Vaughan Williams Concert

Track Listings

1. Fantasia On Greensleeves

2. Concerto Grosso: I Intrada

3. Concerto Grosso: II Burlesca Ostinata

4. Concerto Grosso: III Sarabande

5. Concerto Grosso: IV Scherzo

6. Concerto Grosso: V March And Reprise

7. Romance

8. Oboe Concerto: I Rondo Pastorale

9. Oboe Concerto: II Minuet And Musette

10. Oboe Concerto: III Finale

11. English Folk Song Suite: I March; Seventeen Come Sunday

12. English Folk Song Suite: II Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy

13. English Folk Song Suite: III March: Folk Songs From Somerset

Tracks:

First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: I Chaconne: Allegro moderato
First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: II Intermezzo: Vivace
First Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 1, In E Flat Major: III March: Tempo di marcia
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: I March (Morris Dance): Allegro
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: II Song Without Words 'I'll Love My Love' - Andante
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: III Song Of The Blacksmith: Moderato e maestoso
Second Suite For Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2, In F Major: IV Fantasia On The 'Dargason' - Allegro moderato
Fugue a gigue: Un poco vivace
From 'Two Songs Without Words,' Op. 22:: Marching Song: Allegro moderato alla marcia
Hammersmith, Op. 52: Prelude: Poco adagio - Scherzo: Poco vivace
Toccata marziale: Allegro maestoso
Flourish For Wind Band: Maestoso
English Folk Song Suite: I March 'Seventeen Come Sunday' - Allegro
English Folk Song Suite: II Sea Songs: Allegro
English Folk Song Suite: III Intermezzo 'My Bonny Boy' - Andantino
English Folk Song Suite: IV March 'Folk Songs From Somerset' - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

British Wind Band Music.......2006-01-04

This aptly titled CD, British Wind Band Classics, presents well-known compositions by Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. In many cases, the conductor has tried to reconstruct the composers' original score and intent with instrument choices and the number of instrumentalists (Holst generally preferred many less performers than is typically recorded today).

Holst's First Suite for Military Band, as opposed to the second, is filled with inventive and original melodies; the Second Military Suite sets many pre-existing folk tunes. In three movements, the opening Chaconne, a sort of theme and variations, has a noble theme of fifths and seconds put into various settings. The second, Intermezzo, is a minor-mode scherzo with a jumpy sounding minor theme. The final march, begins sad with brass alone, a dreamy theme is picked up by the wind section, and a glorious conclusion puts the two together, a common technique by Holst. A snappy little suite. The Second Suite for Military Band is unashamedly folk-based. The opening March with lyrical Euphonium solo middle section and a compound Scottish reel, make the opening a great concert opener. The gorgeously lyrical second movement, based on I Love My Love, is followed by the highly rhythmical Song of the Blacksmith, complete with anvil. The final movement is a fantasia on Dargason, a familiar Scottish song. Again Holst overlaps two melodies for a rousing conclusion. Many will buy this CD for the suites alone, so a few notes. Some will consider this recording of the Holst Suites merely academic or plain British stuffiness when compared to the classic Fennell recordings. While Reynish opts for slightly more spacious tempos and creates an ensemble of smaller, more intimate proportions, they work for this ensemble, and in many ways breathe new life into these works, which are usually played at too fast tempos. Many points of musicality are won on this recording, where it is lost on others.

Holst's arrangement of J.S. Bach's Fugue ala Gigue works rather well for wind band, with a lilting fugal feel. Holst's Two Songs Without Words is also included on this recording: The Marching Song and the important Hammersmith. The Marching Song is infested with a sad mournful tune in march garb, followed by a lyrical, almost academic melody, but eventually gives way to the gloomy opening march, but ends with triumph. In three sections, the opening of Hammersmith has a frightening bass line that unrelentingly press on. The only piece on the disk that has extensive use of dissonance, the fearful opening gives way to a scherzo, with mocking winds and a quartal melody that skips all over. The ending portion uses the opening bass line with snatches from the rest of the work. Brooding and dissonant, a great piece.

The Vaughan Williams portion of the CD includes the Toccata Marziale, here performed from the original manuscript, not the incorrect printed version. An exciting, if not perfunctory, march, Vaughan Williams' musical language for wind band is a bit more fantastical, evenly orchestrated, compared to Holst. The opening fanfare of the 2-minute Flourish for Wind Band is glorious, with a short little lyrical middle section, and ends as it begins. Vaughan Williams' famous English Folk Song Suite is more along the lines of Holst's Second Military Band Suite, with unabashed folk songs. Here presented as in the original performance, with the addition of the Sea Songs as the second movement. The first movement, Seventeen Come Sunday has a jumpy minor theme, while the second movement, Sea Songs, is more forwardly jolly, along with a charming dance-like middle section. A plaintive solo oboe opens the melancholy Intermezzo third movement, subtitled My Bonny Boy, but a sprite piccolo melody in ¾ time picks up the movement, before descending into sullenness again. The Suite ends in pure friendliness and jubilation, concluding the work and the CD in fine form.

Highly musical interpretations of English wind band classics, makes this CD a good addition to any library. The classic Fennell is definitely hard to beat, but this is a different sound, more spacious tempos (the slower moderatos make the faster sections more exciting), and a pared-down ensemble, more musical qualities shine through in these works that I hadn't heard in other recordings. Compare with other recordings; it holds its own.

Reliving past glory..........2005-08-02

What a great collection! I've played most of this music in the past and was delighted to find it together in this compilation.

Great Collection!.......2005-01-07

I have played all three movements of Holst's First Suite in E Flat for Military Band in concert and this cd really captures all the magic the song has when played live! On of my favorite band recordings thus far!

English Folk Song Suite.......2004-08-21

This recording contains an extended "English Folk Song Suite" (15 Min., 9 Sec. long), a version I'm unfamiliar with. I haven't actually heard the rest of the album--but I plan to. I can tell you the EFFS is very fine, with color and feeling.

A Great Recording and Must For Your Collection!.......2001-12-01

If you enjoy good British Band music, you simply should own this CD.

Average customer rating:

Boult Conducts Coates

Manufacturer: Lyrita
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Eric Coates: The Three Men Dancing; Dancing Nights; Two Symphonic Rhapsodies; Etc.
Finzi: Nocturne; Severn Rhapsody; Eclogue; etc
Boult Conducts Ireland
Grace Williams: Sea Sketches; Fantasia; Carillons; Penillion
British Horn Concertos

ASIN: B000M5B6ME
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

The Merrymakers Overture
1. In A Country Lane
2. On The Edge Of The Lake
3. At The Dance
1. In The Country
3. Evening In Town
3. March 'Queen Elizabeth'
The Three Bears Phantasy
March 'The Dam Busters'
Children's March 'Over The Hills And Far Away'
Marche Caprice
Hamlet: Funeral March
The Wasps: March Past Of The Kitchen Utensils'
Soirees Musicales: March
Suite In E Flat Op.28 No.1: March

Album Description

A splendid program of Eric Coates favorites, filled out with a stirring parade of marches by all the great British composers! Sir Adrian Boult (1889-1983) was one of the greatest, most beloved, and longest-lived of all British conductors. He made countless acclaimed recordings, not only of British music but certainly specializing in it. He was personally acquainted with many of the composers whose music he led.

Fennell: Suites 1 & 2 / Folk Song Suite / Toccata Marziale

Average customer rating:

Fennell Interpretation
Keystone Does Canzona and La Fiesta Better
Great music
Brilliant band performances
like finding a long-lost baseball card

Fennell: Suites 1 & 2 / Folk Song Suite / Toccata Marziale
Gustav Holst , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Peter Mennin , Vincent Persichetti , Herbert Owen Reed , Frederick Fennell , and Eastman Wind Ensemble
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000IIX5
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Tracks:

Suite No. 1 In E-Flat, Op. 28a: 1. Chaconne
Suite No. 1 In E-Flat, Op. 28a: 2. Intermezzo
Suite No. 1 In E-Flat, Op. 28a: 3. March
Suite No. 2 In F, Op. 28b: 1. March
Suite No. 2 In F, Op. 28b: 2. Song Without Words
Suite No. 2 In F, Op. 28b: 3. Song Of The Blacksmith
Suite No. 2 In F, Op. 28b: 4. Fantasia On The Dargason
Folk Song Suite: 1. March: Seventeen Come Sunday
Folk Song Suite: 2. Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
Folk Song Suite: 3. March: Folk Songs From Somerset
Toccata Marziale - Ralph Vaughan Williams_
Canzona - Peter Mennin
Psalm - Vincent Persichetti
La Fiesta Mexicana, Mexican Folk Song Symphony For Band: 1. Prelude And Aztec Dance
La Fiesta Mexicana, Mexican Folk Song Symphony For Band: 2. Mass
La Fiesta Mexicana, Mexican Folk Song Symphony For Band: 3. Festival

Customer Reviews:

Fennell Interpretation.......2007-05-14

For Band Conductors / Teachers, there is no better conducting interpretation than those of Frederick Fennell. Tho these recordings are not new recordings, they are still viable interpretations. Glad to see them still available.

Keystone Does Canzona and La Fiesta Better.......2005-11-10

The Songs of Abelard Disc has the definitive Canzona on it. The recently-released H. Owen Reed disc has a much better La Fiesta on it as well.

Great music.......2005-10-14

If you enjoy classical band music with lots of brass, you will like this album. Great horn sections, and some very nice chords.

Brilliant band performances.......2003-12-05

Here is more proof of the wonderful accomplishments that Mercury Records achieved in its "Living Presence" classical recordings between 1951 and 1968. Those were golden years for American music as Mercury utilized the talents of such conductors as Howard Hanson, Antal Dorati, Paul Paray, and, in this case, Frederick Fennell. Fennell is heard here in vintage, superb high fidelity recordings (circa 1955) with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, one of the outstanding musical groups associated with the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

These works for band or wind ensembles were often performed by college or university bands. Indeed, I heard some of them at the College of San Mateo and San Jose State College during the 1960's, right at the time that Mercury was continuing to issue such fine classical recordings. These performances were all recorded with a single microphone, much like RCA's "New Orthophonic" series, but I have often felt that these had better overall sound than the RCA Red Seal recordings of the early 1950's.

The effects of superb, monophonic, high fidelity have seldom been better represented than in the very colorful "La Fiesta Mexicana" by Herbert Owen Reed, given an absolutely dazzling performance by the Eastman musicians.

The two suites for military band by Gustav Holst, as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams' "English Folk Song Suite" and "Toccata Marziale" are representative of a high point in British music, the early twentieth century. Holst and Vaughan Williams were very good friends and compatriots; they both wrote exceptionally well for wind and brass. These are top-notch performances that set a benchmark for the numerous college and university bands who dared to perform these challenging works.

Less known are Peter Mennin's "Canzona for Wind Band" and Vincent Persichetti's "Psalm for Band," but these works by twentieth century American composers are also well performed in these recordings.

This compilation is definitely a musical "treasure" and have seldom sounded as good as in this digital remastering by Phillips.

like finding a long-lost baseball card.......2003-11-30

The affection listeners feel for the old Fennell/Eastman Wind Ensemble series on Mercury is gratifying to read, as these were indeed wonderful landmark recordings. But truth be told, in this instance it's a lot like finding a long-lost baseball card at a flea market - of a player long since retired & whose feats glow brighter in memory than in fact. This is far from the sonic wonder we recall. So unless nostalgia compels you to replace that ancient piece of vinyl (which is a perfectly good reason for buying it), & mono is OK, you'll be much happier listening to the two great Holst Suites & the Vaughan Williams Toccata performed by the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra on the Chandos label.

Tracks:

Olympic Theme
La Chasse
Olympiad
Commando March
Belgian Paratroopers
Florentiner, Op. 214
Barnum And Bailey's Favorite
Anchors Aweigh
Radetzky March
Sea Songs
The Stars And Stripes Forever
March: Seventeen Come Sunday
Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
March: Folk Songs from Somerset
Lisbon Bay
Horkstow Grange
Rufford Park Poachers
The Brisk Young Sailor
Lord Melbourne
The Lost Lady Found
Shepherd's Hey

Customer Reviews:

highest recommendation.......2006-02-28

As with Frederick Fennell's album of Holst and Handel, also recorded with the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (wind ensemble of the Cleveland symphony), this album includes material I performed in my musical youth in high-school and college-level bands and summer-program symphonies, notably Vaughn Williams' Sea Songs and Folksong Suites (yes, yes and the Sousa). So my ear is experienced, and I find no cut on this CD less than peerless, and with a great director and a great ensemble this is a very worthwhile album. The "Stars and Stripes" and Olympic-fanfare material is a smaller part of what is mostly truly profound music, and some otherwise hard-to-find work. Recording quality still outstanding even this many years on.

Some appropriate music for August, 2004. And other goodies........2004-08-17

This being the month of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, not too surprisingly, the "...appropriate music..." alluded to above are the Three Fanfares by Leo Arnaud (b. Lyon, France 1904; d. Hollywood, CA 1991). The first two fanfares ("Olympic Theme"; "La Chasse") were originally written in 1959. At the time, the first fanfare had no specific name; the two fanfares together were simply called "Bugler's Dream." It was nearly a decade later (1968) that ABC-TV adopted the first fanfare for the '68 Olympic Games (and then for "Wide World of Sports"); then the "Olympic Theme" name stuck. Permanently. So, all the Olympics watchers in the U.S. can expect to OD on the theme, whether they like it or not. (Interestingly, in cruising a few classical music message boards during these Olympic times, I find that all too often people attribute this "Olympic Theme" to John Williams. Not so!)

Well, so much for the "preliminaries for the Olympic occasion." The Cleveland Symphonic Winds under Fred Fennell play these three brief works for all they're worth, even to restoring the French horn responses to the trumpet calls in the second part of "Olympic Theme." These French horn parts were-and are-so difficult that the ABC-TV version, from, obviously, a different and earlier recording, had them replaced by trumpets.

My main reason for acquiring this album when it first came out two decades ago was not Olympian in the slightest. In short, it was because Fennell reprises three wind ensemble classics that he had done many years earlier, with the Eastman Wind Ensemble on the Mercury Living Presence label. These three are Sam Barber's "Commando March," Ralph Vaughan Williams's "Folk Song Suite," and Percy Grainger's "Lincolnshire Posy." All three are classics for the wind ensemble, and I can envision tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of former wind ensemble players who "passed this way" in high school and college. I certainly did, and remember these works with great fondness (along with many other wind ensemble "classics" that Fennell has conducted over a long and illustrious career).

The Eastman band was never ever a slouch in performing this type of music. (In fact, it was the model for the repertoire.) But the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (essentially, the Cleveland Orchestra minus the strings, but beefed up where sections require more instrumentalists, plus cornets, saxophones and baritone horns not normally found in orchestras) is on another, higher, plateau entirely. This is most evident in the Grainger work, which is a true masterpiece of the repertoire, with some highly original parts writing that provides intriguing sonorities not normally associated with "band" music.

All three-the Barber, Grainger and Vaughan Williams works-come off noticeably better on this Telarc release than they did years ago (MANY years ago in the case of the Barber work) when Fennell led the Eastman Wind Ensemble. In terms of sonics, it isn't even close: as might be expected, the Telarc sound is still state-of-the-art after two decades.

The balance of the album is mostly fillers of marches from the U.S. and Europe. (The album title is somewhat of a misnomer, given its contents, including the Grainger and Vaughan Williams pieces.) A few marches are well-known; a few are obscure. All are as well-played as the pieces I've commented about in some detail.

At just a little under an hour, this is not necessarily high value, but it was typical for "early" CDs, as this one is. To me, it is worth it for the superb job on the Grainger work. To others, perhaps the three Arnaud fanfares will fill the bill. For the next few weeks, anyway. :-)

Bob Zeidler

Simple to sum up!.......2002-02-22

This is a simple one to sum up.

If this CD does not bring a smile to your face, then you are DEAD and nothing ever more will make you smile.

Great wind band music.......2000-04-29

Yes, the title is a bit misleading: this disc goes beyond the familiar to include some attractive rarities. Recorded in terrific Telarc sound, these virtuosic players open with the Olympic theme made famous by ABC's 1968 TV coverage of the Olympics, followed by two other olympic themes written in a similar style. The Barber and Leemans pieces are also beautiful rarities, the Barber sounding quite cultured for a military march. The handsome Florentiner March by Fucik is one of my favorites on the disc. The other pieces will sound instantly familiar to most people; the "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite" by Karl King surely will be a hit with circus goers and "Anchors Aweigh" with sea farers. The glorious Vaughan Williams and Grainger works are less martial and, written by non-Americans, prove beyond a doubt that this disc about more than stars-and-stripes flag waving.

Good CD With Lots of Classics.......1999-05-13

This is a great CD for beginning band collections. (Advanced Ones too :) The Clevlend Symphonic Winds are awesome!!

Tracks:

Danse Russe [From Swan Lake]
Nocturne (Suite) [From Masquerade]
Havanaise, Op. 83
Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Romance (Suite) [From the Gadfly]
Main Theme [From Schindler's List]
Lark Ascending
Tzigane

Customer Reviews:

Janine is also a great chamber musician..........2006-06-10

Perhaps because of growing up in a musical family, Janine is also an outstanding chamber musician; but you have to look for her under "Spectrum Concerts Berlin" where she is first violin in albums of Dohnanyi, Harbison and Robert Helps.

virtuoso unequalled.......2006-02-23

I had to purchase this CD after viewing Janine Jansen in live concert. She is as dynamic as any of the great violin masters that I listened to in my younger days including Stern or Heifitz. Each track on the CD is a great representation of her talents and I highly recommend this particular product to those that like great music complimented by one of the great violin players of our generation. I just wish that she didn't have to resort to the suggestive poses on the album cover....her musical talents speak for themselves.

a promise for things to come.......2004-10-10

Janine Jansen from Holland, born 1978. Her great talents can hardly better be illustrated than by the violin she plays: a real Stradivarius from 1727, leased to her by the prestigeous American Stradivari Society.

