Monthly Archive: June 2005
GEORGE GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue; Concerto in F; An American in Paris; Var. on “I Got Rhythm; Cuban Overture – Earl Wild, piano/ Boston Pops Orch./ Arthur Fiedler – RCA Red Seal Living Stereo
Sparkling and fully-packed Gershwin collection in three-channel sound as originally recorded.
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216; BACH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041; Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major and more – Bronislaw Huberman, v. – Opus Kura
Reissues of the work of a fine Polish virtuoso who lived until 1947
Gulda Festkonzert = WAGNER: Prelude to Die Meistersinger; MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major; DVORAK: Symphony No. 8 in G Major – Freidrich Gulda, piano/Rudolf Kempe/ Munich Philharmonic Orchestra – Scribendum
1972 recordings of a brilliant collaboration between the late pianist (d. 2002) and the famous conductor (d. 1976)
Joshua Bell, violin = TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35; BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77; WIENIAWSKI: Violin Concerto – Cleveland Orchestra/Ashkenazy – Decca (2)
More Bell retrospective recordings, displaying his sweet tone and enthusiastic delivery
SCHUBERT: Sonata in B flat, D960; Three Lieder: Viola D786 Der Winterabend D938, Abschied von der Erde D829 – Leif Ove Andsnes, piano/Ian Bostridge, tenor – EMI
Interesting combo of Schubert’s final piano sonata plus three lieder sung by leading Schubertian interpreter Bostridge
The Essential Jefferson Airplane; RCA/Legacy 2-disc CD
Compilation observing the 40th anniversary of the formation of the San Francisco rock band
GarageBand New Music Sampler 2005 – Klipsch Audio Technologies
Intro to some of the best music from independent artists online who rate one another’s work
Electric Light Orchestra – All Over The World: The Very Best of ELO; Epic/Legacy CD
A great introduction to one of the best of the pop/rock groups and their varied new sounds
YEVGENY SVETLANOV: Piano Concerto in C Minor; SCRIABIN: Symphony No. 3 “The Divine Poem” – Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Dmitriev; Vladimir Ochinnikov, piano – Water Lily
A surprising concerto from conductor Svetlanov plus a most authentic-sounding ecstatic symphony from Scriabin
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” – Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Dmitriev – Water Lily Acoustics
An emotional surrounding account from a conductor and probably at least some players who lived thru the siege of Leningrad described in the music
Bob Rodriguez, piano – Corridor (with Mike Richmond, bass & Eliot Zigmund, drums) – CreOp Music
Jazz pianist with a classical background reharmonizes everything from Fritz Kreisler to Coltrane
RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé (Ballet Suites 1 & 2); Mother Goose Suite; Valses nobles et sentimentales – Minnesota Orchestra/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski – Vox/Mobile Fidelity
Another Nickrenz/Aubort project from the 70s favored by audiophiles who are now able to experience it the way it was originally recorded
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A K.622; Clarinet Quintet in A K.581 – Andrew Marriner, clarinet/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Sir Neville Marriner – Pentatone
Two classics of the clarinet repertory for centuries, in a father & son project
John Coltrane (with Red Garland, Paul Chambers & Arthur Taylor) – SoulTrane – Prestige/Mobile Fidelity
Glorious melodic Trane, great sounds from the 50s, good ol’ Mono
C.P.E. BACH: Oboe Concertos and Sonatas – Hermitage Ch. Orchestra/Alexei Utkin, oboe – Caro Mitis
The second son of J.S. stresses more melody and emotion and less counterpoint in his works
Carmen McRae, Live at Birdland West – Fine and Mellow (with Red Holloway, tenor & alto sax; John Clayton, bass; Paul Humphrey, drums; Jack McDuff, organ; Phil Upchurch, guitar) – Concord Jazz
Carmen in top form in l987 with Jack McDuff on B3
Joshua Bell, violin = BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor; MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E Minor; MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216; Adagio in E Major; Rondo in C Major; Violin Concerto No 5 – Neville Marriner & Peter Maag – Decca
Too early for a retrospective on the youthful violinist? The earliest here date from 1988.
PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major; RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 1; PROKOFIEV: Toccata; SCHUMANN: Clara Wieck Variations; MENDELSSOHN: Song without words; PINTO: Three Scenes from Childhood – Byron Janis, piano/Kiril Kondrashin – Mercury 3-ch.
Another of the 1963 Mercury Russian recordings, in either 2 or 3 channels (no surrounds)
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique” – Valery Gergiev conducts Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra – Philips
A very Russian treatment of a very melancholic Russian Symphony
La Tarentella – Lucilla Galeazzi & Marco Beasley, singers/ Alfio Antico, singer & tamburi a cornice/ L’Arpeggiata, conducted by Christina Pluhar – Alpha
Fascinating music with an odd history – used for relief from spider bites
To Upgrade Your Video or Not?
Considerations and problems for consumers in the transition to HDTV
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43 – Valery Gergiev conducts Kirov Orchestra, Marinsky Theater, St. Petersburg – Philips
A high-power interpretation preserved with high-power surround for a spectacular disc
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
