8 Sketches [Explicit Lyrics]

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Michael Denvir’s music comes out of the lyrical tradition of songwriters like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. He adds to this his personal voice, and artistic influences as disparate as Walt Whitman, Geto Boys, and Friedrich Nietzsche. His songs are saturated in a desire to find beauty and meaning through language and self-expression. Music Connection writes: "Meshing basic guitar chords with exquisitely written poetry, Michael Denvir has added a modern twist to the traditional sound of folk music." A napkin poet since the age of 15, his songs are informed by a life lived all over the U.S., years spent on and off the street as a drug addict, and his ultimate decision to live clean, face his fears, and choose life.

Though often compared to any white man who has ever picked up an acoustic guitar (Paul Simon, Elliot Smith, James Taylor, etc.) Denvir’s music is distinctly his own and needs to be heard to be truly appreciated. Demorama.com writes of his recordings: "Michael Denvir delivers a group of exceptionally well-focused, not-for-the-timid songs that are often frank to the point of making rap seem circumspect." The LAWeekly writes of his live performances: "Denvir is very much a musical alchemist, who with guitar in hand can turn the harsh realities of life and love into beautifully striking, tuneful poetry." Perennially named one of Southern California’s Hottest 100 Unsigned Artists by Music Connection Magazine, Denvir has been playing in the LA area for years, sometimes solo and sometimes with band, selling 1000s of his self-produced cds, and gaining a loyal, local following in the process.

Tracks:

Bach: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Vivaldi: Largo Winter
Bach: Air On A G String
Torelli: Trumpet Concerto
Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
Handel: Let The Bright Seraphim
Handel: Pastoral Symphony
Boccherini: String Quintet, Minuet
Mendelssohn: On Wings Of Song
Liszt: Dream Of Love
Rachmaninov: Vocalise
Debussy: Claire De Lune
Satie: Gymnopedie No.1
Gluck: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
Debussy: Arabesque
Bizet: Intermezzo
Elgar: Salut D'amour
Debussy: Prelude A L'apres - Midi D'un Faun

Tracks:

Wagner: Bridal Chorus
Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary
Handel: Royal Fireworks Music, Overture
Gabrieli: Canzon V
Charpentier: Te Deum
Purcell: Trumpet Tune
Mussorgsky: Promenade
Pachebel: Canon In D
Handel: Larghetto
Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto In D Major, Largo
Handel: Water Music, Air
Macdowell: To A Wild Rose
Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata, Adagio
Melchior: Adagio
Gounod: Ave Maria
Schubert: Ave Maria
Franck: Panis Angelicus
Faure: Pie Jesu
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
Schumann: Romance For Violin And Piano
Massenet: Meditation

Tracks:

Mendelssohn: Wedding March
Vivaldi: Concerto For Two Trumpets In B, Allegro
Telemann: Trumpet Concerto In D, Allegro
Vivaldi: Spring, Allegro
Telemann: Trumpet Concerto In B, Allegro
Handel: Concerto Grosso, Hornpipe
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.4, Allegro
Handel: Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba
Schumann: Piano Quintet In E Flat Major
Widor: Toccata
Dubois: Toccata
Walton: Crown Imperial
Bach: Cantata No.51. 'Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen.' Alleluia
Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Alleluia
Handel: Water Music, Hornpipe
Chopin; Variations On A Theme From 'La Cenerentola'
Faure: Sicilienne
Offenbach: Barcarolle
Faure: Berceuse
Saint-Saens: The Swan
Brahms: Waltz In A Flat
Grieg: Wedding Day At Troldhaugen

Album Description

The process of choosing music for a wedding day can certainly be a daunting process for any couple. There are many choices and the questions can be endless. Traditional music or something off the beaten path? Will your Mom cry (and not in a good way) if you do not come down the aisle to the traditional Wedding March from Wagner, or are you eager to try something new? This collection is designed to give the bridal couple some key pointers to navigate the world of classical music for their wedding day. The package includes over 3 1/2 hours of music on 3 CDs for all portions of the wedding service, all from the Naxos classical label (known for high-quality recordings at inexpensive prices). Wedding day favorites are there, along with new discoveries and tunes you may have never considered for a wedding. All pieces are hand selected by professional wedding musicians and consultants. As a bonus, the 20 page booklet will lead you through the process of choosing music, from hiring musicians to sample programs. Everything you need to create your own unique personal wedding soundtrack.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT WEDDING MUSIC!.......2007-01-24

I used these CD's for my wedding, and I was so happy I did. You need to buy this CD if you like having a traditional wedding! :)

Good Music.......2006-07-05

I bought these CDs for my wedding, in ceremony and reception. Also, when I created my own wedding video, I used it as background music.

A very complete selection of ceremony music!.......2005-02-02

I am getting married in several months and we couldn't decide what music we wanted at our wedding ceremony. This three disk compilation reminded us of all the great ones- including new options we hadn't thought about. I really enjoyed hearing the organ and strings versions of the songs. If you're someone who hears a classical or baroque piece of music, but can't remember the name or the precise tune, this is a must-have to jog your memory and trigger the tear ducts!

Comprehensive Classical Selection.......2004-04-15

I searched all over for a CD set that had a somewhat comprehensive list of classical selections that are traditionally played at weddings. When I found this 3 CD set, I was very pleased. It contains 61 works from almost as many composers. This set might not contain the "best recording ever" of each of the selections, however it is very well done and the quality is very good. I used it primarily to choose the pieces that I wanted to have played by the church organist, and so the actual recordings were more for my consumption rather than for use in the ceremony/reception itself. However, I would not have hestitated to use the CD's in the wedding itself if needed. The book inside includes a list of suggested songs for various wedding styles (formal, outside, morning, etc.). From the classical neophyte to the seasoned classical music expert, this CD set will meet if not exceed expectations.

Just one note..........2003-06-07

I have not heard this album, so I cannot rate it as a whole. (The form made me include a rating, but disregard that.) However, I want to point out that track 36, the Pie Jesu from Gabriel Faure's Requiem is - well, from a requiem, a mass for the dead. The Pie Jesu is a lovely, gentle movement, and it has a beautiful and pure sound that does seem to fit the mood of a wedding. The Latin words, however, mean "Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest," where "them" refers to the dead.

Album Description

Music can be both calming and relaxing, or invigorating and passionate...this phenomenal 20-CD set is definitely the latter. This amazing collection brings together for the first time the most passionate music of all time, from Ravel's Bolero, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Wagner's Magic Fire Music to Ravel's La Valse, Orff 's Carmina Burana and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. This is a must have collection for every passionate music lover.

Customer Reviews:

A good gift for novice.......2007-05-12

This was a good gift for somebody learning about Classical music in Japan.

Average customer rating:

Microcosmos
Great value with a few flaws
eeh, I guess I don't like Bartok that much
Best classical value out there
5 Stars for the music and performance

Bartok: Complete Solo Piano Music

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

Bartok: The Piano Concertos
Béla Bartók: The 6 String Quartets - Takács Quartet
Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin
Complete Piano Works of Scriabin
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

ASIN: B00008X5AY
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

Sàndor, still active at 90 as this reissue appears, was a student of Bartók and a preferred interpreter of his music. Since this set appeared on nine LPs in the early 1960s, it has been the standard for Bartók's piano music; in this fine-sounding reissue, it still is. Sàndor can hit hard enough for such virtuoso pieces as the Piano Sonata and "Out of Doors," but he also retains the romantic element heard in the composer's own playing which tempers the harsher qualities of the music. While this collection isn't quite as complete as advertised (some early, insignificant piano music by Bartók is omitted), it includes all of Bartók's significant piano music, including such relatively obscure gems as the Bagatelles, eight Improvisations, and many delectable folk arrangements which will appeal even to listeners who think Bartók is too challenging for them. Vox's recorded sound, superbly remastered, resists obsolescence as effectively as Sàndor's performances. Even with the inclusion of the early books of "Mikrokosmos," which will appeal mostly to piano students, this set is worth several times the asking price. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Microcosmos.......2007-03-08

Sándor was a champion not only of Bartók's music but also of Bartók's style of playing. He often complained that people were too quick to see Bartók as ultra-modern, and to fail to appreciate the rich seam of lyricism that also runs through his music.

The piano music is dominated by short pieces, many of them written for piano students, notably the collections "Microcosmos" and "For Children". These, together with suites of folk dance arrangements, make up the bulk of the solo piano output.

Sandór plays these short, and often simple pieces, with neither too much nor too little art. As a gifted teacher, he knew unerringly how much music each of these small vessels held. The result is beguiling - but be warned: no-one can listen to the 153 short pieces of Microcosmos end-to-end. This is an anthology to be dipped into, not swallowed whole.

The remastering is pretty successful (fortunately - some of Vox's CD reissues are plagued by severe deterioration of the original tapes). And it's for half nothing-what's not to like?

Great value with a few flaws.......2006-07-28

I am not a Bartok expert by any scale, but I do like the way these pieces, without exception, are played. There are, however, a couple of other problems.

As mentioned by an earlier reviewer, very few of the works are split into tracks - Mikrokosmos is divided into 7 for each of its six volumes, and to accomodate for a full CD. In these seven tracks there are 121 songs. I would have much preferred if the songs had been split into tracks. Almost the entire CD set is this way - Fifteen Hungarian Songs is one track, Fourteen Bagatelles, etc. It is very annoying when one wants to hear a particular song in those tracks and not the others.

Another detriment to the collection is the recording quality. It is decent most of the time, but in loud sections the piano buzzes. One might be able to ignore it, but I think that it detracts from the passion of the forte quite a bit.

Overall, for $18 it is pretty decent, but if you are like me and like to keep your music library neatly organized (and aren't extremely cheap), I would not recommend this set.

eeh, I guess I don't like Bartok that much.......2006-07-25

I like the fact that Bartok is into the folk tradition and all, but he just tends to forget the fact that melody has to be SOMEWHERE in the music. I'm all for creative expression when you're sitting alone at the piano, but abstract music should be reserved for performance art. I like playing some of your stuff Bela, but I just don't want to listen to you.

Best classical value out there.......2005-10-05

To put this set in perspective, for months I would go to my local Tower Records fishing for worthwhile classical CDs at least once a week. One of the discs that sat in the bins the longest was a single CD of Bartok piano music, played by Zoltan Kocsis. It was Volume 7 of a complete series. This CD listed for $17.99, and as long as I went to that Tower Records, it did not budge an inch, nor was its price amended.

Now, Kocsis is one of the greatest pianists alive, and if anyone is worthy of commanding a premium, it is him. And to be fair, that CD is going to be re-released on October 11 as part of a Collector's Edition - eight CDs, $63.97 MSRP. But it's already going up against this little gem, which contains five CDs with all of the truly great solo-piano works by an internationally recognized Bartok specialist for $21 - not much more than the cost of one CD from the other set. This kind of value is not to be taken lightly.

I came to this set with my impression of Sandor informed by his complete Prokofiev - ultra-hard, sometimes rhythmically slack, always melodically lacking in some way or another. But he held a very special feeling for Bartok, and saved his best playing for the great Hungarian. In passages like the first of the Three Csik Dances, the opening of the Improvisations Op. 20, or in the Ten Easy Pieces, there is a simplicity, charm and wistful homesickness that is quite touching. In pieces like the Out of Doors suite, the Sonata, or the Burlesques, there is a vicious, impulsive energy, a wicked sense of humor and an overabundance of overtones. It is never mindless, inappropriate or even overly harsh - it's just very, very loud.

In this set I like best the endless landscape of the Sonatina, the unusual colors and fragrances in the Etudes, the brilliantly conceived Bear Dance (the last of the Ten Easy Pieces), and the multifaceted, complex, gorgeous Improvisations. Any fan of Bartok should hear these.

5 Stars for the music and performance.......2005-04-04

This is a fantastic deal, but the problem with this Collection stems from the fact that the pieces are often not separated by tracks. This is especially annoying for the Children's Pieces and Mikrokosmos. There are so many pieces, one wears out the fast forward button and still may miss the particular piece one is looking for. The booklet is fairly insightful, and the performer is widely hailed as the supreme interpreter of Bartok's piano music. So aside from this slightly annoying at times and ridiculously annoying at other times flaw, this is one of the best deals in Classical music. Don't hesitate. Add it to the cart.

Average customer rating:

Not the best recording
Stunning Goldberg Aria
Great CD
Piano Perfection!
A Classic in Every Sense!

50 Most Loved Piano Classics

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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More Than 50 Most Loved Hymns
Piano Favorites
The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever!
25 Piano Favorites
Piano Classics: Popular Works for Solo Piano

ASIN: B000AHJ7SY
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Tracks:

'Aria' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
'Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude No.1 In C Major, BWV 846 - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Minuet In G Major From Anna Magdalena Notebook - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude No.22 In B-Flat Minor, BWV 891 - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
'Siciliano' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
III. 'Rondo Alla Turca' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
I. Allegro - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fantasy In D Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
II. Adagio Cantabile - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
I. Adagio Sostenuto - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fur Elise - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
II. Minuet - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Impromptu Op.90 No.3 In G-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Moment Musicaux No.3 In F Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fruhlingslied (Spring Song) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Venetian Gondola - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics

Tracks:

Waltz Op.64 No.1 In D-Flat Major Minute Waltz - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.15 Raindrop Prelude In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.9 No.1 In B-Flat Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Etude Op.10 No.12 Revolutionary - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.27 No.2 In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
GRand Valse Brilliante Op.18 In E-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.9 No.2 In E-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Etude Op.10 No.3 In E Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.20 In C Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.4 In E Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Waltz Op.69 No.1 In A-Flat Major Farewell Waltz - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Kindererszenen (Scenes From Childhood) Op.15 No.7: Traumerei (Dreaming) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fantasiestucke (Fantasy Pieces) Op.12 No.1: Des Abends (In The Evening) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Widmung (Dedication) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Consolation No.3 In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Aria - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics

Tracks:

Hungarian Dance No.5 In F-Sharp Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Intermezzo Op.118 No.2 In A Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Waltz Op.39 No.15 In A-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
June - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Berceuse - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Tango - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Granada - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
To A Wild Rose - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Clair DE Lune - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Golliwogg's Cake Walk - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Arabesque No.I - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Gymnopedie No.I - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
The Maiden And The Nightengale - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Prelude Op.3 No.2 In C-Sharp Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Prelude Op.23 No.5 Ini G Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
I. Pavane - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs

Customer Reviews:

Not the best recording.......2007-07-15

The songs were played flawlessly, however, it's really quiet. When you turn up the volume, you will hear hissing in the background.

Stunning Goldberg Aria.......2006-02-21

Who is the performer of that amazing recording of the Goldberg Aria??!?! It must be Gould.

Great CD.......2006-01-29

Nice set of songs. I enjoyed it a lot, I see no reason why anyone wouldn't like this CD set.

Piano Perfection!.......2005-10-16

Saw it on TV and thought the music was beautiful, but forgot to write the information down... but managed to buy it online (now I see it frequently at the music stores)and I absolutely love this album -- all my favorite pieces! (I'm not big on writing comments or reviews, but was compelled by the artistry and passion I heard throughout this CD!)

A Classic in Every Sense!.......2005-10-12

I overheard some people at the record store talking about this album - one guy was actually a piano teacher and couldn't stop raving about it. I bought the album on his recommendation and couldn't be happier - it's stunningly beautiful. Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata is haunting and Chopin's "Minute Waltz" is spectacular in its precision and speed! This will make a great stocking stuffer at Christmas for my friends (... I'm getting them now cause I've gone to a couple places and they're out of stock). If you're into piano, this is truly a classic!

Philip Smith, Prinicpal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic

Average customer rating:

Philip Smith shines
Flawless
Good variety, superb performances
Top Notch!!
One of the finest trumpet-and-piano discs you'll hear.

Philip Smith, Prinicpal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic

Manufacturer: Cala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Orchestral Excerpts For Trumpet
David Hickman, Trumpet
From Moscow With Love
Trumpet in our Time
On the Twentieth Century

ASIN: B00000FDEJ
Release Date: 2006-11-20

Tracks:

Concert Piece For Eight Trumpets
Intrada
Lnde
Triptyque: Scherzo
Triptyque: Largo
Triptyque: Saltarelle
To a Wild Rose
Amazing Grace
Someone To Watch Over Me
Festival Fanfare For Eight Trumpets
Brass Music: Rondo For Lifey
Brass Music: Fanfare For Bima
Song For Cornet
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Andante
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Allegro molto
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Adagio
Trio In E-Flat For Trumpet, Violin And Piano: Allegro molto
Two Portraits: Psalm
Two Portraits: Incantation
There's A Great Day Coming For Six Trumpets

Customer Reviews:

Philip Smith shines.......2007-07-01

We have here yet another installment of the CALA New York Legends series, and it is no less beautiful and superb than any previous. Philip Smith, the principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic for over 20 years now, with this album, fully shows why he was both given that position and how he has been able to maintain it with the respect of trumpet players worldwide. Indeed I recommend any of the albums from that series, and I think it must be something in the water because these New Yorkers are all phenomenal musicians, from Glenn Dicterow, to Jeanne Baxtresser, and on to Philip Myers and Joseph Alessi.

