Carl Orff

An excellent rendition of a 20th century classical classic. A pure pleasure to sit and absorb, over and over again. The conducting is enthusiastic and precise as one might expect from Mehta, and the orchestra is as superb as one might expect as well.

I was very happy with the response and it was in new condition as promised.

I am very glad with this CD. I enjoy the music. There was also included text of poems -in Latin and in English, very convinient.

This is a very good modern recording of the beloved
"carmina burana". The conducting is vigorous. The orchestra, chior and three soloists are excellent.
Sumi jo is a delight- her "in trutina" and "stetit puela" are delicious.

Pure represents the initial international, read US, CD release of Hayley Westenra. Other albums had been released outside of the US market, but Pure is an excellent cross-section of the wide ranging vocal talent of a sixteen year old New Zealand Popera. This is a must have CD for fans of pitch perfect singers. Her signature piece is Pokarekare Ana. This album has two versions: a basic and extended version. I recommend listening while looking at the CD cover photo. It is amazing to me that such a voice comes out of such a wonderfully talented young woman. If you fall in love with the album and the artist, you will have to have the DVD Hayley Westenra, Live from New Zealand. She is seventeen in it. She takes chances as demonstrated on the cut Wuthering Heights. Hayley has the voice of an angel and probably is one. Highly recommended as the first of many Hayley Westenra albums

I had heard a few songs from this collection and really liked them. She's young but I would like to see how she matures as an artist.

I would have given this 5 stars, except for the execrable "Wuthering Heights" track, which she starts by emitting a note that could only be described as shrieky. I literally jumped the first time I heard it, and it's still unpleasant. Didn't anybody listen to that track before the CD was released? It sounds like a siren (a police siren, I mean), and I don't mean to be nasty because I think she's good, but it sounded as if she was struggling to hit that note, and there was no need for it. She could have taken it down a half-tone and the effect would not have been alarming, the way it is now.

She should also work a bit on her enunciation. For the longest time, when I listened to "Across a Universe of Time" I kept hearing "tell me your vision OF SUNNY DELITE" (instead if "a story begun") She isn't helped in that department by overwrought arrangements. Whoever's arranging the music should work with her fragile voice.

But I'm looking forward to her development as an artist. Just stop screaming, Hayley!

I first discovered Hayley Westenra on Celtic Woman. Then, I heard the song "Wuthering Heights." Contrary to popular opinion, or so it seems, I think this song is amazing, even in her younger years. It's amazing that she can hit the notes, let alone make them beautiful and moving. (Of course, it helps if you've read the book and understand everything behind them...)

I agree that a few of her songs are just a liiiitle too generic, but she definately makes up for it in 90% of her songs, which is more than most artists can say. She only gets better as the years go on, and it is definately worth getting her later CDs as well.


Enjoy!!!

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll say upfront that I'm a huge fan of Hayley's. Pure serves as her debut album for most of the world, and she's an amazing young woman. She has one of the most naturally beautiful voices I've ever heard, and I think it's almost genetically impossible for her to sing anything that doesn't come out lovely. As a singer and music teacher, I also appreciate her technique and near-flawless diction. (She realizes that words have final consonants that should be pronounced even when singing! What a concept!!) Everything I say in this review is in the overall context of noting that Pure is a CD that I listen to over and over.

There are 13 tracks in the US version, with a mix of familiar ("Amazing Grace"), classical ("In Trutina" from Orff's Carmina Burana), and other pieces. Of special note are two Maori songs (Pokarekare Ana and Hine e Hine) whose simple melodies showcase Hayley's admirable lyricism.

This isn't a perfect album. Hayley's taste at this point in her career seems to favor flowing melodies, medium tempos, and sustained lines that show off her voice wonderfully, and the sentiments often are not particularly deep. (She seems to be a very mature teenager, but she is still very young, and the song choices reflect that). As a result, there's a certain sameness to many of the songs that can leave one craving a little more variety. (This is solved on her second album, Odyssey.) An exception to the sameness is "Heaven," an upbeat calypso-inspired ditty about untimely death(!)

And then there's the last track, "Wuthering Heights." Hayley's been quoted as saying this is one of her favorite songs. It contradicts everything else I've said in this review. She shrieks, she swoops, she screeches, she's often unintelligible (thank goodness for the lyrics in the CD insert!). This is Hayley-tries-rock-music and Hayley-goes-wild. It was probably fun to sing. Maybe she needed to get it out of her system. To me, it's just strange.

But there are 12 other tracks that make this remarkable CD well worth having.

Just recently discovering Hayley Westenra I have become an 81 year old fan. I think her voice is outstanding and her selections great. She sang a duet on her 2004 DVD with a Teddy Tahu Rhodes who I'm trying to get his CD's. It's great to have another Sarah Brightman.

Why? You can get the majestic Atlanta Symphony/Robert Shaw version for a buck less here on Amazon. It doesn't have a huge name singer, but its over-all majestic, clear and tonally balanced. Orff is over the top, so why look for a recording that tones down "Carmina Burana"? The ONLY drawback to the Atlanta/Shaw recording is that it breaks up the 20-some parts of the work into four longer tracks. If you like individual short tracks (or if you are ripping off some "Carmina" for back up for your WOW vids or your home-made YouTube show, which is what a lot of folks seem to do) you will miss the multiple tracks. Otherwise, listen to the Atlanta/Shaw recording and forget this hyped one. -- The EC's hubby.

This is not about the recording but more about Amazon. I just recently bought this item and I have to say that the sample recordings featured on this page is NOT the same recording on the CD. I can't find a way to contact Amazon, but I thought I'd let everyone know.

I would like to clear up some confusion: THIS IS NOT THE RECORDED PERFORMANCE THAT CARL ORFF CONDONED!! Orff attended the rehearsals of Eugen Jochum's earlier **1953** mono recording of Carmina Burana and approved that final performance. That version is available on another DGG recording of all three pieces Orff wrote in a similar vein; the album is entitled "Trionfi". The 1953 recording presents a very different version than this stereo one that Jochum recorded 15 years later in 1968 AND WHICH ORFF DID NOT HEAR!! The earlier version is grittier, perhaps not as smoothly played or expertly sung, but altogether more primal and exciting. The early mono sound of that 1953 version is very good, easily the equal of the stereo sound except for the sound-stage, and the performance is far superior. This later one is sluggish by comparison.

If you want to hear how Orff wanted this piece to sound, buy the "Trionfi" album and enjoy it. Orff certainly did!

... but I cannot, based on the oftentimes sluggish tempi, and the absolutely horrendous performance of "Olim lacus colueram" by Stolze. Fischer-Dieskau is excellent, as always, and Janowitz remains, in my opinion, one of the most egregiously overlooked sopranos of the last century or so. This CD is worth buying for her sparkling renditions of "Stetit Puella," "In trutina," and "Dulcissime" alone.

Well, this performance was approved by the composer(Yeah!!!Congrats!!!)
Does this makes it a definitive performance? Of course not, then again, how many versions aren't there of the Bruckner symphonies? and we like them all and then again Orff is not Bruckner. Orff is know for only this work.
The sound world in this recording is different from say a recording by
Mutti, or Detoit. DG should have picked a different performance for this
most excellent collection of "The Originals"

Once again Renee Fleming presents glorious collaborations in a compelling performance. The overall conception is one of beauty and unequivocal direction of line. Fleming begins with "Louise: Depuis le Jour." The spacious long phrases are profoundly evocative and the vocal timbre is crafted with glowing, long-breathed generosity. My most cherished performance is "Songs My Mother Taught Me",(A favorite of Joan Sutherland's) from the Gypsy Melodies Op.55, No.4. It is delighting in sweet textural clarity and brimming over with an infectious sense of inner purpose. Followed by "Martha: Last Rose of Summer," and "Doretta's Dream Song", Fleming sings with such a level of imagination which is rare enough, but once heard it never leaves you. "Carmina Burana: In Trutina", is absolutely angelic and sung with such radiant inwardness. In "Morgen" Op. 27 No.4, Fleming sings with such a special resonance and is, as ever, superb in the quality of her tone, the clarity of diction and innate comprehension of lieder. Fleming fills "The Merry Widow" with supple lyricism, elegance and singing at a pleasing lilt capturing its gentle energy. The overall performances culminate with "Chants D'Auvergene: Ballero". Fleming's phrases are conveyed with both elegance and intensity. The pacing is eager but never hectic and the accompaniments are scrupulous in their sensitivity. The nuanced dynamics are breathtaking and there is no denying the incandescence of the climaxes.
Whatever Renee Fleming sings makes for a delightful encounter.

