I heard 'Shenandoah' on Classic fm recently and couldn't get it out of my head. I just HAD to have it for myself. Do listen to the clip on the listing above and melt away to the beauty of sound that this man produces.
This is like a box of Bendicks Finest Chocolate Selection: a wide range of tastes is catered for yet the quality is universally sublime. It's more in the tradition of leider than opera but there are a few cracking arias, some hymns and an amazing bonus of 12 year old Bryn wowing them at the National Eisteddfod.
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this is my favourite set of the beethoven symphonies..the sound is superb, and the playing has plenty of energy and feeling - quite a fast pace to other versions though
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Glass's violin concerto is pleasant and immediately accessible. But, Glass's music is all very similar; its as if there is a number of ideas which get continously re-cycled. To my mind, Adams' concerto is stronger
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Mozart is deceptively hard to play - everything is so exposed and must sound clean and polished. I have a lot of respect for Ashkenazy as a pianist, because in these Mozart concertos he has achieved just that. Perfect legato, even playing. I find these recordings so satisfying to listen to, as he is in utter control of everything.
The D minor concerto has to be one my favourites of Mozart's 27, and it is given an amazing performance here (as are the rest). The work is so good, Beethoven wrote a magnificent set of cadenzas for it! I particularly enjoy listening to how Ashkenazy executes these cadenzas with so much expression and real virtuosity.
Ashkenazy's performance of these works sound perfect to my ears. Go on treat yourself! ... Read More:
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Complete Works [170cd]
Brilliant set from Briliant Classics, but mine came with two Vol.3 CD 11 and no Vol.3 CD 03. By the time I had noticed two months was long gone and Amazon won't reply to my e-mails. Anyone wan't to but a nearly complete set of Mozart? I thought not.
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The Voice, released in May 2001, is Russell Watson's debut album and marks the end of his progression from the pub and club circuit, and the start of his recording career after signing with the Decca label.
The album hit No.1 in the UK Classical charts and reached No.5 in the UK Album Chart. Following its release in the US it also hit the top spot, making history as the first time a British artist has topped both the UK and US Classical Charts, and if that wasn't enough, it was awarded `Album of the Year' and 'Best Selling Classical Album' at the Classical BRIT awards in 2001.
The songs are a mix of classical and popular, with the emphasis on the classics to enable its eligibility for that chart: 60% of the playing time must consist ... Read More:
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I feel compelled to write this review as I think it is slightly unfair to give a one-star review based on his constant humming.
I think the first thing to say is that the Goldberg Variations is a fantastic piece of music, and is pretty much infallable as far as music goes. Goulds playing achives a great depth and variety of tone, whilst maintaining a strong sence of clarity that lets all of Bach's lines sing through, I think Gould has achieved something mind-blowing here!
Whilst at first one could find the performance marred by his constant humming, and it is prevelant, especially when listening on headphones, it is worth listening past. I think it provides a unique insight into how he is shaping the music that we don't often hear. To be honest I ... Read More:
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I have always considered Miklos Rozsa's score to Ben-Hur to be the greatest film score ever composed. The sheer depth of that music, the quantity of themes Dr. Rozsa composed for that one movie (around 10 or 12 different themes) and the magnificent orchestrations he wrote made that score unique. Considering the quality of film scores that are composed today - good, usually adequate, but nothing truly 'great' - I never thought I would come across anything to match this wonder written 50 years ago.
I'm so glad to say I was wrong.
This score will surely go down as one of the great film scores of all time. I wont go on and on about it, as other reviewers have written fabulous reviews here that sum up my feelings. I only want to make 3 comments.
Nigel Hess's piano concerto was commissioned in memory of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: hence the somewhat portentous titles for each of the movements. It is a shame that it occupies a CD all on its own (at under 23 minutes) and it would make an excellent coupling with Howard Blake's, the latter piece having been dedicated to Princess Diana.
Hess is primarily a film music composer, and clearly needed the `hook' of a extra-musical concept in order to get his creative juices flowing, however he wouldn't be alone amongst composers in this. Certainly the concerto itself shows no signs of being any kind of detailed narrative.
If you're expecting a deep and intellectual work, then this isn't for you, but if you value melodic interest and an effective ear for ... Read More:
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Living in Oman/ Arabia, working in Abu Dhabi & Dubai/ U.A. Emirates and travelling for business reasons all over the Gulf region and the Middle East I like to discuss with my Arabian friends and customers about the world most famous opera singers and most popular popmusic singers of both cultures - the Western (European & North American) and the Oriental culture.
We enjoy to listen to the best opera singers in Europe and in the Middle East. I was astonished to find CDs with music of Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti in the homes of my Arabian friends - no wonder, many of them studied in their youth in the U.S. or in U.K.! My friends in Arabia deeply admire and truly appreciate CARRERAS, DOMINGO and PAVAROTTI !