Opus Pia

Opus Pia

On this CD: 1. Opus Pia
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

2. Re Pia 1
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

3. Re Pia 2
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

4. Everything came from here
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

5. Harmony
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

6. And Then....
Composed by Masakatsu Takagi

Tracks:

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
O magnum mysterium
In dulci iubilo
O virgo virginum
O Jesulein s Jesulein mild
Hodie Christus natus est
Marabile mysterium
Verbum caro factum est: Y la Virgen le dezia
A un nilorando
Here Is The Little Door
Noel canon
Quelle est cette odeur agrle
El Noi de la Mare
A Christmas Carol
A virgin unspotted
In the bleak mid-winter
Glory to the newborn King
Stille nacht - Douce nuit - Silent night

Amazon.com

Christmas is the season for whipping out those holiday-specific standard recordings. This splendid gift by Chanticleer should top the list, for one will never tire of this a cappella choir's interpretations. With selections spanning the last five centuries of Latin, German, English, Spanish, and French festive fare, this recording exemplifies the sacrifice of the ego to the higher form of choral sound. Jacob Handl's "Mirabile Mysterium" takes you on a trip into the chromatic wonderlands, where you temporarily lose tonal balance. Victoria's eerie and dissonant "O Magnum Mysterium" treats us to rich voices swelling out of one organic whole. The phenomenal blend and perfect intonation elevate this recording above others in its category. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

Pure Christmas.......2007-01-16

If you are looking for traditional madrigal sounding holiday music, this CD is for you. I have purchased this CD several times because I just keep giving them away. Everyone I've ever introduced it to has loved it. This finely polished group has a pure sound matched by no other. If you weren't looking at the CD notes you would never know this is only a group of 12 men.

Christmas magic.......2007-01-10

A CD evocative of Christmas past and present. Beautiful harmonies both wistful and ringing with joy. Buy it for next Christmas!

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-12-02

Chanticleer, the U.S. equivalent of the British King's Singers, is a full-time classical vocal ensemble named for the rooster in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. It was founded in 1978 by Louis Botto, a tenor, and for a while was its artistic director. They have achieved critical acclaim all over the world and their repertoire is very extensive and varied. Just commenting on a few of the selections on this disc:
'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' is a hymn that originated in western Germany around 1500, and is best known in the harmonization by Michael Praetorious published around 1609. The poem used biblical imagery that pictures the newborn Christ growing forth from the "stem of Jesse'(the father of King David), as foretold in Isiah 11. The metaphorical writings of the Middle Ages depict the patriarchal figure of Jesse as a rose bush.
'O Magnum mysterium',Victoria's most famous motet, uses a subline text from the Christmas Vespers. This is incredibly beautiful with its interweaving polyphony which leads to a hushed choral declamation at the words "O beata Virgo"(O Blessed Virgin) ending with a Alleulia Section.
'Here is the Little Door' is from a set of three "carol anthems", dating from 1918-1920. Herbert Howells was revered as one of the 20th century's most distinguished Choral composers, and I recently discovered him thru the album " by the Corydon Singers conducted by Matthew Best. It includes Howells Requiem in addition to the Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor. It is the most heavenly somewhat exotic choral music I think I have heard in many years of listening; I highly recommend it.
'Glory to the newborn King'. Joseph Jennings, Georgia native and present musical director of Chanticleer, has often drawn upon his roots to create special gospel and spiritual arrangements of familiar songs. 'Glory to the newborn King' features four traditional songs combined to showcase Chanticleer's unique choral virtuosity!
This is an excellent group of carols,and it is always refreshing to hear 'new' melodies, arrangements; a joy for the ear!!!!

Simply beautiful.......2006-02-20

The title and artist' name says it all - Christmas with clear (pure) singing. Glorious in all respects.

It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!.......2005-12-20

Walking the busy malls to the multichannel Muzak of every old Christmas song interpreted in hiphop, jazz, idiosyncratic 'rethinkings' by famous soloists as well as replays of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby etc., it is a relief to return home (or if fortunate, to the concert hall) and hear the more uplifting music of the season through the ages. And despite reliance on some old favorite Messiah recordings, and carols by Kings College Choir, the one CD that seems to reign supreme is this Chanticleer release SING WE CHRISTMAS from 1995!

These twelve male voices create an ambience that can only be labeled 'spiritual', so resonant and exquisitely performed are each of the generous works on this recording. The moods pass through Praetorius, Victoria, Bach and traditional carols of unknown authorship to works by Ives, Billings, Holst, Guerrero, Howells and Sametz. The repertoire is both familiar and rarely heard and the result of combining all these forms is the truest form of Christmas spirit on record: this is music to cleanse the Muzak blitz! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Average customer rating:

Viva Rinaldo Alessandrini

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Average customer rating:

Quem Quaeritis?

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004ZBJX
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

O Vera, O Pia, O Gemma Splendida
Annuntiatio Et Visitatio
Verbum Patris Hodie
Vide Prophetie Finem Adimplete
Pastores
Puer Natus Est Nobis
Populus Gentium
Alleluia: Dominus Dixit Ad Me
Sonet Vox Ecclesie Laudes Dei Gratie
Agios O Theos: Ecce Lignum Crucis
Planctus Mariae
Crux Fidelis: Pange Lingua
Clavus Pungens Acumine
Mundus Vergens In Defectum
Resurrectio

Average customer rating:

Warm and sweet

Opus Pia
Takagi Masakatsu
Manufacturer: Carpark Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000065ARV
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Opus Pia
Re Pia 1
Re Pia 2
Everything Came From Here
Harmony
And Then...

Customer Reviews:

Warm and sweet.......2002-12-06

This album is quite simply very beautiful. It can give you a soft feeling of comfort and warmth as you listen to it and is very good for relaxation or sleep. Although "Harmony" may seem a bit boring or meandering perhaps at times, it's hard to see it as much of a detriment. Most of "Harmony" is almost like a sound collage, some of which can sound very beautiful. The last track, "...And Then" is personally my favotite, relaxing, warm, comforting and beautiful. The rain sounds it starts out with and the gorgeous female vocals (only track with any vocals by the way) really make a perfect way to end the album. The cd says on it "Tiny Miracles in the Daily Life" and this album really conveys all that very well.

Average customer rating:

A considerative anthology

Festa Italiana

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000005W2G
Release Date: 1996-12-17

Customer Reviews:

A considerative anthology.......2005-08-05

Each cd begins with a renaissence masters work: the first Antonio Valente, second Andrea Gabrieli, and the 3rd Ercole Pasquini.they are but resently studied with which we can determine another efflorescence of keyboard music than baroque ages but pitifully only scarce music from it survived. These compsitions presented here thought were of marginal fame at the time and even now, but exhibit adorable sophisticated taste of 16-17th century Italy, the father European Baroque art, they are brilliant with artful counterpoints and powerful flows of virtuosity, sometimes reeling with sensational poignancy such as a piece in cd3 by Gregorio Strozzi and the following piece by Giovani Picchi which evoke my imagination of melancholy and elaborate Shakespearean scenes.

It is a scrupulous survey of splattered jewels around the forgotten corners, presenting forgotten secret music in a light of informed rediscovery. I hope Mr Alessandrini present more repertoir of renaissence keyboard music. Listening to music from this set, I feel why Italian baroque music held the highest esteem by later generations of composers and so does now, and to what a fantastic realm of harmony of soul and nature I become awake.

By the way Italian music is for italians to play. Alessandrini strongly substantiates it! for my fellow italian keyboard art lovers i recommand Pasquini s recording by Mr Alessandrini: you will see why italian music is for italians.Musicus caelestis!

My favourite pieces:

CD1: 1st, 3rd, 9th, 19-25th
CD2: 1-5th, 15th, 18th.
CD3: 3rd, 8-9th, 14-15th.

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