Barbaro: Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
582398
This book touched me in a special way!  I smiled, laughed, and cried as I read it.  Ms Mickle's presentation of Barbaro's life, much of it from the horse's-eye-view, endeared me even more to Barbaro.  I hope his full brothers are being nurtured and brought along in identical fashion.  Great reading!  NOTE:  The Preakness Stakes is  1 3/16 miles long; it was not the longest race he was being asked to complete at the time.  The Kentucky Derby was longer--at 1 1/4 miles (1/16th of a mile further than the Preakness).  Long live the memory and legacy of Barbaro!  My compliments and respect go out to those who helped make him a champion.
652642
One wonders why Barbra chose to record for posterity the two millenium eve performances when her song selection and voice was much better during her september shows the following year.  Additionally since alot of the concerts theme was germaine to the new year it seems out of place on repeated listenings.  All that aside Barbra did choose the best performances from those two millenial nights and has put together a respectable album of live performances.  No where near the quality of her Live Forum or The Concert shows, nonetheless she adds enough unique twists on her old material to make it worthwhile.  Particularly enjoyable are the older numbers and the huge choirs she employed.  The sound quality on this disc is SUPERB and can truly transport you to that night.
2796650
If you read Spanish and you can handle Proust or Joyce, it is time to try on Rubio.  Fanny Rubio is one of the most intriquing writers on the continent today.  Here her poetic stream of consciousness pools and eddies in identity and high heresy.  A distinquished brew for the gourmets of the world with a developed palate.  For those not able to take on the Spanish, but would like to have a sample, the journal "The Reading Room" #3 features a translation of the penultimate chapter of this provocative work.
2021842
Of all the performances I have heard of the Mahler 9th on CD, this may be the most beautiful sounding for both the orchestral playing together with the quality of this recent remastering, especially with respect to the string playing. This performance for me reaches its apogee in the final adagio, which Barbirolli and the Berlin Phil play with an ardent and glowing lyric beauty, in distinct contrast to the darkly stoic quality that Horenstein in the BBC Legends brings to this supremely transcendent music. My main caveat is that in the first movement, though beautifully played and well shaped, Barbirolli does not bring out the starkly tragic intensity permeating it with the trenchancy of the aforementioned Horenstein, Bernstein in his various recordings, or the live Kubelik and Walter performances. Part of the reason for this for this, I feel, is that he does not use rubato to shape the climaxes for maximum impact, as these other conductors do. Furthermore, Barbirolli fails to bring out the passages in the second movement that convey wistful longing or nostalgia, again in distinction to the other conductors mentioned, largely because he does not slow the tempo down sufficiently at those moments. Nevertheless I rank this performance as one of the premiere Mahler 9ths for the reasons given and, at mid-price and on a single disc, is an excellent introduction to this great work.
499816
As I read, I wanted to see how he turns Barabbas into the 13th disciple. Barabbas is usually described as potentially insane but definitely as evil, --but this book gives him humanity. Despite all the tragedy in his life, because he was surrounded by people who care about him, he was able to live a "devout" life.  I cannot wait to read the rest of the story to see how this is develops.  I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, so I could give an honest review.
2199159
If you are female and looking for a production of TOSCA, look no further. Placido Domingo is at his peak here. He looks marvellous, acts beautifully and his singing is beyond superlatives. I am not even going to try. Ladies, after watching this, I went to bed and dreamt of Mario Cavaradossi and how I would NEVER have put him in danger!

Before I get to the opera itself there are two marvellous extras on this DVD - THANK YOU, DEUTSCHE GRAMMAPHON. In one Franco Zeffirelli takes you on a tour of the three Roman locations of the opera and discusses his view on the relationships between the three main characters. The other is an interview with Ms. Behrens, Mr. Domingo (drool) and Mr. Macneil.

I am at a loss to understand complaints that Ms. Behrens looks too old. She is not supposed to be a movie actress but an opera singer. How many very young opera stars are there? Anyway, why can't Cavaradossi fall in love with a woman older than he is?

That said, the perfect Tosca would be perfectly balanced between the three main characters. Here, Mr. Domingo is just so much better than the other two that the production is out of kilter. Mr. Zeffirelli explains that he sees Scarpia as a dangerously attractive man, and that Tosca is attracted despite herself. In killing him, she is striking out at that unwelcome attraction as well.

That sounds great, but neither Mr. Macneil nor Ms. Behrens can bring it off. Scarpia comes off as real nasty, though Mr. Macneil's singing, and his acting in the death scene are tremendous. He is particularly good at the end of Act I, where his positively blasphemous thoughts are expressed against the choral backdrop of the Te Deum. Ms. Behren's voice came across too thin, to me, except in "vissi d'arte". She was excellent in Act III.

