Parasite Eve II [Import]

parasite eve ii [import]

Track Listings

1. Forbidden Power [Theme For Aya]

2. Mist

3. Aya Again

4. Don't Move!

5. Nightmare In The Battlefield

6. Deadly Calm

7. First Encounter

8. Tower Rendezvous

9. Metamorphosis

10. Watch Out!

11. Ambush!

12. What The Hell Happened-

13. Do Something!

14. Weird Man

15. Return To The Base

16. Ghost Town

17. Hunt In Dryfield

18. Don't Shoot!

19. Douglas' Blues

20. Water Tower

See all 66 tracks on this disc

Parasite Eve II,Naoshi Mizuta,Toha

Parasite Eve II [Import]

Average customer rating:

Puccini Withour Words
Wonderful! I don't care much for opera, but the music is great!
Enchanted by Puccini Without Words
Nice CD
Great arrangments and music!

Puccini Without Words

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Opera without Words
Verdi without Words: Grand Opera for Orchestra
Pops Plays Puccini
Carmen Without Words
Opera Without Words

ASIN: B000002761
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro
La Boheme: Act I: Che Gelida Manina
La Boheme: Act I: Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi
La Boheme: Act I: O Soave Fanciulla
La Boheme: Act II: Christmas Eve In Paris
La Boheme: Act II: Quando M'en Vo' (Musetta's Waltz)
La Boheme: Act III: Farewell Duet & Quartet
La Boheme: Act IV: O, Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni
La Boheme: Act IV: Final Scene: Death Of Mimi
Madama Butterfly: Act I: Entrance Of Butterfly
Madama Butterfly: Act I: Love Duet
Madama Butterfly: Act II: Un Bel Di Vedremo
Madama Butterfly: Act II: Humming Chorus
Madama Butterfly: Act II: Pinkerton's Farewell And Death Of Butterfly
TOSCA: Act I: Recondita Armonia
TOSCA: Act I: Love Duet
TOSCA: Act II: Vissi D'arte
TOSCA: Act III: E Lucevan Le Stelle

Customer Reviews:

Puccini Withour Words.......2007-07-11

This is one of my favorite CD's. Puccini wrote such beautiful music but it is often overshadowed by the diva or tenor who sing the aria. This is pure music and so enjoyable.

Wonderful! I don't care much for opera, but the music is great!.......2007-05-11

This is a fantastic album. I love classical music, but have never enjoyed opera. Some choir or chorus with classical is good, but the opera in general has never been entertaining for me. But the music is so good, so what to do?

Here you go. Get the music without the vocals.

Puccini's musical prowess was amazing. Madama Butterfuly is some of the most intricately composed classical I have ever heard. The vocals don't let you hear the true genius of the composition. La Boheme is equally enjoyable; delicately intertwined harmonies that relax and arrest you at the same time. Tosca is strong; again, truly enjoyable.

But, for me, the best piece on the album is the opener; "O Mio Babbino" from Gianni Schicchi. I must admit that I have never heard of this opera or this composition, but when I played this CD, this song came alive for me.

The entire album is mixed well, with very little background noise and very good sound editing. Considering the price, you really can't go wrong with this album.

A definite positive addition to my classical library.

Enchanted by Puccini Without Words .......2007-05-08

As a newcomer to opera, this disc of Puccini without words is an ideal introduction, to listen to as I paint. The music can go directly to my heart without worrying about words or voices to interrupt the creativity. Now I'm becoming interested in buying some Puccini with words and other operas as well. Now I'd like to hear an entire opera instead of exerpts.

Nice CD.......2007-01-08

Not what I expected but nice background music for a special occasion. If I had the choice again to buy it or now, I wouldn't have. Many other's out there with better selections.

Great arrangments and music!.......2006-12-23

It's a pleasure to listen to the music of the familiar arias. But what was shocking for me is to find out that "Bring Him Home" tune from Le Misserable is based on Madama Butterfly: Act II: Humming Chorus.
Wow, so it's not only A.L.Webber is using classical tunes for his musicals. Well, Puccini would be very proud to find out that these people made millions of $$$ with their help.

Average customer rating:

Lousy - don't buy it!
Lackluster
Great music; forgettable setting
Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach
Some good tracks

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach
Ill-Conceived PDQ Bach Anthology
Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities

ASIN: B000003D0T
Release Date: 1995-08-29

Tracks:

Opening And Introduction
I. C Major
II. C Minor
III. C-Sharp Major
IV. D Major
V. D Minor
VI. E-Flat Major
VII. F Major
VIII. G Minor
IX. G Major
X. A Major
XI. A minor
XII. B-Flat Major
Introduction
I. Toccata Et Fuga Obnoxia
II. Chorale Prelude (Ave Maria Et Agnus Dei)
III. Fantasia Sopra
IV. Lullaby And Goodnight
Introduction
I. Spiel Vorspiel
II. Entrada Grande
III. Smokski The Russian Bear
IV. Toccata Ecdysiastica
Calliope Frustration
Introduction
I. Chorale 'Orally'
II. Chorale Prelude On An American Hymn For The Last Sunday Before The Fourth Day Of The Seventh Month After New Year's Eve
III. Chorale Variations On 'In Der Nacht So Hell, Der Petrus Ist Mein Freund'
Epilogue

Customer Reviews:

Lousy - don't buy it!.......2007-05-04

My boyfriend listened to the whole disc, and hated every bit of it.
I heard a couple tracks, and wanted to turn it off after two songs.
Not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as his ILL-CONCEIVED album,
which is the first PDQ we've listened to.

