The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever!

John Shirley-Quirk (Performer), Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Gregorio Allegri (Composer), Gregorian Chant (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Cesar Franck (Composer), Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Alexander Borodin (Composer), Amadeo Vives (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), Henryk Gorecki (Composer), John Tavener (Composer), Paul McCartney (Composer), Hubert Parry (Composer), Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John Shirley-Quirk
• Composer: Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, Gregorio Allegri, Gregorian Chant, et al.
• Audio CD (June 7, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00002ZZH6
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,867 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Te Deum
  • #29 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Psalms
  • #33 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Chants

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Gloria, for 3 solo voices, chorus, trumpet, oboe, violin (ad lib), 2 violas, 2 cellos, strings & continuo in D major, RV 589: Gloria

2. Cantata No. 147, 'Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben,' BWV 147 (BC A174): Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

3. Zadok the Priest, coronation anthem No. 1 for chorus & orchestra, HWV 258

4. Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51), motet for chorus: vv 1-4, 17-20

5. Veni creator spiritus, hymn in mode 8

6. Requiem for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, K. 626: Lacrimosa

7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: For unto Us a Child Is Born

8. Die Schöpfung (The Creation), oratorio, H. 21/2: The Heavens Are Telling

9. Panis angelicus for tenor, organ, harp, cello & bass

10. Vespers (All-Night Vigil), for alto, tenor & chorus, Op. 37: Ave Maria

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Cantata No. 140, 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,' BWV 140 (BC A166): Zion hört die Wächter

2. Te Deum, motet for 8 voices, chorus & orchestra, H. 146: Pleni sunt coeli et terra

3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Hallelujah Chorus

4. Funeral Sentences (for the funeral of Queen Mary), Z. 27: Thou knowest, Lord

5. Veni sancte spiritus, sequence in mode 1

6. Die Schöpfung (The Creation), oratorio, H. 21/2: Awake the harp

7. Elijah (Elias), oratorio, Op. 70: And then Shall Your Light Break Forth

8. L' Enfance du Christ, oratorio for soprano, 2 tenors, baritone, 3 basses, chorus & orchetsra ('trilogie sacrée') H. 130 (Op. 25): L'A

9. Requiem, for orchestra, organ & chorus; for organ & chorus; for small ensemble, organ & chorus, Op. 9 (3 versions): Agnus Dei (reduce

10. Cantique de Jean Racine, for 4-part chorus & organ (or orchestra), Op. 11

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Diverse range but the songs are butchered..., July 23, 2005

By 

Angie Richardson (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

Well, this CD isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is irritating to someone who's more than a casual listener of choral music. I'm by no means as musically "literate" as many reviewers out there, but I have a collection of probably twenty-five or thirty choral CD's and this is one that will probably be gathering dust in the back of the CD book.

The peices are well-performed for the most part, but they are hopelessly edited. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is somewhere around twenty four minutes, but this CD only includes an arrangement of about five minutes. The beautiful Miserere is, uncut, almost eleven minutes but is cut down to five and a half minutes here.

Looking back, I should have realized the major editing that would be involved, just by the sheer number of peices on it. I'm familiar with a great many of them and I know they're too long to fit onto a seventy minute disc without some major cutting going on. I just didn't reason that out before I shelled out the money for it.

Bottom line. This CD has decent singing, but is nothing special. If you're a newcomer to this genre, you might get this as a quick overview of the different types of choral music out there, but if you're any kind of an avid listener, this CD will drive you insane with the severity of the cuts. Beginners, if you're looking for a great collection CD, you'd do better to look at "Choral Moods". It doesn't have the diversity in styles of this one, but it will introduce you to incredibly talented composers. To the old hats out there, steer clear of this one and look to CD's by your preferred individual composers themselves. It's more money, but much less frustration in the long run. The old sayings are sometimes the best: You get what you pay for.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MarMSED, August 26, 2005

By 

Mary L. Ledford "MarMSED" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

The music selections are extraordinary. The only problem has to do with the balance of sound. There are some parts that are very loud, and some that are so very soft. You have to continually adjust the volume.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Choral Album, October 17, 2007

By 

Richard A. Patton "BoyScout" (Ormond Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

This album is filled with collection excellent choral music. Many are old favorites of mine and many were new to me. The performances were outstanding. In some cases I have selections in my collection that I consider better than those on this album; however, I suggest that you buy it. It is beautiful!!

On a negative note, the first copy I received was new media and had a scratch which rendered the last two tracks unreadable.

Amazon was quick to credit my account, pay return shipping and the second copy was free from defects. Bravo!!