Monthly Archive: June 2016
Audio News for June 21, 2016
Bowie Classical Tribute Scheduled – Glastonbury in the UK will have a tribute concert for the late David Bowie tomorrow. Philip Glass will conduct his 1966 orchestral work Heroes Symphony which was a tribute to the 1977 Bowie album Heroes. The music will be backed by an immersive light and laserworks show by Chris Levine. […]
MENDELSSOHN: Ov. & Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream; SCHUBERT: Sym. No. 8 – Soloists/Vienna Sym./ Clemens Krauss – Opus Kura
Viennese conductor Clemens Krauss finds seamless restorations in these rare moments in his impressive repertory. MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Op. 21; Incidental Music, Op. 61; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in b minor, D. 759 “Unfinished” – Dagmar Herman, mezzo-sop,/ Ilona Steingruber, sop./ Vienna Sym. Orch./ Chorus of the Vienna State Orch./ Bamberg Sym. […]
“British, Now!” (Works of BRITTEN, BERKELEY, BRYARS & NYMAN) – Dogma Ch. Orch./Mikhail Gurewitsch – Audio Max
A nice chamber orchestra disc in surround of British music from four composers. “British, Now!” BRITTEN: Simple Sym.; BERKELEY: Antiphone for Strings; BRYARS: In Nomine; NYMAN: When Ingrid Met Capa – Dogma Ch. Orch./ Mikhail Gurewitsch – Audio Max (D&G) 912 1944-6, 48:52 multichannel SACD [4/29/16] (2+2+2) ****: This enjoyable program was inspired by the […]
Two complete French Suites of BACH – HM (harpsichord) & Resonus (clavichord)
Bach: Two complete French Suites – one on harpsichord, one on clavichord. BACH: The Six French Suites – Richard Egarr, harpsichord – Harmonia mundi HMU 907583.84, 1 hr. 45:33 (2 CDs) [5/27/16] *****:</br> BACH: The Six French Suites – Julian Perkins, clavichord – Resonus Classics RS10163, 2 hrs. 5:37 (2 CDs) [3/4/16] ****: Although it […]
The Michael Blum Quartet – Chasin’ Oscar – A Tribute To Oscar Peterson – Michael Blum Music
The Michael Blum Quartet – Chasin’ Oscar – A Tribute To Oscar Peterson – Michael Blum Music, 46:32 ***: A well-meaning divertimento. (Michael Blum – guitar and vocals; Jim Stinnett – bass; Brad Smith – piano; Dom Moio – drums) There is an old proverb which states: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery“. That […]
PERSICHETTI: Legacy of Songs – Unpublished Songs on Poetical Texts – Soloists/MSR Classics
PERSICHETTI: Legacy of Songs – Unpublished Songs on Poetical Texts – Joshua Pierce, piano/ Lee Velta, baritone/ Sherry Overholt, soprano – Poetry by Hilaire Belloc, e e cummings, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, James Joyce, Carl Sandburg, Sara Teasdale, and others (TracklLst below) MSR Classics CD MS1558 TT: 55:30 (12/9/15) [Distr. by Albany] ****: A first […]
DVORAK: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 – Andrés Orozco – Estrada/ Houston Sym. – Pentatone
DVORAK: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 – Andrés Orozco – Estrada / Houston Sym. – Pentatone multichannel SACD PTC 5186578 (01/03/16) TT: 76:34 [Distr. by Naxos] ***1/2: Highly listenable performances of late symphonies by the Czech master. Pentatone gives us two lovely Dvorak symphonies on one disc in this new release, which will be part […]
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9, Blu-ray (2016)
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9, Blu-ray (2016) Performers: Christian Thielemann cond. the Dresden Staatskapelle Studio: Unitel Cllassica/C Major 733404 [Distr. by Naxos] (2/26/16) Video: 1080i color for 16 x 9 screens Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM Stereo TT: 66 minutes All Regions Video: *** Audio: **** Bruckner’s crowning achievement, well-played and recorded. Untitel Classica has given […]
TALLIS & PARSONS: Var. works – The Cardinall’s Musick/ Andrew Carwood – Hyperion
The excellence continues, serving a composer of tremendous value. TALLIS: Honor, Virtus et Potestas; Candidi Facti Sunt; Homo quidam fecit cenam magnam; Ave Dei patris filia; Christ Rising Again; Litany; The Lord be with you; Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel); Te Deum; Expend, O Lord; E’en like the hunted hind; Venite; O […]
“Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics
A rather stingy but worthwhile selection of nicely-rendered songs. “Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics LWC1079, 46:13 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Stensvold has a lyrical, rather light bass-baritone voice that to my mind is perfectly suited to this music. Brahms, by nature, is thick […]
REINHARD KEISER: St. Mark Passion – Soloists/ Ens. Jacques Moderne/ Gli Incogniti/ Joel Suhubiette – Mirare
The St. Mark Passion we wish Bach had written. REINHARD KEISER: St. Mark Passion (Bergmann Ed.) –Jan Kobow (Evangelist)/ Thomas E. Bauer (Jesus)/ Ens. Jacques Moderne/ Gli Incogniti/ Joel Suhubiette – Mirare MIR 254, 77 min. [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: It was the castle chapel at Weimar at Good Friday in 1712 or 1713 […]
