Albion Pt.2 [CD-single] [Import]

albion pt.2 [cd-single] [import]

Track Listings

1. Albion (Single Version)

2. Clementine

3. Why Did You Break My Heart/Piracy

4. Albion (Video)

5. Bonus Footage (Albion Acoustic)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The third song lifted from the group's 2005 debut album "Down In Albion". The track is backed with 2 exclusive b-sides, "Clementine" and "Why Did you Break My Heart/Piracy" as well as enhanced videos of "Albion": the promotional video and an acoustic performance of the song. Rough Trade.

Albion Pt.2,Babyshambles,Rough Trade,5-Inch CD Singles,Rock

Albion Pt.2 [CD-single] [Import]

Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel; Why Patterns?

Average customer rating:

Pioneering Minimalism
Stark and Eerie
My introduction to Morton Feldman
not quite soporific
Ambient Beauty

Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel; Why Patterns?

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories

ASIN: B000000R2Z
Release Date: 1992-09-24

Tracks:

Rohtko Chapel 1
Rothko Chapel 2
Rothko Chapel 3
Rothko Chapel 4
Rothko Chapel 5
Why Patterns?

Customer Reviews:

Pioneering Minimalism.......2006-06-16

Listening to Feldman's music today, it can sound dated and derivative- if only because so many have followed him down that road since. We've heard a lot of this sort of minimalist tone poem from numerous hacks and sci-fi film composers. (I'm sure John Williams keeps a stack of Feldman CDs handy when he writes incidental music for the Star Wars films.) But Feldman can still sound fresh; unlike the hacks, he is fully capable of composing melodies that linger on in the mind long after the piece ends. He's rather stingy with them, but that only makes them even more welcome when- as in the final movement of "Rothko Chapel"- they finally appear.

This, along with "The Viola in My Life", represents the most accessible part of Feldman's work, and probably (I would argue) the part most likely to still be played long after a lot of the boring and overly pretentious work of the 20th century has been condemned to the dustbin. I doubt Feldman will ever rival the great melodic works of the 18th and 19th Century masters- or modernists like Lygeti- for lasting appeal, but I think that he will always have a place in the canon.

Stark and Eerie.......2004-07-26

A repetitive chorus of female voices, moaning, wailing, like a train heard passing from nowhere to nowhere at three in the morning, this is the coldest offering to the ear I've ever heard. And yet, somehow, it fits both Rothko's work and the manner of his death. After the Zen no-mind of the first four tracks, Feldman embraces his listeners and--by proxy--Rothko's spirit--in the 5th track, which offers us a "warm" and charming cello motif, that the composer, in his collected writings, tells us he composed at age 15. Rothko Chapel is then, a radical listening experience of "outside" (as in interstellar space), and "inside" (as in some catchy riff lifted from Dvorak's "American").

"Why Patterns" is more familiar Feldman territory: think aural disjunction, fragmentation, etc.

Exciting, challenging, memorable--these are the three key words I would apply to this CD.

My introduction to Morton Feldman.......2004-06-30

A friend of mine said I should check out Rothko Chapel. He said when he was in college he would go out and play golf and bake in the sun while listening to Rothko Chapel. After hearing this I went right out and got a cd of it. I haven't played golf to it but it's still one of my favorite pieces of music.

not quite soporific.......2003-03-22

Most of the music on this cd is very very sparing -- long tones with real silence between notes. But Morty Feldman also flirts with the baroque in these meticulously composed & arranged, textured pieces. Just don't try to use this music to wake you up. Nor to try to fall asleep to.

Ambient Beauty.......2002-07-31

Morton Feldman may have been the prototypical minimalist. His music, though varied in effect, tends to consist of very soft, discrete sounds which slowly morph from pattern to pattern. Though his music falls into periods, roughly divided by notational practice (early music uses primarily graphic scores and aleatoric procedures, later scores tend toward more precise notation, though the rhythms still remain approximate), the effect of his output is remarkably the same throughout his life. It is intellectually challenging, beautiful ambient music.

Rothko Chapel, written to be played in the famous Houston space, is a wonderful piece, one that should win new converts to the Feldman cause. It isn't daunting in length, like many later Feldman pieces, yet it retains the sonic beauty and delicacy of instrumental color that makes Feldman unique. The piece is also remarkably tonal, unlike many other Feldman works. The gorgeous hushed soprano solo sounds like a distant call to prayer. Feldman talks in the liner notes of the influence of Hebrew cantilation and you can hear it, although it is much more distant than most cantilation. This work is an example of the best kind of ambient music. It is endlessly fascinating, and yet seems to have a physical presence that does not depend on your concentration. You can listen intently or just let the sound wash over you.

Inclusion of Why Patterns? was a good idea. This work is much more typical of Feldman's style. Written for the combination of flute, glockenspiel and piano, the almost 30 minute work is a slow spinning out of subtley dissonant patterns, all at extremely quiet volume levels. The work doesn't seem to start or stop. It's as if we are dropping in on an eternal piece of music, hanging around a while and then leaving again.

As one other reviewer stated, it would be nice to have another version of Rothko Chapel available. With a composer like Feldman, alternative versions can really proove useful. So much of his music depends on chance and the sensitivity of his performers that comparisions are more important than with more standard music. The sound on this CD is wonderful. Thank you New Albion! This is my favorite Feldman CD by far!

Down in Albion
Average customer rating:

truly original

Not for everyone, but great all the same

Fantastic!

Buy Dirty Pretty Things Instead

Pathetic even by the standards of today

Down in Albion
Babyshambles
Manufacturer: Rough Trade Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Waterloo to Anywhere

Up the Bracket

The Libertines

Up the Bracket

The Blinding EP

ASIN: B000CSUMN0
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Tracks:

La belle et la bete
Fuck forever
Arebours
The 32nd of December
Pipedown
Sticks and stones
Killamangiro
8 dead boys
In love with a feeling
Pentonville
What Katy did next
Albion
Back from the dead
Loyalty song
Up the morning
Merry go round

Amazon.com

Ex-Libertines mainstay Pete Doherty is as well known for his auto-destructo personality as his music. That fervent dedication to the notion of rock star as tortured addict/poet/savant has made him the target of as many barristers and tabloid reporters as music critics in his native UK, sucking supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss (whose cameo on the opening "La Belle et la Bete" here) into its opiate-fueled vortex in the bargain. But no amount of genuflecting to the junkie pantheon can disguise the bristling pop strengths of Doherty's brilliant Babyshambles debut. Expanding his former band's jones for new wave and English music hall with a sharp, tossed-off literary sense, some potent Jam/Clash-bred social consciousness and musical edge (not surprising to find the latter's Mick Jones reprising his Libertines production duties here), the inspirations now span Ray Davies (the pop tart "32nd of December") and Rasta ("Pentonville"'s spare dance hall, the blue beat of "What Katy Did Next" and sleepy "Sticks and Stones"). Doherty's stream-of-consciousness ethos yields an oft slovenly sprawl that stubbornly defies deconstruction. Yet on tracks that range from the energetic punter's lament "Killimangiro" and nihilistic hook-fest "Fuck Forever" to the unlikely anthem "Pipedown," Albion's confessional melancholy, and the gorgeous dissolution of "Up the Morning," Doherty proves he's about considerably more than slouching artfully towards oblivion--or the next tabloid headline. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

Down in Albion is the highly anticipated debut album from Babyshambles, featuring Pete Doherty (formerly of The Libertines). The sixteen-track album was produced by Mick Jones and mixed by Mick Jones & Bill Price. The album contains the bands Top Five UK hit "Fuck Forever" and a new recording of their first Top Ten UK single "Killamangiro". Other songs on the album include "Albion", "Pipedown", "Loyalty Song", "What Katy Did Next", "32nd Of December" and "Up The Morning".

Customer Reviews:

truly original.......2007-07-11

This comes from an unbiased person who actually owns a copy and who has given it more than just a few spins. 'Down in Albion' is honest, raw, very cleverly written and truly original.

Not for everyone, but great all the same.......2007-06-24

Not every fan of The Libertine is going to like this record, but I on one hand loved it.
It's a very odd album and Pete takes odd choices in the arrangment of things, even so, he pulled it off. For instance the Pentonville track, which includes reggae vibes. I think babyshambles comes with a certain spirit that The Libertines laked. Maybe it's because Pete now gets more artistic freedom or something of the sort.
The record starts with La Belle et la bete, that inspite Kate Moss's not so wonderful voice, is a very good and catchy track. The instrumental for some reason reminds me of a Danny Elfman sort of style. And Pete ramblings, that no lyrics webpage has been able to interpret, add something to the song.
It is undeniable, Pete has a talent for lyrics, he is after all a poet and has won awards for it. I do agree with one of the critics, about the song Albion, it did sound somewhat unfinished and it probably didn't take much effort to make it, however, again, the lyrics are wonderfull.
There is no song in the album that I don't love in one way or another.
Favorites: La Belle et la Bete, F*** Forever, Pipedown, A'rebours, Killamangiro.

Fantastic!.......2007-04-05

Bought for a friend's birthday and she has not stopped thanking me for it. She loves the band and continues to be a Huge fan!

Buy Dirty Pretty Things Instead.......2007-04-04

If you like the Libertines, get the Dirty Pretty Things Album instead, which is manned by the other Lib's frontman.

Only one (maybe two) OK songs on this album. The rest is filler. I kind of think of Pete D. as a UK version of Paris Hilton--famous for being famous. If Pete were not heading Babyshambles, nobody would ever buy this album.

