Channel 1

Channel 1

Track Listings

1. Fridge - Anglepoised

2. Four Tet - Calamine (Radio Version)

3. 7 Hurtz - Stokers Motor (Extended Version)

4. Sonovac - High On Tech

5. Gramme - Like U

6. Lb - Superbad

7. Black Strobe - Innerstrings (No Shuffle Mix)

8. Soft Verge - Microbial

9. Icarus - Ul 6

10. Circlesquare - Distance (After)

Customer Reviews:

Every listen brings a smile.......2007-06-06

Whilst there's no definitive solo violin Bach recording - and there never will be - RP is an absolute must have to anyone wishing to explore the mystics of Bach.

So frequent are the timbre adjustments within each phrase, in every solo - I can't help but wonder how long Rachel pondered how she wanted these recordings to sound - was it years or decades.

Whilst it is true that the baroque violin (equiped with gut strings) provides an unexpected resonance - within a minute, i'd forgotten the different violin sound - and was mesmorised by how easy Rachel makes these solos sound. a beautiful interpretation that one no classical music lover should go without.

Fine Performance of a Great Work.......2007-05-25

There is little I can add to the glowing reviews already posted. I think Rachael Podger a very fine fiddler and I own a number of her recordings.
Here I feel that she plays Bach with love and a deep affection, it is much more than a demonstration of technical ability. I have never been able to get that feeling with Grumiaux's version which I find harsh and mechanical, whereas I find his playing of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, in particular their chamber music, excellent. Ms Podger and her baroque violin are superb; 5 stars.

Bright, articulate and intelligent.......2007-02-02

This is a powerful performance. Rachel Podger's sound as recorded with crystalline brilliance here, paints a multi-layered yet clear, colorful and flowing landscape of these beautiful pieces. Her equal attention to the depth and width of her sound as manifested in the care given to every clearly-phrased note to create a cohesive whole, is what I imagine would have made Bach himself stand up and take notice of her intelligent, well-rounded interpretation. Rachel Podger is reminiscent of Glenn Gould in her ability to flesh out Bach's genius with a technique that relies mainly on precision and clarity to create a soulful, playful but knowing sound that is a delight to listen to.

The Ideal Version .......2006-12-17

I have bought a few other versions of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, including two period-instrument versions, but none has satisfied me as has Rachel Podger's. I am struck first of all by the immense beauty of her 1739 Genoese violin, which is especially mellow and rich in the D and G strings. All the elements of her interpretation - the variety of articulations she employs, her feeling for polyphony and for the logical flow of Bach's ideas - are bathed in a beautiful, sweet, silky tone, free from the astringency of some baroque players; it is almost as if she is the baroque violinist for listeners used to a more "traditional" approach. The startling commendations I had heard about this release ("the finest recordings of these works I've ever heard" - National Public Radio) made me want to order it. I can now say that after a long time searching for the perfect version of unaccompanied Bach, I have finally found it. It is the only version that now sits on my CD shelf.

Simply incredible!.......2006-10-10

Miss Podger is showing her incredible virtuoso here that actually provokes the intellectual depth of JSB's music. Plus, the sound is of premium quality here. Itzhak Perlman will too be amazed if he'd hear this.

OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music

Average customer rating:

excellent but uncomplete
To call it music may be a bit limiting.
A worthwhile collection
OhMyGodHowDreadful
Kid Stockhausen

OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Ellipsis Arts
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 3: 1952-2004
Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music
Roxy Music
Profiler - Season 4
Another Day on Earth

ASIN: B00004T0FZ
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

Valse Sentimentale - Clara Rockmore
Oraison - Ens D'Ondes De Montreal
Etude Aux Chemins De Fer - Pierre Schaeffer
Williams Mix - John Cage
Klangstudie II - Herbert Eimert/Robert Beyer
Low Speed - Otto Luening
Dripsody - Hugh Le Caine
Forbidden Planet: Main Title - Louis Barron/Bebe Barron
Elektronische Tanzste: Concertando Rubato - Oskar Sala
Poem Electronique - Edgard Varese
Sine Music (A Swarm Of Butterflies Encountered Over The Ocean) - Richard Maxfield
Apocalypse-Part 2 - Tod Dockstader
Kontakte - James Tenney/William Winant
Wireless Fant - Vladimir Ussachevsky
Philomel - Milton Babbitt
Spacecraft - MEV

Tracks:

Cindy Electronium - Raymond Scott
Pendulum Music - Sonic Youth
Bye Bye Butterfly - Pauline Oliveros
Projection Esemplastic For White Noise - Joji Yuasa
Silver Apples Of The Moon, Part 1 - Morton Subotnick
Rainforest Version 1 - David Tudor
Poppy Nogood - Terry Riley
Boat-Woman-Song - Holger Czukay
Music Promenade - Luc Ferrari
Vibrations Composees: Rosace 3 - Francois Bayle
Mutations - Jean-Claude Risset
Hibiki-Hana-Ma - Iannis Xenakis
Map Of 49's Dream The Two Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals: Drift Study '31/69 c.... - La Monte Young

Tracks:

He Destroyed Her Image - Charles Dodge
Six Fants On A Poem By Thomas Campion: Her Song - Paul Lansky
Appalachian Grove - Laurie Spiegel
En Phase/Hors Phase - Bernard Parmegiani
On The Other Ocean - David Behrman
Stria - John Chowning
Living Sound, Patent Pending Music For Sound-Joined Rooms Series - Maryanne Amacher
Automatic Writing - Robert Ashley
Canti Illuminati - Alvin Curran
Music On A Long Thin Wire - Alvin Lucier
Melange - Klaus Schulze
Before And After Charm (La Notte) - Jon Hassell
Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) - Brian Eno

Amazon.com

Opening with Clara Rockmore's reworking of Tchaikovsky with the theremin, and finishing with one of Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, OHM artfully succeeds in its goal of giving a representative (as opposed to the impossible, comprehensive) overview of the first several decades of electronic music. Over 3 discs, 42 compositions, and 96 pages of notes and photos, OHM clearly illustrates the producers' and contributing writers' point that early electronic music is much of the foundation of contemporary music. Herein lies the connective tissue bridging musique concrète, 20th-century classical, electronic experimentation, and the theoretical avant-garde to psychedelia, ambient, dub, techno, electro, and synthpop and the globalization of sound. The groundbreaking uses of loops, sampling, drones, remixes, and cut-and-paste technology are put fully into context. The diversity of music included makes any sort of summation impossible, but that is also the point: electronic music is not really a genre, but an open field of endless possibility. From John Cage's famous "William's Mix" of tape snippets to Karkheinz Stockhausen's electronic orchestral compositions, from David Tudor and Holger Czukay's experiments in unrelated blendings of audio elements to David Behrman's supremely peaceful duet between computers and musicians, the aural renegades on OHM tread where none (save a few of their contemporaries) had gone before. The liner notes convey the incredible amount of hard work and experimentation it took to stitch together many of these pieces in the predigital era. Putting aside the inevitable quibbles about what's missing (much of it due to legal and/or logistical issues), a more complete collection of musical eggheads, eccentrics, and visionaries is hard to imagine. --Carl Hanni

Customer Reviews:

excellent but uncomplete.......2006-11-12

Althought most of the music here is an excellent collection of electronic music history, this 3 CDs lack of the important contribution given by the RAI phonology studios of Milan, Italy in the 50s
(which was bigger than Koln's WDR studios) with Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio and Luigi Nono.
This is a big mistake. Milans studios were the biggest of europe and produced many important electroacoustic pieces.
If the collection aim to describe faithfully electronic music history, it should include this artists too.

To call it music may be a bit limiting. .......2006-10-24

Some of the tracks on here are "music". That is that they contain all the bits we're trained to experience as music -- melody, etc. Some are not, and the composers would be the first people to tell you that. A lot of these works are reactions to ingrained rules, so they're bound to be jarring.

A more successful way to approach such a broad and varied collection of audio experimentation is to think of it as curated sound. This isn't something to wash the dishes to, or to seduce someone to (although if you did manage to seduce someone with the recordings on this anthology, HOLD ON TO THAT PERSON, because they've got to be a keeper). These are unique sound textures that deserve a close, probably solitary listen, and I think if you're in the right frame of mind, it can be a very rewarding listen.

My main complaint is sequencing: each dicrete piece follows it's own internal logic, so there are more than a couple rough gear changes. However, since each piece is so different, and the collection is so varied, I'm not sure that you could totally escape that.

A worthwhile collection.......2006-01-11

The OHM collection contains some of those ground breaking electronic compositions that have shaped today's styles, from the early electronic instruments of Theremin and Martenot, through Pierre Schaeffer's Music Concrete tape music and the electronic music of Stockhausen and Subotnick, to the mainframe computer output of Risset and Chowning.

It is unfair to mark this collection down due to the production quality and 'musicality' of its contents, to do so would be to staggeringly miss the point of the development of electronic music through the 20th Century. What this collection shows is the ideas behind those at the cutting edge of the genre before many could even conceive of such output. That said it is hard going at points, as experimental music can be.

Highlights for me are no doubt Olivier Messiaen's 'Oraison' on CD 1, David Tudor's 'Rainforest Version 1' on CD 2 and on CD 3 David Behrman's 'On the Other Ocean' and Maryanne Amacher's 'Living sound Patent Pending'.

OhMyGodHowDreadful.......2005-08-15

Ok, this collection is supposed to be early works and, thus not expected to be very sophisticated or polished. But the OHM collection sounds like the first attempt of a spastic cat turned-loose on a Moog keyboard. When it is not boreing, this collection of random and dissonant sounds (I can't call it music) is without any redeeming qualities to make it worth while. Don't get me wrong, I am a long-time fan of Wendy (nie Walter) Carlos and some other real pioneers of electronic music. However, I find that the Ohm collection has no similar qualities and is a major disappointment.

Kid Stockhausen.......2003-01-17

This is required listening for anybody interested in the history of electronic music. Although implicitly aiming for the techno music audience, this audio history is overwhelmingly focused on the classical avant-garde of electro-acoustic composers. The closest you'll get to pop electronica is the Brian Eno track at the end of the third disc. No Kraftwerk, no Moroder, etc. Instead "OHM" manages to point to the continuities between, say, John Cage and artists currently working at the experimental edges of electronica (so-called IDM). It seems to be saying, "You think Kid 606 is visionary? Well check out this Stockhausen track from '59!"

Admittedly, some of the songs are much more interesting to think about than they are to listen to. Some of the early pieces that were made through thosuands of hours of pains-taking tape-splicing could be made today in an afternoon with a digital audio editor and a few effects plug-ins.

It is a beautiful package, containing a 90 page booklet of essays, quotations from the featured artists, and photographs. What all music should be: an education in daring.

Bach: Complete Sonatas for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord / Pinnock, Podger
Average customer rating:

An unexpected delight

Wonderful and Stirring

Exceptional Sonata Recording

Words should fail me

Podger gets better and better

Bach: Complete Sonatas for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord / Pinnock, Podger
Rachel Podger , and Trevor Pinnock
Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Bach: Complete Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo

Vivaldi: La Stravaganza

Mozart: Complete Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin, Vol. 3 [Hybrid SACD]

Mozart: Complete Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin, Vol. 1 [Hybrid SACD]

Mozart: Complete Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin, Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00005056Z
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

Son No.6 in G, BWV1019: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019: Largo - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019: Allegro (Cembalo Solo) - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.1 in b, BWV1014: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.1 in b, BWV1014: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.1 in b, BWV1014: Andante - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.1 in b, BWV1014: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.2 in A, BWV1015: Dolce - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.2 in A, BWV1015: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.2 in A, BWV1015: Andante Un Poco - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.2 in A, BWV1015: Presto - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.3 in E, BWV1016: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.3 in E, BWV1016: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.3 in E, BWV1016: Adagio Ma Non Tanto - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.3 in E, BWV1016: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Continuo Son in e, BWV1023: (Allegro) - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in e, BWV1023: Adagio Ma Non Tanto - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in e, BWV1023: Allemanda - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in e, BWV1023: Gigue - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson

Tracks:

Continuo Son in G, BWV1021: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in G, BWV1021: Vivace - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in G, BWV1021: Largo - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Continuo Son in G, BWV1021: Presto - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.4 in c, BWV1017: Largo - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.4 in c, BWV1017: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.4 in c, BWV1017: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.4 in c, BWV1017: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.5 in f, BWV1018: (Largo) - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.5 in f, BWV1018: Allegro - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.5 in f, BWV1018: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.5 in f, BWV1018: Vivace - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Vivace - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Largo - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Cembalo Solo - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Vn Solo E Basso L'accompagnato - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 in G, BWV1019a: Presto Ab Initio Repetatur Et Claudatur - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger/Jonathan Manson
Son No.6 Version 2, BWV1019a: Cantabile Ma Un Poco Adagio - Trevor Pinnock/Rachel Podger

Amazon.com

Rachel Podger's growing reputation among early-music enthusiasts is buttressed by this set of Bach's sonatas for violin and continuo. Her intonation is always on target, her tone sweet but not cloying. While she shares the understated interpretive stance of so many historically informed performers, she allows the emotions to shine through in, for example, the opening Largo of Sonata No. 5. And where the dancelike elements are to the fore, as in the Allegro of No. 6, she shows she can swing with the best. She's aided immeasurably by harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, whose alert playing is enjoyable throughout. When Bach gives the continuo player his moment in the sun, as in the solo third movement of No. 6, he cuts loose with shapely playing that almost steals the show. So fans of current styles in early-music performance will enjoy this set, though they'll find more excitement in Andrew Manze's Harmonia Mundi set and in Fabio Bondi's on Opus 111. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

An unexpected delight.......2005-08-10

Within the first minute of listening to this CD, one is immediately captivated by Rachel Podger's gorgeous tone and intonation - a truly mellifluous sonority that ranks with the finest. Her subtle phrasings, gentle-but-sparing vibrato and deft bowing technique combine to produce a sound that is effortlessly cantabile, highly refreshing and never tiring to hear. She shapes her melody lines with great artistry and elegance - producing a sonorities of pure delight. Plus, her intonation sounds superbly "in tune" - which sometimes cannot be said about some violin music (especially that with a period violin). You hear all of these fine artistic qualities too in her Bach solo violin partitas/sonatas recordings (Channel) - complex pieces of music that are not only very difficult to play but even more difficult to make sound beautiful. Rachel Podger makes all this music of Bach sound not only easy but unusually beautiful - where you can listen to the entire CD without feeling it is too much.

Equally adept at this music is the ever-competent Baroque master, Mr. Trevor Pinnock, who not only provides interesting accompanyment to Podger but especially shines in the spotlit keyboard runs and solos. In these he maintains a spirited progression and crisp articulations throughout that keeps one in rapt attention. His cembalo solo in the #6 allegro (track 3) is downright sexy and can make one want to jump up and dance. His harpsichord sound is exceptionally warm and inviting (as harpsichords go) and not "clancky" as some can be. I surprisingly loved it. This is important for listening to an entire CD featuring that instrument! If you normally do not warm to the sound of the harpsichord, you may be pleasantly surprized that you like Pinnock's harpsichord here. Both musicians maintain an ideal balance between them with a delightfull interaction throughout the music that never seems labored or monotonous. Not an easy task for such music featuring only two instuments over two CD's.

Sometimes it is hard to define what exactly makes a fine performance but you know it when you hear it - and this is one of those. This duo's playing is completely in synch and makes the music come alive in a very natural and enjoyable way. Together, they bring out more of a carefree exuberance and lyrical depth in this music that others might not plumb. Also, the sound quality is sparkling and realistic - really superb. This CD was highly rated by Gramophone and Penguin Guide who give high marks for this duo's marvelous performance. The other performance that gets high marks from many guides is the lively version by Biondi & Allessandrini on Op. 111 done with Biondi's characteristic Italian expressivity and panache ... but it is a hard CD to find. In short, this beautiful recording - one of Podger's finest - is a gem not to be missed by the Baroque lover.

Wonderful and Stirring.......2004-06-13

Pinnock and Podger play wonderfully together. I never tire of this CD. Many joyful moments and many lovely, expressive moments. How does Podger do it? I could listen to her playing all day.

Exceptional Sonata Recording.......2001-05-08

Two CD collection of Bach's Sonatas for violin and harpsichord. I have always been a great fan of the harpsichord, and here Pinnock is outstanding in is chamber music capability.

The resonance of Podger's instrument is wonderful, so full and throaty and lyrical. I especially like the spirited Allegro to Sonata No. 6, and Pinnock's harpsichord solo on the Allegro of that opening Sonata.

The complexities of Bach's composition are here richly interpretated with good tempo and balance. The Cantabile is wonderfully charming.

A great Bach collection.

Words should fail me.......2001-03-02

but here they are. I bought my first copy of Bach's Violin and Harpsichord Sonatas after seeing the movie Tom Jones in about 1964. The sound track of the film features some lively harpsichord playing and I wanted to hear more. Unfortunately (I thought) the only lp of harpsichord music available had violin in addition, as well as viola da gamba. The version of the Bach sonatas by Menuhim, Malcolm and Gauntlett has been out of print for years, but it was a hum-dinger. It seduced me. I have bought other versions since then and always been disappointed until now. Podger, Pinnock and Jonathan Manson have done an amazing job.

Caution: if you buy this, close the curtains before playing. Otherwise your neighbors might get to see you dancing around in ecstacy. This stuff is refined rock and roll.

Podger gets better and better.......2001-01-13

Rachel Podger, concertmaster of Trevor Pinnock's The English Concert, is a fresh and winning violinist. Her sound is warm and accurate, and this recording can be recommended. She is more straightforward and natural in these marvelous sonatas than Andrew Manze, who was not at his best in his recent HM version. But my numero uno choice still is Fabio Biondi and Rinaldo Alessandrini in OPUS111. The Italian dream team play like gods, and the superior OPUS111 sound make their version the most desirable of all.

Average customer rating:

Stunning Vivaldi
Cortoddzo!!
performance & recording quality is outstanding
What is all the hype about?
Good, but not as great as some claim

Vivaldi: La Stravaganza

Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Complete Sonatas for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord / Pinnock, Podger
Bach: Complete Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo
Vivaldi : L'estro armonico / Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante
Handel - Chandos Anthems (Complete) / Dawson · Kwella · Bowman · Partridge · M. George · The Sixteen · Christophers
Vivaldi

ASIN: B00008IUW2
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

Allegro
Largo E Cantabile
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro Assai
Allegro
Grave E Sempre Piano
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro

Tracks:

Largo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Allegro
Adagio-Presto-Adagio
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Spirituoso
Adagio
Allegro
Allegro
Largo
Allegro Assai
Spirituoso E Non Presto
Largo
Allegro

Amazon.com

These performances of Vivaldi's La Stravaganza--a collection of 12 violin concertos--are truly extravagant. They're not designed to be listened to in one sitting and shouldn't be: it's not the sameness of the orchestration which might get in the way, it's the intensity with which Vivaldi composed them and the manner in which the remarkable Rachel Podger plays them. Fans of Andrew Manze will love Podger for similar reasons. Both are virtuosi, both have a spectacular innate rhythm which allows them to riff while never falling out of the structure of the particular moment they're embellishing. And as similar as the formula of these concertos tends to be, there are magnificent surprises: Listen to the weird opening movement of the D minor concerto--its odd opening lines sound nothing like Vivaldi. The players backing her up are a Polish original instrument group called Arte dei Suonatori, and apparently working without a conductor, they're terrific. The sound is amazingly big and rich. Oh yes--the set's a bargain, too. This is very exciting music-making and highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Stunning Vivaldi.......2007-03-07

I endorse Andres Sender's review of this superb recording, so I only feel a need to add a few thoughts.
Vivaldi's Opus 4, "La Straviganza" was published very soon after his historic Opus 3, "L'estro Armonico". There is no need to worry about translating its title, the Italian "La Straviganza" is perfect. Although there are almost too many recordings of Vivaldi's other works Opus 4 has been strangely ignored, there was a 1975 version by the Academy of St Martins in the Field, which was highly praised at the time, one by Huggett with the Academy of Ancient Music in 1987 which I missed, it was easy to do before we had the internet, and a poor one from Naxos. So I grabbed this one on release without even hearing it, and what a wonderful surprise it was. It is a superb recording, Rachel Podger's performance is energetic and intensely expressive and Arte Dei Suonatori provide excellent support, the use of two plucked instruments give the sound a nice lushness. I could go on and on with a list of superlatives, but I will just say that this is a cracking performance, anyone with an interest in baroque should see this two CD set as an essential. Five stars.
A few comments on Andres review; I, too regard the fabulous Fabio Biondi with Europa Galante as the best interpreter of Vivaldi we have, while this recording is different in style it is very, very good. I also have reservations about Andrew Manze as a soloist, but he has made some very good recordings leading his ensemble from first violin.

Cortoddzo!!.......2006-01-22

I consider myself a first year violinist. I wouldn't even be able to sit in the same room with this person, I'm that bad. Can you even fathom the fingering skills? OMG. She plays the violin like a medical transcriptionist, burning up the strings. Antonio Vivaldi is played with tremendous fervor and magnificent intenation! It's not opera, or 'a couple little violin solos'. It's not pushing agendas, politics, cultures, etc. This is 'meaty violin'. No problems. Dig in!

This is a (2) CD collection. The second CD is slower, but it's like staring at someone that speaks Australian for hours...I still can't get the nostalgia out of my mind. I'm stuck.

Warning for the non-student: Rachel Podger is so amazing, hour after hour, you'll take her for granted if you just don't get it. (Recall Bible verse - pearls to swine.) If you have any concept of the time and effort it takes to do this, you'll be in awe. If you don't have any respect for the instrument, just don't go there. Try the more contemporary Danney Alkana, "Rock the Bach".

Me - I want to know if she's still single. Whoohoo!

performance & recording quality is outstanding.......2005-05-21

I'm just your average classical music fan, I'm no expert, but I am always blown away when I listen to this CD. Without hesitation I rank it as the best classical CD I own. It seems that both the performance and the recording quality are way above average. Very lively and exciting. The violins are present and sweet without ever screeching or sounding harsh. The bass tones of cellos and organ are super-rich. When the whole ensemble hits chords that harmonize, it fills the room with a lush rich sound. Words fail, but its almost like I'm inside each of the instruments. Sorry to gush so much about this recording, but it really stands out among the 100 or more classical CDs in my collection.

What is all the hype about?.......2004-12-25

What is all the hype about? I found both the performance and the sonics of this recording to be rather run of the mill.

Good, but not as great as some claim.......2004-08-11

This is by no means a bad performance. There is much to recommend it. Podger's playing of Vivaldi is very nice, and the orchestra does what they do very well.
The SACD sound is also very good. The multi-channel is good, but it isn't the incredible experience some have claimed. It really doesn't conjour up the church it was recorded in at all.

And as for the performance, while proficient it never really engages the listener in a profound way. It just goes by.. it does not pull you in and have you hanging on every note and expression.

In a way, this is a throw back to the OLD way of playing Vivaldi - rather dull and stuffy... no place for that now considering developments in baroque performance of the last decade or two.

In conclusion, good but not truly great.

Johann Sebastian Bach: 6 Suites per Violoncello Solo Senza Basso

Average customer rating:

Unprecedented and vastly under-rated - still
Sweet!
So good to listen to
Vigorous but refined
The more intense, dynamic performance I've ever seen

Johann Sebastian Bach: 6 Suites per Violoncello Solo Senza Basso

Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000C2B4
Release Date: 1998-09-08

Tracks:

Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Prelude
Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Allemande
Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Courante
Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Sarabande
Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Menuet 1&2
Suite Nr.1 In G dur BWV 1007: Gigue
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Prelude
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Allemande
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Courante
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Sarabande
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Menuet 1&2
Suite Nr.2 In D moll BWV 1008: Gigue
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Prelude
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Allemande
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Courante
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Sarabande
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Bourree 1&2
Suite Nr.3 In C dur BWV 1009: Gigue

Tracks:

Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Prelude
Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Allemande
Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Courante
Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Sarabande
Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Bouree 1&2
Suite Nr.1 In Es dur BWV 1010: Gigue
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Prelude
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Allemande
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Courante
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Sarabande
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Gavotte 1&2
Suite Nr.5 In C moll BWV 1011: Gigue
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Prelude
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Allemande
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Courante
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Sarabande
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Gavotte 1&2
Suite Nr.6 In D dur BWV 1012: Gigue

Customer Reviews:

Unprecedented and vastly under-rated - still.......2007-06-20

Wispelwey's rendition of this immense opus distinguished itself by its relentless liveliness and intimacy of delivery that is enabled by an extremely capacious grasp of the pulse and a spontaneously poetic sense of the line. A total lack of sense of pedantry disguises utmost refinement and complexity in colour and rhythm that not only allows enlivening of the dance form, but also breathes life into the presentation. The experience was effortlessly convincing, and very often, profoundly touching, shun of any artifice.

Rostropovich labored, Yoyo Ma glossed over, Jian Wang presented decently with effort, Tortelier delivered, Bylsma studied, Starked flamed. I believe Wispelwey joins the rank of the sublime - Fournier and Casals - playing of transcendant and universal beauty.

Sweet!.......2007-03-17

Best Bach I've heard yet. Clear, sensitive, mature, and a little melancholy. Stands out above so many Bach recordings.

So good to listen to.......2004-08-13

I have listened to many recording of these suites, and I play some of them myself, and I have to admit that this is one of the best. I really like his style of playing. He took the unfinished work of Bach, and finished it and making his own. This is a must have if you like the suites.

Vigorous but refined.......2003-11-22

For a work as popular as this, it's a wonder why most of the recordings are "modern" (Ma, Fournier, et al), and why there are so few "original instrument" recordings like this one.

Wispelwey plays with imagination and vigor. An example of these traits (and perfectly in keeping with Baroque performance practice), is how he takes the final chords of the D minor Prelude, and instead of sitting on them (as is written), he plays a set of furious arpeggios on the chords. However, on the whole, the ornmenation is relatively subdued throughout.

The sound quality of the recording is examplary. As a matter of fact, this is one of the only knocks I have against the recording -- it's miked so closely that you can hear Wispelwey pound the fingers of his left hand down onto the fingerboard. While this gives him excellent articulation, the slight thudding noise is a bit distracting. (And of course, the instrument is tuned almost a half-step low. Cellists with perfect pitch: beware.)

His use of vibrato is very spare, which also follows the performance practice. At times he could use a teeny bit more warmth, for example in the famous Sarabande of the C minor suite. He seems to be downplaying the emotions of this simple yet profound movement. I prefer Ma's rendition of this movement (but, then, the movement is a special favorite of Ma's...).

All in all, an excellent choice for an "original instrument" version of the Suites. Recommended.

The more intense, dynamic performance I've ever seen.......2001-07-03

Until this recording, I considered the Solo Cello Sonatas as the most boring work ever written by Johann Sebastian Bach. I tried to listen to the suites, but I was completely unimpressed by the interpretations of Casals, Rostropovich or Yo-Yo Ma. To me, the work was just too dry, too academic.

When I heard this Wispelwey recording, the whole set of suites gained a dimension I've never felt before. The work was moving, inspiring and intense. By far, this was the BEST, more dynamic, fresh and marvellous interpretation of the Solo Cello Suites. I just listen to them over and over and over again. Simply marvellous!

Gurdjieff's Music for the Movements
Average customer rating:

happiness takes place in small piano tunes

Cacaphonic Harmonious

Gurdjieff's Music for the Movements

Manufacturer: Channel Crossings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00003CK7L
Release Date: 1999-12-14

Customer Reviews:

happiness takes place in small piano tunes.......2001-07-24

these short piano pieces are simple, but absolutely not boring. gurdjieff and de hartmann wrote some of the most thoughtful and sincere music you'll ever hear. I found this CD over a year ago and it's one I return to over and over again.

Cacaphonic Harmonious.......2001-07-15

Truly an exposition of beautiful "objective" listening. This music will not put you to sleep. Transitions are abrupt and engaging throughout the score's entirity. I play the music whenever I find myself searching for something to do or am bored. This music will consume all negativity and poke the listner to begin a stirring sensation in their own mentation. The music is not sophisticated or eligant by no means, but has a way about it which will intrige one to listen again and again.

Average customer rating:

Roses and Solitude

Manufacturer: Channel Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Piano Reflections

ASIN: B000006LWN
Release Date: 1996-09-17

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J.S. Bach
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Super Artists on Super Audio, Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

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Super Artists on Super Audio, Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

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ASIN: B00027X3R8
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Average customer rating:

Stravaganza: Violin Concerti Op 4 1-12

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ASIN: B00008LKDY
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Average customer rating:

Xenakis's "La Legende D'Eer".
a cosmic voyage, into the maelstrom and back

Electronic Works 1: La Légende d'Eer

Manufacturer: Mode
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Luigi Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz, for Soprano, Piano, Orchestra & Magnetic Tape (1971-72) / ...sofferte onde serene... For Piano & Magnetic Tape (1976) / Contrapunto dialettico alla mente, for Magnetic Tape (1968) - Maurizio Pollini / Claudio Abbado
Maderna: Quadrivium; Aura; Biogramma

ASIN: B0008ENI2U
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Tracks:

La Lnde dEer (1977-78) 47:04

Album Description

La légende d'Eer is a powerful 7-channel electro-acoustic composition which Xenakis created in 1977-78

to be played in "Le Diatope", a curvaceous architectural construction designed by the composer, together with a visual component including laser lights. This "multi-media" work was composed for the opening of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, where it was performed for three months and seen by thousands of people. • The sound materials of a La légende d'Eer stem from three sources: instrumental sounds, noises, and electronically generated sounds. The work suggests an initial departure, a journey, and a final return. Xenakis surrounds the work with a compilation of five texts, reflecting or reacting upon each other across the distances in time, space, and culture which separate them. • This new stereo mix was created by Gerard Pape— director of Xenakis' CCMIX studio in Paris—from the original analog master tape. • The analog master was transferred at high-resolution 96khz/24-bit sound for the optimum quality, revealing details not heard in the previous stereo CD release (now deleted). • Use of the original master tape restored almost 2 minutes and 30 seconds to the piece, released here for the first time. • Also available on DVD in 5.1 surround sound with visuals of the performance at Le Diatope (1978) by Bruno Rastoin and an interview of Iannis Xenakis by musicologist and Xenakis scholar Harry Halbreich.

Customer Reviews:

Xenakis's "La Legende D'Eer"........2007-07-08

The piece "La Legende D'Eer" is a major-scale work of art from composer Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001).
Composed in 1977, "Legende.." is a 47 minute work that was created entirely with electronic and processed sounds for an installation which Xenakis called "Diatope".
As a stand-alone piece of music, "La Legende D'Eer" is more than just a work from a composer, it's a journey of sorts. While there are no breaks during the piece's 47 minute running time, distinct 'movements' can be made out as the work progresses.
The piece opens with some extremely high-pitched sine-wave tones which are extended at first but then shift into what sound like crickets chirping. This leads into an otherworldy section that sounds like a bad nightmare accompanied by bees and mosquitos. What follows this is the sound of what could be several roller toys modified with tape manipulation and echo. This leads into my favorite part of the piece - a low frequency oscilating pulse which gradually builds into a plethora of outer-space noises. After several minutes of this, the mosquito sounds return in full abundance almost to the point of intolerance. Slowly, some metallic screeching sounds enter in which gradually build in volume until they've completely taken over acompanied by pure white noise and what sounds like a video game racecar. As this begins to slowly fade to the background, the high pitched sounds that opened the piece return bringing it full circle to a quiet and peaceful finish.
As mentioned above, Xenakis's "La Legende D'Eer" is more than just a piece of music, it's a journey and an adventure. For those accustomed to music with melody, harmony and rhythm, you'll find none of it in this piece. The focus is on pure sound and the way the sounds develop and morph into different shapes over time. Overall, this work is extraordinary and is one of Xenakis's very best.
On a personal note, this piece was my introduction to Xenakis's music and the very first work I ever purchased by him (on the Auvidis Montaigne label which is now out-of-print).

a cosmic voyage, into the maelstrom and back.......2005-08-25

This is a state-of-the-art stereo remix from the original tapes (at GRM in Paris) of the electronic installation Xenakis created in Paris 1978, the "Diatope." It was a multi-media spectacle with architecture (its own building), electronic music, images (a computerized light show with four lasers and 400 mirrors), and 5 texts, including the passage from Plato's "The Republic" from which the title is taken.

Makis Solomos pithily captures the musical content of the 47' piece in the liner notes: "...this work follows a dramatic arched form: the music appears very slowly, then several waves culminate in a sort of deluge, and finally progressively disappears." PERSEPOLIS from 1971 (see my review) had no formal structure, no crescendos or "movements." So LA LEGENDE D'EER takes what is in many respects similar music in terms of texture and construction and adds a simple structure -- a beginning, middle and end. There are seven layered tracks of music, and six distinct sections, though they flow together. The opening sounds like cicadas, or perhaps shooting stars if they made sounds. The sound intensifies to a high point of intensity between 25' and 33', culminating with what might be a spaceship blasting off. Overall it is quite an experience, and my only quibble is with the development passages between the eery opening and ending and the climax. On the "way up" Xenakis uses an electronic "squiggle" that sounds like a mosquito buzzing, and on the "way down" there is a passage that sounds like nothing so much as a go-cart.

Thanks to Gerard Pape for the stereo remix, and to Mode for a fine production. The liner notes contain much fascinating detail about the construction of the piece and the source materials. It is also available on DVD, but apparently the DVD doesn't add much -- some stills of the Diatope, and a less-than-insightful interview with Xenakis. The earlier Montaigne version is now out-of-print, though there may still be copies about. The one thing that version has that this new one lacks is the five texts from Plato, Hermes Trismegistus, Blaise Pascal, Jean-Paul, and Robert P. Kirshner, and the metaphysics and physics of the texts are only meant to stimulate the listener's imagination with ideas of eternity and the cosmos, "destiny, life and death" as Xenakis puts it. Your trip is your own.

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