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classical music:

75 reviews
Kristin Chenoweth, Jule Styne, ...

Sony, 2001

One of the best ever!
Do I mean the best album or the best singer? You are correct if you said both! I saw Kristin Chenoweth on a PBS show "Broadway's Best at the Pops," (though it was not the first time I had heard her) and decided to check out the offerings here. This is a collection of the kind of music and performances I love. She has a great range, a precise pitch, and a great style that is at the same time ...

An American Journey

1 review
Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, ...

EMI Classics, 2008

Superb
I only heard the Gershwin and Bernstein Suites. I was so taken with the extraordinary / superb arrangements, that surpass even the original scores, that I confidently feel, both composers would second me and aplaud these Eroica Trio renditions as well.

Joshua Bell - Gershwin Fantasy

18 reviews
Joshua Bell, George Gershwin, ...

Sony, 1998

S'Wonderful
Love it! I had heard of Josh Bell but never had purchased any of his music. I am a full fan now. This cd is wonderful. I am a Gershwin fan and have been for years. Bell breathes new life into the old classics and the result is breathtaking. His touch with the violin is beyound discription. He even plays with George in one cut, Sweet and Low Down. That alone is worth the price of the cd. ...

Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue/An American In Paris

14 reviews
George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, ...

Sony, 1990

cd- Rhapsoy In Blue Gershwin
I loved these songs since I first heard them. Especially the RAPSODY IN BLUE which I probably heard it first in the movie, An American In Paris. This cd rendition is perfect. I have it loaded on my pod as well as having the cd in my office to listen to (among others) as I do my work in here. I strongly recommend this cd to everyone. Bev Sorensen

The Essential Yo-Yo Ma

18 reviews
Edgar Meyer, Hector Console, ...

Sony, 2005

pure genius
No instrument asks more from the soul of an artist as the cello does. Yo Yo Ma shows to be master of the instrument and his interpretations en technique are pure genius. Everyone should have this album in his (or hers of course) basic classical collection

Appassionato

30 reviews
Yo-Yo Ma, Paquito D'Rivera, ...

SONY CLASSICS, 2007

There Aren't Enough Stars...
Of the thousands of albums/cds I have purchased in my lifetime -- were I to have to pick only one to keep -- this would be it. The mark of the collection is an exquisite sensibility and technical excellence. In several of the pieces, you can feel as if your soul, rather than musical instruments, is being played -- but nothing mundane, boring, sophomoric, sentimental, or trite. The choice of ...

George Gershwin - Porgy & Bess / Trevor Nunn · Sir Simon Rattle · W. White · C. Haymon · Glyndebourne Opera

119 reviews
Willard White, Cynthia Haymon

EMI Classics, 2001

Gershwin's masterpiece receives a performance worthy of it.
"Porgy & Bess" is George Gershwin's masterpiece and one of the 10 greatest operas ever written (see my list on Amazon). For a long time (and even now ... Leonard Maltin's review, e.g.) condescendingly called a "folk opera" (translation: "the Met won't do it"). Bollocks. True, Gershwin himself used the term, probably an attempt to slip it into acceptance through the back door. It's not only ...

Greatest Hits: Broadway

4 reviews
Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, ...

Sony, 1996

Great to Hear All those great Voices from the Past
I just wanted to confirm what the first reviewer had to say about this CD. To hear Ethyl Merman, Mary Martin, Andrea McCardle etc. singing their trademark songs brought a lot of memories from the mid-centry musical theater back again. The last song by Glynis Johns is especially poignant. You certainly can't beat the price!

Classic Yo-Yo

15 reviews
Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, ...

Sony, 2001

Awesome
While most people on this site see the "classic" in the title of the album as referring to classical music only, they are mistaken. Classic Yo-Yo refers to his style, not the genre into which his music choices fall. The list of tracks alone should have been a big enough clue that the music isn't all classical. Judging this album, or any album for that matter, on just its title is simply ...

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/Cuban Overture/Porgy and Bess Suite/An American in Paris

8 reviews
George Gershwin, James Levine, ...

Deutsche Grammophon, 1993

The Finest Recordings of These Four Selections
George Gershwin (1898-1937) first made a name for himself as the composer of one memorable popular song after another--songs that have proven remarkably durable and have entered our collective consciousness to become "great standards" by which others are judged. In 1924 he began to leap the gulf between "popular" and "serious" music, and between 1924 and his untimely death in 1937 he created a ...

George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
George Gershwin, Alexander Smallens, ...

Guild, 2008

The Best of Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

6 reviews
Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, ...

Decca Broadway, 2004

Yes this is Some of the Best of Broadway!
This CD from Decca Broadway is a wonderful selection of some of the "Greatest Hits" of the Broadway stage. Decca and Sony have done an excellent job of remastering the various recordings, some of which still show some of their age, but come across quite well. Are there a lot of songs that I would have put on this disc? Yes, but the ones on here are good choices. I may have to ...

Bernstein Century - Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, etc

12 reviews
George Gershwin, Ferde Grofe, ...

Sony, 1997

Brilliant is the word!
No other director in the history has achieved such expression level and plain domain of the idiomatic lexicon of George Gershwin as Bernstein did it. There are two main reason for it, his enormous talent and his condition as pianist. So, Gershwin may be very grateful because of that because for the posterity , the future newcomers in music will have the chance to analyze, scrutinize and ...

Renee Fleming: By Request

41 reviews
Vincenzo Bellini, Alfredo Catalani, ...

Decca, 2003

Just plain great!
This is my favorite album!!! I use it to mellow out, or just listen to her magnificent voice. I've passed on a few of her other albums, but if I lost this one, I'd buy it over and over again.

Crazy for You (1992 Original Broadway Cast)

30 reviews
George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, ...

Angel Records, 1992

Jodi benons voice is stunning in this excellent production
Jodi benson appears in one of very few, but marveolus broadway performances!The music on this recording even downplays bensons work in disneys " The Little Mermaid"! It is and energetic fun-filled musical, yet it is based solely upon the one emotion that is so ellusive, yet so desired,love. Benson's rendition of someone to watch over me is absolutely amazing!overall this CD is well worth the ...

Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder

6 reviews
Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, ...

Time Life Records, 2005

Masterful!
This two CD set is magnificent. I got the set in the early 1990's when it was advertised on television, along with other releases in Time Life's set. I was struck by the interpretations of the conductors. Whenever I hear these pieces now, I judge them against this recording. Amazing selection as well. There are staples of orchestra repetoire, like Beethoven symphonies, but also gems that are ...

Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music

46 reviews
Johann Sebastian Bach, Samuel Barber, ...

Compendia, 1994

Exactly what I wanted
It's probably too much to say that this collection is for those who "hate" classical music. But I think it's safe to say that it is for people who are not serious aficionados. It provides classical tunes that most of us have heard but don't necessarily know the names of and presents them in a very palatable way. A diverse array of composers is represented and there is something here for just ...

25 Piano Favorites

7 reviews
Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, ...

Vox (Classical), 1996

25 Piano Favorites
This is my favorite classical CD since it is geared to a wide audience. Many of my friends and acquaintances enjoy it, too.

5 Stars: Favorites from the 5 Browns
Leonard Bernstein, Claude Debussy, ...

RCA, 2008

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

24 reviews
George Gershwin, Frank Milne

Nonesuch, 1993

Wonderfully American
I've had a copy of this CD for years and love it. The power and optimism of the music is really quite remarkable... regardless of who or what is actually playing here. The arrangement of Swanee is light but rich with major chord trains like you just want to go marching around the room. And American In Paris leads you on a swaying, dischordy journey the deeper you go, as the narrative begins ...

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