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Gloryland(more) »rank: 1854by: Anonymous 4, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall
: :Having left medieval chant and somewhat later polyphony behind and moved, musically, across the Atlantic with their last CD (American Angels), the women of Anonymous 4 are still exploring. For their move up a few centuries, their impeccable tonal purity remains, but a decidedly American twang has been added to some of the folksier, Southern mountain-based tunes and revival songs. It's as accurate and enchanting as everything else they do. Their sense of history, the when and where of the music they perform, manages to avoid academic stuffiness: this music communicates. Hymns, ballads, and revival songs make up Gloryland, and the 4 have ... |
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American Angels(more) »rank: 3776from: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
: :This, Anonymous 4's final recording, is a break from their usual 'early music' periods and locations; it presents American music, religious in nature, from the 18th and 19th centuries. And it's absolutely beautiful from start to finish. Their normal, exquisite technique and purity here blend to sound the way we imagined the ladies' choir in church meetings in America past might have sounded: sweet, sincere, and with harmonies recognizable yet somehow fresh. Some of the songs begin with the women singing 'fa, so la' exercises, which was called 'shape note' singing because some places taught singing with notes as shapes--circle, rectangle, diamond, triangle. ... |
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On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets(more) »rank: 2485by: Anonymous 4, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, Johanna Rose
: essential recording:This follow-up to Anonymous 4's debut 'hit,' An English Ladymass, is even better. From the choice of repertoire to the proficiency of the singing to the recorded sound, this is a standard-setting production. The 23 works--plainchants, carols, songs, and motets--invoke various aspects of the Christmas story: the visitation of the angel Gabriel, tributes to the Virgin Mary, gifts of the Magi, and hymns of praise for the birth of Christ. The sound is stunning: resonant yet intimate, warm yet vibrant. And while you can hear the individual character of each voice, together these four women make a sound of uncommon purity ... |
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Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King(more) »rank: 3953by: John Tavener, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Maxwell Davies, Geoffrey Burgon, Henry VIII, Benjamin Britten, Anonymous 4, Andrew Lawrence-King
: :This offbeat disc of seasonal songs and carols by the Anonymous 4 will delight their fans and please everyone else. The 19 selections include traditional folk melodies and texts, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, interspersed with fitting selections by contemporary composers including John Taverner, Benjamin Britten, and Peter Maxwell Davies, whose ethereal a cappella A Calender of Kings gets its first recording. Andrew Lawrence-King, playing Irish harp, Baroque harp, and psaltery with his accustomed finesse, is a major reason for the disc's success, accompanying most of the vocals and contributing three lovely solos. The disc is crammed with highlight ... |
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Noël: Carols & Chants for Christmas - Anonymous 4 (4 CD Set)(more) »rank: 14129from: Harmonia Mundi
: :This offbeat disc of seasonal songs and carols by the Anonymous 4 will delight their fans and please everyone else. The 19 selections include traditional folk melodies and texts, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, interspersed with fitting selections by contemporary composers including John Taverner, Benjamin Britten, and Peter Maxwell Davies, whose ethereal a cappella A Calender of Kings gets its first recording. Andrew Lawrence-King, playing Irish harp, Baroque harp, and psaltery with his accustomed finesse, is a major reason for the disc's success, accompanying most of the vocals and contributing three lovely solos. The disc is crammed with highlight ... |
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An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony(more) »rank: 28022by: Anonymous, Marsha Genensky, Anonymous 4
: essential recording:In the six years since this female quartet astonished the music world with its clear- voiced, impeccably sung renditions of medieval chant and polyphonic music, chant rose from the dark and dusty corners of classical music to enjoy a phenomenal run at center stage. New and reissued chant recordings achieved sales figures normally reserved for popular music. This is the recording that started it all (that Spanish monks disc came later), winning awards and earning near- permanent resident status on the national charts. Spiritually moving and vocally revelatory, this program re-creates a kind of mass sung in English churches during the ... |
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A Portrait Of Anonymous 4(more) »rank: 28600by: Anonymous 4
: :This sampler album of excerpts from seven other Anonymous 4 releases is a good introduction for anyone who is unacquainted with the A4's startlingly pure singing and virtually celestial blend. But if you fall under the spell of this outstanding a capella quartet, the present disc will become extraneous because you'll want to own the complete recordings from which it's drawn. If you prefer complete works to samplers, try taking the plunge with 'An English Ladymass' or 'On Yoolis Night.' --Sarah Bryan Miller |
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Richard Einhorn: Voices Of Light(more) »rank: 14999from: Sony
: :Voices of Light, inspired by the classic French silent film 'The Passion of Joan of Arc,' works as a cinematic accompaniment, but it's not movie music. Influenced by minimalism and the likes of Gorecki and Part, Einhorn's music is tonal and accessible. The texts--in Latin and antique French--are from the Bible, and from writings by (mostly) medieval women, including Joan of Arc herself. Joan is represented by the reliably intelligent and well-tuned Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer and Johanna Rose); soprano Susan Narucki sings her often high-flying lines with beauty and clarity. --Sarah Bryan Miller |
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Legends of St. Nicholas: Medieval Chant & Polyphony(more) »rank: 14870by: Anonymous 4, Gregorian Chant, St. Godrich, John Taverner, Codex Las Huelgas Anonymous
: :If you're feeling jaded at the prospect of the usual holiday fare, Anonymous 4 has a truly sublime musical treat in store with their latest release. The contemporary world has turned Santa Claus into an icon of consumerist mania, but the historical figure from whom he ultimately derives was a uniquely inspiring religious figure to medieval Europeans. Anonymous 4 has culled together music from the liturgy of the hours and other sources originally produced to celebrate the legends associated with the fourth-century St. Nicholas, who was considered the patron of sailors, unmarried women, Russia, and--ironically--merchants. As with their earlier Christmas celebration, On Yoolis Night, the ... |
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The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen(more) »rank: 30798from: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
: :The bad news is that this is Anonymous 4's final recording. The good news is that it's one of their best. Aside from a pair of brief 9th-century chants that flank the main program, the disc focuses on the music of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century Benedictine nun whose liturgical works broke new ground in their visionary texts, rich imagery, and melodic range. The selections here relate to themes associated with the Holy Spirit--the fire of creation, wisdom, the life-giving spirit, and love. The imagery of Hildegard's visionary texts is replete with references to the basic elements--air, earth, fire, and water. The results ... |


DVD features
Yes, the unrated edition of The Dukes of Hazzard has nudity... but no, it's not of Jessica Simpson, but topless sorority girls. There are also two sets--"PG-13" and "unrated"--of deleted scenes and bloopers. The four minutes of unrated deleted scenes (supplementing the 25 minutes of "PG-13" deleted scenes) include more sorority girls and a menage à trois for Johnny Knoxville . The five minutes of unrated bloopers (the same amount as the "PG-13" bloopers) feature a few more girls but mostly bad language. Featurettes discuss the Daisy Duke short shorts (and show how you can make your own), car stunts, and the making of the movie (narrated by a cast member of the original TV series). --David Horiuchi