Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark



Voices like melting chocolate!, 21 Jun 2008
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

More than just a pretty facebook, 03 Jun 2008

What would initially appear to be an overnight rise to fame, assuming a best-selling debut album qualifies for that title, is more an inevitable result of the hard work, enthusiasm and an abundance of talent from these four male singers.

Each have a background of academic musical studies and live performances, as soloists and with choirs, which led to degrees of success as individuals even before meeting up on the Facebook website - although they do admit to knowing, or knowing of, each other before that.

Their career took a swift upturn after they made an impromptu performance at a house party and realised that they had a natural chemistry which created a unique sound in terms of vocal harmony. Soon after, the four approached manager Daniel Glatman (Blue and Fron Male Voice Choir) who promptly recognised their talent and found them a record deal with the Universal label.

The result is this debut album, named `Blake' after the English poet William Blake "because he was a man who embraced so many different styles of art and language" says band member Dominic Tighe.

For me, the most surprising aspect of the album is its constant emphasis on the harmony vocals which tend to drive the orchestral accompaniment to the rear of the sound mix. This is in contrast to many of the recent pop/classical artists who often allow the orchestral aspects of the song to be bought to the fore. This vocal emphasis produces a distinctive sound which lends a more personal feel to many of the songs.

Of the songs, they are all chosen by the band themselves and range from the romantically sung (in Italian) `Yo Te Voy a Amar' (I'll Make Love to You) to the dramatic Gladiator film score adaptation `In Paradisum'.

This is a band which has the looks to please a young fan base and the talent to satisfy the demands of a classically critical audience.


Very pleased, 10 Apr 2008
I bought this CD a while ago but I never get tired of listening to it. The harmonising is unbelievable.

Well Done Guys - this is just the start!!!, 27 Feb 2008
After hearing about them on Classic FM, I asked Father Christmas to bring me their debut album. I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed. I love both Il Divo and G4 and was very interested to see if they would be in a similar class. Guys, you are up there with Il Divo. You all have fantastic voices and your classical training shines through. I absolutely love "Hallelujah", which I am pleased to see has just been released as a single. The whole album is brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing you live at St James's Church in Piccadilly on 28 February. Keep up the good work.

Blake---Blake, 21 Jan 2008
Have to admit that I was blown away by the sound and the over all production on this album.It is indeed well worth adding to your collection and I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented act in the future.
Cyril....Dublin.. January 2008.

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark



Voices like melting chocolate!, 21 Jun 2008
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

More than just a pretty facebook, 03 Jun 2008

What would initially appear to be an overnight rise to fame, assuming a best-selling debut album qualifies for that title, is more an inevitable result of the hard work, enthusiasm and an abundance of talent from these four male singers.

Each have a background of academic musical studies and live performances, as soloists and with choirs, which led to degrees of success as individuals even before meeting up on the Facebook website - although they do admit to knowing, or knowing of, each other before that.

Their career took a swift upturn after they made an impromptu performance at a house party and realised that they had a natural chemistry which created a unique sound in terms of vocal harmony. Soon after, the four approached manager Daniel Glatman (Blue and Fron Male Voice Choir) who promptly recognised their talent and found them a record deal with the Universal label.

The result is this debut album, named `Blake' after the English poet William Blake "because he was a man who embraced so many different styles of art and language" says band member Dominic Tighe.

For me, the most surprising aspect of the album is its constant emphasis on the harmony vocals which tend to drive the orchestral accompaniment to the rear of the sound mix. This is in contrast to many of the recent pop/classical artists who often allow the orchestral aspects of the song to be bought to the fore. This vocal emphasis produces a distinctive sound which lends a more personal feel to many of the songs.

Of the songs, they are all chosen by the band themselves and range from the romantically sung (in Italian) `Yo Te Voy a Amar' (I'll Make Love to You) to the dramatic Gladiator film score adaptation `In Paradisum'.

This is a band which has the looks to please a young fan base and the talent to satisfy the demands of a classically critical audience.


Very pleased, 10 Apr 2008
I bought this CD a while ago but I never get tired of listening to it. The harmonising is unbelievable.

Well Done Guys - this is just the start!!!, 27 Feb 2008
After hearing about them on Classic FM, I asked Father Christmas to bring me their debut album. I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed. I love both Il Divo and G4 and was very interested to see if they would be in a similar class. Guys, you are up there with Il Divo. You all have fantastic voices and your classical training shines through. I absolutely love "Hallelujah", which I am pleased to see has just been released as a single. The whole album is brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing you live at St James's Church in Piccadilly on 28 February. Keep up the good work.

Blake---Blake, 21 Jan 2008
Have to admit that I was blown away by the sound and the over all production on this album.It is indeed well worth adding to your collection and I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented act in the future.
Cyril....Dublin.. January 2008.

disappointing, 28 Aug 2008
I have a number of classic fm albums, and this one was the first real disappointment. Less of an 'anthem fest', more of an 'oh yes, that is not a bad tune'.

For me it is the audio equivalent of a film I saw many years ago called 'good guys wear black'. The advertising poster looked great - 6 scenes of excitinbg action portrayed. When I watched the film, they were the only scenes of any interest in the entire movie.

The adverts for this album were a bit like that for me.

