Songs, Romances & Dances

1. German Dances (5) & Trios (7) with Coda, for string quartet, D. 90
Composed by Franz Schubert

2. Marche Militaire for piano, 4 hands in D major, D. 733/1 (Op. 51/1)
Composed by Franz Schubert

3. Lyric Pieces for piano Halling
Composed by Edvard Grieg

4. Norwegian Dance for piano, 4 hands (or solo piano) No. 2 in A major ("Allegretto tranquillo e grazioso"), Op. 35/2
Composed by Edvard Grieg

5. Wiegenlied ("Guten Abend, gut Nacht"), song for voice & piano, Op. 49/4
Composed by Johannes Brahms

6. Soirées à Saint-Pétersbourg for piano, Op 44
Composed by Anton Rubinstein

7. Polonaise brillante (No. 2) in A major for violin & orchestra, Op. 21
Composed by Henryk Wieniawski

8. Zigeunerweisen, for violin & piano (or orchestra) ("Gypsy Airs"), Op. 20
Composed by Pablo de Sarasate

9. Caro mio ben
Composed by Tommaso Giordani

10. Chanson triste, for piano, Op. 40/2
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

11. Salut d'amour, for violin & piano, Op. 12
Composed by Edward Elgar

12. Scherzo-tarantelle in G minor for violin & piano, Op. 16
Composed by Henryk Wieniawski

Songs, Romances & Dances,Anonymous,Johannes Brahms,Edward Elgar,Giuseppe Giordani,Tommaso Giordani,Edvard Grieg,Anton Rubinstein,Pablo de Sarasate,Franz Schubert,Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky,Henryk Wieniawski,Budapest Strings,Bela Banfalvi,Delta,Chamber,Chamber Music & Recitals,Classical,Classical Music,Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.,Concerto,Folk Dance for Keyboard,Keyboard,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard,Orchestral,Quartet for Four String Instruments,Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard,Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra,Song Without Words for Keyboard,Violin Concerto,Violin with Keyboard,Vocal

Average customer rating: Selection of Songs? If you are a violin lover, buy it This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection.

Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Kreisler | Kreisler, Fritz | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Paganini, Niccolò | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sarasate | Sarasate, Pablo de | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Perlman, Itzhak | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Cinema Serenade Concertos From My Childhood / Perlman, Foster Masters of the Bow Itzhak Perlman - A la carte / Lawrence Foster ASIN: B000002RZO Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

1. Salut D'amour, Op.12
2. Songs Without Words, Op.19: Sweet Remembrance
3. Humoresque
4. Berceuse, Op.16
5. Flight Of The Bumble-Bee
6. The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
7. The Swan
8. Cavatina, Op.85, No.3
9. The Old Folks At Home
10. Liebesfreud
11. Moto perpetuo, Op.11
12. Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
13. String Quartet Op.11, No.1: Andante cantabile
14. Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op.55, No.4
15. Guitarre, Op.45, No.2
16. Romance In A Major, Op.94, No.2
17. Nocturne In E Flat, Op.55, No.2
18. Zapateado, Op.23

Customer Reviews:

Selection of Songs?.......2006-07-02

Perlman is a man of extraordinary clarity and tonality also one of my favorite violinists. After I finish practicing a piece I usually find a recording to listen to different interpretations. Most of them are by Perlman and Heifetz. Unfortunately this album has some obscure songs and the songs itself do not do justice to Perlman what some other songs may have done. Still it is important to broaden the scope, so I would recommend this to all music connoisseurs :). btw i'm only 16 so...don't take this review too literal huh?

If you are a violin lover, buy it.......2003-01-19

It's beautiful. Simply put.

This is "THE" Greatest Hits alum by Perlman.......2000-12-03

Perlam is already a great player like the whole world knows. But the music selection couldn't better! I espacily like the piano accomplimant. Perlman pays the pieces with true style. The working realtionship between Perlman and the Pianist is truly incredible. Before geting any of Perlman's other greatest hits albums, get this one!

This is a relaxing, however, somewhat disjointed collection........1998-11-12

This collection of familiar tunes will provide a relaxing hour with one of the world's premier violinists. However, the combination of "The Old Folks at Home" and "Motto perpetuo" is somewhat difficult to assimilate. At any rate, Perlman is a listener's joy!

Average customer rating: The "Clinker" of the bunch

Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set) Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Intermezzos | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Clarinet | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Brilliant Classics | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set] Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set] Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set) Beethoven: The Masterworks (Box Set) Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set] ASIN: B00062FLIS Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

The "Clinker" of the bunch.......2006-12-19

Having collected the entire "The Masterworks" series (including the Bach and Mozart Complete Works) this set is the 'clinker' of the bunch. First off... 6 CD's of Lieder 'historic' (pre-historic) recordings. No Overtures, No Orchestral Seranades, No Haydn Variations?? The performances of the Symphonies and the Concertos are shakey and not very well recorded. Brilliant Classics, who has done such a wonderful job with the Hadyn Complete Symphonies (licensed from Nimbus), the Mozart and Bach Complete sets, has stumbled a bit with this release.

Average customer rating: A Wonderful Voice Unforgettable!

Galina Vishnevskaya Sings Shostakovich & Mussorgsky Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mussorgsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Tchaikovsky: Songs and Opera Arias Lieder by Rachmaninov & Glinka Songs & Opera Arias - Galina Vichnevskaya with Mstislav Rostropovich, London Philharmonic Orchestra Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs Galina: A Russian Story ASIN: B0001HAHQO Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

1. I. Ophelia's Song
2. II. Gamayun, Bird Of Prophecy
3. III. We Are Together
4. IV. The City Sleeps
5. V. The Storm
6. VI. Secret Signs
7. VII. Music
8. I. To A Critic
9. II. The Awakening Of Spring
10. III. Descendants
11. IV. A Misunderstanding
12. V. Kreutzer Sonata
13. I. Lullaby
14. II. Serenade
15. III. Trepak
16. IV. The Field-Marshal
17. Spat Pora. Dyen Proshol
18. Zhereboyonok K Kobylke
19. Kto Eto, Kto, Kto Stuchit?
20. Ya Poydu...Proshcahay

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Voice.......2007-05-24

I bought this CD during the Shostakovich Centennial and it filled a gap in my collection for the Alexander Blok and Satires, works written with Galina Vishnevskaya in mind. The performances were made during the late 1970's and are also interesting for the collaboration of Vishnevskaya's husband Mstislav Rostropovich, who plays the cello and piano and is the conductor for the Lady Macbeth selections.

The booklet recalls the comment by Ms. Vishnevskaya that she is "a music hall singer with an operatic voice," something that Dmitri Shostakovich understood when composing these songs. It would be easy in some of the songs to loose control (particularly when the singer must half-shout, half-shriek) with the demands that the composer places on the singer but Vishnevskaya takes it all in stride. She is also superb in the Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death that Shostakovich orchestrated but Vishnevskaya really shines in the scene from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The disc includes only Act 1 Scene 3 but the scene is a pivotal one where Sergei (sung by Nicolai Gedda) seduces Katarina. I am familiar with the recording of the opera with Maria Ewing and, for drama and singing, this recording is truly excellent leaving one wanting for more.

The recordings have been nicely re-mastered and are a must for anyone interested in Shostakovich's music. The booklet includes the texts and a nice biography of Galina Vishnevskaya.

Unforgettable!.......2007-04-09

I was introduced both to Schostakovich and the "Blok Romances" when the recording was issued as a vinyl on the Seraphim label. At the time, I was absolutely entranced. My vinyl records went the way of the dodo, however, and by the time I had acquired a CD collection, I had lost track of who had performed the piece. I bought various versions of Shostakovich's "Romances," which were lovely, but none could compare to my memories of my original recording.

I was therefore absolutely thrilled when I discovered this CD with Vishnevskaya and Rostropovich, and as I listened to the first rich notes of "Ophelia's Song," I realized that I had found, not the lost chord, but my lost recording. Vishnevskaya's interpretation is unparalleled, as is that of Rostropovich and the other members of accompanying piano trio. This performance definitely belongs under the rubric of "Great Artists of the Century."

Personally, though, playing it was like welcoming back a long-lost and beloved friend.

Average customer rating: Apart from flutter and bluster, this is divinely beautiful. good value Very nice sellection of pieces and artists Fabulous compositions, moments of great performing A Great Tribute to Debussy's Melodies

Debussy - Mélodies / Ameling · Mesplé · Command · Souzay · von Stade · Baldwin Claude Debussy , Mady Mesplé , Gérard Souzay , Frederica von Stade , Elly Ameling , Michèle Command , and Dalton Baldwin Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Von Stade, Frederica | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Fauré - Mélodies / Souzay · Ameling · Baldwin Poulenc - Melodies / Ameling · Gedda · W. Parker · Sénéchal · Souzay · Baldwin Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn) The Songs of Chausson / Lott · Murray · McGreevy · Trakas · Chilingirian Quartet · G. Johnson Forgotten Songs: Dawn Upshaw Sings Debussy ASIN: B000002S32 Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

1. Claude Debussy: Nuit d'etoiles
2. Claude Debussy: Fleur de bies
3. Claude Debussy: Beau soir
4. Claude Debussy: Mandoline
5. Claude Debussy: La Belle au Bois dormant
6. Claude Debussy: Voici que le printemps
7. Claude Debussy: Paysage Sentimental
8. Claude Debussy: Zephyr
9. Claude Debussy: Rondeau 4 Chansons de jeunesse
10. Claude Debussy: I Pantomime
11. Claude Debussy: II Clair de lun, 1re Version
12. Claude Debussy: III Pierrot
13. Claude Debussy: IV Apparition
14. Claude Debussy: Rondel chinois
15. Claude Debussy: Aimons-nous et dormos
16. Claude Debussy: Jane
17. Claude Debussy: Jane
18. Claude Debussy: Romance
19. Claude Debussy: Les Cloches
20. Claude Debussy: Les Angelus
21. Claude Debussy: Dans le jardin
22. Claude Debussy: La Mer est plus belle
23. Claude Debussy: Le Son du cor s'affige
24. Claude Debussy: L'Echelonnement des haies Fetes galantes
25. Claude Debussy: I En sourdine
26. Claude Debussy: II Fantoches
27. Claude Debussy: III Clair de lune

Tracks:

1. Claude Debussy: I Le Balcon
2. Claude Debussy: II Harmonie du soir
3. Claude Debussy: III Le Jet d'eau
4. Claude Debussy: IV Recueillement (Meditation)
5. Claude Debussy: V La Mort des amants
6. Claude Debussy: I De Reve
7. Claude Debussy: II De Greve
8. Claude Debussy: III De Fleurs
9. Claude Debussy: IV De Soir
10. Claude Debussy: I C'est l'extase
11. Claude Debussy: II Il pleure dans mon coeur
12. Claude Debussy: L'Ombre des arbres dans la riviere
13. Claude Debussy: IV Paysages delges - Chevaux de bois
14. Claude Debussy: V Aquarelle n 1 Green
15. Claude Debussy: VI Aquarelle n 2 Spleen

Tracks:

1. Claude Debussy: I La Flute de Pan
2. Claude Debussy: II La Chevelure
3. Claude Debussy: III Le Tombeau des Naiades
4. Claude Debussy: I Les Ingenus
5. Claude Debussy: II Le Faune
6. Claude Debussy: III Colloque sentimental
7. Claude Debussy: I Rondel ; 'Le Temps a laissie son manteau'
8. Claude Debussy: II Rondel : 'Pour ce que plaisance est morte'
9. Claude Debussy: I Aupres de cette grotte somre
10. Claude Debussy: II Crois mon conseil, chere Climene
11. Claude Debussy: III je tremble en voyant ton visage
12. Claude Debussy: I Ballade de Villon a s'amye
13. Claude Debussy: II Ballade que Vilon feit ala
14. Claude Debussy: III Ballade des femmes de Paris
15. Claude Debussy: I Soupir
16. Claude Debussy: II Placet futile
17. Claude Debussy: III Eventail
18. Claude Debussy: Noel des enfants qui n'ont plus de maison

Customer Reviews:

Apart from flutter and bluster, this is divinely beautiful........2007-05-18

This 3CD recording presents a very substantial part of Debussy's vocal works. It's full of the most superb and mysterious songs you'll ever hear. Debussy had such a marvellously unique harmonic approach, and it gives the impression of mist and mystery, of the insubstantial and unearthly. This makes those songs which feature characters of the Italian commedia d'arte (Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine, etc.) so astonishing, and his songs of the beauties of the night and the moon so very beautiful.

The songs are almost entirely of a very high standard, and show how well Debussy knew the voice. (In my opinion, he particularly knew the virtues of the typical light high French soprano voice, and I can certainly attest that the majority of his songs lie beautifully and very comfortably in the soprano coloratura voice.) Occasionally there's a song that isn't of that typical high standard (the peculiar but very early song "Rondel chinois" comes to mind - it's a lovely thing to sing, but it's not a song of any distinction), but most of these are perfect gems.

The singing on this set varies a little. On the plus side is the ever-beautiful Elly Ameling, who had perhaps the most limpidly beautiful light lyrical soprano voice the world has ever heard; the amazing Frederica von Stade, who sings divinely; Michele Command, whose more robust soprano voice is often stunning; the experienced baritone Gérard Souzay (I have to admit I do not like his voice myself - his timbre and approach are not to my taste - but he is certainly very experienced in this genre and his French is so beautiful to listen to)... and on the not-so-plus side (for me, anyway) is the coloratura soprano of Mady Mesplé. I know there are devoted fans of Ms Mesplé - I must admit I am not one of them. While I admire the glorious ease of her top notes, and the young and attractive sound of the voice's natural timbre, I LOATHE what is to me an unbearable fluttering vibrato that ruins her singing. It sounds extraordinarily under-supported and very uncomfortable - but I also admit that Ms Mesplé clearly has a deep feeling for these mélodies. She certainly knows how to phrase - and certainly the range of her voice is remarkable. If only that twitter could be magicked away... then I'd probably be very satisfied with her singing.

Overall, then, this set is a charming and well-chosen array of almost all of Debussy's vocal output. It is not complete, though. I would recommend supplementing this delightful 3CD set with the recording of Debussy songs by Sandrine Piau, the somewhat bland but extremely pretty recording of Debussy's early songs by Gillian Keith, and the recording of Debussy songs sung by Anne-Marie Rodde (again, so very pretty, and it is one of the few recordings to include Debussy's duet "Chanson espagnole" - which is otherwise represented quite hideously on a recording by a tenor and baritone).

There's also some amazingly beautiful singing of Debussy songs on an album by Christine Oelze (her timbre reminds me so much of Ameling's - just lovely, and what excellent French!).

I have not listened to Dawn Upshaw's recording of Debussy songs, as she is not one of my favourite singers, but given that I've enjoyed her French performances in the past, I do plan to add her recording entitled "Forgotten Songs" to my collection.

And with all of that lot, you, the Debussy collector, will have a truly wonderful collection of Debussy's songs to hand!

good value.......2007-01-07

Whilst this may not be the most amazing of all recordings of Debussy's works, it stands to say that it is a valuable source of listening reference for singer and indeed fans for Debussy's works. 3 discs make it a worthwhile bargain!

Very nice sellection of pieces and artists.......2006-05-01

'Melodies', a three CD collection of art songs by Claude Debussy is a far better investment than the Dawn Upshaw issue, 'Forgotten Songs' which I recently reviewed. At the very least, it seems these songs are not as forgotton as Upshaw would make us believe, as here they are on a collection headlining Elly Ameling and Frederica von Stade. I am not really up on modern classical performers, but even I know these are two major league sopranos.

If you like Debussy, you will certainly like this collection. If you are a died in the wool Upshaw fan, Miss Dawn's effort may sould a bit better to you.

I think this one definitely gives you more for the money.

Fabulous compositions, moments of great performing.......2002-08-07

This compilation is a fantastic resource for singers and colaborative pianists everywhere--and no one will argue with the beauty of Debussy's compositions.
Gerard Souzay seems like he's just going through the motions on all of his tracks; Elly Ameling has fabulous technique as always, but there is something wanting; Mady Mesple gives a great (if not heartfelt) performance. The standout performance on this disc is of the Ariettes Oubliees, as performed by Frederica von Stade. Beautiful, and the emotion is there.
I would recommend it for any singer's library. I do, however, hesitate to give it 5 stars and recommend it to everyone because the emotion just isn't there through many of the tracks--and Debussy without emotion is like bread without yeast--flat.

A Great Tribute to Debussy's Melodies.......2000-11-18

This set of cds is a must for anyone interested on performing any of Debussy's melodies. It really helps to listen to these to learn the pieces, as the singers are supurb and perform the songs with great artistic interpretation.

Average customer rating: My Brahms Defective Fierce energy, but... Brahmsian Through and Through Stern & Rose geniales

Brahms: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto for violin and cello Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Stern, Isaac | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Violin Concerto Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration Beethoven, Sibelius: Violin Concertos Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos ASIN: B00005YJYY Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op. 77: I. Allegro Non Troppo
2. Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op. 77: II. Adagio
3. Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op. 77: III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace
4. Concerto For Violin, Violoncello And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 102 'Double Concerto': I. Allegro
5. Concerto For Violin, Violoncello And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 102 'Double Concerto': II. Andante
6. Concerto For Violin, Violoncello And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 102 'Double Concerto': III. Vivace Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

My Brahms.......2007-05-31

Opus 77 has always been one of my favorites, though this performance does seem a bit unorthodox, making up in liveliness what it lacks in finesse.
Then again, it takes a measure of musical sophistication to appreciate some nuances over others.

I've also come across Brahms's op. 77, 3rd movement in the movie (Warsaw Ghetto) Uprising. It melded in beautifully.

Defective.......2007-05-12

I bought this CD, unwrapped it and started to play it. There is nothing wrong with the music or the performances, as they are superb. But you better buy it on another disc, because this edition has pops all over the last track. I thought it was one defective CD, but I returned it and got another--and it had the exact same pops in the exact same places. This is not my CD player. It happens on all CD players, including my computer, which is usually impervious to such nonsense. So, get a different edition. The current printing of these CDs is flawed. And, to make matters better, Sony doesn't take their CDs back--they say that they are perfect. So unless the store you buy it from has a refund policy, you're screwed. I can exchange the CD, and I have, but the new one has pops, too, and since I can't get my money back I now have a recording of the Brahms violin concerto only. Don't get screwed, too, and buy these performances on a different disc.

Fierce energy, but..........2006-04-26

I am not entirely satisfied with these performances. In fact, I don't understand what the other reviewers write about, obviously I am on another planet.
The playing at this Ormandy/Stern/Rose is as if the life of conductor, soloists and orchestra were at stake; it is performances of fierce energy. I doubt you will find a Stern/Ormandy-performance sounding indifferent, oh no.
Still I am not so happy with the result of this Brahms. It has very much the feeling of a live concerto, in which the band is carried away by the music, missing the structure. The performance is always at peak. What I miss is anticipation, foreboding, build up, contrasts... Some times less is more...
Well, this is certainly a matter of taste. These performances were events, no doubt about that.

I got some recordings of these concertos. Shaham/Wang/Abbado, Szeryng/Starker/Haitink, Fournier/Oistrakh/Galliera, and of op. 77 alone I have even more versions, Oistrakh/Klemperer (grand and beautiful) and Heifetz, with both Reiner (forward drive, very good shape of the work and great playing) and Koussivetsky (great range of moods). Last but not least, the op. 102 with Mordkovitch/Wallfisch/Jarvi.