Author: Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate (honorary)

Renee Fleming has turned out a fine CD of arias with which not everyone is familiar. Outstanding are Depuis le Jour from Charpentier's Louise and Marietta's Lied, Glueck, das mir verblieb, from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt. The latter is one of the most haunting arias ever written. Many of us cannot get it out of our minds. She includes Chi il bel sogno di Doretta from Puccini's La Rondine and does it well. Hers is not really a Puccini voice. Perhaps Richard Strauss and Mozart are her strengths.

I've given away at least a dozen copies of this CD. I'm running low, so I just refilled the stash. For people who haven't discovered Renee Fleming or who think they don't care for opera, this CD is the best possible way to blow down the walls. If you think there's nothing new to be heard in these old arias, you owe it to yourself to find out how wrong you can be.

I like so much Ren?e Fleming and this is special cd !

IT'S A FINE RECORDING THAT OFFERS A VARIETY OF SELECTIONS FROM OPERA, OPERETTAS AND FOLK SONGS, ALL WITH FLEMING AT HER BEST.

I have heard of Charlotte Church, and had to check out this particular CD from a public library to see what all the buzz was about. Ms. Church's voice is so thin and lacks any resonance, it makes my flesh crawl listening to it. Who is the schmuck that signed this gal to a recording contract, thinking she actually had singing talent? The musical selections she attempts to sing here do not match her vocal style. Either that, or her vocal instructor needs to be fired! The only song in this set worth a tolerable listen is "The Prayer" in which she shares vocals with Josh Groban. The rest of the album may satisfy those who appreciate an immature singing style that is somewhat reminiscent of chalk screeching across a blackboard! No thanks Charlotte, I'll stick with Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion, or Judy Collins for a pleasing voice quality and REAL talent!

Charlotte Church is truly amazing, she has such a lovely angelic,magical,and beautiful voice. I have all of her cd's and they are all truly wonderful. This is worth owning to as is everything Charlotte Church comes out with. It as all of her songs that we're put out as singles and that was on the charts. No one can touch Charlotte Church at all her voice ranges higher than so many singers that she just will always be the top to me. Charlotte truly deserves to have this best of album and it is good to hear all of her music from the beginning up to some of her later stuff all on one terrific album.

I was introduced to Charlotte Church's music when I saw one of her concerts on PBS. This cd is a good collection of her music.

Her music ranges from opera to Broadway to traditional Celtic to pop.

Let's forget for the moment the unfortunate repertoire and lifestyle choices, and just listen to this recording.
"Pie Jesu, "Amazing Grace," and "The Prayer" with Josh Groban remind us of the sweet little girl with the "voice of an angel." That she was, in spite of the reviewers who say "too much, too soon."
Other tracks here--"Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "Ave Maria," "She Walked Through the Fair"--continue the style, with a bit of added maturity.
The problems come in when she moves to selections that are too heavy for her voice at this time. The "Habanera" is most unfortunate, with a stylized accompaniment that forces her to strain to be heard above it.
Perhaps "Issues and Tissues" was a learning experience for her. She has recently indicated her intentions to return to her earlier classical/semi-classical roots. Hopefully, with care, we can once again anticipate "the voice of an angel/"

I personally really loved this CD. I am especially impressed that she was extremely young when recording this CD...and while she still has room for improvement, that can pretty much be said about anyone. I was astounded by "Dream a Dream" (with Billy Gilman, who was especially young at that time). I think this was a good purchase and don't regret it at all.

