"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Reviews: Music

A

John Luther Adams: The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies

Agnus Dei: Gaia

Bryan Akipa: Mystic Moments: Dakota Flute Music

Amoeba: Watchful

And Did Those Feet: Forgetting the Shadows of History

Steindór Andersen: Rímur: A Collection From Steindór Andersen

Anonymous 4: The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen
-- Gloryland

Ar Log: Goreuon Ar Log (The Best of Ar Log)

Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts: Celtic Café

B

Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations
-- Cello Suites

Jon Balke and Amina Alaoui: Siwan

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, et al.: Raga Piloo

Bantu, featuring Ayuba: Fuji Satisfaction: Soundclash in Lagos

Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings: Orchestral and Chamber Works

Thomas Barth: Beyond Black and White

Béla Bartók: Solo Piano Works, Vols. I-V (June de Toth, Piano)
-- Bartók: Sonata for Solo Violin, Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano, Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
-- Concerto For Orchestra/Piano Works

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonies 1-9, Overtures
-- 9 Symphonies
-- Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67; Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68
-- String Quartets
-- Piano Sonatas
-- Violin Concerto in D Major

Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14, Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17 (Part II: Love Scene)

Leonard Bernstein: The Original Jacket Collection: Bernstein Conducts Bernstein
-- Mass

Kristian Blak: Ravnating / Concerto Grotto og Drangar / Klæmint

Blazin' Fiddles: Live

Boiled in Lead: Silver
-- Songs from The Gypsy

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concertos, Works for Solo Piano (Emanuel Ax, piano)
-- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 77; Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 102
-- Sonata in F Minor for Two Pianos, Op. 34B, Variations on a Theme By Haydn for Two Pianos, Op. 56B
-- Piano Quintet in F Minor
-- Works for Violin, Cello and Piano
-- Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 (Heifetz)
-- Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 102; Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60; Piano Quartet No. 1 in G. Minor, Op. 25 (Rondo alla Zingarese and Presto)

Terry Brennan: Storms & Dreams

Benjamin Britten: Death in Venice
-- War Requiem

Gavin Bryars: The Fifth Century

Harold Budd: Lovely Thunder

Uun Budiman and the Jugala Gamelan Orchestra: Banondari: New Directions in Jaipongan

Burning Sky: Creation

C

Capercaillie: To the Moon
-- At the Heart of it All
-- Roses and Tears
-- To the Moon

Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21
-- Four Ballades, Scherzos, Mazurkas

Clannad: Landmarks

Tim Clement and Kim Deschamps: Wolfsong Night

Van Cliburn, et al.: The Two Sergeis

Aaron Copland: Billy the Kid: Suite; Rodeo: Waltz
-- Piano Sonata

Corvus Corax: The Best of Corvus Corax

John Corigliano: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, "The Red Violin"; Sonata for Violin and Piano

Coyote Oldman: Tear of the Moon/Thunder Chord/In Medicine River
-- Tear of the Moon/Compassion/Floating on Evening: Songs from Otter River

Miranda Cuckson, Blair McMillen: Bartók, Lutosławski, and Schnittke

Çudamani: Çudamani: The Seven-Tone Gamelan Orchestra from the Village of Pengosekan, Bali

Cusco: Apurimac II
-- Apurimac III

D

D1V1N1T1: Terra Divina

Malcolm Dalglish: Jogging the Memory

The Danish String Quartet: Thomas Adès, Hans Abrahamsen, and Per Nørgård
-- Last Leaf

Mychael Danna: Vanity Fair
-- and Tim Clement: North of Niagara: Impressions Along the Bruce Trail

Dead Can Dance: Wake: The Best of Dead Can Dance
-- Wake: The Best of Dead Can Dance

Claude Debussy: Suite Bergamasque

Charles de Lint: Old Blue Truck

Depeche Mode: Playing the Angel
-- Delta Machine [Deluxe Edition]

Ernö Dohnányi: String Quartet No. 2 in D-flat Major, Op. 15; String Quartet No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 33

Gaetano Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore

John Dowland: Seven Teares: Music of John Dowland

The Dowland Project: Romaria

Down the Track: Landscapes

The Dufay Collective: Music for Alfonso the Wise

Antonin Dvorak: Cello Concerto and Other Works

E

Angela East: Bach: The Cello Suites; Baroque Cello Illuminations

Steve Eaves: Moelyci

Stephen Emmer: Recitement

George Enescu: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 25

English Acoustic Collective: Ghosts

Knút Háberg Eysturstein: Havsglóð

F

Mahmoud Fadl: The Drummers of the Nile in Town: Cairosonic

Vieux Farka Touré: Vieux Farka Touré

Morton Feldman: Piano and String Quartet
-- The Viola In My Life
-- Rothko Chapel and Why Patterns?

Arthur Fiedler: Hif-Fi Fiedler

Bernarda Fink, Marcos Fink: Canciones Argentinas: Piazzola, Guastavino and Others

Leon Fleisher: “An American Anthology”: Copland, Sessions, Kirchner, Rorem
-- Claude Debussy: Suite Bergamasque; Maurice Ravel: Sonatine; Valses nobles et sentimentales; Alborada de gracioso

Gabriel Fliflet/Ole Hamre: Eine kleine Kraftmusik

Florilegium: Bolivian Baroque, Vol. 2

Foreigner: The Very Best . . . And Beyond

César Franck: Symphony in D Minor (Monteux)

Ragnhild Furebotten: Edelig Vals

Ragnhild Furholt: Lån Meg Vengjene

Fylgja: Strå

G

John Gay: The Beggar’s Opera

Edward German: Excerpts from Tom Jones

Philip Glass: Akhnaten
-- In the Penal Colony
-- Symphony No. 7, “Toltec”
-- Symphony No. 8
-- Itaipu/The Canyon
-- La Belle et la Bête
-- and Beni Montresor: The Witches of Venice
-- and Constance DeJong: Satyagraha
-- and Kronos Quartet: Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass
-- and Lauri Otonkoski: A Madrigal Opera/Cameo — A Symphonic Poem
-- and Martina Winkel: Kepler
-- and Robert Wilson: Einstein on the Beach
-- and Wendy Sutter: Songs and Poems for Solo Cello
-- /Signal: Glassworks and Music in Similar Motion, Live at (le) Poisson Rouge

The Philip Glass Ensemble: A Retrospective

Christos Govetas: Pasatempo: Rebetika with Christos Govetas

Grannar: Sofiagatan

Olivier Greif: Sonate de Requiem, Trio avec Piano

Grex Vocalis: Magnum Mysterium

Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite

Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff and Vassilis Tsabropoulos: Chants, Hymns and Dances

H

Anders Hagberg and Johannes Landgren: Of Air

George Frideric Handel: Messiah

MaryAnn Harris: Crow Girls

Lou Harrison: Piano Concerto, et al.

Joseph Haydn: Orlando Paladino
-- Die Jahreszeit (The Seasons)

Kristine Heebøll: 10 Point

Jascha Heifetz: Brahms/Tchaikovsky, Violin Concertos

Mark Holt & Kimberlee Holt Tully: Acoustically Native


Nick Humez: Myth Songs

Engelbert Humperdinck: Hansel und Gretel

I

Icehouse: Man of Colours
-- Great Southern Land

Tokeya Inajin (Kevin Locke): Dream Catcher

Sharon Isbin: Journey to the New World

J

Alan Jabbour, James Reed, Bertram Levy: A Henry Reed Reunion

Leos Janacek: String Quartet No. 1, String Quartet No. 2

Keith Jarrett: Radiance

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Symphonic

Christian Jormin 3: Sol Salutis

Josqin des Pres: The Tallis Scholars Sing Josqin

K

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan: Raga Shuddh-Sarang; Raga Piloo-Kafi

Leon Kirchner: Piano Sonata

Zoltan Kodály: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10

Kodo: Akatsuki
-- Live at Symphony Center, 2/21/11

Kronos Quartet: Winter Was Hard

L

Endah Laris: Endah Laris & Dedek Gamelan Orchestra

Mars Lasar: Olympic National Park
-- The Music of Olympic National Park

Christian Laurence: Christal

Les Witches: Five Views of the Northern Renaissance

Linkin Park: Meteora
-- A Thousand Suns
-- A Thousand Suns
-- Living Things
-- Recharged

