or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Available to Download Now
 
Buy the MP3 album for £7.49
 
 
 
 
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 

Bliss: Orchestral Works

Various Artists Audio CD
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
Price: £10.90 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 6 to 12 days.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Buy the MP3 album for £7.49 at the Amazon MP3 Downloads store.


Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed


Product details

  • Audio CD (21 Dec 2004)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Universal Classics
  • ASIN: B00005QDYI
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 160,057 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         


Disc 1:

Samples
Song TitleArtist Time Price
Listen  1. Introduction and AllegroRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra12:12£1.49  Buy MP3 
Listen  2. Concerto for Cello & Orchestra - 1. Allegro decisoRobert Cohen13:47£1.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  3. Concerto for Cello & Orchestra - 2. LarghettoRobert Cohen 7:34£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  4. Concerto for Cello & Orchestra - 3. AllegroRobert Cohen 7:00£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  5. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Introduction: "The Lord is my Shepherd"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 6:59£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  6. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 1: "He leadeth me beside the still waters"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 3:31£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  7. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 2: "Thy rod and staff they comfort me"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2:44£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  8. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 3 "Lambs"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2:37£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  9. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 4: "He restoreth my soul"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2:26£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen10. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 5: "In green pastures"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 4:47£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen11. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Meditation 6:Through the valley of the shadow of death deathdeadeaRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra 4:24£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen12. Meditations on a theme by John Blow - Finale: "In the House of the Lord"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 7:00£0.79  Buy MP3 


Disc 2:

Samples
Song TitleArtist Time Price
Listen  1. Antiphonal fanfare for three brass choirs (1969)The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble 1:36£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  2. Flourish for two brass orchestras: "Greetings to a City"The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble 6:32£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  3. Fanfare for the Lord Mayor of LondonThe Philip Jones Brass Ensemble 1:48£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  4. Things to Come - Suite - PrologueThe National Philharmonic Orchestra 2:38£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  5. Things to Come - Suite - MarchThe National Philharmonic Orchestra 4:54£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  6. Things to Come - Suite - Building of the New WorldThe National Philharmonic Orchestra 2:10£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  7. Things to Come - Suite - Attack On The Moon GunThe National Philharmonic Orchestra 1:36£0.39  Buy MP3 
Listen  8. Things to Come - Suite - EpilogueThe National Philharmonic Orchestra 3:25£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen  9. Welcome the QueenLondon Symphony Orchestra 6:33£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen10. Theme and cadenza for violin and orchestraAlfredo Campoli 6:17£0.79  Buy MP3 
Listen11. Introduction and AllegroLondon Symphony Orchestra11:31£1.49  Buy MP3 


Customer Reviews

4 star
0
3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
5.0 out of 5 stars
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The present collection of works covers, in a very broad way, the entire career of Sir Arthur Bliss. Included are some examples of his "ceremonial" music, his film music, his concerted music, and in one particular case, two different performances of an important early orchestral work.

The ceremonial pieces should be approached purely in terms of the circumstances of their intended performances. As such, they certainly can not be judged as one would more properly evaluate the concert works. They are, however, effective pieces, cut wholly from updated Elgarian cloth, peppered with mild Waltonian dissonance of the Belshazzar variety. The concerted pieces for Cello and Violin respectively are, as always with Bliss, extremely well written, if perhaps a bit "out of date" stylistically when compared to similar pieces by, say, Britten, Tippett or even Edmund Rubbra. Bernard Herrmann's performance of the suite of pieces from the early film score "Things to Come" is solid and effective. The music, which strikes the ear as deriving from the idiom of Bliss' Colour Symphony written 14 years earlier is still quite effective, given the time of its composition and the nature of the film itself.

The real winner in the collection are the two performances of the 1925 Introduction and Allegro - one, an effective digital recording conducted by Barry Wordsworth, and a second, far more compelling analogue recording of a performance conducted by Bliss. The Wordsworth performance is certainly welcome for its clean sonics and "more proper" acoustic balance and presence. However, the performance tends to drag in places - and one feels that Wordworth doesn't quite get Bliss' architectural shape quite right. A certain overall momentum is lost. One anticipates the big molto ritardando in the penultimate measures to be an arrival point - not the place where the air is suddenly, inexplicably let out of the balloon. Bliss' performance demonstrates the real effectiveness of the score as well as his own abilities as a conductor. The performance really crackles - the forward momentum and energy of the performance more than compensates for its less than idea recording quality.

Bliss, the composer, is an interesting enigma. Thoroughly rooted in the Victorian ethos of Elgar, Bliss made a considerable effort at amalgamating elements from the new music of the post WW-I era. To the extent that he was able to find a path away from the more stolid composers of the late 19th century, his music shows a certain originality and is always well crafted. Unlike Walton, who found a much more original and coloful kind of neo-romanticism, Bliss tends to be overshadowed by his immediate older and younger colleagues. It is good to have this collection of pieces to remind us of the connection between Victorian England and the modern world.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges