12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic – Angel Dances (FLAC)

Performer: 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, Jocelyn B. Smith
Conductor: Simon Halsey
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 248 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

01. Astor Piazolla arr. Jose Carli: La muerte del Ángel
02. Astor Piazolla arr. Jose Carli: Milonga del Ángel
03. Astor Piazolla arr. Jose Carli: La resurrección del Ángel
04. Volker Schlott / Jocelyn B. Smith: Let us praise Him
05. Giacomo Carissimi arr. Stephen Johns: Plorate
06. Claude Debussy arr. Rudolf Leopold: La Cathedrale engloutie
07. Arvo Pärt: Fratres
08. Schlott: A solis ortus cardine
09. Giuseppe Verdi arr. David Riniker: Ave Maria
10. J. S. Bach arr. David Riniker: Jesus bleibet meine Freude
11. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy arr. Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann: Trio and Double Quartet from Elijah
12. Markus Stockhausen: Miniatur (einer Seelenreise)

Awe-inspiring

The thick sound of the cellos in harmony, taking the lead, is perhaps not the norm for symphonic music but in this case it sounds quite amazing. I love this disc. I am a recent convert to the beauty of classical music so my expertise is very minimal. However, I do know good music:) My dear mother,who passed away four years ago, would ask me when I played classical music if I really liked it because she found it scary. I say this becasue , by contrast, I find the music to be relaxing , enhancing for creative endevors, especially on a disc such as this. The theme is in the title but the authors of the songs are as varied as history itself. My favorites from this disc are Astor Piazzolla’s “Milonga Del Angel,” “La Muerte Del Angel” and “La Resurreccion Del Angel” which open the disc and sets the bar quite high. The mournful emotions contrasted by fleeting flights of gaiety produced by the suite are heavenly. It is a good interpretation of Piazzolla’s(Astor Piazzolla: Tango – Concerto pour bandoneon angel suite. The music throughout this disc conjures images and feelings of divine, celestial beings. “Let us praise Him’ does not really work for me on this disc as it seems to direct. The gospel song is out of place amidst the angelic voices in chorus on other songs or the pure sanctified instrumental musings of some of the other tracks. The closing track, “Minautur” is an extended (12:50) song that features a jazzy-new-age inspired flugelhorn that serves a a fitting close to hearing this pure CD. This is great stuff that defies classification by rests easily between the ears. Recommended for classical music fans.