Pathetic even by the standards of today.......2007-02-28

Both the playing and the singing on this much-debated CD are absolutely pitiful, at best. It is possible to see a tiny germ of talent in Mr Doherty's words, in a sort-of E J Thribb pretentiousness, and he is supposed to be a very nice guy away from the lights. The live performances on the TV, unredeemably lamentable, tend to reinforce some people's view that this emperor is very definitely without clothes.
There is so much good music, new and old, that I cannot see why anybody should seek out this second-rate stuff. Even in these days of British New Labour mediocrity, wherein nobody can be "bad" at anything or "fail" at anything, by law, it is unacceptable. This band would have been booed off stage in any rural village hall in England in the sixties as insulting their audience. On the other hand, perhaps that is what Doherty is trying to get at in the title song ? If so, I duly remove my hat to him, but I doubt it somehow.

I bought this album in the belief from the publicity that there was flawed genius at work. There isn't. It's dreadful. I was not allowed to give it no stars. There is absolutely no excuse for rubbish like this to see the light of day - it makes Fall Out Boy (see my review of Cork Tree on Amazon.com) seem like Cream. Actually, on second thoughts, it makes Fall Out Boy sound at least one-tenth competent.

Spend your hard-earned on a road map of Eilat. It will be more interesting
than the meanderings of these awful people.

Average customer rating:

beautiful!
This cd stands apart
paddywhack
Haunting rainy day music
The only disc that features the incomparable Pernille Anker

Nordisk Sang
Various Artists
Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Wizard Women of the North
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ASIN: B000000R2R
Release Date: 1993-01-05

Tracks:

Tveitanvise - Eivind Groven
Bla Tonar Fra Lom - Pernile Anker
Svein I Sy' Garde - Torleiv Bolstad
Jenta I Saueflokken - Kirsten Braten Berg
Heiemo Og Nykkjen - Kirsten Braten Berg
Smorligraen - Hans Brimi
Sylfest Mork - Hans Brimi
To Bansullar Etter - Rinnaug Biloygard
Thomasklukkud'n Pa - Filefjell
Trumpen Hass Trond - Torleiv Bolstad
Kjoeringkjegla - Elisabeth Kuarne
Bansull - Kirsten Braten Berg
Tirili Tovann - Kirsten Braten Berg/Tellef Kvifte/Hallvard T. Bjorgum
Min Kvedarlund - Kirsten Braten Berg/Hallvard T. Bjorgum/Ale Moller/Tellef Kvifte
Kivlemoyane - Kare Nordstoga/Steinar Ofsdal
Vajevise - Kirsten Braten Berg/Tellef Kvifte
Nils Og Jens Og Gjeidaug - Kirsten Braten Berg/Hallvard T. Bjorgum
Budeiesull Fra Brimisaetra - Pernille Anker
Seljefloytetone - Erwind Groven

Amazon.com

This diamond of a recording gives the listener a rare and intimate look at the genuine folk music of Scandinavia, away from the festivals, the hype, and the fusions. Here are the willow bark flutes, the pristine voices, and the fiddles (both hardingfele and standard) of Norway, usually in solo settings, or simple call and responses between an instrument and a voice. Central to the proceedings is singer Kirsten Bråten Berg, a singer of such pure tone and ethereal spaces that the ear swoons upon hearing it. Lesser-known but no less impressive is the voice of Pernille Anker. Hardingfele players Hallvard T. Bjørgum, Torliev Bolstad, and Gunnar Stubseid show the diverse capabilities of this drone fiddle. There are two pieces for transverse flute (one as a duo with a pipe organ that is quite unusual), one for solo dulcimer, and one for willow bark flute to round out the sounds of Norway. There are only two slightly larger ensemble pieces, one a trio for voice, saxophone, and hardingfele, another for voice, hardingfele, bouzouki (the illustrious Ale Möller), and recorder. All the tunes are original save for a beautiful solo fiddle piece by Hans Brimi. This is a worthy collection selected by the Norwegian Heilo label, and it offers a rare look inside the folk tradition. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

beautiful!.......2007-06-11

Very nice, high quality music. We enjoy collecting music from around the world to both listen to at home and in the classroom. This is one of my favorites so far.

This cd stands apart.......2006-04-10

I wouldn't describe myself as a music critic, but I do get restless and like novelty, and world music gives me range to do that. That said, a friend gave me Nordisk Sang more than 10 years ago, and it grew on me over time and is probably my most played cd. The vocals are hauntingly beautiful in a way unpolluted by self-consciousness, and the harmonies are complex and unfamiliar enough even after scores of listenings that I can't shake the feeling of "otherliness" I get listening to it.

In the last couple of years I've explored more Nordic roots music and although I've found some good albums like Garbarek and Bukkene Bruse, nothing's quite equalled Nordisk Sang. Something magic there.

paddywhack.......2006-03-22

An excellent albumt hat captures the best of Nordic folk. Roots music often reveals the places it has come from and this collection does exactly that. All the songs have the feeling of bleak snowscapes, cold winters, and long dark nights with the singers circled around a fire, protected from the elements outside. There is a definite flavour of the viking here with haunting vocals on many of the tracks. It is hard to pick out a single outstanding track as unusually for compilations like this, the whole package runs seamlessly together. Having visited Norway on several occasions and seen the bleak landscapes, this album brings those memories back to vivid life. Definitely one for the winter witha hot rumor whatever toaccompany it! Buy this, you wont go wrong if you have eclectic tastes.

Haunting rainy day music.......2004-12-11

I received this CD as a present from a friend who evidently knows me quite well. I love every track, and though it has beeen over two years since I received it, I still play it quite regularly. It is the kind of music you need to read Beowulf to, next to a fire, on a rainy day.

The only disc that features the incomparable Pernille Anker.......2004-01-03

The prior reviews more than adequately describe the mystery and haunting beauty of this disc. I have a lot of nordic discs and this one can't be beat. What makes it special is the variety of presentations (vocal and various instruments), the consistent quality of the song selection, the loving and deeply evocative arrangements that showcase the sheer beauty of the music. And then there are those voices! What incredible ones! Braten-Berg is well entitled to her due. But Pernille Anker is equally a treasure, and we lost her way too early. As far as I can determine, this is the ONLY disc readily available in the U.S. that showcases her amazing talent. She does have one incredible cut on Wizard Women of the North.

Average customer rating:

Gratitude....
Enjoyable and modern
Finest Harrison CD that I Own
Deeply spiritual music
Don't listen

La Koro Sutro

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Harrison: Piano Concerto/Suite For Violin, Piano And Small Orchestra
Harrison: Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Javanese Gamelan
Drums Along The Pacific
Music of Lou Harrison
Chamber and Gamelan Works

ASIN: B000000R2D
Release Date: 1994-04-05

Tracks:

La Koro Sutro: Kunsonoro kaj Gloro - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 1 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 2 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 3 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 4 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 5 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 6 - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
La Koro Sutro: Strofo 7/Mantro Kaj Kunsonoro - The Chorus and Chamber Chorus of The University Of California at Berkeley
Varied Trio: I. Gending - The Abel/Steinberg/Winant Trio
Varied Trio: II. Bowl Bells - The Abel/Steinberg/Winant Trio
Varied Trio: III. Elegy - The Abel/Steinberg/Winant Trio
Varied Trio: IV. Rondeau in Honor of Fragonard - The Abel/Steinberg/Winant Trio
Varied Trio: V. Dance - The Abel/Steinberg/Winant Trio
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: First Movement - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Estampie - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Air - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Jhala I - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Jhala II - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Jhala III - David Abel
Suite for Violin and American Gamelan: Chaconne - David Abel

Customer Reviews:

Gratitude...........2004-06-15

I didn't know Lou Harrison from chopped liver until this lovely late spring evening of 2004, when it was given to me to hear Lo Koro Sutro whilst watching a Hudson Valley sunset.

I have been "working" with the Heart Sutra for about 30 years...and I write to you all, not as a music person (though I have those credens) but as a very thankful Dharma person who finally heard a version of this sutra proper for the West.

Btw, it happens to be beautiful too.

Enjoyable and modern.......2003-04-03

This is an album of modern pieces that are quite creative and enjoyable. There is a good variation found here and this allows for a rewarding hour of listining. It is one to listen to, not to play in the background.

Finest Harrison CD that I Own.......2002-07-20

I am a great fan of the varied career of Lou Harrison, perhaps the most eclectic of all American composers. His music shows the influence of Gamelan and other eastern elements, but it is music that is clearly of the west. He still even occasionally composes in twelve-note fashion, though of course within his own unique style.

La Koro Sutro is a masterwork, perhaps the most impressive Harrision work I have yet heard. The text is an Esperanto translation of the Buddhist Heart Sutra, accompanied by the "American Gamelan" (instruments created by Harrison and his life partner, William Colvig), harp and organ. Throughout the piece, Harrison displays his genius for sound. The choral writing too is excellent and the piece rises to a luminous conclusion. Deeply spiritual and moving music!

The other works on the recording are equally fine. The Varied Trio is a beautiful work for violin, piano and percussion. It is written in Harrison's "oriental chamber music" style. The titles of the movements show the varied influences from Indonesian and the French Baroque (Rondeau in Honor of Fragonard). The Suite for Violin and American Gamelan is also stunning. The slow first movement is haunting. The piece then morphs into a series of Baroque inspired dance pieces with some Indian influences in the Jhala movements. As always, Harrison fuses his overtly asian influence with a distinctively Western attitude toward composition.

Harrison should be more widely appreciated I think. His music is mostly tonal and immediately communicative. As such, it should command the same wide audience that has embraced Part, Gorecki and Tavener. But Harrison is not simple-minded as some of the minimalists can be, particularly Tavener at his worst. The music is always fresh and rewarding, and the harmonic pallete is adventurous without becoming too dissonant.

If you are a fan of minimalism, world music, or simply contemporary music that can be immediately enjoyed and yet stand up to close scrutiny, this is a great place to start. I can not give this CD enough praise!

Deeply spiritual music.......2000-05-17

"La Koro Sutro" is Esperanto for "the Heart Sutra," a traditional Buddhist hymn. I found this music deeply moving and spiritual. Lou Harrison studied with Arnold Schoenberg, but this music is not at all like Schoenberg's. This music draws you in, sometimes with unusual percussive effects (Harrison uses strange instruments like metal rice bowls), sometimes with warm, ethereal vocals. I highly recommend this album.

Don't listen.......2000-03-17

This CD is not for the faint at heart. Apparently, La Koro Sutra is Lou Harrison's finest choral work. If that is the case, I would hate to hear any other. It is very boring and often very meditative. I was severely disappointed with his music.

If you are a Harrison fan, the performance on this CD is mediocre.

Sun/Moon
Average customer rating:

Sounds like living

like snow falling

Satoh in a more traditional direction

Somei Satoh

horrible (1 star is an overestimate, there is no zero)

Sun/Moon
Somei Satoh
Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Satoh: Toward the Night

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Mantra/Stabat Mater

From the Depth of Silence: Orchestral Music of Somei Satoh

ASIN: B000000R3T
Release Date: 1994-11-01

Tracks:

Kougetsu (Moon)
Sanyo (Sun)
Azeno Kyoku (Wind)

Customer Reviews:

Sounds like living.......2005-01-04

Not everyone is ready for John Cage's suggestion that we view everything that happens to us as music. Let me propose the idea that how you react to Somei Satoh's "Sun/Moon" upon first listening will tell you just how prepared you are to live according to Cage's suggestion.

If the vast spaces of silence in this recording infuriate and bore you, if you see them as "not music," or as the opposite of composition and performance, then perhaps you'd better shrink back behind that wall you have built between music and life and listen to some more conventional music, preferably something that is loud and has a regular beat, maybe a drum machine, and some words. Wouldn't that be nice?

If you find that the silence focuses your attention to an infinite intensity and opens your awareness, softening the hardened obliviousness of your everyday routine while preparing you to fully embrace the coming and passing of the first throbbing tone of the shakuhachi (Japanese flute), then you will cherish this austere recording for a long time as a beautiful reminder of what it feels like to be alive.

like snow falling.......2001-11-02

Just as the one star reviewer says, there are moments where you can hear space between the going and coming of notes; extraordinary and perfect space. This is a beautiful recording. Absolutely un-sentimental. Somei Satoh has created an temoral landscape that feels like the temples and gardens of an ancient Japan. Amazing! I wish it were longer.

Satoh in a more traditional direction.......2001-07-22

One star, hm? Someone who doesn't 'get' traditional Japanese music, I take it...

No, this is no 'one star' disc. It's perhaps not quite the right place for someone looking for Satoh's more experimental/ambient side to start, but if you're versed in Japanese music, "Sun Moon" is a beautiful, sparse take on traditional styles. Three works, one for solo shakuhachi, the other for shakuhachi and koto, are present here. And yes...things are _sparse_. The opening of the disc has no sound for much of the first minute...and then a tone intrudes. Electronic? You'd think...but suddenly, the atmosphere is cut by the signature sounds of traditional shakuhachi playing. Yep...it was that all along, demonstrating not only the point that Satoh's music here is brilliant, the playing by the performers is intensely virtuosic.

Here you can hear a real connection in Satoh's music to the ageless sound of Japan's traditional musical forms, as well as connections to some of Japan's great recent composer, notably Toru Takemistu. Meditative, spare, and elegantly minimal, "Sun Moon" shows there's still quite a bit left to explore in Japan's centuries-old musical practices. The only fault I can give here is that the disc is annoying short at only 44 minutes; I was left wanting more.

Somei Satoh.......2000-01-09

This cd deserves more than one star! It requires that the listener bring something to the music.

horrible (1 star is an overestimate, there is no zero).......1999-12-14

This is the absolute worse CD I have ever purchased in my life. There is simply nothing to listen to except the twang of a string followed by minutes of silence. On one of tracks I didn't even hear a single sound until at least 2 minutes into the recording. I can't believe you can sell such tripe.

Average customer rating:

Enduring Poetry

Remede de Fortune

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Machaut: Le vray remede d'amour /Ensemble Gilles Binchois * Vellard
Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble

ASIN: B000000R3S
Release Date: 1994-05-16

Tracks:

Biaute paree de valour
LAI: Qui n'aroit autre deport
Liement me deport
COMPLAINTE: Tels rit
CHANT ROYAL: Joie, plaisance
BALADELLE: En amer a douce vie
Toute Flour
BALLADE: Dame, de qui toute
Dande ballade (arr. Kammen/Mealy)
CHANSON BALLAD E: Dame a vous
RONDELET: Dame mon cuer en vous remaint
Rondeau: Rose Liz

Amazon.com

Machaut was not only a composer of liturgical music, but also was equally famous for his secular works. Among these secular pieces is "Remede de Fortune" (Remedy of Fortune)-which became one of the most popular love poems in medieval Europe, securing Machaut's position as the premiere poet musician of 14th century France. The very lengthy work-- 4300 lines, selections of which are performed here--describes a deeply emotional outpouring of feelings of romantic love-of pain, desire, devotion, beauty, hope, and longing--which the speaker/writer never can reveal to the subject of his love. The poetic language is extraordinarily beautiful, and the melodies perfectly reflect the varying moods and lyricism of the words. Ensemble P.A.N. performs these widely varied songs with such skill and feeling that we don't even have to know French to understand the meaning of the texts. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Enduring Poetry.......1999-10-02

The first time I heard Remede de fortune, I had no idea what it was. I'm so glad I took the time to listen. The title means Remedy of Fortune and the songs tell the story of a bard in love with a beautiful woman of high standing. It's ages old, but the poetry still applies today, as it concerns love, longing, hope, and finally the realization of a dream of passion. It's written in French, but comes with English translation. The medieval music is every bit as enchanting as the lyrics. I especially enjoy the music on account of its stylistic variety: ballad, chant, instrumental, female and male vocals. Haunting, plaintive, and celebratory, the artist's musical and lyrical subjects and styles change at the will of his mood. He believes that one must compose under the dictates of present emotion to be true to oneself and one's art. Definitely a worthwhile buy which incorporates history, great literature, enduring themes, and captivating music.

Riley: The Book Of Abbeyozzud / Tanenbaum, Silverman, et al

Average customer rating:

Not Your Usual Terry Riley

Riley: The Book Of Abbeyozzud / Tanenbaum, Silverman, et al

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Atlantis Nath
Terry Riley: Chanting the Light of Foresight
The Harp of New Albion
Descending Moonshine Dervishes / Songs for the Ten Voices of the Two Prophets
Terry Riley: Salome Dances for Peace

ASIN: B00001W099
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

Cantos Desiertos: Francesco en Paraiso
Cantos Desiertos: Cancion Desierto
Cantos Desiertos: Quijote
Cantos Desiertos: Llanto
Cantos Desiertos: Tango Ladeado
Zamorra
Dias de los Muertos: Innocencia - Se Aparace la Muerte Innocentmente por la tarde
Dias de los Muertos: La Muerte en Medias Caladas Negras
Barabas
Ascencion

Amazon.com

After Terry Riley's revolutionary In C, it certainly never seemed that the compositionally brash cofounder of the minimalist movement would take on a lyrical bent. But that's what he's done on this collection of pieces for violin, guitar, and percussion. Violinist Tracy Silverman and guitarist David Tanenbaum play warmly and sublimely on Cantos Desiertos, finding pristine melodies and high, arching curves around which to spread their finesse. Tanenbaum gets unbelievably rich tones from his guitar, and his range is the one consistent ingredient throughout these pieces. He duets with Riley's son Gyan, himself an accomplished guitarist, on "Zamorra" and with percussionist William Winant on Dias de los Muertos. Winant's marimba and gongs are especially appropriate for Tanenbaum's resonant string work, fluctuating from an absolute crispness to a milky froth. Where Riley's chamber works, such as Salome Dances for Peace, are intensely rhythmic, these works veer much more stealthily toward a kind of glorious flowering, even if the blooms are in dusky colors and muted, curvy patterns. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Not Your Usual Terry Riley.......1999-12-14

I have loved Terry Riley's work for many years. This CD is no exception. However, it is not the minimalist-raga Riley that I am used to. This is a set of beautifully performed guitar pieces that are melodic, tonal, and very Spanish in influence. Definitely a change from Mr. Riley's usual fair, but wonderful nonetheless!

Average customer rating:

Very expansive music
stunning natural reverberations
and furthermore...
Lovely - Music to Sleep By
Groundbreaking (Literally--They're Way Down, in a Cistern)

Deep Listening

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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General | New Age | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Underground Overlays from the Cistern Chapel
Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel; Why Patterns?
Music on a Long Thin Wire
Crone Music
I Am Sitting in a Room

ASIN: B000000R2K
Release Date: 1994-04-05

Tracks:

Lear
Suiren
Ione
Nike

Amazon.com

One of New Music's most fascinating achievements has been the importation of music performance to physical places where performance hasn't yet happened. Iannis Xenakis, for example, scripted large works for musicians spread throughout an audience. Trombonist Stuart Dempster and accordionist Pauline Oliveros ventured into unexplored territory more definitively with Deep Listening, a CD that took them into the massive, 14-foot deep Fort Worden Cistern to record their performance. As a concept, deep listening involves vastly elongated tonalities that draw cavernous echoes into the music. Dempster's trombone sails like the largest hull tanker to make music, and Oliveros's accordion plays magical tones that barely seem from the real world. Panaiotis, who performed as the third member of the Deep Listening Band after this CD, provides stretched voice, whistling, and found sounds. Meditative with all the urgency of avant-garde music, Deep Listening is an entrancing, seamless wonder. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Very expansive music.......2007-02-09

My only complaint is that the fourth track is so very different from the others. If you intend to space out and meditate to this music (entirely possible) then DO NOT let the last track play. The scratches, squeaks, echoes, clangs, etc. are not conducive to relaxation. If the last track was omitted or replaced by another that continued the expansive sounds of the beginning, I would rate it 5 stars.

stunning natural reverberations .......2006-02-28

If you enjoy ethereal drones, sparse and unexpected instrumentation, and hypnotic exploration of sound with a minimum of modern electronics, you will love adding this to your music library. It is truely unique. If you don't like that sort of thing, you will be very bored and wonder what all the fuss is about

and furthermore..........2003-07-21

This is a great CD - the samples provided
for listening give a solid idea as to what
the full disc sounds like, which is expansive,
trancey, and full of sonic nuances. I can
listen to this and Stuart Dempster's
Underground Overlays - a similar effort - for
days on end. I think this will appeal to those
into extended 'ambient' works most of all, despite
the fact that the music is unprocessed and
acoustic.