Rolf Lislevand: Diminuito
-- La Mascarade

Franz Liszt: Sonata in B Minor (Fleisher)
-- Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat, S. 124; Piano Concerto No. 2 in A, S. 125; Sonata in B Minor, S. 178

Lúnasa: The Story So Far

M

Oisin Mac Diarmada: Ar an Bhfidil (On the Fiddle): Irish Fiddle Music from Sligo

Gustav Mahler: The Complete Symphonies
-- Symphony No. 4 in G

Miriam Makeba: Welela

John Noise Manis, producer: Trance Gamelan in Bali
-- Gamelan of Central Java, Vols. I-IV
-- Gamelan of Central Java, Vols. V-VII
-- Gamelan of Central Java, Vol. VIII: Court Music Treasures/Volume IX: Songs of Wisdom and Love
-- Gamelan of Central Java, X: Sindhen Trio
-- Gamelan of Central Java, XI: Music of Remembrance
-- Gamelan of Central Java XII: Pangkur One / XIII: Pangkur Two
-- Gamelan of Central Java XIV: Ritual Sounds of Sekaten
-- Gamelan of Central Java XV: Returning Minimalism: In Nem
-- Gamelan of Java: Volume I: Kraton Kasunanan / Volume II: Contemporary Composers

Boban Markovic Orkestar: Boban i Marko

Jody Marshall: Cottage in the Glen

Bohuslav Martinu: Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola

Colin McPhee: Symphony No. 2, Concerto for Piano with Wind Octette, Nocturne for Chamber Orchestra, Balinese Ceremonial Music
-- Tabuh-Tabuhan; Lou Harrison: Suite for Symphonic Strings; Chinary Ung: Inner Voices

Ensemble Melpomen: Melpomen — Ancient Greek Music for an Athenian Symposium of ca. 450 BC

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90 ("Italian"); Symphony No. 5 in D, Op. 107 ("Reformation"); Octet in E-flat, Opt 20 (Scherzo)

Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time

Methera Quartet: Methera

Moby: Innocents
-- 18 B Sides

Anna Moffo: Arias from Faust, La Bohème, Dinorah, Carmen, Semiramide, Turandot, Lakmé

Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della beata vergine

Caiseal Mór: Divine Passion, Vol. 1: Rain Water
-- Beautiful Hands

Mozaik: Changing Trains

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute
-- Don Giovanni
-- Piano Concertos (Fleisher)
-- Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 330; Piano Sonata in E-Flat Major, K. 282; Rondo for Piano in D Major, K485 (Fleisher)
-- Early Symphonies, Vol. 2
-- Violin Concertos

N

Pandit Ram Narayan: Raga Puria-Kalyan

Nickelback: All the Right Reasons
-- Dark Horse
-- Here and Now
-- The Band Everyone Loves to Hate (Survey, studio albums through 2008)

Michael Nyman: Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs
-- Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs

O

Odetta: At The Gate of Horn

Orlando Consort: The Rose, the Lily and the Whortleberry — Medieval Gardens

Oslo Kammerkor: Kyst, Kust, Coast

Oysterband: Granite Years: Best of . . . 1986-97

P

Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: The Moment’s Energy

Arvo Pärt: Kanon Pokajanen
-- Da Pacem
-- In Principio
-- Passio
-- The Deer's Cry

Ustad Shahid Parvez: Magnificent Melody: A Tribute to Dulal Babu (Raga Darbari; Raga Shahana)

Svend-Erik Pedersen: Selsølåter: Låter fra Selsø

Penguin Cafe: A Matter of Life. . . .
-- The Imperfect Sea

Penguin Cafe Orchestra: Concert Program
-- and Robert Sandall: The Penguin Café Orchestra: A History

Sivan Perwer: Sivan Perwer

Wolfgang Plagge: Julevariasjoner

Pole: 2

Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème
-- Tosca

Q

Qntal: Qntal III: Tristan und Isolde

R

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D. Minor, Op. 30; Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concernto No. 3 in C. Op. 26

Suppanggah Rahayu, Garasi Seni Benawa: Cokekan: Javanese Chamber Music

Dr. N. Ramani and Hariprasad Chaurasia: Together: Raga Hindolam/Malkauns, Raga Pahadi (“Dhum”)

Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus, String Quartet No. 4, Symphony No. 5

Maurice Ravel: Sonatine; Valses nobles et sentimentales; Alborada de gracioso

Real McKenzies: Loch’d & Loaded/Oot & Aboot

Red: Innocence and Instinct
-- Release the Panic
-- End of Silence / Innocence and Instinct

Red Priest: Johann, I'm Only Dancing/Priest on the Run/Nightmare in Venice/Pirates of the Baroque

R.E.M.: Out of Time

Steve Reich: The ECM Recordings

Robert Rich: Rainforest

Terry Riley: Requiem for Adam
-- Requiem for Adam
-- The Lisbon Concert
-- The Lisbon Concert
-- A Rainbow in Curved Air/Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band
-- and Kronos Quartet: Kronos Quartet Plays Terry Riley: Salome Dances for Peace
-- and Kronos Quartet: The Cusp of Magic

Eskil Romme: Himmerlandsmelodier

Ned Rorem: Winter Pages/Bright Music
-- Three Barcarolles

S

Domenico Scarlatti/Vladimir Horowitz: Horowitz Plays Scarlatti

Alfred Schnittke: Symphony No. 9 (with Alexander Raskatov: Nunc dimittis)

Franz Schubert: Sonata for Piano in B-Flat Major, Op. Post; Ländler, Op. 171 (Fleisher)

Roger Sessions: From My Diary

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

Perry Silverbird: The Blessing Way

Davy Spillane: A Place Among the Stones

K. Sridhar, et al.: Raga Madhukauns, Raga Piloo

Meic Stevens: Icarws (Icarus)

Leopold Stokowski: Rhapsodies

Igor Stravinsky: Works of Igor Stravinsky
-- Works of Igor Stravinsky
-- Pétrouchka (Monteux)

Richard Strauss: Scenes from Salome and Elektra
-- Don Quixote, Sonata for Cello and Piano
-- Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 18

String Sisters: String Sisters Live

Laura Sullivan: Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America

Swåp: Swåp/[SIC]/Du Da

T

Toru Takemitsu: I Hear the Water Dreaming

The Tallis Scholars: The Tallis Scholars Sing Josqin

Tangerine Dream: Exit

Kari Tauring: Völva Songs

John Tavener: The Last Sleep of the Virgin
-- The Veil of the Temple

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 (Heifetz)
-- Tchaikovsky: The Three Piano Concertos

Tenores di Bitti: Caminos de pache

Arturo Toscanini: The Complete Philadelphia Orchestra Recordings

Trio Mediaeval: A Worcester Ladymass
-- and Arve Henriksen: Rímur

Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Miniatures

Tummel: Payback Time

Sean Tyrrell: Man for Galway: The Best of Sean Tyrrell (A note: The publisher was apparently quite distressed at my less than unreserved enthusiasm, hence the accompanying review on this page showing much more adulation.)

V

Väsen: Väsen Street

Various Artists: Gay American Composers
-- Bagpipes of Greece
-- Music from Macedonia 2
-- Music from Montenegro
-- Afghanistan Untouched
-- (Atlante di Musica Tradizionale): Italia 3: Roots Music Atlas
-- Italian Café

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works

Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata
-- Rigoletto
-- Messa da Requiem

Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Terje Tønnesen, violin; Norwegian Chamber Orchestra)
-- Pietro Locatelli: Concerti Grossi (Giuliano Carmingnola, Venice Baroque Orchstra)
-- The Four Seasons; Arcangelo Corelli: The Christmas Concerto (Red Priest)

Voces Nordicae: Nordic Voices

W

Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
-- Der Ring des Nibelungen

Frank Wallace: Delphin

Carl Maria von Weber: Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 70; Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65 (Fleisher)

Silvius Leopold Weiss: Weiss Lute Concerti

Henryk Wienawski: Henryk Wienawski (Chamber Works)

Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and Other Choral Works

Wûtas: Wûtas

Y

The York Waites: Fortune My Foe: Popular Music from the Period of the Gunpowder Plot

Mary Youngblood: The Offering

Z

Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Canto di speranza


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