Monthly Archive: May 2005
Tony Monaco Trio and Friends – Fiery Blues
Tony Monaco Trio and Friends – Fiery Blues – Summit Records DCD 425 ****: We’ve all heard of Chicago Style and the New Orleans Sound in jazz, but did you know there was a “Columbus, Ohio sound?” Well, B3 master Tony Monaco – who lives there – knows, and made it the theme of his new CD. The general idea is a strongly rhythmic blend of the blues with jazz. He chose tunes associated with some of the many jazz organists who came out of the Columbus music scene, and sought to bring the Columbus Sound up to date with his playing on both his legacy B3 and New B3. He used two different drummers and three different guitarists on the 11 tracks. Saxist Gene Walker is heard on six of the tracks and vocalist Willie Pooch comes in on three tracks, including the rockin’ Everyday I Have the Blues. Tony gets in one of his originals on “Ashleen.” Can’t get enough of that unique B3 sound ah say,,, Tracks: Goin’ to a Meetin,’ Everyday I Have the Blues, Greasy Spoon, Mellow Soul, Ashleen, Crosscut Saw, The Hooker, Stormy Monday, All Blues, The Preacher, Takin’ My Time Blues.
Keith Barry, viola – Blew Year’s Proposition (with John Keyser, guitar; Ed Bennett, bass; Dave Winstock, drums)
Keith Barry, viola – Blew Year’s Proposition (with John Keyser, guitar; Ed Bennett, bass; Dave Winstock, drums) – Saphu SCD-0017 **** [www.BioJazz.com/~Vaught] Again, this has to be first jazz album with the feature instrument throughout being the viola! There’s plenty of jazz violin out there but it’s lower-pitched partner from the symphony orchestra is not even heard that much in classical music as a solo instrument, and in jazz not at all until this unique effort. I don’t know anything about Barry, other than the Saphu label is the baby of bassist Ed Bennett and based in Portland, Oregon. While I don’t see a cable coming out of his instrument in the photo of Barry, the sound of the viola has an electronic quality to it, probably to match more successfully with the electric guitar. The opening Andre Previn hit of the 60s, Like Young, comes on with lots energy and bounce – the viola being heard in its higher register. Monk’s Trinkle Trinkle lacks the impact of the usual Monk tune with piano and sax, but doesn’t lose its quirky Monkish character in the more mellow treatment. The longest track of the half dozen here is the classic Soft […]
The Randy Sandke Quartet featuring Bill Charlap, with Parthenia – a consort of viols – Trumpet After Dark (Jazz in a Meditative Mood)
The Randy Sandke Quartet featuring Bill Charlap, with Parthenia – a consort of viols – Trumpet After Dark (Jazz in a Meditative Mood) – Evening Star Records ES-109, 67:12 ***** (www.lpb.com/eveningstar): As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a pushover for any jazz featuring a solo horn plus strings. I put this one on the first time without looking closely at it, and about the second or third track it occurred to me this was an odd-sound string quartet behind trumpeter Sandke. Looking more carefully at the jewel box is saw credits for two treble, one tenor and a combo treble and bass viol. Most likely the very first time the early processors of the violin family have been heard in jazz! By the way, pianist Bill Charlap is one of the brightest of the new crop of jazz pianists and central to the great sound of this ensemble. Half of the 14 tracks are either by Sandke or he’s involved in them via arranging. They are mostly ballads and other more laid-back pieces but don’t think this is an easy-listening jazz outing. The extremely originally writing here is right up with that of some of my favorite arrangers – Don Sebesky, […]
The Dave Brubeck Quartet – London Flat/London Sharp (with Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute; Michael Moore, doublebass; Randy Jones, drums)
The Dave Brubeck Quartet – London Flat/London Sharp (with Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute; Michael Moore, doublebass; Randy Jones, drums) – Telarc CD-83625, 58:23 ****: Jazz piano legend Dave Brubeck just keeps going like that battery bunny. His newest release for Telarc celebrates his 85th birthday, and grew out a grueling tour of Britain. Hard to believe that it was way back in 1954 that Brubeck was on the cover of TIME magazine in an article heralding the rebirth of jazz. Saxist Bobby Militello is no Paul Desmond but he does a fine job displaying the sophisticated Brubeck melodic and harmonic structures heard on these ten mostly original tracks. Especially nice and not heard much in earlier Brubeck ensembles are the flute solos. The title tune came from Brubeck’s own remark to the organizer of his British tour that after some long bus rides they would be staying in a London flat. He said “That would be sharp.” There are two selections from Brubeck’s extensive works for liturgical purposes (he recently was award a theology doctorate by a Swiss University). Mr. Fats honors the great Fats Waller. These are all stimulating and enjoyable tracks, but you won’t hear the […]
Pat Metheny Group – The Way Up (Metheny, acoustic, electric, synth and slide guitars
Pat Metheny Group – The Way Up (Metheny, acoustic, electric, synth and slide guitars; Lyle Mays, acoustic piano & keyboards; Steve Rodby, acoustic & electric bass & cello; Guong Vu, trumpet & voice; Gregoire Maret, harmonica; Antonio Sanchez, drums) – Nonesuch 79876-2, 68:10 *****: Leave it to Metheny to turn out some of the most creative guitar-based modern jazz today. He’s been at it for 30 years; no wonder. Following his own highly individual path which has little in common with mainstream jazz. He seems to come from the general fusion genre but moves outward in every direction from there, creating a unique mix of modern chamber music, symphonic, electronics, sound effects, film music and atmospheric textures that let your imagination run wild. And maintaining an accessible harmonically-based idiom throughout this concept album. There are no “tunes” here – just 68 minutes of continuous music consisting of an opening track and three parts – which carries you away. Metheny was assisted by his longtime collaborator Lyle Mays, and whole thing holds together like a Bruckner symphony. I thought of Chopin’s four Ballades, which also tell adventurous stories without every having a specific program – you create your own while listening. […]
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1; Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 12, No. 3; Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer”
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1; Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 12, No. 3; Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer” Henry Szeryng, violin/Gary Graffman, piano Bridge 9165 71:16 (Distrib. Albany)****: Recorded at the Library of Congress December 3 (Op. 12, No. 1) through December 11, 1970, these excellent collaborations (in good mono sound) feature the late Polish virtuoso Henryk Szeryng (1918-1988) and American pianist Gary Graff man (b. 1928), a partial restoration of recitals that included music as well by Brahms and Schumann. Called by conductor Yoel Levi “the best-prepared violinist with whom I ever worked,” Henryk Szeryng enjoyed a princely reputation among violinists, sporting a Germanic-Franco pedigree that embraced Frenkel, Flesch, Thibaud, and Bouillon. A fair pianist as well as supreme fiddler, Szeryng was quite capable of expounding the orchestral parts of concertos as well as his own contributions and cadenzas. Yet in spite of the cerebral energies Szeryng brought to his vast repertory, he had a quality of improvisation that kept his performances exciting. The three sonatas by Beethoven here inscribed are old, familiar staples in the Szeryng lexicon, but he moves the music without fuss and without cloying […]
PERSICHETTI: Serenade No. 5 for Orchestra, Op. 43; Symphony for Strings (Symphony No. 5), Op. 61; Symphony No. 8, Op. 106 (1967)
PERSICHETTI: Serenade No. 5 for Orchestra, Op. 43; Symphony for Strings (Symphony No. 5), Op. 61; Symphony No. 8, Op. 106 (1967) Robert Whitney conducts Louisville Orchestra Jorge Mester conducts Louisville Orchestra (Sym. No. 8) First Edition FECD -0034 57:42 (Distrib. Albany)****: The Louisville Orchestra occupies a special place in the history of American music, commissioning as well as performing pieces by contemporary composers to create a body of work mostly American and expressive of our country’s diverse national vision, but no less indicative of other national trends. In 1948 Orchestra board president Charles P. Farnsley decided to reduce the orchestra to 50 players. Beginning in 1950, the Louisville Orchestra ceased spending significant monies on imported soloists in traditional staples; instead, it commissioned five new works per season, inviting major participation from compositional talents such as Thomson, Schuman, Harris, Martinu, Hindemith, Chavez, Foss, Ginastera, Carter, Hovhaness, Riegger, Mennin, Dello Joio, Tcherepnin, and Villa-Lobos. Producer Howard Scott of CBS helped supervise the LP incarnations of Louisville premiers. From 1954 through 1959 Scott and the Louisville ensemble under maestros Whitney and Mester gave 116 world premiers by 101 composers. The present disc of Vincent Persichetti compositions derive from inscriptions made 1954-1970, two […]