Lovely - Music to Sleep By.......2002-08-28

I am only being partially facetious in the title to my review. This is lovely and it is music to sleep by. It is deeply relaxing, and yet rewards careful listening. This is not some somulent ambient experiment by Stephen Halpern. The three musicians on the disc have impeccable credentials. Oliverios has been involved in experimental music since the late 60s, often with spiritual overtones. Stuart Dempster is an expert trombonist, perhaps the best in avant-garde circles. Panaiotis is new to me, but adds a percussive edge that keeps the music going.

The disc was recorded in a cistern in Washington State. Using the 45 second echo natural to the space, the three musicians improvise four lovely pieces based on drones. Oliverios plays a specially designed accordian, tuned in just intonation. The sound is deeply meditative and lovely. Weaving in and out of the accordian drone is more melodic music from Dempster, and percussive and vocal sounds from Panaiotis. This is ambient music. You can use it as sonic wall-paper if you want. But it also repays deep listening...repays it well.

Thanks as always to New Albion for it's interest in documenting unexplored areas of the music scene. And for it's lovely and spacious sound engineering.

Groundbreaking (Literally--They're Way Down, in a Cistern).......2002-07-29

These are way weird people. Not garden variety weird. Genuinely out there. Pauline Oliveros is dumpy. Not chic, by any stretch of the imagination. But can she play? You betcha. Stuart dempster looks like a real Christopher Lloyd character. Panaiotis (Why the single name; he's not a Brazilian soccer player?)--What's his deal, man?

Who cares? This is the granddaddy of ambient music. Their concept is unique: Hunker down in this, this, cistern?!?!, play a bunch of super long tones, let the aural bizarreness take over, and see what we've got.

Tracks:

Contre dolour (rondeau)
Tousjours (canonic rondeau)
Aspre Fortune (ballade)
Qui de Fortune (ballade)
Je prens d'amour (virelai)
Bonne e belle (instrumental)
Qui n'a le cuer (rondeau)
J'ai mon cuer (ballade)
J'ai maintes fois (ballade)
Moult fort me plaist (ballade)
Danse d'Abroz (instrumental)
Pymalion qui moult subtilz estoit (ballade)
Da magne Pater (motet)/Si doucement (ballade)
Anna parens matris (antiphon)/Alma parens nata/O Maria stella maris (motet)
O Virgo virginum (antiphon)/O sacra virgo virginum/Tu nati nata suscipe (motet)
Hodie Christus natus est (antiphon)/Hodi peur nascitur/Homo martalis firmiter (motet)

Amazon.com

Before you decide to say "no thanks" to music written by anonymous composers on the island of Cyprus in the early 15th century, just wait one minute. Forget the historical references and consider these vocal and instrumental works as music that can be loved first for its pure and uplifting sonorities. When you hear the perfect blend of instruments (vielles, lute, slide trumpet) and voices (countertenor, tenor, and mezzo-soprano), you'll find yourself drawn into a very pleasant adventure that musically isn't as far afield as you might expect. Beginning with the occupation of Cyprus by Richard the Lion Hearted in 1198, a procession of Western rulers and visitors brought polyphonic music to the island. A manuscript now residing in Turin, but written in early 15th-century Cyprus, is the source for the pieces performed on this disc. The variety and quality of the music is astonishing--well worth an extended visit. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Another Rave Review.......2007-05-13

Since all the previous reviews have been five-stars, and Mr Mezzick's review from last year is very ample, all I wish to add is my strong agreement that this is an outstanding performance of an important repertoire.

Inspired music.......2005-09-27

I must concur with my fellow reviewer who advocated, in no uncertain terms, that you should get this CD. This is a fabulous recording of lesser known music that deserves a much wider audience. This music comes from a medieval Cypriot manuscript housed in the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin, which dates to 1413-1422. 'This manuscript is the sole witness to a brief but extraordinary flowering of western art music in Cyprus at the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century.'

Perhaps one of the reasons for this neglect is political - Cyrpus was a Western outpost during the Crusades; hence, the culture of Cyprus has been influenced by outsiders heavily. The nation of Cyprus still is split between Greek and Turkish communities. The island of Cyprus was at one time a Knights Templar possession, given over to the last King of Jerusalem, and became a Francophile kingdom until the fifteenth century. Because of these close connections with France, the rulers often travelled to the European continent, and brought back both an appreciation for and performers of western musical styles that in turn took root and blossomed into local products such as the compositions recorded here.

