Best Compilations
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After a day or so, I couldn't listen to more news and I decided to play this CD over and over again with the thought that it was going straight to heaven as a benediction to the members of the AME Church. The actual titles of the selections are (in order): Mercy, Strength, Hope, Compassion, Grace, Innocence, Forgiveness, Benediction and Faith."
"Listening to it now as I write this review, the track "hope" begins and I am moved to tears by the angelic voice and feel of this, flowing through my soul. Do someone else a favor.... Share it with them."
"The experience for me is made even more poignant by not knowing the literal sense of the words (except for the few sections in English and Hebrew). I hear struggling, questioning, demanding voices, passionate with love and with pain, with defiance, with acceptance, with serenity, victory and failure."
"The American Boychoir and its featured soloist are terrific, the English chamber group are perfection, the main singers exquisite and each the right voice for their part."
"I have had the joyous opportunity to listen to this amazing composition about ten years ago and it is on something of a continuous loop in my head, forever, gleefully."
"I think this recording would lend itself well to background music for meditation as the voices are not distracting enough to pull you from deep thought; in fact, I found that the recording produced cleansing thoughts and a feeling of invigoration."
"Second time I bought this."
"This is tremendous, soulshqping music."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Process arrival satrifaction all very good."
"Beautiful music."
"Diaspora Sefardi is a double-CD of music of the Sephardic Jews, a diverse culture originating in Spain and later settling in countries around the Mediterranean after their expulsion from most of Spain in 1492. Led by the impeccable soprano Montserrat Figueras, a generous collection of sephardic romances resides on disc one, and ten instrumental pieces are found on disc two. This recording differs in kind from other interpretations (by Savall or by countless other interpreters of this music) in that it employs a more diverse instrumentation that lies beyond the standard western European grouping of percussion, viol, flutes and harps, and rather embraces the instrumentations of eastern influences of this music (oud, qanun, sarod, etc.). Disc two, "Las estrellas de los cielos" (The stars in the sky), is a diverse collection of instrumental pieces, interpreted and performed to perfection by this ensemble."
"El segundo disco trae sólo obras instrumentales, en las que se da un mayor espacio a la improvisación y la ornamentación, lo que considero bastante pertinente pare este tipo de música, y que realmente está muy bien lograda en este caso, permitiendo trabajar toda suerte de matices (el uso del aire por parte del flautista Pedro Memmelsdorff, por ejemplo)."
"After owning this CD for about 4 years, when my newborn daughter needed bedtime soothing I grabbed this (the 2nd CD)."
"We are now towards the end of March and I just got an email from amazon that, oh dear, they are having trouble finding a copy to ship to my friend."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This collection of French music for organ and orchestra gathers together several enjoyable yet eminently forgettable pieces. The first movement ("Cypress") is a meditation for solo organ, while in the second movement ("Laurels") the orchestra joins the organ for martial fanfares and flourishes. The familiar Gigout Grand choeur dialogue appears here in an orchestration by Ropartz, an effective arrangement but one that doesn't quite catch the music's antiphonal effects as both the original organ solo or various organ/brass versions do."
"It is a very well done, excellent recording, full of energy and expression."
"It's in my car CD player, (one of six) and I am always listenting to this...Ian Tracey is wonderful and the organ is my favorite, well almost my favorite, Wanamaker is neck and neck."
"Here is organ music at its best!!"
"Heard one track on internet radio & knew I had to have it."
Best Compilations
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"All convicts are at the infamous Parchman Farm prison, located in the deep Delta, in Mississippi."
"If you are a collector of early Afro-American music, slave songs, or related hymns this is a great addition to your collection."
"Important for anyone who cares about Black history or music. Or history."
"A great historical recording that teaches both the way prison workers sang as well as the mythology that was a part of their singing."
"Incredibly clean sound for the 40's, all well recorded, musically superb pieces, each a perfect gem of its kind, preserving some of the oldest and best of American music, done by some of the finest singers you've never heard of."
"This is simply stirring given the history of this music, and its obvious connections to spirituals and blues from all of the decades prior."
"Recording quality good."
"classic collection of rare & historic songs."
Best Septets
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A great CD with some wonderful singers and great instrumentalists!"
"Despite being a big Stravisky fan I can't get too enthusiastic about this disc."
Best Romantic (c.1820-1910)
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you have any love of piano music, Clair De Lune is a must."
"BEAUTIFUL, VERY SOOTHING AND GREAT FOR RELAXING."
"Lovely music, well-performed."
"I love this performance of "Reverie" more than any I've heard ."
"Great CD, totally enjoying the clarity & beauty of Debussy's music."
"I love this music...I can't believe such grand music exits on this disc."
Best Requiems, Elegies & Tombeau
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It would be difficult to imagine an early music lover that would not be seduced by the first offering on this disc which is an incredibly lovely sustained work that presents a beautious melody by Heinrich Isaac "Fortuna desperata: Nasci, pati mori" (Reckless fortune). Some of the notable outstanding singers are: CARLOS MENA, PASCAL BERTIN, LAMBERT CLEMENT, FRANCESE GARRIGOSA AND DANIELE CARNOVICH. I purchased it because of the obvious enthusiasm of the performers carefully directed, not just energetic when it is inappropriate, but show deep respect, mystery and nostaligia in their performance."
"Thus it is not all 'Spanish' music per se but a collection including some old chestnuts from other lands."
"One of my favorite besides this collection from Charles V is his set of Armenian pieces (Armenian Spirit)."
"Sit back and imagine you are in the court of Carlos V of Spain!"
