God Of Rain

Editorial Reviews
Independent Songwriter Web Magazine, Fall 1998
"An Indie music lover's symbol of American Techno-Age Pride"

Boston's SoundCheck Magazine, Fall 1998
"From Ambient to Soothing to Upbeat and Explosive"

Album Description
Shave Librarian releases their fourth full-length project, a new 8-song CD titled, God Of Rain. God Of Rain is the follow-up to their 1997 release, the critically acclaimed CD, The Butter Thief.

God Of Rain, which was more than a year in the making, is even more dynamic than the band’s previous three releases and breaks new ground in the current popular music scene.

As with all of the Shave Librarian releases, this CD is conceptual, held together by a subtle thematic thread. The theme is of Asian mystique and novelty, viewed through the Western eyes of wonderment and, sometimes, naiveté. The CD begins with the Eastern-influenced "Oriental Jar" and "New Silver Age," moving through the euphoric time-line story of "Kooper Pills." The Asian theme peaks with the title track "God Of Rain," which is loosely based on ancient Chinese mythology.

The second half of the CD draws the listener towards the West, with the Beatle-esque "Shining Bread," the jazzy "At The Party," turning darker and more mysterious with "Where You Buy Your Days" and the final track "MODA," which is a 'cyborg future western.'

Recorded at Big T Productions in Boston's Chinatown and independently released on Shave Records, this CD presents 8 powerful songs which, more than ever, explore more dynamic and eclectic instrumentation and arrangement, fronted by the unique voice and unusual wordplay of singer/songwriter Brian Riley. The new line-up featured on this new CD includes the talents of percussionist, Fernando Medina and guitarist, Phil Salkind as well as several local session musicians/vocalists.

Stay tuned, and stay Shaved!

God Of Rain

Jane Eyre, the Musical (Original 2000 Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Great Buy!
Perfect Match
Probably the most beautiful musical of all time
Beautiful!
A good musical

Jane Eyre, the Musical (Original 2000 Broadway Cast)
John Caird
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000051Y31
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Tracks:

The Orphan
Children of God
Forgiveness
The Graveyard
Sweet Liberty
Secrets of the House
Act One: Perfectly Nice
Act One: As Good As You
Secret Soul
Finer Things
The Pledge
Sirens
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Brave Enough for Love

Amazon.com

Here's another to join the parade of page-to-stage musicals inspired by 19th-century fiction. This ambitious adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's haunting classic Jane Eyre for the musical theater seems to be part of a trend represented most famously by Les Misérables. It also reflects the increasing pressure to schedule an original cast recording release as close as possible to a new show's Broadway opening: in this case, in fact, the CD was both recorded and released prior to the show's opening in December 2000 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. But what's most significant for the artistic character of Jane Eyre: The Musical is found in yet another pattern: like a number of his colleagues, composer-lyricist Paul Gordon comes to the project from a pop music industry background (best known for his hit "Friends and Lovers"). And quite a few of the show's numbers benefit from Gordon's catchy craftwork, weaving melodies that are clearly destined to be whistled long past curtain. Yet the effect is sometimes too facile, not diving as deep as we would like into the emotional predicaments of Brontë's characters. You begin to crave a more deftly defined and imagined variety of sound worlds (especially for the darker aspects of Thornfield Hall) than what is hinted at. Gordon doesn't forge any new paths, but his melodic fluency does have its moments of payoff--especially in the moving final duet "Brave Enough for Love," which is also strong enough to stand on its own.

Gordon's predilections as a would-be son of Sondheim are nevertheless clear, and he's telescoped the story into mostly effective lyrics, with some thoughtful juxtapositions of material. Most importantly, he understands that this is more than a Gothic romance, foregrounding the central message of forgiveness that Jane learns as a girl. He attempts to explore the injured sense of self shared by both Jane and Rochester and sets them on a painful, mutual voyage of discovery.

The creative team also includes the veteran duo John Caird (book and direction) and John Napier (scenic design), who have collaborated on such epics as Les Mis and Nicholas Nickleby (not to mention the Las Vegas Siegfried and Roy extravaganza). And the show's creators seem to share a vision geared toward the more operatic end of the spectrum (it was opera composers, after all, who early on claimed 19th-century Gothic fiction for the stage, as in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor), with an actual parody of coloratura in one showstopper ("The Finer Things") given to Blanche Ingram. Fortunately, the two principals have large, richly expressive voices to encompass the large, complicated emotions of these characters. Marla Schaffel singswith unusual beauty and brings dimension to her Jane, while James Barbour (whose resumé includes Beauty and the Beast) is never really threatening as Rochester, but rather a tortured soul who is sweet-voiced even at his most cynical. Mary Stout is a stitch as the blustery Mrs. Fairfax. While the show has already undergone a lengthy evolution from its very first workshops, the viability of its final, fully staged realization has yet to be determined. But this cast recording conveys an authentic sense of the musical's atmosphere and emotional scope. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Great Buy!.......2007-06-08

Not only was this CD super cheap, it also arrived at my house 3 days later!

Perfect Match.......2007-03-16

The music in this album really gave me the feeling of reading the book. I think the songs were well chosen and well written, except of course for the songs sung by Mrs. Fairfax... I could have done without those. Jane and Mr. Rochester's songs carry the story well and they sound lovely. For any musical lover, or romance fan I definitely recommend this album.

Probably the most beautiful musical of all time.......2007-02-16

This is a hidden gem and if you buy it and listen to it, I don't see how you can not love it. I have bought many, many Broadway cast albums but I still am a popster at heart. With all that said, this is a cast album that soars above the crowd.

I bought this several years ago and have listened to it repeatedly since I got it. Why do I love it so much? First of all, the lyrics are full of heart and emotion and tell the story ably. But it is the music and the performances that are truly remarkable here. The melodies are memorable and absolutely exquisite. The orchestration is lush but not sappy. The performances by the two leads are nothing less than stunning.

I never get bored with this wonderful cast album and it is very, very highly recommended.

Beautiful!.......2007-01-28

I listen to this soundtrack all the time and I never get tired of the songs. If Charlotte Bronte story was written as a musical, then this would definitely be it.

A good musical.......2006-07-20

if you like old-fashioned romantic stuff, this one's for you. Some songs are very inspired, the music is,for the most part, quite beautiful, and the story line keeps the essence of the Bronte novel. I heard this right after "Wuthering Heights: the musical", which is quite good, yet this is superior. Give it a try and you might be nicely surprised. I would highly recommend it to the ones who know the novel and to English Literature students: it offers a different and interesting approach to the novel.

How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music

Average customer rating:

Chanticleer, with Bp. Flunder: INDEED - How Very Sweet The Sound
Crystalline
Best Chanticleer CD Yet
How Angry the Sound?
This CD is the bomb!

How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music
Chanticleer
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sing We Christmas

ASIN: B00029CZPW
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb
Surely God Is Able
Amazing Grace
Medley: Soon One Mornin' - What You Goin' Do When The World's On Fire? - You Can't Hide - Run On For A Long Time
Didn't It Rain
Sit Down Servant - Plenty Good Room
Keep Your Hand On The Plow (Hold On)
My Soul Is A Witness
There Is A Balm In Gilead
Medley: Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child - Poor Pilgrim Of Sorrow - Walk In Jerusalem
Be Still And Know That I'm God

Amazon.com

Chanticleer's repertoire ranges through many centuries. On this recording, the group again proves its infinite versatility in a program of gospel music and spirituals. The singing is so authentic that one feels like a participant in a gospel meeting, swaying to the rhythm with the crowd. Contributing greatly to the impact is Chanticleer's guest, Yvette A. Funder. Possessor of a voice remarkable for its range, power, and flexibility, she brings to the music the empathy and authority of one born and raised in the tradition, whether leading call-and-response, engaging in improvisations that soar high above the chorus, crooning softly in meditation, or shouting in ecstasy. (She is also an active Bishop ministering to the poor and afflicted, and the founder of various social service agencies in California.) Several songs include soloists drawn from the chorus as well, most notably a tenor, a countertenor and a bass who provides a rhythmic ostinato. The program, designed for maximum variety of tempo, mood, character and texture, includes many favorite songs and spirituals, such as "Amazing Grace," "There is a Balm in Gilead," "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child." The arrangements by Joseph Jennings, Chanticleer's Music Director for 20 years, are admirably simple and very good; only a few are marred by awkward modulations or overly sophisticated, Hollywood-inspired effects. Most of them are for a cappella voices. Jennings also contributes a new original composition: "Be still and Know that I'm God." Repeating these words like an invocation, it builds a cumulative drama with increasingly wild, elaborate improvisations in call-and-response between soloist and chorus; supported by a prominent piano part that includes solos, chordal and running passages, it ends with a rousing climax. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Chanticleer, with Bp. Flunder: INDEED - How Very Sweet The Sound.......2006-02-10