If I should have the two concertos on one single CD, I would go for the Szeryng/Starker/Haitink - amazon-search: B00004Z1QL - because it stirs my appetite for more, it has a certain grandour, it is something of a happy celebration; and in spite of quite slow tempos, it has anticipation, foreboding, build up, as Brahms intended; he shaped his concertos as symphonies with obligato soloists. It never fails to put me in a good mood. And it is very cheap. The only problem is that it is missing quite a bit in passion.

If you want state-of-the-art-sound and can tolerate to buy the two concertos separately (you should tolerate that), I recommend Mullova/Abbado live in Japan for the op. 77 and Mordkovitch/Wallfisch/Jarvi for the op. 102. Those performances are the best I have heard to date, considered the wonderful sound, the Mordkovitch/Wallfisch/Jarvi goes straight to the top, and Mullova/Abbado is nothing less than a must-have.
Op. 77 Mullova/Abbado live in Japan, more recommended than anything else: Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto
Op. 102 (and Bruch's popular 1st) Mordkovitch/Wallfisch/Jarvi, is good, but not as passionate as the Mullova on op. 77. Yet worth a try: Bruch: Violin Concerto, Op. 102; Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 26

Brahmsian Through and Through.......2005-05-10

If anyone - and I doubt they can still get away with it - wishes to claim that Eugene Ormandy had a "one size fits all" method of conducting, I entreat them to find a more Brahmsian, more Germanic, rendering of the third B's violin concerto than this recording. Eugene Ormandy's treatment of its opening phrases is at once so disciplined yet pliant - with the setup of the same sense of majestic forbearance and layered tonality he brings to his recordings of Brahms' symphonies. The tenuous overlapping of the strings with the winds alone is a textbook example of instrumental balance. Listeners can clearly understand why Ormandy was so renowned as a peerless colloborator. And this overwhelming tidal wave of sound comes even before Stern's violin has uttered a note!

Too often, I have heard other maestros conduct a concerto indifferently, on the mistaken assumption that it is, after all, the soloist's opportunity to shine -- not the orchestra's -- least of all, the conductor's. Such a passive approach runs counter to the composer's intentions; especially one such as Brahms, whose musical statements are of symphonic proportions, even in his concertos and sonatas (his First Piano Concerto was originally drafted as a symphony). Ormandy presents Stern with the proverbial "tough act to follow."

Isaac Stern's genius lies in the fact that with the singular voice of his violin he rises to the challenge -- and surpasses it. His violin cuts through the orchestra sharp as a stiletto, and never lets up in heightening the sense of drama.

Ormandy's genius lies in the fact that the orchestra's accompaniment never overwhelms Stern's violin, yet also never fades into the background, either; Ormandy's is a sympathetic and holistic approach, fluid in tempo and accommodating in dynamics in providing the perfect counter-balance to Stern's performance.

Stern and Ormandy performed and recorded many great concerti together while both were with Columbia: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, both of Prokofieff's. Stern always had the highest praise for Ormandy's uncanny ability to anticipate a solist's nuances. "Gene becomes an extension of your own phrasing and music making," Stern said in 1979. "It's almost as if he were taking part in your bowing as you play, because subtleties in pressure and phrasing -- if you're playing well you do them spontaneously -- he responds to instantly, even a millisecond ahead of time.

"I've often said," he joked, "that if you were going to catch cold and sneeze next week, Ormandy would already be there with a handkerchief -- you didn't know it was going to happen, but he did." Nowhere is this seamless melding of musical minds so apparent between the two than on this landmark performance.

Of all the recordings I've heard of this concerto, none can match Stern's and Ormandy's sense of tension-and-release, which is sustained from the introduction through the finale . It is, by far, the most intellectual performance I've heard -- yet so sanguine, so melodic. There is nothing sloppy or extraneous in Stern's playing: It is pure logic, an exacting rendition in which Stern is in command of every note. Like Heifetz' recording with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony (1958), this recording is very up-tempo. Yet, unlike Heifetz -- who sometimes dashes through a passage so quickly that he glosses over notes -- every note is endowed with purpose and intent.

The finale is breathtakingly bold, without ever being brash. It's one of the best examples of sustained and controlled passion I've heard on records -- akin to God holding a force of nature in his bare hands, unleashing it at the peak of its potency.

Both Stern and Ormandy thus have produced a musical document that speaks profoundly towards the respect and awe both men had before Brahms' oeuvre: I cannot tell the difference between Stern's approach towards the work and Ormandy's. Both musicians seem to be channeling the weighty and commanding German composer, but without getting bogged down in stale, scholarly, interpretation. Their passion for Brahms comes through with a clarity one usually associates with the iconoclastic composers, such as Mahler or Satie.

Recorded in 1959, this recording is one of the earliest stereophonic recordings in either Stern's or Ormandy's career. On the compact disc, though, you can't tell: The microphones catch every nuance every raspy bass and 'cello string, the ring of the brass, the rush of the wind as its passes through the flutes and the full range of Isaac Stern's virtuosic expression on his very dolce Guarnerius del Gesu.

This is a recording for the ages: It entertains, thrills and inspires. As for the Double Concerto, it deserves equally high marks: The communication between Leonard Rose, Isaac Stern, Eugene Ormandy and the orchestra players is truly amazing, and this is the best recording I've heard of it, even topping Toscanini's recording with Frank Miller and Mischa Mischakoff.

Stern & Rose geniales.......2004-09-17

Brahms escribio sus conciertos mas bien en tiempos tardios de su carrera, esperaba poseer mayor capacidad y experiencia, y parece fue una buena opción.
El concierto para violin es hermoso y vibrante el primer movimiento es solemne, cautivante; el segundo una sonata suave, sútil, grandiosa, para terminar con una apologia al solista, un empuje al virtuosismo. Isaac Stern es un gran violinista, reconocido y que aqui nos demuestra sus capacidades, estas grabaciones hechas en los 60 nos muestran a un Stern jovial, efervecente y compenetrado con la obra.
El doble concierto es de esas joyitas que aparecen de vez en cuando, el violin y el cello en una lucha y en una simbiosis maravillosa, quien se luce mas, quien alcanza mayor fulgor. Rose no acompaña a Stern en este concierto, se disputa el honor de hacerlo mejor. El primer movimiento agradable, vivaz se extiende haciendo disfrutar cada uno de sus pasajes. El andante es soberbio, el gemido de los instrumentos solistas es electrizante, un sonido penetrante, alucinante.
Para finalizar una fiesta, una reunión alegre de los instrumentos, el violin y el cello en un intercambio y no una lucha, es alegre, vivaz, fantástico.
Ormandy junto con la orquesta de Filadelfia acompañan a Stern y Rose de manera colosal, cada sonido y acorde en total sincronía, cada instrumento a su mayor potencialidad. Dos conciertos presentados a plenitud donde solistas, orquesta y director hacen todo para lograr lo mejor. Imperdible

Average customer rating: Enigimatic Flame! perhaps the most sensual of German lieder singers

Ljuba Welitsch The Complete Columbia Recordings Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Sopranos | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Tenors | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000029V9 Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

1. Salome, Op. 54: Final Scene
2. Tosca - (Act I): 'Perche chiuso?...Mia gelosa'
3. Tosca - (Act II): 'Vissi d'arte'
4. Don Giovanni - (Act I): 'Don Ottavio, son morta!...Or sai, chi l'onore'
5. Don Giovanni - (Act II): 'Crudele! Ah no, mio ben... Non mi dir, bell'idol mio'
6. Die Fledermaus: 'Czardas'
7. Der Zigeunerbaron: 'Habet Acht' - (Gypsy Song)
8. Four Last Songs: 'Fruhling'
9. Four Last Songs: 'September'
10. Four Last Songs: 'Beim Schlafengehen'
11. Four Last Songs: 'Im Abendrot'

Tracks:

1. Op. 43, No. 1: 'Von ewiger Liebe'
2. Op 105, No. 1: 'Wie Melodien Zieht Es Mir'
3. Op. 84, No. 4: 'Vergebliches Standchen'
4. 'Die Mainacht'
5. 'Meine Liebe ist grun'
6. Op. 2: 'Gretchen Am Spinnrade'
7. Op. 43, No. 1: 'Die Junge Nonne'
8. Schwanengesang: 'Liebesbotschaft'
9. Op. 32: 'Die Forelle'
10. Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 1: 'Widmung'
11. Liederkreis, Op. 39, No. 5: 'Mondnacht'
12. Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 3: 'Der Nussbaum'
13. Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 1
14. Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 2
15. Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 4
16. Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 7
17. 'Mne Grustno'
18. ''Mel'nik'
19. 'Gde ti, zvezdochka?'
20. 'Hat Dich Die Liebe Beruhrt'
21. 'Valse De Chopin'
22. 'Dei Nacht' - Op. 10, No. 3
23. 'Cacilie' - Op. 27, No.2
24. 'Ich atmet' einen linden Duft'
25. 'Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder'
26. 'Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen'
27. 'Um Mitternacht' - (Incomplete)

Amazon.com

Ljuba Welitsch had a short career, her stardom spanning the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. Perhaps this is because she gave so much of herself--even on records you feel she's operating on all cylinders. Her most famous role, Salome, is represented here by the closing scene with Fritz Reiner and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, recorded at the time of her triumphant New York debut. She was also a great Donna Anna, her rendition of the big arias from Don Giovanni full of fire and thrust. Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" is a passionate reading, one of the best on disc. The song disc is more variable but always interesting. A great singer, captured in her prime. -- Dan Davis

Amazon.com

Half of Bulgarian soprano Ljuba Welitsch's Columbia output stems from her salad days at the Met, when her silvery voice cut across the footlights like liquid fire. The 1950 Tosca and Don Giovanni selections, as well as her incomparable Salome Final Scene with the fiery Fritz Reiner at the helm, sound more potent than ever in these 20-bit transfers from original source material. Also memorable are two delicately scaled Joseph Marx lieder and a peerless Strauss Cacille. Sadly, the 1952-3 lieder sessions find Welitsch in dire straits: her voice has acquired a papery edge, with perceptive decline in intonation and breath control. Give Paul Ulanowsky credit, though, for admirably maneuvering through the thankless, Crisco-thick piano "deorchestrations" of Strauss' Four Last Songs. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Enigimatic Flame!.......2003-11-14

This woman moved me! I felt exitement, finality, pain, passion, victory, sensuousness, and nostalgia of a time unknown to me. The Salome aria is the most convincingly and beautifully sung I have ever heard by far. The thread of sound is never broken. The lieder selections are very lovely and interestingly personal, not at all detached or serious; a joy. Strauss' Four Last Songs done with piano are quite effective as such.

The recorded sound is very impressive; a clean, full-bodied sound. Columbia's mono recordings are absolutely superior.

This soprano seemed to have something very important to say. There is an ever present urgency in her delivery, a haste, and a desperation that clings to the heart. As she sings, she invokes compassion, mystery, fear and joy.

Please hear this woman!

perhaps the most sensual of German lieder singers.......1999-08-22

This collection of Ljuba Welitsch's singing Strauss is an great example of a singer's cultural connection to a composer giving her an almost eerily innate feeling for the music. Welitsch's voice can only be described as sexy, in a pre-war German sort of way, silvery hard and focused in tone combined with a sensuality of expression that is unique. She breathes life and fire into this music in a way that later singers -- even the great Elisabeth Schwarzkopf -- could not.

Average customer rating: A treasure in the Brahms lieder catalog Some of Brahms' best by an incomparable singer Wonderful ESSENTIAL

Jessye Norman - Brahms: Lieder / Barenboim Johannes Brahms , Daniel Barenboim , and Jessye Norman Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Anne Sofie von Otter - Johannes Brahms Lieder Brahms: Lieder [Box Set] Strauss: Four Last Songs/Songs With Orchestra Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder; Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Richard Strauss Lieder ASIN: B00003ZA2A Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

1. Sechs Gesange Op.3: 1. Liebestreu
2. Sechs Gesange Op.6: 1. Spanisches Lied
3. Sechs Gesange Op.7: 5. Die Schmied
4. Funf Gedichte Op.19: 4. Der Schmied
5. Funf Lieder Op.47: 5. Die Liebende schreibt
6. Sieben Lieder Op.48: 3. Liebeskiage des Madchens
7. Sieben Lieder Op.48: 4. Gold uberwiegt die Liebe
8. Lieder und Gesange Op.57: 1. Von waldbekranzter Hohe
9. Lieder und Gesange Op.59: 5. Agnes
10. Lieder und Gesange Op.59: 8. Dein Blaues Auge halt so still
11. Lieder und Gesange Op.59: Regenlied WoO post.23
12. Funf Lieder WoO post.22 (Ophelia-Lieder)_: 1. Wie erkenn' ich dein Treulieb
13. Funf Lieder WoO post.22 (Ophelia-Lieder)_: 2. Sein Leichenhemd, weiss wie Schnee
14. Funf Lieder WoO post.22 (Ophelia-Lieder)_: 3. Auf morgen ist Sankt Valentins Tag
15. 4. Sie trugen ihn auf der Bahre bloss
16. 5. Und kommt er nicht mehr zuruck
17. Neun Gesandge Op.69: 1. Klage 2 - Ach, mir fehlt, nicht ist da
18. Neun Gesandge Op.69: 2. Klage 2 - o Felsen, lieber Felsen
19. Neun Gesandge Op.69: 4. Des Liebsten Schwur
20. 6. Vom Strande
21. 8. Salome
22. 9. Madchenfluch
23. Funf Gesange Op.72: 1. Alte Liebe
24. Romanzen und Lieder Op.84_: 1. Sommerabend
25. Romanzen und Lieder Op.84_: 2. Der Kranz
26. Romanzen und Lieder Op.84_: 3. In den Beeren
27. Romanzen und Lieder Op.84: 4. Vergebliches Standchen
28. 5. Spannung
29. Sechs Lieder Op.85: Madchenlied - Ach, und du men kuhles Wasser!

Tracks:

1. Sechs Lieder Op.86: 1. Therese
2. Sechs Lieder Op.86: 6. Todessehnen
3. Zwei Gesange Op.91: 1. Gestillte Sehnsucht
4. Zwei Gesange Op.91: 2. Geistliches Wiegenlied
5. Funf Lieder Op.94: 4. Sapphische Ode
6. Sieben Lieder Op.95: 1. Das Madchen
7. Sieben Lieder Op.95: 4. Der Jager
8. Sieben Lieder Op.95: 5. Borschneller Schwur
9. Sieben Lieder Op.95: 6. Madchenlied
10. Sechs Lieder Op.97: 4. Dort in den Weiden
11. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 1. He, Zigeuner, greife in die Saiten ein!
12. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 2. Hochgeturmte Rimaflut
13. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 3. Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen
14. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 4. Lieber Gott, du weisst
15. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 5. Brauner Bursche fuhrt zum Tanze
16. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 6. Roslein dreie in der Reihe
17. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 7. Kopmmt dir manchmal in den Sinn
18. Zigeunerlieder Op.103: 11. Rote Abendwolken ziehn
19. Funf Lieder P.105: 1. Wie melodien zieht es
20. Funf Lieder P.105: 2. Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer
21. Funf Lieder P.105: Klage
22. Funf Lieder op.107: Das Madchen spricht
23. Funf Lieder op.107: 5. Madchenlied - Wuf die nacht in der Spinnstub'n

Customer Reviews:

A treasure in the Brahms lieder catalog.......2006-09-29

Acclaimed as she was as a lieder singer, Jessye Norman showed a special affinity for Brahms. She made no less than three complete recitals of his songs, more than any other singer I can remember except Fischer-Dieskau. Not every lied is a mstepiece, and most are either folk-based or imitate folksongs in their simple strophic design. This can make for tiring listening after ten songs or so, but Norman's plush voice is to richly suited to Brahms's romanticism that it's hard to pull away.

Her initial recital on Philips with Geoffrey Parsons (1980) was a greatest hits collection, and Norman was wise not to overlap too many on her later two recitals with Barenboim. She was rather grand on that first disc. Here, she sings with great delicacy and sensitivty. In many ways this is her best Lieder recording, despite the unevenness of the material. Don't expect Mainacht or the famous lullabye or Von ewiger liebe. And I wouldn't advise anyone to tr and listen to this two-fer straight through. That said, Barenboim equals Norman in his artistry, so all told, this release is a treasure.

Some of Brahms' best by an incomparable singer.......2006-01-25

Ask someone about Lieder, meaning basically German "art songs"
and he or she will immediately think of Schubert or perhaps
Schumann. Brahms is just not that well known for his songs,
and it's a shame because they are among his best works.

Jessye Norman is famous for her artistry in Lieder; I still
recall hearing her in recital over twenty years ago. This is
a fabulous recording; you will fall in love with most of these
songs on first hearing. As a bonus, the two record set actually
includes full texts and translations. whereas the trend
these days is to omit those and you're lucky if the company
offers them "on line". This is among the most treasured recordings in my
huge collection. Don't miss it!

Wonderful.......2002-12-24

This is a wonderful album and should be in the collection of everyone who cares about Lieder. I use to study how she works her magic with a song, and it is worth digging into a single piece to see how she does it.

ESSENTIAL.......2000-07-12

I have been waiting for years for this two CD set to be released. I have had the recording on vinyl since the 80's and, for whatever reason, DGG did not release it on CD til very recently. For fans of Brahms' songs (there are 52 of them here), for fans of Jessye Norman's magnificent soprano, for fans of Daniel Barenboim's pianism, this is an essential album. To make it even more enticing, the price, online, is quite low.

Average customer rating:

Shostakovich: Suite, Op. 145a; Romances, Op. 21 & 46a Manufacturer: Capriccio ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000006N2X Release Date: 1998-03-24

Tracks:

1. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Truth
2. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Morning
3. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Love
4. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Separation
5. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Anger
6. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: To The Exile
7. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Creativity
8. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Night
9. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Death
10. Ste On Verses By Michelangelo Buonarroti Op.145a: Immortality
11. Three Romances On Poems By Alexander Pushkin Op.46a: Regeneration
12. Three Romances On Poems By Alexander Pushkin Op.46a: A Jealous Maiden
13. Three Romances On Poems By Alexander Pushkin Op.46a: Premonition
14. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: Love
15. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: Before Suicide
16. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: An Immodest Glance
17. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: The First & Last Time
18. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: Love Without Hope
19. Six Romances On Words By Japanese Poets Op.21: Death

Average customer rating: Stunning An excellent mezzo-soprano set piece Fabulous interpreter of Brahmsian Lieder A nearly perfect CD that surely will become a classic! Pure artistry and a velvet voice

Anne Sofie von Otter - Johannes Brahms Lieder Cord Garben , Johannes Brahms , Bengt Forsberg , and Anne Sofie von Otter Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Otter, Anne Sophie von | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Anne Sofie von Otter - Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben / Forsberg Jessye Norman - Brahms: Lieder / Barenboim Anne Sofie von Otter - Grieg Songs Brahms - Liebeslieder-Walzer Op. 52 & Op. 65 / E. Mathis, Fassbaender, Schreier, Fischer-Dieskau, K. Engel, Sawallisch Anne Sofie von Otter - Love's Twilight (Late Romantic Songs by Berg, Korngold, Strauss) ASIN: B000001GCW Release Date: 1991-04-05

Tracks:

1. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: He, Zigeuner
2. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: HochgetRimaflut
3. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Wi ihr, wann mein Kindchen
4. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Lieber Gott, du wei
5. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Brauner Bursche fum Tanze
6. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Rin dreie in der Reihe
7. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn
8. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Rote Abendwolken
9. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Dort in den Weiden, Op. 97 No. 4
10. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Vergeblicher Stchen, Op. 84 No. 4
11. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Die Mainacht
12. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Ach, wende diesen Blick, Op. 57 No. 4
13. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: O kWald, Op. 72 No. 3
14. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43 No. 1
15. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Meine Liebe ist gr. 63 No. 5
16. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Wie rafft' ich mich auf, Op. 32 No. 1
17. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Unbewegte laue Luft, Op. 57 No. 8
18. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Heimweh, Op. 63 No. 8
19. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Mhenlied, Op. 107 No. 5
20. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Stchen, Op. 106 No. 1
21. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Sonntag, Op. 47 No. 3
22. Zigeunerlieder op. 103: Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4
23. Zwei Gesange op. 91: Gestillte Sehnsucht
24. Zwei Gesange op. 91: Geistliches Wiegenlied

Customer Reviews:

Stunning.......2007-06-26

I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of praise for this CD. My introduction to Brahms lieder was through a recording by Jan DeGaetani. Through that CD, I learned enough to know that it was worth my while to acquaint myself with this music. Despite my familiarity with some of this music, I did not anticipate how much of an impact this disc would have on me.

If you have found your way to Brahms' music, you must know how effectively he communicates a wide palette of feelings ranging from the experience of pain (loss, sadness and resignation) through yearning bittersweetness and on to festive joy. If you have not yet experienced his music in the form of lieder, you may be surprised to discover how much the lyrics add to the experience.

By way of example, consider one of my many favorites from this CD. Mädchenlied Op. 107 No. 5 is a short song about a girl who feels left behind as all the other village girls are happily becoming engaged to the village boys. The song ends in painful and anxious tears. Even if you had only listened to the music and heard none of the lyrics, you would still recognize all the associated feelings. The lyrics become a special conduit through which this set of feelings is delivered, at once both embodying and clarifying the feelings. I cannot listen to this song without welling up in tears through empathic association.

This CD far surpasses the Jan DeGaetani CDs that introduced me to this music. Ms. Von Otter benefits from beautifully recorded digital sound. Her voice is like smooth velvet and her accompanist, Bengt Forsberg, is among the most skilled accompanist I've ever heard.

I have since obtained other recordings of Brahms lieder. In particular, I own a recording of Jessye Norman, but I have to say it does not rise to the level of impact that this recording had on me.

If you are not already familiar with Brahms lieder, you owe it to yourself to obtain this CD. I believe this CD should be in every Brahms lovers collection.

An excellent mezzo-soprano set piece.......2006-05-30

'Johannes Brahms - Lieder' is yet another really delightful offering from mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie Von Otter. And, while I think Fraulein Otter does German romantic Lieder much better than she does modern French chansoms or even 20th Century German works by Kurt Weill, I would not quite go so far as the comments of some of the other reviewers that this is a 'greatest' album or 'sure to be a classic'.

What this album does for me more than anything else is to bring out the differences between Brahms (often lumped together with Bach and Beethoven as the three B's) and Shubert as Lieder composers. When you listen to the same excellent artist do both composers' works, you can appreciate why Shubert is the superior writer of Lieder. Not that Brahms was a slouch, but he just didn't seem to have quite the same light touch as Shubert.

To my ear, while Shubert's songs, at least the ones done by Ms. Otter, are written for the salon (except for Ave Maria, which is best done in a church) while Brahms' songs seem most suited for the stage, and not just the concert stage. Some almost seem suited to the cabaret, except, of course, for his famous bedtime lullaby.

Fabulous interpreter of Brahmsian Lieder.......2005-10-01

She is electrifying in this recording. She is definately one of my favorite singers!!! The "Von ewiger Liebe," is absolutely incredible...Bengt Forsberg's accompanying is also incredible. This entire album is wonderful. Her voice is so expresive and so lyrical. She also has a way with dramatic interpretations, like "Von ewiger Liebe," and "Meine Liebe ist gruen." Lovely recording!!!

A nearly perfect CD that surely will become a classic!.......2003-11-19

Ms. von Otter, with her enormously expressive voice and carrying power of emotion, add to these Brahms lieder a whole new aspect.
She brings out the emotions in every song without a streak of sentimentality. In "Von ewiger Liebe", she does not make an artificially dramatic contrast between the boy's words and the girl's, which sounds more natual than most of the other interpretations out there. von Otter's light and lively voice is just right for such songs as "Dort in den Weiden", "Roeslein dreie in der Reihe". The same voice makes "Die Mainacht" sounds bleak and touching(Listen for "...suche dunklere Schatten..."). When I heard her "O Kuehle Wald" and "Gestillte Sehnsucht", I was completely carried away. Forsberg's playing is unforgettable too. His characteristic dynamic playing is best demonstrated in "Meine Liebe ist gruen".

In short, I believe this album will become one of the Lieder classics in the years to come.

Pure artistry and a velvet voice.......2001-07-24

I don't know if I would consider this singer the best out there--how can one truly know??--but I DO consider her to be one of my very favorite singers after hearing this album. I admire her artistry and that beautiful, honey-toned voice that envelops you in the drama of Brahms' exquisitely crafted, haunting music. It has been awhile since I listened to this CD but I am overdue. She is an intelligent and very emotionally/mentally aware singer, and it is hard to find any vocal or dramatic limitations on this CD. I am waiting for the day when I can see her live (and maybe sing on the same stage next to her!) This album is very worth its price, but prepare for a very dramatic journey--this is not easy, light, or background music--this music will make you feel intensely if you let it. (Also, for a very different interpretation and equally valid, in my opinion, check out the darker and thicker contralto voice of Mitsuko Shirai/Hartmut Höll in Brahms: 21 Lieder.)

