Beethoven: Songs From British Isles

Ludwig Van Beethoven (Composer), Elaine Woods (Performer), Carolyn Watkinson (Performer), Josef Protschka (Performer), Richard Salter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Elaine Woods, Carolyn Watkinson, Josef Protschka, Richard Salter
• Composer: Ludwig Van Beethoven
• Audio CD (August 22, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B000002A4X
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,648 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven: Songs from the British Isles, April 9, 2007

By 

Robert C. Jenson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Songs From British Isles (Audio CD)

Beethoven was commissioned to compose music for British songs, but he was given free rein as to the music, not being constrained by the words. What he composed is marvelous, melodic, memorable, captivating, and haunting, to use just a few adjectives to describe this music. I have a 33-1/3 record (yes-vinyl) of other songs that he wrote for the Brits, and this CD is complementary to that - equally well performed. A person that likes OLD folksongs will be humming the tunes forthwith.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful songs, soulful music., September 2, 2007

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Songs From British Isles (Audio CD)

Put it very simply - this album is for all song lovers.
Beethoven's vocal compositions do not rightfully enjoy their due in terms of critcisms. This album presents one facet of this composer's talent in writing for the voice.
The accompaniment comes in the form of a trio - piano violin and cello. Nothing could be more ideal for these melodies than such a small ensemble.
The effect is ethereally beautiful. Elaine Woods gives a most lyrical rendition of the pieces, whether solo or in ensemble. The male voices are a bit shrill at times, but still, very well rendered. The "It's sunshine at last" really makes you cry.
The four soloists with the accompaniment work very well. I wonder why those big names in the vocal sector do not record these pieces : Bostridge, Terfel, Fleming, von Otter would certainly make a wonderful quartet for these pieces. With the cellist Yo Yo Ma, violinist Joshua Bell (who claims that he loves vocal music so much), and pianist Emmanuel Ax, Beethoven's immaculate works would be fully justified.

3.0 out of 5 stars Folk Song Arrangements, January 25, 2012

By 

Paul S. Rottenberg "stevenrothbardt" (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beethoven: Songs From British Isles (Audio CD)

It might surprise listeners that Beethoven arranged over 150 song melodies from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, but the first theme of the first movement of the Seventh Symphony certainly sounds Scottish. In addition, the Irish song "Save me from the Grave" is supposed to be the source of the finale of that work. Beethoven certainly loved these tunes he was asked to arrange, and he spent much time and effort on them.

Unfortunately, this release on Sony falls short of prestnting all of its selected songs in the most effective way. First, the singers are not always in best form. Tenor Josef Profschka sings his 'o' vowels with an umlaut, baritone Richard Salter is sometimes chesty and huffy, and one of the ladies is occasionally a bit harsh in the upper registers. Also, some of these songs are done as if no one knows what the words mean. It might be the same problem of idiomatic enunciation. Not all non-English speakers can do it well. I'd recommend the 2 cd set on DG Eloquence with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other well-known artists. That set contains many of the same songs recorded here in much better performances and in much better sound with the addition of several delightful settings by Haydn and Weber. Not only does Fischer-Dieskau sing better than anyone on this Sony disc, but the other singers he shares songs with are equally superior. The accompanying instrumentalists on the DG set are also excellent.

So, it's not that this Sony release is completely bad; it just misses the mark in too many places, and the DG set is much better. It's interesting that this Sony cd was recorded in the 80s, while the DG set is from the 60s and 70s, but the sound on the latter is much better--sparkling and warm.