Monthly Archive: May 2015
Ginger Berglund & Scott Whitfield – Sing: Solitary Moon/ The Johnny Mandel Songbook – Bi-Coastal Music
A winning combination – Johnny Mandel’s music, great vocal blend, and superb musicians…
TALBOT: Path of Miracles – Conspirare/ Craig Hella Johnson – Harmonia mundi
This is my second go ‘round with this work. The first was very fine, but this one’s really got game.
MARAIS: Alcione–Suites des Airs à Jouer, 1706 – Le Concert des Nations/ Jordi Savall – Alia Vox
Another fine upgrade for SACD of an earlier Jordi Savall recording.
The Art of BACH = Arr. by Kurtag – Greg Anderson & Elizabeth Joy Roe, pianos/ Augustin Hadelich, violin – Steinway & Sons
Piano duo Anderson & Roe compress the “total” Bach experience into a dazzling and devotional selection of the Master’s musical styles.
DUKAS: L’apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice); La Péri: Fanfare; La Péri: Poème dansé; Symphony in C Major – RTÉ National Sym. Orch./ Jean-Luc Tingaud – Naxos
Tingaud has his Irish band sounding verrry French, and Naxos’ crystalline sonics are some of the best from this source.
Seiichi Nakamura Quintet + 2 – The Boss – TBM/ Master Music xrcd24
Lost performance released after forty years with an audio upgrade.
BEETHOVEN: Complete Sonatas and Variations for Pianoforte and Violoncello = Matt Haimovitz, cello / Christopher O’Reilly, fortepiano – PENTATONE (2 SACDs)
Sensitive, even soulful, playing by Haimovitz and crisp articulation of the piano part on a mellifluous Broadwood of Beethoven’s day.
Stokowski – Gala Night at the Opera = Works of WAGNER, MOZART, GOUNOD, BORODIN, VERDI & PUCCINI – Soloists/Philadelphia Orch./ Leopold Stokowski – Guild
Guild permits us to relive the spectacular gala event in Philadelphia, 1962, when Stokowski led an operatic tribute to the Academy of Music.
“BRAHMS by Heart” = String Quartet No. 1 in c minor; String Quartet No. 2 in a minor; String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major; String Quintet in G Major – Chiara String Q./ Roger Tapping, viola – Azica (2 CDs)
These players do seem to know Brahms by heart.
Maria Schneider Orchestra – The Thompson Fields – ArtistShare
Beyond categorization…simply sublime…
Jupiter Ascending, Blu-ray 3D (2015)
Exceptional CGI effects, especially in 3D, but not as great as The Matrix from the same creators.
Amadeus Quartet, Vol. 4, Modernism = Quartets of BRITTEN, TIPPETT, PURCELL, SEIBER & BARTOK – Audite (2 CDs)
Music of Britain and Germany engages the Amadeus Quartet for their 1950-1956 series of inscriptions for RIAS.
SCHUMANN: Violin Concerto in d minor; Piano Trio No. 3 in g minor, Op. 110 – Isabelle Faust, violin/ Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello, Alexander Melnikov, p./ Freiburger Barockorchester/ Pablo Heras-Casado – Harmonia mundi (CD + DVD)
The Faust-Queyvas-Melnikov trio embarks on a Schumann project that embraces the concertos and piano trios.
Event at The Los Angeles Jazz Institute – Music for Lighthousekeeping – May 21-24, 2015 – Sheraton Gateway Hotel – Los Angeles, Ca. – 27 concerts, rare films and panel discussions
“Nurturing the garden” – An all-star live tribute to Howard Rumsey & the Lighthouse…
DEBUSSY: Beau Soir; L’isle joyeuse; The Little Shepherd; Danse – Tarantelle styrienne; Élégie, L138; Études pour piano: No. 5 ‘Pour les octaves’; Valse romantique; La plus que lente; Préludes from Book 2 – Michael Lewin, p. – Sono Luminus – Pure Audio Blu-ray + CD
A sonic spectacular in performances that might not equal the best of the past, but are certainly as good as what we find today.
HINDEMITH: Piano Sonatas 1 – 3; Suite “1922” – David Korevaar, p. – MSR Classics
Ecstatic Hindemith worth every penny.
Audio News for May 29, 2015
Lenovo Plans $49 Streaming Media Device; DirecTV Launches Two New Satellites; Dolby Audio Extended to Windows 10 & Edge Browser; Some Startling Statistics About China and Technology; Klaus Heymann of Naxos Wins Yale University Medal
Lorenzo Feliciati – Koi [TrackList follows] – RareNoise
One fish, two fish, red fish…concept album.
Duke Ellington – The Original Recordings That Inspired The Broadway Hit “After Midnight” – Legacy Recordings
This is a worthwhile potpourri of early Duke.
*KALEVI AHO: Nineteen Preludes; Three Small Pieces; Two Easy Pieces for Children; Sonatina; Solo II; Sonata – Sonja Fraki, piano – BIS
************* MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ************
An outstanding recital of Aho’s most important piano music, enthusiastically urged upon all.
FAURE: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13; SCHUMANN: Violin Sonata No. 1 in a, Op. 105; BARTOK: Violin Sonata No. 2, SZ 76 – Jade Duo – MSR Classics
It shouldn’t work at all, coupling these composers together, but the results are amazing.
Jerry Lawson – Just a Mortal Man – With the McCrary Sisters, Peter Cooper, and Eric Brace – Red Beet Records
Jerry Lawson’s Just a Mortal Man is refreshingly free of clunkers.