as the pie fight in the movie. That and the song The Lover Tree is just too sickening. Overall, it kicks. If you liked the movie you'll want this sountrack.

Average customer rating:

I waited for this for five years
Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE!
ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS
SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!
A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
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ASIN: B00005R5UJ
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

Tracks:

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

Tracks:

Oh What A Circus - David Essex
Memory - Betty Buckley
The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
With One Look - Petula Clark
You Must Love Me - Madonna
The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone
The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

Tracks:

Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
Try It And See - Rita Pavone
Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
Disillusion Me - Gary Band
The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
Magdalena - Tony Christie
Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

Album Description

Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

Customer Reviews:

I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.

Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!

Average customer rating:

STEPHEN FOSTER'S AMERICA
Keep shopping for Stephen Foster!
Jimerson Not Half Bad
Timeless and Beautiful
Politally Correct or Stupid?

Stephen Foster's America

Manufacturer: Amerimusic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Stephen Foster Songs: Parlor & Minstrel Songs, Dance Tunes & Instrumentals
Songs by Stephen Foster, Vol. 1-2
American Dreamer: Songs of Stephen Foster; Thomas Hampson; Jay Unger; Molly Mason
Swanee: The Music of Stephen Foster
Nelson Eddy Sings the Stephen Foster Songbook

ASIN: B00000AEKT
Release Date: 1998-09-08

Tracks:

Minstrel Songs Of Foster: Oh! Susanna
Minstrel Songs Of Foster: Massa's In De Cold Ground
Minstrel Songs Of Foster: Old Folks At Home
Minstrel Songs Of Foster: Camptown Races
Love Songs Of Foster: Beautiful Dreamer
Love Songs Of Foster: Nelly Bly
Love Songs Of Foster: Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Love Songs Of Foster: Gentle Annie
Spiritual Songs Of Foster And Others: Hard Times Come Again No More
Spiritual Songs Of Foster And Others: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Spiritual Songs Of Foster And Others: Deep River
Spiritual Songs Of Foster And Others: He's Got The Whole World In His Hand
Popular Foster Songs: If You've Only Got A Moustache
Popular Foster Songs: Old Dog Tray
Popular Foster Songs: Glendy Burk
Popular Foster Songs: My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night
Popular Foster Songs: Some Folks
Civil War Songs Of Foster: When This Dreadful War Is Ended
Civil War Songs Of Foster: Was My Brother In The Battle?
Civil War Songs Of Foster: Nothing But A Plain Old Soldier
Patriotic Songs Of The Nineteenth Century: Battle Hymn Of The Republic
Patriotic Songs Of The Nineteenth Century: America

Customer Reviews:

STEPHEN FOSTER'S AMERICA.......2006-12-06

I am so happy that I discovered this CD! These interpretations take me back to another place and time when parlor music dominated America's musical culture. In the 19th century, trained singers sang beautiful ballads by the family piano. Douglas Jimerson presents a time capsule with carefully crafted interpretations. By the way, the sound samples on amazon appear to be from an earlier release of the album, and the new recordings are more lovely than I expected.

Keep shopping for Stephen Foster!.......2002-06-05

If I may be blunt, I can't stand this album! Mr. Jimerson's voice is excellent. However, his operatic leanings undermine the spirit of Stephen Foster's music.

As for the arrangments, if Mr. Jimerson is going to keep the words "dere" (for "there") and "dat" (for "that") in the songs, then why exclude the word "darkies" in favor of "mama" and the like? My guess is that fans of Stephen Foster (who, when compared to other minstrel songwriters of his day, imbided the subjects of his songs with a great deal of dignity) are more interested in maintaining the purity of the songs than they are in achieving political correctness via 19th Century songs!

For my money, the Robert Shaw Chorale C.D. of Stephen Foster songs is much more enjoyable.

Jimerson Not Half Bad.......2002-02-08

These are earnest and heartfelt renditions of Stephen Foster songs that really deliver a period flavor, and nail Foster's emotions on the head. I can't believe that anyone could object to Mr. Jimerson's elision of currently offensive racial terms. There's a difference between "Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground," which establishes a dramatic situation, take it or leave it, and race-specific epithets that might hurt somebody's feelings in the here and now. My only problem with Mr. Jimerson is that he tends throw these bizarre songs into the mix that have nothing to do with the themes of his albums -- like "He's Got the Whole World." Still, we should be grateful that this sensitive singer (and his fine, period-conscious musicians) are recording great 19th Century sentimental songs. I'd like to see him go even deeper into the literature of the time.

Timeless and Beautiful.......2001-08-01

Faithful renditons of great songs. Every American should know the words to at least half a dozen of these gems. I do not agree with reviewers who believe he should have included the original slurs....these "reviewers" should imagine themselves in Mr. Jimmerson's place, who was singing for a diverse crowd in our nation's capitol in 1990's America. Accuracy ("authenticity"?)is of course crucial, but it is absurd to demand that the performer sing these uncomfortable lines in this setting.

Politally Correct or Stupid?.......2001-02-28

The major thing wrong with this recording is the editing out of the word "darkies" which is like eliminating "cowboy" from western songs. If this guy is so sensitive, why include "Massa" which is a tribute to a slave master. Also, He's Got The Whole World In His Hand is generally attributed to the modern age.

Tracks:

Allegro
Valse-Ballet 'Op.62'
Fantaise-Valse
1. (Lent) (A Monsieur Conrad Satie)
2. (Lent) (A Maurice Ravel)
3. (Lent)
1. Lent Et Douloureux (A Mademoiselle Jeanne De Bret)
2. Lent Et Triste (A Conrad Satie)
3. Lent Et Grave (A Charles Levade)
Fete Donnee Par Des Chevaliers Normands En l'Honneur D'Une Jeune Demoiselle
Maniere De Commencement
Prolongation Du Meme
Morceau I: Lentement
Morceau II: Enleve
Moreceau III: Brutal
En Plus
Redite
Premier Nocturne (A Madame Marcelle Meyer)
Deuxieme Nocturne (A Andre Salomon)
Troisieme Nocturne (A Madame Jean Hugo)
Quatrieme Nocturne (A Madame La Comtesse Etienne De Beaumont)
Cinquieme Nocturne (A Madame Georges Cocteau)
De L'Enfance De Pantagruel (Reverie)
Marche De Cocagne
Jeux De Gargantua (Coin De Polka)
Premier Menuet (A Claude Dubosq)
Idlle (A Debussy)
Aubade (A Paul Dukas)
Meditation (A Albert Roussel)

Tracks:

Premiere Ogive (A J.P. Contamine De Latour)
Deuxieme Ogive (A Charles Levade)
Troisieme Ogive (A Madame Clement Le Breton)
Quatrieme Ogive (A Conrad Satie)
Premiere Pensee Rose + Croix
Air De L'Ordre
Air Du Grand Maitre (Le Sar Josephin Peladan)
Air Du Grand Prieur (Le Comte Antoine De La Rochefoucauld)
Prelude Du 1 Acte: La Vocation. Theme Decoratif: La Nuit De Kaldee
Prelude Du 2 Acte: L'Initiation. Theme Decoratif: La Salle Basse Du Grand Temple
Prelude Du 3 Acte: L'Incantation. Theme Decoratif: La Terrasse Du Palais Du Patesi Goudea
Prelude Du Nazareen
Prelude Du Nazareen
Prelude
A L'Occasion D'Une Grande Peine
Dans Laquelle Les Peres De La Tres Veritable Et Tres Sainte Eglise Sont Invoques
En Faveur D'Un Malheureux
A Propos De Saint Bernard Et De Sainte Lucie
Pour Les Pauvres Trepasses
Ou Il Est Question De Pardon Des Injures Recues
Par Pitie Pour Les Ivrognes, Honteux, Debauches, Imparfaits, Desagreables, Et Faussaires En Tous Genres
En Le Haut Honneur Du Venere Saint Michel, Le Gracieux Archange
Apres Avoir Obtenu La Remise De Sis Fautes
Prelude
Priere
Vexations
Reverie Du Pauvre
Verset Laique & Somptuex

Tracks:

