CD-Charts Position 71
Average Rating:

Messiah (George Frederick Handel) London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
by: Handel, London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Alldis

Release Date March 12, 2002
Many envision Christmas when they hear Messiah spoken in reference to Handel's classical craftsmanship. I, personally, envision all year round listening rapture.

Handel's composition details various epics of Christ's life--His birth, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and eventual Messianic millennial rule. You behold through Handel's orchestrated psalms, the Old Testament prophesies concerning Messiah encompassed with the New Testament fulfillments.

Handel's Messiah is remarkable as it is the inspired Scripture set to orchestration. Messiah is absent of Handel's words; only holding his masterful musical scores.

When you insert these CDs, Biblical truths arise in illustrious, serenading ecstasy. You ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 72
Average Rating:

The Story of Mozart

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: Vox (Classical)

Release Date February 28, 1994
This short CD comfortably displays the basics of Mozart in words and music. If your a classical lover interested in these geniuses, and have a literary love also, then you would enjoy these nicely told stories.

I learned here that Mozart picked up his x-girlfriends sister after she cheated on him; Nice! What a stud.

I purchased CD's like this a year ahead of time to use them as time effective sources for English book reports in school because it takes a load off if you're over pressed and over worked. The narrator I found to be enjoyable also. For a couple bucks I really couldn't beat it.

CD-Charts Position 73
Average Rating:

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem [A German Requiem]

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: EMI Classics

Release Date January 12, 1999
If you own ten different recordings of this, you might find something to criticize. I own two - I'm still a fairly normal person - and this is the one I prefer. (The other is by Robert Shaw - and I think the orchestra is a little less powerful on that one. I plan to get more and compare them.)

Regardless of which recording you get, this will kick your butt. This is some of the very best classical music I know, especially the second track, which makes me want to believe in God just so I can beg for forgiveness.

CD-Charts Position 74
Average Rating:

Northern Lights

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: Denon Records

Release Date November 06, 2007
Sissel's Northern Lights CD is just wonderful. It is full of her Honey voiced renditions of known and unknow songs, all of which she performs to perfection.

CD-Charts Position 75
Average Rating:

Requiem & Magnificat/Rutter, Cambridge Singers

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: Collegium

Release Date February 29, 2000
This is a wonderfully nuanced & beautiful recording of this work. I don't understand why no one mentions the Lux Aeterna -- Donna Deam's rendering of the solo sounds purely angelic.

CD-Charts Position 76
Average Rating:

Handel - Messiah / Ameling · A. Reynolds · Langridge · Howell · Marriner

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
by: George Frideric Handel, Neville Marriner, Elly Ameling, Philip Langridge, Academy & Chours of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Anna Reynolds, Gwynne Howell

Release Date October 17, 1995
I have this Messiah in several mediums, most recently on MP3. This is the best interpretation of Handel's most famous work. Ely Ameling is superb! The tempos are perfect - brisk and lively, and the chorus is on pitch, not dragging, and, thank goodness, not shouting and screaming, but singing beautifully. If you can afford only one recording of the Messiah, this is the recording to purchase.

CD-Charts Position 77
Average Rating:

Mendelssohn: Elijah

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: EMI Classics

Release Date February 15, 2005
Cette version d'Elijah, malgré son âge, est vraiment extraordinaire. Fisher-Dieskau en est sûrement pour quelque chose...

CD-Charts Position 78
Average Rating:

Mozart - Requiem / Augér, Bartoli, Cole, Pape, Wiener Phil., Solti

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: Decca

Release Date March 10, 1992
To my great surprise, in the last two decades of his life Solti turned into a marvelous Mozart interpreter. His '80's Figaro, and '90's Magic Flute and Cosi fan Tutte are among my favorite versions, Sir Georg's sometimes abrasive nervous energy (and scholarly use of reduced orchestral forces) makes for fantastically dramatic, anti-romantic readings. This requiem, recorded on the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death in St Stephen's cathedral in Vienna benefits from an awesome reverberant acoustic, a quartet of fabluous operatic singers (and let's face it, this is an opera manque, religiose, not religious, "the sickly sweets of operatic sin" as Stravinsky called it, and a good thing too I say). Excerpts of the actual Mass ceremony are interspersed, and along ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 79
Average Rating:

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson - Handel Arias

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
by: Lorraine Hunt

Release Date August 10, 2004
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson was a wonderfully talented mezzo soprano, who dies far too soon. To begin, I can only quote from another reviewer: "And how sad it is to know that this instrument has passed away two days ago [in 2006]. Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson died two days ago in her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico of breast cancer. It is such a huge loss to the opera world, as she is an artist who is still experiencing the prime of her career. The voice is just so beautiful, the tone so pure, that I lament that we can no longer hear any great roles from this artist. She will be missed." Such circumstances leave one with two separate emotions--sorrow for a passing so early and gratitude for having been able to experience her talent.

On this CD, she is ably ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 80
Average Rating:

Catholic Latin Classics

CD-Charts > Music > Vocal Non-Opera
from: Gia Publications

Release Date October 17, 2000
This cd is the absolute best. One review states that it is monotonous, but I only half agree. It is true that some of the songs sound the same but it does not get boring no matter how many times you listen to it. These hymns are the most beautiful I have heard. I listen to this cd constantly and have had it for about 3 months and I am not tired of it at all. The only problem I see is that Bach's ave Maria gets "blasty" in the stereo. It is the recording. It sounds like they had the microphone too close or something. Even then this cd is the best. If you are looking for latin hymns, this is it.