Editorial Product Review: essential recording:At first glance, this doesn't seem like conductor Riccardo Muti's cup of tea. It's a work without many subtleties, one that seems to need a policeman more than an interpreter. But Muti lets it rip--the joyous moments are superb, the mock-sentimental moments charming, changes in rhythm properly jarring, and the energy level very high. Soprano Arleen Auger almost makes her high-flying part seem simple. Warning: The louds are very loud. --Robert Levine
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:This is a terrific performance of Messiah. Not only are the soloists all superb, but Trevor Pinnock completely contradicts the image of many period instrument performances as small-scale, scrappy affairs. Indeed, he invests the choruses with as much genuine Handelian pomp as Beecham at his most extravagant. The trumpets really blaze, and the timpani thunder, and everyone simply has a great time. A joyous performance, just right for the holiday season. --David Hurwitz Amazon.com:Trevor Pinnock meets with mixed success in this account of the Messiah with the English ...
Editorial Product Review: :Robert Shaw, despite being a fine choral conductor, was often a pretty boring interpreter--like most choral conductors, in fact. However, there were times that he really put everything together, particularly in his many fine recordings for Telarc, and this is one of the best. Of course, it helps that the music itself is largely pretty subdued, but Shaw directs a performance of exemplary clarity and genuine nobility of utterance. Gorgeous recorded sound too. --David Hurwitz
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:Leonard Bernstein's performance of this Mass is the finest available. Proof comes from a very unexpected source. A major French classical music magazine conducted a blind listening test of every available performance of this Mass--and this recording was the unanimous choice of the jury. No one was more surprised than they were, but one minute of this blazing performance confirms that they were right. A superb disc. --David Hurwitz
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:Leonard Bernstein's performance of this Mass is the finest available. Proof comes from a very unexpected source. A major French classical music magazine conducted a blind listening test of every available performance of this Mass--and this recording was the unanimous choice of the jury. No one was more surprised than they were, but one minute of this blazing performance confirms that they were right. A superb disc. --David Hurwitz
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:Leonard Bernstein's performance of this Mass is the finest available. Proof comes from a very unexpected source. A major French classical music magazine conducted a blind listening test of every available performance of this Mass--and this recording was the unanimous choice of the jury. No one was more surprised than they were, but one minute of this blazing performance confirms that they were right. A superb disc. --David Hurwitz
Editorial Product Review: :The late Arleen Auger sings the Four Last Songs very touchingly, but this disc is really a showcase for André Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic. Previn has always been a fine Strauss conductor, and he is on record as saying that the four-disc set of Strauss tone poems that he recorded for Telarc is his personal favorite among his many recordings. It's easy to see why. The playing is alive with character. Previn keeps matters moving smartly, and Telarc lets nothing come between the listener and this magnificent orchestra. Strauss, ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:The ever-popular `Ultimate' albums are back! Priced attractively, each new album comes in a generous 5-CD set and features many of the world's most beloved works. Ultimate Classical Relaxation includes two CDs devoted to the music of J.S. Bach and one devoted to Tchaikovsky. The remaining two contain a sublime program of music by Dvorák, Barber, Saint-Saëns, Bruch, Canteloube and many more. The ever-popular `Ultimate' albums are back! Priced attractively, each new album comes in a generous 5-CD set and features many of the world's most beloved works. A ...
Usually we're fans of Logitech's gaming mice, but its highest-end G9 Laser Mouse is expensive, overly complex, and lacks the ergonomic thought we've come to expect. If you like to brag about dot-per-inch limits, perhaps the G9's 3,200dpi laser will be enough to sell you, but for the price, we expect the design to match.
Small and light enough for a shirt pocket, Samsung's Helix YX-M1 is a one-stop audio entertainment center with an XM radio, a digital music player, and room for 50 hours of tunes, but it comes up short on battery life.