Berlin

This is a great one folks. If you are a Pavarotti fan this is a must have. You will get some songs you have not had on other albums.

Listening to Pavarotti every day, particularly his "The Best" CD, is a MUST. Disc #2 was glorious, his interpretation of folk songs is so seamless that your swept along with his joy in performing these gorgeous pieces. Do you want to be uplifted? Buy Pavarotti's The Best.

I don't know of too many that would give fewer than five stars to Luciano Pavarotti. What an amazing voice...we are fortunate to have been part of one man's unbelievable talent!

He is indeed missed!!! What a blessing to have this CD to hear and remember one of the world's greatest tenors. Highly recommend!

The CD wasn't originally for me but my dad loves it. He plays it all the time and claims its a very complete collection of the artist.

Most great artist have recorded a "stinker" album and for the Three Tenors, this is the one. The album suffers from the lack of a good producer - someone to say "Ah...guys, lets try that one again," and "Do you really want to sing Winter Wonderland?" There are sloppy entrances, one or two flat notes, and some really bad song choices. With all the great Christmas music available, why did anyone think that it was a good idea for these particular singers to sing "Sleigh Ride?" However, as another reviewer noted, their rendition is good for a giggle or two. Unless you are a completist, don't waste your money. Pavarotti and Domingo have both recorded wonderful Christmas albums. Buy those!

The cd would not play all the songs. It would skip on serval of the selections.

I am a huge fan of ALL of these guys ie; The Three Tenors. I am not a snob when it comes to music, I sit back and relax and enjoy. But man oh man, this was woeful ! Singing out of synch with the orchestra, exceptionally poor english, the wrong words even to one of the songs. No, sorry boys but this was a boo boo CD !!!!

This is a truly beautiful addition to my Christmas music collection. Can't wait to listen to it every day with the holidays approaching.

Album is great. For any other holiday music, just listen to your local radio station that plays it during December.

This is the perfect showcase for the multitalented vocalist. She pays compliments to standards, and makes a few unknown songs all her own.

The first time I saw Kristin Chenoweth in a movie was the TV "Music Man". Just lately I listened to the "Wicked" soundtrack, and after that, I've been listening to Kristin's CDs whenever I can. This one is a jazzy, Broadway-type CD with fun, engaging songs. She's a different type of singer, and while not everyone might enjoy her voice, I really do. If you like Broadway, jazz, drama, romance, or just fun, catchy songs, this is a CD for you.

Once you have seen Kristen Chenoweth in action (check out YouTube) you know not only what an extremely talented musician she is, but also how fabulous she is at acting out and conveying each piece to an audience. She is the WHOLE package! This CD is a great sampling of her extreme talents!

I hope she continues doing seperate albums on the side besides her beoadway albums. She sings in so many different stlyes and her voice is so beautiful in each. She gives such heart to every peice she sings.

A few years back I caught Kristin Chenoweth's socko boffo performance on a Boston Pops special on PBS and was suitably wowed. I had heard nothing but good things about her prior, but since Broadway is not my main musical interest, I admit I hadn't felt compelled to rush to check her out. Then a friend whose main musical interest is in fact, musicals played me a few tracks of the WICKED cast album, on which both Chenoweth and co-star Idina Menzel excelled (and were swell--hmm, maybe I should take up hip hop). All of that made me eager to hear Chenoweth's solo recordings, to experience--as it were--her full palette.

LET YOURSELF GO from 2001 is as good a sampling as you could hope for. A solid mix of peppy, witty showtunes and heartfelt ballads, all sung with what we critics and would-be critics like to call "genuine flair." She's got the stuff, and she knows how to use it.

Of course, all popular music is, at least in part, selling an artist's personality. Chenowith's impressive vocal prowess would not necessarily guarantee stardom if she weren't so charming and, as John Lahr observes in his liner notes, so downright wholesome. Like Bernadette Peters and rock's Cyndi Lauper, she has a somewhat comic, Betty Boopesque speaking voice, but is capable of turning around and blowing an audience away with sheer vocal power.

Employing all that natural charm and wit, Chenoweth can get away with vocalizing stunts that might seem way too show-offy on paper. Her take on "The Girl in 14G" has her alternating operatic trills with very convincing, very Ella-like scatting. In less hands, it might prove WAAAY too cute. But I defy any listener to listen to Chenoweth's triple-tracked vocal pyrotechnics and not be suitably impressed, if not fully enraptured. Ultimately, the song is about the sheer joy of singing, and Kristin Chenoweth's take on it conveys that joy. And if there's a little bit of showboating going on, well, it's done with warmth and humor and, anyway, the girl's ENTITLED.