CAVALIERI: Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo – complete opera – Soloists/Staatsoperchor/Akademi fur Alte Musik Berlin/Jacobs – HM
Jacobs gives us a definitive account of a very important opera. CAVALIERI: Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo – Marie-Claude Chappuis (Anima)/ Johannes Weisser (Corpo)/ Gyula Orendt (Tempo, Consiglio)/ Mark Milhofer (Inteletto, Piacere)/ Marcos Fink (Mondo, Secondo Compagno di Piacere, Anima dannata)/ Staatsopernchor/ Concerto vocale/ Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/ René Jacobs – Harmonia mundi […]
Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Volume 2: A Tribute Concert in Memory of President Roosevelt = Works of WAGNER, SIBELIUS, SCHUBERT, BERLIOZ, TCAIKOVSKY, MOZART – Blue Network Sym./Beecham – Pristine
The April 14, 1945 concert by Sir Thomas Beecham pays fine tribute to the nation’s loss. Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Volume 2: A Tribute Concert in Memory of President Roosevelt = WAGNER: Siegfried’s Funeral March; SIBELIUS: Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 46: The Death of Melisande; MOZART: Divertimento in D, K. 131: Adagio; […]
Audio News for June 17, 2016
70% of Music Bought in Sweden is Streamed – Sweden is also the home of Spotify, considered the world leader in the wireless streaming field. Streamed music in Sweden has risen from 57% in 2012 to 70% today. Sales of music overall grew by 12% in the first half of 2016 and have been rising […]
“Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO & ALONSO LOBO Works – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro
A great introduction to a magnificent period of music. “Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO: Duo Seraphim; Missa Surge propera: Gloria; Laudate Dominum; Maria Magdalene; Missa de la batalla escoutez: Credo; Vexilla Regis; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei I; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei II; ALONSO LOBO: Missa Maria Magdalene: Kyrie; Libera me; Ave Regina […]
HAVERGAL BRIAN: The Tigers – Teresa Cahill (Mrs. Freebody)/ Marilyn Hill-Smith (Toy seller)/ Alan Opie (Young man)/ Kenneth Woollam (Man on Elephant)/ BBC Sym. Orch., Lionel Friend – Testament (3 CDs)
A milestone in recordings, available on CD for the first time. HAVERGAL BRIAN: The Tigers – Teresa Cahill (Mrs. Freebody)/ Marilyn Hill-Smith (Toy seller)/ Alan Opie (Young man)/ Kenneth Woollam (Man on Elephant)/ BBC Sym. Orch., Lionel Friend – Testament SBT3 1496, (3 CDs), 161:45 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: Havergal Brian composed a lot […]
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 25 – Andre Tchaikowsky
HDTT restores Polish pianist Andre Tchaikowsky’s most famous concerto recording, but even in fine sound, it’s all alone. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503 – Andre Tchaikowsky, p./ Chicago Sym./ Fritz Reiner – HDTT, 33:00 [avail. in various formats from www.highdeftapetranfers.com] ***: Polish piano virtuoso Andre Tchaikowsky (nee Krauthammer), 1935-1982, made […]
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger HCD 3202 A singer of no-nonsense acumen. (Mark Murphy – vocals; Spiros Exaras – electric guitar; Thomas Rueckert – piano; Alex Drakos – drums; George Georgiadis – acoustic bass) When Mark Murphy died on October 22, 2015, at age 83, jazz lost one of the most interesting […]
Cory Healey’s Beautiful Sunshine Band – Beautiful Sunshine – Shifting Paradigm
Forecast calls for modern jazz which traverses many influences. Cory Healey’s Beautiful Sunshine Band – Beautiful Sunshine [TrackList follows] Shifting Paradigm SP-117, 58:06 [4/17/16] ****: (Cory Healey – drums, electronics, AM radio; Erik Fratzke – electric bass; Zacc Harris – guitar; Jake Baldwin – trumpet; Brandon Wozniak – tenor saxophone) With a band and an […]
Audio News for June 14, 2016
Pandora Adds Classical Music – Pandora has added classical music to the Music Genome Project, which places it ahead in this respect over other online music services. Pandora is known for its ability to figure out what listeners like based on a musical genetic code for each tune. Nowhere is a song’s musical genetic code […]
BOULEZ: Complete Music for Solo Piano – Marc Ponthus, p. – Bridge (2 discs)
Often neglected music by a controversial and sometimes inconsistent composer…but not here! BOULEZ: Complete Music for Solo Piano – Marc Ponthus, piano – Bridge 9456 A/B (2 CDs), TT: 80:35 ****: So let’s list them: Three Sonatas, 12 Notations, Incises, Une page d’ephemeride—that’s it. One would think that someone like Boulez would have completed many […]
“Sephardic Journey” = Works of ASSAD, LEISNER, RIVERA & Others – Cedille
By all means give this gorgeous album a chance. “Sephardic Journey” = ASSAD: Sephardic Suite; LEISNER: Love Dreams of the Exile; RIVERA: Plegaria y Canto (al Bodre de la Mar); ALAN THOMAS: Trio Sefardi; JOSEPH WILLIAMS: Isabel – Cavatina Duo/ Avalon String Q./ Desiree Ruhstrat, v./ David Cunliffe, cello – Cedille CDR 90000 163, 75:44 […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
