Search - Carolyne M. Taylor, Jeffrey Biegel :: Classical Carols

A Finely Crafted Performance!

fingersofpraise | Virginia | 11/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mr. Biegel displays great artistry & sensitivity in his performance of these Christmas Carols merged with classical pieces. If you enjoy classical piano & songs of the season then this wonderful CD would be well worth your purchase. Selections range from soft & mellow to wildly exuberant & Mr. Biegel is equally a Master of both extremes! This CD comes highly recommended by me. In fact I've ordered 2 more to give as gifts:)"

Four stars for the music, but the label is a zero

J. L. Strouble | 12/30/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Four stars: Classical Carols is a lovely CD which blends familiar classical pieces with equally familiar traditional Christmas carols. Carolyne Taylor has chosen the pieces with obvious care and an exquisitely fine ear for the music. Sometimes gentle and lyrical, sometimes dramatic and soaring, the classical pieces segue seamlessly in and out of the carols. I actually found it a bit disconcerting at first, as I know most of these pieces very well and expected the next bar to follow as memory dictates. But now that I "know" the pieces as Taylor arranged them, they are becoming as familiar and pleasing as their standard counterparts.



Jeffrey Biegel renders the works beautifully, and the whole effect is one of effortless grace and musical mastery. You can check out excerpts of his other works at www.cyberecital.com and his website http://www.jeffreybiegel.com.



Now for the zero: I cannot recommend buying the CD, solely on the basis of the mechanical problems I've experienced. My first copy was prone to skipping. I returned it, but the replacement has the same flaw. Neither copy would play on my computer using the iTunes player (although Windows Media Player seemed to have no problems). With iTunes, the first 2 tracks played -- but nothing after that. When I tried to advance the tracks manually, the program stopped responding and had to be closed using Task Manager. Apparently iTunes couldn't read the CD. I've never heard of the Koch label and I wonder about the quality of manufacture. I'd be curious to know if others have experienced similar problems.



Classical Carols"