William Parker Music

To say that this album constitutes a necessity for the classical music enthusiast would be a great big unarguable lie. It has nothing innovative to offer you as a listener, except for maybe the labelling of melodies such as "My Heart Will Go On" (that god-awful Love Theme from the gruesome film Titanic) as a worthy member of "Best Classics 100". But than again, every collection of things that does not naturally belong together, is bound to have at least one outcast where the connection clearly isn't based on anything but cost and sale-ability.

This might sound like the beginning of a CD-slaughter, or a snobbish review where only the Deutche Grammophone's recordings are meting my standards, but although I am fairly picky when it comes to musical collections, best of albums, and such horrifying destructions of the universality of the works and the intentions of the artist behind it, I am willing to give this collection another chance, since classical music is somewhere between Arabic and wine in degree of unmanageability. It also helps that all the tunes are familiar to almost every one of us, and the fact that the artists' intentions probably got killed by the hundreds of different conductors trying to convey their personal interpretation of the works.

What I am saying is that this CD can be to classical music enthusiast what 'absolute rock' can be to a rock enthusiast, or to someone slightly interested, with no conceptual frames of where to start the search for knowledge. "Best Classics 100" offers nothing except a selection of melodies where there's bound to be one for every taste, but where the album feeling, the entirety or completeness intended by the composer, or conductor, or performer is completely lost in a trade-off made with variety.

The collection is attempted organised by giving each CD a different theme, supposedly to describe the mood of the music, and the labeller succeeds only to a limited extent as we move from themes such as 'uplifting' and 'relaxing' towards 'golden'. I wonder what that golden feeling constitutes. It apparently is to be found in, amongst others, "Jesus Bleibet Meine Freunde", and in "My Heart Will Go On"?

But no matter how I try to describe this CD it will sound worse than it actually is. This because to me it works as a great reference to which I can always turn with my classical music questions. Was it Schumann or Schubert who were the sad one? Of all the -inis, which where which again? Who composed "O Mio Babbino Caro"? The starting point for finding out if you belong to the romantic or the renascence wing, lies within this assemblage, if you look with your ears.

If you feel that classical music is something you like, and you'd like to learn more about it, this is a way to get started. If used together with a book on classical music, or wikipedia, it can be a gateway drug, leading you towards the great different experiences to be found within the different genres of classical music, and within the different periods ranging from the 12th century, maybe even earlier, towards yesterdays and tomorrows spectacular compositions of melodies that conveys a feeling, a state of mind with much more precision than any other musical genre. Expect a fairly alright collection of classical prunes, and you won't be disappointed.

...The Audio Quality is really not great. I bought this CD because I am new to classical, and the price was great! 100 songs for 25 bucks, thats like 25 cents a song, most songs are 1 dollar or more. Now I know why it's cheaper. The audio quality isn't that good. I imported the entire collection to my computer using Apple Lossless, and it sounded fuzzy, not crisp, with background noise, and sounded like compressed music, cutting off the frequency response.
I then played the CD's through my home stereo, with the same results. I plugged in my SHURE E5c headphones and the sound was soft, uninviting, lacking punch, with significant backgound noise (not just from the headphones), which was especially distracting when the music would get softer. I have heard much of the music before, and it was much more dynamic, entertaining, this recording seems too flat.
The music selection is ok, but I was hoping for some more interesting selections from the vast classical genre.
Overall, not that great of a recording, but many might not notice the difference, so if you are new to classical or aren't like an audiophile, get this album because it's a great overview of pop-culture classical, and it's pretty inexpensive.

Classical music is, by far, my favorite type of music. It can make you happy or sad, it can make you laugh or cry, and it can make you want to fall asleep or get up and dance. This 6-disc set is a must-have for and classical music-lover! It has all the great composers like Handel, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Bach, and Pachelbel. Some great songs include: Canon In D(Pachelbel), Morning: Peergynt(Grieg), Adagio For Strings(Barber), Cavatina(Myers), and much, much more. Every classical song you can think of is on here and the sound quality is great. So if you're looking for a good classical music CD, this set is all you need. Be prepared to be blown away!

These tunes have taken me to Texas, Arizona, and back. Three hours of great music!!!

This compilation is superb and a real must-buy. From Band of Brothers to A Bridge Too Far: every war movie theme is represented here. An all time classic.

Silva America presents the essential in film music during the period of World Wars ~ "Longest Day:Ultimate World War Movie Theme", featuring some long forgotten cues, 53 to be exact that sent chills and thrills into the pulses of world events ~ selections from a limited collectors edition that would make any "film-score-buff" green with envy.

Released to commemorate the sixth Anniversary of D-Day, never has there ever been such a tribute compilation package from any other label and Silva comes to the forefront ~ featuring The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Paul Bateman, Nic Raine Tony Bremner and Carl Davis as conductors), The Philharmonia (Kenneth Alwyn, Jerry Goldsmith, Mario Klemens and Paul Bateman as conductors) and also the world renown Crouch End Festival Chorus (David Temple as choir master) ~ what a gathering of talented musicians and singers fill this collection supreme.

The lineup of composers is a Who's Who in the world of film music ~ John Addison, Tomaso Albinoni, Kenneth J. Alford, Paul Anka, John Barry, Arnold Bax, Elmer Bernstein, Eric Coates, Carl Davis, Klaus Doldinger, Antonin Dvorak, Benjamin Frankel, Gerald Fried, Hugo Friedhofer, Jerry Goldsmith, Ron Goodwin, Bernard Herrmann, Maurice Jarre, Michael Kamen, Jerome Moross, Alfred Newman, Clifton Parker, Alan Rawsthorne, Ryvichi Sakamoto, Lalo Schifrin, Gerard Schurmann, David Shire, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Williams, Gabriel Yared and Hans Zimmer ~ set the stage for compositional human drama while exploring the deepest troves of musical emotion ~ one masterpiece after another, each cue manages to display both a convincing authenticity of the times and places ~ experience every tracks passion and skill for striking the exotic orchestral colors, explosive power and spectacular works of full large scale orchestral arrangements previal at every turn.

We are grateful to James Fitzpatrick (producer), Reybnold da Silva (executive producer), Rick Clark (associate producer/album sequence), Marion Garden (associate producer) and the whole gang at Silva America who have resurrected many of the soundtracks for the "film-score-buffs" in all of us.

Total Time: 4-CD-Set ~ Silva America 812 ~ (5/25/2004)

While this compilation has some masterpieces such as the theme from The Great Escape and Is Paris Burning, it's missing some of the finest tracts ever written. Where is the theme from Victory and Ernest Gold's stirring epic from Cross of Iron? The closing theme from Inchon was also a feast for the ears, but it's not here. It was written by Jerry Goldsmith, one of the foremost soundtrack composers of our time. Instead we're subjected to the likes of Hanover Street and The English Patient. I'll admit Inchon and Victory weren't Academy Award winning movies, but their soundtracks were second to none. As John Stossel would say," Give me a break"!!!

I was disappointed that these are not the same arrangements as the original movie soundtracks. For example, in Colonel Bogey, the countermarch from the movie soundtrack is not included in the arrangement on this CD. Don't get me wrong, the songs are good, but I would have preferred the same arrangements as the original movies.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: This fantastic 2-disc set of live improvisations recorded on 4/1 and 4/2/99 by Kidd Jordan (tenor sax), Fred Anderson (tenor sax), William Parker (double bass) and Hamid Drake (trap drums) is BACK IN PRINT. I don't know why it's no longer carried here, but it has been available from the label's website (www.eremite.com) for several months now. If you have any interest in any of these guys individually or collectively, this is must-own.

I looked forward to the re-release of this for almost 2 years and wasn't disappointed when I finally bought it/heard it. This set is four of the best Adventurers In HeartSound the USA has ever produced, doing what only a few musicians can do. Genuinely create together. There is jazz, which alot of people can play, and then there's THIS. University music programs all over the world crank out graduates every year who will never approach the stuff that goes down on these 2 discs.

