Sir Adrian, seen as well as heard
588501
Most purchasers will want this for the Vaugan Williams. They will not be disappointed as both sound and performance are faultless. A substantial bonus is the Beethoven Concerto. In the hands of Milstein, it is to be savored.
50924
These recordings were filmed (and subsequently cut and edited) during a series of concerts given in Vienna 1983/4 by the conductor and soloist with the Wiener Philharmoniker. Humphrey Burton's habitually masterful direction now lingers a bit too often on the soloist's hands, but also pays homage to the conductor and orchestral musicians, once more highlighting the truly special relationship Bernstein had with this great orchestra. Krystian Zimerman plays very well, technically brilliant, but also introspective and quite in tune with Brahms' idiom, and the conductor is visibly sensitive to the soloist. It is, however, obvious that Bernstein is physically unwell and his grip on the orchestral proceedings not as firm as usual, especially as it was during his celebrated Vienna recordings a decade earlier. Brahms' piano concertos are somewhat episodic, perhaps even meandering, in their conception, and a tight hand at the helm is imperative throughout to provide the necessary cohesion for any performance. Alas, there are brief passages in both concertos when Bernstein's control appears to slip and the music loses some momentum. Regardless, these are quite beautiful performances and, at the same time, important documents of a bygone era in musical history. The audience's thunderous applause speaks for itself.
1798202
I have a very old cd of Adrian Boult doing this.  This older performance is outstanding, but sound dated.  Purchased this version.  Sound is much better.  Performance is good, slightly different, and less energetic than Boult's.  Good recording.
2494869
Not as complex as all the stories and films it has spawned, but an excellent read.  The audio on this version is superb- a truly magnificent performance.
4019787
No spoilers, unless you have not seen Torchwood TV series 2, then a subtle one

THE READING

Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays Ianto, does an excellent job reading this book.  He has tremendous dynamic range in his voice and is very expressive, and carries a lot of energy into this reading.  It certainly helps that he also had a very good story to read, but the story benefited by his fine reading.

THE STORY

The story would fall between the Torchwood TV series 2 and 3, so we have Ianto, Gwen, and of course Jack present.  A sailor is found with many small wounds, and he appears to be from WWII, though for reasons unexplained in the story he has not decomposed.  A unique alien is involved, one who is a bit like an insect with various phases of its existence, with metamorphosis between them.  A unique aspect of this story is that a major character in the book is a misguided minister is also involved in ways that gradually unfold as the story progresses.

It's hard to tell you much more without spoilers, but this story blossoms forth in a way that many of the audiobooks do not.  It surprised me with its scope.  Among all of the audiobooks I have heard so far, this one and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Torchwood-In-the-Shadows-A-Torchwood-Audio-Original-Narrated-by-Eve-Myles/dp/1602838305/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Torchwood: In the Shadows: A Torchwood Audio Original Narrated by Eve Myles</a>&nbsp;have been my favorites.  The quality of the stories have varied widely in my opinion; I have reviewed many of them if you are interested in my (hopefully) objective reviews.
4389739
This is the volume Randolph did with, at that time, Mr. Gilbert. It does not have the tome of subsequent volumes of the biography. It sets a standard for objectivity to those who would apotheosize one of the pivotal personalities of the age, warts and all. At times I thought sir Winston was one spoiled mama's boy. But its the writing that kept me reading. The use of extracts from letters shows how sir Winston grew and how his command of language grew with him. Altogether an excellent read.
782700
It's a great bargain to have both of Brahms's sunny Serenades on a two-fer with his two overtures and the moving Alto Rhapsody. Adrian Boult was always a clear-eyed, unsentimental conductor, but perhaps he goes too far here. I'd like to hear the Academic Festival Over. done with affection, not simply run through its paces. The serenades are better, in parts, because they benefit from a light, quick approach--too often they seem to be conducted with as much weight as the symphonies. But quite often Boult rushes the tempo in slow movements and seems impatient with Brahms's genial, relaxed humor. (These recordings were made near his death in 1983, and like Stokowski and Toscanini, Boult sped up in old age.)

The Tragic Over. is a dud, for the simple fact that Boult's account isn't remotely tragic; it's brisk and loud, and again he seems impatient to get things over with. The Haydn Variations find him adhering to more ocnventional speeds, and although the mood is sitll no-nonsense, his reading has its exciting moments.

