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A Robert Shaw Christmas - Angels on High
Release Date: 1997-09-23
Sales rank: 11017
In this beautifully chosen program of mostly a cappella arrangements, Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers deliver the Christmas story in tones of gentle and moving splendor. The carols and sacred settings recorded here are all of an intimate sort, and the rapturous, gently expressive realizations Shaw and his singers give them prove unfailingly appealing. Particularly moving is the newest work on the disc, a setting of "O magnum mysterium" by the American composer Morten Lauridsen. Franz Biebl's "Ave Maria" is another gem, as is the arrangement by Healy Willan of the French carol "What Is This Lovely Fragrance?" The offering includes a pair of chorales from Bach's Christmas Oratorio and two wonderful Christmas works by Benjamin Britten: "A Hymn to the Virgin" and A Ceremony of Carols, both well done, even if the sound of sopranos and altos (rather than boy trebles) in the latter takes some getting used to. --Ted Libbey |
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Simply Baroque
Release Date: 2003-09-30
Sales rank: 1453
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Bach: Goldberg Variations
Release Date: 2007-08-28
Sales rank: 2236
Dinnerstein's Goldberg Variations was recorded in the neoclassic auditorium of the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York in March 2005. The piano she plays, a 1903 Hamburg Steinway model D concert grand, was originally owned by the town council of Hull, in Northeast England. During World War II, Hull was extensively bombed and the town hall in which the piano was housed was severely damaged. The piano, however, survived intact and was used in a series of concerts after the war to restore Hull's spirit. In 2002, it was restored by Klavierhaus in New York City, in time to be used at the re-opening of the World Trade Center's Winter Garden, playing the same role as it had in Hull over fifty years earlier. This is destined to be one of the best-remembered and significant classical releases of 2007. Simone (pronounced "See-mo-nuh") Dinnerstein has recently been attracting lots of media attention, from Oprah’s magazine to The New York Times. Within a classical-music circuit increasingly unwilling to take artistic risks, hers has been the rare success story. The 30-something pianist (a former student of Peter Serkin), backing herself, wowed critics with some notable concerts and eventually secured the support of a major label to release a self-produced recording Dinnerstein had made in March 2005. This Telarc account of the Goldberg Variations thus marks her solo debut CD (following some earlier collaborations with cellist Zuill Bailey on the Delos label). For once, the publicity is trying to keep up with the musical achievement--rather than the other way around. Dinnerstein's seriousness of purpose is immediately obvious from her choice of the Bach masterpiece to make her mark. With the specter of Glenn Gould's own epoch-making 1955 debut playing the same work—not to mention a vast catalog of competing interpretations—Dinnerstein is nothing if not bold. But what's really extraordinary here is the liberating sense she conveys of its not having all been said before—without resorting to tiresome idiosyncrasies to stand apart from the crowd. Her remarkably deliberate way with the opening aria is unusual, to be sure. But it establishes the stakes for what will follow, where Dinnerstein's thoughtfulness and spectacular clarity seem to discover new facets at every turn. Her pianism embraces a prismatic array of touches, whether the feathery lightness of Variation 5, the burbling rhythms of Variation 14, or the tragic weight of the "black pearl" Variation 25. The cumulative effect is exhilarating, intensely moving, and an affirmation of the Goldbergs' infinite variety. --Thomas May |
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Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque
Release Date: 1996-07-23
Sales rank: 857
Boston Baroque and Martin Pearlman recorded a splendid set of the Brandenburg Concertos on period instruments in 1993 and 1994. Made entirely in the US, these snappy, crisply articulated, and fluent performances rely heavily on the talents of violinist Daniel Stepner (who doubles as one of the two solo violists in Concerto No. 6). Among the highlights are the joyous finale to Concerto No. 4 and the superb cembalo cadenza in No. 5, played by Pearlman. Along with outstanding sound, there's a winning sense of freshness and discovery in these performances. --Ted Libbey |
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Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
Release Date: 2002-03-05
Sales rank: 2193
