Search - Tomaso Albinoni, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faure :: Pops in Love

THE POPS UNDER WILLIAMS

ernest a. dupont | Pembroke, ON Canada | 02/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Echoes of Arthur Fiedler, especially in the GREENSLEEVES by Vaughn Williams. I thought this version was not as well done as the Fiedler, not as intense, but still lovely. A varied programme, including GYMNOPÉDIE 1 and 2 by Satie. The PAVANE by Fauré is hauntingly beautiful. And for Pachelbel CANON fans, this is the most beautiful version I have ever heard. The opening chords, with the organ and strings, is out of this (imperfect) world. Oh, to dream..."

Romantic Music From America's Orchestra

Alex Diaz-Granados | Miami, FL United States | 09/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although many of John Williams' Boston Pops Orchestra recordings showcase music from popular entertainment venues such as Broadway and Hollywood, in Pops In Love the emphasis is on short classical pieces by composers from various eras, ranging from the late Baroque to the post-Romanticism 20th century. Because the Boston Pops is the Superman to the Clark Kentish Boston Symphony Orchestra, it is not surprising that the quality of the performances in this CD is matchless, and the music here is suitable for romance-minded couples to listen to -- perhaps as accompaniment to a candlelight dinner. The 11 selections chosen by conductor Williams and ace producer John McClure are gentle, soft, and like love itself, at times wistful and melancholy. Some may even be familiar to movie watchers: Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel's famous Canon was heard in Robert Redford's 1980 film "Ordinary People," and Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor was heard -- with heart-rending effect in Peter Weir's "Gallipoli." Albinoni's Adagio and Maurice Ravel's "Pavane pour une infante defunte" (Pavane for a deceased princess) are perhaps the loveliest, if perhaps saddest, selections of this CD, which was recorded in Boston in June of 1985. Of the two, Albinoni's composition is noteworthy because it's not really an Albinoni composition at all. Rather, it is perhaps the cleverest musical forgery in history. Although it is based on fragments of an Albinoni piece, its true author was Remo Giazotto, one of Albinoni's biographers. No matter who wrote it, the Adagio is a moving, melancholy piece. Ravel's "Pavane for a Deceased Princess" is also singularly beautiful, with a repeated melodic refrain that is gentle yet haunting, I remember this piece having been adapted for a one-man show starring the actor who played Officer "Gross" Grossman in "Chips." The melancholy melody provided a sweet yet somber backdrop to this actor's bittersweet recollection of his marriage and the death of his beloved wife to cancer. Listeners getting over the end of a relationship may wish to skip these two tracks if they don't want to be moved to tears.The album also highlights Ralph Vaughn-Williams' "Fantasia on Greensleeves," a melody that dates as far back as the 16th century; legend has it that its composer was none other but Henry VIII himself."

Outstanding Canon

Seung Jae Lee | Boston, MA | 05/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those unfamiliar with Pacobel's Canon for Strings in D Minor, the piece features three sections of violins performing the same music, each section starting several measures behind the other (think of a round for classical music). This version of Pacobel's Canon is the ONLY one that I've heard that has the violas pitzachatta (the muscian's plucking the viola strings) in the background, all the other recordings that I've heard omit them. The viola section anchors the piece with their rhythm, lending a sense stability as this piece soars.This is the finest performance of the Canon for Strings that I've ever heard. The performance is incredibly complex as the musical theme intertwines with the melodies of the three violin sections. Heartbreakingly beautiful, this single track is worth owning this CD."