classical music: Portrait

classical music: Portrait

classical music:

Portrait

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) / Keenlyside, Roschmann, Hartmann, Damrau, Selig, Allen, Sir Colin ...

Mozart, Simon Keenlyside

BBC / Opus Arte, 2003

It All Works Together on this Disk
Like all works of art, opera is the sum of its parts. Opera joins music, both sung and played, acting, both physical and verbal, costumes, settings, and lighting. A video disk of an opera adds camera work and editing. What I found remarkable about this disk is that ...

Hilary Hahn: A Portrait

Hilary Hahn

Deutsche Grammophon, 2007

Hilary Is a True Blessing!
It's beyond words. My feelings about this extraordinary artist are impossible to quantify. I would have an easier time describing the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen. All I can say, is that this DVD slays what is left of my rendered humble heart.

Andres Segovia: In Portrait

Christopher Nupen, Rameau Albeniz

BBC / Opus Arte, 2005

The Master of Classical Guitar
I just love this disc. The production is wonderful and of course Andres Segovia's guitar playing is phenomenal. His comments on his music and life give you a good understanding of where he's coming from. The DVD offers you the choice to play just the musical ...

A Portrait Of Anonymous 4

Anonymous 4

Harmonia Mundi Fr., 1997

If Angels Ever Recorded A CD
Four female voices have never blended together so perfectly and beautifully as do those of the 'Anonymous 4.' Their CD titled, 'Portrait' contains a selection of tracks from seven other previous CD's, kind of a "Best Of" you might say. If angels ever came down from ...

Music from a Farther Room

Lucia Micarelli, Eric Holden, ...

Reprise / Wea, 2004

LOVE IT and HATE IT
You can hear the passion and emotion in her music. I can't wait to see what she has in her next Album, "Interlude". I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with her music. I absolutely love, love, love watching her and listening to her music. I hate the fact that it ...

Corigliano: The Red Violin Caprices / Thomson: Three Portraits; Five Ladies; Eight Portraits
Corigliano, Thomson

Naxos American Classics, 2008

John Corigliano has revisited his score for the 1997 film The Red Violin several times. In The Red Violin Caprices, content is allied to a technique making strenuous demands on the performer. The pensive Theme is identical in substance to that heard in the earlier Chaconne (Naxos 8.559306), and its five variations range in style from the ...

Mozart - Die Zauberflote [Blu-ray]

Simon Keenlyside, Dorothea Röschmann

BBC / Opus Arte, 2008

A must have
This rendition of the opera is delightfull. The video is excellent and the sound is amazing. The performance in general is a masterpiece, the Queen of the night performance is a tour de force. Papagino is delightful, funny without being overdone and with great vocal ...

Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait

Jacqueline du Pré

BBC / Opus Arte, 2004

Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait
A great, great DVD, bringing her to life. We have watched it over and over. The "Ghost" extra is just wonderful.

Vaughan Williams: The Nine Symphonies

John Shirley-Quirk, Douglas Cummings, ...

RCA, 2004

One of England's finest composers
It's safe to say that Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of the finest British composers alongside Holst, Elgar, Britten, and Bax. His nine symphonies are pure proof of his genius: they're lovely, haunting, lyrical, intense, hot-blooded, ethereal, etc. Maestro Andre Previn ...

Philip Glass: Portrait

Philip Glass

Analekta, 2008

Not your father's Philip Glass CD
I was given this CD as a gift and not being a big fan of Philip Glass I expected his usual "knock-knock, who's there; knock-knock, who's there; ock-knock, who's there" kind of music. I was very pleasantly surprised with this "late period" Glass music. It's a very ...

The Copland Collection: Orchestral & Ballet Works, 1936-1948

Benny Goodman, Aaron Copland, ...

Sony, 1991

Aaron Copland: Populist and Conductor
If you want a prime collection of Copland's more accessible works, this is it. Yes, it's true that Bernstein's recordings of individual pieces are often bolder and livelier; but this set offers the composer's own authoritative view of his work, and for that reason ...

Chanticleer: A Portrait

Chanticleer, Ignacio Jerusalem, ...

Teldec, 2003

A treasury
As you can tell from the samples, the music here is amazing and covers a wide territory. It is less obvious that much of this is available on other CDs. I am confident, for example, that "We Shall Walk Through the Valley In Peace" is the same track that you will find ...

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, etc.

Ralph Vaughan Williams, André Previn, ...

RCA, 1990

Great combination of Vaughan Williams
This disk makes a splendid introduction to Vaughan Williams. The symphony is more concise than many of his other sypmhonies, so those new to VW can develop their patience slowly. And the accompanying works are probably worth the price of the disk by themselves. I need ...

Moondog 1 & 2

Moondog

Beat Goes On, 2000

This needs a more articulate review...
To tell the truth, the only reason I even listened to this disc in the store is because I spotted the cover, and wondered what the hell a guy who looked like that could sound like. I had a gushing smile on my face as I realized there was real talent and expression ...

Astor Piazzolla in Portrait

BBC / Opus Arte, 2005

The Essence of the Man
Unfortunately, most of us did not get to see Astor Piazzolla perform when he was alive. Now, thanks to the BBC, at least one of his live performances has been preserved for posterity. Astor Piazzolla In Portrait is a mixture of music, biography, and interviews of ...