Amy Beach: Chanson D'Amour [Import]

Amy Beach (Composer), The Romantic Chamber Group of London (Orchestra), Emma Kirkby (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Emma Kirkby
• Orchestra: The Romantic Chamber Group of London
• Composer: Amy Beach
• Audio CD (March 26, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Bis
• ASIN: B000063RVR
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,214 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ecstasy, song for voice & piano with violin obbligato, Op. 19/2: No. 2, Ecstasy, for voice, violin & piano

2. Chanson d'amour, for voice & piano (with cello obbligato), Op. 21/1

3. A Mirage, song for soprano & piano trio, Op. 100/1

4. Stella Viatoris, song for soprano & piano trio, Op. 100/2

5. Rendezvous, song for voice & piano with violin obbligato, Op. 120

6. Robert Browning Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 44: No. 1, The Year's at the Spring

7. Robert Browning Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 44: No. 2, Ah, Love, but a day!

8. Robert Browning Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 44: No. 3, I send my heart up to thee!

9. Romance for violin & piano, Op. 23

10. Shakespeare Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 37: No. 1, O Mistress Mine

11. Shakespeare Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 37: No. 2, Take, O take those lips away

12. Shakespeare Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 37: No. 3, Fairy Lullaby

13. Piano Trio, Op. 150: Allegro

14. Piano Trio, Op. 150: Lento espressivo

15. Piano Trio, Op. 150: Allegro con brio

16. Nähe des Geliebten (With Thee), song for voice & piano, Op. 35/3

17. Ich sagete nicht (Silent Love), song for voice & piano, Op. 51/1

18. Wir Drei (We Three), song for voice & piano, Op. 51/2

19. Je demande ŕ l'oiseau (For My Love), song for voice & piano, Op. 51/4

20. Canzonetta, for voice & piano, Op. 48/4

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still waiting for that Puccini album..., April 14, 2002

By 

M. Tietjen "tietj" (Syracuse, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amy Beach: Chanson D'Amour (Audio CD)

Emma Kirkby, who to my knowledge has rarely if ever recorded much after the death of Mozart, is heard here in an album of art songs by the American composer Amy Beach. Even though it is not her usual style, she is surprisingly musical and expressive in the Romantic repertoire. I offer this album to anyone who has suggested that Ms. Kirkby's singing is expressionless. She proves here that she is more than just flawless technique. Her approach is much different than other sopranos in this repertoire, but she shows amazing emotional and dynamic range. Some of her quiet high notes are quite beautiful, and when she gets louder she sounds much fuller than I would expect. While her almost vibrato-less singing (she does have a bit more than usual on this album) may not be everyone's cup of tea, I would urge anyone to listen to this album for an interesting and unique take on this type of music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite CDs, August 24, 2007

By 

Jules Rules (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amy Beach: Chanson D'Amour (Audio CD)

I'm a big fan of Emma Kirkby's "usual" early music repertoire, and bought this after listening to the samples. It really is quite beautiful and incredibly dramatic.

I don't really understand the criticisms of other reviewers - yes, she sings it differently to how most singers do, but I really prefer it her way - her voice is pure and vibrant, and it's not so over-stated as with other recordings of Beach.

In short, I love it. Buy it and as long as you're prepared for her to do it her way, you'll love it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Early music specialist shines in romantic repetoire., March 9, 2009

By 

dvd3 "dvd3" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beach: Chanson D'Amour (MP3 Download)

Like everybody else, I only know Emma Kirkby from her early music recordings for which she has become pretty much THE soprano of that genre. To hear her handle romantic repetoire with such elegance is quite an unexpected surprise. The quality of the voice is not of the florid type we associate with the romantic period at all. At times it reminds one of a choir boy, which is not surprising considering her background but it is her technique in these songs that is the real revelation. As most listeners might know, early music is usually sung without vibrato (although not all singers follow this convention) and perhaps this is why Miss Kirkby is able to use vibrato with such finesse and nuance. The dynamic range in early music is also very restricted in comparison with later music and again Miss Kirkby's dynamics are superb. Her pianissimi seem to float on air. Again I am reminded of the pure sound of a choir boy floating through a cathedral. Splendid, and it was nice to find a disc devoted to Mrs. H.H.A. Beach's music (as she chose to call herself).