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