Mussorgsky: Songs & Dances of Death; Nursery No1-7

On this CD:

1. Songs & Dances of Death (Pesni y plyaski smerti; 4), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 2, Cradle Song
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

2. Songs & Dances of Death (Pesni y plyaski smerti; 4), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 3, Serenade
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

3. Songs & Dances of Death (Pesni y plyaski smerti; 4), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 1, Trepak
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

4. Songs & Dances of Death (Pesni y plyaski smerti; 4), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 4, The Field-Marshal
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

5. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 1, S Nyanyei ("With the Nurse")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

6. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 2, V Oogloo ("In the Corner")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

7. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 3, Zhook ("The Beetle")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

8. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 4, S Kookloi ("The Doll's Lullaby")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

9. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 5, Na Son Gryadooshch ("The Evening Prayer")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

10. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 6, Poyekhal Na Palochkye ("The Hobby Horse")
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

11. The Nursery (Detskaya; 7), song cycle for voice & piano, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov No 7, Kot Matros (The Cat Sailor)
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

12. Penny-Paradise (Rayok), satire for voice & piano
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

13. Forgotten (Zabïtïy), ballad for voice & piano
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

14. The Seminarist, song for voice & piano The Seminarist
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

15. Darling Savishna (Svetik Savishna), song for voice & piano
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

16. A Society Tale: The Goat (Svetskaya skazochka: kozyol), song for voice & piano
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

17. Mephistopheles' Song of the Flea, for voice & piano or orchestra, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin

Tracks:

Balm in Gilead
Chassidic Chant
Quiet Flows The Don: From Border To Border
Quiet Flows The Don: Oh, How Proud Our Quiet Don
Elijah, Op. 70: The Lord God Of Abraham
The Purest Kind Of Guy
Joe Hill
The Peat-Bog Soldiers
The Four Insurgent Generals
Native Land
Song Of The Plains
Cradle Song
Within Four Walls
By An' By
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
John Henry
Water Boy
My Curly Headed Baby
Mah Lindy Lou
Wagon Wheels
The House I Live In
Showboat: I Still Suits Me
Sylvia
Showboat: Ol' Man River
Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So

Amazon.com

There was nothing like the Robeson sound, ever. To describe his deep, rich, perfectly equalized instrument is futile. Go instead to "Balm in Gilead," the opening track, and see if you can listen to the last pianissimo phrase without falling to pieces. Robeson was at his best when the music was slow and the words contained spiritual or social messages. Faster, lighter fare like Kern's "I Still Suits Me" or Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" find the serious-minded singer out of his element, lacking irony and swing. "Old Man River," though, gets a simple, dignified treatment. It's Songs of Free Men, though, that will just keep Robeson's artistry rolling along, especially in Sony's astonishing transfers. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Robeson on wax.......2007-06-19

I found this album in a thrift store last week, for a couple of dollars. It's the original pressing on four 78 RPM records, in a gatefold format. It's in pristine condition. I really bought it for the incredible cover art, although I hope to be able to listen to it in this format at some point.

The voice, the sound quality and the interpretation.......2004-09-24

Put this on your stereo and if it is good enough the depth and richness of Robeson's voice will make your fillings rattle and your chest rumble. The power of his voice is awesome. This CD is superbly recorded with no audible noise at normal listening levels.

A Voice from the 40s, often dated, often moving.......2002-09-01

"Red diaper babies" have greeted this disc with nostalgic joy, and it captures a time and an aesthetic and a political belief with precision. Anyone interested in the emotional life of the pro-Soviet left of the 1940s should buy this disc. It's something like Henry Wallace set to music. There is much more to Robeson than that, however, and Sony has given us Robeson whole: there are songs by American masters of the musical, there are labor songs, religious songs, as well as the kind of faux-folk songs which the butcher supreme Josef Stalin encouraged and which were not taken seriously inside the USSR (except at gunpoint!!) but which were taken up by dupes around the world. This is Robeson at his least savory - willing propagandist for a vile mass murderer. Songs such as "Native Land" (fittingly, Robeson is referring to the Soviet Union) and the Red Army song are the equivalent of the "Horst Wessel Song", anthems of murder, and it is difficult to listen to the worst of them without retching. On the other hand, Robeson's commitment to American folk culture was real. "Balm in Gilead" is deeply beautiful; "John Henry" is heroic; "By an' By" is both resigned yet hopeful. "Joe Hill" captures an era in labor history. Anyone interested in American popular song should hear these. Turning to Broadway, his "Old Man River" is very fine, though Robeson changed the lyrics for political reasons and Leonard Warren has done the song better. I disagree with the editorial reviewer: "I Still Suits Me" is wonderfully playful and shows Robeson using his gorgeously rich voice to tease and poke fun. However, Marc Blitzstein's "Purest Kind of a Guy" is beyond saving - another example of Robeson recording an unworthy song by a political fellow-traveller. Ugh. But for every miss there are two hits. Robeson performs Mendelssohn's Elijah with nobility, and sings his favorite song, "Water Boy", with joyous pride: "There ain't no hammer that's on these mountains that rings like mine, boys, that rings like mine."
No one need have any fears about the mono sound quality. The orchestra in the second half of the program is at times a little dwarfed by Robeson's voice, but it generally sounds clean and colorful, and the great artist's voice rings like no other.

