CD-Charts Position 1
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Jersey Beat: the Music of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (3CD+DVD)

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by: Frankie Valli

Release Date June 25, 2007
The three CDs are filled with superb remastered and totally authentic recordings that span the incredible career of Frankie Valli and The four Seasons. The quality is superb, the versions presented here are the originals, in stereo or mono as is appropriate. The DVD is wonderful - classic live performances of the group at its peak. Of especial note are the 1971 TOTP recordings of Let's Hang On and I've Got You Under My Skin, both live, very well recorded and very true to the 1971 stage sound. Frankie's voice is at its best and this has to be heard loud to get the full dramatic impact. Thoroughly recommended.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Early Works

Search: The Wake
by: Laurent Garnier

Release Date April 03, 2006
The three CDs are filled with superb remastered and totally authentic recordings that span the incredible career of Frankie Valli and The four Seasons. The quality is superb, the versions presented here are the originals, in stereo or mono as is appropriate. The DVD is wonderful - classic live performances of the group at its peak. Of especial note are the 1971 TOTP recordings of Let's Hang On and I've Got You Under My Skin, both live, very well recorded and very true to the 1971 stage sound. Frankie's voice is at its best and this has to be heard loud to get the full dramatic impact. Thoroughly recommended.

CD-Charts Position 3
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Prisoner File Number Three

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by: Various

Release Date February 11, 2003
You really have to be a Prisoner afficianado to want to buy this. Of the three soundtrack albums it is perhaps the most interesting because it covers the episode in which music played, I would say, the largest part in creating atmosphere - "The Girl Who Was Death". You get to hear all the peices of music from which snippets were used in this (and other later) episodes. But as with so many soundtracks, it is a collection of individual peices of music, not really a cohesive whole. It is not easy listening if you try to play it as music at home.
Still, for a Prisoner fan (such as myself) it provides a valuable record of the series.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream

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from: London

Release Date March 22, 1990
This was the first opera I ever saw live, during its initial London run a few months after the Aldeburgh premiere. I still carry vivid memories of that evening as a magical experience. And magic certainly lies at the heart of this entrancing (almost literally) piece.

From the sounds of the forest breathing in the opening string glissandos to the fairies' glittering benediction on Duke Theseus house at the end, Britten conjures a wonderful array of colours and pictures from his relatively modest orchestra. Each group of characters is given its own distinctive orchestral palette - strings with woodwinds predominate for the Lovers, the trombone fills in its fatter, comical tones when the Rustics appear, horns add a touch of regality ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Britten conducts Britten: Opera Vol.2

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by: Benjamin Britten

Release Date November 08, 2004
This was the first opera I ever saw live, during its initial London run a few months after the Aldeburgh premiere. I still carry vivid memories of that evening as a magical experience. And magic certainly lies at the heart of this entrancing (almost literally) piece.

From the sounds of the forest breathing in the opening string glissandos to the fairies' glittering benediction on Duke Theseus house at the end, Britten conjures a wonderful array of colours and pictures from his relatively modest orchestra. Each group of characters is given its own distinctive orchestral palette - strings with woodwinds predominate for the Lovers, the trombone fills in its fatter, comical tones when the Rustics appear, horns add a touch of regality ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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The Best of Bach

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from: RCA

Release Date June 06, 1991
This was the first opera I ever saw live, during its initial London run a few months after the Aldeburgh premiere. I still carry vivid memories of that evening as a magical experience. And magic certainly lies at the heart of this entrancing (almost literally) piece.

From the sounds of the forest breathing in the opening string glissandos to the fairies' glittering benediction on Duke Theseus house at the end, Britten conjures a wonderful array of colours and pictures from his relatively modest orchestra. Each group of characters is given its own distinctive orchestral palette - strings with woodwinds predominate for the Lovers, the trombone fills in its fatter, comical tones when the Rustics appear, horns add a touch of regality ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

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The Instruments of Classical Music, Vol. 8: The Organ

Search: The Wake
from: Laserlight

Release Date June 04, 1990
This was the first opera I ever saw live, during its initial London run a few months after the Aldeburgh premiere. I still carry vivid memories of that evening as a magical experience. And magic certainly lies at the heart of this entrancing (almost literally) piece.

From the sounds of the forest breathing in the opening string glissandos to the fairies' glittering benediction on Duke Theseus house at the end, Britten conjures a wonderful array of colours and pictures from his relatively modest orchestra. Each group of characters is given its own distinctive orchestral palette - strings with woodwinds predominate for the Lovers, the trombone fills in its fatter, comical tones when the Rustics appear, horns add a touch of regality ... Read More: