Otherwise excellent music.
351833
Why do songs fade out?  Otherwise excellent music.
177198
The music was excellent! I really enjoyed the acoustic set from Nirvana.  It really shows what really wonderful musicians they are.  The reason I gave it only four stars was, Kurt seemed very informal in the performance.  It seemed kind of unprofessional to me,  I would recommend this dvd though because the music is great!  Judy
580411
My Five Star rating is for the music.

I am a long time Billie Holiday fan and love all of her music; it's taken many years, but I am confident that I have acquired virtually everything she ever recorded.  Although I enjoy every period of her musical development, I am particularly fond of the tracks she recorded for Norman Granz on the Verve label in the 1950's.  Naturally, I was thrilled when this box set was announced.

While I am grateful to have so complete a box set as Verve has issued here, I have severe problems with the way the material is presented.  It's nice that they have released virtually everything in the Verve vaults, but in so doing they have included live performances, alternate takes, false starts, and even some rehearsals.  That would have been fine with me, if they hadn't decided to place everything in strictly chronological order.  We therefore get Lady Day's great studio sessions interspaced with live concert performances, chatter, rehearsals and incomplete takes, and the total effect makes for very poor continuity.  It also makes the boxed set, on the whole, very difficult to enjoy.

A few of the live concert performances have never been released before, and I was thrilled to hear some "new" Billie Holiday.  But the audio quality and Billie's performance varies greatly on the live material, and the result is very uneven.  And the inclusion of the rehearsal material is questionable, even if you're a die-hard fan like me.

The 1955 rehearsal with Jimmie Rowles is particularly problematic.  This session was released on an LP called Songs and Conversations shortly after Billie's death, and I was frankly surprised to find it included here.  It consists of mostly drunken rambling conversation while Billie rehearses with her favorite and most sympathetic pianist.  Some of the language is quite raunchy, although most of the discussion is hard to follow anyway, as the audio quality is particularly poor.  The alternate studio takes are frequently annoying, especially when they include two or three false starts in a row, and the spoken intros by Norman Granz often included in the master takes are completely unnecessary.  It would have worked so much better if they had simply separated the live concert material from the studio sessions and then saved the alternate takes, false starts and rehearsal material for the last couple of discs.  It's a pity - I would love to be able to listen to all of Billie's wonderful 1950's studio sessions all the way through, without the distractions of the extra material.  Happily, I see that Verve will release a new boxed set of just the studio masters in December 2005.  Hopefully they will skip all the chatter (I don't need to hear Mr. Granz announce "All Or Nothing At All, take 5").  A great deal of expense and angst could have been avoided if the track layout for this set had simply been better thought out.

As for Billie's performances, there is not a bad moment in any of the studio recordings presented here, including the notorious three April 54 tracks that she later dismissed, complaining that the band was drunk.  The musicians are all first rate throughout these sessions, and present her with the sympathetic backing she deserved and worked best with.
1746483
Beethoven's first compositions were in the genre and it held a special place in the total  body of his works. The performance quality is top notch. I had a quibble with the mixing-the cello part fails to shine through, mainly it seems because the mics are not properly mixed. Otherwise very fine quality performance
1956668
Really great music with many varied reknown artists.  One problem is that the item came with a busted up case, but I needed it right away, so just put a rubber band around it!  The music is good quality and good selection.
250366
I am not a Telemann expert but these seem to be stylish HIPP performances of what for me amounts to very attractive background music.  I gave it 4 stars because of the music, which I enjoy, but just don't consider essential listening.
4089161
It was with pleasure that I noted that the Hogwood versions of the Brandenburg's are still available.  It is easy to forget that these were a strike out onto the holy ground of original instruments and scoring and were somewhat revolutionary at their recording.
Bach selected work originally done for Prince Leopold's orchestra at Cothen and revised these six concerti to suit the Margrave's limited resources at Brandenburg.  Because Bach's objectives were often to achieve textural as well as thematic variations, several of the concerti exist in multiple revisions.  All of this makes the conductor's choices difficult if scholarship is important.  Hogwood has made sensible rather than radical decisions, and we are very likely enjoying the music as the Margrave did originally.
The performances are intense.  Tempos are a bit faster than traditional tempo's of the time and the musicianship is right on for the most part.  We often forget that original instruments where a bit more difficult to steer than their modern heirs.  Horns had some odd notes in their range, and oboes were often used in trumpetlike passages.  The orchestra and soloists do an excellent job of managing these difficulties.
Sound is dry, but complex.  Original instruments provide resonant sonorities that can be delightful, but are rarely earthmoving.  The inner movement of the parts is quite audible which makes these versions especially interesting.  The recording itself is typical of the early 1980's, which means that it could be a bit better.  Sonics are clear, but I wish that there was a bit more directionality and spatial sense.
The price makes this one of the best Brandenburg buys available.  An excellent purchase for the student.
3695947
Fans will love the music. However, I have noticed a lot of static in the recordings. I have tried downloading the tracks again with the same result. I would have given a five star rating otherwise. I have never encountered this problem with other albums that I have purchased.
3587770
These folks know how to have fun with music, and it shows here throughout the CD.  The musicianship is excellent, the arrangements artfully done, and the sound quality is superb.  It's the kind of CD that gets better with every listen because there are intricacies in the music that you just don't find on most CDs.

Now the quibbles.  China Forbes is not a great singer, simply adequate.  Her voice is a bit thin, and her phrasing is a bit too mannered.  In a lot of ways she reminds me of Peggy Lee, except Ms. Lee had a more natural flowing style.  Like  Peggy Lee, she makes up for most of her lack of vocal ability with an intelligent approach to the music.  Then there are the lyrics, which are often less than mediocre.  It's a blessing that many of these songs are not in English.  The one non-English song I understood, Una Notte A Napoli, was pure cheese, but in a fun way.

That said, the joy of this CD is in the music not in the words.  This is a cute little, juicy tomato of an album.  If your tastes run to the carefully constructed camp and kitsch, you'll love it.
346424
wonderful album, not sure it needed much remastering, but bonus tracks are always great.  Oh, and taxes from US to EU are killing me.  next time i'll be locally.
3931933
This is wonderful music played by excellent musicians.  I would have given it five stars had I not first heard Slack Key Guitar vol. 2, which I think is slight better (certainly a little longer).
3148052
This is an excellent release of Alex North's music for the 1963 movie Cleopatra. 99 percent of the music I wanted was included. There were a few omissions. 1. Cleopatra's Entry into Rome has an opening fanfare. That fanfare was missing a track with the lower brass. That sounded just funky and the drama of the piece was reduced.  2. Just before the scene with the golden barge, there is a lovely piece that on a vinyl that is have somewhere is a track called "Cleopatra's Palace Music. This is when Rufio is trying to convince Cleopatra into a compromise with Antony regarding a meeting. It is short, charming and perfectly introduces the barge scene. That was not included. I SO wanted that piece. 3. There is also a short fanfare when Cleopatra appears on her barge for the banquet scene. That was also not included. Overall the music is crisp, clear, and clean. It is probably one of the most complete issues of this music to be found. The sound quality is superb. In spite of the omissions, I recommend it highly.
1103113
Absolutely beautiful music. The only complaint I have is that I can't find the songs' lyrics, neither in their original language nor translated to English. That's why I don't give it five stars. I want to know what these songs are about. Not that it matters, since the point is to enjoy the music.
3772689
The arrangements are fantastic!  But be aware that much of this is in alternate tunings.  DADGAD, etc.  If you're into that it'll be very useful.  Unfortunately I am not so that limits my ability to pull these out at a gig.  Nonetheless, it's worth the price even for the songs that are in standard tuning.
3345176
I didn't realize the music was mostly arrangements of more well-known (popular) tunes. Would have preferred tunes that are more original. However, this is very pleasant listening.
904291
Compared to the Big Beethoven Box this isn't so big (less alliteration too). There's some excellent music in here though, performed by excellent forces - including the Yale and Griller String Quartets. Those folks by themselves 'make the deal'.
4851170
Fantastic musicianship with good taste, too. (Which is by no means common)