That leaves us with the real gem of the set, the Alto Rhapsody with Janet Baker, a recording that thrilled me when I first heard it on LP in the early Seventies. I sitll think that Baker, although not an alto, sings with more fervor and religoius exaltation than anyone else, and Boult's faster tempo adds to the tension; the singing by the John Aldis Choir is also unsurpassed.
4109882
Like all of Adrian's work, I read and stare and wake up days later still in the story. They are truly transporting... and so beautiful.
942344
Having heard Maestro Skrowaczewski present this symphony at least three times in concert, and having heard his Saarbruecken recording (which I possess, along with the others of that wonderful series) I would warn that this live performance from London is not one of his highly successful efforts.  It's relatively cautious, and the orchestra plays with a certain characteristic British smoothness that may be natural for those musicians but is not quite right in this music (just as it seemed not optimal for Brahms in Boult's stereophonic series for EMI).  I would direct readers to the Saarbruecken recording (now on Oehms), a really magnificent reading that has enormous architectural strength and does sound "right:"  in fact I place it on the top shelf along with classic versions by Furtwaengler and Walter.
353126
I will first preface with saying that I am not a major opera fan but I am a MAJOR Placido Domingo fan.  These scenes are well chosen to show him at his most dramatic and most photogenic.  All of them made me wish more had been included in the chosen scenes.  The costumes are wonderful and when Domingo sings, he reveals an intimacy in his face that adds to the perfect sound of his voice.  For any Domingo fan this is something you will really enjoy.
621686
An absolute delight to the eye, ear and mind - after 400 years the Immortal Bard birth and death was celebrated in style showcased in dance, song and speech, the performances imaginative and diverse and the hosts, Tennant and Tate were both a delight. The descriptive "star studded" is over-used but in this case accurate. One highlight I loved was a stage full of Hamlets arguing over how to deliver a line - one of the Hamlets being Prince Charles, himself. This is great for the home and would be even better for the classroom.
3493194
The narrative of this book flows more smoothly than that of Richard III, perhaps because there is more documentation for this. It contains actual scenes between people and dialog, which makes the reading more enjoyable. Perhaps this is possible in "Warwick the Kingmaker" and not so much in "Richard the Third" because there is more documentation available. Kendall is able to work from French and Burgundian sources as well as English sources. It also helped me understand some things which were a bit confusing in Richard III, perhaps because it provided the background for the time before Richard became really prominent in history. This book is also more amusing, perhaps because it contains more amusing characters, like Louis XI and even the Dukes of Burgundy. I really get the sense that Edward was the only sane head of state in that area of the world, compared to King Louis XI of France and Dukes Philip and Charles of Burgundy, who come across as a bit clownish, especially Louis.

I really don't get the impression that Warwick was such a great guy--he did things for himself and was always trying to aggrandize himself, and did not work for his King or his country. I mean, he even went over to the LANCASTRIANS in the end, to the MAD KING HENRY VI, just because he wanted to be a grandfather of Kings. He tried to undermine Edward, who was a very good king, just because he could not control Edward and make him do what he wanted. Fortunately, Edward prevailed over him in the end and made himself King, and was not "made" King by any "Kingmaker."

Overall, it was a more enjoyable reading experience, except that the subject, Warwick, is not as interesting as Richard. The most memorable line in the whole book comes when Warwick manages to put Henry VI on the throne again with the help of a French army.

"All the French King's horses and all that King's men had been able to put humpty-dumpty together again."

EDIT 5/26/2014: Having read some other accounts of Warwick in some other books about the Wars of the Roses, I would say that Kendall romaticizes Warwick a bit too much. For example, he does not mention at all that the reason Warwick threw in his lot with the House of York in the first place was because of a) The rivalry between the Nevilles and the Percies in the North and b) Because of a land dispute he was having with Somerset; i.e. entirely selfish reasons. This information would have been helpful to someone like me who was interested in learning about the Neville-Percy rivalry, but it seems that Kendall is more interested in writing an idealized version of Warwick (which is not to say inaccurate). Kendall's writing style still gets five stars, but the content of the biography just seems a little flawed. I had always wondered why the Nevilles joined the House of York in the first place, and now I know.
676536
Tannhuser / Domingo, Studer, Baltsa, Salminen, A. Schmidt; Sinopoli is a very fine recording with the accomplished conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli. The pace is right on target and the sound quality of this production is splendid. Sinopoli is a great conductor but he is still not on the same level as Von Karajan. The book-let is a very well produced and has wonderful pictures and photographs. Barry Millington writes a splendid essay about the opera and what it is all about. I give this recording 4 well deserved stars.
3220978
I enjoyed his life and the way he presented it. He is a charming fellow with a great way with words.
783011
Sandor Konya was the great Lohengrin of his era.  Though he sang wonderfully in other roles (including Puccini, not usually a favorite of Wagner tenors), he was unrivalled in Wagner's early Romantic opera.

This performance from Bayreuth is preferable to his studio set for RCA, which, though good of its kind, can't match the "live" sound, especially given the unique Bayreuth acoustic.

Astrid Varnay, diva assoluta in Wagner, is excellent and Cluytens does very well, a French conductor who really understands Wagner as well as he does Gounod.

The sound on Walhall is a little better than on the earlier Myto release.

If you're a Wagnerian, this is the modern LOHENGRIN of choice, IMHO.
1528877
I'm not a historian, but as a laymen I think the actor who played Churchill is by far one of the most believable. He looks the part, sounds the part, more so than other actors who have played this role (including The Crown). What a great exerpt from his life to watch. Definitly watch this before watching The Crown.
266118
If you are a fan of Adrian Belew, then you absolutely must have this CD in your collection.  I was reluctant to buy this at first, because it appeared to be a compilation of his other albums.  Some of the tracks I had already heard, but discovered these were different versions altogether and quite nicely done.  I was also delighted to find a track with what sounded like the Prophet Omega Townsend on "I Know What I Know And That Is All I Know and I Know It".  That guy never gets old.

Included with this CD in the liner notes is a nice introduction to each track written by Adrian, where he explains the source of each tune, and gives some interesting explanations and background info.

If you are new to Adrian Belew, you might be better suited to one of his other works, such as "Twain Bar King","Lone Rhino" or "Desire Caught by the Tail" (personally, I like "Desire of the Rhino King", but of course I ended up getting all four).  A less progressive choice for new listeners would be "Young Lions" or "Mr. Music Head".