The album is beautifully orchestrated and very well sequenced. A light hearted number like the above mentioned "14G" is followed by the sensitively rendered Rodgers and Hart number "I'll Tell the Man On the Street," which proves that the young Barbra Streisand did not OWN that song after all.

The inclusion of the Ogden Nash/Kurt Weill classic "Stranger Here Myself" did make me hungry for something even edgier, though. Yes, I could imagine Chenoweth doing BRECHT/Weill as well. In noting her wholesome appeal, John Lahr suggests that she is something of a throwback to an era of lighter, more innocent musical theater. I take the point, but I disagree that she would not be a good candidate for a Sondheim production. Lahr maintains that Chenoweth is not "desiccated" enough for Sondheim. But surely, he of all people would be appreciative of the benefits of casting against type. After all, the above cited Bernadette has been doing it for years. And even Cyndi made a her Broadway debut a year or so ago doing Brecht/Weill. I could well see the already versatile Ms Chenoweth getting a little, how you say, edgier?

I was given this CD as a Xmas gift about seven years ago and absolutely love it. It is a favorite of mine next to the Amy Grant A Christmas Album. Those you who think it is boring don't know what you are missing. Awesome CD; puts you in the Christmas spirit.

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas since I already had one. It is a great CD for Christmas.

CD was in perfect condition!
music is great! Added a different touch to my Christmas collection.

I purchased this CD for "Faeries" which I had heard on the radio...However, I find the whole CD has become one of my favorite Christmas albums. The Mannheim Steamroller's CD is truly 'extraordinaire'.

Excellent start with Hallelujah chorus and then fizzled after that with a few intermittent high points. I just did not like this particular package of songs. Too much new age sound toward the end. Wish I would have read the other reviews before purchase.

While it's always fun to listen to Irving Berlin tunes, and this show has a special nostalgic appeal for Boomers, what's missing on this album is what's missing in the show: stars. Films like "Easter Parade", "Holiday Inn", and "White Christmas" survive because they have high octane stars -- it takes talent of that caliber to put over these songs and the very thin stories that hold them together. On this album, only that veteran belter Karen Morrow (who is not playing the role on Broadway) hits the musical nail on the head, and when she's on hand the album takes off. But she's only on hand for two numbers. The four leads are so bland they barely register -- just standard issue Broadway voices, scrubbed clean of personality. Crosby, Clooney, Kaye and even Vera-Ellen, had star quality, and without them this is a blah Christmas, indeed.

I am a late-comer to this album, and appear to be a dissenting voice, alas. I found this album dull, the biggest problems being that the arrangements have no sparkle (maybe they were meant to capture that lush, and--dare I say--bloated 1950's sound) and the singers (with the exception of Karen Morrow) have no personality. When dealing with material this familiar, you have to bring something extra, and despite the obvious talent that went into this, it is just serviceable. The whole thing reminded me of a Lawrence Welk tribute to Berlin, or a big-budget cruise ship show.

We bought this CD after seeing the stage production. The songs are quite different from the ones we grew up with in the Bing Crosby tv movie version. Lively and fun from a by-gone era. This is one of our most-listened-to CDs, as most of the songs are not "Christmas-y" at all.

This CD is a faithful rendition of a musical served up with familiar and "sing-along" melodies. Some nostalgia yes, but very appropriate for the Holidays. Anyone who doesn't smile hearing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"really is a "scrouge"! I purchased this CD for my grand-daughter after we saw the musical together; a great way to build memories....

Irving Berlin's White Christmas: White Christmas is one of the best musicals ever made - make that one of the best movies ever made. I absolutely adore it. This CD is the soundtrack to the stage version of the film. I so want to see this show. If the music is any indication, the show is an absolute blast. It's chock-full of the classic Irving Berlin songs from the movie, with the addition of other Berlin classics such as "Happy Holiday," "Blue Skies," "How Deep Is the Ocean," and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." The arrangements positively hum with energy - the music has a full, big-band flavor. And the principal vocalists, led by Brian d'Arcy James and Jeffrey Denman, are terrific - they don't try to imitate their filmic predecessors Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. If they had, that would've equaled disaster. What makes this album work is that you are given top-notch Broadway singers performing timeless Berlin tunes with life and energy. They're not trying to present a carbon copy of the film onstage - the show is more of a love letter to the film, if you will. The story's been tweaked, some of the movie's songs eliminated ("Choreography" is no great loss IMO) or rearranged, but the nostalgic heart of the film's story is vibrantly present.

