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Beethoven's Wig, Vol. 2: More Sing-Along Symphonies
from: Rounder / Umgd
: :From a pure-pleasure standpoint, the first Beethoven's Wig was nothing to flip over, and the second disc in the series follows suit. However, that is not to say that this is not a valuable and possibly ingenious record. Those unfamiliar with the premise will quickly get the picture: Producer/writer/lead singer/chief clever guy Richard Perlmutter gathers a bundle of important classical works (Paganini's 'Violin Concerto #2,' Strauss' 'Blue Danube Waltz') and makes up silly, catchy lyrics to lay over them, informing the listener about the piece or its composer. Standing out for their offbeat ...
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The #1 Guitar Album
from: Decca
:Album Description:The #1 Guitar Album features the best-loved and most popular works for guitar--the world's most popular instrument! Featuring a 'who's who' of the world's greatest guitarists including Andrés Segovia, John Williams, Julian Bream, Paco PeÀa, Pepe Romero, Alexandre Lagoya, Narcisco Yepes, Göran Söllscher and more! Best-loved 'classical' hits from Rodrigo, Dowland, Vivaldi and Marcello as well as stirring Flamenco music! Includes great arrangements of the most popular melodies from Bach & Bizet to Lennon & McCartney! 35 tracks--over 21⁄2 hours--on 2 jam-packed CDs. Here are the melodies and tunes everyone knows (and ...
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Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra
: essential recording:This recording was made near the end of Maria Callas's career. It is a role she never sang onstage, but it suited her almost perfectly, and she gives a deep, compelling performance on this recording. The mezzo-soprano tessitura was comfortable for her voice, and the role did not call for a pretty sound. Nor did the recording studio require the kind of huge vocal power expected in an opera house. And furthermore, the character of a strong-willed, capricious, sexually compelling woman who thinks exclusively of herself was close to the offstage ...
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The Very Best of Maria Callas
: essential recording:This recording was made near the end of Maria Callas's career. It is a role she never sang onstage, but it suited her almost perfectly, and she gives a deep, compelling performance on this recording. The mezzo-soprano tessitura was comfortable for her voice, and the role did not call for a pretty sound. Nor did the recording studio require the kind of huge vocal power expected in an opera house. And furthermore, the character of a strong-willed, capricious, sexually compelling woman who thinks exclusively of herself was close to the offstage ...
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Sacred Arias [Special Edition with Bonus DVD]
:Album Description:Special Edition includes enhanced CD with bonus tracks and concert DVD. :When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias. These performances are filled with the singer's phenomenally well-known vocal signature: his flair for long, sweetly floating high notes and the gentle sense of cadence he brings to a melody. It's a mistake to ...
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The Most Famous Opera Arias
from: EMI Classics
:Album Description:Special Edition includes enhanced CD with bonus tracks and concert DVD. :When he was growing up, Andrea Bocelli recalls finding inspiration in a favorite recording of sacred music performed by tenor legend Franco Corelli. Bocelli--who in the meantime has come to inspire millions of fiercely loyal fans himself--returns to the genre as the guiding theme of Sacred Arias. These performances are filled with the singer's phenomenally well-known vocal signature: his flair for long, sweetly floating high notes and the gentle sense of cadence he brings to a melody. It's a mistake to ...
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Vivaldi's Cello
from: Sony
: :The great Yo-Yo Ma has recently (in addition to his world music explorations) moved to the baroque cello, a so-called period instrument, and his transition has been remarkably smooth. He is indeed a musical polyglot, and this CD finds him solidly in the heart of the Baroque period, with music by Vivaldi. In addition to three concerti the composer wrote for cello, there are some fascinating transcriptions. The Largo violin solo from the 'Winter' concerto of the Four Seasons is here beautifully played on cello, its darker tone added substituting gravity for chill ...
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Massenet - Thaïs / Fleming, Hampson, Sabbatini, Shkosa, Vidal, Devellereau, Cals, Yves Abel
: :Given the renaissance in recent years of an interest in Jules Massenet--consider, for example, the 1999 release of two Werthers back to back--the time definitely has become ripe for a new account of his late opera, Thaïs. This is the first alternative to appear on CD since the problematic version with Beverly Sills from the 1970s. While far from flawless (curiously, it was recorded in two stretches, with a pause of 15 months between them), it makes a mostly convincing case for the stirring beauty of Massenet's much-misunderstood work. For Thaïs, with its ...
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The Opera Gala: Live from Baden-Baden
:Description:Deutsche Grammophon proudly presents the new faces of the opera world in a glamorous new live concert DVD: Anna Netrebko, Elı - na Garancˇa, Ramón Vargas and the highly acclaimed young French baritone Ludovic Tézier sing a wide range of Italian and French opera favorites. This recording features highlights from concerts at Baden- Baden's Festspielhaus, where tickets to this extraordinary event sold out in record time. The DVD features the four young stars performing duets and the popular quartet 'Bella figlia dell'amore' from Rigoletto. Other highlights include Delibes' famous flower duet from Lakmé ...
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Donna - Mozart: Arias
:Album Description:For her second recording as an exclusive Virgin Classics artist, soprano sensation Diana Damrau has chosen to sing a remarkably varied selection of concert and operatic arias by Mozart, ranging from the bravura (Donna Anna, Konstanze, Donna Elvira) to the more serious (Pamina) to the lighter soprano (soubrette roles such as Susanna, Blonde, and others). Damrau has gained international acclaim for her Mozart renditions, alternating the roles of Pamina and The Queen of the Night at the Met last fall, as well as Konstanze in Die Entführung later in the season. Her ...
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