On this standard red book 16-bit CD we are offered that rare and special invitation: Come now, pilgrim - take yet another good step forward in gospel praise or supplication. How can we progress in our individual and collective spiritual journeys towards whatever transcendent glories ground us, revive us, and lead us on despite life's challenges, unless we sing?. Are you having set backs? This CD is good medicine, and it is both a worthy addition to the gospel music shelf and perhaps just the sort of musical medicine that turns out to be good for you, on more than one level of body, mind, and soul. Not a bitter root aftertaste, nor a nagging fishy oil payback in any of this welcome elixir. I guess that is why we call it, Good News.

The arrangements of new and old gospel standards have been set by counter-tenor Joseph Jennings - a leading Chanticleer member of long standing - intently drawing upon both the florid improvisations of the soloists and gospel groups climbing ever so dazzlingly into the fiery chariots that sacred texts say carried off the prophet; and yes, rooted as well in the impeccably crafted close harmonies and inwardly solid strength of gospel quartets and ensembles like Fisk University's Jubilee Singers and many other exemplars.

So, when you listen to this one you will be immediately surrounded by that amazing and great, gathering could of witnesses. The messages are familiar: Keep your hands on the plow. Surely God is able. There is a balm in Gilead.

Like the famous vocal work by Ralph Vaughan Williams, his Serenade to Music as written for a star-crossed group of well-known British soloists of the era; so this gospel outing brings the small male ensemble Chanticleer to the fore - both as a vocal group and as a fabulous collection of solo voices who are prodigiously gifted vocal stars in their own rights. Capping off Chanticleer as an embarrassment of riches is a guest turn by San Francisco's own Bishop Yvette Flunder. She is the real deal, too, as both an ordained minister whose leadership in black churches has blazed fireworks in celebration of melding religion with social justice, and a Jen-U-Wine good news singer who can preach and pray and moan with the best of them.

Only the superhumanly perfected intonation of their cappella group singing, as well as the superb blend and polish of the Chanticleer dozen, will remind a listener than this group is as famous for its Flemish medieval polyphony or its unerring Purcellian clarity, as any other ensemble of twelve voices now appearing before us.

So, forget all the categories and musicology boxes which would seal off gospel music from pre-Bach cathedral masters of polyphony. With this CD we can just revel in the mysteries of good music, regardless. Yeah, Josquin, I'm talking bout you - Sit down servant, there's plenty good room.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

Crystalline.......2005-04-08

I'm not a huge fan of gospel, because I find it to be led by emotion, and musically undisciplined. Rousing, yes - but a little goes a long, long way. I've also found most gospel recordings to be sonically challenged. Almost as if microphones were incapable of capturing the music with clarity. None of this holds true for "How Sweet the Sound." This is a beautifully recorded cd, and every tune is both musically precise, and emotionally resonant. It is, however, a little hard to listen to in one sitting because of the "sameness" of the arrangements. That's a small quibble - who says any cd has to be experienced all at once - and "There is a Balm in Gilead," alone is worth the price of admission.

Best Chanticleer CD Yet.......2005-02-01

This is the Best Chanticleer CD yet. I have listened to it dozens of times. Money well spent. I have even given copies to several of my friends.

How Angry the Sound?.......2005-01-02

My daughter gave me this CD, because, while I'm not religious, I'm a long time fan of gospel music. The first pass through the record, I found myself wandering off to other tasks. So, the second time I put it on the player I forced myself to sit completely through the record. I'm not familiar with Chanticleer, so I had no idea whey she thought I'd like it, but she's is right more often than not. This would be one of the "not" times.

I guess this as an attempt to make gospel music "hip." With songs like "Jesus Hits Like An Atomic Bomb" and "What You Gon' Do When the World's On Fire?" the lyrics are like walking a American urban street being threatened by strangers. Far from being uplifting, the songs are decidedly unfriendly. The feel of the music reminded more of the howling noises I suffered as a forced member of my parent's Kansas Methodist Church than the sweet, honest sounds of real gospel music. That intangible thing I get from listening to gospel music that is heartfelt and painfully honest, even if deluded, was nowhere to be heard in "How Sweet the Sound." Instead, the music is chant-like, monotonous, and cold.

I would not recommend this record to anyone outside of the Midwest. If you miss the sterile sounds of a Midwestern protestant church in full howl, this might be your cup of weak wine. If gospel music is what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

This CD is the bomb!.......2004-11-28

From "Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb" to "Amazing Grace", this CD is packed with glorius gospel spirituals and terrific talent. Highly recommend to music lovers of all faiths!

Average customer rating:

You'll be disappointed
Pretty good musical mix

Greatest Songs from the Musicals
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Soho
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000077JS0
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Tracks:

Aquarius [From Hair] - Steve Brooker, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
If I Can't Love Her [From Beauty and the Beast] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Could Have Danced All Night [From My Fair Lady] - Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? [From The Lion King] - John Barrowman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
This Is the Moment [From Jekyll and Hyde] - Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Paulette Ivory, Julian Kelly, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
America [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
Written in the Stars [From Aida] - Simon Bowman, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
Mame [From Mame] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Some Enchanted Evening [From South Pacific] - Thomas Allen, John Owen Edwards, Philharmonic Orchestra
I Am What I Am [From LA Cage aux Follies] - Janet Glazener, Leslie Uggams
One Song Glory [From Rent] - Sean McDermott, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Ethan Freeman, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Dreamed a Dream [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
Bui Doi [From Miss Saigon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - National Symphony Orchestra,
Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Picture Show] - Anita Dobson, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates,
Memory [From Cats] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Why God Why [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Know Him So Well [From Chess] - Katrina Murphy, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
One Day More [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Peggy Sue [From Buddy Holly Story] - Dominic Curtis
Empty Charis at Empty Tables [From Les Miserables] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia!] - Julian Kelly, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
We Will Rock You [From We Will Rock You] - Martin Yates

Tracks:

It's a Grand Night for Singing [From State Fair] - National Symphony Orchestra
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
I Talk to the Trees [From Paint Your Wagon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Over the Rainbow [From The Wizard of Oz] - Gillian Bevan, , John Owen Edwards, , Royal Shakespeare Company
Bless Yore Beautiful Hide [From Seven Brides for Seven Brothers] - Hal Fowler, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Grease [From Grease] - John Barrowman, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates
Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, , Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
Secret Love [From Calamity Jane] - Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
Quintet [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
I Will Always Love You [From the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas] - Salena Jones, John Pearce
Money, Money [From "Caberet"] - Maria Friedman, National Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Pryce
If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) - Jacqueline Dankworth, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Thank Heaven for Little Girls [From Gigi] - Ron Moody, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Singin' in the Rain [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Robinson

Customer Reviews:

You'll be disappointed.......2006-09-02

Not the original artists. Very weak versions of beloved songs by marginal to downright bad vocalists.

Pretty good musical mix.......2006-03-10

Lots of great and clear vocals. I was looking for a musical mix and this has a nice sampling of many major songs but also some more recent stuff. I haven't purchased an import before but I would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. It is somewhat annoying to have three cds when I think it could have fit onto two. Still, more than I have complaints, I have compliments about it.

Average customer rating:

Songbird of the South
Kate Smith
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006RSMJ
Release Date: 2003-01-21

Average customer rating:

Let It Rain
Renee Bondi
Manufacturer: Capo Recording, Inc.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002BOYKY
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

Jesus Christ Is Lord
Let It Rain
Run Another Day
Make Me Your Instrument
Blessed Assurance
We Will Rise Again
I Can Do All Things
I Believe
Be Still and Hear My Voice
Last Dance But Not the Last Song

Product Description

Track List: 1.Jesus Christ Is Lord 2.Let It Rain 3.Run Another Day 4.Make Me Your Instrument 5.Blessed Assurance 6.We Will Rise Again 7.I Can Do All Things 8.I Believe 9.Be Still And Hear My Voice 10.The Last Dance But Not the Last Song

Children Of A Lesser God: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Average customer rating:

Ba-Boom-A-Rang-Rang-Rang
Beautiful!
The music of pure rapture
Beautiful, Stirring and a Wonderful Infant Relaxer
A Great Drama Score

Children Of A Lesser God: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Manufacturer: Gnp Crescendo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Children of a Lesser God
Out Of Africa: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B000001P00
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Main Title
Silence And Sound
Sarah Sleeping
Rain-Pool
Underwater Love
On The Ferry
James & Sarah
Goodnight
Boomerang
Forgiveness/Winter Into Spring
Bach's Double Concerto In D Minor For Violins Second Movement-'Largo Ma Non Tanto'
Searching For Sarah
Love On The Couch
James Alone On The Pier
Joined
End Title

Customer Reviews:

Ba-Boom-A-Rang-Rang-Rang.......2007-02-24

Boomerang is one of my favorite songs off this album and I really love this movie as well. I rate DVD and album 5 stars!!!