The sets and staging are gorgeous. That alone makes the opera worth buying.
4105264
Although at least some of the pieces on this album have better versions available, notably the poerful interprettions of Ivn Fisher, there are also far worse, and this isn't one without character. As an introduction to the work of Bla Bartk, it's a must have. The inexpensive 3-disc set is a regular shelf item at B&N. Skrowaczewski's interpretation of Concerto for Orchestra brings out its quirks much more effectively that Dorati's better-known version, and is worth hearing even if you have Fisher's more recent recording (Fisher made two). Some of the other works are reduced to suites, but these edits are common, and I believe done by Bartk himself. I can comfortably say that, unlike some inexpensive Bartk recordings, that if you don't like this album, you probably won't like the better versions that are out there, and if you do like this album, you'll continue to listen to it even if you do get some of the better ones.
2990086
According Steve Reeves: " I had much fun making this film. Both the cast and crew were great to work with and we shared many good times on the set". Il terrore dei barbari is the best Chelo Alonso role. Usualy stunning, she's here better than ever, with the benefit of good dialogues and two amazing dance sequences, the first ones with swords, the second with torches. This italian edition is not the perfect ones (4:3 and not in 16:9) but the best and more complete print (91 mn) of this excellent peplum. American DVD (Wild East) is good but not complete (82 mn), and the French ones is the worst of the bag, a shortened version (78 mn) with an awful dark print. Can we expect one fine day a bluray  or at least a decent DVD in 16:9  ?<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Goliath-the-Barbarians-Goliath-the-Vampires/dp/B000X489HO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Goliath & the Barbarians, Goliath & the Vampires</a>
1277323
I first encountered the world of Waltert Starkie when I read his little book, Spanish Raggle Taggle.  That was a long time ago. Thanks to Amazon.com I get to follow up decades later with other of his adventures.  By far, his fiddling in Spain and Barbary surpasses his other very good book.  He is descriptive and anecdotal, bringing to the reader in your face glimpses of life where he finds it, people, music, places.  I could not put the book down the first night I received it.  It was too much like getting out of a dream back to humdrum reality!
3377305
I dare you to find a better documentarian on the art of flamenco than Saura. Simply bringing this obsure but masterful artform to video is magical enough, but to have Saura do it is miraculous. He has chosen from the best that could be gathered in Spain, and did an awesome job putting them on a 2 hour tape. They only criticism is that this is not available on DVD, but no matter, it is a MUST for anyone who is a true flamenco purist or musicologist. The piece is beautifully staged, perfectly photographed and ingeniously edited.
4246727
This early novel in the awesome Casca series by Barry Sadler marked one of his all-time great classics. In this story, Casca finally finds solace in Hellsfjord, and in the arms of a loving wife.

But doomed to outlive everyone around him, Casca soon finds himself in dire straits. Lots of high adventure in the grand tradition, Casca the Barbarian will surely entertain you on several levels.
4182623
If you were searching for The Barbarians who had a 1965 hit single with Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl? and were wondering about this entry which shows no details, let alone content ... keep looking. This isn't them.

This is, rather, a quasi-jazz New York City instrumental aggregation first formed in 2002 to, according to one member, bring fun, humor and dancing back into music. Also functioning as The Barbarian Horde (with upwards of 11 members), the smaller Barbarians include saxophonist Tony Barba, electric bass player Rob Jost, drummer Conor Elmes, and pianist/keyboardist Marco Benevento.

Most of their material is original stuff and here you get these tracks: 1. Even-Keel; 2. Search Party; 3. Comin' To Getchya; 4. Nice Feet; 5. Working For The Weekend; 6. Big Boy; 7. Carland; 8. Mr. Slim; 9. Bouncy; 10. Barracuda; 11. Good Feeling.

