Monthly Archive: April 2018

BERLIOZ: Les Troyens (complete opera) – Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra/John Nelson – Erato

BERLIOZ: Les Troyens (complete opera) – Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra/John Nelson – Erato

A magnificent achievement, and one that doesn’t come along often. BERLIOZ: Les Troyens (complete opera) – Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Choeur de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Choeur Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Badischer Staatsopernchor/ John Nelson [Complete opera cast below] – Erato 9029576220 (4 CDs + DVD), 1 hour 54 minutes *****: Is this the best Trojans I […]

The Music Treasury for 15 April – Gundula Janowitz

The Music Treasury for 15 April – Gundula Janowitz

The Music Treasury, 15 April 2018 – Gundula Janowitz This week, The Music Treasury is featuring the great helden-soprano Gundula Janowitz. Gundula Janowitz was very active on the opera stage from the 50s through the 70s.  Janowitz had high international popularity of singers in her field; she also developed a comprehensive discography of works ranging […]

DVORAK: String Quintet Op.97; String Sextet Op.48 – Jerusalem String Quartet/ Veronika Hagen, viola/ Gary Hoffman, cello – Harmonia mundi 

DVORAK: String Quintet Op.97; String Sextet Op.48 – Jerusalem String Quartet/ Veronika Hagen, viola/ Gary Hoffman, cello – Harmonia mundi 

Bohemia and America find sumptuous musical celebration in these two large chamber works of Dvorak. DVORAK: String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97; String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48 – Jerusalem String Quartet/ Veronika Hagen, viola/ Gary Hoffman, cello – Harmonia mundi HMM 902320, 66:57 (1/19/18) [Distr. by PIAS] ****:  Recorded 14-17 January 2017, […]

Takaaki – New Kid In Town – Albany Records 

Takaaki – New Kid In Town – Albany Records 

From classical training to jazz playing with impressive results! Takaaki – New Kid In Town – Albany Records 1689 59:06**** ( Takaaki Otomo – piano; Noriko Ueda – bass; Jared Schonig – drums) It is an uncommon occurrence when a classically trained pianist makes the transition to a jazz player with such impressive results. However […]

Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Atlantic

Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Atlantic

Speakers Corner releases a masterful vinyl upgrade of an historic jazz concert!   Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Atlantic 1537 (1969)/Speakers Corner (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 36:26 *****: (Les McCann – piano, vocal; Eddie Harris – tenor saxophone; Benny Bailey – trumpet; Leroy Vinnegar – bass; Donald Dean – drums) 1969 […]

FALLA: Fantasia Baetica & other piano works – Garrick Ohlsson, piano – Hyperion 

FALLA: Fantasia Baetica & other piano works – Garrick Ohlsson, piano – Hyperion 

Spain’s musical soul enjoys brilliant illumination in this survey of Manuel de Falla’s keyboard works. FALLA: Cuatro piezas espanolas; El sombrero de tres picos; Canto de los remeros del Volga; El amor brujo (trans. Falla); Homenaje “Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy”; Sequnda danza Espanola; Fantasia Baetica – Garrick Ohlsson, piano – Hyperion CDA68177, 70:00 […]

The Ruggiero Ricci/Martha Argerich 1961 Leningrad Recitals

The Ruggiero Ricci/Martha Argerich 1961 Leningrad Recitals

The Ruggiero Ricci/Martha Argerich Leningrad Recitals from April 21-22, 1961 This week, The Music Treasury features historic recordings of two exceptional musicians of the last century—Ruggiero Ricci and Martha Argerich. Ruggiero Ricci (1918-2012), the San Francisco-born violin prodigy, retained his prowess almost to the day he died. Like Menuhin, Ricci was a pupil of Louis […]

SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata D. 960; Fantasie for piano, four hands, D. 940; Marche militaire, D. 733 – Philippe Entremont, piano/ Gen Tomuro, piano – Solo Musica 

SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata D. 960; Fantasie for piano, four hands, D. 940; Marche militaire, D. 733 – Philippe Entremont, piano/ Gen Tomuro, piano – Solo Musica 

Philippe Entremont fulfills a personal project to record the Schubert keyboard music he most treasures.  SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960; Fantasie in f minor for Piano, Four hands, D. 940; Marche militaire in D Major, D. 733, No. 1 – Philippe Entremont, piano/ Gen Tomuro, piano – Solo Musica SM […]

BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas “Hammerklavier” & “Moonlight” – Murray Perahia, piano – DGG 

BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas “Hammerklavier” & “Moonlight” – Murray Perahia, piano – DGG 

Murray Perahia offers two distinct Beethoven sonatas from polar aspects of his idiosyncratic Romanticism. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”; Piano Sonata No. 14 in c-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight” – Murray Perahia, piano – DGG 470 8353, 55:42 (2/9/18) [Distr. by Universal] ****:  Beethoven in 1818 had […]

LOUIS COUPERIN: Dances from the Bauyn Manuscript = Three suites  (d minor, g minor, A Major) and other dances. – Pavel Kolesnikov, piano – Hyperion 

LOUIS COUPERIN: Dances from the Bauyn Manuscript = Three suites  (d minor, g minor, A Major) and other dances. – Pavel Kolesnikov, piano – Hyperion 

Pavel Kolesnikov devotes a refined disc to the music of Louis Couperin, one of the pillars of the French clavecin school.  LOUIS COUPERIN: Dances from the Bauyn Manuscript = Suite in d minor; Suite in g minor; Suite in A Major; Allemande Grave in F Major; Chaconne in F Major; Chaconne ou Passacaille in g […]

Editorial for April, 2018

Editorial for April, 2018

Celebration of Debussy Impressions:  The Sound of Debussy is a 3 CD set from Warner Classics, an enticing sampler of  Warner’s release of the entirety of  Debussy’s surviving corpus—Warner’s Claude Debussy:  The Complete Works, released this year in at the centenary of his death, celebrating his rich creative output. Warner Classics has created a definitive […]

Bill Frisell – Music Is – Okeh

Bill Frisell – Music Is – Okeh

A master of Americana music… Bill Frisell – Music Is – Okeh/Sony Masterworks 19075815002 – 58:44 – ****: (Bill Frisell – electric and acoustic guitars; loops; bass; ukulele, music boxes) Bill Frisell is a guitarist for all seasons. He fits in as the ultimate guitar sideman. His tastes are eclectic and cover rock, country, jazz, […]

Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV (solo guitar) – Duck Baker Plays Monk  – Triple Point 

Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV (solo guitar) – Duck Baker Plays Monk  – Triple Point 

Monk on acoustic guitar is marvelous! Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV (solo guitar) – Duck Baker Plays Monk [TrackList follows] – Triple Point TPR 271 (LP), 46:15 [3/23/18] ****: It’s been 36 years since Thelonious Monk passed away. His music and compositions continue to influence and inspire. Case in point is American fingerstyle guitarist Richard […]