Caresse
Danse De Travers No.2 (Version 1)
Petite Musique De Clown Triste
The Dreamy Fish
Air
Essais
( - )
Notes
Notes
Le Prisonnier Maussade
Le Grand Singe
Exercices
Notes
Harmonies
Songerie Vers 'Jack'
Bribes
Choral
Exercices
Exercices
Exercices
Exercices
Esquisses & Sketch Montmartrois No.1. Petit Prelude De La 'Mort De Monsieur Mouche'
Esquisses & Sketch Montmartrois No.2 Un Peu Vif
Essais (Arriere-Propos)
Petite Danse
Desespoir Agreable
No.1 Effronterie
No.2 Poesie
Preludes Pour Un Chien: No.2 (Prelude Canin)
Profondeur
Songe-Creux
Passacaille
Prelude En Tapisserie
Nostalgie
Froide Songerie
Facheux Exemple
No.1
No.2
No.3
No.4
No.5
No.6a
No.6b
No.7
No.8
No.9
No.10
No.11
No.12 (1908-9)
Pas Vite
Tres Moderement
Pastorale (1912)
Choral (1908)
Fugue (1908)
Choral
Fugue Litanique
Autre Choral
Fugue De Papier

Tracks:

Sur Un Mur
Sur Un Arbre
Sur Un Pont
Voix D'Interieur
Idylle Cynique
Chanson Canine
Avec Camaraderie
Severe Reprimande
Seul A La Maison
On Joue
Sur Un Vaisseau (A Madame Fernand Dreyfus)
Sur Une Lanterne (A Madame Joseph Ravel)
Sur Un Casque (A Madame Paulette Darty)
D'Holothurie (A Mademoiselle Suzanne Roux)
D'Edriophthalma (A Monsieur Edouard Dreyfus)
De Podophthalma (A Madame Jane Mortier)
Tyrolienne Turque (A Mademoiselle Elvira Vines Soto)
Danse Maigre (A La Maniere De Ces Messieurs) (A Monsieur Fernando Vines Soto)
Espanana (A Mademoiselle Claude Emma Debussy)
Celle Qui Parle Trop
Le Porteur De Grosses Pierres
Regrets Des Enfermes (Jonas Et Latude)
Chez Le Marchand D'Or
Danse Cuirassee
La Defaite Des Cimbres
Allegro - Andante - Vivache
Chant Guerrier Du Roi Des Haricots
Ce Qui Dit La Petite Princesse Des Tulipes
Valse Du Chocolat Aux Amandes
Petite Prelude A La Journee
Berceuse
Marche Du Grand Escalier
Etre Jaloux De Son Camarade Qui A Une Grosse Tete
Lui Manger Sa Tartine
Profiter De Ce Qu'il A Des Cors Aux Pieds Pour Lui Prendre Son Cerceau
Le Vilain Petit Vaurien
Berceuse
La Gentille Toute Petite Fille
Choral Inappetissant (Grave)
La Balancoire (Lent)
La Chasse (Vif)
La Comedie Italienne (A La Napolitaine)
Le Reveil De La Mariee (Vif, Sans Trop)
Colin-Maillard (Petitement)
La Peche (Calme)
Le Yachting (Modere)
Le Bain De Mer (Mouvemente)
Le Carnaval (Leger)
Le Golf (Exalte)
La Pieuvre (Assez Vif)
Les Courses (Un Peu Vif)
Les Quatre-Coins (Joie Moderee)
Le Pique-nique (Dansant)
Le Water-Chute (Gracieusement)
Le Tango Perpetuel (Modere Et Tres Ennuye)
Le Traineau (Courez)
Le Flirt (Agite)
Le Feu D'Artifice (Rapide)
Le Tennis (Avec Ceremonie)
Obstacles Venimeux (Noiratre)
Crepuscule Matinal (De Midi) (Sans Grandeur)
Affolements Granitiques (Vivement)
Sa Taille (A Roland-Manuel)
Son Binocle (A Mademoiselle Linette Chalupt)
Ses Jambes (A Rene Chalupt)

Tracks:

Gnossienne No.5
Gnossienne No.1
Gnossienne No.3
Gnossienne No.4
Gnossienne No.2
Gnossienne No.6
D'une Maniere Particuliere
Modestement
S'Inviter
En Y Regardant A Deux Fois
Passer (Version 2)
Encore
Prelude
Entracte
Final
Petit Ouverture A Danser
Je Te Veux
Poudre D'or
Le Piccadilly (La Transatlantique). Marche
Quadrille
Valse
Pas Vite
Mazurka
Un Peu Vif
Polka
Quadrille
Les Pantins Dansent
Marche Franco-Lunaire
Grande Ritournelle
Valse Du Mysterieux Baiser Dans L'oeil'
Grande Ritournelle
Cancan Grand-Mondain