If you've seen any of my reviews elsewhere on this site and know how I feel about all these guys (and William and Hamid as a core bass & drums unit specifically), consider this set to be another (a little less than) 2 hours of prime reasons why I love them so much. This group can go from being more outside than Ayler or '66 Coltrane (though neither Kidd nor Fred play like either of them), or more quiet and pensive than most any "jazz" anywhere, and then they start pushing and pulling and the mercury congeals and they're grooving so hard you're dancing in your chair. I don't mean 1 song ends and a new uptempo one begins. There are no breaks here. 4 guys stand in the corner of a room and say hey let's hear what can happen tonight. Then they proceed to cut holy rivers out of sound.

These guys play the collective moment. At times they scour the edges of your mind only to lay you gently on a pillow of melancholy, or power-groove you outside of yourself. This is not the more famous free-jazz of 40+ years ago where oftentimes it was always ecstatic catharsis with little dynamic range. This is total freedom music, not just a strict rejection of the straight-ahead rulebook.

The only reason I give this 4 stars is because musically it's one of their best ever but on disc 1 William's bass isn't recorded with as much oomph and presence as on other discs, or even disc 2 here. I try to give the stars out at certain levels since I've reviewed so many William and Hamid, etc... albums. Still, your ears will adjust and then... WOW.

This is a two disc set. Each disc is a different concert with the same players: Kidd Jordan and Fred Anderson play tenor saxophones with William Parker on bass and Hamid Drake on drums. Both concerts are recorded extremely well. All the instruments are heard in fine detail.
The first disc (1st day)begins with Hamid Drake's torrential drumming and the intensity doesn't let up when the others join in. The saxophones are breathing fire, each man deftly weaving ribbons of sound within a rhythmic pool, grounded by the choice bass notes of William Parker. The horns occasionally meet when an agreeable melodic line is repeated...then it's back to the stratosphere where the testifying continues. Both Jordan and Anderson are playing at the top of their game. The continuous string of ideas that flow out of each player's horn is breathtaking.
The second concert(day 2)starts slowly and with less ferocity. The intensity is still there yet the saxophones take their time soloing and playing collectively. It's another day and everyone seems to have a relaxed feel to their playing. It makes a nice contrast to the very hot first disc.
All the musicians are really giants on their instruments. What makes this 2 disc set required listening is the stellar playing of the two grandfathers. Jordan and Anderson both elected to stay in their home towns and it's there they developed their particular and distinctive tenor voices. To listen to them together is exilarating and challenging. It's a challenge I wouldn't want to do without.
Thanks to Erimite for releasing the set and thanks to Amazon for carrying it- at such a bargain price!

One of the college courses that I have frequently taught bears the catalogue-title "The Literary Dimensions of Film." I like to think of it more broadly as an introduction to the artistic dimensions of film, and I put considerable emphasis on the musical aspect of cinema. Once, after a lecture, with musical illustrations, on the development of the concept of the film-score, a student challenged me to name the single most important film-score. Without hesitation I said: "Sir Arthur Bliss's score to the Wells-Korda film `Things to Come.'" I had scheduled "Things to Come" and after the students had watched it, I went back and explained in as much detail as I could muster (with the help of a number of CDs and a boom-box) just how brilliantly this score shone all by itself and just how much it added to the film. The discussion of film-music usually centers on the Austro-German expatriates in Hollywood, but this is to forget the Russians and the British, who arrived independently of Hollywood at their own distinct notions of musical accompaniment for cinematic action. (This was in the mid-1930s.) The full extent of Bliss's remarkable score has never really been documented on a recording; I know of no recorded appearance, for example, of the remarkable machine-ballet that accompanies the visual sequence called "The Building of a New World." The most complete suite is on a John Mauceri CD of film-music for sci-fi flicks, and this is marred by extraneous sonic "special effects." The salient attraction, then, of this new issue from Pearl, "British Film Music, Volume II," is the inclusion of nearly ten minutes of Bliss's "Things to Come" score that have never been heard before. Most significantly, we hear the extended version of the "Epilogue," a glorious Elgarian study which adds a chorus in the last eight bars. This CD gives us, in addition to the Bliss score, Sir Arnold Bax's stirring music for a wartime documentary about British resistance to fierce German air-raids on Valetta harbor in Malta; a couple of main-titles from Vaughan Williams; and excerpts from other wartime motion pictures by unfamiliar, but thoroughly competent, studio-composers. Muir Mathieson conducts in many of these. He seems to have been an early "expert" in the art of recording the film's musical track. In all, a fascinating and welcome release.