A wonderful album. I have several copies of Handel's Messiah, but the performance of the Hallelujah Chorus by Robert Shaw's singers is exceptional, outstanding. I was inspired to have my young son listen to this album: Verdi's "Dies Irae", Orff's "O Fortuna", and Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus".

Notice that there are 3 versions of "Dies Irae" on this album. It's nice to hear others. I am not normally a fan of Requiems. I will say that I do like Bach's Mass in B Minor and the Kyrie Eleison excerpted here is beautiful.

I just enjoy in it very much. The best of the choir music in very good performance.

This CD could be the cornerstone of your choral music library! Wonderful performances of all of the essential choral pieces give a wonderful introduction to choral music for someone new to it, and also give a nice sampler of the best pieces for someone already familiar with the music. Listening to each excerpt may inspire you to purchase the entire work!

As you would expect of performances by Robert Shaw's groups, these performances are really extraordinary and show the best of American choral singing.

The three stars I have given this album are not for the performances, which are all tremendous and deserve five stars or more, but for the idea of releasing this sort of compilation. Every single one of these selections is part of a larger Shaw-recorded work already released by Telarc, and you are far better off seeking the complete recordings that all these pieces are from, than just buying a mere "sampler". (Shaw, however, never did get around to recording the complete " L' Enfance du Christ".) Of course, that can be very expensive for some people, and if one cannot afford all those recordings, I suppose this is the next best thing. One can't shake off the feeling, however, that because Shaw is no longer with us, Telarc is desperately trying to give the impression that "new" Shaw recordings are constantly being released by them, when the truth is that nearly all the new ones are mere recyclings. (The last complete Robert Shaw album released by Telarc was Dvorak's "Stabat Mater", a CD well worth buying.)

This album is so up-lifting. As the music soars, so do your spirits.

Camina Barana

Resurrected by Karl Orff, from the caves of a Monastery in Germany, the manuscripts of a large collection of Georgian Chants were put together, re-scored into the beautiful suite represented here.

Under Eugene Normandy, there is nothing quite like it in all of music. It is music directly from the Middle Ages that touches the soul in deep unexpected ways and in unexpected areas. Although Camina Barana is in the same class as Handel's Messiah, in my estimation it is better, richer; oddly even more modern: The mixture of choral and symphonic counterpoint and musical motifs is always not just interesting but hauntingly surprising. But more than this, the music has an urgency about it that is post-Modern, relentless, taunting, agitating and compelling. It grabs the aesthetic nerves by the throat and holds on through all of the arias and symphonic explosions as if for dear life.

The suite is often performed during the Christmas holidays for some unknown reasons - maybe it's the sentimentality. On several occasions we have seen it performed in local churches. We saw it performed on stage at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. last year and it was a singularly unforgettable experience. Music rarely gets better than this and this version is the best I have heard. Five Stars

Eugene Ormandy Has always inpressed, and I have many of his recordings of Him and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and this one does not disapoint in the least. Excellent choral sound, and the Orchestra displays its ever present "Ommph" under Ormandy's direction. Turn the volume way up, and enjoy!

Eugene Ormandy directs the amazing Carmina Burana to perfection. The tempo is absolutely masterful. this is by far the best performance of Orff's masterpiece that I have ever heard.

This set is really a must have for anyone who enjoys good music.
We are on our 3rd copy- we scratched the first and lost the second in a move.

Watch out for the volume leveling mentioned in another review. Surely the compliers could have come up with a better sort order than by composer. The change in tempo/volume between pieces makes it impossible to enjoy. My two CD's ended up in the trash.

Ken

This is a great CD full of many songs that you will recognize and enjoy. If you are someone who likes classical music but doesn't necessarily know which songs or which composers you like, then this CD is for you. You will likely recognize many of the songs as the classical songs you would have picked out to be your favorites.

Most of the tracks were chopped down to 3-4 minutes so some of the best parts of the compositions are missing. I don't know what I was thinking trying to buy 40 classical songs on two CD's. If you really want to enjoy the music you would do better to purchase a CD with fewer, but better quality tracks.

In my years of experience teaching Fine Arts to high school students, I know that the majority, if not all, of the music included on this album is commonly used in collge music appreciation courses. This is an excellent sample of truly all the "greatest hits" of classical music. My students enjoy listening to the music and have later told me when take their required music apreciation courses in college that they "already know it all" because of this CD! The recordings are clear, the selections are passionate, and the listener will gain a familiarity with all of the most commonly heard classical music used in tv commercials, movies, etc.
I recommend this album, along with the boxed set, "Age of the Classics" for anyone who is interested in becoming familiar with the most famous staples of classical music.

It may be dated - but this recording of Orff's major opus is still by far the most vibrant and scintillating available. Long may it be remain so ...

A good orchestral rendition of this work. Not spectacular, but definitely good.

I will not repeat the correct observations of others about this recording vis a vis being less than dynamic.

However, the amazon.com review that states this has rudimentary orchestration is completely wrong. This piece is totally inventive in its use of orchestral and choral forces throughout.

To counter some of the other reviewer's comments here, I have both the Slatkin/St Louis Symphony version and the Robert Shaw version and there's no comparison. The Slatkin version is ponderous and the audio is pure mud. The chorus and orchestra are mixed together in a mess of sound that makes hearing the words impossible. In addition, the orchestral bass notes are just a bunch of mush.

By comparison, the Shaw version is crystal clear with easily distinguished choral voices, bass notes and triangles/cymbols. The bass drum rattles your fillings and adds to the impact. I've sung this piece myself in the Kennedy Center (Wash DC) and find this version to be perfect in every way. The chorus is superb. Buy it.

When I heard the introduction of "O Fortuna" on the vinyl version of Sepultura's Morbid Visions album, dated 1986, I thought: Where to find this record, which orchestra and regent played this opus called Carmina Burana? There are several versions. I have one by Seiji Osawa, other by James Levini (in vinyl, with lyrics) and this by Robert Shaw that I consider the best!!!Through this site I could find it, just hearing the tracks! I must say: This version of Carmina Burana is the heaviest (due the tambour like a Thunder) and awesome of all time I have heard!!! It's simple and wonderful!!! This version have 4 long tracks. On a CD Player which displays the index, you can see the subtitles.
I ordered it in a classical music store.
I recommend it!!!...

This CD contains the classical music that baby boomers recognize from movies and TV when we were young. It is a fun listen when you don't want to hear the chatter on the radio or to sing along. When you hear the William Tell Overture you can see Hopalong Cassidy riding his horse, or savor memories from 2001, the Space Oddyse. I don't listen to it everyday- but it's fun for a break.

Every selection on this CD is wonderful. I can't get enough of it. My 22 year old son loves it, too, so I bought another copy just for him.

I bought this album years ago, and it continues to blow me away. Be aware that this album truly consists of classical thunder, without any charming little Baroque pieces. I love "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," but you won't find that sort of thing on this collection. Instead, this is song after song that is loud and boisterous. The selection is marvelous, including some of my personal favorites like Rossini's "William Tell Overture," Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," Orff's "Carmina burana" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." But many lesser known masterpieces are here, as well, like Rimsky-Korsakov's "Procession of the Nobles" and Tchaikovsky's "Marche slave." Regardless of the familiarity of this music, it's all good stuff. The performances are stellar, and I'd recommend this album to anyone to wants to hear some of most rambunctious music ever composed!!

I remember when I was little, I had this cd, but i lost it. I bought a similiar type of one through TIme Life and decided to try the Classical Thunder one. I have like it so far.

This two CD set is magnificent. I got the set in the early 1990's when it was advertised on television, along with other releases in Time Life's set. I was struck by the interpretations of the conductors. Whenever I hear these pieces now, I judge them against this recording. Amazing selection as well. There are staples of orchestra repetoire, like Beethoven symphonies, but also gems that are not heard very often, like the Rimsky-Korsakov "Procession of the Nobles." A very impressive recording.