If you are familiar with the band then you'll know what you're getting. If not, you might want to sample their work - perhaps on YouTube - before buying the CD. They certainly are original - and talented. And fun.
318058
I have this same copy of Barbarosa (2003 dvd release) and I can't believe someone somewhere cannot release the theatrical widescreen version of this great 80's western -- with some bonus features or at least some commentary by anyone!  BARBAROSA is more than worthy of a Criterion Edition, for example.
Rare is the movie that is epic in feel and scope, yet runs only 90 minutes; and with a rather simple, small movie story of family, legend, honor and revenge.
Not only are Willie Nelson - as the eponymous title character - and Gary Busey more than adequate, an almost forgotten acting legend in his own right, Gilbert Roland, is compellingly authentic as the patriarch of the rival Mexican family.
This is a western that deserves more recognition and viewers but 40 bucks is robbery (on the sellers part).  What a shame.  Like in the movie BARBAROSA deserves a better treatment.  So do we.
By the way Director Fred Schepisi also directed the very very good Meryll Streep (Australian accent) and Sam Neill in the very very good (almost forgotten?)  A Cry in The Dark made most famous (probably) by the comic tag line by Elaine (Julia Louise Dreyfuss) in Seinfeld episode "The Dingo took my ba-bay."
4202364
As my introduction to the Bruckner Fifth, I listened to three different recordings to compare them: the 1953 reading by Furtwngler and the Vienna Philharmonic, Furtwngler's 1942 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic, and this, Gunther Wand's 1996 live performance with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Wand's album here is really a magnificent acheivement.  To begin with, this may be the best recording of an orchestra that I've ever heard.  This is demonstration quality audio, to say the least, the Berliners' playing thundering from the speakers with all of its nuances captured in the right balance.  The orchestral playing and the recording are so breathtaking, you'd want to hear this disc for them alone.

But Wand's interpretation is just as much of an asset here.  His reading of this symphony conveys an astute sense of chapter and paragraph: of the connections between them and of the rise and fall of the dramatic line that runs through them.  The real gem here is the reading of the second and third movements.  Wand treats them as two parts of the same middle movement, highlighting the strong thematic interrelationships between the Adagio and the Scherzo better than in either of Furtwngler's recordings; this is conducting of real depth and profundity.  I also quite enjoyed the first movement here.  Where Furtwngler in his '42 Berlin recording saved the real drama for the finale, Wand brings an impressive force and weight to the first movement as well.  While it might be argued that this approach doesn't serve the dramatic effect of the entire symphony quite as well, nevertheless it brings an awesome majesty out of the opening movement.

I think Wand delivers a lesser reading than Furtwngler's of '42, in that he's just a bit plodding and muscle-bound.  I do mean just a bit, mind you: this is still elegant, refined work.  But next to Furtwngler, Wand is just a bit less improvisatory and graceful and a bit more methodical, plodding, workmanlike.  It's a narrow margin, to be sure, but it's definitely there, and it shows especially in the finale, where I think the Furtwngler of '42 is twice the reading of Wand's here.  Wand's finale is finely wrought, but Furtwngler's is one of the greatest masterpieces of musical interpretation with which I'm familiar.

In sum, I recommend hearing this album and the 1942 Furtwngler (which I've also reviewed here at Amazon).  In all the Furtwngler is the better reading, but not by much, and the incredible recorded sound here makes up the difference, to my ears.
4182619
Kevin Costner's masterpiece. No more can be said. I want a handlebar mustache like him.
4065613
This is the first disc released by members of the old Charanga Habanera after the breakup of the original legendary group after Tremendo Delirio.  The principles here are Danny Lozada, author of all the songs, and Juan Carlos Gonzalez, pianist and arranger of all the tracks.

Tanto te Pedi is the best record that any of the original Charangueros made post-breakup, including Calzado himself with the new Charanga.  In my opinion, it easily surpasses Charanguero Mayor, which was also an excellent effort.  It is probably the only one that truly lives up to the work of the original Charanga, though it is radically different from any of them, and indeed, from any Timba album I have ever heard.  This disc is a must-have for anyone into Latin music.  Every track is overloaded with energy, vigor, originality, melody, inspiration and musicianship.  In a genre where virtuosity is the standard, this album pushes the limit further.  My only complaint is that I wish it were longer.  There are enough great hooks on this album for each track to be almost twice as long as it is.
2554174
Pero Balatzar is a film producer who has no real interest in being a hero  he just wants to lead an ordinary life. However, when you lead a secret life as an "Observer" for the CIA and State Department. is it any wonder that you continuously find yourself in one dangerous situation after another?

In The Berlin Package - the sequel to Murder On Safari - Pero Balatzar has finally emotionally and physically recovered from his harrowing adventures in Africa and is ready to tackle a new assignment: a filming project in Berlin for an adventure movie.

While poor Pero is in transit, however, he is given a non-descript package and asked to deliver it. The problem is, the package is hot  and there are deadly consequences for him should he fail to follow through on the assignment.

So, Pero wonders, what is so important about this package that someone is willing to kill him if it does not reach its intended destination? And, even if Pero successfully completes his mission, will he really be safe once the package arrives?

The Berlin Package is a tightly written book that will take you on a non-stop adventure. Its a highly thrilling read for those who love fast-paced adventures.

This review is an excerpt from my original review at Create With Joy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. However, the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.