My Sacrifice [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
The First Single to Be Lifted from their Third Album 'weathered' is More of the Chart Topping Rock Typical of Creed. The Enhanced Disc features the Video to the Title Track, plus a Take on the Doors 'riders on the Storm' Starring Robbie Kreiger (The Doors) on Keyboards.

Average customer rating:

The Skeleton Key - sounds of the old South

contains every compositional piece from the movie

good soundtrack

Review from Equalmusic.com

Spooky good fun!

The Skeleton Key
Edward Shearmur
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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The Skeleton Key (Widescreen Edition)

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ASIN: B000A2H8V2
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

Death Letter [The Skeleton Key] - Johnny Farmer, Organized Noize,
Opening Titles
Come on in My Kitchen [The Skeleton Key] - Robert Johnson
Barefoot Dancing [The Skeleton Key]
Ben Escapes
Do Whatcha Wanna [The Skeleton Key] - ReBirth Brass Band
61 Highway Blues - Mississippi Fred McDowell
Violet's Story
Hoodoo Woman
God Moves on the Water [The Skeleton Key] - Blind Willie Johnson
Goldrush [The Skeleton Key]
Saving Ben
Iko Iko [The Skeleton Key] - The Dixie Cups
Conjure Room
Conjure of Sacrifice
Thank You Child

Customer Reviews:

The Skeleton Key - sounds of the old South.......2007-04-11

Dark, stormy listening to take you to the marshlands of New Orleans - at times, clearly a soundtrack, but with tracks from the likes of Robert Johnson and the hoodoo beats of Iko Iko, you'll suddenly feel an inkling for Gumbo like a true bayou-dwelling Creole.

contains every compositional piece from the movie.......2006-08-04

This CD contains what I thought was every compositional piece from the movie. I was hoping the CD in general would be a little more up-beat and personally I found it a little bit boring to listen to. Listen carefully to the music of the movie becuase that is exactly what you get.

good soundtrack.......2006-01-13

If you are fan of the blues, or you simply enjoy eerie instrumental tunes, this soundtrack is for you.
It is very rare for me to find a soundtrack that contains all the songs i liked from a movie.This is the case! It even has Papa Justify's conjuration of sacrifice, those drums really take you to New Orleans Hoodoo streets. A great complement for the fans of the movie .

Review from Equalmusic.com.......2005-10-28

If you are jonesing for the way New Orleans' used to be or are kicking yourself hard because you never made the pilgrimage down before the recent tragedy, then the soundtrack to The Skeleton Key is your best bet. Like the movie, the soundtrack transports the audience into the bayou culture with such ease that at times it's almost hard to believe that you're not in fact below the Mason-Dixon Line. Released on Varese Records, it is the perfect accompaniment to the film.

Composer Edward Shearmur and the Hollywood Studio Symphony bring the flick to life with their bone chilling orchestrations that can creep you out even in the light of day. Those who dig the horror aspect of the film will be pleased with the inclusion of "Conjure of Sacrifice," a spoken track key to the movie's plot. However, the real reason to buy this release is not for its freaky facets but for its spotlight on a few of the most influential blues artists of the twentieth century.

For anyone beginning to cultivate an interest in blues, this is a great foray into the genre and its heavy hitters. First off is Robert Johnson's "Come On In My Kitchen." Johnson, who many have dubbed the father of modern rock and roll, delivers his legendary take on Delta Blues with perfection. Mississippi Fred McDowell, master of the slide guitar, whether it be bottleneck or the apocryphal steak bone, lends his "61 Highway Blues" with a kind of raw integrity.

My vote however, goes to celebrated gospel musician, Blind Willie Johnson. His "God Moves On The Water" with its crackly sound quality, delivers a sucker punch to the soul. Johnny Farmer's "Death Letter" is easily the best track the recording has to offer. Farmer, the only bluesman on the disc still alive and kicking it, loans an infectious ditty that seeps into the skin and refuses to be washed away. Haunting and beat driven, the song is given a modern remix by southern rapper, Organized Noize. The marriage of Delta and hip-hop here is flawless.

Of course there are a few missteps and oddities. Blackbud's "Barefoot Dancing" is a jarring departure from the easy bayou theme. The song is ill suited to both movie and soundtrack, a definite skipper. As is Joe Washburn's "The Goldrush," which despite its melodic back music has a whiny quality that's hard to overlook. "Do Watcha Wanna" by Rebirth Brass Band is an interesting addition. It is a lively big band song that puts one in the mood for Mardi Gras. A rare gem is The Dixie Cups' version of the old Indian Mardi Gras chant "Iko Iko." Although given sinister connotations in the film, it is a fun and upbeat addition to the disc.

Seeped in New Orleans' jazz and Cajun music, the CD captures the music of The Big Easy and its surrounding parishes with forthright conviction. With the latest disaster still a fresh wound, the soundtrack as well as the film is jarring in ways that have nothing to do with the practice of voodoo. However, it is its ability to elegantly capture the culture and feel of the place that make both worth looking into. If only for a little while New Orleans's is returned to its former splendor through the music it has become known for. I suggest seeing the movie first then checking out this superb auxiliary.

Spooky good fun!.......2005-09-01

I bought this soundtrack mostly for the song that played during the opening and end credits, "Death Letter" by Johnny Farmer (with some fun added drum beats and enhancement by Organized Noize). The song (as well as the rest of the soundtrack) was mixed by Chris Fogel. The rest of the soundtrack is a mix of old bayou songs and Edward Shearmur's shamelessly delicious score. It's spooky with a taste of the old South. It's a lot of fun and one of the most entertaining soundtracks I have heard in a while.

Average customer rating:

Witty and Charming

Ill-Conceived PDQ Bach Anthology

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000FDBK
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

This Is Professor Pete
1712 Overture (S. 1712)
Introduction
II. Aria With Chorus: 'Howdy There'
Recitative: 'It Wasn't Long'
III. My Heart
Recitative: 'When Oedipus Heard'
VI. Chorale And Finale
Introduction
Love Me
WTWP Station ID
Oo-La-La Introduction
Oo-La-La: Cookin' French Like The French Cook French - Dana Krueger
Introduction: The Musical Sacrifice (S. 50% Off)
I. Fuga Meshuga - Susan Palma
Introduction
Classical Rap (S. 1-2-3) - Grandmaster Flab
Introduction
I. C Major - Christopher O'Riley
Introduction
II. Simply Grand Minuet
Introduction
Little Bunny Hop Hop Hop
Introduction
Minuet Militaire
Enough Already

Customer Reviews:

Witty and Charming.......2000-08-15

This CD is fun and action packed as much as you could hope for in a CD. He uses quotes from many famous folk and classical songs and implements them into his own compositions with a bit of a twist. For example, in Classical rap, where he raps about being the best rapper in the world with terrific brass interludes between the verses. The orchestra plays a clip from Vivaldi's "Spring" and then he twists it into a record "wicky-wicky" to the same tune. He introduces every peice before it is played in a hilarious manner in which he talks about the peice and something else that was going on in the composers mind as he wrote the peice. Starting at the begining-

This is Professor Pete- Peter Schickele introduces himself as well as P.D.Q.

1712 Overture- A takeoff of the 1812 overture of course, with snatches of some famous folktunes thrown in here and there.

Oedipus Tex- A parady of the Greek Myth Oedipus Rex where he murders his father who is the King. Oedipus Tex lives a life like his brother but in Texas style.

The next tracks are more comedy than exactly music like the WTWP station giving options over the phone about how you would like to hear a certain peice of music. Cooking French... is a woman cooking a French gourmet meal but flubbing up the entire time.

What I have already said pretty much sums it up. The rest of the tracks are equally hilarious and as witty as all the others. If you buy this CD you will not regret it no matter what type of music you listen to.

Lo the Full Final Sacrifice & Other Choral Works
Average customer rating:

Ravishing Music, Ravishingly Sung

Lo the Full Final Sacrifice & Other Choral Works
Finzi , Robinson , Whitton , and Choir St John's Collg
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Rubbra: Nine Tenebrae Motets

ASIN: B00006RHPP
Release Date: 2003-01-21

Tracks:

God Is Gon Up, Op.27, No.2
Magnificat, Op.36
My Lovely One, Op.27, No.1
Welcome Sweet And Sacred Feast, Op.27, No.3
Thou Didst Delight My Eyes, Op.32
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Op.35
I Praise The Tender Flower
I Have Loved The Flowers That Fade
My Spirit Sang All Day
Clear And Gentle Stream
Nightingales
Haste On, My Joys!
Wherefore Tonight So Full Of Care
Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice, Op.26

Customer Reviews:

Ravishing Music, Ravishingly Sung.......2003-04-09

As a choral singer myself, I was particularly drawn to this new Naxos release of sacred and secular choral music, some of it familiar but much of it quite unfamiliar (at least on this side of the Atlantic).

The disc leads off with what is probably Finzi's most popular sacred choral work, 'God is gone up with a triumphal shout,' set to a text by Edward Taylor. The opening organ fanfare is followed by sung fanfares with men's voices echoing those of the trebles. [The choir in this recording is that of St. John's College, Cambridge, and as such follows the Anglican tradition choirs consisting of boy sopranos, male altos, tenors and basses. There are some who dislike this sound but I find it very attractive, and of course it is the sound that Finzi surely heard in his mind's ear as he was writing these pieces.] The piece has colorful choral and organ writing that mirrors such words as 'Methinks I see Heaven's sparkling couriers fly.'

This is followed by 'Magnificat,' Op. 36 (Finzi's only American commission, written for the choirs of Smith and Amherst Colleges), a moving setting without the usual concluding 'Gloria', that begins with an exulting 'My soul doth magnify the Lord' and ends on the words 'for ever and ever' gradually dying away to the final 'Amen.'

'God is gone up' is the second of three sacred pieces in Opus 27. The other two are included (although not in consecutive order). They are 'My lovely one,' and 'Welcome sweet and sacred feast.' The latter is a setting of Henry Vaughan's poem celebrating the poet's redemption through religious conversion ('Dead was I, and deep in trouble'). It contains a meltingly beautiful passage on the words 'O rose of Sharon! O the Lily of the Valley!'

There are two part-songs for male voices, the a cappella 'Thou didst delight my eyes,' Op. 32, and one set to the famous passage from Ecclesiastes, 'Let us now praise famous men,' Op. 35. The latter, in two-part harmony, is notable for its Elgarian treading bass in the organ.

'Seven Unaccompanied Partsongs,' Op. 17, are set to texts by Robert Bridges. They are lyrical and tender and the part-writing is especially grateful to sing. The joyous 'My Spirit Sang All Day' is a particular favorite of small choirs. (For American readers/singers I will add that these songs remind me harmonically and in tone of those in Randall Thompson's 'Frostiana.')

The final and longest piece here is 'Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice,' Op. 26, a 14-minute festival anthem set to Crashaw's elegant translation of Aquinas's 'Adoro te' and 'Lauda Sion.' It starts with a longish organ introduction and features a cappella and accompanied passages and short solos following the poetry's verse structure. There are some ecstatically lovely melodies, particularly at the words 'Jesu, Master, just and true' and at the final 'Amen.'

The singing here is impeccable and stylish. The recorded sound is all one could ask. Another triumph for St. John's, Cambridge, its conductor, Christopher Robinson, and for Naxos.

A hearty recommendation.

Introducing Rupert Parker
Average customer rating:
Introducing Rupert Parker

Manufacturer: Marbly Street
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000BML4QG

Product Description

Rupert's first CD introduced in the United States, this recording includes major movie themes, Broadway hits and sentimental pop ballads from the 1980's and 1990's. Arrangements include electric harp, keyboard, sax, clarinet, bass guitar and drums. TRACK LISTING: 1) My Heart Will Go On [from the movie "Titanic"]; 2) Don't Cry For Me Argentina; 3) Everything I Do (I Do It For You); 4) Wonderful Tonight; 5) Wind Beneath My Wings; 6) Hello; 7) Memory from "Cats"; 8) Unbreak My Heart; 9) Sacrifice; 10) Annie's Song; 11) Nights In White Satin; 12) Power Of Love.

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Souvenirs from American Operas

Manufacturer: Ircc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006OQY
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Average customer rating:

Some Glorious and Well-Sung Hymns!
Beautiful
Like Adding Sugar and Honey to Syrup
Good choir but not best choice of music
Stunning

Bluebird: Voices from Heaven
Edward Higginbottom , Charles Gounod , Edvard Grieg , Gerald Finzi , Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov , Sir Henry Walford Davies , Sergey Rachmaninov , John Tavener , John Taverner , Claudio Monteverdi , Gioachino Rossini , Olivier Messiaen , Arvo Part , Edgar Leslie Bainton , Helen Tunstall , Edward Higgenbottom , and Choir Of New College Oxford
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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The John Rutter Christmas Album
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ASIN: B000050AQA
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

What Sweeter Music
The Blue Bird
Te Lucis Ante Terminum (After 'Song Of The Birds') - Helen Tunstall/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Crux Fidelis (After 'Ombra Mai Fu' From 'Xerxes')
Ave Maria - Ben Hulett/Helen Tunstall/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Ave Maris Stella
Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice, Op.26: Amen
Liturgy Of St John Chrysostom No.2, Op.29: Veruyu (Creed) - Ben Hulett/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
God Be In My Head
Lugebat David (After 'Pavane', Op.50)
All Night Vigil, Op.37: Lord, Now Lettest Thou - Ben Hulett/The Choir Of New College Oxford/Edward Higginbottom
Beati Quorum Via
Song For Athene
All Night Vigil, Op.37: Blessed Is The Man
Mater Christi
Ave Maris Stella
O Salutaris Hostia
O Sacrum Convivium!
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Weisheit
And I Saw A New Heaven

Customer Reviews:

Some Glorious and Well-Sung Hymns! .......2006-02-27

I was surprised to read the wide variation of reactions to this CD, which I read whilst re-hearing it. Talk about one man's meat being another man's poison!

Let me say at the outset, I am one who found the disk to be delicious meat, and far from poison. While I, too, was a bit fearful when I saw the number of re-arranged familiar works, I approached them with an open mind, prepared to enjoy them or not as the listening experience unfolded, with no odious comparisons nor particular expectations nor religious purposes in mind. I will speak then of my musical experience listening to the disk.

I enjoyed the music immensely, and was grateful for the provision of texts and translations (in lieu of any other notes about the pieces). I found the variety of cultures, styles, periods, and level of familiarity a very refreshing reminder of the countless ways in which composers of various times and places have approached Christian ideas (for no other religion is represented here).

Let me say a word or two about the individual pieces, then offer a very brief summary.

First, the Rutter hymn "What Sweeter Music" was familiar to me, but I delighted in its sheer loveliness, almost as if it were the first time! I had to play it several times before proceeding. We all owe John Rutter a great deal for his musical contribution to our times.

I was impressed with the beauty and imagination of Stanford's setting of Mary Coleridge's "Blue Bird." Not really a hymn, I suppose, it speaks of joy in nature, reminiscent in basic idea to "All Things Bright and Beautiful," though not musically similar.

The rendering of the Catalan folksong (brought to us originally by Pablo Casals) as a hymn with 7th century Ambrosian text was a welcome chance to re-hear that lovely music, and not as the Christmas carol "El Cant dels Ocells" ("The Song of the Birds"). Higginbottom's arrangement, with harp accompaniment, is very atmospheric and gorgeous.

The setting of Handel's "Ombra Mai Fu" (from his opera Xerxes) was a bit difficult to separate from its original context simply because of its immense popularity; still I managed to suppress those connotations, and found the new topic really not so different, after all. The "Crux Fidelis" text speaks of the holy cross as a "noble tree," while in Xerxes the aria renders thanks to a tree for its shade. The choral arrangement, sung in unison, with string accompaniment is tasteful and musical.

The Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria" is another extremely familiar hymn, but this one is not so much different from its Gounod setting. Higginbottom has simply added a choral accompaniment to the original vocal solo and used the harp to provide instrumental support. The tenor, Ben Hulett, sings very beautifully, as does the chorus behind him, and the balance is fine overall, though some might prefer the soloist to be more prominent in one or two spots.

I was glad to be reminded of Grieg's "Ave Maris Stella," which I had forgotten about, and of his expertise in writing for voice. His most popular works are undoubtedly the instrumental "Peer Gynt Suite" and the piano concerto. Here we get back to original versions again. I enjoyed this, though the intensity of the choral singing may be too much for some.

The "Amen" by Finzi shows a delightful interweaving of voices and some delicious harmonies within its short span (hardly more than 60 seconds).

Grechaninov's "Veruyu," or "Credo" from the important Russian Orthodox Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom brings to us the lovely, mystical chant of the all-male church choirs with their ultra-high tenors and ultra-low basses offering a huge richness of (unaccompanied) vocal sound. This is lovely and devout-sounding music, dramatically presented!

The utterly simple and ravishingly beautiful "God Be In My Head," by HW Davies, is probably alone worth the price of the CD! The choral singing here is absolutely first-rate.

The arrangement of Faure's "Pavane" is one of the more problematic pieces, being again so very familiar to us all in the original flute and strings version. I was rather pleased with the choral arrangement, perhaps perversely, for I have grown a bit tired of hearing the original. The 15th century Latin words seem to me appropriate to the emotional character of Faure's music, being very mournful indeed. (Faure's title is simply the name of a very old Italian dance from Padua, so I don't know if he meant it to be sad.)

The 2 selections from Rachmaninov's setting of an "All Night Vigil" (tracks 11 and 14) present music from the Russian Orthodox church, as did Grechaninov's, and the musical style is quite similar. For a piano virtuoso, Rachmaninov astounds us with his fine choral writing. Listen for the extremely low bass notes at the end of track 11, but don't try them at home: they're really subterranean! Track 14 "Blessed Is the Man" is a remarkably fine hymn with lovely Alleluias at the end of each verse.

Stanford's "Beata Quorum Via" is another expert piece of choral writing, and it is quite beautiful as presented here, a capella, with lovely interweaving voices in varied textures.

The "Song for Athene," by contemporary English composer Sir John Tavener, is a lament for the death of a woman, with words from Shakespeare and the Russian Orthodox funeral service and music very reminiscent of the Russian music presented earlier, except that 20th century touches appear here and there in the form of dissonances which occur suddenly and then resolve quickly back into the predominant, often austere, harmony.

"Mater Christi" is by John Taverner (not Tavener!), a 16th century English composer of church music, much of which is fairly well known today. This is a fine, longish Marian hymn sung a capella in Latin.

Monteverdi provides another Marian hymn whose Latin text is very familiar and much used, being the "Ave Maris Stella." The chorus is supported by organ and chamber orchestra, and all perform well. Very fine music!

Rossini, of operatic fame, puts on his ecclesiastical mantle here to offer a hymn to words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "O Salutaris Hostia," which is appropriately devout in character and as dramatic as you might expect. It's also a lovely a capella hymn.

Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium" is, like Rossini's, a hymn which centers upon the Paschal victim as recalled in the holy communion, but this time in the exquisite and piquant harmonies characteristic of the 20th century French mystical composer.

Arvo Part is a contemporary Estonian composer (born 1935) of a mystical character akin to Messiaen's and Tavener's. "O Weisheit," a hymn to Divine Wisdom, is sung in German and has a chant-like quality.

"And I Saw a New Heaven," a liturgical anthem, is the best-known work of the 20th century English composer Edgar Bainton, who is less well known than most of the others here (two of whom--Davies and Stanford-- were his teachers). The English text, from the Book of Revelations, is highly mystical and prophetic, and the music, for chorus and organ, is absolutely glorious!