A bit of a let down, but still good, 31 Jul 2008
Most of the material on this compiliation has already been included on other Classic FM CD's from the last 2 years. Also when you think of anthems, I think of uplifting, upbeat high tempo music, however this is none of these. However there is the odd track which comes pretty close to the mark.

Having said this, the compilation is not unlistenable, although prehaps a bit more thought could have been put into the song choices. In future I feel Classic FM is in danger of doing another "Zadok the Priest" with some of these songs by thrashing them to death in placing them in every single album. Prehaps some different, rarely heard classical music is required?

Long Live Classical Music, 28 Jul 2008
Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark



Voices like melting chocolate!, 21 Jun 2008
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

More than just a pretty facebook, 03 Jun 2008

What would initially appear to be an overnight rise to fame, assuming a best-selling debut album qualifies for that title, is more an inevitable result of the hard work, enthusiasm and an abundance of talent from these four male singers.

Each have a background of academic musical studies and live performances, as soloists and with choirs, which led to degrees of success as individuals even before meeting up on the Facebook website - although they do admit to knowing, or knowing of, each other before that.

Their career took a swift upturn after they made an impromptu performance at a house party and realised that they had a natural chemistry which created a unique sound in terms of vocal harmony. Soon after, the four approached manager Daniel Glatman (Blue and Fron Male Voice Choir) who promptly recognised their talent and found them a record deal with the Universal label.

The result is this debut album, named `Blake' after the English poet William Blake "because he was a man who embraced so many different styles of art and language" says band member Dominic Tighe.

For me, the most surprising aspect of the album is its constant emphasis on the harmony vocals which tend to drive the orchestral accompaniment to the rear of the sound mix. This is in contrast to many of the recent pop/classical artists who often allow the orchestral aspects of the song to be bought to the fore. This vocal emphasis produces a distinctive sound which lends a more personal feel to many of the songs.

Of the songs, they are all chosen by the band themselves and range from the romantically sung (in Italian) `Yo Te Voy a Amar' (I'll Make Love to You) to the dramatic Gladiator film score adaptation `In Paradisum'.

This is a band which has the looks to please a young fan base and the talent to satisfy the demands of a classically critical audience.


Very pleased, 10 Apr 2008
I bought this CD a while ago but I never get tired of listening to it. The harmonising is unbelievable.

Well Done Guys - this is just the start!!!, 27 Feb 2008
After hearing about them on Classic FM, I asked Father Christmas to bring me their debut album. I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed. I love both Il Divo and G4 and was very interested to see if they would be in a similar class. Guys, you are up there with Il Divo. You all have fantastic voices and your classical training shines through. I absolutely love "Hallelujah", which I am pleased to see has just been released as a single. The whole album is brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing you live at St James's Church in Piccadilly on 28 February. Keep up the good work.

Blake---Blake, 21 Jan 2008
Have to admit that I was blown away by the sound and the over all production on this album.It is indeed well worth adding to your collection and I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented act in the future.
Cyril....Dublin.. January 2008.

disappointing, 28 Aug 2008
I have a number of classic fm albums, and this one was the first real disappointment. Less of an 'anthem fest', more of an 'oh yes, that is not a bad tune'.

For me it is the audio equivalent of a film I saw many years ago called 'good guys wear black'. The advertising poster looked great - 6 scenes of excitinbg action portrayed. When I watched the film, they were the only scenes of any interest in the entire movie.

The adverts for this album were a bit like that for me.

A bit of a let down, but still good, 31 Jul 2008
Most of the material on this compiliation has already been included on other Classic FM CD's from the last 2 years. Also when you think of anthems, I think of uplifting, upbeat high tempo music, however this is none of these. However there is the odd track which comes pretty close to the mark.

Having said this, the compilation is not unlistenable, although prehaps a bit more thought could have been put into the song choices. In future I feel Classic FM is in danger of doing another "Zadok the Priest" with some of these songs by thrashing them to death in placing them in every single album. Prehaps some different, rarely heard classical music is required?

Long Live Classical Music, 28 Jul 2008
Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!


Good-to-be-alive music, 25 Jun 2008
Brought up on TB1, I have to admit to bias but without doubt this is joyous music which lifts the spirits and makes one glad to be alive. Sit back and enjoy!

Thanks, Mike.

it just gets better week after week., 19 Jun 2008
Have had this lp for about a month,at first i thought it was t.b by orchestra but over the weeks it has developed a place of its own. It is not "planets" for the millenium ,it is a valid piece of classical styled music.Give it a go" your worth it".

Music?, 17 Jun 2008
I'd waited the two weeks it takes for parcels to cross from UK to the Gulf in huge anticipation after inadvertently discovering this album on Amazon - Oldfield taking a crack at galactic vibration - now you're talking!

What a deflationary, nay, interplanetary let-down.

I'm listening to and rejoicing in Amarok as I write - even though I'm depriving myself of sleep and have an early start, you simply cannot start Amarok and not go right through to the end of its glorious, muli-layered delights which include the most innovative bridges ever committed to tape - and I cannot help but wonder why Mike chose to align himself with Karl Jenkins and his Lowest Common Denominator Orchestral Music Prevention Officers. And I really could have done without the Queen of Twee halfway through this 21st Century Planet Suite (please!! - poor old Gustav must be spining like a top!). I am aghast and saddened that MOTS has apparently become the standard bearer for classical music ingenues????

Mike Oldfield is an under celebrated genius who has written, recorded and performed some of the world's most original, joyous, mournful, exciting, upsetting, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, lively, funny, mind bending music in my universe - sadly, only the faintest of echoes are found on this travesty.

If, by faint chance, this is your first exposure to the wonder that is Oldfield, please, please, please treat yourself to one, more or all of Tubular Bells (an integral part of my life for 35 years), Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Platinum (George Gerswhin never could have known how wrenchingly beatiful I Got Rhythm could be when slowed to a crawl), Crises and, again, the hour long, singular delight that is Amarok.

Don't be misled and think that this is Mike Oldfield at his best and, please, don't let the cloth-eared nincompoops drag you down - explore the work of this man with an open mind and join in revering his extensive gifts elswhere beyond the repetitious scope of this piffle.

Where's the trademark Mike Oldfield??, 07 Jun 2008
This much awaited album came as a disappointment. It may be good as a classical album, but the trademark seering guitars, the power and energy in the compositions are completely lacking. I agree with many other reviewers on Amazon and elsewhere. I thought this album might grow on me, so after listening to it for 3 months or so, still I feel it has not worked it's magic. Dear Mike, please give us another trademark album before you retire!

Great as usual, 18 May 2008
Again Mike Oldfield gave us a record that is unique but has his strong style. I was just a little surprised that CD is so short - but it is because there is never enought of listening of Mike's music.

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark



Voices like melting chocolate!, 21 Jun 2008
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

More than just a pretty facebook, 03 Jun 2008

What would initially appear to be an overnight rise to fame, assuming a best-selling debut album qualifies for that title, is more an inevitable result of the hard work, enthusiasm and an abundance of talent from these four male singers.

Each have a background of academic musical studies and live performances, as soloists and with choirs, which led to degrees of success as individuals even before meeting up on the Facebook website - although they do admit to knowing, or knowing of, each other before that.

Their career took a swift upturn after they made an impromptu performance at a house party and realised that they had a natural chemistry which created a unique sound in terms of vocal harmony. Soon after, the four approached manager Daniel Glatman (Blue and Fron Male Voice Choir) who promptly recognised their talent and found them a record deal with the Universal label.

The result is this debut album, named `Blake' after the English poet William Blake "because he was a man who embraced so many different styles of art and language" says band member Dominic Tighe.

For me, the most surprising aspect of the album is its constant emphasis on the harmony vocals which tend to drive the orchestral accompaniment to the rear of the sound mix. This is in contrast to many of the recent pop/classical artists who often allow the orchestral aspects of the song to be bought to the fore. This vocal emphasis produces a distinctive sound which lends a more personal feel to many of the songs.

Of the songs, they are all chosen by the band themselves and range from the romantically sung (in Italian) `Yo Te Voy a Amar' (I'll Make Love to You) to the dramatic Gladiator film score adaptation `In Paradisum'.

This is a band which has the looks to please a young fan base and the talent to satisfy the demands of a classically critical audience.


Very pleased, 10 Apr 2008
I bought this CD a while ago but I never get tired of listening to it. The harmonising is unbelievable.

Well Done Guys - this is just the start!!!, 27 Feb 2008
After hearing about them on Classic FM, I asked Father Christmas to bring me their debut album. I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed. I love both Il Divo and G4 and was very interested to see if they would be in a similar class. Guys, you are up there with Il Divo. You all have fantastic voices and your classical training shines through. I absolutely love "Hallelujah", which I am pleased to see has just been released as a single. The whole album is brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing you live at St James's Church in Piccadilly on 28 February. Keep up the good work.

Blake---Blake, 21 Jan 2008
Have to admit that I was blown away by the sound and the over all production on this album.It is indeed well worth adding to your collection and I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented act in the future.
Cyril....Dublin.. January 2008.

disappointing, 28 Aug 2008
I have a number of classic fm albums, and this one was the first real disappointment. Less of an 'anthem fest', more of an 'oh yes, that is not a bad tune'.

For me it is the audio equivalent of a film I saw many years ago called 'good guys wear black'. The advertising poster looked great - 6 scenes of excitinbg action portrayed. When I watched the film, they were the only scenes of any interest in the entire movie.

The adverts for this album were a bit like that for me.

A bit of a let down, but still good, 31 Jul 2008
Most of the material on this compiliation has already been included on other Classic FM CD's from the last 2 years. Also when you think of anthems, I think of uplifting, upbeat high tempo music, however this is none of these. However there is the odd track which comes pretty close to the mark.

Having said this, the compilation is not unlistenable, although prehaps a bit more thought could have been put into the song choices. In future I feel Classic FM is in danger of doing another "Zadok the Priest" with some of these songs by thrashing them to death in placing them in every single album. Prehaps some different, rarely heard classical music is required?

Long Live Classical Music, 28 Jul 2008
Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!


Good-to-be-alive music, 25 Jun 2008
Brought up on TB1, I have to admit to bias but without doubt this is joyous music which lifts the spirits and makes one glad to be alive. Sit back and enjoy!