Jansen and her Stradivarius are a delight to listen to. And so is the accompanying Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. And let's also not forget Decca's sound enigneers here.

Janine Jansen surely may develop as a the new David Oistrach or Yehudi Menuhin. Anyway, she likes chamber music, and that's what this CD is about.

Selections Can Be Improved.......2004-06-28

Eventhough this is the First Janine Jansen recording I get to hear, the sound was't bad. The girl really knows her instrumment and the orchestra does a great contibution to the album. However she cannot be called a Vituoso yet and selecting "Schindler's List" main theme by J. Williams doesn't give her any classical attribute. Honestly the album can be in any violinist colection since Danse Rose from Tchaikovsky, Romance from Shostakovich and ultimately Tzigane from Ravel does the job. At this point of her career she's not in the position of making selections. Moreover the Glamorous pictures can be taken out of the CD. Ah! The fact or advertisement that she plays with an Stradivarius doesn't mean the album will be a collectors item. In a wrap up: The album its OK! to me. If You like albums in which the performer mixes different composer at his/her will and don't mind about it, purchase it.

Holst Suites 1 & 2 / Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks / Stars and Stripes (Stereo Hybrid SACD)

Average customer rating:

A knock-down killer version.
One of the Great Albums

Holst Suites 1 & 2 / Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks / Stars and Stripes (Stereo Hybrid SACD)
Holst , Handel , Frederick Fennell , Cleveland Symphonic Winds , Sousa , and Vaughan Williams
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Tallis & Greensleeves / Barber Adagio / Pachelbel Canon / Tchaikovsky Serenade (Stereo Hybrid SACD)
Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 "Organ" / Encores a la Francaise / Ormandy, Murray, Philadelphia Orchestra (Stereo Hybrid SACD)

ASIN: B0002IQHDO
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

Chaconne
Intermezzo
March
March
Song Without Words
Song Of The Blacksmith
Fantasia On The 'Dargason'
Ouverture
Bourree
La Paix
La Rejouissance
Minuet/Trio
Olympic Theme From Three Fanfares
Barnum And Bailey's Favorite
Radetzky March
The Stars And Stripes Forever
March: Seventeen Come Sunday
Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
March: Folk Songs From Somerset
Lisbon Bay
Horkstow Granger
Rufford Park Poachers
The Brisk Young Sailor
Lord Melbourne
Lord Melbourne
Grainger: Shepherd's Hey

Customer Reviews:

A knock-down killer version........2005-12-27

I have always been a great fan of Fennel. And, of course, sharing the same birthplace had nothing to do with it.

I have also loved both the Fireworks and Water music as well as the Holst. Having played them all in an Army band, I can really get inside the music. The Holst was even scored by the composer for military band.

All that said, Fennel is it! This is by far the best conducted and best played version I have ever heard. It is always thrilling, is never dry, like so many others. I have treasured my LPs for years, and am very pleased to hear a CD version that is almost as good. And for all the bombast, none of the inner datail is lost. Fennel and the Eastman are legimate national treasures.

Warning: If you ever hear this played on a good system with a subwoofer, you might just want to buy a subwoofer, too.

One of the Great Albums.......2004-12-14

This album, which combines two CD albums, was originally recorded via the Soundstream digital method in 1978. The Holst and Handel pieces were originally released on LP as Telarc Stereo no. 5038 (on the jacket) or Stereo 10038 (on the record label).

When ititially released, this record caused a sensation as no one had ever heard sound like this on LP previously. This was partly due to the then-new digital recording (at 50 kHz), the German pressing which was far superior to what was available in the US at that time or any time previous, but mostly due to the magnificent performances offered here. I bought two copies of the LP - one as a "protection" copy; at $17.98 each this was no mean purchase.

The initial CD release in 1983 was terribly disappointing. Upon hearing it, in a controlled venue, I knew there was something wrong but I could not identify what it was. We now know that the conversion from 50 kHz to 44.1 kHz is problematic at best and dreadful at worst.

