CD-Charts Position 81
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Blood Brothers: 1995 London Cast [SOUNDTRACK]

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: First Night Records

Release Date October 09, 1995
Close your eyes and play this CD and you are back in the theatre listening to this wonderful musical. Hours later you still have the music and the words buzzing around your head as it is so memorable. Stephanie Lawerence is very good playing Mrs Johnstone, and was an exceptional singer but the Liverpool accent was perhaps best produced by Linda Nolan although she did not have the quality of Stephanie's voice. I have see the musical four times with the same Narrator,and he is is superior to Warwick Evans. Also, Eddie is today played with gusto and at all four performances he has been fantastic and what an accent. At all performances the audience has given a standing ovation to the musical and its cast. The CD relates the story with its wonderful ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 82
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Vaughan Williams - Complete Symphonies

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Release Date September 20, 2004
and I like the box too: I can always pick it out among the other VW sets ;-)
A wonderful evocative 3rd, a tense war study. Not very pastoral, nor bucolic or lyrical: I do not agree much with Vernon Handley's interpretation. Rather it is the past remembered, resigned melancholy that something is not quite right, yet with self-discovery and steely determination that is discussed and evolved by the soloists. Never forget that a war demands and makes a different mindset we do not understand. I find Rued Langgaard's deeply disturbing 4th Symphony, "Leaf Fall" 1916, to be in good company here.
Haitink's take on things generally differs just a bit from the English conductors, but I think "In the Fen Country" in particular justifies buying ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 83
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Chant

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Cistercian Monks Of Stift Heiligenkreuz

Release Date May 19, 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

CD-Charts Position 84
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Classic FM Babies

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Katherine Jenkins, Elin Manahan Thomas, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Pascal Roge, Herbert Von Karajan, Charles Dutoit, Harry Christophers, London Symphony Orchestra

Release Date July 23, 2007

A lovely 2CD Classic FM compilation of relaxing music - for mothers as much as their babies - consisting of an interesting assortment of baroque, classical, romantic and modern music with the underlying theme of aiming to relax the listener.

Some pieces are chosen partly for their title as well as the soothing effect they have, these include the 'Lullaby' by Brahms and 'The Swan' from 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saens. The more contemporary offerings are by popular composers such as Patrick Hawes. These are good recordings, as expected by Classic FM, many of which will be comfortably familiar to most of the radio shows listeners.

Comfortably safe by Classic FM maybe, but comfortably relaxing too.

CD-Charts Position 85
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Torchwood

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Original TV Soundtrack

Release Date September 22, 2008
At long last the excellent soundtrack to the Torchwood series is finally released. The CD has nearly 79 minutes over 32 tracks of great music from Ben Foster and Murray Gold.
Like the first two Doctor Who OSTs this one does not disappoint although I must confess that I found this one slightly more enjoyable than the other discs by Murray Gold.
The CD has tracks that mainly stem from the second season of the show and it covers all the classic scores for a sci-fi series. It's dramatic (The Chase), poignant (Out Of Time), haunting (Pearl and the Ghostmaker), sad (Death of Toshiko) and strange (Look Right Then Leave).
It's not until you listen to this score that you realise just how much of an impact the music has on the show. There are some great ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 86
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A Tapestry of Carols

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Maddy Prior

Release Date October 10, 2005
I've been listening to this every Christmas for the last eighteen years and haven't got tired of it yet. The bouncy, folky style of performing carols is much more to my taste than the more solemn choral recording of carols that you generally get.

This album has a nice mixture of carols, some well-known, some less well-known, some merry and some quiet, but all beautifully performed. I have yet to find another christmas collection that I like better than this one. If this doesn't put you in the mood for Christmas, nothing will.

CD-Charts Position 87
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Vaughan Williams: Choral Works

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: British Composers

Release Date August 23, 1993
Neither work is particularly well known, even among enthusiasts for Vaughan Williams music. Don't let that put you off. Both are original and gripping works and Sancta Civitas is an extraordinary piece unlike any other work I know. It is the work in which the composer found the unique colours and dissonance that would lead to works like Job and the Fourth Symphony and is, perhaps, even finer than those great works. It is certainly original. The only previous recording that came anywhere near to doing the work justice was that conducted by Sir David Willcocks. This new account is in the same class and has the benefit of a superb modern recording that the earlier record cannot match. I genuinely believe that Sancta Civitas is one of Vaughan Williams' most under-rated ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 88
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The Only Classical Album You'll Ever Need

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
from: Classics

Release Date November 03, 2003

The budget price doesn't reflect the quality of this 2 disc collection of classical music highlights, for the soloists, orchestras, conductors and the recordings themselves ensure it is a good quality selection of mostly familiar music from the classical music repertoire.

The choices lean heavily towards the opera style, so for that reason alone will not be the only album necessary to cover everyone's taste - even the complete classical beginner will find many of their familiar favourites are absent.

The tracks are mostly single movements from the whole score, which may not please the more enthusiastic classical fan, but it's unavoidable given the short time permitted by only 2 CDs. In any case, this album really is only aimed at those ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 89
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Second Nature

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Katherine Jenkins

Release Date October 21, 2004
I have grown to love Katherine Jenkins during the past few months for I think she is one of the best singers around at the moment.

I bought this CD for one reason, and one reason only, the track Vide Cor Meum. This duet was used in the film Hannibal, and also during the death scene of the Leper King Baldwin IV in the film Kingdom of Heaven. Here, Katherine sings the duet along with the Welsh singer Rhys Meiron. It is a divine work, beautifully played and sung.

But, to my absolute joy, I also discovered that this CD has numerous other wonderful tracks which are a joy to listen to. I loved it throughout, especially the tracks:

Time To Say Goodbye; O Sole Mio; Song To The Moon; and Mozart's little gem: Laudate Dominum.

It is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 90
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This Land of Ours

CD-Charts > Music > Classical
by: Karl Jenkins, The Cory Band, Cantorion

Release Date October 22, 2007
Well done to 'Only Men Aloud' (aka Cantorion) on winning the BBC TV 'Last Choir Standing'! It was great to hear that they had recorded this album under their other group name of 'Cantorion', and what a great album it is! If you love the unique sound of Adiemus and Karl Jenkins, then you'll love this album. Recorded together with the excellent Cory Band - one of the finest brass bands in Britain - there's so much to enjoy. I loved watching the great 'Cantilena' music video on YouTube too!