The codex in Turin consists of full masses, offices of St. Hylarion and St. Anne, plainsong pieces, mass pieces such as glorias, credos, and more. There are motets, vierlais, rondeaux, and over a hundred ballades. Ths music on this disc is a representative sample of both the secular and sacred pieces.

The performers are the Ensemble Pro Ars Nova. According to their website, 'Ensemble Project Ars Nova, known popularly as Ensemble PAN, takes its name and its sense of spirit from Philippe de Vitry's 14th century musical treatise "Ars Nova" (The New Art). Founded at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, by young American artists Laurie Monahan (mezzo-soprano), Michael Collver (countertenor and corno muto) and Crawford Young (lute), the Ensemble debuted at the Festival Estival in Paris in 1982. At its American debut at the Castle Hill Festival in 1984, Shira Kammen (bowed strings) and John Fleagle (tenor and medieval harp) joined the group.' In addition to these members, they have guest performers Peter Becker (tenor), Karen Clark-Young (mezzosoprano), Randall Cook (vielle), Steven Lundahl (slide trumpet), and Margaret Raines (mezzosoprano). This disc was recorded in 1991, during the Ensemble's residency in the Boston area on a grant.

The clarity, the vibrancy, the depth and beauty in the music and in the performances perfectly match to give a strong, memorable experience.

Buy this disc!

buy it ! buy it ! buy it !buy it ! buy it !.......2001-05-11

what an album !!!!! dont say a word. dont think twice. just buy it. it is my favorit !!! lots of love to the P.A.N ensamble & the other talented preformers on this rare trip into a world of pure beauty (and the tracks r anonymouse too!!!)i recomand the "chiconia" album of the same ensamble 2. it is allso a "must!" if ur a fun of the 13th-14th music you'll b a fool not to purchase those yami albums they are like food 4 your souls.

Exquisite........1999-12-20

Beautifully performed, well recorded, this is a terrific addition to any collection. I find it at once calming and invigorating. Whenever anyone comes over and happens to hear it, they are instantly struck by the beauty and simplicity of the music. Highly recommended.

The Island of ST. HYLARION - an unexpected encounter.......1999-06-20

The CD entitled "The Island of ST. HYLARION" - performed by ENSEMBLE PROJECT ARS NOVA - was an unexpected encounter for me. In this CD, music of Cyprus Island from 1413 to 1422 are recorded. I was surprised that the pieces in the CD was not so-called "ethnic musics", but the pieces influenced by medieval French culture! Some are secular chansons with texts of medieval French, some are Gregorian Chants with motet, and some are instrumental pieces by medieval instruments. The pieces are elegant, and, I truly assure, give peacefulness to all listeners! If you listen to this CD during very hot and humid summer day, I again assure, you listeners can feel as if you were in the cool highlands! This CD was introduced in Japan around 1991 at Virgin Mega Store in Tokyo, and this store chosed this CD as "Recommended CD." In fact it was sold well. I hope you all share the surprise as I felt by listening this CD.

Average customer rating:

New Music for Bowed Piano

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Vikings of the Sunrise
Paisajes Audibles: Sounding Landscapes

ASIN: B00002EPNE
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Tracks:

Rainbows, I
Rainbows, II
Music Three for Bowed Strings
Music One for Bowed Strings
Resonant Resources
Arcs

Amazon.com

Listening to just the first minute of Stephen Scott's "Rainbows, I" (the album's first track) will shatter your notion of what piano music should sound like. With a heavy nod to the minimalism of Steve Reich, Scott and his group of students from Colorado College created one of the most memorable and original compositions of bowed piano strings ever recorded. Here, the white and black keys are overshadowed by a handful of musicians crawling over the open-topped instrument, armed with Popsicle sticks glued with horsehair (the perfect bow for reaching into a grand's tight corners). The drones created by the ensemble's bowing sound anything but acoustic, but there's some gorgeous music here, with subtle melodies surfacing above the repetitious fold. Scott's compositions sound both inventive and simple--ominous on "Music One for Bowed Strings," but absolutely pulsating on "Rainbows, II." Good vibrations, indeed. --Jason Verlinde

Album Description

I first became aware that one could bow the strings of a piano in 1976, when I heard David Burge play a composition by Curtis Curtis-Smith. This was a solo piano work, played mostly on the keyboard but utilizing also some prepared piano techniques. One striking effect was produced by drawing nylon fish line across the strings. I was captivated by the sound and began immediately (before David's performance was over as I recall) to imagine the sound of several players bowing a piano's strings simultaneously, thus producing sustained chords. Thus was born the first composition for ensemble-bowed piano, Music One for Bowed Strings, which I completed in 1977 and performed that year with the Colorado College New Music Ensemble. It should be stressed that all of the sounds heard in the ensemble pieces are produced by the piano strings; no electronics or other sound producing devices are involved. The recordings are made "live" exactly as they are performed in concert.

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