Composer Paul Schwartz's success on the new age and classical crossover charts may be traced to his willingness to address many different aspects of the audiences for those musical styles. Fans of Enya and Enigma, of Yanni and George Winston, will not be turned away from a Schwartz recording. This crowd-pleasing aspect of Schwartz's music is apparent in his fondness for sequels; this is the third in his spiritually oriented State of Grace series, and he is also three albums into his Aria franchise of reinvented opera music. ...
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Composer Paul Schwartz's success on the new age and classical crossover charts may be traced to his willingness to address many different aspects of the audiences for those musical styles. Fans of Enya and Enigma, of Yanni and George Winston, will not be turned away from a Schwartz recording. This crowd-pleasing aspect of Schwartz's music is apparent in his fondness for sequels; this is the third in his spiritually oriented State of Grace series, and he is also three albums into his Aria franchise of reinvented opera music. State of Grace III is typically eclectic, starting with "Christie Redemptor," which marries lyrics from an Advent hymn sung by a heavily echoed Lisbeth Scott to techno beats underlying a string section. "Agnus Dei" boasts a choir, leading into the traditional "Beams of Heaven," which finds Scott fronting an orchestra. Acoustic guitarist Billy Sideman is heard on the folkish "Center of My Heart," a song which he co-wrote, and the two parts of "Lux Aeterna" and "...Et Lux Perpetua" sound like background music in search of a soundtrack to attach itself to. Scott returns for the simple "To You" and "Listen," for which she provided lyrics. "Salve Regina" borrows more Latin, this time sung by Broadway star Rebecca Luker, leading into Schwartz's piano in a duet with violinist Lucia Micarelli on "Soledad." The album concludes with two so-called "bonus tracks," which are borrowed from the first two State of Grace albums. The compositions are long enough to establish their varying moods, but no one style overstays its welcome, making the disc seem more like a sampler by different performers than a coherent whole, but that's worked for Schwartz in the past. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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Add this copy of State of Grace III to cart. $3.42, fair condition, Sold by GoodwillVSB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxnard, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Koch.
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Fair. This is a USED ITEM. The CD may have minor SCUFFS or SCRATCHES but is expected to function properly. The packaging has some damage which may include CRACKS, CHIPS or SCRATCHES. Thank you for supporting Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara County in our mission to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families through education, skills training, and the power of employment. OUR MEDIA HAS NOT BEEN TESTED. WE CLEAN OUR DISK FOR MINOR SCRACTHES.
Add this copy of State of Grace III to cart. $8.03, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Koch.