Thanks, Mike.

it just gets better week after week., 19 Jun 2008
Have had this lp for about a month,at first i thought it was t.b by orchestra but over the weeks it has developed a place of its own. It is not "planets" for the millenium ,it is a valid piece of classical styled music.Give it a go" your worth it".

Music?, 17 Jun 2008
I'd waited the two weeks it takes for parcels to cross from UK to the Gulf in huge anticipation after inadvertently discovering this album on Amazon - Oldfield taking a crack at galactic vibration - now you're talking!

What a deflationary, nay, interplanetary let-down.

I'm listening to and rejoicing in Amarok as I write - even though I'm depriving myself of sleep and have an early start, you simply cannot start Amarok and not go right through to the end of its glorious, muli-layered delights which include the most innovative bridges ever committed to tape - and I cannot help but wonder why Mike chose to align himself with Karl Jenkins and his Lowest Common Denominator Orchestral Music Prevention Officers. And I really could have done without the Queen of Twee halfway through this 21st Century Planet Suite (please!! - poor old Gustav must be spining like a top!). I am aghast and saddened that MOTS has apparently become the standard bearer for classical music ingenues????

Mike Oldfield is an under celebrated genius who has written, recorded and performed some of the world's most original, joyous, mournful, exciting, upsetting, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, lively, funny, mind bending music in my universe - sadly, only the faintest of echoes are found on this travesty.

If, by faint chance, this is your first exposure to the wonder that is Oldfield, please, please, please treat yourself to one, more or all of Tubular Bells (an integral part of my life for 35 years), Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Platinum (George Gerswhin never could have known how wrenchingly beatiful I Got Rhythm could be when slowed to a crawl), Crises and, again, the hour long, singular delight that is Amarok.

Don't be misled and think that this is Mike Oldfield at his best and, please, don't let the cloth-eared nincompoops drag you down - explore the work of this man with an open mind and join in revering his extensive gifts elswhere beyond the repetitious scope of this piffle.

Where's the trademark Mike Oldfield??, 07 Jun 2008
This much awaited album came as a disappointment. It may be good as a classical album, but the trademark seering guitars, the power and energy in the compositions are completely lacking. I agree with many other reviewers on Amazon and elsewhere. I thought this album might grow on me, so after listening to it for 3 months or so, still I feel it has not worked it's magic. Dear Mike, please give us another trademark album before you retire!

Great as usual, 18 May 2008
Again Mike Oldfield gave us a record that is unique but has his strong style. I was just a little surprised that CD is so short - but it is because there is never enought of listening of Mike's music.

some of the most thrilling playing and ecstatic Bach ever recorded, 22 Oct 2006
The Church that Gould recorded the first nine works in Bach's seminal 'Art of the Fugue' burned down before he got round recording remaining pieces: a great shame given the masterful playing on this CD. People forget (or simply have no idea) that Gould studied organ alongside piano at Toronto Conservatory. He graduated in both instruments aged 12! Gould's mother was organist at a Toronto Anglican church, so not surprisingly organ playing was very much in Gould's blood and may go a long way to explaining his remarkable abilities in contrapuntal music.

Original reviews of this set (when it came out on LP) complained about the closeness of the recording, the microphones shoved close-up to the pipes. This was part of the Gould plan, and conceptually similar to the balances he preferred for his piano discs. I'm not an organist so I can't really comment on the style of his playing. As a listener I find this set thrilling. Above all Bach, Gould revered the Art of the Fugue. He plays the fugues with great erudition, judicious in his tempos, meticulous as ever in counterpoint, all lines emerging with total independence and clarity. There's a real thrill though in the music making, the fugues have tremendous energy and inner joy. A dry study in counterpoint this is not - its an affirmation.

The sound of the disc is a little unconventional in that the acoustic is quite dry, but I think the remastering has the balance about right. Gould wanted your to hear the counterpoint, it doesn't become subsumed in a cavernous acoustic. This disc is a real gem, some of the most thrilling playing and ecstatic Bach ever recorded. Its such a shame he didn't manage to finish this project, but we can be grateful for what he did record!

THE VERY SOUL OF MUSIC, 07 Sep 2006
What you will find on this disc is A) contrapunctus I-IX played on two different organs in 1962; B) contrapunctus I II & IV from a1981 TV broadcast; C) contrapunctus IX XI & XIII in mono from a radio broadcast in 1967; D) the unfinished contrapunctus XIV from what may or may not be the same TV broadcast as B); and as a final filler E) a prelude and fugue on the name BACH from a studio recording in 1980. Items B)-E) are given on the piano.

Gould's organ renderings ran into critical flak at the time, and whether for that reason or because organ-playing aggravated a shoulder condition that the maestro suffered from he never completed the project. The sound of the piano is a little below standard in C), with some background hiss and a slightly emaciated tone, but even it is not really bad, B) and D) are better, and E) better still sound-wise. The sound of the organs has been criticised, but I do not criticise it and indeed it suits me very well. Nothing in the sound-quality from start to finish interferes in any way with my appreciation of Gould's wonderful, visionary and unique Bach-playing.

