Blue Sky 5 Music

Many reasonably sophisticated American and European musiclovers still think there are really no American classical music composers of note other than perhaps Gershwin and Copland. It is to the credit of the Naxos label, via their 'American Classics' series, that the lie is put to that notion. Each month there are new issues from Naxos containing music by American composers. And it was a brilliant idea for them to take selections from their dozens of releases of this music to put together this sampler of such music to illustrate a 100+ page essay on the subject by an eminent writer on music, Barrymore Laurence Scherer. The combination of 2 CDs of music tracks, Scherer's essay, a chronological outline, suggestions for further listening, even a map showing where various composers were born helps the 'student' learn much about our nation's musical heritage.

There are selections by twenty-eight composers stretching from the amazing Wagnerian 'Macbeth' Overture by William Henry Fry (1813-1864) to the very recent 'Rapture,' a percussion concerto by Michael Torke (b. 1961). Some selections are complete movements, others are shorter passages from larger works. Included are such gems as the first movement of Arthur Foote's Piano Quartet, the third movement of Henry Hadley's Fourth Symphony, Charles Ives's 'The Unanswered Question,' 'King Cotton' by John Philip Sousa, 'Maple Leaf Rag' by Scott Joplin, a passage (the exciting Spanish Waltz) from Walter Piston's 'The Incredible Flutist,' the finale of Copland's 'Billy the Kid,' the opening of Samuel Barber's luminous 'Knoxville - Summer of 1915,' 'Tonight' from Bernstein's 'West Side Story,' the opening of George Rochberg's masterful Violin Concerto, and John Adams's incredibly popular 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine.' Plus selections by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Edward MacDowell, George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Charles Wakefield Cadman, George Gershwin, George Antheil, Zez Confrey, William Schuman, John Cage, Gunther Schuller, Alan Hovhaness, Elliott Carter and Philip Glass. The performances are more than acceptable and in some instances ('Knoxville,' Rochberg's Violin Concerto) definitive.

I would heartily recommend this set (especially at its superbudget price) to anyone wanting to know more about the history of American classical music -- Scherer is a master of cogent, clear prose -- and wishing to hear examples of the broad range it has taken over the past couple of centuries. I can easily imagine this set being used in a music appreciation course. And I am sure it will spark interest in the newcomer to this branch of classical music.

2 CDs TT=ca. 160 mins.

Scott Morrison

This orchestral pink floyd is very classic even more classic than pink floyds The Wall.

There have been a number of Pink Floyd tribute albums in the past ten years, few of them any good, from electronic tributes to bluegrass sendups. But "Orchestral Maneuvers: The Music Of Pink Floyd" places the band's work in a form that fits them better. It's a shame this tribute was ripped off and overshadowed by "Us And Them: The Symphonic Pink Floyd" a few years later; David Palmer's brilliant arrangements and conducting of the skilled Royal Philharmonic Orchestra shine bright in variations on 'Run Like Hell' and especially the 'Brick In the Wall' series. One wouldn't expect 'Hey You' to appear here, but it works anyway, just like the subtle choir on 'Goodbye Blue Sky' and the curiosity-provoking take on 'Wish You Were Here.' The highlight is no doubt a variation on 'When the Tigers Broke Free,' which fares far better than its original version (from "The Wall" movie in 1982). "Orchestral Maneuvers" is classical variations at its finest, fitting and just short of essential for any Floyd fan's collection.

Like their later 1994 Pink Floyd recording, this recording of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Pink Floyd could have been so much better than it was. Essentially, it is a recording of a Pink Floyd tribute band backed by an orchestra. The use of electric guitar, electric bass, full trap set, vocalists and synthesizers detracts from the performance and leaves the listener longing for an actual symphonic version of these works. It would have been entirely different if it had been members of Pink Floyd contributing, however it was not. Therefore, it left something to be desired.

For a fully symphonic Pink Floyd experience, try "Us and Them" by the London Philharmonic.

There's nothing special about this tribute other than it being for Pink Floyd. For a new twist on Floyd favorites, Us & Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd is amazing.

After "Us And Them" by the London *Philharmonic* this sounds just... lukewarm. It doesn't give me wings, nore does it bring tears to my eyes, in awe of the sheer beauty of it all... it's ok I guess... but "OK" is not the word you want when describing a band like Pink Floyd.

It's always a pleasure listening to Alain Vanzo - the 'Nadir' of this live highlights recording. Spoorenberg also is in very good voice, though I've never heard of her before or since. The 'Nourabad' and 'Zurga' are no less than average.

So, the singing is lovely, sometimes even wonderful. Why then is it only a three star recording? Well, it's a highlights-edition without the libretto (meaning that noone really understands what this is all about). It's also recorded live, not always bad from a theatrical point of view, but the sound quality of this recording is unfortunately rather poor.

But, if the beauty of the singing itself means more to You than the sound quality, and if You like the idea of the essence of an opera caught on one disc instead of two, this is very good listening for hardly no money at all.

This recording was my first version of 'the pearlfishers', and I loved it. Today, when I own three versions of the opera, my first choice is the Vanzo/Micheau/Bacquier complete 1959 live recording with Rosenthal conducting. Although, for newcomers to the opera, I can recommend this recording as an introduction to some of the loveliest music ever written!

BY ITSELF, "BLUE SKIES" IS NOTHING SPECIAL...PAUL VAN DYK SAVES THE DAY WITH HIS BLAUER HIMMEL REMIX, AND FOR A NICE SET OPENER, ROBBERS OF ANTIQUITY TURN IN A GROOVY MINIMAL WORKOUT...

Yes its true, believe it. Brian Transeau (BT) is such an adept technical wizard, that he FABRICATED the words "Blue" and "Skies" from other Tori Amos works, time corrected and pitch corrected them, then wrote a track around it. Brilliant stuff - there's noone who can touch this guy's technical expertise in the studio...noone.

BT and Tori Amos seem destined for each other musically as they collaborate for Blue Skies. Her voice is ethereal and unusual, he is brilliant at musical arrangement. This beauty of a song deserves to be a great hit on the radio which it never was and never will be for all its uniqueness. I give this 4 stars only because all the remixes of this song are useless, only the original is perfect and requires no improvements whatsoever.

I'm not a big Tori Amos fan so it's not surprising I prefer the blue single to the silver one. Think blue, think BT & PvD trance goodness. Silver is for the pop tarts. Personally I think import singles are often hard to justify because they end up costing as much as much as a domestic album. But since we never get the good stuff, and I can't get enough BT, this will have to do. If you have all of his albums AND the Dreaming and Remember singles already and want more, this is what I would suggest. If you don't have those yet, go buy his better stuff first :) Then come back and decide if you too can't get enough.

Tori Amos cranks out yet another enchanting and exhilaring tune in her song "Blue Skies". This tune became popular in Clubs around the country shortly after its release 1997.It's airy melody along with its funky beat is absolutely mesmorizing! It's sure to please and both old and new Tori fans ought to have this CD for to add to their personal collection.