GENERAL FEATURES: Beethoven's Wig Sing Along Symphonies are zany stick-in-your-head lyrics set to the greatest hits of classical music. Filled with fact and fancy about the world's most notable composers and their masterpieces, each Sing Along Symphony opens the door to "serious music" in a way that's fun. As a bonus, the orchestral performance of each classical piece is included without lyrics. Educational entertainment for all ages.Inspired and wildly imaginative, Beethoven's Wig is one of the best introductions to classical music you could give to your children. Featuring snippets of 11 classical music staples--Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, et al.--the disc and its creators, Richard Perlmutter and friends, pour on the silly lyrics the first time around to familiarize young ears to the old masters. Then in the last half of the record, the orchestra plays the same "serious" music pieces instrumentally. You might cheerfully recall Alan Sherman's popular spoofs of old classical works in Wig and you'll again chuckle at pieces like "Drip, Drip, Drip," which adapts Delibes's "Pizzicato from Sylvia." You'll also marvel at the expertise throughout the CD, with all the pieces well played yet thoroughly fun. Beethoven's Wig is an orchestral treasure with a sense of humor as old or as new as its listeners (and the fun questions that run throughout the CD's liner notes are almost as entertaining as the zany musical interludes). Highly recommended. --Martin Keller |
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Bach: Art of Fugue
Release Date: 2008-03-11
Sales rank: 3253
Pierre-Laurent Aimard's debut on Deutsche Grammophon is the first recording of the mystical The Art of Fugue by a world-renowned pianist in 25 years. As a pre-eminent performer of modern music, Aimard brings a unique and exciting approach to his first ever Bach recording also serving as his first recording of Baroque repertoire. Given his links to many of the great contemporary composers, the high-profile Aimard is certain to generate much interest in the musical press with his first Bach recording. Aimard will perform The Art of Fugue in many musical venues around the world, in cities including New York, Paris, Vienna, Berlin and Tokyo. |
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UltraSound - Music for the Unborn Child
Sales rank: 2112
While many hospitals across the country send new mums and babes home equipped with discs of classical music to soothe and gently stimulate babies' tender minds, Ultrasound brings together a delightfully well-rounded set specifically chosen for those still in the womb. Expectant moms will appreciate the effects of the mellow strains of Bach's Suite No. 3, the delicate playfulness of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy," and Mozart's proven-to-make-you-smart Sonata for Two Pianos featuring André Previn. Debussy's "Clair de lune" is especially lovely as conducted and fluted by James Galway, and Leontyne Price is a warm blanket of comfort giving voice to Schubert's "Ave Maria." Indeed, these songs are aural balm to both parent and child long after birth. --Paige La Grone |
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O'Reilly Street
Release Date: 2008-09-16
Sales rank: 3214
Sir James Galway, revered as one of the world's greatest flute players, and the two-time Grammy®-nominated Cuban music group, Tiempo Libre, offer an exuberant Afro-Cuban take on music from the Claude Bolling Jazz Suites as well as a number of vibrant new compositions. The album, named after a bustling street in Old Havana honoring the military contributions of an Irish General, marks a new cultural intersection uniting classical, jazz and Cuban music. |
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Bach: Brandenburg Concertos No. 1-4; Neville Marriner; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Release Date: 2004-07-13
Sales rank: 2259
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The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
Release Date: 1999-03-30
Sales rank: 810
You want relaxing classical music that'll soothe your soul but won't lull you into sleep? Here's a double CD for you. The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World ... Ever! does its best to cover both well-worn classical favorites (Bach's "Air on the G String," Pachelbel's "Cannon," Debussy's "Clair de Lune") and some eclectic left-field choices (an excerpt from Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Jocelyn Pook's "Blow the Wind," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. The performances of most of these excerpts are top-notch--artists include Sir Neville Marriner, James Galway, Jacqueline du Pré and the Philadelphia Orchestra--and there's enough variety here for everyone. --Edward Garabedian |
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