CD-Charts Position 81
Average Rating:

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
starring: Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, Matthias Holle, Falk Struckmann, Uta Priew
directed by: Daniel Barenboim

Release Date July 08, 2008
In July, 2007, I started my review of the Barenboim/Ponnelle Tristan und Isolde with the following: "Tristan Und Isolde is doubtless one of the greatest operas ever written. Unfortunately it has been very badly served by the currently available productions on DVD." I then listed the previous ill-conceived and/or incompetent productions before writing about that production to which I gave 5 stars (and which still remains my favourite).

I then gave 5 stars to the Belohlavek/Lehnhoff Tristan which came out in March and thought that there was an embarasse de richesse. Now, we have yet another excellent (and different) production which, for my taste, has now taken second place.

As with the Barenboim/Ponnelle production ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 82
Average Rating:

Dead Symphony No. 6

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Lee Johnson/Russian National Orchestra

Release Date July 24, 2007
Lee Johnson has taken the work of the Dead and re-imagined it as orchestral music. It is remarkably provocative and demands close listening. My wife is a classical musician, and upon hearing Johnson's work, she is now quite interested in listening more closely to the Grateful Dead. I think this CD can work as a bridge for fan's of both The Dead and classical/symphonic work. Entirely compelling.

CD-Charts Position 83
Average Rating:

Verdi - La Traviata

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
starring: Renee Fleming, Rolando Villazon, Renato Bruson, James Conlon, Ania Alkimova
directed by: Marta Domingo

Release Date October 30, 2007
Martha Domingo's production has taste and style. Opera lovers are lucky to experience - in the days of Euro trash - a well done Traviata.
I was relieved that Ms.Domiongo's direction seems to have eliminated some of
Rolando Villazon's clownish acting we had to endure in the unbearable Salzburg production.
I like Renee Fleming's well sung and acted Violetta, and she looks beautiful.However, her interpretation is marred by the missing E flat.Violetta is a part sung by a multitude of sopranos, and if a star soprano attempts it, she should be spectacular in every way. Usually, she is not shy of acuti - so why not here, where everybody expects it?! And where it is part of the score!

CD-Charts Position 84
Average Rating:

La Luna

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Sarah Brightman

Release Date August 29, 2000
i bought many of her CDs. this one a pure enjoyment. what can you ask for more in this world? i enjoy playing this album at night because it has the power to bring me to another world where my heart can find a moment peace. LOVE SARAH!!!!

CD-Charts Position 85
Average Rating:

More Than 50 Most Loved Hymns

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Various Artists

Release Date March 15, 2005
A collection to be treasured. Very well done instrumentally and vocally. I recommend this very highly for general listening, meditation, therapy, and healing.

CD-Charts Position 86
Average Rating:

Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: Sony

Release Date October 28, 1997
Being a nostalgia buff, I am always drawn to movies such as these and the actors that really fit the part. Yes, it is on my favorites list.

CD-Charts Position 87
Average Rating:

Annie (1977 Original Broadway Cast)

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: Sony

Release Date September 15, 1998
I believe it was 1978 when my parents bought me the original broadway cast recording of Annie on vinyl. It was my favorite record of my childhood and now I'm grateful to be able to have it on CD and play it for my daughter. And while not everyone may appreciate it...I'll admit I got a big misty when I heard the first public performance of Tomorrow (track 27). While it horrifies me to think that there are people out there that truly believe Aileen Quinn was a better Annie than Andrea McArdle, it's nothing new to me either. My parents took me to see Annie on Broadway at the Alvin Theater in NYC for my 7th birthday (Allison Smith was in the role at the time) and shortly after that, the movie debuted. Those I knew who had seen it on Broadway and knew what everything was ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 88
Average Rating:

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Frideric Handel, Gustav Holst, Samuel Barber, Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Antonin Dvorak, Franz Liszt, Charles Gounod, Fryderyk Chopin, Alexander Borodin, Maurice Ravel, Antonio Vivaldi, Erik Satie, Various Artists

Release Date April 08, 2003
Title...The Most Relaxing Music in the Universe (not Feminine Mystique(?). Music is beautiful, very relaxing yet energizing.

CD-Charts Position 89
Average Rating:

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: EMI Classics

Release Date October 11, 1991
Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

While this is a re-issue of a 1969 recording it is an excellent presentation by conductor Sir. Adrian Boult.

CD-Charts Position 90
Average Rating:

Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection - Amazon.com Exclusive

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Glenn Gould

Release Date September 25, 2007
If you don't have any CDs with classical music yet, but would really have some, then this box is really a wonderful way to start with. Glenn Gould was a genius in his own way with a vanguard attitude to the interpretation of the "holy" works. If you know the pieces well, but never heard the Gould's versions, may be it's time to breathe in some fresh fragrance from the known source.
Pro: you have the complete studio recordings of Glenn Gould with original LP packaging artwork.
Contra: the CDs are packaged direct into carton without any inlays neither of soft paper nor of plastic. And it's a pity, because if you're going to listen to them often, then you can scratch the CDs. And if you're a CD/record collector then you don't have lots of spare place, that's ... Read More: