Monthly Archive: June 2004
The Music Business in 2004
2 Special Features This Month: A Look at the State of the Recorded Music Industry, and 13 Soundtrack & Musicals CD Reviews The Music Business in 2004 Music is brought to the public in various forms these days, with varying sound quality. There is CD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DAD (Digital Audio Discs), SACD, xrcd, HDCD, MP3 and various other Internet audio codecs, and vinyl records. Playing the Sad Song of the Music Biz The music business has been in the doldrums for several years. There are several reasons for this. The first is the economic times we are in now. There is simply less money out there to spend on entertainment. The second is that CDs have been around long enough that people have a basic collection of music they want to listen to and only buy a few new discs a year of music that interest them. There is also competition for time and money from DVD, live concerts and computer games. In Portland 10-15 years ago, there might have been 20 to 30 touring concerts a year, we now have hundreds. Both DVD and computer games are more personally involving media than just music listening. Most people use music […]
Home Page-June 2004
In our second big Hi-Res Drawing 15 lucky AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers this month received their choice from three Mobile Fidelity SACD releases above: Guitarist Jim Hall’s “Concierto,” Los Lobos’ “This Time,” or Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Drawings were made July 1 from names who registered at AUDIOPHILE AUDITION by clicking Right Here. June 2004 Contents 57 Hi-Res Reviews this month!: Jazz SACD/DVD-A Reviews; Classical SACD/ DVD-A Reviews; Classical/ Pop/Rock SACD/DVD-A Reviews; 33 Classical CDs (3 Parts); 12 Jazz CDs; 15 Reissues (2 Parts); 13 Soundtrack CDs. Components: Rotel RDV-1050 DVD-A & V Player, Key Digital Systems video converters ; 16 Music & Film DVD Reviews; Survey of Audio & HT Print Press (updated 6/21); Special Feature: The Music Business in 2004. Help support AUDIOPHILE AUDITION by visiting our sponsors’ sites To Our Readers: You are urged to register with our site in order to be eligible for product giveaways such as the 15 Mo-Fi SACDs this month (and DTS DVD-As next month)! and a future newsletter. You do that by registering HERE. Weekly Audio News: JUNE 9; JUNE 16; JUNE 23; JUNE 30 = DTVs Up, VCRs Down in CEA Sales Report; Activists Rally Against FCC Rulings; New Dolby […]
DVD-Video Reviews, Part 2 of 2
Pt. 2 of 2 – June 2004 [Part 1] Bubba Ho-Tep (2003) Directed by Don Coscarelli Starring Bruce Campbell & Ossie Davis Studio: MGM Video: 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Extras: Audio commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell, Audio Commentary by “The King,” Joe R. Lansdale reads from his story Bubba Ho-Tep with still artwork from film, Deleted scenes, The Making of Bubba Ho-Tep featurette, To Make a Mummy featurette, Fit for a King Elvis Costuming featurette, Rock Like an Egyptian featurette about the music in the film, Music video, Photo gallery, Theatrical trailer, TV spot Length: 1 hours 32 minutes Rating: **** “Darkly Funny.” That’s how actor Bruce Campbell characterized the stories of Joe R. Lansdale, and it aptly fits the one he and director Coscarelli choose to do for this modest-budget redemptive/Elvis/mummy picture. In the extras the director talks about the lousy reception he got in Hollywood trying to sell the money people on a movie about two aging icons battling a mummy in an East Texas rest home. Campbell says he was overjoyed to hear Coscarelli was going to shoot for six weeks rather than the three that a budget […]
DVD-Video Reviews, Part 1 of 2
Part 1 of 2 [Pt. 2] ***Seven Music Videos*** WAGNER: Tristan und Isold (complete opera) Staatsorchester Stuttgart/Lothar Zagrosek. Soloists: Ben Hepner, Jane Eaglen, Rene Pape, Hans-Joachim Ketlesen, and Katerina Dalayman. Set and Costume Design: Jurgen Rose. Studio: DGG B0001745-09 Video: 4:3 full frame Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Length: 238 minutes Rating: ***** Don’t listen to this opera if you are not in the mood for longing, unrequited passion, and fitful surges of desire. You won’t make it through. But if you can suspend yearning for four hours (or two two-hour segments as I did), you’re in for an astonishing performance. This splendid DVD is the best I have seen of Tristan und Isolde. Everything is near perfect: the minimalist stage setting, the spooky lighting, the wondrous orchestral preludes, and of course the two stars Ben Hepner and Jane Eaglen. Do not expect rousing choruses or stirring calls to action. This opera is about one thing only: the impossibility of love in a loveless world. Every scene, every sequence, every note contributes to this central theme, and nowhere else does Wagner express it so eloquently and consistently. Rarely does he lead us to resolution but rather toward yet another unresolved figure. […]
Component Reviews, Part 2 of 2
No. 2 [No. 1] • June 2004 Key Digital Systems ClearColor3 and ClearVideo3 Video Converters Color-space converters have become a popular item for those consumers who have taken the plunge into home theater. While not everyone finds the need for such products, those who do can rely on companies like Key Digital Systems to provide high performance converters. The company has an excellent reputation for consistently delivering high performance video products in the ever-changing video market. Several years ago we reviewed their first generation Component-to-VGA and VGA -to-Component converters called the KD-CTCA2 and KD-VTCA1 respectively. Since then, they’ve introduced the new KD-CTCA3 (ClearVideo3) and KD-VTCA3 (ClearColor3) products. Similar to their predecessors, the ClearVideo3 and ClearColor3 products have been refined to offer better video performance and features than the earlier designs. The new products both have small enclosures, making them easy to tuck away behind video components. ClearVideo3 The ClearVideo3 is designed to convert a component video signal (YPrPb) to an RGB format (also called VGA). It accepts a single set of component inputs via three RCA connectors. The unit detects the sync signal on the Y input and converts the component video signals to the VGA output. The unit also […]
Component Reviews, Part 1 of 2
June 2004, Review 1 [2] Rotel RDV-1050 DVD-V/DVD-A/MP3/JPEG/NTSC/PAL Progressive Scan Disc Player SRP: $699 Audio Outputs Analog out: 2.0 Vrms at 10K ohm Digital out (coax): 0.5 Vp-p (75 ohm) Digital out (optical): -21 dBm to -15 dBm (peak) Audio Response CD at 44.1K: 2 Hz to 20 kHz DVD at 48K: 2 Hz to 22 kHz DVD (DTS & DD bitstream signals): 4 Hz to 20 kHz DVD at 96K: 2 Hz to 44 kHz DVD at 192K/176.4K: 2 Hz to 88 kHz Dynamic range, 16 bit: more than 98 dB 20/24 bit: more than 100 dB Wow & flutter: unmeasurable (less than +.002%) THD: less than .006% General Specs: Power requirements: AC 110V – 240V, 50/60 Hz Power consumption: 16W power on; 2.0W standby Weight: 12.35 lbs. Dimensions: 17 W x 3 11/16 H x 13 3/8 D Video Outputs Component (75 ohm): Y output: 1.0 Vp-p Pb/Pr output 0.7 Vp-p Video Composite out: 1.0 Vp-p S-Video out Y Output: 1.0 Vp-p C Output: 286 mVp-p RGB Out (21-pin connector): 0.7 Vp-p Horizontal resolution: 500 lines or more Rotel of America 54 Concord St. North Reading, MA 01864-2699 978-664-3820 www.rotel.com Intro This versatile disc player is about […]
Soundtrack and Musicals CD Reviews
Soundtrack and Musicals CD Reviews Lots of terrific soundtracks this time around, starting with four current features, moving on to a fine series of film scores by various British composers, and ending with three interesting musicals. THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE – Original Soundtrack, Music by Ben Charest – Higher Octave Sound Tracks 7087 6182280 2 3V: The music of the quirky French animated feature is one of the several things that makes the unusual film work. There is almost no dialog in the film, so the music takes on a greater importance. It is built around a swinging 30s-style jazz number with a sort of French Andrew Sisters vocal, Belleville Rendez-Vous (Appointment in Belleville). The style is strongly based on the great sound of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, and in fact in the film’s opening we see a jovial Django Reinhardt fingering his guitar with his three remaining fingers on the left hand (and when those aren’t enough, one of his Plastic-man-like feet). There’s also some French folk tunes, chase music, and even some jazzed-up Bach a la Jacques Loussier among the 19 cues. Charest, who is based in French Canada and has scored both features […]
Reissue CD Reviews, Part 2 of 2
June 2004, Pt. 2 of 2 [Pt. 1] BENJAMIN LEES: Piano Concerto No. 1 – Joseph Bloch, p./Nat. Orchestral Association/John Barnett (1963); ERNEST GOLD: Marias Regules, p./Nat. Orch. Association/Leon Barzin (1945)- Pierian Recording Society 0100: Connections between these two interesting concertos are several. As you can see, both involve the National Orchestral Association orchestra. Both composers were pupils of George Antheil and both works were written when the composers were in their early 20s. Both are accessible and enjoyable works with something of a late Romantic approach and good melodic content. Finally, both come from source materials of questionable quality and had to be extensively processed to come up with this recording which audiophiles might consider (especially with the Gold) barely listenable. The Lees Concerto came from a 7.5 ips quarter-inch tape, but the Gold source was a cassette tape which itself was dubbed from acetates recorded during the performance. Both Waves and CEDAR digital noise reduction was used on both. The Lees is a highly expressive work from the San Francisco-based composer and it is unfortunate that it never got into the American piano concerto repertory. The Gold was panned at its l945 premiere for sounding like movie […]
Reissue CD Reviews, Part 1 of 2
June 2004, Pt. 1 of 2 [Pt. 2] CHOPIN: 13 Etudes; Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23; Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35; 3 Mazurkas; Valse in A-flat, Op. 34, No. 1 Wilhelm Backhaus, piano Testament SBT 1335 73:52 (Distrib. Harmonia Mundi): The Testament reissue of the 1950-1952 Geneva-based Chopin recordings by Wilhelm Backhaus (1885-1969) is the same Decca set of inscriptions prior licensed to Ermitage (ERM 186-2) in 1996. While Backhaus admirers rarely cite Chopin as his strong suit, they are not loathe to mention his 1928 set of the complete Chopin etudes that appeared on EMI LP transfers. The master of a huge, splendid technique, Backhaus could certainly play Chopin with polish and finesse, if not the poetry of affect the natives of the style call “zal.” There is something prosaic about the directness of the approach, although I find the lilt in the A-flat Waltz attractive and unaffected. His attacks in the D-flat Mazurka, Op. 30, No. 3 do not blaze like Michelangeli’s, but Backhaus’ gradations of color and rhythmic inflection are there for us to savor. The knotty, neapolitan Ballade in G Minor is all business, perhaps a bit glibly played but solid as […]
Jazz CD Reviews
June 2004 Various Artists – “Happy Birthday Newport: 50 Swinging Years!” 3CD box set – Columbia/Legacy C3K 89076 (release date: June 15): What a package! This is really something unique. 28 tracks over a 50-year span, celebrating some of the major names in the world of jazz going all-out for enthusiastic audiences at Newport! All the selections were chosen personally by George Wein, who founded the festival in l954. He writes an introductory essay and notates each and every track in detail throughout the collection. Wein’s recollections add a welcome personal touch to each of the selections. Two never-before-released tracks are included: one by Miles and one by Chuck Berry. The booklet (they tell me, since I wasn’t furnished one with the advance discs) is full of rare and previously unpublished photos of the performers in action. There were no jazz festivals in America at all before Newport and no annual jazz events elsewhere in the world. Jazz musicians were not an accepted part of society, especially Afro-American musicians. Today there are probably 1000 jazz festivals around the world and jazz players are beginning to get some financial and cultural respect. Newport was a beautiful place to hold the festival […]
Classical CD Reviews, Part 3 of 3
June 2004 – Pt. 3 of 3 [Pt. 1] [Pt. 2] BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto Op. 56 – SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto Op. 54 – Martha Argerich, piano. Renaud Capuçon, violin. Mischa Maisky, cello. Orchestra della Svizzera italiana conducted by Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky – EMI Classics 5-57773-2 (65 mins.): If you are an aficionado of Beeethoven’s Triple Concerto, don’t miss this one. What can sound gawky or top heavy when it falls into the wrong hands here sounds swift and powerful, with swagger and style. It is one of the strongest recorded arguments ever that the composer knew what he was doing in risking such a structurally daunting task. Best yet, instead of sounding like a cello concerto (with reason, the cello does get to introduce all the most important themes and has by far the most technically difficult part, to some extent requiring the dexterity of a Boccherini specialist more than that of a 19th century virtuoso), the three soloists make an exciting team dominated (without being domineering) by Argerich at the top of her game, combining sweep and passion with an amazing amount of internal energy. And while Maisky plays beautifully and with great virtuosity, and without going overboard as […]
Classical CD Reviews, Part 2 of 3
June 2004 Pt. 2 of 3 [Pt. 1] [Pt. 3] VIVALDI: Le Viola da gamba in Concerto – 7 concertos: for violin, gamba, strings & continuo; 2 concertos for 2 violins, gamba, strings & continuo; concerto for 4 violins, cello, strings & continuo; “Concerto Funebre” for oboe, muted tenor viol, soprano viola da gamba & muted violins; Concerto “Protean…” for strings & continuo with obligatto violin and cellos; and Concerto with Multi-Instruments – 2 flutes, oboe, multed tenor viol, principal violin, 2 treble viols, 2 trombe marina (viols with special bridge to sound trumpet-like), 2 clavicembalos, strings and continuo – Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall, viola de gamba and director – AliaVox AV 9835: The spectacular packaging of all the AliaVox issues indicates well the treasures usually found within. In this case the theme of Vivaldi and the viol acts to raise the collection of concertos well above the expected offering of yet more Vivaldi. But even without that interesting ploy this would be a winner for the committed and gutsy (but not overmuch) playing and the unusual instrumental combinations which afford plenty of variety of sound. And this sound is lovingly captured by AliaVox SOTA recording. The viol […]
Classical CD Reviews, Part 1 of 3
June 04 – Part 1 of 3 [Part 2] [Part 3] ELGAR: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85; Falstaff–Symphonic Study in C Minor, Op. 68; Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 62; Smoking Cantata (1919) – Andrew Shorem baritone; Graham Salvage, bassoon; Heinrich Schiff, cello/Mark Elder conducts Halle Orchestra – CD Hill 7505 69:42: Edward Elgar contemplated his Falstaff character-study for over ten years, 1901-1913, taking his cue from Shakespeare’s eponymous, mischievous, portly knight whose friendship with Prince Hal (from Henry IV, Part I) often begets minor villainies and forces the new King Henry IV to renounce his association with Falstaff. The sumptuous character of Falstaff, whose “theme” is “the whole of human life,” according to Elgar, no less fascinated Orson Welles, whose Chimes at midnight captures the Rabelaisian girth and lust for life of the often, darkly brave and ferocious knight. I find the score for Falstaff a strange mix of Richard Strauss elements, suggestive of Ein Heldenleben and the Domestic Symphony, with neither the colossal breadth of the former nor the homely melody of the latter. In four sections and ten movements of unequal length, the Falstaff study of Elgar strives for some nostalgic gestures, but it fails to […]
Hi-Res Reviews, Part 3 of 3 Classical, Pop, Jazz
