MOZART : EXSULTATE, JUBILATE, O VOS ANIMAE BEATAE K.165

In 1773 Mozart was staying in Milan to play his opera titled "Lucio Silla" in which used a male soprano singer (of the type called castrato, frequently used in operas and oratorios during the baroque period.) Thia piece is a motet for the male soprano.

A motet is a vocal form with lyrics which originated and developed in Medieval Europe, as both secular and clerical music.

Although Mozart uses religious verses in Latin for this motet, the whole inpression is that of operatic glamour, and its 3 - movement composition in quick-slow-quick tempo reminds us of a vocal baroque concert.

TORELLI : TRUMPET CONCERTOS

This bargain priced double CD is of 22 lively, joyfull trumpet concertos by the baroque composer Giuseppe Torelli played on modern instruments. There concerti are well worth a listen, but not on this recording. The soloist completely dominates the performance, Hammes is clearly a skilled trumpeter but is too loud to the point of pain, the listener feels pinned to the the wall. Not recommended. If you are interested in hearing how a baroque trumpet concerto should sound let me refer you to Naxos " The Art of the Baroque Trumpet, Vol 5, an Italian Concert". It is an excellent CD. (Reviewed by Ross Kennett) See more.

GIUSEPPE TORELLI : ENJOYABLE CONCERTOS

Giuseppe Torelli was born in Verona in 1658, the same year as Pachelbel, 5 years after Corelli, and 11 before Albinoni. He moved to Bologna, an important centre of music at the time, in the early 1680s. His opus 8, some of which we hear on this CD, was published in 1709, just after his death. Opus 8 was a set of 12 violin concertos, 6 for one violin and 6 for 2 violins; here we hear 3 for one violin, and 4 for 2 violins. They are in a similar style to Albinoni's later works, they are for orchestra with violin, rather than for virtuoso soloist with accompaning orchestra, the soloist(s) emerge from the strings. This is not to infer that they are simple works, they require highly skilled performers. Simon Standage and Catherine Weiss play superbly, well assisted by Collegium Musicum 90, on period instruments. The forces used are typical, 8 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 2 bass violins ( larger than a cello but with the same pitch), chamber organ and theorbo. These are increased for the highlight of the disc, 3 trumpet concertos, by adding 2 violins, 4 violas, 2 double bass and 1 or 2 trumpets. These trumpet concertos are beautifully played, again they are for orchestra with trumpet(s), the balance between orchestra and soloist(s) is just right. This is an excellent recording, Torelli wrote many works for trumpet, I hope to hear more of the from Collegiim Musicum 90. (Reviewed by Ross Kennett) See more.

CONCERTO FOR TRUMPET AND ORCHESTRA IN D MAJOR : GIUSEPPE TARTINI (1692-1770)

Giuseppe Tartini who is known for his violin sonata titled "Devil's Trill" is one of the outstanding composers of the Italian baroque music of the 18th century. He was also active as a performer, music theorist and educator.

As a typical example of a baroque-style concerto, the piece consists of three movements in quick-slow-quick tempo.

1st movement : Leggielo, moderato; with the introduction of the orchestra, then the brilliant theme for trumpet.

2nd movement : Andante; begins abruptly with the trumpet playing the theme, following by the orchestra.

3rd movement : Leggielo; gracefully, short improvisation is inserted by a solo trumpet.

THE BEST OF VIENNA BOYS' CHOIR

What can really be said about this two CD set except "Wow." The tone quality and emotion contained in the music is incredible, and I don't think there's another boys' choir out there who can match it. The rendition of Schubert's "Ave Maria" alone is worth buying the CD. Amazing. Between the two CD's there is a great variety of music as well, ranging from the soft, sad "Locus Iste," to Johann Strauss' polkas. There is a piece for every mood. These CDs are more than worth the money and rank among the favorites in my collection. (Comment by Ammy Hronek) See more

A WONDERFUL SHUBERT RECITAL

This is the kind of cd you can sit and listen to and be absolutely transported. It is just gorgeous singing and Bonney has such a crystal clear voice. She has chosen songs that are more upbeat in tone. The "Ave Maria" is sensitively done, as is the familiar "Die Forelle". Bonney doesn't get in the way of the music, but lets Schubert speak through her. This is an ideal disc if you want a good introduction to Schubert lieder or if you just love beautiful singing. If you are a Bonney follower, this disc is a must. (comment by J. Buxton "cantabile") See more.

ALBUM FOR LOVERS OF CHORAL & SACRED MUSIC

If you have a any appreciation at all for the human voice raised in song, you will absolutely LOVE this album!! I have had this album on cassette since 1990, but until three weeks ago, I'd never listened to the entire cassette. I had only listened to the first song on side A because I was that was the version of "Ave Maria" I was familiar with. THIS ALBUM is the best compilation of choral music ever!!! It's not just different versions of "Ave Maria"; it is a compilation of songs whose theme is Maria. I particularly like the Giovanni Battista Pergolesi duet, "Stabat mater: Sancta mater istud agas". You would have to be DEAD not to fall madly, deeply and completely in love with this song. All the songs on this album are GEMS!!! I highly recommend this album. I'm buying the CD version myself, as I have been playing my cassette to death. Buy the CD already!!!! (Comment by Kathy-Anne R. Lewis"lewi7890") See more.

THE AVE MARIA ALBUM

Other CD's have various versions of Ave Maria, as does this one. What distinguishes this CD is the quality of the recordings, the reverent tone of the vocalists, and the impressive blending of the singers and orchestras. Some versions inpsire an awesome silence, attracting our focus on these hymns and their solemnity. Ave Maria continually provides a respite from the world--it is so intense. These Ave Maria hymns are captivating enough by their music alone. The meaning adds the intended spiritual dimension. This album comes highly recommended. (Comment by R. Ciszewski "southsider") See more.

THE ULTIMATE SCHUBERT

If you are a fan of the Schubert songs you must own this recording. Elly Ameling is widely acclaimed as the premiere contemporary performer of these beautiful and timeless pieces. Her intimate knowledge of and love for these equisite songs comes through in her warm pure lyric soprano. Truly my favorite recording in my collection. See more

AVE MARIA : FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)

Schubert wrote this piece in the spring summer of 1825, with words taken from one of the poems in the epic, “The Lady on the Lake” by Walter Scott (1771-1832). Schubert set seven poems in this epic to music and “Ave Maria” was the 6th. It is a prayer of a maiden named Ellen asking for forgiveness of her father of her father’s sin as she kneels down before an image of the Virgin Mary set up on the rocky hill by the lake. The German translation of the poem was made by Adam Storg.

The song is written in the strophelied form consisting of three sections, with the tempo designated as “lento”. The quiet and pious melody in slow tempo is rendered with a piano accompaniment imitating a harp.

The song moved the hearts of many people when it first appeared and Schubert loved to sing it. Today it is a world wide favorite thanks to a German violinist, AF.V. Wilhelmi (1845-1908) who arranged it as “Violin Solo in C major.”

From : Programe Note The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991

NEW YORK SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE : JAPAN CONCERT 1999

Mozart: Flute Concerto No 1 in G K 313, Voi che sapete che cosa e amor from 'Marriage of Figaro'; Rossini: Nacqui all'affanno e al pianto' from 'La Cenerentola', Albinoni: Adagio in G minor; Dohnanyi: Concert Piece for Cello and Orchestra in D op 12 See more

MAMORU TAKAHARA : NEW YORK SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE

Mamoru Takahara is in his thirteenth season as music director and conductor of the New York Symphonic Ensemble. Mr.Takahara began his musical career as a trumpeter, winning first place in the Youth Competition of Western Japan at age fifteen. He graduated from the Kunitachi Music College in Tokyo. In 1972 Mr.Takahara came to the United States at the invitation of Leonard Bernstein to study at the New York Philharmonic. He has also studied with Otmar Suitner in Salzburg, Australia.

Mr.Takahara made his American debut conducting the Philharmonic Virtuosi of New York in 1976 and was guest conductor of that orchestra until 1979. In July 1991, Mr.Takahara completed a three-week Japanese concert tour, which was the New York Symphonic Ensemble’s fifth concert tour of Japan. During the 1988 tour, Mr.Takahara had an unprecedented performance at the ancient Toshodaiji Temple in Nara, commemorating the 1,300th anniversary of the birth of Ganjin, the Buddhist sage.

In addition to his appearances with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, Mr.Takahara frequently returns to Japan to conduct such Japanese orchestra as the Tokyo Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic, and the Nagoya Philharmonic orchestra. Recently, he has also been appointed to be a Music Director of Himeji city of Hyogo prefecture. Mr.Takahara records with Warner-Pioneer, Kitty, Toshiba-EMI and Technics

The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991

NEW YORK SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE

The New York Symphonic Ensemble is a chamber orchestra composed for the most part of leading members from the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The Ensemble was formed in 1979 under the direction of Mamoru Takahara at the urging of musicians who wanted an additional outlet for their talents as well as an opportunity to interpret a repertoire not usually performed by a fullsize by a fullsize orchestra.

The Ensemble appears frequently in the United States and abroad. In addition to performances at Lincoln Centre’s Alice Tully Hall and The Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., the orchestra has been invited to appear at PepsiCo’s Summerfare at SUNY Purchase, the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at the United Nations, Cooper Union, and St.Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University in New York City as well as the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia and Hartt College of Music at the University of Hartfold.

Recently, the New York Symphonic Ensemble returned from its fourth consecutive tour of Japan where in 1988 the group performed an unprecedented concert at the ancient Toshodaiji Temple in Nara in commemoration of the 1,300th anniversary of the birth of the Buddhist sage, a renowned Shinto shrine and is recognized, along with the Toshodaiji Temple, as a Japanese national treasure as well as the Tokyo station and the Meiji shrine in Tokyo.

From : Programe Note
The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991

BEST OF THE EARLY YEARS [LIVE]

Feelings of sadness and loss for the people and the history of New Orleans as a result of Katrina made this CD an obvious purchase. When one thinks of New Orleans, one can only think of incredible jazz and incredible food! What is jazz without the soul of the musicians of Preservation Hall? This CD will remind you.... --Columbus Reader "Kitty" See more.

"WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHIN' IN" NEW ORLEANS, VOL. III

If you like jazz, you'll love this CD. This is the traditional stuff, straight from Preservation Hall in New Orleans. From the strum of the banjo on "Hindustan", to the vocals on the title song, to the "talking trumpet" on "Careless Love", and the fantastic clarinet solos on "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", this is a delight from beginning to end. Enjoy! --Karen Potts Buy MP3 Album with 1 click.

SWEET EMMA : PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

Once again we encounter the miracle of New Orleans music. The music of this band abounds in the friendly joyfulness so characteristic of the magic that is New Orleans-style. Every number in their band repertoire, from spirituals and blues to such Original Dixieland Jazz Band favorites as "Clarinet Marmalade" or the trite novelty of the roaring 20's, "Ice-Cream" is played whole-heartedly with best of their ability to entertain and bring happiness to all the people, although at times, these musicians themselves may have had little to be happy about . Even the melody, "Closer Walk With Thee", off used as a funeral hymn, is perfroemed with such a relaxed beat and feeling that no on can fail to be moved by the band's expressive playing and Sweet Emma's heartfelt singing. --Editorial Amazon.com

Very good listening. Traditional jazz at its best. The variety and scope of Miss Emma's jazz provides lively entertainment. Besides some of the traditional favorites the 2CD set includes several delightful renditions of old-time hymn tunes. As a lay minister I often use music for a time of reflection right after my message. A couple of times, while conducting worship at a nursing home I used the hymns for the musical interlude. A delighted,toe-tapping response ensued. --Miranda Rand

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PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND-NEW ORLENES

Like its predecessor, this 1981 recording is as true as possible to the spirit, and even the letter, of the music that found form in New Orleans in the first decades of this century, music that had changed rapidly in the move to Chicago in the 1920s. The band brings a relaxed flow to the music whether it's a religious tune or a raucous rag, a feeling encouraged by the extended times permitted by later recording. The style is classic polyphony, with Frank Demond's trombone and Willie Humphrey's clarinet developing elaborate patterns around Percy Humphrey's stately and burnished trumpet leads; the music is propelled along by the rhythm section, including Josiah Frazier on drums and James Miller on piano. Willie Humphrey's speechlike clarinet playing stands out, especially on his solo on "Shake It and Break It." --Stuart Broomer

Let me just say that for any jazz fan, a trip to Preservation Hall in New Orleans must be on your list of things to do before you die. But if proximity is a problem for you at the moment, buying a Preservation Hall Jazz Band CD is pretty much the next best thing. I'm surprised that "New Orleans, Vol. 2" is out of print now, you can still find it in stores pretty regularly. Anyway, this is the group's second album, from 1981. On this album, the lineup includes trumpet player Percy Humphrey, pianist James Miller, banjo player Narvin Kimball, trombonist Frank Demond, clarinetist Willie Humphrey, drummer Cie Frazier, and tuba player Allan Jaffe. This wasn't the best lineup the group ever put together, but the standard pieces and style is all here. "New Orleans, Vol. 2" was recorded nicely in a studio, yet maintains a live feel of signature improvised solos and playing. They play the standards, and some of their most well loved pieces, such as the wonderful "St. Louis Blues" and "I Ain't Got Nobody," and the slow, bluesy singing is infused to the classics like "Shake It and Break It" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It." A lot of the songs here can be found on the group's numerous compilation releases. In any event, this album is great fun and extremely entertaining for any listener, and I highly recommend it. --ctrx

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PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND - ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED

Marching Down Bourbon Street [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 1997 release "Marching Down Bourbon Street" is actually a compilation of tracks from their "New Orleans, Volume..." albums released between the 1970s and 1990s. As most of those albums are now out of print, this is a great buy, especially at such a good price. Anyone who's ever been to Preservation Hall knows what a great show they put on, and they sound just as tight on record. The compilation includes their best known standards like "St. James Infirmary" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It," and of course "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Amen," as well as technical masterpieces like "Hindustan" and "St. Louis Blues." A great purchase, highly recommended, this is fine New Orleans jazz! --ctrx

Anyone who has visited Preservation Hall in New Orleans will truly appreciate this CD as it captures the feeling of that great joyful and music-filled room. To those who have not been blessed with that experience, this CD will certainly whet your appetite for Dixieland. I have been a fan of New Orleans Jazz for over 50 years and never tire of listening to the old standards featured here. St. James Infirmary is one of my all-time favorites and is particulary good here. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is one of the most important groups preserving and promoting this kind of music. This is also a super value and offers a good way to sample this music. --J.J. Roberts Read more

THE BEST OF PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

A compilation of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's Columbia recordings from 1976 to 1988, this 76-minute CD is an excellent introduction to the work of these senior New Orleans musicians. It also testifies to the band's durability as well as that of the music, with only a single change in personnel over the period covered. The disc concentrates on the most familiar repertoire, whether rags, blues, hymns, or popular songs, including "Tiger Rag," "St. Louis Blues," "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." There are also beautiful renderings of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," taking the tune back to its roots in a New Orleans blues song, and Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind." --Stuart Broomer (Editorial Amazon.com)

Classic Dixieland pieces performed in the band style that marks the best of the originals. Unlike some modern Dixieland that has been smoothed out for easy listening, these songs have the authentic old Dixie edge to them. From the growling on Tiger Rag through the piano improvs to the soaring clarinet, this sounds like the Dixieland bands of old recordings. Except, this is one technically clean CD. Fine, fine sound balance gives you the feel of being in the band. This CD gives one the essential old Dixieland sound, banjo included, that was the hallmark of the music which rode north from Storyville on the sternwheelers. --Review by a customer

Listen to Samples

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AIN' T SHE SWEET

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

These Preservation Hall artists appeared with other jazz and traditional music groups on a member of television specials featuring New Orleans and its music and have also appeared in many films, both American and foreign, documentaries and features.

Two standing-room-only engagements of the 1967 and 1968 Stanford Summer Festival in California and another sell-out performance at Philharmonic Hall in New York's 1968 Lincoln Center Festival brought the Band to increasing international attention. Following this they successfully captiveted the rock world with an impressive concert and repeat engagement at San Francisco's famous Fillmore West. The Band was honored in the fall of 1968 when asked to represent the United States at the "Cultural Olympics" during the Mexico City games.

Since then, it has been a steady climb to today's prominence. European and South American tours, sold-out summer tours which include every major festival in America, a public television special from Wolf Trap, the Super Bowl telecast from New Orleans, and much more. This will be the first time that the Band has traveled to Southeast Asia.

It took a little time to catch on, but now the shimmering music from Preservation Hall Jazz Band has captivated audiences clear around the world.

Preservation Hall, New Orleans

Historic Preservation Hall, at 726 St. Peter Street in New Orleans, is like an old cornet blown by a master. Pretty it's not -- but it is beautiful when judged by the superb sounds coming from it every night.

Preservationis an idea more than a structure -- the building needs painting, floor boards are loose, the seats for listeners are old benches, loose cushions and odd kitchen chairs. The same icker basket which held donations in the early days of the hall is still in use.

About Preservation Hall and Its Jazz Bands

"Oldest of the living Old" The motto is apt for Preservation Hall, showcase for the last of the old-time musicians playing traditional New Orleans Jazz. Called the "real" article, in contrast to commercial 2-beat, and predominently "White" Dixieland, this jazz is high-spirited yet simple and dignified, sometimes ragged but uninhibitedly incandescent.

Such jazz is offered by oldtimers in one of the seven bands featured at the Hall.

New Orleans is the home of Jazz. But the music and many of the musicians followed the money up north after World War I. The distinctive, traditional jazz continued to be played in the Negro community in New Oeleans, but it was lost outside the city to all but historians and a few buffs.

Preservation Hall was founded in 1961 to give audiences a chance to rediscover the vitality and charm of the original jazz form, played live by the dwindling ranks of the original musicians, all contemporaries of Louis Armstrong, Bunk Johnson, King Oliver, Bessie Smith and Jelly Roll Morton.

Art dealer Larry Borenstein and a small group of interested jazz fans founded the center in Borenstein's French Quarter gallery, originally as an open rehearsal hall for a recording venture. Sandra and Allan Jaffe, a young Philadelphia couple, soon took over. The small hall still stands--a plain, dingy room with wooden benches--and many of the same rules apply today.

Emphasis is on listening. There is no dancing and liquor is not sold. Admission once was free, with listeners expected to contribute to a kitty; now there is a small charge. The musicians are paid just above union scale. For many it is the first time their musical ability has provided them with a living income. The Jaffes sell recordings of the groups and book trips for them, such as this engament.