Maurice Andre: Great Artists of the Century = HAYDN: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat; ALBINONI: Trumpet Concerto in B-flat, Op. 7, No. 3; HANDEL: Concerto for Trumpet and Organ in D Minor; TELEMANN: Trumpet Concerto in D; HERTEL: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat; HU
Maurice Andre: Great Artists of the Century = HAYDN: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat; ALBINONI: Trumpet Concerto in B-flat, Op. 7, No. 3; HANDEL: Concerto for Trumpet and Organ in D Minor; TELEMANN: Trumpet Concerto in D; HERTEL: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat; HUMMEL: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Riccardo Muti conducts Philharmonia Orchestra (Haydn); Sir Charles Mackerras conducts English Chamber Orchestra; Herbert von Karajan conducts Berlin Philharmonic (Telemann, Hummel) EMI 7243 5 62947 2 77:07 ****: Among modern practitioners of the virtuoso trumpet, Maurice Andre (b. 1933) stands virtually on a peak of his own making, having proselytized and popularized the piccolo trumpet to a superstar status, a coloratura, vocal instrument capable of any number of degrees of nuance, along with its fierce, high tessitura. The six concertos assembled on this disc, recorded 1974-1984, testify to Andre&Mac226;s seamless facility on his chosen instrument, with the concerto by Hertel’s serving as a competition piece for any trumpeter who favors the musical stratosphere. Herbert von Karajan provides accompaniment for the Telemann Concerto, which along with Handel concerto, has the ancient sonata di chiesa as its precedent, and exploits long stretches of high registration for the instrument. The Haydn, Albinoni, and Hummel concertos move so […]
J. STRAUSS, JR: Melodien -Quadrille Nach Verdi, Op. 112; Banditen-Galopp, Op. 378; Leichtes-Blut, Op. 319; Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437; Rosen aus den Suden, Op. 388; Annen-Polka, Op. 117; and more.
J. STRAUSS, JR: Melodien -Quadrille Nach Verdi, Op. 112; Banditen-Galopp, Op. 378; Leichtes-Blut, Op. 319; Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437; Rosen aus den Suden, Op. 388; Annen-Polka, Op. 117; Tristsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214; Overture to Die Fledermaus; Unter Donner und Blitz Polka, Op. 324; Romanze for Cello and Orchestra No. 1; Pizzicato Polka; Vergnuegunszug Polka, Op. 281; An Der Schoenen Blauen Donau, OP. 314; Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257 Peter Maag conducts RAI Rome Orchestra and RAI Turin Orchestra (Op. 117; Op. 324; Die Fldermaus Overture) Arts Archives 43036-2 79:22 (Distrib. Albany)****: Swiss conductor Peter Maag (1919-2001) is captured in the music of his beloved Johann Strauss, a composer the under-rated musician esteemed butdid not have the pleasure of directing in an Austrian venue, as had his idols in this music, Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwaengler, and Clemens Krauss. Recorded in live stereo sound in 1975 Turin and 1993 Rome, Maag brings the requisite lilt and blithe sentiment to the waltzes and polkas, inserting among the more familiar pieces the occasional, rare find, like the lovely Cello Romance (one of three Strauss wrote), which makes us wonder if there were a full-fledged concerto only awaiting an opportunity for its inception. The Kaiser Waltzes have […]
London Symphony Orchestra (1904-2004): The Centennial Set = WEBER: Oberon Overture; BERLIOZ: King Lear Overture, Op. 4; Benvenuto Cellini Overture and Act I Trio, and more
