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The Anna Russell Album
from: Sony
: :This set of Anna Russell's inspired satirical monologues should be labeled with a warning notice. Why? Because after listening to her whirlwind explication of Wagner's Ring Cycle, even the most confirmed Wagnerite will be unable to listen to the Ring for weeks to come. Just listening to Russell declare in an incredulous voice: 'I'm not making this up, y'know' is enough to induce you to shed bucketloads of laughter-induced tears. Gilbert and Sullivan fans will find their heroes savaged ...
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Essential Bach
from: Decca
: :It is not possible to fit 36 Bach masterpieces on two CDs, so what Essential Bach does is present individual movements from across a range of the composer's work. The anthology is clearly aimed at the newcomer, and the absence of booklet notes to put the music in context is disappointing. We are only given titles, performers, and what films the extracts have been featured in, from Rollerball to The English Patient. On the plus side, most if not ...
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Perhaps Love
from: Sony
: :It is not possible to fit 36 Bach masterpieces on two CDs, so what Essential Bach does is present individual movements from across a range of the composer's work. The anthology is clearly aimed at the newcomer, and the absence of booklet notes to put the music in context is disappointing. We are only given titles, performers, and what films the extracts have been featured in, from Rollerball to The English Patient. On the plus side, most if not ...
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Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar
from: Deutsche Grammophon
: : This unique, 80-minute opera must be heard. The title means 'Fountain of Tears' in Arabic and refers to the place in Granada where Federico Garcia Lorca was executed by Fascist soldiers in 1936. The work opens in a theater in Uruguay in 1969. As the actress Margarita Xirgu, who collaborated with Lorca in the 1920s and '30s, is about to go on stage, she recalls memories of him and his death and the survivor's guilt she feels. Musical ...
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Richard Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg [Archive Edition]
from: Chandos
: : This unique, 80-minute opera must be heard. The title means 'Fountain of Tears' in Arabic and refers to the place in Granada where Federico Garcia Lorca was executed by Fascist soldiers in 1936. The work opens in a theater in Uruguay in 1969. As the actress Margarita Xirgu, who collaborated with Lorca in the 1920s and '30s, is about to go on stage, she recalls memories of him and his death and the survivor's guilt she feels. Musical ...
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Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale
: :Modern choral music for amateur singers may be America's biggest musical underground. That's the only explanation of why Grammy-nominated composer Morten Lauridsen can claim that his works are some of the most often-performed new pieces in years, although few among the East Coast intelligentsia have ever heard of him. Like the similarly popular John Rutter, Lauridsen inhabits an extremely conservative style directed simply and single-mindedly at showing off the beauty of choral singing while it illustrates inspiring texts. Unlike ...
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Faure Requiem Op.48 / Durufle Requiem Op.9
: :The chorus is at center of Shaw's reading of the score, presumably the more lightly scored 1893 version that Fauré, himself created (Telarc does not specify). The account flows very well, and the work of both soloists is highly satisfying, particularly Judith Blegen's airy soprano in Pie Jesu. The recording dates from 1985-86 and is one of Telarc's best, with excellent presence overall and real bass in the organ. --Ted Libbey
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Harem
: :If one's notion of 'world music' promises a touch of the exotic and indigenous, often overlooked is the fact that the influence of western pop music has seeped into every corner of the globe, creating a hybrid that's often more than merely the sum of its influences. Theater vet Brightman steps into that pan-cultural hall of mirrors here, wedding her fascination with the music and rhythms of the 'forbidden places' (the title's Arabic meaning) of the Middle East to ...
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Kapell Rediscovered
from: RCA
: :If one's notion of 'world music' promises a touch of the exotic and indigenous, often overlooked is the fact that the influence of western pop music has seeped into every corner of the globe, creating a hybrid that's often more than merely the sum of its influences. Theater vet Brightman steps into that pan-cultural hall of mirrors here, wedding her fascination with the music and rhythms of the 'forbidden places' (the title's Arabic meaning) of the Middle East to ...
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Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music, Concise Version (6 Compact Discs)
from: W. W. Norton
: :The Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music, Concise Edition includes professional recordings (many brand new) of selected works in the anthology in a six-CD set. These CDs are for use with The Norton Anthology of Western Music and A History of Western Music.
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