Monthly Archive: July 2017
Streams and Podcasts for 29 July 2017
This week, The Music Treasury will host violinist Benjamin Beilman, as their in-house guest. Bellman is a bright rising star among the current constellation of young violinists, with impressive and varied accomplishments—premiering many new works, traditional concerti, solo recitals… receiving recognition and praise throughout Europe, as well as Japan, Canada, and the United States. The […]
Poetics — Elgar, Listening
Audiophile Audition recognizes and embraces the various art forms around music; this poem is presented in that spirit. Elgar, Listening In 1923, at the age of sixty-six, The Enigma Variations composer, Edward Elgar, took a voyage to Brazil, journeying up the Amazon to Manaus. Almost nothing is known of his trip. He leans over the steamship […]
Charl du Plassis Trio, Baroqueswing Vol II – Claves
Charl du Plassis Trio, Baroqueswing Vol II – Claves 5O-1609 (11/21/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Jazz versions of top Baroque and other melodies. This disc was recorded live at the 2015 Festival Muskdorf Ernen in Switzerland. Du Plassis has chosen baroque works by Bach, Gluck, Vivaldi and Handel and ends with a six-movement jazz suit […]
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Beatrice Rana – Warner Classics
J. S. BACH: Goldberg Variations – Beatrice Rana – Warner Classics 88018, 77:45 (2/24/17) *****: One of the great Goldbergs of our time by a young Italian artist An injunction I made some years ago has been largely ignored: No more recordings of the Goldberg Variations until all of the 555 sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti […]
Eugene YSAŸE: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin – Sharon Park – MSR Classics
Eugene YSAŸE: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin – Sharon Park — MSR Classics MS 1631, 66:55—7/29/17, ****: Ysaÿe lived during an interesting period of history (1858-1923). Having witnessed the advances in the first third of the twentieth-century, his music reflects models of the old but in quite modern clothing. Dr. Sharon Park has recorded his […]
William Kapell: Three First Releases = RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto; CHOPIN: Nocturne – William Kapell, piano/ NY Phil./ Artur Rodzinski (Rachmaninoff)/ Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy/ Boston Symph. Orch./ Richard Burgin – JSP Records
William Kapell: Live Performances – Three First Releases = RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43; PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 (2 performances); CHOPIN: Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 55, No. 2 – William Kapell, piano/ New York Philharmonic/ Artur Rodzinski (Rachmaninoff)/ Philadelphia Orchestra/ Eugene Ormandy/ Boston Symphony […]
KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto; BRITTEN: Violin Concerto – Vilde Frang, violin/ Frankfurt Radio Symphony/ James Gaffgan – Warner Classics
KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35; BRITTEN: Violin Concerto, Op. 15 – Vilde Frang, violin/ Frankfurt Radio Symphony/ James Gaffgan – Warner Classics 08225646009213, 58:12 (2/26/17) ****: Violinist Frang fulfills her wish to bring two of her favorite concertos together, reflections of the “divisive” era of the 1930s. Youthful but brilliantly gifted violin […]
Philip Glass – Piano Works. Víkingur Ólafsson — Deutsche Grammophon
Philip Glass – Piano Works. Víkingur Ólafsson — Deutsche Grammophon 479-6918 (7/28/17) 79:39 ****1/2 The role of “composer” changes over the course of musical history, especially so in the Western tradition. Whether we look at Bach, or Mozart, or Beethoven as the example, those composers were very active performers. What we sometimes think of the composer’s art, […]
“Splitting Adams” = John ADAMS: Chamber Symphony; Son of Chamber Symphony – Alarm Will Sound/Alan Pierson – Cantaloupe Music
“Splitting Adams” = John ADAMS: Chamber Symphony; Son of Chamber Symphony – Alarm Will Sound/Alan Pierson – Cantaloupe Music CA21128 (4/21/17) 76:29 ****: Wonderfully refreshing look at the music of this iconic composer. First, I am almost positive I have all of John Adams’ works that have been recorded as well as some scores and have […]
Denny Zeitlin & George Marsh – Expedition – Sunnyside Records
Denny Zeitlin & George Marsh – Expedition – Sunnyside Records SSC1487 75:07****: If approached with an open mind, the ingredients of sound make sense ( Denny Zeitlin – acoustic piano/hardware & virtual synthesizers/keyboards; George Marsh – drums & percussion) Denny Zeitlin has never been reluctant to practice his craft outside the nine dots. At the […]
Art Fristoe Trio – Double Down – Merry Lane Records
Art Fristoe Trio – Double Down – Merry Lane Records 700261454191 94:36 [2CDs] ***: A talent that should have broader recognition ( Art Fristoe – piano; Tim Ruiz – bass; Daleton Lee – drums – Disc 1 tracks 4,5; Disc 2 tracks 2,9 ); Richard Cholakian – drums all others; Ilya Janos – percussion – […]
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Volume 3 = ADDISON: Carte Blanche; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7; GOUNOD: Juliet’s Dream; SAINT-SAENS: Dance of the Priestesses – Royal Phil. Orch. / Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Volume 3 = ADDISON: Carte Blanche; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92; GOUNOD: Juliet’s Dream; SAINT-SAENS: Dance of the Priestesses from Samson et Dalilah, Op. 47 – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 507, 56:49 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: The third of the Royal […]
Harris Eisenstadt – Recent Developments – Songlines
Harris Eisenstadt – Recent Developments [TrackList follows] – Songlines SGL 1620-1, 41:07 [3/10/17] ****: On his latest outing, drummer Harris Eisenstadt once again defies easy categorization and classification. (Anna Webber – flute; Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon; Nate Wooley – trumpet; Jeb Bishop – trombone; Dan Peck – tuba; Brandon Seabrook – banjo; Hank Roberts – […]
SCHUBERT: Arias and Overtures = Schubert’s Stage Music – Daniel Behle, tenor/ L’Orfeo Barockorchester/ Michi Gaigg – Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
SCHUBERT: Arias and Overtures = Schubert’s Stage Music [Listing below] – Daniel Behle, tenor/ L’Orfeo Barockorchester/ Michi Gaigg – Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 88985407212, 59:30 95/26/17) [Distr. by Sony] ****: Rare arias from Schubert opera and singspiel reveals a wealth of melodic and dramatic invention. Too often neglected, Schubert’s stage works present a rare treasury of […]
TOMAS LUIS DE VICTORIA: Works for Six Voices – Nordic Voices – Chandos
TOMAS LUIS DE VICTORIA: Works for Six Voices – Nordic Voices – Chandos SACD – 55:40, (6/16/17) : ****½ (Tone Elisabeth Braaten, Ingrid Hanken; sopranos / Ebba Rydh; mezzo-soprano / Per Kristian Amundred; tenor / Frank Havroy; baritone / Rolfe Magne Asser; bass) Sparkling a cappella one-voice-per-part performances of Renaissance polyphony at its zenith. This […]
BIBER: The Rosary Sonatas – Hélène Schmitt – Aeolus
BIBER: The Rosary Sonatas – Hélène Schmitt – Aeolus SACD AE–10256, 145:38, (7/13/17) *****: Biber, by now, has earned his place in the pantheon of baroque composers. Specifically, he represents the high art in Austrian music before Mozart. In trying to understand Biber the musician, it’s difficult to ignore the impact his Mystery or Rosary […]
Heroic Proportions: Selected Works for Organ = Music by BACH, FRANCK, BARBER, STEWART, WILLAN – Felix Hell – MSR Classics
Heroic Proportions: Selected Works for Organ – J. W. Steere & Son Organ, Opus 665 – Music by BACH, FRANCK, BARBER, STEWART, WILLAN – Felix Hell – MSR Classics CD MS 1542 TT: 69:00 (2/28/17) ****: A fine performance of classic and more contemporary organ works Felix Hell is one of the most sought-after concert […]
MOZART: Piano Quartet; Oboe Quartet; Oboe “Kegelstatt” Trio – Adaskin String Trio/ Sally Pinkas, p./ Thomas Gallant, ob. – MSR Classics
MOZART: Piano Quartet in E-flat, K.493; Oboe Quartet in F, K.370/368b; Oboe Trio in E-Flat, K.498 “Kegelstatt” – Adaskin String Trio/ Sally Pinkas, p./ Thomas Gallant, ob. – MSR Classics MS 1447, 62:02 [Distr. by Albany] ****: High quality readings of three seminal Mozart works, and one with a twist. “What Mozart Oboe Trio?” you […]
Charles IVES: Three Places in New England; Orchestral Set No. 2; New England Holidays – Seattle Symph./Ludovic Morlot – Seattle Symphony Media
Charles IVES: Three Places in New England; Orchestral Set No. 2; New England Holidays – Seattle Symphony/Ludovic Morlot – Seattle Symphony Media SSM1015 (6/02/2017) 78:08 ****: Fresh readings of this American iconclast’s well-known music. Charles Ives, the insurance man and amateur musician turned revolutionary composer remains an “American original” whose music concert goers either greatly […]
BARTOK: Bluebeard’s Castle, Cantata Profana – New Symph. Orch. of London / Walter Susskind (cond.) – Praga Digitals
BARTOK: Bluebeard’s Castle, Cantata Profana – New Symphony Orchestra of London/Walter Susskind (conductor) /Judith Hellwigh and Endreh Koreh soloists – Praga Digitals CD PRD 250 349 300P (7/14/17) TT: 81:55 ***1/2 A fine performance of this dark but interesting work Praga Digitals has given us a new recording of Bartók’s only opera, although some call […]
Joachim Kühn New Trio – Beauty And Truth – ACT
Joachim Kühn New Trio – Beauty And Truth – ACT9816-2 48:02 ****: (Joachim Kühn – piano; Chris Jennings – bass; Eric Schaefer – drums) Like many others, Joachim Kühn made the transition from classical prodigy to jazz. In 1964, the Slovenia-born pianist founded the first “free jazz” ensemble. He moved to Hamburg in 1966. Early […]
Streams and Podcasts for 21 July 2017
This week, The Music Treasury will be featuring the works of that exceptional pianist, Jorge Federico Osorio. Osorio has a firmly established international reputation, with solo recitals and piano concerti performed with such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, and others. This two hour presentation of his works will be interspersed with an ongoing interview […]