Pause [Import]

Pause [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Kieran Hebden is, it has to be said, something of a genius. The groundwork for Pause was laid when Dialogue--his debut solo album under the guise of Four Tet--landed in 1999, an album that redrew the parameters of inventive dance music. A peculiar mix of live-sounding instrumental jazz and technologically super-precise laptop dance trickery, it sounded nothing like Hebden's actual group--the post-rockers Fridge--and, as it happened, very little like anything else in existence. Where Dialogue employed jazz sax and flute in its evocation of a 21st-century jazz meltdown, Pause goes even further, coiling whispers of harp and zither over layer-on-layers of fidgeting, rattling percussion. His inspirations? Well, like his friend and protégé:, Canadian tech-wizard Manitoba (whose Start Breaking My Heart is easily the equal of Pause), Hebden collects sounds and melodies from a dizzying array of places--ancient British folk music, the rattle of typewriter keys, the gurgle of running water, even a field recording of a children's playground. Genius? There really is no other word for it. --Louis Pattison --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
On his 2nd CD (Domino) as Four Tet, producer/mixologists/computer kid Kieran Hebden further fucks with the notion that turntablism and electronica are essentially 'nothing more than' computer music. Four Tet's Pause offers more proof that DJ culture still has plenty to offer, and that Keiran Hebden is just getting started in his experimentation with trans-cultural electronica. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Pause [Import]

Tracks:

I Will Wait For You
The Windmills Of Your Mind
The Summer Knows
How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
Watch What Happens
What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
His Eyes, Her Eyes
The Hands Of Time
Ordinary Man
Summer Me, Winter Me
You Must Believe In Spring
Once Upon A Summertime
L'Amour Fantome
Yentl Medley: Papa Can You Hear Me/The Way He Makes Me Feel/A Piece Of Sky

Amazon.com

If the American pop culture profile of French composer-jazz pianist Michel Legrand doesn't seem what it once was, don't be misled: his European indie film scores continue six decades on, now numbering nearly 200. But Legrand's most beloved work remains the lovely, evocative themes he created in the '60s and '70s, including "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair's "Windmills of Your Mind," the theme from Summer of '42, and his work on Barbra Streisand's Yentl. This collection marks Legrand's first solo piano recordings, presenting those and other film score highlights in spontaneously improvised performances that offer a glimpse of Legrand's musical soul. If, as in "Windmills," his enthusiasm gets the best of him and he occasionally lapses into flights of melodramatic pianistic self-parody, there are more than enough sublime moments here to compensate, especially on lesser-known songs like Best Friends' "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from The Happy Ending, and Brian's Song's "Hands of Time." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Michel Legrand.......2007-03-12

This is a great CD! Sound is awesome. I highly recommend it.

Sunlight on his fingertips.......2005-08-10

Sunlight on his fingertips

The very bright talent of Michele Legrand you can feel especially when Maestro is playing piano himself.

I heard some orchestra performance of Legrand before, that was good, but I was still thinking about him just like about pop music composer.

Now I think different - he is Genius!

all the stars you've got.......2005-01-29

Bill Evans once said that technique in jazz "is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument." If that's the case, Legrand possesses technique in spades.

Before commenting on this rewarding disc, a few words about Legrand himself:

Is there a better songwriter or a more versatile all-around musican alive today? I think you have to go back to people like Gershwin and Billy Strayhorn to find a rough parallel to Legrand's multifaceted, genre-crossing genius. A pupil of Nadia Boulanger (who studied with Faure and taught many important American composers, including Aaron Copland and Philip Glass), Legrand is an heir of the great French tradition of music--but one who has chosen to express himself through popular songs, film scores, and jazz. He possesses that rare combination of an absolutely rigorous theoretical knowledge of music and an intuitive, spontaneous instinct for both melody and improvisation. He combines exquisite refinement with a popular touch, a need to communicate directly with all who love music. To me, his work represents the most perfect expression of such typically French traits as lightness, insouciance, wit, melodic charm, and direct emotional expression since Poulenc.

Here you'll find many of Legrand's signature songs--"I Will Wait for You," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?," "The Hands of Time," "You Must Believe in Spring," etc.--reharmonized and enriched in stunningly beautiful solo recreations. Those unfamiliar with Legrand's pianistic abilities will probably be surprised by what they hear, for he's no part-time piano tickler. He can easily hold his own in the company of the best modern jazz pianists. He has a wonderfully refined touch that is incapable of making a harsh sound and a profusive sense of fantasy that keeps you constantly guessing as to where the music will go next. Yet you always feel satisfied when you find out, because Legrand possesses a composer's comprehension of harmony and form. And his own style is in no way compromised by an occasional nod here and there toward Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, Rachmaninoff, and so on. (Please: disregard the Amazon reviewer's remark about "flights of melodramatic pianistic self-parody." It's called a stride chorus, and it's just one example of Legrand's surprising way of recasting these songs--and of his encyclopedic command of jazz styles.)

This disc represents the essence of Legrand. It really should have been recorded a long time ago, but the fact that it has captured his undiminished abilities as he enters his twilight years lends it an added poignance--a sense of "just in time!"--that makes it all the sweeter. If you're already a Legrand fan, it should be a self-recommending treasure, and if you're a fan of great piano playing or of sophisticated jazz treatments of great songs, odds are you'll find this a very rewarding disc indeed. For me, the highlight is this version of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" in which every note seems inevitable--not at all an easy thing to make happen in an improvisation.

Miles Davis once said of a Duke Ellington recording, "Give that one all the stars you've got." That's the way I feel about this disc, and I thought that phrase "all the stars you've got" was appropriate because it almost sounds like the title of a Legrand song.

Maestro Legrand , at last !.......2004-10-10

Legrand has recorded at last one of his more intimate renditions to himself with his most remarkable themes along his brilliant career .
From a summer of 42 , The windmills of your mind (The Thomas crown afair) , what are you doing the rest of your life or the romantic Umbrellas of Cherbourg ; all those unforgettable themes are played in this album for piano solo in the real intimacy between him and the listener .
Legrand is the golden master of soundtracks in France and one of the top in the world . He owns that inner vision to catch the spirit of every movie he accompains . He composes music as he was a real director movie . The psychological concerns , the romantic efluvies and the precise and lyrical atmosphere , with that touch of class, artistic elegance and sublime eloquency .
Think also in the important recordings with Miles Davis . That issue will give you the size of that artist and anothe point to remark . In 1954 , Legrand made a golden jewel : I lvoe Paris (See my review) that has become through the years in the most famous and the best album of instrumental music ever recorded .
What other background do you need to acquire this gem ?

For Jazz piano purest... Only!.......2002-09-07

I love the music of Michele Legrand! It is a rich mixture of
graceful tones and notes, that create memories of a certain
time and place in each of our own lives.
When accompaned with great orchestration Its wonderful. When done in a jazz piano style, its not as good. Not to take anyting away from the talents of Mr Legrand as a pianist. Its just that like hearing a lusher, grander version of his music. So if you like jazz piano music, and Michele Legrand.
Then this is the cd for you!

Average customer rating:

another winner from Naxos
awesome value -- 5+ stars

Discover Early Music

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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

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The World of Early Music

ASIN: B000B6N6BI
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

Antiphona Post Evangelium - In Dulci Jubilo
Versus Alleluiatici: Adorabo - Nova Schola Gregoriana
Ordo Virtutum: Procession - Oxford Camerata
Viderunt Omnes - Tonus Peregrinus
Fines Terre Salutare Dei Nostri Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
Notum Fecit - Tonus Peregrinus
Dominus - Tonus Peregrinus
Salutare Suum Ante Conspectum Gentium Revelavit - Tonus Peregrinus
Justitiam Suam (Plainchant) - Tonus Peregrinus
Gaudete Christus Est Natus - Oxford Camerata
Cantiga De Santa Maria - Michael Posch
Exiit Diluculo - Unicorn Ensemble
Humils Forfaitz - Michael Posch
Adieu Ces Bons Vins De Lannoys - Michael Posch
Non Avra Ma'Pieta Questa Mia Donna - Michael Posch
Non Ara May Pieta Questa Mia Dona - Michael Posch
Veni Creator - Tonus Peregrinus
D'Ung Aultre Amer - Capilla Flamenca
Alleluya - Capilla Flamenca
El Grillo - Shirley Rumsey
El Grillo - Capilla Flamenca
Missa 'La Sol Fa Re Mi': Kyrie - Capilla Flamenca
Le Chant Des Oiseaux - The Scholars Of London
Passe & Medio/Den Iersten Gaillarde - Capilla Flamenca
Den III Ronde, Den VI Ronde-Les Quatre Branles - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense
Gaillarde I, II, III - Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense

Tracks:

In Nomine - Rose Consort Of Viols
In Nomine No.20 - Rose Consort Of Viols
Spem In Alium - Oxford Camerata
Sanctus - Oxford Camerata
Du Fond De Ma Pensee - Christine Morel
The King Of Denmark's Galiard - Rose Consort Of Viols
Flow, My Tears - Dorothy Linell
Greiner Zancker - Ensemble Villanella
Stat ('Tsaat) Ein Meskin - Ensemble Villanella
Tiento - Shirley Rumsey
Tribulationem Et Dolorem - Oxford Camerata
Lagrime Di San Pietro: 'Il Magnanimo Pietro' - Bo Holten
Missa 'Susanne Un Jour': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata
Beau Le Crystal - The Scholars Of London
Missa 'O Magnum Mysterium': O Magnum Mysterium - Oxford Camerata
Missa 'Papae Marcelli': Kyrie - Oxford Camerata

Customer Reviews:

another winner from Naxos.......2007-02-21

This is another winning compilation from Naxos. My only comment is to provide a heads-up regarding the track list in the booklet. CD 1 puts the Leonin "Viderunt Omnes" on six tracks, while the booklet leaves room for only one. Thus, add five to booklet tracks five through 21 for CD1 to get them to match. (I.e., where the booklet says tracks 15 and 16 are two versions of Josquin's "El Grillo," your CD player will show them to be tracks 20 and 21.) With luck this will be corrected in later printings.

Also, I would have liked the booklet to include the words, but perhaps that is an inducement to get particular CDs from Naxos.

As for the music itself--breadth of selection, musicianship, sound quality, all are excellent. A great collection!

awesome value -- 5+ stars.......2006-07-15

I'm really enthusiastic about these CDs and booklet. I've had it for a few weeks now, in which I've explored Medieval and Renaissance music much more deeply than this little book and CD set. Yet I'm very glad I started with these.

The selection of composers gives an excellent, broad sweep across several centuries.

But the booklet contains one of the most informative essays I've found about early music, and I've spent a few dozen dollars buying books. If the booklet were separated from the CDs, it alone would be worth more than $10.

In short, if you're interested in exploring early music, this really is one of the best places to start; the best place that I know of. I'm sure, at any rate, that you can't beat the value.

Average customer rating:

good sound but sterile
Pop music of another age
Beautifully imagined
A perfectly functional music
Excellent interpretation for music of the period...

Tielman Susato: Dansereye 1551

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore
Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore
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Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection
Panorama: Dances of the Renaissance

ASIN: B000004CY2
Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

Fanfare (aftr La Morisque arr. Pickett)
Passe et medio/Reprise 'Le pingne'
Bergerette 'Sans roch'/Reprise
Den I. Ronde 'Pour quoy'
Den VII. Ronde 'Il estoit une filette'
Den III. Ronde
Den IV. Ronde
Den V. Ronde (Wo bistu)
Den VI. Ronde/Saltarelle
Den XI. Ronde/Aliud
Bergerette 'Dont vient cela'/Reprise
Danse de Hercules oft maticine/De Matrigale
De Post
Les quatre Branles
Fagot
Den Hoboeckendans
Basse Danse 'Mon desir'/Reprise 'Le cueur est bon'
Den I. Allemainge/Recoupe
Den II. Allemainge
Den III. Allemainge
Den V. Allemainge
Den VI. Allemainge
Den VII. Allemainge
Den VIII. Allemainge/Recoupe/
Bergerette (La Brosse)
Pavane La Battaille
Pavane Mille Regretz
Den II. Gaillarde
Den XI. Gaillarde
Den IX. Gaillarde
Den IV. Gaillarde
Den VII. Gaillarde
Den X. Gaillarde 'Mille ducas'
Den III. Gaillarde
Den XV. Gaillarde 'Le Tout'
Danse du Roy/Reprise
Entre du Fol
La Morisque

Customer Reviews:

good sound but sterile.......2007-04-07

This recording has modern sound but everything sounds a bit too easy and too overrefined which makes it ultimately sound slightly sterile. I prefer David Munrow's Susato recording: from the very start you can sense the joy, excitement, slight trepidation that Munrow's band had in playing these renaissance instruments.

Pop music of another age.......2005-10-04

Tielman Susato is listed as the name on this collection, not because he was the composer, but because in addition to being a composer, Susato's primary business for many years was as a publisher of music. This music comes from the book that he published on dance music - it was the only such book he produced, preferring polyphonic music, choral and church music to things like dance music. However, music publishing was a good business, and many amateurs paid to have arrangements done that they could then practice with (professional dance musicians, ironically for this collection, rarely used printed music but rather preferred improvisation and knew their material by heart).

This collection is performed on period instruments of the 1500s, which include violins, viols, rebec, hurdy-gurdy, lutes, guitars, cittern, trumpets, cornetts, sackbuts, serpent, recorders, gemshorne, flutes, crumhorns, curtals, shawms, racketts, sorduns, regal, organ, harpischord and percussion. This particular recording is envisioned as if it were a single evenings' dance and entertainment at court, where dancing was as much an art form as it was a social event.

The music here derives from formal compositions of musics and tunes as well as popular folk songs. Susato is most likely not the composer of most of the music (indeed, may not be composer of any), but put things into arrangements that has a sensitivity both to the dance aspects as well as the artistic merits of the music itself.

The music here is performed by the New London Consort, a group with great experience in early and Renaissance music, under the direction of Philip Pickett. The pieces performed here range from small ensembles (4 lutes for one; regal and nakers for another) to pieces with massive orchestration (cornet, 3 sackbuts, 2 violins, 4 viols, 7 recorders, curtal, organ, harpischord, 5 guitars, side drums and tabors for one!).

This is a bright and lively recording. The purpose is to dance, and in the Renaissance and surrounding times, people danced with vigour, life and spirit! This is uplifting and fun music, the kind that makes one want to get up and move. This recording is simply brilliant from start to finish.

Beautifully imagined.......2005-09-06

I was loaned this CD many many years ago by a family friend. I tape recorded it so I could peruse it at my leisure and grew to love it. Yes, it is percussion heavy, and I don't care. I used to crank La Bataille as if it were my heaviest metal album and every time it makes my hair stand up and fills me with joy. That sounds corny, but it's true.

Some of my other favorites include the suite that has Fagot and the Hoeboeckens Dans (spelling is wrong, I know). I was also loaned the "sheet music" with the CD, a book containing most of the pieces on the disc. When you see it, you realize there are no percussion parts written and no instruments assigned to specific parts with the exception of clef signs. I am immensely impressed by the imagination of Pickett and the New London Consort in their instrumentation and transitions from piece to piece. The sound quality is great, and in the larger moments it sounds as if there is an entire early instrument symphony playing, it's that full. So often, early music sounds timid, wimpy, and small. This disc has a huge range of sound and the highs will elevate you and surely give you the urge to dance.

Unfortunately, my tape is gone (plus La Bataille hdd some missing music due to the recording flipping sides in the middle of the piece when I taped it), and the family friend is no longer a family friend, and now I have an empty place in my musical soul. I wish this would be re-issued. I would buy two.

Finally, I grew up surrounded by amateur early musicians, and my ears have been seriously battered by people trying to play sacbuts, krumhorns, serpents and hurdy-gurdys. While they look cool, many of these instruments are hell to make sound good. I was floored by the intonation, tone, and colors that the NLConsort achieve in this recording.

A perfectly functional music.......2005-06-21

In my point, Renaissance dance music must be considered as a purely functional music : i.e. something to dance to. This implies two things : the use of percusssion and the use of "outdoor" [i.e. wind] instruments.
Besides, as a music fan, I also prefer choices of consorts giving back the early polyphony.
In my point, this interpretation of Pickett [a follower & student of D. Munrow] complies with these 3 requirements. Indeed, one gets in the mood of dancing to these songs.
The Bergeret "San Rocco" or the 11. Rondo are interpreted in a superb way, if I may emphasise particular songs.
Just two presonal "addenda" when I listened to this CD for the 1st time at Kaster & Ohler in Graz, I almost began crying - such a perfect CD.
Since currently I am in the vicinity of Antwerpen, the city where Tylman Susato lived & worked, I "made my pilgrimate" to see the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk, where magister Tylman was the "Kapellenmeister" at that time.
Pity, that this item "out of stock". Fortunately, I have my own copy for 10 years.

Excellent interpretation for music of the period..........1999-05-27

Although recent commentaries feel that the music on this recording has a forcefulness to it, or too much percussive aptitude, we have to remember that this was indeed dance music of the 1500's. The interpretation of the music on this CD is one of perfection for the period and the instrumentation, also, fitting. Since none of us were there, you might want to see the movie "Elizabeth" to get a feel for the period where some of the dances are used extensively... Excellent recording.

Average customer rating:

Marches II

Marches, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Regimental Marches of British Army, Vol. 1
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Forward March! Great American Marches

ASIN: B0000034RY
Release Date: 1993-08-30

Tracks:

American: Semper Fidelis
American: King Cotton
American: The Thunderer
American: El Capitan
American: The Washington Post
American: The Stars And Strips Forever
American: The Belle Of Chicago
American: The Liberty Bell
American: Blaze Away!
American: The Purple Pageant
American: National Emblem
European Continental: Radetzky March Op.228
European Continental: With Sword And Lance
European Continental: Graf Zeppellin-Marsch
European Continental: Under The Double Eagle
European Continental: Der Jager Aus Kurpfalz
European Continental: The Children Of The Regiment
European Continental: Le Reve Passe
European Continental: El Abanico, Paso-Doble Enspanol
European Continental: Amparito Roca, Paso-Boble Enspanole
European Continental: La Ritirata Italiana
European Continental: Ceremonial March From Aida
European Continental: The Slaves Chorus From Nabucco
European Continental: Le Regiment De Sambre-Et-Meuse, French national Defile March

Customer Reviews:

Marches II.......2004-01-17

i'm trying out for drum major, and part of the try outs is marching an L-pattern, the kind of pattern that you would do in a regular drum major competition. it shows your parade marching skills, your ability to stick to tempo, and your directing abilities. so for tryouts, i need to pick a march and this cd has so many to choose from, its awesome! and its also great if your a band director looking for a good march for your marching band to play, or if you just like listening to John Sousa, who rocks. yay for this cd!

Byrd: Consort and Keyboard Music; Songs and Anthems

Average customer rating:

One of my favorites
One of the best of all recordings of William Byrd
Absolutely necessary for every fan of Classic music

Byrd: Consort and Keyboard Music; Songs and Anthems

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000013UP
Release Date: 1994-10-04

Tracks:

Pavan
Gaillard
Susanna Fair
Rejoice Unto The Lord
John Come Kiss Me Now
Fantasia No. 2
Have Mercy Upon Me, O God
In Nomine No. 2
In Angel's Weed
Fair Britain isle
Fantasia
Triumph With Pleasant Melody
Pavan In A Minor
Qui passe: For My Lady Nevell
Fantasia No. 3
In Nomine No. 5 A 5: In Nomine No. 5
Christ Rising Again

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorites.......2006-11-23

This CD has a mixture of pieces that would have been performed in a domestic setting, from secular/devotional songs to verse anthems, virginal music and viol consort. Many of the vocal pieces are found in Byrd's "Songs of Sundry Natures." I particularly enjoyed the verse anthems 'Have Mercy Upon Me, O God' and especially 'Christ Rising Again' which is probably the finest recording of that well-known anthem that I've ever heard. Red Byrd captures the domestic nature of these pieces, which is nothing like the typical ethereal cathedral boy soprano/Tallis Scholars type of performance that you would normally hear. They have a very earthy sound and the viol consort plays quite energetically. I also am a big fan of historical pronunciation which they use. And of course I can never get enough of Caroline Trevor's fantastic alto voice. As a result, I've bought every Red Byrd CD I can get my hands on. Do yourself a favor and pick up this bargain CD.

One of the best of all recordings of William Byrd.......2005-07-14

William Byrd is regarded by many as the greatest composer England has ever produced, as a kind of musical Shakespeare. He was certainly one of the greatest of the composers of the Seconda Prattica from around the period of the Reformation and Counter Reformation.

The collection of consort music here is simply superb. Pieces like 'John Kiss Me Now' remind us of the fact that variation form began in England around this time. All of the performances are as good as any I have yet to hear of Byrd's music and Naxos clearly scored something of a coup when managing to sign up this group for a recording like this. This would be equally highly recommendable for three times the price. Just look at the list of performers and you will even find Tesser Bonner of the Tallis Scholars listed here. Needless to say she sings beautifully too.

Perhaps my very favourite aspect of this recording is the fact that period pronounciation is used. While some may feel this to be pedantic, the rather quaint and rustic sounding Tudor English pronouciation in my mind only enhances the characterfulness of the pieces. I must say it puzzles me why even the likes of Emma Kirky insists on using modern English pronouciation when singing Byrd.

This is a hugely enjoyable CD and for the price it is a genuine steal that enhances the image of Naxos as a company dedicated to quality music making, that puts the giant multinational recording cooporations to utter shame. For that Naxos deserve our accolade and support.

Absolutely necessary for every fan of Classic music.......1999-02-19

Extremely fantasti

Average customer rating:

Domingo, Freni, Ghiurov, Success!
A Faust That Soars

Charles Gounod: Faust (Highlights)

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Gounod: Faust (Highlights)

ASIN: B000002S0Y
Release Date: 1989-06-06

Tracks:

Act II - 'Vin ou bi'
Act II - 'O sainte m?daille...Avant de quitter ces lieux...Le veau d'or est toujours debout' (Mephistopheles)
Act II - 'Nous nous retrouvons mes amis! ...Ainsi que la brise legere...Ne permettrez-vous pas, ma belle demoiselle' (Mephistopheles, Faust, Marguerite)
Act III - 'Quel trouble inconnu me ptre!..Salut! demeure chaste et pure' (Faust)
Act III - 'Je voudrais bien savoir...Il etait un roi de Thule...Ah!...Je ris' (Marguerite)
Act III - 'Il se fait tard!.. Adi ( Marguerite, Faust)
Act IV - 'Seigneur, daignez permettre...Souviens-toi du passe...Quand du Seigneur' (Mephistopheles, Marguerite)
Act IV - 'Glorie immortelle de nos aieux'
Act IV - 'Vous qui faitl'endormie (Mephistopheles )
Act V - 'Alerte, alerte...Anges purs, anges radieux...Christ est ressuscite' (Mephistopheles, Marguerite, Faust) )

Customer Reviews:

Domingo, Freni, Ghiurov, Success!.......2005-08-09

Faust has never sounded more lush and dramatic than in the hands of these seasoned singers. Placido Domingo as Faust is appropriately conflicted, emotional and romantic. He gets into character from his first scene as he curses God for his futile existence and old age and to his last scene when he is dragged to Hell. Mirella Freni is in fine voice as Marguerite, truly her performance is the greatest of all possible Marguerites on record or stage. She's got a full lyric voice that soars with passionate intensity (the Church scene and the last scene in which she tries to save Faust from damnation and she's sent to Heaven). Her husband (or soon to be husband depending on the time of this recording) bass Nicolai Ghiurov, a great Russian bass, is on fire as the Devil, with all the darkness and power in his vocal performance alone. George Petre, a famed French conductor leads a primarily French orchestra with singers who are absolutely brilliant in their mastery of the French text. This cd offers only highlights (not the full-length recording available on Amazon.com as well). Here are the Waltz, the Calf Song, Marguerite's ornate "Jewel Aria" the Church Scene complete with demonic chorus, and the outstanding Final Trio (Ange Pure Ange Radieux)which I feel could somehow be better but is not all that bad. A great highlights CD.

A Faust That Soars.......2005-03-17

This recording of Gounod's Faust made in the late 70's, stars Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni and Nicolai Ghiuarov, a powerful trio which is reason enough in itself to seek this album for purchase. Opera fanatics, such as myself, are never content with one recording of one opera, when they can indulge in a variety of singers and styles of conducting. I own this recording and the one with Hadley, Gasdia and Samuel Ramey. Now, while I think this is a great Faust, it is only second best to the recording with Hadley/Gasdia/Ramey, mainly because the real spirit of the work, active in the orchestration and especially in the bass voice of Samuel Ramey, is more true to Charles Gounod's vision. This one, though, holds its own, mainly through the dramatic prowess and rich vocals of tenor Placido Domingo, soprano Mirella Freni and her husband bass Nicolai Ghiurov. Pretre, who is French, is also enjoying his slow pace of conducting, probably slowing down what ought to be faster so as to focus on the lush lyric beauty of the French style of the lead singers who have mastered the French technique down to a "T". Superb, top-notch performances by all three lead singers is what makes this album so attractive. These are only highlights from the full length album. In this album, we find the opening chorus, the Waltz and the scene in which Faust meets Marguerite in person for the first time, the Devil's "Calf Song", Marguerite's "Jewel Song", the Church Scene in which Marguerite prays while the Devil and demons mock her, and the awesome Trio Finale "Ange Pure, Ange Radieux".

For Gounod, Faust proved a masterpiece and the one opera that would become a standard repertoire for most opera companies at that time and now. The Met opened in the 1880's with Faust. It's the tragic tale of a pathetic elderly scholar/scientist who longs for eternal life and youth and romance. When the Devil tempts him with a vision of the beautiful village girl Marguerite, and offers him youth and good looks, he makes a deal with the Devil, offering up his soul. The plan takes effect when Marguerite, seduced by jewelry and materialistic things, is seduced by Faust. She eventually becomes pregnant with his baby. At the end of the opera, Faust is dragged to Hell while Marguerite is saved and ascends to Heaven. Faust, written by the German writer Goethe, figured in a lot of Romantic Era 19th century music. Berlioz composed La Damnation De Faust and Boito wrote "Mephistophele", while the "diabolically radical" composer Franz Liszt enjoyed composing themes on Faust and symphonic poems about it.

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Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers

Manufacturer: Collegium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals; The King's Singers
English and Italian Renaissance Madrigals
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ASIN: B0000952VP
Release Date: 2003-08-01

Tracks:

Thomas WEELKES: Hark, all ye lovely saints above
William BYRD: Though Amaryllis dance in green
John BENNET: Round about in a fair ring
Thomas TOMKINS: Adieu, ye city-prisoning towers
Thomas WILBYE: Flora gave me fairest flowers
Thomas VAUTOR: Sweet Suffolk owl
Thomas WEELKES: As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending
William BYRD: Lullaby
William BYRD: This sweet and merry month of May
Thomas MORLEY: Now is the month of maying
John FARMER: A little pretty bonny lass
Thomas MORELY: Fyer, fyer!
Thomas TOMKINS: Too much I once lamented
Thomas MORLEY: My bonny lass she smileth
Thomas WEELKES: Ha ha! this world doth pass
Michael EAST: Quick, quick, away, dispatch
Orlando GIBBONS: Dainty fine bird
John DOWLAND: Come again! Sweet love doth now invite
Thomas VAUTOR: Mother, I will have a husband
Thomas WILBYE: Draw on, sweet night
Robert RAMSEY: Sleep, fleshly birth
Thomas WILBYE: Weep, weep, mine eyes
Thomas WEELKES: Death hath deprived me
Orlando GIBBONS: The silver swan
Thomas WILBYE: Adieu, sweet Amaryllis

Album Description

"an absolute joy" - Music and Musicians Hi-Fi News and Record Review Record of the Month The sixteenth-century madrigal was an Italian form. The term `madrigal' was loosely applied to a wide variety of music, but generally denoted a polyphonic setting for four or more voices of an amorous or pastoral text which was closely depicted in the music. Thomas Morely transplanted the form into England in the 1590s; this marked the beginning of the brief but brilliant flowering of the English madrigal. Between the 1590s and the early 1620s, twenty composers published a total of 36 books of madrigals, after which the form virtually disappeared. Some of these composers, such as Morely and Weelkes, followed the Italian model closely; others, such as Byrd and Gibbons, mostly stayed with the simpler English form of the consort song, where the tune remains in one voice, word-painting is not used, and strophic form is preferred to the continuous structure of the madrigal proper. Among the twenty-one items selected for this recording there are examples of several types of piece,! ranging from true Italianate madrigals such as Too much I once lamented, via more popular `balletts' such as Fyer, fyer!, to the simple part-songs like A little pretty bonny lass. The variety, imagination, and inspired blending of poetry and music characteristic of the best of the `English Madrigal School' afford a particular kind of delight in performance, shared equally by singer and listener

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Piffaro offers a wild romp through Flemish popular music!
Shawms, Crumhorns, Sackbuts, Bagpipes, Lutes, & More!
Piffaro Delivers Again

Flemish Feast: Renaissance Wind Music
Piffaro , and The Renaissance Band
Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000046S42
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

T'andernaken - Laet Ons Mit Hartzen - Hoboekentanz - Laet Ons Mit Hartzen - Ihesus Is Een Kyndekyn Cleyn - Laet Ons Mit HYartzen
Ave Regina Caelorum
Porquoy Non: Pourquoy Non
Passe Et Medio & Reprise
Gaillarde - Gaillarde - Gaillarde
La Morisque
J'ay Pris Amours
J'ay pris amours
Crions Noel
T'andernaken
Laet U Ghenoughen, Liever Johan
Entre Du Fol
Mon Desir
Je Loe Amours
T'andernaken
Untitled Duo
De Tous Biens Playne
Pavane & Gaillarde
Wij Sheyt Edel Vrouwe
Allemaigne
4 Bransles
Bergerette
O Crux Benedicta
Ave Mundi Spes Maria
T'andernaken Al Op Den Rijn
Les Larmes
Fortis Cum Quevis Actio
Die Winter Is Verganghen

Customer Reviews:

Piffaro offers a wild romp through Flemish popular music!.......2002-11-25

"Instrumental music sounded in every corner of Flanders during the Renaissance," writes American scholar Keith Polk in the program notes. "... in any Flemish celebration or ritual, instruments and instrumental music were an indispensable element." If the period musicians were anything like the enthusiastic members of Piffaro, one can see why. The selections on this CD are a bit livelier than those on the group's earlier releases, evoking images of warm and boisterous feasts amongst revelers both high and low. Accompanied by hurdy gurdy, lutes, guitar and percussion, Piffaro's families of matched reed and brass instruments produce a distinctive and strident sound, mellowed by the continuity of breath pressure that is needed to play them, and tempered by the considerable skill of the performers. All in all, a feast for the ears! Other good, rousing feasting music can be found on the CD "A La Via: Street Music from the 13th to the 16th Centuries" by Ensemble Anonymous and Strada, and the Toronto Consort's "The Little Barley-Corne: Winter Revels from the Renaissance".

Shawms, Crumhorns, Sackbuts, Bagpipes, Lutes, & More!.......2002-07-15

You do NOT, repeat, do NOT need to be an expert on renaissance music to thoroughly enjoy this disk. The musicians show off the beauty of this music and have selected a very nice program.

I remember when I first heard wind music from this period performed and the reedy sound of the shawms and crumhorns and bagpipes and wonderful sound of the sackbuts. It became clear to me why old pipe organs sound like they do - this was the sound in the ears of the culture. Of course, this band performs this band shows off this music exceptionally well with their wonderful playing.

Also, there is an exceptionally nice booklet that accompanies this disk with photographs of the instrument families used in this disk as well as great notes about the group and the music recorded here.

The group has several other disks that you can obtain to extend your enjoyment of this music.

Piffaro Delivers Again.......2000-03-25

Like their other CDs, Piffaro's "Flemish Feast" is well-programmed, whimsical, and exquisitely performed. I personally find the first part of this CD a little heavy on the bagpipe, although others enjoy this a great deal. The lute and harp selections with and without recorder stand out as being particularly well-done. Having performed a concert of Flemish music in the not-so-distant past, I can address one possible comment: "Why are there FOUR tracks called 'T'andernaken'?" These are actually only three of a possible hundred or two. T'andernaken was a very popular ground or cantus firmus to use in Flanders at this time, and everyone had a go at it, including King Henry VIII. The recorder selections are organ-like, as usual, and the shawm/sackbut/dulcian (or "loud band") numbers are festive. Another wonderful selection from a great group.

Bizet: Carmen / Price, Corelli, Merrill, Freni; Karajan

Average customer rating:

A relative success
AN ALMOST GREAT CARMEN
Leontyne Price a Great Carmen
A Gloriously Sung Carmen
Maybe I'm a little partial...

Bizet: Carmen / Price, Corelli, Merrill, Freni; Karajan
Georges Bizet , Wiener Philharmoniker , Herbert von Karajan , Leontyne Price , Franco Corelli , Vienna State Opera Choir , Mirella Freni , and Robert Merrill
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000009W7K
Release Date: 1997-02-03

Tracks:

Carmen: Overture - G. Bizet
Carmen: Sur la place, chacun passe - G. Bizet
Carmen: Regardez donc cette petite (Micaela) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Avec la garde montante (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: C'est bien la (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: La cloche a sonne - G. Bizet
Carmen: La voila, la voila (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Carmen! sur tes pas - G. Bizet
Carmen: Quels regards! Quelle effronterie (Don Jose) (Micaela) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Parle-moi de ma mere (Don Jose) (Micaela) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Reste la maintenant, pendant que je lirai (Don Jose) (Micaela) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Que se passe-t-il donc la-bas? - G. Bizet
Carmen: Mon officier, c'etait une querelle (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Tralalalala, coupe-moi, brule-moi (Carmen) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Pres des ramparts de Seville (Carmen) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Voici l'ordre; partez (Carmen) - G. Bizet

Tracks:

Carmen: Entr'acte - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Les tringles des sistres tintaint (Gypsy Song) (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Messieurs, Pastia me dit (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Vivat! vivat le Tor - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre (Toreador Song) (Escamillo) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - La belle, un mot (Escamillo) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Eh bien, vite, quelles nouvelles? (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Nous avons en t une affaire (Quintet) (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Mais qui donc attends-tu? (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Halte lQui va l(Don Jose) (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Enfin c'est toi! (Carmen) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Lalalala - Attends un peu, Carmen (Don Jose) (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - La fleur que tu m'avais jet(Flower Song) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Non! tu ne m'aimes pas (Carmen) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - HolCarmen! HolHol(Don Jose) (Carmen) - G. Bizet
Carmen: Act 2 - Bel officier, bel officier (Carmen) (Don Jose) - G. Bizet

Tracks:

Carmen: Entr'acte - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Ecoute, ecoute, compagnon, ecoute (Carmen) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Reposons-nous une heure ici (Carmen) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Melons! Coupons! (Card Scene) (Carmen) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Eh bien? - Eh bien (Carmen) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Quant au douanier, c'est notre affaire (Carmen) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - C'est des contrebandiers (Micaela) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante (Micaela's Air) (Micaela) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Je ne me trompe pas (Micaela) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Je suis Escamillo, Torero de Grenade! (Escamillo) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Hola, hola Jose! (Carmen) (Escamillo) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Moi, je viens te chercher! (Micaela) (Don Jose) (Carmen) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 3 - Helas, Jose! (Micaela) (Don Jose) (Escamillo) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Entr'acte - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 4 - A deux cuartos ! - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 4 - Les voici! Voici la quadrille! - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 4 - Si tu m'aimes, Carmen (Escamillo) (Carmen) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 4 - C'est toi! - C'est moi! (Carmen) (Don Jose) - Georges Bizet
Carmen: Act 4 - Ou-vas-tu? - Laisse-moi! (Don Jose) (Carmen) - Georges Bizet

Customer Reviews:

A relative success.......2007-07-11

From his multiple readings of the nine Beethoven symphonies, to his controversial, unconventional production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, to his individual achievements in the realms of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Sibelius, Mahler, Strauss, and Schoenberg, the Austrian conductor-legend Herbert von Karajan left his irreplaceable fingerprint on the world of music. However, in spite of all his brilliance in the aforementioned and unmentioned spheres, Georges Bizet's relentlessly celebrated opera Carmen was as musical tapestry Karajan never fully understood.

While Karajan aficionados plot their revenge for this seemingly gratuitous attack, it should be noted that he was not alone among conductors in this fault; in fact, when one considers than Carmen is the "C" in any beginner's guide to opera ("A" being Verdi's Aïda and "B" being Puccini's La Bohème), it is almost laughable to discover how many disregarded the proper form in which Carmen should be played. Carmen was not a grand opera, despite what Sir Thomas Beecham, Georges Prêtre, Thomas Schippers, and the like wished so ardently to believe. Bizet composed Carmen in the tradition of the opéra-comique, a parallel of the modern musical, with musical sections coupled with spoken melodramas or dialogues. The most superb recorded example of the properly performed Carmen is the Sir Georg Solti recording with Tatiana Troyanos, Plácido Domingo, José van Dam, and Dame Kiri te Kanawa. (Karajan did make a similar recording later in his career, with Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, van Dam, and Katia Ricciarelli, but his interpretation was regrettably slow and vapid, and the melodramas were spoken (one must wonder why) by actors, rather than the singers.)

In spite of all this, the stars of this recording are superb. Leontyne Price injects a little bit of Bess into her Carmen, which results in a soulful, lyrically beautiful, and dramatically venomous gypsy vamp. Her Habanera ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle") and Seguidilla ("Près de remparts de Séville") are bewitching. Franco Corelli, who, in 1963, embodied the entire institution of opera with his sultry, sheik-like physique and his hot-blooded, titanic tenor register, is a full-fledged madman as the obsessed Don José. Robert Merrill is a bit too American as the swaggering toreador Escamillo, but his rendition of "Votre toast je peux vous le rendre" is nonetheless suave and debonair. Mirella Freni had not yet reached her silkiest prime in 1963, but she glides through Micaëla's Act III aria ("Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante") like a songbird. (It should be noted that the diction of the four stars is poor, particularly Corelli and Freni; the two of them coupled in Alain Lombard's 1968 recording of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with similar overall success, hampered only by their abysmal pronunciation.)

The high water mark of this recording is the final track, featuring the opera's cataclysmic finale ("Où vas-tu?"..."Laisse-moi!"). Corelli is so venomously fanatical ("Ainsi, le salut de mon âme"), Price is so inanely noxious and cruel ("Eh bien! Frappe-moi donc, ou laisse-moi passer!"), and the Wiener Philharmoniker is in such tempestuous voice, the following three lines deserve special recognition:

- Don José: "Pour la dernière fois, démon, veux-tu me suivre?"

- Carmen: "Non! Non! Cette bague, autrefois, tu me l'avais donnée. Tiens!"

- Don José: "Eh bien! damnée!"

The above excerpt is literally worth the entire recording; Corelli and Price are unmatched in bravado.

AN ALMOST GREAT CARMEN.......2007-04-13

This Carmen could have been a great one without the role of Don Jose held by Corelli who butchered the french text , which makes me think by the way that unfortunately there is no french opera singers able to deliver an acceptable Opera Comique version ( with the dialogue). (Corelli had also made a mess of the Faust role -with a splendid Ghiaurov-with his
dreadful french accent)..Sorry to say that of deceased great singer but the Carmen libretto is not a text to be only sung but deeply felt which french language does not allow to a singer who does not rehearse enough.
Robert Merrill marvelous dark tone and Mirella Freni, almost a debutante at that time saved the day.

Leontyne Price a Great Carmen.......2007-03-26

Having several Carmen cds, I bought this one on the advice of a great opera expert, Ron Shaheen of San Diego fame. Glad I did. Miss Price is a dramatic on-fire Carmen. Sings with passion and panache. My favorite of all the ones I've heard. Unless you can find one with Milena Kitic singing Carmen, I recommend this version. Corelli, Merrill and Freni, of course, are automatic harbingers of a great cd purchase. All this from an avid opera buffoon. Viva L'Opera!

A Gloriously Sung Carmen.......2006-08-09

One of the sad ironies of opera history is that Bizet never lived to see Carmen become the smash hit of the opera world. Described as the world's first musical, with one hit song after another, the opera is packed with great music and memorable melodies such as the Seguidilla, the Habanera and the Toreador Song. It is one of the first operas set in real time in a real place with ordinary people. Today it is arguably the most popular opera in production.
While there are many wonderful recordings, here it's the voices that make this recording so memorable. Leontyne Price is simply in sumptuous form, with the richness of a mezzo in the lower register plus her ringing top notes. Franco Corelli is a clarion and passionate Don Jose, Mirela Freni a sweet voiced Micaela, and Robert Merrill a rich and robust Escamillo. In some respects this is the "Italian" Carmen, (Corelli and Freni don't have the best French accents and Price was never known for her diction), but the quality of the voices make up for any linguistic deficiency.
As is his wont, Herbert von Karajan emphasizes his orchestra, which becomes almost another member of the cast in his hands--this can sometimes be at the expense of his singers, but Price, Corelli, Freni and Merrill But a von Karajan performance is always thrilling, whether it is this album or his Salzburg Festival DVD with Grace Bumbry, Jon Vickers, Mirela Freni and a very young Justino Diaz.
For a fan of Leontyne Price this is a MUST HAVE, and a worthy addition to any opera collection.

Maybe I'm a little partial..........2006-04-23

I first heard this version of Carmen many years ago, and for two main reasons, I can not give up listening to it. Reason #1: Leontyne Price's voice is so rich and spot-on, and reason #2: the Vienna Boys Choir add the necessary youthful element to the opera. I feel that this is a good, solid recording, well worth the five stars I gave it and far, far better than the versions of Carmen that make me cringe (and which shall remain nameless). The voices were cast well, and as usual, Herbert von Karajan conducts superbly.

Two Renaissance Dance Bands; Monteverdi's Contemporaries

Average customer rating:

A must-have re-release of a classic!
Evocative music of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts
Definitive, energetic and fresh account of C16th rock n roll

Two Renaissance Dance Bands; Monteverdi's Contemporaries

Manufacturer: Testament UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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English Music from Henry VIII to Charles II

ASIN: B000003XJL
Release Date: 1996-05-10

Tracks:

Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': La Mourisque
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Branle quatre branles
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Ronde & Salterelle
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Ronde Mon Amy
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Allemaigne & Recoupe
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Pavane Mille Regretz
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Basse Danse Bergeret Sans Roch & Reprise
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Danse Du Roy
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Ronde
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Passe Et Medio & Reprinse Le Pingue
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Ronde
Twelve Dances From the 'Danserye': Pavane La Bataille
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Mounsier's Almaine
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Lachrimae Pavan
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Michill's Galliard
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Lute Duet: My Lord Chamberlain's Galliard
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': The Jew's Dance
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Captaine Piper's Pavan & Galliard
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': My Lord of Oxenford's Maske
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': Lavolto
Dances For Broken Consort From 'The First Booke Of Consort Lessons': La Coranta
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Pass'e Mezzo Della Paganina
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Ballo Francese
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': La Lavandara
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': L'Arboscello Ballo Furlano
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': La Zanetta
La Negrona
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Pass'e Mezzo Moderno
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Ballo Anglese
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Schiarazula Marazula
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Ongarescha
Five Dances From 'Il Primo Libro De Balli': Tedescha
Canzona Prima A 12

Customer Reviews:

A must-have re-release of a classic!.......1999-09-15

The first 21 cuts on this CD are a re-release of the album 'Pleasures of the Court'. This was one of the first albums in this genre which showed that music of this period was really alive, not merely 'quaint'. The rest of the pieces on this CD are equally marvelous. David Munrow really began a revolution in the interpretation of renaissance music, and one wonders what he would have done had he not taken his own life at such a young age.

Evocative music of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts.......1999-06-30

Recommended. I first bought it on cassette in about 1978, and was delighted to re-discover it recently on CD. Evokes images of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts. Remember this music if you should ever go to Hampton Court, or stand on Richmond Hill and look down "the matchless vale of Thames". Buy it while you can.

Definitive, energetic and fresh account of C16th rock n roll.......1998-09-16

Simply one of the best dance compilations ever released - a definitive, fresh and energetic account of the first flowering of dance ensembles in C15-16th Europe. Still exciting nearly 20 years after its original release and a poignant reminder of the lost genius of English early music supremo David Munrow; the album was released shortly before his untimely death. Many recent collections have tried to tap into the fashion for early music but this one remains in a league of its own by virtue of the sheer energy and rhythmic drive of its performances - moving, too, in its (fewer) quiet moments. A sadly neglected "must-have".

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