Two birds with TWO days - Bird #2
Well. I was planning on doing the "Two birds with one day" reviewing sequence in one day, but my day simply wasn't long enough...so here's Birdie #2 on the second day.
Yesterday, in my review of "50 Great Classical Masterpieces", I mentioned one piece which I had discovered, "A Dance of Clowns", by Mendelssohn. This piece is part of a set of music for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I purchased from Amazon and listened to over and over and over and over and over...
Overall sound quality: Good. I didn't notice any weak spots.
B
Selection: As the selection and organization was predetermined (well, when you order music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, how badly can they screw it up?), I'm not going to give a grade on either of these points.
Interperetation: Excellent. I was madly in love with this set of music from the first moment on. Within the first few seconds, you can see the fairies scurrying around and messing around in others' lives. ^_^ Some particular favorites of mine were tracks 7,8, and12 (the Intermezzo, Nocturne, and Marcia funebre). Lovely, lovely music, and Judi Dench (as narrator) did an excellent job. One of the reviewers on Amazon said that Ms. Dench didn't do a very good job. I think he said her voice was "sing-songy". So I was a little wary of how she would do - but that fear was dispelled from the first line she says. Cheers for Ms. Dench and the Boston Symphony Orchestra! I was kind of disappointed in how Mendelssohn handled the fairy singing, as I would've like something a little more wild and fey, rather than so classical, but it was bearable. Just a personal preference. Of course, that part was Mendelssohn's responsibility, so it doesn't really affect my grade for interperetation...just thought I'd mention it.
A+
Presentation: The cover (which you can see here) was good enough. I think they could've done better. Maybe if they had skipped the butterflies and had a picture of a fairie? Really, though, that's just a matter of personal taste...I guess...
B
Overall grade: B+
Grading Scale: A = Superb! B = Good enough C = Leaves something to be desired D = Are you blind? F = Idiots.
Random Quote of the Day:
"...but there is a kind of grace that comes / when tears revive a proud old house..."
-Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, 326-327, Fagles
Yesterday, in my review of "50 Great Classical Masterpieces", I mentioned one piece which I had discovered, "A Dance of Clowns", by Mendelssohn. This piece is part of a set of music for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I purchased from Amazon and listened to over and over and over and over and over...
Overall sound quality: Good. I didn't notice any weak spots.
B
Selection: As the selection and organization was predetermined (well, when you order music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, how badly can they screw it up?), I'm not going to give a grade on either of these points.
Interperetation: Excellent. I was madly in love with this set of music from the first moment on. Within the first few seconds, you can see the fairies scurrying around and messing around in others' lives. ^_^ Some particular favorites of mine were tracks 7,8, and12 (the Intermezzo, Nocturne, and Marcia funebre). Lovely, lovely music, and Judi Dench (as narrator) did an excellent job. One of the reviewers on Amazon said that Ms. Dench didn't do a very good job. I think he said her voice was "sing-songy". So I was a little wary of how she would do - but that fear was dispelled from the first line she says. Cheers for Ms. Dench and the Boston Symphony Orchestra! I was kind of disappointed in how Mendelssohn handled the fairy singing, as I would've like something a little more wild and fey, rather than so classical, but it was bearable. Just a personal preference. Of course, that part was Mendelssohn's responsibility, so it doesn't really affect my grade for interperetation...just thought I'd mention it.
A+
Presentation: The cover (which you can see here) was good enough. I think they could've done better. Maybe if they had skipped the butterflies and had a picture of a fairie? Really, though, that's just a matter of personal taste...I guess...
B
Overall grade: B+
Grading Scale: A = Superb! B = Good enough C = Leaves something to be desired D = Are you blind? F = Idiots.
Random Quote of the Day:
"...but there is a kind of grace that comes / when tears revive a proud old house..."
-Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, 326-327, Fagles
thus said The Meganekko at 9:47 PM
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