percussion westminster saint-saëns renaissance

classical music:

5 reviews
The Dale Warland Singers

American Choral, 1995

Well-compiled and sung lesser-known works for the holidays.
This is a very well-conceived collection of mostly lesser-known choral gems for the holidays, combined with a few more famous selections. For years, Warland has championed the cause of otherwise obscure choral works, as well as choral composers whose works deserve a broader audience. The benefit to these composers, their works, and the discerning listener, is the consummate professionalism, ...

Poulenc: Piano Works

5 reviews
Francis Poulenc, Pascal Rogé

Decca, 2004

A Delight
There's little use looking further for a recording of Poulenc's piano music, not when Pascal Roge captures the elegance, charm, and wit of his countryman's art so well. The disc starts with "Les Soirees de Nazelles," where some of Poulenc's more virtuosic passages lie. Also demanding are some of the "Improvisations." I find both of these works the most stimulating works on the disc, though my ...

The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever!

5 reviews
John Shirley-Quirk, Daniel Sladden, ...

EMI Classics, 2005

I love it and I give it as a gift
This is the first collection of choral music that I've purchased and I love it. I own copies of operas and requiems and masses, but if you attend choral concerts, as I have been recently, you learn there is a huge colletion of choral music appart from the forms I've been listening to. I appreciate the producers selecting "Song for Athene" by Tavener and "Celebration (Standing Stone)" by ...

Sacred Songs

58 reviews
Johann Sebastian Bach, Hector Berlioz, ...

Decca, 2005

Outstanding
I had seen this program on PBS and wanted the CD. Wonderful selection of music and Renee Fleming's outstanding voice.

Poulenc: Gloria; Concerto for Organ; Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms

3 reviews
Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, ...

Telarc, 2004

A very welcome reissue--but why was it ever out of print?
One of my most cherished CDs was a used copy of the Symphony of Psalms and the Poulenc Gloria, which was among Shaw's first CDs for Telarc. The only problem with that CD was that it was already well-used, and on the verge of being unplayable. So, naturally, I was horrified to find out--in the mid-90s--that the CD was out-of-print (the Symphony of Psalms was reissued in a coupling with Verdi's ...

Artistry of Christopher Parkening

6 reviews
Christopher Parkening, Johann Sebastian Bach, ...

EMI Classics, 1993

An Instant Classic in the Segovia Tradition
Christopher Parkening's work has always been nothing less than stellar. This particular collection of works is drawn from four previous releases (and also includes unreleased recordings), and is exemplary of his artistry and talent. The recordings are as crisp and clear as the day they were set down on tape. His expression and tone are without comparison. The selection of works on this ...

Peter and the Wolf

9 reviews
Dame Edna Everage, Sergey Prokofiev, ...

Naxos, 1998

A pleasant surprise
Many years ago I remember hearing another friend of Barry Humphries', Sir Les Paterson, narrate a piece entitled Peter and the Shark, which climaxed, as I recall, with a platypus receiving a "noah's ark up his blurter". (And if you're not an Australian, or au fait with the Australian vernacular, I suspect that the platypus's plight will remain a mystery to you) So I approached the notion of Dame ...

Renaissance: Music For Inner Peace

8 reviews
The Sixteen

Decca, 2005

Great Music, Fine Performances
First off, the title of this album is misleading. Only one of the tracks stems from the high Renaisance. The rest span from the Reformation period to contemporary. All of them are liturgical, all of a certain calm and meditative style--which could be inferred from the subtitle: "Music for Inner Peace." But those are quibbles. The voices are excellent. The direction impeccable. The ...

Poulenc: Gloria; Stabat Mater
Francis Poulenc, Georges Prêtre, ...

EMI Classics, 2006

O Magnum Mysterium

18 reviews
Thomas Tallis, Tomas Luis de Victoria, ...

Telarc, 2000

This is an amazing, amazing product
The only part of the CD I would quibble with is the selection from Rachmaninov's Vespers, but I'm really lucky and have heard that performed live several times and heard multiple recordings, and decided on one that I liked best early on. If you aren't blown away by the performance of the Tallis, you'll probably still cry when you hear the Lauridsen later in the CD. One thing about this CD is ...

A Christmas Caroll from Westminster Abbey
Julian Empitt, Bob Chilcott, ...

CONTRE JOUR, 2008

Oboe Obsession

4 reviews
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Benjamin Britten, ...

Delos Records, 2000

Oboe repertoire brilliantly played
The works presented on this disc constitute some of the cornerstones of oboe/piano literature. Allan Vogel's performance is very warm and insightful. His pianist, Bryan Pezzone, performs no less sensitively. The recording is also rich and warm. These works are all a delight to listen to. The Saint-Saens and Poulenc sonatas express both the charm and wit of these two great French composers. The ...

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Barber: Toccata Festiva

14 reviews
Samuel Barber, Francis Poulenc, ...

Ondine, 2007

Excellent selections in demonstration sound
This is the best one-disc survey of music for organ and large orchestra I've found. Barber's Toccata uses the full resources of the modern orchestra in a one-movement concerto (in all but name). It's nice to have a new recording of this, a performance in the composer's home-town, no less. Poulenc's orchestra is limited to strings and timpani, and here it's a revelation to discover details in ...

Poulenc: Concerto champêtre; Concerto for two pianos; Organ Concerto

1 review
Francis Poulenc, Georges Prêtre, ...

EMI Classics, 2003

Magnificent Authorative Recordings
I had the original LPs of these recording so I was happy to see that they had been transferred to CD. The performances of these three concertos by Francis Poulenc are the best I have heard. The Concert champetre (1929) was written for Wanda Landowska and was a favorite piece of hers but she never recorded it despite the urgings of Poulenc. This recording of the Concert champetre was made in ...

Poulenc: Concerto for 2 Pianos; Piano Concerto; Aubade

1 review
Francis Poulenc, James Conlon, ...

Warner Classics, 2006

A Twentieth Century Mozart
This is one of my favorite Poulenc discs, and certainly among my favorite twentieth century concertos. Poulenc has such a flair for combining a Mozartean sense of drama and lightness, while at the same time spinning out an endless stream of melody. His musical personality is full of wit and irreverent humor, though not at the expense of a serious voice with something vital to say. We see this ...

Masters of the Oboe

4 reviews
Sherman Walt, Denis Vigay, ...

Deutsche Grammophon, 2006

Appealing Junction of Master Oboists & Composers
This two CD set brings together eleven great composers: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Marcello, Vaughan Williams, Ravel, Schumann, Britten, Poulenc and Stravinsky with their compositions for oboe. These are played by eight oboists: Black, Gomberg, Holliger, Koch, Mack, Nicklin, Schellenberger and Still. This is all world oboe team from Europe as well as states. For many like me you will find both ...

Debussy & Poulenc: Cello Sonatas
Jean-Guihen Queyras, Claude Debussy, ...

Harmonia Mundi, 2008

Poulenc: Gloria; Motets

1 review
Francis Poulenc, Stephen Layton, ...

Hyperion UK, 2008

Sublime music, sublime performance
I cannot fathom why this recording remains an import. It has already attained the status of a classic in the Poulenc discography and for audiophiles it is indispensable. When I read the ecstatic reviews in Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine several months ago I was a bit skeptical, despite my enormous respect for Stephen Layton and Polyphony. For the a cappella pieces (the Lenten and Christmas ...

Music for Organ, Brass & Percussion

10 reviews
Andre Campra, Jeremiah Clarke, ...

Telarc, 1990

Simply Superb!
It's hard to fathom the restraint of some of the prior reviewers' praise of this CD. As you would expect from any Telarc "fully digital" recording, the overall sonic impact is gratifyingly dynamic, and the performances are impeccable. Moreover, many supremely masterful composers are included-several of whom you might otherwise never encounter. At this price, buying this highly enjoyable CD is a ...

A Choral Christmas - The Trinity Choir, Boston

4 reviews
Bob Chilcott, John Linton Gardner, ...

Dorian Recordings, 2001

What sweet music
This CD is full of accessible Christmas music, beautifully sung by the superb Trinity Choir. The sound is blended, clear, and nuanced, with the dynamics and phrasing for which the choir is justly known. Those who have attended the Candlelight Carols services at Trinity over the last years will recognize some of the selections, as will anyone who has ever sung in a church choir at Christmas. The ...

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