Though some have complained about the singing and the recording quality here, I don't agree with them overall. There are points where the intensity of the voices in the perhaps overly resonant environment may seem a bit harsh, but such points are relatively few, and I find the many moments of exquisite delight outweigh them by far. Thus I recommend this CD highly for the large amount of musical satisfaction it brings.

Beautiful.......2005-12-06

I love this cd. I don't use it for serious listening - perhaps it is too sweet for that as the previous reviewer suggests, and perhaps there are better renditions. All I know is that this cd is wonderful to fall asleep or wake up to - and listening to it never fails to make me feel peaceful and happy. I recommend it.

Like Adding Sugar and Honey to Syrup.......2002-10-10

This disc largely consists of sticky-sweet, bastardized choral arrangements done in a saccharine style. The pieces whose texts are set to familiar "Top 40" classical works are really quite tasteless- Lugebat David and Crux Fidelis being the worst of them.

The recording has been made with a manufactured sound in an unusually resonant space, which has allowed the producer to gloss over a startling number of sloppy entrances, a poor blend, occasional pitch problems, and a shrill soprano section.

Borrow the disc from your library and listen to the transcriptions for the novelty of it- but for more legitimate recordings of the Rutter, the Messaien, Part and Rachmaninov, you'd best look elsewhere.

Good choir but not best choice of music.......2002-06-17

This is my first and, as yet, only recording of the Choir of New College Oxford, and I must say I am not wholly enamored with it. The choir makes a lovely sound and the quality is good, but I just cannot bring myself to enjoy the choice of music itself. I have listened through several times and only a handful of pieces capture my fancy - the Rachmaninov, Tavener, and Rossini, in particular - with the rest of the music simply too romantic and "ordinary" for me. To be blunt, I find the program rather boring. As for the singing, it is mostly beautiful but perhaps a little "too much" for lengthy listening - the vibrato is, for me, slightly overdone in places and the trebles sound a bit shrill and/or flat on occasion. However, I am certainly not going to argue that the quality of this ensemble is anything less than first-class; I would just prefer to hear then performing what to my taste would be a more interesting program.

Stunning.......2002-05-16

When I first got this album, I listened to only the first three tracks, while I prayed in the morning and the evening. One night, I accidentally fell asleep with the CD still playing, and I awoke to hear Gabriel Faure's beautiful "Lugebat David". Soon after, I listened to the entire album and was blown away by its utter beauty. The voices are perfect, the arrangements luminous, and they create an ethereal mood. I still listen to this album when I pray, for it puts me in the best frame of mind for that exercise.

Among my favorites on the album are: "What Sweeter Music" (Rutter), "The Bluebird" (Stanford), "Song For Athene" (Tavener), "Nyne otpushehayeshi" (Rachmaninov), "O Weisheit" (Part), and "God Be In My Head" (Davies). But, the reason I gave this album five stars is it breathes as a whole: beyond my favorite tracks, every song is stellar. If you own no other choral music, you should own this album

Your Caress + Sleepless Remorse
Average customer rating:

Buy this album

Your Caress + Sleepless Remorse
Ashen Mortality , and Pre-My Silent Wake
Manufacturer: Cold Fusion Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Similar Items:

A Time to Mourn

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Waves Are Dancing

ASIN: B0009RJ9RY

Product Description

Reissue of Ashen Mortality's "Sleepless Remorse" and "Your Caress". Remastered with high quality and bonus tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Buy this album .......2006-07-15

Buy this album now! I bought Your Caress/Sleepless Remorse a few months ago, and have not stopped listening to them ever since. This is not the heaviest doom/death metal material out there, but very good sounding nonetheless.Ian Arkley is a great guitarist, worth hearing, with a range from soft acoustic tones to brutal metal riffing, and his volcals range from some singing or spoken parts, to full on death metal growls. What makes Ashen different from other bands, however, are the keyboards and vocals of Melanie-Sarah Bolton. They add a hauntingly melodic tone to the music, which reminds me of some of Paramaecium's material. It is actually hard to say which album I like more, both have many good qualities. Sleepless Remorse is nearly twice as long as Your Caress, with a couple tunes appearing twice, in differing levels of production. My favourite songs from Sleepless Remorse are 'Faded Tapestry' and the title track, whilst my favourite songs from Your Caress are, once again the eponymous song, as well as 'Our Eden' for its striring, driving music and words. Well worth listening to, from what is currently my favourite British band.