57 SACD & DVD-A Reviews this month June 2004 – Pt. 3 Classical cont. / Pop & Rock [Part 1] [Part 2] click on any cover to go directly to its review DG Gold 2+2+2 DVD-A Reviews, Part2 In our Jan/Feb issue I reviewed five of these alternate-surround-format DVD-As and had promised to do the rest the following month. Well, needless to say that didn’t happen until this month. I thought I had four such specialized discs remaining but two of them turned out to be standard 5.1 DVD-As so here now are the two appropriate disc reviews. Here’s a brief refresher in the special approach of this German label, Dabringhaus und Grimm: A widespread feeling among classical labels involved in multichannel hi-res is that the LFE channel or .1 channel is fine for movie tracks but really not required for multichannel music. A smaller percentage also feel that the center front channel is fine for the dialog function of movie soundtracks but not needed for music – feeling the phantom center image can be created with more depth and realism by the left and right front speakers. (Nearly 100% of producers of multichannel music in any form […]
Hi-Res Reviews, Part 2 of 3 Classical
57 SACD & DVD-A Reviews This Month June 2004 – Part 2 of 3 – Classical (beg.) click on any cover to go directly to its review [Part 1] [Part 3] GLUCK: Italian Arias – Cecilia Bartoli, Mezzo-Soprano – Academie Fur Alte Musik Berlin / Bernhard Forck, Leader – Decca 470 611-2 – Multichannel Hybrid SACD: There’s no denying Cecilia Bartoli’s appeal; I’m especially enamored with her excellent renderings of Mozart and Rossini arias from her previous releases. This new disc has much to offer in the way of appeal, with much of the subject matter coming from previously unrecorded or neglected works from Gluck. The packaging is spectacular, with a hardboard case and 50-plus page bound-in booklet with many nicely done touches. But unfortunately, and despite the glossy exterior, I still see this release as rather a mixed bag artistically. My first complaint came from trying to get the damn disc out of its bound-in cardboard sleeve without destroying either the disc or the sleeve! This took some effort, and releasing the disc the first time has in no way decreased the amount of effort in subsequent attempts. I’d think twice (if I were Universal) about using […]
Hi-Res, Reviews, Part 1 of 3 Jazz
57 SACD and DVD-A Reviews This Month! June 2004, Pt. 1 of 3 – Jazz [Part 2] [Part 3] click on any cover to go directly to its review FRED SOKOLOW with Junior Brown and Ian Whitcomb (Sokolow, vocals and guitar; Jr. Brown, pedal steel, vocals; Ian Whitcomb, ukulele, accordion, vocals; Michael Ros, saxophones; Jeff Faulkner, bass; Matt Betton, drums) – AIX Records DVD-A & DVD-V AIX 80021: This could be a companion to the Ian Whitcomb DVD-A we reviewed in last month’s Hi-Res section. The focus is again on vintage songs but this time more solidly from the 20s and 30s and a few a bit jazzier than on Whitcomb’s previous effort. Also similar are the fascinating little tidbits of intros to the 11 tunes. Sokolow has some great stories to tell, having fronted his own jazz, bluegrass and rock bands for many years. Steel guitarist Brown is at home on both rock club stages and at Grand Ol’ Opry. Both Brown and Whitcomb play and sing on two or three of the tracks. In addition to the vintage tunes, Sokolow himself wrote two of the songs. A quirky sense of humor is found in many of […]
Index to All 151 Discs Reviewed for June 2004
Index to All 151 Discs Reviewed for June 2004: HI-RES REVIEWS, PT. 1 (Jazz) – Fred Sokolow with Jr. Brown & Ian Whitcomb; Five Songbirds (female vocalists); Eden Atwood – This is Always; The Steve Huffsteter Big Band; MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH: The Gerald Wilson Orchestra – New York New Sound; The Retro Jazz Quintet; Dave Brubeck, solo piano – Private Brubeck; Thelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners; Oscar Peterson & Stephane Grappelli – Skol; Spyro Gyra – The Deep End; Johnny Frigo with Bucky & John Pizzarelli – Live from Studio A; Mongo Santamaria and Friends – Mambo Mongo; Gene Harris/Scott Hamilton Quintet – At Last; Albert King – I’ll Play the Blues for You; Jazz in an R&B Groove sampler HI-RES REVIEWS PT. 2 (Classical, Pt. 1) – Cecilia Bartoli in GLUCK: Italian arias; Music of TAKEMITSU, ROLLER, FELD, SAARIAHO – Ensemble Gelber Klang; SHOSTAKOVICH, BRITTEN & PROKOFIEV Sonatas for Cello and Piano – Wispelwey;WAGNER Overtures and Preludes; BEETHOVEN: Symphonies 1 & 2 – Marriner; Toccata – 200 Years of German Organ Music – Bram Beekman; Missa Mexicana – The Harp Consort; Jonathan Gilad plays BEETHOVEN Tempest & Appassionata Sonatas; MAHLER: Sym. No. 8 – Utah Sym./Maurice Abravanel […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
