CD-Charts Position 191
Average Rating:

Bach - Christmas Oratorio / Gardiner

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: John Eliot Gardiner, Nancy Argenta, Olaf Bär, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Alison Bury, Lisa Beznosiuk, Valerie Darke, Valerie Botwright

Release Date October 25, 1990
MONTEVERDI CHOIR AND THE ENGLISH BAROQUE SOLOISTS THE 'STARS' OF THIS RECORDING!!!!!
Johann Sebastion Bach (1685-1750) wrote very little church music after 1730, so it is not surprising that when he produced for Christmas, 1734, an 'oratorio' in six parts he adapted much of it from earlier compositions, mostly from secular odes. Recitatives and chorale settings were, of course, new, but otherwise all but one of the arias and nearly all of the choruses were 'parodies'. The six cantatas of the 'Christmas Oratorio' are designed to be performed on separate days from Christmas to Epiphany, but it does not necessarily follow that they are unconnected. Bach must have composed the work continuously, and there are many, sometimes obvious, sometimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 192
Average Rating:

Marian Anderson

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
from: RCA

Release Date October 25, 1990
I can't add much to the superb review by lesismore26 (I give it five Stars! ) but I do have one disagreement. I LIKED the Ulrica aria. Yes, the voice is past its prime, but the artistry is very much there. In fact, the piece makes it clear that while her voice sounds perfect for her repertoire, it could have handled opera quite beautifully too. It's true that the pure, ethereal quality of her tone is DEFINITELY well suited to Baroque and Classical oratorio, and true that there simply aren't that many roles for contraltos. But it is also true that these reasons had NOTHING to do with why this particular contralto was not singing in opera houses. Another voice as dazzling as hers would have had composers creating roles tailored for them.

I wouldn't trade ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 193
Average Rating:

Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Arias

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, György Fischer, Cecilia Bartoli

Release Date January 16, 1992
I have owned this cd for ages, and it is still a favorite. Bartoli is undoubtably a great singer. If you want to hear great singing, you will not be disappointed. But, she is also a brilliant musician and interpreter if Mozart. Her "Soave sia il vento" alone is worth the purchase price.

On this cd you will hear a younger and somewhat lighter Bartoli. It was originally released back in 1996. She has a clear and light but still full Bartoli sound I prefer when listening to Mozart.

Undoubtedly Bartoli is one of the great singers of our age. I highly reommend this CD.

CD-Charts Position 194
Average Rating:

Mozart - Idomeneo

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
starring: Magdalena Kozena, Anja Harteros, Ekaterina Siurina, Ramon Vargas, Jeffrey Francis
directed by: Roger Norrington

Release Date February 13, 2007
Before I begin, I want to mention that I don't think there is any problem with the sound in this video, and that occasionally I have put in one of these modern dvds, thought the sound was terribly full of ambience, and then I chose a better sound track for my antique system, and everything sounded much better.

Anyway, the singing in this video is quite good, particularly Kozena as Idamante, Vargas as Idomeneo, and the Ilia was also very good. The Arbace was also quite enjoyable, but I am pretty sure that one of his arias was cut, the way I am used to hearing this opera. I have only watched this once and would have to go back and check to make sure of that. The Elettra was beautiful but the role seemed just a bit bigger than the voice. I thought she really ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 195
Average Rating:

Poulenc: Gloria; Stabat Mater

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date July 20, 1989
This is the simply a slpendid recording- well paced, energetic and in excellent sound. I have a suspicion that many people drawn to these works pay undo emphasis on the choir [or they are choir singers] and understandably get frustrating when the choir is not front and center in the musical proceedings. But what Poulenc wrote here does not emphasize the choir [he was a master instrumentalist after all!] so the orchestra should be more prominent at times. Ragardless, this is a great performance!

CD-Charts Position 196
Average Rating:

Just for the Record: The Golden Voice

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
from: Decca

Release Date November 11, 2003
This 2-CD set includes 32 separate "cuts." Thus, it provides a perspective on the broad range of works that Marilyn Horne mastered. While some pockets of work may be given somewhat short shrift (e.g., Rossini), overall this shows off her skills nicely. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania (one of the coldest places in the nation during winter), she made her operatic debut in 1954. In liner notes copyrighted in 2003, she notes that: "Can't believe it's time for a 70th birthday celebration. . . ." And neither can I, since I recall hearing her perform at the Met (via the old Texaco opera show), and it does not seem all that long ago!

Some cuts well depict her artistry across a range of genres and composers.

The "Habanera" from Bizet's "Carmen" is, to be sure, an old chestnut ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 197
Average Rating:

Handel - Messiah / Augér, von Otter, Chance, Crook, Tomlinson, English Concert, Pinnock

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: George Frideric Handel, Arleen Auger, Anne Sofie von Otter, Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert & Choir, Michael Chance, Howard Crook, John Tomlinson

Release Date October 25, 1990
AUGER AND CHANCE ENCHANT AND ENTRANCE.
The English passion for oratorio is largely due to Handel. Every year from 1738 to 1751, he produced at least one. The 'Messiah' is THE modern oratorio, not only because of the custom of rising and stretching in the seventh inning, when the 'Hallelujah Chorus' is sung, but because of its magnificent choruses, soaring arias and orchestral accompaniment which are truly thrilling.

And that is precisely why I would not give this rendition five stars. It is incredibly 'laid back' and too 'cold' for my taste. However. let's examine the soloist's contributions one by one, for some of this overall impression has a great deal to do with them.

John Tomlinson (bass)- excellent technique with good emotional investment; tone quality unusual ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 198
Average Rating:

Joseph Haydn: Symphonies, Volume 6 (c. 1768-71) - The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: Franz Joseph Haydn, Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music

Release Date August 23, 1994
These wonderful recordings of the Haydn symphonies are a testament to the value of using authentic instruments in the performance of music of the classical era--provided they are played by virtuosi directed by an inspired leader, as here. The texture is clearer, the rhythmic momentum greater, and the tonal color more pleasing than was ever possible on 19th century-style instruments. I think Haydn himself would have been awed by these recordings had he been able to hear them.

Be sure to snap up the Hogwood/AAM recordings while you can, by buying used or perhaps on German Amazon. Hogwood and his band have been treated shabbily by their recording company, which has discontinued the albums almost as soon as they were released. Indeed, the future of the series is apparently in doubt--a huge shame; after ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 199
Average Rating:

Anne Sofie von Otter - Speak Low ~ Songs by Kurt Weill / Gardiner

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: Kurt Weill, John Eliot Gardiner, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg, Hannover North German Radio Orchestra, Karl-Heinz Lampe, Frederick Martin, Christfried Biebrach, James Sims

Release Date March 14, 1995
This is a very nice selection of Weill pieces showing the full range of his output. These range from the ambitious Seven Deadly Sins to songs from Happy End to some of his Broadway work. All are very interesting. The performers, particularly Von Otter, are excellent. Recommended strongly.

CD-Charts Position 200
Average Rating:

Bellini - La Sonnambula / Sutherland · Pavarotti · Ghiaurov · NPO · Bonynge

CD-Charts > Music > Featured Performers- A-Z
by: Vincenzo Bellini, Richard Bonynge, Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Piero de Palma, Della Jones

Release Date October 25, 1990
I avoided this recording for a long, long time. Owning two live recordings with Maria Callas (La Scala in 1955, Cologne in 1957), both of which finds her in spectacular form, as well as the London-Decca 1962 recording with Joan Sutherland, I felt no need to acquire this version. Well, lo and behold, I noticed a copy of it on my friend's shelf, and asked him if I could borrow it. My instincts were totally on target. The fabulous Sutherland voice in 1979 (the year this recording was made) is a far cry from the Sutherland of sixteen years before. Make no mistake: the range is still there, but to my ears, the voice itself sounds blanched, white, hooty, and totally colorless. Moreover, her diction is as wholly as ever. It's like you can barely hear any consonants, and all the vowel sounds have a monochromatic sound that becomes ... Read More: