The Only Choral Album You'll Ever Need

Product Details

Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0756055136026
Label : Victor
Number of Discs : 2
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 2003-10-06
UPC : 756055136026

ASIN : B00004S7S5

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

The cheesy title may raise a smile and may make you slightly dubious about this two-disc set. But The Only Choral Album You'll Ever Need is a combination of fine vintage recordings and (sometimes) cheeky programming. For example, Mahler's Symphony No. 8--the ultimate in late-romantic hyperbole--is followed by the opening of Monteverdi's Vespers, effectively a baroque composer's attempt to capture the same massive grandeur. The juxtaposition is startling and amusing, but it also provides a fascinating and unexpected link between Monteverdi and Mahler. There are some great choirs on offer here, with a rich variety of styles: the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge (singing Barber, Fauré, Allegri, John Tavener and others) is an excellent mixed-voice ensemble in the Anglican tradition, while the Bolshoi Chorus and Orchestra (Borodin's Polovtsian Dances) offers a much throatier sound. There's Viennese polish (Karajan conducting March of the Toreadors) and German lustiness (the Bavarian Radio Choir and Orchestra singing Mahler). If you're new to choral music you could do a lot worse than start here. --Warwick Thompson

Customer Reviews

misleading blurb (2008-09-22)

whoever wrote the 'whats on this cd' blurb mislead me to buy this item - I needed the WHOLE of the Messiah AND THE WHOLE of Faure's Requiem and reading this blurb you think you have it - but guess what - there are only extracts - the titles given are just for the whole work - not the individual piece of music - so I cannot learn the pieces for two concerts I am performing in before Christmas off this - very misleading. Sorry - but it is not the only album Ill ever need.

Great Album (2008-09-22)

Happy with CD as it is mainly full of stuff I know and as it says, it is the only Choral Album I'll ever need.

What a brilliant idea! (2008-02-02)

I've always enjoyed choral music but never really been sure what it was I was listening to, apart from the really well known tunes, some of which, shamefully, I recognised from adverts or films. Many well known ones are included here of course, such as "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana, the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves", the "March of the Toreadors" from Carmen; "Ode to Joy", "Zadok the Priest" and of course chunks of "The Messiah". This double CD with well over 2 hours of music and 33 samples is the perfect way to discover (and put a name to!) other beautiful pieces of music. I was particularly pleased to hear Allegri's "Miserere" which has always sent goose bumps up and down my spine, and the "Humming Chorus" from Madame Butterfly.I think its incredible value for money with some of the tracks being almost ten minutes long. I'm going to use it as a jumping off place to explore further the music of the composers of my favourite tracks.

Look for similar items by category

• Classical > Opera & Vocal > Song
• Classical > Opera & Vocal > Choral
• Classical > Opera & Vocal > Performers > Vocalists > Soprano
• Classical > Opera & Vocal > Performers > Ensembles > Choirs
• Classical

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