I bought this CD for one theme only, "Where Eagles Dare". It is one of the most stirring, spine tingling recordings I have heard. I play it in the mornings to get me started and it wakes up every nerve cell. The recording quality and muscianship are excellent. And, the bass intensity and dynamic range are mind-blowing. You could blow your speakers if not careful. All the selections are good. I recommend this CD.

This is a good collection of music from war movies. "Where Eagles Dare" and "Battle OF Miday" are fantastic. This CD sounds great.

An extremely worthwhile and entertaining compilation for all "film-score-buffs" to sink their teeth into---this release "WAR", is the first installment of eight releases from Silva Treasury
featuring "Great Movie Themes In Dolby Surround"---is this one ever a sure-fire WINNER?---it most certainly is!

Silva has the knack to record and share "hard-to-find" scores with it fans---let's take a quick look at the film, year and composers ~ "SINK THE BISMARCK"(1960-Clifton Parker)..."THE GUNS OF NAVARONE"(1962-Dimitri Tiomkin)..."THE LONGEST DAY"(1962-Paul Anka/Maurice Jarre)..."633 SQUADRON"(1964-Ron Goodwin)..."BATTLE OF THE BULGE"(1965-Benjamin Frankel)..."IN HARMS WAY"(1965-Jerry Goldsmith)..."Is Paris Burning?"(1965-Maurice Jarre)..."THE NIGHT
OF THE GENERALS"(1967-Maurice Jarre)..."THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN" (1968-Elmer Bernstein)..."WHERE EAGLES DARE"(1969-Ron Goodwin) ..."PATTON"(1969-Jerry Goldsmith)"MACARTHUR"(1977-Jerry Goldsmith )..."THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY"(1976-John Williams)..."DAS BOOT(THE
BOAT)"(1981-Klaus Doldinger)..."CASUALTIES OF WAR"(1989-Ennio
Morricone)...there they all are, some available elsewhere and many never before seen the light of day...many of the performances here are better than the original...significant arrangements with outstanding orchestration, full orchestra with a Big Concert Sound quality.

Silva Screen takes listening pleasure to another level with THE CITY OF PRAGUE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, under the baton of Paul Bateman and Derek Wadsworth, Mark Ayres performance on "DAS BOOT", rhythm flows mixing well with surround sound---must make mention of the various MAIN TITLES...PRELUDES...SUITES...MARCHES, are nothing less than magnificent with percussion abounding, strings sweeping, brass accentuates the counter-melodies within epic proportions...all this Great Movie Themes extravaganza in DOLBY SURROUND, gotta love it!

Total Time: 54:21 on 14 Tracks ~ Silva Screen Records STD-5008 ~ (1997)

Great soundtrack. I haven't tried it on surround sound yet, but it sounds great on my car's CD player. The tracts from "Where Eagle's Dare," "The Battle of the Bulge," and "633 Squadron" are just superb---but the whole CD is really well done.

This cd contains a good mixture of re-recorded themes. While I have not listed to this on a surround system, the orchestra still sounds great throughout the 54 minute recording. My favorite selection on this CD is Rod Goodwin's 633 Squadron.

You get some really impressive British and American TV themes here. Who ever thought you would get Ron Grainer's theme for MAN IN A SUITCASE or Edwin Astley's THE BARON on a CD? Astonishingly they are here with such classic TV themes as John Barry's THE PERSUADERS, Dimitri Tiomkin's RAWHIDE, Edwin Astley's THE SAINT and Laurie Johnson's THE AVENGERS. You also get some very good obscurities as Edwin Astley's DEPARTMENT S and Brian Dee's RETURN OF THE SAINT. There are many more.

I bought this on a whim, as I like male choral groups. Am I ever glad I bought it! The music is soaring, and the voices are magnificent. I don't know all of the technical stuff about recording, etc.--I just know I love this collection!