This disc does not offer you the complete Art of Fugue, so anyone who wants what's here is going to want it for something special in the performance. Gould is always special I guess, but not special in ways that suit everyone. My feeling is that if you are of the school that wants the Art of Fugue played 'expressively' you can probably leave this offering alone. Once Gould sets a tempo he sticks to it unflinchingly without rubato, and except for some build-up in the tone as D) progresses there is a very restricted range of dynamics within each piece, although the individual pieces are strongly contrasted in respect of both volume-level and pace. Interestingly, in those numbers which he gives in two different performances, he takes a markedly different approach each time. Conrapunctus II IV and IX are very much faster in the piano version than on the organ, but contrapunctus I on the piano is taken very slowly indeed, lasting nearly twice as long as in the organ account. It is a matter of one's own concept of the work basically. For me, the Art of Fugue is the ultimate in abstract 'absolute' music. It is a monument of remote sublimity like pure mathematics or like the stars in the sky, and it is just there for us to wonder at and does not reach out to us or 'express' anything. The player's task is to convey its grandeur, and for me Gould does that as no other version, on any instruments whatsoever - Bach specifies none) has ever done for me, and I feel this most acutely in his much-criticised organ renderings. The organs he uses are not giants, and there is only limited use of the pedals. He uses mainly a detached fingering, although embracing a more legato style in contrapunctus VI. However it stands to reason that the parts in long sustained notes do not admit of the detached treatment, and I love Gould's selection of strongly contrasted stops to assist clarity further. These are the means he adopts. What these means are in furtherance of is an impression of utter grandeur in the sublime march of Bach's polyphony. It is even a privilege to be shown how this grandeur can be viewed from startlingly different angles in his alternative interpretations of 4 of the fugues.

The last fugue from the Art, the unfinished contrapunctus XIV, is taken at a very slow pace and ends abruptly where the dying composer left it. In the normal way of things I detest this procedure - whatever Bach intended it wasn't that, and in a composition that is the ne plus ultra of method many competent musicians have supplied conclusions that must, in the very nature of the case, approximate to what Bach himself would have done. However this was a television performance, and I gather that the camera was made to freeze at this point with Gould's right hand poised dramatically in mid-air. Gould, who kicked Ravel's piano transcription of La Valse into touch and wrote his own, is having none of that when it comes to Bach, and under the circumstances I stifle my own normal reaction to this abrupt hiatus.

One of the most extraordinary things about Bach is how popular he manages to be for all his seeming severity. The Art of Fugue is innocent of the lyricism that was also part of Bach's infinite musical gift, it makes no compromises with us, but I would say to newcomers to the work that Gould's accounts, partial as they are, would be the best place to start to know this unique and towering masterpiece. It is not any indivisible entity in any case. Better, to start with, to hear some of it presented like this than the entire set in many another, perhaps indeed in any other, version.

Cistercian chant, 11 Aug 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

chant, 16 Jul 2008
Beautifully haunting, played this cd for the 1st time on a car journey. My partner turned his nose up when it started to play but about 10 mins in he was changing his mind and by the end of play he said "I really enjoyed that".
Just sit back in your favourite chair put this on and let the stresses of work, family, whatever, just drift away.

Heaven Sent, 13 Jul 2008
I found this the most relaxing and complative music. I listened to this whilst recovering from a major operation and the medics noticed that whilst I was listening my blood pressure fell rapidly to normal. I find that when I can't sleep if I listen to this whilest in bed not only do I relax but it transports me to another more heavenly realm and I soon fall into a deep relxaing sleep. This is truly a wonderful sound; those who wrote this type of music so long ago certainly knew a thing or two about meditaion and its connection to humnan emotions.

Excellent, 09 Jul 2008
This was just what I hoped it would be, peaceful and relaxing.

I have never listened to anything like this before. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Helps to take the stress of the day away.

CD won't rip, 26 Jun 2008
CD won't play in my PC or rip to MP3, so beware.

It may or may not be enchanting etc but right now Universal have pulled a fast one by selling stuff I can't listen to.

Record companies need to grow up.

A GREAT GUITAR COMPILATION, 04 Aug 2008
As the previous reviewer said, this is a great introduction to the world of classical guitar music. As usual with ClassicFM Cd's, the quality of the music on offer is superb, with a few well known pieces that have been arranged for the guitar; like Elgar's Nimrod etc.. As said before, if your new to this style, or you want something to just relax to, then you can't go wrong with this.

'My first classical guitar album', 28 Jun 2008

This Classic FM 2CD collection of classical guitar music was released at the same time as the Classic FM `Full Works' series of 50 separate CDs, so was slightly upstaged and pushed to the back of the class.

However, it's Classic FM's first serious venture into the area of classical guitar music and with this in mind I think it's a well considered offering. It's not the `Ultimate' of course as the title claims - even a large collection of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia wouldn't scratch the surface - but it does score well I think for its success at displaying the versatility of the instrument.

Obvious inclusions are Stanley Myers' `Cavatina' (made famous by the film The Deerhunter) but more interesting perhaps are the transcriptions, from piano, of pieces such as Einaudi's `Le Onde' and Satie's `Gymnopedie No. 3' which I think really show off the ability of the instrument to play a wide range of musical styles.

The recordings are good, as is usual of Classic FM products, and the range of guitarists - John Williams is of course included, but many lesser known players are also on offer - provides a variety of playing techniques.

While certainly not the `Ultimate', this is a highly recommended and entertaining collection.


Brilliant!, 18 Feb 2008
I have this CD on constant repeat! The music is so varied but holds your attention every step of the way. Bocelli's voice is one you just have to fall in love with. His "Romanza" is 1 of my favourites but "Vivo Per Lei" has me hooked also. GET THIS CD!!!!!!

Almost perfect, 13 Jan 2008
There's not much to add to other people's reviews of this fine album. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that he recorded Vivo Per Lei in Spanish with Marta Sanchez, as Vivo Por Ella, and in my opinion it's a much better, more romantic version. If you can find their version, add it to your mp3 player. Apart from that, this is a great album.

Treat yourself and discover a master of his art!, 26 Dec 2007
To me Andrea Bocelli is the only person to truly cross the devide of popular music and opera. His voice is a classical instrument - within the same note he can switch to so many different emotions.

Opera critics enjoy making their little world inaccessible - but Andrea takes your hand and leads you to a new universe of music.

I don't speak Italien but enjoy a sense of what he is singing about through his interpretations. Buy this CD and you'll be won over, and probably dip into his previous works.

If you research his life, you will see he's a great inspiration.

Magnificent, 07 Dec 2007
I purchased this because I was a huge fan of Con Te Partiro and the English language version which is the duet Time to Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman. The man's voice and vocal range are absolutely outstanding, and the tracks on this album allow him to show that off to full effect. A great album for fans of Bocelli, or anyone who misses Pavarotti.

Not Completely the Best, 12 Nov 2007
Of course Andrea Bocelli is always great to listen to.

However, I don't want to be a kiljoy here but, how can a Bocelli album be described as 'the best' without him singing the brilliant 'Miserere'?

Mark



Voices like melting chocolate!, 21 Jun 2008
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

More than just a pretty facebook, 03 Jun 2008

What would initially appear to be an overnight rise to fame, assuming a best-selling debut album qualifies for that title, is more an inevitable result of the hard work, enthusiasm and an abundance of talent from these four male singers.

Each have a background of academic musical studies and live performances, as soloists and with choirs, which led to degrees of success as individuals even before meeting up on the Facebook website - although they do admit to knowing, or knowing of, each other before that.

Their career took a swift upturn after they made an impromptu performance at a house party and realised that they had a natural chemistry which created a unique sound in terms of vocal harmony. Soon after, the four approached manager Daniel Glatman (Blue and Fron Male Voice Choir) who promptly recognised their talent and found them a record deal with the Universal label.

The result is this debut album, named `Blake' after the English poet William Blake "because he was a man who embraced so many different styles of art and language" says band member Dominic Tighe.

For me, the most surprising aspect of the album is its constant emphasis on the harmony vocals which tend to drive the orchestral accompaniment to the rear of the sound mix. This is in contrast to many of the recent pop/classical artists who often allow the orchestral aspects of the song to be bought to the fore. This vocal emphasis produces a distinctive sound which lends a more personal feel to many of the songs.

Of the songs, they are all chosen by the band themselves and range from the romantically sung (in Italian) `Yo Te Voy a Amar' (I'll Make Love to You) to the dramatic Gladiator film score adaptation `In Paradisum'.

This is a band which has the looks to please a young fan base and the talent to satisfy the demands of a classically critical audience.


Very pleased, 10 Apr 2008
I bought this CD a while ago but I never get tired of listening to it. The harmonising is unbelievable.

Well Done Guys - this is just the start!!!, 27 Feb 2008
After hearing about them on Classic FM, I asked Father Christmas to bring me their debut album. I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed. I love both Il Divo and G4 and was very interested to see if they would be in a similar class. Guys, you are up there with Il Divo. You all have fantastic voices and your classical training shines through. I absolutely love "Hallelujah", which I am pleased to see has just been released as a single. The whole album is brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing you live at St James's Church in Piccadilly on 28 February. Keep up the good work.

Blake---Blake, 21 Jan 2008
Have to admit that I was blown away by the sound and the over all production on this album.It is indeed well worth adding to your collection and I am looking forward to hearing more from this talented act in the future.
Cyril....Dublin.. January 2008.

disappointing, 28 Aug 2008
I have a number of classic fm albums, and this one was the first real disappointment. Less of an 'anthem fest', more of an 'oh yes, that is not a bad tune'.

For me it is the audio equivalent of a film I saw many years ago called 'good guys wear black'. The advertising poster looked great - 6 scenes of excitinbg action portrayed. When I watched the film, they were the only scenes of any interest in the entire movie.

The adverts for this album were a bit like that for me.

A bit of a let down, but still good, 31 Jul 2008
Most of the material on this compiliation has already been included on other Classic FM CD's from the last 2 years. Also when you think of anthems, I think of uplifting, upbeat high tempo music, however this is none of these. However there is the odd track which comes pretty close to the mark.

Having said this, the compilation is not unlistenable, although prehaps a bit more thought could have been put into the song choices. In future I feel Classic FM is in danger of doing another "Zadok the Priest" with some of these songs by thrashing them to death in placing them in every single album. Prehaps some different, rarely heard classical music is required?

