"Baroque Spanish carols. Beautiful."

"This sampler is just plain gorgeous."

"This CD is not 100% baroque, but the ..." more

"This CD is not 100% baroque, but the vast majority of the tracks fall within that period. It is a mixture of compositions from 1600 Italy to 1900 Argentina. I am a baroque girl by heart and I rarely venture further into the later classical works - so I was a bit surprised to find how much the last track (a 20th century composition) touched me. Veronica Cangemi's voice blends seamlessly with the haunting cello on this one and it is a highlight of the whole CD. I believe this will become one of my favorite vocal baroque CDs of this year." less

"This is the astonishing Handel record..." more

"This is the astonishing Handel recording that took the opera world by storm, critics lavishing praise on it right and left. And it really IS that good!!" less

"I would be hard pressed to name a bet..." more

"I would be hard pressed to name a better Vivaldi operatic release. Gorgeous and exciting from start to finish." less

"One of the best and most beautiful, i..." more

"One of the best and most beautiful, inspiring recordings I've heard." less

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Espe..." more

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Especially the Phillipe Jarouskky tracks and also tracks 2,8, and 13." less

"One of the most beautiful opera recor..." more

"One of the most beautiful opera recordings I have ever heard. See my review on the album page." less

"I believe this is the only complete s..." more

"I believe this is the only complete set of Handel anthems on disk. You could pay $53 for the 4-CD set, or $33 for mp3 download on Amazon...or download here! This is a beautifully done collection of works. See Amazon reviews here." less

"This was quite a surprise for me and ..." more

"This was quite a surprise for me and has turned out to be one of my all-time best eMusic finds. Despite the fact that I never heard of the vocalists, the ensemble, the composer, or the record label, I gave it a listen and was amazed. Turns out Jose de Nebra is generally thought to be the greatest baroque composer of Spain. This recording is splendid in every way." less

"Very, very beautiful disk by the coun..." more

"Very, very beautiful disk by the countertenor who performed with the Suzuki group on the early volumes of the Suzuki Bach cantatas." less

"This recording includes a re-work by ..." more

"This recording includes a re-work by Bach of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, renamed as Psalm 51. A very, very worthy effort. The recording of Cantata 82 on this disk is one of the most beautiful I have heard. Review here " less

"Philippe Jaroussky is one of the best..." more

"Philippe Jaroussky is one of the best baroque singers of all time, in my opinion. This CD is absolutely wonderful. The duets with Marie-Nicole Lemieux are especially gorgeous. Standout tracks include tracks 4, 7 and especially track 10. Wow.
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"If you're a fan of Emma Kirkby, you m..." more

"If you're a fan of Emma Kirkby, you may have missed this one on eMu, as it is listed only under the artist name of Katarina Bengston. I had trouble finding this one again after I downloaded it! The album cover credits Emma Kirkby, Michael Chance, Charles Daniels, Peter Harvey, and The Purcell Quartet. This recording makes a strong case for OVPP (one voice per part) interpretations. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. One of my favorite CDs." less

"L'Astree nails the concertos. Perfect..." more

"L'Astree nails the concertos. Perfectly played. Cantata 656 is absolutely beautiful." less

"Another winning CD from Bis. (Track 2..." more

"Another winning CD from Bis. (Track 2 is on the free Bis sampler.)" less

"The title to this CD is deceiving, as..." more

"The title to this CD is deceiving, as it is not a recording of only sacred arias. It contains at least as many instrumental pieces, which are performed as beautifully as the vocal selections. Very highly recommended CD. Review here
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"Sublime."

"A most glorious recording. Not only d..." more

"A most glorious recording. Not only do we have the angelic voice of Emma Kirkby here, but that of countertenor Michael Chance, as well. The other contributing vocalists are equally impressive. Top all that off with a superb performance by Collegium Musicum 90. The Vivaldi pieces are played crisp, lively and clear. The Gloria is divine. The 2nd movement is reminiscent of Arvo Part, beefed up with an infusion of Vivaldi's passion and vitality with its repetitive crescendos. Perhaps the best of all is the ending piece, Bach's Magnificat. I expected great things from this album, but it exceeded my highest expectation. I played this CD exclusively for a week over and over from start to finish, and still come back to it often. I enjoy it that much." less

"Thanks to BIS' free 35th Anniversary ..." more

"Thanks to BIS' free 35th Anniversary CD (which includes the 1st 3 tracks of this recording)I was introduced to this wonderful CD. Emma Kirkby has the voice of an angel, and London Baroque does an excellent job of accompanying her. Together, they are pure dynamite. The Salve Regina and Psalm 112 are particularly noteworthy." less

"No one knows exactly when or why Hand..." more

"No one knows exactly when or why Handel wrote these 9 German Arias - they were never published in his lifetime and survived only in Handel's autograph copy. It is generally beleived they were either a commission from, or possibly a gift for, the Hamburg poet Barthold Hinrich Brockes, whose verse collection "Earthly Exultations in God" provide the texts for the arias. In any case, these arias are real gems. Soprano Christina Hogman sings them beautifully, and the ensemble I Quattro Temperamenti plays impeccably in a gorgeous chamber setting. Any Handel fan should add this lovely recording to their collection." less

"Classics Today states this recording ..." more

"Classics Today states this recording "may indeed be the best B minor Mass ever recorded, and that is saying a lot in a field where you can hardly throw a stone without hitting a great one... The period instruments are magnificent, and the 23-member choir sings with a loving tone quality that is impossible to get out of your head when all is over..." "Radiantly beautiful," according to this review." less

"This CD got a 10/10 sound rating from..." more

"This CD got a 10/10 sound rating from Classics Today. Read their review if you need further convincing of this recording's merit. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=78508 This is beautiful strings married to a beautiful voice for a truly mezmerizing listening experience.
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"It is a mystery how this great compos..." more

"It is a mystery how this great composer can be so little known. This CD is not just for those who like opera. There are some GORGEOUS instrumentals also. Don't take my word for it. Here's an excerpt from a review: "The disc under consideration offers a glimpse of [Galuppis] operae serie plus a couple of other arias. Performed by the extremely accomplished Catherine King and the period instrument ensemble Il canto di Orfeo, it is a knock-out. The band: solo strings, theorbo, harpsichord and occasionally supplemented by two natural trumpets and an oboe, play with an energy and freshness that strikes the listener dumb with amazement." (Read the entire review - there's lots more glowing praise): here" less

"This album has 4 instrumentals and 2 ..." more

"This album has 4 instrumentals and 2 vocal pieces - the 'Laudate Pueri'and 'Salve Regina'. These vocal pieces have taught me that the human voice adds a whole other wonderful dimension to Vivaldi's music, the voice dancing in and out and all around the strings. The program on this CD makes it an excellent complementary disk to the the CD "In Furore" distributed by Naive/Opus 111 (not available on eMu yet in the U.S., but hopefully will get added soon). Read a review of this wonderful CD here." less

"I thought I hated opera - then I disc..." more

"I thought I hated opera - then I discovered Sandrine Piau, a soprano singer that actually sounded nice to my ear - this CD featuring Piau is an award winning CD (Editor's Choice in both Gramophone and BBC Music magazines), but the CD that introduced me to Sandrine Piau is "Handel - Arie e duetti d'amore" with Fabio Biondi & Europa Galante (not available on emusic, but worth looking for)." less

"Spectacular!"