London Symphony Orchestra (1904-2004): The Centennial Set = WEBER: Oberon Overture; BERLIOZ: King Lear Overture, Op. 4; Benvenuto Cellini Overture and Act I Trio; BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62; DVORAK: Symphony No. 6 in D, Op. 60; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 6 in C; Symphony No. 8 in b Minor; TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo and Juliet Overture; Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64; STRAVINSKY: Petrouchka Ballet; BERG: 3 Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6; ELGAR: Cockaigne Overture; DEBUSSY: Jeux Arthur Nikisch conducts (Oberon); Josef Krips conducts (Schubert 6th); Sir Hamilton Harty conducts (King Lear); Bruno Walter conducts (Coriolan); Istvan Kertesz conducts (Dvorak 6th; Schubert 8th); Claudio Abbado conducts (Berg); Michael Tilson-Thomas conducts (Jeux); Sir Colin Davis conducts (Benvenuto Cellini); Pierre Monteux conducts (Romeo and Juliet); Sir Georg Solti conducts (Petrouchka, Tchaikovsky 5th); Sir Andre Previn conducts (Elgar) Andante AN 4 100 76:06; 64:19; 79:16; 77:23 (Distrib. Naxos)****: Sir Colin Davis refers to the London Symphony Orchestra as “the casual virtuoso,” a fitting epithet for a gifted ensemble of splendid, individual players whose good humor is as famous as its brilliant sound. Formed in 1904 as a reaction to an ultimatum from Sir Henry Wood to his own Queen’s Hall Orchestra about deputy […]
Weekly Audio News for May 18, 2005
Mostly CEA News this week: Audiophile of the 21st Century – According to an “Audio Consumption Study” released by the Consumer Electronics Association there has been an increased consumer enjoyment of audio content – including music and movies. More then 90% of adults online reported listening to music in the past year. The CEA said the study findings demonstrate that consumers have not lost their appetite for audio as part of their daily content diet, and the rise of audio consumption means increased opportunity for the industry and consumers. The total average value of devices used in the primary listening room of the home was $1500 and 87% percent of online adults reported being satisfied with the quality of their home audio listening experience. Sound quality, volume range and integration into the home decor were “satisfaction drivers.” Dissatisfied respondents included those who spent about half the average cost on audio components, those whose listening was mainly PC-based, and those with wiring issues. CES Pres Addresses U.S. Communications Policy – CEA President Gary Shapiro delivered a speech last week to the Federal Communications Bar Association in which he characterized “the U.S. communication forest” as “growing, robust and stunningly beautiful.” He talked […]
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus – Charlie Mingus plays in and leads an 11-man ensemble in mostly his own compositions
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus – Charlie Mingus plays in and leads an 11-man ensemble in mostly his own compositions (incl. Britt Woodman, Booker Irvin, Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Charles Mariano, Jerome Richardson) – Impulse! AS-54/Speakers Corner import ****: This 1963 Impulse album really featured Mingus in a big way, with his name repeated five times on the cover. And it stands as one of the most important of his recorded repertory. The burly and grouchy bass player, composer, arranger and band leader regarded himself as an “animal trainer” in keeping his sidemen performing up to his expectations at all times. And that wasn’t easy for these top jazzmen either, since Mingus was famous for changing his charts all the time and singing the changes in tunes over the phone to his players – then demanding something different from them onstage! I recall doing some photography backstage at a Newport Festival with Mingus arriving in high dudgeon because one of his sidemen hadn’t yet arrived – who had all the music with him! To give Mingus the benefit of the doubt, he was a genius and he did have some horrific bad luck in his life. Six of the seven […]
BERLIOZ: Les Troyens
BERLIOZ: Les Troyens Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, cond. Sir John Eliot Gardiner – Choeur du Théâtre du Châtelet, Monteverdi Choir – Stage director: Yannis Kokkos Didon: Susan Graham; Cassandre/Clio: Anna Caterina Antonacci; Anna: Renata Pokupic; Enée: Gregory Kunde; Chorèbe: Ludovic Tézier Studio: BBC/Opus Arte OA 0900 D, 3 DVDs, all regions Video: Enhanced for 16:9 widescreen, color Audio: PCM Stereo, DTS Stereo Extras: Interviews with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Yannis Kokos, Susan Graham, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Gregory Kunde, and others; Booklet with photos Length: 5 hours, 12 mins. Rating: **** A full-screen DVD set with stunning clarity and great lighting, this production of Berlioz’s long, penultimate opera Les Troyens lavishes attention on production values, yielding gorgeous sets. A beautiful mirroring screen shows a staircase to heaven, seemingly at a diagonal, giving the illusion of characters magically walking up and down the steps. Later on, the grotesque head of the Trojan horse is superimposed on a translucent screen. The appearance of Hector’s ghost in Act 2 (sung powerfully by Fernand Bernadi) is a scene of shivering import. The entire production imparts a sense of grandeur, a subliminal awareness of the large geographic expanse separating Troy from Carthage. In Act 1, the […]
JEAN FRANCAIX: Le roi nu; Les demoiselles de la nuit
JEAN FRANCAIX: Le roi nu; Les demoiselles de la nuit – Ulster Orchestra/Thierry Fischer – Hyperion CDA67489, 62:49 ****: Francaix live a long life, passing away only eight years ago. He composed in nearly every genre with great facility and a quality that the notes to this disc accurately call “an amiable unpretentiousness.” That French wit permeates most of his music and Le roi nu is a perfect illustration since the ballet is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes.” One of nine ballets composed by Francaix, the music flows at a mostly continuous pace, with vivid orchestration and showing an influence of Stravinsky here and there. When the king finally dons his imaginary robes, the lush instrumentation falls back to just a few solo instruments – naked orchestration, so to speak. The Ladies of the Night was another witty but somewhat more moody ballet effort, this one subtitled “cat-ballet in one act.” The scenario concerns a decadent underground society of cats who mirror human life in the city above. One of them falls in love with a human who is lost in the underground and becomes a human to be with him. But she can’t control her […]
Oliver Nelson Sextet – The Blues and The Abstract Truth
Oliver Nelson Sextet – The Blues and The Abstract Truth (Nelson, alto & tenor sax; Eric Dolphy, alto sax & flute; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; George Barrow, baritone sax; Bill Evans, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Roy Haynes, drums) – Impulse AS-5/Speakers Corner ****: Oliver Nelson was one of the great arrangers in modern jazz, who came to attention with his series of small-group LPs on the Prestige label. This 1961 release was a bigger budget effort with more time, and the ability to secure Bill Evans and Freddie Hubbard for the session. He wrote and arranged all six tracks especially for the recording. The alto and flute solos of Eric Dolphy added a great deal to the ensemble and are one of the highlights of this disc. Nelson strove to put the blues in modern garb and his superb charts used for this session are studied today in jazz schools as examples of the best techniques. He played around with unusual keys and tonal centers, and with blues structures that were not limited to the standard 12 or 32 bars. This is pretty dense and chromatic stuff – not your typical Basie arrangements – but careful listening reveals many treasures. Sonics […]
House of Flying Daggers (Widescreen Edition)(2003)
House of Flying Daggers (Widescreen Edition)(2003) Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau Directed by: Zhang Yimou Studio: Sony Pictures Video: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Audio: Chinese, English, and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles and Captions: English, French Extras: Commentary with director Zhang Yimou and actor Ziyi Zhang; two featurettes (“The Making of House of Flying Daggers” and “Creating the Visual Effects”); Storyboard comparisons; Costumes gallery; Photo gallery; “Lovers” music video; Previews Length: 119 minutes Rating: *** The House of Flying Daggers is a revolutionary gang that is attempting to overthrow the corrupt government of the Tang Dynasty. A blind female dancer named Mei is believed to have ties with this gang. After her capture by government soldiers, two officers, Leo and Jin, devise a plan to have Mei lead them to The House of Flying Daggers. Jin pretends to rescue Mei in hopes of gaining her trust. However, Jin begins to develop true feelings of affection for Mei, which puts his mission in jeopardy. Things become even more complicated as both Leo and Mei have secrets of their own that later surface. I have mixed feelings about this movie. On a positive note, it is a visually beautiful movie with […]
Suspect Zero (Widescreen Collection)(2004)
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Ann Moss Directed by: E. Elias Merhige Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Video: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Audio: English DD 5.1, French DD 5.1 Subtitles and Captions: English, Spanish and English Closed Captions Extras: Commentary by Director E. Elias Merhige, four-part featurette “What We See When We Close Our Eyes”, Remote viewing demonstration, alternate ending with optional commentary, Internet trailer, previews Length: 99 minutes Rating: *** FBI Agent Tom Mackelway is tracking a series of murders and all signs are pointing to a former FBI agent named Benjamin O’Ryan. O’Ryan was part of a former secret government program that trained agents to get into the minds of serial killers by using telepathy. Through his research, Mackelway discovers that O’Ryan had formulated a theory that a single killer, referred to as ‘Suspect Zero’, could travel the country murdering people and avoid capture provided that the killings were truly random in nature. Mackelway, along with the help of his former partner, must determine whether O’Ryan is the Suspect Zero responsible for a long list of murders or whether he is actually guiding them towards another person. Suspect Zero is a cold, dark movie that reminded me a lot of […]
John Williams – The Ultimate Guitar Collection – Compilation set of 41 selections from his many recordings
John Williams – The Ultimate Guitar Collection – Compilation set of 41 selections from his many recordings – Sony Classical S2K 93959 (2 CDs), 76:19, 78:09 ****: The barrage of reissue material from the major labels is well worth investigating when it brings up such bargain gems as this one. The two discs are fully packed with 41 selections from the recording career for Columbia/Sony of probably the world’s finest classical guitarist – over two hours of great music. While mostly solo guitar works, there are excerpts from concertos by Vivaldi and Rodrigo among others. The Australian-born guitarist has been heard in scores for such films as The Deer Hunter and A Fish Called Wanda, and some of his most recent albums have explored world music cultures in an effort similar to that of cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Most of the tracks come from the 90s and more recently, although a couple are from as early as l975. Many familiar guitar favorites such as Recollections of the Alhambra and pieces by Satie and Bach are in the collection, but it also abounds in unique choices such as the theme from the film The Mission, a Courante by Handel, and an original […]
HENRY COWELL, A Continuum Portrait – Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal Music 1
HENRY COWELL, A Continuum Portrait – Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal Music 1 = Piano Pieces; Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Cello & Harpsichord; Three Anti-Modernist Songs; Suite for Violin and Piano; Polyphonica for Small Orchestra; Irish Suite for String Piano and Small Orchestra – Continuum (Charyl Seltzer & Joel Sachs, directors) – Naxos American Classics 8.559192, 65:46 ****: One of the most highly individual men in American music, Cowell – who lived until 1965 – was a piano virtuoso, writer, teacher, lecturer, organizer and composer. His unprecedented experimental attitude resulted in some of the first use of palms, fists and entire arms on the piano keyboard, as well as reaching in to play on the strings directly. He also experimented with extremely advanced compositional techniques, but somehow all of his music is quite accessible to the average listener due to Cowell’s folklore-influenced melodiousness and dedication to his Irish background. He had a deep belief in the unity of world musical cultures and later in his career thru a series of radio programs and recordings concentrated on increasing public appreciation of the diversity of world music – which is presently finally achieving some attention. The last of the four Piano Pieces is […]
SAMUEL BARBER: Capricorn Concerto; A Hand of Bridge; Mutations from Bach; Intermezzo from Vanessa; Canzonetta for oboe and strings; Fadograph of a Yestern Scene
SAMUEL BARBER: Capricorn Concerto; A Hand of Bridge; Mutations from Bach; Intermezzo from Vanessa; Canzonetta for oboe and strings; Fadograph of a Yestern Scene – Stephane Rancourt, oboe (in Canzonetta)/other soloists/Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Marin Alsop – Naxos American Classics 8.559135, 52:28 ****: In the sixth and last volume in Naxos’ series on the complete orchestral works of Barber, we have some of the shorter works from this American composer who often combined late Romantic style with more modernist tendencies. The three-movement Capricorn Concerto was named after Barber’s home, and he chose for it exactly the same instruments as featured in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, and in the final movement pays tribute to Bach with a trumpet fanfare. A Hand of Bridge was commissioned for Menotti’s Spoleto Festival and is a nine-minute opera for four voices with a witty and bitchy libretto by Menotti, Barber’s companion at the time. The Intermezzo from Barber’s second opera Vanessa is a strikingly beautiful short piece on a par with the composer’s popular Adagio for Strings. The closing Fadograph of a Yestern Scene comes from the composer’s sad final years, after the failure of his opera Antony and Cleopatra and his reclusive existence in […]
GEORGY L’VOVICH CATOIRE: Piano Trio in F Minor; Elegy in D Minor for violin and piano; Piano Quartet in A Minor
GEORGY L’VOVICH CATOIRE: Piano Trio in F Minor; Elegy in D Minor for violin and piano; Piano Quartet in A Minor – Room-Music Quartet – Hyperion CDA67512, 55:08 ****: Another neglected composer brought to collectors’ attention by Hyperion. Catoire does appear in Baker’s Biographical, but only gets seven lines, showing some neglect even there. He was a Russian composer of French descent, born at the start of the U.S. Civil War and died shortly after the Russian Revolution. Even during his life he was on the musical sidelines, but these three selections show that he created some impressive chamber works. He was a champion of Wagner throughout his life but that composer’s influence was modified by a Russian temperament. The works abound in glorious melodies and accent the virtuoso aspects in some thrilling passages. This latter quality is thought to have accelerated the neglect of Catoire’s music, because it was so difficult to play. The Piano Quartet shows a strong influence of Scriabin, especially in the initial movement. There is an involved interplay among the four instruments not often heard in works for piano and string trio. These works are a very welcome discovery and lead one to an interest […]
UKRAINE COMPOSERS SERIES, Set One = POLSKY: Concerto for Domra and Orchestra; PODGORNY: Overture; MAMONTOV: Concert Polonaise; KLEBANOV: Suite No. 2 for Strings; 4 Preludes & Fugues for Orchestra
UKRAINE COMPOSERS SERIES, Set One = POLSKY: Concerto for Domra and Orchestra; PODGORNY: Overture; MAMONTOV: Concert Polonaise; KLEBANOV: Suite No. 2 for Strings; 4 Preludes & Fugues for Orchestra; TSITSALUK: Elegie for Fr. Horn and Strings; STETSUN: Youth Overture; GAYDENKO: Kursky Karagody; GUBARENKO: Kupalo; Chamber Sym. No. 2; Choreographic Scenes from “Zaporozhtsy” – Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra of the Ukraine/Vakhtang Jordania – Angelok1 CD7710/7711 (2 discs) (Distr. by Albany Records), 71:09, 71:28 ****: This special collection introduces music lovers who tend toward the untrodden paths to various Ukrainian composers of the 20th century in authoritative performances by an orchestra of their countrymen. The Kharkov Philharmonic has a history going back to the early 19th century, and this package was produced in commemoration of the city of Kharkov’s 350th Anniversary. One of the strangest-named classical labels (with the superscript 1 at the end), Angelok1 specializes in bringing to CD some of the great music from the area of Russia. Unfortunately, the sonics are often rather harsh and not up to audiophile standards, and this collection is no exception. However, some of the music is so fascinating and exotic that I for one am willing to listen thru that. After all, all Soviet […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
