Search - Carol Wolfe, Nat D. Ayer, Irving Berlin :: Music Aboard The Titanic

Very good recording for the price.

08/15/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording provides a nice look into the musical trends of the upper class of early 1900s society. Although the quality of the music is certainly not that of I Salonisti, it is pleasant, clear, and relatively well-orchestrated. One of the problems with this recording, however, is that some of the pieces are not complete and/or played as they were intended to be played. The section "Dinner Dance" (tracks 12-15) includes Strauss' BLUE DANUBE; this CD's version is only a 2 1/2 minute "clip" from the original piece. Note also that -- depending on the type of audio CD player you have -- you may experience what one reviewer called "clicking" sounds. This has happend only on one CD player I have used.Despite the minor flaws in this CD, it is definately worth the fifteen or so dollars, if you are a fan of salon-style music.You may wish to consider the following other recordings at Amazon.com. I own all of them and am very impressed, overall:* LAST DANCE: MUSIC FOR A VANISHING ERA (I Salonisti) - EXCELLENT * AND THE BAND PLAYED ON: MUSIC ABOARD THE TITANIC (I Salonisti) - EXCELLENT * MUSIC FROM THE WHITE STAR SONGBOOK - VERY GOOD * THE MUSIC OF THE TITANIC - GOOD * 21 AUTHENTIC SONGS FROM TITANIC (Mary Jane Newman and the Southampton Pier Players) - EXCELLENT * TITANIC: MUSIC FROM THE FATEFUL VOYAGE (Ian Whitcomb & The White Star Orchestra) - EXCELLENT"

This 1997 CD came before the movie and it's a masterpiece...

Eddie Dattel | Memphis, Tennessee | 06/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1996, Carl Wolfe was commissioned to arrange music from the Titanic playlist (used by the White Star Line musicians) for the 1997 Titanic Exhibition. It is officially endorsed by the exhibition. Since its release, dozens of other CDs have followed, hoping to capitalize off of the success of the movie. Some aren't bad, but "Music Aboard The Titanic" is effective because it was written and arranged by a musician/composer who had served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as an arranger, conductor and musician. His two original pieces--"Leaving Queenstown" and "Fateful Hour"--are emotionally-charged and tie the entire work together as a concept CD. "Music Aboard The Titanic" is a real masterpiece. I should know--I was the one who commissioned Carl Wolfe for the job!"

Enjoyable, but flawed

David Bogosian | Glendale, CA USA | 08/26/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Overall, this is an enjoyable album that is worth purchasing. The playing is refined and elegant, and it succeeds in conveying the atmosphere of a tea room or lounge on the doomed ship. But, there are a number of areas where the recording could have been improved:- Many of the songs are represented only by the chorus, with the verses being completely absent. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", for instance, runs through the chorus 3 times, with slightly varying orchestration, but never do we hear the verse.- The string playing is pretty poor with regard to intonation. Passages where multiple strings are (supposedly) in unison come off a little harsh. Maybe that was the authentic way string players sounded back then? Doubtful.- The newly composed material that bookends the authentic original music is rather discordant in style. I found myself just playing the middle tracks, skipping the first and last two."