Robeson at his best.......2000-05-12

It's hard to believe that most of these recordings pre-date the advent of magnetic tape: the CD transfer is superlative. The songs and performance are beyond reproach. Notable is the imaginative packaging in miniature 'record album' format, complete with the original cover art, and a replica of the original Columbia record label applied to the CD.

In response to a previous question: Robeson's performance of Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) can be found on the Vanguard LP entitled "Robeson" (VRS-9037).

some of the greatest songs of the last century.......2000-05-05

In the 1940s, before rabid McCarthyism and racism had taken its toll on him, Robeson made these wonderful recordings of spirituals, classics and pop tunes. Accompanied by the solo piano of the incomparable Lawrence Brown, or by an orchestra, the songs ring out with pride, dignity, skill and unmatched integrity. The shameful treatment that Robeson was subject to from American authorities certainly seem grotesquely absurd to a modern listener. The wonderful version of "The House I Live In" included on this cd should forever kill off any suspicion that Robeson did not love his country deeply. This album ought to be heard by millions of people, world wide. Robeson's voice is nothing less than a glorious high point in 20th century music, and it's hard to think of any recording capturing it to greater advantage.

Mussorgsky: The Nursery: Sunless; Songs and Dances of Death

Average customer rating:

Something very special
Music to make you forget who you are for a minute

Mussorgsky: The Nursery: Sunless; Songs and Dances of Death

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Canteloube - Chants d'Auvergne / Victoria de los Angeles
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Lakme
The Devil's Trill: Showpieces for violin & piano

ASIN: B00008QSCF
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

Where Are You, Little Star?
Darling Savishna
I. With Nanny
II. In The Corner
III. The Beetle
IV. With The Doll
V. At Bedtime
VI. The Hobby-Horse
VII. The Cat 'Sailor'
Lullaby
I. Within Four Walls
II. You Did Not See Me In The Crowd
III. An End To The Futile, Hectic Day
IV. Ennui
V. Elegy
VI. On The River
King Saul
Hopak
The Wild Winds Blow
I. Trepak
II. Lullaby
III. Serenade
IV. The Field-Marshal
Mephistopheles' Song Of The Flea

Customer Reviews:

Something very special.......2004-04-21

The previous reviewer was pretty much spot on. Christoff is genuinely magnificent in these recordings, power and beauty coexist in his voice, and the deep emotion he expresses is made more powerful by being tempered by control. The accompaniment serves to showcase this voice and is more than adequate to this task. It is perhaps not always "Herbert Von Karajan" smooth, but this is probably no disadvantage, you could argue that this is in keeping with this selection of Mussorgsky's wonderful"rough hewn" folk flavoured music. As the previous reviewer indicated, this will appeal to fans of the unusual as it is in itself something remarkably different to almost anything I've heard before. I can say however that out of the 1000 + recordings I own, it is very probably the one I am most glad I purchased, and certainly one of my very favourites. Unfortunately I am probably preaching to the choir, as if you are reading this review you probably already enjoy Mussorgsky, or are at least familiar or interested in his work. You may also be a fan of Schubert's song cycles and Lieder.If that is the case then you should certainly enjoy this C.D. The sad point is that this recording should also appeal to people who as yet still believe that they have no interest in "Classical" music, and may never come across this recording. I would certainly recommend this to Tom Waits fans for a start, especially those who enjoyed his recent album "Alice",and also afficionados of Folk music, World music or the art of songwriting.
I know it's a cliche, but I'd have to give this 6 stars out of 5