Average customer rating:

The String Quartet Tribute to Creed

Manufacturer: Vitamin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Tributes | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0001Z37BS
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

Are You Ready
Higher
Arms Wide Open
One
Hide
Torn
My Sacrifice
Wrong Way
Pity for a Dime
What If
Bullets [*]
What's This Life For [*]
Don't Stop Dancing [*]

Product Description

1. Are You Ready
2. Higher
3. Arms Wide Open
4. One
5. Hide
6. Torn
7. My Sacrifice
8. Wrong Way
9. Pity For A Dime
10. What If

Bonus Tracks:
11. Bullets
12. What's This Life For
13. Don't Stop Dancing

Format: CD

Gerald Finzi: Choral Works
Average customer rating:

Distinctive and moving

Exceptionally moving and spiritual compositions, performance

Gorgeous compositions and performances

Loving performances of a distinctive composer

Gerald Finzi: Choral Works

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Finzi, Gerald | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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The British Music Collection: Gerald Finzi

Finzi: Cello Concerto; Grand Fantasia & Toccata; Eclogue

Finzi: Intimations of Immortality; For St. Cecilia

Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991-2001

Gerald Finzi: I Said to Love; Let Us Garlands Bring; Before and After Summer

ASIN: B000000AMD
Release Date: 1992-10-28

Tracks:

God Is Gone Up, Op. 27, No. 2
Welcome Sweet And Sacred Feast, Op. 27, No. 3
Three Short Elegies, Op.5: Life A Right Shadow Is
Three Short Elegies, Op.5: This World A Huntin Is
Three Short Elegies, Op.5: This Life, Which Seems So Fair
Thou Didst Delight My Eyes, Op. 32
My Lovely One, Op. 27, No. 1
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Op. 35
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: I Praise The Tender Flower
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: I Have Loved Flowers That Fade
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: My Spirit Sang All Day
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: Clear And Gentle Stream
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: Nightingales
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: Haste On, My Joys!
Seven Partsongs, Op. 17: Wherefore Tonight So Full Of Care
Magnificat, Op. 36
White-Flowering Days, Op. 37
All This Night, Op. 33
Lo, The Full, Final Sacrifice, Op. 26

Customer Reviews:

Distinctive and moving.......2005-03-09

The highlight of this wonderful disc is the recording of Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice, which is heard less often than Finzi's shorter, better known songs such as My Spirit Sang All Day or Clear and Gentle Stream. But this is perhaps his masterpiece. Certainly it's among my favorite choral pieces, and on my short list for desert island music of any genre. The Finzi Singers are, as always, superb.

Exceptionally moving and spiritual compositions, performance.......2004-11-29

Why is it that some people feel that to be current in musical appreciation--knowledgeable in the work of the cutting edge--one has to give up intimacy, the soulfully lyric introspective music of the middle years of the 20th century? Why does the ugliness of "music concrete", of serialism, and minimalism hold more validity than "Intimations Of Immortality" or these choral works? I am a composer; I have-- over my 42 years of writing-- composed my share of experimental work, but after that period of being a L'enfante Terribe, I have come back to the sensuousness of clustered harmony and the ecstasy of soaring melody. These works of Finzi are filled with a real passion and love for all that is beautiful and spiritually uplifting. There is an achingly intense lovliness to such works as , "Lo, the Full and Final Sacrifice"...particularly the final Amen. The a capella works display such a great gift for counter-point, and a marvelous knowledge of 17th century prose and poetry. Finzi has wedded music and text in a very subtle way; his understanding of this melding of music and verse is greater than many of his contemporaries. If you as listeners appreciate the achingly beautiful lines of melody combined with lush harmony in a personally intimate expression-- undergirded with spiritual intensity--it is my humble belief that you will love this recording. Put aside the amateurishness of Phillip Glass, and embrace this music from a deep lyrical composer-Gerald Finzi.