This is a great CD to listen to after a stressfull day at work. Debussy was an impressionist musician, or that's what they called him during his life. Most people don't know that there were impressionists that were not painters, so this classical musician is a breath of fresh air even for those that do not like classical music.

My mother was a classically trained musician. She was not only a highly accomplished violinist, but she was also an incredible pianist. When she was still in her earthly form, our house was always filled with music. If it wasn't her playing the violin or the piano, then we always had something on the Hi-Fi...hee hee...Hi-Fi...that sounded so high tech back then, now it just sounds like something you might get doing something unprotected...but anyway, I grew up around all kinds of music. We could be listening to Chopin one minute and the next, Frank Zappa and it's this kind of upbringing that made the weirdo...I mean, ecclectic individualization of Life I am today.

So, even though I continue to have varied tastes in music, I do have my favorites and one of them is dear 'ol Claude Debussy. My mother was a Pisces and I, being born exactly two weeks after her birthday, am also a Pisces and Pisceans, being rather dreamy, moody, sensitive, and open are "suckers" for any kind of music that touches the emotions because most
water signs live by their emotions rather than by their intellect. I happen to be a double Pisces which only means that I am jacked up x 2. Not really, but I am a very emotional person. I have, however, learned to use my sensitivity rather than having my sensitivity using me which only tends to make one fragile.

So, what the heck does all this have to do with this particular collection of music?

Plenty.

This music when played during periods of relaxation and meditation can open you up to the deeper levels of life that are always just right beneath the surface. So many of us are so distracted by outer appearances and conditions that we fail to see that all our outer life really is, is just a symbol...a metaphor...for what is going on inwardly. If your life is confusing, upsetting, chaotic it could be that your inner life is also confused, upset, and full of chaos.

Or maybe I'm just talking out my aspirations.

I invite you to wake up an hour early and listen to this CD while doing some light stretches, a few minutes of some just breathing deeply and slowly, and maybe even 15 minutes of so of just writing or doodling and don't let this music just be "white noise"...hey, I think I just created a name for my friend's rap band...but take this music deep into your soul...breathe it in...breathe it out...for just one hour "be" the music.

I think that Debussy was a genius. He didn't just compose music, music composed him. If you listen very, very carefully you will be able to tell that Debussy listened very closely to his soul. It was as if he asked a Heavenly Council for permission to use music that is clearly not of this world. Yes, his music is Impressionist, but it is also Expressionist; an expression of Pure Love, Pure Light, Pure Life the realms from which all things seen as well as unseen come forth from. Listen to Reverie, La Mer (all three portions), or, of course, Claire de Lune and you will quickly realize that this "mere mortal" tapped the eternal and the earthreal into finite compositions that transcend mere music and puts it in a completely different category.

So, after all this why am I giving this CD four stars...I have a real challenge with the name of the CD, Debussy's Greatest Hits. For God's sakes, this is Debussy, it's not Britney Spears or Barry Manillow. Debussy didn't create "hits", he created something that surpasses such a shallow judgment. His music is truly an observation of the Divine coming into form. The Divine does not create "Greatest Hits", the Divine only creates masterpieces and it's only our perceptions and our interpretations of these masterpieces that make it hit or miss. Which, of course has nothing to do with the Divine, but everything to do with us.

I urge you to buy this CD and let yourself dream again. Get out of your head and back into your heart. Even if you don't do the excercises I suggested; the breathing, the writing, the stretching, just allow this music to wash over you and heal you in ways you never thought possible.

Stretch forth and be the blessing you were created to be. Make this CD a prelude to your day and miracles will begin to happen.

I promise...

Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'

Claude Debussy is perhaps the most understated composer in the history of man. His ability to compose both on the piano and for orchestra is unmatched, in my humble opinion. The fact that Debussy was able to also arrange many contemporary and previous composers' works just adds to his resume. He had a gift, pure and simple.

Although this album doesn't (well, honestly it couldn't) contain all the best of Debussy's catalog (you would need his entire catalog), it does certainly contain some of his best work. The entire CD is a beautifully aranged, beautifully played, well recorded compilation with good sound mixing and it is a respectful tribute to a truly great composer.

"Claire de Lune" (Moonlighting) is perhaps one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever composed; this is the orchestrated version, but the piano version is nice if you get the chance to listen to it (I recommend the entire suite, Suite Bergamasque, for any piano lover, but I digress). "Arabesque No. 1" is superb. "Fetes" is both haunting and airy. "Reverie" is the best piano piece I have ever heard. "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is also a wonderful piano piece. "The Sunken Cathedral" is dark and mysterious, a true wonder.

The rest of the album is fantastic. Listed above are just my top, personal favorites from the disc. I listen to this CD at least once a week, but often more. It is perfect for relaxation, for listening while reading, or for my personal favorite use, to block out noise while I am writing.

I would recommend this to any classical lover. If you have not heard Debussy's music, you must get this CD; it will have you ordering more of his compositions almost immediately. The man was a genius.

I would also add that if you enjoy this, I recommend that you continue your Debussy experience with the following: Debussy: Orchestral Works I and Debussy: Orchestral Works II and if you are looking for works on piano, I recommend Jean-Yves Thibaudet-Debussy - Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1 and Jean-Yves Thibaudet-Debussy - Complete Piano Works, Vol. 2, and finally if you seek Chamber pieces, you can check out Debussy: Complete Chamber Music. All of these discs are excellent and I highly recommend each to grow your Debussy collection.

Enjoy!!!

After listening to his "Greatest Hits," I know why he is considered one of the best.

I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE I WAS TRYING EXPAND MY HORIZONS, YOU KNOW? CULTURALLY AND MENTALLY, YOU KNOW? SERIOUSLY THOUGH I WAS IN THE SHOP AND I WAS HAVING A GAZE AROUND THE PLACE AND THEN THIS PICTURE JUST JUMPS OUT AT ME, AND I PICKED IT UP AND IT WAS THIS DEBUSSY CHAP AND ID HEARD ABOUT HIM ON THE BBC LEARNING ZONE SO I THOUGHT ;why not?; SERIOUSLY THOUGH I DRAGGED IT HOME AND I POPPED IT IN THE OLD CD PLAYER AND IT FLOORED ME.......I MEAN SERIOUSLY THIS THING...AMAAZING STUFF..I MEAN TODAYS MUSIC HAS NOTHING, NOTHING NOTHING ON THIS STUFF RIGHT HERE.

SOME GOOD TRACKS ARE:
TRACK 1 IS THE BEST. THE OPENING FLUTE ON THE TRACK IS TOTALLY CHILLED AND COOL, REMINDS ME A BIT OF TRACK 13 ON ILL COMMUNICATION BY THE BEASTIE BOYS...A COINCIDENCE???

THE ONLY WEAK TRACK ON THE ALBUM IS TRACK 6, THE UNFORTUNATELY TITLED "CHILDRENS CORNER SUITE: GOLLIWOGGS CAKE WALK" THE MUSIC IS JUST DATED MAN, JUST AS DATED AS THE TITLE.

OVERALL THOUGH THIS IS A QUALITY ALBUM, WITH CHILLS, SPILLS AND THRILLS. SERIOUSLY THOUGH A FINE EFFORT.

This is exactly what I wanted and I rec'd it very fast turnaround. Thanks you!

Beethoven is my favorite composer. This is a good (but not great) collection, and all versions are good.

I found this to be a nice collection of favorites, especially to keep in the car and listen to. It is a variety of well known compilations. Although not encompassing, it is perfect as a review for driving, relaxing, and enjoyment. Plus, the price is right!

Very good! I ordered it especially for Piano Sonata No. 8 Pathetique

Good overview of his works----an introduction into his depth as a composer

The CD is what it is said to be, relaxing. My husband and I think is very good!

I have been using this to go to sleep during a very stressful holiday season. I have never heard the whole thing at night since it puts me to sleep long before then.

This album is just what it says -- Ultimate Relaxtion. The sound is good, the music selections are well done and well chosen. Just turn out the lights, turn on the tree, and put this music on. You'll be relaxed as can be in no time!

This is a great, relaxing Christmas CD. I was looking for a Christmas CD to turn on when I put my baby to sleep. This was the PERFECT one!

I was really looking forward to this cd! I always listen to music as I sleep, it helps to drown out outside noises, but this CD was damaged! It skipped terribly and I basically threw it away. I know I should have returned it but my way of handling things of this nature, unless they are quite expensive, are to simply not use the store where I purchased it again! Therefore, I will not be using this establishment again!

Although some of the most ardent opera buffs will still prefer Beecham, this is really the version to turn to for most people. This is quite simply Pavarotti's best role, full of vigour and poetry. If one really wished to find something to pick on, it would perhaps be that he only rarely seems willing to sing quietly, but the feeling (in particular the desperation) and warmth he brings to the role is, as far as I know, unmatched. Freni also, in my view, outperforms e.g. Callas, at least in terms of sheer beauty of sound, although a case could be made that Callas is the superior interpreter. Panerai and Harwood are excellent as well.

But if there is anything sweeping all competition aside, it is Karajan. He has simply got it all, focus on orchestral beauty as well as a taut grip on the drama and momentum. Put that together with splendid sound, and you've got a winning set. A must.

When you compare Freni with the light roles that she used to sing in the 60s and this Freni, you will think they are two different singers. But what is truly amazed is the fact that not only her voice changed, but she became bar none to one the hardest heavy lyric soprano roles ever: Mimi. And when she has Pavarotti next to her, it is like heaven. But, wait... Who is conducting is Karajan, unarguably one of the best puccinian ever. This is a record to listen, re-listen, re-listen, re-listen until I don't know when...

In a recent BBC3 "CD Review" broadcast, Alexandra Wilson made a gallant attempt to achieve the impossible task of choosing amongst forty or so recordings of "La Boheme" - and while I agreed with her ultimate choice of the Beecham recording with Bjorling, Merrill and De Los Angeles, I have rather more regard for this discarded Karajan recording simply because Pavarotti's voice, in its prime, as she herself put it, "runs through the recording like a golden seam". The rest of the cast is wonderful, too, although Karajan's love for the score is manifested in a rather deliberately "beautiful" approach and thereby slightly undercuts the drama. I cannot be without either recording of this eternally youthful and moving opera, and although Freni was captured in slightly fresher, more limpid voice in the earlier Schippers set, for me Gedda is absolutely no substitute for Pavarotti at his best. Both Merrill and Panerai are infinitely touching in the great duet "O Mimi, tu piu non torni" and although Beecham's recording is a little rough around the edges, he conveys greater energy and fun in the slapstick scenes while, Karajan extracts slightly more pathos from the last act, in better sound. Acquire both sets for the complete experience.

Puccini's iconic La Bohème (1896) is among the most popular operas in history (second only to Puccini's Madama Butterfly), and "Che gelida manina" is one of the most familiar arias in opera. Based on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger, La Bohème is a romantic opera in four acts. Set in Paris (around 1830), Puccini's opera is about four bohemians living in the Quartier Latin. One of them (Rodolfo) falls in love with a seamstress (Mimì), who contracts a cough which slowly consumes her (it is presumably tuberculosis). Rodolfo confesses to Marcello that he has left Mimi because of her deadly illness. When Mimi later dies, Rodolfo cries out Mimì's name and then weeps uncontrollably. La Bohème was first performed in Turin in 1896.

I experienced a live HD simulcast performance of Puccini's opera from The NYC Metropolitan Opera yesterday, with tenor Ramón Vargas performing as Rodolfo, Angela Gheorghiu in the role of Mimì, and Nicola Luisotti conducting. (Franco Zeffirelli produced the opera and designed the sets.) Before the Met performance, I listened to this CD performance to familiarize myself with the opera, and it is truly superb. This production, conducted by maestro Herbert von Karajan, is a definitive recording of La Bohème, with perfect performances (rich in bohemian heart and soul) by Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni in the leading roles. Many opera buffs more knowledgeable than me have called this the greatest recording of La Bohème. The sound quality is impeccable. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt

I'm sorry this is not a review. I was wondering if someone can tell me if libretto is included in this product. Thanks in advance.

I heard this CD on a PBS pledge drive (it was a premium) and found myself loving every cut on it! I was in my car and just wanted to keep on driving and listening. This is by far my most-played CD - I've had to make it a weekend only listen to prevent getting burned out on it. HIGHLY recommend it. Even if you are unfamiliar with some of the pieces, you will quickly learn to love them. . . . I must end this review - I'm off to listen to the "flower duet" for the 100th time. . .

I'm new to opera, but this CD has really beautiful music. I use it in my CD clock radio (Timex, that I purchased here also) to go to sleep to.

21 Dec, 2007
The movements in this collection move Me as much as My very bowel. Hence, it might work for your too. Try it, you'll like it if you want to be moved to your very "soul".

Am just discoving the glory of opera. Not all opera, but the arias that make your heart soar. My husband turned away from opera because he was "overdosed" at an early age and it really spoiled his pleasure for life. He's gone now, and I'm discovering what I've missed. This is a wonderful CD and well worth having.

If one was wanting to introduce a friend to the wonderful world of opera, this would be a great cd to buy them. Also at this time when many of us are worrying about Luciano and his health , it is great to hear him featured on many of the selections. A great buy and wonderful collection.