Long Live Classical Music, 28 Jul 2008
Classic FM has attempted to provide the classical music version of `rock anthems' to shake your head and punch the air to, an equivalent of Rainbow's `Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' anthem of the 1970's. Does it work? Yes of course it does because the Classic FM marketing team are in touch with the needs of today's classical music listeners.

The track list is comfortably predictable - Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner), Carmina Burana (Orff), Jupiter (from Holst's Planets), Pomp & Circumstance (Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory), A Night on a Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) and many, many more.

Those `many more' include three outstanding performances - Alfie Boe's version of Nessun Dorma, David Garrett's virtuoso (and breathtakingly fast) violin performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, and a truly patriotic version of Rule, Britannia! by mezzo soprano Sarah Walker from the days when the Last Night of the Proms was bold enough to host a flamboyant, Union Flag clad woman displaying true unabashed patriotism.

Now THAT'S what I call an anthem, great stuff!


Good-to-be-alive music, 25 Jun 2008
Brought up on TB1, I have to admit to bias but without doubt this is joyous music which lifts the spirits and makes one glad to be alive. Sit back and enjoy!

Thanks, Mike.

it just gets better week after week., 19 Jun 2008
Have had this lp for about a month,at first i thought it was t.b by orchestra but over the weeks it has developed a place of its own. It is not "planets" for the millenium ,it is a valid piece of classical styled music.Give it a go" your worth it".

Music?, 17 Jun 2008
I'd waited the two weeks it takes for parcels to cross from UK to the Gulf in huge anticipation after inadvertently discovering this album on Amazon - Oldfield taking a crack at galactic vibration - now you're talking!

What a deflationary, nay, interplanetary let-down.

I'm listening to and rejoicing in Amarok as I write - even though I'm depriving myself of sleep and have an early start, you simply cannot start Amarok and not go right through to the end of its glorious, muli-layered delights which include the most innovative bridges ever committed to tape - and I cannot help but wonder why Mike chose to align himself with Karl Jenkins and his Lowest Common Denominator Orchestral Music Prevention Officers. And I really could have done without the Queen of Twee halfway through this 21st Century Planet Suite (please!! - poor old Gustav must be spining like a top!). I am aghast and saddened that MOTS has apparently become the standard bearer for classical music ingenues????

Mike Oldfield is an under celebrated genius who has written, recorded and performed some of the world's most original, joyous, mournful, exciting, upsetting, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, lively, funny, mind bending music in my universe - sadly, only the faintest of echoes are found on this travesty.

If, by faint chance, this is your first exposure to the wonder that is Oldfield, please, please, please treat yourself to one, more or all of Tubular Bells (an integral part of my life for 35 years), Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Platinum (George Gerswhin never could have known how wrenchingly beatiful I Got Rhythm could be when slowed to a crawl), Crises and, again, the hour long, singular delight that is Amarok.

Don't be misled and think that this is Mike Oldfield at his best and, please, don't let the cloth-eared nincompoops drag you down - explore the work of this man with an open mind and join in revering his extensive gifts elswhere beyond the repetitious scope of this piffle.

Where's the trademark Mike Oldfield??, 07 Jun 2008
This much awaited album came as a disappointment. It may be good as a classical album, but the trademark seering guitars, the power and energy in the compositions are completely lacking. I agree with many other reviewers on Amazon and elsewhere. I thought this album might grow on me, so after listening to it for 3 months or so, still I feel it has not worked it's magic. Dear Mike, please give us another trademark album before you retire!

Great as usual, 18 May 2008
Again Mike Oldfield gave us a record that is unique but has his strong style. I was just a little surprised that CD is so short - but it is because there is never enought of listening of Mike's music.

some of the most thrilling playing and ecstatic Bach ever recorded, 22 Oct 2006
The Church that Gould recorded the first nine works in Bach's seminal 'Art of the Fugue' burned down before he got round recording remaining pieces: a great shame given the masterful playing on this CD. People forget (or simply have no idea) that Gould studied organ alongside piano at Toronto Conservatory. He graduated in both instruments aged 12! Gould's mother was organist at a Toronto Anglican church, so not surprisingly organ playing was very much in Gould's blood and may go a long way to explaining his remarkable abilities in contrapuntal music.

Original reviews of this set (when it came out on LP) complained about the closeness of the recording, the microphones shoved close-up to the pipes. This was part of the Gould plan, and conceptually similar to the balances he preferred for his piano discs. I'm not an organist so I can't really comment on the style of his playing. As a listener I find this set thrilling. Above all Bach, Gould revered the Art of the Fugue. He plays the fugues with great erudition, judicious in his tempos, meticulous as ever in counterpoint, all lines emerging with total independence and clarity. There's a real thrill though in the music making, the fugues have tremendous energy and inner joy. A dry study in counterpoint this is not - its an affirmation.

The sound of the disc is a little unconventional in that the acoustic is quite dry, but I think the remastering has the balance about right. Gould wanted your to hear the counterpoint, it doesn't become subsumed in a cavernous acoustic. This disc is a real gem, some of the most thrilling playing and ecstatic Bach ever recorded. Its such a shame he didn't manage to finish this project, but we can be grateful for what he did record!

THE VERY SOUL OF MUSIC, 07 Sep 2006
What you will find on this disc is A) contrapunctus I-IX played on two different organs in 1962; B) contrapunctus I II & IV from a1981 TV broadcast; C) contrapunctus IX XI & XIII in mono from a radio broadcast in 1967; D) the unfinished contrapunctus XIV from what may or may not be the same TV broadcast as B); and as a final filler E) a prelude and fugue on the name BACH from a studio recording in 1980. Items B)-E) are given on the piano.

Gould's organ renderings ran into critical flak at the time, and whether for that reason or because organ-playing aggravated a shoulder condition that the maestro suffered from he never completed the project. The sound of the piano is a little below standard in C), with some background hiss and a slightly emaciated tone, but even it is not really bad, B) and D) are better, and E) better still sound-wise. The sound of the organs has been criticised, but I do not criticise it and indeed it suits me very well. Nothing in the sound-quality from start to finish interferes in any way with my appreciation of Gould's wonderful, visionary and unique Bach-playing.

This disc does not offer you the complete Art of Fugue, so anyone who wants what's here is going to want it for something special in the performance. Gould is always special I guess, but not special in ways that suit everyone. My feeling is that if you are of the school that wants the Art of Fugue played 'expressively' you can probably leave this offering alone. Once Gould sets a tempo he sticks to it unflinchingly without rubato, and except for some build-up in the tone as D) progresses there is a very restricted range of dynamics within each piece, although the individual pieces are strongly contrasted in respect of both volume-level and pace. Interestingly, in those numbers which he gives in two different performances, he takes a markedly different approach each time. Conrapunctus II IV and IX are very much faster in the piano version than on the organ, but contrapunctus I on the piano is taken very slowly indeed, lasting nearly twice as long as in the organ account. It is a matter of one's own concept of the work basically. For me, the Art of Fugue is the ultimate in abstract 'absolute' music. It is a monument of remote sublimity like pure mathematics or like the stars in the sky, and it is just there for us to wonder at and does not reach out to us or 'express' anything. The player's task is to convey its grandeur, and for me Gould does that as no other version, on any instruments whatsoever - Bach specifies none) has ever done for me, and I feel this most acutely in his much-criticised organ renderings. The organs he uses are not giants, and there is only limited use of the pedals. He uses mainly a detached fingering, although embracing a more legato style in contrapunctus VI. However it stands to reason that the parts in long sustained notes do not admit of the detached treatment, and I love Gould's selection of strongly contrasted stops to assist clarity further. These are the means he adopts. What these means are in furtherance of is an impression of utter grandeur in the sublime march of Bach's polyphony. It is even a privilege to be shown how this grandeur can be viewed from startlingly different angles in his alternative interpretations of 4 of the fugues.

The last fugue from the Art, the unfinished contrapunctus XIV, is taken at a very slow pace and ends abruptly where the dying composer left it. In the normal way of things I detest this procedure - whatever Bach intended it wasn't that, and in a composition that is the ne plus ultra of method many competent musicians have supplied conclusions that must, in the very nature of the case, approximate to what Bach himself would have done. However this was a television performance, and I gather that the camera was made to freeze at this point with Gould's right hand poised dramatically in mid-air. Gould, who kicked Ravel's piano transcription of La Valse into touch and wrote his own, is having none of that when it comes to Bach, and under the circumstances I stifle my own normal reaction to this abrupt hiatus.

One of the most extraordinary things about Bach is how popular he manages to be for all his seeming severity. The Art of Fugue is innocent of the lyricism that was also part of Bach's infinite musical gift, it makes no compromises with us, but I would say to newcomers to the work that Gould's accounts, partial as they are, would be the best place to start to know this unique and towering masterpiece. It is not any indivisible entity in any case. Better, to start with, to hear some of it presented like this than the entire set in many another, perhaps indeed in any other, version.

THE BEST RECORDING EVER OF 'THE LARK', 16 Sep 2007
I JUST WANT TO AGREE WITH EVERY WORD THAT MR JORDAN HAD SAID ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR RECORDING, NOT JUST OF 'THE LARK', BUT OF SERENADE TO MUSIC ALSO. IN FACT I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ON THIS ALBUM! I BOUGHT MY VINYL COPY IN THE EARLY 70'S AND IT IS NOW SO WORN OUT THAT I DECIDED TO LOOK TO SEE IF A CD WAS AVAILABLE. WHAT JOY! NOT ONLY HAVE I BEEN ABLE TO FIND A CD OF MY TREASURED RECORDING, BUT WITH BONUS TRACKS, AND AT AN INCREDIBLY LOW PRICE. FOR ME THIS IS THE PURCHASE OF THE MONTH.

The greatest 'Lark Ascending' recording, 21 Jan 2006
This is the RVW disc which started my collection of his music over ten years ago. It opens with a beautifully performed 'Serenade to Music', the only vocal track on the album. If you are normally allergic to 'classical' singing and prefer instrumental pieces, this may just convert you, because it has so many bewitching moments - and besides, the vocals on this recording are not quite as forward as other versions.
Again, if your opinion of British music is that it consists of 'marches and ceremonials', the English Folk Song Suite may overturn your thoughts on that genre. It certainly does include a march, but it's irresistable, and the Intermezzo is a gem.
The Norfolk Rhapsody and Fen Country pieces are atmospheric tone-poems from RVW's