Hello, hello hello howdy do,
my name is Zinging-able-nessedly,
but my frrrrrieeeeeeeeennnndddsss, just call me Zing!

Lackluster.......2003-03-07

I agree with most of the other individuals who have written comments. The first piece, "The Short Tempered Clavier" is, by far, the best piece on the CD. The other works seem oddly derivative of it. There isn't the usual variety in the pieces which Schickele includes (one or two instrumental, one or two vocal). My personal suspicion is that since, years ago, Schickele announced his intention to stop his P.D.Q. Bach work in order to focus on serious compositions, this CD may have been part of a contractual obligation, or, perhaps, just an effort to get the last of the P.D.Q. Bach pieces recorded.

While the "Short Temepered Clavier" is a good piece, its probably not worth the price of the CD. If you were looking for a good P.D.Q. Bach album, I'd buy "Oedipus Tex" or "1712 Overture" or even the lesser-known (but really funny) "Lieberslieder Polkas and Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs".

Great music; forgettable setting.......2003-02-14

I'll get the bad news out of the way first. The "setting" for this performance is allegedly a Senate committee hearing room, where they are debating some ridiculous amendment to the Constitution. All of the sections of the CD where the Professor is just talking to the Senators are rather dull -- I guess Schickele was trying to get in his verbal jokes, like he does in his (hilarious) live performances, but it just falls flat here.

On to the good stuff. The Short-Tempered Clavier is some of PDQ's most inventive writing yet. Of all the solo piano PDQ music that Schickele has put out, this is some of the most cerebral ... There are quotes from other works that you don't hear until you've listened 3 or 4 times -- they're deeply imbedded. The fugue subjects are all quite ridiculous -- Beethoven's 5th, "The Worms Crawl In...", etc. (except for the last), and they are given the full PDQ treatment. The last one (in B-flat) is notable in that the fugue subject is B-A-C-H (see J.S. Bach's "Art of the Fugue", Liszt's treatment, etc.), which PDQ also manages to *invert* (something that old J.S. did once in a while, to show off his stuff). But as soon as you think the fugue might be getting serious, there is an outburst of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Then back to the fugueing. Marvelous stuff.

PDQ does the same thing in the Toccata -- it starts out with the theme of Dad's warhorse Toccata & Fugue in D minor -- only the subject is inverted (it goes up instead of down). This is an example of the oft-mentioned principle that the more you know about music theory and history, the funnier PDQ's stuff is.

Not PDQ's best work, but some of it is close. Not Schickele's best CD, but not bad, either.

Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach.......2002-04-18

Others have written here of the slight difference between Peter Schickele's "early" and "late" PDQ Bach performances, hence it is slightly surperfluous to say that the more recent Telarc recordings (of which this is one) lack the sparkle and 'zany' character of the earlier ones from the 1970s.

They are certainly still as clever: "The Short-Tempered Clavier" is of course a spoof of J. S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Keyboard", laced with quotations from other areas of the pianists repertoire as well as having the odd snatch of a very familiar tune here and there.

The whole disc is set out as the document of a lecture given by Peter Schickele to a group of skeptical, 'unmusical' US senators, with the PDQ Bach keyboard works woven in as musical examples. Hence, as well as the title work (played on piano), the programme also features appearances by a theatre organ (on which is played the "Pochelbuchlein" - "The Little Pickle Book"), a calliope (used for the "Sonata da Circo" - "Circus Sonata" - the rendition of which is cut short by the explosion of the instrument!) and the organ of the King Congregational Church (get it?!) which is little more than two synthesisers stacked on top of each other.
Each piece is fun, although the impact of the musical jokes will vary depending upon how musically-minded the listener is. In other words, musicologists, pianists and organists are likely to get the most laughs out of the programme. The liner notes add an extra dimension to the fun by containing, as well as a "scholarly essay" on the history, discovery and publication of the music, various quips about those involved in the production of the recording, with in-jokes including a 'specification' of the King Congregational Church organ...

Take it or leave it ... as a Christmas or birthday gift for a musical friend or family-member, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

Some good tracks.......2002-03-01

I enjoyed the Short-Tempered Clavier pieces tremendously. Played masterfully by Christopher O'Reilley, they are witty and delightful. A new suprise is always around the corner, and upon my first listen I found myself grinning and sometimes laughing out loud.

Then comes the rest of the album.

In the succeeding pieces, Schickele uses the same jokes, the same tunes, and crummy synthesized instruments that become so annoying that I just want to turn the thing off.

Tracks:

De Natura Sonorum: Matis Induites - Bernard Parmegiani
Short Presentation of the 1948 Sackbut: The Sackbut Blues/A ... - Hugh Le Caine
Stereo Music for Serge Modular Prototype - Keith Fullerton Whitman
Last Largo - Ilhan Mimaroglu
Room Pieces [Excerpt] - Michael J. Schumacher
Ovipool
Stone: Reciprocal
Flume
Execution of Intelligence - Zbigniew Karkowski
Birds and Warhorse
Requiem: Dies Irae - Michel Chion

Tracks:

Sttimen ni4 & #1 - Erkki Kurenniemi
Time...Dot
Early Work 6
Klangstudies II - Herbert Eimert
Eve
Teilmenge - Asmus Tietchens
Feuerland - Michael Rother
Contacte - To Rococo Rot
Till Zakynthos (Op. 205) - Rune Lindblad
Eternal Love #3

Customer Reviews:

Legal Stuff Apart.......2007-04-21

To understand this review, take a look at the reviews of the other volumes in this series...
Some of the music on this series is so weird and beautiful that the composers should be grateful that it is released here. They should think of this series as a sampler which might atract us, the general public, into further investigation of their work, which we most probably would have never had the chance to hear it or become aware of its existence or of the composers/artists. Don't be so greedy... for I believe you have been done a favor. The same goes for the other volumes of this series. TWO THUMBS UP!

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade for orchestra Op35; Russian Easter Festival Overture Op36

Average customer rating:

Great mix of music though OK performance
Wow..
Colorful, Romantic, Dramatic, and Consistently Musical !
absolute magic

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade for orchestra Op35; Russian Easter Festival Overture Op36

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rimsky-Korsakov: Great Orchestral Works
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain / Isaac Albeniz: Rapsodia Espanola / Joaquin Turina: Rapsodia Sinfonica - Alicia de Larrocha / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos
Khachaturian: Spartacus / Khachaturian, Vienna Philharmonic
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol
Tchaikovsky: The Complete Symphonies

ASIN: B000004241
Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

Scheherazade: The Sea And Sinbad's Ship - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade: The Story Of The Kalandar Prince - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade: The Young Prince And The Young Princess - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade: Festival At Baghdad - The Sea - Shipwreck - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
May Night: Overture - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Suite, Op.57: I. The Tsar's Departure And Farewell - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Suite, Op.57: II. The Tsarina And Her Son Afloat In The Cask - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Suite, Op.57: III. The Three Wonders - N. Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: The Flight Of The Bumblebee - N. Rimsky-Korsakov

Tracks:

Russian Easter Festival: Overture, Op.36 - Rimsky-Korsakov
Christmas Eve Suite - Rimsky-Korsakov
Dubinushka, Op.62 - Rimsky-Korsakov
Sadko, Musical Picture, Op.5 - Rimsky-Korsakov
The Snow Maiden Suite: Introduction- Danse des oiseaux- Cortege- Danse des bouffons - Rimsky-Korsakov

Customer Reviews:

Great mix of music though OK performance.......2007-02-07

Rimsky - Korsakov is one of the greats of Russian music who composed works for multiple genres such as ballets, operas, symphonies, overtures, concertos, etc. This two-disc set provides a good compilation of many of these works without resorting to the common method of taking 3 - 4 minute samples from multiple works that embody the most famous tunes from said works. Instead, the album includes multiple works in whole such as Scheherazade, the Tale of Tsar Saltan, Snow Maiden Suite, and The Russian Easter Festival Overture. The result is two discs with over an hour of music per disc. However, many of the works are quite unknown, and can require some patience to listen through and appreciate.

The orchestration and sound quality is only alright. For example, this album's performance of the Russian Easter Festival Overture was sub-par compared to what I have heard in other albums. Overall, a good buy, but not a great buy.

Wow.........2006-04-28

Quite possibly one of the worst Scheherazade's I have ever heard from a "professional" orchestra. There is some REALLY BAD playing on here. I still can't believe that a recording would be put out where the playing can sound completely incompetent at times. I really don't understand that. This is NOT a good recording!! Just the fact that there are so many noticeable mistakes proves that. If you are a musician, this should bother you and make you wince.

Do yourself a favor and buy a different recording, either Bernstein with New York, Temirkanov with New York, or Maazel with Cleveland, or Concertgebouw or Philly. Any other recording will definitely be of better quality.

Colorful, Romantic, Dramatic, and Consistently Musical !.......2004-03-09

In the past, I have enjoyed other Scheherazades, most notably those by Ormandy, Reiner, Monteux, Stokowski, Kondrashin and Beecham, especially the latter two. I must now include this marvelous Ansermet after re-acquainting myself with his performance after many years of neglect. While the Suisse Romande Orchestra has never been seen as having quite matched the reputations of the Philadelphia, Chicago Symphony and Concertgebouw Orchestras, it performs so magically and musically here that it seems to transport one on the proverbial flying carpet to exotic lands. Tones are rounded, sweet and golden, yet there is no slighting of drama. As conductor, Ansermet is in no hurry to impress with an eye and ear to sheer virtuosity. He proceeds with an easy flowing, characterful, sensuous style. I haven't heard many more satisfyingly rendered first movements than his. But the same holds true for the other three as well, especially the gorgeously fragrant third movement ( "The Young Prince and the Young Princess" ). Throughout the Ansermet/Suisse Romande performance there is a wonderful songfulness and a pleasing exotic ambiance. In many places, instrumental sounds simply glow....Virtually everything else on these discs is also a delicious treat, especially since such brightly varied pieces as Tale of the Tsar Saltan, The Christmas Eve Suite and The Snow Maiden have never been well represented in recordings, though I have enjoyed for some time Svetlanov's Tsar Saltan. All these works of Rimsky-Korsakov reveal one of the finest examples of a composer who possessed the wonderful ability to create splendid color and captivating tunefulness. And, I think, there were few other conductors who had Ernest Ansermet's talent to project these appealing delights with such endearing and satisfying musical expression.

absolute magic.......2000-09-21

This should be an essential part of any Russian music lover's library. Ansermet had a particular affinity with this repertoire, and the very distinctive sound of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande make this a very endearing and memorable release. It's a paradox, but though Rimsky's orchestral pallette is opulent and technicolour in the extreme, it is not particularly lush in the R.Straussian sense - the timbres separate, and the clarity of the texturing in these OSR performances make every subtlety of the orchestration apparent: listen to the different ways Rimsky scores the same E major chord in the first movement of 'Scheherazade' - on this recording every register change tells.