Gorgeous compositions and performances.......2001-02-26

This recording will definitely boost your seratonin levels. Some of Finzi's most transcendentally beautiful -- yet also quite accessible -- pieces are presented here. Even the secular texts chosen by this composer tend to have a mystical quality about them, and this aspect is also usually evident in Finzi's harmonic approach. The Finzi Singers approach these compositions with such enthusiasm and obvious love for the music that you can't help but feel your heart swell and the occasional tear come to your eye. They sing with excellent ensemble and dynamics, and offer a vocal sound that seems well suited to the material. The recording is finely done, with a proper balance of natural reverberation. On a crisp autumn morning, there could hardly be a better disc with which to begin the day.

Loving performances of a distinctive composer.......1999-11-28

With this disc, Chandos provides a decent introduction to the lyrical and sometimes quirky choral music of Gerald Finzi. As might be expected, The Finzi Singers produce loving renditions of works great and small, in which a good balance of sacred and secular texts (some by renowned poets) is created. The unaccompanied works speak very much for themselves, and when the organ appears it is finely played. Not everyone will find the disc to their taste- for a twentieth century composer, Finzi seems more at home writing in the style of the partsongs of the previous century and this leads to some works sounding pedestrian or uninteresting. Then again, some works can take you by surprise, especially the concluding track, "Lo, the full final sacrifice", in which the intensity, languidity, joy and sadness of all the previous tracks seem to be brought together in an astounding single piece. The performances are generally faultless. I believe this disc would make a fine Christmas gift- for lovers of choral music in particular.

Average customer rating:

A great song, with a point...
Good Song, Good Single Edition.

My Sacrifice (2 Track)
Creed
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005UE48
Release Date: 2001-12-10

Customer Reviews:

A great song, with a point..........2003-06-08

The first single from Creed's hit album, "Weathered", is My Sacrifice. The song itself is fantastic, with a powerful sound and great vocals.

But the part of this song that stands is the story it tells. It talks of two friends meeting after years of not seeing each other, and when listened to closely makes you think quite deeply.

A winner both in airplay and in getting the message across! For fans of Creed this is a must have single, and includes the video clip to the song, which only adds to the stort being expressed in the music.

Good Song, Good Single Edition........2002-07-08

"My Sacrifice" was the first single released from Creed's latest and third album, "Weathered," but of course you all know that considering whatever this band releases is routinely heard on the radio. It's an enjoyable tune, not as enrapturing or exhilarating as some of their earlier singles like "Higher" and "What If," but it is uplifting and features some symphonic electric riffs by Mark Tremonti and spirited vocals by Scott Stapp. "My Sacrifice" is a song just about anyone who just likes a nice rock song would enjoy and indeed, it proves rock music doesn't always have to be prone to violent images and gothic undertones to work. Yet, the darker song in the CD is the masterpiece here. "Riders On The Storm" is one of the great Doors covers, and there are plenty. It was first featured on The Doors tribute album, "Stoned Immaculate" and here appears as a bonus with the single. It is an epic hybrid of the Doors spirit and Creed sound. Doors guitarist Robby Krieger plays the solos with the band and does a masterful job. It is a fitting tribute to Jim Morrison and the song in the way it crystalizes the Doors sound and what it influenced in the rock sphere. Tremonti creates a gritty wall of sound and Stapp doesn't really try to imitate Morrison, he actually sounds pretty fresh and the lyrics never grow old ("there's a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad"). Overall, it's a cool CD. But I recommend you go buy "Weathered," an epic showing of metal virtuosity and "Stoned Immaculate," a great tribute to the greatest American rock band ever.

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