Customer Reviews

Romantic Adagios

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was stunned to see only two and a half stars for romantic adagios. I don't know how much you get to know by listening to only one "song" out of so many in this collection, but in my opinion this CD collection deserves a lot of credit. I had heard of Samuel Barber's Adagio for strings many times before and I was impressed but this was the first time that I was completely mesmerized. I highly recommend to any Barber fans to listen to this interpretation by David Zinman which is incredible. There seems to be so much passion and emotion! Also others such as Adagio of Spartacus and Clarinet Concerto just make the collection even better.

The selections and the arrangements are truly excellent. There are some hard to find (on the same CD) pieces and adagios--Spartacus ; Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez; Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavelleria...
But, better turn up the sound and then get away from the speakers. Parts of the selections are played so very softly that, when you turn up the volume to hear them, you will get blasted by those sections that have cresendos, or just plain louder sections. Too bad!
Very hard to enjoy in a car--or, even at home. if this problem did not exist, this is a 5 star plus!

This is a collection of tranquil pieces (not "songs", which, by definition, must have vocals) and individual movements excerpted from larger classical works. All of the performances are at least good, some excellent. Especially satisfying are the Barber and Faure. As this recording shows, David Zinman is an outsanding interpreter of Barber while Dutoit handles the Faure with the style, polish, and grace that this music requires. Although the "Pavanne" was originally composed as an instrumental piece, a year after its composition Faure adapted it to fit the text that is given on the CD. He would hardly have been insulted to find a choral version of this work. In fact, given Dutoit's elegantly understated performance, he would probably think his music well served. Also recommendable from this disc is Solti's excerpt from Mahler's 5th and Kennedy's rendition of Massenet's "Thais." In a nutshell, if you are interested in exploring some very enjoyable (if not totally on the beaten path) music, this set is an excellent choice.

I agree with a previous reviewer on the minor problem
of variations in volume. Beyond that, I find every
piece beautiful. This interpretation of Barber's
Adagio is the most passionate I have ever heard. I also
find the Faure selection very touching. I love the
vocals. I recommend this set to anyone, if for no
other reason than the Barber piece.

This CD is one that I think even non-classical music lovers would like. It isn't too "classical" and some of the songs are the kind that keep going though your head until you can't help but play the disc again. It is a two disc set and priced no higher than most singles.

Perhaps a couple of places where the sensitive ear might want to manually adjust, but having said that, I would say that this is a keeper.

In Massenet's Meditation, the clear, crisp audio allows the superb solo violin to be appreciated both individually and as an ensemble instrument; the audio is blended so well that brass, strings, woodwinds, and even harp strings are well defined. In The Swan, my favorite, the cello plaintively and lyrically echoes the swan song, the one and only song of a swan before its death. And the orchestra of Barber's Adagio and piano keys of Debussy's Clair de Lune are haunting stand-outs as well.

Really, this CD deserves 5 stars except for the weak volume control. All the music is gorgeous but one does have to monitor the volume throughout. At times the sound is too low and can''t be heard. At others the sound blares out far too loudly. But the music is so divine, it's worth the monitoring task.

I enjoyed the addagios, unfortunately, well into the second there was a deep scratch which made the cd go to the end. Since, I wanted this cd, I worked on it and it seems to be corrected.

A wonderful compilation of delightful selections by outstanding performers. Perfect for a relaxing day at home or as an unobtrusive background for entertaining.

This is a very nice cd to listen to and sip red wine in one's back yard while reading a good book. Well worth to add to your collection.