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Rutter - Requiem; Magnificat

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
from: Collegium

October 05, 1998
This recording of the Cambridge Singers has them recording pieces composed by their own director, John Rutter. The Magnificat is Rutter's version of a standard piece of liturgical music, an intersection of old and new. This was recorded at one of the Cambridge Singers' favourite venues, the Great Hall of University College School, London; the Requiem was recorded in 1986, and the Magnificat in 1991.

--Music--
'The Magnificat' is one of my favourite pieces of the liturgy, and one I enjoy hearing set to different kinds of music. This is a very lively and spirit-filled rendering, with magnificent vocals expressing the joy that is found in the prayer of Mary - 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour'. ... Read More:

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Allegri - Miserere; Lotti - Crucifixus; Palestrina - Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
from: Coro

May 05, 2003
Allegri's Miserere is given the top billing on this disc, perhaps because of some celebrated special effects, explained in the liner notes, that it contains. The first track is devoted to a sombre and beautiful Crucifixus (from the Nicene Creed) by one Lotti, an older contemporary of Bach. Admirable and compelling, both of these, but what I bought this disc for was the two items by Palestrina, his Stabat Mater and the celestial Missa Papae Marcelli.

It is not just the quality of the early music specialists these days but the sheer profusion of them that continues to astonish me. I looked through the list of singers (18, not 16) and while I did not recognise most of the names offhand that may simply be because I did not investigate my ... Read More:

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Ferndorf

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
by: Hauschka

September 22, 2008
Anyone who has heard and enjoyed the work of Harold Budd, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman or John Cage should find Ferndorf a fascinating listen . Cage is probably the most apt comparison as Dusseldorf-based pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann, who records as Hauschka has a similar avant garde approach to playing the piano as Cage , or rather did- He often modifies the piano in the middle of live concerts in order to provoke different sounds and textures from it and his last album utilised this "prepared piano" technique .
However for Fendorf ( named after a German village) he has gone back to piano basics but expanded the instrumentation with violin (by Sabine Baron), cello (by Insa Schirmer and Donja Djember), and trombone (by Bernhard Voelz). ... Read More:

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
from: Virgin Records

December 01, 2003
I just had to give my opinion on this cd as I had ordered it on the recomendations of the other reviewers,
first of all if you are not a fan of david bedford then give this a miss as it sounds to me like it was cheaply put together, I know this was recorded in the 70's but there are better alternatives out there from that decade. robert powells voice as the narator gives it some credit but is drowned out too often by the music, I gave this cd a few plays just to see if it would grow on me but I have just taken it to the charity shop.

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Elgar - Enigma Variations; Cello Concerto

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
from: Unknown Label

July 03, 1995

Of all Elgar recordings by Du Pre, this live recording is no doubt the most deeply moving one. The slow movement is probably the slowest interpretation, yet it never loses tension as she gives everything to express the heart-breakingly poignant Elgarian longing. Despite the almost fierce outpouring of emotion, this performance never gives an impression of vulgar sentimentalism, as the sheer depth of music making transcends everything else!

Barenboim's account of Enigma is equally great recording. No over-emotionality here, yet full of grace, magical moments and noble beauty presented in Wagnerian grandeur. The famous Nimrod is played most beautifully.

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The Da Vinci Code

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
by: Hans Zimmer

May 15, 2006
No, no, no. This is not the best film music ever composed. It is all the same - even the terrifying movement that was cut barely makes anything tingle. Yes, it has to experienced with the film, but this is where this soundtrack falls down.

This soundtrack does not stand on its own: if it is supposed to, it falls into that awful Classic FM genre of baroque-style easy listening, which surely must become a graveyard eventually.

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Bryn Terfel - Don Giovanni - Mozart [2000] (NTSC)

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
starring: Bryn Terfel, Solveig Kringelborn, Paul Groves, Hei-Kyung Hong, John Relyea
directed by: Gary Halvorson

March 14, 2005
This is one of the best versions of Mozart's masterpiece presently available in DVD. Its greatest attraction is obviously the presence of Renée Fleming and Bryn Terfel. Ms Fleming's interpretation of Donna Anna is truly exceptional: the candor and purity of her voice make a perfect expression of the pain and suffering of that noble woman who's father has been killed by the man who tried to rape her. Bryn Terfel is undoubtely a great singer, but he is not a credible Don Giovanni. His voice lacks that touch of evil that makes of the Don the seductor that everybody admires and fears at the same time, specially when he seduces Zerlina and sings below Donna Elvira's balcony. Mr. Terfel's physical appearance is the other factor that prevents us from believing that ... Read More:

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Einaudi: I Giorni

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
by: Ludovico Einaudi

November 09, 2002
This disc exudes real pleasure and it is perfect for relaxing with an intimate friend. It is akin to a beautiful wild rose; soft and smooth as velvet, free willed and occasionally daring.

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Ikon

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
by: Sixteen

April 03, 2006
It has to be said that there is little more versatile as the human voice as an instrument. This proves the point beyond measure.
Clarity, emotion and total respect for the piece are in abundance throughout the album.
Wonderful.

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Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique Op 14; La Mort de Cléopâtre

Childrens Toy Shop > Classical Music > Classical Music
from: EMI Classics

September 01, 2008
Heard it a couple of times. Probably the best recording by this orchestra. Goes to show, Colin Davis isn't the last (or first word) in Berlioz conducting. You would have thought a popular piece like this would be a dead cert for a live record, but this was made in Karajan's old haunt, the Jesus-Christus Kirche. I guess you can't rely on an audience to shut up during the quiet third movement.

The Death of Cleopatra is particularly powerful. I still complain about EMI's Rattle-centred cover and booklet photos. What does his face have to do with the music? The choice is to arbitrary, why not use his wife's image instead? At least give us a photo of the man at work.