Average customer rating: Very important release Viva Vishnevskaya

Russian 'Live' Recordings From The Sixties Manufacturer: Melodiya ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music | Baroque | Classical | General | Modern & 20th Century | Romantic | Sinfonia | Sinfonia Concertante Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Shostakovich, Dmitri | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Vishnevskaya, Galina | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Songs & Opera Arias - Galina Vichnevskaya with Mstislav Rostropovich, London Philharmonic Orchestra ASIN: B000007RSR Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

1. Lullaby - Galina Vishnevskaya
2. Serenade - Galina Vishnevskaya
3. Trepak - Galina Vishnevskaya
4. The Field-Marshal - Galina Vishnevskaya
5. Ophelia's Song - David Oistrakh
6. Hamayun, The Prophetic Bird - David Oistrakh
7. We Were Together - David Oistrakh
8. The City Sleeps - David Oistrakh
9. Storm - David Oistrakh
10. Mysterious Sign - David Oistrakh
11. Music - David Oistrakh
12. To A Critic - Mstislav Rostropovitch
13. Spring's Awakening - Mstislav Rostropovitch
14. The Descendants - Mstislav Rostropovitch
15. Misunderstanding - Mstislav Rostropovitch
16. The Kreutzer Sonata - Mstislav Rostropovitch
17. The Sun Has Filled My Room - Mstislav Rostropovitch
18. True Tenderness - Mstislav Rostropovitch
19. Memory Of The Sun - Mstislav Rostropovitch
20. Greetings - Mstislav Rostropovitch
21. The King With Grey Eyes - Mstislav Rostropovitch

Amazon.com

Shostakovich's orchestrations for Mussorgsky's Songs & Dances of Death heightens the music's stark, desolate qualities, without shying away from ear-catching instrumental combinations. Galina Vishnevskaya's raw-nerve response to the texts and affinity for the composer's sound world border on the clairvoyant. Her husband is a better accompanist at the piano than on the podium, providing firm support in Shostakovich's Satires and Prokofiev's Five Poems by Anna Akhmatova. The world premier of Shostakovich's Seven Romances to Poems by Alexander Blok finds Mstislav Rostropovich at the cello where he belongs, playing as gorgeously as David Oistrakh. The violinist and the soprano, though, are not quite attuned to each other during their duet. An absorbing occasion, nonetheless, and kudos to Melodya for making these performances available for the first time. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Very important release.......2000-03-03

This CD comes with thorough liner notes, it is beneficial to read them before actually listening to the music. The reviewer below, obviously knowledgeable, attempts to praise this recording, but since he mixes in so much of vocal technique examination into it, the results are somewhat strange. I urge the classical music and opera fans to read the book "Galina" which is a brilliantly written autobiography, which is not only one person's life story, but also the picture of Russian times and events through the eyes of incredibly intelligent, witty, and emotional observer and participant. Reading it would help to fill in the blanks and understand the significance of this recording. First of all, the "Songs and Dances of Death" cycle was orchestrated by Shostakovich especially for Galina Vishnevskaya. His very close friend and one of the all-time musical giants Mstislav Rostropovich follows the score with utmost respect and precision. It's a great, unforgivable mistake to claim that he "belongs at the cello" as Ted Libbey suggests - Maestro Rostropovich is a fantastic conductor with impeccable musical instincts and phenomenal insight. Moreover, he might as well be the ONLY person to conduct these works because his personal affiliation with the composers allowed for unprecedented level of expertise. Just listen to his complete cycle of Shostakovich's symphonies or "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" for more examples of brilliant conducting.

The satires were written by Sasha Cherniy at the beginning of the century, but once set to music to Shostakovich they became a weapon against the Soviet regime and as a result subsequently banned, with a particular emphasis on "The Descendants".

Now, not only Vishnevskaya has the most expressive voice, it is also one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded. Hers is a true spinto without the usual "pushed up" meaning to it that characterizes most other spinto voices. As to Tebaldi, for instance, this sound came naturally to her and allowed for immense power and incredible vocal range. This recording with its customary Melodiya problems hardly does it justice. Turn to "Boris Godunov", "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", or "Turandot" to hear it at its full glory. Philips used to carry a great CD called "The Early Years"; look for it. No, she did not sing "too many Leonoras" -- that's a gross mistake; while Leonora in Fidelio was her Bolshoi leading role debut, her favorite role was Aida and with it she subjugated the greatest opera houses, MET included. Had you heard it, you would not guess it's the same voice! The so-called "ugly" overtones in Songs and Dances of Death are clearly done on purpose: Vishnevskaya here acts with her voice to imitate Death the character, making it terrifyingly vivid and real. Same goes for "shrieking" on fast passages, here she uses a folk-song like approach, emphasizing the close connection that Russian composers have to their roots. Had this disc included other Mussorgsky songs, particularly "Where art thou, little star?" everyone would be astonished how enchantingly beautiful her voice could be. Another example is her Liu in Turandot, when she sang opposite Franco Corelli and Birgit Nilsson; it's available both on Myto and Opera d'Oro. Finally, one of the greatest musical achievements is Britten's War Requiem. Once again, it was written FOR her voice and she set an unsurpassed standard for it. Power, grace, and fully involved approach to music are her trademarks, this CD is really a small example but it's extremely important in terms of first performances of great works of great composers.

Viva Vishnevskaya.......1999-11-11

What we have here is a result of a unique teamwork of musical giants of the 20th century. Shostakovich, Vishnevskaya, Prokofiev and Rostropovich are not the names one dismisses lightly (well, not in the Stalinism-free world). One uses here a term `team work' because at the time the items on this disk were recorded, an outstanding musical performance was conceded possible only as a result of a team effort. In this case a team of Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich. Though Vishnevskaya is a soloist, she is not a singer delivering pretty songs - she is an `instrument' contributing to the total framework of emotionally charged compositions. This music can only gain from such an approach. Hers is not a beautiful voice, but it is expressive and emotional.

In `Songs and Dances of Death' Vishnevskaya is not afraid to sound ugly if the mood of the song so requires. At the same time it is not simply `doom and gloom' that the singer strives for- but a more complex atmosphere of hopelessness and despair. (One tends to think that the reason for the lack of hilarity in Russian music accounts less for the idea that Russians are boring hypochondriacs and more for the fact that Russian life had generally showed (and still does) little happiness. Vishnevskaya has an extensive vocal palette and uses it abundantly in order to reach her goal. To see the singer's prowess in this field one only has to compare hers to the recordings of the cycle by Hvorostovsky.

The satires cycle is outstanding for its witty and sarcastic text and Shostakovich's clever use of popular melodies. It is a shame that the booklet does not include the text of the songs and just the resume - despite Vishnevskaya's expressiveness, people who do not speak the language are going to miss on some of the songs' impact.

What one finds questionable here is some aspects of Vishnevskaya's vocal technique - when sang at forte, her top notes become unsteady and, very often, shrill and wobbly (too many Leonores, perhaps?). She is better in the slower passages where she can expand her voice and float her higher notes with greater freedom.

These song-cycles offer an exceptional opportunity to hear music the way it was intended to be performed by the music's composers. Everything on this disk had been recorded live which adds to the atmosphere of excitement projected by the audience. Shostakovich's settings of Block songs is a world premier and what could be more exciting than listening to woman singing music which was dedicated to her! And she deserved the honour!

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