Tracks:

Hope, Op.26, No.1
I Love But Thee, Op.5, No.3
Two Brown Eyes, Op.5, No.1
Four Songs From Fishermaiden: No.1 The First Meeting
Four Songs From Fishermaiden: No.2 Good Morning
Four Songs From Fishermaiden: No.3 To Springtime My Song I'm Singing
Four Songs From Fishermaiden: No.4 Say What You Will
The Princess, EG 133
From Monte Pincio, Op.39, No.1
Solveig's Song, Op.23, No.1
Solveig's Cradle Song Op.23, No.26
Six Songs, Op.48: No.1 Greeting
Six Songs, Op.48: No.2 One Day, O Heart Of Mine
Six Songs, Op.48: No.3 The Way Of The World
Six Songs, Op.48: No.4 The Nightgale's Secret
Six Songs, Op.48: No.5 The Time Of Roses
Six Songs, Op.48: No.6: A Dream
Margaret's Cradle Song, Op.15, No.1
I Walked One Balmy Summer Eve, Op.26, No.1
The First Primose, Op.26, No.4
Last Spring, Op.33, No.2
Upon A Grassy Hillside, Op.39, No.3
To Her. II, Op.59, No.4
On The Water, Op.60, No.3
A Swan, Op.59, No.2
Spring Showers, Op.49, No.6
At Rondane, Op.33, No.9
A Bird-Song, Op.25, No.6

Customer Reviews:

A Dream.......2006-11-10

To me, Grieg's music is very special. He uses so much color in his music like a great painter. Listening to his music makes me see the beautiful fjords and the mysterious mid-summer night of Norway. It also gives me a taste of the lives and emotions of the people lived there. His songs are treasures of art song literature. He is definitely the greatest composer Norway has ever offered.
This is my first CD of Bodil Arnese (soprano) and I just love her voice! It is clear, soft, colorful, warm and with a bit of melancholy. She sang with deep emotion and very good technique. I think her voice and the way she sings suit very well to Grieg's songs. On the piano is Erling R. Eriksen, who beautifully created the atmosphere of each song. I liked the interpretation very much and also the collection of songs. The CD has been very useful for me to understand and interpret Grieg's songs.
I really recommend Grieg music lovers to get this CD.

A great songwriter of love and the land........2001-03-22

Although they are consciously imbued with the Norwegian folk spirit, Grieg's songs are not a million miles from German lieder, and the composer's Goethe setting 'Zur Rosenzeit' (The Time of Roses) is as harrowingly melancholic as anything by Schubert.

Mostly, however, Grieg seems to breathe a crisper, fresher, lighter air. He excels in evoking natural phenomena - the ripples of a stream, the song of a bird, the grandeur of a mountain valley - and the movements of the human heart - the quickening inspired by first love, the despair wrought by absence and loss.

His great power comes from having the two reflect or embody each other, creating an idealised pastoral conscious of the seasons and loss. So even though most of the poems set are songs of love and nature; and although Grieg can exult in romantic ecstasy; there is an underlying sadness throughout, skillfully rendered in this recording by accompanist Erling R. Eriksen. Grieg was notoriously dismissive of singers, but he would be hard-pushed to fault Bodil Arnesen's delicate strength.

beautiful voice, delightful music.......2000-07-08

i bought this based on good reviews i'd seen elsewhere on the net. these little songs are delightful, and the piano accompaniment is clean and lively.

the real treat here, of course, is bodil arnesen's voice- strong and gutsy on track #7 (tak for dit rad), soaring on track #10 (sloveigs sang), and joyous #22 (i liden hojt deroppe).

naxos has included a huge set of liner notes with all the texts in norwegian and english. it's a nice touch.

Tracks:

Toccata In DeMole
Hall Of The Mountain King
Harvest Dance
The Flying Dutchman
Z-Row Gravity
Funeral March Of A Marionette
Rock & Roll Graveyard
Night On Bald Mountain
Crystal
All Hallow's Eve
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Rite Of Twilight
Ride Of The Falkyries

Tracks:

Enchanted Forest
The Other Side
Enchanted Forest II
The Reaper
Ghost Voices
Alien Spaceship
Enchanted Forest III
Mountain King
Digital Death
Souls Demise

Customer Reviews:

Hallo-wha?.......2006-04-19

Let me start by saying I've never listened to Steamroller before picking this up. I am a big fan of Halloween and have quite a collection of music/sound fx so naturally, this was a must buy when I saw it.
Strictly from a Halloween fan's point of view, I can't recommend this except maybe for a kids party. The synth on the tracks really removes any spookiness from the tunes and makes them fall short of Halloween-worthiness. Tocatta and Hall of the Mountain King are some of my absolute favorite classical pieces and here they are given a royal treatment...if they were produced on a Commodore 64, or Casio keyboard for you younger folk.
The FX disc isn't horrible, but it's below the average generic sound fx you find in the bargain bin. Again, not much scary except for the fact that I spent money on this.
If possible, check it out before you buy.

An interest take on the usual.......2005-11-06

I wasn't sure what I'd think of this from reading other reviews, but I really did like it. I'm not really familiar with Mannheim's other stuff (but if the rest of the Autumn cd is anything like Harvest Dance, I'm looking forward to getting it), so I didn't have any preconceived ideas. I have a lot of the classical pieces on other cds, but I like the different twist given to them here. And I did like the sound effect cd. Nicely spooky (I have enough other sound effects cds with screaming and muching ghouls, etc).

Could have been great but . . ........2004-10-15

As a big Steamroller fan, perhaps my hopes were set a little too high. I envisioned more original music (perhaps a more scarier vibe than the silly one this CD has to it) and maybe a few covered tunes. Chips originals (from the Fresh Aire series)found on this CD outshine the weak efforts put forth on the covered and rearranged tracks. The sound effects disc sets a great(and creepy)mood, that should had been followed through with some new and equally scary compositions.

If you're a die hard Mannheim fan (as in 'I just have to own everything Chip puts out') I say go for it. But otherwise spend your Halloween money elsewhere. Overall this is a forced and lazy effort.

It's not That bad..........2004-06-14

It's not scary. There, you have it, that's what it all boils down to. With a creepy cover like that, you'd think it would be terrifying! It's not, but it's not bad, either!

A lot of the songs sound kind of like low-budget MIDI tunes that are sometimes embedded in websites.. but I think that might have been what the Steamroller was going for. Kind of like a broken Music Box? Anyway, only a few sound low budget, the rest sound good, even a few are a little "eerie" but at the same time, there's a lot that pretty much remind me of something you would hear come out of sesame street toy. The sound effects are great, though.

There's a few songs that are bad. there's a few that are "babyish" but there's also Lots that really capture the mood of halloween and some of it's eerieness. I can't really recommend it for Halloween itself (maybe if you already have every halloween cd already) but I think any Chip Davis fan should give it a listen.

Tries to please everyone.......2004-06-02

One of the neat things about the holiday of Halloween is that it is so versatile. Where Christmas has a very straightforward story (Santa or Jesus, take your pick), Halloween can be many things. Some people see it as a sort of Mardi Gras atmosphere, where any kind of costumed theme is suitable. Others see it as a dark holiday, only suited gothic castles, zombies, and monsters. Still others celebrate it in the style of gory slasher movies, complete with deranged serial killers and buckets of blood. And then there is the non-scary childrens Halloween, where the ghosts are cute and jack-o-lanterns all have goofy grins.

Tracks:

Prelude
Bridal Procession
The Battle Of Kershenetz
Apotheosis Of Fevronia
Introduction
Redowa
Lithuanian Dance
Indian Dance
Cortege
May Night
Christmas Eve

Tracks:

Overture On Russian Themes
Skazka (Fairy Tale)
Sadko (A Musical Picture)
Piano Concerto
Concert Fantasy

Customer Reviews:

Good sampler of the master's music.......2006-12-14

Rimsky-Korsakov is one of the most influential Russian composers. Part of the Mighty - Five, he composed numerous works inspired by folk music of various Russian and East European nationalities. Many of them were made to accompany ballets, plays and famous Russian stories. This two-disc set contains excerpts from many of his lesser-known pieces. So there is nothing from Scheherezade or his symphonies. Instead we have music from Mlada, Sadko, and other pieces unknown to all except the die-hard Russian fans. All the music on both discs are orchestral, and exemplify the Russian Romantic style of evocative and emotional melodies.

Of the two discs, I prefer the first, as it contains more, shorter, self-contained pieces. The second disc contains only longer works. The orchestration is fine. Both discs are over an hour long, so this set is a great buy for its price. Note that the cover picture can differ, the set I bought was from Virgin Records and has a totally different cover than the one shown here on Amazon.

Rare Rimsky Extravaganza!.......2005-12-19

With the classical music market flooded in excerpt reissues, this 2 CD set is a welcome budget addition for any romantic period collection. The varied selections are drawn from the 1972-1978,VOX output and are decently remastered. Rimsky-Korsakov composed 16 known operas and it was his custom to make
orchestral suites for them. The three in this set are typical of the composer's fantasies. All his life he loved fairy-tales,
nature, and folklore. He used colorful and bizarre tales for his operas, and wrote colorful and brilliant music to set them off. Each of the three included here feature an introduction,
some lovely themes and some exotic effects. "Christmas Eve" is evocative but it's storyline is based on paganism. Each suite is just right and dosen't outlast it's welcome.
The overture to "May Night" is cut from the same mold. The "Overture On Russian Themes" utilizes the same melody in Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" representing the Russian forces.
"Shazka"(Legend)is another fairy-tale based on a prologue by Pushkin. The enchanting score for "Sadko, a Musical Picture" preceded the opera by the same name by thirty years. With all Rimsky's descriptive orchestral music, we forget he composed symphonies and concertos.

Rimsky-Korsakov's short(under 12 mins.)Piano Concerto was probably inspired by his teacher Balakirev, is characteristic of Liszt's one movement form. It's themematic development is unmistakably Russian. In developing his violin writing skills he composed the "Concert Fantasy" based on Spanish themes. It prepared him well for the later "Capriccio espagnol".

The various artists all perform well but one wishes for even more updated sound; hence my reservation for a fifth star. Detailed liner notes are included.

Great Recordings of Rare Rimsky-Korsakov Gems!.......2005-12-11

This 2-CD set contains wonderful performances of some really great music of Rimsky-Korsakov which, unfortunately, has not achieved the popularity of works like Scheherezade and Capriccio
Espagnole. The Invisible City Suite is truly magical: colorful, imaginative music that transports you to a sound-world that is quite different from most classical works. The performance is very good, with very solid sound and accoustics. The Mlada Suite is another colorful Russian showpiece that Rimsky-Korsakov excelled at. An excellent performance too. The May Night Overture gets a brisk, propulsive performance that makes it really enjoyable to listen to. The first CD ends with the rare Christmas Eve Suite No. 2, and what a delight it is! It starts out slow, with an exotic theme that is jovial and intriguing and develops into a number of exciting climaxes, and it is very well-played.
The second CD starts with the marvelous Overture on Russian Themes, which contains at least one theme you're sure to recognize (it's also in the 1812 Overture). A really smashing performance. Next is the rare Skazka/Fairy Tale, sometimes called Baba Yaga. It starts out menacing and contains both lyrical and dramatic themes, which is to be expected, as it is a tone poem that tells a story. The performance is first-rate, though it sounds like there's some background noise going on at times. Next is Sadko, given a fast, exciting performance, though I prefer the Zinman/Rotterdam one. The Piano Concerto comes next, and what a find this is! It sounds just like Rachmaninov at times. It is given a faster-than-usual performance here, which is just what it needs. This rare concerto is so enjoyable that you will wish it would go on longer than its 12 minutes and wish it were performed more often. The set ends with the Concert Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, which is another gem that is extremely satisfying, featuring a great performance by the violinist, orchestra and conductor, as well as great sound balancing and accoustics.
If you get this set together with the Zinman/Rotterdam collection of RK's orchestral works on Phillips
as well as a good performance of Scheherazade (I'd recommend the Spano/Atlanta performance among modern ones or the Karajan/Berlin one among stereo recordings), you'll have almost all of the best music by Rimsky-Kosakov at a really low price.
Do not be put off by the fact that this CD-set features orchestras and conductors that you've probably never heard of, or by the fact that you won't find any reviews by the the standard professional musical critics. You get two CDs filled with great music at a budget price, and the performances are first-rate throughout. It is worth every penny and a whole lot more! I cannot recommend this more strongly!

An unbelievable musical treasure.......2004-07-02

Consider the low prize of this set you'll be rewarde for a long time .
The invisible city is well played , the piano concert is warmth and powerful and the violin concert is much more than a simply promised land . You'll be surprised about the musical richness of Nikolai Rimski Korsakov.

Rare CD, must-have for R-K collectors.......2004-05-14

This is cheap set, but at least two performances makes it best of all existing ; the Sadko with Katims and Seattle SO is the ultimate performance, far best of all - I heard all, with Svetlanov, Serov, and more, and Katims is high over all. I do not undertand it, because nor the orchestra, nor conductor, are of top quality - but really, they did great job. One more piece is quite unknown (but very good) Rimsky-Korsakov piano concerto. This performance is quite faster and more fercious than other exsting, and I think it is fater than it should be (according to music sheet), but still, it has value as rare performance.

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Naomi & Ruth / Sacred Service for Sabbath Eve [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Average customer rating:

A little bland.
A lovely Friday night service and a moving story of Ruth
Another side of a film composer.
Jewish Music by Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Naomi & Ruth / Sacred Service for Sabbath Eve [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Manufacturer: Milken Archive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Darius Milhaud: Service Sacre [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
Toch-Cantata of the Bitter Herbs (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)
Jewish Voices in the New World [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
Berlinski: Avodat Shabbat / Schwarz
First S'lihot: Midnight Service

ASIN: B0000C508J
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

Naomi And Ruth, Op.27 - Ana Maria Martinez
Ma Tovu
L'kha Dodi
Tov L'hodot
Bar'khu
Sh'ma Yisra'el
Mi Khamokha
Hashkivenu
V'sham'ru
May The Words
Kiddush
Let Us Adore
Va'anahnu
On That Day
Benediction
Adon Olam
I. Tema - Barbara Harbach
II. Hashkivenu - Barbara Harbach
V. Ra'u Banim - Barbara Harbach
I. Adanai Ma Adam - Cantor Simon Spiro
III. Yoshev B'seter - Cantor Simon Spiro
IV. Shiviti - Cantor Simon Spiro

Album Description

"This is one of the purest and most touching compositions you have ever written," wrote fellow émigré composer Ernst Toch to his friend Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco after hearing his cantata Naomi and Ruth. For Castelnuovo-Tedesco, America offered new opportunities to deepen and develop his Italian musical heritage and his Jewish spirituality. He dreamed that he might hear his Sacred Service "once in the synagogues of Florence," but instead this major work was premiered at New York's Park Avenue Synagogue, establishing a long tradition of contemporary sacred Jewish music commissioned from leading composers.

Customer Reviews:

A little bland........2004-02-06

Castelnuovo-Tedesco, best-known probably for his 1939 guitar concerto, wrote music that I don't believe can be called strongly memorable. It's expertly written, at times even beautiful, but it seems to disappear as soon as it's over. Furthermore, he never seemed to find himself, or at least to establish a strong artistic personality. At his best, he resorts to a neoclassic idiom. Most of the time, the music, despite its occasional prettiness, doesn't sound like much of anything.

The works here the composer wrote near or at the top of his game. Naomi and Ruth, a little cantata, tells the familiar story, with the soprano soloist taking the part of Naomi and the chorus taking over the narration and the words of Ruth. It's an almost archetypal example of the composer's unevenness, in that the music for the chorus is much stronger than that for the soprano. The Sacred Service has its moments, but large stretches of it simply go by. My favorite parts of the CD were the excerpts from the organ preludes, Prayers My Grandfather Wrote, and especially from the Memorial Service for the Departed. Here, whatever engagement the composer had with his inspiration manages to cross over to the listener.