Customer Reviews:

Ciccolini Knows Satie.......2004-06-02

Aldo Ciccolini is arguably the greatest interpreter of Erik Satie, and he can also be credited with rescuing the minimalist from certain obscurity with the recordings he made of the composer's music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. For years I have enjoyed selections of those performances and I figured it was time to upgrade to a more complete set. As a result, I recently got this title. Unfortunately, this 5CD box set from EMI Classics collects Ciccolini's digital remakes of Satie's Piano Works, and not the original recordings of which I had grown so fond. (I have since discovered that a French Import of the complete original recordings is available.) The overall difference is minimal (yes, pun intended!) but I have to give the nod to the analog performances because of a slightly warmer, brighter sound. Also with a first time recording, there is an intangible element in the charting of new territory that I feel is never quite recaptured when revisited. With that being said, for the pieces requiring two pianists, the digital accounts are superior. While Ciccolini overdubbed himself originally, here he partners with Gabriel Tacchino to greater effect. In all, this is an excellent set by an unparalled master of Satie's music, but if I had to it over again I would have chosen the first incarnation.

Average customer rating:

thanks again, naxos!
Stephen Foster Played by a Saxhorn (not saxophone) Quintet

Foster for Brass

Manufacturer: Naxos American
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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The American Brass Band Journal
Footlifters: Century of American Marches
Turn-of-the-Century Cornet Favorites
Best of Brass
The Golden Age of Brass, Vol. 3: Virtuoso Solos with Band

ASIN: B00007FPFS
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Tracks:

Ellen Bayne Quick Step
Bronze Bob Tail Horse Quick Step
Why, No One To Love
California Quick Step
Beautiful Dreamer
Dolly Day Quick Step
Hard Times Waltz
We Are Coming Father Abraam, 300,000 More
Colonel Meeker's Quick Step
March. My Old Kentucky Home
My Wife Is A Most Knowing Woman
Maggie By My Side Grand March
Santa Anna's Retreat From Buena Vista
Willie Schottisch
George Hart's Quick Step
Some Folks
Open Thy Lattice Love
Old Dog Tray March
Camptown Quick Step
Massa's In The Cold Ground
When This Dreadful War Is Over
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming Quick Step
Gentle Annie
Lulu Is Gone
Where Has Lula Gone
Farewell My Lily Dear Quick Step

Customer Reviews:

thanks again, naxos!.......2007-04-04

naxos is the greatest budget label of all-time. i've gotten so many great discs from them, and never a bummer. as for this disc, it's a great idea(arrangements of the songs of stephen foster for 19th century brass band, performed on period instruments), wonderfully executed. i have many recordings of stephen foster material, and this is one of the best. this brass band sounds fantastic and the audio quality is very very fine. i highly recommend that you make this a part of your household.

Stephen Foster Played by a Saxhorn (not saxophone) Quintet.......2004-06-20

Imagine a post-Civil War family trooping to the town square on a fine summer evening to hear the town band play a concert of arrangements of popular tunes, that gentler period's equivalent of a rock concert of today. That's essentially what we have here. The Chestnut Brass Company, a Philadelphia brass quintet which on occasion plays on everything from Baroque sackbuts to the most modern trumpets and trombones, here plays on instuments of the saxhorn family. Saxhorns, invented by Adolphe Sax, the fellow who also invented the better-known saxophone, are brass instruments perfected in the 1840s. Their conical bore projects a uniquely sweet and mellow sound. They were exceedingly popular for town bands during the latter half of the century, but their use had waned by the turn of the 20th century. This quintet consists of an E flat soprano, a B flat soprano, an E flat alto, a B flat baritone, and a E flat contrabass saxhorn. The dulcet tones and sonic blend are a marvel to behold. Partly, of course, this is due to the expert playing by Bruce Barrie, Susan Sexton (or is it SAXton?), Marian Hesse, Larry Zimmerman, and Jay Krush.

Stephen Foster wrote very little purely instrumental music, but his songs fostered (pun unavoidable) innumerable instrumental arrangements. Those heard here are taken (and sometimes re-arranged) from the playbooks of such 19th-century bands as the Manchester, New Hampshire town band, the Boston Brass Band and the brass band of the 26th Regiment of North Carolina, not to forget the U.S. Marine Band. The tunes are arranged into quicksteps, waltzes, marches, schottisches and potpourris. Most of the familiar tunes are here: 'Beautiful Dreamer,' 'I Dream of Jeannie,' 'My Old Kentucky Home,' 'Camptown Races,' 'Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming,' and 'Some Folks Do' as well as plenty of relatively unfamiliar songs. And because these arrangements come from all over some of the tunes appear several times like old friends. Some of my own favorites are 'Some Folks' arranged by W. L. Baccus, 'Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming' arranged by Bruce Barrie, 'Camptown Quick Step' arranged by Jay Krush, and 'Gentle Annie' from the U.S. Marine Corps Band archives.

As an unabashed fan of the music of Charles Ives, I can't hear these arrangements without wondering which of these tunes Charlie heard (and played) when his own father, a former Civil War bandmaster, led his town band in Danbury, Connecticut.

Recommended for brass band lovers, Stephen Foster fans, and folks who like, say, the sound track to Ken Burns's 'Civil War' PBS documentary.

TT=68:49

Customer Reviews:

complete but lacking.......2005-06-14

While I am a fan of Thibaudet in general, he just seems lost here. Satie is deceptively difficult to judge as a performer, the music is at times mercurial or static, profound or frivolous, or all of the above. Yet one hardly needs to underline the oddness, it's perfectly revealed if you play it straight.
While some misread notes suggest he may not really know these pieces, Thibaudet manages to project something less than a competent sight reading. In such an endeavor he would certainly get the right feel occasionally by accident. Instead, he regularly puts the wrong foot forward, with odd accents and effects getting in the way, perhaps trying too hard to add spin to music whose mysteries refuse to unfold under such duress.
I would recommend collecting a number of different performers: Reinbert DeLeeuw, Pascal Roge, Anne Queffelec, JoAnna MacGregor and Michel Legrand have all made worthy contributions to the recent discography and their combined recordings would make a pretty-near complete survey.

good for completists, but..........2004-05-18

I jumped at the chance to buy this set; a new digital recording of Satie's complete solo piano music. I had admired Jean-Yves Thibaudet in the past and had seen him perform Messiaen's "Turangalila Symphony"; a great performance. However, after listening to this set for three straight months, I'm rather frustrated with it, mostly on aesthetic grounds, since I can't deny Thibaudet's talents; I just disagree with some of his interpretations.

To start, most of the shorter, "lite" pieces are performed very well on disc 4. Even the most popular, (Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes) are excellent. I am also thankful I now have performances of "Uspud" and many of Satie's conservatory assignments, played expertly and with good humor. For these, the set is worth having.

But now, the bad news. As I have complained about in the past with Thibaudet's Ravel discs, I'm frankly rather put-off by his inexplicable, pointless staccato in many of the pieces. "Petite Overture a la Danser" is one of my favorite Satie miniatures, and here Thibaudet botches it by playing it way too fast with no pedal. It sounds like a joke, and I think he totally misses the point of the piece. In the "Nazareen" preludes, he adds his own extreme dynamics which are not indicated in the original scores, and the effect seems like a cheap attempt to add "spice" to what are supposed to be meditative sound constructions, based on poetry forms rather than classical forms.

"Prelude to the Heroic Gate of Heaven" is taken far too slow, and Thibaudet completely cuts out the "Curtain" coda in the original Salabert edition for no apparent reason; he seems determined to give the piece a more "proper" ending, and for this listener, it's a terrible, narcissistic, and disrespectful miscalculation.

I will keep this set since it is a complete document, flawed though it may be. But I still must insist that the best living interpreter of Satie's piano music is the ever-underrated Reinbert DeLeeuw, who is completely in-tune with Satie's sly magic. His tempos may be slow, his dynamics few, but that's the whole point; this is highly personal music, and DeLeeuw has an aesthetic I can personally agree with. For an audible explanation of what I'm talking about, compare the performances of "Petite Overture a la Danser" by DeLeeuw and Thibaudet, and you'll see what I mean.

