CD-Charts Position 1

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Rainy Day Classics

Search: Childhood
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 10, 2004

CD-Charts Position 2

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Britten conducts Britten: Opera Vol.1

Search: Childhood
by: Benjamin Britten

Release Date May 10, 2004

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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Britten: Peter Grimes

Search: Childhood
by: Covent Garden Benjamin Britten, Covent Garden Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Peter Pears Chorus of the Royal Opera House

Release Date April 09, 2001
There have been many productions of Grimes around the world and a good few recordings made since this first one was committed to disc nearly half a century ago. From our perspective in the 21st Century it is hard to recall the huge impact made by the first production at Sadlers' Wells in 1946 and by this recording just a decade or so later. It's now easier to see the antecedents and ancestors of the piece - Verdi, Mahler, even Mozart. At the time it seemed a really revolutionary piece, not only for British but also for worldwide opera.

The recording, too, was something new. This was the first time that John Culshaw and his Decca team had fully implemented their ideas for making a real production out of a stereo opera recording. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Britten: Peter Grimes

Search: Childhood
from: Duo

Release Date April 19, 1999
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Opera Scenes - Renée Fleming

Search: Childhood
from: Decca

Release Date September 22, 1997
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

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Classics for Relaxation

Search: Childhood
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 10, 2004
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

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Prelude for Autumn [CASSETTE]

Search: Childhood
by: Masami Nakagawa

Release Date October 17, 1990
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

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Prelude for Autumn

Search: Childhood
by: Masami Nakagawa

Release Date October 25, 1990
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

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Take Me to the World

Search: Childhood
by: Simon Green

Release Date July 13, 2004
This album has a great feel about it. It presents Simon's live cabaret - chat and all - and retains the intimacy of the cabaret venue. The repertoire is eclectic and demands that the listener listens, yet with Simon's voice and personality this is not difficult. His performance is exquisite and draws us into the music and illuminates the lyrics perfectly. He has chosen the very best of lyricists from Coward to Sondheim to Flanders & Swann and has given us a delightful set which I grow to love more on each listen. This recording is long overdue form one of Britain's greatest performers in musical theatre today and I can't wait for the next one.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

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Baby Concerts: Bedtime

Search: Childhood
by: César Benítez

Release Date April 26, 2005
This album has a great feel about it. It presents Simon's live cabaret - chat and all - and retains the intimacy of the cabaret venue. The repertoire is eclectic and demands that the listener listens, yet with Simon's voice and personality this is not difficult. His performance is exquisite and draws us into the music and illuminates the lyrics perfectly. He has chosen the very best of lyricists from Coward to Sondheim to Flanders & Swann and has given us a delightful set which I grow to love more on each listen. This recording is long overdue form one of Britain's greatest performers in musical theatre today and I can't wait for the next one.