The performances are mostly top-drawer, with Neville Marriner leading an outstanding Naomi and Ruth. The choir and orchestra knock you out with their precision and tone. By comparison, Ronald Corp's Sacred Service sounds muddy, and the baritone soloist, Ted Christopher, suffers from what sounds like occasional vocal tiredness. Organist Barbara Harbach gives an intense account of the Prayers, and canto Simon Spiro (though of modest voice) nevertheless sings beautifully and with wonderful communication in the Memorial Service. Indeed, the composer gets such strong performances, it may be difficult to separate one's pleasure in the singers and players from the pleasure in the work.

A lovely Friday night service and a moving story of Ruth.......2004-01-28

The major work is the Sacred Service for Sabbath Eve. It seems that this work was intended to be performed in a Reform or Conservative synagogue as a Friday night service. Complete Jewish service settings are rare. Few synagogues today would care to use this work as a service: Reform and Conservative congregations generally value participatory services and congregational singing, while Orthodox congregations do not use organ or mixed choirs (among other reasons). There is also a general trend away from communal Friday evening services in the U.S. (unfortunate, IMHO). The details of Jewish services and liturgy are very complex, varying with the season of the year, the branch of Judaism, Ashkenazik vs. Sephardic, and local tradition. These variations make it difficult to compose a large scale work that will be generally compatible with ritual worship. Happily there is a home for such works (also including the Milhaud and Bloch sacred services) on record, and (hopefully more often as a result of the Milken project) in concert.
Orthodox listeners should be warned that in this recording Hashem's names are pronounced as in prayer.
The mood is generally one of reverent awe, with the exceptions of the Mi Chamocha and the Kiddush, which are exuberently joyful. If you are a regular attendee at Friday night services you will enjoy hearing the familiar words in a skillfully arranged and heartfelt musical context.
The short cantata Naomi and Ruth tells the story, in English, of how Ruth came to adopt the faith of her mother-in-law, Naomi. It is generally for two-part women's chorus with a soloist in the role of Naomi. The choral writing is polyphonic, but allows the words to be clearly understood. The music is melodic and emotionally engaging, flowing with the natural cadences of English. The orchestration is exquisite. (Note the use of dry trumpets accenting the word famine, and the deaths of the husbands.) Ravkein's objection that the crucial words "my god" are missing is a typo in the booklet text; the words do appear in the cantata.
The selections from Memorial Service are pleasant, and Mr. Spiro sings them beautifully and delicately.
The essays in the booklet are outstanding. The tracking information and performer credits, the absence of which Ravkein noted, are on the back of the jewel box.

Another side of a film composer........2004-01-17

The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is an ambitious enterprise which provides an opportunity to hear other aspects of composers that we identify with one genre. The project bespeaks extensive research and calls on such stellar performers as Neville Marriner and the Academy & Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The music does not justify these rich resources.
Castelnuovo(-Tedesco) was one of the many emigres, most of them Jewish, who came to America fleeing from the Kingdom of Night. Presumably because of the opportunities provided by the film industry, most of them poured their creative inspiration into movies. Most were unable to return to, or gain a hearing for, their classical music, Erich Wolfgang Korngold being an exception.
Naomi and Ruth is pleasant if not profound. The Sacred Service selections are fragmentary and generally unrewarding, perhaps because the composer was not religious.
The album challenges the most educated listener to identify the cues and performers. This advertisement on Amazon tells us more about the 22 cues than the booklet. (The time is almost 70 minutes.) We are unable to identify the men who sing, one of whom is not introduced to us. The identification of the translations from Jewish Scriptures is incomplete The most important words from Ruth 1:16, "(and thy God,) MY GOD" are omitted from the text (page 13).
The composer was involved in the preparation of 200 films. This disk exposes us to another side of him, not especially distinguished.

Jewish Music by Castelnuovo-Tedesco.......2003-10-22

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) was an Italian-born Sephardic Jew who, like many other European Jews, emigrated to the United States in the 1930s. He was helped by Jascha Heifetz to get settled into Hollywood where he wrote numerous film scores. (The name 'Tedesco,' which means 'German' in Italian and which implies Ashkenazi heritage, was actually tacked onto the family name 'Castelnuovo' [originally, in Spanish, 'Castilla Nueva'] to incorporate the name of a wealthy Ashkenazi paternal uncle by marriage who had no children and wanted his family name perpetuated.) Before his emigration Castelnuovo-Tedesco had been a student of Ildebrando Pizzetti (now there's a composer whose music is due some attention) and was an emerging composer whose music, at the rise of Mussolini and Hitler, could no longer be played in Italy and the Germanic countries. Although not himself particularly observant in his early adult years, he became more interested after his emigration in providing music for religious purposes. All the music here reflects some aspect of that interest.

The 11-minute cantata 'Naomi and Ruth,' set to an English text from the Book of Ruth (1:1-17) tells the well-loved story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. It tells how, after both their husbands had died, when Naomi was moving from Ruth's native Moab back to her own homeland, Judah, Ruth refused to abandon Naomi. It is set for soprano solo, women's chorus and orchestra. The words of Naomi are sung by the soprano; in this recording the lovely-voiced and impressive Ana Maria Martínez is the soloist. She is sensitively accompanied by Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Aptly dramatic, the music is tonal, somber, mildly contrapuntal and entirely accessible.

'Prayers My Grandfather Wrote' (excerpts) is a set a organ variations based on a theme written by Castelnuovo-Tedesco's maternal grandfather, Bruto Senigaglia. The theme is a nine-note motto that, in the two variations excerpted here, is worked out contrapuntally by the composer. It is, on the present evidence, a fairly negligible piece, played nicely by organist Barbara Harbach. Apparently it meant a great deal to Castelnuovo-Tedesco as it was played at a memorial service after his death.

Three pieces are excerpted from the composer's 'Memorial Service fo the Departed,' here sung by Cantor Simon Spiro, the New York Cantorial Choir, and McNeil Robertson, organ, conducted by Neil Levin. These pieces are intensely moving--not particularly Jewish-sounding except for the Hebrew words--and quite beautiful. Cantor Spiro has a beautiful tenor voice capable of declaiming dramatically or singing as in a hushed lullaby. Levin is the artistic director of the project of which this CD is a part: the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, being issued on Naxos. There have been four earlier issues in this series but I have not heard them.

The longest and most ambitious piece on the CD is the 40-minute 'Sacred Service for the Sabbath Eve, Op. 122.' The participating musicians are Ted Christopher, baritone; Jeremy Cohen, tenor; Rabbi Rodney Mariner, narrator; Hugh Potton, organ; The London Chorus; all conducted by Ronald Corp. It was composed in 1943 for a Reform congregation and thus the texts are from the reform Union Prayer Book. He separately set other prayers that were later added to the composition. The première of the full Sacred Service was given in 1950. Castelnuovo-Tedesco considered trying to write a monodic piece, in keeping with what was thought to be ancient custom, but gave up that idea and wrote it in his accustomed style, which could be described as polyphonic, tonal, with some chromatic excursions and melismatic decoration. Particularly moving are the opening movement, 'Ma Tovu,' ('How lovely are your dwellings, O House of Israel') which is choral with interjections by the baritone soloist, and 'Kiddush,' ('Praised be You, O Lord') which features the strong tenor of Jeremy Cohen (the only one of the soloists who for some reason did not merit a blurb about his background and career). The final, canonic and ultimately triumphant 'Adon Olam' ('Lord of the world, who reigned before form was created') ends with the reassuring 'The Lord is with me: I fear not.'

Heretofore I had only known some of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's lighter music and I have to say I was impressed with his skills here. He certainly was capable of writing memorable melodies and limning emotional states musically. All the performances here are more than adequate and in some instances (particularly the excerpts from the Memorial Service, and the cantata 'Ruth and Naomi') transcendent.

TT=69:40

Tracks:

Almande 3
Almande 5: The Princes Masque I
Almande 16
Almande 6: The Princes Masque II
Trumpet Ensemble Sonata No. 53
The Masque Of Oberon: Pavana
The Masque Of Oberon: Dulcina
The Masque Of Oberon: Alman
The Masque Of Oberon: Buzz, Quoth The Blue Fly
The Masque Of Oberon: Now My Cunning Lady, Moon
The Masque Of Oberon: The Satyrs Dance
Melt Earth To Sea
The Masque Of Oberon: Melt Earth To Sea
Dulcina
The Masque Of Oberon: Seek You, Majesty, To Strike?
The Fairies Dance
The Masque Of Oberon: The Solemn Rites Are Well Begun
The First Of The Princes
The Masque Of Oberon: Nay, Nay, You Must Not Stay
The Second Of The Princes
The Masque Of Oberon: Nor Yet O You In This Night Blest
Pavan
Coranto: The Fairie-Round
Coranto: As It Fell On Holie Eve
Galliard
Galliard
Almaine: The Honie-Suckle
Almaine: The Night Watch
The Masque Of Oberon: Gentle Knights
The Masque Of Oberon: The Third Of The Princes
The Masque Of Oberon: O Yet How Early, And Before Her Time
Trumpet Ensemble Sonata No. 34 'Meister Thomas Fideler'
Almande

Customer Reviews:

Worthy reconstruction of Renaissance Courtly Dance Music.......2005-12-02

The text of `The Masque of Oberon' is credited to the great Elizabethan dramatist, Ben Jonson with music written by many Renaissance composers, including the namesake of the great blues performer, Robert Johnson.

On the one hand, this recording is not of a single work, but rather of a reconstruction of a work from a great many different pieces. There was a genuine `masque' with this title written by Ben Jonson, but almost everything but the bare bones text has been lost.

To understand how much was lost, you must know that a Renaissance `masque' was a series of courtly dances. The most famous story about masques, of course, is Edgar Allen Poe's `Masque of the Red Death' which was not at all about a masked ball. As the notes to this recording explain, a masque was so highly scripted and choreographed as to be virtually a play in itself, with the parts being played by the members of the court and the artistic professionals it employed such as musicians and dancing masters.

In spite of the patchwork nature of the piece, it is really much more of a whole than the other recording I know of done by Musicians of the Globe, lead by Philip Pickett. This `Shakespeare's Musick' recording, also on Phillips, is much more obviously a collection of snippits with a lot of historical reconstruction done to make it a playable piece.

Thus, if you are really interested in Renaissance dramatic music, this is a more enjoyable introduction than any collection of Shakespeare's incidental music I have heard.

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!

Music:

Music

music

1. Forbidden Power [Theme For Aya]
2. Mist
3. Aya Again
4. Don't Move!
5. Nightmare In The Battlefield
6. Deadly Calm
7. First Encounter
8. Tower Rendezvous
9. Metamorphosis
10. Watch Out!
11. Ambush!
12. What The Hell Happened-
13. Do Something!
14. Weird Man
15. Return To The Base
16. Ghost Town
17. Hunt In Dryfield
18. Don't Shoot!
19. Douglas' Blues
20. Water Tower
See all 66 tracks on this disc