Scott Joplin Music

I am pretty happy with the CD I have. I noticed that these songs are not on other CD. Summer Time in Venice, Three Coins in the Fountain, The Impossible Dream, Send in The Clown, Somewhere My Love and Elizabethan Serenade. The sound quality is acceptable.

This cd is an ok collection of tunes from Mantovani.It's not the best but it's ok.This 2 cd set features songs such as three coins in a fountain,send in the clowns,skater's waltz,for once in my life and others.This isn't the only version of for once in my life Mantovani did.This version is light strings.Manti's other version is with a harpsicord and heavy strings.It is on Mantovani Scene/Mantovani Sound which has just come out from Vocolion.It also has such songs as dear heart,both sides now,honey and a lot of others.Amazon doesn't have this yet but I have just recieved my copy from another website.Like the other viewer said unfortuanly the sound quality is bad on the best of collection.I even heard somebody coughing on one track and there is some tape hiss from the transfer.I would like to recommend a 2 cd set by John Fox going under the name of the starry night orchestra that is put out by yestermusic(good music group)and has 30 tracks by Mr.Fox.Every song has a heavy string contingment and it states that these were played on beautiful music stations.John Foxes Strings are so beautiful.
The John Fox I'm talking about isn't the same John Fox that is a commedian that is sold on this site.

The quality of the recording is poor. You can hear flutter in the string passages, which is 90% of Mantovani's music! There is also hiss noise, and pops in piece transitions... Amateur transcription from tape to CD's, is my guess. Someone else made bad reviews regarding the poor recording on the same record label, so my suggestion is to stay away from the label Madacy Records.

This CD has a nice collection of Mantovani's work. The combination of older standards with "newer" (such as Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life")is great. This is the stuff that is usually mocked as "elevator music" but also considered by many good romancing background music. Many of these arrangements were heard on a local Beautiful Music FM station where I live before the format change. The only negative I have is for a "box set" there is no write-up on the Orchestra. It would have been nice to read about Mantovani and what inspired his arrangements, and the orchestra personnell. My copy was made in Canada by Madacy. Maybe someone who has contact with that company could recommend a booklet for any future copies made.

The Madacy Label has betrayed Mantovani's genious, and substituted poor recordings in these 2 CD's. I have immediately
cancelled all Madacy Label orders with everyone, and will investigate all future items with a Canadian origin prior to purchase.

Joseph C. Jernigan

After seeing all those 5 star reviews for this CD I'm going to feel like some kind of a schmuck, I don't care for this CD but do hear me out. I made it a point to see Evelyn when I saw a segment on her on some TV news magazine several years back. ("20/20", "48 Hours" or something) She finally came to Rochester. (NY) I went to see her and to say I was thrilled is an understatement. After the show she was selling and signing CD's in the lobby and that's where I purchased this disc. I got to meet her, talk to her, get her autgraph on the CD and finally, she posed with me for a picture I will never part with. I'm still thrilled to be able to say I met and talked to her and she couldn't have been more accomidating. Her beauty is far more than skin deep. I may not like this particular CD, frankly, I was always under the impression that this was their way of unloading these discs that just wouldn't sell but that's just my opinion. And I think my opinion pales in comparison to the other reviewers who obviously know a lot more about music than I ever will. I love just listening to her playing and marveling in her talent and abilities. Though this CD does wear thin on me, I will have to try some of her other discs. To admire her for her abilities because she is "profoundly" deaf I know is an insult to her and I hope she will forgive me for the fact that I do anyway. But I think she will also take heart in that I just marvel in her abilities anyway! Evelyn is an inspiration and I urge everyone to check out her website...easy browser search...she does amaze me. So, if you're not familiar with her music this might not be my first pick but the fact remains, if you're not familiar with her, just find SOMETHING of hers to listen to and make it a point to GET familiar. Like I said, she IS an inspiration and the next time she's in town I'll be there too!

One thing not mentioned in other reviews is that Evelyn Glennie is deaf! Her playing stands on its own, however listening to it and knowing at the same time that she CAN'T makes it all the more amazing.

This CD contains some of the most famous marimba literature ever produced, performed excellently and musically by the world's leading percussion soloist. The CD includes many works written for marimba (e.g. two Mexican Dances, Rhythm Song) as well as classical, ragtime, and piano literature. If the customer is interested in the hearing abilities of the marimba or looking for a standard of marimba music, this is a definite buy. Otherwise, this is just a must-buy.

Glennie's interpretation of Rhythm Song is extremely strict. She follows the dynamics to the letter, with moderate personal interpretation. At times, it seems almost mechanical and overly rehearsed. However, these do not detract from the overall performance. The song is still as complex, interesting, beautiful, and mesmerizing as possible. Glennie shows off her "chops" in the show piece, Flight of the Bumble Bee. The rapidity of her strokes are enough to astound the non-percussionist, and her musicality makes up for any doubts of her chops. The tempos in the two Mexican Dances are below that specified in the music. I would have preferred if she had taken the pieces up to tempo yet performed them as musically as she does at the slower tempo. The Maple Leaf Rag seems out of place in this CD. It does not follow the melody written by Scott Joplin, and though this is not Glennie's fault, the fact that she included it is. Since Glennie apparently wants to reflect the major influence that the xylophone has had on percussion, I would have included a George Hamilton Green instead, it would be more appropriate. Glennie's original composition, A Little Prayer, is beautiful, and truly lives up to its title. Her interpretation of Michi is superb, and respects Abe's style. The emotion provided is one of almost sorrow. My personal favorite piece is the last piece, Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, by Saint-Saëns. It shows off excellent rolls, terrific interpretation, and exquisite ensemble work between Glennie and her accompaniment, the National Philharmonic Orchestra. This piece sounds like it was written for marimba and orchestra.

This is truly a fine collection of music, and should appeal to anyone who appreciates fine playing. From start to finish, it invites repeated listening, and it would be rude not to accept the invitation. For those who never really focused on percussion in general or marimba in particular, this is a eye-opener. It's a real treat, buy it.

For those who don't know, Evelyn Glennie is one of the most talented percussionists in the world, if not the most talented. This CD is a great example of her talent and love of the marimba. This CD consists of traditional marimba literature as well as other pieces. No matter if you are a musician or not, this CD is thoroughly entertaining. If you don't typically listen to percussion music or even classical music at all, try expanding your horizons with this inspiring CD from one of the great percussionists of today.

While this is certainly not the best Mantovani Orchestra CD set, it is certainly not the worst either. This is a collection of treks through the various genres that Mantovani touched, e.g. Classics, Love Songs, International, Viennese, Italian, etc. well done by the orchestra that bears his name. You can tell that this collection is cobbled from a variety of sessions with different producers and sound engineers. Sessions sound slightly different one to the other, and although this isn't always the case, volume in one song might be a little too loud for the next or the last, necessitating a manual volume adjustment (not too much, but enough at times to get annoying). There is also an unevenness of production values (equalization, reverb, venue, etc.) across the package, making the set a bit inconsistent. These are nits, to be sure, but it does take away from the final product. The playing however is of high quality and done in the "Mantovani" cascading strings style. And, although all the songs could have easily fit on 5 CDs, the fact that each CD is "genre specific" makes for an easily targeted listening session, based on your mood. All in all, a very good, if not great, Mantovani collection. I am happy with my purchase of it.

The credit on the cover names "The Mantovnai Orchestra" yet the track descriptions indicate the performances were by Mantovani And His Orchestra. As any Mantovani fan will tell you, there is a huge difference between actual recordings of Mantovani And His Orchestra and anything else with the Mantovani name. Some are absolutely pitiful recordings. If this is a recording by Mantovani And His Orchestra, this is an outstanding value. I have not heard the offering yet so I cannot judge the remastering. Until I do, I will not feature the offering on the Mantovnai Fan Website.

These disc's are beautifully done - from the package to the music, they don't disappoint. A wonderful variety of classics and classical.

The Mantovanti Orchestra shows off their "marvelous versatility" in this "wonderful" collection of "8 CDs", with titles that tell you "just what to expect", such as: "The Love Songs", "Memorable Classics", "Itallian Favorites", "On Broadway", etc. You can set the MOOD for practically ANY occassion! There are even some "popular" selections that we all know and treasure like: "Moon River", "Over the Rainbow" and "Autum Leaves"!
You will NOT want to remove these GREAT CDs from your CD Player, once you have listened to them! They make "nice" background music for small get-togethers or "lovely" background music for those "ROMANTIC DINNERS", for you and your "SPECIAL SOMEONE"!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SET!!! It is a GREAT DEAL for the money, even at the full price!!!

I'm a HUGE Mantovani fan and have had mixed results trying to upgrade my collection to CDs. This collection is the original orchestra arrangements of all the classics. This is the one to buy.