CD-Charts Position 1
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At Her Very Best

by: Nana Mouskouri

Release Date February 19, 2001
Nana Mouskouri is a household name - yet a compilation released some 40 years after she began her career is as fresh as ever. This release covers styles from popular to classical and draws on music from various periods of her singing life. It's a really good CD for those who are fairly new to Nana's music, and a must for her fans if only to remind ourselves of the breadth of her performances.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Officium

from: ECM New Series

Release Date September 05, 1994
I can see how sax fans find this album a revelation but it is a stain on the track record of the Hilliard Ensemble. I can see (kinda) what the involved parties tried to do but it still is painful to listing to it and even with a lot of good will this is simply a waste of money and time. To all those admirers of the Hilliard Ensemble: Don't do it to yourself!

CD-Charts Position 3
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The Only Guitar Album You'll Ever Need

by: Various Artists

Release Date October 06, 2003
as the old saying goes{i may not know art but i know what i like}. i may not be an expert on spanish classical guitar music but this cd is excellent. track 5 disc 1 is 10 minutes of heaven.you may recognise it as the music from the film el cid.there are 1 or 2 tracks that dont quite hit the mark but mostly this is a fantastic compilation album and will satisfy most peoples needs. just relax with a bottle of rioja,turn off your phone and dont answer the door bell. you will be transported back to that little secret tapas bar that only you and your loved one know about. the sevilla feria 05 is where it takes us.

CD-Charts Position 4
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100 Classical Hits

by: Various Artists

Release Date October 13, 2003

This is a great low cost box set which does exactly what it says on the box - it gives you 100 classical music hits, covering all the styles such as baroque, classical, romantic and modern, and includes music from all the popular composers.

Some of the tracks are simply excerpts from the full piece, for example Beethoven's Ninth symphony, originally over 60 minutes long, is reduced to a two and a half minute rousing chorus of the popular `Ode to Joy'. Likewise, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture is cut from 15 minutes down to the last few minutes of the exciting thunder and fireworks finale.

This editing enables a great range of `hits' to be squeezed onto five discs, and gives the classical music novice a chance to dip their ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Abide with Me - 50 Favourite Hymns

from: Double Decca

Release Date July 08, 1996
Don't get me wrong - I am a Methodist and love singing Hymns. Furthermore, I have come to the conclusion that, if God spoke, he would speak in the androgynous voice of a choir in song!

However, this collection of Hymns are ones you will have heard 100 googolplex times before. Not even relatively modern songs, such as 'How Great thou Art' have made it in, and it seems to me that this CD must have been the favourites of those twee old people you meet in some churches.

Furthermore, go back 100 years, and the content of these CD's would be identical. All the hymns use the same melodies that were used 100 years ago, and nothing is done to bring in any modern influences whatsoever.

Of course all the songs are sung to a high ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe

from: Hyperion

Release Date July 01, 1994
This is now the 11th Christmas that this music has been part of the tradition of my holiday season, and although I've acquired numerous other holiday music collections over the years, this far surpasses any other collection that I own. It is difficult to do justice to this music by describing it in mere words. The collection ranges from the 14th to the 16th Century, and is unlike any other collection of Christmas music available. It evokes the true spirit of the Christmas season, is enlightening, inspirational, and transports the listener far from the trite elements of the 'modern' holiday season. No other choral group can compare to the Harry Christophers The Sixteen (named such as the group consists of four treble/mean, four alto, four ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Best of George Formby

by: George Formby

Release Date February 05, 2003
If you like George Formby, you are going to like this album. All his hits are here: When I'm cleaning Windows to Mr Woo.

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina

from: Gimell

Release Date January 31, 2005
You simply cannot go wrong with this double CD. It brings together works from three classic Tallis Scholars discs over nearly 20 years of their career in which time they have established themselves as one of (if not the) foremost Renaissance choirs in the world. They sing Palestrina absolutely beautifully with an exquisitely pure sound, immaculate tuning, lovely clarity and continuity of line, and a deep understanding of the relationship between text and music. They are stunning discs.

The Tallis Scholars were invited to sing in the Sistine Chapel to mark the 500th anniversary of Palestrina's death, and it's obvious from these performances why the Vatican chose them above all the world's other great choirs. I have owned and loved the original ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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New World Symphonies

from: Hyperion

Release Date April 07, 2003
My daughter bought this CD for me a few years ago and it remains one of my favourites. Most of the featured Latin American music is joyous, exciting and uplifting, but the first track is so special - exquisite and hauntingly beautiful!

CD-Charts Position 10
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Josef Locke: Hear My Song

from: EMI

Release Date April 27, 1992
My daughter bought this CD for me a few years ago and it remains one of my favourites. Most of the featured Latin American music is joyous, exciting and uplifting, but the first track is so special - exquisite and hauntingly beautiful!