Customer Reviews

Browns in Blue

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great introduction to the 5 Browns and I think it's their best album to date. There is a wide variety of composers. I definitely recommend it to any fan of classical music.

The 5 Browns are extremely talented to say the least, and they are personable as well. I met them in person in Houston several years ago, so I'm a huge fan. I even have tickets to their concert next January. Nonetheless, I did not think the pieces on their 3rd album were as varied and interesting as the 1st two. So if you're a big fan, you'll want to buy it. If you don't have any of their albums, buy the 1st and 2nd.

Given its departure from previous releases...it took the second time to really sink in, and it is excellent. It's the kind of compilation you want to listen to from beginning to end, uninterrupted. Presumably, the Five Browns are experimenting with their success, so they present themselves differently, but at their high level, certainly. The last track is fun, expertly mixed and a great way to cap off a rewarding listening adventure.

The music is fantastic. And it may be that I've seen them perform live at Strathmore, but I can picture the meticulous Five Browns playing with great feeling and swaying and giving it everything they have.

Sony Classics presents "Browns In Blue" --- The Many varied and emotional musical shades of "Blue" color this album --- Highlights includes Gershwin's "Jazzy Home Blues" and "Embraceable You" --- inclusive to the classical mood of a Chopin's "Nocturne" and Debussy's "Claire de Lune" --- Makes this an outside the general genre realm which works perfectly.

The 5 Browns is a classical piano musical group consisting of five siblings --- In descending order of their age, the Browns are Desirae (28), Deondra (26), Gregory (24), Melody (23), and Ryan (21) --- All have studied the piano from three years of age, and they were the first group of five siblings to attend premiere musical conservatory Juilliard, which they attended simultaneously for five consecutive years --- They are signed with the RCA Red Seal label --- They recently made their Canadian debut at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, performing at the studios of CBC Radio Two and at the festival's Piano Gala (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Browns in Blue - (Track Listings)

Browns in Blue
1. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Introduction and 24 Variations), in A minor for piano & orchestra, Op. 43: 18th Variation [3:09]
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninoff
Performed by The 5 Browns

2. Carnival of the Animals, zoological fantasy for 2 pianos & ensemble: Aquarium [3:02]
Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performed by Gil Shaham, Deondra Brown and Desirae Brown

3. L'histoire du tango, tango cycle for flute & guitar: Retrato de Alfredo Gobbi [3:03]
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Ryan Brown [violin]

4. Suite bergamasque, for piano, L. 75: Claire de Lune [5:05]
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Deondra Brown, Desirae Brown and Melody Brown

5. Aunt Hagar's Children (a.k.a. "Aunt Hagar's Blues") [3:11]
Composed by W.C. Handy
Performed by Gregory Brown

6. Suite No. 2 for 2 pianos in C major, Op. 17: Romance [6:50]
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninoff
Performed by Deondra Brown and Desirae Brown

7. Intermezzo for piano in A major, Op.118/2 [5:53]
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Melody Brown

8. Gretchen am Spinnrade (I & II), transcription for piano (after Schubert, D. 118), S. 558/8 & S. 558bis/8 (LW A42/8) [3:33]
Composed by Franz Liszt
Performed by Ryan Brown [violin]

9. Reflections on Shenandoah, for 5 pianos [6:52]
Composed by John Novacek
Performed by The 5 Browns

10. Embraceable You, song (from Girl Crazy, musical) [3:20]
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Desirae Brown

11. Nocturne for piano No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48/1, CT. 120 [6:09]
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Gregory Brown

12. Fantasia on "Dives and Lazarus", for 5 pianos (after Ralph Vaughan Williams and Jean Sibelius) [9:12]
Composed by Greg Anderson
Performed by The 5 Browns

13. Carnival of the Animals, zoological fantasy for 2 pianos & ensemble: The Swan [2:13]
Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performed by Melody Brown

14. Jeg elsker dig (I Love Thee), song transcription for piano, Op. 41/3 [3:14]
Composed by Edvard Grieg
Performed by Deondra Brown

15. An American in Paris, tone poem for orchestra: Home Blues [8:06]
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Chris Botti and The 5 Browns

16. Everybody Loves Somebody, song [3:10]
Composed by Irving Taylor
Performed by The 5 Browns, Gregg Field, Dean Martin and Paul Morin

Hats off to Sony Classics --- strongly recommend this CD to all music lovers and others who need to hear some great classical, Jazz and American Standards music --- The 5 Browns, please stand up and take a bow for this well deserved rare gem you've given us --- this is a keeper!

Total Time: 73 mins on 16 Tracks ~ Sony Classics ~ (10/02/2007)

Excellent. Especially the coordination of 5 pianos on such great classics like The 18th Variation of a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninov. The blend is exceptional and the collection is superb.

Rhapsody in Blue, Chopin, Brahms, Morin, Anderson, Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Edvard Grieg, W.C. Handy , Franz Liszt, John Novacek, Astor Piazzolla, Camille Saint-Saens, Franz Schubert, Irving Taylor.

Various other Composers, and performers like Gregg Field, Deondra Brown, Desirae Brown and the other three Browns, etc. Great listening. What a fantastic collection of talent. How do they do it?

Not what I expected..too many "single" pieces,and a bit of sameness. The title implies a more "blues" theme not of classical nature

Very prompt delivery, excellent music. Have been recommending it to all my friends and one of them drove two hours to got to one of their concerts. This is my two favorite genres, classical and blues, just swaying in harmony. Highly recommended.

The Browns are an outstanding family group of superior pianists who arrange and perform 5 piano versions of classic music works. It is wonderful to see and hear 3 sisters and 2 brothers work and play together to produce such remarkable and exciting music.

Look, I'm not saying it is poor quality, per se. It's just that what I like about them is their 5-part arrangements. It's been so fascinating in the past to hear classical favorites not just transcribed, but creatively adapted for this unique ensemble. In this new album, we get almost none of that. It's almost all solos or 2 to 3 pianos, with guest performers. It's lacking the original big multi-piano, ten-hand sound that attracted me to them. Let's face it, none of them are prize-winning pianists on their own, Julliard notwithstanding. To sum it up, if you want the FIVE Browns, this is NOT the album for you. However, it makes nice ORDINARY listening for a true music lover.