Beautiful!.......2001-08-13

This soundtrack has always been very special to me. It was given to me as a gift years ago when the movie was released. Whenever, I need to escape the world and find a special place, I play this music. So smooth and gentle, it feels as if you are actually floating on the sound.

The music of pure rapture.......2000-04-26

One of the most stirring soundtracks of any film I can recall, much of this music can take the listener to a place so calm and thoughtful it seems as if time has ceased to exist. There's little conventional "melody", but instead sweeping washes of sound and chords which convey ambiguous, tender and searching emotional states. Sometimes pensive, sometimes mystical, sometimes passionate, it is truthful, complex music, whether intimate or grand. I like to play it while driving in the mountains. It has become indispensible to me!

Beautiful, Stirring and a Wonderful Infant Relaxer.......1999-07-16

When I heard this soundtrack during the movie, I was swept away with it's beauty, expansiveness and, oddly, its intimacy. It soothed me like no other instrumental body of work I had heard at the time--or since. When we had our first son in 1990, I would bathe him at night, bring him into the living room, put this on and put him on my chest. Within 5 minutes, he'd be asleep. It worked equally well for our second son. Beyond infancy, it was a calming resource on more than our fair share of family car trips. You and your family can't miss with this one.

A Great Drama Score.......1999-01-09

Michael Convertino definitely nailed it on the head with the score for the 1986 film adaptation of CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD. The score is gentle and uplifting, yet examines the underpinnings of humanity. "Rain Pool" and "Underwater Love" are cues that truly stand out in an album that conspires to bring the listener to the brink of tears. A good listen, if you're in the right frame of mind, and a worthy addition to any score collection.

Average customer rating:

Israel in Egypt, oratorio, HWV 54

Manufacturer: Coro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008OP0N
Release Date: 2002-03-25

Album Description

Of all Handel's great oratorios, Israel in Egypt is second only to Messiah in drama. It is dominated by massive virtuosic choruses, making it the perfect piece for The Sixteen, acknowledged by audiences and critics alike as "one of the great choirs of our day" (Gramophone).

It's not surprising that Israel in Egypt is much-performed. Hailstones and lightning, buzzing flies and leaping frogs, are all brilliantly evoked for choir and orchestra in a series of incisive choruses leading us excitedly through the plagues of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea as we follow Moses and the Children of Israel through the story of the Exodus. The epic nature of the story could not be more suited to Handel's genius for story-telling and drama.

Tracks:

Syrinx (La Flute De Pan) - Emmanuel Pahud
I. For The Invocation Of Pan, God Of The Summer Wind
II. For A Nameless Tomb
III. For A Propitious Night
IV. For The Dancer With Crotales
V. For The Egyptian Girl
VI. For Thanking The Rain In The Morning
La Plus Que Lente
I. Nahandove
II. Aoua!
III. Il Est Doux De Se Coucher
I. Moderato
II. Scherzo (Allegretto Scherzando)
III. Andante
IV. Allegro Con Brio

Amazon.com

Acclaimed young flautist Emmanuel Pahud presents a program that contrasts two 20th-century French masters, Debussy and Ravel, with one Russian, Prokofiev. Debussy's Syrinx and La plus que lent are short, beguiling pieces, the first a languorous flute solo akin to Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, the second a dreamy piano waltz. Les Chansons de Bilitis is a delicately sensuous and mysterious six-part suite for piano and flute. The three Chansons Madécasses are Ravel's rarefied settings of folksongs from Madagascar; Katarina Karnéus sings with a beautiful disquiet, exploding into a tormented fury in "Aoua! Aoua!" What initially seems an unusual choice for a finale proves most apt, for it would be easy to mistake Prokofiev's Sonata No. 2 for further French sophistication. Light, eloquent, and playfully melodic, the deft interplay of Pahud's flute and Stephen Kovacevich's piano is far removed from the conventional associations of Russian music. --Gary S Dalkin

Customer Reviews:

A powerful collection.......2005-12-20

After a series of recordings including "Paris" and the Mozart flute concertos, Emmanuel Pahud has gained renown for the delicacy and silkiness of his tone. Consequently it was something of a surprise for me when i listened to this collection, in which Pahud is clearly exploring the darker sonorities of his instrument. The repertoire itself - including Debussy's Syrinx and an arrangement of his Billitis suite, Ravel's Chansons Madecasses and Prokofiev's flute sonata - is on the whole characterised by bleak, sinister, and often violent expression.