In my opinion, the whole CD "thing" was a disaster for good recorded sound. (The sampling rate is far too low; okay for "rock and roll" music, which is artificial to begin with, it makes most classical music sound terrible.) I have been called a "luddite" for staying with LPs, but I now know my decision was justified as I knew that putting in a CD player would be a retrogression in sound.

My son introduced me to SACD recently, with its far higher sampling rate and better means of recording and I bought three Sony SCD-CE595 players, one of which has been put in my "main" system (Hafler DH-101 Pre-amplifier, Hafler DH-200 Amplifier, Klipschorn speakers), the first "digital" component to be put there.

Having thus heard this new SACD album through that system, I can honestly say that I personally have never heard it sound so well. I believe that everyone will like this music, even if not a "classical" fan, and the sound itself will astound. This release (along with the RCA Living Stereo and the Mercury Living Presence SACDs) has rekindled the joy of hi-fi for me again!

I give it my whole-hearted recommendation.

Average customer rating:

Typical excellence
who are these guys??

Brass for the Masters, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Grimethorpe
The Melody Shop
John Foster Black Dyke Mills Band Celebrate 150 Years
Best of Brass
Brass Favourites from Grimethorpe

ASIN: B00000I0TC
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

Overture For Brass Band: Henry The Fifth
Fantasy For Brass Band, Op. 114 - Malcolm Arnold
Rhapsody In Brass:: Allegro giocoso
Rhapsody In Brass:: Andante con moto
Rhapsody In Brass:: Allegro assai e giocoso
A Kensington Concerto
A Moorside Suite:: Scherzo: Allegro
Nocturne: Adagio
March: Allegro
Comedy Overture: The Frogs (of Aristophanes)
Diversions On A Bass Theme - George Lloyd

Customer Reviews:

Typical excellence.......2006-03-22

If you are looking for a disc with first-rate interpretations of some of the standards in brass band literature, this recording (and its somewhat more refined Volume 1) begs your attention. All of the performances are extremely clean and precise, and the technical requirements of these works are often extensive. There are the moments of overly sentimental playing and wobbly vibrato that was so off-putting to Vaughan Williams in his Henry V, but nothing outside of the standard practice in most British Brass Bands.

who are these guys??.......2000-09-05

Mining may be tough on the lungs, but it does wonders for the embouchure. Wonderful sound, musicianship and conducting. The only flaw, and it is present in their soundtrack recording of "Brassed Off" as well, is the engineer's stubborn refusal to crank up the volume on the gorgeous fleugel solos --when accompanied by the entire band, these lovely riffs (In "Brassed Off, "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor" is a classic musical paradox-- at once stunning in both it's economy and lavishness) struggle to be heard and sound like they were phoned in from a pub across the street. Still, the band plays on, flawlessly.

Average customer rating:

A fine collection, well recorded, & a bargain, to boot!
Perfect and otherworldly

Vaughan Williams: Poisoned Kiss

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
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Vaughan Williams: The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains
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Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale

ASIN: B00000IYN1
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Overture: The Poisoned Kiss
Two Hymn - Tune Preludes: Eventide
Two Hymn-Tune Preludes: Dominus Regeit me
The Running Set
Flos campi: I Lento (senza misura)
Flos campi: II Andante con moto
Flos campi: III Lento (senza misura) - Allegro moderato - Allargando
Flos campi: IV Moderato alla marcia
Flos campi: V Andante quasi lento
Flos campi: VI Moderato tranqillo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Prelude
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Carol
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Christmas Dance
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Ballad
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Moto perpetuo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Musette
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Polka mncholique
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Galop
Sea Songs

Tracks:

Overture: The Wasps
The House Of Life: 1 Love-Sight
The House Of Life: 2 Silent Noon
The House Of Life: 3 Heart's Heaven
Six Studies In English Folksong: 1 Adagio
Six Studies In English Folksong: 2 Andante sostenuto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 3 Larghetto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 4 Lento
Six Studies In English Folksong: 5 Andante tranquillo
Six Studies In English Folksong: 6 Allegro vivace
Romance
Linden Lea
Fantasia On Greensleeves
Serenade To Music

Customer Reviews:

A fine collection, well recorded, & a bargain, to boot!.......2005-10-08

This collection of pieces is a real treat for RVW fans. The recordings of Flos campi (surely one of RVW's most unusual and mystical works, somehow managing to capture the elusive emotional/spiritual environment of the Song of Solomon) and the Suite for Viola and Orchestra (rarely recorded, but a delectable mixing of folk-song, Bach, Bartok-like passages, and rich, resonant melodies redolent of autumn) would be enough in themselves. Couple them with the Six Studies in English Folksong for clarinet & piano (a rare piece of Vaughn Williams chamber music) and the ravishing instrumental version of Serenade to Music, and you have a truly admirable set. This is an assemblage of a number of earlier recordings: in this case, I think, the cream has been skimmed and put into one convenient two-disc collection. The recorded sound is good throughout, and the notes well-written and interesting - an excellent Chandos release.

