Hymn for the World 2 / Bartoli, Bocelli, Terfel, Chung

Claudio Monteverdi (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Gabriel Fauré (Composer), Myung-Whun Chung (Conductor), Orchestra dell'Accademia Santa Cecilia (Orchestra), Cecilia Bartoli (Performer), Andrea Bocelli (Performer), Bryn Terfel (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Cecilia Bartoli, Andrea Bocelli, Bryn Terfel
• Orchestra: Orchestra dell'Accademia Santa Cecilia
• Conductor: Myung-Whun Chung
• Composer: Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Gounod, Gabriel Fauré
• Audio CD (November 3, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B00000DI1R
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,279 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B > Bocelli, Andrea
  • #29 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Bartoli, Cecilia
  • #34 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B > Bartoli, Cecilia > All Works Featuring Bartoli

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is the second installment in a recording project originally inspired by Pope John Paul II's visit to Paris in 1997 to celebrate the Worldwide Days of Youth. A surprisingly effective anthology of mostly sacred liturgical music, the selections here occasionally give the impression of "bleeding chunks" (as in the majestic opener from one of Monteverdi's sublimest creations, the 1610 Vespers) but have been chosen with imagination. Chung coordinates his forces in larger choral pieces with power and vertical balance, making a standout of the Beethovenian mystery and drive apparent in the "Sanctus" from Schubert's Mass in E-flat. Contributions by Cecilia Bartoli find the mezzo in top form--listen to her finely spun line interweave with the oboe d'amore in a selection from Bach's B Minor Mass--and as evocative as bright stained glass in Fauré's "Pie Jesu." Bryn Terfel brings charismatic presence to his one selection here (also from the Fauré Requiem). Also included are the interminable "Song for Athene" by John Taverner and a sentimental but earnest performance by Andrea Bocelli in Eric Levi's hymn for the world, "I Believe." --Thomas May

Product Description

VARIOS INTERPRETES VOICES FROM HEAVEN

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply inspirational!, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hymn for the World 2 / Bartoli, Bocelli, Terfel, Chung (Audio CD)

I bought this album to hear Andrea Bocelli's "I Believe", to which I still cannot listen without tears in my eyes. It is truly the most beautiful "hymn for the world" on the album! Of course, Bocelli is magical and never disappoints! Two other pleasant surprises were "A Song for Athene", the haunting melody I recalled from Princess Diana's funeral - very mysterious and moving. Bartoli's rendition of Gounod's Ave Maria is gorgeous beyond words, just like "I Believe". I believe you should buy this album - a wonderful experience.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knocked My Socks Off!, October 11, 2002

By 

Robin Currier - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hymn for the World 2 / Bartoli, Bocelli, Terfel, Chung (Audio CD)

As a choral singer, I am familiar with most of these works, but this recording knocked my socks off when I heard excerpts from it on a local classical music radio station. Not only does this CD group together some of the best music anywhere, but the performances are fantastic. The choral group has a remarkable precision and clarity in their sound that is admirable. And wonderful soloists. In summary, you might have heard many of these pieces elsewhere, but the impact of having these great performances all on one CD is amazing.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uniformly good, except for one rather nasty exception, November 5, 2003

By 

Kevin P. Costello (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hymn for the World 2 / Bartoli, Bocelli, Terfel, Chung (Audio CD)

This collection (Also released as "Voices from Heaven", I believe) provides a nice retrospective of 400 years of sacred music. The choir is strong overall, and Bartoli and Bocelli (in his one song) prove admirable soloists, especially in the "Pie Jesu".

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Terfel, and for the "Libera Me" in general. What was the purpose of Faure carefully cutting most of the Dies Irae and hellfire passages if the singers attempt to put it all back in in an overdramatic rendition?