The Legend of Tamar Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an absolutely excellent production. Includes both instrumental dance tracks and folk songs. I loved the modern interpretation of folk dances, especially "davluri" and "mipatizheba". Kakhetian "mravalzhamier" is out of this World. Highly recommend this to anyone not familiar with the beautiful Georgian culture.
Enjoy.

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Collector's edition: The 2000 US tour CD featuring the Georgian National Singing & Dancing Ensemble "Erisioni". Limited release available eclusively from the US tour's producer. Includes Mravalgamier, Tchakrulo, Ziemi Mtachi, Romelni, Davluri, and other classics of Georgian polyphonic singing and dance music performed on Georgian instruments. When this limited release of the original Legend of Tamar recording has been sold, it will never be available again.

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Cambridge Singers Christmas Album Review

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(More customer reviews)I have the utmost respect for John Rutter and his Cambridge Singers, probably the best choir in the world (at least, the English-speaking world). I have almost all their CDs. Two of their Christmas CDs are "desert-island" class for this listener.
Unfortunately, I cannot give this otherwise excellent CD the same high marks. If they wanted to release a "best of Cambridge Christmas" CD, this would not be it. It does a few of the absolute best Christmas selections, including Sweelinck's "Hodie", Willcocks's breathtaking arrangement of "The Infant King", and Rutter's own quirky reading of "Personent Hodie". And it does contain a few tracks not previously released.
However, if you want the best of Cambridge and Christmas, start with "Christmas Night", which is always the first CD I pull out the day after Thanksgiving. The sound of the famliar Persall setting of "In Dulci Jubilo" sets my holiday in motion. And that CD also has Rutter's own magical "There is a flower". After that CD, get "Christmas with the Cambridge Singers", which has "The Infant King" and some other treasures.
So, you can't really go wrong with this CD, especially if you just want an introduction to how this fine ensemble addresses the most choir-friendly holiday of all. But if you're serious about getting all the good stuff, start with the other two mentioned above, then add "Christmas Day in the Morning" and the early "Christmas Star".

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Christmas Never Sounded So Good!For more than a decade, John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers have shared the Joy of Christmas with the world. The ethereal sound of perfectly blended voices, singing the most beautiful seasonal music ever composed never fails to touch the heart or lift the spirit. This year, John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers have assembled a NEW collection – compiled from the archives, including FOUR NEVER BEFORE RELEASED TRACKS! This is a holiday feast you will NOT want to miss!

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Best of the Red Army Choir Review

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(More customer reviews)When you listen to this album, voices ring true and clear with the gusto of "WE ARE THE RED CAVALRY" and "SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN" seem to jump out at you. These recordings are priceless and have brought the years to the forefront, when this male choir took first place at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937.
Silva Classics has taken the reins to bring the "ultimate" of full choir sounds, including classical hymns and traditional songs. If you love superb vocals with rich and vibrant styles ~ 32 selections guaranteed to take your breath away ~ this album has it all.
My highlight pick is the "CIVIL WAR SONGS", a medley of traditional tunes with outstanding arrangements and excellent performances within each members sections, a must have for your music collection.
Total Time: Disc One 57:24 on 16 Tracks & Disc Two 58:58 on 16 Tracks ~
Silva Classics SILKD-6034 ~ (2002)

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Guillaume Dufay: Complete Secular Music - The Medieval Ensemble of London / Peter Davies & Timothy Davies Review

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(More customer reviews)Grab this while it lasts! This is a reissue of a 1980 recording that will remain forever unsurpassed - both because its quality is so great, and also because no one in this day and age will dare to undertake such a massive project again. Think about it - the entire Dufay secular output! Listening to these songs, written more than 500 years ago, reveals how little has changed in the intervening centuries. Many styles and genres came and went, but the human impulse to express emotion in a song remained the same. This is why these old songs remain so appealing today. Dufay, who was possibly the greatest composer of his time, wrote most of his secular music in the fixed medieval forms (such as rondeau, virelais and ballade), but his songs transcend the formalities because he was such a remarkable melodist. Listen to such masterpieces as Vergene Bella or Donnes L'Assault a la Fortresse to know what I mean. The informative sleeve notes explain the characteristics of each style. The recording took into consideration the latest available musicological research into Dufay and his times. To cover the entire ground, some compositions are presented here in several different versions. Vocal and instrumental pieces alternate to provide variety (as the notes inform, the pieces with incomplete texts were not vocalized). The instruments (a typical medieval array) consist of recorders, flutes, dulcians, shawns, trumpets, rebecs and fiddles; plus lute, harp and clavichord used for continuo. The singers are excellent. The recording features half of the Hilliard (in its then-existing roster): Rogers Covey-Crump, Paul Elliott, Paul Hillier & Michael George. Tenor John Elwes contributes some fine singing (particularly in the spectacular Vergene Bella, sung solo to a fiddle and rebec). The only person who is perhaps not up to the highest standards is countertenor Timothy Penrose, although his singing is definitely adequate. On balance, a very satisfying release. Buy! gkolomietz@yahoo.com

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