Monthly Archive: December 2004
Index to All 118 Discs Reviewed
Index to All 118 Discs Reviewed so far for December 2004: HI-RES REVIEWS, PT. 1 (Jazz) – Manhattan Transfer – Vibrate; Christy Baron – Retrospective; Joe Henderson – Lush Life; Seigen Ono Ens. – Forest and Beach; Clark Terry & Max Roach – Friendship; Lonnie Plaxico Group Live at Jazz Standard; Herbie Hancock & guest artists – Gershwin’s World; Leslie Pintchick – So Glad to Be Here; Malta – Manhattan in Blue; Bonnie Raitt – Nick of Time;Chicago V; The Crystal Method – Legion of Doom; Todd Rundgren – Liars HI-RES REVIEWS, PT. 2 (Classical beg.) – [Disc of the Month:] RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 – Byron Janis/Dorati; RESPIGHI: Ancient Airs & Dances – Dorati; SUPPE & AUBER Overtures – Detroit/Paray; STRAVINSKY: Firebird etc. – Dorati; BACH Suites for Solo Cello – Janos Starker; TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1, RACHMANINOFF: No. 2 – Van Cliburn/Reiner; “Richard Strauss in High Fidelity” – Also sprach Zarathustra & Hero’s Life – Reiner; BORTNYANSKY: The Italian Album – Pratum Integrum; TANEYEV: Cantata No. 2 – Soloists/Russian Nat. Orch.; GLINKA: Ruslan & Lyudmila – Bolshoi; Lost Songs of a Rhineland Harper – Sequentia; TIETZ: Instrumental Music – Pratum Integrum; BACH: Conductors’ Transcriptions […]
Home Page-December 2004
Our seventh Hi-Res Drawing features SACDs from Fantasy Records. A dozen lucky AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who Register Here (or have registered earlier) will receive their choice of one of the above stereo SACDs: Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery together – vibes & guitar, Gerry Mulligan playing with his friend Thelonious Monk, or jazz giant Benny Carter playing both alto sax and trumpet at the top of his game. Drawings will be made Jan. 1, we’ll announce the winners shortly thereafter, and we won’t sell or share your information. Check back with us frequently for new reviews & news! December 2004 Contents Special Editorial! New Audio News! 45 SACD & DVD-A Hi-Res Reviews (Pt. 1 – Jazz/Pop, Pt. 2 & Pt. 3 – Classical & Samplers) 14 Jazz Reviews (Pt. 1, Pt. 2) 18 Classical CD Reviews (Pt. 1, Pt. 2) 24 DVD Video Reviews (Pt. 1 – All Music Videos, Pt. 2) Components: Von Schweikert VR-2 Speakers; McCormack UDP-1 Universal Disc Player; DVDO HD Video Scaler 14 Classical Reissue Reviews (Pt. 1, Pt. 2) Features of the Month: Christmas Disc Reviews; Christopher Nupen on DVDs for concert music documentaries; Siegfried Linkwitz on 3-channel SACD playback Summary of the Audio & […]
3-Channel SACD Playback
Sigfried Linkwitz is a well-known speaker designer and co-developer of the Linkwitz-Reilly crossover. His latest loudspeaker is the Orion (pictured below), and on his web site he has these observations on some of the new Living Stereo 3-channel SACDs: A few SACDs and their need for a center speaker A number of people wrote to me about the reissue of RCA Red Seal Living Stereo recordings in SACD format and the necessity of a center channel speaker for playback. A number of the original recordings were made with 3-track analog tape equipment for playback over left, center and right front speakers. They were mixed down to two channels for LP issue and contained some wonderful classical music performances. Today the original, unprocessed three tracks of these historical recordings can be heard via SACD. I bought three of the ten available SACD: 1 – Chopin: Ballades and Scherzos, Arthur Rubinstein 2 – Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Fritz Reiner, CSO 3 – Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1, Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2, Van Cliburn The following are first impressions and observations from comparing playback of the 3-channel recording to the 2-channel CD down-mix which is also on the SACD. I used the center […]
DVDs for Concert Music Documentaries
SECOND FEATURE OF THE MONTH WELCOME DVD by Christopher Nupen Above Left: Music DVD producer Christopher Nupen, directing Vladimir Ashkenazy Above Right: The late cellist Jacqueline DuPrez, featured in two Nupen films I can honestly say that I have been waiting for DVD for 30 years, ever since videotape recording was invented and, to the surprise of all film-makers, it turned out to be possible to store moving images electronically. I have nonetheless been surprised at the way in which DVD has made itself different from VHS, CD, television and the Laserdisc. It is fascinating to see how each new audio visual medium generates not only its own format and style but its own distinct character in the public mind. Happily, the differences are all improvements starting, of course, with the fact that there has never been a format which offered such high quality either in picture or in sound – but it goes much further than that. The really big difference comes from the fact that DVD is non-linear and, consequently, everything on the disc is instantly accessible. There is no limit to length, no tedious winding and rewinding and an unprecedented degree of accuracy in finding what is […]
Christmas Disc Reviews
10 CHRISTMAS CDs & SACDs WOLCUM YULE: Celtic and British Songs and Carols – Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King – Multichannel SACD Harmonia Mundi 807325 (66 mins.)*****: With the help of virtuoso harpist Andrew Lawrence-King, Anonymous 4 celebrates Christmas with a wealth of Yuletide music from the British Isles. Juxtaposing pagan and Christian traditions, and including favorites such as “The holly and the ivy” and “I saw three ships,” the program interweaves English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ballads and carols with music by John Tavener, Benjamin Britten and a newly-commissioned work by Peter Maxwell Davies. The Davies song, A Calendar of Kings, sets a George Mackay Brown poem concerning the journey of the three Magi from the East to the scene of Christ’s nativity; it is spare in affect, yet vividly devotional, and will be remembered long after its six minutes are up. Britten’s A New Year Carol, which concludes the recital, is so consolingly beautiful that you will be willing (just) to let the CD finish. Whether you prefer your joy in abstract or rollicking settings, there is much for you to enjoy. Unaccompanied, and with Lawrence-King providing backing on an array of instruments including psaltery, Baroque harp […]
Reissue CD Reviews, Pt. 2 of 2
December 2004, Pt. 2 of 2 [Pt. 1] OLIVIER MESSIAEN: Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus – Peter Serkin, piano – RCA Red Seal Classic Library 82876-62316-2, 54:43, 67:48 (2 discs) ****: Recorded in l973, this is one of the early works of Messiaen, but it shows all the qualities of his later music – nearly atonal harmonies mixed with reminders of French Romantic and Impressionistic music, rhythms trying to break free of the regular pulses, and delight in bird song. The 20 Gazes Upon the Infant Jesus stands along with Sorabji’s works as one of the longest single keyboard works in the repertory. The 20 sections each represent the gaze of a different onlooker of Jesus in the manger – God the Father, Angels, Magi, etc. There are returning musical theme devices representing God, the Star and the Cross. The symbolism is deeply Catholic, but the work can also be listened to as an amazingly diverse and contrasting musical experience in an abstract sense. Serkin was only 25 when he made the recording and it is a breathtaking feat. The new remastering brings the sonics up to the high achievements of the music and performances. – John Sunier Brahms and Friends […]
Reissue CD Reviews, Pt. 1 of 2
December 2004, Pt. 1 of 2 [Pt. 2] Wilhelm Furtwaengler: An Anniversary Tribute = BACH: Suite No. 3 in D, BWV 1068/GLUCK: Alceste Overture/ SCHUBERT: Overture to Rosamunde/MOZART: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543/SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38 “Spring”/BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture; Leonore Overture No. 2; Grosse Fuge in B-flat Major, Op. 133; Symphony No. 8 in F, Op. 93/WEBER: Euryanthe Overture/BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor/STRAUSS: Metamorphosen/BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68; Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90/Interviews with Furtwaengler1951 and 1954 Wilhelm Furtwaengler conducts Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Schumann) DGG Original Masters 477 006-2 66:31; 79:06; 70:43; 58:54; 70:58; 44:16 (Distrib. Universal)****: Several sources plan anniversary tributes to conductor Wlhelm Furtwaengler (1886-1954), the outstanding apostle of the Great German Tradition in music-making whose best and most inspired readings of the classic canon occurred during humanity&Mac226;s most morally bankrupt period, 1933-1945 under Germany’s National Socialist regime. This DGG collation includes previously issued interpretations of the music Furtwaengler cultivated through perpetual study, readings and experiments in approach. Collectors will likely balk at the re-release of materials well-familiar instead of an outpouring of alternative performances […]
Component Reviews, Part 3
December 2004, Part 3 [Pt. 1] [Pt. 2] DVDO iScan HD Video Scaler SRP: $1495 DVDO Home Theater Products 300 Orchard City Drive Mailstop 131 Campbell, CA 95008 408 379-3836 (voice) 408 379-3845 (fax) https://www.dvdo.com Basic Description The iScan HD is a variable line rate video processor capable of outputting any resolution between 480p and 1080P—there is no upscaling of 720p or 1080i signals however. Due to its adjustability, this product will work with all types of digital televisions including LCD/CRT/DILA/DLP/plasma. The unit features infrared remote control, on-screen display, software upgrades, and RS-232 control. Inputs included: VGA (DB-15), (2x) RGB/S or YPrPb (RCA) input processing 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p signals and pass-through for 720p and 1080i signals, DVI pass-through, (2x) composite (RCA), (2x) s-video (mini DIN), (2x) optical digital audio and (2x) coaxial digital audio that accepts DD, DTS, and PCM from 44kHz-96kHz, 16 bit-24 bit word length. Outputs included: DVI and VGA (DB15) for RGB or YPbPr with H&V sync, composite sync, or sync-on-video, one digital coaxial, and one digital optical output. Processing allows for 3:2/2:2 pulldown detection, picture adjustments (contrast, brightness, color, tint, Y/C delay, sharpness), Framerate conversion, automatic chroma upsampling error detection and correction, timebase correction, digital […]
Component Reviews, Part 2 of 3
No. 2 [No. 3] [No. 1] • December 2004 McCormack Audio UDP-1 Universal Disc Player SRP: $3495 McCormack Audio UDP-1 Universal Disc Player SRP: $3495 SPECS: Plays = Standard CDs, SACDs, DVD-As, DVD-Vs, CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, MP3 files (if properly formatted) Video = Component video output level: Y: 1.0 Vp-p (75 ohm) PB, PR: 0.7 Vp-p (75 ohm) S-Video output level: Y – 1 Vp-p C – 286 mVp-p Video output level: 1 Vp-p 54MHz/10-bit video DAC“ Audio = Output level (all audio outputs): 2.0Vrms S/N ratio: 100 dB, A-weighted Frequency response: 4 Hz to 44 kHz for 96kHz DVD 4 Hz to 88 kHz for 192 kHz DVD Mechanical = Dimensions: 19” W. x 3.5” H. x 11.25” D. Weight: 18 lbs. Fuse = 120 v AC line: 400 ma 5 x 20mm “t” type 240 v AC line: 200 ma 5 x 20mm “t” type Intro The McCormack is the latest in a series of universal disc players I have auditioned. After having spent time with any of these universal players it is difficult to go back to my permanent system of three players – one for standard CDs and two-channel SACDs, one for multichannel SACDs (and a […]
Component Reviews, Part 1 of 3
December 2004, Review 1 of 3 [2] [3] Von Schweikert Audio VR-2 Reference Speaker System SRP: $2400 pr. SPECS = System Type: 2 1/2-way, 4-driver system with variation on standard transmission-line on woofer Woofer System: twin 6.5” drivers with aerospace composite cones and long-throw low distortion motors, shielded Twin Crossover Bass System: Lower woofer operates up to 200 Hz while bass/mid woofer operates up to 2.2 kHz, eliminating midrange coloration encountered in twin midrange systems Cabinet Design: Triple-chambered variation of transmission line design with front vent Damping: Resonance trap provided in base for addition of lead shot or sand; up to 25 lbs. of shot can be added to stabilize the sound Frequency Range: 25 Hz to 25 kHz, -2 dB Tweeter: Composite one-inch dome, silk laminated with two polymer resin coats; long throw design with low distortion motors, shielded and Ferrofluid liquid-cooled Crossover Points: 200 Hz & 2.2 kHz Crossover Type: Global Axis Integration Network for accurate off-axis frequency response and consistent phase Impedance: 8 ohms nominal (7-20 ohms) Sensitivity: 87.5 dB anechoic Ambience Retrieval System: 1” soft dome tweeter with rear-firing wave-guide and level control Input Terminals: Twin sets of Rhodium-plated five-way binding posts; jumper straps for non […]
DVD Reviews, Part 2 of 2
Pt. 2 of 2 – December 2004 [Part 1] The Gods Must Be Crazy I & II (1980/1988) Starring: (I) Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, N!xau; (II) N!xau, Lena Farugia, Hans Strydom Studio: Columbia TriStar Video: (I) 2.35:1 Widescreen Enhanced; (II) 1.85:1 Widescreen Enhanced Audio: (I) Stereo; (II) Dolby Surround Extras: (I) Previews (Cops And Robbersons, Ghostbusters, So I Married An Axe Murderer), Baraka School Photos, Journey to Nyae Nyae (25 min); (II) Previews (Groundhog Day, Hanky Panky, Murder by Death), Buster Reynolds Remembers Jamie Uys (7 min) Length: (I) 109 minutes; (II) 98 minutes Rating: (I) ***1/2; (II) *** Both these features were written, directed, and produced by Jamie Uys. The featurette on the first gives the viewer a glimpse of the impact that the incursion of technology and culture has had on the life of the bushman by following the transformation that had taken place in 1990s and then again over a decade later. Both comedies star N!xau playing the role of Xi, a curious and comical real-life bushman. The picture quality of the first film is not quite up to DVD standards showing lots of grain, noise, and some fuzziness. The second film is better in this regard […]
DVD Reviews, Part 1 of 2
December 2004 Part 1 of 2 [Pt. 2] All Music Videos Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven (1964) BEETHOVEN: Rondo in G, Op. 51, No. 2; Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier” Studio: VAI DVD 4283 Video: Black&White 4:3 Audio: PCM Mono Length: 57 Minutes Rating: ****: From Radio-Canada a telecast from 29 November 1964 featuring Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991) in the music of Beethoven. An understated production in every way, typical of the restrained classicism of its performing artist. After a quietly supple Rondo in G Kempff answers a few questions regarding the Hammerklavier Sonata, having donned his eyeglasses in a most professorial demeanor. The questions-and-answers are conducted in French, and Kempff’s replies are both concise and without foreign accent. He argues for the “cosmic” quality of the great, three-voice fugue of the Largo movement, given its “licenses” within the confines of traditional fugal procedure. Kempff calls the work “The Art of Fugue for the solo piano,” a monument “evolving according to the eternal laws of planets and stars.” The close camera work captures the intense concentration Kempff applies to the realization of Beethoven’s most massive, expansive sonata. Kempff plays with an easy lyricism, and his form in 1964 […]
Classical CD Reviews, Part 2 of 2
December 2004 Pt. 2 of 2 [Pt. 1] PATRICK ZIMMERLI: Trios Nos. 1 & 2 for Violin, Cello and Piano – Scott Yoo, violin/Michael Mermagen, cello/John Novacek, piano – Arabesque Z6785, 62:29 ****: NYC-based Zimmerli, whose degrees in composition are from Columbia University, is one of a new breed of composers with one foot in the classical world and the other firmly planted in the jazz milieu. He won a 2003 Gil Evans Fellowship Commission, wrote an hour-long suite for the Belgian jazz ensemble Octurn, and has performed on sax on four CDs of his own music, among other achievements. He has also performed contemporary classical works of Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter and others for new music concerts. The two piano trios are in the traditional four-movement conservative classical form, but contain a very individual mix of traditional classical, jazz and contemporary styles. Zimmerli seeks to embody European sensibility and American energy in these works. His intention is to write chamber music that shares recognized features of the genre, but shakes up the primacy of the standard chamber repertory with some wholly contemporary but accessible music. That’s a perfect description of what he achieves in these expressive and very […]
Classical CD Reviews, Part 1 of 2
December 2004 – Part 1 of 2 [Part 2] BARTOK: Violin Sonatas – Christian Tetzlaff, violin/Leif Ove Andsnes, piano – Virgin Classics 7243 5 45668 2, 78:42****: The Bartok Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 were composed 1921-1922, and they reveal the influence of German serialism, Debussy, and folk music, all crossed fertilized by a post-WW I angst and hypertension we see in the paintings of Egon Schiele. The Solo Sonata (1944) is the product of a commission from Yehudi Menuhin to the dying Bartok, and the result is a monumental piece combining the strict polyphony of Bach, wedded to a virtuosic, often incandescent spirituality in an academically fluent Magyar tradition. The First Sonata is a fitful fever of inspiration, marked by convulsive writing for the piano part and quirky paroxysms for the violin. There is a nervous tonal fixity around C# Minor. Only a touch of Debussy’s dreamy textures alleviates the storms of the Allegro appassionato. The last movement anticipates the perpetual motion of the Concerto for Orchestra, a wild village dance that might be Bartok’s answer to the Liszt Mephisto waltzes. The violin sings in a kind of demented lyrical way throughout the tumult. The Second Sonata […]
Jazz CD Reviews, Part 2 of 2
December 2004 Part 2 of 2 [Pt. 1] Chick Corea’s Elektric Band – To The Stars – (with Frank Gable, guitar; Eric Marienthal, sax; John Patitucci, bass; Dave Weckl, drums) – Stretch Records SCD-9043-2 ****: As most of you know, Chick is a Scientologist and therefore naturally revers the group’s found L. Ron Hubbard. This album is Chick’s effort to provide a musical setting for one of his favorites of Hubbard’s many sci-fi novels – To The Stars. One composition describes the character of the spaceship’s captain Jocelyn, then there are numbers tied in with various incidents in the novel and illustrated with quotations from the same. In between most of the tracks are one-minute or so Port Views, which portray the vistas of space as seen thru the portholes of the ship – these function as musical interludes. Chick appropriately goes heavily electronic in keeping with this outer space saga. He uses, among other gadgets, a Yamaha Disklavier, a Yamaha strap-on keyboard, Rhodes 76, Spectrasonics Trilogy, and a bunch of different Mac computers. Great fusion fun, and certainly of higher musical value than the typical sci-fi band that plays at Trekkie confabs. There are some guest appearances by saxist […]
Jazz CD Reviews, Part 1 of 2
December 2004 Part 1 of 2 [Pt. 2] Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963-1964 – Columbia Legacy 2796-90840-2, (7-CD collectors’ package) ****: This is the seventh in the Miles Davis Deluxe Box Series from Legacy – which has so far won nine Grammies. They have consisted of from three to seven CDs each. My personal favorite was the Complete Miles Davis and Gil Evans set, but other popular choices have been the Complete Bitches Brew Sessions, the Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, and the Miles Davis & John Coltrane Columbia Recordings. This new set from l963-64 covers the transition period from the quintet just after John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly left to just before the second great quintet. The very first CD is sort of a fill-in quintet, with British pianist-drummer Victor Feldman at the keyboard and George Coleman on tenor sax. The new bassist is Ron Carter, who stays with the quintet thru many changes now. Frank Butler is the drummer on his disc only, to be replaced by the very youthful Tony Williams – who like Carter also stays with the group into the great new quintet period. The eight tracks of this […]
SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews, Part 3 of 3 Classical concl. & Samplers
45 SACD & DVD-A Reviews This Month December 2004 – Pt. 3 of 3 .(Classical concl. & Samplers) [Part 1] [Part 2] Click on Any Cover to Go Directly to Review PROKOFIEV: Cinderella Suite; RAVEL: Mother Goose Suite – Martha Argerich & Mikhail Pletnev, pianos – DGG multichannel SACD 00289 474 8682, 49:47 *****: Have to admit I’m a patsy for multiple pianos, and when one can hear two of the greatest pianists on the concert stage today playing a work that has never been heard in a two-piano version before, and in hi-res surround sound on top of it, we have here an automatic disc of the month! Pletnev transcribed the delightful ballet of Prokofiev himself and dedicated the transcription to Argerich. He had earlier arranged the Nutcracker and some episodes from Rodion Shchedrin’s Anna Karenina, so this wasn’t entirely new for him. The art of the dance was entrusted to two pairs of hands, and the choreography and scenario of the original ballet took precedence over virtuoso outbursts for the two pianists. For those familiar with the orchestral score, it’s sort of like putting the ballet under X-ray and seeing its structure more clearly. One section does […]
SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews, Part 2 of 3 – Classical (beg.)
Since the first five of the new Mercury Living Presence three-channel SACDs are now available everywhere and the next five have been released but not yet received here, I’d like to update readers on this unusual hi-res reissue event. The general idea here is that this hi-res reissue project turned out much better than the RCA Living Stereo one, but the discs sell for the full price rather than the mid-price point of the RCAs. Part of the reason for the terrific sonics of the new hi-res Merc might be that though – as with the Living Stereos – they were not played back on the original Ampex machines with tubed electronics, the German engineers used one of Wilma Cozart Fine’s own Ampexes for constant comparison and mixing. And they really used their ears, because these transfers are nothing but superb. ********MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH******* RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3; Preludes in E flat and C sharp minor – Byron Janis/Minneapolis Symphony/London Symphony/Antal Dorati – Mercury 3-channel 470 639-2, 75:18 *****: I’ll start with the best of the bunch so far – the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 with Byron Janis, and Antal Dorati conducting […]
SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews, Part 1 of 3 – Jazz & Pop
45 & Reviews This Month! December 2004, Pt. 1 of 3 – Jazz & Pop [Part 2] [Part 3] Click on Any Cover to Go Directly to Review The Manhattan Transfer – Vibrate – Telarc SACD 63603 – Multichannel Hybrid SACD – 53 minutes ***: This new album from The Manhattan Transfer gives us their usual eclectic mixture of jazzified renditions of contemporary songs along with their always excellent interpretations of the standards. The musical accompaniment is equally diverse; the Latin-tinged percussion on the opener, Walkin’ in New York, propels it with such immediacy, you’ve almost just gotta get up and dance! Sharply juxtaposed against this delicious groove is the sarangi figure that opens of the following tune, Rufus Wainwright’s Greek Song, with a very Eastern feel to the arrangement. And this is followed by another Wainwright tune, Vibrate, whose bandoneon and string quartet takes us in a completely different direction. Talk about worlds apart! You have to really give it up to these guys – they’re not afraid to take chances stylistically. A couple of songs later they dish out a little comfort food with Horace Silver’s Doodlin’, along with its Jon Hendricks-penned lyrics – this is […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