Philip Smith begins the album with a concert piece for 8 trumpets featuring other fabulous trumpet players of whom great things have also been heard. He then continues on with the Intrada written by friend/composer/pianist Joseph Turrin, which is rapidly becoming a popular recital piece among trumpet players despite its youth. The album then proceeds to two pieces well known to trumpet players for both their aesthetic values and also their difficulty. Smith plays Legend by Enescu and the Tomasi Triptyque with enviable beauty and technique. We are then treated to an American tribute where Philip Smith brings beauty and grace to such famous tunes known to all Americans such as Amazing Grace and Someone to Watch Over Me. We then have another multiple trumpet piece which is here a fanfare which again features New York's finest. We are then given the 2 remaining movements of the Brass Music chamber piece written by Bernstein, and which the remaining movements are included on the albums by Philip Myers and Joseph Alessi. Philip Smith then delights us with a gorgeous song for cornet. The highlight of this album is indeed here where the Trio for Trumpet, Violin, and Piano by Eric Ewazen is taken and given such beauty that it redefines the word. Ewazen's name is known well to any brass player for his chamber music, and this is his largest rising piece and is performed very frequently for a piece less than 15 years old, and listening to this performance, you are left in no doubt why. This "recorded recital" finishes up with two portraits and a jazzy piece, the portraits again a gift to us by Joseph Turrin, and "It's a great day coming" for six trumpets a well-known piece that shows us that Philip Smith, master of the orchestral trumpet can also handle himself well enough in the jazz setting as well.

This album is a wonderful argument in favour of everything that the 20th and 21st century chamber trumpet is. You would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable or better performed disc of trumpet chamber music. Philip Smith's technique rivals that of any trumpet soloist (indeed he has soloed himself with the New York Philharmonic no less than 75 times in his career thus far), and his lyric playing is quite obviously supreme and seems almost to contain the beauty that one hears in the performance of a string master in his mastery of phrasing. Any trumpet enthusiast or performer should not under any circumstances be without this disc. Even if the trumpet isn't your cup of tea, I still recommend this disc, and indeed I have personally showed this one to people who do not like the sound of the trumpet who have themselves later gone and purchased this album for themselves. It's not the cheapest CD ever, this is true, but it is worth easily 4 or 5 other chamber trumpet CDs, so the price is still more than fair.

In short, an absolutely brilliant musical statement that is most essential to any brass player and highly recommended for any other chamber music enthusiast.

Flawless.......2006-04-06

Phil Smith's performance on this album is pure perfection. I have many albums that display a performer's dazzling technique, but few with equal artistry and musicality. Truly, this is a 'must have' for any collection.

Good variety, superb performances.......2005-08-12

Philip Smith collaborates with some other excellent trumpeters (including Fred Mills, Vince Penzarella, and Robert Sullivan) in this album. The Tomasi Triptyque is well executed, with good dynamics, articulation, and tone. Basically, you can't find fault with Smith's playing on any of these recordings. The Ewazen Trio is another good piece, showing off the warmth of Phil's playing. It's also good to hear the several large fanfare pieces, which allow all the guys to open up and blow. This cd will please trumpet aficionados and the regular listener.

Top Notch!!.......2002-06-12

This CD has quickly become one of my favorite trumpet CD's. Philip Smith is sensational. I particularly enjoyed the Enescu and the Ewazen. I heard the Ewazen on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and quickly called to find out where I could purchase the CD.

One of the finest trumpet-and-piano discs you'll hear........2001-07-13

This is superb trumpet playing in solo and ensemble settings. I've never heard the Enesco "Legende" played better. Smith has a long history as a cornet and trumpet soloist with Salvation Army bands. He can sound alternately brilliant and mellow, stident and serene. This disc has changed my trumpet playing for the better and given me lots of enjoyment. Smith takes a simple song like "Amazing Grace" and makes something truly memorable of it. Truly gorgeous tone production and phrasing.

Kudos also go to Joseph Turrin for his excellent accompaniment. His compositions are first-rate too, especially the first of his "Two Portraits."

