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Free Music Notes for Renaissance: Music for Inner PeaceFree Music Review: Beautiful CD Hit: 4 StarsI heard some sample tracks on iTunes and they really had an effect on me.. had to have the rest of the album. The singing is awe-inspiring. The Sixteen is an incredible.. "singing troupe"? Whatever you call them they're great.
The one thing I noticed in the recording was a very slight humming that's not audible at normal volumes. But if you really crank it, to like 11, it becomes irritatingly noticeable. I don't think it was my stereo equipment but anything's possible.
Very good CD though. Recommended.
Free Music Review: Relaxing Hit: 3 StarsNice selection, but it was not as "relaxing" as I would have expected. It would be good for ambiance music, though.
Free Music Review: Soothing Hit: 5 StarsEven my rap-hardened high school students repond positively to this recording. They want to know what the music is and how to get it. I love this recording. I'm not even sure how I came by it, but it is an important addition to my CD collection. I listen to it on "those" days when I feel like screaming and running. It has a magical effect on the entire classroom. It would also make excellent bedtime listening. If you are after relaxing music, this is a good fit.
Free Music Review: Ethereal Album Hit: 5 StarsI heard this album played on my local PBS station one morning and was in immediate love. It's worth every cent you'll pay for it.
Free Music Review: Great Music, Fine Performances Hit: 5 StarsFirst off, the title of this album is misleading. Only one of the tracks stems from the high Renaisance. The rest span from the Reformation period to contemporary. All of them are liturgical, all of a certain calm and meditative style--which could be inferred from the subtitle: "Music for Inner Peace."
But those are quibbles. The voices are excellent. The direction impeccable. The recording technique outstanding. And the program--given its self-immposed limitations of peaceful liturgical pieces--is very good. It was a stroke of programming genius to put the "miserere" of Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652) back to back with the "agnus dei" of Samuel Barber (1910-1981). The untrained ear might think the two pieces contemporary, even from the same composer, but for one trained in this genre of music, the differences of nuance are delightful and exhilirating.
I tend to prefer complete works, and listening through this album I sometimes wished for some livelier moments, but those quibbles aside, I am happy to assign a full five stars to this excellent recording. One of the advantages of a potpourri album such as this is that one gets to hear works from composers who might otherwise escape notice.
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