CD-Charts Position 231
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On the Banks of Green Willow

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: Belart

Release Date May 19, 1997
I first heard 'The Banks of Green Willow' as incidental music to a BCC 'Lorna Doone' in the 1960s and wrote to the BBC to find out what this achingly beautiful piece was. 'A Shropshire Lad' is even better. The poignancy is intensified when you know that Butterworth (the dedicatee of Vaughan Williams' 'London' Symphony) died in the First World War. 'Tintagel' is grand and imposing, echoing Arthurian legend and the beat of waves round the ancient castle. This collection is absolutely authoritative, conducted by the best of all conductors of English music and wonderful value at its low price. No-one who is interested should hesitate.

CD-Charts Position 232
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Piazzolla: Tango Zero Hour

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: Nonesuch

Release Date April 03, 2000
This as hands down one of the most astonishing recordings I have ever heard. I bought it knowing a bit about tango, and a bit about Piazzolla, but regardless of that, this is incredible music. The music itself is gorgeous - dark, beautiful, ominous, brooding and deeply passionate. The playing is beyond compare - laser precise and yet at the same time gritty and rough. This is very much a band effort, and what a band - they swing, caress and whip up thunder.

Apparently this angered the tango purists in Argentina, as did much of Piazzollas output, and I can see why - this is modern, vital music, with clear influences from jazz, classical music and even the rush of punk. I must emphasise that you do not need to know much about ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 233
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The Ultimate Guitar Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: John Williams

Release Date August 20, 2007
This as hands down one of the most astonishing recordings I have ever heard. I bought it knowing a bit about tango, and a bit about Piazzolla, but regardless of that, this is incredible music. The music itself is gorgeous - dark, beautiful, ominous, brooding and deeply passionate. The playing is beyond compare - laser precise and yet at the same time gritty and rough. This is very much a band effort, and what a band - they swing, caress and whip up thunder.

Apparently this angered the tango purists in Argentina, as did much of Piazzollas output, and I can see why - this is modern, vital music, with clear influences from jazz, classical music and even the rush of punk. I must emphasise that you do not need to know much about ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 234
Average Rating:

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Haydn - The Creation / Piau, Persson, Massey, Harvey, Padmore, Davies, Gabrieli Consort & Players, McCreesh

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Sandrine Piau Miah Persson Ruth Massey Mark Padmore Peter Harvey Neal Davies Gabrieli Consort & Players Paul McCreesh, Miah Persson, Mark Padmore, Joseph Haydn, Paul McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort & Players, Chetham's Chamber Choir, Peter Harvey, Neil Davies, Ruth Massey

Release Date March 17, 2008
It has become `de rigueur' for choral works to be performed in their original languages: For example, where once Brahms' German Requiem or Haydn's Creation were regularly sung in English- often by large northern choirs - nowadays it seems that no-one dares to sing them in anything other than German.

The fact is that, in the case of The Creation, the English version has as much validity as the German, and it would appear that Haydn had both languages in mind when setting his text: all the more reason to have a recording in English.

Similarly, where once works such as Bach's B Minor Mass would have been given by huge choirs, modern `historically informed' practise tends towards paring down the forces, even to the extreme of ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 235
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The Collector's Edition [30 CD]

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Edward Elgar

Release Date October 08, 2007
This box is worth buying for the Barbirolli disks alone (if you don't have them). Then there are the Groves recordings of King Olaf, Caractacus, and minor orchestral works, not to mention Boult's Apostles and Kingdom (never bettered in my view), and many other things. I suppose I am biased. I cut my teeth on many of these recordings, when they were first released on LP. Any disappointments for me? Perhaps. The final disk of Elgar conducting Elgar struck me as a thrown-together assortment of bits and pieces, a missed opportunity, but that's a small quibble given the sheer quality and quantity of fine things in this box.

CD-Charts Position 236
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Eden Roc/I Giorni/Le Onde/Stanze: 4cd Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Ludovico Einaudi

Release Date February 14, 2005
Each of the cds has a different theme but they are all very relaxing, evocative, moving pieces of music, mostly piano. Just imagine yourself lying back in a candlelit room (perhaps with a glass of wine in your hand)and let the music wash over you and let your mind wander. This selection is a wonderful addition to any music collection.

CD-Charts Position 237
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Strauss, R.: Four Last Songs, etc.

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Jessye Norman Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Kurt Masur

Release Date June 11, 2007
If you find this on Youtube and listen to im Abendrot, she seems to sing for just about a whole minute from about 2:20 to 3:20, without any significant chance to breathe. No strain, just a great sound that keeps on coming. I could listen to this record every day.

CD-Charts Position 238
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Goodall: Choral Works

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: ASV

Release Date June 09, 2008
I have to admit I'd never heard of Howard Goodall before searching on Amazon. I'm a fan of choral music, and for a long time I've had "find Mr. Bean music" on my to-do list.
I was surprised to learn it was by a contemporary composer, and ordered the CD.

It's quite a revelation; each piece is thoughtful, deep, and quietly masterful. I love choral, but I prefer Renaissance to contemporary. In just 24 hours, however, this recording has changed all that; a beautiful collection of pieces - I'd put this album right at the top of my favourites list.

So far my favourite is 'Palm 23' - I've never actually watched 'The Vicar of Dibley', so I don't to have to disassociate the music from a TV show. It's sublime, sheer comfort; a real indulgence, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 239
Average Rating:

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Adams - Doctor Atomic (Netherlands Po) [2007]

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
starring: Gerald Finley, Jessica Rivera, Eric Owens, Richard Paul Fink, James Maddalena
directed by: John Adams;Peter Sellars (Stage Director);Lawrence Renes (Musical Director)

Release Date July 28, 2008
I have to admit I'd never heard of Howard Goodall before searching on Amazon. I'm a fan of choral music, and for a long time I've had "find Mr. Bean music" on my to-do list.
I was surprised to learn it was by a contemporary composer, and ordered the CD.

It's quite a revelation; each piece is thoughtful, deep, and quietly masterful. I love choral, but I prefer Renaissance to contemporary. In just 24 hours, however, this recording has changed all that; a beautiful collection of pieces - I'd put this album right at the top of my favourites list.

So far my favourite is 'Palm 23' - I've never actually watched 'The Vicar of Dibley', so I don't to have to disassociate the music from a TV show. It's sublime, sheer comfort; a real indulgence, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 240
Average Rating:

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The Ultimate Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Pavarotti

Release Date September 06, 2007

This 2007 single CD release is a compilation of opera's best known arias performed by one of our generations most popular and successful tenors.

None of the recordings are particularly new, ranging from the 1973 version of 'Nessun Dorma' (long before the Three Tenors era) to slightly newer releases like the 1989 'Live like Horses' duet with Elton John.

In between these two are all the favourites like Verdi's 'Brindisi' and 'La Donna e Mobile', and of course Lara's 'Granada'.

Whether this is, or if in fact any 1 CD of just one hour of music could be, the ultimate Pavarotti collection I'm not certain, for there are several other such titled releases available (most notable being Decca's 2 disc compilation which guests ... Read More: