MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
Plain text for smartphones
and printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:

A Musical Journey - France - A Musical Visit to Burgundy, Pays de la Loire, Franche-Comte
Chapter 1: Pays de la Loire, Landscapes
Chapter 2: River Cousin, Burgundy. Valley of the Loue, Comté. Rivers Erdre and Loire in the Pays de la Loire
Chapter 3: Le Pays de la Loire, Chateau Cheverney. Burgundy, Chateau d’Arlay. Loire thunderstorm. Burgundy, Chateau de Bussy
Chapter 4: Pays de la Loire, Chateau de Villandry
Music by Beethoven: Symphony No 6, Pastoral. Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Michael Halasz from Naxos CD 8.550135; Romance in G Takako Nishizaki (violin) Slovak Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Jean from Naxos CD 8. 550149
No recording dates or venues given
DVD Director: Roland Boss
Cameraman: H T Aschwanden
Audio Format: DTS 5.1. Dolby Digital 5.1. PCM Stereo 2.0
Video Format: NTSC. Region 0. Colour. Aspect ratio 4:3
NAXOS 2.110298 [52.47]

Experience Classicsonline


This Musical Journey certainly spreads itself widely around and across the northern areas of France. Its span extends from the Comté in the east, bordering Switzerland, to the wide reaches of the river Loire far to the west and approaching the Atlantic. Some of the focus is on grand houses, or chateaux as the French call them, and the environs of rivers. The trouble with this issue in particular, but also evident in others in the series, is the way the content flits from one area to another. It is often difficult for the watcher to know exactly which river, where or what is being looked at. Whilst I recognise that it is probably not economical to put place names as titles on the film, I do wonder if timings, via splits in Chapters, are the answer to this regular dilemma. In some instances I clearly recognised the locations and have indicated them by timings.
 
I have no difficulty with the rather bland opening showing a horse and trap driving between fields of corn-on-the-cob. Whilst these could be anywhere in France the pictures reflect the mood of the opening allegro of Beethoven’s Pastoral. More than many of these issues, the pictures and the mood of the music are consciously related. This is not merely when the views of a thunderstorm in the Loire, complete with lightning flashes, parallels the storm allegro of the symphony. It is similar with the Shepherd’s Song of Thanksgiving after the Storm when peace returns. Then the viewer can enjoy pictures of the vineyards of Burgundy with their immaculate rows of well kept vines reflecting the retail price of the product.
 
Particularly memorable are the views from the bridge over the river Loue in Ornans in the Comté (CH.2), a beautiful pastoral river-view of characteristic older houses. It is a view I look at every day as my wife painted it and is one of her works that decorate our lounge. It contrasts with the width of the Loire (16:00) with a cargo boat passing fine houses along the verdant waterside. That section also has a visit to the more recreational Lac de Saint Point, four miles long created by damming the river Daubs.
 
The Chateau at Cheverney is typical of the ornate opulence of many in the region (CH.3. 22.54min). Here hunting dogs are the order of today as well as yesteryear, as is horsemanship. The formal gardens at Cheverney are quite beautiful as is the accompanying music and playing (CH.4. 43.4).
 
After views of ripening tournesol sunflowers which provide oil and are widely grown in all agricultural areas of France the pictures conclude appropriately enough with a sunset.
 
Robert J Farr

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Error processing SSI file