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John Adams - El Nino / Hunt-Lieberson, Upshaw, W. White, Nagano
from: Nonesuch
: 's Best of 2001:To clear up one thing first: this is not about the El Niño weather system that hits the western Pacific every few years. Instead, this is a rather beautifully done Nativity Oratorio by John Adams, filled with his trademark dancing minimalist rhythms and tuneful melodies. The text is in Spanish, English, and Latin, and comes from both New World and Old World sources, all centering on the birth of Christ. Particular kudos must go to the three principals: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Dawn Upshaw, soprano; and Willard White, baritone. Even ...
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Martha Stewart Living Music: Classical Favorites for the Holidays
from: Sony
: 's Best of 2001:To clear up one thing first: this is not about the El Niño weather system that hits the western Pacific every few years. Instead, this is a rather beautifully done Nativity Oratorio by John Adams, filled with his trademark dancing minimalist rhythms and tuneful melodies. The text is in Spanish, English, and Latin, and comes from both New World and Old World sources, all centering on the birth of Christ. Particular kudos must go to the three principals: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Dawn Upshaw, soprano; and Willard White, baritone. Even ...
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Handel's Messiah
from: Golden Classics
: 's Best of 2001:To clear up one thing first: this is not about the El Niño weather system that hits the western Pacific every few years. Instead, this is a rather beautifully done Nativity Oratorio by John Adams, filled with his trademark dancing minimalist rhythms and tuneful melodies. The text is in Spanish, English, and Latin, and comes from both New World and Old World sources, all centering on the birth of Christ. Particular kudos must go to the three principals: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Dawn Upshaw, soprano; and Willard White, baritone. Even ...
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Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration
from: Telarc
: :This compilation features excerpts from some of the greatest sacred works in the literature--including Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Missa solemnis, and Verdi's Requiem--all led by Robert Shaw. The selections, from recordings made between 1983 and 1997 by Shaw and various ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, are presented more or less in order of their composition, from Vivaldi's Gloria to Arvo Pärt's Magnificat. Especially thrilling is the complete 'Gloria' from the Missa solemnis, 17 minutes of sheer grandeur, and the Sanctus movements from the Requiems of Verdi ...
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Trombones Under the Tree
from: Summit(Classical)
:Album Description:The principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic and a great supporting cast present a wonderfully elegant 'trombone Christmas.' After the success of Four of a Kind, there should be some serious interest in this lineup!
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Christmas Organ Music
from: Nimbus Records
:Album Description:The principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic and a great supporting cast present a wonderfully elegant 'trombone Christmas.' After the success of Four of a Kind, there should be some serious interest in this lineup!
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Handel - Messiah / Augér, von Otter, Chance, Crook, Tomlinson, English Concert, Pinnock
: essential recording:This is a terrific performance of Messiah. Not only are the soloists all superb, but Trevor Pinnock completely contradicts the image of many period instrument performances as small-scale, scrappy affairs. Indeed, he invests the choruses with as much genuine Handelian pomp as Beecham at his most extravagant. The trumpets really blaze, and the timpani thunder, and everyone simply has a great time. A joyous performance, just right for the holiday season. --David Hurwitz Amazon.com:Trevor Pinnock meets with mixed success in this account of the Messiah with the English Concert & Choir ...
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Handel - Messiah / Vyvyan · Sinclair · Vickers · Tozzi · Royal PO · Beecham
: essential recording:Sir Thomas Beecham's Messiah has become notorious among baroque purists (like this writer) for embodying the worst excesses of pre-1960 Handel performance: ponderous tempos, stentorian opera singers, huge lumbering choruses and orchestras, crashing cymbals, clanging triangles.... Well, we'll need a new straw man: this performance is WONDERFUL. Jon Vickers and Giorgio Tozzi negotiate Handel's writing surprisingly well; Jennifer Vyvyan takes to it naturally. The chorus and orchestra (yes, including trombones, tuba, triangle, and cymbals) may obscure the part-writing, but they fill the music with power, grandeur, and faith. If Mozart could ...
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Christopher Parkening plays Bach
from: EMI Classics
: essential recording:Sir Thomas Beecham's Messiah has become notorious among baroque purists (like this writer) for embodying the worst excesses of pre-1960 Handel performance: ponderous tempos, stentorian opera singers, huge lumbering choruses and orchestras, crashing cymbals, clanging triangles.... Well, we'll need a new straw man: this performance is WONDERFUL. Jon Vickers and Giorgio Tozzi negotiate Handel's writing surprisingly well; Jennifer Vyvyan takes to it naturally. The chorus and orchestra (yes, including trombones, tuba, triangle, and cymbals) may obscure the part-writing, but they fill the music with power, grandeur, and faith. If Mozart could ...
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Simply the Best Christmas Album
from: Erato
: :A rather presumptive holiday title, Simply the Best Christmas Album is an unqualified best--if you like classical, choral, and symphonic music. Marquee talent such as Placido Domingo, Natalie Cole, and Jose Carreras anchor the mix, abetted by the redoubtable London Brass, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Edward Higgenbottom & The Choir of New College, Oxford, and the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. This two-disc, 36-piece set presents a broad spectrum of holiday pageantry that embraces familiar traditional works like The Nutcracker and more contemporary pieces from Sumi Jo and Linda Eder. From triumphant brass and angelic ...
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