CD-Charts Position 151

Man, Oh Man: The Power of the Persuasions

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
by: The Persuasions

Release Date June 03, 1997

CD-Charts Position 152

Santiago De Murcia Codex

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Astree

Release Date August 16, 2005

CD-Charts Position 153
Average Rating:

Cambridge Singers - A Cappella (Collegium)

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Collegium

Release Date September 13, 1993
John Rutter has long been established as a fine choral conductor as well as an intelligent programmer and this CD further substantiates his preeminent position. For this album Rutter has selected a wide ranging repertoire of songs written for unaccompanied chorus, a tradition that dates back to the plainsongs of the old churches.

Opening with Benjamin Britten's completely enchanting setting of WH Auden's long poem 'Hymn to St. Cecilia' is marked by fluid rhythmic changes, perfect enunciation, and glorious choral singing. This is followed by a set of Brahms songs for female voices alone, Schumann's four songs for full chorus, a lovely performance of 'Lay a garland' by the little known RL Pearsall (1795 - 1856), and the Delius 'The ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 154
Average Rating:

Colors of Love

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
by: Steven Stucky, John Tavener, Bernard Rands, Long Zhou, Chen Yi, Augusta Read Thomas, Steven Sametz, Marianne Kach, Chanticleer

Release Date May 18, 1999
This compilation is essential listening, especially (but not exclusively) for those already introduced to the marvels of Chanticleer. It features a wide variety of contemporary madrigals all dedicated to the theme of love. Gorgeous polyphony, entrancing dissonance; the music is very difficult, but Chanticleer's vocalism is exemplary, as always. The whole feel of the album takes some getting used to for the uninitiated. After a few listenings, though, one can fully perceive its unique and sublime beauty.

Highlights abound. The first three tracks, all lullabies by Steven Stucky, are brilliantly executed, but it is track four, Village Wedding by John Taverner, that first knocked my socks off. It seems to represent the absolutely ideal match between ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 155
Average Rating:

Brothers Sing On! Classics for Men's Chorus

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
by: Washington Men's Camerata, American Anonymous, Franz Biebl, Pavel Grigor'yevich Chesnokov, Ron Jeffers, Howard McKinney, Vincent Persichetti, Henry Smith, William Steffe, Arthur Sullivan, Thomas Tallis, Randall Thompson, American Traditional, English Traditional, Spiritual Traditional, Michael Patterson, Frank Albinder

Release Date May 09, 2006
A very enjoyable sampling of works for men's chorus. One cannot find any fault in the Camerata's performance; their harmony and enunciation are equally thrilling. The title song and the Ave Maria were the high points of the CD for me. I had hoped for a bit less of the "folk" content and more of the "classical" content, but everyone's mileage will vary on these choices. Taken altogether, this is a definite asset to the choral portion of my CD collection.

CD-Charts Position 156
Average Rating:

A Cappella, Volume One - Brahms / Parkman, Danish National Radio Choir

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Chandos

Release Date April 13, 1999
This is a very beautiful recording. Now, it may be pointless to describe why one recommends a vocal recording: vocal production, and in particular the sound of a choir, seems to be a very idiosynchratic and personal taste. An ensemble that sounds great to you might sound terrible to me, and that's just the way it is.

So for what it's worth, I guess what I love most about this ensemble is its clarity. There's a purity of tone and transparency of texture that is perfect for this music, which (as with most singing, if you ask me) would be spoiled by a big, muddy sound. I suspect that this quality is due in part to the small size of the group and the lack of too much vibrato in individual voices, among other things.

Brahms also deserves some credit: the Marienlieder, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 157
Average Rating:

Doo Wop Around the Christmas Tree

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
by: The Mighty Echoes

Release Date August 08, 2006
This has become my favorite Christmas CD. It may seem odd to anyone not familiar with the style of music, but this Doo Wop Christmas collection achieves what few Christmas collections do; it's a happy, joyful collection that makes you smile, laugh, and sing along even if the only place you generally sing is in the car, alone, with the windows rolled up!

I'll grant you that I'm partial to Doo Wop music, being from Philadelphia and raised by parents who were here for the beginnings of the genre when every street corner was host to a group intent on serenading the neighbors. That aside, this music is much more than nostalgia. The talents of the Mighty Echoes--for surely we can all agree that singing a cappella requires a great deal of talent--are showcased in their fun and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 158
Average Rating:

John Tavener: Innocence

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Sony

Release Date October 31, 1995
Take a creative man who likes William Blake poetry and put him in front of an organ in a cavernous cathedral and give him full reign and see what results you get. Curious? Oh, yes, and light some candles, lots of candles, and pretend you're in the 19th century...maybe at a witch trial or something (did they still have them in the 1800's?). Be warned. Track nmbr 2 you may want to turn down. I had my volume up pretty high on track nmbr 1 and track nmbr 2 came blaring through.... almost broke my speakers. But I liked it....

CD-Charts Position 159
Average Rating:

Lux Aeterna (Choral Works of Barber, Holst, Tavener, Part, Tallis,

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Virgin Classics

Release Date September 12, 2006
Take a creative man who likes William Blake poetry and put him in front of an organ in a cavernous cathedral and give him full reign and see what results you get. Curious? Oh, yes, and light some candles, lots of candles, and pretend you're in the 19th century...maybe at a witch trial or something (did they still have them in the 1800's?). Be warned. Track nmbr 2 you may want to turn down. I had my volume up pretty high on track nmbr 1 and track nmbr 2 came blaring through.... almost broke my speakers. But I liked it....

CD-Charts Position 160
Average Rating:

Takemitsu: Songs

CD-Charts > Music > A Cappella
from: Hanssler Classics

Release Date November 13, 2007
Toru Takemitsu's serious music seems to blend in equal parts Webern, Debussy AND Japanese traditional music. I was expecting Webern-like art songs. In fact, these are pop songs that Takemitsu wrote, mostly for American, European and Asian produced films and television shows. Most of the texts are in English. The composer crafts attractive if unremarkable tunes. One or two of them stand out above the rest, especially a haunting pacifist song "All That The Old Man Left Behind When He Died".
Sixty minutes of a French countertenor singing pop songs in English with piano accompaniment was not an easy sell for me, but Dominique Visse won me over by the end. He doesn't put too much pressure on the voice and handles the lyrics nicely. Francois Couturier is the excellent pianist, and the sound recording ... Read More: