From The Labyrinth

Track Listings

1. From The Labyrinth

2. La Chaca

3. The Real Friend

4. It'll Take Sometime

5. Tango Suite

6. Growing Up

7. Waiting For The True

8. With My Self

9. Washington Square Park

10. To My Hobgoblins

Editorial Reviews
AL DI MEOLA- U.S.A.
Mario is considered one of the Top Pianist emerged in the new era of the Post Tango. AL DI MEOLA

Product Description
A perfectly blend of contemporary Jazz, Tango and South American Rhythms.

From The Labyrinth

From The Labyrinth,Mario Parmisano,Parmi Music,A perfectly balanced blend of contemporary jazz, tango and South American rhythms.

From The Labyrinth

Tracks:

Walsingham
Can she excuse my wrongs?
Ryght honorable: as I have bin most bounde unto your honor Â…
Flow my tears
Have you seen the bright lily grow
Then in time passing on Mr. Johnson diedÂ…
The Most High and Mighty Christianus the Fourth, King of Denmark
The lowest trees have tops
And accordinge as I desired ther cam a letterÂ…
Fine knacks for ladies
From thenc I went to the Landgrave of HessenÂ…
Fantasy
Come, heavy sleep
Forlorn Hope Fancy
And from thence I had great desire to see ItalyÂ…
Come again
Wilt thou unkind thus reave me
After my departure I caled to mynde our conferenceÂ…
Weep you no more, sad fountains
My Lord WilloughbyÂ’s Welcome Home
Clear or cloudy
Men say that the Kinge of Spain is making gret preparationÂ…
In darkness let me dwell

Amazon.com

In choosing to cover the music of John Dowland (1563-1626), who is known as the "melancholy madrigalist" from his output of cheerful ditties like "Flow My Tears," Police bandleader Sting has entered into a whole new realm of austere eeriness. Originally inspired by the gift of a lute, the rock superstar and activist sings the songs, deliciously sweet and tender or spirited by turn, accompanying himself, with Edin Karamazov sitting on lute and archlute. For listeners accustomed to hearing material of this period interpreted by rigorously trained early music stylists, especially countertenors and the like, Sting's sometimes tight-jawed, chest-heavy vocals may seem amateurish. It's undeniable that in four-part harmonies, the singer, tightly overdubbed, comes across like a combination of the Swingle Singers and Queen (meaning Freddy Mercury and crew, NOT the first Elizabeth). But it's important to remember that music of this period was routinely heard as a casual diversion in private homes, even more often than at Court. It was considered a crucial social skill to be able to join in with an adequate degree of skill, but not everyone was able to negotiate the perilous melodic twists and turns typical of the era's music. With this in mind, the overall effect is of a candle-lit, postprandial entertainment in the home of an English gentleman. Muttered readings from Dowland's letters and brief snippets of sampled birdsong aside, it is a courageous effort, displaying heartfelt admiration for the composer and a considerable degree of earnest charm. --Christina Roden

Album Description

StingÂ's Songs From The Labyrinth is an album of 17th century music composed by John Dowland and performed on the lute, an ancient acoustic guitar. After being given a lute nearly two years ago as a gift, Sting became fascinated and immersed himself with the instrument and the history of lute music. Reminded of his almost 25 year long enthrallment with the works of John Dowland, the Elizabethan composer who wrote songs for the lute, Sting has recorded a new album of vocal and lute music. All songs were composed by Dowland in the 17th century, but have been given new life in these fresh new recordings by Sting. Sting not only sings all the songs (accompanied by leading lutenist Edin Karamasov, who appears on two Andreas Scholl albums), but also plays lute on two instrumental duets with Edin and reads short extracts from a fascinating autobiographical letter by Dowland. Sting has also written a brilliant account of the album's genesis, along with notes on the individual tracks, which serves as the CD booklet.

Customer Reviews:

great CD.......2007-07-23

As usual, this is a great STING's cd. Wonderful music and interpretation. Its amazin these songs were written on the 16 century.
I will completely recomend anyone this CD.

Very disappointing.......2007-07-19

As we all know, the music of John Dowland is lovely. When played by Paul Odette or Julian Bream it is exquisite. However, this production is almost depressing. Sting's gravelly voice finally grated on me and I probably won't play this again. The lute performance is mediocre also. The best song is that which they use to promote the album. Pass on this one.

*sigh*.......2007-07-16

I am a lutenist myself, who had experience as both a rock guitarist and a classically trained clarinetist before also picking up the lute. I have a great love for Dowland that comes from years of playing his songs myself as well as hearing great musicians (like Paul O'Dette) play them. And this CD makes me sad.

In a way, it doesn't surprise me that Sting would do this. For years now he's been trying to gain cred in the classical music world (I have a 1988 recording of him doing Stravinsky's A Soldier Tale that delighted me when I was 16 and musically ignorant, but now makes my eyes roll into the back of my head). What upsets me is he had to do something that's initimately important to me as a musician. The is problem is that when it comes this kind of music, as others have said, he IS an amatuer, and all his heavy-handed, juvenile earnesty and clumsy, misplaced intensity just drains out all the joy I would normally experience from these songs. Moreover, he's voice isn't merely "untrained" - it's *shot* from years of strain caused by bad "rock" vocal technique. It's just pitiful to listen to in such an exposed context. If you think this is how these songs ought to be intrepreted, you're sadly mistaken.

There are people who would call Sting a "pop genius, " laud him and hand him all sort of impressive looking awards and honors, but this is the music of a real genius, someone who knew not just how to write lyrics that hit home with his audience, but as how to compose songs with unparallel grace, form and sophistication in an idiosyncratic style that bridged convention and innovation. And Sting simply cannot do Dowland's music justice. He just doesn't have the chops or the insight. It's great he's supposedly "studied" this music and that he wrote lengthy, flowery liner notes, but did he really need to record this CD for any reason that his own self-satisfaction? It's far too obvious he hasn't done the same level of groundwork of countless Early Music musicians who don't do this a hobby or avocation from political causes or high-profile celebrity, but as their sole passion. Why couldn't he simply support those musicians, without trying to grab some spotlight for himself? Having a decent lutenist as a sidekick just isn't enough to pull him up from his amatuerly, self-important bog, either. Frankly, he just doesn't get it, and at this stage, I don't think he will.

Early music lovers don't need someone like Sting to bring this music to us - we've been doing just fine without him because we have so many other, really wonderful musicians around to keep this music alive. Someone else recommended Nigel Rogers and Paul O'Dette, and I would gladly recommend them over this celebrity-fuel nonsense as well. Yes these are both musicians with academic backgrounda, but that doesn't mean they are academic musicians - far from it. They just have to hold down teaching positions and do master classes because they don't have a pop career to play the bills. Musicially and professionally, they're what Early Music musicians ought to be - dedicated, educated, passionate and yet they don't have any need to take themselves this deathly seriously.

Elizabethan Music.......2007-07-12

This is the audio component of an hour long video made by Sting on the work of Elizabethan composer John Dowland. (The video does adds greatly to the value as it places the music against the background and age (16th C) for which it was written.) Sting's voice is light tenor and right for these poems set to music about everlasting human concerns that persist to our day. But you'll not see those wonderful lutes that accompany the words, so complex to play with a beauty of sound not heard today. Between his music Sting gives an excellent spoken commentary to complete an attractive presentation of esoteric classical music with a modern undertone.

Vibe shift.......2007-07-10

Why bother? Still would like to say i love the 'shift' it takes to get into this music and how i (and my home) feel when i've enter this rather rarified realm of listening.

Labyrinth: From The Original Soundtrack Of The Jim Henson Film

Average customer rating:

It's Only Forever
Electronic but fantastikal
Great 80's music from a fun 80's movie
LABYRINTH IS NOT JUST FOR WOMEN
Why the rejected version of Dance Magic?

Labyrinth: From The Original Soundtrack Of The Jim Henson Film
David Bowie , and Trevor Jones
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Labyrinth
The NeverEnding Story
Best of Bowie
Das Letzte Einhorn (The Last Unicorn)
The Dark Crystal

ASIN: B000002U9L
Release Date: 2007-05-21

Tracks:

Opening Titles Including Underground - David Bowie
Into The Labyrinth - Trevor Jones
Magic Dance - David Bowie
Sarah - Trevor Jones
Chilly Down - David Bowie
Hallucination - Trevor Jones
As The World Falls Down - David Bowie
Goblin Battle - Trevor Jones
Within You - David Bowie
Thirteen O'Clock - Trevor Jones
Home At Last - Trevor Jones
Underground - David Bowie

Customer Reviews:

It's Only Forever.......2007-06-21

The first time I saw The Labyrinth I was 7 or 8, probably 1987/88 Rotterdan, on tv and it really blew me away. It has a fairytale quality, a beautiful world of make-believe, truly wonderful. Years later, 2006 I went to the local fantasy shop (which has unfortunately moved from Rotterdam to Delft), saw the special DVD box with special drawing cards inside and bought it then and there. In that very same year I also bought the soundtrack.

While the "Opening Title" transports you to The Labyrinth, "Into The Labyrinth" makes you want to walk inside and be lost forever.
"As the World falls down" and "Within You" are both beautiful and haunting, showing Jareth's desperation and (maybe) love for Sarah.
"The Gobling Battle" is a blast, "Home at last" makes one feels like it is a preparation for the BIG Party in "Underground".

Electronic but fantastikal.......2007-06-05

It has some moody pieces, but also some bright. I still think David Bowie would have made a good Vampire Lestat. He was an excellent Goblin King.

Great 80's music from a fun 80's movie.......2007-05-27

David Bowie's soundtrack from the movie is pretty much what you expect: if you've seen the movie Labyrinth, you've heard the soundtrack. As a longtime fan of the film and an unabashed child of the '80's, I still enjoy it. I only wish they'd included a lyrics sheet.

LABYRINTH IS NOT JUST FOR WOMEN.......2007-05-24

I have to disagree with the first reviewer of this film/soundtrack. This movie/soundtrack appeals to EVERYONE'S fantasies and imagination. The Soundtrack is amazing as is the movie. Entertaining to anyone wether it be male or female. David Bowie is amazing and proofs it in this soundtrack.

Why the rejected version of Dance Magic?.......2007-05-14

They used the rejected version of Dance Magic, wich can be seen as an extra in the DVD release. After hearing it, I can understand why they opted not to use it in the movie. It would have been nice if they'd added BOTH versions of the song on the disc, seeing as it has few songtracks & has both versions of Underground. To this day, aside from maybe 3 other songs he sang in the early 80s, this is the best music I've ever heard from David Bowie. (Does his face age at all? He looks just as young today.....)

Average customer rating:

The royal music!

Organ Works Complete
Johann Sebastian Bach , and Christopher Herrick
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006L3WC
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Customer Reviews:

The royal music!.......2003-11-05

Organ king's music performed by a prominent organist at his best on ones of the best organs in the world!

Average customer rating:

5 Stars even for Want of the Viennese Flavour
Get Mercury Living Presence Before Its Dead

Plays Kreisler
Henryk Szeryng , and Fritz Kreisler
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin
The Kreisler Album
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 / Midsummer Night's Dream
Dorati Conducts Satie, Milhaud, Auric, Françaix & Fetler
Janos Starker

ASIN: B0000057MN
Release Date: 1995-05-16

Tracks:

Caprice Viennois
Schon Rosmarin
Liebesleid
Liebesfreud
Recitativo and Scherzo (Solo Violin)
Tempo di Minuetto
Praeludium and Allegro
Chanson Louis XIII and Pavane
Tambourin Chinois
Menuet
The Old Refrain
Rondino (on a theme by Beethoven)
Allegretto (in the style of Boccherini)
Sonata No.3 in D major: Un poco andante
Sonata No.3 in D major: Allegro
Sonata No.3 in D major: Sarabande (Largo)
Sonata No.3 in D major: Tanbourin (Presto)
Melodie
The Labyrinth

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars even for Want of the Viennese Flavour.......2004-01-21

The recorded sound is not bad at all...in fact, quite good-- though not as good as the average modern recording, nor quite as good as Syeryng/Hablaer's Mozart Sonatas, but it's very close.

What this record interests me is the way how a Maestro of the Carl Flesch tradition ( albeit he also learned from the French violinist Thibaud and Enescu ) of Polish origin would interprete such Viennese music. To some audience, the Viennese glamour and elegance, or the Kreisler sort of assurance isn't quite there: somewhat like when Furtwangler conducted the Waltz, it was not quite the same thing as Strauss himself conducting, however great Furtwangler was. To some audience, other than Kreisler himself, perhaps Morini got it better, however superb or gracefully Szeryng played these pieces. But, if one is to choose between Oistrakh or Szeryng as far as these pieces are concerned, I definitely prefer the latter!

In mitigation, we have the fullest support possible from Reiner, although he stayed very much in the background, so much so that these pieces are full of life and music as though these small pieces are miniature symphonies. Believe it or not, great conductors are naturally great accompanists of the top notch...

Furthermore, we have some other pieces which are not Kreisler music, like Leclair and Gluck or even Locatelli, any one of these jems is worth the ticket itself!

If you are looking for an alternative for Kreisler, by all means check this out.

Get Mercury Living Presence Before Its Dead.......2003-07-17

When I first started collecting classical CDs, I only had a few Mercury Living Presence (MLP) titles. In my quest to get the absolute best, or at least a definitive recording, of the major works of the standard repertoire, MLP discs rarely topped the critics' lists. In fact, only three MLP recordings have been earmarked as "Essential Recordings" by amazon -- Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Byron Janis performing Rachmaninov's 2nd & 3rd Piano Concertos, and Yehudi Menuhin performing Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto, all three with Antal Dorati as conductor. It is also safe to say that three other titles are equally essential for their historical value alone. They are Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake by Dorati (the first recording of the complete ballet), Janis performing Liszt's Piano Concertos (the first recordings made in the Soviet Union by American technicians, musical staff and equipment), and Kubelik's Chicago Symphony performance of Pictures at an Exhibition (one of, if not the single best mono recording ever, and the one that led the New York Times critic to coin the phrase "Living Presence," from which the label named its series). But how does a CD line go from having a half-dozen must have recordings, to being this reviewer's all-time favorite classical label?

The answer: consistently magical performances, captured in brilliant golden-age stereo sound, that offer a slightly different take on your typical interpretation of the great works. While MLP titles may not offer the best standard account of a work, they always surprise you and open you up to all the possibilities that the music has to offer. For example, these performances of Fritz Kreisler's Violin Works by violinist Henryk Szeryng and pianist Charles Reiner may not be the consensus first choice recording -- many prefer Joshua Bell's recent digital recordings, and others still will sift through the tape noise and crackles to listen to Kreisler perform these works himself. However, I constantly come back to this disc for a different perspective, and the vibrancy and splendor of that classic MLP sound never disappoints me. The added treat here is rarely recorded compositions by Leclair, Gluck and Locatelli, which are ever bit as enjoyable as the well-known works by Kreisler. Maybe that is why collectors prize these recordings, because they are a breath of fresh air in a homogenized world of listening. Of course, collectors love a challenge too, and MLP CDs are becoming increasingly hard to find. It has taken years for me to finally find all of the MLP CDs released to date, and unfortunately I don't think there will be any new releases forthcoming. So collectors, and even those who aspire to be, should pick up as many Mercury Living Presence discs as possible now, before they all die.

Dreaming from the Labyrinth (Soñar del Laberinto)
Average customer rating:

dreaming is the right word for this album...

Change in direction for Tish

my favorite Tish Hinojosa album

A change of pace

one of my favorite albums

Dreaming from the Labyrinth (Soñar del Laberinto)
Tish Hinojosa
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Destiny's Gate

Culture Swing

Aquella Noche

Frontejas

Cada Nino (Every Child)

ASIN: B000002N63
Release Date: 1996-05-14

Tracks:

When It Rains
Whisper Goodbye
Edge Of A Dream
Laughing River Running
Atlantico
Beyond The Battle Of Men
Prisonary Life
This Song
God's Own Open Road
Sacrifices

Amazon.com

Dreaming from the Labyrinth/Sonar del Laberinto, is unlike anything San Antonio singer Tish Hinojosa has done before. Hinojosa has largely abandoned the folk and country roots of her earlier songwriting--and the understated arrangements and descriptive lyrics that come with those traditions. Instead she has opted for an atmospheric, impressionistic art-rock that has more in common with Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan than such previous reference points as Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris. This produces such awful examples of pseudo-poetry as "We'll sail upon a wind that blows above a misty sea, dancing barefoot on the soft earth touching edges of a dream" and such static, tuneless meditations as "Prisonary Life." Hinojosa switches back and forth between Spanish and English within each song, but self-indulgence sounds the same in either language. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

dreaming is the right word for this album..........2002-08-14

...because listening to it is like having a long pleasent
dream. I saw her perform most of this album in Denver and
I have rarely enjoyed a concert as much. I recommend all
of Tish's albums. I think reviewer Geoffrey Himes is wrong;
yes, it isn't like her other albums but I think it is her
best.

Change in direction for Tish.......2000-12-20

This collection is not like Tish's previous stuff, which was also good, but was more country/western. This one is unique and it is among my top ten all-time favorite albums. It is done with alternating English and Spanish versus, reflecting Tish's cultural background, which, I think, produces a special kind of passion in the music. I hope this is only the beginning of Tish's new style.

my favorite Tish Hinojosa album.......2000-11-21

Have you ever heard an album or song in a language you don't understand that you really liked due to the singer's voice?

Have you been a little (just a little) frustrated that you don't know what the words mean? I have a number of these in my collection representing many different cultures and languages.

In this album Tish Hinojosa gives you culture with understanding as she seamlessly shifts between spanish and english lyrics within the same song. This could be really hokey or childish, but Tish pulls it off wonderfully... So much so that you often don't even detect the shift in language and really feel like you are also understanding the spanish lyrics. An amazing effect!

As in her other albums, Tish's voice and lyrics are excellent. Some of her other albums lean more toward country, still good, but I prefer this album since it has less (no?) country music influence (just my personal taste).

This is my favorite album of all of Tish's so far.

I highly recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by Mexico and/or hispanic music but who may not know spanish.

A change of pace.......2000-01-15

Songs on this album span the range from intimate and tender (Whisper Goodbye) to upbeat and searching (God's Own Open Road). Unlike her other works, the themes are introspective. As always, her voice is magnificent, and the arrangements are great. It's definitely a change of pace from the Tejano and folk themes in her other albums.

one of my favorite albums.......1999-05-27

I love this album. I think the reviews from Himes and Dirty Linen stink

Average customer rating:

Judy Loman Favourites
Judy Loman
Manufacturer: Marquis Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000076DNA
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Tracks:

Variations sur un theme dans le style ancien - Carlos Salzedo
Sonata for Harp - Paul Hindemith
Sonata for Harp - Paul Hindemith
Sonata for Harp - Paul Hindemith
excerpts from 15 Pieces for Harp - John Weinzweig
excerpts from 15 Pieces for Harp - John Weinzweig
excerpts from 15 Pieces for Harp - John Weinzweig
excerpts from 15 Pieces for Harp - John Weinzweig
Flight, Idyllic Poem, Inquietude - Carlos Salzedo
Flight, Idyllic Poem, Inquietude - Carlos Salzedo
Flight, Idyllic Poem, Inquietude - Carlos Salzedo
excerpts from Tanzmusik: 5 pieces for Solo Harp - Glenn Buhr
excerpts from Tanzmusik: 5 pieces for Solo Harp - Glenn Buhr
excerpts from Tanzmusik: 5 pieces for Solo Harp - Glenn Buhr
excerpts from Sonata for Harp - Benjamin Britten
excerpts from Sonata for Harp - Benjamin Britten
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer
The Crown of Ariadne - R. Murray Schafer

Bach: Organ works - Organ Chorales from the Neumeister Collection (Edition Bachakademie Vol 86) /Johannsen

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Bach In Small Bites

Bach: Organ works - Organ Chorales from the Neumeister Collection (Edition Bachakademie Vol 86) /Johannsen
Johann Sebastian Bach , Johann David Heinichen , and Kay Johannsen
Manufacturer: Hanssler Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004TKEC
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Tracks:

This Day, It Is So Full Of Joy
We Christian Folk
The Old Year Has Ended Now
Lord God, Now Open Heaven's Gate
Dearest Jesus, What Hast Thou Done
O Jesus, How Is Thy Form
O Innocent Lamb Of God
Glory Be To Thee, Christ, Who Art Suffering
We All Believe In One God
In Deep Distress I Cry To Thee
Alone To Thee, Lord Jesus Christ
O God And Lord
Ah Lord, Me A Poor Sinner
Through Adam's Fall
Thou Prince Of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ
Maintain Us Lord, Within Thy Word
If Misfortune Shoule Befall Thee
Jesus, My True Pleasure

Tracks:

God Is My Salvation
Jesus, Life Of My Life
When Jesus Christ In The Night
Oh God, Have Mercy On Me
Oh Lord God, Thy Divine Word
Now, Let Us Bury The Body
Lord Christ, He Is My Being
I Have Left All To The Lord
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Highest Good
I Love Thee Dearly, Oh Lord
What God Doth, That Is Rightly Done
All People Must Die
Do With Me As Thou Wilt, God, By Thy Grace
Wake And Be Merry, My Soul
Like For A Spring Of Water
Christ, Thou Who Art The Light Of Day

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Bach In Small Bites.......2002-07-04

Nearly a generation has passed since Christoff Wolff (and others) prepared the Barenreiter Edition of organ chorales from the Neumeister Collection at Yale. I'd guess they aren't played much. Some may dismiss them out of hand since they are mainly for manuals and thus, would be the reasoning, are not very difficult to master. Others would not, in this day and age of contemporary liturgies, select them either. Probably not many are possessed of the mental agility to sit for nearly an hour and a half and listen to liturgical music with no overriding theme like one of his passions or cantatas.

The fact is, the Neumeister Chorales are wonderful to listen to...especially if they are taken in relatively small bites. And, they are not especially easy to play. There is a special clarity of sound, both in the recording and in the execution, on these disks. There is no setting of ultra fast tempos just because the artist can get his fingers over superfast 32nd note cadenzas. Kay Johannsen is lucid, relaxed and imaginative. He is playing a magnificent instrument in a space that is not overly reverberant. The registrations and articulation are certainly baroque but Johannsen's embelishments are not overdone. A student can listen and say: "Ah, that's exactly how I'd like to play it" ... and not be far off the right track. At its price, this set is a welcome addition to a library.

From The Labyrinth
Average customer rating:
From The Labyrinth
Mario Parmisano
Manufacturer: Parmi Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music
Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music
Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
International Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005S80A
Release Date: 2001-10-01

Tracks:

From The Labyrinth
La Chaca
The Real Friend
It'll Take Sometime
Tango Suite
Growing Up
Waiting For The True
With My Self
Washington Square Park
To My Hobgoblins

Album Description

A perfectly blend of contemporary Jazz, Tango and South American Rhythms.

Bach 2000 Light (Without Sacred Cantatas)

Average customer rating:

Bach 2000 Light (Without Sacred Cantatas)
Various Conductors , Various Performers , and Various Ensembles
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00001IV8C
Release Date: 1999-09-21

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The Bach renaissance--which began in earnest in the early 19th century thanks to the efforts of Felix Mendelssohn and others--inspired an endeavor of far-reaching significance. It led to the founding of the Bach Society in 1850, with the goal of gathering and publishing the composer's complete works, and thus set into motion one of the great projects of musical scholarship. That effort has continued and been refined throughout the 20th century, ultimately influencing not only our perception of how to perform early music but fundamental ideas of musical history, evolution, and reception as well.

Teldec's mammoth Bach 2000 box set represents a kind of culmination of that original attempt to come to terms with Johann Sebastian Bach's unparalleled legacy. This set brings together performances recorded over the last several decades--a small percentage of the recordings are previously unreleased--of all the extant works determined by modern scholarship to be authentic. There are also some pieces the authorship of which is still in question and a few now deemed "inauthentic" but familiarly associated with the composer. Bach was a prodigious reviser of his compositions, and alternate versions of a particular work have been included "where the changes seemed sufficiently important," such as the glorious Magnificat. No doubt manuscripts will continue to be unearthed here and there in various archives (Bach 2000 contains, for example, the "Neumeister chorales," which were rediscovered in 1984), but the set does not represent the many fragments of music that consist of just a few bars; however, there are some reconstructions of lost concertos (such as one for three violins reconstructed by Christopher Hogwood from an extant concerto for harpsichords).

Of course a truly comprehensive recorded edition of every note Bach wrote remains a utopian impossibility--about one-third of his cantatas, for example, have not survived. Even so, the dimensions of Bach 2000 are staggering. With its 12 boxes comprising 153 CDs, the set can be compressed into fewer boxes to save shelf space yet is still about ten times as long as the Ring cycle. (It should be noted that the packaging--using thin cardboard sleeves for the CDs--is distinctively unattractive.) That adds up to just under 160 hours of music--but a lifetime of discovery. Each box (grouped according to genre) contains a booklet with excellent notes on individual works and--for all the choral works--texts and translations. Tracking indexes are useful and thorough. Also included is a profusely illustrated hardbound volume of 24 Inventions, in which journalist Wolfgang Sandberger uses the composer's biography as a peg for some enigmatic and fascinating musings on the meaning of Bach today.

The presiding philosophy behind this project and its approach to musical interpretation can be largely ascribed to Nikolaus Harnoncourt, a true musical pioneer and galvanizing force of the "period performance" movement. Harnoncourt's epoch-making recordings of the sacred cantatas (using, for instance, boy sopranos and choristers according to the practice in Bach's time) with the Concentus musicus Wien and colleague Gustav Leonhardt comprise the first four volumes here (those who already own them can turn to the Bach 2000 Light edition, which contains everything sans the cantatas). These recordings--which were not remastered for this set--have long been controversial and are notably uneven, embracing some magnificent accounts as well as others that lack fire and seem clearly underrehearsed. But Harnoncourt is one of the most fascinating conductors of our era, and his interpretations amply bear out his assertion: "I have never felt that Bach worked in a routine manner, that he repeated himself in his works." Harnoncourt--who has articulated many of his ideas in his book The Musical Dialogue--displays his gifts as a cellist in a remarkably probing performance of the Cello Suites (originally recorded in 1965) and in his concertizing for a number of chamber works. For\ the St. Matthew Passion, you get Harnoncourt's groundbreaking earlier account from 1970, while his 1986 recording of the sublime B Minor Mass is also represented here (the St. John Passion included is Harnoncourt's 1995 acount).

Other artists included are colleague Gustav Leonhardt, whose thoughtful if occasionally dry harpsichord artistry is heard in the Goldberg Variations as well as in the concertos and chamber music. The harpsichord is in fact used throughout in preference to piano for the keyboard works. Ton Koopman (himself the conductor of an ongoing complete cantata series and of the Easter Oratorio included here) performs the organ works, including some newly recorded offerings, while Il Giardino Armonico's well-known high-energy account represents the Brandenburg Concertos. Violinist Thomas Zehetmair is exceptionally compelling in the unaccompanied sonatas and partitas, and the Concentus musicus Wien--again under Harnoncourt--perform a superb Musical Offering that richly repays frequent listening.

The result of Bach 2000 as a whole is an aptly encyclopedic grappling with the infinite legacy of this most compendious of composers, whose works are on one level a summation of all the styles available to him. Bach was once thought to represent a "terminal point" (to use Albert Schweitzer's famous formulation), the end of an era; today he is at least equally recognized as a fertile source of inspiration for composers since. To be sure, individual recordings of particular works will be found to be preferable, and it would be misguided to consider Bach 2000 any kind of "final" or "definitive" word. Instead, it's an indispensable starting point that represents a monumental achievement for our own contemporary understanding of Bach. --Thomas May --This text refers to the complete edition of this title

Album Description

Volume 1, 11 Discs
Secular Cantatas App. Sacred Cantatas; 11 CDs; Koopman, Harnoncourt, Koopman, Goebel and others

Volume 2, 14 Discs
The Sacred Vocal Works Masses,Magnificat, Passions, Oratorios; 14 CDs; Harnoncourt, Koopman, Corboz and others

Volume 3, 7 Discs
The Motets, Chorales & Songs Kirnberger Chorales,Schemelli Songs, Quodlibet

Volume 4, 16 Discs
The Organ Works; 16 CDs; Ton Koopman

Volume 5, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (I) The Well-Tempered Clavier, English & French Suites, Partitas etc; 11 CDs; Curtis, Ross, Wilson, Ruzickova

Volume 6, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (II) Goldberg Variations, Toccatas, Fugues, Italian Concerto, etc; 11 CDs; Staier, Barchi, Leonhardt, von Asperen, Baumont, and others

Volume 7, 13 Discs
The Chamber Music Violin Sonatas & Partitas, Flute Sonatas, Works for Lute, Art of Fugue, Musical Offering, etc; 13 CDs; Harnoncourt, Pianca, Tachezi, Brggen, Zehetmair, and others

Volume 8, 10 Discs
The Orchestral Works The Concertos & Orchestral Suite; 10 CDs; Il Giardino Armonico, Harnoncourt, Leonhardt

Overwhelming Majority
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Overwhelming Majority

Manufacturer: Cathexis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA496O
Release Date: 2004-08-03

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