The really pleasurable and exciting thing about this recording is the way he draws out these sinister elements from the mentioned repertoire with a sense of poise and balance that holds everything in check. Thanks to Pahud's extreme (and highly French) musical sensitivity - and of course his dizzying technique - one never feels that he crosses the boundery into the excessive or melodramatic. Take for instance his performance of Syrinx: despite a very understated vibrato, a relatively restrained use of dynamics and a relaxed, spacious tempo, he nevertheless captures the intense despair and anguish belying Debussy's famous composition. Ravel's "Chansons madecasses" is, in my opinion, the highlight of the album, an exquisite display of all that is unique to Pahud's musicality: the interpretation of the first song, "Nahandove", is almost overpowering in its oddly seductive combination of restraint, clarity, tenderness and irony. The miraculous combination of performers solidifies this complex balance, each one aware of the need for unintrusive vibrato and phrases that gently caress as they wind their way through ravel's piquant harmonies. His performance of the prokofiev is similarly notable for its subtlety and tenderness, but, in the second and fourth movements, Pahud reveals his ability to produce explosive power throughout the range of the instrument, proving that, contrary to popular belief, the flute is more than capable of producing the violent, relentless expression this piece demands.

Still, this recording is not for everyone. It is not a collection of heart-rending, moving melodies, nor a whirlwind of emotional states, and certainly not a conventionally pretty, easy-listening affair. But it is subtle, ironic, seductive, deceptive, and witty. Pahud is to be praised for continuing to prove that the flute is an essentially French instrument.

Continuously in Awe.......2000-07-20

He impressed you the first time; he'll knock your socks off this time. Emmanuel Pahud, Berlin Philharmonic's Swedish principal flutist, out-does even himself in his re-recording of Prokofiev's Flute Sonata in D, Op. 94, demonstrating matured ideas on the work. In his first recording, 1993, we were enchanted with his sound. We admired his technique. We envied his control. But this new version is pure magic; now we listen in sheer exhilaration. On both recordings, the opening movement displays that gorgeous expansive sound tempered by absolute control. It's not until the second movement, a scherzo, that Pahud's new ideas are reflected. He retains the same tempo from the first recording, but where it once seemed like the piece dictated Pahud's tempo and overall flow, now Pahud seems to invent the piece as he goes. Added nuances in the second version, such as elongating certain notes, contribute to the casual character of the movement. Then, like a surprise attack, he lets you know he means business. This is no ordinary sound. In fact, you may need to remind yourself that this powerful instrument making such bold statements is indeed a flute. Pahud completely controls the instrument throughout the four movements. Changing colors like a chameleon within and in-between movements, his sound first flows like liquid and then all at once pulls in rich overtones to create that fantastically edgy sound that flutists, like myself, fantasize about. The new recording quickens your pulse and leaves you speechless. It isn't just his incredible sound, or impeccable sense of timing, but also the confidence with which he plays demonstrating complete mastery of this music, that will elate you with each listening. Should the piece be retired then with this recording? Unfortunately, no. The one flaw is Pahud's new pianist. Sloppy. He is no Pahud.

"Hauntingly beautiful".......2000-06-14

I once used the expression "hauntingly beautiful" about some songs rendered by a vocalist in my region and he quoted those words out of context in his ads so it looked like I said them about him. Still I must use them about most of the EMI offering featuring the artistry of Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Stephen Kovacevich (piano), Truls Mork (cello), and Katarina Karneus (mezzo). Pahud, by the way, is the principal flutist with the Berlin Philharmonic as well as a much in demand soloist. As is growing common with some companies, there is no discernible official title but the catalogue number is 7243 56982-2.

The program starts with...well...hauntingly beautiful renditions of the Debussy pieces: "Syrinx" and "Bilitis," for flute and piano and the semi-satirical "La plus que lente" for piano solo. All four artists contribute to my first hearing of the enchanting set of Ravel's "Chansons madecasses; and we end with the lovely Prokofiev "Flute Sonata in D."