At long last! New #1!

[LeMartinPecheur]

I trust it won't be ruled Off Topic if I switch to the music and composers featured on this disc?

Mrs MartinePecheur and I have long loved Tallis's Spem in alium. When the Striggio 40-part motet hit the headlines and the airwaves some years ago my initial reaction was that Tallis had significantly improved on this model. Mrs MP confirmed this view after hearing it on Breakfast today. But hearing movements from the Striggio mass from the new disc has made me think that he cribbed a lot from there too (from the early movements IIRC??), in particular the effect of overlapping waves of sound as the various choirs enter in quick succession. So my belief in the native genius of TT as demonstrated in Spem has taken a bit of a knock.

What do other Tallis-lovers think? Any revisions in chronology allowing the possibility that T improved on S's motet, then S cribbed from T in writing the Mass would be much appreciated, in restoring old Jingoistic prejudices!

[Norfolk Born]

Does anyone know how many discs have to be sold to get in to the "specialist classical chart" ?

I understand that, in the USA, sales of a few hundred will get a CD into the Billboard Classical Top 10. Hilary Hahn had a No. 1 in the States last year with sales of 1000. I'm not sure whether these are one week's, or total, sales, but either way the answer to your question is probably 'not that many'. I remember watching a TV documentary quite a few years ago in which a sales manager at Philips was confidently predicting that a new Alfred Brendel CD of Mozart piano concertos would sell 5000 copies in the UK.

[teamsaint]

I must admit to being intrigued (and delighted) by the success of the new #1. Bearing in mind the staggering amount of discs Rieu undoubtedly sells, how did a disc of choral music by a largely unknown composer come to knock him off his perch? Was it lavish marketing from Decca? Was it endlessly played and plugged by Classic FM? Your thoughts, please!

Well for one thing, I suspect that volumes in this market are very low,which means that you don't have to move warehouse loads to get to no 1.
The striggio also has the benefit of being a choral work...purely a guess , but I bet a lot of amateur singers(of whom there are a lot) were waiting for this one. Its also an very unusal work , and If i'm not mistaken, the first recording is something of a long awaited item..and R3 has been giving it a good old airing, (and no doubt CFM too).

Anway, the main problem with the SCM chart is that R3 doesn't do nearly enough old style R1 type jingles during the run down !! SMP needs to get more like good ol Fluff Freeman .

[Norfolk Born]

If I hear 'At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal' one more time....

[Bax-of-Delights]

OK - Ofcachap,

Just for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BpQ_1RnolU&feature=related

[Norfolk Born]

Lovely....
A particular memory from the days when David Jacobs presented POTP (on a Saturday night?). The No. 2 record that week was 'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans', and over the airwaves came this amazingly suave voice: 'Let's fire Mr. (Freddie) Cannon...'