Customer Reviews

Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite; Victor Herbert: Hero and Leander

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

 

 

This was played very well, but why do I have to listen to Trucks driving by outside the auditorium? With about a week of waveform editing this has become the best recording of this material I have ever heard. I record professionally and I feel that it is as much an art as the musicians performace. It could have at least had some post editing. 10 stars for the preformace and a minus 7 stars for the pre and post production work not done.

It was a long time ago, in Spain, I heard from a cassete this work of Grofé. The music struck me til now as something imponderable, sweet and romantic, nostalgic and strong, feeling me with the smells of the desert, but with a remarkable quality. It was 30 yers ago. I tried several times to find the music but unsucessfully. It was like to walk back in time, in a kingdom of peace and love. I am amazed to find it in Amazon.

Ferde Grofe's best known Grand Canyon Suite is presented here with a host of Victor Herbert music, both serious and light.

The five-movement suite takes a picturesque tour through the typical day in the southwest American desert. While not a difinitive rendition, this recording holds up well against "classic" recordings of yore, with even better sonics.

The Victor Herbert symphonic poem Hero and Leander, is also music which guides the listener through a story. This performance comes off pretty well; the music isn't terribly memorable, but it has its exciting moments and it is interesting to hear some little-known, turn-of-the-century, highly Romantic American music.

Also on the CD is a medley of Herbert's greatest show tunes, including probably his most famous March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland. This medley gives 10 hits from various shows, all charming in their own right, and showing early influences of Leroy Anderson and Henry Mancini even.

While the performances here are very good, and the music is keen to listen to, nothing really blew me away. Especially since Naxos has released some excellent all-Grofe CD's of his suites at a budget price. If you really want the Herbert, don't hesitate to buy this CD, but if you only want the Grofe, I suggest you look somewhere else.

I am very happy to say that I got this shipmenet in record time. It has been the fastest turn around so far in my ordering history.
This was a Christmas gift to my mother. As a child I would go to sleep by this from a record my father would play. My father died 18 years ago but I can still remember him playing records for us to to sleep by. I was so excited to be able to get this on CD for my mother this Christmas and one for myself as well.
What a special deal for us!!!!

Thank You!!
Debbie ;-D