Music to make you forget who you are for a minute.......2003-08-13

I was told about Christoff's 1950s recordings by a musician friend. I had heard a little bit about him, and was already
familiar with some of the Mussorgsky songs in another recording,
so figured I couldn't miss. To say that I was flabbergasted would be putting it lightly. The man was not only a superb singer - what control! what versatility! - he was a consummate actor. After all, they say he was the best Boris Godunov since Chaliapin - I believe it. But, to particulars: On the first half of this disc he is accompanied by a terrific pianist (whose name temporarily escapes me)and on the other half by the Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, who are a tad ragged (as they often were) and undermiked at times but fine powerful accompaniment. If all you know of Mussorgsky is the Pictures - and you have a taste for the unusual - you owe it to yourself to pick this up. Your life will never be quite the same again, I guarantee it!

Average customer rating:

An exquisite gem of a desert island CD
Sweeping, seductive, and superlative!
Mesmerizing music for the heart
La Ninna Nanna
"Stunningly beautiful" is an understatement

Ninna Nanna: Lullabies (1500-2002)
William Byrd , Jordi Savall , and Hesperion XXI
Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Lux Feminae
Du temps & de l'instant
Villancicos y Danzas Criollas
Diáspora Sefardí
Bella Terra

ASIN: B000071XAC
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Anon. (Purtugal): Cancao de embalar: Jose embala o menino
Anon. (England): Lullaby: My little sweet darling
Anon. (Greece): Berceuse: Dors mon bebe
Anon. (Sefarade): Berceuse Ladino: Nani, nani
Anon. Berbere: Berceuse Amazigh
William Byrd: Lullaby: Come, pretty babe
Tarquino Merula: Canzonetta spirituale sopra la nanna: Hor ch'e tempo di dormire
Anon. (Alicante): Mareta, mareta no'm faces plorar
Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814): Chanson d'une maleureuse mere: Dorsmon enfant
Modest Mussorgsky: La Chambre des enfants (1870): Avec la poupee
Anon (Israel): Berceuse hebraique: Noumi, noumi yaldati
Arvo Part: Berceuse de Noel (2002)
Max Reger (1873-1916): Maria Wiegenlied: Maria sitzt am Rosenhag
Manual de Falla (1876-1946): Nana: Duermete, nino, duerme. Canciones populares (1914)
Darius Milhaud: Berceuse hebraique: Dors, dors (1925)
Federico Garcia Lorca: Nana de Sevilla: Este galapaguito (1930)
Arvo Part: Berceuse Estonienne: Kuus, kuus kallike (2002)
Anon. Catalogne: Cancao de Bressol: La mare d e Deu

Amazon.com

This is a formidable collection of lullabies, spanning 500 years, 18 of them (from almost as many countries) in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Catalan, English, and more, each one lovely, each one in its own idiom. Some are anonymous; others are by composers as different as Byrd, Mussorgsky, Milhaud, and Arvo Pärt. The disc shouldn't be listened to in one setting--no matter how interesting they are, they're still lullabies and can mellow the listener into torpor--but in three-or-so chunks, the contents are fascinating. Figueras can make her sound move from folk to classical, from a mother who is passionate about her child's safety to one who merely wants to entertain into slumber. The anonymous Greek lullaby (track 3) contains the oddest little vocal quirk--a whipping up of the tone at the close of some phrases--which only an artist like Figueras could pull off. And Savall and soloists accompany on various instruments--flute, harp, viols, etc.--with pianist Paul Badura-Skoda playing on three of the lullabies. The CD is a wonderful tour of the world through the centuries with only one subject in mind: sleep. And sleep is something, after all, that takes up a third of our lives. This CD keeps getting sweeter the more you listen. Recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

An exquisite gem of a desert island CD.......2005-06-09

Every time I catch sight of a Vox Alia CD with its distinctive packaging I find resistance is futile and I end up buying it. This gorgeous collection of lullabies delivered much more than I had ever dreamt possible.

What gives this CD its magic is the fact that this is music making amongst friends and family. In fact the record label is Jordi Savall's own, Monserat Figueras is his wife, and Arianna Savall his daughter - so it really is an all family affair. The whole of Hesperion XXI play like they know each other intimately and we are just privileged eavesdroppers who were lucky enough to have overheard them. If some of the major record labels are increasingly marketing their music like MacDonalds hamburgers then this is like being invited to dine at a lovely family run Spanish restaurant. There is a heartwarming homeliness here the majors could never emulate in a hundred years. So it is entirely appropriate that this should be a collection of lullabies, for this is a celebration of family intimacy of the most deeply poetic and affectionate kind.

The selection of music might strike a casual listener as being unusual - exotic is a better term - yet they are all so instantly attractive that I think this would make a lovely gift (especially given the beautiful booklet that comes with it) to a child, a mother, a partner, a friend, a music lover; even people who know nothing about the composers here would surely be enchanted. I was particularly delighted by the reviewer who wrote that her daughter listened to this at night - oh, how fortunate it would be to grow up with music like this with its imaginatively chosen collection of music from so many countries and centuries - you would carry this music in your heart for the rest of your life! Amongst the songs is a Greek song, a Catalan song, a 16th century English song, a song by William Byrd, Max Reger, Moussorgsky as well as two by Arvo Part, both of which carry dedications to Monserat Figueras, Arianna and Jordi Savall (in the photograph reproductions of the first pages of the handwritten score Arvo Part has written in German 'gewidmet an...' if you were wondering where this info comes from).

Typical of the CD is how difficult it is to hold back a tear listening to Reger of all composers - I would have never thought it possible, especially when it would have been simply all too easy to choose some all to well known Schubert Lied, but here it is, they have picked Reger and it is PERFECT. Yet that is only one gem amongst so many more here. I am speechless, for this CD is indeed a rare treasure made for people who truly love beautiful music making - a CD to cherish and to weep for joy over.

I should add that as usual from Vox Alia the recorded sound is audiophile quality, and a notch above what you get from about 95% of record labels. In my opinion they even surpass some boutique audiophile labels like Linn, which is really saying something. So if you love to luxuriate in rich sound this will fit like a glove.

If you fall in love with this recording please, please may I suggest you BUY it for someone you love, rather than burning it, just as a way of saying 'thank you' to this family of musicians. This is a family run label rather than some huge impersonal coorporation and I have seen too many private boutique record firms go bust over the years, so please help ensure that these artists continue to make lovely recordings such as this one.

I am adding this CD to my desert island collection.

Sweeping, seductive, and superlative!.......2004-01-14

Figueras offers the listener a triumphant collection of evocative songs. Let's dispense with a possible concern. This CD is sub-titled "Lullabies". Anyone going to sleep listening to Figueras should see either a hearing or a brain specialist. While they may pacify children, adult listeners will be exhilarated by the sweeping range of her voice and exquisite presentation. Figueras' expressive style simply transcends descriptive praise. From soaring appeals to the heavens to quiet, soothing reassurances, she demonstrates the magnitude of her evocative skills. One can sense constrained passion in each song as she moves from one culture to another through the collection. That one of the pieces was commissioned for this collection is further proof of the extent she provides the listener - she's not confined to neither time nor place.

What is most clearly manifest in this musical anthology is Figueras' professionalism and her Catalan background. Unlike the operatic divas who have deigned to release popular renditions, she demonstrates how someone who truly understands the music of mountain villages or plains communities in any nation can elevate even the most "common" music. The selections range over five centuries or more, reinforcing the impression that nothing exceeds the capacity of her elegant voice to convey feeling to the enraptured listener. Each of us will likely settle on a favourite selection. Predictably, my own is a Catalan piece of an anonymous composer. Perhaps because the lullaby is in her native tongue, the richness of Figueras' rendition evokes intense emotional response. Would that i'd been born a Catalan!

Alia Vox was launched to give fresh impetus to the recordings of Figueras, her husband Jordi Savall and the groups they have created together. This CD will remain a testimony to their efforts to produce the highest quality discs. The sound is excellent, clearly imparting voice and background instruments alike. With 18 selections from a variety of eras and locations, the notes for this CD are extensive. The text of each tune is given in the original and seven other languages. Could scholarship and the universality of music be given finer endorsement? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Mesmerizing music for the heart.......2003-10-18

Rarely has there been a more beautiful collection of lullabies than those presented in Ninna Nanna. Clearly a labour of love of Montserrat Figueras and her family, it brings together songs that mothers have been singing to their infants over the centuries - whatever their culture or language. "It is like food for the young child" reflects Montserrat Figueras in her dedication, the most intense reflection of affection and tenderness.

Lullabies in this collection, come from cultural backgrounds as diverse as Russia, Morocco, Greece, England and, of course, the Iberian Peninsula. They span from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Most of the musical versions have been masterly arranged by Jordi Savall, suited to fit the extraordinary voice of his wife. We also find some arrangements by well-known composers such as Moussorgski, Reger or de Falla.

Being lullabies, the songs show similarities: above all their tunes are beautifully soft and melodious. Yet, the tunes show considerable diversity in rhythm and tonality. Some are melancholy and almost haunting, others joyful and jubilant. Montserrat Figueras' voice is, as always, in a class of her own, radiating with richness and intensity. The music touches the deeper cords in the listener's consciousness. Her voice is superbly and sensitively accompanied by Hesperion XXI, the accomplished team of musicians under the leadership of Jordi Savall.

The informative booklet accompanying the CD is well presented and includes the songs' texts in eight languages, including the original. This is a CD you will not get tired to listen to many times, whether you play it for your children, your family and friends, or just for yourself. [Friederike Knabe, Ottawa, Canada]

La Ninna Nanna.......2003-08-17

Very few times in life we can be transported back to share such deep experiences as that of holding a child in your arms while singing a lullaby. This CD is exceptional not only because of the high quality of the production but also by the deep emotions that each song carries. A true gift for all those of us that need to stop and enjoy a moment of peace!

"Stunningly beautiful" is an understatement.......2003-05-31

I bought this as a gift for our daughter, and it works great; but I also can't stop listening to it myself day and night, having nothing to do with her bedtime and nap times. If one wants to go to sleep, it works beautifully for that; or if one wants to stay up and pay attention to every wonderful nuance, it also works for that. Or if it's just on as background music, it changes any room to a place of comfort and home. Montserrat Figueras here sings in at least twelve different languages, in music spanning 500 years, and puts it all across with heartfelt directness. What more difficult musical task could there be than all the above, together? But she does it.

This disc is really a family affair: Figueras and Savall, plus their daughter who also sings and plays, and their son who took the photos; plus their friends and colleagues, among the most imaginative and soulful players alive. Extraordinary. And the new music composed by Arvo Part for this album: it's proof that music can objectively make a person weep.

And the booklet: a gorgeous presentation with full background information, photos of the sessions, and each song is given in translation to eight or nine languages! (The original, plus eight more translations if different.)

The only thing you can't do is play this in the car, while driving around to lull the child with the motion. Oh, that works great for the child, but it's the driver's concentration we should be worried about. There is no way to keep one's mind safely on the road while this CD is on.

Tracks:

Mussorgsky: Songs and Dances of Death; Opera Arias
Rimsky-Korsakov: Songs
Tchaikovsky: Songs

Tracks:

Rimsky-Korsakov: Songs
Tchaikovsky: Songs

Tracks:

Prokofiev: Russian Folksongs Op. 104
Shostakovich: Seven Poems Op. 127; Five Satires Op. 109

Galina Vishnevskaya Sings Shostakovich & Mussorgsky

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Voice
Unforgettable!

Galina Vishnevskaya Sings Shostakovich & Mussorgsky

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | 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:

I. Ophelia's Song
II. Gamayun, Bird Of Prophecy
III. We Are Together
IV. The City Sleeps
V. The Storm
VI. Secret Signs
VII. Music
I. To A Critic
II. The Awakening Of Spring
III. Descendants
IV. A Misunderstanding
V. Kreutzer Sonata
I. Lullaby
II. Serenade
III. Trepak
IV. The Field-Marshal
Spat Pora. Dyen Proshol
Zhereboyonok K Kobylke
Kto Eto, Kto, Kto Stuchit?
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.

Ljuba Welitsch The Complete Columbia Recordings

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

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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:

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

Tracks:

Op. 43, No. 1: 'Von ewiger Liebe'
Op 105, No. 1: 'Wie Melodien Zieht Es Mir'
Op. 84, No. 4: 'Vergebliches Standchen'
'Die Mainacht'
'Meine Liebe ist grun'
Op. 2: 'Gretchen Am Spinnrade'
Op. 43, No. 1: 'Die Junge Nonne'
Schwanengesang: 'Liebesbotschaft'
Op. 32: 'Die Forelle'
Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 1: 'Widmung'
Liederkreis, Op. 39, No. 5: 'Mondnacht'
Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 3: 'Der Nussbaum'
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 1
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 2
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 4
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 7
'Mne Grustno'
''Mel'nik'
'Gde ti, zvezdochka?'
'Hat Dich Die Liebe Beruhrt'
'Valse De Chopin'
'Dei Nacht' - Op. 10, No. 3
'Cacilie' - Op. 27, No.2
'Ich atmet' einen linden Duft'
'Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder'
'Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen'
'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:

It's a keeper!
The Classical Child Is Born
Classical music that even a teenager could love

The Classical Child Is Born

Manufacturer: Classical Child
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Classical Child Dreams
The Classical Child At Play
The Classical Child at the Ballet
The Classical Child at the Opera
The Classical Child Early To Rise

ASIN: B000009NG7
Release Date: 2002-08-01

Tracks:

Son in C
'Wachet Auf' Prld
Sym No.6
Sarabande
Two-Part Invention in C
Ste No.11 in d
Gymnopedia
Fur Elise
Sym No.9
Anna Magdalena
Solfeggito
Sym. No.40
Canon in C
Two-Part Invention in F
Minuet in G
Promenade
Var in C
Son No.11 in G
Prld in e
Fugue in c

Album Description

THE CLASSICAL CHILD IS BORN Classical music for newborns couldn't come more sweetly bundled than in The Classical Child is Born. This album welcomes young children to the world of classical music with a medley from the masters: Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and more. The selections represent a variety of well-recognized pieces and its arrangements make it perfect classical music for little ones. Wake up your baby with beautiful sonatas and symphonies that will have him or her cooing and moving to the rhythm.

SCHOLASTIC PRE-K TODAY "A wonderful array of amusing and captivating sounds your children will enjoy listening to again and again"

MOTHERING MAGAZINE "..Each piece is a lovely classic that you will be humming"

Customer Reviews:

It's a keeper!.......2007-05-11

This is, hands down, my 3-year-old son's favorite CD. We both have the entire thing memorized. It plays almost constantly when we are in the car, and my son sits in the back seat and hums along. He now recognizes several of the pieces and can point them out when he hears them on other albums, in movies, etc.

My reaction upon receiving this CD as a gift was similar to that of another reviewer...I inwardly groaned at the thought of classical music produced on a synthesizer (the sound is similar to that found on the popular Baby Einstein albums...Baby Bach, Baby Mozart, etc.) However, my son really seems to enjoy the simpler sound, and I have come to appreciate it as well (note that this is not true of all of the Classical Child albums...some retain the "true" sound of the original instruments).

We have several children's CDs of classical music, but this is by FAR the one that we listen to most. Highly recommended to introduce your baby/toddler/pre-schooler to the wonderful world of classical music.

The Classical Child Is Born.......2003-07-11

I received "The Classical Child is Born" as a gift for my 2nd daughter and I thought...oh great, ANOTHER classical CD for babies and to be honest, I was going to re-gift it to one of several friends who were expecting. For some reason I didn't.
My older daughter is turning 3 next week and always tells us she "doesn't want the music on" when we are in the car, whether it be ours or hers. I popped this CD in the other day and for the first time, she said "don't turn it off" and continued to tell me that she liked it and asked me questions about the music. My 3 month old absolutely HATES being in the infant carrier and having to stop at red light is sheer torture because she fusses and cries. But, the day I put in the Classical Child is Born CD, she didn't cry or fuss once while we were in the car and, yes, she was awake!
Even I enjoy this music and am on your web site specifically to order another CD, probably the Ballet series since my 3 year old will be starting ballet in the fall, and the Early to Rise as she will also be starting preschool and I can't wait to order the Xmas CD.
Thank you for making such great music for kids! I will definitely purchase and recommend this to other moms I know!
Leslie Zander

Classical music that even a teenager could love.......2000-03-02

I love this CD! My students love this CD! We often use it as background music while working as individuals or as small groups. It presents some of my favorite pieces with a whimsical flair. Even rap and heavy-metal listeners request it. (The complex polyphonic music even helps stimulate brain activity. For how much more can one teacher ask?)

Average customer rating:

Don't miss it!
Delectable!
TODO LO QUE ELLA CANTE ESTÁ BIEN
She's back!

Ewa Podles · Russian Arias
Ewa Podles , Alexander Borodin , Sergey Prokofiev , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin , Igor Stravinsky , Modest Mussorgsky , Constantine Orbelian , and Philharmonia of Russia
Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Ewa Podles - Rossini Arias for Contralto
Ewa Podles - Handel Arias from Rinaldo & Orlando
Ewa Podles: Respighi - Gli Uccelli/Il Tramonto/Trittico Botticelliano
Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice / Podles · Rodrigo · Merced · Maag
Rossini - Tancredi / Podles, Jo, Olsen, Spagnoli, di Micco, Lendi, Zedda

ASIN: B00006313Z
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Tracks:

Konchakovna's Cavatina
Young Maiden's Song (Field Of The Dead)
Joan's Aria
Voina's Arioso
Varvara's Limericks And Dance
Jocasta's Aria
Lullaby
Serenade
Trepak (Russian Dance)
The Field-Marshal

Customer Reviews:

Don't miss it!.......2004-03-31

Ewa Podles' voice is incredibly rich, her technic is astonishing and she sings so expressively that really brings tears in my eyes. She is definitely a diva and performs these wonderful pieces the way they should be performed. The booklet includes libretto with English translation, which is very helpful for those who don't speak Russian. However, the music and the performance are so emotive that can touch you even if you do't know the words.

Delectable!.......2003-01-15

This disc is altogether delectable. With few exceptions, Russian opera is little known or appreciated in this country. Perhaps, if it always had interpreters as stupendously capable as Ewa Podles, the story might be different. She is a true contralto, and, as such, more than capable of bringing appropriate power, flexibility and idiomatic darkness to these largely unfamiliar arias. Even more impressively, she uses her magnificent talent to get inside the character of each piece. The result is a virtuoso variety of texture. The sumptuous richness of her sound makes even the finest counter-tenors seem rather thin-voiced. Do not let the unfamiliarity of most of the pieces put you off. Full translations are provided, with the Russian being helpfully rendered in Roman letters. So, let this superrb and thrilling singer introduce you to some very fine music.

TODO LO QUE ELLA CANTE ESTÁ BIEN.......2002-09-07

Una voz tan impresionante como la de esta mujer, me deja sólo agradeciendo que exista, o que haya existido alguna vez, y que haya respirado, al mismo tiempo que yo, en este planeta. Por lo tanto, recomiendo absolutamente todo material que ella grabe. Es un placer, un poco de luz en medio de tanta oscuridad.

She's back!.......2002-07-01

The first time I heard Ewa Podles was in a live performance of Verdi's "Requiem". After that I've been buying all her records and trying to hear her live. I still don't understand how she is still ignored by the major record companies...
This CD of russian arias could not be rated less than extraordinary: if the voice itself wasn't enough - and it is more than enough - the interpretation would.

Nicolai Gedda - French and Russian Arias & Songs

Average customer rating:

Gedda in 60's and early 70's
A recording that does Gedda justice
It is the voice of destiny.
This is some of the finest singing ever recorded
What a master singer!!!

Nicolai Gedda - French and Russian Arias & Songs

Manufacturer: Gala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | 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
Similar Items:

The Very Best of Nicolai Gedda
The Very Best of Alfredo Kraus
Carlo Bergonzi - Italian Songs ~ Bellini · Verdi · Danza · Tosti · Donizetti · Rossini · Mascagni · Puccini
Schumann: Dichterliebe / Wunderlich, Giesen
The Very Best of Franco Corelli

ASIN: B000001XMK
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Tracks:

La Dame Blanche: Viens, gentille Dame
Faust: Quel trouble inconnu me penetre! - Salut! demeure chaste et pure
Romeo et Juliette: Ah! leve- toi, soleil
Les Huguenots: Non loin des vieilles tour- Plus blanche que la blanche hermine
Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jetee
Lakme: Prendre le dessin- Fantasie aux divins mensonges
La Damnation de Faust: Merci, doux crepuscule!
Les Troyens: Inutiles regrets!- Ah! quand viendra l'instant des supremes adieux
Prince Igor: Is it thou, Vladimir? (in Russian)
Jevgeny Onegin: Kuda, kuda, kuda vi udalilis (Where, Oh Where Have You Gone?)
Where Are You, Little Star?
The Garden By The Don
The He-Goat
In This Moonlit Night
At The Ball
Legend
Don Juan's Serenade
The Song Of The Young Gypsy
How Fair This Spot Or Hill Is Beauty

Customer Reviews:

Gedda in 60's and early 70's.......2003-08-21

Nicolai Gedda, a vocal wonder of the post-WWII Europe is in great form in live selections presented on this CD.
The French opera arias, particularly Berlioz and Gounod, required stellar high B's and C's plus ability to shift the registers seemlessly. Well, Gedda dispite his accent, was indeed perfect for this material. He will make you hold your breath every time he hits those high notes and each of these notes is crystal clear and dead-center on pitch.
For me personally, the best part of the disc is a 1971 recital of Russian art songs by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Gedda sings with a lot of feeling and is not afraid to "invent" -- check out the messa voce, or rubato that he adds. "Where art thou, little star" is heart-gripping in its beauty.
Unfortunately, the recital is clearly not presented in its entirety. I just hope Gala will release the full version some time soon.
Of course, all the selections are "live". But that's not a serious problem here (unlike many other Gala CDs made almost unlistenable by caughs and other noises). Yes, there are a few distractions, but not enough to take away from pure joy of Gedda's singing.

A recording that does Gedda justice.......2003-04-05

This compilation disc from Gala presents the artistry and musicianship of Nicolai Gedda. He is a great tenor. His voice may not be the most beautiful, but it certainly is pleasant to hear. He has an excellent top register; no high note is beyond his reach. His pianissimos, not really given their due here with Gala's selections of songs and arias, are really top-rate and extremely beautiful. If you want to hear his lovely pianissimos, get the hard-to-find "Opera Arias: Nicolai Gedda". The selection of arias and songs here is wonderful. Also included is a wonderful duet from "Prince Igor" sung in Russian and several Russian songs by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff. I didn't care much for the Russian songs, but Gedda performed them very well with perfect Russian diction. The French arias are amazingly well done. If you have been left unmoved by his versions of Don José's Flower Song from his two studio recordings of "Carmen", you will not be disappointed with the version included here. This version is sung with great emotional involvement. It comes from the 1954 live recording of "Carmen" with Giulietta Simionato and Herbert von Karajan. Gedda has the flexibility and the high D for the "Les Huguenots" aria. His renditions of the two Gounod arias are wonderful and his high notes are superb. Énée's aria from "Les Troyens" is very well done. He even attempts a trill in it. A recently released live recording of a performance of "Les Troyens" with Gedda, Horne, and Verrett is available. Check it out. Gedda may be too light of voice for such a heavy role as Énée, but who could resist such stylish, superb singing and French diction? He also can scale all the dangerous heights and dramatic demands of the fiendishly difficult role. The sound of this compilation is surprisingly good. There is some static, but it never becomes distracting. Audience noise is minimal to nonexistent. Applause is found only on a few tracks and is always appropriate. All in all, a worthwhile purchase at a remarkably low price!

It is the voice of destiny........2002-09-01

If I say that it is nice I'll say nothing. Gedda's voice is really juicy and romantic and vocalize school is enormously mastered. When you hear to it, the first thought is that such voice cannot to be belonged to real, live person. It is for angel's not for real man.

This is some of the finest singing ever recorded.......1999-05-12

Although strangely forgotten by the opera world and overshadowed by the overwhelming publicity surrounding the three tenors (Carreras, Domingo, and Pavoroti), Gedda ought to be recognized as the greatest living tenor. His artistry, technique, musicianship, and individuality are second to none. Buy this CD and delight in some of his best work. There are presently no singers that even approach the mastery of the repetoire recorded on this album which Gedda sings perfectly and easily.His refinement and power are unexcelled. (No, the three tenors don't hold a candle to him. In fact, comparing Gedda to them is a bit like comparing a halogen bulb to a candle. Very nice candles, yes, but no match for an artist of his caliber.)

What a master singer!!!.......1999-01-20

This is a truly wonderful recording of the tenor, who I feel, is the greatest in the second half of the 20th Century. Maestro Gedda sings repetoire from the lyric Gerrard in Lakme to the dramatic Raoul in Les Hugeunots all with stylish ease and elan. Gedda had the most beautiful high notes in the business. These are all live performances and the span of time is from 1954 (Carmen, with von Karajan) to 1972 (Les Hugeunots). Finally, on CD, one gets to hear Maestro Gedda sing Lenski's Aria from Eugene Onegin, more beautiful and sumptuous than any other Tenor before or since. Also the last 9 tracks are Russian songs and this is some of the most beautiful singing heard anywhere (also done live).