Perfect and otherworldly.......2003-10-06

I am a rock musician but I must say that there is little other music on this green earth that is as gorgeous as that of Vaughan Williams. Some folk and country airs can touch the melancholy that VW can, some of Bach's or Ravel's pieces maybe. But when I hear music like Flos Campi 2nd and 6th movements, or the beautiful short pieces that comprise Six Studies in English Folk Song ... well, they leave me breathless. Parts of Flos Campi sounds like VW has distilled all the tinsel and magic, childlike wonder and true peace of something as hard to define as Christmas and made it into music. Serenade to Music in it's pure orchestral form still remains a glorius composition, even without the vocalists. My, when it hits that early theme in the latter part with full force and orchestra ... And the lovely Linden Lea and that wonderful Suite ... Almost too much. I sometimes program this and some of his major works, such as Tallis, Dives and Lazarus and The Lark Ascending (when I have some time to spare!): it's a big 'wow' factor. VW's music is unashamedly beautiful, capturing the sweetest folk elements and conjuring up the spirit of the wildest and most remote parts of Britain (in my head at least). This music is something else and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Average customer rating:

Virtuoso Players Gild the Lilly
Keep looking - there is much better stuff than this
Diasppointed
This album is an absolute disaster
Take My Advice, I'm Only Tryin' to School Ya -

Bagpipes & Brass

Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Highland Cathedral
Amazing Grace
Canadian Bagpipes American Brass
Highland Christmas
Scotland the Brave: Bagpipes Greatest Hits

ASIN: B00005AAZ6
Release Date: 2000-10-01

Tracks:

Highland Cathedral
Scotland the Brave
Girl I Left Behind Me
Hector the Hero
Far and Away
Green Hills of Tyrol/When the Battle Is Over
Lament for Jef AR Oenven/An Dro
Murray's Fancy
I Love My Love
Cabar Feidh/Farewell to Nigg
Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon
Henry the Fifth Overture
Amazing Grace

Customer Reviews:

Virtuoso Players Gild the Lilly.......2007-04-19

Reviewers who write that these are fine musicians playing lousy arrangements are correct. That's it exactly. The slower cuts are better than the up-tempo ones. Apparently this CD is a big hit with bagpipe tooters. So be it. The rest of us should pass it by or purchase it used.

Keep looking - there is much better stuff than this.......2005-10-05

This album is a perfect example of how a bad arrangement can ruin great music despite the best efforts of great musicians. Everything about this recording is right; selection, performers, sound engineering. Except that the tracks are horribly over-arranged with all sorts of distracting, subtracting variations and trite bridging passages.

Diasppointed.......2005-07-12

I am not saying the music is bad or the quality is lacking, because it is not. If you are looking for traditional music played in the traditional way, then this CD is not for you. It is like listening to everyone's interpretation when they sing the "Star Spangled Banner". There is no need to jazz things up that were not written to be. The titles are old but the variations on the score have a lot to be desired if you wanted to hear these songs played the way they were meant to be played.

This album is an absolute disaster.......2005-06-08

It's said that music soothes the savage beast, but bagpipes will do just the opposite. They will make the hair on your neck stand on end, your blood pressure go through the roof and prepare you to go to war. This album does neither.

The one piece which should most strongly produce the desired result is Scotland the Brave. In this album it is three minutes and twenty seven seconds, the first minute an ten of which are dedicated to fanfare. After that an orchestra plays some stylized version and, I think, I can detect a hint of bagpipes in there somewhere. When one has heard it done "correctly", one can recognize this as a total disaster.

Amazing Grace by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards has a version that is just about right. (And that selection gives one the ability to listen to a sample. I can see why this one doesn't!)