"Music (court, chapel, popular), history and politics (Carlos V - the 'first and last great Emperor of Europe', as Savall writes), culture and religion --- all intersect in this disc and its documentation which make it essential for all serious music lovers as well as cultural historians of all stripes."
"fast delivery."
"This is yet another cracking disc from Jordi Savall. The overall sound is lovely, the individual singers and players are excellent and the arrangements are impeccable; the judgement of the use of percussion is excellent, for example."
Best Symphonies
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel queasy whenever I see a photograph of Alfred Cortot - the Vichy High Commissioner of Fine Arts. Even so, just as salvation was vouchsafed to the Good Thief, is redemption possible for our swish, goosestepping friend? If the likes of Horowitz and Richter have a rival in this domain, it is surely Cortot. Every sentiment and state of being in Schumann's lexicon is given utterance and vibrantly so. Repeats are also sparse, particulary in Davidbundlertanze (Frisch in particular - my favourite - is disappointingly truncated). One almost raises a votive offering to Cortot when the Poet at last falls silent."
"After having played Appassionata's first movement in front of Anton Rubinstein, A.R told him: "Beethoven's music must not be studied. Consider besides, the happy meeting with two legend musicians as Thibaud and Casals; I mean, in despite of the fact the natural gifts, Cortot was surrounded for wisdom companies. & March 1929, Small Queen Hall) have been one of the main battle horses and most beloved preferred compositions by the most of high caliber pianists (as in the case of Frau Carreño, for instance) ; while Kempff gives a dreamy approach, Cortot makes a mesmerizing, disturbing and nervous performance, plenty of electricity and sublimate passion. It owns an overflowing poetry and is to my mind the nearest composition related with the autumnal approach of Franz Schubert in his last days. 2 (rec.4 July 1935) we find seriously less gifted pianist but at the meantime, a wiser man , this admirable set of variations are played with hat sense of elusiveness and dreams so typical of the youth years. 4 July 1935) - conceived by Schumann as " Souvenirs for those who have grown up" - is a superb poetic homage to those years of the childhood seen through adult eyes. We have to recognize and acknowledge the impressive and notable Engineering process about the clean and almost imperceptible hiss for Music & Arts personal."
"Cortot brings his own well-thought-out views to several of Schumann's central piano works, including Kreisleriana, Kinderszenen, and Symphonic Etudes."
Best Chamber Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"2014 saw them release their sophomore album The Rosary, and for a few years, I thought that was all they were going to release...NOPE! This gave people about a month to pick up this Christmas album. We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It's said in the music business that you haven't made it until you put out a Christmas album. There are many Christmas albums that flood the market every year that completely miss the point of Christmas, so it was refreshing to see this holy album be released that focuses on the real reason for the season. However, I also loved that there were titles on this album that I was unfamiliar with, as it helped broaden my catalog of great Christmas songs. Listening to this album in my car has been a relaxing endeavor, as it has helped me focus on Jesus with my commute to and from work."
"Beautiful."
"We have played this CD every day, and are sad to have to put it away until next year."
"Fantastic."
"This is one of the most beautiful Christmas CDs that I have ever heard."
"Heard of this album on the radio."
"Great choice of songs for the album."
"This CD was given to two of my friends!"
Best Historical Periods
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These songs were first introduced to my ears on my father's old collection of 45 rpm records."
"The song selection and choral and orchestral renderings are beautiful and so fitting for the Christmas season."
"I think the Robert Shaw singers are the quintessential coral singer for Christmas songs, none better."
"I ordered this album to approximate an old 33 LP record by the same-named choir (probably different singers many years later) that my parents had when I was a child in the '50s and '60s."
"Great compilation of Christmas carols, all beautifully done in acapella."
"My feeling after listening to this several times is that most of the songs are simply too short, clocking in at well under two minutes."
Best Instruments
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These songs were first introduced to my ears on my father's old collection of 45 rpm records."
"The song selection and choral and orchestral renderings are beautiful and so fitting for the Christmas season."
"I think the Robert Shaw singers are the quintessential coral singer for Christmas songs, none better."
"I ordered this album to approximate an old 33 LP record by the same-named choir (probably different singers many years later) that my parents had when I was a child in the '50s and '60s."
"Great compilation of Christmas carols, all beautifully done in acapella."
"My feeling after listening to this several times is that most of the songs are simply too short, clocking in at well under two minutes."
Best Forms & Genres
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm a sucker for sentiment, so I particularly love Appalachian Spring: Doppio movimento (sometimes called Variations on a Shaker Tune or Simple Gifts), but it's all wonderful."
"Considering that this is played in the car with the road noise, and player electronics, this recording was a nice relief to commute traffic."
"This CD must be in every American music collection!"
"A classic set of recordings."
"What more could you ask for -- Copland and Bernstein."
"On the last part of Appalachian Spring track 8 Moderato - Coda, the phrasing of the string section is absolutely gorgeous, and every note is played with such feeling and clarity."
"This recording of Hoe Down is sharper and clearer than is the Boston Pops rendition, but I do prefer the slightly slower pace of that recording."
Best Ballets & Dances
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm a sucker for sentiment, so I particularly love Appalachian Spring: Doppio movimento (sometimes called Variations on a Shaker Tune or Simple Gifts), but it's all wonderful."
"Considering that this is played in the car with the road noise, and player electronics, this recording was a nice relief to commute traffic."
"This CD must be in every American music collection!"
"A classic set of recordings."
"What more could you ask for -- Copland and Bernstein."
"On the last part of Appalachian Spring track 8 Moderato - Coda, the phrasing of the string section is absolutely gorgeous, and every note is played with such feeling and clarity."
"This recording of Hoe Down is sharper and clearer than is the Boston Pops rendition, but I do prefer the slightly slower pace of that recording."