Tracks:

Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: To A Wild Rose
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: Will-O'-The-Wisp
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: At An Old Trysting Place
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: In Autumn
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: From An Indian Lodge
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: To A Water-Lily
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: From Uncle Remus
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: A Deserted Farm
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: By A Meadow Brook
Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: Told At Sunset
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: To The Sea
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: From A Wandering Iceberg
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: A.D. MDCXX
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: Starlight
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: Song
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: From The Depths
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: Nautilus
Sea Pieces, Op. 55: In Mid-Ocean
Fireside Tales, Op.61: An Old Love Story
Fireside Tales, Op.61: Of Br'er Rabbit
Fireside Tales, Op.61: From A German Forest
Fireside Tales, Op.61: Of Salamanders
Fireside Tales, Op.61: A Haunted House
Fireside Tales, Op.61: By Smouldering Embers
New England Idyls, Op. 62: An Old Garden
New England Idyls, Op. 62: Mid-Summer
New England Idyls, Op. 62: Mid-Winter
New England Idyls, Op. 62: With Sweet Lavender
New England Idyls, Op. 62: In Deep Woods
New England Idyls, Op. 62: Indian Idyl
New England Idyls, Op. 62: To An Old White Pine
New England Idyls, Op. 62: From Puritan Days
New England Idyls, Op. 62: From A Log Cabin
New England Idyls, Op. 62: The Joy Of Autumn

Amazon.com

Many listeners will immediately recognize the opening piece on this disc, To a Wild Rose, one of MacDowell's best inspirations. However, even after a couple of hearings, they'll probably have trouble recognizing the rest of these pieces, none of which has the same kind of inspiration. MacDowell's deeply held belief that American music should copy European models was also his limitation. This music is historically important, but as a listening experience, it has the same effect as second-rate imitations of Grieg's Lyric Pieces. Barbagallo's lovely playing, a fine memorial to this regrettably short-lived artist, makes the music sound better than it really is, and the recorded piano tone is beautiful. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Not so bad.......2006-05-16

The Amazon reviewer (Gerber) is too condescending by half. No sensible listener would rate these pieces as the equal of efforts by the likes of Mozart or Schubert, and Macdowell never claimed they were. They are interesting period pieces, composed with a good deal of charm and skill. It is amusing that Gerber likens them to second-rate versions of the Grieg Lyric Pieces - as if those pieces were worth imitating. Even Macdowell knew better than to copy junk like that.

Simplicity, clarity, brevity........2001-08-17

These vignettes are not bravura performances (such as Chopin, Polonaise in A-flat), but short and brief tellings of a larger story.

The only criticisms I have is that pianist James Barbagallo played, "To a Wild Rose", a bit too fast for my taste, and MacDowell might have written a different, "From a Wandering Iceberg", had he lived to see the Titanic disaster.

AN ENCHANTING PARCEL OF NEGLECTED MACDOWELL.......2000-07-26

A master of the piano vignette, as these pieces aptly and beautifully illustrate, MacDowell (1860-1908) remains, for the most part, remembered solely as the composer of "To A Wild Rose," the first piece in his collection of Woodland Sketches, Op. 51, incomprehensible as it may seem.

MacDowell is a bit of a paradox. Musically schooled in Europe, admired by Liszt, taught by Raff, and having his own viewpoints about composition, nobody typifies, personifies or exemplifies what one might call the "New England School" like MacDowell does. He's rather the Thoreau of New England music, actually, and especially the piano vignette, of which he is a master.

Just look at the titles: Woodland Sketches, Fireside Tales, New England Idyls, Sea Pieces. For me, this music is New England. There's more nostalgia in these four sets than you can shake a stick at! But, you know, in this case, more is better, not less. This music has no whiff of the salon; it's of a particular place in America that calls to our very roots. It has a feel that cannot be accurately described. A mood. An ambience that resonates to the bottom of our consciousness. We become immersed in a dreamy reverie of our collected experiences, nostalgic yearnings, of people, places and things that have gone before... and are no longer. It's that kind of music.

It reminds me of my childhood, of late Autumn days, the smell of burning leaves as Halloween crept nearer, of rainy days, of places lost and found and lost again, walks on the beach at sunset, quiet evenings watching the embers fade in the fireplace, of first loves gone, of lighthouses... of sweet and bittersweet melancholy. That kind of music. The kind of music that one "knows" without ever having heard before, innate within us all, and reaching down to our very fiber. And that is the wonder, beauty and profundity of MacDowell.

[Running time: 63:49]