Take My Advice, I'm Only Tryin' to School Ya -.......2004-07-07

I bought this album based on the rave reports of the other reviewers, and could NOT be more pleased with the result. Although not Scottish, I am a long-time bagpipe lover, and this album evokes visions of the Black Watch and other highland pipers moving through their intricate paces. The music is an aural feast, and the sound quality is excellent. I keep it in the CD player in the car and find that a quick drive or a long commute both become pleasures when I'm listening to it. Take my advice - if you have even a slight interest in pipes, drums or brass, you're going to love this album. (This is the first time I have ever written a review; it's a very compelling album!)

Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies [Box Set]

Average customer rating:

Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies [Box Set]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003FDR
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Behold, The Sea Itself - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Today A Rude Brief Recitative - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Flaunt Out, O Sea - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Token Of All Brave Captains - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: A Pennant Universal - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): II. On The Beach At Night, Alone-Largo Sostenuto: On The Beach At Night, Alone - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): II. On The Beach At Night, Alone-Largo Sostenuto: A Vast Similitude Interlocks All - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): III. Scherzo: The Waves-Allegro Brillante - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O Vast Rondure, Swimming In Space - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Down From The Gardens Of Asia Descending - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O We Can Wait No Longer - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O Thou Transcendent - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Greater Than Stars Or Suns - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Sail Forth, Steer For The Deep Waters Only - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O My Brave Soul! - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Norfolk Rhap No.1 - John Chambers
Fant On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Hugh Bean/Nicholas Whiting/John Chambers/Matthias Feile
A London Sym (No.2): Lento/Allegro Risoluto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A London Sym (No.2): Lento - John Chambers/Jane Marshall
A London Sym (No.2): Scherzo (Nocturne): Allegro Vivace - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A London Sym (No.2): Andante Con Moto/Maestoso Alla Marcia (Quasi Lento)/Allegro/Lento/Epilogue... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Fant On Greensleeves - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Molto Moderato - Linda Hohenfeld/Hugh Bean/John Chambers/Jane Marshall
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Lento Moderato - Linda Hohenfeld/Mark David/Nigel Black
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Moderato Pesante/Presto - Linda Hohenfeld
A Pastoral Sym (No.3):Lento: Moderato Maestoso - Linda Hohenfeld
Sym No.4 in f: Allegro - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.4 in f: Andante Moderato - Kenneth Smith
Sym No.4 in f: Scherzo: Allegro Molto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.4 in f: Finale Con Epilogo Fugato: Allegro Molto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in D: Prld: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Scherzo: Presto Misterioso - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Romanza: Lento - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Passacaglia: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Allegro - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Vivace - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Epilogue: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Quick March-Sea Songs - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Theme (Adagio) - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var I - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var II - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var III - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var IV - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var V - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Prld (Andante Maestoso) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Scherzo (Moderato) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Landscape (Lento) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor/Leslie Pearson
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Intermezzo (Andante Sostenuto) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor/John Anderson
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Epilogue. Alla Marcia, Moderato (Non Troppo Allegro) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor

Tracks:

Flourish For Glorious John - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Fant (Vari Senza Tema): Moderato/Presto/Andante Sostenuto/Allegretto... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Scherzo Alla Marcia (Per Stromenti A Fiato): Allegro Alla Marcia/Andante/Tempo I... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Cavatina (Per Stomenti Ad Arco): Lento Espressivo - Hugh Bean/David K. Jones
Sym No.8 in d: Toccata: Moderato Maestoso/Animato/Largamente - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Moderato Maestoso: Tranquillo - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Andante Sostenuto - David Mason
Sym No.9 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Pesante - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Adante Tranquillo - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Shake It Up! Garage Sessions [Limited Edition]

6 Concertos for Organ & Orchestra

Alexander Tcherepnin: Piano Works

Blessed Ones

All Killer No Filler [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics] [Import]

100% Bachata

A Better Way

Alarm Call #1 [CD-single]

Zydeco's Greatest Hits

Yeomen of the Guard

Zoot at Ease

Yes [CD-single] [Import]

Xen Cuts

In the Beginning

Rockin' the Boat

1. Fantasia On Greensleeves
2. Concerto Grosso: I Intrada
3. Concerto Grosso: II Burlesca Ostinata
4. Concerto Grosso: III Sarabande
5. Concerto Grosso: IV Scherzo
6. Concerto Grosso: V March And Reprise
7. Romance
8. Oboe Concerto: I Rondo Pastorale
9. Oboe Concerto: II Minuet And Musette
10. Oboe Concerto: III Finale
11. English Folk Song Suite: I March; Seventeen Come Sunday
12. English Folk Song Suite: II Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
13. English Folk Song Suite: III March: Folk Songs From Somerset