classical music: Philip Baker

classical music: Philip Baker

classical music:

Philip Baker

Original London Cast

Sony, 2005

altogether a fine cast album
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the cheerfully-mindless musical by the Sherman Brothers, was mounted for the West End stage in 2002, opened at the London Palladium and enjoyed a run of nearly three and-a-half years (the subsequent Broadway production fared less well). The ...

Adagio: A Windham Hill Collection

Patrick O'Hearn, Michael Manring, ...

RCA, 2003

Good Contemporary Arrangements!
I am a lover of classical music from my earliest days. I play the piano and have played in high school bands and briefly a college ensemble as a bassonist. Just a two Christmases ago I discovered Windhill's Christmas collection and fell in love with the different ...

Prayer: A Windham Hill Collection

Michael Manring, Philip Baker, ...

RCA, 2003

Music for Meditation
This is a delightful collection of music appropriate to meditative prayer. It is often my prayer companion, and I like the style and performance found on this CD. I highly recommend it to people who enjoy deeper reflection with a wordless musical background.

Hodie / Fantasia on Christmas Carols

John Shirley-Quirk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, ...

EMI Classics, 2000

An old friend
It is always a wonderful thing to find a beloved recording transfered to CD. My old LP is still on my shelves and has been there since 1973, though the recording dates from 1965. It is a fine performance of an unjustly neglected Christmas work. Vaughan Williams was 81 ...

Girl Crazy (1990 Studio Cast)

George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, ...

Nonesuch, 1990

A Musical Not To Miss
As with so many Broadway shows, the story behind Girl Crazy is concerned with the quest for love and romance built into a thin story. The setting of Girl Crazy in Arizona provided a more exotic locale for 1930's America. What makes Girl Crazy so memorable are the ...

Essential Baroque

Essential Baroque

Decca, 2002

High-quality, marvelously varied intro to baroque music
I am buying this as the perfect gift for Russian and Chinese scientist friends. They have knowledge of classical music but perhaps not much about baroque music, which achieved special popularity in the U.S. during the 1970's and 1980's. Russians seem to have more ...

Sacred Classics - Messiah, Ave Maria, Pie Jesu, Zadok the Priest, L'enfance du Christ

George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, ...

EMI Classics, 2003

A wonderful and varied compilation of Sacred Choral Works
This is a 2 CD set and is one of my favorites. While this CD contains several pieces that the general public probably hears often (Handel's Messiah, Bach's Jesu Bleibet mein freund) it also contains some not well known pieces. Of particular quality is the recording ...

One Nation Under God

American Anonymous, Henry Baker, ...

Altissimo Records, 2003

One nation Under God
"One Nation Under God" is a great compilation of inspirational patriotic music, superbly performed by truly world-class musicians. The selection of music was excellent, and very much in keeping with the title and the theme of the album. The opening recitation of the ...

Janacek - Jenufa / Davis, Alexander, Silja, Glyndebourne Opera

Roberta Alexander, Anja Silja

Kultur Video, 2002

ACCURATE AND DRAMATIC SINGING, SUPERB ACTING AND AN UNUSUAL SOUND PERSPECTIVE.
Opinions on the sound will be very polarized, so I want to get to the reason why first. My first impression listening on excellent (AKG k240 Studio) headphones was one of bad sound. As the opera progressed I was impressed with how clearly I was hearing Janacek's ...

Requiem/Pavane/Requiem

John Carol Case, Stephen Roberts [baritone], ...

EMI Classics, 2007

a voice teacher and early music fan
THE GRAMOPHONE PUBLICATION : 'The Faure recording is as near as can be to absolute perfection from start to finish...highest praise must go to David Willcocks for his inspiring and sensitive direction. Durufle expresses profundities with the most restrained and subtle ...

Harmony

Paul Tortelier, Karl Leister, ...

Virgin Records Us, 2000

Excellent compliation
Unlike some classical cds, this one contains full length selections, covering a wide range of composers from Bach to a couple of tastefully done popular selections. The recordings were full and expressive, the audio quality excellent. In a sense it is a varation on ...

Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea

Claudio Monteverdi, Concentus musicus Wien, ...

Teldec, 1993

Monteverdi Interpreted by the Best!
There is nothing about this recording that is not excellent. Let me start with the conductor, Mr. Nicholas Harnoncourt. Kudos for this amazing period rendition of this eternal operatic masterpiece. The orchestra is unarguably made of some of the best period instrument ...

Elgar: Choral Works
Benjamin Luxon, Clifford Grant, ...

EMI Classics, 2006

Unforgettable Classics: Bach
Gregory Reinhart, Johann Sebastian Bach, ...

EMI Gold Imports, 1999

Dame Janet Baker Philips and Decca Recordings, 1961-1979 (Limited Edition)

Janet Baker, John Shirley-Quirk, ...

Philips, 2003

Essential Performances from a Great & Beloved Singer
For those of us who grew up on Janet Baker's recordings (and were lucky enough to hear her "live" as well), the sound of her voice and her singular artstic personality - British restraint coupled with fierce emotional and spiritual commitment - are indelibly imprinted ...