Yes, its worth five discs.......2003-12-17

Each disc averages about 75 minutes of music. Over six hours of Satie? Definitely yes. If you have an affinity for Satie's classic pieces you should not pass up this set. There are so many standout pieces in so many wonderful styles you can only leave this set with wonder. And Thibaudet seems made for this music. The best interpreter of Satie that I've heard. His technique is amazing with such a range of subtle fingering tempo and dynamics. Its as though I've heard some of these for the first time with new shocks of emotion I hadn't experienced before. Not to be missed.

Bright Day Star: Music for the Yuletide Seasons

Average customer rating:

Wonderful recording
Bright and sparkling!
why to get this disc (in rhyme)
A Christmas Favorite
Excellent performances and unique music

Bright Day Star: Music for the Yuletide Seasons

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
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On the Banks of Helicon: Early Music of Scotland
Watkins Ale: Music of the English Renaissance
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Ancient Noels
The Ladyes Delight

ASIN: B000001QAB
Release Date: 1994-10-04

Tracks:

Ding Dong Merrily
The Old Year Now Away Is Fled
Christmas Day in da Mornin'
The Cherry Tree Carol
Wir singen dir, Immanuel
The Wren Song
A Wassail Tune
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Carol 'Een Kindeken is ons geboren'
The Bellman's Carol
A Christmas Jig
Es ist ein' Ros' entsprugen
In dulci Jubilo
Rorate coeli desuper
Drive the Cold Winter Away
Remember, O Thou Man
Quem pastores laudavere
Christmas Is My Name
In dir ist Freude
Hey for Christmas!

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful recording.......2004-11-18

This might be my favorite holiday album. It's one of the first I pull out in November and doesn't get put away until February.

Bright and sparkling!.......2002-11-29

A perfect way to celebrate the Christmas spirit any time of year with some truly "old" favorites, performed with spirit and heart by the Baltimore Consort. Period selections imbued here with the consort's singular sound and creative improvisations include "Ding Dong Merrily on High", "The Old Year Now Away is Fled", "The Cherry Tree Carol", "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day", "Es ist ein Ros", "In Dulci Jubilo", and many more that may charm you for the first time. The Baltimore Consort is: Mary Anne Ballard, viols and rebec; Mark Cudek, cittern, guitar, viols and bandora; Custer LaRue, soprano soloist; Larry Lipkis, viol, recorder and gemshorn; Ronn McFarlane, lutes; and Chris Norman, wooden flutes and pennywhistle; with Webb Wiggins on organ.

why to get this disc (in rhyme).......2001-11-24

'Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and all through the house, Christmas spirit was stirring and starting to rouse feelings of joy and expectation in the hearts of the people who were there. Beautiful music and Custer LaRue's singing filled the air.

Wonderful songs, written by people long dead, caused pictures to form and stories to dance through each listening head. Stories of a virgin bearing a child, stories of the little Savior's entrance into this world...meek and mild.

Each song is sung with such haunting beauty and care. The Consort's playing could not be more wonderfully fair. Each song is a masterpiece--"The Cherry Tree Carol," "In dulci jubilo," and "Quem pastores laudavere." Each song's focus is on the true meaning of Christmas--no appearance made by St. Nick--but with singing like this, in your head they are sure to stick.

More beautifully than snowflakes this music drifts down. In sheer loveliness, "Christmas Is My Name" deserves the crown. Oh but each tune is strong--like "Ding Dong Merrily" and "The Wren Song." Most come in at under three minutes each, none is overlong. Each is stunning...how can the listener go wrong? How they twinkle...they are most merry. One even makes mention of Cherries.

(...)

I highly recommend this disc.

A Christmas Favorite.......2000-12-09

Had enough of animated snowmen and over-sweetened carol arrangements? Here's a hugely enjoyable recording of songs and dances done with flair by the Baltimore Consort. There are a few familiar tunes, such as the lilting arrangement of "Ding, Dong Merrily On High" and a beautiful solo flute version of "Lo, How a Rose 'Er Blooming." But most the songs are off the beaten track, and are therefore fresh and new despite their antiquity. Custer LaRue brings feeling and energy into the songs. This has become the most played Christmas CD in our household.

Excellent performances and unique music.......1999-12-13

This is my favorite Christmas CD, and it is very different from everything else we hear this time of year.

Music:

Music

music